Lisa this one is for you!

Dear Lisa,

While it has been many years since we have seen each other, I find that you are on my heart these days with good reason. I joined the "mommy club" a year and a half ago, and I have come to realize that it is one of the greatest joys in my life. And while it is one of the greatest blessings, it does not come with out much worry and hard work. I only know what it is like to be a mom to one child, and you have the joy and the responsibility of mothering 3 kids while also growing one more inside your belly! You, my friend, are one busy mama!

Right now you are having the added stress of worrying about your health in addition to worrying about your 4 precious children. Your plate is full right now, and if there is anyone who needs an "atta-girl"- it is you! You can do this. When little Henry is old enough to grasp what you are doing to keep him healthy and safe, he will thank you for all the sacrifices you are making. But in the mean time, I am praying for you and admiring all that you are doing for your little one in order to keep him healthy and happy.

So from one mama to another-you are on my heart and in my prayers. I hope that this phase passes quickly, and that this period of time will soon be a distant memory. You are loved!

All the best,

Allison

Santa Clause

So it seems that Santa makes kids cry! Santa came to E's school today, and NO ONE in his class liked him. They walked in the room, and they all just sounded off in unison. I felt bad for putting him on his lap, but I know I'm no the only mom to do this to their kid. Eventually he will figure out that the man with the big red suit is his friend.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...I don't know the rest of the words to this song!

Here are a few pictures of little E trying to help decorate the tree. He was obsessed with all of the Christmas balls hanging from the tree and could not figure out why nothing was in his reach. I am trying to find some ornaments that are soft that he can play with. I discovered that all of our ornaments are not E friendly.

I also had to include this picture of E from last Christmas...my how he has grown. I am sooooo in love with this little man!

Happy Fall & Merry Christmas!

It is December 5th and our tree outside our window is just starting to turn colors. Meaning that it is just starting to feel like it is fall outside. It has been in the high 70's, and I am ready for it to feel like it is Christmas!

EXHALE!

Oh Happy Day! It has been a long year and a half of stress, schooling, applications, disappointments, and did I say stress?!?-but Rob got a job offer today. He starts January 3rd, and we couldn't be happier. I think that he is honestly shocked that one actually opened up! Hooray!

I found out just before I was supposed to have a long 6 hour car drive to Lubbock by myself, and while I was nothing but happy while on the phone with Rob-I found myself crying a good portion of my drive. They were not tears of sadness but rather just a big huge exhale/release from all of the stress. I feel like I have been walking around with my shoulders up in my ears because I haven't been able to relax for a very long time...I am sitting in my hotel room in Lubbock tonight, and I think that I will be able to sleep harder than I have in a VERY long time.

Just in time for Thanksgiving...thank you Lord! I am thankful that Rob has a job!

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treating was a success this year. The weather was perfect, and E did great. We started off the weekend by Trunk or Treat at his school. Our little Ewok was very suspicious of all the people putting things into his bag he was carrying.

On Sunday we headed to my parents house. My parents live in a neighborhood that people drive to for trick or treating. They literally show up by the Suburban full and fill up their candy bags until their hearts are content. We watched as the kids would fill up their candy bag, once it was full they would run back to the suburban-dump their candy in a pillow case-then start all over again. The home owners just sit in their front yard in their lawn chairs until they run out of candy. It is pretty comical.

I had to include this shot because it makes me laugh...all the doting family members with camera's all fixed on E.

Trunk or Treat at E's school.

E resting on Rob after an exhausting costume parade. :)

I also had to include this one-E is not keen on holding mom's hand at all. He is Mr. Independent these days. He would rather roll on the ground than hold my hand.

Pumpkins

I only have a few minutes so hopefully the pictures will help me tell the story!

So many to choose from...

My happy boy refusing to sit still for the picture!

This is my version of a pumpkin patch-it is covered and paved!

E was not convinced that pumpkin carving was for him. He would not even put his hand inside to feel the gooey stuff-oh well!

Our end result-Rob's is on the left, my dad's in the middle, and my own on the right. (I have to say that Rob did awesome. He HATES pumpkin carving. Something about the texture and the smell makes him sick. However he is all about the tradition of it-so kudos to him.)

What it looks like at night...scary?

I am currently roasting our pumpkin seeds in the oven and can not wait to devour them! This is one of the Lacy family traditions that I will be passing on to our kids. I am not a fan of Halloween, but I do love the pumpkin carving!

Horror Movies

Why is it that when I turn on the TV there are these terrifying horror movie trailers? I don't mean kind of scary-I mean the type that make my heart race and I lye awake at night trying to get the sounds out of my head scary. I have to go up and check on E because I am so disturbed by what is out there!

I don't think that movies that are that scary should be allowed to advertise on TV-I just don't. I can freak myself out on my own-thank you very much! I don't need the ads on tv to scare the hoo-haa out of me. I am just saying...

(I am in Lubbock and just had to turn the tv off because I am scared of the commercials. Boooo!)

A Dirty Penny

What do you think of when you see this penny? You know that it is still worth the same as the pretty shiny pennies, but it just looks dull and grouse. It is one of those pennies that you hope the check out person doesn't give you because it will make your hand smell funny if you have to hold it for more than 2 seconds. I think of when I was a kid and I would sort through my piggy bank. I would always put my dirty pennies near the bottom and my shiny ones up top (discriminatory-I know). It was always more fun to relish in my 54 cents with the dirty ones hidden down below.

I feel how this penny looks! I feel "dull." I know that this season of stress in my life will pass as it always does, and then I will become shiny and new again. But until then, I will have to make due with being the dull penny in the bunch that hopefully won't make my husband's hands smell funny!

Learning to Share

My sister came for a quick visit this weekend with her 1 year old, and it was great to have her in town. What was even more fun was watching E with his cousin who is just 5 weeks younger than him. We threw them in the bath together, and little Blake did just great seeing that he has 2 older siblings. E on the other hand could not get over the fact that someone was in the bath with him. When I thought about it, E has never bathed with another human before. E sat there the entire time holding his favorite octopus bath toy staring at Blake. It was pretty funny!

I had to get the boots on there...

Hopefully this one shows up!

TCU

Fall football is in full swing, and we have become big college football fans in our house over the past few years. Since we moved to Fort Worth a few years back we have also become enamored with the TCU community that we live in! Fort Worth really knows how to support its' local university.

TCU is a non-BCS team that absolutely deserves a shot at a REAL bowl game. Last years match up of Boise State and TCU in the Fiesta Bowl was totally bogus. Both of those teams deserved a chance at the National Championship if you ask me! Matching up 2 non-BCS teams accomplishes nothing.

So enough of my ranting...last night was the beginning of a new rivalry here in town. SMU played TCU in Dallas for the "DFW Dual." We went with Rob's sister, her husband, and 2 of our good friends Chris & Heather from Fort Worth. The only person in our group that was a SMU fan was our brother-in-law. He went there for his MBA, so I can't blame him for being loyal to his alma mater.

I forgot how much I loved watching football live! We had a great time cheering for our Horned Frogs, and happily TCU pulled out a win. I can't wait until E is big enough to come with us and watch the horned frogs play.
Here is our little purple cheering team with the one SMU fan on the far right-hence the red hat.

Here we are enduring the humidity...I am soooo ready for fall.

I had to include this picture because I am totally having boot envy, and I personally think they have the best "showgirls" ever. If I went to TCU I would have tried out for this team just to wear the boots-maybe not the hot pants-but definitely the boots.

So let's hope that our horned frogs have another undefeated season, and they give them a real shot at an actual bowl against a BCS team! Maybe just maybe it will be for a National Championship!

Borrowing from Annie

I am borrowing Annie's idea about making a mixed tape! I just loved that blog she wrote. I was at a meeting yesterday in LA, and as I was saying my hellos to my coworkers one of them saw my iPod sticking out of my airplane bag. He grabbed the iPod and quickly started scrolling through to see what I listen to. I found myself feeling weirdly vulnerable.

