Life with the Seefeldts

new adventure, new blog

2012-02-02T03:31:00.000-06:00

Hi friends!
We have started our new adventure! Naturally, I started a new blog to document it. Let me know if you need the address!

Whirlwind

2011-12-19T21:57:00.000-06:00

That describes our life right now. A whirlwind. I'll try to catch up on some things...

We are in the process of packing up and dispersing our stuff for our big move. It's crazy to go through all your stuff to figure out what, if anything, you store. I've been texting friends to see if they certain items. We have had a couple garage sales and might still need to do one in January.

And of course, it's also almost Christmas. Not great timing.

What cuties! This is Kate's best friend and her little sister. The whole gang sitting together.

I love James' hat! And Kate was so cute in her boots!

Our little man is 8 months old now! Can you believe it? He's so big. He's still a cuddler, still laid-back and very chill. Still loves his sister. He waves, often on command. He's friendly, flexible, and so ready to be really mobile. And he likes to eat! I love those eyes!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T14:37:00.000-06:00

The princess and her frog. I don't think these cuties could scare anyone.

These are the babies James goes to church with. It was so funny trying to get them all in this picture. James is just a happy little frog watching all the commotion.

Out at the Harvest Fest.

Carving a pumpkin with daddy. Getting to see all the yucky stuff inside.

My little pumpkin!

What makes me happy

2011-10-19T13:40:00.000-06:00

Stuff and Memories

2011-10-19T13:38:00.000-06:00

A friend asked me today how I was doing with getting rid of most of our stuff in preparation to move. A lot of things have been easy to part with. Things that are going to someone who needs it are also easy to part with because it's good to be able to help someone else out. Going through my books is hard. The ones I can donate to the church library or give to someone are easier. It's the ones that don't have an obvious new home that are hard. Those books that I like to have on the shelf in case I want to read them again or look something up in them or just remember them.

I ran across the course book from the University of Seville from when I studied abroad in 2004. The course book! The book that lists the courses offered that semester. Yes, I still have that! But getting rid of it seems so sad. No one is going to want that but it seems too cool, too original, too special to throw away.

Those are the things that are hard. The "things" attached to memories. The books I haven't yet read but want to. Even if they've sat on the shelf for 3 years and I haven't read them. Yet.

The dishes that remind me of a certain friend and our time in Europe. The mugs Josh and I got during certain trips. Blankets my Mima made for us.

It's the memories that are important and the memories will stay. I'm too sentimental for my own good, I think. Most of it's just stuff anyways. I think it's having to part with things and having to give up the convenience of having it "just in case I need/want it" that's hard.

So this process is good.

Big Time Now!

2011-10-10T10:15:00.000-06:00

James here. Check me out! I'm sitting on my own now! Yep, pretty big time.

Since I'm sitting up now I get to help mommy do things. Like the other day I got to help her sort through magazines...

I was really helpful. Mommy said it reminded her of when my big sister Kate started sitting up. She liked magazines, too!

There she is! My beautiful sister back in her magazine tearing days. I guess we are a lot alike.

Gotta go!

Catching up

2011-09-17T08:21:00.000-06:00

Apparently I play with my kids too much to keep up my blog. That and I just don't sit down and do it.

So let's see. A month ago we went to Colorado for a conference. It was great to see friends and wonderful to be out of the 100 degree heat.

Kate enjoyed collecting rocks.

We got to see our friend Jeff again. He recently got married and we were sad to miss the wedding but logistically just couldn't make it happen with our two young kiddos. So Patty and Jeff drove over from Nebraska to see us. It was perfect timing too because Jeff first met Kate when she was about the same age that James was here in Colorado.

After Colorado we came back to scorching heat and no rain. It's been a pretty lame summer what with having to stay indoors most of the time. We do get out to a playground sometimes. Now is when I would like a neighbor with a swimming pool. =)

Our boy is getting big! He is attempting to sit independently these days. I haven't gotten a picture of that yet because I have to be ready to catch him when he starts to topple. But he's getting there. He has rolled over once from his tummy to his back and will not repeat the stunt no matter how much tummy time he gets. Silly boy.

So Kate wore these pajamas when she was 9 months old. James is 5 months and already wearing them. Oh my.

Loving hanging out with their daddy. This is a toddler face we see occasionally. She has gotten quite adept at using the pouty lip. Most of the time we get cute smiley faces for pictures but this was not one of those times.

Five months old! He's getting big, growing out of all his clothes, and developing more of his personality. He is still really chill and laid-back. He loves to laugh at his sister and has recently been kind enough to laugh for his mommy's tricks. Still a cuddler and a sweetie.

We are still preparing for our move. We are fundraising and speaking at different groups and churches. It's a busy time. Soon we will need to start selling furniture. Crazy!

That's it for now. I started this post yesterday so I need to just get it done. More later!

He's Huge!

2011-08-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is one way to describe our little guy...who for his age, is not so little. At his 4 month check-up (which was actually at about 4 1/2 months) he weighed 18lbs 3oz and was 25 3/4inches long. That translates to 90th percentile for weight, 75th for length. That translates to a big boy!

I'm trying to remember to take a picture at each month.

James has gotten really good at holding objects and grabbing them if they are lying next to him or if you hold them out for him. When I put him in his crib to sleep he tries to grab my hand so I can't go. He loves to watch his sister and actually laughed at her the other day. He was watching her shake her head around, acting silly as usual, and he just all of a suddenly chuckled. Then that was it. Try as she might to get him to laugh again he would not. Such a funny boy.

2011-08-22T21:26:00.000-06:00

I love this!

I'm too tired to do a full post right now. But this makes me smile everytime!

Happy Anniversary and other things

2011-07-24T21:14:00.000-06:00

Yes, folks, this was our 7th wedding anniversary weekend. Would you like to hear about the big weekend? Of course you would.

Our anniversary weekend coincided with Josh's 10 year high school reunion and a work trip to Odessa (home of his high school) for Josh. Josh got the brilliant idea that we should all go up for the weekend, see some friends, go to his reunion, meet with old family friends for fundraising, and then he would stay for the next few days to work and I would drive home with the kids and his mom. Romantic, huh?

We did attend the reunion. There was a good turn-out. But basically that meant there were a lot of people around I didn't know and Josh maybe knew. We hung out most of the evening with our good friends, Clayton and Holly, and took lots of pictures in the photo booth. It was hilarious how many people said "Oh, I LOVE Kerrville" when we told them where we live. We are reminded that compared with Odessa, Kerrville could be the Garden of Eden.

Sunday night we went out for dinner for our romantic date. That too was an interesting experience. The waitress had about 2 oz of customer service. Half the time she would walk away as she was finishing her sentences to us. She left dirty plates on our table for a long time after we had finished and eventually stacked them all. The lattes we ordered were barely warm and took forever to get to us. While we were drinking them, we sat there watching one of the other waitresses dusting a hanging light fixture in the middle of the restaurant. Really? Is that the best time for that?

For those who are interested, I wore really cute dresses to both events, neither of which did we get pictures. But I did look nice.

Maybe I'll get some of the photo booth pictures scanned in when we get home. But don't hold your breath. I'll be flying solo for a couple days AND be adjusting a toddler to coming home from a long weekend. At least I'll be back in the Garden. =)

2011-07-15T13:27:00.000-06:00

Love those smiles! Can you tell they are already buddies?

Big Boy

2011-06-29T07:44:00.000-06:00

I took James in for his 2 month check-up finally. He weighed in at 15 lbs 3 oz and is 24 inches long. The nurse said that's typical of a 4 month old. He is in the 90th-95th percentile for weight and 75th for length.

That's my big boy!

James reporting in

2011-06-23T14:41:00.000-06:00

Hey guys! This is James checking in. My mommy is pretty busy these days keeping up with Kate and me, so I thought I'd write this post and give her a little break. Lately I've been trying to let mt mom sleep all night and not wake her up. Sometimes I still wake up once at night, though. I just get too hungry sometimes. I know she must be tired, so last night I smiled really really big at her when she came in to feed me at 3am. I can tell she liked that.

Anyways, I'm about 10 weeks old now and getting pretty big. Most of the time I'm pretty chill. I like looking at my sister and I love talking to mommy and daddy. Kate is a great big sister and she helps bathe me and sings to me and sometimes she accidentally bonks me. But I don't think she means to.

A few days ago while we were in Arlington we walked to a playground in the morning. I watched Kate on the slide...

while chilling in the stroller in my monkey jammas. Then I took a nap because I was so comfy.

I don't really like to take naps in my bed. I'll do it sometimes but I'd rather have mommy hold me the whole time. I just can't help it...I'm a cuddly kind of guy.

Mommy puts me on my tummy to play but I'm not interested in rolling over yet or pushing up. I'd rather just lie around right now. She gives me time to try to do it but I just cry until she rescues me.

Well, I'm pretty worn out from typing this post. I made some new friends this week and have pictures to share, but mommy hasn't downloaded them yet and I sure don't know how to do that yet. We will share them with you later. See ya!

My Little Loves

2011-06-13T20:16:00.000-06:00

Proud Mom

2011-05-08T19:52:00.000-06:00

...of a funny little girl who loves muffins as much as her mama does. Yes, that was lunch.

...of a brother and a sister who are already bonding and will hopefully be friends their whole lives.

...of a little fashionista who has no idea how cute she is. Or does she? She really does walk around wearing those sunglasses.

...of a handsome little guy who has already proven that he's a fighter (and maybe a troublemaker).

