We hit the road to Weatherford yesterday afternoon to trade this:


for this!


2009 GMC Acadia

After a truly awesome trade-in, we started making our way toward Arlington to make a 7:05 ballgame. What we didn't expect was to run into a HUGE hailstorm a few miles outside of the dealership. Hello! New car. Hailstorm. Not good. Thankfully, my husband (an aspiring meteorologist) was able to read the clouds ahead of us and we pulled over for about an hour to let the storm go ahead of us. We were all STARVING so we stopped at a McDonalds for perhaps the MOST DELICIOUS buger ever. It was a fun family meal...



When we got back in our wonderful "new-car smelling" vehicle, we checked the radio to see if the game was postponed. Sure enough it was pouring in Arlington, so they were delaying it. We continued our drive East and pulled into Arlington at 8:30. Hearing that the game was going to begin at 9:30, we had a decision to make: Take our tired toddler (who usually goes to sleep at 8:00) to a nice hotel room and call it a night? OR Somehow find/buy tickets to a LATE game? Can I get the Cool Mom Of The Year Award? Yep, we chose the latter option! :)
As we walked down the walkway toward the stadium we were preparing for the fact that we would just pay $15 each for tickets in the nosebleed section. No biggie, because we probably wouldn't stay the whole game anyways. Uh-uh! A family of 4 were walking away from the stadium with tickets in their hand. As we passed them, I casually asked, "You guys leaving the game?" The Dad spoke up and said, "Yeah, they are starting at 9:30, but it's too late for us...you guys need tickets?"
I love favor. :)
Synopsis of the night: Aaron was literally on the edge of his seat for the 5 innings we stayed for. He cheered & booed, but mainly just watching intently from our seats directly behind home plate.




We got back to our hotel at midnight and it took a total of 30 seconds for Aaron to fall asleep.

Next day we drove over to Grapevine to see Preston, Ashley and the twins. After a visit to Bass Pro Shop, we met up with them at Armend's Pizza & Pasta (like an upscale Joes...).

The boys slept the whole meal, but I got to hold Maddox toward the end! They are both doing wonderfully. Healthy and strong and HANDSOME!!!

We hit the road back to Abilene after lunch and Cito was out before we even left the parking lot.


Will post pics of the new car later!

Friday

FYI- M&Ms are a wonderful reward to a potty-training 2 year old. On the other hand, they are a nasty temptation to a preggo Mama! We keep a tupperware container full of M&Ms for Aaron in our upstairs bathroom. I've caught myself twice today sneaking a few in my trips up and down the stairs. :)

Ahhh...a day of nothingness. This week has been jam-packed with work, work, work! I've been close to throwing my phone in the pool in utter frustration due to my "reminders" going off every 10 minutes.

*DING DING* Pack $2 for Aaron's pizza party at school today! ("Hmmm...all I have is a $10...)
*DING DING* Interview lifeguard at 4:00 today
*DING DING* Call so-and-so back
*DING DING* You have 50 new emails!!!
*DING DING* Finalize lifeguarding policies/checklists
*DING DING* Don't forget to go get your glucose lab work done this week!! (Oops...)

Today my phone is sitting on the table in front of me with a black screen of silence. Haven't had any phone calls today and only 2 emails...
I am still in my sleep shorts and T-shirt and intend to stay this way as long as possible!

beat that, Target!

Project Letters is complete!

I headed to Hobby Lobby this morning and found exactly what I was looking for!

Letters-$2.99 Each (no painting required!)
Roll of Ribbon-$1.50

Actual project time: 30 minutes!!

Finished Product= CUTENESS!


The ribbon has pink polka-dots on it...kinda hard to tell in this picture.

more updates

I can breathe a sweet sigh of relief once again. It a girl. STILL!
You know, you hear of those stories about people preparing for a certain sex and then the day comes where the baby is born and it's NOT what they thought it would be? I think that would be horrible!! But today we saw litte Ella and her "hamburger" was quite visible. :)

I put on 8 pounds this month, but it feels more like 20 lbs to me! I like to joke with my husband that I have rock hard abs...they are just rock hard in a "rounder" kind of way. Ella weighed in at 2lbs 13oz and my docotor warned me that she was looking to be "another large baby!" (Aaron was 8lbs 12oz) She was already head down, which was different from Aaron (breech baby) and that explained some different cramping that I've had the past several weeks. LITERALLY EVERYTHING has been different with this pregnancy...it's amazing!

We finished the painting/wallpapering/crown molding in Ella's room and now we are excited about beginning to fill it with her things!

We'll use Aaron's crib and changing table (both white) and I'm on the lookout for a dresser. A friend of mine told me that you HAVE to have a dresser when you have a girl. I guess for leggings, bows, tights...umm...what else? Anyways,I'm on the prowl. Garage sales anyone?!

This weekend, my hubby is going out of town for a Men's Retreat and I am taking on: Project Letters.

