Funny Brenna

I was sitting in the living room the other night while Nathan was giving Brenna a bath. I heard the following conversation.

Brenna: "Daddy, wanna pray."
Daddy: "Okay, you can pray."
Brenna: "Dear Jesus, Wanna watch Clifford."

She is still learning the art of prayer, but I guess in her two year old mind, watching Clifford was the most important thing. She didn't get her wish that night, but has seen several Clifford episodes since then.



Nathan wanted to know if Brenna knew something he didn't know. She wanted help arranging all of the family around Daddy who she strategically placed laying on the bed.

Life keeps flying by

Nathan informed me yesterday that I am very behind, as if I didn't already know that. I think I am always behind in life. If fact, is there ever really a time that any of us have finished everything we could possibly finish. I certainly can't think of one, but let me at least attempt to catch up on what is going on in our lives.

Brenna and I got back from Georgia on Friday. We both had a great time there. Brenna got to play with Nonni and G-Daddy all by herself. They picked her up from the airport on Friday and brought her back to me in Athens on Monday night. Everyone, including me enjoyed that time. I am so grateful to them for all their driving and time. I am also glad Brenna got that special time with her grandparents. I think it is so important for kids to have time alone with their grandparents.

Meanwhile, in Athens, I was able to spend time alone with Stephanie. Billy was great about watching Elijah so that we could go play a little on Saturday and Sunday. We tootled around Athens on Saturday. I had several errands I needed to run and I found a few surprise things that I didn't even know existed. Sunday, after church, we worked on a project that I needed help with. Then Monday, I was able to go spend the day at the barn. It was a great day. I was able to ride two horses and spend time with Cindy. I enjoyed that time greatly. I miss riding and spending time there so much. I sure wish there was a barn here for me. Hopefully one day that will come.

The rest of the week flew by. We talked and enjoyed time together in Comer. I did a trial run with two kids on Tuesday. It worked pretty well. I'm not saying two will be easy, but it is possible. I also think it will be different when the second child is my own.

The last time we were in Georgia, I didn't take any pictures. This time I wanted to at least get a few. I love the first one of Stephanie and Elijah chilling on a porch swing.

Notice the spit up on his chin. I saw a lot of that last week. It brought back so many memories.

I love the stage where little ones find their fingers. It is so cute to watch their amazement when they realize "those 'things' are mine."

I think Brenna has watched a little too much "Jungle Book".

This was a great toy that another friend had for their son. I want to look for it as a Christmas present. I think she would love learning to ride a tricycle on this, and I would still have control without breaking my back. How fun. It even had a little bell. "Ding"


Well, the week ended and Friday arrived. Have I mentioned how hard it is to fly alone with a two year old? She was great, but it was still exhausting, and we still had an hour drive home from SA. Then there was the Friday night football game. Friday was a long day. She had no nap and lost it several times, but she was very glad to see her Daddy and the band when we finally made it to KC. I too was very glad to see Nathan. I always miss him so much when we are apart.

Saturday there was a parade in front of our house. That is one of the benefits of living on the mail street of a small town. The KC band, and Nathan, marched by playing away.


There were tons of floats, some cars, horses, and even a few Emus. Brenna loved it all. The parade was in honor of the Lonesome Dove Festival which we attended after nap time. Isn't she cute in her Georgia attire.

We were riding a little Choo Choo Train around the park. She loved that too.

Sunday I ran a fever and stayed in bed all day and the next day too. I am feeling better now though. Yea! I don't like staying in bed sick. Unfortunately, Brenna woke up from her nap yesterday running a fever of 103. That child runs the highest fevers. Anyways, she acted normal most of the day but didn't sleep well last night. She is still asleep right now. Hopefully she will be feeling better today. I don't like it when she is sick either. It makes me sad.

I think I have now caught everyone up. Sorry for the length to those who have read though the entire account. At least I won't be accused of being behind now.

