Thursday, February 16, 2012
Addicted to God
So, Whitney Houston died last week. I definitely loved some of her music but wasn't overly emotional over her passing.
But then a couple days later I thought it would be appropriate to listen to a couple of songs, you know, pay my respects so to speak. Though, is it really paying your respects when you're listening to "I wanna dance with somebody, I wanna feel the heat with somebody"? Probably not. I let the girls listen to "I will always love you" and they both liked it. I told them she died. Claire's response was "she died? Oh." Sophie, on the other hand had a brain full of questions for me. Is it normal for a 4 year old to be so inquisitive? I really can't see Claire like that in 2 years, no offense to her, but anyhow. Here's kind of how our conversation went, over folding laundry together.
S: why did she die?
Me: Well, she had an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
S: What's an addiction? What's alcohol?
Me: An addiction is when you try to make yourself happy with anything other than God. Alcohol is something people drink, like wine or beer (yes, she knows what those are) but they drink too much to try to make themselves happy. One glass of wine is ok, but having 10 is bad. and it's bad for your body.
S: (getting a little emotional already) Can kids be addicted, can anybody be addicted?
Me: Well, usually it happens when people are older
S: are you going to be addicted when you're older (pretty upset by now)
Me: No, no! By God's grace mommy and daddy will not be addicted to anything. Thankfully, we know and love God and want to please him with our lives, and He will help us to stay that way.
S: (crying now) I'm only addicted to God!
And then we got on the subject of hope, and what's hope? And I was trying to explain how we should hope in God, and not in say...getting a package. You can be excited about a package and thankful if you get one, but you don't want to put your hope in getting a package. (She was expecting some valentines packages that day). She said ok, I won't put my hope in a package, well maybe just a tiny little bit. :)
It was all precious, and made me think of 1 Peter 3:15 that says "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" You certainly never know when a conversation about a pop star's death will lead to an opprtunity to teach about life, sin and God!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Life, Pregnancy, Etc.,
I've decided that I should start blogging again, at somewhat of a regular interval, mainly because I love having a record of silly stories and just looking back on the past. Not that this the most opportune time for me to blog a whole lot, but maybe I can get rollin' again.
As I was scrolling through my blog, I was revisiting 2 years ago, when I was pregnant with Claire and moving out of our condo and into our house. I have NO idea how I managed to do this, except that it was by the grace of God. Now, even the thought of doing all of that frightens me. I have 8 weeks to go, exactly from today. My c-section has been scheduled for April 3rd. So yeah, 8 weeks to go and I already feel done. I mean done. I take 2 naps a day typically, spend a lot of time on the couch or just sitting or laying down because I have this thorn in my flesh - not referring to the baby, don't worry. What I do have is this radiating middle back pain that ends up moving to my right side, and stays there, it lingers. Even visiting the chiropractor/massage therapist isn't really helping. What triggers it is standing. Whether a trip to the grocery store, or standing up to prepare a meal, after so long it just flares up and I all I can think about is when I will get to sit down. It's kind of a nuisance when there's life to be lived, meals to be made, little people to be taken care of. The couple of positives that I am trying (forcing myself) to remember is that the extra rest is probably necessary, I get a baby out of this, I get to read more, and spend more quiet quality time with the kiddos. And they do get a little extra tv watching in...but really, it's fine :)
I keep thinking, man, I would be coasting if it weren't for the pain in my side, the random heart palpitations, sleepless nights due to insomnia/ or a stuffy nose....BUT obviously that is not what God has intended for this season of my life and I cannot live life in the "if only" state for too long, otherwise I go into despair mode. I need to keep asking myself, what am I letting rule my heart - my circumstances or my God? With which will I find peace? The answer is obvious, now if I could only apply this on a regular basis! I am so thankful for the constant mercy He pours out on me though.
Ok, thanks for listening to my rant! Hopefully my next post will be a little perkier. :)
As I was scrolling through my blog, I was revisiting 2 years ago, when I was pregnant with Claire and moving out of our condo and into our house. I have NO idea how I managed to do this, except that it was by the grace of God. Now, even the thought of doing all of that frightens me. I have 8 weeks to go, exactly from today. My c-section has been scheduled for April 3rd. So yeah, 8 weeks to go and I already feel done. I mean done. I take 2 naps a day typically, spend a lot of time on the couch or just sitting or laying down because I have this thorn in my flesh - not referring to the baby, don't worry. What I do have is this radiating middle back pain that ends up moving to my right side, and stays there, it lingers. Even visiting the chiropractor/massage therapist isn't really helping. What triggers it is standing. Whether a trip to the grocery store, or standing up to prepare a meal, after so long it just flares up and I all I can think about is when I will get to sit down. It's kind of a nuisance when there's life to be lived, meals to be made, little people to be taken care of. The couple of positives that I am trying (forcing myself) to remember is that the extra rest is probably necessary, I get a baby out of this, I get to read more, and spend more quiet quality time with the kiddos. And they do get a little extra tv watching in...but really, it's fine :)
I keep thinking, man, I would be coasting if it weren't for the pain in my side, the random heart palpitations, sleepless nights due to insomnia/ or a stuffy nose....BUT obviously that is not what God has intended for this season of my life and I cannot live life in the "if only" state for too long, otherwise I go into despair mode. I need to keep asking myself, what am I letting rule my heart - my circumstances or my God? With which will I find peace? The answer is obvious, now if I could only apply this on a regular basis! I am so thankful for the constant mercy He pours out on me though.
Ok, thanks for listening to my rant! Hopefully my next post will be a little perkier. :)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hello
Wow, it's been a long time since a post. That seems to be the norm these days. However, with these days turning dark so early, there seems to be more time for things like blogging. So, why not. Here's a little update on our happenings.
Pregnancy: So far it seems to be going well. I've been feeling the baby kick for a few weeks now. It is the best thing about pregnancy!! My official due date is April 7. I get an ultrasound this coming Tuesday and I think we're all looking forward to it, especially Sophie. She keeps asking when it is, and I think it will be fun for her to see the baby on the screen. She might be disappointed, or even scared when the image that she sees looks more like an alien than a baby. I mean, even I have a hard time following the ultrasound tech. I just nod and agree for lack of feeling dumb that I can't make out what exactly she is describing.
Regarding baby coming, I feel extremely at ease. I was worked up for a while about organizing baby stuff and do we need to get a new stroller, should we find out the gender and on and on...but that by God's grace has all worked out. Clothes are organized, room is ready (it's easy when everything was already there just being used by Claire), we're not going to find out the gender (my only exception to that is if I find out we're having twins!), and I'm keeping the same stroller. Ahh, that was easy.
The girls: They started sharing a room (Sophie's room) Halloween weekend. It's going pretty well. We did realize that Claire is probably done napping for the most part because the days she napped she wasn't falling asleep until 10pm! So, although it makes for a longer day, having her asleep 2 hours earlier is huge!! Sad, that it seems to be in both of my kids' DNA to give up naps early. Oh well. :) I do feel like we're in a new phase with 2 diaper less kids who don't nap - freedom!! We can leave the house at any time of day!
