Fun Youngs

Photo Card

2011-12-06T16:44:00.001-08:00

Sparkling Snowflakes Christmas

Turn family photos into personalized Christmas cards.

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I love these kids!

2011-11-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

Me and My Girl

2011-10-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl took great care of me with my recent bout of appendicitis. She helped me do anything I needed her to do without complaint. She was very mothering to me and concerned for my well being. She was so precious. We are not always perfectly fitted, though, and occassionally, my sweet girl is not so sweet. She is very much strong willed and challenging, hyper and exhaustingly busy. I struggle with raising her and not getting frustrated with her antics. But in that same breath, I can say, she can memorize scripture like a pro, tells people about the Lord and ministers to those around her who are sad or scared. She has a heart for obedience to the Lord and that is so important to me and Jerry. As I continue on this journey of raising this precious gift, I constantly have to keep myself in check to make sure that what I do or say to this little girl is Biblical. Some of my challenges with her are her high need for drama, her need to touch, lick, smack everything she comes into contact with, and her huge messes of toys, art supplies and "junk". Recently, I had to tell her, "don't lick your cheese, just eat it" and "quit bucking on the couch like a donkey". Hmmm. I have to wonder if that is normal.;0) As I continue daily to raise her, I feel like I fail more than I succeed in the things I say to her and do for her as a mom. I feel like I get frustrated quickly or ignore her more than her siblings. I don't want that for her. I want her to feel just as much love as the boys do. I don't want her to be the child that is always in trouble or the child that doesn't get privileges because she makes poor choices. Unfortunately, she is the child that doesn't respond to discipline well and will continue the same mistakes over and over. I'm not sure how to handle that or how to instill in her the desire to obey--I ask her why she makes poor choices and she tells me she doesn't know. Not to make excuses for her, but I honestly don't think she has any idea why she disobeys. I think she just does whatever she wants to do no matter the consequesnces because she can't help herself. Is that even possible? Or, is it that I haven't found the right discipline technique for her? I wish she came with a manual--one that tells me what to do in order to get the desired result. Of course, the most important result I want for her is for her to be a strong, dedicated Christian woman who loves the Lord and lives to serve Him. Then, does all of this really matter? Who cares if she licks her cheese or bucks on the couch, right? Or, wrong? Does obedience to your parents instill obedience to the Lord? How does my raising her in the little things matter in the big things? Where do you draw the line?

Appendicitis--the whole story (for those who wanna know)

2011-10-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been asked over and over to tell the story so I thought I'd write it all out for you. As most of you know, I was diagnosed with a ruptured appendix on Sunday, September 4, 2011, after about four days of stomach pain. It started on the Thursday before with a dull pain in my upper stomach area; on Friday, the pain continued and I thought I had a stomach ulcer. (Self diagnosis per google, ha!) Anyway, we were scheduled to go to San Antonio to the cabin, so we packed up and went. I hurt all day Friday but began eating bland food and staying away from diet Coke (thinking these things would stop the pain) (because I had an ulcer, remember?). Friday night, I hardly slept, I was hurting but not extreme. I was very uncomfortable. When Saturday morning came, I looked up how to stop stomach ulcer pain, went to HEB and purchased apple cider vinegar and baking soda. It didn't help and it was nasty to boot. I drank this concotion when we got home (one cup water, three tablespoons acv and half teaspoon soda). Finally, about 7:00 Saturday night, I took two Tylenol. It seemed to help. I went to bed, but woke up at 1:00a.m. and 6:00a.m. with a little fever. Took Tylenol both times and went back to bed. The next morning, I mentioned to Jerry that I had a light fever and he declared we were going home and to the ER. Personally, I wanted to go to a minor emergency center there in SA and get the magic pill for the daggum stomach ulcer I thought I had. HA!! Jerry won. On the way home, I called my sister in law to see what gallbladder pains felt like and what she described didn't ring a bell. Her recommendation was that I go to the ER as soon as we got home because it was Labor Day weekend, I had been in pain four days and all labs were closed. As soon as we got to Corpus, we unloaded and went to the ER. There, the doctor was nonchalant asking me why I came in that day versus two/three days before and I told her I wasn't concerned until I ran fever. A CT was ordered and sure enough my appendix was a blob on the CT rather than what it should have been. I was shocked! Mind you, I never threw up, had high fever or intense abdominal pain. We called our family and let them know--everyone was out of town for Labor Day weekend except Jerry's mom who graciously kept my kiddos. I was taken into surgery where the doctor found a ruptured appendix and an abscess. I was kept in the hospital for three more days with a drain in my tummy to help get the "yuck" out that had developed from the rupture. I was given Avalox and Flagyl by i.v. and when I was released from the hospital, I got oral of those two for seven days. Ten days after I was released, I was diagnosed with a small abscess per a CT. I was again given Avalox orally for five days and was scheduled for a procedure to drain the abscess. The procedure, though, was never done because the abscess began to shrink and was too small for the radiologists to drain. That's where we stand now. I go back to the surgeon this week to see if this whole ordeal is over. I still have lower abdominal pain, but I think I have gas bubbles or something. I don't know. I just think gas is the root of all stomach pain.:0) (Or, a stomach ulcer--hahaha) This has been a journey but one I've learned from--I need to slow down, I need to spend more time at home with my kids instead of going, going, going all the time with them, I need to eat better, I need to trust God and know that I'm never alone even when I feel alone. Those are some of my lessons. The first night in the hospital, I woke up at 3:00a.m. Jerry was sound asleep and I felt very much alone--couldn't call anyone at 3:00a.m. and cry to them. I was feeling real sorry for my lonely, hurting self when God laid this scripture on my heart--"Fear not for I am with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." I don't know where that is the Bible and it doesn't/didn't matter. I have hidden that scripture in my heart now and am so thankful for such a wonderful lesson. God never left me nor forsook/forsaked me and will never.

Summer is so fun!

2011-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I really like summer--the heat, the sunscreen, the swimming and playing--ahhh! I seem to feel better in the summer too; I'm not sure if it's the vitamin D or what, but my soul feels brighter. This summer was no different. We swam, vacationed at the cabin, went to Fiesta Texas and filled in our days with family time outdoors and throwing scheduling to the wind. But, alas, all the fun of summer has to come to an end and here we are at the beginning of school (a little behind because of the whole appendix thing, but that's another blog entirely). I truly love homeschooling my kids and I have no regrets that is the course God chose for us and that I follow. Self assurance settles in through the year and I know I am capable of everything God calls me to do. I'm strict with our schedule and all fun has some form of "education" to it as the school year gears up. But, as school starts again I am sensitized to the responsibility I have in home educating my children--everything they learn is a direct result of my teaching. Ouch. The insecurities roll in and I wonder if I can do another school year correctly--I'm real good at summer fun, but I have my doubts about being real good at encouraging my children to love learning. I'll be teaching high school this year for the first time--just the thought of it makes me nauseated. I'll have to keep grades and a transcript which is new to me. I've always been aware of grades but now I'll have to find a more formal way of keeping them. See, I have goals every year. I know what I have to do and I know how to do it, so what's the rub? I think it's coming off the fun and irresponsibility of summer sliding into the reality of oh-know-I'm-the-teacher-we better get busy school year.

Overwhelmed...

2011-06-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the grace and blessings God gives me. Look at these three kids. I don't deserve them. God chose me to be their mom and despite how hard I try, I goof up. I fail at giving them the best, the truest form of myself. Our heavenly father perfectly gives us blessings. He gives us so much more than we could ever imagine--I try desperately to mimic that. I want the best for my children, but my selfishness gets in the way. I yell when I don't want to. I get impatient. I roll my eyes. All the things that God does not do, I do. I'm so thankful, though, that my sweet children are a forgiving bunch! They continue to love and try to obey despite my short comings. They are such a good example to me because when I'm angry with God, I really don't wanna love and try to obey. But, I know God has it all worked together for good and I'm hoping my children know I try to work it all together for good too. It's no wonder God uses our realtionships with our children as examples for His realtionship with us. I get the point.

