Halloween Fun

I'm not as quick as others with posting cute halloween pictures. But better late than never! Our halloween fun started with trips to stores to complete Bo's cowboy outfit. We already had the vest and the hat, but went to Toys R Us for the horse (which Bo loves to ride around our apt.), Academy Sports store for the bandana and cowboy boots, which double as rain boots!, and Walgreen's to find our trick or treating pumpkin. Robert was on his way home from setting up for our middle school fall retreat, so our gracious friends, the Rasplicka's, let me and Bo come over to trick or treat with them in their neighborhood. Their youngest daughter, Betsy, is 4 1/2 and LOVES Bo. She hugs and kisses on him and likes to "manage" him, as Betsy's mom says. She was dressed as a "butterfly"...which her mom later described as a trailor trash princess! Still so cute!

Robert was able to meet us after the house to house fun, and we went out for a late dinner.


The cowboy and the "butterfly"


"I'm the new sheriff in town."


"Giddy-up horsey."

Happy Birthday, Tanner and Happy Half-Birthday, Bo!

Happy Birthday, Tanner! We love you!

In honor of your birthday, I thought about how I could make this a special post about you. Maybe, I could make a list of 31 things about you that we love. But, then I thought, 31 things is a lot, too much some might say. Then I thought maybe I could make a list of 3 things we love about you and 1 thing we don't so much love about you. But it's your birthday, so I thought telling you the things we don't like is not too birthdayish. So here are 4 things we love about you...3+1=4!

1)You are really smart, and we are all really proud of all that you've accomplished.

2)You're a great dad and a great husband. (from what I've heard)

3)You are a gifted leader...even though I was the one you just had to practice your skills on when we were growing up. I guess telling people what to do eventually comes in handy.

4)You have great tastes in movies...the majority of the time.

Hope your day was special!



It just so happens to be Bo's half-birthday! We usually don't celebrate half-birthdays nor are we going to tell our kids when they are 3 and a half, or 5 and three-quarters. There aren't many things more annoying than a kid who gets a one-up on another kid because he says he's three-quarters older. Just my opinion. Moving on, I figured 1 and a half is a pretty big milestone. He's definitely a toddler, not a baby anymore. And he's definitely making his opinion known more often. And he's definitely testing his boundaries. But, he is still a sweet boy who blows kisses and likes to cuddle when we read. He's a big boy...literally. In the 90th percentile for both height (33 3/4 in.) and weight (31 lbs. 8 oz.). If he keeps this up...watch out!

Impromptu Trip to San Francisco! (Part 1)

Obviously, from the title of this post, you've picked up the fact that we took a trip to San Francisco recently. My brother and sister-in-law (Tanner and Audrey) received two free tickets earlier this year from being bumped from a flight. The tickets were going to expire at the end of the year, so they flew me and Bo out to visit for a week! So great to be a stay-at-home mom and have the flexibility to fly last minute...and so great to have a husband that lets me take off on the spur of the moment across the country! The time we spent out there was precious for several reasons. One, we live far away, and don't get to see each other often. Two, since we live far away, the kids don't get to see each other that often either, so it was great for Shelby (turns 2 this month) and Bo to be together, especially at this age, and for us to see them playing together and loving on each other! Three, Tanner and Audrey are moving to Belgium in April to be missionaries. So any time we spend together is sweet, knowing they will be even further away next year and the years following.
Here are pictures from our visit to the pumpkin patch, which also included live animals!


Shelby and Bo with the cows.


My big boy posing for a pumpkin picture.


He was saying something when he lifted his hands up to this scarecrow. Who knows what he said, or what was going on in his little brain. Probably something ingenious.

My Little Angel

Bo's First Official Haircut

I call it the first "official" haircut, because it was actually done in a salon. The first technical haircut was done by Robert in our bathtub and only included a handful of snips to the front and back. Bo did amazingly well in the salon called "Little Lords and Ladies", which is actually a children's clothing boutique with a small haircutting parlor in the back. He got to sit in a monster truck and play with a little stuffed dog. He was really cute. Robert shot some video while we were there, so maybe I can post it later. So here are the before and after shots. He looks like such a big boy!


