Um, Hi There

I dislike the first day back after taking a little blogging hiatus. I never know what to say. "Oh so sorry that I've been a slacker!" Or "Wow, has it really been over a week?" It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about. Allie had her first trip to the zoo and the guys went on a weekend camping trip. The boys daily crack me up with their crazy ways and Allie has started saying her name, minus the "ll." So it sounds like this: Aw-yee. Adorable! Here's a little story I'd like to share about my neglectful ways. I hope you won't think less of me after hearing it! There's a puddle of chocolate syrup in the door of my refrigerator that I noticed several days ago but have been too lazy to clean up. I realized today that it seems to be inching its way closer to the edge of its contained little area. Hmm, what to do? Cleaning it would involve, well, cleaning it. So I tore off a paper towel and used it to squish back the thick, cold syrup. Then I left the paper towel over it. Maybe one day soon the urge to clean the fridge will strike.

Well, the urge to clean the fridge hasn't struck today, but the urge to blog has!!! I'll start with our trip to the zoo on October 22.

Allie's first trip to the zoo!

We went with Candice, Paul David, and Judson

Candice has some great pictures, just click here!

Look at these two little friends

Going through the fish tunnel

I love this picture of them going through the tunnel with the reflections!

A cute picture of Judson and Allie

The zoo playground

Paul David and Spence checking out the zebras

The Dinosaur Exhibit

Pumpkins!

Today we went on one of my favorite fall outings: the pumpkin patch!

This pumpkin patch is at Sugar Land First United Methodist Church. It's the same one we went to last year. Click here for last year's pictures!

The kids love this big balloon pumpkin. And notice Spence's binoculars.

Searching for the perfect pumpkin

Allie enjoyed looking at the pumpkins. Last year I would prop her up against pumpkins and trees and take picture after picture. This year I could hardly keep up with her!

Have I seen them all yet?

I want the tiny one!

This is a smile.

The best picture I could manage of all three!

Classic Spence

Dear green croc boots,
May you grow with Spence's feet, because I dread the day he can't wear you anymore! You have brought smiles to many a face, including mine each time I see that adorable little boy running around - rain or shine! Oh boots, you are starting to look so small. You used to reach up to a little 2 year old's knees. Now he's almost 4! I'll let him enjoy you until his little toes become scrunched, then you'll wait patiently in another closet. And then a precious little girl will find you, try you on, and fall in love! Thanks for so many memories, green croc boots.

Thought for Today

The prescription for worry is trust.

Beth Moore

Oh how I pray to fill this prescription daily! We have so much going on in our lives, so many people we care about, and it is so easy to worry. At least for me, it is a constant battle. Will they be safe when out of my sight? Will I guide them correctly? Will the test results be good? Will I get it all done? Will I know what to say to that person? But worry does no good. So why do I waste all my efforts on it? I just want to tell myself to stop it! And so does God.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Luke 12:22-25

May we each see our true value to God today and turn our worry into trust.

Women of Joy Conference

October 8-10 I met Theresa and her friend Robin in San Antonio for the Women of Joy conference. It was a wonderful weekend! This was my first time to be away from Allie overnight, but she did great with Brian and my mom. Thanks for letting me get away for the weekend! It was much needed.

The hall at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center (I think there were about 4000 women there)

Friday night started with Sarah Palin. I really enjoyed hearing her speak. She is a very interesting woman who loves the Lord and feels called to serve her country. I'm sure Theresa could tell you much more about her, so maybe she'll blog about it (hint, hint)!

We were about 4 rows back and over to the side. Some women in front of me were standing on their chairs getting pictures, so this was the best I could get!

Another good picture

Our hotel room was amazing! It was right across from the convention center and on the River Walk, so we never had to drive anywhere.

Saturday during free time we went to the Alamo

Sunday our speaker was Priscilla Shirer. She was amazing! I might have to do another one of her studies soon!

Our group: me, Theresa (and baby), and Robin

Happy Birthday to My Friend!