Each one of these letters cost $20. That means our 4-letter baby girl's name would cost a grand total of $80!! No way. So I am headed to Hobby Lobby/Michaels this week to find some cute letters, paint and ribbon. Will post pics of the finished product and let you know MY final cost.

Wylie Swim Club opens up in 2 weeks. I have been extremely busy with all the various pool preparations, new memberships, lifeguard interviews, etc. Whew! This summer will be different from last because we had last summer to learn and this past winter to prepare. But it's still crazy busy!!

One more note: The twins are doing WONDERFUL. Thomas and I had the chance to go over to DFW last weekend and see the little guys.




Both are growing quickly and have doubled their weight since birth! Ashley, however, has had alot of pain recently and the doctors determined it was her gallbladder. She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning, so please keep her in your prayers over the next week or two. I can't even imagine having 2 little babies and dealing with an ordeal like this! She's one tough lady!!

faithfulness

Today's "fruit" is Faithfulness.

(For those who are just now reading up on my blog, I have been practicing the Fruits Of The Spirit for the past week...)

Thomas and I really try to live a faith-filled life and I believe that the Lord has truly blessed us from it. Living by Faith has become a natural lifestyle to us. It's become so easy! I heard a wise man once say "Make it easy on you and hard on God!" How do we encorporate living a life of Faith on a day-to-day basis? Simple.
1.We don't worry.
2.We know that God will provide everything and anything we need. No questions asked.
3.We tithe. Therefore, our finances are blessed.
4.We speak positively, even when circumstances seems impossible. (..."with God, all things are _______??)
5.We speak things that are not, as though they are. Read that sentence again.

This morning when I began spending time with the Lord, He spoke to my heart about what part of Faithfulness He wanted me to focus on. My mission today was to focus on the "devotion, thoroughness & loyalty" part of it.

Devotion & Loyalty: My heart's desire is to be %100 devoted to my Savior, and to rely on Him not just as Savior, but Lord. I long to be wholly devoted to Him. To hear His Heart and act upon it with such obedience and dedication.

Thoroughness: This is something I can learn from my husband. He has such a gift of being thorough. He pays attention to detail and accuracy to the point where it drives me absolutely nuts! Don't get me wrong! I get things done well, and usually very organized! But my heart's intention has a tendancy to just say, "Hurry up. Just get done with the basics so you can move on to another project." My prayer is to be sensitive to things that don't just matter to what I want, but rather to what others need.

patience

Today has not been half as challanging as the past three days. As a Mother of a 2 1/2 year old, I have had a bit more practice with this particular "fruit".
(See below blogs...)

I looked up "Patience" and here is an interesting list of synonyms.
"...composure, stability, submissiveness, sufferance, qualities of calmness, and persistent courage in trying circumstances."

I like the last one the best!
"Persistent Courage in Trying Circumstances"

joy & peace

Ask me if I knew what I was getting into? Answer: no.

Have you ever seen the movie Evan Almighty? If not, it's a must-see. Clean, funny and heartwarming. One of my favorite scenes from this movie is when the wife is talking to God at the diner (not knowing He is "God"). She is frustrated with her husband and with her life. Here is a golden tidbit...

God: "Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

Man, oh man. That is a mouthful.

Yesterday's fruit was Joy. At 7:00am I rolled over sleepily and began to rub my eyes and begin my day. I had meditated on Joyfulness before going to bed the night before. I was ready!! Ha. I wasn't awake for 30 seconds before a sharp & excruciating Charlie Horse (leg cramp) took over my entire right leg. As I (very maturely) pounded my pillow and bit my tongue from screaming obscenities, I felt anything but Joy. To make matters even worse, as soon as the sharp cramp began to wear off, I tried to shift positions in bed causing yet ANOTHER cramp to come on! Needless to say, I limped around the house all morning and STILL am sore from the ordeal. Am I a wimp? Maybe. But IT HURT BAD. Thankfully, the day went smoother and I was able to restore some joy to my life. :)

Today's fruit was Peace. It was the most un-peaceful day ever. Isn't this sad!! I know God has a sense of humor, but really? Halfway through the day I began to question whether this "fruit a day" was a good idea. I was doing great 4 days ago. Now...it's been a battle every day! But it's good for me. I am growing! It hurts and it stresses me out, but....

"I would rather feel the pressure from the Potter's Hand than no pressure at all" -Mary Forsythe


I had several opportunities to get anxious & frustrated. (I won't even get into the details of my day!! Haha...) Each time something came up, I had to keep reminding myself.... of peace. Peace that passes ALL understanding. Yes, I had a short meltdown at around 5:00...but I made a decision to get my emotions under control and rely on the Prince of Peace. When I did that and put it all into perspective, everything that seemed as big as a mountain suddenly became an ant pile. I can deal with that.

Tomorrow is Patience....I'm going to bed early. :)