Ready for an AWESOME science class?

So, there's this wonderful protein called laminin. Ever heard of it? It's role is to hold our bodies together. Laminin is defined by the Webster Medical Dictionary as a "glycoprotein that is a component of connective tissue basement membrane and promotes cell adhesion". In their book The Laminins, authors Peter Elkblom and Rupert Timpl go into more detail about both the importance of laminins and their structure. They describe laminins that "hold cells and tissues together". Care to see what laminin looks like???


That's right people! The protein that holds us together is in the shape of a CROSS! Now, check this out. Colossians 1:16-17 ^"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Our God is an AWESOME God!

Making Us Laugh...as Always!

The other day I was changing Shelby's diaper and she was holding a small American flag in her hand. Just as she was about to put the flag down in her dirty diaper I stopped her and explained that we don't do that. She replied, so seriously, "no flag in my poop". I still get tickled with this one!

Shelby was eating lunch the other day with Justin's mom and one of his sisters, Meredith. Meredith asked Shelby, "Shelby, is Oma nice?". Shelby's response: "No, Oma's pretty." (Ah yes, the age old question: would you rather be known as nice or pretty?)

This one is funny but doesn't make me happy. Shelby likes to dip food into her drink (something we are trying to change). The other night she was putting a chip in her drink and Justin's mom told her not to do that. Shelby looked at her and said, "go that way Oma" and pointed away from her. We all privately laughed about it, but she was quickly corrected that she doesn't tell other people what to do. PRAY FOR US!! :)

Enjoying the park on a HOT afternoon (I am definitely feeling the heat seeing as I'm 31 weeks pregnant...hmm...have I posted that I'm pregnant???):


Look Mom! No hands!!!

Playing with Aunt Meredith and Uncle Kevin's kitten:

Looking a little too excited!

God's Timing and Cinderella??

I had a shallow moment a couple of months ago. It has bothered me ever since, so I thought I'd blog about it. God has convicted me that I should share just how shallow I am with the world! :)

So, Shelby and I were watching Cinderella a couple of months ago and it came to the part when her wonderful fairy godmother shows up and turns her rags into a beautiful gown,

the pumpkin into a marvelous coach,


and her mice friends into white stallions.Finally, after years and years of being a slave to her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella has her moment!!!! In my head I found myself saying (very sarcastically), "thanks a lot fairy godmother...it took you long enough". And in that same instance God showed me it was the perfect timing - this was the night that Cinderella would be able to find her prince and forever be rid of her dreadful home life. It was almost as if He had said, so defensively to me, "I'm sorry!". It was a beautiful lesson of God's timing!! How many times have I wanted something, NOW. I'm ready for it, NOW! I need it, NOW! But God knows. He knows what is best for me, and when I'm ready for it!!

Isaiah 30:21

I changed the verse under our blog title. Isaiah 30:21 has always been a favorite verse of mine. It gives me much peace. There are so many decisions we make in our lives, from trivial things like what to cook for dinner, to those that are very intimidating - should we take this job, buy this house, move here or there, have another child??? So many times we ask, "What is God's will for me?". Isaiah 30:21 reminds me that whatever decision I make, even if it's not exactly the one He had in mind for me, He is there with me and guiding me through. Maybe the job we picked wasn't the best fit for us, or maybe Colorado Springs was where God needed us (and not sweltering hot Austin!); regardless, He will continue to guide us, to love us, to use us to do His will. Because, as the verse so clearly says, "whether you turn to the right or to the left, there will be a voice behind you, saying, "this is the way; walk in it.".

Shelbyisms

Shelby is talking up a storm! It's so much fun! Here are some of the cute/funny things she's been saying:

1. She loves the song Jesus Loves the Little Children. This morning after I sang the verse "Jesus died for all the children" Shelby said, "I die for all the children!". My heart melted.

2. Today when I was putting her down for her nap she started feeling the mole on my chin (my Cindy Crawford mole that is...that was air brushed out of my senior photos...which was not something I requested!). I asked her what it was and she said, "nipple!". I think I may have it burned off now for sure!! :)

3. When I was working I would come home from work and she would not greet me in the way I needed her to. She wouldn't let me hug her. She wouldn't say hi to me. She wouldn't let me hold her. It just broke my heart. Now that the summer is over and Justin is back to work he gets to experience coming home at the end of the day. How does Shelby greet him?? She screams "DADDY!!!!" and throws her arms around his neck. Then she tells him, "I miss you Daddy". She is definitely a Daddy's girl.

4. She loves fruit! I think she could live off fruit alone. She'll finish off a bowl of grapes and say, "cantaloupe?". And I'll say, "Not right now, you just had a big bowl of grapes." Which is followed by, "Strawberries? Grapes? Black grapes? Watermelon? Black grapes? Cantaloupe? Black grapes?". She's like a broken record!

