Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice...

... that's what little girls are made of! :) We are THRILLED to announce that we are expecting Baby Girl Aya to arrive around March 22, 2011.

Pregnancy is quite an exciting journey! I'm 15 weeks now, and feeling pretty good. I was very nervous during the first trimester, but relax a little as each week goes by. I haven't been very sick - just tired! I'm in absolute awe that I'm growing a child... seriously, in AWE. One of my sister-in-law's sent me a sweet note, and told me to enjoy her heart beating next to mine. And... I pretty much lost it. All out bawling. :) It's such a special time, and I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Here are some of her first pictures:

The little bean at 9 weeks

Getting bigger! 12 weeks

My favorite so far - her sweet face!

This is how I told A. that we were expecting. I got a positive test after work, so I ran to Kohl's and picked up some cute onsies, and put them on the bed with the tests. When A. got home, I told him to go in the bedroom because I made something for him. He asked if he could go to the bathroom first, and I said No! And pushed him into the bedroom. He figured it out right away, and  was so excited and happy!

Baby Girl already received her first gift from her aunt Jessie!! How sweet are these little pajamas! I love the little bird, and the sweet little bows on the sleeves! A. carried the pajamas around the house resting on his shoulder like a baby. :)

So ready for FALL!

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm tired of this heat! :) I'm ready for cool, crisp weather, college football, sweaters, boots, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin-flavored-everything!

We started off the month of September, by fulfilling one of those wishes - going to the UT-Rice game! GO HORNS! :) A HUGE thanks goes out to my Dad for inviting us! We had a blast, and it really got me in the Fall spirit! Now these temps just need to start dropping...

Here's a pic I took on my blackberry of the Longhorn Band at half-time. My dad took some pics of us, but I don't know if they'll every make it off his camera.

Horseshoe Bay

So.... I've decided that we NEED a lake house. Lakes are perfect if you think about it. Clear, cool water? Check. Boats? YUP. Salt? Nope. Jellyfish? Nope. Crabs? Nuh-uh. Sand in your crotch after swimming? No way! See? Lakes are the best!

The hubby and I took a 3 day weekend and headed up to Lake LBJ in the hill country to relax. We stayed at the Marriott Horseshoe Bay resort, which we have been to once before in 2008.

We drove up Saturday morning and stopped in Austin to do the Duck Tour! The duck is a bus AND a boat! Even though we lived in Austin for 4 years, neither one of us had ever done the tour, and we thought it would be fun. The tour starts on 6th street at the Austin Visitors Center, winds around downtown and then heads over to splash into Lake Austin. Everyone on board got their very own "quacker" to quack when we saw something we liked, when we wanted to say hi to people on the street, or when the driver told a good duck joke. It was hilarious!

We got to Horseshoe Bay Saturday evening, and were able to get in a nice, relaxing swim in the lake. Check out my awesome chair! :) We also played putt-putt, went jet-skiing, and ate a lot. :) I told the hubby that if/when we move back to Austin, I'm willing to make HUGE sacrifices to live near the water!

June Birthdays

Well... I'm another year older! 28! Eek! :)

Let the festivities begin!

My awesome sister-in-law and brother-in-law took me out for a delicious birthday dinner on Friday night. We went to Kata Robata, and is was fantastic! The restaurant was very light and airy, the service was fast, the food was yummy, and of course, the company was great!

(pics courtesy of my sister-in-law!) :)

And... for the grand finale, we had mini beingets!

On Saturday, my husband's family threw a party in honor of his grandmother's 80th birthday. It was a lot of fun, and I got to spend quite a bit of time holding the CUTEST baby! Can't complain there!

Happy Birthday Abuelita! Isn't she pretty!?

One of her talented daughters surprised her with with a beautiful portrait - definitely something to treasure!

Another daughter (aunt) put together a nice slide show of pictures from her life. There were some really cute pics of the aunts and uncles as kids, as well as some cute cousin pics!

Here's that cute baby I was talking about.... cutecutecute!

Feliz Cumpleanos a ti!....

AND then.... drum roll please...... drdrdrdrdrdd...... my sister-in-law's famous APPLE TART!!! It was delicious! Like an apple pie, but not so gooey! The best part? She gave me my VERY own apple tart to take home!! I've had apple tart for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner at various points over the past two weeks - and we've still got some in the freezer!

Thanks so much SIL! (She's gorgeous AND she can cook!) :)

Sunday, my actual birthday (and Father's day!) was spent cleaning my house. I know, it doesn't sound like the most fun way to spend your birthday, and believe me, it wasn't! However, I do LOVE a clean house... the payoff at the end is worth the pain! :)

After a hard days work, my parents came over to take me (and Dad!) to dinner. We drove to Kemah to this little restaurant on the water. I love to sit outside, and feel the breeze, and watch the boats go by. :) For dinner I had coconut shrimp and a slice of key lime pie... mmm....

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!

An artsy kind of week...

The Friday before last, we took little Ruby to the Miller Outdoor Theater for an evening of "Sizzling Summer Dance" put on by the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. I took classes there for a while (back when I worked in the med center, sniff, sniff...). It was a balmy summer evening, and we really enjoyed just sitting on the hilltop relaxing. Ruby was pretty good. She only tried to knock over the baby sitting next to us once. ;) She seems to have a thing for knocking over babies.... The show was interesting. Some of the dances were a bit long, but overall we had a really good time.

On Wednesday, my mother and I went to see "Boeing Boeing" at the Alley Theater. She's in a theater class and gets free tickets! :) I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone to see a play (I'm more of a musical kind of girl), so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, I LOVED it!! It was so funny. The play is set in Paris, in the apartment of an American man who has decided to date THREE flight attendants at once. They are always coming and going, and as long as he keeps to the flight schedules, he won't be found out... It is still running at the Alley, so if you get a chance, definitely check it out!

Saturday, I had a "me" day because my husband was out of a town. I bought a ticket to the "Mi Colombia" Colombian Folkloric Ballet at the Hobby Center. I need lots of "me" time (even my Birkman says so!) and I don't mind eating, shopping, going to the movies, etc. by myself. I went to the 2:00 show and ended up sitting next to an old woman who reminded me of my husband's grandmother (on his mother's side). She was so sweet and had an absolute blast. :)

The dancing was so beautiful, and the music was incredibly moving. They went through the history of Colombia, including all of the various cultural influences - the indigenous people. Africans, and Spanish. There were solos, groups dances, two very moving classical guitar solos by Nilko Andreas, and several performances by http://www.myspace.com/lacumbiamba - which were AWESOME! I didn't realize that there was a live band in the orchestra pit until they lifted up the stage! It was so much fun - party at the Hobby Center!!

I know I've said "moving" a lot in describing the performances. But they were JUST that - moving. Like the feeling that your heart is filling up. And of course, I thought everyone's heart was just going to burst when they danced to Jorge Celedon's "Esta Vida". This song came out in 2007, and I have it on a random CD of Spanish songs in my car. I have been known belt it out on a sunny day with the windows rolled down. :) Jorge performed the song here in Houston at the 2008 Latin Grammy's, with both Colombian and Mexican dancers. They performed this same dance on Saturday and the entire crowd was on their feet! I think they do this show every few years or so, and I will definitely go again!

Last night my Mom and I went to another play, Intelligence Slave, at the Alley Theater. This one was in the small theater-in-the-round. We had front row tickets, so we were literally feet away from the actors. The play was set in Nazi Germany, so the subject matter was very somber. The acting was wonderful, and my Mom and I really enjoyed it!

Hmmm - now I'm on a roll! What's next!?

Lunch Break!

I'm still loving my new job, but I wasn't loving eating lunch by myself. So, I found a cute beach park to eat my lunch! This pic was taken last week. I brought my lunch from home, and read the latest In Style magazine. LOVE IT! :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

My wonderful, supportive, loving, creative, funny, sweet, sweet Mom turned 60 this year! :) She had a fabulous party at the house. SO many of our family and friends came - it really warmed my heart to see everyone.

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Aloha and Mahalo!

We had a WONDERFUL time in Hawaii with our friends! It was so refreshing and rejuvenating for us both. We were only there for 6 days, but we did SO much! We hiked, went to the beach, snorkeled, ate, shopped, saw Sea Turtles (both in the water and on the beach!), Monk Seals, and an Albatross nesting ground! Hmmm... where should we go next??

