Trick or Treat

Let's just admit the truth....costumes are for the adults just as much as they are for the kids.  Check out these cuties.... our dinosaur & strawberry.

 the roar that accompanied this pose was quite impressive.

 mer loved to squat in her costume because it was so plush & squishy.

here was our fam dressed for a friend's costume party last night.  isn't casey super talented at belly painting?

here we are in the bahamas at the end of september.  a wonderful break & fun way to celebrate our anniversary.

as we were getting ready for church, that baby decided to run away in her tights.  what makes a toddler baby dressed only in pink tights sooo cute?  h was sweet to hold her still for me & pose with a darling smile, too.  mer wasn't so happy...i think i had chased her with the camera for so long that she was starting to get a bit cold!

 a day at the firehouse.  henry loved every single bit of it.  he got to ride a real fire truck & even use a real hose!

 mer thought she was pretty strong picking up the cones.

 henry & i chillin' at home.

 

m thinks we bought her a new carseat...ha, is she going to have a wake-up call soon.  she thinks she gets it when she points to my belly & says, "baby"....but then will go right on to calling her belly a baby as well.  she'll be a great big sister, once she realizes it's a real baby arriving.

 the girl is really into wearing hats these days.  as i was folding laundry the other day, she made a new hat out of h's undies.

that's all for now-- and that's probably the last i'll post before this baby arrives.  supposedly i have 3 weeks left.  could be more, could be less.  i hope that with the way things are feeling these days that it will be sooner rather than later.  i'm ready to leave the land of feeling like i'm forever pregnant.  not just because almost every pic i've seen of myself in the past 2 yrs i've had a large preggo belly.  no...just b/c i'm excited to have the little guy arrive so our little family can meet him.  may it be soon.

okay...and for a dash of complete honesty... maybe i am just a bit tired of that larger-than-life feeling.  i can't wait to give a real, bellyless hug to my husband again... to let the kids be able to sit on my lap... and to experience the joy of laying on my belly...just because i can.  and the idea that newborn bliss is on the other side of this waiting....it's more anticipation than i can handle!     

shoo, fly

i need to share with someone my victory.  to some, this may be considered small...but to me it's HUGE.  ever since we've moved into our new home, the fly population has been difficult for us to stay on top of.  in previous homes, when a fly was bugging me i could just grab the fly swatter, chase him for a bit (possibly even to another room), and usually get a kill in.  not so with this house.  when we get serious about trying to kill a fly...they get smart and fly away into the abyss of our home.  i can chase it for awhile, but the fly always knows it has the 20-foot high foyer to escape into.  i almost feel like it's the difference between hunting a deer in a pen...and hunting a deer in the great wide yonder.  in the end, i usually just give up hope & instead concentrate on pleading with the fly to leave my head alone (why do flies always fly around our faces & ears?!?) by doing an intimidating swipe around my ears or something similar.

as i was sitting here tonight enjoying the silence of a quiet house, a pesky fly decided to prey upon me.  i had slapped around at my ears for awhile...trying to get him to leave me alone.  it was no use.  suddenly i noticed that he was crawling around the opening of my empty bag of popcorn....and decided to venture into it.  i quickly grabbed the bag, twisted the opening shut, and locked the fly into his captivity.  i can still hear him scraping the paper bag as he attempts to get out.  ha.  if only josiah were still here tonight...i could talk him into plucking the wings off the fly while i watch.  (a talent he's possessed since around the age of 4 or 5, i might add.)

i don't know about the other moms of the world, but i sometimes feel bad that i don't really ever let my kids peruse the toy aisles of stores.  i remember doing that sometimes as a kid...okay, i tried my best to get mom & dad to let me do it every time we entered walmart...and i still look back fondly at those memories.  last night i had an item to purchase at toysrus, so i had case drop the kiddos & i off while he ran his errands.  my boy hasn't been in that store for going on 1.5-2 yrs...and this was merian's first time.  it started off as a blast...henry would run from aisle to aisle in pure glee.  then he would find items he REALLY wanted to get, and i would remind him that we were only there to look...but that he could get ideas of things he'd like to put on his christmas list.   merian had fun, too-- she especially love the stuffed animal & "baby" aisles.

after awhile, henry got really sick of the whole deal.  i never knew it was possible for the kid to get sick of playing with a train table & experimenting with new toys.  as we were waiting the last 5 minutes before case came to get us, henry decided he was more than ready to go & wanted to wait for his dad at the front of the store.  he marched to the front and lay down on the floor...arms & legs spread wide in a desperate plea to be rescued.  i had to explain to him why people don't usually lay down at the entrance to a toy store...and got him to opt for lounging in the recliners in the back of the baby department instead.  when casey arrived & asked henry how he enjoyed his trip, he summed it up well to his dad:

"too many things to want."

i agree, henry.  when will we all learn that value & realize that a simpler life is much better than a life pining away after the "newer & better" material possessions?  i want to remember that the next time i'm wasting all of my energy & effort...as i justify materialism by claiming i'm just trying to get the best deal.  it's too exhausting and there will always be way too many things to want in this life.  solomon was right on..."better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure & inner turmoil." (proverbs 15:16) 

and yes, the fly is still rustling my bag in his attempt to escape from his popcorn prison.

