Getting Ready...

We are getting ready for Christmas around here.  We are excited about having lots of family come and enjoy the holidays with us.  We will have 13 people coming to spend the holidays with us over the next several weeks.  That number might grow and I say, the more the merrier!

Here is a shot of the 9 foot tree we put up in the front of the house.  It turned out beautiful with all white, silver and crystal ornaments.  Granny put a lot of her favorite glass ornaments on this tree.  We have enjoyed it so much already.  We also put up our fun family tree in the den with colored lights and all the boys ornaments they have collected over the years.  I'll do another post about that later.

I've gotten nearly all of the Christmas shopping done!  I only need to order a few more things online.  It is such a relief.  My hope is to just ENJOY our time together in the evenings wrapping presents, baking goodies and just being together now that the shopping is done.

With these two together we might have a wild holiday celebration!

Stay tuned ;-)

THE MORE THE MERRIER!!!

My buddy Kim has headed to the other side of the world to bring home these two PRECIOUS boys. She is in China until next Saturday...just she and the boys. I am so proud of her for facing this trip alone to bring these guys home. I know I would have been a bit of a nervous Nelly if I were in her shoes. She is such a great example of being faithful to what the Lord has called you to do, even when the road seems a bit unknown and scary. The Lord equips those he has called. Follow along with her journey at www.lestertraveljournal.com and be ready to have your heart just burst with JOY. Adoption is just a wonderful reminder God's love for us!!

HOLY SMILE BATMAN!

Andrew has been wobbling his front tooth for weeks now. Earlier this week it got REALLY loose. On the way home from my office that day he and I stopped to get a snow cone. He was in the backseat of the car eating it when he started crying big alligator tears. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "I don't want to be a big boy, I want to be your little boy." My heart just melted. He had overheard me saying to the babysitter that once kids loose their front teeth they are big kids. I had no idea he would take that to heart :-( He wants to be big enough to do everything his big brother does most of the time so I wasn't expecting that reaction. I told him he will always be my little boy even when he grows up to be as big as his daddy. In no time the tears were dried up and he was happily eating his snow cone gabbing away with me about his exciting day. That night I couldn't help but snuggle him a little longer when I tucked him in a bedtime.

Long Time, No Post...

Well hello! It sure has been a while! We have had busy days and changes for all of us. Mark's Grandfather passed away on June 16th. He was 95 years old. Mark absolutely ADORED his grandfather and so did everyone else. It was sad to say goodbye to him but he was ready to go be with the Lord. Grandma and Grandpa had been married for 71 years! That is a long time to have someone by your side. She is living with us now and we are THRILLED to have her with us. I know it isn't the same as having her husband with her but I hope she is comforted being with us. My boys adore her so I don't know who will end up more spoiled, Granny or us! She is such a blessing in our home. Please remember her in your prayers. She is a great lady and is working to get on with a whole new life here (at 89 years old). I hope I can have just a pinch of her resolve in my life.

The summer is flying by. We plan to take Granny to visit two of her sisters in Dallas while Mark and I take the boys to Six Flags. It will be nice to have a day of fun together. I just don't know if I can handle all of the big roller coasters that Mason loves now! Mark can do that while I ride the smaller stuff with Andrew ;-). I hope to get back to posting for the sake of journaling or daily life for the boys to enjoy reading later. I've missed catching up on my other bloggy buddies lives too! Here's to a new start!

Christmas 2009

We had a busy Christmas this year with lots of company. We love it that way. It started with Kayla and Chad and little Logan (our niece and her family) spending Christmas with us. It was great to get that time with them. Kayla is such a wonderful girl. It is so fun to see her all grown up and starting a family of her own. Her husband is a keeper! The Lord truly blessed Kayla with a loving husband. Little Logan is a doll! Mark and I reminisced while we cuddled him and soaked up that new baby smell.

Then we had a visit with my big sis, Laura and her family. We had a blast while they spent the week with us. We live so far apart it is difficult to always get together but we are committed to finding a way to do this at least once a year. We always have so much fun together and the kids do to ;-)

I put together a little slide show of all our Christmas fun. It is long since I want to remember all the fun. I hope you enjoy.

