Trendy Mindy and Her Loves...

Hudson's Hunting Story ...

2012-01-26T23:50:00.001-06:00

Wahooooooo...I've been

hearing all this talk about a hunting

trip with Daddy & Walker.

My mom put me in Walker's old

camo shirt so I'm thinking I get to go, too!

Check out my BIG brother.

He is so cool!

Some day those hunting boots

will be mine;)

My mommy gets all teary eyed

when her big boy is leaving.

She thinks he is growing up too fast...

OH yeah, I'll help Daddy

out here in the garage get

things loaded up. I'm SO in;)))

Here goes mom being all

sentimental again...

She thinks Walker is so handsome...

He is nine years old

and I want to be just like him!

Give it up, Mom!!!!!!!!!

Much better! Let's talk about

this trip, Bubs......

Mommy is back at it again...

making us all pose on the back of the

truck before "we" leave.

Mom seems to think we are

the three cutest kids in the world;)

Look how funny Walker is!
This trip is going to be a blast!!!

Gotta load up...

Not sure why Daddy is lovin'

on me like this....

I guess mommy just wanted

a picture of us before we left?!?

I usually reserve my sweet

kisses like this for mommy, BUT...

I'll dish 'em out to daddy

right now so I can guarantee my spot

on the hunting trip;)

DA BOYS! :)

Wahooo...Bubs is even taking

his BB gun!!!!!!!!

So much to get ready before

we leave for the deer lease....

There's my cute sister.

She's pumped that we are leaving;)

Not really...she was all teary

eyed herself saying how much

she was gonna miss Daddy & Bubba.

What about ME?

Bubs and I having a heart to heart....

still not sure why he keeps saying,

"maybe next trip"???

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made it into the truck!!!

I normally don't get to ride in the

front seat like this,

but hey...I'll go with it!

Not really sure why Bubba thinks

things are funny..............

Hadlee is all serious over

there riding her bike and acting

like it doesn't bother her

that we are leaving...

Now Daddy is giving sister kisses.

It must be time to leave! :)

Why is Mom telling me to

come to her?!? Even reaching

over to grab me???????

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I really didn't get to go. :(((

Daddy says I need to

be a little bit bigger :(

Great,

another weekend with the girls.

And everyone wonders why

I like to put on mascara! ;)

January Nights ;)

2012-01-25T23:40:00.000-06:00

FIRST...gotta get my sister's caboodle

out and apply some make-up! ;)

Gotta get it just right...

Hey, at least there was a football game on

the tv. I'm well-rounded?!?

Since the caboodle is out,

sister might as well
do mommy's make-up and hair.....

Even if brother is totally

making fun of her!!!

WHAT?!?!?!?!?

I can't paint my finger nails?

Please???????

Oh, I guess mommy is going

to show daddy how pretty she looks...

Daddy never knows what to think about her!!!

But he sure does love my mommy

no matter how silly she looks!

TIME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy on the kissing stuff, ya'll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrating Trav's 23rd :)

2012-01-24T23:54:00.001-06:00

Trav's 23rd Birthday was January 5th.

It fell on a Thursday this year.

So, there he was all alone three & a half

hours away in San Antonio. :(

NOT for LONG!!!!!!!!!!!

We couldn't stand that thought...

Wonderful Wendell drove Lynna, Hadlee,

Hudson, and I to surprise him!!!

(Walker was leaving on a

hunting trip with daddy)

When we came down the hall and

around the corner, Travis was sitting

on the side of his bed. Lynna

got to go in first.....

(she is his mother I suppose!)

He had REALLY been having a rough

week and this was SUCH a surprise!!! :)

He was so happy that we were there...

especially for his little kindred spirit!

We asked him if he thought he

would be alone all day and he

shook his head "yes"! :(

God BLESS his Heart!

The Reeds sent this awesome

shirt for Travis!!!

He loved it:)

We had fun watching him

open his presents...

My heart was SO full that day.

I was just SO incredibly thankful

to be there with Travis on his day!

Something Hadlee had made for him...

We got him some hard to find

DVDs he has been wanting!

He was laughing over some

of Grandmother and PaPa's funny

gifts! Grandmother had wanted

to come, but I took her spot in the car! ;(

Our card sang a fun song AND

it had a recording from the STORM!!!

He especially liked that! :)

His mama had him some great gifts!

He and his HUGE feet go through

lots of tennis shoes with all of his

hard work in therapy!

TWO uhhhhhhhhh to the may zing people...

Reading an awesome card

from Wendell.

"One day at a time" is what

Wendell constantly reminds

Lynna and Travis.

Aren't they just beautiful?

The Storm was ALLLLLL about

Uncle Wendell! God bless his heart!;)

Travis had one more therapy session ~

so we went outside while they got him going...

After some outside fun,

we got to go to his occupational

therapy where he was doing AWESOME!

RIOSA survived the storm one more time!;)

THIS would be Trav's beautiful

physical therapist.......
how about that smile on his face?!?

BIRTHday BOY!!!

Hanging out with his #1 fan!!!!!!!!

Travis really wanted to get OUT for a while

so we asked him if he'd want to go

somewhere so we could eat.
His counselors at CNS really

encouraged us to take Travis to eat

AND to eat in front of him because

he quite possibly may be like this for

the rest of his life and he needs to be

accustomed to it. Well, that is
TERRIBLY hard for us.

But he said he really didn't mind

and so we took him.

It's a sucker punch I won't lie...

first of all taking him anywhere.

I really never knew or stopped

much to think about (other than to

feel sorry) for people in wheel chairs

or for people helping those in

wheel chairs. It's just such a life

change. It's not like we've dealt

with this all of his life......

this.is.all.new.

AND it's hard. :(

The waiter asking Travis what he

wanted to drink and having to answer

for him broke my heart.

Life can be really tough.

How people make it without

God, I do NOT even have a clue.

ANyWaYS...we told the waiter

it was his birthday and it was

fun for them to sing to him!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doesn't he look amazing?

Nobody can realize the depth of what this kid

goes through because his looks and the
words he types are so deceiving.

He.is.Amazing.
(His sweet mom gave him a few sips
of coke while we were there. He
said that's what he wants so bad...
just a drink:( Such a miracle in
of itself that he is now able
to swallow - with much concentration
and work - some sips of a drink.
She didn't give him enough to affect
him if it went down the wrong way
which most likely it did).

We LOVED eVeRY single SEcoND

of celebrating Superman's 23rd

Birthday with him!!!!!!!!!!

We celebrated his 22nd birthday
at Texas Neuro with him

and now his 23rd at RIOSA.

His 24th.......hopefully at home!!!

Good Lord willing he might possibly be

able to eat or drink something...

maybe whisper a word...

maybe walk???

Or maybe none of those things.

We will LOVE & SUPPORT him

no matter what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We can have hope though:)

"Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord

will do wonders among you." Josh 3:5

I was 13 when Travis was born.

It was the most exciting event of my

jr. high experience. BY FAR!

And probably for many of my friends, too.

I never knew true love until that

very moment when I saw him for

the first time minutes after he was born.
A miracle then...

And even more of a miracle now...

