Day 30: Dinner with Nana & PopPop (11/30)


Nana and PopPop came to dinner tonight! Gavin was so excited. He and PopPop have played with the trains all night. Gavin had Nana pretending like she was sleeping and tickled her awake. He loves his Nana and PopPop. <3

I wanted to take a picture in front of the fire and added the Christmas tree in it too! It looks so festive and fun.

Day 29: Homework... (11/29)


Next week is the last week of school for this semester. I feel as if I am back in OSU doing some of the homework that I am doing. 

Our assignment was to make a graphic novel. I decided to create a story about Bedlam. 

It ain't pretty but it's done... 

Day 28: Beginning of Bedlam Week (11/28)

Yesterday I posted this as my Facebook status:
Rennie and I have planned to wear OSU shirts all week to school. I have a few teachers at school who are uo fans {I love you all except during Bedlam week! :D} 

As always Rennie is up, around, and dressed before I even think about getting out of bed. My morning routine is as follows {except on days I take morning showers, I like night showers better}:

     6:30 am - Rennie alarms goes off. He is up and in the bathroom!
     6:45 am - Rennie comes out of bathroom and says, "Emily, it's 6:45."
     6:50 am - I start to move around and wake Gavin up to head to the 
               babysitters. 
     7:00 am - Rennie and Gavin are close to heading out the door. I am 
               still in my PJs!
     I have the next half hour all to myself as I get ready for school!!
     7:30 am - Out the door and on my way to school.

So I usually don't see the inside of my closet until sometime after Rennie and Gavin have left. This morning in the closet was Rennie's OSU shirts. All four of them {he was already wearing one!} all pulled out and set aside. So I put  mine up too! However, I can almost guarantee that Rennie's shirts are in order while mine aren't... :\ 

Day 27: Christmas Season is Here (11/27)



My house is decorated for Christmas! I love this time of year. Each year we get two new ornaments. The first one is our family ornament. Gavin picked out this years ornament! Can you tell? :) The second ornament we get is a traditional ornament. Every year on Thanksgiving PopPop and Nana give all of their grandchildren their own ornament. This was started by my dad's father {my grandpa} with us. Each ornament has the year added to the bottom and put on the tree. It's such a wonderful tradition.



We also decorated the outside of the house. We aren't quite done, Rennie wants to add two more strings of lights to the steep of the roof. My project was the front tree. Last year we picked out the eight large ornaments at an after-Christmas sale at Target. Cheap!! I also ran five strings of lights around the truck of the tree. It was fun to do!

Day 26: Special Sleeping Spot (11/26)



We have been cleaning pretty hard this Thanksgiving break. Rennie had all of Gavin's toys off the floor so we could clean the carpet and vacuum. Gavin had gone into his room to play and shut his door. I would go to the door and just listen for him, at one point I didn't hear anything. I opened the door to check on him and he was asleep in his crowded bed! 

Day 25: Beginning of the Christmas Season (11/25)


We have our REAL Christmas tree up and our FAKE fire going. The logs are new and we just installed them a few days ago. That was a project that should of taken half an hour but ended up taking 4 hours and three trips to Lowes but it was well worth it. 

Every year we get a real tree. It won't feel like Christmas if we didn't have a real tree {for those of you that enjoy fake trees: my apologies.} The tree needs to "fall" for the next couple of days before it can be decorated. 

It's going to be a great Christmas season!

Day 24: Happy Thanksgiving (11/24)



Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to Dana Bollman for following the troops outside and climbing the fence for this wonderful picture!

I hope that you and your family have as much to be thankful today as I do. I am blessed with wonderful family, which include these wonderful nephews and a niece.

Day 23: Just Like Daddy (11/23)


Rennie decided that Thanksgiving break would be a week of getting things done. So he went out and got a carpet cleaning machine. 

Gavin of course had to be just like Daddy pushing his toy around like the carpet cleaner. 

He cracks me up!

In the video, he is doing exactly what Rennie is doing until he notices that I am recording him and then he just shows off! Turd!!

Day 22: A Thanksgiving Feast (11/22)


Britton Elementary, the school that I work at, has a Thanksgiving feast for all the kindergarteners. The students each bring something to share at this feast and they set up a long "table" on the ground so that all the students can experience eating together like the pilgrims and indians did in the beginning. It just looks fun, doesn't it?!

