Steve's company bought by GE

Yesterday General Electric closed on the purchase of Vetco Gray, so Steve now works for GE. As far as we know, his job responsibilities and salary/benefits will not be affected in any way, except that he will have to go to Albany, NY in a few weeks with some of his coworkers for a tour of a GE research center. I'm not looking forward to him being gone for four days, since he is always helping me take care of Rebecca and do household chores; but I think I can handle it better now than I could have a few months ago. It will be interesting to see how Cutie does without him around for that long.

Congratulations to my parents...

on 32 years of marriage!
May the coming year be the best one yet!

Bargain shopping for babies

As a new mommy, I am always on the lookout for places to find good deals on used baby items and clothes, and always eager to pass on information on opportunities I wish I had known about sooner.

Just Between Friends is a consignment sale that another new mommy friend from church recently told me about. It takes place over the course of a weekend, or sometimes a full week; once in the spring and once in the fall, in 14 states across the country (dates are different for different cities, and the locations vary from churches to convention centers). If you consign your own items, you get to set your own price ($3 minimum, but you can group items together), and you can specify on each item whether or not you will accept less (last day of the sale is half-price day) or not. You also have the option of donating any unsold items to a local charity, and you'll get a tax-deductible receipt. You can also shop before the general public if you participate as a consignor or volunteer, or if you are a new mommy or teacher. They have baby, kids, and maternity clothes; and toys, gear, and furniture; and it sounds like they are well-organized and do a fairly good job of only accepting items in good condition (no stains, etc.). Click here to visit the website and find out dates, locations, and other information. Many sales are coming up soon, mostly in March and April. There is one just five minutes from our house the week before Rebecca's birthday, and I'm hoping to find some spring/summer clothes (particularly dresses); either a rocking chair or rocking horse; and of course, some more books.

I have found consignment shops, donation-type shops, and garage sales to be hit-or-miss in terms of finding what I am looking for, but Just Between Friends sounds like it will have a much larger selection. Other sources of used items I recommend (besides friends and neighbors who are willing to share for free) include craigslist.com, mothers of multiples groups (we got our Pali cherry crib and matching changing table/dresser this way for $250 for both), and public library sales (10-cent board books!).

Happy 10 months today!

We are constantly thanking God for what a joy Rebecca is. She has been especially happy and fun the last couple of weeks. These pictures were all taken yesterday and today, but are fairly representative of what Cutie typically likes to do for fun every day. (She still loves books, especially books with different textures, but I don't have any recent book pictures.)

The weather changes frequently here, but sixty degrees and sunny made it perfect for swinging this afternoon.

Cutie likes taking baths with Mommy (and it's easier for Mommy to keep her safe that way, too).
fascinated by falling water and the bubbles it makes
fresh from the bathtub in her hooded towel

a favorite game is for Cutie to crawl a few feet and then Daddy pulls her back by the ankles to where she started (repeated several times); she also likes Mommy and Daddy to chase her when she crawls

Cutie loves the butterfly pull chain on her new fan that Daddy just installed yesterday

view looking up at flower-petal ceiling fan, which matches her room perfectly

Happy Valentine's Day!

These Valentine's jammies are from cousin Katherine. The little dots glow in the dark!

Matchmaking

Here stands one of the happiest couples I have ever seen, together with their matchmaker (my mom!). Troy started teaching in my parents' Sunday School class last May, and told him in June that she thought he should get to know her niece (my cousin) Heather (who was living in Chatanooga, TN at the time). They emailed and talked frequently and at length for several weeks, met face-to-face for the first time in August, and got engaged in October. Heather moved in with my parents in November to plan their wedding and to get to see Troy more than once a month. They just got married this Saturday, and the wedding was beautiful and glorifying to God. This is all in response to years of numerous fervent prayers by many different people, and everyone who knows them agree they are unusually perfect for each other.

There have already been some requests by other singles in the Sunday School class for my mom to "get busy" with more matchmaking. Personally, I am tempted to attempt some matchmaking myself, as I still have some dear girl friends from college who are not married but would like to be. I already have one potential match in mind, but neither of the individuals knows it yet. It has been on my mind for awhile, and I have been hesitant to act because I am too afraid of people getting hurt (and being mad at me) if it does not end in a marriage; but I suppose I should let the said individuals make the choice of taking that risk for themselves. I will be sure to announce if anything comes of it.

First Snow

We were up in Dallas this past weekend for my cousin Heather's wedding, and Cutie got to see her first snow. When we got to my parents' house, big, thick flakes were falling from the sky, and she laughed when we took her out of the car and felt them on her face and hands. I wish I had gotten my camera out then, but we were pretty tired from a long car trip and just wanted to get inside. These pictures were taken the next morning, and Rebecca wasn't quite as interested with the snow on the ground as she had been the day before with the snow in the air, but at least I got some pictures of her in the snow. (shown here: touching snow in Uncle David's hand; and not sure what to think, sitting in the snow)