A Very Merry Maizie-Filled Christmas

My parents were begging for pictures, so here is a photo-journal of our Christmas weekend. It was our first Christmas to be away from family, but we were able to be with the Georges for Thanksgiving and we are going on a cruise (!) next week with my family. Besides missing family, it was a nice long weekend just to relax and do a whole lot of nothing.

We started it off by planting a tree Saturday. Our duplex neighbor got a free one through the city of Austin, so we helped her plant it and dubbed it our own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.


On Sunday, Maizie wore this dress I made for her. I still can't believe I made a dress all by myself! It's a bit big, but I couldn't wait another minute to see her in it.


We went out for a Christmas Eve dinner with friends and we put Maizie in her Santa hat. I'm glad she puts up with the things we make her do. We had a great time hanging out with all the other at-home holidayers.


Maizie got to open one gift on Christmas Eve. I think you can tell that she loved her present from PawPaw and Grandmama George.


Santa brought Maizie a cup of reindeer milk and some special Christmas cookies. They were a big hit.


The Christmas dance. Pardon my singing.


Maizie's new "Airplane" from Nana and Papa. She loves it--no shirt and all.


I decided to make Christmas dinner at the last minute. It was pretty much a feast for 8 consumed by 2. Roasted chicken, stuffing, mashed cauliflower and Italian green beans. Yum, yum! And I have no idea what face Jason is making. He kind of looks like Ebeneezer Scrooge. I guess he wanted all the food to himself.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, too!

14 Months Going on 14 Years

Today Maizie turned 14 months. Pretty unbelievable. I read a book about Michelangelo awhile back that said that each time he worked on a piece of stone, a living image inside the rock revealed itself to him little by little. It's been amazing to watch our little girl reveal herself to us bit by bit. And this tiny glimpse of the person she will become is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. OK, sap is over. Here's some shots of her being all grown up...

Her first "color". And the last time she actually drew on paper. Her new table is covered with crayon marks. Not to worry--we plan on painting it a glossy chocolate brown.

This is not a pose (since it's pretty impossible to pose a 14 month old). She just really loves her new table and chairs.

Crazy Maizie with the 12 teeth.

Playing at the big kid playground.

And, finally, our piece de resistance (or however you spell that in french). Here is Maizie's new dance. Her hip-shaking ways may be reminiscent to those of you who were there for the "Love Shack Dancing Debacle of 2003". Let's just say we know where she got her moves from. We may have to keep a tight reign on this one...

What is the Gestation Period for a house, again?

So, yeah, about that house thing. We met with the mortgage people on Wednesday and come to find out you can't keep a rent house and buy an affordable home at Mueller. So our masterplan is a no go. We could buy a house and sell it when our number comes up (but that seems risky and complicated to me) or give up on the idea of Mueller all together (but that sounds sad to me) or just find a new (cheaper and bigger and dishwasher-laden) place to rent for the next couple of years. There are a lot of variables to consider, so we will be looking at everything over the next couple of months and praying for some guidance.

So I guess we are house-pregnant, we just have NO idea when this enormous baby will be born. We feel blessed that we're in a situation that we have options at all, it's just hard choosing between them right now. Thanks for all your well-wishes!

32 Big Ones

No fancy pictures or clever words, just a big happy birthday to my sweet Jason.

His birthday began with a run to the pharmacy at 1 a.m. to get eye drops for Maizie.

That pretty much is the picture of why I love him.

Can't wait to spend 32 more years with him.

Another Laffy Taffy Joke

What do you call a chicken crossing the road?

Poultry in motion.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

We're Expecting....a House!

So, lots of you have asked about the Mueller development that we signed up for last spring. We're still on the list (#66), but as we learn more about it, we are realizing that it may be 2-3 years before our name is called up yonder. We would have to qualify again at that time, so we're worried we may not be so poor by then....:-)

So, we've talked about it alot and prayed about it, and we've decided to find a place to call home in Austin in the meantime. We love fixing things up and can't wait to tear into an old home around here. If we are still meant to live in Mueller, we will be in a position when the time comes to move there. If not, we'll know that we are where we are supposed to be.

I've been amazed at how much house hunting seems to parallel pregnancy--excitement and anxiety are rolled up all together. I've even gotten morning sickness over the thought of this huge commitment! We've been carrying around the dream of owning a house for 6 years, since we were married. But moving every year and a half doesn't really lend itself to home ownership.

Anyway, just thought I'd update my blogging friends on our latest venture. We meet with the mortgage people tomorrow, go house-hunting Thursday and Saturday, and then who knows what happens next? We'll have to throw Christmas in there somewhere! Pray that we make a good decision for our family in the coming years.

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

Another post of random pics...but these are good ones, I promise.


Sweet close up. Too bad I didn't pick this shot!

Or this one! I'm the worst on-the-spot decider ever!

Stockings hung from the IKEA shelf with care.

Maizie's first pigtails on Sunday--and proof that she is my child. This is ME when I was a kid.




An Affair with our Living Room Chair. Her favorite place right now.



Swing time.



I wish all boxes were full of gifts like this.