Claire remains full of energy, and full of danger. The girl finds so many ways to hurt herself, falling off of swings, stabbing herself in the nose with a pencil, those are just 2 I can think of off the top of my head. Sophie is still enjoying school, and learning so much! She loves practicing writing her letters, and coloring(in the lines) has been of utmost interest lately. I think it was about a year ago that I could not get her to color! What a difference a year makes. She's also been taking gymnastics for the past several weeks and seems to like it.
Bill and I are doing well. We seem to be getting into a good rhythm and schedule. I have spent a lot less time following facebook statuses, blogs, all that stuff. It's been good for me. I've been able to focus on being home, kids, house and I really think it's made a difference. I don't seem to be rushing around, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, feeling like things aren't getting done. Things are actually getting done in a consistent manner. And my attitude with it for the most part has shifted as well, praise God! Woohoo! And at night, we have time to sit together, read books, drink tea, actually relax! It's amazing. Oh, the little things. And I know this is probably the calm before the storm but I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest. And of course things are far from perfect, but by God's grace we're making strides in the right direction.
And here are some pictures from the last month or so...
Pregnancy: So far it seems to be going well. I've been feeling the baby kick for a few weeks now. It is the best thing about pregnancy!! My official due date is April 7. I get an ultrasound this coming Tuesday and I think we're all looking forward to it, especially Sophie. She keeps asking when it is, and I think it will be fun for her to see the baby on the screen. She might be disappointed, or even scared when the image that she sees looks more like an alien than a baby. I mean, even I have a hard time following the ultrasound tech. I just nod and agree for lack of feeling dumb that I can't make out what exactly she is describing.
Regarding baby coming, I feel extremely at ease. I was worked up for a while about organizing baby stuff and do we need to get a new stroller, should we find out the gender and on and on...but that by God's grace has all worked out. Clothes are organized, room is ready (it's easy when everything was already there just being used by Claire), we're not going to find out the gender (my only exception to that is if I find out we're having twins!), and I'm keeping the same stroller. Ahh, that was easy.
The girls: They started sharing a room (Sophie's room) Halloween weekend. It's going pretty well. We did realize that Claire is probably done napping for the most part because the days she napped she wasn't falling asleep until 10pm! So, although it makes for a longer day, having her asleep 2 hours earlier is huge!! Sad, that it seems to be in both of my kids' DNA to give up naps early. Oh well. :) I do feel like we're in a new phase with 2 diaper less kids who don't nap - freedom!! We can leave the house at any time of day!
Claire remains full of energy, and full of danger. The girl finds so many ways to hurt herself, falling off of swings, stabbing herself in the nose with a pencil, those are just 2 I can think of off the top of my head. Sophie is still enjoying school, and learning so much! She loves practicing writing her letters, and coloring(in the lines) has been of utmost interest lately. I think it was about a year ago that I could not get her to color! What a difference a year makes. She's also been taking gymnastics for the past several weeks and seems to like it.
Bill and I are doing well. We seem to be getting into a good rhythm and schedule. I have spent a lot less time following facebook statuses, blogs, all that stuff. It's been good for me. I've been able to focus on being home, kids, house and I really think it's made a difference. I don't seem to be rushing around, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, feeling like things aren't getting done. Things are actually getting done in a consistent manner. And my attitude with it for the most part has shifted as well, praise God! Woohoo! And at night, we have time to sit together, read books, drink tea, actually relax! It's amazing. Oh, the little things. And I know this is probably the calm before the storm but I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest. And of course things are far from perfect, but by God's grace we're making strides in the right direction.
And here are some pictures from the last month or so...
 |
| Modeling winter accessories |
 |
| Sophie with her fuzzy stick vase creation |
 |
| Another modeling opp |
 |
| One strawberry and one ladybug for Halloween |
 |
| Who can resist a little dress up? I love having girls! |
 |
| The girls at the American Girl store on our trip to Chicago in October |
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Excitement
Lots of exciting things are happening around here.
First, we celebrated Sophie's birthday. She is 4!! I say this every time she has a birthday, but seriously it is so fun to watch her grow into a little girl. We celebrated with a pink themed party. Pink treats, pink drinks, and the girls had to wear something pink. We had so much fun with her little party.
Then, we took a fun trip to Michigan. The highlight of the trip was having a surprise birthday party for my Grandma who turned 80. She is such a sweet and giving woman and for once it was so wonderful to give back a little, and celebrate her! Along with that, we spent time with my aunt and uncle from Poland who we only get to see every other year or so. We also did some other fun things, like the Detroit Zoo, Buddy's Pizza (which, if you know my love for Jets, well this is just a teency bit better). Ahh, mouth watering already! In the town that Bill and I went to high school, there is also a great spot to get ice cream, except that it reeks of cow manure. It's called Cooks Farm Dairy, and well, you guessed it - it is a dairy farm and it smells, but the ice cream is exceptional! Why are my posts always about food??? But really, it was fun to take the girls there. They loved seeing the cows and some pigs up close. Claire liked it so much she had no problem trying to pet them, smelly or not.
Lets move on to other news, Sophie started preschool last week. She loves it! When she came home the first day, she didn't seem overly thrilled. When asked, what was your favorite part? Her reply: leaving. Great, I thought. However, since then she has really really come to like it. Today she asked why she couldn't go every day and for full days? I guess being home with Claire and I is a lot less exciting than preschool!
And there is one last bit of excitement to share, one that involves some tiredness, waves of nausea, a popping belly...that's right, the blessing of pregnancy. We are excited and thankful for the opportunity to bring another life into the world, Lord willing, at the end of March 2012. If you think of us, please pray for the growing life and the growing family.
First, we celebrated Sophie's birthday. She is 4!! I say this every time she has a birthday, but seriously it is so fun to watch her grow into a little girl. We celebrated with a pink themed party. Pink treats, pink drinks, and the girls had to wear something pink. We had so much fun with her little party.
Then, we took a fun trip to Michigan. The highlight of the trip was having a surprise birthday party for my Grandma who turned 80. She is such a sweet and giving woman and for once it was so wonderful to give back a little, and celebrate her! Along with that, we spent time with my aunt and uncle from Poland who we only get to see every other year or so. We also did some other fun things, like the Detroit Zoo, Buddy's Pizza (which, if you know my love for Jets, well this is just a teency bit better). Ahh, mouth watering already! In the town that Bill and I went to high school, there is also a great spot to get ice cream, except that it reeks of cow manure. It's called Cooks Farm Dairy, and well, you guessed it - it is a dairy farm and it smells, but the ice cream is exceptional! Why are my posts always about food??? But really, it was fun to take the girls there. They loved seeing the cows and some pigs up close. Claire liked it so much she had no problem trying to pet them, smelly or not.
Lets move on to other news, Sophie started preschool last week. She loves it! When she came home the first day, she didn't seem overly thrilled. When asked, what was your favorite part? Her reply: leaving. Great, I thought. However, since then she has really really come to like it. Today she asked why she couldn't go every day and for full days? I guess being home with Claire and I is a lot less exciting than preschool!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Summer
Ahh, summer...I love it. I am already thinking about how much I am not looking forward to cold weather. I should stop that and just focus on the here and now.
It really has been wonderful. We started our summer out with a tour of the East Coast...a little stop in Hershey, PA, a weekend in NYC, family in CT, more family in Boston, a wedding weekend in Maine (right on the harbor!), more time in Boston, a day trip to Cape Cod, and a final stop to Niagara Falls on the way home.
