Conquering a Monday

This weekend was so fun! On Friday, Ellie and I spent the majority of our day out in Cypress. We had been in our own house all day, every day last week so we needed a change of scenery. So we headed to Grammy's house since Dean was there. Ellie loves her Dean. We spent the day with Grammy and Dean, and even went to get ice cream. Friday night was a fun treat for me as I got to have dinner with my best friend Lindsee and her family as well as her extended family. After almost 30 years of friendship, her Colorado family kinda feels like extended family to me too! Plus, we ate Mexican food and there's always great joy where there is tortilla chips.

Saturday started out a little rough. Ellie woke up in a horrible mood. HORRIBLE. We butt heads all morning long. I was mad, she was mad. At one point I texted my girlfriends and told them that I wanted to just get into a hot air balloon and just drift off into the clouds and go where the wind takes me. It just wasn't good. I put her to bed and we both took a good long nap. When she woke up, we were both different people! Grant came home and the 3 of us took a little drive downtown to Discovery Green. Ellie had the best time. There was a little playground and a splash pad. She has never experienced a splash pad before, and we let her run around with her clothes on! She had a good time, as you can see:

After we got home that night, Tiffany came over and the 2 of us girls had dinner at Zoe's and then went to see Divergent. I have read the whole trilogy and was really pleased that the movie was very, very close to the book. It followed it almost exactly. Of course, they have to cut out some of the storyline for time, but all in all it was a very well done movie and I can't wait for the sequel next year. Also, we ate popcorn and M&Ms and that's really all I need for an excellent Saturday night.

Tiff spent the night so we had a late night slumber party and then everyone slept in the next day, including Ellie. Thank You, Jesus. Ellie then spent the rest of her Sunday with Grammy, Pops, Grace and Dean while Grant, Tiffany, Justin and I went to the final day of the Houston Rodeo. It was so fun to watch the rodeo events and enjoy a great concert (Zac Brown Band) with great friends. And then we went to pick up Ellie who was still wide awake and playing with her cousins and she was on quite the adrenaline high. She loves her people. And then we came home and all three of us crashed. CRASHED, I tell you.

So this morning I woke up with a plan and some motivation. I decided to attack the day. I decided to rejoice and be glad, and get things accomplished. Time for some productivity people! I unloaded the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, went to the grocery store, cleaned out the fridge, showered, mapped out my week, and now I've been sitting in my favorite chair with my favorite blanket, doing my Bible study and having a little time of worship and prayer. I am so thankful for days like this. Not to mention that my little toddler girl is polar opposite today of what she was Saturday morning. Saturday morning: impatient and uncooperative. This morning: delightful and silly. And for this we are very thankful. 

Have a wonderful week, friends!

Even When The Answer is No

I've been praying for the last 48 hours. Praying about a house.

We aren't really house hunting, but something came on the market that caught our eye. We looked, prayed about it, made a decision, and submitted an offer in a very competitive market. And then we prayed.

The funny thing is, I prayed differently than I thought I would. You'd think that I would pray "Lord, PLEASE let us get this house, please let our offer be accepted!"

But the thing is, this was a scary decision. Risky. It could be a fantastic risk that would pay off big time. It could be a horrible risk that we would regret. I kinda felt like it was a 50/50 shot of being absolutely amazing or a total mayday. 

So, I prayed a different prayer. I prayed that God would protect us. I asked that He would not let us make a bad decision that would hurt us. If it would be a bad investment, if it was going to be more than we could handle financially, if the unique layout of this home was not going to work to our family living needs, then I asked that God would firmly shut the proverbial door. And I prayed that if this was the home for us, if this was the place for us to raise our family and live the next years of our lives, that our offer would be accepted. 

I love this house. It has SO. MUCH. STORAGE. And the kitchen. Oh, the kitchen. Kitchen of my dreams. KITCHEN OF MY DREAMS. Big closets, beautiful floors. Pretty backyard. This house checks a lot of boxes. But there are a lot of boxes left unchecked as well. So we were not so sure if this was a fantastic decision or a horrible one.

So, we stepped out in faith. My husband made a decision and we decided to submit the best offer we could do at this point and wait and see. If it's a yes, then the Lord is allowing us to proceed. If it's a no, then we know that this is not the house for us.

When Grant walked into the house today and said "it's a no", I genuinely didn't feel sad or disappointed. I felt relieved. Relieved that God protected us from something that was going to be a mistake. I think that this was the first time in years that I prayed "Thy will be done" and genuinely meant it. And answer of "no" is still an answered prayer. 

