Mobile Madness!

Recently I renewed my cell phone plan and received a new cell phone. This was a good thing because my old phone had taken on a mind of it's own and would randomly hang up on people in the middle of a conversation, I guess it just got tired of hearing me talk. But since receiving my new phone (a Motorola Razr) I am becoming increasingly suspicious that it might have a higher IQ than I do. Maybe up until this point my cell company has given me their "idiot version" of the cell phone. I suspect this because I have never had this much trouble switching over before. I mean really, should you have to read an inch thick manual to be able to operate a device which is small enough to fit in your pocket?! I surely haven't broken out the book for any of my previous cell phones, but I have humbly consulted the all knowing pages for this one several times!

The funniest thing about this phone is that my one and two year olds seem to be able to operate it with ease. For instance, Motorola phones come with the most annoying ring filled with high tech disco music that showcases a digitized voice saying "Hello, MOTO". Upon receiving my new phone I immediately started toying with it to unlock what seemed to be an unending sequence of button pushing to change the ring to a more palatable tune, it took me quite a while before I unlocked the "secret" code (this was prior to humbling myself and consulting the aforementioned manual). A few days after my conquering success, my phone (while sitting in the living room) began to ring, only to reveal the ring had been changed back! Yes friends, picture me walking into the living room to find my two sweet children jiving to the digitized disco sounds of "Hello, MOTO"! Owen (with culprit phone in hand) continues dancing and starts "singing" along!

When I asked what happened to mommy's phone, why it had this new ring, Owen looked at me and said with a straight face "I change it". REALLY! I knew that someday my children would pass me by on the information super highway, but I wasn't prepared for them to start driving this soon! Truth be told I haven't changed the ring since, because even though the tune is annoying, it's adorable to see my two boys start the "Hello, MOTO" dance every time I receive a call.

Crash, Boom, Bang!!!

Boys will be boys! I am pleased that my two little ones are indeed "all boy" and I wouldn't have it any other way. Though I must confess that I frequently find myself baffled by things that they do and ideas that they have. I am sure this is because I am a girl and God in his infinite wisdom created male and female to be VERY different. Many of these "boy" things that happen around my house frequently are very hard to catch on film, mainly because it usually endangers someones well being and I have to intervene in place of snapping photos. But, some things are just silly. Like when Owen and Clay play together in Owen's room (which doubles as our playroom because that's where the toys are). They always have to completely tear the room apart before the real playing begins.

The silver lining is: they can play well together for long periods of time, allowing mommy to get a few other things done. Also, they are both pretty good at the clean up game as long as mommy stays in there to remind them of what their goal is.

Shake it up baby now!

Do not be alarmed! This is not a post about me getting carried away and creating a tsunami-like effect for
my unborn child.

This is, in fact, a post about one of our
favorite family treats...
MILKSHAKES!

Zach and I have been enjoying these together since the beginning of our relationship. Zach is actually know for his "skills" in the preparation aspect of this deliciously tempting frozen dessert. It was not until this summer that we started enjoying them as a family. The boys get so excited when Zach announces that he will be preparing milkshakes after dinner. It doesn't matter what I have prepared for dinner, they never have any trouble polishing off what is on their plate, staying completely focused on the goal. Of course, there never seems to be enough milkshake for Clay, who upon the speedy consumption of his will turn his most pitiful puppy dog eyes to whomever still has a bit of milkshake left. Who could deny him just one more little sip?!

Meet Clay

Clayton Grant is our second born child. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to this lovable, easygoing little one year old...


He was born June 12th, 2006 at H.M.C. in Abilene, Texas. In my third trimester we discovered that Clay was breech, so the waiting game began, would he turn in time? He did not turn on his own, so two weeks before his due date we decided, with the council of our doctor, to try to turn him around and induce labor. There was obvious concern that if I went into labor naturally, there were many health risks to me and Clay. So,we moved into our new house (that we were in the process of remodeling) June 10th and reported to the hospital early June 12th. The turning of the baby was successful, the doctor broke my water and ordered potossin to get labor started.

-As a side note: I would like to say that going into labor naturally is so much easier than being induced! With Owen, I could have gone without an epidural. With Clay, I was begging for an epidural. I liken the use of potossin to being slammed into a brick wall without reprieve. It is amazing how much easier labor is when God has prepared your body for it. What a miracle the entire process and function is!-

Anyway, labor progressed for a few hours. It seemed that all was well until Clay decided he would stick his foot up against his head in the birth canal. I guess it was his last ditch effort to just stay in there forever (we joked that he must be such a mama's boy that he was determined to stay in there forever, luckily he really isn't!). Of course, there were several medical concerns surrounding this new development. It was ultimately decided that an emergency c-section should be performed and Clay arrived safely very soon after that decision was made.


He was a healthy and beautiful baby boy! Our second son! And, Owen's new playmate. We thank God for, once again, watching over and protecting mommy and baby! We had another long stay at H.M.C. afterwards, but it was even more enjoyable than the first because we knew what to ask for and what to expect. Once again, the staff was wonderful and very helpful.

Zach, Owen (18mo.) & Baby Clay

Other facts about Clay:

Clay has been jovial and easy going since day one


He loves hats

He has a very advanced sense of humor


He needs his "beauty sleep" (like his mama!)

He is a cuddle bug
(He will still let me hold & rock him for a bit)


He loves to do anything that "Bubba" does

He has a fast growing vocabulary, including:
Da-da, Mama (which was his first!), Taaa-tehr (tractor), Bath, Wa-wa (water), Puh-puh (puppy), Bubba, Fruit, Bud (Zach's dad), Ball, Bye-bye, Me, Hat, More (when I tried to teach him the sign for more he looked straight at me and said the word more! Okay son, I guess that will do...), Mil (milk), Hi (said with a drawl, of course), Pie (pipe is what we call pacifiers at our house), Whoa! and Bay-bee (which refers to whomever mommy is holding at the moment)


He has a VERY hearty appetite

He loves music and will "dance".
("If you're happy and you know it" is his favorite song, he claps all the way through it.)


He is ALL BOY!
(He already giggles when he burps, is that born in them?!)


We are so blessed to have Clay as a member of our family. He and Owen are different in so many ways, but definitely complement each other as well. It amazes me how many things come much easier to the second born, simply because they do not have to work through basic ideas for themselves. Where Owen had to think through a challenge, explore his options and execute his strategy (with many failures), Clay simply watches Owen demonstrate a learned skill and copies the tried and true strategy demonstrated by his older brother (many times adding his own flair, of course). I have grown so much as a person through being a mommy and the Lord just keeps on teaching me valuable lessons through our precious boys. As I watch Clay playing I am overwhelmed by the immeasurable joy that he brings to our home. His laid back, joyful and exuberant spirit is a daily encouragement to me. Once again, I am soberly reminded of what a gift it is that I get to remain with my children throughout every day and experience each moment filled with milestones which seem to be so fleeting.

Quality Clothing...

This term has a deep meaning in our family. Ever since I have known Zach he has demanded the highest performance from any clothing item he has purchased. There are stories about him returning anything from running shoes to dress pants for a refund because he believed they didn't hold up as they should have, to sending in an account of his infamous skiing accident along with the side-zip pants that the E.R.workers cut off of him during the race to save his life (& legs). A "great deal" isn't just a cheap buy, but a quality buy at a good price.

The key to his successful returns and exchanges has been the fact that he has purchased quality clothing from companies who stand behind their products. He has always taken the time to research items and scrutinize company policies before shelling out any cash and has also been known to watch an item like a hawk until purchasing it the moment it goes on sale. I am proud to say that this attribute has rubbed off a bit on me through the course of our relationship. Now don't misunderstand me here, if I buy that cute shirt or adorable pair of heels for less than $10 at Ross, my expectations are realistically placed, but every large purchase is researched, scrutinized, etc.

Recently I was pleasantly reminded of what a great investment quality clothing is, when Zach and I both sent our parka's back to Patagonia for repair or replacement (For those of you who don't know: Patagonia stands behind every piece of clothing they sale with a lifetime warranty. Which means they will repair or replace it if anything is ever wrong with the item.). My parka was purchased in the mid-nineties from the sale rack at an outdoors store in Colo. Springs, Co. I paid about $100 for it. Zach's parka was purchased on sale for around $150. We sent them both back for various repairs a few months ago and when they couldn't repair the damage they gave us a gift card to go toward the purchase of new merchandise. The catch here is that they give you a gift card for the original amount of the item you are needing to replace. Sweet. We ended up with $750 to spend on new Patagonia merchandise! Below you will see pictured some of my new purchases with our gift card.












Another company I would highly recommend is Smith Optics. They also have an outstanding warranty and because of that I am now the proud owner of two new pair of the most comfortable sunglasses ever known to man. Before meeting Zach I was a "cheap" sunglasses kind of girl (We're talking Wal-mart here). But, on our honeymoon Zach bought me my first pair of Smith's and I am afraid that I will never again be able to look at the "cheap" Wal-mart sunglasses the same way. The Smith's are practically weightless and amazingly comfortable for hours on end...yes friends, true quality. I will say the most amazing thing about these sunglasses is how they hold up because I guaranty the only "babying" my original pair experienced were, by name: Owen and Clay. These are my two new pair... long story made short: I got to purchase them for $20 instead of the original $80 a pair! Fabulous!

