Dos Birthday

In less than six weeks I will have a two year old. My mind is having trouble comprehending that. Wasn't it just yesterday that we brought our sweet little one home from the hospital? Everyone told me to enjoy it because they grow up fast and it is so true. Don't get me wrong I am loving my opinionated and stubborn little toddler but I miss my sweet, laid back baby boy too. The one who loved to cuddle with Mommy. Now I get slaps in the face and toys thrown at me, all in the name of love. So I am in the process of planning a birthday party. Today we went to party city to look at party themes. My goodness, there is sports, dinosaurs, Winnie the Pooh, Elmo, Thomas, Curious George, firetrucks, Tonka trucks, Bob the Builder, army, Cars, Spiderman, and so on. Tobey was really drawn to the Tonka section because there were little toy trucks on the bottom shelf that he pulled off and played with. I liked Curious George because Tobey reminds me of a little monkey these days and Thomas the Train because there was an adorable conductor hat. So I picked up a toy train and a Tonka truck and asked my son which he preferred. He just smiled at me and took both. Thanks for the help.

On a more serious note you must check out my friend Amanda's latest post, Thoughts on Temptation. What a great word of encouragement. I know that it spoke directly to my heart. Thanks Amanda for sharing so honestly what God has laid on your heart.

Parables of a Pedicure

My sister left Friday and I really miss her. We had such a good time. We saw three movies while she was here which was amazing because I have probably only seen three movies since Tobey was born. We went shopping, ate lunch out several times, visited a water park, and hung out with family. Of course we also swam and played cards and had scary movie night. I never watch scary movies because I am a chicken but Tina gives me a youthful confidence and she ends up laughing through most of the movie which makes it not so scary. The day before she left we met up with my friend Rebecca at La' Madeleines for lunch and went for pedicures after. The Tobester tagged along of course. He has never been to La' Madeleines and he loved the bread and jam. Tina and I were going to tag team during the pedicures but the lady at the front said he could just sit in my lap. I was a little hesitant but I agreed. What was I thinking. It was the most unrelaxing pedicure ever. Tobey started off well as he took in his surroundings and marveled at Mommy's feet soaking in the bubbly water. He had to take his shoes off and test it out too. Eventually the restfulness kicked in. I should have known better. I was so busy trying to keep him occupied and happy that I was oblivious to the massage chair I was sitting in and to the much needed leg and foot massage. By the time the girl started painting my toes I was screaming inside "Please hurry up!" While Rebecca and Tina had serene looks on their faces I was tense and sweating as I struggled to hold on to my little man as he decided he was tired of Mommy's lap and was ready to explore the salon. When we were done I let him down, he went straight for the stacked bottles of nail polish. I frantically but firmly said NO which resulted in hurt feelings, tears, and a I-will-just-throw-myself-on-the-floor tantrum. (By Tobey, not me) Oh, never again, never again. The experience was not a great one. However, my feet are callous free and oh so cute!

The moral of the story is: Do not drag your toddler into a salon especially if you are seeking a relaxing and rejuvenating experience!

Teena Weena

This has been such a fun week. My little sister Christina is here visiting me this week. She goes home on Friday but I am trying to not think about it and just enjoy our time together. She is my youngest sister at 16. The middle sister is Heather and she is 21. They moved to Birmingham, Alabama about 7 years ago and Christina has been coming to visit me every summer since. We usually see each other a couple of times throughout the year but those summer visits are our time. Her visits are so special to me. The only thing better would be to have both of my sisters here. Although we would all be fighting before the end of the week. Maybe it is the 12 and half years between us but I have always been so protective of Tina. Even now I am constantly hounding her about which colleges she will apply for and about keeping her grades up. I worry about her like she was my own child. She is a good kid although she has changed so much since last summer. I have been amazed each summer to see all the changes in my dear sister. My favorite was when she informed me one summer that she was Christina and did not want to be called Tina anymore. I still have trouble with that one and Tina slips out quite a bit. Last summer she still had a childlike quality but this summer she acts so grown-up. I have to remind myself she is growing up. The fact that she has a license and can drive and has a job just blows me away. From what I hear she is an absentminded driver like her big sister. My greatest fear is that she will stop wanting to come visit me as her life gets busier and busier. So far she hasn't and I hold on to our sweet memories each summer most of which involve playing cards or swimming.

