texas

We love Texas. I grew up there. I was almost born there. Sandman had to wait until he was 11 to live in Texas. We both went to college in Texas. It's just home. For all it's faults, it has 78,351 AWESOME things. Sandman and I have no idea where we'll end up after this military gig, but right now, Central Texas would be alright.

We took a spring break down to Houston to visit family, to have free babysitting, and to visit a dear, lifelong friend that lives in Africa.  Sandman and I got that 10th Anniversary mini-trip. The boys got a lot of grandparent time, the zoo, Rainforest Café, an Astros baseball game, and some cousin time.

Unfortunately, I took almost ZERO pictures. It's sort of like how the Christmas holidays are devoid of many pictures. I get into a rut where I just don't take pics because I'm living life. It's why my video-taking skills are HORRIBLE- I'm watching the live event and not watching through my camera display.

So, I'll celebrate our trip with a million pics of my boys in the bluebonnets. Spontaneous stop, somewhere near Brenham. Or Bryan. Or somewhere else. I can't remember. They aren't the best pics...no outfit prep....no combing/styling of hair...it's cloudy.... But they are Real Life pictures of my sons in a field of that precious, little blue wildflower. And that makes me smile.

We didn't pose these next two...they insisted on taking a picture with the little Indian Paintbrushes.

my sandman

My Sandman works hard. Our move here put him in a strange situation career-wise. We weren't really sure what the God had in store for us (him, really,) and I'd be lying if it wasn't hard to just blindly trust that He would provide. Without going into those details, Sandman was eventually put in a position with great potential. The pieces fell in place so precisely that we couldn't imagine planning it any other way. Thanking the Lord for his provision and plan was all we could do, and we continue to thank him for all the many amazing things he's done over the last year and a half.

In sort of a culmination of God's provision, Sandman received a "Something of the Year" award for 2012. Receiving this type of acknowledgement from his commanders was just unbelievable, especially when we look back to the situation the previous year. Here's our picture on the night of the awards banquet back in February.

My Sandman and I also celebrated 10 years of marriage this month. I can honestly and plainly say that we are closer than we were 10 years ago, and for all of the ups and downs over the last almost 15 years, I can't imagine spending that time with anyone else. I am proud of our marriage, and I'm proud of the people we are becoming...lots of growth and change and development as we follow God. It's just something I don't take for granted.

While we were in Houston, we took advantage of free babysitting, and we spent a couple nights at a fancy hotel. We saw Jersey Boys. We ate fancy food and acted like tourists. So while we may not have had a second honeymoon, I'm glad we were able to officially celebrate each other and how far we've come together.

These kids have no idea what's in store for them. Such babies! But life has brought us such JOY together, and I can't even imagine what our Father has in store for the next ten years. He's been so faithful to us, such a constant when our lives were in chaos, and I know he brought us together for those times.

This moment. Those grins. These sweet faces. Sometimes I can't stand the cuteness. I love this man.

new mexico-syle blizzard

All of our snows this past fall and winter have been dustings. Maybe an inch or so, but nothing more. A few times, the boys had enough to play in and have some fun, but it never lingered on the ground for more than a day. One time, it snowed in the morning, and by 11am, anything exposed to the sun was gone!

Here's an early February snow. I think this one was super cold, but as you can see, there's not much there.

So we were clipped by a blizzard! The winds had been blowing hard all night, and we awoke to a beautiful white blanket on the ground. I got to see what sideways snow looks like. The yard was nicely covered, and we even had a few snow banks that were 4 feet tall! Not sure how or why my camera took these in B&W, but it did. I actually really like the front door picture.

 

 This snow bank was almost as tall as Buddy, and he's over 4 feet tall. Of course, Nugget had knocked it over by the time a took a pic.

 

 Evidence of the wind...you can see the brown grass behind our snowman.

 

 Sandman was mostly responsible for the construction of our biggest snowman to date. I decorated. Had the snow been less powdery, he would have been taller.

 

The cold weather and snow have been very enjoyable to us here in New Mexico. There isn't enough of it for us to grow tired of it or even long for warmer weather. Experiencing four seasons instead of 2ish makes for a nice year and a more traditional feel to some holidays. I won't mind if we return to Florida someday, but for now, most of New Mexico's weather has my heart! 

Now, if we could only lose the dust and dirt and crazy wind......

a joy of a visit

A few weeks after hosting all of the grandparents for Christmas, my mom returned...but with my sister Joy! She's living across the world, and we miss her so much! We try to keep in touch with calls, Skype, etc, but there's nothing like a visit with her!

We celebrated her birthday while she was visiting. The boys made this HUGE sign, and the local grocery store went overboard with the buttercream icing. No one complained.

We did a lot of this...just spending time together.

She joined us for an interesting time at the barn. I love the action in the next picture. Joy's observing everything, while Buddy fights to keep his horse Target from grabbing a snack, while I get friendly with another horse who was nibbling my hat!

 

 

Nugget LOVES dogs.

This is Nokie, who is one of the sweetest, friendliest dogs I've ever met.

 These next two shots are so "Joy" but don't mistake her face for frustration. My sis is more low key than I am...she adores her nephews, and she kept Nugget entertained. I am grateful that they have such a loving aunt! 

 

 

 

 

 My precious, whole family...and a cannibal cow serving steak?

Joy, we love you, and we miss you and we can't wait until your next visit! Thanks for coming to our little town, putting up with the dirt and cold, and for loving on our boys. I love that you are my sister!

bottomless lakes state park

During the first week of January, we drove to Roswell, NM for a camping trip. Actually, Sandman and I had an AWANA conference to attend, but we knew there were some cool campsites there, so we pulled the trailer down to make a long weekend of it. It's a fascinating park: lots to learn about at the visitor's center, a number of trails, and a series of sinkholes. The entire time we were there, the boys called them "dipholes" which, to us, sounds....really wrong. HA. But the sinkholes and how they are formed allowed for some geology lessons and cool exploration.

