Random Notes

We will be disconnected from internet for a little while, so I wanted to post a little last minute update on the happenings in the Millan household.

Homestead Headlines

We had our new-home orientation this morning, and are set to close on a house here in Charleston tomorrow afternoon. Words drastically fall short of expressing the gratitute and praise in our hearts toward the Lord for providing this home for us. On one hand, I want to shout from the mountain-tops a testimony of God's generosity. On the other hand, I want to bow my head in reverence and hide in humiliation because I know that my life will never flesh out love for Him anywhere near the proportion of love He has shown to me. Glory to His name!

Baby Business

AJ is still due at the end of October, but my doctor said that it is likely he might be a little ahead of schedule. Yikes! My family is coming next weekend to help us settle in and unpack. Whew! Thanks mom, grandma, Kaitlin, and Danielle and Papa! I'm making a list and checking it twice :) Also, does anyone have any tips about painting stripes (other than "don't do it!!"); including creative stripe patterns and just general "how-to" advice. I have some ideas in mind, but I wanted to fish for a few more.

Olivia's Latest and Cutest Thing:

Singing the ABC song. It goes something like this "A C dub-ya-jama-dujamaj-beja A C duja baj A C duba duba duja ba....."

Congratulations Steve and April!

This post is dedicated to our dear friends Steve and April. We love you guys and we are so happy that little Trinity Grace finally decided to grace us with her presence.

Yahoo! Photos - stevebejar's Photos - 2006-09-23

Baby Blues

I have this notebook. It's a 3-ring binder that has become home to all my "home-ideas". It's full of page protectors, and whenever I come across something I like, I just stick it in the notebook and organize it some evenings when Alex is watching a game or the news. The contents range from adds for a piece of furniture I like or post-it notes that say "make a trellis tee-pee for Olivia out of bamboo..." or fabric samples. Tonight, I pulled out the notebook to put some paint swatches in AJ's room section and just laughed. I thought that one of the simplest things about having a boy is that you can just paint the little guy's room blue. After looking at the jabillion swatches I've accumulated, the decision to paint the room blue has turned a bit to the complicated side. I don't even remember what blue I was thinking about in the first place, and I am not going to wimp out and go green or yellow just because I cannot decide on the blue! The walls must be blue! Having said all that, if these are the only baby blues I experience-- I'll be o.k.

Weekend Happenings

We have had an action-packed weekend here in Charleston! Friday night, we attended a couple of games at the school here. Olivia enjoyed her french fries and ketchup. If double dipping is not your thing, then you shouldn't share fries with Olivia. She will dip the same fry over and over again until it is a soggy mess. That's about the time she offers you a bite. Uhhh.. no thanks sweetie!

We usually blitz neighborhoods on Saturday mornings. This morning, we were given about 100 loaves of bread to distribute to the folks we met. For the past several Saturdays we've knocked on door after door, and I could count on one hand the number of English speaking people we've run into. Everyone elso is Spanish-speaking! What a mission field! Olivia and I usually amount to mere moral support whenever visitation time rolls around. Alex decided that this was my last Saturday to come since I am great with child, and a morning of blitzing in the hot sun will wipe me out for the rest of the day. Whew! Thank you, darling, for being sensitive to your wimpy wife :)
After visitation, we went to Fall Fun Day at the church. One of the classes had a "yard-sale" booth where we found a great rocking chair for ten bucks! Score! Granted, it is going to need a little paint and new cushion covers-- but it is a nice sturdy chair for the baby's room! I'll be sure to post the results.

Big Shoes to Fill....Literally!

My heart melted this morning when Olivia scooted into the kitchen wearing her mamma's shoes! It was her redeeming moment, seeing as how I just surveyed the mess she had just made of the house in the first thirty minutes of the day. What a vivid reminder right before my eyes to "walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself...!" My shoes are on the floor today and at Goodwill tomorrow. My WALK is impressed on her little mind forever!

Thirty-Something Weeks

Here I am at thirty-something weeks. Whew! Believe me when I say that I don't really feel as bad as I look in the picture :) It was just taken at about 10:30 p.m. after Wednesday night church. I havn't been as fortunate this time around to squeeze into normal clothes for the final stretch, so I was pleased to find this jean dress at Motherhood Maternity last week. It is so comfy, I plan on wearing it at least every other day until I have this baby. Decent maternity clothes are not easy to find these days, and I was happy to find a good balance between a big teddy bear jumper and the disco-barbie maternity line.

Pizza Night

We made homemade pizza the other night, and Olivia wanted to get in on the action! I gave her her own little piece of dough to knead, and she had a blast! I wish that I could have gotten a picture of her sticking her foot in the dough... hmmm I never tried that method before. We did make a very helpful discovery in our homemade pizza-perfecting journey-- bread flour is better than all-purpose flour. (Duh.. I guess that's why it's called BREAD flour!) The texture of the crust is much chewier. One of these days, we'll get it right. Thanks for your help Olivia!

The Homestead

We drove over to "the homestead" today to find very exciting progress being made on the house! All the men were preparing to pour the driveway and sidewalk. It was exciting to watch the process from start to finish. We are scheduled to close on September 29th, a month ahead of schedule!

Don't Flatter Me

As I was sorting through the pile of mail on our dining room table, I came across an interesting piece addressed to Leah Millan. On the front of the silver wrapping of this particular mailer was the following message: "Congratulations! YOU QUALIFY [emphasis mine] for an instantly slimming [rear]-lifting tummy flattening FREE sample of Shaper Shortz!" Now, I don't know if the temp was in charge of this particular promo, but telling me that I QUALIFY for some sort of shape enhancing garment is not the most flattering way of winning my business. On what merit did I QUALIFY for this particular promotion? Hmmmm... add the fact that I am almost 34 weeks pregnant and that's just cruel :)

Little Olivia

Olivia is growing up so fast! I am suddenly feeling very sentimental about Olivia becoming a big sister, so I had to dig up some pictures and post a little "Olivia's 16 Month Review". From the moment I first saw her on a fuzzy ultra-sound screen, God has used her to show me His love from a whole new perspective. What a precious gift!

We Survived!

This is pretty much all that hurricane Ernesto amounted to here in our neck of the woods. I took this picture from the window of our apartment complex (no, don't try to picture all the stairs one must climb in order to live at this altitude). I love a rainy, overcast day every now and then. It was a perfect day to sit, read, blog, plan, and eat warm bread pudding! We thank the Lord for sparing us from a more severe hit from the storm and for blessing us with a much needed day of rest!