Today is my eighth wedding anniversary. I feel so very blessed to be married to the most wonderful man I know. I hope we have many, many, many more years together. I can only imagine the adventures we will have. In celebration of our anniversary, this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is...
Top Ten Reasons I Love My Husband
10. He makes me the most delicious desserts--what girl could resist that?
9. He gives the most amazing hugs!
8. He's been very positive about our move to Texas, but I know he really misses his family and I love that about him. He's a good person with a good heart.
7. He's not afraid to be silly; in fact, he may be the silliest person I know. Silly dancing is his specialty.
6. He always does his very best when working no matter what the job is.
5. He loves our dogs and is still mourning Pauli's death.
4. He puts up with my sub par cleaning and uninspired cooking--and does both when I'm really slacking.
3. He's an incredible father to John and Norm and is truly sad when he has to leave them to go to work each day.
2. He always manages to make me feel sexy even when I'm in my pajamas, with no make-up and major bedhead.
1. He can always make me smile.
To see some fun pictures from our past together, go here (last year's Top Ten Tuesday: Anniversary Edition.)
May you all be blessed in life and love!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Movie Monday: Flirt Edition
This week's featured movie is of sweet little Norm flirting with me. I tried to get him to talk too, but at filming time he just wanted to smile and flirt. Norm turned 12 weeks on Saturday and will be 3 months old on the 17th. My how time flies!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Weekend Fun: Photo Shoot
This weekend B, J, N and I went to our neighborhood pools (there are two within walking distance of our house) for the first time. We also spent some time at the neighborhood playground. It was a lot of fun and a nice break from unpacking. Here are some pics of the first pool and the playground. Enjoy!
(photo removed)
Our house. We're not parked in the garage yet as it's still full of boxes.
B was happy to see the Dr. Pepper vending machine greeting us as we entered the pool area.
J wasn't sure what to think of these turtles (there are two) in the pool.
B and J swimming.
Then we had to check out this sprinkler area next to the pool. We're not sure how we did it, but we managed to make some of the sprinklers come on. They felt really nice in the heat.
Every so often, water starts coming out of a different part of the sprinkler park.
N got sprinkled, but he didn't seem to mind.
On one side of the pool, there is a shelf that has 6 inch deep water. It's a fun place to relax and hang out.
I put the camera on timer so I could get a picture of B, J and I on the shelf.
More shelf fun. J loved it so much, he didn't want to go back in the main part of the pool with B.
This is J's favorite new thing to do: the hippo face.
J and N in our new double stroller on the way to the playground.
The playground (right next to the pool)
J likes to peek out this "window" at us.
J trying some rock climbing. This was as high as he got.
Then J decided to climb up this "rock wall."
He made it all the way to the top! This is a big deal as J has never been a very good climber.
What's that? The hippo face.
J on a swing. If you look closely...yes, that's the hippo face.
J on the dinosaur stairs.
And, in case you were concerned, N was having fun too!
B was happy to see the Dr. Pepper vending machine greeting us as we entered the pool area.
J wasn't sure what to think of these turtles (there are two) in the pool.
B and J swimming.
Then we had to check out this sprinkler area next to the pool. We're not sure how we did it, but we managed to make some of the sprinklers come on. They felt really nice in the heat.Every so often, water starts coming out of a different part of the sprinkler park.N got sprinkled, but he didn't seem to mind.On one side of the pool, there is a shelf that has 6 inch deep water. It's a fun place to relax and hang out.I put the camera on timer so I could get a picture of B, J and I on the shelf. More shelf fun. J loved it so much, he didn't want to go back in the main part of the pool with B.This is J's favorite new thing to do: the hippo face.J and N in our new double stroller on the way to the playground.The playground (right next to the pool) J likes to peek out this "window" at us. J trying some rock climbing. This was as high as he got.Then J decided to climb up this "rock wall."He made it all the way to the top! This is a big deal as J has never been a very good climber.What's that? The hippo face. J on a swing. If you look closely...yes, that's the hippo face.J on the dinosaur stairs.And, in case you were concerned, N was having fun too!Saturday, August 9, 2008
Count Your Blessings
Brian, John, Norm and I went out to eat last night. It was nothing fancy, just a nice little family sit down dinner out. Norm was awake off and on, but was good. John didn't eat a lot of his dinner, but was happy and well-behaved. Brian and I got to sit and eat and talk. It was really nice.