So, tonight, we are back to our normal lives. We are not thinking about moving in 30 days and putting our house on the market and packing up our lives. We are just relaxing on the couch, making each other laugh and eating Girl Scout Cookies. 

Tonight, I am thankful for answered prayers. I am thankful that God said "no". I am thankful that my husband lead us boldly and made wise choices on our behalf. I am thankful that we learned a lot about what we want in a home and where we want to be and what we are able to spend. I am thankful for this house we have lived in for the last 4 years and how it has been such a happy, wonderful home. We are gonna sit tight for awhile. And trust. And wait. 

Praise God for His protection!

Sunday Night Special

Friday night we ate Chickfila and watched Gold Rush. Because we are wild and crazy party people.

Saturday morning we had a relaxing morning and then took a little family trip to the zoo.

This was my attempt at a Mommy/Daughter pic with Ellie. She wasn't in the mood.

 The zoo was fun! It wasn't too crowded and she is really loving seeing all the animals. I wish it had been a little sunnier but we had a great time. She points at each animal and says what sound they make. The Houston Zoo has a baby elephant that is two weeks old and he is so cute I could just die. 

Here's Ellie Paige exploring the zoo!

She loved the aquarium. Her daddy loves to teach her about fish.

We stayed out a little later than usual. She was so, so very sleepy when we got in the car. She was awake most of the drive home but slept when we were 7 minutes away from the house. I woke her up when we got home and put her straight into her crib for her nap.

Well, apparently that 7 minute nap in the car was enough for her. She laughed, played, and clapped in her bed for an hour and a half. And then she got mad. And then I pulled her out of her bed. And she had a great time. And mama was tired. See?

Oh my goodness. She was cracking me up. Well, first I was irritated. And then it got funny. Cause she was eating those goldfish crackers very enthusiastically. And I was just done so I just kept giving them to her. Mom of the year, right here.

I spent the afternoon getting work done around the house. Then, after she finally went to bed, I ran to TJ Maxx to check out their purse situation cause I have something in mind that I can not find anywhere for less than $100. Which I am not willing to spend. And I didn't find it at TJ Maxx.

But I did find a lovely wrap at TJ Maxx and I purchased it for $19.99 thank you very much. 

Then I came home and made tacos and we watched "About Time" starring Rachel McAdams. Or, as my iPhone auto-correct calls her, Rachel Macadamia. It was SO. GOOD. And sweet. And it had a wonderful message. I highly recommend! 

Ohhhhh daylight savings. It takes on such new meaning as parents. We woke her up this morning - she seemed so confused - but I was volunteering in the church nursery this morning so I had to be there on time. They were practicing the evacuation drill this morning in the preschool suite so we had to get all the babies outside safely and it was quite the scene! I saw Ellie and her class down the way and she seemed to think she was on some great adventure. 

After church we had lunch with our sweet friends, the Fullers, and then we came home and all 3 of us napped! Ellie went straight to bed and Grant and I watched a golf tournament and fell asleep. Just like old times. 

And then she woke up and then we woke up and cleaned the house and made dinner and played and sang songs and it was just lovely.

And now you've read an entire recap of our weekend. Aren't you so glad?

It's Too Darn Cold

Happy Thursday to you! We are having another blast of wintry weather here in Houston. We really don't know quite how to function in times like these and I've pretty much been all cooped up in the house all week. It's too cold outside and all the bundling up and un-bundling to get in and out of the car is enough to do me in.

Thankfully, we did get out of the house yesterday for a little playdate. Me and Lindsey chatted and drank Starbucks and shopped at Francesca's while Ellie and little Maeve danced with each other side by side in their strollers. They are the cutest. We did let them run around in the little children's play area. My daughter is getting a little too brave for my liking. I can not keep up with her and all her little shenanigans. 

Right now I'm sitting in my favorite chair, drinking coffee and blogging as a way to re-start my day. It's only 9:15am, but we had a pretty rough start this morning. I woke up on the wrong side of bed, or maybe I just woke up. Not sure, but I needed to hit re-start and soon! I made myself a healthy bowl of oatmeal (so good in this weather!) and then I promptly made it unhealthy by adding the goodness that is brown sugar. Because, yes. 

I was about to type that Ellie was being sweet and playing quietly and contently all by herself but she must have sensed that I was about to write that and decided to fix that problem by becoming needy.

So, I gotta go, but I leave you with this amazingness: