Life with Nick, Jenny, Dalton & Macy

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-30T19:41:00.001-06:00

Family...

The Girls

The Boys

COUSINS!!

Matt & Dalton

My sweet Mommy and Me

My Love

Best Boys

...is EVERYTHING! I am so thankful for mine. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Be thankful for the special people in your life, and make sure to tell them once in a while!

Yum yum!!

2011-11-07T10:51:00.001-06:00

This is a new Shoffner family favorite. I thought I would share it now that soup/chili season is upon us. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does :)

TURKEY BLACK BEAN CHILI

Ingredients

1 package JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE® Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast

1 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, if desired

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, if desired

2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans of low sodium whole tomatoes, coursely chopped

1 (8 ounce) tomato sauce

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions: In a large stockpot, combine extra lean ground turkey breast, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño peppers, if desired, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, marjoram, and red pepper flakes, if desired. Cook turkey mixture as specified on the package. Always cook to well-done, 165°F as measured by a meat thermometer. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and cilantro. Cook 10 more minutes. Top with cheese. Makes about 10 cups.

The original recipe is from the Jennie-O website. You can find it here. I tweaked the recipe just a little. Instead of canned whole tomatoes, I used diced flavored with basil, garlic and oregano, and instead of one bell pepper, I used several small sweet peppers. (See Images)

I made the chili one morning before church. It took all of 20 minutes to throw together and only used ONE pot! Once it was cooked, I put it in the crock pot on low/warm and let it settle all day. The longer the flavors mixed, the tastier the chili became! It's fast, easy, delicious AND healthy. That's MY kind of chili!!

Neighborhood Snow Party

2011-01-09T16:11:00.001-06:00

The weatherman was RIGHT ON this time. He said we would wake up to rain and it would change over to snow around lunch time, and that is exactly what happened. I layed down for a nap at 11:30 and could hear the freezing rain tapping on the window. I woke up less than an hour later and looked out my window to see the ground covered in SNOW!! I could hear Macy saying "Brother, look outside! It's snowing, it's snowing!!" We spent several minutes with our noses pressed to the window watching it fall. Then we got our warmest clothes on and headed out to play.

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!

Then we met some neighbors at the park and had a snow party! We built snowmen, sledded, played football and had snowball fights. It was great fun!

Nick and Dalton making a snowman with their buddies.

Dalton and Ben sledding

More sledding...

Another snowball fight...

Dalton showing the snowman some love..

Me and my baby walking in a winter wonderland.

Here's to yet another new beginning...

2010-12-30T16:39:00.000-06:00

A new year is upon us yet again! I don't know about everyone else, but I am seriously ready for a fresh start. This year is sure to be a year of change for me and my little family. Some exciting change, some scary. Here are a few things we are anticipating this coming year...

Nick's business has done really well over the last couple of years. He has BIG things on the horizon for 2011. I am so proud of him and very excited for him. He has definitely worked hard and deserves everything that is coming his way.
I will be finishing my Teacher Certification program and becoming a certified, "highly-qualified" teacher. I am looking forward to this new journey in my life and the beginning of a rewarding career that I am extremely passionate about. I am scheduled to finish the program by the end of summer!
Speaking of end of summer...this year will be the year that Dalton goes to Kindergarten. I can hardly believe it! I have a serious lump in my throat just writing about it. I know he is ready and will absolutely LOVE it...he is a great little pre-schooler already. But I'm still sad my baby boy is big enough to be a Kindergartener.
Macy will turn 3 next Fall! She is growing up so fast and it's hard for me to believe she still has THREE more years before going to Kindergarten. I feel like she is ready NOW! We will definitely be enrolling her in a quality, full-time preschool once I start teaching full-time.

My hope is to keep the blog updated regularly this year...I truly want to document these (and many more) milesones in our lives. I hope you will check back often and that you will come to enjoy sharing in our ups & downs as we navigate through 2011.

Happy New Year and Many Blessings!!

Redecorating, Rearranging and Recommitting

2010-12-30T16:38:00.000-06:00

This time of year, I always get the bug to de-clutter my house. It just seems that with the influx of all new things at Christmas, I get the urge to purge out all the old crap. So I have spent the last couple of days doing just that...cleaning out drawers/closets/cabinets, and rearranging furniture to reflect the changes that will come with the new year. In the same spirit, I have decided to redecorate the blog and recommit myself to being better about posting updates...as I seem to do every year. Oh well! We shall see if it sticks this year or not.

What a Difference a Year Can Make!

2010-09-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

Second Annual Watching Party

Macy's head September 2009

Same head, one year later...

Family Vacation 2010

2010-09-11T18:19:00.000-05:00

My mom was wonderful enough to treat us to a trip to Florida over the summer! We spent a day playing at Coco Beach, where we got to visit with my sister and Chris, have lunch on the boardwalk, and splash in the waves. Then it was on to Orlando for a trip to Disney World! Both kids were so excited about going to "Mickey's Castle" (as they like to call it). Dalton rode everything he was tall enough to ride and wasn't scared of a thing. Macy, on the other hand, was terrified of everything! I really don't blame her a bit. That place would have scared me to death when I was little, too. I was never a fan of large, unruly crowds or life-sized characters walking around and shaking hands ~ always seemed a little creepy to me. But I digress...

We spent one day altogether at Magic Kingdom, then the second day Macy and Nick had a daddy/daughter day playing mini-golf and swimming while Dalton, Nana and I returned to the park for more fun. Our last night in Orlando, Nick and I got to have a date at House of Blues..had a wonderful meal followed by some great live music and drinks on the back porch..now that's MY kind of date! It was a perfect trip filled with so many sweet memories. Thank you, Nana. YOU'RE THE BEST!!

The kids carried their own weight through the airport. They were SOOOO excited!!

Both kids did great on the plane...

Aunt Karen and Macy playing in the sand...

Macy with Chris and Christy...

Daddy and Dalton

Dalton with a little girlfriend he made on the beach...

Macy

Having lunch next to "Mickey's Castle"

TEACUPS!!!!

Dalton loving every minute...

The fun didn't stop at Disney. Our room was a lot of fun, too!

Nana and Dalton

Finding time just to sit and be a family...

Nana and Dalton at the gates...Day 2

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR RIDE!!!

Dalton's first roller coaster experience. We rode it twice back to back.

Lunch...Day 2

Okay, so he was a little scared on the Pirates of the Carribean

Meeting Frontier Donald

Finishing off the day with a Mickey shaped ice-cream!!

All tuckered out after day 2...

Meanwhile, Macy was chilling at the pool with Dad

DATE NIGHT @ H.O.B

Wedding Bells are Ringing!!

2010-07-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

My little cousin Tyler got married last weekend, and he and his bride asked Dalton and Macy to be the ring bearer and flower girl! The wedding was such a sweet time and we all enjoyed the evening so much. Unfortunately, my camera battery died very early in the night, so I only have a few pictures to share.

Macy doing her toes in preparation for the big night

A few of my Ackely cousins

She sure did love that cupcake!

Travis and Dalton

Aunt Karen and Macy

My little sweetie-pies!

Our family

My baby sister is getting married!!!

2010-05-24T15:36:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to share that my baby sister, Christy is getting married at the end of the summer! We are in the process of planning a beautful, semi-destination wedding in Enchanted Rock, TX (near Fredricksburg). There will be plenty of pictures to share after the wedding...Congratulations Chris & Christy!!

Happy Easter!!

2010-05-10T13:57:00.015-05:00

Dalton is FOUR!!

2010-05-02T13:57:00.055-05:00

Unbelievable how the time flies! I can not believe my little nugget-head is a four year old kid. He is such a big boy now...not a baby, not a toddler, and quickly outgrowing the "preschooler" title. It's hard to believe that in less than a year from now I'll be registering him for kindergarten.

Dalton had a wonderful birthday this year! We got a Batman bounce house here at home and he had all his friends and cousins over to go nuts in it all day. Unfortunately, Dalton is going through a bit of a phase (I hope it's just a phase) where he is obsessed with UFC and wrestling. So he treats a bounce house like a cage or a ring and unleashes the fury on his playmates. HE had a great time. I can't speak for the other poor kids who probably just wanted to jump around and go crazy without getting choked out. Oh well...

Dalton and my little cousin, Traci share a birthday. So we started his birthday celebration with Traci and Aunt Karen @ Ghengis Grill

Korbin and Dalton @ OTB for his birthday dinner

Dalton and some of the fam

Nana and Macy sharing a piece of Bubby's birthday cake

Party Day!!

(It was a super hero theme)

Macy with Grandad Pete

We had a little plumbing issue as the guests began to arrive, but sweet Nick had it all worked out before the party was in full swing.

Macy enjoying the contents of her goody bag

The Cake

After Dalton blew out the candles, he went straight to presents and back outside. So I don't have pictures of him eating his cake. But Macy was happy to provide me with a photo op.

Happy Birthday, sweet Dalton. I love you.

Random Nights Out

2010-05-01T13:57:00.002-05:00

Nick and I are pretty low-key most of the time. We enjoy having people over to our house to grill, watch UFC, etc, and of course we love our date nights! But we rarely get out for a night on the town with our friends, so when we do it's kind of a big deal. We've had a few fun nights out in the past couple of months that are definitely worth a mention.

The Outer Marker

Ahhh, our old home-away-from-home. Nick and I used to frequent this hole-in-the-wall sports bar/karaoke joint. We went back in March with some of my cousins and Bro & SIL to celebrate my cousin Tyler getting engaged! We stayed out way too late and had to drive home in the snow, but it was a wonderful time. Congratulations, Tyler and Sara...CHEERS!!

Me & my Love

Mike trying to get the crowd moving on the dance floor...

...it worked!

My cousin Liz and Steven

My cousin Kristen, Tyler's fiance Sara, and my SIL Rachel

Girls Night Out!!

I actually got out for a girls' night with my SIL Jammi and BFF Devon. We went to Hank's to see Charlie Robison. I couldn't "hang" as long as they could, but I still had a great time AND made it to church with my family the next morning...yay me!

Devon, me and Jammi

REK @ Billy Bob's Texas

Everyone who crammed in the Tahoe for the drive to Ft. Worth...thanks for the ride, Palmers!

Me and Nick

Me and Mikey

Me and Rach

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

2010-03-30T16:54:00.001-05:00

It was our first full winter back in North Texas and what a winter we had! We had FOUR kind of significant snow events. I can not explain how excited all four of us were every single time it snowed. All I know is that, if we had still lived in Houston while DFW was experiencing all the beautiful snow, I would have cried...every time. We had some pretty good snow at the beginning of Decemeber, then again on Christmas Eve! I don't remember if that's ever happened before in my lifetime. It made for an extra special Christmas (but that's for another post!). The other two times were mid-February and March. It was cold, and messy, but so much fun and absolutely breathtaking to look at.

Nick and Macy - the first snow

Dalton

Light snow dusting our backyard

Heavy snow on our backyard

Front yard

Macy loving the snow!

Dalton and Daddy bulding a Snowman

Our Snowman! (and yes, those are poker chips for eyes)

Our Winter Wonderland of a street

Home from Paradise

2010-03-09T13:41:00.000-06:00

So after all the drama and hype over a tsunami that never came, Nick and I enjoyed the remainder of our vacation in paradise. We stayed at the Four Seasons in Maui, and needless to say, everything there was absolutely perfect. For those of you who watch Modern Family it is where they stayed when they went on vacation in last week's episode! That was so much fun to watch!!

Our week-long getaway came to an end all too soon, and it was back to the real world in the blink of an eye.

Hawaii

2010-02-27T13:11:00.001-06:00

After waiting almost five years for a vacation together, Nick and I finally made it to Maui. Kid free with five star accomodations for a whole week! Yesterday was our first full day. We enjoyed a catamaran cruise on a brand new sailboat to a private reef. We snorkeled, lunched and took in the sun and the breathtaking views. In the afternoon, we went to visit a friend who works at a nearby resort where we enjoyed delicious cuisine and very fun fruity drinks out of coconuts and pinapples. We ended the day with cocktails on the lawn at sunset and a delicious meal on the beach. It has been perfect so far.

Until this morning. I turned on my phone as soon as I woke up, which was about 5 am local time. I wanted to call my mom and talk to my babies. I immediately saw a text message from a friend saying she heard of a tsunami headed our way. About 5 minutes later we heard the sirens. We've received word from the resort security staff that a tsunami is, in fact headed to the islands and it is expected to be a significant event. We have been told to stay in our room until further notice. We have received an outpouring of concern from our friends, mostly through Facebook, since our cell phone reception is already getting bad.

I've posted some pictures of our time here so far. I hope to be able to post again later today, but we have no way of knowing what kind of access we will have to phones and internet after the tsunami hits. Thank you for the prayers. We are praying here, too and wish we could find a few other Believers here to pray with. It is comforting to know how many of you are out there praying. We love you all and hope to see you all very soon.

At dinner our first night in Maui

View of the resort pool and lawn area

The boat we went out on for whale watching and snorkeling

Where we will be sitting to watch Tommy Tsunami

The view from our room at 8:00AM Local time on Sat. February 27th...waiting on Tommy Tsunami

We will be updating on the blog and Facebook as we are able to. Our love to you all.

Christmas 2009

2010-02-17T13:57:00.001-06:00

Better late than never, I always say...especially when it comes to blog posts. Here is a little recap of our Christmas this year:

Christmas Eve
It snowed, and snowed this year on Christmas Eve!! We spent the day in McKinney with Nick's family. It was a lovely mix of last minute shopping and lazing around watching Christmas movies. Dalton and his cousin Korbin both got four-wheelers from Nana and Papa, and they had an absolute blast driving those things in the snow!! We had an unconventional, but festive Christmas (Eve) dinner at Dos Charros - no complaints here :) By nighttime, the snow had turned into ice and freezing rain, but we all braved the weather and attended Christmas Eve service at our church. Then we hurried home to our jammies and cozy beds so that Santa wouldn't pass us by...

Christmas Morning!!!

The Day After Christmas a.k.a. "The After Party"

The kids continued to enjoy their four wheelers from Nana and Pop. We all had a nice big fancy meal hosted at our house this year! Then the adults had lots of laughs playing Trivial Pursuit (battle of the sexes) and taking turns at karaoke in the living room.

A birds-eye view

Chris and Christy

Our good buddy James

Sibling Karaoke

Chris and Frankie - our guests of honor

Sweet Nana...the Cleaning Fairy

Keeton, Me and Christy...working hard in the kitchen

Macy enjoyed all the costume changes she had over these three days. But I think this dress was her favorite!

What would family pictures be without someone closing their eyes? It was my boys this time.

Macy's Progress Report

2010-02-01T13:14:00.002-06:00

My sweet little Macy is 15 months old now! She is so amazing and is doing sooo much that I just had to post about it so that I will remember it. So here we go...

Stuff Macy is Doing:

Running. The walking started several months ago. Now she runs, and has this little gallop that she does, too.

Jumping. On the bed, on a trampoline...anywhere she can get some spring.

Climbing. Enough said!

Eating. All solid food. Even though she only has two teeth in her head, she can eat anything you put in front of her. Chicken, veggies, fruit, cheese...you name it! AND she uses a fork and spoon like that's the way it's always been.

Hugs & Kisses. Although she doesn't hand them out to just anybody, she is very huggy and kissy when she wants to be!

Counting. She can count to 4!

Dancing...and trying to sing :)

Talking...a LOT. Which brings me to...

Stuff Macy is Saying: I know I will leave something out. She has a vocabulary like I've never seen on a 15 month old! Here are a few things that come to mind.

Foods: Hot dog, cookie, cheese, water, milk, juice, pancake, berry, waffle, poptart, pizza, chicken, chip, beans, taco, apple, banana, peas, sip, bite.

People: Mommy, Daddy, Bubba/Dalton, Shuggie (that's what she calls herself now), Nana, Pop, Pete, Mike, Nolan, Paypay, Coco, Korby, Jammi/Jaime, KP, Angie, Hannah, Ava, Beau, Bexley.

Girly/Baby Stuff: Baby, bow, brush, clippy, pretty, bath, blanky, paci, diaper, poop, book.

Body parts: Eyes, nose, ears, mouth (as she points to each on herself or someone else), toes, hair.

Animals & Sounds: Doggy, cow(and moo), chicken(and bockbock), duck(and quack), kitty-cat, birdies, monkey(and oohoohaahaah).

Other: Cold, hot, Hi, cars, please, thank you, here you go, NO, yes, more, all done, Bible, sing, jump, walk, sit, chair, computer (sort of), work, outside, night night, good morning, 1, 2, 3, 4, Help, socks, shoes, Shaggy (from Scooby-Doo).

One thing she won't do most of the time is perform. She seems to be showing signs of shyness, which we didn't really experience with Dalton at this stage. She is very smiley :) and doesn't usually get too upset, probably because she's so good at communicating what she wants and therefore doesn't often get frustrated.

She LOVES her big brother so much, but it's pretty clear that her Daddy is her favorite person in the world.

All in all, she is COMPLETE and total delight, and gets cuter and smarter every day!!

Dalton at 3 (and a half)

2009-11-16T12:14:00.006-06:00

Dalton recently had his very first school pictures made. Of course they turned out beautifully and I LOVE them...but it made me a little nostalgic. So I've decided I really need to be better about recording the wonderful, everyday, little things he says and does, so that I will always remember them.

Truths about Dalton

He absolutely adores his grandparents. ALL of them! Both Nanas, Poppy, Grandad and Grandma. If it were up to him, he'd be with one or all of them all the time. It makes Nick and me so proud to see the joy on his face (and theirs) whenever they're together.

He loves school! He refers to his teachers as "Aunt" Jenna, "Aunt" Lisa and "Aunt" Amy. I've tried explaining to him that not every grown woman who helps care for him is his aunt, but that doesn't matter to him. Any pretty, fun and cool lady that seems to be a friend of ours is his Aunt in his mind.
He says the Pledge of Allegiance better than any three-year-old I've ever met.
He loves to sing, Sing, SING! Especially Christmas songs and songs about Jesus.
He has too many friends for me to keep track of! He knows them by name and when/where he gets to play with them. And he always asks me, "will you call (insert friend of the hour here)'s mommy and ask if he can come over to my house and play"?
When there is no one around to play with, he plays with imaginary versions of his real life friends.
He loves to play pretend and dress up in superhero costumes.
His favorite shows are: Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, and Home Alone (the movie)
He has about 10 stuffed animals that he MUST snuggle every night.
He loves to talk to God, and his prayers make me teary...they're so sweet and genuine.
He shares his eating habits with his Daddy.
He is going to be one heck of a salesman one day! He already has some serious powers of pursuasion.
He is the happiest little boy I've ever known!
He gives the best hugs and kisses :)

From the Mouth of My Sweet Babe

While watching a commercial for a Cinderella castle toy, Dalton said to me, 'Mommy, I want to be just like that prince so I can ride on a horse and rescue the beautiful princess'. I know honey, but my heart aches at the thought of that right now.

While on the phone with Nick, I told him there was no way I could go to the store because things were just too hectic at the moment. Dalton asked, "Mommy, why can't you go to the store? Is it because the kids are crabby and you're crabby?". So insightful!

Macy is ONE!

2009-11-14T07:28:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday Macy!!

Macy turned one and we had a great little party here at the house for her. I'll let HER tell you all about it...

All my cousins and friends came over to play with me for my birthday!

My Bubba is my favorite kid in the world!

Me with my big cousins

My beautiful Aunties!

My Daddy and Uncles...aren't they handsome?

Everyone sang Happy Birthday to me! Then it was time for me to eat my cake :)

I ate...

...and ate...

....and ATE!

Next, I had to take a bath because I had cake ALL over me!

That's okay though, I like baths.

Everyone doted on me some more (I love that!)

And I got to open all my presents!

It was MY day, and it sure was a good one!

Thank you to everyone who came to my party. I had such a fun time!
Hugs and Kisses,
Macy

The Heartbreak Starts Early (aka My Sensitive Little Girl)

2009-09-29T13:06:00.001-05:00

Not so sure sharing my ball was a good idea. Come on Ava, throw it back....

Oh no she didn't, she better get back here.

Mommy, she took my ball :(

Cowboy Season is here...and we're ready!

2009-09-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Macy would like to thank her Kousin Korbin for the hand-me-down Romo jersey

First watching party of the season

I love this picture of the back of Macy's head...not sure why, maybe it's the curls :)

Dalton's First Day of School

2009-09-15T17:15:00.002-05:00

Dalton started pre-school this year!! YEA!!! He's loving it so far and Macy and I are really enjoying our "girls only" time a couple days a week.

Dalton could hardly wait for his fist day of school. And he figured if he's big enough to go to school, he's big enough to sit in the front seat. Sorry, Buddy. I'm pretty sure with the new traffic laws in Texas you can't sit in the front until you hit puberty.

Dalton and his kousin Korbin - they're already embarrased by Mom taking pictures on the first day of school.

Saying good-bye to baby sister

Daddy about to lose it as he says good-bye to his big boy

Dalton in his class, telling me all about how much fun he's going to have...poor kid in the background isn't so sure!

Dalton's Heart Surgery...

2009-09-14T16:42:00.004-05:00

...was a success!!

Here are a couple of pictures of my brave little man on the big day. I won't say we weren't scared to death for a few hours. And the procedure ended up being a little more complicated than originally anticipated. BUT - the doctors were wonderful, Dalton was so brave and cooperative, and Nick & I were surrounded by our loving friends and family. The doctors fully believe Dalton's condition has been cured...PTL!!

LOVING the train exhibit at Children's Hospital

Having a heart-to-heart before checking in for surgery

After surgery, enjoying a quesadilla with Daddy

Nana, Liz and Steven come to visit and bring PRESENTS!!

Pine Cove 2009

2009-09-14T16:12:00.002-05:00

The weekend before Dalton's heart surgery, we took him to see his cousin "Little Rascal" at Pine Cove. Little Rascal (that is his camp name) is the worship leader there in the summer and Dalton thinks he is one of the coolest guys in the world. It was a lot of fun for all of us. We certainly are proud to call that Little Rascal "family"!

Future Pine Cove Counselor?

Setting boundaries for the blog

2009-09-14T15:37:00.004-05:00

I recently decided to take a break from blogging. Not sure if this was really a choice, or just the result of something having to "give" with all the demands of life. After my sabbatical, I have decided to return. But I will not be writing much. The purpose of this blog is to share pictures and brief stories so that our friends and family can keep up with us, no matter where they live. That has always been its purpose, so I am trying to prioritize it appropriately.

I'm sure I will miss a lot of important events and I'll probably get really far behind sometimes. And my blog will not be the wittiest, prettiest or most interesting to most. That's because this blog is not for most. It's for those who don't care how often it is updated, or made-over. But it is for those who love me and my family enough to appreciate the updates, however few and far between they may be. Those people understand that the time I am NOT spending working on the blog, I AM spending loving and caring for my precious babies and wonderful husband. If the blog ever becomes a distraction that causes me to be a poor steward of my time again...it is history!

Random Summer Snapshots

2009-07-31T22:18:00.007-05:00

Nana & Macy

Bat/Super/Spider Dalton

Everyone is happiest when Daddy is home!

My little Cowgirl

Fourth of July Cutie-pie

Grandad Pete and Dalton

May & June 2009

2009-07-14T15:48:00.007-05:00

May 2009 included:

A quick trip to Denver to surprise Lisa for her birthday
Immediately followed by a quick trip to Childress for Mother's Day
A couple of weekend pool parties, including a pretty big blow-out for Memorial Day

Happy Birthday, LISA!!!

Dalto & Korb runnin' crazy in Childress...staying true to their roots!

Can't believe this is the only picture I have from Memorial Day weekend. It was a good time! Great friends, family and BBQ. And this sweet little girl deserves the spotlight. So here she is...

And then it was June. Not much to post for that month. It was crazy, hectic. Lots of work, very little play. And then came JULY!

April 2009

2009-07-14T15:35:00.005-05:00

April 2009...

Dalton turned 3!! We had a Scooby-Doo themed party and heated up the pool for some pre-season swimming fun! Nana & Papa came in town and Dalton got to celebrate with all of his cousins and grandparents. We would have had the whole family there had it not been for NASCAR being in town :) Next year we'll be sure to schedule the party around it! (Love you, Palmers)

Pay-pay and Woody

Dalton's new castle

The Monday after Dalton's party, Nick's mom fell and broke her leg while visiting us and Jammi's family here in McKinney. It was a pretty bad break that landed her in the hospital for several days and required surgery. She was in the hospital on Easter Sunday, so we went to visit her after church...

Dalton & Papa at the hospital

The rest of April was spent working hard and not playing near enough. But it went by super fast and all of a sudden...it was May!

Turning 30

2009-07-14T14:56:00.005-05:00

February 2009 - I said good-bye to my 20's. Nick and I got many of our favorite people together at our favorite little karaoke joint and had a blast! I do not recall too much from that night, ONLY because it was 5 months ago and a whole lot has happend since then ;)But judging by the picutres, I'd say we had a pretty good time...

Me with my siblings

My sweet friend Carly who drove up from Houston for the celebration

Wenders and Me

Me, Devon and Shelly

Shelly, her "girls" and me

Amy, Me and Devon

My brother and sister doing a duet

Me with my sweet sisters!

The ladies - tearin' it up!

No idea what's going on here...

Goin' low

Thank God Amy knew the words!

Back to the work that matters

2009-07-14T14:10:00.004-05:00

So...Going back to work full-time didn't exactly turn out like I expected. Out of respect for the company and individuals who are still employed there, I won't go into details. Instead I will just say that it was NOT a healthy environment for me to be in and I had to make a decision that wasn't easy financially, but was the absolute best decision for me and my family. So I am back at home with the kids full time. This is my second week back on the job as a SAHM of 2 and so far, so good. As with any adjustment it has been a little challenging, but that is to be expected with changing circumstances. We're working on finding our groove and getting into a routine that works for all of us, and we'll get there. And I'm sure just as soon as we do, there will be another something that comes along that takes some getting used to. Seems that's just the way life these days. Never a dull moment! I am hoping that I can get back to blogging more regularly now that I have more time to do the things (like blogging) that I enjoy.

Dalton is scheduled for his heart surgery the first week in August, so the blog will certainly come in handy then to keep everyone informed on how that all goes. Nick and I are very comfortable with the cardiologist and have complete peace about the upcoming procedure.