So, you can tell I am just a little excited about the new additions to my wardrobe, but mainly because I seldom by myself new things unless forced to do so by my husband ( I know there are other mommies out there that can understand that), and because I know I got a great price on items that will hopefully last a lifetime. If anyone knows of any other great companies who stand behind their products, please let me know. I am always on the hunt for a great deal.

2526 Rountree

Our 4th remodeled rent house...

Owen has been going to "be a worker-man" with daddy and Bud everyday throughout this remodel process. He has loved every minute of working with the "big boys". As you can see, he (with a bit of help from daddy & Bud) has accomplished a lot! (You can click on the pictures to get a more detailed look)

This is a (very) rough floor plan sketch for the house we purchased @ 2526 Rountree. We bought it to be rental property, a long term investment. We have gutted the inside and completely remodeled it just in time for it's first renters to move in.

This is the Living/Dining area. We refinished the original hardwood floors, patched/painted the walls & trim, covered the ceilings with bead board (to conceal previous damage such as poor patching, leak stains & cracks), added new lighting fixtures, blinds, back door and hardware.

This is a view straight down the Hallway from the Living/Dining area looking towards the Bathroom at the end of the hall. We patched/painted the walls & trim, covered the ceilings with bead board, added new hardware and lighting fixture.

In the kitchen area we patched/painted the walls & cabinets, covered the ceilings with bead board, pulled up the nasty linoleum and laid tile, added new hardware, lighting fixture,
counter tops, sink and faucet.

<-Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2->

<-Bedroom #3

We patched/painted the walls white, covered the ceilings with bead board, refinished the wood floors, added new hardware, blinds & lighting fixtures. We also added bead board as wainscoting on the walls of Bedroom #3 because of previous damage.

In the Bathroom we covered the ceilings with bead board and also placed it on the walls as wainscoting, patched/painted the walls and cabinets, tore out the old heating unit and put custom built-in shelves in it's place, sprayed the window with etching spray for privacy, added new hardware, sink, faucet & lighting fixture.

We're very pleased with how it turned out. Our goal is to redo the outsides of our rental properties soon which will make another dramatic difference. Until then...

Hello there...

I would like to say i'm sorry to all of my faithful friends and family who have not given up on my blog even though I have not posted in a week! We haven't been on vacation (though I desperately wish that were my reason for not posting), we have been remodeling our fourth rent house this week and thankfully, the renters move in tomorrow! I always LOVE working on a new rent house because it means that I get to pick out paint chips, fixtures, flooring, Formica, etc. All done on a budget, of course, which makes it even more of a fun challenge! But, the drawbacks are the long hours, fatigue, eating every meal surrounded by saw dust and sitting on a 5 gallon bucket, etc. (although, for the first couple of days I will admit that I think the sawdust and bucket things are pretty fun as well). It is always so rewarding to see something transform before your eyes and knowing that you have taken something and improved upon it. I will post pictures soon of
the finished product.

The big news that I wish to share with all of you today is our little "Sweet Bun" now has an official birthday! We went to the doctor today and among other things such as blood pressure, weight and fundal height we addressed the actual c-section date. So, "Sweet Bun" will make his debut appearance on
NOVEMBER 26th, 2007!
We are very excited to meet the new guy and welcome him into our family. Now the countdown truly begins...

Take me out to the "ball dame"!

We just got back from a whirlwind "vacation" yesterday (8.6.2007). Saturday morning we decided to jump in the car and drive to Austin to see my new nephew,
Jonathan Isaac.
I can't believe he is already a week old!
I saw changes in him even during our short visit,
he started getting his pinkish/plump look. Just adorable!














We were able to pack several fun things into a short period of time. Of course seeing tiny Isaac was the undeniable highlight! Clay absolutely loved Isaac "bay-bay" and REALLY wanted to take care of him/play with him/maul him with sweet lovin'/etc.!






Owen had a blast playing with cousin Ian! From the time we walked in their door on Saturday, Owen wanted to be with Ian every moment. We wish they lived closer so that these two boys could have more "guy time" together.






Zach, Owen, Clay and I enjoyed a quick shopping trip to IKEA on Sunday morning to purchase a few finishing touches for the rent house we are remodeling and for our master bathroom remodel.It really is a good thing that we do not have an IKEA closer to us because I could literally spend hours in that store dreaming up all kinds of fun projects!

My sister Alyssa and her family joined us at Nathan and Delana's house for lunch on Sunday and we captured some fun pictures of all 6 cousins together. Thankfully we all understand that at this stage there is no way we will get a picture of them all looking at the camera,
the photos take on a more relaxed form...