WISHING YOU A WHITE CHRISTMAS

Years ago Mark and I moved to Kansas with his new job ready to start our adventure together. After growing up in Southwest Tennessee, I was excited at the real possibility of having the white Christmas I had heard Bing sing about my entire life. By Thanksgiving, when it was 8 degrees BELOW ZERO, I knew I was meant to be a Southern girl FOREVER. The snow is pretty but after you have shoveled out your driveway once…it’s enough. As tiring as the snow became, I always had the moment of awe looking out the window to see everything covered in white first thing in the morning. There is just something fresh about seeing the world covered in white and undisturbed. Every home, every neighborhood looked beautiful. The snow covered up any eyesores and all you could see was a blanket of white.
Now that we have migrated back to the South (you can take the girl out of the south but you can’t take the South out of the girl!) we don’t see the snow very often at all anymore but every year we experience a White Christmas. Through the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ and the grace offered by his death on the cross we can hold onto his promise of forgiveness. Psalm 51:7 says, “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow”. The forgiveness of our sin and the relationship with our Lord that follows gives you a fresh and undisturbed feeling in your soul to which no other Christmas gift can compare. The eyesores of our lives are covered by the blood of Christ and we come before God as white as snow. Our prayer is that you and your loved ones experience a White Christmas this year and every year through your relationship with Christ.

MY MOM...

Things with my mom continue to improve but today we had a setback. She was struggling to breathe while coughing up the lung secretions (sorry, gross) and the ICU nurses had to insert a tube and put her on a respirator. The ICU staff is very positive and have said this could be a good thing for today. It will allow them to suction her lungs more effectively and then start weaning her off of the respirator tomorrow. Please pray that she will keep her strength and have strong respiration tomorrow as they scale back the respirator.

I am ready to get her off of this roller coaster!

UPDATE

Things are looking up at this point. Her lungs are looking better and today her kidney function shows some improvement. Your prayers are so appreciated and are availing much. I will update again soon with some humor I have been able to find in the midst of undesired moments.

PRAYER REQUEST

WE ARE HEADED TO TENNESSEE UNEXPECTEDLY. MY MOTHER IS IN ICU. SHE HAD AN UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION HAS GOTTEN INTO HER BLOODSTREAM AND INFECTED HER LIVER AND KIDNEYS. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER, THE DOCTORS AND NURSES CARING FOR HER AS THEY TRY TO IDENTIFY THE INFECTION SO THEY CAN CHOOSE THE BEST TREATMENT FOR HER AND THAT SHE WILL RESPOND WELL TO HER TREATMENT.

MY MOMMA IS ONE TOUGH COOKIE! SHE RAISED 10 CHILDREN IN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WERE NOT ALWAYS EASY. SHE HANDLES EVERYTHING WITH A QUIET GRACE THAT I COVET SOMETIMES. IT WASN'T UNTIL I HAD CHILDREN OF MY OWN THAT I TRULY CAME TO RESPECT HER TOUGHNESS AND GRIT. I'M SURE SHE WAS TOUGHING OUT THIS "CHEST COLD" SHE HAD AND AT 73 SHE JUST CAN'T DO THAT. I AM THANKFUL FOR A GOD OF STRENTH THAT WILL SUSTAIN HER IN HER WEAKNESS.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRAYERS.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Laura loaded up the kids and headed to Dallas to pick up Jake at Love Field. I armed her with a map to the airport and assured her she would miss the bulk of the afternoon traffic. I kissed the babies and my sis and they were on their way. She called about an hour later, the car engine light had come on and it was slipping out of gear. She called our friend who had fixed her car and he immediately got on the road to get pick up the car and his wife followed behind in her SUV to bring Laura and the kids back to my house. Laura was blown away at that kind of service. She said, "I don't think the Ford dealership would have taken care of us like that." Jake rented a car at the airport and headed for our house too. When everyone was back at my house, we had an all out laughfest. This story just was too incredible.

