in may, we took a weekend trip to plano to see mattie and mush for mush's bday. we had such a great time visiting with them and hanging out. they each took off early on friday afternoon so we were able to spend even more time together. md loves his mattie and mush so much. they are great!
there were some pictures with md and mattie, but they're on my phone and i don't have the cord to transfer them over. sorry mattie, i'll get 'em!
last week, md and i hung out with ellie while her parents were at district council. on tuesday, jenny invited us over for slip 'n slide fun and watermelon!
everyone had a blast!
i'm attempting to post to find out if i am, in fact, still present on this earth...
i just got home from a trip in which i took my 9 month old (possibly teething son who just rode in the car for 3 hours last night) for a 4.5 hour round trip from san angelo to cisco. we went to retrieve ellie from her sue sue. i'll be watching her this week while her parents are at district council.
as soon as i loaded the kids in the car and made the many adjustments to get us home without stopping, michael started whining. ellie could momentarilly appease him with her many songs and sweet "baby michael voice". between "twinkle twinkle's", "by-oh baby's" and "shiny little pony's", her sweet voice would say, "okay, baby michael, i'm gonna sing you just one more song. okay? just one more song. now, no more fussing."
his longest stint of silence was during ellie's rendition of "part of that world" from the little mermaid. i must admit, my eyes didn't touch much of the road for those few minutes. i couldn't take my eyes off that little blond headed girl in my rearview mirror singing sweetly to my crying baby boy. she actually did really well on that song, i think maybe thanks to her babysitter this past year...??
after that, it was all screams and talking, talking and screams. i sped the rest of the way home. didn't even slow down when i hit town. slowing down at that point seemed like torture.
so, if this post actually makes it to the internet, then i survived. i really am sitting in this chair playing "now you give me a present!" with ellie while screamy-mcscreamerton sleeps in the other room.
moment of truth....dun. dun. dun.
since moving into our home 2 years ago, we've dreamed of having a beautiful outdoor patio for entertaining friends and relaxing ourselves. we finally started the plans for it just before we decided to move. now that it's finished, we sit out there each night we can and think about how much the next family will enjoy it. we love it and vow to do this for ourselves as soon as we get a new house. 
before michael figured out how to move forward, he got stuck a lot. i mean, a lot. i happened to catch some of them on camera. one pic i didn't get that i really wish i would've was the time he was almost completely under the ottoman. the only thing sticking out was his head. now, how on earth did he do that?
here he is...the stuck master.
i realize he doesn't look stuck here, but when you don't know how to move forward and you've pinned yourself against a wall...you're stuck.
in this situation, he kept looking back at the bed like,today my mama took me to babies r us. she wanted me to get a new stroller but i couldn't find one with everything i wanted. i found these awesome things instead. my first pair of chucks. i have a feeling my uncle lando will think they're totally rad.
whatcha' think?
md picked these out today at babies r us. i mean, how could i not oblige him?! it's his first independent choice on what he'd like to wear! :) seriously, how cute are they?!?!?!
for the past few months, the winds of change have been blowing through the kotze home.
michael was offered a new position with a company in san angelo. he accepted.
we're moving home. or are we moving from home? maybe it's both.
san angelo, to me, is home. it's where i met and married the love of my life. it's mama's cooking, daddy's preaching, niece's giggles and nephew's cuddles. it's best friends and their husbands and children. it's target with my sister and rosa's once a week. it's mexican food to die for and antique shopping downtown. it's slow driving and empty roadways by 10pm. it's comfortable. it's knowing. it's home.
san antonio, to me, is home. it's my husband. it's my baby boy. it's independence and growing and loving. it's really becoming a woman all my own, being an amazing wife, a fantastic mother and learning as i go. it's sitting in rockers on the front porch and waving at neighbors as they pass. working hard to make everything about our house...our home. it's taking pride in the work my husband puts in on the yard, to make it the best in the neighborhood. it's my first mommy group and my friend rosemary who was the best teaching partner a girl could ever ask for. it's my home where family and friends love to come and stay. it's hostessing like my mama taught me to and helping those in need. it's cmc church, with a great pastor and awesome worship. it's good food, good shopping and good friends.
i'm happy to be going home and sad to be leaving home. michael hugs me and tells me we'll make a home there we love just as much, if not more. and i believe him. i know we will. it's not a town or a house that makes us...it's just us. our love and family and being each other's top priority is us.
i'm happy for the opportunity and for change. plus-we're about to have more babysitters than we know what to do with! :)
so san angelo, get ready...the kotze's are coming home!
