Thanksgiving Leftovers

We had another great Thanksgiving at my parents house. The babies ate everything I gave them, and I was so proud to have children that actually ate. They ate peas, corn, corn casserole, broccoli cheese casserole, dressing, chicken and dumplings, sweet potatoes, Italian cream cake, and banana pudding. JR ate corn, a roll, and a plate of Cousin Caleb's reindeer cookies. Speaking of Cousin Caleb, can you believe he's only 6 months older than JR? And we thought JR was big. College football scouts, the line starts here.

A House Divided

People sometimes ask Jason and me how we handle our "mixed marriage". To be honest, it's never even been an issue. We enjoy going to football games if we happen upon tickets, and we've been known to watch big games on TV, but there's no big riff come Thanksgiving. As you can see, both UT and A&M got equal representation from the Ingersoll homestead. The only comment Jason made was, "Why did you dress mine in the UT shirt?" (Out of habit I still take Kyle and he takes Reed when we are together.) And being the caring and fabulous wife that I am, I didn't say a word about that cute Colt McCoy or Texas beating the pants off A&M 49-6!

Is It Time For Turkey Yet?

We celebrated Jason's birthday last night and we're heading up to Lovelady to celebrate Thanksgiving. I'll have a full report when we get back.

Baby Talk-Fun New Game

Kyle: So I saw where Mommy blogged that she doesn't think our game of "open and shut the TV cabinet doors" is so much fun.
Reed: But I know she just has to LOVE our new favorite game of "run off with the Christmas tree ornaments" that we've been playing since the tree went up.
K: She won't let us crawl around downstairs because she's afraid we'll pull the tree on top of us.
R: Ya know, Kyle, we probably would.
K: Of course we would! How cool would that be?
R: But since she won't let us crawl, we try to talk her into letting us cruise around in the Tijuana Taxi as much as possible.
K:And as you can see, the Tijuana Taxi is the perfect height for getting right up to the Christmas tree...AND....

K: picking out just the right Christmas tree ornament, you can see I'm making my selection very carefully.

R: I'm more of a snatch and run man myself. I grab whatever I can and then take off. Look at me go!

K: I'm always on the lookout for my favorite Santa. I pick him every time. I love you, Santa!

R: Dude! You can't chew on Santa! Have you lost your mind? He's in charge of the presents, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want your baby slobber all over him!

Santa, My name is Reed. It's my brother, Kyle, that chews on you. Feel free to contact me if you need further clarification, I certainly don't want any kind of a mix-up on Christmas morning!

Oh So Sweet!

It was my turn to watch JR's class at church today so Kyle and Reed were the last ones to be picked up from their room (I had to wait until all the kids from JR's room were picked up before I could go get them). Since there wasn't a crowd of women grabbing up their babies, the nursery worker and I were able to chat for a minute. She starts telling me how the babies were good and how they had fun playing and then she says, (Now I'm warning you, here comes the "oh that is so sweet" part of the story) " Kyle really looks out for Reed."
Me: "Really?"
Nursery Lady: "Oh, yes he kept an eye on him at all times. He always wanted to know where he was in the room. If any of the other babies got close to him, Kyle would come over and get in between them. He was very protective."
Oh, yes. My heart melted. And even after all the pacifier stealing, Kyle is still looking out for his brother!

Army Ants

When JR was 10 months old, we were already living in China and I remember that he would watch TV. I distinctly remember him watching his Count With Me Sesame DVD in the hotel at 3 A.M. the first night we arrived...love that jet lag. Kyle and Reed are so much different than JR. My mom says "they're like army ants, they just take down everything in sight!" And they really do. They'll stop and watch Sesame Street for about 2 minutes, and then it's on to something else. As you can see, I caught them watching it the other day. You'll also notice I have an ottoman pushed in front of the TV cabinet. That's because they completely ignored all their toys and only played the super fun game "open and shut the cabinet doors and pull out all the DVDs". Kyle's now favorite game of "swing the big doors and duck my head as the door goes over it" is also a big hit...literally. It's a huge "hit" since Reed doesn't always know when Kyle's playing and doesn't always know when to duck! Of course I'm not upset that they prefer playing to watching TV. Here's the way I see them most days, standing at the table scanning the room deciding what they're going to "take down" next. And even though their little TV watching butts are super cute, I'd much rather see (and then chase) those little smiling faces!

A Storehouse of Knowledge

Here's yet another "entertaining" driving to school conversation I had with JR:
JR: Mommy, I want a Halloween birthday party.
Me: JR, Your birthday is in May, Are you sure it's a good idea to have a Halloween birthday party?
JR: Yes, My birthday is May 29th, so is Claire's. I want a Halloween birthday party and I want to play spooky games.
Me (sleepy and frustrated with Houston traffic): JR, I really can't mess with your birthday plans right now, can we just focus on the holidays coming up?
JR: But I want to mess with it!
Me: JR, We've got Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. Can't we talk about those?
JR: Last year Caleb (JR's cousin) brought reindeer cookies to Thanksgiving. I hope he's bringing reindeer cookies; they look like Jack.
Me: What? Who's Jack? (I'm trying to think of a cartoon with 'Jack the Reindeer'.)
JR: Jack from Jack in the Box. The reindeer cookies look like him.
Me: Oh, okay.
1 second passes
JR: Mommy, When I get the Master Lee belt (Master Lee is his taekwondo teacher) everyone is going to call me 'Master JR'.
Me: (I laugh) Yes, JR, I believe they will.

JR got his report card yesterday and one of his teacher's comments was, "JR is a storehouse of knowledge". It's conversations like that that make me positive there is really no telling what is going to come out of that child's 'storehouse' everyday.

A Minor Crisis

I didn't post a blog last night because I found myself in the middle of a minor crisis. Let me start the story by saying that I let the babies eat some blackberries at dinner last night...Now fast forward to bedtime. Jason had a work dinner, so he wasn't home. JR was showered and ready for bed and I was reading to him in the playroom (I normally read to him in his room, but when Jason's not home it has to be the playroom so I can also keep an eye on the babies). The babies are into everybody's business, and about 3 pages into our second book, Reed had already been in my lap, JR's lap, tried to take the book away from me, and tried to rip the pages from another book. I knew Kyle was laying on the floor at my feet, but found it strange that he too hadn't been pulling the same antics as Reed. I bent down to check on him and saw that he had spit up. As I pulled him into my lap to clean him I noticed he had something in his mouth and that his bald head was now glittery. Somehow a broken Christmas tree ornament had gotten underneath the couch and Kyle was eating it. I stuck my fingers in his mouth and pulled out a huge chunk of the ornament. Putting my fingers that far down his throat caused him to throw up and then throw up again. At this point Kyle is doing his broken hearted cry (I cry the same way when I throw up), while Reed is crawling around in the mess. Remember I told you I had given them blackberries at dinner, so my carpet looked like the Glitter Fairy came over and had one too many glasses of red wine. JR was now squealing, jumping and jiving while I was still trying to calm Kyle down (and yes, I'm covered in "Glitter Fairy wine" too). It was then that I thought to myself, "I could really use some help right about now." I'm happy to say that everything turned out fine. Everybody got cleaned up, and the carpet looks better than I thought it would. After all that commotion, I really wasn't into blogging, or emailing, or even turning on the computer. So I just sat on the couch for awhile. (And then worked on Reed's stocking, that thing is a killer...but that's another blog.)

So Late I'm Embarrassed

I'm ashamed to say that only today did I finish getting our Christmas trees up. I'm also embarrassed to say that we are only having 2 Christmas trees this year. I know! I'm always fully decorated by this time of the year, in fact, I've been known to have up ALL the trees before Halloween. But not this year. I'm giving myself a pass this year. And, for those of you that are still in shock over my lack of decorating, I just so happen to have my excuse list handy:

1. The babies are crawling and in to everything. They could have a Christmas tree in the floor in 10 seconds flat.

2. With the impending move on the horizon, we're still not sure when the packers will be scheduled. If it happens to be a few days before Christmas, that would be an awful lot of undecorating right at Christmas time.

3. I just don't have the time this year. I really hate this excuse, nothing aggravates Jason and me more than people being "too busy". But, with the move, the babies, Jason's traveling, and JR with all his extracurriculars, I'm going to play the busy card.

4. Since we're moving, we aren't going to have a Christmas party, so I'd really just be decorating for JR and me to ooh and ahh over. (Can you believe Jason isn't really into oohhing and ahhing over Christmas decorations?)

Is that enough? I think so.

