last week of summer fun

a recap of our last week of summer...

monday, brendan figured out one way to beat the heat is to do something water-related.  every time he plays with the water table, he is more and more active with it.  he was soaked from his own choosing, but he loved it.

tuesday was the big day!!!  august 14 was FULL of birthday celebrations for our special guy.  he insisted we go to le peep for his birthday, and who can argue with a birthday boy?!  clearly, he wanted his birthday pancake.  we picked up a cupcake for later in the day and came back for birthday naps.  katy arrived in time for dinner and presents so we headed to pappasito's to cap off the day.  i was so proud of brendan for handling the (unexpected) birthday singing so well.  again, he wanted to touch the candle but settled for the whipped cream and ice cream.  the rest of us were happy to share his free dessert especially he still had his crave cupcake to demolish at home.

 wednesday was party recovery day and a dip into the reality quickly approaching.  brendan and i paid my school a visit, and i loaded him and my supplies up in his new wagon and around the school we went!  to pass the time later that evening while lee was golfing, i made us some homemade fun:  a cardboard box tunnel.  brendan would follow his toys through the tunnel and be so excited when he made it through.

thursday i took my first step into the world of homemade pizza making.  other than a slight mishap in the dough-rising process, the pizza turned out to be a success.  check out that yummy shrimp (got it on sale...woohoo)...

friday, we had probably the most successful tax-free shopping experience with minimal crowds to fight.  we also visited the children's museum in the woodlands for the first time.  brendan is just on the brink of really loving and taking full advantage of that place.  he did love the slide though and got quite brave at climbing up and sliding down.

the only picture i have from saturday is a shot of the most incredible nap-head you have ever seen.  am i right?!

 sunday night, we said goodbye to summer over dinner at jason's deli and prayed for positive school years for each of us and enjoyed one last schedule-free, lesson-planning-free night as a family.  brendan did not really notice either way the change coming, but he did really dig the jason's deli ice cream.

water fun

one day into summer break, and we are loving it!!!  a friend at church said i seemed so different already just starting the summer, and i guess that is kind of true.  i have always loved summertime, but now it means over two months at home with brendan!

to kick off summer, we decided to try bubbles with brendan in the backyard.  let's just say, brendan was not impressed.  he was not scared but there were no giggles, laughs, or hardly even smiles over the bubbles.  he did however like holding the wand and bubble bottle on his own...guess he already thinks he is too big for us to do things for him. 

i'm really not so sure about this...

i'm done!

while lee went to church softball practice, we met some friends at their neighborhood pool.  their kiddie pool is much better than ours because brendan can sit in his float and just touch the bottom of the pool so he has a little bit of freedom and safety at the same time.  (i could not get him to stop chewing on the noodle ring, but i guess it felt good on his gums) although he took a nap in the middle of our pool time, we had a great time with friends.  have i said i am excited about summer?! :)

splish, splash

i am not sure what the weather may be where you are reading this (if you live outside of the houston area), but around here we are all ready for the neighborhood pools to open.  in the meantime, i decided to make a special purchase for brendan...a pool!  i found an inflatable pool at target within the price range, size and simplicity that i wanted, and i purchased a swim shirt and swim hat because it is still unclear as to if he will forever be fair-skinned like me or turn to tan in the summer like his dad.

the cold water was a bit uncomfortable at first (and i can attest to that since i got in with him too), but he started crawling around in no time.  upon discovering that the outside had a neat pattern, brendan made it his goal to try to pull down the side of the pool to see the pattern better.  i cannot wait for our next swim time!

 

 

 

 

 

a day at the park

warm, springtime weather is in full swing here in houston.  the days of freezing temps and heavy coats did not really exist during our mild winter this year, making way for a pretty easy transition to spring.

two weekends ago, the weather was just too perfect to not enjoy outside.  lee set out for the driving range and brendan and i headed to the neighborhood park where brendan discovered the joy of swinging.  he was all smiles in the swing like a big boy and discovered the fun of the playground, as well.  his excitement must have been contagious because it brought lee back from golf and got our friend, emily, to join us as well.

i see many more park days in our future...that is, until the weather inevitably becomes miserably hot again...

 the following are two new faces he makes quite often...

i have deemed this one "mouse face"

the little booty is about an inch off the ground as he tried to pull himself up with the music bars

chatting it up with that baby in the mirror

watching the cars go by

a sunday stroll

i am not sure about the weather where you live, but the weather here today was pretty much perfect.  we loaded brendan up in the stroller and set out on a walk through the neighborhood.  we tried out our mini playground area with him, but there is only so much a 5.5 month old can do and only so long his attention span will last before he just wants to eat every last little piece of padding on the ground.

