Pregnante

Here is our third baby girl. This was taken last week when I was 30 weeks pregnant. With insomnia, back aches and pains and pregnancy weight gain, I am certianly ready to "lego my preggo'. However, I am so thankful that we have at least 9 more weeks before we get this show on the road. We have to find a new house, and move out of this one....so although I'm tired, I am not in too much of a rush. Things definitely won't be easier after our new sweet baby girl is here!! (She's moving like crazy. I think she knows I'm talking about her.)
-Amber

Markers

Tomorrow is the big day! Floor Installment day! I've been working on laundry and packing up all day since our washer and dryer have to move to the garage, and we don't want extra stuff on the floor when the installers come. Dave is figuring out the best way to get the fridge to the garage right now, and I wish I could help more, but I have to sit down and take breaks or my back starts spasming. (Excuses, excuses!)
So, since I'm sitting, I thought I would tell a story on my ornery second born, Lydia. She found some permanent markers on the floor (the ones we use for writing on boxes) and decided to color with them. She covered her hands and wrote on one of her books with them, and then she went after the carpet. The spot she actually drew on isn't very big- but it still is permanent marker on carpet! I almost decided not to get on to her since the carpet will be completely gone by this weekend, but I realized I better have a talk with her and instill some discipline because despite the circumstances, she still broke our "only write on paper" rule. Actually, she broke it 3 times. Well, 4; she did get a line of the marker on our ottoman, but I think I mostly got it out.-- Good thing we have microfiber furniture.
Anyway, our garage is almost half full of boxes from the stuff in our closets and other junk we don't use much. How embarrassing. We have too much stuff!!!! We may have to get a storage unit this weekend just to get some of that junk out of there before the house goes on the market. Our realtor scheduled our photos for Monday at 4:30. So, that's our new deadline. Lord Jesus, help us! We will have a lot of cleaning and preparing to do this weekend.
Blessings, Amber

Overdue Stewart Updates

I'm not sure I've sat down for one second in the last few weeks. We have been going, and going; working, and working. Dave and our friend from church put up a backsplash, changed out almost every light fixture, changed out all our faucets, and touched up paint. We've started packing up our closet stuff, knick knacks and personal photos. Our good friend, Lilia, came over to help us paint our game room, and Dave has been painting everything else like crazy. He's also recaulked our shower. My Dad helped us fill in some little nail holes and repaint them, switch out one of our sinks, and some other plumbing. My Mom and Grandma also helped us pack and get things boxed up. We are getting all new carpet and new vinyl wood flooring in our kitchen, bathrooms, entryway, office and breakfast room. They will hopefully start on Thursday and be done Friday. I've been trying to keep the girls occupied and busy while Dave works on all of his projects. I've also planted flowers, taken hundreds of trips to Lowe's, cleaned and scrubbed, and prayed that everything will work out and that our house will sell soon.

I am very thankful for the people who have been so kind to help us, and it has been a blessing to see my parents and Grandma Daiber who came to visit this last weekend. I don't know that I've ever experienced anything as crazy as all of this, but, we are surviving and I pray that we are settled by the time our third little one makes her grand entrance into this world.

In the midst of all of this craziness, Dave decided that it was time for us to turn in our broken, ridiculously old blackberry phones for a new sprint plan. He got me an Iphone!!!! I've wanted one for eons, and have loved having one! It is so helpful to have a data plan, a good camera and a video camera all at my finger tips. Below is the recording I took on my brand new phone. It worked better than our huge ancient video camera for sure. Plus, it's so much easier to share the videos with all of you! Please watch below so that you can see what we did this morning.

Isn't that fun to watch? Julia has been looking forward to getting on stage for a few weeks now. She is such a ham- she just loves to be on stage.

