Lovable Shrubbery

Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the girls wishing you a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Sorry it's been so long!

Love to you all!

Patience

2011-10-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a huge lesson in patience for me. I guess, I could say that about every week if I was truly honest. But this week especially, I feel like God imparted some much needed wisdom on my heart -- hard truths coupled with a freeing comfort that I can't quite put into words yet.

I hate the fact that I need more patience. Every time I lose my patience, I'm so disappointed in myself. I'm especially upset if I lose my patience with my girls. Now, sure, they are absolutely the primary vehicles with which God gives me opportunities to learn patience (*translation: they can drive me insane sometimes*), but they are my precious daughters. I want to have the utmost patience with them above all.

But something that Beth Moore said about patience really hit me hard the other day, and I've carried it with me since. She explained that one reason most people don't have patience (with others) is because the people that try our patience bring out the worst in us, and we don't want to see the worst in us (even though we know it's there). We want to be happy with ourselves; we don't want to confront what it is in us that needs to change.

Wow, that is SO me! It is the exact reason that I lose my patience with my girls, but also with everyone else. I hate the fact that I'm not perfect, that I still need to work on things, that I'm sometimes prideful, judgmental, selfish, etc. And when another person comes along and does something to really drive me nuts, I lash out (usually internally, but I still do it). How dare they come along and show me how terrible I can be?! How dare Elizabeth spill her drink AGAIN and show me how much of a control freak I can be about being the "perfect parent?!" How dare Stephen get home late and show me how unhealthily co-dependent I can be on him?! How dare that person cut me off in traffic and show me how selfish I am about my time?! And the list goes on.

Understanding this cut me to the core. The truth about myself hurt at first because I was finally forced to look at myself in the mirror and admit that I'm way not as awesome as I pridefully believed myself to be. But then, miraculously, I felt more free than I have felt in a long time. Maybe it's because I had been so desperately trying to hide the truth from myself (which is a tiring and useless waste of effort). Maybe it's because knowing why I lose my patience will help me to learn from daily frustrations and change and grow as a person. Maybe it's because I was able to set the others in my life free from the ridiculous expectations I had been wrongly placing on them. It's probably all of the above.

I think what really brought me to my knees, though, was another thought that Beth Moore shared on the subject -- Could it be that the very people that frustrate us the most, are the exact people God places in our lives to force us to face our ugliness and get rid of it? Could it be that He loves us enough to drive us just crazy enough to change us and make us complete, lacking in nothing?

Remembering that God cares about me enough to keep working on me, to keep changing me, to keep helping me become who He knows I can be... that freed my heart in ways I just can't describe.

So with my new found freedom, I'm going to face myself more honestly, and continue on this crazy journey that I'm on, thankful that God has not given up on changing me into the person He wants me to be. :)

And just for fun, here are a couple of "outtakes" from the other day when I was doing a little photo shoot of the girls. They really are a blessing even if they do drive me nuts sometimes! ha!

Love to you all!

Brandon Prizer

2011-10-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that we are already in the month of October. Time has flown by! I know it's been a while since my last post, but life literally ran away from me the past month. I'll try to be better about posting this month.

Anyway, what got me writing today was a little email in my inbox this morning. I have gmail, and the calendar for it is cool because it will send you email reminders of events, birthdays, etc. Well, although I didn't need it, I got a reminder that this month is my cousin, Brandon's birthday.

Brandon is my youngest cousin on my mom's side of the family. If you know anything about me, you know that I am extremely close to my mom's side of the family. We were all blessed to live within 10min of each other for my whole life, and because of the crazy lives of my parents and Uncle and Aunt (and because they all like each other), it happened that my brother and I spent a ton of time with our cousins -- more than most people, I would bet. When we were very young, especially, it felt like we were always together. Gran and Grandad watched the 5 of us on nights too numerous to even begin to count, and we spent every holiday, birthday, etc. together. It felt as if we were siblings (except better because we didn't fight as much).

I can't even begin to express what a significant blessing it was for me. There just aren't eloquent (and big enough) words to describe the bond that the 5 of us share. Our relationship is something sweet and special, and it shaped so many things about who I am as a person now. Emilee is practically my sister, and probably one of my best friends in the entire world, and Blake is one of the most inspiring people I know.

But today, I'm thinking about Brandon. He's in college now, and I'm so proud of what he has accomplished so far. But whenever I think of Brandon I'm always brought back to our play time together when we were little. Every once in a while, for differing reasons, Emilee would have to be gone, and it'd be just me and the boys, and since (at the time) Ryan thought I was his yucky big sister, and Blake thought I was just a boring older kid, I would find myself sans a playmate. But I could always count on Brandon to play with me. It didn't matter to him that I was older, or a girl that liked to play with Barbies, he was always willing to spend time with me.

It meant more to me than I could express, and I was just so happy to hang with him. One of my fondest memories of those times was a day when, after we had spent time together, I told my mom how much fun I had with Brandon, and how happy I was that he was willing to play with me. Without skipping a beat, my mom simply said, "Well, that's because he likes you." -- not "he's your cousin," or "he just likes to play," not even "well, he loves you," but "he likes you."

Let me tell you, that is a memory I will cherish forever. I mean, think about it: of course your family loves you (or should love you). They are your family! That's what families do! But for your family to like you?! This concept blew my little elementary school aged mind! I will never forget the joy I felt by being liked by my cousin, Brandon.

I'm happy to say that the years together only tightened our little bond of 5. We all like each other and enjoy each others' company now, and are happy to admit it. But every October, when Brandon's birthday comes around, I think about how different my life would have been if Brandon hadn't been there to simply like me.

It still blows my mind to think about it. So this month, as with every October, I'm unbelievably thankful for Brandon.

"Can You Imgaine That Kind of Love?"

2011-08-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Confession: I am an incredible coward sometimes. Seriously! I'm not ever afraid to make friends, and I'm certainly not afraid to love them with as much love as I can muster. I'm not even afraid of looking like a big dork in front of them because I know that's who I am, and it's cool. But I can sometimes be afraid to share the deeper parts of my heart because of an irrational fear.

Those of you who know me best will be surprised by this because I'm usually a pretty open person. There's not a topic that you could ask me about that I would flinch at opening up about. What I've realized is that I won't usually offer to share. If someone else brings it up, sure, but I won't actually start the conversation. I'm not afraid of rejection, really; I'm more afraid of being criticized. I know it's ridiculous because the friends I have are way better than that, AND there is no amount of criticism that can change who I am. But it doesn't change the fact that being criticized hurts, and the fear of that pain makes me afraid of sharing sometimes -- not all the time, but definitely enough that I've decided I want to be better about it.

So today's post is a little more personal than just updates and the usual fluff. I write it because my heart has been moved to share, and because I need to face my fear (however irrational it may be):

I think that God knows us so well, He knows exactly how to communicate with us specifically so that we will be impacted by His love perfectly. Each person hears His voice in differing ways, and I definitely hear Him through music (as most of you know), but the funny thing is that, I hear him best through narrative. I cant count the number of times I have been reading a book or watching a movie (totally unrelated to God), and His still, small voice spoke into my soul and brought me to tears. It happens at the most random times and always moves me significantly.

Last night was one of those times. Stephen is out of town for a week, and I am terrible without him. He has literally become my other half, and I hate it when he's gone. The worst is at night when I have to go to bed sans my darling. I will just lay awake in bed for hours without catching a wink of sleep. A while back, I discovered that if I fall asleep to a chick flick I can get at least a little bit of sleep, and last night that's what I was doing.

I was watching a movie called "Beastly," and for those of you who haven't heard of it, it's a modern re-telling of "Beauty and the Beast." It's set in a high school, and yes, it is ridiculously "angsty" and cheesy. However, it's beautifully shot, and the two leads have great chemistry. AND it has a happy ending, so I was cool with it.

What I was NOT expecting was to have God move me so greatly during my attempt to simply fall asleep. That's the way He works in my life, though, so I guess I couldn't really be all that surprised. I think He moves my heart the most when He has to interrupt me.

Anyway, in the Disney version of the story, the Beast is really a big, hairy...beast! In this modern version, the "beast" is a guy named Kyle who is made to look "as aggressively unattractive on the outside as [he is] inside." His heart is ugly, and so his body reflects that. He has a year to find someone to love him, or he's stuck like that forever. Eventually, he finds his "beauty," in a girl named Lindy, who isn't bothered by his ugliness, and you can probably guess the rest.

One significant change to the story, though, is the ending. In the Disney version of the story, Belle tells the Beast that she loves him after he's died. Of course, this makes it all the more magical when he comes back from the dead, and all is well. This newer version, on the other hand, didn't take the story in quite that direction. Kyle, doesn't die, but he DOES think that he's run out of time. Lindy tells Kyle that she loves him just after his year is up. The amazing thing about this portrayal is that Kyle believes that his ugly looks are now permanent, but it doesn't matter to him anymore. Love has changed his heart. Lindy loves him no matter his looks, and thus, he no longer has to look good. It is then that his body changes back....but it changes as a reflection of what has taken place in his heart already.

As I watched Kyle's heart transform, and then his outward appearance transform, God quietly whispered, "That's what I did for you; I loved you even when you were at your worst, even when you thought you were ugly, and MY love transformed you." And when Kyle asks Lindy, "Can you imagine that kind of love?" it was as if God was directing that question my way.

Last night, God gently reminded me of His powerful, amazing, and yes, magical Love. I was reminded of how He changed me, and how He sees me as beautiful. I guess I needed that reminder more than I thought I did because it really blew me away. I'm so very blessed to be loved by "that kind of Love."

Anyway, just needed to share that. Love to you all!

-Jen

Updates

2011-08-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

I figured it was about time for a Bush family update, so here we go!

Cecily: She's in her 4th month, now, and I can't believe how much she's grown already. She can roll over (although, when she does, it still surprises her), and we just started her on solid food. She's not a fan, though. Ha! She's a sweet baby, and I'm so blessed to have her. My only dilemma, now, is that I kind of let the both of us get into a bad habit. When Elizabeth was Cecily's age, I had her sleeping in her crib. Well, Cecily has been a different story. Because of several different issues that I won't bore anyone with, Cecily naps in her baby swing and sleeps in a "position-er" called the "Nap-Nanny." Yup, she's not sleeping in her crib yet, and I'm dreading the day she gets too big for these contraptions, and I finally have to transition her to her bed. Ugh! Oh well, it will happen one day soon!

Elizabeth: I guess the biggest update for Elizabeth is that I am currently on the hunt for a good dance school to get her involved in. She is so nuts for dancing that I really want to give her a chance to learn, but it hasn't been the easiest process. I'm struggling with finding a place that will be good for her personality (and our wallets). I feel like every place I investigate is almost good but not quite. Sigh, I've just got to keep looking.

Stephen: He leaves for his big science conference tomorrow morning, and it will be the first one that he gets to speak at. I'm really proud of him, and I know he'll do great! I'm bummed, though, because he'll be gone for a week! :( Luckily, my parents will be here for part of that time to help me keep my mind off how badly I miss him.

Jen: Well, I guess my two new updates are that #1 I'm working out again. I joined a gym that has daycare, so I can take the girls and get some good exercising in while they play. Elizabeth really likes it, and today when I went to pick her up, she asked me to go exercise more so she could play longer. Ha! #2 I decided that I need a new hobby that is something that just I can do and enjoy. I used to scrapbook, but two children and a crazy schedule is not conducive to a hobby like that, so I have picked up a hobby I haven't done since middle school: cross-stitching. I used to LOVE it, so I'm going to try it again. I'm really excited to have a chance to do something creative and relaxing just for myself. Stephen has been sweet and supportive of my need to be creative, so he hung out with the girls one night so that I could go to Michael's and get all of the supplies I need. He's the best, and I'm pumped to start something new.

Well, I guess that the Bushes for now. Love to you all!

Jen

New Pics, as Promised

2011-08-18T18:19:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all who put up with my rather negative previous post. As always, I have the BEST friends and family ever, and I can't tell you how encouraged I felt after your many sweet comments.

