* eat at uchi
* start composting
* buy new make-up
* write more cards
* have a weekly date night
* learn photoshop
do you have any?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
goals for 2010.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
bed time.
contrary to the popular vote, we are sticking with the vare-uh pronunciation. after we learned most people were calling her veer-uh, i considered changing the way we spoke it. i could go either way and i like both. but we need consistency and husband only liked vare-uh. so vare-uh it is. sorry in advance, daughter, for all your teachers pronouncing it "wrong" from kindergarten through college.
2 weeks down, 4 to go. chris is really enjoying his sabbatical and i am so very thankful that i get so much time with my favorite person. he learned quickly that vera isn't always a grumpy baby, but her usual cry-fest happens every day from about 5pm-7pm and that lines up perfectly with the window in which he comes home from work. mornings are her prime happy time. i love it when she is all smiles. she's finding her voice and loves to coo and echo my noises. besides mornings, my other favorite time of day is bath time and pre-bedtime. she is seriously loving bath time. and i do mean seriously. i hope to get a video sometime soon. her face is so stoic when she's in the water, but she kicks and bats her arms and splashes like crazy. it's funny to me that her face is so serious when doing so though. she cries immediately when we take her out because she loves it so much. i faked her out several times tonight pretending to get her out. she would start to cry and stop when she realized i wasn't picking her up. and then a smile would pop up on her face. silly girl. after her bath, i take her to her room, wrapped up in a towel. the space heater is on, so it's already warm. i lay her on the floor and let her have some naked time while i give her a nightly massage. that's my favorite part. i pray over each part of her as i rub it..."thank you, lord, for vera's head and her brain. i pray that she would use her mind to do great things for your kingdom...thank you for her arms and hands. i ask that you would use her to love all people and reach out to those who are in need. thank you for her feet...beautiful are those that bring good news...i pray that she would not have a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love, and self-discipline and that she would speak boldly of your love. thank you, God, for her tummy and back. i pray that you would make her strong to fight off illnesses and strong to fight off spiritual battles. give her armor to stand up in the midst of doubt and fear. mostly though, God, i pray that vera would grow to be a woman who loves you with her whole heart..that she'd follow Your ways, be a woman of purity, and that she would live for You with abandon. give chris and i wisdom as we raise her. i pray that we would always have a close relationship. haste the day that she would sleep through the night and sustain me until she does." that's pretty much my nightly prayer with her. :) then i put her in her sleeper, swaddle her with all of my might (chris is a super-star at the swaddling.), give her hugs and kisses and put her in bed. i turn off the light and walk out!
and i have to say, i am quite proud of her. she's cried for a total of 20 minutes when we started it..and tonight for less than a minute before she fell asleep. that's not to say that she sleeps through the night by any means, but i am thankful we've gotten the hang of bedtime at least.
back to chris's sabbatical though. we enjoyed the first week together, having a lot of down time and appreciating his help with the baby. he helped me with things around the house and helped the things ready for the christmas party. the second week, last week, we were at his parents' house near ft. worth. lots of down time there. good food, good friends, dates, and naps. it was a good time. now we are home and in the middle of week 3. his dad is here and they are working away at a couple of projects; roofing our patio and building cabinets for the laundry room.
i made an apple pie today and i'm thinking it needs a slice taken from it before i go to bed. a la mode. g'night!
