The Best Is Yet To Come

faithful

2012-01-11T16:00:00.000-06:00

Time is a funny thing. Some days it seems to drag. Lucky for me, those are usually the days that Brooke has a million dirty diapers and Austin has just as many questions and complaints. And then there are the days that seem to slip through your fingers like running water. You blink your eyes and all of a sudden a chapter of your life has been written and that season has passed.

I remember the day that Luke came home and told me they were moving the AT&T headquarters to Dallas like it was yesterday.

We had lived in San Antonio for 6 months.

It was like you could hear my bubble popping. I know Luke heard it too because of the look on his face after he told me. A feeling of panic and anxiety overwhelmed me and I was just a little bit angry. Ok. Alot angry.

What was AT&T thinking? Moving the headquarters? Didn't they know that some of us actually liked it here. Had families here. Hopes and dreams too.

So I did what any girl in denial would do. I lied to myself and chose to believe that we wouldn't move. I told myself that Luke could be happy with the positions available here in San Antonio. Obviously, I conveniently forgot that little commandment about leaving and cleaving to your husband...no matter where his job takes him.

For the next four years, the knowledge that our time here was limited hovered in the back of my mind as I formed friendships and made memories. I held my breath any time Luke had a meeting with one of the "higher-ups" of AT&T. Each time the anxiety and sadness threatened to overwhelm me, I clung to the hope that by some miracle, we could stay in San Antonio.

I tried not to be bitter whenever Luke seemed excited about his career possibilities. Afterall, how could he not be excited about a move? A promotion to the city where his family lived? What's not to like? As you can see, I was hugely successful in avoiding bitterness...

Each meeting he had only confirmed to me that Luke was gaining the respect and recognition he had earned and deserved at AT&T. It became increasingly obvious that it was just a matter of time before he was offered an opportunity in Dallas.

One morning, I woke up with a sense of dread and anxiety like I have never experienced all wrapped up in a neat little package of sadness. In the words of Anne Shirley, I woke up in the depths of despair. I felt like I had no where to turn with these feelings. I didn't want to be a Debbie Downer to Luke's excitement about his career opportunities and I knew my family was struggling with this possibility as well. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't immediately turn to the Lord like I should have. But He is still faithful even when we are not.

I happend to read an entry on one of my favorite blogs that morning. I don't remember what it was about. All I remember was the way this verse leapt off the page at me:

Lamentations 3:21-23

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

That morning, my Lord spoke to me as clearly as if He were sitting across from me just shooting the breeze and drinking His morning coffee. He reminded me once again that His grace is sufficient for today. He told me that when the day came to say goodbye and close this chapter of our lives, that I would not be consumed with sadness, anxiety, and hopelessness. He promised me this simply because He loves me that much.

A peace that I have not felt in 4 years replaced the dread and anxiety. I was still sad about the changes ahead but I no longer feared them. I finally felt free.

Two months later, Luke got an official job offer for a position in Dallas.

I waited for those same feelings to overtake me, but praise the Lord, they didn't!

On January 16th, a new chapter will begin for our family. Luke will start a new job in Dallas and I will begin the process of wrapping up the San Antonio season of our lives. There are still many unknowns and my heart is grieving already over the goodbyes yet to be said. I will miss lunches with my dad, playdates with friends, and Bible studies with families going through the same things we are. I will miss having my mom stop by and visits with Claire when she's home. I do not look forward to explaining to Austin why we can't see his old friends when he tells me he misses them.

Still, I am thankful for our time here no matter how much my heart aches. Living here was one of the desires of my heart that God granted, even if for just a little while. I am humbled that He would give me the gift of time in San Antonio with people I love. I am still tempted on a daily basis to dwell on the future instead of living in this moment. But I cling to the knowledge that I will not be consumed, and I am learning to savor the blessings of today without fear of what tomorrow holds.

the best gift

2011-12-06T16:28:00.000-06:00

Dirty dishes, piles of laundry, the baby's climbing the stairs...

Wait. The baby's climbing the stairs?!?

Don't judge. You know your second child has the "Just Survive" Syndrome too.

As women, our lives are rarely still and if you're a mom, you can forget quiet. Am I right or am I right? Don't get me wrong. I love the sounds of little voices chattering and the pitter-pattering of tiny feet throughout our house. But every once in a while, I remember for a moment what life was like before two little people needed me 24/7. And for a split second, I miss it. And then I realize I wouldn't trade our chaos for anything! This madness is my life. And it is good.

Still, Christmas seems to add a whole other level of crazy to the mix. Gifts, parties, decorating, and all the eggnog you can handle, which is none for me because I can't bring myself to drink something cold with the word "egg" in it. Just sayin'...

It's hard to remember during the hustle and bustle that the reason we celebrate is because He came.

He came to a small stable. He came to a young couple that had nothing. But most importantly, He came to save.

He came without fanfare or fireworks to save a tired world without hope. In His humble, gentle way, He came to earth to perform a rescue mission. And while we celebrate that He was born that night in Bethlehem, may we never forget that He is still here.

He is here in the mundane tasks I do without thinking. He's here as I tie his shoes or brush her hair. He's here when I'm sad just as He's here when life is so wonderful that it takes my breath away.

He carries us when we feel like we can't go on, and He dances with us as we celebrate life's unforgettable moments.

He meets us where we are just how we are. Dirty dishes and all.

He came to save. And He stayed. Not in the manger or on the cross, but in our hearts if we let Him. He stayed so that we can have life. And have it more abundantly. So this year, let's celebrate not just that He was born and placed in a manger, but that He stayed.

For you. For me. For us.

And that, my friends, is a gift worth celebrating. Along with the fact that the baby only climbed one stair before being caught.

doing life with Jesus

2011-08-18T20:27:00.000-05:00

Whoa. Talk about a serious blog break! But due to the events and adjustments of these past months, it was probably a good thing I didn't post much. Ok, anything!

To catch you up, on March 28th at 12:03 PM {after God blessed me AND Luke AND Claire with just FOUR hours of labor} we welcomed the most beautiful baby girl into the Keiffer family. Here she is...boxing gloves and all:

And here I am with my babies. Well one baby and a very big boy:

Please excuse the post baby stomach and water retention. Clearly, this look was also part of The Curse. Thanks, Eve.

In all seriousness, though, I think one of my favorite things about having 2 little ones is watching them interact. At first, Austin was not so sure about this little human that cried loudly and often. It probably didn't help that she was too little to recognize her big brother and look at him adoringly. That usually helps me like someone better.

Just sayin.

After a few weeks, something wonderful happend. Brooke started smiling!

And looking at her brother in complete awe and adoration.

I'm not even kidding when I say that she does not look at anyone else the way she looks at him. It's just all kinds of fabulousness!

Doesn't that just make your heart melt? Mine too.

While I would love to say that the last four and a half months have been picture perfect, that would be a lie. A big one. I think one of the reasons we don't remember the challenging times when we look back at certain seasons is because WE DIDN'T DOCUMENT THEM WITH PICTURES! Am I right or am I right?! The fact that the good times far outweigh the bad probably has something to do with it too.

At the beginning of this pregnancy, God told me that our next little one would be our "joy in the morning." He told me again after we found out it was a girl. That's when I started to wonder if maybe their was some ulterior motive for telling me this. Can God even have ulterior motives? Probably not. Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe He was telling me this because I would need to remember it later. Have you ever heard that phrase "You hit the nail on the head?" Yeah. Totally applies here.

The first few weeks were filled with the usual adjustments that come with a newborn. You know, things like 3 hours of sleep at a time {if you're lucky}, house arrest {because you don't want strangers touching your new baby with no immune system. Why would they even think that's ok?!}, and the realization that your Eating For Two Diet is officially over. But in our case, there were some added bonuses as well. I guess you could say it was a two for one kind of a deal.

Two words: Acid. Reflux.

Major bummer. We're talking projectile vomiting, screaming for hours, and very little sleep. I will never forget the Saturday morning that Luke and I put Brooke in her stroller for a walk after 2 hours of screaming in a last ditch effort to get her to quit crying and sleep. It did the trick. Within minutes, our sweet girl was sleeping soundly. As we walked, we told each other that one day we would look back on these weeks and laugh.

I don't recall smoking crack during that time period, but I was also operating on the least amount of sleep I've ever gotten in my life so my memory is fuzzy at best. I'm still not convinced that we will ever laugh about those first few weeks, but there is one thing I can look back and say with certainty.

God's grace is sufficient for today and His mercies are new every single morning.

I just thought life was challenging with one little person. This new chapter has rocked my world completely compared to that.

Being a mom is the hardest, most challenging thing I will ever do. Hands down. It is physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. There are days that I fail my children. Miserably. No, really. At the end of the day we are all miserable due to my poor attitude. I never thought I'd see the day when going to the bathroom ALONE was the highlight of my day or eating a hot meal was a huge accomplishment. I don't even remember what life was like before the madness that is The Bedtime Routine.

But the truth is, this job is not just a job to me. It's my calling. Austin and Brooke are my mission field. Every day God gives me the chance to change their lives. What I choose to do with that opportunity is up to me.

No one ever said that ministry...of any kind...would be glamorous. My ministry as a mommy is no different. I change dirty diapers, have spit up on my clothes, wipe noses and bottoms. But when I look back on these days, I will remember how I memorized the way Brooke smelled as I held her close and rocked her to sleep. I'll remember having heart-to-heart talks with Austin as I tucked him into bed. I dry their tears, celebrate their victories, and fight for their souls on my knees.

I was recently reminded of this verse on a great blog:

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

How humbling, right?

When I lose my patience with either of them, I've lost my patience with Jesus. When I put them first and myself last, I've chosen to put Jesus first. I change His diaper everyday and fix Him macaroni and cheese. I answer His questions, and heaven knows, I've put His paci back in His mouth AT LEAST a million times. Daily.

And while I'm doing all these things for Him, He is molding and shaping my character. He never gives up. Never loses His patience. Never complains about my shortcomings.

I can't say that I've done the same for Him even though He deserves it far more than I do.

So I'm going to write this verse out, tape it up somewhere I can see it often {like the pantry...hey! it's not easy to give up the Diet for Two}, and memorize it. Each day, I want to choose to treat my children the way I would treat Jesus.

Because he is our gift:

And she is our joy:

And they are the treasures God has entrusted to me for just a short time. I will choose to soak up the good times and persevere through the challenges. I will make memories and do life with them. I will see Jesus when I look at them.

Because I want them to see Him when they look at me.

this time next week...

2011-03-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe but this time next week, the Keiffers will officially be a family of four. I know we're all so excited, but for me, part of it is a little bittersweet. For almost four years, it's just been Austin and me. I would be lying if I said that I haven't shed a few tears over the closing of this chapter. The last few weeks I've done what I seem to do best these days, which is worry.

I know. I know. Jesus tells us not to, but honestly, I can't help it sometimes.

I worry how Austin will handle the change. I worry that he won't feel as loved when we have to pay special attention to Brooke. Luke tells me he'll be fine and I'm sure he's right...he almost always is, which can be infuriating sometimes. Still, it's a mom thing, I guess. I've spent the last weeks obsessing and preparing in every way possible to make sure this transition is as easy on him as it can be. And of course my final preparation would have to be a letter. Afterall, I may need it someday just to prove to him that he wasn't chopped liver before or after Brooke was born.

Dear Austin:

There was a phrase my family frequently used to refer to a fun memory in the past or coming in the future: "This time {next week, last week, next year, etc}." As I grew up, I would find myself thinking that same phrase to myself about the most random times or events.

Today, I'm starting that tradition in the Keiffer family.

This time next week Brooke will be here.

As your Aunt Brittany said just this morning, I will be a mother of two and you will be an official big brother. No doubt our world will never be the same.

Before the sleep deprivation catches up with me and causes my patience to run extra thin, I want you to know how wonderful these last three and a half years with you have been. In some ways, it feels like it's been an eternity since we brought you home from the hospital, but mostly it feels like I blinked my eyes and you were no longer my baby but a little boy.

My quiet times these last few days have been about Mary and the birth of Jesus. He was her first born too, you know. The Bible says that she treasured every memory with Him in her heart to look back on through the years to come. I love that verse because it's exactly what I have done these last few years with you. I had no idea what I would do with a little boy. Let's be honest, I had no idea what a little boy would do to me!

But just like the Lord promised, you have been a gift from the start. You have forced me out of my comfort zone and shown me that I'm capable of more than I thought I was. Nine hours of labor, potty training, and many other things come to mind.

God has used you to show me things about Him I never would've known before you came along. I love that being a parent has given me new insight into how deep the Father's love is for us. I love that you have taught me what it means to have child-like faith.

When I look back at the memories I've stored in my heart from these last three years, I'll remember Target trips, Sonic dates, and our heart-to-heart talks before bed. But more than anything, I'll remember that, much like Mary knew from the very beginning, God has shown me that you have never been mine. You belong to God and have been entrusted to me and your Daddy for just a short time. I pray that as you continue to grow and need me less that you would find you need Him more. He is more trustworthy and capable of taking care of you than we'll ever be!

It's true. This time next week, we will begin a new chapter in our family. But one thing will still be the same...

This time next week, you will still be as special and as loved as the day you were born. For now and for always, my sweet boy you will be. I love you!!

Mommy

happy valentines day

2011-02-14T16:42:00.000-06:00

I am blessed to have 2 men in my life that have always done a wonderful job of making me feel special.

My very first Valentine was my dad. It's amazing that someone who was raised in a family of all boys could be so good at raising girls and making us feel special. Looking back, I remember Daddy/Daughter dates, the loudest voice in the crowd during my cheerleading days, and unexpected moments of advice. He's the reason I love my Heavenly Father so much and why I never settled when it came to dating. When the time came to walk me down the aisle, he did so without the Steve Martin antics in Father of the Bride. I know it was bittersweet for him, but let's be honest, he was only sad until he thought about the raise he was about to get. He is a blessing and I'm so thankful God made Pete Bauerlein my dad.

Luke is my second Valentine. The one I waited for for about 18 years.

No lie.

To say he was worth the wait would be the understatement of the year. He is patient and kind. Gentle and humble, except for maybe when he's been proven right. He is the answer to all the prayers I prayed so long ago. But more importantly, he challenges me and smooths my rough edges. He always sees the best in me and believes I can do anything even when I doubt myself. I look at him and am reminded of many of the characteristics I love so much about Jesus.

Simply put, he is my best friend. The person that can make me laugh like no one else, push my buttons like no one else, and love the good and bad like no one else. Together we've faced the ups and downs of life, and through it all our marriage has been made stronger. After almost 7 years of mood-swings-without-warning, sleep-deprivation-due-to-having-kids, and more-things-on-our-to-do-list-than-we-have-time, he is still one of the best things to ever happen to me.

So to my favorite I say:

I love you more and more everyday!!

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

some thoughts on winter

2011-02-10T10:38:00.000-06:00

I have never been so cold for an extended period of time in. my. life. Let's be honest. Part of the appeal of moving down to south Texas was that IT DOESN'T GET THAT COLD HERE! And yes, being closer to family was an added bonus. Here's something I bet you never knew: you can get cabin fever without millions of feet of snow that result in thousands of snow days.

It's called windchill, people, and I'm just not a fan of getting in my car and going anywhere when it feels like -19. Ok. Maybe that was a tad dramatic since my friends up north are actually experiencing those temperatures. My condolences. I wouldn't last a day in that kind of weather. It's like my friend Andrea said:

It's like winter got into a big vat of Muscle Milk.

Truer words were never spoken.

Scarves are my new BFFs since all my super warm coats won't zip anymore. You'd think being about 8 months pregnant would keep you a little warmer than everyone else. Think again.

When we went to visit Britt and Jon in Boston over Thanksgiving, we got to do a lantern tour in Plymouth. You know, in honor of the Pilgrims. That particular day was extremely windy; therefore, making the 40 degree temps feel more like -40. And no, this time I'm not exaggerating. I remember thinking,

I sure am glad it doesn't get this cold in San Antonio!

Turns out jokes on me because apparently it can get that cold in San Antonio. So here I am having flashbacks to Plymouth and the lantern tour that felt like it would never end. I will say that my favorite part of that evening was seeing Britt wrap her scarf around her head like a little babushka because she didn't think she'd need a hat. Jon did too, in case you were wondering. And then, being the amazing uncle that he is, pushed an empty umbrella stroller around the town since Austin decided to have a meltdown which resulted in Luke carrying him. {aaand a really long runon sentence} It may sound like we didn't have fun, but surprisingly we did. I think it was all the jokes and memories we came away with after enduring the bitter cold. We even outlasted the family from Minnesota.

I guess the moral of the story is that you can still have fun and make memories in the bitter cold...like teaching your son how to make a snowball after it snows in San Antonio. Still I have one thing to say to Winter 2011:

Dial it down. Nobody likes a one-upper.

Stay warm, friends!!

this too shall pass

2011-02-07T16:21:00.000-06:00

I would love to tell you that I'll get better about blogging more regularly, but that would be a lie. And if I'm gonna put my son in time out for lying, then I better not do it either.

Just sayin'...

Life is good here at The Keiffer House. Despite fighting head colds and allergies, I'd say we're enjoying the fact that life has slowed down a little since the holidays. Not being able to travel will force you to do that, you know. Now if we could just get Austin's new room and Brooke's first {or is it her second??} room finished, I would feel like we're ready for baby #2.

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see baby stuff around our house again. I guess I really had forgotten how tiny Austin was at one time. In fact, I went through some of his old, old clothes and was amazed and how easily the memories associated with each little outfit came flooding back. Time flies and before you know it, you're registering your first born for pre-school. I can't even think about it or I'll have a meltdown that involves the Ugly Cry. And no one, I mean NO ONE, looks good doing The Ugly Cry.

I'm just so thankful for my little guy! So here's another letter telling him just that.

Dear Austin:

It hit me the other day that in 2 months, it won't just be the three of us anymore. While I can't wait to meet our sweet baby Brooke, part of me is a little sad to close this chapter of you and me.

It doesn't seem possible that three years could go by so fast! It seems like just yesterday, we were making our first trip to Target together. I was so nervous about how it would go, but you slept through the whole adventure. That's ok. Since then, you've developed an appreciation for the Dollar Spot that would make any mom proud!

I will never forget the moment that I truly became your mom. We were at the doctor and the nurse had to prick your heel to take some blood. You were crying. I was crying. Thank goodness the nurse didn't cry! I knew in that moment that I would do anything for you. I knew that for better or worse, a piece of me would always be tied to you. When you rejoice, I will rejoice with you. When you weep, I will weep with you.

In just a couple of short months, our world and family will change, but one thing will remain the same and that is the depth of your daddy and my love for you! You are everything we never imagined God would give us. Everything about you brings us such joy and laughter. You really are the gift that God promised you would be.

I love that I can see glimpses of other family members in you. It makes me feel closer to those that are far away. I love the way you make up songs about whatever is on your mind. It reminds me so much of the days that your Aunt Brittany would sing her "original" songs. She still has a song in her heart and I hope you always will too. I love your sweet spirit and tender heart. They bring a smile to my face because they remind me of your Grammy and Great-Granny. I love that you have a strong sense of right and wrong. You are such a rule follower and that definitely comes from your Aunt Claire and Gigi. Your joy and zest for life is the very picture of your Papa B. You entertain us like your Uncle Josh, and you love to talk to Jesus just like your Uncle Jon, Uncle Jared and Pops. You have a very determined spirit when trying to do new things and that reminds me of your Aunt Lindsay.

But more than anything, I love seeing glimpses of your Daddy in you. You are patient and forgiving just like he is. You are an observer and hardly miss a thing, which means you are always asking questions. You're an early riser. That is definitely a trait you get from your Daddy. You are loyal to your family and love unconditionally. These are perhaps the character qualities I love most about your Daddy, and it brings my heart great joy to see them in you. The two of you are buddies. I pray you never stop wanting to be just like your daddy because he is the best example here on earth of your Heavenly Daddy.

And speaking of your Heavenly Father, I pray that you will accept Him as your Savior at an early age. My desire for you is that you would come to know Him intimately and seek to glorify and please Him daily. I pray that as you face the troubles of this life, that you will remember that you are more than a conquerer because He has already won the victory! He loves you more than we ever could. As deep as our love is for you, it is still a poor picture of how wide and how deep God's love is for you.

These last three years have been some of the best of my life. You are a daily reminder that life is full of seasons and all too quickly "this too shall pass." Thank you for being patient with us as we try to do this parenting thing the best we can. You are precious to us and one of our greatest treasures! We love doing life with you, but more importantly, we love you.

