A life full of joy

Bring on the Flushed Face!

2012-02-16T16:04:00.004-06:00

Those who know me know I have a flair for the dramatics. Not in an excessively, overreacting all the time sort of way, but I am one who likes to entertain. I am the funniest person I know after all.

It is well known that I have dreams to perform on Broadway. Granted, I do nothing to achieve these dreams, but they are dreams all the same. This morning as I was showering I was reminded of the time during my freshman year in college when I auditioned for the theater department’s production of Godspell. And I had to chuckle and wonder “who was that person?” I mean, aside from a church musical in my tween years, I had never even set foot on a stage. Nor did I have any vocal training. And dance training? Well, those close to me know how laughable that is. But none of that mattered because I had a decided early on that I had a dream to perform on stage. And I needed to cross that off my bucket list. So I went to the audition having no idea what awaited me, having never auditioned for anything before. And I think that was a good thing, because had I any idea what the next two hours would bring I probably would have never shown up. And then I would not be where I am today. OK, maybe I would be exactly where I am today, but it makes for a good story.

There were a couple of hundred people at the audition and I knew only one of them – a girl Tiffany, a theater major, whom I met at Fish Camp (Whoop!) that summer. We went to the audition together. We were given a number and were divided into groups of about 10. And then the audition started. For my group, the first part was dancing. They took us to a room and taught us a short dance. While I have zero dance training I was thankful for the year I spent on drill team in high school because I was at least somewhat familiar with the technical dance terms they were using - most of them anyway. I don’t remember now how much time they spent teaching us – maybe 20 minutes – but once we learned the dance we had to go on stage as a group to perform in front of the judges (director?! Or whoever it is that selects the cast for a show). What I would give now to have a video tape of this!

From there we went to another room backstage and had to act out a parable. I forget what parable we acted out – maybe the Good Samaritan - or even what my part in it was, but thinking back on this, even now, brings a bit of a flush to my face.

And then it was back to the main auditorium for the singing. Oh, the singing. They gave us some music from the show and then one by one we had to go front and center onto the stage and sing while a piano accompanist played along. I can’t read music and at that time I had never even heard of, much less seen the musical Godspell. You can imagine the outcome as the pianist starts and I have no idea what the song is supposed to sound like. I think after 3 or 4 restarts I finally got through it. Again, my face flushes just thinking about this now.

Of course, the next day my name was missing from the call back list. I’m sure I was a little disappointed. Or maybe I was relieved. Whatever I felt, I specifically remember being proud of myself for trying. And also thankful that I had my first audition behind me because, apparently, there would be more as I would still have to cross this goal off the list.

As I was thinking about all of this and feeling my face starting to get hot I began to wonder why, after all these years, I feel embarrassment from this story. Yes, I probably resembled someone out of an American Idol reject segment. (Thank God YouTube and such did not exist back then.) And I’m sure there were some people there who laughed at me. But who cares? I tried. So often as adults we let the fear of being humiliated, or even a little embarrassed, keep us from doing things we’d secretly like to do – and sometime things we’ve always wanted to do. Why are we so afraid to put ourselves out there and look silly? Who do we think is watching? And, more importantly, why do we care?

I’m going to challenge myself to stop caring. Not about the important stuff – but about what people think. Because, honestly, I should really only be concerned about what one person thinks. And He loves me no matter what. Life’s too short to not follow your dreams.

No, this does not mean I’m going to pursue a Broadway career. Not that I’d turn it down if it fell in my lap. I crossed performing on stage off my list in my 20s. (Wait. Let me rephrase that: I have since performed in a few community theater productions, thus achieving my goal.) But, I’m definitely going to open myself up to new things and not let fear stop me. Because the only true failure is in failing to try. Here’s to more red-faced memories!

Family Pics

2009-12-13T19:36:00.004-06:00

We had some family pics taken in November by a wonderful photographer - Jessica Adkins with Aravaggio Photography. She took our pics last summer and we fell in love with her work! Now I recommend her to everyone I know. Which is how we got this free photo session. She rocks. Here are some of the pics from our session.

Toddler Nightmares

2009-09-09T10:40:00.002-05:00

I woke up early this morning to Mags thrashing about and talking in her sleep. Specifically she was saying: "Nooooo. No Pasta! Noooo Pasta! Noooooo Fish sticks! No Fish sticks." I have to say I got tickled - even in the wee hours of the morning. Poor girl is apparently having nightmares about dinnertime fare and the lack of choices that abound in the Krenek household for her. I have to admit, she does eat a lot of pasta and fish sticks. Not because I am thrilled with the nutritional value in each, it's just that they are two of the THREE things I can get her to eat. The other is chicken.

What I don't understand is that at school she allegedly (and I say allegedly because I have not witnessed this consumption, it's just reported on her progress sheet every day) dines on things such as "BBQ Sandwiches" and "Burritos" and "Turkey Sandwiches" so my rational mind leads me to think that I should rotate those into her dinnertime menus at home. So I do and she WONT TOUCH THEM! Perhaps I should inquire into how they are presenting such fare to make it so appealing.

Anyhoo, I'm off to try to figure out some different dinner options for the tot lest we have more nightmares this evening!

Love to all!

It's time to Catch Up

2009-07-02T21:27:00.014-05:00

My lack of posting is not for lack of things going on around the Krenek household. It's more of a lack of motivation on my part. Sad, but true. Especially when I have such a darling subject to write about. If only the darling subject did not have the energy of a thousand suns. Momma is tired. But I would not have it any other way!

MagB turned 2 on June 26th and we celebrated on Saturday with a party in her honor. I can not believe she is already 2 - a bona fide toddler. We are amazed every day at the things she can do and how well she is talking. She says things that I have no idea where she has picked up. For instance just this weekend I told her to eat some of the corn on her plate and she replied: "No Way!"Now don't get me wrong, the child hears - and says - the word no. A lot. But the "no way" was a new one. And she has recently started repeating everything. This. Could be bad. Just sayin'.

Anyway, on to the birthday festivities. We had a small party with mostly family. We had a great time. Here are some pics of the big day.

The cake. So cute; however next time I will ask for full disclosure of the price before placing an order. Apparently the food colorings used to mix the frosting for this beaut were made with crushed precious jewels from the byzantine period. There is no other explanation for what this thing cost. If I may quote the legendary George Banks, "A cake, Franck, is made of flour and water. My first car didn't cost that much." Well said, Mr. Banks. Well said. It did taste fantastic though, so there's that.

Mags preparing to blow out the candles. Though, much like last year, she wanted no part in this particular birthday ritual.

The opening of the presents

Playing with the loot.

And eventually all great parties must come to an end.

Later that evening - taking a dip in the new pool.

A few weekends ago, Michael went out of town so Maggie and I headed to Mimi & Papa's for the weekend. All the cousins came over on Saturday and a good time was had by all playing in the water.
Before you get too impressed by this next picture and the extraordinary dexterity and skill that a two year old must possess to have maneuvered herself down a slip and slide at such a young age, I have to confess that Mags would not even get near the thing until the water was turned OFF. Yes, only then would she walk down to the end and lay herself down for a "swim." But then again, she is my child and we all know how brave I am in the water!

On Sunday before church I found Maggie playing on Mimi's plant stand. She had completely closed herself in the bottom cage but by the time I got my camera to snap a pic she was on her way out.

This, ladies and gents, is a pout that can only be perfected over years - two to be exact. It's the perfect "Are you sure I can't do whatever it is you just told me I couldn't do" look. It almost works every time. Almost.

In May, Laurie's oldest, Brady, celebrated his 6th birthday with a party at Texas Tumblers - a cool little joint that had bounce houses, trampolines, spring floors and foam pits. Maggie had a blast.

And last but not least - in adult news - I went on a girls' trip to DC in May to visit my dear friend Kylie who moved to Alexandria, Va. last summer. My friends Sharon and Amanda joined me for the weekend of fun which I must say was much tamer than our "Barnyard Girls Gone Wild" weekend two years ago. I'm quite sure the town of Clayton, Oklahoma is still talking about the city girls who swept through town and left many a Crown Royal bag of life savings dwindled. (Um, no, we will not marry you, even if you do have a brick house and a fridge that works.) But that's a story for another day, and another blog for that matter. So, back to DC. We had a lot of fun seeing the sights and just visiting. Kylie's house is awesome and, as always, she was the hostess with mostess. I can't wait to go back for a visit - and not just so I can get my hands on some more of that tahani free hummus at Trader Joes which rocked my world. I miss my friend!

Kylie, Sharon and Amanda on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background.

Kylie, me and Amanda at the Einstein monument.

It's been a long post so I'll close for now and promise to update more often. Hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

Easter Pics

2009-04-27T12:59:00.005-05:00

Here are some pics of Mags on Easter Sunday. We had a great day at Mimi & Papa's - going to church, eating lunch and then hunting eggs.

Sitting with the bunny purse the Easter Bunny brought her.

And now for the Runway show...

Much love to all!

Weekend in El Campo

2009-03-22T13:58:00.006-05:00

We spent last weekend in El Campo for the annual Krenek family shrimp and oyster fry. It was a wet weekend but we did not let the weather dampen our fun.

Have rain boots, will travel.

Checking out the cows.

Not sure what this face is all about but I think it's hilarious!

Checking out Great-grandma Edna's Bluebonnets.

Maggie had so much fun playing with her cousins Cole (4 years old) and Reagan (2 1/2 yrs.)

Maggie showing Reagan something outside.

Playing cars with Cole.

Tuckered out!

Hope you all have a great week!

Tomboy? Princess?

2009-03-22T13:53:00.006-05:00

You decide.

Valentine's Day

2009-03-22T13:40:00.006-05:00

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but thanks to modern-day technology, we can revisit it again now.

Here's Maggie in her heart-day attire.

Here are some pictures from her party at school:

Inspecting her Valentines':

Oooh a present!

Much love to all!

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

2009-03-02T15:34:00.004-06:00

We can! We took Mags to see Sesame Street Live at the Nokia Theater on Saturday. She really seemed to enjoy it. Here are some pics:

Maggie and Michael waiting for the show to begin.

oooh lights! Yeah, you counted right. We're five rows from stage. Nothing but the best for this Elmo groupie.

