Sunday, October 19, 2008

Maylee Collection

Here are some pics of my "Maylee" collection. :) Stephen says we need a better name than "burp cloths". Any ideas? I've just been calling them burpies....






Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Happy Birthday, Stevo!


Happy Birthday, honey! Hope you had a great day and a fun surprise birthday dinner! We love you!
xoxo

Monday, October 06, 2008

"Stephen, how do you make mailing labels?".........(laughing) YEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!

Our community group is currently reading a book called "Bondage Breaker". I'm still undecided about the book, but after asking Stephen this question, I realized I had been released from a certain bondage in my life. One that has plagued me since graduating college in 2002. One I thought that a girl with a Marketing degree would never have to face, however, it seemed to follow me from one job to another. That would be the bondage of mailing label making.

In my first job, I was the freakin' Queen of Labels. I could merge you a labels list from Access in under 30 seconds.....with any kind of specifications you asked....alphabetized, by age, by gender, by city....oh, was I good. I made through 3 levels of Access classes. (ok, maybe this was to get out of the office, but that is besides the point) In my second job, they hired me pretty much because of my query building knowledge of Access. So, there I was again, crowned Queen of Labels again, teaching others my skill. In my last job, I wasn't using Access, but I was still the "go to" person in the office when it came to Labels.

Now, I have a toddler and a second baby on the way, and my 2 year anniversary of not driving in Monday morning traffic is coming up in a couple weeks! Stephen and I were sitting at the kitchen table...Stephen editing pictures, me working on Adler's two year birthday party invitations. That's when I asked the question. "Stephen, how do you make mailing labels?". That's when I started hysterically laughing with joy, fist in the air, praising "YES!"!!! I'm free!!! Stephen stared at me in wonder. The memory of label making has been erased from my mind! But let's be honest, it's probably been replaced with the words to the "Thomas the Train" song and the names of all the characters on Adler's favorite shows. Well, friends, I'd take Thomas any day!

Happy Monday!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Alright, alright......

I get the point....time to retire the "regular" pants and switch over to the dark side/maternity! Wow, do you have to make it so obvious??

23 things to remember for 23 months

Happy 23 months, Adler! Can't believe you are turning 2 next month! What a blessing you have been over the past two years! Here are some things I always want to remember about you today:

