What I Was Doing While You Were Watching the Super Bowl...

While most of you were at parties, eating chips & dip, watching expensive commercials and cheering on your favorite team, I was with my 2 older girls at The Secret Keeper Girl Live Tour.

What's The Secret Keeper Girl, you ask? The Secret Keepers are a series of Christian fictional novels geared towards girls 8 thru 12. We watched a fashion show on how girls can be fashionable, yet modest. We talked about boys (giggle giggle), we sang songs (even YMCA) and had a great time together as Mom and daughters.

They each came away with age appropriate devotional books and a reminder that as daughter's of the King, we are Princesses!! What a fun night! I wouldn't change it for the world!

My Baby is Seven!

Where does the time go? How in the world did my baby turn 7? I always tease her that she is disobeying me by getting bigger. I tell her and tell her to stop growing, but she does it anyway. She laughs every time!

She had her birthday party today at Lifetime Fitness. (By the way, I hear they are building once in Tulsa...it's incredible..can't wait!)

First on the agenda: rockwall climbing!

Next stop: swimming pool!

This is my kind of party. The kind where the kids come home exhausted and fed!

Wanna know something kinda depressing? This was the first party that we didn't have any grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. attend. Wanna know something else? This is the last birthday party we will have in Sugar Land. Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl. Now, STOP GROWING!!!

Words

Today I was so profoundly hurt by someone's words. Words that came out of someone's mouth and then they got to walk away and not think about them for the rest of the day. These words cut deep into my chest and have been stinging all day. How is it that one critical word can undo what 10 positive words can do?

It has had me thinking all day. How many times do I hurt people with my words and I am unaware of it? Why do I feel I need the approval of others? Or, probably more true, why do I let the unapproval of others carry so much weight?

Lord, help guard my tongue and let me only serve to build others up. Please help me to look only to YOU for approval and not seek the approval of others.

Tootie Herrold

Anyone out there remember The Facts of Life? If you were a fan like I was, then when I say "Tootie" you aren't thinking about a "toot" you are thinking about the Kim Fields character on Facts of Life that was always wearing her roller skates.

Ellie Grace has turned into Tootie. She is in a wheel phase. For Christmas, she asked for and received, a spark scooter, roller skates and a skateboard.

This afternoon, a neighbor friend showed up on our doorstep with roller blades on. They skated all afternoon.

For her birthday, she asked for Heelys. Heelys are tennis shoes with wheels in the bottom so you can skate on a moments notice. Tonight, she received an early birthday present from Juju and Paki. She is so excited she can hardly stand it.

If you see a cute little girl go rolling by, chances are it's Tootie Herrold!

Houston Half Marathon

Yesterday was the Houston Marathon and Half-Marathon. Remember when I joined Fort Bend Fit? Six months of hard work came to fruition yesterday. For me, it wasn't so much about the race itself, but the journey. After we moved here, I was so down that I let running go by the wayside. I didn't have any friends here who run and wasn't motivated to go run by myself.

I pulled myself up by my running shoe laces and joined Fort Bend Fit. It gave me a great group of people to get out and run with on Saturday mornings. I did my weekday running by myself, but I now had a running group for my long runs. So, for me, I feel like I am back. I am so happy to be enjoying running again and that was the victory!

However, race day was well worth it. After dragging my family out of bed at 5:00 on Sunday morning and heading downtown, it was race time. Daniel and the girls were such troopers and never complained. The race was so well organized and the spectators were fabulous! There was never a dull moment. People were cheering along the whole course with lots of music along the way!

I was happy with my time. Although slower than I used to be, I was still under my personal goal so I was pleased. I wish I had pictures to show you, but I don't have any! The girls even made posters and Daniel was so busy dealing with them that he forgot. We were all so exhausted after the race that we didn't mess with it. You'll just have to take my word for it!

Ski Trip

We surprised the girls with a ski trip to Copper Mountain, Colorado. We didn't tell them until Christmas Eve and it was so fun to see how excited they were. They have never been skiing and have been asking to go.


We were not planning on leaving until the 27th, but due to the blizzard of '09 we thought we better head out on the 26th. What a mess trying to get out of Tulsa. For the first 3 hours we couldn't go faster than 35 mph. It was absolutely awful. I thought we would never get there, but once we got past Stillwater, it was smooth sailing. Kansas and Colorado sure know how to take care of their roads!


I'm getting ahead of myself. Hannah woke up that morning with a sinus infection and a fever. And we are headed into high altitude. We tried to find an after hours clinic Saturday morning, but because of the snow and ice nothing was open. So, I had the brilliant idea of calling her doctor in Sugar Land and having the doctor call in the prescription to a Walgreens in Wichita. We picked her meds up on the way! She would have two days of antibiotics in her system before she started ski school.


We drove and we drove and we drove and drove. And if you have ever driven that loooong stretch of Highway 70 across Kansas you know what I am talking about. We finally made it to Denver and crashed in a hotel. The next morning when we woke up and looked out of our window we could see the mountains. What a sight!


It was just about an hour drive to Copper Mountain and we were so thankful we split the drive up. I hadn't been skiing since high school. Two things were drastically different. For starters, I don't remember the mountains being so breathtaking. In fact, I'm not even sure if I looked at the mountains as a teenager. Sure, I skied them, but I don't think I actually looked at them. Secondly, it was much more physical on this middle aged woman than on a teenager. I couldn't believe how sore I was.


Daniel was impressed that I could actually remember how to ski. My claim to fame on the trip is that I didn't fall once. Granted, I wasn't a daredevil, but it was like riding a bike. It all came back to me.

The kids did great in ski school. This picture is of the girls on the bunny slope. They rode this little conveyor belt up the hill and then snow-plowed (these days they call it "the wedge") down. Hannah got to go up on the mountain her first day of school. The second day she was skiing blues. Simply amazing! And all without poles. She got her poles the third day which was a big deal to her.


The other two were stuck on that bunny slope so we pulled them out the second afternoon and took them up with us. All they needed was a little prodding. They did great. We were so impressed.


The third day we skied together as a family. I was a little nervous about it, but everyone did great. It is such a surreal feeling to see your 8 year old fly by you on the slopes. Crazy!


It was negative 2 degrees the morning we got up to leave. We stopped back in Tulsa where it was 15 degrees with more snow. As much as I loved being with family, it's nice to be back to 50 degree weather! The kids played outside on their new spark scooters and skateboards and roller skates. One more day of vacation and then back to reality on Tuesday.


It was a great two weeks of family time. My heart is full and happy!

White Christmas

Whew! What a whirlwind two weeks we have had! Trying to pack a family of 5 for a two week trip, a ski vacation, having all Christmas presents bought and wrapped, AND leaving the house in show-condition is alot on a girl!

The Saturday after school got out we headed to Tulsa to start our Christmas vacation. I am so looking forward to living in Tulsa next Christmas. I felt like I lost a week of the holidays. I just ran out of time to do things that I wanted to do with the kids...there's always next year!

We had a great visit with both sides of our families. On Christmas Eve a blizzard blew in. I think that might be the first time I have been in a blizzard. We were with Daniel's family in Bixby on Christmas Eve when the storm really started getting bad. We had to rush through the present opening so we could get home. We passed 7 stalled cars on the 3 mile drive home. It was crazy. I am just so glad we made it home in one piece and in our car!

It was wonderful to wake up to a white Christmas the next morning. It has been a long time since that has happened! The kids had fun playing out in the snow, but they didn't get to play with any of their outside toys, which was a bummer!

Family History

Do you remember last year when Abby did a report at school on her family history? She talked about how the Herrold clan came from Germany, yada yada yada. Well, it's EG's turn to have this school project. I asked her if she wanted to do the same thing Abby did (which would make it sooo easy for Mom) and she said no. I asked her if she wanted to talk about how my side of the family came from Italy. She said no. She wants to talk about how she is from Oklahoma (said in her thickest Texoman accent!)

So, after I got approval from the teacher to focus on Oklahoma as our "country" of origin we set to work. It actually ended being pretty cute. She told about how her (use fingers to count) great great great great grandfather Hiram Herrold was in the Oklahoma Land Run. She explained that some people cheated and they were called Sooners. She also talked about how much our family loves the Sooners. A girl with true Sooner Pride!

Party of Five

This was the first Thanksgiving ever that we didn't spend the day with either of our parents. I have to admit, I was a little worried. There wasn't a bone in my body that felt like making the drive to Tulsa (since we will be doing it in 3 short weeks), but I was worried that the actual day would feel lonely and sad.

On the flip side, I was determined to make the most of it. This might be the only time in my whole life that it's just my little family of 5 celebrating Thanksgiving. With our impending move to Tulsa, we will no doubt be spending Thanksgivings to come with both of our families.

The first thing we did was hit the Sugar Land Turkey Trot Race. They had a kids mile race for 12 and under and a 5 mile race for adults. Hannah and Abby decided to run in the kids race. EG said that would make her legs tired (good point, EG!) I was so proud of these girls. They did GREAT. Oh yeah, and Big D ran with them for moral support!

Here they are at the start line:

Hannah finished at 8:10 and Abby right at 10 minutes. They ran so hard and never stopped to walk!

My turn was next. I didn't have big expectations for this race. I have been running, but not fast at all. I would be lucky to crank out a 10 minute mile. But, if you know me at all, you know my competitive side. As we are waiting on the gun, I think, "wouldn't it be nice to run a 9 minute mile?" Seriously, I haven't run a 9 minute mile since I've lived here.


