Big Boy Stuff

You know, everyone tells you how fast it goes. They say, "Just wait! You'll turn around one day and wonder what happened to the little bundle you brought home." I am actually polishing up my version of this cliche statement to deliver to my sweet sister at the end of the month. We'll be travelling home to Texas to visit her and meet her baby girl for the first time.

But, as many times as I heard it, I never imagined the harsh truth of those words. It seems I can barely recall the nights of little sleep, the nursing, the teething and the diapers. Now I watch this little person descend the stairs each morning in awe of who he is and prayerfully anticipating who he will become.

Childhood is so full of bittersweet moments. Like Sunday night when my son was reunited with a friend whom he has not seen for 4 months and pleaded, "Mommy, can I spend the night with Trinity?" My child has never spent a night away from either Rudy or I. It just really has never come up. I was shocked that he wanted to and fully anticipated that he would be crying about 30 minutes after I left. I was so wrong. He was as cool as a cucumber the entire time and really didn't even seem to have missed us when he returned the next day! Big boy.....

This past Friday he went to the dentist. He acted very dramatic when I told him he would be going a few days prior to his appointment. He put on his best worried face and said, "But, but, but..." I assured him it would be fine- that the dentist just wanted to look at his teeth and make sure they were growing in and healthy. "...but will there be prizes?", he finished. "Probably," I said. "OK, MOMMY! I WILL GO AND I WILL BE REALLY BRAVE!".

He did and he was. He chatted up the dentist and his assistant to everyone's amusement. Then I watched him write his name in chalk on the "No Cavity Club" wall.

He has really surprised me with this new confidence and assertiveness. This is the boy who clung to me from 5 months to 20 months of age- the child who sobbed and choked when we left him in childcare at church. Surely it has been a gradual process, but it seems to have happend so suddenly to my heart.

These "big boy" moments are pressing me to make a new resolution. I am really going to do my best to soak up as much of him as I can. To make note of the funny things he says and cherish every nanosecond he spends in my lap. This last year before school becomes his occupation and friends are cooler than Mom and Dad is going to be so bittersweet. I am going to have to be a big girl to cope with all of this big boy stuff.

10 Reasons Summer Is My Favorite Time of Year

1o. Freedom for my feet! I love sandals, flops...even going barefoot around the yard. Plus, it's an excuse to go get a pedi!
9. Gardening! I just love watching things grow right before my eyes- like this Cala lily I transplanted into my side bed (from a tiny $5 walmart pot that I bought in Vegas over 3 years ago!) Apparently it likes Tennessee, too!


8. BBQ's in the backyard..any backyard- yours, mine. Call me!
7. Suntans. I just feel better with a little sun on my skin.
6. Fresh fruits and veggies! Corn on the cob, tomatoes, watermelon, peaches, cherries! MMMMMM!

5. Call me crazy, but I like the heat. I'd rather fan myself in the shade than shiver anyday.
4. Swimming and splashing! Just look at these silly kids in the pool:
3. The longer days! The evenings just feel so free and lazy. Catching fireflies and sipping iced-tea on the front porch. The dishes will wait- mine usually manage until 9pm.
2. Happy Hour at Sonic Drive-In. Oh, yeah. This almost made it to number one!
1. Fun, Fun, Fun! Summer is the time to be outside. It's baseball, county fairs, BBQ's and beach trips.

I love this face

...it's just so silly...

...and sassy...

...and sweet, sweet, sweet!

Still alive...and loving life!

Aron and I doing a cheesy self-portrait shot at the Zoo last week

I have been meaning to blog for weeks, but have been putting it off and putting it off ... too many other things are stealing me away, pulling me outside or out and about.

Then my cousin emails me and says, "Hey, you OK?" She noticed I hadn't blogged in a while.
I partially blame facebook. I love how quick and easy it is to post pictures and share a quick thought. Blogging seems more involved to me. I don't know why. It's not like there's a 500 word minimum on a post. And, it probably has a little to do with the sunshine and blue skies we've had. I am in love with this weather. We've tried to make the most of it and are really putting our Zoo memebership to good use as well as taking advantage of the local parks. Aron and I even went strawberry picking the other day. YUM!