1) You love Thomas the Train. It was Cars for a while, but now you are pretty much over LM. Your favorite engine is James. Which we can't quite figure out since he's not the main character, but for some reason, James is the best.
2) You also love Little Einsteins and ask to "watch rocket?" 100x a day
3) You go to sleep at night with a collection of Cars, Trains, your blue dog, and stuffed Lightning McQueen. Before we go to bed, we come in your room and have to search in the dark for these items. You are usually laying on a few, holding one, etc. We always put them on your nightstand so you can reach them from your crib and play with them in the morning
4) You love your letters and know all of them except two: "W" (you call "M") and "X" (you call "K")...(this thanks to the book you love, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)
5) You know Red, Blue and Green (this thanks to the fact that the Thomas trains are all different colors)
6) If the dogs bark outside, you will stop what you are doing and yell "NO! Stop!" (you learned this from Mommy)
7) Some things never get old and you are always impressed by your Lightning McQueen PJ pants. You'll say "WOW!, Coo!" but you put a "d" sound at the end of "cool" so it sounds more like "cold".
8) You recently learned the word "scared" and will tell me if something scares you - for some reason, these things are our friends' English Bull Dog, Lucy, and most noisy toys
9) You love playing sports in the back yard, but when it comes to golf, you just want to watch. You insist that I'm the one that hits the ball. You will sit observantly on the deck steps and cheer and give a polite golf clap after I make a hit.
10) You drink a lot! You are always wanting milk or juice and I'm always trying to get you to drink water. This never goes over well. You can use your body weight to open the refrigerator door and will pull out whatever you want if I'm not quick enough. One time I came into the living room and you were sitting in front of the TV with an entire jug of apple juice in your lap. (lid still on, luckily)
11) You love to run. When you see other kids running, you get a big smile on your face, stop whatever you are doing, and run after them. You also love to run in the house, bouncing from one couch/chair to the other. You also love to run in circles/spinning, make yourself dizzy and fall down. When you do this, you do a funny thing with your eyes where you are trying to focus on something while you are spinning, so that your eyes are big and focused to one side of your head as you turn. It's really hilarious.
12) Your favorite person is Caleb. You call him "Cake". He is almost 6 and pretty much like a member of the Jonas Brothers Band in your world. You talk about him constantly. If we get in the car, you ask if we are going to see him. You also know his mommy's name, Bonnie, which is the only friend of mine who's name you actually say when you see them.
13) Speaking of Caleb, you get so excited when you see him, you just want to tickle him. This is your way of playing/communicating your adoration. This usually doesn't go over well in Caleb's world as your "tickling" isn't very close to tickling at all.
14) I really love that you are so big for your age. I don't have to really worry about you amongst other kids...even kids that are a couple years older than you, you probably are the same weight or out weigh them. However, you have learned how to use this to your advantage and will knock other kids down (without ill intent) like dominoes in order to get to whatever toy you have your eye on. Your daddy says this will come in handy when you start playing football for the coach that was recruiting you last month.
15) Lots of times you will decide you are bored with things around the house and ready to leave. If you are not dressed, you will bring me clothes to put on you. Then, once you are dressed, you will say, "Ready to Rock" or "C'mon! Let's go!".
16) You love your dogs. You also put them through a lot. You love to hug, wrestle, kiss, pat, and chase your dogs around the house and back yard. I'm constantly trying to regulate this, but I know a lot of it goes unnoticed. They are pretty good dogs, even though I give them a bad wrap sometimes. You love Sadie best and still call even Tristan "Sadie".
17) You love to jump and your special talent is hopping on one foot. This is actually more like a pose where you stand on one foot, but you are really good at it.
18) You don't really like the stroller but love your wagon "Waggy" and bike trailer. I would have it made if I could only take these things into the mall
19) You are a super sweet kid. You love to randomly give us hugs and when you do, you say, "Mmmmmm, hug". And I love it. You also stick out your bottom lip when you want a kiss.
20) Speaking of kisses, you've started a new thing, when you are in trouble, and I'm trying to talk seriously to you face to face, you will go in for a kiss. Oh, this is hard to resist and you know it!
21) You love to wrestle with daddy. Especially with the living room pillows. It seems the harder you are hit with a pillow, the harder you laugh. Sometimes, I can't watch because it makes me too nervous, but you love this time with your daddy so much!
22) You've suddenly gotten really brave at the play ground and like to climb the highest, most dangerous ladders while I stand as your "spotter" below. Then, we both cheer when you've accomplished your goal. It's fun to cheer you on!
23) You are one tough kid. You will take the hardest fall, complete with splatting noise, and roll and will stand up, brush yourself off and laugh. Everyone is amazed. I've gotten used to this and have learned to not react when you take these falls. Which I'm sure, to other parents, looks heartless, but I just know what your thresh-hold is and it's pretty up there. If you cry after a fall, I know you really did get hurt. And of course, I'm happy to kiss it and make it better.

Oh, there are so many special things about you, Adler! We love you and are so thankful Jesus brought you to us!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Follow up to "Sunday Sabbath"

Note to self: Nothing good can come from or OUT OF a child with no diaper.....

Sunday Sabbath


Clean dishes to put away, laundry to fold, a neighborhood home owners meeting to attend, dinner to cook.....but what could be more fun than running around naked in your back yard?

Here's how I spent my Sunday afternoon....


Driving 20 minutes north of my house to find a station that actually had gas, then sitting in line for about 25 minutes...sweet! Oh, the man in the picture works at the gas station and was having to direct traffic and I guess make sure everyone was playing nice.

?????


Here's what Adler made in school the other day. The scripture verse associated is "A friend loves at all times". I want to believe this is Adler being a good Samaritan and helping this little girl up....I'm just hoping it's not after he pushed her?

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

And the next member of the Hunton family will be....

