Christmas Tag!

Leslie tagged me, so here goes...

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I LOVE hot chocolate with marshmallows! I drink it year round! I've tried Egg Nog, but am not a big fan.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Unwrapped under the tree

3. Colored lights on house/tree or white lights? We just have white, but I can appreciate the colored too. Everyone should do what makes them happy...go Clark Griswald!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Haven't found any, but would love to!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the Sunday after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love it all!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Going to church on Christmas Eve...it's still my favorite part of Christmas.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I remember starting to wonder in 2nd grade... I think Elisha Sutton had something to do with it. Or maybe it was Mandy...thanks again Nathan!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, Jerid and I get an ornament every year for eachother and we also get one for Layne. I also get Layne Christmas pjs that she opens Christmas Eve and wears.

10. How do you decorate your tree? We got a real tree this year and I love it! So, all our ornaments that we have bought for eachother are on it. We also have a huge tree in our front window that is decorated with ribbon and bulbs.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it if I don't have to drive in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Never been, but I am dying to try.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Everyone in my family knows this one...MY LAKERS JACKET!

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with our families and friends and celebrating the birth of Jesus!!!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Fudge

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to church and watching Emmit Otter's Jugband Christmas.

17. What tops your Christmas tree? A beautiful Santa

18. Which do you prefer-giving or receiving? Giving...seriously. I never open my presents until after all the kids have opened theirs because I love watching their reactions to each gift!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I love all of them, but probably Silent Night. This is the one we light the candles to at church. It is such a peaceful song and it always reminds me of what Christmas is all about.

20. Candy Canes-yum or yuck? They're okay.

21. What do you want for Christmas? There is nothing that I just really want. I like lots of things.

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? We usually have one or two, but this year we didn't go to a single party...kind of sad, huh?

23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? PJs...who dresses up???

24. Do you own a Santa hat? Yes, but I don't wear it.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Both of our families.


Okay, I tag Kandace, Amanda U., and Hilary

Flashback Friday

These are pictures from last Christmas...Layne's first Christmas. She was about 11 months old. I can't believe how much she has changed in the past year! The first picture is of her tree which was rearranged by her on several occasions. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

6 Random Things

I have been putting this off because I am extremely busy and don't really have anything interesting to say about myself. But, since Mandy tagged me I figured I better post something...

1. I love Christmas!!! I love sitting in church on Christmas Eve, giving gifts, the sights, the sounds, and especially the excitement of children!

2. I believe the 80's is the best decade of music and will continue to be so for the rest of time.

3. I love to make white rice and then mix in some Italian dressing and...EAT IT!

4. I would rather eat a fruit salad than a piece of chocolate

5. I sleep in socks even though I end up taking them off during the night.

6. I watch shows that I am way too old to be watching for example...The Hills and One Tree Hill.

Thanksgiving...FINALLY!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! I love this time of year because I get to spend time with some of my favorite people...my family! We went to Jerid's Grandparent's farm on Thursday. They have several little kitties and Layne loved holding them and kissing them! She also got to spend time with her cousins that she doesn't get to see very often. It was so much fun watching them play together! On Saturday, we had my family over to my house. So, I didn't get many pictures...I was busy cooking etc. But, we had a great time! Unfortunatly, Lance couldn't make it because he had to work. Bedlam just wasn't the same without him, but he'll be home in a few weeks for Christmas! Hope you enjoy the pictures...










I think Layne is going to take after her Aunt Jill...she LOVED the kitties on the farm!




POOR KITTY!



Layne and Carson



Layne with her cousins Kassie and Autumn

A Birthday, Festival, Halloween,and Game Day...We've Been Busy!

We have had an extremely busy couple of weeks. So, I have posted on several different things. Sorry about the lengthy post and the amount of pictures, but I figured if I didn't post now...well, you might never see any of this!




As most of you know, my nephew recently had a pirate birthday party and asked everyone to dress in their pirate attire. Well, Layne doesn't really have anything like that, so this is what we ended up with...thanks Uncle Stoney for the bandanas!!



C.J Larue fixing to blow out his candles...Happy 4th Birthday Bandit!!! I love you to pieces!





Layne's school recently had their Harvest Festival. They had games, food, and a silent auction. Layne had a lot of fun even though she was a little young to understand the games. Jerid and I won the "Family Game Night" basket at the auction. So, if anyone wants to battle the Patterson's in Dora Memory just let us know!




