Christmas Tag

This a response to the Christmas Tag from my sister. I will tag Kara. enjoy!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
gift bags...I'm SO bad at wrapping!
2. Real tree or artificial?
Artificial
3. When do you put up the tree?
Whenever there is time. Sometime before Christmas Eve!
4. When do you take the tree down?
The day after Christmas because it is always in the way.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Yuck! NO!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Ummmmm, I honestly can't remember.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene?
No
8. Hardest person to buy for?
I must agree with Shiann and say our dad. After that...William because he always will go get something if he wants it.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Winter...a box would be good enough for her!
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A vacuum...Just kidding William. I love my Kirby.
I can't think of one
11. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail I guess. They were only picture cards this year. No letter...didn't get to it.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The Christmas Story...you know, the one where the kids wants the gun. "You'll shoot your eye out!"
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Two days before Christmas when I'm out of school and don't have Winter with me! I haven't shopped any yet!!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Isn't that what Christmas is all about???
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
DRESSING!!!! Other than that...whatever is there.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
The ones that came on the tree are colored I think.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
HATE Christmas songs because they start playing them at HALLOWEEN!!!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Both. This year we are going to Alabama. Now that we live near mom and dad, yes, travel right across the creak!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Only when I can sing the song in my head.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Neither. A Mini Cooper model car shell!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Morning now that we have Winter
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
I should be positive about this....
It amazes me that people don't think about others but one time a year. I want to not donate now, but do it later.
20. Favorite ornament theme?
Anything that is cheap at wal-mart! And some old ones.
24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner?
DRESSING!!!!!!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Jewelry making stuff I guess. I haven't been able to think of anything I want mainly because, like William and Dad, I will go get something if I want it. Oh, I just thought of something...
My Simms game for the Wii.

Funny Stuff that Winter Says!

Winter is growing so much and seems to understand more things about life every day! Thursday of last week we had to take our car in for repairs so we are driving William's truck right now. It isn't the most comfortable ride, epically in the back, so Winter wasn't that thrilled about it. Saturday we went to a birthday party in Longview and Winter put together that the car was in Longview. She said, "let's go get the car!" I asked her if she didn't like riding in the truck and she said that it wasn't comfortable to ride in. It was cute!! Most of the time she's such a happy kid. This morning she was spinning around the room just humming and singing. She is so funny! Anyway, I thought I would share these things with you!!

Halloween Fun!

I started this post almost a month ago now. Oh well!

This Halloween seemed a lot better than last because Winter seemed to understand a little more. Let me tell you, she gets the candy bit!! We started out by going downtown with our friends Mary and Dane. Mary and I planed ahead and Winter and Dane were both dressed as M&M's. He was the blue one and Winter was the green one. After we finished there, we had a quick supper at McDonalds and then went to church. We did something a little different this year and had a trunk-or-treat at the church. There were lots of trunks with treats in them and all of the kids who came seemed to have a great time. It was fun to see the other kids in their costumes. Especially the little ones!!! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!!


Winter is doing well. I took some advice from a friend's blog and have started a potty chart with her. When she is dry and goes in the potty, she gets a sticker. If she is wet, then we mark one off. The first day went REALLY well and she wasn't wet at all. I guess that was the newness of the situation. We went on and off for a couple of days and yesterday when she was wet, she cried when I marked out a sticker. Anyway, she finally got two rows filled and will get a prize. So, that seems to be working well...thank you Kara!!

I guess all the eventful things come from Winter. I try to remember everything she says and does, because most of it is way funny, but I can't get it all. One thing though...she's so silly and trying to be funny! In the mornings she will get our shoes. It is a thing with her I guess. Anyway, even if I'm not ready, she will get mine first and then William will ask her to get his boots. This morning she gave him one boot and then ran off with the other. It was cute. William and I laugh about it, so I guess that is why she does it.

Well that is about all for us right now. I'm doing okay. I fight with the sickness in the evenings, but that is getting better. Just can't wait to find out what we are having. That is a long while away though. Oh well.

Update on us......

