World's Best Bro

The older Sydney gets, the more I realize how blessed she is to have Brett as her big brother. He is so kind to her ALL THE TIME! He is always helpful... whether it's taking out stinky diapers, carrying one of our many bags to the car, putting her shoes back on for the 10th time, or playing with her while I'm in the shower, Brett is available and happy to be of service.


Brett always says Sydney is the best sister ever. He comments about how cute she is and how much he loves her. At night, he prays for her too. He dreams with me about her future and I often get choked up when I think about how he cares about her. It is beautiful.



Sydney loves Brett just as much as he loves her. Her big brother can do anything in her eyes. Brett is the only person who can make her laugh SO HARD without tickling her. He can just jump around and act silly and she will crack up. She reaches for him and "talks" to him when he walks in the room.

We have had some fun times lately... from Halloween to hunting and Sydney's first birthday, Brett and Sydney have been making memories. Although she may not be old enough to express her love in words, Brett has won her heart for sure.

I can't wait to watch them grow up together. Sydney will always have a watchman and role model that's for sure!

Mansion at Judges Hill

After two months of not one blog, I am going to attempt to catch up on everything my family has been doing. Greg and I finally celebrated our 10th anniversary in mid September. We stayed at the Mansion at Judges Hill downtown in Austin. Here's a few pics:

We had a wonderful room. We went to Greg's dream restaurant, Fogo de Chao, for dinner. It's an all-you-can-eat MEAT FEST! I was thoroughly entertained just watching him savor every bite. After dinner, we went on a nice walk downtown and finished the evening with a show. Even though we were a month late celebrating, it was worth it!

Brett's Burgeoning Faith

My little second grader, my firstborn, my "mini-Greg," my talker, my "remind-me-of-myself-child," is growing up. I can hardly believe Brett can read chapter books, add, subtract, spell, and receives number grades on homework instead of letters like 'S' for Satisfactory and 'N' for Needs Improvement. Yes, our little guy is growing up.

Last week, we watched videos of his birth, his first steps, first words, and first birthday. I remember all of it like it was yesterday. I also remember praying for him since he was in the womb... praying that he would know God and love God with all of his heart, soul, mind, and spirit. That he would love others. That he would have a faith in God that is all his own based on his experience and God's word.

Brett is in church a lot as you can imagine. After all, his parents work there and he is required to go! I have often wondered what his personal relationship with Christ would look like in light of his "socialization" in all things Christianity. Just like we teach our kids to speak our native tongue, we teach our kids about faith based on our own experiences. The beauty of our faith, of Christianity, is that we serve a LIVING GOD who speaks to us through his Holy Spirit. This means that even though we teach Brett foundational truths about our faith, our God actually speaks to Brett all on His own without us. Brett prays and reads his Kid's Bible and I know the God of the Universe speaks to him.

Brett says the most profound things about his faith. It might not be profound to you and me as adults, but in his own age appropriate way, Brett is learning to articulate what it means to be a Christian. Brett recently prayed the ABC prayer as we like to call it:

A: Admit that we are sinners (we have all thought, done and said things that do not please God, Romans 3:23).

B: Believe that when Christ died on the cross, it was the ultimate sacrifice for those sins. He rose from the dead on the third day and now lives eternally in heaven (Romans 5:8 and 10:9).

C: Choose to follow Him.

Praying this simple prayer means we have died to our old self and we are a new creation in Christ. Brett asked us a few weeks ago if he could now be baptized. Water baptism is an outward symbol of this experience according to Romans 6:4, "By being baptized, we were buried with Christ into his death. Christ has been raised from the dead by the Father's glory. And like Christ we also can live a new life." When we are submerged in water, it symbolizes our old self being buried with Christ; and, when we come up, we are a new creation in Him.

It was really cool that Greg got to walk him through this experience and baptize him. Here is Greg asking him if he has accepted Christ as his Savior:

And, here is Brett coming out of the water:

*Lighting not so good!

Brett is just beginning his walk with Christ. He has a lot to learn just as I, an adult, do. I know life will come with challenges and difficulties. His faith will be tempted and tried (even Jesus was tempted). My prayer is that those experiences will continue to build Brett's faith in a God who loves him and who created him for a purpose.

