Birdies

I have some creative and brilliant friends - so today as I was browsing my friend Lisa's etsy shop, this little birdies necklace inspired me to start sharing some of these friends with you!

Have you ever seen a cuter necklace? I love that it's dainty and delicate, but fun and modern at the same time. For more of Lisa's vintage-inspired jewelry with a charming modern twist, check out thedresdendoor.etsy.com

Rocks

Sunday after church Ryan and I took Ruby to the playground. She's not much of a climber at this stage - which is okay with me. She mostly just looks for rocks on the ground, then collects them all into a pile which she returns to constantly to see if the rocks are still there. When they are, she gets excited to see them.

I love her and her ridiculous amounts of happiness.

Thanksgiving

We had quite a full Thanksgiving weekend! It was fun to spend time together, telling stories and playing a few good rounds of nertz. The food was delicious and I ate enough for two... even though the child in my womb is only a little bigger than an avocado.

Sarah and I went shopping on Black Friday... which I have never done before. We waited until 10am, hoping that all the crazy people would have been done by then... but they were still out and about. I did find some great deals, and we did eat Chipotle for lunch, so it that alone made it an awesome afternoon.

Ryan, Chris and Dad took our leaves to the city dump on Saturday. Chris took some "industrial" pictures while they were there. I can't wait to see them! He's been shooting film, so it's a longer development process, allowing my anticipation to boil over. They also washed and waxed the van (getting it ready for the sloshnastsaltiest winter weather we have in Michigan). While they were doing all that hard work, Ruby and I took some naps.

It was a wonderfully productive yet restful weekend! I'll post more pics, including a family shot, as soon as I get it from photographer extraordinaire, Chris.

Ok Then...

ht: whyismarko

Thankfulness

As many of you know, I love love love the Jesus Calling devotional by Sarah Young that my dear mother-in-law gave me last Christmas. If you're wondering what to give as a gift this year, consider Jesus Calling for the people on your list. If you're from Granger, I'm sure Susan in the bookstore (retail services) would love to help you get some copies, otherwise, here is it on Amazon.

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November 24th

Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience - at times, blind obedience. To people who don't know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrendering hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain.

Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it us as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity.

Ephesians 5:20; Psalm 118:1; Psalm 89:15

Thanksmas Memories

This is the first Thanksgiving I can remember that does not include camouflage, guns, ammunition and pheasants for dinner. The Beeson family took a break from the annual Thanksmas Hunt so my dad could finish out the final week of his sabbatical in Texas doing some serious hunting with his camera and his friend Wyman.

I am thankful for the time we have this year to spend with the Cox family, and I'm thrilled for the time dad has to be in nature capturing amazing photographs and renewing his spirit - but I'll miss the hunt, miss the time sighting in guns with my brother and selecting cammo garb and fluorescent orange hats from the closet with my sister. I'm already looking forward to next year's Thanksmas Hunt! Here are some pics from the last few years.

2009 - a little bit back woods

2008 - apparently we wore sunglasses this year.

2007 - so much orange! I love my mom in this one.

2006 - John in short sleeves loving the warm weather!

vansectomy

As I mentioned here and here, we knew this day was coming.

...that's right folks, we sold our trusty Jeep and are the proud owners of a used mini van. All I can say is, "the cup holders, oh the glorious cup holders!"

p.s. I love how our cute, little rental house looks in the background of this picture.

On Switching to Mayo

Ryan recently decided he detests everything about Miracle Whip... which has been a staple in our home for the past 6 years. One day after I stocked up on Miracle Whip (Meijer had it on their 10 for $10 sale), he came home and stated, "I'm never eating Miracle Whip again. Only mayo. It's so good - like a REAL deli sandwich!"

So there you go. We've made the switch from Miracle Whip Lite to full-blown, fat-filled, proper Real Mayonnaise. ...I must admit, it is delicious. It reminds me of the sandwiches Granny used to make me - when the white bread would stick to the roof of my mouth.

If anyone would like some Miracle Whip, I've got 5 unopened containers of it in the basement.

What about you? Are you a Mayo or Miracle Whip person?

Bryan and Michelle Visit

Our dear friends Bryan and Michelle came to visit this weekend. They brought their new baby Elliot for us to meet for the first time. He's such a little buddy.

Bryan and Ryan went the the UofM game on Saturday. Here is Ryan, enjoying the pageantry and fanfare before the band entered the stadium.

Michelle and I spent Saturday catching up on everything in our lives, enjoying Chipotle for lunch, hanging out with the kiddos and giving ourselves pedicures while the babies napped. We even got some shopping in and thoroughly enjoyed parking in the "mothers with strollers" parking spots at Macy's. It was awesome.

Sunday after church we went to brunch at Sundance Grill - delish! Michelle took this great pic of Bryan and Elliot with his awesome hat on.

Behold, my baby bump in the picture of Michelle and I below... pretty much I look 6 months pregnant already. It's a bit horrifying that I am going to be the size of the house by the time this child is born.

We loved the time with our friends and loved meeting little Elliot. A great weekend, filled with great friends, food and laughter. Thanks for coming over guys!

Quaker Steak and Lube

I am seriously confused by the "Quaker Steak and Lube" place. One just went in near our house and every time I drive past it I get disgusted! What is it? Do you get your oil changed while you eat? You park your car in there and they change your oil while you enjoy some steak?

Ryan seems to think this is the ideal situation. He's apparently not as confused or disturbed by it as I am. I always say, "Who Goes There?!?!" and he says, "Guys!"

I checked out their website and couldn't find anything about changing the oil... so why the lube?

Has anyone been there? What's the deal?

Because we all need a good laugh every now and again...

I don't even know what I'm watching here, but this single clip has entertained Ryan and I for hours.

16 Month Video

places

found my lotion in the silverware drawer today... then found Ruby's bunny, a couple of books and a hair bow in the trash can. Apparently she's in the "putting things places they don't belong" phase of life.

She's really stinkin' cute, but she's sure keeping me on my toes these days!

Catch-up, or Ketchup

I'm ALIVE!!! After a few months feeling generally horrendous, I believe I've finally turned the corner and this pregnancy will be glorious from now on. Since the terrible life-sucking nauseousness has prevented me from blogging much, I thought I'd take this morning to catch you up on all the shenanigans this fall has offered up.

• We got home from our family vacation in Tahoe and I sprawled out on the couch for a good week... ahem, month... Ruby stood by the couch and patted my arm, (or my head, face, eyeball) offering her condolences. I pretty much felt like the worst mom on the planet, but she did good reading books and playing with her toys on the floor while I was concentrating on not puking and being horizontal.

• We met up with Chris and Amanda downtown to check out the ArtPrize competition. Here are Ryan and Ruby in awe of the winning piece. A pencil drawing of the Cavalry in the 1921. It really was incredible!
• We've spent A LOT of time outside with Ruby. She has thoroughly explored the front yard. She knows where the hole is that the chippies come from, she knows where the ants live, and she can find every dangerous animal/poisonous berry/poke-your-eye out item within a mile. Recently we were outside, I turned around for one second and she was elbow deep in the muffler of my car in the driveway. That's right, she stuck her little arm all the way into the muffler. Not clean folks, not clean!
• I'm the publicity person for our MOPS group this year, so I got to go on the retreat with the other leaders. We had an awesome "kid-free" weekend together. We did a craft... I'm terrible at crafts.
• I got Ruby some really cute cowboy boots at a consignment store up here. She loves them! She carries them around and says "boots boots!" whenever she sees them, but when I put them on her feet, she won't walk. She immediately gets on her knees and drags them around behind her. It's really strange. I can't figure out what the deal is.
• Ryan went to New Orleans with a bunch of Gastroenterologists for a conference, so Ruby and I (not knowing much about Gastroenterology) spent a few days in Granger with my mom and dad to celebrate my mom's birthday. Dad took Ruby hiking and taught her all about leaves, pine cones, meadows, fallen trees, acorns, and deer. She always says "Naaay" when she sees a deer. When you get down to the nitty gritty, deer are kinda like small horses.
• We got a free trial for Netflix and have pretty much watched way too many movies over the last month. We watched movies we never even wanted to see... that's just terrible, isn't it?!? One of the movies we watched was "Gran Torino" and Ryan has been singing in a grovelly Clint Eastwood voice since then. He really cracks himself up. If you want a good laugh just listen to this video and imagine Ryan singing it.
• Ruby LOVES wearing gloves. If she sees them, she says "feeners, feeners" and puts her hand up for me to put them on her.
• I test-drove some double strollers the other day. Would you believe that a double stroller won't fit in the trunk of my Mazda 3? That's going to be a bit of an issue. I told Ryan he might need to get a vansectomy soon. (According to our friends Chad and Kathi, a VANSECTOMY is Chad's term for his loss of manhood due to the purchase of a mini-van).
• We had a Halloween dinner party with a few of our couple friends, so we dressed up as Flo (from the progressive commercials) and Billy Mays. Once I finished drawing on Ryan's beard with eyeliner, he requested to be dead, so we added the dark circles and ashy skin. Like I said before, he really cracks himself up sometimes!

So that's the story from here. I can't believe it's already November! For those of you who are still reading this, I commend you! Especially you, Uncle Matt! I wasn't sure you'd make it past the first bullet point.