Some of My Favorite Photos from the Holidays...

Small group Christmas get-together - playing "Taboo"

Hannah and Josh, wearing our Christmas hats

Daniel and Jenny, the "newlyweds," looking sweet and cuddly by the Christmas tree

Christmas Eve service at the New Braunfels campus

Kassia, helping Nonie read the newspaper on Christmas Eve morning

Kassia and Nonie

Kassia and Papa

Kassia reaching for one of Nonie's Christmas ornaments...(I just love how this one turned out!)

Mom's pretty table all set for Christmas dinner

Kassia and I with Nonie's Christmas decorations in the background

Our first "family" Christmas picture in front of our tree

Kassia, excited about opening presents

Jeff and Caleb, wearing their new hats we got them for Christmas

One last hug "goodbye" at the airport before Caleb had to fly back to Wyoming

Jeff, Kassia, and I - taken just before Jeff shaved his head because he had to report back to the Army that evening

20 Days Later...

Has it really been that long since I lasted posted something? I guess, with me, blogging seems to be "feast or famine"... Ah well... Here's an update for the past few weeks:

Kassia:

• She's growing like a weed! My parents bought her a push-from-behind walking toy a few weeks ago, and she loves it! She's walking everywhere! The only problem is that she hasn't figured out yet how to turn or back up...so she just heads in a direction, bumps into what's ever in her way, gets stuck, and then starts whimpering in an effort to get me to help put her back on a clear walking path... It's so cute to watch her...
• She had an MRI done on the 16th to see if there was anything wrong in the brain that's causing her left eye to drift out ("exotropia")... The scan came back normal, which is a good thing...(except for some "mucous in the ethmoid sinuses," so since that's not an area the opthamologist is familiar with, he's going to put in a consult to have Kassia seen by the pediatric neurologist to check it out, just to be on the safe side) Now, she's having to wear a patch over her right eye each day, working up to having it on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon... The "patching" is supposed to help correct the "vision" part of the eye drifting - in other words, it tells the brain to concentrate and focus the eye more on that side... However, the doctor still feels she might have to have surgery to correct the muscle weakness part of it... We'll see...
• She's just over 9 months old now! What a big girl! The pediatrician thought, if Kassia had mastered her "pincer" grip (putting things between her forefinger and thumb), she could start eating Cheerios... My "mommy gut" told me I shouldn't give them to her anyway, despite the fact that she's ready to have them... I went against it, though...(bad idea!)...and let Kassia have some Cheerios for a snack... About 3 hours later, Kassia was projectile vomiting all over herself at the grocery store! Poor baby! So, to make a long story short: we're having Kassia's blood tested for food allergies and for coeliac disease (an intolerance for gluten), and she's going to be scheduled for an upper GI test as well, to make sure everything's functioning like it's supposed to... We have an appointment November 13th to discuss all the results... We'll keep you informed...
• Her favorite color is definitely orange! And, we took her to her first pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago, and she was in "orange heaven!" She had a blast looking at and touching all the pumpkins... And, we got some really cute pictures of her, too! Speaking of pumpkins and such - Halloween is this Friday, and she's going to be a ladybug! I can't wait to see her in her sweet costume!

Scott

• He's been having some trouble with migraine headaches lately...and unfortunately, has had to miss a bit of work because of them... We're praying that whatever's causing them will reveal itself, so we can know better how to deal with this whole thing... Keep Scott in your prayers - migraine's are no fun...
• He's still searching for another job... No luck with that yet...
• He's been playing his "jimbe" drum for the praise band at the New Braunfels campus and is really enjoying that... He's still learning the bass guitar, and I'm sure they'll have him continue to switch between the two, depending on what they need for the songs...
• He had a "Scott Day" all to himself this past Saturday and worked on organizing the garage ("his space!")... He hung up some of his posters and moved some of the boxes around so there's actually space for him to work in there... I'm excited for him - that's one of the things he always used to talk about: "When we have a house of our own...I can't wait to have a big garage to put all my tools and stuff in..." I'm sure this is only the beginning! He'll eventually have the "garage to end all garages" by the time he's through!

