Let me start by saying that this isn't Leah making this post, it's Zeb. I realize that posting a picture of Claire on a wakeboard is completely out of season, especially since we are nearing Christmas and everyone's blogs are turning snowy white. But this is my favorite picture of all time, and I had to share it with everyone. Most of you will think this is really lame, but I look forward to the day that Claire will go out riding with her friends and show up every guy on the boat. So to me, this picture is the beginning of a wonderful dream - it's beautiful!

Law Christmas Party

The title they call this at the Law School is "Law Prom" but that is a little hard for me to swallow. I mean let's be honest for a second here, could that sound any more like we want to be back in high school? Law Prom? I just wish they would change the name. Although I can say I went to Prom during Law School, right? That could be my claim to fame! :)
Zeb and I were e-mailing back and forth joking around at first about going and then we thought how fun it would be to just have a night out. Zeb really wanted me to meet some of the people he goes to school with and I was in need of a date night! Vieonne Morley agreed to come and hang out at our house while the girls slept. It was so sweet of her and were were so excited for the chance to go.

We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant and had a nice time.

Then we headed over to the party. We only stayed for about 15 minutes since it was late by then, but we got a picture with Brittany and Ryan to prove we were there!

The dress for the evening was a cocktail dress but I own no such thing. The really sad thing was that I had to borrow a black skirt from Brittany! I don't own a really nice skirt not to mention a dress. Sad, I know. So I guess that was a good look into what it will be like to try and get ready when Zeb and I are invited to things for the Law Firm he is clerking for, that is if I don't update my wardrobe!
Anyway, we had a great night together and had our Anniversary date a few days early! Our 7th Anniversary is Sunday! I can't believe it has been 7 years! Awesome.
Did I mention in this post how much I love my husband and the fact that I couldn't be any happier? Here's to seven years!

Poor Hallie

Okay so Hallie was hit with Strep Throat yesterday. She was acting totally normal and then about noon she fell asleep. She was sleeping restlessly and saying her tongue hurt. I felt her forehead and it was hot. Then I saw a rash on her neck and torso. I knew then she had step throat. I took her to the Doctor at 1:15 and her temp was 102. She did have strep. She started antibiotics at 3:00 had two doses by bedtime but her rash was getting really bad. When she woke up this morning she had the rash one her face and lo and behold, poor Hallie has Scarlet Fever. I still can't believe how fast it hit her. She is such a sweet little patient. Looking at her splotchy face makes me want to hug and kiss her and make her aches and pains go away.

It's really hard to tell in the pictures but she has a red rash by her nose and eyes and then her cheeks are bright white.
I better make a note to everyone that scarlet fever is really no biggie nowadays. It is basically a reaction to a certain strain of strep bacteria that not all kids get. The rash looks like a sandpaper sunburn and is all over the body. Luckily we had her on antibiotics 4 hours after she had a fever/rash so she isn't even contagious anymore. It just sounds horrible cause you think of the olden days and how bad it was then. But thank goodness we live in these times! :)

Class 1 Mullet!

Ladies and gentleman, we have entered the mullet phase! I am torn with what I should do. Hallie's I just cut as the back grew since my kids don't have hair on top FOREVER. Audrey has almost no hair on top as well. Her mullet is getting quite long as you can see.




But I think Audrey's is so cute the way it curls up to her head.
I guess the question is, cut it or leave it? Help!

Home Sick

So I got a call from the school nurse this morning. She said that Claire wasn't feeling well and was not herself. I went to pick her up and when I got there Claire said she felt like she was going to throw up. I looked around and asked them if they had something for her to throw up in. It took a good minute or two and as soon as they brought over the garbage can, it came. I can't believe that she can hold it until I get her something. She does this whenever she is sick. It sure is nice for me! She is such a sweet little girl. I hate having my little ones sick. Hopefully it will pass quickly but until it does we will be hibernating for a while! Poor Claire.

The Scarecrow!

This picture of Claire was taken at school for their Fall Festival. When she brought it home I couldn't believe how cute she looked! My favorite is her addition to the picture with her red shiny shoes. She will not take them off and wears them EVERYWHERE!!! She is so funny.

Classic story
I have to tell about what happened this morning. Claire was waiting for the bus right outside our window. When it came a little girl walked past her and then I saw Claire hesitate to get on the bus.
**As a side note, Claire has told me that some boys tease her at school, while she's getting on the bus, for being little. When I first heard this she wasn't crying or anything so that made it better. I told her how it's okay to be little and that when you are little you can run fast! (She beats the neighborhood boy in races.) I told her about how I was called chicken legs and small fry and little Leah. And of course I told her the sticks and stones song as did her bus driver! I can't believe she is 5 and it has already begun. :(
So anyway, I thought maybe this girl said something to her and made her feel bad. Claire kept hesitating and wouldn't get on the bus. I saw her turn towards the house with tears in her eyes. This was the only morning I hadn't gotten dressed and gone outside with her. So I was kicking myself for not being able to run 10 feet away. I called her into the house and with her eyes wet she said, "We forgot to change my earings. Miss Carrie said she would wait!"
Seriously!?! So the bus driver waited while Claire ran inside and put on dangly earings. So classic!!

