Evacuation....

We've been issued a mandatory evacuation, for Hurricane Gustav, starting at 6:00 AM tomorrow morning. Hurricane Katrina and Rita (which hit Orange three years ago) were category 3 hurricanes, and currently Gustav is a category 5 (which is the worst). We're headed to Austin to stay with one of my very best girlfriends (thanks, Shanan) and her very kind husband. I hope they don't kick us out, they've never met my rowdy kids. We're not thrilled about leaving, or the thought of coming back to destruction, but we are praying and hoping that the storm will not hit hard. If I have not posted giveaway winners by Wednesday, it's because we're busy having a blast seeing the sights in Austin. Anything we must see?


We're right on the border where Texas meets Louisiana, right in the red.

Happy Birthday, Chani!

My baby is one....technically not until 7:15 PM, but still, today's the day. One year ago today, after much hard work and exaustion for my job in residence life, I went to the doctor hoping and praying that the contractions I had been feeling for a month would finally be something that would bring #2 along (at that point we didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy). Dr. P told me I was dialated to a 1 (better news) and that as the day moved along he thought we would be having a baby. He was headed on vacation the next day, so I was anxious for him to be right. He told me to go for a walk and do as much as I could to get things going. He said to swing by the hospital in the afternoon and see where I was, and if I was progressing, he would break my water. So, I had a meeting to go to and some care packages (for work) to drop off, which I did, and Clint had a class to teach. I went home and called our trusty babysitters (thanks again, Luke and Blake) to tell them it was probably the day, and by the time Clint got home at 3 PM, I was anxious to find out if we were closer. I was having mild contractions, but had been having those for weeks. So, we walked to the hospital (small town, 2 blocks) and got all the paperwork filled out. I was dialated to a 4 and having regular contractions, so they kept me. Dr. P arrived about 5 PM and broke my water. Chani was born at 7:15, weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. It's been a fun year and we're so blessed to have this little girl in our life!

Here are a few pictures of when she was born, and one I took yesterday that shows how busy she is.

GIVEAWAY TIME

Alright folks, here it is.

These are regular sized adult bath towels embellished with ribbon and a hood added. These are great for brand new infants up to about 4-5 years old. This picture is not fantastic, this towel is not such a fire engine red, it is darker....I couldn't find a true red at the stores I was looking at.



These nursing covers are two layers of fabric (as you can see from the pictures) lightweight, 100% cotton. There is a strip of boning in the top of the cover and the strap goes over your head. You can see under the cover but no one else can. It's very handy for nursing in public or for when you have company. It sure beats having the blanket over your head, or fighting to keep the baby from pulling the blanket down.



Each nursing cover has a embroidered stitch around the outside edge.

If you've never seen how a nursing cover works, here is a picture (not a great one, my wiggly 10 month old was not cooperating with all of the excitement going on. This nursing cover is not one that is being offered in the giveaway.


To be eligible you need to leave me a comment on this blog telling me: what you would pay for a hooded towel like this, what you would pay for a nursing cover similar to this, and don't forget to tell me who you are. Additional entries into the drawing will be offered for people who link to their blog. Tell me who sent you, please! And, I'm looking for a blog title to start selling these. If you have a suggestion and I pick it, you'll earn another entry. The winner will be able to pick either the towel or one of the two nursing covers. The giveaway will be open for one week, closing on Wednesday, September 3 at 7:00 PM. Cheers!

He is....she is.....

Emery can put his shoes on all by himself. And only once has he had them on the wrong feet. He's also potty trained. We started the Wednesday after we moved in (less than a week after arriving, but we had to wait for the dryer to be delivered and installed), and we've only had 5 accidents in 3 weeks. Yippee!

Chani is walking. She's been taking one or two steps for a couple weeks, but today she took seven in a row, yes seven! Oh how I love these kids.

P.S. I'm doing a giveaway. Next week, be watching for it......I'm excited.

The Living Room

I've got a few pictures of the house to share. I'm still working on it, and while I have two kids at home with me, I do a lot of picking up and sweeping and then it's time to start over again. But, I had a little success this morning and I want to share it.

Thanks Kay, for the lettering, I think it looks great. Clint wants to get Reading in bigger font to put above it.

the toad

Clint caught a toad in the back yard. It's great fun for he and Emery, catching bugs and small geckos to feed to it. Here's what it looks like.

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

I could blog about her all day. Love her products....however, she doesn't sell clothes or patterns, she just gives away.

Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Birthday Preview

Chani will be one. Here's the birthday post card that I'm working on. What do you think?

Our dog

We got a puppy (well almost 2 year old) right as we were leaving Chadron (thanks again, Burch family), and I realized today that we have not posted pictures yet. Her name is Noel, but Emery calls her Nell.

The other day Emery "shared" a granola bar with her, which she promptly took and hid. Later, while we were eating dinner, she brought that granola bar right up to the door and sat there with it in her mouth.



Sorry for the poor picture, she's full of energy and moves too quickly for me to get a good shot. We took her to the beach last week and she loved chasing the birds and digging for crabs (she never caught either, by the way and had to settle for dog biscuits and Emery's dropped bagel sandwich).

Running errands

So today I was telling Emery that we needed to run errands and then go to the park at 4 for playgroup. He heard, "Run to Aaron's" and he said, "Play cars with Aaron? See Kelsey? Drive Aaron's trucks?" The whole time we were running errands, he was asking when it would be time to see Kelsey and play with Aaron. We tried to explain that they moved to Washington, but it wasn't getting through. Fabulous Fillmore Family, we miss you!

Oh, Julie......

It's finished! As soon as I find the post office, I will send it off to you. Here's a sneak peek.

Recipe exchange back up

I know I've been awful, but let's try this again. Today we're doing main dishes, so move on over and leave something tastey. Here's the link.

Circus bugs, how could you be circus bugs?

Clint surprised Emery with Barnum & Bailey and Ringling Brothers Circus tickets on Saturday, so we took him to that. After watching A Bug's Life (his current favorite) about a million times and The Backyardigans "The Best Clowns in Town" he was so excited. He loved the elephants and white tigers. I'm so glad that my parents were still in town to stay with Chani while we took Emery, she would have been a pill and I would have had to watch from the hall.

Our first trip to the beach

In addition to all the cleaning and unpacking, we've been go-go-going all week. We did take an afternoon to go the beach, and it was a blast. Emery and Chani loved it. Chani kept crawling into the surf and was mad when I wouldn't let her crawl in so far that the waves were over her head. Emery loved standing about chest deep and letting the waves wash over him. The water was warm (almost 85 degrees), and the sand was perfect. We're going back tomorrow, anyone want to come along?

Renovation complete

We finished the kitchen renovation. It looks awesome. Thanks Dad and Mom for all of your hard work! We never could have done it alone. And we learned a lot too!







We will be adding a bank of upper and lower cupboards on the left side of this picture, but we need to make a few house payments first.



And, while I'm sharing pictures, one of the kitchen (a little preview), even though it's not completely finished. There are still a few things that need to find homes.

The Stewart Way

It's no secret to people who know the Stewart family that when we get together there is always some sort of project to be done. Mom and dad's trip to Orange, Texas, was no exception. The new house has lots of projects to be done and we started as soon as Mom and Dad got here. There were two entries to the kitchen and one of them was not as useful as the other. So, we're closing it off, adding a pantry/closet, and adding more cabinets. Yippee! Here are a few pictures of the work in progress.

Another giveaway.....

I'm so unlucky, I never win, but I hope one of you does. TaLaisa is having a giveaway to start off her new bead business. Check it out here. Tell her I sent you, would you please? Maybe someday I'll get lucky!

A hurricane? Seriously?

I'm not unpacked, the house is not clean, my mom and dad are coming tomorrow, and we're in a hurricane watch. Tropical Storm Edouard is projected to hit us sometime Tuesday morning. I don't even know how to prepare for a hurricane, and we don't have water or an emergency plan. Tomorrow night for Family Home Evening, wish us luck!

We had an unbelievable thunderstorm tonight (I thought they were bad in Nebraska, but those are nothing!) Poor Noel (the dog) was scared to death, I had to bring her inside. The thunder and lightning was unreal, it kept striking, for about 1/2 an hour. The missionaries told us that you don't need to water your lawn here because it rains every day, and it's true. We have had at least a little rain every day. TOday was a big rain, and all of Emery's outside toys (his wagon, wheelbarrow, and crane-dumptruck) were filled with water. It is such an adventure here.

We made it to Texas!

We're here. It's hot. The boxes are overwhelming. The dog got out once. It took over 1 hour on hold to get the Internet working. The camera cord is in a box somewhere, so I can't post pictures. It was a fun trip and the kids did great. We're happy to be here and love our new home. I will post "The Trip" and "A tour of our home" soon, maybe Monday when my mom gets here to help me figure things out.