Mother's Day 2015

This sweet girl and her Daddy outdid themselves for me on Mother's Day. I slept in and took a nap, they cleaned my car and brought my sweet tea in the morning, I picked where we ate for lunch and dinner, and they gave me Kendra Scott earrings and some very thoughtful presents.

A few months ago our church did a series on our identity in Christ... who we are in Christ's eyes. They had a video montage during the series of people in our church with a word written on their bodies with a black Sharpie showing the word they identified most with from Christ. It was healed, complete, adopted, etc. I told Marcus that because of our trials in getting pregnant, I felt like Abby's word would be CHOSEN.

She was CHOSEN by God to be born. We were CHOSEN to be her parents. We not only chose, but worked really hard to be able to have her. So, he had her picture taken in the bluebonnets with the word CHOSEN on her arm for me. He even sent it to a friend to edit it and framed it for me. Note, on her other arm, she chose the word CUTE. :)

(Pardon the quick iphone picture of a picture- it is clear in person!)

Finally, I received a folder full of art and the annual Mother's Day survey from Abby. I'm so grateful they still do these in Kindergarten. I was afraid she had outgrown that annual craft. This answer right here brought tears to my eyes. She loves me because "you care for people". 

Of all the things I can teach my child, isn't this really the core of it? God's greatest command is to love Him and love others. I don't always do it and I haven't made it a priority until recently, but the fact that she sees it motivates me. It was like a little love note from God through her that I'm on the right track. And honestly, I don't think I am doing superhero things, but I explain what I am doing to Abby. 

When we take a meal to another family, we talk about it. She helps me bake the cookies and we talk about they are sick or had a new baby or are sad and this is a way to love on them. When I have a church meeting or event, I always explain to her that I am serving in our church to help others. When a new kid visits her Sunday school, we talk about how scary it is to be new and how she can make them feel better by welcoming them. We pray for ambulance, police and fire the moment we hear sirens. We pray for friends in school that miss because they are sick. When we wear our TOMS, we talk about the other kid without shoes that got a new pair because she got a new pair. 

It just surprised me that she sees it. She knows what it is all about. I'm so grateful for her and her answer on this year's survey. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Celebrations

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to TJ, Jacque, and Carol. We wish you a day of fun, relaxation, and enjoyment! 

I can not believe this is my 5th Mother's Day. This sweet girl of mine just keeps growing (and I just keep changing my hair!). ha!

This morning Abby wished me a Happy Mother's Day while snuggling in bed... something she needs about 10 minutes of each morning. I know- call me blessed!

I said, "I am so glad you made me a Momma". Abby then says, "who are you talking to?" I said her somewhat puzzled and said that I wasn't a Mom until she was born. 

She then reminded me, "I didn't make you a Momma. God did." 

And I will praise Him for that as long as I live. My heart aches for the many women just waiting and wondering if they can ever celebrate this day.

We have celebrated all week- with a Mother's Day tea party last week at school. Abby made me a cross and a sweet card. At dinner one night, she noticed I didn't have peas on my plate and asked why. I told her I didn't like peas and she said in the most honest and sad voice, "I put peas on your card." The morning of the party, Abby told me out of the blue, "I should have put chicken." 

On my handmade card/questionnaire, Abby said I am 18, I like to eat peas and love to give her hugs. One of three isn't bad :)

Marcus and I celebrated surviving another year as parents with a date night on South Congress. We finally tried Home Slice Pizza. It was delish! Although, the waiter tried to convince us we could each eat 4 slices. Two was plenty! 

Afterward, we walked across the street and I bought a new pair of earrings. I truly don't mind buying my own gift- we both have confidence I will like it. Aren't they pretty! I love Kendra Scott and they are part of her limited time summer line.

Finally, we ended the night at Lick, a local Austin made ice cream shop. They have lots of funky flavors and we sampled a few of them. I ended up having Salted Caramel and a scoop of Chocolate Caramel Roasted Pecan. They were yummy!

Happy Mother's Day to all and a big thank you to Marcus for allowing me to be the Mom I once dreamed of. I spend my days hugging and playing not meeting and greeting and I love it more than I ever knew I could. Thank you dear!

The Bee's Knees

My sweet girl had a rough Wednesday. She got up from rest time to potty and told her teacher that she couldn't walk- her knee hurt. Abby then proceeded to crawl the remainder of the day. At pick up we discussed the incident- she asked for a band aid and claimed she hurt it on Monday. Since she was fine all day Monday, Tuesday and until rest time, her teacher and I chalked it up to being tired and possible emotional about something else.

