Black Friday

I don't know if we have shared our love of Black Friday shopping. But, Timmarie and I claim it to be our favorite holiday of the season. I know, it's one of those things...you either love it or you hate it. I have never met a Black Friday fence rider...

I love it for many reasons but I think the biggest reason for me is that I love the thrill of the hunt. Knowing that they only have a limited number of items means you have to put some thought into it. It takes planning and strategizing to get to all the deals and all the stores in order to take advantage of all the best sales. Its like a real life game of Stratego. Or at least what I imagine that game to be like since I have never actually played that game...

I headed out at 11:15pm Thursday night to meet up with my bff, her hubs and her mom. (Timmarie was out of town celebrating with family. But, thankfully, due to their recent cell phone carrier switch we were able to share our experiences via cell phone. Yes, I am serious.) We scoped out the giant toy store but decided that we were way too late for any of those deals...We also hit the Mickey store and got some sweet princess deals. We figured we better cruise over to the Mart early because people take $3 pajamas very seriously! We were right. They opened the deals at 5 am. We arrived at 2:30am to stake out where the deals we were interested in were located. There were 2 ladies who parked their carts in front of the boy's pajamas. They were blocking it off and really talking smack about how "they were not going to let anyone in there until they got theirs, they had been waiting so long, they were just going to clear out this side of the pallet", etc... I was interested, but I was afraid that I might have to throw some elbows to get by them... All in all, I got everything I was looking for and got all my Christmas shopping done minus 2 gifts. I also only went $1 over my budget. A success indeed!

Oh, and the ladies from the boy's pajamas...
They each had like 3 pair in their carts when we saw them later.
Really?!? All that talk and waiting for a $9. purchase??

You've got to be a special kind of crazy to enjoy this day.

I should know.

Baby on the Brain - AGAIN

Babies are everywhere I look. I absolutely love it. I would love to have another baby in our family.

Chris is a different story. He is a total softy with Koleson. In fact, he has held Koleson at church the last 2 Sundays. I'd like to think he was warming up to the idea, but when our friends announced this weekend that they were expecting again, I casually mentioned that we should have a baby and he chuckled.

So anyone with a baby, please feel free to ask me to babysit. I love to snuggle and toddle and dream of having a third.

I like to Eat

My sister was laughing at me on the phone today because my pants no longer fit. Holiday Baking season has officially begun.

If you like cooking, baking, or even eating as much as I do please plan on participating in the yumminess linked below

I cannot wait to try some new recipes out since we will be celebrating Jesus' birth at our house this year! Let the food goodness commence.

Send us your info!

Just a reminder that our ornament exchange will be closing on Tuesday, November 24th. We would really love to get a few more people involved, so spread the word!

Once again, here's the rundown:

Your name (pseudo name if need be)
Email contact info
Address

(Please note: We will not save this info once the exchange is over. We will not use it other than to make sure everyone has an ornament. We wouldn't even know how to sell it or advertise to you or anything of that nature. We are random through and through and making sure all ornament participators are happy will take all of our braincells)

Optional info:
Blog address
If you have a themed tree, by all means let us know
Interests (If you are a teacher who hates apple ornaments, by all means, say it!)


And the rules (WHO LIKES RULES? NOT ME)

1. You don't have to be a blogger.

2. Please send information to wyattfamily99@gmail.com no later than November 24th.

3. We will send you your exchangee's info by November 30th

4. Please mail out ornaments no later than December 8th. If for some reason you cannot follow through with mailing out something, please let us know and we'll take care of it. We understand that things come up!

5. If you do not receive an ornament by December 16, please contact us and we will be sure you receive one! (We hate feeling left out)

Sugar and spice and puppy dog tails...or something like that

Life is really crazy right now. But, my kids, they bring me such joy each and every day. My God, He really knew what He was doing when He chose me to be their mama. I certainly don't always get it right, but their unconditional love makes it worth all the effort to get up and try again tomorrow.

Here are some snippets from our life these days...

