Thursday Thought

Imagine all the moms forming a conga line and singing, "The kids are going back to sch. . .ool."

Merry Foto Friday!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Thursday Thought

I would wish for the ability to wake up showered, dressed, hair fixed, makeup on!

Silver Dollar City

We decided to have some family fun the day after Thanksgiving so we went to Silver Dollar City on Saturday (ha ha). While we did have fun, the overwhelming feeling was COLD! We were supposed to go back on Sunday but it was snowing so we decided to honor the sabbath day instead! lol

Despite the cold, we were able to enjoy some rides. I actually sustained a non-life threatening injury trying to stuff myself in this ride that my sweet little one wanted me to ride with her.

Caleb and Amanda actually got along for the day. It was like a little slice of heaven!

Amanda worked hard to get she and Devyn to the top of the rope on this "thing"

Wyatt also had a good time!

No wait, this is the fun-loving guy we know!

I really enjoyed all of the Christmas decorations and nostalgia, which is why I drug everyone there in late November!

It really was fun and really cool. They sell these giant cinnamon rolls and "mountain-sized" cookies that were worth the price of admission alone! And the Wildfire was the funnest roller coaster I have ever been on. Great family fun! Hey, they should pay me to do a commercial!

Fear the Claw!

Hunter takes a shot

The Rogers State University Hillcat claw that is. We went to Hunter's basketball game today and it was a close one! I prefer the comfortable 15 point lead we had in the beginning of the second period but the team decided to make us bite our nails off with a 65-64 last minute win! Hunter led the team in points with 14. She had a busy game with some really beautiful plays, getting hit in the nose and four fouls (more than her usual)! All in all, I was, as usual, really impressed. I was also probably the only one distracted by the cute little braid Hunter had in her hair! What can I say, I'm a girl!

Foto Friday

There is nothing like hanging some Chistmas lights to get into the Christmas spirit!

What the . . .

My little angel , Devyn, has been going through a very, shall we say, VERBAL stage lately. Usually it has me at the end of my rope by the end of the day, but yesterday was a little bit funny. She was watching Amanda play the Sims last night when Amanda's Sims house got robbed. Amanda exclaimed that she hated robbers. Devyn promptly followed that up with a loud (the only volume she knows), "Yeah, they freak the H@$! out of me!" Well, we laughed a bit and then dad finally coaxed her out of the closet where she was hiding in fear of punishment. He explained to her that it was a naughty word and she should never say it again. When Amanda and Caleb spouted out cuss words as little kids, we always blamed it on Grandpa Taz, and since he isn't in town to defend himself . . . She learned it from Grandpa Taz!!!

Foto Friday

Thanksgiving Thought

"Thanksgiving & Friendship" | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Friday Foto

We had to do something to stay warm at the garage sale!

Thursday Thought

We often forget that kids sometimes won't understand what we are talking about. One time Amanda came home from preschool and said the father of one of her classmates had died. I said, "Oohhh, did you tell him you were so sorry?" She naturally said, "Why? I didn't kill him?" I'm sure Amanda then wondered why I left the room laughing.

Caleb's Victory

Caleb won first place at his school's PTA Reflections Photography Contest. The theme was Wow! He came up with the idea to take a picture of Wyatt hanging upside down because Wyatt loves to do that. Now he moves on to the district contest. Here is his picture:

Devyn Remembers Brother Summers

"He was Grace's dad." "He was Superman." "He was nice." "He sat by Sister Summers." "He was a teacher in Primary."

Caleb Remembers Brother Summers

Caleb remembers Brother Summers as Jack's loving dad and a primary teacher. Also, Sister Summers said that he had broken the bread before.

Amanda Remembers Brother Summers

Amanda remembers Brother Summers as quiet, very smart, funny and happy. Most of all, she said she remembers that he had a better outlook on life than other people did. She said he told his seminary students that cancer was a blessing. It made him and his family slow down and enjoy each other more.

Many of you know of my friend,Becky. Her husband is in his last few days of his valiant battle with cancer. He will leave behind 7 beautiful children, 1 amazing wife, his loving parents and brother, and hundreds of heart-broken relatives and friends. This is where I would like to insert a few cuss words about that stupid disease (Becky would expect that from me!). I will however, refrain because this is supposed to be a dignified attempt to spread the word. Anyway, I'm dedicating my blog to him for the next little bit as we organize and launch an effort to help them. Please check it often to see how you can help this extraordinary family and follow their story! lewisairways.blogspot.com Thanks.

Congratulations to Hunter, my cousin Greg's daughter. She was the high scorer in the Rogers State University women's basketball game today with 19 points. And it goes without saying she is the prettiest one out there. We are so proud of her and will enjoy spending the winter going to her games. Seems like just yesterday I was babysitting her and we were singing, "Skinnamarinkydinky dink, Skinnamarinky doo. I love you!" I'll spare you the rest, but she was the sweetest little girl you've ever seen and now she's all grown up (and just as sweet!)

Foto Friday

Thursday Thought

This thought comes from Caleb:

The word compassion has the "A" word in it. That doesn't make any sense.

Think about it . . .

