Monday, April 20, 2009

Home Away from Home-Coming

The Jones family has been moving at breakneck speed for the past few days. It was a really fun weekend. I'm super sleepy today but it was well worth it.

On Friday morning I had MOPS. We had a speaker named Kelli Gourley who teaches parenting courses and is a parenting coach. She was amazing and I learned so much in that hour. After MOPS, the kids and I had a fun lunch at McDonald's with a new friend named Heather and her sweet girls. We got home just in time to take shelter from the fierce storms that were passing through the area. Jackson went down for a nap and I kept an eye on the sky. I brought a mattress into one of our bathrooms in case a tornado came through. Thankfully, we didn't ever have to deal with that. Later that night, after most of the storms had passed, I headed out to another part of town to meet Marla Taviano and her family. They were visiting Houston as part of their 52 Zoos tour. What a sweet family! I wish we could have gone to the zoo with them the next day. They were staying at Kelli's house and I loved getting to meet her too. I have met so many wonderful people through this crazy blog world!

On Saturday morning we woke up before dawn to get ready for our road trip to Dallas/Fort Worth. I was so proud of us because we were on the road at 7 stinking 30! The weather was still nasty but the Lord protected us. Somewhere between our house and College Station, I'm pretty sure we saw a funnel cloud that had formed sideways underneath a cloud in front of us. I have a huge phobia of tornadoes and I immediately felt like I was going to be sick. I put my head in my hands and just started begging God not to let it drop down. It didn't, which is a very good thing because we were in the middle of nowhere and there was no shelter in sight.

Once we arrived in DFW, we met Sunni's family over at Janelle's house. This was Annabeth's first introduction to the whole crew. You can imagine how fun it was for me. It was also our first chance to meet Sunni's new baby, Clara. She is a DOLL! The girls quickly split off from the boys so we could do what we do best, which is talk and eat. We took the babies and they slept the whole 2.5 hours while we sat at a Mexican restaurant. The boys took the big kids and did the same thing over pizza. And by "the same thing" I mean there was grunting and eating.

After that, we checked into the Westin. I got a great deal through Priceline.com and was so pleased with myself!

Then we drove to Fort Worth for the the first birthday party of sweet little Jaylee Sheffield. Her mommy and daddy love them some crawfish, so the party was a crawfish boil. It was so fun, y'all! The cake was shaped like a pot of crawfish. It was the cutest, funniest thing I'd ever seen!

Later we went to Sunni's house for a belated birthday party for all the kids and for Janelle, who just turned 30. It was slightly chaotic, but would you expect anything less? We had hamburgers and chocolate birthday cake. Yum. Ella, Ava, and Jackson were so fun to watch. I was amazed by how well they played together. Clara and Annabeth had a little playdate/napdate on a blanket on the floor.

We left at 10 and headed back to the hotel. That night we got a small glimpse of what it's going to be like when we go to Disney World. Um, sleeping in the same room with two children is not restful. Not restful at all. But it's all good. I'd hoped that the dark curtains would give us an extra hour of sleep, but Jackson's body clock was stronger than the darkness. We got room service and, amazingly, an order of French toast, pancakes, a glass of milk, and a cup of tea ended up being as much as we paid for the room. Why? WHY? I will never understand such mysteries.

We got ready to head to the late service at First Irving. I had Annabeth in one of her cutest outfits, all ready to go. I just had to feed her first. As soon as she started eating, her sweet, precious little bowels began to move and I'm sure you know what happened next. The diaper absorbed nothing and poop exploded all over her and all over the pillow I was using instead of my Boppy. Awesome. Sponge bath. Change of clothes. Out the door and almost late after being lazy all morning. I'm sure the housekeeping ladies were thoroughly horrified by the scene in our room. Bless their hearts.

We finally made it to church. It blessed me so much to take Jackson and Annabeth there. We had a blast seeing everyone and introducing them to our girl and showing them our big, handsome three-year-old. Being there was very bittersweet. Instead of soothing the part of my heart that misses it so much, it made me miss it more! A few friends who have also moved away from First Irving just happened to be visiting that morning too. It was like homecoming or something. Angela and Lauren R., it was not the same without seeing your faces!

After church we had lunch with Bryan and Becca and their twin boys, Nathan and Jordan. They were born just 4 days after Annabeth. They are so sweet! I hate that we are not close enough to have playdates with them.

