A Fabulous Friday

There's a lot going on at the Keiffer house. First of all, we replaced our NASTY old carpet. And boy does it smell better in here already. In fact, I'm feeling slightly high on the new carpet smell.

And speaking of high, Austin got tubes put in his ears today. My sisters and I like to say that he's goin' tubin. But anyway. We took him to the hospital at our very favorite hour of 6:30. Remember the time that I said no one should know existed? Well, it existed for me today. Hello, 5:00. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you with every fiber of my being.

The good news is that I had clean hair and fresh make-up for our hospital visit. Which was good. You know, just in case someone wanted to take our picture with the cutest little boy EVER! Everyone was so nice and made sure we knew exactly what was going to happen. Austin got to wear this fabulous little purple gown. Work. It. Austin. No one is safe from the lovely hospital gowns that tie in the back. Right before they took him back, they gave him the equivilent of a baby margarita. He was riding high, my friends. Riding high. They also let him play with the anesthesia mask and he was quick to put it on his lamby's face. In the words of Britt,

You're goin' down with me lamby!

Apparently where we go one, we go all! He did so great, which was a huge relief to me. In fact, we were home by 9:00, and even though he's walking like a drunk, Austin is in a great mood.

In other news, we said goodbye to Grammy this morning. Well actually, last night because no one should have to get up at 5:00 if they don't have to! It was so great to have her here and I know Austin will miss his Grammy ALOT! While she was visiting, Austin got to try some butterscotch pudding with whip cream. He. Was. A. Fan!

Mmmmm. So good mommy!

I love it. I love it. I love it!

Also, Austin has developed a fascination with stickers. Or more accurately, anything with adhesive on the back. Here's proof:

What's that, mom? You want to know what's on the front of my overalls?

Oh, just this little "security device enclosed" sticker.

Lookin' good, little man. Lookin' good.

This weekend is my Granny's birthday bash and I'm really looking forward to celebrating with some of our family. We always have a great time together. Not to mention the amazing food that's served. I hope you guys have some fun things planned for this weekend too.

Have a great Friday!!

A Bunch of Randomness

Happy Tuesday from Austin...

(How hilarious is this picture?!)

...and Savannah!

Doesn't she look just thrilled to be having her picture taken?! Don't be deceived. She's actually quite fond of being captured on film. I could explain, but I'll just show you instead. Because, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words and there's a whole lotta picture goin' on below. I'll let you see for yourself!

HA! You had NO idea these would also be pregnant pictures, did you?! Double your viewing pleasure and double the fun.

You're welcome.

But anyway.

There in the corner is our Savannah. She just happend to jump in at the last moment. Don't you LOVE her smile? She was pumped about a little brother! Probably because she had no idea that a year later he would be RIDING HER LIKE A PONY!

Oh and here she is again! Surprise. Surprise. And yes, I DID teach her the head tilt technique while posing for pictures. I have to say, she's a quick learner.

Finally, here she is again. Notice her smile. Also. Notice my hair and try not to be jealous. If you're thinking that I look a little tired that's because I WAS!! Forgive me for stating the VERY obvious, but that's a 7 pound baby in there. And while I would love to say that this look disappeared quickly after Austin's birth, I would be lying. I still look tired and a little disheveled most of the time. But make no mistake. I am LOVING life... 24/7!

So you see, Savannah loves to get a piece of the picture taking action around here. And since she really is a pretty dog, we oblige. :)

Now. Did everyone have a happy valentines day? I sure did, and I would be happy to tell you about it. Thank you for asking! Sadly, Luke had to work most of the day. Bummer. But Austin and I made the most of it by going to breakfast with the parents and Claire.

While we waited for the rest of our party to get to IHOP, I took the opportunity to ask little A some deep, theological questions.

Me: Austin, do you love mommy?

Austin: (shakes his head vigourously) NO!

Me: Do you love Gigi?

Austin: (moves head up and down) Mmm. Hmm.

Me: Do you love Papa B?

Austin: (moves head up and down AGAIN!) Mmm. Hmm.

Such a precious, tender time.

This, of course, made my parents' day! To which I said... Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy Mother's Day and Father's Day. For the rest of your lives.

Just kidding. I am well aware that I am very loved by my son no matter what his favorite word of the day happens to be!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful despite the fact that Austin did not want to take a nap and would only sleep if I held him. No problem. I grabbed at the chance to catch up on some quality television like The City. After he woke up, I decided to get him ready to go to my parents' house. This was going well until Old Faithful errupted! Yes, you heard right. My son peed on me for the first time since he was born!! I was pretty tired at this point since I'd been in charge of the little man most of the week due to some really long hours Luke had worked. I promply picked up the phone and asked my parents if now would be a good time to come pick him up. Good thing their answer was yes because I was well on my way to a minor meltdown. Not to mention a small pity party about spending most of Valentines Day by myself. But don't cry for me, internet friends. I just needed a little perspective, which is exactly what I got once I had the house to myself for an hour.

Luke and I had a lovely talk when he got home. And by lovely, I really do mean lovely. There's nothing like reconnecting after a long, intense week. We decided to forego the massive V-Day crowds and eat a quiet meal at home. Luke cooked for us...

Are you ready to hear what was served that night? Jalepeno sausage in macaroni and cheese. It was SO good. My Luke can cook us a meal! We were both exhausted so we ate dinner in bed and watched one of our favorite shows...NCIS. Are we getting old or what?! The next day we had lunch at a great Italian restaurant and picked up my gift. (Luke will be getting hubcaps from me. Romantic, I know.) It was so great to spend some quality time with my favorite! Oh and one of the best parts of the evening? Savannah had clean up duty...

The End.

Just Some Random News For You On This Thursday

Hello, friends! I hope you all are having an excellent Thursday. I finally feel like things are returning to normal around here. Yesterday I got a ton of laundry done and even cleaned the kitchen. But the BEST part of the day was that Austin took a good nap. He even fell asleep while I read him a book and didn't cry one bit when I put him in his crib. HALLELUJAH! Welcome back, naptime. We missed you!

In other news, I read about this amazing little gadget that helps you figure out a pattern in your newborn's life. I know. I'm way ahead of myself, but in case you couldn't tell, I'm a planner. Sometimes I think it's a sickness. So don't judge. Still, since I didn't get to really plan ahead for Austin, I'm looking forward to enjoying that aspect for the next one. I want to savor every moment since Luke is adamant about only having 2 little people in our family.

Remember when I said that trying to get Austin's picture was like trying to nail jello to a tree? Well, here's even more proof. On Tuesday afternoon I decided to put on a little outfit that Britt had given him since it was a warm day. I wanted to get a picture to send to her since I'm not sure he'll be able to wear it much due to some thunder thighs he's got goin' on. Here's a little glimpse into how that went:

Austin, turn around so I can take your picture.

No really. I was serious. Come back here and turn around.

Attempt #1. And while we're talking about this hilarious picture let me share with you what I love about it.

1) There's never a bad time to brush your teeth

2) It looks like he inherited my Granny's eyes closed approach when having his picture taken.

Attempt #2. This one will have to do. Mid stride is better than nothing!

Finally, I had to get a picture of a totally rockin' pair of new plaid shorts. (Wow. That's a lot of descriptive words for the shorts. I hope they live up to such high expectations!) We decided to call them the "Jon shorts" since my brother-in-law can pull off a pair of plaid shorts like nobody's business! I hope Austin can make his uncle proud when he wears them this summer. Without further ado, here they are in all their plaid glory!

Ok, I gotta go. The parental unit is coming over for lunch today. I also have some crafty stuff to do this afternoon PLUS an abundance of phone calls to make. Y'all have a lovely day.

It's Been A No Nap Kind Of Day

It's been a big day here at the Keiffer house. Our morning started at the bright and early hour of 6:00. It was such a tender time since Austin decided to have the meltdown of the CENTURY. That should have been my first clue that this was not going to be the best day of our lives. He wanted nothing to do with Luke and even the morning news didn't calm him down. Ok, so that was a little bit of an unrealistic expectation, but I figured that if Austin was already upset why not just depress ourselves some more. Finally, Blue's Clues did the trick and he was able to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

We headed off to the doctor so he could re-check Austin's ears. And this is where I confess a deep, dark secret.

Hi. My name is Aimee and I have road rage.

Yes, it's true. There's just something about driving impaired people that tries my patience. And I fail every time. I cannot count the number of times someone has pulled out in front of me when there are absolutely NO cars behind me, etcetera and so forth and so on. But that's neither here nor there and certainly not the reason for this post. I just had to get that off my chest.

Anyway, I had high hopes for this visit. Sadly, those hopes were dashed by the very long pause from Dr. P after examining Austin's ears. Turns out that his right ear is re-infected and we will be visiting an ENT to discuss the possibility of tubes, which is every mother's dream I'm sure. I am definitely not opposed to putting tubes in his ears since I've heard that it makes a big difference. I just wish that it wasn't something we have to consider. It is what it is, I guess.

The highlight of our day, though, was having lunch with one of my favorite people. Austin and I met Luke for some hamburgers, and it was just what I needed. And no, we did not eat Freddy's. Feel free to be impressed. It was a great lunch despite the fact that Luke had a plethora of disappointing news. First of all, his time off request for a good friend's wedding was denied. To be fair, it was rejected (such a harsh word, but I just call 'em like I see 'em) due to the fact that the AT&T strike may still be in progress. This means that Luke may be filling in for a union worker and will not be able to leave town. I certainly hope that this will not be an issue and we will be able to celebrate Matt and Jessica with our Tulsa friends.

THEN Luke broke the news to me that his bonus will not be everything we had hoped and more. Let's face it, the economy is not so stellar these days, which is why we have decided to stay in San Antonio and celebrate each other as well as the blessings that God has already given us here. We are disappointed that we won't be able to celebrate five years like we planned, but we are also thankful beyond words for a great income, a nice house, and the ability to pay all of our bills without fail. God is good and above all faithful. I have no doubt that we will take the vacation of our dreams at a later date. It's no secret that I don't need a reason to celebrate!

And speaking of vacations, it would appear that "naptime" decided to take a leave of absence today. I just love it when Austin and I have different agendas and can't seem to get on the same page. At least I was able to enjoy the company of the parental unit...something else I needed today. All in all, it wasn't the most encouraging day but we are still blessed beyond what we deserve.

Oh, and one more thing. I have PROOF that God does have a sense of humor. Remember the Hobby Lobby lady? Well, imagine my surprise when not a week later, I too was trying to cough my lungs up. I finally bought some cough suppressent and it was like taking a shot of alcohol. But don't worry. I don't think I'll be adding it to my list of addictions.

So in conclusion comma today will not go down in the books as my most favorite day ever. Still, God has been faithful to remind me that I am blessed and a not so great day won't change that. Take that, Satan! And on that note I'm going to wrap this up. I hope you all know just how thankful I am for each one of you. You are one of those many blessings that I'm thankful for today!

Oh The Humiliation

I only have a few minutes to post before I pick up Austin from "the best idea EVER" otherwise known as Mother's Day Out. But even though I'm pressed for time I had to share with y'all what happend to me yesterday after church.

First of all, let me back up and tell you what the lesson in Sunday school was about. We discussed the story in the Bible where Jesus gets super angry with the Pharisees and their hypocracy. (not sure if I spelled that right but I don't have time to check...deal with it!) This led to discussions about times (embarrasing or not) in which we act differently in private than we would in public. This could be in your marriage, your friendships, your relationship with the Lord, etc. SO we were asked to share a time when we did something embarrasing when we thought no one else was watching. Y'all, I had such a hard time thinking about such a time and not because I'm a one upper. I just seem to do embarrasing things when large crowds of people are present because I'm cool like that.

And this brings me to the point of my story. After we picked Austin up from childcare we headed out to our car. Luke was holding Austin and I was rubbing his little hand. All of the sudden my ankle turned while walking down a little slope and I took a major tumble! I still had a hold of Austin's hand and was trying to use it to regain my balance. This was, in fact, one of my best ideas ever...or not. I'm just really glad that the whole 11:00 congregation got to see the big fall of '09 including Claire's best friend and her family.

So, you see, my embarrasing moments don't happen when I'm alone. They happen when there are as many people present as possible. And in conclusion, I would just like to thank my Lord and Savior for keeping me humble and making sure there are plenty of people around to witness it. I wonder if Jesus ever had embarrasing moments. You know, since He was human and experienced everything we do.

Ok, I gotta run! And I have no time to proof read. I'm livin' on the edge, people! Livin' on the edge.

The Zoo & Other Happenings

Despite the fact that every citizen of San Antonio was at the zoo last weekend, it was a success. I haven't been there is SOO long. Austin was mesmerized at the beginning and then he quickly expressed his excitement by saying,

Wow!! Woooow!

I think his favorite thing was the fish tanks, especially since they were right on his level. We had a blast watching him take it all in. We finished the trip by taking him to the petting zoo. And by petting zoo, I mean a great big area with goats. He still had a good time. Here are some pictures from the day:

Austin was not thrilled about the family picture at the end. This is the best we got. Thanks, Austin!

