Spicy Magnolia

Just Beachy

Sunshine. Seafood. Glistening water. Sand. I lack a dazzling adjective for the sand because it’s my least favorite part of the beach. Although the soft, white sands on the Gulf Coast of Florida have the potential to change my opinion about the messy, grainy stuff that sticks to everything.

I am notorious for sitting on the beach and walking around collecting seashells. My imagination goes wild at the thought of all the icky seaweed that entangles my toes and even wilder at the thought of the perilous sharp-toothed sea creatures that would leave me in horrendous pain and dismembered.

Maybe it’s because I was introducing Brennan to the ocean and wanted to pretend I was brave. Or maybe it was because these particular waters were gorgeous and clear without any seaweed until the last day when the wind churned it up, and it also wasn’t very salty. Or maybe it was because the sand was so soft that there was not one seashell to be found. It was probably the combination of the three that allows me to say that I actually ventured into the sea and jumped the waves.

Oh, I had my panicky moments when the waves began to get too high over my 5’6” frame. And Matt had to calm my nerves incessantly after Ed told an awful story of him being swept out of his own dad’s arms while in the ocean when a huge wave came crashing down on top of them. Forget imagining threatening creatures or annoying seaweed, but how do you calm a mother who keeps envisioning her son being swept away at sea!?

For five days, we soaked up the rays and enjoyed splitting our time between the beach and the fabulous resort pool that was my refreshing, sand-less haven. Whether it was the salt water or the chlorinated-water, our boy was an eager fish, working on his kicking, blowing bubbles and wave jumping. 

Some moments to remember:

Papa and Nana made a treasure map for Jadon and Brennan to hunt for prizes of beach toys.

Brennan’s first time to set foot on a beach. Well, it actually took him awhile to want to put his feet down on the sand and in the water…

but eventually, he worked his way up to it.

Baxter, a most happy and content little guy, celebrated his first birthday the day after we left.

Most nights we alternated between families cooking dinner. The last night we were there, Kim made a fabulous concoction of recipes that I immediately came home and bookmarked: Grilled Corn with Garlic Butter, Feta and Fresh Lime; Grilled Brined Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce; and a Tomato-Watermelon Salad with Feta and Toasted Almonds (a-maz-ing). I ate like a horse that night, helping myself to seconds of everything, including her “Dirt Dessert” with Oreos.

One night was a special birthday celebration evening for Matt’s folks who both celebrated their 60th birthdays this past winter. We went to a fine place called George’s and captured some of the best family photos.

Cousins! Jadon turned three last month, and it was quite entertaining picking up on the personality differences between these two boys. I would personally have described Jadon as mellow the week at the beach, content playing with toys on the beach and just chillin’. At least he was compared to my animated and expressive boy, who Nana said had more energy than she ever remembered Matt having! Did he inherit an Uncle Mac gene, perhaps? Lord, help me if he did <grin>! I’m serious!

One of the most special and memorable moments of our week in Florida was a night of girl-time. After dinner at George’s, we helped get the kids to bed then the girls surprised me with dessert at an incredible restaurant called La Crema Tapas and Chocolate in a quaint area of town that felt very European. I had the bread pudding with chocolate and caramel sauce. I wished I’d had two servings! The ladies surprised me with girly clothes for Skittles, too. I’ve got to update you with some pictures of these outfits; Skittles received her first pink tutu! I was jazzed up on chocolate and pink.

The additional night out was at Pier Park for some more seafood and a pleasant night out on the town. We discovered on this trip that Brennan likes seafood. He enjoyed crab and artichoke dip at George’s and helped himself to nearly 1/2 lb. of fresh shrimp the night at Pier Park. I made the awful mistake of not giving him small enough bites and well, the result wasn’t pleasant. But it didn’t deter him from eating more.

This picture was taken after dinner, and I find it very amusing!

Pier Park had a small amusement park in the middle of all the shops and restaurants. Tom and Kim graciously treated the four of us to a train ride…the perfect ending to a fun night out.

Dear Aunt Melissa. Melissa could only stay with us until Tuesday, but she made the most of her auntie time and loved on the little ones with her whole heart. Brennan was grateful for her lovies!

 

The last night, the one of Kim’s feast, we had a mini talent show. It was very rough with three kiddos under the age of three who hadn’t practiced anything like we intended. But it kept us laughing, and the highlight was seeing Tom breakdance to a Michael Jackson song. If it’s going to be a family tradition though, Papa and Nana need to participate also <grin>!

After the kiddos were in bed, we had a meaningful family time of sharing and praying together. It was an inestimable way to conclude our week that thankfully didn’t involve any knock out waves, treacherous creatures, major sunburns, or seaweed snares…it was just ‘beachy’*!

*Yes, I’m corny <grin>.

Simply trusting,

Don’t Even

Don’t even get me started on how it’s June 9th already and the baby countdown widget on the right-hand sidebar is flashing in what seems like neon lights that we only have 54 more days left until blast off <hyperventilating>!

While being MIA the past few weeks, it’s not because I’ve been short on blog post ideas or in labor. Here’s a run down of the last few weeks:

• Three weeks ago, right before our family vacation, Matt had a crazy amount of work to accomplish, and we had a special visit from our friends, Eric and Kim from Colorado. These are some good, life-long, salt-of-the-earth, kinda friends. Luke is a few months younger than Brennan, and Ellie is now 6 months old. We stayed up late like the youngin’s and then crashed hard over the following days like the oldies.

• Look what my little guy left me with after plummeting his thick head into my eye as he was laying down in his bed and I was next to him. I really think I saw tweety birds. Sorry, it’s a dreadful close-up shot.

• We drove 14 hours each way (not including meal breaks) to Panama City, FL for a week at the beach with Matt’s family to celebrate his parents’ 60th birthdays. The white, soft sandy beaches with the vibrant turquoise waters have forever nixed the idea of wanting to visit the Texas Gulf Coast again. Whomever claims that Texas has a beach is seriously diminishing the value of what a beach can really live up to. Let me just say I didn’t end up with a tar-stained bathing suit after this trip.

Suffice it to say, we wouldn’t hesitate in the least to take this guy on another long road trip. We’ll see what it’s like once Skittles comes along, adding the sibling rivalry to the mix.

At first he was cautious about the ocean waters, but he braved the waves and ended up loving to jump them with his Daddy. His favorite part in both the ocean and the awesome resort-sized pool we had access to was watching Daddy imitate a dolphin. (Hopefully a separate beach post will follow shortly).

• We made it home safe and sound, welcoming the solid night’s sleep that only one’s own comfy bed can provide. And guess who came into town also from Florida? POPS! He and Mees delivered Miss Molly to us after taking care of her for the week, and what is the first kinda food any true Texan must partake of getting home? Mexican food! Chuy’s hit the spot and so did some frozen custard from Shake’s. Brennan feasted on his first hot fudge sundae.

• Before we left for Florida, we were faced with the unexpected purchase of needing to get a new car. Not only did we go looking for a “new” car the weekend we got back, our home A/C went out. We are now keenly aware that one should have two A/C units if you have a 2-story house, but ours only has one. So our home heated up to a pleasant <ahem> 90 degrees for three nights and three days. No one is counting though. It took that long to get fixed because the A/C company was so backed up over Memorial Day weekend. I didn’t know I could play the, “I have a little child and I’m pregnant” cards to get them to come out sooner.

It certainly makes you all the more thankful for A/C as the majority of the world is hotter than we are and doesn’t have it! It is a luxury. And we are beyond thankful that at the same time of purchasing a car, the A/C was only a relatively minor repair compared to the $7k we might have had to fork over for a new unit! While it was a wild few days with late nights at the dealership, we have a working A/C and a “new” mommy car! It could not have gone more smoothly, and we are so grateful.

• My birthday and Mother’s Day gift came to fruition: Matt and I had an awesome date night for dinner and the Michael Buble concert. It was one of the most entertaining concerts I’ve been to, and I think Matt would say the same thing. In fact, upon leaving, he admitted there were a number of things about Michael that helped him gain more respect in Matt’s eyes such that he would stop calling him Michael “Bubble”.

• While a lot of our summer will be spent with this cool dude at the pool,

I am trying to plan extra-fun and memorable things for the two of us to do together before Skittles’ arrival. I am a floodgate of tears and emotion when I think about the change that is about ready to pummel us. “Pummel” is a strong word, but that’s what it feels like these days. I’m. Not. Ready.

One such special event we attended last week was Thomas on Stage. He sat mesmerized through the whole thing, and I had the endearing pleasure of holding him.

• My dear friends, Leah and Cassie, threw me a surprise baby shower at Z-Tejas last week! I never expected to have a closet full of pink before Skittles’ arrival, but some precious friends who were there made sure that our little girl would be decked out with pink, purple, bows, and matchy-matchy shoes!

• This past Saturday, Brennan and I drove up to Celina to visit our good buddies, Chris, Jill, Harrison, Haddie and meet baby Hays! He’s already six weeks old, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet him while we had the chance. It was a low-key, perfectly relaxing weekend, and I was gifted with a TON of fresh green beans, squash, zucchini, onions, and broccoli from the garden. Look at this gift:

• Before leaving Dallas, Brennan and I stopped into visit one of my dearest childhood friends, Lauren, and meet her three-week old baby girl, Charlotte. Lauren’s sister, Debbie, a professional wedding photographer in the Austin area, whom I’d highly recommend, was there and shot some pictures of us that I hope to see soon.

In the meantime, let me tell any of you out there who think Brennan is a “perfect” child that he is like any other normal two-year old out there! For the first 30-45 minutes of our visit, he was in a rotten mood, wouldn’t listen to me, and I’m sure made my cheeks flush red a number of times. I finally succumbed to handing him a movie on my iPhone in a desperate attempt to visit with my gracious hosts who fixed a lovely brunch for us (Lauren’s hubby can cook!). I’m so thankful I got to see Lauren and her little girl before they move to Connecticut this summer.

Tuesday afternoon, Brennan and I rolled back into town. After one week of vacation where I intentionally tried to be off-line, and an additional week and a half of having something every night, I am finally caught up on all of our household business items and can get back to such things as blogging.

Well, don’t even get me started on the lengthy to-do list that needs to be tackled over the next fifty-four days or the emotional wreck that I am. Just let me relish the moment that I actually wrote something.

Simply trusting,

 

Link Love…and a Question

Amazingly, I’ve been able to keep up my reading spurt this year. I figure I only have two more months until I take a probable hiatus. The only downfall, if it can really be considered one, is that the novels I’ve delved into are so good they keep me up too late at night. The latest one I read is likely familiar to most of you with its raving reviews and the upcoming movie release this summer. It’s called The Help. I particularly love the history woven throughout, and who wouldn’t agree that the Civil Rights Movement is one of the top most significant historical events/changes during the 20th century? It’s a humorous, thoughtful, and insightful piece of literature.

There is a new Compassion Bloggers team headed to the Philippines next week. If you read anything on the Internet next week, read some of their posts. You can follow along with them here. You might be familiar with some of the team members:  Tsh Oxenreider at The Simple Mom or Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky.

I still think it would be amazing to meet our two Compassion girls who live in Bangladesh. My friend, Tracy, has family in the Philippines and visited there with her hubby and two kiddos a couple of months ago. While there, she got to meet her Compassion child! What an opportunity in which to take advantage, a real treasure!

We have no idea what lies ahead with Brennan’s or Skittles’ education in the future, and I am certainly not one that sees herself made for homeschooling, but I appreciated reading Ann Voskamp’s post this morning. No matter what is in store for our kiddos, the heart and purpose behind what we ultimately desire their education to look like and result in was articulated very well: “It means that we pursue not a cultural definition of success but of true greatness for our kids: ‘having an unquenchable passion for God that manifests itself in an unwavering love and concern for others’ (Ted Kimmel, Raising Kids for True Greatness).”

In the winter, I participated in the Bloom Book Club through {in}courage when they read One Thousand Gifts. Last Sunday, they announced the new book selection starting up on June 5th: Kelly Minter’s The Fitting Room. I’ve been looking forward to starting up again with this online community, and you might want to also. Here are all the details you need.

And now a question for y’all. One of Brennan’s favorite books in the past couple of months has been The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby. He’s intrigued not just by the baby but also the new big boy bed that Brother Bear switches to from his little bed, something Brennan himself has done in the last couple of months. It’s a book we’re using as a resource to talk about his baby sister coming soon to help with the transition. What are other things you did in your families that were helpful and fun to aid in the adjustment period?

