Meet My New Friend *UPDATED!(update not exciting)

I call her Lizzie the Lizard. Clever, huh?

I watched Lizzie scamper across our deck while I ate breakfast. And then again while I ate lunch. And again while I sat and did my Bible study. This picture was taken while I was safely inside. That is the way I prefer to view lizards, behind glass.

I wish I had something profound to say about Lizzie and my Bible study, but I don't.

I just can't get over the fact that there was a lizard on my deck. I have also seen Lizzie scamper in front of me on the sidewalk while walking to my car. And I cannot get over the fact that there are lizards where I live. Lizards. Real, live lizards.

It helps that this one is tiny and almost cute. Almost. Not cute, almost cute. I don't think Lizzie will get cute if she happens to get bigger. Or have lizard babies.

I just won't think about that!



Sage spotted Lizzie and he is now window watching for Lizzie, he even got Kolby to look for her too, but I don't think Kolby had any idea what he was looking for! He also said he saw two!

What's in my belly?

July 7, a week from Monday, we will have our ultrasound. I am so excited to find out if we are having another brother like Sage and Daddy are pulling for or if we will experience a little girl.

I have no gut intuition. Nothing swaying me one way or the other. 3 boys would be fun. But a best friend for Baby Lulu would be great too!

But for the fun part, a contest. In the comments, tell me whether you think I'm having a boy or a girl and then on July 7, I will draw a name from the people who guessed correctly.

The prize? Undetermined, but it will be good!

And, the technician will also be looking for all the other important parts that should be pretty far along in development. Among those, the feet! I am a little anxious to find out if we will have another clubber or not. Since it is determined what causes it, genetics or womb positioning, some families have multiple children with club foot and some don't, so for me, it will be feet first, gender second.

The Modern Mom

Finds recipes online and instead of printing and possibly wasting paper, plugs in the laptop to consult recipe as she makes it and doesn't apologize about the messy kitchen:

Lets the kids lick the beaters: (notice the blue dining room behind them, kitchen is the same color)

Takes a picture of each child to post on the internet:


Turns the light on for entertainment for the 2 year old:

Shows you a picture of the final product:


I must confess, I did not find this recipe online by myself, I was directed to it by Holly. She is a mom with 4 girls under the age of 3!

And tastes them before posting this: Verdict Good! Very Good! I made 24 muffins and 24 mini muffins, I'll probably freeze some of these.

The time I lost Kolby

Her name is Lucia Louise and she shall be called, Lulu. Isn't that adorable?!
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Kolby loves his shoes. Last week, a strap broke and one night he couldn't wear them to bed. Drew explained that he wasn't going to wear them and Kolby cried and said "Peas, shs, ba." That is Kolby speak for "Please, shoes, bar." And that night, he woke up for no reason which is very unusual for him. Today, I was trying to be a lazy mom (so I could go take a nap) and not put his shoes on and he said "Peas shs."
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Today we went to our first playgroup through the Sunday School class at First Baptist that we went to on Sunday. It was held at a place called the Ruckus Room. Isn't that an appropriate name for boys of any age? It was three rooms with blow up bounce toys. I should have realized that something was amiss when I had to sign a waiver. It was quite fun except for one particular blow up thingie. It was pushed against a wall but when you walked on it, it would slide you off toward the wall, especially if someone larger was walking toward you. Unfortunately, for Kolby most of the kids were larger than him.

At one point, I had totally lost track of Kolby. I was searching and then heard his familiar cry. He was standing between the wall and the blow up thing, completely smashed and stuck. It wasn't too horrifying as he wanted to get back on.

Later, I knew right where he was, crawling through a tunnel on that same dreaded thingie. And then I heard the crying. And saw his little gray footed socks sticking out from the bottom. My heart leaped to my mouth as I ran toward him. Of course, it was no big deal to rescue him but I think that time it scared him more than the first. He didn't stop crying as soon as he was in my arms and didn't want to get back in. As I think back, I regret not talking to the man in charge about what happened, because it could have been a lot worse. But, I had already signed a waiver and I didn't want to be a complainer. And part of the problem is that a lot of moms just weren't watching their kids.

