in this mother's hood

2010-01-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

the phone call

I didn’t cry until Michael mentioned my wedding dress. Prior to that moment I was just stunned. I thought of furniture--a cozy recliner he bought to nurse my babies comfortably, an antique table we bought when we first married. I was still okay even as I remembered that the things we were passionate about, the things we used to unwind, were destroyed--golf clubs, recording equipment, sewing machines, craft supplies, pre-school books and materials for the kids. No, the piercing of my heart didn’t happen until we both remembered that the computer with all of our pictures of the kids’ births and first years was in the shed. When the realization occurred that symbols of all the memories we held dear were gone...early pictures of our parents, our honeymoon pictures, michael’s drawings, every piece of paper that proved he had a successful music career, and that he was celebrated as a songwriter, videos of our chidrens’ births that we had all worked hard to accomplish...As I inventoried our “stuff” in my mind and could no longer state, “that can be replaced,” ...that’s when I officially lost it.

grieving

One side of me kept saying...but the babies are okay. Michael’s okay. No one was hurt in the unexpected electrical fire that took down our shed and all of its’ contents. And it’s true. Things could have been MUCH, MUCH, MUCH worse. Our little house, 20 ft. from the shed, was untouched, even in the 40mph winds. After concluding the conference in San Francisco where I heard the news, I was able to fly home to the very alive, very comforting arms of my family. Hallelujah and Amen!
But a conversation I had with a friend months before kept replaying in my head. She told me how she never really grieved a tremendous loss she and her husband faced. That unresolved experience was still affecting her. And so she and her husband bravely did something about it. Now, if you were comparing her loss and mine, you’d vote for her. But loss is hard regardless and it was she who reminded me that grieving was important no matter how big or small of a deal it is that we lost a bunch of “things.” I think we did grieve, and may have a day or two left in us. Then we’ll be good. I imagine on birthdays (I used to watch my kids’ birth videos on their birthdays) I’ll be a little sad. I feel strongly though that part of life’s maturing process is to really feel those emotions we have without letting them paralyze us. Let the emotions fuel us and inspire us to respond positively, and maybe even with action. An action response, in this case, might be to remind families to back up all of their pics on CDs and put those CDs in a fire-safe box!!!

closer

I will never forget Michael kneeling next to me first time I went to see the damage. I had found my oldest’s scrapbook--the only one I made time to put together. As I dug through each of the pages fused together by an inferno, I clung to the idea that I would find something to keep. Amazingly enough, there was. And he sat there, silently, just holding any black, charred remnant I handed to him. The kids were running wild around the yard, and he still just sat with me. These are the moments that draw our hearts nearer to one another. Without that fire, I would not have experienced that tender moment with him, a moment that puts more cement on my allegiance to his kind heart. Gifts. These moments are gifts in our lives. And that moment is a new memory. One that wasn’t in the fire. One that didn’t get “burned up” to use my daughter’s description. So there you stinkin’, destroying blaze. You’re not going to break us. It’s rebuild time. We’ve really simplified now and we’re awarded a fresh start in a sense. We’ll feel sad when we have to but we will also keep moving forward and do a better job at preserving what we can from here.

Here are some images of the graveyard, so to speak. For whatever reason, getting to take these pictures was good for me. They’re not super-technically right or the perfect composition. They are really just necessary. Therapy. And you can believe they’re going in a fire-safe box. :)

Blog post...

2010-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

finally blogging again! more here soon, but you can go to
http://www.merakoh.com and click on the picture of Me Ra and myself to read where I posted on her blog!!!

thank y'all for your sweet comments!!

Big News

2010-01-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

It's time to update.
And I can think of no better way to do this...

Go here and see how my life has (IS GOING!) to change.

Un. Be. LIEV. Able.

Want to see?

Click me!

if you haven't heard from us lately...

2009-03-29T19:53:00.001-07:00

it's because we've been here.

and here takes a while...

but more frequently than the grocery store, we've been hanging out at the sunny (sonny?) porch inn. rather than explaining why an old frame house has been given such a fun name (my sister in law is much better at telling these stories!), i'll just tell you why we've been here.
you see...we're moving.

yes.

again.

but before you get all crazy, we're simply moving down the road. still in our sweet town.

to a two bedroom, 1 bath house.

and i'll tell you what, i couldn't be more excited!!
and that's the truth.

michael's parents are allowing us to do some work to a house that michael's grandfather built. and actually, the work started last summer when michael, his sisters, and their husbands and children gutted and cleaned the house. pregnant girl had to sit back and watch as they waded through what was left after the house had been abandoned by former tenants (70s?,80s?)...
"sonny porche" and his mama...

everyone has a part in re-doing the s.p.i. and it will eventually be used as a camp house for all. but until then, we are getting it ready to become our next home.
so that's where we've been. and we've been packing too. because we have a contract on our current home! it's nuts around here. i mean, nuts.
but here's the fun part. some of these pictures are for the sake of my sisters (in-laws)--to keep them tuned in while they're away. sit back, enjoy our progress!

painting the kitchen
(before)

(after)

we painted the cabinets. they're not really installed yet, just a peek at what's to come.

and the trim

a look outside...doc's territory

hello handsome
this is my husband pulling fence.
and being handsome.

and finally, the little troops.
what the sweetest baby in the world does while we work...

the toddlers for security from snakes club

2009-03-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

it's been a busy few weeks but we have definitely had some fun!

the carnival came to town for "Land of Leather" festival. we were anxious to see if the kids were interested. last year was a flop, but this year...

another story!

it was all we could do to hang on as lori threw herself on to the first ride!! in fact, i kept holding on to her and she kept pushing away my hands.
now, her brother?

just as excited with a little less ferocious intensity. this was his "warm up" ride. didn't even sit down even though dad held on. thus, displaying again, the difference between my first and second. but don't let this fool you.

he was ready for the boats. okay so they are VERY low to the ground. and his sister ran and dove into her seat. either way, he got on happy.

here they are, contemplating the kiddie roller coaster. at this point, they were begging to ride! i was very convinced lori meant every word, but nolan? would he really get on??

BELIEVE IT!! they rode this for the rest of the night!

we had the best time! did you, west?

affirmative!

2009-02-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

wanted to share some recent pics of my youngest.

unfortunately, the happiest smiles make for the blurriest pictures in babyland...all that arm dancing. as you see here, underneath all of that cloud is one stellar baby shot.

here's typical west. content. sweet. hanging out.

again, pretty typical. he's "talking" a lot now. i'm quite sure he is telling me how much he loves me in this shot. ;)

true confessions from a before-picture mom

2009-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

i've arrived.
no. not to that incredibly wise place where i know about important things and am confident in my decision-making. though that has happened, it has not happened often. just occasionally. semi-occasionally.
and i've especially not arrived to the place where people see me and think, wow, she's got it together. let me know if i do get there, by the way. we'll throw a party or something.
nope, i've arrived to the "before" picture-place.
you know when you've seen the before picture of the tired mom who looks like she's been working hard labor for some time? i guess there is a time or two where i sneak in an acceptable hair-do/outfit with some make-up to boot. but again, we're going to go with semi-occasionally. just think of the show "10 years younger" on TLC. those are the before shots to which i am comparing my arrival.
now, i'm not speaking of this because i'm proud. in fact, it's kind of a terrible discovery. and i'm less than thrilled that my discovery happened to me with an audience.
i was at a dps office in a nearby city. i wasn't planning on being at the dps, just there because the friendly bank teller reminded me that no money was mine to withdraw if i couldn't prove it was mine. and my expired license couldn't prove it. no problem...add an errand to the day's list.
at the dps, i met another friendly lady who reminded me i would be getting my picture re-taken.

slight panic attack-
"okay, really? i mean, is it that important? seriously, i wasn't prepared...my hair is in a pony tail and that's not normal-they won't recognize me (HA!), i just had a baby...PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE!!!!"

have i ever bothered to talk about how i hate having my picture taken? lots of stress there. just don't like it.

and to make it worse, not only did my new friend assure that YES i would be posing for my new license, she also started suggesting i spruce up. i believe it went like this,
"yes, every time you come in to our office, we take your picture."
smile.
"now, you want to do something?; take your hair down; try something else?"
hmmm.
i mean, i know i didn't exactly fix my hair that morning but there was some effort. besides, didn't you see the car seat i've got hanging from my arms??? i've got other, higher priorities than standing in front of the mirror. i'm molding my babies little minds, hearts, teaching them everything they know! i mean, for pete's sake, i am busy shaping the future!!!

okay now i'm just getting dramatic. but it's way more fun.

my friend just smiled. i laughed like i could care less and said, "what you see is what you get." (inside i was cringing)
and so that sneaky lady snapped that nasty camera.

i was speechless when she showed me the picture...my "before" picture...and now recorded, by the state of Texas, as my identity. what a great, amazing moment for me.

later that night, my beautiful, crazy daughter helped start the healing process. some show was on tv in the background. we weren't really paying attention so when lori started yelling, "Mama! Mama!," i thought she was actually talking to me. turns out, brooke shields, uh-hmmm, BROOKE SHIELDS, appeared on-screen and she was pointing to the tv. to be sure i knew what was happening, i said, "sissy, who is that?" she walked to the tv, pointed again, and said, "it's Mama!"

okay, beautiful child of mine, you can think that.
and if my sweet daughter thinks she saw the correct image of me, then maybe there is hope for an "after" picture.
i'll be sure to post that picture.
when i look like brooke shields.
try not to hold your breath.

and speaking of images, let me share a few of the crazy girl :) she makes us laugh more than i can mention. she loves dress up and you never know what you are going to get next. that's my girl.

(here she is modeling her brother's shoes and a net from the butterfly game)

here's the latest

2009-01-09T19:16:00.002-08:00

our youngest is 4 weeks old now. that is unbelievable.

here is what has been going on...

ignore some of the dates on a few pictures-we have issues with our camera.

getting his IV off so we could go home!!

the oldest two were so happy to see something in the car seat--it had been empty for a few weeks prior.
christmas--a sweet princess receives her crown. she was way excited about it all.

and daddy may have had something to do with this one.
he could not have been more thrilled. he drums E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. he makes drumsticks out of the most unlikely objects. he talks to his dad about ben, the drummer, whenever he's playing. this was a good day for him.

just plain cute.

how we do breakfast.

bath time!

part of our traditional photo shoot to get a birth announcement picture. these didn't make the cut but they're still cute, yes?

our baby is a smiler! he is a wonderful, precious baby. our easiest but don't tell the other two... it's still kind of fresh for them. we're all in love!

Introduction

2008-12-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Meet Westley Hardin

"West"

December 10th

8:45pm

So much intensity, so many prayers and blessings in three days-
let me tell you a story...

Our little man was due December 11th. Though I hadn't reached my due date, nearing it that closely was starting to disappoint me. Why do so many pregnant women feel as though they are the ones who won't really have to wait that long? I was just sure I would be in labor before that Thursday hit.

(My nieces and nephew...not knowing in a few hours, i'd be in labor-

oops, Caleb is about to deliver!)

Set on not being induced, I decided I had to change my mindset. Instead of expecting to go into labor, I tried switching to "what's a due date anyway? mode." Well the Lord indulged me and, at 1:35am on December 10th, I woke from some harder contractions. By 6am I was starting to think this might be the real thing--remember, I had been induced with my first two babies so going into labor on my own was new. After a call in to the o.b. nurse to ask some questions, I told Michael I really think we ought to take the kids to their grandparents and get checked. I had been at a 3 for a few weeks--when the nurse checked I was at a 4 but not progressing very fast. We decided to go home and labor there. I waited all day for my contractions to get closer together. While the pain was intense, the minutes between contractions dragged. One of my dearest friends encouraged me to get checked again. This time, we were at a 6. She and her mom gave me a little pep talk. I desperately wanted to deliver this baby with no medicine and my resolve was dwindling. They were just what I needed at that moment. My dr. sent me to the hospital and boy did things pick up from there. (about 6:30ish pm)

I need to sum up now...I've just realized you're getting more than you bargained for in this little post.

(ignore the date on pics--checked in to hospital. looking good, eh?)

Basically, in a short time, I asked for an epidural, then denied the epidural, got to an 8, decided to keep going, dr. broke my water, experienced the most amazing and amazingly painful process I've ever been a part of, and had my son, my third child, naturally, at 8:45pm. Whew.

My biggest baby--21.25 in

7lbs, 13 oz.

After a night of the baby "high," we found out at 6am the next morning there were some concerns with West. His body temperature kept dropping, his heart rate was dropping and irregular, he wouldn't nurse, he was very lethargic. The dr. came and ordered several tests. There was some drama with his IV--until our dr. saved the day again--his white blood cell count was high but x rays were clear and after lunch, he started nursing again.

It looked like antibiotics were doing something good. Confidence was building. We wouldn't have blood tests back for a few days so we waited. By the end of that night, we were feeling better. West was kept under a warmer with a heart monitor and remained one on one with a nurse. This continued through the next day. He continued to improve in nursing and all outward signs looked good. Good color, good temperatures. Today, he was able to come out from the warmer and spend a little time in the room with me. He maintained good temps and is nursing like a champion. He's a gassy little man but we'll take that at this point. Oh, and no sign of allergies like my other babies so far! YEA! I've seen a normal baby stool for the first time as a mother! (That part is huge, trust me). So tomorrow, we officially get results from blood cultures and discuss our options. Those of you who knew of the situation have been praying hard and I can't thank you enough. I've said many times in the past few days...our Lord is faithful to His promises. Even if things hadn't started picking up like they did, He is still faithful. There are so many ways we've watched His hands unfold what He wants us to experience with or without knowing why. He's brought comfort in all situations.
And in the past couple of days, He's brought us this...

(taken today!)

More of "this" coming soon

Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and calls. As soon as things get a little more regular, we will be more proactive in making many of the personal phone calls that you deserve. Until then, know that we've felt all that you have sent our way.

time to catch up

2008-11-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

it's about time you heard from us--
do you find yourself wondering how on earth it is possible that we are almost in december? i wrote a post bidding goodbye to summer, discussing the newness of fall and change, etc. i decided that being two days from thanksgiving precluded me from ever using it here. too bad because it was kind of cute. and it was to coincide with the unveiling of my new "fallish" blog design by vanessa at butterfly sparks designs. consider the blog officially unveiled...i've always had good intentions. anyway, this year has proven true to the armstrong way of life... many changes, preparing for another baby, all of the fun things that happen when you are a part of this family!
this isn't going to be fancifully written or clever post. it's just going to be an update. i've held out on you regarding our life's happenings but you're going to get it all now. be excited ;)

we're still here in beautiful yoakum!

(sunset from my in-laws drive)
well, i guess "we" is debatable. michael did take a job as a worship pastor in humble (n.e.houston) and has been there since april. our home never sold though, and the pastor who hired michael took an out of state position about four months into michael's start. michael usually stays in houston about 4.5 days a week and is in yoakum 2.5 days. the hard part is when he can't come home in between and has to stay away for 10 days at a time. we were visiting houston a bunch...actually had an apartment for a bit until a contract on our yoakum house fell through. but after cancelling the apt. and being only weeks from my due date, the kids and i have not made the trip. this is not a lifestyle we were counting on but is it ever? i mean to say, everybody has something they are not counting on but has to deal with... the Lord is faithful to His promises and there have been many blessings in the adjustments that have had to be made.
one is that we are still in yoakum! i can't say enough how much this little town means to us. with michael's work situation still in transition, we are unsure about our future. we are in constant prayer for clarity, patience in timing, and good decision making. but we are sure enjoying our home in between. i think we all feel so much a part of this community, including the kids. speaking of...
we're getting big. let's do a year in review of pictures. and yea, i said year. we're going back to march. don't know if you recall of my grumblings about my camera and computer. well i have my precious macbook now and can download to my heart's content. brace yourselves. we're starting at easter.

easter

mowing the lawn like daddy--he did that for an hour straight

my girl...always a mess, always fun

how we do sippy cups in the country...michael found her like this one day

our first harvest in the garden...one of our favorite evening activities was picking the garden. after growing tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, lettuce, we were able to can lots of pickles and homemade salsa!

first trip to the zoo...lori screamed in delight the whole time

a new haircut (matching? haircuts...lori still has no hair!) and a new hiding spot

tom-tom festival in yoakum--the kids participated in the kiddie parade with their mother's day out program. our group's theme was nursery rhymes and so my precious children represented baa baa black sheep and jill, of "jack and jill." kylie, my niece, was also in the parade--mary, mary. aren't they sweet?

the big tom-tom parade--uncle tommy (and the parade coordinator) poses for this picture every year

found--michael saved the sweetest kitten in our yard. we named her bella and brought her to live with michael's parents. (away from the highway!) she grew a little bit and we found out she was a fella, so we re-named him. Fella Kitty is lori's favorite "toy" at her doc and doe's house.

lori--about as accurately as i can describe her personality without using words

another baby growing...finally taking a picture of the third!

crave--and speaking of the third, if i could have had this meal every day of this pregnancy, i would have. it's pho-a vietnamese noodle soup but with so much flavor. and salad rolls dipped in peanut sauce (chili paste mixed in for heat). i couldn't have this often because vietnamese noodle places don't thrive in this town and b/c of my son's allergy to peanuts. but after our two day trip to vegas (one last getaway!) we ate this in austin. i was so happy i took this picture. best meal of my life, right there folks.

beach--the babies first time. we visited our amazing friends in lake jackson. one week later, hurricane ike would hit this exact spot in freeport.

the wild woman--just as much spunk, this time with a little more hair on her head

the boy--happiness is concentrating on things...my phone for example, and listening for the baby in my belly.

and on that note, the boy is now potty trained! here he is enjoying a victorious day at the toilet. ice cream...

let's not skip halloween--at the houston church's fall festival. it was a stretch but aren't they the cutest, caucasian dora and diego you've ever seen? we tried...the wig staying on my daughter's head for more than 10 min should have merited some kind of award...

and so, we get to november...

an adorable cowgirl and cowboy

a new, little cowboy on the way...(see the belly)

and a mama and daddy who couldn't be more proud!

i mentioned not planning our lives like this. we also didn't plan having three babies, aged 2 and under (okay, so nolan will be 3 in jan. and lori will be 2 in mar...but when this baby is born, i will definitely have three kids aged 0, 1, and 2). but you guessed my next sentence...wouldn't have it any other way! i've never felt more purposeful or more blessed than i have becoming these babies' mother. thanks for sharing our year with us. it's been an adventure. and there is more coming. i'll try to keep you a little more updated should we officially move. until then, y'all enjoy your upcoming celebrations--and stay posted for the newest armstrong! the official due date is 16 days from now, dec. 11th. love to you all!

good read

2008-11-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

save me some time...i was busy trying to think of a blog to write that made me sound super smart. then i read my a friend of ours' blog. he actually is really smart and a genius writer. i'm giving up now and just linking you directly to a well-functioning brain. enjoy! (his nov 5th entry)
home anywhere

in progress

2008-11-03T05:10:00.000-08:00

working on freshening things up a bit...
more soon!

until then, enjoy the new look courtesy of my friend, vanessa, at butterfly sparks designs
isn't she amazing???

more about the potty-kind of.

2008-10-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

so...you just have to hear this story. or maybe you don't. maybe this is funny to me because it's my child and no one else will think this is humorous. hmm...either way...

keep in mind that froggy is nolan's "lovey." froggy has slept with nolan almost since his birth. froggy is one of those square, little blankets with an animal head in the center. you know what i'm talking about?

alright, so it's about 6am and nolan persists on his new habit...coming to my room, waking me--and telling me he has to go potty--when all he really wants is for me to get up with him. he is not supposed to get out of bed until the sun is up. being the genius he is, he knows The Potty will get him what he wants.
and i give in again. because i just have no defenses at 6am people. you want me to agree to something? wake me about then and start asking. i'm yours for another good hour...
we are in the bathroom and he exclaims, "no, mommy, this potty won't work."
excuse me?
"this potty won't work, mommy; we have to go to the other potty."
sigh, walk to the other potty...remember, NO defenses.
upon arrival he tells me that i need to go first. no problem, 33 wks pregnant, third child in less than three years, i can go at any second.
when i'm done, i demand that he goes so we can get back to bed (i started waking up a little--but still, demand is probably too strong a word. it's still only like 6:07am)
at this point, he starts toward the toilet with froggy in his hands. i ask him to give me froggy so that our little, green friend experiences no natural disasters. nolan says,
"no, mommy, froggy gotta go."
"nope, nolan, i will hold froggy, you go."
we repeat.
finally,
"no, mommy! froggy gotta go POTTY!"
sigh again. give in again as i finally understand. froggy going potty was one of our desperate first attempts (several months ago) at getting the boy interested in the toilet. we'd hold froggy up to the seat and pretend he was going.
thus, nolan's idea that froggy now has to go.
very seriously, he takes froggy from me. with a purposeful lift of his chin, he holds that frog at just the right angle and waits patiently.
i mean seriously, like a minute goes by.
all of sudden, he hands me the frog and looks at me with a less serious, somewhat silly expression (as if this whole froggy charade was my idea), and says,
"oh no, mommy, froggy not going potty. froggy don't have a booty!"
and with that observation/exclamation, he climbs up on the toilet seat and completes his original plan.

it was kind of worth it though, 6am and all. thank God for the funny stuff. that's the fuel for motherhood isn't it? that and the sweet stuff. love those babies...