 

Here's Buddy earning his keep by helping us set up the camper.

 

 

Yes, that's snow around them as they stand in front of a sinkhole. It was FA-REEZING the first day and night we were there. I'm actually really impressed with

our boys' attitudes....maybe they won't understand complaining about the cold until they are teens.  

 

This is one of the bigger sinkholes. 

If you follow along the tops of these sinkholes, you eventually reach this lookout point. This lake....pond...whatever...is the largest, and the section over to the left has a depth of 90 feet! Divers come here when the weather is warmer, so Sandman is already plotting a diving trip. In the middle of the picture, you can sort of see a beach area for swimming, and they have paddleboats and canoes and that sort of thing during summer months.

 

Nugget is so photogenic, yes? Seriously, he's not mad.

 

And now he's a cheese face.

 

This panoramic view is along a boardwalk trail through a marshy area. You can see our four little shadows! 

 

 Can't go on a hike without some sticks for protection and your trusty dino (who is hanging out on his pants loop.)

 

Another footprint lesson. The boys are getting better at identifying different critters,

and this swampy marshy place had a wide variety!

 

 

 Awesome golden hour shot of Buddy, the mesa line, the CCC buildings and lookout tower.



 

Great state park! I'd love to go back, but there are quite a few more on our list. This one would be fun for a spring trip when it's warmer but not too hot that we're miserable. I'm hoping we can head up to Colorado during the miserable summer....

buddy's 7th birthday

Happy 7th Birthday to my Buddy! It's so hard to believe he's seven years old. I love this kid so much, and I learn from him daily. So creative, so sensitive, so deeply emotional, and a friend to all. Life with Buddy is a loud, hilarious, happy, chaotic, challenging, and exciting life. We were truly given a special gift with our big boy! He's doing well in 1st grade, horseback riding, participating in multiple church activities, soccer, and loves Star Wars, legos, and cheese pizza.

 

Birthday morning. Pretty sure this pic is evidence of Nugget not being a morning person-

my payback for not being one my entire life and giving grief to my family, my former roommates, and my husband.

 

 Cake and a few more presents that night.

 

New Bike!!!

 

 

This is a common scene in the fall/winter- Snuggles with Daddy while watching football.

I know Sandman will likely give me grief for this one (probably taken after an outing...

he's not accustomed to running around in an undershirt...except on a lazy Sunday afternoon or after work.)

christmastime

School all but stops from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, but we hung in there this year much better than last year. We will school more consistently this summer so that we can put the 'reading, writing, 'rithmetic,' aside and just focus on Christmas activities once Thanksgiving is over.  This year, we finally started a Jesse Tree tradition. We managed to not keep up with it the way I'd like to, but the kids enjoyed it.

Here's an explanation of the Jesse Tree from the Etsy shop where I bought our set. Found here, at Inspired Tradions on Etsy.

"The Jesse Tree tradition began as a family tree for Jesus. It originates from Isaiah 11:1, which says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse". Jesse, the father of King David, is one of the patriarchs through whom Jesus' lineage is traced. This Jesse Tree ornament set can be used much like an advent calendar. Advent, meaning "coming", refers to the anticipation of the coming Christ. There is an ornament for each day in December through Christmas day that depicts a story from biblical history. For each symbol there are correlating Old Testament and New Testament scriptures. These stories give a "refresher" of the Bible as a whole, all the while reminding us of how the scriptures are all connected in the theme of God's grace. Some of the Old Testament symbols were chosen because a person in the story is in the lineage of Christ while others because Jesus himself referred to some part of the story. The New Testament symbols chosen have the prophecy scriptures referenced from the Old Testament. From the story of creation to the story of the wise men following a star, each symbol was chosen to help tell the story of God's plan to bring us back to himself through Jesus. The Jesse Tree displays the story of the coming Christ, carved out through history, by the sovereign hand of God."

I got a small 3' pre-lit Christmas tree on sale, but the ornaments can be displayed anywhere or on your main tree. I liked having them separate.  There are also sets that are much cheaper, paper sets that kids can color, or you can make your own symbols. I'm the opposite of talented when it comes to crafts and arts, so buying our family something pre-made was the best option for us. The quality of the Inspired Traditions set is great and they will last quite awhile.

Nugget had a Christmas program at his preschool. He cracks me up with his faces, especially when you catch him with the camera!

Stopped singing as soon as the camera went up.

 

"I will not perform for you" face

 

 

Buddy entertainment

 

 

 

We made salt dough ornaments for our tree and to give away. We made lots of cookies, and at Nugget's request, we made cupcakes. I also made a ton of our "bar cookies" and peppermint brownies, and we enjoyed sharing our goodies with friends and family!



 

 An early December dusting

I was not all that camera happy this Christmas, which is both a blessing and a bummer. I enjoy having events documented, but I also enjoy soaking up the family time and celebrating our Savior, and sometimes for me, the camera gets in the way.  I'm still hoping that more pics surface (like the November ones) and it's likely that they will as sometimes we have put them on the laptop or tablet when the camera is full.

Nanni and Gran and Grandad were all here for Christmas, and we had a lovely time entertaining. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were relaxed, we read from the Bible, played Christmas music, cooked delicious meals, and enjoyed the company. It even snowed on Christmas Day- just a dusting again, but it's still so special to our little family that's used to wearing shorts on Christmas Day and cranking up the AC.

Next year, I am hopeful that we will have quite a different celebration. It would be nice to have family in town again, and snow would be sweet.