Dan, Suzanne, June, Annie, Vern, Meuf Te', Zeus, Vitamins, and the chickens!

Snow Day!

2012-02-15T16:14:00.000-06:00

A few days ago, we had two inches of snow! June had zero interest in playing in it. She only wanted to spend an entire hour eating it. This was fine with me - no clothes to wash! :)

The chickens usually stop laying in the snow or cold, but they were happy scrounging around in their pin that was carefully enclosed by Dan so no snow got in.

Every day, we give them all our leftover, moldy, unwanted food we have, as well as things like the end of strawberries and flower stems and even their own egg shells. They eat it all! And they have been so much happier since I have started giving them variety and we have had more eggs... I have really been surprised how much we would have previously thrown away but is now going to good use.

Madame Cluck and King Tutu would not pose for my picture (they are pretty skiddish), but below is Esmerelda and Miss Penny. Esmerelda lays the dark brown eggs and Miss Penny- the light brown ones. Madame Cluck lays the blue eggs above (they are not white) and I suspect that King Tutu doesn't do much laying, although I can't be sure because technically his eggs are the same color as Miss Penny's...

And wouldn't you believe it, by 3pm that same day, all the snow had melted and it was 55 degrees. Crazy Lubbock weather!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T13:28:00.002-06:00

Flowers from Daddy :)

Oh Vern

2012-01-24T13:54:00.001-06:00

You may remember the time that Vern just really wanted to hang out with the chickens, so he jumped the makeshift chicken fence we made and got stuck in there.

OR, you may have heard of his two attempts at being a watch dog- one when our friend, Ryan, was staying with us and came home at 11pm and Vern cornered him in the living room growling. Or two, when we had bats in our house and Vern tried to attack and eat one, but instead just injured it and it flew around the house angrily barking or whatever bats do.

Some of you may know the story of when our drunk neighbor tried to break into our house in San Antonio. Dan had to defend the house and escort him home and where was Vern the whole time? Licking a candy wrapper that he had found in the trash can in the bathroom.

Or even his daily habits of barking at the mailman or waiting for someone to throw him his ball.

Suffice it to say, Vern just has his priorities a little messed up. Or maybe there is one screw loose in his head. I'm not sure what it is, but his latest forays have not made me happy.

Everyday, Vern camps out on our back door step, basks in the sun and waits for Dan to come home and take him on a walk. Well, everyday, while he is sleeping in the sun, the horrid crows come and one by one, eat all his food. This infuriates me and every time I see them, I yell at them (and weirdly run at them from inside the house) to go away while Vern is not moving, laying RIGHT next to them. They see me and skedaddle- giving me no photo opps. (I have no love for crows.)

So, I decided to move his food right next to him on the step so that they would maybe be a little scared and not go after it.

And where did he go? He just moved far away in the grass so as not to interrupt their pillaging so that they could happily munch away on his food...

...doubling the amount I have to pay every month to feed Vern and his 20 crow friends!

Ken Burns? Really?

2012-01-19T20:37:00.003-06:00

So, I'm sure all of you are wondering why you need to read a post about someone named Ken Burns and I will wonder right along with you because there is really no reason, except this needed to be documented.

We have this adorable older man that lives next door with his wife. Think this guy:

but actually not quite so cute and more like the nerdy scientist man in Rescue Rangers that always tried to destroy the world:

Ok, so a cross between the two. Anyway, he lives next door and is super nice and we are all friends and his name is Hershel.

Well, today, he came by to talk to us about reciprocal airport rides. We give them a ride to the airport (this saturday, in fact) and then they give us a ride whenever (probably whenever our kids our grown and we can leave the house again.) Anyway- nice idea. So, he hasn't seen Annie in a while and he is just taken aback, and when I say that, I mean, seriously taken aback at the striking resemblance to this man's documentaries he watches. He can't remember this guy's name, but he just can't believe the resemblance and swears that he has never told anyone that their child looks like this guy (great, ours is the first- what an honor) - Tim something. Well, already I'm not too thrilled (in my mind only, outwardly I am of course) that my daughter looks like a man, but I am thinking surely it is one of those men that kindof looks like a woman and maybe has beautiful sisters or daughters that look just like him. Mad Scientist/Sweet Old Man Hershel proceeds to go on and on about Tim something and tells us to look him up- we just won't believe it. We laugh along with the idea about our child looking like a famous older man and then he leaves.

THEN, he calls ten minutes later when he gets home and has looked up this actor and is calling to make sure we have done the same so that we can tell him yes, our daughter does look just like this man and thank you for comparing him. So, we look up the name that he has now remembered, Ken Burns:

REALLY? Need I say more?

Ok, maybe the bangs.....a LITTLE....

Only one word: FAIL

2012-01-15T21:26:00.003-06:00

Well, I won't leave you hanging, but I will tell you that Dan and I spent a solid 48 hours staring at June's face trying to pick up her "cues" of when she had to go. I will also tell you, that 58 out of the 60 times she went, we missed it. Yes, that was 60 pairs of underwear that we washed - all kinds, and quite a few we threw away. You can guess the stress levels or maybe you can't, but suffice it to say, this morning we gave up.

We basically looked back on the last 48 hours and asked ourselves- is this really that important? Are we doing what is best for our family or what is our plan? We decided that either June wasn't ready or we were over-eager, or we just weren't three-day potty trainers, or something, but we were not going to waste a whole other day trying to force June to figure out what she just wasn't getting, what she was feeling bad about, and what we were all killing ourselves over.

So, I write with humbled pride - Nay-sayers proved right. ;)

I was thinking the whole time that perseverance was the main goal here and that if we just thought hard enough that it would happen, it would. But, then I looked at the situation and thought, maybe the lesson here is that sometimes, I need to gracefully accept that I am wrong and that we do all fail at times and that in itself is a lesson- one I can teach my children. That failing happens, but it happens a whole lot more when you aren't walking with the Spirit's guidance, and this weekend, we sure weren't. But its how you deal with the setbacks, failures, and disappointments that sets you apart.

So, we are back to diapers and ok with it. Even though she still tells us every time while she is going that she needs to go pee pee, we will re-visit another time. But she is back to the sweet happy toddler that she was and no worse for it and I have learned a valuable lesson, one that I unfortunately must continually re-learn: "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own." Matthew 6:34

Just let it go and be content.

Potty Training

2012-01-12T20:55:00.001-06:00

I am writing a post about potty training for all the nay-sayers out there (you know who you are) who say this cannot work. It can and it will! :) I have read, re-read, and memorized the 60 page e-book just like I did with June and Annie's schedule book (many nay-sayers there too, btw) and I have confidence that it will work with, as she says, a TON of praise, patience and accidents.

I come armed with an arsenal (suggested by the book but made up by yours truly) of food and drinks (to make her go to the bathroom alot so we can train)....

Prizes (I'm sure she will just pick candy every time, but variation and options are always good :)....

30 pairs of underwear (for lots of mistakes and trying again)....

Incentive posters (she can't read, so I might as well enjoy the poster! ;)....

And a bed time routine poster (yes, we are multi-cultural and gender friendly in this household!)

So, I will check back in on monday- it is proven to work in three days or less and I believe it! I have to be at her side for the entire three days and she will be good to go on Monday (with about 100 accidents before then). But I figure it beats potty training over a few months.

Where will Annie be, you might ask? Just hanging out with daddy all weekend, probably watching football while I conquer the insurmountable!

Where the time goes

2012-01-12T12:16:00.000-06:00

Where does the time go? I think all of my the time since Christmas has gone to relaxing and putting everything back together. Although Christmas is fun and wonderful, it creates a lot of chaos that doesn't exist without it.

Plus, Annie moved upstairs to her own room from ours, so we have been working on that transition too :)

I heard something good today- "we all have the same amount of time; it just depends on how you choose to spend it." That is something I really need to look at, because I am always wondering where all my times goes.

At our small group this past week, we talked about looking at where you spend your time just like you look at where you spend your money. By looking at where most of your times goes, (aside from sleeping,) you can see what is most important to you. After a thorough analysis of this, for SURE June and Annie are the most important thing to me if you judge by time, but work is second. And I wish it weren't so. Thankfully, sweet Dan just helps as much as he can and is such a good husband and Daddy. Time doesn't reward him enough.

Anyway, I will have to chalk this post up to ramblings, but something to think about.

On another note, my friends are obsessing about this free iphone app instagram. I finally downloaded it and got a pretty cute picture that would have been totally blah had I not used the app. Try it out.

Merry Christmas!!!!

2011-12-24T20:19:00.000-06:00

Biase family pictures

2011-12-22T13:54:00.001-06:00

We got to spend some time with some awesome photographers over Thanksgiving and took tons of family photos with Dan's family. It was super fun and the kids did great! (I bribed them with candy ;) Here are some of the best pics- thought you might want to see :)

Carpenter's

2011-12-21T12:11:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share this recent newsletter from our church we attend. It is definitely different than most churches and has taken quite a while to get used to and understand that we aren't there to "fix" these people, but to walk through life with them as equals, but we really enjoy it and have made some great friends through it. Please read our friend Ted's story on the first page below and if you want to read more about our church, its philosophies and goals, please click here.

Winter 2011 News (Web)

Popo and Pictures

2011-12-03T16:38:00.001-06:00

If you pay attention to details, you may have noticed that Popo's name was removed from the title of our blog. The sweet little frog came and left in a few weeks and has gone to take a dirt nap. At least that is what we told June since we are not sure she understands dying/death and all sad things like that. Not to fear though, Dan made her a picture of Popo's "napping" place and she re-named Vitamins - Popo. Hmm, well I guess that means I should technically leave Popo's name in the blog title but I will think about that later. For now, we are one less frog, but still have "The fish formerly known as Vitamins" going strong.

A few days ago, we tried to take some Christmas card pictures with all of our family members which didn't go so well. Zeus absolutely refused to participate and the chickens, for some reason, would not eat the treats I gave them to stay in the picture.

