40 lashes with a wet noodle for me!

I know, I know.  My blogging habits have been woefully inadequate this year.  I could make excuses.  I could tell you that Zachariah sees the laptop out and thinks that it's out for him to play on.  I could say that getting the girls transitioned into public school has been a much, much bigger undertaking than I anticipated.  I could easily say that Jonathan has been gone a LOT and I've been struggling to keep my head above water.  I could use studying as an excuse.  All that would be true.  The fact is, however, that if I had really wanted to find time to blog, I could have made the time.  It has been much easier to upload photos directly from my phone to facebook with quick little captions.  So 40 lashes with a wet noodle for me!  I have neglected my blog, and I will try to be a little better about it in the future.  It looks like the last time I posted any pictures here was in July, so here is a very brief synopsis of what we've been doing in the months since then.

August
Celestia and Ana have returned to public school this year.  I cannot begin to describe what an enormous transition this has been for all of us.  The first few weeks, Zachariah looked for his sisters frequently and was considerably more prone to breakdowns.  Our mornings getting the girls out the door look something like this.

September

Ana turned 13!!!  I am now officially a mom of two teenage girls!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ana's first school dance on her last night of being 12!

 

Being silly outside the Rainforest Cafe.

October

Jonathan and Zachariah had birthdays!  I seriously can't believe our baby is TWO!

Zachariah and I went to the Dallas Zoo together to celebrate his birthday and had SO much fun!

Playing in the water at the zoo.

Yum, birthday cake!

Daddy was out of town for both his birthday and Z's, so we went back to the zoo!  :)

November

Hey look, I'm caught up!  We had family pictures taken.  So far, I've only seen the preview, but I think good things are to come, don't you?

Everyone should go check out Kalie Evelyn's page right now!  She is a recent graduate of our homeschool co-op and is starting her own business.  If you're in north Collin County, I highly recommend having this young lady take some photos for you!

A busy mom's pictures

Daddy worked from home one day.

Hi Daddy!

Oh, you mean I'm not supposed to have this?

Celestia babysat at our house.

Livy and Tatiana

Ela

We went to a birthday party where Zachariah was quite enthralled with the baby  playing on the other side of the window.

Hi baby!

Mwwwwwwah!  I kiss you!

And attended the Big Latch on!

We had to raise our hands to indicate we were nursing for the count.

Where we were on the news!
And that's just the pictures I (or someone else) took.
WHEW!!!  This week may or may not be any quieter.  We're starting the 2011-2012 school year!

From mainstream to nerdy

My computer was giving me some serious grief, and needed a reinstall of an operating system.  I had been running on Windows XP, because Vista was rubbish.  We could have just done a wipe and a reinstall of XP, but it was time for something new.  I (being the frugal one in the family) didn't really want to spring for Windows 7, so talked Jonathan into putting Linux on my box.  We threw an image of my entire computer on an external hard drive...

and installed the new OS.

I like it so far.  There's definitely a learning curve, as Linux is really more of a programmer's OS.  Installing new software involves using a prompt and actual coding language.  Right now, I'm having to have Jonathan walk me through things quite a lot, but remember, I'm a programmer's daughter, who also married a programmer, so this isn't entirely foreign to me.

Today is the first chance I've had to sit down and import photos from my camera, so keep tuning in for several blog updates!

Happy birthday to my Jonathan!

In all the excitement of the baby, I almost forgot to post pictures of Jonathan's birthday yesterday!
This is the first time Jonathan has been home for his birthday since he started working for Freeman three years ago.  He doesn't seem to mind, but I always feel like we're missing something by not being able to celebrate with him on his birthday.  I'm sure that next year, we'll be back to business as usual, but he couldn't very well go out of town and leave me this pregnant, so we'll enjoy what we can get, yes?
We began the day with breakfast cupcakes made not by me, but by the girls!

They were tasty!

Jonathan opened his gifts...

and proceeded to prove that no matter how careful I am, he will always guess what he's getting.

Stinker!  He's worse than my dad!  He wrote down what he thought he was getting the night before, and never even saw the presents.  At least my dad had to shake first!

We actually took the day off of getting ready for the baby, and just enjoyed being together.

I didn't take any pictures, but my parents gave us money for a date, and took the girls so we could enjoy one last night out before having another little one.  We ate dinner at Maggiano's, then walked around North Park Mall, watched the ducks and turtles there for a while, and then wandered around Half Price Books.  It was a nice, relaxing evening, and we enjoyed every minute of it.  Better get some quiet time while we can!!!

Computer Nerds Anonymous

My daddy is an old school computer nerd.  He holds a degree in electrical engineering from an era when actual computer degrees did not exist.

One of my very earliest memories is waking up in my crib, and hearing the old dot matrix pounding out something in the office down the hall.  Growing up, our Saturdays were not complete unless we had made a trip to Soft Warehouse.  Anyone in Dallas remember that place?  I often sat in the office, watching Daddy take apart his computer to put in the latest upgrade he had purchased on one of our Saturday trips.

It's no surprise, then, that when I settled down, I found my very own blonde-haired, blue-eyed, freckle-faced... computer nerd!

Jonathan, much like me, grew up with a computer guy for a father, and never remembers not having a computer in the house.

It should also be no surprise, given our backgrounds, that we are a gadget-centric family.  Recently, Jonathan acquired his father's old Kindle.  He used it for about a week before deciding that it was perfect for traveling, and that he should have a newer version.  Especially since he found a refurbished Kindle 2 selling for less than the older ones.  But what to do with the old one?  Why we give it to the girls, of course.  Our homeschool curriculum this year is extremely literature heavy, and I have not been able to find a good deal of the books I need without ordering them.  Once I really started doing research and discovered that some were available on the Kindle for free, it was a done deal.  So, everyone is now happy.  Jonathan has a new toy, Momma has access to cheap school books, and the kids?  ...  Well, let's just say I think we're raising our own new generation of computer nerds.

Moby Dick

Last night, Jonathan and I went to see the world premier run of a new opera based on Moby Dick.  To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think.  It got wonderful reviews, but something about a bunch of men singing about a whale left me thinking "I don't know about this".  We were definitely pleasantly surprised.  Visually, it was absolutely amazing!  The set was very unique, and included a projection system which projected waves, boats, and sky directly on the stage.
Of course the evening would not be complete without a bit of teasing from Jonathan.  Sometime during the second act, he leans over and whispers "Do you have any make up we could put on me to make me look like I have a black eye?  I think I'm going to tell Chris (his boss) that I suggested you for the part of the white whale!"  It took me a good five minutes to quell the resulting giggling fit from that statement.  I love my silly man!
We always enjoy getting out and spending some time together just the two of us.  I guess we should do that as much as possible in the next few months while we still can!  :)

Momma posing on the balcony at the Winspear before the opera

Daddy lovin' on his babies.  :)

This man

The year was 2000.  We survived the apocalypse of the Y2K bug, and I had one New Year's Resolution.  No serious relationships.  On January twelfth, I had my first date with this man.

Ten years later, he still makes my heart pitter-pat like a giddy teenager, in love for the first time.

Seven years!

Today, I am celebrating seven years of being married to my best friend!  Last year, I did then and now posts to commemorate this event.  Sadly, I haven't been nearly as organised this year!  Nevertheless, I am so blessed every day to be married to this wonderful man!  Thank you, Jonathan, for being an amazing husband and father!  Here's to the next seven(ty) years together!  I love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I thought, in honour of the holiday, I would make a list of things I am thankful for this year.  So with no further adieu, the top ten things I'm thankful for, in no particular order!

I am thankful for my parents!  They have always done everything they could to make sure I have what I need.  From basic necessities as a child, to child care and financial help as an adult, they've always been there.

I am thankful for awesome in-laws!  How many people do you know who would voluntarily go on vacation to stay with their in-laws sans spouse?  Jonathan's mom and dad raised an amazing man.  They have always made me feel like part of the family, and I even got a little brother when I married my awesome husband (Love you, Chris!)!  Much like my parents, Jonathan's mom and dad have always been there for us whether we needed advise, or financial help.

I am thankful for my house!  For the last year, I have been able to walk through my neighbourhood and see how many homes have been forclosed.  Sometimes I take this one for granted.  On days when Jonathan gets stuck in traffic coming home, or I wish we had a little more space, or I see how much my home is actually worth now, (Yikes, we couldn't sell if we had to!) I get frustrated with it.  All things considered, though I am thankful for my house.  Nothing beats having your own space!

I'm thankful for my truck!  When people find out that we only have one vehicle they look at us like we're crazy, but I honestly don't mind it.  It's awfully nice to only have one to maintain and fill with gas.  It's been very reliable transportation for us, and I am so glad to have it!

I'm thankful for the internet!  Does that seem a strange thing to be thankful for?  With the internet, I'm able to keep in touch with friends than have moved out of state, family members I never knew, and Jonathan when he's out of town.  The vast majority of our homeschooling materials come from the internet, and I can keep up with current events easily.  Is it a silly thing to be thankful for?  Maybe, but we can't be profound all the time!

I'm thankful for my job!  When I was laid off in February, I was just scared.  I knew there weren't many jobs out there, and that finding one at even near what I had been making would be a stretch.  After several months of being unemployed, we decided that I would just stay home.  We were spending less on just about everything without me working, and that's what we had been working towards anyway, so why not?  It didn't take too long of that for me to realise that I need a little adult interaction, and a little more cash.  When a friend sent me a message to let me know that the music store he worked at was hiring, that was perfect.  Even more perfect, they needed someone to work nights, so I could still stay home with the kids during the day!  I "heart" my job!

I'm thankful for Jonathan's job!  This is the job that he searched so hard for for several years after graduating, and another one that I take for granted for sometimes.  Lately, it seems like if something can go wrong while Jon is on a show, that it will go wrong.  Nonetheless, I am so thankful that Jonathan has a good job that he enjoys, with a stable company which has allowed me to work part time and spend more time with the kids.

I'm thankful for my dogs!  These mutts are big ol' cuddle bunnies.  They sound big, and look tough, and help me feel safer when Jonathan is on the road.  They love to cuddle, and give puppy kisses, and keep me warm when I'm napping on the sofa.  Earlier this year, when someone let two of them out of our yard, we were devastated.  We searched long and hard for them, often losing sleep in order to look longer.  When Floppy found his way home, we were excited, and sad at the same time.  Calypso has always been a tough girl, and we assumed when poor, traumatised Floppy showed up on his own, that something had happened to her.  When she actually ended up in the shelter over two months later it was nothing short of a miracle.  These dogs make us all smile, and I'm so glad they're part of our family!

I'm thankful for my kids!  Of course, this should go without saying!  What can I say about my beautiful girls?  I am so blessed to have such wonderful children.  I love that we've chosen to homeschool them so that we're able to spend even more time with them, and develop their personalities in a way that they wouldn't be able to do in a classroom with 20 other kids.  They're smart, silly, beautiful, wonderful girls, and even when they're misbehaving I love them SO MUCH!!!  :)

Last, but certainly not least, I'm thankful for my husband!  I have the best. husband... ever!  It's true!  He spoils the heck out of me - certainly far more than I could ever deserve.  He provides for our family, and is an incredible father.  I could go on and on, but our anniversary is in a couple of weeks, and I'll save it for that post!  ;)

Well, there you have it, folks.  things I'm thankful for on this beautiful Thanksgiving morning.  What are you thankful for this year?

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. David Lacombe!

This past Saturday, Jonathan and I went to his cousin, David's wedding.  Weddings are extremely rare occasions for us, and I think the last one we attended together was...  ours...  almost seven years ago.  David and Chelsie had a beautiful wedding, and we had a great time getting out just the two of and dancing together.  Pretty sure the last time we did that was at our wedding, too!  hehe!  The pictures we took didn't turn out great, but I think you'll be able to tell that a good time was had by all!  :)  Let me apologise for all the spaces between pictures up front.  I'm still trying to figure out captioning.  You'd think I would have gotten that down by now.  lol

I didn't get a good shot of Chelsie, but she looked beautiful!

The father of the groom was worried about his dance with the bride.  I don't think he should have been, do you?

We danced the night away.  Even Jonathan.  Yep, that's me on the dance floor with bare feet!

Oh man, he's HAWT!  I think I'll take him home

David even managed to sit down for a minute or two and talk to his mom.

  

Christina was a beautiful bridesmaid!

This groom cleans up pretty nicely!

Happy 30th birthday, Darling!

Today is my most wonderful Jonathan's birthday! Looking through my computer, I realised how few pictures I actually have of him. In all fairness, that's probably because he simply doesn't like having his picture taken. Here are a few fun ones I DID have, though. Aside from the obvious, I have pictures of him unlocking the door to our house for the first time, and a picture of him and Arynson when we got him, on Jonathan's 25th birthday. I'm not sure what they were watching together on the tele, but it must have been good! :) The most recent picture in the group is a picture of Jonathan and the girls together on Tatiana's 10th birthday at the Rainforest Cafe.
I love you, Baby! Hope you have a great birthday even though we're not there to celebrate it with you. Now go on over to the Cheesecake Factory and have yourself a slice! :)