World View

Oaklee and Olivia

2010-02-16T06:19:00.003-06:00

Just a few photos to show you the girls this week. This is the new tent Nana got them for V-day.

Who knew using an iPhone could be such a hair raising experience?

Girls Laughing.wmv

2010-01-27T21:52:00.001-06:00

Hope you enjoy hearing the girls laugh. This is Olivia's best laugh yet.

Yes we are still alive

2010-01-16T12:50:00.000-06:00

We may have lost all readers of our blog due to complete lack of posting the past 6 months. If so, that is totally fine. But we will try to revive it in the days ahead and see if we can't do better. Blogs in general just seem kind of dead these days compared to Facebook and all that, but I still enjoy reading my friends' blogs because you can be a whole lot more detailed & personal in a blog than on FB, I think. Anyway, here are some current pics of Oaklee & Olivia. They LOVE being tossed by their daddy, as evidenced by the pure glee on their faces. Olivia will be a year old next Tuesday! And if anyone even reads this and didn't already know, we're expecting # 3 in July!

sweetness

2009-07-13T16:33:00.001-05:00

Some recent pics of our little ladies. It is so hard to get them to be still for a picture together! This is the best I could do. Olivia will be 6 months next week, and she continues to light up the room when she smiles. :-) Oaklee continues to expand her vocab at lightning speed. My current faves of hers are "ap-PUL juice" (strong emphasis on the 'PLE' of apple), "Whassat" (for 'What's that?' whenever she doesn't know what something is), "4-weer" (referring to Pop's 4 wheeler- her favorite mode of transportation), and "We-eell" (the two-syllable form of "well", I think I say that a lot), and "chokeet" (for chocolate, it is SO cute and is hard to resist when she says it so sweetly). These girls are so much fun.

HAPPY 4TH!!!

2009-07-04T10:01:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. Here are some shots Jason got of our town's fireworks extravaganza last night. Has anyone ever seen the smiley-face firework? That was a new one to me. :-)

DQ FIREWORKS SHOW

Boating Beauties

2009-07-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

I wish I was out on a boat right now!

A Symphony in the Dark

2009-06-17T13:20:00.002-05:00

This is my good friend from college, Becca Mutz- Rainey. We roomed together our senior year of college, and I have MANY fond memories with her. She has the most contagious laugh, funny impersonations, sweet spirit and heartfelt faith. I wanted to put a plug out there for her this week because the story of her little girl, Molly, is being aired on FamilyLife Today radio this week. HERE is a link that takes you to the website to where you can listen to all 5 broadcasts. The 3rd broadcast airs tonight, I'm not sure what time. But it is worth your time, whether you've experienced loss or not. I think anyone with kids or grandkids needs to hear it, just to put things into perspective. Their story is so riveting. As I was sitting there listening to Becca talk on the radio last night, it just hit me really hard at how personal their experience was/ is. I feel like I've gone through this with her to some degree, just because of how I know her and care about her, and the fact that I have 2 girls of my own, and I try imagine what it would've been like for me to be in her position. Anyway, please check it out because it will bless you.

HERE is a link to where you can buy her book, "A Symphony in the Dark."

Sisterly Love

2009-06-05T13:46:00.000-05:00

Here are some sister pics. They are not the best quality b/c I am still a doofus at using my new flash, but they are cute nonetheless. I like the one of Olivia grabbing Oaklee's hair. They are really starting to interact more...Oaklee just started asking to hold her last week. Precious. :-)

Friends, family & rock stars

2009-05-14T15:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from last weekend when we were in Little Rock. The first is of Oaklee in the tub with her cousin Cole. They had quite a fun time together! The 2nd pic is of Olivia the Rock Star. Jason decided to put my brother's Rock Band wig on her to see what she would look like. It's kind of disturbing if you ask me, she makes me think of Miss Piggy or something. But it still makes me laugh. The 3rd of is my grandpa and us, and the last is of my dear friend Virginia and her boy Liam. It was great to see them!

Guess who???

2009-04-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

Here are pics of Olivia and Oaklee at around the same age (3 months). Can you tell who is who??? Even though many people say they don't look that much alike, we think they do! They're not identical by any means, but I think they will favor each other as they grow up. Olivia definitely looks more like her daddy, though.

Oaklee update: this girl is learning words at the speed of light! Her favorites right now are "mowing" (every time she hears a mower or weed-eater outside), "bows" (referring to ALL of her hair bows, rubberbands and clips that she gets out of her drawer and spreads all over the house every day), "wee" (which is her word for "swing" b/c we have a swing for her on the front porch and we always say "weeeeee" as she swings), and my personal fave, "allergy medicine". (she gets the bottle out of her dresser drawer and brings it to me saying her version of "allergy medicine".It is so funny.) She is quite the daredevil, too! She is not afraid of anything, which makes me have to watch her like a hawk! She LOVES riding on her Pop's 4-wheeler, she loves being thrown in the air by her dad (mom doesn't have the muscle to do that!), and she loves climbing on every piece of furniture in the house. Her favorite place to sit is on the coffee table. She asks for "Einsteins" (the cartoon Little Einsteins) at least 10 x's a day, even while it's playing, she still asks for it! She's gotten good at the "pat pat pat...blastoff!" part, for those of you who know what I'm talking about. She even does it when she's in her crib by herself! This girl is a hoot. She definitely keeps us laughing.

Olivia update: other than LOTS of big smiles, she is now sleeping at least 5-6 hours straight every night! This is amazing considering just a few weeks ago, she was only sleeping like 2-3 hrs straight. I feel much more sane now, to say the least. She has been a great baby, and she is really starting to pay attention to her big sis and smile at her more. Olivia is happiest when someone is holding her and when she is outside. She is on the brink of rolling over and laughing, so we're looking forward to those milestones.

Never a dull moment at the Lofton casa! We are thoroughly enjoying this season of life.

the latest

2009-04-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

I apologize again for the lack of posts! Blogging has taken a back seat for now as my "free time" is extremely limited these days. But here are some recent pics for your viewing pleasure of our lovely girls. Olivia is ALL smiles now unless she is gassy or hungry. She is so sweet. The middle pic is of one of our 14 puppies that are now 6 wks old and ready to find good homes! We're already down to 8, I think, but they are cuter than I thought they'd be! If you want one, by all means, let us know! And the last pic of Oaklee sums up her favorite activity at the present time: CLIMBING. This girl may be small, but she is nimble & strong when it comes to climbing on things! She takes after her cousin Cole who is now dubbed "Spiderman" in our family. (check out Sonya's blog for video proof of his climbing skillz). So that's a quick update for anyone who still checks our blog! Fun times!!!

3 Years!

2009-03-25T07:14:00.000-05:00

It all started with a mission trip to Mexico in 2000. We were in our second meeting and praying over the trip when I heard this sweet voice praying a powerful prayer. I actually opened my eyes and looked up to see who this was and made it my intentions to get to know her.

Her name was Cindy Marlin and she was a freshman from St. Louis who liked a lot of the same things I did. I had graduated by this point and was getting ready to go to medical school. I was starting to think more seriously about the future and over the course of the next several weeks I saw a lot of qualities in her that I liked. I told her this and, well, she wasn't quite ready to get serious. STRIKE ONE.

So life goes on and we go our seperate ways. We occasionally run into each other at a ball game or church which always served to stir something inside of me. It always seemed she was never dating anyone either and I was still attracted to her. We both had other interest over the course of the next few years and as luck would have it, I was back in Fayetteville for a month the spring of 2003. I kept seeing her and once again the old desires were stirring up. I spend yet another month in Fayetteville during my 4th year of medical school and decide I am going to give it another shot. It seems her roommate Cathy keeps moving so I can sit by her at church and they have us over for dinner. I am thinking, "yeah, she likes me". She was thinking, "finally we can be just friends", but I didn't know this or I wouldn't have asked her out again for STRIKE TWO.

My roommate Matt McClure tells me how I should never give this girl another chance and take her name off the list for good. I am glad I didn't listen to him because in the fall of 2004 she saw the light for the first time. That is the same light I saw in 2000, the same light that emits from the sparks that fly each time we are together.

We started hanging out on the Saturday of Bikes Blues and BBQ with Chris and Katie Allen in 2004 and I asked her if I could seriously persue her while on a camping trip with friends at Lost Valley that same fall. I proposed to her in the fall of 2005 and we got married on March 25, 2006.

It has been an amazing and wonderful 3 years. As I look back we have been so blessed. We absolutely love where God has us right now. We still have lots to learn about marriage and how to grow closer as one, but we have come a long way since first being married 3 years ago.

Cindy, I love you so much. You are so very thoughtful and such a good partner in life. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us as we head into year #4 and working on growing ever closer as one, as God designed marriage.
Thank you for all of your support and patience with me.

Love,
Jason

'Wye' look at all the daffodils!!!

2009-03-10T12:14:00.002-05:00

Our latest photo shoot at Wye Mtn. outside Little Rock last weekend. This place has 7 acres of just daffodils. It is breathtaking to say the least. Jason did a great job getting Oaklee to pose. (which is not that hard, she's pretty photogenic!) I thought they were so cute and worth posting. Notice Olivia's smile in the family pic. :-) I LOVE the last pic of Oaklee looking at the cross. I think Jason should get some award for that. It's really touching! Can anyone think of a good caption for the last one???

Babies and smiles

2009-02-20T11:21:00.000-06:00

A pic of all of Oaklee's "babies".

Olivia's first smile!

Caring...sharing...every little thing that we are wearing

2009-02-08T16:33:00.001-06:00

Can anyone name the song and movie this line comes from? I've had it stuck in my head ever since I put these matching outfits on the girls. Aren't they cute? Oaklee enjoyed the photo shoot, but Olivia seemed a little skeptical, esp. when I laid her on Oaklee's tummy. I don't know what Oaklee was tickled over in that last pic, but it's funny to me! She is a really good big sis.

Other highlights from the week:
*A new/ used car! We are selling my Accord and already got an 01 hunter green Suburban to replace it so I'll have more room. I have 2 words for you: seat warmers. (my favorite feature)
*After a year and a half without tv, we decided now was the time to re-join the tv world, so we had Directv installed on friday. Now I don't have to watch the same Sesame St. and Baby Einstein videos all day long! I had watched them so much the past few weeks that I was waking up at night with all the songs in my head. Not good! So Jason and I have had fun watching shows together. Our faves are The Amazing Race (which starts up again in a week!!), American Idol, Man vs. Wild, and after tonight we'll probably start watching The Biggest Loser. They were showing re-runs of it on some channel and we got hooked after one episode. Jason's wanting to see their strategy for helping people lose weight so he can apply it in his practice and the workout facility we'll be opening soon.
*Last but not least, Jason discovered yesterday that our dog Suzie is pregnant, but this time without our permission! We were planning on breeding her again when her 'time' came, b/c her last litter was perfect and we wanted to produce more quality retriever puppies for others to enjoy. BUT the little toot got out of our yard several times over the past few months, and apparently was out frolicking with a beau of her own choosing. (we think we know who he is, and he is NOT a good looking dog! Suzie, what were you thinking???) Even though I feel angry and violated about the whole situation, I guess we'll make the most of it and hopefully will be able to give the half-beautiful pups to loving families. If you want one, just let us know!

That's all for now!

Week 2

2009-01-29T15:43:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics from this week of life with 2 girls. Things are starting to feel more normal. Olivia surprised us by sleeping through the night on her 1-week birthday, and has continued to do so (for the most part) every night since. Amazing! Words can't express my delight. Oaklee didn't sleep through the night until she was 6 months old, so this is a welcome change of pace.

Oaklee has an affinity for ink pens, and Jason being the good doctor and all means that our house has an unlimited supply of them from drug reps & the like. So she found one this week and managed to draw a beard on herself (unintentionally, of course), but I thought it was picture-worthy, at least.

O-2 (as Jason affectionately calls the girls) and their matching pj's.

Oaklee is warming up to her little sis quite well. She always looks for her as soon as she gets up from her naps, and she's taken to rocking her in her swing, holding her hand, patting her head & giving her kisses. But Olivia doesn't seem too sure in the bottom pic. :-)

The detailed delivery report (ie- from a female perspective)

2009-01-25T18:45:00.000-06:00

So, for any of you who wanted more details (I'm probably just speaking to other moms out there who have been through labor & delivery & know what it's like), here is a run down of my experience last Monday...

I had known from the beginning of this pregnancy that I wanted the birth to be as natural as possible. I wanted Oaklee's to be natural, too, and had tried to do it without an epidural, but wasn't prepared for the pain of the pitocin contractions. So this time around, I really did my research and prepared for a natural birth as much as possible. Some very wise friends shared their advice with me, which helped so much in knowing how to handle the pain of contractions. So I was expecting to go into labor on my own this time, but for whatever reason, things did not work out that way and I had to be induced again. I tried not to be disappointed about it, but in my mind, being induced was equivalent with getting an epidural, b/c I didn't see how anyone could stand those contractions without it. So, I was pretty much preparing to get one that day and had given up my desire for a natural birth.

So we get to the hospital around 8:30a, pitocin got started around 10a (after 4 tries of getting a stinkin IV in my arm! good heavens! they said my veins were 'lovely but deceiving'.) I wasn't feeling many contractions for several hours, so Jason & I walked the halls awhile, my parents came and hung out, I made 3 colorful pot-holders, tried to play some Scrabble with my mom but could only come up with 3-letter words so we quit that after awhile. Then things got rolling around 1:30p when my dr. broke my water. I think I was dilated to a 4 at that point, and my dr. thought I would be 'quick' after my water broke. She was right, thank goodness! Contractions gradually but quickly became faster & stronger, and my main way of staying relaxed through them was breathing & putting hot cloth diapers on my stomach (we had a crockpot of them in the room with us). I just stayed on my side and tried not to move, and I did ok for about an hour or so. Then as they became stronger, it got harder & harder to stay relaxed and I started losing the mental battle, b/c I was thinking, "How long can I do this? This is really hard!" So I asked for some Demerol, and that definitely helped me relax, but I still felt a LOT of pressure and was having a hard time finding a position to stay in. Then the nurse says I'm at an 8, which in my mind meant I still had a little ways to go, and I just couldn't bear the thought of being so uncomfortable for any longer than I had to. I realize now that I was in the classic 'transition' phase of labor, which is when you transition from stage 1 to stage 2...stage 2 being when you deliver. I was closer than I realized to delivery, b/c when I asked for an epidural, my nurse & doctor said I was ready to push, and if I were to get an epidural, then I'd probably have the baby while the epidural was being put in. So with that in perspective, I was glad to know I could push and that it would be over soon! That gave me strength to keep going and endure the pain I was feeling. So they had me start pushing with each contraction...and I think within 30 minutes or so (I really have no clue), I gave one final push that felt like I was pushing out a bowling ball, and then all I felt was huge RELIEF and I saw Olivia right in front of me. It was incredible. There are no words to express what I felt in that moment. It was different from Oaklee's delivery b/c I felt so much more of it this time, and I guess it made me feel more engaged with the whole process and soooooo thankful when it was over & this precious baby was in front of me. I really felt like Superwoman when it was all over, kinda like "if I can do this, then I can do anything!". It was just a good experience overall. I really can't explain how I felt different, but even though I was induced and had one dose of pain meds, I still felt like I had a pretty natural childbirth and my desires were satisfied for wanting to experience that.

I've had a good recovery, for the most part. I tore just a little bit, but not nearly as bad as with Oaklee. The afterbirth pains while I nurse have been pretty terrible at times, but I think I'm over the worst of those. The most sleep I'm getting in one stretch is 2 hrs, so that's definitely catching up with me. Olivia's not doing well at night as far as sleeping goes, but hopefully we'll get in a rhythm pretty soon. Anyway, there is your detailed report of the delivery of Miss Olivia! It was awesome. I definitely don't want to do it again anytime soon, but I am really thankful for how it worked out. I wanted to type it out before I forgot. Can't believe it'll be a week ago tomorrow!

D-day plus 3 & 4

2009-01-23T11:41:00.000-06:00

Hey friends- here are some recent pics since we've been home. Olivia's doing great other than having her days & nights mixed up. I (Cindy) am doing great other than some painful afterbirth contractions when she nurses and Olivia having her days & nights mixed up. Jason's doing great other than having had to go back to work immediately, but at least it's the weekend now and he can be home with us. And my mom is doing great other than being a little tired keeping up with Oaklee (as evidenced by the pic below). I'm going to post a detailed story of the delivery when I get a chance to sit down and write it out, for those of you who are wanting more details than my sweet husband gave. Stay tuned!

We Are Home!

2009-01-20T19:17:00.001-06:00

We are home now. Tired but doing well. Thanks for all of your prayers and comments. Cindy is feeding Olivia right now and so far she is doing well. Oaklee is wired at the moment but hopefully will go to sleep soon. Cindy's mom Kay is here until Cindy gives her permission to go home, which is a BIG help. We are so thankful for having family who is able and willing to help.

The 4 of us

2009-01-20T10:35:00.000-06:00

We are going home at 4 today. Oaklee has not figured out yet what all is going on but she is being cordial towards her new sister. We will post a lot more photos tonight.

More Olivia photos

2009-01-20T09:52:00.000-06:00

Here are more Olivia photos. We left our usb cord for the D70 so you will have to settle for iPhone photos for now.
Mom and baby are doing well. More to come later.

