32 Years!!!!!!

Today is the 32nd Anniversary of the day that I married the greatest guy in the world.
I knew, the day I met him, that he was going to be the one for me.
The first time, I saw those blue eyes and that mischievious smile, my heart just flew.
I know that God meant him to be mine and after all these years, I can't imagine anyone else in my life.

Jerry, you have always been and will always be my SOULMATE, my LOVE and my BESTFRIEND. You are the one thing in my life that I can count on to be steadfast and true. As we grow older together, our love continues to grow stronger and more intertwined, to the point that I can no longer tell where your heart stops and my starts. You are in my heart and in my soul every minute of every day, every thought I have is complemented with your wisdom and your love for me. I think that when you meet and marry that one person who was meant to be with you, it is a blessing, beyond compare. I feel very sad for those who have not yet met their special someone. I feel bad for those who don't realize what TRUE love is all about.
I am so glad I have you. I thank the Lord every day for the gift He gave me when He gave me you!!!

Family Holiday Fun!

Thanksgiving was a blast!

Geri's oldest friend came to town and spent a couple of days with us.

We really enjoyed her visit. She was a huge help.

While Geri and I prepared our feast, Adrienne kept "The Peanut" (Jayden) entertained.

After dinner, Geri and Tish got the boys ready for some Christmas pics.

Then on Saturday evening, we put up the Christmas tree.
Mocha helped a lot. Christian spent some quality time in Grandpa's lap.
By the way, Grandpa and Grandma are BOTH currently named, "YA-YA".
He say's Mama for his mommy, Ba-Ba for his bottle, and said bye-bye to his Grandpa yesterday.
But when he wants to play, he goes to YaYa (his Grandpa), when he wants to snuggle he wants his YaYa (me). I love it!












Christian joined in the fun. And before you knew it we had a really cute, baby safe,
Christmas tree. Specifically, plastic and paper ornaments on an inexpensive, light-weight, artficial tree (Christian and Geri both have allergies). I want the babies to be able to have a great Christmas and I want them to enjoy the tree. I don't want to have to tell them, "No, no" all the time!
I prefer to pick my battles and the tree is not something to be obsessed with!
Christian likes to touch it. His little face is priceless when he is watching and touching the tree.

















Jayden is still a little young to care about helping decorate or holding ornaments, but he is plenty old enough to give us an adorable smile. He is starting to make noises back at us when we talk to him and he coos and laughs at his Grandpa (and me, and his mommy, and his cousin Christian, and his Aunt Tish.) He is a very social baby and is a joy to have around.
















I can't wait until he and Christian get a little bigger. Grandpa wants to take them on outings, like fishing, the zoo, kayaking, etc. I can't wait to see how they will play together. Christian loves Jayden and gets quite concerned when Jayden cries. He gets a worried look on his face and looks around at us to see if we are worried too.

Our Trip to the South Llano

Here are just a few pics from our trip this weekend.
We had such a good time.
We met a lot of great people, we spent a little time on the river, we sat by a camp fire, ate some good food and some not so good food, we saw some really cool effects from the warm water in the early morning when the air temp was much colder than the water temp.
Mocha got a new life jacket so she could go yakin' with me.
We got to spend a lot of quality time together, just being together.
It was a much needed break from a hurried and harried "every day of the week" lifestyle that really gets to you sometimes.
I don't fly fish, almost everyone else there does, but no one seems to care that I don't.
Mocha was great! She was quiet and still in the yak. She really seemed to enjoy the ride. She was more social than I thought she would be. She spent every minute making people smile. It doesn't hurt that she is so cute and tiny.
All in all, Jerry and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. I can't wait until next year!

The girls had to watch the Longhorns beat the Sooners

And in the Spirit of the event, the "boys" had to be properly attired.
Not that either one of the little guys cared too much about the game. They did both seem quite interested in the antics of their mothers.
And of course Alex joined in with the cheering and the protests.
As you can see, Christian is quite fond of his new little cousin and spends a lot of time trying to get close enough to kiss him.
We have to be on our toes, because he also wants to play with him. Christian is still too little to understand the concept of "gentle". Although he does pretty well until he gets excited.

I didn't get much of anything done this weekend. I read some of my book, bought groceries, sat on my tail and played with the babies.

I got a really sweet card from my thoughtful husband, a "just because" card. Those are the best kind!

As in the words of a great country song,
"Life ain't always beautiful, but it's a beautiful ride."

Well, Alrighty, it's Friday!!!!!

I am ready for a quiet day!
Hopefully this weekend will be one of those "laid-back" sip a glass of wine or a hot cup of coffee, sleep late, read a good book, no worries, no hurries, weekends.
Don't get me wrong, I have plenty to do, it would just be soooo nice to not have to do anything.

I love my life.
I love my job, my husband, my kids, my pets... etc., etc.
I just sometimes wonder if the world would continue to turn if I took a vacation!
Would someone else wash dishes, would someone else rock Christian to sleep, would someone else cook dinner, would someone else feed Alex, would someone else vacuum the living room, would someone else take out the trash?

Jerry helps when he is off. He will wash dishes for me. But, I really hate for him to do it. It makes me feel like I am falling behind or not performing my wifely duties appropriately.
What I really wish is that some of the other ADULTS(?) who live there would pitch in.

Yes, I am talking about you, you know who you are!

Well, enough of that for now.

Maybe, I will escape to my favorite coffee spot tonight for a little while. Just me and my new book!

Hey, I am allowed to have my fantasies!

I have been waiting forever!

The new Christopher Paolini book finally arrived at the book store.
It was due to come out this month.
I have read the first two, "Eragon" and "Eldest" and enjoyed them thoroughly!
The third book, "Brisingr" is promising to be just as exciting.

I love to read and I love dragons.
I especially love to read books about dragons!

This is going to be a great weekend!

A great book, a hot cup of coffee (with Mint Chocolate Truffle creamer), my favorite blanket and my favorite chair!

What a life!!!!!!!!

A letter to Mom

Hi Mom,
I miss you already! I went back to work today. Everyone wanted to know what happened so I told the story several times. I can tell it now without getting too emotional.
It doesn't seem real that you are gone.
LuAnn gave me a picture of you. I put it in a frame and I have it sitting on my desk. It gives me comfort. You have that special smile on your face. The way you always smiled when someone pointed a camera at you. Like the Mona Lisa, it's hard to guess what you might be thinking. You could be thinking about how you hated to get your picture taken or how happy you are at the moment that it was taken. It is the same smile you used to tell a joke, give encouragement or give me a hard time. It is the same smile you used to show affection and anger. It is your own unique and special smile.
When I look at the picture, I can almost hear your voice. I remember your laugh, I remember you telling me that you are proud of me, I remember you telling me, "It'll all work out." I remember you saying, "I love you."
I love you too, Momma!
I am so thankful to have had an opportunity to bring you joy. I am thankful for the joy that you brought to me. I am thankful to LuAnn for giving me a picture that showed your wonderful personality in that silly, secret smile.

I've been thinking

I wanted to write about what has happened this week in my life and it's hard to put what I am feeling into words.
The week started out with the blessing of a new grandson on Tuesday and ended with the loss of my Mom on Saturday morning.
Such a roller coaster of emotions!

My Mom:
She was a very special lady. I know everyone's Mom is special. Mine, no less than any one elses.
She was the kind of person who never forgot to love.
She taught me that forgiveness is something you just do, not something you have to think about.
She never held a grudge and she never refused to help someone out.
She was always ready to listen, without judgement.
She was the lady with $2.00 in her pocket to last all week, but stops on the corner to give it to the man holding the "will work for food" sign because, "He needs it worse than I do."
She is the woman who is a terrible hurry but stops to put change in the pot for the bell-ringer at Christmas, because, "It's cold out here and they work so hard."
She is the one person who always understood that we were put on this earth to make someones elses life easier.
And in the end, she lost hers.
Mom had diabetes. She knew what she needed to do to take care of herself but she was too busy taking care of all those around her that she loved and never seemed to find the time or money to eat the right foods, get enough rest and take her medications right.
She ended up in the hospital the same day that Jayden was born with fluid in her abdominal cavity. She was in renal and liver failure. She was in so much pain. She could not lay on her back because she couldn't breath.
And yet, when I called her to see how she was feeling she would answer, "a little better" and ask about me, Geri and the new baby. She wanted to hear about Christian's latest antics and Alex's new word for the week. And never forgot to make sure I promised to tell Jerry that she loves him. She bragged about Aaron's hugs and how sweet and pretty Tish is and how sweet and precious Geri is.
No matter what, if Jerry told her I was fussing at him or being mean to him, she ALWAYS took his side.
She teased him terribly and he loved it.
Mom spent every moment of every day trying to keep peace in her world and make everyone happy. That was what made her happy.
Now, with her gone, I find myself wondering, who am I going to call when Christian takes his first steps and Jayden eats ice cream for the first time?
Who is going to laugh with me over Alex learning to say,"poo-poo"?
Mom, I loved you so very much and I am going to miss you more than I can say. You were an inspiration and a real role model for selflessness, compassion and forgiveness.
I will always remember the lessons you have taught me, the love you have shown to me and your funny, sometimes surprising, sense of humor.
The Lord has called you home to give you the rest and the peace that you were never quite able to acheive in this old world and I am so thankful that He did not allow you to suffer.
Rest Momma. You deserve it!

