for reals

As in, "I'm the worst blogger in the world. For reals!"

I know, I know. I've been bad. My blog really took off when I started working full time and was looking for things to help me avoid doing my work. Then I started thinking that I just had to have a photo in each entry. So my posts started coming less often because I didn't always have a photo.

Then, I started the photography business and that gave me another blog to keep track of and well...you know how it is. I still want to keep this one up because I do enjoy looking back at my posts from so long ago and remembering how I felt and what the kids were doing and whatnot. I'm just gonna sort of stink at it for a while. Deal.

So, a little thing I'm doing this year (that is also taking up some of my time) is a 365 project. I am on flickr a lot for my photography and I joined a group called 366-1 (I think they were 365+1 last year) and it's been challenging but fun. The deal is, you take one picture every single day for a year. I decided to use this project for my family and then I'm doing a 52 week project as well that is a self-portrait project.

So if you'd like to keep track of me and see how I do feel free to check out my photos here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9771986@N03/collections/72157612003705053/ The 366-1 project will be in a folder for each month to help organize things a bit better. I'm already surprised that it is the 26th and I've kept up with it. Hopefully I can make it the whole year!

Diva much?

I'm cleaning the study today. Going through papers that have been just piling up higher and higher over the last several months. I ran across a paper of Sadie's that was stacked with several other school papers. I'm not sure that I ever read this, if I had I'm sure I would remember.

Sadie is very girly. I guess really all girls are "girly" to some extent. I thought Madi was when she first came along and while she is...she's nothing like the feel-the-pea-under-the-mattress girly that Sadie is. Neither is Teagan. Sadie is our one and only Diva, and while I appreciate her love for all things blingy and beautiful I really don't know if I could handle two of her.

This paper was apparently a spelling assignment where she was to use the word in a sentence, underline the word, and use proper puncuation. She did the assignment and got 100% on it. I wonder if her teacher laughed when she read it like I did. What do you think?

"I have to go to the bathroom." whispered Sadie. (I know, you're thinking that doesn't seem so out of the ordinary. Just wait.)

"Look at my outfit, its cuter than yours." bragged Sadie. (At least she realizes that acting like that is bragging. That's a good thing, right?)
"I'm weird!" joked Halle.

"Oh no you didn't, oh yes I did!" argued Sadie and Diana. (I guess her teacher over looked that this was two people talking in one set of quotation marks. Possibly because she could just visual Sadie saying this with snaps?)

"Oh no! I got my $10,000 earrings muddy!" shrieked Sadie. (I hope she marraiges well. God bless her future husband!)

"Give me your creddit card daddy!" demanded Sadie. (Her teacher must have been laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes and couldn't see because she didn't mark off for the spelling of credit.)

"Give me that cute stuffed bunny!" yelled Sadie. (I wonder if she'd like a goose that lays golden eggs?)

"Yes, he is so funny and cute." replied, Sadie. (She's 8, gonna really have to watch this one!)

"Daddy, I want this phone." called Sadie. (She asked me just after Christmas if she'd be getting a cell phone soon. Um...no.)

"I want that puppy and I want it now!" demanded Sadie. (Whoa!)

"Me two! I have that phone and that one two!" answered Sadie. (Still...no.)

"Look at my shoes, there soo cute!" interrupted Sadie. (Wow.)

"Daddy I have a fashion show and dance show today." called Sadie. (Wonder if she called him on one of those phones she has.)

We are currently dealing with Madi starting to head down a path that we aren't happy with. Heaven help us when Sadie gets to be her age!

Bad Margo!

Yeah yeah, I know. I've been a bad blogger. I just don't have enough hours in the day!

Christmas is upon us and the hustle and bustle that comes with it has been extra hustley-bustley this year. We just returned yesterday from our trip to Colorado to stay with Uncle Matt and Aunt Malissa. It was a wonderful time but not nearly long enough. It's always nice to be back home, I just wish we were with family more often.

When we came home we opened our own gifts to each other and Hubby blew me away with my gifts. A new chair for the office. A new 24 inch monitor and a super fast "tricked out for pictures" XPS Dell computer. I hadn't asked for any of these things but the idea that he thought of these things all on his own just make me beam. You see, I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but I've quite my job and am hoping to pursue my dream of being a full time photographer. Knowing that he has invested in me by providing these gifts makes me so happy! He really rocks!

So, hopefully I'll be editing faster and adding more photos to my blog more often. Yeah! Here are a few to enjoy of Sadie putting the star on our family tree this year.





And Eli got to do the star on the big tree in the entryway this year. We rotate the kids so next year Sadie will move up to the big tree and it will be Tea's turn to do the family tree. Luckily they aren't afraid to climb. I hope our banister holds up throughout the years. Just think, there may be a day that we have grand-babies climbing on that thing to put the star on!

