Things I'm Currently Thankful For

-Coffee in the morning (ok, maybe all day ;P )
-Glass of wine and conversation in the evening with my husband
-a nice warm bed that is like sleeping on a cloud (although my time spent there has greatly diminished these days)
-My video monitor - I got a second camera so I can see both girls at night. It's fantastic!
-Our future house in Texas. We are really getting crammed in this house so this move can't come fast enough! We will be almost doubling square footage which will be wonderful but I dont look forward to cleaning that much space... and another bathroom!
-My husband. He keeps me grounded on bad days like yesterday and reminds me constantly that I am going to miss these days with the girls. Yes, it may be hard and frustrating and a patience tester, but they are going to fly by.

Bathing Beauties

Aren't these just the cutest little girls?! I am so glad that my girls have close cousins to grow up with!

Playing Catch Up

I finally got Blogger to work if I use Mozilla instead of Internet Explorer... So, I am going to be playing catchup from the last several weeks now. Lots has been going on so it might take me a while but it's much needed!

Blogger troubles

I've been having trouble posting anything on my blog lately (hince the lack of updates). I'm hoping it decides to cooperate soon so that I can get back to blogging! I am having to use my BlogPress app now, but hopefully not for long.
I guess that's only part of the truth, though. I have been in a serious slump with my blog. I think it's because I never feel like I have any readers. I know of a few but most of those are people who I talk to regularly so anything I put on here is old news to them... Sigh. I think the real reason I want to get back at it is simply to keep up with my girls. This is a great outlet for me to showcase their developments and the cute little things they do everyday. It's actually really nice to have since I've finally started working on Avery's First Year scrapbook; everything is in order and all I have to do is copy and paste my comments...
Anyways, a lot has been going on lately so hopefully I can catch up soon!
Here's the most exciting thing that has happened since I last posted:

We're On The Move!

Yep, we are moving back to the Houston area!

I have to be honest and say that it is truly bittersweet.

Of course, Houston and Texas are home and we love being there; family is there and we have roots around the city.

However, I have not lived in that area in 8 years now so no matter where we were to move, we would be starting over as far as friends go. Luckily, I am not the type of person where this scares me, so I have no fear that we are going to be just as happy there as we are here.

Don't get me wrong, we are very excited and I know that Jeff is thrilled about this new position he will be taking at work, but I can't help but be sad to leave so many wonderful friends.

It took me a while to get used to the idea of living in Louisiana when we got married, maybe because I didnt really have much of a choice in the matter. But, as my dad always says, I tried to live by the motto "bloom where you're planted." I have really grown to love it here and the people. It's much different than Texas, but different can be good.

I know we will make numerous trips back to the area to visit. After all, it's just Houston not across the world, or something! lol

Anyways, it's been pretty crazy around here as you can tell by the lack of posts. I've been feeling the rush to try and finish projects before Norah gets here and try to get this place even more organized and ready to show. We hope to put the house on the market next week and we are leaving today to go see houses in Kingwood. I am praying that Norah will stay put through the weekend!! It is a pretty hairy process that you have to go through with a corporate move so it may be a few months before we are settled in a new place but Jeff starts the new job Sept. 1st so hopefully we dont have to do too much temporary living.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on here and of course, you will know when Norah gets here! :)

For A Friend

This is actually a replica. She sent me a picture of a painting that she really liked in a restaurant in hopes that I could copy it. Well, I did my best! I sure hope she likes it!

Happy Father's Day!

I know I am 2 days late, but better late than never, right? Besides, I have been in kind of a "blogging slump" lately (if you can't tell by the lack of posts). Actually, I've been kind of in a slump with everything lately. You would think I would be going through my "nesting" phase right now, but I can't seem to find the motivation to do ANYTHING! I am starting to annoy myself with all of this laziness, lol. Maybe, subconsciously, my body is trying to rest before I can't anymore.

Anyways, back to the purpose of this post... Sorry guys! I promise I did not forget you on Sunday. I just want to wish my Daddy, my father-in-law, and Jeff a happy Father's Day. Avery and I (and Norah) love you very much!

Here's a little poem that Jeff found in the paper that we thought great so I had to share:

LCDC Videos

Here's the videos from yesterday that I mentioned wouldnt work...
This first video is actually my favorite. She got so excited when another little girl was playing peek-a-boo with her that she was jumping all over me. I couldnt get her in the frame but you can hear her belly laughs. lol

Louisiana Children's Discovery Center

It is so dang hot outside around here that we are starting to get a little cabin fever being cooped up inside all the time (me especially, so I know Avery was getting a little bored too). We were going to the park a lot but it heats up so early now and we dont have a pool that is close, free, clean (I am very picky when it comes to public pools!) so I have been dying to find something for us to do. I got an ad for the Louisiana Children's Discovery Center here in Hammond a long time ago and it's been on my fridge ever since. Today was a great day for us to go check it out and I am so glad that we did! Since she is not 2 yet, it's only $5 for me to get in (there's memberships but I am going to wait till after Norah is 6 weeks old before I join anything at this point). Anyways, Avery had a blast and we were there for about 2 hours. It is a wonderful retreat and place for her to play during these hot summer days!It is a great place for a wide range of ages. Avery's favorite was the toddler area since she felt a little overwhelmed by all of the big kids in the rest of the place. They also have an arts and crafts room but we didnt attempt that one jut yet ;).

Avery's look of pure excitement when we first got there:

Chalkboard mat. If only Avery could learn to write on the mat instead of everywhere else!:

She loved the big kids and you could tell she really looked up to them:

These foam mats were awesome and she loved climbing and sliding all over them:

Fishing boat:

Dress-up area:

Cow. She was fascinated by this gal. She kept going back to see if it was still there, lol:

Construction Zone:

One of the play tables in the toddler area:

Toddler maze:

Hot Air balloon. It lifted a few feet up in the air and had screens underneath it to make you feel like you were flying. pretty cool!:

If you look behind the balloon, you can see the bubble area. We didnt do this area cuz I really didnt want her to get all sticky. Maybe next time.

Slide:

This little boy was playing with her and showing her how to push the button to make the train go. Look at how she is looking at him! I think she had a crush lol

Then, she went and hid under my legs... Baby bump got in the way of the camera, lol:

Replica of the local restaurant, Middendorfs:

I have lots of really cute videos but Blogger is not cooperating, so pictures are all you get.. lol :)

4 Years

Today, Jeff and I celebrate 4 years of marriage! Life is so surreal when you sit back and realize how fast time flies; it only seems to go faster the older you get, too. I love him more today than the day we said "I do" and I couldn't ask for a better husband and father to my children. I love you, Jeff! Here's to 4 wonderful years and many many more to come. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us next :)