Happy 3rd Birthday Aubrey Ann!!



Newborn

1 Year Old

2 Years Old



3 Years Old

Happy 3rd birthday to my youngest daughter!  The only of the four to have needed stitches, get strep, touch the stove and burn your finger, etc. I could go on and on with a list of things your older siblings didn't do, but you have :). Some other sweet and not so sweet facts about Aubrey: she has the sweetest singing voice and tries her hardest to sing along in church. That sweet voice has also been known to talk back to me. (The older kids never did that at her age!) She knows some of her colors: yellow, green, pink, and Elmo. She loves to play board games. She is by far my pickiest eater although I have noticed her eating a few more things recently. Aubrey has a wide vocabulary, but the amazing part to me is that she'll use these words correctly in sentences. You can explain things to her and she actually understands. She follows directions well and she gets very upset when other kids are not doing the same. She's been able to ride a scooter for a while and insists on riding it to the pool when the big kids are riding their bikes. She makes it about a quarter of the way and then I end up carrying both her and the scooter. She is cuddler. She stills calls Daphne - Nonnie, Kaylee- KK, and Noah -NoNo. Aubrey went through a phase where we had to watch the movie Bolt at least once every day,  She even has a stuffed dog Bolt that she sleeps with. Some of her other favorite things right now are: The Wonder Pets, Dora the Explorer, SuperCat (another stuffed animal), Blanket Frog, Legos, light sabers, her kitchen, and her babies. She also loves to read and color. 

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a49334f4467344f44493d0d0a&blogview=trueAubrey's Smilebox Slideshow


Aubrey - you have been such a blessing in our life. Your birth was stressful, but you were a fighter. Daddy and I look forward to many more happy years watching you grow up. We love you!

Show me...Paint the living room

A few weeks ago I embarked on a mission to paint my living room/ dining room. Before it looked like this:

All white walls. Pretty much an empty canvas. Since the day we signed the contract on our house I knew that these walls would not stay white for long. However, I didn't realize how much I would struggle with trying to find a paint color. After many, many trips to the Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot, and Sherwin Williams, some of the walls looked like this:

Jokes were made that if I put enough samples on the walls that they would eventually form a patchwork of paint and I wouldn't have to worry about picking just one color. I really wanted something that wasn't considered a neutral. But this a large area and every sample I slapped on the wall I just couldn't picture being on the entire space. Then a lightbulb went off in my head that said "Chair rail!!". With installing a chair rail I wouldn't have to pick just one color and I could easily change out the bottom color in the future for very little time and money. In the end I chose a light neural for the top 2/3 of the wall and a darker neutral for the bottom third. I know. Boring, right? However, 16 hours of trimming and rolling later I was very happy with colors I'd picked.

Top Color - Vintage Tan, Bottom Color - Wicker Picnic Basket - both from Walmart

The Living Room

Some new artwork I got at Kirklands

The Dining Room

I even found time to paint and bedazzle this old mirror.

I'm hoping to tackle the kitchen soon!



P.S. - to you who were confused by the title of this post, I was referring to The Karate Kid (the original one). You know how Mr. Miyagi would tell Danielson to show him "Wash the cars", "Sand the deck", "Paint the house". Oh, never mind. It sounded funny in my head :)

Spring Break 2012

Our Spring Break was last week so my parents came down to see the kids.  I think that they wanted to see Micah and me, too, but mostly their grandkids!  We had a busy week that included going to the outlet mall in San Marcos, installing ceiling fans and chandeliers, having a fun day at Fiesta Texas, going bowling, and celebrating Noah's 6th birthday.  Hope you enjoy the pics!
Noah's Birthday Party

This free slideshow design made with Smilebox Fiesta Texas

Kaylee and Grandpa with Daffy Duck

Don't let this happy face fool you.  Once the ride started she cried the whole time :(

Of course, it was a roller coaster that went upside down and backwards.

Noah and Superman

Noah and Aubrey got soaked and were freezing the rest of the time we were there. 

 Next time I'll be sure to bring a change of clothes

Noah and me riding the airplanes

Kaylee, Daphne, and Noah made some new friends

Other pictures from last week:





Aubrey got a boo-boo that required three staples.  We're now calling her Aubreystein

 Aubrey riding her horse named Noah

The platform my dad built to make the 14ft ladder taller so that he and Micah could replace the chandelier.

 

The Nose Knows

Isn't it weird how you'll get a wiff of something and out of nowhere a memory pops into your head?  It's amazing how often this happens and many times the memory is something that I haven't thought about in years.  And, I don't think that I've ever had a bad memory pop up.  They're always good ones that bring a smile to face.