Love the way that number accentuates my belly. Very nice!

I did it! I finished at 44:57..just under a 9 minute pace! What a great feeling!

After the race it was time to come home and get cleaned up for lunch. Lunch that I was not cooking. We decided to go to our country club for Thanksgiving Brunch. It was really enjoyable. It's always a plus when you eat a fancy meal and your kids have good manners! Best part of this decision was no dishes!!!

Oh, and the next best part was coming straight home for a nap! We took a 2 hour nap and then woke up and on to the next activity. We headed to Post Oak/Galleria for their version of "Lights On" with a spectacular fireworks display!

It was seriously a GREAT day! What memories we made with our little family that I will cherish forever. Tonight I am cooking a turkey and green bean casserole because we just couldn't get enough! It's a bummer when you don't have left overs!

Trixy Turkey

Abby's class was charged with making a persuasive speech from the voice of a turkey. "Why you shouldn't have turkey for Thanksgiving dinner."
Abby's reasons: 1) it has something in it that makes you sleepy and you will sleep all afternoon (sounds good to me!); 2) her family and friends would miss her; 3) there will be none left for the zoo; and 4) she wants to run in the turkey trot race.

She was pretty persuasive, but I'm counting down the days till turkey day!

Take Me Back To Tulsa

Some of you may have already heard, but it's official: we are moving back to Tulsa. Daniel has had a lot of fun and success building the Houston office and will now be charged with heading up Business Development at his company. It is an opportunity we are thrilled about professionally and personally.

This move is bittersweet. We have made so many wonderful friends in Sugar Land that we hate to leave, but Tulsa is home. We are anxious to be back with parents, siblings and nieces and nephews! We knew ultimately that we wanted to get back to Tulsa and God opened a door and so we are walking through it.

As to the timing of the move, that all depends on how quickly we can sell this:

Friends

Today I am just feeling so blessed by friends and the power of friendship. My friend Joli's mom was suddenly very sick and near death last Thursday. On Friday morning I received a text at 4:15 saying that she didn't have much longer. Her organs were failing and her breathing was hard. I got up that day preparing to come to Tulsa for a funeral.

But as Joli will tell you, "God is good all the time; all the time God is good!" Miracle of all miracles, her mom is still alive, and although on dialysis and a ventilator her prognosis is positive. She has a very long, long road ahead of her and I know the family would covet your prayers.

I was able to fly to Tulsa on Sunday so I could spend some time with my good friend, but only made possible by good friends. I had a good friend on standby for any school emergencies, a good friend offered to cart them to activities and another good friend is on standby today in case my plane is late.

I don't know what I would do without my girlfriends. I am so thankful and blessed to have so many wonderful friends!

Turkey In Disguise

This is the third and final time that one of my kids will have the "Turkey In Disguise" project at school. The assignment is to disguise their turkey any way they want. They are then displayed through the hallways. Last year, Abby disguised her turkey as Hannah Montana. This year, Ellie Grace decided to make her turkey into an angel. So fun...

Mary Poppins

My friend, Joli, told me she was getting tired of reading about Art Ala Carte and I needed to update my blog. I have been trying to figure out why I haven't been blogging. Is it because life is not exciting right now or because I'm tired of blogging? I think it's more of the latter. When I get a few minutes I'd rather play a few rounds of Bejeweled than blog! How pathetic!

Daniel's birthday was on Halloween and for his present the girls surprised him with tickets to Mary Poppins. Most Dads probably wouldn't think this was a great present, but Big D loves watching Mary Poppins with the girls and was thrilled to go.

Last night the big night finally arrived. The girls got all dolled up in their new holiday attired.

The show was simply amazing. It might be the best broadway show I have ever seen. It was fabulous. The girls were in awe the whole time. It was a great family night out in the big city! Next stop- Sound of Music!

Art Ala Carte

Our PTA sponsors this great program called Art Ala Carte. It was originally brought into the school when art funding was cut and K-2nd didn't have art class. Now, thankfully, we do have art back in all grades, but this is such a great supplemental program and the kids love it.

Last year I became familiar with it only because my kids brought home such great projects. Honestly, the things they did in Art Ala Carte were more impressive than what the did in regular art class. (hope the art teacher isn't reading this!)

This year, I decided to volunteer. I am so thankful that I am able to stay at home to be able to do these things with the kids. My girls absolutely love it when I volunteer in their classroom. They think it's so neat!

Yesterday was the first session of Art Ala Carte in 1st grade. The children learned terms such as: mood, cool colors, warm colors, shading and tinting. They used oil pastels to create their own version of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Here is EG super proud of her creation:

Designer Shoes

Hannah used the remainder of her birthday money to purchase these Coach Tennis Shoes. When did my baby get so big that she knows about designer labels?? She is so proud of them! She even wiped down the white leather toe with a Clorox Bleach Wipe after school! She has better looking tennis shoes than I do!

A Girl and Her Shoes

I am not one of those Moms that goes out shopping when the season changes and loads up on clothes and shoes for all my girls. I try to buy things constantly and rotate whose turn it is. I can't afford to do a big shopping spree. It's less painful this way.

This weekend it was Ellie Grace's turn to get new tennis shoes. And, boy, did she need them. We went to Dillard's and she immediately spotted these cute brown Sketchers. She was smitten!

The only problem with this type of shoe is that she has a very narrow foot! Shoes that you slip on just don't work well for her. They are too loose across the bridge of her foot. Coincidentally, these are the shoes she is always drawn to. I always let her try them on, crossing my fingers that this time they will fit. After trying them out in the store, she decided these were the shoes for her. She loved them. She was so proud she lugged that big bag all up and down the mall. She even slept with the box in her bed.

This morning Ellie Grace popped out of bed so excited to wear her new shoes to school! (such a girl!) When she finally made it downstairs, tears were streaming down her face. The shoes didn't feel so good. They just didn't fit right. We tried them with a different pair of socks. Now tears combined with snot. She was devastated! This might be an understatement. I told her we would go back tonight and exchange them for a different pair, but she just cried, "I don't want a different pair. I love that pair!"

With about 10 minutes 'till the bell rang she finally put her old shoes on and hopped on her bike. She cried the whole way to school. I walk her till the school is in sight and then wave her on. She made it almost to the crossing guard when she threw her bike down and came sobbing back, "I think I need another hug!" Man, this is a girl who has emotionally bonded with her shoes.

I surprised her at lunchtime by checking her out of school and racing to the mall. She was thrilled. Here is the pair she picked out:

Upon returning to school (we made it back in time for class), her teacher asked her if she had a doctor's appointment. Ellie Grace responded, "No, my Mom took me to get shoes." I asked her what the teacher said, and she answered, "Well, those are cute shoes!"

You gotta give it up for a girl who cries over shoes!

Happy Birthday Sweet Hannah

I cannot believe that Hannah turns 11 years old tomorrow. It seems like just yesterday that I was holding her in my arms, tears streaming down my cheeks, so excited to be a Mom. Hannah is becoming such a delightful young lady. She is a hard worker, she is sweet, helpful, respectful and a great friend!

This year for her birthday we actually had friends in Sugar Land! HOORAY! Last year we celebrated in the summer before we moved and then just had a family party here. This year, she wanted to have a bit more of a grown-up party. She invited her 3 best friends to Benihana (Japanese Show Cooking). It was really fun!!! Big D and I thought we looked like a reality show walking in with 6 girls. Someone asked us if they were all ours!

After dinner we came home and the girls went for a swim. Yes, Tulsans. They went for a swim in an unheated pool. That's how warm it has been here!!

She wanted an ice-cream cake this year and it was yummy! After we sang to her she got to add up all of her loot! (all she asked for from everyone was money.) This afternoon she and Dad are off to spend it on an I-pod Touch.

Labor Day

Whew...long time no post. School is in full swing and with that comes homework, activities and early bedtimes!


Last weekend we broke away for a short trip to Austin. Daniel's brother and his wife (David and Amy) were traveling to Austin for Labor Day weekend and to watch a UT football game so we drove over to meet up with them on Friday night.


We are really trying to embrace our time as Texans and experience all that Texas has to offer. Hannah studied Texas history last year in school so we planned a trip to see the Capitol.


I interrupt this post to tell you a story from my childhood. On the way to Destin one summer when I was a teenager, my Mom wanted to stop at Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama. Needless to say, Allison and I thought this was a bad idea. And, I'm pretty sure Dad wasn't too thrilled either. But, Mom won and we stopped. To let her know how displeased we were with her choice we complained the entire time. I don't think she enjoyed one minute of that visit and to this day it is a standing joke in our family.


Well, I have come full circle. Visiting the capitol with my 3 kids and their 3 cousins brought back terrible memories of Bellingrath Gardens! They did not seem one bit interested in all this culture I was trying to give them. All I could do was call Mom to apologize for Bellingrath Gardens!


We enjoyed yummy Mexican food and margaritas while celebrating David's 40th birthday. The next day we hit the outlet malls before heading home to watch the OU vs. BYU game....maybe we should have watched UT instead!!!

First Day Of School

How long does the excitement for a brand new school year last? How long will my kids pop out of bed and be eager to face the day? How long will Abby wish she had homework? How long 'till they start complaining about bedtime? When will it no longer be fun to lay out clothes the night before?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I am enjoying it while I can!