Wow.  Trevor’s first day back to work after being gone almost a week was a bit of a different one than we expected.  I was feeding Sidney and Eliot was at Brinley’s when Trevor came home from work two hours early and asked, “How do you feel about moving to Houston?”  Wh-wh-wh-WH-WHAT??!  I’ll admit that it definitely caught me off guard, and I’m still not certain that the reality has fully registered now that it’s a full twenty-four hours later, but things are moving fast.

Here’s the specifics: The department he works in is no longer going to be located in this office of the company.  About 90% of the department will be transferred to Houston to be closer to the clients for which the department does work; others may go to South Carolina, Colorado, Washington, or Canada.  The final statement was, “We’d like to hear of your preferences, and we’ll do our best to find a position for each of you” but that didn’t give us the security we’d like.  He was told there would not be any new information for a couple of days, but that these changes would take place by mid-November.  Because of the slim possibility of being laid off, Trevor has applied for many jobs in this area as well as other areas in which we’d prefer to live.  We know that if he continues with the same company, we will not be living here so just tonight a realtor came to list the house to be sold.  After her suggestions to get it “showable” we realize we’ve got a lot of work to do, and she wants to be able to list it this weekend.  Wow.  Our life is about to change, and kind of drastically, we think.  I think the hardest part now is just waiting until something is definite, oh yeah, and all the work we have to do at home .

How does time pass so quickly?  Just last weekend I was asking Trevor date and was shocked when he brought it to my attention that we are half-way through October.  What?!  Our new son Sidney is already four weeks old!  I had high goals to have a birth announcement out before now, but just finished it today:

I think the last minute trip we took to Utah last week also added to my losing track of time.  Trevor’s paternal grandfather passed suddenly on October 10, and we drove with Kevin’s family to make it to the funeral.  The drive was a full two days one way, but I’m glad we went.  All four of us were able to go, despite the concern of how Sidney would travel.  He did AMAZING, as did Eliot and her cousins Danielle, Emily, and Kylie.  We had every seat filled in Kevin’s van and were anticipating a frustrating trip in such small quarters, but I think we’ll all admit there were even times of enjoyment.  A highlight for me was eating a Dion’s (my favorite NM restaurant) -TWICE- on the way home.  We had pizza with green chile and their wonderful chef’s salad for lunch, and I bought a sub sandwich to take with me and I enjoyed that for dinner .  There’s so much I miss about Albuquerque.

The funeral and surrounding events were somewhat bittersweet.  I was glad to spend time with Trevor’s family and get to know them; many of which I met for the first time, after seven and a half years of marriage.  I was impressed to see Eliot handle herself at the viewing and funeral.  She asked to go see Grandpa’s body several times and did just fine to look and walk away.

Luckily, we were able to sneak some time in to see my family.  We were able to go to dinner at Glenna’s on Friday night and see cousins and siblings, and then also spend the night at my parents before leaving town the next day.  It was somewhat of a whirlwind trip, but one I was glad to be able to take.

As far as business trips go, my recent one to Texas had more delight in the mixture than usual.  What a treat to be able to have to work in a city near where my sister lives and to visit her such an exciting time.  I had known that her friends had been working on a surprise shower for her and I didn’t want to spoil it so I just wrapped up my arrival into the surprise.  What a treat to be able to surprise Monica - the one who often starts her visits home with an element of surprise but can’t quite pull off keeping the secret.

If anyone doubted that the shower was successfully a surprise, that was immediately dismissed when we opened the door and saw her standing there.  The sweet thing had obviously just jumped out of the shower and dressed for a lounge-around day.  Now, it would not be surprising to see me with no make-up and in comfy clothes with my hair still dripping, but Monica has evolved from that state and would not have knowingly shown up for a party looking like that.  What a reward to those who worked so hard to surprise her!  (you can read about her reaction to the surprise on her post from last month)  It was very touching to be there with her, surrounded by so many sisters in the gospel and friendship that cared for her.  There were a number of the sisters that I wished I lived closer to and be able to get to know better.  Great women and great fun.