...of two beautiful blessings who fill me with joy (and sometimes make me crazy) and are gifts beyond what I could have asked for. (And they obviously were thrilled to be in this picture with me)

And proud wife of an amazing husband who stands beside me, is willing to take on challenges, helps me relax, and tries to take whatever burdens from me that he can.

Happy Mother's Day

(Inspired by a friend's blog, I decided to do my own post)

Small Town

2011-05-02T13:10:00.000-06:00

My aunt has been after me to treat myself to a pedicure and Josh was enthusiastically agreeing. So Saturday I called up a new place and made an appointment. I usually just walk-in for things like this because I'm not the sort of girl who schedules a pedicure ahead of time. It's usually like "when I get a chance I'll run in." But I did this time. I left my husband with both kids. They were both sleeping when I left and actually stayed asleep almost the whole time. Lucky guy. Someday soon he will experience the circus of two kids actually awake at the same time.

Anyways, when I met the nail tech who I had the appointment with she said, "You look familiar." It turns out she is the mother of my sister-in-law's brother-in-law. Yup. Josh's brother's wife's sister's husband's mother. She remembered me from the wedding where I was taking pictures.

Kerrville sometimes is a very small town. And she did a great pedicure.

Breathe!

2011-04-21T13:03:00.000-06:00

On Thursday afternoon, April 7th, just 40 hours after he was born, James stopped breathing and turned gray-purple. Josh's mom was able to get him to cry after thumping him in the back. We already had an ambulance on the way and we rushed off to the ER. He did it again while we were there. Having our newborn in the ER was a very scary experience. They were putting all kinds of needles into him to try to do blood work, he got a spinal tap to check for meningitis, x-rays, shots, etc. It was awful watching him scream and cry and wondering what was going on with our healthy looking baby.

He was care-flighted to the NICU in San Antonio and had to fly alone while we drove down. Nothing like putting your baby into the care of other people and then driving an HOUR to get to where he is. Our parents were great and packed food and an overnight bag for us. Kate went to spend the night at her friend's house. We had no idea how long this ordeal would last.

When we got there James was hooked up to all kinds of machines -- IV, oxygen, monitors, and a tube down his throat. They were doing vaccines of all kinds until lab work came back. He had a couple more episodes that night. The doctor told us in situations of newborn apnea they keep them in the NICU for a minimum of 5-7 days. Newborn apnea is apparently not uncommon and there is a whole list of things it could be. They had to start looking at and treating the more serious and life-threatening things first and then move down the list.

We were helpless to do anything. In fact, the first 24 hours we had to put on a plastic gown and gloves to hold or touch him. I had to pump because they were controlling his feeding. Josh's dad got us a hotel room which became our "home" for the next 8 days. Yes, folks, James was there just shy of 9 days.

Fortunately, we got one of the best diagnoses it could be in this situation. After 3 full days of being there an upper GI scan was done (we got to watch) which showed a bezoar in James' stomach. A bezoar is an indigestible mass. He probably swallowed some stuff while in the womb and when he started eating it all clumped together in a hard mass. Then when he ate he would reflux and his body would shut down and stop breathing. Crazy! Bezoars are very rare in newborns.

After finding that, he went on a pedialyte diet for about 2 days until the mass was broken down. Then he could go back to milk. And he was hungry! We were hoping to go home once the diagnosis was made, but they wanted him to go 5 days without an episode. So we waited the rest of the week, going back and forth between the hotel and the hospital. We made one trip back to Kerrville to see Kate and she came down once to see us. It was so hard to be away from her and was exhausting to be at the hospital. We took an infant CPR class and tried to make use of our time in SA to run a couple errands.

Finally Saturday arrived (he was admitted Thursday night the week before) and we were ready. Then a scan showed some kidney abnormality. Really? After an intense time of whether they would let us go or not, the doctor arranged for us to come back and do the kidney test as an outpatient procedure. Then we had to wait around for a prescription to be filled. But finally, finally we were on our way home.

Don't you love how they put me in a wheelchair even though I was not treated at this hospital?

It was a really tough experience. It was physically draining (remember, I had just given birth). It was emotionally draining. And as the bills come in, it might prove to be financially draining! (A helicopter ride costs how much!?!) Just kidding, we are not worried about the bills. Our God has always provided for us and we know He won't fail us now.

But we had amazing support from our family and friends. We had prayers covering us from the time we walked into the ER in Kerrville. We had friends waiting for us at the NICU that first night. We had people come visit us and bring us food and gift cards and send gift baskets. We had emails, phone calls, texts, and facebook messages of encouragement, offers to help, and support. It was amazing and we were strengthened by it. We did not ever feel hopeless.

We are so happy to be home now. I have been somewhat on my own with the two kids this week and we are surviving well. We have friends bringing us meals, which is fabulous. Both kids are sleeping right now and I probably should be too, but I drank a protein drink that I thought was just cappuccino flavored, not actually made with coffee. But it was made with coffee, so I'm up right now.

And now so is James. Time to go snuggle.

Introducing...

2011-04-21T12:29:00.000-06:00

James Cooper Seefeldt

Born on April 6 at 12:26am. He was 8lbs, 4oz and 21 inches long.

We got to the hospital at 11:10pm. The nurse checked my progress and announced that I would not have time for an epidural. She and the other nurse jumped into action getting my IV set up and everything ready to deliver a baby. Niessa, the RN/midwife who I wanted to deliver James and who had helped deliver Kate, was actually the one on-call. She got there at midnight and after checking the monitors to see how labor was going, she checked my progress and said I could start pushing whenever. James was born about 15 minutes later.

It was quite an experience without an epidural. Labor is intense and just gets more intense as the delivery gets closer...which would clearly make sense. I'm glad to have had the experience and to experience it with a quick, easy delivery. I would not have wanted to labor any longer than I did.

My mom got to the hospital around 5am after driving all night. She came to see us and then went to our house where Josh's mom was taking care of Kate. They got her ready in her "big sister" t-shirt and came up to visit us.

Kate loves her little brother and was fond of him right from the beginning. When he cries she says "It's okay, baby James." She loves to kiss his head and touch him. She likes to watch when we change his diaper. She wants me to go get him if he cries in his bed. It's very sweet.

We got to leave the hospital that same night around 9pm. We were really excited to be home and had no idea that would only last about another 19 hours.

Very Tempting

2011-04-05T13:49:00.000-06:00

This sounds like a great way to get James here...

Lemon Drop Cupcakes May Help Induce Labor

Updated: Friday, 01 Apr 2011, 11:57 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 01 Apr 2011, 10:24 AM EDT

By: MOLLIE DOBERSEK
myFOXdetroit.com

(WJBK) - You may have heard about inducing labor with spicy foods and sex. But some women in Virginia are claiming cupcakes can also do the trick.
Cappellino’s Crazy Cakes in Charlottesville, Virgina makes a Lemon Drop Cupcake that mothers have sworn when eaten, will put you into labor. So far, a total of 19 overdue pregnant women have eaten this cupcake and have gone into labor.
Lori Lawson was several days past her due date, she then decided to treat herself to a Lemon Drop cupcake from Cappellino's Crazy Cakes and within the hour she began to have contractions.
The bake shop owner says the Lemon Drop is one of their best-sellers. She makes a fresh batch every day just in case an overdue mother to be walks in looking for some help.

Book Review

2011-04-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

This book review is a long time overdue. I chose to review If God is Good by Randy Alcorn. I have read other books by Alcorn and have appreciated both the style of his fiction and the careful research he invests in his nonfiction. In this book he tackles the immense topic of why a good God would allow suffering.

The book is quite a hefty volume, which I guess should be expected if one is going to really discuss such a topic. Alcorn chooses to take his time laying a strong foundation. He first looks at evil and suffering, explaining the importance of trying to understand them and how they are different. He discusses different world views and the logical conclusion each world view comes to regarding evil, suffering, and the existence of God. He discusses sin and suffering. He also looks at why non-theists have no basis for condemning evil. Then he moves to a Christian world view to talk about God's allowance of evil and suffering, how those are used for God's glory, and how they fit into the overall story.

This is not a light book to read over the weekend. It is not a quick perusal of thoughts about suffering. Alcorn has researched this topic and attempts to thoroughly discuss. I appreciate that Alcorn approaches the subject with concern and gentleness, not from an outside literary interest. I also think this book is not for someone in the midst of great suffering, but rather for those wanting to understand suffering, either from having gone through it or watching someone else suffer. It does not have quick answers and may be a lot to tackle for someone in intense suffering. I would recommend this book for those looking to understand and know how to carefully and thoughtfully discuss the issue of evil and suffering.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Kate is 2!

2011-04-01T12:53:00.000-06:00

I'm a bit behind posting about Kate turning 2 years old. That's right, folks, my little girl is 2 now. And she's still amazing! On her actual birthday we got breakfast tacos (because the girl LOVES them!) and gave her some of our gifts to her. That evening we had a picnic dinner at the playground and she played and played and played. Of course, I'm having trouble posting those pictures.

That Saturday we had her party. It was an alphabet theme because she's into letters. I made her a t-shirt with a "K" on it. We had letter-shaped sandwiches (thanks to large cookie cutters) and each kid got cookies in his initials (again, the cookie cutters).

At the party we had alphabet stamps to play with and foam frames to decorate with their names. We took a picture of each kid and printed it out for them to take home in their little frame. Big hit!

The cupcakes were a big hit, too! Kate likes to lick off all the frosting first and then eat the cake.

She is a great present opener, pulling all the tissue paper out, piece by piece and then carefully examining each gift.

We are now quite into the "2s," complete with challenges of toddlerhood and the joys of a little girl who is no longer a baby. It's cool to watch her personality continue to develop as she asserts herself and makes decisions. We are constantly amazed by this little girl. What a blessing to be her parents!

36 weeks

2011-03-14T14:14:00.000-06:00

Yes, folks, we are nearing the end of this pregnancy. At this point it seems like I've been pregnant forever. I feel like I'm almost to the waddling stage and getting up off the floor is not as easy as before. Wouldn't be a problem except that I have a toddler who wants mommy to play.

I got my friend, Sally, to take some maternity pictures for us. I got to take hers last summer and now she got to return the favor. We had a lot of fun and I was able to share the tricks and tips I had learned. She did a great job.

Yes, that is a big belly. Oh my.

I know, I know

2011-03-10T21:10:00.001-06:00

An update is long overdue. I'll try not to make excuses. Things have been busy and different lately. We have had some difficult things to work through. We've had some decisions to make concerning our future and where we might be living in a year. Josh has been working really hard with lots of overtime. We are ready to get thing back to normal before our lives are completely rocked with James' arrival. But overall things are going well. Keep reading!

Mommy's helper

2011-03-10T21:04:00.000-06:00

My girl is such a little helper. She loves to take care of her babies - changing their diapers, wrapping them in blankets to take a nap, telling them she loves them. She helps me unload the dishwasher and helps with sewing projects.

Today, Kate learned a new chore. I got the urge to dust and wipe baseboards today. Kate joined me. We put socks on our hands to use as dust-rags and started tackling the house. As I was wiping baseboards I realized that two years ago I was doing the same thing with a huge pregnant belly...but I was doing it by myself. Kate really got into the dusting and wanted to dust everything...even the beds. So maybe she didn't really completely understand the purpose. But at least I had a buddy to do my chores with.

Grief and healing

2011-03-10T20:56:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how life can be going along just fine and then tragedy strike so suddenly to try to knock you down. Tragedy that reminds us of our own frailty, our own fallen nature, our own needs for Someone stronger. Sadness that goes deep and comes forth sometimes at unexpected moments.

On Friday, February 11, we found out that our beloved pastor had lost his battle with a serious disease. He was found dead on a ranch where he likes to hunt. He had taken his own life. He had struggled with depression for a while and this time did not find another way out. Our church and our community have lost an incredible man.

I am reminded that our God is a compassionate God, who knows our frailties. Indeed, for He created us with His own hands and sent His Son as provision to bring us back to Him so that we would not wander hopelessly in darkness. Yet in this world we will face trouble, pain, sorrow, and suffering that tries to suffocate us. And God knows the enemy of our souls. An enemy who does nothing but kill, steal, and destroy.

In this month since the incident we have gotten to see that we are a part of a healthy church. We are grieving and learning how to move forward. The enemy has attacked our shepherd. The sheep have not scattered.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T21:13:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times...

BFFs! These girls love each other and are so happy to get to spend time together.

Oh Deer!

2011-02-09T20:59:00.000-06:00

Anyone thinking of coming to Texas for warmer weather this winter needs to wait to book a flight. I know it's still winter, but come on. This is Texas.

Today we actually did have ice on the roads. Not covering the roads, but in small patches. We have been a one care family the past couple days because a friend is borrowing Josh's truck. So Kate and I were taking Josh to work this morning. We survived the ice, dropped Josh at his office, and were headed home.

Suddenly, I saw him. A wild, crazy-eyed deer to my left racing across the road I was coming down. He was perpendicular to me, swerving would be no help. With the potential of ice on the road, anything fast was dangerous. All I could do was hold my course.

The crazy animal ran right into my door! He destroyed my side mirror and left it hanging. I watched him flip around on the ground and then get up and run off, so I'm pretty sure he was fine. And fortunately so were we and so was the car (except for the mirror). That's saying a lot because we know several people whose cars have been totaled by deer.

We decided to tape the mirror back on the mount until we can take it in to get replaced. We are really fortunate to not have more damage. Still not the way to start out your morning.

He's a live one!

2011-01-25T18:09:00.000-06:00

I had another ob appointment yesterday and she did another ultrasound to check on things with baby James. He had the doctor laughing with all his silly antics. Baby James was active during the ENTIRE ultrasound - and not just turning his head and waving type stuff. He was pulling his foot up to his face and then stretching it back out. He was putting his hands in front of his face and turning his head away from us and then back to us. He was doing all kinds of things. We have figured out why my blood sugar drops suddenly and I have to eat more and more food just to stay afloat -- this little guy is sucking away all my nutrients and energy!

And he's not such a little guy either. The average weight at this point is about 2.5 pounds. James is looking like he weighs about 4 pounds. It's all based on measurements, so we can't be for sure, but he know he's not little. My doctor said we will check again at 36 weeks to see how big he's getting. Oh boy!

And he has big feet! Which is funny because neither Josh nor I have really big feet. But my brother does, so maybe he's getting it from my side. We got to see a few 3D pictures, too, and it looks like he might have a nose like Joshua. Not a cute little nose like Kate. But if he looks like his daddy, he will be a handsome boy indeed.

Merry Christmas with Ugly Sweaters

2011-01-18T13:44:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

27 weeks!

2011-01-08T08:07:00.000-06:00

James is getting big! And, yes, I know I still have several months to go! =)

Cool Car!

2011-01-07T20:29:00.000-06:00

This is exactly what Kate said when we showed her the peddle car my grandmother got her for Christmas.

Yes, folks, that is a BMW convertible. We park it in the garage next to Mommy's car. Kate will often ask if we can take her car to run errands. It's made for kids 3 years and up and Kate cannot reach the peddles yet. So we have to push her if she's going to go anywhere. She doesn't seem to mind and is learning to steer pretty well.

Christmas

2011-01-07T20:22:00.000-06:00

Our family is bigger this year and we got to celebrate Christmas in Kerrville with Kate's cousin Madi. The girls get along really well and it's fun for Kate to have a cousin now.

We also got to go to Denver with my side of the family. We opted to fly, even with the thought of trying to contain a toddler for 2 hours in our laps. Kate was a super traveler, though, and traveling couldn't have been smoother. And once we got to Denver Josh and I actually got to sleep in a few days while my parents took care of Kate in the mornings. My brother was in the states from Puerto Rico and Kate got to spend much needed time with her uncle.

We made a gingerbread house with my cousins Maddie and Alexander. Kate learned how to scoop icing up with her fingers and lick it off. Can you tell how much she enjoyed that?

Tis the Season to be busy!

2010-12-22T15:14:00.000-06:00

Could I be more absent from this blog? I have such good intentions for all the projects I can do (Susie Homemaker, if you please), the books I can read, and the general up-keep of my family. But you know the drill -- those often stay as intentions.

Things are pretty busy around here these days. Kate is a do-it-herself kind of girl. Sometimes that has mixed results. Today she helped me put away the laundry by grabbing one article of clothing from the laundry basket in the kitchen and dragging it across the house to the appropriate bedroom. In her room, articles of clothing were deposited in her laundry basket (which I had to retrieve promptly to remember which were clean and which were dirty) and in my room they were piled on the closet floor.

She sleeps in a big girl bed now and happily helped Daddy take down her little bed. She sleeps on the trundle bed under this one and LOVES it!

James Cooper Seefeldt (our baby boy) is growing and active. He already kicks his mama hard enough to hurt. Other than that, everything is running smoothly with the pregnancy. His room is still a disaster zone as we are using it as a storage and holding tank right now. But he's comfortable enough for now.

Kate knows her baby brother's name and has gotten to feel him kick. What all that possibly means to her, I have no idea. But so far she's on board.

We have some other interesting developments which I will share later.

Oh, and I got to do a 6 month photo shoot for a friend and her daughter. So fun! Hop over to my photography blog to check those out!

thank you red card

2010-12-12T07:48:00.001-06:00

Pictures In Red Holiday Thank You 3x5 folded card

Turn your holiday photos into holiday cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Yes, we did have a Thanksgiving

2010-12-09T07:15:00.000-06:00

I realize I still have not posted from Thanksgiving. Here is a short and sweet version just so it doesn't get left out. We traveled to Santa Fe to see my grandmother. My aunt, uncle, and cousins from Denver also came down and so we had a wonderful full house for Thanksgiving. The first couple days were COLD! It even snowed the first night just enough to put a small layer of snow along the ground and top of the wall. Beautiful!

We tried to go on a walk and the wind was so cold we were miserable! But later in the weekend it warmed up enough for Josh and me to walk into town and look around a bit.

Kate did lots of "cooking." She is very good about not opening the packages and pretended to make many coffee, candy corn, peanut butter creations.

We loved getting to see my cousins! They are great kids and we don't get to see them very often. They are so great with Kate and she just loved them!

Kate liked being with her Dewey (what she calls my grandmother). She's very adaptable to new situations. We talked all about Dewey's house and who would be there so she was excited and ready once we got there.

We drove to and from Santa Fe and are happy to say we survived. Kate did well, all things considered, and it was an easy, but extremely boring drive. I have to say that New Mexico south of Santa Fe made even West Texas look interesting.

And finally, just because I haven't posted one in a while...

Big baby boy!

Deck the Mantle with Christmas Cards!

2010-12-01T11:47:00.001-06:00

Happy December!