Surprise! We got to go into the doctor's office a couple days early and had our sonogram! (I am just now posting because it took a while to spread the word to friends and family) I had some unusual things happen over the weekend and the doctor wanted me to come in on Monday to get checked out. Everything turned out to be fine with me and the baby, which we were very thankful. Once we got the "everything is OK" clear, we were excited to find out if Adler was going to have a baby brother or sister! Here I am, super excited!

Here's Stephen pricing out if he can afford a wedding or a rehearsal dinner:


And the next member of the Hunton family will be.....



A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, if you could have only seen me and Stephen taking pictures of each other in the OB office...we were cracking up like crazy and I think the other people around thought we were nuts. That pic of Stephen is so ridiculous, but it made us laugh so much! Yes! A boy!!!!!! We are so excited to add another train loving, car loving, sweet baby into this house! Adler is going to LOVE having a brother! I am so excited for him to get to have that relationship! I've been praying for his baby for so long, now I feel my prayers can be even more specific! We are so thankful for a boy, but more importantly, the health of this baby! We are still working on names, but I already warned my mom, the names we like are "Adler" names....probably not going to name this baby "Bob" or "Frank". :) (nothing against those names, but you get the idea) Anyways, thanks for checking in...I think we pretty much decided to give the new baby Adler's nursery (I really love that room so much and will only do a few things to freshen it up). So, now, it's planning Adler's big boy room.

Thanks again for your prayers for our family and this baby boy! We appreciate them so much!

Undercover Mama

Ok, this post may reveal just how crazy I am, but I think at this point, it's not really a secret anymore.

So, you all know Adler has been going to school, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am - 1pm. His teachers gave us a schedule at the beginning of the school year which indicated that he went to the playground at 10am. The other day, I was running errands and was driving by his school around that time. I thought I would just swing by, and play spy in the parking lot and see if I could see Adler playing with his new school friends on the playground. I was also really eager to watch him walk in a line with the other kids. (could it really be MY child was doing this?)

I got the parking lot, and sure enough, watched Adler play with one other little boy. They were running around, picking up wood chips and piling them on a certain part of the playground. They seemed very busy and on a mission to cover the entire playground with wood chips. But before they could finish the job, their teacher called them to the picnic table. They all gathered around and listened to whatever she had to say, and then walked in a straight line back into the school. Adler and the other little boy he was playing with, were instructed to hold the teacher's hand on the way in. Hmmm....maybe they are the class trouble makers??

Anyways, I thought you would laugh at this picture I took of Adler, walking with his teacher, while I hid behind a mini-van.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

happy bride

We had a blast in Destin and I had a great time shooting the wedding for Brandi and Nate. The beach location was awesome and we ended up with some great light to shoot the couple in. It was my first beach wedding experience, and although stressful, I ended up with some images I'm really happy about.

I'm getting ready for a couple weeks of shooting, so check out http://stevohunton.blogspot.com for more photo updates in the coming days.

Later!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

5:30 am

@ around 5:30 am this morning, Adler decided it was time to get up. I laid in bed listening to him for a bit, hoping he would decide to fall back to sleep, but no such luck. When I went into his room and asked him what his problem was, he said something about "cars, Sally, trains and Thomas". (Sally from the movie Cars and Thomas the Train) He was wide awake and ready to play.
After getting his diaper changed, he picked out an outfit from the pile of clean clothes on the couch. I was pretty impressed as 1) the outfit actually matched and 2) he was so determined to get dressed so early. He asked to take his PJs off, so as I was doing this, he started saying, "Ready to go...okay!". Then, walking to the garage door, said something about "Caleb and Caleb's train" (Caleb has a Polar Express train that Adler calls "Train Wow"). So, by this time I had finally figured out that Adler had woken up this morning determined to go over to Caleb's house to play with his train set. Explaining to a 2 year old that Caleb was still asleep at 5:45 was pretty useless. After he figured out we weren't leaving, he wanted to take his outfit off. So, it's 6:39, I'm making blue berry muffins....and Adler is running around naked. It's already an exciting day at the Hunton house!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

18 weeks and a 2 year old

We find out on September 25th what we are having!