Dan was super stressed by all the activity and I was ordering everyone around/picking animals up to make them stay in the pic - you can sense Vern's annoyance....

So, this one is ok, except for Meuf Te' itching to try and get to the chicken poop - yuck! and June not looking... but you will have to wait for the finished product in your mailbox!

Oh, the anticipation... ;)

Happy Two Months Annie and Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T23:21:00.000-06:00

8 whole weeks have gone by- can you believe it?

And June is just the same as ever - enjoying life and taking no notice of Annie...

As promised, here are the only pictures of Dan and I from the last two months- Dan being super dad and me wearing the same vest 5 days in a row because I never leave the house! ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Vitamins and Popo

2011-11-08T13:52:00.000-06:00

We have added to our ever-growing family. Luckily, these two little guys require 0 love from me, of which I am very glad, because I am a little maxed out at the moment. June named the fish her favorite thing in the whole world (besides Dora) - Vitamins. And then she named the frog, the first thing she thought of- Popo- do we talk about the popo alot here? I am not sure. I don't think so, but that word is stuck in her head....

Hopefully the popo (aka-the police) leaves our neighborhood alone for awhile. We have some loud college students down the street and someone (who could that be??!?!) keeps calling the cops on them for noise violations- oops! ;)

Meanwhile, Vitamins and Popo are enjoying their new home.

And this cool lady is enjoying her little sister!

AND, a friend of mine pointed out that their are no longer pictures of Dan and I on the blog! Agh! Se la vie' ! SOON :)

Courtney and Charlotte in town!

2011-10-31T16:46:00.000-05:00

This past week, my great San Antonio friend, Courtney, came in town with her little munchkin, Charlotte. We mostly hung around the house and played with the girls and worked (she works from home too), but we had a great time talking about Mahncke Park (my old neighborhood, where she still lives right down the street from our old house!) and all our friends and MP board enemies! ;)

The girls hung out and got to experience not being only children, which was interesting... But all in all, a great week and a super collage prepared by Courtney!

Happy one month birthday, Annie!

2011-10-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

It seems like the days are so long, but we look back and cannot believe it has already been a month. It all blurs together, but that is good, because we are almost past the super tough part and into the fun :) Happy One Month Birthday Annie!

For a month, I have been trying to take a good picture of Annie that shows she looks EXACTLY like June when June was her age. I finally got one today. It is so crazy that this can turn into June. Just so different; its hard to believe how much they change!

Can you tell which is which?

Just as a hint: they are in alphabetical order. Crazy, huh?!

Haboob

2011-10-18T15:58:00.001-05:00

Today, my mom and dad were over hanging out with June and me while Annie cried (no surprise there!). My brother, Travis, just had hernia surgery, so they were talking about the limited activities that Travis can do. My mom said- "Travis was going over to Tom's to play video games, but the haboob got him." I was sitting there thinking, oh, some stupid video game thing that I have no desire to know about because video games would be #8,900,456,724 on my list of interests in life. So, I am just sitting there thinking- blah, the haboob. Who cares, mom. Then, my dad says "yeah, the haboob knocked down a private plane at the airport too." And my interest perked up a little bit, mostly out of annoyance. I was thinking- Dad, why the heck do you know or care about haboobs and when have you ever played a video game? Blah, anyway, again, I was annoyed, but started thinking how a video game character named Haboob (in my mind- somewhat like Jabba the Hut) could get to the real airport and knock down a plane. This tells you how sleep-deprived I am (yes, thanks Annie for not complying with my schedule), because FINALLY I ask- why do yall keep talking about this haboob? My mom says- "you didn't see the windstorm?"

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, a haboob.

Who in the world chose to name a wind/dust storm that looked like the Wicked Witch was flying by to Kansas any minute a Haboob- I don't know. But, four hours later, as I am just now processing my conversation, I got a pretty big kick out of my sleep-deprived confusion.....

Lessons of the day:
#1 Annie, stop crying and sleep all night
#2 Haboob does not equal Jabba the Hut

Found!

2011-10-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

After much prayer, 1000 fliers ALL over the neighborhood, and lots of looking, Meuf Te' was found!! Some sweet college girls said she turned up on their doorstep yesterday four streets away. They had given her a bath and gone shopping for her and were pretty sad to give her back. But, the posters did the trick! They didn't even want the reward and settled for a dozen of our hens' finest!

So glad to have her back!

Meuf Te' or as June says: Moofie

2011-10-11T14:14:00.001-05:00

So, I'm not going to mention my terribly painful birthing recovery, or the fact that Annie cries ALOT, or that she takes ALOT of time leaving me no time with June OR that post-pregnancy hormones are ALL over the place, OR that you TOTALLY forget how hard it is to have a newborn and recover and then you are happy and fine a few months later and your body tricks you into having another one and you think AGH! Why did i DO this again???.... (ok, well I mentioned it, but I'll spare you the rest of the deatils ;)

But anyway, this post is to focus on sweet Meuf who has been missing since yesterday. We think she was kidnapped because she can't be away from me for longer than five minutes and she is gone for the first time ever. Come back little Meuf Te'! We love you and miss you....

Hello Baby Annie!

2011-10-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

She's here! The little munchkin arrived with a successful (somewhat traumatic) VBAC with forceps. But, she made it and she is doing great! Lots more crying than June, but she looks exactly the same and is adapting to my famous schedule! :) I am recovering very slowly (actually slower than c-section), but that is to be expected and mom will be staying with me during the day this week.

June has been with my parents for five days (SO helpful!) and is coming back to live in our little house (which we are finally moved into!) tomorrow. She has adapted perfectly and hardly notices a change with Annie...

A family of four now- adjusting and moving slowly, but very blessed :)

30?......30 :)

2011-09-09T15:15:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I turned 30. This would usually be a HUGE day/week celebrated mostly by me with lots of pushing for husband, family, friends, etc to get as geared up about it as me so that I can make any and all celebrations a very big deal. Well, this year was different. I don't know if it was because I was running Rush for my sorority or because I am super pregnant or maybe just because I was so busy busy busy, I just didn't have time to think about it.

But, that's ok. Because on the night of my birthday, my fun family surprised me at the sorority house with a cookie cake (my FAV!!), personalized accessories mom made me wear, presents, and a nice, quick visit before I had to go back to work. (Dan was there too of course, just m.i.a. in picture-taking). I know the college girls were thinking it was a little extreme because they had all already sang to me (ok, maybe I told a few people it was my birthday...), but hey, that is how I roll, right?!

It was a great night and just went to show that I was the only one who forgot my birthday. I guess these past 30 years of training have paid off pretty well! ;)

June wearing her sunglasses upside down (her preferred look)

Chicago!

2011-09-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

I got to go on a nice little trip before Annie arrives. (It could be any day now. Even though I am only 37 weeks, she is technically considered full term, but let's hope she stays in there three more weeks!). Anyway, I met my Mahncke Park girlfriends in Chicago for a SUPER fun girly weekend. We hung out and did non-mom things all weekend- fantastic! In a few more weeks, all my free days will be gone again, but that's ok. We are ready to settle in the new house and relax (well, however much relaxing you can do with a new baby!). I love the MP girls! It was a great, much needed weekend! :)

Potty-training

2011-08-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

Oh, the dreaded words....

Dan tried a little this weekend, but it ended up more on the floor when she was running away from the potty than in it. Lovely.... Just thought we'd try before Annie. Doesn't look like its going to happen.... :)

Chicken Mama

2011-08-30T15:10:00.004-05:00

So, apparently, the chickens are alot more attached to me than I knew. I had no idea.

Every day, I go to the new house with June (yes, we are still living with my parents for two more weeks!), we get the chickens' eggs, say hi, and sometimes give them cantaloupe or watermelon rinds for a special treat. Usually, Esmerelda pecks my ankle while I am looking for their eggs that they hide in the hen house in the hay (I kindof yelp and play-kick her away, well maybe really kick her sometimes if it hurts...) Miss Penny says hi and Kink Tutu and Madame Cluck pretty much ignore me. They all cluck cluck cluck (although it is really more of a chortle- not sure when the cluck sound happens...) when I approach, but the previous scenario is their typical behavior when I go into their domain.

SO, I was expecting no change when I was gone and Dan was picking up their eggs. I was the Kappa rush advisor (10am-midnight) this past week and then met my San Antonio girlfriends in Chicago for this past weekend. Needless to say, I was not able to visit my ladies. Every day, I would ask Dan which eggs he found because of course, I had to keep my egg journal up to date. Well, day 1, he found two and then the next 6 days, NONE! I was getting a little worried about their diet or thought maybe they were sick, but I came back sunday and then yesterday- one egg, and today- tada! three eggs!!!

So, my conclusion is: the chickens cannot lay eggs without their mama- not Dan, not June, but ME! I feel very loved and important to add some ladies to my brood and will not take this new responsibility lightly.

Growing up

2011-08-23T08:54:00.004-05:00

One and a half years old today!

Three is NOT a crowd...

2011-08-07T20:31:00.004-05:00

Hooray Esmerelda!!! Her pretty copper eggs are here!

Another Egg Layer! (and gatherer)

2011-08-05T14:19:00.005-05:00

Today, I checked the nest boxes and TWO more eggs! Madame Cluck laid her third blue egg (three in 6 days!) and Probably Miss Penny, but maybe King Tutu laid her first. Miss Penny and King Tutu will both lay light brown eggs, so I will just have to start noticing who is nesting and domesticating more and I will figure out the culprit. I am keeping an egg diary to track their egg frequency, so it is important that I know who laid and when. :)

I am trying to teach June how to gather (or at least hold) the eggs, but she really wants to bang them together and throw them. Not sure when this learning curve will even out.....

Dan leaves to hike the Enchanted Forest in Washington State on Sunday with two guys he hiked the Appalachian Trail with. He will be gone for a week ( :( :( :( ), so I might attempt to make the hens' roost on my own.

http://www.raising-chickens.org/chicken-perches.html

Isnt't it weird that that is what they like to sleep on? Birds of a feather....