I'm not sure at what point pride is a sin...

2011-05-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure at what point pride becomes sin--I am so proud of this kid. I'm not proud because of anything I've done. I'm proud of him because of what he has accomplished through the gifts God has given him. Recently, he won first place in a competition for 4H on Entomology (the study of insects). I did very little in teaching him the material; he studied on his own and has found a niche in the bug world. Mostly, though, I'm proud of his walk with the Lord. His heart is so good. Again, it is not anything I've done. God reigns in his life--I'm so thankful for that. So, at what point have I sinned in being proud of this kid? I'm not sure. I know pride comes before the fall according to scripture. I hope I'm not heading down that path. I pray my pride for him is well placed in that I am proud of what God has done in my sweet boy to mold him into this great kid. I'm not sure if that's sinful, but, take heart, I take no pride in my own raising of him or in his own abilities; but I give the Lord all credit for this boy. I am so proud of him, but let it be a testatment to my faith. With God, all things are possible.

Who are these young, skinny people?

2011-04-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

My mother in law brought this picture to me of Jerry and I taken years ago, probably before 1988. In the bottom right of the picture is Jerry's little sister, Leslie, jumping in. Funny, huh? Anyway, last Thursday, Jerry and I were married 23 years! We looked very much like the kids in this picture. We were both 18, had menial jobs, no college education and no money. But, with God in the middle of our lives as our guiding light, we have sustained a marriage--not JUST sustained a marriage--God has added an increase of love and joy to our lives beyond anything I could ever imagine. Jerry is a great man, I believe, because the Lord lives in him. I fail as a wife in so many ways, but God puts blinders on Jerry and Jerry doesn't see my failures the way I do. He loves me unconditionally. I'm so thankful we eloped 23 years ago. I'd do it all over again.

Our monarch butterfly emerged and we got to watch!!

2011-04-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Although this beauty emerged a while back, I just had to share. Monarchs are a white, yellow and black caterpillar that loves butterfly weed. We are fans of the monarch around here so when we find one on our butterfly weed, we bring him into our home, feed him and watch his "metamorphosis" into a butterfly. This particular guy came out of his crysalis right in front of our eyes! Look at the chrysalis--it's clear--so before he erupts, you can actually see this guy folded up in there. As he emerges, he clings to his chrysalis until his wings dry and expand. Look how great he looks after the drying and expanding process. They are beautiful!

His underwings are even pretty.My children love to watch this process. And, I can always incorporate our Lord into this transformation. I believe God made these things just for His purpose!

Goldens Love, Love, Love Water!!! No, really, they do!

2011-04-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

I had no idea when Lightning was given to us how much Golden Retrivers loved water. Wow! We can't go out and fill the water bowl up without Lightning playing in water as it leaves the hose! When he gets a drink, he puts his entire nose in the bowl. He digs at the water and splashes it all over his chest and puts his toys in his water after he fetches! Recently, we got out the crazy daisy and the little pool and Lightning HAD to join us for water play. Benjamin was a little frustrated at first because he wanted the pool all to himself and Lightning kept getting in it. I distracted Lightning with the crazy daisy for a while and that seemed to help until I thought he was going to destroy the crazy daisy playing with it so rough! So, I gave the hose to Benjamin and he and Lightning had a ball. Benjamin squirted and Lightning chased! Perfect!

My Sweet Boys!

2011-04-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who is sweeter--my big boy or my little boy. They both are just precious. Allen is a teenager and could be giving us all sorts of trouble, but he doesn't. Benjamin is three, knocking on four and is just a good natured, playful boy. My sweet boys hold a special place in my heart. I'm not sure if all boys are sweet to their mamas, but I'm pretty sure mine are the sweetest ever!;0)

I've become attached...to an opossum...UG!

2011-04-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

My dogs wrestled a momma opposum to the death under our backyard shed. It seems, though, the momma had a million babies in tow that have been coming out from under the shed. The first day the little ones started to emerge, the dogs killed most of them. We were able to "rescue" two of them that a friend of mine took home with her. Well, I thought all was finished until a few days ago when another baby was being tormented by Lightning McQueen and we rescued it. I called my friend up thinking surely she would want one more, but NO! Her husband had not been happy with the first two she brought home and she didn't think it'd be a good idea to add to her small brood. Unfortunately, I have a big heart and I just couldn't call the city to pick this little guy up to be gassed and thrown away like trash. I KNOW these critters carry disease, are pests, and all in all gross people out, but this guy was so small and helpless. Anyway, I've become attached...to an opossum...or he has become attached to me--either way, I have a problem. I don't want a pet possum (I know it's opossum, but I'm tired of typing that). But, I don't want to kill this little guy or give him to someone who will. I called a couple of wildlife rescues--they think I'm funny. Possums are one in a million and they simply don't care what I do with the guy. He's not big enough yet to find food on his own but as soon as he is, I think we're going to take him to a local park/nature trail and release him. Right now, we're feeding him grapes, bread, etc and hoping he survives.

Doesn't this look like Benjamin?

2011-04-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Jerry and his sister when Jerry was about Benjamin's age. Doesn't it look like Benjamin?

Gettin' everyone together for a family shot...

2011-03-31T18:08:00.001-07:00

Three kids is easy enough to photograph sometimes, but six kids gets crazy--especially boys!

Six girls are a little easier--look at precious baby Eden sucking her thumb--yum, yum!

Then, all 12 grandkids--that's a tough shot...they sure are precious...

Sooooo blessed!

2011-02-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Aren't they just precious--these people I get to live with day in and day out. Jerry is so handsome and kind. Allen is a jewel among teenage boys. Benjamin is a crack up--the funniest most expressive kid in the universe and Marymae, my sweet, beautiful, blonde is one of a kind. Don't I sound conceited? It hit me today that I have a remarkable family--not because I deserve it and not because of anything I have done. I have a remarkable family because God loves us and chose this for us. We love Him and are trying deperately to raise our children knowing and following the Lord. We are not a perfect family and we have had our share of tragedy, but God always works everything together for good for those who love Him. Even when the days get long and the spankings are many, I have a precious family.

The sweetest dog EVER....

2010-12-09T17:25:00.001-08:00

We have the sweetest dog on the planet or is it that I have the sweetest daughter? Not sure. You see, she hooks Lightning up with a pillow and blankie sometimes and in return, he hooks her up with the same...Hmmm. They are so sweet.

The many faces of Benjamin...

2010-10-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

2010-10-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Benjamin...

2010-10-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Benjamin...

2010-10-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Benjamin makes the funniest faces when he talks about everyday things. I've been snapping pictures trying to make a composite of all his expressions. Here are a few.

This is a cute little smirk.

Ha ha. That's so funny.

This is his "Can you believe that?" face.

To Halloween or not to Halloween, that is the question...

2010-10-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Seems like the circles I run in always keep me on my toes about all things "spiritual" including things I never considered spiritual. I was recently asked (again) if we "did" Halloween or not. My answer is always the same. Yes, we do Halloween. Yes, I know it's a pagan holiday. Yes, I know lots of devil worshipers are doing their thing that night also. Yes, it is a holiday that very much involves Satan. I get it. But, it doesn't convict me like it does some people. I think it's because Satan is alive and well every day and people worship him every day. My kids don't "do" Halloween because of the devil. We do Halloween in spite of the devil. God gave us a sense of humor to enjoy things like dressing up and pretending. My kids don't and won't wear devil costumes or "scary" ones. I don't decorate my house with tombstones or skeletons. I have a certain line that I don't cross. I do that with any holiday, not just Halloween. For example, at Christmas, I think it's wrong to go into debt to buy Christmas gifts. I don't do it. But, we do give gifts and we do rearrange our budget to buy them. We have to pick and choose carefully but we do spend money and we enjoy Christmas. See what I mean? In fact, I can apply the idea to the everyday. For example, television, you can watch television to the point that it is sinful. The devil works very well through the t.v. these days even in commercials and cartoons. I don't turn off the t.v. completely, but I do make the right choices about it. I think it works that way for anything you do including a holiday like Halloween. Find what it is that convicts you about it and change that thing. If it's the entire idea of it, fine, but if there is a happy medium, find it. God gives us discernment in all things. Halloween is a good opportunity to use that discernment and teach your kids about choices also.

I always said I wasn't gonna potty train this one...

2010-09-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

I decided soon after Benjamin was born that potty training was not something I was gonna do with Benjamin. I hate potty training and part of me belived he would just "pick it up" on his own some day. Well, to a certain extent my theory was right. One day he came to me and told me he was ready for underwear. I said o.k. and went and bought some and put them on him. He did great. He tinkled in the potty every time like a champ. Now, poop is another story, but a short one. He pooped in the potty real well as long as he was running around naked. But, the first couple of days, if he had underwear on, he pooped in them. That only happened twice. The first time I told him not to poop in his underwear and to go in the potty only. The second time, I spanked his bottom and told him not to do that again. Low and behold, he knew better. He knew where to go. He just didn't really wanna at first. So, he's finished with that. No more mishaps. No more diapers at all. He even wakes up dry. Easy. Hmm. So, I think my theory was right. Kids will potty train themselves if you wait until they're three and half or older to train them right? Hee hee. Now, let's work on weening. Naaaaa.

Oh, and, he sits on the toilet backward. Not sure how that fits my theory.

Been sewing...

2010-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been sewing...never really sewed before. I'm not good at patterns and things. Years ago, someone made these lady bugs for me. I had always wanted to copy them, but never felt confident enough to do it. Until, my friend Audra encouraged me that we could do these bugs. So, with her in tow, I ventured forth into the world of felt sewing. The top picture is of the bugs I've been making. They nest inside each other and have didn't closings in back like zipping and tying and snapping and buttoning. They also teach color combinations--red and blue make purple, etc. Well, I thought the originals were kinda girlie and I wanted the same idea for boys so Jerry suggested I make sports balls that do the same thing--nest inside each other with different closings. So, I branched out and did it. They turned out o.k. and were so much easier than the bugs because they don't have all the legs and anntenae and needle work (sequins, etc.). They're not as educational in that they don't have the color combinations, numbers, etc, but they do teach the dexterity of the bugs. Anyway, been sewing and actually enjoying it!

Lightning makes a nice pillow.

2010-08-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Why do we love our dogs so much? I think it is because they love our children.

Doesn't everyone need floaties to ride a horse?

2010-06-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Benjamin got to ride a horse with Jacob, my friend Ronda's son. This horse's name is Freckles He's very well trained and such a sweet baby. Jacob can often ride Freckles bare back with only a harness; he doesn't even need a bit in the horse's mouth. We were at Ronda's swimming and Jacob brought the horse up to the pool area. Benjamin was apprehensive, but enjoyed a little ride on Freckles. Benjamin promptly jumped back in the pool after his short ride, but it was his first time ever on a horse so I had to snap a photo and blog about it.

2010-06-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Do dogs go to heaven?

2010-05-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

One of our dogs died this week (Wednesday) of some heart related thing, we think. It was quick and he was a relatively healthy dog so it was quite a shock to us. I cried when Marymae cried but, other than that, I've just felt like it was a sad thing, but the way it is....Anyway, when my children ask me if dogs go to heaven, I really can't say for sure. Do they? What is the scriptural reference for that? I'd like to give them some hope of "seeing" them again, but I don't want to lie to them if it's not true.

She loves her brother!

2010-05-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today...

2010-04-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today, I had a sweet baby boy that I thought I'd never have. This perfect little gift from God was like a dream. Today, he is one of the joys in my life. He is funny, outspoken, entertaining and smart. I know all moms think that about their kids, but it's true. He is.;0) I'm sad that he is three today. I'd like to slow down time so that he didn't grow so fast just like I'd like to slow down with my other kiddos. God has given me so much more than I deserve. I don't deserve such a sweet precious boy, but I'm thankful God chose me to be Benjamin's momma. He's a Cars lovin', Thomas the tank engine track buildin', baseball playin' little guy!

I love this shoe!

2010-04-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

I love this shoe. I love it so much I'm going to sleep with it forever. So. in. love.

Oh Lightning McQueen!!!

2010-04-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is Lightning McQueen--our newest addition. Isn't he so cute? He was given to us about a month ago and has just stolen our hearts. He's a good boy, has house trained well and knows how to sit and lay down. He is a male golden retriever and is about 3 and a half months old. We just love him.

Happy 40th Babe!!

2010-04-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

So, you might think I'm looking for brownie points because I'm blogging about my sweet husband, but I'm not. I'm blogging about my husband because he turned 40 today and he gets a birthday post just like everyone else! And, because, if you don't already know it, I'm here to tell you that I'm married to a good man. I've always thought my father is the greatest man I've ever known; and, although he still is, Jerry is a great man also. My husband loves the Lord. He loves me. He loves our children. He is the sole financial provider of our family and he provides above and beyond our needs. I love him more today than I ever thought I could love anyone. He has been my stability for over 20 years. This man...deserves more than what I can give him. I am so imperfect. I never stay on budget. I like to go to McDonald's. I'm fat. I don't wear make-up everyday. I'm am so unworthy of his love, but he loves me anyway--and not just a little bit; He really loves me a lot. Wow! Isn't he the greatest? Thank you, babe, for being such a good man.

What is it about your first born?

2010-04-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Do you have a special bond with your first born? I'm not playing favorites, but Allen just holds a special place in my heart. It's unlike Marymae's and Benjamin's special place, you know? It's a having-learned-about-motherhood special place, huh? Today, I asked to take an Easter picture of him and he said, "Mom, let's take a picture together.". Awww. That melted my heart. So, we turned the camera and snapped this picture. I think it's precious. My sweet 13 year old boy wanted to take a picture with his mommy. See why he holds that special place?

Cow tongue anyone?

2010-03-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

We went to this safari place in Johnson city last weekend and this cow/bull thing slimed Allen's hand with his tongue and his wet, dirty nose. It was so funny to see the schmutz on my kid's hand and him actually gross out over it.

Doesn't everyone wear a wig like this?

2010-03-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Yep. I let my kid go out of the house this way. Yep. We even went to a resturant and she wore the wig the whole time. Uh-huh. I did.

I love this picture!

2010-03-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

My girl turns 6!

2010-02-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

My precious baby girl turned six yesterday. We had her party at McDonald's (family only--otherwise, it gets too big). She got a Nintendo DS for her birthday and a few games and assesories. She had a great day. While we were singing to her, I got a huge knot in my stomach thinking about her and where she'd be if the state had never intervened in her little life. I was awed that God chose me to be her mommy and I cannot imagine my life without her. Continually, I don't feel worthy of this calling. I'm not a perfect mom, but God still chose me. I know I disappoint Him in my earthly, motherly ways, but He still continues to bless me and tug at my heart so that I'll be the best mom He can make me be. I often wonder how God knits everything together so perfectly--so much so that an adoptive mom can love like a birth mom and so much so that a child can know no other mom than the one God has given her. I cannot explain what a wonderful showing I've seen by our Lord--a revealing, if you will, of Himself to me through this precious little girl. I've been breathed on by my Lord in so many ways, but in this little girl, His breath brought back my very life. I don't think anyone can fully understand the glory revealed to me, but my prayer is that you will know it someday through your own personal walk with Him.

13

2010-02-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

How can my first born be 13 already? Didn't I try to spend every waking moment slowing down this growth process? I think it's part of the reason I homeschool--to spend as much time as possible with my children before they *poof* and grow up! What in the world! My precious baby boy is needing to wear deoderant. He's almost as tall as me and making some serious plans for college and his future. At times I feel like my raising is done with him because he's got such a good head on his shoulders, but then he pops out of nowhere with a Nerf gun and shoots me and I realize he is just a kid too. I think my God for him everyday and pray that he lives with me forever.:0)

What happened to Christmas?

2010-01-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

This was going to go in my Christmas cards, but I never got around to sending any. Oops.

One of the best things we did this Christmas was bake a cake for Jesus. I loved it. It was Marymae's idea and it was a great one. Marymae was very proud of her cake!

I don't know what happened, but Christmas just passed us by. We went through the rig-a-ma-roll of everything--ya know, put up the tree, decorate the house, bake stuff, presents, etc. But, it was almost as if we just went through the motions and "got it done". I was just kinda, ya know, not into Christmas this year. I'm not depressed or anything; I just was ready to be done with it all. I'm ready for summer--swimming pools, beaches, vacation, heat....I think I'm going to send my Christmas cards out this summer too since I didn't get them out at Christmas. Wouldn't that be a nice surprise? I would love to get a Christmas card in July. I'd actually have to time to read it and muse over it rather than glance at it and "get to it later".

Introducing...

2010-01-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Introducing the prettiest, sweetest, little baby girl I've seen in a long time. Eden Avalon Elam (my niece) was born last Sunday (December 27, 2009) in Houston, Tx to Brandon (my baby brother) and Stephanie. Isn't she lovely? I want to bring her home with me! Oh my goodness; she's just so precious. Brandon and Stephanie are doing super! They are great parents--reading up on everything and trying to get a system going with her. Sheridan and I went to Houston the day she was born and then Jerry and I and kids "swung by" on our way home from the cabin yesterday (since Houston is on the way:0)). It was so good to see her and Brandon and Steph. I so wish we could go see them once a month. She's going to grow so fast and I just can't get enough of her.

My daddy played Santa!

2009-12-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

My daddy was asked to be Santa at a senior citizen center today. Some kids from local schools were coming to see the Christmas trees the seniors had decorated and sit with Santa. I took the opportunity to take my kids to see their paw paw dressed as Santa. My mom provided a couple of gifts so that Santa could hand them a present. We got there just as the bus full of kids was leaving so we had Santa all to ourselves! It was great. Marymae recognized it was paw-paw almost immediately but Benjamin didn't. They both had a great time and both got to see Santa take off the beard and hat and see that it was paw-paw dressed up. Then, we went to the mall to see the mall Santa. They liked that too. But, paw-paw made the best Santa EVER.

Don't ya just love dress up?

2009-12-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

Gates (Sheridan's 3rd child), Harley (Bruce's 4th child) and Marymae all dress up at Grandma's house. They were "stooper" heroes.

Don't ya just love dress up?

2009-12-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

Don't ya just love dress up?

2009-12-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

She totally cracks me up with the combinations she comes up with. I love it!

Look how little they are!

2009-12-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

I came across this picture of Allen and Marymae. This was taken right after we got her in November of 2004. Aren't they precious. They really liked each other THEN.

Mine

2009-12-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Jerry's

2009-12-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

Allen's

2009-12-06T19:28:00.002-08:00

Benjamin's

2009-12-06T19:28:00.001-08:00

Marymae's

2009-12-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Aren't they so cute?

2009-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

We made these gingerbread men before Thanksgiving and I'm just now blogging about it. They came in a kit already cut out and cooked. I had to mix the icing and then I put it into baggies with the corner cut off and the kids got to squish it on and then add candy. Can you tell which one is Allen's? Marymae's? Benjamin's? Jerry's? Mine? We had a good time and we served them at Thanksgiving.;0)

Black witch moth

2009-11-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

My mom's neighbor (thanks, Phyllis) called us last week and told us she had a huge moth hanging out by her door. We journeyed over there to find this great specimen. We captured him in a 40 oz drink cup but had to transfer him to a square plastic container because he is so big. We promptly froze him and then pinned him. It is a black witch moth--one of the largest moths in Texas. It has a five inch wing span! It is remarkable. For those of you who are bothered by us freezing him (mom); remember, he will either end up in a bird's mouth or on someone's front bumper if we didn't. Now, we have this great guy preserved in our insect display case for people to enjoy for years to come.

Allen takes a scuba class.

2009-11-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Yep. He scuba-dove, scuba-dived, scubaed, learned to scuba dive in a homeschool coop recently at the Texas State Aquarium Sea Lab. That experience has spurred him on to want to get a real scuba license--that would be $165.00. I told him he could have that for Christmas, but he wants an XBox. Bummer. I think the scuba adventure would be more fun in the long run. Besides, who needs another gaming system? We have a Wii, a Playstation II, a PSP, and a Ninentendo DS. Why in the world would we want an XBox? I may have to get him what I want him to have for Christmas--the only problem; Jerry is a big kid also and wants the XBox.

For those of you who are afraid to ask...

2009-11-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

Yep. I'm still nursing! Yep. He's two and a half! Yep. He asks to nurse and even tells me when one is empty and he's switching to the other. I think it's hysterical and I never thought I'd ever nurse this long and think it's funny. Also, I have no intention of weening him until after the flu season and even then I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm not joking when I say I'll nurse him until he's 10. No, I'm really joking. That is way too old. I think.

Brooms will stand alone during the fall equinox...

2009-10-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

My sister called and told me a couple of weeks ago about this broom thing and I didn't really pay much attention to it when she called (no offense, Sheridan, I think I was asleep or something). Anyway, yesterday, I saw on facebook where someone posted a picture of their broom standing alone and I thought we'd try it (the phone call from my sister came back to me). Well, it's true.

During the fall equinox, the sun becomes parallel with the moon or something (you'll have to check that out for yourself because I don't exactly remember). You can stand a broom up and it will not fall. It can only happen during a few weeks in the fall of the year. It is rumored that an egg will also stand on its' end, but Allen and I couldn't get that to happen. But, we did manage the broom. The eggs were quite a mess.

We love the aquarium--that's why we're members

2009-10-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Although this one is not from the Aquarium, I couldn't help but include it. If one Coke is good, surely, two is better, huh?

I'm not sure what he's saying, but it is important!

Oops. You'll have to turn your head. Turtle--from the Aquarium--the kids loved him because he kept walking to them over and over again.

Marymae is all about posing!

Allen got to help train a dolphin in the underwater area. It was very cool. The dolphin could determine shapes--circle, square, triangle, etc. I was impressed.

So I made these pies...

2009-09-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

My mom's birthday was last Tuesday and I made two chocolate pies for her from scratch (except for the crust). Anyway, they came out really well despite my oven door breaking in the middle of it--I have two ovens, so everything was fine. When it's time to go, we load the children and the pies and head to Sheridan's house. We set the pies on the floor board under Benjamin so they wouldn't get stepped on and they didn't. He did take off his shoes and throw them on the floor before we got to my mom's house. This shoe obviously landed in this pie and I left it there for everyone to see. It was pretty funny. We ate it anyway. All the meringue stuck to the bottom of that shoe, so when we pulled it off, it left a "clean" area....Hmmmm.

Benjamin goes to the dentist for the 1st time!!

2009-09-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am very religious about getting my children's teeth cleaned every six months. Benjamin turned two in April and when it was time to get our teeth cleaned yesterday, I had the dentist do his teeth too. He did swimmingly! (Good adjective, huh?) He got up in that chair like a trooper and opened his mouth and sat through the entire thing. He let the hygenist count his teeth, scrape a little, polish his teeth, floss and everything. Then, Dr. Perrin looked at his teeth and he did great and got a clean bill of dental health! (Even though he still nurses all night.):-) The picture below is of him getting his teeth flossed.

He is getting introduced to Mr. Thirsty in this one. He liked the sucker thingy--thought it was funny.

Polishing. He ate the polishing stuff.

Counting/scraping teeth with a pick and a mirror. He did great.

Him with his bib on. These were out of order. They started with the bib and then went up.

Julie and Julia

2009-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

I went to go see Julie and Julia, the movie, about a month ago with friends from church (picture above is my buddies). It inspired me to buy the cookbook by Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Well, I decided to make one of the recipes. Oh my, it is obvious Julia didn't have children because there is NO WAY she could have made all those recipes with small children in her house. I made Beoff Bugeo9iedkfjieksa;jfdlj (whatever) and it was very good, but it was a challenge. There were so many steps and so many pans to wash. Each thing was cooked separately and then added all together at the end. I was wondering when we were eating if I couldn't just throw it all in there in the beginning and let it all cook that way. I have looked at her other recipes but haven't had the umph to try any more. Maybe I'll lend it out so as to not have wasted the money....Hmmmm.

Upon being called out...

2009-09-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

As you know, I got called out. You know what that is right? Called out means I got told. You know what that is right? Called out means I got told which means someone made sure I understood that what I did was wrong or offensive. I've been thinking about that a lot lately because it takes some serious courage to call someone out, doesn't it? Courage and willingness to love you enough to discipline you even if you're afraid it might offend or make the person mad. I was thinking maybe we should call each other out more often. Don't you think? If we actually had the guts to call people out when we know they needed it and we did it properly (out of LOVE), I think we could actually make the world a better place. Don't you know of someone who needs to be called out? I do. So, this is my challenge, call them out. Go to them in love using scripture and encourage them to change their ways--call them out because it shows the greatest kind of love--a non-fearful, let-me-show-you-the-way kind of love that will hopefully change them for the better. We could all use a good calling out now and then, don't you think? I know I needed it.

These boots are made for walkin'....

2009-08-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Benjamin loves his boots. He wears them as often as he can. I tried to hide them because I got tired of them being on him all the time but yesterday he remembered he had them and asked to wear them so I let him. He wore them to the ball game last night.

He is such a silly boy. He likes to ride around in Marymae's doll stroller. He spills right out of it.

More boots...this time with his pajamas. I've never had so much fun with a kid in all my life. He's awesome.

Oh Crud! Why am I such a moron?

2009-08-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yep. I goofed again. I am a sinner, a helpless soul who cannot get it right. I'm thankful my God loves me so much and made people around me who love me also--even enough to come to me and correct me. You remember that post? The one entitled "Remember that Post?" Well, it was a scathing, anger filled post about the goings on at our ex-church. (It is still up but modified somewhat). First, I shouldn't have called anyone names--it's so 3rd grade of me. Second, if I want to BE the church then I have to try to be like Jesus and He wouldn't have sinned in anger. Last, I honestly felt like my blog belonged to me and that what I write is for my friends and family and that they would "get it" because they know me so well. Unfortunately, I didn't consider the gossip and the hype that would occur when word "got out" about what I wrote. Oh Crud! So, here I am, a helpless soul trying to gather the hurt back that I didn't mean to inflict on random people who read my blog. Shoot! What's a sinner to do? First, if you are one of the folks who read my blog and were hurt by it, I am sorry; please forgive me. I spoke in anger. Second, I left the post up (but revised) because the truth is the truth and Jesus spoke the truth in order to convict people who were sinners. And, finally, my blog is not intended to hurt people in any way; it is a place for me to vent and to be the honest person I am. I am not a "cookie cutter Christian" so I am not going to pretend to be perfect. I'm not even going to try to convince you that I even remotely have it together so don't think you're going to come to blog and read peace and love and joy all the time. My blog is mine. And, if you don't like something you read on MY blog, then close it down and move on. Don't keep reading just so you can disagree and go talk about it to someone. And, you know me, if you have a problem with something I've said, pick up the phone and give me a call (as outlined in the Bible), I'll be more than happy to talk to you about it. There, now, I've said all I feel like I need to say. So, in the words of Forest Gump, "That's all I've got to say about that."

Concan 2009

2009-08-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

On our annual trip to Concan this year, I turned 40. To celebrate my 40th, I went off a rope swing! Woohoo! It took me about 20 minutes to get up the nerve but I eventually went off and was really glad I did.
My brother, Brandon and his wife Stephanie, bring all of the kid's birthday presents to Concan every year. Benjamin got this submarine and he loved it. He still says, "Uncle Brandon gave me this."

Marymae and her twin cousin, Austin. They both have white hair and the same personality. Can you tell?

Big group of kids!

Benjamin goes for a ride of Daddy's shoulders.

Concan 2009

2009-08-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

We go to Concan every year with my family. There is a group of about 60 or so that go. We stay at Neal's Lodges in Concan and spend the days on the river. The kids love it! I do too. This year, I wanted the kids to bring me heart shaped rocks and I bribed them with ice cream if they did. Here is our ice cream stop one night at the Neal's store. We went every night we were there. I got a lot of heart shaped rocks and I was broke by the time we got home!
Harley, Marymae and Henley

I turned 40 the first day we were there. This year, we did Concan a little different. We met Jerry's family up there on Sunday and stayed at Frio Acres with them and then on Wednesday, we went to Neal's. So, Jerry and I and kids spent a full week on the Frio.

Benjamin and Marymae enjoy a Diet Rite on the steps to the river.

Benjamin liked my birthday hat!

Remember that post?

2009-08-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Remember that post? That one where I decided I was done. Well, guess what, I am. Jerry has resigned as a deacon at our church and we are free. Free in Christ indeed.

Huh? What's that you say? Why? Well, let me tell ya. We had three elders that were making decisions based on neutrality, money, and their own cowardice. When asked, the elders insisted they had to remain neutral in church leadership. Neutral equals lukewarm-ism in my book.

The elders were also very concerned because a few members had stopped giving their tithe because they didn't like some of the things going on in the church (like clapping), so instead of asking these members to buck up, the elders appear to be reverting back to hymns, no clapping and no new songs, thus alienating a population of young families and college aged members who thrive on those types of worship.

In addition, the elders didn't have the guts to confront a former elder over his anger issues. In fact, this former elder cussed people out on a couple of occasions and the elders saw "NO SIN" in what he did. Furthermore, this former elder sat on a child in the name of restraint, pounded the ground next to the kid's head and punched him in the side. And, our elders saw "NO SIN" in it. They did ask him to take a sabbatical but only after a small up rising in the staff. Furthermore, the elders never went to the boy who was beat up on to check on him. Recently, when they had an opportunity to talk to this boy about it, they did not go to him. They said the reason they didn't talk to the boy was because they weren't "child psychologists". Huh? But, you ARE shepherds, aren't you? Truly, our elders were not willing to confront sin in member's lives, they were not willing to shepherd a hurting Christian even when they were asked to do so, nor were they willing to give a Biblical explanation as to why their decisions were made. To make matters worse, the plan is to reinstall the man who beat up the kid--that's right, take that elder off of sabbatical.

I think the final straw in all of this was the "firing" of the preacher. Actually, they didn't fire the preacher, they asked him to resign. It makes me crazy because we tried that already. They fired a preacher five years ago and it didn't work then; it's not going to work now. It's typical church politics, isn't it? Someone doesn't like the color of the carpet--"Oh, I know. Let's fire the preacher!" The truth is that church had two very different groups of people who needed to get together and talk things out in a forum--maybe even with a hired mediator, but the elders were not willing to get the two sides together. Even now, the elders will not answer questions in a large group setting. They ask that all questions be asked privately. It makes me wonder what they are trying to hide or if they want to tell the two groups two very different things. We were just tired of all of that. We wanted honesty, integrity and leadership.

Since all of this has happened, the elders still are not being honest with the congregation. They are choosing to leave "secret" important information. They have not told the congregation that our children's minister resigned; they have not told the congregation our worship leader resigned (They have mentioned that he is on sabbatical, which is a lie.) and they have not told the congregation about deacon resignations that greatly affect the congregation. These men are being dishonest in the name of sovereignty and I'm tired of it.

We tried meeting with them and talking about our concerns and nothing ever happened. In the meeting, they didn't even know what I meant when I asked them how God spoke to them in their decision making. We tried. We stayed as long as we possibly could but now God has given us the GO through Zechariah 11.

What will we do now? Well, I'll tell ya. Now, we are waiting on the Lord. He has directed us through this journey and he will continue to direct us past this journey into our new home. Jerry and I no longer want to DO church. We want to BE the church. What does that involve? What does that look like? I don't know. We are going to meet tomorrow in someone's home and begin there. If you're still reading this long, anger-filled post, then you probably love me and don't think I'm absolutely insane and will actually understand that we need your prayers. In all seriousness, we made relationships at our old church and we are grieving. We are being still and listening for God's guidance and we know He will speak to us in His time. Our denomination in greatly shaken, but our faith in the Lord is firm.

Holy Bat Caves, Batman!

2009-08-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

While on vacation at the Frio river last week, we got to go to a bat cave! There were millions of bats in this cave located near Concan, TX. We got to stand at the mouth of the cave and watch all of these bats take flight for their evening of frolicking and eating all sorts of insects. Once you get past the smell, it is really a fascinating thing to watch. It's even a little eerie at times because the bats fly really close to your head. The kids loved it except for Benjamin who had another idea of what a "bat" looked like. The picture below is Jerry's nieces, Kerrigan, Kailey, then Allen, my sis-in-law Crystal, Benjamin, Marymae and I.

Check out the bats.

I love this picture because you can see detail on one of the bats really well. Not bad for a picture taken with my iphone.

Benjamin's yearbook picture

2009-07-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Marymae's yearbook picture

2009-07-14T12:51:00.001-07:00

Allen's yearbook picture

2009-07-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Isn't she sweet?

2009-06-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

I snapped this pic of Marymae and thought it was so sweet. She looks angelic! And, for the most part, she is. I have a hard time getting good pictures of her because she paints a smile on her face and it is obviously fake. I love her blonde hair and tell her often that it looks like spun gold. She tells me "it is NOT spun gold, it is white". Uh, ya, that too.

That's one funny kid!

2009-05-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Benjamin put this swim diaper on his head today and ran around with it on for the better part of the morning. He is so funny! I'm glad it was a new one right out of the package.

I'm done.

2009-05-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

I'm tired. I'm fed up. I'm sick of trying. I quit. I don't wanna do it anymore. What in the world am I talking about? Hmmm. I really don't know myself. You see, I've been through the ringer recently with some stuff at church--not my fault, not Jerry's fault but taking the blame. Taking the blame for decisions that were made that we had no part of. Taking the blame for decisions that were made that we were a big part of. Taking the blame for things that have never even happened. I used to see my church as a place of refuge. I loved to go there. I liked the people (for the most part). Today, I feel like I don't like any of 'em. I just wanna go and find somewhere where I'm anonymous--where no one knows I can teach class or cook a meal or help with the youth. Today, I wanna be one of those people who go into the building, sit at the back, sing their songs, leave before the closing prayer and have NO responsibility. Then, maybe without responsibility there is no criticism, no gossip about you, no hurt. But, I can't. God hasn't answered my prayers yet about it. He hasn't given me or Jerry direction for what we are to do. So far, His guidance has only been to "stay in Judah". I don't wanna stay in Judah. My soul cries out because I am weary. I'm done. I'm tired. I'm fed up. Where is that living water because I am really thirsty....I don't wanna "do church" anymore. There has got be another way to go about this....

My boys

2009-04-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Aren't they precious?

Two!

2009-04-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

No, no, no, no, wait, don't grow up. Can't you just stay little for a little bit longer. Oh, sweet baby. Two! Already! I tried my best to take in every little moment, every breath, every sigh, every time you nursed so that time would go by slower and so that I wouldn't miss anything, but you know what? I did. I missed something. Benjamin, I remember holding you when you were first born and turning off all distractions--t.v., computer, phone, etc because I knew a day would come when I'd close my eyes and turn around and you'd be older and I would wonder "where". Where did it go? Two years has passed and I can't recall every fleeting moment with you, yet I tried my best to remember everything-- But, my memories are can't hold it all in. I love you so much baby boy just like Allen and Marymae before you. I want that time back and I'll never see it again. I know, though, to make the best of the times to come--I've learned so much from you and your brother and sister. Who cares that the house doesn't get picked up? Who cares that the ceiling fans don't get dusted? As long as we get to read, play, laugh, snuggle, run, (even nurse!) together I know I've done all I can to keep these days from slipping by without sweet interactions with you. I love you so much little boy. You're the blessing God intended you to be.

Preciousness

2009-04-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Do other moms really think their babies are this cute? Or, am I conceited? But, I have to say he is the most precious little almost two year old ever! He has begun saying whatever word we tell him to say. It's pretty cute. We're teaching him to say his name, but he only gets out "Ben". Umm, no, we want to call him Benjamin....Who calls the shots on that? He tells everyone he's two and that Marymae is "pive". Preciousness all wrapped up into this stinkin' cute boy. Sigh.

I just couldn't get a good one....

2009-04-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

I tried and I tried, but I couldn't get a good picture of my kids on Easter. They were so cute in their orange and white clothes, too. Allen is Mr. GQ in every picture, but the two little ones just couldn't look at the camera and smile at the same time. What's a mama to do?

Lagarto Fire

2009-04-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

Years ago, Jerry's dad owned a water system up off of Lake Mathis called Lake Vista Utility Company. We used to read meters there when we were first married. Last week, a fire destroyed over 30 homes in that neighborhood. We took the kids last night so that they could see the damage caused by the fire and so that they could donate some of their things to do fire victims. We loaded up shoes, clothes, toys, housewares, toiletries, etc and donated them at the fire station in Lagarto. We took these pictures as we drove through the neighborhood. Home after home was burned to the ground. I was shocked at the destruction of it. They said that the wind was wild that day along with the dry conditions and no way to get water to the home--all those things worked together to make this a fire I will never forget.

Did you see the rebel flag? Someone flew it over their burned out lot.

The fire destroyed this trailer and some of the yard but not everything. It like "jumped" to different areas. In some places it would "skip" a house and burn down every home around it. One house we saw that didn't get burned has siding on it that just melted because the fire on the side of their home was so hot. The siding looked like ribbon hanging off of the house.

We saw numerous burned out vehicles next to homes. This one was parked along the street as if someone was "visiting" and their truck got engulfed in flames.

Benjamin gets a BIG kiss.

2009-04-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

This is Zoe. Zoe is a sweet baby girl we know through friends at church. Isn't she lovely? Benjamin and Zoe have a little thing going, I guess. They shared big kisses while we were in Tulsa. He'll get to see Zoe again this weekend. I wonder what sparks will fly then. HeeHee.

Tulsa Snow, part II

2009-04-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

These are pics I uploaded from my phone. Look at Marymae's huge snowball she flung at me. She had a great time.

Allen loved the snow.

2009-04-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Look at the snow flakes swirling around Allen. They were huge.

This is what Benjamin did everytime....

2009-04-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Every time we went outside in the snow, this is what Benjamin did. It made him so sad! No snow, he'd say.

Tulsa Snow!

2009-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Jerry and I and the kids went to Tulsa last week for the soul winning workshops put on by the churches of Christ in Tulsa. We got there on Wednesday and it was pretty chilly. We drove through thunderstorms and hail in Dallas on our journey. Thursday, we went to the workshops in the morning and then the zoo in the afternoon with friends of ours and got rained on quite a bit. We got a little front on Thursday night that sent temperatures lower but not too bad and it continued to rain! Friday it rained off and on, but Saturday, oh Saturday, it began to snow! Woohoo! It began about 8:30a.m. with a rain/sleet mix, then turned to large fluffly flakes and it snowed hard all day long. It didn't let up until 5:00p.m. It was so fun. We played in it as often as we could going in and out of the buildings the workshops were in. I had to get Benjamin this hat because he didn't have one. I also bought Marymae a jacket that we could easily dust the snow off of. My biggest regret is I didn't take my camera. Ug! I used a disposable one and had the pictures developed! Talk about 1990's. Geez.

Benjamin's new hat. He hated the snow. He cried in it.

This is Allen goofing off. He's teasing me because I wouldn't let him throw huge snowballs at me.

Marymae made a snow angel. Her first!

Benjamin just cried every time we went outside. Poor baby.

The kids were throwing snowballs at me. Silly kids. It was so fun! I love snow and miss it. I wonder how many inches Tulsa ended up getting. It seemed like ten!

Reminiscing...

2009-03-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken when Benjamin was born. He will be two next month and it hurts my heart to think he is growing so fast. I know he has to grow up, but I just want a little longer....

The picture below is Marymae with her baby that was born when Benjamin was born. Cute, huh? Look how little Marymae looks. She was three.

The picture was taken when Benjamin was two days old. This is the picture we used for his announcements, remember? Jerry took it.

This is the first time Allen held his baby brother. He wanted to be the first person to hold him other than Jerry or I.

This was my first time to hold him. It was such a wonderful moment. I had waited all day to hold him because he had been "grunting" after he was born. They didn't bring him to me until midnight--I waited a full 12 hours to hold him after he was born--compared to waiting for years to hold my baby, it wasn't all that bad, I guess. I stayed up all night nursing him and holding him and looking at him. It was a small slice of heaven.

And, this one...about an hour before delivery. We are actually outside of the hospital--one final picture before birth. My mom actually requested we take this, funny huh? If I didn't know better, I'd have thought a basketball was in my shirt. It really looks that way.

Random pics from the last month or so....

2009-03-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't been so good about blogging as I used to be. So, I decided I'd lump a bunch of pics together that don't have anything in common just to update you on our lives.

Benjamin is getting too big. He looks just like Allen did at this age.

Marymae turned 5!

We saw the globetrotters and it was soooo fun! Look how those basketball players dwarf Jerry.

Marymae tore up this tortilla at a restarant. She was "cooking".

Allen turned 12! He wanted money for his birthday because he wanted a PSP.

We got forked.

2009-03-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

We were leaving the house this morning when we saw...

Forks--in our yard--spoons, knives, forks mostly white but not all of them stuck in our yard and written in silly string "God loves you!" Nice.

This is my take on the whole thing (in case you wanted to know).

2009-03-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

The shit has hit the fan. I don't use the word lightly. The last time I said "shit" was in December, so every three months is alright, huh? So, this is my take on the whole thing in case you were wondering. I think the church I am attending is imploding. I think Jerry and I have been through this before and came out with a whole new church of "listeners"--people who wanted to listen to the Lord. God is working in this church too and He will make a way. My prayer is that we all simply listen to our Lord. He will work everything together for good for those who love Him and I believe we have people who absolutely love the Lord. Jerry and I will do what we feel the spirit is leading us to do--it sounds so simple, but I know God will be refining us with fire as we journey through this yet again with God's people. Pray for us.

I got chewed out...

2009-03-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

I hate getting chewed out. I really think it's one of the worst feelings in the world to get totally blasted for doing something wrong. In my case this past week, I was right, he was wrong. I hate getting chewed out when I'm right even more. But, God taught me a lesson in humility. See, I got chewed out because I asked some older people (very sweetly) who were playing 42 in the church gym to move into a classroom off of the gym so that my home school group could come in and play. I honestly had the right; the gym was reserved in my name for that time slot and everything. I asked the folks nicely if I could help them move their card table into the classroom. I apologized for the inconvenience; I did everything I could think of NOT to make them mad. But, it didn't work. The oldest gentleman there told me "It's always this way; no one respects us; first it's Greek class, now it's basketball; you can read in the bulletin just like everyone else that WE have the right to be here just as well as you..." and so on it went. No matter how many times I said, "I'm so sorry you feel that way, can we share the facility? You can have the entire classroom; I only have the gym reserved.", he still went on and on about it chewing on me and chewing on me. Geez. Finally, he stormed off while I just shook my head and wondered why he wouldn't listen to me. Had he listened, he would have understood that I had no intention of kicking them out of their area. I only needed them to go where they were signed up to be so that I could carry on with my activities where I was signed up to be. So, blah, blah, blah you're thinking--what's the point? Well, this is what I learned:
#1 I always argue with God.
#2 If I would just shut up and listen I'd understand He is just trying to move me over a bit.
#3 I have more patience than I thought I had.
#4 God used this so that I could reconnect with other older people who I have recently shirked.
#5 I need to chat with older people more--this encounter opened opportunities for me to talk with the older people in our church. Through conversation with them, I learned the last two things.
#6 Martin Luther King won the Nobel peace prize.
#7 I won the Nobel peace prize in this encounter with this cranky old man. I never in my wildest dreams believed I would stand there and take all that he had to dish out and not get angry, cry or smart off. Hmmm.

Just for the record, I talked to this older man this morning at church. I walked right up to him after church and asked to speak with him. I could see the hurt in his eyes that his behavior had caused him. His first words were, "Don't, please, don't." I told him, "I have to. I have to clear the air." and with that I reiterated how sorry I was that the mix up occurred and explained to him what it was I trying to explain that day. He was so apologetic. He told me about his daughters who are my age and how he is just a cranky old man and that I should just ignore him. I told him that I couldn't just ignore him and that I had to make sure he understood that I did respect him. He kissed me on the cheek and told me he loved me and that I sure was sweet. I was grateful I kept my cool that day he hollered at me, and I was grateful for the lesson God taught me. But, all in all, I still hate getting chewed out.

My sweet girl is 5!

2009-02-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Marymae turned five today. It hurts my heart to see her getting big. Five is a stellar year, isn't it? She'll start kindergarten in the fall. Luckily, I have her all to myself to school--I am excited to teach her. She will be a totally different kind of learner than Allen, so she'll keep me on my toes. I wish I had known her the day she was born. I wish I had seen her learn to roll over and sit up. I only lost eight and a half months of her life; that is a blessing, but, as always, I want more. Marymae is a challenge; she has a mind of her own. She loves to sing, play with the puppies and get dirty. She occasionally wets her panties because she is too busy to stop whatever it is she doing to go to the bathroom. As much as she frustrates me, she also inspires me to be better at mothering her. She is the best big sister to her brother that I have ever seen. She takes exceptional care of him. She doesn't like him to cry so she gives him whatever it is he needs. She plays with him and follows him around. She notifies me when anything with him goes awry. I love her so much and I thank my God for her everyday.

What is wrong with me?

2009-02-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like you just can't get anything right? I mean, geez, I try to be a good child of God, I try to be a good wife, I try to be a good mother, I try to be a good friend and...I never get any of it right. I'm not having a pity party because I know I get it right enough for the people who love me, but I don't get it right enough for ME. I am my worst critic. I cannot give myself kudos for anything I ever do. It's just not good enough. Is everyone like this? Do people constantly question themselves for every little thing they are doing? For example, right this very minute, Benjamin is banging on my arm wanting me to pick him up, but I want to finish this post. But, I am overcome with thoughts like, "you should just quit and pick him up and be thankful you have him, if you don't quit and pick him up, then you fail". What's up with that? Is it that I am just trying to make myself better or is it a lack of faith maybe in God's ability to transform me? I just don't know where it all comes from. Everything I do I want to do better. I want to reach more people and share my Jesus with them. I want to be a better wife and do all of the things that I know make Jerry happy. I want to homeschool Allen so that he loves to learn and do projects and art and music while at the same time be his mentor. I want to make Marymae feel like she is the most precious little girl that ever lived and never get mad at her. I want to give Benjamin all the undivided attention he must need and pick him up whenver he wants me to. I want my friends to be able to call me and actually return their calls and do whatever is they need from me. I want to call my mom more. I want to call my dad more. I want a closer relationship with my sister and brothers and their families. I want to see my grandparents more....and it goes on and on and on. Where do I stop? What is wrong with me or I am normal? I am too busy, do I have my priorities in line, am I doing the best I can? I need to be still. How?

Crack kills (or at least makes you die laughing)

2009-02-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Is that a cute hiney or what? He's helping me vacuum the floor. Sweet baby, but an even sweeter hiney.

These fish crack me up.

2009-02-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

We went to the aquarium one day and Marymae sat down on the floor by the shark tank. These two Goliath fish swam up next to her and just there as if they wanted me to take a picture, so I did.

Have you ever seen such gorgeousness?

2009-02-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

Sheridan took this picture of Benjamin today. Isn't it precious? He's wearing one of my favorite shirts of his too.

Benjamin gets his tongue clipped...but before he does....

2009-02-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Recently, Jerry and I decided it was time to clip Benjamin's tongue. We found out a while back that he was tongue tied and I asked Marymae's ENT about it the last time we were in. He recommended we clip his tongue after hearing the way Benjamin said "banana". While we were in the office, before the tongue clipping, I videoed it real quick because it was so cute and I knew after the clipping he would learn to say it correctly. Enjoy my precious "tongue tied no more" baby saying, "banana" before he got tortured with a papoose and a pair of scissors.

Happy Birthday Allen!

2009-01-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

I know everyone brags on their kids and stuff and I know Allen isn't the greatest kid in the whole wide world to others because everyone believes their kid is the greatest kid in the world, but Allen really is the greatest kid in the world. Rarely do I ever have to get onto him, he typically is pretty happy-go-lucky, he is a wonderful big brother to Benjamin and tolerates Marymae fairly well. Today, he turned 12 and I just can't believe that 12 years ago I learned what it was like to love your own child. Do you remember that lesson? I honestly didn't know how much parents love their kids until I had a kid to love. Whoa. That moment I inhaled such sweetness. The first child taught me so much--maybe that's why they're called heroes in the birth order books, I don't know. He used to say that when he grew up he was going to marry me. He doesn't say that anymore. He says he has to leave the house and grow up and get a wife, home, kids, etc. Bummer. I'd like to just keep him forever near me.

A new hobby....as if we need MORE to do.

2009-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Geocaching. My sister and a friend went geocaching and posted it on her blog and I thought it was pretty interesting. I had heard of geocaching a few years back when our friends Chad and Haley went at Hilltop. So, one day while Jerry was gone, Holley and Harley came out with their gps and we went....well, with my addictive personality and obcessive compulsive disorder, we have a new hobby. I HAD to get a gps, HAD to go geocaching right away, HAD to include it in our homeschool, HAD to buy geocoins and travel bugs. One day this past week, Allen and I went traipsing through knee deep mud after a couple of caches. What I am thinking? My laundry piled up, my house is filthy, my car looks like a dumpster, we can't go anywhere that I don't mention a cache on the way....Ug! I love it. Below is a cache in Victoria we found Thursday. It is in an ammo box. We found it under a huge fallen tree covered by debris and leaves. Nice find.

Next picture is a cache called--Gotta hand it to you. Do you get it? Allen found it and was taken aback by it--a little freaky when you're in the woods searching for a camoed container and you find a "hand".

Do you see the cache?

Now, do you?

This is the treasure in one of the caches. We took out a golf tee and a sticker and put in a toy car and a ball.

Spaghetti! What a mess! Oh what fun! Gimme more!

2009-01-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

New Year 2009--added a little late (as usual)

2009-01-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

We went to the lakehouse at Cypress Cove for New Years. My grandparents went also and stayed in their cabin. The trip is about three hours or so from here. Benjamin confiscated Marymae's baby doll and "fed" her for a good 10 minutes on the trip.

We have trimmed some trees and picked up some dead limbs and stuff. Can you tell? We really felt like you couldn't even tell, and we spent a whole day trimming trees and moving limbs.

Benjamin got this hat while we were there. He decided to wear it backward and play a little baseball in the cabin. Notice the antique chairs behind him and the "blue" carpet.

When we go to the cabin, we like to eat in Blanco at the bowling alley. It has really great food. Allen showed us his carpentry skills by building this great creamer pyramid. What a great homeschool kid!

And, we hung this tire swing while we were there. Isn't it great? The kids loved it (except Benjamin who can't swing on it because he's too little.) I'll have to find Benjamin a swing to hang out there; he was sad that he couldn't get on the tire swing.

Look at this young kid!

2009-01-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

I wasn't Young then, but I was young. Check out the 1980's clothes. I have on a blue and white striped pant suit with a white plastic belt. I have twist beads around my neck and some kind of mullet hair style. My 9th grade history teacher facebooked this picture to me. Aren't I cute? I was dating his nephew at the time and I was always really well behaved in his class so that he didn't think I was a moron.

Herbs, Homeopaths, Oils...Hmmm

2009-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

I decided I'm a little more on the homeschool momma side of the weird than I thought. (No offense homeschool friends; you know what I mean) I decided when Benjamin was born to forgo typical vaccines and put him on a delayed vaccination schedule because I haven't been impressed with "normal" medicines and doctors and I figured we'd see what happened. All has been good. Well, then I got this nasty cold and tried a herbal product called HistaBlock (It has nettles and other things, rose hips, etc.)--I don't take cold medicine--it makes me hallucinate (not really, but it does make me feel crazy). Anyway, the HistaBlock worked and didn't make me feel drousy, freaked out, too dry, etc. So, when I got this cough I've had, I started taking Bronchial Support. I like it. (It works slowly.) So, Benjamin starts croup last night and I'm going all natural. It has worked for me, maybe it'll work for him. So, today I loaded up on some liquid herbal products--ALJ, CCA with Santa Yerba, Eucalyptus oil, etc. I made a mixture of ALJ, CCA, honey to give to him orally every 3 hours and I have slathered the poor child with eucalyptus oil. I think I've gone over the edge some. I never thought I'd forgo "conventional" medicine and experiment a little bit, but these are the things they did in the Bible days and everything else the Bible has said hasn't steered me wrong.:-) So, here we go. I continue my journey--the next thing you know, I may be getting rid of the t.v. and moving out to the country. Heck, I may be growing my own herbs some day--have a little cold, go pick some stinging nettle and eat it, son. It'll cure what ails ya!

My friends are snobs too....

2009-01-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Hmm. Seems I struck a nerve with some of my buddies. Heintz ketchup, Log Cabin syrup, Huggies, Jiff, Dawn....While we're on the subject, how about Dove chocolate, not Hershey's or Libby's sweet peas, not any other brand. I like liquid bath soap, not bars. I use Bounce, not Snuggle. Windex, Clorox wipes, Lysol, Comet are all my choices of cleaners. I only use Huggies unscented wipes and only Johnson's baby powder. Boudreaux's Butt Paste is the best stuff on earth in my book with Dr. Smith's being a close second and AT&T is the only cell phone carrier for me. Snobbery or preferences--in the comments Roxi had a good point. Is this snobbery or simply a strong preference? Shouldn't I just be thankful that I can buy diapers instead of using cloth that I'd have to empty out and wash? My grandmother slathered her baby's butt with Crisco--shouldn't I just be thankful for Desitin instead of scouring the aisles for Boudreaux's? Hmmm. I am a snob. There's just no getting around it.

And, as for the big ol' Christmas tree. I got one--a nine foot tall work of Christmas tree art. Ahhh. It wasn't the LED, switch 'em up lights tree I drooled over, but it is prelit with thousands of white lights. I almost put it up after we bought it, but Jerry totally objected since it was December 27th and he couldn't see the glory in it. My stubborn streak has dwindled over the years, so I just let him stow it away in the garage until next year. But, the snob in me was definately alive and well in the whole fake Christmas tree saga. I just couldn't settle for that dollar store tree....I'm a snob. There's just no getting around it. So, chalk that up on your list--Shannon is a fake Christmas tree snob also. What's a girl to do?

Next, I think I'm going to write about the things I am NOT a snob about. Like, I could care less where my clothes come from. Walmart, Goodwill, Family Dollar, Cato, etc, makes no difference to me as long as my booty and my boobs are covered.