We spent some treasured time one evening in the Dallas temple to do some temple work for two women from my Dad’s ancestral line.  What a trooper she was to be 8+ months pregnant, suffering with a nasal/head cold and go and sit in a chair, while yes is padded, is still a stadium-like chair, and in a sacred, reverent environment for two hours needing to blow your nose, cough and just stand and move to offset the discomfort of her tailbone, hips, etc. from the weight of that sweet baby she was carrying.  Her sacrifice did not go unnoticed nor unappreciated.  It was a special experience for me and I was thrilled to be sharing it with her.

It was emotional to be there (if you read my last post it will make more sense for me to say that this time my emotions were in synch with the calendar) since the last time I was there was for Morgen’s funeral and so there were often flashbacks to that time.  To add to it, we pulled out the presser boards full of flowers from his funeral sprays and floral arrangements we had put together while I was there last February.  But it felt so rewarding to be able to arrange them and have them available for display as a beautiful reminder  of his memory and how delicate this life on earth is.

Here are some pictures from my visit there.  I missed not having my family with me, but I loved having the opportunity to be a sister and an aunt.  We stayed up late laughing, crying, cooking, playing.  I love my sister and I love her family.  I was glad to have had the time together with them and look forward to the next time.

…to be going to the hospital last Wednesday morning.  I sure made some mistakes about some early labor decisions -now really, why sit at the hospital for hours when you can RACE to the hospital during morning rush hour and deliver a new baby about 30 minutes after being admitted?- but we’re glad our son’s here and safe.

Here’s the blue paper Eliot had been looking forward to when visiting the hospital.  Because we didn’t know the gender ahead of time, she continued to tell me that she would find out what the baby’s name would be by looking for a pink or blue paper in the basinet.  Blue!  Then the baby’s name is Sidney Morgen.

Eliot has been all smiles and continues to tell us how happy she is that the baby’s here.  She loves to hold him, and has been so helpful; not the over-the-top helpful that I anticipated .

*Photos courtesy of Marsha, because we didn’t take our camera.  Are we not new parents, or what?

… to E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E else, but to me – it was a HUGE surprise!

I was under the impression that I would be spending the previous Saturday at my friend Marsha’s house to get help with a quilting project while Trevor helped her husband Seth make a nic-nac shelf for their kids’ room.  Therefore, I decided to wear very comfortable clothing -basically pajamas!- and had just been out of the shower about two minutes before leaving our home.  However, as I was welcomed into Marsha’s house the entire entryway was filled with friends and someone who looked amazingly identical to LEAH!!!  I was immediately embarrassed to realize how I looked for such an audience, and even regretful to think of how I had not surrendered to Trevor attempts at convincing me to wear my comfortable Sunday dress that day (because he was fully knowing of what I would be walking into).  It turned out to be an amazing day, full of pumpkins and plenty of rain!

Everyone had gathered for a surprise baby shower to celebrate our “Li’l Pumpkin” set to arrive next month.  The more I talk to people and hear the full story, this party has been in the works and planning for months – crazy.  I was able to visit with friends from church, our previous neighborhood, and family that I haven’t seen for months.  Everyone was very generous with their gifts and preparations, despite the slack Trevor and I have received because we’re told “how can I buy a gift if I don’t know the gender??!”  We received some wonderful items, and some larger items I have been concerned about going without.

I think the best part was the DVD-answering questionnaire that was prepared by my family.  I understand Marsha sent them a list of questions [upon arrival we each got a list of the questions and were to match our answers to what we'd see on the DVD] about me and my baby/childhood and Leah filmed my family answering them; however, I will set the record straight that some of the answers were COMPLETELY made up because they didn’t know.  It sure made for an entertaining show, complete with outtakes!

My friends definitely went to a lot of work for this secret production and pulled it off smoothly.  Marsha invited Eliot for a sleepover the night before, and Leah arrived that night and joined the sleepover.  Truthfully, Leah was in town on business, but the timing worked well enough to come a few days early to join in the fun – and IT WAS FUN!  The more I talk/hear about what went on “behind the scenes” it amazes me to realize the time and expense that went into this, and I’m very grateful.