Snowflake fun

I'm sitting here at work, trying to avoid working. I don't feel well. Haven't felt well for 12 days now. I'm just nauseated and blah. No, I'm not pregnant. At least I don't think I am. Some major growing back together would have had to have happened for that to take place! I'm going to the doctor this morning at 11:00 so I'm just sort of hanging here waiting until my appointment.

So my friend Shari showed me this link to make a snowflake. It's awfully fun. You should try it out!

Snowflake Fun!

Here's what's happening in our neck of the woods.

Said in my best Al Roker voice of course.

So sorry to my faithful followers who are wondering if I might have fallen off the face of the earth. I'm still here. Just hanging on as tight as I can.

We've been busy to say the least. I guess the best thing to do is share updates on everyone. So here goes!

Teagan: She's doing much better after her major injury. She won't let anyone go near her knee though. Taking the stitches out was a nightmare. It didn't hurt but you would have thought that they were putting more in. Then a couple days ago she said it was hurting and it looked like there might be an infection under the skin. The disolvable layer of stitches are still in. I know this because some of them are still sticking out. When she woke up yesterday morning whatever I had seen under the skin the day before had "popped" and there was a hole. She gets really super freaked out if anything changes because she thinks we'll have to go back to the doctor and they'll mess with it. I did take her in yesterday and she flipped when they tried to pull out the disolvable stitches so they are still there. The doctor didn't think it was infected but guessed that one of the stitches was the cause of the new hole so we got some prescription ointment to put on it just in case. Other than that she's doing great. Reading more and more each day which is always so much fun to watch. She's still doing gymnastics too and even pronounces it correctly most of the time now. I much prefer when she was excited to go to "june-nastics".

Sadie: She got braces yesterday. Just one the front 4 teeth. It's phase 1. First we had the palate expander and now the 4 braces with the wire connecting back to the bands that are attached to the expander. Did I mention this is just phase 1? I'd love to say that she'll just need this but I'm guessing phase 2 will be a must. Good times right? Yep. She's still dancing away and recently took a hip hop masters class. The girl can seriously wiggle. At least one of my kiddos got my hip shakin' ability, right?

Eli: He's got braces now. Did you know that? It's been a while but I can't remember how long it's been since I've updated. He's still got the same girlfriend too. A year and a half. And he's 12. Man. Talk about long term. He's still going strong with his piano and trumpet. Not making his piano teacher too happy because instead of practicing the music she gives him he finds a song that he'd rather learn and dives in deep. I love to hear him play.

Madi: She got her braces off. Her hair has grown and is long and beautiful. She told us the other day that when they filled out the Pioneer Picks for the yearbook last week that everyone was telling her they voted her "best hair". Who would have thought that the little girl who didn't have more than a wisp of hair until she was 18 months old would now have such wonderful thick blonde hair. She's had a couple boyfriends but nothing that ever really seemed to be more than a special friend to her. Until now. She now has a 9th grade boyfriend and she is smitten! I'm pleased to say that I approve. He seems like a really nice kid and is cute too!

Brad and myself: Well, we're just busy running the Stewart household and keeping up with all the activities and everyday happenings! Brad just sold a house and has another couple interested in having him build a custom home for them after the new year. I'm so proud of him. He really is a cool guy. We will celebrate 15 years together in marraige in January. Wow, time really DOES fly! We traveled to San Francisco in the beginning of this month to run in the USA Half marathon. It was a really fun trip with friends and we stayed with SueAnn which was an extra bonus.

And then there is my new business venture which is what has truly been keeping me the busiest. I finally took the plunge and started a photography business. You can find me at www.madiganephotography.com I've been busy for the last several weekends with sessions and then spend a lot of time in the evening editing my photos. It's really taken off and I'm looking forward to what it may (or may not) bring. I don't know that I could ever leave the comfort of the full-time guaranteed job I currently have but I have to admit that I do dream of one day doing photography full time.

So there ya go. That's what's been going on. I promise to at least try to post more. I miss blogging about my daily life. It really is neat to have a record of what goes on around here. Maybe that can be one of my new year resolutions. I'll tag it right along with "eat better" and "exercise".

Oh, and just because I have to add a photo to my posts or they don't feel complete, here's one of Madi schlepping some of my photography stuff for me after a recent shoot.

Our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

The day started off nicely enough. Madi and Eli are away at a church retreat because it's fall break. I took yesterday and today off to stay home with Sadie and Teagan. Yesterday we had a blast...shopping, lunch together, pumpkin patch. Good times. This morning we got up and did some cleaning and then went to lunch with Hubby. Then we picked up some new OSU apparel cause it's homecoming weekend. HUGE deal in these parts.

We came home after lunch and were finishing up some cleaning in hopes to surprise Daddy when he got home. I had just changed my Facebook status to say...cleaning, then running, then walk-a-round! We were really looking forward to the walk-a-round where we have the opportunity to see all the house decks that the sororities and fraternities on campus have made over the last several weeks.