I don't know if you will ever read this but thank you Tina for loving your big dorky sister. You are beautiful and I love you so much and I pray for you always. Thank you for all the great memories and laughing at me when I am silly, for taking time to spend time with me, and for being a great little sister. I love you Teena Weena.

My first tag

I have been tagged by pinkmommy over at the Wonder of It All. I am excited because this is my first tag and it is a great one.

These are the rules:

1. those tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus…

2. those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers…

3. those tagged will post a comment here with their name and a link to their “dig” Jesus list…

Okay, here goes.

1. I dig Jesus because He is the Immanuel. He is God's greatest attempt to reach out to us-to communicate His love for us. Jesus understands everything I experience in this world, the joys and the sorrows. And He loves me, He loves us so much that he not only died a horrible death on the cross but He is constantly interceding for us as He sits at the right hand of God. How thankful I am that He is on my side.

2. Because of Jesus I am a new creation, free to be the woman God created me to be. Free to praise Him, to know Him, to weep before Him, to rejoice with Him, to kneel before Him, to lift my eyes up toward Him, to clap my hands for Him, to shout with joy before Him, and to have a real living and active relationship with Him.

3. Jesus was and is a great teacher with great power who could perform amazing miracles. He only used His power for good. He could have easily destroyed those who got in His way but even those who scorned Him got caught in His compassionate grip. He loves the unlovable and teaches us to do the same.

4. He brings such peace as He lifts burdens from my life and gladly takes them as his own. Because of His sacrificial obedience I am "alive". Praise God!

5. Ephesians 2:13 says "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ". He tore down the barrier between man and God so that we could no God personally through Him. Because of Christ I have the kind of relationship with the Lord God described in Proverbs 8:30-31. "I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His presence,rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind."

Thank you Jesus!

Cabin in the Woods

Our trip to Broken Bow was wonderful and so relaxing. We really did not do much. We arrived at our cabin around 6:30pm Friday night. Rodney turned on some tunes and Tobey danced while we got dinner ready.


After dinner we went for a walk to a little pond not far from our cabin. Tobey got to carry his very own flashlight and he was very proud of it. We also saw lightening bugs and I chased a few and caught them and felt like a kid again. I am smiling now as I think about it.



Then we came home and jumped in the hot tub. It was quite warm so we just let Tobey sit on the side. I didn't want him to get overheated. I could only stand it for about 15 minutes. Then we sat on the bed and ate grapes and teddy grahams and played. Then lights out. Our little boy was wired. He wiggled and squirmed and giggled and gave us each about 5 kisses. Finally he got still and all three of us drifted off to sleep to the sounds of crickets chirping. I swear it sounded like they were in the bed with us. The next morning Rodney got up and made pancakes and sausage patties. I sat out on the porch swing in the back and watched some squirrels chasing each other, read the Word, and had some sweet reflection. My main thought that morning was how quiet and still the woods were. The trees so tall and silent and steady. God reminded me how important it is and what peace can be found when you are quiet and still before Him. Late morning we ventured out of our cabin and drove through Beaver's Bend. We took a little train ride through the forest. Tobey did not seem all that impressed. He was very quiet and still during that ride. Maybe he was having some reflection too. The conductor told us the origin of Beaver's Bend. It is actually named after John Beaver who came to the land as a pioneer and business entreprenuer. He fell in love with a Choctaw Indian princess and her father gave him 3,000 acres as a wedding present. Some of that land is now Beaver's Bend. I was drawn to the love story. Rodney didn't even hear it the first time. I had to repeat the story back to him.


After the train ride we drove around for a little while. Rodney really wanted to do the paddle boats but I didn't feel comfortable taking Tobey out in deep water. We found a little playground with picnic tables and decided to stop and eat our lunch. We made friends with the local squirrels and Tobey found some rocks to throw.




Back at the cabin we all kind of did our own thing for a while. I laid on the futon and read. Rodney laid on the bed and watched TV and fell asleep I think. Tobey just roamed around playing with his cars. Every once in a while he would come up and pat my face and babble to me. Then we all got in the hot tub again. We had turned the temperature down quite a bit the night before so it was not quite so hot for Tobey. I don't know how long we stayed in but I got out before the boys. Later, Rodney made a fire and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Tobey is in love with marshmallows now.


After dinner we had the biggest scare of our lives. Tobey fell off the counter. I was standing right in front of him, took my hand off of him for a minute to open his yogurt and give it a stir, and the next thing I knew he fell backwards off the counter and I couldn't stop it. It happened so fast. I am sick to my stomach just writing and thinking about it now. It is the most stupid mistake I have made as a Mommy. I screamed and ran around to the other side and he was laying face down. Rodney and I checked him from head to toe and then I lost it. I know I should have been calm for him but I couldn't stop my sobbing as I clung to my little boy. Rodney was so sweet as he consoled us both. Tobey and I laid down early that night and he did his usual squirming and chit-chatting which I was so thankful for. The next morning I let Rodney sleep in a little bit and I got up with Tobey and made breakfast. Then we had to pack up and check out. It was sad, I didn't want to leave. We will definitely go back and stay longer next time. We went back to Beaver's Bend and looked around the gift shop and museum and then we drove around for a spot where we could wade in the water. We found the Lost Creek and it was perfect for wading. It is actually part of the Mountain Fork River that flows out of Broken Bow Lake. The water was ice cold. My little boy who is usually scared of the water was not scared of this creek. He did not want us holding his hands and he would have sat right down in the water if we had not stopped him. He and his Daddy had fun skipping rocks on the surface of the water while I snapped pictures or dangled my feet in the water. It was the perfect ending to our trip.

One Crazy Week

Gosh, I don't even know where to start. This has been one crazy week and there has been so much to blog about. However, my husband who is remodeling his office accidentally snipped our Internet cable so we did not have Internet access all week. I usually check my email a couple of times a day so I admit I felt a little lost. But I survived. This week has included an old friend's wedding in downtown D, a fabulous play date, the passing of a loved one, fun times spent with old friends and family, one of the worse things that could happen to a homeowner, the most memorable 4th of July ever, and our first family vacation with our son. Since so much has happened I will briefly expand on each event. Sunday evening we went to a wedding at the Hickory Street Annex in downtown Dallas. It was probably one of the most unique weddings I have been to but my friend Suzanne is very unique. She and the bridesmaids drove up in and left in old timey cars. The colors were bright orange, turquoise, hot pink, and chocolate brown. And instead of a unity candle they each had a glass of colored water that they poured and mixed together in a separate glass. It was very tropical and fun. My friend Mindy and I walked around at the back with our toddlers so we missed some of the wedding. The reception was really nice and there was a little dance floor with disco lights that Tobey and Emma had fun running around on and chasing the lights.



On Monday we had a play date with Amanda & Jackson, Sunni & Ava, and Janelle & Ella at this great little water park. It was so much fun and the rain stayed away just long enough for us to enjoy the water. These girls and their toddlers are wonderful and we had so much fun hanging out with them. On Tuesday we went to the Ranger's game with some of our oldest friends. Jason and Rodney have been friends since they were little boys and grew up in church together. I have known Jason as long as I have known Rodney and I love to hang out with him and his wife Monica. They were able to find babysitters but we ended up having to take Tobey with us so I did not see much of the game. On the way home I stupidly took the exit by the horse races who had just had a huge fireworks display and we got caught in the traffic. We moved about 5 miles in 45 minutes. But we had so much fun in the car cutting up and acting silly. Tobey joined in on the silliness and never even fell asleep. We got home after 11pm and I immediately put Tobey to bed. Jason left to pick their kids up at his grandparents house. Since Jason and his family live in East Texas they spent the night at our house. We all got into bed around 12:30pm. I was laying there and realized I felt kind of hot so I got up to turn the air conditioner down. But.....it would not come on. Rodney did not believe me but I made him get out of bed to check it out. He could not get the air to come on either. Thankfully it had rained most of the day so we stayed pretty cool that night. We could not believe this happened on the one night we had our friends over and the day before 4th of July. Not only were we having family over to celebrate but we had to find someone who would come out to look out our air conditioner on a holiday. Rodney started calling first thing the next morning and finally found a company that was open. Jason and Monica were such good sports as our house started heating up. We finally got through breakfast and got all the kids ready for a swim in our pool which, thank goodness, actually looked good for the first time this summer. Did I mention that Jason and Monica have three kids. Julianne who is about to go into second grade and Reed & Ryan, three year old twin boys.

Tobey was absolutely mesmerised with the boys. We had not seen them since their birthday party in December and Tobey was barely walking at that point. But now he could chase after them and he did. But he also just stood and watched them with this big smile on his face. It was very cute. As we were about to get into the pool the air condition man showed up and took a look at our system and then gave us really really really bad news. He said we needed a whole new unit and it would be the next day before they could install it. Bummer! Those things are expensive and we were having a cookout that very afternoon. We turned on the window unit in our sun room and Jason and Monica helped us clean up out there and make it party ready. Rodney's family showed up shortly after and we all got in the pool and played and cooled off. It was alot of fun. Tobey was very scared of the big pool so we had a little kiddie pool set up for him which he loved.








