I'm Working On It...

I promise. I have FINALLY figured out how to get the video from my camera onto the computer. That FINALLY being done, I am now close to finishing the Christmas video I've been trying to work on with no success since, well, Christmas. Hence my silence here the past few days. Hence the shortness of this particular post, since I want to get going and get some more work on the video, which requires learning more of my new program. That being said, here are two things for you before I go:

1. I'm thinking more and more about Blog 365 and I am thinking about starting a second blog, solely for 365, and each day I will just put up a picture, if I have time or whatever a story to go with the picture. But the picture will sort of be my day in a snapshot. One picture that defines my day. What do you think? Should I go for it? Should I not? Should I just do it here? What say ye?

2.

Kinky in Helsinki

That's the color that my toe nails are right now. See...

On Saturday, Joni took her mother-in-law, Sue, and sister-in-law, Shelley, to get pedicures for Christmas. Much to Joni's surprise (and to Sue and Shelley's pleasure) I invited myself along for the fun. And it was fun. I have to admit that I chose my color solely on it's name, but I am quite pleased with it. And quite pleased with my Saturday morning. It was great seeing the other Starling ladies again.

I am also quite pleased with the rest of my Saturday as Chad and Ellie came to visit us for the weekend! We had such a fabulous time with the Ramskuglers, just hanging out, and playing board games, and watching movies, and playing with the kids. It was WONDERFUL seeing them again, we feel so special that they included us in their holiday travels. Here are some pictures from our fabulous time with the Ramskuglers...

brushing teeth with Mr. Chad

play time = FUN time

what lovely ladies :)

As for the rest of our week here, it's been full of non-excitement. Just hanging out, getting ready for tomorrow. And speaking of getting ready for tomorrow, I should get going so I can get these kids into bed and clean up and set out all the presents under the tree. And let me just say, those boys are going to be busy tomorrow! Before I go, I am going to share this Lolcat with you simply because I enjoyed it so much. Enjoy.

What, Oh What, Should I Title This Post?

I was originally going to go with "It's a Christmas Miracle!" after what Linda said when I told her I "found" the Christmas presents that had been "lost" in the mail the last two weeks. Then I thought about "Oh, I am SO Embarrassed" after how I feel about where the presents were. You see, as I mentioned before I had ordered half of the Christmas presents online. Half of that half came, but other half were MIA.

So today I called the website that the missing gifts were from to see what was going on with my order. I had to call because I didn't have my invoice number because the email with it got sent to my junk folder of the email I got in high school, and I don't check that very often, so I didn't think to until it was two weeks past when I ordered, but by then, it had been deleted. The woman I talked to was lovely. She asked me for my order number and simply laughed when I whined, "I don't have it." Through phone numbers and mailing addresses and the like, she was able to figure out which order was mine (yay!). Here's where it gets embarrassing. Apparently the packages had been left by my front door on the 4th and 5th of this month. WHAT?!? I said, "No they weren't. I never got them." I was afraid that maybe they were delivered while I wasn't home and that someone stole them.

The woman said, "Well, your mailing address is on NW 68th Street, right?" And I said, "Yes." And she continued, "2303?" And I said, "No. My house number is 2302." And there you go. When filling out the forms online I put the wrong house number and I presents were delivered to the 75 year old gentleman living across the street. While I'm not entirely surprised I did that, I am sort of surprised that VISA did not catch the mistake when they approved the transaction since I put 2303 as the billing address too.

Anyhoodledido, as I was so embarrassed by this, I waited until Josh got home from work this afternoon and had him go ask our neighbor if, by any chance, he had actually received the packages and if he still had them. And wouldn't you know it? He did! In fact, he had told Josh that he brought them to the post office to return them but it was going to cost him $14 to mail them back and he wasn't sure if he would get that money back so he was waiting for the mailman to come by so he could give the packages to him. Wow. How awesome is God to work all that out for me? So the presents got wrapped, they all got boxed, and they are merrily on their way to New Jersey! Wahooie!

My other thoughts for naming this post were "I'm Finally Finished" or "I'm Ready! I'm Ready! I'm Ready-eady-eady for Christmas!" (A little Spongebob for you fans out there.) This week we finished the tree. That's right, we finally got around to putting up all ten ornaments that we own. And I will say this, my boys are candy cane maniacs. Wow. I was making some monkey bread yesterday morning when I realized it was a little on the quiet side in the living room. I poked my head around the corner to see my little men folk, each with a candy cane in hand, trying to eat said candy canes through the wrappers. Oh those Walter boys.

So, that means, the lights on the house are up. The tree is up, lit, and decorated. The packages are all accounted for, wrapped, boxed, and shipped. AND we baked sugar cookies yesterday. I think I can say that we are all ready for Christmas. Well, there's still some food shopping to do, but that's nothing that won't be done anyway.