I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything. Sorry about that. No excuses, other than being busy with work and home. Oh well!! So here is what is going on....

Winter is getting more independent and sassy every day!! Today, she didn't want William to turn off her movie so we could eat supper. She hit at him. Man did that make him mad! She doesn't do that type of stuff all the time, but when she did, man, things can get bad quick!! Let's just say that she doesn't have any stuffed animals in bed with her tonight because she is trying to earn them back! (pray for us!!!)

It seems that when she has her bad days that she will be sweeter sometimes too. We were coming home from church last night and she was singing Blue Skies and Rainbows all by herself. She had to call Grammy and sing it to her because she was the one to teach it to Winter. Mom was proud.

One day, when Win was having a bad day, she was talking to William on the phone. (Shiann and I witnessed this or I would not believe it either!!) Anyway, she knew that William would know that she had been sassy and had a fit to watch a movie. He was asking her how her day was and SHE WAS TRYING TO HANG THE PHONE UP ON HIM!!!!! Have you ever had a moment when you had to walk away to laugh or you would cry?? That was it! It was funny, but of course I didn't let her see that I thought it was funny!!! Where does she get this stuff?????

William stayed home from work sick one day recently and Winter stayed to help him feel better. Wouldn't this make you feel better too????



The Brown came over a while back for our monthly 42 party. Winter tried to get Dane to watch a movie, but he wasn't into Shrek like she is. I know it is a little blurry, but aren't they cute??


A ride with Pop and Skye on the 4-wheeler...what more could a girl want???


"Nap time" with daddy!!!




Winter likes to be a ham for the camera and she's growing like a little weed!!




Reading a book with daddy.




William is doing well and so am I. Hopefully I will be able to move into my new classroom soon at work. I have never had a new lab before so I'm so excited!!!



Oh...one more thing....









I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!! :) Due June 24th so I'm only about 5 weeks along now. :) We are so very excited! I told Winter not to belly poke anymore because there was a baby in mommies tummy. She looked at me funny and laughed. I told her to talk to the baby and she said "Hallo baby!!". It was cute. See, she does have her redeeming moments!!

A "big girl bed", playing dress up, and watching high school football

Some interesting things have gone on this week that I just had to share!! Winter now has a big girl bed.


We gave her the queen sized cedar bed that we have had since we got married. Anyone who has seen our house in the past knows what bed I'm talking about! We only had one fight and one hole in the wall where the bed fell trying to get it set up in Winter's new room. (Luckily William's foot was a few inches away. He would have had a big time broken foot, maybe feet, if not.) Winter seems to like her new bed and room. It seems like she has slept better since moving into the big bed. She even got new sheets, pillows, and a ceiling fan. :) How fun!

While cleaning out the "changing room" (her former room)Winter found her dress up clothes from Auntie. She insisted that I put the puppy and lion on her. It was funny. I asked her what a lion said and she went "ROOAAARRR"!







I had to laugh. She has become quite a ham about things. On that note...One day, she kept saying "Tio is at school" over and over. (Tio is one of mom and dad's horses who is in training, thus school.) William asked her, being sarcastic, "Winter, where is Tio?" She quickly replied "Daddy, I told you, Tio at school!". Well, I guess that comes from me saying to her, you just said that to me, when she's telling me something over and over!!

And finally...Winter went to her first football game in Overton this Friday night. We ended up sitting with some people from church, one of which is the counselor, Terry Stretcher. She had a great time with Terry!!! It was so cute! She would jump on her lap and scream "Go Green!!". It was quite hot, so she had some water. I think more of the water ended up on her shirt. One time she said "I cool mommy!!" Well I guess she was because her shirt was covered with water. She watched the game and cheered for the horse to come back and generally had a great time. At one point she said "They hit the green boy, that was a bad choice. No no!!" As we left the game, she said that again and told those other boys that they were not making good choices. :) I don't guess she gets the full concept of football, but it was fun to watch her having a good time with others.

