Thanksgiving Week

   What a fun week. Our Thanksgiving festivities started at about 10:00 p.m. the night before TDay. Tim and I heard a noise but brushed it off as some firework. Well, when we saw this outside our window, we knew something was up:     Apparently, so did the rest of our street. We went outside and saw three cop cars, one ambulance and a fire truck. We watched as the Paramedics checked out this handcuffed guy. Some of the neighbors stood on our driveway for the best view, but no one knew what happened. So, I introduced myself to some neighbors across the street whom we hadn't met yet with the intentions of finding out what the d.l. was as well. Here's the scoop. A drunk man came driving crazily around the corner and almost hit a basketball hoop and someone's home. A neighbor across the street and a few doors down saw the drunk driver and called the cops. He went outside (with a gun) to talk to the drunk guy. He told the drunk guy to stay put and when it appeared that the drunk was pulling something out of his car, our neighbor fired a bullet into the bottom of the car to scare the drunk (that was our "firework"). Then the drunk was wrestled to the ground by two of our neighbors ... and he might have suffered a pistol whip as well.
    It really was a blessing no one was hurt, besides the drunk that deserved it. Our street usually has kids or teens outside playing, but luckily no one was out in the street at the time.
    TDay morning, I finished my cooking for Thanksgiving. I made mashed potatoes, asparagus and tried to bring a little family tradition to San Antonio by making "Magic Jello" and my Grandma Curtis's famous rolls. It was my first time making rolls from scratch. Thankfully the food turned out. I'm not a fan of being in the kitchen, but it was probably good for me.  Lucky for Tim and Andy (and myself), my sister-in-law Hillery IS a fabulous cook. She's always trying new recipes and would be any man's dream wife in the kitchen. We ate Thanksgiving meal with them and Hillery had the table decorated so cute: Tim and I felt lucky to be able to spend Thanksgiving with family. Thanks guys!
   On Friday we woke up at 6:30 to go to... Toys R Us! I don't know if I have even been in that store before in my life. It was worth it!! I braved the line that was weaving in and out of the aisles while Tim and Kyle picked up the things on our list. We saved a good amount of mula, we were so happy. It was hot and disgusting in there though. After a few more stops at stores, our life went back to usual. Tim went to the library to study. That's the same place he is now and will be until Dec. 12-- the day of his last final! I'm so proud of him for working so hard. His first final is Tuesday! Wish us luck!

(He loved the jello!)

(... and even more surprising, the asparagus!)

Special Day

Thank goodness for today. It was the day my dad was born.

Funny. Hard working. Leader. Spiritual. Loving. Good Grandpa. Intelligent. Old. (jk Dad). Did I say Funny?

Happy Birth Moment!! We love you and wish we were there to be with you!

Thankful

   You don't have to read this, but if you do I hope you can take something away from it. I just read one of my friend's blogs who recently lost a baby 19 weeks into her pregnancy. It was a little boy. I'm still sort of numb. My thoughts, of course, instantly turned to Kyle. Then my thoughts turned back to my friend. Her blog is one of the funniest, most uplifting blogs. She is so positive and even keeps a running list of things she is grateful for on the side of her blog. She is just genuinely a nice person.

    I think she's probably enduring the hardest thing a mother could do right now, endure the loss of a child. Yet at the same time she's never slow to show gratitude.

  What have I done to show more gratitude this Thanksgiving season? I'm not sure. Honestly, I thought Thanksgiving was next week until today. I have a lot to be grateful for. It's easy for me to think "I'm in TX away from family," or "I still feel new when I'm around people," or "I could probably write the longest Christmas list ever this year since I'm so poor," but really, who cares? Why is it so easy for myself to get stuck in the rut of complaining? I'm embarrassed.