But the fun didn't stop there, folks. It just keeps on coming. :) I think the best part of our summer has been hanging out with our neighbors, staying up late, playing hide and seek outside, getting Kona Ice on monday nights, fireworks, chalk all over the driveway and on the kids' clothes, summery treats like frozen yogurt tubes or homemade keifer popsicles, oh and swimming of course! We are sooooo thankful that the ban on swim diaper children has been lifted. We've enjoyed the pool ever since and our girls are loving it.
I've totally let go of the fact that the kids won't be in bed by 8:30, that there might be a tantrum the next day because we stayed up late and had too much sugar the night before. It's cool. We go to bed later and sometimes even Sophie takes a nap during the day. Like today. A trip to the pool in the afternoon means a nap first, and so she goes, willingly.
Oh and did I mention a special anniversary getaway for us 2? No kids. We went to a bed and breakfast in Versailles, KY. The pronunciation of the town here in the midwest just kills me, but we still managed to have a lovely time. Picture a long back porch and patio, vines and branches growing into the awning, twinkling lights overlooking a perfectly landscaped garden with lightening bugs fluttering by (never mind the mosquitos that attacked my body and cut our time short on this lovely patio). But besides for that minor mosquito incident, it was quite charming, relaxing and picturesque! And we slept in till 8:15!!! That may have been one of the highlights of the trip, that and a visit to the mall in Lexington where I bought a few things, and went to different stores all in like 45 minutes. It's amazing what can be accomplished when you don't have to take potty breaks, feed little ones lunch, walk through the build-a-bear store, etc., at the mall.
And summer has also brought a fresh inspiration to do some cooking. Don't get me wrong, I usually like cooking but sometimes it seems so monotonous/boring/same old, same old. Of course it's not so boring when you can get your food from a farm, or a farmer's market, or even dare I say the grocery store when it provides something fresh and new! We have stocked up on some grass fed pork (I didn't even know that pork came grass fed, still need to look into that) but nonetheless it has been delicious as pulled pork in the crock pot. A couple of recipes worth sharing: chicken kebabs with the perfect salsa accompaniment, and a carrot soup recipe that is refreshing every time I make it! Thanks Jane, for that last one!
That's it for now, happy summer to you!
It really has been wonderful. We started our summer out with a tour of the East Coast...a little stop in Hershey, PA, a weekend in NYC, family in CT, more family in Boston, a wedding weekend in Maine (right on the harbor!), more time in Boston, a day trip to Cape Cod, and a final stop to Niagara Falls on the way home.
But the fun didn't stop there, folks. It just keeps on coming. :) I think the best part of our summer has been hanging out with our neighbors, staying up late, playing hide and seek outside, getting Kona Ice on monday nights, fireworks, chalk all over the driveway and on the kids' clothes, summery treats like frozen yogurt tubes or homemade keifer popsicles, oh and swimming of course! We are sooooo thankful that the ban on swim diaper children has been lifted. We've enjoyed the pool ever since and our girls are loving it.
I've totally let go of the fact that the kids won't be in bed by 8:30, that there might be a tantrum the next day because we stayed up late and had too much sugar the night before. It's cool. We go to bed later and sometimes even Sophie takes a nap during the day. Like today. A trip to the pool in the afternoon means a nap first, and so she goes, willingly.
Oh and did I mention a special anniversary getaway for us 2? No kids. We went to a bed and breakfast in Versailles, KY. The pronunciation of the town here in the midwest just kills me, but we still managed to have a lovely time. Picture a long back porch and patio, vines and branches growing into the awning, twinkling lights overlooking a perfectly landscaped garden with lightening bugs fluttering by (never mind the mosquitos that attacked my body and cut our time short on this lovely patio). But besides for that minor mosquito incident, it was quite charming, relaxing and picturesque! And we slept in till 8:15!!! That may have been one of the highlights of the trip, that and a visit to the mall in Lexington where I bought a few things, and went to different stores all in like 45 minutes. It's amazing what can be accomplished when you don't have to take potty breaks, feed little ones lunch, walk through the build-a-bear store, etc., at the mall.
And summer has also brought a fresh inspiration to do some cooking. Don't get me wrong, I usually like cooking but sometimes it seems so monotonous/boring/same old, same old. Of course it's not so boring when you can get your food from a farm, or a farmer's market, or even dare I say the grocery store when it provides something fresh and new! We have stocked up on some grass fed pork (I didn't even know that pork came grass fed, still need to look into that) but nonetheless it has been delicious as pulled pork in the crock pot. A couple of recipes worth sharing: chicken kebabs with the perfect salsa accompaniment, and a carrot soup recipe that is refreshing every time I make it! Thanks Jane, for that last one!
That's it for now, happy summer to you!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Hi Blog
Truly, this has become a once a month event for me, but thats ok. Once a month is fun too. We went on vacation for 2 weeks and have been home for almost 2 weeks now and I am still trying to get my ducks in a row, or my kids in order. It seems like lately I have had a spiritual/child rearing amnesia. I seem to forget God's goodness, His control over my days, His presence and strength with me. And on the child side, I feel like I've forgotten how to do anything! I have so many good resources for help yet I feel like I've done nothing but get frustrated lately!! Part of it may be God stripping me of a feeling of reliance on those resources (because when things are going well and the resources are working, I can find in myself a self righteous pride) and part of it is just being on vacation for 2 weeks and...I think that explains everything! Resources are good, a right view of God is good. God is merciful and gracious, because even our best efforts are filthy rags.
So what are some of these frustrations?? Well there is a little potty training happening which means lots of time spent in the bathroom, a lot of bribery, a lot of talk about pee pee. We even have an app for that. Ha! Patty the potty calls and says "it's time to go potty!" I love it :) Too bad Claire has totally figured out how to check the box for "I went pee pee in the potty" and press continue which leads her to a celebration - whether she actually went or not. So as I mentioned we spend a lot of time in the bathroom and this really has me rethinking the color on the walls, I think it might be time for a fresh look! In the meantime I hope I can grow in my patience during this potty process and not worry if we can't go swimming this summer because of my diaper - laden child. And then there's an almost 4 year old who is scared to wash her hands by herself because the water is too loud, or "can you get me something else to eat because this peanut butter and jelly is gross (even though she ate 2/3 of it all ready). She didn't verbalize that last part though. Or a random tantrum for whatever reason,...ahhhh. But even as I write this I think, man, they are so worth it and all of small trials (light and momentary they REALLY are, even if it doesn't feel like it) are truly part of God's grace in our lives!!
There have been some joys too, which would be wrong not too mention because after all this is like my digital scrapbook. This is where I write down funny, cute and random things so don't mind me when you read it and think "guess you had to be there" because that is probably the case. But if I don't write it here I won't write it anywhere sadly! Claire has made quite an attachment to her yellow zebra blankie. She calls it her blank-blank. She has a lot of words she can't say correctly, so she takes the beginning and repeats it. Like flower is flow-flow, napkins are nap-nap, and yogurt is yope-yope. And yope-yope doubles for sour cream because the taste is quite similar...? Anyway the blank blank goes with her everywhere, including when she sits at the table for meals. She needs it behind her or wrapped around her. So needless to say last night she went to bed with a blank-blank that may have doubled as a nap-nap, some taco sauce, yope-yope, the nail polish she spilled...I'll wash it today! She also loves to say "she's so cute" about other kids. Regardless of age, gender, real cuteness or anything.