Macy is doing so well and will have her 9 month check up in a couple of weeks...hard to believe! She is crawling all over the place and is pulling up and cruising along furniture! I am terrified that she will be walking soon. She already keeps us on our toes, not sure I'm ready for TWO walkers around here!

We are all LOVING our house AND the pool. Nick has been working hard on all the little projects we have set out to complete and we spend just about every weekend cooking out and enjoying the pool. The best part about living here again is that we get to see our dear friends and family so much. My brother and his family have been over at least once a month to enjoy the Saturday fiestas here. They along with a handful of close friends have become the "regulars" around here on the weekends. And we LOVE it...did I already mention that?

Dalton could stay in the water all day if we let him. He can swim the entire length of the pool! He swim, swim, swims, then lifts his head for a breath and swim, swim, swims some more until he makes it all the way. And he gets super mad if I get worried an help him out with a little nudge to get him to the other side faster. He insists on going all the way back and starting over to prove to me (and himself) that he can do it all by himself. I am completely amazed by (and incredibly proud of) that little man every day. Shuggie* is getting pretty comfortable in the water too, but she tires out pretty fast.

*Shuggie is Macy's nickname, in case you missed it from Nick's previous post.

Nana has been a very regular presence in our home, and Aunt Karen enjoys coming out to see the kids and relax by the pool, too. Dad & Deb make it over about once a month, and we have a full schedule this month of out-of-town guests coming to stay. It is so wonderful to have a home that people enjoy visiting. Of course, none of it would matter a bit without having the love of my life to share it all with. Nick and I are truly living our dream...it's amazing to me and I feel so blessed!

Now - on to playing catch-up on my posting. Pretty sure I have to go all the way back to February. Better get to work!

9 Pictures = 9000 Words...isn't that how the saying goes?

2009-04-27T22:50:00.003-05:00

...And man am I tired from all that typing!

Updates

2009-04-09T21:21:00.004-05:00

Dalton - Just turned 3! I can hardly believe what a grown kid he is now. He has completely given up blankey and pacifier - a HUGE feat, and I am so proud of how well he is handling it. Especially given all the major change he's been through since becoming a big brother. Next is potty training. I learned from some old pros that the way to do it with boys is to wait for summer. Put underwear on him and nothing else. They say it will take several accidents and 3 days to a week of undying patience, but then it's done...IF the kid is really ready physically, psychologically AND emotionally. So that's the plan. The goal is to have the potty training done before Dalton has his heart surgery.

He saw his new cardiologist here in Plano last week. Looks like his surgery will be scheduled for sometime mid-summer. More details on that as the date approaches. Dalton has really enjoyed spending his days at Aunt Jammi's house while Nick and I go off to work. Dalton and Korbin are absolutely crazy together and it is so much fun to watch. They are really more like brothers than cousins. I am so happy they have each other

Macy - Is almost 6 months old. She sits up on her own and is trying to figure the crawling thing out, but that's a little slow going. She is still sleeping a solid 12 hours at night! We are so blessed with her being such a great sleeper. She shows an enormous interest in "real" food and completely attacks the spoon even if it's just holding oatmeal. She gets so excited when she smells dinner cooking, even though she never gets any...poor thing. She is a big, strong, healthy girl. And (thanks to daily breathing treatments) her lungs are getting stronger and clearer every day. Macy loves giving kisses...she gives such sweet kisses, and she is so smiley all the time. She has a beautiful smile and a contagious little laugh already. Her personality is a lot like Dalton's, but she doesn't have near the temper he did at her age. Overall, she is just perfect and just a joyful addition to our family.

Nick - Bless his heart. He works his tail off. Between his job, helping around the house now that I am back at work, picking up kids, worrying about everybody and everything...I'm afraid we've given him quite a bit of gray lately. I feel so blessed and lucky that he is my husband. It is so honorable (and rare!) that he puts nothing in this world before his family.

Nick's mom, Sarah, fell and broke her leg this past Monday. It happened here in McKinney at Jammi's house. It turned out to be a pretty serious break that took 3 hours of surgery, a rod and screws to fix. Since the surgery, she has had one complication after the next from fever to apnea to pneumonia to a blood clot in her lung. She has had a rough week and will continue to remain in the hospital here until she is well enough to be moved to the hospital in Childress to continue inpatient care and therapy there. Your prayers are coveted for her speedy and full recovery.

Jenny - As for me: I am enjoying work, loving my house more and more with every little project that gets done, absolutely adoring my amazing husband and precious children, and not getting near enough rest. I'm afraid the blog has been the first thing to "go" since starting my new schedule.

For the first time in a very LONG time, I am too busy living life to stop down and write about it. Which reminds me - I totally intend on posting a whole bunch of pictures very soon. I have pics from my birthday party back in February, as well as Dalton's party last weekend, and of course a bunch of random shots taken of the little ones recently. Maybe I'll take some time over the weekend to get those posted...maybe.

Slowing down long enough to hurry up and reflect

2009-03-28T13:11:00.002-05:00

It started in October...

...I have a baby GIRL! We're moving. I let somebody down. I realize how quickly our country is headed to Hell in a hand-basket. LOVE the new house. It breaks my heart to say good-bye to my friends. Happy Thanksgiving. I let somebody down. My Jeep is broken and we're stranded in the middle of nowhere. Moving sucks. I miss my babies. Macy seems to be getting sick. Macy is very very sick. Trying really hard to see God. My house is still in boxes, my baby girl is in ICU, my little boy is so resilient. No furniture. The pool needs help. I let somebody down. No time or money to buy Christmas presents, but somehow it gets done. Macy comes home just in time for Christmas. My house is still in boxes and everyone is here for Christmas. Nick gets sick, on Christmas, so I play hostess alone. Happy New Year? I let somebody down. What happened to Aunt Marsha? She's gone...so suddenly. Wish I made it to Oklahoma more. Meemaw is getting worse, Grandad too. Money is getting tighter and tighter. I need a job. In this market? I let somebody down. I find a job. How am I going to leave my babies everyday? I just turned 30. It was so nice to feel so loved and to see my dear friends...what a party. Macy gets sick so much. Off to work, and again, I let somebody down. Nick is out of town. Breakfast, baths, get dressed, out the door to Jammi's, work work work, back to Jammi's for the kids, home, dinner, pjs, prayers and lullabys, good-night. Lather, rinse, repeat. Nick is back. I'm too tired to talk, but welcome home. Meemaw just passed away. What a beautiful legacy she leaves behind. I wish it didn't take a funeral to get us all together, seems that's just how it goes. Back to work, Nick gone and back again. And again...I let somebody down...

...and the story never ends

Shuggie Shoffner 4 month well baby check up

2009-03-11T10:46:00.009-05:00

Today was our sweet little princess's 4 month well baby check up, and all is well. They called it her 4 month check up, but in my mind she is 20 weeks old and 20 divided by 4 makes her 5 months. She was born on the 20th of Oct. so they said she is not technically 5 month until the 20th of this month, makes her 4 1/2 months. Ok. On to the stats. Our little girl is 25 3/4 inches long (83%), she weighed in at 18.5 lbs (98%) wow, and has the head circumference of 16.5 inches (49%). She also is now developmentally as far along as a 7 1/2 month old baby. Our baby is as SMART as she is BEAUTIFUL, she got that from her mom. It is so amazing watching our little family grow. The time has went by so quick. Dalton is now almost three and is completely into Scooby Doo. Anything Scooby Doo. I am not sure if anyone remembers but from 1988-1991 there was a spin off of Scooby Doo called A Pup named Scooby Doo, and that is where the title of this post came from. In A Pup named Scooby Doo, all of the Scooby Doo gang are kiddos. Shaggy has a little sister named Shuggie and that is where our little Macy got her nickname. Dalton runs around the house singing Scooby Dooby Doo all the time and calls his little sister Shuggie so it has kind of stuck. Since I never post on the blog, I would say this is a pretty long one for me so i will wrap it up with a couple more pic's of these two little miracles.

Some Beautiful Pics...Courtesy of JDP Photography

2009-03-04T09:53:00.002-06:00

My amazing SIL has been taking care of my babies since I returned to work. It makes it so much easier for me to be away from my sweeties knowing that they are in the BEST possible hands they can be in. Jammi goes above and beyond for Dalton and Macy...even so far as to take beautiful pictures during their time with her. I just wanted to share a few. Thanks Jammi!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

2009-02-17T20:23:00.003-06:00

Mom,

Sending hugs, kisses and lots of birthday love your way today!

Happy Birthday...I love you!!!

Back to Work!

2009-02-17T20:09:00.002-06:00

Well, I did it...I got a job! A really, really great job that I am very excited about. Of course, adjusting to not being with my precious babies 24/7 will take some time, but I am confident that it will prove to be a positive thing - for ALL of us.

The company is young, and fairly small, but is doing BIG and exciting things. It is called LIT Surgical and I will be on the Sales and Marketing team as the Customer Service Coordinator. This is a really great opportunity that I feel so blessed and lucky to have found. I actually responded to their ad for an Office Assistant/Admin. position. I didn't get that job, but the one I did get is a much better fit for me and will be stimulating and challenging and will offer me room to grow professionally, which I am very excited about!

On a side note - thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday yesterday! I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of birthday wishes and I had an absolutely perfect day...thanks to my amazing husband and my sweet, wonderful mom! I only wish I didn't have to be 30, but oh well! I'll still try to claim 26...at least for a couple more years :)

Breaking his Mom's heart

2009-02-11T13:21:00.002-06:00

Dalton was just telling me a story and he kept mentioning his "girlfriend". So I asked him..."just who is this girlfriend and where did you meet her?" He said, "I don't know who she is, I just met her at McDonalds".

I think that's the kid version of picking up a girl at a bar.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

What's new?

2009-02-07T08:54:00.003-06:00

So I have found zero time to blog lately, as I have found all of my spare time eaten up by Facebook. In the last couple of weeks we've had a lot happen around here...

...Angie, Travis and the girls came for a visit!
...I have been interviewing for a job and it looks like I will be back to work before the end of the month!
...Macy & Dalton have both caught a nasty little cold and are both well on the road to recovery.
...because the kids have been sick, we don't leave the house much so we're all getting cabin fever pretty bad!
...we filed our taxes and are actually not hating the IRS this year.
...breathing treatments, breathing treatments, and more breathing treatments.
...I really really need to take more pictures.
...Buffett concert dates announced for 2009! Yea...can't wait!!

So a lot is happening, now and in the near future. Wish I could find more time to blog, but my kids have sure been appreciating the attention they get when I'm not blogging :)

Girls' Night Out!

2009-01-23T07:20:00.006-06:00

The one thing still tying me to The Woodlands (other than my sweet friends there) is the fact that my orthodontist is there and I am still using Invisilign to straighten out my teeth. So I had an appointment on Wednesday and arranged to meet up with the girls while I was down there for a little quality bonding time. At first, I had planned to go alone and spend the night in a hotel...have a nice 24 hour vacation. BUT - Nick had a last minute appointment in Spring, so we loaded up the kids and the four of us made the trek together. Jammi was sweet enough to look after Joey while we were gone...thanks Jammi! We REALLY don't know what we'd do without you!!

It was such a treat to have a GNO in the middle of the week, and with some of the sweetest friends in the world. Love you girls...thanks again for such a great night. We'll do it again real soon!

The whole gang, from left: Karyn, Carly, Me, Teri and Angie

Ange & Me

Me & Carly

Karyn, Teri, Angie and Me

Karyn - diggin' the Taylor Swift I played for her on the high-tech jukebox
Angie, Teri & Me

I'm Back!

2009-01-16T13:07:00.010-06:00

Sorry for the extended sabbatical from blogging. Once we got Macy home and well, and survived Christmas & New Years, tragedy struck our family yet again. My dear Aunt Marsha passed away suddenly last week after a massive stroke. She was my Daddy's only sibling and so incredibly loved by our whole family. We spent a few days in Oklahoma City for her services and to spend time with our family. Now we are home again, and although our lives must go on, the sadness remains and is so real.

Aunt Marsha & Gaylord last Thanksgiving

While in OKC, we got to spend some time catching up with my siblings and their significant others. That time was so wonderful for all of us to have, I just hate that it was under such sad circumstances.

Dalton and Macy are doing great. Macy is now seeing a Pulmonologist as her lungs still struggle to completely recover from her illness. She is on multiple medications and will receive monthly shots to help keep her healthy and RSV-free for the rest of cold & flu season.

Nick is enjoying his work and is slowly (but surely) finding the balance between work and home, which is not easy to do when you work out of your home! He's doing amazing and I am so proud of him.

After three years of full-time Mommy duty I feel like it's time for me to return to work. So, despite the job market being difficult to break into at this time, I am job hunting! There's no way I could even THINK about going back to work full-time if it weren't for the WONDERFUL child care provider we have. Jammi is like a back-up Mommy to my kiddos and I know they will love their time with her. Don't know what we'd do without you, James!!

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. Kind of random, but that's been our life lately...

Keeton & Me

The whole gang (minus Christy)

Nick and Rachel expressing their love for each other through modern dance.
The boys...just doing what they do.
The girls...being completely sweet and appropriate :)
Jamie & Brent
Me & Nick
The whole gang (minus Christy)...don't we clean up nice?

Grammy, Grandad Bill and Macy
Macy & Grammy
Macy trying out tummy time

My sweeties...and Joey's tail

Macy is home, healthy and HAPPY!