Love:
Mommy

Proverbs 24:3-4

By wisdom a house is built,

and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.

into every life...

2011-01-02T16:57:00.000-06:00

...a little rain must fall.

It's hard for me to believe that 2010 is over. In some ways, I'm sad but in others I'm relieved.

This time last year, we were in Dallas at the Cottonbowl. Austin was only 2 and my sister and her husband lived just a few hours away. Luke and I had no idea when God would add to our family nor did we have any idea what was in store for our families.

Looking back at the last year, I'm very aware of the fact that 2010 was full of more changes than I anticipated or even realized at the time. Now, if you've known me for any length of time, then you know that change and I get along about as well as Tom and Jerry. Unfortunately, change is a part of life and God is constantly teaching me how to accept it gracefully.

If you're wondering how that's going, let's just say I'm a work in progress.

At the beginning of this year, life was a little more carefree. A little easier to take for granted. Definitely a little less fragile.

I'll be the first to tell you that Luke and I are blessed beyond what we deserve. Sometimes I feel like our lives are too good to be true. I admit that there are times I find myself expecting God to take it all away the next day.

And then I fearfully obsess over little things and nearly drive Luke completely insane. Please tell me you do the same from time to time. If not, then just lie.

If there's one thing God has used the circumstances of this year- good and bad- to teach me, it's that I'm not, nor have I ever been, in control. What did that feel like coming out of my mouth?

Like vinegar.

Contrary to the belief of those of us that live in South Texas, rain will come. The unexpected will happen. Sisters will move far away. Situations will arise that force you to trust the only One you know to be in control.

For some reason, this Christmas didn't feel quite as magical and wonderous as it usually does. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I definitely felt a little weighed down by the stress and changes of the last year. As I was inviting the Lord to my pity party, He gently reminded me of this:

When the rains come, growth happens. When the troubles of this world knock us to our knees, we come face to face with a God who has not forgotten, but loves us enough to let the refining happen.

And once the storms have passed, we appreciate the sun and carefree moments so much more.

Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3

He has promised...

2010-12-17T16:05:00.000-06:00

I know. It's been forever since I've blogged. I'm blaming it on the pregnancy, which my mom will claim is my fifth time to pull the Pregnant Card. To which I say, it's actually the third and compared to some women, I'd say I'm doing pretty good at not being "that pregnant girl!"

It's good to have moms that keep your reality in check, isn't it? My mom is so good, she can give me a look...or complete silence...and I know EXACTLY what she's thinking! It's a blessing and a curse, really. I hope to master that talent someday.

But I digress.

Luke and I went through some of my "keepsake boxes" yesterday. And by boxes, I mean four or five MOVING boxes. It's funny what you deem Keepsake Worthy when you're in elementary, middle, and high school. And by funny, I mean sad and pathetic. Can someone just praise Him with me right now that I'm not the girl I used to be back then?! I won't give details, but what I will tell you is that somewhere along the way I thought it would be a good idea to keep my diary...

And then let Luke read it...

I'm not saying that someone slipped something in my drink at lunch to make me think that was a good idea....I'm just sayin' it's possible.

As I sat there going through hundreds of notes from friends, birthday cards, and pictures...OH THE PICTURES!...I realized that Keepsake Boxes are really only good for one thing besides complete and total embarassment.

Reflection.

From the moment we found out there was going to be a Keiffer #4 in our not so distant future, we have been trying to figure out what to name our baby. What we learned is that we like simple, traditional names that aren't too terribly common. Unfortunately, the majority of our aunts, uncles, and cousins feel the same way and have used some of our favorite names. We discussed millions of possibilities. Basically, I thought of names with potential and Luke vetoed most of them.

We finally settled on the middle name for each. Allyn for a boy {a combination of my dad and Luke's dad} and Elizabeth for a girl.

I debated for a long time on the middle name for a little girl. At first, I thought Faith. Then Joy. And like any other woman, I changed my mind again because if we were going to have a little girl, I wanted her to have my middle name. I felt bad because the other 2 choices seemed to have so much more significance to the season of life our family has been in lately. Not to mention that they are character traits we pray for both of our children. The good news was that I could still change my mind, but in the meantime, I decided to research what the meaning of the name "Elizabeth" was. I've always known what my first and last name meant but not my middle name. There's nothing like having a baby to get you all fired up about the meaning of a name.

If you're familiar with the Christmas story, then you've probably heard about Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist and cousin of Mary. The mother of Jesus. You may know Him. He's kind of a big deal. She was also the woman whose husband questioned an angel name Gabriel...so God hit the mute button. Elizabeth, on the other hand, gave immediate praise to God for the miracle He had done. {Luke 1} I guess I would have too if my prayers consisted of asking God for a baby along with a miracle cure for gray hair.

Once you've read the story, it probably won't surprise you that Elizabeth means "God's promise." Suddenly, that middle name seemed much more fitting.

My life {much like yours, I'm sure} has been filled with God's promises. Yesterday, while going through The Boxes, I realized that so many of those promises have already been fulfilled.

He promised that He would never leave me or forsake me...even if others did. I may not have the same friends I did back in elementary, middle, or high school but I still have Jesus walking right beside me every step of the way.

He promises only the best for me...even if it's different from my version of The Best. Well, gosh, all you have to do is read notes passed back and forth between high school girls just sure their lives were the only ones full of drama and disappointment.

He promised that if I would put Him first, He would grant the desires of my heart... Enter Luke. Best. Promise. Fulfilled. Ever!!

He promised that Austin would be a gift. Second. Best. Promise. Ever!!

I could go on, but I think you get my drift.

Two years ago, I began praying that God would give us a little girl next. I knew my chances were 50/50. Obviously. But Luke is from a family of all boys. My dad is from a family of all boys. My mom has a brother. Luke's dad has 4. Luke's mom has 2.

I think you understand why I chose to believe in the power of prayer.

Praying for a little girl became more of me pouring the desire of my heart out to the Lord, while at the same time believing with total confidence that His will is ALWAYS best...girl or boy! I wish I could explain the feelings that came next but I honestly wouldn't do them justice. Let's just say that whenever I would picture a Keiffer family of four, there was always a little girl in our midst.

Lord! I prayed, Please protect me from wishful thinking! I want to be thrilled no matter what!!

Even still, I continued to feel a connection with this little girl in my mind. I began to feel like I already knew her and loved her as much as Austin.

When we found out I was officially pregnant, God promised me that this baby {timing and everything} would be a blessing and a reward. Our joy that would come in the morning. I felt like God continued to tell me in little unexpected ways that He would grant the desire of my heart.

And still, I had a hard time believing it.

On October 26th we found out that the next little Keiffer would be a girl.

And on December 5th we decided to name her Brooke Elizabeth Keiffer.

Because He promised.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

His miracles are unforgettable...

Psalm 111:4

another letter...

2010-10-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

Well. The time has finally come. Little Keiffer #2 is officially on it's way!! We are beyond thrilled!!! We found out so early that at first, I was afraid it wasn't real. Then the morning sickness hit.

It was real. Too real sometimes.

Now we are knee deep in take-out, fatigue, and frequent bathroom breaks. But we are also loving all the preparations and conversations about the next little piece to the Keiffer puzzle. I can't wait to be a family of four. Why not take this chaos to a new level? As long as I've got my best friend by my side...it's all good, right? :)

Please remind me I said this about 2 weeks into that family of four business.

As good and somewhat easy as Austin has been, this next one is bound to be the child that constantly forces us out of our comfort zones and challenges us in ways we never knew possible. But we're ready. Mostly because we have siblings that did the same to our parents and are proof that the wailing and gnashing of teeth is worth it in the end.

There are alot of unknowns right now, but of one thing I am absolutely certain. This baby is already a blessing! This summer has been difficult and full of the unexpected. There were times that we told God we knew He was in control but we sure didn't know exactly what He was doing. Still, He has been faithful and so patient with us. I knew as soon as I saw "Pregnant" instead of "Not Pregnant" that this baby was the "joy that comes in the morning." For as long as I live, I will remember this as the summer God required much of us but in the end gave us much more than we deserved!

And on that note, I'd like to end this post with a letter to our next reward. We can't wait to meet you, sweet baby!

To our next Little One:

You are already in my heart, and when I pray for your brother, I pray for you too. Even now, you are so precious to us. Your Daddy and I talk about the next piece to the puzzle that is our family often. We wonder what you will look like, what your personality will be, and of course, whether you will be a little brother or a little sister for Austin.

Speaking of your big brother, I cannot wait for you to meet him. I have no doubt that he will be the best big brother anyone has ever had. We call him "The Only" right now because he's living the life of an only child. And loving every minute I might add. However, I'm convinced that he doesn't know what he's missing and won't want to go back once he does. I don't know if the two of you will play trucks together or if you'll make him sit and have tea parties with you. But this I do know, he will love you with his whole heart because that is what he does when it comes to family. He loves deeply and without reservation. Something tells me that you may even get an extra dose of this love in the form of protectiveness. When it comes to your relationship with him, I pray that the two of you will form a bond that cannot be broken. I pray for loyalty and a spirit of unity so that long after your Daddy and I are in Heaven, you will still love one another as deeply as we love both of you.

It seems like I think about you more and more these days. Mostly, it's in the quiet of Austin's room as I rock him to sleep. I think about what it will be like to have two little people in our house. I wonder how our lives will change, and what things will stay the same. I tell God alot of things in those moments. I ask Him for a healthy baby and His protection over your life. I tell Him that I would love for you to enjoy just being close to us. In other words, I need a little one that likes to snuggle a little more. Your brother has places to go and things to discover. I love that about him, but it will be nice to have a child that loves to just sit and be with me. But above all, I pray that you will come to love the Lord with all of your heart! Even now, He is forming and creating every little thing about you. He will always know you better and love you more than anyone in this world.

There are so many things we don't know about you quite yet. So many things that require me to walk in faith and trust that God has already recorded every detail of your life long before you even came to be. However, this we DO know: you are our joy that comes in the morning. God has given us you and we are honored to be called your mommy and daddy! We are anxiously awaiting your arrival and cannot WAIT to welcome you into our family!

I love you:
Mommy

in a blink

2010-08-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

Well. Once again, I've neglected the blog. There's so much to document since I last wrote and I'm not even going to attempt to do that in one post. Therefore, I've decided to dedicate this entry to a certain little boy who recently turned 3!

Just yesterday, I met you for the first time. It must've been a very touching moment for you since you cried for over an hour.

Just yesterday, you fit perfectly on my chest and could sleep there for hours.

Just yesterday, we were thrilled to witness your first sweet smile.

Just yesterday, we were listening to your laugh for the first time.

Just yesterday, we were discovering what a happy baby you were.

For only a moment, you could wear the cutest onesies.

For only a moment, I could snuggle you close while I fed you your bottle and rocked you to sleep.

For only a moment, you loved your paci. In an effort to keep you happy all through the night, we would line three or four up in your crib. You know, just in case you lost the one in your mouth.

And then, in a blink of an eye, it was your first birthday. We celebrated with family, presents, and cupcakes. What a special day it was!!

Not long ago, you were walking for the first time. Your chubby little legs were adorable as you toddled around the house.

Not long ago, I quit shopping for onesies and started buying big boy clothes.

Before we knew it, your fun personality was revealing itself.

Before we knew it, you were starting to say words.

Before we knew it, you were into all things boy...dirt, cars, and being silly.

And then, we were celebrating your second birthday. This time we had a pool party and invited some special friends.

All of a sudden, your baby face turned into a little boy face.

All of a sudden, you weren't just saying words but complete sentences.

All of a sudden, you took up my whole lap while rocking you at night.

Today, I savor every moment with you because it won't be long before they are few and far between.

Today, I treasure the fact that I am the most important girl in your life. The fact that you told your uncle that I'm your girlfriend melts my heart.

Today, I soak in the sound of your sweet voice as it echoes through our house.

Today, I enjoy your mini concerts as the song in your heart goes straight to your mouth.

Today, tomorrow, and always you are my little boy. No matter how big you are or where you go, a part of me will always be with you. I love you with all my heart!!

life rearranged

2010-06-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

On May 22, 2004, I woke up to the sound of my parents playing "Goin' To The Chapel" in celebration of a day we had planned and waited for with great expectation.

My wedding day.

After the hair appointments, pictures, and last minute touch-ups, I began the long walk down a church aisle to my best friend. I will never forget the look on his face when he saw me, or the excitement I felt when we were introduced as Mr. & Mrs. Luke Keiffer for the first time. I thought about how I had never loved him more than on this day. But more importantly, I will never forget the committment we made before God to each other that day. I held his hands while I pledged my love and loyalty in sickness and health, for richer or poorer...for better or worse. Who could imagine on such a happy day that "worse" would come when you least expect it or that God could use the worst in such a mighty way?

On May 22, 2010, I woke up in a hotel on the Riverwalk with the love of my life. Despite my best efforts, Luke was the first to say "Happy Anniversary."

Because he always wins that game.

I had been looking forward to this day for a while. I couldn't wait to catch up and reminicse with my best friend. I did my hair, put on a dress, and took a picture with my husband much like I'd done on our wedding day. We were just as happy then as we were six years earlier. But little did we know that at that very moment, Luke's dad was being flown to a hospital in Dallas after having an accident at his lake house. We got the call as we were leaving the hotel to go out for the day. You know that feeling you get when God is preparing your heart for bad news? Yeah. Me too.

Even though, Luke's mom assurred us there was no reason to drive up yet, I felt like the Lord was telling me we needed to go. Austin was with my parents for the weekend and our bags were already packed. Clearly, He had gone before us and worked out every detail. We threw some extra clothes in a duffel bag along with an unopened bag of mustard pretzels.

Because these are the crazy things I do when there's a crisis. Let's just say I know my southern roots run deep when I'm thinking about the possibility of people needing food while at the hospital.

Hey! Don't judge. Mashed potatoes and fried okra would not have traveled well.

So there we were, driving up to Dallas without a clue as to what we would find once we got there. With each phone call we realized that things were much worse than we originally thought they would be. At this point, I had completely forgotten that it was our anniversary. It seemed like weeks instead of hours since we had discussed our gameplan for the big six year celebration. All that mattered was that my husband needed me and the Keiffer family needed us.

For the rest of the night and most of the next day, we sat with many of those that had celebrated our marriage with us. In a matter of a few minutes, our lives were rearranged. All of our plans and the things we thought we would be doing were not what God had planned.

May 22, 2010, marked the day that I began a long walk through a "worse" with my best friend. I will never forget the tears we cried as we prayed together and begged God for His mercy and grace. I will never forget the way he told me with complete confidence that he trusted God with his father's life and the lives of those he loved most. I thought about how I had truly, never loved him more than at that moment. I held his hands as I told him how proud I was of him and how honored I was to walk this road with him. But more importantly, I will never forget how God showed up in the midst of a great trial.

These last few weeks, the Keiffers have logged many hours at the hospital and even more on our knees. We have witnessed miracles and seen the hand of God in every detail of this situation. Let me say it again. You know, just to be clear.

We have witnessed miracles. We have seen the hand of God in every detail of this situation.

Our new normal has given me eyes to see the eternal works God is doing. The hospital is not just a place where we spend time with someone we love most. It's our own personal mission field. Those that ask us how things are going are another opportunity to give God glory for great things. 2 Corinthians 4:1-11 says it best:

1-2Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don't twist God's Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.

3-4If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.

5-6Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!
{The Message}

When this first happend, I wondered if our future anniversary celebrations would ever be the same. And now I would say that I pray they would not. I pray that we will never forget the anniversary gifts God gave us on May 22, 2010. He gave us the gift of more time with someone we love very deeply. He gave us the support of family and moments of laughter during a time filled with tears. Above all, He gave us a front row seat to his awesome power. A chance to witness first hand why He is called the Great Physician.

I love that we started the sixth year of our marriage being the hands and feet of Jesus to two people we love. What a blessing it has been to praise the Lord together for the eternal work He is doing in our lives and the lives of those impacted by this situation. It has been a privilege to serve others alongside my husband as we seek to glorify God in our words and deeds.

Six years ago, I didn't just pledge my love and loyalty. I promised to do life with Benjamin Luke Keiffer. For better or worse.

And I pray that when we go through the worst, someone would get in on the best.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21

the best 6...no wait...10 years of my life!

2010-05-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

This weekend Luke and I will celebrate our SIX year anniversary!! But wait. There's more! We've been an official couple for TEN YEARS!! I honestly can't believe it. To think that there was a day, way back when, that I thought I would never meet The One let alone marry him, blows my mind when I look at where God has placed me today. Nevertheless, here I am. Married to my best friend and soul mate. I'm so thankful God always goes above and beyond our wildest dreams!!

Six years ago this week, wedding preparation was in full swing. Friends and family were on their way to Texas, and I wasn't a bit nervous. Yet.

Six years ago this week, I was about to begin my journey as a wife to the most wonderful man. Ever. So in honor of this week, I'm dedicating my blog entries to Luke and the One that brought us together. Here's to my Heavenly Father and my earthly hero. You two sure do know how to keep me in line! I love every minute almost as much as I love being called "yours."

I'll end this entry with one of my favorite reminders of what being a wife is all about. I have no idea who wrote it but I found it among my most treasured things.

When I created the heavens and the Earth, I spoke them into being. When I created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils. But you, woman, I fashioned. I breathed the breath of life into man because your nostrils are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly fashion you. Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity of Me. From one bone I fashioned you. I chose the bone that protects the man's life. I chose the strong yet delicate rib which protects his heart and lungs and supports him, as you are meant to do. Your characteristics are as the rib, strenth yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organs in man, his heart and lungs. His heart is the center of his whole being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to his heart and lungs. Support him as the rib cage supports the body. Around this one bone I fashioned you. I shaped you; I created you perfect. Your eyes, don't change them; your lips, how lovely when they part in prayer; your nose, so perfect in form; your hands, so gentle to touch. Oh yes, I've touched your hands, I've held your heart. Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most like me. That is why I made you the mother of life. You see, you, woman, reside in Me. Adam walked with Me in the cool of the day and yet he was lonely. He could not see Me or touch Me. He could only feel Me. So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with Me, I fashioned in you. My holiness, My strength, My purity, My love, My support, and My protection. You are special because you are the extension of Me. Man represents My image, woman My emotions. Together you represent the totality of God.

So man, treat woman well. Love her; respect her for she is fragile. In hurting her, you hurt Me. What you do to her, you do to ME. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart and lungs. Woman, support man as the rib cage. In humility show him the power of emotion I have given to you. In gentle quietness, show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.

The Man said,

"Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!

Name her Woman for she was made from Man."

Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.

Genesis 2:23-25

{The Message}

Now that is a good word!

a day in our life

2010-04-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

6:45 Say goodbye to Luke. Not entirely sure what he's wearing since it's still dark in our room. However, of this I am sure, he looks good. Can't wait for him to get home already.

7:10 I hear "Mommy! Is it light in my room? Come and get me!!" over the monitor. Love his sweet voice!

7:11 Stumble out of bed and feed Savannah...who has been shoving me with her nose in an effort to convey that she is STARVING!! Message received, Sannah. Thanks.

7:15 Tell my little ray of sunshine good morning while getting his clothes out for the day.

7:16 Ask him to bring his little bottom over here {while pointing to the ground in front of me} so I can get him dressed.

7:17 Ask him to get out of bed the right way and "Please hurry! I really have to go to the bathroom."

7:20 Finally dressed!! Headed downstairs.

7:25 Toys are out and Mickey Mouse is on the tv. Time to play!!

8:00 It's not long before certain areas of my house look like this...

...maybe we should break for some breakfast.

8:05 Orange juice and a "cookie" {or cereal bar}~ Breakfast of Champions

8:30 Walk into the living room to see Austin hiding beside the couch. When asked if he needs to go potty he says,

Nope!

Note to self: Hiding means that some serious business is going on.

8:31 While changing a dirty diaper, I explain to Austin the importance of telling Mommy "before you go poo poo so that we can go sit on the potty."

8:32 Marvel at the fact that this time 5 years ago I was about to get married. Translation: Potty Training Pep Talks were no where near my radar.

8:35 Austin informs me he needs to go pee-pee on the potty. So off we go.

8:37 Success!!

8:38 Marvel again at the fact that in the last 2 years I've traded sleeping in for a 7:00 wake-up call, lunch dates for play dates...

...quiet for constant chatter, planning get-aways for planning Easter traditions...

...and grown-up conversations for high fives over small accomplishments. I wouldn't trade a single day! God is good.

10:30 Showered, dressed, and heading out the door to run some errands.