Sophie has been super interested in the human body. I think this stemmed from a visit with a friend who had a book about the human body, and now Sophie is hooked. She knows all about the lungs, the small intestines, taste buds on your tongue, etc. Today we are going to read about the heart. She went from wanting to be an animal trainer a year ago to a doctor now. I just love how she has such a desire to learn, and how she soaks up so much information, and how her interests change. I can't wait to tell her one day what she wanted to be at certain ages/what she loved to do. I will obviously need the help of the blog, lets pray I have it saved and printed somewhere because otherwise I will not remember.
And that is it for now. I leave you with a video of Claire playing the xylophone with a steak at a children's museum in NYC.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
She's 2!
But I press on, to celebrate Claire! She's 2 years old, 27lbs, and I can't quite remember her height but her pediatrician thinks she'll be anywhere from 5'4" to 5'6." Apparently, you can figure out how tall a person is going to be by doubling their height at age 2, plus or minus an inch. Didn't think you'd learn something here on my blog, did you? :) Or am I the only one who didn't already know that? Don't answer that.
She's a fun loving little lady. She continues her umbrella obsession. She got one for her birthday and don't you dare pick it up, or there will be a scream of "miiiiiiiiine" coming from those sweet little lungs. :) She is a little obsessive and possessive with her umbrella, clearly an idol of hers. She loves to dance, and will dance around the room saying "dance pawty, dance pawty"...it's kinda hilarious. She is a girl on the go go go. Really, she has a lot of energy. She can also be really sweet and tender hearted at moments but mostly she's just running around all the time! Can you see my yawns through your computer as I write? It's hard keeping up with an energetic 2 year old!! :)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Easter & Raindrops
I know it was over a week ago, but I didn't want to forget the nice Easter we had! And since I don't blog often enough, I have to couple posts together :)
Amidst all the rain, we enjoyed quality time with Bill's parents who flew in to see us. As I mentioned there was a lot of rain, and accompanying the countless raindrops was a lot of chocolate. Man, we ate a lot of chocolate. Overall, it was a nicely paced weekend - we really enjoyed it all.
And speaking of raindrops, Claire is currently obsessed with the song "if all the raindrops." And along with the song obsession, she likes to carry this little umbrella around, and when she is watching the raindrops video (it's a terribly made silly songs video) she puts the umbrella over her head. Isn't it a funny coincidence that she loves this song while we are enjoying so. much. rain?
Amidst all the rain, we enjoyed quality time with Bill's parents who flew in to see us. As I mentioned there was a lot of rain, and accompanying the countless raindrops was a lot of chocolate. Man, we ate a lot of chocolate. Overall, it was a nicely paced weekend - we really enjoyed it all.
 |
| Why can't we get 1 picture where everyone is looking in the same direction?? |
And speaking of raindrops, Claire is currently obsessed with the song "if all the raindrops." And along with the song obsession, she likes to carry this little umbrella around, and when she is watching the raindrops video (it's a terribly made silly songs video) she puts the umbrella over her head. Isn't it a funny coincidence that she loves this song while we are enjoying so. much. rain?
 |
| Looking at the rain filled river from Eden Park |
 |
| She calls her umbrella "my wain-dops" |
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Junklesons & Our Little Latina
You may remember me blogging about Sophie's imaginary brother, Andy. Well meet the next door neighbors, the Junklesons. I can't help but chuckle at this. Sophie made it up all by herself and she named them the Junklesons! I hope that's how you spell it :) Jasmine Junkleson is her friend, she's 9. Her brother, Aladdin is 2. He's just a baby she says, a baby who can't watch Veggie Tales or The Incredibles yet, only Baby Einstein. Wonder where she got the names...?
Anyway, I love her imagination. We are constantly playing something or being some characters from a show or story. I'm never just Mommy during the day, but rather a mouse, a princess, an evil step mother or an evil sea witch. What a fun age. I love the experiences with a first child...you really don't know what stage is coming next but it's such a joy to go through it with them for the first time.
Of course there is no less joy or surprise with the second child, either. Claire is becoming more and more of a little person. She is in a very "me, my, mine" stage. A little on the selfish side at the moment...What cracks me up is her line-up of sentences. The 3 basic sentences she has are: "I need...", "I want..." and "I like..." whatever the item is. The best part is when she doesn't actually like something instead of saying I don't like, she still says "I like" while shaking her head no.
She has a couple of words that she says backwards, and this is where the Latina part comes in. She can't say Yes, and instead says "si." It sounds like saying yes in Spanish. She is constantly saying "si mama." It's so a part of her vocabulary right now, we just laugh.
And I leave you with some pictures from our super sunny sunday!
Anyway, I love her imagination. We are constantly playing something or being some characters from a show or story. I'm never just Mommy during the day, but rather a mouse, a princess, an evil step mother or an evil sea witch. What a fun age. I love the experiences with a first child...you really don't know what stage is coming next but it's such a joy to go through it with them for the first time.
Of course there is no less joy or surprise with the second child, either. Claire is becoming more and more of a little person. She is in a very "me, my, mine" stage. A little on the selfish side at the moment...What cracks me up is her line-up of sentences. The 3 basic sentences she has are: "I need...", "I want..." and "I like..." whatever the item is. The best part is when she doesn't actually like something instead of saying I don't like, she still says "I like" while shaking her head no.
She has a couple of words that she says backwards, and this is where the Latina part comes in. She can't say Yes, and instead says "si." It sounds like saying yes in Spanish. She is constantly saying "si mama." It's so a part of her vocabulary right now, we just laugh.
And I leave you with some pictures from our super sunny sunday!
 |
| We tried to have a picnic lunch in the backyard. |
 |
| This picture just cracks me up. Clearly, she is re-fueling during our visit to the playground which she calls play-town. |
 |
| Enjoying the playground, and no the Junklesons weren't at the neighborhood playground this time. |
 |
| Non stop fun |
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Visitors, Visitors, Visitors!
Since March 15th, we've had several sets of visitors - all that we thoroughly enjoyed being with!
We began with a visitor from Texas - the manager that Bill worked for while in TX was in town for a meeting so he graciously accepted our offer to have dinner with us. The girls charmed him with their sweetness, and it made him reminisce of the time when his kids were younger. We were glad to have a little Texas reunion!
Later that same evening, we were anxiously waiting for Nana (Bill's mom) to arrive. She got here right before the girls' bedtime and they were thrilled to see her! We're thankful for Skype, but other than Skype we had not seen Nana in person since way back in August! We had a lot of fun. She brought clothes, games, St. Patty's "decor" and more. We took our first zoo trip of the season. We shopped a little, Sophie and Nana did puzzles, and we all played outside because the weather was amazing! As usual, we had a great visit and are already waiting for Nana to come back!
In between visits we were able to visit a family here in Kentucky we had not seen since way before we moved to TX. I met Yukie (from Japan) at a library story time when both of our girls were 1. We realized that our husbands work together and have gotten together several times. Well it had been quite a while since our last visit, and it just so happened that Bill and her husband were on the same business trip so it was a perfect opportunity for the rest of us to get together. I introduced them to Jet's Pizza...only the best for my friends. :) Yes, this is a plug for Jets. We LOVE it. But more than the pizza, we loved spending time with Yukie and her kids. Her daughter and Sophie really enjoyed each other. We look forward to more playdates with our sweet Japanese friends!
We're thankful for family and friends to spend time with!! Who wants to come next??
We began with a visitor from Texas - the manager that Bill worked for while in TX was in town for a meeting so he graciously accepted our offer to have dinner with us. The girls charmed him with their sweetness, and it made him reminisce of the time when his kids were younger. We were glad to have a little Texas reunion!
Later that same evening, we were anxiously waiting for Nana (Bill's mom) to arrive. She got here right before the girls' bedtime and they were thrilled to see her! We're thankful for Skype, but other than Skype we had not seen Nana in person since way back in August! We had a lot of fun. She brought clothes, games, St. Patty's "decor" and more. We took our first zoo trip of the season. We shopped a little, Sophie and Nana did puzzles, and we all played outside because the weather was amazing! As usual, we had a great visit and are already waiting for Nana to come back!
 |
| Sophie and Nana - don't they look pretty? |
 |
| Here we are, all decked out in St. Patty's attire courtesy of the Christmas Tree Shops and Nana :) |
 |
| Sophie modeling one of her new outfits |
 |
| Claire and her "cheese" face - she looks more constipated than like she's smiling for the camera though |
 |
| And Claire getting use out of our new accessories |
The next day, my family - mom, dad, and 2 grandmas came in to town. Another great time. The kids definitely entertained everyone, they really loved playing with Dziadek (pronounced ja - dek, Polish for Grandpa). My grandmas especially were amazed at their energy level... :) As usual, we did a little shopping and took time to celebrate my mom's birthday, a couple days early. After they left, Bill came back from Mexico - perfect timing!
 |
| That is my mom playing dress up with the girls (you're probably thinking that she looks too young to be my mom, she gets that all the time, a problem I would like to have one day!) Fast forward one week, and our last set of visitors. Our friends, Josh and Jessica, and their sweet baby Caroline came in a for a visit. It was our first time to meet Caroline. She was perfect and sweet, and the girls adored her, at times a little too much :) but Caroline was a good sport. We got out to the Levee, walked on the purple people bridge (though Sophie was not convinced that it was purple), had some Jet's for dinner (can you tell we like it?) watched basketball, and chatted about their jobs as Apple salesmen...hehe...we really had a great time! |
 |
| Here are the girls with Caroline, Sophie had made a "bed" for her |
Monday, March 7, 2011
Busy Times
Last time I blogged we were sick. And a month later, we're just recovering from being sick, again. It has not been a pleasant winter for us in terms of health. Spring can't come fast enough!! But... I was so graciously reminded this morning what light and momentary troubles these are, and what more there is to live for! Let me share the scripture that has encouraged and refreshed me this morning:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Besides for being sick, we have been busy and will continue to be. The girls and I took a trip to Michigan a couple of weeks ago. It was great to spend time with family and see some old friends. And a major highlight was reconnecting with my hair stylist from high school. She did my hair all the time...snowcoming dances to prom to my wedding! It was so great to see her, and I'm so glad she is still in the area. I am convinced she is the ONLY person on this side of heaven who knows how to cut my hair. :) Another major highlight was that my Babcia (grandma in Polish) made paczki while I was there. You might want to see this post to understand the full significance there.
As far as the girls go, we have signed Sophie up for pre-school. I'm still feeling bitter sweet about that. Excited for her, yet can't believe she's already there. She is really interested in the sounds of letters right now. She is always sounding out letters and trying to figure out what letters are in what words. She is NOT interested any longer in writing letters. She gets frustrated and gives up quickly. So I am trying not to push that too much.
Claire is saying more and more, in her own way of course. I'm sure the average person would have NO clue what she is saying most of the time, but we get her :) She continues to woo us with her sweetness, yet at times exhibits quite the little temper.
The funniest thing around here lately has been role playing. Sophie loves to pretend play books or movies. She also picks who gets to be who. Here is a little list of what characters she has picked for Claire:
- When we play beauty and the beast, Claire has gotten to be beast
- When we've played fancy nancy, Claire got to be Robert
- The incredibles, Claire got to be Buddy.
- Blue's clues - well she actually got a good part that time - she got to be Joe and I got to be side table drawer :)
You get the picture, Claire is usually the bad guy or the boy! Guess who gets to be the star???
That is about it from here. In march we are looking forward to lots of activities that should keep us quite busy, but they are all good things and Lord willing we will be able to stay focused on what is most important during all of the business.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:1-6
Besides for being sick, we have been busy and will continue to be. The girls and I took a trip to Michigan a couple of weeks ago. It was great to spend time with family and see some old friends. And a major highlight was reconnecting with my hair stylist from high school. She did my hair all the time...snowcoming dances to prom to my wedding! It was so great to see her, and I'm so glad she is still in the area. I am convinced she is the ONLY person on this side of heaven who knows how to cut my hair. :) Another major highlight was that my Babcia (grandma in Polish) made paczki while I was there. You might want to see this post to understand the full significance there.
As far as the girls go, we have signed Sophie up for pre-school. I'm still feeling bitter sweet about that. Excited for her, yet can't believe she's already there. She is really interested in the sounds of letters right now. She is always sounding out letters and trying to figure out what letters are in what words. She is NOT interested any longer in writing letters. She gets frustrated and gives up quickly. So I am trying not to push that too much.
Claire is saying more and more, in her own way of course. I'm sure the average person would have NO clue what she is saying most of the time, but we get her :) She continues to woo us with her sweetness, yet at times exhibits quite the little temper.
The funniest thing around here lately has been role playing. Sophie loves to pretend play books or movies. She also picks who gets to be who. Here is a little list of what characters she has picked for Claire:
- When we play beauty and the beast, Claire has gotten to be beast
- When we've played fancy nancy, Claire got to be Robert
- The incredibles, Claire got to be Buddy.
- Blue's clues - well she actually got a good part that time - she got to be Joe and I got to be side table drawer :)
You get the picture, Claire is usually the bad guy or the boy! Guess who gets to be the star???
That is about it from here. In march we are looking forward to lots of activities that should keep us quite busy, but they are all good things and Lord willing we will be able to stay focused on what is most important during all of the business.
Monday, February 7, 2011
You know you're sick...
Us logozzo girls are sick. Have been sick. Continue to be sick. We are going on week 4 of sicknesses. If it's not one of us, it's all of us! Currently, it's all of us. And it has been sneaky - this virus/infection/cold -whatever it is. It brings you down for a couple of days, you think you feel better, then BAM! It hits you again. Boo, to all of it. So here's my little list of "you know you've been sick for too long when"...
- It's special movie time, again. And again.
- You choose tea in the morning over your beloved cup of coffee.
- A chai tea latte was a NEED today. No ifs or buts about it.
- There are medicine droppers and cups constantly in your sink.
- Your method for disciplining the kids goes no further than "a look."
- Your kids have a favorite room at the doctor's office.
- You walk out of the doctor's office disappointed that it's just a virus that has to work itself out because you really wanted antibiotics for them.
- Your daughter (who hasn't napped regularly since last spring) has been faithfully taking naps, sometimes even twice a day.
- Laundry day is always on Monday. On this Monday, I hope to get through one load. I'll count that as success.
The upside of it all is extra snuggles, time at home, and a really cute/clever 3 year old who will say things like "I think a movie will really cheer up my heart." And though we tell her happiness is NOT what we're after, I think it might be special movie time, again. :)
- It's special movie time, again. And again.
- You choose tea in the morning over your beloved cup of coffee.
- A chai tea latte was a NEED today. No ifs or buts about it.
- There are medicine droppers and cups constantly in your sink.
- Your method for disciplining the kids goes no further than "a look."
- Your kids have a favorite room at the doctor's office.
- You walk out of the doctor's office disappointed that it's just a virus that has to work itself out because you really wanted antibiotics for them.
- Your daughter (who hasn't napped regularly since last spring) has been faithfully taking naps, sometimes even twice a day.
- Laundry day is always on Monday. On this Monday, I hope to get through one load. I'll count that as success.
The upside of it all is extra snuggles, time at home, and a really cute/clever 3 year old who will say things like "I think a movie will really cheer up my heart." And though we tell her happiness is NOT what we're after, I think it might be special movie time, again. :)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Oh. Deer.
The buck stopped [slammed] here. Nice, eh?
As I was driving to the grocery store last night a deer ran into my car. It was dark, and a little freaky. It was so fast, and made quite the impact/sound as it happened... but thankfully I stayed on the road and just kept on to the store. What's a girl to do?
I guess it was bound to happen living around these parts. I'm just thankful it wasn't worse and that it was just me in the car.
It's the second time in my life I've had an accident that left the passenger door un-open-able. Hopefully the last :)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
It's Only Thursday??
It's been the shortest of weeks, it's been the longest of weeks. Time seems to be draaaaaging, but at the same time I feel like it's been a really full week.
Let's see, we started the week out getting ready for Bill's birthday which was on Tuesday. Running errands, looking for presents, baking bread, baking cheesecake - which seemed like the most amazing dessert at the time, with homemade whipped cream. We had some kiddos over for a playdate, more cooking, celebrating Bill's birthday, eating the cheesecake, opening presents. Throw in another playdate, and then not feeling quite right. Got home, yep - felt kind of like someone had beat me up. Also, was waiting for my mom to get into town as she had been planning on coming in for a few days. Thank the Lord, that she came, because I was out of commission with a stomach bug/flu thing...not sure exactly what it was. All I know is that same amazing cheesecake -- I don't want to touch it with a 10 foot pole. Today I am recovering, not feeling awesome but feeling better. It's snowing a lot, it feels really chilly, and time is just slowly crawling along. Definitely thankful for family, blankets, and laughs even in the midst of less than desirable circumstances.
Let's see, we started the week out getting ready for Bill's birthday which was on Tuesday. Running errands, looking for presents, baking bread, baking cheesecake - which seemed like the most amazing dessert at the time, with homemade whipped cream. We had some kiddos over for a playdate, more cooking, celebrating Bill's birthday, eating the cheesecake, opening presents. Throw in another playdate, and then not feeling quite right. Got home, yep - felt kind of like someone had beat me up. Also, was waiting for my mom to get into town as she had been planning on coming in for a few days. Thank the Lord, that she came, because I was out of commission with a stomach bug/flu thing...not sure exactly what it was. All I know is that same amazing cheesecake -- I don't want to touch it with a 10 foot pole. Today I am recovering, not feeling awesome but feeling better. It's snowing a lot, it feels really chilly, and time is just slowly crawling along. Definitely thankful for family, blankets, and laughs even in the midst of less than desirable circumstances.
Monday, January 10, 2011
At Last
It's been a looong time since my last blog entry. I finally have a minute or 30, that I can guiltlessly spend on blogging. I can't explain what I have been doing, why I have been so busy....but this has just not been a top priority, until now and these nice free minutes.
We had a wonderful time celebrating all of the festivities of Christmas. We spent our time in Michigan visiting both friends and family. The kids got totally off schedule and ate too much candy - I guess that would be true for their parents too! Seriously, what is it about Christmas time that entitles us to eat cookie after cookie, throw in some fudge, Christmas candy, gingerbread this, gingerbread that...? I miss it. I'll be honest. My body certainly doesn't! Thankfully Jillian and I have reconnected for some much needed exercise time.
Bill was off of work for a total of 7 weeks since moving back from Texas. His first day back at work was last Monday and although we miss him we needed the routine and schedule of normal life again!
We continue to delight in our sweet little children, and at other times stand speechless at how sinful the same cute little creatures can really be... clingy, crying, whining, screaming, flailing, outright defiant. Perfect for our sanctification, God working in us and our hearts. Those times of their sin tend to really expose so much of mine!! So humbling, and thankful that God is not speechless and surprised at my sin, only through the blood of Christ. Thank you Lord!
Lets go back to the sweet part: Claire is just a sweet little thing. Obsessed with Elmo. Her favorite phrases are: "I want that", "oh no", and "low-lu" (love you). Sophie is just growing up right along. She is learning how to write some letters. That is fun, I love watching her learn!! She also has a brother, ahem, a 16 year old imaginary brother. His name is Andy, thank you Toy Story 3. Andy sits between Claire and Sophie in the car (thankfully we haven't had to get a van since his addition to our family), he goes on playdates with them. He does NOT like Elmo, Sophie has made that clear. I hate to break it to her, but I am not old enough to have a 16 year old son!
And that is it for now! I'm hoping to make this blogging thing a little more regular again.
We had a wonderful time celebrating all of the festivities of Christmas. We spent our time in Michigan visiting both friends and family. The kids got totally off schedule and ate too much candy - I guess that would be true for their parents too! Seriously, what is it about Christmas time that entitles us to eat cookie after cookie, throw in some fudge, Christmas candy, gingerbread this, gingerbread that...? I miss it. I'll be honest. My body certainly doesn't! Thankfully Jillian and I have reconnected for some much needed exercise time.
Bill was off of work for a total of 7 weeks since moving back from Texas. His first day back at work was last Monday and although we miss him we needed the routine and schedule of normal life again!
 |
| In his time off, he built these beautiful bookcases in our study! |
Lets go back to the sweet part: Claire is just a sweet little thing. Obsessed with Elmo. Her favorite phrases are: "I want that", "oh no", and "low-lu" (love you). Sophie is just growing up right along. She is learning how to write some letters. That is fun, I love watching her learn!! She also has a brother, ahem, a 16 year old imaginary brother. His name is Andy, thank you Toy Story 3. Andy sits between Claire and Sophie in the car (thankfully we haven't had to get a van since his addition to our family), he goes on playdates with them. He does NOT like Elmo, Sophie has made that clear. I hate to break it to her, but I am not old enough to have a 16 year old son!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Time Flies
I can't believe that the last time I posted we were getting ready to leave San Antonio, and now here I am sitting on my couch, looking out the window on this rainy Kentucky day! Our time in Texas is just a memory now, but I want to continually reminisce on the sweet moments God provided for us while we were there. Leaving was so difficult, somewhat heartbreaking, but it couldn't have been more of an answer to prayer. It meant that we had treasured our time and relationships there and that God's power in our lives had prevailed so mightily. Thank You Lord!
