Spicy Magnolia

Project Life: February 9-15, 2010

What a fun-filled week it was! It was a whirlwind and all the days seem to blend together, but these pictures will hopefully trigger at least some semblance of memory.

 

Tuesday, February 9

Brennan’s love for Molly keeps growing and growing! She’s his little playmate. He’s learning how to play tug of war with Molly’s pull-ball.

 

Wednesday, February 10

We went to a special four year old’s, Harrison’s, birthday party at Chuck E Cheese! It was Brennan’s first time there and he was on stimulation overload! He was also afraid of the big mouse, as you can tell from how tightly he’s grabbing hold of my shirt. Harrison is such a big boy now! He stopped using his paci and as a special moment to commemorate this right of passage, he gift-wrapped his paci and gave it to Brennan, wanting to pass it along to Brennan until he gets big. Harrison knows how much Brennan loves his paci. <grin> It was so precious! And way to go H!!

 

Thursday, February 11

It was cold and rainy all last week, so we did a lot of things indoors. Over the past week, Brennan has become infatuated with reading and books! He comes to us regularly with a book in hand, ready to crawl in our laps to read, and it’s so fun! So I decided it was time we hit the library. Plus, I wanted to check out some of the books my friend, Emily, recommended after she read my last Project Life post. While I tried to focus on finding certain books to check out for him, I had a little boy who was more interested in exploring. I was out of breath by the time we left that place; I couldn’t keep up with him fast enough! He was most fascinated with the children’s computers and played a coloring game on one for awhile.

Austin was nearly one of the only cities, so it seemed, that didn’t get any snow in last week’s Snowmegeddon. We were pretty sad about that. Matt’s folks sure got enough for all of us though. Nana got creative with her snowmen, making two snow grandsons (Brennan is the one with the blue eyes) that she sent a picture of. You can tell she’s grandson deprived! <grin>

 

 

Friday, January February 12

This was a special, special day. On Thursday, Brennan initiated feeding himself his oatmeal with a spoon. It was messy and thrilling and exciting and sticky. So we captured a photo of it on Friday. Notice how close my hands are to alleviate any unnecessary messes. <grin>

Brennan and I met up with Pops and Meems and our life-long, dear family friends, Ron and Tycha, at Panera’s. My folks came up for the night to be with Ron and Tycha who were in town visiting family. And Brennan and I were blessed to join them for the morning. Brennan was quickly declared their adopted grandson, and I couldn’t be more delighted! Tycha has battled breast cancer over the last few years, and Ron is currently battling an inoperable lung cancer. Their zest for life has always been an inspiration, and all the more so now. Their attitude and outlook is amazing, and a true example to me. I cherished the moment when Ron walked me and Brennan to the car, and as he shielded Brennan from the brisk, cold wind, he loved and kissed on him so tenderly. Ron stayed with me the entire time I loaded Brennan, and I will treasure that moment all my life. Brennan and I then had lunch with Pops and Meems at Chick-fil-A. It was Pops and Meems’ first time seeing Brennan walk, and I think Pops was worn out!

On Friday night, we joined Chris and Jill, Jillie’s folks, and Harrison and Haddie for an Olympic celebration dinner complete with Canadian bacon/pineapple pizza, salad, and amazing fondue (cheese and chocolate). We took Brennan’s pack n’ play to put him down so we can party as late as we want. I fell asleep around 9:30, however. What can I say? Every party needs a pooper.

 

Saturday, January February 13

All week long I’d been trying to make head-way cleaning this house from top to bottom, a thorough spring cleaning of sorts that was badly needed. Trust me, I had at least 12 filthy rags to prove it was needed! Brennan’s naps weren’t that great and I could only get so much done when he was awake. So Matt was kind enough to take care of him all day on Saturday so I could finish cleaning. I kid you not, I worked from 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. cleaning this place. I crashed! And felt completely satisfied afterward. <grin> The last time I’d cleaned like that, Brennan was not mobile. Mobility makes a big difference, ya’ll! Anyway, Matt took Brennan to a little play area in the mall that I go to sometimes. It was Matt’s first time there and he got to see Brennan in action. The boys loved their day together!

 

 

Sunday, January February 14

He loves his books! This is a regular sight in our home these days.

Monday, January February 15

Matt and I like to go to dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day on any other day besides the holiday itself; restaurants are too crowded. Matt surprised me and made reservations at the Eastside Cafe and lined up our babysitter for a wonderful evening out. The food was awesome! If you’re in Austin, I highly recommend a visit. Their garden, where they grow most of their own produce, was incredible! And Matt was such good company, you’d never have known he didn’t feel well. I delved into this Ghirardelli brownie for dessert, my last one for a good long while. It’s a must. An absolute must to both eat this brownie sometime and for me not to eat such an indulgence for awhile. The irony! The painful irony that I need to settle on the latter.

I have two sick boys on my hands, so I must tend to them. Hope ya’ll have a great week!

