Quick Trip

After talking with Grandmommy on Wednesday and Thursday, Dad decided that we should pay them a visit. Daddy Ken isn't doing very well right now. The doctors have given him good news (the cancer has shrunk), however, he has absolutely no strength. Grandmommy is having a hard time caring for him on her own. She has some back troubles and she can't always help him when he needs assistance getting up out of the chair or out of bed. Over the past few days he has fallen several times. Today he fell twice and both times it took Grandmommy almost 2 hours to help him get back up! Sheila went over and helped Grandmommy get Daddy Ken to the doctor's office this afternoon. The doctor told Grandmommy that she couldn't be caring for Daddy Ken alone when he's in this condition! He sent them on to the hospital. We're currently waiting to hear from Grandmommy as to whether the hospital will admit him or send him home.

We were only able to stay Friday evening and Saturday, but hopefully we were helpful while we were there. Grandmommy and I made popcorn on Friday night. For some reason Dad thought the size difference in our bowls was funny!!! (Don't worry...I shared my bowl with Dad.) Saturday Brody kept an eye on Daddy Ken. He always wanted to know where he was. Of course, he also wanted to play outside all day. He found some of Daddy Ken's screwdrivers in the garage and spent an hour "fixing" the glider on their front porch!
Even though Brody made a big mess at lunch, we didn't care because he had Grandmommy crying she was laughing so hard!!! Dad and Brody brought back a lunch of Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, fries, and salad. Brody was eating the nuggets and fries just fine until he saw me dip a nugget in BBQ sauce! He insisted on trying it for himself. He LOVED the BBQ sauce! In fact, he loved it so much that he tried to drink and then lick clean the container it was in!!!
Ginger stopped by with McKenna for a little while and this also helped put a smile on Grandmommy's face. It was good to see her smiling.
Brody was not happy about having to leave. He really enjoys going to visit Daddy Ken and Grandmommy!
I'll update this post when we get more news on Daddy Ken. Please keep praying for his strength to return and for Grandmommy to have the emotional and physical strength she needs to care for him. The doctor told them that they don't usually give people Daddy Ken's age as much chemo as they gave him...but the doctor thought Daddy Ken was strong enough to handle it and wanted to treat the cancer aggressively. I pray that the doctor made a good decision and that Daddy Ken will start improving soon!

Answered Prayers

Just wanted to update you on a few prayers that have been answered in our life lately.

Friday I had my first appointment with my new CNM (certified nurse midwife). It was a very looooong appointment...but that was mainly due to the fact that they had to transfer over my records and then I had to do the hour glucose test. I felt much more at ease after I met with CNM. I really felt like she cared about me and my family. I also could tell (from her response to some of the things that I said) that she's a Christian. I still really miss Debbie...but I know that this lady will be good too.

The 2nd answered prayer is that we have found a place to rent when Mike moves here in June!!! A friend from church has a house that's just down the street from my parents that he and his wife are willing to rent to us! I'm sooooo thankful! I was very worried about having to live in an apartment with a newborn baby...and waking up neighbors whenever he cries! Now that worry is gone! This will also help us save money since I can walk to work and don't have to drive! We're so thankful to God for providing!

Please continue to pray that God will send just the right person to buy our house in Kansas. Also continue to pray for Mike's job search and for our emotional strength while we're so many miles apart.

No Room for Quitters

This is a shout-out to my aerobics class back in Kansas. Even though I don't have a membership to the gym here (it's a little more expensive here)...I haven't given up on exercising! I get up Monday-Friday and do aerobics videos in the living room. I will admit that yesterday morning I slept in...but that was only because I went on a 2 hour walk to the park Monday afternoon (not on purpose...it takes longer to walk to the park when you're 6.5 months pregnant and your hips and back are killing you...not to mention pushing the stroller up hill! There are MANY more hills here than in KS!) Anyways...I skipped my morning workout yesterday because my hips and back were still killing me from the overexertion! I was back at it today. Many days Dad will get home from the gym and finish my aerobics workout with me!

Easter Sunday

What a hottie! He takes after his daddy ;)
For Easter, Mike and I got Brody his first Bible. He was so proud of that Bible! He kept telling us that it's "Brody's Bible!" It has been so fun to see Brody's enthusiasm about God, Jesus, and church! I love hearing about the things he learns in Sunday school. I also love hearing him talk about all the things that God made. His favorite thing that God made is still the moon :)

After lunch, Mike and Brody played together until nap time. Then it was time for Mike to pack up the car and head for Kansas. I had a hard time letting him go. It'll be a month before we see each other again! Don't worry...I hid one of his shirts under my pillow so that I can breathe in his scent as I go to sleep every night.

