The Art of Doing Nothing

There is nothing like having a little girl time!  I've been enjoying the company of my mom and my sister the last week or so.  My sister was about twice as big than the last time I saw her, which was exciting!  I got to feel her baby boy kick around in her belly for the first time, which is all kinds of wild!  It's her first baby and I'm on my last baby so this is the only time we'll ever be pregnant together.  Granted, I'm not big in the belly yet (unless bloating counts), but it is still neat to be "gestating together"!

We went to see "Eat. Pray. Love." and realized that we are all very practiced at the "art of doing nothing."  In fact, that was our motto the whole visit.  Our biggest adventure was driving to the beach two days in a row for some sunshine and relaxation!   Otherwise, it was a lot of lounging, talking, laughing, baby-registering and handing down old baby clothes.  You may be wondering what Dustin did with himself while three lazy women took over his house for several days.  If you must know, he finished a nearly 700 page auto-biography about Neil Armstrong.  That's how exciting we were!  We did manage to squeeze in a little Mexican Train (who named it that, btw?) and some Dicecapades, which is fantastic if you've never played.  The time flew by so quickly, as it always does, and I made sure to schedule in a mini photo session before we headed to the airport.  I couldn't let them leave without getting one good photo of us all together!

Okay, not really...

We also got a little Vogue with this one (please note that this is cropped.  I set my tripod up FAR away in the 100 degree weather and then I ran HARD to get in this shot before the 10 second timer clicked the shutter for me!  There may have been five or six takes.  And to the man watching from his garage across the street, I hope you found us entertaining.)

And finally, what's a good photo shoot without a dramatic "I didn't know that picture was being taken" candid at the edge of the water?

Thanks for coming down to Texas to visit, girls!  It was one to remember.  So much fun!  I'll be seeing you both in October while we wait for this little guy to join in on all the fun!!!!!

Texas Equinox

Spring is officially upon us and this is definitely the beginning of a new season in our lives.  Gone are the gloomy winter days with their chilly breezes.  The flowers are blooming, bare branches are reaching out with fresh leaves and the lawnmowers can be heard buzzing over nearly every cup of morning coffee now.  Appropriately, I find myself embarking on the first leg of our move tomorrow.  Yes, today is my Texas Equinox.  For every season (turn, turn, turn) there is the prep work that goes into creating the marked change that separates it from the one before.  This trip is that prep work.  Part of change is saying goodbye to what made the last season it's own.  We will say goodbye to this house, where we welcomed both of our beautiful children and this beautiful island with it's gorgeous views wherever you look.  In the very short term, I will say goodbye to Lawson and Dustin.

Lawson talks about Texas throughout the day.  He tells me how we're all going, including the cat.  I'm sad that this trip to Texas, he can't come along.  I just hope he understands.  I'm not good at saying goodbye.  Lawson, luckily, is really good at it!  Going bye-bye is probably his favorite thing in the world!  His excitement for the person he's saying bye-bye to far supersedes his sadness to see them go.  I hope that will apply to me this time!

So hello, spring!  My bare toes are happy to see you with your warm, basking sunlight.  And goodbye winter.  I'm sure after a few months of Texas heat, I'll be missing the hats and coats, but for now, I'm happy to see you go and the only thing I'll be missing is my little man!