Heavenly Father Answers Prayers!

It took Amanda exactly 20 days to do ding and scratch the car bumper . . .









But it took her 27 days to do THIS to the car . . .










While turning left out of the school parking lot, she pulled out in front of a truck pulling a trailer. He T-boned her, sent her across the other lane and into a ditch. Although she had to be cut out of the car, she suffered NO damage other than cuts from broken glass, whiplash and sore muscles. Now you may think that two wrecks in one week makes her a bad driver. But in her defense, the first guy she bumped didn't have brake lights and this second accident; well, she had the presence of mind to save her own life. She said that when she saw the truck she sped up in order to try to avoid him. That didn't mean anything to us until we saw the car. The point of impact was inches behind her. Had she not sped up she would have taken all of the impact and been totally crushed. She and her passenger escaped serious injury and the other driver and his passenger were also fine. Needless to say, she got her first ticket and we will understand if you don't want your children riding with her!
After she was born, she was given a blessing that she would always have God's holy angels attending her. I can honestly say they were with her that day. We have nothing but gratitude in our hearts to our Heavenly Father for protecting our precious girl and bringing her home to us; as well as keeping the other people safe. We are also thankful to the Broken Arrow Police and Fire Department Officers who were so kind and efficient, grandma and grandpa who dropped everything to pick up Chris at the airport and take the little ones, the school principals, counselors, coaches and teachers who helped out at the scene and have called and expressed concern, the ER personnel who were so attentive and careful, just to name a few. It has been a bittersweet experience; both traumatic and touching. As a parent, you always dread the call, "Is this Amanda Fabian's mother?" "Yes" . . . But at the same time we have been so touched by each and every person who has been so kind. I think Amanda has learned how much she is loved by so many people.
When we went to collect our personal belongings from the car, I found a small mirror in the car. Despite all of the flying glass, the mirror did not break. I asked Amanda where the mirror came from. She explained that Sister Roberts had given it to her the at church the Wednesday night before. The girls were instructed to look in the mirror and see the good in themselves. I said well what do you see in it today? She said, "LIFE!" Amen, Amen!

8 is great!

Tagged by Lindsay

8 TV Shows I Love To Watch

1. Dancing with the Stars
2. As Time Goes By
3. Keeping Up Appearances
4. Are You Being Served?
5. America's Funniest Videos
6. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
7. Ugly Betty
8. According to Jim
9. Frasier
10. Two and a Half Men (can you tell I only watch TV on Sundays and after the news?)

8 Things that happened to me yesterday

1. I froze my tail off at the TU Football GAme.
2. I tried to keep it a secret that I went to a football game on Sunday but I saw 4 families from our ward there and one from the Cedar Ridge ward.
3. I skipped church
4. I slept in
5. I showered.
6. I ate a very late dinner. Like 10 pm late!
7. I balanced the checkbook. That was a mess!
8. I collapsed into bed at a very late hour!

8 Favorite Places to Eat

1. Ted's
2. Panera Bread
3. Texas Roadhouse
4. Chik fil a
5. Chili's
6. Zio's
7. El Chico
8. Sonic (Happy Hour)


8 Things I am looking forward t

1. Losing 15 more pounds
2. Halloween
3. Candy from kids trick-or-treating bags
4. Thanksgiving and Christmas time
5. Snow Day
6. Curling up with the dogs on the couch
7. No sports practice in the evenings
8. Wyatt's first word


8 Things on my wish list

1. Exercising without needing to shower afterward
2. More patience!
3. A maid
4. No financial worries
5. kids that listened and obeyed
6. Beautiful skin
7. No facial hair (except for nicely-shaped, skinny eyebrows)
8. A carribean vacation


8 People I tag

1. Val
2. Sarah
3. Heidi
4. Danielle
5. Kory
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?

Chuckie The Cheerleader

Well, we bundled up and braved the cold to see our little girl cheer at the TU Football Game Sunday night. It wasn't worth it until we saw her out there on the field; defintely a momma moment! She was so excited that she looks like psycho cheerleader in the pictures! Check it out. Oh and by the way, the game was televised on ESPN and although I'm sure they didn't show the girls at halftime, Devyn is convinced she was on TV. So if you watched the game, tell her you think you might have seen her on TV. I mean, you might have, right?

It's NOT Pretty

I can think of at least 10 different reasons to keep your digital camera out of your children's reach, however, reason number one is quite clear when you look at the picture below. It is no longer safe to fall asleep in my own home. Look what happens to a second chin when you tilt your head! I had no idea it just dangled there. At least my nose is clean! I should wear makeup every day! I have got to have a dermatologist look at that mole. You know, the longer you look at a chin, the funnier it looks . . .

7 years old!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Go Tigers!

Yes, our Saturdays are once again occupied with a daughter cheering. This time it's Devyn's turn. I let her cheer this year hoping that she wouldn't want to do it anymore once she tried it. The odds are not in my favor of that being the case. She loves it. She is pretty cute though! I have to admit it is pretty exciting to go to the games and watch the little ones play. They are so cute. Go Tigers!

