Christmas in Pictures

Opening Sister's Christmas Eve pj's


Uncle Andrew & Elly's first picture-after Christmas Eve Candlelight service

Reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Elly missed out on this tradition...)

Cookies for Santa

Santa knew just what he wanted (even though he asked for a 'petting zoo')

"Hmmm, Santa didn't finish these cookies, I think I'll eat the rest." (Good thing Santa spent the next two days sick...hmmm)

All tuckered out after a day of opening presents!

Waiting to play football in the front yard!

4 Generations

I have a feeling we'll be seeing this look for the rest of our lives!

Pictures Again!!!

Our dear, dear friends Porter, Amy and their precious kiddos, Mallory & Blake, came into town last weekend. It was such a fun time--there is something about your house being filled with kids that I just L-O-V-E, love. The sounds of shrieks through the house, the chasing that goes on, the playing that they get in, listening to their conversations and the quiet of the house when all is well, the kids are asleep and you get in a good game of Catan. (My mood last weekend could have been construed as "bad" and could have been taken incorrectly as upset at a house full of kids, but truly...my parents called when the Porters were on their way to tell me that they were indeed moving to Tennessee...a difficult thing for me to swallow on soooo many levels, but more on that later...)

Amy's dad sings in a Dallas Barbershop Choir, so we got babysitters and went to the concert on Friday and then met up with the Starrs on Saturday at the zoo. We had a fantastic time...one that hopefully our kids will remember and we are sure to cherish for years to come! Here are some pictures, compliments of my friend Lisa.

Praying...

I honestly do not know of a single person that I know that is not in prayer for the Wims Family, but just in case you are behind please take a look at their blog and pray, more fervently than ever, for a miracle for this precious family. I wish I understood God's plans more, I wish my faith was stronger, I wish that somehow, someway I could find a way for them to get the miracle we are praying for--but that is my human side. I do know and am forever grateful that we are not in control and that God's plan is greater and more grand than we could ever imagine--even if our heart aches in the meantime.

Tagged

I feel guilty for not blogging, so this has to work for now...I can only justify time to read the blogs while I'm nursing, so we'll see how posting goes along with nursing...so far, so slow...

8 Shows I watch:
1.Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
2.24
3.Lost
4.Private Practice
5.Cold Case - I DVR these and watch it if I'm bored...I currently have the entire season on the DVR if that tells you anything...I'm less than bored these days
6.Without a Trace-ditto
7.Little Einsteins
8.American Idol

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Uncle Julio's
2. Lupe Tortilla
3. Chuy's
4. Riata
5. Taste of Texas
6. Chick-Fil-A
7. Layne's or Raisin' Cane's
8. Panera Bread
9. Cheesecake Factory
10.Freebirds

8 Things that Happened Today:
1. I got the gift bought for our Fortress Kiddo & got it wrapped
2. Elly went to bed at 6:45 last night and woke up at 6:45 this morning--she had been in a diaper overnight for 12 hours and it was BARELY wet--Logan would have had every layer in his bed wet after that long
3. I made my child cry because I wouldn't tell him my good hiding spot after he gave up finding me during hide and seek
4. Logan and Elly & I played "jail"
5. I've been greeted more times than I can count with the SWEETEST smiles and coos
6. Logan grabbed my hand while we were going up the stairs and I said, "oh I like it when you hold my hand" and he said "good. I do too."
7. Logan got his first Fun Dip...he is currently eating it and his lips and tongue are BLUE. He just asked--next time if you see this at the store, can you buy it???
8. A super sweet lady came and asked if she could take my cart at Wal Mart because it was drizzling and she saw that I had a baby with me.

8 Things I look forward to:
1. Logan's face next Thursday morning
2. A Date Night with my husband
3. Jarrod being off of work for over a week
4. Going Snow Skiing in March
5. Being with all of my siblings and family at my parents Vow Renewal
6. Drinking Milk again
7. Baking cookies for Santa with Logan
8. Having all of my Christmas presents wrapped

8 Things I wish for:
1. My children to love God first, family second
2. My children to be of noble character and people of integrity
3. Healthy children who outlive me
4. A strong, happy, lifelong marriage to my precious Jarrod
5. My children to never doubt my love for them
6. To leave a legacy for my children and grand children that they will be proud of
7. That all of my family would live close together
8. And now the shallow one: Skinnier legs and no more gray hairs!!!!

