December 31, 2009

  • Christmas 2009

    Christmas this year was a group effort. I was finishing up in school and working on clinical hours. Without the help of our girls and Tim’s leading we probably wouldn’t have had a Christmas.

    Grandpa made breakfast for whoever showed up: French toast with peanut butter, bananas and syrup.

    And cinnamon rolls


    The kids set up the tree and the little ones had a ball doing the decorating. Next year only plastic ornaments.

    Markus was very meticulous.


    Grandpa helped with peanut M&Ms.


    After all that work it was time to play, and laugh…(Wii hula hooping!!)

    …and take naps.

    Well, no napping took place until everyone was separated, but they sure had fun trying to sleep.

    Notice all the quilts. A family saying, “You can never have too many quilts.”

    Sleepy, sweet Noah

    Miss Jade

    Coffee break–how did I miss getting Jon & Mark in the pictures?


    It was a great day…simple, fun and easy.
    I missed David, Katie and Bella as well as our sisters, their families and our parents. It was a reminder to enjoy the simple times in life, to savor the moments and to keep it simple.

      

December 1, 2009

  • Thanksgiving 2009

    2009 Thanksgiving brought all four boys and their families as well as Tim’s parents to our home. It was the first time all six of our grandkids were together. The day was a special time of past and present coming together.

    Tim’s mom made stuffed like Grandmom Ruth use to make.

    Cut date in half without completely separating the two halves. Fill one side with about a teaspoon of softened cream cheese. Roll the whole filled date in white sugar. They are so good!


    Tim and his parents did all the planning, shopping and cooking/baking. I was in the last month of school with day classes threes times each week plus five nights a week of classes and clinical hours. I was grateful to be able to enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving with family without having the stress of it.


    Katie & David and Bella were in town from GA. It was so good to have them with us!

    Bella has grown! She is an active, sweet little girl. David’s shoulder is healing from surgery, but it makes caring from Miss Bella a challenge.


    Little Lexi is also walking all over now.

    Watching our children and grandchildren interact continues to delight me.


    Grammy had prepared fabric for Christmas chains. It was a fun girl time.

    We heard family stories-many which I had never heard before.


    Of course football….

    Talking…

    This has become a normal kitchen activity…pretend cookie baking. If people are in the kitchen cooking you can count on these two being on their “stoops” baking their blocks. Normally its a safe, clean activity….Christmas pictures will show how they more fun then we all anticipated.


    Setting the table is what I enjoy doing, but this photo doesn’t really show much of the table which was set with my growing collection of individual china place setting.


    The kids table kept things simple plus we didn’t have room on the big table anymore.

    I had plans for a whole family photo but somehow in the midst of the active day if was forgotten. Sad… But here Grammy & Pop-Pop are with Rob and Ashley’s three little boys.

    Jon, Christina, and Jade with grandparents.
    I think we need to have a checklist of photos we want to take during get togethers. Then as someone takes that picture they check it off…maybe we’d be sure to get the important ones.

October 15, 2009

  • Horseshoe Road

    Kyle Dillingham & the Horseshoe Road performed at the Temple of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Guthrie, OK on Saturday, October 9th. Our teachers at Praxis invited the students to go for the concert. What a special time it was! The music was great, but the real treat was watching Kyle perform. This guy’s movement is amazing! He is one with the fiddle is voice, movement & even emotion.

    Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me which is unusual for me.

    We arrived early enough at the Temple to receive a tour…very interesting and informative.

    The architecture, design & decorating is spectacular!
    Over the weekend Mr. & Mrs. Fountain shared a fact about how architecture & ceiling height affect thinking. I found an article that explores it in depth.

    How rooms and architecture affect mood and creativity


    I find it very interesting and wonder how it will affect the eventually building of our house.

September 30, 2009

  • Sunday Brunch

     
    Tim’s sister Becky has been in for a visit. It was a good time for a family brunch.

    Noah was well cared for throughout the day.

    Our large chair is perfect for group snuggling.

    Jade’s face as she watched Markus, who had an ice pack on his back, was precious.
     
    Whenever Josiah sees my glasses he swipes them for himself. Doesn’t he look like a deep thinker?

    He’s my buddy.

    Faith and Lexi…

    Uncle Jon busy reading books…

    Later Lexi grabbed her daddy for more of Winnie the Pooh. She’s a busy social butterfly.

    And she’s a flirt!

    We like our Ikea kids’ table, chairs and easel.


    I know you all will be disappointed, but I’m not going to post any food pictures just people pics today.

    Aunt Faith with a sleepy Jade…

    Faith figuring out her new camera.

