Feels Like Home

Pop

2012-01-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

I still can't believe the words that I'm about to write. It just doesn't seem real...

Two weeks ago I lost my father-in-law, Ryan lost his Dad, Blythe lost her Pop, and the world lost one of the most Christ-centered, kindest and gentlest men that God ever created.

Pop was diagnosed in Houston with Cardiac Amyloidosis, a very rare cardiac disease. After being told that his path of treatment would be a heart transplant followed by a bone marrow transplant, we were all devastated and couldn't believe what a mountain there would be to climb. The doctors told him that without any treatment he would probably only live 6 to 9 months, but he passed away 4 days later. It was just so, so fast. We were just starting to begin the fight, when the Lord took him mercifully- no pain, no transplants, no more doctors.

We miss him like crazy, and I can't believe... like really can't believe that Blythe will only know Pop through pictures and stories. She is missing out on so much, but we can't wait to tell her all about him.

our wedding in 2007

meeting Blythe on August 28, 2010

spending the 4th of July at our family beach house in 2011

This picture was taken in the hospital in Houston on December 23, 2011 after Pop's appointment with the transplant team at Methodist Hospital. Lolli pushed Pop's wheelchair up and down the halls and Blythe had the time of her life. Every time they stopped she did the sign for "more". She did not want to leave his lap. I'm so happy that Ryan snapped a picture with his phone because this is the last time we saw him. I still can't believe it.

We love and miss you, Pop.

Christmas with the Assuntos

2011-12-13T13:44:00.005-06:00

Let me preface this post by saying that there are a LOT of pictures here. I'm sorry. I'm feeling indecisive.

Ryan and I spent Thursday through Sunday (over a week ago) in Beaumont and Lake Charles visiting his immediate and then extended family. As always, we had a blast. Blythe and Levi had so much fun playing together and with the big kids at their great grandfather's house.

During our time in Beaumont the kids had tons of fun at Lolli and Pop's house opening gifts and playing the piano.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T13:09:00.004-06:00

Despite the ugly ending to the UT ATM football game this year, we had a really fun Thanksgiving trip to Houston. We got to relax, spend lots of time outdoors, and Ryan got to play golf. On Thanksgiving day my extended family gathered at my parents' house. My cousins have 4 kids in total, 3 of whom are precious little girls, and they were super anxious to take care of Blythe. It was amazing. They entertained her almost the entire day while Ryan and I sat and talked. Jenna, Maddie, Alexandra, if y'all want to move to Austin, we'd be okay with that!

Assunto Photo Shoot

2011-11-13T20:16:00.004-06:00

Our good friend, Stacie, got some great pictures of our family last weekend. She is super talented!!!

Halloween!

2011-11-02T13:59:00.004-05:00

Our Halloween night was a little different this year. The Trick or Treaters stay out pretty late in our neighborhood, so we decided to have dinner in the driveway with Kyle, Stacie, and Knox so that the kids could go to bed inside as normal. We served as a block between the ringing doorbell and sleeping babies. It worked like a charm.

First, a little pre-costume dinner date

Knox, the lion and Blythe as a VERY last minute cowgirl (best for comfort and mobility)

Shopping

Watch out! A lion on the loose!

I love pigtails!

Major props to the kiddos for actually eating through the wrappers and getting to the candy. You guys aren't dumb.

Hope y'all had a great Halloween!

More pics of ours on Stacie's blog.

Blythe meets Aggieland

2011-10-17T12:56:00.003-05:00

Blythe took her maiden voyage to the motherland this weekend- College Station, Texas. ATM played Baylor, and we attend an annual tailgate but don't actually go to the game. This year the Sales came along because Stacie graduated from Baylor. It was fun to show them one of our favorite towns and get to walk around campus, which we hadn't done in quite a while.

Blythe at the Pi Phi House!

*Pi Phi girls, I think we all know that I also took a little halo picture with her in the front grass

Taking a break in the AC at Rudder
(the MSC is under major construction... who knew?)

The Century Tree

Fish Pond

Aggie Family Pic in Spence Park

And the walk back to the car...

We had so much fun getting to catch up with old friends. We just love the small town, family feel of Aggieland and can't wait until Blythe is big enough to go to the game to cheer on the Aggies!

2011-10-11T14:55:00.005-05:00

Last weekend Stacie organized a Fall Extravaganza- an outing to the pumpkin patch and farm in Elgin and a post-party at their house eating chili and tons of other Halloween treats that Stacie made. It was Pinterest heaven.

trying to get Blythe to smile for a family pic... that didn't happen

in fact, the kids were not on board with the whole picture idea...

this picture totally cracks me up

on the hay ride

the sale fam

the lee fam

the assunto fam

playing trucks with knox

um, okay... stacie and her mom made... i repeat, made, this costume for knox. it is, without a doubt, the cutest thing i've ever seen.

good thing i'm not scared of germs because she definitely petted the pig's snout multiple times

and the after party- some charlie brown and some atm game. we actually played the second half this time, which was pretty special.

thanks to the sales for starting this fall tradition!

Cousin Love

2011-09-30T13:28:00.005-05:00

We are super fortunate that Blythe's cousin, Levi, is so close to her age. They are literally 15 days apart. They play so well together and, because of birthday parties for each of them, we've gotten to see Uncle Trey, Aunt Joy and Levi a lot lately.

Playing the morning of Blythe's party

Blythe showing Levi how to unpack all of the DVD's

Levi letting Blythe ride his Kawasaki

Blythe hit the gas

Reading a book with Lolli

Blythe looooves Aunt Joy. I see shopping trips in their future!

We love you, Levi!

Fun at the Beach

2011-09-28T14:19:00.003-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we took a fun trip to Galveston with the Sale Family. I hardly took any pictures because Stacie is a great photographer and photoshop-er.

So... for a rundown of the trip head on over to their blog.

I think the only thing not mentioned was the giddy excitement that Stacie and I had over getting feather hair extensions. That was a high!

12 Months

2011-09-06T13:53:00.002-05:00

19 lbs. 2oz. (20%)

31 1/4 inches (95%)

Oh man, this girl is a hot mess.

crawling and pulling up... i think we're still several weeks away from walking

laughing and laughing

signing more, all done, milk

loves to pet bella and feed her from her tray

babbles a ton

is starting to try out words she hears us say

loves to dance to music

she's a pretty good eater- not super in love with veggies, but we'll get there

not a fan of whole milk quite yet

I can't believe it's already been a year. We love this little girl so, so much. It's like our hearts get bigger every single day.

Blythe's First Fiesta

2011-08-30T12:30:00.013-05:00

We had oh so much fun this past weekend celebrating this little girl's first birthday. I think Ryan and I are both recovering a little bit from the shock that this year went by so quickly.

I had fun being in craft mode and putting together decorations for the par-tay.

What's a fiesta without jalapeno ranch?

What made Blythe's fiesta so special to us were the people that came to help us celebrate- family, old friends, and new friends... We had a blast!

Blythe vs. Cake

Blythe: 1 Cake: 0

Signs of a fun 1st birthday celebration

2011-08-30T08:19:00.004-05:00

I'll post some more party pics soon!

Daddy Love

2011-08-03T15:14:00.004-05:00

Dads and their little girls have such a special bond. I can see that connection grow more and more each day with Ryan and Blythe. We are super fortunate that when Ryan isn't traveling, he works from home. I love that he gets that extra time to sneak glimpses of Blythe throughout the day as we run from place to place.

Ryan is an amazing Dad in so many ways- calm, patient, fun, silly. He adores his little girl and she him.

Watching these two over the years is going to be one of the greatest joys of my life.

11 Months

2011-08-02T12:16:00.003-05:00

rockin' a mean side pony/ pigtails these days

army crawling all over the place

loves to listen to pandora on my iphone

eats well- loves cheese, smoothies, avocado, blueberries...

still takes a morning and afternoon nap and sleeps 12-13 hours at night

plays with bella... although bella doesn't play back

blows kisses

plays peekaboo

waves and waves and waves

loves to make funny faces and mock what you do... she is a major ham

does really well in the nursery at church

Double Trouble

2011-07-24T18:58:00.005-05:00

After a trip to the pool, there's nothin' like a little time with your bestie...

Bella ain't no dummy

Bath Time!

"Aves, come with me... I'll show you where all of the good stuff is..."

This is what happens when grandma is on duty

2011-07-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th!

2011-07-07T12:57:00.007-05:00

Ryan and I had a blast this weekend at my family's beach house in Galveston with both of our sets of parents, celebrating the 4th.

This was Blythe's second beach trip, and she had a ball.