8 People I tag:
1. Ashley B.
2. Lisa
3. Mom
4. Darla
5. Ashley S.
6. Jessica
7. Jennifer P.
8. Amy P.

I Can't Make This Stuff Up!

Okay, again...I have two funny Logan conversations.

The first started with me in bed, Jarrod comes in and asks me "Do you know what 'Tootsie Rot' is?" Ummm, in my weary half open eyed wakefulness..."No, WHY?" J: "Logan is saying that when Gammie and Gumpy were here, they gave him 'toosie rot' for breakfast and he wants it today." Me: "Ask him to describe it...I don't know what he's talking about." Well, he didn't get his 'tootsie rot' because Jarrod couldn't figure out what on earth this child was talking about. Logan went with me to our local grocery store today and he tells me "Mommy, lets go down this aisle so that I can show you what 'tootsie rot' is." We were in the cereal aisle and he found....chocolate chip granola bars. There you have it folks: "tootsie rot"

The second story is again a little long, but funny nonetheless. Logan and I were on our way to the grocery store and I told him that I needed to take Elly in for another shot. He proceeded to explain that when he was big he was going to still cry when he gets a shot and then that when he was big like mommy and daddy he wasn't going to get any shots because he wasn't going to have a doctor's appointment. Then he starts down this path:
L: "When I have 10 kids, I won't get any shots"
M: (laughing) "Wow, you're going to have 10 kids huh?"
L: "Well, I have to ask Ella if that's how many she wants."
M: (still laughing) "oh, okay. You and Ella are going to have ten kids?"
L: "Yeah, and some of them will come to the doctor with me and some of them will stay home with their grandma's."
M: "Oh."
L: "And then they'll ask me "when is the baby going to get here? when is the baby going to get here? When is the baby going to get here?"
M: Laughing...
L: "I think that we're going to live in Arlington. Actually maybe Mansfield, or maybe Abilene, or maybe Granbury, or maybe where Auntie lives, or maybe by you."
M: "Oh, okay--I'd like it if you lived close to me."
L: "well actually, I think we're going to have to live in San Antonio or something. I'll have to ask Ella which house she wants."
M: "Does Ella know that you are going to do this?"
L: "No, I think that I'm going to have to ask her how many kids she wants."

Later...Me: "What did you tell me earlier about 10 kids with Ella?"
L: "No, mommy, we're only going to have one for right now."

Oh DEAR!

Sweet Questions

Let me preface this with the fact that (again) there aren't any pictures--they are coming, but I have to get these conversations written down before I forget them--they are priceless to me.

Any of you who know my Logan know what a talker he is, how often and how many questions come from him and how he not only wants to know--he wants to know EVERYTHING there is to know about a situation. I get off of the phone and he immediately hits me with:
"Who were you talking to mommy?" After I answer the questions roll: "What did she say?" "What else did she say?" If we're close to home he starts with "We're almost home, tell me mommy!" very urgently.

Many of you also know that Logan knows that his Gumpy is not my "daddy" and that my daddy died when I was younger. (Know also that Gumpy is one of the best of the best father-figures and that he is an amazing grandfather to my children and nieces and nephews!) Logan also knows how my daddy had his teeth knocked out in a motorcycle accident before I was born. So, about 2 miles from my house this afternoon he started this conversation:
L:"Mommy, why did your daddy not have any teeth?"
Me: "Well, he got into a motorcycle accident and all of his teeth were knocked out."
L:"Why did he get into an accident?"
Me: "Well, he was going too fast and he crashed."
L: "Was he speeding?"
Me: "Yes"
L: "Why was he speeding?"
Me: "Well, he wasn't making a very good choice and sometimes people make bad choices."
L: "Did a motorcycle policeman come when he was speeding?"
Me: "Ummm, I'm not really sure, but I don't think so."
(He's obsessed with speeding and policemen coming when people are speeding)

Second part of the conversation:
L: "Your daddy died when you were a little girl."
Me: "Well, yes he did"
L: "What did you say when he died?"
Me: "I cried."
L: "No, I said 'what did you say?'"
Me: "I don't remember, I just remember that I cried."
L: "Why did you cry?"
Me: "Because I was sad"
L: "Why were you sad?"
Me: "Because I knew that I would never see him again."
L: "What did Gammie say to you that he died?"
Me: "I don't remember what Gammie said to me."
L: "Why were you sad?"
Me: "Because I loved my daddy very much and I knew that I wouldn't get to see him again. And I knew that you would never get to see him."
L: shaky voice, tears streaming down his face: "But why would you never see him again?"
Me: "Well, honey because he died."
L: "But, we can see him in heaven."
Me: "I hope so, I hope that you're right."
L: "But, mommy you said--you said that we get to see the people that we love in heaven again."
Me: "You're right honey, you're right. Maybe we should talk about school today."
L: "No, mommy. I'm not crying. There's just tears running down my face."

Sweet, sweet little boy. He has such a tender heart. I was amazed by two facts: 1. He associated that Gammie would be the one talking to me about my daddy even though he's never seen a picture of them together and we've never referred to them together. and 2. He knows how painful this was for me, somehow, someway he sees the sadness and it hurt him too. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this child.

Now on a much lighter note...this is his favorite question for his Gumpy: "Gumpy, tell me some things you did bad when you were a little boy?" Gumpy sometimes answers, and sometimes tries to convince him that these are the things Aunt Mendy did bad when she was little. Where does this child come up with this stuff???

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Wow...its hard to believe that it was four years ago that I sat in a hospital bed utterly exhausted, on some levels "traumatized" and on every level, completely and totally in love--a love that no one could have ever explained to me and that I never had known before. What a gift--God blessed us beyond our wildest dreams with an amazing, sweet, precious baby boy. Its hard to believe that the "baby" years are over--that the little, little boy years too have passed so quickly. All to fast our little boy is growing up--being shaped and molded. It is our prayer daily that he is molded in God's image and not ours, nor our cultures, nor his peer's.

Logan, we love you more than life itself. You are truly one of the greatest blessings of our lives. These are a few of the things that we don't ever want to forget about you at "4."