AND, I also did something I really never thought I would do. I let JR decorate the tree today, and I didn't re-do it. One of my favorite Friends episodes is the one where everybody's decorating the tree, and their commenting on how they can't believe Monica's letting them decorate. When they stand back to admire their work, Monica swings the tree around to her perfectly decorated side so theirs is hidden in the back. I couldn't stop thinking about that today. But, I'm letting the tree stay the way it is, and since I'm not having a party. Who's going to see it? JR must have inherited the Reynolds' love of Christmas decorating. He was so proud of his work today. I told him, "Put every ornament on a different branch so that each ornament feels special." (to avoid all the ornaments winding up on one branch) He really liked that, and every time Jason would walk through the room he'd tell him, "Daddy! Every ornament has to be on a different branch so it knows it's special!" As you can see from the picture, JR was very serious about his work, but you'll also notice that he's still very much an Ingersoll since, true to form, he decorated the tree shirtless! The only other tree I have up this year is JR's tree. He wanted a tree in his room and informed me, "Mommy! I want a big tree this year. Not a little tree." JR and I put up his tree last week and I did move the ornaments as he was hanging them. I took some of his old school projects and made ornaments out of them, which I think came out really cute. He stands and looks at the tree in his room and says, "It's just too beautiful. I want Santa to put the presents right here. You know, Santa loves Christmas because he loves God." Oh, that JR. He can be a sweetie when he wants to be...and it's amazing how sweet he can be as Christmas time approaches, especially since Jason and I have Santa's phone number on speed dial! So, here's JR with his tree. And as you can see, I still couldn't convince him to put on a shirt...

HSM3

I went to the movies with JR tonight. There were a couple age appropriate movies showing and much to my delight he picked out: High School Musical 3. He really likes the "High School Music Kids" and points out all their "products" whenever we see them in the stores. His Ayi sent him HSM and HSM2 from China, so it was an extra treat that he got to see tonight's feature in English! We went to the 5:00 showing, so thankfully there was only one other family in the movie theater since JR likes to give me a play-by-play of what's happening on the screen.
"Mommy! Sharpay has two lockers and they're pink!"
"Mommy! Ryan has on pink pants...ha!ha!ha! He's so silly! Pink pants!"
"Mommy! The boy with the crazy hair (Corbin Bleu) is so good at basketball."
It went on like this for almost half the movie. But at that point, JR started loosing his attention span since The High School Musical Kids are neither cartoons nor superheros. So, for the last half of the movie he asked me:
"Are they about to graduate?"
"Have they graduated yet?"
"When are they going to graduate?"
It was a cute movie although I would have cut one or two more of the sappy, slow songs, added more Ryan and Sharpy (they really are funny), And a few more scenes of Zac Efron without his shirt would have been fine too. Wow! How old my I? and How old is he?

Ike's Still Messin' With Me!

We had a big storm last night and when I woke up this morning I was greeted by yet another tree down in our yard. Thanks, Ike! This tree started leaning during Hurricane Ike and the little storm we had last night finished it off. Poor JR is starting to think that every time it rains a tree falls down in our yard. Here are some pictures...

AAANNND...If you remember I thought I had accidentally deleted all my Ike pictures off my camera. Well, I didn't. While suffering from Post Ike Stress Syndrome I had put the pictures under September 06, so when I went to look for them under September 08 they weren't there, and I thought I had deleted them. I wouldn't have posted them since we all seem to be over Ike, but since I'm having to talk about it again, here are the before and after pictures I didn't get to show you the first time around. And yes, the before pictures were taken the day of the storm. That's another spooky thing about hurricanes, look how gorgeous it was just 12 hours before it hit!

And this is what it looked like when we were trying to get down our street.

Tagged By Angie

My friend Angie "blog tagged" me about a month ago, and I've been trying to think of something to write ever since. Angie and I taught together at McMeans Jr. High and she's one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She taught reading; I taught English and we were the pep squad and cheerleader sponsors. Needless to say all the girls we taught were precious angels since they thought there might be a smidgen of a chance that we actually had a say in who the cheerleaders were. If you know anything about Texas cheerleading then you know it is ultra, super, intense competitive. We had to have judges come from over a hundred miles away (so there was no chance they would know any of the girls), then Angie and I would leave through a backdoor before the results were given out...Our principal wanted us safely in our own homes so the moms couldn't accost us in the parking lot. At the school I taught at before McMeans, I would be escorted to my car by a police officer after tryouts "for my own safety". Yes, it's that serious. Cheerleading tryouts aside, we had so much together. She is now in Anna, Texas with her 3 kids and husband, Andrew, who is the pastor at the First Baptist Church. This picture of us was taken at Angie's going away party (she was moving to Waco) right before we moved to China.

