The bluebonnets!

This weekend was a kind a busy one.  Saturday I did a whole lot of playing and laying out.  Sunday a friend came over and helped me organize my garage.  The improvement is miraculous.  Once I have a garage sale in the next few weeks I'll show you the before and after.  Did you see that?  I'm having a garage sale. 

I think.

I just have to find a day.  And plan it.  And get all the stuff  together.  And convince people to come.  So, that will happen, right?

Oh, and Friday I got a hair cut.  I think I've turned into a bi-yearly trim kinda girl as opposed to a yearly trim kinda girl.  Yet another improvement for this old gal.  Also, yesterday when I ran to Target I was sorely disappointed that they no longer carried my hair color any more.  I picked a new one that I thought was going to be the same, but after a late night color session last night, I've realized it's a bit darker.  More like my natural color, less like the dark red of the last box.  I liked those reddish tones.  I've always secretly wanted to be a red head (well, I guess it's not so secret now).  So a hair cut and new color is kinda a big deal for me. 

What else did I do last night?  Took bluebonnet pictures!  I probably should have colored my hair BEFORE taking these, so my roots wouldn't be so shiny and grey, but whatevs.  I have never in my life taken bluebonnet pictures before, which is utter madness given my fierce Texan pride. 

My very favorite so far. Makes me so sentimental every time I look at it.

The only problem was Sister Friend did. not. like sitting in those plants.  She was already tired and hungry and sitting in a field of wild flowers did not better her mood.

Eh?  Look at that face.

These are all from my phone, somehow I left my house yesterday morning knowing FULL WELL we were going to take pictures and I STILL forgot my camera.  I also forgot a bottle for Evan, but that's a whole other story.  Thankfully Mom and Dad and Ashley were coming with and Dad just holds down the shutter button on his camera, so Mr. Photographer should have at least one decent one over at their house. 

This little boy LOVED the field of flowers.  People had made these mazes through them in other quests for perfect pictures and he followed them all over.  When we left to get dinner he wanted to "go get food and lets come back to the fow-wers."

What's your motivation

So, apparently I've got a new soap box.  Are you ready?

On Sunday morning in bible class, there was a prayer request asking that the Lord would help this individual be a better Christian.

For some reason it struck me as off.  Like, bothered me enough that 4 days later I'm still thinking about it. And, I think I've finally figured out why.

I understood what she meant.  I get that when people say "I need to be a better Christian" they mean make better choices for themselves, for the witness that they are putting out there by labeling their life Christian.  It's the motivation behind it that bothers me.  Just "trying to be a good Christian" takes the whole point out- Jesus.  When you look at your actions through the lens of Jesus, then it changes how you think about doing things.  Suddenly you aren't stuck facing everyday with a looming field of sin obstacles just waiting to trip you up.  There isn't a need for Jesus and His unmovable love in that field.  It's just you and your thoughts and your actions.  Not cussing because you're not supposed to.  Listening to the right music because it's the thing to do.  No need for the relationship that saves you because you got this.  Just gotta be a good Christian and I'll be alright. 

Oh, how those in that mind set miss out.  Because Jesus?  He takes that burden off of you.  When you love him, I mean LOVE Him, suddenly you get the "why" behind all the do's and don'ts of Christianity.  Your relationship is much more important than the joke that you tell or places that you go.  The thought of disappointing Him causes all the luster of sin to evaporate.  And so does the obstacle course.  Sure, your personal strongholds will still crop up and try to bring you down (and sometimes down you'll go). But instead of painting warrior stripes under your eyes and tightening your shoelaces, you'll huddle under the saving grace of Jesus until you are both on the other side.  The sorrow of failing Him will weigh deeply on your soul, but His mercy will be new every morning. 

How I yearn for people "just trying to be good" to know their Father.  How I wish they could see the distinction between trying to save themselves through their actions and letting a love greater than they will ever know save them.  And please don't think I think I've got it all figured out.  Believe me.

Beh-leave meh.

Sometimes I'm a terrible Christian.  I'm judgemental, I get stuck in pity parties, I don't read my bible like I should.  But I don't ever want to be a better Christian.  I want to love Jesus better.  I want my relationship with Him to grow deeper so that those strongholds lessen.  I want people to see his grace and mercy in me, not just the list of activities I refrain from.  I want the things that I do or don't do to stem from my desire to be pleasing in His sight. 

So there you go.  I'll step down off my box now. 

And just so you know it's still me, here's me and my adorable girl with the curls that keep growing....

St. Patrick's Day

This is not a day I typically get into.  I didn't make any green foods.  No small tokens were exchanged.  Instead, I totally blew off everything to make way for sword fights, book reading, and other things. 

This included wearing floppy hats (while Brother mowed in the background.  I'm telling you.  Kid loves to mow.)

A picnic lunch

Driving around said lunch when he didn't want to sit on the blanket anymore

Figuring out Brother's cup is way better than your own.

And of course, wearing some green.

(I promise her dress really does come down to her knees, it's just the way she's propped up and being held back that makes it look so short.  But on the plus side you get to see her awesome mid-thigh roll.)

I'm not a total Scrooge.  Can you use a Christmas reference in March?

The weather was a lovely mid 80's kinda day, I went back out for more sun during nap time.  Don't be fooled by Sister Friend's long sleeve night gown in that first picture (no, I wasn't going to waste an outfit and add to my laundry just so she could have something else to wear outside).  The long sleeves and covered legs were my attempt at keeping that gorgeous baby skin protected.  Hence the floppy hat.  Which, to my delight, she wore for the whole 2 hours we were out there with hardly any fuss. 

Whilst taking the joint pictures, I got an idea.  I've got a little copy of one of my baby pictures on my dresser, and I thought it would be fun to get Evan with it.

Whadaya think?

Tonight Ashley, the kids, and I went to The Village.  I am so enjoying the lessons over Galatians right now.  Before the service started Ashley and I were cracking up at how much green was in the room.  I get all the women wearing green, it seems typical.  What really got us were the men.  Moreover, the SINGLE men.  Because what man wakes up and says "Hey, it's St. Patrick's Day, I think I'll wear green?" Would any of them be caught wearing pink on Valentines?  Orange on Halloween?  Red on Christmas?  Doubtful.

More conversations

So, I've had these notes jotted down at home for a few days now of funny conversations that I've had with Luke.  But I write on here at work.  See the problem?  I finally managed to remember to stash the notes in my bag last night, so now they finally get to be immortalized in the great, vast blogland. 

*eating dinner at the table*
L: Mom, my throat hurts.
Me: Where?
L: Right here.  Is this my throat?
Me: No, that's your shoulder.
L: Well its sick.
Me: Hm.  You know, sick little boys need to go to bed so they can rest and get better. Do you need to go to bed?
L: Yeah.  Just for a little bit, then I'll come eat some more.
Me: No.  When you go to bed you can't get back out.
L: Oh.  I'm not sick right now.


*in the car driving*
L: Hey look Mom!  It's a Charger!
Me: Ooo! I see it! But I think that is a Camero.
L: No Mom.  I think it's a Charger.
Me: I'm pretty sure it's a Camero.
L: Okay.  But it's a Charger.
*10 minutes later*
L: Hey look at that Camero!
Me: Oh. That is a Camero.  So the other car was a Charger. Sorry Son. You were right, I was wrong.

He insists that his boxers be pulled up all the way.

*sitting down at the dinner table*
L: So how was work today Mom?
Me: It was good baby.  Just worked fast so I could come get you.  How was school today?
L: I cried for you at school.
*sad face*


*when getting picked up before work one morning he tooted*
L: Sorry, I've got the gasoline


*in the kitchen*
L: Worms are gross, Mom.
Me: Not they're not silly.  They're good.
L: Good for us to eat?
Me: No. That's gross. They're good for the ground.
L: We should get food for them to eat!
Me: Actually, they eat dirt.
L: Dirt? *gets down from the table to look out the back door* But we don't have any dirt!
Me: It's under the grass.
L: Oh. It tried to trick me.


He's also got this funny yet incredibly polite habit of introducing people.  On more than one occasion he's been known to introduce my mom (Nana) to his sister Evan.  And apparently on Monday when Cody's sister was home from college he introduced her to Grandad (aka- her own father).

