Jaritt's Bday Party

We all went to Jaritt's 3rd Birthday Party Saturday night at Jourdan and Steven's. Jaritt is Josh's cousin Jourdan's son : ) Jourdan's brother Justin and his wife Natalie were there too so we got to see their daughter Olivia. Graeson joined his sisters Dakota and Montana. We got to see Gavin again - he's getting so big! There were lots of cousins!

We also got to see some friends - Josh's high school best friend's parents. It was really nice to catch up with the Gretsingers.

We had a great time watching the kids play, visiting, and eating some yummy food!

Cousin Time

Friday night was eventful. Casen's elbow got displaced, but we didn't know at first what had happened. After the cousins, Mamaw, and JJ arrived though, Josh talked to the on-call nurse and we took him to the ER. Hopefully, it won't happen again, but it is easier now that its happened. After our short sleep, we spent Saturday having some fun. It was good to visit and watch the kids play. We did some shopping, too. Case and Jaci are riding "horses" in that picture. Are you surprised to know that I didn't hold my baby all day until I stole him Saturday afternoon? Sweet boy got attention ALL DAY LONG!

Baking with Casen

Casen and I made a yummy Weight Watchers Cake the other day. Case LOVED licking the beaters and bowl. Now that my kid is old enough, I have to share those privileges I guess. Ha!

For anyone wanting a "healthier" cake, here's the recipe:

1 cake mix (one made with Splenda would be better)

Instead of adding the ingredients it calls for (eggs, etc.), add one can of diet coke. Beat and bake following the directions on the box.

Cool and cover with fat-free cool whip.

Its denser and not as sweet as regular cake, but still very good!

Zoo with Heidi and Adub

Case and I went to the zoo with Heidi and Adub - had a fun time! This was the first time Case rode on the big-boy swings!

Hail 2010

In Oklahoma, we have to name our weather. In December it was The Big Snow 2009. In January it was Ice Storm 2010. I decided to name the awful hail we got Hail 2010....some people got tornadoes out of these storms. It was pretty bad.

I was at Target when it hit. Thankfully, we got hail there but it wasn't big so my car was fine. These are the pictures Josh took at the house. His truck got some dents and his side mirror got cracked. Somehow we didn't lose any windows in the truck or the house. Our roof? Totaled. And due to the high number of claims, we won't see an insurance adjustor for a few weeks. Casen enjoyed picking up the ice and for days later he would ask for ice to fall again.

I drove to my parents' apartment to pick Liam up. It was freaky trying to get there - roads were flooded because the hail was blocking the gutter drains. Steam was rising up from the hail on the ground so in parts, you couldn't even see more than a foot in front of you. Traffic lights were out. I finally got to my parents' by an alternate route (which included driving on a gravel road), and their complex looked like a war zone. All windows were gone. The siding looked like someone took a machine gun to it. Leaves were everywhere creating a green blanket over the broken glass. Liam and Mom had spent time in the closet while my dad blocked the windows.

Its been a week now since that hail, and you can still see where the hardest-hit areas are located. I'm thankful we all were safe - the tornadoes it produced in the state were some bad ones.

Brothers