See the Elmo balloons. These people are genius really. I can hear the marketing meeting now: "Hey, I know, what if during intermission we send someone out with a bunch of Elmo mylar balloons. The kids will go nuts and parents will have to buy one." Not the Kreneks though! We didn't buy one. We bought two! Because my husband has the patience of a gnat and "did not want to wait around for change." Did I mention that these were $10 a pop? (No pun intended.) Someone - my guess is Elmo - banked as there were at least 600 balloon-toting tots.

A live action shot of the chacters we all know and love.

Hope you all have a sunny day! Get it? from the theme song? "Sunny days, chasing the clouds away..." Oh, nevermind!

My love-hate relationship with my iPhone

2009-02-12T15:45:00.002-06:00

I am usually a fan of all things Apple. Macs are greatness. I love my iPod. And, on most days, I love my iPhone. You can do a heck of alot with an iPhone. Surf the web, email, listen to music, figure out where you need to go with its Map function, text and play all sorts of games. You can even play the cowbell along with your favorite song. It's a very handy toy. Which is why I had to have one as soon as they came out. Now let me tell you why I hate my iPhone. I am constantly calling people on accident. Just ask my sister Karrie who now answers my phone calls with: "Did you mean to call me?" Don't be surprised if some day you too get a message full of me chatting it up with friends on the way to lunch - or doing who knows what - because I've called you and I have no idea. Just let me apologize in advance.

Then there is the issue of when I actually do mean to call you, but my cheek (which apparently is the fattest cheek in all of America, as this happens ALL THE TIME) activates the mute button so the person I called can no longer hear me as I chat away. I thought I had found a solution when I tried switching to the key pad mode but my aforementioned fat cheek kept hitting numbers on the touch screen so the conversation was interrupted by beeps and bloops as numbers started being dialed. I finally had to hang up before I inadvertantly conferenced some stranger into the conversation. Am I the only one with these issues? Perhaps there is a fix that I just don't know about yet. I understand that the 2nd generation iPhone apparently has these bugs worked out - but there is nothing wrong with my phone to warrant me tossing it for a new one.

iPhone users weigh in please....

Only a month late...

2009-02-02T13:00:00.006-06:00

Well now that January is over I figured I should probably post some Christmas pics! So without further ado, I present Christmas 2008:

Here are all the grandkids with mimi and papa.

Christmas Morning

Playing the keybaord from Gramps! We had to take her gifts to her in the wagon to open as she did not want to get out!

Chillin' with the dolls.

Playing with Baby Stella

Aunt Mer takes Mags for a ride

Aunt Mer brought her dog Chance, much to MagB's delight! She loves laying on him - he's like her own personal beanbag chair.

Have a great week!

In a blog rut

2009-01-21T13:00:00.002-06:00

I have to apologize for the lack of updates. I have a slew of pictures on my camera just waiting to be downloaded onto the computer for blog upload. There's Maggie's holiday program at school, pictures from Christmas and misc. other cute pics I'm sure you'd all enjoy. I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything with them. I'm not sure what my deal is. Perhaps it's that I am at a computer for the majority of my day and just can't make myself go sit in front of it at home. No, that's not it because I seem to be able to find hours at a time to cyber-stalk friends new and old on Facebook. Of course I can do that from my iPhone so that's different. (Not bragging. I'm just saying.) And if you are not on Facebook (and if you are then chances are I've found you, but if not send me a friend request!) you should get on it because it's so much fun catching up with old classmates and friends. Seriously, it's like crack (or how I would imagine crack would be). I even had to quit sleeping with my iPhone charging next to the bed because, no lie, I would wake up in the middle of the night and check and see if I had any new friend requests. What does that say about me? Guess I just like to be liked.

When it rains...

2008-12-17T10:24:00.009-06:00

After running fever off and on for a few days and coughing to the point of vomiting for a third time, on Sunday we took Maggie to one of those acute child care afterhours clinics to be checked out. Turns out the poor, tiny thing has pneumonia. When it was all said and done she had been poked, prodded, x-rayed and given an antibiotic shot, that is apparently the consistency of maple syrup, in both legs. She was not a happy girl. We followed up with her pediatrician on Monday and he confirmed the diagnosis and we've been pumping her up with antibiotics ever since. I am happy to report that she is feeling much better and is about 95% back to normal.

As if MagB's being sick was not enough stress, on Monday as I was going to pick up her prescription, I failed to let the garage door open all they way before proceeding to back out and - for the 2nd time in as many years - I managed to knock the garage door off its tracks. Now one might think I would have learned my lesson having done this before - and I have. Really. After the first incident I learned that I need to open the garage door before I even get into the car - and that is what I do most days. It's just that on Monday it was freezing - like in the 2os or something ridiculous - and I had sick Maggie with me so I had bundled her up and decided that I should get her into the car before I opened the garage door and was met with the wintry blast of air. So imagine my surprise when, as I am backing out, I hear a nasty metal on metal crunchy, grinding noise. Oops. I realized immediately what I had done (having heard that noise before) so I pulled forward and got out to inspect the damage. It was not good. So I sat for a minute and debated what my next move should be. I knew I needed to call the garage door fixing people. Lucky for me I had the number. Stuck right there on the garage wall next to the opener - where the repairman left it after the last time he came out. But I also needed to get Maggie's antibiotics. Then there was the dreaded task of calling Michael to tell him what I had done. I knew he would not be near as tickled as I was by my 0-for-2 stat at the game of garage door limbo. (I mean really, who does this more than once?!) So I decided to go ahead and make the quick trip to the store and just leave the garage door hanging off its tracks. So I backed out and heard the crunchy, grinding noise again and realized that I was trapped in the garage as the door was hanging down too low to let me out. O.k. - call the repairman then... So I made the call and explained the situation and they sent someone out. I must say that these folks are good. Both times I have done this I could not imagine anyway in the world that someone would be able to fix what I had managed to do, yet somehow they did - and it took him less than 30 minutes. Amazing. Then I made the call to Michael, who being in a sick-indcuded haze of something, took the news quite well. Even more amazing. I am hoping for a more uneventful rest of the week!

I promise to post pics of Maggie's school holiday program soon! Love to all!

Giving Thanks

2008-11-25T11:09:00.004-06:00

As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the things I am thankful for. God has blessed us tremendously and I am grateful and humbled by his goodness.

I am thankful for Michael and Maggie and our little family. I can not even begin to scratch the surface of gratitude I have for being blessed with such a precious little girl. Maggie has brought so much love and joy into our lives. I just never knew it was possible to love someone so much. I am so blessed to be her mother and I think God every day for the privilege. I am also so very thankful for Michael. I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband and friend. I am thankful for his love for me and Maggie. He is a great daddy!

I am thankful for our families. We are both blessed to have such great families who love and support us and provide such great christian examples for us. It is my prayer that we can provide the kind of Christ-centered home for Maggie that our families provided for us. We love you all.

I am thankful for our friends. We have been blessed with many great friends - both old and new! We thank you for your friendship and for loving us just as we are!

I am thankful for our jobs. Especially in a time when so many are being let go from theirs. I am especially thankful that I have a job that I enjoy. And I pray that Michael will enjoy his new job as much as I do mine!

And above all I am thankful for our Lord, Jesus Christ without whom none of the above would be possible! I am thankful for his grace that surpasses all understanding and for his unending love for us, in spite of ourselves. I am proud to call him a savior and a friend. God is good. All the time.
Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

School Days

2008-11-18T14:06:00.003-06:00

Maggie graduated to the toddler class this week at school. I must admit that I have been struggling with this transition since I got the notice from her school. When did our MagB become a Toddler? Yes, I realize that by standard definitions she is in fact a toddler. But to me she is still a little bittty baby. My little bitty baby. She's far too small to be taking a nap on a mat on the floor, and she's far too small to have to wear a uniform to school! But apparently some toddler, somewhere wore gang colors, or other inappropriate clothing, to day care one day making uniforms a necessity starting at 17 months. Whatever the cause I find it a little ridicaloo. But she does look so sweet don't you think? I just love the first picture. As I was snapping the pictures this morning (and fighting back tears looking at my grown-up girl) I would tell her to "Say Cheese" and she would say: "Sheese." I look at that picture and I can just see her saying "Sheese." So. Darn. Cute.

Today was the Turkey Feast Extravaganza at work. I am stuffed. In all honesty, I was stuffed by about 10 a.m. when we started snacking on Mexican Fudge and Artichoke Dip and Oreo Balls. It's the same thing every year - we just eat all day, until we are sick. We always have a ridiculus amount of food - and good food at that. Not a whole lotta work gets done on Turkey Feast Extravaganza day. Ahhh, and I get to do it all over again next week! I just love this time of year - starting with Thanksgiving and through New Years - it just seems that everyone perks up a little more during the holidays. Perhaps it's the knowledge that Santa is watching, or the festive holiday music playing everywhere. There's just something magical about the holidays.

That's all for now. Food coma setting in....

Trick or Treat

2008-11-06T10:05:00.012-06:00

Maggie had her first trick or treating experience this Halloween. Here are some pics:

Here are some picks from Maggie's Fall Festival at school. She had so much fun just running around and playing. She LOVES to be outside.

Here she lays out all of the treasures (in this case, wood chips from the playground) she has collected while playing. She likes to collect things. When we go for a walk outside she will have her hands full of acorns and rocks and leaves and whatever else that catches her eye and she will carry them the entire way and when we get home she will put her newfound treasures in her toy shopping cart for safe keeping.

This was at the Fall Festival our neighboorhood had. It was unseasonable warm that day so we decide to forgo the costume for Mags. Here she is with daddy watching the critters.

And here is just random cuteness of our punkin with the pumpkins....

While we were at The Oaks this weekend for the game we celebrated Kate's mom's birthday on Saturday night at the Anderle homestead. Kate put Maggie at the piano and I snapped some photos of our budding musician. Now I don't want to brag, but I am quite certain that we may have a child prodigy on our hands. It would not be unusual as there are several talented musicians on Michael's side of the family. (Not to say that my side of the fam does not have any talents...they're just different talents :-)) Seriously, I was really taken by how she seemed to know just what to do. She did not bang on the keys like you would expect a small child to do (heck, I still do that!) but she had the whole one finger on the key thing down. She seemed to know what she was doing. Here are some pics:

And lastly, 'tis the season for tights! Hooray!!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

I Believe!

