Tree Trimming Traditions

Owasso Tree Farm. It's a tradition. Our kids look forward to picking our tree here each year.
This year we picked a frazier fir. In the rain. I think I will want this kind of tree every year from now on. It was so pretty.

Destination: Cozumel

My youngest brother Daniel is [finally] hitched! Yay! And a destination wedding in Cozumel to boot! Yay again!
The wedding was beautiful! Overlooking the ocean at sunset. Breathtaking. Tasha was gorgeous, Daniel was handsome and happy! Selah and Tasha's little sister were the flower girls ~ adorable! My brother James performed the wedding ceremony.
The vacation itself with family and friends was so fun. We all stayed at the Iberostar Resort. The guys did some scuba-diving (2 day dives, 1 night dive). Selah and I swam with the dolphins one afternoon. I read a book, Selah dribbled her soccer ball around everywhere we went... even in the pools, on the beach, at the airport, even just walking to eat and back.

It was a beautiful wedding and a good time of celebration. I wish Daniel and Tasha the best in life ~ together!





and this one final picture, because it's so hilarious. Look at Dad and Daniel's facial expressions. Same. Now look at Tasha and her Dad's espressions. Same. Whatever James was preachin', it must have been intense! Ha!

Owasso Pride Takes 1st

Bryson's soocer team, the Owasso Pride, competed in their first state tournament this weekend. They took first place. We spent the weekend in Edmond, OK, and had a blast. They won all 3 of their games, and they scored the most total points of all the u6 boys.
It's been so fun to watch these boys play, and we are full of pride as we watch our little guy and his ball skills. He plays forward. He loves to score. He keeps track of the points in his head while he's playing. He looks at us and smiles when he scores. He is humble, yet proud! He's got great foot skills. He's gonna bite that tongue off one of these days. He's a little guy, but a pretty big soccer star!

GO PRIDE!!!

If You Give A Girl Her Stocking...

(A parody of If You Give A Moose A Muffin, written about my 7 year old Selah and her excitement to decorate for Christmas)



If I give a girl her stocking... she'll ask me to hang it on the mantle.


And when I hang it on the mantle, she'll ask me to clear off the fall decorations since pumpkins and stockings to don't go together so well.


And when I clear off the mantle, she'll think it looks too bare, so she'll ask me for some garland and twinkly lights.


And when I climb up in the attic to get the garland and lights, she'll see her box of ornaments and ask me to bring them down too.


And when I give her her own blue box of ornaments, she'll open up that box, and the JOY from with-in shines sparkly in her eyes! Then she'll ask if I can help her put her white Christmas tree in her room.


And while I am trying to decide if it's too early for the tree, her brother comes in and says "Mommy! I figured it out! The biggest part goes on the bottom, and the littlest on the top!" So since he pretty much had the tree assembled, I said she could go ahead and decorate her tree today too.


And while she was decorating her tree, she decided she needed more paper garland chain, so we took a break from decorating... and Christmas Crafted for a bit. And when we take a "break" it makes us think of drinks and eats, so hot chocolate for all, and a cookie too ~ after all, what's Christmas without some treats?


And while eating those yummy treats, it made her think of last Christmas when her stocking was full of candy... and she wonders if there might be a candy cane in the bottom of the stocking that was left behind, so she asks to peek inside. But I've got to keep in mind, when I give a girl her stocking....

Halloween 09

Dorothy. Elphaba (from the Broadway show Wicked). And the tin-man transformed into Optimus Prime.



neighbor kids


"Trick or Treat" at the England's... one of our favorite family friends, and one of our favorite houses to visit on Halloween.


We come back and end the evening passing out candy to all the kids that visit our front door. Well... actually... we end the evening EATING lots of the candy.