Oh! And we ate Madame Cluck's first two eggs- delicious and very normal! ;)

Uncle Love

2011-08-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

June has been loving some uncle time lately. Two of her uncles (well, my cousins) are currently in town and have been hanging out with us over at the parental's casa. Every day, she yells- Chappy! and Bobby! all day long, looking for them, and making them play with her anytime they are around.

But, they are more than happy to comply and give her all the attention she needs when I am trying to get some work done. We will be sad to see them go in a few weeks....

The never-ending chicken saga!

2011-08-02T12:51:00.001-05:00

Dan finished the next boxes for the chickens a few days ago and not a day too late! Yesterday, Madame Cluck laid an egg and today, another one!!!!!

I know they are hers because she lays bluish eggs and here one is- perfect! I am going to eat it just for her sake and all the stress she had to go through on her first one, I am sure.

So, pretty soon, don't be expecting any gifts from us except eggs- hopefully there will be a lot! Now, we just need Esmerelda, King Tutu, and Miss Penny to follow....

***side note- we did figure out King Tutu is a girl, but Queen Tutu just doesn't have that ring. For the time being, she doesn't seem to mind....

Complaints....

2011-07-31T23:58:00.003-05:00

Pregnancy with June was wonderful and super easy, maybe some un-comforts here and there, but I definitely had a nice pregnancy. Pregnancy with Annie/Anne/(whatever Dan will agree to) has been the same thus far-relatively no interruption to life except the limited ability to play kickball (which doesn't even exist here in Lubbock, so no big deal)

That is, until this past week. Take a look at this lovely green shirt I wore the week before I gave birth to June- beautiful.

Now, take a look at the shirt again, worn yesterday.

That's right, do you see that little sliver of skin down there- that is what you would call "already bigger than last pregnancy and still have 8 weeks to go." This has been a not so nice realization to adjust to (I am so far not adjusted...) and has had me checking the sizes of my favorite tshirts and ordering them one size bigger online.

And if that wasnt enough, I have developed an extreme case of RLS. This is what lay people would call Restless Leg Syndrome, but us sufferers of the disease know it as it's elite medical term- RLS. If you don't know what it is, don't look it up. I wouldn't want you to mysteriously develop it, possibly hypochondriacally, by reading about it. Take my word for it- it is not good, and usually occurs for SuDan at about 11pm. I say SuDan because Dan is a sufferer as well, indirectly because I cannot encourage sleep in the same bed with me during this extreme time of suffering.

There are many home remedies, some of which occasionally work for me, but tomorrow, I am quitting all cafeine because I have read direct link studies indicting that that could be a cause. Whatever works...

And that is why I am up at midnight talking about not fitting into my clothes and having legs that someone injected with Mexican Jumping Beans- the joys of pregnancy. :) After this post, no more complaints! ;)

Sicky

2011-07-08T14:07:00.002-05:00

This little munchkin has had fever all week, probably her first real week of being sick ever. No fun for her, probably, and definitely no fun for me! Its getting better today- hallelujah. Although, she has developed some whining and deep attachment to her mama....

Whirlwind fun

2011-07-04T20:33:00.008-05:00

So I mentioned our crazy last two weeks. I will briefly relay our events and then leave you to ponder, because I can't think of anything clever at the moment.

We started off the last two weeks with a trip to San Francisco for Dan's cousin's wedding. Absolutely beautiful and SO fun and active with the coast, wineries, redwood forest and bike riding across the golden gate bridge (with Dan wearing his dorky bike helmet EVERYwhere) all in two days! We would live there in a heartbeat if a billion things ever lined up (but they won't-so don't worry, no more moves anytime soon!!)

Then, Sayed left :( . See previous post.

Then, I spent four days packing up the entire house while Dan was out of town (very convenient for him! ;) - no pictures of frantic packing, chasing June, and trying to catch the chickens every night before bed (that was Sayed's job!)

Then, on to my wonderful cousin's Jennie's wedding (and bridesmaids' luncheon)- we LOVE her new husband and the wedding was amazing! June was a darling little flower girl- hope to see a video of that soon because I was a bridesmaid and walked with her....

Then, on to San Antonio for a baby shower for little Annie (yes, that is what we are naming the next addition) thrown and attended by my fantastic Mahncke Park friends. We all worked on a quilt- it was SO fun- Courtney traced little fairies on the squares and everyone sewed their own. Then, she will make it all into a quilt- amazing!

THEN, the move! More stress, chickens, dogs, Zeus, boxes, u-hauls, late nights, and the satisfaction of it finally all being over!

And last, the Fourth of July- our first in Lubbock! There was actually a cute little parade and festival.

So, there you have it. The bare facts, none of the usual embellishments, but that's ok. I will be back to my usual self in the next few weeks when everything settles down again....

a-NOTHER move!

2011-06-30T20:50:00.003-05:00

So....we moved again. Agh! Yes, we didn't think it would all actually work out, but it has and we are no longer the owner of our house on 31st, but now the owner of a new one 13 streets away. It has been ALOT the last two weeks, more than I can go into. But, suffice it to say, it is over. We are back in the back house behind my parents for two months while we add a bathroom and then we move in three weeks before baby girl #2 comes....

A whirlwind, yes, but I am just trying to focus on the here and now and be grateful for today. Here is the last semi-picture of our 31st street house/Dan's truck with the chickens in the back of it on the way to their new home.

Goodbye Sayed :(

2011-06-21T19:52:00.003-05:00

This morning, Sayed left on his three day flight back to Afghanistan.

I cannot even put into words how sad we are. He was really like our son (after lots of adjusting on my part!) after only six months and we miss him so much already. Today, at the airport, I told him that he was just going on vacation and would be back in a year or two for college and I really hope that is true.

He is literally one in a million. Every other one of the 34 kids from his program ran away to Canada for a better life except him (and they have now cancelled the Afghanistan program!). But he knew what the right course was and he decided to go that way. Others might see temporary relief but Sayed will win the eventual prize with all his hard work. We will miss him dearly and will be doing everything we can to get him back here in the next two years.

Skating

2011-06-09T20:11:00.006-05:00

The other night, (ok, a few weeks ago, I am way behind!) one of our friends had a going away party at a skating rink. She does roller derby so her and her friends are super amazing skaters. She is going to the peace corps, so we went to wish her well and get in a little skating action, remembering some good 'ole times from Junior High.

Well, apparently, Sayed missed the roller skating rink in Junior High, and if you don't remember his interesting demonstration of agility on the trampoline, you may not understand his attempt to skate. But let me just say, we were not short on laughter! Here is June's reaction to Sayed's inability to stay standing:

Our friend Rachel, pulled him around, but it was very difficult to get him to skate on his own. LOTS of falling....

This is the only picture I got of him (before all his falls with optimism), because after this, he was constantly on the ground, poor guy.

June, on the other hand, was a pro. She loved skating, what little she could do with her daddy and our friend, Chad. Fun times.

Vern's friends

2011-05-20T15:39:00.004-05:00

We finally built the chickens a coop. For all of you non-chicken lovers out there: a coop is a place where the chickens can run around, and a coop encloses the hen house, of which I have talked on and on about ;) For now, the coop is just a fenced-in, non-used area of our yard where the chickens can run around pecking bugs (seriously, I saw Miss Penny eat a roach last week- yuck!) and pooping and hello, hopefully someday laying eggs!!

Well, Vern has been living with the chickens in the yard with him up until we finished the coop this weekend. He never acted like he cared much, just lounging around, wishing he was still an inside dog mostly. We-he-ellll, he CARED! As soon as the chickens were gone, he would go drop his ball in their coop and hope that somehow his chicken buddies would retrieve it for him or at least come to the fence for a chat... No such luck. I don't think they like him that much?

Yesterday, I heard Vern barking, so I went out to check. Somehow he had jumped into the chicken coop, WITH his ball, I might add, and tried to fraternize with his old buddies who just aren't that fond of him. Unfortunately, out of sheer terror, the chickens immediately jumped out of the coop and cowered behind a tree- clucking and watching him, and I think laughing a little. Who knows with these ladies?

And I guess Vern forgot how to get back out of the pen. I think he only had that one jump in him with those four year old hips, that he just whined and barked until Dan had to go get him out. Poor guy.

This has created a new problem though. The chickens now know how to jump out of their coop- NOT good. Our mulch and flowers are suffering volumes because of them. I guess they just need a place to roost because they go immediately for our bench, after some mulch-rousing and flower-eating and lay out for the afternoon. They are pretty smart- a little smarter than us (and Vern) at the moment.

See King Tutu and Esmerelda chatting over there and Madame Cluck always separating herself and leading the flock in the middle, and good ole' Miss Penny just sweetly sitting there waiting to see me. She's the only one who likes me...

Project this weekend: higher fence for the coop!

Outside

2011-05-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

I mentioned our new found love for outside lately, and it has been really nice. The weather has not been too hot and June has been loving outside. Sometimes I forget to watch her and she does a few things she shouldn't, like drinking out of Meuf Te's dog bowl with Meuf Te' - oops!

But most of the time, she is great- chasing the chickens

or drinking out of the hose after watching her daddy.

The chickens are another issue that needs addressing. The other day, they ate all my petunias, which made me SO mad! Usually, we just let them roam around the yard, but we are going to have to fence them in- little rascals...

We will be sad for the cooler days to end, but that is one great thing about Lubbock- always cool mornings and evenings. SO nice after a long, hot day!

Lots going on around here...

2011-05-10T20:10:00.008-05:00

There has been sooo much going on around here. I don't know what exactly, but I know we've been busy. Dan ran a half marathon in Oklahoma City in 40 degree weather pouring down rain the entire time!

June stayed with my parents and had a wonderful time being girly and trying on jewelry.

I had my last day of bible study and Dan kept June all morning and when I came back, somehow she had put on an 80's punk rocker look and wasn't too happy. But Dan was pretty pleased with himself!

We have been playing outside a lot with the nice weather and June's hair can finally fit in pigtails - pretty much her daily hairstyle now!