BEFORE


AFTER #1


AFTER #2

Fun time with Grandparents!

This past week, Robert's parents came to visit us...well, maybe more accurately, they came to love on Bo! I think Bo really enjoyed having somebody different to play with in the house. They arrived on Thursday around noon (flying of course). Our first destination was lunch at one of Robert's favorite places...Pappa's Burger. Even though I don't eat burgers most of the time, I do enjoy this restaurant...especially b/c they have really good things that aren't burgers! And they have really good milkshakes! So, anyways, back to the visit...

Friday, we went shopping for Bo, played in the castle at the mall and had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen...which I do love.

Saturday, it was girl's day out. Vineta and I went shopping at the Galleria...a huge mall here with about 375 stores. It's more of a tourist shopping experience than everyday shopping. But we went to some of my favorite stores...the LOFT, Gap, Pottery Barn Kids, etc. Then we met Bob, Robert and Bo for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory!! SO GOOD!

Sunday was church, after which Bo got a fever which ended up spiking a couple of days later to 103.2. But then it gradually just went away. No other symptoms or anything! Weird. So since Bo was sick, we stayed inside for the remainder of their visit (with the exception of a few trips to stores). Which normally would become miserable, but since the grandparents were here, it was great.

A couple of fun things for me...I didn't clean up a single dish (Thanks, Vineta!!!) while they were here, I actually got to take a few naps, and me and Robert were able to go to a Collective Soul concert! Robert is actually good friends with the brother of the guys of Collective Soul, so we got four free tickets and backstage passes! We invited Jonathan and Mary, a newlywed couple from our church who are volunteering with our middle schoolers. They are a lot of fun!


Bo and Grammy reading. Bo is obsessed with books right now. I'm serious. The majority of the time he's awake, he wants to read. Maybe, he'll be a genius.


Me, Robert, Jonathan and Mary with Collective Soul...how cool are we?!?!


Sweet grandparent picture...Grammy, Bo and Granddaddy

Bo's First School Art Project

Our Women's Bible Study at our church started recently. It is for all-aged women, so our small group is pretty diverse. We are doing a study called, The Ways of Wisdom, written by Kathleen Buswell Nielson. She is the wife of the President of Covenant College at Lookout Mountain, GA. I think it is going to be a good study, although very different from the studies I did in Mother's Heart back in Memphis. The study is definitely more-in depth as far as actually "studying" the Scriptures go. There is very little commentary, if any, and no application questions. So it definitely takes more thought to actually apply what the Scriptures are saying. I hadn't realized this until the 3rd week, because I was so used to the practical things being laid out in front of me. And I realized, after hearing all the deep thoughts that my small group shared, that I had just been filling in the blanks. So this week, I will definitely be more diligent and intentional in my bible study time. I think the running joke for the bible study is that we won't so much be wiser when we finish the study, but we will definitely know when and how we are being foolish!!

All that said, Bo brought home his first art project from the nursery! How fun! It is currently hanging on the fridge...I couldn't resist!

Babies and politics

Wanting to add some video to my blog, I thought these two would be a good first attempt. Both were sent to me by my dad. Here are his thoughts on the political video.

"Here’s a man who will stand for what he believes, no matter who’s watching or who’s listening. I suspect that he is a REAL MAN. The head of Men’s Fraternity in Little Rock is Rick Caldwell, who has taken a 90 day leave of absence from MF to be a senior advisor to Mike Huckabee, his college roommate. I spoke with Rick on the phone the week before we kicked off MF and learned this. I plan on watching Mike very closely in the year ahead."

A change will do you good...

