New Life New Blog

To all my avid readers,

I'm starting over; I'm changing everything. So why not a new blog too? Come find me and the boys at www.overtlybiased.blogspot.com it'll be exactly the same, just with a new name. The name of the blog is because, as you know, I am shamelessly biased about how cute my kids are. Why hide it?

See you there!

Jessica and the boys

Cousin Camp

We have a very full house right now! It's me and my parents along with my two boys, and my nephew Jonah!! We're calling it cousin camp, and it's some awesome chaos around here. The boys play like boys and we've had to kiss our fair share of bonked noggins. It's totally worth it. Soon Ang will be here with the newest cousin, and she can begin her life as the only girl in a world of boys. I am beyond excited.

I am doing my best to get good pictures of the three of them... but they don't hold still for long. I'll keep trying. Here's some evidence that we've got the cutest kids on the block.

The first attempt at making them hold still.

 To their credit, they were still here, but it was too dark. They are watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (the anthem to my nightmares f.y.i.) before bed.

 Breakfast in the backyard!

I'll have more pictures soon. I'm snapping a ton, we're just not ending up with many winners. YET!

As a side note, I'M EMPLOYED!!! whooooooo hooooooo! Thanks for any and all prayers.

Paralyzed

Too many changes at once, my friends. I'm scared still. But God is taking my by the hand and guiding me slowly, one step at a time through my life that seems to have had all the lights shut off. Blind faith... what does that mean? "Just put your foot out and He'll bring the rock to you" (advice from a dear friend and mentor). My heart is hungry and I'm finding peace in the Word of God and in music that glorifies my creator. I'm blessed. Listen to this song.

This time I finally see the reason why

I can't do this alone

It took some time and concentration

To believe it, this I know

I need to build my faith sometimes

But I am so comfortable in line

I'm up, there's no more time

To try to mess with this design

Tonight's complete

Everyone's asleep

And I wanna say these words to You

I'll be Your hands

Take me as I am

I just wanna be with You

Take me as I am

'Cause I'm going

I was too scared to start

Now I'm too scared to let go

Take me as I am

'Cause I'm growing

But it's so hard to tell

When I'm not used to this, so

I lift my voice to sing now

Let the sound of my heart ring out

These hands aren't holding me down

Never again will I be without

I need to build my faith sometimes

But I am so comfortable in line

I'm up, there's no more time

To try to mess with this design

Tonight's complete

Everyone's asleep

And I wanna say these words to You

I'll be Your hand

Take me as I am

I just wanna be with You

Take me as I am

'Cause I'm going

I was too scared to start

Now I'm too scared to let go

Take me as I am

'Cause I'm growing

But it's so hard to tell

When I'm not used to this

Picture Day

Before I delight you with the pictures we've taken today (you're welcome), I have got to tell you about this funny little habit Judah has picked up. He, for a while now, has ended conversations by cutting you off mid-sentence and shouting, Judah style, "okay!! bye!! Good Luck!!" You may not think that's funny, but I love it. I have no idea who he heard end a convo with "good luck" but it is now how I want to end every single conversation I have. It's just so friendly... but out of context... yet so final. I'm in love. The point is, Judah's hilarious. Moving on:

Advice from a super parent: chase your whiney child around snapping pictures... they love it! What? It says, FATHERS don't exasperate your children... mothers get to. ;)

Judah's the man.

This is his "keepers box". He finds a toy and says, "that's a keeper!" then he crams it in this box. He wanted you to see it.

He recovered from his fit. See? Brilliant parenting move.

The party moved into my room, where they remained the cutest kids in the world.

Now begins the series of pictures where Andrew tells me what facial expression to make. He's quite the director, as you will see.

Andrew: "squish face!"

"harder!"

 "normal smile!"

"This face!" *followed by a demonstration... I think I got it wrong*

"hiiiiiii!"

"Puffy cheeks!"

This is his response after I show him each one on the camera screen. See why we do this?

Andrew wanted to take some... Judah didn't want to play.

My photographer/director. Genius in the making.

The pillow nest for kids. They've got a grand life, no?

Thanks for playing! See you soon! Good Luck!

Oh, Judah.

Judah: *right after he tooted on the potty* "My poop coughed!"

Laugh, it's funny.

Skin Art

I know that I should be in penny pinching mode, and I am. But, the people I'm spending the most time with these days have all these beautiful tattoos and it is taking all of my self-control to not go charge a new one to my credit card right now! It's on the list of things to do once I get a job and get some bills paid. This little lovely, or something else, will find it's way onto me soon enough. On the wrist or on the inside of my right upper arm? Help!

