top five of philly

1. the reading terminal- a fun market downtown philly with all sorts of fun little stores and restaurants.




2. the historical sites- we got to see some of the fun things the city of brotherly love has to offer like the liberty bell, independence hall, valley forge and all the buildings that are older than anything in lubbock. :)






3- south street- such a fun atmosphere with all the crazy little shops and people!


4. philly cheesesteaks! yum yum yum


5. family! Ok so I know this isn't really a "philly" thing- but it was so great to hang out with the fam for a whole week. I just love them so much!

the ludwig family rap

For those of you who have been to a ludwig wedding the rap is...well at least memorable. Keje and I made it up for Kirsty and Adam's wedding six years ago and edited versions have been rapped at all four of the weddings to welcome the new member to the family. Keje and I rap, kirst does some sweet little choruses and Aj- b-boxes (though we have to beg him everytime)

Well, the ludwig family rap made its last appearance at Aji and Trish's wedding...and can you believe we have NEVER got it on camera?! Anyhow- here are the latest lyrics edited for our new sister: T-LICIOUS

L-to the-U-to the funky-D- WIG

K-POP and J-FUNK and this is our gig
our story begins in colorado where
M-DIDDY met a shorty named C-LO
the year was 1972 and M-DIDDY said:
"hey-we'd be cool"
after awhile they tied the knot
and this is where our story starts to get real hot

holla holla balla balla
uh-huh-chicka chicka chicka ah

the first little one was K-GUN
a handful, but she's got it going on
the second little one (that's me) J-FUNK
I might be spastic but I've got a lot of spunk
the third one rolled along thats A-BOMB
a devil and an angel but he loves his mom
after three just just didn't stop
they saved the best for last (that's me) K-POP

holla holla balla balla
uh-huh-chicka chicka chicka ah

We've got A-MACK, D-THUG and P-KRUNK too
but now A-BOMB wants to add one to the crew
for awhile there we thought she was fictitious
cause she's great and she's sweet
meet our sista T-LICIOUS!

holla holla balla balla
uh-huh-chicka chicka chicka bounce!


a little de-coding: Each family member has a rap name: Dad= M-diddy, Mom =C-lo, Kirst= K-gun, Jord= J-funk Aj=A-bomb, Keje= K-pop, Adam G= A-mack, Drew= D-thug, Patrick= P-krunk ,Trish= T-licious

Aji and Trish

The day before the wedding kirst, keje and I were talking and all said that we didn't think we would cry because a brother's wedding is different than a sister's wedding...but that was before we saw Aj standing there at the altar waiting for his beautiful bride...we ALL lost it. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was a blast. check out the kojo blog for all the fun crafts we did for the wedding!

(p.s. I love my grandpa)

oh- and I also got to make the matching outfits for kead and little burke!

back to the world of blogging

You may have noticed (or perhaps not...) that I have taken a little vacation from the world of blogging. Lots has gone on in a couple of weeks: my birthday, adam and kirstin's anniversary, keje's (my little sis) birthday, keje and pat's anniversary, and now added to the week o' celebration adam and trish's wedding!

We had a great time out in philly for the wedding and so I will post about that over the next couple days.

FIRST though here are some pics of my fun birthday present from the drewster: my espresso machine (that came with a barrista that makes a wicked dry cappuccino!)

we all survived!

we had a great time in albuquerque this past week at our little vacation/friend's wedding get away:










and kead had a great time at granny's:

really....I'm fine

Kead left to go to granny & pops house until sunday...it is the first time I have been away from her- ever. I keep telling myself it will be fine...it will, right?

what-a-ham!

...I wonder where she gets it from...

blessings in july

So far, we have had one crazy month...and its only half over! Not that I am complaining, it has been full of fun and blessings! here are some of the highlights so far:

• watermelon! i love lazy summer days eating watermelon in the backyard...reminds me of my mom (the biggest watermelon fan ever!) this picture was taken especially for "lita".
  

• the baby shower kirst threw me a baby shower this month and put so much thought and effort into the fun details because she knows how i love such things! check out the kojo blog for more fun pics! Also, at the shower everyone encouraged me by mentioning things they love about me as a mom! they all said such sweet things and it truly made me feel less anxious about having these two girls so close together. PLUS everyone chipped in to get us a crib and carseat- our last two big items!
  

• cousins. kead LOVES her cousin burke! it was a little stressful at times when she would try to "share" her water with him, try to pick him up, or show him where is nose is...but also very endearing to see her interest and love for him.
  

• caleb and kasey. there is a family that attends our church that have 12 kids (9 at home!) and these two are the youngest of the bunch. i have loved getting to know both of them so much! caleb gives the best hugs and every time kasey sees me she smiles really big and says "hiiii jojo!" melts my heart.
  

• fourth of july. this is one of my favorite holidays and, up until last year, I had not been in the states for this holiday in five years! I was so glad to be here again this year and we had a rockin party where drew smoked 2 briskets and 1 turkey and grilled 3 slabs of ribs...can you believe we didn't have any left overs??? it was just that good.

• taco bueno and taco villa. if it weren't for these two fast food establishments, i don't think we could convince my brother-in-law to visit us in lubbock. thankfully we have both within a mile of our house and he doesn't mind eating alone. (or doing a late night run with other boys) :)
  

• little miss #2! I am so thankful to say that this has been an easy easy pregnancy. with keadryn i only experienced about 2 months of any energy or normalcy and so far i have had almost nothing to complain about (other than it seeming much easier to pack on the pounds this time around...) all in all it has been a great experience and i am genuinely getting excited to meet her!
  

(burke snuggling up with the belly)

33 weeks!

tagged

Sara- this is the first time I've ever been tagged! thanks for including me in the fun!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
At this time 10 years ago, I was living in colorado (buena vista, to be exact) with my aunt and uncle working at the family nursery and getting ready to move to Argentina as an exchange student at the end of the summer! I always look back at those summers in B.V. as the funnest summers and simplest time in my life... B.V. happens to be my favorite place on earth!

Things on my To-Do List today:
clean the kitchen
get caught up on laundry
sleep to get over my cold
go to small group

What are some snacks you enjoy?
string cheese
gold fish
veggies
cheddar cheese and peanut butter (don't hate...its delicious)
Most people say they have a sweet tooth...well I have a "salty tooth" so I love crackers, chips, peanuts, pickles...

What would you do if you were a millionaire?
Lots would go to church. Pay off a house. Put some money aside for the girls...I would pay for my parents to FINALLY take their trip to Ireland. travel...A LOT! top of the list are Australia and New Zealand... those countries are dang far away and I can't figure out a way to combine them with a work type trip-which is how we do most of our travels!

Name some of the places you've called home:
Taos, NM
Farmington, NM (I forgot you lived there too Sara!)
Timmins, Ontario
Farmington, again
Bahia Blanca, Argentina
Farmington, again
Plainview, TX
Lubbock, TX
Buraimi, Oman
back to good ol' Lubbock

When people ask, I say I am from farmington, nm because i did junior high and highschool there.

What are some of your bad habits?
forgetting my keys everywhere, taking on too many projects, not reading- even though I really enjoy it once I start, spending money at Hobby Lobby cause they're having a sale ( first of all-they are always having a sale and second- I end up buying things I "might need" for a craft project and it ends up not being used...)

What are some jobs you've held?
nursery worker, waitress, hostess, dance instructor, spanish tutor, cashier at a bookshop, preschool teacher, mama.

Who are you tagging?
kirst and rachael

this time last year...

• I was so stressed out about traveling 20+ hours across the ocean with a five week old. (she did great, by the way)

• I was super excited to eat Peggy's ribs on the 4th of July...and be in the USA for the 4th of July!

• I was so sad to leave Jon and Vic at the airport.

• I was ridiculously grossed out to have to try my own breastmilk for the security officer in London!

• I was excited about coming home and being close to family for Kead's first couple years of life.
  

• I was mourning leaving all my sweet Omani girlfriends.

• I was loving seeing rain in Dallas (although everyone else in Dallas was sick of rain and flooding)

• I was curious to see what Redeemer would be like and anxious to get things started!

• Having another baby ANY time soon wasn't even on the horizon!

Happy one year anniversary to us (of moving back to the States). We have had a great year with tons of blessings, a great job, and such wonderful friends. We long for the day when we can move back to the Middle East, but are so grateful for this time we get in the states now. Extra bonus about being here for the birth of little miss #2: she could be president some day...if she want to. :)