life as it is now

once you're behind in blogging...the task of catching up is absolutely formidable.  and as i wait it gets worse & worse.  so i give up on catching up.  life has been going on and it's busy, and God continues to be more than good. (excuse me while i run out for a quick potty break...the baby is suddenly giving swift kicks to my bladder.)

it still feels crazy to say that henry is in school.  he was SO excited on that first day of 4K.  the sweetie has been in breathless anticipation of school since he was 2-- as we would send off the louria girls to school each day.  here he is sporting his new backpack on that first day.

is school all he hoped it would be?  he really does like it-- especially recess & gym class.  and he's made a bunch of friends. casey & i are both really excited at the way he's grown up so much...even in the short month since starting school.  h loves that school involves messy things like paint...something his mom rarely lets him do at home.  the kid is asking intense questions these days...one that show me how little i really do know of our world.  h is still making us laugh all of the time-- i can't imagine how boring our lives would be without him. 

merian is growing up a ton & has become quite fluid in baby babble.  here are the words we've been able to make out this week, as well as some of her old favorites.... "tetty" (pretty), "unkey" (monkey), "oggie" (doggie) and my personal fav... "hey-ee" (henry).  the little pixie is becoming a great mix of a fashionista ... henry has been letting her pick out his jammies each night, just b/c she loves to do it so much...she's obsessed with cute shoes & will often pick out her favs (mine or hers) to toddle around in...and absolutely LOVES anything covered in girly fabrics and/or sparkles.  yet she also has more spunk than i thought i'd see from such a tiny thing...she definitely can hold her own with her big brother.

the kiddos have really grown to love playing together...i often catch them holding their bellies as something hilarious makes them just laugh together like crazy.  there's no contest...henry is merian's favorite person in the family.  when she's not sure where he is in the house, mer will often run to the foyer stairway & yell upstairs, "hey-eee!"  the other day she modified it once or twice to "hendy"...but hey-ee is the norm.

merian has quickly gone from walking over the past months to sprinting.  this makes for quite a hilarious sight for any passerby, who will often see a tiny sprite of a girl sprinting to the road while her lumbering, pregnant mother is coming almost-not-quickly-enough behind, yelling, "no, NO, merian!"  sometimes i skip taking her out front... if i don't feel like my large preggo body is up for the laps.

 here's merian's best attempt to smile for the camera.

henry takes his chalk art very seriously.

h & one of his many chalk masterpieces.

baby e is scheduled to arrive in just over 6 weeks.  the crib arrives saturday, so i think i'm going to start putting together the nursery.  i just saw a friend's newborn today and was overwhelmed with the sudden anticipation & gratitude of realizing in a fresh way the amazing gift we are about to receive.  the kids are loving it.  henry's been in dialogue with his new brother for the whole pregnancy, and always is feeling for kicks & kissing the buddha belly.  merian claims to understand...she'll point to my belly and say "baby".  she even kissed it tonight for the first time.  she still has NO idea what is about to rock her little toddler princess world-- but that's okay.

case & i recently treated ourselves to a 5-yr anniversary cruise (1 yr overdue) to the bahamas.  mom & dad took the kiddos for the weekend (what a huge blessing-- thanks again, mom & dad!!!) while we relaxed on a ship.  our main goals of sleeping, reconnecting, resting, & gorging ourselves were accomplished...and we were ready to come back & see our babies again. 

it was so fun to bring the kids home to a place that really feels like home.  for so long our family's been in transition...and there's so much relief & peace in feeling like we are in a place we can put our roots down for awhile. it makes me really excited for the day when we can literally breathe in that huge sigh of relief and say "we are home" & where we are meant to be...for eternity.  it's almost hard to imagine what that will be like, but i love the anticipation of heaven.  and i'm thankful we get a tidbit of what that's like when we're sighing in relief to be "home" with the family....or anticipating the arrival of our newest little baby e...or watching the kids "attack" case & attempt to wrestle him down on the living room floor as they chortle their belly laughs.  thanks, God-- for whetting our appetites with tastes of heaven.

A Day to be Celebrated

Today I celebrate you, Mom.  Every day that I get to be a mom, I understand you more & more.  And am more and more grateful for you.

As I'm growing up & now am a mom myself, I'm starting to realize....

* the innumerable hours of sleep you gave up for me

* how much you sacrificed in those early days in order to take the time to create teeny tiny homemade outfits for my Barbie....how in the world did you do that??

* how much extra effort it took for you to be the fun mom....I still can't fathom how you so often had the energy to dance around & be crazy with us.  Thanks.

* how self-sacrificing and gross it is to be a mom.  Midnight pukes, potty training....what you did for me was amazing.  Thanks.

* that being a pastor's wife on Sunday mornings is very much like being a single mom....how in the world did you ever manage to get FOUR kids dressed & off to church on Sundays???  You are amazing!

* what a great gift you gave me in teaching me about God & the Bible every step along the way.  You helped to grow my faith & helped me get to know Jesus at a young age.  I am grateful.

