Monday, August 20, 2012

Hodge-Podge of Events

A couple of Sundays ago, my cousin put together a little family party/shower for Grady. We opened presents, ate cupcakes, and decorated some adorable onesies!


Faith Ann having fun designing several onesies for Grady.
My dad making his own cute, original design.
My cousin Grace painting a cute monkey onesie for Grady.
Pawpaw working hard to make a "Little Grady" onesie.
He had a blast! We added a stamp with two baby feet to his onesie.
I can't wait to take a picture of the two of them together!
Leeann, one of my many "Texan" cousins, designed
one to support those crazy Longhorns... lol.
Grandma Wesley and Granny catching up on life while
we painted away on onesies.
He wouldn't let me see what he was up to over here...
My sweet onesie for Grady!
:)
Hilda added Zac's old football number to this one!
Hilda's masterpiece
"A Little Miracle" by Faith Ann
Grady will definitely be Aunt Hil's favorite!
Grady loves his aunt too!!
One of Faith Ann's beautiful creations.
diaper cake
working hard on a surprise...
drying in the trunk of my dad's car
While I lacked some creativity, Zac sure didn't!
Grady must have a muscle-T even as a baby :)
My husband is definitely an artist!!!
(He did this freehand!)

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Yesterday, Zac competed in his second triathlon at Lake DeGray with his friends Nate and Chris. He's been training non-stop since his friends talked him into doing them. I'd say his hard work paid off. I'm quite proud of him and the improvements he's made in just a little over a month. His first tri was in Russellville on the 4th of July. It's pretty fun watching the guys go out and bust their tails during the race. Zac says he wants to do the Tough Mudder in Chicago next May with my brother Nathan. You should look up what all that entails. It sounds insane and should be even more entertaining, especially with a baby in tow!!

Getting pumped for race time...
the crowd
warming up in the water
and they're off!!!
It was a beautiful morning!
where's waldo?
making their way around..
heading back toward shore
Chris finishing strong!
Here comes Zac.
and Nate!
There were lots of dogs. This one was getting his tummy rubbed.
Here comes Zac finishing the bike portion of the race.
(I missed getting Chris on camera..)
:)
during transition from biking to running
Nate finishing his bike portion shortly after Zac.
cooling off with a nice glass of water on his head
Here's Chris about to finish the tri.
nice stride
Here's Zac running in to finish!
:)
Nate was easy to spot in his green attire.
Chris and Zac after the race.
Nate and Zac after the race.
Nate enjoying a spray of water from a boat in the water.
my nasty man

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I started my first day of internship with students today. I feel so blessed to have internship during the fall semester where I will learn more about setting rules and procedures. Today was (as will the rest of the semester) an amazing learning experience that I will grow from as a person and future teacher. I can't wait to see what all the rest of the semester has in store for me!

So... being that it was my "first" day of my internship and that I've hit the halfway mark of my pregnancy (20 weeks), I decided to have Zac take a picture of me this morning. I wish I could say I'm one of those cute pregnant people that can take pictures of themselves without thinking twice.... but I'm not. This adjustment is strange for me, and I'm just not comfortable enough sharing pictures of myself. I guess nothing has really changed... I wasn't comfortable before so I'm definitely not now. So, unless you see me in person... I doubt you will see many pictures of my pregnant belly. It's just how I am. I'm sorry to those who wish to see pictures or progress. Maybe when I'm further along and more settled with my changing body I will share, but I can't for now. Thanks for understanding!

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I'll leave with a cute video of Winston snoring. Yes, I'm one of those people. :)


Scripture #8:  
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
1 Peter 3:3-4

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Happy 6th Anniversary!

This past Sunday (August 12th) Zac and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by finally buying a new TV and setting up our living room. It looks and functions a thousand times better than our old hand-me-down 1994 TV... and crowded monitor/laptop set up to watch Netflix. I must say that I'm enjoying the extra space and streamline design. I even splurged on new curtains and cubical shelving for storage! Isn't it pretty?



Much love,
Em

Scripture #7: 
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
John 13:34-35

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

c.h.i.c.a.g.o.

Earlier this summer, my friend Desha and I went to Chicago to visit my brother and see the city. We found a great deal on a hotel in the heart of Chicago and got to see a lot of the city while still getting to spend some quality time with my brother and sister-in-law. Here are some pictures from our trip.

The ride to Chicago.
Nathan came down to see Momo briefly before we left.
It was really nice having another driver!
Pad Thai
view from our hotel room
We were located right in Merchant Mart.
Waiting for some Chicago style pizza
:)
Cheesy bread with marinara
Best pizza ever
walking the magnificent mile
outside the aquarium about to see all the neat things at the Field Museum
Beautiful view
lovely sights
:)
At the Field Museum
Hey Sue!
Size of a penny if we were shrunk to ant size
underground exhibit thing
just chillin' at the Field Museum
morning at the beach
Nate and Jes
too bad the passes didn't let us in for free
the bean

Even though we didn't get to see all the art, I bought this cute elephant bank for Grady.
enjoying our hotel pool
Navy Pier
:)
next time I want to take a boat tour
Lincoln Park Zoo - one of (I think) 3 free zoos in the US!
quite humanlike
big guy
Next time I come, I want to spend more time at the Zoo.
It was way too hot for us to really enjoy seeing all the animals.
We ate pizza again... and it was still just as amazing.
Navy Pier fire works
tons of people, lots of fireworks, and more walking than I've walked in a long time.
pretty
pictures don't do justice
and they don't last long enough either
but it was fun
Desha and I taking a picture at Navy Pier.
Such a fun trip!
I'm so glad Desha came with me and got to enjoy some big city life.

Scripture #6: 
Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the LORD.
Psalm 144:15