Here's the link to our pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/laura.aya/Hawaii2010

New Beginnings

That's what spring and Easter are all about, right? :)

Well, the new job is going well. In case you haven't heard, I'm still working in HR, but I'm no longer at a hospital. I now work for an oilfield services company and support several chemical plants in the Houston/Pasadena area. I just completed my sixth week, and I'm very, very happy! :) It has been quite a culture change - completely switching industries, and going from a female-dominated culture to a male-dominated culture, and from not-for-profit to for-profit, but I feel like I'm settling in well and catching on quickly.

Things that are awesome so far:

1. I get to wear jeans 3 days a week, at a minimum. (I actually had to go buy more pairs!)
2. The bar is set very high. Everyone that I work with is sharp and very hard working. This is great because it will drive me to be even better at what I do!
3. I get to park on-site! (If you've ever had to park off-site and ride a train/bus/shuttle in to work, you will know what a blessing this is!)
4. I get to learn about manufacturing. It is a completely different industry, but there are actually a lot of similarities. There is a strong focus on safety and quality, just as in the healthcare world.
5. My office (at both locations) has a window! I get to see the outside world! Glorious sunshine!!! (I used to work in a basement).

Other news - I hosted Easter for my family this year! It was the first holiday that A and I have hosted at our house. I was nervous, but I think everything turned out well. We even got to use our china! :) We served ham, green beans amandine, rolls, twice-baked potatoes, fruit, Mississippi Mud Pie, and Key Lime Pie.

Here are some pics of the table. My dad took one once everyone was seated, but I haven't seen it yet.

We are going to Hawaii soon, and we CAN'T WAIT!!! :) I'm so excited to show A. around the island, and we're really looking forward to hanging out with my friend that lives there. YAAAAY!

Brazos Bend and Bowling with Beto

That was a lot of "B's"! :)

Today was SUCH a gorgeous day! Clear, sunny and cool. The husband had to work, so Ruby and I drove down to Brazos Bend State Park to hike around and enjoy the outdoors. Brazos Bend is a beautiful park just south of Houston. There are several lakes, camping areas, and many hiking trails. Oh, and I did mention Alligators! YES! Alligators! Up close and personal! I was more than a little scared at a few points on the trails, but we had a great time.

:)

The family went bowling for my brother-in-law's 30th birthday a few years back, and it has become an annual tradition! The guys are pretty silly - they play a funny song with harmonicas every time someone gets a strike. They even had the people in the lanes next to us getting into it!

As always - the full album can be seen in my Picasa gallery.

Anniversary Week!

Yesterday was our 5th wedding anniversary, and yes, we have been celebrating all week! I cannot believe we have already been married for five years. It seems like just yesterday that we were picking out invitations and flowers! Our wedding day was literally the most happy day of my life. Everything went as planned, I felt SO beautiful, and most importantly - everyone had FUN! Here's to many more happy years ahead! :)

On Wednesday night we went to see A Chorus Line, and it was wonderful. It was a little different - we're used to musicals with elaborate costumes and multiple sets (my favorites are Rent and Chicago), but we actually really enjoyed the simplicity of A Chorus Line. Here's a picture of us before the show started.

Shortly after we took that pic, everyone started clapping and standing up. I thought, "Oh! The show must be starting!" but the lights were still on, and there was no activity on stage. We looked down and saw former President George Bush, and his wife Barbara Bush being escorted to their seats! I tried to get a picture, but the lighting was pretty bad. Barbara's hair is easy to spot though! They are right in the center, near the stripes on the floor. Can you spot them? :)

A. spotted a Delorean in the parking garage and just had to get a picture! He's silly, but I love him!

On Thursday night, we watched the Rose Bowl..... Ruby says, "This game is terrible."...... I felt so bad for my Longhorns. What a mess. We are definitely looking forward to watching Gilbert and the rest of the team next year! :)

Tonight we are headed to Churrasco's for dinner. We looove their Tres Leches cake! Still haven't decided what I want for dinner. I don't want to over do it, since I've been doing a great job this week eating healthier meals. Hmmm...