2008-12-29T13:51:00.006-06:00

Big brother is happy to have her home too. She pulled through and proved what a little fighter she is. We are so humbled and honored at all the prayers that have been sent up for her over the last few weeks. Who knew that such a common virus could be so dangerous? I've learned of so many little ones lately who are battling with RSV. The ERs seem to be very fickle with how they handle this illness. If you have a little one who you think might have RSV, don't relent with their medical care...get a second opinion if you're not satisfied with the first. Macy went from fine, to bad, to worse, to complete respiratory failure in a 48 hour period. RSV is aggressive and can be FATAL!! Trust your Mommy insticts and get the care you little one needs no matter what...they are counting on you to stand in the gap for them. I really can't help but think that the mass recall of ALL infant decongestants has a direct link to the increase in severe RSV cases among infants. I wish I were a medical researcher...I'd be very interested to know if there is a statistical correlation. If anyone has done any type of study on this topic, I'd love to hear about your findings!

Macy - Monday Morning

2008-12-22T07:39:00.001-06:00

Macy had a great night for her first night in a regular room. She hasn't been on any oxygen since yesterday morning and she has been bottle feeding throughout the night. The only "drug" she's still getting is Tylenol. The nurse from the night shift thinks there is a good chance she could go home TODAY!!

Last night as I held Macy and fed her, my prayer was that God's will be done for her. He has been so good and faithful to us throughout this whole ordeal. I prayed for patience and energy as I committed the timing of going home to Him. His timing is perfect...not the doctors' and not mine. So although every fiber of my being wanted to pray for her to go home today, I did not. But God is so good. He loves sweet Macy even more than I can. I thanked Him for trusting me with her precious little life and for the privelege of being her Mommy. I know I keep repeating myself, but I just can not thank all of you enough for your faithfulness in praying for Macy's recovery.

As I reflect back on the last 2 weeks, I am amazed at what she has overcome. She was basically in a medically induced coma for 11 days while her tiny body fought off this nasty and aggressive virus. When the nurses on this floor learned that she was on the breathing tube for 11 days, they all said what a strong and lucky little girl she is that she pulled through. I guess in my head I knew that there was a chance she wouldn't win her battle with RSV, but my heart never accepted that as a possibility. With the peace and strength that only comes from God, and with the blessing of having support from all of you, we have emerged from this battle victorious!

God bless you all!

My New Favorite Christmas Song

2008-12-20T17:53:00.002-06:00

I've always liked this song, but now it has new, special meaning to me. Love it...

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me.
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree.

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love-light gleams.
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams.

SATURDAY!!!

2008-12-20T10:24:00.002-06:00

Macy is off the ventilator and Nick and I have been holding her since we got here this morning. We hope to be in a regular room tomorrow and home by Christmas Eve. I will post pictures and elaborate when we move to a room. For now I'm going to go enjoy snuggling by sweet baby girl. Thank you for all the love, prayers, support and encouragement. You are all such a blessing to me and I appreciate you all more than I can express. Hugs and Kisses...Jenny

Macy - Thursday/Friday AM

2008-12-19T07:04:00.002-06:00

Macy had a great day and night. They have taken her off of the sedation drip completely so she in no longer completely asleep all the time. When she is awake she is very calm, although there is a very concerned and confused look on her face at times. She has been on such heavy sedation for so long that it is just taking some time for her to adjust to the awake world again. Her lungs are continuing to stregthen and her vent was turned down significantly overnight. When I left the hospital last night, it was set aon 18 - where it has been for the past couple of days. They can only turn it down 2 settings at a time and each time they take blood and observe her to see how she's adjusting to it. So last night she went from an 18 to 12 this morning! That is awesome news!! They say she has to be down to a 5 or 6 to be ready to remove the tube completely. But we thought Sunday would be the soonest she would be extubated, and now tomorrow is a real possibility! We could not be more proud of her and how perfectly she has been responding to the weaning process. Today we could either see a whole lot more progress, or a return to a "holding pattern". We are praying for progress. Once that tube is out, she will be ready to go to her own room where they will continue to observe her until it is determined that she is well enough to come home.

Dalton and Korbin are headed to Grapevine today with Uncle Lance and Nick to ride the Polar Express and experience a little Christmas together. We all need a little Christmas. I hope to have a few pictures of their boys day out and will post them soon.

Macy Marie - Wednesday

2008-12-18T05:51:00.003-06:00

Macy is continuing to gradually improve and is starting to wake up more as she is slowly being pulled off of the sedation. It is so nice to see her sweet face and her beautiful blue eyes again. Last night Nick and I stayed here all night for our first overnight together in a week - one of us usually sleeps at home with Dalton. It was our 3 year anniversary, and the best gift of all was seeing sweet Macy start to look like herself again. She still can not make any sounds because the tube obstructs her vocal chords, but I have no doubt that she was trying to say something to me last night. From the looks of it she probably wanted me to help her break free and get out of that bed! I am ready for her to be out and come home, but she needs just a little more time. She has the sweetest little Christmas outfit, and seeing how she can't wear clothes where she is now, I am hoping and praying that we will be able to bring her home before Christmas. So she can wear it, I can take pictures, and she will have happy memories of her first Christmas...not hospital memories.

Dalton got to come back and see Macy yesterday. She is still in Intensive Care, so he technically wasn't allowed back, but Macy's nurse made an exception. He had to wear a surgical mask and was only allowed to stay for a couple of minutes, and he couldn't touch her. But he was very brave (I would be scared of this place if I were a two-year-old) and so sweet. He talked to her and said a prayer for her, then blew her a kiss on the way out. His resilience amazes me and I am so proud of him. I'm very excited for Christmas with him this year...he finally "gets it" and can hardly wait for Santa to come to his house and leave presents. I had a little talk with Santa about what an extra good boy he's been lately in light of such unfortunate circumstances, and Santa agreed that Dalton should get everything on his wish list this year. How fun it will be to see his little face light up on Christmas morning.

An update on Macy's foot: A plastic surgeon came to see Macy's foot yesterday. He confirmed that the chemical burns are 2nd degree, and he doesn't think it will require any skin grafts. PTL!!! We're still unsure what the future holds for that little foot and how it will effect Macy's physical development. As she gets older, we'll look for signs of nerve damage, but for now I am just relieved that she won't need to undergo surgery once she is over this nasty virus.

Thank you for keeping up with us and continuing to pray for Macy...I am hoping to have REALLY good news in the coming day or two, so please check back soon!

Happy Anniversary...again

2008-12-17T06:12:00.003-06:00

Last night Nick and I made sure both kiddos were "covered" and we snuck away for a couple of hours to celebrate our three year wedding anniversary. We went to Maggiano's at Northpark, just like we did last year. And without even planning it, we sat in the same little romantic booth we sat in the year before. So we decided it is now officially our Anniversary tradition. Last year we followed dinner with a little Back Door Comedy and then stayed in an amazing room at the Double Tree. This year we hurried back to the hospital and slept in chairs next to each other. But we enjoyed being together just the same, and we were thankful to be here together with our baby girl.

Our waiter surprised us with an Anniversary dessert. One of the crazy long candles fell over and almost caught the table on fire. But it sure looked pretty! And tasted fabulous!!

I love you, Nick. Thank you for helping me get through the toughest of times, for making the good times unbelievably great and loving me no matter what kind of mood I'm in. I know it takes a really REALLY special person to put up with me all the time and you make it look effortless! Thank you for being you and making me a better me.

Macy Marie - Tuesday

2008-12-16T11:20:00.002-06:00

Over the last 48 hours Macy's lungs have started to show signs of very gradual improvement. It seems the worst of the virus is over and she is slowly making her recovery. We were told over the weekend that she would probably be extubated tomorrow, but we just learned that it will be at least another 48-72 hours before they attempt to remove the breathing tube. It is looking more and more like we will be spending Christmas here at Medical City. We are supposed to meet with a plastic surgeon today to discuss what to do about the burn on Macy's foot and the horrific scar it appears to be leaving. Not that a scar on her foot is of the highest priority right now, but one day it will be a very big deal to her...so we just want to know what the options are. Please keep praying. Macy still needs prayers for strength and healing, and her brother and parents need prayers for peace, energy and sound mind.

2008-12-14T12:01:00.002-06:00

Pictures from Saturday

About 4:30am...Jammi and I pulling an all-nighter

Macy Marie - Sunday

2008-12-14T06:51:00.003-06:00

It is Sunday morning and all reports so far have been good! My Mom and Nick's mom stayed the night with Macy last night. They have decreased her bbm from 28 to 24, which means she's taking more breaths on her own, and her secretions are continuing to thin out. The doctor told us last night that it will likely be Wednesday before they remove the tube and sedation, so she continues to be virtually unconsious. Yesterday, Nick and I were in her room together for the first time since I don't know when. She opened her eyes for a good long time, but was very glassy-eyed and "out-of-it". They increased her sedatives to put her back to sleep. Still, it was nice to see her eyes! I'm out the door now so I can be at the door of her room when shift change is over. I have a few pictures from yesterday I will post later today. Thank you for the continued prayers and words of encouragement!

Macy Marie - Saturday morning

2008-12-13T07:37:00.002-06:00

The past 24 hours have been rough. A 4 week old little girl named Trinity came in the same day as Macy. I got to know her mom and hear her story over the last few days. Long story short: Trinity had a massive tumor on her brain that her parents were unaware of. They were supposed to do surgery to remove it yesterday morning, but when it came time to prepare her for the procedure, the doctors told Trinity's parents that the tumor was inoperable. The tumor was too big and she was just too tiny for the surgery to be successful. Her parents had to make the painful decision to remove her ventilator. Trinity passed away peacefully yesterday at noon.

I haven't left Macy's side since.

Macy had an okay night. We haven't gotten the results from her latest x-rays and blood work yet, but so far she seems no better, no worse than yesterday. Her secretions are still very abundant and thick. So she is still on the ventilator and completely sedated.

More on Macy

2008-12-11T10:11:00.007-06:00

Sunday night in the ER

In the ER

At McKinney Medical Center

At the hospital in McKinney

Aunt Jammi stayed up with me and Macy in the hospital all night

Daddy holding his baby girl

Macy's foot was badly burned and blistered by an IV infiltration

She was transported by ambulance to Medical City of Dallas on Wednesday afternoon

This is what she looks like now.

I simply do not have time or resources to keep up with the blog right now. Please check our Facebook group or Jammi's blog for regular updates. I will try to blog something again soon, but for detailed updates, those are the alternatives. Thank you to everyone who is thinking of us and praying for Macy...poor little thing needs as much prayer as we can get for her!

Macy

2008-12-09T15:21:00.002-06:00

This post is not a pleasant one to write and is simply to inform everyone of what is going on with our baby girl. Friday evening Macy came down with a cold...not too bad, but she was definitely congested. Saturday all day it was more of the same. Saturday night I was up with her all night. She stopped eating and clearly couldn't breath. Sunday all day was the same...no eating, labored breathing and lots of crying. Sunday night she vomitted and became very pale, so I called the triage nurse at her pediatrician's office - she listened to Macy breathing and directed us to go to the ER. Which we did. They did a breathing treatment, took x-rays and tested for RSV. They said all the test results were okay and we went home. That was about 2:00 in the AM. First thing Monday morning we took her to the pediatrician for a follow-up appt. She had a breathing treatment and got some nasal spray and we went home. Monday night was the worst...she screamed all evening, night and early morning. Wouldn't eat, couldn't breath. So it was back to the ER at 4 AM for us. This time she tested positive for RSV and was admitted right away. We have been here all day and the doctor just said we'll be here at least until Thursday...depending on how she does. Prayers are greatly appreciated and I will try to update the blog regularly as to her progress.

Update

2008-12-05T19:42:00.002-06:00

I know I have neglected my poor blog lately. We have made the move to McKinney and are getting settled into our new home. We really couldn't be more thrilled! HOWEVER...Things have been extremely hectic over the last week or so and I have had NO time to sit down, upload pictures and post anything worth sharing. Truth is, it's been pretty stressful. Nick has started a new job, our baby girl is 7 weeks old and we've moved to a new city and bought a house. WOW! I have really surprised myself at how well I've held up through it all. I know I couldn't have survived if my husband weren't so wonderful. We have also had an incredible amount of help and support from Jammi & KP, my Mom, Dad & Deb, Aunt Karen & Traci, Eric...the list goes on and on. We are so blessed with amazing families that have gone above and beyond to try and make this transition a smooth one for us. I hope everyone will continue to check in on the blog from time to time. I promise to get some recent pics of the kiddos up soon. AND I will start blogging regularly again, but honestly it will likely be after Christmas before I get into a good habit of it. For my homies in TW - I miss you girls more than I can tell you...I love you all and promise I will be down for a visit and some girl time soon. Look for pics soon!

The Game Plan

2008-11-24T12:07:00.003-06:00

So here it is already - our last week in Houston. Today I am keeping my friend Angie's little girl while Angie is in the hospital having her baby...YEA (more on that later).

I have so much to do around here to get ready for the move. I am excited and on the verge of tears at the same time. It's a weird feeling. I spent the morning calling all of our service providers to have things disconnected here. Electricity, gas, phone, water, etc. as of one week from today will no longer be on in this house...at least not at our expense!

