Pray for Stellan

You will notice a button on the right side of my blog that says "Praying for Stellan". He is a beautiful, 5-month-old baby with quite a story to tell. His parents were told he would not survive after birth due to a condition called SVT (a heart problem that causes his heart rate to shoot up to 300'ish at times), but he was born with no signs of the illness and lived symptom-free until about 3 weeks ago. Since then, he has been in PICU with serious heart issues. His mother is a faithful blogger and the link will take you to their blog. Her blog.... it's an inspiration to me. I know you will agree. Please read about Stellan and add his name to your prayer list. Also pray for his parents and 3 older siblings as they cope with this lengthy hospital stay. Thank you.

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Keegan was in his high school's production of the musical, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" March 13-15. It was so wonderful! Mrs. Osborne, the director and Mrs. McCanless, who directed the orchestra did such an incredible job of selecting the musical and assigning the roles. Keegan had a small part and was in the male ensemble and I was so proud of him for working as hard as was required (many days after school, weekends and long nights) and the great job that he did. I went to see it twice! I wanted to share some pictures.
Great Job, Keegan! We are so very, very proud of you!

Yay, Jack!

Jack is nearly finished potty training. He's making it to the potty more often than not and wearing underwear most of the day. What cracks me up is his excitement and enthusiasm for his accomplishment each and every time he uses the potty. He claps for himself and says, "Yay, Jack! That was excellent! Great Job!" He even uses words like "Awesome!" in reference to his use of the potty.

I spend so much time being critical of myself that I usually just think, "Well, that's good enough for now." I am not sure when I quit giving myself a pat on the back for the many things I manage to do in a day, but I'm going to try to give myself some credit once in a while! Yeah, I may not be on that treadmill every single day, but I'm on it a lot more than I was last year! Yeah, I may fall off the diet bandwagon a day or two a week, but I get back on it! Yeah, I may ruin dinner once in a while but I'm cooking for my family way more than I ever have! There are many things I could do better, and I continue to strive for improvement at home and at work, but maybe the accomplishment lies in not giving up. So, for now, "Yay, Kathy. Great Job!"

A Handmade Gift to You from Me!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will get a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! (To leave a comment, click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post and leave your name in the box. You can post it by clicking "anonymous" and that won't require you to set up an e-mail address or anything, just make sure you sign your name!)

I have a few ideas in mind, but I am not making any promises on how they'll turn out!!

SNOW!

This was Jack's first real snow experience. He loved it! Keegan had walked over to Randy & Jill's house to sled so I don't have pics of him, but they had a great time as well. It was beautiful and GONE in a few days; just the way we like it!

Spring?

I don't know what's going on.... global warming? (Don't tell Jerry I said that!) We had snow on the ground last week, but today it was 70 degrees. Not that I'm complaining! We got to take Jack to the park on Saturday for a LONG time in a long-sleeved t-shirt and he's been wearing shorts this week. Shorts in February. I am NOT wearing shorts in February because my legs are incredibly white and I'm not interested in using self-tanner in FEBRUARY!

A few weeks ago Randy & Jill invited Mom and me to train for a 5k this spring. We are going to participate in the Oak Island 5k/10k (10k for Randy & Jill) on April 18. I've never been in training for an event like this before, so it's exciting. My goals are modest; to train faithfully and complete my 3.1 miles in 45 minutes. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? So far, I can go about 2.3 miles in 45 minutes, so it seems very feasible. I'll post my progress as I go along. It's certainly helping me stay on task with my diet and I'm cooking a whole lot more.

I'll share a somewhat healthy (well, healthier than regular) recipe that I've made with great success as a treat around here lately.

Dr. Pepper Chocolate Muffins

1 chocolate cake mix (I just use store brand)
1 12-ounce can Diet Dr. Pepper

Mix together well and divide evenly into muffin tin (I use the larger size muffin tin) and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Jerry, Keegan and Jack LOVE these. Without the oil, eggs and frosting, they are only about 120 calories each and very, very tasty.

Potty Training 101

Jack is 2-1/2. According to some, it's still early for training. Others think it should have been done months ago. In any event, Jack has had NO interest in his potty chair that has been his step stool for toothbrushing since his birthday. However Ms. Karen, his teacher at Mother's Morning Out, started working with him several months ago and, over the last few weeks, he has used the potty there a number of times. At home, strict refusal! However, yesterday I bribed him with Elmo stickers and we had success after a night of dry diapers! We still have a long way to go but I am pretty excited to see the end of diapers coming. Yay Jack!

January

Jack had a sleepover with Walker earlier this week. They had lots of fun and enjoyed some Ring Pops (note the blue lips).



Today, Jack got some new "gear" in the form of a hat & soccer slippers. He feels good about wearing them both at the same time!
































Finally, a naked bathtime shot of Jack posing for his picture (can't get enough of these, right??).

41 Years Ago..

...I looked like the cute chick on the left (well, I think I was about 9 months old here). Actually, when I look at that picture I can see why Jerry calls me "blockhead". Look at that square little head!!
Anyway, yesterday was my birthday. I'm 41. Does that sound old? I don't feel much older than I did on January 8 so I guess it's not a big deal. I've resolved to live a healthier life this year (yes, again!!). I know I want to be around a long time for my children and I don't think that is likely to happen if I don't lose weight and exercise and take care of my heart. So, I rejoined Weight Watchers online and I'm starting out exercising for 30 minutes 3 times a week and will gradually add to that. So far, so good, but I have a long way to go. Maybe I'll get brave enough to post some pictures at 10 pound weight loss intervals or something.

Frugal Freelancer

Note the additional blog in my list. I've followed Angela's website for several years now and have learned a LOT about living frugally. She posts great deals (GDA = Great Deal Alert), freebies, and hints on living frugally in general. If you are trying to save some money while maintaining your lifestyle, check out her site:
Frugal Freelancer

Happy New Year

So, 2009 is here. Amazing. I so clearly remember when the year 2000 came around and all the paranoia about "Y2K" (wasn't that a bunch of hoopla about nothing!). But now it's 9 years later, Keegan is 16 (closer to 17 than 16), and I'll be 41 in 8 days. Time. When I'm watching a clock it seems to dddrrraaaaggg on and on, but if I glance away for a moment, 17 years fly by.

In 1992, I was working at Sears in Houston and Jerry and I were expecting Keegan to arrive. We'd only been married a few months and already had moved 3 times and had a baby on the way. Talk about changes! Then, in June, Keegan was born. Keegan was an absolutely beautiful baby. Jerry always says it's because c-section babies don't go through so much trauma. Seriously, he was so pretty, and BIG! 9 pounds, 8 ounces of life-changing baby hurtling into my heart and changing me forever. I was "Mommy". I'd never felt so fiercely possessive of anything. I thought everyone who held him for even a few moments in those early days was stealing his childhood from me. I cried over anything and everything. My mom and I put him in EVERY outfit I had and she took picture after picture. Keegan Thomas Hooper had arrived. The first grandchild for my parents and the second one for Jerry's. "Keegan" is an Irish surname that means "fiery one". We picked it from a baby book and Keegan has lived up to the meaning! We chose "Thomas" for his middle name after my maternal grandfather and Jerry's best friend from the Army, Tom Jones. Keegan has always been smart, and loved all kinds of art from the very beginning. We gave him a little desk for his second birthday and he spent LOTS of time coloring and painting at that desk for about 4 years. He has grown up soooo fast and found his own path and, for that, I'm so proud. I was always a follower and avoided conflict. Keegan does what he wants and is not afraid to voice an unpopular opinion. I just know he will find wonderful things in his future and look forward to seeing all that he becomes. Happy New Year, Keegan. 16 years old... you are only just getting started!

Funny Faces

Jack loves doing these funny and sad faces these days. (Be sure to click the pause button on the music player to hear the audio on these clips.)