Flower

We would like you to meet Flower Savannah Gracie Ariel. We now have five people at our house (Lydia likes to point out that four are here even when Daddy is at work). We are fostering her...watching her until we can find her owners....hoping we get to keep her forever!

Our wonderful neighbors went walking on Tuesday and she followed them home, they walked to her back to the porch she came off of and the people there said she showed up the other day, so Heather called us and told us how calm she is and Caleb went to check her out and brought her home. She is an outside only dog who doesn't chew on anything and only barks a little. She jumps some when she is happy and lets Gloria hug all over her. I am having a hard time with the total adoring she shows me, I am sure there is a sermon illustration in there about not deserving it. Today we spent about $15 on her at the DG, got her a bowl, shampoo, collar, leash (and I took my first walk to the mail box with three girls-mine and a dog and all were great), chew toy that we throw and she brings back if she can find it. She hangs around in the shade while we are gone and since we've had her we spend almost all of our time in the backyard so she won't be lonely (so glad its a beautiful spring week). Caleb has always wanted a corgi (which I told him we can still have one sometime in our lifetime) and said she was dumb, not knowing Lydia was listening who later asked me if Daddy likes Cocker Spaniels and I said yes and she said then why did he call her dumb? We always say goodnight to her and good morning before leaving even if we don't have time to go play. Last night we heard Gloria wandering around the house at 4am so I got her as she was going back to her room and she said-I just look at Flower! Then of course Flower spent the next hour whining at the door (a first and hopefully a last).

I was really hesitant to get a dog but God put her in out laps and we love her. We put a notice in our neighborhood google group and have looked for lost dog signs. We'll see.........

Egg Hunt

Our Sunday school class has an egg hunt each year. The past two have been at UT student housing, this year that didn't work out too well so last minute we improvised and had it at an Austin park. All the families still had a wonderful time and the kids got too much candy (not pictured above were five babies from a couple of weeks to one year)! We still have two more planned before the family ones in Beaumont!
Lydia got a full bucket.

Gloria showing off the goods! Its great that both girls are mobile and now what to do in situations like these :)

Choir & Family

Lydia's second choir performance was for Easter and in the large Sanctuary. The kiddos were a little more hyper (one boy flipped off the front of the stage and two others used their kazoos as swords) but over all they sang wonderfully.

Trying for an Easter family picture. Don't you love two year olds?

The day before, family picture turned out better.

Gloria & Grandpa with matching grins. Yay for Nana & Grandpa who drove to Austin twice this weekend for fun events.

Natural Gardener

(in March, I missed this one) we took a SS play group to an awesome Garden store (we go yearly). This time we had a picnic afterwards at an awesome park. Caleb was working late so we stayed from 10:30 until 3-something good about dropped naps is no rushing home after lunch!!

Friendship Tea Party

Every year the children have their tea party as the ladies' program and perform a story. This year there are tons of kids over two (last year only four regulars). They were all great! No one threw a fit when the snack time was over (last year it was Gloria).
The Empty Pot by Demi (with a boy lead)
As always we go play after in the 'palace' and have a snack!

Big Girl Bed!

My parents had an extra twin bed in their garage and since Gloria is 2.5 and has dropped her nap we thought it would be a great time to move her to a big girl bed (and our awesome neighbors are pregnant so we gave them the crib). My parents brought it (and played with the girls at the park while I was at a baby shower and gave them Easter gifts) and Gloria got a big girl bed with my college bedding-reduce, reuse, recycle! Now we need to give away the changing table.

Success on the first night! It took her a while to let the excitement go, though she really didn't get out that much, just played in bed. Once asleep she really doesn't move much, sometimes she uses the pillow sometimes she doesn't. She is good about staying in bed too and calling out to us in the morning.
Last morning in her crib! This picture makes me think of when she was a baby and how crazy long her tongue it!

Stuff Christians Like

I read one blog of someone who is not a personal friend (Inspired to Action for Moms and sometimes it cracks me up because most of it really is about having a morning quiet time-didn't we learn that in Jr High, or college? Yes but we still need to continually put it into practice-and I have a goal but I won't share when I get up now before the girls because its still embarrassing late!)

But the other day (during Lent when I am not doing Facebook so I needed something else to do to waste time on the internet....though I think I am kinda missing the point of giving something up....) I was looking at a friend's blog who had Stuff Christians Like on the side, I had heard a couple of funny things about it so I looked and oh my goodness-so hilarious and relevant that I decided to add to my list of blogs on the side....and I decided to record a few of the ones that were awesome:

989-we have a decorative sword and dagger from Oman and a head banger thing from Kenya

988-we didn't have a tv for the first five years of marriage and now we have a convertor box but its not plugged in so our tv is really a dvd viewing machine except for special events, but yes we watch netflix and stream shows quite often!

986-the girls came home one day after childcare at church talking about Salty and I thought they must be mispronouncing Psalmsy but no they were right and now as an adult I am first learning about the large blue song book for kids

985-I tripped Chris Rice (accidentally) during a concert!

984-this one is the best because seriously a couple of weeks before I was in Sunday evening church sitting by our neighbor and we started singing this song and she leaned over and told me that she didn't like it because of the sloppy wet kiss part, I said WHAT and we later discussed that the radio version was different. I was glad she gave me the heads up because I loved watching the 'senior' generation's reaction while it was on the screens!

979-I don't have a Jesus shout out at the end of my emails and sometimes I feel guilty about this and end with something appropriate especially church emails :)

689 (out of order?) Digital fasts-actually I am on one of these now-haha, this is my first blog about it and I am not planning on saying anything when I jump back into facebook but (see above) while it has kept me from looking at the computer all the time while we are in the living room, it really hasn't created the calm reflective spirit I really wanted for the entirety of Lent. Maybe once I stop blogging about this silly stuff that no one will read (so its my to remember blog) I can try and get it!

And this is where I stopped on his list but I am sure I'll waste some more time, because laughing is healthy, reading more later!