Should it really take me over two hours to update and publish a post?  I can’t figure out what I’m missing, but after a couple hours of that, I’m a little discouraged from sitting down to post again.  Any suggestions?

I’m thinking the grief is being caused by trying to include pictures.  So while I think you all -notice I’m not Texan enough to say “ya’ll”- like to SEE how our family is doing in pictures, this time I’m just doing a verbage update following my new mantra of

FINISHED IS WAY BETTER THAN PERFECT

Since Memorial Day (when we went to San Antonio) things have been pretty uneventful around the house.  Eliot and I have been going swimming once a week with the church playgroup as well as story and craft time at the library.  For the most part, those are the only events that really get us out of the house besides grocery necessities.  I just haven’t really wanted to venture into the humid heat for unimportant things and we’ve been working to cut down on gas expenses.

Trevor’s work has been keeping him busy, for the most part.  One night he worked until close to 5:30 a.m. the following day, and other days he says he’s killing time by programming our bills spreadsheet in Excel while waiting for work from project managers.

At the end of July we went to spend time with my family on my grandpa’s farm for a family reunion.  I think most of you readers were there and have copies of the same pictures I would post so I don’t feel too bad not taking the time.  However, if you want to see some pics from others’ blogs you can find them here [okay, so I thought more of my extended family had posted about the family reunion, but I guess not].

The vacation was EXACTLY what I was looking for: cool nights and evenings outdoors.  We were able to sleep in a tent in my grandpa’s yard with lots of family nearby in trailers or just on the grass.  The morning we needed to come home I woke Eliot and reminded her to eat breakfast before getting on the plane she responded with, “Mmmm…ahhh [waking up sounds]… it is sure nice to come and visit family.  My two favorite parts were… fishing and… *yawn* um… I can’t remember the other one.  I think it’s because I stayed up too late last night.”  The fishing she’s talking about it a toy fish pond (like at a fair/carnival) Leah organized.  She loves the purse she pulled out, and all the toys inside.  Later, Eliot told me she remembered the second thing she liked the best was visiting the temple open house.  This was her third one, and Trevor’s first.  Kind of funny, I thought.  Just Sunday on the way home from church she told us they were talking about temples in her class and she shared that she went to the open house and saw the big animals (oxen) with the font “on their backs in the movie [you see before touring the inside of the temple], and then on the paper [in the brochure they give you] and then inside for real! and I thought of Morgen.”

Some of the highlights of the reunion were the cupcake eating contest that Trevor won, the $2 bill I won in the dart throw, the motorized swing carosel my grandpa made, Dad’s showing of fireworks, and an amazing geneological video Leah made and presented.  (she goes to a lot of effort to learn about our ancestors and share the info with us).

After the reunion and we returned to my parents’ we had just a day before returning home.  That day was spent near Leah’s house and getting new family pictures taken.  I haven’t seen all of them yet, but here’s the sneak peak I got from our photographer, Leah’s friend.  Even from these few examples I am so amazed at her abilities to make us look so good.  We had a good time, and she was go generous to do these for us.  I’m anxious to see our individual family pictures because I’ve wanted new ones for so long.

Things are moving right along for our new baby arriving early in October.  Just two weeks ago I got a lot of comments along the lines of “Finally you’re starting to look pregnant”.  I think up until now I’ve just mostly looked overweight so it’s nice to have a recognizably pregnant belly.  For the most part Eliot is being patient with waiting the nine months.  There was a couple months when she didn’t understand why it took so long and just wanted to see the baby “now” but that anticipation has slowed some and she’s watching the calendar.  Even she comments on how my tummy looks big enough that the baby can come out.

This pas weekend we -I mean Trevor- got lots of boxes down from the attic that I need to sort through.  He also did a great job of re-arranging stuff so the crib and big dresser will once again fit in Eliot’s room.  And, Eliot did a great job of going through her toys with me and getting rid of (mostly trash) toys that she can be done with.  Next step is sorting through her clothes that no longer fit so there’s room to share the closet.