Project Life Tuesday: February 2-8, 2010

I recently told you about Becky Higgins’ Project Life Kit that I started for 2010, and it’s been a lot of fun, and so much simpler than the traditional scrapbooking I was doing before. I’m trying to snap a photo a day after for my album, and thought it would be fun to join The Mom Creative’s weekly Project Life Tuesday. So here are the photos from the past week:

 

Tuesday, February 2nd

Fridge Art from our weekend with Eric and Kim. The Mexican food restaurant, Chuys, rocks. ROCKS! (Marla, if you’re ever in Austin, me taking you to Chuy’s is a must. It beats out Chipotle and Freebirds, hands down. And I love Freebirds, which means that Chuy’s simply rocks!)  And “Burn” is a phrase Eric and Kim’s small group in CO uses a lot as a “na na na na boo boo” kinda thing. And because Matt and I are such cool people (ahem!), we were taught its meaning. I used it every chance I got, whether or not it was the proper intended use of it. So there: burn.

 

 

Wednesday, February 3rd

Playing with the pots and pans while I fixed dinner. He’s my little chef who loves to be in the kitchen with me rummaging through the pantry or mixing things with the wooden spoon. He baked some amazing chicken pot pie that night!

 

 

Thursday, February 4th

While Matt is not a coffee drinker, his daily energy buzz is hot chai. He’s holding off buying some from Sam’s to help our budget a bit, but I had some spare change to swing by Starbucks last Thursday and pick up a chai latte for our special hubby/daddy. We surprised him and swung by his office to drop it off before I took Brennan to get his first pair of real tennis shoes. The blurry writing on the lid is a love note, so it’s ok if it’s blurry and you can’t see it clearly. <grin>

 

 

Friday, February 5th

The big boy in his new shoesies! By the way, the boy is going to be severely made fun of because he’s learning all the nouns that I put “y” or “ies” on the end (i.e. doggies, horsey, shoesies, sockies). We went to Sandy’s Shoes and found out that Brennan has a large foot for his age, which should come as no surprise. He’s a size 6, and the gentleman that helped us was amazed at how good he was at walking having just taken off a week ago. Although, he might just tell all his toddler customers that. So far, the shoesies stay on better than his sockies.

 

 

Saturday, February 6th

What a cute little hiney! Ever since Brennan was born, after Brennan’s bath, Matt would bring him to me all wet, wrapped up in his towel to give me kisses. The fresh, clean baby smell is totally irresistible and I’d nestle into Brennan’s cheeks while Matt held him all bundled up. But this weekend, surprise, surprise! Matt sent the character out me walking, buck n*aked! It was hilarious! And there’s something about being in only a diaper or completely n*aked that Brennan absolutely loves. He giggles, he’s frisky, he’s foot loose and fancy free! I hope we don’t have a future streaker on our hands. And don’t worry, I’m still nestling into his proper cheeks. Ok, bad, bad joke, I know! <grin>

 

 

And for kicks, one more picture for Saturday:

My tennis shoe lovin’, jean wearin’, casual hubby decided on his own, that he wasn’t going to get tennis shoes to replace his worn out pair. Instead, he opted for these brown shoes. Ya’ll, this is big. This is huge! I promise with everything in me that I have never mentioned to him how cool I think it would be if he wore something like these over tennis shoes as his every day shoe. Not once. So when we were at the outlet mall a month ago and he said he was thinking about brown shoes, I was stunned. And when we were actually ready to buy a pair this weekend, with no prompting from me (and he can attest to this), he chose these. I was flabbergasted and excited and swooning! I’d still love him in his old tennies, but folks, the southern belle in me is lovin’ these handsome loafers.

 

 

Sunday, February 7th

Super Bowl Sunday with my boys.

 

 

Monday, February 8th

Five months have passed since I dusted our bookshelves, so I think it’s about time I get out the trusty dust rag and Pledge, don’t ya think? It was another rough Monday for me and Brennan. So much so that I spent more time than I would have liked going through Antique Mommy’s and Amanda’s archives for any glimmer of hope from posts they may have written about their experiences with their toddlers. Brennan isn’t a monster, please don’t get me wrong. He’s far from it. But my type-A, need-to-have-a-plan kinda personality really clashes with how parenting is constantly changing and full of so many unknowns. I know I’m not the first one to say it, but if only God gave personalized instruction manuals when a child was born, the world would be a better place. Or at least I’d be a better mommy. Someone, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Steps 1, 2 and 3!

I also am deeply battling insecurity and a raging desire to be more than just a mommy, both of which are gnawing at me incessantly, so bring on the guilt as well. It’s no coincidence that I’m reading Search for Significance for a women’s Bible study at church and Beth Moore’s book, So Long Insecurity, which I can’t put down. But at the same time, I don’t want to read another word because it’s too much to take in all at one time it’s hittin’ so deep. I’m not looking for comment affirmation here, just sharing for a moment. And now I’m feeling insecure about writing that last sentence. Should I have or shouldn’t I have? Oh, Lord, rid me of this malady if it kills me!

As I was dusting the bookshelves, I came to the shelf that has these two giraffes and next to them a book called Tall Blondes. While I was in Africa, I fell in love with giraffes. Their grace and gentleness, their strength and their beauty. I brought home these two wooden giraffes not only to remember this magnificent creature that graces the vast expanse of Africa, but even more so because of their stance: a baby giraffe stretching her neck as much as she can to gaze into the eyes of the larger giraffe whom she knows protects her, cares for her, and loves her more than she could possibly fathom. These giraffes symbolize my time in Africa where my eyes were fixed upon Jesus in a loving gaze that nothing could take my eyes off Him, a real mark in my life with Him. They are a tangible reminder to me of where my eyes always need to be.

