Thursday, August 27, 2009

it's a buffet of randomness really...

It's Thursday. Do you know what that means? Tomorrow is Friday. Can I get a Praise The Lord from somebody?! From here on out that phrase will be referred to as PTL because sometimes I just don't have the energy to type anymore letters than necessary. Pathetic, I know.

But here's the thing, my little man has become quite the talker lately. For the first time IN MY LIFE someone is giving me a run for my money in the Verbal Department. And now I would just like to take this moment to apologize to my family, especially my Mom.

I had no idea how exhausting it is to try to keep up with that many words in a day. What does that have to do with the shortening of phrases like some preteen texting her bestie? Well, sometimes the filter between my brain and my mouth is in working order. Translation: it is possible for me to think before I speak. So whether I'm writing it down or saying it out loud, I've learned to ration my words because I need ALOT to keep up with Austin. Just in case you were wondering, Luke is secretly thrilled that I have less words to use when he gets home.

You're welcome, Sweetie. I'm sure you know who to thank.

And speaking of Luke, he wrote me a note this morning on my side of the mirror in our bathroom. I have never seen I *heart* U written that big. Truly. When I told him how much I loved it, he told me that he wanted to be sure I could read it without my glasses.

He's considerate like that.

On a completely different note, we moved Claire into her dorm a week ago. Let me tell you, I walked into that dorm and the smell brought back all kinds of good memories.

I'm not kidding.

I also don't think I've been in that size room with so many people and STUFF ever. EVER. But by the time we were all done, it looked fabulous! Since we spent the weekend in Dallas we got to have dinner with Claire on our way back to SA. This may or may not be the reason I didn't cry when we left on Thursday afternoon. However. I cried like a big dork the night we got home. And yes, I looked like a supermodel with my red nose and swollen eyes. It's ok if you're a little jealous. I know Luke was. For some reason saying goodbye and watching her walk back into her dorm hit me with the reality that she wouldn't be stopping by after school or coming over for dinner with my parents. And the babysitting wasn't bad either. I'm just sayin'...

She's doing just wonderfully. In fact, we're all a little concerned that she might not come home. Claire, please remember your roots and come grace us with your presence every once in awhile. But I'll tell you whose not going to college anytime soon. PTL! {Don't you feel so honored to know what that means now? I knew you would.} Anyway, Sir Talks Alot will be living under our roof for several years yet. :) In fact, speaking of Motor Mouth, here are some pictures of my FAVORITE little boy.


So grown up in his toddler bed, But this day was a little bittersweet. Where has the time gone?



Reading my In Style. Don't panic, Luke. He has no idea what he's reading, and I'm pretty sure he likes all the pretty girls with impeccable fashion sense.


Eating a cupcake at his birthday party.



Playin' in the purple pool. Thanks, Warshaks, for letting us borrow Emma's pool!



I love this picture of Austin and Emma. Don't let the fact that Austin is mid bite fool you into thinking he's not a picky eater. He is. Hello, Payback, so nice of you to stop by.


And here he is looking underwhelmed by his cupcake "cake."

And now I must bring our time together to a close. I've put off cleaning our bathroom for far too long. Sadly, Luke has not felt the Spirit move in his heart to bust out the soft scrub and tilex. But gosh I love him so I'll let it go.

Happy Almost Weekend Day, friends!!

Monday, August 24, 2009

a little encouragement for your monday

Today begins another week. A fresh start. A new beginning. Grocery Shopping Day at my house. This is definitely NOT my favorite activity, especially when I motivate myself to brave the Walmart crowds. What can I say? Their prices are better than HEB. It's true. I'm cheating on HEB, but can you blame me? These are tough economic times we live in and I can't afford to have budget meetings about my spending habits at the grocery store.

But I digress.

The real reason for my blog appearance today is to give you a little encouragement just in case you're suffering from a case of the Mondays.

First, I would like you to read this. It will make your day. I promise!

Second, I thought I would share a verse, or verses rather, that have been on my heart lately. I'll give a little background first, though. There's a specific prayer request that I've brought to the Lord alot in the last few months. Now I'm a pretty verbal person so it should come as no surprise that when I say "alot" what I really mean is "ad nauseum." I think I spelled that right and used it correctly. The thing is God already knows everything I'm thinking. The good. The bad. And yes, the ugly. That said, there is nothing I bring to His throne that He isn't familiar with. Still, I know He likes to hear it "straight from the horse's mouth" so to speak. I'm happy to oblige because, like I said before, I'm a very verbal person.

Well. A couple of months ago when my mom and dad were teaching our young marrieds Sunday school class, my dad spoke briefly about Hannah. You know. The one whose name is spelled the same forwards and backwards. And oh yeah, she was Samuel's mom. He was kind of a big deal in many ways. One of the verses that he shared really spoke to my heart. I hope it will do the same to yours.

I Samuel 1:13-15

As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."
"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD.

Ok, I just need to get something out of the way before we move forward. I love how she tells Eli "Not so, my Lord." It's almost as if she's saying "Am not!" And I love it.

But more importantly, I LOVE that it says she was "pouring out her soul to the Lord." For some reason, I picture Hannah knealing in complete reverence before the Lord completely unaware of anything going on around her. I can just see her lips moving rapidly as she literally lays it all out there for the Lord to see. I imagine it was good, bad, and a little ugly. This was her SOUL, y'all! Not just her heart, but the sacred desires that were more than heartfelt. They were soulfelt. So much so that she couldn't keep the emotions off of her face. {1 Samuel 1:18}

I've heard a few people who were experiencing some serious tragedy say that the Lord told them to just "give it to Him" because "He could handle it." These are people that I greatly admire and have strong relationships with Jesus. It is so comforting to know that He CAN handle my deepest desires, fears, and frustrations. I can feel free to pour out my soul to Him because He desires that kind of close relationship with me. And you know what, I want it too.

So that's what I've been doing. Pouring out my soul to the Lord. And even if He says no to my request, I know that the feelings in my soul are safe with Him. Plus, He knows best so whatever His plan it will be even better than I could hope for or imagine.

I also love the ending to this story.

I Samuel 1:20

So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."

God granted her "soul desire."

I feel a little like Sarah and Hannah these days. Notice I said a little. I'm blessed to be able to say that I haven't been struggling with infertility, but what I ask of the Lord is a specific request related to having a baby. I can't say for sure if He will say yes to this desire but I know that if He does, the verse above will belong to that child.

Because I asked the Lord for that child by way of pouring out my soul.

No matter what, though, we will be blessed. Because that's just the way Jesus rolls. Hallelujah and Amen.

And finally, the last piece of encouragement today comes in the form of an Austin-sized package. He is the very picture of joy.

You're welcome.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

all about austin

My quest to catch up on the picture updates continues! Today it's all about the photo shoots I've enjoyed this summer with my son. Quite the perfect little face to see on the other side of my lens if I do say so myself. But before you enjoy The Austin Showcase, here's what we've been up to the last few days.

Luke was on call a couple of weeks ago which means that Little A and I sported looks like this the entire week:



It's a lesson in endurance for us for sure! Needless to say, I'm glad it's over and do not look forward to the next time we persevere through the Worst Week of the Month.

I'm not even exaggerating.

Next up for your viewing pleasure is a little pic of Austin and his Aunt C. This was taken right before his second birthday. She gave him a Baylor t-shirt that I just LOVE to dress him in! :) She also made him a sweet card to go along with one of the best gifts EVER!! Here they are.


And here he is in said Baylor shirt:



We decided to celebrate his actual birthday at the lake. {I think I mentioned that in an earlier post. So sorry for the Repeateritis!} Since I'm usually the one behind the camera, my mother-in-law graciously offered to take a picture of all 3 of us. Or maybe I asked and she graciously agreed. Either way I give you The Keiffers. I also give you a non-smiling Austin, Aimee's curly hair wanna-be, and a good looking husband.


The rest of July was spent taking super cute pictures of Austin. I mean how can you not strive to capture the cuteness every single day. And let's face it. The camera loves him and he knows it!


Love his face in this one :)


Lining up his numbers. Pretty sure he gets this from Luke.


Pretending to water the plants. Why is he just pretending? Well that would be because it hasn't rained in like 50 years so we're in the middle of a drought. This means that we only get to water once a week.

I may be exaggerating this time.

Finally, I took this last picture on one of the few cooler mornings we enjoyed this summer. I know. I didn't know those existed in San Antonio either. While Austin was running around the yard, I decided to work on his birthday party invitations. That's when he decided he wanted to help. Since I had a few extras, I gave him a pile. Thus ensued a photo shoot of epic proportions. I'll spare you the plethora of action shots from that day and leave you with one of my favorites instead. :)


I just love all the different faces he makes. Again, I apologize for the severe case of Repeateritis I seem to be suffering from these days. I can't help it. It's complicated by Mom Brain. Sadly, there is no cure. Wanna know something else that's sad? I've been working on this post for the last week and a half!! All the while I've been visiting other blogs mortified that they have not updated in the last couple of weeks. Hello, kettle. My name is pot and you're black!
And on that note I bid you good day.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

picture post as promised

Hello, blogging friends! I'm writing to you from my kitchen table while simultaneously telling Austin to EAT HIS BREAKFAST. Followed by a friendly reminder that "this is the only food you'll be getting before lunch." His response: putting his hands over his ears. I've got news for ya kid... that doesn't make the truth go away. As you can see, we're back to the days of renaming food and threatening emminent hunger to our little man who is payback to me in the form of a cute little boy. So while I'm acting as Austin's Food Monitor, I thought it would be the perfect time for a picture post.
You're welcome, family!
Ok. Because I am beyond behind in the picture posting department, I've decided to do this by month. And also, I don't have the wherewithal to wait forty hours while my pictures upload to blogger. There. I've said it. At least you know I'll always be honest with you! Here's the brief overview of the June pics: went to see Wicked with my parents, sisters, and Tammy. Luke and Austin did not join us, but lucky for Luke, my dad offered to tape all of the witch goodness on his phone so he wouldn't have to miss a minute of it. I believe Luke responded with a "You're the BEST!" Said with tons of sarcasm, obviously. The play was delightful but not as fabulous as dinner afterwards with everyone plus my favorite boys. Since we were all together in one place, I felt the need for a little photo shoot. I like to say that we are our own paparazzi {I feel like that spelling is a little sketchy!} It was a great weekend and one of my favorite memories for sure.
Enjoy!!


A Bauerlein, a Keiffer, and a Yeager


Luke and his mama :)


The parental unit


B and her favorite nephew. It's ok if you want to copy his smile from here on out in all your pictures.


Mom and Claire...super cute pic!


Pretty Claire and my hot husband


The love of my life


The love of Brittany's life


Me and Tammy before the play


The aunts lovin' on Austin. What can we say? He's already a ladies man! ;)

And just because I can't resist a cute picture of my son, here is little A in all his joyful glory!

Have a delightful Thursday!