A Special Bond Between Dog and Daughter

Most of you know our dog Sophie. You know that my relationship with Sophie has highs and lows. High when she is bathed, sweet, and cuddly....Low when she is stinky, naughty, and dirty. But, Allison, has loved Sophie since the day she knew she was there. She will lay down on the couch with her...share a pillow on the couch with Sophie's body most of the time being the pillow, share her food (feeding it to her from her highchair, especially the food she doesn't like when mommy is not looking), and just letting Sophie give her lots of affection (mainly kissing her face). Allison first tried to communicate with Sophie even before trying to talk to us. As soon as she would wake up in the morning, she would literally start barking to get Sophie to come and say good morning to her. She still barks...a lot... during the day! They have a special bond. I will often find Allison just hanging out with Sophie...petting her, throwing toys to her....and even sitting by her cage feeling sorry for her. The other day, I called to the kids to please put Sophie in her house because we were about to leave...Allison must have understood...She walked straight to the laundry room with Sophie following right behind and then managed to lead Sophie in her house for me...opened the door and then attempted to lock it. Then Allison sat down right next to her house barking to her until it was time to go. Allison and Sophie...love at first sight.

The Annual Playgroup Christmas Party plus 5 of Abigail's friends from school

about 15 kids...running around....eating...coloring....making ornaments....jumping on the trampoline....and acting out the Christmas story. You can't beat it! I know what some of you are thinking...I am being sarcastic. But, actually, I am not. I loved every second of it and look forward to next year when we do it all over again. Of course it helps to have a sweet friend (Jadie!) going behind the children sweeping up glitter, more glitter, and food everywhere and then she even did the dishes!!! I mean she did the hard part of the party...all I did was the fun stuff. The kids really listened to the Christmas story and then acted it out...choosing the character they wanted to be. Obviously, Abigail is a wiseman...Aaron, if you can tell that is him, is Joseph. And of course, he had to be a bit silly. Putting his hat way down over his eyes and then doing a little dance....All and all the party was super fun...at least for me :) The next morning Abigail and Aaron and some of our friends from church headed over to a nursing home to sing carols and hand out cards and candy. We did this last year as well. The kids remembered it and looked forward to it this year. We read Christmas storybooks and sang a bunch of songs. All of the residents were so glad to see us. Well, maybe not all....but most :) It has become a tradition and such a great way to give to those who may find Christmas a very lonely time.

Just some pictures...

Here are some pictures from a couple of big events....first, Aaron's Thanksgiving program. He did such a great job quoting his memory verses and singing and reciting poetry. Gammie and Doc were passing through town on their way to St. Louis, so it was perfect timing and Aaron was beyond thrilled to have them there. In between every little song, his eyes would go directly to Doc, and he would grin from ear to ear....looking so proud. It was absolutely precious. And I am sure it made Doc feel really special. I love the pic with the 3 of them....can you tell they are related???

And then the last pic is of Abigail at her bible presentation at church. Our church gives 1st graders their very own bible. It was really sweet.

Roll Tide! and Sic em Bears

I forgot to tell ya'll that on our way to Texas for Thanksgiving we made a rather long pit stop. We were driving through Tuscaloosa so of course we had to stop and take a look at the stadium and of course take some pictures. In case some of you are wondering...'when did she become a Bama fan?'...well, it has happened over many,many,many years. 13 1'/2 to be exact. Jason is a huge Alabama fan and I have always tried really hard to be one too, but it was just so hard because we were always losing...and I am from TX...and I like to win and well, it just didn't come naturally. I had a hard time cheering for them or really getting into the game. (I told you that I was brainwashed as a child, right?...about TX stuff....But, finally, after all these years, (before the season began mind you) I told Jason I am going to be a true fan. I am going to shout and do a football dance and act as crazy as you do this year. And I did...and they won and they kept winning. Now, I am not trying to take credit for Nick Saban, but you do the math....13 years....