Thankful!

So I wanted to write a little about the things I am thankful for. These past few weeks have been a little hard so I want to focus on things that I am grateful for. Here goes:
1. I am thankful for a sweet husband that is so supportive and loving. He did all the laundry last weekend just because! He is always doing things like that to help me and I am so grateful that he is so thoughtful.
2. I am grateful for my beautiful girls. Boy do I feel like I am not the mother I should be. I am constantly learning and trying to be better but being a mom is a hard! I don't think I will ever be as good as I want to be but I am grateful for the opportunity to try. I have such special daughters and couldn't love them any more!
3. Family. Need I say more? I am so grateful for the relationships I have with not just my family but Zeb's as well. We are so lucky to have so many family members that love us and support us! Our families are so great.
4. I am grateful for my friends. I don't know what I would do without my friends. I am so thankful for all the people that have befriended me here. I was so worried when I moved here that I would cry all the time about my family. But I have so many friends here that have helped me more than they will ever know...Thank you!
5. Education. I am so thankful for my education and that Zeb is getting an education as well. I am so grateful to be here in Texas and for Zeb to go to Baylor. Education is so important and I am grateful for the opportunities the Lord is giving us.
That about sums it up for now. I need to be doing things around the house so we'll catch ya later! Thank you all for being my friend!

I've been tagged!

Abbie tagged me so I am supposed to write 6 interesting things about myself. hmmm let's see see if I can think of something.
1. I can put my fist in my mouth and turn my right arm all the way around. That's a little interesting right, or at least weird.
2. I was pathetically competitive when I was younger and didn't grow out of it until after high school. Like we're talking I would be out bowling with my boyfriend and if I wasn't doing well I would sit on the bench and just pout and sulk, making it miserable for everyone else. I was SO pathetic. I still love to compete but I have a handle on it now and am okay if I lose. Thank goodness I matured and grew out of that one; when I told Zeb that after we had been married a while he just laughed and looked at me like "You've got to be kidding...good thing I wasn't dating you at the time!"
3. I love being a mother more than anything! And yes, there are times I could be bald if I actually did pull my hair out when I am having one of "those days." But seriously being a mom and being home with my beautiful girls is so wonderful. They are so precious and I am so thankful.
4. I love to bowl. I have my own bowling ball and shoes. And although I was pathetic in high school I have gotten a little better. It's just so fun. A lot of people are thinking "white trash" and yes some alleys are a lilttle less than clean but I have such a good time. Zeb has stuff as well so it is fun to go together.
5. One of my most embarrassing moments happend when I was dating Zeb. We were engaged and I was working as a waitress at a mexican restaurant. I went to my table that had just been sat and it was a girl I knew from high school and her mom. We started chatting about the engagement and the time passing slowly. As we talked back and forth I said, "Yeah, let's just get it on!" As soon as it came out of my mouth I realized what I had said. I shouted "WITH....GET IT ON WITH." At that point there was no recovering so I spun around and high talied it to the kitchen with my face as red as the salsa. It was SO embarrassing!
6. I am extremely naive. Every once in a while when Zeb and I go to a movie (like once or twice a year) I'll laugh at something funny. Zeb will look over at me with a kind of shocked look on his face. He'll say, "Do you know what that means?" And I 'll say yeah and repeat whatever was said. Then he'll get the "Oh. Leah" look and say "No, it means........" Then I'll gasp and disgustingly say "how do you know that?" And every time he reminds me, "Leah, I worked construction growing up!" I am always shocked to know what something actually means and even more shocked to hear that Zeb knows it! I'll leave it at that since I don't want to write anything inappropriate...but I am definitely naive!
Well, that was kind of fun to think of things about me people might not know! Now the six people I am tagging are Summer Slade, Cindy Hansen, Emily Askeroth, Misty Pankratz, Janel Warner, and Lindsey Blackhurst. Can't wait to see what you all write and don't forget to tag 6 more! I love reading these and want to tag everyone!!!

Texas Football

Okay so enough of my nappy foot!
On to high school football in Texas...
I had no idea just how big it was in Texas until I went to a game last year. I was blown away at how massive the stadium was, not to mention the practice facility. It was insane.

So this year our friends parents got us tickets and some for Josh and Carol as well. We all went together to Coppell (in Dallas) and experienced high school football in Texas.
You seriously feel like you are at a college game. We went to the homecoming game so we also experienced the tradition of mums. The average mum is about a hundred and twenty bucks a pop! They can go for up to $200. Seriously! There are teddy bears, braids, ribbon, bells, the dates name and more on them. It is the biggest "corsage" (spelling?) you have ever seen. We were floored. It was fascinating. The girls wear theirs on their shirts and the boys wear theirs on their arms. They can weigh like 20-30 pounds!!