When she still wouldn't walk on it Thursday morning, we visited the doctor. She has a sprained knee... a very minor version apparently because she was walking on it by 4 PM that day. This morning before school I asked her to stop doing PE today if it started hurting her again. She told me, "I can't do all my tricks, but I can still do some without it hurting." Well, that is good to know! :)

Love when we are early to school because Abby sits in my lap and snuggles with me before the doors open. I realize the time is coming when she will not sit in my lap or snuggle so freely, so I am trying to cherish it, focus on her and give long and tight squeezes when given the chance. 

Funny Faces

Abby and I found something fun to do while waiting for gymnastics to start this morning....

And a funny story from this funny faced girl.... I saw Abby bow her head and start crying in gymnastics. I can see through the glass, but not hear her. She went and talked to her teacher who hugged her and then I read her lips that maybe a hug from Mom would make it better.

So, Abby comes to the door and I greet her tear filled face with a hug and ask her what happened. No joke she told me, " I was clapping for myself and clapped so hard that I hurt my hands". I kept a straight face along with the other Moms until she calmed down and went back into the room and then we laughed!

My Mother's Day

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend celebration! Since my Mom was in town, we went on a date Saturday night to Takoba. Seriously, their coconut souffle is the best dessert in town! We sat outside on the patio since it was gorgeous out. 

I opened my gift- don't you love it! That is sweet Abby's profile with an A and her birthstone. I love unique pieces of jewelry and anything that features my baby girl!

Sunday morning, we lounged around the house and then met Marcus' Mom for an early lunch at Cheddars. Abby gave me my present first thing Sunday morning. She had been hinting about my gift all week and wouldn't give me a single clue, except when she whispered that I couldn't open my bag until Sunday. Love her!

It was nice having both Moms for lunch and Abby was a mess with show-off-ness :) They got to spoil her and play and I took a nap! I donated my time at an event Thursday - Saturday and I was exhausted and grumpy. Thank God for some rest!

I hope you all had a great day, too! I prayed for the many friends I have still awaiting their special day. I pray your day comes real soon!

Fun Things in our Week

What a week filled with fun things we all have had! Today, Abby Lu and I had lunch with the four realtors I work for in honor or assistant's day/week. They took us to lunch at Z Tejas- yummy! And, beyond lunch, they showered me with 2 lovely gift certificates. Marcus and I get a fancy date night at Z Tejas and I get to do some crafting from Michael's. Seriously, do they know me or what!

Abby loved getting her own bowl of ice cream with lunch! Doesn't she look thrilled!

On Wednesday morning, Abby's friends Kiersten and Kaylinn came over to visit. Are they not beautiful girls! Their Mom had a doctor's appointment, so they came over to play for a couple of hours. Abby got to practice sharing and caring for others. Poor only child needs lots of practice :)

Let's not forget Marcus! He has wanted a fuel band for over a month and Nike finally restocked, before selling out in under 24 hours! I ordered his for his birthday and let him have it a month early. It is a cool watch, pedometer, and energy burn counter. He is having fun setting a goal and then trying to burn that fuel goal each day.

Oh what a fun week of treats!

Rules (and new Spring photos!)

I have heard many parents say that three is harder than two. Now that we are 4 months into age three, I completely agree. Not only does a three year old have the tantrums of a two year old, but they also have more reasoning skills. They can therefore wear you out physically and mentally. 

We spend a lot of time talking about rules and things like pay attention, look where you are going, focus, etc. I don't want to spend my days barking orders- I am sure that isn't fun for Abby. So, instead, I try and get down on her level and explain to her why she can't do certain things. I try to be consistent in my wording to make it stick with her.

In many ways it has stuck, because today in the car Abby sat and rattled off all the rules she is trying to remember. She told me:

• Only Mommys and Daddys say no, little girls says yes m'am. We don't say no to our friends
• Is blank a bad word? She is certain that she shouldn't say a bad word and is finding out which ones those are. She said her first bad word (D@mn it) a few weeks ago. Honestly we have no idea who taught it to her. Marcus slips on occasion, but that isn't a common word for him. 
• When our friends are hurt, we don't cry about ourselves. We ask them if they are okay.
• We don't love on Momma at the table. We eat at the table.
• We have to stay in our bed until the sun comes up.
• We listen to Momma and hold her hand when crossing the street so that we don't get run over.
• We don't show our panties.
• We only say poop when in the restroom. We can't say poop at the table.
• Daddy is my best buddy. Not Momma, she isn't my friend. She is my Mom. (I actually like this one because I've had to tell her I am not her friend and that I can say NO to her!)
• We have to eat all our dinner to get dessert.
• Boys are stinky.

