One Fabulous Monday

Mondays aren't often great, but this one was.  One great thing was that I was feeling good.  No shortness of breath, and I actually had some energy.  Mostly I just felt really in the zone of the stay-at-home mom.  I was doing laundry, I was tending to the kids' every need, and I was doing it all with a smile.  A day like this stands out because it just doesn't happen very often.


The best part of the day came when we went outside.  Wow! What a gorgeous, PERFECT weather day! The birds were singing, the sun was bright and warm on our faces, the breeze cool and gentle, butterflies everywhere, the boys in good moods, no crying, no whining, just perfect bliss.  We cruised on their bikes across to the shopping center where Benjamin got his haircut.  Good old Colleen, she has cut his hair since he was a baby, and the boys love going there because of the tiny lollipops that they get when they are done. Next, we walked hand-in-hand to the playground, where the boys had an especially fun time running, smiling, laughing.  It was followed up by a peaceful, relaxing lunch at Doc's.  The boys sat and entertained themselves, waiting patiently for their lunches.  The food was actually not too bad.  


I thank the Lord for days like this that remind me why I am choosing to stay home and raise my children.  So often I question myself, and wonder if I will be bored staying home or just not be good enough for my kids.  I think these days are God's way of reminding me that this is my purpose, and that it is a good and meaningful purpose that will bring me joy and enrich the lives of my children.  So I don't expect to have this kind of day tomorrow, or maybe not even in the next few weeks, but I know a day like this is around the corner.  This is what keeps me going.

Evan Says "I Love You"

I remember when Benjamin first said "I love you" spontaneously, without simply repeating what we were saying.  It was an important milestone.  Something about his expressing his feelings toward us just melted my heart.  Just this past week Evan has been saying that he loves us, and the effect is equally as powerful.  I think it marks the beginnings of his developing a deeper relationship with us, like the one we now have with Benjamin.  With that in mind, I am so excited and looking forward to getting to know Evan in a new way, and knowing him as he develops for years to come.  This could be the very best part of being a parent.

Phoenix 2012

Lance and I went on our last "babymoon" this past weekend.  With Benjamin we went to Cancun, but for some reason we did not go anywhere when I was pregnant with Evan.  The consensus was that a babymoon is definitely the thing to do, and that Phoenix was the perfect choice for ours.  I used to live in Phoenix and have been meaning to return for about 15 years.  It was really great to see all of the old sights that I remembered, and to share it all with Lance.  What made the trip even more wonderful was that we visited Carly, Phil, Juliana, and Graham.  We got to see their new house and to get a glimpse of their lives in the Scottsdale area.


We stayed at the beautiful Montelucia resort, which is situated right at the base of Camelback Mountain.  The weather was really more like California, since Phoenix was in the middle of a cold front which had brought the temperature down by 20 degrees.  At some points we even felt cold and sought refuge by a large fire that was constantly lit near the main entrance to the resort.  Thankfully, the pool was heated to a very comfortable luke warm, and I was able to indulge my inner fish.  On Friday we sat by the pool under a cabana for most of the day.  Lance sipped various alcoholic beverages while I indulged in a virgin Pina Colada.  That night we went out to an amazing dinner at the nearby resort, Royal Palms.  We really outdid ourselves, as Lance ordered steak with a "side" of lobster, and I ordered feta-stuffed lamb and lobster bisque.  Yum!  The food was great throughout the trip, but we did notice that every meal was twice as big as it needed to be.  By the last meal that we had on Sunday, we had learned to share a dish.


Other highlights of our trip included a trip to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, a quick tour of the Desert Botanical Gardens, and a drive up to the beautiful Tonto National Forest.  I remember how amazing I always thought the desert landscape was, and how incredible it is to see how the landscape changes on the drive from the desert to the pine forest in the mountains, just an hour away.  It really is surprising how beautiful cacti can be and just how many varieties there are.  In fact, one of my favorite aspects of the trip was seeing the different plant life that thrives in the Phoenix area.  The landscaping around Scottsdale was incredible, and featured many plants that we have here in Austin but also some tropical plants like the bougainvillea.  I really am a plant nerd!


Finally, the best part of our trip was visiting our great friends.  Their little girl Juliana has gotten so big and can even change her own diaper!  We met Graham for the first time.  What a happy and cute little boy!  Even though we miss them living here in our neighborhood, it was great to see that they were so happy in their new home and that they had so much help with the kids from family all around them.  We had great conversation following a Christian movie on Saturday, and it was a blessing that the conversation turned toward our faith.  We all agreed that we should be life-long friends and plan to see each other regularly throughout the years.


We missed our boys dearly, but it was truly therapeutic to get away for a few days.  Whenever I started to feel guilty, I remembered that everyone benefitted from our trip.  The grandparents adore having the boys spend the night, the kids are spoiled rotten, and Lance and I are re-energized and renewed by a relaxing weekend away.  It is my dream, and I think a reasonable goal, that we do this once or twice a year without feeling guilty!

Pregnancy Calm

I have actually been much more calm during this pregnancy than I normally am.  I know they always talk about pregnancy hormones and the emotional roller coaster that pregnant women, and their spouses and loved ones, experience.  That has not really happened for me during any of my pregnancies, but I feel especially emotionally calm this time around.  It would be easy to be much more irritable with the physical demands of having two small boys and being pregnant.  However, by the grace of God, I find myself snapping less and being more patient than before I was pregnant with Sawyer.  I consider this a major blessing and I know Lance does too.  I hope that this inner peace can somehow carry over after Sawyer's birth.  I KNOW that I will need it, and that it will be much better for my family.  I also know that hormones are very mysterious and unstable things.  I am almost sure that I will go through a tough time after the birth, but I know that I will get through it.  Otherwise, how could I ever have wanted to do this again!

Easter 2012

This was another great Easter with the kids.  Benjamin had really been looking forward to it, and was counting down the days.  I know he loves the candy, but he also has been hooked on the element of hiding and finding.  He has always loved hide-and-seek, and after the last two Easters, he engaged us all in daily games of hiding and finding the plastic eggs.  This year we have really been trying to talk to Benjamin about the meaning of Easter beyond the fun and sweets.   Although he likely does not grasp the concepts (and many of us adults have difficulty with it), he can talk about Jesus dying on the cross for us.  I pray that he will learn to love and follow the Lord!


Another enjoyable aspect of this holiday was spending time with both sides of the family.  It used to be so stressful to split up the time and coordinate when we will do what.  This time it was not bad at all, especially since we just did exactly what we did last year.  The grandparents gave the boys some great gifts and gorgeous new clothes, but the best part was seeing how much they enjoyed watching the boys have fun.  We kept thinking how much more fun, and more entertaining it will be when there are three.

Cousin Megan

We were fortunate to have a visit from cousin Megan this past week.  She has not been to Texas since our wedding in 2006, and the last time we saw her was in December of 2010.  Although the boys do not know her too well and haven't seen her in so long, they warmed up to her pretty quickly.  I think they share the same basic silliness that seems to run in the Vaughn family.  They seemed to relate by making strange noises and funny faces.  Megan focused most of her time here on shopping, since they do not have the amazing malls in Hawaii that we have here.  She drug Granmom all over Austin to obtain the needed items on her shopping list.  I'm sure Granmom had fun, but she definitely looked worn out, and I did notice that she ordered more alcohol at dinner than is typical.  

My favorite memory of Megan's visit was the night that we had her over to our house for dinner.  We ate outside under the pergola and Lance cooked steak, one of Megan's favorite meals.  The meal was followed by a delicious dessert of "Dirt Pudding" with gummy worms.  I don't think I have had that much sugar all at once in a very long time.  Sadly, it was time to say goodbye to Megan as she left our house that night.  I couldn't help but wonder when we would see her again.  Now that we are having another baby we are not likely to make the trip to Hawaii within the next few years.  Also, I doubt she will move here since she is majoring in Marine Biology....Alas, we will have to keep in touch via Facebook and updates from Uncle Link.  We love you Megan, and hope only the best in your future!