So our friends mom makes mums and she made one for the four oldest girls. They looked adorable and they were so cute. Keep in mind that the mums for the high school kids are like 3 to 5 times the size of the girls' mums and I am NOT kidding. The girls were asked if they had boyfriends (since you usually get one from a date) and they all said "NO!" But then Claire piped up and said, "I do." So I asked her who it was and she smiled and said Josh Galovich! Sorry Josh you aren't getting away that easy here! For those of you in Texas, Josh is one of Zeb's good fiends from high school that's married! :) I wonder how many years she'll say that for.

So we loved going to the game together and it was fun to see Zeb, Josh and Carol experience it for the first time. High school football in Texas is no joke, they take it very seriously!

A few more pictures

Update

Okay so I just looked at this picture I took before I went to the ER on Sunday morning to get a cortizone shot. My foot looked like this after taking a bunch of benadryl and sleeping all night! I cannot believe I am this allergic. The swelling was so bad it moved into my toes and up my leg. That was one bugger of an ant! Sorry, but I couldn't help but post this for my family in Utah.
Everyone should be happy to know that my foot and ankle are back to normal! :)

Halloween Pictures..Finally!

Okay so a lot of you have been wanting some Halloween pictures of the girls and it has only taken me 2 weeks to post them! Hallie was set on being a Fairy and Claire was thrilled to be Dorothy. We borrowed costumes from Tina Wurtz and the girls were so excited. Audrey was our little piglet and the round belly and ears were my favorite parts. I love my girls! :)

Fire ants in Texas

Okay so I have been bit several times by fire ants and they sting like crazy. Every once in a while I have a horrible allergic reaction and now is one of those times. I was at Brittany's house last night, we stopped to say hi on a walk, and I got one little bite. Now it looks like this: (please try not to look at my foot; just look at the swollen part!)




Another time was when I was 9 months pregnant and it looked like I had toxemia but just on one foot. But I didn't, it was swollen from fire ant bites. In this picture my toes are losing circulation cause it's so swollen. They turned purple. I could hardly walk cause my foot was so swollen so it really looked like I had a pregnant waddle. It was so embarassing! It hurt too! :) And look at the size of my ankle!

So it's been a few weeks!!

Okay I haven't posted in AGES sorry! Things have been crazy around here! I took these pictures of Hallie yesterday morning. She loves to put on jewelry and lip gloss. The more the merrier! She is so girly it kills me and yet she was naming all the colors of the star wars light sabers (how in the world do you spell that??) to Cindy's sister Stacie yesterday. So she can hold her own with the boys which is a good sign. Anyway here are a few pics of Hallie the dress-up queen!

Is this adorable or what?

So last week Claudia came up to me at story time and said, "I heard Audrey say, Hallie." And I have to admit Claudia I was thinking "um I don't think she does." :)
Sure enough the next day hallie walked in the room when she woke up and Audrey says in her sweet little voice, "Hallie!" It was so cute. So Claudia was the first one to hear Audrey say it and she does say it! I can't believe she will be 1 tomorrow!
Please disregard my high and rather annoying voice! :)

I had to start one!

Okay so when something happened to me one of the first things I thought was, "I should blog this." Then after telling Emily my story on the phone she said, "You should start a blog and write about this!" I just laughed and told her that I actually thought the same thing.

Are you kidding?

So that brings me to this story!
So I went to Claire's school for parent teacher conference yesterday and when I got out, the car wouldn't start. It wouldn't turn over at all...it made no sound so I called Zeb of course. He told me to jiggle the wires to the positive side of the battery and see if the connection was loose. I tried that...nothing. He had me go buy coke and pour it over the corroded part (have no idea how to spell that) and still....nothing. So he borrowed his friend Ned's car and drove 20 minutes to Claire's school. He pops the hood we try and start it a few times and still...nothing. He pulls the car around and I am standing in a parking spot so he can park right next to me and a lady pulls up. I have her roll down her window and I say, "My husband needs to park here, he's gonna jump me!" After realizing what I had just said I had to laugh at myself. Oh, Leah!!! Okay back to the story, so Zeb tries to jump start the car....nothing. He tried revving the engine of Ned's car and still...nothing. So at this point he decides we need a new battery. We drive to Auto Zone and buy one. We go back to the car. He starts unhooking the old battery when I see the car moving back and forth quite a bit. I think, "is the car in neutral?" I immediately dismiss the thought...it couldn't be in neutral. A few minutes later my sweet husband comes over to Ned's car and smiles at me. I say, "The car isn't in PARK?" He nods his head. You've got to be kidding me! You guys, I was mortified. I had just wasted like 2 hours of Zeb's time cause I DIDN'T PUT THE CAR IN PARK!!! He was so sweet about it though which made it a lot easier!! He just kept giving me this cute smile. So I follow him back to school so he can give Ned his car back and I say just before he goes into the school, "Don't tell Ned" and Zeb smiles and says, "Oh, I'm telling Ned!" And honestly how could he not? It's such a classic story. So last night I was talking to Cindy on the phone and she says, "So I heard your story!" I was like, "from who?" and she says, "Eric!!!" So I bet all the husbands at law school all know about my lovely story!!!! Well, if they didn't before they do now! Glad we can all (including me) get a good laugh...at my expense!! :)