But for now, Popsicles

I'm cooking up some stuff for you, and this is a picture of one of the things


Yep will be a few fun things 'round the corner. But for now,


Popsicles.

Memory Lane

Ty


Joy


Charlie


Joy


Ty and Charlie


Joy and Charlie


Charlie


Ty


Joy


Ty


Charlie


Everybody but Joy


Joy


My brother Graham (Ty lookalike)


Ty and Charlie


Ty


Charlie


Ty


Ty

Man they grow up fast!

What I Wore Wednesday

I have a new hobby on Wednesday mornings. One of my favorite blogs to read is written by

Lisa Leonard, the the woman behind the adorable jewelry you've probably seen. She teams up with the author of The Pleated Poppy on Wednesdays and they post pictures of what they wore during the week. It's not just for fun--it actually started as a challenge from one mom to others because she wanted to get out of her rut of wearing sweats each day. Clearly the woman who started it doesn't live in TX because we don't wear sweats until January, when it actually gets cold. You'll be jealous of what these ladies are already wearing, by the way...sweaters, boots, sigh...

Anyway. It's caught on like crazy-now when I click on Lisa's blog on Wednesdays to see what she wore, (she's adorable and has such cute clothes, most of which I can't afford but it's great to get ideas!) I can also see like 50 other women's entries. It's, in the words of Charlie, SUPER FUN. I've planned on doing my own WIWW (What I Wore Wednesday) post but have yet to start. But maybe, just maybe, I'll start today. Some people post a picture of what they wore every day of the week, others just a few days. The more honest the better.

I apologize in advance if you're suddenly preoccupied on Wednesdays and you stop being productive at home or work. I can honestly say I'm pretty distracted on Wednesdays now too. But I'm dressing cuter throughout the week, (last Thursday I put a dress on that I normally wouldn't wear just at home or doing usual errands and he asked me, "Where are you going? The prom?")

Ahem.

"No babe I just felt like wearing a dress. Don't you honestly think I look better like this than my (lately) usual t-shirt and shorts?"

"I like it when you wear a t-shirt and shorts."

"Well I feel more like a girl when I wear a dress or just something besides what I've been wearing."

"Well that sounds like you've got issues. I love the way you look no matter what you're wearing."

We've been married long enough where he gets that if he throws in "love the way you look..." into any sentence I am going to be happy. BUT once I explained why it makes me feel better about myself and my day he got it and said he'd stop making comments about the prom.

Deal.

So pending any house/showing issues I'll have a WIWW post for you next Wednesday!

It's things like this that make my job worthwhile

My son, my first born, my only boy, spent a good 20 minutes in the backyard working on his yard business. He managed to stack ALL of his equipment on the slide. One would not believe the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this creation.

I'm so proud. This is what I stay home to experience.

That was supposed to be funny.

Back where I come from

There's lots of room to roam


And you see tractors fairly often


You watch ducks and turtles for entertainment. And trap little children in backpacks. Just in case they try to jump in after said ducks and turtles.


The park is four times bigger than the parks I take my kids to now


Nothing is new. Nothing is too fancy. But there's something really cool about my kids playing where I used to play.


Swing where we used to swing


Watch for ducks and turtles where we did. Like the trees at the park in town, the roots run deep. I love it here.

One day we'll find her on the mantle

A week or so ago when Bonnie was at my house she offered to babysit with her hubby Jake so that Sean and I could go out to dinner.

Done.

I don't think I left her time to take it back-she said it, we decided on that night and I went to change my clothes. Date night! With Bonnie and Jake tending to the kids I didn't worry one bit so a great time was had by all. See. The voices you hear are Jake's and Bonnie's...

A few CSN ideas for you

I'm reviewing a product for CSNstores again soon and I thought I'd give y'all a few (more) items to browse through that this wonderful online source offers. Every time I work with the company I learn about a whole new group of products that I hadn't realized they sold. It's never-ending. Never-ending goodness. They sell items ranging from dutch ovens to apple peelers, which, by the way, I would have thought would be much more expensive than they are??? If you like to cook, their online store cookware.com is fantastic.

Then there's luggage.com, where you can find a kids backpack or laptop case.

CSNstores.com has become a personal favorite for finding shoes, purses, and toys for the kids. Stay tuned to see my review for one of their great products!

Sally

Meet Sally, my new niece. My brother and sister-in-law's first daughter.





She was born on the 15th, so that you're just now seeing her means that the blog post that I wrote on the 16th never made to "publish." So sorry Sally. We love you even if we lost track of the fact that this post wasn't ever published.





You don't seem too worried.

Welcome to the world little missy. I've been told your big brother Henry loves AND likes you, which means you're better off than my girls were when they were a week old! You are a little peanut, weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces when you were born. You look like your aunt Amy I think! A great compliment...

Now keep sleeping. Shhhhhh

Can you guess what we did today

Happy day celebrating my little man with our families, Army Man style. More pictures coming. Tired. Thankful. Excited that there's a cupcake waiting in the fridge for me to eat for breakfast. Plus lots of leftover pizza. Glory.

Cover me

I love this song. In the middle of any time of waiting in my life I think of it and remember the words. I go back and forth being fine with things as they are and then it'll shift and I'll get impatient with the moving process. It's just, well, out of my control.

No matter how out of my control something is, it is actually very much in control. His control. So I am trying to remember that today. On a day when I'm wanting to get things done and anything I do needs to be done with a baby on my hip. On a day when Ty and Charlie fight over every toy in our house. On a day when moving to a new place seems so attractive yet no showings are scheduled. I can feel alone even with my family here. Satan loves to make us feel isolated in our feelings. Does that happen to you too? I sure hope so.

Anyway. Read the words to this song by Bebo Norman. Beautiful.

Bebo Norman \ Cover Me

Cover me, cover up my tears
Cover up this man who's covered up in fear
I need a peace of mind, I need a piece of you
TO cover all that's gone and everything that's new
You unveil me with your mercy
I want to breathe you in
You unfold me, then you hold me

Cover up my heart, cover up my soul
Cover up this world and everything I know
You cover up the sky, you cover up the sea
Cover up the mountains and every part of me
Everything single breath I breathe...cover me

I am still alive and covered up in years
Covered up in lines as innocence appears
So give me a peace of mind, give me a piece of you
To cover all that's old with everything that's new
You unveil me with your mercy
I want to breathe you in
And you unfold me, then you hold me
You unveil me with your mercy
I want to breathe you in
You unfold me then you hold me
I want to shed this skin
You unveil me with your mercy
You unfold me, then you hold me
You unbreak me, would you take me home

In which I only post pictures

Practice makes perfect

Halloween style

My thought exactly

Honeycrisp apples WooHoo! They are so good. Go get some!

4

Today is Ty's 4th birthday. He is 4. Four. 4.





4. 4 years of intense love and joy. 4 years having my heart running around outside my body. 4 years since I looked at my own mother and "got it." 4 years of diapers-turned-underwear, milk-turned-macaroni, babbling-turned-words. 4 years of constant growth, watching it physically and feeling it spiritually.

4 years of worry I didn't know I had in me. 4 years of wishing I could do a better job for him. 4 whole years.





Today I took Ty on a little date. He wanted to go to Cici's and Toys-R-Us. Today was a happy day for my boy. He gets it. He woke up yelling, "It's my birthday! I'm four! Hey everybody it's my birthday!"

I woke up thinking, "How did this happen so fast?" Sean told me this morning that he remembers the fear that swept over him when Ty was about to be born. I wasn't afraid. I wasn't coherent to be honest. I was drugged.

Very, very drugged.

And drowsy. Months of sleeplessness and hours of epidural drugs will do that to you. But I wasn't scared.

Maybe I should have been. To look back now and think of the impact that what I say has on him, and what a smile from me can do for him, I'm totally humbled. Thankful that God is teaching me. Grateful that Sean is who is raising our kids with me. I'm in awe at this huge job that I've been given.

Four years ago today I became a momma. And I'm so very thankful that God gave me Ty. Happy Birthday buddy.

Pink

What can I say it makes me happy


Especially when it costs $14.99 at a huge Dillards sale.

Fall

After last week's rain you'd think that Fall was here.

You'd think.

I think it's more humid right now than it got in all of July. Maybe that's an exaggeration but I'm having post-Summer meltdowns. The desire to wear jeans without sweating is growing. I actually wore them on Wednesday to take Charlie to school in the rain and then again on Friday to my first Bible study but other than the well air conditioned church it's not happening. What I'd give for a day cold enough for hot chocolate.

Anyway.

We had an open house today and it went well. 9 couples came and we got good feedback. I've resigned myself to the fact that we probably won't move for two more years though. And you know what? That's just fine. We love our friends here and Charlie and Ty both love school. I love my bible study and I also love my pantry. It's a great pantry. I know that's a weird thing to be connected to in a house but if you could see my pantry you'd understand. Whoever designed and built this house was A) a woman or B) wanted to woo a woman. It is awesome.

Anyway.

My ADD is getting worse, don't ya'll think? In actually important news Ana is close to having my new little niece Sally. We can't wait to hear the news. Nattie and Popeye, (my mom and dad if you're new here,) are already there and ready to take over as resident entertainer/slave, respectively, to Henry. He's a trip. I so wish my brother and his wife lived close enough so we could see them all the time. Once I get brave enough to try a road trip with the kids I'll go visit them. Or maybe I'll just go when Sean is home for a stretch and drive in a car by myself listening to the radio the whole way with no interruptions. One never knows which I'd do really. A woman full of mystery, that's me.

Good night. The Cowboys are playing and my husband keeps looking at me like, "You know you're missing it, right?" Yep. I know. Coming.

Update

Hey y'all.


This one climbs things. More than I'd like her to. Chairs, tables, ladders. The ladder was a new one-Sean had a ladder out and when he went to the garage and came back she was four steps up on it. I was in the bathroom with Charlie when it happened because well...


I'm potty training her. I started yesterday. I decided to start yesterday like...yesterday. Just kinda went for it. So far it's going pretty well. A few accidents, a few tears (mine,) and lots of Skittles. She is a sucker for Skittles.

My bible study started today which means I am in my happy place.

Oh and Charlie loves school. I mean LOVES school. She is made for it. I worry more about Ty and Joy going to school than her for sure. She thinks it's a big party. With snacks and naps.

I'm so tired. You know, from all the training. It's a beast those first few days. Oh who am I kidding. It's a beast for a long time. Who decided on this week?

Oh yeah.

I did.

I'm going to bed. G' night y'all.