2 Wheels

Thursday Piper said she wanted her training wheels OFF! She's been riding with the training wheels raised pretty high and doing well, so I knew she could do it if she would get over the fear. This was the day. She's a determined little girl:)!

So, it was just too much for Porter to watch Piper two-wheelin' it all day while his training wheels were still on (although he was hardly relying on them), so that night, I asked him to try out Piper's bike and he did and he rode it with ease!!!! It took him about a day to catch on to starting off and turning, but now they are both pros and want to ride every chance they get!

I think I was in the 3rd grade before my best friend, Heidi, taught me how to ride a bike by letting me go off the end of her driveway (in Austin)!

So, Preschool graduation AND no training wheels all in one week!!! I guess having a new baby around is going to be good because I'm not ready to let go as they grow so fast...just yet:)

My babies are FIVE!

Five sounds old! I remember being five. They will remember everything from now on! They are registered for Kindergarten. Piper can tie her shoes and Porter can whistle. BUT...they still love their mama and will hold my hand and give me plenty of hugs and kisses, so I'm still hanging on:)

We've had a fun few days celebrating...party with friends on Saturday at the park with a jump house (that showed up super late, but gave us a super discount, so it was all good!), donut holes taken to preschool to share, special day with Mommy and Daddy on their actual day (scavenger hunt to gifts, kites and play at the park, dinner of their choice - Pei Wei), plus TONS of fun, new toys and gifts to occupy.

I also always love celebrating Mother's Day the same weekend we celebrate their birthdays - so special!!

Before too long, we are going to start all over and will have a REAL baby around again. So weird! God's plans are surely not our own! However, we are getting super excited. My belly has popped out this week (almost 12 weeks pg). I was on the treadmill and after he asked why I was "just walking", Porter was staring at my belly and said "It looks funny, but I'm not going to laugh". Thanks, Son.

*Side note: A friend recommended to me recently that I start a separate blog of all the funny things Tyler says. Not a bad idea. It may get a lot of hits and I know I would never run out of anecdotes. Well, today, I learned that Tyler says "Yokey Doke" instead of "Okey Doke", as in - "Hey, Tyler, will you get me a glass of water?"..."Yokey Doke, coming right up!" How have I not caught this until today? I'm not sure.

"He's Cute...I'd Date Him"

Tyler's been out of town since Wednesday and I just read my friend's blog about how she met her husband. So, I'm feeling nostalgic and am sharing our story - just in case you haven't already heard. Chances are, you have, because it's one of my favorite's to tell:)

In college (Howard Payne - sting em' Jackets, folks!) I knew Tyler and we shared a few mutual friends AND he dated my roommate for a few months. However, I transferred schools after my junior year and he stayed there. In June of 1998, I was attending my best friend, Angi's bridal shower...I was her maid of honor and Tyler was an usher in the wedding. So...at the shower Angi was trying to fix her cousin up with someone in the wedding party and asked my opinion. My exact words were "What about Tyler Price? He's cute - I'd date him!" and the rest is history. Angi told Kip, her then fiance, and Kip had lunch with Tyler the next week and told him, and Tyler called me and asked me out. If I knew it was going to be so easy, I might have said something sooner:) Anyway, our first date was the night of Kip and Angi's wedding. We went to dinner (with the entire wedding party) and then back to his sister's apartment to rent a movie (he was living on her couch at the time). Three weeks later after several dates, we went with a group to a lake house for the weekend and I was smitten. After he dropped me off at my apartment after the weekend, I remember sobbing into my frozen waffle, repeating "I love him!". Quite dramatic, huh?

We were engaged just a few months later in November and married the following July. Now we're coming up on 11 years and he just gets better with age. He loves me more than I deserve and makes me laugh more than I can handle. He's the best person I know. In fact, I think he's the best person most people know!

Oh my lover

I've come to discover

There is no other for me

From the beginning

My heart you've been winning

Leaving me grinning with glee

What it would be like

Without you in my life

I can't with my might

Foresee

My life you have blessed

My lips you have kissed

On goes the list

Indeed

So on this day

To you I say

I love you always

Love, me.

Garage Sale for Orphans Part 2: Results

We didn't quite make it to $1000, but 4 families pulled off $630 and we decided that was pretty dang good. Besides raising money for an amazing cause...an orphanage in Haiti, we had a beautiful morning with great friends and food and laughter. The kids got in on the action walking around selling brownies for $1...kind of a steep price, but not many people told them no:) So, we de-cluttered, had fun, and carried out part of our duty here on earth...caring for the poor, needy, orphans, and widows. Click here to see the awesome pictures by Daniel Davis http://danieldavisphoto.com/blog/?p=2496 and here to hold a garage sale of your own http://www.helpendlocalpoverty.com/take-action/garage-sale-for-orphans/

Garage Sale for Orphans

Want to take part in the bigger picture by doing something you may do this year anyway???!!! Get a few families together and hold a garage sale, giving all the proceeds to Haiti or Zimbabwe to build an orphanage thru Help End Local Poverty. Awesome organization! Sponsor a child while you're at it! We're holding our family garage sale/bake sale this Saturday and hoping to make at least $1000 to donate. Help's goal is to get 100 garage sales to each earn $1000 this year...$100,000! That will build 4 orphanages! Do it. I'll post the results of ours soon!

"learn to do right!

Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow."

Isaiah 1:17

Days at Home

Some people don't find it weird to stay inside all day. Me and my peeps, however, are movers and doers! I'm not saying this is necessarily a good or bad thing--just how we're wired. I grew up that way and so I'm used to it, I guess. I was always on the move with my dad...the store, test driving cars, the park, a movie, eating out, the pool, etc. He was the most social man I've ever known. And so from the moment I could get out with my infant twins, we were meeting friends at the mall, shopping at Target and eating out. It's all they've known. They stay with my mom sometimes and I'll ask what they did and they just stay home all day and I find it crazy. BUT...with this sickness baby#3 is kind enough to provide me and with this nice dreary, wet weather we're having, staying indoors is our only option in my opinion. In fact, staying in pajamas all day is perfectly fine with me, too. I hear a few "What can we do?" comments and "Where are we going today?", but we're doing okay, considering. Today we worked on spelling words and writing letters and then I made a scavenger hunt across the house hiding notes all over the place, one leading to the next, and ending up with a prize. They loved it! Tyler built a fort out of pillows and blankets and I painted their faces in the animals of their choosing. Naps now and I dare say - the sun may be peeking out! However, I'm determined to stay in my pajamas anyway:) Once again, God is using things out of my control to teach me to "be still and know". He's good and his mercy is new every morning.

Sickety Sick Sick

If you haven't been burdened with hearing my sob sick story, read on. For those of you that are reminded on a daily basis, you may want to skip this. Maybe it's because I'm 5 years older than the last time I was pregnant; maybe it's because I have two pre schoolers to tend to at the same time as pregnancy; maybe it's because this baby is a little superhuman sucking all life and appetite from it's mother?!?! Whatever, the case, I'm so sick. Not throwing up (anymore), but gagging at the drop of a hat or the smell of my pantry - all day long. Nothing is good except at a random occasion when a Chuy's #9 satisfies - until I'm done eating and then the nausea quickly returns. I'm freakish about taking medicine, but I've tried a phenegren ONCE and all it did was knock me out only to awake just as sick as I was before my coma. Combo of B6 and Unisom - same effect. Ginger? Gag. The sickies lasted till 15 weeks with the twins. I'm praying that it doesn't last longer than that this time and am hoping a miracle occurs and it's over by the second trimester...just 4 more (LONG) weeks! But, enough complaining. I'm incubating a miracle. God is awesome and I am shocked every time I think about how gracious He is to surprise us with this little healthy, strong, life - sans fertility treatments. So, SOME of the time while I'm rolling around the couch in stomach grief, I am thankful - because I know that means our little bean is okay.

And oh yeah - I got bangs. Most days I like them, but sometimes I have 1980's flash backs.