* how hard it must have been to be the first one from your family to try and do a family God's way.  The story of God saving you from your past has been to me one of the hugest living testimonies of God's saving love.  I am so proud of you, Mom-- I know it wasn't easy.

* how much work & effort you put into studying me (and my siblings)-- and my passions & talents...in order to see how I can best be used & be fulfilled through God.  You always see potential in me that I didn't think possible.

* the huge gift that you & dad gave me by doing whatever it took to have a God-centered, healthy marriage.  I never realized that those date nights, weekends away, constant communicating (even when it's difficult) really were in many ways an investment in all of us kids as well. The stability & testimony of your marriage has impacted me greater than you will ever know.

* what a sacrifice you constantly made to always have time to listen to me....you always have dropped whatever you're doing to talk to me when I really need you.

* that you really are a rare jewel...and words cannot describe just how grateful I am to have you as my mother.  With each passing birthday I find I am more & more thankful to have you as my mother.  You are one of the dearest friends I have in this life.

Today I celebrate you, Mom.  Happy Birthday!

henry & the ladies...

click here to see what henry's latest conversations with girls have been like....

as winter ends

henry & case finally got a snowman built the other day.

 

 

when henry came in, he desperately wanted to bring the snowman inside.  we worked to help him understand that coming inside our home would mean imminent death for his friend.  h agreed it would be best to keep him outside.  needless to say, h is troubled at what the current weather status has done to our now-decapitated snowman.

after mops the other day, henry came home with his own version of a bible story....(these are his exact words)  two mean robber men came & beat up a guy and left him.  then two nice neighbors came by, but they didn't help.  but one really nice neighbor, riding on a donkey, put him on his donkey and took him to an inn & paid for him.  and came back to check on him. 

wow, these kiddos look alike.  here's h at the same age....

 

this is merian's hair after wearing piggies.

 

merian got her 2nd tooth this past week.  and today she's getting over her first bout of stomach flu.  (henry had it last week.)  meri's also pulling herself up and starting to take some steps as she holds onto furniture.  she waves & says "buh-bye" & says "dada" to casey & once in a blue moon will actually sign "more" with her little hands.  she is still army crawling, and with how intent she is on standing & stepping i'm beginning to wonder if she'll go from that to walking.  we'll see!

  henry got to feed her for the first time the other day.

 

here's m getting some much-needed daddy time.

 

i'll work on getting some house pics together soon.  the work continues,and we are very grateful to the continued help of family & friends!  we're finishing off the last of the taping in preparation for priming later this week.  it's coming along, slowly but surely!

piggies, bling, & a firefighter

life is really good here.  don't get me wrong, i still am doing my best to stay sane as i try my best to parent a spunky toddler & chase a curious crawling baby.  but this is the good stuff of life.  sometimes i think my heart is going to explode with love when i watch henry tenderly nuzzle merian....or watch merian hop around in an attempt to make henry laugh.  i adore these kids.  here's merian having her first bite of a real banana....

henry loves his play-doh.

my angel baby and her piggies...

 

  

merian's latest fav has been to surprise us by suddenly making her hands into fists & giving a loud "UGH!!"  it seems to be how she's dealing with her frustration, excitement, or any extreme emotion.  we laugh because it's quite low & guttural.   i never expected to mother a boy that loves to scream and a girl that loves to growl.  the unexpected joys of life.

henry continues to love his digital camera.  this one was his idea.

merian's becoming quite a skilled army crawler.  and i'm having issues with trying to stay ahead of her.  her speed exceeds her coordination these days, so she's doing quite a few face plants as she learns.

 

can you tell which kid is pumped to go play in the snow?  once we got her outside she liked it.  the snowflakes caught on her lashes, and she had no prob letting henry pull her around the yard in her little sled.

i finally did it.  isn't she pretty?

 

i think she's so cute with her bling.  for almost my entire life (it's been that long- right, kara?) i've wanted to get earrings on any baby girl i had.  for multiple reasons....1) i've always loved earrings on babies, 2) it's a fun way to integrate a hispanic tradition (on my already hispanic-looking babe), 3) now she won't have to remember it being done and will be used to having earrings for life.  that was last week.  this week she just cut her first tooth-- it broke through on valentine's day.  mer's a busy girl these days!

here's henry doing his favorite hobby....craft time.  give the kid an envelope and an endless supply of tape (his valentine's day gift) and he's happy for life. 

 

henry saved the day a couple days ago.  he was on a stepstool next to me as we were baking up a storm.  as i was washing dishes i was zoning out henry's "mama, mama" (somehow we moms can start to zone out...maybe after enough questions & demands we start to subconsciously wish or pretend that the kid is calling for some other 'mama')....he finally broke through when i heard, "mama, your mitten is smoking!"  i turned around to see the oven mitt i had placed on the burner (oops) that i hadn't turned off (double oops) smoking like crazy & about to go up in flames.  henry's been applauded as the firefighter of our home and we were so proud of the fact that he saved the day.  thank God we didn't have a fire!

i'll leave you with this pic.  this is what happened when henry obediently put on the jeans i handed him this morning.  i realized it when i heard him complaining about not being able to button them.  can't believe he actually had achieved squeezing into merian's pants!