My vote is for the poop ;)

2008-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am currently debating something of great importance.

Was I more excited at seeing my son's first steps or at the realization that he (for the first time), of his own volition and unbeknownst to me, ran to the potty and pooped?
He's been peeing and pooping by himself now for about four days (on the condition that I leave him naked all day...details, details...). He's peed and pooped at my in-laws. He peed and pooped for my mom when she visited. I even checked on him tonight, a while after he went to bed. He was laying there awake. I saw his pants and wondered why I put them on backwards and didn't notice. And then he tells me that he went pee pee. And I believed him with all of my heart.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM SAYING TO YOU?????!!! (And yes, I am well aware that all caps means I am yelling.) DO YOU, DO YOU???!!
MY SON MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ALMOST (and now i'm totally whispering because i don't want to jinx it) p o t t y t r a i n e d.

Anyway, I can't talk about it too much because I just cannot believe it. I REALLY was preparing myself for having three children in diapers. I mean, when we officially have three children in our arms, they will still all be under the age of 3. And the oldest, well, he's my emotional one. Very emotional about all things, including relieving himself in a diaper vs. the toilet.
Until now.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All of this to say, I believe I have been more taken aback, more in awe than I was when he walked for the first time. Is that like total mom heresy? Sorry to disappoint anyone. I'd love to know your vote--have you had children that learned to use the potty? Where do you stand on this debate?

The Motherland Adventure

2008-09-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

**There are actually pictures included in this post! Read on...**

so, hi…it’s been a while…blah, blah, blah.
For today’s blogging entry, I promise not to whine and complain about not being able to download pictures from my camera. I won’t even mention my sweet but memory-challenged mac mini. But since I have brought that up, will you pause while I take care of something that has been weighing on my mind?
Dear Mr. Steve Jobs and your entire Mac world staff and friends,
Could you please, please release your new Macbooks to the civilians? Didn’t the rumor leak that it would be the end of September? Aren’t we getting dangerously close to October? Any closer and those numbers on the calendar are going to run right into one another! I’ve been saving up for one for a really, really long time. In fact, it took birthing two children and the IRS check we earned for pushing them into the world to save up. That IRS reward check is practically disintegrated in my hot, little hands and I need to use it now! Please understand my concern.
Sincerely,
Your growing-more-impatient-with-each-passing-day-but-faithful-Mac-customer.
p.s. Macs forever

Oh my gosh, I feel better. Thanks for pausing.
Like I was saying,
In the spirit of not complaining, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. I used my handy new phone (b/c YES another phone of mine broke—the LCD display just decided to heck with all of these numbers and went out. I had NOTHING to do with this and NO I don’t have your number. Again.) to take pictures and email them to myself. From email, I can snag them like Swiper (what-you don’t watch Dora? Weird.) and post them on my blog without my computer memory ever knowing. So sneaky I am.
Ahem-what I’m trying to say with all of this is, we’re not going to complain today. We’re going to talk a little Texas history, folks. Yep. Things you should know about this state. Texas history was one of my favorite subjects. And while Ms. Boone wouldn’t have guessed it, I particularly loved reading about early Czech settlers (my family). Did you know that, at some point, the Czech language was the third most spoken language in Texas? You care. I know you do. Anyway, I wasn’t planning on being able to share the next story with you but it became an adventure. I am delighted to have something to blog about, pictures to accompany the post, and to share a piece of my own family’s history!
You see, my sister in law moved with her family to Costa Rica…their next stop for a few years or so. Someone is coming to Yoakum today to load the car to be shipped. The car had more gas than the company would allow, and, after a few attempts at getting people to siphon gas from the car (would have done it myself like the guy at the full-service station suggested, but my siphoning techniques are underdeveloped, to say the least) I decided we would take advantage, spend some gas, and go on an adventure. One diaper/wipes/triscuits/cheese/sippy cups/sonic tea-with-lime run later, we were on our way to the Motherland…

My husband grew up in Yoakum. The cool thing about that, not to mention what made up the jist (sp?) of our first-ever conversation, is that my family helped settled land not too far from Yoakum in an area called Moravia. The subject of our day’s adventure!

My great-great grandfather came to Moravia (named after the REAL motherland-Czechoslovakia--it's not a city or even a town really. my grandmother used to say, in its' present state, it's more like a community) in like 1887, or 1870 something…help me familly! In helping to settle that area, he (my family) helped build a Catholic church among a few other things. The church is still there, with an attached cemetery, of course, and still holds masses from time to time. Sometimes, they even have polka masses. For all of my non-Czech friends, that means that they sing the songs to polka tunes and if the priest can do so, he’ll speak in Czech.
So, I decided my children needed to see the ol’ place. And they wanted to see it too, I’m just sure of it. I had to stop once and check my directions at a gas station in Halletsville, and with one more assurance from a TX D.O.T. guy on an old FM road, we drove up to this.

Ascension Catholic Church in Moravia. My grandmother (as I’m sure many other members of my family) was born here (okay, maybe not IN the church but somewhere really close by…), baptized here, sang in the choir here, taught school right around here, married here? (help me again!)

Remember, this was taken on an iphone!
I’ve been here before but was unable to go in. They don’t just leave special, historical places unlocked y’all. But this time, even though the doors were locked, they left the inside doors open and we could see most of the church. I can’t believe this picture came out…I was holding my phone to the glass.
Look closely. REALLY closely. See that chandelier hanging in the center of the aisle? My great grandparents donated that chandelier to the church. The crystal chandelier was brought from Czechoslovakia; my grandmother told me once that the crate in which it arrived was what she used for a closet as a girl. Isn’t that cool?
Next on the adventure list, we needed to go find the headstones of our ancestors buried in the attached cemetery. I did my best to keep my children off of people’s gravesites. I really did. And when Lori started picking up pretty flowers from tombstones, I also did my best not to yell too loudly or act too brashly among those peacefully resting. But, as it turns out, a graveyard

is just not suited for children to whom death is not even a concept. I decided to skip the lecture on respect and allow them to throw rocks. But only on the sidewalks. They finally complied. Sweet, respectful children.
Okay so here was one of the areas marked out for my family.

And you thought my maiden name was tough. This side of the family only got one vowel! And, if I remember another story correctly, this vowel was included only after the typical insertion as new immigrants got off the boat and became Americans. When I got married, I kept the vowels to a minimum like my maiden name. Good job, Michael, for helping me keep it close to home.
We found all of the rest of our family in that cemetery and I decided it was time to record this historical moment. After all, here I was, generations later, with my own children. It was time for pictures.
My sweet, respectful children tried to cooperate. Their little toddler hearts wanted me to have this memory to treasure…but this was about all I could manage.

Lori has decided that looking at the camera is just not in her contract anymore.

this one got a little closer.

at this point, long past lunch time and bordering on nap time, I figured we’d had enough. My children were champions though, and after changing a really nasty diaper of Lori’s, we were back in the car for the ride home.
And then, it hit me. That 32 oz sonic-tea-with-lime. My, only 11 weeks from delivering, heck of a pregnant belly rested oh-so-heavily on my bladder, ensuring that I needed to do something quickly. (Did I mention that Moravia is an AREA...not a town with public restrooms?) So...for decency's sake and for respect of the motherland, I will leave out this next part of the adventure.
As we turned to get back on the FM road I first mentioned, I realized we couldn’t leave without passing by Moravia Store. Another Texas historical marker. Read about it…

This place is famous y’all. And here is where the high profiles enter—a side entrance so as not to be confused with the regular folk.
Hee hee, I just took this as a tribute to my husband. Playing in halls like this is how he honed his musical gifts. He knows all about those side entrances, oh yes he does…being high profile and all…

And thus, as we drove home toward the sunset, filled with the memories of how "they became us", our adventure ended…after one stop at a feed store, of course, since I decided to go home a different way. I couldn’t have called it an adventure if I didn’t do something risky, right? And besides, the empty gas light on the way home was proof that all of the driving was worth it. The car can be shipped now! Thank you, my in-laws, for sponsoring this adventure!

please...

2008-09-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

dear friends,
would you join me in a few prayers?
first, thanking God that my family is well after hurricane ike--michael rode out the storm with a friend while we were in yoakum. my mother and stepfather (and aunt, cousin and 2nd cousin) had a scare as the flooding came close to entering their home. my brother and sister in law had only a little damage (and they already have power!). my sister and her fiance were able to leave town, my dad and stepmother are well, all of my mother's family live on the coast and are well, and finally, our close friends (they literally live in the exact spot where ike entered land) were able to evacuate safely and find shelter elsewhere!
as far as clean up, we'll be praying that my mom's water and power are restored quickly-that they can continue to clean the yard/uprooted trees and the area surrounding them, that my mom's family and our friends, who all live on the coast, return to reparable damage, and that energy/work crews are able to sustain all of the hours/setbacks, etc that they will encounter.
we have a good God--i am so thankful that, just as He allowed this hurricane, He allowed many of the mercies that we experienced in it as well.

thanks so much for your thoughts!!

guess what?

2008-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

guess what we're having!?

we found out mid-july but have been a little slow sharing the news with you...

WELCOME LITTLE MAN!

daddy's little man

2008-07-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

just had to share...
my mother-in-law sent this picture to me. we have all but camped out at michael's parents' house, celebrating the fact that michael's oldest sisters and their children are in town! this is a once a year occurrence and we're thrilled to be here for it.
especially thrilled because of moments like these...caleb and nolan rocking out. (i need to get a picture of ALL of the grandkids).

don't think nolan has missed one beat (hee hee) of what his daddy does. every time we ride in the car he asks to listen to daddy's music. he accompanies himself on the drums (vacuum cleaner attachments) while singing "jesus loves me," among other favorites. he also likes to play the piano and hammer out the rhythm of whatever he sings (often "abc's" on piano).
you can only imagine one proud daddy on the receiving end of this music!

a celebration

2008-07-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

hey everybody. still here. i've been trying to think of creative ways to say hello after such an absence-- but after going through this thought process once each month (for about 12 months now), my ideas are a little stale. there's always..."back from the blogging dead!"...while it's true, it's just not the impression i want to leave. "there's just so much to write..." is always tempting but too plain and too common for us all. i've considered "how do i start?" and "you still there?" in the end, i should probably just stick to, "we've got news." because that is ALWAYS the case and, no matter how often the title is used, it remains somewhat intriguing. i can't tell you all of the news this time, though. yes, very mean of me but...not yet. all i can say is that we are on a ride that, if it were written down, i don't know if people would believe it. the armstrongs kind of exist in transition and it is safe and accurate to say we're still there. and keeping up with the everyday (or the "not-so" everyday that happens when you live in transition) has taken all of my reserve creativity, leaving my blogging ideas...well, like i said, stale.