So, I decided to change the way the blog looked. Go ahead and put in your two cents on what you think about the change. Also, check out our new list of "Links we love". (I'll be adding some more in the near future.) The only link on there now is "The Loop" which is our middle school outreach meeting. Our first meeting was held this past Sunday. I was a little nervous about it for several reasons. I was probably most nervous because I had to lead worship. I got the same feeling that I used to get before my high school b-ball games - butterflies in the stomach, dry mouth, a little nauseous, and having to use the bathroom several times before warm-ups. But it went well. Our girl on staff, Amy, sang with me, so that made it better b/c I wasn't up there by myself. I was also nervous b/c I haven't had that much experience with middle school students, and to be honest, I never really wanted any experience with middle schoolers. But that fear was also shed when they showed up and were actually excited to be there! The other fear involved how many students were going to show up since it was our very first meeting...I wasn't expecting many. But we had a good number. All in all, I think everybody had a great time! I think the Lord surprised me in all of these areas. Maybe I should trust Him a little more next time!

Other important and fun things that happened...of utmost importance, Robert and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on August 31st! I feel like it's a pretty big milestone. We celebrated by going to a restaurant called Brennan's. It was pretty fancy shmancy...the kind of restaurant that has some words on the menu that you can't read b/c they are in a different language. We don't visit these kinds of restaurants too often, so it was a treat. I have some pictures from that date on my phone, but I'm still trying to figure out how to transfer them to the computer. Dang technology.

For our anniversary, I gave Robert tickets for us to see Alan Jackson and Brooks and Dunn in concert!!! Robert has always wanted to see Alan Jackson, and the concert just happened to be the Friday after our anniversary. So I thought it would be a perfect gift...it was! We were able to go out without Bo, have a fun dinner at Johnny Rockets in this cute little outdoor shopping place, and enjoy a good show with great music. And concerts are just fun anyways!

This is what happens when you let a 16-month old loose with markers to decorate cards for Grandparents Day!! God bless the person who figured out how to make markers "washable"!

Labor Day, decorating, and a little cowboy action

We celebrated Labor Day by going to the park! (And so did lots of other people!) This is the park I have been going to on a regular basis. It was fun to have Daddy with us this time!


Daddy taking Bo down the slide. I think Robert is concentrating on holding on to Bo!


Bo hasn't been in swings much, but this time he definitely enjoyed it! Plus, there were lots of things going on around us that he was very interested in...so curious about what everybody else is doing!


So, here are my decorating skills put to the test. I really like these pillows and thought they would go well with our leather couch. What do you think? Seriously, leave a comment and let me know if I passed the test.




Bo has started to find more enjoyment in wearing hats. They still don't stay on for very long, but he'll ask for help to get them on his head. He was laughing pretty hard (hence the face that looks like he's kin to the Marshmallow man from Ghostbusters). I was counting to three, saying "DRAW!", pulling my imaginary guns out and making shooting noises. He thought it was hysterical! COWBOY UP!

A box, a tub and a fort

"Fox in sox and Bo in box!"


So, Bo figured out how to get in the tub by himself. I heard him playing in the bathroom (which is pretty normal for him), then heard a little noise. I found him like this. Looks like somebody got caught.


"Come on water! Come out! I know you're in there!"


"Maybe this will help. I see Mama and Daddy doing something with this thing to make it work." (thankfully, it's too hard to turn for him...for right now!)


After seeing a friend's blog, I stole this fort idea. Thanks, Amber!! Yes, I made forts when I was little but I thought Bo would be too little to enjoy it just yet. Boy, was I wrong! Yeah, for a great idea to make the "after-nap crankiness" go away!

My 100 List

For all three people who actually read my blog, here is the much awaited 100 list. My educated guess is that this little exercise will be easy for me...based on the fact that I think a lot of myself! I'll let you know at the end of this if my hypothesis was correct.

100. Don't know why, but I wanted to start at 100 and work my way to 1. What does that tell you?

99. I am a Christian...born - again, believer, saved by His grace, washed with His blood, a member of the Body of Christ, child of God, daughter of the King, co-heirs with Christ...however you prefer it - I'm it.

