They say it's your birthday...

...It's my birthday, too! And what a fun day it's been! My sweet father-in-law made me breakfast this morning: biscuits and sausage and fresh-squeezed orange juice. I have received a ton of love via Facebook, e-mail, snail mail and phone. Max made a minimalistic drawing of some dolphins for me. Weston wanted badly to give me a savings bond (like he often gets for his birthday) but, when told by Jeff that it probably wouldn't work out to get me one, decided to give me one of his dollar bills, a few candies and a sweet, sweet drawing of him and me holding hands. Ruth made homemade pineapple bread pudding for me last night, and then gave me a handmade ribbon necklace, a lei, a pink pen (with pink ink!) and the cherry out of her Cherry Limeade today. My in-laws gave me a beautiful wooden bowl and a couple of cute signs to hang up in the new house, and my father-in-law had a dolled up bottle of Bailey's for me. My awesome sister, brother-in-law and nieces/nephew? sent me a Sonic gift card. I also got some cash from Jeff's grandmother and from my grandparents, and some new straps for my Switch Flops from some other sweet relatives. And the Lord sent a nice little rain and a beautiful sunset, which were true blessings. Dinner was eaten at River City Grill, with extended family, overlooking Lake Marble Falls. And another party is planned for the weekend at my parents' house.

And my crazy, creative and super-sweet hubby gave me a mystery gift that promises to keep on giving (wrapped in an old copy of our house plan)! He gave me a child's magnetic calendar (you know, the ones with all the picture magnets, depicting holidays, special occasions and other interesting things). Then, he gave me twelve envelopes, each marked with a month, and instructions to open each envelope on the first day of the month specified--and not before! (Super-fun, but also a bit maddening)! Apparently, he has taken some of the magnets from the calendar and put them with homemade coupons, so that there is something special for each month, until my next birthday. I was allowed to open the "August" envelope today, which contained an "It's my birthday" magnet for the calendar and a hand-written coupon good for a kid-free date night at the time of my choosing! I can't wait to see what the other envelopes contain!!

I didn't really mean for this post to be about all the things I got for my birthday, though I do truly appreciate them all. I just feel so incredibly blessed to have so many people in my life who love me and care about me. I was made to feel truly special today, and my heart is so very happy! Thank you all for making these 34 years so wonderful!

First Day of School

We kicked off our official school year a little early this year, hoping to maybe take some time off a little later. (Besides, it's hotter than blue blazes outside, so we might as well be sitting in the air conditioning, trying to improve our brains). It was a bit of a rough start for our younger student, since he still seems to be on vacation time. But we're easing in, and I expect by next week, he'll be more in the swing of things. Ruth had a great day, and even finished a little earlier than expected. Overall, it was a good start.

For those of you who might be interested, here is what's on tap for this year:

Ruth (4th Grade, with some 5th grade work thrown in, as well): Math, Writing, Modern History, Latin, Elementary Physics, Piano, Grammar and Spelling. We are also looking into getting her into some sort of sport.

Weston (Kindergarden, with a bit of 1st grade Math): Reading, Writing, Math and Spanish.

(Max will be attending preschool three days a week this year, beginning in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned for more on his school adventure).

We will all also still be participating in our CC group, which will start up again in September.

Three Months Old

More Lights

dining room chandelier (with scaffolding in the background)

pantry

above kitchen sink

master vanity

back porch

garage lights/doors

technically not lights, but do let light in

Lights in the darkness

The electricians have been working hard out at our house, installing light fixtures, fans, switches and outlets. However, work came to a screeching halt today, when they discovered that the wire needed to finish the job was missing. Further investigation revealed that it had, in fact, been stolen. We're talking $700 worth of insulated copper wire. Some of which had to be pulled out of the conduit. The crime has been reported (and the boys were thrilled to see the sheriff out at our house!), but we feel sure the wire will not be recovered. We had to go ahead and buy more so that the project can continue to move forward. It is absolutely sickening. On a happy note, though, our light fixtures look great, and really give a polished look to the house.

garage motion light

reading light above window seat

loft fans

front porch lights

front porch fans

The voice that leads me

I am completely directionless. As in, I wouldn't know "north" if it bit me on the nose. Not surprisingly, I am terrible at finding places for the first (or second, or third) time. Driving somewhere unfamiliar used to stress me out completely before the advent of the GPS. I can't tell you how many times I have been white-knuckled and on the brink of tears, talking out loud to myself to get where I was going. Ah, but the GPS takes all that stress away. My GPS voice is named "Lee," and he's Australian. I trust him completely. If he says turn, I turn. And I never question him. He knows where I'm going, and I'm more than happy to let him lead the way. And even though he knows how long the whole trip will take and what all the twists and turns are, he only gives me a manageable amount of directions at a time. It never occurs to me that he might take me to the wrong place, though he might occasionally take me by a way I didn't expect. And if I get off the path he lays out for me, he can quickly redirect me and still get me where I need to be. His voice is such a source of comfort, and if he is silent I know it's because I need to just stay the course. However, during our vacation, "Lee" stopped talking completely, and I panicked. How would I be able to manage without him?! I can get by when I'm going somewhere familiar, but I don't want my outings to be limited to the familiar.

Today, I needed to go somewhere unfamiliar, so I carefully turned to "Lee" to see if I could, by some means, get him to talk to me. It turns outs the voice mechanism had somehow been disabled, most likely because of some human error. All I had to do was engage it, and "Lee" was again getting me where I needed to go.

As I drove along, reveling in "Lee's" voice, I realized the amazing amount of faith I put in "Lee." And this led me to realize a wonderful parallel to my spiritual life. The Lord knows the way to where I'm going. He has the whole trip all planned out, though He just gives me the directions I need right now, without showing me the entire roadmap. And that's really all the instruction I can handle. One turn at a time. He may take me down a path I didn't expect, but He always gets me to the destination. I may veer off the course, but He can easily redirect me. His voice is such a comfort. And, if I've obeyed His voice, I can rest in the silent times, knowing that I just need to stay the course. There is a different silence, though, brought on by human error--disobedience and sin. This silence requires me to take some action. It makes me have to spend some time with Him, to figure out what the problem is, to re-engage His voice in my life. I want to put my faith in Him completely. I don't want to question His leading. I just want to listen to His voice and go where He tells me to go.

Sonic Drinks

Thank you Sherry and Sweet Blessings for rocking my world with this! It is absolutely perfect and will have a special place in my new home. I love it so much!

Biker Dude

It has been a week of scraped hands and knees, gravel driveway-induced bloody noses, and various other bumps and bruises. But with great determination, Weston has survived this rite of passage and has joined the ranks of the two-wheel bike riders. Woohoo!

Color Our World

While we were on vacation the painters and concrete guys visited our house and transformed it in many ways. Aside from touch-ups, the wood surfaces are all stained, the walls and ceilings are painted and the concrete is stained as well. We are really pleased with the way everything looks, and we're excited to see it one step closer to being finished!

front porch, front door and a peek inside

kitchen

looking up to the loft

looking down into the living room

The medically perfect baby, et. al.

Today was check-up day for Ruth and Clay with the pediatrician, and we managed to work Max in for a few immunizations he needs before we can enroll him in preschool. Because Ruth and Clay were both new patients, and because two sets of immunizations were involved, we ended up being in the doctor's office about three hours. Everyone got a clean bill of health, and the doctor declared Clay to be "a medically perfect baby." Here are the stats:  Ruth weighed around 78 pounds and was about 4 ft. 7 in. tall. Clay weighed almost 12 pounds and was 23 in. long. But, what I really want to brag about is not the kids' health. They behaved wonderfully during the three hours we were there, and the staff just could not stop praising them for their good behavior. The kids also received many compliments for speaking to the adults intelligently. The doctor and her assistant were impressed that the kids asked probing questions and that they fully engaged in their communication with the adults. I am so thankful that my kids are healthy and intelligent, and that they are learning to conduct themselves well around others. I couldn't be prouder of these kiddos!

We did it!

• 8 people
• 10+ bags
• 1 van
• 5,469 miles 
• Countless memories

Santa Monica

The official end of our Route 66 journey on the Santa Monica Pier 

We made it!

four great travelers

boogie board fun

riding a wave

build it up just to knock it down

beach baby

This is the life!

The End of the (Mother) Road

We made it to Santa Monica today, thus completing the Route 66 portion of our trip! (Though not completing the adventure, as we will stay here for a few days and then make our way back to Texas sometime next week). And, boy did we get our kicks!

We began our day in Lake Havasu City, AZ this morning, where the temperature was 111 degrees, and we ended the day in Santa Monica, CA in jackets and sitting under heaters (ironically while watching the kids swim in the pool)! We ate lunch at Barstow Station, which is a food court/shopping area where the dining rooms are train cars. Guess who loved that?! We also visited the Watts district in L.A. (an appropriate place to end our journey, don't you think?) and saw the very interesting Watts Towers.

a much-needed nap in the van

Barstow Station

lunch in a train car

Dream big

Watts at the Watts Towers

Watts Towers

some details of the towers, which were 34 years in the making

the artist's signature--initials and imprints of the tools used to build the towers

Santa Monica

looking toward L.A.

Ruth and Weston bellying up to the bar

happiest baby ever

Grand Canyon to Lake Havasu City

Oh what a beautiful morning! 

Brave Ruth sitting near the canyon

Twisters in William, AZ

Having a soda at Twisters soda fountain

Delgadillo's Snow Cap in Seligman, AZ

A super-fun place to have lunch

No apology needed

kids at Snow Cap

Max and 'Mater

 tickled traveler

The real London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