And most importantly, we found out: we are having another girl! In just 20 more weeks- crazy that it is not too far away. Dan will be majorly outnumbered when Sayed leaves at the end of June (the month), but he is getting used to the idea...

A little get-a-way

2011-04-29T15:29:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to go on a trip to London. It was a wonderful time and it may be my last trip away for a long time now that little chicas are coming. I previously lived in London in college for a semester, so this time around, I wanted to explore and I found a great book that lead me to so many interesting out-of-the-way places. I felt like a true Londoner and came back with tons of ideas on how to make our humble abode in Lubbock feel a little more English... I mean, who wouldn't want to live in this place?!

Aside from the no rain receive here, I think I could run our water bill up a little and make some of these beautiful garden ideas happen:

AGH! I just melted with all the beauty I was surrounded by. Small spaces and amazing results. It gave me such inspiration!

And.... I might have to get me a blue front door:

Ok, enough of my musings for now. Have a wonderful weekend :)

Hand-me-down Gardening

2011-04-18T14:52:00.000-05:00

I would love to take credit for our beautiful yard that we have: tons of herbs and flowers and beautiful plants and ivy. But, I can't. The previous owners did an amazing job over 30 years of cultivating this wonderful yard and garden, that I just get to enjoy the benefits.

So today, when I woke up, I just went outside to one of my ten rose bushes and picked these beautiful flowers and put them on my table for the day. It is so nice to be able to enjoy God's work. Not one thing man (or Suzanne) did made this flower- it was only made possible by God's unique and creative thinking and make-up. It is really nice to think that there are just some things in life that you have no control over and they still turn out wonderful. That is a lesson that I am still learning!

They are so pretty, I couldn't even decide which picture to use. And that is only one of four bouquets in the house today. Oh, I wish it would stay Spring forever!

A Little Like Me

2011-04-15T20:35:00.007-05:00

So, being the know-it-all that I have to admit I am sometimes, when my sister-in-law gave her son watered down coffee last year because he liked it, I of course turned my nose up and thought in my head: (in your best mrs. doubtfire voice) "what a terrible idea! Never give a child caffeine or anything that they shouldn't have until the appropriate age." So, that was a year or two ago.

Today, June wanted to try some of my tea. Without hesitation, I reached down and gave her some....

and gave her some more

and then went and made her her own cup of tea so she could be just like mommy.

Who was I kidding? What a hypocrite I was being in my mind thinking I knew exactly how I would parent a child, never even having one. It is so easy to judge something/someone before you are in that situation and then you are there, and wow, you may do just the same thing.

And then, after thinking some more (quite a bit of thinking time here :), I thought when would I ever deny anyone the chance to be just like me? If someone walking down the street asked how to be like me, I would sit them down and give it to them step by step with all my huffed up pride.... and then, actually, I would probably feel bad later that I loved myself so much and call them and tell them how I'm not that great and had time to think of my many faults, and have to list them then too, out of guilt....

But isn't that how we live everyday. People aren't outright asking to be like us, yet they are evaluating our actions and our lives and deciding if, in fact, they could be like us and what that would look like. And we are thinking, oh I wish I would have said that or hey, catch me at this time...

But, in the meantime, since no one is asking at the moment, I get to have a little miniature human walk/run around trying to act just like her mama daily and I realize how wonderful that is, and if we pick up a few bad habits in the meantime, that's ok. It's not going to kill her. I'm trying to live more like Jesus daily and hopefully, she picks that up too. So, my little one year old is now a ginger peach with cream tea drinker and she is doing just fine.

BIRDS!

2011-04-05T14:44:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago, June and I went to Home Depot and got ourselves a bird feeder and food. We put it up outside our daily window that we sit by (where she plays and I work) and...... we waited......

No birds.

I started reading blogs on what to do to make birds come to your feeder, but i didn't want to move it from the window and there are no trees nearby, so I thought we would chance it.

And, yesterday.... two came!!!

It is a feeder designed specifically for small birds. The doves walk all over it trying to get the food (haha! they canNOT, and no, these are not cute little Noah's Ark doves- these are huge ugly Home Alone 2 gray ones).

But finally, two little sparrows (?) came and ate some food yesterday. Both June and I saw them! This was June's reaction (although this is a picture from a few week's ago)

Hen house finished!

2011-04-03T21:06:00.004-05:00

Well, the outside is. Dan is still working on nest boxes and their sleeping arrangements.... Plus, he has to grind off all the nails sticking into the inside of the house from construction... But, isn't it fancy? I love it and the hens don't even know the palatial palace they will soon be laying their eggs in.

He painted it and put it outside friday and the chickens will move outside once I get back from a week long trip with my mom starting Tuesday. Oh yes, and that is dorky Dan with his rice patty hat on- I am NOT a fan. It will be burned pretty soon (when he least expects it!)

Pretty soon, the chickens will start laying eggs, well, maybe in about four months. But, we are ready for them- I'm brushing up on my egg recipes in the mean time :)

So, I leave you with the latest of Sayed's talents- photography, as well as his first time on a trampoline!

The chickens are growing

2011-03-22T11:21:00.008-05:00

So, you remember the distressed chick I mentioned? Well.... I believe it is a rooster. The hatchery is 90% sure they are sending female chickens when they send the day old chicks, but alas, that 10% mixup fell on us, I think. I verified it by a few clues (namely that roosters are whiney and develop slower at first) at two weeks, but cannot verify again until a few more things develop at 8 weeks. So, 4 more weeks to go!

(he's the one in front with the pretty colors)

This weekend we went to a really fun wedding (Dan's best friend- Kelley). We were gone 5 days and when we got back, the chickens had doubled in size- yikes! They now need to go out to the henhouse, which is currently under construction. So, this week, June and I are spending some time with them outside to get them used to the weather. She loves being outside and exploring!

The henhouse and coop will be finished this weekend, courtesy of Dan and Sayed :) I am not sure how to clip wings yet, so I hope they don't fly away or into a tree. We have to be with them at all times until the coop is finished so that a hawk doesn't get them! - I hope it doesn't try while we are out there!

Speaking of predators....

Today, was a nice day outside, so we took them out. They were a little skittish, being their first time outdoors, so they stayed close to me and their transportation box. Zeus was very interested in all their movements, but acted like the nice, little gentleman he is, except when he tried to pounce on one and I yelled at him. So, he then stayed far away from them, until they wanted to be around him and went over and checked him out- go figure! I think its all playing into his master plan... (I hope not!)

They are developing little personalities. Definitely, Miss Penny is my favorite. I don't know why I named her that, but she is the sweetest and wants to be around me the most and never squawks when I pick her up.

The rooster is the second friendliest, and then the black one has pretty much no personality. The one that will lay blue eggs is very skittish and I do not enjoy her that much, although she is pretty. She runs the others, I think, though, so she is Madame Cluck (the VII- name passed down from a long line of chicken in my family).

We are ready for some eggs and for them to leave our breakfast room- they are getting smellier- yuck. And today, I didn't notice they were out of water soon enough, so they pooped in their water holder (which is nearly impossible to do, I might add) to let me know their dis-satisfaction. Hmph! Too many opinions around here! :)

Just Mommy and June

2011-03-01T21:19:00.001-06:00

I guess it won't be that long before its June, Mommy, and another. So, June and I are enjoying our time together now. Just the two of us every day during the day.

We really enjoy our little schedule, but have 7 1/2 months to prepare for a major adjustment!

I heard today in my bible study that God has chosen me to be alive. And I thought how special that is. He has. He has chosen to let me live today and I want to cherish each and every day as if it were my last. What a blessing each and every single day that I am alive is!

What would you miss if you weren't here tomorrow?

June's birthday surprise

2011-03-01T21:04:00.005-06:00

This past Sunday, we decided to have a little birthday get-together at my parents' house when Dan's parents and sister came in town for a visit. June had lots of fun with her Noni and Pap Pap and Aunt Beanie.

And we finished it off with a nice birthday lunch. June was not too sure about blowing out candles or eating cake.

And she didn't even care about her gift. But everyone else did! It was a big surprise!

That's right- June is going to be a big sister on September 30th (or somewhere around there). I am 10 weeks along and we heard the heartbeat, so we are anxious to meet our next little munchkin and hope he/she is as easy as the first!

And in case you forgot Dan's reaction to the first baby, it was exactly the same this time around.... :)

Distressed chick

2011-02-25T20:04:00.003-06:00

Well, I have a distressed chick. I don't know WHAT is wrong with her. She is chirping chirpING CHIRPING very loudly and I don't know how to help her!

I have lowered their heat lamp, changed their water:

their food:

and given her lots and lots of attention. I have an inkling that the problem might be attention, which would be terrible, because every time I hold her, she is happy. AHH! So Dan, Sayed, and I have taken turns holding her tonight.

All the other chicks seem nice and happy. I don't know how to help this little chick. Please Please sleep tonight little crazy peabody!

Mornings

2011-02-25T09:02:00.004-06:00

I love mornings. It is the only time of the day when June will play by herself, uninterrupted for more than 30 minutes. Sometimes it is even an hour! I get so much of my work done and then around 9:30, she takes a nap- perfect!

I can't even get still pictures- she pays no attention to me.

But in the afternoons, totally different story. She wants my complete attention.

I am thankful for both! :)

Happy 1st Birthday June!

2011-02-23T19:42:00.011-06:00

Well, it has officially been one year since I was laying in the hospital recovering from my 40-hour labor and eventual c-section. June was definitely worth it and she gets cuter every day! ...with no lack of hated kisses from her daddy - It hasn't changed in a year :)

This morning, she received her first ever birthday present- baby chicks! They were sent last night from Ohio and arrived this morning bright eyed and peeping! June was very interested...