Okay, so now onto my tagging. I'm supposed to tell you 6 interesting things about me...that's been the hard part, I tend to over share, so I think y'all already know everything. I'm not sure if these count as 6 interesting things or not...but I did my best to go for things you may not know.

1. I'm right handed, but the left side of my body is the strongest. In high school drill team I could always kick my left leg higher than my right. And if you asked me to do the splits right now, I couldn't do either of them, but my left split would be better. Kyle is heaver so I always carry him in my left arm and Reed in my right.

2. Little kids really like me. If there's a little kid around, they always seem to be drawn to me. I've decided that it must be my voice. I'm like Elmo. Sesame Street can be on all day and none of my kids will look at it. They hear Elmo's voice and they stop everything to turn around and look. There's only been one kid that has an aversion to me. JR's friend, Travis, is terrified of me. Jason thinks it's hilarious because he's seen how most kids are attracted to me (Travis actually really likes Jason.) Every time Travis sees me he starts saying "Bye-Bye! Bye-Bye! Bye-Bye!"

3. I'd love to have a gaggle of kids. I guess it's my "only-childness" in me that makes me want to have a herd myself. Jason says "we're done". But I still plan on having a little girl. I've just got a few minor details to work out: Convincing Jason, AND getting back to China (or anywhere else in Asia) to adopt her....we'll have an Ingersoll girl yet....just stay tuned!

4. I love sleeping. Sleeping late, taking naps...nuff-said.

5. Jason and I think we should have our own reality show. Jason and I started watching a lot of reality TV when we moved home from China since we had missed the start-ups of so many popular scripted shows. Seems like everybody has their own reality show these days, you don't even have to be famous...or that interesting. Jason and I are convinced we'd make great TV. If any TV producers are reading this, we'd be happy to open our home to your cameras....and enjoy all the freebies that come with it. I'll be happy to pour my kids Juicy Juice every morning if they send a crate over for free!

6. I'm not a picky eater. I really will eat most anything. In China I wasn't too interested in eating the fish that was still looking at me, but I would eat it. The only food I really don't like are pickles. Which means I really don't like potato salad either. Every once in awhile I think that I should like potato salad, so I'll try it again...And I still don't like it (it's the pickles). I don't like slaw either. Is that pickle based too?

Now I'm supposed to tag 6 others and have them tell 6 interesting things about themselves. Kristi has already done it, so that leaves Allison, Robin, and Beth. I'm bad at math, but I do know that that's not 6...but that's all the bloggers I know!

Christmas Crafting Day 27

Hallelujah! After 27 days, I've finished Kyle's stocking. I'm pretty proud of myself, (not for my quality of work, but just that it's finished). Sweet JR is really proud of me too. He was telling his Grandpa Gary today, "Look, we finished Kyle's stocking." I'll definitely give JR the "we" credit because he gave me tons of moral support. Every morning he would check to see what I had done the night before. He'd tell me: "The stocking looks great, Mommy." "Look, You only have 3 more steps to go!" "I love the eye patch, Mommy." He was almost like having my mom around. Now if he'd told me to 'go lay down and take a little nap' then I would have known it was her telling him what to say. But since he never mentioned letting me get a nap, he gets all the "stocking helper" credit. So, one down...one to go. Reed's stocking (Santa riding a motorcycle) gets started tomorrow, so I get to start a whole new Christmas Crafting Countdown. Oh goody.

A New Fave

The part of Houston we live in is really an older part of town. It's the suburbs that get all the really great new stores and restaurants. I'm so excited, because finally, we've now got something brand, spankin' new. And let me tell you, it is brand, spankin' new fabulous! The new H.E.B (big grocery store chain in Texas) opened up on Thursday and we made our first trip there today. Unfortunately for us, we'll only be able to enjoy it for a few more weeks before the move, but I'm thinking I can find a reason to visit everyday. The excitement started in the parking lot when we discovered they have the "duly carts" (as Jason calls them). Since the babies have been born I haven't been able to go to the grocery store without Jason because if you have two car seats in the cart, there's no room for the food. I wish I'd had my camera because Kyle and Reed looked so cute sitting next to each other in the cart. They looked as happy to be there as everybody else. I'm telling you, this H.E.B is so great, it's almost up there with Super Target. The "beauty" aisle looks like a Sephora and the book and magazine section looks like a Barnes and Noble. Not that I would ever buy anything at Barnes and Noble, I'm much too conservative for that...I get all my books from a great little place called the Public Library. They had a section of Christmas decorations to rival Hobby Lobby, two rows of pinatas, and a RediClinic! They had a wine tasting going on...which totally took the edge off the big crowd, a huge meat department, and seafood department that could double as a trip to the aquarium. When we were finished shopping there were 25 checkout lanes to choose from. 25! I love my new H.E.B.! I love it so much I just might start cooking...well, maybe I don't love it that much!