16 "Sweet" Things About Amanda

In honor of Amanda's 16th birthday today, here are 16 sweet things to remember about Amanda:
1. Her nickname is Bandaid thanks to her cousin, Dillon. Of course, Uncle Kevin calls her Mandy Moo Moo.
2. In 4th grade you rarely saw her without a bucket hat on.
3. As a young girl everything HAD to be purple. It's probably the reason she doesn't like purple now!
4. In first grade Amanda played soccer. She got hit with the ball in the first game and spent the rest of the season as far away from the ball as possible. In second grade she didn't play soccer.
5. Most kids watch cartoons on Saturday mornings, in grades K-3, Amanda was an avid infomercial watcher. She wanted to get the Showtime rotisserie really bad. "But mom, all the fat drips right off and all you have to do is 'Set It and Forget It'"
6. When they were 2, Amanda and Dillon won the Trunk or Treat parade contest dressed as "Dos Barneys" So many people had spent hours on elaborate costumes but these two cute toddlers in their store-bought Barney costumes were walking around holding hands and won over the judges. Good thing the prize was only a cup of candy or there might have been a riot.
7. As a youngster she wanted to be an artist and a dog groomer. Now she wants to be a lawyer. Maybe she will represent the interests of dog artists.
8. In a 3rd grade school assignment, she completed the sentence, "Your motto in life is" with "You're a bonehead!" We have Grandpa Taz to thank for that!
9. In 2001, I woke up one morning to get ready for work. I found Amanda dressed for school, rocking baby Devyn in the rocking chair and feeding her a bottle. One of the most precious gifts she has ever given me.
10. In 1st grade, she believed her cousin, Staci, when Staci told her that Barbie's partied in the closet in the middle of the night while she was sleeping. The Barbies were relocated to the living room for a time. She also believed Staci when Staci told her that she used to have an older sister but they lost her in the desert. And we always thought Amanda was the creative one. Ha
11. She single-leggedly kept her squad in first place at cheerleading competition when as the flyer, with the use of only one leg, she straighted her body from laying straight back to standing straight up when her spotter failed to get her upright. It is hard to describe but it was impressive to see!
12. She loves to make muffins, cookies and pancakes. We love to eat them!
13. She has her Aunt Mollie's sense of humor.
14. She loves photography, swimming and track.
15. In 5th grade she loved chess and entered a chess tournament. I was so proud.
16. When she was three she would read books and start every page with "One day there was a billage" A billage is actually a village and, No, I don't know where she got that, but with the hand motions she did with it, it was adorable!

There are many more sweet things about Amanda, but then I don't have to tell you guys that. She is one of the sweetest things to happen to this world. Happy Birthday Amanda.

All In The Family . . .

Some of you may wonder where I get my fashion sense. You might find the answer in a recent picture of my dad at work! What do you think?


In his defense, he works at the library and I think he was dressed up for story time. At least, I hope so! Ha Ha. Love you dad!

Blogging Pains

I feel so out of the blogging world right now because my adorable baby chewed on my cord that downloads pictures from my camera to my computer. Now it doesn't work. Until then, I will have to blog without pictures. At least pictures from my camera. Every thing we do, I just keep thinking . . . Man that would make a great blog post! It is killing me! When I get a new cord, be prepared for all my Winston & Libby wedding pictures, kids first day of school, Devyn cheerleading, Caleb flag football, Amanda track blogs. It is going to be so annoying!

Guess What . . .

Boxer farts stink! Just thought everyone should know!

Winston Update

Winston continues to improve daily. He looks so much better. His wounds are almost totally healed. He is going to grow back more hair than we thought, but we think his scars are cool anyway. The scars on his legs look like a web so we call him spiderdog! He really is a superhero to us. How a dog who has been through this much can still have such a capacity to love is a miracle.
His stamina is improving and his weight is up. We can barely see his ribs! He is such a sweetie and loves to play. Libby has more than warmed up to him. She seems to be in love! Don't worry, there is no chance of any Boxer Terriers!

Cub Scout Day Camp

Caleb and I went to cub scout day camp the last week in June. Caleb enjoyed, shooting the B B rifle, archery, fishing and the zip line. I enjoyed the heat, boys complaining they were bored, putting worms on hooks and holding everything the boys didn't want to JK LOL. No really, I did enjoy the zip line. In a surprising twist of events, Caleb was scared to do it and I wasn't! Here is a video of Caleb and I where Caleb finally does it and has a blast! He went on to do it 3 more times.

Home Again

Well our little traveler is home. She is taller, prettier and sweeter than we remember. It is soooo good to have her home.

Fell off the Wagon

What can I say, it was hot, I was thirsty, QT was right there. It had been 3 weeks and I caved.

Meet Winston

Hey everyone, meet our foster dog, Winston. We are taking care of him for Tulsa Boxer Rescue. He is a bit of celebrity. You may have heard about him in the news. Someone abused him by pouring something on his back that burned him. He was hurt terribly, but we are nursing him back to health.

He is a very good dog. He is potty trained, crate trained and knows some commands. To find out more about him visit www.tulsaboxerrescue.net and click on "Winston" at the bottom of the left column. We'll keep you posted on his progress!