5. Any time she gets hurt and is crying she'll grab a stuffed animal, sit on the couch and say, "Wheel of Fortune?". She loves to watch Wheel of Fortune with Justin's dad, Opa (as Shelby calls him).

And now, here are some pics of Shelby in the backyard. Enjoy!!!

What Have We Been Up To?

We have been having a lot of fun here in Texas! We found a super park with a HUGE sandbox! Shelby loves to get dirty, dig around and lay in the sand. She found it especially funny when we buried her feet. The greatest thing about the sandbox is that it's right next to a little water park (see video). So, she can get as dirty as she likes and then we can wash her clean!

Here's a picture of Shelby in a dress from her Aunt Erin! She loves this stuffed horse too...also something of Erin's. Thanks Erin for letting Shelby play with it!

She has also found a new love for stickers! Unfortunately she doesn't understand "saving some for later". She loves to stick them one on top of another, and preferably on her belly! As you can probably guess, she did NOT enjoy taking these off! :)

And here is Shelby with her Opa watching Wheel of Fortune!

Off Topic...sort of

This blog is usually reserved for family updates, but since we don't really have any updates or new pictures of Shelby, I thought I'd post some pictures I took today when it was 101 degrees. Colorado, I miss you.

I Thought Texas Was Supposed to Be Hot

Taken yesterday EVENING after we went to dinner. On our twenty minute ride back to my parent's house, the temperature varied between 105-107. Good times.

Texas Heat

We have officially moved back to Texas! We arrived just over a week ago and are already missing the coolness of Colorado. Even Shelby is having to adjust. We were at the park the day after we got here and it didn't take Shelby long to feel the heat. She walked over to me, exhausted, and said, "go home...it's warm". It was too cute.

These pictures are how she spent her first evening in Texas. Enjoy the pics!!

There's our moving truck. It was a BEAST!

Storm's Coming

Takin' it to the Top

We have never been as a family to the top of Pikes Peak (you can drive to the top) and we couldn't dare move away from Colorado Springs without going. So, today was the day. The summit of Pikes Peak is one of the few places in Colorado during the summer where Coloradoans actually feel like the minority. We of course saw a few Texas license plates, which left us with mixed feelings, but at least we can enjoy being locals for three more weeks. Perhaps the most memorable part of the trip was when we got to the bottom and Shelby barfed all over herself...in the car!

Past Guilty Pleasure

Okay, so I used to LOVE Will and Grace. Yes, I'm guilty. Here's a clip from one of my favorite episodes. Enjoy!!! It's worth all two and a half minutes!!!

Hot in Colorado?!

Yes, it gets hot in Colorado!!! The town just south of us reached over 100 degrees a couple of days ago! Shelby likes to seek comfort by playing in the water. Any water she sees, whether it's a river or water running in the street, she wants to touch. "I want to touch it," she'll say. It's too cute. Today, our next-door-neighbors had their water sprinklers on. Here's Shelby taking her opportunity!

Lion mane!!!

I am scared to cut her hair - those curls are natural and I'm afraid they won't grow back!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

We spent July 4th in Lake City, Colorado - one of my family's favorite places. My parents were there, so Shelby was able to spend some time with her MeMa and PaPa!

Here we are waiting for the parade to start:

Here's Shelby with MeMa and Papa:

And here's Shelby in our favorite coffee shop, the Mocha Moose:

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

Anyone Still There?

Okay, so it's been a while...quite a while...since I last posted. I'm actually wondering if anyone is still checking our blog for updates!! Maybe I've been saving all of my updates for one mega-post - something to really get some talk going!

Okay, so here's update number one: Justin got a new job. He will start in August with the new school year. It's at a public high school, an international baccaleareate school! He's super excited about it, as we all are. He'll be teaching English, but his goal is to get into administration. He finished his grad work and got his principal license this May. I''m so proud of him!!!

Update number two: Justin's job is in Round Rock, Texas! It's just north of Austin. So, we are moving to Round Rock in less than a month!!!!!! It's very exciting, other than the humidity and the stress of selling our house. Please keep us in your prayers.

Update number three: We are pregnant!!!!!!!!!! I'm 22 weeks already!!! Shelby is very happy about mommy having a baby. She keeps saying she wants a baby brother, so hopefully she won't be too disappointed because we are actually having another girl! Yay - drama queen central!!! I can't wait to meet her! I'm due Nov 11 but will have a c-section a week or so early - hopefully Nov 4 because that's my dad's birthday!

Update number four: My last day of work is August 1!! I get to retire when we move to Texas!!! I'm super excited about staying at home with my girls!! I'm trying to remind myself that it will take some adjusting and that it's not going to be all roses everyday. If you have any advice I'm all ears!!

So, we have a lot going on - new job, new home, new baby. Please pray that things go smoothly for us!! One life changing event is hard enough, much less three!!