A Change We Can Be...Wrapping Ourselves Up in Coats About

Jason and I have been doing a little Durango research in anticipation of the big move, and though we do know a thing or two about cold weather, (I've been known to ride JR to school on the back of my bike in the snow...how Chinese is that?) it sure is easy to forget. These statistics seem a bit daunting...but I believe we are up to the challenge!

*An apology to all my non-American readers, all measurements will be given in US Standard Units.

Average High Temp January:
Durango-35, Houston-62.3
Average Low Temp January:
Durango-3.9, Houston-41.2
Average High Temp July:
Durango-86.8, Houston-93.6
Average Low Temp July:
Durango- 55.8, Houston-73.5

Change doesn't stop in the temperature department. Check these out!
Population:
Durango-15, 878/ Houston-2.2 million
(and to really blow your mind, the population of Beijing- 17.4 million)
County Population:
La Plata County-48, 019/Harris County-4 million
Geograhpy:
Durango-4.37 square miles, Houston-601.7 square miles
Durango-6,512 feet above sea level, Houston-50 feet

No where near the culture shock we had in Beijing, but it certainly isn't Houston!

Baby Talk: We're 10 months old!

Kyle: Hi everybody, As you can see we're really happy about turning 10 months old!
Reed: We had a great doctor's visit last week. I was really hoping to get on the weight chart, but I still haven't made it on. I'm weighing in at 15lbs 15oz and that puts me at <5%.
K: I'm on the chart! I'm 17lbs 10oz and that puts me at 1o%.
R: But not to worry, we're doing great on the height chart. I'm in the 50% and Kyle is in the 75%. The doctor even said we're "not preemies anymore"!
K: We've really been keeping busy, check us out...



R: We like to go for walks in the stroller. We especially like to walk JR to taekwondo.
K: Reed sits in the front, and I sit in the back. I like to grab his head and pull on the back of his chair. Payback for all that pacifier stealing he does!



R: We love playing with our toys, but we like playing with things that aren't toys better. The remote, cell phones, and the camera are our faves.


R: I also love to pull-up on things and bang toys on any hard surface I can find.

K: We can really make a lot of noise when we start banging together.


K: We grab everything we can get our hands on. Nothing is safe!

K: We're also learning to drive!


R: Crusin' for chicks is so much easier now that we've got our own wheels.

K: We're also taking horseback riding lessons. Girls love a cowboy, and all Texans know how to ride a horse, right?
R: We certainly are keeping busy. Mommy can hardly believe we are getting so big!

Really BIG news

Yes, the Ingy family has big news to announce. We've known for a few weeks, but had to wait to make the official announcement. The Ingy Family is once again in for a big change. So I'm going to let you guess what the big announcement is...JR will give you a hint:

JR is practicing bundling up as Jason has a new official job title: "Sales Manager for the Southern Rockies Basin". Yep, we native Texans are packing up once again and moving. This time: Durango, Colorado. I will now refer you to the frequently asked questions portion of the blog.

FAQ:

1. Where is Durango, Colorado?

Durango is in southwest Colorado, near the “Four Corners” where Colorado meets New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. About 45 miles north of Farmington, New Mexico where Jason's office is located.

2. Are y'all okay with moving?

Yes! We are actually really excited about it. After our time in Beijing, Jason and I look for great experiences. We think Durango will be an exciting adventure for our family.

3. You just moved home! Are you going to sell your house?

As of Thanksgiving we will have been back in Houston for 2 years. We are going to keep our Houston house and rent it out.

4. How long? 3 years like China?

We actually don't have a time limit on this one. But Jason and I have moved every 2-3 years since we have been married, so I'm guessing this one will be about the same.

5. When are you moving?
We are going to let JR finish out the semester at Second Baptist, so we will move after Christmas, but before school starts in Durango on January 5, 2009.

6. Durango. Huh. What is there to do there?

We are actually looking forward to skiing and learning to snowboard. Purgatory Mt. Resort is located there and we have both been skiing there before. JR is also looking forward to learning how to snowboard as "the snowboarding game" is his favorite at Chuck E. Cheese. Durango is also home to the famous Durango to Silverton train.

