Chicago!

So the very cool ministry I am working for right now had been telling us for a couple of weeks that we were going somewhere overnight. We knew no details. Visions of paintball, organized teambuilding exercises, and sleeping in tents filled my head as those are the typical group activities one comes to expect on a surprise employee outing.

Then two days before we were to leave, we received an email detailing that we would be flying somewhere, that we had to pack for weather ranging from 30-50 degrees, and that we had to bring one "fun" outfit for an evening out. We all became so curious and so excited to find out where we were headed!

At 5am last Wednesday morning, we met up in the church parking lot and were given a few clues: "This city almost burned completely to the ground in 1861" and that "This city is known for it's hot-aired politicians" among them. Chicago! We were then told that we would be flying that morning to the Windy City, spending the day shopping on Magnificent Mile and eating the deep dish pizza pies the town is famous for, and that we all had tickets to see the Broadway performance of Wicked that night! After little to no sleep all around (pretty much b/c almost all of us have infants and toddlers) none of us felt tired anymore. We were so excited!

Here are a few of the highlights:

Walking around the streets of Chicago.


Very cool sign reminiscent of old movies.


Me in front of this odd kidney-shaped reflective ball statue thingy with the city scape in the background.


John Hancock building.


Giordano's Pizza where we indulged in 3 inches of stuffed pizza topping goodness. I completely understand why the locals call them "pies."


Right outside the theatre.


If you haven't heard of this book or show, I highly recommend it. I'll never watch or think of The Wizard of Oz the same again! In a word, it truly was amazing.


Since we have family in Chicago, I grew up visiting there but always went to peoples' houses. This is the first time I truly had the opportunity to spend an entire trip (albeit roughly 30 hours) just taking in downtown and indulging in some of the coolest things it has to offer. All in all, this "teambuilding exercise" sure beat the heck out of a campfire and the Human Knot game!

Wedding of the Year

What an awesome weekend! For those who don't know, I got to be the matron of honor at my friend Alicia's amazing wedding in Austin. Since I haven't seen her in awhile (she lives in Chicago) I decided to fly there on Thursday night sans Greg so she and I could spend some quality time catching up. We had a blast! We did SO much: made signs for parking, stuffed gift bags, wrapped bridal party gifts, got take-out, ran errands, and even got to go to the mall for some cinnamon pretzel sticks and new clothes. I also got to see the couple practice their first dance which turned out to be so good--I couldn't believe they choreographed it themselves.

I was so nervous initially about leaving the kids with my in-laws for 3 nights (I had never left Lauren overnight before), however, the kids did great and I was comfortable the whole time. Yes, I called like 4 times a day, but overall I knew they would be well taken care of and quite spoiled with their grandparents!

Here are lots of pictures to document the occasion. Enjoy!

Alicia and me at the rehearsal. She looked like she walked out of a magazine the whole weekend.


Greg and me at the rehearsal.


Alicia got us these ultra soft, plush robes with our names embroidered on them as bridal party gifts. I love it, and since my previous robe has been way overused and is covered with makeup smears on the insides of both sleeves... I'm pretty excited. Anyway, great gift idea!


I love this dress. I swear I'm not being vain; I wanted a shot of the dress and one of my new (very) short haircut...

The first dance. I wish I had taken video; it really was so good!

Cuttin' the rug. No, I'm not pregnant--bad swing in the dress. :)

Me and Greg at the reception after partaking in cocktails and appetizers, a full buffet, personalized cupcakes and cookies, and two kinds of cake. Mmmmm.

The beautiful and happy couple. Congratulations!

Don't you want to get married all over again?

Bend It Like Beckham

We took Lauren to her first MLS game last night, and what a game it was! It was a charity match between FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy, and we got to see my favorite player-- Landon Donovan (whose actual home jersey I am wearing). Guess who else made his Dallas debut at last night's game? That's right: the one and only David Beckham. I've never seen the stadium packed out for a soccer game before, and have never seen so many camera flashes in my life. He's hot on TV and in magazines, and yes, he's quite the eye-candy in person...especially from 100 feet away.

Lauren was focused and intense. Good thing since she only has two years until she will start playing...


Beckham (#23) and Donovan (#10). If I've ever wanted to be sandwiched between two people...


Side view of Landon, who is looking at and chatting casually with his new good friend and teammate David.


One can only wonder if Posh and The TomKat were in attendance? I failed to look around; my eyes were pretty much glued to the field.

Like Brother, Like Sister...

Other than noticing that we apparently don't buy any new toys around here, notice how freakishly similar my kids look. It's getting to the point where every picture I take of Lauren, I can distinctly remember having a replica of the same photo except with Noah at that age!

Noah at 3mos:


Lauren at 3 mos:


In other news, Lauren's backpack just arrived! It's been on backorder at PB for several months, but I'm so excited to finally have it. I've never been a "diaper bag" kind of gal, so this is especially exciting for me... Noah has already fully examined it, and determined that he still likes his better because he can identify all the letters.

How 'Bout That Weather?

Monday night, March 3rd, we were letting Kona out in the backyard before turning in for the night, and we were met with something strange. Yes, a white, powdery substance was falling from the sky! It was cold, it was damp, alas -- it was snow! Though I've seen it before (from growing up in the midwest and from visiting Colorado), it is a novelty rarely experienced in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. True to Dallas form, by late afternoon the next day it was 55 degrees and sunny, and there was no evidence that would prove snow had ever graced us with it's flurries of winter wonder. But I have my proof...

Poor Noah. He was obsessed with playing in the snow for as long as it was on the ground (about 4 hours before melting) but his hands were so cold! He doesn't own any mittens because he's never needed them before. I finally put socks on his hands, but of course they just got soggy and wet.

Kona turned into some kind of demon dog, tearing around the backyard all morning.

Notice the sock on his hand? Don't ever say I can't adapt to a situation...

It was fun while it lasted.

Resolution #1...

So sorry I've been out of the blogging loop the last week or so. Remember my New Years' Resolutions? One of them was to get into a new job situation that would allow for more flexibility to pick up my kids earlier from homecare, be home with them a little more, but still use my degree and work part time.

A couple of weeks ago, a part time position fell into my lap. It's as a part time area director for a ministry organization Greg and I use to volunteer for, and the best part is that the work is primarily from home. I struggled with the decision because I have a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy and don't want to neglect that; I'm not ready to give up on that field! However, after much prayer and consideration, Greg and I decided that during these early years while the kids are so young and impressionable, I'd like to be home with them more and I can therefore sacrifice a little to do so. The ministry is a great opportunity, is very flexible, and I can always return to health care in a couple of years.

God answered my prayers! When I talked to my boss at the therapy clinic and told her of my intentions to leave so I can work part time and be home more with my kids, she pretty much wouldn't let me quit. She asked that since the clinic has been getting so busy lately, would I be interested in working PRN with patients and doing some marketing to doctors each week. She said that if I could do maybe 5 hours/week, she'd pay he a pretty nice hourly rate--good for the clinic to keep business up, good for me to stay in patient care, and good for my wallet. I never expected her to offer this, and the best thing is that the marketing part would be on my own time.

I'm going to keep the kids in homecare but decrease their time there from three 10-hour days down to two 6 or 7 hour days.

Things keep getting better, too. The ministry gave me a brand new laptop, a printer/scanner/fax/copier machine, and $500 towards setting up a comfy home office (can be used for a desk, a chair, paint, decor, picture frames, whatever!), and additional money each month for office expenses such as printer cartridges, paper, a daytimer, WiFi at Starbucks, etc. Furthermore, I get a "Starbucks" allowance so I can hold meetings with my teams there each week.

Also, the graduate school here asked me to teach again this Fall for their weekend casting and splinting course. It's only 6 or 7 Sunday afternoons all semester, so the kids can be with Greg and I can stay even more in the healthcare realm.

One of my parents' favorite hymns was always Great is Thy Faithfulness. I've definitely seen it this week!

One of those days

The day started out fine; Noah slept until about 7, then crawled in bed with me and cuddled for 15 minutes before watching a few cartoons (all the while I am still sleeping, FYI). Then Lauren got up and everyone ate, played, etc. Normal "day-off" stuff.

Then Noah climbed on his stool and pulled all the fridge magnets off, along with any photos they may have been holding up.

Then he ate a yellow crayon.

Then he took a drink of a travel-sized bottle of shampoo.

Then he pulled all the floss out of the little container. By the way, do you realize how much floss is in that little teensy container? It's actually uncanny.

The Lauren pooped through her outfit and spit up on my bare arm.

Then Greg called and said he had to work late--like 3 hours late.

Furthermore, Kona developed a sore on her back (I think it's from a fence splinter) and she kept licking and messing with it all day so I had to put an Elizabethan collar on her. Noah thought that was hilarious and kept chasing after her b/c he liked when she'd run into furniture. I had to monitor that situation for the better part of the afternoon.

It's amazing I'm showered. Here's to tomorrow... :)

The Grand Finale

You must go check out this post, and read about the end to my friend's 30th Birthday. Although we went to Cheryl's birthday party (my favorite part was that she wore a tiara--wish I'd thought of that on my 30th), we apparently left before the exciting finale. Hilarious and so wrong at the same time...

Just One Question...

If I just gave birth to Lauren like yesterday, how is it she is old enough to support herself in a Johnny Jump-up and laugh about it?

Consistency, please!

Okay, so Saturday night Lauren slept 8 hours. Sunday night she slept 8 1/2 hours. Monday night was a record 11 hours! She's been sleeping until about 8:30am too, so I've been able to get things done in the morning before putting on the "mom" hat. Woo-hoo! Greg and I were happy and rested, and looking forward to more full nights of sleep as our little 3-month old appeared to be sleeping through the night regularly.

Last night she woke up at 3am and 5am , then at 7am for the day. Huh? We did nothing differently, so what the heck? Does she not know that she is the easy child and is therefore not supposed to do such things? The high-maintenance stuff is reserved for Noah.

So just as the bags under my eyes finally disappeared, they resurfaced. I'm hooked up to a caffeine IV and am open to suggestions...

I Love to Tell The Story

Ten years ago today my mom died, peacefully in rest, after a 13 month battle with Leukemia. She was around every single day for twenty years--teaching us, playing with us, reading to us, cooking for us, carting us around, passing on age-old traditions to us, disciplining us (yes, even I required the occasional whooping), and generally taking care of our every need with all the grace (and the occasional meltdowns) expected of a mother of 4. Through it all, her faith in the Lord was evident, unwavering, and contagious.

Ten years have passed, ten full years that have included a college degree, a graduate degree, a wedding, several big vacations, a career decision, 7 moves, a purchased home, a son, a daughter, and much more. My mom's legacy is still on so many areas of the lives of those who knew her. I got her name (Sue is my middle name), her blond hair, her wide cheekbones, her organizational skills, her plethora of moles, and her love of casseroles.

Since there's no way to adequately sum up a life like hers, I will limit this by sharing just a memory. She loved music, especially singing. She knew she didn't have a solo voice, but she nonetheless loved to sing harmony in the church choir, and truly appreciated the old "hymns of the faith." At her funeral, somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 people triumphantly sang Crown Him With Many Crowns. My dad, who was also battling Leukemia at the same time, had gotten a day-pass from the hospital to attend the funeral; he was bald and had to wear a face mask. He ripped his mask off and stood up (it was a scene I don't think many have forgotten), and he led the congregation in the 2nd verse:

Crown him the Lord of life, triumphant o'er the grave!
Who rose victorious from the strife for those he came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died and reigns on high.
He died, eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

It was an awesome song, absolutely, and she would have joined in loudly. Her favorite hymn was a little more unassuming, a little less well-known, and a bit more personal, however.

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love...
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

My mom would have enjoyed being part of these last ten years, and she'd most definitely be proud. But if you ask me if I think she's been watching me all this time? Heck no. She's singing in the heavenly choir, and her eyes are on Jesus.

My New Nephew!

My sister, Rachel, had her baby boy this afternoon! Judah Allen was born at 12:43pm, was 7lbs and 5oz, and was 20 1/4 inches long. He has dark brown hair with the teensiest bit of curl, and he's just gorgeous. I will post pictures soon!

Cold-Day Recipe

Start with:

Semi-Homemade Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup (in the Crockpot, of course!)
1. 4 cans of Campbells Healthy Request Chunky Chicken and Noodle Soup
2. 1/2 pkg extra wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
3. 1/2 cup each of chopped carrots, onion, and celery
4. Garlic salt and cracked pepper

Sautee carrots, onion, and celery in butter or olive oil until softened. Add all ingredients to crockpot and cook on low for a couple of hours.

BEST if served:
-With Hot Rolls and honey
-As a late lunch/early dinner
-On your day off
-With a husband home from work for MLK, Jr. Day
-With a blazing fire going in the fireplace
-On a dreary, 36-degree day in Texas

Enjoy!!

Birthday Gifts for the 30+ Crowd - updated

I've updated this post for those of you who have already visited it; see the new pictures below.

Happy Birthday to my older sister, Jenn, and her cute short hair that I fully copied. I purchased a toaster for her birthday--yes I did. And she will be super excited because she requested it and I picked out a really pretty stainless steal one. At what point in our lives do we get excited about receiving countertop appliances for our birthdays? Who am I kidding, I think I would cry tears of joy if Greg ever got me the toaster oven I've been hinting at for the last 3 years.

Have a wonderful day, dear sister, and a wonderful morning tomorrow as I know you will be eating scrumptious Eggo waffles toasted to perfection. I'm glad I could have something to do with that.

Yes, she loved the toaster. My little white 8-year-old piece of crap toaster with one broken leg that makes the whole thing wobble awkwardly when sitting on a counter seems all the crappier now.

Jenn, me, and Rachel. Two of us are natural blondes, not that you'd be able to tell what with the line of dark roots all the way across...

My adorable nephew, Brice, after testing and approving the birthday cupcakes...

Thought for the day

Since it is my first day back from maternity leave, our office manager welcomed me with this 'Thought for the Day' that was on my desk when I arrived:

Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or hump it, piss on it and walk away.

Fabulous.

Sweeties

Noah loves his little sister so much. She's just not too sure about the sheer volume and enthusiasm with which he loves her...


At her 2 month checkup, we found out our perfectly sweet baby girl is in the 50th percentile for height, 90th for weight, and her head is only in the 25th percentile. Clearly they don't measure around the cheeks...

Resolutions!

I asked a friend last night what her New Years Resolutions are. She replied, "To try to be a more organized person in everything" and "To be healthier over all." Holy cow. I'm seriously impressed, and she is definitely one who can succeed at whatever she puts her mind to, but I need tangible goals for my resolutions otherwise I'll just end up making the same ones each year, trying desperately to decide if I truly reached the "better person" or "healthy overall" status I'd set for myself.

I made a do-able list last year, and managed to actually achieve success for most of it. I think the reason is that I stopped making those life-altering resolutions I'd made in years past (ie: "Try to be a more thoughtful person in general" or "Work out 5x per week and eat healthier") and started making precise, achieveable goals that might possibly lead up to one of the life-altering desires.

Resolutions for 2008:
The theme this year is New-ness; I'm going through a period of wanting change. Not that I'm unhappy with my current state of affairs, but I'm just ready to experience some different things and move into another phase. I've always had a rather "antsy" personality.

1) New house. We've moved 6 times in 7 years of marriage and have officially been in this house longer than we've lived anywhere else. I love it, but am ready for something different. To sound more noble, we are desperately wanting to live closer to Greg's work too so he doesn't have to spend 3 HOURS in the car everyday.

2) New job. I don't mean that I want to quit my current job altogether, but I'd like to adjust the hours, focus on some different areas of rehab, and add some more teaching.

3) Throw a party. Seriously. I usually throw some kind of big party every year and since my son's 2-year old birthday party doesn't count, I kind of dropped the ball in '07.

4) Get move involved in our church. This seems broad, but I actually have tangible goals here. I'd like to volunteer on one or two new committees in our Sunday School and/or the Children's ministry this year.

Well, there you have it. Good thing I have a whole year before I have to be accountable!

Holidays and Hacking

We are enjoying a wonderful vacation in NW Arkansas with my family (who have driven and flown in from the far reaches of the country, well, from Florida, Texas, and Ohio anyways) and we are having a great time. Thus far we have opened Christmas presents in Jared and Rachel's newly renovated living room in front of a roaring fire, played soccer outside in the brisk cold of what a December forecast should truly be, and eaten prime rib and gourmet mashed potatoes with boursin cheese. And we can't forget the episodes of MacGuyver we've been watching since my brother purchased me the 1st and 2nd seasons on DVD.

This morning however, we had to find a pediatrician in the area because my poor little 8 week old baby girl has been coughing forcefully for 3 days and is unable to hold down milk. :( Turns out she has bronchiolitis and has to be on breathing treatments. Sounds horrible, but I didn't even have to buy the breathing machine or the medication because Noah has had the same thing for months now, and my nephew has also struggled with this affliction so I am well versed in its treatment.

Here's to hoping you are all having a healthy and happy holiday season thus far, and ring in the New Year with stories that will occupy and entertain us all on your blogs for weeks to come!

The Dirty 30

Thirty years ago today I entered the world--one month late (I was due on Thanksgiving) and after putting my mom through 36 hours of labor. I had red hair and enormous cheeks.

For this momentous birthday, Greg got me a spa day last Saturday (which I insisted on planning myself) and I got to go with my friend, Julie, whose birthday is next week. We both just had babies, and our sweet husbands watched our kids for the day, a combined total of 5 kids ranging in age from 2 weeks to 4 years! Needless to say they appreciated us much more when we returned. Everything was amazing, and I had to give you a few of the descriptions of our pampering:

Desert Heat Wrap: "A self-heating bubbly mud massaged into the entire body; it is rich in copper which is considered one of the best heat conductors used within the medical field for skin repair...It brings a true sense of relaxation, health and wellbeing, leaving the skin mineralized, hydrated, and nourished." (What they failed to mention is that you are totally naked except for the tiniest little paper thong underwear imaginable, but I didn't even care).

Classic Spa Facial: This was amazing... "A luxurious and indulgent wellness based treatment personalized to achieve maximum results. This revitalizing facial includes a deep-cleansing, customized exfoliation followed by a face, neck and shoulder massage certain to ease your mind, body, and spirit. While warm stones are used to massage the hands, arms, and decollete, feet are cocooned in warm booties. A revitalizing masque is followed by antioxidant treatments that hydrates, protects, and restores the natural balance of your skin."

We also had a one-hour pedicure, arm and leg massage, brunch, crackers and cheese, and champagne spritzers. I know it was supposed to be for my 30th birthday, but we've already planned our spa day for next year! I think all women deserve to do this every once and a while so read the descriptions again, and then go spoil yourself!

Most of the rest of my birthday will be spent on antibiotics nursing my UTI, and picking up a prescriptions for my son's newly diagnosed bacterial pneumonia (non-contagious thankfully!). Sounds rough, but really it means I get to relax with my sweet kids, watch a few cartoon movies, take them to go get some ice-cream, and wait for Greg to get home -- and I don't even have to cook because he apparently has something up his sleeve to do for dinner. Not a bad way to spend the day!

Happy Birthday to me! And for some true birthday humor, visit my sister's blog: www.mimsies.wordpress.com

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Brand new Pottery Barn personalized stockings! They all have a little something in them already, well, except for mine. :( I might have to treat myself as I don't think my husband really understands the excitement that is The Stocking Gift.


Noah will be shy 2 gifts on Christmas as he already opened them while mom was going tee-tee.

Yes, I ran to get the camera before resuing my 6-week-old from her knitted attacker.