Day 21: Catching Up (11/21)


Today around 2 o'clock I remembered that I had homework due in my Tech of Research class. 

I panicked!

I am a compulsive worrier when it comes to homework. For the most part, I am a solid A/B student and I am always on top of my homework. So when I figured out that I missed an assignment, my stomach started to hurt and I was distraught. Thankfully my teacher understood {it probably helps that I have an A in the class and never missed neither a class nor an assignment} and let me complete the assignment without a penalty.

Happy day in the end. :)

Day 20: My Bookshelves (11/20)


After years of dreaming, it finally happen: I have large beautiful bookshelves!

As long as I can remember I have always wanted bookshelves in my house. In fact, I've been saving books for years to put on my shelves. It has finally happened.

I love them and can't wait to add more of my favorite books on the shelves.

{PS I know that I have more books packed somewhere; it just a matter of finding them}

Day 19: Day in Dallas (11/19)


Grand Prairie, TX a huge flea market near Dallas


Rennie and I spent the day in Dallas doing a little shopping. It was relaxing to be out and about with my hubby. Gavin stayed with Brad and Sharman. I love shopping!

Day 18: OSU Tragedy (11/18)



There are so many things that I want to remember about this day, so I thought I would use my blog as a reminder. The pictures above were found and seen on various websites. 

For those of you that may not know November 18, 2011 will probably go down in OSU history as a day of loss. We lost so much today.
  • Kurt Budke- OSU Women's Head Basketball coach died in a plane crash on recruiting trip. The plane went down over AR sometime Thursday evening. It wasn't confirmed until Friday, November 18, 2011.
  • Miranda Serna- Assistant coach traveling with Budke was also killed in the plane crash.
  • The pilot and his wife, the Odermiers, were also killed. They were OSU Alumni. 
  • The OkState football team was heading to the BSC National Championship game with a record of 10-0. We were ranked #2 in the BSC standings. The team was played Iowa State {an unranked Big 12 team} and was beat in double overtime 37-31. In losing this game we lost:
  • The BSC National Championship game
  • Brandon Weeden lost the Heisman Trophy
How can you be so upset with a 10-1 team, who by all means still has the opportunity to win the Big 12 Championship {something OSU has never done} and head to a BSC Bowl game {still a huge achievement}?

I don't want to lose anymore, I want to remember. Here are things I want to remember:

Orange is that day that you moved into the dorms as a freshman w/ lines for the elevator. It’s meeting those friends that would stick with you for life. It’s remembering those dorm buildings, even though they may not be there anymore. It’s wearing orange the Friday before the first game & every Friday after that. It’s KURT BUDKE, MIRANDA SERNA, Barry Sanders, John Smith, Garth Brooks, Mike Gundy, Eddie Sutton… it’s you and me. Orange is putting your arm around the shoulder of the stranger next to you to sing the Alma Mater. It’s making the switch to saying “Power” instead of “Orange.” It’s remembering Lewis Field & admiring Boone Pickens Stadium. It’s knowing that it’s left hand up to make an “S.” Orange is when it’s good for a Cowboy First Down and Ten. Orange is Pistols Firing – Touchdown Oklahoma State. It’s “...O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A Oklahoma STATE” no matter where you are when the state song is played. It’s the big smile on your face when you walk past the orange fountain. It’s going back to the place you worked in college & remembering it as the best job you ever had even though it paid the least. It’s a cabinet full of Joe’s cups. Orange is knowing that it’s time to go home when you hear “New York, New York” or “Shoulda Been a Cowboy.” Orange is the one you tried to let down easy & the one you’ll never forget. Orange is wanting to get out of Stillwater for four years & spending the rest of your life wanting to go back.

Proud and Immortal,
Bright shines your name.
Oklahoma State,
We herald your fame.
Ever you’ll find us,
Loyal and true.
To our Alma Mater
O – S – U!!!!

This is the link to an article that I found touching {it made me cry} the day after the loss of the Iowa state game. 
OklahomaStateScout.com: November 18, 2011, is a day Oklahoma State will never forget. It was a day where OSU fans, players and coaches awoke to the news of tragedy and went to bed with the bitter taste of defeat.

A statues that I am proud of on Facebook the morning after. {I know that there is a typo but I couldn't delete it!}
I love this blog http://www.pistolsfiringblog.com. I read it daily and enjoy it, however thought the day I found this to be my favorite couple of lines.

I will always be 
PROUD
IMMORTAL
LOYAL &
TRUE!

Day 17: Gavin Thinks He is Hidden (11/17)



Playing hide-and-seek with Gavin and he thinks that he is hidden from me! So dang cute!!

Day 16: Another Month (11/16)


This is a blog about my life. It's not always butterflies and rainbows, no matter what my Facebook, blog or twitter may say. As a family we have our ups and downs. Everybody doesn't just want to read all the good things in life, sometimes the bad is just as interesting. Sometimes reading the bad stuff that is going on in other people's life makes your life look a little better.

Don't get me wrong, I am not writing this to make you feel better. I am documenting my life and this is a huge part of my life. 

It's somewhat of a taboo subject. People don't ask and usually don't know about it.

Rennie and I are trying for another baby. We've been trying for another baby for almost a year and a half. We have always wanted more than one child. Gavin has been such a blessing. How can we look at him and not want to have another child? We had difficulties conceiving Gavin and thought the second time would be easier. So far that could not be further from the truth. 

We are struggling again to conceive another child.  I am not going to lie, it's heartbreaking every month to know you're not pregnant. However, not as hard as it was the first time around, having Gavin makes every month much more bearable.

The picture is a chart to track my morning temperature, a basal temperature chart.  Along with infertility medicine, I also have to take my temp every morning before rising and take ovulation tests during certain days. 

It's not hard but it's not fun. Lots of women, probably more than you know, do this every month hoping to become pregnant. It's worth the intended reward. 

Hopefully one day on my blog, it's not going to be another picture of a temperature chart. One day, it's going to be a positive pregnant test. So I am ok with the work that goes into making that picture a reality. 

There is always hope and always love. 

Day 15: Late Night at Britton (11/15)


Not going to lie. This will be a boring post. I had to stay at school until 8:00 PM tonight. 

The school put on a Poetry Night and I decided to keep the book fair open through it. I need to make that money! So this is my post, a picture of my school. Original I know but I am tired and ready to play a little with Gavin and then head to bed. 

Day 14: My First Book Fair (11/14)



I have always LOVED the book fair.  

However, I have never ran one! It has been so much fun preparing for this book fair. I have so much more appreciation for the library staff on this one, it's a handful. 

I wouldn't change a thing. I have enjoyed setting up, being in charge, seeing what the kids buy and being there the entire time.

I will probably end up buying way to much. Shhh, please don't tell Rennie. I already have a pile set aside!

Day 13: Poor Boog (11/13)


This picture is worth a thousand words. 

We never wonder why Boog is a little afraid of Gavin. He runs and hides if he sees Gavin coming! However, Boog puts up with it when he's caught. :)

Day 12: Aunt Sami and Garvis Visit (11/12)


I got a text from Sami last night asking me what were doing tonight. I replied with nothing and asked if she and Garvis wanted to come over and stay the night. The OSU game was on this morning at 11 am and Rennie wanted to watch the game with them.

So they came last night and we have been having a great day. Rennie made breakfast and I made queso for the game. We also had some homemade salsa and little wienies.  

Gavin loves Sami and Garvis! He has had new playmates all day today. He didn't even take a nap because he didn't want to miss a minute.

Day 11: High School Football (11/11)


It's Friday night {just typing that makes me think of the song by Katie Perry,} we don't have anything to do and as we are driving home we see that Carl Albert's football lights are on. We decided to check out a game. They were playing Ardmore in the first round of the State bracket. Gavin kept saying, "See football?" when he heard the cheers and the band. 

He loved the game, the tiger, and the band. He danced most of the time. It was a great and cheap way to spend a Friday night. 

Day 10: Official (11/10)


I love getting badges. I have a collection. We got these today!

I'll never wear it {maybe at least for a week} but it's a great remembrance of my jobs.

Day 9: Blowing out Candles (11/9)




The house was cleaned yesterday and a candle was lit to make is smell nice.  We can not keep a candle lit anywhere in the house. If Gavin sees the flame he says, "Gavin blow?" over and over again. He couldn't way to blow out this candle before he went to bed tonight!

