A Little of This, A Little of That...And Then Some of Those

In my last post I lamented the fact that it is so very difficult to get Yummy's smiles caught on camera. Well looky here:






Little Bit got her giggling, and I grabbed my cell phone (my camera is AWOL) and snapped this. I love to hear babies laugh, and my Yummy is especially giggly. Doncha' love it???


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If anyone out there lives near Waco, there was a puppy mill shut down this week in the Waco area. Mostly rat terriers, but there were also some Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (like WonderDog!). No decision has been made as of this writing as to what will happen to these dogs, but if you are interested in helping out, whether financially, donating supplies to care for them, or fostering a dog or two in your home for a time, contact Sheila Simmons of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Rescue USA, Inc. to find out more (www.cavalierrescueusa.org).

This is amazing to me, that people could be so beastly to those who can't defend themselves. Who says mankind is inherently good? "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one..." (Romans 3:10)

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I love my sweet friend Flowerpot. She always has a smile on her face and a good word to share. She is one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, inside and out. Our girls have been in different classes this year, plus she's been working full-time and I've been so busy with Yummy, so I don't get to see her happy smile much. Since our schedules haven't matched up well this year, I like to go check out her blog to see what she and her precious family have been up to. (I like to do that anyway, but especially since we haven't seen each other much this year.) One of my "favorite" posts that she has written was back in February called "Worship Check". It's a very convicting post. She talks about how and where we spend our time and our money, and what that reveals about us. Ouch. For me, it wasn't pretty. This particular post been rolling around in my brain's very packed file cabinet, just lurking for the right time to be used. Well, God's timing is always perfect, and He brought it out of its "file drawer" and is using it in our lives to honor Him and help others. The Hoffer and I recently made a commitment to be better givers, to give to God His 10% first, even if it's difficult. (And believe me, with our economy the way it is right now, IT'S ALL DIFFICULT!) We decided to give more not just to our church, but also when we see a need. And God was faithful to give us opportunities to give RIGHT AWAY. The Hoffer was able to share with some who really needed it. I got an email from our church about a new crisis pregnancy center opening up, and we are donating a sofa/love seat combo to help get things set up. I hope I don't sound like I'm patting myself on the back...I am just so OVERJOYED at the opportunities the LORD is giving to us! How generous of HIM to give us yet another second chance to honor Him. Here are some verses He used to reiterate to me that we are to give generously:

Psalm 37:21, 25-26:

The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

I love it when God gives me confirmation that I am on the right track...His track. :-) Thanks for the post, Flowerpot! Another jewel in your crown!!!

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Little Bit has had a rough afternoon. She has two BFFs (best friends forever, if you've never heard the term) that she has known for some time and loves dearly. One of these BFFs has been very unkind to the other one, and Little Bit was defending the wrong one. It was just too difficult for her to comprehend that someone she loves so much could do something wrong. Many tears were shed, but she is coming around. We are praying for a peaceful resolution. I love that God uses difficult situations in our lives to help others in need, and I was able to tell her about similar situations from my growing-up years and how I dealt with those situations. It's a comfort to her to know that she's not the only one to go through this situation and that I can give her some advice on how to handle things. Just goes to show you that God doesn't waste anything. :-)


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Finally, we have only TWO WEEKS OF SCHOOL LEFT!!! Bring on summer! I'm ready!!! And Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies and soon-to-be mommies out there!

I'm Heeeeeerrrrrre....

Wow...I have been gone a LOOOOOOOONG TIME!!! I can't believe April is almost gone! This whole year (translation: school year) has been such a blur, and my brain is so crowded with stuff. I decided I was long overdue for another blog post, so here goes.

I just HAD to share this picture. This is Little Bit with a family friend of ours from about five years ago.



OH MY WORD, ISN'T SHE ADORABLE???? She was SUCH a cute baby and toddler--she's about four, almost five here. Such a stinker. I always loved her hair like this. She hated it, but I'm pretty sure she was the only one who did. I went through a rather large box of pictures yesterday, dating waaaaaaaaaaaay back before she was even thought about! It was a ton of fun, seeing just how much Baby Bit looks like her big sister.

And speaking of Baby Bit, she will henceforth and forevermore be known as YUMMY. Because she is. Need proof?




Talk about sweet feet!!! Don't you just want to take a nibble? Here's the head-to-toe version:




And a head-shot:





Now you see why we started calling her Yummy. She's Super-Delicious!!! Many thanks to The Daily B for that fabulous--and I do mean FABULOUS!!!!--outfit. She wore it to Little Bit's school on Grandparents Day a couple of weeks ago and was a huge hit with that awesome bow! I love baby bowheads. :-)

And just in case you're wondering, yes, she smiles...quite a bit, in fact. She's incredibly ticklish, and we are merciless about making her laugh. But when it comes to pictures, I just can't catch her doing it with my camera. Argh.

Yummy had her 6-month check-up today (yes, yes, I know she's 7-1/2 months) and came through with flying colors. She is almost 17 pounds and 26-1/2 inches "tall". She is everything Little Bit was...times ten. If Little Bit was happy, Yummy is exuberant. If Little Bit was just a bit curious, Yummy is into everything. To steal a phrase from a favorite author--Deeanne Gist--she is everywhere at once! She isn't crawling yet, but when she starts I'll have to keep my running shoes on. She always wants to be doing something else. When she's sitting in her booster chair to eat, she wants to see what's going on out the window, see what Wonderdog is up to, check on the cat, play with whatever is nearby, watch her sister entertain her...you name it. She'll think about eating eventually. And when she does, it will be LOUD AND CLEAR. Did I mention she's LOUD???? It's funny to listen to her, but it can also get nerve-rattling. If I get to take a nap during the day, I can assure you...it is WELL DESERVED!!! :-) So needless to say, feeding time is interesting.

As for what she likes to eat, her favorites so far are sweet potatoes, squash and bananas. She'll also eat green beans, peas, egg yolks, banana-and-strawberry yogurt, and will try anything. She's at the age where I can puree whatever I'm eating, which is SO EXCITING to not have to make three separate meals for four people. Little Bit is very picky and won't eat what we eat. I'm hoping Yummy is different in that area.

Another first for her was our trip to the coast over Easter. The weather didn't permit much, unfortunately, but we did take the girls to the beach for a couple of hours. While Little Bit was rolling around in the sand and waves, Yummy stuck her feet in the sand and was done pretty quickly. She was ready for a bottle and a nap, which she promptly did. The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun, with the Hoffer's brother and sister plus families meeting us there. It's not often we all get together, but I was so glad we did. Brother lives in southern California with his three kiddos and sister lives in Houston with her two boys. Everyone had a busy life, so this was a treat to get to hang out with them. It was especially nice for me to have several helpers with Yummy, so my arms got to rest some. :-) Sorry, no pictures. The Hoffer packed my camera somewhere and we still haven't found it. It will show up at some point...!

Grandparents Day is a huge undertaking at Little Bit's school. I love it...taking time out of our every-day busyness to honor those very special gray heads full of wisdom. Each class prepares a little something for friends and family to perform on that day. Little Bit's class performed Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life", which became a favorite poem for me while helping Little Bit memorize it. Check this out:

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! ?
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.


I am not big on poetry, but this one just jumped off the page for me from the first line. I plan to have this printed out and framed alongside the two "footprints" Little Bit made. One was for the Hoffer that said "Dear Daddy, I love the way you are funny. HAHA!" The other was for me and said, "Dear Mommy, I love the way you are perfect." (I'm going to have to keep that one handy for ammunition...;-)) She also made one for my mom, who couldn't be there because she is blind. It says "Dear Granny Bob, I'm sorry you can't see this, but I love you." She is so precious.

The Hoffer has been crazy busy expanding our business. He has been traveling a lot as well. I miss seeing him and look forward to our rare and short times together without the girls. In fact, we're going to watch some TV together and eat some super-delicious popcorn here in a few minutes. So let me share one last picture for today so I can go snuggle! This one is also about five years ago, after a race...which should explain the gear.



Okay, here are a couple more:




A contemplative moment. Not sure where this was taken...those aren't my curtains!




And would you trust your financial future to this little guy??? :-)


Ahhhh...it's good to be back in bloggerland!!!

If You Blinked, You Missed It

Didja' see any of the BMX coverage from the Olympics? Wowee...what coverage. I'm overwhelmed. I'm sorry, but plain and simple, IT SUCKED. Bob Costas, on the air, states that BMX "is a sport I know nothing about." Oh, silly me, I THOUGHT IT WAS YOUR JOB TO KNOW THIS STUFF. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU GET PAID TO DO????? Nicely done, genius.

Oh, did I just write that out loud?

Because it rained in Beijing, BMX got rained out for a day, as the track was an outdoor track. (Yes, some tracks are indoors.) The good thing about that is our buddy Kyle Bennett had wrecked and dislocated his shoulder in one of his qualifying races, and that rain delay gave him an extra day to recover. The bad thing was it knocked most of the races off your TV screen, so BMX didn't get the coverage we had hoped to see. So in case you missed it, Latvia won the gold, and the US brought home the silver and bronze. Our friend Donny Robinson was the bronze medal winner! WOO HOO!!! Congrats!!!

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Hang on...WonderDog needs a bathroom break, and I don't really want him using my carpet as his toilet.

Okay...thanks for waiting. I'm back.

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School started up again for us last Thursday. I used to think this was a stupid idea, starting school with only a couple of days left in a week, but my mind has since been changed. The nice thing is it lets the kids, parents, teachers, etc., ease into the new school year. This way the getting up early for the first time in literally months isn't quite as painful, because only a couple of days later you get the weekend off to recoup from the initial shock. Little Bit LOOOOOOVES her 4th grade teacher, but school in general, and homework specifically, is definitely not her favorite thing. That should come as no surprise...neither the HOFFER nor I were that fond of school, so we get it. It's the vocalization of those dislikes that has become the issue at hand. Little Bit is not one of these people that gets things done in a hurry when assigned a task she dislikes. She draaaaaaaaaags it out, procrastinating in the hopes that she can get out of whatever task it might be, complaining the entire way, and generally making life miserable for anyone within earshot. And believe me, she does not give in easily. While I appreciate her dedication to her cause, there's always a point where she just needs to give in, suck it up and deal with it. Unfortunately, she hasn't figured that out yet.

If WE don't figure this out, this is going to be a very...long...year.

On a lighter note, if you haven't read Jenster's posts about her kids starting school, it's a riot!!! Here's "Ye Olde Tale" and "Ye Olde Tale, Part II". Quick, go read them, then pop back here. I'll wait.

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Oh, back already? That Jenster is a hoot, isn't she???

So I'm just a couple of weeks away from my scheduled C-section, and let me tell you just how excited I am about it. I can't wait for someone else to hold this very precious yet very wiggly baby girl. Things continue to progress as they should, and I've noticed a few contractions here and there. Nothing very strong...yet...but contractions nonetheless. After all, my body doesn't care if I'm having a C-section or not. We are just about prepared for her arrival. I have a few nursing items still to buy, but that should be an easy thing to get done. I frequently get asked if the nursery is ready, and the answer is no. Perhaps I should have taken care of that during my second trimester when I had the energy, but I figured she's not going to be sleeping in there any time soon, so I wasn't too worried about it. The problem that has arisen, however, is where I put all her STUFF: clothes, toys, etc. So I'm having to make room in my room for everything. Not too big a deal, but some of my wonderfully generous friends have given us clothes for several months down the road. I hope I don't sound ungrateful...I'm not. I just planned poorly. Oh well...it will all work out...somehow.

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I should probably add something else here, but I got nothing. So I'll stop here for now.

Of God and Field Trips

I started my birthday off very early by showering and getting ready for the 3^rd grade field trip to the Witte (pronounced “witty”) Museum in San Antonio. Most school mornings I just throw on almost anything that isn't pajamas to take my daughter to school, then come home and get ready for my day. But God had been busy and once again made sure I was available to go on this field trip, so I had to get up early and be sure I was relatively presentable so as to not scare away the rest of the civilized world. He has done this every year since she started school, and I haven’t missed a long-distance field trip with my daughter since 1^st grade. Usually I’m not even signed up to go, but inevitably someone is unable to go, and I have always been available. The first time this happened was for a trip to the San Antonio Zoo. A few days before the trip I had an overwhelming sense that my daughter was going to have some kind of crisis while on this field trip and would need me. Nothing really major, mind you, but I just knew she was going to need me there. So as I started trying to figure out a way to go on this field trip, someone emailed me saying she was unable to go and could I could fill in. Of course I jumped at the chance, and the zoo was a great trip. And yes, my daughter did encounter a minor crisis and I was able to be there for her. God sure knows what He's doing. Okay, time for a slight pause.

Let me add here, in case I’ve never mentioned it, that we live in Austin, which is about an hour or so north of San Antonio. Both cities are full of history related to the Texas battle for independence, and San Antonio is a great place for all-day-away-from-school field trips. As for Austin, it's not only the state capitol, it’s a lovely place to live and a lot of fun. When I was at my reunion and my friends asked where I was living these days, I would tell them “Austin” and the reaction was exactly the same from person to person: a wistful look, a slight sigh, followed by “Oh man, don’t you just love it there?” Suffice to say that Austin is a pretty cool place to live, even if it is a bit weird. But that’s another post. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program.

In 2^nd grade, the kids at my daughter's school study Texas history, and there were two field trips I was dying to take: the Alamo and the trip to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, which is where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. When signing up for class volunteer activities, I saw that these two trips were filled up. I planned on driving my car on both trips, simply because I just wanted to go. But once again, I ended up filling in for someone who had to drop out last minute on each trip and rode on the bus with my daughter for both trips. For the trip to the Witte Museum, a classmate’s mother mentioned to me how her son seems to think I make it to every single field trip. I think I can understand why!

So the Witte Museum turned out to be a great way to spend my birthday. It’s a good mix of interesting DNT exhibits (“DNT” means “do not touch”) as well as one whole building full of hands-on stuff. The kids enjoyed the HEB Science Treehouse the most, as they had just completed a study on simple machines. There was a sky cycle that many of the kids rode—strapped in by harnesses, over a net, riding on a very heavy wire. My daughter loved playing with the pulleys. I think the biggest hit was getting to be “on TV”. There was an exhibit that showed how meteorologists report the weather on TV. The kids would stand in front of a green screen but could see themselves across the room on TV with the weather information behind them. There was also some green fabric that answered my question as to how Harry Potter’s Invisibility Cloak was filmed. We saw a dinosaur exhibit--and what kid doesn't like dinosaurs?--and a real mummy. Ancient cultures are the history topics for 3rd grade, and I thought it neat when the classes mummified a chicken. The boys thought it was cool; the girls were grossed out. At any rate, this field trip was very applicable for the kids and covered things they had just studied so that these things became very real to them. It was really cool. One added bonus for me: I got to chat with one of the other parents during the trip and found out we grew up right across town from each other, even graduated the same year! We had much to talk about, and it was great fun.

Right before we left, my daughter wanted to get something from the museum gift shop. When she went after the Webkinz, I had to put my foot down. No way was she going to get yet another Webkinz at gift shop prices, even if it WAS her own money! So she bought some polished rocks, a key chain and a plastic ring. She was, for the most part, pretty happy about her purchases.

I would love to tell you more about my birthday, but this is longer than I thought it would be. So more next time on the rest of my birthday.