Anyway, towards the end of our meal, a woman who was sitting next to us got up to leave. She came over to the table to tell us how impressed she was with John. She has a 2 1/2 year old son and 9 month old twins. Her husband is currently in Iraq. I can't imagine.
It was just a little reminder of how very blessed I am. So today I am counting my blessings and they are many. I am also saying a little prayer for all the dads in Iraq and for all their wives and children who are here at home without them.
Anyway, towards the end of our meal, a woman who was sitting next to us got up to leave. She came over to the table to tell us how impressed she was with John. She has a 2 1/2 year old son and 9 month old twins. Her husband is currently in Iraq. I can't imagine.
It was just a little reminder of how very blessed I am. So today I am counting my blessings and they are many. I am also saying a little prayer for all the dads in Iraq and for all their wives and children who are here at home without them.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
An amazing mom and a great cause
Please check out this blog to read about a life altering experience and a chance to support a great cause:
http://earthchicknits.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/full-circle-a-raffle-and-a-ridiculously-long-post/
http://earthchicknits.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/full-circle-a-raffle-and-a-ridiculously-long-post/
8 out of 10
Well, it's been over a week since I slowed down long enough to blog. It's been a very busy week and two days, but it's been a good busy. I've accomplished quite a bit including most of the items on my Top Ten Things I Need to Do list. (I still need to get gifts for Pat and Kate and get my Texas driver's license, but 8 out of 10 isn't too bad.)
John solved the bedroom problem by choosing which bedroom he wanted and which bedroom should be Norm's. We had already designated our room (the master bedroom--kind of obvious) and the guest room (or Mooma's room as John has named it.) I have not bought a new monitor. I just put my old monitor in the hallway between John's room and Norm's room and that seems to be doing the trick.
I found a preschool for John and signed him up for Tuesday and Thursdays from 9AM to 1PM. The preschool is at First Presbyterian Church in Allen, Texas. This is ironic as the preschool that I went to and that 2 of my nephews and 1 of my nieces goes to in Virginia is at First Presbyterian Church. The preschool is about 20 minutes from my house which is farther than I had hoped for, but was the closest one I could find that was over before naptime. All the recommended preschools in McKinney were from 9AM to 2PM or 2:30PM and I just felt that was not the right schedule for John. Luckily for me, he still takes a 2 to 3 hour nap each afternoon starting around 1:30PM.
I bought a washer and dryer. I decided on a Frigidaire front loader washer and the coordinating dryer. So far I am really happy with both.
I stopped in The Colony (the closest "wet" town) on my way home from picking my mom up from the airport and she was nice enough to purchase us some bourbon and some gin as a housewarming present. The three of us (my mom, Brian and I) have enjoyed drinking both for the last week. Yes, I am finally drinking alcohol again after about a year off because of being pregnant or being too damn tired. I have to say, it's right nice to sit back and enjoy a cold beer or a bourbon and ginger after a long hot sweaty day in the Texas heat. It was around 105 for a week, but has now dropped to the more reasonable upper 90s to 100.
We are fully out of the apartment. (Yay! No more lugging the boys and Zoe up and down the stairs every time we go anywhere or return.) All of our stuff is in the house although much of it is still in boxes. We have made good progress in putting stuff away. The furniture issue seems to be decided--at least we've decided what room everything is going in. We still need to arrange the furniture the way we want it to stay in both the family room and the upstairs game room.
My mom was here from last Friday (the day after our stuff arrived and the first night we slept in our new house) until this morning. She was so wonderful while she was here. John and Norm were so happy to have some quality Mooma time. I was so happy to have an extra set of hands, especially a set that is so capable and willing to help. Our biggest adventure while my mom was here was our first trip to the Dallas Zoo. Brian's sister, Kristin, was kind enough to give us a family membership to the Dallas Zoo as a housewarming gift. It was really hot on Sunday when we went to the zoo (around 105), but we still managed to have a great time. Unfortunately because of the heat, a lot of the animals were not out and about. John was crushed to find out that Texas is too hot for polar bears, actually there are no bears at all at the Dallas Zoo. His next great desire was to see the tigers. (Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle is one of John's current library books and storytime favorites.) Unfortunately, it is one of those "natural habitat" exhibits and no tigers could be seen from the viewing area. At that point, John decided he was ready to go home. We convinced him to look at one more area and went to the children's zoo within the larger zoo. There we saw farm animals (sheep, miniature donkeys, pigs, ducks and horses). As many of you know, John LOVES farm animals. At this point, John decided the Dallas Zoo was pretty cool. Also in the children's zoo, there was a playground and a cool wading river. John had a blast playing in both. He decided to sit down in the wading river to cool off and ended up spending the rest of our trip without any pants on because his shorts were so soaked. Oh well! Luckily, he's only two. Next zoo trip, I will pack a spare set of clothes for John.
