What's Up?

We celebrated an old man's birthday this past weekend.  David turned 35 (GASP!)  He actually spent the weekend in the mountains at a men's retreat but was home in time on Sunday to enjoy this gem of a cake:

I wish that I would have taken a picture after the kids actually finished decorating.  Think more. More of everything :)  It was a beauty.  But actually super yummy.  Here are some pictures from David's Dora the Explorer (see hat) party, which he really enjoyed.

I had no "35" to put on the cake so we decided that #1 would work :)

The kids and I spent the weekend picking raspberries, making jam, watching movies and being silly.

Unfortunately Blaine's soccer game was canceled (he plays on Saturdays) due to the terrible flooding we had last week but they will be back on the field this weekend.  Here is a picture from his first game a few weeks ago.  You can't make him out, but he just kicked the ball in this picture.  (He's dead center in the photo next to his coach.)  He actually learned a lot at his skills camp this last summer so he was ready to play on the six year old league and I was personally impressed.  He even scored two goals!  Yay Mister!  Though he did score he was more of a defensive player.  We noticed he was very good about reading the field and knowing where to be in order to defend the goal.  Very proud of him!

Oh, and I have a huge belly.  A camera couldn't possibly capture my hugeness so sorry, no pictures :)  I was 23 weeks on Tuesday but it feels like I am 33 weeks!  Baby Boy is not super active, like Blaine was, but lets me know he is there a handful of times in a day.  Sleeping is pretty much difficult and bending over and oh, walking up the stairs.  I am winded more of the day than not!  Sheesh.  Hannah continues to love on him and talks to him throughout the day.  Blaine is mostly interested in how many poops the baby will have and if Daddy will have to plug his nose when changing him! :)  We had a name picked out then decided against it and then had another name and I decided I didn't like it so still no name for Mister #2.  But, we're working on it :)  

A Tiny Hanny and Date Night

We finally had Hannah's 15-month check-up on Wednesday.  The news was shocking.

Hannah. Is. Tiny.

Tiny as in she is only taller than 12% of kids her age and she is only 15% heavier than kids her age.  But her head (or her melon, as we call it) is in the 60th percentile. 

Ok, so I really wasn't shocked because I know she is little but I didn't know she was that little.  Blaine was always above the 60th percentile in weight and height so it is crazy to have a little toddler.  But boy is she ever cute!

 

She loves putting her blanket in her head.  Silly.

Aside from the million doctor appointments we had this week we've on our second night of celebrating David's birthday.  Last night, for his actual birthday we had a party with the Pembertons.  Siri never misses a party with cupcakes and singing.

Making daddy's cupcakes.

Mister is so proud of his decorations.

Tonight was our second night of celebration at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  Mmmmm.

And here is my older and very distinguished husband.  Happy Birthday (again)!

Oh, and I think I broke a rib (or two) or perhaps I just badly bruised them.  I was playing with Blaine at the bounce house on Wednesday afternoon and it got pretty rough (like it does with our Mister).  I don't know what happened but that night I couldn't sleep or breathe and just below my sternum I have some intense pain.  Lifting, carrying, walking, laughing, and deep breaths make it hurt pretty badly, even tonight.  I don't know what I did, but whatever I did - es no bueno!

A Hap-Hap-Happy Birthday

Today is David's 33rd birthday.

We have a slew of activities planned this weekend for his double-3 birthday but before we do a bunch of celebratin' I wanted to tell the world, well at least the 4 of you that read this blog, that this is a very important day in my life for the following reasons:

10.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: there would be no-one here to vacuum the lizards up that get in our house and scare the dickens out of me.

9.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: I would not laugh near as much as I do now.

8.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: I never would have went to Maui (hello, paradise) with the love of my life.

7.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: there would be an over-population of bass in and around Austin.  (And no-one wants that.)

6.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: I might definitely would have had more nervous breakdowns over the last seven years.  (Thank God for calm and centered partners!)

5.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: my life would not be as fun and exciting as it is now.

4.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: I wouldn't have someone as good looking and strong to love me and support me.

3.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: I would not have our dog, Tug.  (Though some days I swear owning that animal is more trouble than not!)

2.  I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: there would be no Blaine Miller Lyon nor would there be a Hannah Grace Lyon.

And the number one reason I'm grateful David was born...

1. I'm grateful David was born because if he wasn't: the dishes would NEVER get done!

Haha.  Just kidding.

The real #1 reason I'm grateful for this man's life is he's a man after God's own heart and I have the great privilege of walking with him.  Each year that God gives to David (and us) I discover more about his leadership, guidance, love and strength all built on a rock solid foundation of God's mercy and faithfulness.

Happy Birthday, Babe.  We love you and are so grateful for you... (and your lizard-eliminating abilities.)

Love, Jessica

"What is that really good smell in here?"

That would be GF banana bread my sweet son. 

After dinner tonight Blaine helped me make some GF bread from our new cookbook, which we always make into mini-muffins.  They were a hit with everyone.  In fact, there were 24 mini-muffins on this rack just three minutes before this picture was taken.  (No joke.)  Some small munchkins and one large munchkin literally ate 21 of these in less than five minutes. 

I live with pigs.  (And for the record I ate two of these muffins.)

"Let's see if I can get one more in my mouth."

The best laughing picture ever!

HG is getting ready to point the finger at Daddy.

Another great laughing moment.

And it wouldn't be a complete night if Blaine didn't build something with
the couch cushions.  Here is a ramp which he rolled down probably 50 times.

Who knew one could have so much fun on a Monday night?

Come Home Daddy - If You Can

It's 9:45 pm here in Austin which makes is 10:45 pm in New York.  Those times are significant because I just got a text from D saying he was still on the runway in NY waiting to come home to Austin.  His flight was supposed to depart at 8:28pm.  Our poor (and tired) daddy!

