it's cold out there...

Lauren got a great surprise from MawMaw and G-daddy on Saturday. Her very own pony named Trixie. She really had a good time playing with her new friend.



We got our first taste of the winter to come today. The high was 50 degrees and that was set at 8:00am this morning and it's hovered just below there since then. It was kind of a wet and soggy day, but Lauren is feeling better. Last week, she had a cold that turned into an ear infection. You could just tell by looking at her that she was miserable. Today was almost the exact opposite of that...you could look at her and tell how much she just enjoys life. We had such a good time.



Lauren and Beth made Tortilla Soup today. She gave Beth some space and wasn't as much of a "hold me" baby since she was feeling better. After our wonderful dinner, we braved the "blizzard" and took a walk by the "lake." I think Lauren will be excited to play in the snow one day...soon. She definitely takes after her daddy and has the right gear to deal with adverse conditions. Check out her jumpsuit



goodnight!

We're home!

After a quick weekend trip to Austin for me, and a couple of extra days for Beth and Lauren, we're back to "normal" in B-ville. Lauren is having her first school photos at her class at church tomorrow. It's pretty exciting to have someone else do the photos for a change!

We had lots of fun in Austin (other than having to work). Lauren had an opportunity to visit with her old friend, Sam Brown, this weekend. They got to play in the Pumpkin Patch at Terrytown United Methodist Church. Trying to get 18 month olds to cooperate is a challenging endeavor. It's easier to herd cats, actually...

I'll post a couple soon.

goodnight!

Trip to Austin

Well, here we go. Our first family trip back to Austin. This is more of a work trip for me and hopefully, more of a family oriented trip for Beth and Lauren. We have a wedding this weekend and two more (weekend before Turkey day and Memorial Day weekend 08) before we're finished. After that, I will concentrate my photography efforts on flowers and buildings and other stuff that doesn't move unless it's named Lauren. Speaking of Lauren, she was primping for Austin tonight...

I cannot get over this girl's curls!!!

Someone actually asked Beth if they were natural!?!

We're just about packed, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what gear to leave behind. Honestly, I could probably shoot the whole wedding with 2 lenses, but you just never know what you're going to need or what you're going to leave on the front row of the church...

I got off early this afternoon because a water main burst downtown and we didn't have water at the pilot plant. No water = no bathrooms or AC = go home. I can't say that I complained too much. I had a migrain that didn't go away until I napped for about an hour. Beth had a biopsy on one of her moles today, so please say a prayer that it comes back negative. You always hold your breath until you have been cleared.

We're still trying to get used to how things work in a small town. It seems like we're always getting the run-around in some way. Yesterday, for instance, the lady that was scheduled for at least a month in advance because she was booked solid, called and canceled 30 minutes before Beth's appointment. Not exactly small-town hospitality. Of course we have no way of knowing if she had a family emergency or what, but still, it's just one example in a long chain of events. Our lawn guy is flaky. We practically had to beg to get an OB appointment and sonogram 6 weeks late (we should have found out a month ago that we're having a boy). Just stuff. So, on a whim, Beth called Patricia, her hairstylist from Austin and she's going to go in after hours on Sunday night to do Beth's hair. We miss people like that. I guess we're just not considered "locals" yet.

Alright, our little baby is demanding that Beth eat some icecream, so I'll sign off in a sec. Before I leave, Lauren wanted me to post a couple of photos of her new friend, Sam Gregory.

the day before hump day...

It's only Tuesday, but it already feels like Wednesday. I suppose that makes for a long week.

We had Bible study tonight. I met a lot of great guys and I'm hopeful that my experience will be somewhat akin to my first Bible study group in Austin. That study started a number a lifelong type friendships. Beth enjoyed her Bible study as well (the wives of all the guys in my study). It's good to feel a part of something--it makes the transition to Bartlesville that much easier.

Lauren enjoyed our Bible study, too. She stayed up WAAAAYYY past her bedtime. She normally goes to sleep around 7:00 but didn't finally conk out until about 9:00 tonight. Maybe she'll sleep in for Beth tomorrow or she'll have a good morning nap after her flu shot...poor kiddo. It's never fun to get stuck by a needle. Erin, our newly found babysitter, took great care of her tonight. To make matters even better, she knows the meaning of the phrase, "Wooo Pig Soieee!" as she is a recent Arkansas grad.

That's it for now...goodnight.

And it's a...

BOY!!! We went to the OB's office this morning and he told us that we were having a baby girl. Then he realized he'd made a mistake and missed something :)

We're really excited--of course this means that we now have to buy all new clothes and such, but we can't wait. Now all we need is to figure out what we're going to name him. I'm thinking Habbakuk. Beth doesn't like it though, so we'll see.