patrickandlydia.com

the parade passes by

2009-12-04T21:02:00.002-06:00

Every year, the Nashville Christmas Parade passes by our church. The church had a big float with a nativity scene and carolers, playing a track taped on Wednesday night. Patrick was one of the singers, but didn't actually have to be on the float. We had a children's event beforehand with crafts, Chick-Fil-A, cookie decorating, and Cindy Sterling reading stories. We stayed and watched the parade (which included at least a half hour of Shriners) until the church float came by. Adam was facinated by the whole thing, especially the balloons. After we left he kept saying, "Pwade? Bawwoon?"

mr. noodle

2009-11-17T21:53:00.001-06:00

Hallo-weekend

2009-11-01T13:27:00.003-06:00

We celebrated "harvest time" this weekend with lots of activities. We went to the Fall Festival at church on Saturday morning. Adam wore his costume - his cowboy/sheriff pajamas. He refused to wear the hat and bandanna, but he wore his squeaky shoes so everyone knew where he was. There was a bounce house, face painting, digging for treasure, a balloon artist, but Adam's favorite thing was the ramp at the back of the gym.

Saturday night we went to a gathering of our friends from our singles group that we were in a decade ago. It was great getting reconnected with folks we hadn't seen in a long time and watching the kids play together. Adam really liked playing with the "big" boys.

Adam wore the cowboy overalls I made him to church today. When I saw the fabric, I knew I HAD to make something out of it. Also this morning, we voted to call our new children's minister, a position which had been vacant for nearly two years. We are so excited for Shannon and her family to come in December!

When we got home Adam played in the leaves in the front yard. Outside is probably his favorite place to be right now, and we've had some beautiful weather this fall for him to enjoy.

Adam the handyman

2009-10-28T19:06:00.001-05:00

Adam likes to help his dad fix things.

2009 Preschool Halloween Parade

2009-10-28T09:27:00.001-05:00

Here's 28 seconds of less-than-thrilling video from Adam's first Halloween Parade.

Big boy ready to go to church!

2009-10-11T10:26:00.001-05:00

Adam at 19-3/4 months old

2009-09-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

applesauce sushi

2009-09-19T19:17:00.000-05:00

Our favorite restaurant is Miyako in Brentwood. It's not just because the food is great or that the prices are reasonable, but also because they take such good care of us. They will fix anything we can think of for Adam to eat, make the chopsticks easier for him to use, and anticipate our needs before we do. It is run by a lovely Chinese couple, and the wait staff has very low turnover. I love that we can go in there no matter how we are dressed, get friendly service, and quickly get on our way.

Thirty nine things I'm thankful for on my thirty ninth birthday.

2009-09-13T20:59:00.003-05:00

This isn't a new idea, but I did think it up today for my own benefit. Like I said on my Facebook status this morning, I'm 365 days away from turning forty, and while turning forty isn't a bad thing, it can sneak up on you if you let it. I'll probably be setting some personal goals, some of which I'll share with friends, and some of which I'll keep to myself, but one of the first things I'm doing is taking stock of my current lot in life, and reminding myself how much I have to be thankful for.

I know I will have left many out. These are not in any order, nor any priority, and their order should not be taken as any kind of precedence... except maybe numbers 1 and 39. Okay, and 38.

My salvation. I know, it's the Sunday School answer, but it defines me. I'm nothing without Jesus Christ.
My job, which allows me to minister alongside some of the most amazing, talented people in the world to some of the most talented, amazing people in the world.
My church that chooses to be unique among churches in many ways, not the least of which is our incredible pastor and his Biblical integrity, the love that our friends there extend, an incomparable group of children and students who support and minister to each other, and the fact that they entrust me in many different leadership roles.
Parents who knew just how to turn a precocious kid into a reasonably well-adjusted adult, and allowed me to "leave and cleave," exporting me half a country away and becoming closer in the process.
Nintendo Wii games with friends making fools of ourselves.
Two well-running vehicles, one of which gets insanely good gas mileage, and the other of which does when you drive it with kid gloves.
Running water.
Working on something so hard and long that you forget to eat.
Top Gear on BBC America.
A brother and sister-in-law who, despite being on the northern edge of the United States, keep us connected, especially with my two precious nieces.
The Exxon station on Broadway and their on-tap Caffeine Free Diet Coke with crushed ice.
My in-laws, who shower my family with love every chance they get... and not just Lydia and Adam and me... they love our extended family too.
A sister and brother-in-law living the brilliantly cool Atlanta dream, and like my parents, have only become closer with distance.
Flo's Filet at Longhorn Steakhouse.
My extended family, including grandparents, both living and deceased, who considered it their duty to bathe me in prayer.
Music.
First Presbyterian Early Preschool and the way they love on my son.
Something else my job connects me with: our membership at the YMCA and what it does and will do for my future health.
The thrill of the deal. Essex Retail Outlet in Berry Hill, fatwallet.com and faithfulprovisions.com are good sources of these.
Living in fashionable far north Brentwood.
Miss Sherry. She has stood in the gap for us several times in the last nineteen and a half months.
This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte.
Free Google apps, which save me some Microsoft tax every couple of years now.
Driving through downtown Nashville and seeing the cross-section of capital city government, tourism and country music history that makes up such a unique place.
Every breath of every day.
Shuffle on our 80GB fifth generation iPod.
Forgiveness for my golfing ineptitude... something I intend to work on this year.
My tiny MSI Wind notebook computer.
Faithful friends who are as close to us as family.
Being able to talk geek with geeks. I want to preserve that ability so I'll be able to communicate with Adam in the future (not prophesying or anything there...)
The gift of prayer, and the knowledge that the Creator of the universe wants to spend time with me. I need to take advantage of that more often.
Ikea napkins.
The experience of working for Word Music, and all the great people that I got to work with and rub shoulders with.
Taking on the challenge of Christmas lights.
Disney parks, especially when shared with family.
Facebook friends from all corners of the earth who continually redefine the meaning of "friend" with unexpected blessings, memories and other shared experiences.
Special K Chocolatey Delight.
The feeling of Adam snuggling up to me as I get ready to lay him down in his bed.
A wonderful wife who loves me and lets me love her back.

The Watts Family Goes to the Fair (medium resolution)

2009-09-13T14:02:00.001-05:00

Adam at 19-3/4 months old

2009-09-13T08:16:00.001-05:00

Adam's current calling is to the ministry of making sure that doors are closed.

it's great to be a....

2009-09-12T08:27:00.000-05:00

TENNESSEE VOL!

organizing coupons

2009-09-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

Adam's First Report Card

2009-09-07T07:47:00.003-05:00

oink oink

2009-09-02T12:50:00.001-05:00

walking the walk

2009-08-25T18:52:00.001-05:00

Adam is walking more and more these days. The other day he decided to preach and walk.

table for two

2009-08-25T17:47:00.000-05:00

wrong way

2009-08-22T21:50:00.004-05:00

Okay, Adam. Seriously, you will fit better in the crib if you go the other direction.

the right price

2009-08-09T19:10:00.001-05:00

My husband, the supermarket stud.

Adam at 80 weeks

2009-08-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

trip tidbits

2009-08-02T15:21:00.002-05:00

Rather than bore you with a travelogue of our trip to Glorieta, here are some of my observations/tidbits from the week:

Yet again, the Sit 'n Stroll proves it is completely awesome. I don't think we could have made our connections if we had to wait for a gate-checked stroller. We used it instead of a high chair in the dining hall.
The Kia Forte is not a bad little car.
Staybridge Suites is fantastic.
DirectTV on Frontier is awesome, especially when traveling with a toddler. They also let us pre-board. Too bad they are going bankrupt.
New Mexico is still a long way from Nashville, but it is still incredibly beautiful.
Altitude sickness is the worst on the fourth day. Either that, or I quit drinking as much water later in the week.
The Flying Star Cafe is a great family-friendly place to eat in Santa Fe. We ate there twice.
Adam is a pretty good little traveler.
If the Glorieta Conference Center folks knew how much Adam ate, they would have charged us for his meals.
I still didn't see if there is actually anything to the town of Glorieta. The roads are not paved, and we didn't have a four-wheel drive.
There is a Trader Joe's in Santa Fe!
Fernando Ortega is great performer in addition to being a really nice guy.
I take a fast internet connection for granted.
If you have a choice, I would advise against waking an 18-month-old at 4:30 am to catch a 6:00 am flight.

looking up

2009-07-22T08:09:00.001-05:00

God blessed texas

2009-07-13T15:02:00.006-05:00

We have just returned from our pilgrimage to the Lone Star State to see family and friends. Patrick's brother John and his family came from Idaho, his sister Allison was able to come from Atlanta for the holiday weekend, and his grandparents (Pop and Polly) flew in from Ohio for the week. We all converged on Patrick's parents' house in Grapevine for a family reunion of sorts.

Sunday, July 5 - We returned from Ridgecrest (NC) on the 3rd and had the 4th at home to rest, do laundry, and repack. We left for the airport on schedule (amazingly) at 6:30 am on Sunday. We wanted a non-stop flight on Southwest, and so we chose to fly into Austin and drive to Dallas. Also, we wanted to see friends in Austin (more about that later). Austin's airport is much easier to navigate than DFW, especially with a 17-month-old. We were able to quickly claim our bags and get our rental van. (Patrick scored a Toyota Sienna - thanks Priceline!). We met up with the Youngs and the Batemans at Chuy's - one of our favorite TX restaurants (coming soon to the Nashville area).

We continued our trek north only to discover that I-35 had slowed to a crawl due to the holiday weekend. We stopped to show Adam the bears in Waco, but they had the holiday weekend off. After our three-hour drive became a five-hour trip with a grumpy toddler, Mommy needed some Target therapy. I dropped the boys off at the grandparents' house and went to the Super Target for the week's provisions. After a quick bite to eat at the house, we checked into our room at the FedEx terminal, I mean, the Hawthorn Suites. Our room was great, with a full kitchen, separate room for Adam, and a bathtub the size of a Volkswagen. The only bad thing was that the FedEx trucks honk before they start backing up, but it got to be comical by the end of the week.

Monday, July 6 - The whole clan converged on the Watts' house Monday morning before heading out to the Ft. Worth Zoo with Allison's friend Laura and her three-year-old, Noah. If you are keeping score, that is 14 people. Adam had fun in the aviary, but seemed disappointed when the birds flew away when he tried to pet them. Patrick's cousin Lynne met us at the zoo for lunch (bringing us to 15 people).

After lunch, Adam needed a nap, so we headed back to the hotel. Monday evening, the Patrick cousins and Aunt Linda came over to the house for dinner. We arrived late due to Adam's nap.

Tuesday, July 7 - On Tuesday, we mainly hung around the house and played with the kids. We celebrated Reganne's birthday (a couple weeks late). That evening, we went over to Farmer's Branch to see our friends, the Finks, and their new house. They fixed us a great meal with vegetables from their garden!

Wednesday, July 8 - The cousins got to play together more on Wednesday morning before it was time for the Idaho Watts to head back home. We had a relaxing afternoon while Adam napped at the house, and we did some laundry. Patrick and I even had a little date at the Super Target Starbucks. After dinner, we drove to Arlington to see the Death Star, I mean, the new Cowboys Stadium. Impressive.

Thursday, July 9 - We had a little more time with the grandparents and great-grandparents Wednesday morning before piling in the van again to head back to Austin. We stopped in Ft. Worth to have lunch with our friend, Lyn. He gave us a tour of BNSF headquarters where he works. It was way cooler than I expected. He also treated us to lunch to Rosa's Cafe. The tortillas were life-changing.

Thankfully, Adam took a good nap on the way to Austin and watched lots of Signing Time while he was awake. By the end of the week, he started requesting Signing Time (using sign language) whenever he saw the van. When we arrived in Austin at 5:30 pm, the van thermometer read 105 degrees.

We got settled into our room at the Holiday Inn Express Pflugerville and ordered a delicious pizza from Austin's Pizza. We had no desire to go back out in the heat. Adam had fun exploring yet another hotel room.

Friday, July 10 - We had a lazy morning before going over to the meet the Bateman girls for a swimming play date. We had a blast, and Sarah even got me to go down the "dark slide." We met Giles for lunch at Mighty Fine Burgers, another fine Austin eating establishment. Adam shared his grilled cheese with Lucy. They were quite adorable.

After nap on Friday, we went to Ikea for shopping, dinner, and some quality family time with Swedish furniture.

Saturday, July 11 - We crossed one more Austin restaurant off the list before leaving on Saturday - Kerbey Lane Cafe. The Batemans met us for brunch there, and Lucy and Adam shared food once again. We had a delicious meal, and too soon had to say goodbye to the Batemans and head for the airport. Time with good friends is always too short.

I decided Adam needed another box of goldfish to make the trip home, and so we stopped at Fry's Electronics. Made sense to us. Adam was great on the flight, and did amazingly well considering he didn't have a nap all day.

We had a great time in Texas, but are glad to be home for a little while before our next trip!

bath boy

2009-07-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

2009 Ridgecrest Worship Week

2009-07-04T12:37:00.002-05:00

Ridgecrest Worship Week 2009 was a success! We had wonderful cool and breezy weather the whole week. Adam had fun in preschool, and we got to see our Waggener cousins.