The Non-Things, Q4

The Lewellen life in late in 2011 was, in a word, full... and I mean that in the best possible way. So, without further ado, here are just a handful of the amazing Non-Thing Things that made Q4 simply divine.

My Favorite Non-Thing Things of 2011, Q4...

1. Murphy Girl's Milestones... as soon as the fourth quarter began, my beloved baby girl turned one. Even three months later as I type the words, it's still hard to believe that (over) a year has passed since she first joined our world. There is something about her eyes, her smile that captures both her Mommy and Daddy and strangers alike. Folks often stop me to make mention of her sweet little face. She has continued to offer daily hugs and snuggles, as well as to expand her repertoire of tools for wooing us all. She's funny in a Murph sort of way... patting me on the leg while saying, 'Daddy!' and then giggling with glee when I say, 'I'm MOMMY!' or purposefully dropping her lovey behind her crib and then saying, 'uh-oh!' and looking puzzled. She spent nearly a week with a high fever (over 104) and proved to us that she could still beat a newborn in a 'most sleep in 24 hours' competition. She finally decided to get in to the urge and began to do some walking in early December and now cracks us up with her little waddle. A new words springs from her mouth daily, if not hourly. Some of my favorites so far are: big bird, bubble gum, buh-bye, peek-a-boo, and thank you. I've said it before and I will, no doubt, say it again: Murphy Girl is pure JOY. 
2. College Football (or more specifically Oklahoma State football)... being a girl from North Carolina, ACC territory, I was raised on NCAA basketball (Go Duke!); classes in high-school were preempted, and tv's on carts were rolled in to the classrooms when March madness began.  Neither my high-school nor my college had football teams, and our NFL team (go Panthers!) didn't come to town until i was late in my teens. So, when I married a fellow from Big 12 Territory, I was in for a real culture shock when it came to college sports. Over the course of our dating and now our nearly 6 years of marriage, I've learned that September through December pretty much revolve around college football, Oklahoma State football to be specific. For the first several years, this was not necessarily a good thing as the Cowboys weren't doing too great and their lack of success was often reflected in my husband's MOOD. Well, skip ahead to 2011 and see that the Pokes won their conference, heartily beat their arch-rivals the OU Sooners, and were a hair away from a trip to the National Championship. Hubby and I spent several Saturdays this fall on dates at watch parties with other local OSU alums where I proudly wore my BRIGHTEST orange. We had frequent day time phone calls to commiserate ove possible bowl options and Heisman candidates. In short, we took our relationship to a whole other level: we bonded over the gridiron. The climax of this phenomenal season came when we flew to Phoenix to watch the Cowboys beat Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. (I'd venture to guess that more details on that trip could appear in the 2012 Q1 edition.)
3. Fall Holidays... as the leaves began to fall, we set out sights on the holidays that were drawing near. First, of course, came Halloween. This was the first year that Carter had any opinion at all about her Halloween costume. The only problem was that the opinions seemed to change daily from something very (s)pooky to a spider to a green witch to a red pepper. Finally the week before Halloween, I told her that it was time to make a final choice; she chose Glinda from the Wizard of Oz. I loved her choice and had a ball getting her all dolled up as the good witch; it was the first time she ever wore make-up! And we coordinated Murphy to be her sidekick Munchkin, and it was equally fun curling her hair on top of her head into a single Munchkin curl. Before the last piece of Halloween candy had been eaten, Thanksgiving was upon us. We traveled to Tulsa (our first time traveling all together as a family of 4) to celebrate with my husband's family. Thanksgiving Day was packed with kids of all ages, and Carter was in big-girl heaven! Of course, Murphy relished being passed from hip to hip and being 'oooohed' and 'aaaaaahhhed' over. The food was delicious and bountiful, and I loved getting to catch up with several extended family members whom I hadn't seen in awhile. During our stay at Pops-N-Misha's, we were also able to visit with the smaller side of the family, which is always a treat. Of course the girls aren't spoiled at all - ;) - when visiting their grandparents! The older I get the more I love Thanksgiving both for what it is and what it's not. It isn't about presents or rushing around or commercialism; it's simply about being with the ones we love and being thankful for what we have. 
4. Rejoicing with Others... not only was our life pretty darn good as we wrapped up the year, but so were the lives of many we know and love (particularly for our cousins.) My cousin, Christene, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who she named Parker. I gave her my best pre-c-section pep talk over the phone and waited anxiously to hear that Parker had arrived safe and sound. Christene's sister, Amanda, became engaged to her long-time boyfriend. I exclaimed with joy when I got the call that it was 'official' and then again when she asked both me and my little angels to be in the wedding. My husband's cousin, Justin also got engaged to (another) Amanda; we're dying to meet her and can't wait to celebrate their big day with them. Another one of my cousin's, Roxie, completed nursing school and is just a board's passing away from officially being: Roxie, RN! Katy, a cousin, earned her bachelor's degree in December and can now get on to more important things... like planning her wedding! And finally, just days before Christmas, Cousin Brittany's husband, Matt, arrived in South Carolina on leave from Afghanistan. How it warmed my heart to see pictures of Brittany, Matt, and their sweet baby Carson together for such a special time of the year. It was so wonderful to share in the joy of others from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania to Texas, even if only through Face Book, texting, and emails. 
5. Watching Carter Gain Independence... it's the moments we Mommies both long for and dread. We are anxious for our children to be able to do things for themselves, but when they actually do, we may question our role or miss the times when we were more needed. During this season of the year, Carter really began to excel on her own. When I saw her on stage at a Grandparent's Day (thanks for the very special visit, Pa!) performance at school, I realized that she was up there without me. Eek! She sang the songs (sort of), played the kazoo (a ton), and then got in her little line and walked back to her class all without the Mommy leading the way. Her imagination is soaring these days; it's so fun to wait to hear what new ideas she'll have next and to realize that she's coming up with these things all on her own. Our snow tubing adventure in Beaver Creek really got me thinking about how I'm not quite needed so much anymore. There sat my little 3 1/2 year old (who is scarcely the size of a two year old) scrunched into the giant tube waiting to be shoved down the big hill. And with a single push, she was gone... Woosh! As I watched her zoom down, it occurred to me that, at the specific moment, my hands were completely off the wheel. If she was scared, I wasn't there to hold her hand. If she got the bottom and didn't know what to do next, I wouldn't be there to show her the way. It was kind of an odd, yet refreshing, feeling. Of course, my little daredevil loved tubing and had no trouble hopping off and pulling her tube. She actually begged to go faster and spin in more circles. Although these developments feel a bit awkward at first, remember, this is a Favorite Non-Thing Things list. I absolutely love watching my baby girl soar! 

Though I had planned to include seven, I think I'll stop there. Perhaps you noticed that  Christmas isn't included in the list. Though it was on my original list, I decided to omit it. Rest assured, it was wonderful; so wonderful, in fact that I think it may deserve a blog all its own. I hope My Favorite Non-Thing Things give you a glimpse into our lives, the lives of those we love, and the blessings that we enjoy.

In this New Year, I wish you many of the Things and 

even more of the Non-Thing Things that bring you joy unspeakable!