Houston

I had such a fun visit to Houston this weekend. First of all, flying on a plane all by myself was heavenly! I got to read, take a little nap and didn't have to worry about any one being disruptive! My mom picked me up from the airport with some bright yellow daisy's and told me that might be the only sunshine I saw all weekend (it almost was). We went and had a nice lunch at Cafe Express, we don't have those in Nashville, so that was a treat. Then we headed to my mom's office, where Cindy gave me an ultrasound. It was wonderful to see this new little life growing in my tummy. I was so relieved to see his little heart beating and him kicking around like crazy, I have been holding my breath for the last 15 months, and now, I finally feel like I can breath easier and enjoy this pregnancy. It was exciting to find out this early that he is a little boy. After the ultrasound, my mom and I went to Old Navy and she bought me some really cute dresses...not from the maternity section! I love the style these days, perfect for us preggos. Then I went to my dear friend, Carly's house because another dear friend, Amy was in town from Dallas. It was so good to see her, even though it was only for an hour. I always love being around Amy, she is the sweetest, kindest and funniest person ever. She makes me laugh all the time. Then, I went and hung out with my parents for the evening. They have a new little mexican food place they frequent weekly, so I was the guest of honor. The waiter knows them and didn't even have to ask what they wanted to order! They go that often! It was great to get to spend time with them, weird without the boys around, but so nice to get to visit and have them all to myself! On Saturday, I slept in and then Mom and I went to get Shipley's (again, we don't have those in Nashville) and went to see my brother, sister-in-law, 3 niece's and 1 nephew. Morgan is 10.5, she emails me now and every time I write her back I think she won't be able to read it, of course she can, but I can't believe she is old enough to read and type emails! I love her, she is my little munchkin, even though she is old enough to think Zac Ephron and Jesse Mcartney are cute. Payton is 3, and was wearing one of the Princess dresses (I'll never know all the princesses now with 3 boys!), she is so girly, which is so much fun, since Morgan is NOT into the girly thing. She kills me when she talks, because she has the cutest little voice and gets so excited when she is trying to tell you something. Jacob is Payton's twin brother. He breaks my heart, he has the sweetest little face and is just so sweet and innocent looking (although I'm sure Loy would say he isn't always so innocent or so sweet). He doesn't talk as much as Payton, because I think she talks for him! Addison is the baby, she is about 7 months and is teeny tiny. She can almost crawl and it's hysterical to see this little thing crawling around on the floor. She loves to watch what her sisters and brother are doing at all times, and yells at them. They are all so good with her and can make her laugh at the drop of a hat. It was fun to see them, Todd and Loy. After that, Carly came to pick me up and we went to The Woodlands to spend the afternoon shopping, with no kids in tow! Carly is pregnant as well, which is so much fun, since we have been pregnant together with our other 2 kids. Sam and Maggie are 2 weeks apart, Carly and Casey lived in Nashville when they were born, we had the same doctor and were each in the room when our first babies were born. They moved to Houston later, which was so sad. Gabe and Rory are 2 months apart, and now these 2 babies will be around 5 weeks apart! Both of us have had 2 miscarriages each and we still manage to be preggers together. It's so much fun. I love Carly...she is a lifelong friend. I knew her growing up, but we weren't really friends, we really got to know each other in Nashville and have been dear friends ever since. She is very wise and knowledgeable about so many things. She almost always knows the answer to any of my questions and is so good at helping me sort through things and just being there to listen to me. Even though she lives in Houston now, we usually talk at least once a week. She also has great fashion sense, so I always love shopping with her because I end up buying stuff I wouldn't normally buy. Like the silver flats and stripy leggings from Charming Charlies! That evening we met up with Laura and Shana at Lupe Tortilla (they have the best fajitas, in my opinion. Again, not one of these in Nashville and is my absolute favorite place to get messican in Houston). We got stuffed on fajitas and queso and got caught up with each other. Laura is my sister-in-law. Adam, Neal's brother, had the sense to marry someone that I would love dearly as my sister and my friend. Laura is the most encouraging person you could ever meet and has an infectious laugh. I sat next to her later that night when we went to see Hairspray and laughed more because I was sitting next to her. Shana and I have been best friends since 6th grade! Through all the changes life has brought us, we have remained close through all of it. The Lord has always brought us commonality in the midst of our different circumstances and we have been able to encourage, love and be honest with each other for so many years. I love her so much and would do anything for her. Now, if you want to go see Hairspray, make sure you go with your girlfriends, boys would be a bad thing in this movie. It's hysterical because it is so cheesey. I loved it! Our friend Kandice, who is actually my next door neighbor was in town too, so she and some of her friends met up with us for the movie. It was a blast. On Sunday, I went to breakfast with my parents and then my friend from elementary, middle and high school, Sarah came to pick me up with her daughter, Bella. The last time I saw Sarah was last year, in July, for our 10 year HS reunion. She, Cassidy and I were the best of friends growing up, so we all got to spend the weekend together and experience the reunion together. Anyway, Sarah and her husband have moved back to Houston and are both doing Doctor stuff. Sae just graduated med school and is doing her residency in Houston for Pediatrics. She is so smart and I am always fascinated to talk to her and ask her all my medical questions. It was fun to see her awesome condo in the Medical Center and see her as a mom to sweet little Bella. After our time together, she took me to the airport. My flight was delayed an hour, but I didn't mind. I had my book and the airport is SUCH a great place to people watch. I love sitting in one place and watching all the different people walk by and wondering what their story is. Neal and the boys picked me up from the airport. It was so good for me to see them all and so good for me to have been away so we could miss each other. The absence really does make the heart grow fonder! It was so good for them to have the weekend with just their Daddy. It was so great to get away, see my friends and family and have some time to myself to do my thing. I came back feeling refreshed and ready to jump back into my life with renewed...patience? energy?...renewed something at least!