Coming Home, Tomorrow!

Aren't they sweet?

Geri and her new little boy, Jayden, will be coming home from the hospital tomorrow!

Geri is anxious to get home and show Jayden all the wonderful things that she made for him and to get into a regular routine (without all the expert advice from Pediatric nurses, telling her how to keep him swaddled and the Lactation Consultant, watching her feed him, and several people taking off his diaper to look at his circumcision, not to mention being asked if she has had a b.m. and getting woke up for vital signs and to have her tummy prodded and her incision peered at.)

She has really been a trooper throughout this whole ordeal.

I promised you the whole story, so here goes.
We arrived at the hospital at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. After checking in we were escorted to the Labor and Delivery. Geri was hooked up to the monitors and an I.V. was started.
The I.V. was so painful, she almost passed out. Later she described to me that the RN putting in the I.V. was digging around for the vein in her wrist and finally gave up and inserted the I.V. in her hand. That IS Painful!!!!
After the fluid was started and everything was in place, the baby's heart rate slowed down and Geri's blood pressure was not good, so we had to wait to start the oxytocin.
Geri was given a little oxygen and all the vital signs stabilized.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. they started the oxytocin to begin contractions.
Around 2:00 p.m., the anesthesiologist came in and started her epidural. Then the doctor came in and broke her amniotic sac.
We are thinking we will have a baby soon.
Her contractions were good and strong.
There was a problem, the baby wasn't moving.
After several hours,(and a very sick Geri) he still wasn't moving.
After a few more hours,( and more throwing up) he still didn't move.
Geri was becoming exhausted and the contractions were causing the baby's heart rate to drop dramatically.
His little head was becoming quite swollen, but he was not making any progress.
At 7:30 p.m., the doctor decided there was something stopping him and Geri needed a c-section.
We moved to the O.R. and Geri was prepped for surgery.
After everything was set up, the doctor called me in.
I stood by Geri, where she could see and talk to me during the procedure.
I took a few pictures (nothing extreme).
And at 8:08 p.m. We finally got our little one out into the world.
And poor Geri, was promptly and violently sick again.
I accompanied the baby to the nursery. Took a few more pictures
and was totally amazed at how alert he was.
Eyes wide open, and hungry little mouth searching for Mommy.
An hour later, he was happily nursing, like a little pro.

Geri has been through so much during this pregnancy.
So many disappointments and heart aches.
She has managed to keep her chin up and try to roll with the punches.
It is finally all over and now her life begins anew with the birth of her precious son.
I am very proud of her.
She is a strong young woman and a very loving person.
She has remained strong in her faith in God
and kept on going when giving up would have been so much easier.

Thank you Lord for giving her such a sweet and beautiful baby.
I know with him, she will be able to forget the past and look to the future.
With him, she has a reason to keep going, looking forward to every minute of her life.
Thank you Lord, for allowing me to be so involved with the miracle of this childs birth and his life.
What a joy it has been. From the sewing and teaching and decorating to being a part of his coming into the world.
I am truly a blessed woman.
I have 5 beautiful grandchildren.
I have 2 precious little boys in my home to help ease my pain at not getting to spend time with the other three.

There is a song, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need."
I have found, in MY life, I don't always get what I want, but You Lord, always make sure, I get what I need!















Did I mention that he is beautiful? And perfect!

Introducing Jayden!

I will tell the whole story later, but for now, Jayden is here.
After an extremely long and somewhat difficult labor, the little guy finally arrived via c-section at 8:08 p.m. weighing 8 pounds and 2.3 ounces and 21" long.
He has Mommy's blonde hair and Hamon blue eyes and his Daddy's chin.
He was alert and hungry.
Welcome to the world, Jayden.
You are well-loved!

