All the pretty flowers

I love this time of year in the Dalhart countryside. Every meadow and hill seems to be covered in beautiful yellow flowers. They just blanket the ground and that is what makes it so pretty. So yesterday when Eric announced that we were going to Dalhart, I made sure to bring my camera in hopes of capturing pictures of the girls in the pretty yellow flowers. These patches of flowers hold a special place in my heart with memories of walks with my dad in them as a little girl to a photography "expedition" with Hisano (my roommate and the exchange student our family housed when I first moved to Dalhart). However, the girls were not thrilled about cooperating. Eleri wouldn't stay still and Mali was refusing to stand any where near an actual patch of flowers because of her recent encounter with a beautiful purple flower on top of a cactus. So, maybe next year???

Berry Pickin'

Yesterday I was cleaning up the house and the girls were just dying to be outside. So I told them that once I got to Mali's room, they could go outside and play right in front of the window. I opened the window and got to cleaning and they got to playing. Within about 5 minutes Mali yelled to me that Eleri and Scotty (the dog) had eaten some berries. I ran outside and made the two youngest berry eaters come back in, tears and all. Mali got to still play outside with instructions not to eat the berries. When we put in our flower beds, we purchased a serviceberry shrub. The guy who sold it to us asked if we wanted edible or inedible berries and I could not remember what we had chosen, but was hoping it was the edible kind. I dug around for the plant's "tag" and then used googled to increase my plant knowledge. Sure enough, we had chosen the edible kind. So, the berry eaters were allowed to resume their berry eating. In fact, Mali and I joined them and we spent the morning picking the ripe berries.

Last Day of Preschool

Today was Mali's last day EVER of preschool. I'm actually pretty happy that it is over. Driving to and from school has taken a toll on Eleri's nap time and our gas tank. I'm looking forward to a summer of exploring in our own backyard and then next year WALKING Mali to school!
To end the school year, her class had a picnic at the gym at Paramount Baptist. It has been so rainy lately that they changed it to inside. Mali had fun anyway playing with the boys and going crazy and then playing with her friend Kate. Eleri and I got to join her and say good bye to the people in her life this past year.

Mali's beginning and end of the year self portraits

The Sweet Life

We are enjoying our summer, well except for the tornado sirens going off at midnight. This is definitely the sweet life: running with my girls and then enjoying juicy watermelon on the porch while we watch Eric mow the lawn and promises of homemade ice cream tonight.

Crazy Day

Wednesday was crazy day at preschool for Mali. She had sooo much fun dressing crazy, she was definitely in her element!

Didn't I just blog this?

So the day that I blogged about Eleri being so adventurous, I later found her sitting on top of our table eating green beans. Since then nothing has been safe, the computer desk, the toilet, the bathroom counter...NOTHING is safe from this little explorer!

Book Review-The Heart Mender

The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances is a book written by Andy Andrews and dubbed a fictional novel, when in fact it is part fiction but larger part true events. This is a historical novel that Andrews sandwiches between real life experiences in parts one and three and a fictional account of how these events played out. The Heart Mender is a story ,about the story, of items that Andrews uncovered in front of his house. Finding these items that appear to have come from a German officer during World War II sends Andrews on a quest to discover the history behind these items and a secret time in American history. The title of Heart Mender seems to be given as this is what happens to the main characters in the fictional aspect of the book. However, the conclusion of the book does not point to this or draw out the title in any way, the assumption is made that the character’s hearts were mending based on the fact that this is the title of the book. In the prologue, Andrews states that he believes this is his finest work. Reading that statement prepared me for an excellent novel and I was left disappointed. The story was interesting, but the unfolding of the story and the character development felt lacking. I wanted to know the “ending” and kept reading for that fact, but not because I was drawn in the way that I had anticipated that I would be. I feel like there was an element missing that made an appeal to my soul as I read. This was a decent book, maybe even a good book, and the story, especially since it was largely historical and non-fictional was interesting to read about. If this is Andrews’ finest work, then I’m not going to run out and buy his other books. Andrews also alludes to the fact that a movie producer was able to get a hold of the script, which leads me to think that a movie may be in the works. I do think a movie based on this book and events would be very good and interesting.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
http://theheartmender.andyandrews.com/