But I have SOOO much more to share! First of all, I became an aunt by blood- my first niece on my side of the family was born on the 14th to my only sister. I just couldn't be more excited! Or more annoyed that I live 702.7 miles (per mapquest) away! Little Carrie June "Junebug" Till was born 6 weeks early and weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs, 0 oz. We'll be heading out there in July to introduce ourselves.

My Mom, Sis, and the new baby

We also have a new family member in our household. We adopted Dash this past weekend from an animal rescue. He is a Jack Russel-Dachshund mix who is estimated to be about 6 years old. Aron just adores him and he seems to be fitting into the mix pretty well around here. He's the most calm and easy-going dog I have ever met. I think I have only heard him bark 3 times in as many days!

Dash

I have also been involved in a weekly discipleship with two of the women from my church. It has been a wonderful challenge as well as a very rewarding journey so far. Just what I needed to take things to the next level in my walk with God. I am so thankful that God placed this path before me. Cindy and Courtney- you are a blessing!

Aron is getting ready to start T-ball in a few weeks and Rudy will be coaching. Which means I get to be Administrative Assistant to the Coach, by default. It is setting up to be a really great Summer and I can only say, "Bring it on!"

Bluebonnets, Buffalo Burps and a Beaver Lodge

I can't make a post-title like that up. Even I am not that creative!

As you may have caught on by now, Aron and I are in Texas visiting my family and having lots of adventures while we are here! I am LOVING being here while the Bluebonnets are in bloom. It has been years since I have seen them in person and it just about brought tears to my eyes to take pictures of my son in them. See, thats what Texans do. We take Bluebonnet pictures. We pull over on the side of the road- any road- and place our children in the center of a patch of the wildflowers (which happen to be the state flower of Texas) and snap away. Having moved from my homestate almost 9 years ago, I have not been able to carry on this tradition with my son...until today! Feast your eyes on these beauties, taken just "down the road" from Mom's house:

Aron was over this whole Bluebonnet-flower-picture-takin'-business by the time my mom snapped this one for me, but I still adore it and will probalby frame it!

So, let me get to the Buffalo part!

My sister is a teacher out here in East Texas and last week took her class out to the Grapeland Safari. (Grapeland being the name of the Texas town the Safari is located in) She raved about the fun the kids in her class had so Mom and I decided to drive out there with Aron for some fun today. We had no idea what fun we were in for!

The "safari" is really just a huge pasture that you can drive through aimlessly while various tame, yet hungry, wildlife pursues your vehicle for snacks! We saw everything from Potbellied Pigs to Zebras, to Deer, Ducks and Donkeys. We purchased a 2.5 gallon bucket of "feed" on our way into the park and it was gone before we were a third of the way through. Aron dropped a cupfull of the stuff all over the back seat of Mom's car when the first large animal stuck it's head in the window. I haven't laughed so hard in years. It was great!

If you look closely in this picture, you can see Aron's reflection in the side mirror. These guys were a little aggressive in their pursuit for the feed.

This Camel had a thing for my mom. He followed us around the whole time.

I am pretty sure this next guy is a Moose calf. He was so sweet and soft!

And then this guy came marching up. My heart was racing! It was so cool, but so intimidating to be this close to a BUFFALO! And this guy was not shy. Can I just tell you how fast I started scraping up the feed that Aron had spilt from the back seat so that I would have something to offer this guy when he got to my window!

And he did get to my window...and then he came in through it!
I poured the 1/4 cup of feed I had scrounged together into his giant mouth and then he sniffed around- probably to be sure I wasn't holding out!- and then...

he burped.

Right. In. My. Face.

It was gross. It was rank. But it was so cool!

For the rest of the day, Aron kept saying, "My favorite part was when that big guy burped!"

The Burping Buffalo

This brings us to the Beaver Lodge. When we got on the highway and were headed home, my Mom says to me, "Lets drive slow when we get to the end of town. I want to show you the Beaver Dam." I was thinking, 'OK. Sure. It's probably an old tree that fell. Mom thinks it was Beavers, I will humor her.' Good thing I kept those words in my head, or I'd have been eating them. What I saw amazed me so much, I just had to pull over and take pictures!