I guess it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards. Yeah, don't tell me you already have yours done and in the mail. Figures. Overachievers! We still need to get our Christmas decorations out of the attic. I didn't think I was behind until I saw houses already decorated. Traveling for Thanksgiving apparently puts you behind in the "decorating in Christmas" festivities.

I was just looking on Shutterfly and they have lots of new cards this year. I like the folded ones where you can write a story inside about your family and share multiple pictures there.
Click here for an example
Or this one, where you have lots of pictures on the front and a big one inside with your story.
Click here
I think the story idea is such a nice touch. Josh and I always try to cram in as much as we can because we love to share life and the Good News of the season with those we send our cards to.

Usually I have gotten the flat ones from Shutterfly with one or a few pictures and just enough room to write something small. They have always turned out really nicely. There are new designs this year that are really cute. I love how many different designs they have! Check them out!

I'm looking forward to trying something new. Ambitious, I know. But I've had good results in the past - from ease of creating the card, to fast delivery, to great end product.

Now I just need to get a nice picture of the family.

And maybe in 2011 I'll get my act together enough to get some birth announcements for our little guy. Shutterfly has some pretty options and I'm sure that would make it easy for a newly mom of two to handle.

It's a ....

2010-11-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

...baby brother! We are having a boy!

We had our 20 week checkup and sonogram yesterday. We got to see a very active, very wiggly, healthy baby boy. The doctor said everything looked good and he was measuring the right size. He is about 14oz right now.

The top picture is his little foot and this bottom picture shows him looking at us, his head on the right, his body to the left.

We are very excited and working on his name right now. I guess it's time to get some blue!

They both said "I do..."

2010-11-14T21:19:00.003-06:00

The Seefeldt family just got a bit bigger. Josh's brother Michael married Stephanie last weekend and we now have a new sister-in-law and...for the first time!!...a niece! Josh and I get to be an aunt and uncle! We are very excited to have them as a part of our family.

I got to do the photography at the wedding with Josh as my assistant. If you'd like to see just a few of the pictures, click here: Wedding Pictures

More family just in time for the holidays!

Our Little Kitty

2010-11-08T21:16:00.003-06:00

When I realized that we were going to be traveling on Halloween this year (more on that to come), I was disappointed that we wouldn't get to do all the Harvest Fest/trick-or-treating fun with Kate. And traveling kind of ruled out an elaborate costume. But I decided we still needed to dress her up, even if it just meant riding in costume in the car. You just don't pass up an opportunity to put your kid in a costume.
I decided on a kitty because that's her favorite animal noise to make right now. And low-and-behold, a black kitty showed up at my parents' house just in time to take a picture with her. I'm so glad that kitty was not interested in staying in his own home. (Yes, that is Kate's new smile. She says "cheese" and smiles like that.)

We ended up staying overnight at my parents' house that night instead of driving back. Kate got to hand out candy to some trick-or-treaters with my mom. We don't really know any of their neighbors anymore, so Kate did not partake in the candy-getting fest. But she wouldn't know what to do with it anyway.

I took a video on my phone of her looking at the black cat and talking about his ears and she cracks herself up watching it. It's so funny! Total belly-laughs watching herself.

Whoop!

2010-11-08T21:07:00.002-06:00

The Aggies are ranked again! It's about time!

Though we are pathetic about actually getting to watch the games, I follow the score updates on my phone and am REALLY excited to see Aggie Football actually competing again.

Way to go, Ags! Gig 'em!

Need a new website?

2010-11-05T08:28:00.007-06:00

Hey, this is Josh.
I love my wife. She does a great job at keeping the blog updated. It used to be 'our' blog, but due to my lack of contribution, it has really become her blog. She is such a great writer and has great insight and wisdom. So I kinna hate that my rare post isn't really an update at all. But here it is.

I've spent a good amount of time at work getting our new website set up. You can check it out here. We used a website template from Clover Sites, and from the last few months of working with them I have really grown to appreciate their company, and their product. They started off making websites for ministries and churches, but have recently expanded to also do any type of business. Compared to other website options, their price is great, their templates are beautiful, and their web based editor is so simple and easy to use.
So if you or someone you know needs a website for your ministry or business, I really recommend Clover. Go to their website for tons more helpful information.

Free

2010-11-02T08:32:00.003-06:00

I voted this morning. I had wanted to vote early and didn't get to it. So today I was worried the lines would be long. I left the house early, running out while Josh was still getting ready for work so he could be with Kate. (She's not registered to vote yet.) But I forget that I live in Kerrville. There was one other man there while I was there. And we used paper ballots! Lately I have gotten used to the computer ballots. Funny.

I got to thinking about my view of voting. I've grown up at a time and in a country where voting has always been free - free from cost, free from hassle, free from manipulation, free of persecution. We complain about having to wait in line. Registering to vote is easier than renewing a driver's license or getting a library card.

I take all of that for granted. I am largely ignorant of the challenges, abuses, and struggles women less than a century ago in this country endured in order to win the right to vote.

I forget that right now, in other countries, people are beaten for casting a vote. People are willing to walk miles to get to a polling location. Women still face abuse for trying to vote.

May I grow to not take my freedoms for granted and to use them to influence toward good and the growth of God's kingdom.

Architecture Convention

2010-10-26T13:13:00.004-06:00

The yearly architecture convention is often a family event for us. Pre-Kate I even went to a few of the session (and almost fell asleep during one...oops). My favorite part was the expo where I would try to get as many free goodies as possible. This year Josh was getting recognized officially as a new architect in the state, so we went. Fortunately the convention was close to home in the big city.

Kate loved the expo and definitely got some freebies just because she's cute.

Here is Josh and his coworker with the president of the Texas association of Architects (or something like that. Josh hasn't gotten back to me to clear up her title.)

Kate couldn't wait to run up on stage and give daddy a hug and high-five. Josh would probably have been the youngest one on stage except for Kate.

The next day, while the guys were in classes for continuing education, Jo Ann, Kate and I were shopping. Kate loved the boats on the riverwalk and Jo Ann took us on a boat ride. Kate loved it...right up when she fell asleep. It was a beautiful morning and so peaceful on the river. Thanks for the boat ride!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T19:18:00.004-06:00

October means fall and pumpkin patch time! Kate and I had a great time at the Medina Pumpkin Patch today.

Do you like my goat horns and ears? Thanks goes to our friend Josh Smithson for not telling me my head was exactly positioned. Hmm.

We watched a puppet show and they did Little Red Riding Hood. It was all good until they told the version where the wolf eats Granny and then they cut his stomach open and Granny popped out. Really? For a bunch of kids? I'm just glad Kate wasn't really following the story.

Next year we will take Josh and baby Seefeldt with us and maybe it will be cool enough for hot cider.

2010-10-18T18:52:00.004-06:00

I guess it's about time to post at least one belly bump picture. It's finally starting to look like a baby bump as opposed to too much ice cream.
So here we are at 15 weeks. I'm feeling pretty good these days but still like a nap every now and then.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-10-13T19:44:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to Josh today! Kate has been practicing saying "happy birthday daddy" and while it comes out kind of slurred, it's really cute. We had a surprise family birthday lunch for him yesterday, complete with Spider-Man cake.

Yes, I did have him wear that hat the whole time!

Today we celebrated his birthday with presents in the morning, recognition and cupcakes at the BSM lunch at Schreiner University, a nice dinner out, and more presents when we got home. Kate was ready to play with all his presents right away.

Happy Birthday to my best friend ever! I hope your day(s) has been wonderful and that you feel celebrated for the wonderful man that you are. I love you!

Almost 13...

2010-09-30T15:21:00.002-06:00

...weeks pregnant that is. Whoohoo! The nausea has begun to subside for the most part. I'm still tired most of the time and ravenously hungry at inconvenient times.

And I have to say the baby bump pops out a little sooner the second time around. It just makes me wonder: Am I gaining more weight this time around? Will I be HUGE by the time March rolls around? Or is this just a head start? Hopefully I won't be getting a talk from the doctor about watching the calories. Humpf.

Other than that I have discovered a few things:
-- Toddler snack times and preggie snack times line up nicely. As long as I eat something similar to what Kate is eating, I will actually get to eat it without her wanting some of mine.

--Toddler nap times are also preggie nap times, but I could stand for a few more during the day than Kate seems to need.

--Thinking of sharing this new baby with Kate makes me feel excited and happy and bursting with love...and a bit exhausted. Those will be busy days.

I'll be finishing up at the pregnancy center where I volunteer soon. If there were not a carseat in the middle of my backseat, I might consider taking a quick nap before heading home.

2010-09-27T20:49:00.003-06:00

Kate took her baby buggy on our evening walk today. She loves pushing her babies. She's getting so big. Such an amazing little girl.

It's that time again...

2010-09-14T19:47:00.003-06:00

Fall is coming soon to Texas and it's time for cooler weather and football games. Both of which I enjoy very much.

It's also that time again...

Yup, time for the Seefeldts to start getting ready for their next little one. Lil Seef is due early April. We thought we'd start him or her off right.

We are super excited!

Unfortunately, it has also been time for morning sickness and exhaustion. I'm hoping that will end in the next couple weeks as we move into the second trimester.

Not ME! Monday

2010-09-13T20:28:00.002-06:00

I'm borrowing the fun from MCKMama. A goofy way to confess all the not so perfect things you have done recently. This will be a quick-and-dirty version.

Sunday was a long day. Of course, I did not choose to take a nap instead of working on preparing the side dish we needed to take that afternoon to an event. I did not leave it up to Josh to help me after his softball practice. And when he did get home to help, I did not end up talking on the phone instead of helping him.

Today was a long day. After missing our usual nap time, I did not put Kate down for a late nap just so that I could lie down for a few minutes. When I couldn't sleep, I did not eat a few snacks before getting her up just so I didn't have to share with her.

I certainly did not lie to my child and tell her that the M&Ms I was eating were medicine because, again, I didn't want to share.

I definitely am not keeping tabs on how many nights this week I am putting Kate to bed alone while Josh is out playing sports. I would never tally something like that (2 for 2).

I did not eat 2 or 3 Hershey's minis while watching TV and working on MOPS stuff just because no one else was home and I needed to indulge myself.

Rainy Day

2010-09-07T10:26:00.002-06:00

This morning it is raining. That means no walk outside to exercise the restless dog and exercise-needing mommy. Instead, we three (mommy, baby, and dog) sit on the front porch watching the rain. It's finally cool outside. Kate wants mommy to pick weed flowers and pile them on mommy's leg. Sammy explores the yard and then sits with us watching the rain.

I'm ready to go in. There is laundry to fold, laundry to wash, vacuuming to accomplish. But Kate wants to watch the rain. So we sit there, we three, watching the rain.

Then Kate wants to walk out on the sidewalk. "Mommy doesn't want to," I tell her. I don't really want to get wet. It's easier to sit here. Kate tries to get Sammy to go with her, but he doesn't understand.

"Okay, Mommy will go with you," I say as I strip off my socks and offer my hand. She won't always want me to walk in the rain with her. There won't always be rain to walk in when it's convenient for me. What a chance to be free from the practical adult routine I usually try to remember! Laundry and vacuuming are worlds away as we walk down the sidewalk in the drizzly rain. We stop and I show her how to toss leaves in flowing water by the curb. "More," she says (as usual) and we toss more.

Soon it is time to go inside. We call to Sammy and walk back inside. Back inside to change into dry, comfy clothes. We got to escape, on a rainy day, the usual routine and remember to enjoy the wonders that are all around us.

On My Morning Walk

2010-08-26T10:20:00.002-06:00

First, a confession: I'm a mall walker. Yes, it's true. It started last summer when I wanted to get out and exercise (which usually consists of walking these days because I can do it with Kate in a stroller) and it was just too hot to go outside. I have a great friend who would walk the mall with me with her stroller and we would chat and exercise.

This summer I haven't done it as often. And a few times I tried to disguise myself by wearing normal clothes and my Chacos instead of tennis shoes. Today, I did not even attempt a disguise. I wore work-out shorts (and by that I do NOT mean spandex) and my walking tennis shoes. Kate was loaded up with a snack and some books. I was going to exercise. Well, Kate fell asleep after about 10 minutes, so I only walked for about 20 and decided to head home to take advantage of her naptime.

But here are some things I saw on my walk:

Mall Walkers Sign: Yes, there is a sign for mall walkers on the wall at the mall telling us how many times around the mall to walk for one miles. Very helpful. And I think they also listed "guidelines" for mall-walking. But since I'm not really a mall-walker, I didn't read those.

Co-walkers: There were a couple other, much more mature, people walking at the mall too. One man was quite serious about it. I think he followed all the guidelines. He said I had a "nice buggy." I'm assuming he meant my stroller and was not referring to the fact that he had been walking behind me for some time.

Birthday-Boy: I did a little lap around JCPenny and passed an elderly couple finishing their purchase with a cashier. The Cashier told the gentleman, "Happy Birthday" and the woman (probably the gentleman's wife) said "I'm gonna go home and iron his birthday suit." I'm not sure what that means. Maybe he has a special suit he wears for his birthday? Could she have been referring to his "birthday suit?" (Wink, nudge)

Beauty Pills: On a stroll passed GNC there was a box in the window saying the vitamins enhance beauty. Really? The vitamins were called "Be Beautiful." Really?

I think that's about it. Kate's still asleep so I'm gonna try to nap too. Stay tuned for more adventures in Kerrville.

Time Flies

2010-08-18T18:29:00.002-06:00

I wish I had a really good reason as to why I haven't updated in a while. Like we've been on some really cool vacation and I couldn't get to a computer. But that's not the case. I've just been busy.

Right now I'm working on getting things ready for our next MOPS year, coming up in less than a month. I've got a training meeting next week to prepare our table leaders to minister to the moms we will have coming. It's fun and exciting to think about the upcoming year.

Kate is growing all the time and doing new things. She says new words all the time. It's amazing how much she talks right now. Some of it is still baby jabber, but some of it is meaningful communication. She understands so much of what we say and responds when we ask her questions. It can be exhausting, but it's a lot of fun.

A few weeks ago our good friends Clayton and Holly came to town and stayed with us. Clayton was officiating a wedding of a high school friend of his and Josh. We had a good time with Clayton, Holly, and their kids. Here are the two guys with their girls.

Yes, that is my husband throwing the baseball with his sleeping daughter on his back.

Musts

2010-08-04T18:53:00.002-06:00

Must Read: My Generation by Josh Riebock

As a guy from Generation Y, Josh sets out to explain a little about who our generation is, what we long for, and what we need. He gives stories and accounts of other Gen-Y-ers in their journey to God and community. I found it to be motivating, encouraging, and challenging. I think many of us from that generation will see parts of ourselves in the stories he recounts and see those we would like to be like. Highly enjoyable read as well. You can find it on Amazon.

Must See: Food, Inc.

Yes, it is a documentary. No, it is not boring. And Yes, it's important for you to see. Why? Because no matter how we choose to live our lives, we should make informed decisions as much as possible. Regardless of the food you choose to eat, you should at least know where it came from. "But I don't want to know. It will probably make me not want to eat that and I like to eat such-and-such." Stop saying silly statements like that and get informed. Then do what you want to do. Ignorance is not bliss. The documentary is well done, not boring, and informative.

I'll step off my soapbox now.

a big event in the morning

2010-07-27T12:26:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning Kate and Josh were in the kitchen while I was tidying up around the house. When I came back to the kitchen Kate wanted to fill me in on what had happened while I had been gone. Apparently, there had been an ant on the kitchen floor, which Josh scooped up on an envelope and deposited outside via our kitchen door to the backyard. Kate babbled over and over again about this ant, pointing to the floor, and to her daddy, and to the back door, and over again to make sure I did not miss out on this big event. I think she told me about it four or five times.

Toddler chatterboxes are so funny!

Arlington friends

2010-07-25T18:44:00.003-06:00

A week ago we got to go to Arlington to visit our friends. We miss them and had a wonderful time getting to hang out and share our lives again.

Kate got to meet Daisy. They ran around Starbucks together.
Kate and Shanda are shoe buddies. How cute is that!
Kate and Grace hadn't seen each other in a long time. They had a good time running around the house together and learning to share.

We miss our friends in Arlington and are so thankful they welcome us back and spend time visiting with us.

Picnic by the river

2010-07-25T18:41:00.002-06:00

Picnic dinner by the river with my favorite people...

...and favorite dog.

Dad Life

2010-07-15T12:42:00.001-06:00

This is dedicated to all the great dads!

Dad Life

Love it!

BFF

2010-07-13T09:12:00.003-06:00

A July 4th Adventure!

2010-07-09T12:29:00.005-06:00

After all the parade festivities and resting at home through the rest of the heat of the day, we decided we needed to get out and play on Independence Day. Josh thought we should try the nature trail we had seen a sign for down near a playground we go to. All we knew was that there was a sign that said "Nature Trail .7 mi." Off we went.

In this case, "trail" is used very loosely. It was more like "people have walked here before so someone came and put a few signs with arrows once sometime ago." The nature was beautiful, though.

My adventurous husband and brave daughter. Yes, that is a fallen tree behind them. We actually encountered several of those. One time we had to lift the stroller over a tree. I didn't get a picture of that of course. Sammy was with us too, but he was not interested in pictures.
This time Josh decided to push the stroller under the tree. Oh yes, he did.
Kate was clearly not that impressed with our adventure.

We decided next time we go we will take Kate in the ergo (backpackish baby carrier). We didn't think that would be necessary since we were on a trail. Ah, learning from experience.

Happy July 4th!

2010-07-05T15:09:00.002-06:00

Celebrating the 4th with a parade...

...remembering freedom is bought with a price.

Checking in

2010-07-05T12:04:00.002-06:00

It's been a busy few weeks. Lots of things going on and lots of things needing to be processed. But that doesn't happen well when I am busy.

A song came up on the playlist yesterday while I was playing with Kate and it struck a chord with me. I realized that my heart is needing to be touched, to be expressed, to be sung to. I need to take the time to be still and listen to the music that sings to my soul.

Maybe I'll get a chance to do that today. Maybe I'll put aside the chores screaming to be done. Maybe I won't pick up the parenting book I'm reading to make sure I cover all the bases parenting. Maybe I won't take the nap I'm really wanting. Maybe.

(I'll post pictures soon. My computer is hiding the pictures I just downloaded from the camera and I don't feel like wasting anymore of my time looking for them. )

2010-06-12T17:00:00.000-06:00

A Neighborhood...finally

2010-06-12T16:43:00.002-06:00

Our entire married life, we have lived in neighborhoods, but we have not ever known more than 1 or 2 neighbors. And not from complete lack of trying. Finally, after living here for one and a half years, we feel like we live in a neighborhood.