Weekend at the Lake

Eric told me that all he wanted to do for his 30th birthday was to go to a lake and fish...so this weekend (just two weeks late) we made it happen. Eric, me, Mali, Eleri, Eric's parents, and our new puppy all left Amarillo at 6am Friday morning and drove down to Denison/Sherman, TX (I'm still not exactly sure which town we were in most of the time) to visit Kisha and Josh. Josh owns and operates a boat detailing company on Lake Texhoma and borrowed a pontoon boat for all of us (yes I said all of us...minus the puppy) to go out on the lake in. I was pretty nervous about taking the girls, especially Eleri, but it really worked out just. Mimi held on to Eleri most of the time. We brought a big metal tub for the girls to splash around in on the boat and Eleri really enjoy that and then finished the boating trip off with a nap. Mali tried fishing but with no positive reinforcement got tired of it and she was just pretty tired to begin with. Apparently it was a windy day for the lake which made for not perfect boating and fishing conditions. That didn't stop the birthday boy from catching a striper on his first cast! And, to top it off, that was the ONLY catch of the day. About 3, Josh pulled the boat in and we went back to Kisha and Josh's to get dinner ready. Eleri was strapped in to her car seat in her floatation swimsuit asleep and Mali deliriously jabbered all the way to their house. We finished of the night with fajitas, cake and Josh's yummy home made ice cream. On the way home today, Mali asked us if we had brought the ice cream with us! Kisha and Josh have such a nice house!! I was so impressed. They have done a great job of making it their home. They have 17 acres of land, two fishing ponds, a few cows, a hound dog, and Lexie! They have just built this house and are living there now but eventually this will become the guest house and they will build a larger house to live in permanently. They were generous enough to give us their bedroom for our family and they slept in an unfinished room on a deflating air mattress. We had a good time. The girls loved exploring their land. They picked acorns, pet Ray, went fishing, played and played, watched lighting bugs, listened to bull frogs, chased a small frog, listened to whippoorwills, and looked at the stars. It was a good weekend and it was a great experience for everyone. And in case I wasn't clear on this: I was so amazed at what Josh and Kisha have done. They have an amazing place and were so hospitable. Kisha has done an excellent job managing her home, Josh has done an excellent job in providing for his family, and they were both so patient with us and the girls all weekend.

9 year Anniversary

disclaimer: I took the pictures with my iPhone of the photos in our wedding album.




Today is our 9 year anniversary. I have to be more creative in my blog posts as we get to celebrate a new year mark. Two years ago I did this, last year I did this…so this year I’m going to do something completely different. This year is a major celebration…each year is a major celebration. I think this year I realize we could be in a different place if it weren’t for God, and in fact every year is that way. We have watched the decisions of a friend deteriorate his marriage. I’ve prayed for and kept in contact with his now ex-wife as she has gone through this most difficult time. And, she has taught me and helped to see that even if what I have is hard some days, at least my husband is still here. Not to encourage complacency by any means in our marriage, but it has given me a new, fresh perspective and appreciation for Eric and our marriage.
So as I look back on the past 9 years, I’m so grateful. I’m not sure my words can sum it up or that this is even the place to share my own words. Just in time for our anniversary, I’ve started to read “Love and War” by John and Stasi Eldredge. This is what they write about marriage and I want to share it because it is 100% true and I believe that everyone, married or not, should read this book and hear this truth.

“Romance Meets Reality
Maybe we ought to just start this book here: Marriage is fabulously hard. Everybody who has been married knows this. Though years into marriage it still catches us off guard, all of us. And newly married couples, when they discover how hard it is, they seem genuinely surprised. Shocked, and disheartened, by the fact. Are we doing something wrong? Did I marry the right person? The sirens that lure us into marriage-romance, love, passion, sex, longing, companionship-seem so far from the actual reality of married life we fear we have made a colossal mistake, caught the wrong bus, missed our flight. And so the hardness also comes as something of an embarrassment. (Don’t you feel embarrassed to admit how hard your marriage is?) Maybe it’s just us.
Nope. This is everyone. We might as well come out and say it. The sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we will find ou way through. Of course marriage is hard. For heaven’s sake, bring together a man and woman-two creatures who think, act, and feel so differently you would think they’d come from separate solar systems-and ask them to get along for the rest of their lives under the same roof. That is like taking Cinderella and Hick Finn, tossing them in a submarine, and closing the hatch. What did you think would happen? Now, while your at it, toss into that constantly-in-your-face experience of all our fears, our wounded hearts, our self-centeredness, our self-doubt, and our resolute commitment to self-protection. Good Lord. Anyone looking for undeniable proof in the existence of God need look no further-the fact that any marriage makes it is a miracle of the first order. Bona fide proof that there are forces in the universe working on behalf of mankind. I wish some older man had pulled me aside a few weeks before our wedding and said, Now listen, son. You’re a fine young man; Stasi is a wonderful girl. I think you two are made for each other. I’m very excited about this marriage. But now listen to me, lad-are you paying attention? You are also, both of you, deeply broken people. And all that brokenness is going to start coming to the surfaces as soon as you say, “I do”. Don’t let this throw you. It happens to everyone. It doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. But what would be wrong would be to ignore what surfaces. God is going to use your marriage to get to issues in your life he wants to address. You’ve got a way of making life work, and you’re going to discover that Stasi does, too. That’s all going to collide sooner or later. You might make it a year or two on young love, and thank God for it. But don’t ignore this stuff when the fairy tale hits the fan. Get some help”

Today is a busy day for us. I have two clients after school and Eric has spring football. We’ve both been okay with not really celebrating our anniversary on our anniversary every year past. But, I’m starting to realize we need to really celebrate…not in a legalistic way, but in a thankful way. We met at the park for lunch. Eleri of course joined us for our 10 minute lunch before Eric had to get back to work. And, if I can make him, we will watch our wedding video tonight and spend time looking at our pictures and remembering the day that made us….us. We will also be taking a small little "trip" in a few weeks, just the two of us.

Don't let her fool you

She is not as innocent as she appears in this picture. We are at battle with this sweet, little girl. The last few weeks have been tough and yesterday was the climax...or at least I hope it was the climax. I'm learning more about what it means to parent and how we have to stand firm and teach the same thing over and over again. I spout out cliches that I probably said I never would say when I was a parent. I think my vocabulary consists of:
speak kindly
be nice
do it KINDLY
Obedience!
Walk away, just walk away.
It is okay to be angry, it is not okay to act out your anger
Just because she/they hurt you, does not mean you hurt them back
And, last night I spouted out a Strappism...When you mess up, confess up, get up and keep going (actually I'm not sure I quite remember the ending, but that's what I said).
I'm trying to teach her how to act and how to have a repentant heart as well. This sweet, little girl is precious to us we do not want to loose her to the battle of sin or selfishness. I'm engaged in this fight and praying for wisdom, guidance and perseverance.

Puppy Love

I think some girls are in love with a puppy and a puppy in love with them. Eric Someone decided that Scotty would sleep really well if he slept in the room with Mali. Mali has been a little grumpy and tired, but both have done fairly well. Well, except for the wake up last night to clean up Scotty’s accidents. Today, I locked Scotty up in the kennel in the garage to go take Mali to pre-k and go to lunch with Eric. When I got home the garage door into our house was open and Scotty was not whining. On closer inspection of the kennel I noticed he had chewed through the mesh front door and then here he came from inside wagging his tail. He is spoiled spoiled spoiled. Not a problem when he is 14lbs but a huge problem when he is 70lbs. As I type, he won't leave my side. He follows me every where and sits at my feet in sleep, part of me thinks it is sort of sweet, but then again, I have two other girls following me every where I go...and see previous sentence.

Little Miss Adventure

Eleri is our little miss adventure. She likes to climb and explore...and has little to no fear doing it. She just recently learned that she can push around "Mali's" kitchen table chair, climb it and get pretty much anything she wants. Nothing is safe anymore...not even little Eleri. And she is just so proud of herself when she accomplishes it.

T-Ball Two video

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T-Ball Two

Mali had her second game this past Monday. Grandpa and Nana came to watch her before they flew to Israel for a mission trip. Eric also got to come towards the end and watched Mali bat and field. She did great batting this week. She had a few issues with running from 2nd to 3rd...but it provided great entertainment for us!

Hey Batter Batter

Here is the video from Mali's first T-ball game. She did great at batting

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Eric and Brie Plus THREE

There may be a few of you that aren't thrilled to find out this news from a blog post, but I hope you'll forgive me. Our lives have been a little crazy the last few days. And we are officially Eric and Brie + THREE............


























DOGS!


Eric's Favorite Scotty (as in Scotty Cameron Putter) joined our family Saturday. He is a full blooded Weimaraner. He is pretty sweet and Mali is smitten with him. He is 8 weeks old and on his way to being a great buddy to Shank.

Mali's first T-ball game

Mali had her first T-ball game this past Thursday. It was fun and she had some fun playing. After the first inning, I realized that it would not matter how many runners scored or how many were tagged out. Mali did a great job batting. Her first bat, she was the 9th batter and brought in all three runners on base plus herself. Her second bat, she had a great hit and also brought in all the runners. Fielding was a different story. I'm not sure any of the kids on our team had a clue what was supposed to happen. Hopefully they will catch on. Papa was in town and came and watched Mali play. She was happy to have Papa there to watch her and I was happy to have Papa there to help with Eleri.

Picture #1: Mali batting

Picture #2: The team lineup and Mali laughing at her "gold" friend (see previous post on T-ball season)

Picture #3: Mali warming up. Apparently on our team, showing up before the game is supposed to start is not done and after game start time it is more appropriate to show up.

PAPA AND ELERI