Happy birthday to Candice, my oldest friend! Now, that didn't quite come out like I intended. Candice is not my oldest friend in age, but in the number of years we have been friends. Candice and I met in Mrs. Joyce's first grade class in 1982. I still remember going home one day and telling my mom, "I got to sit by Candice at lunch today!" I thought she was the coolest, and actually, I still do! So Candice, I've written a little something for you here and hidden 11 words or phrases that should conjure up memories of our friendship. I hope you find them all!!!

Candice, you know I'm not a huge vocalizer of my feelings, and that I don't really have a good memory, but let me share some of my thoughts about our friendship. You are one of the friendliest people I know. You've never used people. You would give the woven pancho off your back. You are a wonderful friend, but you can be crazier than a speedo! I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything, not even a little rock from the far side of the moon. Especially now that we're grown up and our lives are like a zoo sometimes! I know that even if the moon turns into paper or the only restaurant left is IHOP, you'll still be my friend! And that makes me happier than a Kramer t-shirt!

I Promise...

...to post pictures from my weekend away soon! It was amazing! I've got some famous people pictures to share.

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Verse

I'm in the middle of changing my blog design, so excuse my mess here!

It's another beautiful day here in Sugar Land! We went to a different park 5 days in a row last week, and then Saturday evening the boys went to a car race and took JACKETS! Today Spence, Allie, and I went to another park and the weather was even cooler than last week. I love it! I'm ignoring the yellow dusting of pollen that is covering everything. I won't let that bring me down! So no more talk of it!

It's only fitting that on such a lovely day, I happened to flip open my Bible to one of the most beautiful verses. I don't think it's that well-known. I want to say it was in one of my Bible studies last year. I underlined it then, and today I was flipping around trying to find Hosea and came across it.

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Isn't that wonderful? Amazing. It leaves me in complete awe of Him. I hope you feel Him with you today!

Don't Break the Streak!

We've been to the park 4 days in a row! Our weather has been completely gorgeous! I mean makes you want to shout, "Hallelujah!" great! I think I've come out of my humidity-induced depression I had slipped into. I so needed this and couldn't be more thankful. I'm sure the rest of my South Texas readers are feeling the same way.

So we've been too busy enjoying this nice weather for me to have much time to write. Mom and I worked in the front yard trying to clear out an overgrown section. It's coming along nicely. Thanks Mom! My next project is to get a good "fall" picture of the kids so I can change the background. Of course we don't get the array of beautiful colors that some parts of the country get, but that's all the more reason to put it on my blog! So as soon as I can dress the kids up and get a good shot, I'll change to an autumn background. Can't wait!

The firemen came to Spence and Allie's school this week and let them see the fire truck and gave them red fire hats. That prompted Spence to find his real fireman's helmet. Allie has spent a lot of the week wearing it. It weighs a ton! And she usually looks happier than she does in this picture.

OK Mom, just one picture, then we're off to fight a fire!

Wherever you live, I hope you've been having a wonderful week also!

Conversations With Spence

I'm sure most conversations with 3 year olds fall into one of the following categories:

• frustrating beyond belief
• hilarious
• doesn't make a lick of sense

I have my share of each every day. Here are two recent ones that made me laugh:

Yesterday I was drinking a glass of filtered water and noticed that there were some things that didn't get filtered. Or maybe my glass wasn't as clean as I would have liked. Anyway, a few things were floating around with my ice. So this morning I poured a glass of water and then, remembering yesterday's floaties, held the glass up to get a good look. Spence saw me and was confused.

Spence: Why are you doing that?
Mommy: I was checking to see if there was anything in my water.
Spence: (pausing to think about this) Like fish?

On the way to pick up Coleman today we were behind a day care bus.

Spence: I think that bus is going to Coleman's school.
Mommy: I bet you're right. It's a day care bus that picks up kids from Coleman's school whose Mommies and Daddies are at work.
Spence: Can little girls ride on it?
Mommy: Yes.
Spence: Can little boys ride on it?
Mommy: Yes.
Spence: Can giants ride on it?
Mommy: Um, no.
Spence: Well what if the giant's Mommy is at work and the giant's Daddy is at work? How will the giant get to day care?
Mommy: That's a good point Spence!

That's my Spence! Opening my eyes to new possibilities every day! And in case you're keeping score, I get 3 points today for 3 posts. Making up for being such a slacker!

No Baby Here

This was the scene at lunch today. Notice the empty high chair and the half of a baby head attempting to see her food! I got such a kick out of the sight that I had to share. She thinks she's so big!

The eyes make an appearance!

And just so you know, she had no trouble eating her lunch. She even sat on her bottom the entire time. Which is more than I can say for when she's in the high chair! I guess it's time to trade in the John Deer plate since we have a new table mate! And I also suppose we'll have to move our dinners into the dining room since this table only seats four!

Reminiscing

This post is all about me looking back on a phase of my life that is now over. It probably won't be interesting to everyone, so don't feel like you have to read it all!

Tuesday night I nursed Allie for the last time. Even though I was ready for that phase to be over, I seemed greatly aware of the fact that that phase is completely over. When Coleman was a baby I had so much trouble nursing him. One thing after another seemed to go wrong and it was nothing like I imagined it to be. "Oh, it will come so naturally and I'll know what to do and he'll know what to do. We'll just look into each other's eyes and it will be so joyous." Yeah, it was anything but. It finally started to get OK and then my milk started drying up. I don't think I've ever been more frustrated in my life.

When I was expecting Spence, I was dreading nursing. I knew that's what I wanted to do, and I knew that if I could successfully get through those first few weeks it would be OK. And if it wasn't OK, well then that was OK too. The first few weeks were rough, but once they were behind me it turned out to be a great experience. And good thing too, because that child would not take a bottle! And he was Mr. Cling! I'll never forget 2 month old Spence wailing as Brian (who had just had knee surgery and couldn't climb the stairs) held him and I put Coleman to bed. Every night. For 6 weeks. Loud, screaming wails. Poor Brian finally realized there was nothing he could do to calm Spencey, so he just turned on the closed captioning and watched TV! Anyway, I finally got Spence weaned between 13 and 14 months because I was going to spend 5 days with my friend Theresa after her 2nd baby was born.

Before Allie was born, I started worrying again about nursing. If you've done it, you know it can be pretty painful in the beginning. It was painful for a while, but after those first few weeks we were old pros. And now, 15 months later, it was time to wean her too. After all, I'm meeting my friend Theresa in San Antonio in a few weeks! It will be my first night away from Allie! You know what, now that I think about it, I think I nursed Coleman for the last time at Theresa's house in New Mexico! OK Theresa, this is weird! I guess I'm writing all this to say that I'm glad that nursing Coleman wasn't a walk in the park. I'm glad it was hard and that even though I gave it my all, it just didn't quite work out. It made the next two rounds so much more special. And it made me appreciate it so much more. I'm so thankful that it worked out.

So obviously, I am for breastfeeding. But I have no problem with those who don't. I know some women can't for one reason or another. It can be completely stressful and overwhelming. Even the third time around! And I told myself that if it ever became overly stressful, I would give it up. I have been blessed to be able to stay home with each of my kids, so therefore I didn't have to pump much. I seriously don't think I could have lasted long pumping. That thing, though very helpful, is evil! I don't know of any new moms who read my blog and might have questions about breastfeeding, but if you're out there, I'd love to hear from you.

Scavenger

If you're quiet, and wait patiently, you might catch a glimpse of the rare scavenging baby girl. An excellent climber, she scales any obstacle as her nose leads her to food. Anything left uneaten is fair game for her. Among her finds today: fish (cheddar goldfish), oats (half an uneaten granola thin), and rice (crumbs from a bowl of Rice Crispies). Well done, scavenging baby. Now, climb down and hibernate until lunch time!

Seriously, I typed that last sentence then found her "hibernating" in the toy cabinet!

Too Much

Too strange
(Yes, it's a tent in our house.)

Too excited
(Only one more month 'til outdoor camping!)

Too messy
(This is the work of a beaver.)

Too big
(Where are my babies?)

Too cute

Too sweet

Too mischievous
(And once she gets up there she pulls all the folded laundry down!)

Too studious
(Completing his first homework assignment.)

Too rude
(Coleman was walking around trying to get pictures of my hiney!)

Beavers Don't Make Good Passengers

It can be a long wait in the car to pick up Coleman from school, so I usually bring a snack for Spence and Allie. The other day we had been playing at the mall and I got them Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzels. Big mistake. My car looked like the Cinnamon Sugar Fairy had sprinkled her dust all over. I vowed to have no more cinnamon sugar pretzels in my car. (That may be a hard vow to keep. Those are some darn good pretzels.) Today I put Ritz crackers in a bowl for each of them. Harmless, I thought. When Coleman got in the car he commented on the crumbs all over Spence's seat and the floor. Looking back, I said, "Spence! How did that many crumbs get all over the place?" And he said, "I was being a beaver." No more fretting over the massive amount of crumbs. No more fussing at him. That was just too funny! However, I politely asked him not to be a beaver in the car anymore.

And if you want to continue the laugh, be sure to check out the post below from my guest blogger today!

Guest Blogger - Something that made me laugh today

Guest Blogger Brian Here:

Long story short: This just made me laugh today. I guess there's something about a baby monkey riding backwards on a small pig and someone writing a song about it. Amanda, maybe this can get the Dynamite song out of your head.

Brian

If I...

If I change my background to Fall leaves will it feel more like Fall here?

If I commit to post something every day this week will I end up boring everyone to death because I'll have to write something even if it's of interest to no one?

If I keep singing Dynamite by Taio Cruz will I go insane? Or maybe I could add some dance moves and drop a few pounds. And I have to tell you this song got stuck in my head because my 5 year old was singing it! He said he heard it in P.E. I want to go to his P.E. class!

If I get off the computer now, will I actually go to bed? I'm about to find out. Good night!

A Few Pictures

We're dropping in to say, "Hi!" We still do and say the cutest things. Mommy's just been really lazy lately and hasn't posted any of it. Coleman's at school most of the time, so he didn't make it into any pictures for this post. That's kind of sad.

He did however build this awesome train track today with the help of Spence and Mommy. We wanted to share this picture to show Grandpa and Grandma that we still play with the train they gave us for Christmas when Coleman was almost 2 and Spence was 7 weeks old. Allie will enjoy it one day. Now she just likes to tear it apart!

Speaking of Allie, she is really growing up! I mean, driving? Reading? Where does the time go?

She was too cute today eating her Honey Nut Cheerios. She found what she thought was a safe spot, but Maestro was right there just in case she dropped any!

These Crazy Kids

Thank goodness my kids can make me laugh. Sometimes ants find their way in through cracks by our front door. The boys make a game out of killing them. They usually put shoes on their hands to stomp them and use wheeled toys to run over them. I'll hear battle noises, then Coleman yelling with excitement, "Level two!" And a moment later, "There are no more ants!" Then of course some more crawl through the cracks. Coleman, inspecting the front door area, decided that maybe that show that comes on after America's Funniest Videos that tears down houses could come build us a new house without cracks so ants wouldn't get in! I somehow don't think we'd qualify.

Earlier this week I had left a basket of dirty clothes sitting around. This is what my mom found Allie doing:

Even with boxers on my head I'm adorable

Spence saw the camera and wanted in on the action

Watching a little TV

Hurt Feelings

It's been a while since I last posted. Sometimes it's because nothing exciting is happening. Other times I'm spending my days pondering all the many happenings of life. Yeah, not so much. But occasionally I do ponder. I'm afraid I might go all philosophical today. I'll try not to be too wordy though.

I've been reading a great book, Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst. Recently my group Bible study started back up, so I had to put aside Lysa's book. I decided to take it to the doctor's office with me yesterday to read while I waited. When I saw the title of the chapter, I was a little shocked: When God Hurts My Feelings. Wow. Did I read that correctly? Is that OK to say? After reading the chapter, I think it is. She pointed out that we need to be honest with God about what we're feeling. I mean, He already knows, right? When I'm honest and let Him know He hurt my feelings, then He can work to change my perspective and my heart. She went on to say that sometimes we ask God the wrong questions. It's OK to ask why something happened or didn't happen, but only if that question draws us closer to Him and doesn't push us away. And even if He told us the why, we probably wouldn't get it. The better question, however, is, "What am I supposed to do now that this happened (or didn't happen)?"