Hopefully soon things will settle down and I can get back to blogging better. Thanks for checking in today. Blessings to all of you! -Amber

March Madness

Well friends, Dave and I have some news to share. Dave is getting a new job in North Houston, and we will be putting our house on the market the first of March. When Dave first started hunting out new jobs, we really felt a simultaneous call to be involved in some sort of marraige ministry. We don't feel called to do that full-time, but we know that it will soon be a big part of our lives. As we searched God, and tried to figure out what he had for us with this marraige ministry calling, Dave and I really thought that moving back to Bartlesville would be a possibility. We didn't really want to share this plan right away because we knew that it would mean a big change for us, new jobs, and a move.
However, last month an ex-coworker, Alex, asked Dave to go to lunch with him, and Dave agreed. When they went, Alex shared with Dave the vision of the company that he had helped start, and asked Dave if he might be interested in looking at an opening that their company had available. Dave and I prayed about this, and we decided that it would be wise for him to pursue this offer.
Long story short, Dave went through the interview process, and got the job. God defintily opened the door for Dave to get this new job. He will start on March 1st. I am very excited for him, but am also overwhelmed by what the next few weeks look like for us. Because Dave's new office will be 50 miles north of our house, we will be moving to an apartment/condo. -- Looks like I'll be packing while 7-8 months pregnant, again. But, I've decided to take this adventure one day at a time, and it has helped give me tremendous peace.
We've talked to Julia and Lydia before about what it would be like to move from our current home in the last few months. They were very excited when they thought we would be moving back to Bartlesville because Granny lives there. (They ask often if we can move in with Granny, Mimi and Papa or Grandpa Dan. They miss seeing their grandparents regularly.) But, when we talked about the move again tonight, Julia was very sad. She expressed her love for our house, and told us she really didn't want to leave. As Dave and I were reassuring her, she asked, "Can I at least keep my baby dolls?" When we told her we were taking most of our stuff with us, she was a lot more at ease. (Both girls are really excited that we will live closer to church friends, as are Dave and I. --I can't wait for us to be able to travel 10-15 mins to church instead of the 35 mins to an hour it takes to get there now.)
So 2012 holds a lot in store for us; a new baby, a new home; a new job for Dave, kindergarten for Julia (we have no idea where) and a new sense of following where the Lord leads despite our previous understanding of His calling. Dave and I still feel called to be involved in marriage ministry, and hope to do so at our wonderful Houston church. How that will look, we don't know. But we will stick to God's journey for us.
I am also still trying to understand what I will do for my job after the baby is here. I don't know if being strictly stay-at-home is the best plan for me, but I can't even imagine what my life is going to look like in a few months. Everytime I try, I lose a lot of sleep. In fact, I was woken up this morning at 3:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. I did take a nap after work and after I picked my darlin's up from school. But, I was a very tired momma today.
Anyway, thanks for reading my post today. I appreciate any prayers you might be able to say for us. For the next few weeks, we will be painting, fixing and working to get our house on the market the beginning of March. One. day. at. a. time.

Blessings to you, Amber

Quick Kitchen Tip

Did you know that olive oil will clean stainless steele? Sabrina Soto shared this tip on one of her home staging shows. I tried it about a week and a half ago, and it really works. Try it if you want to. -Amber

Another Whirlwind Week

I'm very tired. Life is full to the brim and overflowing. Praise the Lord! Our week was full of the normal crazy that we typically experience Monday through Friday....work, commutes, packed lunches, school days, church, fun, chores, chaos and so on. One interesting highlight though:

On Tuesday I texted this to Dave after picking the girls up from school: "Evidently Julia proposed to Daniel today. Daniel Agreed."
One minute later I sent him this: "Oh wait. Bryce said that Julia sounds like Ariel when she sings. So she loves him. She might want to marry him, but she loves Daniel more. Fyi. (Oh my)"
Dave response: "We've got to talk to her about playing hard to get."
I wholeheartedly agree with him. Dave later explained to Julia that she has to ask her Dad before she can marry anyone, or ask them to marry her.

So, I'll tell a little more about our weekend. On Saturday morning, we went on a family walk and enjoyed each other's company. In the afternoon, Dave tutored, and we met up with him in Pearland at a park for a birthday party. The girls had tons of fun in the jump house and the playground. I went to HEB on the way home, and the girls went to bed shortly afterwards. Dave and I had a few hours left to put the finishing touches on the lesson that we were invited to substitute teach in our Sunday School class today. The topic we were asked to share about this morning was, "The Problems with Prayer; Why doesn't God Always Answer our Prayers?" This was the first time Dave and I tag team taught, and we truly enjoyed it. It was actually a lot of fun working with Dave on the material we planned to present, and after class, we received many encouraging comments. I hope we get the opportunity to do it again sometime.