"Now therefore stand and see this great

thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes."

1 Samuel 12:16

Happy Birthday, Travis!

I love you with all my heart!!!!!!!!

New Year's 2012 & The Birthday Girl

2012-01-23T23:52:00.003-06:00

New Year's Day is extra special in our family...

and not just because it's the
first day of a new year.

BUT because it's my beautiful middle

sister's birthday. First baby born in

Waco in 1965! :)

I love my big, little sister
more than words could EVER say!

It was so nice that Macy was home, too...

AND that it was a big Cowboys game day! ;)

Michelle is the sweetest aunt to my children...

My mother always cooks on New Year's Day

for Michelle's Birthday...just tradition:)

I could not resist buying Michelle

this "Middle Sister" wine!!!

SO fun to celebrate

such a beautiful person! Michelle is

the most kind-hearted person I know!!!

To people, to animals, to anything!

Whatever! I only hope I can look half

as good as her at 46!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michelle is also so quick witted

and funny and smart!

LOVE this crazy sistah SO much!!!

Hope and pray her wish comes true..............

Birthday Blessings to Beautiful Michelle!!!

My sistah is HOT

at 46!!!!!!!!!

My two best girls hanging out together......
I love that! :)

On this special day I'm also

thankful for another year

with the three LOVES of my life...

Make that the FOUR loves of my life....

To my family...

I love you even more in 2012

than I did in 2011.

Wouldn't think that could be possible,

but it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The smile on my face doesn't mean

my life is perfect. It means I

appreciate what I have and

what God has blessed me with."

Here we go, 2012!!!

Christmas Catch-Up

2012-01-22T20:42:00.000-06:00

I love the days after Christmas.

I leave all the kids' gifts out

and we just play, play & play!!!

Lego City (literally at our house!)...

Must be a future engineer, I'm sure...

Sweet little Bubs continued

to deal with his ear infections though :(

AND he only wanted to wear his

new Toy Story pj's from Grandmother!

Princess Pie couldn't WAIT to put

on this little darling that Aunt Lynna

got her for Christmas!!!

Her "American Girl" doll

got a matching one!!!

Lynna knows how to hook a girl UP;)

Janitor Hudson did a lot of cleaning.

As usual ;)

This cute thing even read over the break...

he LOVES to read! I think his reading

level is higher than mine now! ha;)

We also celebrated Baylor being in the

Alamo Bowl!!! I get to wear my

green and yellow...but a "football"

shirt is as far as I can let my boys go! :(

Troy cooked for us all on game night...
My parents are tried and true Baylor fans!!!

The Texas Na Na's attended the Alamo Bowl...

but we didn't get to go (BOO HOO).

That would be because I am married

to an ever lovin' Aggie and also

I had been running fever. Still boo hoo.

The Na Na's will never, EVER

forget our first Alamo Bowl back in

'96 or so. Good times, good times!!!

We all just texted back and forth

pics like this during the game instead;)

I love my girls so much.

Even when we aren't together, we are.

Gotta love some good ole Baylor spirit... ;)

And of course we love the
Superman RG3 connection!!!

I mean we REALLY love it!!!!!!!!!!

Who doesn't love bath time with babies?!?

I love all the nekid-ness before & after (hee hee!)

and the silly little games we play

such as wrapping Hadlee up in a towel

and announching to everyone that

"It's a GIRL"...this night we were telling

Hudson that he was a big brother and he

was getting to hold his "baby sister"!

RIGHT before Christmas, Walker all

of the sudden became obsessed with

Halo legos?!? Uncle Wendell came

through with a HUGE set...

we didn't know at the time that he

was really just playing a joke on Troy!

TONSSSSSSSSSSSS of pieces
and Walkman needed help with it!!!!!

Hello Hello Kitty Legos!:)

BUT the absolute biggest hit

from Christmas HAS to be the easel!!!

Do you even KNOW how many

games of HANGMAN we have played?!?

Whatever in the world do we do

with this member of the,

(thanks to Kelli G!)

Superman Club?!?

I put this pic on Trav's facebook

and he immediately wrote how

he wanted a shirt like this.

One week later, Kelli G

had one for Travis!!! LOVE her!

Speaking of, we had our annual

Barkley/Pierce Christmas, too!!!

Ella Bella...I HEART YOU!

The "H" buddies!!! ;)

I love this tradition so much!

Hold Kelli G and Me!!!

Where has the time gone?!?

CUTEST couple EVER!!!!!!!!!!

Let this be proof positive

that I am the first one to give

Hankers a baseball set!!!

I wouldn't doubt a career in the

Big Leagues for him! ;)

Love me some Hank!!!!!!!!!!

OH yes she diiiiiiiiiii-ed

get Haddie her first CABOODLE!!!

Sondays Camp here we come;)

I also had to take down all my

Christmas stuff. Couldn't even

believe when I found this dart

in my tree (how could I forget our

tree decorating night this year anyways!)

The next two framed Christmas pics are the

hardest for me to put away. They

just do so much good to my heart.

I need to find my favorite Huddy one now!

This was Walker's first

Christmas card picture (2002)...

This was our Princess Angel's first

Christmas (2006) in PaPa's rocking

chair and in a darling outfit

from God Mommy...

Then it was New Year's EVE...

Troy and I had a date night dinner

planned that night but Walker

had a fever so we cancelled of course.

Hadlee told me that daddy and I could

eat our dinner in the formal dining

room like we were out on our date! ha!

She drew this on the easel to

describe our night...

that's Hudson in the bed because

he fell asleep really early

and that's mommy & daddy

kissing in the middle! :)

Happy New Year, Huddy...

He was OUT at the dinner

table by 7pm!!!

We watched Christmas Vacation,

had a kickin' dance party,

and Haddie Girl pulled out

the Caboodles and did my make-up!!!

VERY 2012 ish...

I LOVE having this girl!!!!!!!!!!!

There couldn't have been a better

way to ring in the new year

than with my little family.

Hadlee was out before midnight,

but Walker held strong!

We had lots of kisses to give

and get...even if some were sleeping!

Happy 2012!

Praying for a year of blessings

and miracles for those I love :)

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-21T10:45:00.000-06:00

"All right then, the Lord himself

will give you the sign. Look!

The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son and

will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14

Immanuel means

'GOD is with Us'...

I've never known anything more true in my life...

Obviously:)

God truly is WITH us through it alllllllllll....

It does my heart and soul so much good

to see Macy & Travis together.

I myself grew up with these two...

There is nothing quite like all of us

being together at my parents' house for

a holiday. While it is VERY different from

how it used to be; it is FAR better than last year.

That's when we spent Christmas

Day at Texas Neuro Hospital in Austin.

At that time Travis was barely

awake and was just beginning to

hold his head up on his own.

It is beyond words to behold a

miracle in your very own life.

When we join hands and pray as

a family on Christmas Day,

our hearts are so grateful that we can

hardly form the words for the prayer.

My mother makes the most wonderful

Christmas meal EVER ever EVER.

It breaks our hearts that Travis

can't eat with us. We take turns

eating so he is not left out.

