Some Catchin' Up to Do.....

Hello, All! I have been enjoying the cooler weather the past few days here in Marble Falls and my recent trip to West Texas last weekend. Weiss and I had a great time, but we came back with sinus junk! Logan had gone to a dental conference in Dallas with Dickey, and he escaped the lovely allergy/sinus junk. What have we been up to the past few weeks this month? Weiss has been busy with school, going to the library, Lo busy with work, we finished Financial Peace (we LOVE Dave Ramsey--he's an awesome guy!!!) and I ran the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. We all were gone last weekend (what I mentioned earlier) and this weekend is the lovely Thanksgiving holiday with family! We are officially celebrating on Friday because my Mom and Dad are getting here on Friday because of work. So tomorrow (Thursday), we will be doing the Austin Turkey Trot with Dickey, which is hosted by Thundercloud Subs and helps to feed the local homeless. (It is really fun---last year, there were many dogs and costumes---people dressed as turkeys, Santa Claus, Indians, and pilgrims!) We can't wait for this year's five miles!

And as always, I feel overwhelmingly blessed this Thanksgiving. I hope all of you do, as well. My God blesses me abundantly and keeps on blessing me each breath I breathe. I am so thankful for my faith, family, friends, health, church family, community, our nation ('m a bit partial to Texas--teeheehee), my dog, our beautiful world--plants, animals, and all, good food, my beautiful home, good music (my favorite pasttime), books (another favorite pasttime), and much, much more......

Today, Weiss and I began to set out Christmas nativities. I put a special table in his room to place his 3 nativities upon--Veggie Tales, Fisher-Price, and his newest and coolest, Playmobil. For those of you who want to get your child a nativity set, I would highly suggest this one. Granted, I will really have to watch him around this one, but each of the kings have special gifts to give to baby Jesus, and there is so much DETAIL. You can REALLY tell the Christmas story in detail, and the kings LOOK like kings, and the shepherd really LOOKS like a nomadic shepherd. (The only complaint I have is the little, kidlike angel, but Weiss got a kick out of it.... He raced around his room saying, "Fly, Angel, FLY!") It even comes with a small story book telling the Christmas story. The neat background is included. I will have to post pictures of his nativity table and Texas Tech Christmas tree when they are all finished, but here is the Playmobil nativity....




We also got him a neat Playmobil advent calendar instead of a candy one this year. It's pretty incredible..... Every year, Playmobil changes their advent calendar and does a different theme to collect, and they aren't expensive--about $18.00, but the previous year's versions sell for quite a bit because there are BIG Playmobil collectors out there. I think this will be something we do for each Christmas season.... Here is this year's Playmobil advent calendar... It's a forest animal, winter theme.

The Muppets Do "Bohemian Rhapsody!!!!"

Some of you may already know I am a BIG Jim Henson fan. I loved the Muppets/Fraggle Rock/Muppet Babies growing up, and now Weiss LOVES Sesame Street. I got a kick out of this new video of the Muppets doing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," and I just HAD to post it. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I'll have to post an update at a later time! Enjoy!

More Kilpatricks to Come....

Okay. My bud Katie has a blog that had an AWESOME post about friends and mommydom, and I just HAD to share... (Katie and Ash, I hope this is okay! :) ) It could not have been better said.... Just click on the link and it will explain itself.... More Kilpatricks to Come

And Ash, you HAVE to start a blog telling about your jet-setting adventures! (Like Julia and Stacey!)

November is Racing By.....

I can't believe it has been around one year now since I have started our family blog. Time has flown---my kiddo is growing--he'll be 3 next month, we've lived here in Marble Falls for a year and a half now, and we've almost been married 5 years. WOW. Life is indeed the blink of an eye. I can't believe all of these things. The past few weeks have had their highs and lows. Many good things have happened, but many tragic things have also happened, not only in our nation, but with people whom we are friends with--several families. Please keep them in your prayers.

We've been continually busy every weekend. This past weekend was Team Karen, a 5K that benefits a rare form of breast cancer our LifeGroup teacher, Karen Cottrell, is battling so courageously. Please check out Team Karen to learn just a bit about Karen and David, who Logan and I (and everyone else that knows them!) love dearly. Karen and David teach our class, the Encouragers, together, and Karen leads a Mom to Mom Bible study group that I am in. The 5K went very well; around $30,000 went to MD Anderson for her specific type of cancer research, and $60,000 was raised for the First Baptist Church School and Preschool. These totals were over and above any goals set. God is good---All the time!

Later last Saturday, I had the opportunity to see Katie, Bo, and Cameron Kilpatrick, along with Ashley Higley in San Antonio. Ashley flew in from Oklahoma, or "Joke-la-homa," as she kindly refers to it.... (You have to understand---she is a Native Texan who is temporarily displaced...) I had not seen Ashley, Katie and Bo for over a year and a half, but I had never met Miss Cameron! I had the best time with them catching up on each other's lives and having alot of massive belly laughs... (My abs were sore when I got home....hehe!) And all of you, we have to get together sooner this time!!!! Here are some pictures of us girls... (Thanks Katie and Ash for the pics that I "stole" from Facebook....haha!) Katie is in the yellow and Ashley is in the red, Bo is self-explanatory because he's the only guy in the pictures, and Cameron is that precious little girl!!!

Weiss has the potty thing down....I am sooo proud of him! We haven't had any situations were we are away from the potty for prolonged periods of time, but I just keep his "frog potty" with me in the car and everywhere I go. He is growing so fast and I can't believe it. He is a big helper and I feel I can delegate some more responsibilities to him. He LOVES to read and he has a newfound interest in the "I Spy" books... He loves to search for the hidden objects in the pictures. He also enjoys singing, and I think after Christmas, we are going to embark on learning the books of the Bible via a WeeSing song... (We'll see how that goes... I may change my mind on that one this early...) He is very excited about Christmas and I think he will have a blast this year!

Logan is also doing well; he is busy with work, and it just keeps getting busier! He and his father are practicing in a temporary building right now, which is very nice, but the new Stanley Dental building will be open in January. (I will post pictures soon!) We are very excited; this is my father-in-law's dream office, and Logan has the privilege of being his son to also work there! Cinda (my mom-in-law) has spent countless hours pouring over every last detail, and so she is looking forward to it, as well. (We are fortunate--she is an interior designer.) Each operatory has a large window with a panoramic lake view so the patients will not feel "claustrophobic" in the dental chair, all of the equipment is state-of-the-art, and there is even a workout facility upstairs for the staff, complete with a shower! You can sip on an in-house latte before your exam or surgery and bring your iPod or favorite DVD to listen/watch in the chair. There's even a massage and aromatherapy room for the patients who need extra care, along with an outdoor courtyard as a waiting area for those seeking fresh air. I am super excited for Dickey and Logan; however, it may be hard pulling them away from the office it will be so much fun for them!

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel with school; I am taking two classes together at the moment, which is a challenge, because I am wanting to finish some time next year. I go to Virginia again in January to take another class and a mandatory exam for all students prior to graduation. I feel I am ready, but it is still intimidating, so please send a prayer up to God for me!