Boys vs. Girls

I've had many people come up and ask me how I like being a mom to boys. I don't really know how to respond other than, "It's great!"- Truth is, I don't know any differently but I suppose I like it as much as I'd like being a mom to girls...or boys and girls...or monkeys and boys...or just apes. Sigh. It's a hard question to answer really. I don't want to get personal with them because Brian and I feel like it's no one's business, except for close friends and family, to know our situation.
Here's the deal- We have 3 children. Two boys- Ethan and Caden here on earth with us and a girl-Isabelle who is in heaven. I don't dwell on it a whole lot. Why? Because I'm cold-hearted? Nah. Not really. I don't dwell on it because I trust God. He hurt and cried with us and only He knows what we've been through. We are moving past it and looking forward to the future. This is an amazing thing. After August 12th, 2009, we are in a place we never thought we'd be. What we've both learned is, we are more than grateful for the healthy, smart, beautiful children we do have and enjoy our time with them immensely.
The problem I have is the pitying looks and the "Ohh yeah are you guys gonna ever try for a girl?" comments. Um no. We have a little girl. She just isn't physically here with us. We don't "try" for anything. We accept the gifts our God has given us and we relish in the privilege of being parents to these gifts.
My deal lately has been with the negative comments from strangers about how much better it is to have girls than boys and why it's so much better. I don't begrudge them their opinions. My kids are freakin' awesome. The comments from I get from people bother me more than they should though. It's like sharp little digs as if to say that somehow having two boys instead of two girls is some sort of punishment. (I know, what?!) I'm pretty sure they don't mean to say these things but it still sucks, nonetheless. Here's the deal: My mom gave me some valuable advice when I asked her what I was supposed to do with a boy/boys to raise. I mean, how do I raise them?? She told me, "Duh, Christina. You raise them like you would if they were girls. You have the same expectations of them and love them the same. The only difference is the plumbing...and a few other things."
Sound advice.
I love my boys. I know God put them in our lives for a reason. And because of the shenanigans my boys get into, He must want to bring back the Laurel and Hardy-type comedy teams because, friends, that is exactly what we are living with.

Be Still My Beating Heart

There are many reasons I love my husband. He's kind, compassionate, loving, intelligent, a hard-worker, and most of all--beyond awesome.
Brian surprised me with tickets to see Sting perform with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in The Woodlands (Houston)-I had no idea! He knew how disappointed I was that the Dallas show was canceled. So, he went to work right away and secured the tickets, a hotel room, and childcare for the boys!! I was stoked. He's a genius, I tell you. Genius.
After driving forever, we ended up in The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston. It is a gorgeous place to be. We stayed at the Avia Hotel at Market Street-which is like a little shopping/urban mecca. Loved it. Avia was awesome! And, if you know me, you know that I cannot go more than an hour or so without embarrassing myself or getting into a predicament. So it came to fruition. I didn't realize the mini-bar/fridge had an alarm on it to notify the front desk to charge you if anything is removed from it. Welp. I did it. I removed a few bottles of juice, wine, water, etc. to see what was in there. (I'm beginning to see where my boys get their inquisitive and hands-on approach to things now.) Well, after I had taken a few things out, Brian found the note that told us whatever was removed, would be added to our bill. Gulp. Ok. Luckily, after worrying about it for forever and a half, we found out that because I put it back immediately, we wouldn't be charged after all. Ok. So maybe all the humidity wasn't what made me sweat. It was the idea that I didn't follow directions and got into something I wasn't supposed to. No?



The concert was amazing. I enjoyed the venue even though it was outdoors. Maybe I'm a bit biased because, I'm a huge Sting/The Police fan. Honestly, I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy hearing the RPO play with Sting and his catalogue. I mean, the thought itself didn't really appeal to me. I was wrong. So very wrong. It was great! I love seeing Sting in concert because A)he sounds great live and B)It's STING!! I love that he re-visits his old stuff and brings out new music and well, he's not too shabby on the eyes either. In fact, Brian and I are such huge fans that our wedding recessional was to "Brand New Day" and our song is "When We Dance"- Yeah, I was wondering if I would get slapped with a restraining order at some point. :)
Funniest moment of the night, the guy next to us proving time and time again why middle-aged white males wearing loafers and a fanny pack should NOT dance...EVER. ha! It was greatness. The humidity was almost unbearable but, totally worth sitting through it. On the plus side, I think I may have sweated off like, 10 lbs., or more!



I'm especially grateful to my amazing husband, Brian. Thank you for giving me the special gift of seeing my favorite singer, a grown-up vacation, and most of all, loving me enough to plan this all without me knowing.

"Oh can't you see, you belong to me..." Yeah, he's mine.:

Pure Imagination and a lot of personality

"If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it"


Ha! So, Caden has this fixation on this blanket Ethan gave him. It's this tiny blanket with a sports theme on it. It's fleece, soft, and has been washed more times than I can remember. He loves to put it on his head and pretend it's hair. Caden's personality has broken through and he has shown me that he definitely has a sense of humor. I love watching how he becomes less of a copycat and marches to the beat of his own drum. He has little dances he does whenever he hears any kind of music, walks like he's Shaft when we let him out of the stroller, and sings the entire them to Go Diego, Go! at the top of his little lungs...in the car...on repeat...off key. ;)



Ethan, on the other hand, is a bit different. Don't get me wrong, he can "pretend" with the best of them and is most definitely one of the funniest kids I know, but his ideas are a little beyond mature for his age. I can jokingly tell close friends that he's really a 30-years-old man trapped in a 6-years-old body. Not really. What I love most about him is his ability to talk to anyone about anything. I love his laugh, the way he takes on the role of "protector" and he has this aura about him that comes from His walk with the Lord. He has his own opinions and isn't really afraid to let you know if you ask. Wonder where he gets that?


I guess my point is, if there is one at all, is that Brian and I get the best of it all with both of our kids. Their little personalities are coming out in full-force and it's absolutely entertaining to watch (and even participate) But, what I love the most, are moments like these when I see that they love the other so much and compliment each other's personalities.

WIN IT!!

Ok, there's this amazing jewelry you must take a peek at. I am in
L-O-V-E with all of it. My favorite is the birth necklace square.
Go check it out and enter to win!
http://julianandco.blogspot.com/2010/06/win-our-julian-co-round-locket-small.html

Giants of the Savanna

Last Tuesday, the boys, some friends, and I headed out to the Dallas Zoo. We were extremely excited because the new exhibit "Giants of the Savanna" had opened up. It was amazing! If you've seen the "old" zoo set up and look at this one, it's sad to realize how little room the animals had to roam. The kids were able to get up close to the elephants, giraffes, lions, and cheetah. In fact, the lioness pounced at the glass while we were trying to take pictures of the kids. Then, while the kids were in the Land Rover getting another photo op, the cheetah jumped in the back and watched us take pictures. Totally cool.
It was very hot but the zoo has accommodated for the heat by adding in a few pavilions with a/c around certain animal attractions. We packed lunches and ended up eating in the main food court (which was also air conditioned- Hallelujah!)
We had a WONDERFUL time with our friends the Lindleys. We can't wait to go back!