friday(s) adventures

Friday (11/19/07):
-10:00 AM, went to Chris & Dorothy's to help with the kids where they proceeded to do most everything known to get babies born as fast as possible
-12:30 PM, Chris & Dorothy return from walk (and Starbucks) to get hospital bag and head on over. I drop off kids at Mandie's by 1:00 and begin my search for a yarn store I'd found online
-1:45 PM, finally find the store buy the nicest and most expensive yarn i've ever seen in my life, begin my trek home
-2:30 PM, while talking on the phone with my mom I notice a loud rumbling noise behind me. I check my mirrors thinking it might be a rude truck driver trying to intimidate me but can't find a likely suspect. I quickly get off the phone and pull off to the nearest gas station just in case. the noise changes depending on my speed... not good.

Completely shredded! I called Walter, he came over with a new tire, I turned down multiple offers for help (for which I am so glad! If I'd been just a little bit farther from home they would have been my only sanity), called my mom back and assured her of my safety (after she heard me turn down one of my good Samaritans), learned how to change a tire. :)
-11:59 PM, Tobias Graham Wilson was born (6 lbs 11 oz, 20 inches long). He was followed quickly (tho' not enough to get the same birthday) by Tyler Pierce Wilson at 12:28 AM Saturday (6 lbs 2 oz, 20 inches long). They are beautiful boys and Dorothy is happy to no longer be pregnant! :) She hardly even minds the sleepless nights in comparison.

We were able to visit on Sunday before they headed home from the hospital:






























(Top R: Grandma Wilson, Uncle Josh holding Tobias and Aunt Julia holding Tyler, Top L: Tobias, Bottom R: Tobias (again), Bottom L: Uncle Walter holding Tyler)

This last friday I got to see my old roommate and her now husband! Yay! Melissa and Dave are back in the States (which is great for me bc I get to see her... at least every once in awhile). We ate, laughed, talked, and took even took a commemorative picture :) on dave's camera. It's good to have a change to catch up and tie up loose ends with friends. I'm so glad they could come! (so is walter... but that's not the point)

This coming friday we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving on the Stokes side. Never a dull moment. :) Anyway, it's off to a scrabble date with my husband...

Expelled

Short note to let everyone know about a movie produced by Ben Stein (actually, produced by Logan Croft, but starring Ben Stein) called "Expelled."

This is a a Micheal Moore style movie featuring a brilliant man that is firmly on the other side of the political fence. Instead of exposing government conspiracies or inadequacies, "Expelled" focus on the world of academia and the understated attacks made against intelligent people for questioning the accepted norms of science. Check it out at www.expelledthemovie.com

Short enough, right?

The Month (?) In Pictures

Here's some of what you missed during our internet hiatus:

we got dogs,
(atlas is grey and white and phoebe is the one not facing the camera)










we went to Ohio for Grandpa's 80th birthday and babies galore (it's a double baby shower for Chabree and Ashlee!)











(First is Erica's Baby Dawn with Mystery, Second is Seth with my momma: Mara, and third is Aliya with her mom Courtney. In the background is Dorothy and a glimpse of grandpa)


(and here are the two mother's to be: Chabree, with Aunt Kim in the background, and Ashlee, with helper Logan and hostess Deborah in the background)



also we got to see friends and family and explore the great american corn maize (of which it was too dark to take pictures) Yay for Ohio!


The next weekend we visited Mike (and Kelsey!) in Alabama (congrats to Mike for his acceptance into the doctorate program and job in cancer research!)












(where we saw the Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D!!, explored a beautiful botanical garden, got a drive by tour of Birmingham on our way to the Vulcan, listened to Kelsey master a southern accent for her next performance and enjoyed the beginnings of fall in the south).





(we've spent the last two weekends home in Arkansas planting flowers, the mums are courtesy of deborah, pulling up and replanting all of our bushes and hostas to prepare for the deck, birthday parties for saja, in the first bday party pic saja and kora are blowing out her candles with Dot beside, the next is the serving of the cake with boo, chris, dot, saja, kora, and mimi in the picture, david had fun with the balloons, kora is a goof and loves the camera, and our puppies are the cutest things in the world.)

There ya go, the month in pictures. With as much work as that was, I think I'll try to stay more up to date on here for awhile. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures of two beautiful nephews before the week is out!

sweeping update

So fall finally has arrived... and it took it's precious time. But oak trees are finally turning and there are beautiful yellows (and even some reds!) all around! We're planting bulbs and going tree shopping (we just planted a maple today and I'm hoping to procure a redbud and buy an ash in the very near future). Walter and I planted probably a hundred bulbs this afternoon. This made my hands rough and feel sticky when I try to knit. The hope of truly cold weather has rekindled my love for knitting and crocheting... so I'm honing my knitting skills this season. I'm so very excited! :)!

Just yesterday or the day before I thought to myself that I really needed to update this blog (you poor people who just have no idea what's going on in my life! hehe). But I nothing would come. It's not that words wouldn't come for what was going on in my life but I couldn't find anything to put words to. And now, even tho' I don't have adequate words life seems fuller and less dry. So I'll write. Thanks for checking back here after such a long silence.

Anyway, it's been warm... 80's even! But two weekends ago the temp shot down into the 50's (which felt almost like winter with it being so abrupt). Immediately I set about to celebrate fall. We rented Dead Poet's, I made spiced cider (alas, I'm the only one who drinks it) and apple crisp (let me tell you, Martha Stewart has nothing on my mom. I used Martha's recipe when I couldn't find my mom's... and my mom's is better. alas, live and learn). We actually watched Meet the Robinsons but DPS came the next night and it still felt like fall so that was alright. :) Of course the weather didn't last and instead I opened up the windows in the evenings to let cool air in and I picked up my knitting in hopes of cooler days. I'm learning all about different stitches and yarns and about understanding patterns... also about re-rolling yarn after my dogs get a hold of it...

Walter finished the fence. It's beautiful. We got dogs! Big wonderful dogs (as Walter called them) :). Alas, they're diggers. Now we need to go around the entire fence and reinforce the ground level so that they don't continuously romp in the sunflowers or play with the neighbor's dogs (both super cute but not the most convenient for calling them home or good neighbor relations). The cats don't love the dogs yet but they're beginning to feel free to walk within eye sight of them and that is a very good step. Walter's on to his next home project: building a deck and pergola top. It is going to be spectacular! Right now we just have a lot of mud and twine set up for the perfect prank... Walter's sick and hasn't been able to work on it for almost a week. Hopefully he'll be better soon... back to classes, his deck building, and ready to be an uncle again. The thought is that Dorothy will have her twins this week! Tomorrow, even (maybe, hopefully)! We can't wait to meet our little nephews (just imagine how dorothy must feel)!

Anyway, it's time to put this entry aside and whip up some chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese, and hot chocolate for my ailing husband. :) Hot chocolate may not be the best sick-remedy but I found some instant Mexican style hot chocolate at Walmart the other day and I can't stop drinking it. Amazing! Finally hot chocolate from a bag that i like. I just can't resist.