7. Can we come visit?

Yes! We are hoping to get a 4 bedroom home so we will have a guest room. Check here to see if you prefer Durango's winter activities or summer activities.

8. Is it hard to get to? Can we drive?

It is definitely drivable from Texas and is situated along one of the most scenic drives in America: the San Juan Skyway. The Durango airport provides daily arrivals from Phoenix (America West/US Air), Denver (United Express), and Salt Lake City (Delta).

Startin' 'Em Young

We Texans love our Tex-Mex, country music, and pick-up trucks. And we start the love of all things Texan early around these parts. You're never to young to have your first ride in the flat-bed of a truck. Just ask Kyle and Reed...

(Check out Reed's hand, he's giving a little shout out to our neighbors to the east by riding around with a gator!)

The Traveling Ingys are Good Baptists

If you're a regular around here then you know we real Ingys made a trip to South Carolina this summer. We didn't make it as far as North Carolina, but recently my cousins, Lu, Kristi, and Sarah went to Asheville, NC for their annual Mother-Daughter Weekend. We Traveling Ingys hadn't been out in awhile so we were happy to go along to check out the "changing of the leaves". I'm super excited we got to make the trip since, yet again, we went someplace I didn't even know existed. On the way up to Asheville, my cousins stopped in Charlotte to tour the Billy Graham Library. Now for us Baptist, Billy Graham definitely has rock star status. Other denominations can lay claim to him too...My mom's a "dyed in the wool" Presbyterian, mention the name 'Billy Graham' and she's quick to point out that his wife, Ruth, was also a Presbyterian. Kristi, who was married at the Methodist church, reports that the whole place was "fabulous" and "stunning". I'm a little embarrassed to say that I didn't know Billy Graham had a library, (I sure won't be telling that around Sunday School) but thrilled to know the Baptist are keeping things 'fabulous' and 'stunning'. Here we are outside the library at the foot of the glass cross. The library website says it best: everyone who enters the doors "encounters the story of a man who made it his life’s work to tell history’s most powerful story—that God loves all of us and invites us to experience that love through His Son, Jesus Christ." Woo-Hoo, Billy Graham!

I Love You, Sarah!

More than likely, tomorrow will be a very depressing day for me (and LOTS of others). I could fill pages and pages on why I'm terrified of the one who's predicted to be president. But what's the point? As Americans we each get one vote (supposedly, anyway). And as Americans we have the freedom to say and think whatever we want. I voted. I made my preference known. That is all I can do. People have asked me not to "get political" in my blog. Well, I hate to point out the obvious, but this is my blog. I love it that people think it's funny, and choose to take their time to read it. But, yes, I will get political today. But I won't be bashing anybody, or being SNL politically "funny". Today I just want to write to my girl, Sarah.
Sarah, The more the biased, liberal media crucifies you, the more I love you. Sadly, we probably won't be seeing too much more of you after tomorrow, Sarah. But please know that you are fabulous. You've been described as a devout Christian and a staunch conservative. I can't think of a better compliment. I can only aspire to have people describe me the same way. Your political goals to end corruption, cut spending, and provide accountability are right on point. Not only could our country use a good dose of these, but what great goals for my family to strive for too. The media has called you everything they can think of, but they can't deny your beauty and they can't deny your character. In a society that looks up to bar-hopping socialites (Paris Hilton is a high school drop out with a GED),morning talk show hosts (Whoopi Goldberg is a high school drop out), and Kabbalah practicing rock stars that mock Christ's Crucifixion, it's so refreshing to have a true role model females of all ages can look up to. A beautiful, smart, Christian woman that became successful without being one of Oprah's favorite things, making a sex-tape, or having the paparazzi take pictures of her without underwear. You are my role model, Sarah Palin. Thank you!

"Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man" Luke 6:22

Empty-Handed Hunters

For the male Ingersolls (which I guess would be everybody in the house but me) the most exciting season of the year is deer season. Luckily for them, the season started on Saturday. Luckily for the deer and wild hogs, they didn't see any. JR was pretty disappointed. This morning he said, "We didn't see NOT ONE deer or pig!" I'm pretty impressed that JR is able to sit out in the deer stand with Jason for so long. He plays his Leapster, but for a five year old to sit still that long...I think he's doing a great job. So here's JR, doing what Ingersolls do best...Look closely, that's JR in there.