SO. tonight, to enter back into the blogging society, i'm taking advantage of our recent holiday. you're getting a quick thought and a few july fourth pics. i still don't have enough memory to download any pictures from my camera. BUT, my wonderful mother-in-law has emailed me her pictures. with a little dragging action from email to iphoto, i can finally share!

july fourth is one of my top 3 holidays...i love seeing our flag, thinking about what it took to become the United States, imagining life or living with the mindset of being a brand-new country. our church totally catered to my patriotism and celebrated God's birthing of our nation this past sunday. i have to admit, i was a little concerned--even though i love a celebration, i'm not big on "shows" during church. God's word carries enough show for anyone and is more than sufficient. of course, my amazing husband feels the same way, and since he and his team were in charge of many things, they worked to remain God-honoring and to produce a grateful-for-God's work-in-our-nation worship service. the Lord completed their efforts; it was beautiful. the church also welcomed colonel oliver north as a guest speaker. i know that colonel north is a controversial figure...some doubted whether it was appropriate to have him there or not. i was completely impressed as he spoke to everyone, listing his most important title as "child of God." he had WONDERFUL, biblical things to say and of course, the way he wove in true stories about current and past soldiers left me in...well, awe.

now to my thought. i was able to sit in the front row of the service b/c of a seat michael saved for me. in fact, it was right next to colonel north. again, i know some of you may not a fan of his, but my very high respect for the military was in full force. i was "starstruck" by the real-life colonel in the united states armed forces, who has breathed war all of his life and currently gives air to soldiers doing amazing things RIGHT NOW in battle, sitting very humanly :), in the seat next to mine. he's not even tall! isn't that a requirement of a colonel? i was too chicken to shake his hand even though some people behind him were teasing him about the lint on the back of his jacket. and he was laughing with them. anyway, still chickening out, i pinched myself with a little pep talk, reminding that, ultimately, all of this was about Jesus. and then, i thought about Jesus. and i thought about sitting right next to Him in those chairs. and i thought, not only would i not have to be scared to talk to him, this amazing, awe-inspiring SAVIOR OF THE WORLD would turn to me, call me by name and totally let me hug Him. in fact, He'd probably hug me first! and for the rest of the service (and now), all i can think of is how little ol' me can know Big Time Jesus. i am baffled. and, more than most things, i really hope you know Big Time Jesus too. because in the midst of all that we have going on that i still can't tell you about, knowing Him and being known is an irreplacable feeling.

lori and "doe" are working on some of the best strawberry ice cream i've ever eaten in my whole life. turns out lori likes salted ice.

"doc" definitely had the right idea.

amazing the difference a year makes. until recently, nolan ran from sticks with flying sparks.

good job on all of the explosives, daddy.

2008-05-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

**to enhance this entry, click on the play button under hallelujahs. the author of this entry apologizes for not being able to manipulate the simple act of "autoplay."**

when i saw my third child, i was overwhelmed that God did this for us (Himself!) again. one of my favorite artists gets close to describing my feelings. of course, one of my other favorite artists (my husband!) and i came up with another verse. forgive us, chris, for adding what we feel is a great addition to your original.

(Oh tiny heart that beats new life
A soul is born deep inside
A mother's love knows new heights
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs) the armstrongs

A purple sky to close the day
I wade the surf where dolphins play
The taste of salt, the dance of waves
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs

A lightning flash, my pounding heart
A breaching whale, a shooting star
Give testimony that you are
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs

Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can't be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

O cratered moon and sparrow's wings
O thunder's boom and Saturn's rings
Unveil our Father as you sing
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs

Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can't be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

The pulse of life within my wrist
A fallen snow, a rising mist
There is no higher praise than this
And my soul wells up
O my soul wells up
Yes my soul wells up with hallelujahs

Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can't be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

O hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

in a month...

2008-04-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

i am very aware that the span of time between these posts is increasing with each month. the truth is, both literally and figuratively, i have been searching for words. (that, and my kitchen has been a mess and i just can't think when my kitchen is a mess) literally speaking...i am unable to blog with pictures right now because of more computer issues. this time it's a memory availability thing. seriously, has it taken that many pictures to record the last couple of years??? we're in the process of transferring them all to a separate hard drive to free up more space. in fact, we've already done so but are too afraid to hit delete on this computer without doing a second back up on cd. because i haven't been scrapbooking, these pictures are the ONLY documentation we have of birthing and raising our children. but now i've trailed and am missing the point. let's head back...
figuratively speaking...it has taken this month to put into words what we have going on. and i am not sure i have them yet but i am ready to try. i have been feeling a little stunned, a little weary, very blessed in the middle of it all, but also in need of finding my way back "home," so to speak. home is an interesting word-to everyone i'm sure-and very much for this family. and lately, the Lord has decided to firmly nail down a lesson for me about home...this time He wants to make sure i get it right.

many of you know, we've experienced much transition in the short six years we've been married: five homes, five cities, and no-kids to two-babies in fourteen blurred months. and with each life-changing event, admittedly, i remember thinking, "ooh, when we..., this and this will happen and that will make us happy." and certain things did, but i should have remembered a line from our favorite movie, "Lonesome Dove." lori is convinced that going to san francisco is the only thing that will make her happy. she keeps waiting for "someday." and in the way that only gus could, he smiles at her and says, "lori, life in san francisco is still just life." except with a little more drawl and wisdom than i can relay using this keyboard. it's true, gus. life stayed trapped in all of the boxes we've moved around the country. those boxes kept some of our good habits but a lot of our bad ones too. and while some of the more recent boxes kept our kids' monumental moments, they also kept their tantrums and their bad days as well.
and now, all around us, change is swirling again. but this time, one part of the change was a little harder to take. and with the realization that life in ... is still just life, this time, there was some heartbreak involved.

that's right. we have news. lots of it. and i'll tell you all about it but i need to make a point first.

so, as i'm driving from shiner to yoakum with my kids in tow, my heart starts melting as my son and daughter are giggling at eachother, trying to keep the sun out of their eyes. in fact, they are giggling so hard my daughter is now belly laughing with that tongue out. and in the moment nolan tries to outdo his sister's reaction, i think of how many times i've actually looked in the rearview and melted. and it occurs to me that, no matter where this car is driving, hearing them together like this will always be home. and then i start thinking, if that's true, then there are a million places that are also home--like seeing my husband on the floor with both of our babies hurling themselves at him, yelling, "tickle, daddy, tickle!" and watching nolan take lori's hand to walk her to the table to eat. and seeing my husband walk in the door after work and being so thankful he's there. and helping nolan as lori tries unrelentlessly to shove her toothbrush into his mouth while i'm brushing his teeth. she thinks it's hilarious and laughs with that tongue out some more. and watching our children love on their grandparents. and, and, and...and by this time, i'm bawling in the front seat. because, it also occurs to me, that these are things that will happen no matter where we go or even if we're in a transition period. and i don't have to be sad, anxious, or worried about "home" even though i am going to have to transition out of a place i dearly love.
because we are...in another transition. but because of those moments in the car, now i'm happy to tell you about it. ready?

(just for fun, let's start with this...it's kind of become a tradition!)
the armstrongs have news.

in fact, in a much older post, i mentioned that anytime we have news, it's either moving or babies.
well, try this one on for size, folks.
we're moving! AND we're having another baby! (to disclaim--absolutely NONE of the heartbreak had to do with having another baby. only with leaving here and not being able to raise our newest member of the family here)

whew-it's finally out there. do you feel better? i think i do.

i know, i know...

i told you that i was having a little trouble in this transition period, more so than in the others. besides being heartbroken about yoakum, i was also a little sheepish to mention another move. after all, most people kind of laughed at the first three and then started saying, "seriously?" at the next two--so who knows what you're all thinking now! and that's okay. God allows us to see things in so many circumstances...some people have money issues, some people, sicknesses, but everybody's got something. we've got moves and transitions and the Lord has revealed more things to us in each place than we could have ever comprehended in one city. especially here in this tiny town. (and i'll rabbit trail here too to tell you why leaving yoakum will be no easy task. we have watched our babies grow into toddlers here--lori's walking by the way!--have watched our garden grow--zucchini, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers!--have done some serious cow studying, have been able to spend SO much time with ALL of our family, and have made some dear, precious friends. and i just plain love living in a teensy weensy town.) but now it's time to move on. to humble, that is. humble, the "h" is silent, by the way, is located in the far, northeastern stretches of houston. used to be an old oil city...now it's still kind of an old city but with new city things everywhere and a church called Humble Area's First Baptist Church (not to be confused with FBCH--houston, of course). after certain job circumstances, some deep heart searching, and the recognition that, as trite as it sounds, God is working in our lives beyond our control, michael is going back full-time onto a church staff. he is an executive pastor over all media ministry, and is the worship pastor. he's been there for several weeks and comes home when it's possible unless we visit him there. and he is still trying to wrap up helping the church in austin. so on sundays, he plays in humble and drives to austin for the evening service, then back to yoakum for a day, then back to houston for work. did i mention this transition is a little tricky? we are praying our home sells quickly so that we can join him. it's no surprise but it's amazing how much you can see not having their dad at home affects the babies.
and speaking of babies, The Lord has put another sweet one right there in my womb again. in fact, nolan and lori mauled me this evening looking for that baby in my tummy. nolan finally decided that he, too, had a baby in his tummy, and since we were at it, he said so did sissy. without revealing a few personal details, it's no slight miracle that we're pregnant. so, again, we were a little surprised but no less joyful. here are a few facts for you. when this baby is born (very early december), nolan will still be 2! can you believe that? but lori and sweet, new baby will be about 21 months apart. i know it won't be cake but i feel more ready for that challenge after a 14 month difference. i'm sure there are things in store that i can't imagine. and that's good. because finding those things out as they happen is certainly home too!

and that, my friends, has been our life for the past month (or longer...). i know i haven't called, i haven't written. every last bit of energy has gone into sorting out the swirl around us. (i also haven't called because i lost a third phone in three months and, no matter how many times you think you've given it to me, i do NOT have your number!) forgive me!

i hope that your homes, be they changing dirty diapers, potty training, fixing meals, or the furthest reaches from mommyhood, are well and are very present in your hearts. now that i am on the road back to "home," i'd love to hear where you are "living" right now.

and check in every now and then. maybe things will start picking up weekly around here instead of monthly! until then, take care!

go here

2008-03-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

you should click on this link and see something really, really sweet.
my baby had her pictures made--thanks anna!--and these are the previews! (she's march 24th, on her blog)

more scenes from the life of the happiest 1 yr old!

