It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve had a chance to sit down and write.  As it is, I am ignoring a pesky stack of belated grading, but I figure…it’s not going anywhere.

November was a busy but wonderful month.  I LOVE Thanksgiving!  We had three delicious dinners over the course of the week, and each was wonderful.  On the Saturday before, my whole family got together for our traditional feast.  Having everyone together is getting more and more difficult, so these times with the whole fam are precious!

We took our traditional Christmas picture, which is becoming more and more of a challenge: this year we had two additional family members to add to the mix.  My sister-in-law-to-be Katy is lovely and photogenic, so she didn’t add any complications, but Abby proved to be a tough subject to capture.  Finally!  I’m not the one messing up all the shots!  Getting the photo took the typical two separate attempts, and in keeping with precedent, the “winner” was taken in the front yard of my parents’ home.  So, after several false starts…

We ended up with all 9 of us looking fabulous!  Laura the Photographer has succeeded again!

Later on in the week, we took Abby on her longest road trip to date- four hours to East Texas to visit her great-great grandmother!  Our family matriarch is almost 97 years old, and she still lives at home in Emory, Texas, which provided the inspiration for Abby’s name.  Abby traveled beautifully in her car seat, and slept well in her pack-and-play on her first night away from home.

Speaking of sleeping, Abby is still pretty resistant to daytime sleep, although she’s improving somewhat.  She takes several short naps throughout the day- usually no more than an hour at a time.  I would love to see her consolidate these sleeps into a couple of really long nap times, but we’ll see.  I’m not really sure how to go about engineering that.  For now, I take what I can get, although my productivity is questionable (see previous post).  Her nighttime sleeping is about the same as it has been for a couple of months- she goes to be about 9 and sleeps until 6 or 7, with one feeding some time in the wee hours of the morning.  Abby is able to put herself to sleep easily at bedtime, and she goes immediately back to sleep after she eats, so I can’t complain one bit.

We’re still using FuzziBunz, and the hassle of laundry is really not a big deal.  I feel like I’m doing laundry around the clock as it is, so I don’t really notice one extra load per day of diapers.  I actually kind of like diaper loads because they’re easy to fold, unlike my normal loads of baby stuff!  Yes, they sometimes leak, but so do her Pampers.  My main complaint about the cloth diapers (and I’d love to hear input from you CD moms out there) is that Abby’s pants don’t fit over them.  So right now we only wear FB when we’re at home (or out for short trips) when I don’t usually deck her out in real “outfits” anyway.  But they are super cute, aren’t they?

Stephen was kind enough to give me an afternoon at the house by myself to decorate our house for Christmas.  Last year parts of the house were still under construction, so this year I enjoyed getting to deck ALL of our halls!  I love, love, love Christmas decorations, and it’s especially fun to be figuring out how to decorate a room for the first time.  All the possibilities!  I volunteered to host our small group’s Christmas party just to  make sure that I got all of my decorating done, which was a great incentive and deadline.  (The party was fun, too!)

We also enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving day with the Watson side of the family.  Abby is the youngest of six grandkids on that side, so Watson get-togethers are always loud and rowdy fun!  We also took a family picture, which was even more of a challenge with so many kiddos!  We took pictures at a nearby park, so the kids got to run around and let off steam between poses.  It worked!  We got a several great ones, thanks to my sister-in-law Sandy, who is our resident photo-genius.  Unfortunately, I do not have those pictures on my computer, so you can’t see them.  What you can enjoy is this picture of Stephen trying to teach Abby how to play dominoes.  You can see she shares my enthusiasm for 42.

Last weekend a couple of us girls from my small group got together to learn how to make bread.  So fun!  One of the ladies in our group is a terrific homemaker and she’s done lots of baking for her five kids, who are now mostly grown.  Another young mom and I enjoyed a few hours sitting in Carol’s kitchen, sipping on coffee and tea, tending our babies, and taking turns mixing ingredients and kneading dough!  The final result was a delicious loaf of whole-wheat bread.  I served my bread with some beef stew for dinner that night and patted myself on the back for days at the delicious accomplishment!

So Abby is taking after her mother in terms of her oral fixations.  I always swore I wouldn’t let my kids suck their thumbs, since it’s caused me so much difficulty (I have always believed that I started nail-biting as a substitute behavior).  BUT, self-soothing is such a wonderful thing, I’m letting it go.  After all, 27 years from now, Abby can always wear fake nails.