CPYFL

Brett has been begging us to play football for two years now! I wasn't ready for tackle and somehow thought he would decide not to play after trying basketball, soccer, and baseball. BUT, we live in Texas and when kids play football *everyday* at recess in Kindergarten, there is no avoiding football! By the end of first grade, there was no doubt we'd be playing in the Fall. After all, he can do a mad spin move!



So, this fall, we signed Brett up to play Flag Football with Pop Warner (good first step for me). Turns out, he's pretty good at it. He can run fast and he's super coordinated. It is so much fun to watch! We had our first game today. Here's Brett studying his playbook last night:


Although we lost at the five yardline about to score the winning touchdown when time ran out, the Wolverines had a great game. Brett scored our two TDs breaking free from the defense and running over 30 yards each time. He also made an amazing diving catch during one play. Here's his team just before the start:

I have to admit, this is FUN! Maybe next year, we will play tackle like most everyone else we know. Cedar Park Youth Football League is competitive and we certainly wouldn't want our seven year old falling behind his peers...



Oh, and on a side note... he lost his two front teeth this week. Check it out:

10 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Greg and I celebrated 10 yrs of marriage on August 21, 2009. We have a wonderful tradition of planning a surprise for each other every other year. The longer we are married, the more likely we both are to forget some of these fabulous celebrations so I thought I'd share them here; they will forever be saved electronically (or at least as long as Google is alive).

Year One: We lived in East TX so Hot Springs Arkansas wasn't too far of a drive. Greg planned a wonderful getaway to a bed and breakfast in Hot Springs. All I remember was that the beautiful woods surrounding the house were surprising to me and that our room had a huge spa tub with columns around it. Oh, and the breakfast was yummy; we ate outside.

Year Two: I planned an amazing trip to NYC. We were about 8 weeks pregnant with Brett and I was nauseous the entire time. But, we stayed at the Renaissance Hotel on Times Square, saw Aida on Broadway, went to a Yankees game, shopped, and ate nonstop. It was wonderful!

Year Three: We lived in San Diego and Brett was a nursing baby so we couldn't go too far away. Greg surprised me with a hot air balloon ride in Del Mar overlooking Rancho Santa Fe and the Pacific Ocean. It was a truly amazing experience, but equally as frightening. I could write an entire blog about the trauma that nearly occurred when Greg was hanging onto the side of the balloon's basket with his feet off the ground while we all scrambled to jump inside. But I won't. Oh, and this was also the first night Brett slept through the night because we forgot to turn on our baby monitor!

Year Four: We were going on a business trip to Oregon for AdvoCare so I wanted to surprise Greg with a jet boat ride on the Columbia River. It promised views of bald Eagles and all sorts of other rare and awesome animals and vegetation. Unfortunately, a few hours before the scheduled ride, I got a phone call saying the boat did not sell enough tickets so our time slot had been cancelled. We went on a double date instead with our friends at Multnomah Falls. It was beautiful if not romantic.

Year Five: Living in Southern California provided some great opportunities within driving distance. One of them was Las Vegas! Just a five hour jaunt away, Greg took me for one night at the New York, New York Hotel. We had so much fun, but as they say "What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas!" I won't elaborate!

Year Six: We were back in Texas and I planned a nice getaway to San Marcos to stay in a wonderful (or so the advertisement on the web claimed) B&B. Once we got there, we realized the bedding, curtains, and wallpaper was as old as the 1929 house. We had to help ourselves to food in the kitchen and the sounds of traffic lurked outside our windows. I DO remember a nice dinner and roses in my room. Note to self: only stay in hotels or other accommodations upon referral from a trustworthy friend!

Year Seven: I had just been on staff at the church for two months and life was very busy. Greg surprised me by picking me up one afternoon and taking me downtown for a swing dance lesson. We were terrible, but it was hilariously fun and luckily, it was a private lesson!

Year Eight: I am sad to say that after much thought, I cannot remember what I planned. I think this is because I didn't plan a thing. Yes, it's true. We got so busy (and Brett started Kindergarten the week of our anniversary) that we just did nothing. My fault.