2008-03-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

did i mention she makes the best faces? keep scrolling after this post to check out more of my one year old.

the sweetest surprise

2008-03-22T19:50:00.001-07:00

a year (and, er, um, several weeks) ago, we received the sweetest little surprise. in our arms, that is. we first found out about our miracle surprise when "bubba" was the wee age of 5 months old. the emotional transition we experienced at the time was expansive. no, expansive is not the word i am looking for. i'm just trying to say we felt A LOT of things. of course, we were unsure of what all of "this" would be...i mean, a "more than one child-really close in age" family and all. you know, two sets of, well, everything. except diapers :) don't laugh at my girl for wearing the same size diaper as my boy. she's a growing little stud-ette, you know. it takes a lot of food to try to chase after a brother who has the advantage of using his feet FLAT on a floor (we're not quite walking just yet). and the boy eats a lot but his weight gain is much more steady these days.
anyway, like i was saying...we were unsure...

but then the surprise came in the gift of this beautiful baby girl. and the surprise was not just her existence, but also her extreme joyfulness, her ability to passionately love, even at a tiny age, her unstoppable smile, her silliness (how do you spell silliness? sillyness?) and the joy she brings out in the people she encounters.
she is radiant and so huggable and i am SO THANKFUL for the Lord's all-knowing wisdom in giving her to us when He did. true, parts of "this" life make up some of the hardest times i've ever experienced. how much more worth it, then, does it feel on this end of the surprise.

look at my beautiful newborn

and now, she's 1! and as joyfully-silly as you can imagine.

Monumental stuff

2008-03-05T02:44:00.000-08:00

two years is a really long time. can you imagine getting something for two years?? like two years of free gasoline or two years of free haircuts, or free meals, or free pedicures...facials...spa treatments... oh, excuse me. ahem, two years.
or worse, what if you had the flu for two years? that would really stink and would really feel like a drag.

so when i think back to where i was two years ago (okay, two years and two months...i'm behind-what's new?), i just can't believe we're here already. REALLY, all of a sudden we have a very "grown up" two year old boy. where on earth did he come from?! (from where on earth did he come...i know i know. why can't i just write on this blog without that pesky english teacher popping in my head? seriously.)

see, he started out like this. this tiny, precious package that my favorite doctor in the world delivered and handed to my husband and me.

we made it through the first year...you're a champion, Nolan!

and celebrated this adorable personality that grew from the original tiny package.

2 years

2008-03-05T02:41:00.000-08:00

And now--he calls me mom. "What's dat, mom?" "Where daddy, Mom?" "You der (there) Mom?" (He goes around knocking on doors, windows saying, "You der?"

MOM? Ummm, last time I checked, I was "Mommy" and sometimes a sweet little "Mama" but now, MOM? I'm not ready to be "MOM."
He walks, he runs, he eats by himself (unless he's in a mood), he has preferences
and expresses them well, he counts, he sings, he plays on the computer, he loves (and beats, simultaneously) his sister, brushes his teeth, takes off his clothes, and does not stop talking. I mean, I know it's basic stuff, but where did he learn all of this? When did we get here?!

And would you believe that in two days my daughter will be one? more on her later.

With awe, I wish you a happy birthday, Nolie (that's what he calls himself). Man, I love this boy.

speaking of preferences, his would be suckers. at all times. so he got one for breakfast on his birthday. and he was happy.

and then he got his first pair of boots and a belt buckle because no self-respecting south texan can go without such things. did you know?

he loved having his family visit.

he loved the "ooh, fire mom!, fire! so hot, mom, so hot."

and this celebration would not have been the same without those crazy balloons!

a different season

2008-02-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

alright, there is so much we need to catch up on. hair dos, birthdays, baseball...
(technically, there is so much on which we need to catch up--ms. former english teacher--but either way, let's start here)

y'all know what baseball means to me.

actually, maybe you don't. maybe you haven't a clue as to why i'm so enthralled by the greatest sport on the planet. or why i named my son after the greatest baseball player in world history. okay, then...backing up just a tiny bit further...

you know those great moments you have stored in your head of you as a kid? (how about that for some educated grammar!) wherever you picture yourself, the sun is shining, the grass is really, really green, and you are completely free from all of the concerns you have right now, sitting at your computer and reading this. well, i happen to be in my front yard. my dad is pitching to my brother and my mom is throwing with me. don't know if my sister is born yet, but let's say she is in order to complete the romantic picture i'm painting. we'll say she's crawling after the balls we're hitting. safely, of course. no balls ever actually hit her because that wouldn't make this picture romantic at all. just bloody, and that's a mess we get to opt out of when we're picturing the good ole' days in our heads.
we are practicing all day because all of us are in some type of baseball/softball league. by the way, i'd like to add that i'm sure my brother and i were just instrumental in upping our parents' ability level for their games...
now, transfer the same people to the inside of the astrodome. we were regular attendees to astros games, big orange #1 hands on one arm and hot dog with lots of ketchup tucked under the other. and finally, of course, if we weren't at home, or at the big ballpark, we were actually on the (a.y.a.--holla, alief!)fields watching each other. did i mention i was on the swingin' foxes? and were we!? mary lou retton hairdo and glasses...fox doesn't even half describe it.
baseball was a huge part of my childhood. on many different levels it represented innocence--mine and the game's. (i KNOW, i KNOW, the game is NOT innocent. but i thought it was and i'd like to pretend it was for the sake of the reminiscing i've just done, thank you very much.)

AND SO, with the onset of baseball season, i needn't mention the sudden acceleration of my pulse, the fact that i got my hair chopped off, but not too short so that i can't wear a ball cap, and the research we've done on adding the mlb package to our current t.v. options.

but baseball is going to look a little different this season. with all of this excitement, there will be a twinge of sadness, there will be prayers, and there will be rooting for (GASP!!) a team besides the astros. hang on, y'all. i know it's crazy talk but let me explain.

you see, when we moved here, we knew we were going to love being near our families and being in south Texas again. what we didn't know is that our creative God would allow us to make friends with some amazing, YOUNG, couples. we didn't expect that we would get particularly close, very quickly, to one of those couples. we didn't know they would have two children almost the same age as both of ours and that our kids would fall in love with each other. and mercy, y'all, we did not factor in that they would end up leaving us for nine months. because he's a major league pitcher. uh-huh.

so, twinge of sadness? our newest friends are across the country in pre-season.
prayers? he was injured last season and is coming off shoulder surgery.
a team besides houston? join me in cheering for the washington nationals!

the good news is, if we have learned one thing from all of our travels, you CAN maintain friendships with people you love even if you don't live right by them. michael and i consider the friendships we've made among our biggest blessings; our hearts ache for people we miss all over this country and you can now include florida in that list as well.

with all of that in mind, we bid farewell to the wagners (check out their link on our friends list to the right)! we will miss you while you're gone and will be waiting for when you get back. we'll be praying for a quick rehab, for those sweet babies to adjust well, for momma to enjoy the big city :), and will expect that you represent, mr. international harvester. set 'em up, three-five, and easy on the 'stros.

do you think nolan will miss bailee? oh yea...

i'll miss you mr. ryan

we love to play outside...this time next year, lori darlin' will cram in too!

a stud mama and her daughter!

thank you for helping me with baseball, mr. ryan!

can't stop now!

2008-02-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

okay, so while i'm at it...
here are a few more.
this made me laugh so much. look closely at his feet. we had put nolan in some really mismatched pajamas the night before. in the morning, he comes out from his room, already dressed crazy, wearing his favorite black loafers. so silly, that boy.

now this crazy girl...
you'd think she was saying, "just get me out of here," to the cows outside. and to confirm things, when the door wouldn't open and no one would save her here, she got mad and crawled away to the front door. "how can i get out!!" can you hear her? she's pretty silly, too!

2008-02-04T11:07:00.001-08:00

hey. how are you? kind of feel like we need to get reacquainted with my absence and all. i've thought about the blogging process a lot. too much, actually. the more i think to write, the more i realize i have no time to get it done. time passes by and before i know it, it's been two months and i really can't catch up! so i'm just going to start--whether these posts are a big deal or not. it's about the habit right?
(by the way, that is my "have not exercised but need to" train of thought, slightly adapted to fit my "haven't blogged in forever" habit. as you probably can surmise, i'm not exercising much, either. i need to get a new pep talk. i'll be taking suggestions in the comment section.)
seriously, we are in quite a little crazy run right now. believe it or not, it is possible to have something every night of the week in this sweet, tiny town. i'm still working part-time two nights a week at a local cheer gym (for a few more months) and helping with upward cheerleading two other days as well. michael and i have started a bible study...we're watching the song of solomon dvds from the conferences with which he traveled. michael is still working his tail off for dewitt poth and sons office supply and his sundays are just as busy as they always have been. he's helping two church plants...one in morning in victoria and one at night in austin. we're really excited about some dreams we have and, while being at two churches seems a little crazy, there is a purpose to it all. one of the churches, austin new church, is an amazing place that has really taken seriously the command to serve others (see Isaiah 58). we've told them about our dreams of a place that is more focused on serving the community than on having a high profile sunday service. what a thrill it was to meet a couple (the pastor and his wife) who not only agree, but have completely changed their personal way of doing life and are basing their church's foundation on these changes/actions. last week's church service was held in downtown austin, grilling burgers for the homeless people. refreshing.
so, we've been dreaming and trying to get involved and basically, just establishing life here in yoakum. oh yeah, and we have two kids! :) what treasures they are--i'm so in love with being their momma.
they are a whole other post, those babies. it's coming, too. been reflecting a lot since my son just turned two and in one month my daughter will turn one. sometimes, i don't have words to describe it all (children-wise) but, like i said, i'm working on it. profound things occur to you in the midst of raising babies and as much as i want to share those things with you, i fear of ruining the realizations with not-so-profound words. (this paragraph, case in point) i'll get back to you on that one, though.

in the meantime, you want to see my kids again? they are amazingly sweet together these days. here are some random shots!

lost

2007-12-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

well, in one fell swoop, i've managed to lose almost all of my personal information--everything from pictures of my daughter's ENTIRE LIFE to YOUR phone number. on thursday of last week, i felt like i had lost a dear friend. by sunday, i had no friends left and now, i'm simply lost.

you see, on thursday, i happened to have my coffee on the counter. nolan and i had just finished "elfing ourselves" when he accidentally tipped that mug of cinnamon coffee goodness. while i lunged for my cpu, it seems i did nothing to save my poor mac mini. it gave me 3 really loud beeps that could be translated into, "bad mother-bad mother-bad mother." i didn't MEAN to leave the coffee so close...
all of my babies pictures, Christmas gifts just waiting to be made, dvds dying to be birthed...i NEED my iphoto and idvd people. it's December 10th for crying out loud!!!!! with directions from the computer savviest people i know, i left my mac mini to dry out and prayed. honestly-is that wrong?
when we plugged that baby in today, nothing but the same 3 bad mother beeps. y'all, with what happened on sunday, i should have waited to try the computer. i just couldn't take the bad mother beeps today.

i spent sunday cheering on the houston texans in reliant stadium. my first texans game--and we won. it was nothing short of wonderful. until we were almost to the car and i realized that my beautiful new motorola razr was missing. i only tell you it was a razr b/c i've never had a nicer phone. in fact, i have had the simplest, cheapest phones by CHOICE. i'm not a huge phone gadget kind of girl. i prefer things like iphoto and idvd. and so, ever since i got one, i pretended that my razr was just too much phone for me. but the fact is, i secretly loved it. i kind of felt like i had arrived in the phone world. so what that my husband has an iphone that can do amazing things that i don't even know about. i had a RAZR!
either way, i left it. somewhere. i had it the entire game. something went awry when i stood to leave and thought it made it in to my bag. i made a really honorable effort to retrieve...fought my way into the stadium after the gates were closed (ever tried that?), ran several ramps as fast as i could (actually not too many--we had amazing seats...thank you LIsa), fought the workers to allow me to get back to my seat, and talked with the lost and found people for a while.
but it's gone. all the numbers, all the alarms i had set, the CUTEST pictures of my children. there's this one where lori is wearing her winter hat...a fluffy dog with a bow...

and so, in a weekend, i am lost. how sad ( i can't think of a better adjective) that my life is so attached to my technological things. but it is, and i admit it.

if you are reading this...would you email me your phone number? but don't expect a reply any time soon with my computer dead and all.
i love you-and hopefully i will talk with you soon.
maybe i'll go spend my time doing some things that really are representative of what Christmas is about--maybe all of this is to keep me focused right now. i don't know...just thoughts.
y'all take care!

Let's try something else...

2007-12-03T10:37:00.001-08:00

If you've got kids, I know what you're doing these days. Maybe even if you've got grandkids. Your camera batteries are charged, ready at a moments notice. Or maybe you're a little more planned. You've convinced your husband to drive you and the little, adorable ones to the perfect spot, sure to snap it. The perfect picture. That's what we're all going for right now. Yep, because it has to go in those Christmas cards that, really, you need to write and address soon. Time is running out and so far...all you've gotten are pictures of the backs of heads, somebody crying, or blurry action shots.
So here's my proposal. Let's try something else this year...Let's just send the pictures that tell the true story. What the real world looks like. You down? So far, here are the Armstrong options!

more in the series, "This is Yoakum"

2007-11-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a great job of introducing you to our home town as promised. I just kind of threw the benefit dinner at you, hoping to draw you in, but then left you waiting for the next course of giblet rice (which, by the way, my genius father-in-law figured out how to make! Woo hoo!).

This is just a quick tidbit but a morsel nonetheless...our back yard friends.

Meet Blondie. The adorable, blonde cow who visits our backyard occasionally. I'm actually zoomed in a bit. We do have a fence. See?

I'm standing closer to our back door here. It's a wonderful back yard. Nolan gathers acorns, throws balls, rides in the wagon, and most importantly, has a little b.p. each day. (non-baseball fans, ask a friend)

This back yard and Blondie are two more reasons we love Yoakum. I think Nolan loves Blondie and her friends. Perhaps that is what he is contemplating here.

This Thanksgiving and Christmas season, when blessings are at the forefront of our mind, the simple, just-plain-fun things we've done in this great back yard are definitely included.
Y'all come visit soon.

2007-11-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

So much fun...here are the babies pre-costume and getting ready to go downtown. And look at my girl getting what she wants. Having her lick the lollipop was not what I intended but at least Nolan is sharing. Pick your battles, you know?

2007-11-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Alright, now we may not have pizza delivery but Yoakum nailed it in the trick or treat department. Everyone, and I mean all 5731 of us, were walking the streets of downtown, stopping at every business and group that set up "shop" to hand candy to begging, but very cute, children. We walked up and down the streets with our friends--Nolan held his pumpkin so that sissy couldn't get it and delved into sugar haven. Poor guy, it's all new to him, this sugar thing. I've been withholding and now I'm not sure there's any turning back. I couldn't stand it though...looking this cute, he can have anything he wants (and so can that sweet ballerina you see)!

2007-11-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

Nolan attended his first fall festival at the Methodist Church where he attends mother's day out...aptly named, "Happy Hearts"... I'm not sure if they're referring to the kids or to the mothers but we're all pretty darn excited about the program. He liked games as long as there were prizes, he may or may not have drank water in dog-like fashion out of the "duck pond" and he ate sugar cookies until his tummy just couldn't take it anymore. Oh yes, he discovered stamps. And here's another reason to love Yoakum. Around here-you just don't mind if someone else picks up your baby just to hang out. I see this mom all around town and my friends know her well so it was fun when she picked up Lori and toted her around for a while!

And now, the children

2007-10-18T11:43:00.001-07:00

Alright, as promised...pictures of kids. Lots of 'em. More than you want to see but only a fraction of what I wanted to share!
They go from most recent to right before we moved so SCROLL DOWN!
I can't communicate how much I love these babies. Despite the expected craziness in having them 14 months apart, there is more joy in the days we spend together than I thought possible. And the adult communication I'm supposed to be missing? Well, sure, but hearing Nolan run to his sissy's side when she's crying and genuinely asking, "Matter sissy? Matter sissy?" (what's the matter sissy, for non-baby-speakers)...c'mon...that's just good stuff.

2007-10-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

These are just for fun...
Mornings at Doc and Doe's looked like this.
We tried to capture a shot with all of the grandchildren together. :) hmmm...

Most recent...

2007-10-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

These are the most current pictures...Lori dressing up and just being silly and Nolan , the studious one, refusing to look at the camera! By the way, that's bed hair...he just woke up.

Sweet, Sweet Lori

2007-10-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

With every fat roll that adds to her adorable baby thighs, Lori's happiness increases. This baby girl is joy!

Nolan and the boys

2007-10-18T11:36:00.002-07:00

Nolan spent some serious energy the past few months. He LOVES the "wheeler" (4-wheeler) and the hammock. Thanks to "Doe" and Uncle Gary for supervising some serious entertainment in these photos.

Mid summer july-ish

2007-10-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

This was just before we left for Yoakum (Lori's photo) and then shortly after we got there...
Lori's just hanging out
Nolan enjoyed his first play date in the rain with cousins and then running through the sprinkler

This is Yoakum

2007-10-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

So I was about to meet my husband in the next town for a dinner preceding a golf tournament in which he would participate when I had the thought...man, I really have gotten it together tonight. My friend helped me find baby sitters at the last minute, I got ready, shower and all, in about 20min., the babies were ready for bed, and I had a notebook of information in case the sitters had any questions. Lastly, and remarkably, I remembered to leave cash for the sitters so they could get a pizza. The empty pizza box I saw in their hands when we returned was even more affirmation of my sudden "togetherness." Then I noticed the pizza money still sitting on the counter. I asked why they didn't use the cash and sweetly they explained that their mom had to bring them dinner and finished with, "Um...this is Yoakum. We don't have pizza delivery."

This, my dear friends, and other discoveries like this, are the culmination of our life unfolding in Yoakum,TX, USA.
As if you couldn't tell, I have not entered a blog in about 3 1/2 months now. This particular move (in comparison to the previous five) has definitely been about letting the details slowly unravel, breathing each moment one at a time, mostly because it's SLOWER here, partly because of existing in survival mode, and sometimes just because. Instead of making one big migration southward, getting settled, and jumping into life, things have happened in stages. Maybe it's that way when you don't automatically move into your own physical home.
To get you up to speed (which is just not that fast) let me briefly describe July, August and the beginning of September.
After moving to Michael's hometown, and while living with Michael's parents, we had the privilege of getting to visit with Michael's sisters' families. At one point this summer, there were 7 adults and 8 children under the age of 5, except for a token 7 yr. old, under the same roof. At any other given time between July and August, there were always at least 4-5 adults and 5 children. We had a blast and I'm THRILLED Nolan and Lori were able to get to know their cousins and aunts and uncles so well. This made sitting down to the computer to load pictures and share my thoughts seem a little less priority. Oh, and not to mention trickier due to dial-up internet because DSL just doesn't always reach country folk like us. It's SLOWER here, have you heard? Then, finally buying our own home only added to the hectic splendor. After a mom-and-dad-only vacation to Mexico and our poor, sweet Lori getting terribly sick at home(IVs at the hospital and everything), we're still unloading... Either way, in the midst of our personal chaos, God, Yoakum, and moving here tugged at the reins of general life and slowed it to an unrecognizable crawl. I think I've mentioned that. All at once, I learned that my timeline for anything was (is) irrelevant. Actually, that, and many things I once knew were (are) irrevelent. Like the fact that just because there is a Pizza Hut in town DOES NOT mean that there will be pizzas delivered.
And mostly, without having time to give proper credit, I'll just say that remarkable spiritual things are happening as other things slow down. Think God had the slowing of life in mind when things started working in our lives? I'll say. Talk about getting us focused on what He would like us to see...
Anyhow, if the Pizza Hut discovery tickled you at all,
I'd like to enlighten you with more ponderous discoveries and general ways of life with which we've been re-acquainted. Some of these ways of life are unique to Yoakum, some simply to South Texas. I am back in my childhood a little at a time (I know Michael is) and y'all...it's good to be home. There are many already but I'll start you off slowly (that's how we live now, slowly)... as long as you promise to check back in and read some more! I'll also add some fun pictures from the summer so you can see how our 21 month old and our 7 month old have grown!

Okay, the first major entry in the, "This is Yoakum," category:

THE BENEFIT SUPPER
I remember suppers like these when I stayed with my cousins in El Campo. In fact, you can find them all over surrounding towns. They start with an ad in the paper and tickets sold at local hotspots...like the bank.

Next, you follow the signs to get your food. Along the way, you pass the men who've been cooking all day so you just don't have to...

Hand the sweet girl your ticket,
get your food,
say hi to a few people because you certainly know the families of everyone in the serving line,
and then get home to bbq chicken, beans, and giblet rice, y'all!

Thanks to Carolyn for humoring me by driving (slowly!) so I could take pictures to share with you!
More soon! We love you all the way from Yoakum!

hey there folks. a new message from the farm.

2007-07-31T11:32:00.001-07:00

Yea! Something to blog about that doesn't require a picture! I have been holding off on posting adorable (and I mean adorable) Yoakum photos due to the fact that my computer, though set up, does not have internet access. My gracious mother-in-law lets me use hers but my happy little pictures are not available here. So keep waiting anxiously. Because I know you are :)
Okay, Jen J., you're a doll for giving me something to write! Here goes. Oh wait, just as a side note, I think this would also be fun if other people got to comment on what habits they thought you had. Let's really stir up some fun.
Alright, read on.
I have been "tagged". If you find yourself "tagged" like me, here are the rules you must follow...
The Meme Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Oh yea, babe--here's the dish.

Habit 1: FIRST AND FOREMOST...requires only four words.
raw
chicken
salmonella
bleach wipes (or a various assortment of cleaning products)
Must-haves in my house or I wig out needlessly. Or my family starves because I just WON'T make chicken without the proper clean-up.
Habit 2: Clean out the car as I'm leaving--don't you just hate getting into a car filled with old sonic cups? Unless they're full of iced tea with a lime on the side. Did you know Yoakum DOES have a sonic? Oh yes, across the street from dairy queen.
Anyway, habit 2 makes a smooth transition into
Habit 3: I cannot go to bed without a CLEAN SINK. Not just free from dirty dishes...free from debris of all kinds, sparkling from the use of the aforementioned bleach wipes (or a various assortment of cleaning products).
Habit 4: I am way too literal. I spent the first years of our marriage trying to understand why, when Michael said he'd be home in a minute, he wasn't there in the next 60 seconds or so. Be careful what you tell me-I'll take you a little too seriously.
Habit 5: Sonic tea...with lime on the side. You can't really run errands without it. Did you know?
Let's see...I'll try to get creative so that you keep reading...ummm...i'm thinking...it's not working...
Habit 6: I'm really horrible at getting back in touch with people via phone, email, card, or thank you note. ESPECIALLY when it comes to birthdays. Boy, I really stink at birthdays. If I've remembered yours, consider it a major feat. (that's really kind of sad isn't it?)
Habit 7: Pick the sides of my nails too much.
Habit 8: When I'm alone with Nolan or Lori, I have conversations with them and answer my questions for them. For instance, "Hey doll, how are you? Good? Of course you are...oh, you think I'm the best mom in the world? I make the best food? I can fold clothes like no one else? Oh that's wonderful. How about my cleaning? I'm so glad you approve..." and so on and so forth. By the end of the day, when I realize just HOW much my children adore and appreciate me, I feel great :)
Okay, I'm tagging Chasity, Mandy, Andra, Kim, Angie I., Angie M. April, Jeffie, Stephanie, Elaine, and Molly, and Julie P. That's more than 8 but I'm trying to break out of my way too literal shell.
There you have it. Just some of the silly stuff I can think of. There is more dirt, of course. Email Michael and see if you can get it out of him. That would provide lots of entertainment.
Until then...
Come visit the farm!

MISSING: the month of JUNE

2007-07-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Armstrongs are currently looking for the month of June. It was just here--we know we saw it somewhere...just can't remember where we left it. There are a few highlights from the month that we've run into but we're thinking the rest is gone forever. Y'all have any hints?

With our loss, then, we've welcomed July with open arms and have included a whole new life in our embrace as well! That's right. It's an official announcement. The Armstrongs have news.

For those of you who don't know us well, "news" means only one of two things: babies or cities. We like to keep it simple, you know. (hey now, sneering isn't nice!) Well, I can assure you that we are NOT expecting at this time. As far as children, we are enjoying learning about raising up a boy into a man, and learning about loving on a girl. We've just decided that we're going to do all that learnin' and raisin' up in the country. Hence, our "news." Yes, my friends, Nolan might actually have an authentic reason to wear his cowboy hat one of these days. We're talking "cities" this time and you can now find us in Michael's home town of Yoakum, Texas. God's country...south Texas. My amazing in-laws have taken us in until we find a nice little spread (forgive me as I convert to "southern" on the language option on my keyboard (what? not a language?). We're about a week into our move so there are no current pictures to accompany this little note. I promise to show you what it's like down here when I can get my camera and computer completely operational. In the mean time, did y'all ever see "A Tuna Christmas?" :)

No, really, it's lovely down here. We are so close to all of our families. We love the wide open, running in to old friends (that's for Michael!), watching Nolan on the four wheeler--it still seems like a vacation. Except for the bins of our STUFF bulging from every corner of the house. Have I mentioned how WONDERFUL my in-laws are yet? The Armstrongs have come in like thunder. No wait, that is real thunder. Is it still raining?
Okay, so now you know. Keep up with us here-pictures coming soon. Or, just check some previous posts! Until then, stay dry. We'll be thinking of you from way down here!

By the way, our phone numbers are the same and we actually have service so dial away.

More of Scenes from the South... (see previous post)

2007-06-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

So, like I said, we were there for "Tom Tom" Festival and enjoyed a parade and "Polka in the Park." For those of you who know me, did I marry in to the right family or what???
We don't have pictures of the polka but we did get some of the parade. Check these out!

Scenes from the south...

2007-06-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

We were back in God's country again. Yoakum held its' annual "Tom Tom" festival this past weekend and we decided that Nolan and Lori needed a little hometown celebration to start their summer. We tried driving at bedtime thinking that a little movie and his froggie would be all Nolan needed to fall right to sleep. Well that BACKFIRED on us in about 5 minutes. So glad to finally get there that night!
When we weren't at parades or listening to polka music, we were relaxing at Michael's parents...known affectionately by the following little ones as "Doc" and "Doe". Enjoy!

Contemplating the cows...Doc took all the grandkids, literally, on a field trip to check out the cattle a neighbor keeps on his land.

Seriously-doesn't this look like "Little House on the Prarie?" Not that I watch reruns on the Hallmark Channel to be able to remember what the show looked like...

Precious sisters

The First Haircut

2007-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well,
we did it. or should i say, connie did it! nolan got his first haircut on tuesday of last week. i've been avoiding the situation for fear that i'd lose the curls that have made looking at the back of his head so fun the past few months. however, there comes a point when you have to weigh things you want as a parent vs. the quality of life your babies are experiencing. he cannot control what his hair looks like and because the shagginess of overgrown baby hair was starting to get in the way of his adorable face, i figured it was time to help a little man out. anyway, the whole process was a bit of an experience for me. i wasn't expecting the anticipation i had all day wondering what my little darling would look like in the end. connie, of course, was amazing with nolan and gave him the exact cut that i'm SURE he would have chosen had he been able to talk about it with me first. read on for all the drama ;)

2007-06-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

nolan was a champ during his first haircut. of course, his hairdresser was quite on top of things as well. connie, a friend so dear to our family, was smart enough to hand our little genius the squirt bottle. as if he'd seen squirt bottles his entire 1 yr. old life, he instantly went for the trigger and targeted every last one of us. this provided MUCH entertainment, allowing him to completely ignore the fact that a part of his little self was being cut. (okay, okay--he didn't care one lick about the hair, the drama is self-indulgent here. i still can't believe how big he's getting!)

we've graduated...

2007-06-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

we're a step further now in the parenting process-the next milestone conquered... a relatively painless one to reach though it still made this mama nostalgic. seriously? a haircut? yep. a haircut. not just any cut--this is my baby's head of HAIR. the hair that accompanied him at his birth. the hair that was brown and is turning blonder every day. the hair that...oh my. uh-oh...where on earth did i put the curls that were saved for his scrapbook???? i know i put them somewhere??!! did i say painless?

hair cuttin' crew

2007-06-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

and so concludes the first haircut experience. the armstrongs would like to thank ashley (aka picture taker, baby holder, bag toter) for being such a trooper and joining in the fun. poor ashley thought she was just coming to catch up! (ashley is a dear friend who was also a bridesmaid in our wedding).

Yea! More visitors!

2007-06-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

This handsome pair (and the daddy who was sitting on the other side of the room!) came to visit us the other night. Heather and I met as two young teachers in the old days of Northwest High School. I tricked her into thinking that coaching cheerleading was the thing to do. She was amazing and she tricked me into becoming really organized! I had the privilege of teaching down the hall from her husband, Charles, when she stayed home with their lovely, featured son, Charlie. I love her dearly and love her family just as much. What's that song you sing in Girl Scouts..."Make new friends but keep the old..." Thank goodness for old friends.

2007-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

we got together the other night to celebrate kim's birthday. we haven't hung out in a while--definitely our first since more babies were born. everybody is a mama or daddy now.
these are our boys...basically the band. armstrong, erik, "peake," and ben. and of course, sweet georgia rae who is already learning to put up with the boys. she is definitely one of the girls :)

this sweet one is gretchen, erik and jill's doll-faced daughter. nolan loves his gretchen!

georgia rae and lori caroline were introduced and are already fast friends. especially since nolan and gretchen left them behind for a serious game of chase.

i love this picture...new mama lovin' her girl.

2007-05-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Guess who loves blackberries!

We love visitors!!

2007-05-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

Uncle Justin came to town! One of my oldest, dearest friends came to visit my babies the other day. Nolan was shy at first but when uncle justin pulled out his "technology" they became fast friends. Plus, uncle justin is FUNNY...nolan laughed at all his jokes :)

2007-05-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

And Grandma Bobbie and Grandpa Tim came to see us too! We had so much fun with them over mother's day weekend. Grandma B scored MAJOR Nolan love when she took him outside in the grass and Grandpa Tim hit it big when he gave Nolan his first Astros shirt and cap. Nolan LOVES hats. So much fun!

Boys have curls too and other tips on viewing children

2007-05-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

With all of my free time today, I have decided to sit and write a short little number on commenting on other people's children...a mini-guide useful to those haven't been around children lately, or to those who might be interested in brushing up on what to say when encountering them (and their mamas)!
The crucial thing to remember when spotting a mom with her child is, no matter what you think about that baby or toddler in his/her mother's arms, that mother knows (from the depths of her sleep-deprived, just shy of pulling out all of her hair soul) that her baby or toddler is the most remarkable child on the planet. And while, ironically, the mother might joke about the reasons she has pulled out every ounce of her hair, that child is still the greatest child on earth. Period. And you have no business joining in on the mother's talk about why she has pulled out her hair. Because it's her hair, not yours. Your hair is in tact just fine and her child is perfect, remember? Keep that in mind when you speak about a baby's looks...You don't have to be original. You don't even have to--i'm whispering now--tell the truth. Politely rely on an old standard like, "What a doll," or "How cute." Risky phrases are even okay as long as they're said with the right tone and facial expression..."You don't see a smile like that just anywhere!" spoken with a genuine grin can make a mother think her son/daughter is not like all the rest of the children out there...he/she is special and this nice stranger has noticed...
Like a good teacher should, I know it's important to not just tell you what to do, but show you as well. Here's an example then.
Let's just say that there is a mother pushing her child in a stroller. Let's get nuts and say that she's pushing TWO children, in a double stroller...the babies appear to be about 14 months apart. It's Sunday morning and, aside from the babies, the mother is obviously alone. She is doing her best to get this monstrous rolling advertisement of wheels without WD-40 (the aforementioned double stroller) into the elevator. In fact, she's done well to have been at church at all, dressed and hair neatly brushed! As the last stroller wheel slides into the elevator and pushes all occupants to each corner, the inevitable occurs. All attention focuses on the babies, as well it should. Perhaps, in this Example, there is a young, single, beautifully dressed and coifed woman facing the youngest baby. And then arrives the all important moment--the mother knows that the comments are coming..."Oh look, she's so..." How should this woman who apparently had time to shower, do her hair, make-up, put on her open-toe heels (because she had time to paint her toe nails too), and pack a matching handbag, finish that sentence?
Well, I'll tell you what she SHOULDN'T say. She should NOT look at the precious 10 week old who-did-not-make-a-peep-during-the-service-and-is-an-absolute-angel and exclaim, "Oh, she's so...ANGRY. Look, her brow is so furrowed. Don't do that, the wrinkles will stick, honey." Hmmm...
ANGRY? My dear coifed lady, did you notice the pink bow in her hair?, her adorable outfit? her uncommonly gorgeous blue eyes? Give the sweet child a break-she's only been physically capable of a non-gaseous smile for 7-10 days now. And quite frankly, I'm not sure she wants to smile at your comment...clearly you've not read my guide to viewing children...
And so the coifed woman in the elevator evoked MamaBear and the situation deteriorated rapidly. My friends, truly, you want to avoid this at all costs.
Finally, I'd like to leave you with one last wise thought-just because a toddler has adorable, sandy-blonde curls that wisp around the ears (with a somewhat shorter hairline making the whole "do" seem a little mullet-esque), semi-long eyelashes curling over hazel eyes, do not be like the lady at the post office and assume that the child is a girl. Boys have curls too. With that, I leave you to go flatter mothers everywhere.