Koleson sat up on his own for about a minute today. It made me and Timmarie cheer. He did a faceplant right before we got a picture...

Alivia has a true, deep love for her Aunt Brandy. They have the most preciously sweet relationship. Recently, said Aunt was out of town. When I told Alivia she would be home Tuesday evening and would pick Alivia up from school on Wednesday, her face lit up and she said with all sincerity, "Mommy, I love Brandy more than you do. I love her as most as Jesus does."

Koleson has double ear infections and double pneumonia this week. It's a bummer. But, those chubby little baby smiles in the midst of it all make up for all the sleepless nights.

Alivia has such a keen eye for style. Let me paint you a little word picture... On Tuesday she wore a pale pink shirt with fuschia apples all over it. She paired it with glow in the dark green leggings. And layering is big this season, so she topped it with an oversized orange and white striped tank top and a leopard skirt. She finished it off with some purple crocs and pink sunglasses. Unfortunately, she said no to all papparazzi requests...

And that look in Koleson's eyes that he has only for his mama...it gets me every time.

These precious children leave my heart in a puddle at their feet each and every day. I am so thankful to be able to spend my days and nights in their presence.

Delighting

There's just something really lovely in knowing you can dial a friend's number late in the night and know they will not even be a little annoyed, just glad that you called.

Just like Jesus.

Delight

Last week, Dareth, our friends K, H, E, Baby A and I got to MEET THE PIONEER WOMAN!!!!

It was so stinkin fun. She's just as sweet as you'd imagine her to be, and she even accidently scribbled in my cookbook. Perfectly cool!

There was some fun to be had. The bookstore was crazy crowded (Ree is a popular girl), and people's emotions were all over the place. One lady started crying when Ree walked out. Which made me, in turn, cry from laughter. I'm just being honest. It struck me as hysterical. Probably because I always tear up at the weirdest things.

The best news of the night was when she announced that Black Heels to Tractor Wheels will be published. It will include all of what's on the blog, plus more!

So how does this all tie into delight? I was just delighted that in a world where kindness can be easily forgotten, kindness and conversation between strangers can still happen. We chatted with some really great people. I also was so delighted to have some time with some really great friends - friends who find it fun to stalk famous bloggers!

The Great Shepherd

I stumbled onto this post tonight. What a great reminder as to the Shepherd's love. I love the modern day language that she used to retell this parable of the lost sheep.

Christmas Ornament Exchange

<center><a href="http://randommoms.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-ornament-exchange.html"><img src="http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac293/munchkin_land_designs/Random%20Moms/OrnamentExchangeButton2.png" border="0" alt="Ornament Exchange"></a></center>

We both love Christmas ornaments. And we love people.

Therefore, we present to you The Christmas Ornament Exchange of 2009!

Would you like to send an ornament to someone? Would you like to receive an ornament?

Here's what we need:

Your name (pseudo name if need be)

Email contact info

Address

(Please note: We will not save this info once the exchange is over. We will not use it other than to make sure everyone has an ornament. We wouldn't even know how to sell it or advertise to you or anything of that nature. We are random through and through and making sure all ornament participators are happy will take all of our braincells)

Optional info:

Blog address

If you have a themed tree, by all means let us know

Interests (If you are a teacher who hates apple ornaments, by all means, say it!)

And the rules (WHO LIKES RULES? NOT ME)

1. You don't have to be a blogger.

2. Please send information to wyattfamily99@gmail.com no later than November 24th.

3. We will send you your exchangee's info by November 30th

4. Please mail out ornaments no later than December 8th. If for some reason you cannot follow through with mailing out something, please let us know and we'll take care of it. We understand that things come up!

5. If you do not receive an ornament by December 16, please contact us and we will be sure you receive one! (We hate feeling left out)

A giant thanks goes out to Jenn at Munchkin Land Designs for making our button. Please feel free to share it on your blog. Our motto is always the more the merrier!!!

Delight - What Day was I On?