And the book? Given to me by Gaga, my grandmother, who knew of my love for giraffes as a going away gift when I left for college. In it is a note penned with her chicken scratch saying how much she’d miss me and pray for me when she talked to God. Oh, I miss her so.

These giraffes are for a day like yesterday, when I need to remember not only how my eyes should be fixed upon Jesus who alone satisfies all of my needs and knows the deepest longings of my heart, but also how His eyes are on me. I cannot flee from His presence and nothing can separate me from His love. Even in my weakness, my mixed up priorities, my lack of knowledge of how to be a mommy, or my raging emotions and insecurity, nothing can separate me from His love, from His constant gaze upon me. I just need to keep my fixed, intent look upon Him.

Double the Trouble, Double the Fun

Who watched Lost last night? Wasn’t it AWESOME!? As my sis-in-law, Julie, wrote on her blog, it’s the show we’re never gonna want to end! As a side note to Julie’s blog, you should hop on over there to read this article by a Washington Post staffer on Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl ad. It’s a great article.  It’s a thoughtful and fitting response to some of the negative hype. Oh, and take a look at this from Antique Mommy. I’ve pondered numbers 1 and 35 all day long.

Ok, back to Lost: that was two thrilling hours of television! 24 used to be thrilling to me, but now it’s same-old and very predictable. Am I the only one that feels that way? The suspense has dissipated. “Bye, bye,” Jack Bauer. Time is limited in this household, and you’re gonna have to go. You’re not doin’ it for me anymore. But Lost, remain forever.

And onto the real topic of this post: our special visitors from this past weekend. Our good buddies, Eric and Kim and their adorable 9.5 month old son, Luke, made the trip from Colorado to visit us, and it was a blast. We go way back with these folks. Eric and I grew up in El Paso together and have known each other since I was 11 years old. At Wheaton, he introduced me to Matt, and then when Eric and Matt lived together in Austin, Matt introduced Eric to Kim, who also happened to be a Wheatie. Did ya get all that? They’re some of our bestest buds, and now Luke and Brennan will forever be bestest buds, at least as long as we parents get to choose who their friends are. But even still, we hope they’ll forever be bestest buds. They sure hit it off this weekend, talking and babbling to each other, playing together, and even crying when the other started crying. They’re learnin’ empathy early on.

Chuy’s was our first stop, and the most important restaurant to visit. It was crazy crowded with a long wait, so we opted for take out, which was so the right option to choose. We stuffed ourselves silly. After the boys hit the hay, the adults stayed up to play. That’s more or less what it was like every day. Day time: lugging our gear and boys around the city; night time: busting out the food, the drinks, and livin’ up the night life. Well, in an exhausted, need-to-be-responsible-parent sort of way.

 

At one and 9.5 months, these fellas weren’t really “double the trouble”. I’m sure they will be one day though. And we’re bracing ourselves by opting for arranged marriages. And chastity belts. If they don’t make those for boys, we’ll invent them. And knee pads for the hours spent on our knees praying.

 

Thank the Lord they’re angels now. Wonderful, precious little boys who don’t even know how to wrestle yet. Or grunt. Or let out disgusting burps on purpose. They just need their mommas’ tender lovin’ care to make it through the day.

 

On Saturday morning, we hit the playground at Zilker Park for some fun sliding and swinging.

 

The game “Chutes and Ladders” comes to mind.

 

Why do the big boys seem to be enjoying the swings more than the little boys? Oh yeah, it’s ‘cause they’re lookin’ at their pretty girls.

 

The swing is only so much fun for awhile. After that, it’s melt-down worthy.

 

  The Coloradoans were freezing in Texas this weekend. Eric kept going “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah” trying to reasonably explain why that could even be possible.

 

1. A cheesy, but heartfelt caption is the only kind appropriate for this picture. I love these friends of ours! The shared history, interests, memories, times of laughter and times of tears are too numerous to recount.  There is nothing like the deep bond of friendship, and this is the kind that is lifelong. There are certain friends of mine that when I think of them, my heart could literally burst in thanksgiving and joy over being their friends, and these three are of that kind. I hope at sometime during your lifetime, you may know this kind of friendship.

 

After Zilker, we could not pass up taking our guests to our staple tourist attraction: Whole Foods. For the first time, we ate at the bar-b-que bar and it was the best thing I’ve had at Whole Foods! For the afternoon, the big boys went to a Longhorn basketball game (where they lost in OT) and the girls and little boys hung out at home and got dinner ready.

 

Cupcakes, glorious cupcakes!

 

 

Tails is Brennan’s favorite new book now thanks to his buddies. And because of that, I’m dreaming about tails. Possum tails. Tiger tails. Swat, swat, swat. Dirty tails, clean tails, fluffy tails. Tails, tails, tails!

 

The hit of the night was a recipe The Pioneer Woman recently featured on her blog: molten lava cakes. Your life is not complete without having at least one of these a week. Or be wild: one a day! We played a couple rounds of “Clue”, a favorite in our household. It was Mr. Green, with the lead pipe, in the library, in case you were wondering. Then we laughed our heads off (that’s such an odd expression) and reminisced over old college photos.

