Summer is here!

May has been quite busy for us! We've been enjoying the weather before it gets to be in the 100's and have acquired some awesome tans because of it! Here are some snapshots from our various adventures.

 Fun at bath time

 Mother's Day - the day started off with cinnamon rolls and pigs in a blanket from Ethan. I received some sweet cards from Ethan and Olivia, along with these flowers that I was able to enjoy a few days earlier.

 Annual Girls' River Trip to the Comal in New Braunfels - this year was extra-special, sort of a send-off for Steph who will be moving to North Carolina in July. We enjoyed a lot of sun-time on the crystal clear and calm waters of the Comal, but so were some snakes, so I wasn't in the water too much. In downtown Gruene, we managed to win a couple of Jerry Jeff Walker tickets, but since not all of us could go, we decided to sell the tickets and spent the night and morning watching the movie, "The Vow." Good time and good food spent with great friends!

 Snack time with best friends at the Houston Zoo. Yes, it was WARM, but we decided to take advantage of the "cooler" weather along with the Finks who are in town from Wichita! We've missed them so much!

 Waiting in line to ride the Zoo Carousel

 On the carousel

 Pool fun at Mrs. O's house

 But, we spent most of the time in the swing...

 Uncle Trav and Lynn came down from OKC to visit us and Galveston on Memorial Day weekend.

Celebrating Papa's birthday

 Picnic Fun at church

 Hanging out at the pool on Memorial Day

 Ready, set....

 ......go!!

 Taking it easy

Kisses for momma

 We enjoyed a members-only sneak preview of the new Paleontology Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science before it opens to the general public on Sunday. The girls also participated in a private science experiment lesson on oxygen and carbon dioxide. It was our very own "Sid the Science Kid" super fab lab!

 In front of one of the T-Rexes (T-Rexi?) in the new Paleontology Hall. The museum was still putting on the finishing touches to the new permanant exhibit. I plan on coming back soon, maybe sans kids, so I can actually stop and read the captions of each piece.

 Run for your life!!

 Pointing out the baby dinosaur

Bye-bye T-Rex....such an awesome experience!! We'll be back!!

Books

Ever since we finished with my Bible study, I've been reading through various books on parenting that friends from church have suggested. I've been reading a couple great books by Barbara Curtis, who has 12 kids, so she knows what she's talking about! I am also reading Tedd Tripp's books on shepherding and instructing a child's heart (aka: a child's behavior!)

But my most favorite book so far is Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic, suggested by the wife of one of our pastors. It's so great that I've read it twice in two weeks. You can tell she is a hilarious person by the picture she chose to put on the cover.... 

She is a mother to five kids under the age of five; 4 girls and 1 boy. Here is one of my favorite excerpts from her book in a chapter called, "Spirited Riders":

Titus is so simple - just right up the middle and easy. He either disobeys, or he doesn't. Sometimes, when he feels really complicated and deep, he fusses. I am sure he will grow into more difficult problems (competition, for one), but right now there are no subtexts with this kid. He wants milk - that is why he is fussing and saying, "I want milk!" Not so complex - even a beginner parent can figure out a technique to deal with this. But girls are different, and sometimes that difference can leave a person completely bewildered. When it comes to little girls and their emotions, "A" does not necessarily cause "B." But when "B" is what needs to be disciplined, it can feel frustrating to have no clues as to what member of the alphabet actually caused it. Are you with me here?

This all-too-real onset of early girl drama has been happening with Olivia recently. I won't get into the details of our potty-training drama, but Jankovic hit the nail on the head! Olivia can be completely happy one moment, and then start wailing for no apparent reason within the 15-second walk to the kitchen or bathroom (moms - tell me you get excited when you can go to the restroom alone in peace without a pair of toddler eyes staring at your every movement, sound and wrinkle on your body?!) Oh, and don't get me started about the pickiness with her food. I just wonder one day, if we have a son, will he act out like this? Will he pretty much eat anything that we put on his plate? Well, I guess we'll find out if we get to hop on that journey when we have our gender ultrasound in June!

Jankovic closed the chapter with this:

Give her lots of praise when you see her overcoming little emotional temptations.

Be right there with her as she learns to recognize what is happening. Little girls can be scared out of their minds when their emotions charge off with them. They need the security of parents pulling them back.

The goal is not to cripple the horse, but equip the rider. A well-controlled passionate personality is a powerful thing. That is what dangerous women are made of. But a passionate personality that is unbridled can cause a world of damage. If you see a lot of passion in your little girls, don't be discouraged. It is just wonderful raw material. Our house is pretty near full to overflowing with this kind of raw material! But don't treat it lightly either - runaway horses can be a real threat to your little girls.

This book is a must-read for parents of both boys and girls!







Community Bible Study

Olivia and I were have been so blessed to be a part of Community Bible Study since the beginning of the school year. CBS is an inter-denominational bible study for ladies of all ages. There are a number of CBS groups in the Houston area, but I belong to the NW chapter that meets on Wednesday mornings at the Foundry Church on Jones Rd. near 290.

The CBS program provides in-depth studies of books of the Bible, brought to us by core-group discussion time, devotionals, lectures and daily homework. This year, we studied Hebrews, Galatians and James. Next year, we are studying the books of Mark and Ephesians. I feel as though I have grown more spiritually, and have learned so much about how to live my life first for Jesus, others and then myself.

Even though I have been so fortunate to gain so much from the program, especially from those ladies in my core group, I cannot praise the CBS Children's program enough!! Olivia has learned so much about being a loving child and servant of God, and wears her heart proudly for Jesus from learning Bible stories, lessons, songs and memorizing scripture from her awesome CBS teachers.

CBS is moving to Thursday mornings next year, and since I had already registered her for school Tuesdays and Thursdays next year, she won't be back for another year. So sad. Today on their last day, the children performed songs they had learned all year. It's so funny to watch Olivia. She is just a HAM for crowds, and then of course, forgot most of her words and routine during the performance! She was one of the younger children on stage. But, I did enjoy hearing her sing all the words as we drove home, ate lunch and sat down to watch these videos.

Click here to watch video #1

Click here to watch video #2

Click here to watch video #3

Click here to watch video #4

Ready, set, action! (updated)

Here are some fun videos of Olivia we've taken in the last month. I've had to upload them to our YouTube channel for viewing. Enjoy!


Olivia's Jammy Dance:
Click here to view

Olivia does Sesame Street's Count:
Click here to view

Olivia sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star":
Click here to view


Olivia at swim class. She is still not quite swimming on her own yet, but her latest accomplishment is simply just letting go!

Swim Video 1
Click here to view

Swim Video 2
Click here to view

Swim Video 3
Click here to view

"Whatever you do, it all matters..."

Recently, there's been a lot of buzz between differing opinions on how much worldly and economic knowledge is experienced from being a stay-at-home mom vs. a working mom. My opinion on the matter was very easily formed, with imaginary fists in the air.

But then, I heard this song on the radio just today. Being a hormonal mom at the moment, I got teary-eyed. And then I got to thinking: we shouldn't be ranking our level of knowledge by how much we can relate to the economy section of the newspaper, but we should be looking at what's most important: earthly knowledge vs. eternal knowledge?

I hope you enjoy the song.

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"Do Everything" by Steven Curtis Chapman, 2011


You're picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We'll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you

Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do

Maybe you're that guy with the suit and tie
Maybe your shirt says your name
You may be hooking up mergers, cooking up burgers
But at the end of the day
Little stuff big stuff in between stuff
God sees it all the same
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We'll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Well maybe you're sitting in math class
Maybe you're on a mission in the Congo
Maybe you're working at the office
Singing along with the radio
Maybe you're dining at a five star
Or feeding orphans in Myanmar
Anywhere and everywhere you are
Whatever you do it all matters
So do what you do and don't ever forget
to do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do

Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace as you do

Everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do

Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace with every move that you make
And every little thing that you do

Every little thing you do

Thump-thump, thump-thump...

My last post was about how my heart melted when Olivia said her first "thank you" without prompting. So, I thought I would continue the heart theme into today's post.

I couple weeks ago, Ethan and I were able to get away for a weekend to our favorite spot, Hyatt Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, TX. This place is magical. So magical that your blood pressure immediately drops down to relaxation mode the moment you step out of your car. Ethan had just finished up an amazingly busy week at work, along with some tough sleepless nights with Olivia, and I had just finished planning Olivia's 2nd birthday party, so we were ready for some virgin pina coladas by the pool asap. A few days before the trip, I received an email from the resort stating that they were hosting a half-marathon & 5K race with 2,500 participants the morning after we arrived. Set-up would begin at 5am, so noise would begin at 5am. I think one day I may register for this race, but this weekend was all about my favorite S-word...SLEEP! Think...low bpm....with Benadryl before bed.

