Ramblings of a Rambin

Charlotte Elizabeth

2011-01-01T20:39:00.006-06:00

Charlotte Elizabeth Rambin arrived on December 20, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs., 7 oz. and was 20 inches long. She was born at 35 weeks but is doing very well.

This pregnancy was supposed to be the easiest yet. After our loss in the spring, we had lots of questions about whether or not we would be able to have another baby. The question was answered quickly, though, when I was able to get pregnant the first month. My new OB watched me so closely from the beginning that we had lots of details this time. Once it was determined that the pregnancy was where it was supposed to be and growing properly, we sighed a sigh of relief.

My first trimester went smoothly - other than the morning sickness. There was some concern about my progesterone level, but that seemed to solve itself. I continued to work, take care of the kids and nap whenever I could. The second trimester was a welcome change - the morning sickness went away and I felt really good. I had been referred to a high-risk OB in Dallas (because of my "advanced maternal age") but was released at 18 weeks because the baby and I were too healthy to be seen in the high-risk office. I was incredibly thankful and relieved.

At 24 weeks, everything changed. I started having physical symptoms that were not familiar to me as "normal pregnancy" symptoms. My doctor ran a few tests and I was quickly diagnosed with pre-eclampsia (a syndrome only in pregnancy that presents as high blood pressure and protein in the urine). I was hospitalized 4 times in the two weeks following the diagnosis to get the symptoms under control and receive medication to mature Charlotte's lungs in case she had to be delivered early.

When I wasn't in the hospital - I was on bed rest. I was told I could get up to go to the bathroom, take one shower a day and heat a plate of food. I wasn't supposed to do anything else. My first thought when my doc prescribed bedrest - No really! Be real! I have three kids and a job. It was quickly apparent, though, that any time I was not laying down or reclining, my blood pressure would go up causing blood and oxygen to the baby to be restricted. So I took it seriously...for 12 weeks! I found out that bedrest is one of those things that sounds good until you have to do it. Then you find out it is boring and lonely and hard on your body.

Thanks be to God for my church family at Glenwood. They took care of me and my family in so many ways: meals every other day, grocery shopping, errand running, carpooling, babysitting, housekeeping and most importantly, prayers. We were completely covered in prayer. In the midst of all the stress and questions, my church family calmed the storm. I feel incredibly blessed and eternally grateful.

At 35 weeks, my blood pressure jumped up and the doctor decided it was time for Charlotte to be delivered. While it was stressful to think about having a preemie, we were very glad to have made it to 35 weeks. She was born with out any issues and was able to go home with me from the hospital.

Stay tuned...next time I'll tell you about Charlotte's jaundice!

Truth and Lies

2010-04-23T08:16:00.003-05:00

If you know me, you know that the months of February and March were a living hell. I don't use that term lightly or flipantly...I use it literally. After finding out I was pregnant with my 4th child (the result of a planned attempt), I started having problems. By February 6th, I was in the ER being told that the pregnancy was ectopic - in the tube instead of the uterus. Trusting my doctor of 10 years, I started an ill-fated course of treatment that resulted in 6 weeks of extreme pain, both physical and mental. In the end, I had 3 trips to the ER, 2 rounds of chemotherapy, a d&c and an emergency laproscopy.

The truth: those 6 weeks were a result of medical mis-management and took a huge toll on me and my family.

The physical and emotional suffering were not the worst part. Within a few days of finding out that I would not be having a baby on September 27th, I found myself in a deep spiritual hole. I was incredibly angry at God and spent my quiet time asking why he would do this to me? Have I not been faithful enough? Am I not a good enough mother to be trusted with 4 children? Is this punishment for something specific I have done? I stopped praying and started blaming. I was unable to worship and could not feel or hear the presense of the Lord. I felt completely and totally betrayed by the the One whom I have served.

The lies: God caused this to happen based on my actions. God abandoned me in my time of greatest need.

My greatest strengh came from the people around me. Far above all others was my sweet husband. Jeff was absolutely incredible. His calm nature and willingness to help me in any way without trying to "fix it" made me love him even more. He stood by and held my hand. He backed off and let me grieve. He was my rock. I was also blessed by my mom who loved my kids with great compassion when I could not. She cleaned my kitchen and gave baths and insisted that I rest even when I didn't want to. Then there were my friends who surrounded me and cared for me in ways I didn't even see. My kids got to and from school every day. They were loved and fed - some days without me even knowing where they were. Each night a meal was delivered to my front door. Most importantly, though, is that these ladies prayed for me when I could not.

The truth: I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who love me and love my kids. I have taken my husband, my mom and my friends for granted; but will not do that again!

The story ends in a place I did not suspect: a picnic table in Lonestar, TX. After months of grieving and anger and seeming isolation from God, I was reminded of the truth by a total stranger. I went to Lonestar for a ladies retreat and was half-heartedly excited about the 8 hours of "silent time" when we were supposed to take a break from the world and spend time with God. Honestly, I had decided to use that time to get some work done. But after hearing the words of our speaker on Friday night, I thought I would give it a shot. I spent 8 hours crying and sleeping - but not listening to God. That night after dinner, we had a "celebration campfire" where all the women talked out about their encounters with God. I sat and listened (feeling even worse by virtue of everyone else's good fortune) and swore I would not ruin the evening for the other ladies. Then we were asked if anyone was disappointed and I couldn't help myself - I spilled my guts. I was immediately surrounded by 30 women who laid their hands on me and prayed. Of all the words I words I heard that night at the picnic table, the ones that struck me deepest were by our speaker (a stranger to me before that weekend). She prayed that God would quiet the lies and speak loudly the truth.

The lie: God was not listening to me and had abandoned me when I needed Him most

The truth: I was not listening to God, who was there all along!

Thanks be to God - I am able to pray again. Thanks be to God - I am able to hear Him speak. Thanks be to God - I am able to worship again. Thanks be to God - I can feel His presense. Thanks be to God!

Christmas, parts 2 and 3

2010-01-09T21:18:00.008-06:00

Once the kids were out of school for their 2 week "Winter Break", we decided to head to Beaumont to see my grandparents. On Christmas Eve, they were celebrating their 67th wedding anniversary so I wanted to be sure we got down to see them. The kids love their great-grandparents. They are a true blessing in our lives.

Abby, Emma & Silas play ball with papaw; mamaw looks on

Abby and papaw "take a nap" on the back porch swing

We arrived back in Tyler just in time to spend Christmas morning at our house. All three of our kids still believe in Santa so it is incredibly fun to get ready for the "big event". The kids made cookies for Santa, put reindeer food on the front lawn and got in bed compliantly at 8:00 p.m. Only then did the evening really get going...Jeff and I both on the floor of the living room with instruction booklets for our assigned construction project. I built a 3-story dream home and Jeff put tother a motorized scooter and a race track with hundreds of tiny pieces. "Some assembly required" meant several hours of work for us. Of course, it was totally worth it...

Abby got a "motorcycle" (as she calls it)

Silas got a Mario Kart race track

and Emma got a Barbie Dream House

Christmas, part 1

2009-12-19T20:30:00.003-06:00

We had our first Christmas celebration a few weeks ago in Nacogdoches with Jeff's mom. The kids absoultely love to go to her house...they get to see their Nanne Sue, eat hummy food and play in a big backyard with a swing. Abby would spend the entire time on the swing if we allowed:

Jeff's mom, Bonnie, has a new hobby: she is learning to play the dulcimer. She learned a few new songs for our visit and Silas was totally mesmerized:

After our outside play and entertainment, Nanne Sue had presents for all. What can be better than several huge boxes wrapped in beautiful paper with big bows. Emma got the unwrapping started:

We all had a great laugh when we opened the boxes and found "Snuggies" for everyone. These are the blankets with sleeves that people constantly make fun of. She bought three in kids sizes...

And two in adult size:

As silly as the commercials are...we have been so happy to have these this winter. I literally use mine every evening and the kids wear them to bed like giant robes. We love them.

The Trip

2009-12-08T14:46:00.003-06:00

Several years ago, Jeff and I decided that we wanted to make our childrens' 6th birthdays very special and memorable. Since that is the year they start Kindergarden and by 6 they are old enough to remember, we have done special trips.

Silas turned 6 on November 20th so we took a Disney Cruise. I can't imagine that I even need to say how fabulous it was. The service was excellent, the food was great and the kids had a great time (minus Abby who stayed in Tyler with her "Nona").

