Moose launch party

I have read Stephanie Klein's Greek Tragedy blog daily for over two years. I have laughed, cried and empathized with her stories and never left a comment. I have been a silent blog lurker all this time and tonight I finally got to meet her. I was giddy with excitement. My friends insist I didn't embarrass myself and that I wasn't snickering like the little goofy kid I felt like.

I was inspired by Stephanie Klein tonight. During the launch party for her new book Moose, she answered some questions from the audience. One question was about how she can stay so honest in her writing and not hold anything back. Her response was that she expresses how she felt in that moment to the readers, so they can feel a connection to the emotion she felt. It really made me look at my writing in a different way. I may never publish a book or have over 400,000 monthly readers of my blog, but I do want to be as true to my feelings as I can. I love her honesty and her self confidence is inspiring to anyone.

"You are not your childhood (or mother!)
You are who you want to be!"
- Stephanie Klein

all tucked in

Last night when I went to check on Ethan, I found he had tucked all his teenie beanie babies in under the covers. He was lying uncomfortably on his pillow with his legs hanging off the edge of his bunk bed. Now that's love.

Party until...

the wee hours of the night.

conversations with a 2 year old

Momma - What's your name?
Austin - I'm 2
Momma -I know you are 2, but what's your name?
Austin - Me!

Things said daily around the house and always with an exclamation mark...

I do it!
I wanna see Maddie and Tye!
Me want go work with Daddy!
Oh, man!

Ethan's big day

Today was a big day for Ethan. Eric put real underwear on him this morning instead of pull-ups and all day he went in the potty and had NO accidents! He even stayed dry during his 2 hour nap! He was so happy to wear his Thomas the Train underwear he even showed our neighbors his undies. When I picked him up for the first time with underwear on instead of a diaper, I almost teared up. It feels so different to hold your kid without a massive diaper on. I hope this trend continues, but without the flashing.

We bought Ethan a new bike and were waiting for the right moment to give it to him. Today seemed like the perfect day. He was so happy and hopped right on. He peddled and steered like a pro! He called each neighbor over and said "You see my new big boy bike? Momma and Daddy got it for me! You wanna watch me ride?". He was so proud of his big boy bike and did so well riding it.

He looked and acted like such a big boy today. Eric and I can hardly believe how fast he is growing up. He is such a sweet boy and every day I feel so lucky to be his mom.

200th post

This is my 200th post since I created my blog on

September 26th, 2007. I love blogging. I love sharing my life with my friends and family we don't get to see everyday. My blog helps me to stay focused on the important things in life and reflect on how much God has truly blessed us! I love that I have a snapshot of our life at this moment in time. Soon I will print my blog into a blog book, but at the rate I'm going, it's going to be a huge book! I love the idea of reading a book years from now about how life was when the kids were babies and have all these daily memories to look back on.

Taylor

My niece Taylor was born when I was a senior in high school. I spent a lot of time with her when she was a baby during my summers out of college. We share a special bond that I hope will always remain. When my sister sent me this picture of her 8th grade graduation, I was stunned. She looks so grown up now and absolutely beautiful. I'm proud of the young lady she has become!

lunch with the boys

Ethan was at preschool today, so Austin and I got to spend some quality time together. We met Sammy and Jacob for lunch at Santa Rita's . The restaurant is in a quaint shopping center filled with unique shops. We headed to a wooden toy shop and picked up a few goodies for the boys. We got Ethan a wooden shoe with laces and Austin got a frog shaker toy. I love supporting local shops around town. Sammy and I had a nice time and I'm glad we are continuing this tradition!

The boys' weekend

The boys had a great time with their Gege and Granddaddy this weekend while we were away. When we left, the boys were playing in the dog kennels. I made Eric's parents promise they wouldn't use them for time outs.

The boys had fun playing outside and climbing trees with Gege.

They also took a trip to Salado to see Nanny and Papa. Ethan was a big helper and helped Granddaddy load rocks in the back of his truck.

When the boys woke up from their naps on Sunday afternoon, Gege and Granddaddy were gone and Eric and I were home. Austin saw me and immediately cried for Gege and Ethan cried for Granddaddy. It was very comforting to know the boys were in such good hands and had so much fun with their grandparents!

Float Trip 2008

Friday morning we kissed the boys goodbye and headed down to New Braunfels. We caravaned with some friends and neighbors to our campsite on the Comal River. The clear water and big trees were absolutely beautiful!

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The guys

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The girls

We had debated if we should take Kirby with us. I voted no because I wanted no responsibility at all on the trip. In the end we took her, and I'm glad we did. She was our original baby and she was so happy to have our undivided attention again.


Saturday we floated. We had our comfy tubes complete with head rests and cup holders, snacks, a floating cooler loaded with cold drinks and water proof bags with the essentials. The float was really fun. We all tied together and had a great time chatting. Towards the end of the trip, it clouded up and started to rain. While it wasn't ideal, I didn't care because I was just so happy to be there. On the trip back, we road in a small bus with a bunch of college students. One guy sitting next to us saw us munching on some brisket and said "Wow, how smart to bring food!" It was then I realized how old I was. We had planned every detail for the float. Back in our college days, we would have rolled out of bed, grabbed a bikini and jumped in the car. My carefree days are long gone now that I'm a momma and wife, but I'm ok with it.

Playing washers

tubin'

I've always loved tubing!

'Eric and I are leaving the kids at home with his parents this weekend and heading to New Braunfels to float. I am so excited because it's been forever since we have been! We tried to go last year, but it rained on us. I LOVE tubing. There is nothing like floating down a beautiful river as you drink cold beverages and relax with friends.

This is the longest we have ever left our kids, but I know they will have lots of fun hanging out with their Gege and Granddaddy! I am looking forward to sleeping in, eating at the Gristmill, camping in the camper, spending time alone with Eric & reading a new book.

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weekly visit

My parents come over to visit once a week. Whenever we see their car pull up, the boys run outside to greet them. Ethan runs to Grandpa and Austin runs to Grandma. It's really cute and very predictable. Ethan sits on Grandpa's lap to read books and Austin sits on Grandma's lap. Every once in a while they will switch, but not very often. I feel so fortunate to have my parents close by! The boys love their weekly visit and I do too!

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Treasures

I'm a sentimental girl. I admit it. I have special boxes to collect keepsakes from the boys' childhoods in their closet. We will probably have their wooden ride-on motorcycle in our attic for the next 30 years so our grand kids can ride it. Some things are worth saving.

The boys' rooms are filled with sentimental things. The shelf holds my old gumball machine, a tiger with a butterfly on it's nose my Grandpa carved for me when I was little, and a picture of Eric's dad holding a big fish when he was 3 years old.

The sailboat in the nursery belonged to Eric's uncle Steve. I love that we have something to remember him by hanging in our home.

Our wall shelf has the boys' first Bibles, Eric's marbles from when he was little, my old giraffe baby rattle and a truck Eric bought Ethan when he found out he was having a boy.

We got this cool railroad light at the lake house. It was once a lamp post, but when Eric's parents decided to replace it, I claimed it. Eric removed the pole and added a light in it. The boys use it as a night light now.

I had to add a picture of my little Austin's crib before he graduated to a big boy bed. Someday I'll look back and miss him being little enough to fit in here.

my mr. fixit

Eric is almost completely done with his most recent project. He installed outdoor speakers that are hooked up to our living room stereo, added a new electrical outlet to the back deck and added can lights on our back patio. He did an amazing job for never doing any electrical work before and it looks really nice!

I feel so fortunate to have such a handy guy as my hubby. I love that he can build decks, do electrical work, pull and maintain our camper, keep the yard looking great and make things with wood. Thanks for working so hard Eric!

1st swim of the year

We took the boys swimming for the first time this year and they loved it! They weren't scared of the water at all and they had a great time splashing around. I foresee lots of swimming in our future this summer!

Little angel Jacob

Look at Austin's Conan O'Brien hairdo! We let it dry naturally slicked back and it dried in this awesome, puffy curl.