My sweet little Tea pot was in my bathroom with me and asked if she could organize my shoes in my closet. It's a little bit like a shoe store in there. Empty boxes on the shelves with shoes littering the floor. I told her that would be fine and thought I'd take a few minutes to do some photo editing.

As I'm sitting here on the computer I thought I heard her scream. Sadie was here next to me and I asked her if she heard something and so then we both sat quietly waiting. Yep. Screaming for sure.

I ran back to my bathroom to find Teagan sitting in the middle of my bathroom floor. She said she had fallen in my closet and her leg hurt. She was holding her left leg and wearing jeans and I didn't see anything out of place so I started to lift her jeans up. I honestly expected to see a little scrape or bump that I would easily be able to kiss away. Instead, as I lifted the jeans past her little knee all of the skin covering her knee cap lifted as well. Her knee cap was completely exposed and there lay the deepest cut from one side of her knee to the other. Sadie had run in behind me and I immediately told her to call Hubby and tell him to meet me at the emergency room. Teagan was screaming, especially after seeing what her knee looked like, and she just kept saying things like, "Why did this happen Mommy?!" "Why did this have to happen?!".




I've seen my kids in pain before. I've seen them with ear aches and strep throat. But I didn't see the infection inside their body and the changes it had made. I've witnessed Teagan break her arm and held her as we had x-rays done. But I couldn't see the shattered bone inside her body. This was absolutely unreal. I don't know that I'll ever get the image of her bone uncovered by her skin out of my head. I don't know that I've ever felt that helpless in my life. To not have any answers for her when she just kept asking why. To not be able to just tell her that it would all be ok because I was so beside myself with what I saw that I couldn't be sure that it WOULD be ok.

Luckily my neighbors were home and were able to watch Sadie for me. I had wrapped Teagan's leg in a towel and we headed to the emergency room. On the ride there she must have told me 5 times that it felt fine. She just needed some band aids. She didn't need stitches. Bless her heart.

Hubby was waiting for us when we got there. Once we got in the room the nurse came in and unwrapped her leg and Hubby saw it for the first time. I had told him it was bad but I don't know that he realized how serious I was. He had to leave the room and get a drink of water and some fresh air.




Three hours later we were finally sent home. The doctors knew that it was such a deep cut that it would take a while to stitch up so they had to clear up all the other patients first. Holding Teagan down while they numbed her leg was awful. They ended up having to numb her three times because it just didn't seem to be working. She ended up with 24 stitches across her knee, in two layers because it was so deep. She can walk but won't bend her knee. We missed the homecoming walk-a-round but grabbed some dinner afterwards. By the time we got home her numbness was starting to wear off and she was complaining so I gave her some of the Tylenol 3 we got. Not long ago she came in crying because it hurt so much.

Bless her heart. She honestly seems to have the worst luck ever. This was SUCH a freak accident. It turns out that when she fell, her knee hit the handle on my jewelry box. It stuck in her knee on one side and just tore itself across. She was wearing a pair of jeans we bought yesterday and although there are a few little bloody spots from when I pulled the jeans up, for the most part they are in fine shape. Just one small little hole where the handle poked through.

Please pray for quick healing for our little Tea pot. There is honestly nothing worse than seeing your child in pain and not being able to take it away.

How'd that happen?

How has it been nearly 3 weeks since I've written on my blog? It's amazing how the time seems to be just flying by. Remember when we were little and it would take like 12 years for our birthday to come back around each year?

So I started the previous entry last week I think. Then I got too busy at work to finish it. That's how it's been lately. Too busy to accomplish anything really.

So I have a million things to talk about but just not nearly enough time so I'll just give you some highlights of what's been going on in my crazy life.

-Eli got braces.
-Madi got her braces off.
-Sadie started the 5 week process at the orthodontist to get her palate expander
-We've filed bankruptcy after all the money we've spent at the orthodontist. (Not really, but hubby did ask if they had a buy 3 get 1 free special since Teagan will undoubtedly need treatment as well.)
-Hubby and I took a long weekend trip to Pheonix to get away and relax.
-Hubby came down with strep throat while we were on our long relaxing weekend which made it not as relaxing.
-My boss/friend Leah at work quit and left me here to fend for myself among the mentally ill.
-I have become increasingly unhappy with my job and am giving serious thought to trying to build a photography business.
-I had a small secret stash of money in my PayPal account from some PrettyMat sales so I spent a bit on a new photography website that I have no idea how to set up.
-Madi and I flew to Houston to stay with Brent and Rhonda and their new precious boy Eddie!
-I took nearly 700 photos over the course of three days in Houston and might be editing them for the rest of my life.

Also, I had a dream the other night about my sister Emily who is having a birthday tomorrow. Her boyfriend Brian recently sold his home in New Mexico and Emily and I have discussed whether or not he might be using some of that profit on a shiny and sparkly gift for her. With her birthday just around the corner I've been wondering lately if I might not get an "I'm engaged!" phone call in the near future.