All along Eliot has been saying she “picks” the baby to be a girl, but the last appointment I had she went with me and said that the baby’s heartbeat sounded like a boy .  She’ll tell you that we just have to wait until we see if the paper in the bassinet at the hospital is pink or blue and then we’ll know what name to give “The Beast”.  That’s what I call the baby for now.  It never fails that as soon as I lay down to sleep is when it decides to move most violently.

I can’t think of anything more to update.  I think I’ll do this at least once a month rather than getting it done when I have pictures.  We’ll see…

So here’s the trip to San Antonio.  Eliot helped me select which pictures to post, and I tried not to discourage her desire to share them all .  However, first I need to state my disclaimer: I was hesitant to take this trip without buying a new camera first.  I’ve been wanting one for-e-v-e-r but don’t have it yet.  I’m just not pleased with the pictures my current camera produces, and I really wanted to have these pictures from our trip.  In my mind, the trip was somewhat of a big step for our family.  We rarely – wait, I don’t think we’ve EVER - taken a trip by ourselves to a place we don’t know without staying with someone we know.  This time, we went as a small family of three for three nights and stayed in a hotel and were tourists.  We had some enjoyable times and really appreciated the time away from reality to really focus on each other.  The only bad thoughts I have about this trip are looking at the less-than-great pictures I’m left with; so sad.  Oh ya, and the regrets of going to the Guinness World Record Museum; what a waste.