Summer is over...back to school

Winter and I have finally gone back to work and school this week. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Winter went and didn't cry much. I took her on her first day so I think that helped. Then on Tuesday, she got sick and William stayed home with her. Anyway, we have all been sick this week so it has been a little more difficult than I had hoped, physically anyway.
I also found out that I'm teaching three subjects this year. It is going to be a challenge.
Anyway, that is about all that is going on with us right now. I will report back as school gets going!

Does amount of dirt equal amount of fun?

I just had to share this picture. On Monday's we have a play date at the church. The kids, there are three the same age and several older ones, play and play until they can't move anymore. It makes it really nice because they nap well afterword. Anyway, I took this picture of Winter today after we played. I know it isn't that clear, but yes, that is dirt on her face!! Enjoy!

A trip to Colorado

This week we took a trip to visit family in Colorado Springs, CO. Winter did good most of the time in the car. As long as she was able to watch a DVD she was happy. The first top was at Shiann's house. We spent Thursday there with them and went to the river again. Winter had a good time playing with Auntie until she didn't mind and got a spanking from Shiann. Friday morning we left for Amarillo to pick up our cousin Pat. Winter had a great time talking to her and feeding the chickens with Don. That is all we heard about all the way to Colorado, while we were there, and back home. (Mom has the pictures of Winter and the chickens, I will get them on here later.)
Saturday morning, after I got my Harry Potter book, we left for Colorado Springs.



On the way there, we stopped to have lunch and Winter had Cheetos. Can't you tell? It looks like she's raising her hands to pray. It was cute.



While there having lunch, we ran into some people from Clifton, TX who had been to Trek somewhere in Colorado. I thought it was interesting that were that far from home and met people from a place I knew!


We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Monday and let me tell you, it is on the side of a mountain!! Winter had a great time and when we ask her about the zoo, all she can say is that she fed crackers to the Zebra. But, she is getting it mixed up. You can see he here feeding crackers to the Giraffe.

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I will tell you, if you ever go to that zoo, go at a time when the tram is running and you can take it to the top and walk back down. It is up hill all the way. A beautiful zoo, but a lot of up hill walking. This chipmunk, at least that is what I think it is, was taking popcorn from people around.



Winter riding the zebra.




And a pony (Mom said she was talking to the girl the whole time. The poor girl didn't know what to think!!)



We got to spend some time with family we don't get to see very often. Here are several cousins that we had dinner with on Tuesday.





Winter and Aunt Leota (Or Auntie Ota and Winter said).




A BEAUTIFUL picture of Pike's Peak taken by Pat from Aunt Leota's yard.




Shiann, Troy, and Jessie met us in Amarillo for supper on Wednesday night.





And finally....
I will leave you with this final thought and image. A french fry burrito...with "kepup" made exclusively by and for Winter Elizabeth Curry.

Just a quick funny

Yesterday William, Winter, and I were leaving Taco Bueno (which she calls Taco Beeno) and were trying to get Winter to hold our hand as we crossed the parking lot. She had a fit and said "I'm holding my hand!!" and insisted that she didn't need to hold my hand. I looked down and she was holding her hands in front of her! Anyway, it was funny so I thought I would share!!

Being Tagged

Kara tagged me, so here is what I have to say! :)

First memory: The earliest I can think of is my 3rd birthday party. Mom made me a Barbie Cake, with the doll in the middle, and I had lots of people there from church.

First real kiss: Does 3rd grade behind the bushes on the playground with David Smith count? That is the first one I can remember. Unless you count 6th grade when David and I (still "dating" at this point) tried to "french kiss" and both jumped back and said "Gross!".

First love: I guess it would be David Smith (who, from what I hear now, doesn't like girls anymore!!) but I'm not really sure. After 7th grade I never really dated anyone until I met William. So I guess it would actually be William, my husband.

First thing I think in the morning: In the summer...Do I REALLY have to get up? Is Winter up yet? During school...Okay, what are we doing in class today?

First pet: Missy the dog and Wilma the cat. Missy was a lab that we had forever and Wilma was a tabby cat that got bailed in the hay!

First question you'll ask when you get to heaven: What is it like to be able to know what will happen before it does?