The rest of our day was more typical Sunday stuff. I baked, Dave watched a lot of football, the girls and I napped, I did dishes, and Dave did some painting in our bathroom. All I need now is one more weekend, and then I think I'll be ready to start my week.

Before I go though, I'll leave you with this amazing C.S. Lewis quote we dissected during our class discussion time:

"Prayer is either a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person. Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and the most important one--from that revelation."

God is good! -Amber

Art

Julia is quite the artist. I love when I find her drawing or coloring peacefully. She just woke up with the ability to color beautifully inside the lines one day. It's amazing.

 I guess she's into sculpting, as well. Below is a snapshot of her latest work. It's made with clay the girls "earned" from HEB buddy bucks and a crayon. (If you couldn't already tell what the mediums where that she used.) This particular sculpture was made for me. :) I have been instructed to carry it with me everywhere, and even sleep with it.

My hands smell like clay.

- Amber

All Things Pretty and Pink

Dave and I had the privilege of watching the newest member of our family wiggle and kick for over an hour today. Our newest addition, and our third baby girl looks happy, healthy and hyper.

We had our first gender peek for our new little bundle of joy about a month ago. When the ultrasound technologist told us our new baby was a girl, Dave and I were both surprised, and I was, ashamedly, very sad. I don't really understand why I've always wanted a boy or why I wanted one so badly this time around. I mean, I much prefer glitter and nail polish to tonka trucks and dinosaurs, but for some reason, I seem to think that having a little guy would be so much fun (in addition to my girls). But, it isn't like girls don't like to fish and camp. I always have. It isn't like girls don't enjoy getting dirty. The two girls I have are quite good at it. I'm positive the one on the way will be good at it too.

So, back to today....Today the technologist again confirmed what I had come to peace with in my heart- that we are completely and utterly, beyond imagination blessed with another sweet, beautiful baby girl on the way. I know God has big plans for this little girl. (My plans were that her anatomy would be completely different.) I know God has great purpose for this little girl- better than I could ever hope for or imagine. I know that Dave and I will love her with all of our hearts- just like we love the two intelligent, graceful, wonderful, beautiful little girls that we are already blessed with. I also know that we are having the darndest time choosing a name for this little one. But, we'll get there.

To our baby girl # 3: I haven't met you yet, but I love you. I know that you will bring more spunk and pizzaz to our lives than we can imagine, and that we will be utterly amazed by how you have been beautifully and wonderfully made. You are special to us, and I am thankful for who you are. I will dress you in pink, let you choose your favorite princess, and teach you about a heavenly Father that loves you more than I do. I am excited when I feel your constant wiggle in my tummy, and I am excited to see you for the first time. Love, Mom.

Thanks for reading. -Amber

Magical Moments

Our Family would like to share with you some of our very merry moments from this Christmas season.

Julia's love for the Silver Dollar City Princess

During the SDC parade, you are not suppossed to pass the white line where the dancers and floats are. The sweet SDC princess made an exception for my exuberant princess.

Christmas Pictures at First Baptist from a sweet friend in Sunday School

 Can you find the fifth member of our little family?

Christmas tree decorating

Sugar Cookie Baking on Christmas Eve

Lydia- she is more "floured" than she looks

Julia with her silly expression

 

Candle Light Service at First Baptist Church on December 24, 2011

Cookies for Santa are out and ready to be eaten by Jolly Old St. Nick. Some excited girls with their reindeers are also pictured here.

Julia and Papa with Julia's Christmas Gift.

 Julia LOVES her "ka-tar" from Mimi and Papa! (Dear Julia, please don't be a rockstar just yet.)

Marshmallow everywhere

 We had a good ol' camp fire at my parents house. The girls loved the mallows. Lydia loved hers so much that it ended up covering her and her new jacket. She decided that she didn't want anymore after she was finally cleaned up and unstuck.