Me

• I have a cold...bleah! I've had it for a few days now, and it's slowly starting to get better and go away...(leaving behind, in its wake, a sea of dirty tissues!) I really don't like being sick...I mean, nobody does... But, the one thing I really can't stand about having a cold is not being able to taste your food! Man, that irks me! I LOVE to eat! And, not being able to taste anything just makes me think, "It's not even worth eating!" I'm happy to report, though, that since I'm on the "tail end" of the cold, my sense of taste is slowly creeping back...and I'm enjoying tasting my food as much as ever!
• I finished the first Bible study I've done with the NB ladies last week...and will be starting a new one next Tuesday... I really enjoyed getting to know the ladies in our group...and it was nice to get back into the swing of having a quiet time each morning... I'd gotten out of the habit of doing that since Kassia's been born - lack of sleep can do that to you! But, now that she's mostly sleeping through the night, it's much easier for me to get up in the morning and spend some time with God before starting my day... And, that time, of course, helps me do better in multiple areas of my life...
• The whole "Am-I-going-back-to-school-in-January?" question is still on the table... Scott and I haven't discussed it much further, but it's still in the back of my mind... We'll have to pray about it and discuss the logistics of it all... I know that I want to finish and finally get my BA, but is now the right time?
• I try and write my brother, who's in boot camp at Ft. Benning, GA, at the moment, almost every day if I can... I'm sure he gets bored with the "Life and Times of Mommy Steph," but at least he's getting mail to read! I'm going to be printing out some photos of Kassia and the family from the pumpkin patch to send him...I'm sure he'll like those... He seems to be doing well with all his training... I worry about him, though, when I hear that he's learning how to throw grenades and avoid IED's...it's scary to think of him in those situations... But, I know God will take care of him...
• I'm still trying to get better about keeping up with Kassia's milestones... And, I'd like to start scrapbooking her first year pretty soon... Of course, that means picking out what photos I'd like to use...printing them out...and actually having time to sit down and scrap them! We'll see... I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually...
• I'm loving the colder weather! Absolutely loving it! I hope it stays this way for a while... It just improves my attitude by 150%! It inspires me... I feel like doing all kinds of things! And, I actually feel like being outside! Kassia and I go for walks all the time now... And, I so enjoy having a warm cup of tea, like I did this morning, when it's this cool...YUM!

Well, I guess that's about it for the last few weeks as far as the Ross family goes... I'll post some of those pumpkin patch pictures (try saying that five times fast!) later, so ya'll can see my cutie!

"Monday...Mondaaaay..."

At home...

Doing laundry...

Washing dishes...

Eating lunch...

Paying bills...

Playing with my adorable daughter!

The "usual"...

This past weekend was really nice...busy, but nice... Saturday, Mom, Kassia, and I went to a couple of craft fairs, one of which I went to last year, and at that time, I happened to have a huge pregnant belly... It was kind of surreal walking around this year, pushing that very baby, who I hadn't even met yet, around in a stroller (that didn't roll so well in the dirt!)... Of course, I saw tons of things I wanted to buy to decorate the house for all the upcoming holidays...but, as "funds" are low, I didn't buy all three million of them... Instead, Mom blessed me with a cute little scarecrow guy I was really wanting...and he's now hanging out on my couch! I love fall! Next, we met Scott for lunch at Chili's...and had some delicious burgers! Then, Scott went to run some errands, and we visited another craft show, where I bought something to decorate Kassia's room...and picked up some wood-carvings of all our names to eventually paint in Christmas colors to decorate the bar area...(definitely a good idea, Mom! Can't wait to see how they turn out!)

Saturday afternoon, we headed over to X and E's adoption party...and boy, what a spread! Kelly and Ryan went ALL out! The decorations were awesome...there was tons of food...and everything was set up so nice in their backyard! There was a "bouncy castle" and a small ball pit for the kids to play in... And, there was even a "sno-cone" machine and a cotton candy machine! When the Newcom's say "party"...they mean it! Kassia had a blast in the ball pit! She and Morgan rolled around in there...put as many as balls they could get into their mouths...and just had fun! I'm glad the party was such a hit...and what a wonderful way to celebrate and make new memories for such a beautiful occasion!

We ended up going out to eat with Mom later that evening...and had some yummy steaks at the "Texas Roadhouse"...(you know, the place where they throw the peanut shells on the floor!) It was nice to just hang out and talk and enjoy each others' company!

Sunday, Scott wasn't feeling well...so Kassia and I did everything on our own... Church - a delicious lunch with Chris and Lynn (thanks again, guys!) - "Love and Respect" Bible study... We all just hung out and relaxed yesterday evening...a good way to prepare for the new week...

And, speaking of starting a new week - didn't I mention "doing laundry" somewhere up there? Yeah, I need to go switch over the loads... Back to work!

Another Week Gone By...

I haven't posted anything since last Thursday... Maybe it's because it's been such a busy week! Here are some highlights:

• Friday - went and walked in the Comal County Parade (Kassia had her stroller all decorated for the event!)
• Saturday - went to a craft/car show; spent the day with my parents (and ate tons of homemade peach ice cream...yum!)
• Sunday - church; spent about an hour or two at the church picnic at the Redland campus and got to visit with some friends we hadn't seen in a while; went back over to visit with my parents for a short while after the picnic
• Monday - worked around the house; had a really fun time playing with Kassia; small group at the Bateman's in the evening
• Tuesday - women's Bible study; cleaned the house and did laundry
• Wednesday - finished cleaning; had lunch with my parents and went back to their house to hang out, play with Kassia, and eat more homemade ice cream; supposed to have small group at our house in the evening, but ended up just relaxing and hanging out with Chris and Lynn - fun times!
• Today - got up around 6:30am, but that was the first time I'd been out of bed since 10pm the night before!!! (I didn't sleep the whole night through, as I was awakened several times by Kassia...but each time, she just went right back to sleep, so I did, too! Wow - what a difference sleep makes!); hoping to clean upstairs; need to make a trip to the post office; looking forward to more play time with my daughter - she's so much fun!

Here are a few pictures from the last week:

How I found Kassia Friday morning - she pulled up and stood up on her own!

Photos of the parade float - eveyone did such a great job! It turned out wonderful!

Waiting for the parade to start...chilling with her sippy cup and decorated stroller...

Her first "big girl" bath (at Nonie and Papa's house)

Play time - looking through the netting of her "Ocean Wonder" crawl-through cave

Helping Daddy play the guitar on Sunday evening

Mommy's "big helper"

Slideshow...

Here are some photos of the happenings in our lives over the past few months...

Including:

• a visit from our great friend (and brother!), Peter, who joined us for a short while at the end of July... It was so good to see him! And, we were glad he finally got to meet Kassia...
  having to say "goodbye" to Caleb, after enjoying a wonderful summer with him... He left to fly back to Wyoming at the end of July, and we really miss him so much... The time spent with him was precious!
• having to say "see you later" to my brother, Jeff, who went up to Dallas in the middle of August to enlist in the Army
• a visit from my cousin, Lisa, and her husband, Calvin, who came down to enjoy a few days off before having to start back with school and work in the fall
• trying out new recipes for cooking meals at home... I'm always on the lookout for new ideas, especially ones involving chicken, as that's Scott's favorite thing to eat! This blackberry chicken recipe was pretty good... I also have a recipe for apricot almond chicken that's delicious! By planning out these recipes and shopping for specific ingredients at the grocery store, we're saving quite a bit of money on our food bills... What a blessing...
• still trying to get our house situated...(I think it'll be an on-going thing for as long as we own it!) But, the yard is looking wonderful! Scott does an excellent job of edging and mowing and watering...making the yard gorgeous and green!

What a Weekend!

We were going non-stop from Friday evening until 8pm yesterday night! We went over to my parents' house to eat dinner and have cake and ice cream for Caleb's birthday... Even though it was just a small party with his family, I think Caleb really enjoyed it... He had a HUGE piece of cake that Mom baked for him...and the homemade peach ice cream that Dad made was a big hit, too!