  So here it goes. My attempt at redeeming myself before the big Turkey day. I'm thankful for Tim, such a hard working student who makes time for his family and plays games with Kyle to his heart's content. I'm grateful for the family I was raised in. I miss them all the time. I'm grateful for the family I married into. I'm grateful for a visiting teacher who has become my friend, for friends who had us over for dinner tonight, for hand me down clothes (I feel like I went shopping and it was free!!). I'm thankful for my camera, for cloudy days and Cold Stone Creamery birthday coupons. I'm grateful for my friends in AZ who could have forgotten about me but instead give me advice on the phone and keep in contact with me. I'm thankful for the Ensign, for the way reading it brought the Spirit into our home this week (I recommend thinking about the effects of Prop 8 while reading "Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship," by Elder Hales and "The Test," by President Packer. AMAZING). I'm grateful for Kyle's long naps, for iChat. I'm thankful for slap-the-knee comedy, good hair days and for time to scrapbook. I'm thankful for the time right before I put Kyle down for his nap. I sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." He starts with his head on my shoulder but by the end of the song he is pulling my neck and we're both laughing.  I'm thankful for the comfort of prayer, the smile from a friend and the smile from a stranger. I'm thankful for green lights and good Mexican restaurants. I'm thankful for my best friend since 3rd grade. I'm thankful for my knowledge that the Church is true. I'm grateful for a friend's good example . . . even through her tough times. 

  

TGIF!

   Weather is weird. Yesterday, Kyle and I opted out of Park day and met Tim for lunch at school because the sun was beating down hard. Today, I am stuck inside because it is so windy and cold. At least I'm not enduring freezing Utah this winter! A positive to living in Tejas.
   We had cousin Sadie over this week. Kyle and her interacted a little more. This girl is always moving, so my pictures of her tend to be on the blurry side. I was trying to make her laugh by playing peek-a-boo with my camera. She gave me a slight smile while Kyle was belly laughing. Kyle obviously is used to my embarrassing tactics behind the camera, while Sadie's probably thinking her aunt is crazy.     With Kyle approaching the one year mark, I need to cut down on his bottles. Right now he's at 4 (this was cutting down already). In the morning he drinks 6 ozs, eats an entire Nutri Grain bar and 1/3 banana. What do you feed your little ones for breakfast? And while we're at it, lunch too? Here he is devouring his bar:     Also, after making some things for friends and family throughout the year I decided to design some holiday cards! You can look at them here. I hope you have a fun weekend. Go BYU!

Can't a Mother Use the Bathroom? And other reasonable questions.

1. Can't a mother use the bathroom?

  I mean really, does a 10 month old need constant supervision? I was in the middle of doing laundry and decided to use the bathroom. I heard Kyle making funny noises. I figured he was just standing up, holding onto the furniture and trying to figure out how to get down like he usually does these days.

Instead, he had located his snack bag from my diaper bag and emptied it out on the carpet. His mouth was foaming with "banana cookie" drool when I arrived on the scene.

He's just so messy, but just so cute at the same time.

2. Why do I have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear?
   I know the answer. I need to lose 10 lbs. It's quite disheartening. I hate the pooch!!! I feel most comfortable in my warm-ups. And yes, Stacey and Clinton ... I even wear them to the grocery store.3. Why do Stacey and Clinton think layering is the way to solve every outfit dilemma? 

   I can't stand that every outfit would look great with a jacket or a simple cardigan. Some people live where it's over 100 degrees. I'm not going to be wearing blazers to the grocery store. Still, would anyone like to nominate me??
4. Can anything be more chunky?
    Now that Kyle is crawling, I assume his fantastic thighs will begin to melt away. I decided to capture some of that chunky goodness this morning before I got him dressed.


    Kyle is 10 months old now. He is beginning to cruise around the furniture. He still loves the same things. He refused to nurse a couple days before he turned 9 months, so that was stopped. He loves to go outside to Tim's car every morning and watch the tires as Tim drives away. He is getting better at waving. He has a laugh that'll make anyone smile.
     Thanks for the birthday wishes. I felt very loved and spoiled. We went out on an actual date Friday night while Andy and Hillery watched Kyle. Last night we ordered pizza and went shopping with my birthday money. I got a cute pair of shoes which is exciting for me because I have a hard time finding shoes that fit right! Here's me and my boy before I put him down for bed. It was fun having my first bday as a mom! Have a good week!

Happy Birth Moment

Dear Jennifer,

Happy 24! I hope Kyle is good to you this morning and takes good long naps so you can scrapbook. When I first got back from my mission all I could ever say to you is “Remember when…” I know that bothered you, so sorry, but this post has more remember whens. I remember the first birthday I got you a present and how nervous I felt. You will no doubt remember that I was too shy to actually give it to you. Instead I rang-n-ran. I hope you enjoyed that gumball machine I gave you. Another birthday memory I have with you is when I gave you the C.T.R necklace. This was a big step for me. I’ll never forget that your Dad said C.T.R was really supposed to mean “Choose Tim Ray.” I guess he was right as well. My best memory of your birthday is when I proposed to you. Nine or ten years of giving gifts to you, you’d think that I would get over being nervous but you know me better. I remember going to Red Robin, with the ring box hidden in my socks. I tried to stay cool and even made jokes about when I did propose to you how nervous I would be. That was a great birthday. I hope today is a great birthday. I hope you feel special. You deserve it. You are a great mother, wife, and friend. I am lucky to share a birthday with such a special person. You are my best friiieeend.

I love you,

Tim

Head Business

My guilty conscience made me stay away from my beloved camera this week because it did this:    I'm still adjusting to Kyle crawling. My camera was resting on a small filing cabinet. Kyle crawled over to it, pulled on the neck strap and next thing I know he's screaming, Poor guy.
     In unrelated head business, Kyle went and had an EEG done today. I was really worried about him sitting through it. I packed my bag full of snacks, an apple, his favorite Diego straw cup, his favorite books, etc. The dr.'s office played a Baby Einstein DVD and Kyle did great. There was only one time that he pulled the cap off and we had to put it back on. I was secretly thrilled when the assistant asked if I wanted to take a picture (I didn't even have my camera out!!).
    Right now he looks seizure-free which is great news. He had been having some spasms for awhile that have stopped but the dr. still wanted to check him out.
    Also, check this out! Oprah slid really far down my list of admirable people with her over the top endorsement of Obama. Don't get me started. She may have slightly redeemed herself with this offer for a free Snapsfish photo book. Hurry, you must sign up for it before midnight on Friday!!
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/7

http://www.snapfish.com/info18

* This offer is only good for one standard 20-page 8" x 11" custom-cover photo book per household. Coupon dispersal ends at 11:59 p.m. PST Friday, November 14, 2008. Free photo book must be redeemed by 11:59 p.m. PST Sunday, November 16, 2008. Offer does not include customary shipping and handling changes or additional pages. Offer applies only to mail-order delivery to U.S. customers. Offer cannot be combined with other coupon codes. Coupon cannot be resold or otherwise transferred and is void on the earlier of redemption or the offer end date.

Have a fun weekend!

I was Warned

    When I told people Kyle started crawling the responses ranged from "Good Luck," to "Watch Out," to "I'm Sorry." I've actually enjoyed Kyle crawling, he entertains himself more. This picture cracks me up. He was playing for 20 minutes...in the bathroom...with the lights out...and the door shut! Can you see that smile?   I thought it was pretty funny until a little later when the door was open I saw him trying to eat the toilet. Gross! I had just cleaned it, but it still grosses me out!! Doesn't this face just say, "What do you want Mom? I'm busy!"

And this one says trouble!

    Then he made his way from the bathroom to my closet where he pulled out one of my drawers and pulled out all of the clothes.
  Obviously the messes are the worst part of him crawling. Usually I can give him an apple and he'll sit and eat it. Well, I didn't witness it but last night he was sitting on the kitchen floor eating an apple when he decided to crawl. So he crawled with apple in hand. Then Tim told me he wiped the apple all over the floor and was banging it on the ground. I had just moped the day before and I had to do it again. The floor was so sticky!! Besides the recent black eye and extra bruises, he seems to be loving his new way around!
    On another note, I was tagged. I have to post the fourth picture in my fourth folder. I was worried it was going to be of me looking like an elephant the day I delivered Kyle, but luckily it was this:   Kyle loves playing with his Dad. Tim is so good to come home and play with him. His personal favorite is peek a boo under the blanket! Hope everyone has a good day!

Mother's Intuition

    I knew it was going to happen when I saw his eyes light up when he saw the stairs. They are already his favorite. Time to baby proof again!

I'm Quirky

  You might think that I don't have a lot going on this week due to the number of recent posts. Truth is, I don't have a lot going on but I do have a lot I could be doing (cleaning, returns, organizing, exercising, etc.) Anyway, my friend Ani tagged me a bit ago and it really stumped me. 6 Quirks. I feel like I've told you most of my quirks already, so hopefully none of these are a repeat!

1. I don't like to be the first one to shower after I cleaned it. I love the smell, look and feeling of a freshly cleaned bathroom but the thought of stepping into the shower with fresh bleach on the bottom isn't enticing to me.

2. I can't wear shoes during the summer. I will wear my nikes when I'm exercising, but besides that socks and shoes are not meant for the summer time heat. I can only survive in flip flops. I'm convinced that my internal thermometer is 10 degrees higher than everyone else's.

3. I hate to touch raw meat. I use a fork to transfer my raw chicken. When I make meatloaf I line my hands with saran wrap before I form it into a loaf.

4. I can't stand for Tim to look over my shoulder when I'm on the computer. It makes me feel chlosterphobic and sometimes hot. He's welcome to sit to the side of me in a chair.

5. I put deodorant on before I go to bed.  

6. I think sheets are itchy...and I've slept in some really expensive sheets. Tim and I don't have the top sheet on our bed. It's just another layer to make and we don't sleep with it anyway. We each have a down blanket that covers us.

I tag Andrea, Jeni E., Megan, Jenny, Candace (Come on Candace, do it!!), and Jes.

Also, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who worked so hard on Prop 102 and Prop 8. I know my brother and sister in law, Chris and Jenny, did a lot of stuff in San Francisco to help support the proposition. San Francisco wasn't the most accepting of this prop, yet they spent hours going door to door, calling people on the phone and Chris even stood in the rain with a sign. Good job guys!

So Close

I feel like Kyle is going to start crawling this week. He is so close! For the first time I saw him move that leg out from under him. This video shows his way of moving around. The scoot!. Don't mind the weird breathing through the nose... I'm not sure why he does that. He usually does it when he's concentrating or mad about something!

21

Top Ten Reasons I look UP to my little sis:
#1. She's a better dancer than me.#2. She has better street skills than me.#3. She knows how to steal the spotlight.#4. Her makeup always looks great.#5. She's quite efficient in the kitchen. (She made both of these cakes).#6. She has always had more school spirit than me.#7. She is always fashion forward. #8. She has mastered "ponytail perfection" as my cousins call it. #9. She is one of the most devoted friends I know. #10. She's a better sister than me. Happy 21st Bday Bubby! Whenever I hear these lyrics:
She's got her daddy's money
Her mama's good looks
More laughs than a stack of comic books
A wild imagination
A college education
Add it all up it's a deadly combination

I instantly think of my little sis. Remember Bubby, don't drink anything suspicious today! We wish we could be there!!

A is for Apple

*click the image to enlarge*

We sure had fun watching Kyle attack this apple. Also, a congratulations to my good friend Kassidi who had her baby boy Mason! He sure is cute. It's so crazy to me that some of my elementary school friends are having their second kids now. Life goes by quickly!