And we prepared a nice little place for them for the next few days until they transition to their brooder/cage, which they will be in for six weeks before moving to their home-made hen house. They have water, food, a t-shirt to lay on, and a heat lamp that must keep the box at a regulated 95 degrees (decreasing 5 degrees every week for three weeks), as well as a clock thermometer that they like to snuggle with :)

They will stay in this crate until next week and just peep and poop and eat all day. Yep, that's what they do. But it is pretty cute! They are very happy. If you remember, we were going to get four kinds of little chicks that I had picked out. Well, they called me yesterday and told me the one that I was the least excited about wasn't available! So, they sent me the friendliest breed that they have- a black copper maran. She is an excellent addition to our little flock and I think, will fit in nicely.

No names yet, but lots of love from our other animals. Although, I am not sure if they exactly love them or want to eat them. I will work on that... :) Oh and please ignore the terrible '80s wallpaper that we need to replace in our breakfast room. Soon, soon....

Fast asleep about every 30 minutes - I had to poke them the first time to make sure they were alive.

And I also wanted to mention my good friend, Courtney's blog shout out to June for her birthday! Adorable picture - Thank you Dentons!

And a last Happy 1st Birthday little Junie!

Afternoon Soccer

2011-02-19T20:18:00.004-06:00

These past few days have been beautiful! I am not sure, but I am guessing the groundhog didn't see his shadow, or did- whichever is supposed to mean no more winter.... Anyway, Sayed got a soccer ball for his sixteenth birthday from my parents and Tom, so we decided to go try it out! The only soccer field is where Sayed is the manager of the Lubbock High team, so we had to do a little fence-climbing/breaking and entering, of which Sayed was terrified. But it was all ok and June got her first lesson in breaking the rules!

June is running all over the place and has been for the last three weeks. She keeps going faster and faster. The whole downstairs of our house is pretty much baby-proofed, so I can do my work and she can run around and get into little things that I have strategically placed around for her. Perfect for both of us!

But anyway, soccer this afternoon was super fun. It was really nice. Sayed and Dan played while June tried to steal the ball...

Dan, of course, is the sweetest dad and let June play a little bit before he scored more goals than Sayed!

Nice afternoon in the sun- there is nothing like living somewhere where it is cold to appreciate the warmth when it comes!

The art of playing the piano

2011-02-03T15:36:00.004-06:00

I am sad to say that I am just not really one of those people who has the "knack" for playing the piano. On a good day, I can play 2-4 songs, and that is after 10 years of lessons. Suffice to say, it does not come naturally to me. I have to really work on it and learn a song.

Anyway, the other day, I was playing one of my 4 songs (which is very good, I might add, after 15 years of practice!) and June wanted to play with me. She had so much fun sitting at the piano with me, pointing at things, and occasionally hitting a note that, in her head, went along with the song I was playing.

Fun times.

Oh yes, Sayed was watching and Dan was taking pictures. Since I am the only one who knows how to play at all, I was considered an expert musician. I like it when things work out that way :)

Do we look at ALL alike?

Goat herders?

2011-02-01T11:07:00.000-06:00

Sayed finally got to talk to his mom and brothers the other day- he was SO excited! He has been trying to call them for a week and we couldn't figure out the number correctly... Anyway, when he spoke to his mom, she reminded him that he has gifts for us. Maybe he forgot to give them to us (like he said) or maybe he secretly doesn't like us and was saving them for his next, cooler family... Regardless, here they are in all their glory.

Dan thinking he is part of the Taliban:

Me wearing some of the clothes brought for Dan- I got all of the jewelry:

Dan enjoying his wares:

June and the jewelry:

One of the MANY pictures Sayed has taken of himself. In Afghanistan, the internet speed is so slow, they cannot upload pictures. I think he keeps taking these so I will upload to his facebook profile- we have about 50 to choose from (the other 150 were deleted because he didn't like them :)

Church with Mimi and Papa

2011-01-31T19:23:00.005-06:00

We got to dress up and go to church last weekend with Mimi and Papa. Our usual church is super casual, so it was really fun to get all dressed up and take Sayed to a beautiful church (where we got married), as well as show June off in her cute little dress that I have been saving for some such occasion.

Ok, so I only managed to take pictures at home before we left, but at least we got some!

And here is our current family plus one:

Ruidoso with Mahncke Parker's

2011-01-22T11:41:00.009-06:00

Three lovely days with our dear Mahncke Park friends in Ruidoso- what an experience! Four of our fun family friends came with us to Ruidoso this past weekend, and we had so much fun! Six babies, ten adults, and two babysitters- quite a weekend!

Katie, Julia, Laura, Courtney, and I had such fun with all the babies playing together

We, of course bought matching pajamas for all the little ones and had to get a great picture

Leni Hargesheimer, Landry Crowell, and June (all three within three weeks of each other in age)

We had a girls day out while the boys were at the casino and the fantastic babysitters stayed with the babies

And just spent some time in the pretty Ruidoso mountains

A wonderful weekend with our dear friends and all their little girls. Cant wait until we see them again for Fiesta in San Antonio in April!

Random goodness

2011-01-21T09:36:00.006-06:00

I just decided to upload my pictures from the last month and found a few really good ones that i could not pass up. (I take lots of my pics on my phone- oops)

Dan feeding June in the morning

Attempt at taking a Christmas card picture with the animal children

June's general bewildered look at holidays- this one being thanksgiving.

First time to watch the Polar Express with Cousin Vincent, who has seen it 17,456 times.

Bewilderment at Christmas...

Ahhh..... Toys....

Exploration at a young age

2011-01-19T13:38:00.006-06:00

Hmm, I wonder what is up there?.....

I think I will go and see....

What are these things?

Maybe I should taste them?

You don't see me, right? This is all mine.

Sayed, pronounced Sigh-Ed

2011-01-19T13:38:00.005-06:00

Sayed is here and doing wonderful! He is SOO sweet and very innocent and polite and subservient. We are so glad to have him and he has lots of wonderful information to tell us about his country, of which he is very proud and loves!

He said that is very silly and that we can totally post photos of him and I am now friends with he and his brother on facebook! He calls June his little sister and gives her lots of cute awkward hugs. His sweet father died five months ago and he is such a tender soul, saying how much he loved him.

I dropped him off for his first day of school today and had to explain how all the boys shower together- he was nervous because he says he is so skinny! (adorable!) But, we think he will be great after he gets the hang of everything. Lots of new things to introduce and explain, delicately :)

Sayed from Afghanistan

2011-01-11T11:22:00.010-06:00

We are getting a foreign exchange student! We totally did not expect it, but the Afghan government just released the top 10 students selected by the US government last July and they needed to find homes for them- pronto! (actually, they called us at 9pm sunday night and said they needed an answer by 8am the next morning or he would not be able to get his VISA). They were supposed to come in September, but there was a holdup with their government. War, you know...

Sayed will be the first Afghan student in Texas with this US-sponsored government program and we are the lucky ones to receive him! The government selects students from different countries that they feel will be future leaders, so we are getting a good one! He is 15 and his mother is a Dari language teacher and his father- an engineer. His sister studies journalism in college in Kabul and his brother- law. He also has another brother who is in high school. He will arrive Monday and be with us until the beginning of June.

I know that we will be learning many many things and hope that we can impart much American, Christ-centered knowledge as well. So, stay tuned for some good Afghani information.

....We are not allowed to post pictures of him online, due to protection from a war-torn country, etc. So, here is a random Google Afghani family, so you can get an idea. Email me if you would like to see the real one :)

And in case you were wondering who "they" were that called us in the middle of the night, asking us to embark on this super important American mission, it was unfortunately, not the CIA, but the little old foreign exchange student board, that we got involved with a few months ago. Not quite as important, but close! Pretty soon, they might be calling us for some intelligence opportunities since we will know all about Afghanistan and all.... ;)

Daddy

2011-01-10T10:40:00.007-06:00

Dan loves his little Gizmo (which is what he calls her). And she definitely loves him SO much too. But, she has already figured out what she does not like about him: his mouth kisses and his excessive picture taking! She tends to make this face and refuses to smile:

But, then, of course, she is cajoled out of her annoyance just like daddy does with mommy and is all smiles. She just can't resist her daddy!

Chickens- finally!!!

2011-01-10T08:58:00.007-06:00

For Christmas, Dan said he would build me a hen house. I have been begging for chickens for three years and he finally consented AND said he would make the house! So, he has been busy at work in the garage the last three weeks (look at his cute little safety goggles!), and it is much more than I expected! It is pretty much a real house, just smaller. Of course, he is very motivated by the fact that he is using the product he sells, Hardie Plank Siding to make it....

This picture is before the siding (just the frame), but he has already added siding. And he is painting it red with white trim and a tin roof- oh wonderful!!!

So, today, I ordered our little chicks. (I can barely contain my excitement) I am allowed to get three, but I ordered four in case one dies in shipment :( (I am kindof hoping it is the silver lakenvelder because she is supposed to be the least friendly- but I wish death on no fowl!) Anyway, here is what the little chickies that we ordered will look like:

Barred Rock Chick

Ameracauna Chick

Buff Brahma Chick

Silver Lakenvelder Chick

Of course, the hens will not be as cute as the chicks- just like puppies. But we will love them and raise them and eat their eggs (the ameracaunas have blue eggs!!) And, they will love us, of course! They are arriving on June's birthday- Happy Birthday, June!!! For those of you who don't know, that is February 23rd, so set your little timers for that date. Can you tell I am excited?!?!? (the hens are below in the same order as above...)

last week

2011-01-04T19:44:00.007-06:00

Lots going on around here lately. Good times, sad times, and lots in between.

Since Christmas, it's been very cold, so we have been having daily fires. Dan went and bought himself an axe and has been chopping us some wood (don't tell him most of it came pre-chopped!)

Then, my sweet great-aunt, Mary Ellen (89) died. And a day later, my good friend, Rachel's dad died. We had Rachel's family and another friend, Jenny staying with us for the weekend. And both funerals on monday. I am sure you remember Selah and Asher, Rachel's kids, from when they stayed with us before. Well, they were back to play with June!

We had a fun weekend, despite all the sadness, and had some wagon rides in June's new wagon (which has been a huge hit!), as well as walks with our neighbor, Zuda, and her dad and the dogs!

