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!

My American Idol

I am 30. I am a responsible adult. I have a full time job. I am the mother of two children. But I turned into an embarrassingly shrill 15 year old at the American Idol concert last Monday night. Um, this is me with David Cook onstage in the background.

Let me just clarify by saying that this past season was really the only season I've followed regularly, and only because I wanted to see someone legitimate make it all the way to the end. Someone with experience who can play instruments, carry a tune, write and arrange music, and look good in the process. I am tired of the cheesy ballad singer, the Norah Jones imitation, and the Broadway actress-turned-singer not because they don't have talent, but selfishly because at the end of the day, I wouldn't buy an album from any of them.

I will buy a David Cook album however. I'll buy several. And just to show my support, I went to the American Idols Live concert (okay, to show my support and because my good friend generously got us a free suite). IT WAS SO GOOD. There were about ten 15 year olds next to us screaming at new octaves for Jason Castro and David Archuletta. I joined them, rather, I surpassed them, when David Cook took the stage with his own rock version of Lionel Ritchie's Hello. Next came Aerosmith's Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, the American Idol Original Time of My Life, and Hero by Fuel, along with a few witty quips and genuine audience appreciation, and the plethora of guitar picks spun into the crowd. He exited the stage only to return for an encore of the one and only Billy Jean, arranged by Chris Cornell and performed old-school rock-n-roll style including a 2-minute electric guitar interlude in the middle.

All the other performers looked and sounded exactly as they did on the show (I actually felt like I was watching the show at times) but when Cook came on it was like we orbed to a legitimate rock concert. If you're not yet a fan, YouTube his performances of Always Be My Baby, Hello, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, or even Phantom of the Opera's Music of the Night. Or look up the performance of Sharp Dressed Man he led with ZZ Top at the finale. Then tell me you're not a fan.


Go David, Go!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. Sort of. I teach a graduate school class every Fall for students pursuing their masters in occupational therapy. The class I teach is held every other Saturday until the beginning of December and is especially fun for the following reasons:

1. There are several quaint little stores near the college that I can go to during the lunch break or after class.
2. On the official schedule, the sections are supposed to be from 8-12 and 1-5. If we get through all the material, we can usually end each section a half hour early. Seriously, who can talk for 8 hours? No, Rachel, even I can't.
3. I get cinnamon rolls and Starbucks for myself for the morning class.
4. It gives me a great chance to stay up to speed in the field even though I'm taking a little break from working in the clinic right now.
5. I get to make splints and casts and show other people how to do it; I love creating splints for different diagnoses and getting students excited to work in rehab.

Beautifuls' Retreat, 4th Edition

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, or just know me a bit, you may remember that there are two retreats I attend each year that are necessary for building lasting friendships and maintaining my overall mental health... They both include wonderful girl time full of desserts, endless hours of drinking coffee in our pajamas, talking into the wee hours of the morning, sleeping into the early hours of the afternoon, laughing hysterically, playing the occasional game, looking at pictures, and re-hashing the old days. (And yes, I can legitimately say "old" days as Cheryl and I recently discovered that we have known each other for TWENTY YEARS. Since when am I old enough to have had a friend for TWENTY YEARS? I have no idea where the time has gone).

Last weekend was the Beautifuls' annual retreat. This is the high school gang (though several of us met pre-high school and we've stayed friends through and past college so I'm not sure that qualifies anymore). Anyway, it consists of Cheryl, me, Brooke, and Amy. For a history of the Beautifuls and past photos of the group, click here and here and here.

This year we stayed in town and took the opportunity to go out for dinner and walk around an outdoor shopping plaza while still making plenty of time to lounge around the house polishing off about 32 chocolate chip cookies over the course of 2 days.

No, we do not sit in a circle with lighted candles chanting the rules of our club, nor do we paint each others' fingernails and have pillow fights in our underwear. Our one fabulous tradition is that we celebrate all 4 of our birthdays in one fell swoop. We all show up with arm loads of gifts, place them in stations on the couches, and usually open them within about 1 hour of the start of the retreat...about the same time we break open the desserts.

Our time this year was topped off by this You Tube video that had us in stitches each of the 13 times we watched it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dXGj_-orxw

Thanks, ladies, for a much needed and tremendously fun and relaxing weekend!

Happy Birthday, Rich!

An ode to my brother, Rich, and how he has enriched my life all these years:

-You taught me creativity and precision by showing me how to make homemade Numb-chucks and throw them at various neighbor children with stealth and accuracy when I was 7.
-You boosted my intellectual processing skills by inventing and a club with me called "Boosum-sooum-sooum" which included our own written language (which I can still use and decipher).
-You helped me develop courage and bravery by forcing me and Rachel to fight each other when we were in junior high, and by introducing me to Rocky IV.
-You developed my fine arts appreciation when you bought me my first Def Leppard album followed closely by Monster Ballads.
-You built up my physical endurance by dunking me under water in the deep end of the pool until I thought I was going to pass out.
-You taught me taste discrimination and cultural understanding when you took me to drink my first beer.
-But most of all, you showed me what a big brother ought to be when you offered to physically harm any guy who took me on a date if he treated me poorly, and when you cheered louder than anyone else at my college graduation.


(Rich, shown here with nephew, Brice, and wife, Andrea)
Just think, you'll get to celebrate the next birthday with your new baby boy! I know you'll be a wonderful dad because you've been a great big brother. I hope I was a sufficient "little brother!"