Leaving was emotional, our road trip was once again miraculous. We made amazing time and our kids did well. Many thanks to several books, Elmo and Beauty & the Beast dvds, leftover Halloween candy and other appeasing snacks. The Lord was really gracious to us. We even made it in less time than anticipated. We had 9 hours of driving each day and only stopped twice each day. I call that a successful road trip.
Upon arriving at our house...we found: a bouquet of flowers, a loaf of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, a pasta meal to make, a crockpot dinner, and a pantry and refrigerator full of the essentials! We knew we had great friends here, but we were stunned by the love that was poured out on us in a such a practical way. Wow. Really, it was another amazing testimony of God's love and faithfulness. Thank you friends, you know who you are!!!
Since then, we have enjoyed/experienced: unpacking, runny noses, organizing, birthday parties, bowling, family in town, runny noses, thanksgiving, more family in town, shopping for furniture, Christmas decorating, and more runny noses. I think we have entered the land of perpetual runny noses!!! Besides for that, everything has been going well.
We are really thankful this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1John 3:1
Leaving was emotional, our road trip was once again miraculous. We made amazing time and our kids did well. Many thanks to several books, Elmo and Beauty & the Beast dvds, leftover Halloween candy and other appeasing snacks. The Lord was really gracious to us. We even made it in less time than anticipated. We had 9 hours of driving each day and only stopped twice each day. I call that a successful road trip.
Upon arriving at our house...we found: a bouquet of flowers, a loaf of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, a pasta meal to make, a crockpot dinner, and a pantry and refrigerator full of the essentials! We knew we had great friends here, but we were stunned by the love that was poured out on us in a such a practical way. Wow. Really, it was another amazing testimony of God's love and faithfulness. Thank you friends, you know who you are!!!
Since then, we have enjoyed/experienced: unpacking, runny noses, organizing, birthday parties, bowling, family in town, runny noses, thanksgiving, more family in town, shopping for furniture, Christmas decorating, and more runny noses. I think we have entered the land of perpetual runny noses!!! Besides for that, everything has been going well.
We are really thankful this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1John 3:1
Thursday, November 11, 2010
What I'm going to miss
Holy cow, we are moving in 3 days.
I have to blog about the things I'm going to miss so I can remember it down the road. Otherwise I might forget the name of that amazing bbq restaurant or why I still have a few pounds to lose...(by the way don't judge me that almost all of what I'm going to miss is based around food and shopping, k?)
In no certain order, here goes:
-I'll just get this one over with - SeaWorld. That's an obvious one.
-La Cantera. The nicest outdoor shopping experience a girl can ask for.
-Cooper's, Rudy's. Excellent bbq restaurants. I have never been a huge bbq fan before living here. I mean I ate it, and I liked it, but it wasn't something I craved. That all changed with Texas bbq -- soooo darn delicious. Mmm my mouth is watering even now just thinking about it. They say in college you gain the freshman fifteen, here it's the Texas twenty. So just know it's the bbq (and the next point).
-Mexican food galore! To name a few - pappasito's, mi tierra, tink-a-tako, las palapas. What I love is that there is mexcian food everywhere, and it's pretty darn authentic. For example, homemade flour tortillas that are beyond anything you could ever find in a grocery store. Unless that grocery store is HEB, where they have sweet little ladies making and bagging tortillas right in front of you. It kind of reminds me of Santa's workshop, but instead of toys you get tortillas. Anyway, you can buy warm fresh tortillas that never make it home without first being ripped open in the car and munched on, by parent and children alike. But back to the restaurants, yes they are good. And when you order a chicken or beef taco at one of these places, don't expect anything else. A chicken taco is a taco with chicken in it. This I have learned. Personally I enjoy a few extra toppings so I have to remember to ask for them!
-Target here, Target there. They are everywhere! Seriously you can find a Target at every exit around here. My favorite has been shopping at the Super Target nearby. There is no shortage of shopping here. There are 14 targets and 20 walmarts around san antonio!
-Same goes for Starbucks. Where ever there is a Target, that means there is a Starbucks inside of the store. Every single Target I have been inside of here, there is always a Starbucks. And at every shopping plaza that has a Target (with a Starbucks in it) there is a Starbucks stand alone drive through store as well...just incase you've finished the latte you got in the store and need another while you're driving away. Happens all the time. There are a gazillion Starbucks', but the down side of that is that there are only starbucks. No caribou, no biggby's (which will always be beaners to this MSU girl).
-In all seriousness, San Antonio has been great. It has had a lot of perks, but I will miss the people the most. We have been so blessed to make sweet friends here, and have been loved by a welcoming and caring church body. The love of Christ has manifested itself to us through these people, they have been the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ to us, living it out so well. Sniff sniff. I'm so thankful that we don't have to move to a new place, having to start all over. Although it will be sad to leave, I'm glad we are going to back to something great too. That makes it easier!!
I have to blog about the things I'm going to miss so I can remember it down the road. Otherwise I might forget the name of that amazing bbq restaurant or why I still have a few pounds to lose...(by the way don't judge me that almost all of what I'm going to miss is based around food and shopping, k?)
In no certain order, here goes:
-I'll just get this one over with - SeaWorld. That's an obvious one.
-La Cantera. The nicest outdoor shopping experience a girl can ask for.
-Cooper's, Rudy's. Excellent bbq restaurants. I have never been a huge bbq fan before living here. I mean I ate it, and I liked it, but it wasn't something I craved. That all changed with Texas bbq -- soooo darn delicious. Mmm my mouth is watering even now just thinking about it. They say in college you gain the freshman fifteen, here it's the Texas twenty. So just know it's the bbq (and the next point).
-Mexican food galore! To name a few - pappasito's, mi tierra, tink-a-tako, las palapas. What I love is that there is mexcian food everywhere, and it's pretty darn authentic. For example, homemade flour tortillas that are beyond anything you could ever find in a grocery store. Unless that grocery store is HEB, where they have sweet little ladies making and bagging tortillas right in front of you. It kind of reminds me of Santa's workshop, but instead of toys you get tortillas. Anyway, you can buy warm fresh tortillas that never make it home without first being ripped open in the car and munched on, by parent and children alike. But back to the restaurants, yes they are good. And when you order a chicken or beef taco at one of these places, don't expect anything else. A chicken taco is a taco with chicken in it. This I have learned. Personally I enjoy a few extra toppings so I have to remember to ask for them!
-Target here, Target there. They are everywhere! Seriously you can find a Target at every exit around here. My favorite has been shopping at the Super Target nearby. There is no shortage of shopping here. There are 14 targets and 20 walmarts around san antonio!
-Same goes for Starbucks. Where ever there is a Target, that means there is a Starbucks inside of the store. Every single Target I have been inside of here, there is always a Starbucks. And at every shopping plaza that has a Target (with a Starbucks in it) there is a Starbucks stand alone drive through store as well...just incase you've finished the latte you got in the store and need another while you're driving away. Happens all the time. There are a gazillion Starbucks', but the down side of that is that there are only starbucks. No caribou, no biggby's (which will always be beaners to this MSU girl).
-In all seriousness, San Antonio has been great. It has had a lot of perks, but I will miss the people the most. We have been so blessed to make sweet friends here, and have been loved by a welcoming and caring church body. The love of Christ has manifested itself to us through these people, they have been the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ to us, living it out so well. Sniff sniff. I'm so thankful that we don't have to move to a new place, having to start all over. Although it will be sad to leave, I'm glad we are going to back to something great too. That makes it easier!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Halloween
Halloween has become so enjoyable since having kids. I really look forward to it, and to our mini tradition that goes with it. It's not a very special tradition, just making apple pie and ordering pizza, but a tradition nonetheless. And who doesn't look forward to homemade apple pie right? (and not having to cook dinner for that matter).