Friday afternoon the car was ready. As it turns out, a transmission line had come loose during the radiator repair. Just one of those strange things. I had lunch with Laura, Jake and the kids one last time before they headed home. They both commented on the kindness of our little community. It made me proud to be a part of this community. Everyone treats each other like neighbors and family and that doesn't go unnoticed by people accustomed to "city life". God has blessed us richly with the relationships we have built here.

You will all be glad to know that Laura and the family MADE IT HOME SATURDAY! I was so glad to see her home number on my caller ID. She said she almost cried when she saw her house. I told her she needed to rent Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. She would see it in a whole new light now.

I LOVED my time with my sister and her kids. The circumstances were INSANE but we were truly blessed. We even managed to get Jake here for one night. I know God's hand was on every minute of this crazy sequence of events. When we went to church last Sunday, I had chills because I know our pastor was speaking directly to us. He was saying how Joseph had plans for his marriage and future. He did not plan for his future wife to be pregnant (he wanted to leave her quietly) and to have to trek her across the country to a place where they had nowhere to stay except a BARN. Oh, and have the baby there! God kept telling Joseph to have faith in Him, He had a plan. Boy were we learning what that meant this past couple of weeks!

I know you are wondering where the train come into this story? Well, Mark and I are taking the boys to the East Texas Historic Train Depot to ride the Polar Express tonight! We will wear our pajamas, drink hot cocoa and head to the North Pole. They have been looking forward to this soooo much. It is the kickoff to our Christmas week.

The End of Best Laid Plans

Remember that adjustor? Well by Friday the 12th, he had still not showed up at the repair shop, so the parts had been ordered but no work could be done. Therefore Debbie and Mike continued on to Colorado while Laura and the kids came back to Texas on Saturday and waited for the car to be repaired.

I know she was ready to get home and see her husband and continue to prepare for Christmas but we really made the best of difficult circumstances. We watched fun Christmas movies together, made the weekly trip to Wal*mart together with 3 kids 5 and under, made sugar cookies with all 4 kids, and had plenty of laughs together. We have both been wanting time together with our kids and the Lord made a way to provide it to us. It just wasn't in the pretty package we would have planned. It is funny how because of the unusual change of plans, we were blessed with more time together. Now I did not get my Christmas cards done or a lot of my Christmas shopping that still needs completing. Those things can take a back seat to time with my sister and her 2 babies.

But now it was Thursday and the car was ready. Jake, Laura's husband, was flying in to meet her so they could make the long drive together. But don't get too haisty, the story doesn't end yet. It couldn't be that simple.

Adventures in Cross Country Travel

As I said earlier...the accident happened after they had driven 14 hours through the night (much easier to do with a 2 and 4 year old) and were waiting to turn into my driveway when the street sweeper quickly went in reverse and backed into them. Needless to say, this put a damper on the arrival. The front of the car was damaged as well as the radiator. The driver of the sweeper admitted fault at the scene but the insurance company (after 2 days) said they would only pay 75% of the damages. Laura had to get her insurance involved to get the ball rolling so an adjustor would even be scheduled. I called a friend in town to get the car picked up but he could not begin the work until the adjustor showed up. We spent a couple of days together having fun with the kids. We all opened our gifts to each other and had fun laughing and spending time together. Laura, Debbie, Mike and the kids finally recieved their rental car on Wednesday and continued East on their trip. They were going to plan on heading back to my house in a caravan, since Debbie and Mike were renting a U-Haul to pick up the remainder of their possessions back east to carry back to their new home in Colorado, on Saturday the 13th and leave to head back to Denver on Sunday evening...that was the plan before the street sweeper entered the story...to be continued.

The Expedition Was Run Over By a Street Sweeper...

Pulling into Amy's Driveway for a Christmas Visit! (This should be sang to the "Grandma got ran over by a reindeer" tune) This is how the visit with my sisters began. This is such a long story I will post over several days. We have made the best of a bad set of circumstances and the saga continues. I'm telling you, I should write a screenplay about this adventure.

