Happy Birthday to Gama!

I couldn't get Steven to give up the comb- darn those teeth- but these pictures are still pretty cute. Mammaw and Pappaw closed on both houses yesterday so they (and Gama) are officially our new neighbors.

Along came a (very cute) spider

I love it when Steven is in his pajamas. Charlton was jumping out from around the corner (Steven's favorite game) to get him to smile for the camera. These pjs were a birthday gift from Mammaw. I wanted to post pictures so that she could see how cute he is in them.


Other Steven news:

1) He has two more teeth coming in. His fourth bottom front tooth popped through yesterday and one top molar has a corner sticking through his sore gums. Molars are rough; that bad boy has been hanging out just under the surface for almost two weeks now. I feel like it's just teasing us with that corner poking through.

2) He is wearing a size 6 shoe which is pretty big for an almost 14 month old. I guess he's taking after his Daddy and Grandpa Dave (on my side).

3) He started pointing at thing a few weeks ago which we're hoping means that his first word is right around the corner. He's been trying to repeat "Uh-oh," but the "oh" part is tricky for him. Technically that's not a word but we think it counts. He also tried to repeat "shoes" this morning when we were putting his sneakers on his feet.

4) He gets busier (more active) by the day. I'm trying to keep up with all the things people say to me regarding that. The nursery workers at church think it's so funny so they usually have a line when we go to pick him up, and now parents comment on the playground too. The last few weeks its been things like, "man, he has a lot of energy," "he sure does like to play," and "he is really active for 13 months." Thankfully, he's a pretty good boy so those are just funny observations; although, I've definitely noticed changes in behavior that let me know we're not too far from the terrible twos.

5) He is down to one nap, and we are both enjoying it. I tried to keep him at two for a while but it just got to the point that if he took a morning nap, he couldn't fall asleep for his afternoon nap. He is so much more rested when he wakes up from his nap now. The only hard part is that he's always been an early riser, but he finally slept until 8 am yesterday- I was so excited!

Steven will be 14 months on Friday! How did he grow up so fast?

Steven goes to the zoo (part 2)

Tuesday morning we went back again. This time with several friends from our neighborhood bible study. The kids did great, and we keep saying what a pleasant surprise that we could all have a good time with six kids in tow (seven if you count the baby-on-the way too). I was so busy keeping up with Steven that I couldn't take that many pics but I'm sure there will be a next time.

Steven goes to the zoo (part 1)

The weather has been so nice here the past week, and we are trying to take advantage of it. We were on our way to Hermann Park to enjoy a beautiful Saturday but then decided to go to the zoo when we saw the entrance. It was a little busy since they were having a Halloween event but we still had fun with Daddy. It was Steven's first time at the zoo so we spent most of our time in the children's zoo section. Can you see the eagle in the left corner? I know it looks fake but that's the real deal.

In an eagle's nest.

Can you see the otter's head sticking out of the water? Charlton and I thought this exhibit was pretty cool because you could see them swimming around under water. Steven wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking at despite all our pointing.

This goat thought he could avoid the kids by lounging under a bench, but Steven was still determined to pet him.

This exhibit had tunnels on the inside to lead to these pods on the outside. I was waiting to take the picture but I wish that I could have seen Charlton tunneling through them to put Steven in the top (the tunnels aren't that big).

Alas, another failed attempt to get a picture with mom who played photographer the rest of the time. This is the best one we got.

Telltale sign that Aunt Jenn's been over...

Steven didn't appreciate the girly touches she left behind (and neither did Dad!) but he did have fun. Here's proof:

New Neighbors

Look at this adorable little boy- who wouldn't want to move closer to see him more!!!

My parents are moving down the street from us...we need your prayers! And, yes, I wrote that sentence like that on purpose. =) Most people, when we tell them that my parents are buying a house on our street, have the same reaction. They usually wince and ask if that's a good thing. I always respond with a "YES, IT'S A GREAT THING!"

I think that when you are young and especially first married you worry about having SPACE, INDEPENDENCE, AND FREEDOM. You want to make your own decisions and not feel that your parents are influencing the way you want to live. The funny thing is that after you have a baby, your parents moving down the street means more SPACE, INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM. I guess the difference is that when you’re first married you need a break from your parents, but when you become a mom you need a break from your kid(s). Most of my mommy friends respond like I do and say they are trying to get their parents to move closer to them. But I guess for others (especially without kids) a warning light goes off in their head, while for the rest of us all that flashes through our brain is: MORE BABYSITTING! Steven adores Mammaw and Pappaw so he will be excited for some more grandparent time with them, too.

Anyway, I’ll tell you how you can pray for us: This has been a very quick development even though my parents have been talking about wanting to move closer for most of Steven's life. They put their house on the market a little over a month ago and in less than a week they had their first offer! That one fell through two weeks later but not before they had a second offer to buy their house—truly amazing and providential in the current real estate market. They have also found a house out here and their offer has been accepted. Both closings are scheduled for October 31.
1) Please pray that there will be no problems and that both closings will go through smoothly.
2) Also, my mom caught a horrible virus that has knocked her off her feet for almost two weeks now—not something you need while you are selling your house and moving all within two months.
3) My parents moving means that my grandmother, Gama, will be moving to an assisted living facility out here so that she will also be close to us. She and my mom have found a nice place and she is on the waiting list for an opening. Please pray that they will have a room for her soon and that this move will not have a bad affect on her health.

I am so excited that they will be in their new house for the upcoming holidays. Since they will be right down the street, we will have more family time and be in the car less…much less in fact since we can just walk down the street! Charlton and I love the Dixie Chicks and yesterday I remarked to him that they are singing about us in one of their latest songs. We’ll be "living in the same zip code as our parents do"….and we’re excited about it!

More Like Mom

Everyone always says that you become more like your parents when you have kids. When we were little, I remember my mom politely telling the grocery store clerk that she DID work at home (my mom was also a stay-at-home mom). The clerk had asked for a work number when she was taking down info on a personal check and had asked if my mom worked. My mom was always annoyed by that because most of them acted like that wasn't a "job."

Prime example how I am more like my mom: I keep getting calls from a certain credit card company for a Business credit card. We already have a personal one from them but they call about every other month to try to get me to sign up for another one. The first time this happened I politely said that I wasn't interested but she persisted until I said I was a stay-at-home mom and didn't need a business credit card. She briefly paused like she couldn't believe that "those" still existed and then asked if I had any hobbies. Yes, of course I have hobbies. Then she asked if I earned income from them because that could count too. By the way, in my mind that makes them a job and not a hobby. She kept asking, "isn't there anything you do that earns any money?" I finally ended this useless conversation with, "no, raising my son is a FULL-TIME JOB." So, now I start this monthly chat with that instead and they STILL ask me several times about profit-making hobbies before giving up.

Since when is a mom's worth based on how much money she brings in. I don't appreciate someone calling my home and then telling me that taking care of it, my husband, and child is not good enough or apparently time consuming. Yes, I just got another one of those calls and I'm irritated...just like my mom would be. =)

New Church

It is both with sadness and excitement that we want to tell our friends that we are going to be a part of a new church family. We are sad to be leaving Christ the King Presbyterian; we have enjoyed worshipping there so much since we have moved back to Houston. However, since we moved out to the suburbs, Charlton and I have been praying for a community of believers and a Reformed church in our area. CTK is a 25 minute drive for us on Sunday mornings—and while that is not unusual in Houston, it doesn't allow us to be involved with the church on the level that we would like, especially during the week.

A few months ago, Patrick (Charlton's brother) and Chad, a friend who is also a pastor, started talking to us about their desire for a Reformed church in our area. Patrick knew that we had been praying for the same thing but we felt very hesitant to commit. Being the loyal PCAers that we are =) we wanted to know all the details of the church first- which is kind of hard when the church hasn't even been started yet! Over the next few months, we kept talking (and praying) about it. We found out that there were many other families with the same desire and that our desire was going to become a reality. A core group of interested families started meeting in people’s homes mid September and have continued meeting every other Sunday night. September 30 was our first worship service together and we feel the time for us to commit to Christ Church has come.

We are excited and thankful at what God is already doing through this church and that it looks like God is even providing a location for us to meet at this early stage. Another church in Kingwood has graciously offered a small chapel free of charge that they have been using for youth starting next Sunday. Things have come together much more quickly than we anticipated and we feel that this is just another way that God is answering our prayer and assuring us that this is where we need to be.

As I have said, Christ Church has only just formed, but does have a website you can view here. It is, at this time, not affiliated with any denomination but is a Reformed, Confessional church. On the website there is a general statement of faith if you are interested in knowing more, and it is regularly updated as the church leaders continue to meet and pray over the formation of the church.

Christ Church will continue to meet on Sunday nights throughout the fall with the intention of starting Sunday morning worship services around Christmas. We will continue attending Christ the King Pres for morning service until that time. We covet your prayers as we begin on this unknown, but exciting journey with our new church family.

With Much Love...

Guitar Lessons with Daddy

Charlton hasn't had much time for his guitar since he became an attorney, but about a month ago he started playing it again regularly. We think it will be a great addition to family worship time as Steven gets older; he is very fascinated with it.




Daddy teaching Steven to strum






Steven checking out the pick a little closer (we are surprised that he doesn't try to put it in his mouth)
And thinks that the point of this "game" is to drop the pick into the hole of the guitar (that makes sense to me!)

Charlton's trying to keep him from doing it again!

Messy Eater

What a cutie...

my heart just melts...

ok, now I'm a little scared...

all done...thank goodness...

Messy Eater (Part 2)

Being a messy eater equals lots of bath time...

he is so happy he's getting clean...

well, it's not as fun as he thought...

favorite in-bath activity...

favorite out-of-bath activity

At the Playground with Friends

Last week we went back to the playground with Steven's buddy, Jackson. Notice that in these pictures that they are not actually playing but are in the shade drinking water- we're trying to beat that Texas heat! It's still a little hot to go in the afternoon. =) But we did play some too...in between the water breaks!

Backyard Fun

As I said in the last post...Steven loves to be outside! Aunt Jenn gave him a bubble blower for his birthday (thank you!) so we have been playing with it on the back patio. The first time we played with it, I had to pull the lever down and show Steven how to make the bubbles. This time, he learned how to do it himself and now he doesn't need me to do it- he makes this obvious by picking it up and carrying it across the patio away from me to pull over there. =) That's ok...it frees my hands up to take pictures which is getting increasing harder with him on the move all the time! Look at those muscles!Inspecting pine needles...Inspecting the dirt...

Tasting the dirt...

His Frustrated Face

Playground Comparison

Steven loves to be outside. Last week we went to our neighborhood playground since the weatherman promised us a "cool front" that day. I couldn't help but take pictures especially after I realized that we were doing the exact same things we did the day that he turned 6 months. Steven has grown so much...just take a look:
6 months..................................12 months

He couldn't do this at 6 months: