Monday, September 24, 2012

Bartlesville

In the small town of Bartlesville, there are big things happening. Dave and I moved from this  lazy, little town of 40,000 a little over 3 years ago. Moving from there was very difficult because we left family and many sweet friends to come to an overwhelmingly large place where we new only two people: Daniel and Xiaolan Stewart. (And I'm very thankful for them.)

In the 12 or so years I lived in Bartlesville, I: met and started dating Dave, graduated highschool, started college, married Dave, bought my first home with Dave, had two sweet baby girls, sold our first home, experienced the first ever blizzard in Oklahoma, and bought and sold our second home.

Since we moved from there, Bartlesville has experienced record snow falls the last 3 winters (I really love snow), has been the location for a movie starring Ben Affleck and Amy Adams, another one with George Clooney,  and has also opened a cupcake bakery. (This is definitely exciting for Bartlesville.) Many of my friends posted pics of Jennifer Garner in the wal-mart that I used to live less than a mile from. One of my favorite Bartlesville restaurants, Frank and Lola's, recently fed George Clooney on an evening when some of my other Bartlesville friends have been there.

I new when we moved from Bartlesville, that I would miss my obgyn and pediatrician. I knew I would miss our church friends and our new home. And, I did. I new there would be times I hate it that I couldn't drop by my parents house or Dave's mom and step-Dad house to say hi or leave the kiddos. And, I definitely have. I miss that little place. I always will.

But despite all of this, I have peace. Houston is where this Stewart family is suppossed to be for the time being. Hot, loud, crowded Houston is where God has called us for now. And what has happened here? Dave and I bought and sold our third home, we've had the wonderful opportunity to meet all kinds of people with different backgrounds and cultures, we've tasted new foods, I've given birth to another beautiful daughter, Dave's career definitely took off, I started a real estate career, and we have established a church home with new friends. Our family has bonded, and I've even had the opportunity to meet the infamous Beth Moore. (She's way better than any of the aforementioned stars.) God has blessed our obedience to him in moving here; even if I was dragged down here while my spirit kicked and screamed. For now, I am home.
-Amber

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Happenings

I've been in a funk lately. Dave has been working like a mad person, and I've been trying to catch up with everything else we have going on. I will finish my real estate training program this coming week, and I am really, really looking forward to helping some clients of my own buy or sell their homes. I have learned so many things about being a good agent and providing good customer service as an agent that I am finally becoming less scared and more excited about the whole thing.

This week, we plan to have some awesome friends over for dinner. I always look forward to having people over, but I think that inviting friends over in advance is almost harder than just having an impromptu visit. I re-plan the "menu" about one hundred times. And, I get a little worked up about getting the house perfectly cleaned. But, in end the end, I'm always so grateful for time with friends.

Speaking of cleaning...on Saturday, we went to a few garage sales near our house. We bought a mini-trampoline for $5. We've been wanting one of those for the kids for awhile because it's a great way for them to burn some of that pent up energy of theirs. However, we found out when we got it home and the girls started jumping on it, that it must have lived outside for awhile. Leaves and dirt that were once stuck in the trampoline's springs littered our rented carpet. Dave got out the vaccuum to get the dirt sucked up, and Julia immediately asked, "Are we having friends over?" It's a good thing we have friends over semi-often. Otherwise, we'd probably never vaccuum.

After the garage sales on Saturday, our family tried out a new gym. They have a lot of stuff for the kiddos to do, and an awesome work out facility. I'd like to start going to a gym to get some different exercises in besides jogging, but I definitely don't enjoy going to the gym for the treadmills. I hate jogging on treadmills. The numbers on the huge machine stare at you, gauging your rate of success (or failure). It's depressing. Plus, I much prefer looking at homes, landscaping and birds while exercising than jogging in place watching dumb music videos portraying imfamous teenagers laying on top of each other while singing for 30-45 minutes. But, that's just me.

In October, Dave and I plan to run our first 5K together. We really don't know how the logistics of this will work out since we have 3 kids, and we probably won't be able to push them all in strollers during the jog. We'll see how it works out.

This is the second Sunday in a row that Dave has had to open his laptop right after we get home from lunch and work all afternoon and evening. This is a big reason why I've been a bit funky. Family time is so important to me! So, in an attempt to keep from being very irritable, I took the three girls for a very short walk this evening. The girls skipped, hopped, jumped and ran. Lydia even pretended to fish. When she "caught" one, I asked her if she planned to eat it. Her response went like this: "No, it doesn't have any chicken in it. It's a pretty fish with long eye lashes and butterflies on it's sides, so I'm going to put in the fish tank and watch it swim." Okay.

Sweet Saige is doing really great. She can roll from front to back, and will get to start having rice cereal next week. I can't believe she is already old enough to start solids! She is still the happiest baby I know. I love her.

Thanks for reading an update on our lives. Next time I get on here, I plan to be as happy as a clam and funk-free. I also hope to have a real estate client! Here's to hopin'! -Amber

Sunday, September 9, 2012

More Confessions

We had a great weekend. We did hardly anything, and I loved that. We have been going 90 to nothing lately, and I am wearing down and starting to feel a little sick. So, a weekend of hanging around the house is just what the doctor ordered.