MY SISTERS ARE ON THEIR WAY!!!!!!!

My big sisters Debbie (along with her husband Mike)and Laura (with her babies Josh and Brooke) are driving in today on their way to see the rest of our family back East. They will be here for one day then continue with their trip. This weekend they will be back again for a couple of days before they head back to Colorado. When they come back on Saturday, our friend (who you may as well call a sister too!) will drive in with her two girls. We will have a HOUSE FULL and I LOVE IT!

I am worse than the kids. I stayed up until 5:00am wrapping presents because I was too excited to sleep. Now that is crazy! I am a grown woman who should have more self control than that. oh well, who wants to sleep when there is fun to be had. I can sleep after they leave.

I'll post pictures of all of our craziness later. For now I'm off to work.

Our friends Kim and Paul are in China as we speak preparing to bring their daughter Vivi Jo home to the rest of her family. You can follow there journey by clicking HERE . Vivi is a cutie pie, of course, and we are all smitten with her. Please pray for her transition and leave the family some encouraging comments as they journey home!

WELCOME WINSTON LAMAR TO THIS BIG WORLD! HE WAS BORN ON 9/17/08. MY SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW, TERESA AND CLINT ARE SMITTEN AND SO IN LOVE WITH THIS LITTLE GUY. IT IS SO GREAT TO SEE THE JOY IN THEIR EYES. I HAVE BEEN AT TERESA'S THE LAST FEW DAYS TO HELP OUT AND HAVE HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME. WINSTON IS JUST A DOLL! HE HAS THE CHUBBIEST LITTLE CHEEKS THAT YOU CAN'T HELP BUT KISS. THIS IS HIS "FIRST PHOTO" AT THE HOSPITAL. I WILL POST MORE LATER.

MARK IS HOME WITH THE BOYS AND TAKING CARE OF ALL THAT REQUIRES SO I CAN HAVE THIS TIME WITH MY SIS. HE IS PRETTY GREAT. I MISS MY BOYS SO I WILL BE COMING HOME TOMORROW TO LOAD BACK UP ON HUGS AND KISSES I'VE BEEN MISSING. I CAN'T EVER GET ENOUGH OF THOSE!

You guys have to go check out my friend Tammy's blog. She is absolutely hilarious and has a heart of gold to boot! Reading her posts make me laugh out loud so I warn you not to embarrass yourself at work! She has worked tirelessly as the founder of Chrysalis House, a ministry for homeless mothers and their children. She and the team of loving people working right along beside her are getting close to the goal and may soon see this building ready to welcome moms and children to get the support they need and the opportunity to know and accept the love of Christ. Check out her ministry blog to get the latest news and find out how you can help this great ministry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANNY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARK'S MOM, FRAN. SHE IS SUCH A SWEETHEART. I COULDN'T ASK FOR A NICER, MORE LOVING MOTHER-IN-LAW. THE BOYS JUST ADORE HER AND IT IS SO SWEET TO WATCH THEM TOGETHER. WHEN WE CALLED TODAY TO WISH HER A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDREW, THE SINGER OF THE FAMILY, HAD TO SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HER OVER THE PHONE. IT WAS SO CUTE. NANNY ENJOYED IT SO MUCH SHE ASKED US TO CALL HER CELL PHONE AND HAVE ANDREW DO AN ENCORE PERFORMANCE ON HER VOICEMAIL. I HAD TO LAUGH WHEN IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS SONG HE SAID, "SHE MUST HAVE GONE UPSTAIRS" SINCE HE DID NOT HEAR HER VOICE. TOO CUTE.

YOU CAN JUST SEE HOW MUCH THEY LOVE THEIR NANNY BY THOSE GIANT SMILES ON THEIR FACES. THEY LOVE EVERY CHANCE THEY GET TO BE WITH NANNY & POPPY. WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR SPECIAL DAY, NANNY! WE LOVE YOU.

MEET THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY...