Easter Egg Hunt

Since Mike has to leave tomorrow around 1 pm, we decided to have Easter dinner with the family today! Everyone arrived around 4 pm and Tyler, Ron, Josh, and I started hiding the eggs for the kids. This was Brody's first year to hunt Easter eggs. We let Brody and Collin have a head start and Lauren and Katelyn were happy to help the boys find the "obvious" eggs.
After Brody filled his basket with eggs, he sat down with Daddy to open them.
Jelly beans!!!! So that's why I wanted all those eggs! Brody even traded a few eggs with Collin so he could have more jelly beans rather than chocolate (he doesn't take after me there)!

Planting Potatoes

This morning (like every other morning) Brody woke up wanting to go outside. He would live outside if we'd let him! Since it was a nice morning, we left the back door open so he could go in and out (and we could sit at the breakfast table and watch him outside). If you've had a socialite for a kid...you know that playing outside by themselves just isn't fun! He kept coming back to the door asking us to come outside with him. He never wanted to actually step inside the house (I think he was afraid we'd shut the door and he'd be stuck inside)! Finally he went and got his golf club and was able to convince Daddy to go outside to play with him.
They spent most of the morning playing outside. Mike even showed Brody how to plant potatoes! They had fun playing in the dirt. Mike found a few worms to show Brody (which Brody promptly squashed between his fingers)!
The outside fun ended when Mike felt burning on his leg and realized he was being bitten by a bunch of fire ants!

New Home

The time has come. We have known for a while now that our yorkie, Trevor, would not be with our family much longer. Yorkies are known for being one of the worst breeds for families with small children. We've caught him snapping at Brody several times..and 99% of the time it was unprovoked by Brody! Since Trevor is blind in one eye, he may be a little more protective of himself than some dogs...but that's no excuse! We talked to a few friends about Trevor, however, none of them were in the position to take him right now. We just kept putting off making a decision. We didn't want to have to put him to sleep. He's been our little puppy for over 8.5 years! He's still such a good dog...just not great with Brody (and imagine adding another little boy into the mix!)

Today Trevor snapped for the last time. We didn't see what happened, but we just heard Brody crying and saying, "Trevor...owie!" We ran in the other room to find Brody holding his leg. Trevor had put his teeth on Brody this time. He didn't break the skin...but he left a big bruise! We'd had a enough!

Caleb helped me list Trevor on Craig's List as a dog in need of adoption. Within 20 minutes a lady named Wendy called!!! She said that she had a yorkie that had just died (after 14 years) which they had spent lots of money on trying to heal him. She also said that her last child has just left home and they need someone to entertain them and keep them company! Her mom lives with them and is home all day by herself and in need of a puppy to play with. Two hours later she arrived at the house. Trevor (who's usually nervous around new people) seemed right at home in her arms. We were so happy that she was going to take Trevor and give him the love and attention that he needs. As they left Brody ran to the window and started saying, "Trevor...bye, bye!" It was then that the tears began to fall. Our children are so much more important than a puppy...but it was hard to see Trevor being driven away. He's been a part of our life since 2 months after we were married!!


*Edit* Wendy called the next day and told us that Trevor had already gotten his shots and been groomed. She said that he curled up under the covers with her last night and was slowly warming up to their family. She said she didn't want us worrying about him...that he was doing great. That was sweet of her to call!

Come Back!!!!

A few weeks ago Daddy Steve captured this picture of Brody. Namaw had to leave to go to a client's office, so Brody went upstairs, climbed on top of the laundry shoot, and watched her leave thru the window. Then he sat there for a long time saying, "Namaw" (in a really sad voice) and waiting for her to return.

Today Mike, Brody, and I went to get our car fixed and run a few errands. I guess Daddy Steve was lonely without his playmate (Brody). So what did he do? He went upstairs and watched for Brody to return. I'm sure he was saying, "Brody" over and over in a sad voice.

Waiting for Daddy

Brody didn't take a nap today. I think he was too excited about Daddy coming to town! Since he was wide awake, Daddy Steve took him outside to help him cut down the pampas grass and mow the yard. I was getting phone updates as to where Mike was...and Brody wasn't going to come inside until he got there! It's a good thing that he didn't hit too much traffic! Brody was sooooo excited when Mike arrived. He immediately grabbed his new golf club to show Daddy how he could hit the ball! Brody kept looking at me and saying, "Daddy here!" and then he'd run and give Mike a hug.

I can't tell you how good it felt to have Mike wrap his arms around me and give me a big hug. We've missed him soooooo much! I know this weekend will fly by...but I plan on enjoying every single second of it with my husband!

Sunshine on My Shoulder

The sun came back out today! Yay!

After breakfast, Daddy Steve and Brody spent an hour or so in the garage. Daddy Steve let Brody "drive" his mustang. Since Daddy Steve let him drive, Brody agreed to sweep the garage floor.
I had to take a tax return to a client that lives by GG, so we decided to stop in for lunch! Daddy Steve, Brody, and I got to eat a yummy lunch with GG and Sissie. I think Brody drank 1.5 containers of chocolate milk and ate an entire bowl of Jello!

Then he tried to figure out if he would get in trouble for attempting to play the organ.
Sissie gave Brody a ride back to GG's apartment on the seat of her walker.
We didn't stay long since it was almost nap time. GG has a tradition of giving the great-grandkids a few pennies to throw into the fish pond as they leave her apartment. Brody was excited to throw the pennies in the pond...but he didn't like it when I told him that he couldn't go swimming with the fish!
After a short nap, Daddy Steve and Brody spent the rest of the afternoon outside. Brody helped Daddy Steve fix a few things in the cabana with his pliers and screwdriver.
After I finished work for the day, I went on a short walk with the guys. My back is really sore tonight, so I couldn't make it very far. I think I'm gonna cash in one of those massages that Mike got me for Christmas in the next week or so!

Only 1 more night until Mike is here!!! All day I'd ask Brody, "Who's gonna be here tomorrow?" and he'd reply, "Daddy!!!!!!!" Then after a brief pause he'd say, "and Trevor!" lol. Guess he's excited to see the puppy too.

Dancin' in the Rain

Daddy Steve and Brody were not happy about today's weather. They both wanted to play outside...but it rained...ALL DAY!!! Instead they spent the day going from the game room upstairs, to the living room downstairs, to Dad's office (where his guitars are). By late afternoon the hard rain had slowed and Daddy Steve and Brody ventured outside. Can you tell Brody was excited to get out of the house? Brody really gets into dancin' in the rain!
Since they couldn't spend much time outside...Daddy Steve and Brody went shopping. Little did Mom and I know that they'd already discussed their shopping trip with Mike. This is what they came home with!

Thanks Mike and Brody for the beautiful flowers! I love you both so much!

Only 2 more sleeps until Mike's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Break!!!

One day last week Dad said, "Oh. I took next week off work!" Mom and I asked why and he said, "Because it's Spring Break and I'm gonna hang out with my grandson!"

Today was the first day of Daddy Steve & Brody's Spring Break. They started the day off with a long walk. Daddy Steve put Brody in the backpack and they were gone for well over an hour! After their walk, they played at home until lunch time. Then after Brody's nap they headed to the park! It makes me acknowledge how big Brody is getting when I see pictures of him climbing around on the playground equipment all by himself!
Weeeeeeee!!!!!!!
As we were driving from Kansas to Texas a few weeks ago we saw some flags. Brody asked what they were and since then he's LOVED flags! There were some flags at the park, so Daddy Steve and Brody spent some time watching them wave in the wind.

Tonight was girls night for me, Ann, & Audria. Audria is also on Spring Break and wanted me and Ann to come hang out with her. We went to Chili's, Coldstone, and then to Blockbuster to rent a movie. We watched No Reservations. It was a good movie! We had a lot of fun together just talking and laughing. I'm spending the night at Audria & Caleb's tonight so that Audria and I can go get our hair cut tomorrow!!!

Official Cowboy

Brody's now an official cowboy. When I went shopping with Audria and Ann we found a belt that would work with the belt buckle I had for him. It's a belt buckle that Mike wore when he was little and it's so cute! Brody got to wear it to church today. The expression on his face in the picture below is what he does when you tell him it's time to go to church. He LOVES going to church! You can see the belt buckle a little better in this picture.

Garage Sale

We got to see lots of Caleb, Audria, Tyler, Ann, and Jan the last few days! It was Garage Sale Weekend! Thursday night they all came over to set up for a garage sale. By 6:30 am yesterday Jan and Ann were starting to open things up for the day...and the crowds were already gathering! They sold a lot of stuff on Friday. I even found a treasure for my friend Teri (back in KS)! Ann's parents were selling a set of nice dishes with a wheat pattern on them. They looked so familiar. I took a picture of them and emailed it to Teri. Sure enough...it's the same pattern as the ones that she's had for years! I'll send them back to Kansas with Mike when he comes to visit (did I mention that it's only 4 more days until I get to see my hot hubby again?!?!?!!!)

Saturday Caleb, Audria, & Tyler joined Ann in working the garage sale. Actually, most of the day it ended up being me, Ann, Audria, and Mom in the garage talking while the guys played in the back yard with Brody! Brody wanted to show Caleb & Tyler how Daddy Steve taught him to hit a baseball. It's amazing how accurate he is! I was surprised that he keeps his eye on the ball and actually makes contact on a high percentage of his swings!
Caleb & Tyler thought Brody's bat was HUGE for him...so they decided to find a bat for them to play with that would be the same size (in proportion to their body) as the bat Brody was using.
Chuck, the neighbor across the street, was getting ready to run some errands on his motorcycle and let Brody sit on it while he talked to the guys. Brody made the motorcycle look really big.
As the garage sale was winding down, Audria, Ann, and I went on a quick shopping trip (well...maybe not "quick"...but it wasn't all day!) while the guys packed up what was left and took it to Goodwill. I was worn out by the time we got home! Here's a picture of me relaxing at the dinner table. You can see that the baby has gotten big enough now to give me a place to rest my hands!
Brody was sooooooo tired tonight. He played outside ALL day. I wonder if Caleb, Tyler, and Daddy Steve were worn out too? I gave Brody a bath and put him to bed early. He went right to sleep!

A Different Kind of Mowing

Yesterday I ran some errands for my boss (aka Mom). When we got home there were some guys mowing the yard across the street. Brody was so fascinated that I could hardly get him inside! Dad set one of dining room chairs in front of the window and Brody sat there and watched the guys mow!

Last night Dad strapped Brody in the backpack and took him outside to mow. I wonder if Brody's thinking, "What kind of mowing is this? We're walking! This isn't near as fun as riding with Daddy on the riding lawn mower!" Maybe Daddy Steve needs to run-mow so that Brody can still feel the wind in his hair!

Smells of Home

When Mike and I were first dating, we'd spend time studying in our dorm's lobby. One night we went down there to watch a movie. After the movie was over he grabbed my pillow and told me he'd be right back. When he returned he wouldn't tell me what he did when he left! It wasn't until I laid my head down to go to sleep that I realized what he'd done. He had gone up to his room and sprayed some of his cologne on my pillow. It was so exhilarating going to sleep smelling his cologne!

Last night I was wishing that I had that pillow, or a shirt, or anything that smelled like Mike. Something that made me feel like he was right there in bed with me. I stay so busy during the day that it's easy to not focus on the separation...but the nights are hard.

Tonight as I put Brody to bed I turned on his humidifier for the first time since we moved to Texas. Immediately I was back in his room in Kansas. I wanted to sit down for a minute and just close my eyes and pretend that I was home. Instead...I choked back tears, kissed him goodnight, and turned out the lights.

Dinner Time

Yesterday Tyler and Ann invited us over to their apartment for dinner. Ann made enchiladas...yummy! Brody loved their balcony! The weather was nice enough that we could leave the door open and he could go outside as much as he wanted. There was a dog on the porch across the way that Brody had fun talking to. He'd shout, "Puppy! COME!" The dog would just sit there and stare at him. Audria tried explaining to Brody that the puppy was too far away...so Brody would come inside and say to me, "Puppy! Come! Far away."


Tyler and Ann were so excited for Brody to come to their apartment. Ann had purchased a few toys that she explained to Brody would stay at their apartment for him to play with whenever he came over. So sweet!


Here's a picture of Brody on the balcony.

Tonight Mom and I got away without having to make dinner yet again! Julie and her kids were at Ron & Jan's house and they invited us down for spaghetti! The kids had a lot of fun playing together. As we were about to head home they were all running around the front yard. This was the closest we could get to a group shot! lol
This is us walking back to Daddy Steve and Namaw's house. Can you tell that Brody enjoyed the visit?