Anna Lee and J.D.

Kasey and Nathan's Wedding!

2011-02-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weekend we had for Kasey and Nathan's wedding! It was such a fun time of sweet celebration as the two of them started their life together.

We had a wonderful evening with them on Thursday night, as Kasey and Nathan gave their parents and our kids sweet, special gifts.

All the girls got to get pedicures for the big day...even Anna Lee :)

Kasey had the most amazing musicians playing in her wedding...a longtime, special friend, Eric Wilson, played the soprano sax beautifully and Kasey's sweet friend and co-worker, Terri Barrier, played the piano. It was the most amazingly gorgeous music.

The ring bearer taking a break from his duties.

The rehearsal...

J.D. was very concerned about all of the flower petals Anna Lee was scattering on the floor. He felt like they needed to be picked up.

The rehearsal dinner....

Special friends and family plus great Mexican food!

The three new Pope wives.

Our wonderful friend Phillip did Kasey's hair for the wedding. It was gorgeous!!!

The dress

J.D. thought he should take some pictures too.

And Anna Lee was making sure they turned out ok.

The ring bearer...the RB

Anna Lee was waving to her "fans" as we were introduced at the reception.

The new Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Pope!

Kara and our sweet Aunt Sue

Anna Lee loved getting to be at the reception. Besides it being past her bedtime, it was a wedding party!!!

Cutting the cake

The cakes were amazing!!!

The reception was at Sunset Station, an old train station in downtown San Antonio.
It was beautiful!

Eric and Terri played beautifully at the reception too.

Instead of tossing her bouquet to the single ladies, Kasey gave her bouquet away to the couple who had been married the longest. Anna Lee was heart-broken that she didn't get to try to catch the bouquet. So Kasey graciously gave Anna Lee her own private bouquet toss. :)

She was thrilled!

The wedding party...the brothers and the sisters.

Kasey danced with Anna Lee to the Sleeping Beauty song "Once Upon a Dream" before she and Nathan left. So sweet!

The happy couple!

As Kasey and Nathan left on the trolley, they had everyone blow horns instead of throwing petals at them. It was a fun (and loud!) exit!

After they left, Anna Lee was so sad. She burst into tears and said she was crying because she was going to miss her Aunt Kasey and New Uncle Nathan...and because the party was over :)

But the horns did wonders to cheer her up!

GranDee and Pops were the heroes of the weekend! They were there every minute we needed them, taking care of one or both of our children, so we could enjoy the celebration with Kasey and Nathan. Thank you, GranDee and Pops!!!

Mom and Dad ready for some much-needed rest...and cake! after hosting a wonderful evening.

The day after the wedding, my parents had a lunch for all of the family who was still in town. It was a special time of prayer for the new couple, fellowship, and (more) eating!

The invitation :)

Anna Lee loved playing with her cousin Clay. Clay lit the candles in the wedding...and they wouldn't light! He was amazing! He didn't let it get him flustered...he just worked until he got it. Way to go, Clay!!

Congrats to the newly-married couple! Such a wonderful weekend full of wonderful memories.

Lots more special memories to come!

The Skater

2011-02-09T13:55:00.001-08:00

Kasey gave Anna Lee her first pair of skates for Christmas. To say that Anna Lee wasn't very good at skating doesn't really sum it up. Watching her learn out in the driveway was so funny. I felt like these pictures deserved their own post. They made me laugh so hard! Love that sweet Anna Lee!

"I'm outta here! Who needs these silly girls?"

Christmas 2010

2011-02-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Christmas! The kids were at such a fun age and we had such a special time celebrating as a family this year. Jim had so much more time off this year, so we were able to really spend a good amount of time with each of our families. We have so much to be thankful for.

Getting cookies ready for Santa

Christmas pajamas!

Getting the reindeer food ready to scatter in the yard for Santa's reindeer. Anna Lee was so sweet as she shared the food with J.D. and explained what he was supposed to do.

Santa's Surprises!

Anna Lee asked Santa for a Rapunzel tower...at the last minute. Santa had a hard time finding one to bring her! But the squeals Christmas morning were worth it!

First remote control car/train...loved it!

Powdered donut Christmas breakfast...at the kids' request

After opening Santa presents, we headed to Waco for a wonderful week with Jim's family. All of the kids and grandkids were there, and we had a great time together!

We tried to get this picture a thousand times and still didn't get a good one!

J.D. rocking on Daddy's old rocking horse. Jim's mom painted this for him when he was J.D.'s age. So special to watch J.D. riding it now.

Passing out presents with Pops

I loved seeing our niece and nephews excited about their presents!

J.D. was only interested in his Sonic drink while we opened presents. And he was serious about it!

J.D. also got a special stool with Jim's name on it...that was Jim's when he was J.D.'s age. So sweet.

The kids all had a great time playing the Wii together. I loved this picture!

GranDee and Pops had a birthday party for the three December birthday grands. They each got their own over-sized cupcake (that we then all got to eat!) It was super fun to all get to celebrate together!

Anna Lee loved her new Tag books.

And she loved getting to read them with Kasen...

and with Grandmother.

After Waco, we traveled down to San Antonio to celebrate Christmas with my family.

We all had a great time!

Anna Lee loved her new Leapster Explorer

Dad got the funniest book from Kara...Awkward Family Photos. Hilarious!

Kasey, Kara, and Mom loved their new ACU shorts. :)

Kasey gave J.D. this complete train engineer outfit. It was so funny to see him dressed up in it!

We even got him to blow the whistle!

A "P" for the soon-to-be Mrs. Pope!

We had a musical concert with Kara's present to J.D.

Kasey gave J.D. this blow-up ball pit. Too bad she had to be the one to blow it up :)

Good thing he loved it!

A welcome mat in every language...for the family world-traveler.

Facebook for Dummies. Hehe.

I made Kasey and Nathan a scrapbook of their engagement pictures. It was so fun to look through them all again! The wedding was so soon!

Kasey gave Anna Lee her first pair of skates.. She was NOT a natural at skating. To say the least. More pictures coming soon.

But J.D. was pretty good at his new 4-wheeler!

We got to see our sweet Ninnie while we were in San Antonio. We all love her so much!

At home in Abilene, Anna Lee and I had so much fun decorating the house...and her room! for Christmas. It was fun for her to get into the spirit of the season with me! She even had her own Christmas tree in her room that she had a blast getting to decorate...with lots of pink, sparkly ornaments. Surprising.

We celebrated with Aunt Donna, Uncle Jack, my cousins Catherine ("Cappy" to the kids) and her son Clay, and Mama Dell. They were so sweet and loved on our kids with sweet gifts this year.

At the end of the Christmas break, Kasey and Nathan had a wedding shower here in Abilene. The sweet women at Hillcrest gave them the sweetest day of blessing and showered them with so many amazing gifts. They felt so loved and blessed by the whole day. Our sweet Aunt Donna hosted such a beautiful party. We got some fun pictures of the day. We love Uncle Nathan! He was so sweet to J.D. while we all spent time getting ready for the shower.

Anna Lee even got to come to the party!

Christmas was over...And the wedding countdown was on!

The Birthday Bride

2011-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Anna Lee turned 4 on December 21st. As usual, I am a little behind on my post. I still can't believe it has been four years since we brought this precious little girl into our lives! Anna Lee is a joy in every way, and we can't thank God enough for sharing her with us.

For this big 4 year old, we had a wedding birthday party! Anna Lee was a bride for Halloween and was gearing up for her role as a flower girl in Kasey's wedding, so it was a perfect theme.

Anna Lee's birthday party was so much fun!We had so much fun putting together the activities and decorating the house for a pretend wedding. The "real" bride even came!

At the party, the little girls got to make bouquets and veils...

and got to carry and wear them as they each walked down the aisle in our living room. We had an arch set up at the end of the aisle, but somehow I missed getting a picture of it!

Anna Lee got to celebrate with not only her sweet friends, but so many family members too. Our families all came into town for the event, and my aunt, uncle, and cousins came over for the celebration. Her sweet babysitter Claire came from Dallas too!

My family has a tradition of writing clues to lead you on a scavenger hunt to find your presents. Anna Lee was given picture clues for this birthday, and found her present from Mommy, Daddy, and J.D. at the front door...

a new bike!

Four is such a fun age...especially with this sweet girl! Here are a few things about Anna Lee as a four year old:

Anna Lee is the happiest girl I have ever known. There are very few times that Anna Lee is sad, upset, in a bad mood, etc. She keeps our whole house alive and joyful at all times, and is truly a ray of sunshine to those around her.
She and her brother are best friends already. Anna Lee and J.D. love to play together, and have even more fun the older they get. Anna Lee is always in charge (which usually means the play involves princess toys somehow) but she loves to find things that make J.D. happy. She adores him and takes care of him so sweetly. She is the most amazing big sister ever.
Anna Lee has adjusted really well to moving to Abilene. We were very worried that our move would be hard on her, but it has been the exact opposite. Anna Lee has loved having her daddy home more often, and has made so many new, sweet friends here already. Anna Lee had almost all boy friends in Dallas, and now it is the exact opposite...she has almost all girl friends here in Abilene.
Anna Lee loves princesses. I feel like a broken record saying that! Anna Lee fell in love with Disney princesses when she turned two...and has never turned back! She knows each princess like a best friend...what they wear, who they love, where they live, what they do, etc...the list is endless. We took Anna Lee to Disney World this summer, and it so much fun to watch her meet each of the princesses. It was truly the most magical place on earth for her. Now that the Rapunzel movie has come out, Anna Lee has a new best friend :)
Anna Lee is one of the most creative little kids I have ever met. She can pretend play with the best of them! It is not rare to hear Anna Lee setting up a tea party for her dolls or for all of us to have to answer to different names because she is pretending that each member of our family is a king, queen, etc. Everything is made into a fun story in our house.
Anna Lee knows no stranger. She can make friends with anyone! The other day, she told me she was looking forward to playing at the playground at Chick-fil-a because she would get to meet new friends.
Anna Lee is a smart little cookie. She is learning so much so fast. She goes to Young Children's World this year at Highland Church of Christ here in Abilene, and is learning so much! She has learned to write her name, and is beginning to learn to read. It is such a fun age to watch as she soaks so much in so quickly.
Anna Lee is extremely picky about clothes. She does not like having to wear pants or sleeves. It is a battle everyday. She would wear a sleeveless sundress everyday if I let her...even if it was 20 degrees outside. She is also very picky about colors, bows and clips, shoes, socks, etc. If goes (or doesn't go) with an outfit, she wants to discuss it before it is put on. (aka "argue about it") It has been interesting already thinking about the "discussions" we will have once she is a teenager!
Anna Lee loves electronics. She not only loves movies more than any kid I have ever seen, but she loves all things electronic. She can work my iphone much better than me, understands our tv remotes with ease, plays the wii (and beats me at almost all games), plays her leapster, etc. It is amazing to see the different world she is growing up in, and how she is able to figure out all things media so quickly. The idea of talking to someone live on a computer...or phone...was unheard of for us as a child, but it is so easy and normal for Anna Lee. It has been amazing to watch.
Anna Lee continues to have beautiful blonde hair, blue eyes, and pure white as snow skin. I have been wondering when (or if) her hair is going to turn brown, but so far, she is still a blondie.
Anna Lee is a wonderful daughter. She is sweet, encouraging, and so much fun. We thank God for blessing our lives with her. There is no way to put into words how special we think she is.

Happy birthday to a big 4 year old! We love you, Anna Lee!!!

Who loves Santa Claus??

2010-12-23T09:43:00.001-08:00

A Review in Pictures

2010-12-20T21:45:00.001-08:00

So I have been waaaay behind on updating the blog. I thought I would give a quick run-down of Fall pictures before all of the Christmas pictures start. We have had a wonderful and very busy Fall. We have loved every moment of living in Abilene, and continue to be very thankful for new blessings.

