Oak Tree in an Acorn: February 2009

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Congratulations, Geff and Tina!

My older brother, Geff, and his girlfriend, Tina, are recently engaged to be married, and we are excited for them! They are so happy, and we wish them many years of love and joy. Congrats, you two!

Girls in Motion

Genevieve caught a stomach virus last week, and two days later, Olivia caught it. Fun! Fun! Fun! I'm still amazed at how quickly kids get over viruses and common colds. After being up for several hours during the night and feeling pretty puny most of the morning, Olivia was ready to do a painting project in the afternoon. Nothing keeps these girls still for long!

As you can see, Eve enjoyed painting her hands and face much more than the paper.

Howdy-do?

Howdy, Partner! Olivia's Kindergarten class studied Texas last week, learning about the state bird, state flower, etc. On the final day of the week, the kiddos came to class dressed in cowboy apparel, and here are a couple of photos I took of Olivia that morning.

Welcome back, Brad and Nicole!

Brian's brother, Brad, his wife, Nicole, and their daughter, Celeste, have moved back to Austin from Columbia, Maryland. We are so happy to have them back in Texas, and we look forward to seeing a lot more of them now that they will be living so close. We were recently able to meet Celeste, our niece, for the first time, and here are some pictures of our get-together. She is a cutey!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Texas State Aquarium Camp-In

Olivia and Brian went to the Texas State Aquarium for a camp - in. They arrived on a Saturday afternoon, played a little bit at the beach near the USS Lexington, and then attended several behind-the-scenes tours at the aquarium. They saw sea turtles, sting rays, sharks, jellyfish, coral and all kinds of interesting sea life. After a pizza dinner and a bedtime story, they headed off to sleep near a tank of fish. Brian shined his flashlight on the fish during the middle of the night, and they awoke and started zooming around the tank in fright. Livy thought this was very funny! Good thing none of the fish were "floating" in the morning! Olivia and Brian came home early Sunday morning, tired and happy.

Genevieve and I stayed home and played lots of her favorite games, like Ms. Genevieve Potato Head!

Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.