He loved my mother's cooking

so, so much. :((((((

We certainly have extra rolls now. ;(

After lunch, we opened presents!

Grandmother & PaPa came through

with the main thing Huds wanted...

Hudson had to show Travis:)

With the grandkids being older,

it's kinda the Walker, Hadlee, Hudson

gift opening show at first! ;)

My dad is THE hardest person to buy for...

he never wants for anything.

This year he told us he wanted

a Baylor coat. My sisters and I

were so excited to get him this!!!

A few months ago Grandmother was with

Travis at CNS and he chose "Hangover"

for them to watch. My mother wasn't much

of a fan of that particular movie,

but she watched it with him anyways!

How hilarious that she got him

"Hangover II" for Christmas! ;)))

Uncle Wendell came through in a BIG

way spoiling my kids ROTTEN!!!

Grandmother got Hudson

these Toy Story pj's and as soon

as he opened them, he HAD

to put them on!!!

Of course Aunt Lynna hooked

Miss Priss UP!!!!!!!!!!!

Travis got Janitor Huds his very

own DIRT DEVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haddie was thrilled over her

Build-a-Bear gift card from Wendell!

Travis liked the Superman shirt

and hat we got him:)

This.was.HILARIOUS.

Wendell had told Lynna to get him

a hunting hat for the cold.

Lynna came upon this one at

Academy and thought that is

what he meant.
Well, it wasn't.

BUT Wendell told us he would

definitely wear it the next time

he robbed the Circle K! ;)))

Troy thought he'd be better off

robbing Bush's Chicken since it

kinda looked like a chicken;)

The Merritts spend Christmas in Dallas

with Patric now since they want

to be in their own home for Santa.

They left money for all the kids...

my mother announced each envelope

for each kid. "I have an announcement...

To Walker...Love the Merritts"!!!

The head scratcher I put with Macy's

gift was a hit with everyone:)

True beauties...

I love the kindred spirits....

We missed Walker for a while and wondered

why in the world he was so quiet?

Setting up one of his Legos that Aunt Michelle

and Uncle Terry had given him of course!

Are they not the best looking

brother/sister duo in the world?!?

We all love us some handsome HB, too!

My mother and dad surprised "the girls"

with Kardashian bags and Kardashian

necklaces! It was too funny!!!!

Move over Kardashians.....

we are the Gibson Girls! ;)))

How funny that the one who got us

going on the whole Kardashian

girl thing was our photog;)

Papparazzi everywhere;)

Lynna wanted a picture of her green

jeans and Walker made sure she got one;)

I love my gorgeous sistahs!

Sweet, beautiful blogger Beth sent

us these AMAZING Jesus Calling

devotional books. She is truly a gem!

So faithful and true to a family

she has actually never even met.

God bless her heart & soul!
She is our sistah now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kris and Kim before the split ;)))

We all have a good time, I tell ya!

I am SO thankful that Uncle 'Willard'

is back with us at Christmas!!!

The crazies...Haddie had changed into

one of the darling outfits from Aunt Lynna!

Big Huds stayed in his new pj's all

day long...and finally crashed that evening!

How AMAZING is this picture?!?

THIS is proof that God IS with us!

"What, then, is the God I worship? ...

You are the most hidden from us

and yet the most present among us,

the most beautiful and yet

the most strong, ever enduring;

and yet we cannot comprehend you."

-St. Augustine

TWO aunts BLESSED beyond MEASURE!:)

I love this picture..............
because I love that boy so much!

Our hearts are so full!

I was pretty much holding Travis up...

especially after we had been making him

stand there for so long for the pictures.

He kept acting like he was going to

fall backwards into the tree though

just to scare me!!!!!!!!! He's a MESS!

Just so very, very deeply and eternally

grateful to God for another Christmas

with our family at Grandmother's...

"Now we see things imperfectly

as in a cloudy mirror,

but then we will see everything

with perfect clarity.

All that I know now is partial and incomplete,

but then I will know everything completely,

just as God now knows me completely."

This verse, 1 Corinthians 13:12, promises

a day when we will no longer see

through imperfect eyes.

God is with us NOW and

God will be with us THEN.

Such a beautiful and amazing

Christmas! Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Merry Christmas MORNING:) 2011

2012-01-20T00:00:00.001-06:00

I tend to go overboard shopping for Christmas

every year. I always tell myself that we aren't

going to do as much, but oops...

I always forget. ;) I do love the idea

of the "three gifts", but it just didn't

happen this year.

I love buying for others...

especially my own babies!

AND, T-Daddy knows how I am

and always plans for me to go

crazy so we never go in debt

because of Christmas. AND....

most importantly, I have no doubt

that my children KNOW, LOVE

and HONOR the true meaning

of Christmas. My three are

grateful, appreciative and love

to give and get;) I was spoiled

rottenly sweet growing up myself,

so it's all good! :)

Yes, those are vacuums for Janitor Hudson;)

I absolutely LOVE putting together
their Santa gifts. Their little
personalities and the things they love!
Oh how it does this mama's heart good!!!

And to have THREE to set up for! :)))))))))

This.is.CLASSIC!!!

Hudson had no clue what to think!

It's so cute because every single year,

without fail, they get so excited

for each other over what the other got!

Wahooooo! Flat screens (still thanking our

sweet santa nieces who grabbed those up

for the bigs so cheap on black Friday!)..........

Vacuums, Toy Story, Baseball

Hadlee and her "American Girl" doll!
Hey, as long as the Target version

is fine with her, so be it!!!;)

Beyblades, Baby!

STOCKING TIME!!!

The Easy Bake Oven was something

that Haddie told Santa last minute.

All of the sudden, this was the "main"

thing she wanted for Christmas...

I guess every little girl needs an
Easy Bake, right?!?

Toy Story 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Santa left a note on the easel;)

The janitor getting to work ;)

This is fun!!!!!!

Finally I have a kid who likes

ALL the Starburst colors!!!

Walker remains true to the reds &

pinks and Hadlee to the oranges!

Texas Rangers anything was on his list!!!

Playing "school" just got a whole

lot sweeter! There's even a

chalk board on the back!!!!!!!

Walkman likes to tear into his

stuff and get it set up right away!

I've never had a kid love Toy Story.

Hudson came upon our Toy Story DVD

that Walker and Haddie maybe

watched once. Huds LOVES it!!!

Hudson LOVED his new

Woody (doll!)....

Walker & Hadlee loved it for him!!!

I think his love for all things

Toy Story is just too cute!!!

Woody even talks!!!!!!!!!!!!

VERY into football and baseball cards & books...

Finally little man doesn't have to

doctor us with Haddie's pink set! ;)

Doctor, Doctor Can you Tell?!?

What's going to make little Mindy well?

(a little tribute to MY PaPa Gibson

who used to sing that to me!)

Then it was time for the

Pierce Party of Five

to open each others' gifts!!!

I love having three kids.

I love having a husband.

I love having a home.

I thank the Good Lord for it ALL!!!

Probably my favorite picture... ;)

Giving Woody kisses :)

I love the laughter

that fills my home, too!!!!!!!

Walker made us a calendar at school

and had it wrapped and everything

for us. We let Daddy open it

because he told me the day

he brought it home that it

was something that rhymed with

"BAlendar" and that I would love it!
He just couldn't hold it in!!!!!;)

He was SO right!

That's a treasure with my sweet

boy's beautiful art work...

My avid reader was pumped

over this...he's been begging

to start reading them for a long time!

This was a top three on sweet

girl's Christmas wish list?!?

Daddy started a who loves their

gifts the most contest?!?!?!?!

Tough competition!

Mommy almost lost.....

BUT then she decided to WIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet thing caught on quickly.....

HA! Mommy & Daddy got this

for each other (again...) but we

let the little janitor open it;)

He might like the Swivel Sweeper

more than Woody ;)

Wifey loves Hot Daddy :)

Mommy loves her babies...

And guess what daddy is doing here?!?

Putting batteries in one of

Hudson's toys from LAST year that

he wanted to play with on

Christmas morning!!!!!!!!!! HA!

Such a special morning

with my little family of five...

nothing but love, laughter,

gratitude and joy over

JESUS and each other....

And they were calling

to one another:

"Holy Holy Holy is the

Lord God Almighty;

the whole earth is full

of his glory."

Isaiah 6:3

Christmas Eve Eve & Eve 2011

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

We left Waco for Troy's grandparents

on Christmas Eve Eve afternoon:)

Since we were ready & while daddy loaded

the car, mommy took advantage of

some time to take Christmas pictures! :)

Walker ~ Nine Years Old

Hadlee ~ Five Years Old

Hudson ~ Almost Two Years Old

...and the sweetest little
addition to our Christmas!

On the drive to Santa Anna ;)))

Hanging out at Grandma and PaPa Robinett's.
Unfortunately Walker AND Hudson
weren't feeling 100%. By the time
we got there, both had fever. :(

That night we went to Aunt Jean
and Uncle Ray's beautiful home
to see Santa! I love this tradition!!!

Thank you to Uncle James for snapping
these pics with his camera :)

Haddie Girl was ALL about Santa :)

...and a Barbie airplane, and an easel,

and a flat screen tv, and a......

Hudson was only a little hesitant this time...

Bless this handsome guy's heart...

he just wasn't feeling good.

Yet, good enough to still talk to Santa though;)

Aunt Jean and Uncle Ray's

decorations are the BEST!

My kids love it there!!!

I love the wonder in Hudson's face...

We love Aunt Jean & Uncle Ray,

I mean Santa & Mrs. Claus!

Christmas Eve day, we had the most

wonderful lunch at Aunt Cindy's

(she makes THE best mexican food EVER!)...

ANd we just love hanging out

at Uncle James & "Shampoo's" house!

By this time, poor Huds was feeling terrible :(

Dancing with Daddy...

Then it was time for presents!!!

Aunt Poo spoils my kiddos!

A stick horse for Huds from

PaPa & Nanny!!! :)

The magic 8 ball from Jessica

and Luke was a BIG hit with Walkman!

Just have to say it...

BEST grandparents in the WORLD!

Sweet little guy just felt so bad...

We love Great Grandma Pierce!!!

And the SHINING STAR of the family.......

Sweet, happy, precious LUKE! :)))

I am so thankful that my children have

AND know AND love their

grandparents and GREAT grandparents.

SUCH a blessing!!!

Cute Cuzin' Luvin'!

The HOSTS with the MOSTS!

We love our beautiful nieces

and their precious little families dearly!!!

Then it was BACK to Waco

for Christmas EVE evening;)

Trying to perk up our little

Christmas angel :)

Unfortunately Troy's sweet mom was

still in the hospital from her back

surgery...in fact, she still can't walk today.

(But getting more feeling...thank you, Lord!).

SO that evening we took pizza and gifts

to see Mamaw at Hillcrest!!!!!!!

God bless her heart! She's been through

SO much here lately. We love

Mamaw like CRaZY!!!

Gifts from Mamaw...

It's nothing for my kids to be in a

hospital :( ...don't really know if that's

a good thing or a bad thing?!?

Hopefully they will ALWAYS

have a heart for those that are sick.

Legos for ALL! :)

Then it was back home and we let

the kids each pick one present

from under the tree to open ....

Finally, it was all kids to bed (in our bed...

a Christmas tradition) but not without

a sweet prayer thanking God for Jesus

and the precious birth of Jesus;

and thanks for ALLLLLL

of our many, many blessings; and

of course healing prayers for

Travis and Mamaw.

"When they saw the star,

they were overjoyed beyond measure...

and falling to their knees,

they worshipped Him."

Matthew 2:10-22

Love & Laughter

2012-01-18T00:00:00.003-06:00

“Laugh as much as you breathe

and love as long as you live.”

School Parties :)

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

I love putting together teacher gifts!

I just wish I had lots & lots more money...

who better to spoil than the amazing

people who teach and care for my babies?!?

Gift cards to their favorite store

and a lotion for the main teachers.

Christmas throws for all the "specials" teachers!

My co-teach at MHS! What a BLESSING

this sweet lady has become in my life.

Stephanie is so special to me

and she is just the dearest friend.

Plus I love sharing my students with her.

We really make an awesome team!!!

I am grateful for a school that allows us

to work together to help students

with special needs.

This precious little student;) got an ear

infection and had to miss out on going to

Mrs. Janice's right before the holiday. :(

He came with mommy to school instead!

Walker & Hadlee's Christmas parties

ended up being at the same EXACT time.

And guess who was in charge of

both parties?!? Their room moms.

And guess who their room moms are?

Yours truly!!! ;)

I literally started Walker's party

and then ran down the stairs to start

Hadlee's party and then went back

and forth up and down the stairs

for one solid hour! It all worked out

and it turned out to be quite humorous!

Thankfully, I have sweet mom friends

in both classes who helped me!!!

What a JOY to be able to

celebrate Christmas with my

handsome THIRD GRADER...

...and his sweet class!

It's a FUN class, too! (:

Walker loves his friends so much.

I love that about him!!!

They signed ornaments for each

other during their party...

AWESOME friends...

Cannon, Braden, Bryson, Walker

Our gorgeous, sweet favorite

third grade teacher...

AND mommy's new friend! ;)

Meanwhile DOWNSTAiRS, Miss
Haddie Girl was having her
Kindergarten Christmas party!!!

These precious angels decorated ginger

bread houses (that the room moms

put together for all the kindergarteners!)

We LOVE Mrs. Decker!

Along with Walker's kindergarten teacher who

moved...Mrs. Decker is the BEST!!!

Cannon's mom and I are keeping pics
like this for him and Haddie's
wedding rehearsal video ;)))

Such a sweet, fun little class! :)

With the sweetest being THIS little girl......

Yay for darling little girl friends like Taylor!

Just like at Halloween,

Mrs. Decker gave each student a special book.

Haddie Girl will treasure that always :)

Sweet Classmates :)

After the parties, W & H delivered gifts

to their specials teachers like
Mrs. Schaefer & Mrs. Krause (their PE teachers)...

And we had to love on Ms. Swafford some

more, too! PRAYING I can keep her

at South Bosque at least until

Hadlee is in the third grade!