For example, I was in the Target snack bar a few weeks ago and there was something is the air that instantly reminded of my parents' lakehouse.  But it wasn't food.  It's some kind of air freshener that my mom keeps plugged in down there.  I'm not sure why that particular odor was in the snack bar area, but I'm glad it was because it made me smile.

I bought a new Glade air freshener called Magic Meadow.  When I sprayed it the store, my mind was flooded with memories from my senior year job at the Flower Cart in Benton. It was a flower shop, although they rarely let me touch any of the arrangements.  My job was to drive the van and make deliveries.  I loved that job because I got to drive all over and because I loved the smell of the shop. (On a side note:  I also on occassion had to pin flowers on dead people at the funeral home.  How many of you can put that on your resume?)

Another memory that pops into my head from time to time is band camp at Henderson.  I have no idea what the smell is that triggers these memories, but all of a sudden they're there.  Pictures of me with friends whose names I can remember and faces that have no names.  Us playing pool, watching movies, or just hanging out in the student center.  I always looked forward to Band Camp.  I week away from your parents on a college campus with a bunch of other middle school and junior high kids.  What more could you ask for?

Noah put on a shirt the other day that been packed away and said, "I like this shirt because it smells like David." (his cousin)  I said, "I'm sure that is smells like Michael (David's younger brother), too since he was probably the last one to wear it."  But, Noah replied,"No.  It just smells like David."

The other strange thing about the nose is how it can become desensitzed to smells.  This is very frustrating for me because I'll light a new candle or start using new detergent because I like the way it smells and all of a sudden the smell is gone!  Other people say that they can smell it in my house, but I can't.  This happened when I switched to Gain detergent.  My Aunt Marcy uses it and I loved going into her laundry room, but of course now that I use it, I can't smell in on my clothes nor do I smell it when I go to her house!  Very, very frustrating.


I'm know that there's a big scientific explanation as to how this all works, but I explain is it as one of those cool things that our body can do.

Where the Wild Things Are

Yesterday the kids were out of school and Micah was off from work so we decided to visit the zoo.  It's a nice one, but the best part is that a family membership for 2 adults and up to 8 kids is only $70 a year.  What a great deal! And no, we are not planning on having 8 kids. 



We saw a lot of wild looking creatures.  And we saw some animals, too.  It's always amazing to me what people think is appropriate attire for public viewing. 

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

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Restaurant Review: The Magic Time Machine Restaurant

The Magic Time Machine Restaurant  (http://www.magictimemachine.com/)

Sounds like a trippin' kind of place doesn't it?  Well, that's where I picked to go last night for my birthday.  It was interesting to say the least. 

The Magic Time Machine Restaurant has an eclectic decor which includes a salad CAR and pretty much anything else they found in someone's attic, or at Goodwill, or laying on the side of the road.

The servers are all dressed up in different costumes.  While we were there, we saw Zorro, Thor, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Daphne, Velma, Captain Jack Sparrow, Ariel, Tinkerbell, and some others that we couldn't quite identify.  Our server was Pinnochio but on other nights he might be Maverick (from Top Gun) or The Riddler from Batman. 

I asked if he got to pick what character he wanted to be and he said yes and that it worked out great because he already had the Pinnochio and Riddler ones. Now many of you know that I have quite a few dress up items that I have collected over the years, but I have yet to add either of his outfits to my collection. I just found it a little strange that he just happen to have them hanging in his closet. 

When I got my birthday cookie, I was serenaded by Pinnochio, the Joker, and Thor.  Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

 Aubrey is looking at them like they're crazy!

Over all it was fun, but pretty weird at the same time.  Many of the girls costumes were too low cut and too short.  It was like seeing Cinderella working the street corner.  The Joker was walking around telling cheesy jokes like:  "What made the tomato blush?  It saw the salad dressing." Ha.Ha.Ha. Actually, I did laugh out loud at that one, but many of his other jokes were a little inappropriate in our opinion.

This is a place that I'm glad we checked out, but I don't think we'll be going back right away.  The food wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything special.  It was also a little pricey because you're paying for the atmosphere. 

P.S. - If you do decide to visit this restaurant, do NOT ask where the bathroom is!!  Your server will take you by the hand and lead you to the bathroom all while announcing to the entire restaurant that you have to go potty.  "There's something a matter with his bladder!"

It's a Small World After All

One reason that I gave this post that title was so that you would have the song in your head the rest of the day :).

But the main reason is that it truly is a small world after all.  I can't tell you how many times my family and I have been on vacation and ran into people we knew from Arkansas.  This even happened when I was at an airport in Europe (I don't remember which city it was but probably London or Bern).  We were waiting for our plane to begin boarding and all of a sudden we hear our names being called out from across the terminal.  Sure enough, it was some good friends of ours from Benton who were also touring Europe. What are the odds?