Meet Olivia

2009-01-19T16:53:00.000-06:00

Cindy did awesome. She never got an epidural, had only a slight tear.
Olivia weighs 7lbs 4 oz, 20 in long, has lots of hair and blue eyes.
She looks a lot like Oaklee did when she was a baby.

Getting Closer

2009-01-19T15:48:00.000-06:00

She is now at 8cm. She took some Demerol about an hour or two ago which has helped. She is still doing well, contractions of course are stronger and she isn't in the mood for pictures right now. Stay tuned...

Lady in waiting

2009-01-19T11:56:00.000-06:00

So, we are in the hospital, pitocin has been started, a few contractions have started but Cindy is pretty comfortable still. She is supposed to have her water broken at noon. Cindy's parents Kay and Chuck Marlin are here and my parents are on their way with Oaklee. I am hungry, so the Kay and Chuck are going to get me some McAllister's. Cindy has to suffer until Olivia is born. She does get some delicious looking Popsicles, though.

Thanks for all of you who are praying and have sent encouraging emails. I am reading them to Cindy.

More to come as we have details.

Still no Olivia....yet

2009-01-18T20:15:00.003-06:00

So, Olivia is enjoying the warmth of the womb and is apparently going to have to be induced out. We are still holding out hope she will come tonight, but she is following in the ways of her big sister Oaklee and it is looking like Cindy will be induced in the morning. I will be blogging when I can to give you photos and updates. Please pray that all goes well. Specifically that Cindy's labor would be as pain free as possible and that Olivia enter into the world healthy.

Christmas recap & update

2009-01-13T08:43:00.000-06:00

Here are some long awaited pics from the holidays. We have been neglecting our blog, as you have probably noticed. Nothing personal to the blog or our blogging friends, but...there have just been other things going on! Had a good holiday other than all 3 of us being sick. Oaklee's favorite toys are shown below- her pink car that she calls her "beep beep", and her rocking chair from Cracker Barrel that she calls her "rock rock". She's saying all her words in pairs right now, kinda like the 'double-double chex-chex' commercial. But she sure is learning words fast! Her vocab includes: 'peaches!, eat!eat!, wa-wa (for water/ agua), poopy, night-night, no no (she mocks us every time we tell her no)...and several others i can't think of. Her latest tricks are when we ask her, "What's your name?", she puts her hand on her chest and says, "Me!". Then last night, she figured out how to open Jason's iphone! We couldn't believe it. She did it again this morning, several times. What a smart little girl! (except he couldn't get his screen to come back on for like 15 minutes, ha)

Anyway, so there's a quick update. We are still eagerly anticipating the arrival of Olivia. I haven't had many contractions. I see my dr. again tomorrow and we'll plan a day to induce next week if I don't go into labor on my own. I do NOT want to be induced if I can help it. So we're just waiting, praying & hoping for the best. We can't wait to meet her! We'll let everyone know when it all goes down.

Jason's side of the fam. Awesome people!

Oaklee 14 months

2008-12-11T20:44:00.001-06:00

Here are some recent pics of our beloved oak tree. She is developing quite the little personality these days! Her favorite activity right now is when Jason pushes her in her shopping cart around the house. I wanted a turn, too, but they both just looked at me like I was crazy or something. Maybe after the baby's born? And maybe not. Anyway, just wanted to share the pics! She sat on Santa's lap tonight and WAILED. We knew she wouldn't like it. She has a phobia of strange, old men. Can you blame her? :-)

And the winner is...

2008-12-05T09:48:00.005-06:00

We are pleased to announce that we have a winner for our name-guessing contest! After 20 or so guesses, Jenny McCoy, a high school classmate of Jason's, nailed it! And even gave the correct scripture references! Way to go, Jenny! Your gift card will be in the mail shortly.

So now for the big unveiling...The moment you've all been waiting for...The full name of baby #2 will be.......... Olivia Anne

Olivia was inspired from a teaching we received from a wonderful, godly man named Suresh from South Africa this past summer. He was teaching on the olive tree, and how we as the church are designated by God to be like a 'green olive tree'. He said that olive trees are symbols of wealth, they have the power to nourish others, they grow in high ground (which represents us having a high standard of life), the leaves come in pairs (representing covenant relationship), they are a source of oil (which produced new anointing), they bear abundant fruit (symbolizing high productivity in life), they grow in warm, sunny conditions (meaning they're able to bear heat & endure), they have the power to endure judgment (the dove that Noah sent out from the ark brought back an olive branch as the first sign of life after the flood!), and they have the power of attraction (as we do with the beauty of Christ inside us). I was so struck by all this as he was teaching that I kept thinking..."How could we name our kid after this?" And then the lightbulb went off, "Olivia!" Even though Olivia has been one of the top 5 most popular girl names for the past few years, I had NEVER been drawn to it or even considered it. But over the course of a week or two, it grew on me and Jason & I both felt the Lord's pleasure in it. I love that it's another tree, too. So we've got an oak & an olive tree now! I love how God is in the details, b/c we could have never thought of it on our own.

"Anne" comes from two places; 1)Jason's side of the family (it's his mom's middle name), and 2)Anne of Green Gables, my favorite heroine.

So there you have it! The suspense is over. Now the suspense of meeting her really begins! This one LOVES to kick, she reminds me of her presence all the time! We can't wait to meet our little olive shoot. :-) Thanks everyone, for playing our game!
.
"But I am like an olive tree, flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever." Psalm 52:8

CLUE #3

2008-11-30T19:24:00.002-06:00

Ok guys, it's time for the clue of the week! Get your thinking caps on...

3. The name is inspired from a teaching we received this past summer at our church. Both David & Jesus taught on this certain word. (hence, the OT and NT) Also, there are 6 letters in this name.

We figured this would either make it easier or harder! Good luck! One guess per person per week. :-)

CLUE #2

2008-11-22T20:37:00.003-06:00

Ok friends, so we have a good list of guesses going from last week's clue. Here are some of the guesses so far:

Grace
Hope
Faith
Lily
Meshach
Thea
Charis

Quite a variety of names, eh? Keep your guesses coming (1 per week)! Ready for clue #2??? Here it is:

2. The word that the name is derived from is found in both the Old and New Testament. Also, this name would not have made our top 25 names this time last year.
1. The name is not a proper name in the Bible but is derived from a certain word in scripture.

7 Randoms

2008-11-20T15:09:00.003-06:00

Awhile back, I was tagged by a friend to post 7 random facts about myself, and I never got around to doing it! But the past few days, I've been pondering this query and so I figured I'd go ahead and post while it was on my mind. So here goes, 7 random facts about Cindy:

1) Biggest pet peeve: TYPOES. (haha, I mean 'TYPOS'). Maybe I am destined to be an editor someday, but I ALWAYS notice typos and it drives me nuts when I can't change them! The most common typo I've seen is confusing "their, there and they're" or "two, to and too". A good chunk of people just don't know when or how to use contractions. What is the world coming to? Maybe I just had good English teachers growing up, or read too many Saddle Club books. :-) In any case, if you ever need help in this department, I offer you my services.

2) I just don't like wearing socks...unless they fit perfectly. I refuse to wear them to bed unless my feet are on the brink of hypothermia. I much prefer warm slippers around the house that don't require socks. But Smartwools are the exception, I suppose. Just wish they weren't so darn expensive!

3)I am really enjoying homemade hot chocolate & cheddar cheese rice cake snacks these days. (not at the same time) But this is liable to change tomorrow.

4)I take great pleasure in cleaning ear wax out of my ears & Oaklee's. Words can't express the satisfaction I feel. One of the perks of being married to a doctor is having an official 'ear cleaning kit' at home. If you ever need a good ear cleaning, give me a call!

5)Most essential piece of make-up: lip gloss. I own at least 7 different lip glosses, and keep them stashed in every bag & every room. Although last week I had to fast from my normal amount of lip gloss b/c I was having an allergic reaction to one of them. It was almost traumatic, but not really.

6)I also take great pleasure in cleaning out the lint trap of my dryer, but only with a used dryer sheet, NEVER with my hand. I guess it's a similar principle to the ear cleaning. I just like cleaning these things!

7)Anne of Green Gables is by far one of the best stories ever written. I recently watched Anne of Avonlea and was enchanted with it all over again (I watched the last scene about 5 x's in a row, you'll understand if you've seen it.) It is really brilliant & speaks to the heart of a woman more than most stories do. I can't wait to read it to Oaklee and "what's-her-name". :-)

Here's a parting pic to leave you with, since no post is complete without a pic! This is one of my recent faves.

Man vs. Wild: De Queen edition

2008-11-18T12:12:00.002-06:00

Other than being one of our favorite TV shows, here is a pic of my own Man vs. wild with his latest pride & joy- an 8-point buck! No, he didn't wrestle the deer to the ground, as the picture would suggest. This pose was just to keep the 'innerds' from showing in the pic so that weak-stomached folk like myself wouldn't dry heave upon seeing it.

So what could make a wife prouder, you might ask? Well, nothing more than getting a phone call from one's hubby at 7am to inform me that he had just made 'the kill.' Now, life BEFORE Jason NEVER included deer meat of any kind. I'm a city girl, remember? But after some time passed and I got over the initial shock of putting 'wild game' in my mouth, I have grown to be quite a big fan of it. My favorite ways to eat deer meat are 1) Deer stew (which we had last week), 2) Deer bites (wrapped in bacon w/ a jalapeno slice & then barbequed to perfection), and 3) Fried deer, which tastes uncommonly like chicken fried steak. How do you like YOUR deer??? Way to go, dear, for truly bringing home the 'bacon' (in this case, deer bacon). You make me proud!

Let the Name Game Begin!

2008-11-15T20:23:00.003-06:00

OK, last year I know we had an unfair contest to name Oaklee, but this year is different. We will have a definite winner who will be able to guess the baby number 2's name. The prize will be a $50 gift card to either Starbuck's, Wal-Mart, or where ever you choose.

We will give one clue each week for the next several weeks. (Cindy is at 31 weeks)
You may guess one name a week. Each week, the clues get progressively easier.
First person to guess the correct first name wins.
Post your guesses here on the blog. You may ask questions that we may use as a clue.

Clue #1
The name is not a proper name in the Bible but is derived from a certain word in scripture.

1 year old!

2008-10-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry again for the lack of posts! Here are some fun pics that were taken recently. Oaklee was insistent on putting on dad's camo boots. Guess we need to get her a pair pretty soon!

We had 2 parties for her, one with jason's fam and one with mine.

I just love this pic of her eyes. They pop!

I'd say the cupcake was a hit! She thoroughly enjoyed her bday treat, which was evident in her bowel movement the next day, as well. (it was pink)

almost a year

2008-10-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts from the Lofton casa, blogger friends! I just haven't made the time to post anything lately. The only excuse I can think of is that I finally gave in and joined Facebook, so I've been spending my internet time on it rather than the blog, but I will try to balance both of them. I honestly don't want to spend too much time on either b/c there's so many other things to do, but I love keeping in touch with everyone, and of course posting pics of Oaklee girl. Here's the latest ones from last weekend. She's about to turn a year old in 2 weeks! I delight in spending my days with her. It gets better all the time. Her vocab now includes "Uh-oh", "Bawww" (for 'ball'), "Da-da", "Woof woof" (minus the 'f', but she loves the dogs), "Ooh-ooh-ah-ah" (for a monkey sound), "Maaa" (isn't quite saying mama, but we're working on it), and "Pop pop" (for her grandpa and for some of her toys). We're all enjoying the magical fall weather here in DQ. This is my favorite time of year, I think.

J-Lo is 3___?!!!

2008-09-12T11:11:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday, dear hubby! You are awesome. (and you look good in cowboy hats!)

Bush Hog

2008-09-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

This is a photo of my dads bush that he has shaped into a Razorback over the last couple of years and in honor of this weeks game he has put the upside down orange cow skull.

Go Hogs Go

More pics from today

2008-09-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

And...she's off!

2008-09-05T16:01:00.000-05:00

Our little diva is officially walking! She gets so excited, as the first picture portrays. She's really quick, too. It's so much fun watching her develop. I did a little photo shoot with her just now outside, so the close-ups are from today. Thought some of them turned out cute, she's so photogenic!

Latest Lofton Lowdown

2008-08-27T16:58:00.003-05:00

I thought it was time for a little update for those of you who have been concerned that there haven't been any new posts lately. Hopefully you haven't lost any sleep over the fact. So here it is...the latest on the Lofton's...in no particular order:

*Oaklee officially loves the lake & riding in boats, as evidenced below. She and her buddy Paige had a BALL last weekend on Beaver Lake, as shown in the 2nd picture. All smiles!

*Jason attempted a 360 while wakesurfing and succeeded! (the 1st time ever, but never did it again the rest of the day...it was definitely an accomplishment for him, be it ever so fleeting) Way to go, stud!

Our friend Katie ALMOST landed her flip while wakeboarding. Here's a cool pic of her mid-air. She has no fear whatsoever. I think she's even smiling in this picture! She's crazy.

This is perhaps the 3rd time that Oaklee has fallen asleep in my arms. She is not much of a cuddler b/c she can't stand not knowing what's going on around her, but she pooped out after a few hours at the lake. I was more than happy to hold her. :-)

Other news:
*I am now HALFWAY through my pregnancy. Yikes! But a good yikes, of course. From the first ultrasound a few weeks ago, it looked to be a probable girl!
*Jason has a secret passion for pickle juice. I have caught him multiple times in the past week drinking the juice right out of the jar. Call it sympathy pregnancy cravings? I don't know, but the sight of it made me want to gag.
*My latest cravings= chocolate covered cherries, Honey-O's cereal (even though NO place in DQ carries the darn thing), vanilla lattes, toasted peanut butter sandwiches, & veggie bagel sandwiches. NOW we're talking.
*Oaklee is cutting like 3-4 more teeth right now, which translates to rough nights for mom.
*We are now a proud aunt & uncle of our 3rd nephew, Griffin Kelley. He was born yesterday in Fayetteville, and we are going to meet him this weekend. Yea!!!

Well, folks, that's all for now! Signing out from Deeeeee Qween.

Oaklee waving

2008-08-19T18:29:00.001-05:00

Oaklee has learned to sign "more" now and uses it frequently to tell us she wants "more food". She also has a really cute wave I finally caught on video. More to come soon.

Oaklee Clapping

2008-08-12T20:49:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of Oaklee clapping. She just learned last week. She has also learned to wave which you can get a quick one second glimpse of here, but we can't seem to get her to wave when we have the camera rolling.

Colorado slideshow, enjoy!

2008-08-07T15:30:00.003-05:00

Rocky Mountain highs & lows:
*High- Oaklee not crying on the flight & trying to flirt with everyone sitting around
us
*High- staying with the English's in Denver 2 nights= incredible cinnamon rolls, egg
casserole & coffee. I love breakfast! Their hospitality was top-notch.
*High- eating at Panera for lunch on our way to the cabin. Heaven! (for cindy, jason wasn't as excited as I was)
*Low- having a stinking altitude headache for at least 2 days. They are not fun!
*High- seeing my friend Brooke at the ranch she works at. I haven't seen her since my wedding! (but I had a headache the whole time we were there, too)
*Low- being in an exclusive fly-fishing community & not getting to fly fish! (only b/c we need more lessons, and there was no one to keep oaklee)
*High- finally finishing Pride & Prejudice (in novel form) and loving every minute of
it. I've seen the movie probably close to 100x's, but never read the book.
*High- riding 4 wheelers around the property. This was probably my favorite activity.
*Low- seeing all the fire damage to the trees from the Hayman fire. It was really sad to see! Plus it came REALLY close to our cabin.
*High- naps every day for all 3 of us= divine.
*High- beating Jason at Scrabble.
*Low- losing to Jason at Scrabble.
*High- seeing several gorgeous sunsets from our porch each night.
*High- true peace & quiet. No phone, no TV, no internet. Just the sound of the river
& the wind. It was awesome.
*Low- coming back to a literal mountain of paperwork for Jason. He's having a heck of a time catching up this week.
*High- uninterrupted time for the 3 of us to hang out. It was some sweet time
together.

back from the mountains

2008-08-03T22:36:00.000-05:00

We are back from our long-anticipated vacation to Colorado! We got back last night, and are too tired to post anything except one pic tonight. It was so refreshing, though. Specifically the fact that there was no humidity. That in itself was delightful. We'll post pics soon!

The big 9-er

2008-07-16T14:09:00.001-05:00

Oaklee was 9 months old yesterday! She had her check-up and is healthy as a horse. She's in the 20th percentile for her weight, but like 50th for her height. Not that that means anything for her future stature, but it's always fun to found out the stats. Here's some recent pics of our little doll. I LOVE this little girl. She's so full of life!

Who Does this look like?

2008-07-12T11:06:00.004-05:00

This is only good for my Fayetteville friends. Cindy and I came across this photo the other day and think this is the long lost brother of one of our Grove friends. Any guesses? I will post his photo later to see the comparisons.

Pink or Blue?

