A vacation day

What a wonderful vacation day we had as a family today. We started the day with a reasonable amount of sleep and then mid-morning Joe offered a spur of the moment adventure to the zoo. So, we packed up and headed out. While there, we ran into Joe's aunt and uncle, who have a son the same age as Ashley. What a pleasant surprise!

Ashley and TJ feeding the birds.

Joe and Jacob cooling off. It was hot-95 degrees here today. It is still May. Yikes! I saw today that the prediction for next Sunday's temperature is 103. Ugh! Hello Texas summertime. Haven't you arrived rather early?

Ashley washing her hands after petting the goats. I thought these fountains were just too fun.

Jacob loves the goats. He just pulled them close and laid his head down on their backs. What a sweetie!

After the zoo, we stopped at a restaurant for some Mexican food-which could easily be a disaster with two HOT and TIRED kiddos. However, we were seated right away and our food was ready quite promptly. The kids did great, and we all even got to enjoy a little ice cream on the way out. What a nice end to the day. All was great...at least until we realized around 10pm, while reviewing our jobs out that we had missed finalizing one that is due tomorrow. So we're just finishing that up now. Off to check for holes in the backs of our eyelids.

We have a tooth!

What an exciting few weeks it has been for Jacob! He has begun walking, his first tooth finally popped through yesterday, and he threw up for the first time today. Now, doesn't all that sound exciting? What a big guy!

We took this picture the other night at the park and his expression just cracks me up. I suspect it will do the same for you as well.

Our new pet...

Here are some pics of our new house guest. This pretty paint stud found us this afternoon. Well, actually he found our garden and orchard first and then we discovered him. Until we find his owner, we get a horse for our field. Maybe he can eat down our 10 acre pasture while he's out there.

Mr. Mobile!

Jacob is walking! Go little guy, go! Here is a picture of him (very focused) in action tonight at the park! He started by taking two steps with Daddy when I was gone at graduation a week and a half ago. On Monday of this week, we saw that his confidence had increased and he started taking 4 or 5 steps, often when none of us were truly watching. His confidence is increasing daily. How fun!

Here is Ashley enjoying a city park she had never played at before.

We met some new friends there. They LOVED having their pictures taken-and also helped me take some pics too.  I wanted to put them all in our camera bag and take them home. But, for tonight, they just came home on my 16 gig memory card. What sweeties!

This little guy's smile just makes me melt.

Busy, busy weekend

What a fun weekend! We had some of Joe's previous employees/GAs from a few years back at the University over for lunch Saturday before the master's graduation of Swathi, the wife of one of his previous GAs-Shreekumar. We had a great time together. As you can imagine, Ashley was all sorts of helpful to little Ethan, who just turned 1 several weeks back.

Our dear friend Andra (left) also graduated with her Master's on Saturday. So, we got to celebrate her accomplishment with her and her family. Pictured with her is her dad and her twin sister Kara.

Later on Saturday evening, Jacob and I attended a 70's theme party at our dear friend Connie's new house. The house came with complimentary 70's decor. This picture is taken in the entryway, which has the coolest velvet wallpaper. Connie has assured us that this wallpaper will remain in place. Envious of my dress? I was so thrilled to find it at a local second hand store. It was home-made and fit as if it were made for me...which was pretty handy since I did not shop for it until Saturday morning.

It is officially getting warmer here in Texas. To those Western Washington friends, you'd likely already consider it hot. We've been averaging in the mid to upper eighties during the day with lows in the mid-sixties. Sunday we deemed it time to get out the sprinkler to play in after we went blackberry picking. Yes, that's right, our blackberries are already ready. We have been enjoying some blackberry crisp, or "blackberry crisp pie" or "crispy treats" as Ashley keeps calling it.

"In my heart..."

As of late, Ashley has been talking/asking quite a bit about who is in her heart. You know, God, Jesus, people who have died before us, etc. So, last night, as she is going to the bathroom before going to bed she says, "Mommy, if you're in my heart and I poop you out, then I won't have a mommmy anymore."

I laughed, and not knowing quite how to respond, I told her that it doesn't work like that.

Oh goodness, what an alarming thought-that you just might poop your mommy away.

Today she asked me if God was in her poop. Oh my. There are some serious misconceptions going on here, I suspect because we tell her that God is everywhere. On the bright side, she is thinking and it is about God.

Of to recharge for the adventures tomorrow holds.

Mother's Day

We got to spend the evening as our little family playing at a park on our way home from visiting Joe's family for the weekend. That was our Mother's Day time. It was really special and right up our alley. Nothing fancy, just good old fashioned fun at the park-TOGETHER.

Jakers and myself:

 

Sweet Ashley girl:

 

Swinging together:

 

The man who played a very large part in making these kiddos possible (and the kiddos):

 

Ready to be with God

Ashley has been really fixated on trying to figure out death, what emotions to feel about it, etc. lately. Likely her concern has risen up because nearly a month ago two University students were riding on a motorcycle toward Commerce, they swerved or were hit (I've heard both stories), and the girl died and the boy is still in the hospital undergoing different surgeries and healing.

Anyhow, today she was asking about Mallory (the girl who died), wondering if her family is missing her, if she would ever come back, if she lived in our hearts now and then Ashley finally determined that "She was ready to go be with God. Yep, she was ready to go see God. He was ready for her to come."

Why can't we all just be at peace with that concept? No tragedy has touched our lives that has not first been sifted through the Hands of God. How easily we forget this, especially in the midst of the storm.

Anatomy 101

So, as we were driving to go visit with one of my friends today and to play with the little boy she keeps, Bryce, Ashley and I had the following conversation:

Ashley: "Mommmy, is Bryce a girl or a boy."

Me: "Bryce is a boy."

Ashley: "Mommy, does he have one of those thingys that sticks out?"

Me: "You mean, does he have a penis?"

Ashley: "Yes, one of those thingys. Does Jacob have a penis? Why does he have a penis? Is it so he can go potty?"

Me: "Yes, yes it is."

Ashley: "When am I going to get one of those? (slight pause) Mommy, when can I have a go-gurt?"

And on to the next conversation which was about the expression, "I doubt it." Ashley then adjusted the expression in two different ways during this conversation. She said, "I don't doubt it," as well as "I double doubt-it" (the latter was completely made up on her own-made me laugh). I was impressed, as her structure and placement were actually appropriate. Go Ash! I think she is more articulate than some of Joe's college students were one year in a class he taught as an adjunct professor.

For the Love of Siblings...

I am constantly humored by the "love" of siblings. Ashley is consistently squeezing Jacob's head off of his neck (see evidence in Exhibit 1 below), but they still love each other and love to play together (Exhibit 2 below).

Exhibit 1:

 

Exhibit 2:

 

And then, just to make sure you all know that Jacob is "ALL BOY," check out these photos. Oh my goodness-what a mess! You would have laughed with me when I found a small dumptruck load of sand in a crevace of his ear tonight-after his bath.