If any of you Central Texans are looking for a place to escape for a weekend, Matt and I HIGHLY recommend Rose-Hill Manor outside of Fredericksburg! We went there last weekend for a brief ‘babymoon’ while Brennan was love-spoiled by his Mees in San Antonio. Y’all, the scenery was breathtakingly peaceful and the food was GOURMET! Our friend, Courtney, recommended the place, and we would go back there in a heartbeat.

Oh, and how could I forget!? There are a few things recently that have triggered deep Texas pride in me. First, the rodeo. Second, strawberry picking underneath the expansive clear-blue sky. I still want to blog about both of those. Third, this music video/commercial that came out for the Superbowl sponsored by the best grocery store around, H.E.B. It won’t be new to many of you Texans, but if you want to know why I love Texas--why all Texans love Texas--this will give you a glimpse. And you’ll understand why I wanted to breed a family of Texans <grin>. That was just to get under Matt’s skin, but oh, there’s so much to love about Texas, that’s why Texas is home to me!

Simply trusting,

Let Us Reacquaint Ourselves

I think a reacquaintance is in order. My name is Meghan. Or Meg. To my family and a few close friends, Meggie. To a couple of Australians, Meggles. To another friend, Megs. To my Momma, Pumpkin Face or Angel. To my Daddy, Meggie-Peg. I also hear the name, “Mommy” being called out a lot around this place by a person small enough to fit in a kitchen cabinet.

The big man of the household is working his cutie-pa-tooty off in what will be Brennan’s big boy room. We repainted the study a few weeks ago and moved the guest bed into that room to empty out the room for Brennan’s new one. Chris helped us put up a chair rail that Matt has been working on priming and painting, and over the next couple of weekends, we’ll tackle the painting of the walls. My momma is bustling working on other creative aspects of his room. In the meantime, our upstairs is a chaotic mess of furniture, toys, and mattresses. Speaking of my Momma, I want to recognize the blessing of her gift of creativity. She gave us a priceless treasure done by her hands that somehow, as her daughter, I have memorized how her hands look and feel and work. There’s nothing like Momma’s hands. Look what she painted and gave to us for Brennan’s birthday!

 

This was the original picture, taken when Brennan was about five months old in June of 2009.

 

If I haven’t been running around after an energetic two-year old, cooking, cleaning up the peanut butter schmeers on the table and chairs, passed out on the couch, caring for a boy who was sick for two weeks with high fever and severe diarrhea, sighing over the amount of dog hair in our home, standing aghast at the amount of dust building up because it’s been months and months since I’ve dusted, or attempting to tackle seven loads of laundry that I keep putting off for days, I’ve been doing either of the following:

1. Reading
2. Getting caught up on Project Life albums

A little bit more about each of those. First, reading. Since receiving a Kindle from my beloved for Christmas (which was a huge surprise to me), I’ve had a renewed love of reading and have put my nose to the books. Life seems kinda tough at the moment, in general, so I’m finding great reprieve getting lost in novels. Since January, I’ve read Revenge of the Spellmans (the third book in a series of four by Lisa Lutz), As Sure as the Dawn (final book in the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers), and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I highly recommend each one for different reasons! Even while I prefer novels these days, I still want to mix it up a bit, so I’m currently reading Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, which has been hugely challenging and eye-opening as a lot of the clouds that have been covering my soul lately seem to be parting, ever so slowly. The bright, cloudless Texas spring skies are also helping with that as well.

Secondly, the Project Life albums. Personally, I love keeping photos organized but don’t have time to do the old-fashioned scrapbooking. Becky Higgins’ Project Life albums have been the perfect match for me. I had a couple of months from 2010 to catch up on, plus I was able to start a new 2011 album. In addition, I’m using another album for Skittles’ baby book which I’ve caught up on to this day. And I’ll tell you what: it feels good! Now I just need to get our home back in order.

While working on the albums, I’ve discovered Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” feature that has The Cosby Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. I now have a better understanding (and appreciation) for my hubby’s sense of humor as he’s a perfect blend of Bill and Dick!

Little Skittles. Precious Skittles. I’m 18 weeks today and am feeling much better than I did the past few months. In fact, I’m rejoicing that the last two weeks have had some semblance of ‘normalcy’ since Thanksgiving! Skittles is moving more and more and causing me a bit of insomnia and a great deal of ultra-sensitive gag reflexes! Did any of you experience that? It’s the weirdest thing! I can’t brush my teeth or cough without feeling like I’m gagging, and sometimes, it causes me to randomly vomit. It’s bizarre. For those of you who like belly pics, this was taken a couple of days ago. If you aren’t interested, just keep scrolling down <grin>. My hubby, bless his heart, finds himself unfortunately in the role of taking the pictures once again, and I am a pretty picky belly picture taker. On Sunday, I think we took about seven or eight pictures before I was satisfied.

 

This handsome buckaroo keeps me on my toes and keeps me laughing (most of the time…the other times I’m about ready to pull my hair out or pass out from exhaustion). He’s a solid climber! Just this past weekend he mastered climbing up the slide from the bottom. Not sure if that’s a good thing. But it’s definitely a boy thing. He’s playing a lot more pretend games (like grocery store), and is inseparable from any of the following items that get interchanged every week or so: Lightning McQueen, Thomas the Train, Lambie (his stuffed lamb that Gaga gave him), a toy dolphin, Mickey Mouse, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake book, or pieces of his Cars puzzle.

 

Since Sunday, he’s been carrying around the following two pictures of Pops and Mees that he pulled from my stack of photos I had developed. Pops and Mees have eaten every meal with us, gone everywhere with us, and slept next to Brennan for naps and bedtime.

To the delight of my heart, he started singing Jesus Loves Me on his own yesterday while playing trains. And for the first time in his whole two years of life, it’s not very pleasant to drop him off in the church nursery.

Over the last month, the tyke has ventured to San Antonio for a weekend getaway with Pops and Mees by himself where he got spoiled rotten with yummy food, playing with three puppies, and adventures at the stock show. Then the weekend after that, he had a journey up to North Texas to celebrate our good buddy, Harrison’s, fifth birthday. Matt took him there for the weekend, so I had a lovely, quiet weekend at home and attempted my first-ever sewing project with my friend Emily! We made tool belts for our boys and it was a blast! 

 

I’ve loved the opportunity of reintroducing myself to y’all. I hope to not be as much of a stranger around these parts! And if you’d kindly oblige me, I’d like to know who my visitors are these days, just for fun. I’d love to know who you are and where you’re from and what’s been the best thing you’ve eaten today. Not best as in best for you, but best as in yummy best <grin>. I’ll start: I’m Meghan from Austin, Texas and I ate a whole pint of chocolate pudding today, and don’t regret one bite!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a lovely afternoon!