2008-07-04T21:28:00.000-05:00

Jason took these pics last night at DQ's big fireworks show. But they ALSO represent the question of whether or not we will have a boy or girl come 1/14/09?!!! Our secret is now out in the open, after keeping it in for 12 weeks! We are expecting baby #2 next January. We plan to have a legitimate name-contest with this one that we promise will be win-able...we are thinking maybe a $50 gas card or STarbucks card for the first person who guesses the name. However, we will wait until we find out the sex before the contest officially begins. :-) So stay tuned! We're so excited to have another arrow in our quiver. Children truly are a reward & a heritage from the Lord.

Surfin USA

2008-07-02T15:26:00.000-05:00

So this is Jason & I's favorite water sport now- wakesurfing. It is SO MUCH FUN. Jason is already a pro, as you can see in the picture below. He can surf behind the boat w/out the rope for at least 30 seconds, if not a 1minute. It's really fun to watch. In the last picture, he even surfed up to the swim deck on the back of the boat and just stepped right on! Kinda freaked me out b/c I wasn't expecting it, but he meant to do it all along! For me, however, it was only my 3rd time to surf, so I never quite found the 'sweet spot' in the wake to where I could let go of the rope and just ride. But I still had a blast, b/c it's so dang fun. (plus it doesn't hurt to fall! even though I STILL have to hold my nose, as evidenced by the 3rd picture down, much to Jason's delight when he captured the moment) I also shriek like a girl every time I fall, too. I don't know why! It's just instinct, both holding my nose and shrieking. Oh well, I'm not ashamed! I'm just glad I can still do water sports with no fear of tearing another ACL (as I did wakeboarding 2 summers ago). We love the lake & we love Ryan & RAchel's boat. It puts out a pretty wicked surfing wave, even though you can't tell by the pictures. Fun times!

these are a few of my favorite things...

2008-06-24T20:55:00.003-05:00

So thought I'd post a little something different this time, just because I felt like it. Here's a list of some of my(Cindy) favorite things right now...

Favorite snack/ fruit: Blueberries! I have been missing out all these years by not buying that small little container of fruity bliss. It always seems too expensive for such a little box of berries, but I deem it worthy of the cost now. They are just a really delightful fruit. I've always loved blueberry pancakes & blueberry pie, but have never had the inkling to eat them in their own simplicity.

Favorite movie I'm anticipating coming out: Fireproof. Made by the same church who made Facing the Giants (which is in my top 10). This looks like an intense but worthwhile movie. Here's a link to the trailer.

Favorite dinner: Pioneer Woman's pot roast. This is DIVINE. Please make this tomorrow night and invite us over to eat it with you. It is really amazing. Beats every pot roast I've had in the past hands down (no offense, mom!). Jason & I salivate just thinking about it. We just had it tonight and we both sighed with joy as we took our first bite. That's how good it is.

Favorite beverage: Constant Comment hot tea. Delicious. My mom got me hooked on this from a young age, but I go back and forth between tea & coffee as my motivator to get out of bed in the mornings. So tea it is right now.

Favorite thing to do that makes me feel cool: Starting a lawnmower by myself. I did that this morning because we had a jungle growing in our backyard, so I gave the little button 3 pumps, pushed the handle down, and pulled the string as hard as I could. Only took 2 tries to get it running! I really feel satisfied that I can do that by myself. Mowing is actually fun. (I hope my father-n-law doesn't read this b/c then he'll probably make me mow his 2-acre yard, although he has a killer riding mower that I could probably have some fun with.)

Favorite thing to do with Oaklee: Make her laugh. I love finding new ways to bring out the giggles in Oaklee. Her laugh is like one of the best sounds in the world. The latest thing that got her going was pointing at these color posters on the wall in our church and saying each color. She just died laughing! Pretty soon she had me rolling, too. Who knew colors were so darn funny?

Favorite way to fill 5 minutes of free time: Violin. I pulled my violin out of its case last week, after it had taken a LONG holiday from me. So now it is sitting right by my side at the computer, so I have been picking it up several times a day to play.
My favorite songs to play are Ashokan Farewell & the Lover's Waltz, along with an assortment of hymns. I desperately need lessons, b/c I fear I'm only reinforcing bad habits I've already made. So I'm hoping to find someone here in DQ who could teach me a thing or two. I just love playing this instrument and deeply desire to get good at it. It's such a beautiful sound! (when played right, of course)

So there's a few of my favorite things right now. What are some of YOUR favorite things???

young prince Cole was a merry old soul...

2008-06-23T17:13:00.000-05:00

Happy 2 years of being in the world, little nephew Cole! We love you!

Oaklee in June

2008-06-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the latest Oaklee pics taken in June. More to come soon!!

Like father, like child...

2008-06-15T13:15:00.000-05:00

We wish our fathers a wonderful day today. We are both blessed with very loving & good fathers, and of course Oaklee would say the same about her dad. Here's some pics of what we like to do with our dads. Their passions have certainly influenced ours over the years!

Oaklee Turning Pages

2008-06-11T20:24:00.002-05:00

This is another video shot with our webcam (hence the not so great quality) of me attempting to show you some more of Oaklee's tricks, such as turning pages. She added a few extras you will likely get a laugh out of. Enjoy.

Oaklee Crawling

2008-06-09T20:28:00.001-05:00

Oaklee has now started to crawl. This was done using our new Webcam, some it is not the best quality. More stuff to come.

take a hike!

2008-06-01T19:57:00.001-05:00

We had our first official hike with Oaklee last Friday at Cossatot Falls. Jason took the day off and we spent time outdoors hiking over boulders to get to a perfect little swimming hole in the Cossatot River. It was awesome! Oaklee thoroughly enjoyed her new hiking backpack, she smiled & jabbered the whole way, except for the way back b/c she was tired, so she cried & we pretty much sprinted. But it was a beautiful day & a beautiful spot to swim, fish, skip rocks, and just enjoy creation. We need to do stuff like this more often...

today's photo shoot

2008-05-29T15:38:00.000-05:00

just to satisfy those who only check our blog for more oaklee pics. :-)

Pray for a miracle

2008-05-26T20:47:00.002-05:00

Hey friends & family,
Please read what has been happening on our friends Chris & Lindsey Wheeler's blog. I am in tears & in awe right now at what has happened over the past week with Lindsey's sister's friend, Kali. Please, please join us in praying for Kali, for her life to be fully restored, for God's name to be made famous & for His purposes to be completely accomplished in what seems like a terrible tragedy. But things are not always as they seem. Truly nothing is impossible with our God. Please stop right now and intercede for this girl's life.

Oaklee at 7.25 months

2008-05-21T19:34:00.001-05:00

So, we haven't updated in a week or so. Sorry, we have been busy. Oaklee has hit a few milestones this past week. She has started sitting up on her own from a lying position and has started learning how to make pigtails in her hair. She is very smart for her age. We are teaching her to read next week. She is also getting in a crawling position, but hasn't quite figured out how to make the arms and legs work together yet. Hopefully our friend Ryan can hook us up with some video this week when he gets home.

Richland Creek Wilderness Area

2008-05-06T19:06:00.005-05:00

Last Friday and Saturday I met up with my friends Mark and Randy Cramer and embarked upon my first camping trip in a while. Mark and I met up and finally made it to the Richland Creek Wilderness Area Camp Ground. It took us a while as the main route was blocked by some trees as can be seen below. We hiked to Twin Falls which is a beautiful twin waterfall in the area, although it is not easy to get to. We had to cross the creek twice and our clothes stayed dry (think about it). We were camping in the storm that passed through last Friday morning, but thanks to Mark's North Face tent, we were bone dry.
Randy met us on Friday night after Mark and I had hiked our legs off and had a nice meal of grilled Tilapia and Asparagus while sitting on a rock that jetted out in the river. Saturday we road around and saw Falling Water Falls and then drove back to Hot Springs where I met Cindy and dropped Mark off.
I highly recommend this area if you are looking for some rugged beauty. My photos didn't turn out the best b/c the sun came out before we could make it to the falls.

Looking down Devil's Fork with Twin falls behind me.

One of the falls of Twin Falls

Twin Falls

The rock we cooked and ate dinner on beside the camp ground.

Rand, myself, and Mark at the guest cabin we stayed in Friday night (thankfully)

Sign posted on the land slide on CR-1 which is just north of Falling Water Falls, on the way to Richland. About half the mountain literally slid down blocking the road. Some trees were still standing perfectly upright while others looked like they had been pushed over by a bull dozer.

View from the land slide looking south at the road

I guess Hillary has secretly given up the race and taken up residence in this small cabin where no one can find her?

Falling Water Falls. I was told this is a nice swimming hole in the summer.

Hillbilly rector set we found beside Falling Water Falls.

keepin' 'em comin'

2008-04-28T21:16:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to apologize for the fact that this is like our 4th or 5th post straight that is completely centered around Oaklee. You guys don't mind, right? At least, I know the grandparents don't mind. :-) But I took these pics today in a new outfit & I couldn't resist posting them. The hat alone makes me want to eat her up. She is such a happy little girl. Oh, and by the way, she has begun to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!! Thank you to all of our friends who contributed their sound counsel on the matter. We're putting her down at 8p every night, and she's sleeping until 6 or 7am, waking up usually just once, but has learned to cry herself back to sleep. I'm thrilled! Anyhoo, enjoy the cuteness down below.

the princess

2008-04-24T20:25:00.000-05:00

This is an outfit that a friend from church here made for Oaklee before she was born. Actually, she made 5 different ones, tutu's and all! So today I dug them out and decided it was time for Oaklee's debut as a princess. Here she is, in all her glamour! I thought the last picture was a good 'prissy' look. She played the part well. (But I really don't think she's going to be prissy, she'll just pretend that she is. Maybe.) Thought these were too precious not to post.

defying gravity

2008-04-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Here is Oaklee's new favorite activity with Dad. She has a BALL! Who wouldn't? She just giggles with glee every time she gets tossed. We need to get her a cape so she'll look more like Superwoman. (or my personal fave, She-Ra...but did she fly? I can't remember)

Hap Birth Oak!

2008-04-15T11:58:00.000-05:00

Happy 6 months (ie- half birthday, hence the title) to our precious daughter! Here's a pic from when she was first born to a current one. I am seriously blown away at how babies & kids develop. I think one of my greatest joys as a mom is to see her change & grow & become a little lady! It is truly an act of God. If anyone wants to make her a cake for this occasion, we will gladly eat it! :-)

Learning to Eat

2008-04-11T06:27:00.000-05:00

Oaklee has recently started to take rice cereal from the spoon. As you can see, she hasn't quite mastered the technique yet. She wants to hold the bowl and spoon, which makes it hard because her hands are always reaching for them. Cindy and I are really enjoying this stage in her life. She is rolling around and is very hard to hold because she wants to be holding whatever is in front of her. She is trying to get up on her knees when she is on her belly, so crawling is probably not too far down the road.

Like father, like daughter

2008-04-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

For those of you know who Jason well, you know that he is an AVID newspaper reader. I mean, A-V-I-D. He could be classified as a newspaper-oholic. I've never known anyone who enjoys reading the paper more than my husband. I, personally, am not a fan b/c I don't like the feel of the paper on my hands, the pages are too big & awkward to hold, and there's just so much to read about that I get overwhelmed and never know where to start. BUT, our 6-month old daughter, on the other hand, is a girl after her daddy's heart. I walked in our computer room last weekend, and this is what I find on the floor. She had somehow rolled herself over to the paper, and even more miraculously opened up the front page, all by herself! So I promise that I did NOT pose her in these pictures. This was all her own doing. Her daddy was beside himself with joy & pride. She is doing so many funny things now. :-) We'll keep you posted on future Oaklee 'funnies'.

Tiptoe through the tulips

2008-04-07T09:03:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday, we went with Jason's parents and my mom to Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, where every spring they have THOUSANDS of tulips that are in bloom. I think Jason was more excited to go than I was! He loves getting pics of all the waterfalls & flowers. Despite the massive rains we got last week, there were still at least half of the tulips that survived. So here are some pics to show how beautiful they are. Even though these were planted by 'man', I think the flowers still give God glory by just being a flower. Everything in creation was made by Him and for Him. I love thinking about that.

We set Oaklee in the infamous Bumbo in the middle of some tulips, and all she saw was something to grab. She tore several to shreds, but looked like the rain did it, if you ask me. :-)

Didn't Jason get some good shots? We are thinking of entering some of these in an art contest near DQ next month.

Happy Birthday Sister

2008-04-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

Hip Hip Hop horray we jump for joy because today is Lindsey's birthday!

We love you Lindsey. I am so thankful to have you as a sister. Thanks for all the fun you are and all the help you have been over the years. We look forward to seeing how God continues to shape your life into the person he created you to be. You are such a great mother and wife to Parker and Patrick and sister and friend to the rest of us. We are looking forward to seeing you in 2 weeks, and giving you your gift then (sorry to make you wait)

I hope you have a happy birthday and eat lots of cake.

pics just for kicks

2008-04-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

For those of you who immediately "X" out of our blog when you find that there are no new Oaklee pics, here are some recent ones to tide you over. The last pic is with her honorary great-aunt Peggie in St. Louis. She is one of my favorite people in the whole world. Once you meet her, she will become your honorary "aunt", too! I met her in the spring of 2001 at Ute Trail Ranch in Lake City, CO, when I first began my journey out there. She was our head cook, and her food was GOOOOOOD! Blueberry pie, homemade french bread, enchilada casserole, choclate chip pancakes...is your mouth watering like mine? She probably won't see this post, but I just wanted to share about her anyway. She and Oaklee had a ball!

What I almost missed out on

2008-04-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

So Cindy and I went to St. Louis this past weekend to see her friend Sarah Kitchen marry Phil Pierce. They had an lovely wedding and awesome reception at the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove Park. We stayed with Todd and Leah and Eli Warren. Thanks to the suggestion Aunt Peggy and Uncle Bill, we had one of the best hamburgers I have ever eaten at Michael's Bar and Grill in Maplewood.

So when I looked at the date a few months ago, I thought to myself, "this sure is close to opening day". Seeing as I have never been to an opening day game, I quickly looked things up on the world wide web and discovered that the Cards were playing the Rockies AT Busch Stadium the Monday after the wedding. Tickets were sold out and the fact that we are still living on a Dave Ramsey budget I figured there would be other chances. We couldn't get tickets anyway.

We get to Todd and Leah's house on Friday after a long car ride to St. Louis (6 hours and Oaklee didn't cry once!) and guess what Todd has? Those tickets above. You can't buy those things. Those are just box seat tickets, but "luxury suite" tickets. They are behind home plate. They have as much food and drink as you can handle..gratis. So what did I do? Did I cancel clinic and stay? As much as I wanted to, I didn't because I would have to cancel 2 days worth of clinic and I didn't want to do that to my patients. Also would have had to miss our church Fellowship with our family at HWF and we didn't want to miss it either.

All is good. Opening day was cancelled. As much as I hated missing opening day, I would have really been upset if I had cancelled my clinic only to stay up there and miss opening day. I do want to put my order in for next year, Todd. And maybe a road trip this summer or fall?

2 years

2008-03-25T06:40:00.003-05:00

2 years ago today, on March 25th, 2006, I had the pleasure of marrying Cindy Kay Marlin (and kissing her for the 1st time, as the picture proves). I am so thankful that God has given you to me as a wife. We have had so much fun and have been filled with the Joy of the Lord. You have been there by my side 100% and I thank you for it. I thank you for your love, your patience, and for how you serve me. You are a wonderful mom and an awesome wife. I am excited to see how the Lord is working in your life and growing you each and every day. I look forward to seeing what the next two years hold as well.

In the last two years, we have been to:
- Hawaii
- Colorado
- Pittsburgh (Hooper's wedding)
- Miami (Poon's weddding)
- Orlando
- Oaxaca, Mexico
- Dallas
- Little Rock
- & De Queen

Things we have done:
- Wake Boarding and surfing
- Fishing
- take a few pictures
- called the Hogs
- moved
- quit old jobs and started new ones
- learned to cook new foods (pad thai)
- had 12 puppies
- had Oaklee
- made new friends

I love you so much Cindy Lofton. Happy 2 year anniversary! Sharpo Sharpo Sharpo.

here comes Oaklee Lofton-tail...hoppin down the bunny trail

2008-03-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter, everybody! We're thankful for our little bunny, but we're also thankful that life is so much more than bunnies & eggs. We praise God that we are in a place where we are building towards something sooooooooooooo much bigger than ourselves. What a great world we are in.

Ode to Oaklee

2008-03-22T17:56:00.002-05:00

Oaklee turned 5 months old last Saturday. She is growing and we are having so much fun with her. Below is a quick slide show to show some recent pictures. Enjoy.

Sleeping through the night: fact or fiction?

2008-03-17T08:52:00.001-05:00

Calling all moms again! I am needing tips or advice for getting Oaklee to sleep through the night. Here is our present situation: She is 5 months old. For the past week or so, I've been feeding her and then putting her down around 8p. She usually goes straight to sleep, and will sleep solid until anywhere from 1a-3a. Then she will wake up, either out of habit or b/c she's hungry, and she has not been able to go back to sleep on her own after that. She cried off & on for 2 hours one night, I was half asleep and had a pillow over my head, but I finally got up and fed her, I think. It's all kind of a blur now. But 2 hours is too long for her to try to cry herself to sleep. So the past few nights, I've gotten up with her and either fed her or rocked her back to sleep. But I am SO READY for a full night's sleep myself that I really need some help from other moms. I know every baby is different, and she may not quite be ready to sleep all the way through, and that's ok. I know it's coming, at least. But if any of you moms out there have any advice, I would appreciate it! I am learning to function with less sleep than I've ever had before, and I'm getting better, I think. At least I'm being more nice to Jason than I was before. :-) (I usually take my crankiness out on him) Anyway, please help!

Hops

2008-03-13T15:11:00.002-05:00

So last Saturday, we went to see Michael Buble in concert in LR, and while he was great & all, we LOVED the group that opened for them. A group called Naturally 7 out of NYC, a 7-man a capella group that can all make their voices sound like REAL instruments. Jason & I were constantly looking over at each other and mouthing, "Wow, this is awesome!" This group is also Christian, which makes us like them even more! They had an incredible sound. We think our favorite out of the bunch was Hops, who can sound just like a bass guitar. This guy can go loooowwwww. Who says you need actual instruments to have a band anyway? Just watch...

Cinco: pet or toy?

2008-03-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

We let Cinco in the house a few days ago so that Oaklee could pet him. (he actually just came in on, invitation or not) So Jason was holding Oaklee's hand and petting Cinco's head with it, and he was just sitting there as happy as could be. He is SUCH a good dog, still very puppy-like, but a great dog nonetheless. Then Oaklee figured out that she could grab his ears just like one of her toys, so she yanked & shook his ears as if they were solely for her entertainment. We were cracking up, but Cinco wasn't phased at all! Maybe he thought it was a rougher kind of massage or something. I thought this was a cute pic, esp. how they're both leaning to opposite sides. So cute!

Happy Birthday Sonya!

2008-03-06T10:33:00.000-06:00

Wanted to give a birthday shout-out to my dear sis-n-law, Sonya! You are a fountain of joy to us. We look forward to many more trips, games & memories with you. Have a wonderful & blessed day!

snow biz

2008-03-05T18:00:00.000-06:00

So yesterday morn, DeQueen had its first snow for this winter. Finally! I've been waiting for it all winter, and now it has arrived! But...was melted and gone within 12 hours. Oh well, at least we got some pics to prove it.

Jason let the dogs run loose for their usual morning exercise (since our fenced in yard doesn't allow for much running) So this is Suzie running full blast just for the sheer joy of running in the snow, right?

Wrong! She actually had a hot bandit on her tail! Cinco was chasing her down at full speed, too. What is it that makes dogs come alive in the snow??? They were certainly in rare form yesterday.

Here is a pic of a tree in our backyard that was really beautiful.

after-bath cuteness

2008-03-04T08:14:00.001-06:00

Here's some recent Oaklee pics, for those of you who only check our blog for that reason. Sorry if we caused any disappointment the past week for our lack of pics of her. These were taken last week after dad gave her her first bath! (not HER first bath, but HIS first bath to give her). Her hair is starting curl when it's wet, so we think it may be curly once it gets longer. Anyhoo, enjoy!

Global Cooling

2008-02-28T08:23:00.002-06:00

It will be interesting to see what people have to say about the new report on global cooling. Some will disagree, but I was supposed to be here this week but couldn't afford to go. I bet anyone who has gone snow skiing in Colorado this year would say "whatever global warming means, we love it because it means bigger and better snow".

So, what does this mean for Al Gore? Is he really worthy of a Nobel Prize? Does this mean we need to all buy SUVs now? I am curious as to what will come of this.

Choco-holics

2008-02-27T17:23:00.000-06:00

"Hi, my name is Cindy, and this is my husband Jason, and we are choc-oholics."
There's no hiding the fact that Jason & I are lovers of chocolate. We are always searching for new recipes that involve the best ingredient in the world. We recently made this Chocolate Pie that we found on The Pioneer Woman's website. This lady has some GREAT recipes & very easy to follow instructions, along with pictures that will make you start salivating for whatever she is making. We couldn't resist trying out her chocolate pie- it is divine. We feel cool now that we know how to do the chocolate curly things to adorn the top of the pie. If any fellow chocoholics want to share their favorite forms of chocolate, then by all means, spread the love! I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if everyone had a piece of chocolate and a backrub every day.

A Goose Hunting Index

2008-02-25T19:58:00.005-06:00

All those little white things that are blocking the trees, those are geese taking flight.

Those are not little aliens, just more geese that were "just out of range"

My friend Matt McClure taking a break for a quick photo

Matt in his "costume" hiding from the geese

Proof that Matt's dad "Big George" took a nap. In case you are wondering, no we did not shoot him, just the position he assumed for his nap. And yes, he was snoring.

Time on the clock when I woke up Saturday: 2 am
Time I was planning on waking up: 2:45 am
Reason I woke up at 2: didn't think I could actually get a good 45 minutes sleep
Time I met up with the hunting party: 3:30 am
Number of dead animals I hit with the car tire on the way to the meeting spot: 1
Type of dead animal hit: skunk, but the smell of it
Number of men hunting: 6
Number of decoys set out: too many, but something like 800
Number of geese in above photos: probably around 25,000
Number of geese seen on Saturday: well over 100,000
Number of shots fired by myself: 20
Number of geese shot: not sure, but probably like zero
Level of tiredness at the end of trip from 1-10: 20

Thanks to my friend Matt McClure I was able to go on this memorable trip. It was not an "epic" goose hunt, but fun was had by all. Goose hunting is definitely more work than I anticipated, but at the same time was mesmerizing by the sheer number of geese present at one spot.

take pictures with your kids!

2008-02-21T09:28:00.000-06:00

My charge to all of our readers today is to take more pictures with your kids! I recently realized that I had only a handful of pics that included Oaklee and either me or Jason. And that's not right! I would say 90% of our pics are of just her, which is fine, but I wanted more pics of us together, so we took some yesterday when we went out to Cossatot Falls on a hike. Oaklee's on her way to becoming a BMW (burly mountain woman) like her mom, b/c she thoroughly enjoyed hiking around in her Baby Bjorn & didn't fuss at all. We had a really good time- it's a hidden treasure of Arkansas! Very, very beautiful place.
So next time you start snapping photos of your little one, don't forget to prove that you were there, too. Besides, they'll want to see what you looked like when you were young & make fun of your clothes. (not that we ever did that to my parents) :-)

Weekend Highlights

2008-02-18T14:57:00.001-06:00

Oaklee is now 4 months old & is unspeakably "treasured" to us & everyone she meets. She is the best gift we've EVER been given and we definitely treasure every day we have with her. She's also a big Bono fan (who created the 'Red' clothes to raise $ for Africa) . ha ha, not really. But do you think she could be a Babygap model?

We had our dear friends Dave & Sarah in from F'ville over the weekend. We had a great time catching up with them, playing with Oaklee, showing off De Queen, and playing the infamous Settlers of Catan. It was a really great time of fellowship. Come back any time, Hamrick's! We love you guys.

The other news was that we will be having a new niece or nephew come September! Lindsey & Patrick are prego again! Parker walks into our house Fri. night wearing a shirt that said "Big Brother", and I thought it was an ad for the tv show (which I've never watched, but know it's shady), so then it dawned on me that it had nothing to do with the tv show but the fact that HE was going to be a big brother! We are so excited for them! What awesome news. Another arrow to add to their quiver. (psalm 127)

This was a sweet pic of cousin Parker and great-aunt Kay with Oaklee. We are so thankful to have such loving families. Parker LOVES Oaklee girl, he gave her countless 'sugars' throughout the weekend. I think they will be good friends growing up, we just need to teach her a few karate moves in order to keep Parker in line. :-)

I love you Cindy Lofton

2008-02-14T05:42:00.000-06:00

Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep
Which have come up from the washing,
Every one of which bears twins,
And none is barren among them.
3 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built for an armory,
On which hang a thousand bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
7 You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,
With me from Lebanon.
Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
10 How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
11 Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
15 A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon. (Song of Solomon 4:1-15)

Thank you so much for being my wife, my belle, my bride. I am so blessed to have you by my side and to be the mother of my child. You are a wonderful, wonderful friend. And I want the whole world to know that I LOVE YOU!

valentine's surprise

2008-02-11T18:36:00.002-06:00

I meant to post this earlier, but wanted to give a shout out to my hubby, Chad & Ryan for planning a very, very special evening for their wives. Last Saturday we all went on a surprise Valentine's date together to Old Washington, AR. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Being surprised! Not having to plan anything! Being wooed & romanced by our husbands was a treat in and of itself. :-) I LOVE going on dates.
2. A really beautiful sunset drive through the rolling hills of SW Arkansas. It's my favorite time of day to drive and the scenery was really, really beautiful.
3. Experiencing the booming metropolis of Old Washington, the once-capital of AR during the Civil War. Not much has changed in the town since then, in case you were wondering. But a lot of neat, colonial style homes are still being used and make for a classy, nostalgic-type atmosphere.
4. Taking a carriage ride down a quaint dirt path, and for a moment pretending like I was Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, the scene where Mr. Darcy touches her hand for the first time when he helped into her carriage- AWESOME. Have always wanted to re-live that myself.
5. DELICIOUS home-style cookin...which included a bottomless basket of salad crackers (our appetizer for a good 30 minutes until the other people were done with their carriage ride), salad, potato soup, prime rib/ cornish hen, homemade rolls, corn souffle, tiramisu & strawberry earthquake cake. And homemade grape juice from an AR vineyard- delightful.
6. Being serenaded by an elderly female violinist, who played age-old romantic classics like Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Oh Susannah.
7. Getting to spend a whole evening without kids and with quality people like the Gallagher's and the Daniels' was really fun. We are really thankful for their friendship.

De Perks of living in De Queen

2008-02-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

Number of people in line in front of me to vote today: 0
Time spent waiting in line at post office: 30 seconds
Time it takes to walk to post office: 3 minutes
Time waiting in line at revenue office: 1 minute
Jason's commute to work: 3 minutes
Nearest lake: 10 minutes
Number of blocks away our house is from church: 3
Number of taco stands within walking distance: 4
Number of Mexican grocery stores within walking distance: 2

I am continually amazed at the amount of time we save here! Small towns definitely have their perks. We are so thankful to not be stuck in traffic for an hour, or to wait in line anywhere for more than 5 minutes. We have so much more time to do things that are important! We invite all of our big-city friends to consider moving here, where you will find a simplified yet powerful lifestyle. I have not had a boring day since we moved here. If you'd like to know what that means, just ask us. :-)

Future Hat Model?

2008-02-02T09:14:00.000-06:00

So we had a little fashion show yesterday with baby Oaklee. My mom had brought TONS, and i mean TONS, of new-used outfits for her to try from a friend of hers who was selling all her baby girl clothes. So I just had fun trying all the hats on her. Doesn't she look like a little magazine cover? With all these new outfits, her indecisive mom (me) is going to have a heck of a time picking out her outfit for the day. What a dilemma to have. ha ha. But we're going through about 3 outfits a day due to spit-up accidents or the 'other end' accidents, so she'll get to wear all of them at some point. Anyway, couldn't wait to share these precious pics. We love our blue-eyed beauty!

Ooh-la-la!

Pretty good deer-in-headlights impression, huh? Jason had been working on that with her.

Oaklee Laughing

2008-01-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

OK, we finally got the necessary software to get some video of Oaklee on our computer. We hope to get more in the coming weeks/months. Thanks to our friends Ryan and Rachel for letting us use his camera. We have a few more we can post, but will have to wait until Ryan gets back from Seattle in two weeks to get new footage.

Hope you enjoy.

Lord of Lords

2008-01-24T17:23:00.001-06:00

This is awesome. Brooke Fraser is my new favorite female worship leader- amazing voice. She is a fellow New Zealander (my homeland if I hadn't been born in the US) and is really popular there even though her music is all about the Lord. If I could sound like anyone, it would be her. Found this video on YouTube, so just wanted to share b/c it is so good. Plus you get to learn some Portuguese! Enjoy! This is just a glimpse of the glory & honor & praise that He deserves. I cannot wait to hear what heaven really sounds like. Unto the Lamb who sits on the throne...

I wanna hold your hand

2008-01-22T06:41:00.000-06:00

I love this little girl. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed Cindy and I with her. She is growing so much every day and we are enjoying her so much. We hope to get some video of her on here soon. She has started to giggle some, just ask Grammy Kay how to make her do it. She slept all night the night before last and Cindy only had to get up once to feed her last night. I hope this is a trend that is starting.

2007 in Pictures

2008-01-17T19:20:00.000-06:00

I know this is late, but here is our 2007 in pictures.

almost 3 months

2008-01-10T22:51:00.000-06:00

here are some new & oh-so-cute pics of oaklee girl. she's starting to enjoy tummy time- she has excellent neck & head control, as evidence by the pics below. she is becoming quite animated, as well. and we think we've figured out her 'tickle box' tonight to get her laughing- it's either my mom barking like a dog, or someone bouncing her up and down as someone else gets in her face and makes silly noises. mom prefers the latter route. her laugh is music to my ears! what a sweet sound. we'll try to get it on video and post it sometime soon. she will be 3 months old on tuesday! we love our litte acorn.

our little eskimo

2008-01-04T16:56:00.000-06:00

here is oaklee sporting her new furry coat. don't you just want to eat her up??? this was one of her MANY christmas gifts. i think she looks like a sweet little eskimo.

over christmas break, she learned 2 new tricks: rolling over & laughing! but she hasn't done either since then. so i don't know if it counts or not. but she is talking a LOT. the other night, jason & i were laying in bed praying, and we thought she was sound asleep in her pack'n'play. then out of the blue, she just starts talking & talking, like she was wanting to have 'her say'. it was almost louder than we were talking, and she was across the room! we got a kick out of it, for sure. what a joy this girl is. :-)

my Granny

2008-01-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

3 years ago today my Granny passed away from cancer. i still cry b/c of how much i miss her. she and i were very, very close. it kills me that she never got to meet jason, and now oaklee, too. jason would have been her prime target for practical jokes & gag gifts, which was her forte. as most of you know, Oaklee's middle name is Kimberling, which is my Granny's last name, in honor & remembrance of her. If Oaklee has half the spunk & people skills that Granny did, she will be loved everywhere she goes, just like Granny was.

Favorite memories with her... jumping in the lake as soon as we got to their house (they lived on Table Rock Lake in Branson), night fishing, finding "shiny rocks" on the shore, staying up late when i was little and she would give me backrubs and tell me funny stories from her childhood, playing cards (even played strip poker with all her costume jewelry! whose grandma does that?!), playing practical jokes on people, opening my own gag gifts on Christmas of stuff she would find at garage sales, and on & on I could go. I really, really miss her. But I know a reunion is in store when Jesus returns, so I eagerly anticipate that day.

So I guess I just wanted to say to all of you out there whose grandparents are still alive: treasure them while you can. I think a lot of grandparents can feel forgotten by their grandkids, when a simple phone call from you will make their day. Life is so short, so this is just a challenge to make the most of it and not take anything or anyone for granted. Only God knows how much time we have here...

Abstract shirt design? ...or Oaklee spit-up?

2007-12-27T20:45:00.000-06:00

take a wild guess...

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T07:15:00.000-06:00

From the Lofton house to yours, we wish you the merriest of times today as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [b] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this."
Jeremiah 9:6-7

happy 2 months!

2007-12-18T16:29:00.000-06:00

Our sweet girl is now 2 months and 3 days old. she had her 2 mo. check-up today, and her doc gave her an A+! she weighed in at 10 lb. 11 oz (45% percentile) and measured 24 in. long (75% percentile). she also got 3 shots in her legs, so i got to hear her scream on a whole new level! it was temporary pain, though, b/c she went to sleep soon after and didn't wake up for 4 hrs! anyway, here's some recent pics of her, for those of you who only check our blog for that reason. :-) this top pic is my absolute favorite of her so far, it just captures her sweetness.

i had her on my lap in this pic and got her doing a cheerleading move. she's after her mommy's owm heart. rah rah!

this is her '1st christmas' outfit that no baby is complete without! (check out the cool shoes)
what do you think was going through her mind when i took that pic?

Mr. Mom

2007-12-14T22:59:00.001-06:00

Yes, I am officially married to Mr. Mom. I walked in the kitchen the other day, and what do I find? Manly multi-tasking at its best. The guy was cooking, conversing on his cell phone AND baby-sitting all at once. Amazing! If I had a way to make the big bucks, then I would seriously consider letting Jason be a stay-at-home mom. :-) ha. But seeing as how that will never happen, I'll just keep letting him prove himself as a genuine Mr. Mom whenever he feels like it. Thanks, babe, for serving me so well and giving me a break when I need it. You are awesome.

Nutty Buddy

2007-12-13T17:12:00.001-06:00

No, this isn't a comment on coach Nutt. It is the funniest YouTube video I have ever seen, though. The original one was here, which I found on Lafe's Blog. Then I found this one. Cindy said she just doesn't get it, maybe it's a guy thing. Maybe it is, but I have not laughed this hard in a while. I actually had to take my white coat off and had beads of sweat build up I was laughing so hard. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Watch the one on Lafe's first, then this one. And no, this is not me, thank God.

sky angel cowboy

2007-12-12T13:40:00.000-06:00

oh my goodness, this is awesome. Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to a Christian Radio station which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf . His words have wisdom beyond his years. it is living proof of psalm 8:2- "out of the mouths of infants and children you have ordained praise..." be blessed.