Happy Birthday Daddy!

Lucy really likes to make Kevin a cake on his birthday. Owen even helped this year. Since Kevin was watching football, that was the obvious choice. It's fun to watch them get so excited about doing something special for someone other than themselves. Owen almost fell down when Kevin blew out the candles because he was so excited. I wish I had the camera on that one.

Halloween thus far

Today's Trunk or Treat at Highland was full of classic costumes. It warmed my heart to see Lucy choose to be Wonder Woman (she calls it Wonder Human). Owen had an amazing Astronaut costume but wasn't nearly as thrilled about it as us. We made it through the candy portion of the evening and managed a few pictures. Owen and Casen (aka Officer Awesome) are priceless and Lucy was ready to save the world (as long as nothing too scary got in the way).

Simple Play

I, like many moms, have gotten caught up in all the toys for my kids. I'm sure that we've all been frustrated after spending more than we wanted on a toy for our kids, nieces or nephews just to watch it be kicked to the side while they play with an old spice container. As much as kids want those toys, they don't need them and they don't always prefer them. Owen has two Batman capes but insists on using blankets. Lucy has a hundred dolls and still can be found in my bedroom lining up lotion bottles and putting hair bows on them. I found a book called Unplugged Play . It has a lot of ideas of things to do with kids that don't involve anything that requires batteries or an outlet. There have been a lot of great ideas that I never really thought of because I haven't had to use my own creativity for a long time (which is kind of sad). I might put a few of the ideas on our class blog.

Better Mood

Owen quickly recovered and decided to sing a different song.

Jesus Loves Me

I love how Lucy doesn't even miss a beat when Owen loses his cape and his cool.

September It List

O: Wii cow racing game, dressing himself, school, dinosaurs, Franklin, pirates and peeing standing up (with or without playing the harmonica).

L: Wii tennis, pre-school, hiding really well (seriously, half the time we can't find her), thinking about all the things she'll do when she's twelve, playing dress-up with Owen.

J: Wii, Tuesdays and Thursdays, my new kitchen windows, reading (this one is actually a shocker) and the weather on 9/10/08.

K: Wii, football, football, teaching his class, football, playing hide-and-seek with the kids and football.

Pretty Dresses

This is what nap time looked like today. Not everyday. Some days he's holding dinosaurs or footballs. The funny part is that Lucy has never encouraged Owen dressing up in anything other than his Batman suit. He loves wearing dresses and especially ballet shoes. I think it's cute. Kevin is dealing with it.

August IT LIST!

Owen: Playing pretend bitard (guitar), going on the 'big potty', dinosaurs, cheddar bunnies and doing somersaults.

Lucy: Ariel Barbie, the Jump Around, swimming pools, making up words (for example, as I am writing this she came in with a wet arm and said that Owen got 'laki' on her which she then changed to bubble guk which I finally interpreted as slober), eating apples that aren't sliced and somersaults.

Jenny: Re-watching Alias, making peace with my walls, greek yogurt with frozen blueberries and granola, any place that has an air conditioner and my small step back into the workforce.

Kevin: Batman, Rock Band (although I couldn't really tell that he liked it since his facial expression was similar to when he watched that birthing video but he swears he was just concentrating and had the "best time evs"*), not working Saturdays (yeah!) and Alias (yeah #2).

*My interpretation of what he said.

Dinner Time

This isn't necessarily an exciting video but it is a good depiction of what a typical dinner is like at our house (in case you were dying to know). It's typically messy and always includes a song and some reference to Six Flags. If you decide to watch this there are three questions for the quiz after.
1. Why might Lucy be in her pajamas at dinner time?
2. How many facial expressions can Owen make in one sentence?
3. From where does Owen get his last bite of Spaghetti?

Abilene Math

Visitors + Abilene = Trip to the Homeplace.





We had a lot of fun with Katie and the kids. I am very blessed to have her as my friend.

July It List

O: Cucumbers, Daddy Barbie (Ken), our car (seriously, every time one of goes somewhere he just yells "don't take my car"), playing post office and taking off his diaper.

L: Barbies, butterflies, Rainbow Dash Pony, using Owen's potty chair (regression-much?), playing trains with Daddy and Miss Suzetta.

J: Self-induced stress, Dave Ramsey, sharing cucumbers with Owen and wrapping my mind around the fact that I will be yet another year into my thirties next week.

K: New job, playing trains (and Barbies) with the kids and Daniel Plainview.