I helped with Layne's Halloween party at school on Friday. She was not very cooperative. Once I showed up, she wouldn't let me put her down. Annie... I think I have a little Lily on my hands!




When Layne got home from her Halloween party at school, she carved a pumpkin with Dad. She mostly supervised and played with the matches, but she was still very proud of her accomplishments!





My beautiful little witch! I thought my mother did an amazing job on her costume...thanks Grandma!!





Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!





Jerid's parents invited us to go to the OSU football game with them on Saturday. We thought it would be fun to let Layne experience her first Cowboy game and she was a trooper! It was very hot, but she had a great time. Thanks Mammy and Dar!!!


Family pic at Layne's first OSU Football Game...GO POKES!!!





Layne with her Dar and cousin Carson before the game.





Layne with her Mammy enjoying the snacks at the game.

Flashback...Thursday?

I hope it's okay that I am posting my flashback on Thursday instead of Friday. I have today off, so I had a little time to post. Since Halloween is a week from tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to flashback to Layne's first Halloween. She was only 10 months, so she didn't really get it. She couldn't figure out why so many kids were ringing her doorbell! This year she understands so much more, so we are looking forward to taking our little witch trick-or-treating!!! Of course, she will just be going to a few of our neighbors homes and maybe stopping by to see her cousins, but it will still be a lot of FUN!!!




My precious little peacock!





This is a picture of Layne and her good friend, Riley Haynes.

It's The Great Pumpkin...Charlie Brown!

Fall is such a special time of year for my family. It really kicks off the holiday season for us! We love creating memories as a family and starting traditions with Layne. So, last Sunday we were off to the pumpkin patch. Layne was so excited to get some "mumpkins". Before we left, she checked her Halloween Calender for a "kitty" which is her term for Kit-Kat. We then left for the patch and she had an amazing time amongst all the mumpkins! She even picked some of them out all by herself. We ended the day with icecream from Maggie Moo's...YUM!!! Hope everyone is enjoying their Fall! p.s.- I posted 3 times in one sitting...Mandy, have you ever done that??? Be sure to check out the other posts. This is all you will be getting for a while.

Fight For The Cure

Last Saturday, I took part in the Race For The Cure. Jerid, Kandace, and I got up really early and tackled a 5K which is not a lot, but it sure felt like it to me! Of course, Jerid ran the whole thing with our good friend Derek Elwood. I had to do some walking because I am in terrible shape, but I did run most of it. I think I slowed Kandace down because she is in much better shape than me (yes, the girl with three small kiddos and a husband who is on the road...A LOT!). It was a lot of fun and really neat to be involved in something so important. If you haven't ever taken part in this race...you should really consider it! Here's a few of the before pics...

Game Days

One of my favorite things about Fall is FOOTBALL! We just can't seem to get enough of it. So, I thought I would share a few pics of our last game day get-together. It is so great having family so close, we always have such a wonderful time when we all get together.

Layne and her daddy waiting for the game to start.




Layne and C.J. spent most of game day playing in the puddles and riding bikes.





Poor Reece...he is always such a good sport!

Flashin Back!

This is my second blog in two days...Mandy, I know you're proud! Since this is my first official flashback, I chose my favorite subject...Layne. Here are a few pics of the last year and a half. Layne has blessed us in ways we hadn't imagined and we thank God everyday for giving her to us! Enjoy!

Introducing Layne Juleian Patterson
Born January 30, 2007
weighing in at 6lbs. 12oz.
stretching out to 19 3/4 in.
Her middle name is a combination of Jerid and I's moms and sisters!
Do you think Jerid was pretty happy...look at that grin!?!




This is Layne when she was just a few months...I always wonder what she must have been thinking during this picture.




My little girl at Christmas time last year! Loved the hat Leia!






This is my Layneypants at 1 year! Yes, I call her Layneypants...not sure why!



Layne this past spring.




This is my precious little girl at a year and a half (two months ago). She is growing so fast! I love this picture...great job Katie!!!

5 Things Tag

Here is my list of 5 things...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago...

1. I was a sophmore at OU.
2. I had just made a career choice-teaching.
3. I was living with Kandace, Jayme Hale, and Tasha Johnson
in The Commons.
4. I was babysitting for Chet and Andy aka "The Skinner Boys"
5. I had found one of my passions...Geography!


5 things on my to do list...

1. Clean out my car
2. Clean the house
3. Do laundry
4. Paint the dining and living rooms
5. Go on a "pumpkin date" with Jerid and Layne

5 bad habits...

