Merry Christmas!

My friend had this on her blog and I loved it.  After watching it, Charlotte put a plastic duck down her shirt!

5 Year Anniversary

95 years after the fact, you can expect it to show up on my blog...or maybe not.  Apologies to the 2.5 people still following this blog (not that any of you are half a person....errr, nevermind.)  Anywho in an effort to keep blogger from kicking me off for inactivity, I thought I'd better post.  And actually I'm cheating, this is from a post I drafted but never finished...but you didn't need to know that nor do you care :)

Way back in October Chris and I celebrated our 5th anniversary by going to San Antonio for the weekend.  I was dying to show Chris this part of Texas--"it's like being in another country!" I kept telling him.  Not sure if he agreed to that sentiment but he did like it all the same.  He was especially impressed with the Riverwalk, surprisingly so, in fact.  Hmmm, not sure what he was expecting now.  Anyway, we stayed at this great B&B near downtown and were able to walk everywhere except for Mission San Jose. 

The first day we saw the Alamo, Riverwalk, ate at Mi Tierra, and strolled through the mercado.  Later, we went for sushi and more walking around downtown.

the picture below is both wonderful and creepy all at the same time...

We went through the cute town of Boerne on the way back.  Loved it.  Then as we neared Austin, close to Dripping Springs, we were suddenly in the longest line of cars in the middle of nowhere. 

Then we saw these...and lots of them.  And they ALL were going fast as we sat in the car and twiddled our thumbs.  Not moving.  Great race planning at work here.

Oh yeah, and we also enjoyed a bottle of wine from our wedding.  Actually we both agreed it had gone bad and ate the chocolates and bottled water in our room instead. 

Side note, I didn't get a picture but wished I had--nearby our B&B there was this outdoor bar with lots of room, colorful tables and chairs, lights strung overhead, live music, and a playground.  Yes, a playground.  It was the ultimate place for a playdate.  Kids were dashing around in the play area (sectioned off with a low wire fence), adults were enjoying fellowship and a beverage, dogs were sleeping under tables, the lights were festive, and everyone was being serenaded by the sweet voice on stage.  I wish more people would combine these wonderful things together in one place.  Fun for the WHOLE family :) Feel free to start a new business in my area.  I promise to be there.

The end.   

Family Time

Family time.  We get a lot of it.  Of course, I always want more, but we are really, REALLY blessed when it comes to Chris' schedule.  I complain when he's not home by 5, but seriously, we have it so good in this department.  Around here there are a lot of folks are in residency or med school or deployed and they sure as heck don't have 2 weeks vacation at Christmas and 2 months off in the summer!  Thank you Chris for choosing such a family-friendly profession. 

Anyway, we are still enjoying life in Texas and will soon enjoy some extended family time with Chris' folks and grandma who are coming for a week!  Looking forward to having our parents get together.  I think it's only happened twice in 6 years! 

Here's some shots of us playing at the park--we do this A LOT!  Another of Charlotte's pasttimes--playing with cardboard.  

And lastly, I got some business cards from Moo and I love them!  There are like 48 different designs and they are mini-sized.  Love them.



Pumpkin Muffins

My friend Mary Stuart told me about this recipe that I just remembered AND it's perfect for the season!  It's super easy (2 ingredients) and super delicious!  Literally, combine a can of pumpkin and spice cake mix, pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 20-25 min. in a 350-degree oven.  Apparently, they're only 2 weight watchers points too!  I've heard that it's good with chocolate cake mix as well. 

Enjoy!

New Day, Different Hat

One thing's for sure, this girl LOVES hats.  I mean obsessed, no question about it.  So, I'm thinking Halloween will be a big hit!  Not sure what we'll be yet, but it'll have to include a hat.  Here are some pictures of us out on the patio enjoying the amazing weather we've had!  I'm pretty sure I was telling her to smell the flowers not the watering can, but hey!? 

This wig is now included in the hat category...by the way anything can be a hat--dishtowels, pillows, blankets, t-shirts (esp. as they are being pulled overhead!), etc. 

Breakfast hat.  It was just too cute!

Side note, I'm gearing up for a few craft shows this holiday shopping season!  I'm excited to share a table with my new etsy friend, Stacie.  She is a great photographer and does a fun smattering of onesies, tile, canvases, and wire crosses. 

These are the days...

Sorry it's been so long between posts, I really have no good excuse though.  Wish I could say we are just SO busy, but we're not.  Just trying to make friends and basically set up life here in Temple...that means everything from getting new drivers licenses to figuring out how to pay our water bill to finding new doctors.  We've had several playdates this week already which have been so needed on my part--can't speak for Charlotte!  We go to Austin about twice a week these days--also needed :)  It's been such a joy and blessing to have family so near at this point in our lives.  We love seeing my folks so regularly!  Here are a few snapshots of our life in this season...

Charlotte learning to put on her own clothes, empty the hamper, and wear everything all at once.  She literally has 7 pieces of clothing on one leg! 

I've been wanting to do this for a long time--make playdough.  It was so easy and it turned out really well.  Click here for the recipe.  Watching her play hard is really one of my favorite things in the world!

Then Chris and I had a turn...guess who is who's and who we made!

I knew Charlotte had a thing for "to go" cups and water (which is the only way we can last at a restaurant these days), but the other day after she caught her finger in the car door handle I asked for a water from Sonic (30 cent charge, by the way!) while I ordered my usual: a lime slush.  It must have been the special Sonic ice in that cup because she could not get enough and wailed when the cup failed fell apart after all the lovin' :)

We've had some long days and I'm considering a mother's day out program...and I only have one kid! Yikes.  Any thoughts?

Temple, Texas Folks

Hello there!  We're still alive, promise.  Just busy settling in and trying to get the lay of the land!  I know it's been years since I've updated this thing so here goes an effort to keep things going :)  I sort of got to a point where there was too much to write about and didn't really know how to pick and choose what to put up on this here blog.  But for now, I figure something is better than nothing.  So please excuse the lack of detail and gaps in time.  We are adjusting to life in a smaller town and while something are progressive and more efficient, others are not and we dearly miss our community and friends and life in NC.  That being said, we are LOVING being closer to family and spending lots of time doing just that.

Swimming in the apartment pool in 100 degree + weather = more of a bathtime experience than actual refreshment.

Charlotte tearing around our apartment in her new kicks. 

Realizing that we have even fewer toys now than we did in NC, I wanted to get her something that she could really play with!  She loves the used Little People farm we got on craigslist!

Bathtime!  This time in the actual tub :)

Lack of friends and social calendar = more time to craft.  Check out dearcharlotte for some gift ideas!

More to come soon I hope!

Lots To Do=Lots of Procrastinating

Chris' mom sent us a dress similar to one she had a year ago AND we had the bouncy seat out for our yard sale so here are some comparison shots...

Last week we hiked up to North Knob at Windy Gap.  We were hoofing it in the middle of 300 sweaty, stinky high schoolers to see what we could see and enjoy the journey.  It was tougher than we expected (in a good way!), Charlotte did great, and the view amazing.  So much fun!!  They even fed us on the way down and Chris ran into the old GJ area director...and that's the small Young Life world we are going to miss so much.

We are slowly packing up but haven't been able to throw ourselves in fully yet.  Meanwhile, Charlotte's enjoying all the cardboard!

We did have our yard sale though so that's making it a little easier to see what all we need to put in boxes!  We ended up making out pretty well (a BIG thanks to the Womacks for letting us sell stuff for you) and I got to see the salesman side of Chris that I've heard so much about!  "Since you bought that, why don't you just pick up something else on the way to your car?"  We were prepared for some rain, but thank goodness we never needed to use plan B.

This is just a cute little series showing her devotion to her sippy cup, the couch, and her ever-changing physical abilities!

We've got some fun videos to post but I can't get them on youtube temporarily, so check back later. 

Can't believe we've got a week left.  Whoa.