Year Nine: San Antonio Riverwalk! We stayed in a great hotel walking distance to the Riverwalk, ate yummy Mexican food, rode the boat with the funny tour guide, and shopped. Greg did an amazing job planning for us.

Year Ten: Here we are, it's August 22nd, and a theme has emerged. Brett will start 2nd grade in two days, and Stacy neglected to plan anything in advance. She DOES however, have a loose plan (meaning nothing has been formally booked, but she knows where they're going) for a one night getaway on September 17th. I'm really glad I typed this blog because I do not want year 12 to be so pitiful. I am going to start planning NOW! Oh, and even though it's my year, look what Greg bought me:

I absolutely LOVE my Australian Man and cannot wait to spend the rest of my life making fun memories like these every year on our anniversary!

Lake

We had the privilege of going to the lake for a few days to stay at a friend's house. They have two Sea Doos (is that how you spell that???), a boat, a great swimming area right out back, nice lawn, food, and comfy beds for napping and sleeping! We needed some family time away from everything since we have been traveling so much lately so we enjoyed every minute.

I went knee boarding for the first time in years and I must say, the bruises on my shins and forearms are totally worth it! Brett even tried it on a kid's knee board. We went tubing and stayed up late playing Euchre with our friends.

Here's a picture of my little peanut on her first boat ride:

Carnival Cruise

I am now 8 hours off the Carnival Fantasy Western Caribbean Cruise that I had the privilege of embarking on with 10 amazing women. My friend Molly invited us all to come with her to celebrate her 40th birthday. She paid for each of us to go... I just had to get myself to New Orleans last Thursday in order to set sail that afternoon.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into it with virtual strangers. My roommate Chris, Molly's childhood friend from Minnesota was someone I had never laid eyes upon. There was Dianne, an aquaintance from California and Barbara to whom I had heard Molly refer many times in San Diego as her beloved Growth Group Leader for years. Stephanie from Saint Louis and Leslie from Chicago were blond bombshells I met on Thursday in front of the pool on the Lido deck. Kristen, an author and long distance runner roomed with Rachel, another Minnesota girl (Molly's college roommate). Nancy, Molly's sister, was the youngest girl on the trip, just eight months my junior. Would we like each other? Would there be cliques? Would we all disagree on where to go and what to do or would we mesh?

Well, from the first afternoon when we all met up, I knew we were going to have a blast! By Monday morning, we were all friends and I have to say, I would travel with these ladies again! We had an amazing time laying out, dancing, eating breakfast, eating room service, eating lunch, eating dessert, eating dinner... did I mention that we had a great time eating?

Our one stop was in Cozumel and 9 of us signed up to do the Amazing Cozumel Race excursion. We drew names and divided ourselves up into three teams of three. We competed against 5 other teams of 2-4 people and had a great time. From looking for clues at a museum, to snorkeling off a glass bottom boat in order to see the name on the side of a shipwrecked boat to running all through downtown in search of clues, we had a blast! My team arrived at our final destination first and we won the grand prize t-shirt that says "WINNER" on the front (cannot be sold in stores:-))!

Our waiter at dinner, Joseph from India, was fabulous. We took photos each night with our favorite photographer, Jay. We watched all of the shows and danced to a Michael Jackson tribute! We even sang karaoke one night. We were so bad, I think they turned off the song before we were even finished. I lovingly blame Nancy for picking that stupid song!

I loved coming to our room at night to find the bed turned down, chocolates on my pillow, the next day's itinerary waiting patiently for a perusal and some sort of animal made out of towels on the bed. It was nice to sleep in, get a tan, read a book, and have late night girl-talk every day. My blackberry didn't work so I even stayed away from emails, Facebook, and Twitter! A true respite.

Although I missed my family terribly, I am so thankful to Molly for bringing me along. And, I know some of these girls will become friends for a long long time. We created all sorts of fabulous memories and I will post some pictures when they all start to share them... I forgot my camera so only have two over-priced "Jay's photos" from the entire trip. Thanks again, Molly! And, Happy Birthday again! Too bad we don't have any diet cake to share tonight!