AND I was going to post a little bit about the weather here. It was in the 70's last weekend. Most of the week it was FREEZING. Like, 20 degrees freezing (I know, I know, just wait until I get to Alaska in February). Then, the last two days it's been high 50's/low 60's. But no matter the temperature, it has been dry. Apparently, the kind of dry they have here leads to lots and lots of static electricity...

See what I mean?

Now we are just cleaning up the house for Chad and Ellie, who will be visiting us this weekend! Yay! (Okay, we're cleaning the house because it really needs it, but the Ramskuglermeisterhoffs are an added incentive.) And on that note, I had better go and mop my embarrassingly gross kitchen floor and vaccuum and all that fun stuff.

The Power of Words

This video was posted on a friend's blog the other day (week?). In my opinion, it is incredibly well done. As I watched it I was reminded of all those Proverbs that talk about words and the power they hold. First, I thought of Proverbs 15:1 which says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." While I love that verse, I wasn't sure if it really fit what I felt the message of this video was, so I looked around the book a little more and found Proverbs 16:24. "Pleasant words area a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." That is it. That is the point, again, as I see it, to this video. As you watch it, I challenge you to think about Proverbs 16:24. Think about Proverbs 15:1 as well, if you're so inclined. Think about the people in your life and your words towards them. Think beyond your family or the people you see/work with/live with every day to those you only happen on once - the gas station attendant, the sales clerk at the mall, the telemarketer who calls and interrupts dinner. Think about how you use your words.

**this video is a good 15 or 16 minutes long, just so you know, but it is worth watching**

The Hip-Happenings

So, I feel like it's been forever since I last posted here, but looking back, it's only been five days. Hmm. Even so, I have missed you all. And I am going to blame Christmas cards for my absence. But they are finished and stuffed and stamped and went off to work with Josh today, hoping to be mailed today (or really any day this week he finds the time, but we're really hoping for today). Now that that's out of the way, here's what all's been going on.

I bought half my Christmas presents in the stores this year, and half online. Half of the half I ordered online are still not here. And of course, the presents that did come don't make a full "set" for any box I need to send out. For example, I got my mom's, the twins', Jenny's and Rich's, but I haven't received my stepdad's, so that box can't go out. I got my stepmom's and my brother's but not my father's, so that box can't go out. I got Linda and Sam, but not Jeff or either of Josh's parents. Seriously, I would have gladly traded Linda's and Sam's to get my dad and stepdad's so I could have sent those two boxes last week when everything else showed up. But no. So, they're all sitting in the garage, all dressed and ready to go, just waiting for their friends to show up. Typical. (That's not a picture of the presents I have waiting to go out, by the way.)

Friday morning, Josh made it home from PT in time to get the boys up so I could stay in bed a few extra minutes (isn't he fabulous?). After they both were up and had their diapers changed, Zeke came back to get me. He climed up into my bed, crawled over me, put his head on my pillow next to my head so we were forehead to forehead and said, in the sweetest voice ever (of course), "How's it going, Momma?" Once I finished laughing, I told him it was going well and asked how he was doing, which launched him off on some story or other in his "Zeke speak". Sweet boy.

Deacon had a pretty big week last week. His first two molars FINALLY broke through. There has been A LOT of drooling going on, but they are here. Deacon also started saying "No" and "Thank You" (which actually sounds like "day doo") this week. We put the tree up Saturday and he stands there, patting the branches saying, "Noo. Noo." All the while shaking his little head. Yeah. He cracks me up. He also started pulling back and shrieking when Zeke tries to take toys from him now. Yes. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about that.

What I am excited about though, is that we got our Christmas tree this weekend. The post here was giving away free Christmas trees to the first 400 or something people who showed up at 7am. When Josh got up to go he heard Zeke moving around in his bed, got him up and brought him along. What fun! (Deacon and I stayed in our cozy beds and slept in until 7:20.) Josh said Zeke picked out the tree himself, and it is a nice one. We put it up while the kids were in bed for their morning "rest time", and I think it made it about a half an hour once they got up before being knocked over. It's still not decorated. We did put lights on it last night. Unfortunately most of our tree lights from the last 5+ years broke in the move or something, and half of them didn't work. Sad. SO we found some icicle lights in the box that worked and we put those on. They still need some rearranging, but they look pretty good. I guess we'll give the boys a day or two to adjust to the lights before we hang ornaments. Maybe we just won't do ornaments this year. I kid. But now I do understand why Josh wanted to put the tree outside this year. That just made me too sad, and I can't do it. I'm sure they'll leave it alone after awhile.

And that's about all from here for now. I hope y'all are having a fabulous December so far!

All Together Now...

AWWWW!!!

This really was too cute not to share.

