Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours...wishing you the merriest of Christmas'!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Nothing says Happy Christmas Eve like an ornament hanging from your ear! :)

Great Grandma Lee

What a special treat it was for Jayden to get to see his Great Grandma Lee this past weekend! He has only met her once before, so they were both very happy to see each other again!

One of my Favorite Pictures

I took this picture of Jayden over the weekend. It's one of my favorites of him!

Jayden's 4th Birthday Party

Jayden turned four years old on December 1! I cannot believe that my little boy is getting so big! We are going to Disney World in May, so he wanted a Mickey Mouse party this year. Here are a few pictures from the day! (You can't tell by these pictures, but there were 20 people in our little house!)

Jayden all ready for his party to begin. He loved his Mickey ears!

The Mickey Mouse cake that I made.

Mickey Mouse ear cupcakes that I made.

We had pigs-in-a-blanket ("hot dogs" because Mickey does the Hot Dog Dance), cheese (because mice eat cheese), cake, and cupcakes!

Jayden loved the food!

My mom bought me this super-cute apron, so that I could look like Minnie Mouse!

Jayden getting ready to blow out his candles.

Jayden's present from me and Chris was a "big boy" bed. We converted his toddler bed into a full size bed. He loved it!

My 100th Post!!! And BIG News!!!

Wow! I cannot believe that I finally made it to my 100th post on the blog! (I also can't believe that I haven't posted anything on here since July!) Sorry about that...I guess that tells you how busy we have been! Hopefully, I will be able to post more now, but the way things are going, it might be January before my 101st post. :) (Hopefully not, I am going to try to make time for this blog.)

And now...for the BIG news!!! Chris was offered a job for after he graduates in May! YEA!!!! He has been hired into the Engineering Leadership Program (ELP) at National Instruments! And, we will be moving to AUSTIN, TEXAS!!!! (We will still be die-hard OU fans though!) While we are sad that we will be leaving our home, family, friends, and church here in Norman, we are super-excited about this new adventure in our lives.

All of this has come about in the past month and five days! Here is how it all happened...

Chris was preparing to attend the OU Engineering Career Fair. The morning of the fair, he received an email from the recruiters at National Instruments (NI) saying that they would like for him to stop by their booth at the fair. He didn't even know what the company was, and wasn't really interested, so he decided that he would stop by their booth first before he went to the booths he was interested in to get his jitters out and practice. Well, he talked to some of the recruiters at the booth, and then talked to the manager of the ELP program. They told him they would like for him to interview the next morning. He went to the other company's booths that he was interested in, and became really discouraged because it seemed like no one was hiring mechanical engineers. He still wasn't really interested in NI, but when I got home from work, we started researching the company, and discovered what a great place it would be to work.

The next morning, he went to his interview, and ended up being interviewed by four different people. It lasted about an hour and a half (he saw another guy get interviewed for about thirty minutes, so we thought it was a good sign). He felt really good about the interview, and they told him that he should hear back in two to four weeks whether or not he was going to get a second interview.

That night, the manager of ELP called and told Chris that the guys at NI were inviting all the candidates who had done well in their interview out to dinner, and they would like for us to come. We had prior family plans that we really needed to attend, but we agreed that we would go for a little while. So, Chris, Jayden, and I all went to La Luna and met the NI guys and the other candidates. The entire time we were there (which was only about 20 minutes due to our prior plans), the manager of ELP pretty much only talked to Chris and me. It seemed to go very well, so we were hopeful. That night, a few hours later, Chris got a text from the manager saying that he was so glad that we came to dinner, and that it was so nice to meet us. Again, we thought another good sign.

Remember I said they said we would find out in two to four weeks if Chris got a second interview? Well, he interviewed and we went to La Luna on Friday, and that very next Monday, Chris got an email saying that he was going to get a second interview, and the company was flying me and him down to Austin the next week! Me being the good wife that I am went straight to the doctor and got a prescription for Xanax since I absolutely hate flying and have major panic attacks beforehand. I knew that Chris did not need that stress! And let me tell you, those pills work! I was cool as a cucumber on those airplanes...and we didn't even get to sit next to each other on the first flight, and I was okay! Anyway, we flew to Austin on Thursday, September 30 (well, we flew to Dallas and then to Austin). The company paid for everything...it was great! We stayed in the Aloft Hotel at The Domain, and it was amazing. Chris had to be up early Friday morning, as that was the day of his interviews. He had informational sessions, five separate interviews, and had to give a 10 minute technical presentation that day. I shopped all day at The Domain (a really upscale outdoor shopping center), but unfortunately, I was getting sick, so I was pretty miserable most of our trip. (I was super nervous too...I maybe ate five bites of food the entire weekend!) When Chris got back that evening, he felt like it went really well. We went out to dinner with all the candidates and the hosts at NI that night. It was a lot of fun, and you could tell that it was an atmosphere that Chris would really thrive in.

The next morning (Saturday), we got up and walked around The Domain. I was so sick (it ended up that the doctor said I had as close to the flu as you could have without actually having the flu...I was sick for a week and a half), that it was hard not to be miserable, but I did my best. I hated it, because here we were on this exciting all-expense paid trip, and I couldn't really even enjoy it. Anyway, this was the day of the OU/Texas game. The ELP manager had invited us over to his house to watch the game (he is an OU alum). It ended up that he only invited us and the other OU candidate, so we were really excited about that! We went to his house, and met his family. I really hit it off with his wife, and they had two very cute daughters around Jayden's age. We had a great time which was made even greater by OU winning! We then went out to dinner with the rest of the candidates who were still there and the NI hosts. We had a great time, and felt totally comfortable around everyone. We flew back to OKC Sunday morning.

Chris felt really good about his interviews, and we both felt good about how things had gone at the dinners and while watching the game. They told us we would find out if he got the job in two to four weeks. Let me tell you...that is an eternity when you are waiting to find out your future. One week past, and we heard nothing. The second week came and went, and still nothing. We then started questioning if he would get the job or not (me especially, because I didn't want to be let down if he didn't get it). Then, on the 18th day after his interview (this past Tuesday), Chris received an offer in the mail! We were so excited! The manager called him that night, and congratulated him. This is a great company with amazing benefits, and great growth potential.

This is such a weight lifted off of us! Chris can now focus on just graduating and not worrying about finding a job, and I can breathe because I know that he has a job! And, one of the best things of all is that I am going to be able to be a stay at home mom! I am so excited!!! We are all so excited! Chris will be starting his job on June 6, 2011, and we will be moving to Austin right before that. He graduates mid-May, and we leave for Disney World the day after he graduates, so as soon as we get back from Disney, we will be Austin-bound! So...a month and five days ago, we had no clue what we were going to be doing when Chris graduated, and now, here we are...we have a definite plan for our future! God is so good, and so many prayers have been answered!

A New Yoga Pose?

Nope....this is what Jayden looks like when he wipes himself after going poopy! (Hope I haven't grossed you all out, but it was too funny not to post!)

My next project...maybe...

I think that I have decided on my next project! I am trying to find small projects that I can complete in a few hours so that I will feel like I have actually accomplished something and don't get discouraged. Time is a precious commodity right now, so it has to be quick! (I've had to put my quilt on hold for awhile.) Anyway, I am always taking pictures, so I have my camera around my neck, and it starts to rub my neck after awhile and gets uncomfortable. These super cute camera strap covers are all the rage on the internet right now, and most of them cost anywhere from $25-$75. Can you imagine spending $75 on a camera strap cover?!? I have decided that I can make my own (or at least try to do so)! Hopefully, I will get started on this project within the next week or so. I just have to find some super cute fabric and some time!

This is what I have felt like...

...for the past week. Jayden has been really sick for about a week now. He is on SEVEN prescriptions. This does not bode well for his mood. In fact, my usually sweet little boy has become an absolute terror. And Chris is working in Arkansas. And he left for Arkansas the morning after Jayden got sick, so I have been having to deal with this little terror on my own. And Jayden hates his medicine and throws a huge fit every time he has to take it-for about 30 minutes. And he throws himself down on the ground and screams and cries if you even look his direction. And he refuses to go to the bathroom (which I totally don't get). And he doesn't like anything that I make him for dinner. And I'm tired and about to pull my hair out.

My saving grace has been my parents who have so graciously helped me through all of this and have let me stay with them several times, and for this, I am eternally grateful.

I have a confession to make.

I want to be Martha Stewart. Maybe I should amend that statement. I am very glad that I have never been to jail, and I definitely want to be known as a nicer person than she, but I long for her talent and skill. I read her magazine faithfully (folding down page corners of every idea that I love), look at her website, watch her show when I get the opportunity to do so, and google anything Martha Stewart related.

I so desperately wish that I could make a queen-sized quilt, four textured pillows, eleven fresh flower arrangements (with flowers from my own yard, of course), six homemade lemon lavender scented candles, a cute backpack or three for Jayden, a cherry cobbler (completely from scratch), and plan an outdoor party for 300 in one afternoon. How accomplished I would feel!

And I have definite Martha Stewart Craft Room envy. I think this picture explains it all...

Oh the things I could do in that room! A girl can dream can't she?

Well...I know that I will never be Martha Stewart, but maybe, if I keep on trying to create new things, cook delicious food, and plan parties, I will at least be Martha Stewart-esque!

Random Cooking and Craftiness

My love for cooking and crafting had disappeared for awhile (I think I got burned out), but it's back! YEA!!! I have been knitting, organizing photo albums, cleaning up my craft space so that I can be inspired, cooking delicious meals, dreaming of new projects that I can create, and sewing! The pictures below show just a couple of the things I have recently completed!

These are Cowboy Nachos. They are absolutely delicious. I guarantee you that you have never tasted nachos this amazingly wonderful. I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I love her. Chris loves her because of the food she inspires me to make. You will love her. I guarantee it.

Mmmmm....is your mouth watering yet?

My next project I actually finished today. It only took me about an hour and a half. If you sew frequently, it would probably take you about 20 minutes. What can I say? I'm trying.

Here are the supplies that I used.

And Voila! A Thomas the Train crayon roll for Jayden!

Cute little pockets for each crayon!

I love it! Jayden does too!

A Day at the Museum

Last Thursday, I decided that I needed a day off of work, and since Chris was home, we decided to take Jayden to the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of History. We have been meaning to go ever since we moved to Norman, but just haven't gotten around to it. We had a great time! Here are some pictures from our adventure!

If you ever have a chance to go to this museum, I would recommend it...there was a lot of stuff to see, and it kept a three year old entertained. It is very inexpensive ($5 for adults, kids 5 and under are free), and it is a great summertime activity to get out of the heat!