Then we cooked out and had a lovely feast. Some of us played cards. The guys helped Rodney put a few sheets of drywall up in his office. The kids played and ran and screamed. Later we piled into our cars to go see Fireworks. Yea! I was so excited and could not wait to see Tobey's reaction. We found a perfect stretch of sidewalk, the same place we have gone in years past, and waited for the show. After about 45 minutes we saw the reflection of fireworks on the side of the building in front of us. The actual fireworks were behind a group of buildings and we could not see them. They moved the show to a different location and we missed out. No fun. I did snap some really cute pictures while we were waiting though.





On the way home we laughed and jokingly said that the anticipation was the best part anyway. But I really wanted to see those fireworks. It was on my top ten favorite things about summer. So we came home to our hot house. I got Tobey to bed and propped some box fans up in his room while Rodney's family helped clean up. It was 83 degrees in our house so we pulled a mattress into the sun room with the window unit, got Tobey out of his crib and crashed. What a day. It was fun sleeping in there with wall to wall windows, almost like camping out. However, Tobey woke up much earlier than usual because of those wall to wall windows. The next day we got our new air condition. The installers were at our house from 11am to 11:30 pm. I worked on laundry and packed for our upcoming cabin adventure. We were able to get out that evening to visit Rodney's mom who was in the hospital following foot surgery. To those of you who know her, she is doing great, at home with her leg propped up although she is still in quite a bit of pain. Friday morning we attended the funeral for Rodney's grandmother who had passed away earlier in the week. She had been in the hospital and sick for some time so we rejoiced that she was no longer suffering and at peace. Wayne, our good friend and minister spoke at the service and it was very moving. Then we headed home and loaded up the car for our drive to Broken Bow. We were so ready to get out of town. We picked Tobey up from Kids Day Out and we were on our way. On the drive up we reflected on the past week. The fun times and the not so fun times. We realized that our air condition and the passing of Rodney's grandmother could have happened at anytime but God orchestrated our lives so that Rodney would be home to deal with both of those situations. If Rodney had not been on vacation, he most likely would have been out of town and might have missed his grandmother's funeral. And I would have had to deal with the air condition all on my own but thankfully I didn't have to. Thank you God, You are so good!

Mixed Up Vacation

You know those times when you really have your heart set on something and you make plans that you are really looking forward to. And then something happens and they change and your sad but it all works out in the end. Well, we were supposed to travel to Corpus Christi this next week while Rod is on vacation. This was THE family vacation for the summer. We were going with my cousin, wife, and their two adorable girls. I was so excited about spending time with them and seeing my sweet Aunt Gracie whose husband is stationed their right now. Our flights were booked, our hotel was booked, and our rental car was booked. We were set. Late last night I got a call from my cuz and they just sold their house and have to be out in three weeks. He was very stressed knowing they still have all the paperwork to take care of and they need to find a house ASAP. Plus he talked to my Aunt Gracie and she said it is supposed to storm all weekend and the mosquitoes are horrible in Corpus right now so we had to postpone our trip. I was so sad. I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks and Tobey's first time at the beach. I had already taken time off from work and I just NEED to get away and do something fun. So after canceling all our reservations, I started researching a bit and decided on renting a cabin for the weekend. I had just been talking with a friend at work about Beavers Bend in Broken Bow, Oklahoma so I did some searching online and just about every cabin I liked was already booked up. I finally found a really cute one that had two days available. So instead of going to Corpus and hanging out with my some of my extended family we three are taking our family trip to the wilderness. I can't wait. We are going to fish, collect rocks, roast marshmallows, wade in the lake, cook pancakes for breakfast, stargaze, and just play! So Tobey will not get to go to the beach for the first time but I actually think he is going to love our semi-camping experience even more. I am still sad about Corpus and the fun times we would have had but I am filled with anticipation about our new trip. I can't wait to view the star glittered night that is miles and miles away from the bright lights of our city. I can't wait to experience the quiet and serenity and to have my quiet time in the midst of it. I can't wait for quality time with my two most favorite people. Who knows, this may be the start of a new tradition for our family. So our mixed up vacation is becoming a blessing in disguise.