We just got home tonight from a whirlwind trip halfway across the United States.  In the past 8 days, we traveled from Tulsa to Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and finally New York City.  I hope to post some pics from our trip  in the next couple of days. Right now, I am knee deep in laundry, paying bills, and just plain catching up.  So, until then, here are a few things that I learned from our vacation.

*You get to your destination much faster when you eat the entire trip.

*You should ALWAYS have an extra change of clothes in the car.  You never know when one

of your children might decide to "lose their breakfast".....in the car.

*Pastry bags from convenience stores make great "barf bags."

*Indianapolis is actually a great city......carraige rides downtown, canal with boats, ice skating, great shopping,  etc.....definitely worth a trip back.

*NYC from Pennsylvania is NOT 5 1/2 hours as mapquest says......how bout 8!

*Don't try to go see the State of Liberty on a very foggy day.......hmmmmmm.....maybe we'll

see it the next time we make it to NYC!

*ToysrUs is a must see for kids in TimeSquare......yes.....I did say ToysRUs!!  Who knew???

*You can ride a 3 story ferris wheel, see a life size snarling, roaring dinosaur, and much more all in ToysRUs!

*NYC is an amazing city!!!  The lights, the people, the stores, the broadway shows......can't wait to go back!

*You definitely need more than 24 hours in NYC

*Roadtripping with your family is actually a blast.  We have already started thinking about our next adventure!

You've just been........NATIVITIED???

Last night, I left my house at 8 pm to make to do the dreaded grocery shopping. When I returned, my yard was filled with.......a wooden Nativity set AND a lighted Christmas tree??? I was familiar with the "boo-ing" around Halloween, but being "Nativitied" was a new one! We were left a cute little poem about how we had to spread the Christmas cheer. We were instructed to sign the back of Mary so others would know where the Nativity had been, then we needed to pass it on to some other "lucky" family. So, with the help of the dear family who so blessed us, the Nativity was loaded up tonight and some Christmas cheer was spread! Watch out......YOU may be next!

Special Delivery

In an effort to continue our "Get a little less, give a lot more" this year, Reiley and Ryker decided
to deliver stuffed animals to kids at Saint Francis Hospital. Thanks to Nana, the kids delivered 102 animals to the kids staying at the Children's Hospital. What an eye opener this was. We pray for the health of all of these little kids at night. We are so grateful for the health of our kids this year!

On December 13th, David and I were fortunate enough to celebrate our 11th year of marriage.
It's hard to believe the time has flown by so quickly. Through 11 years, there have been many joys and many tears that we have shared. I realize more and more everyday, just how blessed I am. Here are just a few of the things I love the most about him.
*I love his quick sense of humor
*I love his spontanaity
*I love it that he always answers my calls at work, even when he's in a meeting.
*I love it that even when he is so busy when I call, he always answers with "hey babe. What's up?"
*I love it that when I go shopping and buy a new outfit, he NEVER asks how much it costs. He just says "Good for you!"
*I love how he can take a screaming, out of control 4 year old, and speak in such a calming voice, that all of a sudden, peace has been restored in our home.
*I love that he is such a great provider.
*I love it that he is so generous to others.
*I love it that he and I both have no self control when it comes to FOOD!
*I love it that he is my best friend.
Happy Anniversary!! Here's to another 11 years!!

Elf on the Shelf

Ok.....here is a new tradition for those of you with really young kids!  Have you heard of Elf on the Shelf??  I had never heard of it until last week.  If your kids ever ask you how Santa knows if they've been good or bad, it's all because of the Elf on the Shelf.  A little Elf visits your home and sits on a shelf to "watch" the kids and then report back to Santa at night.  Our kids named our new Elf friend "Buddy Greenhat"  They are not allowed to touch him, but they may talk to him. Each night he disappears to go back to the North Pole.  Each morning, it is a race to see who can find the new spot where "Buddy" has decided to perch himself for the day.  We are having great fun with this one.  Go to elfontheshelf.com to check it out!!

Oh What Fun It Is To Ride..........

Our Fun Friday Night (To the tune of JINGLE BELLS)

Dashing down 169
To Bethlehem Walk we go
Following us behind
The Jorgenson's all aglow

We're driving awfully fast
So we won't be late
Our mini vans are hauling down
This busy interstate OHHHHHHH

Here we go, here we go,
This will be such a delight.
We can't wait to see Baby Jesus
On this freezing night OHHHHHH

Kids can't wait, kids can't wait
Are we almost there???
They are going crazy
And even pulling hair!!

My kids just cannot wait
To see Jesus in the manger
Who would have ever thought
That our friends would be in danger.

And then I get a call
Not expecting this bad news
I hear my dear friend say that their
Minivan transmission blew.

OHHHHHHHH
Change of plans, change of plans,
Good thing you have AAA.
Looks like we won't see Baby Jesus
On this winter day OHHHHHHHHH

Jolly times, jolly times, jolly all the way
Oh What fun it is to ride with 10 people in a minivan.....hey!!!!!

Good buddies

I know I've said before that I love it that my boys play together so well. When I came into the room and saw them sitting together like this while Ryker was playing on the computer, I just couldn't resist but to take a picture. I just pray that they will always be the best of friends!

Jingle Bells

This year, we are doing things a little bit differently around our house for Christmas. It's going to be a year of a little less "getting" and a lot more "giving." Part of the giving involves our time. So, this week, Reiley and Ryker were able to take part in the ringing of the bell for Salvation Army. We were thankful for a nice breezy day. You can rest assured, that for one hour on Tuesday, those bells never stopped ringing!

Happy Trails........

