Garden Update

Here's our garden, as of today.

Special thanks to Nathan, who spent half a day breaking half a ton of rock to make that border!

Our watermelon, zucchini, and yellow squash.

Blackberry vine.

Herbs, herbs, herbs, and happy feet.

That mint is ridiculously happy where I put it.

I thought this variegated basil was interesting.

All of my tomato seedlings, along with my cucumbers.

Yogurt containers are my friends. :)

These are our first yellow pears!

These will be our first red cherries.

Happy summer days ahead!

Happiness Is . . . .

Bringing your binoculars to the zoo.

A butterfly shirt and a pretty headband.

:)

Tickets!

Hey guys,

For tickets to see Sarah at Warehouse Live on May 10, go here:
http://bit.ly/w20120510

Bring friends!!

Thoughts

• I totally just made brownies for myself only. Oh, yes, I did.
• Heard at our house tonight: "No, Noah, your feet do NOT smell like jelly beans!"
• Jane's baby doll, which she loves and has insisted on calling "Baby" for months, now has the name "Pink Rosie." I love Baby's new name. I hope it sticks.
• Despite the fact that I am bookish, I am really not all that good at Scrabble. Nathan and my brother regularly beat me by 100+ points in Words With Friends. I think the real question here is why I keep playing.
• Here's a thought: I had some deep thoughts today. But I don't think those thoughts are going to make it on the blog tonight. I don't feel like being deep. I'd rather laugh about Noah's idea that his toes might smell like jelly beans.

The End.

Sarah's Album!

Hey friends!

I have some fun news: One of my best friends, Sarah Fuselier, has made an album, and she's releasing it on May 10. Many of you know Sarah as a fantastic singer--if you've known me a long time, you may have heard us sing together in high school or college. Or you might have heard her at my wedding, or maybe singing jazz in Montrose, or at various gigs around Houston, or when she briefly went on tour with Caedmon's Call a while back, or perhaps you attended the large church where she helped lead worship for nine years. You might even have one of her other CD's of worship music. But you haven't heard this!

Sarah has made an album with almost all original songs on it--she wrote or co-wrote all but two songs--and it's different from what she's recorded before. The theme is love, for one thing, whereas most of her other albums have been worship collaborations. And this album, entitled BLUSH, is really very "her." The songs are, at various times, touching, sweet, heartfelt, soulful, and light & easy. One of the things that, in my opinion, sets Sarah apart (other than her voice) is her ability to emote and evoke all manner of feelings and colors at just the right moment in just the right way. She can make you feel happiness, strength, the sweetness of hope, or even the pleasure and embarrassment of your first blush. To me, that is a mark of an accomplished, talented, and intuitive musician.

If you are in Houston, put May 10 on your calendar. That's the date of her album release concert, which will be held at Warehouse Live (doors open at 7:00). We want to pack the place out, so come, and bring friends! More info will be forthcoming at sarahfuselier.com. Tickets available here.

No Coke?!

This is what I wish I could say in restaurants that serve Pepsi products.

In My Garden Today

What I'm growing right now:

• Watermelons (variety: crimson sweet)
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Yellow Peppers
• Cayenne Peppers
• Blackberries (the vine doesn't produce fruit, though, for two years)
• Cucumbers (bush variety that doesn't get too big)
• Tomatoes--LOTS! All my seeds sprouted except for one variety, which means I've got nine--count 'em, nine--types of tomato seedlings right now. If none of them die off, I'll have: Snowberries (white), Yellow Pears, Dad's Sunsets (orange), Husky Cherry Reds (the only one of this list that I grew last year, and they were great), German Red Strawberries, Black Cherries, Chocolate Cherries, Brandywines (pink), and Orange and Green Zebra Tomatoes. All are heirlooms except the Husky Cherry Reds. Most are cherry sized, the Dad's Sunsets are a moderate size, and the Brandywines are supposed to get enormous.
• Herbs: rosemary, basil, French thyme, English Thyme, sage, mint, chives, and Greek oregano.

