Life These Days

In case you didn't notice, I changed my background and I LOVE it!! I also figured out how to add music. Sometimes I surprise myself. I am super pumped about the new look and sound, and I hope it makes your reading experience even more fun. :) Now on to more important things.


It's no secret that my family and I love to laugh! I am a firm believer that laughter IS the best medicine, and I am blessed to have many people in my life that prove that point on a regular basis. With that in mind, I thought I'd post a few things that made me laugh this week.


So just this morning I was doing a little reading on one of my favorite blogs and had the pleasure of discovering this little story. http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-survived.html Isn't it great to hear how God can use little people to get our attention and make us focus on the more important things in life? Of course this was not the only blog entry that made me laugh. Here's something else for your viewing pleasure. Here's why this made me laugh. First of all, I too have tried a neti pot during a desperate time in my life. And I, like Curtis, lost my concentration and almost lost my dinner in my bathroom sink. This little contraption failed to change my life for the better. I don't know. Maybe I'm just not coordinated enough to reap the full benefits of draining your nose through a teapot. Congratulations to all of you who are talented and are living a changed life due to the neti pot. If it wasn't weird, I would ask you to come over and give me a private lesson.


It goes without saying that my son and husband are also a frequent source of laughter in my life. So I was not surprised when our family lunch on Saturday resulted in some good laughs on my part. As we were getting in the car, Luke said something sarcastic to me and I quickly replied with, "It's no secret that I run this show around here." I'm not really sure what we were discussing. All I remember is his quick-witted reply back to me. He said, "Yeah. You keep saying that and we'll just call it business. as. usual." Haha! It was probably more funny at the time but it sure did make me laugh. The other thing that made me laugh at lunch was my son! We decided on bbq for lunch, and after ordering and finding a table, I pulled out the bib that came with his highchair. When you scroll down you'll understand why I had to take a picture.




I couldn't contain my laughter when I put this on Austin and looked down to see a little head on top of a huge bib with big letters on the front. Needless to say, he didn't keep that thing on long at all. Can't say that I blame him. I wouldn't be caught dead with a huge bib on me that said something like "finger lickin', lip smackin' bodacious bbq" either.


However, the straw we gave him at the end to keep him happy was a completely different story. He loves straws and loves it even more when you feed him some of your drink from one. I was a little disturbed, though, to look over and see him using it as a ridiculously long cigarette. Apparently, though, I wasn't disturbed enough to keep myself from taking his picture. You stay classy, Austin Keiffer!

And speaking of Austin, I took a couple of pictures while we were playing the other day. These are 2 of his favorite toys. His door and his firetruck. However, neither of these outdo any kind of ball or "gall" as he calls them. If he's sad or mad all you have to do is hand him a ball and his mood changes instantly. It's great!



In other news, I was officially the mom of a teenager this last week. My sister Claire stayed with Luke and I while my parents were out of town on vacation. Remember when I said she was super busy? Well, she still is. And it makes me tired. It's been fun, though. We've loved having her here...when she was here. I meant to get a picture of us this week but didn't get the chance. So here's my favorite of us instead. :)

Finally, I am SUPER excited about a couple of trips Luke and I will be making. One with Austin and one without. This weekend we're going back up to Dallas to hang out with some of our Tulsa friends. We'll also be going to the TU vs SMU game. I can't wait. We haven't seen these people since we moved almost a year ago. Also, Luke and I will be going up to Columbus to visit these two, sans Austin.

We are SO excited! I know I will miss Austin terribly but it will be so nice to take a little trip with my husband the way we used to...just the 2 of us. Plus, it will be really nice to spend a little time with Jared and Lindsay. I will add that booking the flights was a little difficult, and I won't even go into what I think about their new policy of charging $15 per bag PER FLIGHT. If you change planes you would have to pay a total of $30 for just one bag! RIDICULOUS!! Needless to say, Luke is not a fan, so much so that he asked I be packed 2 weeks in advance in order to ship my things to Ohio. Are. You. Kidding. Me?! I told him I did not want to talk about it that night because I was so excited about our trip. Translation: Ruin my mood and you get to sleep in Savannah's dogloo! He took the hint. Have a I mentioned that my husband is incredibly smart?! Obviously he was joking about shipping my stuff, but what he was not joking about was carrying our bags on instead of checking them. This is stressing me out just a little since I'm not the lightest of packers. Oh well. A little challenge never hurt anyone and hopefully I'll rise to the occasion.

Finally, I've decided to get serious about working out at least every other day. I'm really ready to shed these last few pounds of the baby weight. I'm ashamed to admit that it's taken me this long! Really, there's just no excuse. I've been convicted lately about respecting my body and remembering that it's the temple of God. Eating right and staying active seems to have so many benefits for me. Not to mention the fact that it's amazing how much of an automatic self-esteem boost it is. On that note, I came across this blog today. http://sarahstirman.blogspot.com/Quick sidenote: I'm sure you've noticed by now that I have a slight obsession with blog reading. Hi my name is Aimee and I'm addicted to blogstalking. Anyways, it's not a fitness blog, but what I loved is that she does "Fitness Friday" entries. I found some of these entries to be a challenge to get motivated and make this area more of a priority. Besides reaching my goal weight, I really want Austin to learn at an early age how important it is to eat right and take care of the body God has given us. To sum it up, I'm praying for self-discipline and a desire to get some exercise in some way every day.

Well, that just about does it for the details on life these days. Hope you all are having a great start to the week! I know I'm looking forward to what God has in store for the Keiffer family this week and I hope you are anxiously awaiting His blessings in your own life for the week. Happy Monday. :)

Family Fun :)

Hello! It's the beginning of a new week, and while I enjoy starting fresh, sometimes I'm not ready for the fun of the weekend to be over. Brittany and Jon came into town for a short visit and it was a blast! And did I mention how fun it was to show them all of Austin's new tricks including his mad walking skills?! Well, it was. I tried to get a picture of little A in action but this was all I got. For now.

The newlyweds are doing great! Thank you for asking. I really enjoyed hearing all about their life these days, but most of all I enjoyed seeing their smiling faces. They are so happy and doing lots of fun things. Who knew you could dye mens undershirts to wear with cute plaid shorts? And it goes without saying that Austin was thrilled to have one of his favorite playmates back for a couple of days. Here are the 2 of them...reunited and it felt so good! (And yes, Britt is wearing her dyed shirt!)
We also had the pleasure of Claire's company. Why is that such a pleasure you ask? Well maybe it's because this little social butterfly is constantly on the go. Or maybe we were just glad she was back from her high school retreat in time for a family reunion. To celebrate all eight of us being together again we ate at Texas Roadhouse for dinner on Friday. And it was delicious if I do say so myself. Lucky for all of you, I had my trusty little camera to document the fun times that were had by all.
The three amigos :)

Our happy little camper and her oldest brother

Let's be honest. This was the FUN side of the table!

My little boy

Austin's carbing it up! The bread was a hit.

We headed back to our house for a little family time of watching Austin play. Britt really wanted to put him to bed. Twist our arms, right?! Luke and I were happy to have a little break. But before the bedtime festivities began there was plenty of time for Austin to ride his firetruck and entertain all of us with his cute personality. A big thanks to Uncle Jon for pushing the little man around on one of his favorite toys.
Me and my favorite. Don't we look happy? That's cause we are!

More firetruck riding.

Saturday we had dinner at my parents' house with my Granny and Grandpa. It was so fun. I'm pretty sure my Granny had been counting the days until their visit. Before we headed home to put Austin to bed, Papa B let him play in the grass. I think he enjoyed this new adventure.

The last picture is my favorite. There's just something about it that's so sweet and precious. Austin is a huge fan of all of his grandparents and we sure are blessed to share his life with them.

All in all, it was such a fun weekend and I am so glad that Mr. and Mrs. Yeager are happy. I miss you, little sister, but we are all looking forward to making fun holiday memories with you and your husband soon!

More Please...

One of the things that we (meaning my whole family) taught Austin is the sign language for "more please." Actually, I think it just means more but we put the please in there to teach the little guy some manners. It never occurred to me until just the other day to capture this with my camera. So I did. Below is the play by play. You'll notice that when Austin "says" more please what he really means is MORE PLEASE RIGHT NOW!

More please, mom!

Maybe you didn't understand. I said MORE PLEASE!

And now that he has his snack, all is right in the world!

So as you can see, patience is something we have yet to work on. I say choose your battles and I think this is one that will have to wait until he's a little older.

In other news Austin is now walking all over the place. I can't believe it! He had been taking a couple of little steps and then crawling, but one day he just decided to walk over to where he wanted to go. I still can't believe how fast he's growing and changing. The other night I MADE myself pack up the rest of his little pants and onesies from last winter. I got so sad and even came downstairs to express my emotional state to Luke. I think he kind of understood. You see, my husband is not quite so upset by change. Good or bad he's stable through it all. I'm the one that provides the excitement of an emotional rollercoaster. I mean, one of us has to do it and it might as well be me! Needless to say, I am officially chasing my son everywhere but loving the sight of him toddling around.

One of the things I love is being able to share these moments with my family. It's amazing how excited a group of people can get about someone walking their way. I guess you could say that this is something we say "more please" to Austin on a regular basis. But to all of you who are not able to see Austin on a daily basis, we miss you terribly and are capturing as much as possible on our video camera. Now if I could just remember to have Luke show me how to send these precious clips out!

I am really loving this season of our lives and trying to savor it all. It is definitely challenging at times and there are days that I wonder why God ever thought I could do it well. Regardless of what I think, the fact that He trusts me with Austin (and Luke too!) is enough to help me through the hard, long days. Plus, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?! In that case, you can just call me Zena the Warrior Princess. :) Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Random News and Thoughts

It's a happy day here at our house. Austin is feeling MUCH better and it sure is good to have our joyful little man back. :) I definitely missed this face:

Since he was feeling so much better I decided to venture out and run some errands. We stopped at Target first to look for a Pilates/Yoga DVD. Ummm, I could not find one anywhere in the store. In fact, I couldn't find ANY fitness DVDs. I don't know. Maybe I'm just blind but I even went to the super Target. HOWEVER, we did find some crayons for Austin. I know he's still a little young, but I was desperate for something besides food to keep him busy in his highchair while I fix dinner or do a couple of things around the house. We tried them out today and he loved them. I taped some paper to his highchair tray and let him at it! Here is our little Picaso in action:

Sorry the picture is a little dark. The other thing that I'm super excited about is the cooler weather we're enjoying here in south Texas! I know I've said this before but I just LOVE fall. While picking up a few things at HEB yesterday, a cinnamon scented candle just happend to find its way into my cart. What can I say?! It was only $4.99 and everyone knows I can't resist a candle that smells like fall.

Ok, and one more random thing before I sign off. It's no secret that I enjoy a clean, fresh smelling house. In addition, I am always on the lookout for things that will keep my house cleaner longer. So imagine my excitement when I discovered those little things you clip onto your toilet that cleans the bowl EVERY time you flush! I know what you're thinking.

That is the most ridiculous thing to get excited about.

But let me just give you a little background on the state of our toilets when we moved into this house. GROSS and stained and dirty. I felt like I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and a few days later the stains were back. So my mom recommended getting something that would clean it every time it was used and it has changed my LIFE!! And as if it wasn't embarrassing enough that I'm rambling about a toilet cleaner, I have to tell you about the new scent I got. It's by Lysol and it's something tangerine. It makes my whole bathroom smell fresh and clean. And that makes me happy every time I walk into the little room that houses my toilet. :)

Well, the laundry needs to be folded, the kitchen cleaned, and the floor vaccuumed so I better hop off of here. Don't be jealous of the glamorous life I lead! ;)

Life Is A Highway...

...and, as usual, I don't think we're going the speed limit! Seriously, things have been crazy lately. I wonder how hard God laughed at me when I thought to myself, "Once the wedding's over things will really calm down." At least our lives have been packed full of fun stuff.

As soon as we got back from the lake, I immediately started getting ready for MOPS to start. Since I'm leading a table this year, I had some meetings and other things to attend. Not long after we moved back to San Antonio someone invited me to the MOPS at CBC. I'm not gonna lie. I wasn't too sure about this MOPS thing. First off, I wasn't too crazy about the name. And second, I had this picture in my mind of older, conservative women wearing prairie dresses and breastfeeding their children the entire time. Thank goodness I was wrong! My first day was so fun and it was GREAT to spend some time with other moms while Austin played with kids his age. Needless to say, I was honored when one of the other moms asked me to think about being a discussion group leader for the next year. So here I am. Who knew I'd be involved in an organization I didn't think I'd ever join. And the best part is I haven't seen one woman wearing a long skirt or prairie dress.

Since all of that was off to such a great start, it's only fitting that my boys would start falling apart before my very eyes. After a productive morning of yardwork, Luke realized that somewhere along the way he hurt his back again. Please allow me to paint you a mental picture of the way Luke has spent his Sunday and Monday evening...hobbling around the house with his ice pack sticking out of the back of his sweat pants. Three words~ work. it. luke.

Monday afternoon Austin started running a fever and was pretty cranky. So Tuesday morning we were off to the doctor's office where we were told it was probably a virus that would have to run it's course. Yuck! Just call me Nurse Aimee and here's hoping I stay healthy and in one piece. Speaking of these 2 troublemakers, here's a quick picture Luke took of him and Austin. Ok, he was actually just taking it of Austin, but got a little of himself in there too.

Aaaaand, here is the sight that greeted me one day last week:

I guess he was just trying to decide which movie he wanted to watch. So many choices, so little time.

Finally, our little man got his first haircut from his daddy. Right before the wedding, Luke and his dad attempted to trim his hair so as to avoid the mullet look in the wedding pictures. However, Luke decided he would try his trimmers this time, especially since Austin needed a full out hair cut. While I still think he is the cutest, I'm a little sad at how much it made him look like a little boy and less like a baby! Here is the result. A front and back view:

I feel like life continues to speed by, but one of the things that Beth said at her conference was that "time comes." If you notice in the Bible it always says, "And the time came..." So here I sit, thinking about how true that is. Our God holds the moments that make up our lives and only He determines when they come. How thankful I am that He has chosen to give me such a full, blessed life! And when I think of all the moments that have yet to come, I can't help but get excited about what God has in store.

Tag...I'm it!

Ok, so I was tagged. Here are the rules:

1) Link back to the person who tagged you: Bekah- one of my most favorite friends from long long ago!
2)Mention the rules on your blog
3)Share six unspectacular quirks about yourself
4)Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking to them
5) Leave a comment for each tagged blogger to let them know that they have been tagged. Well, I'm going to follow Bekah's lead and just list them here...only I'm going to tag 4 friends. Sorry to be a rule breaker!
Brittany Claire Jordan Drea

And here they are. Unknown (sort of) quirks about me:

1) I sleep with 3 pillows. I used to sleep with just 2 but after I was pregnant I got used to sleeping with a pillow between my legs. Now I can't break the habit. This little quirk means that our queen bed is officially over run with pillows. Good luck finding us, Austin, when you're scared in the middle of the night and want to sleep with mommy and daddy! :)

2) I have a slight obsession with Beth Moore and her Bible studies. First of all, she is so gifted! I just love all the background and history she gives in each of her studies, and let's be honest, she is hilarious. I secretly (well, not anymore I guess) wish we could be BFFs, which would be a little difficult seeing as how if I ever got the chance to meet her in person I would probably pee my pants!

3) I consider myself to be slightly perfectionistic. Here's the deal. I'm not your over the top, type A perfectionist. I'm just anal about certain things being a certain way. For example, very rarely do I get back in bed without it being made. And if it's going to be made then it MUST be made the right way...covers pulled tightly up top and on the sides. Luke used to help me make our bed when we first got married, but after a few times of me going behind him and redoing his part he decided to let me be in charge of the bed making in the mornings. I also absolutely LOVE a clean house and consider the act of "straightening up" something consistent in my ever changing life!

4) I LOVE the Frank Sinatra era music. I'm not really sure what it is, but it is so soothing to me. It's also pretty romantic and I would definitely put myself in THAT category!

5) I have a list of tv shows that I tape and watch on a regular basis. Some are shows that Luke and I watch together and others are mostly drama-filled trash that I just can't make myself quit watching. One of these shows just happens to be The Hills and after hearing that several of my MOPS leader friends watch it as well I don't feel quite as guilty!

6) On that note, my last quirk actually happens to do with a tv show Luke and I like to watch called Flip This House on A&E. I secretly wish that Luke and I could make a decent living flipping houses. Who knows? Maybe one day we will but until then thank you AT&T for providing us with an income!

I think that does it. Not super exciting but at least some of you know me better than maybe you ever wanted to! Happy Monday. Austin and I are off to take a walk and enjoy this amazing weather!! :)

So Long Summer

Even though the temperatures are not quite fall-like, I still consider the beginning of September the official start to fall! We had an amazing summer, and even though I still can't believe it's over, I am so looking forward to seeing what these last few months of 2008 have in store for my little family. :)

This year we said a final farewell to summer at my in-laws new lakehouse near Dallas. We had a BLAST!! It took all of us a full week to recover from all the fun and laughter we experienced over Labor Day weekend. Here is a list of some of my favorite highlights (some of which are pictured below):

• Having the privilege of meeting the "welcoming committee" who also goes by the name Hunter. Hunter is a Lab that enjoys peeing in any yard other than his own and pretty much making sure he is the thorn in our sides while visiting the lakehouse!
• Swinging with Austin.
• Walks on the dock and swinging in the hammock swings.
• And what family gathering is complete without a friendly game of marshmellow toss 'n catch? Seriously, this game can get competitive fast! Luckily I had my camera nearby to capture some of the action. ;)
• Watching Austin play in his pool. The best part about it: no lifejacket needed! It also came complete with a shallow and deep end due to the sloping backyard.
• Austin discovered on this trip that he LOVES to dip anything in refried beans. He is also a fan of soft serve ice cream in a cone.
• The boat rides, especially the last one. The water ended up being a little more rough than we thought, which led to putting the top on the boat. While the boys got wet, Lindsay and I took cover until we were promised that we wouldn't have to worry about crashing waves anymore! We took pictures to document this exciting adventure and in one of the last pictures you'll notice my "loan bang" sweeping across my forehead. As Britt would say, it's HOTastic!

Other than that, we pretty much ate, hurricane watched (thank goodness for cable and the weather channel) and laughed ALOT. Like I said, it was a blast and I think we're all looking forward to the next trip to the lake. Since then, life has been pretty busy but I'll have to post more on that later. Hope everyone is having a fabulous Sunday evening gearing up for another week. :)