after the playground, we walked around the rest of the neighborhood...taking in the gorgeous day and perfect temps.  i think everything is better on a beautiful day...even

on the way back, i noticed that brendan was quite relaxed...laid back, with his foot propped up on the stroller.  i think he enjoyed the walk too.

peace

i do not typically write serious posts, i.e. posts that do not include pictures or updates on life events.  however, i shared this with lee today and we both thought it was worth sharing here.

every morning when brendan wakes up to eat, anywhere between 4 and 5:30, i get up and go to him when i hear him on the monitor.  during the night, there are always the occasional sighs or grunts in his sleep, but i know he needs me when they turn into a sort of cry.  i get up and go in his room, using my phone as a light.  lately, i have started holding it near my face so he can see me.  when he does, he is calm and eager to be held.  we spend the next little while together as he eats and then falls back asleep.

the moments between him falling asleep and me laying him back in his crib are some of the sweetest times of the day.  i love sitting there feeling his sweet little baby breath on my cheek.  i know this is one of those phases of his life that will not last forever so i cherish each morning like this.

last night, i started to think that sometimes our relationship with God can parallel this.  God desires for us to cry out to Him in our moments of distress, trouble, uncertainty.  however, i feel i fail at this more than i succeed.  all too often, i think i can handle it on my own.  my first reaction is not always to go to God before trying to figure it out myself.  God is waiting to bring us a peace that passes all understanding.  He is our greatest comfort and in His arms we can find those sweet, still moments of peace in life.  i pray that i can live life in a way that calling out to God in the hard times (and the good) is second nature.  the peace i can find in His arms is far better than anything i can attempt to create myself.

lately

life has been crazy busy the past few weeks, as i mentioned in the last post.  busy is not necessarily a bad thing though.  we have done a lot with friends from our small group class at church.  we have also had a couple of football watching hang-outs with people i work with.

meeting his friend, titan, who is only 9 days younger (his mom, jenn, and i work together)

we are loving life with brendan as he has reached 3 months old and developed his own routines.  he sleeps pretty well through the night most nights, which is a huge help to us.  he loves his sitter and she is wonderful with him.  he is smiling and laughing ALL the time.  just last night, he rolled over from stomach to back for the first time, and then proceeded to do it two more times before tiring out.

first time in the bumbo!

check out those lips!

first time facing forward in the baby bjorn

last friday night, lee and i went out on a date to celebrate our three year anniversary...wow!  we ate dinner at a wonderful restaurant in houston and enjoyed some really great quality time together.  the evening out was good for us individually and even better for us as a couple.  many thanks again to our good friends, austin and emily, for watching brendan so we could enjoy such a special evening.

zeppole:  doughnuts with nutella for dipping; our dessert on our date.  YUM!

if you are still checking in to see how we are, thanks and please continue to do so.  just forgive me if the updates are not as often as they should be :)

a little housekeeping

call it nesting if you must, but i call it having lots of extra free time. we have definitely put this second half of summer to good use.

after a major hardwood floor cleaning overhaul, we decided to try our hand one more time at an IKEA purchase we attempted a few weeks ago. this time the piece we wanted was in stock so we brought it home and set it up. now, our coffee table can serve as a coffee table again and not as a tv stand!

i took some before and after shots. several pieces were moved around in the living room giving it a new feel.

fireplace before:

shot of fireplace after:

TV and bookshelf before:

TV with new stand after:

last set of unpacked boxes plus table before:

bookshelf relocated & books shelved (some also went to 1/2 price books) after:

relocated table and mirror hung beside front entryway after:

the transformation is not quite complete just yet. in a couple of months, i hope to order a big canvas print to go over the fireplace. i also want a little clock or some sort of trinket to go to the left of the tv (and i secretly just want a clock in here because i got so addicted to having the clock on our DVR box, but we got rid of cable so no more clock...ha). i also want to get a tray to put on the coffee table...any suggestions on where to get one? lee has mentioned putting a rug down as well...at least in time for when our little guy becomes mobile...but i have NO idea what kind or color would look best so suggestions are welcomed here as well.

lastly, i also FINALLY did some decorating in our bedroom. i put together a project i first saw on pinterest and also painted a $7.99 white IKEA table to use as my bedside table so i no longer have to put everything on the floor.

before/what our room looks like on a typical day (plus an unmade pack n' play):

after: