Greetings from The Woodlands!!!!
We are settling in and absolutely LOVING life back in Texas. The Woodlands is such a nice place with tons to do. We are trying to experience as much as possible. Sammy Weiners is enjoying his new job as well. We were so excited to start our life in a new place and now that we are here, it's evident that life is going to be just peachy.
I have been quite the busy little bee since we arrived.
We hadn't been here for more than two days, when I left and made a road-trip to Fayetville, AR to celebrate the marriage of my college buddy Jessica and her now husband Chris. Their nuptials were beautiful with a lot of vintage touches, that only Jessica could totally own. Chris and Jessica are such a sweet, fun, and quirky couple I just know that they are going to have a life full of happiness and blessings.
In the day time Mallory have enjoyed exploring the gorgeous walking trails around our home and playing with her new puppy Otto. Otto and Mallory just love each other. She lets him know he's her puppy by stopping in the middle of playtime to bend down and give him a sweet kiss. They are definitely best friends.
I took Mallory to the pumpkin patch last week and she was quite the busy body. I got a ton of action shots with her and some pumpkins but none sitting still...what do you expect from an almost 15 month old? Girl is on the GO! Anyone that has met Mallory comments on how loving she is and this just showed when she was at the pumpkin patch. She kept running up and giving kisses to the other children. I explained that not everyone WANTS to be kissed. Mallory doesn't care though. She knows no strangers, only new friends.
We also visited a new church this past Sunday and really enjoyed our time there. Perhaps it will be our new church home?!?! Of course, Mal got a glowing report card from the nursery. She played well with others, and had happy, talkative, busy, and cooperative checked of on her sweet report card. I couldn't be prouder of her.
Life is not all easy though as we have entered the world of temper tantrums. She knows what she wants when she wants it. I wonder where she got that strong will from? However, they don't last more than a minute and she is easy to entertain again. Life is tough when you don't know all the words or signs to express your emotions and feelings, no?
This weekend, we'll be traveling to Mt. Pleasant to watch one of my dear friends tie the knot and Mallory will get to spend time with Gina and O. I am sure a lot of ice-cream and spoiling is in my little ones very very near future.
Until next time-
Jill
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
14 Months
It's been hectic around our house.
Last weekend Sammy Weiners and I drove to The Woodlands to find a place to live. It was a successful trip!
Mallory enjoyed staying with O and Gina. She even made her first trip to the Titus County Fair. She spent time in the petting zoo and Johnny O reported back that the goat was her favorite. She even says goat now.
Mallory turned 14 months yesterday. Another month of life is under her belt, and she's added more substance to her bag of tricks.
Mallory loves playing hide and seek, Monkey See, Monkey Do, we can march, and stand on one leg with the other in coupe' or devlope'. She also really loves turning around and around and around in circles until she is so dizzy she can't walk straight. Mallory is obsessed with reading. She will either "read to herself" or grab a book and hop in our lap and as "re re me", which of course is READ TO ME! She's turned our living room furniture into her own personal trampoline and jungle gym. She also loves when Sam and I hide behind a corner and jump out and say "Boo".
She will eat anything you give to her but really still loves fish of any kind, and lettuce (weirdo), and carrot chips dipped in hummus, and avocado, and rolls. She LOVES rolls!
We've officially added "kitty cat", "goat", "Rats"- (what replaced uh-oh when we drop something...thanks, Johnny O), "baby", and "GO, GO, GO" to our vocabulary.
Mallory has 14 teeth officially grown in with her two top canines halfway grown - so we are almost to 16. She is 20 lbs, which means we got to turn her car seat to face forward! She loves it. And we are 31 inches. She's my tall baby. My fun baby. My inquisitive baby. My full of life baby. My baby that loves to give kisses, and high fives, and blow kisses, and give hugs freely or when you ask for one. She's my loving baby. My happy baby. MY BABY!
Last weekend Sammy Weiners and I drove to The Woodlands to find a place to live. It was a successful trip!
Mallory enjoyed staying with O and Gina. She even made her first trip to the Titus County Fair. She spent time in the petting zoo and Johnny O reported back that the goat was her favorite. She even says goat now.
Mallory turned 14 months yesterday. Another month of life is under her belt, and she's added more substance to her bag of tricks.
Mallory loves playing hide and seek, Monkey See, Monkey Do, we can march, and stand on one leg with the other in coupe' or devlope'. She also really loves turning around and around and around in circles until she is so dizzy she can't walk straight. Mallory is obsessed with reading. She will either "read to herself" or grab a book and hop in our lap and as "re re me", which of course is READ TO ME! She's turned our living room furniture into her own personal trampoline and jungle gym. She also loves when Sam and I hide behind a corner and jump out and say "Boo".
She will eat anything you give to her but really still loves fish of any kind, and lettuce (weirdo), and carrot chips dipped in hummus, and avocado, and rolls. She LOVES rolls!
We've officially added "kitty cat", "goat", "Rats"- (what replaced uh-oh when we drop something...thanks, Johnny O), "baby", and "GO, GO, GO" to our vocabulary.
Mallory has 14 teeth officially grown in with her two top canines halfway grown - so we are almost to 16. She is 20 lbs, which means we got to turn her car seat to face forward! She loves it. And we are 31 inches. She's my tall baby. My fun baby. My inquisitive baby. My full of life baby. My baby that loves to give kisses, and high fives, and blow kisses, and give hugs freely or when you ask for one. She's my loving baby. My happy baby. MY BABY!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Tiny Boxes
I dislike moving a lot. To say that this Craig home is a "mess" is the understatement of the year. In just three short weeks we will have a new place to call "home". Somewhere, that we are planning to plan roots. I always found it odd that my life could basically be packed into tiny little boxes and shipped across the country, for a cost, of course. With moving comes a certain amount of nostalgia. I boxed up many things that were "mine". They came from a time before "I" became a "We". I moved through our kitchen which mostly contains gifts of love that were given when Sam and I decided to marry. I never knew I could be so sentimental over a knife.
Packing up Mallory's things was particularly sad. The tiny newborn clothes she wore for only three months that Sam and I are holding onto in case our next blessing is another girl. They were already sorted into containers ready for storage. Now they will make a long journey with us.
I know that these are al just "things" and of course they are not where all my value is placed, but these things provide such great memories of a time of chaos, surprise, blessings, shock, utter happiness, a feeling of i have no idea what I am doing, and most importantly love. These things get to come along with us for a whole new very big adventure. An adventure that is a great and happy step for our family, but is also bittersweet as we are leaving behind a home full of memories, a church that we love, a campus corner that my sister and I spent late nights bonding, and family members that have loved and supported us through our scariest and happiest times. My love affair with Norman has been short in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, very very sweet.
Packing up Mallory's things was particularly sad. The tiny newborn clothes she wore for only three months that Sam and I are holding onto in case our next blessing is another girl. They were already sorted into containers ready for storage. Now they will make a long journey with us.
I know that these are al just "things" and of course they are not where all my value is placed, but these things provide such great memories of a time of chaos, surprise, blessings, shock, utter happiness, a feeling of i have no idea what I am doing, and most importantly love. These things get to come along with us for a whole new very big adventure. An adventure that is a great and happy step for our family, but is also bittersweet as we are leaving behind a home full of memories, a church that we love, a campus corner that my sister and I spent late nights bonding, and family members that have loved and supported us through our scariest and happiest times. My love affair with Norman has been short in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, very very sweet.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
I Remember
9/11.
This day eleven years ago I was sleeping in my bed, skipping my first class of the day because it was an 8 am class and I had stayed up in the wee hours of the morning socializing (sorry, mom). My roommate, Kristin woke me up by coming into our room and saying, "dude, turn on the tv. Someone flew into the World Trade Center". Sleepy shock came over me. By that time, it was pretty apparent that it wasn't an accident.
Disbelief set in as I watched horrifying news reports and learned of Flights 77 and 93, respectively. To someone from my generation, like me, who basically believed that our nation was an invincible superpower, the realization that we were, in fact, vulnerable quickly emerged.
It was a sad day, an angry day, and in weeks that followed pride soon set in at the way a country that was divided, banded together. Pain has a pretty powerful way of uniting people who would not normally come together. Love surely is stronger, but I think, that pain unites people with a common bond that is not easily broken. You suddenly become a member of a pain club. It was definitely pain that brought Americans together after 9/11. In the after affects, I think that we all learned that we need each other to make this place great, that together we can overcome any obstacle, that together we can rebuild. Together we can hope, dream, mourn, thrive, succeed. The biggest lesson, I learned from 9/11 is that no matter how polarized we are, we need each other. Hugging my family extra tight today.
God Bless The U.S.A.
This day eleven years ago I was sleeping in my bed, skipping my first class of the day because it was an 8 am class and I had stayed up in the wee hours of the morning socializing (sorry, mom). My roommate, Kristin woke me up by coming into our room and saying, "dude, turn on the tv. Someone flew into the World Trade Center". Sleepy shock came over me. By that time, it was pretty apparent that it wasn't an accident.
Disbelief set in as I watched horrifying news reports and learned of Flights 77 and 93, respectively. To someone from my generation, like me, who basically believed that our nation was an invincible superpower, the realization that we were, in fact, vulnerable quickly emerged.
It was a sad day, an angry day, and in weeks that followed pride soon set in at the way a country that was divided, banded together. Pain has a pretty powerful way of uniting people who would not normally come together. Love surely is stronger, but I think, that pain unites people with a common bond that is not easily broken. You suddenly become a member of a pain club. It was definitely pain that brought Americans together after 9/11. In the after affects, I think that we all learned that we need each other to make this place great, that together we can overcome any obstacle, that together we can rebuild. Together we can hope, dream, mourn, thrive, succeed. The biggest lesson, I learned from 9/11 is that no matter how polarized we are, we need each other. Hugging my family extra tight today.
God Bless The U.S.A.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Tejas
It has been a while since I have blogged. It was mostly intentional, as Sam and I have been waiting for some fantastic news to be confirmed and official.
No, I am not pregnant...or at least I don't think I am.
First things first, Mallory spent a few days with my mommy over Labor Day Weekend while Sam went dove hunting with Johnny O. It was also my mom's birthday and Mallory and I cherished a weekend alone with just us girls. We went shopping, and dining, and Mallory and I got to visit FBC MP which is always a good time.
The really good, great, fantastic news is that Sam, Mallory, and I will officially be residents of...
wait for it...
TEXAS!!!!! That's right, Sam accepted a job in The Woodlands and we will be there by the end of October. Everything is still new so we don't have all the details planned out just yet (i.e. we don't have a place to live). BUT we are so excited to be moving to Texas and the Houston area as we have some family and tons of friends there including Sam's college roommate and one of my college roommates.
Do not fret though, I refuse to root for any of their sports teams. I am forever a Cowboys/Rangers/Mavericks girl. So unless Andy Dalton becomes the QB for the Oilers...er...Texans, I won't be cheering for them one bit.
Of course our family is still in Norman and OKC and we will miss them tremendously, but hey, that's what planes are for and I have a ton of frequent flyer miles.
Sam, Mallory, Pearl, and I are just really very very excited. Thanks to everyone that knew about this and prayed or closed their eyes and wished real hard for us. It really is a dream come true and we are just so excited to be Texans living in Texas again. Oh yeah, did i mention we are excited?
No, I am not pregnant...or at least I don't think I am.
First things first, Mallory spent a few days with my mommy over Labor Day Weekend while Sam went dove hunting with Johnny O. It was also my mom's birthday and Mallory and I cherished a weekend alone with just us girls. We went shopping, and dining, and Mallory and I got to visit FBC MP which is always a good time.
The really good, great, fantastic news is that Sam, Mallory, and I will officially be residents of...
wait for it...
