Up We Go

Loft above the trees 

Looking up

Stairs

Lofty view--looking down on kitchen and living room

A peek into the master bedroom

Front porch posts

It's Bluebonnet Time

Surrounded

Front of house--living room window, front door, dining room window and door to garage 

Left side--Master bedroom window, kitchen door, kitchen window, incomplete living room bay window

Right side--kids' bedrooms (there are 4--two with bay windows  in the middle, and one on either side)

Right side--garage bays

Back side--kid bedroom window, office door and window, master shower window

Left side, from back corner--master bath window, MB windows, kitchen door and window, living room window

*The perspective (left/right) is always assuming you are standing on the front porch, facing the front door. Openings are labeled from left to right in the pictures.

State Bound

Ruth had the opportunity to compete in three events in the district PSIA academic meet yesterday: Ready Writing, Music Memory, and Spelling. We are so proud of her for all the hard work she put into preparing for the contests, and we are also proud of her performance in each competition! Ready Writing and Music Memory were new events for her this year, and she got fifth and sixth place, respectively. She won second place in the Spelling contest, which means she gets to advance to State--a position she found herself in last year, as well! Again, we are very proud of our girl and are looking forward to the State competition in May!

I believe you can fly

Dear Ruth,

You and I had a pretty rough day on Tuesday. We butted heads and argued and had a hard time understanding each other. It wasn't fun, and it wasn't pretty--and we both said and did things that weren't that nice.

At one point during the day, I was lecturing you about being lazy and getting your work done. I said to you that I believed you could do anything you put your mind to, but that it was up to you to chose to do it--whatever it might be. With an I'll-show-you gleam in your eye, you turned to me and said, "Oh yeah, what about flying? Do you think I could fly, if I put my mind to it?" It was obvious you thought you had me on that point. And my response clearly surprised you. I immediately replied, "Absolutely! If you want to fly, I think you can do it!" Your whole face changed, and I saw some of the fight come out of you. You wanted to argue with me, but I hadn't said what you expected, and you didn't know how to respond. And later that day, you began asking questions about the mechanics of flying. And the next day, you began reading about and working on building planes.

I wish I could say that we will never have another day like Tuesday, but I'm too much of a realist to really believe that. We will argue and butt heads from time to time, but the thing I need you to know in the very core of your being is that I believe you can fly. Don't ever, ever forget that. I think you are one of the smartest, most talented people I have ever known, and I truly believe you can do anything you put your mind to. I am your biggest fan, and I want the very best for you. And, I love you with all of my heart!

I can't wait to see you soar!

Love,
Mom

Hello, Walls

(hello hello)

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.” 

~Martin Luther

Something Concrete

The first room of our new house has been erected!! And, since we are Watts, you will not be surprised to know that it is the pantry! Hee hee! This room will actually perform double-duty for us: pantry by day, safe room by dark, stormy night. It kind of looks funny sticking up off the otherwise empty slab, but it should be joined by other walls next week! The concrete for our sport court has also been finished, so we're making progress. (Lovely tangible progress that I can actually see)!

Pantry/Safe Room

Sport Court

Spring has sprung

It's official: Spring is here!! The time changed this morning, and we saw our first big bunch of bluebonnets this afternoon! Let's all do a happy dance! This is absolutely my favorite time of year! Just looking out the window at all the new life cropping up and breathing deeply of the fresh, fragrant air puts a big ol' smile on my face. It's the time of year when I feel like anything is possible.

And this spring is especially exciting, as we prepare to welcome a new little Watts into the family. That fact has only recently clearly dawned on me. We should have a new little bundle of joy in around 6-8 weeks. Wow! We picked up all our baby stuff while we were in Kingwood yesterday, and today I began going through the boxes and washing all the sweet little things that haven't been used in about three years. Yes, spring is definitely a very special time, and new life is such an amazing blessing!

All Ears

We made our way down to Houston yesterday afternoon for Weston's one-year follow up appointment on his tubes/tonsil surgery. The doctor reported that everything looked good and that the tubes have come out of the ear drum, though they are still in the ear canal. He thought they would probably come on out in the next few months, and he released Weston from the burden of having to wear ear plugs for baths and other water-related activities. I requested another hearing test, just to make sure all his former hearing problems were related to this and not some bigger problem. I sat nervously outside the sound-proof booth, remembering the pain in my heart as I watched him fail miserably the last time, while Weston sat inside with his best concentration face on. The audiologist performed several series of tests, and happily, all showed Weston's hearing to be in the normal range! I'll admit to letting a few tears of joy fall! The doctor told me that his ear drums still seem to be having a little trouble equalizing pressure, so some of the hearing is still a little low. But it's nothing concerning--probably just due to the fact that the tubes are so recently out and there is still some healing that needs to occur. It is great that we can finally put all that behind us, and it is wonderful to see what an amazing difference those simple little procedures made in Weston's life.

Kid-free Weekend

After the field trip on Friday, Jeff and I dropped the kids off with my parents and went on a field trip of our own. We had two nights at the adorable and peaceful, one-room Red Barn Hideaway in Salado. We also got to go out to a fancy dinner at The Range and a not-so-fancy, but oh-so-fun dinner in Walburg. We strolled leisurely through antique stores (without worrying about anyone breaking anything) and saw an original production of "Chanteuse" at the local Silver Spur Theater (without having to leave in the middle for potty breaks or noise level). We slept in, watched movies and enjoyed the most fabulous breakfasts in our cozy little room. And we were restored. It was a wonderful weekend, and we can't thank my parents enough for giving us that amazing gift!

Field trip on a Friday

(Please excuse the recent blog silence. We have been experiencing technical difficulties).

On Friday, we joined our CC group for a field trip to the Johnson City Zoo. It's one of those wildlife parks where they put you on a tram and give you a bucket of food with which to feed the animals as you drive through. We saw lots of neat creatures--up close and personal--and the kids absolutely had a blast! After our tram ride, we got to hang out in the petting zoo, play on the playground and enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds. We discovered that our new house will only be about 15 minutes from the zoo, so I'm sure we will be seeing more of that place in the future.