Ryan, Lolli, and Blythe in the water

Playing in the sand under the shade

my brother enjoyed the irony of his dos equis with the american regalia

enjoying a popsicle

heading out for a wagon ride

costume time...

And the main event...

We were in it to win in!

Lady Liberty, getting ready to head to the parade

some last minute touch ups

It was like she was made for this

And the winner is.....

BLYTHE ASSUNTO!!!!

Proud to be an American!

2011-06-30T15:45:00.006-05:00

Blythe's friend (bestie), Avery, had her first birthday party last weekend, and Bradley really outdid herself this time. Aves was born on the 4th of July, so the theme was...

"Sprinklers and Spritzers"

Knox, Blythe, and Charlie

super cute photo booth with props
Blythe and the birthday girl

some Dad time

look at that beautiful face!

and how cute is avery's swimsuit?

the kids loved all of the water activities

precious

kyle and ryan... chillin'

so sad to have to leave

Young Love

2011-06-30T08:08:00.002-05:00

10 Months

2011-06-29T15:26:00.003-05:00

17 lbs. 9 oz.

"crawling"

going from laying down to sitting up

talking and talking and talking

eating all table food

taking breastmilk in her sippy cup- bye bye bottles!

getting her top teeth

sitting and spinning

attending a lot of her friends' first birthday parties

loves to listen to pandora on my iphone

still keeps a bow in her hair, for the most part (phew)

playing pick-a-boo

waving

blowing kisses

Coming Soon...

2011-06-23T07:39:00.003-05:00

to a 4th of July parade near you.

The order of events in the Assunto Home

2011-06-03T14:58:00.003-05:00

Bought a house

Got a dog

Had a baby

Bought a Dyson

I couldn't believe that people spent this kind of money on vacuums. It's insane.

But, it's actually not... this thing is unreal.

9 Months

2011-05-31T14:49:00.004-05:00

17 lbs. 1 oz (20%)

28.5 inches (80%)

rolling and inch-worming around

loves loves loves any kind of music

is super super chatty

loves to stand up

hates avocado and most other green things

has her dad's super olive skin tone. she is a tan baby.

loves to be in the pool

is still a great sleeper... thank goodness

has a tooth and a half

enjoys all of her baby friends

does well in the church nursery as long as we go to the 9am service

*taking this picture without the sign being eaten was one of the more challenging things i've ever, ever done

2011-05-03T12:36:00.000-05:00

And now the not so posed beach pictures...

We chose this weekend so that we could all watch the royal wedding together. Although Blythe did not see it live, she was brought into the festivities upon her wake up. She loooooves her Aunt TRog and Aunt TRog's pearls.

While the guys played golf, the girls headed to the Strand to shop and eat ice cream

We had plenty of chill time around the house

And, of course, we took the girls to the beach

The only downside to the weekend, and it was a biggie, was the plague. Blythe and I had a nasty stomach bug the few days before we left (which we did warn everyone about) but it spread like wildfire. The count is now at 7 victims. I'm so sorry, y'all!

8 Months

2011-05-03T12:12:00.005-05:00

15 lbs. 13 oz.

smiling and laughing a lot

saying dadadadadadadada and lots of other noises

clapping her hands

loves to bang on anything, especially her little piano and tables at restaurants

not even close to crawling because of her expert rolling abilities

loves the pool

still has one tooth

is a great eater- loves everything but avocado (boo!)

spends lots of time outside with us and her baby friends

enjoys feeding bella her baby mum mums

went on her first trip to the beach

Galveston Family Pictures

2011-05-02T12:48:00.006-05:00

We had such a good time at the beach this weekend with our friends TRog, Dave, Bradley, James, and Avery.... More pictures coming soon... and can't wait to go back soon with TheLoj, Daniel, and Mister Charlie!

Splish Splash!

2011-04-26T12:26:00.000-05:00

Finally! The weather has been warm enough to hit up the pool and the fountains at the Domain.

This girls loves the water... it's not super warm yet, but that didn't stop her.

Her pool pal, Knox....

Playing in the yard...

For those of you who know Blythe, this is her signature move...

Not a good sign that we pose for the camera at 7 months...

Impossible to get a cute pic of these two together...

Loving the fountains at the Domain...

And they're wiped out...

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T07:45:00.001-05:00

My poor child... every event, small and large, requires a photo session. Her first Easter was no exception....

We had a really nice Easter weekend. On Friday we watched The Passion of the Christ with our community group as a reminder of Christ's unbelievable suffering for us. It was only the second time I had seen it, and it was really difficult to watch. But, I know I needed the reminder of how great my sin is.

Saturday we lightened things up a bit by spending the day at the neighborhood Easter egg hunt, then at the pool and at a block party on our street. It was a fun day of fellowship with our neighbors.

Then, on Easter our church had one large service at the Frank Erwin Center in downtown Austin. Ryan and I decided to work in the nursery and had a great time getting to love on Blythe and her buddies. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Kyle and Stacie's with our community group brunching and recovering from nursery duty. It was a great day.

Happy Easter! He is RISEN!

Fun in the Sun!

2011-04-14T13:38:00.004-05:00

This late winter and spring have been so much fun. We have spent 95% of our time outside. We go walking, to the park, to the Domain, the Arboretum, out to eat, or just sit in the yard.

On a picnic with Bradley and Aves...

at Terra Burger with Charlie, Aves, Luke, and Blythe

We've gotta get in all of our outdoor time before it gets to 100 degrees!

Baby Burrito

2011-04-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

My child is slightly obsessed with rolling. She can, literally, roll herself across the entire house. It's incredible.

Ryan was on the phone the other day and looked at the floor where she was playing and found this....

"Hmmmm... where is my 7 month old child?"

I hope this is her way of expressing to us how much she will love Mexican food.

7 Months

2011-03-31T10:15:00.004-05:00

sitting up by herself still rolling like crazy

eating cereal, oatmeal, apples, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans...

developing a little personality

squealing and bouncing a lot

jumping and jumping

loves hanging out at the park or in the yard

It's still too cool for the pool

2011-03-25T15:16:00.002-05:00

This girl is ready to swim!

I mean, she's practically begging me to lather her up and take her to the pool!

Rodeo Austin!

2011-03-22T19:32:00.005-05:00

This week a couple of the babies in our mom's group went to the Austin Rodeo. We had so much fun and, I don't know what her deal was, but Blythe was SO excited about the whole event. She was cracking up the whole time.

Some of my favorite pictures in the last couple of weeks

2011-03-21T20:50:00.002-05:00

post bathtime in the Bunny towel

carrots... yes, please!

hangin' with momma

exersaucer fun

lunch at central market with aves

some good time with aunt trog

Happy Birthday to our favorite 3 year old!

2011-03-14T08:02:00.002-05:00

Blythe's Pre-crawl Moves

2011-03-07T07:13:00.004-06:00

This little kiddo is ready to move. She's army crawling and scooting all over the place!

6 Months

2011-03-03T13:30:00.001-06:00

14 lbs. 12 oz. (25%)

I was so sure the doctor was going to make me start supplementing with formula, but she said that her weight is right on target! Yay!!!!

27.25 inches (92%) not one clue where she gets her height!

rolling like a crazy person

sucking her thumb when she sleeps

loving to jump in her "johnny jump up"

really loves to be outside walking in the Bob
can get a medium-sized bow to stay in her hair!

smiles a ton and babbles and babbles and babbles

we're thinking she might crawl before she even sits up on her own

started eating rice cereal... and doesn't much care for it

Books, books, and more books!

2011-02-19T16:25:00.001-06:00

Over in the Assunto house, we LOVE to read. We think Blythe is starting to catch the vibe...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T09:31:00.001-06:00

Love, The Assunto Girls

I heart Texas

2011-02-06T15:11:00.003-06:00

I love that on Friday in Austin, schools were closed because of ice and snow with the temperature in the 20's

And then today (Sunday) it read 74 in the car this morning, there isn't a cloud in the sky, and it's plenty warm for Blythe's diapers to dry and bleach in the sun.

Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day! I am a big fan of this sunshine!

My Favorite Sous Chef

2011-02-05T07:03:00.002-06:00

Blythe and I had a great time making pizza dough yesterday!

Our Austin Snow Day

2011-02-04T12:43:00.004-06:00

Blythe, looking relatively neutral about the cold...

...and now feeling more how her mom does about it- angry.
And now you can see who enjoyed it the most

The post-snow party

5 Months

2011-01-31T14:39:00.003-06:00

around 14 1/2 pounds

almost sitting up by herself

laughing a lot more

taking 3 naps a day

going to sleep easily

loves to roll around on the floor

plays in her exersaucer

enjoys playing and chewing on freddy the firefly and sophie the giraffe

had a fun visit from lolli and pop

loves to go on walks outside

sucking her thumb like crazy... goodbye pacifier

loves baths

lately...