She also is throwing our words back at us and we have to remind her that Mommy and Daddy have different rights than Abby. Reasoning with her limited thinking can be tough! I understand where the phrase "I am the Mom and I said so" comes from. I can't always give her a logical explanation!

With all of that being said, I know these years and the time in learning how the world works will make her an outstanding young lady and I am certain she is worth it!

Abby Lu's First Pedicure

I was in desperate need of a pedicure. My favorite inexpensive local place has new kid-sized pedicure chairs. My friend Johnna had just mentioned how inexpensive and exciting a pedicure was for her little girl. All together, I decided Abby would get her first real pedicure today. Can you tell how special she felt? I can not express how much I love this kid!

She sat really still for a 2.5 year old and let them trim, file and paint her 10 little piggies. They even added a cute flower on her big toes. All for $6!

She told me afterward, "this is the best time ever." I couldn't agree more!

My New Boss

I spent Tuesday with my new boss. I think she likes this new arrangement. She is seriously such a good and easy kid with us. It is a whole 'nother story at school right now. I don't know if she dislikes school, it is too chaotic, she is easy for us because we give in too much.... I can't figure it out. We get bad reports at school 4 of 5 days. It is things like didn't listen, wouldn't clean up, threw a fit, or didn't nap and woke up other kids. On top of that, she is having accidents and biting herself- they say for attention. I just don't know- I think it is stress.

After working out Tuesday morning, we had an early lunch at Taco Cabana. She wanted a cheese quesadilla for lunch. I was happy to go to TC- their brisket tacos are wonderful and relatively low in calories.

While she napped, I ran around like a crazy woman! I washed sheets, cleaned up, boiled chicken for dinner, and did some work. I can be really efficient when time is short!

After nap and a little TV time, we went to the new nearby pool we discovered. Veterans Memorial Park is amazing- I wish we had swam there earlier this summer!

They have the cutest little toddler slides and Abby can climb up the stairs to get on them by herself and then slide solo. The landing area is soft and less than knee deep. It was perfect for single-parent chaperoning. We loved it!

Tomorrow Abby is going to see my Mom and sister and her cousins. She has talked about it all week and I know she is going to be so excited!

Our Week

I was home with Abby on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Tuesday morning we watched Mickey Mouse in bed and the decided we wanted to swing in the backyard. Since it was before 9 AM, it was cool and nice to just be outdoors. Working full time, we haven't been able to be in the backyard in months due to the weather!

We worked on our puzzles while we ate breakfast. Abby has gotten really good about knowing her letters and placing them in the right slot. She can get about 40% of them without help. We learned on Tuesday that the letter M and the letter W look very similar. She likes to take her fish puzzle and mix up the colors- she calls them "silly fish".

I had a meeting for my real estate job and Abby was wonderful. She played with her iPhone for an hour and only bothered us once. I am grateful she behaved and I was able to have a real meeting without lots of distractions. After my meeting, we had lunch at Chick-fil-A. I have found that the chicken salad sandwich with fruit doesn't give me a headache.

We had also spent a good deal of time at home just playing! Abby loves her little kitchen from Christmas in 2009. On Tuesday afternoon, it served as a changing table for Foofa. She had an accident ;) Abby is still doing well with her big girl bed- she doesn't get out even though she is physically able to crawl up and down.

Thursday morning I took her to her first movie- Winnie the Pooh. She did amazing, likely due to the "small" bag of popcorn! She sat in her chair or my lap the entire 69 minute movie. We have talked about Pooh a lot over the past few days.

I am so grateful my career has led to this. I don't think I would have appreciated my time with Abby if I had started as a SAHM. I would have always wondered where my career would have gone or how she would have turned out with 5 years of daycare. I also know that had I gotten pregnant the first month or even first year, we wouldn't be where we are right now. I would not have the professional experience to be able to stay home or the financial ability to do it. I hope I can remember this time fondly, a time when the Lord knew best and provided beyond what I could have hoped or imagined.