Some people who know me know that I am in general opposed to vaccinations for the general population. More specifically, I disagree with a standardized vaccination schedule for babies that weigh 3 pounds or 10 pounds. I also happen to disagree that the CDC has the research that proves all of this is safe for our children and that no one could possibly get the swine flu from the LIVE VIRUS they stick into you. (That is another soapbox for another time).

All of that to say, while I don't agree with some of these things, I also think that there are cases where vaccinations are vital for some. For instance, we have a friend whose son has Cystic Fibrosis. He and his sister got the h1N1 vaccine. OF COURSE I think this is very important for them. His momma is doing the best thing for her son. It really is important for moms to be able to conversate about these things without passing judgement when a mom does or does not opt to do them.

None of that had anything to do with anything I wanted to say.

Motherhood is not for Wimps is one of the first blogs I read. It makes me laugh until I sometimes pee a little. There are probably very few commonalities between us and we have plenty of differing opinions. But this GEM right here is a must read. I may have fist pumped when she called the Proverbs 31 woman a freaking bad arse.

And so today, I am delighting in all I have heard, right or wrong, about the Proverbs 31 woman. I am celebrating her instead of guilting me. And I am thinking that some sweet red boots for me fall under the category of clothing my house in scarlet.

Life Lessons

I have had to make some really difficult decisions recently. Decision making isn't really my forte. I doubt myself. I second guess. I am easily swayed. And more than anything, I want the people I love to be happy. The realization has come that deciding not to make a decision is still a decision. The reality is it's a cop-out. It's the path that might please more people. And even if that's not the case, at least people won't be mad at me...
But, here's the thing about the non-decision: You reach a point when that won't work any more. Where, in my case, you have to stand up for something bigger than yourself. And today, I can see that when I am not watchful, my non-decisions cause me to be disobedient to my God. So, while each difficulty brings new hurt, each one reminds me that this decision had to be made. Even though each reminder hurts to acknowledge, it makes me even more resolute.
God is so faithful that He will grace my non-decisions and bring me what I need to stick to those firm decisions that I have made. Thank you Lord for life lessons in the midst of discourse.

Not Me Monday

Please jump over to MckMama's page and pray for her little guy, Stellan.

I can not fail to mention that this week, I did NOT run out of diapers in the diaper bag. Of course, I would have noticed this before he had a stinky diaper, right?? Umm, not. I am NOT rummaging through the diaper bag looking for some sort of solution... Let's just say, I did NOT end up putting a size 6 pull-up on my 6 month old. Because if I had done that, it would have been like a onesie on him. And that would be hilarious!



I am NOT having such an emotional eating week. I definitely did NOT eat cookies for dinner...for TWO nights in a row. And even if I had done that, I would definitely NOT justify it to myself that I saved some calories by using them as my dinner instead of eating them in addition to my dinner.

If I do NOT stop eating like this soon, you might NOT find me floating through the Macy's day parade route this year...

Delight- Day 4

Today, I am delighting in the fact the the Lord brought someone as lovely as K into my life.

K has been dubbed my Surface of the Sun Mom. My parents live out of state, and for the past 9 years, K has taken me under her wing, loved me, and shown me what a Godly woman looks like. She is one of my most favorite people on the planet. I have watched her love the elderly and the newborns alike. She has a heart for people from all walks of life.

K was in the room with me when Brody was diagnosed with autism. It was her birthday, and she still offered to come to a 3 hour doctor's visit. I will never forget the tears of grief she shared WITH me. She completely invests herself in our lives.

K and Brody have such a sweet relationship. She loves him for who he is, prays for him, and has thrown herself into knowing as much as she can about autism. He adores her ~ she is one of the first people he showed preference for.

K has seen the best and worst of what our family of 4 can be, and she loves us anyway. And I love her for that. I never feel like I have to be fake around her.

This evening when I put Brody to bed, I inhaled the scent of K's perfume, still on him from this morning. She just lingers in a persons life, never content to let them get too far away. That K, even when not physical close, always leaves her mark. Much like our Savior.