Hurricane update

I just wanted to let everyone that has been praying for my family know that we are all doing okay. Nathan went through Saturday with sunny skies and a temp of over 100 degrees. I am enjoying time with the Neals, and Brenna is having a blast with her Nonni and G-Daddy.

My parents and grandmother went through the storm. They lost electricity around 3 am on Saturday morning, but Nena's house had electricity by Saturday evening. Mom, Dad, and Nena are all there now. They are doing well and both houses faired the storm well. God's angels protected them through the winds and rain. All the trees stayed grounded at both houses, but there is a lot of damage in the Houston area.

For now, everyone is staying together at Nena's house and will probably be there for a little while. Please keep praying that Nena will feel better. Also pray for the people of Houston as they start to clean up the mess this week. Thanks for all your prayers. I will keep you updated on the progress.

Hurricane Ike

I had forgotten what is was like to watch a hurricane approaching. I lived in Houston for 15 years of my life, but I was young. From afar, I watched hurricanes as they approached my family. Now I am reminded what life is like in South Texas and only an hour from the coast. Ike looks as if it is headed straight for us. There are steps you take to prepare for a hurricane. I had forgotten those steps until today. Unfortunately now I am left to prepare and pack all tomorrow. I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I am feeling a wee bit overwhelmed and anxious.

So, tomorrow I am going to Walmart. Let's see, that makes one Walmart trip everyday this week. I have to get something for Nathan to eat if the power goes off. I also have to get some water for him to drink in case the water goes out. There really is nothing good about a hurricane. I am really hoping that everyone in KC has not already been to Walmart to buy all the water and bread.

Then there is still my packing to do. I have to pack Brenna and I separately because she is going to Nonni and G-Daddy's house first then coming to Athens. I have to make sure she has everything she needs. I also have to pack all that I need for several projects. I wonder if I will ever learn the art of packing lightly. I don't think so. I have tried very hard and still fall very short. Far worse, I will probably even teach Brenna to pack more than you can ever possibly need for one week in a house with a washer and dryer and stores nearby. Again with the woes of packing.

And my last woeful packing story. What do I pack us to wear? I looked it up and Athens won't be seeing triple digits next week, nor will nights only make it as low as the upper 70s. I will feel like it is downright cold coming from the "fires" of South Texas. And poor Brenna will be in the Georgia mountains were I'm sure the nighttime temps will require the equivalent of our Texas winter clothes. I am just full of one woe after another. What ever shall I do?

Getting Excited with a Little of the Mundane

Brenna and I are both getting excited about our upcoming trip to Georgia that Nathan so secretly arranged. He with the help of his sneaky grandparents worked it out to give me a surprise trip. The time has come to start packing and organizing. I have such a wonderful husband and family. We have started preparing Brenna for the trip now too. She is very excited about going on an airplane. She keeps asking if we will be going after lunch. I guess a lot of fun things in her life happen after lunch.

So, tomorrow is the day to start packing. Oh, but I don't like to pack. That is the worst part of travel. No, on second thought, unpacking is the worst part of travel. I won't worry about that.

The rest of our day has been pretty mundane. At church yesterday we talked about serving God in our mundane, day-to-day tasks. I can do it some days better than others. I was thinking how great it would be to have a child-like attitude. There are so many times in life that I would like to see the world through my daughter's eyes and perspective. Kids make everything fun and games. I work hard to make all the little things Brenna and I do fun for her. As an adult, I take a bath to clean or relax, but mostly I take showers because they are faster. Brenna on the other hand spends as much time as I let her in the bath. She is not in a hurry and she plays while she gets clean. I wish I could turn my daily chores into a fun game that I can play. Maybe tomorrow I will try to do the dishes with a lot of bubbles.

Funny Toddler Moment

I wish I had a picture. I have to leave it to your imagination.

Scene: Brenna sitting on the couch watching Larry Boy in a t-shirt and panties. Brenna sees a pair of spare shorts and begins to pull them on. Unfortunetly she put both legs in one hole.

Mommy: "Brenna do you you need help?"
Brenna: "No, Menna do it."
Mommy: "Okay, I take your legs out and put one leg in each hole."
Brenna: "Menna try again."

Scene: Brenna pulls the shorts back off and tries it again.
Repeat above conversation a few times.

Scene: Brenna has shorts almost all the way up her legs only her legs are still in one hole and now she is stuck. Timmmberrr.

Mommy: "Brenna, are you sure you don't want some help?"
Brenna: "Okay, Mama help Menna.

Scene: Brenna stumbles over to Mommy and is helped put one leg in each hole.

Brenna: "No Mama, Menna do it."
Mommy: "I know, you can pull them up yourself."

Everyone does put their pants on one leg at a time.

Fabulous Friday and Thrilling Thursday (night)

Brenna and I had a great day today. I thought I would give her a special treat today just because. We drove 45 min up the road to Seguin to do "playnastics" at a gym there. Brenna loved it. This gym has designated Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 as the Toddler and Pre-School time to play. For a small sum of $7 Brenna can jump, run, hang, and tumble to her hearts content. My poor deprived child had so much fun that she cried when we had to leave. I have to say that I had a bit of fun with her. The hour and a half went by all too fast for both of us. She played so hard, that I thought she would take a mammoth of a nap, but that didn't happen. I was a little concerned when we first got there that she would like at because she seemed so withdrawn. But as soon as I showed her what to do on a few things, she took off running.

I can't even tell you which was her favorite activity. I think we spent the most time at the pit,



but we also did a lot of "bouncy bouncy" on the trampoline.

She liked holding onto the bars and rings and swinging from her hands. We tried the balance beam, but those of you who know the athleticism of Brenna, know that she wasn't very good at that apparatus. She also seemed to love running across the floor. I don't know if that is because gymnastic floors have bounce to them or if she just likes to run in open areas.


All this to say, she had a great time. I loved watching her, and we will spend the gas and $7 to go back another day. The 1.5 hours play was worth the 1.5 hours driving time.

These are a few pictures I took of Brenna playing in the pool with Nathan on Thursday evening. She had almost as much fun in her little pool as she did at the big pool. I decided to blow the pool up since it is still hot here and the community pool is already closed for the year.

One more Phrase

I forgot about one other phrase that Brenna just said today. She was standing at the door telling Daddy goodbye. He had come home for lunch and needed to go back to work. Brenna likes to close the door after him, but didn't want to close it until he got down the porch steps. Then she yelled, "Bye Bye Daddy, Have a good day!" It was so cute and sweet all rolled into one. Daddy and I both got a smile and a bit of cheer from that one.

Over there in the corner

"Brenna, were did you put your flip flops?"
"Over there in the corner."

"Brenna, where did the cat go?"
"Over there in the corner."

Sitting in the car and looking into the bedroom window.
"Brenna, do you see the puppy?"
"Yes, Mama, over there in the corner."

Don't ask Brenna were something is. There is only one response we are getting right now. I'm not sure why she thinks everything is in the corner, but it makes us laugh when she says so.

Here are a few other statements she has recently started to say.
"What's that Mama?" (You can even add "over there in the corner" to the end of that one sometimes.)
"I don't know what it is."
"Menna do it."
"I gotta go tee-tee."

There are so many little phrases I just don't want to forget as she grows up in her language development. She grows so fast, I can barely keep up with her. She is already saying "cookie monster" differently. I loved the cute way she said "momer" to start with. Now she actually says "monter".

I had a conversation with a lady at the pool yesterday (who was sitting over there in the corner). She, as are most people, was amazed at Brenna's speaking ability. She said her son spoke well early too. We laughed together at the doctor's question. "Is you child starting to form simple sentences?" Yes and she forms the complex ones too, all day long. Actually, I don't think the doctor even asked me that question last time. She could hear Brenna's constant stream of words through the door. She had her answer before she could ask the question.

Her love of words also goes along with her love for music. I love to hear her little voice singing away to so many different song. Right now she loves the "Hallelujah song" and sings many of the words even though she doesn't know their meaning. (Actual title "And Now My Lifesong Sings" by Casting Crowns) She sings her songs too: The Hokey Pokey, He Has the Whole World in His Hands, The Hairbrush Song, Old McDonald, and the list could go on for awhile.

Yes my child loves to talk. Hmm... I wonder where she got that one from?

A Blast from my Past

I love my cat. He has been a great companion from the day I brought him home. Westin came to live with me the summer after I came back from the hospital. I was working at a vet clinic as a kennel worker and fell in love with him the day he came in. He was a stray and looked awful, but I knew I wanted to take him home. After a brutal interview from the lady that found him and brought him into the clinic, he was mine. He started out with the name Tilly, but after a few weeks of food and love the vets changed their mind on his gender and I settled on the name Westin. It seemed to have fit him well. He started out so scrawny but grew into his name.

After a pretty awful start to life, I decided to keep him inside. He never seemed to mind. In fact, until this year, I could leave the door open and Westin would only sit at the door and look at all the activity outside. Occasionally he will now venture out onto the back porch but run back in as soon as he is noticed outside. He hasn't seen much action in the 10 years I have owned him. Well, he hasn't seen much outside action.

In my final year at Baylor, Molly, Westin, and I all lived in a small house in the middle of a corn field. Westin had the time of his life in that small house. It was where he was first introduced to the fun and games of mice. I had them in the house quite often. Sometimes I would hear Westin chasing the mice through the house at night. I saved a few and through them back into the field yelling, "Stay out there, you probably won't be as lucky next time." Most of the time, he hunted when I wasn't around. I always turned on the light before I stepped in the house. Often he would leave his presents for me at my front door. He also left them beside my bed for me to find. He was always proud of his gifts. Though I was a little freaked by the dead mice, I was also glad that I didn't have to worry about killing them myself and I didn't want to hurt Westin's feelings. I praised him and asked him to leave them a little further from my feet (to no avail).

I hadn't thought much about Westin's mice hunting days in awhile. I haven't lived in a house with mice problems since Waco. Last night, my younger days came flooding back to me. I was in that blissful state where you are almost completely asleep but not quite. Dreams were at the edge of my hazy mind but I was still aware of my surroundings when I felt Westin leap onto the bed. Westin comes and goes all night long. I don't normally notice his night prowling, but for some reason I was brought from my sleepy bliss to wakefulness when he landed on my bed at 11:45. There at my feet was a very proud cat staring at me with his mouth full of mouse. He had brought me his prized treasure and was awaiting my praise and adoration.

I can't even describe how awful it is to open your eyes and see both cat and mouse eyes staring at you. I was jolted awake needless to say. If you have ever had the privilege of seeing a cat with their treasure, you too would know that it is hard to tell if said treasure is dead or alive. They don't wiggle much when they are in the enemy's mouth. My fear last night at 11:46 was that this little treasure was still alive, and my adoring cat was going to lay it at my feet. I had visions of scampering mice running under the covers with me. Now remember, my mind was just recently in that slow dreamy state of haze and now I had to think fast. I did my best.

I calmly coaxed Westin off the bed and into the hall. I raspily called Nathan as loud as I dared. I certainly didn't want to awaken Brenna. I had a big decision to make. Did I want to try to take my cat who doesn't really like to be outside out in the dark or did I want to hope for the best and coax him to release the mouse? I did neither and called for Nathan again who finally heard my cries and came to my rescue. About the same time, Westin decided to give me my present and released the mouse in the hall. There was no movement. Thank you Lord for small blessings at 11:50 at night. I didn't have to chase a big cat and little mouse quietly through the house so that I didn't wake the sleeping toddler.

Nathan took the poor mouse out to the garbage and I thanked Westin for bringing me such a lovely prize. Then I calmly asked him to leave any other mice for another day, and next time, please go back to his past habit of leaving those treasures on the floor. I didn't really need them in bed with me.