Bowden Family Christmas

We left just after lunch to go to Texas to see both of our families. When heading the Dallas way, we stop at this rest stop to take our kids picture with the big Texas. Jackson has definitely grown since the last time we came this way.

My parents gifted us and my sister's family with a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas. We have no pictures at the water park because I was just lazy I guess. But it was lots of fun. Jackson went down all 3 slides in the kiddie area. And Katie rode some that she was too scared to do last year. And Collin rode them all! Yay! It was lots of fun!

The oldest 3 cousins all played MagiQuest.

MagiQuest is a scavenger hunt game played with wands that goes up and down (by staircase only, or you lose points) all 8 floors of the GWL. Collin and Grammy were paired up and Katie, Chandler, me and my sister stayed together for a bit.

Collin was able to continue his game from last Christmas at GWL. And he now is a "master magi"!!

This is the GWL made out of Legos. Legoland is nearby in Grapevine and we hope to be able to take our Lego-loving Collin there someday.

We ran into 3 families from church at GWL and 1 family from Katie's basketball team and 1 family from Collin's school.

We then headed to my parents house to celebrate Christmas. Here Matt is introducing Collin to THE CHRISTMAS STORY movie. Jackson watched a bit of it too.

Jackson enjoyed playing with his cousin Chandler's new Lego set.

Katie helped Grammy make some Christmas cookies.

Here is our almost 1 year old nephew, Grayson, opening his stocking.

Jackson also confiscated his cousin Chandler's Leap Pad.

And here is our yearly-you-better-hurry-and-get-in-your-spot timed photo.

Merry Christmas from the Bowdens/McCooks/Moirs!

Let's Explore Oklahoma: Saturdays With Santa

On a recent Saturday we all bundled up and headed to downtown OKC. The kids all got their pictures made with Santa - to go in their Santa Scrapbooks. Yep, as soon as I get caught up. In scrapbook world, I am still in 2009. Collin has asked Santa for a Harry Potter Lego set.

Katie would like Santa to bring her a Razor scooter with pink wheels.

And Jackson could care less. He just wanted the candy cane Santa was handing out.

Oh what fun!

After the photos, the kids went on a scavenger hunt with their passports to OKC. It was great fun. They had to go to 4 different stations and complete the activities to get their passport stamped. After they completed the passports they turned them in for a chance to win a bowl of candy.

After finishing up the passports we played around outdoors at the Myriad Gardens.

It was great fun! It was such a nice, relaxing Saturday.

These stepping notes were in the middle of the maze.

Have I mentioned I LOVE living in a big city? Well, I mean I like living in the suburb near a big city.

Did not make it out on the rink this day. But we plan on going to the ice skating rink here in our suburb when we return from Christmas break. I need to also mention that the events on Saturdays with Santa are FREE. This will go in my Oklahoma Travel Book in the Things to do in the month of December section. Merry Christmas blog friends.

I am an armchair lobbyist.

I met with a Senate staffer today. She writes insurance bills. She will be writing this one now that an official bill request has been put in. :)

I have cleared 2 hurdles.

1. Meet with a Senator and/or Representative. Check
2. Get a bill request. Check.

If you are following the news coverage of this story, you know that the request was only sent in because of media attention and God. It wasn't because of me and my negotiating skills or my speech on how important this bill is and how kids with severe food allergies need this coverage. God did what I thought couldn't happen and He did it through the news media.

The next hurdle is finding an author for the bill. I thought that would be Senator Jolley. It will not be. But I have 49 other Senators out there waiting to hear my speech. And I have 3 weeks to get appointments with them. Due date for the author is January 19.

And then after that there are more hurdles. By the way, I hate running. In 7th grade I ran hurdles and had a fear of tripping over the hurdle and knocking my front teeth out. I feel the same way now. I feel like I am always in fear of getting my teeth kicked in by this process and somehow I am still able to stumble over the hurdles.

Just when I ready to give up, quit, have peace with how far we came, feel like I gave it my all, etc. I find myself on the other side of that hurdle. And I'm looking at the hurdles in front of me and they seem large. Very, very large.

Bill writer is nice. And very smart on insurance law. I like her. She goes to Jazzercise. And because of that I think well, she must be normal then.

I'm seriously missing my old life. Before bills. Before meetings with Senators and Representatives. When I didn't really care or know what was going on during the legislative session. Now I cannot NOT know any more. I have become an armchair lobbyist.

Collin was sent home from school (for the 3rd time this year) with pink eye.

He didn't have pink eye and he didn't the other times either. But we enjoyed an afternoon at the Cowboy Museum or the National Western Heritage and Cowboy Museum if you want to be official.

I tried to get a picture of my 3 in front of the cowboy Christmas tree and it wasn't happening. Jackson would have none of it.

Jackson liked it much better when we visited Prosperity Junction - the old 1880's town. This day the museum was letting kiddos sit in the wagon!

We found our favorite longhorn! He is buried (I think) here. Good old Abilene. The Cowboy Museum grounds are SO beautiful in the fall. We loved walking the paths behind the Children's Corral. And I was blessed to have a day out with the oldest along. And also blessed that he did not have pink eye! :)