And I was also reminded by many of you (and the girls themselves) that the good really does out-weigh the bad when it comes to my little darlings. I recently read this really cool article about parenting written by a dad who is currently in the thick of it with his kids, and he made note of the fact that when they are really young, and you use the phrase, "the good out-weighs the bad," you are not talking about percentages. Percentage-wise, the hard stuff actually occurs about 85% of the time, and the good stuff occurs about 15% of the time. The thing that you have to realize is that the good 15% is so unbelievably amazing, it makes you forget everything else - like today, Elizabeth was getting into the car, she looked at me and said, "Mommy, you are the best of the best!." Now THAT is something that made all the troubles of the day worth it!

And so this is where I am right now, dear friends: doing my best and enjoying that sublime 15%. :)

So as a thank you for all of the wonderful encouraging, and also as a little bit of bragging on my part, here are some fun new pics of my sweet girls.

A list of my latest joyful 15%:
- today Elizabeth went down for her nap with NO problems. Yay!
- Cecily tries to "talk" to me, now. She makes the CUTEST noises.
- A clean bill of health for both girls from the Dr. yesterday.
- Elizabeth sings herself to sleep at night.
- Stephen and I got some fish for Elizabeth for her birthday. She named them "King," "Queen," and "Princess."
- in the car on our way to the store, just me and Elizabeth, "Mommy, I really miss Cecily!"
- "Mommy, I love you....and I like you!" <--- this is my favorite!

Love to you all,
Jen

Trials of Motherhood

2011-08-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

You know, there are great days and hard days and then.....today. I waited until now to write this post because I knew that if I wrote when I wanted to, I'd write something unpleasant.

This morning was a troubling morning for me as a mother. I haven't had many of these types of mornings, but when I do they ruin me for about a week. Today was one of those days when something about Elizabeth was brought to my attention that caused me to question my abilities as a mother. I know it sounds silly, but every once in a while this happens.

You see, Elizabeth is a great kid, but she has had the great misfortune of being born with the exact combo of Stephen's and my personality traits. This particular combo makes her wonderful, but also extremely difficult at the same time. She's friendly and outgoing like me, and she's determined and ready to learn like Stephen. These traits make her super fun and very good at learning things.

Unfortunately, they also make her over-bearing and stubborn. These are things that I have known about her for a long time, now, and Stephen and I are doing the best we can to teach her to be the best little girl she can be. Some days it works out, and she behaves well; other days.....not so much.

Most of the time Elizabeth's infractions occur with Stephen and me only, so we deal with her and move on. Sometimes, though, they occur with other kids. It's inevitable, I guess. When you get a bunch of kiddos together all between the ages of 2-5, there are going to be little squabbles. Usually it's not a big deal because all of the kiddos are somehow involved and at fault, and the parents step in when needed and deal with them. That is how I've always viewed "playdates." To me they are a chance for mommies to have some much-needed adult time, and they are also a chance for kiddos to learn to socialize. Unfortunately, kiddos are simultaneously great and horrible at helping each other learn how to treat each other. By hanging out together, kids can help each other pick up good habits, but they can pick up bad ones too. Learning how to deal with this has been a MUCH trickier process than I ever expected.

You see, I have some incredible friends who all understand this process. They are dealing with it too. Most of us have an understanding between us that everyone's kid will be a little monster sometimes, but we never judge each other because we are all in the thick of it and doing our best. Most of my friends also understand the need for kids to be taught to be good but also allowed to work things out amongst themselves sometimes. Elizabeth has learned some of her best playtime lessons by being scolded not by me, but by her little friends. All of these play times have been good experiences for Elizabeth and me, and they have been a great encouragement in so many ways.

However, this morning I was hit with something I never experienced before. At our usual Monday morning playdate at our favorite place, Elizabeth was playing with some of her friends and then some other kiddos of mommies who had also brought their kids to the same place. She was extra hyper because she was so excited to be at her favorite place with her friends. When she is hyper, she has trouble controlling her actions, and we have been WORKING on that A LOT lately. However, the excitement was just too much for her. She was other-enthusiastic, and started being bossy. She tried to force the other kids to play the way she wanted to. I noticed and took what I thought was the appropriate action.

Then, a few minutes later, Elizabeth got so excited she yelled right into another child's face. I know my own child, so I can say confidently that Elizabeth was NOT being malicious. She was being aggressive (and we are working on that too!), but she meant no harm to this little kid. She considers ALL children she meets as friends, whom she loves. However, his mother was very upset. She loudly told her child, "it's okay, son, she's just being mean." I, of course, took this as her not-so-subtle cue to deal with Elizabeth, so I, again, took her aside and dealt with her. I made her apologize to the boy, and I also informed her that if it happened again, we'd leave. I then apologized to the mother, and she basically told me that it wasn't okay, and she thought Elizabeth had something against her son.

Well, after that, I kept an extra close eye on Elizabeth, and she played nicely for a while after that. But she got hyped up, again, and yelled again. This time it was at another kid; a kid that she knows well. He was not upset by it, and it was clear that she was just playing around, but it was too late. Elizabeth had disobeyed, so I told her we were leaving and started to pack up to leave. As I was doing so, the first boy's mother came up to me and informed me that she was uncomfortable with her son ever playing with my daughter again. Without revealing her exact wording, I'll just say that she decided that Elizabeth was a bad influence and not to be trusted around her boy.

I was mortified. I was extremely embarrassed, and had no idea how to react. I was deeply hurt, but mostly just angry at myself. As we drove home, all I could think was, "how could I be such a horrible mother that I'd allow my daughter to become 'that kid' that no mommies want their kids around?" and "how could I possibly have ever thought that I could handle motherhood?"

I know it seems extreme, but those are the actual thoughts that went through my head. I couldn't believe what had just happened, and worse, I absolutely had no idea what to do next. I had no idea how to parent my child anymore. I mean, I have been doing my VERY BEST every day since she was born, and this is what I have to show for it?

Then, of course, my mom's favorite parenting advice ran through my head, "never take too much of the credit or too much of the blame," and she's right, but I won't lie; I've been battling myself, trying to make myself believe that all day. I want my child to be the kind of kid that others (no matter the age) want to be around. I want to raise her to respect and love others with her words and actions, but I know that I only have a small role in that, and it's hard.

Now that the day is over, and I sit here reflecting, I still don't know. All I know to do is to keep doing my best every day and pray that God gives me the wisdom and discernment to know how to teach Elizabeth to be the best kid she can be.

I'd appreciate your prayers for me as I continue traveling down this tough, and sometimes confusing road.

Love to you all,
Jen

P.S. Sorry that this was kind of a downer post, but hopefully I can post a more positive one, soon.

In Other News: Crescent Rolls Are Fantastic!

2011-07-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

First off, no, this entire post will not be dedicated to crescent rolls. They are just super tasty and versatile, and I have used them to bake this week, so they are on my mind. :) Oh, and the store bought brand are WAY not as good as the name brand. Just sayin.....

Anyhoo, how about an update and some fun pics of the girls?

Here's what's up in the Bush household these days:
Stephen - My dear hubby is in his last (hopefully) two years of his program here, and needless to say, it has gotten TOUGH! He has so many projects and deadlines to work on (not to mention his dissertation that is looming over his head) that he is really feeling pulled in all directions right now. I'm proud of him, though, for working so hard AND trying to be a good Daddy on top of that. In fact, his dedication and work-ethic are some of the qualities that I love most about him. Keep him in your prayers; he is a BUSY man!

Elizabeth - For those of you who didn't already know, she just turned 3, and boy are we feeling it! And I mean that in good ways and not-so-good ways. She has definitely been giving us trouble lately because she is just at the age where she is trying to become independent, and she does NOT want to be told what to do. (Of course, as soon as I'm tempted to be upset over this, I am reminded that I can be the SAME way; it's just that my tantrums look different.) However, she's also at such a FUN age. She's super chatty (which I love), she's able to make little jokes, now, and she loves to do crafts. So we've had a lot of fun doing all sorts of crafts this summer.

Cecily - You know, I am truly so blessed to have a little sweetie pie like her around. She's finally at the stage in her little life where she is aware of a lot more, and she's so responsive. She smiles A LOT, and she's laughing now, too. She always manages to brighten my crazy days, and I'm so thankful for her. She's super social just like her mommy and big sister, so she wants to be included in everything, and cries when she feels left out. It's adorable to see her TRY to talk to us, and she makes the funniest faces. She'll be 4 months next week, and I cannot believe how the time has flown by already.

Jen - The biggest thing with me right now is not going to really be a surprise to anyone, but my back is giving me trouble again. It was inevitable, and I'm not going to waste time feeling sorry for myself, but I would appreciate all the prayers I can get. As I continue to lose weight, it will improve slightly, but I won't really be able to get any better until Cecily is able to do more things on her own. Please be in prayer with me that my back will hold out a little longer! I would be truly grateful!

Well, I guess that's it for now! Thanks to those of you who still read this thing!

Love,
Jen

P.S. Here is a great quote by Oswald Chambers that has been on my heart this week: "Never seek justice [for yourself], but always be willing to give it."

Three Years Ago Today...

2011-07-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

* I was beginning the hardest and most wonderful job I would ever have.
* I was overwhelmed with God's beautiful handiwork.
* I was teaching my husband how to change a diaper.
* I was praying that God would help me be the best mommy I could be.
* I was thanking a good God for a safe delivery and a sweet baby girl named Elizabeth.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elizabeth Joy!

**Disclaimer: I know I'm posting this a day late, but in my defense, I actually DID write it on her birthday! :) **

More pics to come soon!

Blessings,
Jen

Persuasion

2011-07-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I am a complete girl in that I'm pretty addicted to romance. Let me clarify, though. I'm addicted to REAL romance - not the trashy dime-store paperback novel crappy-excuse-for-romance stuff. I'm talking the real deal.

So, naturally, I fell in love with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when I first had to read it for school. It soon followed that I read Emma out of the pure bliss of finding an author who was a good writer AND a romantic at heart. I had every intention of reading all of her other fine works, but was sadly side-tracked by real life.

Thankfully, I can sometimes find short moments during my days to read a little when both girls are sleeping. A few months ago, having not ever lost my love of good literature and well-thought-out love stories, I went back to my favorite author to get my fix on my greatest addiction, and I wanted to share because I'm convinced that I'm not the only romance addict out there. ;)

I read Sense and Sensibility first, and of course, loved it. But I enjoyed that book purely for the ending. Austen is a master at creating great characters and allowing them to change dynamically throughout their stories. Just watching her characters grow and develop is very fulfilling, but the best part of this book was the happy ending and the realization of just how much her two main characters had changed (for the better).

However, her novel, Persuasion, is a different matter entirely. I found myself absolutely captivated by every chapter, every twist in the plot, every character, every subtle joke and beautiful setting. There were points in the story where our lovely author had caught me up so much that I found myself worried for the fate of the protagonist and actually smiling at the outcomes of certain events. I even laughed aloud at one point. I don't want to give the plot away because it's SO good, I want everyone to go out and read it now, but I just have to say that it is one of Austen's more satisfying tales of life and love.

One thing that has always been a little frustrating to me about her writing style is that she is SO good at writing dialogue, and she is SO good at writing passionate confessions of love from her male characters that I expect her to do the same for her female characters, but she never does. At the end of every novel, when the male love interest finally confesses his undying affection, the words are beautiful and eloquent. But afterward, when the female character is supposed to respond in like kind, Austen just tells us that she does, but gives us no dialogue to read. Now, there's been a lot of speculation by scholars as to why this is. I agree with those who say that it's probably because she wants to leave it to the imagination of the readers. BUT it still drives me crazy when she alludes to passionate words and then doesn't give us the satisfaction of actually reading them.