2008-10-30T08:52:00.000-05:00

See latest stories on Yahoo! News

Tag - I'm apparently it.

2008-10-22T10:50:00.008-05:00

My sister Karrie blog-tagged me and I am supposed to write about 6 quirky (quirk, noun, a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism) things about myself and then tag 6 other bloggers. While I had to think long and hard (about 2 seconds) to come up with any quirks I possess, here goes:

1. I have a nervous habit of picking my eyelashes. No kidding - I am usually sporting at least one eyelash bald spot at all times.

2. I have to walk around the house every morning before I leave for work and say aloud as I check each socket: "Curling iron unplugged", "Iron unplugged" (whether I have used it or not that morning) to feel confident that the house will not burn down while I am away. (Nevermind the fact that both my curling iron and iron have auto shutoff features (a must-have in an OCD household)).

3. Along the same lines as #2 above, at least 3 of the 5 work days I have to turn around to go back and check that I have indeed closed the garage door - even though I know I have because I have audibly verbalized to Maggie "Garage door closed" as I watched it go down. (At 15 months, could Maggie already think her mom is a little loony? She might be right.)

4. I like corn as a whole, just not floating in my soup or hanging out in my rice as an individual kernal.

5. I prefer to write with a fine point Sharpie - perhaps this has something to do with my subconscious inner celebrity. I don't know.

6. According to my husband, I look at life through rose-colored glasses. Is this a bad thing?

7. Bonus quirk: I love to eat Macaroni and Cheese mixed with ketchup. Much yum. Try it.

So there it is - the stuff that makes me me. So now it's my turn to tag and I tag: (in no particular order)

Kylie
Jessica
Jenny
Dana
Kym
Maria
Riggins

Here are the rules: Link the person who tagged you. Mention rules on your blog. Tell about 6 quirks of yours. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same. Leave a comment to let them know.

Enjoy!

Taking it Outdoors

2008-10-14T08:46:00.009-05:00

Could it be that Maggie - at a mere 15 months old - is already addicted to TV? Noggin to be exact. No matter where she is in the house, to just hear Moose A. Moose's voice sends her in a toddle-run to the TV where she will grasp the armoire shelf with both hands and look straight up into the screen soaking it all in. As a parent, I am not proud of this, and I realize I am responsible. So measures must be taken to show our MagB that there are indeed more fascinating things than Puzzle Time and other Noggin fare. In short, we need to get out more. So on Sunday afternoon we visited the Heard Museum in McKinney. We have lived in this area for almost 4 years and had yet to visit this hidden little treasure full of nature trails and wildlife and all things out-doorsey. Including dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs. Lifesize dinosaurs. One of the exhibits at the Heard Museum is Dinosaurs Alive - which consists of a dozen or so lifesize, animatronic dinos along one of the nature trails there. It was pretty neat, though we only got to the 2nd dinosaur before Mags had decided that she was not thrilled with the giant moving creatures and had seen enough. So we found some tamer trails and some smaller, less-threatening caged animals that she quite enjoyed seeing. These are all the pics I got from the afternoon as in true Lisa fashion I failed to charge the camera battery and ran out of juice about 30 minutes in. Someday I'll learn. Next outdoor adventure stop: The Dallas Arboretum.

Here is Mags and daddy walking along one of the trails.

An encounter with a dinosaur. Don't ask me what kind - a realtively small one.

Exploring a small cabin along the trial.

Here is Mags in the butterfly house. She loved it in here watching all the butterflies. This is the last shot before battery failure.

Hope you all have a great week!

A Sneak Peek...

2008-09-30T13:05:00.001-05:00

Of what's to come on Halloween!

Have a ducky day!

Just Because...

2008-09-15T16:10:00.003-05:00

Got these at work today from Michael - just because. How sweet is that man? As hard as I tried today I just could not be in a foul mood. (Monday's and I are usually not friends.) The weather is beautimus and now these. It's been a great day.

Of course, when you have a sweet face like this greeting you every morning, how can any day be bad?

Have a great week!

Our weekend at The Oaks and Pigtails from H-E-double hockey sticks!

2008-09-11T10:41:00.011-05:00

I just love this time of year. Fall is on its way, the weather will at some point be turning cooler and college football is in full swing! The Aggie's home opener was Labor Day weekend so we headed down for the game - excited about the start of another football season. What makes this year even more exciting is that we finally have a place to stay for football weekends. This means no more driving home in the wee hours of the morning after a game. Our dear friends, Kate and Brad, and Kate's parents have been hard at work fixing up an old family home in Pettibone, Texas, which has been nicknamed "The Oaks." This was our first weekend at The Oaks and we had such a great time just relaxing with friends. Even despite the Aggie's loss!

Here are some pics from the weekend.

The Oaks

This is our room. Notice how we just made ourselves at home and moved right in!

Riggin's (Don & Tianay's Lab) takes a swim in the tank.

Sleeping beauties.

Maggie & Daddy

Of course the place is fully equipped with satellite TV. When the TV was not tuned to football it was tuned to Noggin, much to MagB's delight

You can't really tell from this pic but Michael and Brad are hard at work assembling the grill to be used for the weekend festivities. This was a good half-day job. But their work paid off because we ate (and ate) like kings.

Exploring the place. Kate has impeccible fashion sense, don't ya think?

The following pics are from earlier this week in what I will call the unfortunate pigtail incident of September 08. Here's how it went down: Awhile back, one of the teachers at Maggie's school asked if I minded if she put a ponytail in Mags hair sometime. I said, "sure, why not," as we have often sported the Bam-Bam look at home. Fast forward a month or so and the same teacher, in passing, tells me she has been dying to put some pigtails in Maggie's hair now that she has the bangs. I tell her we have not tried that yet, but it would probably be cute. So on Monday when I pick Mags up, she is sporting pigtails - which were indeed cute - but also pulled so tightly I could not even imagine that she sat quietly while being coiffed to the point of looking like she had undergone a really bad face lift. But allegedly she did not make a peep....Until we got home that is.

As soon as we got home Mags got super-fussy and was inconsolable. She didn't want her milk, or a cookie, or her dinner, or to be held, or to be put down, or her binky, and she was crying like she was in some kind of pain. It was heart-breaking. Finally I deducted that it must be her head from the intense hair-pulling pigtails. So I try to take them out and these suckers were wrapped so tight that I don't even know where to start and I am already picturing what my sweet MagB is going to look like after we have to cut the pigtails out because I am just not sure there is any other way to undo what has been done. But I keep trying, and I am obviously hurting Mags in the process because she is just wailing, which is stressing me out because I just want to stop the hurt for her and then there is Michael, who is beside himself trying to get me to hurry. We finally managed to cut the rubber bands out, but the damage was done and poor Maggie continued to cry until she finally fell asleep. She woke up about an hour later and immediately continued her state of insolability. Michael and I were at our wits end. Surely it wasn't the pigtails if she was still crying? But what then? She couldn't tell us. At this point Michael tells me to put her in the car beause we are taking her to the ER because there is obviously something wrong with her and I'm like, O.k. but you are doing the talking because I have no idea what to tell them is wrong with her (Um, doctor, she won't quit crying and we don't know what to do!?) Anyhoo, we get her in her car set and set off to the ER and by the time we get there she is apparently over whatever it was that was distressing her so, because she is all smiles and "hey, let's play" as we pull into the parking lot. So we go home and she is completely fine the rest of the evening. Still have no idea what was wrong with her - but I'm sticking to the head hurting from the pigtails. Poor thing. Needless to say, I had to tell the teacher on Tuesday morning that, while the pigtails were cute, please no more until she is older and I can handle taking them out.

Here's Mags pre pigtail-breakdown.

Seriously I still have no idea how the teacher got these so tight? It just looks painful.

And I will leave you with this pic of Mags at dinnertime. She loves her some Chef Boyardee! Who doesn't right?

Love to all! Have a great week.

Maggie Moe?

2008-08-21T21:16:00.006-05:00

I guess every mom does it at least once. Then they learn that some things are best left to the professionals. I'm talking about cutting hair. Which I did, on Mags, last weekend. Now usually I am not a cheap person. Just ask my husband. But for whatever reason I thought it best that I cut our MagB some bangs instead of shelling out $20 at the kid's cut place. Poor, poor dear. All day Sunday I was having to pull out the scissors to try to "undo" what I had done. In the end, it's not so bad - perhaps a little Moe-ish (think Three Stooges) - but not too bad.

Pre-bangs trim:

And After:

See. Not too bad. But next time we're paying for the salon cut.

I finally got some of the pics we had taken a few weeks ago to post. Here are just a few.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Picture Perfect

2008-08-03T12:24:00.002-05:00

It's around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Maggie is napping, and we have about an hour before we need to leave for church so I thought I would take this time to update the blog. First off, I have to admit that this will be the first Sunday in about a month that we have made it to church. I am not proud of that fact. You see, our church is remodeling the sanctuary (or auditorium as we COCers like to call it) and while the renovation is taking place we are meeting for worship at another nearby church and church does not start until 2:15 p.m. While you might think that this would make getting up and going to church easier -what with getting to sleep late and all - that has just not been the case for us. We have awakened every Sunday for the past month with great intentions of going. I mean, we need to be in church. Maggie needs to be in church. And I recently had a dream that I am pretty sure was God telling me just that. I just feel different when I have not been. I don't like it. So with all that being said, we are going this Sunday - and every other Sunday we're in town. Inconvenient time or not!

I really don't have much to update you on. We did get some family pictures and pictures of Mags taken last weekend. I don't have any yet to post, but you can take a look for yourselves (at your leisure!) by going to http://www.aravaggio.com/. Just click on the client link and enter the password "maggie". There are a lot to go through and she got some great shots of our MagB. We're still trying to decide which ones to order but will decide soon so I can post some here!

Anyhoo, off to finish getting ready for church. Love to all and have a great week!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2008-07-01T10:52:00.008-05:00

Maggie turned one on the 26th so we celebrated her birthday with a big soiree on Saturday. I can't believe my baby girl is already a year old. It has been a year full of love and joy on a level I never knew could exist! I look forward to many, many more with our sweet MagB! Maggie, we love you so much and you will always be our sweet baby girl - no matter how big you get!

In other news, Mags had her year-old check up on Friday and weighed in a 21.6 lbs. She was 31.3 inches long, which still puts her off the charts for height. Looks like she may have inherited her daddy's height - but my squatty legs! Speaking of squatty legs - our Mags is walking! She pretty much walks everywhere now. And along with the walking she has also learned the fine art of fit-throwing. She can throw herself down (though she does this part very carefully as to not hurt herself) and fitthrow with the best of them. Seriously? Where do they learn this stuff. I will have to get it on video so you too can experience the MagB fit. The Doc told us on Friday to be on the look out for tantrums and to just ignore this type of behavior, which we do, though it is quite entertaining!

Here are some photos from the birthday party:

The Spread

Walking to daddy

Cake time!

Mags actually never tasted the cake. After this photo where she is sticking the wick in her mouth was taken I may or may not have overreated and, in a panic that she was going to burn her mouth, I may have grabbed the candle from her - which she did not appreciate and she let me - and her friends and family - know about it. Needless to say, she wanted nothing to do with the cake after that and there was no consoling her. I apparently ruined her first birthday cake expereince!

Time for presents! Luckily we had lots of helpers.

Gramps & Aunt Mer

Mags with Mimi & Papa

Playing with her new swimming pool/ball pit.

Opening her card from Great-grandma Edna!

Ooooh, Money!

This picture was taken on Father's Day. Mags with Papa and Tatum.

Love to all! Have a great week.

Our Weekend at the Farm

2008-06-12T09:47:00.005-05:00

We spent the first weekend in June in El Campo with Michael's grandmother. We had a great time relaxing, eating like kings and generally doing a whole bunch of nothing. It was a perfect weekend. Here are some pics from the trip.

Maggie is not sure what to make of all the milo.

But she sure enjoyed the wash tub.

Relaxing with Great-grandma.

Grandma's Place

Any Day Now...

2008-06-06T08:48:00.002-05:00

MagB will be walking.

11 Months

2008-06-05T15:12:00.013-05:00

Maggie is now 11 months and 2 weeks old. It seems so hard to believe. It has been so much fun watching her grow and learn. It really is the coolest thing. This week she has started trying to walk. She is becoming more adventurous and loves to stand on her own. She has even ventured out with a couple of steps here and there and it's the cutest thing. She'll let go of the couch and toddle a couple of steps to where I'm sitting in the chair and then back. It's just so much fun watching her realize what she just did and seeing how proud she looks when we make a big deal of it. Then she wants to do it over and over again to get the same reaction. She just loves it when we make a big deal over her. And we do. Alot.

I have to admit that even though Maggie is almost a year old we had yet to venture far down the path of introducing table foods to her - aside from the occasional bites of macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and mashed potatoes. But we spent this weekend at Michael's grandmothers and were treated to a bounty of fresh vegetables from her garden. Since this is a rare find in the Krenek house, we took the opportunity to let Maggie eat her fill of good-for-you foods and she loved it. The child could not get enough green beans and black-eyes peas and squash. And now, since she got a taste of what we eat, she thinks she is entitled to anything we are eating. And she is not patient about it. Don't even think about trying to cut it into bite-sized pieces. See demonstration below:

(By the way - this video drove me to join Weight Watchers on Monday. Yikes. )

Maggie still enjoys chasing Toby. Here are a few pictures from a recent pursuit:

This is how Maggie crawls when she has a dress on: And Apparently it's exhausting (or perhaps she's "playing dead" in an attempt to trick Toby):

Or not. This appears to be a stare-off...

Not much else is going on here. We had a fun Memorial Day weekend with family and friends. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

We spent Saturday at Mimi & Papa's with the cousins. Here are some shots of the cousins playing in the sprinkler.

Then we went to church on Sunday. Here is Mags before church. This first picture cracks me up. It looks like it should have been taken around 100 years ago when people didn't smile because photographs took so darn long.

Then on Monday we went to the McCoy's for some excellent food and fun. Maggie quite enjoyed playing with the letter magnets on the Fridge.

...and chewing on them too...

Here she hangs out with the menfolk on the porch:

This post is getting long so I will wrap things up with a video of Maggie at bath time. She enjoys splashing around in the tub.

Love to all!

Toys? What Toys?

2008-05-22T15:58:00.006-05:00

There is not much more that fascinates Maggie these days than a cabinet full of dishes, an open dishwasher and an open refrigerator! Here she is with a recent find.

This is not a flattering picture of MagB. It does, however, showcase her new pearly whites. And yes, they really are that big and that is indeed a big ol' space you see between them. I'm not sure anyone else could pull off this look so adorably!

Since it has been a month since the last post I will leave you with some video of the Magster. In the first she is chasing Toby the Cat - something she does often. She gets the cutest little cackle going whenever she sees Toby. These are a little dark - but that's what you get when you use your digital camera as a video camera!

More cackle...

In other news, I got a fabulous new SLR camera for Mother's Day and am in the process of learning how to use it! Will post some pics from the new cam shortly! Hope you all have a great long weekend!

Tuckered out!

2008-04-21T09:23:00.003-05:00

I don't know what they do all day at Maggie's school but whatever it is, it wears her out. On this particular day she couldn't even last through dinner.

Here are a few pics of our grown-up Mags ready to go to church. In case you are concerned - we did put some socks on her before we left!

I love the look on her face in this picture:

Our MagB gives the sweetest (and wettest) kisses. Here Michael captures some on video:

Hope you all have a great week! We love you.

Spring has Sprung (with a Vengence)

2008-04-14T10:51:00.012-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with Spring. On the one hand, I love that everything is fresh and new and starting to bloom. On the other hand, with the arrival of Spring comes storms. I worry about a lot of things - most of them out of my control. The weather is one of those things. There is not a whole lot more (not even deep water or swimming pool drains) that panics me more than the threat of severe weather. I come by this naturally. My dad's dad was a major weather worrier and my dad has those tendencies as well. I now count myself among the third generation of Nance's to sleep in close proximity of a NOAA weather radio. (Fully equipped with an alarm to notify me when a watch or warning is issued for my county!) So imagine my anxiety last week when on Monday, local TV weathermen began forecasting a "moderate" risk for severe weather later in the week. You have to love TV journalists and their flair for the dramatic. On Monday they were already predicting a doomsday forecast with likely tornadoes on Wednesday and Thursday. While the average person may take this news with a grain of salt - since forecasts are rarely accurate; especially in Texas – I go into major storm-track mode. I’m accessing every weather radar, NWS Polygon warning and short-and-long-term forecast I can get my hands on. It truly is exhausting being me. Turns out this time, though, the weathermen were right – at least where I live. For a good half hour in the wee morning hours on Thursday Michael, Maggie, Toby (the cat) and I bunkered up in the “toilet closet” of our Master Bathroom while the warning sirens blared and the storm bore down on us. We could tell it was bad; we just were not sure how bad. Michael ventured out of the closet once to assess the situation and came quickly back with news that the tree in our back yard was split in two. Now I must admit that in my head I thought, “That probably just means that there is a limb or two broken off.” (As some husbands of former journalists also have a flair for the dramatic at times.) But when the storm passed and we emerged from the toilet closet and took a look outside we found that of the four trees we have in our backyard – we had 1 1/2 remaining. But we were safe – and that is all that really mattered. Trees can be replanted. Turns out it was a tornado that hit. Albeit and EF1 – but a tornado none the less. Maggie’s first – and hopefully last.

Here are some pics we took:

First, here is what our backyard used to look like:

This is what it looks like now:

I don't know if you can tell, but this is the same shot as the one above. Of the three big trees that were once there. This is what we have left.

This is the big tree that is in the first picture - but now it's in half. (Turns out Michael was not kidding.)

Will post pics of Maggie soon! Have a great week.

Happy Easter

2008-03-26T14:38:00.010-05:00

Maggie seemed to enjoy her first Easter. We went to church with my parents and then the rest of the Nance/Isler/Pressnell clans converged for a yummy dinner and the obligatory egg hunt. MagB did not particpate in the egg hunt this year but - cousins be warned - next year it's on! She did, however, participate in her day care's egg hunt on Good Friday and I'm just going to come out and say it: she got gypped! Of the six eggs she came home with only two included treats - one with some gummy lifesaver bunnies (which mommy enjoyed) and one with some stickers. The rest were empty. Empty! WHO BRINGS EMPTY EGGS TO AN EGG HUNT??? Now I might not be so bothered by this had I not spent all week worrying about what to include in the eggs Maggie would take to school. I mean, what do you put in a egg for a 9 month old? Candy is out. Stickers are an option but they don't know what to do with them yet. Michael graciously raided two different Target stores looking for options. (Thank you honey!) We finally decided on socks. Exciting? No. But what infant could not use an extra pair of socks? And, they fit easily into a small plastic orb. Of course Maggie was not bothered at all by the lack of treats. I, however, was a bit miffed.

With that rant, I will leave you with some more Easter pics of Maggie and a darling video of Michael making Maggie laugh. I love that precious laugh!

Hope you all have a great week!

Water Babies

2008-03-20T14:58:00.007-05:00

Last weekend was the first Water Babies lesson for Maggie. She really seemed to enjoy the water. Here are some pics:

Here's MagB sporting her cute little swimsuit cover up!

Waiting for class to begin - Maggie sizes up the competition!

Entering the pool. At this point she is still not sure what to think!

Getting the babies used to the water:

Blowing bubbles!

Now it's her turn!

The back float!

Underwater she goes:

Mommy was more bothered by it than she was!

Look Daddy - I'm kicking!

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

A Day at the Park

2008-02-27T13:19:00.007-06:00

On Sunday afternoon we took advantage of the nice weather and took a walk to the park where Maggie enjoyed being pushed in the swing and playing on other playground elements. Here are some pics from our adventure:

(A cold playground truth: When your ars is about as wide at the slide you don't travel near as fast!)

In this next pic we are obviously not at the park anymore. This is Mags with her new stuffed sheep that I found at Target and could not resist buying because it is just about the cutest, fluffiest thing ever. She, however, is not so sure what to think.

Hope "ewe" all have a great week!

Bathing Beauty (or Mommy is out of Control!)

2008-02-13T15:16:00.005-06:00

In an effort to avoid the collossal fear of water (and swimming pool drains for that matter) that her Mommy has, we have signed MagB up for Water Babies "swim" classes through the local Parks and Rec department. Now this is a big step for me as the classes will take place at the local natatorium. Those that know me well know that - not only am I not fond of deep water and pool drians - I am especially not fond of deep water and pool drains housed inside an enclosed structure! I think it harkens back to what I have forever dubbed as the "Unfortunate deep-end incident of 1976" in which I fell into the deep end of a natatorium pool while watching "the big kids" dive after swim lessons. I remember two things about this incident: 1 - that I sunk straight to the bottom and 2 - the intense pull of the pool drain as it beckoned me toward the light. (O.k. - maybe, as an adult who somewhere deveolped a fear of pool drains (thanks to an Episode of Rescue 911), I am just "imagining" that number 2 happened. But number 1 really did happen as I remember clearly thinking, "Hmmm, wonder if someone is going to come get me.) They did, of course, and the rest, as they say, is history. Though I am now left with this fear I can not seem to overcome. (Don't even get me started on the kick boards!)

Anyhoo, as all new ocassions call for something new to wear, I went shopping for swimsuits for Maggie. And perhaps I went a little overboard (no pun intended) as Mags now has a different swim suit for every day of swim class. (In my defense, she did get one of these as a shower gift and they were cheap - so it's really like I just bought her one outfit.)

Here is our bathing beauty modeling her new suits:

This blue one is my fave! I just love the ruffles accross the thighs and butt - very 1950s!

Who doesn't love madras??

Every girl should own a bikini!

No words really. Just cute.

She got these sunglasses as a shower gift too. She really dug having these on.

On another note - it's funny what Maggie finds entertaining. This particular night flipping the bib back and forth was cause for much giddiness as you will see:

Hope you all have a great week!

Maggie's New Do!

2008-02-04T14:06:00.000-06:00

This is going to be a pretty picture-intensive post. MagB got her first haircut this weekend and we went a little camera crazy at the cuteness of our sweetie pea's first new hair "do."

We took advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures and took some pics outside after church on Sunday. How much does she look like her daddy in this picture? Same smile. Same nose. Wow!

The rocking chair always makes for some good pictures!

Here are the pics of the actual haircut:

About halfway through the haircut Maggie turns to Michael and I with this look on her face. She was a little overwhelmed, I think.

Admiring her new look in the mirror:

I took these pictures once we got home. Perfectly coifed!

Hope you all have a great week!

Late Christmas Post

2008-01-14T14:53:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to a Christmas Post. Sad I know. Maggie seemed to enjoy her first Christmas. I had to borrow some pictures that Aunt Mer took since I can not seem to figure out how to get the photos off my new iPhone. (I had to use the iPhone camera because I failed to charge the batteries in the digital camera and so when I went to take photos on Christmas morning the batteries were dead.) I'll get the phone figured out eventually. In the meantime, here are some photos Mer took:

Here is MagB all dolled up to go sit on Santa's lap. I waited until Christmas Eve to take her thinking that it would be less crowded because everyone would have already had their pictures taken with the jolly old elf himself by then, right? Boy was I wrong.

Here she is sitting with Gramps.

And playing with Aunt Mer...

We just can't get enough of the reindeer antler pics:

Maggie got this precious rocking chair for Christmas from her Great-GrandMeMe. It was Michael's mother's (Maggie's Grandma's) rocking chair when she was little. What a special gift! Thanks MeMe! We love it!

Christmas morning - Maggie with her new Aggie sippy cup from Gramps!

Playing with her new ball popper:

She was fascinated by the paper...

Reading a new book with daddy:

Hope you are all having a great week!

Our First Christmas Program!

2007-12-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

Maggie had a Christmas Program - actually the school called it a "Holiday Program" because they must not offend those who don't celebrate Christmas; however, in the Krenek Home we celebrate Christmas so as far as we are concerned it was a Christmas program. When the teachers first mentioned the program to us I was delighted that they would involve the babies and could not imagine what they would do other than sit and look precious while the older kids sang. And of course, that is exactly what went down. Maggie's part lasted a mere 60-seconds. But it was 60 seconds of pure pride and joy for Michael and I as we watched our precious MagB in her first "production." And, yes, I even teared up some. Right now it's hard to tell if Mags will live out my dream of performing on Broadway. But we (o.k., me) are certainly going to steer her in that direction.

Here is the production - in almost its entirety:

So, how cute was that? And do you love that they sang a song about Dreidels! Our little girl is going to be so multicultural!

Mags had on reindeer antlers when she first came out and by the time the program started they were long gone. Lucky for you all, we were able to get some shots of our little red-nosed reindeer! Just Precious! And even luckier for y'all - the school sent us home with them when we inquired where we could procure such antlers for our own enjoyment!

Right after this picture was snapped MagB proceeded to yank the Santa hat off of the boy next to her!

As a last note - in lieu of Christmas Cards, this year we will be mailing out birth announcements which have been sitting addressed, just waiting for stamps, for 3 months now. Better late than never and at this rate it would be June before I got a Christmas Card sent. We do love you all and wish you the very merriest of Christmases and much love and joy in the new year!

Our Bundle of Joy!

2007-12-13T11:39:00.000-06:00

Last weekend marked the first of several family Christmases we have lined up between now and, well, Christmas! This particular weekend we celebrated with the Amyx clan (my mom' s side of the family). We had a great time with aunts, uncles, cousins and, of course, grandpa. Highlighting the event was the annual gift exchange. Now this is no ordinary gift exchange - then again, this is no ordinary family. With this gift exchange you never know what you'll end up with. My first gift was a camouflage Master Lock pad lock ( I suppose that is somewhat practical.) Then that was stolen from me and I ended up with a darling snowman mug with various hot chocolate mixes. And then that was stolen from me. In the end I ended up with a 4' long stuffed snake and hand warmers. Michael scored Whataburger gift certificates.

Here are a few pictures Mimi took at the festivities:

Our little bundle of joy!

Mom requires a picture of all families in front of the tree. Here is the Krenek's first family Christmas picture. Notice no smiles from our usual jubilant MagB. She is all smiles until she sees the red light of an impending camera flash and then it's this look. Until the flash is over and then it's all smiles again!

Here is Mags and me with my Grandpa. Apparently Gramps has the same camera flash aversion!

Laurie, Jay and the boys:

Karrie, Matt, Tatum and Taylor:

And then of course the entire gang!

Looking forward to this weekend when we celebrate with the Nances. Love and much joy to all this holiday season!

Our First Refrigerator Art!

2007-11-28T09:39:00.000-06:00

For Thanksgiving Maggie's teachers had the kiddos do an art project to send home to the parents. This is our first (of many to be sure) hand turkeys to don the refrigerator! I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to see just how they were able to pry her little hand open to get such a perfect turkey. I love that the teachers' even attempted this with the little guys!

Michael usually gets the fun job of picking Maggie up from school. (While I get the un-fun task of dropping her off!) Really, it's o.k. since he is usually able to pick her up around 4 p.m. thus shortening her stay at school. Anyhoo, they have their little routine which usually consists of a walk around the park while mommy is on her way home. Michael snapped this picture of MagB yesterday after he bundled her all up for their walk.

In other news: Maggie is cutting her first tooth! The top part of one of her bottom teeth has broken through the gums! Looks like the gummy grin's days are numbered.

Love to all!

Five Months Old!

2007-11-26T13:58:00.001-06:00

It's so hard to believe our MagB is five months old today! Seems like just yesterday we were bringing her tiny and fragile self home wondering when in the world her parents were going to come pick her up because she couldn't possibly be ours. But lucky us! She is all ours and the past five months have been filled with more love, joy, happiness and laughter than we could have possibly ever imagined because of our precious angel face. She is so much a part of us now that it's as if she's always been here with us. I tear up just thinking about how lucky and blessed we are to have been chosen as Maggie's parents. And I pray daily that we can live up to all that she deserves! We love you, little sweet pea!

As you can see from the pictures below, she is growing like a weed! It's hard to keep her in clothes right now, she is growing so fast. Really, I will put an outfit on her one week and the next week it's too small! Her hair is also growing out of control as you can see by the rogue curl over her left ear!

This picture totally cracks me up. Her hair here is very "Elvis meets Flock of Sea Gulls!" Thank you. Thank you very much!

Like any good COC of repute, our church did a "Baby Blessing Sunday" recently. (They actually do several through out the year because there are so many babies born there!) It goes something like this: all the new babies and parents go up front while a slide show of baby pictures runs in the back ground and the congregation sings "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and then the Elders come up and surround the group and pray for the babies and their parents. It's actually a pretty cool thing. Here's a picture of the group up front. You can see Michael there in the back and you can barely see Maggie's pink little dress there next to him.

And here she is all dolled up for the event!

This was the week I battled Round 1 of a nasty sinus infection as you can see by my bright red nose! (Why yes Santa, I will guide your sleigh tonight!)

That' s all for now...Love to all!

Pray for Ethan

2007-11-05T16:31:00.000-06:00

As I visit other blogs I often like to visit the blogs those folks like to frequent. One in particular has shown up on several friends' links and I have come to visit it almost daily. Today I feel compelled to share it with you. It's www.ethanpowell.com. Now I do not know this family from Adam, but I know they need our prayers and it's been heavy on my heart today. Please pray for this family and their precious boy.

Love to all.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T13:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween to all! As you can see, our MagB is Princess Leia for Halloween and despite the look on her face she had a fabulous time at the Halloween Carnival at mimi and papa's church on Sunday. Here are some more pics.

Now I don't know about you. but when I see this costume I see Princess Leia right off the bat. However, not one, but two people at the carnival thought Maggie was a ram. Huh?! Do rams wear dresses? I think not.

Here is a pic of Mags sporting her new jeans.

It's hard to believe Maggie is 4 months old now. She really is getting so big. She has rolled over a few times and really enjoys her tummy time. She weighted 15 lbs. 3 oz. at the doc on Friday and is 26 inches long. She remains in the 97th percentile for height and the 90th percentile for weight. What a big, sweet girl!

Love to all!

A Pumpkin for the Punkin!

2007-10-25T06:52:00.000-05:00

We spent last weekend in Brownwood with Michael's dad and sister. Saturday Meredith and I took advantage of the fabulous fall-like weather and took Maggie to a local pumpkin patch for pictures. She tolerated the excursion - which meant she went along with the silliness but protested with absolutely no smiles. (You can make me lay here for the pictures but you can't make me smile. a-ha!)

Really mom, on top of the pumpkins?