2 weeks down, 4 to go. chris is really enjoying his sabbatical and i am so very thankful that i get so much time with my favorite person. he learned quickly that vera isn't always a grumpy baby, but her usual cry-fest happens every day from about 5pm-7pm and that lines up perfectly with the window in which he comes home from work. mornings are her prime happy time. i love it when she is all smiles. she's finding her voice and loves to coo and echo my noises. besides mornings, my other favorite time of day is bath time and pre-bedtime. she is seriously loving bath time. and i do mean seriously. i hope to get a video sometime soon. her face is so stoic when she's in the water, but she kicks and bats her arms and splashes like crazy. it's funny to me that her face is so serious when doing so though. she cries immediately when we take her out because she loves it so much. i faked her out several times tonight pretending to get her out. she would start to cry and stop when she realized i wasn't picking her up. and then a smile would pop up on her face. silly girl. after her bath, i take her to her room, wrapped up in a towel. the space heater is on, so it's already warm. i lay her on the floor and let her have some naked time while i give her a nightly massage. that's my favorite part. i pray over each part of her as i rub it..."thank you, lord, for vera's head and her brain. i pray that she would use her mind to do great things for your kingdom...thank you for her arms and hands. i ask that you would use her to love all people and reach out to those who are in need. thank you for her feet...beautiful are those that bring good news...i pray that she would not have a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love, and self-discipline and that she would speak boldly of your love. thank you, God, for her tummy and back. i pray that you would make her strong to fight off illnesses and strong to fight off spiritual battles. give her armor to stand up in the midst of doubt and fear. mostly though, God, i pray that vera would grow to be a woman who loves you with her whole heart..that she'd follow Your ways, be a woman of purity, and that she would live for You with abandon. give chris and i wisdom as we raise her. i pray that we would always have a close relationship. haste the day that she would sleep through the night and sustain me until she does." that's pretty much my nightly prayer with her. :) then i put her in her sleeper, swaddle her with all of my might (chris is a super-star at the swaddling.), give her hugs and kisses and put her in bed. i turn off the light and walk out!
and i have to say, i am quite proud of her. she's cried for a total of 20 minutes when we started it..and tonight for less than a minute before she fell asleep. that's not to say that she sleeps through the night by any means, but i am thankful we've gotten the hang of bedtime at least.
back to chris's sabbatical though. we enjoyed the first week together, having a lot of down time and appreciating his help with the baby. he helped me with things around the house and helped the things ready for the christmas party. the second week, last week, we were at his parents' house near ft. worth. lots of down time there. good food, good friends, dates, and naps. it was a good time. now we are home and in the middle of week 3. his dad is here and they are working away at a couple of projects; roofing our patio and building cabinets for the laundry room.
i made an apple pie today and i'm thinking it needs a slice taken from it before i go to bed. a la mode. g'night!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
christmas.
family time, new board games, prime rib, puppy play time, hot tea, after christmas shopping, much-needed sleep, and a very unexpected snowfall, making it a white christmas in fort worth.
cuddle time with the bug.
pretty table.
pretty table.
grammy loves vera.
instead of going to church on christmas eve, we decided to skip out and play in the snow. chris enjoyed having me wear his high school letter jacket. all i needed was his class ring on my index finger, wrapped with dental floss so it would fit my finger (although in reality, i wouldn't have to do that since we wear the same ring size!) and i would have fit the high school girlfriend mold perfectly. i'm making fun of myself here. :)
vera's first christmas.
sasha and marlow. they love each other. marlow turned 3 years old on saturday!
we kept up our annual tradition of going out to breakfast together (alone) on christmas eve morning. we got to go on another date, too. last night we went to dinner and a movie.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
around here.
my husband is on a 6-week sabbatical and i love having him home! he's been really productive and i'm impressed how ambitious he is in setting out to accomplish some house projects. this afternoon he is buidling cabinets for our laundry room. it's crazy how inexpensive it is to build them compared to buying them. love me a handy man.
i came across my favorite christmas book of all time! as far back as i can remember, i have made it a fun tradition of my own to look through this picture book every christmas. no words, but there's definitely still a story. my mom gave it to me when i moved out and got married. now it is in vera's room on her bookshelf.
i came across my favorite christmas book of all time! as far back as i can remember, i have made it a fun tradition of my own to look through this picture book every christmas. no words, but there's definitely still a story. my mom gave it to me when i moved out and got married. now it is in vera's room on her bookshelf.
my sweet girl taking her afternoon nap.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
paid off!
this picture was taken shortly after we bought our first car in april of 2006. we just paid it off and it feels really good! now we'll roll that car payment amount over to pay off our next highest interest loan. it will be good someday to be out of debt! i am thankful for a great husband who values good stewardship of finances and is smart about money because i am definitely not!Friday, December 18, 2009
catching up.
we had a christmas party last saturday--the annual 'eat, drink & be merry with the bonsers' and it was a blast. though not as many showed up as last year (88 last year..about 50 this year), it was still super fun to pack out our 1400 sq. ft. home with so many wonderful friends. we had a coffee bar & sweets theme, so i baked lots of sugary items to be consumed and a friend who works at fourbucks..er, i mean, starbucks supplied us with caffeine free of charge.
my good friend, emily, the one who was pregnant with me this summer--remember her?--is MOVING! i'm super sad because i'm going to miss her so much and especially since our babies are only 4 days apart. it has been so great having a friend to journey with through this craziness called motherhood, to bounce questions off each other, and to encourage each other. however, i am so thrilled that her husband got a dream job working on lake tahoe and they will make a lovely home there in just a couple of weeks now. 
we stripped our babies down to their diapers the other day and just looked at them, noticing their similarities and differences, but mostly just oohing over how dang cute they are!
my good friend, emily, the one who was pregnant with me this summer--remember her?--is MOVING! i'm super sad because i'm going to miss her so much and especially since our babies are only 4 days apart. it has been so great having a friend to journey with through this craziness called motherhood, to bounce questions off each other, and to encourage each other. however, i am so thrilled that her husband got a dream job working on lake tahoe and they will make a lovely home there in just a couple of weeks now. 
we stripped our babies down to their diapers the other day and just looked at them, noticing their similarities and differences, but mostly just oohing over how dang cute they are!other points of interest:
* vera had her 2 mo. check up and is in the 90th percentile for weight at 12 lbs. and 50th percentile for length at 22.5 inches. she's a good eater!
* my hubby is on sabbatical and home for SIX weeks! i feel so lucky.
* holy moly...christmas is one week away! i better finish my shopping.
* vera had her 2 mo. check up and is in the 90th percentile for weight at 12 lbs. and 50th percentile for length at 22.5 inches. she's a good eater!
* my hubby is on sabbatical and home for SIX weeks! i feel so lucky.
* holy moly...christmas is one week away! i better finish my shopping.
Merry Christmas from the Bonsers
The ABCs of 2009
Aunt Carey and Uncle Chris are proud of their first niece, Nora Brielle, born in June to Andy and Amanda, Carey’s siblings.
Barf or bake sums up Carey’s first trimester. If she was feeling well, she did a lot of baking. If not…
Chilly nights will be warmed by our fireplace from the 9 trees we cut down in our yard.
Dog parks were frequented with Marlow so that we could soak up our time with him before our baby arrived.
Enjoyment sums up time on Skype this year with friends and family. Look us up!
Friendships, old and new, have been huge blessings in our lives this year.
Grandma Allison visited for the first time and got to meet her great-granddaughter in November.
House projects are planned for Chris’ sabbatical.
Impatient described the last month of Carey’s pregnancy as we waited a total of 42 weeks for our daughter’s arrival.
Jesus has changed our lives and we celebrate Him this Christmas.
Kids in the foster system are people for whom we have compassion. Perhaps someday one will be a part of our family.
Learning a new programming language, Verilog, is a project Chris has been working on.
Marriage has been going great! We celebrated 4 years this year and look forward to many more together.
New York City was our last trip as a kid-free couple when we visited family in April.
One mile, Chris swam. He called it self-inflicted torture.
Puppy no longer. Marlow will turn 3 years old the day after Christmas.
Qwirkle is our new favorite board game.
Rest is something we miss as we raise our almost 2-month old.
Sabbatical eligible. Chris will receive 4 weeks off after working for AMD for 5 years.
Taste and See Fine Dining, Carey’s catering business, was a success as she was able to work solely on her own this year.
Uterine parasite was the description we gave to break the news that we were expecting.
Vera Corrine, our daughter, was born October 15th at 6:04pm, measuring 8 lb. 5 oz. & 21 in.
Waves were splashed at the beach of Port Aransas in June. Marlow enjoyed playing in the ocean and learned quickly not to drink the salty water.
Xerothermic is an adjective you could use to describe Texans this year as we survived the hottest summer on record.