All that to say, however, I can honestly admit that in this novel, she has given me almost enough to make me forgive this one issue. Her main male character, in the height of passion, reveals his love in some of the most romantic words I've read in a long time, and in response, we actually get to see and hear a few from the main female character. It's not a lot, but it was enough for me to be absolutely elated! My heart soared with the two love-birds as they were finally given their happy ending (and don't tell me that I just revealed a spoiler because everyone knows that Jane Austen ONLY ever wrote happy endings), and I haven't been this satisfied by a love story in a while.

Ahh, I can't even explain the satisfaction I feel from finishing a great book, especially one so well-written and well-executed. Jane Austen has, again, captured my heart!

Go read it. You won't be disappointed!

Blessings!

Jen

P.S. I'll be posting about Elizabeth's 3rd birthday soon!

Another Post Already?

2011-07-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

To those of you who know me well, this will not come as a surprise, but to those who don't, I am a HUGE book nerd. I don't often have time to read books, but when I do, I eat them up like chocolate-chip cookies (the chewy kind -- NOT those crappy crunchy ones).

I can't help myself; I simply love to read. Getting lost in a book is probably the most relaxing thing I can ever do. (And I wouldn't be a good English teacher if I didn't recommend it to all of you, too!)

Anyway, one of my all time favorite book series is Harry Potter. Now, no matter what your views are of this series (or books in general for that matter), I am proudly going on record stating that I am simply NUTS about them, and when the girls are old enough, I will definitely be urging them to read them too!

I love them for so many reasons, and I won't bog down this post with all of them right now. However, having recently had a conversation with my dad (he is currently reading them), I've been thinking about my favorite reason for liking them.

Of the many great things that J.K. Rowling does with her series, the coolest (and bravest in my opinion) thing that she does is champion a character trait that most others either forget or discredit all-together - Kindness.

In her books kindness means everything. Those who show kindness are considered great and even powerful. I would argue that Kindness is considered the most valuable character trait in her characters, and Dumbledore refers to its power many times throughout the books.

In fact, Harry's mother is known specifically for her kindness, and it is the trait that is shown as Harry's greatest asset in his fight against Voldemort.

In the end, it is small, seemingly random acts of kindness that ultimately cause the defeat of "You Know Who," and that made me so very happy to read.

It got me thinking; kindness is a trait that is so over-looked in our society today. In fact, a lot of people view it as a weakness. But what if we chose to act more kindly to others? What if that was our first reaction to a situation instead of a last resort?

What if I choose kindness the next time someone cuts me off in traffic? What if I choose kindness when I see someone walking the streets for a hand-out? What if I choose kindness the next time Stephen and I have a spat?

I might be viewed as weak by some, but could it be that I actually have more power than they think? Could my small, seemingly random acts of kindness lead to victories that I can't even see -- victories that affect more lives than I could ever know?

I dunno. I'm probably just spouting platitudes that you have all seen and heard before, but it's been on my heart lately, so I think I'll take a cue from MJ and "take a look at [myself] and make a change."

Blessings,
Jen

P.S. If you haven't yet, go read Harry Potter. You'll be glad you did!

Long Time No See!

2011-07-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know if ANYONE still reads this thing because I have been TERRIBLE about keeping it up. I'd love to say that life got in the way (and it's kind of true), but the truth is that I just haven't felt the gumption to write. Oh, I've had plenty of things I felt like writing....I just couldn't make myself sit down and type.Maybe it's because I now have two little girls who demand so much of my time, I just selfishly want to "vegg" during the few moments I have to myself. Or maybe I just haven't felt like writing.

In any case, I'm back, and with a firm commitment to write more -- if for no other reason than I want to keep up my writing muscles. It's good to write, and it's even better having written!
Even if no one reads this anymore; I will, and I'll be glad for it.

Here are some fun pics of my girls to start us off:

So, the story behind this one is that Becca Desloge sweetly made two matching apple hats for the girls to wear together. I wanted to get a picture, but I could only force ONE of them to wear it. Sigh, maybe I'll try again later.

That's all for now, my wonderfully faithful readers. Next time I'll hopefully have something a little more meaty.

Blessings to all!

-Jen

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just a little post to share some fun pics of Elizabeth in her Halloween costume. She's the cutest kid, EVER! And also to say thanks for your prayers and support. My new job is hard, but the Lord has blessed us, and things are improving. It's so great to know that God's people are praying for us!

Hope your Halloween is "Spook-tacular!" :)

Long Time No Post!

2009-10-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hello and long time no see to all the friends who usually keep up with this blog!

I know I've neglected this thing lately, and I think that it's b/c SO much has happened that I've had no time to post about it all!

Anyway, it's high time for an update and some fun pics!

Stephen: He's working on his last year of officially taking classes, and for this program, that's saying a lot! As soon as he is done with all of the requirements of classwork, he'll be free to focus on lab work and his dissertation. He's SO ready to be done w/ class, and I don't blame him! It's a lot of stress! However, proud wifey that I am, I have to brag that he is doing REALLY well. Even though it's tough, he's rockin out, and I knew he would. Keep him in your prayers that he can finish his classes strong!

Jen: An update on my current situation would take WAY too long, and I'm pretty sure that I'd be tempted to complain, so I'll just ask for prayer. I've started my nannying job, and let's just say, it's not what it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be a way for me to learn how to take care of more than one child, a chance for us to make some desperately needed extra money, and a chance for Elizabeth to have a new playmate. Unfortunately, that's not what it ended up being at ALL. Please pray for me to have strength, kindness, and wisdom in this situation, and that I will have the discernment to know if I should keep this job or quit for Elizabeth's sake.

Elizabeth: She's about to be 15months old, and she is amazing us at every turn. She understands a LOT of what we say to her, now, AND she's trying to talk as well. She still babbles a lot, but she can actually say a few words. Her favorite word to say is "hi." She LOVES to say it to everyone and everything we pass by! It's precious to see her try to communicate the best way she knows how. She's still a little firecracker, and we're constantly trying to figure out how to guide her in the right direction, so keep her in your prayers as well.

Events: In the following pics, you'll see our latest exploits! We just got back from a trip to Texas to see our friends Brian and Holly get married, and this past weekend, we took Elizabeth to a gourd farm to celebrate the fall with our friends from church. It was a blast, and we were reminded again of just how blessed we are with great friends and family!

Elizabeth's first order of duty when we got back to Texas was to find the biggest stuffed animal possible and jump on it! Ha!

Elizabeth is a total girl, and she LOVES to wear bracelets. Here she is showing them off to her doggie friends.

All of her grandparents were glad to see her! Here she is with her Pops!

Chatting with her Grandma B and petting Opie.

At Brian and Holly's wedding. It was outdoors...and GORGEOUS!

Brian made this beautiful arch for their ceremony!

Their flower girl and ring bearer got to sit on a little stool so they wouldn't squirm during the wedding....they did anyway! :)

The happy couple!

Stephen was a groomsman. Isn't he handsome?!

The reception was at a great country club, and there was a room JUST for the cakes! That's my kind of place!

Their cake-topper! :)

Patrick and Jeni (and Sheridan) Adair. He officiated the wedding! Such great friends!

Best. Picture. Ever! (And SO glad that Kristen Kay came in for the wedding. Miss her BADLY!)

Here we are at the gourd farm for fall festivities like pumpkin decorating and a corn maze! Elizabeth was NOT in a picture-taking mood...probably b/c there was SO much to do!

She found a BUNCH of pumpkins for sale and had to try to pick them all up!

One of the kids dropped a little plastic pumpkin, and Elizabeth decided to play with it the rest of the night!

Our fantastic friends!

A group shot of all the kids. We never COULD get one good one of all of them smiling...or at least LOOKING at the camera. Ha! But this is a good pic to show all of Elizabeth's baby friends.

Walking through the corn maze!

Looking at something Riley is showing her.

Getting hugs from Mitch and Caleb. THIS is why she tries to hug everyone...b/c everyone is always hugging her! :)

And finally, looking at a donkey. She LOVES animals. She got to see chickens, bunnies, donkeys, goats...all types of farm animals this evening!

Well, that's it for now! I'll try to be better about updating.

Love to you all, and thanks for the constant support!

Bush Family Update

2009-08-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

I thought it was high-time to do some updating since so much is going on in our life right now, so....enjoy! :)

Stephen: He starts classes Monday, and he is actually feeling good about it. He pretty much likes his lab and feels more confident with everything since he has one year under his belt. I can't even believe we've been here that long! Anyway, it's going to be a VERY busy school year for him, so keep him in your prayers as he juggles everything he's got going on.

Elizabeth: After all of the fun/craziness that she had celebrating her first birthday, you'd think she would be ready for a break....not so much. Ha! She's still doing great! I feel SO blessed to have such a happy, healthy kid! She's able to do so much now! The only bummer right now is that she's teething again, and I just feel so bad for her b/c she's in pain a lot. I have stuff to help, but it's just a bummer. But, if that's the only trouble, I'm a lucky mommy! I'll post more specific bragging on her in a later post, but for now, suffice it to say, she's the best!

Jen: I guess the biggest thing for us right now is the craziness that is my life. As most of you know, we have desperately needed for me to get a job, and there just aren't any out there...well not any that work for our situation with Elizabeth. BUT, we feel like the Lord answered our prayers finally, and He answered it in HIS way (as usual). To make a VERY long story short, basically, I am working at Sylvan Learning Center in Raleigh until October, and then I will be nannying for a family in our apt complex. Yep, I will be taking care of TWO baby girls soon! It will be a lot of work, but I'm excited for Elizabeth to have a steady playmate, and I'm thankful for the paycheck we desperately need!

Well, I guess that's it in the Bush family for now. Thanks to all of you who have read and prayed for us! We are truly grateful and so blessed to have such supportive friends and family! As a thank you to everyone, here are some of the latest Elizabeth pics. Hope you enjoy!

Elizabeth and her sweet daddy!

Wearing a great Baylor shirt my mom got her...while sitting backwards on her toy

Another shot of her backwards. Ha!

Showing off her pretty Sunday dress

Not only does Elizabeth LOVE her new shoes...but she also now understands what to do when I say "take your shoes off" She's amazing!

Sweet smile!

Oh, and she's decided that Jeremy is her boyfriend. Ha!

More to come!

Love to you all!

Trapped in My Own Body

2009-08-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

I normally use this blog to brag about my cutie pie and keep everyone updated on our lives. And, I REALLY hate complaining (anyone who knows me understands this), but today I just need to get something off my chest b/c I just need some prayers.

As many of you already know, I've had back problems since college. It runs in my family, so it was only a matter of time before it hit me. Unfortunately, it hit at the worst possible time ever. Not only was I just starting my life with Stephen, but two years later, I had a child. According to my physical therapist and my doctor, this was a bad move on my body's part...and judging from the amount of pain I'm in all the time, I tend to agree with them.

Anyway, last week was one of the worst I've had in a long time, and today when I went to see my physical therapist, he basically gave me the grim truth: Until I'm done having kids (and they are old enough that I don't need to pick them up), AND until I get a better job (one that I don't have to drive so far to get to), my back will continue to be on a rollercoaster of pain, AND it could even get worse. So, the two things that I am having the hardest time changing, are the two very things that HAVE to change if I'm going to get any better......so basically I'm stuck like this for at least several more years.....possibly a decade.

I don't mean to whine, but ARG! It's SO frustrating to get news like this. I feel completely defeated and trapped in my own body.

So those of you who read this, I would really appreciate some prayers because I think I'm in for a LONG, HARD journey. I know that there are SO many people out there who have it much worse, so I shouldn't even be complaining, but I just feel like all the work I'm doing to try to help myself is doing as much good as using a water gun to take out a forest fire. Anyway, no more complaining. Just needing some prayers. Thanks to all of you who care!

Hopefully more encouraging posts to follow shortly.

Love to you all

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIZABETH!!

2009-07-25T16:56:00.001-07:00

Well, we made it! Elizabeth is officially one year old today! We're SO proud of our amazing little girl! We had a great birthday party for her, and she had a BLAST!

As usual, here are some Mommy braggings followed by a couple of fun pics from the party!

Elizabeth can now:
- walk everywhere and in any direction (she can even walk backwards a little)
- babble A LOT
- Say "Dada" and "Uh Oh" for the right reasons
- eat solid foods including milk, oranges, apples, and birthday cake! :)
- recognize people on the web cam and try to interact with them
- play with others
- "dance" and twirl
- jump up and down
- climb EVERYTHING
- run (a little bit before falling down)
- play "tag"
- "tickle" Mommy
- "share" toys
- "feed" her teddy bears crackers

And here are a couple pics from her birthday party:

When she first saw her piece of cake, she just wanted to play with it.

THEN she figured out she could eat it, and went to town!....and then she wore the rest of it! Haha!

Well, that's all for now. More updates later, and I'll be posting the rest of EJ's July pics on my facebook in a little while.

Love to you all!

Elizabeth's First Independence Day

2009-07-06T07:30:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth had a great first 4th of July, so I thought I'd post some fun pics of the day. First she got all dressed up for the big day. I'm so proud of myself for finding her shirt at Target for $1! And, she also had some awesome socks thanks to her Grandma Bush.

She didn't know what to think of her new shirt, though, because it was so soft and stretchy that she just wanted to pull on it for the first few minutes she was wearing it.

She was also not a huge fan of the headband I put on her. She doesn't really like to have anything on her hear anymore.

Then we went to this really cool dairy farm that makes its ice cream from the milk it gets from its own cows. We've been there before, but this evening they were doing a special Independence Day celebration. Here we are sitting on a picnic blanket, listening to a bluegrass band.

When we first got there, she was a litte overwhelmed by all the people and loud music, so she just sat in my lap for a while. BUT, of course, after a few minutes she got excited to be there, and got more and more rambunctious as the evening went on. In fact, when it was finally time for fireworks, she was too busy running amock to even notice them. Ha!

I know this was just a short update. I'll have more soon!

Love to you all!

Random Update

2009-06-30T20:17:00.001-07:00

Ok, now that I've gotten a chance to brag on my little girl, I'll update about the rest of our crazy life (but I'll try to be brief...since I don't know who reads this anymore anyway.):

Stephen: So, he's finally in the lab that he will be in for the rest of his doctoral program. Daunting and exciting at the same time. Now, he just needs to get a good project from his professor so that he can begin researching for his dissertation. I can't believe that he still has 4 yrs to go, and he's already having to start thinking about his dissertation work. Oh well, I guess that's how this stuff works. Pray that the Lord will keep him motivated and excited to work and that his brain won't go completely mush. :)

Jen: Pray for me because we looked at the budget, and there is no way that we can go another year without me working. It's a bummer, and I know it will all work out, but the job market is very low right now, so I'm starting to be a little concerned. I've applied everywhere I can think, but there just aren't jobs because of budget cuts and things. The only school that is interested in me is in a town that's like 1hr away. I just don't think I could handle that commute, even if everything else about that situation was perfect. Pray for God's wisdom and most importantly, His provision. I know it's out there....I just can't see it yet.
Summer: Well, we've made it half-way through the summer, and we still have a bunch going on. Elizabeth will experience her first 4th of July celebration this weekend, and then she'll be going to her first baby birthday party for some friends at church. Then Gran and Grandad are coming for a short visit, and finally, we'll be going to Florida at the end of the month for hers and her Grandma's birthdays. It has been so busy, but I've decided that it's a good thing.

Randomness: So couple of other random updates that serve no other purpose than to entertain (hopefully) -> First of all, Stephen and I have gotten ourselves hooked on a summer tv show (and didn't expect it). It's called Merlin, and it's kind of like one of those shows that's about the growing up/teenage years of someone famous before they were important and famous. For lack of a better comparison, I guess you could say this show, Merlin, is to the Once and Future King what Smallville is to the Superman stories. (Only it's much better b/c there's less melodramma and more action and adventure) So, it's got the whole cast of Medieval characters as teens: Merlin, Arthur, Guenevere, Lancelot, etc. Sounds cheesy, but Stephen and I LOVE Medieval stuff, so we are really enjoying it.

Second, since we live so far away, Stephen and I will get on our web cams every so often so that the grandparents can see Elizabeth. Well, tonight we discovered that Elizabeth is at a tough age for web-camming. She's old enough that she can see her grandparents on the screen and recognize them, but she's still too young to understand that they're far away, and she can't touch them. She got VERY upset about this, so we're going to have to come up with something to fix this problem. Gosh, living with a baby gives you SUCH a new perspective on everything. Sigh, but it's so good too.Well, I think that's about it. To all of you who still keep up with this blog, thanks, and keep praying for us. We are so blessed by all of our friends and family who support us and pray for us. We NEED it! And I'll try to be better about updating more often.

Love to you all!

11 Months

2009-06-26T18:12:00.001-07:00

Well, I can't even believe it, but Elizabeth is 11 months old now! Here are some of the awesome things she can do now:
- eat all kinds of crackers and solid foods
- toddle (walk and try to run, hehe)
- "sing"
- play tag
- climb up (and kind of down) the stairs
- point (at everything)

She's the best, and keeps growing like crazy! We're so proud! Here are some more pics of her on a typical play day.

More to come, friends!

Love to you all!

Happy Birthday, DeeDee!

2009-05-31T20:20:00.001-07:00

I'm SO excited to be blogging about this - my parents are in town! Woot! They've been here since Saturday night, and we're already having a blast! They took us out to dinner Sat, and then icecream. Today we all went to church together (and it rocked!), and then we went out to lunch for my mom's birthday. Then we went to a special play place for Elizabeth, and spent the day together. Tomorrow we're going to take Elizabeth all over to have some serious fun, and then who knows what's next. Can you tell that I'm excited! Anyway, today was great! Here are some pics of our adventures.

Elizabeth now likes to make funny faces at the camera (this is when we went out for lunch at Maggiano's)

Hanging with Pops

Special birthday cake with a candle!

We walked around outside after lunch. Elizabeth wanted to show off how good she is at standing all by herself.

Well, that's it for now. More to come!

Love to you all!

10 Months

2009-05-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it's been way too long when I'm only posting every time EJ celebrates a month birthday, but in my defense, we've had a lot going on. Anyway, Happy Memorial Day, and happy 10 months, Elizabeth! Here is some more parental bragging! :)

Elizabeth can now:
- chew with 6 teeth!
- eat animal crackers and tiny bits of "table" food
- make funny faces on purpose
- babble incoherently
- crawl up stairs quickly
- take several steps on her own!
- play "tag"

Other milestones for Elizabeth:
-her first Memorial Day Celebration (big deal in my family, although we couldn't be there for it, sad)
- her tenth plane ride
- her first "walky toy"
- she is now able to sleep with only a nightlight without getting freaked out by darkness

I will post more pics of her on facebook later, and I will update on the rest of our life asap. Have a great Day!

Love to you all!

9 Months

2009-04-26T21:07:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth is officially 9 months old, and I can't believe it! She is growing up SO fast already. I'm starting to understand why Gran is always warning me to take in every second because it flies by! Anyway, here are the fun facts on Elizabeth Joy, and some pics from her fun-filled weekend.

She can now:
- Eat table food with no problem (bread from a restaurant, etc.)
- stand without holding on to anything
- "talk" to us with her own baby sounds
- get into trouble on purpose
- grab toys and bang them together to make "music"
- walk a few steps with help
- hug on purpose
- reach for someone
- chew with her FOUR teeth!
- play well with others (before, she didn't really care about other kids, but now she actually attempts to "play")

*Here are pics from this weekend!

Stowing away in Grandma's suitcase

First bath in her new "tub" (which is in the shape of a big rubber ducky)

Helping her "Zoomer" celebrate his birthday

Playing with Uncle Chris

"Yay, Aunt Sarah's here!"

Showing off her cute outfit that Gran sent her

Hugging Grandma...and smushing her face

Well that's all the bragging I will put you through for now. More to come!

Love to you all!

Time for an Update

2009-04-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

SO, I was going to wait until tomorrow to update because that is when Elizabeth has her 9month birthday, but there's just too much info to share, and I'm not sure if I will even have time to post tomorrow.

Anyway, here's the scoop:

Stephen: He's getting really close to the end of this semester, and even though it's exciting, it's scary too. Keep him in your prayers because at the end of May, he has to take a huge qualifying test that basically decides if he gets to stay in the program or not.

Jen: For those of you who haven't heard, I have major back problems, and on Tuesday, I had a small procedure done to try to help things. I won't know for several days if it worked or not, which is a bummer, but while I've been recovering, Stephen's mom, Laura has been in town helping me so that I don't have to life Elizabeth all of the time. She is the BEST, and I'm so thankful for her being here. It's been fun to have her, and of course, it makes me wish we lived in Texas even more.
In other news, I am almost done applying to schools, and then I'll just play the waiting game to see what happens. Pray that the Lord's will be done in that area.

Elizabeth: I'll post more specific bragging on Elizabeth in my next post, but here are some fun pics of her from her first Easter. Enjoy!

Our Summer: I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but Stephen and I are really excited because we have two big trips coming up this summer. First, we're going to take a road trip with my parents to Texas, and then we're going to take a trip to Florida with the entire Machen/Bush clan to celebrate Elizabeth's 1st birthday. I couldn't be more excited! :)

Special Note: Thanks to all of you who prayed for and supported my family last week when my grandmother passed away. My entire family was overwhelmed by the love that was showered on us so openly.

That's all for now. Love to you all!

8 Months

2009-03-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Time for some good old-fashioned bragging!

Elizabeth turned 8 months today, and she is amazing as ever!

She can now:
- crawl fast enough to "chase" us around the apartment
- "dance" while standing
- stand without holding on to anything (as long as she's leaning against something)
- eat all types of veggies and fruits (and like it)
- feed herself cheerios
- drink juices
- wreak havoc everywhere she goes! haha!

She's amazing, and we're so proud of her!

Oh, and I'm excited to report that Stephen and I will be taking Elizabeth on her first road trip this summer, and we're coming to Texas! YAY!

Love to you all!

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-03-17T18:01:00.001-07:00

This little one makes us lucky!

Love to you all!

The Naked Truth

2009-02-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well, Elizabeth will be turning 7months in two days, AND on that day, she and I will be going back to Texas to everyone. I couldn't be more excited!

In honor of our trip home, I thought I'd do some good, old-fashioned bragging about my little cutie and all that she has accomplished this past month.

Elizabeth can now:
- crawl all over the place
- sit up, and get herself into a sitting position from crawling
- pull herself into a standing position
- move sideways while standing and holding on to something
- eat solid food

Oh, and she's finally getting a bottom tooth in. And, as you can see from these pictures, she has a little mark on her back that looks like a heart. AWW!

She is awesome!

In other news, pray for Stephen and I because we still have a lot going on in our life right now. I'm still trying to find a job, Stephen is still teaching and taking class and working in the lab, and we are now trying to figure out where we are going to live next year.

It's hectic, but we know the Lord will provide.

I can't wait to see everyone!

Love to you all!

Standing Ovation

2009-02-08T18:39:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth can pull herself into a standing position now! WOOT! :)

Just had to brag a bit! More to come!

Love to you all!

Six Months Old

2009-01-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

Now that Elizabeth is officially 6 months old, it's time for some updates!

Elizabeth:
January was awesome for Elizabeth. She got to play at her first park with her Uncle Brian. She got to see her first snow (even though she wasn't particularly impressed with it), and she even got to play the piano for the first time.
I'm also proud to say that Elizabeth can now:
- eat solid food (one new one per week)
- sit up and play on her own
- crawl a few inches before losing strength
- say "dada" (even though she doesn't really say it to anyone in particular)
- make "raspberries" with her tongue
- roll all over the place

It's so exciting! The month of January brought SO many changes in Elizabeth, we have just been blown away. We're such proud parents! :) Here are some fun pics of our little EJ being adorable.

Eating solid food for the first time.

In the baby swing with Uncle Brian

Trying to crawl!

Playing in the snow

Playing with Daddy

Other Updates
Stephen: He is really enjoying this semester because not only does he think he's found the lab he wants to work in, but he is also teaching for the first time. It's really cool. Pray that he can stay in this lab that he likes.

Jen: First of all, I'm getting really excited that I'm less than a month from my next visit to Texas. Woot! In other news. For those of you who haven't heard, I'm on the job hunt, and it is NOT an easy task. Please pray that the Lord will bring a job that will allow me to spend time with Elizabeth and make enough money for us to make ends meet. I know the job is out there, but I just haven't found it yet!

Church: Stephen and I have joined Grace Church of Chapel Hill, and we are loving it! We can't wait to get involved in a small group and start giving back! It's a great place!

Well, that's us! We miss everyone, but we're doing great! Keep praying for us!

Love to you all!

SNOW!

2009-01-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share what Stephen, Elizabeth, and I got to wake up to this morning! YAY!

In other news, pray for me because today I begin the arduous process of finding some sort of job for myself for next school year. Tough work, but it must be done! Pray that the Lord brings me the right job that will work out for us financially and for Elizabeth, especially!

Love to you all!

Home

2009-01-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well, Elizabeth and I are finally home, and excited to be with Stephen. We had a blast in Texas, and now it's time to begin a new semester. With this new semester comes a lot of things to do.

Here are a few things on my list of "to dos:"
1. Unpack and clean (even though Stephen was wonderful about keeping the apt clean while I was gone, Elizabeth and I already helped dirty it up again)
2. Get signed up for physical therapy (my back is messed up again)
3. Reorganize our pictures from the Christmas trip
4. Start job-hunting
5. Get re-certified from Texas to North Carolina

The hardest part is getting started. I think that part of my problem is that I'm still exhausted from traveling and trying to get Elizabeth back on a normal sleeping schedule. I think it's also the fact that it all seems so daunting. Oh well, I know I've got to do it, so I'll get my butt in gear before long.

I will also be blogging more since I now have my computer back. So, keep checking here for more Bush family updates and cute pics of Elizabeth.

Speaking of which, here are some fun ones from our time in Texas. Stephen calls these, "the many faces of Elizabeth." Enjoy!
More to come! Love to you all!

Best. Christmas. Present. EVER!

2008-12-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

SO, for those of you who I haven't already blabbed it to, Stephen gave me the most wonderful Christmas present he could ever give me! He bought me a plane ticket so that I can come home to Dallas again! I can't even tell you how AWESOME that is! I'll get to see everyone again, and I'll be bringing Elizabeth, so that everyone can see how she's grown.

On top of that, Stephen isn't sending me home on just ANY weekend; he's sending me home for SING weekend! YAY!!! I cannot even describe how pumped I am about this fact! SING is my favorite tradition at Baylor, and not only that, but it's Ryan's last year to perform in it.

Basically, I have the best, most thoughtful husband ever, who knows me VERY well!

Okay, enough bragging! More Elizabeth pics to follow shortly!

Love to you all!

Elizabeth Joy to the World!

2008-12-26T22:37:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope it was wonderful for you! We had a FABULOUS one! More pictures and stories to come!

Love to you all!

"Christmas Time is Here"

2008-12-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

I know that we are already well into December, but as I sit here next to my little girl who is currently taking a nap in some reindeer pajamas, i realize that it wasn't really until yesterday that it felt like Christmas time to me. It could be the smell of the cold weather, bundling up in blankets at night, or looking at my little Christmas tree in our living room, but really I think it was a combination of listening to the soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Christmas," watching the "Garfield Christmas Special" on tv, and taking funny pictures of Elizabeth with a Christmas bear that really did it for me.

All that to say, I'm way excited that it feels like the Holidays, and I'm even more excited for Elizabeth to experience it all for the first time. Oh, and for those of you who I haven't already excitedly bragged to, Elizabeth is starting to try to crawl now! It's so exciting! I can't wait for everyone to see her. Now, granted, she can only go backwards, BUT she's getting SO close! It's wonderful!

Well, I can't wait to see everyone in Texas! I'll be home soon! For now, enjoy the fun Christmas pictures!
Love to you all!

A Great Weekend

2008-12-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

This was a great weekend! As I sit here reflecting on the weekend and watching Elizabeth play and make funny faces, I realize that God has really blessed me the past few weeks with some great things going on to keep me from feeling lonely. Friday night, I went to a special event at Grace Church just for ladies. It was this fancy "English Tea" Christmas party where we chatted, enjoyed tea and goodies, and just had fun celebrating the Christmas season. It was really great, and those of you who know we well will not be surprised by this next tid-bit of info. I went to this thing with the intention of meeting some women my own age, but I ended up sitting at the youth group table making friends with high school and college aged girls, and it was a BLAST! I guess I'm really meant to work with youth. Ha!

Then on Saturday, an old friend, Robin Riggs Muse and her husband and daughter came over to have a southern meal and hang out. It was SO fun. They are absolutely wonderful to spend time with. And I think Elizabeth had a really good time with their daughter, Catie Beth. In fact, I think Catie Beth inspired Elizabeth to start crawling because she has been practicing ever since they were here. It's really cute.

Robin with the girls.

Hunter with the girls

Sunday was another great day at Grace Church. Stephen and I have decided that this is definitely the church for us. They are warm, inviting, and passionate about the Lord. It's really refreshing!

Well, I can't WAIT to go to Texas to see everyone! I'll be there soon!

Love to you all!

An Interesting Day

2008-12-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today was a funny day all around. First off, I took Elizabeth to the store to buy groceries, and as I was checking out, I realized that she had lost BOTH of her socks. SO I got to go ALL around the store for another 30min. looking like a complete lunatic trying to find her socks. In the end, it wasn't a terrible problem because I just bought her some more, but about half-way through my search, I realized how truly ridiculous I must have looked walking around the store, bending over every few minutes, and asking Elizabeth if she remembered where she dropped her socks.

Then, Stephen and I went to our friend Jeremy's house to watch The Office, and when we put Elizabeth on the floor to play with us, she spent the whole night scooting backwards on her tummy. She has just started doing this, and we actually got some pics of her doing it at our house one night when she accidentally scooted herself under our coffee table. I can't wait for my Dallas friends to witness this spectacle. It is truly funny to watch Elizabeth clearly wanting to move forward, but moving backwards instead.

Finally, I don't know how many of you are fans of The Office, but Stephen and I LOVE it, and tonight's episode was FABULOUS! I could NOT get enough!

Well, I better go check on the little girl, but I can't WAIT to see all of my Texas friends!

Love to you all!

Feeling Domestic

2008-11-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

I have to take a moment to brag because I'm really excited! After three years of planning to and never following through, I have finally completed my ZTA t-shirt quilt! I'm SO excited and proud of myself! I feel very domestic now! Anyway, I had so many shirts that I had to make my quilt 2-sided. So here it is! YAY! (p.s. it's very soft!)

More to come!

Love to you all!

Four Months

2008-11-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Elizabeth turned 4 months old, and we couldn't be more excited with how she's grown this past month. So of course I had to blog about all the things she can do now. Here is a very proud list of her latest accomplishments, and some more fun pics!

- She can smile and respond to people when they play with her
- She can laugh (even though she hasn't quite figured out what it is yet)
- She can "talk"- she makes all kinds of silly sounds to try to converse with us
- She can play with her toys and grasp them
- She can stick out her tongue (she LOVES this)
- She can roll over!!
- She can investigate things with her eyes, hands, and mouth
- She can eat and sleep on a more regular schedule
- She can make us laugh and smile all the time! :)

Okay, enough bragging. Here are the latest pics.

Elizabeth is already being taught the joys of coffee by her daddy.

Her Grandma got her this adorable warm outfit for cold days, and she looks like a little teddy bear.

Sticking that tongue out.

She fell asleep on our walk.

Great expression! Ha!

We just discovered that she likes this bouncy toy. She had a blast playing in it. But she kept getting her arm stuck to her side. Ha!

She loved bouncing herself all around

She also loved me taking her picture in it.

Smiley girl!

Okay so doesn't she look like some rapper with her arm like that?

Well, I better go. The little girl wants my attention again.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Random Fun

2008-11-21T06:39:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Just thought I'd post some fun Elizabeth pics and a quick update!

School: Pray for Stephen. Just as his professors warned him, this is the busiest month EVER! He's rockin out but stressed, so be thinking of him!

Travel: Elizabeth and I will be in Dallas for Christmas vacation in less than a month! Woot!

Church: So we think we found a church for us, but we're not quite sure yet. It's welcoming, friendly, and the music is great, but we have yet to hear the pastor speak because every time we've gone it's been a guest speaker. Thus, we are going to visit again. Pray that the Lord will guide us.

Elizabeth: It's official! She can now roll over! It's so fun! I can't wait for everyone to see her do it. I know it seems like a small feat, but for her it's big! We're so proud! Oh, and she's discovered her tongue now and is constantly sticking it out! It's hilarious!

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the Elizabeth pics!

She loves to stick out her tongue!

Hello!

This is her in a new toy we got her.

It props her up so she can look at things. I think she is being mesmerized by the TV in this pic.

Love to you all!

An Update....And More Cute Elizabeth Pics

2008-11-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Fall to everyone! Elizabeth and I are hanging out before dinner, and I thought I'd give everyone a mid-November update.

School: Stephen is rocking in his classes, but wow, is it busy! Keep him in your prayers because this is when the hard stuff really picks up!

Church: So Stephen and I have finally narrowed our church search, and we think we may have found the place where we belong, but we've decided to give it a few more weeks to make sure. Keep praying for us because we want to make sure that we're at the right place for us.

Friends New and Old: After a month of seeing friends from Texas, we are so happy and refreshed. It was wonderful to be reminded of how much we are loved and missed, and it helps that it was SO fun! We are also beginning to finally make some friends here in Chapel Hill. Not many, but it's a start. AND it was really cool because I got to reconnect with a friend I haven't seen since 7th grade! It was crazy awesome!

Elizabeth: Well, she's almost 4 months old, and she has grown SO much. She smiles a lot now, and she can ALMOST laugh. She is really active, and I swear that if she could talk, she would be talking constantly. She tries SO hard; it's adorable to watch! Her favorite thing to do is to try to talk to us while she's sitting in her "dangley" toy. She's grown physically too! In fact, I've had to do a lot of photo shoots to make sure that I document all of her cute outfits before she out-grows them. (Hence the pics that you see below)

Travel: Most of you know that Stephen, Elizabeth, and I won't be able to make it to Thanksgiving in Texas, and I am VERY bummed about it. However, we will be coming for an extended time for Christmas, so I'm okay with it. We can't wait to see everyone!

Well, I better go! Elizabeth needs me again! Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the Elizabeth pics below.

In a new outfit that her DeeDee sent.

In an outfit that is too cold for this time of year, but just SO cute!

Smiley!

Funny face!

Hanging out with her Daddy

In her UNC hoodie!

Playing with her Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals

"Hello World!"

A couple more outfits that are too cold for the current weather

Elizabeth's October

2008-11-07T19:24:00.001-08:00

As promised, I'm finally posting more of Elizabeth, and for those of you who felt neglected, this post is my explanation. This month was CRAZY! It was so wonderful, but, wow, was it packed full! We had fabulous friends and family visit us every weekend, and we had a blast! Elizabeth had fun, too! In fact, we think that she's bored now that all of the fun people have left! She's become a real people-person. (I know that most of you will not be surprised by that statement at all.) Anyway, October was a great month, and here are some fun pics from all of the festivities! (And I've also included a couple of random fun Elizabeth pics, too.)

Surprise!!

She is SO cute!

Kristen was our first visitor of the month, and we had SO much fun. Elizabeth really had a good time with her "Aunt Kay."

The next weekend, PawPaw came into town, and he got to hold her for the first time. It was adorable because one night, she fell asleep on his lap, and then he fell asleep too.

The next weekend, Stephen's mom and Gramma came to visit us, but sadly, I don't have the pics from that weekend because we took them all on her camera. But, it was a totally great weekend!

The last weekend, Brian came to visit, and Elizabeth could not have been more excited!

She took to him like I've never seen, and they were just two peas in a pod. It was precious, and hilarious.!

It was also Elizabeth's first Halloween, and she got to celebrate at Ben and Stacey's house dressed as a Tinkerbell Fairy. By the end of the party, she preferred eating her costume rather than wearing it.

We had fun dressing up too! I was an evil sorceress, Stephen was a Blues Brother, and Brian was a VERY convincing Uni-Bomber.

Our friends, Stephen and Kelly also came to visit us that weekend, and they got to meet Elizabeth for the first time. She had a blast!

I've decided that Kelly and Stephen need to have kids soon because they will rock as parents!

Well, it was a full month, but a fabulous one! Now, onto the next month. Whew!

Love to you all!

Three Months

2008-10-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth recently turned 3 months old, and I can't even believe that it has been that long already. She is so beautiful, and she is growing so much! I'm more excited and more happy to have her in my life every day. Here are some pics from her 3month old photo shoot, and if you want more pics, I'll be posting a whole bunch from the whole month of October soon.

Sorry it has taken so long to post another update, but I'll post again soon to explain why it took me so long.

For now, I love you all!

She likes to eat her clothes now.

She also makes hilarious faces all the time, now.

She's really smiley!

And she is constantly surprised by life. It's so fun!

We're already teaching her to love teddy bears! :)

Picture Time!

2008-10-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

SO, I know it's been awhile, but life has been crazy the past week or so. Stephen got sick, and you wouldn't believe how hard life with a baby is when one of you is sick.

Anyway, Elizabeth is growing like crazy, and I realized the other day, that she is out-growing some of her cute outfits quickly. Although it seems silly, I really want pics of Elizabeth in them all, so I've started doing little photo shoots of her in the outfits that I think she will be out of soon.

All that to say, here are some fun new pics of Elizabeth that I took in my quest to make sure that all of her cute outfits get remembered. (I'm such a silly mom.)

Oh, and here's another cute one of her in the bath.

Love to you all!

2 Months

2008-09-28T14:09:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth is now officially 2 months old, and we're both hanging out on the couch watching football, so I thought I'd take this short moment of free time to give everyone a quick update on life.

For those of you who want to know, here's what's up:

School Stuff: Stephen has now finished his first quarter of doctoral classes, and has jumped right into the next. He's still not sure what he thinks about the quality of his professors' teaching skills, but he is very excited about all that he is learning. It's really exciting for him to be challenged in a new field, but also get to use the skills he already has.

Visits: After an awesome time in Dallas and, then, a day trip to see Sarah for her birthday, Elizabeth and I will be taking a break from traveling. However, we're really excited because we just found out that our close Baylor friends will be coming to visit us in October! Kristen is coming from New York in a few weeks, and Brian, Stephen, and Kelly will be visiting over Halloween. (I guess you could say that it will be a "scream!" hehe). For those of you in Dallas, we Bushes will all be coming again over Christmas break, and we are PUMPED!

Church Hunt: Elizabeth is finally old enough to give us the chance to start visiting churches again, and this morning we re-visited a church that we tried before Elizabeth showed up. It's a great church, and although we missed some of the service (because of Elizabeth), we had a wonderful morning. We think we will end up there, but just to make sure, we will visit around a couple more, first.

Elizabeth: Wow, talk about progress. Elizabeth is constantly surprising us with all that she is learning to do. She can smile for real now, and for the most part, she's sleeping through the night. She is also beginning to be entertained by her toys. (Her attention span, however, is still lacking.) She has grown out of her newborn sleepers, and she is finally starting to fit all of the cute clothes that we got at the baby showers. It's like having a little doll that I get to dress up every day. It's great, and we're having fun! Oh, and now that I've put up the last picture frame, her room is FINALLY decorated. I'll take pics and post them soon.

Health: I finally bit the bullet and joined a gym to start losing my baby weight. Wish me luck; I have a LOT to lose, but I think I can because I've committed my time AND money.

I guess that's it for now. Keep us in your prayers. We have a lot going on this fall, and we'd still like to make more friends. God is good, though, and we know we're in His hands.

Love to you all!

Great Trip

2008-09-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Elizabeth and I are finally back from our big trip to Dallas, and it was wonderful! Everyone was so great to hang out with. I had been missing everyone so badly. It was good for me to be near wonderful people, and it was good for Stephen to have some time to himself to work on stuff.

Anyway, we took a million pics of Elizabeth, so here are a few. There will be more on my facebook later. By the way, the pics are in no particular order, and I'm sorry I don't have pics of Elizabeth with everyone that I visited. (I didn't have my camera with me)

Love to you all!
Elizabeth with her Grandpa Bush

Elizabeth with Loren

Elizabeth doesn't mind baths now.

Elizabeth with her Great Aunt Suzie

Elizabeth with her Gramma Bush

Elizabeth is starting to smile now!

Elizabeth with her Great Gramma (great face)

Elizabeth with Cousin Sam and her great Uncle Steve

Elizabeth with her Uncle Brian

Here's Elizabeth with Gran, Grandad, and cousin Emilee

Here are a couple of Elizabeth with her DeeDee

Here's Elizabeth with her Pops

Elizabeth with her Great Mema

Home on the Range

2008-09-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

This little one and I will be making our way to home sweet home in Texas this Sunday. I can't wait! It will be so fun! Elizabeth just got a clean bill of health from her doctor, and I got a clean bill of health from my doctor, so we are READY!

In other news, I've decided that, now that I'm completely healed from Elizabeth's birth, it is high time to start trying to lose the left over baby weight. Let me tell you, it will NOT be easy or fun, but I am determined. So, I'm treating my trip to Texas as a last hurrah of sorts because when I get back to NC, I'm going to work out, eat better, and try to get myself at least CLOSE to back where I was. Pray for me; I'm not very good at this.

Love to you all, and I can't wait to see you in Texas! :)

Dancin' in September

2008-09-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

If life is a dance, I'm right in the middle learning a totally new one. Being a mom and a homemaker is totally awesome, and I am truly excited to be learning all the new "moves" that come with this new dance, but there are a LOT of new moves to learn. Every day, I think I'm learning a new one.

This month I have many new ones to learn. The biggest is to learn how to take Elizabeth on a plane. I won't lie; I'm nervous, but I'm also excited because it means that we're going to be going to Dallas to visit family and friends. I've missed everyone SO much, so this is going to be great.

Speaking of friends, Krysta Edwards and Stephen's sister, Sarah, came to visit us over the weekend, and we had a blast! They are so much fun to hang out with, and Elizabeth was so good for us while they were here. It was a great time.

Here are some pics of Elizabeth with Krysta. Aren't they cute together?

A Funny Thing Happened...

2008-08-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

So I have to share this because it's just too funny. Last night, Stephen and I had his friend, Jeremy, over to hang out, eat brownies, and play games. Elizabeth got hungry, so as we were playing, we fed her. She had been doing great all day, so we weren't expecting anything to go wrong. (You can guess what's coming.)

Stephen had just finished feeding her, and had her over his shoulder, burping, when all of a sudden, she decided to throw EVERYTHING up all over Stephen. This is not just a little spit up, I'm talking a FOUNTAIN of puke that covered Stephen so badly that he had to hop into the shower right away.

Because of that, poor Jeremy had to help me give Elizabeth a bath. He was such a trooper, though. And, she was good. I think she was actually glad to get cleaned up. Anyway, it was a VERY messy incident, but in the end, it was ironic and quite funny.

Here are some fun pics of Elizabeth and Jeremy after the mess. She was in a good mood...until she realized that she was hungry again. Hah!

Too Cute Not to Post

2008-08-26T11:01:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth and her Daddy were having some spontaneous fun, and we caught it on camera. I couldn't help posting this pic. Isn't she CUTE!?!

Enchanted

2008-08-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

When the movie, Enchanted, came out in theaters, Stephen and I wanted to go see it, but we never got the chance. Then, with moving and having a baby and all, we didn't get the chance to rent it like we wanted to, either. Well, last night, we FINALLY watched it, and it was GREAT! Not only were its references to other Disney movies hilarious, but the plot was actually fun and the characters great. We really enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to just sit and enjoy watching a movie. If you haven't seen it, you really should.

In other, more important news, Elizabeth turns one month old tomorrow. It's really hard to believe that it's already been a month, and we love her more and more every day.

So, in honor of her one month mark, I've decided to share a few things that she has already taught me about being a mom:

1. Sleep is overrated and coffee is a must - I don't know how moms who don't drink coffee survive; I really don't. Elizabeth keeps me up at all hours of the night, and I wouldn't survive the next day if I didn't have coffee.

2. Worry comes with the territory, so get used to it and get over it - I can't remember the last time I worried like I worry about her. Every time she cries, and I can't fix it, I worry. Every time I need to take her somewhere, I worry. It's normal, but it's not fun.

3. Enjoy the small things - Elizabeth is so young, she can't do much yet, but I've learned that it's the small things that she does that make everything so fun. She makes me laugh everyday with the hilarious faces she makes, and she wins me over every time she looks right at me.

4. Give yourself a break - It's okay not to do EVERYTHING all at once. It's okay to be too tired to go out or do laundry. Elizabeth will eventually even herself out, and that's when I'll be concerned about being SUPERgirl.

5. Family is the BEST - I wouldn't have survived this month without the constant prayers and support (and physical help) of my family. They have amazed and blessed me in so many ways. I feel a little more like I can handle things knowing that they're on my side. I miss them terribly, but just knowing that they're there for me in spirit is great.

Well, those are some things I've learned so far. Elizabeth is our greatest joy, and we are so thankful for our little one. Thanks to all of our family and friends. Ya'll are really the best!

Love and more pics to come soon!

Three Weeks Old

2008-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Elizabeth is down for one of her many naps, so I finally had a chance to get pics to upload for your viewing pleasure.

Elizabeth is officially three weeks old, and her parents are officially exhausted. But we love her more and more every day. We just can't help ourselves. She's such a cutie, and she's starting to learn to focus. It's cool to see her look around and take everything in. It's especially fun because she's starting to focus on us too. It's SO cool!

Anyway, in honor of her three weeks in the world, I decided to post some pics of her first official bath. She HATED it because she HATES being naked and cold, but she's squeaky clean and doing great.

By the way, her towel says "I love Daddy." Yep, Stephen specifically chose THAT one.

In other news, Stephen starts class Tuesday, and we're both excited for him. This semester holds so much potential for him, and we can't wait to see what happens.

Thanks to everyone for your constant prayers and support. We have the BEST friends and family in the WORLD!

Love to you all!

Nostalgia

2008-08-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I kept waiting to use Stephen's compy, which has all of our latest pics of Elizabeth on it. As it turns out, I haven't had a chance to do so, unfortunately, so I'm sorry to everyone that there aren't pics this time.

BUT, I really felt the need to blog today!

Things have slowly but surely been getting to a point where we feel a little more normal. Elizabeth is still wearing us out at night, but the days are getting better. She's so precious, and she's really a good baby. It's just all so new to us that we're not ever sure what exactly to do. We're used to certain things now, like her hungry cry and her diaper cry, but now there are cries that we don't understand yet. I'm sure we'll get to know those, too, but right now we're still in the learning phase.

I won't lie, it's hard, but every time we look at her beautiful, perfect face, we fall in love even more. Mom was right; it's hard to explain that feeling, but let's just suffice it to say; she's got us wrapped around her little fingers. Life is changing, but it's wonderful.

Speaking of change, life back home in Texas has been changing too. I'm not sure how many details I can divulge right now, but let's just say, things have been changing unexpectedly, and it has upset me.

All of this change (some great, and some not-so-great) has really got me thinking about the past. Don't get me wrong; I'm great with change, and I LOVE where God has brought us, but I've just been going through the past few years in my head, reminiscing.

It wasn't all easy, but it was all wonderful, and it led right up to where I am now. The only thing about it all that I would change is my attitude through all of it. I knew in my heart that God was in control, but it didn't keep me from being a big whiner sometimes.

Last night, chatting with my parents, I was reminded of what strong faith REALLY is. Life has just thrown them one of the biggest curve balls ever, and even though they're upset about it, they were the ones sitting and comforting me, and telling me that they KNOW God has everything under control. Wow. I'm constantly reminded of how much I respect and look up to them.

Anyway, all that to say; I decided that I need to remember to trust the Lord with everything. Even though being a mom simultaneously excites me and scares me to death, and being away from everyone I love makes me lonely at times, I know God has a perfect plan, and I need to start being better about it.

So pray for us, our new little family, and all the new steps in our life. And pray that we trust in Him unflinchingly.

"When the path grows dim; when our questions have no answers, turn to Him. Bow the Knee." - Chris Machen

Love to you all. Pics to come soon, promise!

Cute pics

2008-08-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Just wanted to let you know that my darling husband and my awesome dad have been much more faithful to post pics of Elizabeth than I have, so if you are itching for more fun pics of her, and I haven't posted, check out their blogs.

For now, here are a couple fun ones that make us laugh! (and yes, the second pic is of Elizabeth's first attempt to "flip us off" HA!)

Love to you all, and more info to come.

One Week

2008-08-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Hello wonderful friends!! I've FINALLY found a free minute to post a little more than just pics. Our sweet Elizabeth is now one week old, and it's hard to believe. Our family has been here with us making this week so much easier, and boy, have we needed it!

I was warned that the first week is the hardest, but I didn't believe it until now. It has been insane around here! Between doctor visits, 2am feedings, trying to heal, and just plain emotions and stress, it has been quite a journey.

But even through all of that, I fall more in love with my little girl every minute. She is just perfect in every way, and I couldn't be more blessed. Her daddy feels the exact same way, and we think we are the luckiest couple in the world.

Life is still hard, emotional, and tiring, but it's ALL worth it. And, things are slowly getting better and easier.

So thanks to all of you for your prayers, sweet messages, and support. We love you SO much, and can't wait to bring Elizabeth to Texas to meet everyone!

Keep looking here for updates and pics.

Love to you all!

More Baby!

2008-07-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Baby!

2008-07-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics...Check out Stephen's Blog for a few more.

False Alarms

2008-07-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

So I KNOW I've been promising more pics, but I have an explanation for that. Today (the day that I was PLANNING on doing a photo shoot of Elizabeth's room and rocking chair), I was woken up at 4:30am with some VERY strange feelings. After a VERY long morning of consulting my handy-dandy pregnancy book, talking with Stephen, and listening as hard as I could to my body, I realized that I had been experiencing "false labor pains."

Without going into all the crazy details, let me just say that it is NOT fun to feel the pain of a contraction and not have the satisfaction of it being "for real."

Oh well. I see the doc tomorrow, so hopefully I will have some answers. For now, I DO know that these false alarms are just a signal that the real thing will be coming SOON.

Anyway, my whole day got thrown off, and frankly, I wasn't feeling very good, so I'll have to try taking pics again tomorrow. Sorry kids!

Gotta love it.

Love to you all!

Anxious

2008-07-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Stephen and I are officially 11 days away from Elizabeth's grand entrance into the world, and we are excited! I have to be honest, though, now that the doc has told us that her appearance is imminent, we are starting to really get anxious with anticipation. I mean, she's really coming! How cool is that?!

Anyway, we're pretty much ready for her to come. We each have one task left in order to consider ourselves completely prepared for the big day. I have to pack my suitcase for the hospital so that we can have it ready and waiting at the front door. Stephen has to hook the car seat into our car. Once we've done those things, we will officially be (and feel) ready.

It's hard to explain the excitement that we feel, but in a way, it's kind of like waiting for Christmas Day. We KNOW that we have an amazing gift waiting for us to eventually unwrap on the big day, but we don't exactly know what our gift will look like or be like. So there's this kind of "little kid" anticipation because we know it's coming and will be awesome, but at the same time we have the "grown-up" nervousness of knowing that life is changing for us. We like the change, but since we've never been here before, there's this anxious uneasiness about this unknown territory. We both just want to make sure we do a good job. (It may sound silly, but just wait until YOU are there. Then you'll see what we mean)

In an attempt to curb our anxious feelings, we've been doing as much relaxing as possible. We've been to a bunch of great movies, we've been making friends with a guy that is in Stephen's program at the school, and we've been trying out new dinner recipes. It's been fun, and we've been enjoying Chapel Hill a lot.

Well, this post ended up being a lot longer than I expected, so thanks to those of you who read it. Don't worry, new pics of Elizabeth's completed nursery are coming soon! Until then, keep praying for us and Elizabeth!

P.S. If you haven't seen Dark Knight, SEE IT! It will rock you! :)

Love to you all!

A note from the rocking chair

2008-07-16T22:40:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to inform all who are interested that we FINALLY got our rocking chair! YAY! I will post pics soon, but for now let me just tell you all that it's my new favorite place to sit in the apt. It's comfy, and pretty, and it makes me excited that Elizabeth is coming soon!

Speaking of which, I have many small updates:

Elizabeth: I had another doctor's appt. today, and I'm glad to say that I'm still exactly where I'm supposed to be in my pregnancy. I'm at 37 weeks, which means that I am technically considered "full term." That means that whenever Elizabeth decides to come is okay because she will be just fine. I wasn't worried about that, but it is a nice thing to hear.

Insurance Woes: Stephen and I were VERY frustrated and concerned about our health insurance situation. For those who don't know our situation, here are the basics: our current health coverage SUCKS because the company we used is a bunch of crooks. So, we needed desperately to switch because they weren't going to cover Elizabeth when she is born. The problem was that NONE of the companies that we checked out were going to do what we needed. Each company had SOMETHING wrong that meant that we couldn't use it. All that to say, we were VERY worried until today. Basically, God is good, and when we went in for my appt. today, a financial aid lady helped us to find decent coverage, so we are officially NOT worried anymore. Whew!

The Apt: Well, as we posted last time, our apt is pretty much done except for Elizabeth's room, and now that we have the rocking chair, we can finally FINISH! So, as soon as we're done, we will post more pics!

Stephen's School Stuff: Stephen is officially doing his first lab rotation, and although the technology that he is forced to work with is less than what he would like, he has been doing a bang-up job! In a matter of about a week and a half he has already finished one project and started another. I'm REALLY proud of him!

Getting Adjusted: Stephen and I love it here for the most part. The weather is much easier to deal with because of all the trees, but because of the trees we get lost a lot because street signs are hidden. In fact, all of North Carolina needs to fix its street signs because not only are they hidden by trees, but a lot of times, IF they exist at all, they are wrong! Yep, gotta love getting lost EVERY TIME we go somewhere new. Oh well, the trees are beautiful and worth it. We've also visited two churches already, and we liked them. It's very different from what we're used to, but we are certain that the Lord will lead us to the right one for us.

Well, this update has become WAY too long! Hopefully, the next post will have lots of fun pics!

Love to you all!

The Apartment!

2008-07-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, as promised, here are some pics of our new place! We FINALLY finished unpacking and everything, and we're so excited! We love our little home, and we can't wait to bring Elizabeth home to it.

This is our living room! (Stephen already set up Elizabeth's playpen!)

Our eating area.

This is our kitchen (notice our dinner cooking, hehe)

Another view of the kitchen (we have SO much more space; it's great!)

Here's a pic of our bedroom. (This pic doesn't show it, but we have a fabulous, huge window)

This is a view of our bathroom (Yet again, we have SO much more space; it's amazing!)

This is the computer/baby room. It's not EXACTLY finished yet, but we're SO close. We'll DEFINITELY post pics of THIS room when it's done because it's the most exciting room!

Well, there ya have it! We are seriously so excited about living here. It's wonderful! I can't wait to have all of you up to visit so that you can see it (and Elizabeth) in person!

In other news, Stephen and I just saw the movie Get Smart. It's hilarious, and everyone should see it! :)

Love to you all!

Getting Close

2008-07-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, Stephen and I are ALMOST done moving in. We basically just have decorating left, which is a relief from ALL of the stuff we had to unpack. We're really glad that it will be behind us, soon.

THEN we can take pictures with Stephen's new camera that just came in the mail! It's SO cool, and we are excited! I can't wait to post pics of our new place taken with his fabulously high tech camera!

In other news, Stephen has already made a friend through is program, named Jeremy, and he's really friendly and has a lot in common with Stephen. They hit it off right away, and we've already been to his place to play games. Tonight he's coming to our place, and of course, we will be playing more games! It should be great, and we're mainly just glad to have a friend!

Well, gotta go; cleaning time!

Love to you all!

Movin' In! :)

2008-06-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Well, I'm FINALLY updating this thing. Sorry it's taken so long. I won't usually be this absent, but moving was ridiculous! For a while there, it felt like everything was just harder and more difficult than what we had planned on.

BUT, it's okay because we're here, and we're living at our new place. We're ALMOST done with the apartment, and when we are, I PROMISE that I will post pics!

On that note, the reason we haven't posted pics is not just because we didn't have internet (even though we didn't have it for a while); we're also waiting on getting a new camera. It's really exciting! Stephen was able to get a really nice one because it's a graduation present from his grandparents. So, it's on order, and should be here soon! We can't wait! Once we get it, we'll have awesome pics to post on here!

In other news, Stephen and I saw WALL-E tonight. It's WONDERFUL, and everyone should go see it. We were especially impressed that the movie did such a good job of getting you to fall in love with the characters even though they hardly talked at all. It was greatness!

Well, we love ya'll and miss you greatly! We will post on here a lot more often now, so keep reading, and keep in touch! :)

Movin' Out!

2008-05-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a whilrwind these past few days, but God is good, and we finally feel like we can take a small breath. Thanks to all who prayed for us!

So, I still don't have fun pictures to post yet, but I will soon! Until then, here are a few updates on the Bush life:

Transportation:
We finally sold our old crappy cars, and got a new one! It's a Toyota RAV4, and we love it! It's beautiful, spacious, and pretty gas efficient. Stephen just brought it home last night, and it looks great! We can't wait to show it off because it's the first major buy that we've made as a couple. Yay for milestones in life.

Moving:
We are officially moved out of our apartment in Waco. Sadly, there are still two more days of school, so we are still here in Waco, but that's ok, because we're DONE packing! yay! I have to share this, though, because it's been so typical of our moving experience: Last night at about 2am, Stephen was almost done packing and cleaning the apt. when the vaccuum died! It literally kicked the bucket half-way through cleaning the apt. Then, when he was about to leave, he happened to open a cabinet, and discovered that we had forgotten to pack it! So, we were up until 4am. INSANE! Oh well, it's makes for a funny story later. I hope moving IN won't be as hectic

Stephen's Thesis:
Keep praying; he's SOOOOO close to finishing! He can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but now it's all the nit-picky stuff that just drives him crazy. He still has time, but it sure would take a load off his back if he could print it off and be done!

Elizabeth:
I'm in my 7th month now, and she is offically hyper enough to keep me awake at night. But, it's fun because it just makes it all the more real to me! We are SO excited! And, on that note, we are also SO thankful because Allie, Steph, and Jen threw me the COOLEST baby shower EVER last weekend, and I was blown away! It was wonderful, and they're just the best!

School:
Last night we had "8th Grade Graduation," and although it was very cheezy and overly emotional, it was great to celebrate my kiddos. As crazy as they drove me all year, I will truly miss them! It's been a GREAT year of teaching!

Well, I better go! It's time for a special awards ceremony at the school! Love to you all!

-Jen

Life's Little Lessons

2008-05-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I are getting ready for a "dollar movie date" tonight, and I'm excited because he's taking me to see Horton Hears a Who (which I haven't seen yet). As we are sitting here trying to catch our breaths from a crazy couple of weeks, I thought I'd send some lovin by way of the world wide web.

First off, for all those concerned, I'm still getting the hang of the whole blog situation, so I'm sorry that I haven't posted any cool pictures or anything, but I WILL get it figured out, and pictures will come soon. Promise!

Second, I just want to send a little shout out to my girlies in Plano. I am SO psyched about the shower this weekend, and I haven't looked more forward to something in a while. So, yea, ya'll rock!

Third, I thought I'd give some Praise to our awesome Father who has graciously showed me some really cool little lessons through the small things in life:

Lesson 1: God is awesome, and SO much smarter and better than we are. (He's got it figured out) -- Last weekend, I saw the movie Prince Caspian, and besides the fact that it was a great movie, the story and the characters literally moved me to tears when I thought about the symbolism hidden throughout. Everything in the movie just reminded me of how blessed we are to have such a great Savior who knows better, understands and sees everything, and loves us warts and all. He totally wins, and that makes me thankful. (BTW, if you haven't seen the movie, go see it!)
Lesson 2: No matter how mad you may get at someone, that person could still bless you if you chill out, let it happen, and pay attention -- This year at school has been amazing, and I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching, but I won't lie; junior highers can be BIG pains sometimes. Lately, especially, they have really been getting on my nerves as the school year comes to a close. However, something surprising happened today that really blessed me: Two of my girls threw me a surprise baby shower. It was totally student led with no help from the teachers, and it was a full on party with cute decorations, food, and even silly party games. (Honestly, I knew something was up a couple days ago, but I NEVER expected this.) They even got all the students to pitch in and buy us a whole basket-full of diapers! I was amazed and happy, and that just goes to show me to keep loving people, even when they annoy me....because you just never know when someone will surprise you.
Lesson 3: Encouraging others, encourages you! -- Today, I had the great honor and privilege of encouraging several people that I came in contact with. Please understand; this is not bragging about me. The people I encouraged just happened to need it, and God convicted me to do it. But, wow, it's so cool how energized and excited I was afterwards. I should know this already, but it was nice to be reminded to stop complaining about my own problems and help someone else.

In other news: please continue to keep us and our family in your prayers. A lot is going on, and not only is it stressful, it's also still very emotional as well. We've gotten to the point where we KNOW that God will provide and take care of us, but getting everything done is just HARD. Every prayer would be a blessing!

Time to wrap things up. My goal is to post on this thing more often, so keep checking!

Big Love to you from us Bushes!

An Update

2008-05-05T22:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, those of you who are avid blog readers, I'm sorry that we haven't updated lately. We honestly haven't had the time, but I thought I'd give ya'll a quick update on us lately.

School:
- Stephen is feverishly trying to finish up his thesis, and basically spending every free minute working on it
- I am at the busiest time of the school year, and STILL trying to get the kids to care: let me tell you; it is tough! (But we all remember that feeling)

Moving:
Please be in prayer for us. We've hit a very emotional spot in our plans to move. We've reached the point that everyone eventually gets to where everything feels like a mountain, AND on top of the fact that we're stressed, I think our constant talk of the move is starting to annoy our family. I know that it is hard for them because we're leaving, and I also know that our plans have been very stressful, but it's hard because in a way, we feel like the gung-ho support we used to have from them is waning, and at times we even feel like they would be better off if we would just go ahead and get out of town. It's hard to need help and feel bad asking for it, and that's where we are. Please pray.

Elizabeth:
On a brighter note, we have been really getting excited about Elizabeth's appearance. She is starting to move so much now. She's a really hyper girl! And, we just had our first baby shower, and wow, we feel so loved. We are just amazed and thankful for everything we were given. So thanks to everyone! :)

Well, there ya go. A quick de-briefing on our life right now. There will be more later, I promise. We just need to figure out how to survive this month first!

Love you all!

Parenting 101

2008-04-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I'm not a parent yet, but since I am going to be one soon, AND I work with kids who have TERRIBLE parents, I've been thinking about it a lot.

So I've decided that every once in a while, I will share with you what I have learned about parenting so far. Sometimes it will be lessons learned while being a mom to Elizabeth, and sometimes it will be lessons learned from seeing bad parenting while interacting with my students.

So here it goes:

Parenting lesson #476 -- When you have decided to go out of town to see a Bon Jovi concert, make sure that you are back in time to TAKE YOUR KID TO SCHOOL! (And if you're not, don't make him lie to the principal and say that he was "sick," especially when the other kids have already told her that he wasn't.)

Gotta love it!

More to come!

So...I got in trouble

2008-04-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

...for the last post. In case you didn't get it (which unless you know Perl, you probably didn't), it's a speech from Hamlet written in Perl. Yeah, I'm a nerd, and I certainly had nothing better to do on this fine Sunday afternoon.

In truth, the previous post was Jen's fault. Rather than tell me to post more, she commented on my first (and only post at the time) entry telling me I should post more. Hehe...oh well.

use Shakespeare::Hamlet

2008-04-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

$question = qr/ ( b | [^b] ) {2} /;
switch( $mind =~ /nobler/ ) {
____case 0:
________foreach ($fortune->{OUTRAGEOUS}{SLINGS}) {
____________suffer($_); }
________foreach ($fortune->{OUTRAGEOUS}{ARROWS}) {
____________suffer($_); }
____case 1:
________if( split( $arms, $troubles->{C} ) ) {
____________undef( $troubles->{C} ); }
}

my $die = sub {
____undef $sleep;
____die(); }
my $sleep = sub {
____heart_ach->DESTROY {};
____shocks->DESTROY {};

____return rand();
}
________

__begin__

package heart_ache;
____sub new {}
____sub DESTROY {}

package shocks;
____my $natural;
____sub new {
________for( my $i = 0; $i < 1000; $i++ ) {
____________push( @{$natural}, $i ); } }
____sub DESTROY {}
________
package flesh;
____@ISA = qw( heart_ache shocks );
____sub new {}

__end__

if( eof() ) {
____if( rand() <>new(); } }

my $dream____
my $death = &$die();
my $perchance = &$sleep();
if( $perchance >= 0.50 ) { $dream = 1; }
else { $dream = 0; }

my $coil = ( MORTAL => flesh->new() );

$rub = grep { $death && shift( @{$coil} ) } $dream;
if($rub) { CORE::sleep(5); }

sub respect {
________$calamity = Life->long(); }
________
package life;
____sub long {
________bear_time();
________opressors();
________man();
________love();
________law();
________office();
________merit();
________return 1;
____}
____sub short {
________$bodkin = {};
________$quietus = $bodkin; }
____
____
____sub bear_time {
________foreach ($time->{SCORNS}) {
____________print "$_\n"; }
________foreach ($time->{WHIPS}) {
____________print "$_\n"; } }
________
____#sub oppressors { cout << "Hello World!"; }
____sub man { man(); }
____sub love {
________if(int(rand(2))) { return 0; }
________else { return 1; } }
____sub law {
________while( rand() < 0.90 ) {
____________CORE::sleep(2000); } }
____sub office {
________@args = ("shc","-f hamlet.pl";
________system(@args) == 0 or die(); }
____sub merit {
________while( 1 ) { sleep(2); } }

__end__

if( !($life =~ /death$/) ) {
____respect(); }
else( !($life =~ /death$/) ) {
____respect(); }
else { Life->short(); }
____
sub conscience {
____foreach $person ( @all ) {
________$person = $coward; }
____return $true; }
________
eval { concience(); }
if( !@_ ) {
____pack $thought, $resolution->{HUE};
____delete( $action->{NAME} ); }

Joshua

2008-04-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight Stephen and I were at Kohl's buying some new shoes, and when we were standing in line, we met a little boy, Joshua, and his mother. He was probably no more than 3 or 4 years old, but very friendly and out-going.

He noticed a stuffed animal that I had picked up to buy for Elizabeth (yep, we're already spoiling her), and he was instantly my new best friend. He walked right up to me and wanted to shake the little toy's, and he looked up at me and ask me where I found it.

His mother noticed that we were talking and came over to apologize, to which Stephen and I only smiled and said it wasn't a problem. She noticed that I am pregnant, and she said to Joshua, "She's got a baby," while pointing to my stomach. I snickered and added, "yea, but she's hiding inside."

Well, Joshua wanted to meet Elizabeth, so he automatically grabbed my shirt and lifted it up to find her! He's a very logical, if not literal, little boy. His mother was mortified, but Stephen and I had one of the biggest laughs we'd had all week.

Now that I've thought about it more, Joshua didn't just make me laugh; he made me even more excited about being a mom. I mean, I know that when Elizabeth is small and saying embarrassing things to strangers in stores, I'll be just as mortified as Joshua's mom was tonight, but think about it; I'll be in a store with my OWN CHILD!

I can't wait!

Today was a great day!

So cool!

2008-04-11T06:18:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I just feel like I have to share this because it excited me so much! Elizabeth started kicking last night, and for the first time, I could SEE my tummy move! CRAZY! I'm way pumped!

In other "cool" news, I'm blogging from school today because, although I'm here, my students are on a field trip with their science teacher, so I kind of have a day off. It's GREAT!

Oh, and, those of you reading this who are The Office fans, HOW AWESOME WAS IT?!!! Stephen and I are so glad it's back!

Hope everyone's day is wonderful!

p.s. I've become obssessed with milk and donuts. I'm so obssessed that the little guy who works at the Shipley's I go to, automatically rang me up for milk at the cash register today. Woah.

Being Pregnant and Being Me

2008-04-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've heard that a lot of women get emotional when they're pregnant. They cry a lot and get offended at just about anything. That hasn't been me. In fact, although I'm grateful for it, I have also felt like I'm not being a normal pregnant lady. I keep thinking that I'll have a break-down any day now, but the truth is that I'm just kind of mellowed out. I'm not complaining; I'm just nervous that one day I'll explode! Oh well, for now I'm content.

As for work; I'm tired of being tired on the job. Thankfully, everyone understands that it's hard being pregnant, but I just run out of energy so fast nowadays. It's hard to get anything done anymore. I'm just relieved that my job is not as taxing as last year, or I wouldn't be able to handle it.

No more complaining, though, because Elizabeth is constantly reminding me that she's coming soon! I feel her move so much, now, and it just feels.....worth it! :)

More later!

Haha!

2008-04-04T21:13:00.001-07:00

Sup. So she said I couldn't do it. It would just be easier not to have to worry about it.

Here I am. Posting on our blog with my account. =) hehe.

Just kidding. I had nothing else to write. Shouldn't be surprising if you've read any of my other blogs. squeezeoflime.blogspot.com hasn't been updated in almost two years, lol, and my new one that I was determined to keep to date hasn't been updated since the first couple of posts.

Well, shucks. Good thing I married an English teacher. I'll just have her kids update it as a homework assignment.

Welcome to the life of Three Bushes!

2008-04-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, Jen Russell told me that I absolutely HAD to start a blog since Stephen and I will be moving away AND having a baby, so I decided to oblige her! (Love you, Jen!)

Although we haven't moved yet, and Elizabeth has yet to show her beautiful face to the world, I decided that I should probably start blogging now, so that I could get myself into the habit.

So here we are, World Wide Web! We are the shrubs you can't ignore!

I won't begin our blog with a long narrative (but those of you who know us, know that long narratives will probably soon follow); however, I did want to make a short comment on a fun date Stephen and I just had.

Tonight, after some dinner, we did something that we rarely do; we went to see a movie! It's not that we don't enjoy movies; it's just that they are WAY more expensive than they need to be, so we save our movie-going for ones that we just HAVE to see.

Anyway, tonight we saw the movie Leatherheads, and I would highly recommend it! It's not an Oscar winner by any means, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie. The characters were great and very likable, the plot was surprising at times (without being impossible to understand), and it was reminiscent of old-time movies where the dialogue was smart and sassy, and the action was not. It had all of the elements that we enjoy without being too intense or too blah. And, it's about football! Woot!

Stephen and I mainly liked the fact that we could sit, relax, and take in a pleasantly comical and subtly romantic movie without being bombarded with all of the pomp and circumstance that most "modern-style" movies have nowadays.

So, go see it. You'll like it.

In other news, Elizabeth is kicking now. It's SO cool! :)

More later!