The picture on the left is before I zoomed in. You can see the little canal they use. It looks like a sidwalk going right up to the lodge. (yes, I googled to find out what he correct term was, since they really hadn't dammed anything here-Hey, I run a quality blog here, people!)

I will admit it, I am an animal loving, nature appreciating, discovery HD-watching, tree-hugging-creation enthusiast. But even if you are not, I hope you enjoyed this post.

And I think I fell in love with Texas all over again today.

Sugar and Spice

My little sis is having a baby this summer and it's a girl! I am beside-myself-excited to be an aunt...and to buy little pink things! My mom, aunt Paula, cousin Georgia and I gave Cris a shower yesterday (along with the help of my very own BFF Casey-love you, girl!) and I think it went really well.

We had a good crowd and there was plenty of "Ooooh"-ing and "Ahhhhh"-ing going on. It was wonderful to meet my sister's friends and the community of women whom she will share the adventures of motherhood with. It will be hard for me to be so far away!

Anywho, doesn't my sis look so cute in all her glowy-ness?!

Here we are together. People still say we look alike, which makes me smile.

Here she is opening my special gift to her. A cowgirl themed quilt that my sweet friend Carol made. (I do not possess such talents so I befriend and commission people who do!)

The shower was the purpose of my trip and though I have the rest of the week yet left to enjoy here in my homestate of Texas, I know it will be the highlight of it!

Time to get out....

OUTSIDE, that is! Those of you from the North can laugh all you want, but this southern gal is seriously over cold weather. I would rather it be 90 than 40 any day. I prefer to wear a tank-top, flip-flops and a ponytail over a sweater, coat and scarf. That's just how I am made. But here we are in Tennessee- the farthest north I have ever lived. Around Valentine's Day I start getting Spring Fever. I can't wait to get outdoors, to soak up some sunshine, to smell cut grass. But I have to hang on a month or two more.

We've been blessed with a few warm and sunny days here lately and I have tried to capitalize on them. I took Aron and Jackson (my charge 3 days each week, and one of the family) to the Zoo last week to meet up with some friends. I think we hit 80 that day and my neck got a little pink from the sun. It made me giddy!

Aron on the carousel

Jackson and I on the Zoo carousel

The boys on the bridge at the Zoo's playscape; feeding the lorikeets some nectar

We got out this weekend and did some landscaping. I loved every minute of it, but my knees are mad at me. I'll have to wait a little bit longer for that just-cut-grass smell, unfortunately. Our mower needs a little work. But, either way, Spring has sprung and I couldn't be happier.

A Word

I saw a post by Flea that I really wanted to do here. Apparently, she stole it from someone else, so I really don't feel bad stealing it from her!


The idea is to list single words that have changed your life forever. And I loved her idea of adding pictures to represent these things. Here are mine:

Love

Yes

Boy

Friend

Move

Family

Now, tell me yours!

My FAVORITE Billboard

I see this billboard everytime we drive back from Louisville and it just cracks me up! What an advertising campaign! Sorry it isn't a better picture, but I was driving down I-65.

It says, "Lincoln Never Slept Here.......but YOU CAN! Bowling Green, KY"

You know, 'cause Lincoln was born in Kentucky. OK, maybe it's not THAT funny, but after miles and miles of driving, my brain is pretty much applesauce.

Springing Forward

Anyone else have a time-hangover today? I suppose I can't blame it all on the time change. Aron and I drove up to Louisville on Friday night to see Rudy, as he has been up there helping to open the new deli. And last night we drove up into southern Indiana to visit our dear friends Debbie and Buster from our Las Vegas home group. We stayed up way too late, lost an hour and then drove back to Tennessee after brunch at Mimi's Cafe (YUM!).

Anyway, I am hoping that Spring really is here and that we have a lot more days like this:

And not so many more like this:

FBF 11: Four-legged Family (and a note about 3 years of blogging)

This edition of Flasback Friday is in honor of the four-legged friends that find their way into our hearts and become family members.