Yankee game was a fun experience when we visited NYC.
Zyg is a word you should remember next time you play Scrabble.
Barf or bake sums up Carey’s first trimester. If she was feeling well, she did a lot of baking. If not…
Chilly nights will be warmed by our fireplace from the 9 trees we cut down in our yard.
Dog parks were frequented with Marlow so that we could soak up our time with him before our baby arrived.
Enjoyment sums up time on Skype this year with friends and family. Look us up!
Friendships, old and new, have been huge blessings in our lives this year.
Grandma Allison visited for the first time and got to meet her great-granddaughter in November.
House projects are planned for Chris’ sabbatical.
Impatient described the last month of Carey’s pregnancy as we waited a total of 42 weeks for our daughter’s arrival.
Jesus has changed our lives and we celebrate Him this Christmas.
Kids in the foster system are people for whom we have compassion. Perhaps someday one will be a part of our family.
Learning a new programming language, Verilog, is a project Chris has been working on.
Marriage has been going great! We celebrated 4 years this year and look forward to many more together.
New York City was our last trip as a kid-free couple when we visited family in April.
One mile, Chris swam. He called it self-inflicted torture.
Puppy no longer. Marlow will turn 3 years old the day after Christmas.
Qwirkle is our new favorite board game.
Rest is something we miss as we raise our almost 2-month old.
Sabbatical eligible. Chris will receive 4 weeks off after working for AMD for 5 years.
Taste and See Fine Dining, Carey’s catering business, was a success as she was able to work solely on her own this year.
Uterine parasite was the description we gave to break the news that we were expecting.
Vera Corrine, our daughter, was born October 15th at 6:04pm, measuring 8 lb. 5 oz. & 21 in.
Waves were splashed at the beach of Port Aransas in June. Marlow enjoyed playing in the ocean and learned quickly not to drink the salty water.
Xerothermic is an adjective you could use to describe Texans this year as we survived the hottest summer on record.
Yankee game was a fun experience when we visited NYC.
Zyg is a word you should remember next time you play Scrabble.
Merry Christmas,
Chris & Carey Bonser
Chris & Carey Bonser
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
dance party in my crib.
guess i should take advantage of these moments before she can look over at me and recognize that i'm in the room. what a cutie.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
love the bumbo.
i sat her on the counter next to me the other day while i washed dishes and i just talked to her while she watched me. it's great for strengthening her neck muscles.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
The Pioneer Woman.
also known as P-Dub, P Diddy Widdy, and PW
If you don't know her, you should get to know her. I've only been following her blog since the beginning of this year, but I have to admit I am addicted to her daily posts about life as a ranch wife in Oklahoma. She's a homeschooling momma, cook, photographer, dog-lover, devoted wife, and believer. She's the Pioneer Woman! And I got to meet her last Thursday. Her cookbook has been published and she's touring the country, signing, answering questions, and blogging about her experiences. When I learned she was coming to Austin, I put it on my calendar and was counting down. I got to the bookstore early and got wristbands for my friend, Sara, and I so we could get our books signed. Even though we weren't far from the front, we still had to wait over an hour to meet her..but it was worth it! :)
It was also my first time 'going out' on my own since Vera was born. I was so thankful that Chris came home early from work and was on Daddy Duty all night. I left for 5 hours! I wore my boots, did my hair, put on make-up and brushed my teeth. :) And because it was a special occasion, I wore a regular bra instead of a nursing bra and brought a purse instead of a diaper bag. I felt like a new woman! It was really fun to get out and have one-on-one time with a friend and not have to worry so much about tending to my little girl, as much as I love her.
It was also my first time 'going out' on my own since Vera was born. I was so thankful that Chris came home early from work and was on Daddy Duty all night. I left for 5 hours! I wore my boots, did my hair, put on make-up and brushed my teeth. :) And because it was a special occasion, I wore a regular bra instead of a nursing bra and brought a purse instead of a diaper bag. I felt like a new woman! It was really fun to get out and have one-on-one time with a friend and not have to worry so much about tending to my little girl, as much as I love her.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
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