-You love life--your excitement for everything around you is infectuous.
-You are a minimalist--I ask if you want two of anything--candy, cookies, toys and generally you answer "no, just one is fine"
-You love school and learning and drawing and letters and numbers and reading for hours
-You are still so painfully shy
-You have to have socks on to sleep and no socks on to play
-You get excited by anything new-new socks, new shoes, new clothes, new toothbrushes, new toothpaste, your very own bar of soap I gave you last week, truly...
-You ask to talk every night before you go to bed
-You love your baby sister and always want her with you or watching you
-You wipe off your Annie's kisses, but always keep your Auntie's
-You refuse to give kisses to your Gammie and Gumpy
-You never forget to kiss your mommy goodnight
-You always run to mommy to give me a kiss and a hug if you see me at school
-After a day at school, I ask "How was your day?" You say "Good. How were your kids, mommy?"
-You get angry when you get scared
-You try so hard to please Mommy and Daddy and praise is such an effective reward
-You really like blue Airheads, but you call them "bumper heads"
-You are so particular--you HATE crooked socks, your routine is very rigid and "orderly"
-You have such a servant heart--you love to help vacuum, to change the laundry, to help me cook, to help Daddy with any project, to get sister's binkie or burp rag or anything
-You are the most tender hearted little boy--you cry when your sister is hurt or when she is crying for "too long" in your opinion because it makes you sad
-You are an amazing athlete--you can score a goal in basketball, you can hit a homerun over the fence or house, you can throw a perfect spiral, you can throw a hard ball, you can hit your golf balls over the back fence, you can hit a perfect backhand with a tennis raquet. Any sport that you try, you excel at. We love to watch you.
-You love watching movies and then asking every question you can think of about it
-You think that cartoon animals are real and can really talk
-Your imagination has completely taken off--you love to roll play with your animals and dinosaurs.
-You love to say, "What would (so and so) say if..." ie: What would my friends say if I wasn't at school?
-You have such a special, one of a kind bond with your "Auntie"
-You love to play "look our below" on our bed
-You love to play in our closet
-You are becoming braver every day, although we still have a ways to go
-You LOVE Saturday morning donut dates with your daddy
-You love going to the deer lease and sleeping in the trailer
-You love Maddie and go outside to "love on Maddie" often
-You take your water gun outside to "shoot" the neighbor's dog "Harry" when he comes for a visit
-You named our neighbor's dog "Harry" even though his name is Cedric
-You feed Maddie every morning
-You obey amazingly well for a 4 year old
-You love to be with friends
-You love to eat at a restaurant, but get so sad if a friend isn't going to be there
-You still look for airplane's in the sky, long horns in the field, the baby foal at the paint horse stable, colts at the horse farm and any other animals that you can see along a drive
-You shop wonderfully, as long as there are some animals for you to look at at the store
-Your favorite place is the zoo
-Playing on your top bunk is a wonderful "treat"
-You cry when we leave friends houses if you haven't had warning time, but you are getting much better
-You don't like "Finding Nemo" because Nemo gets lost from his Daddy
-You keep telling me, "I want to watch that part because I like it" if you are scared of part of a movie
-You play so well by yourself
-You always tell others to "Be Careful" and you are constantly concerned when others are not following the "rules" or are doing something that could hurt them--it totally stresses you out

There are SOOOO many other things about you that we love. We cannot thank God enough for the amazing gift of you. Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, amazing husband! I'm so grateful that you were born 31 years ago and that you have allowed me to be a part of the past thirteen. You are an amazing huband and such a great, devoted daddy and leader of our family! Thank you for allowing us to celebrate Logan's birthday on your special day--you are so very selfless! I'm so thankful for you and for all that you do for our family! I love you!

Our First Giggle

I will post updates and pictures of all of our October adventures soon. But I wanted to note a few personal "baby book" things before I forget the date on them:

1. Today was Elly's first intentional "giggle." We were in Bible class and my friend Stephanie was holding her, talking to her and she just busted out with a precious sweet giggle. It was fabulous!

2. Elly HATES riding in the truck at night. She starts screaming when we get away from street lights and only stops if we get to a stop light where she can see something OR if we turn on the dome light so that she can see. This started on Friday night (Nov. 7.)

3. We moved Elly into her room for the first time last Sunday night (November 2)--she did beautifully and slept all night.

4. Elly's first day of school was on Tuesday, November 4. She did wonderfully and Honey took great care of her. I had a fabulous, if not exhausting first day back. I have the sweetest group of kids--thank you, Lord!

5. She went to bed at 9:00 last night and slept until I woke her up at 7:15a.m. WAHOO!!

6. She wore her first pair of tights to church today! So cute!

7. She went to her first baby shower today for Madison Rea. She again loved it and was able to see her friends Kate and Mia.

Prayer Request

My youngest sister, Emily has been having some issues with her eye swelling and her vision being blurry over the past few days. Several years ago, both of her retina's detached and she had surgeries on both eyes. Today, she saw a specialist and he informed her that the buckle in her right eye that is attaching her retina is hemorrhaging. They are pretty sure that they will need to remove the buckle and they are hopeful that there is enough scar tissue to keep the retina attached. If there is not, there is a risk of blindness in this eye. She will go back to the specialist on November 12. Forgive me for not knowing a whole lot about the details on this--there are a lot of intricacies with the eyes that I just don't understand. Our prayers are for the hemorrhaging to stop and that if surgery is necessary that the retina will stay attached.