Stephen gets an epidural shot

Adler spent the night out last night (at the Fountains) but instead of getting to sleep in, we were getting up at 5:30am to head to the doctor's office for Stephen's steroid epidural shot. They injected cortizone into the epidural space in his spine in hopes to reduce in the inflamation of a disc in his lower back. Here he is signing his life away...


We hope Stephen is feeling better soon!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Family in Texas

Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and concern for our friends and family in Texas. Everyone is safe, which is the most important thing. Everyone we know, from downtown Houston, to the northern suburb, The Woodlands, is without power, still... The Wells fam has gone to stay with friends and family in Austin. With a 2 year old and 1 week year old, who could blame her? My mother in law has traveled with her elderly mother to a lake house near Dallas to escape the heat of a house without air conditioning. My parents have a generator and are able to get some power that way. It has become more and more difficult to speak with our friends and family members as they are trying to conserve battery power on their cell phones, so I get short texts or conversations just to say they are doing OK. This is strange for me as I'm used to talking to these loved ones just whenever I feel like it.

In other sad news, it seems as if our beloved beach house is a complete loss. There is a video on www.khou.com with aerial views of Bolivar, which is where Hog Heaven (the Hunton's beach house) used to reside. At 21:02, on the video clock, you'll see a shot of the concrete slab where the house used to be. We are lucky this was just a beach house and not a home (as that area is for many other people), but we sad to see it go, as Stephen and I have many memories of Crystal Beach dating back to our high school days. But we know there are many others who have suffered much more of a loss and our prayers are for them!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Get-away weekend




Stephen has a beach wedding this weekend in Destin, FL, so we have decided to make it a get-away weekend. We had originally planned to take Adler, (booked a 2 bed-room beach condo) but our good friends, the Presleys, practically begged us to keep him. So, seeing as we have another baby on the way and the chances that another couple will "beg" to keep our child/children again are pretty slim, we decided to take them up on it. Adler will have a blast at their house. He loves (almost) 6 year old Caleb, and has a melt down after school when he has to say good-bye to his favorite buddy. Adler will have a fun weekend of trains, cars, and transformers!

I on the other hand, will have a great weekend of quiet, beach, sun, rest, conversations that have an ending, and of course good food. Stephen will be busy Saturday night, so I'll just have the place to myself! We are praying for safety for our friends and family in Houston. And also for the Hunton's beach house on Crystal Beach, which is pretty much in the direct path of Hurricane Ike. :(

I'm sure we'll be posting pics of our trip as Stephen got some new bells and whistles for his camera he is looking forward to using! (I think this below pic is what I would look like with a toupee)

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Who's hunting who?


Who's hunting who?, originally uploaded by stephenhunton.com.

Adler made a buddy while we were in Fort Smith, AR visiting Jean & Wally. Cheeto was super sweet, but loved playing "The Hunter" with Adler...who's hunting who?

Monday, September 08, 2008

Saw Varsity's Horns Off



Sorry, Tex, but had to do it. I was surprised at how sharp the horns were on Adler's latest Cars collection, "Tex". (who is the owner of the oil company, Dinaco, in the movie "Cars" if you are interested) So, Varsity's horns are sawed off, short, A, whoop! Gig 'em Aggies!

Breckenridge



Here are just two pics from my phone, but I got back late last night/early this morning from a wonderful weekend in Breckenridge with girlfriends! Thanks, Megan for inviting me! We had such a great time, ate lots (which is always important), and walked around the beautiful town of Breckenridge for some shopping. I have some other pics on my camera to upload, but wanted to share these today.

You know you're in trouble when.....


There are sleeping patients at your OBGYN's office. Looks like it's going to be a long wait....

Friday, September 05, 2008

Adler's first recruiter....

So, there I was at Adler's pre-school, minding my own business....walking hand-in-hand with Adler to the playground. We slowly and casually walked past a tall Daddy who I had noticed at the school before because his son was in Adler's summer class and I think he is the only Daddy who takes/drops his kids off at the school. I noticed he was carefully eyeing me and Adler. I thought, "well, maybe he has a thing for pregnant moms...". As we walked to the playground, I noticed he quickly ended his cell phone conversation to speak with me.