10:40 FINALLY in the car. Austin decides to tell me then that...

I think I'm going poo poo again.... Uh oh. Not again!!

My thoughts exactly.

10:41 We're out of the car and headed BACK to the potty.

10:43 Turns out jokes on me and Austin doesn't really have to go potty. Awesome.

10:50 Back in the car again. Praying, in Jesus name, I don't end up changing a dirty diaper in the back of my car at Costco.

11:00 Walking around Costco makes me think of Brittany and how much we miss those Yeagers!

11:05 Hello, Stuffed Salmon. Hello, Dinner! Score!!

11:25 Headed to the check-out with food, a book for Austin, and some flowers I decided to bless myself with. Three words: Worth. Every. Penny.

12:00 Lunch with Papa B!! Earl of Sandwich is calling our names.

We're only too happy to answer that call.

12:30 Ask how Claire is doing. Realize how excited I am for summer. Looking forward to some quality time with our C!

1:00 Home from lunch. Nap time but not before another trip to the potty. Success again. Turns out peanut butter M&Ms are quite the motivator. However, when they're not motivating, they're mocking me. Unfortunately, M&Ms of any kind are not on my diet. Bummer.

4:00 Still waiting for Austin to wake up from his nap. Say what?! It's been almost THREE hours since I put him down?!

4:30 Austin's awake. :) Trying to decide if we should go run. Think I'll just snuggle with Haha on the couch while we watch a little behind the scenes at DWTS on Oprah. Don't judge.

5:00 Talked to Luke who will be home any minute. YES! Running can wait.

5:30 Off to run. By myself. The boys are off to Academy. You know...the right stuff, the right price. Or something like that.

6:00 Let the torture begin. At least I got to see my mom for a minute. Too bad Austin wasn't with me. He does love his Gigi.

6:30 Headed home to start dinner. Remember the stuffed salmon? Hoping it tastes as good as it looks.

7:30 Dinner. A half-hearted attempt at best. But hey! At least I made it instead of "bringing it from afar."

8:30 Austin's in bed, kitchen's cleaned, and living room is picked up. Time to relax.

8:45 Luke informs me that he may have bought his birthday gift...

And his anniversary gift...

Tonight.

Glad to know I'm influencing him in the important areas of life.

10:30 Time to call it a night. Final thought of the day: didn't do my quiet time :( At least tomorrow's another day. Still. Today was a great day!

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

Isaiah 26:8

nothin' but time...

2010-04-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

Hurry up and wait.

That's the motto I feel best describes my life these last 2 weeks. Over the last couple of months, Luke and I have been on a mission to get things done on our house. It all started with the washing of the downstairs windows.

All fourteen of them.

By ourselves.

No. We were not smoking crack at the time. Although we were strongly considering it toward the end.

Anyway. Most of you know that we did a TON of work on the house before we moved in. And by "we" I mean our contractor Richard and myself. Luke got sent to Dallas for 3 weeks right after we closed, otherwise, we would've done more ourselves. But alas, God said no. And I said "OKAY!" because I was a single parent to an infant at the time.

Due to the fact that our new house did not have a money tree growing in the backyard, some of the bigger projects were put on the back burner for a little bit. We saved for things like landscaping, wood floors, and tile for the upstairs bathrooms. And oh yeah, the panty in the kitchen.

Don't ask.

Well. We waited, God blessed, and we were able to tackle the landscaping last year and the flooring just this last week. After getting a couple of estimates, we decided to hire people to prep the floor downstairs for wood and tile the upstairs...aaaand the pantry. We helped my brother and sister-in-law put wood floors in their house about a year ago so I was confident we {or more accurately LUKE} could do a fabulous job again. And now I would like to say a big thank you to my father-in-law who took one for the team and came down to help my husband, therefore; allowing me to do what I do best, which is supervise.

Everything was going according to plan {and Luke and I know how to work a plan like nobody's business}until the tile guys got thrown into the mix.

I waited the first day. They showed up 5 hours late.

I waited again the next day. This time only one of them paid us a visit. An hour and a half late. I thought,

Hey! We're making progress.

He left after working for about 4 hours.

And then, of course, I waited some more the next day. Apparently, I forgot to take off the sign I usually wear around my neck when Austin's climbing into his carseat. It reads:

Don't worry. I've got nothin' but time on my hands.

Four words: Hurry. Up. And. Wait.

I tried to remind myself to be Jesus to these guys. That I may be the only glimpse of Him they get. But I have to be honest and tell you that patience, well, it's still a virtue I don't have alot of yet. So I vented to my dad. And Luke. And my mother-in-law. Aaaaand my mom. When I was finished and my doorbell rang...much later than I was expecting... I smiled, opened the door to our home, and offered them a bottle of water when I started feeling guilty about my bad attitude.

When it was all said and done, they did a great job. Minus all the waiting. So good in fact that Luke talked to them about re-tiling our shower.

I KNOW!!

All this waiting has given me some good opportunities to reflect on some areas in my life that may need a little work. Or rather, it's given Jesus the opportunity to give me my next "assignment" if you will. Not that I've completely mastered the others. Much like our house, I'm a work in progress. I'm so glad He's always gentle with us, aren't you? Let me tell you, if I were Him I would've given me a serious attitude adjustment long before now. I imagine it would've looked alot like the Trips To The Car we threaten Austin with from time to time. Even if you don't have kids, you know the ones I'm talkin' about because we all experienced it a time or two. And some of us may have felt them as well.

Looking back over this past week, I've realized that if Jesus gave report cards, there would be an "N" {for Needs Improvement}next to Patience in mine. When will I learn to savor the fact that it takes a toddler FOR. EV. ER to do something because he's just so busy soaking up life? When will I accept the fact that it takes the love of my life a little more time to express his thoughts because he's doing a good job GATHERING them all? And WHEN will I embrace the fact that His timing is always different from mine because it's perfect?

I feel like I spend so much time hurrying from one thing to the next that I'm not taking the time to fully be in this moment before it passes. I already know time is flying, but the moments are flying even faster. It doesn't matter how much money we spend on our house. It's all a waste if the time spent here isn't sweet.

Whenever Luke and I reminisce about our childhoods, we don't remember the house. We remember the time spent there with our families. We remember playdates with neighbors. Modeling pictures by the pool. Pizza nights and sleepovers. Family dinners and lots of laughter. All these memories might not have been made in our moms' dream houses but they were the stuff dreams, or more importantly, legacies are made of.

I've given alot of thought to what I want this house to be to my own little family. I want it to be a place of refuge. A place we know we can return to and let the cares of the world fall off our shoulders as we walk in the door. I want it to be a place that you can feel the presence of Jesus. I want His name and promises spoken here everyday. I want our home to be a place of rest and relaxation. I want those that leave here to feel refreshed and ready for what may lie ahead. I want this house to be filled with memories made with friends and family. I want our home to be a place where we can laugh, have meltdowns, and just be...together.

This week, I realized that I need to stop stressing about the floors that didn't get mopped. Or the dirty dishes in the sink. Or Mt. Laundry spewing dirty clothes all over the floor.

This week Jesus whispered to my heart that it's not the floors or furniture that makes a home. It's the time spent here and what we choose to do with it.

So I'm choosing to celebrate the fact that for this season we've got nothin' but time on our hands.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

has it really been a month??

2010-04-05T14:09:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it. It's been over a month since I've posted. I guess it goes without saying that alot has happend in the last month. Nothing earth shattering, just a bunch of random stuff. I promise to share it with all of you but first a little Easter recap. You know, before I forget the details.

We had a great weekend! Austin went to College Station for a couple of days to get spoiled by his Uncle Jon and Aunt B or Bwitty as he calls her. That means that it was just Luke and I for a couple of days. After we got over the weirdness that was complete silence whenever one of us was not talking, we thoroughly enjoyed our quality time together. We decided to go to church on Friday night so as to avoid the massive amounts of people that were sure to be present at the remaining weekend services.

Good call on our part.

Besides the obvious, the highlight of the night was watching Luke's face light up while he played with our friends' son Jack. In fact, about .2 seconds after I stole him from his Mommy, Luke stole him from me. You will never see 2 people get more excited about a tiny foam book about farm animals. Just when I think I can't love him more, he does something like that and completely melts my heart. I got myself a keeper for sure!

On Saturday, we met up with Brittany and Jon in Bastrop to pick up the light of our lives. Claire came with us, which was a real treat. Since I wasn't driving, I appointed myself as the Roadtrip DJ complete with a few spontaneous dance moves.

Luke asked me if I'd been drinking.

I think he was just jealous.

And so were the people in the car next to us.

I worked up quite an appetite after all that dancing. Luckily, our lunch stop was at this hamburger place called Roadhouse. It. Was. Amazing! Voted "Best Burgers in Bastrop" as a matter of fact, which is a real accomplishment in a small town. Oh, I kid.

We had the best time. We laughed, took pictures, and caught up. I felt dangerously close to tears as I hugged my sister goodbye. I officially lost the battle when she started crying. You see, Brittany and Jon are moving to Boston this summer after they lead a mission trip to Greece. The reality of how quickly that day is coming has hit me square in the face, giving my husband a few good opportunities to practice his Comforting Skills.

You're welcome, Sweetie.

I guess that's why times like Saturday are so sweet. All too soon, those opportunities will be harder to come by. I take comfort in the fact that we got a little taste of how fun those times together will be last Saturday. I am so proud of the two of them. God is going to use them to impact the East coast in mighty ways! I just hope Boston is ready.

Sunday was pretty low key. We had my parents and grandparents over for an Easter lunch and of course we hid eggs for Austin. I felt so guilty about the two pieces of pie I ate that I went to visit the Bauerlein Gym. In other words, I had a date with their treadmill.

Today we're recovering from the fun times that were had by all. So far, I've cleaned our bathroom, done some laundry, and said goodbye to my other sister. It was refreshingly less sad seeing as how in just one short month, she'll be home for summer. I can't wait!! And speaking of summer, how great is this weather we've been having?! I wore a dress today and couldn't be happier about all the green I've been seeing. The bluebonnets aren't bad either.

I hope your Easter weekend was just as wonderful as ours. We have alot to celebrate. Because of His sacrifice, we have the privilege of living an abundant life. Happy Monday, friends!!

to my son

2010-03-03T16:05:00.000-06:00

I was just thinking the other day about how I want to be better about writing letters to each of our children to have in the future. You know, telling them stuff I'm sure they'll appreciate when they're teenagers and think Luke and I are just SO COOL! Not only am I getting a late start with Austin, but I also decided to write them on our blog so as not to lose them in the sea of papers floating around our house in various rooms. Lucky for me, my firstborn was a son so I'm pretty sure his feelings won't be hurt that his letters started 2 years after his birth. Thank you, Lord, for boys without ridiculous emotions. ;) It will be long. Afterall, I have 2 years worth of catching up to do, and if there's one thing I am not, it's brief. Feel free to skim or skip this entry all together. But here goes. My first letter to my third favorite guy! May it bless him the way he blesses me daily.

Dear Austin:

I wish I could say that I'm one of those women that is always on top of things. Contrary to what I'm just sure you believe, I'm not super mom and so some things get started a little later than I would like. However, late start or not, I have loved you from the minute I found out we were having you and have told you everyday since how special you are to me. Now you'll just have proof!

When I was pregnant with you, the Lord specifically gave me this verse:

James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

And what a gift you were and have continued to be!! You are our unexpected reward from our Heavenly Father. You have filled our hearts with abundant joy and gratitude for the Lord's blessing. There are so many things I love about you, and the list grows longer each day. I love that you love to laugh just as much, if not more, than I do. Before you could say Austin, you would call yourself Haha. What a perfect name for a little boy whose mouth is constantly filled with laughter! It's become a nickname now, and I doubt we will ever quit calling you that on occasion. It is obvious that you are joyful just like your Papa B and possess his zest for life. I can't wait to see how God uses this in the future.

Before you were born, I determined in my heart to share you as much as possible with our families because I wanted you to love them as deeply as your Daddy and I do. Well. It paid off. Sometimes a little too much since we cease to exist any time you have the undivided attention of your aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents. But despite my sometimes ridiculous insecurity, I love to watch you enjoy each member of the family for unique reasons. I know in my heart that I have a special place in your heart that no one else can fill. At the end of the day, I am your hero, even if for just a little while, and I will never take that for granted. Never doubt how much you are loved by each and every person in the Keiffer/Bauerlein family. No one adores you more than them. Well, with the exception of your Daddy and I, but they're a close second.

I love to watch your little personality develop. There is no greater joy as a parent than to begin to recognize a little bit of Luke and I in you. In fact, you are the perfect combination of the two of us. You are observant and tender-hearted like your Daddy. And you are verbal and passionate like me. You're a rule follower and ask me every night,

What are the rules?

To which I say,

Lay still, be quiet, and close your eyes. You can get out of bed when it's REALLY light in your room.

You still won't get out of bed on your own, and we are just fine with that. I love your gentle spirit and that when I call you "sweet boy" you look up at me and say,

Sweet girl.

I love that you want to be just like your Daddy. You will not find a better role model on the planet and oh how he loves you!! He has such a way with you, and you listen to him more than anyone else. Lately you've been telling me that you "need him." Mostly this is what you say when you're in trouble with me, but in the mornings you ask where he is. Sometimes you even get a little teary-eyed when I tell you he's at work. If there's one thing the two of you share right now, it's your eagerness to start the day. I doubt you will ever sleep late because your Daddy never did and probably never will. I predict alot of early morning activities together while your Mommy gets her beauty sleep. But for now, a big thank you for forcing me to be a morning person and acknowlege that 5, 6, & 7:00 do exist!

There are so many things I pray for you. I ask the Lord for continued good health and safety. Something tells me I will not be good about broken bones and gushing wounds. It goes against every girly tendency I have to be ok with all the dirt, bugs, and burping! Thank you for stretching me. I pray that you never lose your joy and that you will always have a song in your heart. You bring a smile to everyone's face, even those who do not know you. Your happiness and love for life is contagious, and I know God has used this already to bless so many people.

But more than anything, I pray that you will be saved at an early age. It is my ferverent hope that you will come to know how wide, how high, and how deep the Father's love is for you! I pray that as He holds onto you that you will cling to Him. I ask the Lord to make himself known in your life, and that for as long as you live, you will love Him even more deeply than you do your family. He is it, Austin!! Greater love, you will never find! Follow hard after him and He will change your life daily.

I knew I would love you so much but I had no idea just how deep that love would be. You are more than I could ever hope for or imagine. The perfect fit for our family. Though our relationship may change with each new chapter of your life, my love for you will not. You may not know it now, but God has big plans for you and I'm so glad He gave me a front row seat! I love you, sweet boy.

Love:

Mommy

a little randomness for your tuesday morning

2010-03-02T10:11:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it either! Two posts in two days!! The truth is I'm about to hop in the shower so as to be ready for an early lunch with my mom. Something tells me that a girls lunch should be treated like a date...you want to be clean and dressed cute for the occasion. In other words, hat hair is not welcome.

While I have a little time to kill, I thought I'd give you all a glimpse into life in general here at the Keiffers. Also, before I get irrate calls and emails {oh, I kid!}, I do have some pictures of Austin that I will post in the near future. Just not today.

Ok. First, I need to confess that I have become slightly obsessed with the Food Network show Down Home with the Neelys. Y'all. I'm a sucker for all things southern and these two have the best accents. Plus, I love how much fun they have cooking together. And the food doesn't look too bad either. If you like to cook, you really should watch this show.

Luke got to leave for work a little later this morning so he went up to get Austin out of bed. It may have only been a few extra minutes in bed for me but it. was. GLOOOORIOUS! Sir Talks Alot also told us that he was singing quietly in his bed before Luke came up to get him. We asked him what he was singing and he said he didn't know. Gotta love it! It's a wonder he didn't say "She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain" or "Go Tell It On The Mountain" since those are his favorite songs lately.

I was cold ALL DAY LONG yesterday! The insulation in this house is alot like a vacuum in that it sucks all the cold and hot air right in; thus, putting my marriage in jeopardy because I want to turn the heat up or the air down all day long.

I downloaded an app to my iPhone called C25k. It stands for Couch to 5k. Yes, you read right. The girl that hates to run is training for a 5k. Really I'm just in it for the free t-shirt. Actually, it's more of a personal goal since I may not even register to run after I'm through training. We'll see. It's great, though, because you can still play your music and it will tell you when to walk, run, and cool down. The workouts last anywhere from 30-40 minutes. Don't be too impressed. {Not that you were or anything} It's really pretty easy and a 5k is only about 3 miles. Now those that are training for a marathon or even a half marathon, my hat's off to you! You may borrow my running shoes if you want because one thing's for sure: those things will never see the light of day where a marathon's concerned. It's good to be realistic with your goals.

Confession: I watched Oprah yesterday. I KNOW! I can't stand her show anymore either, but I tape it because my dislike for Oprah shouldn't contaminate my love for the Nate Berkus episodes. That boy's got some decorating talent. Anyway, yesterday it was all about that new show The Marriage Ref. Now I don't want to speak too prematurely but I think it's pretty safe to say that we're about to experience pure television gold! All I can say is that the first few episodes will deal with conflicts like a husband who sleeps on the porch. In freezing temperatures. A wife who refuses to let her husband put a stripper pole in their bedroom for her even though he promises it's actually an exercise pole. {Now raise your hand if you believe that. I thought so.} And a husband that claims he needs at least a meter of toilet paper when wiping. I'm not even kidding. It was great to see these couples interviewed because it appeared that their marriage was pretty solid despite these petty arguments. Plus, Jerry Seinfeld's the producer and he's hilarious so I think I'll give it a shot.

Alright. Well, I'm off to get ready for the day. A chicken ceasar salad for Gourmet Burger Grill is in my future and I am pumped!!

lovin' the weekend. 24/7.

2010-03-01T15:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday, Friends and Family! How was your weekend? Ours was great. Thank you for asking. I mean, how can a weekend go wrong when you start it out with a date and amazing cheesecake?! That's right. Luke and I got a babysitter for the munchkin so we could enjoy a little Saltgrass. It was delish. We told Monica {our babysitter} that we wouldn't be out long since we were just going to dinner and maybe a little shopping afterwards. You know you're lame when it's 7:30 and you don't want to head home just yet because a) you told the babysitter to put your child to bed at 8 and b) like I said, it's lame with a capital "L" when you can't think of anything else to do.

We ended up at Target to get a baby gift for a cousin that's having twin boys. Let's all share a moment of silence so as to say a short prayer for these two. They're gonna need it! Right, Elena?

I have to say that I cannot remember the last time Luke helped me pick out a baby gift. Oh wait. That's because HE NEVER HAS!! We may have to make a tradition out of it because he is hilarious. For example, while he visited the little mens room, I headed over to print out their registry. When I turned around he was sitting in one of those motorized wheelchair thingys as if he was going to use it. Yeah. Right. He wanted me to hop in the basket. To which I said,

Think again, crazy man! Paying for one of those after I break it is not in the gift buying budget.

Luckily I convinced him to use the two good legs God gave him to head over to the baby section with me. Can I just say that I hate trying to match the items on a registry to an actual Target item? It's completely stressful. I realize there's probably some kind of bar code I could check, but honestly, where's the fun in that? So there we were. Perusing their list and trying to pick out the perfect gift.

Sidenote: I love to give gifts almost as much as I love receiving them. So this was a big deal. My head was filled with thoughts along the lines of: what will they really use? what was a lifesaver for us? {can't believe it's been that long!!} Meanwhile, my husband is picking up breast pumps and suggesting we just "grab one of these for Amber." Uh, no.

One of the items on the list was a pack of five plain white onesies. Yes, only one pack. For twins. You should probably know that Amber and Jon are the lowest maintenance people I know. Seriously. They make me look like Paris Hilton. In other words, they're good people to hang around with. So Luke said,

Well. They're gonna need more than that!!

Well said. And thank you, baby expert! However, I couldn't bring myself to box up a couple of packages of plain white onesies. I'm gonna leave that up to one of the practical aunts. In the end, we purchased onesies with designs on them, pajamas, pacifiers, pacifier clips {because HELLO! babies love to drop those things on filthy floors!}, and Goodnight Moon. The best book ever! All in all, it was a humorous trip and we walked in the door right after Monica had put Austin to bed.

Saturday I headed up to Austin with my parents and Claire for a baby shower. Our cousins Jenny and Aaron are having a little girl in March. Oh! This month. The guys went to eat while the girls mingled and oohed and ahhed over little girl things. It was a fabulous time!

Sunday, we went to church and just hung out around the house. It was great to have some down time with Luke and Austin even though little A was more sensitive than I've ever seen him! It was one of those situations where you just want to get in bed and start all over. A reboot, if you will. I guess we all have days like that and yesterday was Austin's day!

Now. Before I go, I would like to end this post with a list of things Austin has told us lately.

{after listing the items in his lunch at school} ...and raisins. {pause} Raisins make me poop.

Mommy! Boys love dirt!!

Daddy, there are lots of trees here, right?

Me: You're right, Austin, there are.

Austin: No, Mommy! I'm talkin' to Daddy.

Luke: Yes. There are lots of trees here.

Austin: Mommy, would you like to say somepin?

{before naptime} Mommy? What are the rules?

You have to lay still, be quiet, and close your eyes.

Austin: Ok.

It's Jon! It's Jon!! Look...Jon!

{said while pointing to a picture of Muhammad Ali in Pizza Hut. Clearly, we're doing something right because Austin doesn't see color.}

Gosh, I love that little boy. He's talking more and more everyday. I love that he has such a joyful spirit and a deep love for his family.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

i think i'll try walking on water for a change

2010-02-24T15:40:00.000-06:00

Well, the sun is finally shining here today. Wonders never cease. I'm convinced that orange ball of fire heard me singing..."Let the sun shine in! Face it with a grin!!" and decided to make an appearance.

You're welcome, San Antonio.

But that's not what I want to talk to you about today. I would like to discuss a small four letter word that starts with an "F." No. It is not a cuss word so get your head out of the gutter. It's a little word that's wreaked havoc on my life lately. HAVOC, people! Are you ready?

Fear.

You know what I'm talking about because if this wasn't such an issue for so many people, God wouldn't have addressed it so much in the Bible. I think most of you are aware that I tend to worry, but lately that worry has taken a serious turn to Out of Control Town. Population 1. Now, we all know that God doesn't let us get by with allowing strongholds to rule our lives for long. So I'm sure you can imagine the kind of talks we've been having as of late. This is how you know God is pursuing you and literally forcing you to deal with something: He will not leave you alone. You will find Him speaking to you through the most random people, things, or blogs. Yes. I said blogs. I can't fool Him, you know. And clearly, He's not above using a little blog stalking to speak some truth today. Can I get an Amen?!

Amen.

So. A mental visual was on today's agenda. Let's just start with the verse.

Matthew 14:28-31

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come." He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"

Picture, if you will, a raging sea and a boat full of disciples. All of the sudden they see someone WALKING ON THE WATER toward them. And they think it's a ghost. Say what?! Am I the only one that thinks this is a little ridiculous? I mean this group of guys has spent countless days watching Him do amazing miracles. What's a little stroll on the water? During a massive storm no less. So there they are. Freaking out. And Jesus takes pity on them by saying, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Now if it had been me I would have said something like this:

Are you kidding me?! Who else would it be? I just told you guys to get in the boat and I'd meet you. Clearly, I do things a little differently since I am the Son of God and everything.

And that, my friends, is why I didn't get the job.

Meanwhile, a certain disciple, who shall remain nameless, is muttering something about how he just can't believe it's Jesus. He'll need some proof first! But you gotta love Peter. He actually "took the courage" instead of cowering in fear. You know Jesus smiled as Peter climbed out of the rocking boat onto the water. Imagine the look of total surprise on Peter's face once he realized he was, indeed, walking on the water. And then it hits him. He's walking on the water. During a huge storm. And he dropped out of swimming lessons when he was a boy. Not good.

"Save me!" he cried as he began to sink. Immediately. Let that sink in. IMMEDIATELY, Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.

Isn't life a little like walking on water? It takes courage and faith. But most importantly, it takes complete trust in our Heavenly Father. There is no room for doubting and fear. It is not easy. But it is not impossible!

The bad news is that we're human. There will be times that we feel ourselves sinking back into that "slimy pit." All we have to do is cry out to Jesus. And like the verse says, He will reach out His hand immediately and catch us. But you know what this particular part of the story taught me? He wants us to cry out to Him for help. Don't you think He knew exactly what Peter was thinking as he stared at the wind and waves? He could've stepped in right then. But he didn't.

He wants us to know and admit that we need His help. Those of us from the South should understand this approach completely. Never underestimate the value of a sincere invitation. Just think. How much more does it mean when you call out for Jesus and HE SHOWS UP?! Right then. What a testimony in a world of daily abandonment on every level! He is your hero. Your very own knight in shining armor, and He will never fail to save the day. So why do we doubt? Why do we allow Satan to win by living in fear?

Fear keeps us in the boat. Courage allows God to do some amazing things as we walk on water. He didn't promise it would be easy, but He did promise that He would always be right there.

So today God told me that if I'm going to believe him for good things then I'm gonna have to get out of the boat.

Message received. Thanks.

here's how i really feel about rain and life in general

2010-02-03T13:33:00.000-06:00

Whelp. I figured it was about time to update the 'ol blog on life lately. Not that all of you are just dying to know about our daily activities. Well, maybe some of our far away family would enjoy it. You see, one of the reasons I started this blog was so that I can refresh my memory from time to time when it comes to Austin, Luke, and life at the Keiffers.

Let's see. It's seems like it's been raining here for days. In fact, sometimes I wonder if I'll look out our window and see Noah and his ark floating by complete with 2 of every kind of animal. I bet it would really smell so here's hoping he's taking another route. Like maybe somewhere near Austin's school. Although I LOVE Coker, it would appear that I've chosen the only Mother's Day Out in a flood plain; thus, making drop off and pick up quite the adventure. In fact, he may not have to go to school tomorrow because all the roads leading to his school may be flooded completely. All of the sudden North Loop Road has become Lake Coker.

I don't mind the rain. I actually welcome it after Summer '09 otherwise known as The Summer I Realized I Might Have Seasonal Affective Disorder {aka: SAD} in reverse. Call me crazy but dead plants, grass, and trees just don't scream happiness. I mean, you know it's bad when you start singing "Come On Get Happy" to yourself throughout every day!!

But here's the deal. All this rain is starting to make me a little grouchy. I'm not sure what to wear because what if I decide I need to run a couple of errands? Of course, I'll have to wear jeans but then the bottoms get all wet because puddles like to hide in parking lots and sneak up on you when you're trying to carry your 2 year old and hold an umbrella AND put his hood on. So then they're dragging behind me making this dorky noise because we all know that when the bottom of our jeans get wet they get longer. Cool. Do you see my dilemma? Austin, on the other hand, is drawn to water like Heidi Montag to plastic surgery. I guess I can't blame him since the for the first 2 years of his life he hardly ever saw any rain. I thought about getting him some rain boots at one time but then I thought to myself:

Self, will you really get your money's worth. I mean think about it. It rains here about as much as it does in the dessert.

Turns out, jokes on me because El Nino decided to make an appearance, and lo and behold, we have rain. So when I'm feeling a little grumpy and mad at the rain, I just remind myself what it felt like to have million degree weather coupled with brown, brown and more brown. Plus, I can always take myself to the Red Dot Boutique {aka: Target} and get Austin some rainboots. Let's face it, there's nothing retail therapy can't fix.

Austin has been so fun lately. He's still talking up a storm which causes fun nicknames like Sir Talks Alot and Motor Mouth. In addition, sometimes I want to ask him if he was vaccinated with a phonograph needle. But for the most part I love hearing all about the things he's thinking and feeling. Here are just a few things he's told me lately:

When I noticed he was sitting in his highchair with his cheek in his hand I asked him what he was thinking and he said: I'm just thinking about my day. Mind you, it was very late in the day. Like 8:00. AM.

He tells me who went to time out at school so of course I have to ask if he ever has to go to time out. His response is priceless:

No. I not have to go to time out. But, I go to time out at Mommy's house.

Lucky for me, those times are few and far between since he's such a good little boy.

He was sleeping in our bed one night and rolled over, almost hitting me in the face. So I said:

Austin please be careful.

What's the problem, Mommy?

You almost hit me in the face.

Oh. I sorry, Mommy.

Precious.

He's so much fun and the ray of sunshine in the rainy days we've had lately. In other news, I've spent the last several days watching all of the Harry Potter movies. Well, not all of them. I still have one more to go. I don't even know what to say for myself. It's as if I've regressed and suddenly I'm obsessed with Young Adult fiction. Hopefully, I'll rejoin my age group soon.

On a completly unrelated note, I spent the majority of last week in the depths of despair. I had some sort of stomach bug on top of being told my parents were putting their dog to sleep. There were some dark days, people. It is NO. FUN. trying to keep up with a 2 year old when you have a fever, headache, and stomach woes interspersed with swollen eyes due to random crying spells. By the end of the week, I was ready to punch myself in the face just to put myself out of my misery. As you can see, things could only go up from there which is why this week has been MUCH better than last. I still have moments of sadness about the dog that was a part of our family for 10 years, but Robert Emmitt says that all dogs do go to Heaven. And I believe him. End of story.

Well, if you've made it this far then bless your heart. You are a true friend or devoted family member. Congratulations. You win the award. I'm off to fold more clothes so that I can look in my closet and complain that " I have NOTHING to wear." And technically, I don't when it's raining!

sing it with me...a whole new world!!

2010-02-01T15:19:00.000-06:00

I grew up in a family of girls.

Dresses, dolls, and drama were a part of our everyday routine.

We loved every minute of it. My dad not so much. He preferred a little less drama.

I have to admit. I was more than a little nervous when I found out we were having a little boy. I mean, really, are you surprised? You should know by now that I do better when I know what to expect. But for some reason, God prefers to be the One in control. Weird, I know.

So there I was. Getting ready to start a completely new journey in more ways than one. I quickly realized that the world of little boys is much different than that of little girls. Half the clothing racks, fewer choices for shoes, and they WILL pee on you. {Thankfully, Austin never got me with "Old Faithful."} However, I was finding that this new experience was more wonderful than I could have imagined.

Dolls have been replaced with dump trucks.

Less shoes and drama less. Hallelujah and Amen!

But the best surprise by far has been discovering that little boys love their mamas. There's nothing like it. His face lights up the moment I walk into the room. He tells me I'm beautiful and I know he means every word. For just a little while, I am the only girl that matters to him, and I am savoring every moment. I had no idea how much I would love my son. From the moment he was born, we've shared a special bond. After all, I birthed that boy. We better have a special bond.

{Don't worry. He and his daddy have a special bond too. It would seem that things like burping and wrestling strengthen it. I'm ok with the wrestling just not the burping. Totally gross.}

He is my buddy and we do everything together. We make memories while on Sonic dates, running errands, and doing housework. He tells me things like who kissed him at school or that the thunder scared him last night. And when he's not talking to me, he's singing to me.

There are definitely days that I feel I've failed. Failed to have patience. Failed to put him first. Or just failed in my overall attitude. But I pray that for the most part, I can model what it means to be beautiful on the inside. I hope that he will see what a treasure a Godly wife and mother are through my example. And let's not forget giving him ample opportunities to learn what it means to love someone even when the outside is less than pretty. We strive for a well rounded education here in the Keiffer family.

I know the day will come when another girl will steal his heart and our relationship will change. However, I hope that these years will strengthen the bond that was created when I looked into his little eyes for the first time and realized that, for better or worse, I was his mom forever. And how thankful I am that God gave me Austin Luke Keiffer! He is such a blessing.

So while I spent my growing up years in a house full of girls, I'm spending my grown-up years in a house full of boys. For now, anyway. It's proof that miracles do happen. I can love change after all. Feel free to look for some flying pigs.

i've been doing alot of listening lately

2010-01-20T15:20:00.001-06:00

Ok. I have like A MILLION things running through my head these days. All of which I would LOVE to share with you.

Lucky you.

In all seriousness, I feel like life has been as crazy as a whirlwind lately, but Jesus has been so faithful to use the quiet moments to speak to me. In fact, sometimes I swear I can hear "Just As I Am" playing softly in the background while He does a fresh work in my life somewhere between cleaning the kitchen and doing the laundry. I feel like the Lord and I have been having some good talks lately. Fortunately for me, I've been talking less and listening more. While I would love to attribute this to a new level of Godliness acheived on my part, I will be honest and tell you that it's probably because Sir Talks Alot requires most of my words on a daily basis. Sadly, thoughts are all I have left at the end of the day, and I've found I have alot more energy to just sit and BE STILL than to prattle on and on about my feelings and whatnot. {And somewhere, right at this very moment, pigs are flying by my husband's window since I'm sure he thought the day I would say this would never come.}

All of this to say that I've spent a great deal of time thinking about deep topics like Fear and Faith, which is surprisingly refreshing since my mind spends most of it's day trying to figure out how to explain the basics of going potty in the Big Boy Potty to a 2 1/2 year old...Jesus, come quickly! Now, fear is a topic for another day...or five. However, today I was listening to a message about faith. Here's the funny thing about faith. It's a pretty intense concept that isn't easy for the average human to grasp. Plus, it has way too many facets for this stay at home mom to tackle today. Like I said, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that my son is old enough for his own special potty seat that apparently will be living in MY bathroom.

But I digress.

What I've learned these last few months is that faith and trust are the opposite of fear. I've been afraid of alot of things lately...what if something happens to Luke? Or Austin. Or my parents.

You get the picture.

And when I'm not afraid I'm worrying. Because I'm a mom and so I'm a multi-tasker. Things like this go through my mind on a daily basis:

What happens when God says no to my heart's desire?

Am I being the best mom and wife I can be? {no army jokes please}

And then one day God spoke to me. It was such a clear message that I felt like I could've looked over and seen Him sitting right next to me. This is what He said:

Believe Me for good things.

Now that is a good word. Hallelujah and Amen.

I've spent so much time worrying about all the things that could go wrong, knowing that He can allow me to be tested in those ways, that I've forgotten how much He loves to give good gifts to His children.

So I went ahead and asked Him to keep reminding me of that. Because I'm a mom and so half of my brain cells belong to Austin, thus making my ability to remember half of what it used to be. And He has. Over and over again. At this point, it's almost a habit to say that to myself when I'm tempted to fear instead of trust and have faith.

Believe Him for the good. Even as undeserving as we are, He still loves to give good things to us!

the holidays. part 2.

2010-01-18T16:00:00.001-06:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here's The Sequel. As promised. Once again, we had a blast over the holidays and made memories that we will never forget. Here are just a couple of highlights from The Dallas Christmas...

We've declared this "The Year of Yes" right, Lindsay & Jared?
Austin LOVED playing with his second cousins. The proof? Yelling "This is SOOO fun!" while running down the hall.
Mexican food, mexican food, and MORE mexican food. Luke is still on overload!
I asked Luke if he would listen to Beth Moore with me on our way up to The Big D. He said "Sure!" and then told me I would have to listen to his music too since relationships are all about give and take. We didn't listen to Beth.
SNOW! That's right. It snowed on us when we drove into Dallas. It didn't stick since the ground wasn't cold enough. In other words, it was my favorite kind of snow.
Using the iPhone to take the tour of Dallas, therefore, bypassing the horrendous Cottonbowl traffic. It was touch and go at times but we made it. And that's all that matters.

Like I said, we had a blast! Can't wait 'til Christmas/New Years 2010 :)

the perfect rainy day activity

2010-01-15T14:12:00.000-06:00

Well, now that I think about it, I could probably think of other activities that are perfect for rainy days but this one's pretty good too.

Now. Before I go any further I feel like I should address the fact that I promised the sequel to part 1 of our holidays. All I can say is...I'm sorry. I'm sorry that the thought of uploading all those pictures to One True Media is more than I can committ to at this moment. Sorry that you won't be able to enjoy the rest of the fun vicariously. And I'm sorry that I got your hopes up only to leave you disappointed.

I have nothing to say for myself. And that's saying something! ;)

But don't worry. I wanted to share another list of blogs I really enjoy reading. Some give me fun ideas to try. Others are just inspiring. And some are very encouraging. So make yourself a nice, steaming cup of coffee {or tea. I don't discriminate}, pull up a chair, and make me feel better by blogstalking these people like I do. :) You know you want to so don't fight that feeling.

Enjoy your rainy Friday, friends!

the holidays. part 1.

2010-01-09T21:35:00.001-06:00

Ok. Due to the large volume of pictures I took over the holidays, I've decided to share them with you via A Slide Show. It has taken me a ridiculous amount of time to get this all set up. No, really. A ridiculous amount. So, with that in mind, I've decided to give you the highlights {in bullet form...get excited} of our holiday festivities with the Bauerlein side instead of using large amounts of words to describe every moment. Besides, they say a picture is worth a thousand words and I need to save as many words as possible for my conversations with Sir Talks Alot.

Now. Without further ado, I give you The Highlights followed by a RIVETING slide show. {If you want captions, you'll have to visit my facebook profile. Apparently, you have to upgrade to "premium" with One True Media if you want to actually tell a story with your pictures. No thank you. I'm all about free...well, in this case anyway.}

Austin and I decorated the tree. It looked great, and I'm convinced that's because all of the candy canes were grouped thisclose together on one side of the tree.
Besides the close knit group of candy canes, my favorite part of decorating the tree with Austin was showing him Daddy's ornaments and his First Christmas ornaments. Later he would proudly tell all of our visitors that, "this is me!" or "this is Daddy!" when pointing to said ornaments.
We all got to experience Austin's first Christmas program. I dressed him in his cutest red sweater, dropped him off at his class, and waited excitedly to see him ham it up with all of his friends. I should know by now that things rarely go as planned... He cried. I sat with his class. And it was like none of it ever happend afterwards.
Austin got to help Gigi, Claire, and me do some Christmas baking. He loved every minute. So we bought him some play food for Christmas. Here's hoping our little chef will be making dinner SOON! ;)
Christmas Eve brought lots of exciting events and gifts. The sisters were thrilled to recieve Snuggies from our Granny. Austin, however, was NOT thrilled to see his Mommy wearing it. He cried for 10 minutes and not even the new Hot Wheels could save the day. That didn't stop us from seizing the moment and taking multiple Classy with a "K" pictures!
Austin decided he wanted the zebra striped snuggie to be his.
He asks to wear it every time he sees the pictures. Or opens the blanket drawer. Or just feels the need for a snuggle.
Luke and I made cookies with Austin for Santa. We chose sugar cookies with M&Ms, and by we, I mean me. I learned alot about Santa that night. For example, sometimes he prefers his cookies sans the M&Ms, and Dr. Pepper is his drink of choice for the big night. Can't wait for Austin to tell all his friends he leaves a big glass of Dr. Pepper out for Santa on Christmas Eve...
The Keiffers started a new Christmas morning tradition...a visit to our local IHOP for some pancakes and hot chocolate. And oh yeah, some Dr. Pepper too. You know, for "Santa."
Christmas was at our house. We ate. ALOT. I think I'm still full.
We all celebrated my mom's 54th birthday. Good times were had by all, but how can you not when funny girls like Claire and Britt are present. We loved making the night special for the Birthday Girl! :)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

After celebrating Christmas "Bauerlein style" my little family headed up to Dallas to celebrate with the other Keiffers. I'll post pictures of that next. We loved every minute we got to spend with our families and continue to feel blessed beyond measure where they are concerned! Hope your holidays were merry too!! :)

happy new year

2010-01-04T15:05:00.001-06:00

Well. I've let too much time pass between posts. The problem is that if I wait too long, I forget all the events I want to record in cyberspace. You know, so as never to forget them. I have much to fill you in on, but I just finished posting pictures on facebook. Sadly, I don't have the wherewithall to wait any longer for pictures to upload on here. My deepest apologies.

But until my next post, know that we had a great Christmas and New Years. Once again we are in awe of God's blessings and humbled that He would give us such amazing families! We are so excited to see what 2010 holds for us, and know that God is already all over it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So we are thankful in advance and can't wait to share it all with you. I will leave you with this:

Psalm 65:11

"You crown the year with Your good blessings, and You leave abundance in Your wake."

thanksgiving highlights

2009-12-10T12:33:00.000-06:00

Here is a little picture recap of our Thanksgiving. We spent the week in Colorado. Some of us went mountain bowling and by that I mean skiing. Others stayed home due to some ankle problems caused by running in order to be in shape for skiing.

That's several hours of my time I'll never get back, but I'm not bitter.

We had an absolute BLAST! The outlet mall a mile from our condo may or may not have had something to do with it. Ok, that was really just an added bonus. We always have fun when we get to spend time with Luke's side of the family. Best. In-laws. Ever!! We love them and here's the proof:

These 2 won the ugly sweater contest.

Like my friend Andrea said: Scarred. For. Life. And yes this is a woman's sweater from Goodwill. Consider this picture my Christmas gift to you. You're welcome.

I guess Austin didn't get the memo that we were taking a picture. Oh well. I still love him more than words can say...even in this horrendous sweater.

The boys before our sleigh ride.

The whole family. So fun and SO cold!!

Love my little family!

My boys. They never fail to make me laugh.

Such a good picture of these 2!

The 3 amigos. :)

This picture makes me thankful for 2 things: hot chocolate before sleigh rides in FREEZING weather and a brother that makes us laugh even when we can't feel our lips. :)

Absolutely LOVE her. This picture is already framed in my kitchen.

The fam on the gondola ride. I accidently downloaded the wrong one of the 3 of us, which means I'm gonna hear about this later from Luke. Ooops, sorry!

Sweet boy just taking it all in

Our gondola partners

Before the sleigh ride. Austin had a RIDICULOUS amount of layers on. We call that Paranoid Mom around here.

Singing to us at the dinner table. This is how the song went: "Grammy! Grammy! Grammy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" etcetera and so on and so forth. All I have to say is due to his amazing talent for songwriting, Luke and I have decided that he is our retirement plan. Oh, I kid...sort of.

One of the many reasons I love her. Yes, she's sitting in Austin's carseat.

Grammy and her number one fan. :)

View from the gondola. Please excuse the scratches.

On the plane and super excited about "Codorado" as Austin calls it.

See? He was pumped!!

Despite the fact that my camera totally failed me at this moment, I still love this picture of my boys. There is no one else I would rather travel with than these two.

This is the kind of view we enjoyed all week.

There you have it. The highlights of our week in the mountains. If you're thinking it looks amazing then you would be correct. We can't wait to go back. :)

picture post

2009-11-18T07:53:00.000-06:00

Well. I have no excuses for myself other than it's been a CRAZY few weeks. I know it's bad when my husband asks me,

When are you ever going to update your blog?!

Because it's not like we don't live together, and he doesn't automatically know what's going on in my life and our house. But oh how I love that he enjoys reading what I write and cares enough to check in on a regular basis.

I do have so much to share, but until my house doesn't look like a hurricane blew through it, I feel like I should focus on a couple of other things before giving you the lowdown on the madness that was November. Until then, here are some Austin pics for your viewing pleasure. Rest assurred, despite all the craziness, he remains the light of our lives and favorite subject for any and every photo shoot at our house.

Chillin'

Just finished a week of Pops & Grammy Camp. Please ignore the very industrial background of this picture. The Temple IHOP didn't exactly provide a plethora of picturesque settings for us.

Modeling his Colorado hat and "thumbs." That's right, gloves are now referred to as "thumbs" in this house. Love. It.

Mowing the yard.

Potato sack race at the pumpkin patch.

Losing steam and his sack

My favorites!

Mommy and Haha :)

LOVE this face. It's so Austin.

Trying to pick up the pumpkin.

He loved the animals!

Our little pumpkin :)

More pictures and stories to come soon! Hope you're enjoying the Christmas season and experiencing the joy that knowing Jesus brings this time of year.

a poem and some thoughts

2009-11-17T12:19:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday! This post will be kind of short and sweet seeing as how I have too much to do and not enough time to do it. We leave for Colorado on Saturday morning and I feel like I'm already running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

You're welcome for that mental picture.

But don't you agree that every once and alot you feel that same way? Don't lie to yourself. Or to me. It happens because we're human and sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we can do it all. As much as I would like to call myself Super Woman, I have to be honest with myself and admit that I'm not, and I would never be able to fit in that ridiculous outfit anyway. {But in my wildest dreams I do and I look amaaazing. Because everyone should look good in their dreams.}

So here I sit posting on my blog when I should be vaccuming, straightening, and gathering things to pack. It's just that I read this poem on a blog I visit from time to time and it touched my heart. So of course I had to share it with you.

Because I like you that much!

I wish I knew who wrote it, but The Blog didn't say. So here's to Anonymous. Thank you for your moving words and touching insight.

Once upon a special day in Heaven up above , the tiniest souls sat at God's feet, surrounded by His love. ‘The time is coming, very soon’, God said, ‘Do not be scared. Your family awaits your arrival, now let us get prepared’.

And so God looked upon these souls, in mute consideration. He knew the life each one would live, He weighed each situation.

The souls chatted amongst themselves, and wondered who they'd be. They knew the day grew closer; soon, they'd meet their family.

‘How would you like to change the world?’ God asked each soul in fun. The chance to change a soul, a heart, is held by only one.

‘I'm going to make the world laugh’, one soul said with a smile, ‘for laughter heals a broken heart, and helps us through each trial’.‘Then take with you the brightest smile, and share your laughter well’. The soul thanked God immensely, and down to earth he fell.

‘And I'll remind the world to sing’, a sweet little soul told the Lord. ‘I have the gift of a beautiful voice; I can hit every note and every chord’.‘You’ll have the gift of music then, a voice, lovely and strong. Share your gift with others, and let them hear your song’.

‘I will show compassion’, the next little soul raised her hand. ‘Some people only need a friend, someone to understand’.‘Compassion is a good thing’, God said with much delight. ‘To you, I will give mercy. You'll perceive wrong from right’.

And so each soul shared every thought, their plans, their hopes, their dreams. And God explained that life, it is, much harder than it seems.

And as each soul began to leave in a scurry of laughter and fun, Heaven became quiet and still, for left was only one.

‘Come sit with me my little child’, God said with just a sigh. ‘Do you know how many you will touch, in a world left wondering why? Before your life comes to an end, you will know much strife, but you'll teach those who know you, to cherish the smallest things in life.'

And some may only know you through a simple photograph, they'll never hold you in their arms, or memorize your laugh. Some may only know you through the words they read each day, but you'll do something wonderful, you'll make them stop and pray’.

The tiniest soul raised her head up, to touch God's firm, strong hand. ‘Father, I am ready for the life that you have planned. And I will do the best I can without a word or deed. For you Lord, are the planter, and I will be your seed’.

She could already hear many praying, and although they had not seen her face, they were praying for her safe arrival, they were asking for mercy and grace.

‘What talent do I leave with Lord? What gift do you impart?’

‘All that you will need’, God said, ‘I've placed within your heart’. And so God kissed this tiny child, knowing all that she would be, and whispered as he watched her go...'You'll teach them . . . to love me'.

It seems like I've read alot of blogs lately about babies or small children who have passed away long before many of us think they should have. It breaks my heart and makes me so very thankful for a son who is happy and healthy! But it has also opened my eyes to just how powerful our God is. He can use the tiniest person to change many hearts and lives. It makes me feel extremely honored and humbled that I have the privilege of being called His child. I am so undeserving!

Now before I tell you this next thought, you should know that I do not like to think about death and dying. In fact, I try to avoid it at all costs because the thought of living in this world without just one of those I love is almost too much for me. However, the other day I was thinking about the verse that says,

"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."

2 Timothy 4:7

And here's what God told me in that rare moment of Life & Death Contemplating. We are put on this earth for a purpose. {Duh.} But as soon as that purpose is fulfilled and we "finish the race" our Heavenly Father wastes NO TIME in taking us Home. Do you want to know what I believe? Ok, I'll tell you. Here's hoping it rocks your world like it did mine.

I believe that God really does wait for our arrival to Heaven with great anticipation. I think He longs for the day that He can physically embrace us and welcome us Home. {And I fully expect a big hug from him because quite frankly I will have waited a long time for it.} I know He thinks about us in great detail as He prepares our very own mansion. I'm willing to bet that He counts the days until we are with Him in paradise much like I did when Austin was in Dallas. He knows this life is not easy and that this world is not our home. I think that is one of the reasons He doesn't leave us here a minute longer than necessary. Y'all. I am just so thankful for that because I feel like I'm going to be a much bigger fan of Heaven than Earth.

I'm not gonna lie. I needed to be reminded of just how much He loves me. In fact, I told Him so just the other day and He came through in a big way. I really needed to know that no matter what I do or don't do, no matter who likes me or who doesn't, and no matter how wretched I am, He made me "fearfully and wonderfully." He loves me {and you} for who I am and who I'm going to be. At the end of the day, He is the only one who can love me perfectly because He is perfection itself. And I am just so thankful for that!

Have a great day!!

{Austin pics and update coming soon!!}

old macdonald had a farm

2009-10-27T20:26:00.000-05:00

Don't panic. I am alive.

Barely.

You see, Luke is out of town for a few days which means I'm flying solo. Translation: at the end of the day, my bed is my new best friend. I'm not even kidding. Have you met my child?! He's a darling little boy about the size of your average kitchen trash can. If you haven't seen him then just listen because it's very easy to hear him seeing as how he talks non-stop.

While he runs around me in circles. With Savannah on his heels. And Wonder Pets on TV in the background.

Now do you see why I'm exhausted at the end of the day? In fact, the little guy was so eager to start our day together this morning that he woke up at 4:45. You read right. FOUR FOURTY FIVE IN THE MORNING. And not even some snuggle time in Mommy's bed could convince him to go back to sleep. He was kind enough to play with my hair, though, while we were laying there. It was a sick joke, really, because just as I was about to drift off to sleep, he'd grab a handful of hair and pull really hard. Thank you, Austin. And even though early mornings with my son really are a sweet time, this morning's debacle made me want to march myself into the nearest Walgreens and demand that they point me in the direction of the No Doze. Needless to say, I am SO looking forward to having my sister over this afternoon and welcoming my sweetie home late, late tonight.

But enough about these last few days. Let's back up a little bit so I can tell you about some of our most recent adventures. Because that's what The Keiffers are all about...Adventure. First of all, some of you might be aware that Halloween is just around the corner. And by "around the corner" what I really mean is this Saturday. It's no secret by now that Halloween is my least favorite holiday. BUT. There is one thing that I do love about it and that is picking out a super cute costume for Austin to wear. This year he was Old MacDonald. Remember? I've mentioned it before so this should come as no surprise to you. There are no words for the massive amounts of cuteness so I'll just show you a picture instead. Here he is folks...Old MacDonald and his "farm."

I told you! No words. Oh, you want to see it again? Well, ok.

Seriously, this put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I cannot tell you how excited he was when I put his costume on him to wear for the Storybook Parade at his school. He kept calling the hat his "cowboy hat" and the pitchfork a "fork." Little did I know that getting him into his costume would be the easy part of the day. You see, it had rained...and rained...and rained...the night before; thus, causing some of the roads to flood. Most of these low water crossings exist near his school.

Cool, right?

So there we were. Trying to get Old MacDonald and his farm to school. The first road we tried was closed. No big deal. I just went a different way. Imagine my shock when it was blocked too. However, I noticed that several cars were heading down that road, so like the smart girl I am, I decided to follow. Don't worry. I wouldn't have done something like this if I wasn't 99.9% sure I could get through. As we approached the low water crossing and watched several cars smaller than mine make it through, I couldn't help but feel as if Austin wasn't Old MacDonald after all. Suddenly, he was Noah riding in an ark that strangely resembled my red Escape. Ironic, right? Seeing as how if I'd REALLY screwed things up and misjudged this route we would be needing a serious escape. Obviously, we made it through with no problems, which is a good thing seeing as how the only paddle we would've had was Austin's pitchfork. Something tells me that just wouldn't have cut the mustard.

No one was more relieved to pull into that parking lot than me. And Noah? Well, he was just thrilled to pieces to walk up to his class in all his Old MacDonald glory.

I feel like there is just so much more I could tell you, but I just got a text from Luke saying they were leaving Dallas. This means that he'll be home much sooner than I expected. SCORE! It also means that it's time to kick it into high gear and get this pigsty cleaned up so he won't think I'm completely out of control when he's gone. Because what he doesn't know can't hurt him.

Happy Wednesday, friends!!

a week in the life

2009-10-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

Well, once again I've let too much time pass between posts. I wouldn't say that things have been crazy lately, but I would say that our days have been full. So. Here's what we've been up to.

This past weekend, Luke and I traveled up to College Station to see Britt and Jon. We left little A with my parents and I think it's safe to say that all parties had a blast. We were able to do grown up things like sleep in 'til 7 and Austin got to ride the zoo train with Gigi, Papa B, and C. Monday was spent at the grocery store and doing stuff around the house. I also may or may not have eaten a couple of slices of bread from a loaf that was getting moldy. Sick. I will say though that I didn't notice any mold on my sandwich. Still, I throw up in my mouth a little every time I think about it.

Austin and I also had a photo shoot. And by Austin and I, I mean I took pictures of Austin. It was during this precious time together that I realized girls are not the only ones with unexpected mood swings. Here's the proof.

Such a happy boy!

Still happy. Meltdown will commence in about .2 seconds

Officially not happy

Meltdown almost over

And scene.

I also snuck in a picture of Savannah. It is quite possibly the funniest picture I have ever taken of her, but I'll let you decide for yourself.

We don't believe in drugs or getting drunk in this house. Clearly, Savannah is going through her rebellious stage. Here's hoping the Holy Spirit will do a work in her life in the near future.

Ok, I'm only kidding. This is really just a picture depicting her afternoon slump. You see she spends her mornings sleeping, laying around, and venturing outside every once in a while to go to the bathroom. So I'm sure you understand that by the time the late afternoon arrives she is too tired to do much of anything. Such a rough life!

I know there's more I could tell you but the bathrooms are already dirty again, laundry is piling up, and floors need to be vaccumed and mopped. I keep hoping that one day I'll be able to take a page out of Mary Poppins book and just snap my fingers and the job will be done. So far no luck. I tell you what between her and the Proverbs 31 woman, we girls have alot to live up to.

Happy Wednesday!

a little of this and a little of that

2009-10-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, first of all I need to thank all of you for reading my blog. I've had a few people tell me how much they enjoy reading about our daily activities, and I've got to be honest, it always blows me away. I'm so honored that you would take time out of your day to "catch up" with us. So thanks again for being such a blessing in your compliments. I hope I can be the same to all of you. :)

Yesterday, while Austin was at MDO, I ran a plethora of errands. The first stop was Hobby Lobby- or my home away from home these days. That place is amaaaazing as Austin would say. And it was so nice to just wander down the aisles all by myself even though Austin is always good when we go there. I also ran into Home Goods while I was over that way. Can I just say something? I LOVE that place. As I walked the store I was overcome with a feeling of deep appreciation for their goods and prices. Unfortunately I didn't find what I was looking for but that's ok because I had fun just looking around.

Today we went to story time at Barnes and Noble. It was awesome except for the fact that they read some books about Halloween. I'm sure Austin was like,

What the heck is all this talk about witches, mummies and bats about?

We celebrate fall in the Keiffer house because I hate Halloween. I'm sorry to all of you people that love it. I just think all the decorations are tacky, and I can't say that I'm a fan of stuff like spells and creepy monster stuff. I prefer to stick to stories about vampires falling in love with mere mortals.

I won't judge you if you won't judge me.

However, we are having a Little People Costume Party at our house this year. And yes, you have to capitalize that because it's the very creative title for the most awesome party of the year. Austin is going to be Old MacDonald. Thank you, Michelle, for making Luke love me more by providing us with a free costume. I'll be sure to take a picture and post it on here. Just know this. It entails overalls with animals velcroed all over them.

You're welcome for that hilarious mental picture.

After lunch we headed upstairs to read Goodnight Moon. Love that book! Austin's favorite part is the cow jumping over the moon. And now I'm sitting on the couch soaking in the peace and quiet before I start some serious cleaning. Speaking of that, I better quit procrastinating so I can make some good progress before the little man wakes up.

Oh! One last thing. I promise to post some pictures soon. And by soon, I mean before October is over.

Oh I kid because I'm a kidder! :)

when i want to procrastinate this is what i do

2009-10-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

Good morning, Blog Friends! This is going to be just a quick entry today because I need to get some soup in the crockpot and hopefully recieve a call from the husband about a lunch date. So. The topic of today's entry is blogs. Believe me when I say that not only has reading them become a pastime of mine, but I also feel that finding great blogs has become a talent. Hmmm, if only I could find a way to capitalize on this talent. And now, because I care about you, I give you a whole new set of reasons to procrastinate. Happy Reading!!

Mindy Weiss Party Planner Extrodinaire

{ I totally want to be her when I grow up}

The TomKat Studio

{amazing eye candy}

Just A Girl

{fun ideas can be found here. and no, i'm not talking about the Halloween crafts. Hello, my name is Aimee. Have we met?!}

Pocket Full of Posies

{Ok, if the name doesn't convince you to visit then frankly I don't know what will. Also, please scroll down and take a look at the fabulous shoe bling followed by her amazing fall doors. And what the heck is a horse apple? That is all.}

And for all you people that sew, check these sites out:

Moda Bake Shop

The Pleated Poppy

These websites alone have convinced me to try to learn to sew for my next trick. Hey, if my mom can make all of us matching Easter dresses, surely I can learn to make pretty things too. And just in case you were having a panic attack, those Easter dresses were worn when I was like 8. You know, right on the cusp of thinking that matching with your mom and sisters was totally uncool.

Alright. Luke just called and I've scored myself a lunch date! Yes!! Have a lovely Thursday.

in the words of the office, permission to speak on the record

2009-09-29T11:40:00.000-05:00

Before I begin a new post allow me to share a few thoughts from the last one. First of all, Luke and I had a senior moment when it came to the proper spelling of height vs. heigth. For some reason, neither looked right to me and when he read it later he made this face like,

Ummm, that's unfortunate that you don't know how to spell that word for sure.

Thanks.

So my apologies if I didn't spell it right. Some days it's an accomplishment to remember how to spell my name correctly. You think I'm kidding but I'm not.

Ok. Now that that's out of the way, how's the week goin' for ya so far? Mine has been stupendous, thank you for asking. Last night was date night with my little man since Luke went to the Metallica concert. Oh! What's that? You can't picture him at a hard rock concert? Well, neither can I to be honest, but shocking as it may be, he actually enjoys that kind of music. Plus, whose going to pass up a free ticket to box seats in the AT&T Center. Not my husband! I offered to paint his face for the occasion but he declined. Weird, I know. He had a great time and I enjoyed a little quality TV time after my date went to bed. Unfortunately, since I was solely in charge of bed time, Austin did not get a bath. Come to think of it he hasn't had a bath since Saturday. GASP! I have nothing to say for myself other than that I find bending over a bathtub while trying to bathe a little person to be the most uncomfortable position in the history of the world. In addition, bathing Austin is a little like wrestling a greased pig. Or what I imagine that would be like. Needless to say, he will be getting a bath tonight whether I like it or not.

I also got my hair cut today. In fact, I decided to take a walk on the wild side and get a whole new 'do. I love it! I can't remember if I told Luke or not that I was getting my hairs cut today so he may get the shock of his life when he gets home. Ok, ok. It's not that drastic of a hair cut.

In other news, Britt and I are working on something pretty exciting. Or at least we think so. Hopefully, it will bring in a little extra money for our families and we'll have some fun in the process. As soon as things are a little further along, I'll fill you guys in on all the details. Try to contain your excitement. Until then, know that if I'm a little scarce around here it's not because I don't like y'all. I'm just trying to work on my Proverbs 31 woman traits. She's quite the one-upper if you hadn't noticed!

Alright, friends, since today is an MDO Day I'm gonna go get some stuff done before I pick up little A. Have a Happy Tuesday!

because saying stupid things really is a talent

2009-09-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

Do you want to know something pathetic? Sometimes, when I feel the need to update you all on life at The Keiffer House, I will sit in front of my computer for embarrassing amounts of time trying to come up with the perfect beginning sentence. And now you're probably thinking,

She spent obscene amounts of time coming up with THAT sentence?!

Why yes. Yes I did. All I can say is that it feels good to be honest.

So, if you don't mind, just insert amazing intro sentence here.

Thank you so much.

And now, I give you the rundown of our weekend. We kicked it off with some burgers from Freddy's on Friday night. Some of you may remember that around our house we call them Crack Burgers. Because we strongly suspect that they are laced with crack cocaine. They are that addicting. We hadn't had Freddy's in a while and it was a gloooorious reunion. Saturday morning Luke and I actually woke up before Austin. I know. I should have checked to see if pigs were flying by outside our bedroom window. Around 8:00 I decided to go make sure he was still breathing. Now I'm not sure if I woke him up or not but he definitely popped his little head up when I walked in and asked me,

What happend?

Well, I don't know. Why don't you tell me. Did your Daddy give you a big 'ol dose of Benadryl last night before bed or what?

And since he was in such a good mood we decided to go on a family walk. Including Savannah who quite possibly gave us a run for our money in the out of shape department. I never thought I'd see the day when I had to drag her home instead of the other way around. We wore her out for sure! The rest of the day was spent hanging out, running errands, and going to dinner with some friends. Besides the quality family time, I would have to say that the highlight of my Saturday was when a lady passed us a note at dinner via our waitress to say that "your baby is so good." It's things like that that just warm a mother's heart because it's confirmation that you're not completely screwing up. Oh yeah. And that the whole restaurant doesn't hate you because you have that child. Don't lie. You know you've thought it whether you have kids or not. All in all it was a good Saturday.

Today we went to church and then had lunch at Wing Stop. If I want to speak Luke's Food Love Language then I suggest wings for lunch or dinner. I'm sure you can just imagine how thrilled he was when I said I wanted to go there for lunch today. It was during this meal that I reached an all time high for Stupidest Things To Ever Come Out of My Mouth. The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: How's Josh doing?

Luke: Good. He had to tape the basketball practice from the bird's nest the other day. He called Jared thinking he would get some support but I guess he didn't get what he was looking for.

Me: Really? I guess he expected some encouragement since Jared is afraid of heights.

Luke: Yeah, but apparently Jared didn't exactly deliver.

Me: You know, it's weird that Jared is afraid of heights because he's so tall!

And then I thought to myself,

Did you REALLY just say that? What does his heigth have to do with being afraid of actual heights?!

The answer to that is absolutely NOTHING! But that didn't stop me from trying to justify my response to a suddenly silent Luke.

Me: I mean, you would think that he wouldn't be afraid of heights since he's taller than everyone else and therefore is always looking down at us.

Luke: Still silent but obviously trying not to laugh.

I'm still not sure why I drew that conclusion and then thought it would be a good idea to share with the group. Clearly, the crack in Freddy's burgers takes a couple of days to affect your judgement. Lesson learned.

As hard as it is to believe, this wasn't the highlight of my Sunday. Try to contain your surprise. The best part of today was when I walked in the door after attending a baby shower and discovered that my wonderful husband had cleaned the downstairs. I felt a little like God must've felt when He looked at the world He'd created and said it was good. Except I would have added an extra word since I'm just that verbal.

It was VERY good.

Wanna know something else that's very good? Austin. In case you missed it, we're not the only ones who think so. Just ask the lady we saw at Stone Werks. Here he is with his "mickey hand," which is really just a big OU hand. I wouldn't neccesarily say that he's an Oklahoma fan, he just really likes it that his Uncle Josh taught him "Boomer! Sooner!" and we all respond when he says it. Because he's just so darn cute. Here he is in action:

Love it! Almost as much as I love him.

Happy Sunday, friends!

remember the yellow piece of construction paper?

2009-09-24T10:55:00.000-05:00

Well, my friends, fall is officially here in the form of rain, cooler weather, and pumpkin spice lattes. I cannot tell you how happy this kind of weather makes me. You know that Twilight series everyone keeps talking about? It's ok if you don't. Just know that you are probably one of about 2 that hasn't heard of it...

What can I say? Honesty is my specialty today.

Anyway. I could totally live in Forks. Actually, I could totally live anywhere in the Pacific Northwest where it rains more than the sun shines. And not because I'm one of those weirdos that asked Stephanie Meyer if her books were an autobiography. Are. You. Kidding. Me?! I just love rainy, snuggle weather like this.

But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about today.

Today, I would like to discuss some Mother's Day Out Thoughts and Observations. First of all, Austin could not love school more if they filled his classroom with puppies, balls, and other such toys that thrill him to pieces. In fact, when I pick him up he is either finishing his snack {because he is the World's Slowest Eater} or playing with his friends and not eager to leave. It warms my heart that he enjoys himself so immensely, and someday should the Spirit lead me to let him go to after care, I will be able to obey knowing that he will continue to have the time of his life. However, I can't bear to be away from him any longer on Tuesdays and Thursdays so the little man will just have to pray for some divine intervention if he wants to explore the world of Late Pickup.

One of the things I love about his new teacher is that she sends out her newsletter via email. Or Me-mail as Luke calls it. Feel free to call him Mr. Creative if you want to. The Lambs Newsletter is really just a way for Ms. Debbie and Ms. Cherie to inform us of what they're doing that month, and most importantly, who brings snack on what day. It just so happens that Austin was in charge of bringing the snack for today. Normally, I remember this the night before or morning of and frantically scour our pantry to see what hasn't been opened yet that can pass for a well thought out snack. But this time I actually prepared way ahead of time and made mini pumpkin spice muffins.

Sometimes I like to call myself Super Mom when no one's around. And sometimes I just thank God that he reminded me of a committment that slipped my mind. I mainly find myself doing the second statement. Just keepin' it real, folks.

So off to school we went this morning with our mini muffins. And blanket. And pillow. And backpack. And lunchbox. In the rain no less. At that point, I was referring to myself as the Pack Mule because I looked a little like what I imagine Mary and Joseph's donkey looked like when they headed out for Bethlehem. No lie. Luckily, Austin found every puddle along the way and was kind enough to stop and stomp his foot in each one. Oh the world of little boy joys! We finally made it to his class where I passed on all his gear plus The Muffins to Ms. Debbie. I'm sure he's having a blast even as I type these words.

And finally, remember The Family Page that I threw together his first day of school? Turns out it wasn't due that day. I know this because my eyes happend to land upon this sentence in the newsletter:

Turn in Family Page ASAP!

What?! You mean to tell me that thing wasn't due the first day?! Great. Well, at least I got it done and out of the way. The only regret I have at this point is that there isn't a picture of Austin and Savannah on his Family Page. Sorry, Savannah. Just know that you are on the Family Page in our hearts.

And on that lame note, I bid you good day.

all about my boys

2009-09-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, Luke led Sunday School for my Dad this morning. He did great!! One of my favorite things he said was that there are highs and lows in love and marriage. The important thing is to remember that you're on this ride together and committed to seeing things through no matter what! How true that is. We've had some amazing highs and some not so fun lows but Luke is the perfect compliment to me. There is no one else I'd rather ride through life with than him.

Now that was a good word. Hallelujah and Amen.

I'm so proud of the husband God gave me. You know what they say...we may not be perfect but we're perfect for each other.

I love you, Luke! You. Are. Wonderful.

Austin has been in rare form these days. I am constantly blown away by how smart he is. Don't get me wrong. I always knew he was a genius but he catches on to things that I didn't even know he was learning. For example, here's a little snapshot of a recent convo we had the other day.

Austin: What's that Mommy?

Me: Those are plants.

Austin: Ohhhh! Amaaazing!

I have no idea where he learned how to use that word. I can't say that Luke and I just walk around saying that over and over. Clearly, our son is "amaaaazing!" And clearly we will have to be even more vigilant about MINDING THE LITTLE EARS. The last thing I want him to do is say "Shoot!" if he drops something in Sunday school.

He's also really been into wearing his sunglasses lately. I love to look in the backseat and see him just chillin in his glasses. He loves them so much that he sometimes wears them into the actual store. I guess he just wants to be prepared for any papparazzi that might be waiting to snap his picture since he's kind of a big deal! But why would I bore you with all these details when I could just show you a picture instead:

You're welcome for providing that little ray of sunshine in your day.

It's no secret that everything Austin does is either cute, hilarious, sweet, or all of the above. However, he may have out done himself the other day when he was taking pictures with Grammy's camera. Despite the fact that it's digital, he would hold it up to his face and say "Cheese!" while pointing it at random objects like the lamp. Or my arm. Or his backpack. He was so excited about his new found talent that he would run over to Savannah and say,

Look, Sanny! Look!

It was the funniest thing I've witnessed in quite a while.

I'm so thankful for both of the boys in my life. They fill my days with laughter, excitement, and precious memories. I love them more than words can say!!

The End.

the "garbage" sale

2009-09-19T19:14:00.000-05:00

Today we had a garage sale. Or garbage sale as we like to call it. You know what they say...one man's trash is another man's treasure. But let me back up because this sale was quite the last minute decision.

Shocking, I know.

Luke's mom, better known these days as Austin's Grammy, came down to visit this weekend. She was so sweet to offer to spend some quality time with Austin so that Luke and I could enjoy some much needed quality time ourselves. Whenever either of our parents offer to take care of Austin for any length of time, I immediately start making a massive to do list. And of course, Date Night is a must! With that knowledge, it should be no surprise to you that I saw this weekend as my big chance to accomplish many things while Austin was acting as Grammy's Number One Fan. One of these things just happend to be our garage sale. In fact, when my mom asked me what we were doing this weekend and I replied,

Having a garage sale.

She gave me a very surprised look and said,

Really?! This weekend?

I guess since we've been talking about doing this for the last 2 years, they thought it would never happen. I know. It's so weird that they would draw that conclusion.

So we got the permit {yes, you need one}, priced our "garbage" {yes, I almost had an anxiety attack trying to decide what was too much, too little, or just right}, and prepared to begin our big day at the very early hour of 9:00 {no, I had no idea that you couldn't start at the crack of dawn like my parents used to do back in the day}.

There we were surrounded by piles upon piles of junk while people milled about looking for their Big Find of the day. Let me tell you, there are ALL KINDS of people that come out of the wood work for a good garage sale. Here are some highlights:

One older gentleman took a serious turn to Creepy Town when he wouldn't quit talking about how much he likes eating breakfast at McDonald's and telling me stories about the time he spent in Burma. I'm not entirely sure where Burma is. All I know is that it exists across the ocean and they're not too good at expressing their emotions. Or so he told me. He also told me to "look at that little guy tearing it up in the park." The little guy was my son and I was not about to disclose that fact to Sir Talks Alot And Acts Creepy. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to but all the references to McDonalds and kids and Burma left me feeling a little unsettled.

Later that day, a Hispanic woman walked up wearing a t-shirt that still had the $1.00 price tag from the last garage sale she visited. I felt a little sorry for her until she kept insisting that Luke's polos were "little boy" sizes. When we told her no...several times...she asked us if we were sure...several times.

In Spanish.

Cool.

Then she wanted to know if she could have about 5 for $1.00. {I'm sensing a theme here.} We told her yes mainly because we wanted to get rid of as many clothes as we could, but also because we felt like it was time for her to move on to the next sale and insult someone else. It worked. Her parting words were, "I'm sorry. Thank you."

I'm not even sure what to make of that so I won't try.

During one of the slow times, Luke decided to organize the piles of clothes. Some lady took that moment to comment on how well trained he was and I got the death stare.

From Luke.

Go figure.

The good news is that Luke and I got to spend some quality time together AND get paid for it. SCORE! We passed the hours with a plate of apples and string cheese while we marveled at the fact that people will park anywhere with their doors open and cars running all in an effort to claim their find before anyone else does. They should probably be more careful because someone might claim their car as their own steal of a deal! I'm just sayin'...

After it was all said and done, we made some good money and took the stuff left over to Goodwill. Then we celebrated the end of our long day with dinner at Saltgrass.

Tomorrow I plan on doing absolutely nothing after I go to church and listen to my husband teach the class about passion, intimacy, and committment in marriage. That's right my parents chose this week to be out of town. Luckily, this is a topic that is near and dear to Luke's heart, and I am 100% positive that he will do a great job! Not that I have anything to base that statement on other than my complete confidence in my husband. He's decided he wants to surprise me with what he says tomorrow.

Because every marriage needs a little mystery.

I'll be sure and let you know what he decided to go with. Hopefully you'll be able to get some sleep tonight even though I've left you in suspense. At least you know you're in good company. And by company, I mean everyone but Luke.

some thoughts that wouldn't be complete without some rambling

2009-09-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday, friends!! I'm writing to you from my couch while I listen to the boys in my life have a video chat with the grandparents. Grammy and Pops to be exact. It's an especially sweet sound seeing as how Luke has been on call all week and we are enjoying the unexpected pleasure of having him home early today. YAY!! So yeah. I'm pretty thrilled it's Sunday and tomorrow we resume our regularly scheduled programming and work routine. Although I'm happy to report that this week went wonderfully despite Luke's long hours.

And since I have a few moments to myself to think, I'd thought I'd jot down some Thoughts on Life I've had this week.

You can thank me later.

First of all, I ventured into my HEB for the first time in weeks the other day. Remember? I've been cheating on HEB with Walmart lately. HELLO!! When did they remodel? Or I guess I should say REARRANGE?!! Seriously. I felt like the phrase "Here Everything's Better" should've been changed to "Here Everything's BAFFLING." Because that's exactly what I felt. Baffled. Baffled as to why I found myself on the soda aisle when I really wanted to be on the bread aisle and so on and so forth etcetera etcetera. I had to get out of there quick because I was starting to get stressed. In a big way.

So. Do you wanna know what I do on the weekends when Luke is working? Well, besides take care of Austin sans my favorite teammate. That would be finding myself watching old reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 mostly because I couldn't tear my eyes away from the train wreck that was the fashion of the 90's. The fact that I never watched that show to begin with is unimportant. What IS important, though, is the fact that at one time someone decided it would be fun to smoke crack and then come up with some shady fashion trends. But don't worry. When I wasn't busy playing fashion critic, I managed to find the time to watch the new CW drama The Vampire Diaries. I know. I KNOW!! I have nothing to say for myself other than I was bored and there was nothing else to watch on tv. These are the kinds of things I resort to, people, when Luke is not home at his usual time.

And finally, because I know I'll get in trouble if I go too long without posting a picture, I give you one of my favorite pics from August. This also serves as a friendly reminder to pray for the college student below seeing as how she has gotten her first taste of being sick while away from home in the form of The Stomach Flu.

You're welcome for that mental picture.

Bless her heart.

And bless Austin's heart in this picture since it would appear that he is very underwhelmed about taking this picture with us. Too Cool For School as Lindsay would say.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and got some of that much needed rain.

confessions of a not so together mom

2009-09-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

Well, my friends, another week is half way over and do you want to know something? I keep thinking today is Tuesday. HOWEVER. I am more than pumped that it's Wednesday because we are once again in the midst of The Worst Week of the Month. And no, I'm not talking about what you think I'm talking about. I am referring to the fact that this is Luke's week to be on call. The beginning of the fall semester of Mother's Day Out came just in time!

And speaking of Mother's Day Out let's talk about little A's first day, shall we? First of all, in preparation for the big day, we met his teachers last Friday who are WONDERFUL by the way. He had a blast playing with all the toys he'll be enjoying for the next several months. We also took a picture together in which I am 99.9% sure I did not look as stellar as I would have liked. I've come to accept that I can't help the 200% humidity and the fact that it causes my hair to channel it's inner afro and the make-up to melt off my face.

In other words, I did all I could.

That said, we left with a couple of handouts, a handbook, and a yellow sheet of construction paper for pictures of his family.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, I put off getting all of his stuff ready until a mere 15 minutes before we had to leave. I should probably also mention that my kitchen looked like the aftermath of the Atomic bomb.

I'm not even kidding.

While I waded through all the clutter on my countertops so as to clear a space to make Austin's lunch, my eyes just happend to land on The Yellow Sheet of Construction Paper. This is the part in which I began to think in ALL CAPS...

OH MY GOSH! I FORGOT TO MAKE HIS "FAMILY PAGE!"

At this point I had about 10.5 minutes to find some pictures, make his lunch, get his backpack ready, and change a dirty diaper that was already starting to make the Aftermath of the Atomic Bomb smell more like nuclear waste. Would somebody please get me a hazmat suit?!

So I flew around the house like the Tazmanian Devil gathering as many pictures as I could find, an extra set of clothes, diapers, and some chicken nuggets for the lunch I was in the middle of making when The First Day of School blew up in my face. After it was all said and done, Austin had himself a nutritious lunch, a fully loaded backpack, and a yellow piece of construction paper with a few pictures slapped on it as well as My Family written at the top. Not my proudest or most creative moment. In fact, I meant to take a picture to document The World's Lamest Family Picture Page, but alas, the dirty diaper took precedence.

Finally. FINALLY! We pulled into the parking lot and unloaded all of his "gear" before we headed up to his class. I took a quick look around the parking lot and noticed that several moms were dressed all nice like they were going to win some kind of Best Dressed Award for their child's first day.

I was not one of those moms.

Remember? I was too busy making The Family Page.

Nevertheless, I held my head high and prayed my hat would hide some of my face as I walked Austin to his class. Once we reached his room and Ms. Debbie took all of his stuff, he walked in to the sound of a little girl screaming her head off. I thought for sure he was going to lose it too.

Because that's just what he does when someone else is screaming. To which I say, if everyone else jumped off a cliff would you?

But instead, he looked at me, smiled, and said:

BYE BYE!!

I waved and told him I loved him as he turned toward the toys. It was at that exact moment that the hymn "No Turning Back" began to play in my head. It went a little something like this:

I have decided to follow Ms. Debbie,

I have decided to play with her toys.

I have decided to follow Ms. Debbie.

No turning back.

He had a GREAT first day just in case you were wondering. I mean the kid was so excited that he didn't take a nap during rest time. I just love that he has so much fun at school. It makes leaving him alot easier and gives me the complete freedom to enjoy my time off.

And there you have it, folks. The unabridged rundown of Austin's first day of school and proof that I am one of those moms that doesn't always have it together.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week!

a sweet reminder

2009-09-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

Today I found out that someone I knew in elementary school and middle school passed away after battling cancer for 2 years. I had the privilege of reading through some of her and her husband's thoughts during their challenging journey. I was absolutely blown away by their attitudes and complete trust in Jesus. It was humbling, really.

I was not prepared for how sad I would feel after hearing this news. It's always sobering when someone my age or younger passes away. Even though I knew her for just a brief time, I always enjoyed the updates I heard from mutual friends. I guess that's just the way it is when you attend a small school for 12 years. Needless to say, I just sat on my couch and told the Lord, with tears streaming down my face, that death and sickness just makes me so sad.

And He, in turn, brought to mind a couple of scriptures. The first I read in my Bible study yesterday.

Luke 7:11-15

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."

This story really touched my heart yesterday and I'm so thankful God brought it to mind today. I take great comfort in the fact that Jesus doesn't just know how we feel, he is moved by our emotions as we struggle through painful situations. In fact, so precious are our tears to Him that the Bible says He keeps a record of every single one...

Psalm 56:8

You've kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights. Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.

{The Message}

I tend to get so caught up in the fact that He is always in control and knows each situation intimately even before it happens that I forget how moved He is by our reactions and our tears. It was such a sweet reminder to me today that He will always be gentle with our tender emotions. Can I get an Amen from all the moms out there that have ever had pregnancy emotions, baby blues, or pre-empty nest panic attacks?!

Amen. On the first 2 not the last. Yet.

So I rejoice with Lana who is worshiping our Heavenly Father right this very moment. And I praise The One who has conquered death. And sickness. And just overall yuckiness.

Satan. Jokes on you. This is what it feels like to have your butt kicked by Jesus. Glory, Hallelujah, and Amen.

However, I mourn with her family and friends whose tears and aches are being recorded even as I type these words.

Sweet Jesus, draw near and comfort as only You can! May we always take refuge in the shelter of Your wings as the storms rage around us. You are so faithful!

it's a buffet of randomness really...

2009-08-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

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!!

a little encouragement for your monday

2009-08-24T15:52:00.001-05:00

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.

all about austin

2009-08-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

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.

picture post as promised

2009-08-06T08:14:00.000-05:00

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!

"do" a deer, a female deer...

2009-07-29T12:47:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl who wished she could sing.

But she couldn't.

She would spend hours praying that God would give her a voice just like her sisters. Her prayers sounded a little something like this:

Dear Jesus: Wouldn't it be great if I could sing?! Then my 2 sisters and I could sing together in a sort of Von Trapp Bauerlein fashion? No? Ok. Well, the thought was fun while it lasted...

It's true. I've always wanted to possess a talent for singing but for some reason God said no to that desire. I don't know. Maybe He knew that if He'd granted me that wish I would have gotten a big head. Or maybe He knew that I would cause all kinds of people to stumble due to their jealousy of my amazing, angelic voice. Yeah. I'm gonna go with that one. :) Whatever the reason, it doesn't mean that I'm not moved by music and those that have been gifted with this ability.

The other day I bought a new CD for Austin to listen to while he falls asleep.

Because eventually we're going to start potty training and something tells me the ocean waves will only cause soiled bedsheets which will result in tears and unbelief that I have reached the Changing Soiled Sheets season of my life. And frankly, I don't have the wherewithal to deal with that every morning.

So I picked up a copy of Sing Over Me: Worship Songs and Lullabies at my local Christian bookstore. Best purchase I've ever made. Hands down! Bedtime and naptime have become one of my favorite parts of the day for reasons other than the obvious. A feeling of utter peacefulness sweeps over me as we snuggle in the rocking chair and listen to the sweet praise music coming from his stereo. Songs like "How Great Is Our God" and "Jesus Loves Me" fill his dark room and provide me with an unexpected, quiet moment to pray while I savor one of the best parts of being a mom.

One of my favorite songs on the CD is "Sing Over Me" by Bethany Dillon & Nichole Nordeman. Here are the lyrics:

I live in wonder of Your love

You rise like the sun in my heart

Even when the night draws near me

There You are...

I will wade in the water of mercy

I will walk in the light of Your will

Whatever should come against me

Teach me to be still

As You sing over me

Draw me close to rest in Your peace

Sing over me

Oh, sing

Sing of Your unending faithfulness

That knows no doubt or fear

And the face of all that I don't know yet

Remind me of who You are

You are mighty

You will save

Rejoice over me with singing

You will quiet by Your love glory over me

Oh, sing!

Now usually I don't make it all the way to this song before I lay Austin in his bed and slip out the door, but one night God made sure my little {or not so little} bottom was still in that rocking chair. As I listened to this song the verse in Zephaniah came to mind:

The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great DELIGHT in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

I immediately felt convicted. When was the last time I made myself still before God for the simple purpose of letting Him sing over me? To let Him whisper to my heart that He DELIGHTS in me...warts and all. I spend my days immersed in the chaos that is Wifehood, Motherhood, Sisterhood, and Friendhood. There's laundry, dishes, dinner, and various other tasks that never seem to end. Add to that the unexpected emergencies and issues that arise and you have yourself one busy girl that often doesn't take time for the most important part of any day. Time with the Lord. GASP! Yes. I just confessed that the Daily Quiet Time, it's been lacking.

As a mom, nothing thrills my heart more than when Austin will let me sweep him off his feet in a great big bear hug. Sometimes I'll even get to sneak a kiss in there. It's amazing what details you can savor in a split second...his smell, the sound of his laughter, and the sweet knowledge that he is mine! These moments are quickly becoming few and far between since he has much to accomplish in a day. I guess that's why bedtime and naptime have become such a precious time for me.

So here's my question. When was the last time you let Jesus sweep you off your feet so that He could take the time to tell you that He delights in everything about you? Or maybe you just desperately need the quiet of His love while He sings over you. Wherever you are in your life right now, know this...You are His! He longs to sing over us and His voice is better than the voice of the most gifted person you know. And we all know that person is not me!

However, one day I will make it to Heaven where I will have the talent I've always wanted. Look for me. I'll be the one that has an uncanny resemblence to Carrie Underwood and angels for backup singers! :)

Picture update coming soon!!

since i missed my mother's day post, i give you aimee's thoughts on motherhood

2009-07-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

There are moments in which I question why God thought I would be a good "boy mom." Like the other day when Austin thought it would be fun to grab the gravel looking stuff from the fireplace and put it in Savannah's food bowl followed by a little hand washing in her water bowl. Or today when I was hit square in the forehead with one of his rubber balls while playing catch. If you know me at all then you know how challenged I am when it comes to sports. Yes, I did try out for the basketball team in middle school. And no I did not make the cut. Shocker! However the coach did call to break the news and inform my parents of my non-existent talent with a "bless her heart! she just can't dribble a ball to save her life!"

Can you understand why, after a failed attempt to catch Austin's impeccable throw, I sent a look Heavenward as if to say, "Seriously? You really signed me up for this?!"

There are moments of sheer panic in which I fear that I'm either doing too much, not enough, or missing something altogether. For example, he is so curious these days. I want to encourage his questions {no matter how repetitive} as he discovers the world around him. BUT. What do you do when your 2 year old son wants to know all about your eye shadow and then mimics you as you swipe some on your eyelids?! The fact that I answered his question by saying "this is eyeshadow. sometimes mommies wear eyeshadow" did not deter him from trying out a little pretend L'Oreal Sunlit Bronze.

Again, the look Heavenward while I thought to You Know Who, "A little help here would be nice! Am I totally screwing with his manhood by putting make-up on in front of him?"

By now it's no secret that half the time I have no idea what I'm doing. I've discovered that being a mom is the very definition of a Faith Walk. Faith that the common cold will not evolve into The Swine Flu. Faith that he will not smother himself in his pillow or get tangled up in his blanket at night even though he is 2 and well past the SIDS stage. Faith that he can climb up on the couch by himself without falling and causing massive brain damage. You laugh, but this is truly how my mind works. Clearly, I'm still working on the "take your thoughts captive" command. But more importantly, faith that even though I don't know what I'm doing, God does, and He'll give me the wisdom I need to raise a little boy to be a Godly young man.

Last night at dinner I announced to Luke that "these were the things we had left to do tonight: clean the kitchen, bathe and rock Austin, and set my parents' sprinklers to go off." Being the good husband he is, he replied with "what would you like me to do?" I really wanted to say "everything!" because I was tired and wanted nothing more than to put my pajamas on and climb into bed. However. Exhaustion is what you sign up for when you become an adult, right? So I sucked it up and told him that if he would bathe Austin and turn the parentals sprinklers on, I would handle the rest. And thus began the chaos that is The Evening Routine.

With the kitchen cleaned, I settled in for a little Fritz and the Beautiful Horses and our bedtime prayer. I snuggled him close and we said "goodnight to Jesus." At the end I said,

Can you say Love you, Jesus?

And he replied with,

Ya ee Jezee!

Y'all. It was the sweetest moment. I could almost physically feel God's delight as Austin did his best to repeat those words. And so of course, this tender exchange got me thinking all about how thankful I was for Austin and how fast time was flying and whathaveyou. As I watched the praise music lull my son to sleep, this is what I told the Lord,

It feels like I just blinked and suddenly Austin went from being swaddled like a baby burrito to feet hanging over the side of the rocking chair. It hurts just a little when I think how quickly this time went because I know the next 16 years will go even faster. AND THEN I'll have to have even more faith as we send him out on his own.

{oh come on! You had to know that train of thought was coming from Ms. Planner of the Year}

And then I told Him that I just loved Austin so much. More than I ever thought possible. All of the sudden the verse God gave me before Austin was born came to my mind.

Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

I had this crazy thought that maybe part of the Gift of Austin was the deeper understanding of the depth of God's love for me, His child. Until July 17, 2007 I didn't understand what it felt like to love someone so much that you would gladly give your life for theirs. I didn't know how it would feel to want to give one person everything they desired but only if it was in their best interest.

Don't get me wrong. I love Luke and the rest of my family very, very deeply, but a mother's love for her child is different. That said, this is one of my favorite verses:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands... Isaiah 49:15-16

He will never forget us. We are engraved on the palms of His hands. So deep is His love for His children that He gave His life for ours.

I may not have scars on my hands, but I have fading stretch marks and a few more curves to remind me of a little boy that stole my heart.

He came complete with dump trucks and dirt piles. An independent spirit and a song in his heart. He is my gentle reminder that sometimes God gives us what we feel ill equipped to handle so that we will venture out of our comfort zone and trust Him completely.

Oh yeah. And the occassional whack on the head to keep me humble.

a random update...emphasis on the random

2009-07-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

Well. It's still hotter than blazes here in San Antonio, and all the deoderant in the world can't help us now. Here's hoping that we'll feel a little relief by Christmas. I've quit watching the "snooze" because it's just depressing to see that many 100s in a row unless I'm seeing them in the form of dollars.

But that has yet to happen. Go figure.

I've started blaming this weather for my lack of motivation when it comes to important things like giving myself a pedicure and posting pictures on my blog in a less than timely manner. But you know what they say...

Better late than never.

You might think that these pictures have been worth the wait, but unfortunately, you would be wrong. Really, I just wanted to post these because they are of some of our favorite people. Lucky for you, I've kept the pics to a minimum.

Aaaand here they are:

Luke and I at Matt's Rehearsal Dinner

The boys...minus Matt. He was a little busy...weird, I know ;)

Brad and Jenny. Austin's adopted Aunt and Uncle in Tulsa :)

Luke and I with our friend Dan.

We love these people because we do alot of the following with them:

We were named the "Wild Table" at the Rehearsal Dinner due to the amount of laughter and noise we made. We saw alot more of our favorite friends that weekend but I only took pictures at the Rehearsal. Also, I was unable to get a picture with the groom because, well, he was the groom and they tend to have lots going on during their Wedding Weekend.

In other news, we had a blast at the lake last weekend! Austin celebrated the big 2, and in honor of his special day, my brother-in-law Josh taught Austin "Boomer! Sooner!" He was happily yelling this with his uncle while wearing the Baylor shirt his Aunt Claire gave him.

Talk about a picture of confusion.

It was a great day filled with fun phone calls, balloons, and no naps! That's right. We soaked in the ENTIRE day with our little man who was asleep by 8 that night. We marveled at how fast time is going while I reminisced that 2 years ago I was well on my way to shingles.

Now there's a mood killer for ya!

I have some pictures that I'll probably post sometime around Thanksgiving.

Oh I kid, because I'm a kidder...

But really, we felt so very blessed to celebrate one of God's biggest blessings in our lives! We can't wait to see what this next year holds for our Austin! :) I certainly hope that it includes cooler temperatures because I can only endure so much sweat for so long.

happy birthday, austin luke. a little early.

2009-07-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

Next Friday my little man will be 2 years old. Since we'll be up at the lake celebrating with party #1, I wanted to do a post today.

Because I'll be busy packing and furiously trying to get ready to leave town all this week.

This time 2 years ago I was very pregnant and praying Austin would come early. At the same time I was wishing that I could just go to sleep and wake up to his sweet face without all the pain of labor. Obviously, God did not grant that wish and I persevered through 9 hours of labor with my favorite teammates Luke, my mom, and baby Austin. I can honestly tell you that it was one of my finest hours while at the same time not my finest hour. If you would allow me to be a little obnoxious, I have to tell you that I was so proud of myself for making it through labor and delivery. The encouragement helped, of course, but ultimately I knew it was up to me and God to do all the hard work.

And we did it! Thus, the reason it was my finest hour.

Now. I did not look so stellar afterwards. Mascara under my eyes and hair that looked like a haystack isn't so attractive. Not to mention looking like a 400 pound woman due to all the fluids they pumped into me. However, I fully intend on doing that a little differently next time. Sorry, all you unfortunate people that get to be in there with me, that's just the way I'm gonna roll! Nevertheless, at the end of this intense process I was a new mom to the most wonderful little boy!

The next few days were filled with lots of visits from friends and family. We celebrated until we couldn't celebrate anymore.

Because we were exhausted. And let's face it. We haven't caught up on that sleep yet, and something tells me we never will.

But after all the visits and stress of adjusting to no sleep and a new member in our family were over, we made some of the best memories. Luke and I were talking the other night about our favorite moments those first few weeks. I remember sitting on the couch watching a movie with Luke while Austin slept next to me. His little feet were sticking out from underneath his blanket and he looked so peaceful.

We also couldn't believe how little he was. And I absolutely loved picking out the physical features that belonged to me and Luke. For example, he had Luke's fingers and toes and my dad's mouth and chin. My mother-in-law said she could see alot of Brittany and Claire in his face and the temperment I had as a baby.

THANK GOODNESS!

Like Mary in the Bible, these were the moments I pondered in my heart. We took lots of pictures to document this new season, and I took as many mental pictures as my brain could hold. There was just something so sweet about having a newborn in our house and the knowledge that life would never be the same. We would never be the same.

Over the last 2 years, I have been blown away by how much he has blessed our lives. He is the definition of joyful and fills our lives with laughter everyday! I could not have picked a better gift from God!

Austin Luke:

I love everything about you: your smile, your laugh, your happy heart...absolutely everything! I feel so honored that God chose me to be your mommy and am so thankful for all the memories we've made so far. You are special in so many ways and I just know that God has something big planned for your life. We can't wait to see what it is.

We love you more than words can say:

Mommy & Daddy

Happy Birthday to my favorite little man!!

allow me to clarify

2009-07-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

First off I am not pregnant. Believe me when I say that when that time comes again you. will. know. And Elena, you are so right about the twins! No one knows better than you that it runs in the family, and should God bless us with twins, I will be calling you for moral support. In fact, your number will be on my speed dial, which would be quite an accomplishment since I'm not entirely sure how to use it.

It's probably no secret that the "being pregnant" announcement will come sooner rather than later. However, we want it to be a complete surprise since I kind of missed out on that with the Pregnant Teenageresque phone call I made to my mom and sister. Aaaand I made those calls at 4:30 IN THE MORNING. It's true when they say that your family loves you unconditionally. Needless to say, Luke and I (well, mostly just me} are having a blast keeping this our little secret and planning ways to spring it on our family members...at a reasonable hour of course!

So if you have any brilliant ideas, throw them our way! We'd love your input. And now I would like to take this moment to congratulate all of my pregnant friends! I'm not exaggerating when I say that I am the minority these days! :)

Happy weekend, my friends!!

3 is the new 2

2009-07-09T10:41:00.000-05:00

So Luke and I had a very interesting discussion last night regarding children and the number we would like to have in our family.

As I've said before, he would be good with one and I think 3 would be fun. {just for the record, I wasn't trying to make that rhyme...I'm just THAT gifted :)}

I sat there telling him all about how I was sacrificing my dream for 3 children because God had not changed his heart yada, yada, yada while he told me in no uncertain terms that he was compromising too. Apparently he would be thrilled to leave Austin an only child and spoil him rotten.

I'm absolutely postive his college roomate and someday his wife would thank us for that.

In a last ditch effort to convince him how A-MAZING three kids would be I told him in my most confident tone,

Clearly, 3 is the new 2 since everyone is having 3 little people these days.

Unfortunately, Luke is not one to be swayed by the masses so it looks like 2 is the number for us. :) That means that while the rest of you are raising your third child, Luke and I will be taking some fabulous vacations. And please don't rain on my parade right now with comments like "a vacation can't be better than a child." I'm trying to make lemonade from these lemons I've been handed!

After this little convo, I hit him with another brilliant idea.

Since the next one would be our last I thought it would be great fun to each compile a list of 5 possible names each week. Of course, we would have to throw some ridiculous ones in there because someday we'll want to tell Keiffer #2 that his/her name was almost Dunixi or Ruzgar.

I'm not making those up. They're on the Baby Names website.

He wasn't as on board with this idea as I'd hoped he'd be. Sometime after that I told him something like "his attitude was lame sauce." I promise I hadn't been drinking. Every once in a while I decide to try out a new phrase and it goes over like a lead balloon. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a look like the one Luke gave me cross his face in all the 10 years we've known each other. So I decided to pack that little phrase away and put it somewhere that I CAN'T EVER REACH AGAIN!

In other news, we've been trying to teach Austin how old he is. Most of the time he gets it right but sometimes he surprises us with his creativity. For example, yesterday's coversation went a little something like this:

Me: Austin, how old are you?

Austin: SIX!

Me: Nooo, you're not six. How old are you?

Austin: NINE!

Me: No, silly goose. You're TWO!

Austin: TWO!!

I can see he got my math skills. And like most kids, he thinks he's older than he really is.

Aaaand, that's all I got! Happy Thursday.

i can't be held responsible for all the rambling when i've been up since 5:45

2009-07-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

Today is a Mother's Day Out day, which means that this post will be rather short {no, really} with no pictures.

Right now I am listening to some sort of whistling somewhere in my house...or outside. I can't tell. And by whistling, I mean the "when-I-get-all-steamed-up-hear-me-shout" tea kettle kind. It really is such a pleasure, especially since I'm a little paranoid about our air conditioner breaking. This means that any suspicious noise could be reason enough to call The Beyer Boys. Wait. Are they the ones that fix air conditioners? All I know is that Aramendia {or some such nonsense like that} does plumbing. I know this because on a scale from 1 to 10 their commercials are pretty dorky. PLUS, it grosses me out just thinking about the kind of things you would need to call plumbing professionals for.

But that's not important right now.

What is important is the fact that I was watching the news {or snooze, as Luke calls it} this morning and over the next several or 200 days we will be enjoying temperatures in the 100s. At the end of this really great segment, Mike Osterhage informed all of us that some people love the south Texas heat. In fact, some even go so far as to roll down their windows in an effort to feel the full effect of the 200% humidity and overall hotness.

Who ARE these people?!

The only people I see driving with their windows down are the unfortunate ones with a broken air conditioner. It's quite obvious by the scowl on their face. But even with a working AC and the wearing of many skirts and sundresses, it's a stifling heat. I absolutely hate it when even my legs start to sweat. It makes me cranky since I'm hot and can't take off any more clothing. Don't judge because you know it happens to you too!

Like I've said to a few people, this weather makes me thankful for my salvation.

Hallelujah and Amen.

And finally, is anyone else ready for the media to TAKE A BREAK WITH ALL THE MICHAEL JACKSON COVERAGE ALREADY?!

Don't get me wrong. It is a very sad situation since I am not sure that he was a Christian. However. I would like to spend a little time with my good friends on Good Morning America without talking about how much his face changed over the years or whether or not Debbie Rowe will attend the funeral. Poor Farrah Fawcet. He totally stole her thunder. I guess if she had thought to start trends like the single white glove and moonwalk people would have paid to come to her funeral too.

I'm just sayin'...

Nevertheless, he was a very talented musician and I really feel sorry for his kids. So now that I've stepped down off my soapbox I feel that this would be a good time to committ to praying for his family.

And now, I'm off to do a little more cleaning followed by an episode of Ice Road Truckers. Because it's hot, y'all, and I don't do sweat unless I know I'm burning some serious calories.

Thank you and good day.

would someone please play the theme song for the beverly hillbillies

2009-07-07T12:40:00.001-05:00

Hello, friends and family!

I've been meaning to share a picture with y'all. I took this on our way home from The Wedding Weekend of '09, which apparently was also The Weekend I Took Pictures Like Some Sort of Private Investigator. There really are no words for the complete chaos I captured on film, but you know me, I have to try.

We had just come out of Whataburger where we stopped for dinner in a desperate attempt to pull Austin out of his cranky mood. My sanity was truly hanging on by a thread. I just happend to look over and see a truck and trailer piled so full of junk that I couldn't believe my eyes! Y'all. I couldn't look away mainly because I was trying to look at every item they had crammed into their vehicle, but also because the organizer in me felt like they had just commited an unspeakable crime.

So without further ado, I give you the modern day version of the Beverly Hillbillies:

What I especially love is how the junk spills over from the bed of the truck onto the hood of the cab. It would also appear that they put a toddler bed at the end of all their stuff like some sort of bookend. You stay classy Man in the Red Truck!

On another note, today has been such a fabulous day because I woke up at 6a super motivated to accomplish a plethora of things around the house. For example, I am completely caught up on laundry right down to the cart cover I busted out during the Swine Flu epidemic that really wasn't an epidemic at all.

Thank you, overly dramatic media.

And I also plan on doing a little reorganizing so we'll see how that goes.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

happy summer!

2009-07-04T09:42:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th, y'all! And a very Happy Birthday to America the Beautiful! In honor of this special holiday and summertime in general, I've posted a new playlist for your listening pleasure. :)

You're welcome.

And while we're on the topic of summer does anyone else feel like they're melting every time you step out in this unbearable heat? Seriously, y'all. I blame the heat for my new addiction to shows like Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch. Snow and ice have never looked so good. Obviously, Austin and I spend our time hiding from the heat and only venturing out for necessary errands and visits to my parents' pool. I'm declaring this The Summer of The Tan, because if I'm going to spend so much time at the pool I certainly hope I have something to show for it!

I've also decided that it is past time for a little hair trim. But more importantly, the bangs are in some serious need of a date with the scissors. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm beginning to look like the shaggy dog. So if you happen to see me around town but you don't recognize me due to all the hair in my face, I apologize.

Alright, Austin and I are about to eat some hot dogs with Pete and Rhonda (or Gigi and Papi-I know, he's a hispanic wanna be) so here's the breakdown of my new summer mix.

Because I know you're just dying for the reasons behind my choices. ;)

1. All-American Girl {Carrie Underwood}: I think this one is pretty obvious. :)

2. Sunshine & Summertime {Faith Hill}: This song reminds me of the summer my sisters and Andrea went to the Faith Hill/Tim McGraw concert. SO FUN!!

3. The Star Spangled Banner {Dixie Chicks}: In honor of the 4th of July. And I'm not a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks HOWEVER it was either them or Whitney Houston... Gotta go with the girls from Texas

4. Summer Nights {Rascal Flatts}: I love this song on their new album!

5. Island in the Sun {Weezer}: Because if I'm gonna be this hot I'd prefer to be on the beach. Dare to dream. Dare to dream.