It is a personal thing to have an outside stranger look through your playlist for some reason. I guess that the music you listen to really gives people insight to who you are. Anyway, after I recovered my iPod, I realized that I have nothing to be self conscious about. Without further ado-here is what I would put on a CD if I were to make one.

**Annie-I would like a "mixed tape" if you are seriously making them.

Canned Heat - Jamiroquai

How You Like Me Know - The Heavy

Ok, It's Alright with Me - Eric Hutchinson

Always the Love Songs - Eli Young Band

Love your Love the Most - Eric Church

Radio Waves - Eli Young Band

It Ain't Me, Babe - Johnny Cash with June Carter Cash

Uncharted - Sara Bareilles

The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert

Lead Me - Sanctus Real

A Glorious Day - Embrace

HELLO John Mayer!

For Rob's first Father's Day this year all he wanted was a date night. I surprised him with John Mayer tickets. For the instant gratification factor of the gift-it was a total dud-BUT-it was worth the wait. John Mayer is quite possibly the best performer EVER. Rob has only been to 1 concert his entire life, and it was a punk concert at San Diego State. It was just ok. I was hoping that this concert would pave the way for more outings just like this one.

Mr. Mayer left us both wanting more. Rob wanted more of the awesome guitar solos, and well-I just wanted more John Mayer!

Pillars of the Earth

The last month I have been on a big reading kick. I typically do not pick up big novels to read, because I do not have the attention span to follow them through. Pillars of the Earth is different though.

Much like the Twilight series, this book took me by surprise by how much I loved the characters. It is a historical novel that follows the main characters in the 12th century over a span of 40 years or so. It has a beautiful love story, the building of a cathedral in a small town in England all because of the prayer and dedication of a monk, mystery, sabotage, and war/politics. It is great.

After I read the last page-I did not feel the satisfaction of finishing a really long book like I normally would, but rather I was sad that I was done. As weird as this may sound-I miss the characters in the book! Anyway-if any of you have time to read-Pillars of the Earth is a great read and is worth the time investment. (They have made the book into a series on STARZ, and I can't wait to watch it!)

Exhausted

We had a BUSY weekend full of fun for little E. Saturday we went to the Fort Worth Children's Museum which was great. Last time we went with my niece and nephew, E was still in the Baby Bjorn-so there was not a lot for him to do. Now that he is into everything, there was a lot for him to do. Gaga & Papa Lacy joined us, and he had the best time taking it all it.

At the time he seemed to enjoy the crocodile mouth but by the looks of this picture I can't tell if he is thrilled with it or not!

I took this picture for Rob as he was busy in paramedic school this weekend. While we were out having fun-he was in his class learning about how to save peoples lives!

Sunday we headed off to Dallas to visit the aquarium with Uncle Chris & Aunt Megan. Again-he was taking in everything and was jabbering the entire time.

(Yes-there was an outfit change mid-visit. There is nothing like changing a diaper/outfit in a gross public restroom.)

Now that the weekend is over, I feel like this manatee. A giant tired BLOB! (It is not dead-I saw it swim away. I too was worried when I first laid eyes on it.)

Groupons

I may be a little late in the game on this phenomenom-but my sister-in-law introduced me the "Groupons!" I LOVE GROUPONS!!!

This morning I was able to sign up for a family photo session, 11x14 mounted family photo with digital editing, and 2 5x7 photo's for $50! The going rate for all of that around here is at least $300! Can I get a what-what??? For budget reasons we were not able to do 1 yr old pictures with E, which was a bummer-but now we can sign up for 15 month photos which is just as great.

If you have not discovered this neat little website, go to www.groupon.com and sign up for your city. Most days they advertise for dentists, but my sister in law was able to get a really cool one for a pilates studio for a month for next to nothing. I love a great deal!

How Technology is Changing My Friendships

In 1995 I was 15 years old and the cost of a stamp was $.023. My parents moved me from Texas to California, and my main form of communication was picking up the phone or writing letters to my long lost friends. While writing a letter is not always the most convenient way of letting someone know what is going on-in my opinion, it is the most thoughtful. A stamp was only a 23 cent investment, but it always made me smile when something came just for me. When I receive a letter from someone, I know that they took the time out of their day to think of me. It makes me feel special.

Enter email: When the internet really started to impact my life and how I kept up with people, it was my first year of college. I remember heading down to the computer lab and having someone show me how to set up my email account. The whole idea was completely foreign to me, and I was not crazy about the whole thing at first. I did not see how typing a quick note was thoughtful nor a real investment in that friendship, but like so many other things-I warmed up to it. Obviously email is a huge way I keep up with a lot of people. Without it, I am sure that I would have lost touch with even more people than I have already. I now get excited when I look in my inbox and see a note addressed to me! A letter is still better, but an email is still great.

Enter the blog: Like email-a blog is a great way to keep people informed with what is going on in our lives. It allows us to let the group of people around us know what it going on, and with out it would take us all day to call every individual to fill them in. It allows us to post pictures, vent, and give updates on whatever is going on in our lives. With all respect to the blog though, I miss talking on the phone, writing letters, and (dare I say it) emailing with my friends. I miss the personal notes that say-I took the time to write to you-just you.

Maybe it is just how busy our lives are right now, but I miss having the personal one on ones with my friends. I miss the phone calls, the cards, and even the emails. This is not a slam on the blog by any means-I love reading the blogs. I feel that I know so much more about other peoples lives because of them, but I feel that I have lost something though. I feel like a person who picks up a book and reads an autobiography. I feel informed and somewhat connected to the author without ever feeling apart of the story. I want to be informed-connected AND apart, but I don't know how.

I guess this is my way of saying that I would like to start up writing letters again, making more phone calls and sending more emails. I want to feel less like a faithful reader about some one's life and more like I am apart of it. In fact I went down to the post office and bought a book of 44 cent stamps. I miss my friends!

The Making of a Family Quilt

Almost 10 years ago I received a very special gift from a very special lady-a handmade quilt made by none other than Mrs. Badley. It is one of my most prized possessions. I use it regularly, but I don't store it with my other household linens. It has it's own secret place so that it is not touched by my dogs, mistaken for a regular blanket, or put on any bodies stinky feet.

My quilt is blue. When you look at it little closer though, it actually has many colors that come together to accent the blue just right. There is quite a bit of yellow, purple, white, grey, and green. It is how the accent colors come together to make it the perfect shade of sky blue. If there was too much yellow and white, then it would be way to bright. If there was too much purple or green, it would look too grey. It is the perfect combo of colors if you ask me!

Tonight I have been reminded of the fact that our lives are very much like the quilt I love so much. Our experiences help determine the color of our "quilt." If our experiences were always happy-we would have one giant sunshine yellow quilt that would be obnoxiously bright. Our experiences make up the color pallet that come together in the end to make just the right shade.

Our quilts are made of a collection of random patterns and colors which takes HOURS of laboring to put together. While making the quilt-it does not always look pretty nor does the pattern always make sense, but the end result makes perfect sense and is a masterpiece.

This is for my friend that is busy making her families "quilt." I know the pattern does not make any sense right now-but one day it will. Keep laboring away, and one day you see that this discouraging time will be apart of the beautiful story your families quilt will tell. Right now you are having to add the "cooler" tones so it is not just obnoxious sunshine yellow. (Blue has always been my favorite color anyway!)

Happy Birthday E!

I know that it is not his birthday anymore, but I seem to be so late on everything else in my life...so...Happy Birthday E! Here are a few of my favorite memories from this past year.

First Picture with Dad

First Pictures with the Girls

First bite of rice cereal. He was not a fan.

Learning to Jump in the Jump-a-roo

Playing with his best buddy-Heidi

Tasting ice cream for the first time

First time in the big pool

Opening presents

Eating cake and loving it!

This year has been full of so many firsts, and my life is so much better because of him!