"H-h-how old is your son, there?" he asked.

(pick up line?) "Oh, he turns 2 in October." I answered, wondering where this was going.

"Um, well, this might sound a little strange, but..." (I'm sure it's going to) "....well, you see, I'm a football coach...."

Me: Uh-huh

"And well, I'm putting together this football program for kids." He went on for a couple minutes about his program and his goals for scholarships for kids. "And see, I'm always looking for new players. We start them out at age 6."

Me: Well, I guess we have a couple years then....(in disbelief)

"Well, you can tell he's going to be a football player. You can always spot an athlete."

Me: Oh, you just made my husbands day! Well, I guess we'll check back with you in four years.

"Oh yea, you do that!"

Hmmmmmm....not even two, and already being recruited by coaches to play football. I'm worried :) Stephen couldn't be prouder.

Leaving on a jet plane....

I'm headed to Brecknridge, CO today! I'm so pumped! I'm meeting four other sweet girls from college there for a much needed girls weekend! Stephen and Adler are excited for their boys weekend. I heard a trip to the Georgia Train Museum was planned, but I guess we'll see. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
xoxo

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Luke 2:19

Being a mom is hard work. It takes lots of patience, seeing the "big picture" in a moments or stages that seem never ending, and lots and lots of prayer! However, I have never experienced anything more rewarding or joyful. I love being Adler's mom and I can't wait to be this new baby's mom. There are so many special moments with Adler. Most of the time, they pass too quickly to grab a camera. So, I store these treasured moments in my heart. I can't believe I get a lifetime of these moments. Sometimes, just one can fill my heart so much that my eyes overflow with tears. I was inspired by a post by the Larsens in which Lauren quoted Luke 2:19 "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Awe, I know exactly how that feels. Here are just a few moments I was able to grab with my phone:

One of my favorite times with Adler, when we have a picnic a the zoo together:

Watching him sleep peacefully:

Discovering something new:

Playing with daddy:

A quite moment in the morning where he just looks so sweet and cuddly:

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Update

Okay, so I know it's been a while. It's been a revolving door (all who we have welcomed) at the Hunton house.

3 weekends ago, Grammi came to town for some much appreciated "back to school" shopping. Of course Adler is the only one going to "school", but we don't tell Grammi that. Adler got a bunch of cool kid shirts and a couple that he really loves from H&M that have Lightning McQueen on them. Unfortunately, it was such a busy weekend, we didn't get any pics with Grammi.

2 weekends ago, my sisters were in town. Shelley and her fiance, Brandon, drove from Texas. Rylie was in town for work, so we all got to go out to celebrate Rylie's 25th birthday. We went to a fun Greek restaurant called La Taverna Plaka (complete with belly dancers). Here is Adler at the zoo with his Aunt Sha Sha and Uncle Brandon.

Last weekend, we traveled (what seemed) back in time to Fayetteville, Arkansas. This is where we spent the first year of our marriage, while Stephen finished school/skipping class and playing in his band, B-Side. We drove about an hour south to Ft. Smith to spend the Labor Day weekend with Stephen's grandparents. Friday night was a bit of a whirlwind. We flew into Fayetteville at 7pm. Got to Ft. Smith around 8:30. Visited with the grandparents, let Adler work out some cooped up energy, got him to bed, then left the house at 10:30pm (really, 11:30pm ATL time) back to Fayetteville. (insert pregnant girl that just flew with a 2 year old was exhausted, but trying very hard to be spontaneous, fun, and exciting pregnant girl) Stephen's old band, now an 80's cover band with some of their own music was playing at one of the old bars, Grubs. (insert pregnant girl trying to look cute amongst drunk 20 year olds with fake IDs and avoid "you have a baby...in a bar" stares) Okay, so once we got there, it was a blast and I forgot about all that other stuff. Boom Kinetic (as they are called) were awesome and super fun. I only wish I could have danced in the middle more...it was getting a bit rowdy and I think Stephen was worried I'd get knocked over by drunk jumping 6 foot boy. They played all the best 80s songs and their original music was awesome too. They were SO happy to see Stephen and surprised (we didn't tell them we were coming). I'm sure Stephen will write more about it on his blog, so I'll leave the rest to him, but it was a super fun night. We even got Taco Bell afterwards - which is a must after a late night. So, we got back to Ft. Smith at 3am (4am ATL time, HELLO!) and at 5am, Adler was ready to play cars with his super tired parents. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night or the rest of the weekend for that matter. Here's a pic of Zach:



And here's a pic you probably don't want me to spend too much time explaining. Let's just say this guy got on stage and proceeded to disrespect the pole:



We had a great time visiting with Stephen's dad and grandparents. Adler enjoyed being the center of attention and lead entertainer for the weekend. I guess this is where I should mention we did end up at the emergency room because Adler had a fever that reached 105, but everything checked out fine and turned out to be just a 24 hour nasty virus. Luckily, Stephen's uncle used to be the Chief of Staff at the hospital, so our experience was superb! I only wish Adler would have had more "himself" time with his great-grandparents and Tom Tom (Tommy as Adler calls him). He was a bit cranky and just wanted to be held by mommy all day Sunday. Here is Adler playing with the new kitty, Cheeto:



In other news, I really started feeling the baby kick over the weekend. I had thought I had felt it before, but this weekend, I knew for sure. Now, I'm feeling him/her all the time and it's awesome. I can't wait for Stephen to get to feel it too! We have been trying to explain to Adler what is going on. So far, he knows there are "babies" inside of mommy's tummy. He is convinced there is more than one. The dogs are back on my good list today. (Much to Stephen's distress, I've been pretty much trying to find someone to pay to take them for the past month) We took them to Pets Smart where Sadie got a shave and tooth brushing (which amazingly really helps) and Tristan got this special bath for dogs that shed a lot that helps loosen their under coat. He feels like a different dog and I know it's going to help me with house cleaning around here. So, I guess they can stay.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Walk


The Walk, originally uploaded by stephenhunton.com.

I'm currently editing through a bunch of new pictures and just wanted to share one of my favorites from the e-session I did with my sister-in-law Shelley and her fiance, Brandon. As part of a wedding/engagement present I figured I'd shoot some fun shots for them. We had a blast and did 4 locations in literally half an hour. It was super fast, but we had some fun stuff come out pretty cool. More later!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Sweet Moment With Adler

I had the sweetest moment with Adler tonight. Each night we pray for God to bless our family members, friends, and any special circumstances. Tonight, we were praying for Daddy while he is on his business trip. I asked Adler if there was anyone else he wanted to pray for and he said "Mama". (insert heart melting here) It was then that I realized we rarely pray for Mommy together. I thought it was so sweet of him to point that out to me. He is such a special little boy!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

HELP!!

Any suggestions for a hungry mama? I'm having this major problem of suddenly becoming ravenously hungry.....then eating the first thing I can grab....which is usually a carb or sugar/fruit.....and then I feel crappy. I need something I can eat right away, that's high in protein, and I'm really tired of cheese. Nuts sound gross. I can only eat so much yogurt. Eggs stink. Edamame is getting old. I had tuna at 9:30 am this morning and don't think I can do that again. I'm seriously hungry like the wolf.....HELP!

And while we are on the topic, here's what would make my life really great right now:
A personal dietitian
A personal chef
A house cleaner
A personal laundry folder and putter awayer
A dog groomer
A dog obedience trainer
A toddler obedience trainer
A masseuse
A dog poop scooper
A silent, continuous robotic vacuum cleaner and hard wood floor cleaner
A robotic magnetic invisible mini crane-toy-picker-upper
A dust fairy
The Dust Fairy's sister, Dog Hair Fairy
Lightning McQeen in the backyard for Adler
And heck, while we're in the back yard...a money tree!!

Did I miss anything?

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

First Day of School Thoughts

I'll have to say, on Monday morning, I was so glad have Adler at home with me and not having to get him ready for school. I really am cherishing this short time with him....I know before long, he will be headed off to school FOR-EV-ER (sandlot style). Do you remember your first day of school? I actually do remember my first day of kindergarten. I went to Hewitt Elementary. My teacher was Mrs. MacMan. I remember walking into the room and seeing some girls (Morgan McKibben and Heather Whatshername) hanging out by the big plastic puzzle cube. (Do you remember that thing? It was kind of like a playground, each side was a different color and the corners fit together to make this big cube thing?) Anyways, I remember them asking my name. I don't really remember being nervous. I've always loved trying new things, meeting new people, being out of my element.

I had a parent/teacher meeting last week for Adler's Mother's Morning Out. He will start the week after Labor Day weekend. He will go Tuesday and Thursdays from 9am - 1pm. I had to try really hard to keep it together. When I walked into Adler's class room, he had his name on the door. Then, I noticed he had his assigned chair, cubby, and name on his birthday month on the craft board. The teacher was introducing herself, going over some class rules, and things the kids were going to learn in the month of September (The letters A,B,&C, the color 'yellow', the shape 'rectangle', and a Bible verse)....Oh man, I was really fighting back the tears now. Please don't cry....please don't cry.....

Each child has an assigned "animal". Adler's is a turtle. His name is on his turtle where his assigned seat is. They also are going to have the kids learn how to line up, so these animals are also on the floor to teach the kids to stand in a line on their animal. As she was explaining this...I was biting my lip to keep it from shaking....but I also thought it was a bit funny...Adler, a turtle? Adler, stand in a line?? I'm sure he'll do it, it's just hard to imagine!

These past couple of days, I've been trying to get something together for him...he needed a backpack, Size 8 WW (that's Double Wide) close toed shoes (they don't recommend Crocs because of wood chips on the play ground), and I'm looking for a cute outfit for his fall class picture....will probably have to go to Janie and Jack since other stores sell 3T clothes that look like your son is about to join a fraternity. (Stephen would argue that Adler is cool enough to wear these clothes, while I agree, I still like to sometimes dress him like the little baby he is still to me)

I know this is just Mother's Morning Out and I can't imagine the wreck I will be when he starts kindergarten. They asked for a Room Mom Volunteer and guess who couldn't help herself even with a baby on the way......so I'll be in charge organizing the class parties...the Fall Festival, Christmas, Valentines Day, and Easter parties. Grandparents, if you can get away, you are welcome to come/help to any of these! :)

Any first day of school stories to share?

John Mark McMillian's "How He Loves"

I thought this was appropriate especially in lieu of the 2008 Olympics


He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

Pre-Chorus:
And oh, how He loves us all,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Chorus 1:
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Verse 2:
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And the heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain this regrets,
When I think about, the way…

Chorus 2:
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Old pics meaning to share




Nothing says RED NECK like Crystal Beach, Texas on the Fourth of July. These pics were from Stephen's phone, so they are probably hard to see, but if you look close in the second picture, you will find the "flag shack" where you can buy confederate flag anything....bikinis, shirts, signs that say "show me your tits"......or if you're really having a bad day....a flag flicking off the rest of the world. In the third picture, you'll see a confederate flag painted truck, pulling a confederate flag, and they were blasting some Ludacris as they drove by....hmmmmmmm........ We decided Adler would not be allowed at the beach house on the 4th weekend when he's in high school!

Happy Sunday




Hope you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday. We took some pictures in the front yard after church this morning. This is the outfit my mom helped me sew in Texas. We're about to put Adler down for a nap and I think I'm going to take one too....talk about Sabbath! 

Please keep praying for the Larsens! Check out the latest pic on their blog of their daughter. I couldn't even count the number of wires that were attached to her, but sounds like she is a fighter and the doctors are doing a great job. God is faithful!

Friday, August 08, 2008

I tried the pot

The Neti Pot, that is. Ohh...I bet that got you reading!
So, I've been having this annoying post nasal drip stuff, and was looking for something natural to use. I'm kind of weird about using medications while pregnant, even the over the counter stuff my doctor says is fine....if I can find a natural solution, I would rather try that first!