6. Ever After {Carrie Underwood}: I just like this song. And I like Carrie Underwood, a good 'ol girl from Oklahoma!

7. America the Beautiful {Ray Charles}: Because America is beautiful with the exception of San Antonio during a massive drought...brown is not my favorite color when it comes to landscape. I'm just sayin'

8. Summertime {Billie Holiday}: It's just a good song by a very talented artist.

9. Soak Up the Sun {Sheryl Crow}: Like I said, if Austin and I are going to be outside you will find us by the pool soaking up the sun...with the appropriate amount of sunscreen.

10. Beautiful Day {U2}: Everyone loves a beautiful day. And we have plenty of them here in the summertime :)

11. Viva La Vida {Coldplay}: This song reminds me of the "dance parties" we had with Austin on family vacation last year. He can do The Sprinkler like nobody's business!!

And the rest are just some of my favorite Christian songs! Hope you guys are staying cool and enjoying some family time this summer. :)

the house that aimee & luke built. kind of.

2009-06-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

This, my friends, is what I like to call Our First House.

Because I'm a fan of stating the obvious.

While we were in Tulsa last weekend, Luke and I had the privilege of driving out to Owasso to see what's become of that little beauty pictured above. First of all, I am aware that this is not the best picture I've ever taken. I do apologize. It's just that it's hard to concentrate on the best angle when you're paranoid that someone hanging out in the neighborhood will think you're creepy for driving real slow while taking pictures.

True story. One Saturday morning there was a knock on our door. I was furiously running around the house, Tazmanian Devil style, trying to finish getting ready to go to Oklahoma City for a spontaneous Valentine's weekend getaway. I was especially excited about this trip since it would be our last one together before Austin joined our little family. Luke had just left to take Savannah to our vet for her own vacay so it was up to me to deal with whoever was at the door. I mentally prepared my "I'm-not-interested-in-the-latest-knife-set-plus-a-bonus-magazine-subscription-of-my-choice-for-ordering-today" speech. Well. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and there stood a perfectly fit girl about my age. Clearly, she was not a Cutco representative. I could not even begin to guess why she was standing on my doorstep on a Saturday morning. I kid you not, this is what she said:

Hi. Are you the owner of this house? (I assured her I was) Well this is going to sound really weird and I'm kind of embarrassed (great start. i'm already pumped to hear what you're about to say) but I think your husband was taking pictures of me while I was jogging yesterday morning. (i'm sorry. WHAT?!)

Keep in mind that I'm pregnant. And definitely showing at this point.

I wanted to tell her to sell crazy someplace else because we're all stocked up here, but instead, I told her that there was no way he would be doing something like that. To which she said,

Well, is that his blazer parked in front of your house?

I told her yes, because along with stating the obvious, I'm also a fan of telling the truth.

That's the truck I saw yesterday morning.

I racked my brain trying to think of anything that would free Luke from her ridiculous accusations. At the same time I was fully aware that I was coming across as a pregnant wife in denial of her husband's creepy hobbies. So I said the only thing I could think of,

Ummm, well, he was pulling a trailer yesterday too. Are you sure it was his truck and not someone else's in the neighborhood?

I also may or may not have thrown some teenage kids down the street under the bus even though I knew neither of them owned a blazer.

Oh. I guess it wasn't him because the truck didn't have a trailer behind it. I am so sorry. And I'm really embarrassed.

I have to admit that I was pretty annoyed not to mention a little angry that she had knocked on my door and accused Luke of something so shady! I totally should've faked some early labor pains, but I didn't. Because I'm nice like that. And she did look pretty embarrassed.

In an effort to save face, she informed me that "she usually doesn't do stuff like this, but she saw the truck and thought it was probably a teenager taking the pictures." Yeah. I definitely got that vibe when my very pregnant, 24 year old self opened the door. And I can TOTALLY see how you would mistake me for a teenage boy's mom.

Would someone please get me the name of an excellent plastic surgeon, because apparently an overhaul is in order if Miss Physical Fitness is confused as to my real age.

And because we had nothing BETTER to do at the crack of dawn, Luke and I got up super early the next Friday in order to set up our camera on a tripod, throw on our night vision goggles, and wait for our new friend to round the corner. That sounds just like us doesn't it?

But I'm not bitter. Just a little more cautious these days when driving through neighborhoods and taking pictures. Even if these pictures are of a place that holds so many favorite memories.

For example, there was the conversation Luke and I had in the kitchen about the fact that raising kids had to be easier than potty training a new puppy.

Oh, to be young and stupid again.

I will also never forget how deeply satisfying it was to pick out all of the interior fixtures in less than an hour. We impressed the lady helping us for sure, but I knew it was just further proof of how perfect we were for each other.

And then there was the day that Luke brought home the monstrosity that is our big screen tv. Here's how that little convo went:

Me: Do you remember when I said I wanted a dog and you weren't a huge fan of that idea? But you let me get one anyway because you knew it would make me happy?

Luke: Yeeeeess....

Me: Well, this would be the equivalent of me bringing home a dinosaur instead of a dog.

Luke: So what you're saying is that we should name our new tv "Dino?"

Lucky for him, I'm a fan of movie watching sans paying an arm and a leg. And also, we found a fabulous entertainment center to house Dino.

Having friends and family over also makes the list. There's nothing like sharing God's blessings with the ones you love the most. But my most favorite memory we made in the Owasso House would be the day we brought Austin home. My parents greeted us at the door while my sisters helped unload our car. I will never forget how it felt to finally be home with my new family while enjoying the company of my "old" family.

And I use the term "old" in the nicest, most complimentary way possible.

I take great comfort in the fact that other than some cheap, landscape lighting, the house looks the same. Right down to the company truck parked in the driveway. But even if it had looked completely different, it would still be the house in which we began building our family. We would still be able to recall our favorite memories and stories that we shared there together.

The Owasso House will always have a special place in my heart because it's where I feel like our story truly began.

Well, that and the fact that it's the only place where Luke's been accused of taking shady pictures. You know, since he's the one taking pictures of the scenery on vacation. And by scenery, I mean things that are not wearing jogging shorts.

on a scale from 1 to 10, this wedding weekend is AMAZING!

2009-06-19T15:52:00.000-05:00

Friends! Once again it's been too long since we've chatted. Or really I chat and you read.

We're officially in Tulsa for the big Wedding Weekend of '09. I cannot tell you how pumped I've been for this weekend. First of all, it meant a trip back to Tulsa. A place of fond memories and best friends. Second, it's the wedding of one of our good friends. Let me tell ya. Luke and I have waited to see who God would bring to compliment Matt. He is such a neat, Godly guy, and we just knew He had someone extra special for him! Kind of like when God gave me Luke. And speaking of, tomorrow will mark 6 years TO THE DAY that the love of my life proposed. I mean could this weekend get any better? The answer is no. No it could not. Well, actually, I take that back. Luke's grandparents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary too. God is so good, isn't He? They are such a wonderful example of love and commitment.

And now let me tell you about the ultimate joy sucker named Satan. He's worse than a vaccum. Truly. The trip up here was not one I'd put on my list of Top 10 Best Roadtrips. We started out with a cranky son followed by a little visit with the Kyle Highway Patrol and rounded it all off with a couple of lanes closed on I-35. Pure joy I tell you. Pure joy.

Do do you know what that tells me? It tells me that this weekend is going to be a blast. Why else would Satan want to suck the joy out of a celebration of a new marriage and the accomplishment of 50 years in a world where divorces are more common than Starbucks?

All of these celebrations got me thinking about marriage in general. And more specifically what God has taught me about marriage since May 22, 2004. It is so much more than just "doing life with your best friend." It's about compromises, adjustments, and transitions. It's learning to love the sight of his dirty socks on the floor because it means that he is a constant, steady presence in your life. It's sleepless nights with your first born and date nights at home because you're too tired to go anywhere. It entails playing games like "when was the first time you knew you loved me" and "remember when." But more than anything it's about holding tight to each other when the world encourages the exact opposite. We cling to each other when Satan would love nothing more than to tear us apart. We never give up. We never give in. And we never stop praising the One who brought us together that we may glorify Him in every aspect of our marriage because without Him we wouldn't make it!

In the same way, we hold tight to our Lord and the promises He's given us even when the journey seems long and painful. We strive to run the race with perseverance because we know what waits for us at the end. And I am so honored that I am running this race with Luke, my best friend, soulmate, and love of my life!

Luke, I am so glad you asked me to marry you 6 years ago. I pray God blesses us with many, many more years together so that someday we can celebrate 50 years too! I love you with all of my heart for the rest of my life!

one more thing

2009-06-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

I knew I wasn't going crazy and here's proof:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090610/pl_mcclatchy/3249623

It's about time.

a couple of quick things

2009-06-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

Just a few quick things that are going on this morning.

My son has covered his face in "banana smashings." All I have to say about that right now is no one sent me the memo that this is the new face mask. And AS IF his skin could get any softer. He doesn't even suffer from poorly timed breakouts, which is more than I can say for myself right now. Cystic Adult Acne, it exists and it's taken up residence on my forehead.
Claire burned me a copy of Sara Bareilles' CD "Little Voice." I LOVE IT!! So thank you, Claire, for the musical entertainment that has filled our house and car lately.
Here are a couple of blogs that I've been stalking recently. They have some great ideas for thrifty decorating and sewing, which I would like to learn to do in the near future. And yes, I'm talking about both. You know, in my spare time when I'm not wiping banana masks off of my son's face. But I was talking about blogs... http://lindseycheney.blogspot.com/ & http://raechelmyers.blogspot.com/
I woke up at 5:00 this morning. Remember when I said that no one should know that hour exists? Well, apparently God wanted to remind me that He DID, in fact, create that hour. Message received.
I've really been into watermelon lately. For a long time I only liked the smell of it since it reminded me of summer. Turns out the taste is pretty good too. I would encourage you to partake in this delicious melon. You won't be sorry. But be sure to get the seedless kind because nothing kills a romantic mood with your husband like a few seeds stuck in your teeth. I wouldn't know of course because I practice what I preach. :)
Speaking of watermelon, I desperately need to go to the grocery store today. I'm not really looking forward to it but sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. I would also put cleaning bathrooms in this category.
My new camera shipped yesterday!! I sure hope it gets here before our Tulsa trip.

Well, friends, Austin's getting cranky. Guess it's his way of telling me time's up on the face mask. Joy.

The. End.

time to play catch up

2009-06-10T16:45:00.000-05:00

Sooo, I've been slacking in the blog department. What can I say? Summer is in full swing which means we've got swimming and movie watching to do. And oh yeah, a little cleaning and such. Since I haven't written in a week, this post is gonna be a random collection of news and thoughts. Please try to contain your excitement.

First of all, I just need to say that the Twilight series has RUINED my taste in books for life! No other books seem to compare and hold my attention anymore. I think I hear Luke breathing a sigh of relief right about now seeing as how this means I'll be spending less time reading and more time housemaking...since that's what I am these days. A homemaker. It's a big job but one of us has to do it.

In fact, I feel like this series was so good and well written that I need to put them on display somewhere. Sad, I know. And pathetic too come to think of it. Don't worry, though, I am refraining from using them as decorations in our house. Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief too.

Moving on. Last Saturday night we enjoyed a D-E-licious dinner with my family. We saw some old friends and familiar faces. Do you know what I love about living in San Antonio? This is where my roots are and every once in a while, I run into someone that has been a part of my life in some way. Thus, allowing me to take a walk down memory lane. Always a joy, except for when it's not. Luckily, I haven't had too many of the not so fun experiences which is why I still enjoy living where I was raised. Claire and I took a couple of pictures to document the quality family time and fun had by all...

In the words of Fergie..."G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S" :)

Ready for church

Remember how Luke had trade days last week? Well. Lucky for him, he had some landscaping stuff to take care of and guess who his partner in crime was? Yep. Little A. It was so sweet to watch the Father/Son bonding going on in the backyard. I thought maybe you would enjoy it too so here you go.

You can thank me later. :)

We also bought Austin a little pool and he wore. himself. out. He was too cute to watch and it turned out to be a family affair, Savannah included. Oh, you'd like to see some pictures? Well, ok. Twist my arm...

He kept pouring buckets of water out of the pool and into the grass. Something tells me that by the end of the summer that part of the yard will be seriously green.

My love.

Quick pic before resuming his water dumping activities.

I love this picture.

So there you have it. That's what we've been up to these days. Nothing super exciting but memory making nonetheless.

I'm sure more of that will be going on this month since we're pretty busy. For example, one of our good, good friends is getting married in Tulsa on my birthday. I cannot WAIT to get up there and see all of our forever friends! Plus, Luke and I will get to go sans Austin so we can "party like it's 1995" as my mom would say, which includes staying out past 6:30 and dressing up. I've been a little homesick for Tulsa lately so this trip couldn't come at a better time.

Alrightey. I think I better do a quick "bumble bee" clean before Luke gets home and I head to Bible study. I sure hope the girls remember who I am since I haven't been in a few weeks. If not, I'll just remind them of the stellar snack I brought once upon a time. Who could forget goldfish and cupcakes. Talk about a walk down preschool lane.

i dedicate this post to mr. cranky pants

2009-06-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

Well Luke's trade days are over. It's a sad sad day at the Keiffer house...for Austin, especially. Whenever Luke's home he is a DADDY'S boy. Sometimes you just need a new face, ya know? I get it. I too get a little bored with myself every once in a while. We definitely enjoyed having our Luke home and are already looking forward to the weekend! YAY!!

So. About my title today. Can I just tell you that Austin was the definition of cranky yesterday?It was one of those days that makes a mom seriously consider checking herself into Laurel Ridge because all that craziness has got to be better than a whining, crying, temper tantrum throwing one year old. Also. He only wanted Luke. I'm not gonna lie, I was secretly thrilled because I didn't have the wherewithall to deal with all the craziness of the crankiness. Plus, I didn't think punching myself in the face would help matters much so...

But guess what Luke told me last night while we were laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep? He said, and I quote,

I really had fun with Austin today.

Say what?! At first I wondered if he spent the day with another little boy named Austin. Then I wanted to know what he'd been smoking throughout the day that made The Cranky Day of '09 fun.

Because I would like to stock up on some of that memory altering goodness. And also, I feel like we could sell it and make a killing.

But Luke doesn't smoke so eventually I realized that wasn't it.

That left me with only one other conclusion. He really and truly enjoyed the day with his son who adores him. And that, my friends, is why God invented trade days and put Luke in a job that implements them. So I replied,

Really? I'm so glad.

And I was. Because even though we were still Team Aimee & Luke yesterday I needed more of a break than he did. And so, I didn't have to feel guilty anymore for coming up with all sorts of odd jobs around the house that just had to get done or else the world would stop turning. Don't try to deny it. You know you've done it too. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Don't worry, though. Today my little joyful Austin is back and what a happy day it is!

it's been a great day

2009-06-02T17:23:00.001-05:00

Well hello, internet friends! I feel like I've been slacking in the blogging department. But I feel like this is expected since we've been going and going like the Energizer bunny. However, today was one of those days that puts the biggest smile on my face because not only did I get A TON of errands done...by myself...but Luke has trade days today and tomorrow. Holla!! Also. I did a little laundry and little cleaning. So in summary, God smiled on me today because he gave me the motivation and time to accomplish many things on my to do list. Sadly, I still have A PLETHORA of other stuff to get done. You know like update the songs on my iPod. Or change up the playlist on my blog. And oh yeah, change dirty diapers, clean some more, and finish slaying the laundry dragon. It's a glamorous life I lead. {A big thanks to Fergie for her song "Glamorous" since I just had a senior moment and wasn't sure if I spelled it right.}

Do you wanna know how summer officially arrives at the Keiffer house?

I'd be happy to tell ya.

The shows are over and Luke and I proceed to rent every movie we did not get to see at the movie theater. Oh, wait. We never go to movies anymore. First of all, it is ridiculously expensive and I prefer to save that money for important things like supporting my magazine buying habit. Or my obsession for Old Navy deals. But we do occasionally make it to a movie or two. For example, I fully intend on going to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Betty White is in it too, and she was Hi-larious on her Entertainment Tonight interview.

But do all you parents out there remember back in the dating days when going to movies was a regular event? Me too. And. Do you remember when you could whip out your school ID and get a discount? I milked that thing for all it was worth. After all, my parents paid good money for my education and it's only right that I get the most of what they paid for my ID. By the by, thank you, Pete and Rhonda, for the generosity that you bestowed on me by paying for my schooling. Those were some good days. I sure do miss being supported by the Finance Department that was my parents. Now I am one of the members of Austin's Finance Department. Sometimes you never know what you have 'til it's gone.

But life is good and on that note I'm going to wrap this up. I'm off to enjoy some more quality time with my little family.

Now do have a lovely evening.

and in the blink of an eye it's been 5 years

2009-05-29T15:30:00.000-05:00

On May 22nd, Luke and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. It really does seem like just yesterday that I was wearing the most beautiful dress while promising a lifetime of love to my best friend.

He looked pretty good too by the way.

But do you want to know something really crazy?

Of course you do. Who says no to a question like that?

We've known each other for 10 years! The best 10 years of my life. Without a doubt. So. I hope you don't mind, but I would like to dedicate this post to Luke. The man God chose to compliment me in every way long before I even knew he ("he" being Luke) existed.

I still remember the day we met for the first time. I wouldn't call it "love at first sight" but it was definitely "interest at first sight." After all, he was one of the only new guys to join our very small junior class. We were friends for a full year before we started dating.

Sidenote: This was not by my choice. He takes his sweet time with everything and asking me out was no exception. Looking back, though, I'm thankful we were friends for a while before we became a couple.

Not only was he my high school sweetheart but also my first kiss. What began as just a summer romance quickly turned into something more serious. After spending a year apart at different colleges, I decided to transfer to Tulsa. We had a blast doing the college thing together and made some amazing memories and friends in the process.

Finally. I'll say it again. FINALLY, after 4 years of dating, I got to marry the love of my life. And what a life it's been since the moment we said "I Do." I love being married, and I love being married to Luke even more!

There are so many things I love about my husband and I'd like to take this moment to list a few. Or several. I hope you don't mind. {I see another bullet list in your future. Get excited!}

I love his smile. The real one. It dazzles me every time.

I love that he is organized and neat just like me, but I love that he never says a word when I fall off the wagon every once in a while. You know, like when I find a good book to read.

I love how blue his eyes are. I've always wanted brown hair and blue eyes. I guess if that wish will never come true for me, it's only fitting that God would give me a husband with those features.

I love that he wants our next child to be a girl because he knows it's the desire of my heart. By the way, I so hope that it's God's plan because I would love, love, love to watch him with a girl.

I love that he'll watch tv in bed with me even though we have a big screen upstairs.

I love that he wished me a "Happy Birthday Month" this morning before he left for work. He never forgets how much I love birthdays and the fact that he would acknowlege that in the midst of his busy morning makes me feel special.

I love that every once in a while he'll bring home flowers for me just because he loves me.

I love that he thinks I'm beautiful even when I tell him I feel otherwise. In fact, I love that he thinks I'm beautiful whether I'm wearing my most comfortable, least attractive clothes or all dressed up for a date.

I love that he loves me unconditionally even when I'm not that loveable.

I love that he respects my parents and is protective of my sisters.

I love how much he loves his family {and mine too for that matter}

I love that he is the steady, calming presence in the midst of the storms we've faced together thus far in our relationship.

I love that he truly believes I am capable of big things and anything I set my mind to do.

I love that he weathers my good moods and not so good moods with the patience of Job.

I love watching him be Austin's daddy. He's very good at it. :)

I love that he takes the time to read my blog and "catch up on my life" as he likes to say.

But more than anything, I love that he loves the Lord and seeks His will daily. I love that he strives to be a Godly example to those around him no matter the circumstance.

Thanks for letting me share some of my list. I hope it didn't make you gag, but no one is MAKING you read this. So, really, I'm not sorry.

Luke

You are the love of my life in every way. I am so humbled and honored that a Godly, wonderful man like you would want to spend the rest of your life with me. I never doubted that our life together would be anything less than fabulous, but I had no idea just how amazing it would be. My life is richer and fuller with you in it. There's no question that you bring out the best in me and I can't imagine my life without you. I am so, SO thankful that God granted the desire of my heart with you. He truly gave me more than I could ask or even imagine. I can't wait to celebrate many more anniversaries with you. I love you!