The neighbors who live behind us have a 4 year old boy who LOVES Kate. He is a sweet, sweet boy and Kate likes to play with him too. He was gone for a week visiting his dad and when we saw him the evening he got back, he ran over shouting "Kate!" Last weekend his mom and her boyfriend came over to just to visit with us for a bit. They are a little younger than us and we are enjoying building a relationship with them.

There is a family a couple of houses down from us with four kids. Kate and I have played with the kids outside a few times after school and their mom has sent dinner over for us just because she wanted to share. Last night the parents came over to have coffee with us. They stayed until after 11pm, clueless to the fact that we go to bed much earlier than that. But we wouldn't have thought to kick them out sooner.

The elderly couple across the wall from us give us much cause for concern. They should not be living on their own anymore and we are trying to figure out how we can help them make that decision. They have trouble driving, can't remember where they live, and often don't remember who we are. It's dangerous for them to be alone.

It's good to be in a place where people know you and you know them. We have people who notice if we are gone. We have people we want to get to know. We hang out randomly and without planning. We like to be able to share life with those around us.

Goat playdate

2010-06-06T19:22:00.004-06:00

Josh's mom recently bought two baby milk goats who have been bottle fed since they were days old. They are tame and act more like puppies than goats. We went out to play with the goats with two of Kate's little friends.

Group hug!
Helping Jojo feed the baby goatPlaying with a puppy...I mean goat.
It's funny that for Kate playing with goats is a normal childhood activity. She gets distracted by rocks in the yard or a ball to throw for the dogs and doesn't realize that playing with goats is not something everyone gets to do. She likes them, for sure, and runs over and gives the goat a hug when she thinks of it. It's so fun to watch her!

A Wild Night Out on the Town

2010-06-03T12:23:00.002-06:00

Last night two of my friends here in Kerrville took me out to celebrate my birthday. Our husbands were watching the kids, so it was to be a fun girls' night out. We thought we'd head to Fredericksburg for something different. As we were driving that way, though, we could see the dark clouds sitting over Fredericksburg and saw HUGE streaks of lightning. When we hit torrential rains, we decided to turn around and just eat in Kerrville so we were closer to home.

The storm followed us and it was flood-quality. As we were going down one of the main streets to the restaurant, the power flashed off and then back on. The wind picked up and was shaking the SUV we were in. Barely able to see the road, much less stay out of huge puddles on the road, we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and stopped to think through our options. The electricity had flashed off and on again and we were wondering if the restaurant even had power. The wind was shaking our car and the streets looked like they were flooding. In fact, we watched as bags of trash floated down the street outside.

We all called our husbands to check in and found out that Josh and Kylie's husband were without power. Sally's husband had power, so we realized it was not down all over town. When the rain let up just a bit, we decided to race to the restaurant and salvage our dinner out.

We ran through the flooded parking lot. I was in a dress and heels, Kylie was in heels, and Sally (who is pregnant) was in white pants. Not running-through-rain outfits. But we made it inside with minimal damage.

We had a great time at dinner. Good food, fun conversation, delicious dessert, and wonderful company. We enjoyed talking without having conversations interrupted by toddlers. By the time we left, the rain had stopped. The drive home was eerie and dark. No street lights were lit. Trees and branches were down everywhere. Kylie's and my houses were still without power and remained so until 1:30am.

What a night!

I am so thankful that my friends wanted to take me out to celebrate and so thankful they didn't bail for bad weather! We had quite the adventure together and a good stories to tell.

Thank you, Sally and Kylie, for your friendship and your sense of adventure!

Wildflowers

2010-05-17T19:59:00.001-06:00

Portraits with Children

2010-05-17T19:43:00.006-06:00

I love taking pictures of my Kate. Of course, it's a challenge to get a picture of her looking at me smiling because: 1) She doesn't understand "Look at the camera and smile" and 2) She's way too busy to stop and look at the camera and smile.

While I do get some good shots (out of 200 or something), I also get some like this:

Gotta love photographing a baby!

So I'm prone to think that when she gets older this will be much easier. Well, that's what I thought before this weekend. I helped Josh's cousin take some wildflower pictures of her girls. They were not in the mood for wildflower pictures.

This one cracks me up:

One sister wants to run around, one sister is doing diva poses.

Josh's cousin agreed that in some ways it's easier as they get older (they understand "smile") but in other ways it's harder (like having their own ideas for posing).

Still, every now and then you catch a sweet one...

Public Service Announcement

2010-05-06T18:58:00.003-06:00

Be Advised

Please talk to your children about the dangers of texting while driving. It starts early.

Recent Happenings

2010-05-04T08:01:00.002-06:00

I know it's been a while since I've updated. Lately I've had my nose the grindstone studying in any free moment I got. "Studying?" you say. Yes, Studying. A year and a half after graduating and 2 years after taking my last round of finals, I took another test.

Yesterday morning I passed the National Counselor Exam.

Whoop!

It was a hard test and took just over 2 hours. I was exhausted afterwards. But it's done and I passed and I don't have to study anymore!

That's some big news for our little family right now.

I'll post more with pictures and other fun stuff later.

Beautiful Girl

2010-04-13T19:23:00.003-06:00

You are growing up so fast...

Love those eyes!

Blogging for Books

2010-04-05T09:16:00.005-06:00

It's been a little while since I've reviewed a book for you. This week we have a book for children. This Little Prayer of Mine by Anthony DeStefano is a sweet book that leads children in a child's prayer. The rhyming prayer asks God for His help to do the right thing, thanks God for the blessings in the child's life, and acknowledges a future of possibilities. The illustrations by Mark Elliott are beautiful and Kate likes looking at them. I think it's a great book for parents to read with their children to help teach them to look to God for help and to be thankful.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Easter Eggs!

2010-04-03T12:41:00.005-06:00

This morning we had an Easter egg hunt for Kate. Josh and I dyed eggs last night and this morning we set them out in the yard for her to pick up. I really didn't think she would be very interested but I was way off! She loved finding the eggs and putting them in her basket. She carried the basket around and put all 10 eggs in them. She wasn't even interested in her Easter basket of toys. She loved those eggs!

Eggs, eggs, everywhere!

2010-03-31T20:09:00.003-06:00

Finding Easter eggs at FBC Kerrville last weekend.

Getting excited about our own egg hunt this year!

2010-03-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Kate!

2010-03-24T07:59:00.004-06:00

Kate is 1 year old today! I can't believe my baby is now a one-year-old. It's amazing to think that a year ago she was finally here. Before then we had not seen her or held her or kissed her or experienced the joy that is Kate.

We had her birthday party this past Saturday and I have to say it was quite a success. We had a great time and Kate did too. Several of her friends were there and we had a happy chaotic time. The weather was awful - cold, windy, and overcast - so we had an inside party. But the pinata still worked inside and the cakes was delicious, so no one seemed to mind.
With this pinata instead of hitting it with a stick there were strings to pull that would break the bottom. Much safer with little kids.

Kate's party was a bunny theme. She wore her ears for a little while.

My mom helped me make her cake. So fun!

She had her own little bunny cake which she enjoyed eating, contrary to how she may appear in this picture. =)

So far today we have celebrated with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We have leftover birthday cake for tonight, a few more presents for her, and we will see what happens in between! =)

Thank you to all who helped make her birthday celebration so fun. Kate, your parents love you more than you can imagine and we are so thankful for this year we have gotten to have with you. We look forward to many more and are excited to watch you grow up. You are a blessing and a joy to us, more than you will ever know.

Fun with my new camera

2010-03-10T21:53:00.005-06:00

Jesus Has Overcome

2010-03-07T14:09:00.003-06:00

Sarah mentioned last week about the passing of our friend Julie. Last weekend we headed to Arlington to see friends, go to Connect Church and attend the Celebration service. Although we had heavy hearts, the weekend became one filled with Christ-centered worship. The theme of the weekend as spoken by Julie’s husband Mark was. ”It will be a little about Julie, and a lot about Jesus”

Julie was a woman who loved her God and Savior. She loved to worship Him and longed for others to share in her joy by knowing Him also. Faithful to who she was, the weekend became one about celebrating and praising Christ, and pointing others to Him.

It sounds so easy to type that, and almost natural, like, “well that is what you are supposed to do…” but it was Sunday morning during worship at church that I was overwhelmed by the foolishness and absurdity of it all. Here was a man (Mark) whose wife of 15 years had just died after a long difficult struggle with and ugly disease. They had been laboring in prayer for years that God would heal her and intensely trusted that He would. He is now left to raise their two young kids without their mom. This seems like the perfect opportunity to become angry and shake your fist at God and say things like, “she doesn’t deserve this… she was such a wonderful woman… why her…you owe me!!??”

I’m not saying Mark didn’t have those moments, but to see him standing there with both arms lifted high to his Father, singing and even shouting loudly “How great is our God…You alone are Worthy… Your Love is better than life…Oh Christ, Be the center of my life!”… I was overwhelmed with emotion. This just isn’t a natural response, it doesn’t make sense, and could even be disrespectful to Julie…. unless…. God is great and good and right and does no wrong, even in the midst of tragedy...unless He alone is Worthy of all honor and praise and worship in all circumstances…unless His love is better than life, and unless Christ was and is the Center of Mark and Julie’s life, marriage, and family. If those are true then a weekend of passionate worship is the only true and appropriate response such a tragic loss. Only in Christ are all understanding, purpose, peace and comfort found. For it is only in His death and resurrection where our hope for victory over death lies.

