On Our Way Home

It's Saturday morning and we're in Bartlesville, having spent the night here after leaving Midland yesterday around noon. We're really looking forward to making it home, but it may take slightly longer than usual. I guess Omaha and that whole region has seen quite a bit of snow and ice over the past week, and is even getting some light snow this morning.

However, I checked road conditions through the State Dept. of Roads for Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri and all looks fine for where we need to go. If you see this today, please pray for good travel and conditions and for our safety. :)

Another Size Update

I forgot to update everyone on Zac's size, which we found out after his doctor's visit this past Monday. This big boy here to the left is now 30 inches long and weighs in at a solid 20 lbs, 11 oz. I know that's not huge, necessarily, for other 10-month-olds, but considering where he began and how early he was, it's big enough for us!

Crawling Boy

Zac has been doing this little commando crawl thing for a bit now, but within the past few days has really started getting good at it. And, as he should, he often makes his dash for the electronics.

Christmas Vision

I was all set to share a picture of the stage at our church today, even took two pictures with my phone, but neither came out good at all. I'm so disappointed, because it's pretty remarkable. Hopefully Katy and I will remember to take her camera next week and we can get a better picture to share, but as a teaser, imagine Narnia with 4 big trees created from paper mache, I think. Also a bridge over a babbling brook, water and all, which a guitarist stood on while playing during a special of U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". The stage is pretty incredible, but so was the song.

At any rate, we just began a series on Christmas, of course, which focuses on being treasured and recognizing the true vision of Christmas. It got me to thinking, during service (you know, when I should have been fully concentrating on the message), of what I really treasure in my life. I'm thankful for the treasure of a God who loves me enough to let me vent when things aren't going how I want them to go, Who is patient with me and leads me with a firm hand in the direction He has for me, for us as a family. Even as I am struggling with our move to this place, this desert, I know that if my focus is entirely on God, everything around will become a non-factor in my level of happiness.

I also treasure Katy, who has brought me a level of peace and comfort I knew I was looking for, but thought I'd never have. I treasure my children very much; Claire, my beautiful 12-year-old who is so caring, so loving and so funny that I never tire of talking to her; and Zac, my handsome, hilarious little bundle of joy, constantly pushing the boundaries of fun with his cute little habits, like clapping his hands when he wakes up, even if he's actually unhappy.

I know both Katy and I can honestly say we treasure our families very much, with wonderful parents who have loved and led us down the right path and done a great job of teaching us how to be good for each other and good parents ourselves. And, despite the challenges siblings throw on you growing up, or even in adulthood, we both very much love them as well, and not even begrudgingly! :)

Thought you might enjoy two pics today, since I couldn't get a good one from church to make it three. This one of Claire is of some pictures they just had taken for Christmas at Olan Mills. I hope it's safe to put this up here, as I just wanted to share something current of Claire for all to see. :) Then this one of Zac was taken this morning when we got home from church. We've moved him into the bigger car seat when in Katy's car, and it turns out it's pretty good for sleeping as well! Take care, all.

I Make This Hat Look Good!

OK, y'all were due more pics and I finally figured out how to easily copy pics from our phones to the PC via Bluetooth, so today I uploaded new ones! Woohoo! We'll work on video again this week. So, this picture we took tonight. I walked upstairs to reset our router after our Internet connection went down to find Katy laughing almost hysterically at Zac. In the picture, you'll see the jammies he is wearing and what is supposed to be an accompanying hat. The jammies and the hat are 6-9 months for the size. While most of what Zac is currently wearing is 12-month stuff, and he has for a month or so, still, you'd think that if something fit, the hat that went with it might also fit. I don't think Zac has a particularly large noggin, so that can't be it. At any rate, it was funny enough for me to run back downstairs to grab the phone to take some pics to share with you tonight.

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. While we didn't get to share it with family this year for the first time ever that I'm aware, we did get to share it with some friends and enjoyed our day off quite a bit. I must admit that this morning in church, when the pastor asked if everyone was stuffed on Thanksgiving, Katy and I felt a bit of remorse that we didn't get that normal opportunity. I even told Katy that overeating on Thanksgiving has NEVER been something that has bothered me as it does some people, yet we didn't get that chance. That's OK, though, as I fully intend to remedy that during our week in Bellevue for Christmas. :) God bless, all, and I'll have a new post up soon.

What's That? Let Me Taste It

I've been wanting to put up a post for a bit but had been hoping to remember to take a picture to capture the moment I planned to write on. Since my memory is fading faster than West Texas can take my health, I'll just write now and share the thoughts.

We've all watched as babies learn new things about taste and texture and shapes, etc. Just watching your child learn each new thing is fascinating. For quite some time now, Zac has been in that mode where everything he sees he wants to touch and, if at all possible, put it in his mouth. It's like his brain thinks, "What's that??? Oooooh. I wonder what it tastes like!"

I'm not really sure where the psychology of all this plays out or where it comes from, and it's not at all important to me that I do know. What I can say with certain confidence is that it's one of the funnier stages babies go through, and watching your own son or daughter try to taste everything in sight lends just enough humor to help get you through the fussy times. These fussy times happen more often now that Zac's awareness of things around him is increasing, so he'll keep himself awake far too long due to his interest in other kids, or animals or whatever is happening in the room, etc. The only time we can guarantee he's sleeping at a regular time is bedtime, which varies slightly by night, but once he's down, he's down.

Ah, then...peace...and dry toys...and furniture...and shirts...and blankets...and cats.

Toe Blowing

Yes, I know, not the most benign title in the world, but it grabs your attention at least a little bit, doesn't it? On Wednesday nights, we are in a couples Bible study through church and it's in Odessa. Now that Zac is in daycare in Odessa, that means I'm picking him up after work. From a time perspective, it doesn't make much sense to then drive back to Midland, turn around and head right back to Odessa, at least not every week.

On Wednesdays we have to eat out anyway, due to timing, so we try to eat cheaply. Taco Bell was the choice this week, and in typical fashion around here, it took about 15 minutes to get our food. At Taco Bell. When nobody was in front of us. Yes, that's how bad food service is here. It should pick up once the oil bust occurs and there are more employees around, but the main reason it's bad is that the workers don't care.

Anyway, during that wait, I fed Zac some dinner, chicken & vegetable I believe, and then we were playing. He got a kick out of me blowing on his toes, so I decided to capture a little of it on my phone and here it is. :)



On another front, Claire is getting to be online quite a bit recently, so I get to chat with her now. Makes it a lot better when I know we can connect more often!

That Washcloth Belongs To Me

In light of how poorly the Huskers played last night, I need positive things to focus on. Zac provides them at every chance, and was doing the same thing this video shows during the first few minutes of the game and again today at lunch. So I captured it to share a little of his laughter, which is always a good thing. It'll show on the right, but I'm embedding it here as well.