Remind me when my boys are 8 and 10 or 10 and 12 that they still need to be supervised? Thanks.

My Best Friends Baby!

My best friend had her baby yesterday and she waited nine long months to find out what she was carrying.

It's a girl!

The boys and I went shopping for her gift this morning. I would love to link to what I bought but I haven't mailed it yet. But oh my, it was hard to choose. Drew's right, if we have a girl, he is in trouble!

Girls need shoes and bows! And they have plenty of cute stuff out there. I mean pink crocs, pink Chuck Taylors the list goes on.

Go congratulate Karoline! Oh, and she's having trouble deciding on a name. Give her some suggestions! I'm kidding, kind of, she is having a hard time deciding, but I don't think she is open to suggestions!

And then tell me one little girl item that you would buy for sure.

A litt bit more about me

I was tagged for this by my friend Steph. I had a hard time completing this one, it took 2 days!

I am…wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend.
I want…to know Jesus more deeply.
I wish…my children would sleep past 6:30am.
I hate strongly dislike…(we don’t use the word hate) mushrooms.
I miss…living somewhere I know how to get places, especially a park!
I fear… my husband dyeing.
I feel…overwhelmed in a new city and new house that needs every wall painted.
I hear…Sage playing cars and talking in his own language. Is this normal?
I smell…sweet water by Method.
I crave…time away from the house.
I search…the internet to waste time.
I wonder…if I will make great friends here, how long we will live here.
I regret…the moments I don’t appreciate my life.
I love…my boys, Drew, Sage, Kolby and the new baby, although I don’t know if it is a boy!
I care…for Sage and Kolby.
I ache…for good girlfriends in the same city as me.
I always...sneak food so I don’t have to share with my kids (like m&ms), it’s getting harder!
I am not…creative.
I believe…in Jesus Christ.
I dance…only when I am being silly.
I sing...songs of praise to my Lord.
I cry…easily lately.
I don’t always...like to make dinner or grocery shop.
I fight…not being in control.
I write…on my blog, in my prayer journal (not consistently), and in my head.
I never…say never!
I listen…to Christian music and the sounds of boys playing.
I need…chocolate and caffeine.
I am happy…in life.


I tag Mindy, Karoline and anyone else who wants to do it!

Whoops!

We were going to the pool and I like to apply the spray sunscreen right outside our front door. We all stepped out and I didn't shut the door all the way as it locks. But, Sage thought I meant to, so he did it. I sprayed the boys. And turned around to let them back in while I sprayed myself. Door was locked.

We haven't hidden a key yet. All patio doors were locked.

We were wearing swimsuits, no shoes, cell was in the house with my keys. Luckily, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt over my swimsuit.

I knelt down and prayed. I said "Lord, we locked ourselves out of the house, please help us to think calmly and figure out a plan." As I was praying Sage was hhmming.

We have met our neighbors, Tricia and Butch but I was pretty sure they both were at work. I rang the door hopefully and heard the dogs barking. I was about to give up and think of a different plan when I hear "Who is it?"

She graciously lets us in, let me call long distance to Drew's cell (we really need to get local numbers) while she shows the boys her goldfish. It was 10:15. Drew said he could drive home on his lunch break while we were at the pool.

It went really smoothly walking to the pool without shoes and just swimming while we waited for dad to be our hero and unlock our house. And we didn't even have a towel!

I was nervous to not have Sage's ring floatie as he likes to "swim" but he did great staying in the shallow end. Kolby is getting so much braver but his balance isn't always the best walking around the shallow end. He only head dove once and didn't cry when I scooped him up.

When we got home, we talked about how God answered our prayer and took care of us. And quickly dried off on our towels which were sitting on the bench, right by the front door.

Pretty soon this problem will be solved because I ordered sunscreen without chemicals, also known as sunscreen that must be rubbed in therefor not making me step out of the house. Or I could spray them on the patio where I stand no chance of locking myself out from the sliding door.

Silence

My mom always told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I also apply it to complaining. If you can only complain about something, don't say anything at all.

But, in my head as I think through my list of complaints, they are often silly. Likewise, the things that I am grateful for right now seem silly too, but here they are:

1. Ice maker with in door dispenser, water too!
2. Air conditioning
3. New insulated straw cup from Starbucks (purchased with my birthday gift card, thanks mom!)
4. There are no boxes waiting to be put away in the living room
5. Sky lights
6. New bed with heavenly sheets
7. Kolby napping
8. M&Ms
9. 2 hours and some minutes until Drew is home!
10. Starting a new Bible Study online through Beth Moore's blog!
11. Unpacking 6 more boxes today!
12. Counting down the days until I get our new van and not being stuck at home! 2!
13. And Nana and Matthew visiting!
14. And bringing the boys bunkbeds!

Wow, I started to almost smile there at the end!

It's better for me to think and write down what I am thankful for than what I want to complain about and I hope it makes your day better too!

Amidst the Painting

We went to the zoo! It's right in the middle of the city which was so weird to us. I kind of feel like we are living in a zoo with this new climate. I have seen several lizards scamper in front of me!

Apparently, we didn't take many pictures, but we bought a family membership, so we will be going back!











I was a bad mommy and didn't pack snacks or enough water for myself so we didn't stay long, but it was long enough to wear us out! I'll get better at this zoo thing. And we did get a yummy meal of Chick Fil A! I don't want to admit how many times we have eaten there in the two weeks we have lived here. It is so yummy, the play lands are clean, and Sage and Kolby actually eat the chicken! Sage has totally bought into the advertising and tells us to "Eat more chiken!" He also tells me, "I do not want the fries, I want the fruit!" But he does appreciate trading in the toy for an ice-cream cone!

As for the painting update: the living room, dining and kitchen are done, pictures will be displayed after I clear out the few remaining boxes and clear off the bar shelf. And maybe actually purchase the bar stools we want. The boys room has been painted, it needs one more coat of trim paint around the top and the trim needs painted white. I found comforters for the boys that match the paint that we bought too bright for the living room so we didn't waste 3 gallons of paint, only 1. And, I really like them, I am seeing a fun room for them. Their bunkbeds will arrive next week along with our new minivan! Drew's parents gifted him their minivan as his graduation gift. We are so blessed. Drew pointed out that it was more a gift for me and I reminded him that we would have had to buy one anyway! Now, when I drive the Saturn, I have visions of a minivan in my head and I can't wait! I am excited that the boys will have air conditioning reaching them right away, not waiting for the cold air to blow back from the front. Sage likes to remind us that he is sweaty, a lot!

Tonight, we are going to dinner at our neighbors house. We haven't actually met face to face but were connected through blog land! Crazy internet!

Starting A New Life

Have you ever thought when you move, no one knows me, no one knows what I am like, I can be a totally different person? I've thought about that with the way I dress, I can recreate myself and no one would know, they would think that is how I have always been. I have always wanted to be more of a funky dresser or unique, but am really quite plain. Solid colored shirts with denim or a type of khaki pants or shorts dominate my wardrobe. Not that it is bad, just plain. I see shirts with patterns that I think are cute, but the problem is, they cost money and my plain shirts never seem to go out of style. So, I think I am going to look for some fun earrings on Etsy to go with my plain shirts.

This isn't what I intended to write about.

We visited a church this morning. Houston's First Baptist Church. I was so overwhelmed walking in, finding the welcome center so they could show me where to drop off my children. I can't describe how huge the church is, just huge, two floors, we probably walked a quarter mile to drop our kids off and I don't think I am exaggerating. I kept thinking what if Kolby has an asthma attach and I get paged and I can't find his room again? (He rarely has asthma attacks and they usually come when he has a cold also, which he doesn't, but come one, I needed to worry about something and then I wondered what would happen if there was a fire, how would I find my kids, would the workers really get them out? Irrational, I know, hey, I'm pregnant). We made it into the service (we were late and arrived 25 minutes before it started, how did that happen unless we walked a quarter of a mile to drop our kids off) and I wanted to burst into tears. I don't know why. I was overwhelmed with the number of people that were in one building to learn about God and how it seemed like the same number of people who live in all of Connecticut, not really, but it felt like it. Overwhelmed that in this huge crowd of people, I only know the 3 that I came with. Overwhelmed with the realization that we are starting over. Starting from scratch to meet people. People who already live here. People who already have friends. Do they have room for one more?

It was a great service. The music was upbeat, praise songs. The message was great. I learned something and walked away with something. The pastor wants us to memorize a verse, Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." (I totally had to look, guess I will keep working on that!) The message may have been written to me. He talked about the Isrealites and how their faith was weak and forgetful. Like mine. On Sundays, I am bold, ready to tell people about Jesus and his love for them. Mondays, I am terrified to mention his name, afraid of offending people. I need to remember that my God is strong and faithful not weak and forgetful. It is my faith that is weak and forgetful not my God. He also talked about how we live in a negative, complaint filled society. The weather is forecasted from the Severe Weather Center, and they told him the high would be 94, the low 75 and it will be partly cloudy today. Catch the negativism? Severe. Partly cloudy. It could be just the weather center or partly sunny. Kind of like my house right now, do I see it as half painted and partly messy or half done painted and lots of boxes put away? I am being the most honest when I say, I see a mess and a lot more work, but we have gotten a lot done and put away.

I took notes and was able to follow along easily. I loved it, I paid attention the whole time and didn't have time to fill our my visitor card. It would be so easy to go back and settle in, but we know that we need to visit more churches to we can find a church family and not just a church.

It will remain high on the list.

We took today off from doing work around the house, Sage was quite excited that mom and dad weren't painting today. I think we are going through an adjustment period with him. We are busy, boxes are open but untouchable for them, everything is different. He is crying really easily, throwing fits, which is not normal for him. We are going to take today to hang out with the kiddos and we have promised a zoo trip this week.

We're alive!

We made it on Sunday around 3pm and just today got internet access today. It was supposed to be all set up to be installed on Tuesday but, the best laid plans...get changed!

Our trip was uneventful and relatively easy, we even discussed that driving to see family wouldn't be too difficult.

Our truck was a day late, it came Wednesday. It is so nice to have our stuff, sitting in boxes around us! Just kidding. I have got a good bit put away but we are trying to paint at the same time, so it makes for a lot of clutter and mess. And you know what painting leads to? Painting the trim and replacing light switches which require multiple trips to Home Depot or Lowes. And painting leads to buying the wrong color, painting 1/4 of the wall and going back to Sherwin Williams to buy a different color. I can't even admit to you how much money we have wasted on paint. We are going to salvage about one gallon of paint for the boys room and bathroom but that doesn't really help the 5 gallons that we purchased.

Live and learn. That is our motto.

Painting also leads to a desire of replacing the towel bar, toilet paper bar and faucet. And after checking some prices at Lowes, those will have to wait. We will live with our shiny silver and gold faucets. Not our style, but they will work.

We will also live with our bathroom mirrors as ornamented as they are. We are more simple and modern type people, but we will live with it and maybe replace things slowly. We'll see.

Life is slightly crazy but we love, love, love our new home. It feels absolutely huge! We added a bedroom and a bathroom and a half and many closets and cupboards. And, I have been doing laundry whenever I desire and leaving it in the dryer or washer and I am the only one who can move it.

Sage doesn't like to go upstairs by himself. If someone sits at the bottom of the stairs (which aren't seen at the top) he is okay, if Kolby goes with him (finally, his little brother is good for something), he is fine, but don't ask him to go himself. But, if we are all upstairs and go downstairs, he is fine.

Life is good. We're still adjusting, unpacking, organizing and settling, but life is good.

I wonder how long it will take to not say, "we just moved here."