Home Sweet Home

After 3 1/2 years of being renters (by choice) in California – and hating it, we finally closed on an amazing home this morning! We could not be happier! I snapped a few... okay, maybe a few more than a few... pictures this afternoon so you can see it. Praise God again for getting us home!

This is a view of the family room looking in from the front door.


Formal Dining Room...

Formal Living Room...

Kitchen... (We are going to replace the counter tops with black granite.)


Wet Bar (in family room)...

Main Staircase (in entry way)...

Second staircase (off kitchen, laundry room in back)...

Master Bed Room and master bath (The mirror came with the house. The 3-paneled mirror in the bath opens to a 360˚ view and James' closet is behind them.) ...

Game Room (upstairs)...



Guest Room...

John's Room...

Matt's Room...

Play Room...

Nursery (YES, I said nursery – NO, I'm not pregnant... yet. Notice the pink in the curtains? Let's stay positive, people!)...

Backyard...

Oh no he DIDN'T.

I went to get my nails done on Sunday and reluctantly brought Matthew with me since James wasn't feeling well and wanted to nap. For a while, he sat quietly, playing his Leapster and talking to himself. An elderly man and his wife were getting pedicures, and the wife kept smiling sweetly at Matthew when she would catch his eye.

Matt was fascinated by the spa pedicure and kept walking over to examine what the ladies were doing to the elderly couple's toes. After a while, curiosity got the better of him, and he had to have answers. This is the conversation that followed in the abnormally loud voice that only Matthew (and his Aunt Christy) can achieve:

Matt: Mommy, what are those people doing???

Me: They are getting pedicures.

Matt: What's a pet-cure?

Me: Those ladies are making their toes pretty.

(Matt ponders this as he studies their toes some more.)

Matt: Mommy, I don't think their toes are pretty. I think they're just old!

Me: (!)

Introducing... SCOOBY!

James and I have long said that as soon as we got back to Texas and were no longer renting a home, the first thing we would do is buy a dog. I have SO missed having a dog. True to our word, while we were in DFW, we placed a deposit on a gorgeous 10-day-old chocolate lab whom the boys lovingly named Scooby. Scooby's eyes weren't even open yet! Scooby has 10 brothers and sisters and if James had let me, I would have taken all of them. Puppies are the best! Here is a picture of our new family member. We can't wait until he is big enough to come home!!!


Here is a picture of Dolly, Scooby's Mommy, and Duke, the Daddy (with my Mom).


It got a little crazy at feeding time. I'm still not sure they all got to eat. Now I know the literal meaning of the phrase "dog eat dog world".

This little guy got his fill early on and decided to crash right then and there.

However, this ill-fated pup learned the hard way that sometimes it IS best to follow the crowd.

DFW... the First of MANY Trips.

Last weekend we took what what I am sure will be the first of many trips to come back to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) to visit family. James actually had business meetings there, so of course the kids and I tagged along. Nothing short of sudden death would have stopped me from seeing my Mama! My sister, who turned 31 while we were there, is 32 weeks pregnant with her first baby, so it was also necessary for me to go so I could rub her tummy. At the risk of being demoted from loving Aunt to pond scum, here is a picture of said tummy. (I think it's cute...)

We spent some time with James' family as well. Here are a few highlights...



My sister-in-law Christy and me.

My gorgeous niece, Hannah.

My adorable nephew, Noah.

James' sister lives on an island in the middle of a lake. The geese flock up to the back fence to be fed – which delights my boys. Meanwhile, James and our brother-in-law Mike tried their hand at fishing. Unfortunately, the only thing James caught was a cold.

P.S. Beware of.... WHAT?!?

My family came out to visit the week of Spring Break and one afternoon while they were here, we stopped at a nearby park to play. It was a beautiful park with a nice bridge crossing onto the common area. Just outside the park grounds, there was a very large sign listing the park rules. For some reason, I stopped to read the rules, and what I read at the bottom of the sign took my breath away. The sign went a little something like this: No alcohol, dogs on leash, etc., etc., oh... P.S. Watch out for the alligators. Yes, I said alligators. SAY WHAT? My Dad and I were dumbfounded. I had NO idea there were alligators in Sugar Land. While I doubt that would have stopped me from moving here, it might have slowed me down a tad. After talking to some locals, we learned that alligators are seen in this area all the time. They told us to watch our dogs and small children. (!) Uh.... earthquakes are sounding pretty good right about now.


The rest of our day went well... no one got eaten... and I didn't see a single alligator. In fact, we went back today to tempt fate yet again because James was desperate for an animal encounter. I brought the camera along in case an opportunity came along to document his untimely demise. Here are a few highlights...

Texas Bluebonnets. Easily one of the top five reasons to live in Texas and clearly the reason God created the color blue.



My beautiful family...