Fire

It's 57 degrees right now. It feels AWESOME. We're currently have our first fire in the fireplace.

I love fall.

Updates!

I'm trying so hard to keep up with this blog, but it just takes backseat to more pressing things sometimes!! Here's a few updates from us this week:

We took a family day last Saturday (Saturday before? I can't remember. . .) and planned on taking Brennan to the Houston Zoo. The whole time Jon was gone, I told him we'd go to the zoo when he got back (he's into the zoo ever since watching the movie, Madagascar). But once we got there, he saw a train that the neighboring park has and got really excited about it. We let Brennan decide if he'd rather ride the train and play at the park or go to the zoo. He wanted the train.



So we took a train ride and hung out at Hermann Park instead of the zoo. We didn't mind, Hermann Park is one of our favorite parks in Houston.

Jon was still jet-lagging a bit from the trip, but it was still a great family day. Jon did AWESOME dealing with the time difference and jet lag and really was amazing.


Other updates? I had a court case this week for my CASA children and it went so so so great. I was nervous and sweating and furiously taking notes, but overall it went the way we wanted. I wish I could share all the details because it pumps me up, but I can't due to confidentiality. Afterwards, I treated my high heeled pregnant feet to a pedicure. :)

Between CASA work and having a garage sale and MOPS and Bible Study and watching Kennady and taking our Bradley classes and attending OB appts and cleaning and cooking and so forth, it's been busy around here!

Oh, and look what Jon brought home for me today:

A little burst of fall colors since Houston doesn't really get a fall.


Need to make some lunch for a few hungry kiddos around here. Adios!

Sandbox

Someone got a sandbox a few weeks ago. . .



Friends of ours saw it on the side of the road (heck, yes) and picked it up for us. They are amazing people, I tell you. Jon picked up some sand at Lowe's when he got home from his trip abroad and Brennan has been loving it ever since.



However, we did learn, after his first time playing it in. . . the value of shaking out his pants before he comes inside the house. Sand on tile flooring is no fun.

Thank you Hughes!

Pumpkin Patch

Brennan and I met up with our MOPS table on Friday to go to a pumpkin patch. We've gone to this one every year we've lived here (and looove it!) so I have a photo of Brennan every year on this rocker:



There are a lot of cute spots for photo ops:


And Sesame Street characters:


And Wizard of Oz characters:

Brennan was asking me, "whats his name?". He asks that about everything and everybody.

Today is the first day Houston has really felt like fall and everyone is celebrating! So many facebook statuses and tweets are about fall and how wonderful it feels. Our highs this week are in the 70's, rather than the 90's. This is big news people. Woohoo!! Happy Fall, Y'all!!

The Stye in My Eye Part II

You guys. I have a court report to write for CASA, a Care Calendar to create for MOPS and about 20 more minutes before Brennan wakes up from his nap. But I just had to post my stye update for those familia members across the world (aka: Jon is Uganda, Meg in DC, Erin in Minnesota and Mama in MI).

As I said in my last post, the stye came back. Again. After speaking with a friend's mother who is an OB nurse, she said to call my OB office and have them send over paperwork explaining to Dr. Fish eye that it's perfectly acceptable to locally numb a pregnant mama.
I did this on Monday and had an appt on Tuesday afternoon. Dr. Fish eye still did not want to numb me, but I convinced him to do so. Let me tell you, night and day difference. He was able to really work on my eye this time and I think he finally got it all taken care of. I'm a little bruised under my eye where the clamps went, but who cares. I was really really nervous for the appointment, so thank you to everyone who called and texted, truly!

Also, I finally started working on our Ackerman family 2011 scrapbook (I stopped working on it when I got preggo in May). Here's a few pages I've been working on this past week:


Toodles!

1st World Problems

I was going to complain today.
About how I dropped a ceramic bowl of oatmeal on our tile floor and it spilled everywhere and shattered the bowl. About how Brennan cried all morning for his "Daddy". About how he still won't poop in the potty. About how he pooped today in his playroom and then proceeded to wipe it on the wall. About how I don't feel good today. About how I don't want to single parent for another week. About how my stye seems to be getting worse again.

But then I read from one of my favorite blogs (here) and got a little perspective on my "problems". I love a good dose of perspective.

Trying to meditate on Psalm 16,

Chaeli


Psalm 16:
Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing.”
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

The Doodler

Whenever Jon is away for an extended period of time (conferences, trips, side business, etc.) I splurge and buy Brennan a toy. We don't normally buy him toys, like, ever. But about two trips ago, I decided it was necessary. :) Mainly for me. And since yesterday was one of the longest parenting days I've had with him in a long time, we took the plunge.

So I took him to Target and let him peruse the aisles but then the "I want that, and that, and that" started and I was done with it. So I made the decision and bought him a doodler.

And although it's not his very favorite thing to do (i.e. watch PB), I think he's a fan. And mama's a fan if it allows me 5 minutes to unload the dishwasher or pee. And since we're working on recognizing our shapes, I can draw all sorts of different shapes and he can practice telling me what they are.

(and yes, he's wearing underwear)

Jon's Birthday

Yesterday was Jon's birthday (Happy 32 years, honey!). He's right now en route to Nairobi, Kenya and I'm praying he and his long legs are decently comfortable. Not the funnest flights ever. Yes, "funnest" is a word.

It was fun to celebrate his birthday the last day before he left. He requested grilled steaks for dinner and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Thank you to Erin Zubert for the steak marinade recipe and thank you pinterest for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER.

Jon's mom made matching aprons for B and Jon, arent' they adorable?

Our little helper mixing up the dough.


I was worried the cookies wouldn't turn out since I was missing an ingredient and accidentally added too much sugar. Seriously, where is my brain? I even had to borrow brown sugar from a friend at the last minute. There might be something to the so called "pregnancy brain".

But they turned out fantastic!!

After stuffing our faces, we walked to our neighborhood clubhouse for National Night Out. It's a night where fire/rescue/police bring their vehicles for the kiddos to see and to promote awareness and safety. There was a massive firetruck with it's ladder all the way up and Brennan thought he was in heaven. They also had food, inflatables, give-aways and various booths. Here's B in a police car. I told him it better be the only time I see him in a police car.

Jon, you may be able to read this in Kenya or Uganda. You are loved and missed. Capture some great footage and get your skinny booty back home.

Love,
Chaeli, Brennan and baby #2

In Which I Have a New Favorite Band

Friday night Jon and I met up with some of our favorite people at the House of Blues downtown Houston for a concert.


John Mark McMillan, Chris August, Gungor and David Crowder on the 7 Tour. We bought early admission tickets so we had a great view, about 3 rows back. However, it was standing room only.

First up was John Mark McMillan, the artist who wrote "How He Loves Us" that the David Crowder band re-made. I thought he did great. (sorry, no photo!). Next up was Chris August and then Gungor.

Gungor was AMAZING. In fact, I'm online buying their album as we speak. I've been playing the Gungor playlist on Pandora the last few weeks trying to learn their music. Because it's sooo good. The cellist on the right was incredible, he could beat box and rock the cello all that the same time. New Favorite Band.



Last up was DC* Band.

Of course, they were great. But by their fifth song in, my feet were killing me. I'm a wimp and I'm preggo, what can I say. So we left a little before the end of the concert, but still I'm so glad we went.

Halfway through the concert I slowly made my way through the crowd to the bathroom because I had to GO. But making it back to Jon was super hard, people just weren't paying attention and it was PACKED. I texted Jon that I didn't think I was going to make it back to him and he told me to "use my belly" to get through. Ha!