Jumping on the couch cushions!

The Ultimate Protection Plan

If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:9-12

I've always loved that passage, because it's a reminder that God is always watching out for us. I can rest in the knowledge that He knows the best way to care for us and protect us! It especially comforts me as the mom of an inquisitive, adventure-seeking 4 year old boy. Lately Oliver seems to be getting more and more scrapes and bruises while trying new things. Recently, he even bonked or scraped his head every day for a week! Sometimes, you can tell when things might go wrong -- like hanging upside down on the monkey bars -- but other times you have no way of knowing that the next moment your heart will be in your throat. It's times like those that bring me to my knees and make me thank God for protecting my son. I want him to do the things that he wants to do (within reason, of course!), I want him to explore and see what his body can do, I want him to figure things out for himself. But most importantly, I want him to be safe. And while I can't put him in a bubble to protect him, I have God's promise that He will protect my Oliver. And if that's not the best bubble-wrap ever, I don't know what is. :-)

Correction to my previous post

Oops. When I wrote earlier about what I love, I made a grave error. I forgot to list the most important -- my hubby!! Why I forgot, I don't know. I'll blame pregnancy brain for that one (seriously, thanks to my seemingly missing brain cells, one day I put the dirty laundry in the trash can instead of the washing machine, put the milk in the pantry, and put my car keys and cell phone in the refrigerator).

So, without further ado, here is the short list of things I love about my hubby:

-- he makes me laugh, especially when I'm determined not to
-- he's patient, kind, loyal, and unfailingly understanding
-- he's a great daddy and loves our babies
-- he makes sure that family comes first
-- he's always there when I need him
-- he helps me be a better person
-- he's (almost!) as silly as I am
-- he's very logical and level-headed when faced with a tough decision
-- he's my opposite in a lot of ways
and last but not least,
-- he's my best friend!

My favorites

I've been in a perpetually grouchy mood for the past few days, so I thought I needed a reminder that things really aren't that bad. :-)

Things I love:
-- my hilarious, exuberant, adventurous, beautiful children
-- springtime in central Texas
-- naptime
-- baby kicks
-- that the baby's nursery is almost finished
-- maternity shirts that cover my belly. Particularly the gray tunic that my friend Jana gave me. I'll be wearing it a lot over the next 7 weeks. :-)
-- our new bedroom furniture (which hasn't actually arrived in our home yet, but it will be here next week!!!)
-- my new treadmill (which also hasn't been delivered yet, but will also be here next week!!)
-- bluebonnets
-- strawberry cheesecake ice cream with crushed-up Oreos and chocolate magic shell
-- having the windows open
-- swimming

Bluebonnet pictures, 2011 edition

This weekend we attempted taking our annual bluebonnet pictures with the kids. It didn't really work out for a couple of reasons, mainly because it was too windy and sunny, but we did get some funny pictures. :-) Enjoy!

Oliver's self portrait

This is a self-portrait that Oliver drew in his Sunday school class this morning! It's a little Tim Burton-esque, don't you think? He drew a mouthful of teeth in lieu of a smile, and his teacher asked him why, and he said, "Well, because I usually show all of my teeth when I smile!" Makes sense to me! :-)

Working outside

Dennis has been working hard on trimming our big trees in the front yard, and the kids have been glad to "help"! There's not much for them to do besides hauling the limbs and branches to the big pile, but they've also been having fun pretending that they're cutting limbs, too. :-)






We also found these little guys nesting in one of the tree branches. Cute from a distance, but I wouldn't want them crawling on me!