Oh and for Hudson, too!!! ;)

Putting on these two parties took quite a bit

of work and I am VERY thankful

for willing parents who helped me beforehand

and especially during the parties since

they were at the same time

which was like a work-out...

but well worth it and FUN! :)

I love being all things mommy

to my beautiful little girl....

...and to my handsome little man!

Fun, Foxy & Fifty ...

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

On December 20th...believe it or not...

we celebrated my beautiful sistah's

50th Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had circumstances been different,

I'm sure we would have had more of a

par~TAY for her. But without one of

her main men not being able to be there:(...

we just opted for a fun dinner out.

And it was JUST that...

VeRY FuN!

My Hunter B keeps me so hip ;)))

Mary Lynna is something else, I tell ya!
She is very outwardly beautiful

and always has been (even at birth...

my mother has confessed that Lynna

was the prettiest baby!!! ha!).

But Lynna is JUST as BEAUTIFUL

on the inside. She LOVES everyone

and makes friends with EVERYONE

she comes into contact with. Seriously!

Lynna is funny, generous,

honest, vain (ha!),

and truly an AMAZING person.

Being thirteen years younger than Lynna,

we have always had a very special

relationship. Lynna has mothered me

my entire life. I've always been her

baby. She taught me EARLY on to

always be nice to EVERYONE

no matter what. I took that lesson of

hers to heart and it's made a

difference in my life.

I love my gorgeous, hilarious,

fun-loving sister with all of my heart!

Lynna LOVED Barbies as a child.

How creative that my Mother got

Lynna the 50th anniversary

Barbie & Ken!!!

In the first days after Trav's accident,

people were showing up at the hospital

and I'd ask how they knew Lynna.

"I met her at Souper Salad."

"I met her at Dillards."

"I met her at Luby's and we

became friends and started eating

together every week."

I'm not kidding!!!

I couldn't believe when I found these napkins.

Lynna is SO fun, foxy & now fifty!!!

I know I shouldn't pray such a vain thing...

but dear Lord, please let me look half as

good as my sistah when I'm 50!!! (;

Haddie wore a leopard tu tu that

Lynna got her last year.

Lynna loves ALL things animal print

and ALL things BLING! ;)

Walker calls Lynna a DIVA!
We might have a Little Lynna

on our hands...........

Fifty AND Fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Macy should have been Lynna's daughter!!!;)

We allllllllllllll agree on this one!

The Kardashians in full effect ;)))

Look at Kris and Bruce in the background!!! ha!

I love my beautiful SISTAHS/Best Friends!!!

I couldn't help but ask my dad what it

felt like to have a daughter who is 50?!?!?!?!?!

Lynna is SO LOVED by SO MANY!

And loved MOST OF ALL by her

two handsome and sweet sons...

This gorgeous sister of mine has had some

tough times in her life and she is so

very strong. Her very best friend that she

grew up with and had moved to another town

with and married friends was murdered

by the man she had married

(a friend to Lynna and Scott).

Her other childhood best friend

died from a horrible disease.

Lynna fought with all of her heart

to save her first marriage to a

really good man but one that had

made some major mistakes.

And now...well, this is the

ultimate. She is living a

mother's nightmare...

but with GRACE and FAITH

and INSPIRATION.

I am so proud of and so

thankful for my fun, foxy

and fifty year old sister.

She is not just my big sister...

but also a mother

AND a best friend all in one! :)

Festive Frocks & Frolics :)

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

May the God of hope fill you with

all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit

you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

I love all the JOY, the BELIEVING,

the PEACE and the HOPING

associated with Christmas! :)

Of course I love the fun and festive

frocks and frolics, too!!!

Still ONE....but not for very long :(

Daddy wasn't thrilled about the matching

"h" shirts, but Mommy loved them!!!

H. Walker Returns!!!

When Walker dresses Hadlee up, she goes

by H. Walker;) These two are a riot!

They had a spidey suit for Huds,

but he wanted nothing to do with it! :)

She is my delight......

These two are so precious with each other...

Haddie adores her baby brother!

She mothers him, teaches him,

hugs him, talks sweet to him,

dresses him in headbands & high heels...

and loves LOVES loves him!

Seeing Santa at the Richland Fashion Mall.

Hudson was NOT a fan! ;)

Somehow we managed to
get this pic though..............

AND some new shoes for the WalkMan

whose foot is now bigger than his mama's...

(and I wear an 8 1/2 or a 9)!

Date night for Grandmother & PaPa

to the Alcoa Dinner Dance

that we had to unfortunately miss

because of the state play-off game.

They are such a beautiful couple.

I am one lucky little girl:)
Yes, I'm still their little girl...........

Mrs. Janice sent me this pic of

Hudson eating spinach dip!
Oh please let me have an eater!!!!!!!

I am just so thankful for this little

angel who rides around everywhere

with me.......almost ALWAYS

with a sweet little smile.

He has changed my life forever.

Shopping for Daddy some

Christmas presents at Wal-Mart
in the hunting/sports section of course;)

Perk # One Billion of having a BOY...

Look what Hudson made at

Mrs. Janice's....

he was so proud and loved pointing

at the Baby Jesus for us! :)

This kid keeps his mommy laughing...

very often to the point where

I have tears from laughing so hard!
He is FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!

AND quite creative;)

I think he makes a really cute

Christmas tree!

Mr. Prissy Pants posing.....

Lynna bought Walker this shirt

last year...perfect for him!!!!!!

SASSAFRASS!!!!!!!!

(playing after dance class!)

This little girl has a new personality

emerging...she can be such a mess!!!

BUT most of the time, she is

still my sweetie pie princess!!!

Ready for Kindergarten

Pajama Day :)))

There is an older couple in our

neighborhood who go ALL out

with Christmas decorations.

My kids LOVE to drive by

their house over and over again...

especially Haddie. The dear

old Grandpa even came out

to talk to us one night!

Sweet little girl curls...in all her wonder:)

OH BRoTHeR(s)!!!

These two have something so special

between them...despite the

seven year age gap. I love watching their

brotherly love!!! Just something

so special! They ADORE each other:)

And this little darling fits

in perfectly right between them!

I love being a mommy...

...especially to my CRAZY storm!!!

This one does.NOT.like to share

Mommy one.bit.at.all!
It's quite comical how

protective he is over "HIS" mama!

Playing the "myyyyy mama" game is NOT

funny to Hudson AT ALL!!! ;)

Thank Goodness I find it VERY easy to love

all three with ALLLLLLLLLLL my heart & soul!

Are you kidding me?

I love my BOYS!!!

AND my girl!!!!!!!!!!!!

I pray with all of my heart that

I am teaching them the TRUE

meaning of Christmas...

They have taught ME the true

meaning of love.........

My Wish......

Better yet, My Prayer:)

While I'm being so festive,

I can't resist posting what I put

on my sisters' facebook.

THIS would be the "Kardashians"

back in the DAY;)))

And a shout out to my hubs who does

such a perfectly, fabulous job on our

Christmas lights every year...

just like "Wifey" likes them.

All white & simple:)

Merry Christmas from our Home to Yours!

Seeing Superman in San Antonio

2012-01-09T00:00:00.003-06:00

We made our first trip to San Antonio
in mid-December to see Travis

at RIOSA...his new rehabilitation

hospital. He will be the there for at least six

months because a federal program for TBI

patients is assisting with the costs there.

As has been the case with each

new hospital (this is his fifth one

in less than two years),

it was QUITE the sucker punch upon

arrival. At CNS Travis was living in an

"apartment" with an assistant with him

and only him 24/7 plus a full nursing

staff that checked on him hourly and did his

feedings. EVERYONE there wanted

to work with Travis and he was never alone.

But yet, he did have his independence

somewhat because he was in an

apartment setting.

Well, RIOSA is a hospital...

plain and simple.

Travis is ALONE in his room unless

he is in therapy. :(((

Alone in a hospital room at the end of

a hall, can't get up on his own or

even reach for things that get out

of his immediate reach, AND

he has no voice. It makes me sick

to think about...especially

because as you know with ALL

hospitals...nurses and techs

are extremely overworked and

can't get to a patient as often

as you would like.

It is what it is though.

Thank you, Scott & White Insurance,

for making him leave the facility

where he should still be.

Thank the Good Lord the

therapy at RIOSA is outstanding.

I still trust God (only God) that He

has led us here for a reason. :)

I had left the room to go and get

something and when I came back

they had pulled these curtains closed

so I'd think I had the wrong room!;)))

(And I did!!!!!!!!!!!)

The kids thought this was HILARIOUS!

Lovin' our Superman...

Look at my sweet little girl in this pic...

(learning these behaviors from her big bro!!!)

Travis LOVES the Storm.

Obviously the feeling is QUITE mutual!

The visitor tags we have to wear

went over quite well...

about as well as the hospital bracelet

that Travis constantly removes!!!

Such kindred spirits...

It's like Hudson is an angel sent

to brighten things up for Travis

(and all of us)...a VeRY active,

rambunctious, but lovable and

sweet little angel! ;)

I might get a bill from RIOSA

for some medical gloves and such?!?

We decided to get Travis out for a little bit...

with a trip to Target!!! Can you even

imagine how good it feels to GET OUT?

This was a cold and rainy day, yet

we just knew he'd love an outing.

Especially an outing where he could

see Janitor Hudson mezmerized by

the vacuum isle!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bless Aunt Michelle's heart...she'd

had foot surgery three days before

we went. There was just NO WAY

she was missing out on this trip though!!!

Lynna posted a similar picture to this

on Facebook with a caption that

read something like,

"Saw these wild kids in Target.

Wonder where their mother was?"
Oh yesssssss, she diiiiiiii-ed!!!

Really does make you wonder

where their mother was though, uh?!?

Surely her and her sisters weren't

pretending to be the Kardashian sisters?!?

Poor Travis ;(

He has A LOT to put up with!!!!

BUT...........this cleaner

version of the Kardashians SURE

does make him laugh!!!!!!!!!!

I'm Kourtney because I have kids,

Michelle is Khloe because she will

say anything and is the least vain,

& Lynna is Kim because

she can't keep a man;)))
We think we are reeeeeeeeal funny...

Hunter named us the Kardashians

sisters a long time ago!

Back to those kids...

no wonder they are called THE STORM!

The next day after a VERY rough

RIOSA morning...and us not being

happy with Trav's care (he had to

wait ALLLLL day long for a shower

that was requested at 5 in the morning!),

we had to leave:(((((

BUT not without the STORM

leaving one last impression on RIOSA.

Don't you dare mess with our Superman!

Thank God for these three ninja loves...

they make leaving Travis (for me)

a little bit easier. Hard to cry

too much with them around:)

Coming through Austin Walker was

determined for Hunter to get a picture

of the state capital for his class.

They had just studied it;)

But then it was nighty night

for these two happy H's...

A cheerful heart is a good medicine,

but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

Merry Moments

2012-01-08T00:02:00.000-06:00

My sweet kindergartener ready

for school spirit day one Friday

in early December...

Walkman STILL sporting his jersey

because our Varsity was STILL

in the play-offs!!!!!!!!!!

Hudson was still in his pj's because

that's just how we roll sometimes! ;)

I wonder if I'll EVER stop taking

pictures of my babies sleeping.

My little blondie with his curls

wearing an outfit that his big

brother wore at the same age!

A little angel.........

Why in the world would I be taking pictures

of school buses?!? Well, because that would

be ME following Haddie Girl on her

first field trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY for the Mayborne Museum...

and YAY for the Room Mommy (moi)

getting to come, too!!!

Precious Pie is so cute...she follows
every last direction and doesn't make a peep!

Actually volunteering to answer a question!!!

Love it!:)

Hadlee, Madi, Caroline

Mrs. Decker's Kindergarten Class 2011-2012

Such a sweet class!!!

Hadlee & Joshua

Our fave guy...Cannon(ball!) Carr

They acted out the Christmas story...

Hadlee was a shepherd.

I LOVED THAT THEY DID THIS!!!

'Tis so sweet to learn about baby Jesus!

Sweet girl had shed many tears in the days
leading up to the field trip
over riding the bus! ;(

Thankfully, she rode by Mrs. Decker
and didn't seem to have one problem on
the way......but when it came time to

ride it again...AND say good-bye to

mommy....well, you can just tell

that wasn't easy. :(((

But just like that, she left mommy and

grabbed Mrs. Decker's hand and was fine:)

The only one left crying was the crazy

woman taking this picture............

ALLLLL ready for Walker's

THIRD GRADE

Music Program!!!

Be still my heart...

this handsome nine year old boy IS my heart!

Walker is wearing a Polo that

belonged to Travis and Hunter!

I remember Trav in it!!!:)

The H's were proud of Brother!!!

Troy and I ask ourselves all the time

how we are so blessed with

these three loves....

we SO don't deserve them!

"December Nights, December Lights"

Ready for his speaking part that he

memorized all by himself
and it was LONG!
His and one other's were THE longest!!!

Walker spoke so clearly and loudly!

We were SOOOOOOOOO proud:)

Daddy even got it on video!

At one part, Walker's class did a dance.

Walker had been quick to tell me the

week before that his teacher had

asked if anyone was opposed to

dancing in the show.

He had quickly raised his hand!!! ha!

Such a shame cuz he has some moves;)

I asked him if his best buds were

dancing and he said, "yes"...so

at least he isn't giving into peer

pressure and doing something

he doesn't want to do (yet!).

Hudson loved the show and

loved clapping!!!

Mrs. Flowers, the music teacher,

is awesome and the show was FANTASTIC!!!

Haddie and I are still singing some of the songs!

Our Varsity Football team made it

ALL the way to STATE!!!!!

First time in school's history

so it was a HUGE deal for every student

including former students like me!

GO MIDWAY!!!

MHS was just a BUZZ!!!

It was such an exciting time:)

Mrs. Pierce's decorations;)

The State game was played at

Cowboy Stadium.

ARe you kidding me?!?

That place is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

SO proud to be there and ready

just in case they needed

him on the field;)))

You can't see in this picture...but Haddie

Girl had on her tall red boots, too.