BFFs

I have to admit, at first, I was a little worried about having two boys so close together in age. I was nervous that there would be jealousy (which, there is to some degree, but not at all what I was originally expecting), and that Zeke would hate us forever for bringing home another kid, and that even though EVERYONE told me they would be best friends and it's going to be so wonderful having two boys so close together in age, I found it somewhat hard to believe. I don't know why I was so skeptical. I mean, just look at them...

...whether it's coloring or playing in the dirt...

...playing in the tub or watching TV...

...these boys play so nicely together. Most of the time anyways. They love to just look at each other and laugh. For no apparent reason. It's great. They bring each other their juice cups and things. And Zeke knows that if Deacon gets upset to go and find either his juice/milk or his blankie and that that will make Deacon feel better. Sure, he still tries to steal whatever toy Deacon is playing with, but it's all out of brotherly love. Right?

A quick story before I go. This past Saturday, Zeke had out one of those toys where you have to put the pieces through the holes that match the shapes (you know what I'm talking about). So Deacon sits down next to him and Zeke hands Deacon the current piece and says, "Here you go, Dee Dee." As Deacon attempts to put the piece into the wrong hole Zeke says, "Good try." Then, as Deacon turns the toy around to the side that actually has the right hole for the piece Zeke says, "That's it." And finally, as Deacon gets the piece into the correct hole (which Zeke helped him with by pointing to it) Zeke sat there and cheered for him saying, "Yay, Dee Dee! Good job!" It was very sweet. Very sweet indeed.

Saturday Silliness Continues!

This is a video of a band that was recommened to me by a dear friend of mine. I fell in serious like with these guys upon watching the video she linked to me and then all of the subsequent videos I spent the next half hour or so watching. In fact, I enjoyed them so much I went ahead and downloaded the HBO special they did, back whenever they did it. (That's where this video comes from, by the by.) I have already showed them to Josh and passed them on to Linda. Such was the positive feedback that I have decided to post my favorite song by these guys for you here today. The band is Flight of the Conchords. The song is "The Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros". Oh, and as my friend put it when she sent the link to the song that she linked to me, "I hope it doesn't scandalize you." And with that, enjoy!

It's a Christmas Version...

...of one of those "Getting to Know You" emails. My friend, Corry, sent me the email and I thought, "Well, maybe I'll do it and just put it up on my blog. It seems kind of fun and maybe it'll get me a little more into the Christmas spirit." So, here goes...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper if it's being mailed, otherwise I try to use the gift bags I have lying around the house from previous Christmases (birthdays/showers/etc).

2. Real tree or Artificial? real thank you...although I hear they are hard to get here in OK.

3. When do you put up the tree? whenever we get around to getting it sometime in December.

4. When do you take the tree down? sometime after Christmas...there's really no rhyme or reason to tree stuff here.

5. Do you like eggnog? not so much

6. Favorite gift received as a child? wow. I have no idea...I can't seem to focus long enough to think that far back right now.

7. Hardest person to buy for? my brother

8. Easiest person to buy for? Linda

9. Do you have a nativity scene? If you count the kid's VeggieTales one, we have three :)

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? snail mail (and I really need to get moving on those)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? What kind of a question is that? What if the person who gave me that gift is reading this? Then their feelings will be incredibly hurt. Geez people. But really, I don't know that I've gotten any terrible gifts that I can recall like that.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Charlie Brown

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? whenever I am inspired to

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? as another Christmas present or for some other occassion?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? candy canes

16. Lights on the tree? yes. Oh, like colors or white? Colors.

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night and Hark the Herald Angels Sing (which I didn't realize I liked so much until it almost made me cry today driving home from PWOC - it is so beautiful!)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? nope! Staying home and enjoying the "peace" of it being just us (and the Starling family)

19. Can you name all of Santa's? Who can't? I mean, come on.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I think we have an angel...although...maybe we don't put anything on top? Hmm...

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Eve, morning, afternoon, evening, next day, the following Saturday...you know.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When the music and decorations come up before Halloween is even over.

23. What theme or color are you using? for what? I don't understand this question.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham/turkey, potatoes, gravy, bread, Thanksgiving, really all over again.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? all sorts of stuff :)

Now, if you'd like to play along, consider yourself "tagged". OH, and just for kicks, here's a picture from last Christmas for you to enjoy...

He's Ba-a-ck!

Ba-dum!






Baaa-duum!







Ba-dum!Ba-dum!Ba-dum!Ba-dum! BA-DUM!!

The day after Thanksgiving, Josh and I (mostly Josh) went through ALL of the boys toys and made four separate boxes/tubs worth of toys that we will rotate through the toy box as they grow bored with whatever's currently out. All of this is to say (besides the fact that my kid have way too many toys already) that some of Zeke's old favorites have made their way back out and he has not wasted any time making good use of them. That's my boy!

(The last one is my favorite. Who thinks to line up cars on the fireplace gate? Fabulous!)