98. Most of the time, I don't act like #99 or believe it.

97. Like I said before, I think a lot of myself.

96. Based on #97, I constantly have to remind myself of the verses, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

95. I am married to Robert. This Friday (Aug. 31st) will be five years!

94. We met in Guadalajara, Mexico in the summer of 2000. He was working as a missionary. I was on a college missions trip.

93. I knew he was the one that I was going to marry.

92. I admire Robert for his loyalty, his selflessness in serving others, and his integrity...qualities that I often lack.

91. I remember saying before we married that I wanted to be a "helper" to him. After marriage, I confess that I have been irritated at the very things that I said I wanted to help him with. Imagine that.

90. We have a son, Bo, who is 15 months old. He is an awesome kid! I love to hear him say new words or imitate sounds we make. Even at times when I am getting frustrated, he makes me smile and I can feel nothing but love for him!

89. Just recently I have rethought my plan of having children close together. My original plan was to have them 2 years apart (Lord willing). But I would maybe like to do a few things before I get pregnant again, therefore putting my children farther apart in age.

88. Those things include - going on the high school beach trip this next summer and maybe even the high school missions trip.

87. Depending on the length of the high school missions trip, I think I would be pretty anxious about leaving Bo for such a long period of time.

86. I really love going on missions trips! I have been to Guadalajara and Merida, Mexico and to Ukraine.

85. I have also visited Tunisia, where my brother worked for two years; Mexico City, where Robert lived while we were "dating"; Cancun, the honeymoon; the Bahamas (see #83); and London, to tour for a day at the end of the Ukraine trip.

84. I LOVE to travel and see other countries and cultures!

83. My very first plane ride was when I was a sophomore in college. We went to the Bahamas for a basketball tournament.

82. I played basketball at Presbyterian College, a Division 2 school, for 3 years.

81. I love it that my college mascot is the Blue Hose! (if you want to know, email me.)

80. I quit playing basketball my senior year so I could lead a discipleship group.

79. I tore my ACL my freshman year of college...playing basketball.

78. Both of my grandparents on my mom's side died my freshman year of college, nine days apart. It was the second time I experienced the death of someone close to me.

77. The first was when we lost my 8-month old cousin, Michael. I believe that God is good and perfect, but I don't think I will ever understand the death of a child.

76. I became a Christian the summer after my freshman year of college. I was at Summer Beach Project, a spiritual growth opportunity led by a college ministry called Campus Outreach.

75. The Lord used a chart to change my heart. It contrasted the characteristics of a proud heart with those of a humble heart. I checked off every characteristic on the proud heart side.

74. I still struggle with my pride.

73. I think I am right the majority of the time. Most of the time, I am. haha.

72. The toilet paper should go over the roll. Not under. I change it, even in other people's houses!

71. I don't make my bed in the morning. Never have, never will. I will make my children make their beds. And maybe even mine.

70. I really do not understand why we have weather people on the news every day, especially every five minutes of the news program (except for when hurricanes are coming). I can look outside and tell you what the weather is.

69. I never wash my face before going to bed.

68. And if I'm really tired, I don't brush my teeth either.

67. I hate, I mean, HATE, going to the dentist.

66. I usually have a high tolerance for physical pain...except for mouth pain.

65. My brother and I have basically the same recurring nightmare. It involves my teeth breaking into little pieces, so much so that they are making me gag. They don't stop crumbling until I wake up, always feeling my teeth to see if they're still there because the nightmare is so real.

64. We have this dream because my mom used to tell us our teeth were going to fall out if we didn't brush them. Thanks, mom.

63. I'm not one of those girls that talk to their moms on the phone everyday. It doesn't mean I love my mom any less than girls that do.

62. I don't like to talk on the phone, unless it's accomplishing something or it's with a far away friend to catch up.

61. I admire my mom so much for going to college when I was in third grade. She still cooked, cleaned and got us where we needed to be, all while being a full-time student. I really don't know how she did it.

60. Being a mom has made me appreciate my mom so much more.

59. I LOVE being a mom! I love it that I have the opportunity to teach a child all the things I think are important. Although some days, it also scares the crap out of me.