Six Flags and swimming pools

My friends came from Oregon to visit the great Thelma McClure (Mema) in Cleburne last week so I met them at Six Flags. I was a little hesitant because Kevin wouldn't be with us and although there were 10 other adults I knew that they would be split between doing what they came to do and helping cousin Katie with her two kids. It was a really fun day. Everyone was so great. It wasn't even like anyone was helping, just being a family. Owen rode everything that he was allowed to and Lucy caught on after a while. For whatever reason there were hardly any lines so that was an added bonus.

Kevin had been in Dallas all week training for his new job so we were excited to get to see him after our day of "big rides". All the kids talked about doing was swimming at the hotel with daddy and papa bear. Kevin's dad had taken a road trip with his sister to Texas and met us Friday evening so we swam our little hearts out. On Saturday we went to the Aquarium in downtown Dallas and ended the trip spending $4 at IKEA. Owen has been asking to eat meatballs at the big blue store ever since.

Handy Owen

The first time I saw this I thought that it was so annoying and unbelievable. The more I thought about it the more I laughed and now I know that it's based on a conversation with Owen.* Owen's conversation went something like this...

O: My Bob movie's brokten. (really whiney voice)
M: I'll fix it. Hand me the remote please.
O: Are you fixing it? (all of the rest of his phrases are said with much concern)
M: Yes
O: Are you pushen it?
M: Yes
O: Is it worken?
M: No
O: Is it brokten?
M: Yes
O: Are you pushen it?
M: Yes
O: Are you fixin it?
M: Yes
O: Are you pushen it?
M: (laughing) YES!
O: (smiling and touching my cheek) Is it worken?
M: No.
O: Let me try.(He shuts off the dvd player and the screen turns blue)
O: Did it. (throws the remote down and walks off)

*This conversation is one of so many like it. He uses this tactic especially when reading stories and when stripping off 6 pairs of "man-panties" and a diaper.

Best Park Ever!

Mt. Tabor has been one of my favorite places since college. The park has so many great things you can do. There's many different trails for hiking and biking, a pretty fun playground, an amazing view of the city of Portland and some very interesting people. The neighborhood at the bottom of the hill is so cute. I've always thought that would be one of the coolest places to live if I had stayed in Portland. Many memories there with friends and 'special friends'. Ah, the memories. There is really no way to capture the amaingness of this place with pictures but here are a few.

Like it was yesterday

When we moved down here we had to give up quite a few things in Oregon. The hardest were the relationships. Of course they weren't given up completely just harder to keep up. When we first moved back to Myrtle Creek I was really excited about having my kids grow up with my friends' kids. I guess it was a fun thought to watch the next generation like so many in that town do. What's been one of the best surprises is that when my kids get together with their kids it's like it was yesterday when they last played. That's what's so great about great friends. Even as I am typing this Owen is sitting on my lap asking if Peyton can come over and play. So Sweet. Here are some pictures of Lucy, Owen, Kiya and Peyton from this trip and also Lucy and Grace from another trip. Grace is coming to see us soon and we couldn't be more excited to see her and her new brother.

Back From Oregon....

Here's what we learned.

1.Papa has a pretty cool job with trains and big tractors. I used to work here and Uncle Brandon works at the one in Portland. I might write more on this one on my other blog at a different time.



2.Lucy likes to shoplift from Grandma's shop. She kept trading out headbands and rings every time we went in there.













3.Owen and Lucy can make really good Birthday cakes for Memaw.














4.Memaw and Papaw have a great tree farm and some scary decorations in the game room.



5.Buying kids clothes second-hand is a good thing when you have to throw entire outfits away due to excessive vomiting and what not. The kids were sick for the majority of the trip but I think that we've finally healed. Fingers are crossed.

Lucy's Trick

There have been a few priviledged people that have seen Lucy's trick. For those that haven't, here it is. WARNING: May not be suitable for all viewers.

The First Bicycle

This is Lucy's first bike. She picked her bike by how she could ride it instead of how it looked. We had almost given up on buying anything that didn't have the Disney Princess logo on it. There is hope. Since Owen is just inheriting the tricycle for the time being he got a t-ball set. We went to an ACU baseball game the other day and he hasn't stopped talking about it. So, it's spring training here for the Wilkinson Wildcats.

The Family Retreat

We just got home from a short but full weekend at the HEB Family Retreat. We had a really good time just as everyone said we would. I actually love living in Abilene but the scenery is a little blah compared to the Northwest. So this was a special treat for us to be able to spend some time amongst trees and a river doing things like canoeing and pretend-fishing. Hopefully we can go again while we live here.