Jessica, Job Hunter

Seeking employment is terrible. Terrible. You have to pimp yourself out to all kinds of places you only kind of want to work, just so that you have a shot at getting one of their coveted positions. Grr. I'm bad at this. If I don't just LOVE something, it's hard for me to say I do. I know that maybe you people can job hunt without "stretching the truth", but I can't. The problem is that I'm not a good liar. I am pretty transparent. When I interviewed at The Buckle, I was looking around thinking, "I wouldn't wear 99% of what you sell in this store!! What made me apply here??" So when she asked me why I think I'd be a valuable addition to their team, it was rough. I wasn't terribly surprised to hear they'd "gone another direction". Today I had some good success though, I think! I had an interview with a manager who seemed to like me a lot! Unfortunately I'm pretty sure he was at least slightly inebriated, but hey! A job's a job, right?  Would you hire me?

I'm about 99% sure he'll offer me the job. I'm just having to nurse my ego, because one of the things that he said was, "I really need some girls behind the bar, and you're just what I'm looking for... older, and you seem like you could handle yourself." GAH! Did he just say that I'm old and tough? That's what I heard. 

Thank goodness for free room and board for the time being so I can afford to be a little choosy. I'm just still trying to figure out if I have to get a job this august so I will qualify for in-state tuition next august. There seems to be some debate about that, so I'm just trying to cover all my bases. I have a date with the Drivers Licence office next week, so I'll be fully Texan in no time.

Long Awaited

Photos are finally uploaded to my very own computer! yay! These cover a bit of time so I'll go through them with you.

This was our neighbor baby, Lily! The boys loved her and helped me babysit. Judah, my bruiser, is shockingly sweet with babies.

love.

The boys, on our front steps, reading Tin-tin comics with friends.

The patch of weeds that me and friend Kimmie tried to revive...

by transplanting (not stealing) grass/weeds from more abundant areas in the neighborhood. We did it by night the first time, then in broad daylight the following time. Crime makes you bold. ;)

Just because he's cute.

Again, they were helping with Lily.

Now we're in San Antonio, and the story is the same. The smarties play chess in my parents' backyard.

When you interrupt the kids watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on grandma's cable, and giant TV, you get once chance at a decent picture...

then this happens...

or this. No idea.

We have smoothies for breakfast.

These bracelets came in the mail from their best friend, Elijah. The boys are ecstatic.

* I realize that Andrew is always wearing his superman shirt. If it's clean, he wants to wear it. Pick your battles, right?*

Love

I don't think I've ever really loved anyone as much as I've loved myself. This is just truth. But then, I had these boys of mine. Holy Moly I love those things so much it's crazy. I went out tonight and got home really late, and it was all I could do to kick my shoes off before crawling into bed with a very asleep Judah. I kissed his sleepy little mouth until he wriggled away. I actually wanted him to wake up so he could hear me tell him that I loved him for the millionth time that day. I'm at this great point in parenting, where the waking of my children isn't the worst moment of my life! (Super parents who would never admit to dreading the waking of your children? Butt. Out.)  When I saw that I couldn't rouse Judah without actually shaking him I crawled up the ladder to the top bunk and snuggled Andrew. I thought he was awake because he started talking, but then I realized he was saying, "The whale needs to sleep in the water because the cars sleep in the garage." Ummmmwhat? Failure with the waking of the second child. Oh well, I've got kids who are told how much they're loved more than they even know. And I've got kids who kiss me in their sleep, and are concerned about where the whales will sleep.  It's as good as it gets.

*My desktop is getting set up, I promise! More pictures, less talking soon!*

Chocolate Makes it All Better

Oh man. I just had this moment... with chocolate pie... tell me you do this too. I did that thing, where you grab a fork and eat pie straight out of the pie pan, because you don't need a WHOLE piece, you're "just going to have a bite"... but really it's so that you can have 20 bites (way more than a whole piece) and tell yourself you just had a teensy bit. It was amazing. Seriously, it made everything better for a whole two minutes.

There is this pie, this amazing pie, it's my dad's favorite. We only make it to celebrate October (my dad no longer celebrates his October 4th birthday, as he refuses to get older).  However, my mom is in Wichita Falls to take care of my sister and her new baby. Which leaves me and my dad here at the house fending for ourselves. So I saw it as only fitting that I make our October pie, in August.

Because I care, I want to share the recipe with you.

Happy October Chocolate Pie

2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
a dash of salt
2 eggs
2 sq. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 9" pie crust

1. Bake the frozen pie crust you bought... because seriously, who makes their own pie crust?

2. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt together. Mix the milk and eggs together. Then combine them in a large sauce pan and whisk over med-low heat until it thickens (this takes a good 10 minutes, maybe more, but keep stirring so the milk doesn't scald. Yes, your arm will get sore. No, it doesn't mean you need to work out more).

3. Remove from heat then add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Mix until combined.

4. Resist sticking your finger in the pie filling to taste it. It will, I promise, scald the freaking crap out of your finger and consequently your mouth, when you decide to lick it off in spite of the burning finger.

5. Pour into the pie shell and chill for 5-6 hours. (sweet tooth in a hurry? Put it in the freezer for an hour, then the fridge for an hour.)

6. Devour

Don't Tell the Texans

Can Texan-ness wear off? I feel like maybe it can. I lived in Wake Forest for SEVEN YEARS! That is longer than I have lived anywhere, ever. Since I've been back, these lifers have been saying things to me that have been causing reactive thoughts that I'm not certain I should have, especially since I consider myself to be from Texas.

For example, I said something to someone about how I went for a three mile walk with 2.5 lb wrist weights on, and when I was done I was... and before I could finish she said, "Hot? Yeah... welcome to Texas." And I had one, immediate, NON-Texan thought, "Ummmmm Texas doesn't OWN hot, you know?" What? Where did that come from? And then, I was sitting outside with someone and when I finally got fed up with getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, the other person said, "Yep, we've got a lot of those here in Texas!" Again, "Ummmmm Texas doesn't have a monopoly on the mosquito population, you know?"

1. Yes, I know my thoughts are bratty, I do my best to keep them filtered.
2. Yes, I think the ummms.
3. Can I still call myself a Texan?!?

This is serious turmoil in my mind, friends. These traitorous thoughts could have a person kicked right out of this lone-star state! To remedy the situation I am getting my drivers license from the ever-so-friendly DMV's office as soon as possible. I'm hoping that'll kick start my boot wearing Jiminy Cricket.

Thank Goodness

I'm far from perfect. This song, and the truth it speaks, gives me unimaginable hope. I think we all need to remember that God can make us lovely.

Lyrics:

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new

*Even toddlers like some vegetables*

Interviews, tears, and stomach bugs

What a week it has been!! I think the the adrenaline from the big move has finally worn off, and we're left with the results. One of those results is HIGH emotions! Just the other day I was sitting on the couch with the boys, Andrew laid his head in my lap and said, "Mommy, I'm just sad because I miss my best friend." This was sweet and all, but what surprised me was that I started crying right along with him, and said, "I miss my best friend too, buddy." So me and Andrew had a little cry fest on the couch. That caught me off guard!

The other crazy thing is that Judah woke up with a stomach bug and was the sickest little sickie I have ever seen him be. Watching a two year old dry heave is enough to break any one's heart.

The latest fun though has come from my interviews!!!! Do you know how hard it is to make a resume when you've: 1. never had a full time job, and 2. been at home (technically unemployed) for the last few years? Hard. So the resume prep process was crazy. Then, when I finally got an interview I TOTALLY blow it. Well, that could be an exaggeration, but man, it was nuts. I already know that I'm the kind of person who absorbs and reflects the emotion of people around me, but when I land an interview with a very, I mean very, chipper blonde girl.... I surprised even myself. I have never heard myself talk so fast, with so many hand movements, and shark toothed smiles. Phew! It was the fastest interview ever, in every way. I will hear back in the next couple days. The next couple interviews went much better. I followed some advice from a friend, and when I found myself getting too fast I would take a deep breath and slow down. Who knew I was so spastic? *Again, this is rhetorical, no need to text me your response ;)*

What I think I've learned from my latest experiences with interviews though is that I should stick to what I know. I've been trying to avoid going back to waiting tables or bar tending, but I'm quite certain that it really is the best way to make money with a super flexible schedule.

Besides, the real goal is just to pay off some debt, and save up money for the next year before I go back to school! Yippee! I was telling Andrew that the two of us will go to school at the same time! I'll send my oldest off to kindergarten the same month that I strap on my backpack once more and attempt to blend into university life! I'm so scared.

Things are actually getting into a rhythm here in San Antonio. I am thrilled with the decision to move, and expect to have some fun pictures and stories to share regularly. These boys of mine keep things interesting.

Roadtrips

Andrew used this neck pillow the entire trip. He called it his sleeping pillow. He was an absolute saint for the whole drive.

Judah was a bit feistier. But that sounds about right, don't you agree?

When we got to Grandma's house they immediately went to their room and played with their toys. This is a firehouse with a ton of pieces to play with, and I laughed out loud (any Friends fans?) when I saw that they had paired their puppy with this house.

My little cuties.

I suffered through another road trip to get to see my other cutie, Jonah, for his birthday party! 

Just like my kids, he wants to take his own pictures too. Here are his photos of himself, and then a remarkably straight one of me.

We went to a splash park, and he was right at home.

Holy goodness, this lady is pregnant! Come on, my sweet Naomi Lane, we're ready to meet you!!

Love my seester.

Cuteness.

Pinterest lied...

But nobody really minded.

Happy Birthday to my dear three year old nephew, Jonah Bear!