2011-01-17T21:23:00.007-06:00

hangin' out on the sofa

the result of napping on your pacifier, instead of with it.

my two girls

saturday night date with knox

dad time

jane fonda pose

These last 4 months with Blythe have been priceless. It has been such a special time. I know we will look back on these days and talk about how it just flew by, so we are trying our best to cherish every single moment. I can truly say that I never thought I'd be so happy to be woken up at 6:30am by someone.

Cotton Bowl

2011-01-09T14:37:00.005-06:00

Despite the outcome of the game and other than this....

Ryan and I had a blast with our friends TRog and Dave at the Cotton Bowl this weekend!

Thanks to my parents for coming to Austin to watch Blythe for our first full night away!

Say hello to my little friend

2011-01-04T15:08:00.004-06:00

Well, I should say, Blythe's little friend.

This is Sophie.

If you have a baby, you probably know the Sophster... she's quite the pal. The makers of Sophie claim that she is the world's most famous teething toy. That's a big claim. And, a Sophie will run you 20 bucks! Let's just say I was skeptical about this little guy.

However, in their short friendship Blythe and Sophie have become good buds. She's easy for Blythe to pick up and there are 4 legs for her to chew on. Because Blythe's hand control is not yet that of Michael Jordan, having these 4 options allows for a swing and a miss every now and then.

Anyway, I'm a fan of Sophie and, if you don't believe me, just ask Blythe...

A very special Christmas

2010-12-31T11:35:00.002-06:00

Ryan and I had so been looking forward to this Christmas... Blythe's first! We both had some traditions that we were excited about starting with our new little family that we hope will bless Blythe and help her to understand what Christmas is all about.

We travel all over the place to see family around Christmas time, so we did our celebration in Austin before we hit the road.

The night before we left we had a little birthday party for Jesus, which was double awesome because we got to eat Blythe's portion of the dessert.

On our Christmas morning we went in to get her up... (Bella doesn't like to be left out)

Polka dots... it's what we do...

We got her suited up in her Christmas pj's... You know if you have a child this age that if you want them to wear something cute for a picture, you better put them in it 20 seconds before you're planning to snap the shot.

Our present to Blythe each Christmas is going to be a verse that Ryan and I will pray over her for the year. This year, we gave her the verse that was on her birth announcement. Our prayer for her this year is that as she grows up she will always go to Jesus. Ryan and I also exchanged verses for each other, and we're both really excited about having a focused scripture to pray for Blythe and for each other every year.
Bella got presents too...

And then the travels began... my pictures are in reverse order, but this is the Christmas card picture that we took with Ryan's family. Blythe's cousin, Levi, is just a couple weeks younger than she is. We can't wait to watch them grow up together!

Ryan and Trey with a couple of their stocking presents

Christmas morning in Houston with my parents and brother (Ryan was very kind to go along with my insisting that we have matching pj pants each year)

Blythe got some time with Uncle Greg

And, I meant to post these pictures when I put her tree up, but this is the tree in Blythe's room that has all of the ornaments that people decorated for her at my baby shower back in June. It was so fun to get it out!

We can't even begin to imagine how fun next Christmas will be when BEA is mobile! Fun times ahead!

4 Months

2010-12-30T13:16:00.002-06:00

12 lbs. 12 oz. (40th %)

25 1/2 inches (90 %)

laughing

sitting in her bumbo chair

starting to hate her swing

attended 5 family Christmas events

getting into a bedtime routine

holding and grabing toys

rolling all over the place

The homies with whom Blythe chills

2010-12-21T11:37:00.004-06:00

my old teddy bear and her puppy

Bella, of course

Avery and Charlie

Blythe has been so lucky to have so many great baby friends. I've got to get better about taking my camera along to capture the fun. I love pictures of babies all together!

The blog post where I share random thoughts

2010-12-14T10:21:00.003-06:00

1. My dog sleeps later than I do- several hours later.
2. I think I might become a shower-at-night girl. It makes the mornings smoother with a baby.
3. Ryan thinks I need a hobby, and he's probably right. I'm going to start "baking with a purpose". I don't really have a sweet tooth, so it's safe.
4. I have come to the realization that I am not at all crafty. I wish I was, but I just don't have the patience for really detailed, slow-moving projects.
5. Having a daughter is like 1 million times more fun than I expected.
6. I wish that babies had snooze buttons.
7. I think I have the greatest friends and family in the world.
8. I'm burned out on house decorating and have been for a while. I would much rather spend my time in other ways.
9. Blythe is waking up from a nap right now.

-She's up, fed, and has a new diaper-

10. My husband is the best communicator and encourager on the planet.
11. Sometimes Blythe sleeps in a polka dot onesie with a polka dot sleep sack on polka dot sheets.
12. I don't think I would be doing cloth diapers if I lived in a town other than Austin, but I love them.
13. Ryan and I have hosted a Community Group at our house for almost 4 years and, no matter how tired I am at 6:45pm before everyone arrives, I am always energized and feeling closer to Jesus when people leave.
14. Ryan's cousins are some of my favorite people to hang out with.

The end.

Christmas fun in Lake Charles

2010-12-13T08:44:00.010-06:00

Ryan and I had such a great time this weekend with Blythe in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Ryan's 92 year old grandfather lives there and every year we do an early Christmas weekend at his house. Ryan's dad has 4 sisters, so there are probably 20 or 30 adults at around 15 to 20 kids. It is nothing short of mass chaos.

Blythe with her cousin, Levi, who is two weeks younger

Blythe opening a toy from Lolli

Lots of eating

Lots of presents

More eating

Running in to open presents

Waiting for Santa to come... he makes a personal appearance

Cousin hang out time

Cousin time with Blythe

Exhausted after two very late nights

Levi, Trey, and Joy opening presents

Blythe getting her first stocking

Blythe and Levi talking to Uncle Trey

And..... Blythe's very first picture with Santa!

We had such a good time this weekend... it's hard to believe that real Christmas is still two weeks away!

3 Months (a little late!)

2010-12-09T11:27:00.003-06:00

words/ thoughts that come to mind...

getting to be good buds with bella

bubble machine

rolling from back to tummy

smiling a lot

getting to be a great napper

very chatty

loving her playmat

hating the church nursery (boo for us!)

thanksgiving with all 4 grandparents

easy to take places... wonder how long this will last

new friends this month... charlie and knox

loves to stare at her hands

holding up her head

Square One

2010-11-16T11:08:00.003-06:00

I have been so blessed over the last six weeks to get to be a part of a really special mom's group at Grace Covenant (not even our church!) called Square One. We've met every Tuesday morning and shared tips and tricks about being a new mom. It's been a great opportunity to hear from experienced moms about everything from sleep training (whatever that is!) to holiday traditions with a little one now in the mix.

Last night the Henegars (the parents of a really good friend of mine) hosted a dinner party for us at their home and had a team of grandmothers from the church watch all of the babies upstairs. They even had our husbands one-by-one go around the table to tell us how much they appreciated us. It was really neat.

I'm so happy that this group is going to go from a semi-formal discussion group to a play group!

Here we are at the party last night. I wish I'd taken a shot of all of with the babies. There are some Baby Gap models in this group!

How is this going so fast?!

2010-11-11T16:10:00.000-06:00

I feel like our little bea was born yesterday! I'm not sure how she's gotten so big so fast! Before I had her, I never understood why people were so obsessed with their child's weight and height, but now that I'm a part of the work that helps her put on the weight, I think I understand a little more. It really is just amazing how quickly they grow and get bigger. I realize she's not on her way to college or anything, but it's still just shocking that she's already gained almost 3 pounds. So cool!

At birth:

7lbs. 8oz.

21 inches

Day 4:

6 lbs. 15 oz. (25th percentile)

21 inches (75th percentile)

Day 16:

8 lbs. (50th percentile)

22 inches (95th percentile)

1 month:
8 lbs. 11 oz. (25th percentile)
22.5 inches (90th percentile)

2 months:
10 lbs. 4 oz. (45th percentile)
23.5 inches (90th percentile)

Where's Waldo?

2010-11-08T20:14:00.002-06:00

Making the Switch

2010-11-08T09:49:00.004-06:00

Over at our house we're making a switch that we hope will save us some moola in the long run. They're great for the environment too, but I'd be lying if I told you that was my primary motivation.

We started with these while we got some baby care basics figured out- feeding, sleeping, etc.