Day 8: Professional Developement (11/8)


Today instead of going to school, I had to go to professional development (PD) at UCO. As teachers, we do lots of projects that we can take back to school to do with our kids. This was a project about multiple intelligences. If you want to read more about it check out wikipedia, basically it's talks about how all people learn or take in information in different ways.

We had to figure out what our learning style was, if you wanna to know your area of learn strengths, take this survey. 

I know that I am a logical thinker.  Which means that I am strong at reasoning, recognizing patterns and logically analyzing problems. I tend to think conceptually about numbers, relationships and patterns. 

We had to create a poster showing our tendicies. This was mine. 

Day 7: Gavin Jump (11/7)


I came home from classes tonight and Gavin was waiting for me to play! In the hour that I've been home we have played trains, ate dinner, bumped bellies {about a hundred times}, tickled tummies, attempted a game of hide-and-seek, and jumped on our chair.

I am ex-huas-ted and it's only 8 pm. This time change is killing me! It gets dark way to quick for me. 

Our attempted game of hide-and-seek was fun. Gavin still hasn't quite got it right. He understands that the counter is supposed to close his eyes and count and then look for me but he doesn't get the staying hiding part! We are close but it is fun to watch him develop.

He loves his chair and jumping onto the cushion. He likes to ask {repeatedly} "Gavin jump?" and then I have to say, "Yes" and be watching and then he jumps to the cushion. 

Love this boy.

Day 6: OSU Football (11/6)



It's so exciting I had to post two pictures!

This is the highest ranking in school history. I am so glad that I get to see it and experience it. It makes for a lot of fun on Saturdays. I hope that we continue the streak and head to New Orleans!

GO POKES!

Day 5: Mickey Pancakes (11/5)



Uncle Brad and Aunt Sharman had a Mickey Mouse waffle maker. On this lovely Saturday morning, we made Mickey pancakes. 

Gavin LOVES them. 

I always have extra waffles when we make them. So I froze the extras and Gavin now has them for the rest of the week. It's a quick, easy midweek breakfast. 

Day 4: ESPN: The Magazine (11/4)


My Dad knows me so well.  

About two weeks ago, I recieved a postcard saying "You have a gift coming. Monica and Gary have ordered you ESPN: The Magazine. Your gift will begin coming soon."

Honestly my first thought was "Oh, wow! My mom is so sweet." I say this because my birthday was in August and she was asking what I wanted. I had told her that I would love to have a subscription to ESPN: The Mag. So please don't condemn me because I thought of my mom and not my dad.

My mom was on va-kay {for like the fifth time this year!} so I couldn't call her right away to thank her. Sorry, again I didn't think of my dad...

I am starting to sound like a horrible daughter. However, before you think that let me tell you a little things about my dad. I think for the most part my mom is the gift buyer for us girls in our family. Sometimes my dad doesn't know until my mom wraps it what they had gotten us for the special occasion.  Soooooo, my thought process was that if I called my dad to thank him he would say, "For what?"

My mom comes back {again from like her seventh va-kay} and I started to thank her for The Mag, and she says, "I didn't order it for you." 

WOW,  my Daddy knows me so well.

He didn't even know that I had asked for the magazine or that I even wanted it. 

My Dad knows me so well.
I love him and I love the things he does to still surprise me.

I do want to say that ordering me that magazine was a huge disadvantage to him.
I am kicking his but in our NFL game day picks...

Day 3: My Library (11/3)


So I finally did it.

I went back to school for my Master’s degree!

I have started taking classes this year and was told by a friend that there were openings within the district for Media Specialist. {That’s just a cool way to say librarian.} I thought what would it hurt if I applied? So I did.

And I got the job!

The school that I came to was under MAPS {Metropilatin Area Projects} and the library was just finished. The only thing that I had were books and they were in boxes. I had a huge project in front of me but I tackled it and this was my end result.

I am pretty proud of it!

Day 2: Gavin's New Babysitter (11/2)



Gavin got a new babysitter...again.

That makes four baby sitters in less than a year and half. Not a stable environment, however Gavin does well and he is very good at going with the flow. I don't think it affecting him as much as it is Rennie or I. 

The new babysitter started yesterday and I already received two picture from her. The most I've received since we started with the sitters. And she has only had Gavin for two days! 

Amazing how receiving pictures makes my day. And it makes me think that whoever is watching Gavin is enjoying him as much as we do!