I am an animal lover through and through, but mostly I am a dog person. I don't really do cats. Mostly because I am allergic, partially because of the whole litter-box thing and secretly because I just plain don't like 'em. I don't wish them any harm, but they are not for me. My poor son is constantly asking for a cat. My husband isn't a cat-person either and we just laugh that the child was just born into the wrong family pet-wise.

Back in 1998, around the time of our first wedding anniversary, I told Rudy I wanted a dog. He thought I was crazy, but I knew we were nowhere near ready for kids and I needed something to nurture and snuggle with when Rudy was working those late restaurant hours. We went down to the Town Lake Animal Shelter in Austin and found this guy:

(Rudy and I with Weasel, Mt. Charleston, NV Christmas 2003)

He was a pathetic-looking, emaciated mutt that the shelter had dubbed 'Weasel'. We had planned to changed his name, but after busting out of the backyard after squirrels a couple of times and sneaking his way into our bed at night, we decided the name was a good fit and we left well enough alone.
Weasel was an amazing companion to us through some of the toughest years of our lives. Anytime we were upset, he could sense it and would come over, push his nose into our laps and rest his chin there as if to say, "I'm here, and whatever it is, I'm with you."
When Aron came along, a lot changed for Weasel. Poor guy got demoted overnight! But he and Aron had a special relationship that was so touching to witness. "Doh" (dog) was Aron's first word, and he eventually called him "Deedle". This is one of my favorite pictures of them and is framed in Aron's room:

(Aron and Weasel on our patio in Las Vegas, Summer 2005)

We had to say goodbye to Weaz back in 2006 and it nearly broke my heart in two. I think I cried every night for about two weeks. But we cherish our memories with such a special pet and are just now contemplating adopting another dog. I hope we will find one as loyal and with as much 'personality' as our first pet.

A note about blogging: I cannot believe I have been doing this blog for 3 years! Life has certainly been adventurous since that first post in February of 2006. It has been so much fun and I have met and shared life-stories with so many people. Thank you to all of those who follow, or stop by and/or comment. You are a big part of what makes this hobby worthwhile.

Humbled

My previous post was about my sweet friend Marcy who will be moving way out west next week. Blogging about someone you care about and who has touched your life might seem silly to some. You might like there is a better way to show someone how you feel-and maybe there is. But today, I was deeply touched by someone's words about me on their blog. I was left with tears in my eyes and the only word that came to mind was, "Wow."

http://thisiskristin.com/2009/02/17/positive-post-tuesday-lori

I share this with you, not to boast or brag or pat myself on the back. I share it with you in hopes that you will tell others how they have touched your life-whether it be via phonecall, text message, blog post or good ol' snail mail.

It could be just the encouragement their heart it needing. I can tell you first hand, that it meant the world to me.
Pass it on!

A Friend

I knew I wanted to post about my sweet friend Marcy. And I knew there was a verse that spoke the sentiment of my heart right now. But, I am horrible with Bible addresses. I remember the phrase, and sometimes the book, but the chapter and verse are hard for me to make stick in my memory. Thank you, Lord, for on-line concordances! I knew it was in Proverbs and when I saw the numbers I had to stop and smile. See, 17 is my favorite number and the verse I was recalling is Proverbs 17:17,

" A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."

There are a handful of people that God has put on my path that I know almost immediately will be in my life for the long haul. And invariably He has brought us together and then separated us by long distances. Yet, each of these special friendships has endured and even strengthened despite the miles between us.

Last year we signed up Aron for T-ball. I though it would be a great way for him to get some exercise, learn a team sport and get to know some other people in our community. Marcy had registered her daughter, Trinity, and volunteered to be the team's coach. When we first met, Marcy was so shy, but the more we talked, the more we had in common. Marcy was from Texas, but moved here via Las Vegas. I said, "Wait a minute! That's my story!" We soon discovered that we had lived less than a mile apart while in Las Vegas and that Aron and Trinity were born just two days apart!

Our new and fast friendship was sweetened by the fact that our two kiddos adored one-another. As Forrest Gump would say, they "was like peas and carrots." See what I mean.

So, once again I find myself preparing to say goodbye to someone I have really connected with. She has been a Proverbial loving friend at all times, but better than that she is like a sister, born into my life at just the right time. She has supported me and prayed with me. She's made me laugh out loud and been a comfort just by being in the same room.

