The Other Blog

Finally taking a moment to add a link to my blog dedicated to all things "speaking." Check it out here!

Sarge-the-Dog-Sitting

We have fallen in love with a sweet little beagle named Sarge at Grandmother's home, so we brought him to our house for a few weeks to love on him. Tomorrow he's heading home, but little Sarge has been so much fun! He has slept in with Trevor every night. We'll miss you, Sargey Sarge!

Bowling Night (aka WAY Behind on This Blog)

How do I know I'm behind on blogging? For one, that baby in Liz's belly is now 9 days old!

On that note, WELCOME Caroline Elsyn Kaiser!!!

A few weeks ago (seriously) we had a bowling night with our small group. Missed the Kibbes and Brookses! Fun night out.

Zeebyas at the Zoo

We went to Zoo Atlanta this week and had so much fun. Aila was beside herself looking at all the animals--she did her little "happy squeal" all morning.

Trevor was a big fan of the "mirror-cats" (meerkats) and asked if we would see any porcupineapples. And he made sure to put in a request to go see the zeebyas.
Oh, was he excited to find some real bamboo...

Still Yeehawing

Here's Aila riding Rawhide yelling "Yeehaw!" Yep, she still loves riding that horse. Only she's getting more and more daring.

Now she rides it standing up with only one leg on it and one out to the side.

How on earth have we avoided the ER thus far???

Mother's Day

This was my 5th Mother's Day (okay, the first one was honorary--I was pregnant), and they just keep getting sweeter and sweeter. The first one, 2005, Justin decorated the guest bathroom in duck decor in anticipation of our baby on the way. I loved that he acknowledged that I was a mother well before I held our child in my arms. A few years later now, we celebrated with Justin's parents and grandmother, and our two children who have increased our understanding of joy. So very grateful!

Soccer Wraps Up

Well, our first year of soccer is behind us. I'm saving Trevor's cleats--I know it'll be fun to look back and think, "You were this little when you first started playing?"

High-fiving with Jules...they seemed pretty fond of each other. :)

Trevor, Carter, Jake & Morgan

Getting his first trophy from Coach Black

Here's Trevor praying before the game started...

Hanging out with Carter and Jake

Does Martha Stewart Make Rice Krispie Treats?

Okay, Okay! I Believe In Global Warming!

This morning I was looking on channel 11's website to check out the weather. Holy cow, look at Thursday's high temperature!

"Hot-lanta" indeed! Guess we'd better crank up the AC! :)

Eight Things

Eight Things I Did Yesterday:



1. Went to church.

2. Prayed with Justin.

3. Talked to my parents about parenting.

4. Cleaned.

5. Took in what the Lord was telling me about that night in the field at Pondy back in high school.

6. Ate some to-die-for pulled pork (Justin's awesome).

7. Returned a mop at Wal-Mart.

8. Soaked up my kids. Lots of shlerbitz-ing.



Eight Things I Wish I Could Do:



1. Stay organized.

2. Go on a date with Justin every week.

3. Have opportunities to speak.

4. Sleep 12 hours straight.

5. Have an hour to myself.

6. Freeze my kids as they are now.

7. Fly to CA.

8. Live next door to Kelly.



Eight Things I Look Forward To:

1. Knowing Him as I am fully known. Oh, and I will have an amazing singing voice in Heaven too.

2. Seeing Aila come to Christ.

3. Watching the Lord work in and through our family.

4. Pam & Jim's wedding on "The Office."

5. 20 years from now when Kelly and I look back and laugh.

6. The next time I see family.

7. Being debt-free.

8. The neighborhood pool opening.


Eight Things That Make Me Laugh:

1. The three other people living in this house with me!!!

2. Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Monica, Joey & Phoebe. Still!

3. The Office.

4. Claymation Christmas' camels dressed as Chippendale dancers singing "We Three Kings."

5. The Barry Gibbs Talk Show skit on SNL.

6. The Men's Synchronized Swimming skit on SNL (very old school).

7. My family (CA)!

8. Animals dressed as humans. I laugh so hard I cry.

Well Visit...and this time I mean it!

Yesterday was Aila's 15-month check-up, and HALLELUJAH, no ear infections!

It seems the last several "well visits" we've ended up leaving with a prescription

for antibiotics. Two clear ears...we'll take it! And her good health meant she was able to get her vaccinations this time, as you'll see from the bright pink bandaids on her legs.

I was glad. She wasn't.

Weight: 16 lbs. 14 oz. Well below 3rd percentile. Still. (Gained 10 pounds since birth)

Height: 28 inches. 3rd percentile. (Gained 11 inches since birth)

Grateful for a healthy little girl!

Curious George!

Last weekend I took the kids to Barnes & Noble to see Curious George. Right when he came out, Aila began squealing, stomping her feet and clapping.

She was far less excited when it came time to sit on his lap, though! I didn't catch it on camera, but her bottom lip curled downward at one point.

Trevor had an opposite reaction--nervous at first, then fine once it was his turn.

This is Trevor looking up at me holding on tight. He was fine once he got up to George,

but he is a little timid about big, dressed up characters. I learned this nearly 2 years ago when I took him to see Clifford. I thought he'd be ecstatic...but he wasn't a fan.

Fun day visiting Curious George!

We Love Him

We all just adore Justin. I don't have a special occasion or reason to say so, but oh, how we do. We are just so grateful for him. One day recently, Trevor wanted to dress up like Justin, and wore Justin's tie everywhere we went all day long. I will say I don't think Justin would wear quite so feminine an eyeglass frame (those are mine). :)

This is Aila looking out the window as Justin headed off one day...

I think the rest of these photos speak for themselves...

Healthy (Shhhhh!) Food

I have two children who don't dig veggies. Trevor won't eat anything that has what he calls "salad" on it (which means anything green, green-ish, even green-esque). He used to eat anything, but somewhere along the line, he got the kid-memo that says "Hey! Revolt against veggies!" Aila seems to have gotten a copy of that memo early, too.

Enter some attempts at creativity! I've already blogged about the Green Eggs Man (he appears every now and then, and stopped by on St. Patty's Day) who mixes spinach in with our scrambled eggs, but this week the "Purple Oatmeal Man" stopped in to work his magic. Not only did he turn the kids' oatmeal purple (thanks to cooking the oats in fresh blueberry juice), but he also left a heart in the middle (fresh strawberry juice frozen in a heart ice cube tray). Oh my goodness, they loved it. Phew...success!

Other victories this week included the kids dipping "orange swords" (carrots) and "trees" (broccoli) into "super dip" (yogurt with a teeny bit of ranch dressing). And finally, they both love Berry Delicious Hot Chocolate (Ovaltine and milk with blueberry and strawberry hearts to cool it off a bit). :)

Hey--it's progress!! :)