God give me the faith to praise you and rejoice in your goodness and grace in the midst of tragedy.

May I join with Job to say..”The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, but blessed be the name of the Lord” and Habakkuk who said “…Though the fig tree does not bud…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. …” and Paul when he says “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinth 1:18

These two songs resonated in my heart this week as I reflected on the weekend.

---I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small.
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

’Cause Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow'r and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots,
And melt the heart of stone.

And when before the throne

I stand in Him complete,
Jesus died my soul to save
my lips shall still repeat.

--Alex Nifong

---There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"

---Chris Tomlin

Blogging for Books

2010-03-05T16:39:00.008-06:00

This week there are two books in the same tour. For the first time since starting the "Blogging for Books" program I was unable to finish reading the books. As the previous post stated, we had a good friend pass away and were out of town for several days. I did get to read about half of one book, skimmed the rest, and skimmed and read sections of the other book. So I can give a decently informed opinion.

Sally Clarkson wrote Dancing with My Father about finding joy through our relationship with the Father throughout life's challenges. She draws from her experiences in life and how the Lord taught her to develop a life of joy. Clarkson uses Scripture to explain what the Lord wants from us and for us.

I think that Clarkson is an encouraging and practical writer. She seems approachable and realistic. I like the way she tackles her topic and I have enjoyed reading the first half of the book. =)

Here is part of the summary for this book:
"In this warm and wise book, author Sally Clarkson invites readers to take God’s hand and let Him lead them into a life of anticipation, passion, and purpose. With the voice of a trusted mentor, she reveals how, by getting in tune with the rhythm of God’s presence, women can nurture an inner attitude of anticipation and celebration even in the stressful seasons of life."

Mother-Daughter Duet by Cheri Fuller and Ali Plum is about developing a strong relationship with one's adult daughter. I have not read this book, though I have read sections and skimmed much of it. Written toward mothers, it is a discussion about how to bridge the gap so that your daughter will want to draw close to you. Cheri and Ali are mother and daughter and use their own experiences plus stories from women they interviewed to help mothers move in the right direction.

I could see how this book could be a helpful resource for a mother wanting to develop a stronger relationship with her daughter. It seems to be encouraging and thoughtful. I would recommend it to a mother who is wanting to draw closer to her adult daughter.

Here is part of the summary:
"The mother-daughter dynamic is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But mothers and daughters can achieve mutual respect and learn to celebrate their differences when they learn the two-part harmony of the mother-daughter duet."

These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

In His Arms

2010-02-26T19:15:00.003-06:00

Today our friend Julie Mangrem is in the arms of Jesus, worshiping Him. Last night, after almost 5 years of battling cancer and trusting God, Julie went Home. We have heavy hearts as we think about her husband, son, and daughter that she left behind. Her children are 8 and 5 and will have much healing to go through. But we also rejoice, knowing that she trusted God completely. She leaves behind a legacy of a woman of God, mighty in prayer, and sure in her faith.

(Arica, Julie, Sarah)

We will be going to Arlington to be with our friends there and to attend the funeral and celebration services. Please pray for her family as they continue in the grieving and healing process.

Actually, this is her first rodeo

2010-02-24T13:43:00.004-06:00

Last Friday a friend and I ventured to San Antonio to take our girls to their first rodeo. It was not the sunny beautiful day we were hoping for, but it was still a great trip and the girls were bundled.

They loved the animals! It was so fun to see Kate's eyes light up as she sat forward and looked at the horse or pig or cow or pony I was pointing out to her. She would point and wave at the animal.Looking at the chicks. She really wanted to get in there with them.Here I am telling her something very intelligent about the chicks. Probably something she will remember forever and will help her win at trivial pursuit.

Pointing at the ponies. She loved watching them!

Kate does not want to be a goat when she grows up.

Kate and her friend Abigail. Don't they look thrilled?
Our little piggies! Don't they look so cute!

The rodeo is a must for next year. We are thinking cowboy boots and hats are in order for the girls.

In case you were wondering, I did wear my cowboy boots.

2010-02-17T20:49:00.001-06:00

Kate and her daddy on the beach

Puerto Rico

2010-02-17T20:06:00.004-06:00

This past weekend we took a quick vacation with my parents to visit my brother in Puerto Rico. First of all, it was so wonderful to be warm again and to feel the sun on my face and to walk around wearing a skirt, sandals, and t-shirt. We got to lie by the pool, watch the ocean waves, put our feet in the ocean (Josh actually went in but I didn't really want to. The water was still a bit chilly.).

But even more importantly we got to spend great time with my brother and my parents. We got to see Matthew's house, attend a church that supports his ministry, meet some of his friends, get coffee at his favorite coffee shop, and see other local venues. Matthew is doing really well and seems to be adjusting to life in PR pretty well.The view from our hotel room

Another view from a different side of the hotel

a funny chair at the hotel

Kate was a great traveler. She hung in there for all the craziness that comes with long flights, time changes, and different cultures. She loved spending time with her tio (uncle) and grandparents. We have an amazing baby girl.

I need to get some more pictures from my mom's camera, so I'll post more when I do.

It was hard to leave Puerto Rico, but I know we'll be going back soon.

Watching closely

2010-02-11T10:52:00.003-06:00

Josh has been getting up early lately and two days a week he goes and works out with his brother before work...that means he is leaving about 6:15am. I'm so proud of his dedication. He's been doing it for a few weeks now. Impressive.

Two days a week we have planned for it to be my turn to exercise in the morning and he will hang out with Kate so she doesn't decide to climb on me while I do my crunches or something. I have not been as dedicated. Between getting up to feed baby girl and major sinus pain, I have opted to sleep in several times rather than get up.

Today I decided to give it a try. Nothing special but I did exercise a bit. Then I asked Josh to watch her while he got dressed for work so I could take a quick shower. When I got out of the shower I saw that he had watched her very well....in fact, he had carefully watched her pull almost everything out of my bottom drawer.

This was of course taken with my phone as I did not have my camera with me. She would triumphantly pull out a pair of socks and hold them up for me to see before discarding them in the stack of clothes.

I guess she thinks I should clean out the drawer...

2010-02-09T21:22:00.001-06:00

Clarification:

I really did just think that cartoon was funny. Nothing more intended.

Just wanted to spread some laughs.

=)

(I really have to be more careful on this thing.)

Blogging for Books

2010-02-09T20:39:00.002-06:00

Get excited about this book! I sure was when I got the email that this book was up for review. I enjoyed several of John and Stasi Eldredge's previous books and was interested to hear what they would write about marriage. They did not disappoint.

In Love & War, the Eldredges candidly explore the great adventure of marriage. In fact, they often discuss adventure. As they discussed in their previous books about men longing for adventure and a beauty to rescue and women longing for beauty and shared adventure, in this book they take a look at what that means when these two come together in marriage. There is the potential for something great, something powerful, something beautiful.

Too often, however, the adventure gets lost in the mundane and the Enemy of our souls tries to take us out by playing up our insecurities, by whispering lies about ourselves that we choose to believe, and by pitting us against the one we love. The Eldredges attempt to call us back to the battle with renewed hope and strength. They encourage us that this is war and we must fight, but that we are equipped for battle and the cause is worth every effort.

John and Stasi share stories and experiences from their own marriage and how they have fought their way back to each other and to God over 25 years of marriage. They assert from the start that marriage is hard....but it's worth it.

I was so encouraged and so energized from reading this book. I plan to pass it to Josh next so that we can talk about how we can move forward on our adventure together. I am reminded that there is a real enemy who is doing everything he can to destroy what God is doing in and through our marriage. I am motivated to choose love everyday (or at least try to do so) instead of frustration or annoyance.

I highly recommend this book. If you are sometimes frustrated that marriage is hard, read it to be encouraged that while that's true, there is joy and hope to be found, beauty to be discovered, adventures to share. If your marriage is blissfully happy and exceedingly unconflicted, read it to be reminded of the battle you must fight alongside (not against) your spouse. If you are a newlywed and haven't yet found out that marriage is hard, read it to start off on the right track on this amazing adventure. If you want to know about the potential of marriage in God's great story, read this book.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, too.
(Click on the book for ordering info)

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

I thought this was funny...

2010-02-07T14:30:00.001-06:00

At long last...

2010-01-21T20:06:00.003-06:00

A few pictures...(This was my dress on my first Christmas!)

Blogging for Books

2010-01-15T05:44:00.003-06:00

I have to say I was very excited to hear about this book. Many of you may have heard of For Women Only and For Men Only, two books by Shaunti Feldhahn to help understand the inner worlds of the opposite sex based on survey results and interviews. Well, she has done it again.

The Male Factor is Feldhahn's look into the inner world of men in the workplace. The workplace is still dominated by rules, expectations, and assumptions that make it still highly a "man's world." After hundreds of surveys and personal interviews, Feldhahn explores just what the means and how women can understand this secret world in order to better navigate and succeed. She explains that many of the men she interviewed sincerely want women to be successful and wanted to pass on information about what women do to basically shoot their careers in the foot.

As she did in For Women Only, Feldhahn takes different assumptions, like "it's business, it's not personal" and looks at what the means to a man and why that is different than what it means to a woman hearing that statement. Feldhahn discusses why even at work women need to pay attention to the fact that men are highly visual creatures. And of course, one of my favorites, was the discussion about being emotional at work and how men and women interpret that differently.