I need to get my kids packed up. We're heading up to Dallas on Wednesday night for Thanksgiving. After dinner, we'll leave the kiddos with Nana and return to Houston to pack up the Uhaul. Jammi and KP are sweet enough to come help us so we've planned one last night out in The Woodlands on Friday night. Then, the plan is to leave for the last time on Saturday morning and be all moved in by Sunday evening. It is going to be a whirlwind of a week and I hope it will be so busy that I won't have time to be sad. Once we get to our new home and start unpacking I know I will be so happy...it's the transitioning that is the hard part.

I'm about to go to the hospital to see Angie and meet her new baby girl. We've been waiting for her for so long it seems! I am so happy for my sweet friend and am so sad at the same time that our girls won't be growing up together. Guess you just have to take the bad with the good, and be thankful for the time you had, and move on. Easier said than done!

One Month Later

2008-11-22T09:37:00.003-06:00

Our sweet little Macy is now a month old...very hard to believe it's already been a whole month! I just wanted to share a few pictures and give an update on how she's adjusting to life at home. Macy is so laid back and very sweet. She loves to cuddle but is perfectly content hanging out in her swing or bouncy most of the time too. She absolutely adores her big brother and the feeling is mutual. Yesterday Dalton told me that his baby sister is his best friend...how sweet!! Joey loves her too and Macy doesn't mind at all when he wants to give her "kisses" (kinda gross, I know!) She is sleeping for a 7 hour stretch at night...unfortunately it's from 6:30pm to 1:30am, but after a bottle she goes right back to sleep until Daddy gets up for work. She really is such a good baby and she has just fit so effortlessly into our little family. The adjustment has not been near as challenging as I expected it to be - for any of us. Macy has started giving us the sweetest little grin that is clearly happiness, it is a completely different look from her gassy face...a Mommy knows! I haven't been able to capture it in a picture yet, but as soon as I do I will be sure and post it. Hope you all enjoy the pictures I have managed to get:

Macy with Grandad Pete...only 6 days old.
Loving her Lamby swing

Not sure what this little face means, but it's so hilarious and cute anyway.

Dalton likes her bouncy seat, too

We closed on our new house when Macy was just 16 days old!

Painting day at the new house. Macy found the perfect spot to hang out.

The swing makes her sleepy...

...very sleepy.

Happy Anniversary

2008-11-17T15:16:00.005-06:00

Today Nick and I are celebrating our three year wedding anniversary. Three years ago today, we went to the Harris County Courthouse and tied the knot. It wasn't glamourous or fancy, but we were both incredibly happy. We spent last evening reflecting on that day and how far we've come in the short time we've been married. After making it official, we went to Olive Garden to celebrate. He secretly ordered a whole chocolate cake that the waitstaff brought out at the end of the meal as our "wedding cake". That's my Nick. That was a great day. One month after that day, we had a wedding ceremony with our family and friends in Nick's hometown of Childress, TX. That was a beautiful day, too and one I will always remember and hold dear. Just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to the wonderful man I married...twice!

I love you, Nick. Thank you for making me your wife, and for our amazing life together. Happy Anniversary!

We're Moving!

2008-11-06T15:53:00.004-06:00

For those of you who don't already know, the fam and I are moving to Mckinney at the end of the month. After we have our big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, we're leaving the kiddos with Nana and coming down to pack up our little house. This is something we have looked forward to for a very long time. Ever since we moved to Houston from Plano three years ago, we've wanted to move back to the Dallas area. It's a little hard to believe it's actually happening now! Yesterday, we were in Mckinney closing on our new house. And now we are officially homeowners! We are so excited to be moving into our home in time for the Holidays. We will miss our dear friends in Houston so much, but are looking forward to living close to our family and old friends again. Nick has made a career move that we are also very excited about...he continues to amaze me everyday with what he is capable of doing. I can't wait to see what he does with this new business and watch him continue to succeed in this new chapter of our lives.

Here are a few pictures of our house...

2008-11-04T14:12:00.004-06:00

Macy awake

Macy asleep...I'm lovin' the lower lip curl!

Big kisses from Big Brother

These pictures were taken by Jammi with her super cool, professional grade camera. They are great pictures and I just had to post them...thanks Jammi for taking these and for sharing them with us!

Lots of Pictures!

2008-10-23T14:21:00.003-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Introducing Macy Marie

2008-10-21T06:37:00.003-05:00

She's here!!!! I will of course post a ton of pictures later, but I just wanted to get the post up quickly. Macy was born on October 20th at 5:17PM. She weighed 7lbs. 5ozs. and was 21" long! Nick, Dalton and I couldn't be more thrilled...she is absolutely beautiful! Here is a picture of Macy with her Daddy, a family picture and one of Macy's first pictures (they're never the most flattering) but we'll take lots of pictures today of just her and I'll post them soon. We are all doing well, just needing some sleep! I'm going to sign off and try to catch a few zzzzs before visiting hours start! Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes...can't wait for Macy to meet you all!

No baby yet

2008-10-17T18:25:00.003-05:00

Well, as luck would have it, there were no L&D rooms available for us today. So our elective induction has been postponed until Monday, which is my actual due date. We were a little bummed when we got the news, but ended up having such a sweet day together as a family of three (plus Nana). We just hung out, shopped a little, played at the park and had an amazing lunch at Benihana! We are hoping and praying that Macy will decide to come sometime this weekend. Thank you for the outpouring of love and concern from all of our friends and family...and thank you for being patient...we know it's not easy! I will blog away and post tons of pictures of our little Angel as soon as they're available!!

She'll be here soon!!

2008-10-14T13:46:00.003-05:00

I just got home from the doctor and I have dilated another centemeter on my own!! We are all hoping baby Macy will come on her own in the next day or two, but Dr. J went ahead and scheduled an induction for Friday morning if she's not here by then. So our little angel should be here by the weekend!! We will be able to blog and email from the hospital, so be looking for the news :)

Recent & Random

2008-10-10T10:55:00.013-05:00

I realized I haven't posted any pictures recently. I have to admit, that is mostly because I have not been taking pictures recently! I have been trying to steer very clear of cameras in recent weeks as I continue to get bigger and bigger! Another reason is that my camera has been packed in my bag for the hospital so I won't forget to take it with us when I go into labor! But I do have a few pictures that I thought I would share while we wait for pictures of the little princess. Enjoy!

Dalton and his cousin Traci - they share the same birthday...and possibly the same hair!

Dalton focusing really hard on riding Anniston's four-wheeler

"I'm doing it...yea for me!!"

Karyn, Angie and me...can you guess who'll go first?

It was Karyn (on the far left in above picture). These are her beautiful girls:
Anniston and her baby sister Molly Kate

Grandad Bill and Dalton
Dalton at NY Pizzaria...pizza always makes him smile!

Hopefully there will be many more pictures to post very soon that will include the newest addition to our family. These last few days are torture!! We want to meet her so badly! I am 10 days from my due date but ready for her to come any day...whenever she is ready.

On a more positive note...

2008-10-07T06:55:00.003-05:00

Okay so when I wrote that last post I was in a bit of a foul mood. I started to feel badly about being so harsh, so I decided to take a new perspective on the matter and make a list of things that it IS okay to say/do when interacting with pregnant women. Here it goes:

It's nice to say: "I can't believe you're so far along...you're hardly showing at all!"
Very polite to say: "Here ma'am, please take my seat"
And completely appropriate to ask: "What can I get you for dessert?"
Please, please, please give her the right of way while walking through the grocery store, parking lot, mall, etc. Especially if you're on wheels of some sort and she is not.
Always offer her something to eat and/or drink. There is a 99.9% chance she's starving or parched at any given moment.
Tell her you're so excited about the upcoming birth of her baby and that you know how beautiful her baby will be.

And after baby is born:

Go visit her and the baby! Of course make sure they are up for visitors first...but go if you can.
Tell her how beautiful her baby is, even if his/her face still looks a little squished up.
Offer to get her something to eat/drink...she's probably still hungry and thirsty most of the time.
Tell her you look forward to babysitting anytime she needs a break! :)

Tips on Communicating Politely with a Pregnant Woman

2008-10-03T10:49:00.003-05:00

It seems our society is completely socially inept when it comes to interacting with pregnant women. I know most people don't try to be offensive or rude, especially to pregnant women. But for some reason, people just don't seem to know what is and is not okay to do/discuss with expectant mothers. So I have decided to make a little list to help everyone out. Anyone out there who has something to add, please do so. I know I'm not the only one who has witnessed or fallen victim to these faux pas.

When you see a pregnant woman for the first time in a while and you notice that she has gotten a lot bigger since the last time you saw her, it is simply not okay to say, "Wow! You've gotten big!" She knows this...what are you? Her personal trainer? Don't comment at all, or lie and tell her she looks beautiful. Trust me, she may not say anything to your face, but these comments will really tick off a pregnant lady.
It is never okay to ask a pregnant lady if she is sure she's not having twins because her belly is just sooo big. I really feel like I shouldn't have to tell you that...it is just rude!
If you ask a pregnant lady when her due date is and she tells you, don't say..."Are you sure? You look like you could have that baby any day!" Come on, people...seriously. I feel like I'm teaching a bunch of 2nd graders how to be polite.
Do Not Ever assume it's okay to touch a baby bump! Always ask, or wait for an invite. Otherwise, just keep your hands to yourself.
Don't ask how much weight she's gained. This is never okay to ask someone, pregnant or not.
It is none of your business if she plans to breastfeed. If she tells you her intentions, just leave it at that. Never give your two cents on the issue. This is something that is between a woman and her doctor. She has already heard the lecture from her doctor and all the books...just back off!
It's nice to ask how a pregnant lady is feeling. But don't ask unless you want to hear the truth. If she is in her 1st or late 3rd trimester, she's probably feeling downright lousy. Be ready for this to be her answer and show the proper sympathy...or else don't bother asking.

Now for a few tips on AFTER baby is born:

Don't ask a new mom how any of her private areas are feeling. This is a ridiculous question and it should make you feel incredibly awkward to ask.
Always, Always, ALWAYS wash your hands before holding a new baby...and of course, wait or ask for mom's permission first!
It's not funny to ask when/if she is planning to have the next one.
Don't comment on her weight...even if you're trying to be nice. She still feels big and flabby and disgusting and any mention of her appearance will just remind her of that.

I'm sure I've left off some things. But if anyone has anything to add, please do so!

Update from Doctor

2008-10-01T18:12:00.002-05:00

Our appointment today went well. No change or progress, so nothing exciting to report yet. The baby's heart rate was a little low so Doc hooked me up to a fetal monitor to track her heart rate and my contractions. After about an hour of being monitored they let me go home and assured me her heart is responding normally to the stress of the contractions...great news! So we are back to waiting. We'll go back next Thursday to check for progress again. Thanks for continued prayers!

Blogging Out...Facebooking In?

2008-09-30T09:36:00.003-05:00

It came to my attention just this morning that I am probably one of the last people in the world not on Facebook I am certainly the last person in my family to join. Seriously. My Dad, Mom, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Sister...everyone is on there. They have a little family group and everyone is up-to-the-moment with everyone else. Except for me. Wow...I am completely out of the loop. Here I was thinking I was so hip because I was keeping up my blog. Apparently I am just a bit behind the times. I went around and around in my head about setting up a profile. I really don't need one more thing to keep up with...and the whole MySpace thing was really quite high-maintenance and kind of a pain in the you-know-what! But I decided to join to avoid being a forgotten member of my family. It's much simpler and easier to maintain than MySpace, and I am already building a nice little group of "friends" (mostly family members). So find me if you're on there so we can keep in touch! And don't worry - I'll still keep up the blog because I love doing it...even if I'm the only one who looks at it :)

Baby Update

2008-09-25T14:44:00.002-05:00

Just got back from Dr. J. The official report is: Baby weighed 6 lbs. 2 ozs. as of last Wednesday's ultrasound. I am dilated 1 cm and am 60% effaced, so I am finally making progress! Still could be a couple more weeks, or could progress quickly so we're ready for anything. Very excited about Baby Macy's upcoming arrival, but trying to be patient and wait for her to come when she is good and ready.

So proud of my baby sister!

2008-09-23T15:40:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to formally congratulate my little sister for passing the Bar exam! She is now officially a lawyer and I am so proud of her!! Below is a link to her profile on the website of the firm she works for in Tallahassee...check it out, it's quite impressive. Way to go, Christy. We are all so proud of all of your hard work over the last few years. We love you very much!!

http://www.eraclidesjohns.com/index.cfm?webid=88

Pictures of Ike's Damage

2008-09-23T09:12:00.008-05:00

As promised! Most of these are in and around our neighborhood, others were taken around various parts of The Woodlands. About 85% of our community is still without power! The schools in our neighborhood are still closed. Four houses down from us there is a tree down on a power line so we are one of only a handful of homes in our neighborhood that has power. And, yes...we know we are VERY blessed! I'm sure you've seen plenty of footage on the damage in downtown Houston and on Galveston Island...here's what it looked like closer to home for us:

The evening sky on Friday

Trees that didn't make it

Outside our Mall

Houses/Trees in our Neighborhood:

One block from our house
The house that backs up to ours

By the way - I have a good excuse as to why it took so long to get these pictures up! I caught Dalton's tummy bug and was sick Thursday through Saturday. I feel much better than I did, but haven't felt great ever since. Maybe it's just the final weeks of pregnancy taking their toll on me. I'm quesy, so tired and sore all over...and very ready for baby to come out!! Only 27 more days until my due date!