Rather than going straight to San Antonio, first we took a side trip to a little community called Brenham.  One of three Blue Bell ice cream factories is there.  It’s the best ice cream ever!

~~~~~~~~

So, this post was started almost two months ago (I didn’t make my goal of posting within two months of the trip) and now I don’t completely remember where I was going with everything.

Brenham was a small community that seems to be almost nothing but Blue Bell’s factory.  I found it very interesting that the milk they use to make the ice cream is from cows only within a 200-mile radius of Brenham in order to keep the milk fresh.  I also learned of a few flavors that I’ve not seen in stores before so I’ve been on the lookout.

We arrived in San Antonio and immediately took the hotel shuttle to the Riverwalk.  It was a fun place to walk around and see all the vendors and shops right on the sidewalk.  Eliot kept mentioning that if Morgen was with us he would want to get in and swim, but she would hold his hand tight and not let him .

Most of the images you may see of the Riverwalk include these colorful umbrellas in the background. 

We learned they are the patio dining area of Casa Rio, the oldest restaurant on the Riverwalk.  Most of the restaurants had a patio area where you sat right next to the water.  It was fun to toss chips to the birds and ducks, but I don’t remember seeing fish.  We did take a ride on the riverboat and were told lots about the history of the area.  A couple of the afternoons it rained -and rained kind of hard- but it was still enjoyable to be in the rain and on vacation.

We were able to go to the Alamo and watch a video on the events.  It’s a place I would like to go and spend more time and learn more, but Eliot was a little impatient and didn’t find it very exciting at all.  Most exciting for me was that I was able to get my National Parks Passport stamped!  Here’s a picture of the flags representing the six countries that were represented in the battle, and Eliot and I standing outside:

Now I just need to get the Alamo charm to go on my travel bracelet to make my vacation complete .

After the Alamo we went to the Guinness World Record Museum.  As I mentioned previously, I was a bit disappointed in it.  There were a few interactive things (enough to entertain Eliot more than at the Alamo) but for the most part I felt like I paid a large admittance to read the book of records in display form rather than portable book form.  It’s a place Trevor and I both agreed we wouldn’t return.  Nonetheless, here’s some pics:

Trevor attempting to match the Guitar Hero record.Eliot, in the heaviest man's body.

"Take a picture of that red bird and send it to Leah," Eliot kept saying.

We were sad we didn't see this Wysteria arch in bloom, but we imagined the beauty.

I enjoyed this bamboo fence from the Japanese area.

Here's one of the few pictures we have of the three of us.

Trevor admiring the dry climate he longs for and calls "home."

We all recognized this plan right away as "Morgen's plant" because we still have those we received from the funeral.

This building was kind of interesting because it looked very flat from this angle.

Here we are on the boat ride, with the patio umbrellas of another restaurant at which we ate on the river.

After the boat ride we walked some more and found this nice waterfall, and another bird (more of a crane?) walking around it in.  Again, Eliot really wanted Leah to see it so I tried my best to get a good shot, but without the success I wanted.  Then, here’s Eliot and I in front of the same waterfall.

This big red sculpture is called “The Torch of Friendship.”  It was a gift from Mexico and sits up on the street level just above the Riveralk.  In the background is something called “Tower of the Americas” that we didn’t make it to seeing.  It sounds to be pretty much an observation deck of sorts and was created for the world fair in 1968, HemisFair.

And, while Eliot did a GREAT job being a tourist, most of the day was spent asking when we would be going back to the hotel.  For Trevor and I, the hotel was nothing more than a place to sleep, but for her the hotel was the fun part with the pool (not that we don’t do that enough at home) and someone else to make our bed .

So, I’ve been told a lot about Texas, and learned a lot about the culture first-hand; although I’m sure I still have a lot to learn. Since the bluebonnet is the state flower and you’re not allowed to pick them, I’ve been told the only thing to do with them is get your picture taken in them.  It wasn’t too hard either.  There is a large field in our community that I often saw people doing just that.  Trevor said he even saw some people with a large yellow couch -I think it was yellow- in the middle of the field to add to their photo shoot.

This was an experience I wanted to have, as I have seen many and liked how it looked, but wasn’t certain I would get complete cooperation from my other half .  Luckily, Kevin and Kristy came to visit one weekend in April and Kristy had the same plan and thought the same of her other half.  So, after church Kristy went and took her girls in their dresses, and then took some of Eliot and I, and then we allowed the kids to get into more comfortable clothes and we took just a couple for fun.  Here they are:

So, I think it’s pretty evident in Eliot’s crumpled eyebrows that she wasn’t quite into this experience.  She kept talking about the fire ants and didn’t want to get bitten.  In this second one she was asking to be done.  I don’t remember specifically what she said, but I must have thought it was funny.

I wanted a few of Eliot by herself, but you can see that the chances of that were probably less than those when she was sitting on my lap.

Enter cousins, and wardrobe change!  Look at the difference it made to our little girl!  I’m not certain of the details, but she sure was enjoying it more with them.  Oh well, it’s still a great picture, even if it’s not one of mother and daughter.

I really enjoyed this next little sequence of cooperation.  She did her best to pose as we asked, but wasn’t quite comfortable smelling the flowers so she kept watching us for the “you can stop” que.