1. not picking up after myself
2. procrastinating
3. drinking too much dr. pepper
4. watching The Hills
5. shopping too often for Layne or holiday decor

5 places I have lived...

1. Woodward
2. Norman
3. Stillwater
4. Oklahoma City
5. Edmond (though technically, it's still an OKC address)

5 things I am listening to...

1. Austin and Lucy chasing eachother (Kandace's dogs)
2. Pink's "So What"
3. Kandace typing on her blog
4. Me typing on my blog
5. Kandace attempting to sing Pink's "So What"

5 words I hate...

1. Mine,
2. I
3. said
4. no
5. ! This is Layne's new favorite saying and she over-uses it!!!

5 jobs I've had...

1. working at Hillcrest Pharmacy
2. babysitting regularly for the Bogdahn's, Norwood's, and Skinner's
3. OSU mail room...with Annie, Mandy, Katie, Lacy, Leia, and Sally
4. teaching 7-12 grades at Mooreland High School...Go Bearcats! And teaching at PC Capps Middle School 7th grade Geography and cheer sponsor
5. The BEST job in the world...Administrative Assistant to Kandace Phillips at One Chord Song!!!

5 things I have eaten today...

1. smoked ribs
2. fried okra
3. homemade mac and cheese
4. cornbread
5. a fun-sized snickers

We took Lance out to lunch after his swearing in ceremony for the Oklahoma Bar...Don't judge me!

5 websites I visit daily...

1. myspace-I update Stoney's blog daily
2. midfirst bank
3. stoneylarue.com
4. baby gap,old navy,etc. (usually one of these a day)
5. my favorite blogs

Long Time No Blog

Hello everyone! I know it has been nearly a month since my last blog entry and I apoligize. We have been very busy this past month. Layne started going to "school"! It was really difficult for her and her mom in the beginning, but she is doing great now. Leia watched her for a few months until I could get her in somewhere...thanks so much Leia! I know it wasn't always easy. We are all moved in, except for those items still lingering in storage, and we are ready to start making some of the changes we talked about early on. So, I will be showing some of our projects in future blogs. For now, I would like to leave you with some pictures of the last month or two. We celebrated an anniversary, attended a few birthday parties, and moved into a new home! We are so excited for Fall (aka football season) and the upcoming holidays! I'll try not to wait so long before my next blog, I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats.




Jerid and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on July 26th...yea us!




A family picture before Chad's big 30th birthday bash




Layne...checking her myspace...naked.




Alexis, you're right...sleeping while eating just doesn't work!




Layne loves popcorn! Like mother, like daughter!



Anabella Rose celebrated her first birthday. Isn't she beautiful!?!

Home Sweet Home

We are still working on getting the new house in order and our computer is still not up and working. Since Mandy and Annie have been very patient with me, I thought I better repay their good behavior with atleast one picture of the house. I downloaded this from the county assessor's site, so the yard looks a little bit nicer than it really does right now. But, we are going to start working on that very soon!

I Apoligize

I am sorry that I have not posted in a while. We are still in the process of unpacking and our computer is not set up yet! I am hoping we can get this worked out over the weekend and I can post some pictures of the house. Don't give up on me...I will post again.

P.S.- Mandy (my sister) and Annie this post is mostly for you two because you are always complaining about how I don't post enough, so stop your sighing and practice your patience. I will put some pics up soon!!!

Our Vacation

In the midst of selling our home and buying another, Jerid and I decided to go ahead with our planned trip to Angel Fire, NM. Every since I was a young kid, I have loved being in the mountains! We invited our good friends Mitchel and Amanda to share in our adventure. We played golf, went hiking, and ate a lot of wonderful food, but most of all it was VERY RELAXING! Now, it's back to the real world of packing and moving and then unpacking. I will put some pictures up of the new house soon. We did get the one I originally talked about in my previous post. This first picture is from the golf course. I had some doritos in the cart and while we were all putting, a chipmunk got into them! All in all it was a wonderful vacation, but I was happy to get home to my little girl!





Here's the little thief enjoying the fruits of his labor!




The view from our condo



Jerid and I on the golf course



The lake from the hike that Amanda and I took while our husbands stayed at the condo watching sportscenter...like they never get to do that at home!


Amanda and I just before dinner at the Roasted Clove...it was delicious!!!



Here's a pic of Layne just for fun!