Petting the goat. I just love these 2 and Luke was such a great dad...walking him around to pet as many goats as possible.

The fish.

Looking at the grizzly bear. He had some serious claws, y'all.

The close up of his face while watching the bear.

Oh yeah. While we were watching the bear, a couple of super smart kids were banging on the fence in an effort to get the bear to come closer. Apparently they have not seen all the news stories about harassed animals that decided to do something about the annoying visitors. It would also seem that they had a death wish. However, we did not so after a little look we headed off to see the monkeys. Stay smart, kids. Stay smart!

The next couple of pictures were taken last week. Before you go any further, I need to tell you about the book my mom got Austin for Christmas. It's a GINORMOUS book that says I love you, Grandma. She saw it long before the Christmas season began and because she likes to be a one upper sometimes she bought it for him. All kidding aside, it is HILARIOUS to see little A carrying this book around. I should also admit that if I were a grandma I would have bought this book as well. So here they are in all their huge book glory:

And here are just a couple a cute pictures I took of our little man this week. He is very attached to his stuffed animals these days and loves to give them hugs. It is precious!

Love his face in the last one. I apologize that these are not the best pictures I've ever taken. Taking his picture is like trying to wrestle a greased pig sometimes.

And now I must go because Austin has decided that he needs my FULL and undivided attention. Have a great Sunday!

A Little Thing We Like To Call Crack Burgers and Other Addictions

I have a confession. I stayed in my pajamas ALL day yesterday. In fact, at about 5:30 I decided that it might be nice for Luke to come home to a wife in regular clothes. PLUS, my parents were bringing dinner over and I also thought it would be nice to look presentable. You know, since my house did not!

To my utter delight, they brought Freddy's burgers. Oh how we love Freddy's! Let me tell you why. Not long after Luke and I moved back to San Antonio, we decided to try this place that my family spoke so highly of. Big Mistake. We found ourselves eating their burgers more than we'd like to admit. And when we received a whole PAGE of coupons in the mail, you'd think we had just won the lottery. So addicted were we that we just left the page 'o coupons in my car because you just never know when you'll need a little pick me up in the form of a Freddy's burger. It's pretty safe to say that we were hooked. How could we not be?! Luckily, thanks to Luke, we figured out why we are so addicted. Are you ready for the reason?

These burgers are laced with cocaine, y'all.

I'm serious. They have to be otherwise we wouldn't feel like we needed at least ONE to make it through the week! For this reason, we now call these little pieces of Heaven crack burgers. Because that's exactly what they are. And they're addiciting. Not to mention, the perfect reward for forcing yourself to change out of your pajamas at the end of the day.

And while we're on the topic of addictions, let's talk about a few others I've developed over the last week and a half.

1) The Neti Pot (or as Luke calls it~ the Sinu Cleanse): I know. I said that I would never try it again since it had failed miserably to change my life. But friends, everyone deserves a second chance. This thing is amazing! So amazing, in fact, that we have used all the "salt" packets that came with it. If I make it to the store today I plan to pick up some refills so that the cleansing may continue. Like a family friend once said,

Flush us out, Lord. Just flush us out.

And He did. Hallelujah and Amen.

2) Kleenex: I'm not addicted to just any 'ol facial tissue. It has to be Puffs PLUS lotion. Everything else is just glorified sandpaper. And my nose would know at this point.

3) Books: I've always been a big reader but lately I've been out of control! In the last week I've read a total of four books. FOUR, people! Normally this wouldn't be that amazing, but the fact that I'm a MOM and a WIFE with responsibilities like, oh say, washing shirts for Luke to wear to work means that I probably should not have the extra time to read FOUR books in a week. And please don't say anything about the run-on sentence. Since I'm running out of money to support my habit, not to mention that my house looks like the plains of Oklahoma after a tornado has blown through, I've decided to ground myself from reading until I'm all caught up. Or until my order from Amazon is delivered. Whichever comes first.

Don't worry. I don't think I need a 12 step program or anything. I'm pretty sure these addictions are linked to the fact that I'm on the tail end of a chest cold, and therefore, have very little energy to do anything but cleanse and read.

Hope you all are having a fantastic week. I'll be posting some pictures from our weekend with the grandparents because I know you are waiting with baited breath to see how our trip to the zoo went. Until then, have a great Thursday!