August. And, uh, stuff.

Life is staying busy at the Neal household. We are very excited about our upcoming kitchen remodel. In effort to save some money we've decided that we would do some of the work ourselves. We have never tackled any projects like this so we shall see how it all turns out. I've been doing my homework and watched a fair bit of HGTV while in Chicago. I don't know if that qualifies me to remodel our kitchen but it sure inspires me.

We are also looking forward to the opening of our church at it's new location and the start of our fall bible study. Evie keeps us busy. We occasionally catch her standing unsupported. Maybe she will be walking by her first birthday?

I've recently joined the world of facebook. If you're on, leave us a note.

Gabe starting the demolition of our kitchen. Yes, he is wearing a dress shirt and dress pants. And, yes, the shirt is pink.

Now on to more important pictures. The many faces of Evelyn as she enjoys a teething biscuit for the first time.

Pure Delight

Curiosity

A Full Mouth

Happiness. And two little teeth.

Satisfied

That's all. No more pictures please.

My what big teeth you have Evelyn!

Big teeth!? Let me check this out.

Oh no!! What happened?

The Past Two Months

For all of you who thought we would never post again and were tired of checking our blog spot only to find the same old blog, well I have finally found some time to post again.

June was a big month for Evie. She took her first swimming lessons. She loved putting her face in the water and drinking it. Going down the frog slid eventually became exciting but what she enjoyed most was the watering can that they got to play with. In June, Evelyn also got really fast at crawling. One second she is playing right in front of me, the next she has found her way over to some object she should not be putting in her mouth.

In mid July we spent 9 days in Chicago sans Evelyn. For Stacy this was a great vacation from the work of being a full time mom. She shopped, slept, ate, and watched HGTV. Mostly the first and latter. Gabe spent the week at a Trinity University Bioethics Institute and Conference. He is pursuing a Masters in Bioethics. He is researching the biblical and naturalist ethical response to Embryonic and Non-Embryonic Stem Cell research, In-Vitro Fertilization, Cloning, and Cognitive Enhancement among other issues. Stacy's parents kept Evelyn and apparently fed her lots of biscuits and chocolate chip cookies.

We are doing well and are staying busy. Keep in touch!

Gabe and Stacy

Sliding down the red tongue of doom!!!!

Landing Safely in the Water

Going after the watering can. We don't know why.

My friend Xiaoyan and her son Neal.

Hi, I'm really cute.

Why yes, I was aware that I'm quite cute.

"Hello? Yes this is Evelyn...sure, I can be a GAP model."

Chicago skyline from the Field Museum.

"The Bean" in Millennium Park

The Grab Bag of Life-May 2008

Hello everyone, let's reach our hand in and see what we grab first.

Ohh, a shiny new mother's day. Gabe surprised me with a weekend of pleasure. And by pleasure I mean...yard work. We've been trying to make changes in our back yard with very slow progress so Gabe took a day off from work, took me out to breakfast, and helped me work in the yard all weekend.

Let's see what we pull out next:

Ohh, a shiny trip to the beach. Memorial day weekend we met our friends the Water's, the Leiva's, and Erika's brother and his girlfriend in Port Aransas. We had a great time. The boys enjoyed fishing, poker, and Acquire (a board game). The ladies enjoyed a weekend of pleasure. And by pleasure we mean sitting by the pool sipping beverages. Evelyn enjoyed lounging in her covered floaty.

Sounds like there is still something in the bag. Ohh, a shiny new Camry.

The Camaro just wasn't working as a family car so we stopped by a Toyota dealership run by a family friend who was able to give us a great deal on a car. If you need a Toyota check out Ron Carter Toyota in Alvin, TX. If you need a '95 Camaro, give us a call.

On a more serious note, Stacy's dad, Lee, was diagnosed with melanoma. He recently had most of his left ear removed and may need further treatment. Please pray for his recovery.

Evelyn is on the brink of crawling and starting to show more of her personality. She is quite the little ham...she gets that from her father.

You never know what you are going to grab out of the bag of life. Let's hope it is good.

Love,
Gabe and Stacy

Playing with this toy sure makes me hungry.

Maybe there's some food in here.

Alas, no food.

First steps on the beach

Walking with Mom and Dad

Do I look like Dad?

Or more like Mom?

She really likes the beach.

The first casualty of mobility. You naughty head, I mean knotty head, you!

April 2008

Well probably the biggest, latest, greatest news is that Evelyn has intentionally pooped in the toilet for 6 out of last 7 days. That's an even higher hit percentage than Gabe. We're so proud of Evelyn.

Easter was spent visiting Stacy's family in Marshall and then Gabe's family met up with us in Dallas for a day. We really cherish being able to spend time with family.

Currently Gabe and I are sitting on the couch, writing this blog with the iPod on shuffle. The light from outside is that soft post-sunset glow. The light from the inside is earthy and goes well with the cups of decaf coffee that are almost finished. Somewhere in the distance Sting is telling us to fill each other up with love.

We finished the book Life of Pi. After reading it I feel now more prepared than ever to survive in the ocean on a life boat with a tiger. Hopefully I will never find myself in a place where that knowledge becomes "practical." Not sure what to read next. We are open to suggestions as long as they are legit.

Lately I've been doing more sewing, gardening, and getting certified in scuba. In my spare time I raise a seven month old.

That's all the Neal news for now. Be well.

Stacy and Gabe

Evelyn sporting the new wrap-dress Stacy made for her. She will be enrolling this Fall in the Intergalactic Jedi Training Center.

Belly check.

Smile check. Great-Grandma still has more teeth.

Hello new Baby Gap model.

...She's bringin' tutu back. Yep!

"I told you the tutu would work! I told you!"

March 2008

We just spent the past week in sunny Scottsdale, cold kickin' it with Gabe's best friends Tory McJ and Paul Lynchmob and their respective wives Jenny and Janne.  Gabe attended a Bioethics conference and now thinks he wants to get a masters in it.  We'll see. Stacy attended a shopping conference at multiple sites and came away with some sweet deals. While driving around Scottsdale in our Avenger (which honestly couldn't avenge itself out of a paper bag) we grooved to the latest Jars of Clay album, Good Monsters.  You should check it out.  It was a good time of rest and fun.

Turns out Evelyn is a great traveler.  No crying on any of our four flights.  We credit this to the best child rearing book we have read so far, To Train Up a Child by Michael and Debi Pearl.  This book is legit.  Speaking of books we just finished reading aloud The Count of Monte Cristo together. Again, legit.  Next up is the Life of Pi.  Sounds pretty legit.  (Legit is Gabe's word of the day...most days)

Evelyn is on the brink of a lot of milestones. She is almost sitting up but not.  She is almost rolling over but not.  She is almost reading but not.  See pictures below of all the things she enjoys doing.  

Hope you all are well. Keep in touch!

Evelyn likes to...

Play with friends,

Chew on toys,

Drink water straight from the glass,

Re-inact scenes from "Little House on the Prairie",

and simply be gorgeous.

January 2008

2008 has started well and we are back into the groove of routine here in Aggieland. The first half of January was spent just recovering from the holidays. Our Tuesday night home group has grown and we had a murder mystery dinner with a 1920's Chicago theme last weekend.

Evelyn is getting heavy in all of her 15 lbs. This is most noticed when carrying her in her car seat. We've since decided to take away all of her red painted Chinese toys. Who knew? She has learned to roll over as we discovered when she rolled right off the couch and onto the floor. No lasting damage done. Currently she enjoys eating carrots and jumping in her bouncer...not at the same time of course. What she doesn't like is going to bed.

We are looking forward Gabe's 10 year college reunion in February and Stacy's 10 year high school reunion in the Spring. We also have a trip out to Phoenix where Gabe will attend a Bioethics conference and Evelyn and I will do some shopping.

Keep in touch.

Our mafia cousins from Chicago, Della and Augustus, visited one weekend. Della is a, uh, entertainer. Augustus is a news editor, who likes to be, uh, entertained.

Yeah! Meal time! Bring on the carrots!

Is anyone else here bored?
Carrots are so blase...


Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?

The GPS says turn right but my toy insect says turn left...I'm going with the insect.

No officer, I have not been drinking and jumping. Okay, maybe a few sips from the bottle.

Is Oprah gonna give a car to everyone on the show today?! I can't stand the waiting!

Nope, a re-run. I'm taking a nap.

Ellen is a re-run too. Blast this writers strike!

Christmas 2007

We had a very busy November-December. We traveled to Tulsa to see Gabe's family for Thanksgiving then traveled to Marshall early in December for a Curry family Christmas. There were several Christmas parties in between and Stacy's family came in for Christmas. Gabe was on-call for the week of Christmas. Whew! Are we glad to get back to a more leisurely pace of life.

Evelyn has grown a lot. She is smiling more, getting more interested in toys, and sitting-up almost unsupported. Her greatest joy remains nursing. Although Stacy and I are way too practical to be buying her presents, her grandparents on both sides made sure she had plenty under the Christmas tree.

We miss all our friends we haven't seen in a while: friends from China, Spokane, and Tulsa. We hope to travel more in the coming year(s). Be well and Happy New Year.

Love,
Stacy, Gabe, and Evelyn


Family Christmas Photo

At the Park

Mother-Daughter Moment

Sunny Days

Evelyn is so sad it's not Christmas yet.

First bites. "Mmm, love those carrots!"

Not really sure what she is doing here...

"I like Christmas tags. The things attached to them are OK too."

More tags?! Yeah!

Carolyn keeps pushing her happy button.

Evelyn likes large bugs. As long as they are made of brightly colored cloth and make noise when you shake them.