I love you, Marcy and I will be praying for you and your family as you return to Las Vegas. I know that our friendship will continue for many, many years and I look forward to hearing about what God has waiting for you out west!

Word Verifications

Does anyone else get tickled by these things? Stressed? Annoyed?

You know, you go to your friends blog and want to comment on their recipe, their babie's leg rolls or their new haircut and before you can leave your two cents, you have to type one of these un-natural combination of letters. I am usually pretty quick on the keyboard, but these things slow me down to the point where I am pecking at the keys like a chicken pecking corn. I am so afraid I am going to mess up the word and then I'll get a harder one with caps and numbers in it!

Well, I decided to "collect" these things a few weeks ago, jotting the good ones down when I came across them and I have come up with definitions for them. Because, I just can't compute meaningless words. I was a language major. They NEED to have meaning for my universe to continue spinning. I hope you find them humorous and are able to ingnore the scary peek into what makes me tick.

insiest- OK, I am pretty sure it's illegal and I prefer not to discuss this one further. This is a family blog. Ha! Family blog, ins- Oh, nevermind!

jouker-Duh! This is Batman's number one enemy in France.

anduc- as in anduc ancover

psinger- the vocalist in the pband

prolute- I am pretty sure it's bad for the environment

decones- you want to avoid hitting these with decars when you are driving near deconstructions

These were all fun, but I am stumped on the one I used for illustration above: chigog. Any ideas?

Flashback Friday is Back! (FBF 10: short hair)

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted an FBF! I am ashamed. I apologize. I promise to dig up more embarassing photos, wipe the dust from them and scan them soon. But for today, I am posting this for my friend Tracy who said she couldn't picture me with short hair and wanted to see a photo. Here you go, Tracy!

If you have known me for any real length of time, you know that I have never been one to shy away from a haircut. I pretty much left long hair behind when I went off to college and experimented, though pretty conservatively, with cuts and color for years. AND I happen to be married to a man who loves short hair...on him and me.

Right before I got pregnant with Aron I cut my hair the shortest it has ever been and kept it spiky and highlighted for a while. It helped that I had a phenomenal stylist who was also flexible with her schedule and resonably priced!

Here I am in January of 2004 with some gals I used to work with:

(I'm the one in the black sweater if you can't tell)

And here I am 6 months later in my sister's wedding:

Her wedding was in June, in TEXAS and I was 5 months pregnant. I was pretty darn happy to have short hair, let me tell you! Living in Las Vegas made short hair pretty appealing, too. I kept it that way right up until Aron was born:

But, after that, I let it slowly grow out. Mostly for budgetary reasons. I stopped working and didn't have the extra cash to spend on highlights and trims. And now that it is as long as it has ever been, I am torn. Of course, I am not even thinking about a short haircut until it gets a little warmer around here! I know a lot of people who have chopped off their lenght for Locks of Love and I am contemplating doing it, too. What do you think?

Flea Interviews Me

My blog-friend, Flea, did this on her blog last week and I thought it would be fun to play, too!

She emailed me 5 questions to answer in a post on my blog. I had no idea what she'd ask, but she's a pretty smart cookie so I knew they'd be good.

1. I just saw on your blog that you like Celine Dion. You even posted a photo of her in some crazy boots. Where can I get a pair of boots like that? And for real? Celine Dion? It's because the tickets were free, isn't it? You can be honest.

I love that you asked me this question! HA! Yes, it was because the tickets were free. At first, anyway. AND it had a little something to do with the opportunity for a girl's night out. But, I have to say that she is one of the few performers I have heard that sound better live than they do recorded. I didn't buy the T-shirt, but I am a fan now.

Oh, and I can't help you with the boots.....I am sure she got them when she was in Vegas.

2. You've moved around a bit. Where is you favorite place to live and would you go back and why?

The reason I talk so much about my moves is that it is one of the most obvious ways I have seen God at work in my life. He always has something for us when we move.

My favorite place would have to be Austin, though. It's where I went to college, where I met and married my husband and where I ate lots of Mexican food and weighed the least- ha!

