Everything's Bigger in Texas

You've heard the saying...

...I'm offering the proof :) 

Mr. Big Frog and my size 8.5 foot~

We met this Big Guy as we were getting ready to head home from dinner at a new friend's house.  It was, literally, a dark and stormy night...and he had come out to play :)

We found him in the driveway and I tried to get him to hop away because I sure didn't want Steve to accidentally hit him as he was pulling up the car to pick us up.  He almost hopped into the garage instead of out into the yard...I think it was the sound of all the kids squealing and giggling that made him reconsider the safety of the garage :)  

All the kids (at least I think all...there were 8 of them there:) thought he was great and we enjoyed watching him act all mean and threatening by lifting himself up on his legs and puffing up his body.  

Sophia and a new friend doing their best frog impression~

Bella and her prince?  Kiss me, Bella :)

Oh, sorry, got a little carried away with the excitement about Mr. Big Frog...

...yes, we were at a new friend's house having dinner...isn't that coolio:)  

God has been very kind and gracious to our family to begin knitting us into this local church rather quickly...or, it could be, that we're just a bit obnoxious and invite ourselves over to other people's houses...like we did this night.  But we bribed them with burgers and hot dogs, and you know, they're super nice...so we kind of had them right where we wanted them :)  

All kidding aside, it was a wonderful night for Steve and I and our sweet girls too and we are very thankful for the new friendships that God is growing...thank you V family for opening your home and heart to us :)

So Mr. Big Frog was just a funny end to a super fun evening of food and fellowship with new friends~

God bless~
Rach

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

"Necessity is the mother of invention."  Plato

...or in this case, it could have been boredom...

...but who cares...look how resourceful they are...

I was sitting at the computer, trying to get some auto insurance stuff figured out, when I heard gales of gleeful giggles...and saw Sophia swinging by the front window :)

The girls had tied a rope they found in the garage around a branch in the tree in the front yard.  Then they added a pillow from the couch for padding and viola...they had a swing!

I was complimenting them on their achievement, when Sophia proudly declared, "Man, we are clever!"  Yes, honey, you two sure are :)

Notice how they change and add to the pillow(s) until they found a combo that was the most comfy :)

The final seat solution...two pillows for gluteus maximus comfort!

It's a beautiful spring day here in Frisco...

Have a blessed day~
Rach

How Now Brown Cow

The girls and I were on our way home from a park a few weeks ago when we passed by these guys...just a mile or two from our home.

We stopped, watched, and took some pictures...very cool, don't you think?

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

How's that for Texas scenery?  

Hope you're able to get out and enjoy some new sights in your part of the country~
Rach

Gracia @ 9 months

Yes, 9 months...actually, more than that...she'll be 10 months old in a couple of weeks :)

So here's our Top 10 bits and clips about Baby Gray at this stage and age.

1.  She is fun and funny!  She is still pretty good-natured and easy going.  She's back into a good sleeping groove since she got her crib back.  She is generally happy and loves to smile and laugh :)  She also likes to growl...it's pretty funny, but, in all honesty, it does sound spooky at times.  Sometimes she just crawls around growling, but of course she stops as soon as I try to record it.

2.  She began crawling just after she turned 6 months old and has not slowed down since...she is busy, busy and all over the place.  She began pulling up when we were in NC over Christmas break and even learned how to navigate the single step between the family room and kitchen.  We were blessed to have dinner at a friend's house in early February and she even figured out how to get up their stairs...I found her on step #3!  She is cruising and sometimes goes from coffee table to couch or chair to chair...walking may not be too far away :)  One of her favorite "games" is to crawl in and out and around the chairs under the kitchen table.  Here's our crawler in action :)



3.  She is growing well, but has been declining in percentiles on the growth chart...she's down to 3%...just a cute, little bean.  All of her gross and fine motor skills are great, so her doctor isn't worried, but we are working hard to try to plump her up :)  She measured fairly tall when she was born and is now around 50%, so she may not be as tall as her sisters.  Here she is ordering lunch...and picking her nose :)



4.  She loves the dishwasher...more specifically, she loves playing with water on the dishwasher door when it's down.  So now I add clean water and let her splash away...silly girl :) 

5.  She likes to dance :)  Right now her moves consist of sitting and bobbing up and down, but one day I'm sure she'll be a dynamo...she hears music and starts moving...it's like she can't help it :)

6.  She loves her sisters...they both have a special way with her.  Sophia is able to get the biggest laughs and giggles out of her and she loves to be held by Bella.  She loves to play "chase" around the coffee table with them...it is too cute!  Even though this picture is blurry, I just LOVE it...those precious smiles...my precious girls :)

Three giggly Gonzales girls~

7.  Laundry is one of her favorite "toys"...she sees a pile of laundry and makes a beeline to it...and has the best time playing in it :)  Here she is playing in a crib sheet~

Peek-a-Boo!