58. I'm also scared of heights, but only when I'm supporting myself...for example, tree climbing, ropes courses. Even though I'm scared, I still do it. Well, not so much tree climbing anymore.

57. I can sleep with the lights on. But I can't sleep if I don't have something covering me, even if it's burning hot.

56. I can sleep through my husband's loud snoring, thunderstorms, even a hurricane. But I wake up if I hear my son cry.

55. I LOVE storms! The lightning and thunder and pouring rain and dark clouds. It's awesome. But I don't like driving in the rain.

54. I cracked my elbow when I was five playing duck-duck-goose. To this day, I get anxious if I have to play it.

53. I broke my right thumb twice. The first time in 7th grade, roller skating. The second time in 9th grade, playing softball.

52. I've had stitches once, but only because of major surgery -ACL. Not because of accidents.

51. When I was in 3rd grade, I was stung about 13 times by a swarm of yellow jackets. Not fun.

50. When I was two, my hands were burned really badly by hot water from a kitchen faucet. Parents - turn your hot water heaters down.

49. I'm kinda like a guy, in the fact that I like to brag about all my injuries and scars.

48. In all my years of playing sports, I have never sprained my ankles. And I'm proud of it.

47. I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy food. I don't like to sweat or have my nose running when I am eating.

46. I like to think that I am tougher - physically, mentally, emotionally - than I actually am.

45. I don't cry in movies, and I usually kinda laugh to myself at people who do. Sorry.

44. I have a good sense of direction if I'm by myself. If someone else is in the car, I usually rely on them.

43. Even though I grew up playing sports, I'm not an avid spectator or a die-hard fan of any particular team. The only thing I HAVE to watch is the NCAA tournament.

42. If I turn on a game in progress, I almost always cheer for the team that is losing. I love cheering for the underdog.

41. I don't understand die-hard fans. In fact, I think it's kinda silly.

40. I LOVE comedy. I love jokes. I love laughing. I enjoy watching NBC's "Last Comic Standing".

39. Sometimes I think I could be a comedian. I think I'm a pretty funny person.

38. I also think I could be an actress. But not in a drama. Or not in anything where I had to cuss or be naked in any way. But that doesn't leave much to choose from nowadays!

37. I was one of those students that didn't study a whole lot, but still made straight A's. I also didn't read most of the books I was supposed to for my English classes, but still managed to write decent papers on them. Sorry.

36. I once mopped the top of the freezer sections in a Food Lion near Myrtle Beach, SC during my summer employment as a stocker. It was disgusting.

35. I grew up in a really small town (pop. approx. 6,000), but I really like living in a big city. More shopping and entertainment choices.

34. I saved two kids from drowning. Once when I was just a little girl, and once when I was a lifeguard. I can still picture their faces and the fear that I saw in their eyes. Parents - teach your kids to swim.

33. I have a love/hate relationship with fashion. Mostly hate. I love it when I get a new outfit and it makes me look and feel really good. I hate it when everything I try on makes me look and feel bad. I also hate it that fashion is used to define people. I often wish that everyone wore the exact same thing, so we couldn't judge and stereotype each other by what we wear.

32. I didn't grow up with cable TV or a satellite dish or TiVo. We don't have any of those now, and we have no plans for ever getting them.

31. I like to be hugged, but I am slow to give them out.

30. I LOVE to take naps.

29. I would like to get a tattoo, but everyone who loves me won't let me.

28. I can get addicted to things pretty easily. That's why I don't gamble, drink or play lots of video games. I once lost $13 on a quarter machine at an amusement park. I was on it for most of the day, forfeiting the time that I could have been riding rides.

27. I have never been really comfortable around older/elderly people. I just don't know what to say or do. I wish I did, so I could have enjoyed my grandparents more, and learned from them.

26. I absolutely HATE superficial conversations. They exhuast me. But being in ministry has forced me to learn how to have them.

25. I hate making major decisions. I always fear choosing the wrong thing, even though I believe that the Lord is in control.