So a couple nights ago I dreamed that it was the day before her birthday and I was talking to her on the phone. I asked her if she thought she might be getting anything shiny and sparkly for her birthday. She said she didn't think so. She'd looked around the house that she and Brian share and all she found was some books about building a home. I asked her if they were old books that were from when they were building and she said no. She was sure they weren't because they were with all his other stuff. I asked what "stuff" she meant and she said that it was with his hospital stuff...the books, his night clothes, his cane. ???? Apparently he had been in or was going in for hernia surgery. And so he had a cane. And new pj's. And some reading material. We discussed whether or not he was secretly building another home somewhere.

Tomorrow is Emily's birthday. Here's hoping she gets something shiny and sparkly! And if she doesn't, let's just all hope that Brian isn't secretly building another house. Oh, and that he is in good health.

And maybe that I don't have anymore really random dreams!

I didn't wanna watch anyway. So there!

Monday was Labor Day and the kids were off school on Tuesday for a "professional" day. Not sure what that means other than the kids would be home and I wouldn't be. Madi had a volleyball game in Broken Arrow (about an hour and a half away) and had to load the bus at 1:30. (It was actually 1:15 but I thought it was 1:30 and I had some major pms-teen-drama in my front seat trying to get to the junior high before the bus left. Good times.)

So since I was leaving work early to go to the game and since I had a stomach ache I just opted out of work that day. I loaded up the other 3 kiddos and we headed to Broken Arrow. The game was to start at 4:00 but Madi plays on the "A" team and up until that day, the "B" team always played before her. So I figured I had a little bit of time before they started. I'm looking around this store that I just ran into really quick and my cellie rings and it's Madi saying, "We play in 15 minutes". It's currently 3:45.

Apparently there are two gyms at this place so I hustle over to watch her play thinking I'll just zoom across town and then I remember I'm not in Stillwater anymore. Stupid traffic. It takes a while to get to where I'm going and then I find the gym but her team isn't playing there. I ask the man at the door taking money where she is and he says, "Go through there, out the doors, and then it's one of the big square buildings outside." Um, ok. Except that there are several big square buildings. Thanks for your help there mister.

I finally do find her gym at about 4:15. I go in and pay $5 for myself and $3 each for the kiddos. Not that they are going to actually watch the games. They still make me pay though. That's fine. It's not there fault that I have a big family. I don't mind being responsible for them. You know what I do mind though? I mind finding out that they already won a game and we're halfway through game 2 and kickin' hiney which means I just payed $14 for about 10 minutes! Seriously?!

On the advice of my fellow parents I marched right over to the lady who took my $14 check and asked if I could have it back and just wait outside. So we did. Wait outside. And a few short minutes later the 'neers beat the Bulldogs and we got to go home.



So my goal of taking pictures of every game and tournament hasn't been broken. Cause look. I did get a photo! A crappy one...but hey! It's a photo!

Madi's photoshoot

So there's this little field near my house and every time I drive by there I think about how I'd like to take pictures there. Actually, I think about how I'd like to drag a barstool and/or my Grandmother's chair there and take pictures of Madi. I mentioned this not long ago and Madi was all for it so this weekend we finally made the trek over and "got 'er done".

The original area where I wanted to shoot turned out not to be so great. It was a lot more overgrown then I realized and a little bit creepy. At one point I was squatting down to take a picture and noticed there was a little frog right in front of me. I wonder how many snakes and bugs were out there with us. *shudder*



The light in that area wasn't as nice as I'd hoped it would be either so we wandered over to where I could see better light and I hit the jackpot. I knew this pond was there but I didn't know there was a little area at the back of the pond that was perfect for taking pictures. Score! This property was sold recently and I'm not sure what the new owner will end up doing with it or when they'll do it. So until then I'm just going to keep trespassing and hoping I don't get caught!



Madi was a good sport and did everything I asked. She was only distracted by her cell phone, which I had to take away when I convinced her to change into a skirt and she didn't have a pocket for it. Man, that thing rings nonstop! She also got a bit distracted when her friend Kiley and dog Sadie showed up from around the corner. Sadie got to have her picture taken too but I couldn't convince Kiley to let me take any shots of her. There's always next time though!



I had a lot of fun editing these photos using some new Photoshop actions I found. It's amazing how different you can make the photos look in post processing! Feel free to mosey on over to flickr to check them out here. Enjoy!

Keepin' busy

So lots and lots and lots of stuff going on. So much stuff that I'm starting to have a bit of an issue with keeping it all straight. Yeah. That much stuff.

School has started again. Piano has started. Volleyball. Fusion. Cheerleading. Gymnastics. Dance. Yep, full swing. Serious full swingage.


Last weekend Madilee had her first volleyball tournament with her 8th grade school team. They won every single match in just two games and ended up getting first place in the gold bracket. Super fun to watch them win after not always winning during the club volleyball season. They've had 2 games since then and I'm pleased to say that they are still undefeated. Go Pioneers!

I didn't get to watch the bracket play on Saturday because my sister Emily came back to Oklahoma and she and our sister Amy and I had our 3rd Annual Sister Sleepover. Lots of fun staying up late gabbing and eating cookie dough. Pictures to follow soon. I promise!



On Monday Eli went in to the orthodontist to get braces. He was not a happy camper Monday night. Or Tuesday for that matter. Thank goodness God made him a boy. He never would have survived life as a girl with monthly pain and then labor. Seriously.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend. Except that I'm doing a 5K tomorrow in Norman which means I have to wake up early early to get there and I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna!

There. Now I'm done.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Chiwobble

Poor poor little Liza Jayne!



Liza is our Chihuahua/Poodle mix and she is awfully wobbly these days. I was in the shower yesterday morning after my run and Hubby came in and said, "There's something wrong with Liza". I looked out to see her just laying on her left side, looking all limp. We'd try to stand her on her legs and she'd do the wet noodle thing and just fall over onto her left side. Hubby felt around on her legs and she didn't whimper or yelp like she was in pain.

So I finished getting ready and headed to the vet with her. Of course, by the time we got there she was 10 times better. Just like the kids. Sicker than a dog (pun intended!) at home and then you take them to the doctor and they are miraculously healed. So frustrating!




I didn't have an appointment so I was prepared to wait but they got me right in and examined her. The vet decided that she had an inner ear infection and she basically had vertigo. Bless her heart! They had to keep her there for the day to do an ear flush. Then they tested the goop they got out to see what sort of bacteria it was so they knew what medications to prescribe. These meds are pretty cute with the little paw print on top. I guess that's so I don't accidentally try to feed them to the kids?

They said that the first 24-48 hours she may actually be worse and she really is. It's pretty pitiful. She prefers laying in her comfy bed in her crate. I did get her out last night before bed so she could take her medicine. Hubby would say her name and she'd look towards him and her little head just wobbles all around. I'm hoping that she'll feel better by tomorrow. It's hard to see her so puny when she's usually such a happy peppy little thing!

Yo Candice!

Where's your blog? I just realized I never added you to my friends area so I clicked on your name from my comment but I don't see a blog. Do you no longer have it? Is it private? Come on girl, let me link up wit choo! (Like my Ebonics?)

Made it through the first day

Look! I'm back already. With pictures! Everyone survived the first day of school for the most part. Here's a rundown...


Madi loves her new math teacher. She doesn't struggle in math like I did when I was younger but I think having a math teacher that you really enjoy is always a bonus. She's taking Spanish this year and said that her teacher wouldn't speak in English. So Madi turned around to ask her friend sitting behind her if she understood and then the teacher started getting onto her for talking in class. Except that she was getting onto her in Spanish, which of course Madi didn't understand. She actually really does know quite a bit of the language, seeing as how El Vaquero is her second home. She really didn't have a lot to report other than that.


Eli called me as soon as he got home from school with a report of a great first day at the middle school. He said he thought that the day would go by slower but it went really quickly. He liked all of his classes and all of his teachers. When we picked up his schedule last week we realized he wasn't placed in the Extended Studies class and so he requested that it be added. It is a semester long course so he knew he would lose one of his electives and was hoping it wouldn't be Spanish. He was thrilled to find out that he'd been added to Extended Studies during the second semester and that this semester he got art and Spanish. Yeah!


Little Miss Sheradyn had a fantastic day. She said she made 2 new friends on the bus. She loves her new teacher and got to go to music class yesterday which was fun. She also says the new playground is "soooooo much fun!". Can't beat that, right? I asked her if everyone called her Sheradyn and she said, "Yes, but some of my close friends kept forgetting and called me Sadie". Well, of course they did!


Then there's my little Teagers. The two little girls that I sat her with when they were lined up in the gym ended up being nice. Thank goodness! She said she made friends with those two girls and then one other girl that was sitting at her table. She couldn't remember any of their names though. So Brad's instructions to her before he left this morning were to find out her new friends names. She called me after school when she got off the bus and I asked her how her first day was. She said, "It was good. But the bus wasn't." I asked her what happened on the bus and she started crying and said she didn't want to say it because it was embarassing. It really wasn't that big of a deal. But the fact that my little baby came home from her first day of school crying and was so upset about it just broke my heart! Apparently, she sat near the back of the bus. Big mistake, cause everyone knows the bad kids sit in the back. I obviously need to teach my 6 year old where the good kids sit! So, her panties were showing above the waistband of her jeans in the back and I guess a group of older boys all counted to three and then yelled something like "Your pants are falling down!" at her. And then of course they all giggled and laughed and pointed. Bless her heart. I can't tell you how much I wanted to beat up some little 3rd grade boys when she was trying to tell me this story through her little sobs. Mean kids. They really suck.

So there ya go. The whole rundown of the first day of school for my kiddos. Hopefully today was better for little Teagan. And if it wasn't then I'm beating up some little boys. Oh, I've got more photos too if you'd like to see them. Cause you know how I love to take me some photos! You can find them
here. Enjoy!

And they're off...

Today is the first day. I don't like it. I think I don't like the first day because it means that they are a year older and that much closer to being grown and gone. I have some serious issues with the kids getting older.

Madi's in 8th grade. She made the Volleyball "A" team. She's at the junior high. JUNIOR HIGH! How the heck did that happen?

Eli's in middle school. I told him to impress the teachers and not to kiss girls in the hallway. His girlfriend of over a year (yep, that's what I said) is finally at his school. I think their relationship has lasted this long because they didn't go to the same school and rarely saw each other. Now they'll see each other every day. I give 'em two months TOPS before they go their seperate ways.

The little girls are at a new elementary school because our districts were rezoned. The building is new. The classmates are new. The teachers are all new. Sadie actually has a few people in her class that she knows and one girl is one of her best little friends. I put her full name on all her paperwork so the teacher was expecting Sheradyn. Monday night at the meet-your-teacher night Sadie said, "I want to be Sheradyn this year!" so Sheradyn it is. We'll see how long it lasts.

I'm most worried about Teagan. There was only one little boy in her class that she new from her old school and he is a little trouble maker! She was really sad that she didn't know anyone in her class. So this morning when I took her everyone was in the gym lined up by class. I found her class, then found the cutest little girl I could find and introduced her to Teagan and plopped her down. There were actually 2 little girls there together and I think they may have known each other already. Then I followed them to class and Teagan sat at a table with those 2 girls and another 2 girls that looked nice. I also met another Mom who was worried about her daughter not knowing anyone. Her daughter's name is Kennedy and she was a little cutie with dark hair cut the same way Teagan's is cut. After sitting at their little desks for a few minutes, the teacher had them all get a book to sit and read and Teagan came back to her desk with The Runaway Bunny.

It was at that point that I started tearing up. I don't remember a lot from my very early childhood but one thing I remember is my Mom reading me The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon. It just sort of hit me then how old I am and how my kids are growing up so quickly and making their own memories. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I know there are many many wonderful days and experiences ahead for us. I just miss them being small and home with me all the time. I guess that's a good thing. I know there are a lot of parents who can't wait for school to start back up. I'm just not one of them.

I took pictures but only had time to upload the ones of Madi. I'll post a link soon with all of their photos. Promise.

Double Tag

It's no secret that I haven't been blogging like a good blogger should. Oh well. Right? However, I was just catching up on Brooke's blog and see that she tagged me. Twice. Oops.

So here ya go. Tag 1...or everything-you-probably-already-know-or-don't-want-to-know-about-Margo:

Name: Margo Elizabeth Stewart
Maiden name: Hein
Eye Color: Butterscotch (that's basically brown, but my mom always said Butterscotch)
Hair Color: Naturally? It's a really dark muddy looking blonde.
Height: 5'9"ish, I think I've shrunk down to about 5'8" actually but I still say 5'9"
How would you describe yourself? First thing that popped in my mind...loud
Either/Or Shy or Outgoing? Outgoing
Spender or Saver? Um...spender. *blush*
Truth or Dare? Dare. The truth can be kinda scary sometimes.
Books or Movies? Books
Romantic Comedy or Action/Adventure? Romantic Comedy
Cats or Dogs? Hmmmm, neither really. I love our Liza and my Inu was awesome. Hmmmm, guess I'd say dogs.
Mountain or Beach? Are there cabana boys at the mountain? Beach!
Sweet or Salty? Sweet
Do you...Get Annoyed Easily? Seriously? What kind of question is that! (Does that give you the answer?
Like to Travel? LOVE to travel
Like to drive fast? Yes, because I'm usually in a hurry
Sing Well? I like to think I'm a fairly good singer
Have a Talent? I can wiggle my ears
Watch Scary Movies? Yep
Shave your legs everyday? Nope
Floss regularly? ROFL
Get Motion Sickness? Yep
Have you ever...Performed on Stage? Yep
Been out of the country? Where? Yep...Japan, London, Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman
Had any body hair waxed? Yep
Lied about your age? Yep
Used a fake ID? I tried to use Denise's just so I could get into a club when I was 17Gotten a Speeding ticket? Yep
What is...The last CD you bought? Paul Wright
The last movie you saw in the Theater? Wall.E
The last Movie you rented? Vantage Point
Your Greatest Fear? Losing my children or Brad
Your Greatest Strength? I don't know. ???
Your Greatest Weakness? I an think of many more weaknesses than strengths.
Your Happiest Memory? I have lots of them. Anything involving my mom. My wedding day. The days my kids were born.
Your Favorite...Movie: Princess Bride
TV Show: Hmmm, right now I'm enjoying Swingtown.
Actor: Can't think of just one.
Actress: Hmmm, I just don't know
Food: Anything
Drink: Diet Pepsi
Color: green
Scent: lilac
Season and WHY: Fall, the trees change and the air gets cool and it just feels like everything is starting over
Day of the Week and WHY: Friday, the weekend is here!
Favorite Stores: Bookstores, I can get lost in them forever. I also really love New York and Company but I rarely get to go there.
Quote: "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're absolutely right"
What do you Think About....
Miracles: They happen
Astrology: Don't follow it but I know I'm a Leo.
War: It'll always happen
Ghosts: I don't know
Reincarnation: Not a believer
Karma: What goes around comes around.
Luck: I think some people do seem to have a lot of luck but I'm sure it's more than that.
Aliens: Who knows
Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments: Doing a summer sault at Brooke Martin's birthday party in the 7th grade and farting. Her mom and brother came in from the other room it was so loud. I played it off and laughed with everyone but I was pretty embarassed.


Tag 2: How Quirky are you?

The RULES
1. Link the person who tagged you... Brooke
2. Post these rules.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

Okay, you asked for them...

1. I have this thing where I have to sit with something solid on my left side. Like on the airplane, I need to be on the left side of the plane by the window. In a booth at a restaurant, I need to be on the left side of the booth. Preferably by the way unless the kids are with us then I get the aisle. At church, I need Brad on my left side. I feel completely off balance if I'm sorry else.

2. For as long as I can remember I have twirled my hair. I like to sift through the top layers to the really soft stuff underneath that doesn't have hair spray on it. Then I run it through my thumb and first two fingers until I eventually wrap it around my index finger to make a loop. Then I sit and rub the loop for a minute before I finally put it between my nail and the tip of my finger. Then I start the process all over again.

3. I don't do this as much anymore because I'm getting old and my bones hurt. But there was a time when I always had my left leg propped up. If I was sitting in a chair it was tucked up under me. Standing in the bathroom drying my hair I would have it up on the counter. Driving down the street, it's bent at the knee and my left foot is on the seat with my knee touching the window. I do still do this sometimes but I rarely sit with it under me because my knees hurt. :(

4. I have to brush my teeth first thing in the morning. The very first thing I do when I wake up is pee and then I brush my teeth. I sometimes have to stray from that but there is pretty much never a time that I go more than about 15 minutes of being awake without brushing my teeth. I can't stand that morning breath taste. Ugh.

5. I'm a really slow eater and I want to enjoy it. Especially my dinner. If I have something to do in the evening, like take a kid somewhere then I prefer to do that first and then eat. Otherwise I feel rushed and I don't enjoy my meal. I want to be able to sit down, relax, and eat and be done with the day.

6. I take a really long time to tell a story. Brad hates this. (Actually, there are a lot of these quirks that really drive him crazy.) When I tell a story I want to paint the picture for you. Like when I told Brad that I was at Goody's and my phone rang and it was a girl I used to work with. Which was weird because I haven't talked to her in ages but there she was calling me. So I answered it and she said, "Hey Margo, it's Kimberly. Do you have rental property?" I told her yes I did and she said she was out looking for a duplex to rent and saw the sign in the yard of one of ours and plugged the number into her phone to call and it started dailing me which she thought was really really weird. Then Brad asked if she wanted to rent it and I said no. He would have been happy with me just saying, "Someone called about the duplex but it didn't work out for them." But that wouldn't have been nearly the story that mine ended up being. Right?


Ok, I'm too lazy to tag anyone else. If you read this and you have a blog then...TAG you're it!

There, how's that?

Mother Nature

One day this spring after Eli's baseball game, as the boys sat in a team huddle hearing about all the mistakes they made during that nights game, Brad leaned over to me and whispered, "Why does that tree have girl parts?" (He actually used the correct anatomical word for it but I have issues with that word and prefer "girl parts".)

Being the friend that I am, I promptly told Brook about the tree. Then, while on vacation in Mexico earlier this summer she happened to find the
perfect match for our Stillwater tree.

So Father Nature lives in Mexico, huh? Who knew!

Home

We're home. Good times in Arizona. I uploaded one good picture to share. Hopefully I'll have a chance tomorrow to share. Not about our trip, but something funny. Something to look forward to. Yippee!

Crispy

That's how my chest looks today. A bit crispy and red. Gotta love the hot Arizona sun.

Yesterday we had a big huge breakfast and then spent some time out at the pool. Afterwards we were planning on going to Oregano's for lunch but my stomach hurt from too much for breakfast. I was looking forward to the big huge cookie dessert and knew that I couldn't go there if I wasn't able to have a good full meal. *wink*

So we hit the Kierland shopping area and visited the Victoria's Secret, the Lucy store, and a couple other places just for window shipping before we hopped in the car to head back to the hotel.