8.  She has crazy hair!  One friend gave it a great name...dandelion hair!  We love it :)

Dandelion Hair~

9.  She has four teeth and is not afraid to use them.  For some reason she liked to try her choppers out on my shoulder...I successfully taught her "no bite"...my shoulder thanks me.  She also likes to bite her spoon as hard as she can...I think it's a game to her to see how long she can keep it :)

10.  She has this crazy "head waggle" that she likes to do...she looks like she's saying NO, but she really thinks it's funny :) 

Hope you enjoyed your "Gracia fix"~
Rach

The Kindness of Strangers

Last week, my sweet daughters experienced a Random Act of Kindness...an anonymous couple blessed them...and God shined :)

It was last Tuesday and we were on our way home from the library when I remembered that we needed just a few apples to get us through til Thursday, grocery day.  I figured we might as well run that errand now since we were out.  I hadn't planned on swinging by Sprouts, but I found myself turning right instead of going straight to head home.  As we pulled into the parking lot, I remembered that Mardell's is right next to Sprouts.  Mardell's is a Christian bookstore and it had been recommended to me by a home schooling mom I had met the week before.  She had raved about the place, so we thought it might be fun to just check it out...plus, they have some home school resources and I'm always interested in looking at home school stuff :)   

So, I pitched the idea to the girls and they were up for checking out a new place.  The plan was to just stop in and get an idea of what the store was like.   

Sophia spotted the "lovey display" as soon as we walked in...she has a thing for stuffed animals...and we have too many of them...even after we thinned them out for the move :)  In typical Sophia style, she immediately picked one out that she loved and decided that she had to have it.  She has a gift card still from Christmas and I assured her that if she thought about it and still wanted the lovey, then I would bring her back in a few days so she could buy it.  Sophia is pretty impulsive, so we usually make her wait before we let her buy something she has picked out...thankfully, both my big girls are used to this and rarely make a fuss about not getting something.  She squeezed her "new lovey" and assured Lulu (she had already named it) that she would be back in a few days to bring her home......she also found about 40 other things that she wanted in our brief visit...gotta love that kid :)


As we were leaving, a store employee stopped me and told me that an older couple had purchased a stuffed animal for Bella and Sophia.  She took them over to the display and they each got to pick out a new lovey...somehow they picked the same one :)  The employee told me that the anonymous couple had seen the girls looking at the lovies and had simply wanted to bless them.  They were delighted and I was in awe.

I loved watching them...the surprise, the delight...it was precious!  But what I love most was how God shined.  We talked about how we hadn't even planned on going to the grocery store, and had definitely not planned to check out the new store next to it.  God had directed our steps to have us there at the right time.  And He had directed the timing of the sweet, anonymous couple to be there at the same, right time.  We talked about how God got the glory because the couple had done this in secret...they didn't want to shine, they just wanted to bless.  

But most importantly, we talked about how we miss PA and our friends and our church...and how God surely sees and understands.  I believe our Lord wanted the girls to know that He knows it is hard, but they are right where He wants them to be.  They thought the whole thing was pretty neato...but it was the sparkle in Bella's eyes and the smile on her face that especially blessed me as she talked about how in the whole big world, God had sent her a gift to remind her of His care, to remind her that He sees her, to show His love for her.  This move has been especially hard on Bella and it was simply kind of God to reach out to her, to show her that she is important and special...it was simply kind of God to give my sweet, struggling, brave daughters a tangible reminder of His good plans.  To them, it is not just a stuffed animal...it is a fuzzy faith builder.


I love you, Lord...and I thank you for the stuffed kitties that now live in our home.  Thank you for the sweet couple who gave them to our girls...Lord, bless them.  And Lord, thank you for being very real to my girls...thank you Lord for reminding them that you see them and you love them.  Thank you for reminding them (and me) that You direct our steps.  Jesus, please continue to grow their faith~


I hope you experience a Random Act of Kindness...or maybe you can be that for someone else :)


God bless~
Rach

Some People Never Change

...and I mean that in a very good way.  

Like my dear friend Chad...he's still the same wonderful friend, the same man of character...and apparently he doesn't age :)

circa 1990-ish?

I met Chad at WCU (Western Carolina University, for you PA friends :) a long time ago...like when I was 19.  He pledged the fraternity I hung out with (Sigma Nu) and became my Little Bro...and we've been dear friends ever since...for 22 years now.  Yes, I said fraternity...some of you may be having a hard time imagining me as a fraternity-hanging-out-kinda-gal...I take that as a compliment.  Yes, many years ago I lived a much different, and bit wilder life.  And while my life is very different now, I am very thankful to still be in touch with so many from those days at Western...it's pretty interesting to see where we were and where we are now :)

Anyhoo...back to Chad.  We have always stayed in touch.  Sometimes we talk every few months, sometimes a year passes between calls...we're kinda low maintenance like that.  But regardless of how often we talk, we don't get to see each other very often...the last time Steve and I saw Chad was about 12 years ago when he was stationed at Fort Bragg.

Then we moved to Colorado and then to PA...and Chad moved around too...flying his Apache in too many war zones (so thankful for your safety, my friend) and then working with helicopters in other ways.

So, it had been a long time since we actually got to see Chad...until we moved to Texas, that is :)  Chad had a conference in Dallas last month and got to come spend an evening with us the last night he was in town.  What a treat!  I loved introducing him to my girls and it was simply wonderful to hang out and catch up.  It was Valentine's Day...and while I braved Dallas traffic to rescue Chad from his hotel, Steve cooked us up an amazing mexican feast!  It was wonderful...great food, great friends!

And as you can see, the guy has barely changed...me, well, there's been a bit more change :)

Chad, thanks for sharing your time with us...we loved having you in our home!

Here's to dear friends~
Rach