Simply trusting,

A Look at Christmas Past

Grab a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate before reading this post. If it’s as cold where you are as it is here, I know a hot drink is just the necessary concoction to warm you up through and through. Here are some pictures from our Christmas in Virginia with Matt’s family that cover the highlights.

We arose at 3 a.m. on the 23rd to catch a 6:30 a.m. flight on Southwest, which is by far the best airline in the industry. We saved at least $200 on bag fees! We flew through Chicago going to and from Virginia, which had the potential to be very hairy. Fortunately, there were no hiccups on our way out east, and we narrowly flew out one hour before they closed Midway because of freezing rain on our way home. It would not have been pleasant in the least to be one of those families stuck on the Midway tarmac for 7 hours.

Upon our arrival in D.C., Matt’s dad picked us up and we joined Mac and Julie for a quick lunch before we made the trek to Charlottesville. We ate at a burger place that sparked tons of memories. Mac didn’t remember one iota about Henry J’s, a burger place we ate at regularly as little tikes with Gaga. I take that back; he remembered the layout of the building, but nothing of the burgers. I had this picture snapped of Brennan playing with the Trivial Pursuit cards because Henry J’s used to put the same ones on their tables. It simply provokes sweet memories to me.

 

Our beloved Mac and Julie! It was a treat to see them for a couple of hours. Mac is still wallowing in pity as Brennan made much ado about Julie, and him, not so much. I’m jesting a lot about Mac right now; I love that boy to pieces. Oh wait, he’s not a ‘boy’ so much as a grown, aging man who will be 30 in a few weeks <grin>!! Hahahaha!!

We had a full house! There were ten of us all together between Matt’s folks, Melissa, and Tom and Kim and their two boys. Yep, that’s right. Three two-and-a-half year old boys under the same roof for five days. It was WILD! It was our first time to meet Baxter, our youngest nephew, who is now 7.5 months old!

Our first full day in Charlottesville was Christmas Eve. This picture was taken right before we left for the Christmas Eve service. The little guy looked so handsome and thankfully, did really well through his first full church service. It even seemed as though he was listening intently to the pastor.

 

Brennan’s new favorite position: riding on Daddy’s shoulders.

 

This girl, Kimberly, was our amazing chef for most of the week! I’m talkin’ gourmet chef kinda cookin’, y’all. For Christmas Eve dinner, she made a fabulous gorgonzola stuffed chicken breast with a cherries jubilee sauce. Look at her plate; it was divine! And for dessert, she made a pumpkin ice cream pie with graham cracker crust and chocolate shavings on top. For our last night together, she made a steak with a balsamic reduction sauce, roasted potatoes and butternut squash and a salad with pomegranate seeds and other juicy fruit. I really need those recipes! And once I have the time and energy to cook like that again, they’ll be the first things I make <grin>. We ate like kings and queens!

 

Brennan misses eating such feasts! One thing to note about the food, was that Brennan became obsessed with clementines. He’d eat at least 6 at a meal.

 

Our family tradition since I was little is to open one package on Christmas Eve and it’s always new PJs to wear to bed. Here we are opening Brennan’s PJs together. That’s as close as he got to me; once he knew they were PJs, he wasn’t as interested in the present <grin>.

 

We three are the early birds when it comes to Matt’s side of the family. While we are in bed by 10 p.m., everyone is up till at least midnight and then they sleep in, while we’re up with Brennan around 7 a.m. So we always have the quiet mornings to ourselves. We woke up to the delight of snow flurries on Christmas morning! You can’t see them in the picture, but they were there. No one else witnessed the flurries that morning, so it was a little Christmas treasure we tucked away in our hearts.

 

Isn’t the tree pretty!? Ruth did such a lovely job with it and the rest of the home. She always makes me feel very welcomed.

 

Look at the precious family of four, all cheery on Christmas morn.

 

An up-close of Baxter.

 

This is what Brennan looked like often while in Virginia, mesmerized by a Thomas the Train video on the TV.

 

We opened stockings first, then had an incredible breakfast of pumpkin waffles, bacon and scrambled eggs with green onions, tomatoes and spinach. Brennan ate three waffles, keeping up with his Daddy! Here are Jadon and Brennan eating together like big boys. The Thomas the Train on the table is noteworthy. Despite having one each, they were the cause of many disputes. Those boys are passionate about Thomas. We’re obviously in a season of learning to share.

 

After breakfast, we dug into the presents. There were a lot; it was pretty overwhelming for little Brennan, and me for that matter.

 

What gifts can you recall being given that made you feel humbled and undeserving of that gift? One of the most obvious gifts such as these would be Jesus’ love for me and His saving grace. Talk about undeserved! That gift of His by far tops all others in this category. But I’m thinking more in terms of meaningful tangible gifts or acts of service that cause you to pause and recognize, “I really don’t deserve this gift.” The depth of love behind the gift is indisputable. There have been a number throughout my life that my family has given me that made me feel that way, and in turn, it’s made me extremely grateful and assured of their love for me.  Amazingly, I received two such gifts during our time in Virginia. Ed & Ruth published my post called You Can Do It, Brennan. It’s a beautiful and meaningful gift! First, they recognized my love for blogging/writing. I’ve never shared with them, or anyone really, about a dream of being published, but when they said, “Now you’re published!”, it was a sweet note to my heart. The gift of being believed in. And as they said that, tears swelled in my eyes while I whispered back to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, if this is the only way I’m published, the story of the lives in the book are what will last, and that’s what I want.” Second, they know my love for Brennan and the joy I have as a momma. And that was a special couple of afternoons he and I shared together!

The second gift such as this I received was from Tom and Kim. Kim spent hours working on publishing a cookbook with all of the recipes I’ve posted on the blog, or made reference to, with pictures and snippets of my writings that went along with each recipe, noting the memorable event and faces that were a part of that moment. Wow, it’s incredible! As I read through it, I was flooded with priceless memories and precious faces of loved ones that have been drawn together by these recipes, some favorites from other cookbooks and some timeless family recipes. She knows my love for cooking and my love to make events special for others.

I had no idea they were working on these projects; I was completely surprised. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the best in-law. That can be a post for another time, but their extravagant love of time and creativity poured forth into these gifts left me humbly and wonderfully staggered with affection. And the sober realization their gifts are very undeserved. I’m grateful! The beautiful books now take up permanent residence on our coffee table, and Brennan loves reading our story.

 

 

Christmas Day is also Ed’s birthday, and this year happened to be his 60th! Usually we have a big extended party on Christmas night, but we moved it to Sunday evening so we could leisurely enjoy Christmas and have a special evening for Ed. Actually, Ruth’s 60th birthday is the end of January, so we kids plotted the evening to be a combined birthday celebration since we were all together. I was in charge of Christmas dinner and made crostinis topped with pesto, sundried tomatoes and feta to start off; Pioneer Woman’s lasagna; garlic bread; a salad full of goodies; and chocolate Texas sheet cake. For the parentals’ gift, we managed to arrange a getaway trip later in the year to a beach near Destin, FL as a special 60th birthday family celebration.

 

Full plates=full tummies.

 

Jadon and Brennan helping blow out the birthday candles.

 

On Sunday the 26th, we spent most of the day getting ready to host just over 30 people for a dinner party! We needed the whole day! We took a break to take Jadon and Brennan sledding. You saw Brennan’s picture in the last post. He was not crazy about sledding. Nor the snow. Nor the cold. A true-blooded Texan he is <grin>. But Matt and I love the cold and the snow, so we’ll help him adjust. That means more trips to Colorado <grin>! Jadon, on the other hand, loved it.

 

The fresh snow we woke up to on Sunday morning.

 

Right before the house exploded with people and became very chaotic, we took a calm family photo <grin>.

 

The first batch of first-cousins and spouses who were at the party. This picture excludes all our offspring (and there are a lot!) who were running around playing. I was so thankful for Tom, who could relate to me and desire to find a quiet corner in the house to escape the crowd. I say all this very light-hearted because it is a fun party. Those of us who happened to marry into the family, however, acknowledge that it is a tad overwhelming <grin>, so we do our part to try to have meaningful one-on-one conversations while stationed in a quiet part of the house.

 

On Monday morning, Melissa treated the boys to a special outing at Bounce-n-Play. I stayed back to rest a bit, but it looked like an incredible indoor play area I wish were in Austin! Brennan was most fascinated by the kitchen.

 

Matt’s Grandpa wasn’t feeling very well and didn’t attend the Christmas Eve service nor the party, so we stopped by on Monday afternoon to see him. Our visit with him, while brief, was a highlight for me. You have a keen sense of the gift of grandparents and the treasure time is with them when you don’t have any grandparents anymore. My heart was tender toward this 90+ year old man who told Matt that at the beginning of the new year, he was going to write Matt a letter detailing his involvement in World War II, which included serving on D-Day. Like most veterans, he hasn’t shared much about his experience despite our questions. But he has remembered our interest throughout the years and said he would give us this gift for us to save and make copies for other family members. I really, really hope he writes Matt this letter.

 

I don’t have any pictures of our evening, but another highlight was going out with Tom, Kim and Melissa on Monday night! What a treat it was for Ed & Ruth to babysit our three boys. We ended up doing a progressive dinner with appetizers at a tapas bar and then the main course at a lovely restaurant where most of us ordered filet mignon. It was the best night of conversation all week <grin>!

For their Christmas, birthday and anniversary presents (ha!), we gave Ed and Ruth a family photo shoot appointment with a great local photographer, Eric Kelley. It happened to fall on the prettiest and warmest days of our visit, which was a huge blessing. Being the type-A person who planned this photo shoot, I was very anxious about it going smoothly. So it didn’t help matters that our child was the only one who was having a fit, who was uncooperative, crying and had his paci in his mouth for the first half of our shoot. I was flushed red with embarrassment and at a loss for what to do, trying to roll with the punches as much as possible. Of course, loosening up helped <grin>. We had the pictures taken on the UVA campus and I’ll share the link of pictures with you when they’re ready. I hope there are some good ones!

The second batch of first-cousins and spouses who weren’t at the party but who came over for a visit Tuesday afternoon after our family pictures.

 

What a fabulous Christmas! It was full of fun and full of crazy at the same time. Anyone who shares holidays with kiddos can attest to the craziness. Next time we’ll all be together, we’ll be sitting in sand instead of snow.

And that’s a wrap, folks! You best go refill your hot drinks. I’m going to get mine soon; in the meantime, our fire is keeping my tootsies warm. Love to y’all!

My Time Warp

I haven’t looked at my blog stats in months, and frankly, I’m scared to look. How long has it been since I’ve posted? If writing regularly is a major factor that keeps blog readers, well, then I expect to have only a handful of readers remaining. Alas, I have been sucked into the time warp that is the end of November to the end of January for me. It begins with Thanksgiving and tapers off with Matt’s birthday, which is the middle of January. Sandwiched in between is our anniversary--we just celebrated our eighth; Christmas, and we all know what that entails; Brennan’s birthday—my boy will be two!; and Matt’s birthday. Time warp indeed. Despite the to-dos which accompany each of those special events, there are additional projects that I’m trying to finish up before too much time escapes me (like getting Brennan’s big boy room ready). But I need a serious jolt of extra motivation. Extra energy. I do not have either right now. The irony of desperately needing those two things is cruel. Creative juices are at a standstill; it’s taken everything I’ve got to start this blog post which will be filled with special moments I want to remember, albeit somewhat mundane. So in as concise a form as possible, here are a few remembrances:

• On December 7th, my handsome boy and I ventured to the Austin Zoo for the first time. It was a really cold day; in fact, my precious one needed a heavier coat than the one he was wearing. We were pretty much the only ones there it was so cold. The Austin Zoo isn’t much to speak of; it’s more an animal sanctuary. I now know why my friend Marla didn’t make Austin a stop on her zoo trip <grin>. But we had a great time. The lions we saw were eager to get back into their inside cages that were being cleaned, and they stood up on their hind haunches pawing (a.k.a. knocking) on the door. Since then, Brennan not only thinks lions roar, but he says “knock” every time we talk about lions. He loved the random kitty walking around and avoided the roosters. He was a brave boy and fed food to a deer. Every time we talk about deer, he holds out his hand. Chick-fil-A was our afterward treat.

 

• This is Evan, our neighbor friend. Brennan LOVES playing with Evan and our other neighbor buddy, Alex. This photo is commemorative because it marks the first time (after a couple of weeks) that Evan drove his Jeep and the first time Brennan wasn’t scared to ride as a passenger.