Homecoming was an especially fun time, as we got to see so many old friends...and have many of them in our new home. Jim's whole family came in for the weekend, and it was wonderful getting to spend time with them.

One of our new favorite activities: going to ACU ball games!

Jim got to spend time with his roommates from college. It was so fun to all be together!

Our little girls had fun together too!

In October, some of our best friends from Nashville came to visit us. We all met up at my parents' house in San Antonio and had a wonderful time together.Fall brought lots of pumpkins, crafts, and foods this year...

For Halloween, J.D. was a lion and Anna Lee was a bride. It was a beautiful and hot afternoon, and the kids raked in buckets and buckets of candy. My parents and Kara were in for the fun weekend.

cutest little lion

We got to go trick-or-treating at my aunt and uncle's house as well as at Jim's aunt and uncle's house. It was a special treat! The kids loved getting to see their cousin Clay all dressed up too!

Notice the mouth already full of candy!

We got to go to San Antonio for Kasey's bridal shower. It was a wonderful day of blessings for Kasey and for our whole family. We have had such sweet friends at Oak Hills for so long, and they poured out their love on all of us that weekend. Kasey felt so honored and humbled, and was so thankful for all of the sweet words, gifts, hugs, etc. that were given that morning. It was such a fun weekend to have Nathan's parents there with us too! We all ate lots of Mexican food and played lots of Taboo :)

Denalyn Lucado gave the time of blessing for Kasey, and it was so special.

This little person was thrilled to get to help open the presents!
Notice the picture in her hand that she drew of Nathan and Kasey getting married.

Anna Lee had a Thanksgiving feast at her school, and continues to love Young Children's World. She has made some really sweet girlfriends there this year.

We are still working on the smile...

We got to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Abilene this year, but we were able to celebrate a day early with Jim's grandmother, aunt and uncle, and cousins. Another reason we have been thankful to live in Abilene!

Anna Lee having a tea party with Aunt Cynthia

New Rapunzel hair. Hilarious.

J.D. loves getting to go to my Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack's house. J.D. especially loves the time he gets to play with the balls on the pool table with Uncle Jack.

Anna Lee and I got to go to the Mother-Daughter Pajamarama at Highland. The sweet ladies who put the event together did such a wonderful job! It was such a treat for all of us! There was food, crafts, games, a movie, etc. Anna Lee loved every minute of it!

And now the craziness of Christmas begins!!

Fun Fall So Far!

2010-10-04T13:52:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it is already October! We have had a great beginning to Fall and are looking forward to more of the beautiful weather we have been enjoying lately. In September, the kids got to start at their new school here in Abilene. They have both loved their classrooms...and I have loved having a little bit of time to myself. I interviewed for a new job last week, and will start working next week while the kids are at school. I am really excited about it!

It takes a lot more stuff to get two little people ready for school each day!

Besides starting school, Anna Lee has begun the process of learning to read! She has been sounding out a lot of words and we have been so proud of her! Mom-Mom sent her this fun cookie bouquet last week to congratulate her on some of the words she has been reading. It was a fun way to get to celebrate! She literally got to eat her words. :)

Last weekend, we made a quick trip to Dallas for a fun event: Kasey's engagement! My whole family and Nathan's whole family came in to surprise Kasey (at Nathan's request) after the proprsed. It was so much fun to get to be a part of that night. We can't wait to welcome Nathan into our family!

We have loved the past few weeks of Fall weather. Because we have a lot of trees at our house, we have a lot of leaves. This past weekend, we worked to bag all of the leaves...but we had to spend some time playing in them first! Anna Lee loved every minute of it...

and J.D. equally hated it. It was so funny to watch them together!

But the most fun part is that we are getting to spend so much time as a family with this special daddy around more often! We are loving it!

Summer Review: Where to Begin???

2010-09-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

As I begin this post, I feel the need to warn you that it is a long one. I use this blog as a journal of sorts, and a LOT happened this summer!

Before we get into school, I wanted to spend a little time reflecting over what happened this summer. I first want to thank so many of you who were prayer partners for our family during the past several months. Our family, immediate and extended, had a lot go on in a short amount of time. During all of it, we felt so surrounded by our friends and family who were taking care of us and bringing our names to the Lord. We can never thank you enough.

Over the summer, these two little ones have changed and gotten so much bigger! Anna Lee is three going on sixteen, and J.D. has moved from the baby stage to the little boy stage. He is walking, running, and talking now! The two of them have a blast together...they love on each other and bicker with each other all day long...and make me one busy mommy!

As the summer began, we got to spend some wonderful time with Jim's family at the annual Litton Family Reunion. Jim has a million cousins close to our age, so it is always a joy to get together with all of them to play, laugh, catch up, worship, and enjoy watching our kids play together. This year was Jim's grandmother's 90th birthday, so we all made a sign to surprise her. It took a lot of effort to get that many people organized! Jim's grandmother loved it!

I am so thankful to be a part of this wonderful family!

The next week, our little family of four made the big move from Dallas to Abilene!

Moving with kids is a LOT harder than moving without them! I know that seems like an obvious statement, but I was so amazed by it while we were getting packed up!

It was amazing to me to see how a house could quickly (and with a LOT of work) go from looking like this:

to looking like this:

to finally looking like this in a new place.

We loved our home in Dallas so much and will miss it so much. We have so many wonderful memories in that house...bringing home two babies, birthday parties, Life Groups, sitting around talking with friends, playing with our kids inside and out...

But we are so happy to finally be settled here in Abilene. Our new home has a lot more room for our kids to play, and we have already enjoyed using it to welcome and entertain friends. We look forward to the memories we are going to make here.

As we left Dallas, our sweet friends had a going away party for us at the park. It was fun to all be together and reminded us of the blessing of friendship. We pray that the friendships we had with so many in Dallas will continue for many years, even though we don't live in the same place.

My sister and Nathan had prepared a fun Abilene Jeopardy game for all of us. It was fun to think back to times in Dallas, and made us look forward to new beginnings in Abilene.

As we left Dallas, we sat in this traffic for a LONG time to get out of town. Pulling into Abilene looked a little different... :)

We got to spend a few days at the end of June with my grandmother and her extended family for another family reunion. It was a special time to all get to be with her.

Our next big event was Disney World! Anna Lee, Jim and I flew to Florida to spend a week in the most magical place on earth. We had the GREATEST time!!! We left J.D. with my parents in San Antonio and got to see all of the princesses, Mickey, Minnie, Donald...the whole crew. Anna Lee was beyond excited. She continues to LOVE the princesses, so this was a dream vacation for her. She got to meet all of the princesses, and talked with them like they were her long-lost best friends. She was so funny while we were there. We kept her at the park the last night until 1 am because she was having such a blast. (Terrible parenting, I realize.) Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip. Notice the JOY in her sweet smile. It was there all week! (except if Captain Hook was seen or mentioned.)

While we were at Disney World, my mom got very ill. She had had some scar tissure wrap around her intestine and close it off, and had to have emergency surgery to repair it. My dad had gotten J.D. taken care of by some wonderful friends and then my sweet aunt. Dad called us while we were in Florida and told us that Mom was ill. He assured us that she was ok and we should finish our trip. When we got back to San Antonio, we fully expected to see my mom sitting up in her hospital bed eating chicken noodle soup and recovering nicely. That was not what we found. Mom was in the hospital for 17 days, dealing with an array of unexpected complications. It was a tiring and stressful time for us all, but it taught us so many lessons. Mom was amazing at the hospital. She was a ray of light to everyone who came in contact with her, even when she felt terrible. Our family was brought so close together, and we learned to lean on each other and friends when we couldn't hold ourselves up. Thank you to all of you who were there to hold us up. We will always look back on that time and remember walls and walls of flowers, cards filling up our mailbox, food overflowing from our fridge, and prayers being lifted up to and answered by the Lord. I was amazed as I watched my dad care for my mom. He slept at the hospital every night and tried to work as much as he could during the day. He was by her side at all times, and took care of her when she at times couldn't take care of herself. It taught me so much about the unconditional love in marriage and God's unconditional love for us. While I was in San Antonio with my family, my own sweet husband, Jim, took care of our kids here in Abilene. I was so thankful for God's timing in this whole situation, and the fact that my husband was (for the first time in 5 years) available to take care of our kids for such a long time. He was super dad, as he took care of them for 3 weeks without me. Our sweet friend Claire came to help and Jim's mom came to stay with them as well. Again, we felt so surrounded by love.

My mom continues to improve everyday. She has been sounding more and more like herself lately, and it makes us all so happy!

After being home for a couple of weeks and getting used to our new house, we got a call that my sweet grandmother had fallen at her house in Sudan. My uncle brought her here to stay with them while she recovered from the fall. But the fall seemed to really take it our of her. My sweet aunt and uncle took care of my grandmother at their house for a week. She passed away peacefully and surrounded by the love of family at their home. The time that my grandmother was in Abilene was such a blessing to me. My kids were able to love on her while she was healing...to sing her songs, tell her stories, and make her laugh. I was thankful for the sweet memories I have with her that week. I was so sad for my mom during my grandmother's illness and death. My mom was still recovering from her own hospital stay, so the death of her mother was extra hard. My mom shared a special friendship with her mom that I know she will always cherish. She was able to speak at her funeral and said shared such wonderful stories about an amazing lady. We will all miss my grandmother..."Mom" to my sisters and me, "Great" to my kids, and "Mrs. Wilson" to the hundreds of students she loved and taught over a lifetime. I am thankful for the life she lead and the lessons of faith, strength, and love that she taught so many...including me.

These two little ones provided a lot of energy and joy for a weekend of sorrow. Thankful that my grandmother got to know them both.

Whew! So here we are at the beginning of a new school year. Our family's life has been flipped upside down in a matter of months. We have finally settled into a routine here in Abilene, and I thank God everyday for what He has given us and where He has brought us. The decision to come to Abilene was a difficult one to make, but as I now look back, I keep wondering why. I am continually overwhelmed at the blessings that God is pouring down on us, and I pray that we as a family will be able to use our time here to serve.

Tomorrow is the first day of school for our kids. Hoping and praying for a great day...and a great school year!

No Hospital! Woohoo!

2010-08-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

The good news is that my mom is at home tonight - so thankful to not be in the hospital. It was confirmed today that she does have a bacterial infection that was most likely caused by strong antibiotics. She is now on a specific antibiotic to treat the infection, and we hope the infection will be knocked out soon!

Thanks so much for all of the support - the cards and calls have been wonderful. At this time, my mom is still not feeling up to having visitors. We are hoping to see her turn a corner here pretty soon and start feeling better. She is a trooper!!

Update

2010-08-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

This is Kasey tonight, updating with some new information about my mom's progress. Thanks for your prayers thus far in this journey - we're asking for a few more!

It seems like her incision has been healing properly since she came home from the hospital. Her check-up appointment with the surgeon went well last Wednesday. He told my mom to expect 3-4 months before she feels completely back to normal, but that he feels good about her progress.

However, the pain in her abdomen has increased over the past week. Her doctor had her come in yesterday for some lab work. The results today showed many positives, including normal albumin level and protein levels back up (Way to go mom for eating lots of protein!) But she also has a high white blood cell count, indicating that she may have a secondary infection in her abdomen that was probably caused by one of the antibiotics she has been taking. She is at home tonight and has started taking medication for the infection. She also had an x-ray done to eliminate the possibility that this is a bowel leak/peritonitis again. He is also concerned about dehydration. A few more tests are being done, and we (especially my mom) are all sure hoping that this doesn't lead to another hospital stay.

So, there has been a slight setback in her recovery, but we feel good about the plan. And once again, thankful for great care from doctors.

Thanks for your prayers,
Kasey (for the Wilson clan)

Home is a Good Place to Be!

2010-08-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been several days since my last entry. After Mom left the hospital, I came back to be with my own kids here in Abilene. It had been almost 3 weeks since I had been with my one year old, J.D., so it was nice to see him and love on him again. Life with a one year old and a three year old doesn't ever slow down, so it has taken me until now to sit down and write a new post.

Mom has done very well at home. She was so happy to be able to sleep in her own house and wear her own clothes. She looked like a new woman when she got to change from her hospital gown into a t-shirt! They have taken all of the dressings off of her incisions, and those seem to be healing well. She continues to have some swelling in her feet and legs, but the doctors told us that would take a while to completely go back to normal.

It is amazing the crazy past few weeks her body has experienced! The doctors told her it is going to be a long process for her to fully recover. It has been great to see the progress she has already been making. We were able to talk with her on Skype the past couple of nights and she has looked better and better each time we have seen her on the computer screen.

We continue to praise God for taking care of all of us over the past 3 weeks. Thank you all for caring so much about our family.

I got to sit down and talk with Jim tonight and tell him all the lessons I feel like I learned over the past several weeks. It took a long time to tell him everything! I hate the fact that Mom had to endure such pain and illness over her time in the hospital, but I am thankful that I am changed (and my family is changed) for the better because of the experience.

Kelly

Going home!!!

2010-07-29T15:00:00.001-07:00

Mom just got the clearance to go home tonight! We are so excited and thankful! I started doing my dance again! He has "turned our mourning into dancing!" I will update more later tonight.

An update and a special request

2010-07-29T13:12:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,

Sorry I didn't get a post on the blog last night. We didn't get home until very late and I only had enough energy to eat a quick bite and fall into bed. Mom stayed here at the hospital without us last night because she felt well enough to be alone. During the night, she didn't seem to get much sleep because she became very nauseous and the nurses were in a lot trying to help her with this. Mom's nausea is better today.

The doctors told her yesterday that there was a possibility that she could maybe go home today. I sang a song and did a dance as soon as the doctor left the room... but I probably should have waited for today to do that. Mom continues to be doing very well today, but they are beginning to give her a couple of new things in her IV. The surgeon is supposed to be here soon and should be able to give us some more information about Mom's current progress and the possibility of her going home sometime soon. He was very encouraging yesterday, so we are hoping he will be that way again today.

While our family has been here at Santa rosa, we have met and become friends with a lot of different people- nurses, doctors, transporters to x-ray, other patients' families,etc. We have all really enjoyed meeting these people and learning their stories. We have learned a lot about suffering and how many people go through things much, much more difficult that a bowel obstruction. While we have been loved on beyond measure during Mom's stay in the hospital, we have thought so much about how other people live through hardships without prayers or support. I just can't imagine.

We met a family like that this week. We would like to bring their names to this incredible group of prayer partners and ask you to pray for and support them in the same ways you have for us. While Kasey and I were on the elevator a few days ago, there was a little two year old riding on it with her dad. She was as cute as they come! I started talking with her and quickly fell in love with her. She told us that her name was Faith and that her little brother, "Zacky," had a "boo-boo.". Her dad said that he actually was a 7 month old who was very, very sick. We told him that we would keep him in our prayers as they got off to go to the pediatric ICU on the 7th floor. We took Faith a balloon yesterday and then met up with them again this morning in the main floor waiting room. We got to sit and talk with them for a long time and learned more about their story. They had been stationed in the Army in Germany when their son, Zechariah, was born. He has had multiple health issues, including heart disease, since he was born. The Army sent them here for their son's care and he has been in the hospital since May. The dad comes to the hospital every day with Faith and sits in the waiting areas while Zechariah's mom sits with him in ICU. We asked the dad about what their family is needing, and we hurt so badly for them when he told us that their family all lives in California and that they don't know anyone here. While I know there are probably a lot more families here like them, we felt so touched by their story. We ask you to pray for the Reese family as you pray for Mom. We want them to feel God's loving arms around them in the same way that we have felt them around us.

If you are able to pray for or somehow encourage this family, please take a moment to do this. We have been thinking about how this sweet family can be supported. The dad told me this morning, "I know God has a purpose. I just don't know it yet." I guess that is how we all feel at some point (or many points) in life. We continue to be thankful that He loves us and is in control.

Kelly (for all of us)

Blessed beyond measure

2010-07-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

What a great morning! Mom is sitting here (in a chair and not the bed!) eating little bites of a cinnamon roll. She fought hard to get what she wanted! The doctors just left the room and said she is making progress in "leaps and bounds." What a wonderful way to describe her progress! There was even a good bit of discussion this morning about when she may get to go home. We are so excited! She still has a few more tubes/iv ports/ etc. to have removed before she can get to that point, but we are so thankful that it is even on the radar.

Her pain level this morning is at a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. I haven't heard it that low (or even close to that!) since I got here 11 days ago. 8's and 9's have been much more common. I am more thankful than I can put into words that Mom is finally feeling some relief from pain. She said she is able to be attentive to the surgical pain now, since the ng tube was removed. That had been causing Mom a great deal of pain, discomfort, and distress. She has felt such relief with it out, and is continuing to progress as the doctors had hoped. Mom drilled her doctor with questions this morning and we talked about how glad we were that she was able to drill them herself today...instead of us being the ones to drive the doctors crazy this time :)

Mom just told the doctors she is "blessed beyond measure." We definitely all feel that way. Kasey and I were discussing yesterday how we have been so encouraged this past few weeks just knowing we were in people's thoughts and prayers. It has been such a support to all of us.

One of the doctors was here earlier and told Mom that she has handled this horrible illness with such grace and that the whole team has been honored to be a part of her care. Mom said that this has been a very humbling experience, and that it is not such a bad thing to be humbled at some points in our life. I am continually amazed at Mom's attitude and am so thankful that I have such an incredible mentor to watch and learn from.

Kara is headed out to Madrid in the morning to finish the work she has for her Master's degree there. I am headed to back to Abilene in the next couple of days to be a mommy again. I think my little ones and I are starting to really miss each other. I will continue to give thorough updates, even as I am away from San Antonio for a little while. Kasey is going to stay here for a bit longer to help Mom get transitioned back home.

I have had several requests for Mom and Dad's address. It is: 6519 Pemwoods, San Antonio, Texas, 78240.

Thank you all again for your care and concern,
Kelly (for all of us).

(By the way... I got a new phone- well actually i had to get two new phones because the first one was broken out of the box! My new phone erased all of my contacts... grrr! This phone situation has been a quite long and frustrating process! If you are one of the people I normally talk with... Or if you have my number in your own contacts, send me a quick text and tell me who you are so I can plug your number back into my phone. Thanks!!!)

Afternoon Update

2010-07-27T16:20:00.001-07:00

We are thanking God for answered prayers this afternoon. Mom was able to get her ng tube removed this morning! She cried tears of joy and thanked the doctors and the Lord for her relief. I know many of you have been praying specifically for that today, and we thank you.

The doctors continue to watch her blood levels to determine whether a transfusion is needed. The doctors do not seem overly worried or surprised that her blood levels are low- due to the number of procedures she has had the past 14 days (including 2 major surgeries!).

Mom is sleeping comfortably right now. When she wakes up, she should be able to take a few sips of clear liquid. She has been really looking forward to this. (Well, what she is really looking forward to and wanting is a cinnamon roll!)

We continue to read comments to her as well as people's names who have commented on facebook about her. Thank you for those. She is amazed at the number of people who are lifting her up in prayer. If you have a scripture of encouragement you would like to leave (or a song- she has us sing to her when things are difficult), that would be very encouraging for her as well.

Thank you for checking on her,

Kelly (for all of us)

Day 14

2010-07-27T08:00:00.001-07:00

Mom is having a very hard morning. She was in a great deal of pain throughout the night, but they were able to somewhat manage this with medications so that she could sleep. She is in extreme pain this morning and very frustrated to still have her "ninja tube" in her nose (down to her belly). The doctors came in the morning very early talking about a possible need for a blood transfusion. This was the first time we had heard about this possibility. Our specific prayers right now are:

1) That Mom is able to get the ng tube removed today. This is causing her a great deal of pain and anxiety right now. As soon as this is removed, she will be able to eat...which should aid in healing her body.

2) That Mom's hemoglobin levels would increase and she would not need a blood transfusion.

3) That Mom's pain would decrease.

Please keep her in your prayers today,

Kelly (for all of us)

Thankful

2010-07-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today was filled with some new positives. Mom has done well following surgery yesterday and seems to be (hopefully) on the road to recovery. We fully expected her to be in a lot of pain and asleep most of the day, but we were pleasantly surprised when we were wrong. Mom talked to us a good bit of the day and seemed to be in good spirits. We worked a good bit of the day trying to figure out some of her pain medications, but as of tonight, we think that is all settled. We have been amazed at Mom's strength. She is incredibly tough. I think I have always known this, but it has been amazing to be reminded of this as she has been in the hospital these past 13 days. Mom has been poked and prodded, cut on and stuck, but she takes it all without complaining....usually with a smile on her face as she tries to ask the nurse or doctor about his or her family. Mom currently has an ng tube in her nose helping with some pressure in her belly. (She is calling this her "ninja tube".) This is really, really bothering and hurting her. We are hoping things look good enough for this to come out tomorrow. We met with the surgeon this afternoon and he was very pleased with the results of the surgery and her condition today.

We were very encouraged today that Mom seemed to desire food. Over the past week or so, Mom has been extremely turned off by the smell and even the mention of food. Mom had been very specific about what foods she wanted since nothing sounded or tasted good to her. We were driving all over town to get barbeque pizzas from Lifetime Fitness, steak brazos from J.Alexanders, biscuits and gravy from Cracker Barrell, etc. just for her to get a few bites of something that tasted ok to her. She had even mentioned the fact that everything smelled differently than it had before. Now that they have cleared her body of that awful infection, Mom is ready to eat again! We had donuts this morning and Mom told us that they smelled so good to her. She said food sounded appetizing to her, though she still isn't able to have anything to eat until at least tomorrow...and then it is only clear liquids...but still! We are thankful for small victories!!!

Mom was in a great deal of pain this evening. Please pray that she is able to get some rest tonight. Kasey and I are staying at the hospital with her tonight so Dad can get some rest. He has been an amazing caretaker and needs a night of good sleep in his bed. Kara is taking care of getting us dinner (yes, dinner at 11---you kind of lose track of time here!) and clothes for the morning.

A couple of nights ago, our family sat and watched Evan Almighty on TV. Strange choice, I realize, but there wasn't much of a selection. It was a timely show for us though. In one of the scenes, God (played by Morgan Freeman) said that when people pray for patience or courage, they aren't just given those things....They are given opportunities to be patient or courageous. When a family prays to become closer, they just don't automatically become that way...they are given opportunities to grow together in love. Now, I'm not sure who it was in our family who was praying for all of these things (I will have to investigate that!), but our family has certainly been given opportunities the past 13 days to grow in courage, patience, and as a family in love. As frustrating and long as this ordeal has been, it has been such a blessing to all be together. We have spent time in prayer and in song, laughing, reading scripture, eating, talking, drilling the doctors with questions, playing Scrabble on our iphones, giving each other a hard time, taking turns holding Mom's hand, giving her ice chips, or wiping her head with a cool cloth, etc. It has certainly been a time of growing closer. While I in NO way am happy that Mom is having to endure this awful illness, I thank God that He is using it to strengthen our family in new ways.

Thank you for your constant expressions of care and concern for us, and for continuing to bring our sweet momma's name to the Lord to ask Him to heal her. We love her so much and want so badly for her to be well again.