So, Monday, I went to Dallas for Aunt Mary Ellen's funeral, and Dan was going to go to Rachel's dad's funeral. But instead, he was called upon to take care of all the munchkins. Around 11am, he sent me a text with this picture saying "Help me!"

And then he left June in her pajamas all day....

But.... he did a great job with all the little kiddos- hopefully a little insight into the future! And here they are the day after everyone left and all returned to normal.

Where am I, you may ask, in all this? Behind the camera! But I'm here :)

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-30T15:17:00.002-06:00

Somewhat belated Christ-mas greetings, but Happy NEW YEAR!!! 2011!!! YAY!

Don't give up!

2010-12-15T15:03:00.005-06:00

If it looks like I have completely given up blogging- that is not true! All 5 of you loyal, faithful readers out there, we are still here! Man, the holiday season is so hectic! We have been out of town so much and keep forgetting the true meaning... Where does it go? What a clever little ploy of marketing atheists! All conspiracies here in Suzanne world- Dan dismisses most, but my mind enjoys them ;)

So, here are my friends, Courtney's and Laura's posts of June and I visiting our favorite place of San Antonio last week for a cookie exchange and good ole' Mahncke Park drama and fun! We had a wonderful time and loved our hosts- they could not have been more hospitable. There is much more to say, but where is the time to say it- yikes!

Mahncke girls before and After

June has friends!

Cookie Exchange!

Reminder for SuDan here: JESUS is the ONLY reason for this season. I am trying to live and leave all the stuff behind while focusing on Christ's birth and our praise of His coming to save us! What an awesome thought to comprehend. Although, it is somewhat un-comprehensible. Is that a word? Spell check didn't underline it for me, so pat on the back for that one!

Anyway, hope you are having a merry holiday season, probably without snow- but use your imagination! Only 10 days away!

AND here is a pic of us in all our fun travels these last few weeks- Dallas for Dan's company Christmas party, Lexington for my company Christmas party and fun visit with the Ditto cousins and San Anton. Who knows which airport this was taken in!?! Where are our sweet animals, you may ask? Agh! Who knows?! But they are here when we get home to welcome us and forgive us for leaving them and paying no attention, etc. I wish I could be more like that!

17 blocks

2010-11-24T22:07:00.004-06:00

Sunday morning, Dan decided that we were going to walk to church! So, 30 minutes early, we set off for 17 long blocks, which I am sorry to say is a pretty big accomplishment for me.....

For some reason, Meuf Te' was not allowed to come, only Vern because Dan had not filled his daily walk requirement yet. But June had a fantastic time and Vern, well Vern was Vern...

Then, we decided to keep our green streak going and took a family bike ride.

Great end to the fall in Lubbock. It's about to be our first real winter in quite a few years....

June's first words!

2010-11-14T21:27:00.002-06:00

It's official! June has said her first words and I, of course, had to catch them on video. Watch and love.... :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-03T14:16:00.008-05:00

We were in Dallas this past weekend for Dan's sister, Mia's fabulous wedding! It was just beautiful and so fun! I will post more on that later (with pics of June's little black dress!),

But right now, I just had to share June's little Halloween costume with you.

She didn't even mind having the hood on and just crawled around like an actual little lady bug :)

Morning at City Hall

2010-11-01T20:53:00.007-05:00

We spent last friday morning at City Hall campaigning for our fellow church members. It happened to be the coldest morning yet this year, so we got all dressed up to go!

Since we have moved to Lubbock, the Lord has led us to a church of primarily homeless people. A few years ago, neither of us would have ever thought that is where we would be, but we love it and love the fellowship we have with so many wonderful people, and the lessons Christ is teaching us through humility.

Anyway, friday morning, the city council was hearing opinions and voting on whether the homeless would be able to continue sleeping at the City Public Library downtown. They have slept there for many years and it is actually a good place because it is right next to the police station, so the city is able to keep an eye on them. But, people have started complaining that they leave it messy and store their things there, and its an eyesore, etc... So, the city was going to make an outlaw prohibiting it, which would send them "elsewhere." (i.e. all out into the neighborhoods where the police would have had to find them if they caused any problems, hence costing more money, causing more issues, and creating a larger problem...)

Well, Dan and June and I went in support. The City Council usually has about 2-3 people attend their meetings and friday morning, there were over 100! It was wonderful and we won (for now). They are tabling the issue and forming a committee. June was very vocal on the issue and had to sit outside in the hall with me, but we are proud of our little protester!

"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hand but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." - Saint Teresa of Avila

blackberries

2010-10-27T15:43:00.006-05:00

Last night, Dan made dinner while I picked June up from my mom's house. She keeps her every Tuesday, which is FANTASTIC for me. I am able to get tons done and have a short reprieve.

So, when I got home, Dan told me he had somehow conjured up some fresh mozzarella and he had little tomatoes and fresh mozzarella all cut up with balsamic vinegar and oregano and bread. This may not sound like much, but to me- its heaven!!! ANYthing with bread is wonderful for me. I like bread with absolutely every meal!

Anyway, at the end of dinner, he told me that the fresh mozzarella was actually June's string cheese that he had cut up and didn't it taste great and we didn't even need to buy fresh mozzarella anymore! (I must admit, it did taste just like fresh mozz, but I was still a little perturbed at him for pulling one over on me!)....

Moving on; June loves blackberries. They are super messy, as you can see, but it is pretty funny to watch her eat them! :)

She hoards them like they are her most precious possession...

8 months and counting

2010-10-19T13:21:00.007-05:00

June will be 8 months in just a few days, so I thought I would put a few pictures on here to commemorate the occasion. I have been playing with the mac photo editing buttons, as you can see. I am a total novice, but it sure is fun! She is growing up and looking cuter every day!

Snaggletooth

2010-10-10T20:25:00.004-05:00

Well, we have a little snaggletooth on our hands.

She has one tooth on top with two more coming in and two on the bottom. She is chomping away at food, although none of it actually goes in her stomach; it all comes back onto the floor, the high chair, her clothes, me, etc... But that's ok. We are just learning slowly how to eat and do all the other basic skills in life.... :)

Back to San Anton'...

2010-10-07T13:46:00.006-05:00

...just for a few days... We went back to San Antonio again because our house is selling (thank the Lord!) and we had to get everything out of it! It was weird going to San Antonio and not staying in our dear little house, but Courtney, David, and Charlotte were nice enough to offer their house for the weekend and we had a wonderful stay there.

Saturday night, Laura and Matthew had everyone over for a Fall Ball. June got to hang out with all her fun little friends:

and we got see all of ours!

Babies everywhere! I wish that June had little baby friends here. It is so fun to watch her with little ones her own age. But she will just have to be satisfied with her super cool and fun mommy right now.

A day in the life of Sudan

2010-09-25T20:52:00.004-05:00

Yes that is Dan standing on brother Clif aided by brother Travis (no, not monks- biological brothers) trying to reach a paint spot while I hysterically laugh and take pictures...... Brotherly love... :)

Oh Zeus!

2010-09-19T19:37:00.006-05:00

So I'm not sure if you remember our humongous cat lion, Zeus who calls our new house his home now. He is a very sweet cat, but when he first moved to the new house, we weren't here yet. He had to tough it out inside for the first week with no one here in a strange new place- not to mention that he is a mostly outside cat! It was not fun for him, even though i visited daily. So, we were painting over here one night and we left the skylights open in the upstairs loft room.

Zeus got it into his little head (that I think is a little disproportionate to his body) that he needed to get out and fast! So, he climbed out of the skylight on to our super steep roof. Well, that was all he wrote. He hadn't thought past the flight. He's not a great climber in the first place and he couldn't get down.

We tried and tried to coax him back into the skylight but he was just too scared. So, we went back to my parents' house for the night feeling pretty bad for him just meowing away up there.

The next morning, knowing Zeus was probably just hanging out up there scared, we took a ladder over to attempt the climb up to get him.

I was going to get him, but Dan in his macho manliness decided he would do it.

What a sight! He crawled up the super steep roof (with our new neighbors watching), got Zeus (who was still meowing) and scooted down!

I was hysterically laughing and Zeus was terrified, but we got him and I am pretty sure he is never attempting that again.

Oh Zeus, we'll keep you around a little while longer....

Happy 30th!

2010-09-13T09:24:00.004-05:00

A few years ago, Dan told me to never throw him a surprise party. Oops! I of course, did not listen, because who doesn't want to know that all their friends love them enough to keep a secret from them and then suddenly scare them out of their wits?! So, I put a few things together to throw him a surprise 30th birthday.

Today is Dan's 30th birthday- happy birthday! But last weekend was the day. Dan and I were in Dallas (I for Mia's (Dan's sister) bachelorette and him to take June and see his parents).

So, unbeknownst to him, I planned a little early surprise. Sunday morning, after a fun late night with Mia and Dena (his other sister) and friends, while he was at church, his friends and family came over and helped me decorate. Then, in walked Dan's parents, June, and Dan (just whistling along) and ta-da!

Fun times and a happy birthday. 30 great years down and many more to learn from and grow on :)

Morning Coffee

2010-09-08T14:21:00.005-05:00

Dan and I are both so grateful to be working from home. He is out and about alot, but his home base is our house, so some mornings we decide to take it easy before work. The past few mornings, I have been super lazy. Dan has gotten up and fed June and taken her on a walk to Starbucks.

About 30 minutes later, I get up and go meet them there (in, ahem, the car). Oh well. June and Dan get some father/daughter time, and I get some much needed rest!

It's been really chilly in the morning, hence the warm clothes. But it is so nice that fall is here (only in Lubbock, not in Dallas/San Antonio.) That is one good thing about living in Lubbock - the fantastic weather. Hope you have a wonderful fall day!

moving AGAIN!

2010-09-08T13:43:00.004-05:00

So, moving seems to be the story of our life right now. Last weekend, we went to San Antonio to get a few more things because we bought a house here in Lubbock! (yay! :) We drove all the way there (terrible drive) with June and Meuf Te' friday night.