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation: Driving somewhere and getting to relax when I get there!

First best friend: Rebecca Miller. We went to school together from 1st to 7th grade, were in 4H together and both loved to ride horses. I think she's working as a park ranger somewhere in the panhandle now.

Last time I dressed up: Oh my, I can't even think about this one. I guess it was when I went to NASA and we had a formal type dinner there. That was at least three years ago.

Last thing I ate: Some sugar-free peach cobbler and a piece of chocolate cream pie. We had small groups tonight so there are always good things to eat there!

Last CD I bought: I honestly don't know!! I don't think I have bought one in a while!!!

Last time I cried: Tonight when asking for prayers in raising Winter. (She's getting really sassy and saying NO! to everything and everyone.)

Last good book you read: Karen Kingsbury's new series after the Firstborn books called Sunrise. That is the name of the first book too. It is GOOD!!!

Last time you told someone you loved them: Just now when I put Winter to bed.

Last really funny thing you did: I guess Winter thinks that everything is funny. I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

Last thing I watched on TV: The Last Food Network Star It is a good show!!


Okay, here are my answers. I guess I will tag Mary and Shiann! I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say!

The Beautiful Nature that God Created!

Okay, so I'm not in Texas and I'm saying that the land is beautiful. Am I sinning here? Anyway, at the river there were a couple of deer that I just had to share with everyone. In my last post I talked about being far from Wal-Mart, but where most people live, they don't get to see what I saw tonight. While on the way to the river we saw at least six turkeys, a road runner, and a jack rabbit. On the way back we ran across a porcupine! I thought that was cool as I had never seen a live one before. We also saw several more deer. It is amazing what God has done with our world...well his world really.

This first picture was a sunset on the Salt Fork of the Red River.


As we were walking down the river, we saw a doe and her baby. If you look really close behind her, you can see the baby.


This one isn't a great picture, but it is a buck in velvet. Basically, these are the antlers that come back in after they have fallen off in the fall. He was beautiful but moved before I could get a good shot.

At the River with Auntie

This weekend we went to visit my sister and took some time on the Salt Fork of the Red River. It was a beautiful drive up there where we went by all of the cottages of Westview Boys Home. I have taken for granted how close I live to town!! It doesn't seem like much, but to get to the nearest Wal-Mart it is a 35 minute drive. I'm spoiled!
Anyway, back to the river. Winter and Auntie had a great time. I think there was a point when Auntie was done and Winter wasn't. Auntie had to give Win a little smack to keep her from running across the river. It was a bit frightening. Winter had her rubber boots on and at first said it was a creek. She asked if we were going to see Grammy on the other side. I thought that was funny. She thinks that every time we cross a creek we are going to see Grammy. Guess that is because that is what we do to see Grammy! On the way back, Winter was complaining that her diaper was hurting her. Come to find out, it was full of sand!! She was trying to pull it away from her body. No wonder it hurt!! Thanks for the great weekend Sis!! We had a great time with all of y'all! Love you!!!
Here are some more redneck baby pictures for you to enjoy.







This one needs some explanation. Shiann and Winter were running and splashing. They were having so much fun!!

Recent pictures

Well, I haven't put pictures on in a while, so I thought I would put these in. Hope y'all enjoy them!!

Winter loves to ride her rocking horse and boots (thank you Auntie!!)



Here's one of Winter and Mommy. I don't get or allow many pictures of me, but I'm actually proud of myself in this picture!!


Winter has her name on her wall. This is the "W" she's always talking about that falls off the wall. She's such a ham!!




Winter was napping one day. Apparently she didn't like being in her bed. She got out of bed and did this all on her own and from what I remember, she was relatively quiet. :) If you look close, she has her purse around her leg!!




Cute ham!! :) Her eyes look funny because she's looking at me and not William taking the picture.




These...well these are too much!! It has been really wet here this last week and Winter wanted to take advantage of it. William was outside cooking so Winter took it upon herself to play in the mud. I call these are redneck baby pictures. She had fun. That is what was important right?? William washed her off with the water hose. I decided not to take pictures of the nakedness!!