I’ve loved being back at work.  Sometimes I feel guilty for enjoying it so much, but so far I’ve felt like my work/home balance has worked out beautifully.  Abby has a team of very loving and attentive babysitters, and so I know that she is happy and well-tended while I’m away.  Teaching is a role that is familiar and comfortable, and it’s nice to get to wear that hat for a few hours every morning.  I know that maintaining balance will become more difficult as Abby gets bigger, but for now we’re in a good place.

Speaking of school, our faculty Christmas party was last weekend.  Stephen and I left Abby with his parents for the evening, and we had so much at one of our first nights away since Abby was born. We got all dressed up in our festive clothes and enjoyed hours lingering over delicious food and drinks with friends.

For those of you who are not so keen on the math, Abby is three and a half months old.  She seems so big, especially when I look back at pictures that are just weeks old!  She is getting more expressive and interactive every day, which I am loving.  She will play with toys in her bouncer and on her activity mat, and she is developing a strong grip.  She’s not rolling over yet, but she’s trying!  We’ll see the pediatrician again at the end of this month, and I’m going to ask him about a plan to start introducing some solid foods (I’m thinking of trying around month 5).  We’ve had no trouble with her feeding so far, but I’m looking forward to introducing her to some variety, mainly just to give me some flexibility when we’re on the go.

We have about a week and a half left of school, and we’re looking forward to some time off.  Stephen’s two jobs keep him very busy, and holidays are lovely times to enjoy hanging out at the house as a family.  I’m looking forward to leisurely mornings, tag-team housecleaning, holiday shopping, and, catching up with family and friends over peppermint Mochas at Starbucks.

Stephen’s 30th birthday is on Saturday, and our four year anniversary is next week, so this post is in his honor:  30 of my favorite things about my husband.  (Note:  this list is not exhaustive and in no particular order)

1.  I like his beard.
2.  He finds ways to encourage me spiritually without being pushy.
3.  He loves to read and learn.
4.  He has a pleasant laugh.
5.  He fits in with my family.
6.  He never looks at me twice for eating ice cream.
7.  He helps so much around the house!  Bathrooms, laundry, cooking, dishes…he’ll pitch in with everything!
8.  He plays well with our nieces and nephews.  A fun preview of coming attractions around our own house!  (Look out, world!)
9.  Family is a priority for him.
10.  He works tirelessly at his two jobs, and still keeps the yard mowed and my car gassed up.
11.  He enjoyed the book I picked out for our last road trip: “Jeeves in the Morning.”  Not only did he humor me by listening to it on the trip, he finished it without me once we got home!
12.  He keeps surprising me with how good he is at so many things–teaching, youth pastor, all sorts of random church responsibilities– he hasn’t met a challenge he couldn’t outsmart yet!
13.  He has great people skills, which have been put to good use in both of his jobs (and in his marriage!) over the past year.
14.  He’s a great driver at high speeds on the Autobahn!  Who knew?
15.  He washes the dogs and clips their toenails.
16.  He always makes up his own words to songs when he sings along.
17.  He does not play video games or watch sports, except when it’s socially necessary.
18.  He surprises me with gifts at times when I never expect it.  (In addition to all of the times that I do…which doesn’t really count as “surprising” me.)
19.  He keeps up with old friends by talking to them on the phone.
20.  He’s handy around the house, from building our backyard fence in Whitney to hanging pictures up on the walls to fixing a shoddy lawn mower with baling wire.
21.  He hardly ever spends money on himself.
22.  When he is left home by himself, he feeds himself decently AND cleans up after himself!  I’m always surprised when other husbands can’t/won’t do this!
23.  He’s always up for a good time with our friends, but he is also perfectly content to stay in, just the two of us.
24.  He is a good sport to play games that I’m good at even if they’re not his favorite, even though I do not reciprocate.  (In fact, he puts up with lots of double standards, now that I think about it…)
25.  He is a great example to me of contentment.  He can find reasons to be satisfied with wherever God has us, and he helps me see the good in our circumstances.
26.  He’s as excited about having a family as I am–I never had to persuade him to want to be a dad.
27.  He’ll watch almost any movie I suggest and doesn’t keep score.
28.  He’s open to ways that he can change and grow–he’s not too proud to change his mind.
29.  He’s not too proud to wear his brimmed hat in the summer time, either.
30.  He can wear lots of hats and can adjust to many different situations, but he still always manages to be himself–never false or affected.

Here we are on our honeymoon in 2005…

And here we are in Germany in March!

As you all know, I was really resisting the idea of buying…and even worse, wearing maternity pants.  It was not just the pride of being able to say that my normal pants fit, but it was the pride of wearing pants that had a button and zipper rather than an elastic waist!  Who wears elastic waisted pants, after all?  Grandmas, toddlers, and no one in between.

