Oklahoma Part 2

One really great thing for me about going to Oklahoma is the weather. I love warm weather!! I happen to live in a place where we have a very short "summer." So the week in Tulsa with 80 degree weather was fantastic. It took me a few days to break my habit of grabbing a sweater when walking out the door - I didn't need it.

Because the weather was nice and warm (and it wasn't too hot) we were able to take advantage of the fact that little man Jack likes the pool. We let him swim and spent lots of time outside. We would wear him out in the pool and then let him sleep in his bouncy seat or swing. All that warm weather did him good.

Jack sleeping while Grandpa cooks dinner

Not only did we celebrate my dad's birthday (more on this to come) but we also celebrated my mothers and my birthday. Dad was the 15th, I was the 25th, and Mom was the 26th. We picked one night, exchanged cards, cooked out, and all sang happy birthday to each other. The last several years we have all been together some time in August and like to celebrate all together.

Change

I am one of those people that seems to be rooted in tradition and habit. If you ask me why I do things a certain way my answer will not be because of some logical reason; it will most likely be something like "because that is the way I always do it." My mom used to talk of replacing the star on our family Christmas tree, (the one we have always had, forever and ever) and I begged her not to replace it. I like to sit in the same place at the dinner table. I like to use the same treadmill at the gym, park in the same parking place, stop at the same gas stations on our road trips back to Oklahoma....I'm sure you are getting the point. So when something must be changed for whatever reason, it is often very difficult for me.

What's my big change? I have a new phone. Big deal, right? Wrong. I have been fighting this new phone thing for a long time. I have had the same phone since the beginning of 2005, which is actually a long time in the phone world.

The old phone

It is/was one of those indestructible "contractor" phones. The features were nothing fancy. Very basic - texting and talking. But it was great. I dropped it multiple times a day (not on purpose, I am actually just very clumsy). It got dropped in the snow, I accidentally left it outside overnight, I found it one time in the freezer...and STILL it was loyal to me. However, over the last year it has been acting up. Meaning, I would press talk to answer a phone call and the phone would just turn off. I suppose most people wouldn't have waited 6 months to finally do something about this inconvenient nuisance, but it took me that long to get used to the idea of a new phone. So, I now have a new phone (thank you Dad for picking it out, I never would have done it myself). I hope I will grow to love my new phone as much as I loved the old one.

Groceries

Happy Jack watching Mom put away the groceries.
Entertaining himself with his fist.

Oklahoma gets a Jack Attack

Last week the Hubbards visited Oklahoma. Jack and I flew out on a Tuesday, Mark came out on Saturday, we celebrated my Dad's birthday, swam, spent time with my grandma (who passed away the day after we left), and enjoyed our time with family & friends.
Here are a few pictures of Jack being social...

My godsister, Brittney.

Best friend, Becky.

My brother, Uncle Jacob.

Aunt Amie.

Great Aunt Connie.

And of Course, Grandma and Grandpa...

Blizzard of the Month Club

Month 2 of BliZZard of the Month Club.

Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard Treat

Which happens to be the most popular limited time blizzard of all time.

Megan said "I liked it. It tasted just like a thin mint cookie, which is not my favorite kind of girl scout cookie - but it was good. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is definitely not my favorite flavor either, so if you like mint and chocolate you will love the blizzard. I give it a 5, only because it is personally not my favorite flavors combination."

Mandy said "The blizzard was awesome I give it 8. Great mix of mint/chocolate flavor.The blizzard I got had HUGE chunks of thin mint cookies in it and that made it extra good.

Please feel free to try the blizzard yourself and leave your comments below and maybe think about joining our club. It is tasty good fun! Also, don't forget it you join the "official DQ blizzard fan club" they will give you a free coupon.

Shellenberger twins

Our friends, Mitch and Heather from Pennsylvania had their twins earlier this month on August 6. They arrived 15 weeks early via emergency c-section. Their precious little boy Jaron and their little girl Teagan are being transported today to Hershey, PA to undergo heart surgery. Please pray for Mitch, Heather, and big sister Kaylan - as well as the twins. To find out more about how to specifically pray and to follow their blog, click here.

That Lady with the Baby

Jack and I made our first plane trip together...and we made it in one piece. Our journey began when Mark drove us to his office in Silverthorne, we left at 6:45. My friend Treena and her almost 3 month old Justus drove Jack and I to the Denver Airport. Thank you Treena. By a little after 9, Jack and I were checked in and off to meet a dear friend who was just arriving in Denver for a Colorado vacation. At around 9:50 the chaos began.

The forementioned chaos really only lasted about an hour but seemed like much longer. It always does. Jack and I headed to security and were moving along fairly quickly when a series of terrifyingly loud beeps came over the intercom and the security line came to a halt. With Jack in one arm, the car seat in the other, and a backpack on my back, I bounced and he cried. I now know what it is like to be "that lady with the baby." The first few minutes we were in line I was hearing comments as we passed others, such as "awwww, cute baby." Now people were either averting their eyes as soon as I looked up or I was getting sypmathetic looks from other moms who have been there and done that. We spent a total of 40 minutes in the security area.

Next, we headed to the train to take us to our gate. Jack was no longer crying, he was screaming. He screamed the whole way to the A terminal, then all the way up the escalator, and into the bathroom. I got the sling ready, put him in, and inserted the bottle. Now I held the bottle in one with hand and the car seat with the other. We made it to the gate; it must have been the last gate in all of "A." He downed the whole bottle and passed out shortly before 11. Our flight was delayed of course. But, Jack never knew. Nor did he know that when we finally got on the plane, the flight attendants bumped his head with their butts what seemed like every time they walked by. He slept the whole flight, less the last 5 minutes, when he screamed again.

All in all, (I just said "all in all" and it made me feel like I was writing an elementary school paper conclusion) Jack did just great on the plane. He is just a little guy and people understood. To the woman who patted me on the shoulder and told me it would be okay, to the man who helped me down the escalator by carrying the car seat, to all the people on the train who tried to smile at me, and to the kind woman who told me my backpack was unzipped....THANK YOU! I now understand.