Family Day

Today was a wonderful family day! We started bright and early with our photo shoot. It was only 8:30, but H-O-T!!! Aside from the heat, we had a great time. We'll get the CD with all the pictures on Wednesday.

After the photo shoot, we rewarded the boys (and ourselves) with doughnuts, then headed to church. We dedicated Allie. We stood before the church and recognized that Allie is a gift from God. He's given her to us to raise, and we promise to raise her in a Christian home and teach her about Jesus. The pastor told about how Hannah prayed for a child, then dedicated him back to the Lord when she had a baby. They played a slideshow of pictures of Allie, then said a prayer for our family. It was really sweet! It is something that we've done with each of our children and is so meaningful to us. I'm glad both of our parents were able to be there with us!

Our family with Daniel Lopez

After Allie's nap, it was party time! I didn't know if she would really care about her presents, but she did! The girl loves dolls! The boys chose Hello Kitty plates and napkins, so I made a Hello Kitty cake.


Grandma and Grandpa gave her a doll stroller, stuffed bunny, and two crocheted bibs. Nana and Poppa gave her a Baby Alive. Coleman and Spence gave her a little Cabbage Patch baby. Daddy and I gave her some big girl sippy cups. (On her birthday we'll take the kids to Build-A-Bear.)

Birthday Princess!

She loves the doll the boys gave her, but Spence keeps trying to take it away!

Good presents everyone!

Happy Birthday to you!

Eating birthday cake

Tomorrow...

...is a big day! The 5 of us, Rita and Gale, and my parents are going to a park at 8:30 a.m. for a photo shoot. I am hoping we get some really good family pictures. Then we are having a dedication for Allie at church. And then in the afternoon we're having an early birthday party for Allie so Rita and Gale can celebrate with us! So much going on! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow night.

Speaking of Allie, that little girl is walking! I cannot tell you the exact date she started walking. I did, however, finally get video of it yesterday. I can tell you without even looking in his baby book that Coleman took his first steps on January 31, 2006. We captured it on tape and Brian made a cute little montage set to Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'." What a contrast! I guess that's the plight of the third child. I'll try to make up for it tomorrow with lots of cute pictures of Allie and her Hello Kitty cake!

And yes! Rita and Gale are here. We are having so much fun with them. They took the boys to see their first movie at the theater today. I figured I couldn't send Coleman to Kindergarten never having been to a movie theater. We'll have lots of pictures to share later. It's a busy day tomorrow, so I'm off to bed!

The Things They Say

I can't wait to hold a conversation with Allie. I can only imagine the things she'll say! Here are some of the funny things the boys have said lately!

Coleman: What's the number for the army?
Mommy: What do you mean?
Coleman: You know, 911 is the police and firemen. What number do you call if you want the army to come to your house?

As Spence and I were getting in the car to go to the store:

Spence: Mommy, don't drive too fast or my flip flops might fall off.

There's nothing like a good laugh to relieve stress!

And the Winner Is...

Houston! The perfect job was right here in Houston. Isn't that something? After interviewing with companies in New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, and Georgia, the job God had for Brian was right down the road! We seriously did not think we would get to stay here. I have to admit that I was a little excited about the prospect of leaving this sweltering heat and humidity behind, but this is home! I'm a Texas girl at heart. I love being close to my parents. And I can only imagine the hassle of moving 3 kids across the country. We're so excited! I'm trying to talk Brian in to writing more about his new job and what he'll be doing, so be looking for that! I also may try to put my thoughts together into words to share what all God taught us through this chapter of life. It's been amazing. Thanks again for all your concern and prayers. Thanks for being a part of our lives! I love sharing it with you.

1 More Month Until...

...my baby turns 1! Every month I wonder where the time has gone! At 11 months, Allie loves to push the little toy with wheels around (sorry, I don't know what it's called). She's even learned to steer. Several times she's taken two steps on her own! Of course, she is the third child, so there's no camera nearby. We do have some video of her strolling along with the push toy, but again, third child, so no rush to upload that video! I'm sorry Allie. At least no one can accuse me of favoring her because she's a girl!


My baby girl loves to eat! We went to IHOP Friday night and she had her own kid's meal - seriously! She ate an entire chicken strip and much of the fruit. She's had Arby's twice, and I've got to say, she's an Arby's girl! (Everyone knows what Arby's is, right? Roast beef sandwiches.) And she's all about the chicken strips from Whataburger. She may not have my hair or eyes, but she's got my appetite!

At 11 months, Allie still just has two teeth. Every day I think I see another one about to break through, but it hasn't yet. And as for words, I think she's more of a thinker! She says "mama" and "dada" and what sounds like "hi dada" and "na na na na" when I say "no no" to her. Every so often she gets babbly and "talks" to us, but mostly she just observes.


Strolling, eating, babbling. These are all minor details in her day. Her true passion is unrolling toilet paper. She is getting very good at it! I think she knows the quickest route to the bathroom from every point in the house. She can sense when Spence has left the door open and the toilet paper, stashed in the cabinet below the sink, is left unguarded.


Those are just a few details about our Allie at 11 months old. I think she's the sweetest little girl in the world!

211 Days

7 months

300 job applications

8 interviews

1,000,000 prayers

1 God who heard them all

And the answer we've all been waiting for...

2 job offers on Friday!

Yes, Brian heard Wednesday that the company he's been talking to in Houston was going to make an offer on Friday. Thursday, the company in Atlanta told him they wanted to make an offer and just needed some paperwork from his previous company. So Friday, within 90 minutes of each other, the two offers came in! Brian will make a decision early next week. So we'll let you all know what decision he made then, and I'll write more. We cannot tell you how much your prayers and support have meant to us during this time. Some people have asked if it feels like a weight has been lifted off of us, and to be honest, it doesn't. We weren't weighted down. That's the thing about completely trusting in God: it's freeing. God has taken care of us and made Himself very real to us over these past seven months, and we give Him all the praise for these job offers. This is His perfect timing that we've been waiting for!

Brian told the boys that when he got a job they could celebrate by staying up all night. This all started because every night Coleman says, "I don't like to sleep. I wish I could stay up all night." So last night they made it until almost 2 am. Spence is a little crabby today, but for the most part they're all doing fine. It helps that it's a sleepy, rainy day around here.

I'll admit that I feel strange about leaving this job search phase. After all, it's been 211 days since Brian's company ran out of money. Strange, I know. Maybe I'll write more about that later. Until then, have a great weekend! We sure are!

Remembering My Goals

Back in January I debated making New Year's resolutions. I decided to set some goals for myself and just not call them resolutions, fearing the same thing would happen that happens every year: February arrives and the resolutions are long forgotten! How am I doing with my goals, you ask? Here are the goals I set, followed by my progress, or lack thereof:

• To have a closer relationship with Jesus - I set this as my top priority this year. Is it always my top priority? I'm afraid not. But I feel closer to Him than I have ever before. A few months ago I started noticing that Allie was waking up every morning at around 5:15 or 5:30. I would go feed her then go back to bed, usually staying there until the boys nagged me enough times for breakfast that I couldn't ignore them anymore without feeling like a completely horrible mother. After awhile, I figured maybe it would be a good idea to feed Allie, then stay up. I could do my Bible study, drink a cup of coffee and eat a healthy breakfast, then get in a workout before the boys were up. I decided that God was actually waking Allie up at that time so that I could get up and spend time with Him and have some time to myself before the demands of the day started. It has been awesome! And I've written many times about how God has spoken to me and the things He's taught me through Brian's job search. Again, awesome. This top goal of pursuing a closer relationship with Jesus is a daily commitment, and I pray that He will continually give me the desire to say yes to Him each and every day.
• To be the best wife I can be - You'll have to ask Brian about this one! Actually, I think this again goes back to how God is working in our lives through Brian's job search. Brian and I have become so much closer. We pray together at night and talk about the things God is showing us. Several times we've felt silly about something we've been feeling, only to share it and find out the other one was feeling the same way! And just like living for Jesus, being a good wife can be a daily commitment also.
• Develop friendships - I'm not the life of the party...yet. But I have started getting out there a little more. We get together with one of the boys' best friends and his mom at least once a week, so we are always caught up on each other's lives. And just recently some friends and I have revived our food journal blog and communicate daily on there. And believe me, you can only tell your true friends all the junk you eat in a day! Overall, let's just say I'm still working on this goal.
• Get healthier - Drum roll please... I've lost 15 pounds since January!!! I get up and walk with my buddy Maestro (who slows me down miserably) and then do my workout DVD. I'm having so much fun! I even opened the box tucked away in the back of my closet labeled "skinny pants." That was fun! Together with my blogger buddies, I write down everything I eat (during the week) and get encouragement from them. I don't deprive myself when I want a coke or a Whataburger, I just don't give in to those cravings every day. Yeah, I'm a recovering coke-aholic.
• Organize my house - For the past few months I've been trying to get rid of junk, but I haven't gotten as far as I would like to. The whole "are we moving or are we staying" thing has been a distraction. If we're going to move, I don't want to start getting everything nice and organized here (what a lame excuse, I know!) But I did have a garage sale several weeks ago, so that's at least one point for me! I'm hoping to kick this goal in gear really soon.