After we finished with the pictures a young man who worked at the pumpkin patch - obviously enchanted with the cuteness that is Miss MagB - came up with a small pumpkin and asked if the Punkin needed a Pumpkin. Well of course she does. Here's the punkin with her pumpkin (still protesting the strange orange orb with no smiles).

The next few pics are just some random ones taken over the last few weeks. Now, normally I am not a fan of the baby accessory I like to call the brain squisher. Us thick-haired types say leave those to the baldies who need gender identification. However, Maggie received a cute outfit from a neighbor that came with a matching BS (brain squisher) so I thought, what the heck, let's try it. And, I must say - pretty darn cute!

This next picture captures one of my very favorite faces (second only to her huge gummy grin!)that Maggie often likes to sport. I call it the squishy face. Usually she reserves this face for waking up time. It's a sweet, groggy, I'm awake but not sure I want to stay that way face.

Here's Mags with her forever-wet chin. I expect a colony of mushrooms or other moisture-loving fungi to sprout up any time. What is it with the drool? (Though it does make for some good slobbery kisses!)

Here is more sweet squishy face. It's hard, tiring work being Magb.

Love and squishy faces to all!

Our Weekend at Mimi & Papa's House

2007-10-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

The Aggies had a late game Saturday so while Michael headed to College Station, Maggie and I headed to Mimi and Papa's for her first sleepover there. We had a really good time playing with aunts and cousins, cheering on OU and the Aggies and being spoiled rotten by Mimi & Papa! Here are a couple of pictures Mimi took before church on Sunday. And speaking of church on Sunday, MagB was a hit at the Lakeside COC. Of course, we think she's a hit wherever she goes.

Mommy and Maggie

Maggie with Mimi and Papa

Today is Columbus Day and Maggie and I have the day off! Hope you all have a great week! We love you all.

There's a Light at the End of this Tunnel...

2007-09-18T17:48:00.000-05:00

Well tomorrow is the day I have been dreading for 12 weeks now. The day I have to go back to work. Today - surprisingly enough - I have been o.k. Yesterday as I was driving to a doctor's appointment and the tears came, I prayed again that God would give me the strength and the courage to face this day and as I listened to the radio I prayed specifically that He would provide me some comfort in the form of a song. And this song "Tunnel" (by Third Day, I think) came on and the chorus was "There's a light at the end of this tunnel, there's a light at the end of this tunnel for you, for you." Is God amazing or what? This song provided so much comfort to me. Yes, tomorrow is going to be hard - it's going to suck actually - but at the end of the day I know that Michael and I and Maggie will get through it. There is a light at the end of this tunnel.

So today - a day I thought I would spend in tears - has been o.k. And it's totally a God thing. Every time my mind has gone to the task we face tomorrow that chorus starts running through my head reminding me that while it's going to be a tough few days - it won't last forever. Thank you God! And thank you all for your prayers - they have really helped!

Today I took Maggie to get some professional pictures done. Here are a few of the proofs. She did really well until the third outfit change and then she was having no more of this bright light flashing in her face!

I love this one of her on her tummy!

My friend, Tanya, made this darling feather wreath for one of my showers so I took it to the studio thinking that surely it could be used as a prop somehow! Here is the resulting picture. What you will not see is the resulting rash that Maggie developed after being encircled by all these pink feathers.

This was the only one in her third outfit that we could get with a smile. She does look darling all the same!

Love to all. Keep those prayers coming! We'll need them tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Logan!

2007-09-09T17:40:00.001-05:00

Maggie attended her first birthday party on Saturday celebrating her cousin Logan's first birthday. She had a great time and was completely worn out by the time we got home. She slept the rest of the afternoon and in the process must have gotten her days and nights mixed up as we have not had a good night of sleep since the party. Mommy is tired.

This is my last full week with Maggie before I have to go back to work. I am trying not to think about it too much because when I think about it I start bawling like a baby and - as I have mentioned before - I get really short of breath and, well, it's just not good. I have been praying for some time that God will give me the strength and courage and whatever else it's going to take to leave my little MagB at daycare. Please keep me in your prayers as the dreaded day is quickly approaching.

Now back to a lighter note - here are some recent pics of Maggie:

Here's Mags all gussied up for the party. One must-have accessory this season is the bib as MagB has become quite the slobber monster. Really. I expect a tooth to pop up at any time.

Here is cousin Logan with his birthday cake. At first he was not too sure about the tasty confection before him...

...But then he decided that cake is good. (And cookies too, as you can see at Laurie's blog at http://www.lauriesthreesons.blogspot.com/)

Oh, and you can't just sport any old bib - it has to make a statement. Mags would like the world to know that she loves her daddy!

And from the looks of things here, the feeling is quite mutual! These were taken after church on Sunday.

Maggie made some new friends at the birthday party. Here she is with Paige and Paige's mommy Tanya - one of my dearest friends. Paige turns two next month.

Love to all!

Peek-a-Boo!

2007-09-04T18:28:00.000-05:00

Maggie has started to grab onto things now - mostly her own clothing - but last night when we put her into her swing she grabbed her blanket and it looked like she was playing a game of peek-a-boo the way she would raise and lower the blanket. So cute. We are amazed everyday by the new things she can do!

Maggie attended her first cook out recently and her buddy Colton Conley was there. Here is a cute picture of Maggie with Colton. Colton was born with more hair than Maggie! They make quite a pair, don't ya think?

Hope you are all having a great week!

We Woke Up!

2007-08-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

Is there any greater blessing than that? My sister, Laurie, recently recommended the book "Same Kind of Different as Me" and this was just one of the many things I took away from the book. It's a true story about a homeless man in Fort Worth and a wealthy art dealer and his wife who feels called to serve at a Fort Worth homeless shelter and the lives that change in the process. It's the best book I have read in some time. (Including the last Harry Potter!) I would highly recommend the book to all you readers out there (and even you non-readers). It's written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

Hope you all have a great day!

2 Months Old!

2007-08-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

MagB turned two months old on Sunday. It's hard to believe two months has already gone by. It's also hard to believe that we could fall more and more in love with her every day - but I am here to tell you that we can and we do! I thank God everyday for the blessing that is our little MagB!

Today was the two month check up with Dr. G and that meant time for shots - four of them. It was very traumatic for Mommy, but Maggie held her own and only cried for a second - and then we got home! Doc said the shots would probably not affect her at all and we wouldn't even notice she got them. Now if "not affect her at all" and "won't even notice she got them" translates into an afternoon of pure fussiness that even the boob (sorry!) wouldn't pacify then he was right - we hardly noticed it at all! Thankfully by evening she was back to normal - all smiles and full of chatter.

That's right - I said chatter. Last Sunday our little MagB apparently found her voice. It's the sweetest thing ever. If I knew how to post video I would shoot some to post so you all could hear the sweetness yourselves! I love it.

Anyhoo, back to the checkup. Maggie is now weighing in at 12 lbs 5 oz. which puts her in the 90th percentile. She is 24" long (97th percentile) and her head is measuring in the 75th percentile (who wants a big bowling ball head anyway, right?) And again - all A pluses from the Doc.

Here are some pics I took yesterday on her 2 month "birthday."

This was Maggie today - after the shots. Notice the band aids on her little thigh. You can't see them, but there are identical band aids on the other leg too. Poor little thing!

Love to all! Hope you all have a great week and are looking forward to a long holiday weekend!

And then there was one...

2007-08-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

One month that is. Only one month left in my maternity leave and then it's back to work. I have been trying not to think about it much because, quite frankly, when I think about it the meltdown begins and I get really short of breath and, well, it's just not good. Not that I don't enjoy my job - I do - I love what I do and the people I do it with. It's just that I have no idea how in the world I am going to drive away from a day care where I have just left my little MagB. Oh no - there goes the breath again...

So on to happier things...MagB is getting so big! I can't believe she is almost two months old. Time is flying! Here are some recent pics:

Here's Maggie with Daddy - all dressed for her first Sunday at church! She did so well too!

She's the apple of daddy's (and mommy's) eye!

Heading to church this Sunday!

This is a dress I wore as a baby, which Maggie wore to church on Sunday:

That's all for now! Love to all...Oh, and Happy Birthday Gramps!!!!

6 Weeks.

2007-08-09T09:40:00.001-05:00

I only have a minute to post as I can hear Maggie stirring from her morning nap! It's hard to belive our precious MagB is 6 weeks old this week. She's getting so big! Here are some recent pics:

Maggie and Daddy:

Here Maggie is with her great-grandma Edna!

We are still swaddling Maggie at night because if we don't she wakes herself up with flailing limbs. She is starting to like to have her arms free though so I thought I would try putting her in a "sweet pea" gown so her arms were free but her little legs still were somewhat contained. I LOVE these little sleep sacks on babies. They are beyond precious! Though we still ended up having to swaddle her in the end!

Michael can always manage to get a good smile out of Maggie.

Love to all!

Over the river and through the woods...

2007-07-31T11:13:00.001-05:00

We spent the weekend in Brownwood visiting Michael's dad and sister. Maggie enjoyed her first out-of-town adventure and was quite the trooper. She handled the 3 1/2 hour trip like a pro. She also got to meet her Great Grandmeme for the first time this weekend!

Since MagB was born there has been much speculation about where in the world she got that full head of hair she was born with. Now it's true that I have great hair - but I was not born with it. It came later. Anyoo, this weekend Aunt Mer found some pictures of Michael's mom as a baby and take a look below. I guess now we know where she got it! And I guess now we know whose side of the family she favors!

Here are the pics of Michael's mom as baby. I could not get over how much Maggie favors her!

Here are some other pics from the weekend:

Maggie with her Great Grandmeme:

Maggie's stirring so got to go! Love to all!

One Month Old!

2007-07-27T09:58:00.001-05:00

People kept telling me that once Maggie was born time would start flying by and boy were they right! I cannot believe our sweet MagB is a month old. She is already changing so much. She has started smiling quite a bit and already holds her head up like a 4 month old! (not to brag!) She had her one month Dr. visit today and is up to 9 lbs 12 oz. and 22.8". And, once again, she received all A pluses on her report card! Seriously - genius, I say! She had to get one shot and she held up like a champ - crying for just a minute afterward before falling into blissful sleep for the ride home.

Here are some recent pics:

This one was actually taken on her 1 month "birthday." She is getting some chubby cheeks and thighs!

What can I say about this pic other than: Is she not absolute sugary sweetness?

A smile for mommy:

Again - sugary sweetness!

Here is MagB hanging out with Daddy. We have to keep mittens on her hands otherwise she pulls her hair and will start crying because, well, it hurts.

Here's Maggie dressed for her first wedding shower - a lingerie shower at that!

Bath time!

Hanging with Aunt Karrie:

Some folks from work came to visit last week. Here's Jill R., Jill B., Erin and Jeff with Maggie.

Mimi came to stay with us while Michael was out of town Thursday night. Here Mimi and Maggie get some much-needed rest!

We're headed on our first out-of-town trip with Maggie this weekend to visit Gramps and Aunt Mer and Great-grandma Betty! I'm sure we will have lots of pictures to post when we get back!

Hope you and yours have a great weekend! Love to all...

Family Rocks!

2007-07-17T11:33:00.000-05:00

We've had some family visitors lately - Laurie, Brady, Collin and Logan came to visit yesterday and Mimi and Karrie and Tatum came out one day last week to spend some time with us. We had a great time both visits. Can't wait for Gramps and Aunt Mer to be here this weekend!

Here are some pics from the recent visits:

Aunt Laurie gets some Maggie time:

Brady and Collin admire their newest cousin:

Logan wondering what's the big deal about the new baby:

Mimi and Tatum with Maggie:

Maggie donning a bow in the hair. How cute is she??

Love to all!

2 Weeks Old!

2007-07-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

Today Maggie had her 2 week check up and we are proud to report that our MagB received her first set of straight A's! That's right - Dr. G gave her an A+ on her physical exam and an A+ on her development! Already - she's brilliant! Her weight is up to a hearty 8 lbs 6 ounces and she's measuring at 22" in length. Dr. G says she may be a tall one - which delighted her dear mother because perhaps that means she was spared the Amyx legs that I inherited!

Michael went back to work so Maggie and I have been "keeping house" while he's gone. And by keeping house we mean full days of napping and nursing and other general mommy/daughter bonding time. We love it!

Here are a few new pics of our sweet one:

Gotta run - Maggie needs food! Love to all!

Happy (belated) 4th!

2007-07-05T16:12:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. Here's Maggie with her 4th of July attire - compliments of Mimi!

Love to all!

Maggie's Debut

2007-07-02T13:09:00.001-05:00

Finally - some time to post some new pics of our Maggie. When I named this blog in anticipation of the joy that our sweet girl would bring us, I had no idea just how much joy and love that meant! It's truly awesome and almost overwhelming this love we have for her already. God is good - that's all I can say. Seriously, I could cry just thinking about it (and often do! :-)) She is absolutley the sweetest thing EVER!

Maggie decided to make her debut on Tuesday - one day shy of our induction date - and 6 days past her due date. I was so very thankful she finally decided to come on her own. We arrived at the hospital around 2:15 a.m. and made the calls to let our family know "it's time". About 14 hours later - at 4:55 p.m. - Maggie Bren was born, weighing in at 8 lbs .03 ounces and measuring 20.8" in length. She was - and still is - the most beautiful thing we've ever laid eyes on and has a headfull of hair that - had I not just delivered her - would have me questioning whether she was my child!

We finally got to come home on Thursday and are quickly settling into a routine of feedings and naps, etc... Thanks to all for your prayers, thoughts, well-wishes, visits, dinners and especially your love. We are so thankful that Maggie has you all in her life!

Here are some pics:

The Krenek Family:

Maggie received this hat as a shower gift and of course we could not resist!

Maggie with Dr. Burt. Thank you Dr. Burt - we certainly could not have done this without you!

In the car seat for the ride home:

Here she is with Daddy after her first bath at home:

Maggie with Gramps:

Maggie and her Aunt Mer:

Maggie and her Papa:

Mimi and Papa:

Maggie Bren is finally here!

2007-06-28T14:03:00.001-05:00

Our little MagB arrived at 4:55 p.m. on June 26, 2007. She weighed 8 lbs .03 oz. and was 20.8" long. We are all doing well. Will post more later. In the meantime - enjoy the pics on my sister's blog:

http://www.taytat.blogspot.com/

Love to all!

Michael, Lisa and Maggie

40 Weeks Come and Gone! The Wait Continues...

2007-06-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

A quick update: No MagB just yet! Our last appointment was on Tuesday of last week and we still had no progress at that point, so doc scheduled and induction for Wednesday morning, the 27th. We are supposed to go in tomorrow at 5 p.m. to start the "ripening" process since at the time we were scheduled for the induction nothing was happening on its own. Then, early Sunday morning I started having contractions which lasted for most of the early morning. Then last night the contractions really started going - leaving me in no doubt that an epidural was in my future (so much for "keeping my options open...). So I called my Doc this morning only to be told that it "could be" I'm in the early stages of Labor and to try to sit tight at home unless things progress some more. (How painful do contractions have to get before I am officially in labor? That is what I want to know?!) Good news is, according to Doc, I am probably finally thinning out and dilating. So, long story short: we still wait. We have an appointment at 1:45 p.m tomorrow to check on things. I am hoping I am at least to a point where we can skip the "ripening" stage of the induction and get right down to business.

Poor Michael! I have awakened him in the wee hours of the morning for two nights now with the words: "Honey, I think it's time." And, like a trooper, he gets up and waits with me while I try to decide if it really is indeed time to load our bags and head to the hospital. He's been so great!

More tomorrow...

And we wait...

2007-06-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Well, doctor's visit yesterday revealed nothing doing. That's right - little MagB is apparently loving the comforts of the womb. Doc said her head was "about in Tulsa" (not sure what's going on with the Oklahoma references) and I wasn't quite sure if that meant she was moving any closer or if indeed she was heading in the other direction. Perhaps I need to locate a map of the Sooner state. Anyhoo, I left the doctor quite disappointed and probably pouted a little to long (just ask Michael!) Then I got over my selfishness and reminded myself that my time line is not the one that matters here so I said a quick prayer and felt much better about things. Bottom line: she'll get here when she gets here and the timing will be perfect.

I did, however, experience my first real, live (and somewhat painful, I might add) contractions last night! I had a hard time timing them because they were all over the place and the whole episode only lasted about an hour but I now at least know that my body is indeed capable of producing a contraction!

Hope you all have a wonderful father's Day weekend! I know I am looking forward to spending some time with my daddy this weekend! Love to all...

The Waiting Game!

2007-06-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

Well, my due date is officially one week from Wednesday and I continue to grow anxious for any sign from our precious girl that she is ready to make her debut. The past two doctor's appointments have confirmed zero progress and last week doc said her head was still "way up in Oklahoma." She is head down though, and that's good news. She is apparently content to remain in her familiar surroundings for now - which is fine. I keep telling her I'm ready when she is. I'm anxious to see if Thursday's appointment shows any changes!

The nursery is about 98% complete. We just need to hang some pictures and the curtain rod & curtain. Here are some pictures of the progression. Enjoy! We'd like to say a special thanks to everyone who helped with the nursery. Pat - thanks for helping us paint the walls. Dad - thanks for helping us hang and paint the bead board. Laurie & Jay - thank you for your help painting as well. And my Michael - thank you for being patient with me while hanging the border and while I bugged - o.k. nagged - you to get the bed put together and finish everything up! You did a great job. Our daughter is going to love her room!

Hope you all have a great week! We hope to have news very soon!

The nursery before:

The transformation begins:

Beadboard added:

The border makes such a difference!

Finally - everything moved in:

The bed & bedding:

The changing table/dresser:

A few more shots:

8 Months Down!

2007-05-31T18:31:00.001-05:00

I'm a bit over a week late with this post - but better late than never right? (When you are 8+ months pregnant, and walking on what look like elephant feet, you have to get in the right mindset to have your picture taken...It took me awhile! :-))

It's hard to believe we only have 2 weeks, 5 days until the due date! Seriously, she could come at any time now. I used to always see pregnant women and wonder what it felt like to know that you could go into labor at any time. Do you wake up everyday wondering "Is today the day?" I now know that they were all probably thinking, "Please, God, let today be the day!" Ha! I'm kidding. I have loved every minute of this pregnancy. Yes, I may have been a little neurotic and worried a little too much about every little thing - but who doesn't with their first, right?! (You'll have to ask Michael about his ongoing list of ailments/problems I was convinced - at least once during this pregnancy - I had. It's quite humorous. I hope he's not serious when he says we can't have another one! I keep trying to tell him the next time around will be a breeze! I'll know what to expect - especially the difference between heartburn and a pulmonary embolism!)

Anyhoo, baby girl Krenek is apparently content in her confined living space for now as yesterday's doctor appt. revealed no dilation so far. We'll see if next week brings any progress. He estimated that she is weighing in at somewhere between 5 1/2 and 6 lbs, which made me ecstatic because I was convinced she was already hovering around the 8 lb mark.

We're putting the finishing touches on the nursery this weekend and will hope to post pics of the completed project next week. In the meantime, here are some pics from last weekend's Memorial Day festivities when we had the Nance, Isler and Presnell clans over for some delicious barbecue. The pics are of the kids at a local sprayground. They had a great time. The last picture is a great summation of how we all felt at the end of the day!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Here are nephew Brady and niece Tatum playing in the water:

Here, nephew Taylor watches as water is poured from above - Brady watches from afar.

Tatum makes some friends while Brady savors the shower.

Nephew Collin, wiped out by the days events, can't even muster the energy to finish off his PB&J sandwich.

Happy Friday!

2007-05-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

Ah Friday! I love Fridays. For whatever reason traffic is always a little lighter on Friday's and work seems a little less like work. Everybody's in a good mood and almost always someone at work brings in breakfast - perhaps in celebration of the two glorious days of...well...not work that lie ahead! Yep, Friday's are good.

That nesting thing must be kicking in because I've spent the last two evenings getting all of baby's new blankets and washcloths and hooded towels and sleepers and onesies all washed and ready for use/wear. My goal this weekend - in addition to finishing the nursery - is to get my hospital bags packed so they are ready when she finally decides she's had enough of her cramped living quarters and is ready to face the world! Oh, I can't wait to meet her!

Michael and I are 3/4 of the way thru our childbirth classes. Very eye opening. I often find myself speechless - which is very unlike me - during these classes. We watch these videos of births and epidurals and C-sections and other "interventions" and then we're asked to talk about things and really, all I can do is sit there and think: "I don't even know what to say about what I just saw." It's all very scary and exciting at the same time. This week was about interventions - so the things that you may not necessarily plan for but may have to happen for baby's safe delivery (i.e. c-section, the E word (episiotomy) etc...). I was feeling a little nervous about things and then we took a tour of the labor and delivery floors and stopped at the nursery where the new babies were on display and my nervousness was quickly replaced with utter excitement in the realization that in a few short weeks that will be my sweet baby on display. So come what may - bring it on - it will all be worth it the minute we see our sweet girl and get to hold her for the first time.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Please continue to pray for us as we get ready for our new arrival!

2007 Cinco de Mayo Crawfish Boil

2007-05-07T19:01:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a group of college friends who would get together every year for a crawfish boil - a fun time where we could reminisce and laugh about the "good ol' days." For whatever reason - life I suppose - we stopped having this annual event. This year, The Krenek's and McCoys joined forces to resurrect this once annual crustacean-eating festivity - thus the Cinco de Mayo Crawfish Boil was born, or reborn, if you will. We had a great time hanging out with friends new and old. Thanks to everyone for a great time! Looking forward to next year's event. Here are some pics:

7 Months Down!

2007-04-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

I can't believe another month is gone! Only 8 more weeks. 8 MORE WEEKS!!! And that's if I go the full 40 weeks. At our last doctor's visit (last Monday) I asked the doc if he could tell how much baby girl Krenek was weighing in at and he said about 4 lbs. That's exactly what I weighed when I was born! Granted, we were two months premature so I suppose she is normal weight but yikes, how much weight is she gonna gain before it's go time?

I already feel so huge. And then I see pics of myself and think I don't look that big at all. It will be interesting to see what the next 8 weeks have in store! I look forward to every moment though - even if it means going over the undisclosed weight I hoped to never, ever, ever reach. (But am now dangerously close to reaching. And by dangerously close I mean two pounds!!!) Oh well!

I had another shower on Saturday and, again, was overwhelmed by everything! Can I just say, I have the best friends & family! I truly feel blessed to have so many people who love us and want to share in this with us! Thank you all so much for everything.

While I was showering, Michael and his dad we're busy painting the nursery. It looks great! I will post pictures of the completed nursery and it's progression when, well, it's completed!

On that note, I will leave you with some pics from the shower. Hope you all have a blessed week!

Here I am with two of the hosts, Laurie and Tanya:

Here's Granny - who traveled down from Houston for the occassion - entertaining Logan.

Here I am with mom and sisters, Laurie and Karrie:

April Showers...

2007-04-17T19:09:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the first of two scheduled baby showers. This one was hosted by the girls at work. They did a fabulous job and I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. Thank you ladies for a wonderful time and for sharing in this special time with me! I feel so blessed to work with such great people! Here are some pics from the shower:

Here I am with the lovely hostesses. Good looking group, eh?

Just one of many precious outfits that Baby Girl Krenek will have the pleasure of donning...

Here's me with my sisters, Karrie and Laurie (Mom, why are you not in this picture???)

More showering resumes this weekend! Can't wait! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy Good Friday!

2007-04-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

So, for those of you curious about whether I actually stuck to my plan of getting the nursery-to-be cleared out last weekend the answer is a resounding YES! At about 5 p.m. last Sunday I decided that I could not let Monday come without at least making some progress. So, while Michael did yardwork, I started moving stuff out. (This actually worked out well because it meant that I was in total control of what to keep and what to toss out! Eureka! (Just kidding honey, you still have one last chance to go through "your" stuff!)) The end result is a now empty nursery-to-be and a newly designated "catch all" room. This weekend's project will be going through the boxes of stuff we moved out and (hopefully) throwing away a majority of the contents.

In other nursery-related news, we finally found a changing table/dresser to meet our expectaions and also purchased a rocker-glider. (This after much debate on whether we needed a rocker-glider when we have a "perfectly good" Lazy Boy recliner in the living room.) I can not tell you the sense of relief I now feel having all of this behind us. Now we just have to paint and wait for everything to come in!

Enough about the nursery (I can't help myself, I'm excited!)... Not sure if this is a sign or not, but when we bought the new Yukon last May to accomodate the future growth of our family (of course at that time we thought the future would be a little further off) we had four blissful months of driving a brand-new, blemish-free vehicle (sans the "garage-door incident of late-summer 2006" where someone (o.k., me) managed to back out of the garage before allowing the door to reach maximum clearance thereby introducing the first scratch to the Yuke while also managing to successfully (yet accidentaly) knock garage door off it's tracks at the same time.) Anyhoo, in the short almost 7 months since we found out we're having a baby we've had someone run into the back of the Yuke and cause damage, not once, but twice! The latest incident happening just this week. And, both times, said accidents appear to have occured while at scheduled doctor's appointments! What does this mean? Well, nothing, except that people who hit other peoples' cars and cause damage and leave without a trace stink (g-rated version for mom!)!

On that note, hope you all have a Happy Easter weekend.

6 Months Down!

2007-03-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

Yep, 6 months down - only three short months to go! Time really is flying by! I feel like we finally have some things accomplished. We have purchased the crib and bedding and have registered for upcoming showers. Now if we could just get the nursery cleared out. I must admit the room stands pretty much as it did in the month 5 post, sans a file cabinet, which we did manage to move to another room. Seriously, why can't I get motivated to do this? I keep waiting for the so-called "nesting" to kick in. I do hope to make some progress in this area over the weekend...

Hope you are all having a great week!

To Vail and Back

2007-03-18T17:57:00.000-05:00

We returned late Thursday from our mini-vacation to Vail. A great time was had by all. The guys - and most of the girls - skied most of the days we were there (including some night skiing in Keystone) while Jennny (the other pregger on the trip) and I filled our days with much-needed rest, some shopping and prenatal massages. Here are a few pics from the trip:

This was the view from the top of one of the ski lifts. I must admit that I never made it up to this altitude:

Here are the guys on the balcony of the house where we stayed:

And the girls:

On Saturday, we went to my nephew Collin's birthday party. Here is the Blue's Clues cake I made for the occassion:

Here's Collin awaitng the blowing out of the candles. You can see where he has already taken a fork to the cake! (He is so my nephew!)

Little brother Logan was tuckered out by the birthday festivities. Here, he and Michael spend some down time.

Hope you all have a great week!

We're Off to Vail!

2007-03-09T18:47:00.000-06:00

We leave tomorrow for four, hopefully relaxing, days in Vail! I will post pictures upon our return...

Not a whole lot going on here this week. Michael's dad came last weekend and helped us do some much-needed things around the house (Thanks, Pat!). I know Michael appreciated the help as I have not been much help of late on any tasks requiring lifting of heavy objects and bending over!

We had a sonogram on Thursday and are happy to report that our precious little girl is looking great. She is almost up to 2 lbs which puts her in the 70th-something percentile for her size at this stage. (Those Nance genes at work already! Yikes!) I wish I could post a picture from the sono, but not having the technical tools to do so, you're just going to have to trust my word when I say that baby girl Krenek has the most precious profile you have ever seen. Seriously, I can already tell she is going to have the cutest little nose. (Of course, I could be a bit biased.)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to set your clocks forward!

2 Years!

2007-02-26T21:05:00.000-06:00

Today was Michael and I's two year anniversary! It's hard to believe we've been married two years already. I thank God every day for sending Michael to me. I really do feel blessed.

We had a doctor's appointment today and another sonogram. During the sono I had the technician do a double check on baby's sex and we're still having a girl! Now I feel like I can start buying stuff! I drug Michael out to look at baby beds and bedding on Saturday and I think we found something we both like. It's not the pink and super-girly stuff I thought I would be drawn to. But it's very whimsical and cute (see below). It almost makes me want to get in there and start cleaning the stuff out of the nursery-to-be! Almost.

5 Months Down!

2007-02-20T19:56:00.000-06:00

Has it really been four months since I saw the word "Pregnant" appear on the first of what would be many EPT pregnancy tests? Four months since having to convince Michael that it really was I who peed on the stick(s) that resulted in the guilty verdict. It hardly seems possible. Yet here I sit, 20-pounds heavier (only one pound of which they say is actual baby at this point), starting my sixth month of pregnancy. What an incredible journey!

And I'm trying not to panic as this means we now have t-minus four, short months to get all of the stuff we thought we had "all the time in the world" to get done, done. And by "all of the stuff" I mean, getting a nursery put together, coming up with a name that will do justice to our sweet, sweet baby girl, agreeing on and registering for much needed items, developing and honing some parenting skills (which I am sure will kick in at just the right time) and getting as much sleep as possible, because, from what we're hearing, good sleep after baby is pretty much nonexistent.

Then of course there are the child birth classes which start in May...(Now folks, you will probably want to bookmark this blog for posts on those alone!)

No need to worry. I'm sure it will all get done. It always does. Though I am seriously questioing the above nursery task having just peeked into the room designated baby's and surveying its current state (see picture below). Yikes.

Hope you are all having a great week!

Nursery Before: This has been our "multi-purpse catchall" room since moving in almost two years ago. It's were we stash all the stuff we are not quite sure what to do with yet...anyone up for a garage sale?

Welcome to the 2000's!

2007-02-19T19:32:00.000-06:00

Having finally embraced the computer age and realizing that it's not just a passing fad, Michael and I decided to reconnect with the online world after a 2+ year hiatus and finally have intenet service at home. What Michael does not know (but will shortly) is that I have decided to take our new-found access to cyber space a step further and have started a blog - where you, dear friends and family, can come and check in on what's happening in our corner of the world.

Probably the biggest news, which you all know by now, is the fact that in a few short months (less than 4 actually) life as we know it will change as we become parents to a - I'm certain to be beautiful - baby girl. (Dear God, please let her have Michael's legs and my hair!) Of course we are excited - and at times terrified - but we know it will be the beginning of a life full of joy, hence the title for this blog.

That's all for now - Until next time, I'll leave you with some recent pics:

Here's Michael and I on Christmas Eve:

This picture was taken on our recent trip to the Bahamas. Michael had a conference there the last week of January. This picture was taken on our last night at a traditinal Bahamian Junkanoo. These were a couple of the Junkanoo dancers.