swim lessons

We are currently taking a 4 week swim course that meets 2x a week at one of the rec centers in Plano. Patti and Grayson are also attending and the kiddos could not be having more fun. Mags LOVES the water! With my help, she is getting good at floating on her back, switching to her front, and sitting on the wall then jumping into the water on my command, and always turning around to grab the wall when done. We are working on her monkey crawl (moving her hands down the wall, one over the other), and teaching her to blow bubbles and not drink the water...yes, she really *likes* to drink the pool water! She is full of smiles and laughs whenever we are in together. Aron took a vacation day today and was able to join us and take some pictures.
Floating on the back (doesn't the baby doll look funny in the background?!)

Floating on the belly

Fun with Grayson on the wall

Practicing blowing bubbles and not drinking the water

All smiles!

wedding weekend

This past weekend, my wonderful friend Patti agreed to watch Maggie overnight for us, so we could attend a wedding in OKC for one of my childhood friends. Whitney and I grew up attending church together and have reconnected in recent years. It was a privilege to be present at her marriage to David, who seems like a wonderful man. The ceremony was lovely and the bride, gorgeous (her dress was a dream!). They were married at Metropolitan Baptist Church and the reception was held at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. By far, this was the most amazing reception I had ever been too. We dined on breakfast (a family tradition of theirs is to eat breakfast for dinner) which was so yummy, as was the cake (the groom's is pictured above; amazing, right?!), and danced to Big Band music (rock music came later). I enjoyed catching up with some old family friends throughout the evening as well.

We hope to have David and Whitney over for dinner one of these weeks when life settles down some and get to know eachother as couples. Thank you both, for a beautiful and inspiring wedding!

wordless wednesday

Snapshots of Elise and Maggie

a few things that make me happy

My good friend, Shelley, makes these lists when life gets her down and I've decided to follow suit. Last week was just an off week for me. I felt disconnected from people, reflective on some things that are currently overwhelming me, and Maggie was teething something fierce and was up multiple times most nights which = little sleep for both Aron and I and well, when I don't get proper rest the weight of the world is on my shoulders. This list will hopefully help me put some focus back into my week and some praise on my lips for the good things that God is doing. In no particular order...

1. Lunch last week after music class with a new friend
2. Einestein Brothers' bagels, coffee, and good conversation with my friend Allison last Friday morning
3. Letters in the mail from my grandparents
4. Some meaningful conversations with my good friend Kathryn about things that are consuming me (per above)
5. Coffee early on Friday morning with my friend Erin
6. My girlfriend Laurie coming to town today and staying through Friday
7. Reading an encouraging blog post from Carolyn that reminded me to praise God in hard moments (and I did work on this, you'll be proud to know, C--thank you for your words).
8. Cleaning my entire house last week (I just love this feeling!)
9. Sticking entirely to our food budget for the week (this is HUGE for me [it rarely happens, to be honest] and something I'm working on)
10. Seeing my aunt and uncle last week and them graciously bringing down a bed they no longer use which now has become our offical guest bed.
11. Reading through Genesis, focusing on God's grace

After re-reading this list, I find it ironic that I felt disconnected from people, because quite clearly, I was able to connect with multiple friends. Hmm...this list has done me good indeed! :)

fabulous faces of a 14-month old

Today, M is 14 months old! Here she is, being her cute self.

She is totally into stacking cups these days and carrying purses or bracelets on her arm.

Thinking...

Being silly!

Waving "hi"

For Bailey--here she is playing one-handed "peek-a-boo"

Still saying "oh"

Maggie's "cheese face"

The end

newness

A brief update on our sweet M:

*New vocabulary includes "nigh nigh" for "Night Night" (what we say when we put her to bed), "poo" for "poop", "nana" for banana, and several new sounds including, "sh" (which she says repeatedly for "shoe").

*Can point to her nose, head, ear, mouth, tummy, shoe, and sometimes, diaper.

*Has leared to sit down on a small bench in our house and stand back up. Seems to understand the coorelation between the words "sit" and "stand" and the actions they require.

