Spelunking

The Westover Hills Young Marrieds group went spelunking tonight at Inner Space Caverns north of Austin thanks to Grant and Amanda Maloney who work there as tour guides. It was Maizie's first underground experience. We learned about stalagmites, stalagtites, and the holes in the ceiling where Texans were drilling for oil and instead discovered the caves. No Texas tea here. But it was amazing to see how beautiful even the hidden parts of creation can be.


Pretty much the cutest picture ever, even if Dad is going to have some wisecrack about her "giving in" to the Texas way of life. I can totally see my rough and tumble girl as a bull rider later in life...hopefully sans sequins of any sort.


Don't ask. Don't tell.

Things I've Learned in Texas...Update!

Mosquito Larva are not Tadpoles. Yesterday Jason and I were walking and I told him that we have hundreds of tadpoles swimming around in a flooded plant pot on our front porch. He told me to dump out that water as soon as we got home. Who knew mosquitos were little wormy swimmy things before they become annoying flying bitey things?

The Many Adventures of Maizie

Here are some of Maizie's adventures from last weekend.

Taking a bath with cousin Brooke. Maizie's head looks ENORMOUS here. Brooke turns 8 months old today! Happy Birthday, Brooke!


Maizie figured out how to climb walls. Literally. She pulled herself up just by putting her hands on the walls in the nursery. New nickname: Spider monkey.


We met Koby and Irma for dinner Saturday and Maizie learned how to drive Koby's jeep. They grow up so quickly nowadays...

Future Plans

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
James 4:13-15

So we got word today that we are #66 in line for a place at the Mueller Redevelopment! That means we may get a row house during the 1st phase of construction (early 2008, 40 row houses) if enough people drop out or might need to wait until the 2nd phase (later 2008?, 40 more). As soon as I read the email, I got goose bumps and started to get out a piece of paper to make a plan for the next couple of years for us.

Ironically (or Godically) enough, this week we are studying James 4 in our Care Group and the verse above kept running through my head. I have been saying, "Today or tomorrow, we will do this or that" for a long time. I live my life under the false security of my meticulous future plans, when I should be giving them over to Him.

So, yes, we are excited about the opportunity at Mueller and can't believe we may have the opportunity to afford a great place close to Jason's work and downtown Austin. But I am praying for the patience and flexibility to make sure that what I have in mind falls in line with what God has in mind.

Photo Update

Maizie's first "big girl" bath.


Showing off her two (lower) front teeth.


Swimming in the pool with Dad is the coolest.


The 3 M's (Maizie, Mia & Morgandy) all in pink.

Bad Parent Moment #4297

This is Maizie's latest trick. And it breaks my heart. So, I picked her up last night. I broke the cardinal rule of getting them to go to sleep on their own. And then she was up until 12:30 a.m. We had a lot of fun late-night playing, but now I'm not sure when she'll ever be back on a normal schedule. Any hints out there for helping me stick to my "cry-it-out" guns?

Everything I Need to Know (About Pests and Varmints) I Learned in Texas

By request, here are some things this northern city girl has learned from living in Texas:

1. Bats can squeeze under doors. One afternoon, 3 bats swooped into our offices at Texas A&M. Before the bat police could get there, a co-worker locked them into the conference room. We all stood by the door, relieved, when they flew out from under the door and terrorized the office a bit longer.
2. Rats are not possums. I came home from work in College Station to find a lifeless rodent in our driveway. It was about 8" long with a tail that looked like it could wrap around a tree a few times and sleep. I took a picture, because I thought it might be a possum "playing possum" and I wanted Jason to see it before it woke up and ran away. Come to find out, it was just a dead rat.
3. Cockroaches can fly. I learned this while moving into the farmhouse in Normangee, TX. I used a spray to "flush" them out, and they started flying around the whole house. I called Jason while standing on a chair in the living room, crying "I am a prisoner in my own home."
4. Armadillos Need Glasses. We were walking in Commerce, TX, when I almost tripped over an armadillo. Gross. That's when I learned that they don't see well, so they don't scamper away from people like other animals do. They also get run over a lot, judging from Texas highway shoulders.
5. Rattlesnakes do not sting you with their rattle. They actually bite you like all the other snakes in the world. I learned this after I told Jason I wanted to go to the Rattlesnake Round-up. Conversation--J: Aren't you afraid of snakes? C: Yes, but I can just avoid their tails.