THIS IS SADIE. SHE IS AN ADORABLE ONE YEAR OLD BOXER. WE SURPRISED THE BOYS FRIDAY WHEN WE TOLD THEM WE WOULD BE "ADOPTING" HER FROM OUR BABYSITTER RONDA'S FAMILY. RONDA & RICKY'S SON SHANE MOVED BACK HOME WITH SADIE. THE BOYS HAVE PLAYED WITH HER ALL SUMMER AND HAVE GROWN TO LOVE HER. WHEN I TOLD RONDA THE BOYS WANTED A BOXER BECAUSE THEY LOVE SADIE SO MUCH SHE TOLD ME THEY FELT LIKE SADIE WOULD ENJOY LIVING WITH A FAMILY WITH SMALL KIDS. THIS WAS SUCH A BLESSING TO US. IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR US TO HOUSE BREAK AND TRAIN A PUPPY WITH OUR SCHEDULE. WE HAVE HAD HER FOR JUST ONE NIGHT AND WE ARE ALL SMITTEN WITH HER. SHE LOVES TO PLAY AND ENJOYS THE HIGH ENERGY OF OUR HOME. SHE IS SO PATIENT AND SWEET WITH THE BOYS. SHE WAS CHEWING ON HER NEW BIG BONE WHILE ANDREW SAT ACROSS HER BACK AND HELD ON TO HER COLLER AND TOLD HER TO "GIDDY UP" SHE JUST LOOKED OVER HER SHOULDER AND LICKED HIM IN THE FACE. WE TOLD MASON SHE WOULD BE HIS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY. HE HAS TAKEN THIS VERY SERIOUSLY. HE WAS UP AT 6:00AM TAKING HER OUTSIDE TO POTTY! I'M SURE THERE WILL BE MANY MORE PICTURES TO POST OF ALL THE FUN WE WILL BE HAVING WITH LITTLE MISS SADIE!

FAMILY REUNION FUN

WE SPENT THE 4th OF JULY WEEKEND ATTENDING A FAMILY REUNION FOR MARK'S GRANDMOTHER'S FAMILY IN KANSAS. WE MET MARK'S SISTER AND HER FAMILY AND DROVE TO KANSAS TO SPEND THE WEEKEND WITH THEIR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, AND MANY COUSINS. WE ALWAYS HAVE LOTS OF LAUGHS WHEN WE ALL GET TOGETHER. HERE ARE SOME FUN SHOTS OF THE TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER.
THE GANG'S ALL HERE!

MARK AND HIS GRANDPA MARVIN MARK & HIS SISTER TAMMY WITH THEIR GRANDMA WILDA ANDREW ENJOYED THE FIREWORKS THANKS TO THESE EAR "MUFFS" FROM UNCLE DENNIS. LOOK HOW CUTE HE LOOKS WITH HIS CHEEKS SMUSHED.

MARK'S MOM AND DAD SPENT THE DAY AT THE AMUSEMENT PARK WITH THE KIDS...THEY ARE SO FUN!

YEEHAW COWBOYS!

THE TICKLE MONSTER GETS HIM EVERY TIME!

MASON TRIES TO COMFORT HIS LITTLE BROTHER, WHO APPARENTLY, IS NO FAN OF ROLLER COASTERS...EVEN THE KIDDIE KIND.

HI DADDY!

I DON'T KNOW WHY, I JUST LOVE THIS PICTURE!

THESE FUTURE MASTERS CONTENDERS LOOK SERIOUS.

HE IS EITHER AN ALLIGATOR WRESTLER OR THE ALLIGATOR ATE HIS BALL.

MASON'S FIRST TIME TO DRIVE HIS OWN GO CART. DADDY IS CLOSING IN FAST WITH HIS TRUSTY SIDEKICK, KNUCKLES...I MEAN ANDREW.

THERE'S ANDREW!

MASON WITH HIS COUSINS, MICHAEL AND MEAGAN. PURE JOY!

ANDREW AND MICHAEL ARE HAVING A BLAST.

WE HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME WITH EVERYONE AND PACKED A LOT IN TO JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS. WE ARE STILL RECUPERATING FROM ALL THE FUN! WE LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOON!