Welcome to the World Elaine Karis!!!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to send a quick note that Elaine arrived this morning rather unexpectantly. She was born at 9:36 am, weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 21" long. Amazingly, she looks alot like Elizabeth at this stage. We'll keep you posted!

-justin and angela

Root Beer Float and Flowers

Tonight, to celebrate Justin's last day at Accel, we had a family celebration date! We opted for something new and tried out Papa's Burgers; they did not disappoint! Elizabeth even got a free root beer float (her first), and we had the greasiest, yummiest burgers we have had in a long time.

To walk off a bit of our dinner, we headed over to the Botanic Gardens and had a great time! Elizabeth enjoyed running up ahead of us like a big girl, and stopped occasionally for a photo shoot. Aren't I precious?!

A little rest and conversation with Daddy.
Conquering the MANY steps!
We made it to the top!

Just what a 99 Degree Texas Day Requires...

POPSICLES AND THE POOL!!

My first Popsicle was DELICIOUS!
Madalyn was the pro with little dripping.

I was the rookie with a BIG MESS!
My pool is even more fun that I remembered!
Kyleigh thought my pool was a really big water bowl...
I tried drinking out of it too, but Mommy said, "NO!!!!"

Maybe we will go to Granny and Grandaddy's BIG pool tonight!

20 Months!

Elizabeth Grace is 20 months old, and this will likely be the last "monthly update" before she is a big sister! This month her vocabulary has exploded, and she loves to show off all she knows. She is putting together several-word phrases and her words are becoming more understandable to people outside of Justin and me. This explosion has led to Elizabeth very clearly stating her distaste for certain things, so we are working on "No, thank you." She has also picked up on at least half of the letters in the alphabet and points them out whenever she sees them, whether on billboards, in books, on a t-shirt, or on a cereal box. Most letters also have a word that goes with them; I think her favorites are "E for Elizabeth" and "K for Kyleigh!" She has mastered all of her puzzles and loves taking care of her babies. This week she got to go for a family walk without the stroller and made it all the way to Sonic and back (about half a mile) without us having to carry her! Of course there was a stop for refueling with some yummy Sonic ice! Lately her hugs and snuggles have been extra sweet; I think she can sense that something crazy is going to happen soon. We are so thankful for Elizabeth and the light she brings to each day!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

On Monday, my friend, Laura, called and asked if we could get a babysitter for the night. Her husband's friend at work had just offered him four tickets to the Rangers game! Even on such short notice, Elizabeth's Aunt Jenn gladly accepted some time with her favorite niece (only until Elaine arrives, then they have to share her)! Elizabeth woke up this morning asking for Aunt Jenn, so I am guessing they had a pretty good time!
We enjoyed dinner at Pei Wei and then headed off to the game to sit on row 11 behind home plate- AWESOME SEATS! It was a great game, and it was especially nice to just have some good grown up time with my hubby!

Thanks Greg and Laura and Aunt Jenn!

Celebrate Good Times!

There has been a lot to celebrate in the Bassett house this week!

The first bit of good news came on Wednesday... As of May 27th, Justin will be the new Director of Business Development at AM Design, an interactive design company that does web development, print pieces, cd cover art, etc. This is a HUGE answer to prayer and incredibly exciting for our family. As a pastor in a church plant, Justin is not yet on the payroll, so being bivocational is necessary. For the past two years, Justin has daily gone to a job that hasn't challenged him, used his giftedness, or been fun, because he loves Elizabeth and me and knew that it was what he needed to do to take care of us. Now that is LOVE! It gives me great joy to know that he will now be doing something he really enjoys and is great at! Thank you God for providing this great new opportunity!

We had a great dinner at Outback to celebrate, compliments of Nana and PawPaw!

In other news, as of today, we have 4 weeks until baby Elaine's due date! Elizabeth recently visited Dr. Deem with me, and after she understood that she wasn't at her doctor, she really enjoyed it! When Dr. Deem asked me about the baby, Elizabeth lifted up her shirt and pointed out her "baby" which is actually just a good case of toddler belly! The most excitement came when we heard Elaine's heartbeat. Now, every time we talk about Elaine or Elizabeth gives her kisses, she talks about her "heart heart". Elizabeth is going to be such a great big sis! I start going to the doctor weekly from here on, so we will keep you posted!

Lastly, in case you haven't heard, this is Mother's Day weekend! I have felt well loved today by all of the hugs and kisses and time to rest, as well as an early gift of a new digital camera! I can't really take a picture of it, but it is pink and quite an upgrade from my old one! I am excited to learn all about it and put it to good use.

Here are a few of our learning photos!

The Delight of a Good Dumpster Dive... And the Faithfulness of a GOOD GOD!

So, for the past several months, I have really wanted to get Elizabeth a kitchen to do all of her stirring and cooking, etc. There was no special occasion like a birthday, but I looked often on Craig's List for a good deal. The cheapest ones I found were still around $30, more than I wanted to pay, so I just decided to wait. Well, a few weeks ago, we were leaving Rick and Stephanie's house and passed by a house where the dad was cleaning out the garage, and what did I see on the side of the street, but a little play kitchen! After a bit of my pleading, Justin pulled over and asked the guy about it; he said his kids had outgrown it and we were free to take it!
After a good scrub down, we introduced it to Elizabeth and she was thrilled! Elizabeth LOVES her "kitchy," and I happen to love that I payed $0 for it!

Thanks God; You are soooo good to us!

It is sweet to know that the King of it all provides for our needs- and wants sometimes too!

"PEEK A BOO!"
Washing Dishes
An old soap dispenser and peanut butter jar have been great additions to the kitchen:)
The microwave really makes cooking sounds and beeps!

We didn't even have to put in new batteries!