April's It List

Owen- Sleeping in his new toddler bed, his lizard pajamas, praying, playing "horse" with Lucy*, shoulder rubs, his pop-pops (flip-flops) and begging to go somewhere, anywhere.

Lucy- Learning with her educational workbooks (she always sighs "ugh, I guess I'll just go learn")**, coloring, princess yahtzee, exercising on the gazelle (what joy) and begging for a cat and a bicycle.

Jenny- Classic movies, The Biggest Loser, the Gazelle, Jason's Deli, trying to go green and Color Storm on the Webkinz site.

Kevin- WWII movies, college basketball, learning German, finishing school and finding a job.

*Horse is when Lucy and Owen run around the house with his arms around her waist.
**She mostly just traces the numbers and letters. There is no rigid schedule.

Alone Time with Lucy

It was such a rare 45 minutes. The kids were playing so quietly together in Lucy's room. No crying, no telling on each other, no loud crashing of various toys. Finally Owen came out wearing a girl's hat, a necklace and holding his teacup with his pinky out. It is his curse of having a big sister. He tried to man it up a little bit with the hat but that just reminded me of Bret Michaels so it didn't make it that manly. This is not the first or last time he has dressed up in Lucy's clothes and it is by far not the girliest he has looked. So, to all the baby brothers out there, Owen feels your pain and is loving it.





So join me in having "Every Rose has its Thorn" stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Snowing Again

Since it was the second time this week that it snowed, (seriously) I thought that I
should take them out to play. I liked this video because it shows Lucy's general happiness to do almost anything out of the ordinary and Owen's desire to meet his goals. If he tries to do something he always says "Did it", "Almost" or "Missed". He throws with a purpose and apparently the purpose was to hit the window with a mini-snowball.

Happy Belated Birthday Owen!

This is Owen celebrating his birthday while my parents visited. He is hugging his beloved Meowcat Webkinz. I thought that the whole Webkinz thing would be lost with him but he loves feeding him, bathing him and watching him jump on a trampoline (virtually, of course). The best $20 we have ever spent was on a little basketball hoop for him. I believe that the Blazers will win the NBA Championship in 2028 with Wilkinson's fade away in the last second.

Mother/Son Date

Since Lucy and Kevin were having a date, I thought it would be fun to take Mr. Owen out on the town. We doubled with Wendy and Casen for a big time concert full of kids songs, hand motions and Owen's lack of enthusiasm. There were 3 smiles from him and we happened to capture one of them. Other than that, he kept asking to go home. Good times.

Daddy/Daughter Dinner

Tonight was the Daddy/Daughter Dinner at church. They were both very excited to go. It was really special to see them get all dressed up and enjoy spending time together.

On being a cat

I know it's kind of dark but this is Owen's life right now so I thought I would share it. He likes to pretend to be a cat and he's always in character. He is a strange cat but I like him as a cat because Owen-cat is better at cuddling.

On being a wild cat....

January It List

O: The Laurie Berkner Band dvd, knowing the location of his sissy at all times, pretending to be a scary monster and trying to get someone to take him to ackdonals (Mc Donalds).

L: Barbie Island Princess, giving everyone in the family different names, singing(as seen on recent video) and teaching Owen all there is to know about life.

J: A Fine Frenzy's You Picked Me, the Knight Rider movie coming soon, a Pepsi from Rick and Carolyn's, bargain-hunting after Christmas and looking at my perfect pair of J.Crew jeans that are patiently waiting for me to wear them again.

K: A clean shave, starting his last class of the M.Div.(graduating in May-Yeah!), trying to find something to fill the void that college football has left and the return of Dr. Pepper after a year long absence.

The 'Dubs are back in Town.

We've been gone just short of two weeks. That feels like a long time to be away and yet such a short time to spend with family. We had such a great time. This was a fun year because they were both into what was going on and I think next year will be even better. Lucy liked to use all of her gifts simutaneously. She has a gift of fashion sense that I can rarely argue with.


This was a very sporty trip. Kevin's brother had tickets for a few Predators games (hockey) so we had a little double date for that. The game was great but the real story was being only a few rows away from Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift. The Nashville Blondes. That's what I am calling them now. Everyone was in our section trying to sneak a picture. On New Year's Eve Kevin went with his dad, brother and sister to see Florida State play in the Music City Bowl. They had a great time in spite of the cheating scandal, the loss and being 3 rows from the top.

One of the most special moments was Saturday when we went to Kevin's memaw's house and made cookies like she had done for so many years. All of her great grandkids were there making cookies for the last time in her kitchen. It was very special. We missed her very much.