As I read all of this, I realized that God had recently hurt my feelings. I guess I didn't know it was OK to admit this, or tell Him this. But I sat there in the doctor's office and told Him that He had, in fact, hurt my feelings. I didn't know why He chose the outcome of a certain situation, and really, it doesn't matter. He's God, and I'm not. His ways and His thoughts are not mine. They're so much better. And even though I know it may take a little more time before I fully get over what happened, I am OK with it. I asked God what I needed to do now, and I partially know. So now I just have to keep trusting that He'll show me what else I need to know or do.

In the big scheme of things, the way God hurt my feelings is so small. Really, I may not even remember next month. What I do hope to remember down the road is the lesson. Be honest with Him. Let Him show me what He needs to show me. And gain a stronger, closer relationship with Him.

A Bunch of Gooble Gabble

Coleman is very into G.I. Joe and all things army guys right now. He really likes to play computer games with army guys too. After seeing one he was playing, I told him it was too bloody and he wasn't allowed to play the bloody games. One day this week he brought home a picture that he drew at school. It was, what else, but a picture of army guys. This is what he said:

Coleman: Is it OK to draw blood?
Mommy: I don't think your teacher would like that.
Coleman: Well, I did and she didn't say anything.
Mommy: She probably didn't know what you were drawing. But if she did, she would tell you not to draw bloody pictures.
Coleman: Yeah, she probably just thought it was gooble gabble. That's like scribble scrabble.

**********

Coleman's school cafeteria let's you do prepaid accounts. Each child punches in their 6-digit code when they buy a lunch. For the first week of school Coleman's teacher punched it in for him. Then she sent a paper with the code home for us to work with him to memorize. I figured memorizing a 6-digit number might be a little difficult for a 5 year old. Not to mention that he would probably have no interest in memorizing a 6-digit number. So I made up a song to help him. It's to the tune of "This Old Man":

6*5**3
that's the number that feeds me
with a 6*5 and a **3
punch it in it's time to eat!

Coleman kind of looked at me weird, and when I asked him to sing it, he just rattled off random numbers. Spence, on the other hand, was singing the song and repeating the correct numbers by the second day! Since then, Coleman has gotten it down. And we sing it every morning at breakfast. Sometimes we even add some groovy moves. Yesterday I asked Coleman if he told his teacher about the song. He gave me a "you're kidding, right?" look and said no. I figure he doesn't want his teacher to know he lives with a bunch of weirdos! And hopefully the cafeteria lady doesn't notice him humming "This Old Man" while he punches in his code!

**********

Something strange has happened since Coleman started Kindergarten. It's like a shift in the family dynamics. Before, it was the boys and Allie. Or the big kids and the baby. Now, there has been some regrouping. Coleman is at school most of the day, and Spence and Allie are now grouped together. I guess it's so new that I don't even have names for these new classifications. The big kid and the little ones? That doesn't really sound right.

Here are a few pictures to add to this assortment of happenings!

This is Spence's main form of transportation these days. He bounces around the house on this thing all day!

I was taking his picture the other day and said, "I don't think I've gotten a picture of you on the Spider Man ball since you first got it."

Here's that picture: Christmas 2008

We made cupcakes and frosted them with melted chocolate chips. That's why the boys are shirtless!

And these two are always into something. In the last 24 hours they have pulled out all the markers and coloring books, emptied the game cabinet and pulled all the contents out of Connect Four (yeah, so that's like 50 poker chips), The Memory Game (OK, 100 matching cards), and Sorry (requiring a search for 16 game pieces and stacking a deck of cards), and pulled all the books from the living room book shelf. They are busy! Therefore I am busy.

But aren't they adorable? It's as if she's saying, "Hey Spencey, I know what we can get into next!"