Otherwise we've just been super busy.  I've gotten to go both the Star's and the Maverick's game in the last week.

And both have had pretty good seats. The Mav's were the best though.  That picture isn't even zoomed at all, we were 6 rows behind the Mav's bench.  I was even on tv!

On Saturday Evan got her 9 month milestone picture taken.

Sorry for the crummy phone picture of a picture, but while they still look similar, I think Evan is starting to get her own look.  Which is good, because I don't want my girl looking like a boy.

Speaking of that girl, she's growing up so fast.  Now she does BIG baby things.  Not little baby things anymore.  *sniff sniff*

Last night I did yard work.  Evan wouldn't take a little nap (the stinker!), and she thankfully still barely fits in the bumbo.  She watched me pull weeds and mow while Luke "mowed" with his little mower (literally on my heels behind me. If I had to back up for any reason I had to wait for him to get out of my way.) and in his little black truck.  I only was able to lure him in from the great out doors with a promise of a trip through the car wash. 

Oh, ya'll.  That car wash.  It was a typical endeavor for me.  I had rolled down the window to punch in the code given to me when I topped off my gas tank. Then, I pulled forward into the machine while rolling up the window.  Correction.  While trying to roll up the window.  For WHATEVER reason, the motor got stuck.  So there I was trying to get the car in position and figure out why it wasn't working all at the same time.  It would get half way up and the roll back down.  And then, AND THEN, the water turned on.  With my stuck window.  Ya'll.  I panicked.  Bad.  Fumbling around, I found myself in reverse and back the heck out of there.  I finally (by pushing the button and manually pulling on the window at the same time) got it back up.  So, heart thumping, I pulled back into the machine.  But it had shut down by then, sensing my car had already left, and wouldn't come back on. I had to pull up to the convenient store of the gas station, explain what happened to the dude, and get a new number.  Which then put me in the same predicament of having to roll down my window to enter in the new code.  Yeah right.  I stopped early enough to just get out to punch it in.  I was not touching that roll down button again. 

Only me.

Nine Months

 
I know I'm a little late this month baby girl, but we've been busy.  And you've taken it all in stride.  You've been busy too!  There are two little teeth in the middle of your bottom gum, and the doctor said yesterday at your well check that your top gum is swollen.  Will this month bring in some more teeth?  You are up to 20 lbs 7 oz, but I didn't get your length.  You wear a size three diaper still and are in 9 month and some 12 month clothes.  Your hair is getting thicker and longer and curlier!  Whoo hoo!

The biggest thing that's happened this month?  That little mouth of yours SAYING "mam mam mam mam".  Oh it makes my heart so happy.  What mom doesn't want her kid's first word to be momma?! You have yet to really take off crawling, but you will lunge forward from a sitting position when you see something in front of you that you want.  Your poor little arms have a hard time supporting that belly of yours.  A belly that grows and grows.  A sweet belly that is getting two jars of food and 5 servings of breast milk a day, plus snacks.  Girlfriend, you will eat whatever is put in front of you.  Peas, strawberries, bread, paper, shoes...you don't discriminate.  I have to make sure there is a five mile radius of non chewable items around you at all times.

 
Once again, you still love your baths.  You still love your brother.  You still love to nurse.  While you aren't pulling up by yourself, you do love to stand holding on to things. 

I think the only thing I've learned this month that you don't love is hats.  Not a fan the first time.  But the second time I put it on you I was able to distract you for long enough for you to get used to it.  I think.

We'll see what happens when it comes park time and you are wearing it to keep the sun off your face. 

Oh, little girl, you light up my life.  Every morning when you wake up, the expression on your sweet face is "Oh! There you are! So glad to see you!" Stranger danger has yet to set in, and only once have you fussed when I've had to drop you off (at bible class none the less!) You are my squeezable girl and I can't wait for the end of each day when I get to go pick up you and your brother and just hug and hug you.  Like your bubba you aren't so into being held close and hugged for too long, but I do it anyway.  I just squeeze you close until you squawk for me to let go.  And then I squeeze some more.  Because I'm your mother. 

Evan? 

I love you.