Happy Halloween!

Lots to share!

The Whole Family

The Cousins

The Chili Cook-off Winners: Shelby, Skyler and Brittany


First, Mason is doing great. He had his surgery yesterday and it went really well. It was super quick. Mom went with me because Brandon and I felt like it was best for Ellie to keep her home and in her routine. So Brandon stayed with her and mom went with me to the hospital. Mom and I had barely sat down in the waiting room before the dr was out to give us the information on the surgery. Then it wasn't 5 more minutes before they came to get us because he had woken up in recovery. It turns out that Mason had a significant blockage in his tear duct. Dr. Donahue says there is a higher than normal chance that the blockage may grow back within 3-4 weeks and we will have to do this all over again. Here's to hoping that does not happen! He's been alittle irritable yesterday and today and he has not wanted to nap at all. I finally got him down this afternoon and I am afraid he may never wake up and ruin bedtime now! Mason is scheduled to have tubes put in on November 7. We had hoped to have tubes and the tear duct done all at the same time, but that just did not work out.
Now on to other news...Bizfest 2008- The Fall Edition was a great success. All my mom's sisters and brother and all the cousins and my grandparents ventured out to Trammel to partake in the festivities. We had a chili cook-off, a birthday celebration and a cornhole tournament. And we got some family pictures taken. We all had a really great time. I will put a few pics on here and more can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jennfields75/BizfestFall#





I am planning to take Mason back to school tomorrow and have some ME time. I have two more vacation days that I have to use or lose by Friday. Sadly, I really do need to be at work on Friday, so I have decided that Wednesday and Thursday will be MY days. I am hoping to whip the house into shape and sew sew sew.
This weekend, Biz has informed me we will be having another get- together to celebrate the Alabama Redditt boys' visit. Also, WKU Homecoming is this weekend and me and the kids are planning to join my parents at the Homecoming Parade on Friday and we also have to work in some Trick or Treating that evening. That should be a whirlwind...
I almost forgot..Mason got his first haircut! He needed it so bad so I finally gave in and asked my cousin Shelby, who happens to be a hair stylist, to cut it on Sunday. She did a great job. Mason was relatively still while she cut it and it turned out really cute. But he looks so grown up now!

More Party pics

Nana helping Mason open his gifts

Me and Mason

Ellie and Mason on the four wheeler

The Party's over...

Mason eating his birthday cupcake

Well, Mason had a great First birthday party. We kept it small so it was: Brandon, Ellie, me, Biz, Tim, my parents, Brandon's dad and step-mom and Brandon's mom and step-dad. Jen, Cam, Macy and Madison couldn't make it, but they were missed. I hope everyone had a good time. They seemed to.
Then after the party and a shirt nap for Mason, Aunt Biz carried on her tradition of pumpkin carving with Ellie and Mason. Although Mason wasn't really terribly invovled. Actually, Ellie wasn't terribly involved either. I just saw a commercial for a man who can carve a pumpkin in 24 seconds. It takes Biz a little longer...But she did a great job and the pumpkin turned Jack-o-lantern is aglow on our front porch as I type.
Tomorrow is Bizfest 2008. What is Bizfest, I can hear you all thinking. Well, Biz and Tim are gracious enough to have the entire Jordan clan out to their house. Biz cleverly disguised the party as a chili-cook-off read "Biz isn't cooking". She's a smart one! I kid. Really, she can't cook. But she is providing burgers and hot dogs and the makings of s'mores. We will be celebrating Abbey's (10/2), Mason's (10/23) and Aunt Gail's (10/24) birthdays. And things are always exciting when you get my family together!!!

Busy week

Well I am just now getting a chance to update the blog. My sister pointed out that I have not posted anything in a while and said she was tired of seeing the pic of Ellie on Pinkie Pie.
Things have been pretty busy for me, but not necessarily exciting. Brandon was out of town Monday and Tuesday nights and got back home today. Last Sunday I decided to have a little photo shoot with the kids. It was kind of spur of the moment, but I had been thinking I really wanted some pictures of them with the fall leaves and I wanted to get some good pictures of Mason around his first birthday. So we went into the front yard and I set up their pumpkins and my mums and we went to town. I was really pleased with how well the pictures turned out.
I am busy getting ready for Mason's First Birthday. I still want to make him a birthday shirt and I actually may run in there and make it tonight! It will just be us, Biz and Tim and the grandparents. Jen and Cam and the girls can't make it. I am hoping for nice weather so we can be outside mostly.
I guess one exciting thing that happened was this afternoon when campus went on lockdown. I was across town at our other center and I got a text message from the emergency system at WKU that shots had been fired at PFT (Pierce Ford Tower- a dorm) which is literally right across the street from our building. And my kids were there. So I jumped in my truck and ran back to the main center. They had all the kids locked in the interior hallway. There were tons of cops on campus and as I turned in I noticed a sharp shooter in the grass across the street. Scary stuff. Although, as it turned out, it was just a couple of big fist fights that had started as a party last Saturday night and continued today. So hopefully, all that is over and the rest of the week will be more low-key!

A productive weekend!

Yeehaw!