24. I grew up Baptist, and am very thankful for that. I love the fact that I know a lot of Baptist hymns, and I want to pass them on to my children.

23. I fear committing to new things, because I fear that I won't like the new thing but I'll still have to do it for a long period of time. It keeps me from doing a lot of things.

22. I really want to be good at cooking. I get really frustrated when I follow a recipe and it doesn't turn out like it's supposed to.

21. I also get really frustrated when I've taken something out to thaw for dinner, and it's not thawed when I'm ready to start cooking.

20. I was voted "Most Athletic" for my high school Senior Superlatives. I pretty much thought I deserved it.

19. I've recently recognized that instead of having an attitude of thanksgiving and service, I have an attitude of entitlement and deserving. It makes me mad at myself. I want to change, but don't know how.

18. I was voted "Miss Congeniality" in my high school pageant a record two years in a row. The first time, I was shocked. And I have never admitted that the second time, I kinda tried to win it. And yes, I was in a pageant....twice.

17. I think I want to have at least 4 kids. And sometimes I think about having a multi-racial family. But sometimes I think I only want these things because I admire the parents of these kinds of families and think that they have taken on a noble task.

16. I really want to be an outdoorsy person. Camping, rock climbing, hiking. I didn't grow up doing these things, but really want my family to do them. So right now, I'm just a wannabe outdoorsy person. I have two pair of Chacos to prove it.

15. I don't sew, knit, crochet, do needle-point, make scrapbooks, decorate, make stationary, do any kind of crafts, own my own business, grow flowers, make home-made jam or bread, etc. I am TOTALLY okay with that. Although sometimes I wish I could just hem my own pants or sew a button on.

14. I can pretty much learn how to play any musical instrument with practice. So far: piano, snare drum, french horn, trumpet, trombone, guitar, a tad bit of mandolin, and I'm sort of learning how to play the djembe (like an african drum). I didn't say I remember how to play all of these, but at some point I knew and with some refreshment, I'm pretty confident I could play them decently again.

13. M & M's are by far my favorite all time candy. So crunchy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. Only recently have I started to enjoy the dark chocolate ones. And they're healthy too!! I also enjoy the peanut kind.

12. I LOVE watching movies. Mostly romantic comedies, comedy, drama, action, thriller, but definitely not horror.

11. I LOVE music. I listen to different types depending on my mood.

10. I really enjoy game shows and reality TV competitions and trivia. Anything from Jeopardy to The Amazing Race to Cash Cab.

9. I would really LOVE to be on the Amazing Race. I'm seriously trying to figure out how to get on it, but I just can't figure out how to justify leaving my child at home while I'm away.

8. I do not drink coffee. Ever.

7. I rarely drink anything but water. Except for the milk in my cereal.

6. I think people that have to have their "Coke" everyday have an addiction, because they are depending on a substance to make them feel better. I know I'm offending a ton of people right now, but remember I'm always right. : ) Feel free to leave a comment and try to defend yourself.

5. I LOVE ice cream. Something about the summer makes me eat a lot of it. I mean a lot.

4. I really do love my sisters-in-law. They are both genuine and compassionate women, who teach me a lot about being a loving and supportive wife, and a frugal and intentional mom.

3. I'm one of those people who need time to themselves.

2. I would much rather be really hot than really cold. I thank the Lord He moved us to Texas and not any state north of West Virginia!

1. I believe that even though technology has increased the ways we can "connect" with each other, we are becoming more and more disconnected as people on a personal level. Therefore, we need to be very intentional in our relationships to listen and care for one another.

My hypothesis was correct. It was pretty easy to come up with 100 things about myself. I actually could have added more! I told you I think a lot of myself. Hope you enjoyed the list! I now challenge you, Mom and Dad Smyrl, Mom and Dad Sanders, Jon and Amy, Tanner and Audrey, and all family and friends to come up with your own lists. Will you accept the challenge or are you chicken?

Trip to SC (the finale)

WARNING - There are no baby pictures in this post...it's all about me. Continue at your own risk.

Sooooo, I promised that the next post would be about the activities I did in SC not centered around Bo. Here it is.

So, first off, was my 10 year high school reunion! It's so weird to think that 10 years have already passed since I graduated. Even weirder is where I am in life after 10 years...married with a kid, living in Texas. And weird seeing everyone else grown up...or some not. To set the stage for my personal experience at the reunion, I have to say number one that I'm not one of those people that came out of high school with deep friendships - the kind that last through college and you end up being in each other's weddings. (there is one exception which I will discuss in a minute) Number two, I really hate superficial conversations. Number three, I am rarely around alcohol and dance clubs, because I live in a church bubble. So with these three things combined, my experience at the reunion had the potential of being, shall we say, AWFUL....talking about nothing with people I haven't kept in touch with who are drinking, mostly in excess, and dancing, mostly too close to one another.

BUT, it was actually fun. I did a lot of praying before I went. At one point I actually felt kind of nauseous because of not knowing what to expect. But seeing everyone from high school was actually enjoyable. Finding out what everybody is doing with their lives was quite interesting. Some highlights were: One of the guys in our prom date group is an eye doctor; I got invited by my prom date (who is married and has a kid) to come visit his family in Savannah, GA and go out on the lake in his boat!; of course, seeing cute pictures of everybody's kids; and hanging out with my old basketball teammates and our coach. So, I ended up having a good time.

Next, I was able to hang out with my childhood best friend, April, or as I have always called her, Apes. Before getting married and moving away, I missed her birthday for several years for various reasons - like being out of the country, not like I just forgot. But this year I was able to be with her on her birthday, and I was really glad. We always end up talking for a really long time and it's always good, deep conversation. I wish we could do it more often. I also got to see her family, who are like second parents to me, since me and Apes spent the night together so much growing up. They still make fun of us for playing in the dog house, making them watch our puppet shows, and acting out the lyrics to wildly unfamiliar songs such as "Buttermilk Biscuits." If anyone is familiar with this song, let me know. It would be a miracle.

I also traveled to good ol' Clinton, SC to my alma mater, Presbyterian College...home of the Blue Hose!! (if you don't know, look it up) On my way, I stopped in Chapin to visit with my college friend Zeta and her husband, and see her new house. It was a short but sweet visit. (love ya, girl!) In Clinton, I was able to meet up with my childhood friend and college roommate, Kat, who is married and about 10 days away from having her first baby! It was really fun to see her pregnant! (still praying for that little girl to arrive safe and healthy!) And fun to see the college town again. We ate lunch together and talked all about her pregnancy and being moms. Then we met up with Kelli, the girl who discipled both of us in college. It's always sweet time with her. She's in college ministry so she always asks really good questions. Thanks, KK, for taking time to hang out with us!
(Suzanne, if you read this, don't be mad. I stopped by the house, but y'all weren't home!)

I think that's about it, other than doing some shoppping (got some great deals on Bo's clothes at Kmart!), having the kids pictures taken (plug for Portrait Innovations - they rock!), and taking Mimi (my grandmother) to the eye doctor and the dollar store...and about a hundred trips to Wal-Mart.

Next blog - my 100 list.

Trip to SC (part 2)

WARNING: There are naked baby pictures in this post.

So, more on the trip to SC. We had a blast!! My sister-in-law, Audrey, and niece, Shelby, made the trek to SC from San Francisco. (Don't worry...they are normal.) Shelby is about 5 months older than Bo, so it was fun to watch them together. We played in the baby pool, blew lots of bubbles, did sidewalk chalk, played in the sprinklers, blew more bubbles, and played in the water hose. Can you tell we love water and bubbles?

Sidenote about bubbles: The non-toxic bubbles are really non-toxic. This is proven by the fact that Bo, being a little inexperienced with the actual "blowing" part, thought that he was blowing when in fact he was actually sucking in, thereby injesting a fair amount of "Magic Bubbles" liquid. He did manage to blow some rather nice bubbles from his mouth versus the bubble wand. End of sidenote.