She had her Midway cheer suit,

but also channeling her inner

Dallas Cowboy cheerleader

by wearing some tall boots!!! ;)

Little man hadn't a clue as to where

he was and that he may someday

play on that field as a Dallas

Cowboy?!? ha ha!

Or perhaps be a janitor there...

that's what he was doing in this pic ~
collecting trash!!!!!!!!!

We followed the Wischmeiers or at

least tried to (the traffic was dreadful...

with everyone from Waco

heading to Big D for this!).

Wendell had jokingly texted Troy

and told him to send him a picture of some

hot moms at the stadium.

Troy immediately turned around

and took our pic!!!;)

Lynna was NOT happy that two

of the Kardashians were together

in Big D without her! ha!

A baseball bud happened to sit by us...

Grayson:)

I currently have several players on the team

and in the band and dance
team and cheerleading.

I was so happy for all of them to

be experiencing such a cool thing!

We played Lake Travis...

it was their FIFTH win at state (unfortunately!).

Wahoooooooo!
We hooked up with the Reeds!!!

AND of course the Wischmeiers!!!!!!!

All Walker had talked about that week

was this game...he was pumped to get to go!

Little man had fun...

But sweet sister fell asleep

on daddy during the game.

It was an 8:00 game

after an almost four hour drive to

Dallas because of the traffic.

BUT she sure did look cute...

even if we lost!!!

I really thought that Walker wearing

his Superman socks for Travis

AND RG3 would bring Midway the win! ;(

No such luck...but it was a good game

AND a FANTASTIC season.

SO proud of my students and

loved the fun for ALL of us!!! :)

Finally...to close with a truly "merry" moment

for me and one that I will probably get

in BiG trouble for someday.

I.could.not.resist!!!

When low and behold I rounded

the bathroom corner and

what did I see?

Three cute little

bums staring at me!!!

Peace~Love~Joy

2011-12-29T22:52:00.002-06:00

Believing they are God's perfect

creations leave me with an

everlasting PEACE.

Their hugs give me more

LOVE than I ever thought possible.

Their smiles and laughter make

my heart burst with JOY.

Sometimes you just have to dance;)

2011-12-28T16:56:00.002-06:00

I hope you never lose
your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but
always keep that hunger
May you never take one
single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave
you empty handed
I hope you still feel small

when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes
I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give
faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice
to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance!

Lee Ann Womack ~ "I Hope You Dance"

Christmas Tree Delights :)

2011-12-15T23:22:00.000-06:00

Truly a delight...

Blue Eyed Wonder(ful)...

And even.....Walker the Red Nosed CRAZY;)))

Delight yourself in the LORD and

he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

It's a Bird, It's a Plane..........

2011-12-14T23:24:00.002-06:00

NOOOOOOOO....

it's Superman Hudson

in last year's size 18 month pj's

that are now too small!!!

Poor guy couldn't even stand
up straight in them!!!!!!

I love everything about you,

Super Huds!!!

Treasures

2011-12-04T14:55:00.001-06:00

Hadlee could not wait for

Daddy (and Walker) to get the tree up

so we could hang the ornaments.

After about fifteen minutes or so,

she was done...

as in d-o-n-e, done!

Might have been mommy's desire

for precise placement of each

treasured ornament, I'm just now sure;

regardless, Haddie Girl

fell sound asleep right then and there!

Walker, in true Walker D fashion,

was in and out hanging an ornament here

and there but MOSTLY trying to

shoot particular ornaments with his nerf gun;)

Which then led to jumping off

the chair before he shot...

THEN this seemed allllllll

too funny to Walker......

I have to admit that I had tears

rolling down my face!

This kid is a RIOT:)

He is goofy, spirited and funny!

He is so.much.like.his.DADDY;)

Moments laughing with him and at him

are absolute treaures!!!!!!!

I absolutely LOVE ornaments.

I can tell you exactly where each of

my ornaments came from and I

treasure them dearly.

I especially love these that have

my babies' pictures...

Walker when he played soccer at age four,

Haddie at Mrs. Heather's

and Hudson at Mrs. Janice's...

Superman...well, that one speaks

for itself. And how appropriate that

my "Bless Us Everyone" hangs by

our Superman:) LOVE the white

Christmas tree ornament that my

parents gave us one year. My mother

gives us at least one ornament a year

and she has always bought us

ornaments while on their trips

all over the world.
Kelli G painted the hot pink balls
with her special education kids
a few years ago and tied the
cutest polka dot ribbon on them.

Treasures.

South Bosque has given us an

ornament with Walker's picture

every year since he was in pre-k.

Haddie made such precious

ornaments over at Mrs. Heather's

and Mrs. Janice's.

Now, Hudson is doing the same:)

Treasures!

In fact, here is an angel

that Hudson made last week!

I love it:)))

My latest treasure...

New Big Brother & Big Sister ornaments!

Love these!

My precious little God Daughter, Kate
and Chloe are getting one, too:)

These three ornaments are priceless

treausures to me...

Baby's First Christmas Ornaments

for each ~ 2002, 2006, 2010

Betsy sent me this ornament and another like

it when Walker was little. One hangs on my

wall all year long. I also love to hang my

Betsy & Craig ornament...that's

how she asked me to be a bridesmaid

in her wedding 14 years ago.

This red reindeer is an antique...my mother gave

me several of my ornaments from her tree

when I got married. The dove is one that

I made in elementary school.

The white Christmas tree one is silk...

my parents bought it in a lace shop

in Antweys, Belgium.

Priceless treasures.

The first trolley car that Kelli sent me

from San Fran when she first moved there.

Such a treasure...she's my San Francisco Treat;)

A sweet student...Amanda Matthews

gave me the Eiffel Tower. Love it.

I bought the pink Mr. & Mrs. Clause heart

ornament to represent Troy & me;)

Speaking of Troy and me...

one of my principals, Brenda, at the first

school I taught (Coppell Middle School West)

gave this to me when I got married in 1999.

A treasure...

I did a post similar to this a couple

of years ago...but I can't resist doing it

again:) I love a home decorated for

Christmas ~ especially my very own.

Makes me feel so grown up and...

content! :)

Ahhhh my favorite and treasured

picture of my Sweet Chloe Bo

who now lives in Australia :(

Cutest Christmas picture EVER...

AND she has a new baby brother, Ben!

He was born on October 10th to my bestie

Kimberly and her hubby Marc.

Baby Ben is now a treasure

(down under!) to me!!!

My dear mother gave me this angel

and it is one of my very favorite

gifts EVER...she bought it because

the angel has brunette hair like me.

Only a mother would think of that!!!

She is a treasure to me...

just like my beautiful mother is.

Talk about a treasure.............

I absolutely adore this manger scene

that my dear mother-in-law painted.

It is so precious and perfect.

God bless my mother-in-law's heart,

but she had major back surgery two

weeks ago and is still in the hospital

and can't walk yet. :(

It's been awful for her and I can't

pray enough for her healing.

Her sweet son, my hubby,

has been staying most nights at the

hospital with her

(that's where he was this night).

