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

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

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...

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??

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

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

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.

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!