Overall, it was a great experience.  We decided we would hit the field much earlier next year as a lot of the flowers were already starting to wilt.  Maybe with one year under her belt, Eliot will do better with her fright of the fire ants.  Thanks to Kristy for her great picture-taking!

Next post: our San Antonio trip!  I’ll set my goal to have it done before two months pass :/

Shocking, I know.  Who would have thought I could publish two posts so close together?  I must be mismanaging my time again .  Oh well!

I wanted to get this picture up and show off this great cake Eliot and I were so proud of.  I was mostly impressed with it because it was so last-minute and not very well planned out, but it turned out WONDERFUL!  We spent the day with our friends Seth and Marsha, and had a great time.

While Easter has always been an enjoyable holiday for me -I think mostly because of the memories of being on Grandpa’s farm- the past couple of years have taken on a deeper appreciation and celebration.  Our family loves to talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the opportunities we have as a family because of it, and how we look so forward to being with Morgen again.  We haven’t specifically created traditions for Easter since Morgen’s passing, but the day just feels different than Easters passed.

Most times when we go to the cemetery we put new flowers on Morgen’s grave and bring home the old ones.  Eliot enjoys “planting” the plastic flowers in the back yard and recently Trevor made a “flower box” in the corner so there’s a designated place for them:

Along with the flowers you’ll probably notice a wooden one.  That’s a “Build and Grow” project from Lowe’s that Eliot made.  It’s a rain gauge and she LOVES to see the container fill with water.  Also, you’ll see a CD.  That’s the top of the a wind chime Eric and Leah’s family sent us on the one-year anniversary of Morgen’s passing.  It’s on a shepherd’s hook that they gave us and we take it to the cemetery for a while to hang stuff, and then bring it back home when we switch stuff out.

Here’s a little picture of Eliot’s dance performance this month.  From left to right is Brinley, Faith, and Eliot.

Here’s a couple pics from the latest ultrasound:

We really enjoyed the visit when we got these pics because we were able to “record” a DVD to bring home and show Eliot.  She is so anxious to go to the doctor with me and see the ultrasound.  I mentioned it to the doctor and he suggested this as an option.  During the time we were recording, the baby did what the lady described as drinking.  The baby would cock its head back and open it’s mouth wide, then stick its tongue out a few times and swallow.  It was so interesting to see the movement so defined and exaggerated.  It was a new experience for us.  When we watched the DVD with Eliot she really enjoyed hearing the heart “beeping, because that means you’re alive.”

Things seem to be going well so far.  It’s taken me longer to post these pictures than it should have; the ultrasound was 03 April.  My next appointment is this coming Friday so we’ll see if I can post about it sooner than a month late .  In the next couple of weeks I’ll be having the 18-week [I'm used to it being done at 20 weeks, but this practice must be different] ultrasound to check everything, so I’m sure I’ll have more pics soon.

Overall, we’re doing pretty well as a family.  Trevor no longer has an evening job so we’re enjoying more family time together.  Eliot just thinks it’s wonderful that Trevor only works at “2HM Hill” and will be home for dinner.

Eliot’s last dance recital was earlier this month (but I haven’t reviewed the pictures so that will have to wait until next time).  Her teacher will no longer be holding classes, and I’m not sure we’ll look into another location so for now that’s falling to the wayside.  It’s been fun for us both .  She would go to class and I would go to lunch with friends (their daughters were in the same class).

We’ve been spending a lot of time with our friends Seth and Marsha lately, and while it’s enjoyable and a mutually beneficial friendship, it may be causing some problems with Trevor’s list of home improvements.  For the past week or so we have enjoyed several evenings in their enclosed back porch, enjoying the cool quiet air, bug free.  Several times since we’ve lived in this home Trevor has mentioned how he’d like a patio in the backyard to be able to lounge.  However, since he’s “tasted” of this luxury of lounging without the bugs, his mind is starting to plan.  If you know Trevor well enough, I’m sure you know where this is going.  The past few times we’ve gone to Seth and Marsha’s, Trevor has taken measurements of their porch, and looked closely at the door and windows, and asked Seth to see the pictures of it during construction.  He’s looked a little at outdoor furniture, and even more closely at projectors with DVD players and pull-down screens to watch them on, though he says that’s a lot farther off in the future.  He’s looked at the constrution of our covered porch area and tried to decide if that’s large enough to just enclose, or how he would increase the size without needing a building permit to complete this project… and this is only a the things I’m aware of.  I’m sure there’s lots more to his planning mind.

Trevor’s personality is very much focused on finishing things, as well as immediate satisfaction.  Not only does he want this enclosed porch for his enjoyment, I know he wants it because he has a lot of pride in himself and his abilities when he’s able to accomplish something large.  I often observe him to be much like a bull, preparing to charge.  When that bull zeros in on a target, it races full boar until it makes contact and accomplishes what he intends.  Trevor is very much like that with projects.  He must think about it all the time, with little distraction, and runs full-speed and agressively completes the project until it is D-O-N-E.

We’re enjoying the weather warming, but for Eliot it’s still not enough.  She REALLY wants to go swimming although we tell her it will be a little too cold still – mostly the water.  He response is that she’s wearing flip-flops and she’s not too cold.  Kevin and Kristy are coming to spend some time this weekend and I told Eliot we’d see if her cousins want to brave the pool with her.  We’ll see how it goes.