Anyway, we were all excited to take a break from the long drive and take a look around the campus. Aaron was beyond excited. But, I think he is now brainwashed as well. Before the Alabama/Auburn game, he came up to me and said, "Mommy, I can't wear these tennis shoes today....they are the wrong colors.....I am not an Auburn fan and these shoes are navy and orange...I need some red ones." It was priceless. He then reminded everyone of my family members (who could care less about Alabama football) that Alabama beat Auburn bad. That Auburn got zero. Good thing we weren't with our Auburn fan cousins :)

On the way home from Texas we stopped over at good ol' Waco, TX. Jason kept joking with me that we could always move back there and give back to our alma mater...I said "uhhh, no thank you"...I mean I love Baylor and all, but Waco...not so much! But, it was so sweet to take the kids around the campus. Ya'll know I love to go down memory lane, so this was right up my alley. I mean...every place on campus had some meaning to both Jason and I. The place we first met, the field we would play football on, the creek we cleaned out with FLO, the library where I would study and Jason would try and distract me...It was fun to tell Abigail and Aaron that we had our first kiss here and how we would sit on a swing under a big tree..(that swing is no longer there mind you, but the tree is...) and kiss...Abigail of course got all giggly...It was really sweet. It meant more to Jason and I than the kids, I am sure. Here are some pics from both places.

Much to Be Thankful For

I just spent the week with my family in Texas for Thanksgiving. I love the fact that my family gets together with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, neices and nephews. I have a big family as most of you know and I just enjoy being with them so much. I love the laughter and the remembering of times when we were young. Without fail, every time I have to say goodbye my eyes fill up with tears. I just can't help it. But, this week there were even more tears. My Uncle Anthony went home to be with the Lord on Sunday morning before Thanksgiving. I was in the car on my way to hug his neck one last time when I got the call. I just want to take a minute to tell you all a little bit about my uncle. He made us all laugh all of the time! And I mean all the time. If you were near my uncle he would have you in stitches. He told the best ghost stories that he made up himself. My cousin and my siblings would all gather around him and just listen so intently and no matter how many times we heard the tale of the Woman and the GOOLLDDDEEENNN ARM..we would scream everytime. And want him to tell it again. He would also do great magic tricks...like swallowing all sorts of things...or at least he had us fooled.:) We would do Chinese Fire Drills in my uncles big suburban, where we would run around the car like crazy people and jump back in as fast as we could (probably not the safest thing but sure was fun) Still don't know why it was called a Chinese Fire Drill. At my uncle's house, you can be sure we always have a good time...stay up late talking and laughing....and we will continue to...Uncle Anthony wouldn't have it any other way and I am sure he is bringing such laughter and a lot of good jokes to Heaven. And in my son Aaron's words..."We sure are going to miss seeing him, but he is not going to miss us...He is having so much fun in Heaven with Jesus. I am sure they are having a party up there!"
My Aunt B is one of the strongest women I know. Her heart is pure gold and her inner strength is astounding. I love you Aunt B! And John, my cousin, words cannot express...but you know....love you!
Thanksgiving was truly a time to reflect on what...and more importantly...who I am thankful for. It was a reminder to strengthen those relationships that need to be strengthened...to say things I need to say to those who need to hear it....to love much...and to forgive much...to hug and to hold on....to give and give more....to thank God daily for my family and the many blessings that He has given me. So I encourage you to do the same. Happy Thanksgiving. Love you all.

And More Pictures!

Allison is growing so big! And she has a Big personality to go along with it. She is so funny and full of energy! And Happy...unless you take something she wants or she doesn't get her way :) then she quickly changes her tune! Love you Little Monkey!

More Pictures!

How sad...has it really been since September???

Seriously, I am such a bad blogger! I have good intentions, but my follow through, well, pretty much stinks. So, let me now try to catch you all up on the last couple of MONTHS! Like I am going to be able to remember, but I will just hit the highlights and post some pics.

Let's see...big things in September...my "little" brother, Kyle, graduated from DPS Academy in Texas and is now an official Highway Patrolmen. I really feel I probably missed a calling at some point because my dad, my sister, and my 2 brothers all work for the DPS. I always joke with Jason that I would have made an excellent trooper and that I would like to go to the academy just for the "fun" of it. But in all seriousness, we are all very proud of my little bro and all his accomplishments. It is not easy to graduate..it is a grueling 6 months and hard on the troopers and their spouses...(Jenna...love you!) Way to go both of you! Jenna tagged me on some pics that ya'll may have seen of my siblings on Kyle's graduating day. Let's see..there was soccer and more soccer, pumpkin patches and more pumpkin patches....Aaron learned to ride his bike without training wheels in about 5 minutes...(why have I had those on for so long?) Abigail lost a front teeth...and then Abigial had 5 teeth pulled...yes, I said 5. Then of course, there was Halloween. We spent the night with the Helton's. This has been a little tradition since Abigail was 3 and they were in the same class at Clearview. Clearview use to put on a little carnival and we would go, but now we just head to the Helton's neighborhood and trick or treat and eat dinner together. In our neighborhood the houses are so far apart, that we are all worn out by the time we go to three houses, so their neighborhood is a lot more fun.

In November, Jason surprised me with a trip to D.C. Loved it! My mom came and watched the kids for us and we had a great little getaway. I had never been and was just in awe of this beautiful city. I love history, museums, and all that stuff so this was so much fun for me. However, I have no pictures to post, because we didn't bring a camera. I know, crazy! But, Jason thought we couldn't take it in lots of places...anyway....we will go back with the kiddos for sure!

Our Lovebug is 1!!!

Little Allison is One! How can a year fly by like that??? So much change in a year. Our little sweet baby girl weighed only 5 pounds and 4 1/2 ounces when she was born. She was only 18 1/2 inches long. And she wasn't even the smallest of our three :) Now she is a whopping 21 pounds and 30 inches long!!! She is practically running around the house. She is curious, bold, adventurous, daring, strong, and funny. She will follow me around getting into everything she shouldn't. And when I have to spank her little hand for getting into something I told her not to get into....she will get so mad! And go right back...staring me down the whole way! She is one determined little baby. Oh, but sweet as can be. She gives great kisses and loves to be the center of attention. When we laugh, she cackles, even though she has no clue what is going on. She just doesn't want to miss out on anything. She loves to talk on the phone and of course her favorite person to talk to is of course....DADDY! She will jabber to him for as long as he would let her. It is absolutely precious.

For her birthday, we had some of our family and friends over for a little Ladybug Picnic. The "Ladybug" actually slept through most of it because I figured...why wake her...the cake will be here when she wakes up. She enjoyed being sang to and playing in the cake. Here are some pictures from the day.

Off to Pre-K!

Pre-K, in case some of you don't know this, is not preschool. It is pre-k and please don't forget that when talking to Aaron. Aaron is loving it! Of course every day I ask him..."what was your favorite thing?"...and his response is the same every single day..."the playground!"


He has Ms. Patti (who Abigial had for pre-k as well). We love Ms. Patti! She is a fantasic teacher.


It is so hard to believe that Aaron will start Kindergarten next year! Maybe I will home school...don't think he will go for that one :)


Anyway, here are some pictures from the first day. He is so responsible when it comes to school. He gets up promptly...gets his clothes on before he comes out of his room...brings his backpack down...I mean he is ready. I pray this continues :)

Our Dancing Diva

Abigial took dance for one semester when she was just barely three....what was I thinking?? It was one of those things that it seemed like a good idea at the time, but then once we started...not so good. She was just too young. She didn't really like it. She didn't really learn much. And it certainly cost too much.

So, imagine my surprise after 3 years of soccer (which she loves)...she decides she is ready to try dance again. She has gone a couple of weeks now to Dancers EDGE...love it by the way....and she has just fallen in love with dance. She comes home showing me all the things she is learning. She even stood on some stage in the room when the teacher asked her to demonstrate something to the rest of the class. For those of you who know Abigail really well...this is exciting because she can be timid at times. She said she wasn't nervous at all and that is was fun!!! She is having so much fun!

Who knows...maybe someday she will be like her mommy and go to zumba and hip hop classes at the Y...ha ha ha! That is about all the dance training I have :) But, I do love it. And I am so thankful that Abigail is loving it as well. Here is a pic of her that I took really quickly outside of the studio. Ms. Beth likes their hair put in a bun and bangs pulled off of her face..we do our best with a short haircut it is a little difficult :) So, we just put a lot of sparkly things in her hair which of course Abigail loves!

Our Buddy and Baseball

Aaron...that little boy has me wrapped around his finger. All he has to do is look at me with those big blue eyes, bat those eyelashes.....I pretty much will do whatever he says. :) Even play baseball in the yard in the heat of August; which is what we did a lot of today.