Ike's Aftermath...The Continuing Saga

2008-09-17T06:42:00.005-05:00

Praise the Lord! We are home and we have power!!! It's truly a miracle that we do. Our cul-de-sac is the only one in our neighborhood with power, and it's only on our side of the street. Probably no more than 10-12 houses around us. Soooo incredibly thankful that we are one of them. I know it's an answer to vigilant prayer...never underestimate God's power. He is bigger than Ike and it's aftermath! We have distributed all of our power-outage survival gear to friends who still aren't restored and put up a new mailbox. Still have to clean up the pieces of trees in the yard and get some new door mats.

We cleaned out our refrigerator in anticipation of having no power, so we found ourselves with no groceries...and no way to get any! The stores around here are not up and running at full speed yet and the ones that are open don't have much. Especially not cold stuff. So I called my Stepmom yesterday and told her we needed help getting groceries. She took my list and she & my Daddy went shopping for us in Greenville, loaded everything up in coolers, and drove it down to us last night. It was such a sweet thing to do, it brought me to tears.

Life is getting relatively "back to normal" in our household, sometimes I have to remind myself that it's still a disaster area out there. Yesterday I found myself feeling guilty that we have power and so many others don't. But I got over that pretty quickly. I heard an Entergy spokesperson say on the news that The Woodlands should have power restored in most areas over the next couple of days. There have even been some people who got it back yesterday. So it's looking promising...patience and prayer is what it takes.

I have been watching the footage of Galveston Island and other coastal cities...the devastation is unbelievable. I still plan to post pictures of our neighborhood the day after the storm so those of you who haven't seen it can gain a little understanding as to how severe the situation was even this far north/inland. To see a few pictures of The Woodlands before and after Ike, go here. I haven't gotten my own pictures up because we had another minor tragedy strike last night.

Yesterday Nick returned to work (yeah...don't get me started on that one!) and I spent the day doing laundry, unpacking and trying to get things in order around the house. Dalton was having a great day playing with his toys and so happy to be home! I tried to get him to eat a few times, but he absolutely refused any food...even gummies! I thought it was odd, but he was acting like he felt okay...just seemed too busy to eat. He kept spraying his juice, really spitting it, all over the place, so I took it away from him and he never asked for it back. Odd. Then he fell asleep for a nap and slept for almost 4 hours! He probably would have slept on through the night, but Daddy wanted to wake him up after work. It was then that I noticed something had to be really wrong with Dalton. Sure enough, about an hour later he started screaming and crying saying he had a bite on his belly and wanted me to kiss it. I leaned down to where he was laying and kissed his little belly. Then he sat up and threw up all over the place. I immediately picked him up and ran into the bathroom with him. Just tried to comfort him as he continued to vomit up everything he had in his stomach, which wasn't much. Before long he was dry heaving. He was totally pale and his lips were blue, his eyes were rolling back...I was terrified, but tried my best to stay calm for his sake. This continued on throughout the night. It is now 7 AM and we have gone about 2 and a half hours with no more vomiting, but I don't think any of us slept more than 3 hours (in 30 minute increments) all night. We are all exhausted and covered in the products of Dalton's illness. As long as his heart behaves and the dehydration doesn't send him into SVT, then I think we're in the clear. We're just going to watch him carefully today and pray pray pray that he continues to improve!

So thankful that we have power at a time like this...and that Nick just happened to stock up on Gatorade before the storm. Good call, honey! So that's the latest. I promise to get pictures of the neighborhood up ASAP!

Gotta love family!

2008-09-15T09:52:00.002-05:00

Okay, so we are now in Mckinney at my sister-in-law's house. We stayed here Saturday night, then loaded up yesterday morning to go home. We needed to clean out the fridge/freezer and check on things at the house. We were happy to find that the only damage to our property was the mailbox. It was picked up and thrown in the ditch. We got very VERY lucky. I will post pictures of all the huge trees that were uprooted and the big mess that we found in our neighborhood when we drove in. It really is just devastating to see. Fortunately no one that we know was injured or had extensive damage to their homes. But EVERYONE is out of power and will be for 2-4 weeks. That will be the most challanging part of this whole ordeal.

We feel very blessed to have the family we do. All of our relatives in the DFW area have gone out of their way to accomodate us and welcome us into their homes. Thank you Dad & Deb for putting us up on Friday night while the storm was ravaging through Houston. Thank you Mom, Grandad, Aunt Karen and Traci for cooking for us, entertaining us and helping to take our mind off of things on Saturday. And a big thanks to The Palmers for being our "extended stay bed & breakfast"...you guys are such gracious hosts to us and make us feel like we are home away from home. Also to Uncle Dick and Aunt Meg for offering us a room in their home. We are overwhelmed with all the love you all have shown us. I cannot tell you how much it helps at such a time as this. Physically, we are worn out, but healthy...Praise God! Emotionally, it has been a tough few days. Having the love of family and friends is what gets you through. We have all three had our moments where we just feel completely overwhelmed.

We left home to head back to Mckinney last night. The heat and humidity was unbearable without AC, and the mosquitos were relentless! We all got eaten alive and were only outside for a few minutes. We got the Jeep completely loaded down with clothes for a week and two coolers full of food and drinks, the dog, the kid, laundry...went to start the car and the battery was dead! We jump started the battery and got on the road. Arrived safely back here around 10:30 last night. This morning the battery was dead again, so Nick took it up to NTB. It needs to be replaced, but can't take a regular battery...it has to be a special battery just for a Jeep that costs twice as much as other batteries. Of course it does! Why not?!? So now we're just camped out here until we get word that our power is back on. This will likely be my last post until we are back home to stay. We are able to get email and cell phone calls where we are now, so we'll be in touch that way. Love to all! Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

Quick Update

2008-09-13T12:58:00.002-05:00

We made it safe to my Dad's house in Greenville last night. We are now in Garland at my Mom's house, we got Dalton's heart medication and are all holding up, despite the fact that we are all very very tired. We are of course very concerned about our dear friends and neighbors back home, but have stayed in touch through text messages as much as possible and everyone we've heard from is safe and well. No one has power and there have been a lot of reports of trees down in our area. We don't really have a plan. We may try and go back home tomorrow but may wait until Tuesday...just depends. We're not looking too forward to returning home to no power, but we still are anxious to get home and assess any damages, and just be home. Even though we don't own our home, it really feels like we left a big part of ourselves there and I have been pretty emotional about it. Plus, we haven't slept well in a couple of days...and I'm hormonal anyway. My heart goes out to the people on the coast who have lost everything. I try and remind myself how fortunate we are. My Mom, Dad and Step-Mom, all three brothers, my sister and countless friends have called and texted to check on us. We really appreciate all the concern and love from everyone. It's going to be a long couple of weeks until power is restored and life can begin to get back to normal. I'll do my best to update as much as possible.

No longer hunkerin'...getting the heck outta Dodge!

2008-09-12T18:05:00.002-05:00

It's 6:06pm on Friday. Ike is supposed to hit us sometime in the next few hours. We're not hanging around for it anymore. We've been informed that we will most likely experience power outages that will last "several days". Being 35 weeks pregnant and having a 2 year old, I guess I got nervous and, well...here we are. On the road. I am able to get online and blog thanks to the miracles that are a laptop and an AT&T broadband wi-fi card. Other than the inconvenience of the power outage, we had a much more pressing reason to leave town.

Dalton takes heart medication 3 times a day to keep his heart ticking properly...he has taken it 3 times a day, every day since the day he was born. It has been made clear to us by his doctors that skipping even one dosage can be very dangerous, and missing an entire day could be fatal. Aetna Specialty Pharmacy fills the prescription for us and mails it right to our door and we normally have a new supply 3-4 days prior to running out. I called Monday to set up delivery for this week and they scheduled the medicine to arrive at our door via UPS by 10am Friday (today). We waited around all day and it never came. So I called the pharmacy, they tracked the package for me and gave me the bad news: UPS sent the medicine back and refused delivery due to the storm moving into our area. Great. I filled up syringes with the correct dosage to see how long we had until we'd run out. We only have enough to make it to Sunday morning. If we don't get more medicine tomorrow, by Monday morning my sweet baby boy will likely be in a bad way. We would most likely end up at Texas Children's. So my mom got on the phone and found a pharmacy in the Dallas area that will fill it for us tomorrow if we can get the Rx transferred to them. Aetna Pharmacy is closed for the weekend, but there is an on-call pharmacist who she left a message with...they will hopefully call back soon so an emergency situation can be averted. Your prayers are appreciated!! We are driving right this moment through a lot of very heavy rain and this pregnant, nervous wreck of a mom is just a hair away from being an all out basket-case.

Our neighbor is supposed to call us on Sunday morning to let us know how things held up at home. Nick is supposed to go to the office on Sunday to survey damage there and, as of now, is supposed to be at work on Monday...then return to Dallas on Tuesday for meetings. Dalton, Joey and I plan to stay in the Dallas area with family until at least Tuesday evening, then will return home altogether. We'll keep the blog updated as this drama continues to unfold. Love to all!!

"Hunkerin' Down"

2008-09-11T12:56:00.003-05:00

That's what the Mayor told us to do...so that's what we're doing! As Hurricane Ike approaches, this city, including the northern lying suburb in which we live, is in complete panic mode. There was a press conference this morning held by the Mayor of Houston instructing certain zip codes to evacuate their homes and head to safer ground. There are three evacuation zones: 1, 2, and 3. They only mandated that the first two evacuate...zone 3 was encouraged to evacuate, but is not being forced to do so, at least not yet. Ike is expected to hit the Texas coast sometime late tomorrow evening/early Saturday morning, causing damaging winds of up to 100mph and up to 10 inches of rain, even in the inland areas. So it is understandable that people are a little nervous. But anyone who doesn't live in an evac zone was instructed to stay put...they literally said "hunker down" (thought that was pretty funny) and ride out the storm at home. Fortunately we have plenty of water, flashlights, batteries, etc. and the pantry is well stocked so I didn't have to go out today to get anything. But I did try to go to lunch with some friends...BIG mistake! I-45 is gridlocked already, gas stations have lines down the streets and most are sold out of regular and premium unleaded gasoline. A friend of mine had to go get storm essentials and she called to say the grocery stores have some bottled water, but the shelves are bare...no bread, canned goods, etc. So obviously, people are panicking.

Nick is working in Austin today and will be trying to make his way back IN to Houston this evening. As long as he gets home tonight, I'll be fine and I won't panic. We plan to stay put for now. After the storm hits, if we have power outages we may head to Dallas for a day or two until it is restored, but unless that happens we plan to ride it out.

It's a little scary being almost 35 weeks pregnant with all of this going on. Not to mention the 2 year old I will have to keep occupied indoors all weekend, possibly without power. But I'm sure we'll all be fine. I'll update the blog as things unfold to keep everyone posted...at least as long as we have power!

Cars, trains and other things

2008-09-10T15:42:00.005-05:00

Dalton has developed a few expensive interests lately. First, it was Cars...not the Hot Wheels you can get for 88 cents at Wal-Mart, but cars from the movie Cars that cost almost $4 each! He loves them and I think he now has every car that has been made. It's not all his fault though. Mommy and Daddy have gotten sucked into the obsession of owning every car from the movie, too. We've been known to go to three different Target stores and two Wal-marts in one day in search of a particular car that we were on a mission to find. I've even ordered one from Ebay that we couldn't find anywhere else. It's pretty sad. Once he collected just about all he could from the Cars collection, he turned his sights to Thomas the Tank Engine. I'm not even sure how he knows about Thomas, but he sure does and now he's determined to own as many trains as possible. They range anywhere from $7 for the plastic ones to $30 for the wooden ones. And of course he wants tracks, too. He wakes up in the morning begging to go to Learning Express to play with the table train set they have there. I've learned my lesson though...we don't go anymore because it resembles a UFC match trying to get him out of there, no matter how long I let him play. And Nick and I have decided we will not get out of control with trains the way we did with Cars. He has a few, and it will stay that way for a while. He won't get any new one just for no reason. He'll get a new one when baby sister is born, and of course Christmas will be all about Trains this year...and we're also using them as bribery for potty training purposes. We have to keep this obsession in check or Dalton will have no college fund!

On another note: We were at Toys R Us with Nana yesterday and they have Halloween costumes out. As you may or may not recall, Dalton refused to wear his costume last year, so I wasn't planning to buy anything this year. Just maybe try face painting or something. But once Dalton saw the Woody and Buzz (from Toy Story) costumes, he couldn't wait to take one home and dress up! So I bought Woody the Cowboy. We got home, he put it on and wore it until bath time. You could tell he felt so cool in it. I am excited that he's excited about dressing up this year! I just hope the costume is still in decent condition by Halloween...it's a challenge to get him to wear anything else.

Dalton is also beginning to appreciate the blue star for what it is. He has Dallas Cowboys gear, but he has always insisted the blue star was for Wal-Mart. But after watching The Boys on TV with Mom and Dad, he now happily identifies the star with the Cowboys...yea! I was a little worried there for a while! So here are a few recent pictures of the little man.

Dallas Cowboys + Trains = Big fun

One morning in the park...Daddy caught him, "just thinking"
Then it was time to play Cars

The scrap of faded fabric on the right is Dalton's "blankey" he got at TX Children's when he was born. The fabric on the left I bought online to make a new blankey for Dalton...believe it or not, that's what the dish rag on the right used to look like! Of course he won't have anything to do with new blankey.
Old blankey has a special spot...Dalton holds it under his chin while he plays, eats, does just about anything! And you can see just a small sample of the Cars collection in the background here.
Sheriff Woody...playing trains
Now if I could just get this darn hat to stay on!

Just don't call him a big boy

2008-09-02T12:03:00.002-05:00

With the rolling out of Dalton's "big boy room", we have been making a big deal about him becoming a big boy. He has his big boy bed, big boys don't wear diapers, big boys "go" on the potty, big boys don't use a pacifier...you get the idea. Trying to prepare him for his baby sister's arrival, we've been trying to pump him up about being the big brother...telling him how he can be a big boy and not a baby. He finally decided he's had enough of that talk and gets fightin' mad whenever we call him a big boy. He insists he is "baby Dalton", NOT a big boy.

So he doesn't want to sleep in his big boy bed, doesn't want to go tee-tee and poopie on the potty, cries for his pacifier and wants me to hold him like a little baby! AAHHH!! I have to admit, I kind of like that he doesn't want to grow up too fast...it's nice that he wants to snuggle a lot. But now I'm getting worried about how he'll react once there is a real baby in the house! There's not much I can do until he decides he's ready to be a big boy. So now I tell him that chocolate is for big boys and not babies, and the cool toy he wants at Target is only for big boys and since he's a baby he can't have it, etc. It may sound cruel, but I have to try something to motivate him, right? Or else I'll have a twelve-year-old wearing diapers and sucking a pacifier!!

Happy Birthday Kobra!

2008-08-30T07:42:00.004-05:00

Today my nephew Korbin is 2!!!

Sweet Korb - We all wish we could be with you to help celebrate. We love you and miss you soooo much. Hope you have tons of fun today and this weekend and that you're treated like the little birthday prince you are!

Happy Birthday Korbin!

BTW - I had to hijack this picture from Jammi's blog...thanks Jammi! Hope you don't mind :)

And the doctor says...

2008-08-28T13:31:00.002-05:00

...I will most likely not make it to my due date! Everything is looking good. She did an ultrasound today and the baby is head down, descending as expected. I have been having lots of contractions this week, so she gave me a prescription to be taken when they come on to make them stop. She wants to see me every week from here on out. I will be 33 weeks on Monday and she wants me to make it at least another 2 1/2 weeks (to 35 weeks) which will be September 15th. On that day, I have an appointment for another Diagnostic Level ultrasound to estimate the weight of the baby. We got a small glimpse of Baby Girl today and she looked so perfect! We can't wait to meet her face-to-face! More good news: my dizzy spells have almost completely stopped and my blood pressure was perfect today. I am gaining weight and feeling pretty good other than the frequent contractions and the soreness that comes along with being huge and pregnant. So no more traveling...we'll be staying close to home from now until she is born. Getting super excited!

Cousins

2008-08-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

Last weekend my Mom came down and brought three of my brother's four kids with her for a visit. It was so much fun having the kids here and...as I've mentioned before, Dalton loves having his cousins around. It was a big job for Nana, but she survived and everyone had such a great time. Thanks, Mom for making the effort! I think it was well worth it!!

They arrived Saturday afternoon. Nick cooked on the grill for dinner and the kids had fun playing. There was a trip to Target for toys, Sports Authority for new school shoes and Wal-Mart just because. Then the kids settled down on their air mattresses and watched Peter Pan before falling asleep:

Sunday morning Nana took all four kids to Burger King for breakfast and to play. It's Nana and Dalton's tradition when she's here, but it was so cool to him to share it with his cousins this time!

After a little down time, we loaded everyone up in the Jeep and headed to Conroe to the Incredible Pizza Company. And it really was incredible! We'd never been there before, but what a cool place. If you have kids and there is a location near you, you have to try it out! Everyone's favorite part was the Mini-bowling. How fun for the kids and they didn't even have to wear dirty bowling shoes!!
Dalton has really been into Toy Story lately and he was so excited when we got there. He kept telling Nick, "Daddy, we're at Pizza Planet!!" And he has asked to go back there every day since!

We won a few ticket and Nana used them to get the kids a boomerang. Then we returned home for a good night's sleep. Monday, Nick went back to work so my Mom and I took the kids to a local pool where they were in heaven!! After playing in the water for a couple of hours, it was time for them to get back on the road home. What a great visit, but it was too short...at least for Dalton. Come back soon guys...we miss you already!!

Quick update from Dr. J

2008-08-13T15:55:00.001-05:00

Went back to see Dr. J today, and overall it was a good visit. My blood sugar remains low, so I am trying to stabilize it with a high protein diet. Blood pressure is at low end of normal at 106/63. She recommended no long trips anywhere far from home/hospital and more food and rest. She is disappointed that I have only gained 8 lbs. the whole pregnancy so far (mostly because of all the weight I lost the first trimester!) BUT - I have 10 more weeks to go, so if I can gain a pound a week until then I'm okay. She confirmed the baby is growing well, I am measuring right on track and Baby Macy's heartbeat is strong and stable at 153!!

Baby Macy gets "Showered"

2008-08-12T10:16:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, my family threw us a shower for Baby Macy. It has been planned for a while now, so when I was put on limited duty last week I was still determined to make it to Dallas for the shower. I am so glad we did, too! It's always great to see our family and our very dear friends. I'm not gonna lie, I was wiped OUT by Sunday afternoon and definitely wasn't feeling too great...but it was worth it. My family did a great job of putting the whole thing together and letting me just sit and enjoy the company and the gifts!! Dalton got to see all of his cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, etc. and the joy that brings to him is priceless. Baby girl got LOTS of adorable outfits and blankeys...she is one lucky little girl to have so many people who already love her!

So I am washing and hanging up all of the little girl clothes and now I am starting to get eager to meet her! We go to the Dr. tomorrow and are hoping everything looks good with my sugars and blood pressure so I can return to my normal activities!

Ooh...Ralph Lauren! I told Nick that my little girl is going to be better dressed than I am. Guess I should venture outside of Target for my clothes after she is born.
A pretty little dress from Nana. Macy will look beautiful in it... ...that is, if Daddy doesn't steal it. Looks good on ya, sweetie!
Nolan, Dalton, Nick, me and Reagan
My BEST friend Lisa and her precious little girl Samantha were in town from Denver. It was incredibly wonderful to see them both!!
Nick giving his girls some lovin'
Goofin' around...I love this pic
Of course he won't look for the family shot...oh well!
Erika, me, Jammi and Korbin.
My Mommy and Me The boys playing football
Eric and Baby Cole
Keeton, Eric & Cole
Sweet Erika and Me...what a wonderful friend!
Deborah and Jaime
Gracie and Dalton
Gracie and Payton
Me and my Daddy
Aunt Karen and me
Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a sweet and special day for me and Nick. We so enjoyed seeing everyone and look forward to seeing you all again in October when our little girl makes her big debut!!

Update on Me and Macy Marie

2008-08-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

I am now 29 weeks pregnant and feeling it! We had a little scare over the weekend so I wanted to keep everyone updated on how Baby Macy and I are doing. The good news is: She is fine! We had a 3D sonogram on Saturday, and although we were unable to get many good pictures, we did get to see her and she is beautiful! Her fingers are so long and she has great big, beautiful eyes just like her Daddy. It was pretty cool that her eyes were open during the sonogram...I've never seen that! It was 108 degrees in Houston on Saturday, and we probably should have gone straight home to get out of the heat, but we didn't. We took Dalton to Toys R Us to get a prize for being a good boy while we had the ultrasound. He got a new toy car and Daddy won him TWO stuffed boxing gloves out of the crane machine. (For those of you who didn't know it, Nick has a reputation for being a master of the crane game...he's still got it!)

Then we decided to stop at Walmart when we got close to home so Nick could get stuff to make his famous enchiladas. I should have known something wasn't right when I was laying back in the car with the air blowing on me full blast for 30 minutes and still felt very hot and dizzy. But I didn't heed the warnings my body was giving me and went into Walmart with the boys anyway. We were there for less than 5 minutes when all of a sudden I lost consciousness. How embarrassing! I fainted in Walmart...right there in the candy isle. (Dalton wasn't too fazed by it. He was busy loading up the basket with candy while I laid on the floor and Nick was tending to me). A couple of sweet strangers stopped to help and someone brought me some water. After a few minutes of resting, Nick helped me up and out of Walmart. I spent the remainder of the day in bed resting, but didn't sleep too well that night.

Sunday morning we went to church and I felt funny throughout the service, but not bad enough to leave in the middle so we stayed. On the way home in the car it happened AGAIN! Tunnel vision...ringing in the ears...disorientation...blinding headache...and...OUT! We got home and Nick helped me to bed, once again, where I stayed for the rest of the day and night. This morning Nick made me call my doctor, and they had me come in right away to check my vitals. My doctor is out of town this week, but I am scheduled to see her next Wednesday. The nurse checked me out and it turns out I have very low blood sugar and very low blood pressure. The heat combined with these two factors was just too much for me. Fortunately I didn't fall either time. Nick caught me the first time and I was sitting down the second time.

I was told that the next time it happens to go directly to Labor and Delivery at the hospital for a full exam and assessment. For now, it's more bed-time for me. I am not to do much of anything and am not supposed to be left alone in case it happens again. The concern is mostly that I will fall and possibly cause injury to Baby Macy. So Nick was able to stay home with me for the rest of today and my mom will be here in the morning to stay with me and help with Dalton. (BIG thanks to the kind folks at Mann Eye for covering and allowing Nick to be with me today!) Dr. J will evaluate me a week from Wednesday and hopefully lift the restrictions if there are no more spells between now and then.

"Reclaiming Courage"

2008-07-31T15:31:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my church here? Well, I do. Crossroads Baptist Church is unlike any other church I have ever been apart of. I'm not sure what it is, or how to explain it except that it has an "x factor" that is lacking in many churches today. You just know that when you are there, you're in the presence of God...what a wonderful thing! Nick and I love attending and don't like when we have to miss on Sundays if we're out of town, etc. Dalton and I also attend on Tuesday mornings. He goes to his "class" and I go the Ladies Bible Study. This past week the study was particularly powerful to me, and although I don't usually share stuff like this on the blog, for some reason I have been moved to do so. I think it is because I showed up on Tuesday really needing some encouragment and what I learned that day gave me just what I needed.

It was one of those days when I could have burst into tears at any given moment...I was just praying no one would ask me how I was doing. I couldn't put my finger on what was exactly bothering me, I was just extremely fragile. (I'm sure the men out there have no clue what I'm talking about, and have probably already stopped reading, but for all you ladies...I'll go on).

There I was: pregnant, very hormonal, sleep-deprived, and ready to cry. Honestly I didn't really want to listen to a lesson. I wanted to sit in a room by myself and cry for an hour. See I can't cry at home anymore, Dalton gets sooo upset when I do. So it's hard to get that release when I need it. But my sweet friends at church knew that I needed more than a good cry and they propped me up in my chair as the lesson began.

The lady leading class that day is Melanie Sanderson. I had never met her, but throughout the next hour and a half I found myself feeling like she knew me. And she knew what was bothering me. And God had put her there that day to speak right to me. Amazing! Melanie started out the class by having us ask ourselves what kinds of things we're afraid of and why. Turns out there are a lot of things that strike fear in my heart, and it became very obvious to me very quickly that FEAR was the real reason I was feeling on the verge of a total emotional breakdown. Here are some highlights from the lessson; things that stuck out to me and have stuck with me. What I learned that day gave me so much strength that I just had to share it with all of you. Maybe someone out there will benefit from it the way I did:

At the core of most fear is the fear of change or the unknown
Being afraid is not a sin; courage is being afraid of doing something and going through with it anyway.
God did not give us a spirit of fear. Fear is from the Evil One. God is bigger than any fear and He can (and will) provide the strength to be courageous if we keep focused on Him.
Learning courage is a process. Failure and mistakes teach us to have the courage to get back up and try again.
If you are seeking God's will for your life and are striving to walk in accordance with His will, there is never any reason to be fearful. It is only when you're walking out of His will that you should be afraid.

Recently someone tried to use intimidation on someone I love very much to scare him out of walking through a door that God has clearly opened for him. I pray for that person because it is obvious they are consumed with evil to behave in such a way. My advice was to evaluate and pray about the situation. If you feel certain it is God's will, don't be intimidated or persuaded by this person trying to make you fearful. How can you be sure it is the Will of God? Consider the following:

"The Will of God"

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Grace of God cannot keep you,

Where the Arms of God cannot support you,

Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,

Where the Power of God cannot endow you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,

Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you,

Where the Army of God cannot protect you,

Where the Hands of God cannot mold you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Love of God cannot enfold you,

Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you,

Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears,

Where the Authority of God cannot overrule you.

The Will of God will never take you

Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears,

Where the Word of God cannot feed you,

Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you,

Where the Omnipresence of God cannot find you.

~Author Unknown~

Happy 30th Birthday Nick!

2008-07-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

My sweet husband turned 30 on Friday. He's been just a little put-off by the whole idea of turning 30, so I tried my best to make it a happy occassion for him. I decided to throw him a party at his sister's house in Mckinney and invite all of his buddies (old and new) to help him celebrate. His only requests were that there be Miller Lite and Poker...and did we ever deliver!

Our weekend started at 4 AM on Friday. Dalton and I gave Nick his birthday kisses and cards as we got on the road to Dallas. Nick had a business meeting there in the morning. We dropped him off and Dalton and I headed to Jammi's for the day. That evening we all loaded up in the Palmer's new Tahoe and took Nick to Spaghetti Warehouse for his birthday dinner. With the exception of a debit card mix-up, a bug and a hair, the dinner was a lot of fun. The kids had a good time playing on the patio while we waited for our table and we got a few cute pictures.

Dalton enjoying the DVD player in the Tahoe

Korb and Dalton
Nick & Jammi
Jammi & KP
Dalton getting him some love from Kenners
Korbin and Dalton waiting for strangers to talk to...
Jammi assured the officers that these boys don't really belong behind bars!

We got home and watched the video montage I put together for Nick of his first 30 years of life, then went to bed in anticipation of a BIG day ahead.

The party was awsome! Lots of poker, Miller, Sangria, food and friends. Nana was kind enough to help out with Dalton and even took him home with her to get him out of the madness after we sang Happy Birthday to Daddy. Thanks a million, Nana! You're the BEST!! Nick can't stop talking about what a great time he had and how much fun it was to see all of his old buddies. Here are the pictures I have. I know other people took pictures, too. So I'm hoping to have more to add as they are shared with me.

Bobbo, Nick and Brent
One of the tables in the Hold 'Em tournament
The downstairs table. That's Brent and Jamie on the end - Congrats to them for winning the tournament!!!

Dalton & Nana
Keeton & baby Cole
Nick, Prine and KP
Nick with Allen & Family
Nick and Brent...how did I get NO pictures with Eric? Where ya at, brother?
Clifton & Nick
The Junes & Shoffners
The Nicks

He still loves me...even with that big 'ol pregnant belly!

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! I love you and am so glad you had fun at your party...here's to your next 30 years!!

Feelin' Lucky?

2008-07-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

It was the day before payday. So, as usual, we were running low on cash trying pinch pennies waiting on Friday morning. Thursday afternoon Nick and I were discussing being more responsible with our weekly budget and not spending our cash on gas station stops getting sodas and snacks, etc. He said he'd try to do his part to be better, then I asked him if he'd pick up a newspaper on his way home since my Mom was featured in the Business section of The Chronicle. Nick stopped at the gas station up the street from our house on his way home that evening. He picked up a newspaper, then went to the register to pay. He had $8 in his pocket and couldn't resist the $5 scratch-off ticket calling his name from behind the glass countertop. So he bought it. On his way to the car he started feeling guilty about buying the lottery ticket since we had just had the talk about being better with our money. He usually would bring the ticket home, we'd scratch it together, then share our disappointment as we threw away another losing ticket. But not today. He didn't want to tell me he'd spent the last bit of his cash on the ticket so he scratched it off in the parking lot of the gas station. And it won. It won $1000!!

When Nick walked in the door at home, the dog was barking, Dalton was screaming and I looked like the day had definitely gotten the best of me. It was chaotic. He started confessing to me about spending his money on a lottery ticket and my state of irritation continued to intensify. Until he handed me the ticket. WHAT?!?! Are you kidding me? We actually won...finally? The stress of the day melted away as I breathed a sigh of relief. Funny how money troubles can make every other little stressor seem much bigger than it actually is. Once I knew we had that relief, none of the other little things bothered me anymore. We got some lingering bills paid off and stuck a chunk of money in savings and that was that. Here are a couple of pictures of the lucky lotto winner:

The Sam Houston "giant"

2008-07-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

There is this statue in Huntsville right off of I-45...it's of Sam Houston and it's huge. Since 1999 I have probably passed that statue 500 times, but have never actually been to visit. Last weekend we were up ridiculously early and trying to think of something to do. Dalton just wanted to go in Mommy's Jeep. He wanted to go somewhere...anywhere! We didn't want to go spend money and since hardly anything (except Walmart - where we definitely spend some serious money) is open at 7am on Saturday, we decided to drive up to see the statue.

It was a beautiful drive into the hills and there was a nice cool breeze to break up the heat that early in the morning. There was a little souvenier shop - which wasn't open yet - and some picnic tables. Quite cute! When Dalton saw the statue, he was in awe. "Mommy, look at the GIANT!" he said with a little quiver of the lip. He wasn't interested in hanging around the giant for too long, but at least now we can say we went!

Dalton looking up at Sam
The view from Sam's feet
This is a little ampitheater. I thought it was weird that there was just a face sitting in the middle of it. I'm sure there's a story behind this piece of art, but since the information center was closed, I'm guessing it's the face of a previous, less gigantic Sam Houston statue.

"Happy Birthday July"

2008-07-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

Our 4th of July weekend did NOT go as planned, but was good anyway! We were planning to go to Childress to spend the holiday weekend with Nick's family, but due to cash flow isssues and a kidney infection, we decided to stay home at the last minute. We really missed seeing everyone in Childress, and are disappointed we were unable to get anything done on the house, but we found a few things to do around here that turned out to be quite fun. We attended a parade here in our little "small town" of Oak Ridge and enjoyed the festival at the park followed by some spectacular fireworks put on in The Woodlands...we had a perfect view from this side of the highway!

Dalton loved the parade, mostly because of all the candy he caught...well, to be honest, Daddy elbowed his way through all the little kids to score some candy for Dubbs. But the point is, he had candy! Dalton made his way through the crowd in the park waving and telling everyone "Happy Birthday July!" He has a way of putting smiles on people's faces and I just love to watch him when he's working a crowd. We had been talking up the fireworks all day, but they didn't start until 9:15pm, which is well past Dalton's normal bedtime, so by the time they started up, he was half asleep! They were awesome though, and we enjoyed all the festivities of the day. The rest of the weekend was spent doing chores around the house, getting plenty of rest and staying out of the heat as much as possible!

I am two weeks away from my 3rd Trimester and I'm starting to feel pretty pregnant now! The heat really gets to me and sleep is not so easy to come by anymore...guess this is the preparation stage for having a newborn in the house again. Ahhh, sleep deprivation...how I've missed you!

The Calm after the Storm

2008-06-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday night, Nick's parent's house in Childress was hit by a terrible storm. Nick got a call from his mom on Sunday night to let him know what happened, and fortunately his parents were in Amarillo at the time and were not home when the storm hit. They got to the house on Monday and called to relay the damage to Nick. We arrived in Childress on Tuesday to help out however we could, and so Nick could meet with the insurance adjuster.

A picture someone took of the storm as it was approaching Childress:

By the time we got there, Nick's parents had cleaned up the mess and boarded up the busted windows, but the sight was still pretty sad. The roof of the house was totaled and their back fence was destroyed as well. Busted windows, flooded carpet and stripped landscapes were the common sight around town and it was sad to see. BUT surprisingly and fortunately, there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths due to the storm...Praise God! We're in the process of helping to fix all the damage on the house and waiting for some assistance from the insurance company...the repairs will be costly, but when you think about how bad things could have been, it's a small price to pay! There is a prison in Childress and the inmates were out in full force helping with the clean-up around town. It was an interesting sight and I wanted to take a picture to share. I was trying to be very discreet, so it's not a great picture, but you get the idea.

There was a silver lining, though...we got in an unexpected visit with the family! Dalton, Nick and Poppy had so much fun doing boy things and we even took Dalton to the Childress pool where he went down the tunnel slide about 80 times! He got to play with Kennedy, who he totally adores and even got a couple hours of play time in with Korb, too!

Just going for a little walk
Stopping to squish an ant...

Nana and Papa took us out to a farm that belongs to some friends of thiers. Dalton got to meet some cows and horses, but his favorite part was riding the four wheeler with Daddy.

Before we left on Thursday, Dalton and Korbin did one of thier favorite things at Nana and Papa's house...pulled each other in the wagon. I have an adorable video of it, but it's 40mbs too big to post :(

We're returning to Childress next week for the 4th of July to do some work on the house and to watch fireworks with the fam...hopefully things can get back to normal for them soon!!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

Dalton's Top Ten List...

...Why my Dad is the Coolest!

10. My Dad can fix anything. He can change lightbulbs, fix broken toys and even fixed my big boy bed for me. And it's cool that he lets me help sometimes, too!

9. My Dad reads to me whenever I want - even though I know he hates to read - and I appreciate it.

8. My Dad and I go cruising in his car and listen to Jimmy Buffett together. He even lets me eat my snacks in there even though I make a mess and he has to clean it up.

7. My Dad takes me outside to play as soon as he gets home from work and stays out with me until bath time. He might have things he'd rather do, but he plays with me instead. Doesn't matter if it's really hot out or very cold, he does it with a smile and he never complains!

6. My Dad chases me around the store/pool/park and lets me have fun, but always keeps me safe and out of trouble.

5. My Dad changes my diapers, gives me my medicine and finds my blankey for me when I need it.

4. My Dad takes good care of my Mommy. He always makes sure we're safe and that we know how much he loves us.

3. My Dad lets me snuggle him anytime, even when I'm dirty or wet and make his clothes a mess.

2. My Dad makes good hot dogs, chicken strips and pizza for me to eat...we like all the same stuff!

1. My Dad is sad to leave me in the mornings, happy to see me at night and we have the best weekend parties ever. My Daddy loves me and I love him.

Thank you Daddy for being the best Daddy in the whole world. I love you and Happy Father's Day!
Love,
Dalton

A room fit for a Big Boy

2008-06-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

With the new little one on the way, Nick and I decided it was time for Dalton's room to get a much needed makeover. He hardly spent any time in there anyway. His crib was basically a jungle gym, he refused to sleep in it anymore and his toys were EVERYWHERE, you could barely walk, much less play in there. So I have been scouting for the perfect paint color, furniture and accessories for about a month now. The theme was decided by so much of what we already had. When you have a boy, people tend to give you sports things, whether or not it fits with your decor. Dalton's nursery was NOT a sports theme at first, but it eventually became sporty because we had so much sports stuff that ended up over taking the room. So we decided to use as much as we could of what we already had and build the rest of the room around that.

I found furniture and bedding that I loved and picked a paint color with Nick's help. We sent Dalton to visit Nana in Garland for the weekend and got to work!

Nick and I had so much fun working on Dalton's room together. It was very theraputic for me and it was so nice to spend some one-on-one time with my husband...it's been way too long! We finished the entire room from start to finish in exactly 24 hours (beat that Trading Spaces!!). This included painting, putting a bed, night stand and dresser together, sorting through mounds of clothes and toys and adding the final touches. It was a lot of work in a little amount of time, but we did it!

Dalton's reaction couldn't have been more perfect. We had been talking about his big boy room and new bed for a few days, but I didn't really expect him to get it. He did though! He got home and asked to go see his big boy bedroom and he was all grins. Now he plays in there, watches videos in there and actually sleeps in there...all night!! We have a hard time getting him to spend time anywhere else in the house. I don't blame him though, I really like hanging out in there too.

Here are a few Before pictures. Please excuse the nakedness...Dalton really hates wearing clothes, shirts especially. So at home I don't make him. These were the only pictures where you can really see the room as it was before the makeover:

"This room is boring!"
The Jungle Gym
A Blank Slate:
...And, After!

Yea!! My Big Boy bed! But, where the heck are all my toys??
Oh, okay...that's better!
Play hard, sleep hard.

A Big Accomplishment!

2008-06-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

Something very exciting happened at our house last night. I was on my way to Yoga when I got a call from a very excited Nick, he couldn't wait to tell me the big news and it went something like this: Nick was changing clothes after work and Dalton was hanging out in the bathroom with him like he usually does. All of a sudden Dalton pulled up his shirt and said, "Daddy, I need to go tinkle". Dalton just turned two on April 1st and has not begun any serious potty training yet, as I have been told it's just too early for a boy to potty train. So I haven't pushed the issue at all and was very surprised that he just decided he was ready.

Nick helped Dalton up on his step stool and got him all ready, and sure enough...he tinkled in the potty! I was so proud to hear this news, but a little sad that I missed it. When I got home I made a big deal about what a big boy Dalton was and how proud I was of him. We already have pull-ups in the house, just waiting for the day we could start to use them, so I thought...we'll start in the morning!

This morning when Dalton woke up, I took him in my bathroom and asked him if he wanted to go tinkle in the potty like a big boy and he was agreeable. So I set him up on the stool and helped him get ready...he was pushing his belly in and out like he was really trying to go, but nothing happened. So I told him he could wear his cool Cars pull-up and whenever he was ready to go to tell me. He thought the Cars pull-up was cool, but he sure as heck did NOT want to wear it...he started begging me for his Winnie the Pooh diaper instead. I've heard that forcing something they're not ready for will only make them regress, so I said OK, we'll go get a diaper. I didn't have one with me, so we had to go to his room. He was...well...exposed because he wouldn't wear the pull-up. I reached in the closet for a diaper and turned around to find Dalton relieving himself (a LOT) on his Dallas Cowboys mesh hamper that holds all of his balls. Great!

I said, "Dalton stop!" and he did, very abruptly...it was reminiscent of when my mom would bust my brother and his friends trying to "write" their names on the fence in the backyard. I took him in the bathroom to finish. I tried to plug for the pull-up again, but he wouldn't have it...Diaper or Nothing. And I had learned my lesson with nothing, so I put a diaper on him and cleaned up his room and that was that. I'm sure to have many more "moments" on our journey to Pottyhood, so I'll be sure and share the good ones. Pray for me!!