This year we did the whole dinner/dessert/trick or treating thing with our friends, Tom and Janelle, and their little boy Liam. Sophie and Claire adore him. Sophie calls him her little prince. And when I mention going to Liam's house Claire always gets excited! So needless to say, we all had a wonderful time.
The girls were Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Poor Sophie didn't get a say in her costume this year since she already had one hanging up in her closet from dress up play. And Claire's, I got for a $1 at a thrift store. Can't go wrong with that. Liam was a dragon, but a very kind dragon who said thank you after every piece of candy he received! Sophie loved trick or treating as expected. Afterwards she kept saying "i love halloween." She did get tired pretty fast though and once it got dark she was done. I think Claire could have kept going all night, she had a riot. She knew what to do (minus the talking part), though at one point we were at a house and I was holding her little bag, and she demanded her "beh" (bag) so she could move forward with getting candy.
Great time, and now it's over. Time to look forward to moving, Thanksgiving, Christmas, oh my.
This year we did the whole dinner/dessert/trick or treating thing with our friends, Tom and Janelle, and their little boy Liam. Sophie and Claire adore him. Sophie calls him her little prince. And when I mention going to Liam's house Claire always gets excited! So needless to say, we all had a wonderful time.
The girls were Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Poor Sophie didn't get a say in her costume this year since she already had one hanging up in her closet from dress up play. And Claire's, I got for a $1 at a thrift store. Can't go wrong with that. Liam was a dragon, but a very kind dragon who said thank you after every piece of candy he received! Sophie loved trick or treating as expected. Afterwards she kept saying "i love halloween." She did get tired pretty fast though and once it got dark she was done. I think Claire could have kept going all night, she had a riot. She knew what to do (minus the talking part), though at one point we were at a house and I was holding her little bag, and she demanded her "beh" (bag) so she could move forward with getting candy.
Great time, and now it's over. Time to look forward to moving, Thanksgiving, Christmas, oh my.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Disneyworld
Sophie has been asking if we can go to Disneyworld at least once a day lately. I don't even think she fully knows what disneyworld is but she sure wants to go there. Today our conversation went like this:
S: Can we go to disneyworld? I really want to go to disneyworld right now.
Me: Well, we can't go right now because we have to take an airplane to get there.
S: Oh. Can we take an airplane tonight?
Me: No, we can't. Going to disneyworld takes time and planning. It takes money. We have to save up for something like that.
S: Oh...then maybe tomorrow we can go.
Obviously the words time, planning, and money don't register in the mind of a 3 year old very well.
S: Can we go to disneyworld? I really want to go to disneyworld right now.
Me: Well, we can't go right now because we have to take an airplane to get there.
S: Oh. Can we take an airplane tonight?
Me: No, we can't. Going to disneyworld takes time and planning. It takes money. We have to save up for something like that.
S: Oh...then maybe tomorrow we can go.
Obviously the words time, planning, and money don't register in the mind of a 3 year old very well.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Respectable Sins
Those of you who read my blog might remember that I set out to read 6, that's right, a whopping 6 books this year. :) I just finished #4. (I do really want to get all 6 in and realize time is running low but I hope I can still pull it off). Anyway, back to book #4. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. It is awesome. Not awesome in a nail biting, can't put it down kind of way. Rather, awesome in a heart examining, dead on, life changing kind of way.
This book takes our daily, more acceptable, subtle sins that we experience and puts them under the microscope. It is in no way condemning or harsh. It is merely written to help expose these in our own lives and make us think about how we accept them, justify them, or overlook them.
I have always hated the saying "Do as I say, not as I do." It completely turns me off and immediately I think hypocrite. I think as Christians, we can tend to do that without realizing it. We are fervently opposed to such things as abortion, murder, stealing, adultery, etc., but when it comes to our own hearts we are filthy and don't think twice about it. I think that really taints our witnessing opportunities. Because what is so different about us, besides the fact that we go to church on sundays and maybe a small group or bible study during the week, when the rest of the time, we look the same as everyone else. We watch the same shows, we spend our money the same way, on and on.
So I love this book because it breaks down the more common acceptable/respectable sins we commit. Things like impatience, irritability, anger and weeds of anger, anxiety, worldliness, judgmentalism, envy and jealousy (he even differentiates between the 2), and sins of the tongue among others.
I certainly don't love the fact that I find my heart and attitude in many of these categories of sin, but I do love that God has pierced my little bubble and allowed me to recognize the depth to which I live out some of these, how truly accepted and common they have been in my life. I'm thankful to have read this book. It has made me more aware of my sin, and allowed me to see myself more accurately, according to God's standard, not this world. I am even MORE thankful that God gives his Holy Spirit, His word, and the power of Christ to transform us! So thankful that we don't have to remain in sin, but that we can overcome it. That is freedom in Christ. He gives grace to recognize, repent, and live as a new creations.
Obviously, I am no book critic but I do get excited about great books like this one and can't help but share. So...because I love it so much I would love to get a copy in your hands! Consider this my first ever blog giveaway!! You'll just need to leave a comment to this post and a scripture that God is currently teaching you about/using in your life. I'll pick a winner by Saturday (Oct. 23rd).
This book takes our daily, more acceptable, subtle sins that we experience and puts them under the microscope. It is in no way condemning or harsh. It is merely written to help expose these in our own lives and make us think about how we accept them, justify them, or overlook them.
I have always hated the saying "Do as I say, not as I do." It completely turns me off and immediately I think hypocrite. I think as Christians, we can tend to do that without realizing it. We are fervently opposed to such things as abortion, murder, stealing, adultery, etc., but when it comes to our own hearts we are filthy and don't think twice about it. I think that really taints our witnessing opportunities. Because what is so different about us, besides the fact that we go to church on sundays and maybe a small group or bible study during the week, when the rest of the time, we look the same as everyone else. We watch the same shows, we spend our money the same way, on and on.
So I love this book because it breaks down the more common acceptable/respectable sins we commit. Things like impatience, irritability, anger and weeds of anger, anxiety, worldliness, judgmentalism, envy and jealousy (he even differentiates between the 2), and sins of the tongue among others.
I certainly don't love the fact that I find my heart and attitude in many of these categories of sin, but I do love that God has pierced my little bubble and allowed me to recognize the depth to which I live out some of these, how truly accepted and common they have been in my life. I'm thankful to have read this book. It has made me more aware of my sin, and allowed me to see myself more accurately, according to God's standard, not this world. I am even MORE thankful that God gives his Holy Spirit, His word, and the power of Christ to transform us! So thankful that we don't have to remain in sin, but that we can overcome it. That is freedom in Christ. He gives grace to recognize, repent, and live as a new creations.
Obviously, I am no book critic but I do get excited about great books like this one and can't help but share. So...because I love it so much I would love to get a copy in your hands! Consider this my first ever blog giveaway!! You'll just need to leave a comment to this post and a scripture that God is currently teaching you about/using in your life. I'll pick a winner by Saturday (Oct. 23rd).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)