Kelly (for all of us)

Post-Op (#2)

2010-07-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

Mom is back in her room following her surgery. She still hasn't come fully out of the anesthesia yet, but she has been able to talk well enough to ask about the surgery and ask my dad for a kiss. We were hoping for a definite answer and fix from the surgeons, but did not get that. We did, however, feel encouraged by the surgeons and felt like the surgery was a success. Mom's surgery took about two hours. During her surgery, we were surrounded by sweet friends who brought us food, prayed with us, and even made us laugh. We are continually thankful for the outpouring of love that has been shown to us through this ordeal.

The surgeons were able to go through Mom's bowel inch by inch more than three times looking for a hole, tear, etc. They did not find one. Their only answer to this was that she had a perforation at one time that has now healed. We know that prayers have been lifted up for Mom's healing...and that He is answering those.

The surgeons were able to remove all of the infected fluid that has been building up in Mom's body. We are so thankful for this. As this fluid has been draining the past three days, she has been showing improvement. We are prayerful that by all of this infected fluid being removed from her body, she will not only feel much better, but be able to begin to heal.

In addition, the doctors removed Mom's appendix. They felt that the infection was beginning to affect the appendix and wanted to make sure there would not be any further problems that could arise from that.

Summary - The surgery gave us assurance that there is no tear or perforation causing new infection. They stated that the bowel looked healthy. Furthermore, they cleansed her body of infectious matter that should pave the way for healing.

So...again we wait. Max came and read Psalm 40 during Mom's surgery..."I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." As we wait now to see our next step, we trust that God is hearing and answering prayers for Mom. We thank you all for offering those in her behalf. Over the next 24-48 hours, we will watch to see how Mom responds to the surgery and to see if the infected fluid returns. Our strong prayer is that it does not return.

Thank you again for your love and concern,

Kelly (for all of us)

No More Waiting

2010-07-25T13:22:00.001-07:00

After waiting and hoping for the infection in mom's abdomen to improve, the doctors decided this morning to perform emergency surgery. She has just been taken back to the operating room and the doctors are currently working on her. The surgeon feels like there is a perforation in mom's bowel that is causing the wide-spread infection throughout her abdomen. His hope and our prayer is that he will be able to find the tear or hole and repair it. He said there would be several different ways for this to be done, and he would have to determine this during surgery.

This surgery is exploratory in nature and will be much more extensive than the last one. We are sad that she has to have surgery again, but so hopeful that this can be a step in the direction of recovery.

In the pre-op room, our family sat and sang together (kind of our church service for the day). Kasey, Kara and I sang songs she requested and she sang along with several of them. It was a strange time of blessing for all of us. We discussed lessons we have learned through this... lessons about family, friends, and caring for others during hard times (and how we have felt so cared for the past 12 days). Our biggest lesson is that God is in control... and we are thankful for that.

Please pray for mom as she is in surgery now as she tries to recover. Pray for the doctors' hands and minds as they care for her. Please pray that this surgery is the answer and that she can begin to get well.

On a side note... My cell phone is not working. The buttons and the screen are both broken. It has been the worst timing ever for a broken phone! If you need to reach me, feel free to text 210.857.2158 or 214.405.1914. I will have these phones with me until Tuesday when my new one arrives.

Thank you for loving us and for loving our mom. We will continue to keep you updated.

Our scripture for today was Isaiah 40:28-31. We pray that the Lord will renew her strength in every way.

Kelly (for the family)

Saturday- a better day

2010-07-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Mom had a better day today. It was quiet at the hospital, due to the weekend, so there was much less noise, traffic, rounds of doctors, etc. Because of that, Mom got some good rest. She ate well today and is moving around a little bit better. The nurses moved her to a new room this afternoon because her bed had been hurting her back. Her new room has a different type of bed that should make her more comfortable. It seemed nice to have a new view...and a lot more space in the new room. We had a meeting with the doctors this morning and they were encouraging about Mom's continued progress, though it is very slow.

I read Psalm 27 to Mom today. The last verse is "Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart; Wait for the Lord." That is what we are doing right now. The doctors have done what they can and we are waiting for the Lord to heal her. We thank Him for watching over her this week and pray for His continued protection and healing.

Friday Night

2010-07-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of waiting. After all of the reports we received yesterday, today was spent watching and waiting for Mom to get better. We saw improvements this morning in her energy, appetite, and mood. She was able to get her hair washed, put on a little bit of make-up, and she even chuckled a time or two.

The doctors are still working very hard to kill the infection in her belly, as this is going to be a very slow process. The reports today were encouraging, but we still seem to have some questions to be answered about the origin and reason for all of these extra complications - we continue to pray that the extra complications are over. We are beginning to hear some mention of treatment/therapy at home, so that has been very encouraging to us.

Mom was very tired this evening as we were leaving. She is still not up to having visitors. We are hoping she can get some good rest tonight, as it will help her continue to heal.

She will have a CT scan in the next few days to give the doctors some more information. This will help them analyze progress and determine needed treatment. She is NOT happy about having this test done, since it was very hard on her body having to drink the liquid that is required for it. But Dr. Martin is trying to work out a way to make this test easier on her. We continue to be so very grateful for Dr. Martin.

Thank you for your prayers, scriptures, calls, comments, emails, facebook messages, cards, and other expressions of your love. They have all been uplifting to her and to all of us.

Kelly (for all of us)

Thursday Night

2010-07-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

We all just got home together after a long and eventful day. Kara arrived safely and was able to give my mom a nice surprise tonight by coming into the hospital room.

Mom's morning started out bright and early with testing to determine the extent of the infection in her abdomen. In the radiology department, scans were done to determine where pockets of infected fluid have collected in her abdominal cavity- fluid that has caused Mom to be extremely swollen and in great discomfort and pain. The decision had been made yesterday by Mom's surgeon that a small amount of this fluid would be removed and tested to make sure the correct medications were being used to fight the infection. When this fluid was extracted, the doctors decided that the infection was severe enough that the fluid needed to be drained from her abdomen. Two drains were inserted to try to release this pressure and remove as much of the infection as possible. This procedure was uncomfortable for Mom, but she agreed that it was needed to help her heal.

We met with a large team of doctors this afternoon and discussed many questions, concerns, etc. There have been many issues that have come up since Mom's surgery that have been unexpected complications... issues involving her kidneys, protein levels, infections, etc....and the doctors have done an amazing job of treating Mom with each new issue. The team is looking for a reason that all of these complications have occurred. There is still not a definite answer for that.

In the next 24 to 48 hours, we will be watching and praying for the infection to be gone from her body. The doctors are continuing very strong, broad-spectrum antibiotics through IV to attack the infection. The hope is that along with these antibiotics, the new drains will help by pulling infected fluid out, and that no more will return. We are watching and hoping for a drastic improvement in how Mom feels within the next 2 days, giving indication that the medications and treatments are working. We also pray that the unexpected complications are finished! The surgeon told us today that we are just having to take her case one day at a time. It has been a wild roller coaster ride, and tonight, we feel like we are headed back up. I think we are all (especially including Mom!) ready for the ride to be safely over!

As we left Mom tonight, she was tired but in good spirits. It was good to have all 5 of us there together. Mom was very sore and fatigued from today's procedures, but seemed more comfortable than she has been in many days. She was able to eat a few bites of dinner for the first time in 9 days and even enjoyed a few sips of a lime slush from Sonic. We look forward to and pray for more progress tomorrow.

I took many of the comments from the earlier blog posts up and read them to Mom at the hospital tonight. She seemed to really gain strength from knowing that so many people are praying for her. Thank you so much for your love and prayers. We feel surrounded by them.

We have all been discussing lessons that we have been learning from this ordeal today. We are grateful to God for health, family, and friends. He provides for us in every situation, and we give Him thanks for how He has worked in this situation this week.

It has been amazing to watch and learn from Mom this week. Even in her most difficult moments, she shows care and concern for the people who are taking care of her. She knows the name (and usually the life story of) every person who has come in her room, and she continually asks how their mother, child, grandchild, etc. is doing. She is truly amazing.

Thank you for checking on us and thank you for your continued prayers. We will continue to provide updates.

Kelly (for all of us)

Thursday Morning

2010-07-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

This morning, Mom went to the radiology department and had several tests done to determine how best to treat the infection in her abdomen. The doctors were able to do some procedures that will hopefully alleviate some of Mom's discomfort and pain, as well as give us some more needed information. They sedated Mom during the procedures, so she is kind of groggy coming out of that right now. We continue to pray that the doctors are able to find out more information and that they are able to treat whatever comes our way. All of the specialists that have been working with her have been wonderful and have taken very good care of her. Mom is allowed to eat at this point, so we are working on finding her things that sound good to her and that will give her strength. Please pray for her strength, as it is so hard seeing her body go through so much.

We are with Mom a lot during the day and would love to give her encouragement from this blog. If you have a minute, we would love it if you would leave a comment for her and sign your name(s) at the end so we can read it to her. We will print them off and be taking them to her daily. We know that even though it is too difficult for her to visit with friends in person right now, she would be so encouraged by getting to hear from you.

Thanks for loving us and especially for loving and caring about her.

Kelly (for all of us)

Updates on Mom

2010-07-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, July 13, my mom, Sharon Wilson, experienced an onset of stomach pain that quickly developed into an unbearable, debilitating and frightening ordeal. My dad rushed her to the hospital where they immediately admitted her and began testing to identify the issue. Right away, the diagnosis was made that there was an intestinal blockage. After a couple of days of conservative efforts to try to let it resolve itself, the decision was made to operate. As it turned out, the cause of the pain was the best of the possibilities (by the way, my dad says he doesn't recommend consulting the internet for self-diagnosis…scary); last Thursday, surgery was performed to cut away some scar tissue that had caused entanglement of her intestine. The surgery was successful and the outlook was one of relief and quick recovery. However, complications arose over the days following surgery. Those issues included the diagnosis of an infection in and around her stomach, blood chemistry difficulties that caused physical challenges with pain, and other messes, all of which have made her very sick.

An extraordinary team of caring professionals, led by Dr. James Martin, our fabulous longtime physician who is the Chief Medical Officer of the Santa Rosa Hospital System, has worked day and night to identify the problems and reign them in. Two nights ago, Dr. Martin described the last few days as “filled with uh-ohs.” He told us he was greatly relieved that they now don’t see any more “uh-ohs” on the horizon and that all of the challenges are being met with careful strategies to get her well. He told us that she should feel better in the next few days, and we were sure ready to hear that pronouncement instead of the scientific medical term, “uh-oh.” We’re counting on her feeling better real soon. And we have discussed the useful lessons already learned from this experience.

My mom is still in Santa Rosa; she still doesn’t feel well enough to have visitors, and although she agrees, that really bugs her. While this was all happening, my sisters and I were literally around the world. We have all come together now (Kara is in route) to be with my mom and dad during this scary ordeal. We have been so thankful for all of the prayers, thoughts, expressions of concern, and offers of help we have received. We promise to let you know if there is something we need.

Mom is due to have another hard procedure in the morning for the doctors to gain more information. Please continue to pray for both her physical health and spirit. This past week and a half has been filled with many ups and downs, and we continue to pray for a lot more "ups." Thank you for loving us and for loving our sweet mom. She is one amazing lady and we have been even more convinced of that this week as we have watched her fight. We know and are convinced that God is watching over her and giving her what she needs.

Kelly (for the whole Wilson clan)

It was just much easier this way...

2010-05-31T21:16:00.001-07:00

Good-Bye Sunshine School!

2010-05-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last week was Anna Lee's last week of school. She has had the greatest year at Sunshine School! It is amazing to compare the first day of school and last day of school pictures and see how much she has grown and changed!

Last day: First day:

Anna Lee LOVES her teacher, Mrs. Carrie. She has been so good for Anna Lee...loving her, challenging her, disciplining her, and giving her "sugars" every possible moment.

On Monday, the kids had their end-of-the year program. It was so cute! The classes were each dressed as athletes. Anna Lee's group was basketball players...with the armbands and headbands to go along with it. It was a very different look for Anna Lee compared to the normal princess gowns she is wearing.

I came to take a quick picture of Anna Lee before the program started. This was the smile she gave me. We have been working on smiling for the camera lately. Can you tell??

Anna Lee and her "team"

Anna Lee had practiced her songs at home...a LOT and knew them by heart. She sang her little heart out during the program , but was mostly excited about the people who came to watch her. She waved her princess wave every moment she wasn't singing.

More waving...

Nathan giving her a high-five on the way out

GranDee and Pops drove in from Waco for the program. So sweet of them!

Anna Lee loves Kasey and Nathan!

Somehow we missed getting a picture of our sweet Claire, who came to watch Anna Lee too!
Looks like J.D. is ready to enroll!

Showing off her "Super Star of the Month" wall of pictures

Anna Lee with her best bud Ryan.

Thank you Sunshine School for a WONDERFUL year! We have been so blessed to be a part of that great school and will miss it so much next year!

Privacy is for the Birds

2010-05-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

This was set up this morning by Anna Lee while I was in the shower. She sat in this chair with her legs crossed and said, "I'm just going to sit here and watch you. Let's talk." Nothing like having a little audience while you have two minutes alone in the shower. :)

Moving to A-Town

2010-05-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our family has big news! We are moving to Abilene! We are so excited about this new opportunity and are looking forward to the great things God has in store for our family!

A while back, Jim and I decided that we wanted something different. Jim's job has been wonderful and he has enjoyed practicing corporate law for the past 5 years. He has learned so much and enjoyed working with his team; but we needed a change. He has worked incredibly long hours, including many late nights and most weekend days, and we were missing the joys of being together as a family. It hit us a little harder once J.D. was born.

So we decided to look for something new. At the time, we weren't sure what we were looking for...we thought maybe an in-house attorney position, etc.

After some unexpected conversations with Abilene Christian University (and a lot of discussion and prayer), Jim accepted a position there at ACU with the business department. He will be a professor and the director of their Entrepreneur/Philanthropy Program. He will teach, develop curriculum, fundraise, network, etc. He is so excited about his new position. I think it is such a perfect fit for him and he is going to do great things for the university and the students there.

We listed our house for sale by owner for a few weeks and then decided to list it with a realtor. It sold in 7 days with our realtor. Crazy! We bought a house in Abilene in Lytle Shores that we loved. It will be such a great fit for our family.

So our house is now being slowly packed up (it is a lot harder this time with kids added into the mix!) We are set to close on our house here June 3rd and close on our house in Abilene on June 7th. We are going to be super sad to leave all of our sweet friends here in Dallas, but are looking forward to re-connecting with old friends and making new ones in Abilene.

We are looking forward to great things in the future: with our family, with our marriage, with our kids, with new friends, with ACU, and with so much more. We are praying that God will bless the decision we have made to move to Abilene. His hand has been in the decision from the beginning, so we know He has wonderful things in store for us!

Beep! Beep! J.D. is one!!!

2010-04-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

It is still hard to believe that J.D. turned one last week. This past year has flown by! My sweet baby is turning more and more into a little boy every day. Last weekend, we had a bunch of sweet friends over to celebrate J.D.'s special day. It was a blast! We are so thankful for all of the wonderful family and friends in our life who love on our kids. It was fun to celebrate with them!

J.D.'s party was all about cars and trucks. He loves cars and anything with wheels, so we went with that for our theme. Everything from the cupcakes to the activities to the decorations had to do with cars and trucks. It was fun to put together a party for a boy this time! The kids all got to play outside and ride all sorts of trikes, bikes, scooters, cars, etc. It was a beautiful day, so it was perfect for an outdoor party.

(The non-dairy cupcakes for our sweet allergy boy made by the "Kelly Bakery")

A few facts about this big one-year old:

As was mentioned before, he loves cars and trucks. He loves getting to sit in our cars and pretend to drive and will never pass up an opportunity to ride in his cars or trikes outside...especially a ride in Anna Lee's power wheel car!
He also loves balls. "Ball" is one of his first words at this point. He loves to play "catch" back and forth with anyone who is willing.
J.D. is still allergic to dairy as far as we know.
Over the past 6 months, J.D. had a major bout with ear infections. Because of this, we put tubes in his ears right before his birthday. It has been amazing the difference we have already seen. His ear infections had greatly affected his hearing, so the tubes have done wonders already for his language and sound development. He is making so many more sounds and words already and it is like a cloud was lifted off of him. He is eating better and sleeping more soundly (sometimes)
There is no one that J.D. loves more than Anna Lee. He adores her. They love to play together and have even started bickering over toys. (They aren't old enough for that yet!) J.D. will giggle at anything Anna Lee does to make him laugh.
J.D. loves to be outside. He would stay out there all day if I let him. I often find him at the back door trying to get out. He loves to swing, ride in his cars, play ball, and just crawl around in the grass and dirt. I am learning to get grass stains out already!
He is close to walking. He hasn't taken a first step yet, but he is close. He can crawl at an amazingly fast pace!
He is extremely coordinated, balanced, and quick (completely opposite of his sister!). He is our little climber. He loves to climb on and explore everything (even the toilet).
He is so "boy". I have been amazed to see the difference in our two kids already, even as young as they are. Anna Lee is as girly as they come, with pink and princesses around at all times, and J.D. is as boy as they come, with balls, trucks and dirt all around. His favorite two places to play---out of ALL of the toys in our house--are the toilet and the kitchen trash. WHY???
J.D. LOVES music more than any kid I have ever seen. If music ever starts playing, he immediately starts dancing. He and Anna Lee are in a little family music class here in Dallas, and J.D. loves it. He particularly loves to play all of the instruments.

It is hard to imagine what life was like without our sweet J.D. He brings our family such joy. Happy Birthday, little buddy! We love you!

Almost One Year Old!

2010-04-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

When did this little guy get so big???

Easter and Birthday Celebrations

2010-04-05T12:51:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful day on Sunday. We had a full day of celebrating both Easter and Jim's birthday. To begin, we had a great morning at church celebrating Jesus' resurrection. They had some of the neatest activities for the kids (including a "real" tomb that was empty), and it was special to watch Anna Lee learn about Easter in such a real and meaningful way. Thank you to all of you who put so much work into making the morning so great for our kids!

This picture is of Anna Lee with one of my favorite ladies at church, Mrs. Mary Anne. I have had the honor of getting to teach with Mary Anne for the past year or so and she is amazing. She has written curriculum for little ones at our church and has invested a huge part of her life to teaching kids about Jesus. I loved watching her teach Anna Lee about Him on Sunday. GranDee and Pops got to come spend the day with us!

This was the best we did at a family photo for the day. Not necessarily a framer, but at least it is a picture of all 4 of us!

Kasey and Nathan were there with us. Aren't they a good looking couple?!

After church, we made some attempts to get a few pictures of the kids. It just seems impossible with a 3 and almost one year old to get both of them to sit still and look happily at the camera!

We took a couple of pictures after we got home...

J.D. was already tuckered out from the morning. But he looked so handsome there in the carseat, I had to take his picture too.

Jim and I even got a picture together. I don't remember the last time we got a picture together. Sad, isn't it? (Please excuse the crazy hair from the humid weather)

At lunch, we got to sing Happy Birthday to Jim. Anna Lee loved that she was getting to celebrate Easter and his birthday in the same day. It felt like it was a party all day long!

Jim loves Great American Cookie Company. He has gotten the same birthday cake many years in a row. But it is eaten so fast!

We went to an Easter egg hunt at church in the afternoon and the kids had a great time. Both of them seemed to enjoy hunting for eggs. These next two pictures are so typical of their relationship:

Typical Anna Lee being silly to get J.D. to laugh

Typical J.D. response- Thinking she is funny and he loves her more than any person in the world, but not going to over-react...just not his personality.

I love these two pictures of Pops and J.D. I love the first one of Pops and how much fun they were having, and I love the second one of J.D.'s sweet face.

Both the kids had a fun time hunting Easter eggs. J.D. was joining in on the fun too!

Looking at their collection of eggs

The Easter Bunny came to visit during naptime.

J.D. got a dancing bunny in his basket. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Anna Lee, however, loved it and has forced him to become friends with it. :)

At the end of the night, we had our last birthday celebration for Jim. Anna Lee helped me pick out several presents for Jim, so she was excited to watch him open them.

What a fun and special day!

50's Day

2010-03-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Anna Lee had 50's Day at her school last week. I had been in San Antonio visiting for a few days that week and mentioned to my mom that I didn't know what Anna Lee was going to wear. My mom, being the amazing woman that she is, came back a few minutes later with this poodle skirt that used to belong to Kasey. Amazing. Anna Lee thought it was so "cool" (one of her new words)to get to wear the same skirt Kasey wore when she was a little girl.

Feelin' Skinny

2010-03-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

I just put Anna Lee to bed and this was our conversation:

Anna Lee: Mommy, are you going to have another baby?

Me: No, why?

Anna Lee: Well, is there a baby in your tummy?

Me: No there is definitely not.
Anna Lee: Then what is this (pointing at my belly) and why is it so big?

Me: Sigh

Guess Mommy needs to go on a diet.

Meet Sally and Joe

2010-03-26T12:24:00.001-07:00

These are two of our favorite friends lately. Sally and Joe. They have quite the interesting personalities. They "somehow" know all of the princess stories and many important details about all of the princesses...and they have very thick country accents. Anna Lee has had these two spoons tell her so many stories lately. Little did I know these spoons could create such fun! Anyone else have any other simple and fun activities or ideas?

Looking Forward to Spring!

2010-03-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last week was beautiful. This week has been sleepy. The weather last week was incredible. It was a perfect temperature and the sun was shining so much! It seemed like we hadn't seen very much of the sun in a while. The kids had so much fun playing outside! We were out in the back yard or on walks as much as possible.

This week, the mood has been much different. The weather has been colder, and we still haven't recovered from Spring Forward. J.D. doesn't seem to be as bothered by it as Anna Lee...but she makes up for it! Ever since Anna Lee was a little baby, she has been very affected by springing forward or falling back. She just can't seem to get adjusted...and she is just "off" for a while. This week has been no exception. She has been sleeping terribly and terribly sleepy...and just plain moody. Hopefully a few more days and we will be back to normal.

Nothing like a little sunny weather to bring smiles like this! We are ready for Spring!

(Notice Sleeping Beauty riding in the wagon with J.D. :)

Beautiful

2010-03-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last week, we saw the most amazing rainbow. It was a double rainbow that was so brilliant. We have read the story of Noah to Anna Lee a million times, and she loved getting to see a beautiful rainbow in the sky like in the story. It was a beautiful reminder of God's creation and promises.

It's a Jungle Out There

2010-03-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Anna Lee's cousin, Kasen had his 4th birthday party last weekend. Anna Lee loves playing with her cousins, so she was really excited to get to go to Kasen's party. My sister-in-law, Lacy, plans amazing parties so as usual, things were super cute. The party had a jungle theme, and the kids all got "binoculars" and hats and got to go on a "safari". Anna Lee loved it and got a little help from her cousin along the way.

Anna Lee wasn't the only one who had fun with her cousins! J.D. joined in too!

Kasen and Anna Lee playing in the treehouse together. They were pretending she was the mommy and he was the baby...and all the food she brought him to eat, he wasn't happy with. Sounds familiar.

Happy Birthday sweet Kasen and Matthew! We love you!

Old MacDonald Had a...

2010-03-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

The other day, I told Anna Lee her voice sounded a little hoarse. She looked at me with a confused expression and simply said, "Nay."

I'd Rather be Reading

2010-03-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is what I found a LONG time after I had put Anna Lee down for her nap today.

Not exactly sleeping.

Baby Jesus

2010-02-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

J.D. and I played Baby Jesus and Mary at church on Wednesday night for the 3-5 year old class. (We were calling him "Baby J.D.-sus") They were having a birthday party for Jesus and were celebrating his birth. Each of the kids brought a gift from home to give to "Jesus." Anna Lee chose an Ariel doll. She was insistent that he have a princess. Figures. It was so sweet to watch the kids love on J.D., give him his presents, and sing songs to him. J.D. loved listening to the songs and he was amazingly still while the different groups of kids were in front of him. It was a really special moment. Hard to imagine what Mary actually experienced so long ago.

This roleplay was very difficult for Anna Lee. But not because of how you would expect. During Christmas, my mom was with Anna Lee one evening and pretended that she was Gabriel and Anna Lee was Mary. Since that time, Anna Lee has pretended that our family was Jesus' family. Anna Lee was Mary, J.D. was Baby Jesus, Jim was Joseph...and I was a shepherd. Most evenings during the holidays, Anna Lee would say, "Hey Shepherd, when is Joseph going to be home from work?" We even played Memory one night and Anna Lee insisted on calling me "by name" when asking what cards I had. i.e. "Shepherd, do you have a Cinderella card?"

So when I told Anna Lee that I was going to be Mary, she was not happy. We discussed it all week and she was very upset that I was switching up the roles. On the way to church, Anna Lee quietly said, "Mommy, you can be Mary tonight." I was glad to have the permission...just in time.

She did such a good job while all of the kids were looking at and singing to J.D. I thought she even looked a little proud.

First Flight

2010-02-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

J.D. and I flew to San Antonio last week to spend some time with my mom after she had surgery. It was J.D.'s first time on an airplane. By 10 months, Anna Lee had flown a million times, but with two kids now, it has seemed easier (and cheaper) to drive. Since Anna Lee was staying at home with Jim, J.D. and I hit the skies. He did so good! He was very interested in the airplanes and all of the people around him and he loved looking out the window as we flew. When we got home, I found out he had a double ear infection, so I am so glad he didn't scream the whole time from ear pressure. It is always funny to watch people dodge sitting by the person with the baby. I had two really nice people who were brave enough to sit in our row.

This was my favorite part of the trip.

As smoothly as it all went, I don't know if I am ready to try it with both kids yet.

An All-Star Valentines

2010-02-14T23:02:00.000-08:00

Jim and I had a great Valentine's Day celebration. I got a beautiful new bracelet, and he got to go visit the new Cowboys' Stadium for the NBA All-Star game. Thanks to our sweet babysitter, Claire, who spent the night at our house so we could stay out late, we got to enjoy a fun evening together. So glad to be married to my sweet valentine! There is no one I would rather talk with, laugh with, make decisions with, parent with, serve with, or live with than him.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

Our two favorite little Valentines:

Surprise Snow!

2010-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a fun day! We got up ready to go to Anna Lee's Valentine's Day party at her school and woke up to a fun surprise---LOTS of snow! We knew there was a possibility for bad weather, but we had no idea we would get so much snow. They said on the news last night it was a record breaking day for Dallas. The news said we ended up with 12 inches! Crazy! It was funny to me to wake Anna Lee up saying "It snowed last night!" because my dad used to always wake us up that way...when it hadn't snowed. It was his trick to get us to jump out of bed. (It worked every time!) This was the beautiful view as we left for Anna Lee's party yesterday morning. It was a fun ride in the car, listening to Anna Lee's commentary about the snow everywhere.

Anna Lee had a fun party and even had her daddy there to celebrate with her. She is still enjoying the treats she got...had a good amount of candy this morning already. Nothing like scrambled eggs and chocolate kisses for breakfast. Yum.

When we got home, Anna Lee was loving the snow. She thought it was so pretty coming down. It was coming down hard!

Jim came home early from work and after the kids got up from naps, we headed outside. They both had been very sick this week, so we tried not to stay out too long. But even with bad colds, you have to go play in a record-breaking snow!

All bundled up and ready to play!

We all worked hard to build a snow man...who ended up being a snow princess. (what a surprise!) Anna Lee went in and got all sorts of accessories for her to wear. (A snowman's figure is not really suited for a toddler princess dress.)

Sleeping Beauty

She is still out there this morning. Anna Lee woke up and wanted to check on her.

While Anna Lee was building "Sleeping Beauty," we brought the snow in to J.D. He didn't really know what to do with it.

Might as well eat it.

We took the kids on a wagon ride on our street. We didn't get very far, since the wagon got stuck in the snow. J.D. got a little cold along the way.

Such a fun day!

We woke up this morning to this beautiful view.

My Best Brother

2010-02-01T12:18:00.001-08:00

Anna Lee has been calling J.D. her "best brother" lately. These two LOVE each other. It is so fun to see such a sweet friendship forming between them already. J.D. lights up when Anna Lee walks into a room, and Anna Lee has to kiss or tickle or hug J.D. as soon as she sees him. I know someday (hopefully when they are much, much older!), they will fight like cats and dogs. But for now, it is nice to enjoy the sweet little bond they have and to watch the "best brother" play with his "best sister."

Haircut Time

2010-02-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

Anna Lee's hair has been difficult for me. Besides not having very much of it, it is super fine (unlike mine) and she has the most amazing cowlicks ever. Every piece of her hair knows exactly which way it wants to go...and it will NOT go a different way. A couple of weeks ago, we went and got a new cut. We went for a shorter look. I didn't like the way the lady did it at the salon, so I finished it up at home on my own. I have loved the way it turned out...but I still don't think I want to cut her hair myself each time. Too much wiggling!
I thought she looked so pretty with her new haircut in her Cinderella gown.

December Rewind #3: SA and Waco Christmas

2010-01-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

This will be the last December post (finally!), but I wanted to include some of these cute pictures...more for me than for anyone. We had a fun Christmas celebration in both San Antonio and Waco this year. We were first in SA with my family. One of the highlights was Santa showing up. Anna Lee understood it much more this year and was very excited to see him. He even brought her a Veggie Tales Moses DVD she had asked for.

This was how Anna Lee felt about Santa...

And this was how J.D. felt...poor guy. He didn't know what to think. His lip quivered the whole time he sat in Santa's lap.

Thanks Grandad!

Opening presents can be tiring!

We got to see our sweet Ninnie while we were there. She has loved the three of us since we were little girls.

Gotta love making the gingerbread house...especially when you get to make it with Mom-Mom and Aunt Kasey! (Notice Mom-Mom's necklace in the background. I wonder who made her wear that??)

My friend Abbe let me borrow some of her little boy, Avery's clothes recently. In the stack was this awesome Santa suit. I loved it! We got J.D. all dressed up one morning before Anna Lee got up and had fun taking pictures with my dad.

It was so good to get to be all together with my family, since Kara is living so far away now. We loved having her home! It was a fun Christmas celebration at the Wilsons.

After San Antonio, we got to celebrate Christmas with Jim's family during New Year's. It was so much fun! It is always crazy and so much fun to have all of the kids together.

The oldest 4...

J.D. showing off his new Christmas pj's...and two new teeth!

Jim's parents gave J.D. this basketball toy box. It was so special because it used to be Jim's when he was a baby. Jim's mom is so good about stuff like that. I hope I can keep up with things the way she has over the years, so I can pass them down later like she does. It is so neat to have special things for J.D. that used to belong to Jim.

One of Anna Lee's main presents this year was a HUGE collection of princess costumes, high heels, crowns, jewelry, etc. The girl could not have asked for anything better! She was sooo excited. Anna Lee changed her costumes and coordinating accessories numerous times throughout each day. They are still consistently worn here at home. She was (and still is) very particular about which crown would be worn with which dress, which shoes match, etc.

I loved this picture of her sifting through the goodies...in a Belle gown.

So many high heels. The girl has way more than me! We have a pier and beam house, so when she wears her heels at home, they are super loud. We have adopted a new rule that they aren't allowed to be worn during J.D.'s naps. As soon as he wakes up, those things go right back on! No reminder is ever needed. Brynlee helping to dress the princess

Boxes are always the most fun!

Opening stockings together

Jim's mom has an almost identical picture of Jim like this. Love it.

The Wii is always a hit...even for the older siblings...

Christmas 2009

December Rewind #2: Christmas at Home

2010-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Although it is well into January, I am going to continue the Christmas posts. We had such a fun and very filled Christmas. We are so blessed with wonderful family. We celebrated Christmas here with our little immediate family on Christmas Eve. These two cuties were excited for Santa to come. Anna Lee and I made Christmas cookies the night before and left them for Santa. J.D. watched from the sidelines.

Anna Lee loves for us to wear aprons when she helps me in the kitchen. For some reason, while we were making cookies, she decided she didn't want to wear a shirt. Apron only.

The loot

J.D. opened a few presents and then slept for the rest of the morning.

Anna Lee got a Cinderella book that came with a veil and gloves. This is regularly worn at our house now.

Anna Lee's big present was a Disney princess Power Wheel. She wasn't quite sure about it at first, but then realized she could actually drive it and she was a FAN! The only problem: she's not a very good driver. We should have also given her a helmet. She drove the car straight into our garage, the house, and the fence. Jim was chasing after her the whole time. I could barely take pictures, I was laughing so hard.

Look at that smile!

This is a much more accurate picture of the event. She thought it was great!

She also got a pink scooter. Still working on figuring that one out.

As we were getting packed up to leave for San Antonio, a huge winter storm blew in and it started snowing. Anna Lee had a blast playing outside.

This was what our street looked like as we got ready to leave for San Antonio. It was so pretty and fun to have snow on Christmas Eve.

Gotta Love the Love

2010-01-08T16:01:00.001-08:00

December Rewind #1: A Princess Birthday

2010-01-06T14:25:00.001-08:00

Anna Lee's birthday is December 21st. It is always crazy trying to fit a fun birthday celebration into the midst of the holiday craziness. This year was no exception. We had a really fun birthday for Anna Lee on the Saturday before Christmas. To no one's surprise, she wanted a princess party. Since she has so many boy friends, we decided to make it a costume party with princess accents. Anna Lee was of course dressed as Cinderella...dress, crown, shoes, necklaces, etc. She is SOOO girly!

We had all sorts of activities at the party...a princess bounce house, pin the princess on the castle, basketball, cars to ride in, bean bag tosses, lots of food, and even a costume parade.

I was crazy this year and decided I wanted to make the cake. I found a bakery that would make what I wanted...for $200! Crazy! (After I made it, I think I understood why it was so expensive!) My mom and I worked for hours to get the cake just right. I thought I was going to lose my mind. But my mom kept me sane and helped me, even after I made several recipe errors. The finished productThe night of Anna Lee's birthday, we took her to the Magic Time Machine for dinner. One of their waiters was Ariel that night. It was sorely disappointing...the food, the costumes, the acting, you name it. Not going to be a birthday tradition. But Anna Lee did have a blast getting her picture painted. They had a cartoonist there would would paint your picture and Anna Lee was so excited to do this. She waited in line for a while and then sat very still for him to paint a picture of her. He made her look like Tinkerbell, and she thought it was the greatest thing ever.

These pictures are in the wrong order...
The afternoon of Anna Lee's birthday, my mom and sisters and I took Anna Lee to get one of her favorite foods...potato soup at La Madelines. She eats an enormous amount! And she isn't a big eater.