After spending more time at the pool we retired to our room and played a couple games before heading to bed.

Today we pretty much did the same thing. Breakfast, pool, shopping at a nearby mall...OREGANO'S for lunch YUM!, more pool. Now we're chillin' in the room before bed.

We leave late tomorrow night. I'm not looking forward to work on Monday. This seems like the last hoorah of summer. And summer seems to have just started. I don't know where the time goes these days!

It's HOT!

So I've been scarce. I went to Branson with the Jr. High group at church and followed it up with a short week at work, getting out on Friday for the 4th of July celebrations. Then we had a 3 day weekend followed by another short week as I finished up an order I had to do, cleaned, did laundry, and worked. (Have I mentioned lately how inconvenient this J.O.B. is?) I was up until 2:00 in the morning getting us all packed so that we could head out for our summer family vacation today.

We left Oklahoma City at around 12:00 and arrived in Phoenix at 12:15. Short flight?! Nope, time change. *wink*

We had free tickets (courtesy of our mega-spending on our Southwest Visa), got a great rate at an Embassy Suites (government jobs rock!) and we're having a blast in Phoenix! It's HOT here. And actually, it's COOL! Apparently it's monsoon season so it's rainy but we didn't have any until tonight after we were done at the pool. Unfortunately, that means the "dry heat" isn't really all that dry. I think perhaps we brought some of the humidity with us from Oklahoma. We just can't seem to escape it!

So we're just chillin'. Relaxing. And when we get home in a few days I'll hopefully have an album full of pictures to share. Until then, I'll just update with fun stories of our days in this fun HOT place they call Arizona!

Just stuff

Summer has hit us full force and we are in the midst of the craziness that it brings. I thought I'd just do a quick update post for the very few people who regularly check my blog and are probably currently wondering if I'm still alive. I am alive but I sure am tired!

~Madi and Eli went to Camp Cyokamo a couple weeks ago for a week with the Jr. High group at church. They had an absolute blast and came home with a renewed desire to learn about Christ which is, of course, always awesome! Madi met a boy named Luke from Missouri who she quickly hit if off with. While they were "going out" at camp they have since decided that they should probably just be friends since they live so far away.

~The next week all 4 kiddos headed to Collinsville for Nana and Grandpa camp. Although they were bummed that their cousins were only there with them for a couple of days, they still all had a terrific time. Madi even talked Rachel into driving her to Tulsa on Tuesday to meet up with Luke who was in town visiting friends. Everyone but the two little girls went and had lunch with him and then they all went roller skating. Sounds like they had a fun time. However, on Thursday Madi learned that Luke's mother had passed away after a long battle with cancer the night before. Say a prayer for him and his family if you have a chance. I know how difficult it is to lose your mother.

~I picked the kids up in Collinsville on Saturday and then we hit Target and Kohl's in Owasso for some retail therapy. While at Target I ran into Krista, who I haven't seen in 5 years! She actually saw Eli and Sadie while they were looking in the book section and even though it had been years since seeing them she knew exactly who they were. They were initially a little freaked out that some stranger knew so much about them (especially when Krista told Sadie that she helped name her!) but then Eli recognized the name Krista and told her where to find me in the store. We visited for a bit there in the clothing department and exchanged cell phone numbers so we could at least text and keep up with each other a bit better. And of course Madi got Hagen's number and they've already become texting friends with each other.

~This past weekend I went with Madi and Eli to Branson with the jr. high group from church. Sunday night we watched The Promise which was an amazing show about the life of Christ. We spent all day Monday at Silver Dollar City and followed it up with a huge meal from Lamberts where the kids all enjoyed having rolls thrown at them. Then after a stop at the flagship Bass Pro Shop in Springfield yesterday morning we headed home. Man did it feel good to sleep in my own bed last night!

~Brad has been superman lately finishing up 2 homes that both close this week. He works all day at his "real" job and then heads over to the lots to make sure everything is running smoothly and on schedule. That boy deserves a break!

~It's now been a full month since I've run and I feel like a slug. Seriously, just like a big slug needing some salt poured on it's back! I just can't get in the groove. With all the craziness in our schedule it's so hard for me to find a consistent time to do it. I hate getting up early but I think that's what I'm going to have to just break down and do because it's just too steamy to do it in the afternoon after work. I've got to get back on track before I blow up like a balloon!

~Although I didn't get to take pictures with my camera in Branson (because stupid me left the battery at home!) I have been taking quite a bit lately. My desire to do photography continues to grow but I still worry about whether or not I'm capable of it. I guess I'll just keep on keeping on and see where it takes me.

So, I guess that's about it. Work has been mad crazy so I'm not able to really get on as much. Hopefully soon I'll have some fun pictures and posts to share with you. Until then, enjoy the summer!