We drove by our old house and it just looks terrible. The house is still cute and my red door looks fab, but the yard obviously gets mowed only when they get a notice from the city. How sad!

Before heading home, we dropped in on the Habermehl family. They have 4 big kids, a trampoline, and plenty of race car toys. Jackson was in heaven. We loved getting to see them and catch up a bit.

We finally got on the road at 5 p.m., only stopping in Waco for a quick dinner at Schlotzky's. For some reason that place also sells Cinnabon rolls and we did not hesitate to get some to go.

We finally pulled in our driveway at about 10:30. We were exhausted but had the best time. An added bonus was just having time to talk to my man with no distractions while the kids were asleep in the car. We've had some of our best conversations on road trips.

I totally forgot my camera and have no pictures to show you unless my friends have mercy and send me some.

This is going to be a super busy work week for me, so I might be scarce. Although every time I say that, I end up posting more than usual. Hasta luego!

34 comments:

Tara G. said...

Talk about weird weather- it's 80 in Monterey! No A.C. in this town. At least it isn't humid.

Rhonda said...

Sounds like you guys had a blast. Dear friends are so precious. Glad the weather held out for you. I hated storms in College Station. I lived on Southside by the meterology tower. Could always tell when it was going to be bad because their little satellite started spinning. I drove through some doozeys on my way back home. At times my mom would not even tell me the weather was bad because she knew I would never leave:) This comment is super long. Glad you are back safe and sound & pray you have a blessed week!

Zoe said...

The poo explosion story made me smile - my baby is 6 mo old and we experience those 'episodes' regularly (usually at naptime - all over the crib sheet/bumper, etc, not to mention the baby!)... it just makes me laugh - who knew such a tremendous mess could come out of such a little bundle of sweetness??

Toknowhim said...

Wow, you did have a super packed weekend. I moved from the state I was born in five years ago so I know how wonderful those times are when you visit with old friends and family...

Blessings

Missy said...

What sweet moments with all of your friends. I am so glad ya'll had a great weekend!

CAROL LIVIN FOR GOD said...

Hi Amanda sounds like you had a great and fun weekend with your family. Glad you had some good conversation time with your man well the kids were asleep that is great. Thank you so much for sharing your life with us seista's you are so sweet just like your sweet mama we love you all very much. Thanks again for sharing with us have a great week sounds like you will have a busy week to.
LOVE AND BIG HUGS FROM ALBUQUERQUE NM LOVE YOU ALL CAROL

Kiki said...

So glad y'all had such a fun weekend!

Beth Herring said...

Sounds like you have a great time getting to visit with all your old friends.

I am looking forward to some pictures of Jackson and Annabeth soon.

Beth

Bobbie said...

Wow! What a whirlwind weekend! I'm sure your friends had as much fun seeing you and your growing family as you did seeing them! It sounds like a great time-especially the 2.5 hrs visiting at the Mexican food restaurant!!

Have a great week!

Sharon said...

Dear Amanda,

I'm so glad that you and your family had a wonderful and sweet trip. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Much love,
Sharon, NC

Marc and Charity said...

So glad you had a fun trip back here to DFW. I know you must be tired! I am!!! We had to miss our service yesterday due to Bailey having a stomach bug. Nice. And we are suppose to fly back to the UK tomorrow. Ugh.

life with the wisners said...

honestly...i'm tired just from reading. you sure know how to pack in the fun!

sounds awesome.

Fran said...

What a fabulous weekend!!! I mean really!!! And, you are forgiven over the camera. I have pix in my head. ;)

Have a great week. Praying for your sis.
Fran

Diane said...

Amanda, I have been reading your blog for a few months now and adore it. Road trips are fun times... most of my mom's family lives in OK (we live in AR) and we went there last summer to introduce them to our then 12 month old. It is fun and exciting and exhausting all at the same time! Glad you had a wonderful trip. :)

Becca said...

We were so happy to see you on Sunday! Lunch was so fun...wish we were closer to do it more often! Love ya'll!

KR said...

Sounds like so much fun, glad you got to introduce Annabeth. We did Disney in January and definately wish we splurged on the villa/separate sitting room deal. We live in Fl and Disney is desperate for business right now...maybe you can call and get an upgrade. Just a thought. Will pray for your Disney adventure...so,so FUN!

Moose Mama said...

Well that DOES sound like a busy weekend! I'm so glad you had fun.

Get your rest and we will be glad to get you for whatever time we can on the blog.

And yeah, if it wasn't for the car trips when the kids were little, I don't know that we would have ever had one complete sentence between the two of us. Bless their little hearts!

Melana

Lauren said...

Hey, my sis-in-law visited FB Irving for the first time this week! (She just moved to Grand Prairie.) She LOVED the singles dept and was so relieved to find a good church where she thinks she'll find good fellowship. So funny y'all were there on the same day!

Also: a napdate? I could go for one of those, myself.

Sarah said...

It sounds like fun! I always love road trips with Pace, especially at night when the kids are asleep. You can do some seriously good talking on a lonely highway at night! It almost makes up for sleeping in a hotel room with children. :)

I hope you have a productive week!

Lindsee Lou said...

Sounds like y'all had a fast and furious but extremely fun-filled weekend. (Said with an emphasis on the F's!) And, so exciting that your besties up north got to meet Miss Annabeth! Hope your week is great.

The Dorns said...

Its crazy that you guys have scary storms going on. Here in Sacramento,CA we have 96 degree weather with no breeze making it feel like 105.They say this is the hottest record we have set for April. I wish your family safety and peace during the storms.

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

Holy Cow, girl. You know how to make the rounds! I know you had so much fun showing off darlin' Annabeth and letting Jackson see his first friends.

Do you not agree though that there is nowhere like your own bed?

Anonymous said...

wow, quite a busy weekend. and I'm with you on the road trip conversations. I am lucky enough to carpool in with my man every day and I look forward to those conversations.

Sometimes we are so busy conversing that we get behind on our Bible study. But the time is still so good.

Ashley said...

That was a very busy weekend! Sounded like much fun though. Too bad Josh and I weren't at First Irving to see you guys, too. Have a great week!

Lauren said...

How fun!!! My head was spinning from all of yoru excitement, haha!! :)

Sunni said...

Hi Amanda! I found your blog through Sunni's. Hope you don't mind me posting. I am loving reading about your mommy adventures.

I remember the explosive poop days! It always seemed like they happened to the cutest outfits or in the middle of church.

So glad you had a wonderful trip! Just hearing about the funnel cloud makes me want to have a panic attack.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had a great weekend...I know the experience of hotel rooms, two little ones, and no sleep.
Glad the storms stayed away - my mom, grandmother, and I got caught in one on the way back to Amarillo after picking up my wedding dress in Ft. Worth in 2001! There I was in the back seat with my dress...I can laugh about it now - God took great care of us...I do know how you felt though!Have a wonderful week!
Amy

Sunni at The Flying Mum said...

It was SO fun! Sad it's over! And seeing y'all did the same thing that FBC Irving did for you. Made me miss y'all even more!

Spicy Magnolia said...

That's really cool you got to meet Marla Taviano for the first time; I've almost finished reading her book on motherhood (as per your recommendation, thank you very much!).

And I'm glad you had a great time seeing everyone again. Going back to old home fronts is always bitter-sweet to me, especially driving past the actual home, and yet I always want to. :)

I hope you have a wonderful week with your little ones and all that you need to get done! I'm so excited for you and your upcoming trip to FL!

Cindy-Still His Girl said...

Just so you know, I will NEVER get tired of seeing Annabeth and her cute outfits, so PLEASE do not forget your camera anymore. Or if you do, at least don't mention the cute outfit on the blog and then not follow through with a picture! ;)

The Milams said...

We were a stop along Marla's way too. My parents hosted them. It was great to get to meet them!

Callie said...

hey amanda! got a question for ya! I'm the chairman of MOPS this next year at Second Baptist's West campus and I am on the hunt for new speakers...would you recommend Kelli?? Did she speak on discipline? Parenting? Just trying to get some new, fresh ideas!

R said...

my man and i have our best talks on road trips, too!

many of our new schlotzsky's here in DFW have cinnabons attached, too. PTL!

i often post more when i plan not to, too! :0)

katiegfromtennessee said...

You had a full weekend for sure! But, you got to meet up with friends! Life with small children is a grand adventure, isn't it, Little Momma!?:)

katiegfromtennessee