Mom, otherwise known as G.G. to the kids, taught them how to smell and water the flowers. They LOVED playing with the water pitchers. Bo wasn't quite strong enough to actually tip the pitcher over so the water would come out. He was better at watering the flowers, without the water.

Next post will be "Trip to SC (part 3)" and will include all activities enjoyed without Bo.


Everyone enjoying being outside.


Mimi and Audrey


Shelby loved to dump a lot of water in her face.


Bo in the pool.


Bo - after dumping water in his face.


Dad/Granddaddy


Naked Shelby, Audrey and the "who would have thought this could be so much fun" waterhose.


Bo watering the watering can...go figure.


More fun with the watering cans...who knew?

Trip to SC (part 1)

For those of you who check the blog often, my apologies for not posting in a while. I do have a very valid excuse...this time! Bo and I went to South Carolina for 2 1/2 weeks!!! We stayed with my parents, whose internet has been out of service for a while thanks to a severe storm. Not checking email or being able to "surf the Web" felt rather strange, but was definitely a good thing in our technology-obsessed society (said the girl with the blog). It allowed me to do other things like read the newspaper...imagine that!

The first event we enjoyed in SC was getting to visit with Robert's parents. We invited them up to visit since it's alot easier to travel to SC from Georgia than to Houston. It would be quite a waste to be so close and not get to see them. Here are some pictures from their visit.


Granddaddy, Bo and Grammy


Grammy blowing great bubbles!


"Learn how to use that broom, grandson. You need to earn your keep around here."

Climbing...

So, while my parents were here visiting, Bo figured out how to climb up into our den chair. It is lower to the ground than most chairs making it more accessible to little people. I think he has now staked his claim on the chair, going from chewing on it to sitting, standing and drooling in it. Must be a male thing. : ) He has taken a few tumbles out of the chair, despite me teaching him how to get down feet first. But my thought is that he'll eventually learn what not to do. Learn by experience, right?


Sitting in my chair with a nice cold sippy cup of milk. What could be better?


Sometimes standing is better.


Maybe going down this way will be easier.


Or maybe I should just nosedive right off the front. That would feel awesome.

GOOOOOO Georgia Bulldogs!

Here's how these pictures came about. First, I found the overalls at a consignment sale in Memphis. This is kind of unheard of since almost everyone in Memphis cheers for Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, etc. So I grabbed them thinking, "They do look kind of rednecky (and I can say that b/c I'm from SC and know what rednecky really is), but I can't pass them up. And I think Robert will approve (which is always the final question when purchasing anything). Second, you are probably thinking, "Why does the kid have on overalls when it's blazing hot in Houston??" Well, my friends, this week is VBS week for our church (more on that later). When I picked up Bo from his class, the teacher told me to put him in pants or a sweater the next day because the room was quite cold. I thought, "I don't even know if we have any pants that fit him. We are in Houston now...what do we need long pants for?!?!" So, into the closet we went and found the overalls. And I must say they are well worth the pictures. On a side note, if you look closely, the overalls are a bit tight in the front because Bo's stomach is so big...already looking like a typical Georgia fan, beer gut and all. Hope you enjoy!

Time flies...

When you're having fun!! Lots has gone on since the last post. Bo had his one-year check-up...a little late, but it's done. He weighs 27 lbs. (75th percentile) and is 31 inches tall (90th percentile)!! What a load! I definitely feel sorry for the moms whose kids weigh in the 100th percentile! Anyways, Bo is healthy, to say the least, and has picked up a few words...mama, daddy, cracker and tickle.

My parents came to Houston for a visit. It was alot of fun! We shopped, ate barbeque, watched movies, ate authentic mexican food, shopped some more, ate more barbeque, went to Galveston for the day (to shop and eat seafood and see the beach!), and took lots of pictures. Here are a few.


Bo and G.G. reading the Peek-a-Who? book.


GO GAMECOCKS!


"Howdy, m'am. I'm a cowboy."