But, I don't know if I would go back. Austin was great for me at that time, but it has changed so much....and I have, too. I will always have a special place in my heart for The Heart of Texas and would love to visit and eat there, for sure.

3. Aron is the cutest little thing ever. How many parenting books/classes have you been through over time and which do you find the most valuable?

Thank you! I happen to think he is pretty cute, myself. (that's why he makes up 80% of the content of this blog!) I have never taken a parenting class, per se. But, I have read a few books. The one I am reading now is Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson. I would recommend it to all parents of boys AND/OR girls. It gives wonderful insight into the design of the sexes and since I grew up with a sister and felt clueless about boys it has helped a ton.

4. What was your favorite subject in school and why?

Spanish. It was new and different and came really easy to me. I credit my early exposure to a foreign language (the 3 yrs we lived in Okinawa, Japan) for turning on the language part of my brain. And I had a HS Spanish teacher who made it fun. I had to take two years to graduate, but opted to take 3 years. In college I changed my major 3 times and ended up taking a break (dropping out, if I am honest). I worked for a while, then Rudy and I got married. I wanted to go back and finish and when I asked myself what I really enjoyed, the answer was Spanish. So, I have a BA in Spanish Language. I hope to teach someday, too.

5. Where and how did you meet your husband?

In May of 1996 I went out looking for a job waiting tables. I was going to take a few summer classes, but also needed to make some cash. I walked into a restaurant in downtown Austin, Texas called Spaghetti Warehouse. I had remembered eating there a few times and it seemed like a fun spot. I filled out an application and the hostess asked me if I could stick around and do an interview. Rudy had just been promoted to manger the month before and he came out in his khaki's and tie and did my first interview. He later told me that he didn't want to hire me because my schedule wasn't flexible enough. No matter, though. His boss called me in for a second interview and I started working there about a week later.
We were friends, at first. But, it was a little awkward to date your boss. So, I found another job and he asked me to marry him that November!

That's it. Hope you all enjoyed getting to know some obscure and maybe interesting things about me. If anyone else wants to play, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll interview you!

Sign me up!

I want to be the newest member of the Celine Dion fan club. Seriously! She is amazing!

She's the reason I am blogging at 12:40 a.m. I just saw her perform at the Sommet Center in Nashville tonight and I am too wired for sleep just yet.

I think I only own one or two of her CD's and they are not recent, but when my friend Marcy asked if I wanted to go, I figured, "Why not?". I am so glad I did! She gave an amazing performance and I was surprised at how many of her songs I knew the words to. Power of Love and her cover of Alone were my favorites, but there were so many others.

I found this picture on her website:

She actually wore this outfit tonight. You should see her move around that stage in these boots! I had a blast singing and dancing with Marcy and the other girls we went with and it was a night I will not soon forget. And did I mention the tickets were free and we had box seats?

Oh, Nuts!

That's an exclamataion, not an exasperation. I opened my front door today and found this:

Yahoo! See, I knew what it was right away. A few weeks ago I entered a contest over at Dlyn's place (she has the prettiest photos and the most amazing recipes- go check her out) and I WON! I never WIN! I couldn't believe it. I kept thinking of A Christmas Story, "It's a major award! I won it!"

Then I get an email from Sam at Oh, Nuts! He asked me to check out his website and choose 3 things. Now, that's my kind of prize! Wanna see what I picked?

By the way, do you know how hard it is to open a box and take a picture of it? I don't advise actually trying to do it. Just pretend you are opening it and snap the shot. For your safety's sake!

But, can you blame me for tearing into that box so quickly? Whole Georgia pecans, Cappuccino Fudge Gormet Coffee, and Dark Chocolate Hazelnuts. Hallelujah!

I can tell you right now that the Hazelnuts are divine. Mmm-mmmm! And I will be partaking in some of that coffee very soon. I haven't decided what to do with the pecans yet, but they are huge and the possibilities are endless.

Hope you've enjoyed drooling over my spoils. I am just so tickled to have recieved this wonderful stuff. Be sure to check out Oh, Nuts! for yourself. Sam and his crew have lots of yummy things over there. You'll wonder how I ever chose three!