Port Aransas 2012

Every year I get that itch to go to Port A, and I don't think that will ever change.  My family has been making the yearly trek for at least 25 years, and I believe we have stayed in the same condo high rise for that long.  This has always been the beach to me since it is what I grew up with.  However, lately I've been informed that its really not a good beach at all, and some would say that it stinks.  That hurts my feelings.  I realize there are much more beautiful beaches where the sand glistens and the clear waters sparkle.  I have been to Hawaii!  This place has a special spot in my soul, and like a worn-out Teddy Bear I will never throw it away.  As I described to Lance this trip, I think I like its "rawness".  There is no pretense, it is what it is and it does not apologize.  It is a place to be close to nature and to witness the ever-changing ecology over the years and through the seasons.  Sure there is seaweed, sure I've been stung by a Sting Ray, no doubt the water can be a muddy brown a times, but it will always be the beach to me.

This year did not start out on a positive note, since it appeared that Benjamin and Evan were not 100%.  Evan had a yucky cough and B could not stop sniffling.  Things quickly improved as we arrived at Black's BBQ in Lockhart.  We have been stopping there on the way to the coast since we've lived in Austin, so it is part of the Port A tradition.  In the last couple of years we have tried Kreutz and Smitty's, which have both received very high praise from foodies.  However, after going back to Black's, we realized that it is truly our favorite.  Yum!

I'm not going to lie and pretend that the beach was beautiful or pristine this time around.  In fact, this might have been the worst I have ever seen it.  Seaweed was everywhere, just piled up near the water and the little creatures that ride on it beginning to rot.  Take a deep breath and breathe in the fresh ocean air, mmmmm.  The water was so full of the weed that it became foreboding, and after bringing up the courage to venture out several feet I saw creatures that greatly resembled stingrays.  My father later told me that they were harmless "Cow Nose Rays", but I was not willing to find out.  Of course, who could not forget the perils of the great mosquito infestation that often occurs after heavy rains, such as those that South Texas has recently seen.  We were grateful that the swarms waited to arrive until the day we left.  After all its no fun running to the car covered with mosquito repellant every time you want to go somewhere!

Complaining aside, there were some positives associated with this trip.  Lately I have been proud of the way that I can seek to see the silver lining in things.  Although the seaweed was off-putting to us, it provided a weekend's worth of non-stop entertainment for Benjamin.  You see, there are tons of tiny creatures that ride in that seaweed from the Sargasso sea in the Atlantic, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  When you grab a fresh clump from the water and shake it vigorously, you will see tiny shrimp and crabs falling out and jumping about in the sand.  Benjamin became devoted to collecting these items in a bucket.  He did not stop until the morning we left.  He also learned about a creature called a "Nudibranch" and was calling it by name by the second day.  I have my dad to thank for this biology lesson.  Besides the interest of the sea creatures for Benjamin, we all enjoyed great food and ice cream.  The best part of the trip was just being together and seing my parents enjoy their grandchildren.  I think I'll be ready to go back with Sawyer in October.  I just need to be sure to wear some heavy duty water shoes to protect against the sting rays ;).

Mother's Day 2012

This Mother's Day I really felt like a mother.  Being eight months pregnant and having two young children, I have been acutely aware of my motherhood and I'm sure others have too.  Waddling around and experiencing the physical demands of carrying a child on the inside, and taking care of two small boys, my life is completely consumed by motherhood.  This is a good thing, albeit a very tiring thing.  


The day started out on a very positive note, as Benjamin greeted me with a "Happy Mother's Day", and the cutest grin, as soon as I saw him in the morning.  He was proud that he had remembered.  I had received two lovely bouquets of flowers from my father and my husband, and a gift certificate to a pregnancy spa.  The day was capped off with a dinner made by my husband and father-in-law.  It has been a LONG time since Lance has cooked me dinner.  Whenever he does it, however, it is excellent and great care is taken in making it.  The infrequency of his cooking surely makes it seem more delicious.  Although I was physically uncomfortable, as one might gather from my photo, my heart was full of contentment with being so immersed in motherhood.  I adore my boys and I can't wait to meet the next one.  

Lance and I had watched a movie a couple of nights before Mother's Day about a couple whose son was killed.  This topic would normally be upsetting but it was much more so at this particular time in my life. I can not imagine something happening to any of my children.  The next night over dinner, Lance and I talked about how much we loved our boys and how easy it is to worry about something happening.  But no matter what we do and how hard we try to set up a great life for them, we can not ultimately control the course of their lives.  Pastor Brad's sermon this Sunday truly applied to what I had been feeling after that movie.  While he preached on the book of Daniel and did not specifically talk about Mother's Day, he did a good job of weaving it in.  Because God is in control and the future is already known as described in the book of Daniel, we mothers should not worry so much about our children and their fate.  What we should focus on is teaching them to know the Lord and demonstrating how to follow him by example.  The rest is in God's hands and we should be patient and faithful.  Brad had intended for this to provide some relief for mothers, and it definitely provided me a sense of calm and a place to focus my purpose in the coming years.

Best Brothers Ever

Benjamin and Evan have been having so much fun together lately.  They definitely have their moments when they argue or have trouble sharing.  Sometimes Benjamin even says, "I'm never going to play with you again".  Of course, this lasts about one minute and then Benjamin is assigning Evan a new task in his made up games.  Most of the time, the brothers simply love each other.  They do everything together.  Several times Benjamin has told Evan, "You are my best brother ever".  They hug and kiss and sometimes cuddle on the couch while watching their favorite show, "Team Umi Zoomi".  I can't help but think how blessed they are to have each other, and pray that they maintain a close relationship throughout their lives.  I know the hugging, kissing, and cuddling will not last forever, but I hope that they are always in each other's lives, supporting one another.  I wonder how things will change when Sawyer comes along.  I'm guessing it will just be more love, more hugs, more kisses.  

Countdown to Baby Sawyer

The size of my belly and the level of discomfort are sure signs that baby Sawyer is getting closer to being part of our lives.  We set the date of the C-Section to June 19th, which is only about 6 weeks from now.  After a long time without seeing Sawyer, I was lucky enough to have two ultrasounds, two days in a row.  The regular ultrasound at the doctor's office revealed that he is measuring ahead of schedule and that he has a little more fluid than normal to swim around in.  This means that I will get to have an ultrasound pretty much every time that I see my doctor.  

This past weekend I had a 3-D ultrasound.  We had one for Benjamin, but not one for Evan since we did not want to find out if he was a boy or girl.  The one that we did for Benjamin was so amazing, and this one was too.  It didn't look like we were going to get any good views of him at first, because he had the umbilical cord infront of his face most of the time.  It almost looked like a mask infront of his eyes, as if he was trying to be mysterious.  Lance had brought the boys to watch but they lost interest pretty early on.  Once Lance decided to leave with them, we finally got some good shots of Sawyer.  It really is hard to describe when it is like to see your baby's face for the first time.  It just makes me even more excited to see him in six short weeks.  In a way I want him to come as quickly as he can, but then I will miss never being pregnant again, and it really is much easier to take care of a baby on the inside.

A Big Weekend

I entitled this post "Big Weekend" because it really was big in serval different ways.  We bought a really BIG car, we spent a BIG bundle of money on new stuff, and we served others in a BIG way through our church.  I might also add that there was BIG fun to be had by all. (you could also note that I am looking rather BIG in the above photo)


When we decided to have a third baby, we knew we would need a bigger car.  We have loved the Murano and would certainly not have traded it in for a long time had we remained a family of four.  It has served us well, protecting Benjamin and me (with Evan in utero) through a car accident, and reliably transporting us to so many important and not so important destinations.  On Friday the boys and I got in the Murano for the last time and headed to meet Lance at the Nissan dealership.  I truly felt sad over leaving that car, and I believe I almost shed a tear.  Benjamin picked up on this sentiment and expressed his own feelings as he gave the car and hug and kiss goodbye.  As we left the dealership, a new chapter in our lives had begun.  We are now a BIG family with a very BIG car.  We went on to pick up granmom and grandad to take them to dinner.  It was so strange riding all together, but it was fun.  


The weekend was also marked by the purchase of more new items.  After five years, we finally made some changes to the bedding in our master bedroom.  We have always had very warm colors of orange, red and yellow in our house, and I just felt that it was time for a burst of cooler air.  We purchased a light blue and white duvet with pure white sheets and pillow cases.  Unfortunately, when we got home I could not stop thinking about all of the other changes that we would need to make to our room to make the new look work.  Here I go again on a decorating-obsessed binge when what I really need to do is focus on this baby coming!  On Sunday we found ourselves up in Round Rock for a service project.  Of course, we had to stop at IKEA, which resulted in a very large purchase of 2 dressers and a new bed for Benjamin.  Now poor Lance has to put them all together.  

We were blessed with the opportunity to be part of a service project with our small group from church.  We went to a ministry for pregnant women called "Breath of Life".  There was a small house that needed some additions and repairs.  The men put up a shed and tore down a dead tree all in one short day, while the women gave a bathroom a much needed makeover.  It was great to see everyone work together with such enthusiasm to serve others as Jesus has called us to do.  I would really love to participate in more of these projects in the future because this is what being a Christian is really about.  I pray that I will be led to the ministries where I can best serve and I am excited about growing in my identity as a servant for those in need.  I have a long way to go, but I am devoted to the journey.  We have obviously been so blessed and I want to pass on all of the love that God has shown me to others in need.