perfect park weather

We have had perfect park weather this week and have already been 3 times! I've been trying to be intentional about spending time outside because come June and July, I have a hard time being cheerful as we sweat it out at the park. I'd much rather be in the swimming pool:) Everyday Abigail asks to go "slide?" and "see pool?" Being that the pool water is still far too cold, we usually end up at the park:)

in Austin with Mimi and Papa

We spent the weekend in Austin with "Mimi" and "Papa" (my parents) and had a delightful time relaxing. Well, my mom didn't spend much time relaxing; she was attending a nursing conference. But the rest of us enjoyed a leisurely visit to see the capitol, long talks over coffee, walks in the park and good food. Mimi joined us for most of our meals, and now I truly understand why Austin is known for its food! We had a sampling of traditional BBQ (Stubb's), Japanese, Tex-Mex, and the Sheraton breakfast buffet (a pregnant woman's dream come true!).

I am now 20 weeks pregnant. Can you tell? Just kidding. It's pretty obvious these days, though my large maternity shirts and pants, that are way too big for me, don't do me any favors:)

...Abigail was more than happy to get out of her stroller!

...and even more thrilled to try her hand at rock climbing! She surprised all of us at her skills and only needed spotting. We made one trip to the ER on Friday night (more to come on that later) and decided we didn't need to an additional visit to Austin's ER. You can't tell in this picture, but some areas of the wall were quite steep. It truly was a feat for our sometimes uncoordinated little girl.

Abigail was far more intersted in the leaves and sticks at her feet, so we had a hard time getting her to look at Papa, who was taking the picture!

Even though you can't see Mimi's face, Abigail's expression of joy is enough. She loves her "Mimi" and "Papa".

Posing for the camera:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Abigail was delighted to open her Valentine's Day card and box! She was content to feed her babies the candy. Somehow she knew it was good to eat, though she wasn't the least bit in trying the candy herself:) And she sang herself, "Happy birthday!" seeming to think all special days are about her.

cold weather ponderings

I've had a relatively slow week. The truth is - I've been exhausted. Most days, it's all I can do to roll out of bed to start the day. Today I didn't roll out of bed until 8:30am, leaving me a little over a half hour to get us ready for BSF. Whew! We certainly didn't have a calm start to the morning. And this afternoon we went for a drive because they were doing fire alarms; the fire alarms woke my daughter from her nap leaving her hysterical. Sigh - so much for a much needed afternoon nap.

But I'm thankful for a slow week. With Rodney home (and lots of leftovers in the refrigerator) our evenings are relaxing and sweet. I recently bought Abigail her first children's Bible - The Jesus Storybook Bible. A chapter every night before Abigail's bedtime has been refreshing for all three of us. Every story (Old Testament included) points back to God's redemption plan for history - His only Son. I highly recommend the book!

Among other news - I've been dabbling in potty training. Three weeks ago while Rodney was in China, I thought I'd surprise him by potty training Abigail. Unfortunately, Abigail had other plans, and I had a very long two days. After some tears and cleaning up more messes than I'd like to admit, I realized I needed some help. So I've been reading up on the subject and asking around for advice. So maybe in the next month or so, I'll be done doing cloth diaper laundry (at least for a couple of months!).

And I just finished Joni Eareckson Tada's memoir "The God I Love". Her trust in the Lord left me weeping and convicted of my own sin. I love my comfortable life. In many ways, I idolize a comfortable, easy life - one with very few inconveniences. And yet, Joni's paralysis and pain have given her countless opportunities to serve the Lord and bring Him great glory! Oh that I would have courage to pray that God would truly use me in any way to bring him the most glory.

Abigail wanted to wear my hat last night, making for a good photo opportunity. My caption for her below: My God is so big, so strong and so mighty. There's nothing my God cannot do!

He's big enough to change my stubborn heart and give me strength in the midst of my physical exhaustion. His love is deep. His love is strong.

Birthday Celebrations

We celebrated the January birthdays again last Saturday. We had some of our close friends over for brunch and cupcakes midday on Saturday. I decided on brunch for several reasons. One - Abigail loves breakfast food and would be content eating eggs, cinnamon rolls, and fruit 3 meals a day! Two - I was able to prepare all of the food on Friday, which made for a more relaxing Saturday morning:)

Creativity has never been one of my fortes. but I did try my hand at cupcake decorating this year and thoroughly enjoyed myself. My Elmo loving little girl was thrilled with the final product. She got to eat a couple plain mini cupcakes while I decorated, which also made her a very happy little girl.

The picture below was actually taken the Friday after Abigail's birthday, when we had a joint birthday celebration for my two favorite people! Here they are enjoying a new present - a tea set from her mommy. Tea parties are now a regular part of daily play time!

Rodney and I got to celebrate his birthday by going out on a date! We went to Flemings, a steak bistro and wine bar. It was so much fun to get dressed up and enjoy a low lit, quiet meal on beautiful white linens. I am so thankful to be more in love with my dear husband than the day I married him. It was a special night for both of us.