So that means that if he is lucky enough to depart in the next 15 minutes he might actually get home before 3:00 am!  Awesome.

I've got this single-parent thing down now... well, for the most part.  I didn't say I liked it nor that it was easy, just that I get how to do it now and I am definitely grateful that this was only a 3 day trip instead of a 6 day trip like the last one.  That was not so fun.  I thought I was going to mentally lose it after day five.  I haven't felt that way this time.

The kids and I have been busy with Blaine's after school lessons (swimming and gymnastics) and going to the Y to workout.  After school today though we came straight home for a trip to the park and to the pond to feed the ducks.  I think most of them fly away when they see us though since Blaine likes to chase them (usually with large sticks he tears out of the tree) and yells, "Why are you running, ducks?"  Hmmmm.

Here are the kids in the double jogging stroller before we actually started going.  Unbeknownst to me all three tires were flat as pancakes so we had to switch to the single jogging stroller, which Hannah rode in, and Blaine ran like the wind ahead of us.  This was probably a better plan anyway since Mister always needs all the exercise he can get.  Those two miles of running did him in tonight.

Good night!

He's Baaaack!

I got the news around 5:00 pm last Friday but it wasn't until about 11:00 pm that night that it really sunk in that David's flight was delayed which caused him to miss his connection in Baltimore which caused him to not come home to Austin, which left me and the kids alone for another day.  I was mentally prepared for D's arrival late Friday night so when I got the news that he wasn't coming home, it took me a good 6 hours to get through the denial and then make a plan.

On Saturday the kids and I loaded up and visited the Austin Zoo for a couple hours and it really wasn't bad at all though Blaine was really crushed that Daddy was going to be gone another night.  Tired and hungry after the zoo we came home around lunch and waited for Daddy to come home.  While Blaine napped, Hannah and I took turns staring out the front window looking for Daddy's cab to pull in the driveway.  I swear she knew what was going on because we both kept pointing out the window and saying, "Aaadaa!?"  She must have sat on my lap and stared out the window for a good 10 minutes.

Pathetic, I know. 

Then it happened.  The cab pulled in and our dear daddy appeared.  It was the most glorious moment ever!  Hannah started crying and ran to daddy while I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming.  In all seriousness it was wonderful to have him home and when Blaine woke up from his nap he was elated.  We spent the rest of the day together talking and laughing and there was a lot of hugging or "big squeezes" as Blaine calls them.

Here are some pictures from our week together.

Father's day was great and of course extra special because we missed D so much during the week.  We went to breakfast, church, played at the pool and went out to dinner to celebrate.  When I met David over eight years ago there were a lot of things I loved about him, even on our first date, but it didn't take long for me to realize that he'd be an extraordinary father.  Our kids know they are loved by their dad - unconditionally.  Thank you, David, for taking care of us and... putting up with us :)  We love you.

In other Lyon news, Blaine started swim lessons today and we were both really happy with them.  He was excited (and challenged... finally!) and even though it's just the first day, I have high hopes. 

Hannah is quite the chatter-box these days.  She has all of the emotions down with corresponding sounds and when she gets her words down - we're all in trouble!  She's quite demanding but always has a smile on her face.  She uses her charm, big blue eyes and toothless smile to get what she wants.  And I can't remember if I've mentioned this or not but she likes some weird things.  Take dirty socks (and other dirty un-mentionables) for example.  She loves her some dirty socks.  Not kidding.  She will dig through the laundry basket, find dirty socks and then carry them around the house.  You'll get on her bad side if you take them away.  Her other favorite play-thing: the toilet.  We have retrieved more objects out of the toilet since she's discovered the "really cool" toilet lid then I care to count.  So if you come over and take your socks off, we can pretty much guarantee that Hannah took them and put them in the toilet. 

I'm so proud. ;)

I think I can, I think I can

Only 24 more hours until David lands in Austin, if all goes well with flights and such.  Everyone is ready.  We're ready to be together again, I'm ready to have my husband back, the kids are ready to hug their daddy, and David is ready to be back in his own bed.  Just ready.

The week was as hard as I thought it would be but it wasn't until last night that I actually started realizing how hard it's been.  Having two kids is hard work.  Having a 1-year-old demanding princess and a high-needs preschooler who is all boy all the time is really hard work.  I thought a lot about all the single mamas out there and military mamas who have to be and do everything for their families every day with no support.  I give it up to you ladies.  I don't know how you do it.

Yesterday after school we skipped the YMCA to go to a new splash pad in Williamson County.  Looking back, I was crazy to go by myself but we had a good time.  Blaine played in the sandy area (completely burying himself numerous times) most of the time but occasionally ran around the park while Hannah and I chased him, not because we were playing a game but because I was worried a stranger would grab him or he would hurt himself.  The park isn't that big but it's hard to keep track of your little ones if they are running around all crazy (like my son does 101% of the time).
   
Some pictures from our time this week. 

Man, I love you two munchkins - - but when Daddy gets home I am gettin' outta this joint, for real!  Mama's getting her nails done, going to the grocery store alone, going for a good long run outside by myself... heck - I might even use the bathroom by myself.  Won't that be a treat.

:)

"I didn't do it!"

HG got this lamb pillow for her birthday from Big Papa.  She loves laying on it and smiling
when we say, "Night, night, Hannah.  Go Night, night."  She cracks us up.

The splash pad.  Snack time...

His attempt at a smile which I was not able to capture before it turned weird.

Kisses for sister.

Blaine now carries Hannah everywhere.  Sometimes she digs it, sometimes she don't!