So it was with a heavy heart that I caved at Target the other day.  I hid the offending pants between a few other clothing items that I had no intention of buying and scurried off to the dressing rooms hoping that I would not see anyone that I knew.

Prepared to surrender all of my dignity, I unhooked the pants from their hanger…and I pulled them on…and…aaaaahhhhhh.

WHY DOESN”T EVERYONE WEAR ELASTIC WAISTED PANTS?

They are so comfortable!  And my shirt covers the elastic, so no one even sees it!  (I’m displaying the waist for this picture only, so that you can all see that this is not a hoax, despite my sensational claims).  What sadistic person has made us all believe that we must wear pants that button and zip?

You can tell from the picture how happy I look, and how my self-esteem is blossoming.  I haven’t felt this way in blue jeans in years!  You won’t see me squirming around on the floor trying to get these on, even if they are fresh out of the dryer.  I can’t say that for any of my normal pairs of jeans, even before I was pregnant.  THESE jeans love me for who I am, even on those days when I can’t resist another piece of cake or a bowl of ice cream. These jeans don’t give me any trouble when I am in a hurry to use the restroom.  These jeans are nurturing and supportive, rather than confining and judging.

You’re all going to want to join me in this revolution…even you, my flat-tummied, pre-baby friends.  There’s no going back!

So my first 18 years may have been kind of a disappointment, at least according to Reese’s Puffs, but this past weekend

I earned my keep as an adult once and for all: I did my own taxes! Using a free, IRS-approved, e-file service, I went through all of our confusing paperwork and got it all entered. Yay! Our sweet tax refund will find its way into my bank account within about 15 days. Now I’m daydreaming about what I will do with all of that cash…baby furniture? paying down loans? savings account?

Speaking of great accomplishments, my child has been doing some remarkable things lately (no surprise!). In the past weeks, he or she has managed to finish developing all of his/her major organs, developed a distinct biological sex, and is in the process of converting all of its soft cartilage skeleton into bone.

Last weekend I went on the hunt for some shoes for our upcoming vacation.  I wanted some black shoes that looked dressier than tennies but which still provided lots of comfort and support for days of walking.  I discovered that the selection was much better for BROWN shoes of this description, and I didn’t find any black ones that I loved.

The least-losery choice was a pair of black Sketchers brand shoes from Academy.  Stephen suggested that I try the selection at the Waco Academy to see if I could find something similar that I liked more.  So today I went by the store on my way home from work, and had no luck.

I saw my original choice immediately.  “Oh, those are uglier than I remembered.”  I thought.  I kept walking and checked out all of my other options.  Bottom line:  I didn’t love any other shoes, and of the new choices, my favorite was $44.  The shoes I had originally seen in Temple were $29.

“What is the harm in trying them on one more time?”  I thought.  And I did.  And, they were really comfortable.  And so I bought them.  Ugly, yet comfortable…am I really at this point in my life?  I’m not even 27!

And yet, I’m strangely excited about this purchase, and eager to try them out at work tomorrow.

UPDATE:  I’ve worn the shoes for two days, and my feet feel GREAT!  No complaints in the comfort department.  Here are the pics:

January 1 is my most optimisic day of the year.  So much hope!  So much possibility!  What wonderous things will I do or see in the next 365 days?  I bought a page-a-day calendar at Barnes & Noble today and enjoyed flipping through the pages of December, imagining where I might be in the final days of 2009.  Only time will tell!

Of course, none of my future fantasies would be complete without some lofty goals for self-improvement.  And so, my annual Resolutions:

1.  I’m past the point of hoping to fit into my wedding-shower capri pants.  So here is my new idea- I want to just plateau this year.  Between my new and improved diet and exercise (see below), my goal is that next Christmas, I can still wear the really cute pants that I bought for myself this Christmas.  Surely that’s not too much to ask?

2.  Remember Simple ’til Six eating principles in snack food and dinner prep.  I plan to cook at least four meals a week, varying my meats:  Beef Night, Chicken Night, Fish or Pork Night, and Vegetarian Night.  I’ve discovered that I LOVE Honeycrisp apples, so they will be a staple snack food for the year.

3.  Keep exercising.  I’ve been going to Curves and I’m paid through March or so, so I plan to keep up with that at least three times a week until then.  Old lady hangout or not, it’s a pretty good workout.  It definitely burnes more calories than sitting on the couch watching America’s Test Kitchen, which is my other favorite thing to do after work.

