Thanksgiving '08

This is what happens when you leave your pie unattended for a minute. Russell loved it. We had a nice time with the cousins and everyone went home stuffed and satisfied. We have so much to be thankful for...

Day at the Fire Station

Last weekend, we went with a few of Russell's boy buddies to a local firehouse. The weather was a perfect 80F and a perfect way to entertain growing boys. Russell was adamant about not sitting in the fire engine (there is a distinction between a fire truck and an engine, we learned) but he loved touching the wheels and the lights.



Russell is in between tears in this picture. After the fire engine was turned on and the horn was honked, he was too scared to go near it. In this picture, I am forcing him to sit down with me for at least one picture. Someday, he'll thank me;-)

Random Thoughts

Do you ever feel like you are missing something out of life? I sure do. Lately, I find myself just restless, even though I have faith, family, and friends. The weather today has been perfect (i.e. 80F, blue sky, warm sunshine, beautiful fall colors on the trees) and yet, it is just hard to focus. Russell is a champ and plays well by himself so I don't have to worry about entertaining him too much anymore. It's not that I need to buy anything. I did something social today. Dan and I are doing well. I just feel like something is missing and whatever it is seems so far away.

April's Visit

My dear friend April flew from San Diego last Friday to come visit us. It was wonderful to have her here, and Russell didn't mind sharing his room for a few days;-) The twin bed worked out nicely and Russell slept on his crib mattress on the floor. On Sunday night, we went out to the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company for dinner. We had the best seats in the house (right next to the fish tank)!

April left on Monday afternoon. Russell still doesn't understand the comings and goings of the world and kept asking, "Where's Miss April?" We miss you, April! Hopefully, I can get in another girls' weekend with her next year sometime.



This just makes me smile. Russell loves putting on my sunglasses. He looks even cuter when he puts his cap on backwards. Lil' gangster.

New Bed= New Chapter

As you can see, the new twin bed from JC Penny's arrived a few days ago. We've had the crib set up for almost three years and we didn't realize how big a twin bed would be. Of course, we had a bit of a hint when the mattress arrived two weeks ago, but still, not until it was all set up did we say, "Wow."

Russell has loved the change-over since day 1. He loved sleeping on the twin mattress on the floor but I insisted that we purchase a bed because I needed the storage room underneath it for the crib. The chocolate-colored comforter is from Target and is a really nice knock-off from the name-brand bedding brands. I guess Russell will be sleeping in this bed until he grows up and moves away!

Simple Reminders

I took this picture a week ago. Ignore the ugly 1970's wall paper that covers my front entrance and just focus on the simple and beautiful colors that are known as the dispersion of light. If God cared enough to create this, I know He cares even more to watch over His ultimate creation: us. Just a thought for today:-)

Austin, TX

As you know, Dan had a business class in Austin this past week. He flew out on Sunday and Russell and I flew out on Tuesday. The flight was 3 1/2 hours and Russell did his best (for a 2 3/4 year old wiggle worm). The next morning, Dan left for his class and Russell and I headed to Zilkor Park, the 'Central Park' of Austin. The minute he saw the large fields, he just ran and ran and ran...

Zilkor Park also had a great playground. I had to laugh a little when I realized how much has changed since I worked in Texas 7-8 years ago. No longer do I look for historical museums and interesting tourist displays. Nope. I just look for the best playground in town. The weather was so nice (high 70's/low 80's) and it felt great to be outdoors.

On Wednesday night, I met a new friend who I connected with on an online January '06 Mom's group. Beth is a Christian woman who shares many of the same interests and it was fun to meet in person:-)

On Thursday, Russell and I headed out east to visit Linda, with whom I had worked at Camp Tejas. She now works at a different camp, though. We've kept in touch over the years and it was a joy to see her again.

After visiting Linda, I stopped by Camp Tejas. It was strange to be back (my last visit was 5 years ago), this time, visiting with a child in tow. Russell loved to throw rocks into the lake. I wish I could have stayed longer and visited longer with the staff but Russell was already nap-deprived and we still had the 90 minute drive back to Austin. Being back at the camp made me realize how important those summers were to me.

On Friday morning, Russell and I met up with Beth and her kiddos, Ana and Eli, once more before departing on our afternoon flight. Ana was a sweetheart and Eli was probably the best baby I've ever met. Seriously. No fuss, no muss.

After a quick stop at the ice-cream shop (thanks, Beth:-), we said our good-byes and left to pick Dan up from the hotel.

Any time that Dan and I travel, whether within the state or outside of the state, we ponder, "could we live here?" Austin is a great city although traffic is terrible because of the influx of California-ites that have moved into town. It is difficult to think of leaving the West Coast. Our whole lives are here. I guess just seeing the brand-new 4bd/2ba houses for $200k really tempt us though...