Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Thanksgiving Rewind

We - and by "we" I mean my sister - took tons of pictures over Thanksgiving. I just now got around to stealing them from Melissa, so here they are!

Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Girls Trip

The three Moore girls.



Santa Monica, how we love thee.





Mom and Lis. Melissa fits in very well in LA.



Me, not so much. I like visiting though.



Beautiful evenings.



Thanksgiving Day





Dad and Colin.



Mom and Aunt Gay.



Jacks and Aunt Lissa.







Annabeth and Uncle Colin.







Jackson and my cousin Joe.




I love these two pictures of Curtis with the kids.






Day trip to Round Top

Jackson making the most of a big field and a football.







Stephanie and Annabeth





Royers Round Top Cafe





Jackson and Steve and their bonding mechanism.



Lots of love between these two.



Mom and our adopted sister Amy.





Pies!!!



They're so good, they deserve two pictures.







Me, Stephanie, Amy, and Melissa



Friends-like-family = Framily

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Call Me Curious

Are any of my Houston area readers interior decorators or party planners?

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Long Week

Where to begin? A lot has gone on since my last post.

My mom had surgery last Monday. I wrote about it here.

The surgery has consumed my thoughts for the last 6 weeks. My nerves are very slowly unwinding from the stress. I'm so thankful it's over and that my sweet mama is okay.

I'm still a bit wonky from those nights in the hospital. It feels like those early days with a baby when you get woken up every three hours. Tonight will be my third night at home and I bet that will do it for me.

I know I should be having a spiritually meaningful time since it's Christmas, but I'm in total manager mode. I hope I can snap out of it soon.

Curtis and I are doing laundry right now. Five years ago on a night like this we would have been out seeing a movie and then driving around looking at Christmas lights.

Earlier tonight, after watching A Charlie Brown Christmas in our living room, we loaded up the kids and drove out to River Oaks for our annual Christmas light gawking ritual. I felt so blessed that we had two precious ones - little extensions of us - sitting in the back seat. Our drive through River Oaks always begins with this confession by me: The mansions are beautiful, but none of the people who live in them are any happier than we are.

I just realized Curtis got confused and folded a whole basket full of dirty clothes. Bless his heart. He was such a champ with the kids this week. I really lucked out when he fell in love with me.

Sometimes I long for my husband to sweep me off my feet and take me where we can forget about domesticity and just think about each other. We've been talking about a Curtis and Amanda-only vacation for 2010.

I cannot wait.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Nieve


















Thursday, December 03, 2009

Little Birthday Boy

Curtis, Jackson, Annabeth and I would like to wish our nephew and cousin Cael Wallace a very happy first birthday! We love you, buddy!







Lindsay, you're one of the best moms I know. I love you and respect you so much. We can't wait to hang out with your family at Christmas!

Annabeth is 10 Months Old

I almost can't bring myself to write this post. It's like my thoughts of her are almost too precious and sacred to type on this crude screen.

Last year during the holidays I was eight months pregnant. By the eighth month every expectant mom is longing to wear her real jeans, lay on her stomach, eat Chinese food without having heartburn, have a conversation without getting winded, and go more than 20 minutes without visiting the ladies room. The pregnancy is getting long and it's not that fun anymore. You can see the light at the end of the ten-month tunnel, but it's got to get worse before it gets better.

During the Christmas of 2008, I longed not to be pregnant anymore, but it was not due to those reasons. I wanted my baby girl with me for Christmas. My heart longed every day for her to be here. When I saw Christmas dresses in the store, my first thought was to get her one. Then I had to remind myself that she wasn't coming until February! She was already so real in my tummy - growing daily, stretching, hiccuping, and tossing from side to side. My subconscious just couldn't shake the expectation of her being with us for Christmas.

I have my darling daughter in my arms this Christmas season and my joy is now complete. No more longing for this baby, only enjoying her. She is at the perfect size to hug and squeeze. I got a lot of snuggle time with her tonight and I couldn't help but think that she feels like holding a big, adorable gummy bear. She has one little tooth that is slowly making its way up and it is heartbreaking. Her soft brown hair is getting longer. Sometimes it waves and other times it goes straight down like a mullet. Either way she is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She is happy. She loves her mommy and she loves her daddy and she can't help but love that silly big brother whom she lives to laugh at.

She plays games now. She likes to come and get me when I hide around the corner and peek out. She loves to sit in your lap and throw herself backwards over and over again. I can always tell that she's made a fast break for a forbidden part of the house because I hear her hyperventilating with excitement and adrenaline. How precious and sinful they are from birth!

Annabeth still reminds me of a little doll when she locks her legs straight out in front of her. She's wearing shoes more often these days, not only because it's colder but also because winter clothes tend to be dressier. The Trumpette mary jane socks are starting not to fit very well. I will cry on the day I put those away.

Sister Girl is like her brother in many ways. First of all, she loves taking her bath. She scoots all over the tub and loves playing with the toys. Sometimes we put her in the water with Jackson and those might be her favorite moments in all of life. In keeping with her brother, she hates to get out and cries every time. I think Jackson may just now be growing out of that. I didn't see it, but Curtis told me she was putting her face in the bath water the other day. I may have another water bug on my hands. Like Jackson, she detests having her diaper changed and she normally flops around and whines while trying to grab the diaper and yank it away.

Annabeth is serious about her food, namely Cheerios. Lately she's gotten a little too ambitious with her self-feeding, stuffing multiple Cheerios in her mouth and then gagging on them. From her very first meal up until her dinner tonight, I've had to wipe one tear away from her eye before taking her out of the high chair. I don't know what it is, but eating makes her tear up. Apparently she's emotionally moved by the taste of baby food.

It's funny to think that if I want Annabeth to go to mother's day out next fall, I'll have to register her very soon. I don't feel ready. I can't imagine her going so young (she'll be 18 months). But Jackson went almost immediately after his first birthday and that wasn't really hard on me at all. It was a little bit. I guess I was more desperate then because I was still working at full time status. He also took a lot more of my energy. I discussed this with my mother and she thinks it's because Annabeth is a girl. Maybe I feel more guilt about eventually leaving her since she's more delicate in my eyes.

It's hard to imagine her that old. She's still so tiny that I can't even picture her walking. I know it will boggle my mind to see it.

Annabeth loves to clap. We've been trying to teach her to wave bye bye. Sometimes she gets it right but we think she believes she's waving when she's clapping. Last weekend at Colin's birthday dinner, Annabeth said "bye" to Colin's mom, plain as day. The next day she waved and said "bye bye." That has not been repeated but it had to have been legit. She says mama and dada from time to time. It's like she gets stuck on a particular sound for a few days and she forgets everything else. She's started clicking her tongue, which is funny.

This is very long, but I know I've forgotten a bunch of things. I recently went back and read all my posts from when she was born and from the following months. It reminded me of so many things I'd already forgotten. I'm thankful that even though they were long, overly-detailed posts, I have all of it written down. So if you're about to have a baby, I'd encourage you to keep blogging throughout those crazy first weeks. That time will be precious in your memories one day. I don't long to have another baby, but I do long to go back and spend those first moments with each of my children again, armed with the knowledge of how much we would grow to love and know one another.

All I can think to end with is this - isn't it an honor to be a woman? As hard as it is and sometimes unfair, we get a front row seat to see the magic of a life growing from tiny cells into a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, and so on. And to feel it all so fully! To others and often to ourselves our lives can look utterly mundane and common. Every day I load my babies in and out of my Jeep with my oversized purse and huge diaper bag falling down my shoulder and smacking into the baby's face. Meanwhile, junk falls out of the floor boards and onto the driveway, and I know another Chickfila receipt is going to wander into our neighbor's yard and, help me Lord, she's going to know that I didn't recycle it! My son has lost his shoes inside the car and I'm thinking "Calgon, take me away!" Only that's what they said in our moms' day and I don't even know if they make that anymore. But maybe I can find some Thomas the Tank Engine bubble bath in the kids' bathroom!

The thing is, God is using us to grow lives. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Stop and marvel at whatever new thing your three-year-old said or did today. In all likelihood (as long as it was pure and lovely, of course), he learned it from you! In case no one else says this to you today, well done mama. You're doing an important job and you will be richly rewarded, even if for the time being it's a big hug around the knees every time you have to wipe your preschooler's rear.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

It Almost Wasn't Tear Free

If you care to know my favorite scents, and I know you do, they are as follows: Obsession for men, sugar cookies in the oven, waffle cones, horse sweat, drug store aftershave, lavender, fried chicken, and Biolage shampoo.

How many times have you devoted yourself to a certain shampoo that smelled oh so good and suddenly they changed it? It's horrible, isn't it? I used to love Pantene back in high school, but when they changed the scent I gave it up in protest. Luckily, Biolage has hung in there all these years with the same great smell.

I hate how expensive Biolage is, but occasionally I splurge. I started running out of my supply last week. I kept the bottle upside down in hopes of making it last longer. At some point it was inundated with water and my last shampoo was severely diluted. It still lathered up, so I wasn't worried about it. My hair ended up looking horrible for church that morning and I think that must be why.

Today was hair washing day again. I wish I were one of those blessed people who only has to wash their hair twice a week. There's no telling how many years of my life I have wasted with a hair dryer to my head. Anyway, right before I stepped into the shower, I remembered my diluted shampoo. I could either run upstairs and grab the Suave out of the guest shower (sorry, guests) or I could try to get one more wash out of my Biolage. I opted for the latter.

Sixty seconds later I realized my terrible mistake. There was only enough left to get the front of my head. The Suave was well past being an option and I was stranded without Curtis at home to help me. Then I saw the Johnson and Johnson baby hair and body wash sitting on the ledge of the tub. Are you kidding me? Baby shampoo for my horse's mane? But what else could I do?

I soaped up my head and hoped it would bring me better results than I'd had with my diluted Biolage. The shame of sharing my infant daughter's shampoo wrapped around me like a bath sheet. Don't ask me why, but I had visions of Monica Geller after her jellyfish encounter at the beach. Oh the shame.

An hour later my hair was dried with a round brush and straightened with my Chi, as always. It looked about as good as third day hair. Thankfully, it is now raining and no one is expected to have good hair in this kind of weather. I must add that my baby bangs are now in the sticking straight up from my part phase. I've got it goin' on like never before, y'all!

Tonight Curtis and I get to go on a date. We're seeing The Blind Side. I can't wait! Hopefully my man will be blind to the tragic state of my locks.

PS - The movie was great. We loved it!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Toy Ideas

We've got Jackson's Christmas presents 100% covered already. PTL! So far all I have for Annabeth is the Playskool Busy Ball Popper that I found on sale in October. Jackson had one and he LOVED it. Too bad it eventually broke and only the Lord knows where all those balls are now. I'm sure Annabeth will love it too because so far, she loves everything that Jackson loves. That includes matchbox cars, trucks and balls. She hates the baby dolls. Today I introduced her to the plush baby Minnie Mouse I got her at Disney World and she was slightly terrified of her.

I know I don't need to get her much because at this age she won't care and because her birthday is so close to Christmas. But I would like to get her one or two more things. It's "Cyber Monday" and I want to take advantage of the good deals online. So my question for you is this: if you have a baby Annabeth's age or slightly older, does he or she have a toy that has been a big hit? There are so many toys that I'd love for my kids to have but that I know in my heart they wouldn't play with. Then there are the ones I'd never have guessed they would have played with as much and for as many months as they did.

Here are some baby toys that were and are a big hit with my kids in case you're needing some ideas, too.

Jackson's:

Leap Frog Maracas

Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Cube

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank

Bee Bop Band

This has been the number one toy of all time for my kids. Jackson got it for his first Christmas and he still plays with it. Annabeth likes it a lot, too.

Busy Zoo Activity Center by Parents

Annabeth's:

Annabeth is obsessed with this.

Melissa and Doug Deluxe Fishbowl

These are very handy and CHEAP!

Fisher Price Link-a-doos

Thanks for your advice!