In the Mean Time

In addition, if you hang on till the end she says her second word - puppy (or puh-puh)!  She's already an expert at "mama" and several other sounds... I'm not bragging or anything.  Promise.

And, don't mind the exposed insulation that is in close proximity to our delicate baby.  Dry wall is on the list of "stuff to do" this summer.  So far, she hasn't eaten any.  

And while we're talking, I apologize for the crazy state of the blog lately - I'm experimenting with templates, and you're the unfortunate guinea pig.  

It's no secret that Rob and I are outdoor enthusiasts.  We decided it was about time to put Taylor to the test.  We had to see if she REALLY was OUR DAUGHTER.  

dun. dun. dun...

With careful planning, we loaded up the Jeep with all the necessary gear (and perhaps some unnecessary gear) and headed to Huntsville State Park.  Under normal circumstance, the park is beautiful - at just an hour or so north of Houston it is a great weekend getaway for those of us that seek refuge OUTSIDE the city.  This weekend, however, was a different story.

We left our house at 4:30pm on Friday... and after THREE hours on I-45 we finally made it to the park.  After a while, I eventually crawled into the back of the Jeep with Taylor to feed her dinner through the bumper to bumper traffic.  Just when the traffic cleared, we thought it would be smooth sailing to the park... but then the rain started.  Big, earth-shaking thunder and bright lightning met us about 30 minutes outside the park and stayed with us through the night.  

It's a good thing that lightning was with us.  Under the hardly effective covering of his rain jacket, Rob, along with Geoff, set up the tents in the pouring rain.  Come to find out that lightning helped him see what he was doing in the midst of the downpour.  Thank you, Lord, for the lightning!  Taylor and I roughed it in the car with Alissa and Bella (one of Taylor's BFFs).

Taylor and I made our way to the tent where we hunkered down and got the inside all set up... pack-n-play for Taylor and air mattress for Mama and Daddy.  Rob brought me dinner in bed - chili made by the Castro's!!  And I caught up on some awesome reading!  He joined us eventually after other friends arrived at camp and he helped get them set up too.  I LOVE sleeping in a storm - and to our surprise, Taylor does too.  What a blessing!  

In the morning we all awoke to a muddy, wet, and fairly desolate camp ground - perfect in my mind!  We ate yummy breakfast burrito's made by Ricky and Jen!  This bacon was so NOT on our diet... but it was soooo good!

Our time was occupied by lots of rainy-friendly activities... 

Some of us played in the tent... 

Some of us made a mud man - complete with a neck tie and dreadlocks.

Some of us played spades... what a group - Alissa and I both have nine month olds, and Randa and Jen are both pregnant!  Troopers - the whole bunch!

Some of us napped... 

(Side note - is it okay that she fell asleep like that?  I didn't want to move her...)

During the last week I've been doing some thinking about all this Mother's Day stuff.  And the thoughts that ran through my head were not quite what I expected I'd feel.  

Of course, I had all the thoughts about wanting to be appreciated and honored on Mother's Day.  Being a mom is hard.  There's no doubt about that.  But all those thoughts were superseded by deeper, overwhelming feelings.  You see, there was a time where I thought I'd never be able to bear any children.  We struggled for two years to get pregnant.  And by the ever-present, always perfect grace of God we got a call from the doctor saying we were going to have a baby.  One day, I'll write the details of that story and share my heart on the subject for you all to read.  But for now, let's just focus on the resulting blessing of this precious child.  Sweet Taylor Rose.  

The best Mother's Day present I received is the simple gift of being a mother.  Maybe we went through that period of wondering and waiting and questioning so that NOW I don't take anything for granted.  

And I mean anything... 

... another diaper with a surprise inside... 

... a flirty smile from across the room... 

... unidentifiable sticky stuff in my hair... 

For these things I am thankful.

... a tiny hand waving to two tired puppies and one tired daddy early in the morning... 

... and unexpected bath in Toby's water bowl... 

... rolling all over the floor making diaper changes nearly impossible... 

... unbridled excitement over little things like Cheerios... 

For these things I am grateful.  

... all sorts of gunk under my fingernails... 

... all sorts of gunk under HER fingernails (and toenails - go figure)... 

... a singing buddy in the car during rush hour and an HOV buddy when traffic is heavy... 

... the look of wonder on that little face during a new discovery... 

... the pure love and joy that ooze from her every pore... 

Ahh... I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  

So for Mother's Day this year, I had planned on just meditating on these thoughts, soaking in the feelings that accompany them, and thanking God for this precious gift.  

As an added bonus, I was blessed by my sweet husband and baby girl and was told to sleep in this morning - I made it to a whopping 7:30am and was greeted by smiling faces and breakfast in bed!  I also got to go shopping for some new outdoorsy pants and enjoy some quality family time. 

This is a picture of the yummy breakfast... and my little blessing.  

Thank you, Lord, for the honor of being a mother.  

Okay - so all of these pictures in this post are arranged to show before & after shots... 

The first photo is from last year around this time.  And the second one is from the past month or so.  (The coloring isn't ideal on all of them, but hopefully you'll get the picture anyway.)

Check out our house!!  

Notice how the plants have grown!!

(And the addition of the baby on the sidewalk.)