So there it is. I wanted to share these because actually, I would be failing miserably if I were attempting to accomplish these things on my own. I truly believe it is God who is working in me to shape me into the person He wants me to be. So I give Him all the glory and pray for His continued help where I miss the mark. I hope your resolutions or goals are going well!

Happy Mother's Day

The three reasons I love being a mom

Six years ago I was sitting in church trying to hold back tears as all the mothers were recognized. My mom and mother-in-law were both there with us, but I felt an emptiness because I had wanted to be a mother for several years. Infertility was not an issue, but timing. Brian had been in graduate school and wanted to wait to have children until he finished school and had a job so that I could stay home. (He had just graduated and walked through the Sallyport at Rice University the previous day, even though he completed his thesis months before and had been doing a post-doc and was working for M.D. Anderson). I knew this was a wise decision, but my heart had a hard time understanding and waiting. I'm so thankful that he stood his ground on this decision and didn't give in to my desires, because not only was it Brian's timing, but it was God's timing also.

What I didn't know as I sat there crying and later explaining my tears to my mom and mother-in-law is that I was pregnant! My journey of motherhood was about to begin! And it has been, and continues to be, an amazing journey. God has blessed me with three wonderful children. Each day with them is another blessing, and I am so grateful. Even for the days that are crazy! Today started with the boys dancing around with underwear on their heads when they were supposed to be getting dressed for church, and culminated with Allie knocking over and breaking the floor lamp, leaving shattered glass all over the living room. It was still an amazing Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to Mom and Rita, two of the greatest moms I know. I love you both and am so thankful to have you in my life. You are always there to listen, give advice, say a prayer, share a laugh, and love a grandkid! My life is so rich with you both in it!

Happy Mother's Day to each of the moms reading this. We have one of the hardest, but most rewarding jobs. May we cherish every minute of it! Even if we're pulling underwear off heads or vacuuming up glass.

Guess Who Said That

Welcome to Guess Who Said That, the game that's got America guessing who's doing the talking! I'm your host, Amanda Pik. Here are the rules: I'll give you the qoutes, then you guess which Pik said each one. Ready, set, guess who said that!

Quote #1:
Look at that cloud! It's an engineering marvel!

Quote #2:
I'm hungry! And I'm thirsty! And my hiney itches!

Quote #3:
They want to talk to me again this Friday.

Quote #4:
Yay! The mailman brought my Tuli's!

Are y0ur guesses locked in? Then let's reveal the correct answers. If you guessed Coleman for Quote #1, you guessed wrong! Spence is the correct Pik. Coleman is the speaker for Quote #2. But really, who among us hasn't uttered that phrase? As for Quote #3, that was Brian. He was referring to the company in Houston that he interviewed with last week and then went back Tuesday to talk to again. Things are moving along! And finally, Quote #4 is me, and Tuli's are heel cups that go in your shoes.*

Thanks for playing Guess Who Said That. Tune in next week! You never know what you might hear.

*I saw a foot/ankle orthopedic surgeon this week and got a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. I pretty much already knew that's what I had, but I needed to find out what to do about it. They also took an x-ray to make sure there was no bone spur. I am banned from wearing flip flops or anything other than supportive shoes with the heel cups, and he gave me stretches to do. I'm dreading summer without sandals, but the pain has gotten so bad that I'm willing to do it!

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Sorry about that. I'm sure that game show will be canceled and you'll never have to go through that again! Now for some pictures:

Mother's Day Tea at Coleman's school

The tables were decorated so pretty

And this was one of the gifts he made me

Ding dong! Let us in!
The new front door and new siding above

Look Out for the Orange Poll!

Vote in our Mommy's poll! It's on the sidebar.

Finally, Pictures!

The kids at Nana and Poppa's last weekend

Our Latest Remodel

When Brian started looking for jobs nationwide, we began getting our house ready to go on the market, just in case. My mom did a lot of painting, and Brian and my dad put in a new counter in the guest bath. I didn't realize how disgusting the old counter, sink, and faucet were until they were replaced with the new ones! Now I just need some guests that need to pee!