While we were there, per Anna Lee's request, we all had a tea party. We had brought our own tea set for the occasion. There was another large table of women in the room and we got all of them to sing Happy Birthday with us. Anna Lee seemed to love it. She got her own fruit tart with three candles in it.

Some facts about our new 3 year old:

As I have said before, and it warrants being repeated, Anna Lee is GIRLY. She loves all things pink and princess. There is not a Disney princess that she does not know everything about and love dearly. Her favorite is Sleeping Beauty. She is mesmerized by crowns, jewels, purses, high heels, and most recently lipstick. She has not seen every Disney princess movie yet, because we think some of them are still too scary for her, but she knows every story and character by heart. She can spot a Disney princess item from a million miles away. I think she honestly wishes she was a Disney princess. We are taking her to Disney World soon. I am worried she might actually have a heart attack.
She is extremely talkative. Anna Lee says more words during a day than most people say during a week. She has long, grown-up conversations and says very funny things. She talks much more adult than she actually is.
Anna Lee LOVES movies. She has since she was born. J.D. can take them or leave them, but Anna Lee is extremely drawn to them. Jim says she would make a great movie critic someday. She would watch movies all day if I let her. She remembers very specific details about them and is very opinionated about why she does and doesn't like certain shows. She will watch her favorites over and over.
Anna Lee has a very sweet and busy spirit. She is a ball of energy, but is also very sweet and tender hearted. She is extremely kind and sweet and is one of the happiest kids I have ever met.
Anna Lee does not like to sleep. She needs it more than anyone I have ever seen, but she hates to have to waste any time in the day or night getting it.
Anna Lee is a very picky eater and does not like cheese. She loves fruits and vegetables and at times has been known to pick eating tomatoes over eating ice cream.
Anna Lee (sadly) cannot carry a tune. I used to think it was just because she was young, but as she has gotten older, I have come to grips with the fact that she just can't sing a tune. She loves music, dancing, and singing...but it honestly isn't her strong suit. But oh how I love to listen to that sweet voice sing...in or out of tune.
Anna Lee loves her brother. And she loves our family. She has shown nothing but pure joy and love for J.D. since the day he was born. She talks about how happy she is that we have him and how he is so cute. She tells everyone she sees that he is her little brother. I told her a few nights ago that maybe someday (no day soon!) we would have another little baby in our family. She got the biggest smile on her face and said "Yay!"
Did I say She LOVES Disney princesses???

What a sweet joy Anna Lee is to us!

Bring on the dairy!

2010-01-05T08:00:00.001-08:00

My life significantly changed this week. We realized J.D. was allergic to dairy on June 17th. Since that day, I haven't had a single bite of food or drink with milk, butter, cheese, etc. in it. I have missed it! We were finally able to switch J.D. to formula this last week (it has been a long road getting him to take it---it is a yucky hypo-allergenic kind). I had my first Starbucks chai latte (my absolute favorite) while we were at Jim's parents' house in Waco. It was heavenly. This new change has opened up a whole new world of eating for me. Bring on the pizza, cheese enchiladas, queso, sandwiches and salads with cheese, cereal with milk, ANY casserole, mashed potatoes, ranch dressing, cookies, cakes, milkshakes, the list can go on for quite a while- basically anything that tastes good. I am a little worried about gaining a million pounds! I went to the grocery store yesterday and it was so strange to be able to get anything I wanted. I am thankful that we were able to find such an easy fix for J.D. back in June. But I am also really glad to get to eat cheese again! :0)

I have a million pictures and stories to post from Anna Lee's third birthday and Christmas. I will get those posted soon!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T11:43:00.001-08:00

She Just Makes Me Smile

2009-12-12T22:16:00.000-08:00

November Rewind

2009-12-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

November came and went, and I can't believe December is already here! Here is a quick review of some November highlights.

Anna Lee's school put on a Thanksgiving program before the holiday break. It was my first time to get to see Anna Lee in a program, and I have to say, after being on the other side, I loved it! I was definitely one of those parents who was waving at their child. How can you not??? Anna Lee searched and searched for us, and once she found where we were sitting, she sang away(you can see her find us in the first picture). My sister, my mom, and Jim's parents also came to the program. It was so sweet of them to come. It made me laugh at what a fuss we all made over 3 songs that took no more than two minutes combined to sing. But when it's your "baby," that's what you do!

Anna Lee was dressed as a cute little pilgrim. They had sent home a sheet with the songs the kids were supposed to sing. The packet they sent home had four papers stapled together with the song lyrics on the front and back of the sheets. Anna Lee and I worked and worked on memorizing all of those songs....all 12 of them. It wasn't until the day before the program that I realized I had been teaching her all of the songs for the 2's...the 3's...the 4's...the 5's...and pre-K. Anna Lee was PREPARED for the show! Poor thing was probably wondering why in the world she wasn't singing all 10 other songs up on the stage!

The day after Thanksgiving, Jim's whole family went to a neat Homestead craft fair/farm. (I don't remember the name of it.) It was a huge working farm run by a group that lives a very simple life, similar to Amish groups. There were tons of really neat things to do. The kids got to pet live animals, make crafts, listen to music groups, see demonstrations, ride a hayride, etc.

J.D. having fun with Pops

Making a soap ball

Pulling taffy

Rolling oats

The whole gang getting ready for the hayride

As soon as Thanksgiving was over, we moved into "Musical Mode." The past two years, my sister Kasey and I have directed the kids' musical at our church. It is one of my favorite things to do. I love getting to teach about music and God's love with my sister, working with an awesome team of friends (including my sweet husband), and getting to know and love a great group of elementary kids. This year's musical was this past Saturday night. I feel like I am finally able to take a breath now that it is over. This year's musical was called "Angels Aware," and the kids were all dressed like beautiful angels, telling about Jesus going to earth. I was so proud of all of the kids, and what an incredible job they did. It has been such a blessing to watch a group like these little 1st through 5th graders put a show like that together. And it has taught me a great deal this year about our need for Jesus, and the true reason we celebrate.

Let's Go to the Movies!

2009-11-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took Anna Lee and J.D. down to San Antonio for the week. We had grand plans of a great week with lots of fun activities. Unfortunately, we all got a stomach bug while we were there, so we spent more time at my parents' house than out shopping and playing. But one fun thing we did get to do was go to see Toy Story in the theater! Anna Lee had never been to a movie theater before, so this was a real treat for her. She was amazed at how big the screen was, and she still talks about how she got to get popcorn, M&Ms, and a "Diet Coke." (Sprite) The movie was in 3D, so we had to wear glasses the whole time (or at least we were supposed to).

J.D. even enjoyed watching it...for a while.

So much fun! Now if they would just put Sleeping Beauty back in the theaters, we would have the happiest girl alive!

Happy Late Halloween!

2009-11-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

I had every intention of getting these pictures downloaded last week. But after a trip to San Antonio with no camera battery charger or cord to connect to the computer (and two kids with a stomach bug), I couldn't get the pictures off of my camera until today.

We had such a fun Halloween week! It was busy, filled with fun activities and lots of friends.

My friend, Julie and I decided to take our kids to a pumpkin patch one day. It was supposed to be the greatest day for our kids, filled with wonderful memories of an amazingly fun outing. Just wishful thinking by two moms. It was such a cold day...and there were HUNDREDS of kids there! I mean, really! There were so many school buses there. We both had our babies in strollers, trying to keep them happy and warm, and were chasing after two toddlers who were excited about the pumpkins and animals. We got done and we were exhausted. The kids seemed to have fun, even though their moms were stressed out.

When the kids got their food for the animals, they spent most of their time doing this: pouring it from one cup to another. We kept trying to encourage them to actually feed the animals...but this seemed to be much more fun.

Picking out her pumpkin

This was sadly the best picture I could get of Anna Lee and J.D. together

Anna Lee had a fun Fall party at her school. We have loved her new school this year. Her teacher, Mrs. Carrie, is super sweet and great with all of the kids.

Making a ghost craft

Halloween night, we got everyone dressed up and met up with some friends and our neighbors to walk to a carnival they had in our neighborhood. We had a great time. They had a bounce house, games, cotton candy, a cake walk, face painting, etc. The kids seemed to have a really fun time together...and the adults did too!

I thought this picture was so funny. Don't they both look ready to have a great time?!? J.D.'s monkey feet make me laugh every time.

J.D. was awake for a few minutes at the beginning....

and then was fast asleep for a good bit of the evening.

Anna Lee had a blast. She jumped and jumped in the bounce house, and then enjoyed playing the games and getting her face painted...with a ladybug.

The babies enjoyed the carnival together from the stroller.

Off to Trick or Treat. Anna Lee had so much fun with that this year. It was the first year that she had really understood the concept that she could go to someone's door, say "Trick or Treat," and she would get candy in return. What a deal!

Notice the hand holding. They are too much. The costumes seemed to make them extra cute all together.

What a fun Halloween! Now time to get ready for Thanksgiving!

Trunk or Treat!

2009-10-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday night, our church had Trunk or Treat. I always love this event. Everyone decorates their trunk with a theme (some of the favorites this year were the Polar Express, a school, a mad scientist lab, the Veggie Tales, etc.) and the kids get to go from trunk to trunk and get candy. It is so fun to see the kids in the cute costumes...and just as much fun to see all of the creative trunks people decorate. This year, Anna Lee dressed up as a ladybug and J.D. dressed up as a monkey. Anna Lee originally wanted to be a princess (surprise, surprise), but I was able to squeeze one more year of a non-princess costume out of her.
Anna Lee had even more fun this year, since she really understood the fact that she was going to get candy out of the deal. She was wired for a LONG time when she got home...there is NO telling how much candy she ate!

We decorated our trunk like a jungle this year, with a bunch of bananas around our little monkey. We passed the bananas out along with candy. J.D. did a great job sitting in the trunk, and was completely mesmerized by the bananas...and eventually the candy too.

We had so much fun with a bunch of our family getting to come on Sunday night. Kasey, GranDee and Pops, and Mom-Mom and Grandad were all able to be there with us. It made it even more fun!

But the happiest kid of all was this little one when we finally took his hot costume off. One can only be a cute monkey for so long.

More Halloween fun to come this week!

Growing Up...and Falling Down

2009-10-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

J.D. learned to sit up this week! It makes me feel like he is so big! This is one of my favorite changes babies make because it makes them look and feel so much bigger and helps them have a new independence. J.D. has really enjoyed being upright this week, and has just sat and played with toys by himself so much.

But the increased muscle strength has been problematic too. Yesterday, I went to the utility room to do a load of laundry. I had buckled J.D. in the swing for him to take a nap (which is where he enjoys taking a lot of his naps). He was swinging along and then started crying. I let him cry for a couple of minutes while I finished up in the laundry room. Should have gone in sooner. When I came back in, J.D. wasn't in the swing. He had apparently sat himself up and then fallen out onto the floor, and his foot was still stuck up in the strap of the swing. I could NOT have felt worse!!! Poor little guy got lots and lots of hugs and kisses after that.

That mean ole' swing.

Halloween Preview

2009-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

We got J.D.'s Halloween costume in the mail today and tried the hat on him. It made me laugh so hard! Can't wait until he gets to wear the whole thing!

Happy Little Guy

2009-09-28T21:36:00.001-07:00

We got these great shots of J.D. when my dad was here last time. I just couldn't love a sweet little smile any more than that!

Flower Girl

2009-09-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

There's nothing particularly special about this picture...I just like it. Anna Lee loves to pick flowers out of our front flower beds and put them in her hair or behind her ear. It is a regular activity. I grabbed a picture of her doing it the other day, and thought it was sweet.

Great Friends

2009-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Anna Lee's little friend Ryan came over to play today. Those two make me laugh so much! They love each other so much and play as hard as they can while they are together. Ryan is as boy as they come and Anna Lee is as girl as they come. The combination of the two of them is so funny! They have been two little tornadoes blowing through this house all morning. I love to see the two of them play together and to listen to and watch them work through things together.

This morning I went to take care of J.D. for just a few minutes. When I came back to Anna Lee's room, this is what I found...

chaos... and calm...

We loaded everybody up at lunch to go get Chick-fil-A and a movie from Blockbuster. It was a crazy shopping experience in the movie store. Before we left, I had gotten J.D. ready and told the kids to go get their shoes on and meet me at the door. This is how they met me. Can't have too many accessories!One of my favorite things about Ryan is his sweet mommy. We were good friends in college, and have had a blast watching our kids become good friends too. Ryan's baby sister, Chloe, is due to arrive any day now. We can't wait to meet her and love on her too!

Tummy Time

2009-09-19T11:46:00.001-07:00

At J.D.'s four month appointment, the doctor was a little concerned about his head shape and neck muscles. When he holds his head up, it is tilted to one side. I hadn't really noticed it until she brought it up. Since that appointment, under doctor's orders, we have done a TON of tummy time and neck stretches/exercises with J.D. When we first started, it made him really mad and he would bury his face in the floor and scream. I had done tummy time with him since he was little, but not to the extent we do it now. Now he loves to be on his tummy. We can't keep him there long because he loves to roll over onto his back, but we are hoping it is making a difference. And this little one can't keep from joining in the fun!

Adios Kara

2009-09-14T08:54:00.001-07:00

Fun Aunt Kara is our world traveling family member. So far, she has lived in Spain, Honduras, El Salvador, Greece, and Switzerland. Whew! But for most of this year, Kara has lived in Dallas close to us. It has been so fun to have her around to talk to in person instead of just on Skype! She has been a great sister, aunt, and babysitter to have around!

This past week, Kara packed up and headed back to Spain. She moved back to Madrid, where she will begin a Master's program at a university there. We will miss her so much!

We all went to the airport to tell her goodbye, and she and Anna Lee got some great shots together ( I think this last one was making sad faces about her leaving). Anna Lee and J.D. will miss having her around...but will be looking really forward to a few days at Christmas when they will get to see her again!

J.D. at 4 Months

2009-09-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

I was always really good about getting Anna Lee's portraits made. I'm already behind on J.D. I like having them made every 3 months because it gives me a very visible way to mark time. I like seeing the different baby stages and how they change so much so quickly. Because of Anna Lee's hard recovery from her tonsillectomy, J.D.'s 3 month mark came and went. So I decided to grab some quick portraits at Target the other day just to have a few nicer pictures of what he looked like at this stage.
(Please excuse the spit-up...but it definitely goes with who he is right now.)

I have tried for weeks to get a good picture of J.D.'s dimple. He has a cute little dimple on his right side, kind of on his smile line. I was so excited the girl caught a shot where you can see it.

At four months right now, J.D. is a joy. He is changing so much everyday. At his last appointment, he was in the 75% bracket for weight and the 95% for height. Not surprising given his 6' 5" daddy. J.D. is as laid back as they come. He is a happy little dude, except if he has dairy. He is beginning to be much more physically active, starting to grab toys, playing in his excersaucer, and rolling over from his tummy to his back. He loves to be held and especially loves to be cuddled and rocked. He also loves to be outside. Rocking him outside is his absolute favorite. His favorite person by far is Anna Lee. He watches her all day, and she loves to play with him. J.D. slept in the swing for months because of his reflux and the need to be upright, and has just recently transitioned to his bed. We made him cry it out several nights this week, and he will now mostly sleep from 9 pm to 5 am. It has been a nice change. He still loves being in the swing, and would stay there for hours if I let him.

When we found out we were having a boy, I couldn't imagine my life with a son. Now I can't imagine my life without the sweet one we have.

First Day of School

2009-08-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Anna Lee's first day back to school. She started this year at a new pre-school, and we are really excited about the year that is ahead. We went last night to a parent meeting where Anna Lee got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Carrie, and the other kids in her class. It took us forever to get her to leave. She loved it!

Last night as I was getting Anna Lee ready for bed, we were talking about how she would get to go back to school again today. She said, "I am so excited! I am going to have so much fun!"

One of the treats for Anna Lee getting to go to school this year is riding with Daddy. Jim will be taking Anna Lee in the mornings and I will be picking her up in the afternoons. She seems to love this idea. She and Jim picked out cds last night that they would listen to on the way, and this morning, Veggie Tales was on full blast as they were leaving. As she and Jim drove off this morning, Anna Lee waved and told me, "Have fun at home today, Mommy!"

Jim said that when they got to school this morning, Anna Lee was so happy and marched right in. He said the teachers asked Anna Lee if she was ready to come in for school she said, "YES!"

Such a big girl.

I have to say, there is a little part of me that is selfishly excited about Anna Lee starting school again. I am looking forward to running errands with the single stoller instead of the double, going and having a much calmer lunch with friends or Jim, going to the grocery store without someone who will accidentally pull pickle jars off of the shelves...it has happened...

But what I will look forward to most is seeing that sweet smiling face today at 2:00!

Life Lately

2009-08-26T13:21:00.001-07:00

Life has been much happier lately. With the combination of J.D.'s milk allergy, a million trips, and Anna Lee's tonsillectomy, things have felt a little crazy the past 4 months. But we are finally back in a groove! Anna Lee is a super happy girl. She is such a joy. She is 2 and a half now and as girly as they come. She starts at a new school next Monday, and I am really excited about the year she is going to have. J.D. just turned 4 months old. My how time flies! He is growing like a weed, and is such a laid back little guy. He sits and watches Anna Lee runs circles around him, and puts up with way too much princess talk. These past two months, he has been so much happier than the first two.

Anna Lee is quite the little mommy. She takes such good care of J.D. as well as all of her little dolls. She hasn't had a single moment of jealousy with J.D. , which I have been so thankful for. She loves to read him books, hug on him, and tell me what he "needs." Lately, she has decided that J.D.'s swing is not only his, but her baby doll's. Everytime I go to put J.D. in his swing, her doll is in it in this exact position. Every time. Little pillow behind its head, covered up with one of her old burp cloths. Every time.

The other day I came in to Anna Lee's room and I found her reading J.D. books. It was so sweet. He was just sitting and staring at her as she "read" story after story to him.

My grandmother gave us this great new double walking stroller. We haven't used it a lot lately because it has been so hot, even at night. This was a picture of the kids on their first ride in it together. They both seemed to enjoy it for different reasons. J.D. just liked being outside and Anna Lee just liked being next to J.D.

This is typical. Poor little guy having to study a picture of Ariel.

Watching a Praise Baby video together.

So glad life is slowing down a bit. As our fun summer is ending, I am looking forward to the routine of the Fall!

Rewind to the Ranch

2009-08-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Anna Lee had her surgery, my family met up at a beautiful ranch near Kerville in the hill country of Texas. Thanks to the generosity of one of our sweet family friends, we were able to enjoy a wonderful, relaxing weekend in an incredibly beautiful place. It was a true "get-away" for all of us, especially since our cell phones and emails didn't work. You forget how much you use your phone! It was nice to spend time together swimming, fishing, playing cards, playing volleyball in the pool, watching for deer, rocking on the porch, reading, eating, etc. Here are a few of the pictures we caught over the weekend.

This is the ranch house where we stayed.

And this is the pond where we all went fishing. It was all so beautiful and peaceful.

Anna Lee loved fishing. She now says "That's where I caught the fish" everytime we pass any creek or lake in Dallas. She wasn't afraid of the fish at all. She grabbed each one after she caught them.

Going on a walk to see the llama with Grandad

The little fisherman

Looking for deer early in the morning

On Sunday, we had a neat worship time with my family. My mom is amazing. She had brought costumes and props to tell the story of Moses. It is one of Anna Lee's favorites. My mom and Anna Lee dressed up and acted out the story. Anna Lee was ready to go put the basket in the real river outside. The other day when I asked her where they put Moses, she said, "Kerville."

J.D. enjoyed being outside so much. You can see him here taking a relaxing nap with Grandad.

We were so glad to have such a fun time together! Kara leaves again for Spain in just a few short weeks to start a Masters program in Madrid. We were glad to get family and sister time together before she leaves. We will miss her!

Justin and Jim were on the trip too, but for some reason they didn't make it into any pictures. We love you guys too!

It was such a fun trip!

The Little Trooper

2009-07-31T19:48:00.001-07:00

What a week! Anna Lee's surgery went very well on Wednesday. Thank you all for your prayers, calls, emails, etc. Anna Lee has been quite the little trooper through everything. At the hospital on Wednesday, she did a great job. She particularly didn't like having to wear the hospital bracelet or getting her blood pressure taken with the cuff around her arm. She said we needed to take it off because it was "too small" as it constricted around her arm. :0) Jim and I were both very thankful for the "Goofy Juice" she received before surgery. We had to wait a little longer than planned in the playroom before taking her back, so Anna Lee was getting a little anxious....and hungry and thirsty. She hadn't been allowed to have anything that morning, and they didn't take her back until after noon. Once she got the Goofy Juice, though, things were much easier. She was quite funny. We left her being wheeled into surgery with a big grin on her face and waving saying, "Bye, Mommy!" (with slurred speech).

Waking up from the anesthesia was kind of hard, but she did a great job. We got to sit and rock her in the recovery room for almost an hour while they monitored her. They had told us to be prepared to stay overnight, but she did such a great job, we got to bring her home that night. We were so glad!

The rest of the week has been a little tough at times, but she has done a great job. You can tell she really hurts, mainly when she wakes up from sleeping. She has not wanted to talk or swallow at those times, but her medicines have really been helping...as have the Disney princess "surprises" she has gotten along the way. She has had several fun visitors come by, and that has seemed to lift her spirits. My mom has been such a great help this week, and has even slept by her in bed each night to make sure she was ok. We have all had our yearly fill of Disney movies in the past several days!

One of the main things I was a little surprised by was the change in her voice. I knew it would help later on with her speech (which was one of the reasons we did the surgery), but I didn't realize the drastic change that would immediately happen in her voice. I have been reassured that the change is only temporary, so it has helped me (as the speech pathologist mom) see it as a little funny and cute instead of stressful and worrisome. Her voice is now higher, squeekier, and MUCH more nasal. She is just not used to so much air being able to come through her nose! She sounds a little like Alvin and the Chipmunks at times. We are loving it! Here is a quick sample of her telling about her surgery.

So Long Tonsils

2009-07-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

If you have a minute, say a quick prayer for Anna Lee tomorrow. We visited the ENT a couple of weeks ago, and for many reasons (including the fact that she snores louder than most grown men), it was decided that it is finally time for her to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. So tomorrow is the day. I don't think she has any clue what is coming, as much as we have tried to prepare her for the experience. She knows that she will get to wear a special gown (she asked if it would have princesses on it), and that she will get to drink some "Goofy Juice," as they call it, to make her feel better. (She thinks this "Goofy" refers to the Goofy we watch on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) We have told her that her throat will hurt later and that she will get to eat popsicles and watch movies this week. Anna Lee is having her surgery in Medical City Hospital instead of a surgery center like they normally would do it in, since she is so young. They have told us to be prepared for her to have to spend the night in the hospital. This will be a little tricky, since I am still up in the middle of the night feeding our other child. My mom is going to help us take care of J.D. during the day (and part of the night) tomorrow.

So say a little prayer for Anna Lee tomorrow if you think about it...and for us too. Even though it is a very common and apparently easy surgery, it still makes us nervous to think about our little one going into the operating room.