 

• The week of December 15th, Brennan and I took a road trip to north Texas to visit our beloveds, Chris, Jill, Harrison and Haddie. Upon our arrival, Jill took the kiddos to the doctor and discovered both of them had strep throat. Sadly, very sadly, we had to forego our visit and missed Harrison playing Joseph in his school pageant. Brennan and I made the best out of a sad situation and found a hotel in Frisco to crash for the night. (I know a handful of you up in Dallas are probably going, “Why didn’t you call us!”, but it was so much easier at the time of day we were dealing with this to do what we did.) We enjoyed a cozy date eating Mexican food at La Hacienda enjoying the festive Christmas decorations. The next day we were able at the last minute to set something up and meet our friends Lindsey, Gibson and Ainsley at the Dallas Arboretum. That place is SOOOO cool! I didn’t have opportunity to explore most of the grounds because Brennan was enthralled with the Texas Pioneer settlements. And our visit with Lindsey and the kiddos was a most special visit. God knew we needed to see each other that day.

 

Look closely at this picture. Brennan did not want to leave it.

 

Making “cookies” and “cakes”—one of our favorite things to do at parks with rocks and mulch.

 

“Mommy, come.”

 

• The Friday after we returned from Dallas, I had tons to do to get ready for our early Christmas celebration with Pops and Meems that weekend. By the way, Meems’ name has progressed to “Mees”, which is how Brennan says it. It’s likely gonna stick. In between the to-dos, Brennan and I enjoyed a full day in our PJs and played off and on. For a solid hour, he and Molly crawled up into bed with me and Brennan would bring me book after book to read to him. This was the aftermath:

 

• Our early Christmas celebration weekend with Pops and Mees was awesome! They arrived in time for lunch on Saturday and then we all rested. After we woke up, we went through our stockings and opened presents. It was so good to spread out Christmas and opening packages; it would have been really overwhelming otherwise. Brennan is enthralled with his new train set and the miniature Cars characters that came with a book Pops and Mees gave him. Since we spent Christmas in Virginia this year with Matt’s family, we have yet to really play with anything else. Brennan’s “Thomas the Train” engine is a fixed appendage to him. My parents had my special necklace of Gaga’s fixed since the chain broke and parts of it needed to be rebuilt. I also received Gaga’s tea set that we used for our tea parties when I was a little girl. The set was her mother’s and grandmother’s—my great, great grandmother’s! It’s lovely and oh so delicate. We grabbed an early dinner from Chuy’s. Have I told y'all yet that Brennan eats a whole bowl of creamy jalapeno with chips by himself, and then he’ll eat a bean burrito with enchilada sauce?! He also loves the pico de gallo. What a Texan! After dinner, we drove around looking at Christmas lights.

Playing Christmas carols.

 

• The three of us spontaneously went to see Toy Story 3 at the dollar theater. Brennan sat mesmerized through the whole thing again and loved the popcorn. Since seeing the movie, he’s been more open to wearing and playing with his cowboy hat like Woody.

 

• To celebrate our eighth anniversary, we postponed our night out because Brennan was running a high fever, and we opted for a quiet, restful night at home with pizza and a movie. Being the old folks that we are, that happened to be the much better option.

 

• On their way up to Dallas, Pops and Mees stopped by to give Brennan his Christmas gift that arrived in the nick of time: a pickup truck! True Texan indeed!

He really was a lot happier than this picture indicates.

Here, this one is better:

 

We left for Virginia on the 23rd and I’ll save a Christmas post run-down for another time. But I leave you with a glimpse:

 

I still have another few weeks of being stuck in the time warp, but until next time, I wish you a Happy New Year! As we all face both the peaks and valleys of 2011, my prayer is that we would have an ever-growing love and trust for the One who knows us intimately, loves us deeply, provides for all of our needs, and suffered just as we suffer, offering us hope, victory, and the blessing of new beginnings. May we see Jesus this coming year and behold Him in the depth and richness of who He is fully.  Love to each of you, dear ones.

 

Simply trusting,

Thanksgiving Thanksgivings

I’m stealing this post idea from my friend, Jillie, who had a great, succinct way to summarize the Thanksgiving holiday <grin>. Short and sweet is what I’m goin’ for here, especially since I’m weeks behind posting this blog. To recap briefly, Brennan and I went down the Sunday before Thanksgiving to San Antonio to start the festivities early. Mac was in town for the TX A&M vs. Nebraska game, so we thought we’d hop in on the extra Mac time. Julie and Matt both joined us on Wednesday, making the celebration complete. Some things that I'm thankful for that week of Thanksgiving…

• Safe travels for all of us.  Those of you who have ventured onto I-35 during the holidays especially know to what I’m referring!
• A kind doctor at the urgent care facility and the antibiotics that cleared up Brennan’s ear infection.
• An aunt and uncle who play with and love their nephew, even when Brennan exhibits his dramatic side (which Mac and my Momma declare he got from me). I’m not disputing their claim.

• Dogs, four furry creatures that are Brennan’s entertainment.
• The excitement of Brennan saying Julie’s name for the first time! He still lists off everyone’s names to this day.
• Treasured time with Mac visiting my Daddy’s office and having lunch together. I even got to sneak a note on Daddy’s desk, which I always used to do as a little girl.
• A husband who relieves me of parental duties!
• A Momma who lavishly serves her family and knows how to make things beautiful.

• Our friends, Chris and Jill, who were offered a fabulous job! After 22 months, countless prayers, and hopes deferred, their (and our) longings were fulfilled!
• Celebrating my Momma’s birthday with a lunch date and an evening out, topping it off with some German chocolate cake. The best ever!

• A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. food! Not just the awesome Thanksgiving feast food, but also filet mignon, twice baked potatoes, eggplant parmesan, homemade chile con queso and guacamole. The whole shebang!
• Generous and creative parents. Not only did they treat us all week, they reserved a prime hotel room overlooking the River Walk where our family went to watch the River Parade and the lighting of the Christmas lights. We stocked up on Rudy’s bar-b-que and tons of treats, and we camped out in the room and the balcony watching the festivities.

• A getaway night! Between the two younger couples, Matt and I won a drawing to stay in the hotel room (without Brennan). We were given an amazing early anniversary present that night!
• The cold front that blew in, making it actually feel like the holidays.
• Texas A&M victories!
• A husband who was up for Christmas decorating putting up lights when we got home. (This picture was taken before Thanksgiving week and isn’t representative of our own decorating, but I love the picture and had to share.)