And, of course, we always run into people that we have connections with at different churches across the country.  They either know us personally or somehow know a friend or family member of ours.  My parents recently visited a large church in Jonesboro and as they sat down in their pew, my dad commented that they should probably know someone there.  When the lady sitting next to him introduced herself they both realized that they were distantly related (cousins, I think).  What are the odds?

The same thing is true for San Antonio.  I can't tell you how many people we've met from Arkansas.  There are at least two people from Micah's work that are from there.  One is from Cabot and the other one graduated from Sylvan Hills and lived in Bryant for a while.  The man who unpacked and installed our washer and dryer was born in Searcy and still has family there and in North Little Rock.  And to top it off, there is a man a few houses down from us who was born in Mountain Home, but grew up in North Little Rock and his daughter is in Kaylee's class at school.  His dog's name is Woo Pig and he snorts like a hog.  What are the odds?

We've only been here a few weeks and we've already met many people from the Homeland.  My hopes are high and the odds seem good that we will continue to meet many more of our kind in the near future.  :)

Update:  1/29 - We visited a church yesterday and the couple sitting in front of us told us that they went to Harding.  After talking to them for a while, the woman realized that she was Micah's Sunday school teacher at the Letona church of Christ when he was little.  She attended church there while going to college.  Pretty cool, eh?

Happy Birthday Kaylee! (aka: KK, Kaylee-bug, Gee Gee Wa Wa)

Kaylee turned 8 last Friday!  She wanted baked potatoes for supper and a Squinkie birthday cake.  So, that's what she got:

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There's No Place Like Wal-mart

It seems like no matter where I am, if I'm in a Walmart, it feels like I'm home. Target gives me a similar feeling, but Walmart has always been a part of my life. When Micah and I were looking at houses I would always say,"Well, yes the granite countertops are beautiful and yes, the solid gold floors look nice, BUT how close is it to a Walmart?" Luckily, both of
those stores are within 5 minutes from our new house. Once I'm inside a Walmart I tend to forget exactly what city and state I'm in. When the new 24 hour super center opened in Benton when I was in high school, my best friend and I had planned on spending the whole night. Walmart employees did not quite agree with this plan. In fact, from some of my behavior inside Walmart when I was younger I'm surprised that I haven't been banned for life from them. They don't like it when you play football or ride their bikes around the store. They also don't like you to set up chairs and eat popcorn while watching a movie in the electronics section.

I know that many of my friends share my affection for Walmart. It's a place that you always seem to end up whether it's a girls night out or a date night with your husband. I know. That sounds pretty pathetic. Maybe it comes from growing up in small Arkansas towns where there's not much else to do. Or maybe it stems from growing up church of Christ where there's not much else you can do. Either way. Walmart will always have a place in my heart.

Our New House

So far, we are loving San Antonio! I love our house and the area of town that it's in. It's located close to restaurants, shops, the zoo, and other attractions. The kids really like their new school. We're close enough that they can easily walk there. I've been letting them walk home some in the afternoons (with me following close behind them in the van!)

Almost everything is unpacked. I only have 2 boxes left and they are things that stay in the garage which for the moment is the home to the 500 empty boxes that I've already unpacked. However, we have  yet to find our silverware.  I guess it's a good thing that my aunt gave me a new set for Christmas.  I have most of the curtains up and some pictures and artwork are in progress. We had a lot of help right after we got here. Both my parents and Micah's parents helped us unpack. I really appreciate everyone's help!!!

We are still looking for a new church home. We've visited two so far and have liked both of them. We're hoping to go to a few more before placing membership.

That's about it for now. Thank you to everyone who has checked in on us! Hope you enjoy the pictures of our new house:

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Washington D.C.

While we were in Virgina over Christmas break, Daphne, Kaylee, Noah, my parents, and I took the metro into D.C. to see some of the sights. We got to take a tour of the Capital, visited the Air and Space Museum and got to see the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. I wished that we had had more time because there's so much to do there.  I was hoping to be able to take the kids to the Natural History museum.

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Saying Goodbye...

Thank you so much to all our friends and family in Arkansas for giving us some wonderful going away parties. We love you all and you will all be greatly missed!

Christmas Pics

As many of you know, Christmas was a little bit hectic at our house this year so I wasn't able to get many pictures, but I'll share what I have. I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year!

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New Blog!!

My old blog stopped allowing me to publish so I decided to create a new one!! Stay tune for some pics from Christmas and an update on our new house!