And, for the last 4ish days, we've made the change to the BumGenius Elemental All-in-one diapers. They have been super easy so far. I picked this particular brand and style after reading this blog post

Does anyone else out there use these? And, do you have any tricks of the trade?

What you NEED to Race for the Cure

2010-11-07T13:13:00.003-06:00

#1 A warm winter hat- pink, of course.

#2 A personalized breast cancer ribbon onesie

#3 Oops, scratch that... a matching personalized breast cancer ribbon onesie with your bestie

#4 Your bestie*

*this hand-holding was not posed (sigh)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:34:00.003-05:00

Personally, I consider tutu's "everyday- wear", but I thought it also made for a nice Halloween costume.

I love these toes!

2010-10-08T08:55:00.004-05:00

Phew... it's been a loooong day

2010-10-07T17:35:00.000-05:00

Still in love with Everest Road Photography

2010-10-03T08:37:00.006-05:00

Thank you so much, Jess and Julie, for the great pictures. We love them!

Our little doll

2010-09-21T20:05:00.003-05:00

Hip Hip Hooray for Grandmas!

2010-09-16T10:12:00.004-05:00

If awards were given out for grandma of the year, my mom and Ryan's would be in the running.

My mom came home from the hospital with us and stayed for a week, and Ryan's mom came for a week after she left.

They cooked, they cleaned, they held Blythe, they babysat while I ran errands... it was such a huge, huge help.

We love you guys! B misses you already.

Happy Happy Happy Happy

2010-09-15T13:05:00.002-05:00

These 4 things are making motherhood veeeeeeery easy!

Bless the people who came up with them... I love you.

Blythe... Future Cheerleader

2010-09-06T21:57:00.002-05:00

Hopefully she won't let a small bow disaster get her down...

Blythe Easley Assunto is here!

2010-09-02T17:15:00.010-05:00

Last Saturday, the 28th, started just like any other- when my water broke at 6:20 am.

Blythe arrived at 5:06pm weighing 7 lbs. 8 ozs. and was 21 inches long.

I know everyone says this after they have a child, but I'll just say it again...

We are sooooooooooooo in love with our little girl!

Ryan was an awesome coach through labor- Not that there was ever any doubt.

He's the BEST!

Aunt Bradley and Aunt TRog came to visit right away and to bring me my post labor meal of Chick Fil A.

Chillin' at the hospital

"Sassy", my mom and my brother, Greg

"Gran Dude", my dad

"Lolli" and "Pop", Ryan's parents

Rubey (aaaand I look exhausted)

Arielle and Erin

Going Home!

Meeting her big sister, Bella

Avery waiting for her best friend 3 weeks ago

This week!

Sportin' her outfit from Aunt Burns

Story time with Mom

Hang time with Dad

First bath

We love you, Miss Blythe!

Go hard or go home

2010-08-14T21:52:00.016-05:00

Ryan and I are in a little bit of shock that we've gone from positive preggo tests (gross and weird that I took pics of them... I know)

bags packed for the hospital in, what feels like, such a short amount of time. I know that most 39 weeks preggo women, especially during August, are just ready to get the baby out, but I'm not feeling all that miserable.

I also think some nesting and getting the baby's room together is totally normal, but I think Ryan and I may have taken it a bit too far.

In preparation for Baby Blythe we have,

-painted the room that is now the nursery
-painted the room that is now the grandparent suite
-replaced carpet in the front of our house
-added walls to Ryan's office that was open
-cleaned the entire house from top to bottom
-cleaned out every closet, the pantry, etc.
-put together furniture for the nursery and redecorated

I guess this doesn't all seem totally overwhelming, until I think about the fact that we started it all a few weeks into the third trimester. No wonder I just took a nap.

So, here is the photo proof of our last few weeks.

The new walls to the office, totally finished...

Ryan in closet-cleanout mode

Preparing to paint the grandparent suite

Putting together furniture in the nursery...

Relaxing in the glider to celebrate some paint swatches. Loooove this chair!

Walls painted, time for the crib...
Hanging the butterfly chandelier over the crib.

A break from some cleaning with a visit from my friend, Allison Lee (Bradley) and her new little one, Avery.Last weekend the moms, after begging for a way to help us get ready, came to do a deep clean. This picture is not posed. They had a mini-planning meeting and made a "to do" list. Our house is so clean that even the hose that connects the dryer to the wall is lint-free. Love it.

And, I'll leave you with some pictures of the big nursery reveal... I know, so exciting for you all.

So, I think other than that whole, "labor" thing, I can finally say that I'm ready for Blythe to get here. Okay, even with the labor, we are both thrilled to meet our baby girl! We're ready to take the next step in our married and family life. It's go time!

We heart Everest Road!

2010-07-15T21:43:00.007-05:00

When Ryan and I got married a little over three years ago, we had a blast taking our engagement pictures, and we loved how they turned out. However, since then, I feel like photography has gotten a lot more fun and less over-posed... waaay more my style. We have several close friends in Austin who are photographers, and we LOVE their work.

Jessica, a friend who we've known for several years in Austin, recently opened a photography company with a friend, Julie, and they took some maternity pictures for us. We thought these would be fun to have to look back on, and it was a great excuse to take advantage of their mad skills.

Check out more of their work on their blog or their website. Thanks, girls! We love the pics!

LOL-ing

2010-07-15T21:33:00.002-05:00

If you read a lot of blogs, you've probably already found these two beauties, but I wanted to share, just in case you need a quick laugh in the middle day....

You'll never see Pottery Barn catalogs the same way...

Catalog Living

You'll never complain the same way...

White Whine

Oh Bow!

2010-07-11T21:28:00.001-05:00

At what point do you ask yourself,

"Does my unborn child have too many bows?"

Never?

Yeah... that's kinda what I thought too.

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry

2010-07-08T20:21:00.010-05:00

I think I've written about this before, but Ryan and I have had a Community Group that has met at our house every Wednesday for the last 3 years. These friends have become like family to us, and we love them dearly, dearly, dearly.

Last night they gave Ryan and me a book of letters that they'd written to Blythe. It was so sweet and so precious. When they handed us the book, I could only read a couple of lines without tearing up, so Ryan and I read them together when we got home last night.

They ranged from sweet and touching to laugh-out-loud-funny.

Here are some of their words for Blythe...

"You are loved, even before you are born. You are a child of God and a child of two wonderful parents. We love you little Blythe and can't wait to see your sweet little face."

"Now you are almost here. We have been praying for you and will continue to pray for you. We are praying that you would know Jesus and grow into a godly woman."

"As I mentioned before, we have our own baby named Cannon and it was decided long before you got here that he would be your husband. Then the Lipscombs came along wanting to adopt a baby boy and the competition started to heat up, but I knew we could handle it. I thought we were in the clear because the Sales were suppose to have a baby girl (intended to be your BFF) but it turns out they're having a boy too! So the competition will be fierce when you're old enough to date, yet you will have your choice from what I know will be three wonderful, God-loving men and you can't go wrong.

P.S. If you choose Cannon, you can come with us to Disney World when you turn 5."

"Dessert should be eaten first. I kid! I kid! This rule only applies when you move out of your parents' house."

"Boys are sometimes strange. This is unfortunately the case for several years, but when they come out of their "funk" be sure to find one that loves the Lord, follows Him with all his heart, and will treat you as a princess and love you for exactly who you are because, girl, you are worth it."

"At least once in your life you should visit California because pretty rad/epic things come out of that state. You should especially try Del Taco."

"Welcoming you into this world are: 2 amazing parents, 1 "special" dog, 4 doting yet loving grandparents, and a group of EXTREMELY rad friends. I can't wait to hold you."

I wanted to share one of their letters in its entirety because it was so touching...

Dear Ryan and Allison,

Soon you will be holding your precious newborn daughter in your arms for the first time. This amazing, gorgeous, little creation with the sleepiest yawns and most adorable smiles will snuggle in the safety of your arms knowing she is secure and loved and cared for in every way. You will feed and change and rock her, sing to her, take her for a drive or stroller ride to calm her (when you would sometimes rather be watching the World Series) and be able to pick out her cry from that of all the other babies in the church nursery while still approaching down the hallway.

Blythe will lose teeth and baby fat and your car keys (which you will give her because they are unbeatable entertainment while you are trying to finish a conversation with another grown up). She will gain the ability to roll over, then crawl, then walk, and then say her R's (and you kind of wish she couldn't because it sounds so much cuter when she says "weally" instead of "really").

When you send Blythe to kindergarten you will stand in the doorway of the classroom with all the other first time parents trying to catch one more glimpse of her to make sure she is settling in well (she is) while all the old-time parents scurry away, relieved to have another child in school.

You will make all your own organic baby food and sanitize her pacifier and keep her off of the floor in public buildings and tiptoe and whisper when she naps. Then she learns the word "no" and suddenly Blythe is refusing her favorite snack of bananas and you just bought ten pounds of them at the store and you find yourself eating bananas and baking banana bread and finally throwing them away in the trash, all mottled and brown, wondering if bananas will ever come back into favor (they will, but you won't have any in the house). At the mall Blythe doesn't want to sit in the stroller anymore because she can walk (ever so slowly, and never in the direction you're trying to go). You don't put syrup on her pancakes because it's unhealthy but her little friend gets syrup on his and she cries and refuses to each them. You now put syrup on her pancakes.

You start breaking all your "I will never let my child do that" vows you made before you had one, and find yourself buying candy in the checkout line at the grocery store and letting Blythe wear flip-flops to Grandma's (who believes shoes should give good support) and taking her to a July birthday party wearing her Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer light up sweatshirt because it's her favorite. She fixes her own hair even though you could do it better.

Blythe makes you feel elated and proud and terrified and vulnerable all at the same time. She is delightful and mysterious and confounding and so beautiful you can't take your eyes off of her when she is in the room. You worry about all the mistakes you will make and then all the mistakes she will make. You cry harder than you have ever cried and laugh harder than you have ever laughed and love more than you have ever loved before. Your heart is walking around outside your body forevermore. Sometimes realizing this makes it hard to breathe. Then you remember that Blythe is in the palm of God's hand. And so are you. Always.

"See, I have engraved you win the palm of My hands..." Isaiah 49:16

We are so thankful for this amazing group of people! Blythe will be blessed to enter the world with such loving, supportive families around her, and we are blessed to call each of them friends.

Daigle Fun!!!

2010-07-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

Allow me to introduce you to some of my favorite people in the world...

These are a handful of the Daigle Cousins. The Daigles are Ryan's mom's side of the family, whom we don't get to see but a few times a year. Ryan's mom is one of nine siblings, so it makes for a pretty big bunch.

Every Memorial Day weekend we all get together at someone's home to eat ridiculous amounts of food, stay up waaaay too late, play lots of games, and have a formal catch up time where we all catch one another up on the events of the last year. We laugh, we cry, and we gain weight. It's truly a beautiful weekend.

I hope this was posed, but I'm not sure...
There's nothing like a late night game of Loaded Questions to burn some calories laughing

Some of the Daigle girls with the littlest Daigles
Ryan and I look forward to this weekend every May!

We were incredibly blessed this year to get to see the whole Daigle group- aunts and uncles included, at a "double baby shower" that was given to us by the family. Ryan's cousin, Glenn's wife Kim, is due two days before I am, and we were thrilled to get to share the party.

Ryan's parents bought baby Assunto her very own pink, MONOGRAMMED putter. I just about lost it!

Glenn is going to be such a fun dad. That little boy is going to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Our parents made the trip to Beaumont for the event... such troopers!

Trey and Joy, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law with Kaycie's precious boy, Jake

Lots of pool time

We always love our time with the Daigles!!! We just wish it happened more often!!!

Dorothy, we're not in college anymore...

2010-06-28T20:15:00.009-05:00

These are my besties. We were roommates in the Pi Phi house for 2 years and have a LOT of fun memories from college together. One year ago this week we were on a girls trip to Mexico together.

This year, four of the six of us are preggo, and we're in the middle of the baby showers. This weekend the girls had a shower for me and baby in Austin. They are the absolute master party planners and thought of so many little touches to make the day special.

My friend, Bradley is so pregnant that, a. she couldn't open this box and b. I literally check my phone every 5 minutes to see if she's on the way to the hospital.

Several of my other preggo friends were at the shower. I had about 20 pregnant friends, but I think 4 have had their kiddos... down to around 16! Don't drink the water in Austin!

The Lynches and Assuntos came in for the festivities. The guys played golf while the girls went to the shower. Good times were had by all.
Now I have to turn the rest of the post over by referring you all to TRog's blog

She took some precious pictures of the shower, which she very graciously hosted in her gorgeous home!

Ryan and I saw our parents off on Sunday morning and then worked on the nursery for a lot of the day. (and by that I mean, my wonderful husband worked in the nursery while I slept for almost 2 hours)

Hurry on over to TRog's blog for the full scoop!

The Evolution of the Snuggle

2010-06-24T14:55:00.003-05:00

Let me preface this whole post by saying that I felt I owed it to our first child, Bella, to let her star on the blog before Baby Assunto gets here in August. It just seemed right. I am fully aware that what you are about to see is completely and totally ridiculous. I am not fooled. Our dog things that she is a human or that we are a part of her litter.

That being said, under certain circumstances even my closest friends will not want to read this post. (and you know who you are)

Because ...

1. You only kiiind of like dogs.

2. You are totally grossed out by dogs on furniture in homes (which I am too if things are not kept clean)

3. You can't appreciate snugly animals.

4. You don't like animals who think they're humans.

5. You despise humans who would encourage this behavior.

If you are very much okay with all five of those things, let me introduce you to my best best best buddy, Bella. We found her litter when she was 2 weeks old and got to take her home at 7 weeks. The lady we purchased her from let us come over as often as we wanted to play with the puppies in the litter, and we took full advantage.

One of my main goals is raising B was for her to be veeery cuddly. I even gave her treats when she was little so that she would snuggle. (sad? yes.) She took to the whole concept quite nicely, as you can see...

A good snuggler before she even has her eyes open

Snuggling with Ryan for the first time

We sure did eat the words, "She will neeeeever be on the sofa." She was just too cute.

Snuggling with her tongue out

I thought she'd grow out of it as she got bigger, but I was way wrong. In fact, her desire to snuggle might have gotten worse. Scary.

Not sure what brought this on

She can even snuggle alone

After a day at the lake

One of my all time favorites

And her new snuggle buddy, Baby Assunto

I think it would be safe to say that we love our dog... a lot. We're not nervous that she'll get put on the back burner with a new baby in the house because we know that will be the case. But, we look forward to lots of photo opps of the two babies together.

"Let there be walls!"

2010-06-18T09:05:00.005-05:00

We've got lots of changes going on in the Assunto household with Baby A on the way!

Ryan's office happens to be our formal dining room, and it is a pretty open space. And, as much as I thought it would be super fun to have to take the baby and run into the nursery every time she cried while Ryan was on a work call, we thought putting walls up might be a helpful home improvement project. Walls were a builder option when our house was built back in the 90's anyway, so it wasn't anything too crazy.

Here is the "open office" before.

Ryan's uncle is an absolute expert in home improvement projects, and we are so, so, so thankful that he came to help us. He is excellent at double checking to make sure every detail is perfect and what we want. Thanks, Morris House!

Here's the start of the construction...

And, poof, after about a day and a half, we had walls!

And then doors and new crown molding!

I'll post some more pictures after we get it all repainted and finished. I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat waiting for those. :)

Lost in the pines and other updates

2010-06-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

Well, the last few weeks have been crazy in our world. Although, I feel like we've been consistently busy for the past several months. I don't know that we're slowin' down anytime soon.

A few weeks ago I got to go with Rubey and Linda to see our good friend Lev. She was in Abilene to visit her family, so we met at a DQ halfway in between Austin and Abilene. Love me a Blizzard! Her little girl, Leighton, is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm so, so glad I finally got to meet her!!!! It was the highlight of my week!

The twins are still doing well. They've been out of town all week, and Ryan and I have missed their cute little giggles. They'll be moving out of Casa Assunto soon, as we get ready to put the nursery together. I'm so glad we got this time with them in the house, though!

Ryan and I decided a couple of months ago that we needed to go on a "Babymoon" since we probably wouldn't get to travel anywhere (other than to visit family) for quite a while. Neither of us wanted to go somewhere too far because we've been on the road so much for weddings and other family functions. So, we went to the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop- about 40 minutes from our house in Austin. Just far enough away to feel gone and just close enough that I didn't have to stop to go to the bathroom. (Pregnant ladies, can I hear an amen?!)
We had suuuuch a great weekend! The grounds were beeeeeautiful and our room was super nice. It was the absolute perfect getaway!

We laid by the pool almost all day Saturday and read parenting/ baby books (yes, we're losers). And, yes, my husband is such a trooper!

Ryan did, however, get to cut loose a little bit, so don't feel too bad for him. Was there a line of children also waiting to get on this bull? Yes. Neato.

How can you not enjoy someplace that has nightly smores?