• A nearby park to release some toddler-boy energy.
• Our family. We have quirks just like any family, and with my dramatic, Type-A, still-learning-to-laugh-at-myself side, I know I bring to the table a lot more idiosyncrasies than the rest of the clan combined <grin>, but boy, we are blessed with the gift of each other and the joy of being together! They are a special bunch and we have a lot of fun.

Since it’s been a couple of weeks, I’m sure I’m forgetting some nuggets of thanksgiving, but I think I covered the highlights. And before I sign off, here are a few noteworthy links and updates:

• On Thanksgiving, a friend of mine started a “Thankful Project” where he is posting something that he is thankful for once a day for a whole year. I’ve broken my Twitter fast to simply post something I’m grateful for each day (that’s pretty much my extent of Twitter use these days). Why don’t you join in? Use the #thankfulproject on Twitter, or if you’re not on Twitter, go ahead and do the same thing on Facebook. My updates appear there, too.
• If you’re looking for something meaningful to do through Advent, it’s not too late! I highly recommend Ann Voskamp’s Jesse Tree Journey, a Jesus Advent Celebration. You can find it on her blog on the right-hand sidebar. It’s a free download of devotionals. We are using it as a family each night. After Brennan’s bath, he can pick out one of the illustrations from her book that we put into our Advent calendar and then we read and pray together through the devotional. It’s really good and offers a simple suggestion each day to help nail down the point of that day’s Truth.
• Another post of Ann Voskamp’s that has meant so much to me lately is her 10 Point Manifesto of Joyful Parenting. I printed it out and it is on our fridge. I can’t tell you how much these daily reminders mean to me, particularly the one about when a child’s behavior is most repulsive to me, that’s my signal to draw ever closer to that child. If you’re a momma who needs encouragement and some renewed joy as I have been lately, I highly recommend this post.
• Do little things seem big to you sometimes? They do me. And then all of a sudden, I feel enveloped in pain and start listening to it instead of Truth. This post by Lysa TerKuerst was a huge and timely encouragement to me, too.
• One more Ann Voskamp thing. Over a month ago I had the privilege of attending Relevant, a Christian blogging conference that Matt gave me tickets to for my birthday. It was incredible. And incredibly hard. Mrs. Voskamp was one of the keynote speakers and actually closed the event on a high note. A humbling and profound, very stirring note. I won’t say much about the conference, except to say that I hope my writing has changed, well, is changing at least. Not necessarily in its technique, although that’s always helpful and desired <grin>, but with its purpose, motive and intentionality. I have a long way to go and am crippled by weaknesses in writing that distract, are burdensome. When I get bogged down in those weaknesses, I go here. I need to go there. I want to go there. It centers me on Jesus and a longing for Him. So when you see me stray from this, and goodness knows that you’ll be able to tell, call me on it.
• For those of you who have known me since grade school, you know how much I loved doing science fair projects. Yes, I’m a nerd! Tonight I had the opportunity to volunteer to be a science fair judge for a local middle school. It was so cool! It was definitely harder than I expected but I hope to do it again. Just something noteworthy I don’t want to forget <grin>.

Hope y’all are finding time to savor the holidays and that they’re filled with hair-raising fun!

That Was Some Decadent Icing

On one hand, it’s really good to be home from our trip. On the other, I wish we could replay last week over and over and over. We returned to Texas just in the nick of time to experience our first triple digit heat of the summer; we wouldn’t want to miss that now would we? Yeah, right. After such a memorable vacation with my family, it’s hard to get back into the swing of things. We’ve all had a twinge of the grumpies. But I think we’re on the upswing. Having the opportunity to share with you the amazing trip we had will be cathartic. The only thing about it is that I don’t know where to start! It was all sorts of wonderful!

We went to Wyoming to celebrate my Daddy’s 60th birthday. It’s a trip my Momma has been planning for the last year and a half. That my Daddy felt lavishly loved throughout the week was all that we were aiming for, so everything else was icing on the cake. A rich, decadent chocolate icing.

I is for Intense Muscular Workouts

We discovered muscle groups we never thought we had! Our first day in Yellowstone, we visited the falls in the Canyon section and put Brennan in the backpack carrier for the first time. He found it very amusing as Matt carried him around for hours. The rest of us were huffing and puffing. Well, Mac and Julie weren’t since they’re buff and training for their second triathlon. I’ve discovered, however, that the harder it is to get somewhere, usually the more spectacular the sight, making it worth all the physical strain and pain it took to get there. Leg muscles worked: check.

We returned to Jackson Hole on Monday to stay there the duration of the week. On Tuesday, I went horseback riding with the fellas. This just wasn’t a little trail ride y’all. This was a trail ride through the mountains that gained 2000 feet in the course of an hour. I haven’t been on a horse in more than fifteen years. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty as I mounted the beautiful creature they selected for me, praying I’d been gifted a good horse that wouldn’t take off with me. Her name was TJ, and she was a good horse. In fact, I told her that all the way up and down the mountain, in hopes that my affirmation would gain me points. Even when a deer made some other horses skittish, she remained calm. I was endeared to that girl after our journey. She kept me from plummeting down the side of the mountain when there was nothing but cliff to one side of me. Did I mention I’m scared of heights, too? It was a breathtaking view and definitely the way to go though. TJ worked her tail off for me. And the muscle group I discovered: my own tail!

 

On Wednesday, we took a mountain bike ride through the Teton National Park. Y’all, I can’t emphasize enough how much I was out of my comfort zone for each of these activities. I am not a “sporty/outdoorsy” kinda gal. They were fun and I am so glad I did them, but I did have to muster up a bit of courage. Especially when we came across a huge buffalo that was not nearly as far away as it should have been from us while we were biking. It took everything in me not to grab Brennan and high-tail it out of there. I think a lot of us were unnerved about it, not that the professionals didn’t handle it well. But they’re used to this kinda thing! We city folk don’t know diddly. Then it didn’t help matters when we had to pass a baby buffalo wondering if its momma was around somewhere. Sadly and very rarely, it was a baby that had been abandoned or something happened to his momma. Muscles worked: legs and hiney again.