TEXAS!!!!! That's right, Sam accepted a job in The Woodlands and we will be there by the end of October. Everything is still new so we don't have all the details planned out just yet (i.e. we don't have a place to live). BUT we are so excited to be moving to Texas and the Houston area as we have some family and tons of friends there including Sam's college roommate and one of my college roommates.
Do not fret though, I refuse to root for any of their sports teams. I am forever a Cowboys/Rangers/Mavericks girl. So unless Andy Dalton becomes the QB for the Oilers...er...Texans, I won't be cheering for them one bit.
Of course our family is still in Norman and OKC and we will miss them tremendously, but hey, that's what planes are for and I have a ton of frequent flyer miles.
Sam, Mallory, Pearl, and I are just really very very excited. Thanks to everyone that knew about this and prayed or closed their eyes and wished real hard for us. It really is a dream come true and we are just so excited to be Texans living in Texas again. Oh yeah, did i mention we are excited?
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Sammy Weiners is 29
Today is my husband's day of birth. Nothing like a birthday to make you realize how much you love the person that God picked out specifically for you. We are very different, but somewhat similar. Sam is such a nice compliment to my very rough edges. He is meticulous, focusing on each and every single little detail, while I see the grand scheme of things. I am to the point, I try to explain everything in one sentence or less. He gives detailed explanations, making sure to explain everything fully. I am an ENTJ, he is an INTP. Sam is cautious and anxious, I am reckless and careless. He takes his time in all he does, I like to get things over with as soon as possible. He is sweet, I can come across as mean-spirited. He can enjoy the moment, I am always looking around the corner. He is trusting, when I judge. He follows policy and procedure, I question it at every turn. He is traditional, I am not. You can see where this is going.
However, we do see eye-to-eye on many things, politics, God, raising our child(ren)- I am still trying to convince him to have 12, by the way- saving for the future, the need to explore the world, and our love for each other. We have fun together, we question each other, push each other, laugh together everyday, we are each others confidante, best friend, and coach. He does a lot for our sweet family and is the most loving father. I was not aware of this until I realized that he WANTS to do things that most fathers would never do, and he does it willingly and without complaint. Mallory and I spent the week in MP without him last week, we had a nice time, but life was just not the same, it was not as easy. He makes me feel special, and needed, and smart, and most of all loved. I am blessed. Mallory is blessed.
This birthday is a little bit sweeter, as we know some good news is being finalized (no, I am not pregnant) although we are not ready to announce it juuuust yet. I will say that Sam deserves this sweet birthday, an nice contrast to last year's that we spent in the ER. I hope all of his birthday dreams are coming true. I love him more than words. I have found the one my heart loves - Song of Solomon 3:4.
However, we do see eye-to-eye on many things, politics, God, raising our child(ren)- I am still trying to convince him to have 12, by the way- saving for the future, the need to explore the world, and our love for each other. We have fun together, we question each other, push each other, laugh together everyday, we are each others confidante, best friend, and coach. He does a lot for our sweet family and is the most loving father. I was not aware of this until I realized that he WANTS to do things that most fathers would never do, and he does it willingly and without complaint. Mallory and I spent the week in MP without him last week, we had a nice time, but life was just not the same, it was not as easy. He makes me feel special, and needed, and smart, and most of all loved. I am blessed. Mallory is blessed.
This birthday is a little bit sweeter, as we know some good news is being finalized (no, I am not pregnant) although we are not ready to announce it juuuust yet. I will say that Sam deserves this sweet birthday, an nice contrast to last year's that we spent in the ER. I hope all of his birthday dreams are coming true. I love him more than words. I have found the one my heart loves - Song of Solomon 3:4.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Mallory is One!
Happy Birthday, Mallory!
Today is much less hectic that it was one year ago. Hectic did not seem to bother you though. You can into this world calm, cool, and collected. You checked out everything with your left eye and preferred to keep your right eye closed. You also loved to be swaddled, but only from the waist down. You preferred to have your hands free so that you could grab and explore anything that came your direction with your tiny, perfect hands. You loved sleeping with your legs straight up in the air, much like Pearl when she is having a really, really great dream.