Birthday cake...("Wall-E")

Caleb, caught drinking the rest of his homemade peach ice cream

Saturday, we all spent the entire day at Fiesta Texas...sweating...out in the almost-unbearable 100+ degree heat...and had an absolute blast! The day was made much more "bearable" by taking a dip in the wave pool...by drinking large amounts of frozen lemonade...and by finding shade wherever possible... It really was a lot of fun, though... And, Caleb, now measuring 43" tall, was able to actually ride several of the "big people" rides there...including his very first roller coaster...after which, he said, quite loudly while laughing: "That wasn't fun! That was almost scary!" The guys in the seat in front of him couldn't stop laughing, either... We spent nearly 12 hours there at the park, and we were all exhausted by the time we left... But, I'm sure glad we got to spend that time with Caleb and make some great memories!

The "kids" getting their pictures taken with Bugs Bunny at Fiesta Texas

Kassia was so tired, she fell asleep, holding her cup in her mouth! Sweet baby...

Sunday, after church, we headed back over to my parents' house to have a large "lupper" with everyone, including my cousin and a friend of his that were visiting from out of town...and a friend of my brother's, who came in for the weekend to hang out with Caleb... You just can't beat a Southern-fried meal prepared by Mom: chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits, cream gravy, and fried okra! YUM! After eating and helping to clean up, Mom and Dad watched Kassia while Scott and I went to see "The Dark Knight"...and the movie was awesome! I was thoroughly impressed...especially by Heath Ledger's performance... Christian Bale looks as good as ever...(he's been one of my absolute faves since I was about 10 years old! I need to make a shirt that says something like: "I loved Christian Bale before it was cool...") Yep, I would definitely recommend going to see the new Batman movie...just make sure you have plenty of time blocked off as it's a pretty long movie...(with all the previews and everything...it went about 3 hours) We went back to pick up Kassia and spend a little time with my family and then headed home...

And, today...Monday...has been really hard to get started... After such a busy weekend, I'm SO unmotivated to do anything... But, unfortunately, I'm going to have to force myself to get up and get cleaning, because we have a small group meeting at our house this evening! ACK... Ah well... The house needs to be cleaned anyway... I just need to go do it...

And, I'm still sitting here...

And, typing...

And, trying to do anything BUT clean...

Alright...I'm really going now...









Really... :)

Friday Again Already?!

I can't believe it's already Friday again...meaning it's been a whole (busy) week since I last wrote... Here's a re-cap from the last week:

Friday:
- Went to dinner with my family and some out-of-town relatives at Chuy's

Saturday:
- Finished cleaning in the morning
- Went over to my parents' house to help set up for the pool party
- Enjoyed a fun day of hanging out with the Hyde family (my dad's side) and swimming, playing, and eating














Sunday:
- Returned to my parents' house to eat a very large and tasty breakfast with everyone...(thanks, Mom!)
- Spent the day relaxing and swimming some more
- Had some delicious spaghetti for dinner...(thanks, Dad!)

Monday:
- Met up with my family and the last of the remaining relatives at IHOP for breafast
- Stayed home for the remainder of the day and did absolutely nothing...but rest... (Kassia slept...and slept...and slept...)

Tuesday:
- Hung out with Mom and Caleb at the pool at her gym... Kassia loved all the noise and splashing and kids playing...

Wednesday:
- Had lunch with Barb and Morgan at Papouli's...yum!
- Ran some errands
- Enjoyed having our small group meet at our house, where we all pitched in and fixed fajitas for dinner...then, played "Catch Phrase"

Thursday:
- Ran errands
- Had lunch with Connie
- Ran some more errands...(which included finally mailing out most of Kassia's birth announcements...)
- Spent the evening with Kassia and Scott

Friday (today):
- Got up extremely early...(Kassia didn't want to go back to sleep after her feeding)
- Watched some TV
- Ate some oatmeal and drank some OJ
- Updated my blog...
- Am getting ready to leave to do some shopping here in a little while... I need to find a birthday present for Caleb - we're celebrating his birthday this evening with a small party, and then heading out tomorrow for a full-day's worth of fun at Fiesta Texas...

Well, I guess that about catches ya'll up! I'll try and write again soon...

"Celebrate America" Sunday...

We went to church with my parents and Caleb yesterday morning, and the theme for the day was "Celebrate America" for the "4th of July"... They had a really neat video presentation, honoring all military personnel and veterans, where they showed clips from various wars and played the songs representing each branch... Then, they "presented the colors" and brought in the American flag...we said "The Pledge of Allegiance"...and then, listened to an all-male choir sing "The National Anthem"... It was astounding... It was also wonderful getting to see so many different men and women in their uniforms...even retirees were asked to come in wearing them... There was an entire Army unit taking up two to three rows as well that was there visiting for the day... But, the best part of the service was getting to see my dad, in his flight suit, serving communion... What a blessing that was to my heart! That flight suit kind of IS my dad...the way I remember him from my childhood... And, to see him wearing it once more...and combining that with him serving the "elements" to fellow believers...was just awesome! I was raised in a very moral home, but not a Christian one... My parents started going to church when I was a sophomore in high school...and not too long after that, I noticed a considerable change in my father...a change for the better...as he dedicated his life to Jesus... And, he's been growing in the knowledge of the Lord ever since... I was so proud, watching him serve communion yesterday...and so glad that he knows the God of the Universe...

I love you, Daddy...

Kassia and Papa, in his flight suit

No. 100...

Has it really taken this long to get to my 100th post?! I really need to be better about blogging more often...(and, in order for that to happen, my life will have to get a lot more interesting...fast...so I'll actually have things to write about! I'll let you know how that works out...)

So, our "4th" was really great! We so enjoyed hanging out with our friends, James and Ashley, and their kids and friends for breakfast yesterday... The waffles were delicious! (and so was everything else that was served!) We hadn't seen them in months... The last time we'd seen Ashley, she was coming over to see the baby right after she was born... And, James just met Kassia for the first time yesterday... It was really good to see them and do some much-needed catching up!

Then, we were off to my parents' house for some oh-so-tasty Bar-B-Q that my dad had been working on for hours! We ate ribs and chicken...had baked beans...and corn on the cob... And, watched Caleb wear himself out, playing in the pool... Kassia played and played, too, keeping herself busy by watching the fan in my parents' living room...and by playing on the floor mat play-center my parents bought for her... Everyone took naps in the afternoon and just relaxed... And, after naptime, it was "homemade-ice-cream" time...YUM! Dad fixed some homemade strawberry ice cream...and we all ate at least two bowls or more! It was a really nice time, just hanging out with my family...

Yesterday evening, after we got home, we gave Kassia a bath and then watched a movie together before heading to bed... All in all - a great 4th of July!

Left: the whole "gang" at the Collins' house for breakfast, Right: James, Ashley, and Ellie - the hosts for the annual "4th Breakfast"

Caleb, playing in the pool with his new scuba mask

Kassia, having fun playing with Nonie and Papa

Our first 4th of July!

Whirlwind...

Life just seems to be speeding by...with no hopes of it slowing down anytime soon... It seems that most days I'm barely keeping up, if not falling behind...and on days when I'm actually feeling motivated and energized enough to accomplish a few things, the "feeling" is only there for a short time before quickly fading away, and then I'm back to where I started - exhausted, unorganized, frustrated, and ready for a nap! I'm hoping to get a better schedule set up soon... And, I've started going back to the gym in the early mornings a couple times a week (when I get enough sleep the night before to allow me to do that), so hopefully, that will help, too... And, as we're expecting visitors in less than two weeks, I'll be working on the house in a hurry to get it ready...so it'll be nice to finally have the house in order...and I think that'll help my state of mind as well...

Here are some photos from the past month:

Kassia, chillin' in her sunglasses at the hotel pool in Dallas

The knights of Medieval Times (we cheered for the Red Knight, there in front)

At my cousin, Scott's, high school graduation (from left to right: Jeff - friend, my Aunt Belinda, Calvin - her son-in-law, Scott - her son and the graduate, Kim - daughter, and Lisa - daughter)

Kassia and Daddy on their first Father's Day

Caleb, standing in front of a waterfall on the Riverwalk, the day we took the River Cruise (he loved all the ducks!)

Kassia, eating her toes! One of the first times I caught her doing it... It's amazing to be that flexible, huh?