Sunburns HURT!!!!!

My legs still hurt from my sunburn!
I have been putting Silvadene on them.
They feel a little better but I definately can now sympathize with anyone suffering from a severe sunburn.

Geri is still hanging in there.
The doctor said if she doesn't go into labor before next Tuesday, he is going to go ahead and induce her.
We will surely have a baby in a few days.
She is totally miserable.
She used up her burst of energy Monday night.
She wore me and Tish out cleaning house.
We did get it all done and now Geri is making sure it stays that way.
She may be 9+ months pregnant but she is certainly becoming quite bossy.
It is so weird for my little laid-back Geri to be such a "Queen Bee".
It is really quite refreshing!

Christian got a good report from the cardiologist.
He is perfectly healthy.
He does still have a murmur.
The doctor called it an "innocent" murmur.
He said he will have it all of his childhood but, it won't be a problem for him.

Aaron is doing great.
He and Tish washed dinner dishes for me last night.
That was nice.
Jerry "helped" me cook.
We had a nice dinner together as a family with Christian as the resident entertainment.
He is very vocal at the table.
He really enjoys eating and wants to do everything himself.
He still gets almost as much food on the highchair (and the table, and his Mommy and his lap and his hair and........) as he does in his mouth. It is fun to watch him.

Well, that's the news for now.

Later, Alligator.

We made it!

Jerry and I went to the Brazos this weekend.
We had a blast and quite an adventure!
Jerry blogged about our trip, so if your interested you can go to his blog.
The link is to the right, and read all about it.
I don't have any pictures to post because my camera is somewhere on the bottom of the river.
We really did have a good time and it was super just getting away from it all for a little while.

Geri is still pregnant, Jayden decided to play nice and turned into his proper position so there was no need to do the c-section. Geri was relieved on one hand and a little disappointed, too.
Relieved that the baby is safe, but disappointed that we have to wait for him for a little while longer. All is now ready and waiting for the little one to arrive.

Christian goes back to the cardiologist tomorrow to get a check-up and to see if he has outgrown his heart murmur. We are hoping he has outgrown it. It has not been an issue for him at this point and it probably never will be a real issue. It would be great for it to be gone.

Everyone else is doing fine.
Except for my sunburned legs. THEY REALLY HURT.

Well, that's all the news for now and Christian wants his bottle and his Grandma, gotta go!

Change of plans!

Geri went to the doctor on Tues.
She is progressing along just fine.
There is one little problem.
Jayden is not in position correctly.
He is laying sideways.

The doctor's remedy for this is a C-section, next Wed.
Geri will go back to see him on this next Tues. and if Jayden has not turned, we will be having a baby on Wed.
This was not how Geri wanted it, but, of course, she want her little boy to be born safely and his current position could be life threatening, if she were to go into labor.

Jerry and I had a weekend camping trip planned for the 5th, 6th and 7th.
We were both very disappointed, but we had to cancel.
Geri will likely be coming home from the hospital Fri. afternoon with a brand new baby and not feeling very well.
She needs us.
I feel so bad to have to cancel our trip, and I hope that we can rescedule it for a weekend very soon. We are going to the Llano in October and I definately need to practice my paddling.

We are excited about the birth of our new grandson. It is going to busy around our house with two little boys.
Christian is going to be a great cousin for Jayden.
He is such a big boy now and I know he will keep us all on our toes very soon.

Uh oh! late for my meeting. Gotta go!!!!!!!!!

My first trip!

We got up very early. Before the sun came up.
We loaded our matching kayaks in the back of the truck and headed to Waterloo.
My first attempts at paddling were a little difficult, Jerry decided, I was getting too frustrated and traded paddles with me.
The difference was amazing, I was making progress. I was moving along.
I was really enjoying the experience.
Now that I was getting the hang of it, I really enjoyed being out on the water, early in the morning, not another soul around. Just me, Jerry and the great outdoors. It was so peaceful, the temperature was perfect, no noise except the birds and the ducks.
We paddled around for a while, just loving the morning.
We loaded back up and went for breakfast.
It was great spending some quiet time with my guy.
I think, I could get used to this 'yakin' if we keep having days like today.
Thanks to my sweet guy who made sure everything was perfect, down to the pink lifejacket!!

Creativity!

Last year, I posted pictures of the bed set
and decorations that Tish and I designed for Christian.
We worked hard and created a very nice area for our little man to come home to.


















Now, I get to post the pictures of the bed set and decorations that Geri and I designed and created for Jayden.

There is a real sense of accomplishment for new Mom's when they are able to use their creative talents to make something beautiful for their new baby.

It makes everything just a little more special when you are able to put a little of your own heart into what you create.

Two very different rooms, designed and created by two very different new Mom's, for two very special little boys.

What's in a name?

Jayden, "God has heard"
One more project completed!

Just a few more weeks!

Til Jayden arrives and Geri has been busy.
She has been designing, quilting, sewing cutting, tying and painting.
Creating the perfect atmosphere to bring her little boy home to.
Projects that are still in the works, include a handpainted, plaid piggy bank to match his theme and a hand crocheted baby afgan (after, I teach her how to crochet, that is).
In the mean time she has completed a beautiful bed set, including a custom designed quilt and pillow sham, custom made bumper pads, a hand tied no-sew blanket, three large flannel recieving blankets, a special satin-lined, feather soft, coming home blanket and a wall hanging to match her Winnie-the-Pooh theme, spelling out the baby's name, in hand painted letters with hand painted accent characters.
I think Jayden has a very creative Mom.
What a lucky little man.

Eating Cheese Puffs

We've been busy!

Geri is home for a little while.
Her baby boy is due to come into the world in a few weeks.
We spent the entire week-end, last week-end sewing and organizing everything she is going to need. We had a great time designing and creating a custom quilt and bedset. Winnie the Pooh, of course. Geri loves Pooh Bear and wanted him for her baby's theme.
We are not quite finished yet but, if she happened to have her baby tomorrow, we are ready.
She went to the doctor Tues. and he seems to think she will go late.
That's okay because Great-grandma Margaret's birthday is the 14th and she wants a new great-grandson for her birthday. They are going to try to come to Texas again for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I hope it works out where they can. I would love to cook for a crowd.

We finished the room on the back before Brian left and got Aaron moved in. He really likes it. He has a LOT of privacy and per his request, no windows, so it is really dark in there. He says he could sleep forever and never realize it is daytime out there.

Christian had his first experience with cheese puffs yesterday. He was so funny. He was trying to eat them 2 or 3 at a time. The more we put on his tray, he more he tried to pick up at once. He usually enjoys eating but that was a party. Tish and I laughed so much at his antics and of course he joined in. He is such a happy little guy and anyone laughing makes him laugh, too.
He is getting so independent. He tries to hold the spoon and feed himself and he tries to hold his sippy cup himself. It's getting harder to feed him baby food. He really likes things he can pick up and feed himself.What a monkey!

Tish has been trying to spend time with Chase while he is on leave. She is taking pictures of Christian with Chase's camera so he will have them when he goes back to Kuwait.

In the mean time, Jerry and I have been working hard to get things in order for a trip in October. Jerry is buying me a kayak. We are going to an event together. I am excited about spending time with my best buddy all alone. I know, he thinks he is a great fisherman and if you read his blog, you will agree with him. But that is only because I haven't been lately. I CAN outfish him and I plan on proving it in October.

Well, it's time to cook dinner for my crew and I don't want Jerry to catch me bragging so I'm outta here. Hope I got you all caught up!

A Quick Summary!

I am about to have a very full house!
Geri is moving back home for a little while.
We will also have another little boy in the house, in just a few weeks.
Two grandsons to spoil and to love.
Two daughters at home to dote on and sew for.

A house full of people to cook for.

I firmly and adamantly believe that God puts His children, where He needs them to be, when He needs them to be there. I further believe that He has a plan for our lives and He knows what to do ALL THE TIME.
I believe that God knew that Geri was going to need her Dad and me and that we needed her, I believe that He arranged certain circumstances in our lives in order for us to do what we need to do.
I believe that He is always looking out for us.

Thank you Lord for helping our family to begin to heal.
Thank you for giving me back my zest for life.
Thank you for giving me back my hope.
I will always praise you! Amen.

Love this Pic!

Here is my "Yakin' Honey" in his new ride!
I love this picture.
He loves his new kayak!

Beautiful Pictures

Just a few really good ones!
I can't wait to get the prints on my desk at work!