Wimberley Times 3

This is our third trip to Wimberley this summer and every trip has been a blast! My mom opens her home in such a gracious way and we have a great time in the pool!

new spaceman jammies from Costco

what a sweet girl!

all of us in the pool

He loves the pool! and is staying hydrated...

after bath time! Everett's bath is the kitchen sink...

How I fell into a new job...

Well, I have been out of work since June and it has been okay. One thing I know for sure, being a stay-at-home mom is EXHAUSTING! A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from the wonderful Music Director at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church. When I was in seminary I worked at Oak Lawn UMC as an Intern and then as an Associate Pastor from summer 1999 - summer 2001. The Music Director was calling to ask if I was interested in a job. Well, I had finally made my peace with staying at home, and now here someone was calling about a job... Hmph!

I spoke with the Senior Pastor and was very intrigued and excited. They needed a part-time Director of Christian Education... I was only interested in part-time work because of my kiddos. So, we set up a meeting with the SPRC (staff parish relations committee, deals with the hiring and firing at the church) committee. The meeting went well, but I still felt uneasy. How did I know if this was from God?

I got a call in a few days from the person who was coordinating the church photo directory. Today was the last day to have your photo taken, could my family come down? I called Lee and he said he could meet us, so I got the kids all ready and headed to the church.

On my way I stopped at the Container Store to pick up something that was on hold for me. The employee that I went to immediately said that I looked familar... I introduced myself and she said, "you were at Oak Lawn!"
"Yes," I replied, "I was..."
"Oh, we miss you," she said...
Really? I randomly run into someone from Oak Lawn? I haven't run into someone from Oak Lawn in 7 years!

Was God speaking through her? In the car, seconds before, I had prayed that God would help me figure out if this was the right place for me to be and the right place for my family to be... Was God speaking through her?
Well, I am still not sure, was it coincidence or God? I figured that I should investigate this further... well, everything has been resolved. I have found childcare for the 3 days that I will work during the week. I have worshipped with the Oak Lawn family now for 2 Sundays and it is great to be back, I recognize a lot of faces! Madeleine enjoyed her Sunday School class and Everett even fell asleep in the nursery today!

God sure does have an interesting sense of timing!

I want to push brother!

What a cute boy!

My kiddos

Look, mom, I can make brother smile (notice Madeleine's hands around Everett's mouth)



Look, mom, I can choke my brother (notice Madeleine's hands around Everett's neck)



Look, mom, I am not looking at the camera...

Crawling down the stairs video

As promised...

A video of how Everett crawls down the stairs. He crawls to the edge, sits up, scoots up, and then falls face forward...

Milestone for Everett

Well, this one is kind of gross, but it is a milestone... Everett, for the very first time, pooped in the bath!!! Yes, yes, I know, this is disgusting, but I had to share that Madeleine tonight asked since Everett pooped in the bath, if she could poop in the bath. Then, she said, but I'm bigger so I shouldn't poop in the bath.. yes, I responded, no pooping in the bath!

Before I had children I never thought about the possibility of pooping in the bath. However, I remember it happening more than once when Madeleine was a baby. And now, Everett's first time... Ahh!

When I first experienced Madeleine pooping in the bath, I remember immediately getting her out of the bathtub and draining out the water. I learned that is not the best way to deal with the situation. Instead, I now utilize a child's toy to scoop out the offending poo and deliver it to its rightful place in the toilet. Then, scoop out baby and drain the water.

I should write a book or something... Next post not so gross, promise!

Trip to Lakehouse in Conroe

A big thanks to Laura (Derby) and Frankie Piland, who opened their Conroe lakehouse to us this past weekend. We had a great time with Erica, Russell, and Bailey Hall as well as Frankie and Laura. We are all friends from Chapelwood UMC and we had a great time! Big news: Madeleine and Everett had their first boat ride and Madeleine rode with Lee on the tube behind the boat. Madeleine loved getting in her lifejacket and jumping into the lake. We all slept in the same room which was fun, Everett went down first, then Madeleine (who woke up Everett both nights) and then after much game playing with the Pilands and Halls, we quietly went to bed as well. Here are some pictures.

National Lampoons Vacation

Our National Lampoons Vacation started last Friday night when my sister Kristin and I arrived at Love Field Airport to pick up our rented minivan. It took us an hour to put in the carseats (we were sidetracked when someone told us that another minivan had a DVD player in it ... it did not, and it is hard to put car seats in a minivan when it is pitch black outside!) We left for Wimberley after ballet class on Saturday, complete with 2 sisters and 4 cousins. We arrived in Wimberley where my mom lives after only one stop! We stopped at the worst McDonald's in Waco, they only had 2 highchairs for the entire McDonald's and they were not available, and there was no playground! Since arriving in Wimberley we have had a wonderful time swimming in the pool! My mom's brother, Gil, and wife Judy came tonight for dinner and Judy, who is an amazing photographer, took the pictures below. Side note: Everett is 10 months old today!

Everett and Papa


Look at my hammer!



Madeleine and me swimming




Nana with Austin and Sydney and Madeleine and Everett






Everett is such a happy baby!
Austin, Kristin, Sydney (my sister and her children), Nana, and Madeleine, me, and Everett

An update

My cousin requests an update... so... I have been very bad about taking pictures, so here are some verbal updates.

At the beginning of this week Everett began crawling down the steps around our house. There is a step from the kitchen area into the den and a step from the bedroom into the den. Everett would crawl to the edge of the step and then sit and wait for someone to help him crawl down. So, at the beginning of this week when Everett crawled down on his own, we all cheered. Well! Yesterday, our smart boy crawled to the edge of the step, got as close as he could to the edge and scooted down. Okay, I totally should be taking video of this because it is hard to describe, I promise video soon!

Everett is getting his 4th top tooth, still just 2 on the bottom.

Other news: Madeleine has made her Christmas list for Santa, already. Her list is:

1. American doll
2. a music box like the one at the zoo
3. a book about Ariel
4. a rocking chair

She put her list on the fireplace so Santa can come down and get it. Making the list for Santa was our remedy for Madeleine's constant requests for an American doll. I asked Madeleine which American doll she wanted and she said, "whichever one Santa wants." She is not picky apparently...

Today I went to a beauty shop in Dallas that cuts your hair for free if you are donating your hair to locks of love. I hate paying to get my hair cut, so I must admit that my reasons for growing my hair out for locks of love were not altruistic at first. So, my hair was 10 inches (the required minimum length) and I was so ready for it to be cut so Everett would stop pulling it! Well, I go today and ... your hair is put into a braid before they cut it and in a braid my hair was not quite 10 inches!!! So, I had to go home and keep growing my hair! UGH!

This evening my sister and I traveled to Love Field to pick up the minivan for our annual trip together to my mom's in Wimberley. Last year we only had three kids, but this year we have four!!! Thanks to my mom for renting the minivan for us, and pray for us tomorrow as we travel, and for the 6 days that we will be swimming.