I love it when I feel accomplished on Monday morning. I feel like I got a lot done this weekend! I've been thinking that I could make my family's evenings go much smoother if we had less prep time for dinner. When we get home, we pretty much hit the door with two hungry kids (ok usually only one hungry kid and Ellie, but still) and I hate that evenings are always so rush rush that I end up throwing fish sticks or chicken nuggets in the oven for them and then Brandon and I grab something and choke it down between baths and bedtime. So I decided that it really wouldn't take too much to get some things prepared and frozen so I could thaw them and pop them in the oven. I made Chili Relleno Casserole, Cheesy Potatoes and Ham Casserole, Spinach Feta Pie, I cooked some taco meat, made two meatloaves, and marinaded some meat and froze it so it's easy to throw on the grill. In all, I froze 5 casseroles and all that meat. Ellie chose meatloaf for dinner tonight so I have it thawing!
I also got some sewing done. Check out the other blog for pics! Ellie went to the WKU game with my parents and she reported that she had a great time. I'm attaching a picture of her on her "pony". She was all ready for bed the other night and put on her cowboy hat that Aunt Biz got her in Dallas when she realized she needed a horse. She ran to her room and came out with Pinky Pie the singing and dancing My Little Pony (thanks again Biz...remember you'll have kids one day...) Brandon and I agreed we'd use the picture for blackmail some day.
Mason is still not walking. And I have kind of decided the longer it takes, the better. I told my dad that when Mason does get on his feet, he will be one of those kids you just chase everywhere. He will never stop. He had a good weekend but we realized yeterday afternoon that he really missed Ellie while she was gone!
I better get on to a productive rest of my week. Everyone have a good one!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Good weekend people of the interweb! I just love Friday! We've had a pretty good week. I have done a lot of sewing and I am getting more orders all the time. Check out my other blog if you haven't! http://www.initialreactiondesigns.blogspot.com/ I know you know a kid who needs a cute tee!
Mason has decided he is a big boy this week! Sunday I decided to start trying more exclusive table food and he has taken to it like a duck to water! Mason has never been a very good eater with bottles or baby food. Actually, he has always pretty much hated bottles. Now I know why: He wants chicken nuggets and steak fingers! Last night he ate a steak finger, diced carrots, diced pears and 3/4 of a banana! And followed it up with tons and tons of crackers and a sippy of milk. Most days, based on the reports I from school and at home in the evenings, Mason eats better than Ellie! I am really happy about this because I just don't think I could handle another eater as picky as my sweet Ellie. She refused baked potato last night! And she only just started likeing french fries and chicken nuggets. That's just un-American!
Onto Ellie and her political views...I have pointed out all of the candidates to Ellie during the debates. When she is on one of those cute show where they are interviewing kids who "say the darndest things" I want her to be well-informed about who our president is. She knows them all including moderators. Tuesday night Ellie wanted to know where Leo was. After some questioning, we realized she was asking abou Jim Lehrer The moderator for the first debate)!. I guess she doesn't like Tom Brokaw. Then she got into a conversation with Brandon about who she likes:
ELLIE: I like Barrack Obama!
BRANDON (AKA MR REPUBLICAN): NO YOU DO NOT!
E: Yes, I do!
B: NO YOU DON'T. He going to take all your money.
E: (Shoulders shrugged hands in the air, head bobbing) Um, I don't have any money!

I found this entire exchange so funny. She has since decided that McCain is her man. I remember when I used to vote like my dad told me to as well...
This weekend should be a pretty normal weekend for the Fields. Brandon is still stalking the BIG ONE. Ellie will be going to the WKU game with Nana and Poppop. I hope to get some sewing time in. And Mason will be hanging out. Everyone have a good one!


Nana and Ellie at the zoo

The Zoo!

Ellie and Brandon

Mason at the end of the day



Ellie and Jennifer

I wasn't sure he should wear this shirt to the zoo. But he didn't get heckled so I guess it was ok


Happy Monday! We decided to take Ellie in her first visit to the zoo over the weekend. Brandoon, my mom and I took both kids. We had a great time! We got pretty up close to the elephants and giraffes. And the elephants even did some tricks for us. A lot of the other animals were sleeping or just really really over being gawked at. But it was all exciting to Ellie. She wanted to go back yesterday! Mason was not as impressed. But he is such a little trooper. He rode in the stroller and just chilled. Then he finally fell asleep and slept for the last 20 minutes at the zoo and the entire way home!
Brandon hunted some this weekend and got some more pics off his trail cam. There is a nice buck that he is undecided about, but I say SHOOT HIM! I got some sewing done yesterday afternoon. (Pics posted on the Monogramming blog) I'm starting to get several orders so I am very excited about that. All in all it was a pretty good weekend! Here's to hoping to week goes as well!
Mason's surgery is set for October 27. He'll have the tear duct opened and the tubes put in all at Vanderbilt. We have to be there at 6 am so that should be fun! And Brandon leaves that morning for Ecuador so once again I am calling on my family to pitch in and they have graciously agreed. We didn't want to do it with Brandon not only out of town, but out of the COUNTRY, but it was either the 27th or wait until November 24 and with Mason's history, no one thought it was a good idea to wait. I'm sure it will all work out just fine!