As most of you know, he looks just like his daddy. He even has a lot of the same gestures and mannerisms. But, he has his mommy's love and competitive drive in sports. Now, don't get me wrong, his daddy loves sports too. But, Jason loved the game and could care less if he won or lost. Jason is a true team player. Like Abigail. I, on the other hand, loved the game and would sacrifice my body to win. Even at 7 years old I can remember playing tag in the front yard and a boy named Doug was chasing me....no way on earth was I going to let a boy catch me. So I wound up doing a flip in the air and landing flat on my face on the gravel, but he never caught me until I was down. I have played beach volleyball for hours and hours and hours to the point of dehydration many times..even passing out. Some of you are reading this and thinking I am crazy. But, it is who I am. I have been watching the Olympics and wishing I was one :) ha ha ha. I just love sports! I love to compete. And our little boy does too. And he loves to win. I am having to teach him that he just needs to give his best, win or lose. I don't want him to be so hard on himself or be so concerned with how many hits he had or how many times he scored. It is a hard thing to teach coming from someone who had to work on that her whole life.

Aaron just loves every sport. When he sees the Olympics on T.V...he starts talking about the "olympians" (he must have heard them called that on tv or from Jason) and if they are from the USA and what exactly are they playing...can you teach me how to play that?, what are the rules, how do you keep score etc, etc.

So, today we played beach volleyball in the playroom. Aaron would spike the ball as hard as he could right at my head!, but I would spike it right back :) we had a blast.....yes, dear, we did, I am sorry that we played ball in the house, but it was so hot and it was a soft beach ball...then of course we had to play baseball. No, we did not play that in the house. Aaron wanted me to teach him how to catch better with his glove, like Daddy does, so that when Daddy gets home we can play catch with the glove. So sweet! When he would catch the ball with the glove, I would do a crazy dance and give him a high five. He barrelled over laughing each time and said I was just like 'grandma'. He didn't know he had just given me a huge compliment. Then, of course, he had to bat, and bat, and bat, over and over again...I am horrible at baseball, so that ball speeding towards my face scares me a little. I am usually ducking and covering my face with the glove so he won't pound me too bad. But, we had a great time together. Mother and son. I love you Aaron.

When you are older, and you go back and read this journal, (my hope is you will someday) and read the things you, Abigail and Allison were doing , and what Mom was thinking about that day...this is something I want you to hold onto because I have a feeling you are going to need to hear this one day....

Sports are fun. Winning is fun. But, more important than all of that Aaron is that you are God's child. He loves you even more than I love you Aaron, which is a whole bunch. Remember this, God has gifted you in many ways. He has made you love sports and has given you athletic ability. But, He wants you to use all your gifts to glorify Him. God wants you to do things you love to do. He is in control. He gives gifts and He can also take them away when he needs to in order to ground you and bring you back to Him. Always give God's best and give Him all the glory. Thank Him everyday for the gifts He has given you.

Abigail's First Day of First Grade

So hard to believe that our little baby girl started first grade yesterday! She was so excited for school that she popped out of bed at 6 am....had her clothes on by 6:05...and completely ready for school by 7. An hour earlier than needed :) We will see how long that lasts. I am sure in a couple of weeks I will be pulling her out of bed by her toe nails, as she is a heavy sleeper. I took her to school on the first day because I wanted to see her classroom and meet her teacher. If given the choice, she probably would have chosen to ride the bus. Her teacher is Miss Hawk. Abigail had imagined she had short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and was about my size. When we met her, we found out, that she had long blonde hair and blue eyes. :) So, she was a little off. Four of Abigail's little girl friends from her room last year are in her room this year. Abigail was so excited about that! Abigail's best friend, Jenna, is in her room. They sat across the room from each other. Abigail sat down and starting working on the coloring sheet that Miss Hawk had on their desks for them to work on. The room was so quiet. I was filling out paper work. Then, Jenna, hollers across the room..."hey, Are you riding the bus home from school?" Abigail says back..."Yes, I think so!" So, I mark out car rider... (chuckling under my breath...is this the same child that just a year ago I had to convince her to ride the bus after a month of school???)....and change to bus rider on the form that I had just filled out for how she was to get home on the first day. Wow, she sure has grown up. So secure, so confident. She had a great first day. Loves her teacher and was up at 6 am again this morning :) Came home beaming after a second day. She was rewarded with some superstar award that she will get to retrieve a prize from a treasure chest tomorrow. She is pumped!! Enjoy the pics from the first day! :)

More Pictures from the Beach