Happy Mother's Day, indeed

2007-05-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

So my daughter decided not to be outdone by her dad in giving a gift to mom on Mother's Day. Michael knocked this wonderful day out of the park, by the way, and deserves a congratulations next time you see him! Baby Girl had been holding her gift back for a while and her delivery just couldn't have been more perfect. She ate her evening feeding at about 7pm and talked to us for a while. By 8:30p or so she was ready to go down. I wasn't sure if she would wake to eat at 10p or not--it's been a toss up lately. Well, not only did she not wake at 10p. She didn't wake up hungry until 2:30am! Let me do the math for you...THAT'S 7 AND A HALF HOURS FROM HER LAST FEEDING!!!!!!! Happy Mother's Day, indeed! Baby Girl has also decided this is the gift that keeps on giving, so if you call about 8:30p and my phone is off, I've gone done for my 6 hour nap and I'll call you in the morning!

Big boy gets bigger

2007-05-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided I needed to get a few things done. I knew that it would take a small miracle to keep baby boy occupied the entire time I was working so I did what all totally-involved-in-their-childrens'-activity-supermoms would do...I handed him my cell phone. Because JOY IS a cell phone that lights up when you push the buttons even though it's locked, did you know? I'm not exactly campaigning for mom of the year with that move but it did buy me SEVERAL minutes uninterrupted and brought pure bliss to the boy. So I'm working at the kitchen table when I realized, wow, I've gotten a lot done. And then I realized, whoa, it's Unusually Quiet. You see, there's toddler quiet...no words spoken and the occasional crack of two toys slamming into one another or a bang as a toy goes flying across the room accompanied by a delighted little boy giggle. That's toddler quiet. Then there's Unusually Quiet. Unusually Quiet is much different. In fact, it's a little scary. In the moment I realized that Unusually Quiet had fallen upon us, I instantly lifted from my chair scanning the room for the worst. There, across the room from me, was baby boy snuggled in the corner of the recliner in our living room, still pushing buttons, and flashing a large grin my way. Every few seconds he would stop and lean his head back into the pillow on the chair as if this was the most comfortable place he'd been on earth, and then he'd go back to pushing buttons. The big deal is this--he's never in his entire 16 month old life climbed up on anything (except our stairs)! So to have made his way up his daddy's "Big Man" recliner and settle himself in for a little cozy phone time blew my mind for a second! Then I just laughed which sent him into fits of giggles mixed with the leaning back onto the pillow that I told you about. I instantly felt guilty for having kept him from all of this before...

Princess Lori

2007-05-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

One diaper at a time...

2007-05-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

so, baby girl is almost 9 weeks old. 9 weeks...?!? i don't even know how to comprehend what has happened in nine weeks. when baby boy shouted his way in to this world i knew our lives were turning in to something we'd never seen before. and it was true. we were new people with new priorities, new pasttimes, and new to-do lists. and you would think that when we found out about baby girl during baby boy's fifth month of life, we would be new people again. but it didn't happen then. nope, we just kept on with our original "newness"...shocked but not AFFECTED. it didn't even happen as baby boy started walking and screaming ;) and becoming a "big boy" or as my belly got bigger. we still kept on in our knowledge of raising only one baby. i don't even know if we knew what was happening the day when sweet girl was born. but i'll tell you now, it HAS happened. we are completely new AGAIN. i mean, if you showed me a picture of myself before babies were born, i wouldn't recognize the girl staring back. there is probably room here for some funny quip about how i've physically changed but let's just smooth right on over to what i really mean. i mean, we operate as a totally different machine--dad's got strikingly new duties, mama is coming up with solutions for things unfathomable to a human pre-2 children, bubba is finding new ways to less violently love on "his baby" (per mom and dad's lessons in, "Gentle, Nolan, Gentle"), trying to understand why he doesn't get held as much as he used to, and is looking for independence beyond his physical limits, and baby girl, she's just taking it all in and spitting it up right back at'cha! --side note--what is it with my babies and reflux and food allergies? there will come a beautiful day, friends, where i will eat pizza and drink a milkshake in one sitting and watch my children swallow their food without an expectant burp cloth awaiting the flood. oh yes, there will.--
And So...i'd like you to introduce you to the armstrongs. we're a wild group. we'll test your eardrums but we'll guarantee you a good time. even if it's laughing while watching us try to take our backpack, diaper bag-laden, epipen, pacifier, burp cloth-holding, baby-carrying selves out of the car and into a restaurant for a little family dinner. "...table for two, one highchair, a sling, and a table away from as many people, peanuts, and dairy and soy items as possible, please..." we're exhausted but we're going to make it. our children are gorgeous and growing and absolutely precious. truly, it pains my heart to think of life without them. we are taking things one diaper at a time here and we're pleased to meet you just the way we are!

my heart flutters

2007-05-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

wouldn't trade moments like these for all the income in the world.

more from yoakum

2007-05-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

teach me "da-da!"

just one of the girls

2007-05-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

hangin' with her mimi and aunt karebear

Something about south Texas...

2007-05-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

I've never been able to explain why I breathe a little easier in south Texas. This particular spot might be a little tough to navigate on your gps--it's nestled next to perfect and is where the breeze cools you off near sundown. My boy and I sat on Granna and Doc's swing while we were in Yoakum last week. That swing was magic. On days where yelling is priority on Nolan's to do list, I dream of that swing. He sat so calmly with his sweet, dimpled hand resting on my leg. We were there for at least 20min just going back and forth, back and forth. Perhaps his heart is down south, too...

Random photos

2007-04-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

Typical morning...

Busy around the house

Momma's little running buddy. Running...Hmm... Momma's little walking buddy!

A hard day's work

2007-04-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

During our days there are a few things that make me laugh heartily. I cling to these things because there may or may not be a few more that want to make me cry... :) One of the funny moments is when Nolan will bring his cowboy hat to me. With an "anh, anh, anh" and a small hat shoved into my lap, I clearly know that he wants to wear his hat. I put it on him and he goes about his business until it falls off again. (Repeat scene above) This particular day, his business was to work on the vacuum cleaner. As soon as headwear was firmly in place, he set out to figure out what was wrong with the vacuum. I only wish you could have heard the conversation that ensued. He was SO busy and so into one of those toddler conversations that only toddlers understand. Wish you could have been here!

A Note on Bows

2007-04-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Just as sure as you could hear me yelling "Go Mean Green" as a cheerleader at UNT, you were just as sure NOT to see a bow in my boyish-cut hair! I've never been one to go for the frill...and yet, my daughter has not left the house without a lacy or frilly or extra pink or wide band that frames her adorable face. Thanks to the passing on of accessories from other bow-clad girls who came before Lori, she will probably never have to either!

Easter Sunday

2007-04-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Looks like Easter was too much for the kids! (Check out Nolan's tie!)

The girls...the boys...

2007-04-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

We love our boy!

2007-04-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

He loves his bath!

My little cowboy checking his email...

I realized, two days before Easter, that we had no basket for Nolan--so we improvised and tried to make one. Not too sure Nolan really cared or that the basket looked anything like a basket, but it was a good effort, right?

Little Doll

2007-04-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

More of our girl--I thought I'd wait to post more pictures until after I finally sent off birth announcements...I gave in because, at this point, I'm hoping to get announcements out before she's two months old!

Learning

2007-04-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Watching Lori start life, making all of the small, miraculous changes that a newborn makes, really highlights the contrast of how "big" Nolan is now! Here are a few things he has learned or is working on right now! He is signing the word "more"--He communicates well. The more he wants something, the harder he pushes his little hands together...Beats yelling any day!!!
He is curious about stepping down and up on the concrete. He will climb the stairs but is still scared of this little concrete step. What you can't hear is the grunting he makes while he's concentrating.

Amazing Man

2007-03-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a story about my amazing husband...
I did not want to find out the sex of our baby before the birth but Michael said he needed to mentally prepare in case we were having a girl! So...he has known for about 21 weeks what we were having. I am so proud to tell you that, until the moment she arrived, I had NO IDEA we were having a girl! I went back and forth in my mind but, going in to the hospital, I was SURE we were having a boy. Anyway, my husband did a fantastic job in keeping this secret and I wanted you to know he is AMAZING!
By the way, this was taken before Lori was here...

Our littlest angel

2007-03-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Check out her blonde hair! Her Aunt Karin was able to visit during spring break!

At the park

2007-03-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

We decided to get out of the house to let a slightly jaundiced Lori get some sun and let a "slightly" active boy get some exercise.

Meeting Big Brother!

2007-03-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Our babies met for the first time...

Proud Grandparents

2007-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Proud Doc (Keith), Mimi (Sue), and Granna (Carolyn) with their newest granddaughter!

She's Here!

2007-03-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

The wait is over! Our GIRL is here and we couldn't be more pleased. Lori Caroline (named after our mothers...Carolyn Sue and Carolyn Ann) was born on March 7th, 2007 in room 7 (the SAME room in which Nolan was born!!) at 4:47pm. She's amazing and more pictures (Pictures of her AFTER a bath) are coming soon!
Good ol' Dr. Marc (Wilson)...he's two for two with healthy Armstrong babies! Our entire family loves him like he is a blood relative--by far, the best doctor on the planet!
This is our nurse Terrie--she was so amazing and such a positive part of Lori's birth!

Let's try this...

2007-02-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

Michael and I have made attempts to keep with the changing times. He used to really keep up with his website; I used to really keep up with a homepage for Nolan. Lots of reasons later, here we are trying again. Welcome to our blog-enjoy it while it lasts! :)

2007-02-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

here you go! ; )