*Started playing peek-a-boo on her own one day in the high chair (covering and uncovering her face).

*Can blow her nose (more or less) if we hold a Kleenex up to it

cayla visits!

My good friend, Cayla, came to town for one week in mid-January. It was WONDERFUL to have her here and we spent most of our days enjoying time together and playing with Maggie. We did manage to get in a quick trip to the Arboretum (it was actually snowing that day, so it was *freezing*--other than workers, we were the only people in the park!), go out for drinks/dessert with Patti at Sambuca Jazz Lounge, shop at Sam Moon, eat at Cafe Brazil, and overall, enjoy some good reconnect time together. Cayla *loves* Maggie and was so helpful with her. I love my friend!

update!

Fear not, I'm alive! This past week has been very busy for me and I've also been feeling like I spend too much time on the computer (is this just me?!), so I've taken a little break. But, I'm back and ready to update.

Last weekend I spent alone in OKC with my aunt and uncle. It was so much fun to drive up and have some good time to myself. I was able to spend about 4 hours with my grandparents on Saturday at their apartment in an assisted living facility (where they are still settling in...it's been a hard adjustment) and as we talked, and I helped them with some organizational needs. Later that evening, I went to a bachlorette party for an old friend of mine from OKC church days, Whitney. We have reconnected this past year and I look forward to spending more time with her in the months to come (her finacee owns a home not too far from us, and they will split their time between Frisco and OKC). The event was much fun and so well organized. We started at her house, for drinks and mingling, and not long after, a limo picked us up and took us to Bricktown (a rehabbed and swanky area in downtown OKC) where we dined on yummy sushi. Later, we headed back to her house for gifts and dessert. What fun night to be a part of! I made it back to Dallas on Sunday afternoon, in time to help Aron get ready for the Super Bowl party we hosted (though he had already done basically everything). My *amazing* husband took perfect care of Maggie all weekend long; I love that he is so good with her. Enjoy the pictures!
Whitney, the bride-to-be

In the limo

Sushi!

From L-R: Brooke (Whitney's younger sister), me, Whitney, and Whitney (yes, another one!) We were all friends growing up and it was fun to reconnect. Whit, this is the only shot I have; sorry about your glowing eyes. :)

Opening gifts

More gifts

wordless wednesday

"Oh, it's Amelia's 1st birthday today!"

"I hope it's special and wish I could be there with you. I miss you!"

juno

My friend Rachel and I went to see this delightful film yesterday morning. If you see any new movie, see this one. It's heartfelt and strikingly honest, a quality I deeply appreciate in film. Although there is some language and sexual references, I can look past this to see the beauty in this rich film. Not only is it humorous and quick-witted, but thematically, it highlights adoption vs. abortion, familial support in a tough situation, and sticking close to your friends, no matter the choices they have made.

The cast is spectacular, specifically the newcomer, Ellen Page, who plays Juno. And the script itself is outstanding; throughout the movie, I kept leaning over to Rachel and commenting on how well-written it was. I would love to see Diablo Cody win for his screenplay.

Using Celeste's rating system, I give this an S/W in NO way.

Her system is explained here:

"A movie will fall into one of four categories.

1. Strong, Weak in NO Way - this is a rating for an outstanding film. Perfect in every way for its genre. This is not an easily given rating.

2. Strong, Weak in A Way - this is a good film but something was lacking. It just didn't quite do a perfect job but was still a great movie, and can be highly recommended.

3. Weak, Strong in A way - this a still an okay film but would usually be a rental. Hard to swallow the price you might have just paid at the movie for this film. Unfortunately, a LOT of films will fall into this category.

4. Weak, Strong in NO Way - this is a crap film. A complete waste of time. Everything done poorly. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth kind of film.

Now, understand that my idea of S/W in No way is obviously objective and you take it or leave it. But it's a good system. You'll find my reviews on the side with a simple rating. No commentary. However, if you want a commentary, I'll be glad to give you that through e-mail."

I'd like to get a bar going on the side with this system. I'll have to chat with my computer-savy husband and get his help. :)