On Sunday afternoon, Ryan's cousin Chad came to meet us at the resort for some golf. At this point I put down the parenting books and busted out "The Help" (really good book if you haven't read it) and rode along in the cart, praying for a cool breeze every couple minutes.

We can't wait to get back to Lost Pines again one day with the kiddo. They have so many fun activities for kids. We toootally enjoyed the resort as a couple, but will definitely be returning with the munchkin.

Alright, the next couple of pics were taken with our new and improved digital SLR camera, and it's somewhat amazing how much better the quality is.

For my friends who have been begging for a belly pic, here you go. Again, I'm sorry, I'm not good with the belly pics. Everyone tells me I will be sad if I don't start taking more, so I'll try. I will.

And, the next is the first peek of the nursery! We can't wait to get started!

Right now our house is under construction as we prepare for baby... pics of that coming soon for both of y'all still reading this!

Cutest Roommates on the Block

2010-05-13T20:12:00.001-05:00

I'm not even really sure where to begin this story. Once upon a time in the land of the Dominican Republic (where Ryan and I have been on several mission trips) two very, very cute Haitian boys were given up by their mother. Our friend, Sharla, and her organization, Makarios, came to the rescue and took these boys in and, after a few months, Sharla decided to adopt them. Fast forward 4 years, through a lot of paperwork mess, and a hurricane, the boys were granted humanitarian parole and got to come to the States. Sharla had moved to the D.R. full time with them but had to quickly pack up their lives and come back to the States.

Part of the move back to the States involved Sharla needing to buy a house for their happy family and, while they search, guess where they live? In Casa Assunto!

The boys have been lots of fun to have around. They have become good buddies with Bella and their cute little voices have been a delight.

So, meet the "Tweems"- Isaak and Jakob with their mom, Sharla....

Happy Spring!

2010-04-08T19:39:00.006-05:00

Ryan and I had a fun weekend working in the yard and hanging out with friends. It was so nice just to be in town! I took a quick pic of some of the new things we planted...

The pregnancy is going well. This is week 20, which I can't believe is already here. I'm not very good with the belly pics (or blogging, for that matter) but here's the one I have. I don't just randomly hold avocados in every picture I take, but this was the week the baby was around the size of an avocado...maybe two weeks ago. Again, I'm terrible at the belly pic part of being pregnant.

And, the most exciting part of this week was getting to find out whether Baby A was a boy or a girl. We wanted to tell our parents in a fun way because we wouldn't get to see them in person, so we decorated two boxes- one with boy stuff and one with girl stuff.

We wrapped them up and sent them off. After our doctor's appointment we called and told them that they could open the striped box.... Which is when they found out that... IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Ryan and I went to Baby GAP as soon as I got home from work to mark the occasion. I'm sure it will be the first of many trips. Are baby girl swimsuits and dresses not the cutest things in the world?!

I feel so blessed to be having such a smooth and easy pregnancy with a healthy baby and now, getting to know we'll have a little girl this summer, is just about the most amazing thing ever. We can't wait. Ryan is super excited to teach his little girl his most favorite game of golf, and I'm busy looking on Etsy for cute bows and dresses.

The Lord has richly blessed our lives through this whole experience, and we are so excited about lots of fun times to come.

Happy spring, everyone! Enjoy the gorgeous days before it gets to be 104 and pregnant women everywhere are living in the local swimming pools.

Foooooood- It's on my mind!

2010-03-16T14:03:00.004-05:00

Ryan and I aren't exactly master chefs or anything, but we're typically big on cooking at home and having leftovers- especially during the week. However, this semester we are only at home together really one night during the week, so we've been eating out more than normal. We don't like it, but it's life right now.

The following are our favorite three pick-up places in town...

Número Uno

Their chicken feta salad is pretty wonderful.

Número Dos
The wreck on wheat- no onions, no hot peppers. I have their number in my phone.

Número Tres

Anything with Polynesian- I know it's not healthy but sometimes I have to have it.

Two others I love... but aren't weeknight favorites...

Their fresh sushi, made in-house. Jay, the sushi-roller, and I are pretty good buds.

Great take-home food, frozen foods, and their pizza. If you haven't had their pizza, you're missing out. And, it's $10 for a huuuuuuge box L-O-V-E it!

What are your favs??

I'm practically drowning

2010-03-11T14:27:00.009-06:00

I love water. It's pretty much my favorite beverage. I carry my Camelbak everywhere I go- I just can't help it! I choose purses based on whether or not my bottle will fit with my other items. It's an addiction.

However, being pregnant, I need some other options. No caffeine. No alcohol. It can be tough to find something refreshing and without a lot of calories and sugar. I can't switch from Diet Coke to Sprite. I might turn into a sugar cube.

I really only have three water-alternative-go-to's ...

Does anyone have any other good options that don't have caffeine, alcohol, or tons of sugar? Do tell!

Coming August 25th, 2010...

2010-03-04T13:45:00.005-06:00

Baby A!

I'm freezin' and I'm not teasin'

2010-02-02T11:50:00.001-06:00

We were very lucky when we moved into our house a few years ago that someone had remodeled the heck out of our master bathroom. It feels like walking into a palace. And, it's space that we use everyday so it's double the fun.

Here's what we saw when we went to look at the house for the first time.

And, then, after we (all) moved in.

As much as we have LOVED the look of our shower, it is FREEZING in the winter, as I'm sure you can imagine. We gotten a couple of bids and are considering adding a door but hate to ruin the look of the whole thing.

So this weekend, in an attempt to remedy the situation, we got rid of this...

and bought one of these...

This guy sprays water out over a foot wide. It's literally the size of a dinner plate. Sorry to revert back to the 90's, but it is the BOMB.

I highly recommend it. I mean, who uses the massage options on those other shower heads anyway?!

The Assuntos Love a Lazy Sunday!

2010-01-10T13:08:00.002-06:00

You know you're not a teacher anymore when...

2009-12-21T08:28:00.006-06:00

1. You are able to work out after an 8 hour day.
2. You don't just buy ballet flats and sandals.
3. You make plans to hang out with people on week nights.
4. You don't get the Sunday night blues.
5. You don't have any funny stories.
6. You're not sure what to do with the extra energy and hours in your day.
7. You don't get flowers from your husband because you haven't had a really bad day in a long time.
8. You manage to gain weight, despite the extra working out.
9. You don't live for the weekend.
10. You can enjoy some tv without grading.

Don't get me wrong, I miss my kids from the last 6 years and my co-workers a whole lot, but it is amazing what it's like just to have a "normal" job. I'm so thankful for this season!

Doing Life Together

2009-11-15T10:38:00.000-06:00

Ryan and I feel really blessed to have a group of people from our church here in Austin that we kind of "do life with". We use that term to describe them because we see these guys once a week, rain or shine.

We meet together to share the good, bad, and the ugly from our weeks, study the Bible, and share our prayer requests. It's so encouraging to have a family of believers to spur you on to grow toward Jesus. Ryan and I are so thankful for the 3 years that this group has been meeting together.

Here are some of our highlights from that time:

Pumpkin carving at Halloween

Hangin' out with our parents at the Assunto's Iron Chef Competition

Cheering Ryan on to marathon glory

Cheering on the Round Rock Express

Celebrating birthdays

Sneaking snacks into various events

I just realized that Ryan, nor many of the other guys in our group, are even in these pictures. I guess they did a good job hiding from the camera.

We love all of you and are so thankful that the blessing that you are in our lives!

To Everything There is a Season

2009-10-19T11:40:00.001-05:00

Many of you know that my first "real" job out of college and, the place where I've spent the last 5+ years of my life has been here...

Stephen F. Austin High School

downtown Austin, Texas

I've been the cheerleading sponsor, worked on the advisory council, written curriculum, served on committees, tutored, gone to every sporting event, theatre event, and every other event under the sun, and been a part of the Austin High community.

Teaching high school has been crazy fun, unbelievably stressful, overwhelming, joyous and just about every single emotion in between. Some days you feel like you made a true difference in a kid's life, the next day you feel like you're spinning your wheels, and some days you just feel completely deflated. It's a roller coaster to say the least.

Due to the stress of the job, I had to make probably the most difficult decision I've faced up to this point in my life. I left the comfort of a profession that I am deeply passionate about and a faculty unmatched anywhere else. The teachers and students I worked with at Austin High over the last 5 years have been so, so good to me, and I'm grateful for the experience I've had there.

Tomorrow I will start here...

Region 13 Education Service Center
east Austin, Texas

Region XIII is kind of like "coming home" to me. This is the organization that supports all of the school districts and educational facilities in Central Texas. They do workshops and all kinds of trainings. This is where I started out in education. I took class here for months and months and months to get my alternative teachers certification.

I'm really excited about where the Lord has led me and can't wait to get started with my new team!

It's all in the shoe

2009-10-12T22:41:00.005-05:00

A few months ago Ryan, my marathon-running-husband, went with me to Academy for a running-shoe-trying-on-spree. No lie, I think I tried on about 25 pairs of running shoes, trying to find a good fit.

Naturally, the ones I liked the most were these lovely guys, and they were literally the most expensive tennis shoes in the store at $130. If you know me well you know there's NO WAY I'm paying Nike that much money for running shoes. I don't care how heavenly they are.

So, I wrote down the name of the shoe and model number in my Blackberry and vowed to find them cheaper. I googled and googled and googled and could not find a better deal aaaanywhere, nor could I find any on-line coupons. Discouraged? Yes!

About a month later, I found a coupon for Dick's sporting goods, so I decided to suck it up and get 20% off of the shoes with free shipping. Not too bad.

Uuuuuntil, I found these guys on their website when I went to check out....

Yes friends, the EXACT same shoes in yellow instead of pink. YES PLEASE! Wanna know how much these puppies were? $57 (still free shipping). Why Why Why Why, Nike?! Do people really want a pink swoosh enough to pay that much more for the shoe? It scares me that the answer might be yes.

I have run SO MUCH MORE lately because of these comfy shoes. If you're needing some encouragement to hit the trail, update your shoes or socks or shorts or something.... as sad as it is, it helps!

Prayin'

2009-10-12T22:22:00.005-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in quite a while (post on why coming soon) and I'm just bustin' back in with a serious topic, but this has really been on my heart and mind lately, and I wanted to share. I'm hoping that of the 5 people reading it will help, at least, one of you.

I've had a difficult time over the years having a consistent prayer life. It seemed like every time I would sit down to pray I would think about something, lift it up to the Lord, and then let my mind wander to other things. Basically, after some focused thought I would end up day dreaming. In fact, I did the same thing in college when I would try to study for a test. I would read a paragraph about political blah blah blah, and my mind would wander aaaaall over the place. It's amazing how thinking about one thing can lead to another, then another, then another, and you're like, "How did I get to thinking about _____ when I started out praying about _____???"

I've been in a place in my life over the last few months where the Lord has broken me more than He ever has before. It's been uncomfortable, scary, and I have never ever in my life had to lean on Him more. And, as a survival skill, I've had to learn to pray.

I've never been into, or understood, diaries. I feel like I would try to edit my entries so that whoever read it one day would end up thinking I was way cooler and stronger and more fun than I actually am. However, I have started a prayer journal. I didn't really mean for it to start out that way, but that's what it has turned into. I write out my raw, straight from my head to my hand, prayers to the Lord out on paper. It helps me to stay focused on my train of thought, and it helps me to really think through what I'm praying. I also write other people's prayer requests down and pray for them, so that I don't just say, "Yeah, I'm praying for you." and then totally forget.

Trust me, I know this isn't an original thought about how to pray, but I've really been encouraged and strengthened in my walk with the Lord since I started using this tactic. And, sometimes when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed or thankful or whatever and I don't have the journal with me (it just stays at home), I write out my prayer- even just a sentence, on a little post it note or scrap of paper. I guess it just feels more tangible to me, I don't know.

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

My new love

2009-09-12T15:12:00.003-05:00

Well, I've always liked it but, lately, I have begun to L-O-V-E sushi! I've made friends with the guys at our local HEB who make it fresh there daily, and it's made me and my budget really happy.

However, if you live in Austin or are visiting, Ryan and I discovered a great place this week on Colorado between 2nd and 3rd that has a great happy hour- lots of rolls for $5, $8 and $10. It's called Yu, and I would highly recommend it. I've actually been to their happy hour twice this week!

You could get a one of these....

and maybe one of these for dessert...

Happy sushi-ing!

Before you buy makeup...

2009-08-27T20:12:00.003-05:00

check out this book.

My friend, Kristin, found it a couple years ago when we were hanging out at Barnes and Noble, and I've referenced it ever since. She rates all kinds of skin care products by brand and also by type of product. So far I've liked all of her recommendations.

Enjoy!

This kiiiinda makes me want to go to jail

2009-08-23T09:44:00.004-05:00

You guys know how much we LOVE our yellow lab puppy, Bella. Well, I was watching Oprah a couple weeks ago and there was a segment about an organization called Puppies Behind Bars. At first I thought it was going to be about puppies being abused, but I think that was just a way to get the audience's attention. Phew. I don't think I could have taken another one of those.

The organization places 8 week old puppies, mostly labs and golden retrievers, with prisoners. The puppies live with them in their cells and are around them 100% of the time. The prisoners have been taught how to train the puppies to be service dogs and explosive detecting dogs. It's a wonderful cycle of rehabilitation. I had tears streaming down my face watching the inmates talk about how the dogs had taught them to love someone/ something. Many of them were not as fortunate as many of us to be raised in loving and caring homes, so feeling and acting on this emotion were totally new experiences.

If you even kind of like dogs, you will love the videos on their website. They are amazing.

Go to www.PuppiesBehindBars.com

East Coast Yay Yay

2009-08-20T20:35:00.005-05:00

Ryan and I had such a fun trip to South Carolina last week. The Assuntos have a family friend who let us stay at his house on the beach, and it was amazing. The house was super nice, the beach was gorgeous, the restaurants were delicious, and we really enjoyed the down time.

While we were there we visited the Citadel. This was really cool for me because some of my family graduated from there.

The house was located on a great spot on Folly Beach. The view was very South Carolina-ish, and we had so much fun hanging out on the deck playing cards and reading.

Ryan played a couple rounds of golf that spread into the three days because of some rain, and I rode along in the cart with him. The courses were really beautiful. It made me want to play golf, and nothing has ever made me want to do that before!

We had a lot of fun hanging around Folly Beach. We ate at some great places and loved just getting to ride around town on bikes. I for sure almost fell like 6 times. It's been awhile....

And, probably one of the best parts of our trip, were the restaurants. If you've ever been to the Charleston area, you know what I'm talking about. We ate at so many good places. We meant to go out for a big, fancy dinner, but every place was so good, we got burned out and had to eat Mexican food for a break... Fat kids!!!

On Friday when we got back, we landed at the Houston airport at 2:30pm, and we needed to be back in Austin as quickly as possible. Ryan's best friend Thomas got married on Saturday and his rehearsal was at 4:30pm that Friday. So, we rushed back as quickly as possible- didn't make the the rehearsal, but we got to the dinner right on time.

The next night was the wedding, and the whole Assunto clan had a blast. Ta da!!!

And now it's back to school....

Aren't these GORGEOUS?

2009-08-05T11:49:00.002-05:00

My friend Robin Lind MADE these for me!!! I can't even make a scrapbook with pre-cut shapes, but she can make jewelry...lots and lots of cool pieces. Check her portfolio out at www.bobweaverjewelry.com . Her link is at the bottom.

She works haaard for the money!

2009-08-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

I must confess... I LOOOOVE to save money and find good deals. I think it's important to steward money well, silly to waste it on dumb things and I want to make my momma proud. Sandy Lynch is the QUEEN of money savers, and I like to think I've learned a thing or two from her. Plus, much more than makin' momma proud, I want to make my Heavenly Father proud. What he blesses us with, actually belongs to him, and if I want to strive for every aspect of my life to glorify him, this must go along with it.

None of the things I/ we do to save money make us go very far out of our way. We have busy lives, so saving money can't be our full time job. And, I don't say no to things very often, just because they're a dollar or two more than I wanted to spend. I just try to be careful with the little things that can add up.

I got so excited the other day thinking about all of the bargains I found when doing stuff around our house this summer that I decided to make a list of some of my favorite ways to save money. I would love love love to hear your tips too, so send them my way!

1. I heart Costco... a lot. Yes, some of their items have to be bought in large quantities (I may or may not have enough Ziploc bags to get between 3 and 4 children through elementary school with a sack lunch every day) but not all of their items are bulk. They have great prices and great quality meat, frozen food, bread, cakes, cookies, glasses, contacts, medicine, etc. etc.

2. Costco has awesome coupon specials that they send you in the mail. I have saved $29 in one trip before and, yes, it made my day.

3. I found out the other day that Mr. Car Wash will give you 5 bucks off your wash if you have a competitors coupon. I paid about 6 bucks to get my car washed- inside and out, which is cheaper than you'd even pay at a gas station. Thank you sir, may I have another? I will be asking more often about competitor's coupons. We also saved this way when we bought our refrigerator because we found it cheaper at one store, so Lowes gave us that price and 5% or 10% off... I can't remember now.