In my google search, I found the Neti Pot, which I have seen on Oprah, at Whole Foods, etc. Always curious but not willing to buy.... I saw a couple "jimmy rigging" ideas in place of the $20 Neti Pot.....a syringe....a bulb.....a decorative tea pot I never use!! Perfect! Ok, so you'll probably never want to drink anything I serve out of that tea pot, but that's fine because I use it for cinnamon storage for my coffee pot (always add a dash or two with the beans) anyways. 

So, I would have to say it's pretty cool and I feel much clearer in the head...which is probably a good thing for me...and can breathe easier. Anyone else tried this? May be worth buying the real thing?

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Who Should Win?


So I might be painting myself as super "lame" (as Roy would say), but Stephen and I have loved this season's So You Think You Can Dance. I literally had tears in my eyes after their final group dance. These four dancers are amazing and inspiring. It has been fun to watch them grow on the show. The finale is tonight....so the big question is, Who do YOU think can dance? Twitch, Katee, Courtney or Joshua?

Tilapia Tacos with Peach Salsa


If you are looking for a new, healthy, and yummy dish to make tonight, try these Tilapia Tacos with peach salsa! I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website. I paired this dish with black beans (if you can plan ahead, make them from the bag, not canned-it takes more time (about 10 hours) but so worth it!) and Uncle Ben's Natural Long Grain rice. I also added sliced avocado. 

Our friend, Roy, was over for dinner, and there were literally high-fives over this meal! I think Stephen was proud of his non-casserole cooking wife (which is what I'm most comfortable cooking)! What he didn't know was that it really was the most simple meal...the hardest part is chopping the salsa, which I could have done ahead of time. Let me know if you try it! 

I bought a pound of fish and between the 3 of us, there were no leftovers!

Ingredients

SALSA: 
2 cups finely chopped peeled peach (about 2 medium) 
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 
1 jalapeƱo pepper, seeded and finely chopped 
1 garlic clove, minced 

REMAINING INGREDIENTS: 
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 
1 pound tilapia, cut into 2-inch strips 
Cooking spray 
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas 

Preparation

To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add fish to bowl, tossing to coat. Place fish in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish and salsa evenly among tortillas.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos and about 1/2 cup salsa). (this fed 2 hungry boys and one prego girl at my house!)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 250(15% from fat); FAT 4.1g (sat 1g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.9g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 30mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.6g; SODIUM 533mg; PROTEIN 25.8g; FIBER 3.5g

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Been busy...

So if you are having a baby, don't be surprised if this is all you get from me! This has been my latest sewing adventure, making these burp cloths! Here is some pics of a couple I made for an old co-worker who had baby Jake in June. Yes, I know I'm a little behind, but I figured you can never have too many of these things. Let me know what you think!

And don't worry, Stephen has already come up with my business plan, website (because everyone needs at least 5), and has a few suggestions for a company name :) (my favorite is Burp Cloths by Boo)


Front side
close-up
   back-side


Please pray!

Please pray for our friends The Larsens. They delivered a beautiful baby girl on Thursday despite a long pregnancy with some complications. Baby Larsen needs your prayers this very minute. She is fighting for her life through an infection amongst other things. The latest update on the blog said the doctors were not hopeful. But we are hopeful in Christ! Please pray for this precious family and for her parents, Matt and Lauren. Thanks!

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Hmmmmmm............


















That's right!!! If you haven't already heard, we are expecting another baby!! Our official due date is February 15, 2009! We couldn't be more excited or feel more blessed to have this child in our lives! We've seen one sonogram (got to hear the beautiful sound of that heart beat!), but won't know whether it's a boy or girl until the end of September. Boy or girl, we are so grateful!

I am 12 weeks today...and am thrilled to have completed my first trimester! I have definitely been more sick with this baby than I was with Adler. But it has been such a fun pregnancy! I have two of my closest friends also expecting...one is 3 weeks head of me and the other is 6, so it has been fun to watch our tummies grow together. Adler is getting ready to teach baby brother/sister all he knows!

We of course would appreciate your prayers for this baby...to know Christ, for health, happiness and a good sleeper :)