This & That

View of downtown Austin from this past weekend.

As of 12/20/08 the unofficial count of construction cranes in downtown Austin is 13 (per the Austin American Statesman).

The tallest building is the Austin 360 condos & has 44 floors. However the Austonian residential tower will have 56 floors when completed in 2010.

Snow/ice & our pobano pepper plant

Hugs for Simon


Finishing a Clifford the dog puzzle with Berlin. We love puzzles.

We're here

Well, we've had busy days & then we found ourselves sick this weekend. No fun. Hopefully this week will go better. Here is a poem I've been wanting to share. It came from Berlin's Bible. We were reading a chapter to him & found this poem tucked in the pages.

Steadfast Heart

I've dreamed many dreams that never came true
I've seen them vanish at dawn;
But I've realized enough of my dreams came true
To make me want to dream on.

I've prayed many prayers when no answer came
though I waited patient and long;
But answers have come to enough of my prayers
To keep me praying on.

I've trusted many a friend that's failed
And left me to weep alone;
But enough of my friends have proved tue blue
To keep me trusing on.

I've sown many seeds that fell by the way
For birds to feed upon;
But I've held enough golden sheaves in my hand
To make me keep sowing on.

I've drained the cup of disappointment and pain
I've gone many days without song;
But I've sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
To make me want to live on.
author unknown

Montana!

We had a wonderful trip to Montana - good flights, a pleasant 4 hour car trip to the farm, 7 relaxing days on the farm with Russell's family, fantastic food & good visits.

Well, we did see some snow - OLD snow - by the parking lot at our hotel in Minot, ND

Outdoor activities included rides in the wagon

Benjamin and cousin Colter

Great-grandma Ruth with her wonderful pies & 8 great grandkids

What a mess - loads of toys for the kids


Pouring over tractor books with the cousins

A ride on the Grandpa Larry's JD tractor - what a thrill

Northeastern Montana

A ride on the 4 wheeler with Dadddy

Happy Thanksgiving!

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."

Happy Thankgiving from our home to yours!

We are headed to Montana tomorrow to spend a week with Russell's family.

We're thankful for... Benjamin and I put this turkey together at Chick-fil-A craft night. It was a fun project, but he didn't quite understand the full meaning of "write what you are thankful for, on the feathers" - hence Texas was one of our words since he can write T now.

This week...

I'm not very good about recording things that Benjamin does, but this week I did want to note a few things to remember.

-Papa taught him how to make a "T for Texas". Benjamin is quite pleased with himself. He recognizes over quite a few letters, but has never written any up to this point.

-Benjamin opened a book today & saw the word "four". He pointed to that word and told me, "Look Mommy that is Gordon's number, number four". We have been working on simple word recognition, but not that word.

-Benjamin is also learning that Jesus didn't have a home on earth and that is why the workers don't have homes. He asked us about this the other day, so we were happy to explain it to him.

Just Jesse

Benjamin & I took a quick trip south to see Jesse & parents. What a fun time we had. The boys were nonstop together & were sad to say goodbye when we had to leave.10 reasons why we had a grand time...

1. Riding bikes at night with flashlights taped to the front as headlights
2. Jumping in mud puddles
3. Playing tractors
4. Eating delicious food - like the brisket Paul had cooked in the smoker
5. Swings & a fort
6. Lots of laughs
7. Chasing the kitty (Benjamin told me, "When I pull the kitty's tale, the kitty says Meow! haa, haa, haa - I tried to explain that it wasn't very nice to do that. Fortunately their cat is very tolerant.)
8. Paying only $1.78/gallon to fill up our gas tank
9. Visiting their local candle shop - yummm, it always smells so delicious
10. Good garage sales!

Lunch Buddies

We sure enjoyed having Jordan, Kaleb, & baby Mariah at our home on Monday. It was great to be together again and watch the boys interact.

Did you vote today?

Chicken strips & lemonade wins majority at our house

Benjamin the Magician

Benjamin loved showing everyone "his trick" today. He performed so well & it was fun to watch their surprise & delight as he attempted to say - "Abracadabra!" while pulling the bunny out of his hat. Today we enjoyed visiting family, friends & neighbors today so they could meet our little magician.

Making Faces

We had lots of fun today adding faces to our little pumpkins. Benjamin loved these stickers & it was neat to see what he came up with on his own.

A special celebration...

It doesn't happen very often - singing happy birthday to a friend who just turned 101 years old. Berlin is becoming one of our dear friends as Benjamin gets better acquainted with him since his move to our area.

Convention Memories

It is hard to find words to describe our days at convention. We loved the separation, rest, & food for our souls.

Lots of boys!

Benjamin's first trailer ride

Jesse

Convention is here!

Our convention begins today. We are so thankful this week is here. It was special to have supper out there last night. We sang Happy Birthday to Berlin. His birthday is at the end of the month & he'll be 101!! Benjamin & Drake thought it was great fun to chase the neighbor dog last evening down in the campgrounds. I have a feeling that Benjamin is going to keep us all on the 'go'. Benjamin woke up this morning asking to go out there, so he'll get his wish soon.

My long list of things to pack today: Bibles and notebooks, rain boots for everyone (yes, it is finally raining this morning!) & rain coats, BPA free water bottle for Benjamin, trailer supplies, etc.

Break out the marmalade...

Paddington Bear is 50 years old!

the FACTS:
*He first appeared on October 13, 1958

*He is a "polite immigrant bear from Darkest Peru, with his old bush hat, battered suitcase and marmalade sandwiches "

*A classic English children's literature icon

*Paddington books have been translated into 30 languages with more than 30 million copies sold worldwide.

Three is Fun!

Benjamin's pictures taken at Portrait Innovations

Look who's driving!

Well, at least, behind the wheel. We often find Benjamin sitting in the golf cart pretending to be going on a fun adventure. This particular time he really wanted the conv dog to ride in the back. So, Rachel helped me out and I had time to snap one shot before Coco hopped off the back. Guess she didn't trust who was in the driver's seat.

Happy Fall!

These expressions give our home a little more flavor of fall.

Reminiscing...

This is one of my favorite walls in our home. This collage brings back so many memories. Benjamin loves to browse thru his scrapbooks to see pictures of his other birthdays & special occasions. Now if I can just get the journaling part done!

Watch...

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

G is for Girl!

We have a new neice (and cousin!)

Morgan Jean was born today, September 30, 2008
We can't wait to meet Ryan & Jeannie's new addition to their family.

Goodbye Babyhood, Hello Childhood

We saw Benjamin's pediatrian today. His stats were: 30.6 lbs (25th percentile) & 39" tall (75th percentile). He answered all the doctor's questions & wasn't shy one bit. It was cute to hear Benjamin tell the dr all about his birthday party.

Warning from the doctor's info sheet on 3yr growth milestones: "The 3 year old will ask more questions than a district attorney. Nothing is sacred and some questions will throw you for a loop!"

Funny things Benjamin has said this week -
*I'm ready to go soccerballing!
*You have trash in your cup. (referring to the loose tea floating in my cup while my hot tea was steeping)
*When I see Grandpa Larry we will go snowing (Yes, we are already talking about our trip to MT at Thanksgiving - we are excited!

Benjamin is 3!

We had birthday celebrations all weekend long here. Fun play time with kids his age on Friday afternoon. I had fun making monkey cupcakes for the party. On Saturday after work day at the convention grounds, we celebrated again at a nearby park. Benjamin has been asking for a "Dalmatian doggie" cake for a long time, so this was my attempt at a very simple one. I'll admit - it tastes better than it looks. Here is the fabulous recipe for Sprite Cake. Thank you, Shauna, for sharing it!

Happy Birthday to our special Benjamin! How can you be 3 already? Life with you is so very fun, hilarious, & at the same time sobering. You watch us constantly & we are very aware of our influence on your little life. Everyday you learn new things, repeat what we say & tell us stories. You have a good imagination & you are learning to be our helper. We are so thankful for you.

Almost...

THREE (in 1 week)!

Benjamin is very excited to tell you that he'll soon be "free"

We had a prebirthday celebration with cousin Damion & family last week.