4. Red Box. I love it! We are sporadic in renting movies, so having a Netflix-type thing isn't our best option. We rarely even pay to rent movies at Red Box because you can google search for promo codes and get tons of free rentals. Free movie at Red Box or 4 bucks at Blockbuster... hmmmm, let me think about it.

5. As mentioned in number 4, I aaaaalways google for coupons. When we went on our Decade of Friendship Trip to Mexico, we saved 50 bucks off of each room, just for having a silly promo code. It doesn't get much easier than that!

6. This one is a no-brainer. I never... EVER... buy anything at Bed Bath and Beyond without a 20% off coupon. They never expire and the manager told me last week that they could be used for anything, even the stuff that they say they can't be used for on the coupon.

7. Ryan and I put EVERYTHING on our credit cards and, obviously, pay them off at the end of every month. Then, we save up our reward points for travel. In the past two and a half years we've gotten 6 round trip plane tickets and a four night hotel stay in San Francisco without spending a dime. I almost feel bad because we've never paid the credit card company even a penny.

8. We rarely eat lunch out. For me it's easy because I'm at school, but Ryan is good about it too. We eat leftovers for lunch or make something at home. If we do go out, we split a Subway sandwich or something like that. If I go to lunch with you and spend more than 4 dollars, you're special.

9. I try to wait for sales. This is a toughy. But, it's so hard for me to buy clothes at a store like the GAP when I know if I wait a couple weeks I'll get it cheaper. It depends on the price, but I'm trying to get better at this. I also love shopping at outlets. We have one within about 20 minutes so it's pretty convenient. The J. Crew outlet, to me, is like entering the motherland.

10. Consumer Reports is my go-to. We've used it to help us find the best value on our camera, tv, car, ipod, smart phone, vacuum, etc. etc. It's really helpful in finding which product is what you need. Without it I might have bought the Dyson vacuum and any of the other items listed above with many more gadgets than what I would use.

11. I ask about discounts for being a teacher (you can use this for lots of jobs). For example, who knew that Verizon would give you a 20% discount on your portion of the wireless bill just for being a state employee? Not me, but I asked and now I save every month.

This is a lot of text, so if you made it this far, way to go! Yes, it bothers me that I could only think of 11 items, which is not a round number, but I'm going to get over it. I'd love to know about any other little tricks out there, so send your tips my way!

When the cat's away... the mice will play.

2009-08-02T13:56:00.004-05:00

What's a girl to do when her husband is on a business trip or hanging out with the guys on a Saturday night?

The only answer we could think of was to have a

SLUMBER PARTY!

Complete with some dinner...

And dessert...

And maybe a one of these...

A special thank you to our sponsors:

Chuy's jalapeno ranch

Real Simple's Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

You Tube

The cable that connects You Tube to your TV

Your husband's computer speakers

A new cute apron from Pier One

Lisa Loeb

Wilson Phillips

Reba McEntire

SYTYCD

N Sync

Britney

and...

of course...

MJ

We couldn't have done it without you.

Deals of the Day

2009-07-30T09:56:00.004-05:00

I LOVE saving money (blog post on that coming soon) and I've recently come across two deals that I wanted to pass along.

www.restaurant.com

I've never personally used this site, but I have talked to others that have and checked out the press section on their website. It looks too good to be true, but I think it's legit. I mean, it shows them on the Today Show. It's gotta be for real!

You go on the site to buy gift cards at a discounted price. For example, a $25 gift card is $10. But, until the 31st you can get their $10 gift card for 80% off ($2) by entering the code NAPKIN.

Now, there are some restrictions like a minimum food purchase, certain days and not covering alcohol, but you will still be saving a lot on the overall experience.

The second is

www.gapinc.com/giveandget/donorschoose/

It's a 30% off coupon at GAP, Banana and Old Navy as well as their outlets from today until August 2nd. And, the great part is, you can use it more than once.

Happy eating and shopping!

Charleston here we come... in a few weeks!

2009-07-28T18:51:00.002-05:00

Soooo... this is the house where Ryan and I will be staying when we go to Charleston in a few weeks. Doesn't it look like something out of a J. Crew catalog?! We are SOOO excited!

After some blood, sweat and tears

2009-07-27T15:22:00.002-05:00

By the time each summer rolls around I have always compiled a lengthy "to-do" list of different projects I have put off until I have the time to complete them from start to finish. This summer all of my projects happen to have been home improvement related, so I just wanted to share with the 4 people who read my blog what we've been up to.

I'd like to dedicate this whole write up to my wonderful, wonderful husband who put together everything that needed to be put together, gave advice when I wanted it and went along with my madness in wanting to get all of this done in a matter of about 4 weeks. I love you!

Our first few projects were simple. I just wanted to find a few things to add a little color.

So, I bought these cute pillows for our chairs on the back patio,

got these fun shams to brighten up the bed in one of our guest rooms,

found these plates to spice up our kitchen table,

got these rockers to go outside,

Ryan loooooved putting them together! (please note the sarcasm. It's a good thing I got them on sale or they would have gone straight back to the store!)

and scored this mother of pearl-ish lamp to go on the turquoise bed side table I painted last summer.

Yay for the little things that add a little something but don't require any putting together!

Our next few projects were a little larger, so I took some before, during and after shots.

The Formal Dining Room (aka Ryan's office) without the furniture

Just checking to make sure we like the color

....aaaand we're done!
The last time we wanted to paint in our house, we paid some people to do it. Although it was some work, I am much prouder of it having done it myself. Thank the Lord for summer break!

next...

Our super small and super bland laundry room with linoleum flooring

Thank you Martha Stewart for your wonderful paint colors!

...and to the Sanlyn Company for your vinyl planking.

This looks much better. I know that it won't really be seen by anyone but Ryan and me, but it just feels better for it to be fresh and clean looking.

Aaaand the biggie. This is our living room before we moved anything in. I have always wanted to do something fun with the windows but could never think of anything even semi-original. A big thanks to Pearls who directed me to a picture on on of our favorite blogs.

Ryan, again, making all my dreams come true.

His level was in constant use for the 24 hours it took to get these puppies up.

Drum roll please.....

The after....

Woooo Hoooooo!!!

They let a ton of light in and give a great view of the yard, plus we can pull the shades down when it's super hot outside or we're out of town.

After weeks of work, it's time to REST!

I think Bella agrees!

Chronicles of the Kings Series

2009-07-24T11:50:00.004-05:00

A big shout out to my friend Jamie for introducing me to the author Lynn Austin. She let me borrow the first book in her series Chronicles of the Kings, and I got really sucked in. I read the second book in about a day and I'm currently reading the third.

They are about the reigns of some of the kings in the Old Testament. She uses scripture to develop the plot and adds story lines and lots of dialogue to fill in the rest- kind of like Redeeming Love, but with closer ties to the characters.

If you're in search of a good summer read, I would highly recommend these. I can't vouch for books four or five, but the first three are really, really good! And, I feel like I've learned a lot about the Old Testament!

Happy Summer Reading!

P.S. I also just finished reading "The Devil in the Junior League" and although I can't make even one comparison between it and this series, I loved it. It's so, so funny! ... a total beach read!

Buena Gente

2009-07-23T13:53:00.017-05:00

Many of you know that my last 5 years of teaching at Austin High have been wonderful in many ways and also very, very tough on me. It's a high-energy, high-emotion job, and the Lord has given me strength year after year to go back and keep doing it. Lots of y'all also know that I aaaadore the people that I work with at AHS. They are smart, funny, unbelievably supportive and we are all as different as you can possibly imagine.

We range in age from 27 to around 57.

We are from the US, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Belize.

We've spent time living on almost every continent in the world.

We know English, Spanish, American Sign Language, French, Italian, Japanese and Latin.

We tap dance, make jewelry, raise kids, do triathlons, travel all over the place, rock climb, cycle, cook, do yoga, walk our dogs, golf, remodel houses and read, among other things.

I cannot put into words how wonderful these friends have been to me over the years. They are truly mi familia, and I am so thankful that the Lord put them in my life. I miiiight not still be teaching if it wasn't for them!

Me, Adriana and Natalie at Z Tejas

Lonnie and Robin (known as jefa or boss)
Hangin' out and catchin' up during the summer

Dedication Day at Austin High

And the hallways... we'll miss them now that we're in the portables!

We're Loyal Forever!

Other familia members not pictured: Manuel, Yokko, Mary, Kevin and Conna. We need to take more pictures!