Seated on the ground are my older brother Nathan's kids Ian and new baby Isaac. My older sister Alyssa's kids are Hailey (standing beside the wagon) and Wyatt (standing inside the wagon). And of course, you know my cutie's Owen and Clay!

We took the boys to see a Round Rock Express baseball game on Sunday night (thanks to my brother-in-law for giving us some great FREE tickets and a parking pass!). The boys really enjoyed the game. We knew Owen would love it, but we weren't prepared for how Clay would react, he was absolutely mesmerized from the second the game began until about the 6th inning,
his little eyes were glued to the field!


Our friends the MacDonald's
(Jim, Kelly, Troy, Trent, Paige & Reese)
were visiting Austin as well
and they enjoyed the ballgame with us.















We all enjoyed some ballpark fare for dinner
(nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers,
cotton candy, lemonade, etc.).















The boys both ate a hot dog without taking their eyes off of
the "baseball mens"
(that's what Owen calls the ball players).













Troy and Paige whole-heartedly joined in our sugar high
induced by the sweet pleasure that is know as
cotton candy! Yum!

We had a blast, but were glad to get home. We arrived home at about noon on Monday and Zach went straight to work. We are tired, but it was definitely worth the trip!

Wanted!

For all of y'all out there that think I can do no wrong (if there are any of you), sorry...I am about to knock myself down a notch or two. I received my first speeding ticket recently while traveling to visit family in Lubbock. Evidently, Lubbock has a "zero tolerance" campaign going on right now and they have no reservations about flipping on their lights and tracking you down, even for going a few miles over the speed limit while you're in the process of passing someone so that you can get out of the "fast lane" where people are angrily piling up on your rear end because you're going too slow, and while the policeman is pursuing you three other cars might pull over on the shoulder to admit their law breaking guilt, but the policeman will not be deterred by those who were blatantly breaking the law, nooo...he will track you down just to let you know that Lubbock has a "zero tolerance" campaign going on right now and they're not going to put up with "ANYONE" who goes even a few miles over the speed limit in their town. And F.Y.I don't even think about contesting it because it will cost more in court fees and gas money to get yourself back to Lubbock for a court date (that very likely could be canceled or rescheduled up until the time of the hearing) than it would just to pay the ticket outright. "Luckily", I have never had a ticket before, so they gave me two options: 1. Defensive driving + fine + record filing fees or 2. "DEFERRED" which means you pay a fee that is only a bit more than #1 ads up to, then don't get a ticket again for 90 days and they take it off of your record. Of course, I opted for #2, "Deferred" because hey, my time was worth the extra $20! Anyway, the greatest twist in the story is that somehow things got a bit delayed or mixed up in the mail, so after I got the receipt in the mail for paying my ticket I ended up getting a
WARRANT NOTIFICATION!


Yeah,...I was a wanted woman in Lubbock, Texas! During my call to confirm that this was just a mistake on the part of the city of Lubbock the employee of the Lubbock municipal court was very apologetic and told me to disregard the warrant and just throw it away. I laughed and informed her that "I have 3 sons that someday will get a kick out of their mommy being wanted by the law, so I just might frame it!".
I don't believe she had ever had that reaction from anyone before.

Joyful Harvest Time

I love to garden! It has become one of our favorite family activities. I grew up working in my family's garden, Zach grew up helping in his grandparent's garden and we both have very fond memories of the time spent preparing the soil, caring for/nurturing the plants and reaping the harvest. There are so many life and spiritual lessons to be gleaned from gardening, and in our opinion, it sure beats watching television! Gardening can truly bring people together. We have spent valuable time growing as a family unit while working in our garden the past 3 years. Gardening has also brought us closer to our neighbors through sharing our produce. There is an indescribable feeling of peace when you're up to your elbows in dirt, preparing the soil and planting. I love the excitement I feel when God sends His rain to nourish our little crop, and the wonder of watching God at work as the tiny seeds spring from the ground to reach heights up to 6 foot! What a miracle in the making, unfolding before our eyes! We are so grateful that our Lord has blessed us with able bodies, plenty of land and willing spirits to take advantage of the many blessing that have been showered upon our family through our
educational gardening experiences.


This week has been filled with bountiful harvest! I have mainly be working on peaches and tomatoes, but as you can see, we have a few other items that are needing attention as well. I will keep you posted on the progress. I have high hopes of canning salsa, tomato basil soup and peach preserves, we would love to be able to add these items to our pickles and relishes that I have already canned. I am dreaming of a cellar to store all of our canned goods in.

Question: Is a cellar too big or extravagant to ask Santa for? Hmmm...