Sunday we went to church together and met up with Eric’s little sister for lunch at Central Market, where we wanted to listen to the live Jazz band. But it was too cold for me, and way too cold for Eric and Kim. <grin> The fellas took over for us girls Sunday afternoon, and I took Kim to one of my favorite Austin spots: The Steeping Room, for a lovely afternoon tea. It was purely delightful and was the perfect thing to do on the cold, dreary day. We bar-b-qued steaks and had baked potatoes and salad for dinner. It was a weekend of feasting. This whole month has been one big feast, which makes February, not January, the month to begin our New Year’s resolutions. Oh wait, we don’t have any.

Eric and Kim spent the better half of the evening trying to convince us to move to Colorado. I’ll let you know if and when our bags are packed. But for those of you worrying as you read this (a.k.a. Pops and Meems), you’ll just need to have your bags packed and ready, too.

 

I think they could pass for brothers in this picture.

 

That fella you call your friend is making me put my arm around Luke, and I don’t like it. Neither does Luke. Enough already.

 

 Now we’ll always have proof of the first time the little boys saw each other n*aked, as boys tend to joke about such an event even up into their 30s.

 

 

All four of them mesmerized by watching a Lost summary episode gearing up for last night’s season premiere. We love Lost. And we love those moose with short fluffy tails that go wag, wag, wag.

 

 

Let the Parties Begin

No sooner were the holiday festivities drawn to a close than the next set of parties began…and the biggest ones are yet to come! We just wrapped up an extended weekend with Matt’s cousin, Jason, and his new fiancée, Ellen. Avid foodies, they were the most fun to take through the “mecca of Whole Foods”. Little did I know that place sells $1500 bottles of wine, Portruse (spelling??) to be exact. Jason enlightened me. And if anyone has a chunk of change to drop, he’d like one as a wedding present. Brennan enjoyed a private violin concert, in which Molly thought she would make it sound more beautiful if she barked. It did not make it more beautiful.

The little Texan also made his debut at our State’s Capitol, completely fascinated by the echo resounding from his voice while crawling through its hallways.

We ventured across the city, pointing out its unique highlights, all the while celebrating the special couple…

And eating out at some of our favorites like Z’Tejas and Mighty Fine Burgers, and of course, splurging on homemade food like this Gingerbread Tumble.

It was the first party of the New Year, and there are at least three more this month, beginning with a BIG ONE! Yep, bring out the party hats and the box of Kleenex, because my baby boy is turning one year old on Saturday! It’s already been an emotional week, but a thrilling one as well. Just look at where we’ve come over the past year:

This past weekend marked the first out of three weekends this month of hosting company. I am also going on my own little getaway by myself in south Texas, and I’m quite excited about it. So I will likely be M.I.A. running our bed and breakfast the next few weeks for some of the most superb people in all the world. And partying. And soaking up the last few moments before my baby enters toddlerhood. It’s definitely been a year worth partying!

A Sweet Reunion

Not too long ago, a group of six college girlfriends reunited for an extended weekend that befitted the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Our Country House reunion (Country House was the name of the house we all lived in together our senior year at college) was in early October, but I have yet to write about our memorable get together. So for my own record-keeping sake, I’m simply going to publish the itinerary I put together for these special girls. I also wish I could show you the six pages of grocery list items that I worked on for those two consecutive weekends of Brennan’s dedication and the Country House reunion when we had a house full of visitors. It’s more proof of why I need to work on my waistline than anything else. Well, and why I could drive to the H.E.B. on Louis Henna blindfolded. But I won’t ever attempt that. Unless someone gave me a  million dollars. Then maybe I would. If no one else was on the road.

Thursday:  Everyone arrived, including Tracy’s itty bitty new baby girl, Emie! Brennan was very fascinated with her and wanted to ‘pat, pat’ her like he does Molly. Chicken parmesan, salad, garlic bread, and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream filling from Ann’s Kitchen decorated with “Welcome to Texas” written across the top was their welcome dinner. If you can believe it, the six of us girls, Emie, Brennan, and Matt all fit! In the house, that is.

Friday: The mornings were leisurely for everyone to wake up in their own time, enjoy some coffee, homemade granola, and an assortment of mini zucchini and pumpkin muffins that my momma made. She must have made at least a hundred of those suckers. I asked for mini muffins, not even thinking how mini muffins take lots more time to bake to get through all of the batter. But mini muffins are simply pop-in-your-mouth yumminess. And because she’s my momma, she made them for us, gladly. They are all gone. They’ve been gone a long time.

For the weekend, we rented a large SUV for all of us girls to fit into one car. That was a great decision! The thing was gigantic…it even had a video screen that acted as a rear view mirror when I was backing up. Fancy shmancy car it was. It’s long gone, too.

Our first stop on Friday was Mt. Bonnell to get a good view of the city. I told the girls to wear good walking shoes because there were hundreds of steps they’d climb to get to the overlook. My memory served me wrong. It was more like twenty steps. And I need to brush up on my knowledge of the city before guests arrive. I was answering, “I don’t know”, way too often.

I gave them a quick tour through part of the University of Texas. Which, by the way, have you heard? We’re going to the national championship! Of course, I’m an Aggie fan, but goodness gracious, I’m a Texan and I’ll be cheerin’ for them Longhorns like crazy. Especially against an SEC team. <grin> Oh, I just stuck that in to rile some of you up.