Finally....
I made sausage for William for breakfast this morning. Winter looked at them and said "Cookies!!!". I said yes, Meat Cookies Winter, eat one!! She didn't believe me, but it was funny anyway.

Any Suggestions???

Okay, I am having some troubles with Winter. She's a smart kid, so we thought potty training would be easy for her. She understands what it means to go potty and says that she wants to go, but lately when I take her, she cries that she doesn't want to go! I'm so frustrated with her!! I know, she's only 2....but I guess I'm used to everything happening right now. I asked her yesterday why she wouldn't go in the potty and she said "'Cause I can go in my diaper". Does that mean she's not ready? Can anyone help me out? Am I'm stressing too much? Will peer pressure and routine help when she's back at school in August? HELP PLEASE!!

What is Winter doing these days??

Now that school it out, I must take a few minutes to tell everyone what Winter has been up to these last few weeks. It is so interesting what she says and does and where she comes up with these things!! William and I were discussing that she's making full sentences and it is funny! She said "This is my plate. This is your plate. This is Daddy's plate" when we were getting ready for supper. Here are some other things that she's doing/saying right now...

1. SHE "WENT" (trying not to be too graphic here) in the potty by herself today!! She said she needed to go potty and was successful! We are on the right path now!!

2. In the shower, she puts the soap in the corner and says "You no say me no soap...you stand in corner, you no say me no soap!" I wonder where she is getting this stuff?? :)

3. She loves to kiss booboo's. So much so that she will give you another one while trying to make one better!!

4. She loves horses! As you can see from the pictures she likes to pet them and play with them. When mom and dad were out of town we fed for them and she had to give every horse some hay. "It's my turn!" she would say when she was ready to give each their hay.

5. Every day, even though it was almost three weeks ago now, she says "I ride the big horse!"

6. I just heard her sing the night night song I have sung to her since she was little to the blocks..."Don't wake them up" she told me.

7. She LOVES cheese....anyone know where she gets that???


8. She doesn't like going right to bed but loves to rock. To prevent fits, we set the timer for five minutes and she knows when it goes off, it is time for bed.

9. She hears me calling William Honey, so she calls him Honey sometimes too.

10. We went to a movie last night and she was great! She watched it and seemed to like it.

11. Finally....the words she says are funny sometimes. For example, the word Wall...did y'all know it has three syllables??? I know it is because of how we talk, but I'm afraid Winter is going to have an East Texas accent!!

This is enough for now. I hope you all enjoyed knowing what Winter is up to these days!!!

A Tribute to the Principals and Science Teachers at Gilmer High School

As the school year comes to a close, I would like to say a few things to and about the people I have had the honor of working with and for this year.

To Mr. Whitwell, Mrs. Hollis, and Mr. Hamilton...
Thank you for having the confidence in my ability to pass the composite science test when I wasn't sure that I would! Y'all hired me when I needed someone to give me a chance. This year has been great because all three of you have helped me when I needed it. If I was having problems with a student, you were there to back me up. Even when I made a bad choice or two, you still backed me up. Thank you for that! I will really miss you and thank you again for being such great people to work for!

To Donna Sue, Sarah, Rhonda, Melissa, Star, and Art (The best science teachers EVER!!) ...
Words can't express to each of you how much you mean to me! I was so scared when I came here at the first of the year. Scared of what was to come. Scared that I would be right back where I was last year. Now I'm scared again, but scared of how I will do next year with out y'all to back me up. But I know, as we have all talked about several times, that God has taken me to a new place. As Donna Sue always says, there was a reason I came to Gilmer. There were people there for me to meet, have a effect on, and help. Not only were there people there for me to influence, there were people there to influence me. I know now that I CAN teach. I doubted that before this school year. Gilmer High School science teachers helped me to find the real teacher that was deep down inside. It doesn't matter what happens now or where I go, I will leave with the knowledge that I am a real teacher and God knew that the science teachers at Gilmer High School were what I needed this year.

Now, it is time for me to influence people and students in Overton. I will never forget how much each of you have helped me this year! Thank you for being friends, coworkers, and sounding boards. I will really miss each of you!! Love you!!!!

Happenings at Our House

Many things have gone on in the past few weeks, so I thought I would up date everyone on us.

As for me....
I have really been trying to loose weight! I have done many things, tried South Beach, the GI Diet that Kara and Shane got me into while we were in Gatesville, and just simply trying to eat better. Well, I have discovered something new...well not really new, but WHATEVER!! Exercise works!! :) I have been eating better, trying not to eat too much sugar and carbs, but I haven't been able to exercise as I should. Well, I wasn't doing it...could have but again...WHATEVER!! :) Anyway, William's compay is paying for 1/2 of a membership to a local gym and I have been going two times a week. I know that doens't seem like much, but when you live 45 minutes from home it can be inconvient to go to the gym, get supper ready, take care of Winter, and spend time with William too. All of that rambling to say...as of Friday May 18th, I have lost 8 pounds! It has been about a month since I have been getting serious about loosing weight, so I think 8 pounds is good. Clothes fit better, students are noticing, and I feel better! So, if you think about it, keep me in your prayers to loose that weight!
Another event for me is that I won't have to drive more than 10 miles to work next year! I am completly happy at Gilmer, about a 45 minute drive from home, but was offered a job in Overton, less than 8 miles from home. The superintendent is a member of the church we go to and he and his wife talked to me about the job. Anyway, I will be teaching IPC and Chemistry. We will be moving into a new school so you might want to send up a prayer that I don't blow up the new school! I'm quite nervous about teaching Chemistry, but I think it will be okay. I will need to study a lot!!

As for William....
He's still working for the same place and seems to like it. He does get to see a lot of East Texas. He went with my dad down to Burnet, near Austin, to work cows with our cousin Will. William is not a very experienced rider, he has ridden two other times and fell off once (had a concussion). THe last thing I told him before he left was not to fall off. I was partially kidding, but partially not. Anyway, I'm at the gym yesterday morning and Dad calls. William had fallen off and was going to the hospital. The hospital in Burnet is a small one, so as a precaution, they care flighted him to Austin. He's okay, but REALLY sore. He ended up falling onto a cactus and got the thorns in him. One had to be cut out, so he has one stitch in his leg. I talked to him on the phone and he said he can't wait to show me his $100 hosiptal scrubs! I guess the $100 was his copay!

As for Winter...
Well, where do I begin here! Today (5-20-07) she had a great day at church! She didn't get into trouble or need to be taken out and "talked" to! I was so proud of her! She really is growing up. We have a new play area at the church and we went to play there after the pot luck lunch. She had a blast! I think it was the first time she had gone down a big girl slide. There are a couple of other kids there close to her age so they were playing hard. She has been having trouble letting me go in the mornings. I think she might know that it is time for Mommy to be home for the summer. Mommy sure is ready! I was reading on a friend's blog (Kara to be specific) about the things that Elizabeth is doing. It is amazing how many of those things Winter does as well. Kids are so funny and fun! I have said this many times before...every day is a new adventure!

Weekend with Auntie

I have tried to get these posted while at school, but they have figured me out....I have been blocked! So, I'm sorry these are long in coming!

A few weeks ago "Auntie" came to visit. We went shopping at Goody's and had Sonic. Winter sat in the middle of mom's truck like always and Shiann sat next to her. I looked back at one point and Shiann was talking to Winter. It was SO cute!
Winter was looking at Auntie with awe (is that how you spell that?) and it looked like she was taking in EVERYTHING Auntie was saying. Once, Winter was having a fit about being put into her car seat. Shiann told her how important it was to be safe and stay in the seat. Well, Auntie said it, so is was good!! Now, when Winter forgets how important safety is, I remind her what Auntie said and she calms right down. And the other picture, which isn't that clear because I took them with my phone, was taken on the way home after a long day of shopping. Winter and Shiann both fell asleep. Is there any explaination needed for this picutre??? I sure wish that Shiann and Troy are able to live closer one of these days. Winter loves her Auntie and can't wait to see here again!!