Relaxation 101

Tundra's tips for a night of relaxation:

1. Eat until you are incredibly full (preferably out of a bowl placed on the ground)
2. Grab a quick drink from the sink (you must locate a human to turn on the faucet first)
3. Find a comfortable spot at the foot of the bed
4. Roll on your back, extending front and back legs as far as they can comfortably be stretched
5. Drift off into dreamland

I tell ya, this girl knows how to relax.

Saturday Night Lights

Gee, I wonder what kind of Christmas Light displays are in the Oklahoma City area this season?

To anyone with this pressing question on the minds today, I will soon dazzle you with an array of Christmas Light pictures that will put that thought to rest. You see, this past Saturday night, Mike and I and our kids and my parents all loaded up in our Pathfinder to partake in an affordable (in other words FREE) Christmas activity-- looking at lights! We decided to make an evening out of it by inviting my parents over for dinner. Afterwards all of us helped decorate our Christmas tree while we listened to some classic carols (and occasionally checked the Florida/Alabama game). The girls had a lot of fun hanging up ornaments this year, especially when they came across one that they had made in years past. When all the ornaments were hung, we put the girls in their pajamas, brushed their teeth, then loaded up and went to hit three Christmas light hot spots. Starting with....

Automobile Alley near downtown Oklahoma City. I had read that on these few city blocks lights were strung literally from top to bottom of the buildings. And it did not dissapoint.
We cruised this strip up and down a few times admiring all the "stripes" of Christmas lights.
Next up was a trip to Chesapeake Energy Corporation on 63rd and Western. Chesapeake has a huge campus there and we had heard that the trees all over that campus were just spectacular. I loved the beautiful, psychodelic, Candyland-type atmosphere these lights created. Pretty cool, huh?

And finally, we drove by a house in a pretty, upscale neighborhood called Nichols Hills. We had actually happened upon this house the night before as we had driven home from grabbing a quick bite out for dinner. The girls and I wanted to show Grandma and Papa our "find."

There really is a house back there behind all of those crazy lights! I wonder what their electric bill is going to be this month? Oh and while we were driving in this area, we passed a pick-up truck with twinkling icicle Christmas lights wrapped around it and a large, decorated Christmas tree standing up in the back!

And you know what? After all the anticipation the girls had had that day, they fell asleep about ten minutes after being in the car! We woke them up to see the lights on Automobile Alley and Chesapeake, but then just let them sleep the rest of the way. Poor things! Have you seen any neat Christmas lights lately?

Picture of the Week

When you have two older sisters, being covered in My Little Ponies is a common thing.

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUNDAY!

Hot Chocolate

What to do while waiting for a steaming mug of hot chocolate to cool? Well, grab two willing participants to practice using your camera's self timer, of course! During this time you will be able to perfect the art of expressing different emotions such as.....

HAPPY

SILLY

SAD

SURPRISED

and ANGRY

Oh yes, with time and practice, you too can become a master at expressing emotions as well as a master at using your self-timer. And last but not least, you will have two perfectly not-too-hot mugs of hot chocolate that will taste delicious on a chilly evening. I promise.

19 weeks

This sweet boy will be 19 weeks old tomorrow. Wasn't he just flopping around inside my tummy? Wasn't he just born last week? He is doing so many new things. Let me fill you in:

1. He is gaining lots more muscle control-- especially when it comes to holding up his little head. And I say little because he is only in the 9th percentile for head size. All my children have had little pin-heads. What's up with that?

2. He can roll over from his tummy to his back. My girls didn't roll at all until 8 months. So I was quite surprised by this one!

3. He is drooling and chewing on his hands like crazy. He would dine on his fingers morning, noon and night. They must be pretty tasty.

4. He can reach for objects, but his coordination is not so great. This means his hand sometimes reaches up and pulls out his pacifier while his face has a confused look on it like, "Who just took that out of my mouth??"

5. He sometimes acts coy. He'll give a super charming smile to a lady passing us on a grocery store aisle, then bury his head in my shoulder like he was embarrassed. He's such a little flirt.

6. When he does flash that awesome smile, he has a dimple on his left cheek.

7. He has noticed his feet and is very interested in them, although he has yet to officially play with them.

I am so grateful this little boy came into our lives 19 weeks ago!!

Dear Autumn

Dear Autumn, I really like you. I think you're neat. Thank you for giving us beautiful leaves to look at. Yellow is my favorite.
And thank you for giving us several days warm enough to play outside, but with enough chill in the air to keep us from sweating. My girls and I played at this park recently on one of your gorgeous good weather days. See all those kids playing outside at that nearby school? That's one of my favorite sounds. I sat and watched my girls while listening to their distant cheers and shouts and laughs. It was quite peaceful.

Thank you for providing enough breeze to gently lift my Hannah's hair into the sunlight. She looks so innocent here, don't you think?

It was such a carefree aftenoon. Leah ran and ran and never once complained about being hot.

She really enjoyed herself. I finally got her to stand still long enough to snap this pretty picture.

Even Lucas was appreciative for the nice weather. He says he can't wait to run around and play one day. Maybe next time you visit us?

Autumn, we really will be sad to see you leave. But we will look forward to your return next year.

Sincerely,

Emily, Hannah, Leah and Lucas

Back of My Hand

"I know this city like the back of my hand."

Have you ever lived anywhere long enough to use that phrase? My mom grew up in a military household, so she and her siblings moved every two or three years. Mike's parents were missionaries, and by the time he was in 6th grade his family had lived in Oklahoma City, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Dallas.

But as for me, I've spent the majority of my life living where I live today: Oklahoma City. (technically I live in Edmond, OK, but it's a suburb, so I lump it in there). I moved to Oklahoma City when I was ten years old, so I've been here now for nearly 23 years. And I think I'm finally able to say that I know this area like the back of my hand.

This thought occurred to me about a week ago when Mike and I were hanging out in The Plaza district, which is near downtown. As we were driving home I was thinking about all the different areas of this city where I've spent time and made memories: The Paseo District, Downtown, Mid-Town, NW 23rd, Bethany, NW OKC, Norman, Edmond, etc. And I thought about all the annual events that I look forward to: the Arts Festival, the State Fair, the Red Bud Classic. I could go on and on. I feel like I'm never lost here. Even if I am slightly off the beaten path, I just have to look for a landmark (like the pineapple dome on 23rd or the cross on top of Mercy hospital) to right myself again.

And what finally solidified the fact that I have definitely lived here a long time was the day after Thanksgiving when the BC Clark commercial aired on television. I started singing right along as this song ushered in the Christmas season-- just like is has for the last several decades. If you know it, feel free to sing along. In Oklahoma, it's just not Christmas until this ad airs on tv.



Have you ever lived anywhere long enough to know it inside and out?