We ate ice cream before lunch

and swam in the middle of November

and played in the Atlantic Ocean

and held up rockets with our brute strength...

First Day of School

2009-08-24T18:01:00.002-05:00

Emma

Emma started 2nd grade today. She has Mr. Simms, who taught 5th grade last year at Rice. She came home today talking about how funny he is and how he likes to play games and make jokes. She had a fabulous, but rather serious, teacher last year so this will be a change. I'm thankful for varying opportunities and the chance to interact with lots of personalities. She knows a few of her classmates but is also going to have lots of new friends in the coming weeks. She has been asked to read at least 20 minutes each night as well as study her spelling, vocabulary and math. She will have a test each Friday. Emma desires perfection in herself and strives to be the best. She has a kind heart and loves to help others. She will bless many people...

Silas

Silas started Kindergarten today at Rice. He is in Ms. Jordan's class (the same K teacher Emma had). She is a wonderful woman who has spent 30+ years helping 5 year olds learn how to start and succeed at school. She is kind and loving; with a very structured classroom. I know from past experience that she is going to bless Silas this year. He will also have a little time outside the classroom at speech therapy. We expect he will start twice a week then reduce to once per week. He has made amazing progress in his speech and should be completely dismissed from the special education program by Christmas. Silas is eager to learn and has a complex, intelligent mind. I can't wait to see what he becomes...

Abby

Abby is going to school at Little People's School again this year. She is in the purple room which is specifically for boys and girls who are almost three or just three. Most of her class is learning to use the potty; her teachers are very patient women. She will learn her numbers, colors and be introduced to the letters in the alphabet. She is also going to have a special (and new) class this year called "world wise" that will be 30 minutes every day. A wonderful Christian woman who spent lots of years in Africa as a missionary is teaching the kids about different cultures around the world using music, dance, food and art. How many 3 year olds get that type of exposure? Abby is a calm and gentle soul. She is almost always happy and is delighted to go along with whatever is happening. Even though she is still hard to understand, she can sing songs without missing even one note. She has music in her heart...

Grapevine Botanical Gardens

2009-08-19T14:38:00.002-05:00

I had no idea that there were gardens in Grapevine, Texas. What a find! Thanks to my sister-in-law, we used this fab spot to take some photos. I did a "shoot" with my kids, with her kids and then some will all the cousins. It was hot...and the kids got tired...but we got a few usable pictures.

Silas swims

2009-07-14T22:57:00.003-05:00

Silas swims the backstroke

Silas has been on the Apple Gators swim team this summer. Their season is almost over and he is really going to miss it. He has been going to "swim team" every weekday morning from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. He has also competed in two swim meets. He never wins...but he loves the water and has been a great member of the team.

Thad's Birthday Party

2009-07-13T14:45:00.003-05:00

We had such a good time at Thad's birthday party.

He was surrounded by Godly families who were willing to take time out of their week to celebrate his birthday - most of whom had never met him. Forty moms, dads, cousins, grandmothers, sister and brothers swam, ate pizza, swam, ate cake and ice cream, swam, watched Thad open presents and then swam some more.

By 8:00 p.m., we were all exhausted...but so encouraged by the love that was shown to our family. I'm thankful for our life in the Spirit and others who choose to live their lives in the Spirit as well. God has blessed us greatly and now Thad has been blessed. Please pray for our family and his future.

Another one "bites" the dust

2009-07-10T21:45:00.003-05:00

Silas at 9:30 p.m.

Silas pulled another loose tooth this evening after our swim. We noticed that both front bottom teeth were loose this morning but one was much more loose than the other so we assumed there would be several days (or weeks) between the teeth coming out. No way, not for Silas.

He's been messing with that thing all day and finally told me, "e-mail the tooth fairy and tell her I've got another one". How can you argue with that?

Silas lost his first tooth

2009-07-10T14:14:00.003-05:00

Silas this morning at breakfast...

Silas just after lunch...

The first lost tooth is just as exciting for the second child as it is for the first. Without any warning, Silas woke up with a loose tooth and it was out by 2:00 p.m. He worked on it all morning with his fingers and tongue and then asked me to pull it out. I worked it loose and then he pulled it out himself.

Homesick

2009-06-30T14:54:00.006-05:00

Have you ever been homesick? Well, I have and it stinks. Especially as a child, homesickness is more than just a feeling - it takes on physical forms like stomach ache and tears.

Emma is in Nachogdoches for the week (going to day camp with her cousin, Thad) and she had a bout of homesickness yesterday. When we spoke on the phone, she was in tears - ready to come come. In fact, she had already packed her bag! As it was early afternoon, I told her that Abby was asleep and I could not go anywhere until she woke up. I assured her that I would make a plan with Jeff's mom and call back when Abby was awake.

Thankfully, Bonnie was a 2nd grade teacher for many years and understands the emotions and outbursts of 8 year olds. As it turns out, a bit of distraction and fun solved the problem and Emma stayed without having to call again.

Thank you, God for loving grandmothers!

Meanwhile, back here in Tyler, I had two smaller children who were anxious to get in a running sprinkler (after nearly 2 hours in the pool)...

Three extra wishes

2009-06-27T20:43:00.004-05:00

Today was Silas' first swim meet. He and Jeff left at 6:00 a.m. to be in Lufkin by 7:45. He swam in three races and came in dead last every time. Thankfully for us, Silas loves to swim and could care less whether he was first or last.

As soon as he was done with his third race, we all converged on Nanne Sue's house in Nacogdoches. Earlier in the week, Silas had requested a cake to celebrate his first swim meet. Nanne Sue and Thad accepted the challenge and created a cake that looked like a swimming pool. Even though it was not anyone's birthday, Thad decided they needed to add three candles to give Silas "three extra wishes". What a sweet and thoughtful cousin.

After lunch and "pool cake", we got out in the back yard and the kids played with water balloons:

After about half an hour outside in the 100 degree weather,

we went in the house to play some games. Jeff got in on the action:

One game the kids love is "button, button" where Nanne Sue plays the piano. The object of the game is not to hide the button from her, but the kids think it is so funny to do so...

What can be better than a day at grandma's house with a super fun cousin?

Silas the Psalmist

2009-06-21T18:41:00.009-05:00

This last semester, Silas' Wednesday night bible class learned the 23rd Psalm. Thanks to two women of God, the little boys in that class have learned the entire chapter.

Several weeks ago, when Silas was just about done with school, he stuck his head into the office of our pulpit minister to tell him about learning these memory verses. Silas held out his piece of paper and recited the entire chapter (of course, he cannot read so the paper was just a prop). In a moment of insanity, Jeff (Christian) asked if Silas would like to say it in front of the church.

Silas said, "sure"
Jeff said, "it will be in front of like a million people"
Silas, "OK"

Nanne Sue (Jeff's mom) came from Nacogdoches and Nona (my mom) was sure to get a front row seat. I slipped down to the front row to get video and up Silas went onto the stage.

and now, the rest of the story.....

Breast Cancer

2009-04-16T21:15:00.002-05:00

Stephanie Harris has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Please pray for her. Also, please pray for her husband, David and her children, Trevin, Aspen and Blake.

In the next few weeks, we will mobilize a team to help the family in any way we can. Think of ways you can help then let's get together...

God is the great healer.

Please pray for my friend

2009-04-14T09:21:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine from church is going for a breast biopsy at 1:00 p.m. today. Please pray for her. She has young children - 10, 7 and 4 - and is a faithful christian woman who loves God and her family very much.

By some strange coincidence, we actually lived in the same small town in New Mexico. My family spent 17 years in Farmington, NM. Her family lived there during a portion of that time. We attended the same small church (200 members). Now we both live in Tyler, TX - go figure.

She and I help each other every weekday - I pick up her kids in the morning and she brings Emma home to me in the afternoon (so Abby can get a good nap). She is a blessing in my life and I am earnestly praying that whatever was seen on the mamogram is a non-issue.

Go get your mamogram!

My sweet Easter bunny

2009-04-13T18:59:00.003-05:00

Last January (2008), Abby got ear tubes. In October, we found out that they had both come out of her ear drums (this happens naturally as a child grows). For some children, the one year with tubes is enough for them to "grow out of ear infections". Not for Abigail.