4.  Keep up with resolution to keep house crap-free.  We’re hoping to move into the final rooms of the house by Febuary, and my NEW STACKABLE WASHER AND DRYER will be in by February, so that means that everything will be in its final resting place within about five weeks.  From there, it’s my job to make sure that there is a place for everything and that everything is in its place, just like I like it.  (What does the dryer have to do with anything?  If you haven’t been to my house, the dryer is currently occupying prime real estate in the kitchen, and once I can stack the units, they can both be in the laundry closet.  Yay!)

5.  Continue edification of brain.  I’m participating in two book clubs and I’ve got a great stack of to-reads from this year’s library book sale.  I’m hoping to get a lot of good reading done this year!  To balance out my nerdiness, I’ll be continuing my diligent attention to the story lines of The Office, LOST, and 24, all of which I am caught up on and will be watching on TV with the masses.

6.  Balance.  Work, church, home, leisure, marriage, family…hoping to keep all the balls in the air in their proper place.  

Wish me luck!

At the start of the summer, all of the major components of our life seemed up in the air: home, job, income, etc.  Now as school is starting to gear up again, we’re happy to report that most of our major questions have been resolved.

• Where will we live in six weeks?  We have a house, although it was not ready for us to move in as early as we’d hoped.  We had to do more structural kinds of repairs than I had expected, but we’re on the downhill side now, and Stephen and his dad are working to put Humpty back together again so that we can move (hopefully!) in the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, we’re camping at our parents’ houses and enjoying lots of free food.

• Where will Stephen work this fall?  Stephen got a job at Central Texas Christian School in Belton.  He’ll be teaching sixth grade history, Bible, and math.  He’ll be working like crazy this next year, but we’re both excited to be part of life at CTCS again and I think it will be a great supportive environment for his first year.

• Are Jim and Pam actually going to get engaged?  Still no word on this front.  But The Office starts back up on Sept. 25, so we’ll see how things turn out.

• What will I do with myself this summer? I’d give myself a B+ on productivity this summer.  I’ve done quite a bit of reading (although I have a few hundred pages to go in Anna Karenina, to my disappointment), gotten some school work done, and I’ve put in hours of grueling, sweaty labor at the new house.  All of my house work cancels out the time I wasted watching Jon and Kate Plus 8 and America’s Test Kitchen.

• What am I going to do with the students whose parents have hired me as a tutor this summer?  Don’t care about this any more.  I did what I needed to, and I’m glad to be done!

• Will Hillary Clinton become Barack Obama’s running mate? Who will John McCain pick as his #2?  Hillary looks like an unlikely possibility at this point, but the jury is still out on the potential veeps.  I’m hoping for Romney to run with McCain.

• Which of my belongings could I stand to part with?  Hmm, not many, as it turns out.

• Why am I falling asleep in the afternoon even when I’ve had plenty of sleep the night before?  I’m still working on this question, although I don’t feel guilty about napping right now, as my remaining summer days are down into the single digits!

• Where has the time gone? Hmm, I’m wondering this even more now!  July was a blink.

Well, there you have it–all of our updates.  Once we get actually moved into our beloved house and get everything unpacked (how unpacking will go in the middle of back-to-school is still uncertain) we’ll feel completely settled and lacking for nothing.  But until then, when my blog posting is sketchy and my blog comments nonexistent, you’ll know why.

Thanks for all the good feedback on the movers question. I change my mind almost every day on what I want to do…today I’m leaning more toward a DIY move, because I’m fixated on wanting a stackable washer and dryer and I need to save every penny to afford one right away. But we’ll see.

I added it up, and this is my fifth summer in a row to move. I am finally tired of moving. I’m looking forward to the new house, and I’m even looking forward to unpacking, but I DO NOT LIKE PACKING ANYMORE. My mom was nice enough to come help me for a day, and together we put a huge dent in the project. I think one more good day of help and I can get it finished. Hooray!

It’s always a very vulnerable thing to let someone else pack my stuff. There’s just no telling what might be hiding behind my thin veneer of cleanliness! Only dear old mom could fish a forgotten bag of potatoes (now, barely resembling spuds in any shape or form) from the bottom of the pantry and not judge me as a housekeeper (at least, not too much).

Anyway, I’m having a great time looking forward to the new place. I’ve been browsing allposters.com for some fresh new wall art, and I am toting a million paint swatches around in my purse to see which one I love most. We’ve gotten to walk through the house a few times in the last week, and I’m having fun dreaming about what do do with the new rooms.

Anyway, packing and planning is consuming my thoughts right now, so I’m not expecting to win a Pulitzer for any of my blog posts over the next few weeks. You’re all great pals for still checking in.

Okay, here it is…my first scrapbook attempt.  These are pictures from our honeymoon to San Diego and family vacation to Washington, D.C.  It’s hard to fit lots of commentary plus lots of pictures on each page, but overall I’m happy with how it has turned out.  I haven’t ordered my copy to be printed yet, so please tell me if you see any typos!

Happy Honeymoon Scrapbook

(In random order)

1. Fall Ball at Redeemer. Excellent combination of dance instruction, time on the dance floor, and chatting over coffee with friends.

2. Easter Weekend with Harris family. Grandy’s baked beans, beef jerky, Six Flags, a skeezy hotel, church at The Village, and tons of quality time with the fam.

3. One Sunday afternoon at the Eberleins’. Delicious burgers, back-porch conversation, and badminton in the yard. We had so much fun we stayed through dinner.

4. Self Improvement. Joined a book club (currently reading Anna Karenina over the summer), participated in a teacher book swap, and attended the Pompeii exhibit at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

5. TSO. Most rockin’ Boxing Day ever.

6. Long Weekend in Gruene. Celebrated Fall Break by going to a B & B compliments of Mom and Dad (thanks for not having time to use the gift certificate). Took a lazy tube ride down the Guadalupe River and ate yummy food all weekend.

7. Walking. Calorie-burning girl talk with Karen, and dog-walking evening strolls with Stephen.

8. Impact Driving. 1 gallon of gas: $3.89. Making friends at new church: priceless.

9. Game nights! (3-in-1) Always a favorite of our fun-loving life group. Also, Boggle is the tie that binds us at Watson get-togethers. AND…trying to play board games in the car with my fam on the way to Emory, and playing board games more successfully at the rent house once we got there.

10. End-of-the-Year Scrapbook. Priceless gift detailing the best moments of our school year. So sweet I forget all about the bleeding scabs, the incessant chatter, the needy storytelling, the parent conferences, and the recess dramas.

11. Long Weekend in Corpus Christi. Fun times on the beach with John and Karen. Can’t forget about the hot condo, the sand castle, the yummy seafood, the interesting trivia, and strolling the Riverwalk on the way home.

12. Being Presbyterian. Loved our pastor, new hymns, liturgy, Christian history in Sunday School, Wednesday nights, Stephen’s book study, and baby baptisms.

13. Thursday Night Television. Our weekly date night- watching The Office and LOST and hurriedly cooking dinner in the 30 minute gap between the two. Afterward, analyzing the latest mysterious revelations about The Island.

14. Summer Barbecue at the Andersons’. Chips and burgers in the shade of the nice new patio umbrella. Girl talk and the cool evening breeze on the driveway. Sitting around the chiminea roasting marshmallows for s’mores. My favorite kind of summer night.

15. Babies! Karen had one, Abbey’s turned one, Jill is incubating one, and Katie S. is having another one! Looking forward to all the joy on the way as the little guys keep coming!

16. Phoenix. Plane ride, rental car, top hat, wedding cake, relatives, new friends, the Cheesecake Factory, and a mad dash through the airport.

17. Partying with the co-workers. Good times for Stephen and I at the picnic at Cameron Park, the Christmas party, and the Auction/Gala. Business is always mixed with pleasure at these shindigs.

18. Partying with just the girl co-workers. Girls’ night outs at various local restaurants are great for bonding and chatting outside of the teacher lounge.

19. Derek Webb in Deep Ellum. We ran into my Uncle Leon and Aunt Mary at Chick-fil-A before we ever left Waxahachie. Believe it or not, the evening only got better from there. A fun double date with Josh and Abbey to hear our favorite philosopher.

20. Free Starbucks. Stephen doesn’t miss the early morning hours, but the free drinks and coffee beans were sure nice, and a good way to get in good with all the friends as well.

21. Living in Hewitt. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! 1. Curbside recycling. 2. Fresh peanut butter at H-E-B. 3. Keva Juice 4. Fireplace 5. Good neighborhood to walk in 6. Close to I-35 7. Rosati’s.

22. Coffee with Steele and Megan until 2 AM on a school night. The combination of ambient lighting, coffee and homemade bread, and stimulating conversation impaired my best judgment about getting some sleep.

23. House-sitting in Woodway. Except when Molly tried to eat my dog, we had a great time playing house at the Moores’. We had tons of room, a big TV, cable, access to more books than we could read in a year, and two nice cars. Had so much fun, we agreed to house-sit for more established friends this year.

24. Pilates with Kay and Pat. Finally, some ladies who work out at my pace!

25. My birthday dinner yesterday! Delicious steaks. Strawberry Cake. Wii. Guitar Hero. Awesome, thoughtful presents. The 10:30 showing of Get Smart. All my wishes came true before we even lit the candles.