The “Mecca of Whole Foods” is a place we usually take all of our visitors because it’s so over the top. That’s where we had lunch. It took us nearly an hour to just decide what we were all going to eat.

We headed home to hang out and get ready for our murder mystery dinner party. Matt joined us, as did my friend, Jill (brave soul that she was to come and not know any of the girls!), to make the party complete with all eight characters. It was set in the 1950s and we each got dressed up to play our parts. We grilled out burgers and had ice cream to top it off. It was so much fun! We laughed so much as we stepped into character and tried to solve the mystery; the costumes themselves were enough to make the evening golden.

Saturday: We hung out together in the morning…the weekend was a nice blend of rest and activity, I thought. I think everyone went back home fairly renewed, even the mommas of the group. Matt gave me a treat by staying home on Friday to take care of Brennan, and he even offered to babysit Emie on Saturday, too. Matt’s mom and aunt came in from Dallas to help him with the two kiddos while us girls ventured in the pouring rain to Gruene. We listened to some live music at the oldest dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall, and played some incredible, attention getting rounds of “Jenga”. Then we had a fabulous meal at The Gristmill.

Sunday:  We all went to church together and then enjoyed some Hawaiian/Mexican at Hula Hut. The girls definitely couldn’t have left Austin without some comida Mexicana, but the Hawaiian added a little twist to it. We left feeling like stuffed roly-polies. We took it easy the rest of the day and enjoyed Paula Dean’s taco soup for dinner, which is scrumptious and easy to make. I think Sunday evening was a highlight for all of us as we fellowshipped together, shared from the heart and prayed together. This was the first time the six of us were all together since Becca’s death, and she was greatly missed. These girls are some of the most special, life-long friends who make me laugh, point me to Jesus, and who love me just the way I am, even when I make dumb comments about rocks (sorry, that’s an inside joke between me and the gals, but it’s apropos).

Monday: We packed a picnic to Zilker Park and took a long walk around Town Lake before making the first couple of runs to the airport. Hillary, Molly, and Lindsey were still around on Monday night for pizza and our Country House signature movie: Return to Me. The rest of the gals left on Tuesday. This weepy gal cried with Brennan on the way home, already missing all of the estrogen that swept through our house those few days. Brennan and Matt probably breathed a sigh of relief to some degree, although, Brennan was a charmer and loved ‘flirting’ with all the girls. It was sad to see them go, but what a gift it was to have all five of them here. Even with our various schedules and global residences, we were able to come together, and that’s somethin’ special. At some point down the road, we hope to all meet up in Prague. We said we’d go there for our 10 year college reunion, which <gasp> is only a year and a half from now! Until then, we have something called the Internet to unite us.

A Glimpse into a Gal’s Mind

A few weeks ago, me and my hubby left Brennan with my folks for an extended weekend getaway to the Lost Pines Resort, where we got to enjoy the niceties of not having a baby around, with extra sleep being at the top of the list!  Other pluses included relaxing by the pool, floating down the Crooked River Pool, reading (I finished my first book in who knows how long—I couldn’t put it down!), roasting marshmallows for S’mores by the campfire, and simply reconnecting away from the hustle, bustle and daily pressures of life amid scenes like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t we look relaxed?  That’s the first of three pairs of sunglasses I’ve bought in three weeks.  Gone are the days when I was able to keep a pair of sunglasses for at least five years, to no fault of my son.  It’s all on me.

We were also able to feast like kings and queens!  The food was a-maz-ing!  Look at that dessert bar.  My plate wasn’t big enough!

Brennan was treated like a prince himself, and I’m happy to report that his momma did pretty good leaving him.  It helped that I called about three times a day.  When surrounded by families who brought their kiddos with them, it pulled my heart strings just a tad to see little boys running around, and it beckoned my lips to say countless times, “I can’t wait to bring Brennan here one day; he would have so much fun!”  Somehow, this getaway already feels like months ago.

One of the books Matt started reading was For Men Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn, “a straightforward guide to the inner lives of women”.  On a number of occasions, the two of us talk about an illustration we once heard a speaker use of a waffle and a plate of spaghetti to describe male and female communication styles, respectively.  A waffle, being very compartmentalized, is used to illustrate how a man has to stay on one topic of discussion and thinking before moving onto the next, whereas a woman’s is more like a plate of spaghetti where each noodle criss-crosses with the other noodles and maneuvers itself all over the plate.  While it looks like a mangled mess, it is in fact, cohesive and intricate. 

Despite having that helpful image to understand each other better, it was shocking to my hubby when he read that many women said they “thought their thought lives were almost like busy computers with multiple windows open and running all at once, unwanted pop-ups intruding all the time, and little ability to close out or ignore any of that mental or emotional activity until a more convenient time.”  He was even more overwhelmed when he read a specific conversational illustration the authors provided to prove such a point.  After asking, “Okay, hon, what is in your brain right now?”, she proceeded to list off at least eight different things that she was mulling over at that very moment.  Like the author’s sudden realization, Matt finally came to grasp how my female ability to multitask both thoughts and emotions impacts how I relate to him every single day.  He was baffled that I thought like that, which came to a huge surprise to me because, well, isn’t that the first thing guys should know about girls?  <grin>  For being married nearly seven years, he surely circumnavigated through that very well without giving me any indication that he knew otherwise.

So I thought I’d give my hubby (and you, dear Internet peeps), a peek into my thoughts and emotions yesterday morning (yesterday, because that’s when I started this post) that ran all over the place.  I’ll save you the grief of too many details though.  So within a course of a few minutes, this was the rollercoaster ride:

• How is it that a girl from Texas has more winter clothes than summer ones?  My closet is no indication of our locale.  Thanks for the wonderful and unusually long Fall, Lord, but please bring on the 50-60 degree temp so I can wear clothes I love, clothes that “cover a multitude of sins”, as Jill wittingly says.
• I want to blog so badly.  But what do I blog about?  I’m in a big-time rut.
• Stellan, Stellan, Stellan*.  Jesus, please carry Stellan through today.  Bring him through surgery successfully, safely.  After being land blasted by friend after friend battling the clinching jaws of death through cancer, and aching for other friends going through so much, it would sure be nice to have a sweet victory here, Lord.
• How can I get Brennan to better understand “no touch”?  He keeps going after those awful outlets.
• Gotta make Matt’s lunch.  Everyone’s eaten breakfast but me, and I’m hungry.  Matt’s lunch first though, he’s leaving soon.
• Should I go to Sprouts and then the Target on Louis Henna, or should I go to the Super Target on 1431 to nail two birds with one stone?  The latter, because then we might be able to hit Hobby Lobby on our way home.
• Stellan.  Stellan.  Stellan.  I gotta check Twitter to see if there are any updates.
• Brennan needs a haircut.  Should I try to do it on my own?**
• Why haven’t I packed yet?  We’re visiting Pops and Meems in just a couple of days, why didn’t I start to lay out clothes earlier?
• Thanksgiving is just two weeks away.  THANKSGIVING IS JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY!!???
• Do I have a cold or a sinus infection?  I don’t want to go to the doctor again, so please just let it go away.  I’m really complaining about a measly little sickness?  Get a grip.  I have so much to be thankful for and our health is a huge one!
• What do I need to do before we leave town?  Water plants.  Laundry.  Pack.  Grocery shopping.  Blog.  Will I be able to blog?
• Matt and I need help and wisdom in how to be on the same page with teaching Brennan.  How are we going to do this parenting thing together well?
• Brennan’s first birthday is just two months away.  That girl whose pictures I just saw of her son’s first birthday looked awesome and so creative.  How can I do that?  Do I want to do that?  How can I make it simple and special?  I wonder what so-and-so did for her son’s first birthday.  I’d wanna do it like she did. 
• I need to start sacrificing sleep to get things done.  There’s too much to do.
• I hope Brennan takes good naps today.***
• Stellan.  Stellan. Stellan.  Jesus, please!
• Gotta cancel Molly’s reservations at Dog Boy's.  Don’t forget to email so-and-so about a package delivery.
• Does the post office have a postage meter or can you only buy stamps?****
• Does my shirt go with my pants?  What will I look like to other people if we go out?  Makeup day or no makeup day?  Itty bitty makeup day it is.
• What bagel do I want this morning?  Hmmm, breakfast.  I’m hungry.

Suffice it to say, I could go on.  And on and on.  But I think hubby will get the picture, don’t you think?  Only God in His wisdom could have designed a woman’s mind and emotions to work the way they do.  And thank God that He gives us the peace and wisdom we need because goodness, He sure knows we need it!

* I’m sure most of you all know about Stellan, but if you don’t you absolutely must read this.  If you need to be encouraged to see the power of prayer like I have been lately, you really must catch up on baby Stellan.  It indeed is a miracle I hope to remember the rest of my life, and to God be the glory! 

**Today I tried to trim Brennan’s hair on my own, and it was the biggest mistake ever.  I was in tears.  It messed up our morning entirely until we asked Matt if we could stop by for a pick-me-up and visit him at work.  I butchered my son’s precious golden locks, taking a chunk of hair next to his ear.  His bangs are cut above his hair line, all crooked, and it just looks horrible!  He just laughed and has no idea, but I know!  Big mistake.  Big!  Huge!

***That “today” was yesterday, and no, good naps were not to be had.  I’ll blame it on the 6th tooth that popped out…that makes 3 in the last week and a half!

****The post office only offers stamps, no meter.  And the guy who helped me laughed at me saying, “You’re out of breath?” when I walked in, having not seen the 25 pound baby/carrier I just lugged inside with a box of letters.  Clearly, I need to lift weights more regularly. 

We Stand Committed

The weekend of September 27, some of our family came into town for Brennan’s dedication at church to witness our commitment made before the Lord to raise Brennan according to His grace and for His glory.  Our family also stood with us, pledging to help us with the huge responsibility and joy we have ahead of us.  For children dedications, our church has the daddy write a prayer to pray over their child before the congregation.  It’s always so special to hear the prayers of the fathers for their little ones. 

Mac & Julie, Matt’s folks, and my folks all came into town for the celebration.  Some highlights were our family dinners on Friday and Saturday nights; playing “Yahtzee” with Mac and Julie (they’re always our game buddies); going to Salado’s Silver Spur Theatre to watch Gone to the Dogs, a play that had a blend of live, vaudeville-style acts and classic silent cinema (it was a fantastic family oriented, small town outing that even Brennan enjoyed); and the luncheon we hosted after church that also included “The Ruts” and Jill’s folks, Bob and Jennifer.

One of the most meaningful parts of the weekend was after everyone left and Brennan was asleep for the night, and Matt and I were left alone in the quiet stillness of the evening, soaking in the blessing of the celebration as well as the gifts that were left by our parents and Julie.  One of the verses I’ve been working on memorizing has been Deuteronomy 4:9 which says, “Be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  That verse comes from a spiel that Moses was giving the Israelites before they entered the promised land, reminding them of the awesome ways they saw with their very own eyes how He powerfully and personally moved on their behalf with an outstretched and faithful arm.  Moses also warned them to 1) not forget and 2) teach their children and the following generations.  Moses must have known the road ahead was going to be a tough one; time and time again he reminded the people to not forget, to obey, and to teach the next generations.

So Matt and I gave our parents (and any of our siblings who wanted to participate) an assignment to give Brennan something that represented the "things their eyes have seen" that are ways the Lord has shown His faithfulness, power, and might in their lives.  What are the things in their lives that the Lord has done that they’d want Brennan, the next generation, to know?  What are the ways the Lord has demonstrated His faithfulness in their lives that they hold onto and remember when the going gets tough that they’d want to make sure the next generation knows, too?  They could be as creative, simple, elaborate or detailed as they wanted. 

On Sunday evening then, Matt and I sat humbly in awe before the gifts from our folks and Julie that have the fingerprints of God all over them.  I take that back.  We sat humbly in awe before Him who has showed Himself strong to each of them time and time again, in significant, specific, and powerful ways.  He has been indescribable!  The written gifts from our family are treasures, legacies, that will be tucked away and given to Brennan at a time, we pray, that will be appointed and purposed by God.  

 

 Father, we thank you so much for the gift of our son, Brennan, and for the privilege and honor it is to raise him in Your presence and among family and friends who love You.

 We pray that an early age Brennan would come to know you as His Lord and Savior, that he would be someone who worships You in spirit and in truth for his entire life.

May You bless him with a sense of awe for Your mysteries, an inquisitive mind for Your Truth, and a childlike faith that carries him through all the seasons of his life.

 Jesus, may You be his first love, his rock, and his confidence; that in You, he may be strong and courageous knowing that You will never leave him nor forsake him.

 And Lord, we humbly ask that you would give me and Meghan wisdom, discernment, and grace as we begin this new role as parents.  Help us in our weakness to live the story of Your Gospel before Brennan in our daily lives, and may we see Your face afresh through Brennan’s eyes as he marvels at Your creation and discovers Your greatness for the first time. 

 

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this that the Name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

 

Spontaneous Pumpkin Festival Delight

Spontaneous:  “arising from a momentary impulse”.  Sometimes, there’s nothing like deciding to do something spur of the moment, flying by the seat of your pants.  Even as an inherent planner, I love a few carefree decisions made in the spirit of the moment now and then.  Last Saturday was perfect for such natural impulsiveness:  it was a delightfully overcast and chilly day (a rarity in Austin this early in October); it was Saturday and the beginning of a week off for the four of us to be together; we could dress in warm, cozy clothes that make us want to curl up and snuggle; Brennan has been all smiles and actually let us sleep in until 6:15 a.m.; and it was the first free, unscheduled weekend we’d had in weeks to lay low. 

I knew of a place in town that sells pumpkins that would’ve been fun to go and take a few pictures, but when I started flipping through a community newspaper we receive that outlines special events and came across a Pumpkin Festival at the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm*, there was no gettin’ around that we simply had to go!  We scurried to get ready for the day in record time and were out the door with Brennan and Molly in tow in time for Brennan to take his first nap in the car on the way there.  I was a giddy girl!  Matt also let me play Christmas music while we got ready (I’m forbidden to play it in his presence until Thanksgiving since I already maxed out my pre-Christmas season music playing for him). 

I can’t tell you how delighted my little heart was to dress my boy up in jeans, a red plaid shirt, and his first ever pair of cowboy boots (that have soft soles)!  Oh, my heart swoons for my two fellas.  And that precious pup of mine is as sweet as they come.  She felt most privileged she was along for the ride.  Once we saw “Dogs welcome on leash”, well, that just nailed it.  There was not a question one about her joining us. 

Hot chai drinkin’, hay ride crusin’, tractor ridin’, swingin’, sausage eatin’, live music playin’, pumpkin pickin’, picture takin’, hand holdin’, people watchin’, homemade baked goods buyin’ (and eatin’), all awaited us on that glorious Saturday morn’.  I’m sure glad I didn’t hastily throw away that community newspaper like I usually do!  And thanks, dear hubby, for puttin’ up with my early morning giddiness about our spontaneous decision even though you could barely open your eyes and the sun was still down.  I’m glad you have chai.

What was the last spontaneous thing ya’ll remember doing?  Do ya’ll have any fun, spontaneous outings/adventures that were special? 

*If you’re in the Austin area, this is the last weekend of the Pumpkin Festival, and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for something fun to do.

This and That

• When I wrote about Brennan’s bed-head here, I wasn’t kidding around:

• I’m going to be scarce around here for the next week or two (like I’m not already), but we have some fun travel adventures ahead of us!  At least Brennan and I do; Matt has to stay at home to bring home the bacon.  We’re ever so grateful!!  First, Brennan and I might venture up to Dallas on Saturday with my folks to visit my aunt and uncle and my grandfather.  Then on Monday, I’m flying solo with the babe to El Paso to visit my dear, dear friend, Corrie, who is in town from Jordan with her baby boy, Guy!!!  Ya’ll, I can’t tell you how excited I am!  We weren’t expecting to get to see each other for at least another year, but we have been so blessed by this unexpected gift to see each other and meet our baby boys, who are only four months apart.  And well, I’m opting NOT to take the computer!  I can always use a good separation from it every now and then.

• The three of us joined our special friends, Jimbo, Beth and little Amelia for breakfast last Saturday at The Omelettry.  I once again devoured two humungous chocolate chip pancakes, two eggs, and three (or was is it four?) slices of bacon.  How was it that I left still feeling hungry and wishing they’d given me three pancakes, I will never know.  I’ve gotta do something about this appetite of mine or I’m going to be in hot diggity dog trouble!  I loved these pictures that Beth took:

 

 

• Football starts next weekend!!!  And I have a surprise for Uncle Mac.  I’ll just leave it at that for now.

• Most importantly and least trivial of all my other “this and that’s” is a prayer request once again for our dear friends, Robert and Aimee.  I first wrote about their journey walking through Robert’s treatment for testicular cancer here.  The update they received in April was very good, but late July, they discovered the cancer has come back with aggressive force.   They moved at rapidly fast pace to get Robert up to Indiana to start high doses of chemo and stem cell transplants to help him survive such high doses of chemo while Aimee went back to her parents’ place with her two little girls to await their birth of their son, who was born this very afternoon!  If you want frequent updates and to view Robert’s videos, visit “Fighting Back”.  They have a tough, tough journey ahead of them, but God is able!  I know you all have prayed before and I humbly ask you to keep praying for them.  If you’re on Facebook, there is a group called “Pray for Robert Feuille and his amazing family” that you can sign up for and it has specific prayer requests as well.  Thank you. 

God’s blessings, dear friends.

 

Festival of Pictures

Hold onto your britches, because you are about to be dazzled by a post aflutter with pictures!

Last Saturday, we took a day trip to Waxahachie to visit Matt’s mom’s side of the family and introduce them to Brennan.  My boy is becoming quite the traveler, and if trying to keep him relaxed and seasoned at it means consistent travel, well, ya’ll know I’m all about that!

 Brennan found a friend in 3 year old, Siena, who loved playing with “the baby”.

Matt’s Uncle Maurice and Aunt Gloria, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Hersch

 Matt’s cousin, Rainne, and her family

We had the best day with them; they always make our visits really special.  We enjoyed some scrumptious burgers and I made my most favorite summer dessert:  peach torte!

This past Wednesday, Meems came up for the day to visit.  Brennan and I are getting really sad that the weekly visits from Meems are coming quickly to a close since the school year is starting soon.  We ate lunch at our newest favorite stomping ground, Mighty Fine Burgers; hung family pictures on our stairwell; and played with her “Sugar Bear”.  When I say “played”, I mean “played hard”!  After a day with Meems, Brennan fell asleep while drinking his last bottle of the day.  Burping didn’t even wake him up; he was out!

 

Best buds from earlier in the day with Meems

Look who is getting ready to crawl!  I estimate that within three more weeks, this little chap will take off; Matt’s guess is within five weeks.  Our laid-back life from an immobile child will come to a screeching halt before we know it.  Not only has he rocked back and forth on all fours, but he is cutting his first tooth!  On Tuesday, we noticed his bottom right tooth, a sharp sucker, has made its way through.  It’s teeny tiny right now.  Any of you know how long it takes to fully come in?

Today we had our first professional photo shoot at Laguna Gloria with Hollie from Rubi Girl Photography.  It was a gorgeous place to meet, but we’re super glad we had a mix of indoor/outdoor shots to have a reprieve from the heat.  We had a lot of fun with Hollie, and I can’t wait to see the finished pictures.  I’m hoping for a few gems!

As ya’ll know, Miss Molly is a part of our family.  She is our firstborn in so many ways.  And she knows it.  I had to reprimand her more times than I can count when we were at my folks’ home a couple of weeks ago; she was vying for attention, even negative attention.  So when the little girl was left behind today and not included in the family photo shoot, well, it made me sad.  I know, I’m crazy.  But it did! 

My husband loves me so much that he stayed in his dress clothes all afternoon until we were ready to have our own little photo shoot that included Molly.  It made me super glad she did stay behind because it was quite a feat to get these two to pay attention to anything but each other.  Or the kid on his bike.  Or the blades of grass.  These were the best we could do. 

   

 

Today was also Miss Molly’s 8th birthday!  We celebrated by jumping in the car and heading to Shakes where she feasted upon a small doggie cup of frozen custard.  We benefited from her birthday as well with our own treats. 

She loves this stuff!

Happy Birthday, little girl!  You’ve had to go through one of the biggest changes you’ve ever had in your life this past year, and if I could handle curve balls and change the way you do, I would be much better off.  It has been a delight to watch you with Brennan.  He is one blessed baby to have you as his puppy, and I am one blessed Momma to have you, too.  You never cease to be a source of joy, laughter, and comfort.  Happy Birthday!