Too close for comfort

 

Thursday, the fellas and Julie went white-water rafting while Brennan, my momma and I stayed around the home, explored the town square of Jackson Hole, and ate at Sweetwater. We don’t have any pictures of the rafting trip, but there was definitely a muscle group worked: the arms!

Our last full day in Jackson Hole we ventured to Jenny Lake. Pops and Meems opted to canoe while the rest of us did some more hiking up to Hidden Falls. I tried carrying Brennan on my back for a measly five minutes. Kudos to Matt for carrying him around for two hikes and pedaling with him in the burley! Muscle groups: arms, legs, and Matt would most definitely say shoulders.

By the way, Jenny Lake is where we spotted the bear from my last post.

C is for Celebrating

The whole week was a celebration, but Sunday, my Daddy’s actual birthday, was the day we really partied! We didn’t arrive in Yellowstone until after midnight, so the historic Old Faithful Inn and the geyser were awesome sights to wake up to. The hot chocolate was some of the best I’ve ever had…that was a morning treat must! After breakfast, we had a special church service to start the day and then headed out to the Canyon. That evening, we had a fabulous dinner at the Inn, toasted the birthday boy with some champagne, enjoyed the chocolate citrus cake that I was able to make before we left (praise God it made it intact), and watched the birthday boy open presents.

I is for Indelible Moments

Just the picturesque scenery itself is enough to make a lasting impression on each of our hearts! There is no denying that an incredible, creative God is masterful at what He does. Here are a few more pictures that capture some memorable moments that we won’t forget from our trip.

The first night Pops was in Jackson Hole he bought a cowboy hat that he wore all week long. It took Brennan some time for him to get used to seeing Pops wear it, and I think Brennan only withstood the hat being on his head for the split second it took to take this picture.

 

Our last morning in Yellowstone we went swimming off of Fire Hole Lake Drive. It was one of my favorite moments with Brennan because while everyone else was in a different part of the river that had more of a current, I swam with my boy and got to share in his excitement in climbing rocks and his bravery in swimming in such cold water (it was supposed to be 80 degree water but was most definitely not). Meems got to cheer us on, too.

 

This just makes me smile so big!

 

These two introduced Brennan to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Finding Nemo. Towards the end of the trip, Brennan started mastering Mac’s name…he kept repeating it over and over. No wonder Brennan has been grumpy since getting home…we not only ran him RAGGED but he doesn’t have access to either Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Finding Nemo. Poor deprived boy. Oh, Mac and Julie also introduced us to the iPhone game Words with Friends. I’m in big trouble, y’all!

 

Wednesday night we had plans to eat at Billy’s Burgers and head to a pig wrestling competition at the fair (sadly the rodeo was canceled that week). But after seeing some scantily dressed girls chest bumping each other saying they were getting ready to go pig wrestling, we thought the pig wrestling might turn into something dirtier than what we’d already envisioned pig wrestling to be <grin>. So we opted to walk around the town square and enjoy some ice cream from Moo’s.

 

Our week in Jackson Hole we alternated cooking dinners with Mac and Julie, and Pops and Meems were on clean-up duty. We ate so well!

 

N is for Nature…Jaw-dropping, Awe-inspiring, Wondrous Nature

I’ve already posted some of our favorite pictures of the scenery so I won’t do it again here. You may not have even lasted this long! But here is one picture that captures au naturel in its rawest form.

Uhh, I guess this could be considered the most scenic urinal ever. We have no idea why he didn’t go back further into the brush! It had us in stitches!

G is for God’s Grace

From our travels; to where we stayed; to our conversations; to our close relationships; to the fun activities; to our time to be at rest and slow down; to Brennan being a TROOPER; to forgiveness extended when I stuck my foot in my mouth (on several occasions); to seeing a bear which my Momma really wanted to see; to the gorgeous, cooler weather; to safety; to the indescribable beauty we looked upon; to knowing we are lavishly loved by each other and our Lord….all of it was by His grace. He undoubtedly gifted us with some delectable icing last week! He must know I really love the stuff.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

Hallelujah!

  

  

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven,
      praise him from the mountaintops;
   Praise him, all you his angels,
      praise him, all you his warriors,
   Praise him, sun and moon,
      praise him, you morning stars;
   Praise him, high heaven,
      praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
   Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
      he spoke the word, and there they were!

  

 

  

He set them in place
      from all time to eternity;
   He gave his orders,
      and that's it!
  

 

Praise God from earth,
      you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
   Fire and hail, snow and ice,
      hurricanes obeying his orders;
   Mountains and all hills,
      apple orchards and cedar forests;

 

 

Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
      snakes, and birds in flight;
   Earth's kings and all races,
      leaders and important people,
   Robust men and women in their prime,
      and yes, graybeards and little children.

 

Let them praise the name of God—
      it's the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
      he's built a monument—his very own people!

 

  Praise from all who love God!
      Israel's children, intimate friends of God.
   Hallelujah!

 Psalm 148 (The Message)

Here We Come, Wyoming!

Here are a few things I’m looking forward to the most about our trip to Wyoming:

• There will be reason to drink hot chocolate since it will be about 30 degrees cooler than here! Who knows, I might even break out the Christmas music <grin>! Actually, I confess I already have been listening to Psalty’s Christmas Sing-along with Brennan.

 

• I’ll get to put Brennan in this for the rodeo and he’ll be a perfect match with Pops who is already up there and bought a cowboy hat within a few hours of landing in Jackson Hole:

• It’s an anomaly called quiet and life with limited, if no, access to technology.

 

• Hearing “wad dat?”, a hundred times a day from an eager boy discovering all sorts of new things and watching his little face light up.

 

• Celebrating an amazing man’s birthday and being able to give him his birthday cake without a stolen slice, which has happened on occasion, at least with the icing. I can’t say that all of the trail mix I made is still around though.

 

• Breathtaking beauty.

 

• Seeing if I can still ride a horse. Here’s to hopin’ I get an old slow-poke.

 

• Trading sheep, wheat, ore, and brick until the wee hours of the morning with Mac and Julie playing Settlers of Catan. Well, probably not until the wee hours of the morning ‘cause I ain’t a spring chicken anymore.

 

• Catching some extra z’s.

 

• Conversations around the dinner table.

 

• Wildlife sightings. Sightings, not gorings.

 

To tell you we are loaded down with baby gear would be an understatement. Albeit looking like pack rats, we’re ready to go!

Love to you all! I’ll see you on the other side of twenty cups of hot chocolate and about a hundred imitations of a bear’s growl.