Well, it's finally over. I can finally claim my weekends as my own. Life has been nuts around our house since football season invaded our lives. Going back to OSU for all of the home games and tailgaiting with friends, was more fun than I had imagined. It was so great reconnecting with old friends, while making new ones. The last game of the season was the big finale with OSU playing the Bedlam game against OU. We all bundled up and braved the cold. The game was awesome....so much better than the final score reflected. We definitely ended it with a bang. So....until next year Cowboys......Happy trails.....to you!!!

Lights on Utica Square

The Family!!
Nana, Rhett, and Mimi
The Three Muskateers
Aunt Kerri, Davis, and Mason

Abundance

A few years ago, David went to Cuba on a mission trip. When he got there, he found in his suitcase a letter for each day of the trip. Each letter focused on a different aspect of God's protection and provision. One of the letters was about abundance, and his assignment was to make a list of all of the things that he was thankful for. Being in a country where there was so much poverty made the tiniest of blessings seem so much more significant!! So, today, may we not foget to thank God for those blessings that seem insignificant or small!!

Abundance is.......

Getting a hug from your child
Not setting the alarm clock
A hot shower
A Sonic Dr. Pepper
Listening to your kids laugh
Hearing your two year old say, "I yu you"
Sleeping when it's raining outside
A fire in the fireplace
A bouquet of fresh flowers
The sound of the ocean
An unexpected phone call from a friend
Licking the beaters
Laughing til you cry
Someone to kiss goodnight
The first day of vacation
A full tank of gas
The courage to try something new
A crisp salad
The smell of apple pie in the oven
Anything chocolate
The smell of a bakery
Christmas lights
A friend to laugh with
Good memories
Kids in Halloween costumes
Sand between your toes

And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. II Corinthians 9:8
May we all take time to stop and thank God for ALL of his many blessings.....the big and the very small!!!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Someone got bit by the Christmas bug today. I don't think I have ever decorated for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving! My kids have been asking if we could put the tree up since the day we brought it home from the store. They were all troopers! Even Rhett did his best to hang the ornaments, although every one he picked up he was sure they were "boken." Then, it was on to our "mini-trees." Reiley put up her pink and silver tree in her room, while Ryker put up his cowboy tree (all by himself!!) Then, it was on to Rhett's room for his surfer tree. It was one fun memory filled day!

How do you say no to this??? Looks like we've got some Christmas decorating to do!

Brotherly Love

I love watching my boys play. Rhett is now at the age where he and Ryker can play and have a great time together. Tonight, Rhett was in a very silly mood. Ryker was getting really tickled by the things Rhett was saying. As he was giggling, Ryker said, "Mom, Rhett is so funny! I think we should keep him forever." I agree Ryker. I wouldn't trade that little guy for anything in the world!

Our New Furry Friend

You can imagine my surprise when I opened my car door at the bus stop, and in jumped this cute little fur ball! It was so cold outside, I couldn't bare to leave him there. So, I did what any mom with three kids screaming, "Can we keep him? Can we keep him?" would do. I took him home. For one hour (until we got ahold of the real owners), this little cutie got lots of lovin!

Lovin Fall

Nothing says "Fall" more than a good ole romp in the leaves! Can you tell these kids are lovin every minute of it?

A Pain in the Foot!

Do you ever have those days when one of your kids says something to you that just strikes you as so funny, but you can't laugh out loud?? Well, I had one of those today. I picked Ryker up from school, and on the way home, he said in a very whiny voice, "Mom, both of my big thumbs on my feet are really hurting!" I tried really hard to not lose it, and told him I would take a look when we got home. Well, the poor boy had worn his shoes on the wrong feet all day! Last I checked, that can cause some serious pain to those big thumbs!

Let it snow!!

Can you tell that someone is anxious for cold snowy weather at our house?? Reiley came downstairs ready for school with her winter garb on. She looked so cute, I didn't have the heart to tell her it was not going to be a cold day today! Oh well....maybe one day soon, old man winter will come knocking on our door!

What was I thinking???

Ok......so maybe I spoke too quickly, or maybe I was just under the influence of my pain medication when I said it wasn't that bad. Today wasn't such a good day. Thankfully, once again, Ellen came to my rescue! She whisked my kids away for the day, prepared a wonderful meal for me and my family, and brought me a goody basket with all kinds of food and a great magazine to read. Wow!!! Now that's what I call a huge blessing!!! Then, my sweet mother took my kids for the evening, fed them, bathed them and brought them home......ASLEEP! I am thankful everyday for my friends and family. What would I do without them!?

My Tooth Fairy Rocks!!

I didn't think anything good could come from having an impacted wisdom tooth extracted, so much so, that I put it off for about 10 years. But yesterday, I finally did it, and I realized that it wasn't so bad after all. Here are a few good things that came out of it!!!
First of all, I had lots of help from the little people in my home! Reiley was constantly waiting on me. "Mom can I bring you more soup? More to drink? More cheesecake??" That would be check, check, and double check!
Ryker didn't want to leave my side, so he spent the evening cuddled up on the couch with me. We read "Star Wars, Clone Wars" many times, and I got lots of kisses out of it! My sweet friend Ellen came by with, you guessed it, a Sonic Dr. Pepper! Woo Hoo! Then, I found out that the Tooth Fairy exists after all!! Under my pillow last night was (big sigh) an IPOD!! I have been in mourning since my sweet little green ipod was found drowned in a puddle of Dr. Pepper. So, you can only imagine my excitement when the tooth fairy decided to skip the dimes and quarters this time!! Yes, that's right! My Tooth Fairy Rocks!!! Thanks Tooth Fairy!!