    Teamwork…

    Laughing Lexi…

    Reka found all the little ones a bit overwhelming, but she found Max, the boxer “puppy” even more daunting.

    I noticed there are lots of Lexi pictures and no Tim pictures. Sometimes its easy to get out of balance with the camera.

September 20, 2009

  • Noah part 3

    Rob, Ashley and Noah came home today.


    The profile pics remind me of his daddy as a newborn.
    Amazing how fast time passes.

  • Noah part 2



    He reminds me of his daddy here.

    Daddy time

    I just love these first meetings!

    Ashley’s dad, Poppi

    Aunt Faith

    Aunt Christina

    Friend Amber

    Uncle Jon

    Cousin Jade–she was real excited! Sweet thing…

    Grandpa holding Noah who found his thumb…too cute!

    Noah with his eyes open.

    Noah with his eyes open and sucking his thumb…the boy’s got talent

    The Talbot clan was impressed with him and his talent.

    Where’s Kole?

    Tim and Kurt…we’ve got to watch these two.

    Look at those feet! I told you all they were big!

    Our girl is doing good. She’s got her pillow, Grammy quilts, nice PJs and new baby…life’s good.

    A proud mom of three boys now.

    The boys were so funny about the Grammy quilts. They had to be covered just so. These quilts are well used and greatly loved. I believe Ashley’s had a Grammy quilt at each of the boys’ births. Josiah has Ashley’s and Markus has Rob’s.

    Later I’ll get some close up pics of Noah posted.

  • Peeling Hard Boiled Eggs

    I didn’t realize that I had posted this…thought it was saved for a future post. Has anyone tried it yet?

September 19, 2009

  • Noah Cooper Flatt


    Friday, September 18th, Ashley was admitted to the hospital.

    Getting the camera ready…

    Some things are just easier to do one’s self…even in labor.

    She’s a pro at this now.

    Aunt Faith and Lexi were there cheering Ashley on…

    Faith brought them food and flowers!


    Lexi brought her smiles…


    Ashley’s mom brought her book, but she didn’t get much reading done.

    Noah made his appearance around 12:09am, Saturday, September 19th, 2009.

    Ashley did great!

    Could that be red hair??


    Ahh…finally a face to put with the name.

    His feet are as long as my ring finger. Yes, I measured them!

    Welcome to the family, little guy.

    Congratulations, kids! Thanks for grandbaby #6.
    There are lots more pictures to share, but they will have to wait til tomorrow. I’m off to bed…very tired!

September 16, 2009

  • Nic’s Grill


    1201 N Pennsylvania Ave, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  73107

    Open–Monday – Friday 7am-2pm
     
    Nic’s is a SMALL place right on the corner of 11th & Penn.

    Tim’s half eaten omelet–cheese, onions, ham & mushrooms. It was amazing! So simple but oh the flavor! It was served with hash browns and Wonderbread Texas toast.

    I had the pancakes which I really liked, but I was only able to eat about half of one.
    Our two breakfasts with a coffee was only $12.
    Nic’s is small: three tables that only seat two people each and the bar has nine spots. The 15 seats stayed full the whole time we were there.

    We heard about Nic’s on 3D (Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives). They are open Monday-Friday 7am-2pm. We walked in and sat down in the only two open seats. We felt lucky to be able to sit down right away.
    Nic has a short menu with good food simply made.
    It was a good start to my day off…a full stomach on a rainy day made for a great nap!

September 14, 2009

  • Going in Circles


    The Week

    The following article was taken from The Week magazine’s September 11, 2009 issue (volume 9 issue 429). It is interesting in and of itself, but deeper personal application is there as well. Tell me what you think.
     
    Going in Circles
    It’s not just a cliché: When people get lost, they really do tend to walk in circles. German researchers gave volunteers a tracking device and had them walk for several hours, either in a forest or in the featureless Sahara desert; later they mapped the paths the walkers had traced. “I was trying to simulate what happens when you get lost and try to find your way out,” psychologist Jan Souman tells Australia’s ABC Science. Only when the sun or moon was visible as a reference could the subjects walk in a straight line. Otherwise, they often traced circles, some as small as 20 yards in diameter, without ever realizing it. “They didn’t really believe when we showed them afterward,” Souman says. Without external signposts, he says, people rely on internal signals provided by their sense of balance and the movement sensors in their legs. These signals often contain small random errors; without landmarks to help us correct course, those errors often accumulate in a circular direction. “Don’t trust your senses,” Souman advises would-be explorers. “You might think you are walking in a straight line when you’re not.”
    ~~~~~~~

    We all need landmarks in life. What are some of yours?