Now, my plot may or may not work well. It's not terribly sunny, for one thing, although it's in our sunniest spot. Also, although we worked with the soil a bit, tilling it up and mixing in some compost, it is now apparent to me that it does not drain well and has too much clay. So next year, or maybe this fall, I'll improve the soil, but since I've already planted, it's sort of a done deal for this year. We'll just have to see how my plants fare in it.

Some Silliness for Today

Rodeo!

Nathan and I took Noah to the rodeo for the first time this year. He loved it!

There were lots of animals, particularly cows, at the Livestock Show.
These are some Texas longhorns. Iconically Texan.

Noah enjoyed both the actual rodeo, with all the roping, bull riding, etc., and also the livestock show and just walking around the grounds. One of his favorite things was eating kettle corn (it's the simple things, right?). He would grab as much as his two hands could carry, put it up to his mouth, and gnaw away at it. He had so much fun doing that.

Looking out at the carnival grounds from one of the upper levels at Reliant Stadium.

Noah, enjoying the riding and roping.

We couldn't leave without doing some rides. He was a little terrified of the first one, but he LOVED the pirate ship ride, which was very tame. These two pictures are my favorites, just because of the look of pure glee on his face.


We were glad to be able to do something special with just Noah!

Bad Maternity Fashions

So I got on Etsy this evening to browse around, and I typed "maternity" in the search box, just to see what popped up. I didn't really expect to see very much handmade maternity stuff, so I didn't have high expectations. And Oh. My. Gosh. It would be fair, indeed, to say that I saw a lot of things I did not expect.

Honestly, I had no idea there'd be so many items on there that I'd never buy in a million years. Check these out.

What? I'm confused.

Does anyone else think this looks like a strait jacket?

Take that poor baby out of there! It creeps me out!

No. Just no.

Truly, everyone wants their giant belly to look like a cone.

Evidently, there's a trend out there for "maternity sashes."
I think they're really mainly meant for photography props. But still.
Here's an example of a crocheted one.

And there are lots of floral ones.
But, really, after all of those other things, this really takes the cake.

Y'all, I solemnly swear that since I am neither a ballerina nor a child, I will never wear an adult tutu. Unless perhaps one day Jane has a ballet birthday party, in which case I might be persuaded. But for a serious picture, no. And I will certainly not pay $75 for it.

The Big News

I'm sure that the very astute among you did not fail to notice the "Big Sister" shirt Jane was wearing in that last post. So allow me to tell you all that, yes, we are expecting Baby #3!

I'm 13 weeks along and due in September. So far, everything is going well! The biggest pregnancy snag so far is that Noah and Jane were winter babies born in Boston, so all of my maternity clothes are winter clothes, and it's already regularly in the 70's here. I've got to go out and get some dresses, skirts, and shorts now!

Also, because my two kids were big babies and stretched me out very thoroughly, I was showing unmistakeably at about 7 weeks. I couldn't even fit in my regular jeans anymore at that point (!). So I look much further along than I am, and people have been asking me if it's a boy or a girl since I was about 6 weeks along--no joke.

Anyway, we are very happy to be having another kiddo, and I am feeling very well, especially since I've been getting some energy back over the last week or so. I'll post a picture of myself whenever I get the chance.

:)

Happy Second Birthday, Janey Beth!

Little Miss Jane turned TWO on March 3!

We had a little family party at my parents' house a couple of days before her birthday.

Having some pink flower cake (her request) with Daddy.

Intent on opening her presents.

Loving on her new zebra.

Everything was put on hold while Jane unloaded the box full of princess stuff and put it all on. Let's not overlook the completeness of the outfit: tiara, necklace, shoes, purse, scepter, and, of course, earrings.

Loving on her new doggie and reading the book that came with him . . . in earrings.

Her big gift from Mommy and Daddy was a bike. I didn't get a single clear picture of her on her bike--who could be still when they're having so much fun? And did you notice that she is holding a bunch of her new toys? She took them all on her ride.

On her actual birthday, she got to open a bunch more presents! Look at that happy girl.

