Birthday at the Ranch

In November, we celebrated by birthday and our friend Levi's birthday at his parent's ranch in Cisco.  We went with a few other couples and had a great time.  We shot guns, sat around a campfire, and grilled out.  Just a relaxing overnight stay...without kids.  ;-)

This is the entrance to their ranch.  They've really done a great job taking a piece of land and turning it into a weekend get-a-way!

Mondo had an awesome time shooting guns.  It's not really my greatest past time.

I posed for a picture with an arrow...that I never actually shot.

My pal Scott showing me how to shoot a gun.  I had no intention of shooting anything but everyone insisted I had to shoot one once and that I would like it.

They were wrong.  That little gun had a huge kick to it and I'm pretty sure I wasn't holding it right.  I hated it and only shot it once.

We ate dinner around the camp fire and told old stories.

Mondo, Levi, and Scott.  So great to have lifelong friends.  :-)

3rd Grade PTA Performance

PTA knows how to get parents to come to the meetings...have the kids perform there.  ;-)  Each month it's a different grade level.  We got there early and had pizza, listened to a 10 minute meeting, then Ethan's 3rd grade class put on a cute performance.

Caleb did a little gaming during the PTA meeting.

But when it was time for the performance he was doing the hand motions with them.  So cute!

This was a cute song about "the blues" so Ethan had sunglasses on.

That's Ethan's music teacher.  She's lots of fun.  You can tell she totally enjoys her job.  :-)

This is the student music teacher that Ethan kind of loves.  ;-)

My Birthday

This year I turned the big 3-5.  I think it feels old to me because in medical terms it's "advanced maternal age" which just seems silly to me.  It's also only 5 years from 40 which suddenly doesn't sound as old as it used to.  This picture is from the birthday board at work.  My co-worker does a great job of decorating! 

We had a giant birthday lunch at my parent's house.  We don't get together as often anymore so when we do, we do it up big!  This was "birthday lunch" for all of the fall/winter birthdays.  Which is pretty much when everyone in our family was born!

For my birthday dinner I chose the usual...Olive Garden.  Partly because I love it and partly because I have two little boys who tell me that's where I'm eating.  ;-)

Meet Squeaker!



So I'm scrolling through Facebook one day and see this picture with the post "free kittens".  I wasn't really looking to get another animal...but she captivated me.  Ever since my mom got a cat I'd been thinking about getting one and of course the boys were begging for one but I didn't want one more animal to take care of.  But I couldn't stop going back to that post and looking at her.  I asked Mondo about it and he immediately said no.  So I showed the picture to the kids.  ;-)  They begged and begged until I finally told them to drop it, we weren't getting the kitten.  Hours later, Mondo came in and said, "I don't know why I'm saying this and I'll probably regret it...but we can have the kitten."  What?!  Really?!  I knew I had to act fast before he changed his mind.  I got into contact with the girl and found out that she lived in WEATHERFORD!  Not close to me at all.  But Mondo said he had customers out there and he could spend the day there then bring her home.  Hooray!



I got a box and put a towel in it for her car ride home.

Clearly I don't know much about cats.  Mondo called me several times during the hour trip home saying she was trying to escape!  She'd pop her head out of the box and he would push it back in.

Then he sends me this picture.  She flew out of the box and was climbing on the chair.  Did I mention I've only had outside cats...like in elementary school. 

He finally made it home.  The boys couldn't wait to hold her!  And of course we had to take her to Nana and Papa's and show her off.  She had the tiniest, high pitched voice so she got the name "Squeaker".

Lets go back to the story of me knowing nothing about kittens.  I've found her in tons of places I never thought about.  Like the dishwasher.

And hanging from the couch.  She was too small to jump on the couch so she'd scale the side.

She was very interested to meet the dogs.  Lexie could've cared less that we brought someone new home.  But Gracie doesn't like new people on her turf.  Except that she's never been around a kitten so I'm not sure she knew what it was!  Squeaker would hiss at her and Gracie would take off running.  She wouldn't even cross her path.  And look how tiny the kitty is!  Gracie only weighs about 12 pounds.

I got her this toy to scratch her claws in the middle part and roll the ball around.  She never scratches the middle part but she does love chasing the ball.

The princess.  I bought the smallest collar but it was still too big.  I got one with a bell on it so I would know where she was!

Ethan is very good with her.  Very calm and gentle.

And I'm learing what life is like with tiny, razor sharp claws.  This picture doesn't even do it halfway justice what she did to my hands!  And of course, she wasn't being mean, just playing.

Halloween

We did the usual for Halloween this year.  We went to the church carnival then trick or treated in the neighborhood.  I also included pics from Caleb's Halloween party at school.

Here is Caleb modeling his Halloween costume the day it came in the mail.  It fit him perfect and was so cute!

I helped at his school party.  We made "spooky brew" in his classroom.  It was such a cute, simple idea.  Just a hunk of dry ice with some apple juice poured over it.  The kids were facinated with it!  That's his teacher in the witch's hat.

Most of his classmates posing with the teacher.

They came home from school and carved pumpkins.  I think I was more into it than they were.  They were just excited to get to use a knife!

Caleb's traditional pumpkin that I carved.

Ethan did a good job...and gave me a heart attack with his knife skills.

Watch out!  It's Robin and Thor!

Then they needed a silly one.

This was at the church "trunk or treat".  This is his best adult friend (and Mondo's BFF) Scott.  Yes, that's where Caleb got his middle name.  :-)

Robin was super excited to find Joker!  I don't even know who this was.  I think it was a visitor.

They always have to have a quick stop at Nana's to get some good candy!

His buddy Will.

They love to hand out candy so we had to make a mad dash home after trick or treating in the neighborhood.

Checking out his loot!

NICU Reunion

Last year (2012) was our first NICU reunion.  We had it in the summer.  It was our first one so we didn't really know what we were doing.  We kind of sat around and looked at each other.  ;-)  After that one we decided to have the next one around Halloween so the babies could wear costumes and we could play games.  It gave us a little theme.  It was SO CUTE to see our NICU graduates all dressed up in little costumes.  And it was also fun to see our co-workers in them too.

My fellow weekend warrior Shelly.  Since we're together all the time our co-workers call us Batman and Robin.  So of course that's who we had to dress up as!

This was most of the gang.  That was a lot of crying babies to get in one pic!  I'm sure most of them don't have fond memories of their nurses.  ;-)

That's my supervisor in the candy corn shirt.  And another co-worker in the clown costume.

The planning committee.  The two girls in the middle are "party animals".  Get it?  ;-)

I made fall themed cupcakes.