New Sights

When I was in 8th grade, I got contacts. I can remember being enamored with the intricate leaves on all the trees. I guess for my whole life they had just been a green blob!

Colby had his eye test done recently and flunked! I received the letter in the mail from the school nurse telling us we needed to go see the eye doctor. We did and yes, Colby has my eyes.

We just got back from picking up his new spectacles and the first thing he looked at were the leaves. "Wow! Mom, you were right! There are leaves on the trees!"

As we drove back home he proceeded to read every sign as soon as he could see it. With a big smile on his face he exclaimed, "These things really DO work!"

BEFORE:

AFTER:

First Tree

Chris and I got married very young. Being in college and living in Married Student Housing made the financial and spacial constraints of having Christmas trees just something we had to deal with. Plus, we always went "back home" so we actually had two trees -- one at my parents house and one at his parents house.

This little glass tree was the only tree we had for several years.

I can still remember the first Christmas tree we purchased.

We were living in Stillwater, OK. Chris was in graduate school and I was working at the Chamber of Commerce. Chris surprised me one night about 5:00 by walking into the Chamber, grabbing me and my coat and telling me to get in the truck. We headed to Wal-mart, got a cart and he pushed it to the Christmas aisle. We searched the aisles for the perfect lights and decorations. We ended up with a theme of purple and green! (This WAS the early 90's!!)

We then headed outside to the trees and scoured the lot for the perfect tree!

I will never forget the excitement over that night and how Chris surprised me.

Every year, I still "put up" our first tree to remind me of how far we've come and that special "first" in our marriage.

Holiday Cheer

I have a few new holiday decorations this year.

One in particular makes me smile.

I hope everyone has a holiday season that is filled with lots of smiles!

Thankful

The Blakley Family has thrown tradition to the wind -- at least "normal" traditions. We don't spend hours on Thanksgiving Day cooking or eat in the dining room of a family member. Our tradition is meeting in some city in Texas for Thanksgiving weekend. We stay in a hotel, go on outings, make crafts with the kids and watch a lot of football! And, of course, we do eat!

This year we met in San Antonio. A beautiful, historic city.

We stayed on the River Walk, ate Thanksgiving dinner at a quaint restaurant, visited the zoo, and watched the river be transformed into a Christmas wonderland with Santa arriving on a boat!

My mom wanted us all to go around to say what we are thankful for. Judson, the youngest, was thankful for the clones in Star Wars! My sister and brother-in-law are at the end of a 3 1/2 year "adventure" and are thankful with God's provisions throughout it all.

One of our newer traditions is helping people on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, having lots of kids, it is hard to find somewhere where all of us can volunteer. This year we took matters into our own hands and the kids fixed bags of food for the homeless. My dad carried a big bag full of sack lunches through the streets of San Antonio and when we came upon a homeless person he would gather all the grandkids around and have one of them give the homeless person a small bag of nourishment. Each person was very grateful. We heard some sad stories. I believe it made a difference in each of our hearts -- to realize how blessed we really are.

I am thankful for so much. I have been blessed since the moment I entered this world. I have amazing Christian parents. Having a dad and mom who "walks the walk", especially in front of my kids, is huge! I have always been loved, supported and encouraged. I married a man who is my best friend, who I love being with and who I want to grow old with. He is an awesome father and giver and provider. I have two boys who are healthy, smart and fun! I live in the best country in the world. I know that God is beside me through everything and He is the Lord of my family.

And...we all really like spending time with each other!

Something Is Missing

About this time for the past four days -- after my three boys were at work and school and the house settled into quiet -- a little voice would say, "Good Morning DD!"

I would turn towards the voice and see a four-year-old boy standing in his jammies with sleep still in his eyes and a big smile on his face. Behind him would be a nine-year-old boy rubbing his eyes and his hair going in all directions.

From Sunday until Thursday, I kept my sister's two boys while they went out of town. They live in Dallas but will be moving soon. Unfortunately, we didn't take advantage of being only four hours from each other like we should have.

It occurred to me that it has been five years since I've had someone to pal around with all day. It has been at least five years since I sat by the window in Chick-fil-A watching "my kids" play in the play area. It has been five years since I sat on the park bench and listened to the laughter of boys climbing and swinging and running.

I really enjoyed my time with Jed and Judson. It is quiet in the house today. Even Colby mentioned last night how weird it felt not having Jed to play with. That is sweet. I am thankful for the memories that were made this past week. That is what family is all about.

It's Just the Way I Am

I believe I have posted about my Type A personality when it comes to closet organization. When the boys and I clean out their closets, we organize them by season and by color. So, all the short-sleeved shirts are together grouped by color; all the long-sleeved shirts are together grouped by color -- see? Very easy to find things this way. This is how I organize my closet as well...

It is not uncommon for Chris to holler out for me to come and help him match shirts with certain pants. And, I have to admit, it can be a little overwhelming and easier to wear the same thing over and over.

Twice-a-year, we will go on a shopping spree for him and invariably we get to the store and don't know what he has nor what he needs. Because I am not allowed to group his shirts by color, I really don't have a feel for his attire!

About a month ago, we were fixing to go out on such a shopping venture and I decided to use my organizational skills in a new way. I was going to know what he had and what he needed! So, for about two hours I took out every piece of clothing and began "matching" outfits together. I started with his black pair of pants and wrote down each shirt that could be worn with those black pants. I even took pictures of each set -- afterward I decided that he was a big boy and could read the label and match to the lists without help from pictures!

When I finished, I had this:

He can now go probably a year without wearing the exact same outfit! Although it's not too pretty, this list makes me so happy! And, when we went to the store, we knew exactly which colored shirts he could use and if there was anything in his closet to match new pairs of pants. Yipee!!

I concocted this while Chris was out of town and stapled it to his closet before he got home. I was anxious to see his reaction. He walked in and started laughing! However, a couple of days ago he came out wearing a nice ensemble - :) - and I asked him if he got that idea from the list and he told me that he did and that he looks at it every morning to help him get dressed!

Does he know how to warm my heart or what?!?

An Accidental Oversight

In my celebratory speech yesterday, I mistakenly forgot one of my daily fans...

Thank you Justin for reading my blog every day and being a great brother-in-law too!!! :)

And, to anyone else out there who keeps up with me and my musings -- I don't want to leave you out either! So, THANK YOU to ALL my fans!!! Hee! Hee!