For her birthday, we went to the park and had cupcakes with some friends.
Jane and her friend, Elizabeth.
Who wouldn't wear a princess dress to the park on her birthday, I ask you?

Jane Elisabeth is a sweetheart and a joy. She is as girly as they come, loving dresses, jewelry, hair bows, purses, pink, coloring and crafts, stuffed animals, dolls, and so on. However, don't let her femininity fool you into thinking she is a softie. Oh no. That girl has some fire in her. Her favorite new toy may be her pretend lipstick, but she's a spunky little thing who can do a monster growl that's every bit as good as her brother's.

Speaking of "Nonah," he is very beloved by his sister, and I actually don't think either of them could fathom sleeping in their own rooms any more. And although Noah is not at all small for his age, Jane out-eats him at every meal.

We love that Janey Beth!

The Great School Conundrum of 2012

So the biggest conundrum for this mama lately has been what to do with Noah for Pre-K. Here are the options we've narrowed it down to:

1. Pricey private school that we could really only afford for one year (the tuition doubles in Kindergarten). It's Monday through Friday, 8am-12pm.
-Upsides: It's a good program that I think he'd thrive in, and this is where he goes to Mother's Day Out, so it wouldn't be a hard transition for him in that respect.
-Downsides: The scheduling is a bear, as I'd be juggling Jane's Mother's Day Out schedule with Noah's school schedule, and they wouldn't jive well at all. Also, it's a full five days per week, and I'm not sure we're ready for that. Of course, it would only be in the mornings.

2. Less expensive Classical school/Homeschool combo. All day on Mondays and Wednesdays, with one or two hours of homeschooling work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays are either free or sometimes involve an optional enrichment activity.
-Upsides: I loved what they had to say about classical education, and I'd love for my kids to have that. I also really love what they have to say about their values as well as their emphasis on not just educating kids but also cultivating in them a taste for good literature, good art, etc., by exposing it to them early. I also think it's a good number of days per week for Noah at this age.
-Downsides: I'm not really the homeschooling type. It intimidates me, and it is not my gifting. Plus, we have some things going on this fall that make me unsure that I can handle it at all. In any case, their Pre-K is full at this point, and we'd be wait-listed. Also, it would, again, not jive well with Jane's Mother's Day Out days/hours.

3. Continue what we're doing this year (a bit of homeschooling + Mother's Day Out twice a week) and just ignoring Pre-K altogether.
Upsides: Majorly more simple than the other options in terms of scheduling. Not to mention cheaper. I'd get more quality time with Noah during his last year at home as well as more quality hours without the kids (because their MDO hours would coincide). More time to do some extra-curriculars (speech therapy for Noah and perhaps gymnastics for both).
Downsides: Noah wouldn't get the leg up on his education or the enrichment that he'd get in actual school. I'm afraid he'll be bored at home without enough to properly stimulate him.

In case you're wondering, we have decided against public school for Pre-K because it is all day for five days a week, and I just think that's too much for my for my four year old. We'll definitely consider public school for Kindergarten, though, since we are zoned to a really good school.

As for whether or not missing Pre-K altogether would really inhibit him in Kindergarten: well, the jury is out on that, although I think I know my son well enough to know he'd do fine. I spoke with two Kindergarten teachers, and they were split. One thought you should let them play as long as they can, and the other thought that some kids really have a bit of a hard time transitioning without that previous year of school. When I prodded her for details, she cited things like having a hard time adjusting socially or to the schedule, and also having to catch up academically. Well, my Noah Thomas is a pretty social kid, and he's also pretty smart, and I really think he'd adjust well in the end. Plus, let me not neglect to add to the discussion that Nathan is of the opinion that Pre-K is completely unimportant and unnecessary--he didn't go to Pre-K, after all, and he did alright for himself!--and we have more or less come to the decision to keep him home one more year. However, I do keep feeling myself drawn towards real school for Noah, just because I do know he would thrive there, and I don't want to short him.

So we are still deciding, and I still feel quite torn!

And that's that. I know, dear reader, that you were probably not interested in that at all unless you are in the same position. Anyone out there making a similar decision this year?