As soon as we arrived at the resort Friday, along with 2,500 ladies with oh-so-awesomely toned legs, arms and abs, I rushed to the front desk to request a room AWAY from the start and finish line of the race. I was so desperate for sleep, that I almost pointed out the bags underneath my eyes.  But I didn't. Did I mention how much I love this resort? Well, they not only honored my request, but they upgraded us to a king room with a balcony facing our favorite part of the resort: the ADULTS-ONLY spa pool.

Our weekend consisted of eating, sleeping, laying out by the pool, napping by the pool, a nature hike, an organized star-gazing excursion, and Ethan even fit in a couple workouts at the spa gym for us. We typically don't travel with Olivia, but we will go back to the Hyatt in the fall with her. They have an amazing family pool area. We can't wait to go back. We didn't take as many pictures this time since we took so many last year, but here are a few:

 First thing after check-in: lounge by the pool with a cold drink in hand. Ethan's in the water getting a tube to float the lazy river area.

 Morning hike along the Colorado River

 Ethan thought this looked cool along our hike.

 Post-race party.

Last time at the pool before checking-out, and back into reality.

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When I ask Olivia where Jesus lives, she responds with "In O-via's heart!" So as Easter came around, she was all about sharing her love and heart for Jesus!

By the way, Ms. Jacque is Olivia's Sunday-school teacher, and she is in love with her! 

We had so many fun activities for Olivia to enjoy leading up to Easter. Olivia had a total of three egg hunts, so by the time we arrived for one at Grammy and Papa's house Sunday afternoon, she knew exactly what to do. Earlier that day, we had a wonderful time worshiping at church and seeing all of our friends. We didn't have Sunday school, so we had lots of extra time in the morning making banana pancakes, smoothies, bacon and taking pictures of Olivia in her Easter outfit. Here are some pictures from this memorable weekend:

 Dyeing Easter eggs!

 Neighborhood egg hunt

 Easter Sunday morning

 Easter dinner and egg hunt at Grammy's and Papa's

__________________________________________

Thump-thump...thump-thump...

My heart isn't the only one beating in my body.

After a long time of trying, and only a few months away from beginning fertility testing, we found out a couple months ago that we are pregnant! We had our first pre-natal appointment a couple months back to confirm the pregnancy with an ancient sonogram machine, and this past Monday, we were able to actually hear Ziggy #2's heart beating at 154 bpm! Ziggy is short for zygote, by the way....

Every single day, I thank God for this amazing blessing. Of course, we were hoping to be pregnant last year, but looking back, I understand that I couldn't predict God's timing. I totally get it now. We actually found out we were pregnant the week after my aunt finished her radiation treatments! If that's not perfect timing, I don't know what is. But, I trust that He heard our very first prayers about it, but just wanted me to hold on. This was nothing but a God-thing.

So here are the details:

- Ziggy #2 is due on October 31 (future birthday party themes - DONE!) 

- There's only ONE in there!

- Yes, we are finding out in June if it's a boy or girl

- No, Ethan and I are not discussing whether we are hoping for one over the other

- No, I haven't had any "morning sickness", but nausea is pretty prevalent around all sorts of smells. I've had headaches & fatigue galore. I can't stand the sight of raw fish or raw shrimp, but raw chicken is okay this time around. Preparing and then sitting down to eat the same meal is rather difficult. I am in love with fruit, chips and smoothies.

- I have a slight baby bump and it appeared much earlier this time around. Elastic is my friend.

- When you ask Olivia what she's going to be, she responds with "A big sister! Mommy have baby!"

We have an ultrasound scan next week on April 19th. I will keep posting updates about Ziggy #2, but please continue to pray for good health. Thank you so much!

My Heart Melts

This morning, Olivia and I took a walk around Coles Crossing Park with a good friend. We had bought a Groupon to Smart Drinks, and needed to use it soon, so Olivia and I headed there after our walk and play time at the park. I ordered a large smoothie and had the guy put some of it in a separate smaller cup for Olivia to have.

The guy and I were looking at a whey protein mix for Ethan, and all of a sudden, Olivia looks up at me from taking a long sip of her smoothie and says, "thank you momma." My heart melted. When she was itty bitty, we always spoke the words "thank you" and "you're welcome" in hopes of one day she would say them when she started talking. Since she started talking, we would always remind her of when to say those nice words and ask her to repeat them. But, she had never said it on her own without any prompting until today!

I have those days that can be oh so demanding and my energy is zapped by 1pm, but all of that is nothing compared to the joy I felt today with Olivia. Just one of those snapshot moments I will always cherish. I love you, Olivia.