Raiding the Dirtpile

Anna hears the "swish, swish" on the kitchen floor.

She lifts her head high and sees the top of a broom stick.

Anna appears steadily engaged in the task of putting on her shoes.

I return to the closet to retrieve the dustpan.

Anna deftly strides over to the pile; pulls out whatever looks good.

Todays prize: One Abandoned Smartie

This mother of 3 just laughs and sweeps up the rest.

Those kind of skills should be rewarded.

It Wasn't Workin' Out

I am not used to the cold mornings of New Mexico. And they probably aren't THAT cold but I'm just not used to it. Therefore, we have started working out in the evenings with Brad after we put the kids down.

A couple of weeks ago, after our workout, we heard some rummaging going on upstairs. "What?" "I thought they would be asleep by now." I dash up the stairs and open the door to this:

I'm not exactly sure what to make of it. Were they actually reading all these books? Is it some sort of literary brick road that leads to the glorified red throne on the bed? Grant quickly jumps in his bed as though he's been asleep the entire time. "Where is Parker?" I ask Grant. "He's asleep" "How could he be asleep when his bed is COVERED in books and paraphanalia?" Grant fills me in, "He's in the crib." "He's in the CRIB? My 6 yr old is in the crib asleep?" Sure enough, he was:

We've had to revamp our evening routine a bit - and add to that a little threat to the kids.

Gotta get that workout in.

Mrs. Potato Head

While driving in the car, Grant informed me that I should be Mrs. Potato Head for Halloween next year. He said I looked just like her and would look very pretty in that costume. Gee, thanks! I guess.

Which brings me to my next point, I finally began teaching some fitness classes. So far I have only taught twice and teach again tomorrow. I am already feeling more comfortable and really enjoy the diversion. Perhaps in time I will no longer remind Grant of Mrs. Potato Head.

Anna is Double Trouble

Anna has officially doubled her age in one year!!! She's twice as much fun, twice as cute, and even twice as naughty at times. She is a truly fun girl to have in our home - a hearty laugh, a sweet word, a tight squeeze - all sum up my beautiful Anna. I can't imagine life without her.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Christmas Travels to Tulsa

Oh, how I love the portable DVD player. It makes even a 9 hour (10, with kids) drive to Tulsa completely bearable, bordering upon enjoyable. This is Grant below after being lulled into a Tom & Jerry coma.

We had a great visit with Brad's sister Jenny and her family. The boys have cousins there and they all just take off playing as soon as we arrive. Cousins are great, aren't they?! I think Parker spoke about 20 words to me during the entire course of our visit and that mostly involved the necessity of food or the lamenting of taking a shower.

Brad's parents were there as well and we always love seeing them. Here is a picture of Grandma Lyn with Anna. What a beautiful Grandma my kids have!

We went for a round of bowling and Jen really put the heat on. Who knew she had it in her! Here are the Glenn kids minus 2.

So good to see Uncle Jeff! He's got his hands full here with the matchy-matchy boys.

Here's Kate with the infamous kazoo. She put on quite a show.

It was a most memorable visit and so good to be with family. The drive home seemed a bit longer as the DVD player went out. Already got a full refund from Costco - love that place!!!

First Christmas in Albuquerque

It has been nice to have a chilly Christmas this year. In AZ it felt strange to drink hot cocoa when the temp reaches a balmy 70 degrees. So, we've enjoyed wearing warm socks, hats, and jackets. It's by no means frigid here but, still, cool enough to feel like winter. And, we had a sprinkle of snow to prove it.

Here is Anna - poised and ready to gobble her sugar cookie. Mmm.

Parker & his masterpiece. It's only a winner cookie if it has all 6 types of sprinkles on there.

Grant takes time out from being a shepard to hold the manger baby. So sweet. I think it's the only moment he was still during the entire nativity reenactment.

Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Operation: Recap

Since I've been neglecting my blogging duties, I've decided to catch everyone up! But, first you must zoom back to the month of June. That was our trip to Oklahoma & Texas. Brad's sister Jen (seen below with the boys) lives in Tulsa and we had a wonderful time visiting their family. The kids especially all loved being together.

Mmmm Smores. (Anyone tried smores with Nutella? It's dang good.)

Enjoying the spraypad

After some good times in Tulsa, we headed back to Dallas and then down to San Antonio. It was so great to visit with my family with whom I get to see all too rarely. Just love those guys.

Titi giving Anna a lesson in glamour!

Titi's middle name is Ann so Anna is lucky to share a name with such a wonderful, beautiful person.

Grandma J turned 90 this year. She is so incredible!!!

That's concludes this portion of Operation: Recap.

Next Blog: Discovering Albuquerque.

Are you SO excited????