This book was an enjoyable read. Feldhahn uses direct quotes and examples to really explain each point. She is careful to explain that she is not saying one way is right and another wrong, but merely helping to explain how it is so that women can then do what they like with the information. I think that I learned a lot from this book. I've asked my husband a few things (like: really, you don't take that personally? or really, that distracts you?) and it will probably help me relate to his work world a bit better. There also were times when I was reading that I thought "Oh, that explains that time when..."

I highly recommend this book. If you are in the workplace, I think you could learn many things to help you relate better to the men you work with. Ladies, you don't have to be in the workplace right now to appreciate and learn from this book. There are principles that could help you in ministry, volunteering, or understanding your husband's work world. It's also just interesting to read about how different men and women can be!

In addition, I was given the expanded edition to review, which contains a special section of discussion from experienced Christian women in the workplace who, in Titus fashion, pass on their wisdom to "train the younger women."

In conclusion: add this to your reading list! (Click on the book icon for ordering info)

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

home sweet home

2010-01-14T11:53:00.002-06:00

We are back in our house now. The furniture is all back in but there is still a lot of work to be done. Aside from unpacking suitcases, doing laundry, and doing dishes, we have boxes of stuff in our bedroom to unpack and reorganize. This will probably take some time since I have a very active baby on my hands. But at least I know everything is here...somewhere...

Or maybe it's over there...

No really, I will

2010-01-12T13:58:00.001-06:00

I know I haven't posted pictures from Christmas or anything yet. I plan to. Once you read about why I've been remiss about posting, I think you will understand.

When life gets a little bit settled, I will post pictures. Really.

An Explanation

2010-01-12T13:43:00.002-06:00

I realize it's been a while since I've posted. I've composed several posts in my head over the past week. Unfortunately many circumstances have kept me from posting. We've been sick, and then out of town to visit friends, and then...

...our house flooded.

While we were out of town a pipe burst in the common wall of the unit next to us. Our landlord called us on Saturday night to let us know. We told her where the spare key was so she could check our side, since we wouldn't be back until Sunday night. Sure enough, there was water. On Sunday Josh's parents and our landlord and her husband spent most of the day packing up our stuff and moving it either into the garage or into parts of the house unaffected by the leakage.

Sunday night we got back into town and went straight to Josh's parents' house. Once we got Kate to bed we headed over to our house to assess the damage and get things we would need for the next couple days. There were big carpet fans under the carpet drying it out. Our furniture was all displaced - a couch in the garage, the TV in the kitchen.

We are very fortunate that our stuff wasn't ruined and the damage was not extensive. This afternoon they will be finishing getting the carpet back down and then will clean it (extensively I hope!). We can move back in tomorrow morning and our landlord said she would get people to help us move our furniture. Then the process of putting things back in order will begin. I guess this is our opportunity to rearrange and reorganize.

We are thankful we had Josh's parents to call to help take care of things while we were gone. We are thankful we can stay with them. And we are thankful Sammy can stay with us and play with their dog. As frustrating as the situation is, it could be so much worse. It will be good to get back into our house. And it will be a lot of work to get settled again.

I guess I better get thinking about how I want to arrange the living room this time. =)

He's Official!

2010-01-12T13:41:00.001-06:00

It's official now...Josh is an architect!

Congratulations to Josh, Mr. Architect!

Congratulations!

2009-12-22T14:07:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Josh! He has passed all his architecture licensing tests on the first try! Simply amazing!

He is now sooooooo close to moving from an "almost architect" to a true architect. We have to pay some more money (of course) and he signs a paper and then he's official!

Way to go, Josh. You have done a great job and have worked very hard to get here. You are a talented, smart, hard-working man and you have earned this title. Thanks for working so hard for your family and for making it a priority to finish what you started. It's been a long road. I'm proud of you.

Blogging for Books

2009-12-15T22:21:00.003-06:00

I'm usually not one to be interested in devotional or daily reading books. Ones that I've tried in the past have left me a little disappointed by the "feel-good" focus. Encouragement is nice, but I also want something to really think about or be challenged by. So I often don't look for these types of books.

I'm glad I signed up for this one, though. If I had followed my usual preference, I would have missed out.

In 40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Every Day, C.D. Baker did not try to leave me feeling good with a pat on the head each day. Aiming to ask the questions and address the doubts that many Christians and non-Christians hold, he discusses things like
"Why don't I have more faith?"
"Why am I so bored with Jesus?"
"Why are Christians so hard to like?"
Baker is candid and honest, using his own experiences and struggles to get answers to these questions. He presents the case that these questions are welcome and necessary and that we should not be afraid to ask the hard questions.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's not a devotional in the sense that there are not daily Bible passages to read or studies of Scripture. (And it shouldn't take the place of reading the Bible.) It's a book of daily readings. Each day he tackles a different question like the ones listed above. I think it could be interesting to read each day on your lunch break or in the morning over breakfast. I didn't get to read it that way, since I had a deadline for this tour, but I can see how you could just take one day's reading and ponder over it for a while. Maybe even more than a day.

I have to say that I was challenged more often than not. I did not put down the book thinking "Aw, how sweet" or "Yes, I am a great person and life is so beautiful." I put down the book thinking about how I related to the question and how I could move toward Jesus and a life of faith. I didn't agree with everything he said (not surprising if you know me well) but I appreciated the discussions he presented.

I recommend this book as a gift to someone you know who has questions. I recommend it for yourself, even if you think you don't have questions. =)

Click on the book title for ordering information.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

Blogging for Books

2009-12-02T11:25:00.012-06:00

This week we have 3 books for you, folks. One grown-up book and two kid books. Here we go!

Leigh McLeroy takes an interesting approach to getting to know God's character in Treasured. Using the motif of little objects we keep as mementos of special things in our lives, she looks at several things she thinks God would treasure. Objects such as an olive branch (brought by the dove to Noah after the flood), a scarlet thread (from the cloth Rahab hung in her window), a few grains of barley (that Ruth collected from Boaz's field), and many others. McLeroy uses each object to share about who God is, His presence in our lives, and His story of redemption. She weaves in stories of her own life and how she has seen God working all along.

I liked the concept that McLeroy develops. It's an interesting way to approach teaching and sharing about God and I enjoyed her creativity. At times, I think her narratives got a bit wordy and it seemed to drag on instead of hit the point and move on. It might have been more enjoyable for me if I had been able to read the book over more time instead of quickly in order to get it finished before this blog tour. =) McLeroy presents a very tangible picture of God's presence and encourages the reader to look for His hand in their life as well.

Lisa Tawn Bergren has written a God Gave Us... series for children. This blog tour includes God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave Us Love.
In God Gave Us Christmas, Little Cub asks Mama who invented Christmas. Mama uses that question to take time to tell Little Cub about God sending Jesus and uses creation to show some characteristics of God. I thought this story was sweet and I think Bergren did a good job of teaching about Jesus in other aspects besides only focusing on the manger. I also liked that Bergren did not ignore Santa Claus, but explained that God is more important than Santa and that Jesus is who we celebrate. The illustrations are beautiful, too.

In God Gave Us Love, Grampa teaches Little Cub about showing love to others because God first loved us. Grampa tells Little cub about the difference between loving someone and liking someone and that there are different kinds of love. There is repetition about God loving us, which is probably good for children. The only problem I had with the book is that while Grampa explains that God sent His Son because He loves us so much, he doesn't talk about the need for faith and belief (whoever believes in Him) to never be separated from God. I think a parent can easily fill in those gaps, but I think it's important for parents to be mindful that children don't get the message, which is easily embraced by our culture, that God loves us so we are okay just as we are.

So there you go. Click on the book titles for more information.

These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

Need to Laugh?

2009-12-01T20:12:00.001-06:00

Here is your one-stop spot for more laughs than you can handle

Awkward Family Photos

Starting to get warm...

2009-11-30T19:27:00.002-06:00

Josh was getting Kate's bath ready the other night. I was playing with her while we waited and realized that she needed a diaper change...right away. I cleaned her up and then gave her to Josh in her birthday suit while he finished filling the tub.

Then I heard, "Oh no." I rushed back to the bathroom to discover what was wrong. Josh told me they were just sitting there, our little nakie baby sitting on his lap, when he noticed things starting to get warm...

Yes, Kate peed on her daddy. I laughed so hard I almost peed, too! Josh was not impressed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:46:00.003-06:00

Giving thanks for family and friends. For happy moments and struggles that remind us we are in His hands. For our Lord and Savior. For the hope we have and the hope of nations. For a morning to wear pajamas and watch a parade. For a home with a mantle to place little Thanksgiving bears.

8 months

2009-11-26T09:09:00.005-06:00

Kate is 8 months, as of Tuesday. I wanted to post this on Tuesday, but I ended up playing with her and taking pictures of her all morning and ran out of time. Haha! For Kate's 8 month birthday I took a break from housework and just hung-out with her. It was lovely!

Kate, at 8 months you are into everything and ready to do it all. You are a bundle of energy and full of life.

You army crawl across the floor, but don't lift that belly off the ground yet. You love to stand and can really move it in your walker. You chase Sammy around the kitchen!
You are absolutely beautiful. You bring joy to others with just a smile and light up my whole world with your laughter.

There's my girl!

You have sweet puffy cheeks, a soft round belly, and adorable chunky legs! You have two little bottom teeth which are really sharp when you bit my finger. You are still sporting just a smattering of peach fuzz on your round head, so old people still call you a boy at times. You have plenty of time to grow hair, so don't worry. And your mama is quick to set any mistaken comment straight. You are a blessing to us every day and we thank God for the privilege to be your parents.