Look who I saw this weekend!

Ian Kinsler and the 1st place Texas Rangers:

Robert Earl Keen in concert (for free!):

my best friend, Kasey:

and the cutest baby in the world right now:

It was a GREAT weekend!

Better Late...

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the self-sacrificing mothers out there! You sacrifice your body during (and after, too) pregnancy. You sacrifice sleep, savings, Saturdays off and some more sleep for your little precious ones (how was that for alliteration?). And then your little precious ones grow up and you realize that hey, all that sacrifice [hopefully] paid off and now they are on their own and you actually managed to pull off the whole mothering thing. Then, you realize that the whole mothering thing never really stops. You may not strategically place cute little sticky notes in their lunch boxes, but you send small notes for birthdays and just becauses. You may not tell them "NO!" because something just isn't safe, but you listen to them when they call for advice and tell them that whatever decision they make is okay, while thinking inside your head, "please don't do that or go there or spend that." You may not leave the door unlocked and the living room lamp on waiting for them to get home, but you still yearn for their safety. You continue to pray for them daily and love them unconditionally. The mothering never stops, it just grows up.

Any woman can become a mother, but it takes a special woman to be a mom.

Happy Mother's Day to my favorite woman in the world:

And to the best Mother-in-Law I could ever dream up. For raising such an amazing man and for accepting me into your family as one of your own:

Love you both!

Birthdays and Births

As you're all aware, Brad turned 30 last week. I [actually] pulled off a surprise visit from his parents that had been a secret for four flippin months. Do you know how many times I had to literally stop mid-sentence, pretend I was having a brain fart and change the subject in order NOT to tell him they were coming? Many times. Thursday, we had a low-key night at our favorite local restaurant, Cyclone Anaya's, had a glass of wine at our newest hangout, Vintropolis and then came home for Brad's favorite dessert, blue-nana pie. See? Yuuuummm.

Friday, his parents met us at the restaurant for Brad's "real" birthday dinner -- you know, the fancy steakhouse with wine lists that go on for pages.

Saturday, we spent the morning at Battleship Texas down in the ship channel of Houston. Can't say I've ever been there until now. Besides swarms of love-bugs and the occasional mosquito, it was a really neat little tour. They even let you spend the night!

We basically had a tailgating reunion at the party Saturday night. There were even more maroon shirts than any other color! I wish we'd gotten a group picture, but alas, we didn't. However, Brad DID have 30 candles on his birthday cake (complete with [gasp] homemade chocolate icing).

Littekens, we are SO glad you were able to make the journey to Houston and can't wait until we make it back to the Falls. I'm really, really sad we didn't get a picture with y'all!

In other news, Brad and I became an uncle and aunt again to our second nephew today. World, meet Michael Leal Simpson. Born today at 3:49 AM, weighing in at 6 lb 8.5 oz and 18 inches long:

Birthdays!

Well, today is a BIG day in the Litteken house, *ahem*, apartmenthold. Brad has entered a new decade of age. That's right, the big 3-0. Of course, people are saying that 40 is the new 30 so in reality, Brad is just now 20. I didn't know Brad when he was only 20 years old, but from the stories I've heard and the pictures I've seen, he has "aged" quite well. He may have fewer hair on the top of his head and his waist may have another inch or two on it, but he has matured quite well. His heart is the same and I love him more everyday.

If we had kids, this post would look a LOT like this:

http://jeffandsarataylor.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-30th-to-brad.html

Since we don't have kids yet, I will instead include pictures that look like this:

Happy birthday to the sweetest boy I know!

And also, to one of my other favorite people, Leah, who will turn the big 3-0 next year!

rain, gems and baseball

After ending what could have been the worst schedule I have ever inflicted upon myself (working 8 out of 10 straight days), I spent my four-day weekend busy entertaining my parents. Naturally, the three days I spent indoors at work were beautiful -- mid to high 70s, sun shining beyond partly cloudy skies. Friday rolls around the corner and there were tornado watches turned into tornado warnings. Flash flood this. Severe thunderstorm that. All while my parents made the 4-hour trek southbound. They made it in late Friday night, awoke to more rain Saturday morning that lasted the better part of 10 or so hours and ended the weekend like the week started.

Because of the rain, we opted to spend some time indoors at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. Favorite parts? The Gem Vault (um, hello! I am a girl) and Texas Wildlife exhibits. Even better? Corporate discounts that saved us $40!