Sunday Morning

My little girl is becoming a big girl in so many ways. We no longer sit in a highchair, we prefer a booster. We like to drink out of a regular cup and rarely spill. We don't wear a bib much at all. We know how to operate the iPad and have our own You Tube channel of favorites. We have memorized our first scripture (with a little prompting) and can tell you where it is in the Bible.

We have opinions about our clothes- no dress today Momma or a bow no pony please. We can play solo and make up games and songs to entertain our self. We sleep without a diaper, on a big pillow with a real blanket and wake up in that same position. We throw away our own trash and can put on our own shoes. We prefer the big girl potty to the little one.

With all that said, you can't blame me for secretly loving the fact that Sunday morning at church, Abby threw a fit like a little baby to stay with her Momma. She wanted me to play with her and rock her and didn't want to let me "go learn about Jesus".

I gave in for a few minutes and experienced the joy of holding my baby.

Mothers' Day

I'll be honest with ya'll, today didn't feel much different that any other day and I mean that as a huge compliment to my husband! We went to church, ate lunch at my favorite place (BBQ) where we do every Sunday, enjoyed our time being productive while Abby napped, spent time together post-nap, did a little shopping with my baby girl, and Marcus made us dinner. I did get to open sweet cards and presents this morning which was special!

Our church takes photos of families free on Mother's Day. It always seems so stressful to get out the door to church, but we are always so blessed for being there. It never fails that the Lord speaks straight to me on Sundays. I cry about a song, a message, a prayer or a family during service every Sunday. This week, I cried at the baby dedication and thinking about all the women hurting today. I remember skipping church on Mother's Day because "if children are a gift from God, why am I not worthy" and I hated the hesitation when the ushers were unsure if they should hand me a flower. I was so grateful our pastor acknowledged women in that position today. I have two friends in our church that have lost children- I know they celebrate with their children in their homes, but also mourn those they can't "mother" today.

I am so very grateful God selected Abby Lu to make me a Mother. She blesses me every day with her compassion, her sense of humor, and her love for me. I love that she is on loan to me!

Birthday Celebrations

We went to County Line on the Lake for dinner Sunday night to celebrate my 35th birthday! I am always 28 in my mind :) Abby was not happy to have someone else in the picture with her. Guess we need to start working on sharing the spotlight!

She sure doesn't mind it when she is flying!

This girl loves her "animals". These finger puppets go anywhere we will let her take them and she'll sit with her hands like this forever!

Dinner was good- I had brisket tacos- yummy! Afterward, we went down on the water for Abby to see the turtles. That green murky water scared me to death! We were holding onto Abby so tight!

Overall, we had a wonderful dinner and I'm just so very happy and grateful to be healthy, have a loving family, and the ability to enjoy time with each other!

On Tuesday, my actual birthday, Marcus let me sleep in and he had Abby wake me up with presents (a new Brighton charm of a birthday cake!) He even bought her a little something! We had lunch together and he showed up with these beautiful tulips. I really should keep fresh flowers on my desk all the time- they just make me happy! We celebrated with dinner at home and ice cream cake!

Our upcoming trip to Savannah is my real birthday present! I can't wait! We have some fun stuff planned- spa appointments, dolphin tour, church service in a historic church, Sunday lunch with Paula Deen, a private carriage ride through the historic district, and more!

Girls Night Out

Marcus had a work function on Friday night, so Abby and I made our own fun! I gave her the option of Chick-fil-a or Fuddrucker's for dinner. Those waffle fries will tell you what she picked! We had so much fun sitting at the table eating our dinner together. She ate chicken, fries, and the lettuce, cheese and croutons from my salad. She looked like such a big girl since I didn't have a diaper bag with me. She had no bib or sippy cup- so grown up!

After dinner we went to the pet store. I've wanted to take her in there for a long time- she loved seeing the mice, ferrets, fish, and birdies.

We then went next door to the Kid-to-Kid resale shop and I ended up buying her 2 headbands with bows. They help keep her hair out of her face and look so cute with her little bob haircut. I picked out pink for her and then asked her to pick orange or green. She was insistent on us buying baby blue. I am certain it is her favorite color.

We then ran to Barnes and Noble and let her read a few books and play with the trains. She loves getting on the story time stage and seeing everyone. We were home by 8 PM, just in time for Daddy to get home and put her to bed.

I am sad so much of the baby stages are behind us, but I love seeing her become more independent and thinking of the fun we can have!