John looking cool in his stroller and hat.
I thought the Galapagos Turtle was really cool. John was not that impressed. It was not a polar bear or a tiger.
Me being silly in an attempt to make John smile. He thought I was silly, but I was not a polar bear or a tiger.
The tiger exhibit looked promising.
But this was all we saw.
But then we went to the Children's Zoo and we saw sheep!
and ducks! (I think they were trying to find some shade.)
Brian and John sat down to watch the fish swimming underwater.
This was my favorite "neigh": Lil' Joe.
As you can see, Norm was really into the zoo.
Brian and John went wading in the "river."
As you can see, John's shorts were on their way to being soaked.
Norm and Mooma got a break from the heat on the porch of the "Discovery House."
Anyway, we are slowly getting settled into our new house. Luckily, John and Norm are doing great sleeping in their new rooms and it's not too bad trekking upstairs to feed Norm in the middle of the night. I'm off to unpack more boxes, but will report back soon with pictures of the house once it's not such a mess.
In other news, I'm feeling crafty again and have supplies for several projects.
For baby gifts.
For Norm's room. 
For John's room.
I'm not very motivated to knit these days--probably because it's so blooming hot. Will hopefully get back to John's sweater before too long. I've also started prepping Norm's birth announcements for mailing. Hope to have those in the mail within the next week. Wish me luck!
Hope you all are doing well! Have a good weekend if I don't check in again before then.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Top Ten Tuesday: To Do List Edition
We closed on our house on Monday! We take possession tomorrow! Our stuff arrives on Thursday! I still have so much to do. So this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is...
Top Ten Things I Need to Do This Week
10. Decide which bedroom is John's and which bedroom is Norman's and decide if I need an additional monitor since both boys will be upstairs and we will be downstairs.
9. Buy a thank you gift for Pat, the wonderful realtor we worked with here in Texas. I was thinking of doing a gift certificate to this yummy place. (I also need to get one for Kate, our realtor back in Ohio.)
8. Find a preschool for John. I hope to sign him up for 2 mornings a week in the fall. I guess this doesn't have to happen THIS week, but it does need to happen soon.
7. Get a Texas driver's license and license plates. I've only completed step one of a four stop process. Again, I guess this doesn't HAVE to happen this week, but it should be done ASAP.
6. Buy a washer and dryer. Front-load or top-load? Too many choices. Any suggestions?
5. Buy some bourbon and ginger ale so I can celebrate with my mom who is coming on Friday! This is not as easy as it sounds as our county is "damp" and only sells beer and wine. Luckily, I have to drive through a "wet" county to get to the airport.
4. Pack up the apartment.
3. Unload everything into our new house.
2. Decide where to put all my furniture and stuff. Where do we put the basement stuff now that we have no basement? Where do we put our table and chairs (in the dining room or the breakfast room)? What sofa goes into the family room and which one goes up to the game room?
1. Have fun with my mom, my husband, and my boys!
Top Ten Things I Need to Do This Week
10. Decide which bedroom is John's and which bedroom is Norman's and decide if I need an additional monitor since both boys will be upstairs and we will be downstairs.
9. Buy a thank you gift for Pat, the wonderful realtor we worked with here in Texas. I was thinking of doing a gift certificate to this yummy place. (I also need to get one for Kate, our realtor back in Ohio.)
8. Find a preschool for John. I hope to sign him up for 2 mornings a week in the fall. I guess this doesn't have to happen THIS week, but it does need to happen soon.
7. Get a Texas driver's license and license plates. I've only completed step one of a four stop process. Again, I guess this doesn't HAVE to happen this week, but it should be done ASAP.
6. Buy a washer and dryer. Front-load or top-load? Too many choices. Any suggestions?
5. Buy some bourbon and ginger ale so I can celebrate with my mom who is coming on Friday! This is not as easy as it sounds as our county is "damp" and only sells beer and wine. Luckily, I have to drive through a "wet" county to get to the airport.
4. Pack up the apartment.
3. Unload everything into our new house.
2. Decide where to put all my furniture and stuff. Where do we put the basement stuff now that we have no basement? Where do we put our table and chairs (in the dining room or the breakfast room)? What sofa goes into the family room and which one goes up to the game room?
1. Have fun with my mom, my husband, and my boys!
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