Faces with names

Most of my friends have heard me talk about my family, but have never had the chance to meet them all in person- so this is my opportunity to put some faces with names!  This past February they moved back to the Houston area...and even better, across the street from us!  Cami and Aidan can walk over anytime they feel like it, which is pretty often!  They love to go over and play with Gramma's buckets of toys, sit in Papa's chair and raid the pantry.  They would be over there every day if I let them!

My brother Todd is 12 and in the 7th grade.  He loves to skateboard and we get to see him daily playing in the cul-de-sac with his buddies.  Aidan adores him, looks up to him and wants to do everything like him.  I can convince Aidan of pretty much anything if I tell him its Uncle Todd's idea.  My sister Nicole is 16 and a Junior in High School.  Shes got a pretty busy social calendar so we dont see as much of her as we do everyone else.  She does pop over occasionally for help on her homework or to "borrow" a flat iron, bag or some other necessity...and sometimes just to say "hey".  She's getting her license in December so this is fair warning to the rest of you Katyites...coming soon to a roadway near you!

We really have enjoyed having them all so close.  They moved out of the Houston area just after I graduated from college- heading first to Arizona then to San Antonio.  It seems perfect timing for them to be back near us now with Aislyn on the way.  What a blessing to be able to have the children grow up with close family near by, hopefully they will stay put for a while!

Hmmm...now if only we could convince my sister and her family in Minnesota that Texas would be a good fit!

IKE

So I know that my out of town friends want all the gory Ike details about how we weathered the storm...so heres my official IKE POST!

We were very lucky in the grand scheme of all the devastation that the Houston area has suffered.  We never had a loss of power, cable or water services.  We had no damage to our home or property.  We have pretty much come out on the other side of Ike unscathed suffering only a few minor inconveniences.  Schools have been closed since Friday (scheduled to reopen here in Katy next Monday 22).  Because of this the children have come down with some pretty severe cases of cabin fever!  Even though we have power and cable TV still in tact, Cami has found other things to busy herself.  She has constructed every puzzle in our possession, our floors and tables at various points over the last couple of days have been littered with completed puzzles that she refused to deconstruct (although Aidan has no problem with deconstruction much to her dismay!).  She has roamed the house with a clip board and pencil copying every bit of print within her eye line of site...accumulating pages and pages of lists of random words.  She has played babies, barbies, pet shop and potato head, made a trip a day to Gramma's house and ridden her bike in circles inside and outside.  

Aidan on the other hand is much more content to watch TV, lounge and wait for an invitation to play from Cami.  He too has looked forward to his daily visit with Gramma...shes more fun, has better toys and better snacks :)  In all of the madness he has also taken to securing his valuables.  He has a bag and a box that he has been carrying around from room to room...even toted "his stuff" across the street to Gramma's house.  The bag is full of underpants and the box has his Spiderman lunchbox (with tech decks and random toys inside), his pirate halloween costume, his bunny and his blankie...you know, the necessities!

As for Ian and I, our main challenge has been gathering those basic things that we need on a daily basis for ourselves and the kids.  Prior to the storm we consumed most of our refrigerated and frozen foods in case we lost power and refrigeration.  Local stores are slowly reopening, but most are poorly stocked as far as dairy, produce and meats.  The kids are big milk drinkers and fruit eaters so this has been particularly difficult. However, round of applause to my super hunter gatherer of a husband who managed to track down two half gallons of organic milk, a dozen eggs, strawberries and bananas keeping his promise to never let his family go without!  Gas is the next challenge.  Fuel stations have also been reopening, but the long lines are a bit of a chore.  The good news is that the more Im out and about, the more it seems that Katy is on its way to quickly getting back to normal.  I predict that by this weekend, with the exception of some cleanup and debris around our town, we will be back to (or close to) business as usual.  We really do have wonderful neighbors, friends and community that are all looking out for each other.

It seems that when things are uncertain and thrown out of whack we look to the things that are constant in our lives for comfort- for those "constants" I am thankful.  Im especially thankful for my husband who always makes sure we are number one on his list, my parents who have been such a part of ours and the children's lives since the day the moved down here and my dear friends for the sanity saving play dates and girl time.  You are all my treasures and Id be up a creek without a paddle without you!  

Sugar and Spice

At my last visit, my doctor noticed that my blood pressure was elevated.  This little setback landed me on modified bed rest for the next week.  To me that means take it easy and slow down...to Ian that means sit around and do nothing.  So I've been trying to find a happy medium.  There is so much still to be done!  Washing and putting away clothes, going through lists of what still needs to be bought, packing my bag for the hospital and decorating the nursery...not to mention keeping up with Cami and Aidan, regular laundry and general household stuff.  Too much to do and not enough time!

One of the things I enjoy most on my long list of "to-dos" is going through all of Aislyn's tiny little things.  Today I took some time to photograph some of her little shoes, clothes and parts of her nursery...instant relaxation!  Its hard to believe that she will be here so soon!  By the time Cami and Aidan are putting on their costumes and getting ready to go on a Halloween candy binge, our baby girl will be here!  Whether her room is ready or the clothes are all hung or everything is washed or the house is clean- shes coming!  So now we just have to let go of all the lists and enjoy these last few weeks with Aislyn safely tucked away.  This is our last baby and our last chance to experience all the little kicks and rolls and aches and pains that go along with this miracle growing inside.  So I guess bed rest is a blessing...its Gods way of saying slow down and enjoy life before you miss it all together.  Pregancy is not always fun and its easy to wish away these moments, but soon they will be gone and we will be longing to have them back.  So Im off to enjoy a nap with my little one nestled safe and sound.