SPIDERS

Remember what I said about the spiders here? This guy was on my back porch. I wish I had been brave enough to put my hand next to it to give you an idea of the scale. I would bet his front legs were as long as my thumbs. If anyone knows anything about spiders, will you please assure me this one isn't a killer? Brian wouldn't kill it because "it was outside and we need spiders to kill other bugs."

I secretly think he was just too chicken.

(And yes, I am hoping that the fact I publicly called him "chicken" prompts him to prove his manhood and go out there and kill it.)

Big Kid

We love having a yard. Chase runs around out there a lot (especially since Daddy is constantly watering and we have to keep him company)! Yesterday the neighbors came out to play ball and Chase so badly wanted to join in with the big kids! He kept staring at them and saying, "Ball! Ball!"

Here's another cute photo of my "baby," who is starting to look a little like a "big" kid now (scary)!!

The Birds

Ever since that trip we took to Cedar Point when I was in middle school where a seagull pooped on my head I have had a hate/hate relationship with all birds. They freak me out. And of course everyone loves to mess with me about it, too. One summer when Brian and I were dating we went to the beach. There we were, laying out under the sun in the sand. I had my eyes closed, so every time I saw a shadow (seagull) pass overhead I would quickly cover my face. After about 10 minutes of laying there in peace (if you can call frantically covering my face every 15 seconds "peace"), listening to the waves crash on the shore (ahhhhh)... I heard a giggle.

Brian had been waving his hand over my face the entire time.

That's love.

ANYWAY.... My parents are avid bird watchers and shake their heads at me for not being a big fan, so this post is dedicated to them. This is a view out my back window....

Granted, it was Brian's idea, but I did OK it! I mean, Chase loves the birds and I have to admit after watching them... from INSIDE... they are pretty funny little things. But I don't think it will be too long before I ask him to move it a little further from the porch.

10 Things We've Learned About Texas

DISCLAIMER: Texas is a huge state. We are very well aware not all areas here are the same. These are just a few things we have learned about the area where we are living.

1. Never leave your chapstick in the car.
2. Never leave your plastic ID badge in the cup holder of your car... unless you want it to take the shape of a cup holder.
3. If you want your cup holder-shaped ID badge to be flat again, leave it lying on your car's armrest for a few hours while you're in class.
4. Car seat buckles get hot really fast (Chase oh-so-delicately informed me of this fact).
5. There are deer EVERYWHERE. It's only be a matter of time before you read a blog post here titled "I Finally Hit One" (or "One Finally Hit Me").
6. There's a whole lot of testosterone down here... especially on the road!
7. People eat squirrels. By choice.
8. People eat squirrels. BY CHOICE!
9. You remember ice cream trucks? We have those... in addition to taco trucks.
10. All the spiders I have encountered here are furry. Furry!!!!

That's it for now! I'm sure there will be more....

"Lazy" Day at Home

There's no such thing as a completely lazy day at our house these days, but today we're as close to it as we can be. After I publish this post I'm going to take advantage of Chase napping and hang some blinds.

Here's a little footage of Chase playing in the sprinker today. We went out early to avoid the heat! It is really nice in the mornings and at night. As Brian says, "The weather down here is beautiful as long as you stay inside from 12-6."

I say 11-6.

When we came back inside we put Chase to work!

One of my favorite lines to throw at my parents growing up was, "You only had kids because you wanted slaves!" Maybe there's some truth to that?

KIDDING!!

Anyway, he enjoyed sweeping but wasn't so sure about laundry. He's not sure what to make of our new front-load washer and dryer.

And here's a picture that makes me laugh of Chase on our back porch.

He was in the middle of spinning around, but it makes me think of Saturday Night Fever!

Oh, man. Chase is up from his nap already. I guess I won't hang those blinds after all. Or shoot.... Maybe I'll make him do it! I mean, that is why we had kids, right?! ;)

Sprinkler Fun

After Daddy got done mowing the lawn today we went outside to play in the sprinkler!

(Yes, I know.... The polo shirt, diaper and sandals is quite the fashion statement!)

Photos of our time in the yard have been added to the 4th of July Weekend folder in our Photo Album!

4th of July in Houston

Brian, Chase and I ventured to Houston this weekend. We stayed with friends Ryan and Katie and had the added bonus of our friends Janet and Abir stopping by for a night as well! Katie and Janet have been good friends of mine since high school and it was so nice to have a little taste of "home" after our move down here. Here's a photo of me with the 2 preggo's (Katie is due next month, Janet is due in November)!

Friday night we saw fireworks. Chase hugged us tight throughout the whole show but watched them in awe the entire time. Toward the end we got some smiles and even a couple laughs. When it was all over he sat up and said, "Again?"

Yesterday Katie and Ryan took us around Houston to explore a little. We went to the children's museum there and also saw a really cool fountain, which Chase loved!

We are now back at home and Brian is mowing our lawn for the first time. He is so excited, but we'll see how long the excitement lasts. He's been out there for over an hour and a half so far. Here is a photo of him just starting out. I have a feeling before he comes back inside he will have to ring his shirt out. It's 94 degrees today!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We sure did!

Photos of our weekend have been posted to our Photo Album if you're interested. There are some really cute ones of Brian and Chase at the fountain.