My parents used to come to Houston a lot early in their marriage as they picked up and dropped off my half-brother for weekend visits. It was fun getting to hear them talk about the places they remember and the things they used to do. So, in honor of them (and at the request of my dad) we ate at Antone's and had po-boys, chips, sodas and of course, Jordan almonds!

The disAstros (as Brad calls them) were playing Saturday night and since they were smart enough to build a roof over the ballpark, we were entertained by their 7-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The highlight of the game? Pudge! I've missed the Puerto Rican broken English-speaking catcher that graced the Rangers with 10+ seasons.

Sunday was the busiest day for me with church, lunch, a pediatric remembrance service for our hospital, a meeting for beach retreat and then wifely household duties.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming to share a wet weekend with us! We had fun and are looking forward to using Brad's birthday gift! :)

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating the fact that Christ not only suffered through much pain physically and emotionally while He was tortured on the cross, but also that he is RISEN and has set us free from sin!

While marketing departments sit around and come up with better ways to commercialize and sell off spiritual holidays, we know the truth and real reason this particular Sunday is spent in celebration with people we dearly love.

I was one of the lucky few who worked today. I'm completely okay with that, though, because while I love being able to spend Sunday in church and with my husband, I am also FREE to worship wherever and whenever and however I choose. I had a bit of a slower, more relaxed day so I spent a lot of time praying for the dear kiddos and the families that were stuck spending their Easter in the hospital.

Different churches celebrate and find ways to express the meaning of Easter. Although they began doing it after I moved away from home, Central has one of my favorite traditions. During Holy Week, a rustic wooden cross is erected and covered with chicken wire. It is left there for people to observe, probably wondering why the heck the Baptists have put chicken wire around a couple of pieces of wood. On Saturday morning, those crazy old Baptists get together, each brining a bouquet of spring flowers, to construct this:

The old rustic cross made of dead wood is now living with the beauty of fresh flowers. What an amazing picture of the Truth of the Cross.

Ramblings

FACT: Today, Brad and I have been married exactly 120 days, which equals four months, which is also 1/3 of a year. When you think about a lifetime, that's not very long, but it also seems like the wedding was yesterday. So actually, four short months have flown by!

FACT: I have been asked more times than I care to count a) are you buying a house? and/or b) when are you having kids? Anytime I mention the word "nauseous" at work, that is THE question that pops out of the person's mouth that was actually close enough to hear the word muttered. Because, you see, after about the twentieth time I was asked that question, I began choosing my words very cautiously to avoid any rumor mills quickly setting afire.

FACT: Brad and I talk [almost] daily about our goals in life, whether that be the location where we might one day settle into, the next kind of car we buy or when those kids might actually be something we REALLY want to think about. If Brad had a bottle with a genie in it, we'd be building a house (and a shop out back, might I add) on 500 acres in the middle of Nowhere, Texas (or Colorado), with a three-car garage (one stall for his 1997 diesel Ford extended cab blah blah blah) and have two rambunctious boys running around driving their mother insane. Okay, so maybe not ALL of that, but he has requested a shop (especially if we are blessed with two girls instead of boys) and he comments EVERY day about the truck he's destined to own. My dreams? Well, I would like a house with enough room for a dog to run and play. And inside that garage? Probably a Tahoe. What can I say? Some dreams never die.

FACT: I was roaming through Barnes & Noble today and noticed the "Required Reading for School" table. You know, the one with Jane Eyre, Tale of Two Cities and...Same Kind of Different as Me. Huh? Really? Wise choice, Mrs. Educator. I have no doubt that some parents will have a problem with the underlying messge of the book, especially if said book is required for Public School, USA. But I commend said teacher for putting a great book on the list!

FACT: I most certainly cried when I watched the season finale of "ER". I'm such a sucker for dramatic tv shows.

FACT: While shopping at Kroger yesterday evening, I almost jumped up an down and wet my pants when I realized that the exact gum for which I had a coupon for "$2 off 3 single packs" was actually on sale for 3/$2. That's right, folks. I got $3.18 worth of gum for FREE!!!

FACT: As I was getting ready to run some errands this morning I heard what sounded a lot like helicopters hovering overhead. I clicked on the news and apparently, they were looking for a few guys that were caught breaking into cars across the Interstate and took off on foot when the cop shot them. Yes, shot THEM, not AT them. Brave little guys to run while leaving a trail of blood behind. No worries, they were caught a few blocks away about 30 minutes later. And yes, I waited another two hours before daring to leave the apartment.

So, Brad...how bout those 500 acres in the middle of Nowhere? .... :)

Until next time...