Because I had a little extra time this weekend, I made pumpkin muffins for breakfasts for this coming week. I love having something already made and ready to go, and I love fall and pumpkin, so I started early. At least I haven't started wearing scarves, sweaters  and boots in this 90 degree heat. But I won't lie...I am tempted.

Speaking of temptations, here are some of my latest confessions:

1. I have to sample batter of any kind. Cake batter, muffin batter, brownie batter and cookie dough. I still sample it...raw eggs and all.
2. If my girls are around or are helping me bake, I let them sample batter too....raw eggs and all.
3. I embarrass myself when I am too blunt. Like when I say "I have to pee" instead of saying "I need to run to the restroom".
4. I like to be the center of attention from time to time.
5. I like to sing. I even like to sing for an audience and wish I had the opportunity more often even though I get nervous.
6. I like to teach. I even like to get up in front of other people and teach stuff. Not because I think I am smarter than others, but I guess it just goes back to the center of attention thing. I got comfortable teaching in front of people a few years ago when I was leading the wednesday night children's program at my church.
7. I am a traditionalist. No really. I am.
8. I don't like typos. They bug me. I hate it when I am looking at old blogs and I find them....
9. I am very scent sensitive. It's hard for me to go to the zoo.
10. I consider myself a good cook. It's what my friends and family tell me. I hope they aren't simply saying it to be nice.
11. I wish I had enough energy to do all the projects I cook up in my little brain.
12. I feel like a better person when I am learning or have been reading a good book. Not better than others, just a better me.
13. I really am as emotional as I sound like I am on this blog. (Probably even more than I sound like on my blog.) Just imagine the crazy emotional wreckage I put people through as a teen.
14. I used to be extremely shy and hardly talked to people in highschool. I think I shocked a lot of people at my 10 year reunion when I came out of my shell. I really do and did like people. I just didn't know if they would like me.
15. I am often surprised at how out-going my Julia and Lydia are.
16. I have mommy guilt if I work, and mommy guilt if I don't. The reasons for the guilt are not the same...
17. I already ate 2 pumpkin muffins. (This is actually very hard for me to admit.)
18. I get on facebook too much.
19. I love reading honest toddler tweets. You can check it out at @HonestToddler or thehonestoddler.com
20. I wish I had come up with the idea for The Honest Toddler.
21. I didn't do hardly any laundry this weekend even though we had hardly any plans.
22. I often think about where we will move when the lease is up on this here town house. I long for a yard again.
23. I envy women who have a baby and then are "instantly" the same size as they were before they had their babies.
24. I am a night owl and stay up way later than I should almost every night. I am like a kid, and I don't like to go to bed.
...and last but not least...
25. I am pretty sure I am not nearly as techie as I would like to think I am.

Well, I guess that about sums it up for now. Did I repeat any from the last time? I don't remember. All I know right now is that I am tired and my relaxing weekend is coming to an end. :( Another whirlwind of a week is coming our way, and I am under prepared. I guess I'll get to going. I need to gather my thoughts and collect our weekly gear (i.e. backpacks, lunch bags, snack bags, water bottles, diaper bags, laptop/work bags...) so that hopefully, the shock of preparing for another day doesn't smack me in the face first thing in the morning. Blessings and happy monday to all of you! I hope nothing smacks you in the face! Love, Amber


Saturday, September 8, 2012

Seeing the World at Sea World - Day 2

So, I did not plan on taking over a week to write this post, but, oh well.  Late is better than never, I suppose!
 
The second day at Sea World was also my 30th birthday. We watched more shows, fed the dolphins, rode rides and then left a little early to go eat at a restaurant. Here are some of the pictures from our fun day.
 
Julia feeding and petting a dolphin

Lydia petting and feeding the dolphin

Sesame Street 3d Movie
 This movie was interesting. Right after it started, the characters on the movie said that it might be a little scary for really little kiddos. I hoped that wouldn't apply to my kids, but unfortunately it did. About half way through, Julia took off her glasses and wanted to sit with me after the seats started rumbling. Lydia freaked out and started crying when she got squirted in the face and the "wind" started blowing. We made it through the whole short film, but the girls were both unhappy afterwards. Lydia kept telling Dave that he was wrong, that she did NOT love the movie, and that she never wanted to see it again.

But, the next show we went to was great! I loved it. It was a play involving seals, an otter, a walrus and two trainers. There were a lot of funny parts and the animals were very well trained. We didn't get sprayed at this show; to Julia's dismay and Lydia's delight. But, some people did.
Trainer/Acturess voluntarily getting "spit" on by a huge tusked animal. She deserves every penny she makes.

Mr. walrus waving goodbye

This is the Sesame street show that my girls loved.

Sweet Saige being a great trooper!

 
I was missing Houston food when it came time to find a restaurant on the evening of my birthday. We went to a mexican restaurant, and the service was pretty bad. The food was okay, the manager apologized, and the wait staff did sing "Happy Birthday" to me. Regardless of that, I had a great time because Team Stewart was all together. And, I am extremely thankful to have these wonderful family memories.
Next week, Dave turns 33. We will not be going out of town, or spending time at any amusement parks, but we will be going to a restaurant and celebrating Dave as much as we can. I'm looking forward to it!
 
Blessings to all of you, Amber