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,