Winter Returns to Pikes Peak

The Pikes Peak region was socked in for days over Memorial Weekend. When the storms finally cleared, Pikes Peak was blanketed in fresh snow and I couldn't resist going up there to take a gander at the conditions. This is what I found:

Sunset Thunderstorm

I captured this image about 30 minutes ago from our balcony. What an amazing and unusual sight it was.

I was tagged by my friend Julia...this is a new one for me!

Here are the rules for "eight things": Mention the person that tagged you. Complete the list of eight things. Tag eight of your wonderful blogger friends.

Eight things I look forward to:
1. Heaven!
2. Retirement
3. Seeing Justin at the end of the day
4. Shelby's sweet face every morning
5. Visits from family and friends
6. Christmas
7. Vacations!!!
8. Seeing Justin tonight

Eight things I did yesterday:
1. Talked with my parents on the phone
2. Watched Finding Nemo with Shelby
3. Pushed Shelby in her swing...her own personal heaven
4. Took a nap
5. Emailed my cousins - thanks Leslie for your patience! :)
6. Talked to Justin on the phone
7. Went grocery shopping (yuck)
8. Got in contact with an old friend!!

Eight things i wish i could do:
1. Stay home with Shelby
2. Travel to Europe
3. Speak another language
4. See my family more often
5. A back handspring!
6. Blink my eyes and have a clean house
7. Better profess my faith to others
8. Ice climb

Eight shows i watch:
1. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
2. The Amazing Race
3. Friends
4. Wheel of Fortune
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Brothers & Sisters
7. That's about it...
8. we try not to watch too much tv

Now I tag Whitney, Camille, Beth, Holly, Leilanni, Tracey, Melissa, Ashley

Shelby at the Aquarium

We finally took Shelby to the Denver Aquarium yesterday. Besides the 1200 other families with children and strollers and the 5 foot wide paths through the aquarium to walk on, it was a blast! Most importantly, Shelby loved it!

Our Style Guru

Shelby has started enjoying picking out her clothes for the day. Here we are, about to go for a walk today. And, surprisingly, she's not crying because of her ensemble - she was very impatient with Mommy wanting to take her picture!

The pants were a gift from some of Justin's students! They got them from Goodwill! Shelby LOVES them:

Here she is with her coat on...still crying:


And here's the final product! And unfortunately, still crying! :)

Not a Pitty Party

I know we've all been through times when it seems that nothing is going our way. The past four months have been that time for me. At first it seemed that God was blessing us, over and over again. It all started back in October:

Justin and I had been trying to get pregnant for a few months, with no luck. Then an unplanned surgery occurred (for me), which put pregnancy plans on hold. I was so disappointed at first, but then realized that waiting to get pregnant would be better in terms of jobs and the possibility of me staying home (for good!!). So, I praised God for His hand in this and showing me that waiting would be better.

In November Shelby had to have tubes put in her ears. It was a simple procedure, but put a lot of stress and anxiety on both me and Justin. Everything went really well and she did great!!!

Things started going downhill after that: Shelby ended up with a double ear infection and was in the ER on Christmas Day, I had the flu, and now I have pinkeye. But to top it off, Justin and I were blessed with getting pregnant back in December...and then lost the pregnancy about three weeks ago. I was about seven weeks along. Based on the sonogram and my labwork it showed that there really wasn't a baby there in the first place. It only progressed for about two weeks and then everything stopped growing. We never saw the heartbeat, which is a blessing. Thankfully God has allowed me to not feel the loss of a baby, but the loss of the anticipation of having a baby. The saddest part is that I would've been due two days before my birthday...the best birthday present a girl could ask for.

So, surgery for me, surgery for Shelby, flu, double ear infection, misscarriage, and currently pinkeye. All in the past four months. It's been a tough time!! I know that God is here with us, and I know He has big plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."). And I have to keep my eyes on His promise. He always answers His promises, by providing us joy, contentment and peace. And I praise Him for that!!

Shelbyisms

I always love reading all of my friends' stories of the funniest and sweetest things their little kiddos say. Shelby is only 21 months, so her thoughts aren't quite yet coming to surface just yet. But, we have had some sweet "conversations" lately:

Driving home from work/school:
Me: "Shelby, what does a dog say?"
Shelby: (no comment...just a sweet smile and a slow shake of her head)
Me: "What does a cat say?"
Shelby: "No play Mommy", as she sticks her thumb in her mouth!!!
Me: laughing hysterically, "do you want some music?"
Shelby: "Yes"

Driving to work/school (this one melted my heart):
Justin: "Shelby, did you dream last night?"
Shelby: "Yes."
Justin: "What did you dream about?"
Shelby: "Mommy."

I am so looking forward to all of the funny moments that lie ahead!!! Keep sharing your conversations with your kids...they make my day!!

Out and About

We took advantage of the beautiful weather today and went on a hike at a local park we used to frequent.