Within 2 weeks of the tubes coming out, she had a ear infection. Each month after that, she developed another ear infection. We worked with the pediatrician and she took 10 days of antibiotics every 30 days (each month we tried some new 'wonder' drug). In March, she was put on 30 days of some incredibly expensive medicine. By day 20, she had another ear infection. We found ourselves back in the surgeon's office.

He has scheduled surgery for May 11th - the day after Mother's Day. She will have her tonsils and adenoids out and a new set of tubes put in. We'll be at ETMC for 'at least' one night. I hope we go home on Tuesday morning.

Pray for Abigail. She is not quite old enough to understand what is going on so she may be quite upset about all the pain. She is, however, young and resilient so the healing should be fast.

OnStar, take me away!

2009-03-30T14:44:00.004-05:00

This was one of those days (we've all had them). Up on time and feeling good about the speed of the morning's necessary activities, I headed into the bathroom with just enough time to brush my teeth and slip on my shoes. Much to my disappointment, I was not wearing any make-up. Five minutes later I was headed to the door yelling, "HURRY UP DOES NOT MEAN JUST STAND THERE...COME ON". Into the van, buckle Abby, buckle myself, key in ignition...click...click...click. "OH, *@#%&*" (to myself of course). The van would not start. Call Stephanie (whose kids I pick up in the morning) - she comes in the blink of an eye and has Emma on her way to school. One call to OnStar and the towing company is on the way. Note to self: must leave van running for 45 minutes after "jump start".

Finally, I get the kids to school, deliver food for "teacher appreciation week" and am at work only 15 minutes late. Get coffee, do important legal work (HAHA!), everything is fine. At 1:00 I am thinking "van, please start". As I walk to the van I realize I do not have my keys. Of course, they are laying in the console - I can clearly see them through the window. One more call to OnStar, reveal super-secret code to "agent" on other end of call, van doors are open. YEAH!

So much stress has built up that I decide to make cookies "for the kids' snack" (yeah - if you've ever met me you know that I eat to relieve stress). The mixer is on and Silas is in the living room playing Wii saying something about the "studs" or "power packs". Who knows? I can't hear him. So I respond with what I believe to be an appropriate phrase.

Thank you, Silas, for bringing me back to the real world

and back to what is really important.

He says, "no, mommy...that was not a time to say 'whoa, baby', that was a time to say, 'oh, man'". Without any hint of having his feelings hurt he goes back to playing Wii and leaves me thinking that I should worry less about things outside of my control and worry more about hearing the "important" things around me.

The revolving...no, sliding door

2009-03-05T09:36:00.004-06:00

We are in and out of the doctor's office all the time. I took Abby to the ear, nose and throat surgeon this morning. When we were in 6 weeks ago, he said she was likely on the way to the operating room (for ear tubes, tonsils, adenoids) but that he wanted to give her 6 weeks on a steroid to see if that cleared the fluid. Thanks be to God...it worked. She will not have surgery right now. Next winter will be another story.

But before any of this good news, we made a very dramatic entrance into the office. Abby has a thing about doors - she likes them closed. She is insistent that doors be closed. So, when she saw the automatic sliding door open, she put her hand on it to close it. Of course, her fat little hand got stuck (the door remaining in the open position because she was standing there). With my super-human mommy strength, I pulled the door closed enough to free her hand. Nurses came running and ice packs were applied. Thank you, God for soft and flexible 2 year old bones. Her wrist is bruised by fine. I'll see if I can post a picture this afternoon.

My shining stars

2009-03-03T15:46:00.004-06:00

Indulge me while I brag about my kids...they are doing some amazing things:

Silas made the front page of the Tyler newspaper

Silas' class from Little People's went to the library two weeks ago to hear a special reading of "The Napping House". Some story-tellers had come in from Austin and his class ended up on the front row at the reading. When the ladies had a sing-along that included some make-believe motorcylce riding, Silas was ready to go. Lucky for us, a photographer from the paper was there. The newpaper online has a much clearer photo.

Meanwhile, Emma has had an adventure of her own. After the first of the year, she was screened for the Gifted and Talented program at her school. We got a letter saying that she was eligible to move forward to the second level of screening. She went last week for a day of testing. We are so proud of her math, reading and overall abilities in school. Her teacher says she is easy to teach and eager to learn. Let's pray that lasts her whole life.

Abby - well, she's my sweet angel. She loves to go to "school" 4 days each week and can say the names of all of her friends. I found out today that she even has a boyfriend at school - Logan. Don't worry, he comes from a good family. Would you believe she chose the only other child-of-a-lawyer at her school? Unfortunately for him, I think she will end up being about 6 inches taller (based on his parents' heights).

Have a seat...let's catch up

2009-03-02T20:22:00.003-06:00

What a crazy couple of weeks. We've had lots of illness and lots of busy. Let me get you caught up...

We bought a Wii for Christmas and Silas is the self-appointed "Wii King" in our house. He has basically mastered Mario Kart and has now moved onto Legos Star Wars. Un-restricted, he would play from dawn to dusk. He really is better than any of us...his hand/eye coordination is incredible. He played with my brother when he was in town:

I have been working for Findlay Craft doing "document review for ongoing patent litigation" (I can't tell you any more because I signed a confidentiality agreement - and truly, do you really care?) So the mornings are busy...up at 6:00 - I do my workout DVD while Jeff showers, I shower and get dressed...7:00 - get the kids up, fed and ready to leave at 7:40 to drive car pool for Emma. Silas has speech therapy then we are off to Little People's to drop Silas and Abby. So, one morning while I was putting on my make-up, I noticed that Abby was not in the bathroom with me and I could not hear her (you know there's trouble when you can't hear them). I found her in the kitchen...she had come down with a nasty case of the "marker pox":

It has started to warm up here- finally we are able to get outside and play in the evenings. All three kids really like getting out in our neighborhood. Emma and Silas love to ride their bikes and Abby wanders looking for our few neighborhood pets. Tonight I happened to catch a beautiful sky behind all three kids:

So there it is in a nutshell. We are all healthy, happy and blessed by God.

Abby's word explosion

2009-02-08T20:41:00.008-06:00

Finally, Abby's vocabulary is starting to expand. Our kids seem to have an inordinate number in ear infections when they are infants/toddlers which has created speech delay. Abby is talking sooner than Silas, though, and she has some great new phrases.

She has started identifying each of us:
"Daddy"
"Mommy"
"Meema" (Emma)
"Iyraf" (Silas)
"Babby" (Abby)

She also has some new phrases:
"Mine eee Meema nak ebble" (I want to eat some of Emma's Fruity Pebbles)
"Daddy way ome?" (Is daddy on his way home?)
"Meema go cool, Iyraf go cool, mine no go cool...pway mommy day" (Emma and Silas are going to school...Abby is staying home to play with mommy)

Besides words and phrases, Abby has also taken up photography. I found that she loves my little digital camera and it will keep her happy when we are out somewhere and I need her to be patient (like waiting for Silas to finish speech therapy or at the grocery store). Here are a few of her recent photos:

A plague upon our house

2009-01-31T22:06:00.002-06:00

This week has been brutal. One week ago, on Saturday, Abby threw up. That started 5 days of "stomach bug". When she was done, I had washed so much laundry and cleaned up so many spots on the carpet that my knuckles were bleeding (from being so dry). I was so relieved to be done with this round.

Much to my dismay, that very night, Silas threw up. The whole thing started again. It is Saturday and he is still sick. He actually laid on the couch all day today - my monkey boy was still.

Let me say for the record that I love my kids and am privileged to take care of them, especially when they are sick. Let me also say that I have cabin fever. I am actually excited to get back to work. I hope none of you have a plague upon your house!

It got cold...and I got a cold

2009-01-20T21:44:00.002-06:00

We don't care that it is cold...we like to play outside!

I have been "off blog" for several weeks because I have been sick. It started with that strange feeling in the back of my throat and turned into three weeks of illness. For an entire week, I was without my voice. It was frustrating and exhausting. I got to the point where I had to clap at my children to get them to look at me so that I could whisper what I had to say. So miserable.

May I ask you to pray for someone tonight? My friends, Brian and Charisse Craft go to Shiloh Road Church and I work with Brian. Their youngest child, Ethan, is in 8th grade at ETCA and is in Pediatric ICU at Medical City tonight. This past week, Ethan got a fever and came down with what they thought was the flu. Testing revealed that he has a staph infection and is in septic shock. Becasue Ethan has had a pacemaker for most of his life, he was taken by helicopter to Dallas late Sunday night. His kidneys are not working very well and he is in alot of pain. If you would like to keep up with his progress, go to Caring Bridge.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T21:11:00.003-06:00

We wimped out on New Year's Eve once again. We didn't stay up until midnight, we didn't eat black eyed peas and we don't have any resolutions. All in all, though, we are really looking forward to a better year. 2008 was a long and stressful year...we are glad to be done with it.

Our family's first accomplishment of 2009 was getting Abby out of her crib and into a "big girl bed". We knew the time was coming but everyone (including Abby) was content for her to stay in the crib for as long as possible. On Christmas morning, however, Jeff found her standing at her door crying - she had fallen out. We left town that afternoon so the big move had to wait. Fortunately, it was relatively painless. The first night she cried about 30 minutes because she had the freedom to come out of her room but I kept putting her back in bed. Since then, she is perfectly content.

A preview of my next post...we spent Christmas day and the day after at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. Have you heard of this place - a resort with an indoor water park. I'm not much for advertising on my blog, but we had a blast. More next time...

The Coming

2008-12-27T13:06:00.003-06:00

Every year I try to re-focus our family at Christmas time....every year I feel like I have failed. I want my kids to understand about advent and the way that Christ came, is coming and will come. All I can do at this point is say it over and over and hope it sticks at some point.

And then the loot and plunder are unleashed. Excessive sweets, excessive toys, excessive everything. What a crazy day!

Despite all the craziness, Christmas is great. Note to self, next year...more Jesus, less presents!

Promises Kept

2008-12-22T11:31:00.003-06:00

The most wonderful thing in the world is a promise kept! This season of advent reminds me that God is the ultimate promise keeper. There is no promise made by God that has not been kept. I am so thankful that He kept the most important promise of all - to send His Son to save me and you.

I am also mindful that humanity is sinful and people do not always keep their promises. I know of two little boys who were told by their mother that she would see them for Christmas (after more than a year of absence)...but will now have to spend Christmas without her because of a broken promise. What is worse than the broken promise of a mother at Christmas?

In a world of sin and broken promises, I would like to make the following promises to my family:

to be more patient, to spend more time and less multi-tasking, to be less critical, to love more fully as the Father has called me to love.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Silas' lucky day

2008-12-20T22:52:00.002-06:00

Today was Silas' lucky day! He started the morning at Nona's (my mom) house after a sleepover. The rest of us picked him up around 9:00 and we headed to Nacogdoches to see Nanne Sue (Jeff's mom). Jeff dug around in the attic and found some "old" Star Wars toys - Silas was totally excited. We came home after lunch and spent some time outside before the freezing weather arrived. We found a patch of clover and I began telling the kids about how some people believe that you find luck if you find a clover with 4 leaves. Within 30 seconds, Silas says "I found one". Amazing. To top off his lucky day, Jeff's 34 year old Lionel train set started running tonight. Jeff had bought some new tracks, done some work on the engine and it runs. Silas had so much fun running the train around and around...although, I wonder who had more fun?

I'm Alive!

2008-12-18T19:46:00.003-06:00

My grandparents with Emma, Silas and Abby at Dinner Theatre

It's good to be back in bloggerland. I have been away during the final week of dinner theatre (and the week after). I have been absolutely exhausted and running at full speed for weeks. Once the show was finally over Sunday night and we cleaned up after ourselves, I arrived home at 10:30 p.m. only to be up at 6:30 a.m. ready for a full week of work and life. I was so glad to be done with dinner theatre but was completely overwhelmed by the mess that was my house, my kids, my laundry, my life.

Several afternoons of diligent cleaning, washing and organizing (and 5 glorious hours of Jaunita's time) have finally resulted in some order. Unfortunately, the exhaustion remains! I am overwhelmed by the prospect of two out-of-town trips and Christmas in the next 7 days. Is there any way to get the holidays to come to me? Isn't it a sufficient explanation that I have three small children, a job and am totally spent? I know...I'm just ranting!

Christmas at Uncle Phil's Diner

2008-12-11T22:33:00.002-06:00

For the 2nd year in a row, I am producing Uncle Phil's Diner, our church dinner theatre. This year it is set at Christmas time, 1958. Everyone has done such a great job and is ready for opening night - tomorrow. Aside from the cast and crew, I am most thankful for the ladies who are working in the kitchen. They have been working hard and long to make the perfect meal. What a blessing the show will be...

An Only Child

2008-12-07T21:39:00.003-06:00

Abby was an only child this weekend. Such a nice chance for Jeff and I to spend alone time with her. Yesterday she got several hours alone with daddy while I was at the church for "Super Saturday" - our dinner theatre work day. Last night, however, I got several very sweet moments filled with tickles and laughs...just the two of us.

We got this opportunity thanks to both grandmothers. Jeff's mom invited Emma to Nacogdoches for a weekend of Christmas fun. There were all types of activities, a parade and two days worth of special attention from her 'Nanne Sue'.

Meanwhile, my mom took Silas to Dallas for my nephew's 2nd birthday. They went to a giant pizza place that apparently has indoor bowling, miniature golf and bumper cars. He has hardly stopped talking about it.

God blesses children with grandmothers !

Epilogue

2008-12-02T22:24:00.007-06:00

Now that Silas is 5 years old, Jeff and I are able to look back on our time with him and have a laugh or two. We had several years of exasperation but always knew we were truly blessed by this boy. While I am absolutely confident that he will grow to be a Godly and successful man, I cannot help but share a few of our funniest stories with you:

He and his best friend (you know who you are) pulled the fire alarm at school, evacuating the entire church and bringing the fire department (now that is cause and effect!)...

He and his best friend crawled out the window of his room and got the mail (while they were supposed to be sleeping) - they thought they were so helpful...

(These are only two of many funny Silas/Johnathan stories)

He took all the screens off the windows of our house...

do you see the screens in the background?

He stripped down naked and crawled up on our brick fence - exposing himself to all the drivers on Rieck Road...

He let his sister color his entire body with a magic marker (when I asked who had colored Silas, she said "Silas" but there was evidence to the contrary because she signed his back...)

Need I go on?

Giving thanks for a circle of feet

2008-11-29T13:23:00.004-06:00

We went to Beaumont for Thanksgiving to see my grandparents. Our visit also gave us an opportunity to see my dad (in from Johnson City).

My dad and Abigail

My favorite part of the trip was the "circle of feet". Have you ever been part of a group standing in a Circle to pray and opened your eyes during the prayer? What you see is the "circle of feet". Just before our Thanksgiving meal, we stood in my grandparents living room and my grandfather said our blessing. When I opened my eyes, I saw the following feet:

1. My grandfather - 86 years old, married to the love of his life for 66 years, an elder in the church for years and years. A man who loves God, loves his family and helps other people without ever expecting anything in return.

2. My grandmother - 86 years old, married to the love of her life for 66 years. A faithful, Godly woman who loves unconditionally and exemplifies what a Christian wife and mother should be.

3. My dad - 64 years old and living life simply at the LBJ National Park in Johnson City. He loves his children and grandchildren very much and never misses an opportunity to say how proud he is.

4. Jeff - my amazing husband who works tirelessly to support the kids and I without complaint. He has taken a lot of crap during his legal profession but never looses sight of the priorities in life.

5. Emma - my big girl.

6. Silas - my big boy.

7. Abigail - my sweet baby.

8. Bill and Bettye Cook - some dear family friends who live in Beaumont and go to church with my grandparents. I have many fond memories of Bill leading singing and Bettye cooking for church functions.

What a privilege it is to be able to come before the Father, as different as we are, and lay our burdens down. I am thankful for that...

Christmas Photos

2008-11-24T22:17:00.003-06:00

My sweet kids did a great job as my "test subjects" last Saturday morning. I needed to work on lighting, backdrops, etc. for my portrait sessions so I took them to my "studio" and snapped a few shots. Here are the best ones:

Happy Birthday, Silas!

2008-11-21T08:10:00.005-06:00

My big boy is five! What a wild ride these five years have been.

From the day he was born, he was his own man. Weighing nearly 11 pounds at birth, he sent the nurses scrambling to find diapers and a shirt that would fit him. A quick trip to pediatrics proved fruitful as he started his life in size 1 diapers (newborn diapers only go to 10 pounds). By the second day in the hosptial, he was "singing". When we would wrap him up and lay him down, he would hum.

The first year of his life was full of ear infections, ending in surgery and instant relief. Unfortunatley, the persistent fluid in his ears caused speech delay that persists. At 18 months, he spoke only three words and I started to think he was autistic. Obviously he is NOT! God answered my prayers for Silas to talk by giving me a boy that will not be quiet - ever! I had no idea that a child could talk so much. From a broken leg to 5 days in the hospital, Silas has been through it.

He is my strong and brave little man. Sometimes he is a frustrated lefty in a right-handed world but he is learning early that life is not always fair. He has a heart for God and loves to sing praise songs...can I ask for any more than that?

Join me on my trip down memory lane:

6 months (No digital camera at birth - sorry)

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

Portrait Sessions

2008-11-16T18:57:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to schedule your portrait session:

Saturday, November 22nd

Saturday, December 6th

1 hour sessions booked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Floods and webs

2008-11-14T16:28:00.003-06:00

The rain we had earlier this week caused our creek to flood way out of its' banks. You may have noticed as you've come down Rieck Road that the city has built a walkway under the road so walkers/runners/bike riders can get from the park to the other side of the road (more specifically, to Premier Fitness). Since that construction, the flooding has worsened.

On a totally different note, my mom came back from Reno this week with a delivery of toys for my kids. My sister-in-law (in Dallasa0 had sent two presents - one for each of my older kids (their birthdays are all so close that we basically celebrate them together). Anyway, she sent the following:

For Silas - a Spider Man gun that shoots both water and "web" - aka grey silly string.

For Emma - a Hanna Montana doll that has actual hair color (for the doll and the child).

I warned her that when I go shopping for her kids' Christmas presents, I will remember the silly string all over my back yard and the purple hair color all over everything. What's family for anyway?

A new job

2008-11-10T20:59:00.002-06:00

Why is it so hard to start a new job? As many of you know, I started to work at Ramey & Flock last Thursday. I am only working during the time that Abigail and Silas are in school so I am able to drop them off and pick them up as usual. It is the perfect schedule for me right now. That being said, it has still been a hard two days. I've met lots of new people (whose names I cannot remember), got lost on the way to the bathroom and ate lunch alone at my desk. All in all, a good experience...but sure to be better as time passes.

Happy Birthday, Emma

2008-11-08T19:41:00.005-06:00

My big girl turned 7 years old today. Last night, she had slumber party with 3 of her best friends from church - Darcy, McKenna and Aspen. We sent Daddy, Silas and Abby off to my mom's house (she is in Nevada) and had a "girls night". When I went to bed at midnight, they were still up talking. When I rolled over at 7:00 a.m., they were talking. Surely they slept, right?

Pizza and cake (with Silas)

Matching pajamas for the girls (instead of goody bags)

Morning makeovers with Kendall (our favorite babysitter who is at A&M)

If you will induldge me, I would like to take a little trip down memory lane...7 years with Emma:

36 weeks pregnant with Emma - she came 2 weeks later

Emma's first day home from the hospital

1 year old (before we had a digital camera)

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old (Emma and I went to Disney World for her birthday)

What's in the water?

2008-11-05T21:23:00.003-06:00

While Kim was out of town yesterday, I kept Johnathan and Kalleigh for a few hours. When Kalleigh and Abigail were sleeping, Silas and Johnathan went out in the back yard to play. I sent them out with a package of "Halloween Tattoos" and two wet wash clothes. When I peeked out a few minutes later, this is what I saw:

Portrait Sessions Now Available

2008-11-02T12:39:00.012-06:00

As this Christmas season approaches, I am offering portrait sessions for your family. I have both traditional and festive backgrounds so you can choose how formal you want your portraits to be. I can take pictures of your family, just the kids or any combination you choose. At the end of the one (1) hour session, I will give you a CD full of photos and a copyright release that allows you to use and print the portraits as you wish. If you do not want to mess with printing, designing Christmas cards, etc....I can do that for you.

Each session with CD is $50.00.

I will have a price list available

for ordering prints or Christmas cards.

The available session dates are Saturday, November 22nd and Saturday, December 6th. Appointments will be set between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

My theory for these sessions: a relaxed atmosphere where you and your kids can get a great portrait without stress or rush. You are welcome to bring as many family members as you want and you may change clothes as many times as you want during the hour. There are no extra fees or charges...just great photos.

Here are a few more of my best photos:

Clearly Vocal

2008-10-30T21:45:00.003-05:00

My friends from Clearly Vocal sang tonight for a crowd of more than 50. I have seen Clearly Vocal perform many times, but tonight was especially good. First of all, they were at Glenwood - home field advantage. Second, they had their best sound guy - Bill. And most important, they offered free dessert. YUM! If you've never heard Clearly Vocal, go see them. You can find their next performance date and location on their website.

Good fitting pants

2008-10-27T15:21:00.002-05:00

Why is it so hard to find pants that fit right? Jeff can order pants from anywhere (as long as they sell 38 long) and they fit perfect - loose fit, slim fit, regular fit - it doesn't matter, they all fit him. When I was younger (aka before babies), I could walk into any store, try on my size and most pants fit - some better than others but they all went on.

Now I go in and try on 12 pairs of pants to find one that is acceptable. Is there no way to make a pair of pants for post-pregnancy women who refuse to loose their pregancy weight but desire to look like they wear a size 8? How hard can that be? UUGGGHHH!!

Nona

2008-10-26T20:08:00.006-05:00

My mom goes by "Nona" - the greek word for grandmother. Her older sister (my aunt) lived in Greece for a number of years, on the island of Mykonos. She had one of her children in Athens (my cousin, Selene) who then had three children, each several years before I started having kids. They call their grandmother "Nona" and my mom liked the name as well.

So...Jeff and I got married in 2000. My brother and his wife got married in 2002. At that time, I only had Emma. My mom said "I would like to have 5 grandchildren in 5 years". Amber and I went to work and we accomplished the goal. HAHA! We gave birth to grandchildren #4 and #5 in the last 10 weeks of 2006. Ask and ye shall receive...

Family Fun Night

2008-10-25T10:32:00.004-05:00

Last night was "Family Fun Night" at Rice (where Emma attends). It is two hours of games, activities and food held each year for the students and their families. My mom went with us and we had my brother's children - Payton and Carter.

Abby really liked the duck game - pick a duck and get a prize

Silas entered the donut eating contest

The highlight of the evening was when Silas rode the horse - dressed as a cowboy

Photo shuffle

2008-10-24T20:55:00.014-05:00

I take no credit for this...I stole this idea from my friend Kim. Here's the deal - I am going to post 10 pictures in this order: the first picture from my first photo file, the second picture from my second photo file, the third picture from my third photo file, etc. up to the tenth picture from the tenth file (no edits, no cheating):

Abigail at 4 weeks (#1 from the "Abigail" file)

Bret Raymond with his daughter, Anna (#2 from my "Anna" file)

Emma (#3 from my "April 2006" file)

Abby (#4 from "April 2007")

Abby and our neighbor's cat, Lovable (#5 from "April 2008")

Silas wearing Emma's hat (#6 from "August 2006")

Silas jumping to Emma's bed (#7 from "August 2007")

The Hodges family - John, Kim, Johnathan, Kalleigh, Jonas and Kim's mom, Carol (#8 from my "August 2008" file)

Silas at 3 years old (#9 in my "Birthdays 2006" file)

Emma at the Lufkin Zoo this summer (#10 in my "blog" file)

Nominated

2008-10-24T11:48:00.004-05:00

Kim "nominated" my blog for an "I Love Your Blog" award. As a result of the nomination, I will answer the following questions with one word answers...

1. Where is your cell phone? van
2. Where is your significant other? meeting
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? close
5. Your father? far
6. Your favorite thing? chocolate
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your dream/goal? trust
9. The room you're in? living
10. Your hobby? photography
11. Your fear? injury
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Tyler
13. Where were you last night? Winery
14. What you're not? patient
15. One of your wish-list items? job
16. Where you grew up? Farmington
17. The last thing you did? laundry
18. What are you wearing? pink
19. Your TV? on
20. Your pet? cat
21. Your computer? laptop
22. Your mood? stressed
23. Missing someone? Johnna
24. Your car? mini-van
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? hot
28. Love someone? Jeff
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Wednesday

40, 34, 8, 7, 5, 2

2008-10-23T10:30:00.002-05:00

Lucky lotto numbers? No! Strange body measurements? No! This is my life in numbers...

My husband is 40 (last month), I am 34 (yesterday), we've been married 8 years (last month), Emma is 7 (next week), Silas is 5 (next month), Abby is 2 (last week).

Do you remember when only "old" people were 40 or 34 or married 8 years or had 7 year olds or 3 kids? I remember it clearly and thought it would be a long time until I got there. But here I am....

First day of school

2008-10-20T12:29:00.002-05:00

Abby started school today. She is going to Little People's School - where Emma went and where Silas currently attends. We had to wait until after her second birthday to start...so today was her first day. She went from 9:00 to 11:00 then came home and went straight down for her nap. What an exciting chapter for Abigail...the first of so many days of school.

Abby's Birthday Party...

2008-10-19T22:12:00.006-05:00

This year I made Abby's cake -

she loves Little Einsteins so I ordered a customized icing sheet. It was so easy to use and actally tasted very good.

Abby had no idea what to do with candles, but she had lots of help...

Abby's best friend, Kalleigh and her brother Johnathan came to our little party. We could not have a birthday party without Kalleigh - the girls have been together from the very beginning.

Abby's cousins - Carter and Payton came from Dallas.What a treat to have cousins that are the same age and live so close

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

2008-10-18T11:19:00.009-05:00

My baby is 2 years old today!

It's hard to believe that it has been 2 years since she was born...

A proud daddy - 3 times over

First days home from the hospital

Dedication day at Glenwood Church

Emma and "her baby"

Even Silas seems excited

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

We had a family outing to the pumpkin patch today. I drove Silas' class to Moore Farms in Bullard so Jeff took the morning off and went with us.

If you need a fall outing, I would highly recommend Moore Farms. We got to hear a story about how pumpkins grow, go on a hayride to a pumpkin patch, choose a pumpkin to take home, pull a 100 year old plow and feel the "guts" of a pumpkin. After a pumpkin carving demonstration, we got to bring the jack-o-lantern back to the class.

My headache has a first name, it's S-I-L-A-S...

2008-10-15T16:30:00.002-05:00

Just kidding...but every time the weather starts to get bad, I get a headache. It lasts until the front passes through. I realize that I am starting to sound like my grandfather talking about his knees predicting rain, but I am serious. The rain is pouring outside (like "gathering wood for an ark" pouring) and my head is killing me. I'm on to sing tonight so I have to find a solution. If any of you have this same problem, would you let me know how you solve it? I am not opposed to strange suggestions and I have no problem taking pills.

Tyler Rose Garden

2008-10-13T15:32:00.005-05:00

I took the kids to the Tyler Rose Garden this afternoon and got some pictures. This weekend is the annual Rose Festival so the garden was busier than usual. Even with the crowd, the kids did great and I got a few good shots.

Tagged

2008-10-11T21:01:00.002-05:00

My sister-in-law tagged me so here I go...

1. Where was I ten years ago?
In October, 1998 I was in my 5th quarter of law school at Baylor. I was in the middle of a divorce and living in the worst-ever apartment in a terrible part of town. Thank God for grace...

2. What was on my to-do list today?
Finish painting the trim in the master bathroom, take a nap, make home-made pizza crust, make cookies.

3. What would I do if I were a billionaire?
Pay off all our debt, fully fund the kid's college accounts, be the sole support for a missionary family, give generously at church, buy a Godiva store.

4. Five places I have lived:
Beaumont, Texas
Farmington, NM
Abilene, TX
Waco, TX
Tyler, TX

5. Bad habits:
I eat way too much
I hate to exercise
I watch "Will and Grace" re-runs while I pick up the house in the morning.

"TAG, YOU'RE IT": Kim, Reagan, Trisha

Silas and Abigail

2008-10-11T13:20:00.003-05:00

This morning was so beautiful that we just had to open the windows. Because of Silas' previous antics, we do not have screens on some of our windows (another post, another day). So when we open the windows, the kids feel that it is their obligation to crawl in an out of them. This morning was particularly peaceful because Emma was at a sleepover - so Silas and Abby were actually playing together.

Halloween

2008-10-09T10:00:00.002-05:00

As the costumes arrive, I'll try to get shots of the kids trying them on. I think the first wearing is when they are most excited. By Halloween, they are tired of the costume and only care about the candy! Abby's costume arrived today - a kitty ballerina - chosen because her two favorite things are kittens and dancing.

Where the wild things are!

2008-10-07T21:21:00.003-05:00

What a busy day today. Nanne Sue (Jeff's mom) came to town to eat lunch with Emma at school. It is "Grand Friends" week at Rice Elementary where grandparents are welcome to come and eat. Emma went to bed talking about it and woke up talking about it. She had a great lunch and trip to the book fair. Silas also got some special time with Nanne Sue today. They went to the Discovery Science Place after he got out of school. He came home pumped up and tired out. Abby stuck with me today...she is my super napper lately. After all of that, we were very tired and a little crazy...

Will summer ever end?

2008-10-03T15:46:00.003-05:00

We have had some cool mornings lately, but by 9:00 a.m. it is warm around here. My kids are so confused because they talk about the seasons changing at school but then see no change in our seasons whatsoever. It's not global warming...it's East Texas!

Last week when I was at Wal-Mart, I noticed that they had play sand on sale. It caught my eye because there were some very vibrant colors including purple. Several thoughts went through my mind..."my kids would love purple sand", "how do they make purple sand?", "will this make more of a mess than regular sand?"...and I decided to go for it. 120 pounds of purple sand now live in a one-eyed turtle in my back yard.

By the way, I grossly underestimated the mess of purple sand....

Finally done!

2008-10-03T12:31:00.002-05:00

I am finally done with the bathroom (except for the minor touch-ups around the baseboards and ceilings that will not happen for another 6 months). Jeff and I chose the primary color - "Pony Tail" from Olympic and Emma chose the accent color - "Gooseberry" from Olympic that graces the walls of the potty room. YEAH!!!

Ketchup in the eye (and other Silasisms)

2008-10-02T16:14:00.004-05:00

Silas is a mess. He has been a mess since the day he was born - nearly 11 pounds through my birth canal. He is very smart, very physically adept and gets into everything. When he was a baby and toddler, he got into stuff just for the purpose of making a mess. Now that he is almost 5, he gets into things to find out what they are and how they work. He is the most curious and brave of all my three.

Jeff and I have recently considered that there should be a term for that amount of time that it takes a child to get into whatever you do not want them to get into and do the worst possible thing they can do. In our house, and if Silas is involved, it is usually about 4.6 seconds shorter than I expect - the exact amount of time it takes me to get from one end of the house to the other when I realize that I cannot hear Silas anymore.

So after school today, Silas decided he wanted a "happy meal". We brought the food home and he sat down to eat - 20 minutes before my carpool started. He got the ketchup bottle and commented on how it was "brand spanking new". He popped open the lid and took a close look to figure out how the cap worked (one of those "no spill" kinds that sucks the last drop back in so there is no spilling). When he was unable to determine the method by which the kectchup comes out, he squeezed the bottle to get a first hand demonstration. The next thing I know, there is ketchup in his eye. Unfortunately, no picture of the incident but here are a few of my favorite of Silas:

Almost done

2008-10-01T21:57:00.004-05:00

My bathroom is almost done. I have stripped and painted 3 walls. The fourth is covered primarily in a mirror so it should be done soon. The only problem is that the sections yet undone are the highest in the bathroom. Maybe I can talk some 6'5" man into taking care of that part...

My normal

2008-09-30T22:16:00.002-05:00

I'll take the challenge from Kim's blog and post my "normal":

Silas climbs into my bed for a "snuggle"
I hear Emma singing to Abigail through the monitor
Three cups of milk
Chocolate chip pancakes
PB&J in a zip-loc bag
"Get your clothes on please, daddy is almost ready"
Two out the door
TV on - "We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship"
Shower, interrupted
Drive thru and drop off - one more out the door
Clean diaper, find plug
Two hours
Drive thru and pick up
Speech therapy
Carpool
Snacks
TV on - time to make dinner
Daddy's home
Phonics time
Play outside and get dirty
Go inside and wash clean
PJs
Stories
Night-Night
Snack
Blog
Jon Stewart
Dishwasher on

Now tell me about your normal....

The master bath

2008-09-27T20:36:00.004-05:00

I started to do some redecorating in my master bath today. Well, truth be told, I started several years ago when the wallpaper started peeling. Each time I took a bath, I would pull another piece of the wallpaper off. It had gotten to the point where the bathroom looked really bad! So this morning I woke up with resolve - get the wallpaper off and paint. Emma and Silas were my helpers. They went with me to Lowe's where we got a wallpaper scorer, empty spray bottles and scrapers. First, we scored the walls (my job), then they each sprayed the wallpaper with a mixture of hot water and fabric softener. After letting that soak in, we scraped the wallpaper right off. It was not really fun, but very rewarding. Good bye 10 year old floral wallpaper. We were able to get one side of the bathroom painted this evening:

The 3rd child

2008-09-25T10:29:00.002-05:00

When I only had one child, I used to say things like:

"That is your 30 minutes of TV for this morning, let's do an art project" or "Let's clean up this mess before we get anything else out" or "We need to wipe off your face before we go out for our errands" or "What kind of a mother lets her toddler dig a giant box of candy out of her purse at 9:00 a.m. and eat it as they walk around Wal-Mart?"

Now that I have three, I say things like:

"Has anyone seen Abigail?" and "What is this wet spot in the living room?" and "Whatever your name is..." and "Where is that giant box of candy...Oh, here you go Abby".

The floral solution

2008-09-25T08:17:00.004-05:00

I brought the flowers in from the garage this morning (mainly because every time I stepped out to get in the van my eyes started watering). I was just sure I could still enjoy some of the flowers if I were able to endure a few moments of being uncomfortable. With Silas asking 20 questions, I pulled out all the lilies and put them in a separate vase. That vase is sitting out on the front porch, sure to come back in with the housekeeper who will think they were lovingly delivered...

A funny thing happened on the way to the allergist...

2008-09-24T08:29:00.004-05:00

Jeff sent me these beautiful flowers for our anniversary. May I say without bragging...aren't they gorgeous?

When we first got married, I got flowers every month on the 23rd. No kidding, I used to have about 50 vases. It went on for several years. Then Emma came and money got tighter and well, you know the rest. So this delivery yesterday was a special treat for me. It reminded me of those monthly deliveries that became so routine. I appreciate the flowers much more now than I did then.

Unfortunately, I am having to appreciate them from a little further off than I used to. When we got home from our date last night, I started having an allergy attack - eyes, nose, skin, throat - the whole bit. I quickly figured out it was the flowers and they were banished to the entry hall. By the time we headed off to bed, I was in search of eye drops and benedryl and Jeff had to put the flowers out in the garage. Not only did I have to give up my beautiful flowers...it also had a negative impact on the rest of our evening (do I need to say more?). What's a girl to do?

Back to Beaumont

2008-09-23T10:49:00.002-05:00

My grandparents have gone back to Beaumont. The power is back on at their house and they were anxious to leave this morning. Pray for all those who have lost so much.

Today is my 8th anniversary. Jeff and I are going out tonight for dinner and a movie.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-20T20:06:00.004-05:00

Once again, a hurricane has hit Beaumont and the Texas gulf coast. Three years ago, Hurricane Rita hit Beaumont just 10 days after Katrina hit New Orleans. Not much attention was paid to the damage in Texas but it was substantial. This time, the damage was catastrophic. Galveston was completely wiped off the map...High Island, Bolivar Penninsula and Crystal Beach are all gone! The infrastructure of Beaumont is in shambles - all water must be boiled before consumption, the sewer plant is being run on generators, 50% of residents do not have power. Even when the mandatory evacuation was lifted today, the county judge asked residents to be aware that the town to which they are returning is not the same one they left.

My grandparents have been here for a few days. They came here after spending a week in Arkansas with other relatives. They are anxious to return but cannot go back until they are sure there is adequate food, water and medical care. While it is always hard to be displaced, it is so much worse when you are 85 years old. The kids have been entertaining us while we are all together....Abigail dances, Emma does gymnastics and Silas covers his body in Spider-Man tattoos....

Monday in NYC

2008-09-19T21:40:00.004-05:00

On our last day in New York, we slept in and got ready slowly. We wandered a few blocks from our hotel and got a yummy breakfast. We were just 2 blocks from the Lehman Brothers headquarters so there were lots of young, well-dressed professionals who looked a bit confused about what they were supposed to be doing. After breakfast, we walked in front of the L.B. building and saw a crowd gathering. There was an artist who had sketched a picture of the CEO and was allowing people to write messages on it - employees in green ink and anyone else in black ink. He ended up selling that "piece of art" for $10,000.00. WHAT?

Anyway, we checked out of our hotel, checked our bags and headed to Central Park. After a bit of aimless walking...we took a lovely carriage ride through Central Park - past Tavern on the Green, the Carousel, Strawberry Fields, Sheep Meadow - it was beautiful. We grabbed lunch at Micky Mantel's and got back to the hotel just in time to catch our car to the airport. We had a long trip back but made it in around 11:00 p.m. We were glad to be home...

NYC - Sunday

2008-09-18T10:04:00.012-05:00

We had one scheduled activity for Sunday - to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Both are now run by the National Park Service. Statute Cruises continually runs ferries between Battery Park and both monuments. We walked quickly around the Statue of Liberty then spent most of our time at Ellis Island. What a fantastic preservation of America's history. If you get a chance to see Ellis Island - do it! It is all at once inspiring and haunting. We spent several hours touring the different rooms. Once back in Manhattan, we took a rest then headed out to the South Street Seaport. During the morning, it is a working fish market. By lunch time, it is transformed into a tourist destination. We found a great seafood spot on the third floor and sat out on the balcony overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. It was great food and an even better view. After dinner we walked to Ground Zero. We were surprised by the size of the space that is now a hole in the skyline. There is construction happening on the ground level - the beginnings of the Freedom Tower to be completed in 2012. The most moving part of the walk for us was when we came upon FDNY Station 10 - literally right across the street from the World Trade Center site. There was a beautiful memorial to all the men and women from that house who lost their lives 7 years ago. At the same time, there were men and women in that fire station ready to go at any moment and save lives. On our way back to the hotel, we entered the subway system right across from the WTC site. We had to walk several blocks (underground) to get to a working stop because the WTC subway stop is closed; however, you walk right past it and the gates are locked. I don't know what else to say...

NYC - Saturday

2008-09-18T10:04:00.011-05:00

After a busy Friday, we slept well and got up late on Saturday morning. It was so nice to sleep until we wanted to get up and get ready with nobody knocking on the bathroom door. Our only obligation was to be at Chelsea Piers by 10:30 a.m. to board our scheduled harbor cruise. We easily navigated the subway and bus system and arrived to find a gracious staff and lovely table for two. Until the boat left the dock (at 11:00), it was a little hot - the ceiling of the boat is made entirely of glass so we could see the sights. After our first course, we headed out to the deck and watched as lower Manhattan passed by. It was really nice and we learned several facts about the city that we did not know before (Soho means "South of Houston Street", Tribeca means "Triangle below Canal Street"). After a short rest at the hotel, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met"). It was a spectacular place - beautiful art and a stunning building. We both agreed that our favorite exhibit was 1st century Roman artifacts. We were shocked at the beautiful glass work done by the Romans - so sophisticated. Saturday evening we found Rockefeller Center and had dinner at the Rock Cafe. YUM!

New York - Friday

2008-09-18T08:13:00.003-05:00

Last Friday morning, Jeff and I left for NYC. The 24-hours prior to departure was full of uncertainty because Hurricane Ike was bearing down on the Texas coast and our connecting flight to LaGuardia was out of Houston. We got up at 4:00 a.m. and headed to the Tyler Airport for our 5:20 a.m. flight. It got off the ground as scheduled. When we got to Houston, the airport a was a little crazy but our flight left right on time (and boy was it FULL). We landed in NY ahead of schedule, got our luggage and took a car to the hotel. Overall, a very pleasant day of travel. Once we checked in, we decided to hit Times Square (only about 6 blocks from our hotel). We ate at the ESPN Sports Zone (Jeff's birthday trip, remember) and wandered around Times Square. Very exciting, busy and "touristy". It is just as you would imagine - only bigger. After a little rest at the hotel, we headed out for a ride on the subway and a late dinner. At 5:00 p.m., we just happened to be at Grand Central Station so I snapped this shot of the people on the move. It was fabulous - no meals to prepare, no kids to bathe, no time we had to be in....

Caught between the moon and New York City

2008-09-14T21:22:00.004-05:00

Jeff and I are having a wonderful time in New York City. We spent this afternoon at the 17th Street Pier. There was a fabulous seafood restaurant on the 3rd floor. We sat out on the balcony and watched the happenings on the Brooklyn Bridge. As we finished our bottle of wine (hey, we're in NYC with no kids) - the sun was setting and the moon peeked through just over the bridge. More stories to come...

Chocolate Chip Pizza

2008-09-11T22:01:00.004-05:00

Abby loves chocolate chip pizza from Double Dave's.

Jeff and I are off to New York City...

The bounty

2008-09-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

Tonight was the beginning of the bi-annual Children's Clothing Consignment sale. I love this event. Twice every year, two wonderful Christian ladies organize and coordinate a HUGE sale of children's clothing, equipment and toys. For picky shoppers like me, there are great deals to be found. I buy my kids' entire wardrobes and save a ton of money. If you have not been, you might give it a try. Be prepared, it is totally busy and there is alot of crap. But if you are willing to dig...there are great treasures to be found.

Studio Rambin

2008-09-08T21:03:00.007-05:00

I was honored to take pictures for my friend Kim this morning. She had a sweet baby boy 5 weeks ago - Jonas Dean. I have a special bond to this little boy because I was at his birth, saw his first breath and took his first photos (a story unto itself). So today, Kim brought Jonas and we did a "photo shoot". While Kim and I were tying to get at least one good picture of Jonas, Abby and Kalleigh (Kim's middle daughter who is just 2 weeks older than Abby) were playing together. At one point they wandered off and neither of us really noticed for a few minutes. As Kim sat down to feed Jonas, I looked around for the girls. I found them in the bathtub - no water, just toys and toddlers. Abby was singing "clean up, clean up" and Kalleigh was loading toys into the bath caddy.

Sunday "in the park"

2008-09-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

Abby loves to climb in the van
Abby and Emma use the back of the van as a "clubhouse"
Silas - hanging around

There are two things my kids love to do when we head outside. They love to play in the "common area" - a grassy part of our neighborhood that is not used by any of our neighbors so it is just like a private park for the kids and they love to climb around in the vans. I don't let them crawl around in my van because they are constantly getting into my stuff (change, lipstick, papers) but Jeff lets them loose in his van to play. Truth be told it may be more about the cleanliness of each van ...

A beautiful Saturday

2008-09-06T21:08:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful day here in Tyler. The temperature never went over 90 degrees. We kept hte kids busy and spent lots of time outside. One problem we have on Saturdays is that Abby usually wakes up early from her first nap then needs a short second nap in the late afternoon. That would not be a problem except that she wakes up from the 2nd nap in the worst mood.

It takes her at least 20 minutes to "wake up" and get happy.

Holiness

2008-09-04T11:53:00.002-05:00

Last night I attended a class taught by the Honorable Judge Parker who is a member at Glenwood. He is teaching a 3 week series on the holiness of God. These are a few of my thoughts after class. When we, as Christans, become mature enough in our faith to gain any kind of understanding about the holiness of God...what happens next? In light of God's complete "opositeness" from sin and evil, don't we then despise and detest our own sin more as we strive to be holy? In light of God's complete "separatness" from human nature, don't we then come to realize that God is in total control and we have no control over God? In light of God's holiness, don't we then become overwhelmingly grateful for the cross and the grace offered there? If God is "holy, holy, holy" and we are dead in our sin...praise can be our only response when we acknowledge the vast chasm that was spanned in order for us to draw near to Him.

Photos

2008-09-03T10:15:00.006-05:00

These are some of my favorite pictures from August and September.

My grandparents

2008-09-02T20:46:00.003-05:00

My grandparents have been married for 65 years (of course they were both VERY young when they got married). They have lived most of their lives in Beaumont, TX but have also lived in Odessa and Oklahoma City. They brought three children into this world - Kit (my dad), Frances and Barbara Elaine. In 1974, they buried Frances and I was born. As they sit in my living room this evening, they have 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. What a blessing to have them in our lives. What a blessing for my children to know their great grandparents. God is good to provide us with elders to help guide our footsteps. Thank God for Arthur and Lyndall Owens.

Much ado about nothing

2008-09-02T16:27:00.002-05:00

The storm has passed...literally. There was a lot of talk over the last 48 hours indicating that Tyler and East Texas was going to get pounded by the remnants of the hurricane. We've had a slow steady rain all day and hardly any wind. It was the best case scenario for us.
The mandatory evacuation has been lifted for the Beaumont area so my grandparents are going back home tomorrow. We will miss them but are glad they are heading back to an area that was not damaged.

A family affair

2008-09-01T15:15:00.005-05:00

My grandparents arrived in Tyler this morning, safe and looking well. We grilled hamburgers and seemingly ate for two hours straight (it is a holiday). Now we watch CNN and the Weather Channel to find out what is coming next... from our friend Gustav.

Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-31T20:12:00.004-05:00

We are about 12 hours from a major hurricane....Gustav. My grandparents, Art and Lyndall Owens are still in Beaumont - planning to leave early Monday morning. The storm is coming in fast and well organized so there is potential for great damage. Our last major storm was "Rita" in September of 2005. Beaumont was hit very hard. We were blest by a long visit from my grandparents but the town they returned to was very different from the one they left. I do not want to see that happen again.

This link is a good one to see all the computer models on one screen: http://www.stormpulse.com/fullscreen/current Just be sure the "models" button is clicked "on".

Our concern here in Tyler is that Gustav is supposed to come on land in Louisiana or Southeast Texas and then slow down and park as a tropical storm right on top of us. While we should not see high winds, there are estimates that we will have 12+inches of rain. The potential for trees coming down on power lines (due to over-soaked roots) and major power outages is frightening for this mom with three young kids. We love our AC (especially in this 95+ degree weather) and depend heavily on our fridge to preserve milk and other foods we live on. Who knows? We may end up evacuating with our evacuees...lukily we have a safe place to go...

Silas and the cat

2008-08-31T11:58:00.003-05:00

Taylor, our cat, is getting older. I adopted her in 1996 from the shelter in Waco. Her original purpose was to be a play-mate for the dog while I was busy in law school. Now she is our only pet and her purpose is just to be. She used to be very mean (a product of being the playmate of a rat terrier). Over the years she has mellowed and now lives peacefully with the family. She likes members of our family in the following order: Jeff, Abigail, Silas, Emma and me. I am not offended by this - we have learned to live together without incident.

So last night I was glad to see that Jeff had snapped some good pictures of Silas and Taylor on the fence. Silas loves to climb up our fence and exist high above the backyard. Thanks to some calm weather (and a calm 4 year old), Taylor decided to stay on the pillar as Silas climbed up.

A trip to Nacogdoches

2008-08-30T20:17:00.003-05:00

This morning we loaded up in the mini-van and headed to Nacogdoches to see Jeff's mom, Bonnie. The kids call her "Nanne Sue". She has a house with a great back yard. Silas especially loves to run around and swing on the tree swing. Abby prefers to stay inside and "play" the piano.

We went to Fuddruckers to eat lunch then to Marble Slab for ice cream. By the time we got to the butterfly garden (a beautiful place to walk around on the Stephen F Austin campus), all three of my kids were covered in ketchup and ice cream. We had a fabulous time.

Starting Out

2008-08-29T22:32:00.005-05:00

This is the second post of my new blog. How exciting! My intent is to post lots of pictures of our family and give you a glimpse into our daily life. Read, enjoy and comment often.

Opening the blinds

2008-08-29T22:08:00.004-05:00

During the summer in East Texas, it is so hot that we have to keep the blinds closed to keep the house cool. Now that the "fall" is approaching, it is time to open the blinds.

Starting today, I will also "open the blinds" on our family so you can get a peak into our lives. One thing you will notice is that my girls are together much of the time. They are totally in love with each other and spend tons of time together.