Party of 5

Yes, it's true. We are unexpectedly expecting again. This little baby is due July 21st, and although we are happy and we hope and pray that everything will go well and he/she will be healthy and perfect, we are also still in a bit of a state of shock.

The awesome thing is that since we didn't plan this one, it is apparent that God wants this baby here at this moment for his purposes, and I'm looking forward to seeing what those purposes will be! In the mean time, I will continue to be shocked and go back to my usual pregnancy cravings of cereal, pickles, and orange juice (not together thankfully). I'll also need to figure out how to explain to a 14 month old girl that she will be a big sister (she doesn't even grasp that she's a little sister at this point), and tell an ever-wisening 3 year old boy that mommy has a baby in her tummy. The other day he told me he had a tummyache, and he thinks he might have a baby there, too.

I think the fun is only just beginning...

Happy Birthday to moi!

So I don't have any photos, but last Friday was my birthday. I'm officially "in" my 30s, meaning I'm 31, and I love it. I feel an increasing sense of legitimacy, maturity, and growing wisdom if I dare say so, but I don't feel in the slightest bit old.

Greg let me sleep in on Friday while he and both kiddos got up and made me cinnamon rolls, wrapped gifts, and wrote/decorated a card the way only a 3 yr old and 1 yr old can. :) We had breakfast, and I opened gifts (I'm totally having a little affair with the new CHI flat iron Greg bought for me, as well as a pair of fabulous Nine West black stilettos, and some gourmet coffee).

Greg picked up Schlotsky's for lunch and the kids and I met him at the playland at our church for a little picnic in the afternoon, then both kids took long naps that afforded me the opportunity to curl up for a little snooze of my own. Greg came home from work early (which is my favorite thing!) to top it off.

That evening, some great friends came over with their families and we celebrated birthdays and Christmas all together: 6 adults and 6 kids (ages 7 mos to 3 years). We ordered delicious gourmet pizza from a local pizzaria, an Italian salad from another local bistro, and Tracy made homemade cupcakes (from scratch). When the kids went to bed, the adults stayed up with our glasses of wine, cups of coffee, 2nd rounds of food, and we played charades--which was hilarious--until the wee hours.

Overall, a wonderful and very celebrated day; the perfect mix of family and friends, relaxation and activities. 31 is starting off just right!

Role Reversal?

While Lauren is speedracing in Noah's car outside,














Noah's inside wrapping up and feeding Lauren's baby doll.














We're trying to teach them how to fully understand and relate to the opposite sex. Actually, Greg is mortified.

Better than toys

Okay, so if you've ever read about my son, Noah, you know how OCD he is about organization. His version of "playing" with something is coming up with new ways to arrange the pieces in categories or various methods of organization. He's 3. See below what we walked in on yesterday, after having left some paper goods within reach in the pantry:



I think I'll give him some plasticware for Christmas.

Giving Thanks, again

So it's become a tradition in our little family to have Thursday to ourselves, and make it a quiet, casual, fun family day. Since we celebrate "official" Thanksgiving dinner on Friday (with extended family), we've spent Thanksgiving Day for the past two years relaxing at home, going to a nearby park, watching the Cowboys, and feasting on chili and Shiners. May I present our Thanksgiving dinner:


Have a wonderful day!

My Family, part 2

Most of you have seen this photo in a recent post, but as I was looking through my blog I noticed that I needed to update the "My Family" link to include Lauren!

Thus, meet my family! My husband, Greg, is a Sr. Art Director for an advertising and design agency about 10 minutes from our house. He also does a considerable amount of freelance and is definitely the creative one in the family. I am an occupational therapist by trade, but took some time off when I had the two kids. Since I'm not cut out to stay home, I am working for an awesome ministry organization as an Area Director. I'm able to office from home and therefore spend more time with the kids. Greg and I have been married for 8 1/2 years, and would still rather spend time together than with anyone else.

Noah just turned 3, has these incredibly bright blue eyes, and most likely will be our retirement someday as he is both incredibly smart for a three year old and also is obsessed with playing all kinds of sports all the time. Lauren just celebrated her 1st birthday. She wakes up smiling and pretty much giggles and smiles the day away; she's a very joyful baby girl and has the most fabulous chubby cheeks around.

That's it for the update!

Winter-Coat Weather

A blazing fireplace, a good cup of coffee, a warm sweater or comfy blanket, a bubble bath...all are definitely perks to be savored with the winter weather. The best thing about a cold front, however, is getting to dress your daughter up like this:

Birthdays, and Candles, and Markers, Oh My!

Noah turned 3 last Sunday! Since we had done a huge 1st birthday party for Lauren the previous week, Noah's was a bit more low-key. We had a birthday brunch and invited his grandparents over for pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit, and birthday cake in the afternoon. He's currently obsessed with all things sports, so his grandma made his this fabulous cake that he couldn't stop talking about:



















Later that day, while Greg and I were chatting in the office, Noah thought it would be fun to play with his new coloring book and markers.









The pen markings still have not come out of the table, and it took 45 minutes of blue bath water to get it off his arms and hands.









The nice thing was that we really didn't have to discipline him much. Since he's SO particular and very clean, we just made him sit in the naughty spot for 5 minutes and wouldn't let him wash his hands. It was punishment enough; he was so freaked out by the end of it that he practically tore his clothes off on the way to the bathtub! I think he apologized like 12 times that night; it was easy!

Happy-ish Halloween

For Noah's first Halloween 2 years ago, he vomited strawberry yogurt in my basket of candy. Last year, immediately following trick-or-treating to all of 3 houses, he came down with the flu and was a feverish rag doll for the next several days. This year, the excitement that is our family's Halloween continued.

Noah, who LOVES the cartoon Fireman Sam, refused to wear his fire coat because it was a starched material rather than comfy cotton, and therefore displeased him.









Lauren couldn't see, and therefore spent most of the evening on the ground.












We ended up carrying her all night, at which point she enjoyed herself and all of the passersby who were making comments about how cute and chubby she was in her pumpkin suit.












And once Noah realized that he could carry his firehat, rather than wear it, and whereupon offering it up to complete strangers they would drop chocolate and sugary treats in it, he became a fan of the whole thing. Still wouldn't wear the coat, though.












We then went to some friends' house for chili, s'mores, and a candy exchange, and had a great time. The kids crashed as soon as we got home, but the Halloween hi-jinks resumed at 2am when Noah woke up screaming and complaining that he didn't feel good and his mouth hurt. We deciphered his strange gestures to mean he had a sore throat and a tummyache from all the candy and yelling with his little friends the previous evening, and we were up til 3:30am coaxing him back to sleep.

Next year we're staying in, eating white rice and saltines, putting the kids to bed early, and renting a movie.

Family Photo Session, 3rd Ed.

Remember back when it was just the two of you? Someone would snap one or two random shots of you and your spouse (not even digital!) and you'd wind up with a gorgeous Christmas photo. No planned photo session was required, no new clothing purchases, no one reminding you to smile, and no one photoshopping the drool marks from your sweater off the final image. I'm not sure if we're getting better at this, or just getting used to it from our previous experiences here and here.

Yeah, I don't remember it either.

Here's family picture day, part 3:

1st Birthday Princess

One beautiful Sunday afternoon, we took the most gorgeous baby girl home from the hospital. She had big blue inquisitive eyes, made the sweetest little noises (well, most of the time), and we loved her instantly. We named her Lauren Elyse, and she has grown into the most joyful girl, bursting with smiles for anyone who will glance her way.

That was 3 months ago. Oh wait, 6 months ago. No, uh...9 mos? I can't believe it's been A YEAR! Where has the time gone?

Little miracle














Big miracle














Happy Birthday, Big Girl!

A Wonderful Weekend

Jared, Rachel, and sweet baby Judah came into town for the weekend for Rachel's 10 year high school reunion...and, of course, to see us. We shopped at a swanky outdoor shopping plaza, dined on homemade chicken piccata and gourmet paninis, drank a lot of coffee, saw old friends, and used Rachel's new birthday camera to attempt family pictures. But mostly we just took a ridiculous amount of photos of our children.

Lauren and Judah played/ate trucks and legos:













Jared taught Noah how to be an airplane, and scared the crap out of Noah's mom:













Here's nephew Skye lovin' up on his cousin:













Trey and Noah posed while discussing their next football play:













Lauren enjoyed being the only girl cousin and getting lots of attention!













We're SO much cooler than when we were in high school! Here we are at the homecoming football game:













Thanks for visiting!

The Second List

Okay, so we all have a shopping list, and then we all have that fun shopping list. The first is basically groceries and toiletries, and the second contains things we simply need for various functions coming up, or because our current selection has worn out. Items like new sweater for the holidays, new jacket, and new running shoes make this second list regularly, and even new coffeepot or lamp for the living room were fun to buy and didn't break the bank.

As I've gotten older, however, I've learned the painful truth that the fun shopping list isn't very fun anymore, and it seems to threaten the bank quite regularly. No longer do I write lists for clothing for myself, and I've been wearing the same running shoes for 2 years (maybe that's why I'm blogging rather than using the treadmill that is staring at me from the living room). Here's a sampling of what my second list contains at this moment:

1. Two nice chairs for the office and loft. Ever priced these? Holy crap.
2. New vaccuum cleaner. Ours won't even pick up lint.
3. Toddler 5-pt harness carseat for Lauren. She's squished in her current one.
5. Twin bed for Noah. Almost 3, almost potty trained, and still in the converted crib.
6. New garage door motor. We're the ghetto neighbors that have to manually lift it up and down b/c the motor blew last week.

Seriously. It's such a catch-22 because while all of these things are annoyingly expensive and not very fun to shop for, they would all make me very happy if I had them! Is this a sign of age or maturity? Maybe I should just screw the fun list and go visit an old friend I fondly refer to as Banana Republic.

My Georgia Peach

Lauren is eating "grown up foods" now, and has found a fast favorite. If her mouth was bigger I think she'd try to fit the whole thing in at once:

At Long Last

So I finally have a few photos for you! All of the work was finished today, so I don't have it all the finishing touches in place yet, but yay for no more installation! Here are photos of the kitchen, living room, and yard.

The old kitchen: We painted the cabinets white when we moved in, but the counters were all stained and needed a facelift.










...as did the nast-ola sink. Ew.









And the finished product (still have to put outlet covers on as well as cabinet hardware). The wood floors extend throughout the kitchen as well.









Here's the view of the living room from upstairs. We did the wood floors, the paint, the lighting and fans, and shelving. If anyone wants a brass fan with enormous banana-leaf blades, I think I might have just the one for you!










We love our backyard view with a nature walk and beautiful sunsets every night:










But needed a little shade from the western Texas sun on the patio:

What do the kids think? Hip, Hip, Hooray!

From the Lips of Children

Two nights ago I tucked Noah in. He sat on the potty and got two M&Ms for peeing like 4 drops. He brushed his teeth and washed his hands. We read three stories from his Children's Bible. He turned on his music and turned off his lamp. He climbed up on my lap and it was time to pray; he wanted to pray himself.

"Dear Je-yus, fanks for today.

Fanks for momma and daddy, fanks for Noah and Yo-wen (Lauren). Fanks for gramma and grandpa, papa and mimi. Bob-builder, Thomas (the tank engine), Zaboo.

Je-yus, help Noah haff good night sweep.

Help momma mow grass. Daddy mow grass. Noah mow grass.

Help momma pick weeds. Daddy pick weeds. Daddy pick up Kona's poopies. Momma change Noah's diapers.

I love you, Je-yus. AAAAAAAA-MEN!"

At this point my heart melted--I was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time as I realized this was absolutely my favorite instance to date in the verbal life of my son! Hearing your child pray for the weeds in the garden, the dog's poop, and proclaim his love for Jesus in the same breaths is priceless and makes you realize that everything we do is being watched and analyzed by these little people we are so blessed to have as our own!

Thanks for Shopping

So Greg calls on his way home from work and offers to run to the store to pick up some ground meat for tacos. What does he show up with? Gourmet olives and imported cheeses, you ask? Nope. A bottle of wine to share with his lovely wife after the kids go to bed? Nope. Ruffles potato chips, Coco-Dynobites cereal, and a 6 pack of Shiner.

At least the ground beef was cooking on the skillet...

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Wow. My friend Lindsay sent me to http://renz-o.blogspot.com/ which is a fabulous mantage of dare-we-say sexy Olan Mills photos from the 80s. This was my favorite and is simply entitled "Cousins."

Sniffle, Sniffle

Big Girl caught her first cold and it's just about the saddest thing ever! We had a cold front come through earlier this week, and, although I loved the 70 degree weather, it claimed my poor baby Lauren. Is it horrible that I love the few extra minutes of cuddle time with those sweet cheeks that I get at night when I tuck her in? Time to stock up on multivitamins and decongestants!

Happy Birthday, Sara!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish one of my very dearest and best friends a VERY HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY! Without her, college would not have been nearly so fabulous. Here's to hoping that all of you out there take today to remember and appreciate the people in your lives who allow you to be completely yourself, who join in the craziness, add to the joy, and just seem to make things better when they're around.

Since Sara shares my love of quotes, here are a couple for her:

"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." -Robert Southey

And the one that most describes us...
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a great day, dear friend!