I treasure her and him so much.

Hadlee loves this manger scene

and plays with it quite often...

very delicately of course!;)

She has been asking me lots of questions

about Baby Jesus and Mary.

Each year, especially since becoming a mother,

I am even more moved

by the entire story of the birth of

Jesus and all that goes along with it.

I love Haddie's sweet questions

and I love the song "Away in a Manger".

Friday night the kids decorated

their own treasured trees:)

Walker is really into his nutcracker

collection that Grandmother started

for him a few years ago:)

Maybe next year Hudson will

get a Christmas tree upgrade;)

But the absolute BEST

treasures in my life are

my little Prince Charming who slept

through all of the tree decorating..............

My beautiful Sleeping Beauty..........

And of course my Nerf Ninja;)))

For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:34

Thankful for Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-12-01T22:25:00.001-06:00

Thankful to make a cute little Turkey

Day Breakfast for W& H

on Thanksgiving morning:)

Thankful they eat healthy oatmeal
every single morning;)

Thankful for this little turkey, too...

Thankful that I'm so funny and texted my sister

Michelle on the morning of Thanksgiving

to tell her I might be late because

I was having to "bake" so many pies...

Thankful times three...

Thankful for nine years of

loving this amazing and handsome little man...

Thankful for five years of loving

this sweet, precious little girl...

Thankful for almost two years of

loving this delightful little baby boy...

Thankful for their spunk:)

Thankful I am married to the best daddy

who loves his kids with all of his heart...

Thankful I mommy to these three

precious angels...

Thankful for my sweet & sexy husband...

Thankful for my beautiful sister

and her family...

Thankful for such gorgeous

people whom I call my

nephew and niece...

Thankful for my sweet sister & brother-in-law...

Thankful for the Pierce Party of Five:)))

Thankful to see Travis WALKING...

Thankful for Trav's extreme

determination and positive attitude...

Thankful for SUPPORT...

Thankful for these seven sent

to me from Heaven...

Thankful for Troy and all the behind the

scenes things he does for my family

(like holding Travis from behind!)

Thankful my mother now has several options

for her Christmas card picture;).......

Thankful that my parents happen to be

the most wonderful Grandparents EVER...

Thankful to be STANDING next to Travis...

Thankful for my beautiful sister

who loves her boys so very, very much...

Thankful for my two handsome nephews

and my gorgeous sister, Lynna...

Thankful Troy treats my

nephew like his very own...

Thankful (for Troy's sake!) that

Hudson would NOT wear the

Baylor bib my mother set out for him;)...

Thankful for delicious food that my

mother makes...

Thankful that Wendell is back in our lives...

Thankful that I can sit next to Travis

while everyone eats and kiss on him...

Thankful that Travis stood for one

whole minute without anyone helping him...

Thankful to see my two first borns

stand next to each other and look

as amazing as ever...

Thankful God blessed my family

with this little angel...

Thankful for LOVE...

Thankful everyone has A LOT of patience

with my babies who sometimes don't

understand the importance of taking a picture;)

Thankful for the bribe of telling

Hudson we will go inside

and turn on the vacuum cleaner for him

if he will pose for some pictures;)...

Thankful for LIFE...

Thankful for cousins...

Thankful for kindred spirits...

Thankful for stinkers;)

Thankful for smiles...

Thankful for JOY...

Thankful for silly moments...

Thankful for laughter...

Thankful for funny faces...

THANKFUL BEYOND BELIEF.......

Giving thanks always and for everything

to God the father in the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

My Little Turkey ;)

2011-11-29T23:58:00.001-06:00

I cannot imagine life without

this little turkey!

He is pure J-O-Y..........

we get the surprised or

'I'm so busted' look quite often these days;)

But more often than anything we get this

BEAUTIFUL smile!!!!!!!!

He is just a delight, a pure delight:)

I cannot EVEN believe he will

be TWO in January.

He is a brother...these two are something else!

I love how they interact with each other.

They are truly brothers through

and through already!

He is Happy Jack...

always grinning when riding in the car:)

That blond hair and those blue eyes...

I never imagined I would have a child

to look like this one. We often wonder

where exactly he came from?!? ;)

I'm just so glad he's here & he's my baby.

Sister and he are something to behold...

sweet as everything with each

other MOST of the time;)

She just loves to hold his hand:)

"Janitor Hudson" has a bright future;)

He about jumped out of the cart when
I took him down the vacuum isle

at Wal-Mart. He could hardly

contain himself. Forget toys! ;o)

He showed me exactly which one he wants!!!

We might as well get him a real one...

he uses his toy one all over the house.

At least this way he will be

doing mommy a favor as he plays;)

Not only is he still obsessed with Windex,

Pledge, Carpet Cleaners, and anything

of the sort...BUT also most things

in my bathroom! It's not easy

to have such beautiful blond locks;)

Hudson wants to do EVERYTHING

on his own...he really, really wants

his independence. Take for instance,

the other night when he INSISTED

on putting on his own pajamas! ;)

He just might have a thing for this

little girl at Old Navy?!?

He even wanted to take her clothes off! ;)

Any moment he can sneak away,

he rushes to our master bathroom and

pulls out a drawer to stand on and

reach up to grab any form of

make-up he can find!!!

Just a little mascara and blush

never hurt anyone, Did it Daddy?!?

He is funny as all get out!!!

You just can't help but laugh at all of

his crazy antics. All four of us

get the biggest kick out of watching

him and seeing what he will be up to next!

He's not crazy about his baby bed...

...unless you put him in it to play:)

This was just yesterday...at least

he is consistent with his

mascara application;)))

He still doesn't talk very much,

but you pretty much always

know EXACTLY what he means.

He most certainly understands everything.

He says all the norms...mama, daddy, Bubba,

bye bye, ball, owww, hot, "Haaaadeeee",

even Mamaw, Lynna and kinda "Taaavis".

But the most precious is the way he

says "Uh Oh" and gives the cutest

little look you'll ever see.

In every attempt to keep him my

baby and to hold on to his LOVE of

milk, I've let him stay on the bottle.

Even fibbed to our doctor when he asked

at his one year check-up if he was

still taking a bottle!!! ;(

Come on...he's my baby and he loves him

some milk! The other day at the store,

I told him to pick out a sippy cup.

He and Haddie picked this one,

we came home and filled it with

his milk and he since hasn't thought

twice about his bottle! :)

Maybe potty training will go

something like that!!! ;)

I could eat this doll baby up..................

But the BEST, sweetest part of this

angel baby are his hugs and kisses.

He is SO lovable!

He couldn't curl up closer or tighter

to mommy if he tried.

He loves for me to scratch his back...

will even lift up his shirt

and then scratch with his hand

on the bed until I start on him;)

He also gives daddy and sister

"massssssages" as Haddie says.

He is so quick to say "sorry" the

only way he knows how

by a big hug to whomever

he has hit or abused;) ha!

But as of late, the way he

grabs my face to give me

the longest, sweetest baby boy

kisses HAVE to be the best

part of being Hudson Jack's

mommy right now!

You are a dream come true!

God knew we needed you,

my precious baby boy:)