Saturday, we walked in the early morning (no late mornings after babies) with Courtney and David. Here is how the babies looked with Courtney and I:

And here are Dan and David confused with what to do with the babies:

Saturday afternoon, we went to Laura and Matthew's daughter-Laney's birthday party at the pool with all our good Mahncke Park friends and then saturday night, some of them had a birthday party for Courtney and I, since our birthdays are 4 days apart. It was SO fun and of course, I forgot to take pictures, so this will have to suffice.

Then, Sunday, we had to load a few things in the u-haul and head back to Lubbock with the Zeus-man, who finally gets to join us! Lo and behold- Mad Moving Dan joined the party. Dan HATES moving, so when moving time comes, he checks out and lets Mad Moving Dan do all the work, Man, this guy is mad! He like moving even less than Dan, but he is the only one who will participate, so I put up with him and he stalks around trying to find something else bad about moving to be mad at.....

All of our friends came by sunday to say goodbye and everyone got to meet Mad Moving Dan. I wish you could too, but you will just have to imagine him. He doesn't allow photos. He is kin to Overbite Ernie

and Igor,

some of Dan's other friends. Oh the fun you miss around here ;)

But anyway, we drove back with a U-haul, Meuf Te', Zeus, sleeping June, and NO room in the car.

But we made it! And the day after we got back, our house in San Antonio went under contract and the movers are going to move all the rest of our stuff in three weeks! Oh, timing :) We did some painting this last week and will move into our new (but very old) house sometime in the next few days. Come and visit us in our new abode here in Lubbock!

Happy September!

2010-09-05T08:07:00.001-05:00

Feeding June

2010-08-18T17:14:00.006-05:00

June has crossed over into the world of real food. You might say, hey, why does this matter or why do I care? Well, you might not, but then again, you are following the life of SuDan, and this is a big part, so read on!

I think it is safe to say that at first, she hated absolutely everything.

Except her super bland rice cereal.

But as I continued to try every day, it got a little better and she liked pears. Then, a few days later, she accepted apples into her new taste palette.

And now she is doing very well with fruits, but does not like vegetables at all. We are really going to have to work on that because fruits lead to sugar and not a healthy diet! So, because carrots and sweet potatoes have been many times rejected, onto peas! We, I mean I am working on it...

Dan, oddly enough, let me in on his opinion of teaching children how to eat and how it just didn't fit into his clean way of life and he thought it was pretty gross. So, he informed me he would not be helping out with this part of June's life. Hmmm... Convenient.....

Italian anyone?

2010-08-18T16:45:00.007-05:00

So, for all who don't know- I married myself a full-bred Italian. He had to forgo his dreams of marrying another Italian Catholic to carry on the family blood lines, but he managed somehow and now we have ourselves a little Scottish Italian (with a few other nationalities in there). I don't know if you have met her yet- June? ;)

Anyway, Dan's mom, Cyndy is a fantastic cook - one that I could never hope to emulate, so I don't even try. I let her win all the cooking awards in this family and pass down her excellent Italian cooking genes to Dan, who does most of our cooking. (Usually very happily, but not in this picture...?)

Well, this past week, we were invited to an Italian dinner at a friend's house from high school. A fun chance to re-connect with all my fun high school girl friends and bring an Italian dish. Dan was busy with his new job and so it fell to me- AHH! I immediately called Cyndy, who was going to give me her authentic stromboli recipe, but when we thought about it, we realized that was just a little too much for Suzanne. SO... I made her Italian sausage recipe!

And.... it was a hit!!! It was the appetizer and was all gone before the meal even started- yay! (my friend, Ashley enjoying some scrumptious italian sausage)

So, maybe this little Scottish lady does have some cooking talents up her sleeve, but probably a little more realistic- Dan and Cyndy have rubbed off on me a little. Oh well- I'll take what I can get!

SuDan?

2010-08-03T16:50:00.008-05:00

Many people (you know, all our fans...) ask- how did Dan

and Suzanne

become SuDan?.....

Well, sometime I answer: there's Brangelina, Bennifer and CenTex, why not SuDan? Or I go into my interest in the impoverished country that took my much thought aboutwebsite name... But really, it is much more than that. We didn't put a lot of thought into SuDan in the beginning, besides my doodling on my school notebooks waiting for Dan to ask me to marry him, but it has become to mean a lot to our marriage. In fact, it is our marriage.

When Suzanne and Dan became SuDan, the Lord worked an amazing miracle in the both of us.

"And the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one." - Mark 10:8

He gave us the desire to work together and choose to love each other every day. Now, it is a choice we make every single day to continue in, but it is something that we desire to daily achieve. You see, in a manner of speaking, there is no more just Suzanne or just Dan, but instead we are only SuDan. We are one and we are no longer separate. And we are blessed daily because of it. If either of us had ever tried to figure this out on our own, we would be in a pretty big mess, but thankfully, the Lord put it all together for us!

There you have it- the saga of SuDan. If you want to know the full story, you might have to get a verbal. So, I leave you with June. How does she fit into all of this? Well, she's just June, as adorable as ever!

Ok, the move is not THAT bad....

2010-07-27T09:18:00.007-05:00

So, the last post was pretty depressing. I am sorry to bore you with my sad details, but hey, this is the SuDan life- good and bad!

Anyway, We are getting adjusted in our little back house in my parents' backyard. It sure does make us realize how little you really need in life. It seems like all the stuff that we hold on to so tightly just weighs us down and when we really release it and live simply, the Lord is able to work so much easier. I guess we have both been learning about what the Lord can do when you push everything aside that the world says you need. You really need none of it and it is up to us to look past that and focus on what really matters- living a life for Him in the midst of so many who can't see past the forest to the trees, so to speak.

If you want to hear more about our new ideas that the Lord is teaching us, you can read about them in these two books that we have been reading:

Crazy Love

Irresistible Revolution

Well, I can't leave you without an adorable little picture of June on her first flight with her Grandad flying. She didn't even blink an eye and fell asleep in our laps! :)

More to come on the new life in Lubbock and what is in store for SuDan, June, Vern, Meuf Te' and poor, displaced, little (or I guess, really big) Zeus-man, who is living with a friend in San Antonio until we find a house here....

We moved??

2010-07-22T17:06:00.004-05:00

We moved. And it is not so great. Here is my sweet friend, Laura's blog entry on our move. It will suffice for now, because I am too sad about leaving everyone to write anything.

We got here to Lubbock last night to a fantastic family and house, but Dan and I were sitting on the couch and I thought: Hmmm, today is wednesday. What do we have Wednesday night? Oh wait, nothing. We know no one and all our friends are back home.

So..... here we are. We are just learning to live out His plan and prepare for His next steps in our life.

Here is our last picture in front of 210 Allensworth

Weekend with Asher and Selah

2010-07-14T13:51:00.005-05:00

So, the countdown continues- only 7 days till the big move to Lubbock. Its going by so fast!

This past weekend, we had some of our friend's kids stay with us for the weekend- Asher and Selah. They could not have been more well behaved and we had such a fun time! Dan was the greatest playmate...

And I kept the fort down of course with all the planning of when and where to go and what to eat, etc.

Saturday night, we went to Bert and Julia's house and had one last get together with all the moms and babies (and Courtney, who is due any day!)

And June had such fun with her little friends that she is moving away from :(

But we are excited to start this new venture in life and leave the details up to the Lord. Only He can show us the right path to take and the best road to travel down. We work each day at leaving it in His hands, and not trying to take it in our own...

Family and Friends

2010-06-28T16:57:00.004-05:00

This past week, we have had an influx of family and friends visiting and being visited...

We had a guy from our church (Dennis) move in with us for the last month we are here:

Aunt Mon (Dan's uncle's wife from Maryland) visited and hung out with June and I for the day:

And then we went to Houston for Jenny's (my friend from church) wedding and stayed with Dan's sister, Dena, her husband, Brian, and June's only cousin- Vincent!:

We are so blessed to have such fun people in our life. I thought they deserved an entry all to themselves.

A good day

2010-06-23T11:23:00.003-05:00

Happy Anniversary SuDan! 3 years down and with the Lord's blessing, many more to come :)

And also Happy 4 month birthday to little Junie. We went to the doctor today and she weighs 12 pounds, 12 ounces! (50th percentile- meaning she is bigger than 50% of babies her age) and is 24 3/4 inches (75th percentile!!). Wow- quite a growth spurt from last month....

What a change from four months ago!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T22:48:00.002-05:00

We had a great day sunday hanging out with Daddy Dan. June gave him a book about how much she loves him and he got to go shopping at Whole Earth Provisions- his favorite store.

Life sure has changed from a year ago when we had just found out we were pregnant and still had no idea what a whole new world little June would bring. But we are so grateful for her constant interruptions and daily new experiences.

Swimming!

2010-06-21T16:30:00.008-05:00

So, somehow, I have forgotten about my blog the past few weeks, but I guess a lot has been going on. We finalized a move date- July 20th! And figured out that we will be living in my parents' back house until the perfect house comes up for sale (that could be awhile in Lubbock...).

In the meantime, June has been taking swim lessons. We go to a saline pool at a lady's house in our neighborhood and June has been learning all sorts of things! She is in a class with 4 other babies and she is the only one who doesn't cry when separated from me (that might not be a good thing...).

She can go under water and come back up (kindof) on her own and after the first two days did so without crying. She has learned to take deep breaths (or be startled when you blow in her face) and can be under for about 5 seconds.

And she can go under water to me and come up happy! Remarkable :)

She is doing great and we are trying to enjoy our last few weeks in our fun San Antonio.

ANOTHER un-invited guest

2010-06-02T11:38:00.009-05:00

We are going to play a game. You like games, right? Especially one where you test your ability to join the CIA in Special Intelligence forces? Ok, well if not, play for fun. What is amiss in this picture below? (Scrolling down is cheating!)

Well in case you miserably failed your CIA entrance exam, don't worry. Dan and I did too, for an entire day sitting right under it!!! What am I talking about? Ok, NOW you can scroll down!!

This little guy (he is pretty cute if you get past his ugliness...) is in fact, Charles Bat the IV. Three of his relatives have also visited us in the past three years, although Meuf Te' killed one of them. (She is NOT as hospitable!) Now before you say, how could you not have noticed him? Look back at the first picture and see how nicely he blended in...

We discovered him sleeping in our shutters last night for an entire day while Dan and June and I went about our business and did not notice his polite, un-disturbing company. I think that was what he was intending, dear little man. He did not bring harm, but only asked for a quiet place to lay his head while he could not see during the day. Silly us, we only noticed him at 10pm while getting in bed. The lights were not out yet, so he was happily dozing.

So as not to interrupt his sleep, Dan quietly removed him and let him frolic into the night.

And then we shut off our fireplace that has been welcoming all these little intruders. All the while, June was quietly sleeping not noticing a thing:

Hope you are well, dear Charles Bat the IV. We would not like any more visits, but we wish you and your relatives good cheer!

Moving from the bungalow

2010-05-24T21:33:00.004-05:00

So, our precious little craftsman bungalow was put on the market today. We decided to list it ourselves for a few weeks and see what happens, and while June and I were walking around during fussy time from 5-6pm, someone stopped and got the first flyer- yay!

Here are a few little memories in our house with more to come later when it actually sells...

Yes, that is Dan as Kermit the frog!

Before we had June, our first three little loves:

Was he really this cute and easy at one time?

So, our journey has begun. Can we sell this house on our own? We have no idea, but we sure have done a lot to get it ready. We will miss you little house if you ever get sold. You have been a big part of the beginning of the SuDan life!

Suzanne's first ballet recital!

2010-05-17T15:47:00.006-05:00

Haven't you always wondered what I looked like doing this ballet I always talk about? Well, now you can see!! I have been doing ballet for the last 4 years and this is the first recital I have been in. It was so stressful (since I am terrible), but really fun. I will not tell you which one I am, but I am sure you will be able to tell by who messes up (don't laugh- it's super embarrassing, but I guess, pretty funny....)

It was a full house and Dan and June and our friends David and Courtney had seats on the back row, but its still good footage. Hooray for my first ballet recital!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-17T15:06:00.006-05:00

Well, after finding out the sad news that we are going to have to leave all our wonderful friends here in San Antonio, Dan got together with a few guys from our neighborhood and planned a big Mother's Day surprise! (four moms and two pregnant)

It was a bunch of clues on Mother's Day- each of us got one of them and we all had to work together and piece them together to figure it out. After finally figuring it all out (after about 100 text messages back and forth), it ended up being a mom's night out- yay! The guys offered to all meet at one house and babysit the babies- (what an event) while we went in a limo out to dinner.

We had SO much fun and all could not believe how thoughtful our husbands are! What a great group of friends- we really will miss everyone... :(

June, don't you know who your mommy and daddy are? You can't just fall asleep in ANYone's arms!!

Happy Suzanne Day (yesterday...)

2010-05-16T13:13:00.004-05:00

In case you missed the momentous monthly (every 15th) occasion yesterday, Abby (dear cousin) came to celebrate and meet June. Always fun visiting with such a carefree, kindred spirit. :) Happy Suzanne Day and have a wonderful Sunday!

June's first trip out of town

2010-05-14T16:13:00.005-05:00

This past week, we went to Dallas, then to meet my parents at the lake, then on to Lubbock. What a trip! June did fantastic- lots of sleeping, so we tried to travel during her nap and night sleeps.

We were in Dallas for Mother's Day and June got to meet her Great Grandma Lena (her namesake) for the first time.

Lots of playing with Noni and PapPap and Aunt Mia and soon to be Uncle Dom, She worked all weekend on holding her head up for long periods of time and rolling over from front to back.

Then, we went for a few hours to my grandmother's in Dallas and lots and lots of family came over to meet little June for the first time.

Here is my grandfather's brother and his wife- Uncle Frank and Aunt Sandy. So cute!

Here is the cute little lady looking at her Uncle Greg-

We then went on to Lubbock (where we took no pictures), but we put an offer in on a house because Dan got a job and we are moving there within the next few months. Crazy! There is going to be lots going on this summer so keep us in your prayers for this next new phase!

10 weeks and three nights!

2010-05-05T07:47:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, June turned 10 weeks old. Yay June :) She also commemorated her 10 weeks by sleeping from 11pm - 7am three nights in a row! Stay asleep little Junie- Daddy and I need sleep too!

Two Baths and a Shower

2010-05-04T22:23:00.008-05:00

I guess you could say I am not a bather. Some people take like, 3-4 a day and love it. That is not me; I really think 3-4 a week would be more my style, if I had my way. (Dan will not allow that, unfortunately...) When I was younger, I even created in my head, a water proof book-holder so that I could read in the shower. This never blossomed any farther, but it was a good idea! Showers are just so boring...

Anyway, yesterday was different. In the morning, I had to take my normal shower to wash my hair (oh that it would stay clean longer than two days!) And then at 6pm, I took my nightly bath with June, which is our favorite time of the day. But then....we had a kickball game. Normally, I would just wait until the next bathing came along, but last night, after the game, I had my weekly race with my friend Clay and somehow ended up getting run over! We started our races 5 weeks ago- him to stay in shape, me- to lose the baby weight. And each week has been a challenge!

After the past few weeks, our score has been Clay- 3, Me-1 in wins. But last night, I beat him and paid for it! He somehow missed the finish line and ran me over! You can't even see the finish line, we rolled so far! I rolled a few times and have several scrapes and bruises to prove it, but I WON! Now, we are 3-2. Next week, I will bring it to a tie and then win the championship!!

All that to say, I came home to soak in the bath (for my third bathing of the day). Aren't you proud?!

Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

2010-05-03T19:24:00.002-05:00

My friend, Courtney found the name of the duck family I followed the other day- Aren't they just precious?!? I need to follow up with the Country Club and make sure they got to where they were going...

Make Way for Ducklings!

2010-04-29T10:36:00.007-05:00

When my brothers and I were little, my dad used to read us a book called "Make Way for Ducklings" that his parents had read to him when he was little. It is such an adorable book that every child should have and I have my own copy now on my shelf.

Well, today, I got to experience the real thing for myself! One of my neighbors knocked on my door and told me to hurry outside and look and lo and behold: mom and dad duck with their 14 little ducklings walking down our street! They were a very unusual species that I can't find anywhere on the internet...But I was just ecstatic! I ran inside, grabbed my camera and followed them down the street (at the same time committing a CPS violation leaving June asleep in her swing).

They were going away from the park and I was really worried that they were lost. There is no water on our street, but at the end of our street is the Alamo Heights Country Club. So perhaps, there is some water on the golf course. But to get there, they would have to first cross a really busy street. I had to go "make way" for them!!! So, I followed discreetly behind so as not alarm them, and they just walked along in their little line. They would stop every few houses and the dad would go a little ahead to scout things out (JUST like in the book!) and all the babies would gather behind the mom. Then they would start again. ADORABLE!

Well, of course, they came to the busy street. (I had picked up a few people on the way down the block) and we all stood in the street to let them pass. The dad definitely looked both ways though and off they went.

There was a huge fence in between them and the country club, but that did not stop them. The dad scouted out a hole, got through and then the mom and dad talked to each other for a minute and she found another hole for all the babies to follow. Just priceless!

I, of course, went home (June was still asleep), called the country club and warned them of their important guests. They said they would notify maintenance right away and get them safely to water! How lovely! I sure wish I could have gotten pictures of us directing traffic, but you will have to imagine. (And we are getting a camera lens that zooms alot better hopefully very soon.) There was this old man helping the ducks with me and he said "Now, there is a picture of a good family." And I thought how true that was. You know, ducks mate for life. And talk about parental obedience. There was no-one out of line in that family... I was so glad to get to experience that little example of God's ideal for a family. :)

Bedspreads

2010-04-28T16:37:00.006-05:00

Lately, I have been loving pictures of bedrooms. Once I get Meuf Te' re-trained (She has decided she is not loved anymore and has un-potty trained herself) and get her sleeping in her bed by herself, we would like a white bedspread, or just something different. So, I have been considering something similar to these options below:

Don't you just love the serenity of those beds? Hopefully a change sometime in the near future for the great SuDan! But for now, we will stick with our lovely quilt. And in case you thought that I could actually post something without June in it, I will leave you with this latest love:

Random

2010-04-26T21:03:00.005-05:00

With all the visitors we have had lately, I forgot to mention one of my Dad's best friends- Ty. He came to visit a few weeks ago and June immediately took to him. I am sure most of you blog readers out there do not know who Ty is, but you are sorely missing out on a classic character! I cannot even describe how hilariously fun and entertaining Ty is. He was only here for an afternoon, but we heard many good stories and relished in his great West Texas voice!

After he left, June had her daily bath. Naked time is her favorite time of the day- she lays on the bathroom floor on her towel while the bath fills up and just kicks around. She looks hilarious! So, i had to include that in here:

And lest everyone forget who actually writes this blog, I am including a picture of yours truly. If you are wondering where all my hair went; I needed a quick trim and my hair place charged $55, so I asked Dan to just trim off the bottom and even out the dead ends. Well, six inches later, here is my hair... But oh well, it will grow back!

More kids...

2010-04-25T21:06:00.006-05:00

We have been contemplating, these last two months: the accumulation of more children to run around. So, we thought what better way to get a feel for it than to babysit. Our friends, Rachel and Corey graciously lent us two of their adorable ( and as you can see, slightly messy) children- age 2 and 3:

and then our neighbor Lizzy, down the street contributed one of hers (age 3) as well. A game of tag ensued:

fast forward to six hours later and everyone wants to be held by Dan!

And here is sweet June, who slightly minded the attention being taken off of her, but had a very good attitude while all of her stuff was being thrown all over the house and the kids were hiding in her room during hide and seek.

Interesting afternoon, but we feel like we could handle a few more.... :)