To my delight and my dismay you enjoyed doing things a little bit earlier than most children your age. Please do not be in such a hurry to grow up, sweet babe. Right now, you enjoy running to everywhere you go. You've found that running gets you to things you love to do just a little bit quicker. You also love to explore, especially in the kitchen. And you love to share. I love that I can hear the pitter patter of your sweet little feet bringing me a plastic cookie cutter or a whisk after you've been exploring in your drawer in the kitchen. You are also pretty good about saying please and thank you. Those are not the exact words that come out of course, but I know what you mean.
You are a friendly, and happy little girl. You wave and say hi to everyone with a huge grin on your face. Strangers may not always understand exactly what you are saying but they love to converse with you, Mallory. You also love to give hugs. My wish is that you will be this friendly, kind and sweet throughout your life. You are a tenacious worker, Mallory. You always get back up when you fall down. You are also one smart cookie. While you can not say your colors yet, you can pick red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and TCU purple out of any line-up. You also have no trouble showing me your hair, ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
You are a talented dancer, you understand the beat of music and bounce up and down according to speed. You have surprisingly good balance. A feat that makes your mom and of course your Aunt Sunny proud. Your Aunt Amy recently taught you how to jump, well more like bounce, on beds. You seem to enjoy this new play activity as you must bounce for a few minutes before nap time or bed time. Water is still something you love, rather it is bath time or swimming, you are having a ball. While you do not watch much tv (you would rather be outside exploring), you do seem to enjoy Bubble Guppies, Little Einsteins, and Mickey's Playhouse.
You are a blessing to our family, Mallory and you came along at just the right time. I can not wait to see what this next year brings, and find out the ways that you will bless and enrich the lives of everyone around you. Keep smiling baby girl.
Today is much less hectic that it was one year ago. Hectic did not seem to bother you though. You can into this world calm, cool, and collected. You checked out everything with your left eye and preferred to keep your right eye closed. You also loved to be swaddled, but only from the waist down. You preferred to have your hands free so that you could grab and explore anything that came your direction with your tiny, perfect hands. You loved sleeping with your legs straight up in the air, much like Pearl when she is having a really, really great dream.
To my delight and my dismay you enjoyed doing things a little bit earlier than most children your age. Please do not be in such a hurry to grow up, sweet babe. Right now, you enjoy running to everywhere you go. You've found that running gets you to things you love to do just a little bit quicker. You also love to explore, especially in the kitchen. And you love to share. I love that I can hear the pitter patter of your sweet little feet bringing me a plastic cookie cutter or a whisk after you've been exploring in your drawer in the kitchen. You are also pretty good about saying please and thank you. Those are not the exact words that come out of course, but I know what you mean.
You are a friendly, and happy little girl. You wave and say hi to everyone with a huge grin on your face. Strangers may not always understand exactly what you are saying but they love to converse with you, Mallory. You also love to give hugs. My wish is that you will be this friendly, kind and sweet throughout your life. You are a tenacious worker, Mallory. You always get back up when you fall down. You are also one smart cookie. While you can not say your colors yet, you can pick red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and TCU purple out of any line-up. You also have no trouble showing me your hair, ears, eyes, nose, and mouth.
You are a talented dancer, you understand the beat of music and bounce up and down according to speed. You have surprisingly good balance. A feat that makes your mom and of course your Aunt Sunny proud. Your Aunt Amy recently taught you how to jump, well more like bounce, on beds. You seem to enjoy this new play activity as you must bounce for a few minutes before nap time or bed time. Water is still something you love, rather it is bath time or swimming, you are having a ball. While you do not watch much tv (you would rather be outside exploring), you do seem to enjoy Bubble Guppies, Little Einsteins, and Mickey's Playhouse.
You are a blessing to our family, Mallory and you came along at just the right time. I can not wait to see what this next year brings, and find out the ways that you will bless and enrich the lives of everyone around you. Keep smiling baby girl.
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