Two Months Old

Our sweet baby girl is two months old today. We are blessed beyond measure--Ellyse brings so much joy and happiness to our family--so much that we didn't even realize that we were missing. Here are some highlights from the past two months in no particular order:
1. Her coos and giggles
2. The precious smile that we get to wake up to--she LOVES the mornings
3. Watching her discover the world around her
4. The way she looks for Logan when she hears his voice
5. Watching her reaction when she's startled--arms and feet immediately out and in the air
6. She reaches and grabs until she finally gets ahold of a little piece of her hair
7. She grabs my hair and will not letting go
8. She grabs my hand with her long toes
9. She cannot sleep without some sort of noise--a fan, the radio, us being in the room talking and playing
10. The way being outside immediately soothes her--its like her whole body relaxes the minute she feels the fresh air.
11. We especially love that she is sleeping 7 hours at night most nights now!!!

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we met the McClure's and the Klein's at the Big Orange Pumpkin Patch. The kids had a wonderful time feeding the animals, going on a hayride and playing. It was the perfect fall day!

Elly 7 Weeks

Elly at Church

Elly's been to church all but twice since she was born...the day after we came home and one week when I was just too worn out to take her...most of our picture attempts are right when we get home and she's hungry and tired...so I had to put in the crying ones...I couldn't resist! Babies are just too cute when they cry (for a minute...and then you can't hardly stand to see it!) Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of her this last Sunday!

Elly Weekly

Here are Elly's Weekly Pictures with the football...she's already growing way too fast!

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5 (no her clothes don't match...she was cold in her shorts, so they got booted)

Week 6

Catch Up

This is my new favorite picture!!

Since my last post, we've been super busy...but boy have we had a TON of fun. We had a cold front move through last week and the weather was unbelievable! Its amazing what cool weather does for the soul--all of us were happier than we've been for months (with the exception of the elation associated with bringing little Miss Ellyse into the world, of course...) We went to the park nearly every day, got to visit with our displaced hurricane Ike friends (the Jones') and their precious kids, and got to celebrate two birthdays (Kellen at the zoo and Brylie at her Fancy Nancy party--both SOOO much fun!!!) It really couldn't have been a better week!! Here are a few (okay, several) highlights...

Rachel, Ethan, Kellen,Logan, and Bonnie

Sweet Noelle & Ellyse (6wks, 4 wks)

Logan & Kellen

The boys are each a month apart agewise...

Kellen (Sept), Ethan (Oct), Logan (Nov)

Sweet Bonnie, Kellen & Logan ready to hit the park after Freebirds

Logan after the Fancy Nancy part-y

The next 2 pictures blow me away...our neighbors and good friends from Houston moved to Ft. Worth when the boys were 1. We were distraught that the boys would really never know each other, but God's plan was greater than we realized. Neither of us had a plan to be where we are today, but we have been SO richly blessed to now live close enough to go to church together and the boys are the BEST of friends. We have grown in our relationship with one another, grown in our faith, and we are watching one of our dreams come true in watching our boys grow up together! While we may no longer be neighbors, we are still close friends and a source of strength for each other--we love these guys so much! They both bring us so much joy!

Logan & Gabe 3 1/2 years (September 2008)

Logan & Gabe 1yr (February 2006)

First Day of School

Logan started back to school today and had a WONDERFUL day! His teacher is my dear friend Mrs. Ashley and he was very excited to get to be in her class. She has 11 kids this year and 8 of them, yes you read that right, 8 are Boys! We'll need to be praying for her sanity before long...I have a feeling there will be lots of bottoms needing to be glued to chairs! I on the other hand (will) have 10 kids and 7 of them are Girls! So, I also have a feeling we'll be having lots of drama in my room this year! BUT...I do have to say they are two precious, sweet groups of kids! I was more than ready to start back after we had meet the teacher on Tuesday...then today as I heard about one of my kids being left behind kicking and screaming at the girl subbing for me, I realized why that wasn't such a good idea yet!

I didn't quite know what to do with myself leaving Logan at school and going off to do my own thing...I'll have to come up with more of a plan next week. Today I just spent the day at Target thoroughly scouring the aisles (which I haven't done since I've had kids...ohhhhh was it fun!) Then Jarrod called and we got to meet for lunch...it was a nice treat!