The girls and their Aunt Aubrey and Uncle Andy

We are so blessed to have been able to experience so much love and laughter this holiday season. Our families are a blesssing from the Lord and every moment we get to share with them is precious.

(To my nephew, Josiah. You are precious too, and I am sorry I didn't get any good pictures of you to share. I'll do better next time. Alex and Mom, the same goes for you! )

To: Mimi, Papa, Granny Ruth, Papa Don, Grandma Christie, Grandpa Dan, Aunt Aubrey, Uncle Andy, Uncle Alex, Uncle Daniel, Aunt Xiaolan, and all of our other wonderful family members, we hope you had the merriest of Christmases! To all of our friends, co-workers, and blog readers, we hope the season was filled with joy and love for you as well!
Happy New Year! -Amber



Some of the yum



Visiting Santa

We visited Santa today. We go to an unconvential place to visit him because the lines are short, and because they have a letter writing station and a lot of other things to see. We go to Bass Pro Shops. The girls call it "the fishy store".

Before church this morning

Watching the fish and eating some cookies from church

Santa!

 Lydia decided she didn't want to smile for the picture. I have no idea why. The girls told Santa they want baby princesses for Christmas. (Duh! I already knew that.) Santa told the girls he has a bag of them, so he'll be bringing them one. --Good thing they didn't request ponies.

Making Papa Proud

Making Papa Proud - 2

The girls told me that the Santa they visited today was the real Santa.-- I only wish I'd taken a turn on his lap. How on earth is going to know what I want?
Merry Christmas, Amber

It's Finished!

Dave started painting the girls bedrooms several weeks ago! Due to our busy schedules and some painting mishaps, the girls have been sleeping in the nursery for quite a while. (Which needs painting as well.) So, Dave finally finished yesterday, and I painted the "ribbon" on the walls this morning. Then, we moved all of their furniture back against the walls instead of in the middle of the room, and voila! their room is back. :) Here are some pictures of the finished product:

The girls love it, and I am so glad they are back in their own room. Now we just need to paint the office, kitchen, two bathrooms, the game room, and as I mentioned, the nursery. We'll get there soon enough, I guess. :) Thanks for stopping by, Amber

Party Animals

I promise I'm not already taking maternity leave from my blog...I just have so much going on. :)
The first Christmas we were here in Houston, I was very sad because we only had one Christmas party to attend--after Christmas. But, God has definitely multiplied our blessings! We've already been to 3 Christmas Parties, and we have one on this Saturday. We even missed one of the Christmas parties because of our crazy schedule. :( We were sad to miss.
The first year we moved here, Julia didn't have a birthday party because we still didn't really no one. This year, while Julia had a very low key party, I still planned one. And, when it comes to any five-year-old's birthday party's, there is never a lack of things to do- no matter how low key you desire to keep it.
The girls also got to party for Christmas at school. Their party was Thursday. When I picked the girls up from their classes, Lydia said, "Mommy, I got a cookie today!", and Julia said in a dreamy voice, "Oh, I had the BEST day." What uplifting comments! (Especially when a majority of the comments coming from my 5 and 3 year-old these days are anything but uplifting.)
I also got to attend a fun little party with my co-workers where we exchanged gifts and ate goodies.
Dave's office decided to stop having parties. (Which isn't too dissapointing. This was the party that we attended 2 years ago and it was very strange.)
Anyway, the moral of this story is: I am so, so thankful that God blessed us with opportunity to know wonderful people and party with them. (Even when my party animal ways is another thing that keeps me from writing on my blog.) Happy Christmas parties to all of you! Merry Christmas! -Amber

F-I-V-E

Julia turned FIVE yesterday! She is getting so big. Every stage is so fun, and I am so proud of her. I am so amazed that it has already been five years since Dave and I went to the hospital to have our first kiddo.

We had a small birthday party for Julia at Chick-fil-a. Dave and I decided to invite a smaller number of kids than we usually invite because December is such a crazy time of year, and we are especially busy right now. Julia loved her party, and hopefully all the kids had a great time! Of course the kids played, ate chicken, drank lemonade, and wore party hats. They also decorated cupcakes, sang happy birthday to Julia and watched as she opened presents.

The partiers

Julia and her cupcake

Julia was about to open gifts.

The celebratory squeals from the little girls as they watched Julia open her gifts were truly sweet. We did have to quiet them down, though. Look at the people in the behind the girls, trying to see what on earth we were letting our kids get away with!

Lydia, Julia's friend and their cupcakes

Family photo at Chick-fil-a. (Thanks Heather.)

After Julia's party on Saturday, Dave went to tutor, and I brought the girls home so the three of us could nap. That evening, Dave and I went to my work Christmas party, and had tons of fun. I was very soar the next day from dancing the night away. When we got home, Dave blew up balloons and filled the girls' room with them (as is our family tradition before a little one's birthday), and then we both hit the sack!

Sunday morning came early. Julia had to be to church early to sing with the little 4 and 5 year old choir. It was so precious! Julia was excited to get to wear a brand new birthday dress and sing on her birthday. (Thank you, Granny Ruth for the birthday dress.)

Our Birthday Girl

After church on Sunday, Dave and took Julia to a restaurant. Her only request was that we go to a place that had ice cream. So Dave and I drove to a Mexican restaurant that had ice cream the last time we were there. But, low and behold, the machine was broken, and there was no ice cream. Julia got to have sopapillas with whip cream instead. It almost, kinda, sorta made up for her lack of ice cream. She also got to wear a sombrero as the waiters sang happy birthday to her. After the waiter left, Julia told me she did NOT like wearing that hat. I had no idea that even 5-year-olds would have an aversion to wearing a huge hat while being sang to.

Can you find her? Julia is on the bottom right.

On Sunday evening, Julia got to open her gift from Dave and I. She got a few small things and a kids pump style ice cream maker. She has been begging to make ice cream, but I still haven't gone to the store to buy the cream. I should really get with it! --My only excuse: I guess I thought it could be made with regular milk....

Julia and her princess cup

Julia, blowing out her birthday candle.

This last weekend was crazy and overwhelming, but tons of fun. I am so grateful for our sweet girls and our little one on the way. God has richly blessed us our family with each other! Thank you for reading my blog. -Amber

Thanksgiving 2011

As we packed up to leave our home for the week of Thanksgiving, I at least wanted to get our Christmas tree partially put up.

--This week, as is all the other weeks in our lives, has been crazy. Because I had an inkling into the future and this week's craziness, Dave, the girls and I took a break from doing laundry and packing our suitcases to get out this old faithful:

This is our crooked, half-lit tree. It looks a little better now.

Since we've come home from our trip, I've done a little better about Christmas decorating, but I haven't quite finished yet. I'll get some information up on this here blog when I finish.

Our Thanksgiving festivities included time in Bartlesville with Dave's Mom, Ruth, and Step-dad, Don, and time in Branson with Dave's Dad, Dan, and Step-mom, Christie . We had a fun and wonderful time in both places, and have been sorry to come back to reality and leave the vacation life. (What's not to love about enjoying time with family while other people do the majority of the cooking? It's delightful.)

We got to Bartlesville late Friday night, and got to hang out with our dear family and friends on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On Sunday we got to visit the church we used to attend in Bartlesville, and then we got to go to lunch with Dave's family. We also got to see our spectacular and fun friends, Jared and Lela and have a play date with our wonderful Bartlesville church friends and their kiddos. (My, how our families have grown!) We loved every minute of down time with Dave's family and our friends!

We had two Thanksgiving dinners- one in Bartlesville on Wednesday, and one in Branson on Thanksgiving day. (We are lucky ducks!) Both turkey dinners were delicious, and I enjoyed every minute of them. On Wednesday, we got to see Ruth, Don, Dave's step-sisters, and neices and nephew, and on Thursday, we had lunch with Dan and Christie. Poor little Lydia didn't join us for our second holiday meal, though, because she had come down with a cough and a fever. She asked me right before dinner if she could lay down and take a nap (with tiredest little eyes and face anyone has ever seen). We gave her some Tylenol, and granted her her wish. She was a little under the weather on Friday and Saturday, but she wasn't feverish anymore and seemed to be doing better.

 Daniel, Dave's brother, and our sister in law, Xiaolan were suppossed to fly in the evening of Thanksgiving, but the parking lot at the airport had no free spots, and so they couldn't board their plane and fly to see us all for the weekend. They plan to go to Dan and Christie's later this month. This was one of the only sad parts of our vacation.
On Friday, after Thanksgiving, we got to go one of my favorite places on earth, Silver Dollar City! We had a great time, but it was so crowded! Every time I go to SDC, I can't wait to go back. Dave got to ride a bunch of the roller coasters by himself (since I am with child) and the girls got to ride on some "big girl rides" for the first time. We also watched the Christmas parade, and Santa looked right at Julia and Lydia, smiled and said, "Be good! I'm coming to town." The girls were in awe. Just today, Julia said, "Santa is watching us, and he wants us to be good. I'm so glad I have been."

On Saturday, we celebrated Stewart Christmas. We usually wait until after the new year, but, we celebrated a little early this year, and got to count the Stewart Christmas event as our first Christmas of the season rather than our last. We got to see almost all of Dave's Aunts, Uncles, and beautiful cousins on his Dad's side. The kiddos exchange gifts, and the adults play a game to earn theirs. Lydia got a Snow White doll, and Julia got a glowing art dome thing. They both LOVE their gifts. Dave and I also got some great stuff playing "Dirty Santa". --Yeah for Christmas games that cause you to steal from others! (It's the true Christmas spirit, after all.) It was so fun! :)

Well, on Sunday we headed home again, so, I guess that just about sums up our fun holiday trip. Here are some pictures from our adventures in random order:

Christie, Dan, Dave and the girls walking behind Christie and Dan's house.

Dave and Lydia down on the walking trails behind Dan and Christie's house

Christie and the girlies making desserts for Stewart Christmas

Bundled babies in Bartlesville

Happy Julia on trails

Lydia, playing in the backyard

Stewart family

Jaycee got a poker set...just what she wanted.

Lydia, talking to her cousin Daisy. Lyd is 3, and Daisy is 2.

Cousins- staying in a room separate from parents

On Saturday night, Dave and his Dad had to pull out the old chess set.

Thanks for reading about our family happenings! (I may try and add some more pictures at another time, but I was having camera issues and will have to steal some pictures.) Anyway, I hope your Turkey day was as gobblecious as ours! Love, Amber

Traffic

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! We get to start the celebrating today, though. Bring on the turkey! We are in Oklahoma, enjoying the coat weather, our family time and seeing good friends. On our drive here, Dave and I noticed some big differences between Bartlesville/Oklahoma and Houston/Texas traffic. I thought I'd share a few with you.

1. In OK, u-turns are outlawed everywhere. In TX, u-turns are seemingly encouraged.

2. In OK, it costs $2 in turnpike tolls to get across the state. In Houston, it costs us more the $2 just to get to church.

3.  Rush hour in Houston equals most of the morning, most of the afternoon, the lunch hour, Friday evenings, and sometimes Saturday afternoons. In Bartlesville, people think they have a rush hour at lunch and that Christmas traffic in Tulsa is bad. It's not bad.
4. In Houston, you can easily get into a wreck if someone cuts you off too close. In Bartlesville, people just stop right in front of you while they figure out where they are trying to go.
5. In Houston, if you turn on your blinker, people speed up to keep you from getting over. In Bartlesville, they sort of move forward, but they give in easily when you start driving like someone who drives in Houston.

6. In Texas, there are people on the highways at all times of the day-- including the middle of the night. In Oklahoma, the roads get pretty deserted at about 8:00 p.m.

7. In Houston, you can slowly inch forward at a stop light while watching the light change from red to green, red to green, red to green....I've waited almost 10 minutes at one stop light in Houston. When I lived in Bartlesville, I used to get a little put out if I'd been waiting more than 2 minutes to get through an intersection.

8. I bet there are more drivers on 6-10, at any given time of the day, than there are drivers in the whole state of Ok!

Sorry I've been late in getting posts up this month. I really did write this the day before our wonderful turkey day, but couldn't get it posted because I didn't have time to finish it or a computer on which I really could finish it. Pictures and happenings of our fun trip to Bartlesville and Branson will be coming soon! Love, Amber