emily kate

2010-06-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate one year of life with this little cracker jack.

About this time one year ago, I looked like this:

and I went to bed on the night of June 17th with my bag packed for the hospital and my alarm set for 4:00 AM, but I'm one of the few women who didn't want to be induced, even if it meant waiting. I just wanted to go into labor naturally whenever it was Eydie's time. I was already three days past my due date and my doctor was about to go on vacation, so we agreed I would be induced on the 18th. As I lay awake in bed wondering how I would ever go to sleep, my water broke. And within an hour we were arriving at the hospital a few hours earlier than scheduled.
The labor part was great. I progressed well and never needed any drugs for that. At about 7:00 in the morning I got an epidural, and felt amazingly better! I took a little nap through my biggest contractions and the nurse came in and woke me up when it was time to push. I think I pushed for about an hour before the doctor got there and within a few minutes, Eydie was born. I was first amazed at how much hair she had. She wasn't crying or squirming, but at the time I didn't even notice. I thought she was perfect. Then the nurses attending to her left the room with her before I got a chance to hold her or see her up close, and that's when I realized there was a problem. The next few hours were hard because I had anticipated getting to nurse and snuggle with my newborn, taking family pictures together with Brandon, and having our family and friends come back to meet her. Instead, we waited and cried in a quiet delivery room while doctors performed tests on her in the NICU. About four hours later I finally got to go in and see her.

I never felt more vulnerable, and yet I was also the most relieved I've ever been that God is in control. I knew He was holding her in His arms when I couldn't. The next few days we were surrounded and supported by the body of Christ as people prayed. And within a week we brought home a healthy, lovely little girl. And the past year has been thrilling and tiring, and changed us forever. Eydie Paige, we love watching you grow! Happy birthday baby girl!

What a week!

2010-05-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

We had a wild and crazy trip to Missouri for the regional tournament. On the 12-hour drive there we hit a drive shaft that fell out of an 18-wheeler in front of us on the highway. (Didn't know that could happen.) Fortunately, my dad was driving and was able to swerve to avoid running over it with our front tires. Unfortunately, it damaged the car pretty badly and we're going to have to make another trip to Joplin, Missouri in the coming week to pick up the car after they ordered new parts to fix it. Once we pulled over and realized that it was undriveable, Eydie and I were able to get in the car with a family of one of the players who were just behind us on the road, and my dad stayed with the car, got it towed to town, talked to the mechanics and insurance company the next day, and rented a car to drive the rest of the way. Whew! And that was just getting there!

After playing 2 games Thursday and Friday, we waited and waited in the hotel while it rained for 2 1/2 days. The games were postponed, our hotel didn't have enough rooms to keep us there for more days, so we moved to another hotel about 45 miles away.

Eydie figured out how to entertain herself in a hotel.

She spent a lot of time in a car seat, and had some crazy bed hair/humidity curls that just made her even cuter and more adorable. Which is good because she had several not so cute moments while in the car and some early mornings where I had to take her to the lobby so she wouldn't wake up her daddy who had only gotten a few hours of sleep.

Once it finally stopped raining, we played 4 games in 18 hours, one of them going 13 innings, and one of them starting at 12:30 AM and ending at 3:30 AM. We made it to the championship game, but came up short in the end. The team did a great job, and despite everything it was fun to be there and get to watch them. They made it to 50 wins this season, a new record.

Dad had to get back to work, so he left Sunday, and Eydie and I rode home Wednesday with Cari Bonneau. She was very sweet to take us in and put up with Eydie's crying. She did a good job for a majority of the trip, but cried and squealed for a couple hours of it. After we had been in the car for about 9 hours, we stopped to get gas, and I took Eydie into the gas station to give her a break from her car seat. I was holding her fingers as she walked around. She settled on the floor and started pulling everything off the bottom of a shelf, so I tried to move her away. Apparently, being diverted from something that finally made her happy was more than she could handle. She slithered out of my fingers, threw herself on the floor, and defiantly licked the gas station floor. Awesome.
Now, we're all happy to be back at home where she is free to roam/crawl/play on the floor and sleep in her own crib at night.

Check out all the teeth!

2010-05-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

I better catch up with some 10 month pictures before she turns 11 months! I first attempted to get pictures of her in her little ACU cheerleader uniform, but she was being a bit...stubborn and obviously was not cooperative. She did not like that I kept taking away the Ten Month sign and trying to put in behind her. I got some again later when she was in a much better mood!

At 10 1/2 months Eydie is so close to standing up on her own and taking steps. She can stand for a few seconds before falling and can kind of take a step before falling into my arms. She acts so proud and happy when she does! She eats about 2 meals a day of baby food and usually either takes 2 naps for 1 1/2 hours each or one long 3-hour nap during the day. She's got 3 new teeth coming in on top with a gap where one is still waiting to peek through the gums. We call her Snaggletooth.

Proud daddy after ACU won the conference tournament. Eydie and I will be making the trip to the regional tournament to continue cheering on the Wildcats!

Catching up

2010-04-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our consignment sale was a success and I have been catching up on sleep and house cleaning now that it's over. We have still have to get all the checks out to the consignors so the work's not over yet, but I finally had a chance to upload some pictures, so here's a recap of Eydie's last few weeks.

Enjoying lunch with Dada for his 30th birthday. I love how she's looking up at him.

Easter weekend at the lake. This is the mad face she gave me because I stepped back to take a picture of her instead of picking her up. It's so pathetic, it cracks me up!

In her Easter dress

Just after a bath. Love those big blue eyes!

9 month pictures!

Showing off where she sleeps. This is my favorite blanket I always sleep with.

Wassup! Welcome to my crib.

Starting to get little curls in the back! :)

2 teeth on the bottom and cutting teeth on the top.

And she and Ava wore matching dresses today to YCW.

LOVE that it's warm enough for sun dresses!

2010-03-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

So since Eydie will be 9 months old in a week, I thought I better get her 8 month pictures up. Here she is with my Lindsey doll I used to play with when I was little. Time to pass it on...

Ava took this picture of us

And here we all are. Ava being silly and Eydie looking cross-eyed and eating her shoe. Gifted I tell you.

Daddy gets the biggest smiles and the best snuggles. I would be jealous but it's just so darn cute. I love them both.

She pulls up on everything now, but doesn't know what to do from here. Sometimes she just stays there and grunts until we move her. Other times she forgets she doesn't know how to stand and lets go, falling to the floor. A few times she's managed to gracefully sit down and crawl away.

Well, our first ever My Sister's House consignment sale is a little over a week away and we have more consignors than we expected! Exciting? Yes. Unnerving? A little. Time-consuming? Yep. So I probably won't have E's 9 month pictures up on her 9-month birthday. But she's worth the wait, right?

First ACU baseball games and urgent prayer request

2010-02-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

The other day Ava was entertaining Eydie in her room while Dad and I talked in the living room. Ava found Eydie's bows and decided she needed to accessorize a little. I think Eydie felt like she was looking good!

Eydie went to her first ACU baseball games today. I was so glad the sun was shining since it's been dreary and rainy all week. She looked so cute cheering the Wildcats on to 2 victories today!

She made friends with Ollie. I didn't know it, but apparently she loves dogs.

Watching the game with Grandpa

And admiring KK's scarf

Summer and Ava enjoying the sun

Pierson dressed and ready to go in the game if coach needs him

The second game got a little chilly.
What keeps you warmer than a Snuggie? An Eydie.

Also, please pray for healing for Jenny Bizaillion. She is Josh Ross's sister and went into the hospital a few days ago thinking she had the flu. It turned out to be pneumonia and sepsis. She is in critical condition, and their family would welcome prayers on her behalf. You can read more and get updates here.

Our sweet 7 month old

2010-01-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well, she's actually 7 and a half months now, but I'm just getting around to posting about this month, and what a big month it has been! Eydie had been getting up on all fours and rocking around and trying to crawl for a couple weeks, but almost exactly on her 7 month birthday, she crawled across the room without falling down, and since then, there's no stopping her.

Now it's time to baby-proof our house because she is into everything. I can no longer spread out the folded laundry all over the floor because she will come through and mess it all up in no time. She's also started sleeping like the picture below with her little butt in the air. It's pretty cute!

Another 7 month milestone she's reached is teething! Last week Eydie's 2 bottom teeth started coming in. She's eating baby food and rice cereal and some table foods.

I have a better video of her crawling, but I'm too annoyed with Blogger to try to upload it now. I tried to get her crawling in this one, but she just came and sat in my lap. I turned the viewer over so she could see herself which she loved. Now whenever I get out the camera to try to record whatever she's doing, she stops and tries to grab the camera and look at herself.

2010-01-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to blog lately, but every time I sit down at the computer, I end up checking my email and then checking facebook, and then either Eydie wakes up from her nap or I decide I'm too tired or too hungry or have too much laundry that needs to be done to update my blog.

First of all, last weekend I had a great time in Dallas for our annual MLK weekend college girls' trip. Nine of us stayed at our friend Kami's house (plus two babies). Some of these girls I may only see once or twice a year, but we can always just pick back up. We may laugh hysterically together over something really stupid or have really serious conversations about important and difficult things that people are going through. As Tamara said, we knew each other before we had jobs or husbands or kids or any of the other things that seem to define who we are now, so we can be totally real and comfortable around each other. We also went to see our friend, Christine, who couldn't be there because she has been in the hospital since December 21st. She has had many health problems in the past and for a while was doing much better, but now she can't keep anything down and is very weak and in a lot of pain. I can't imagine having a stomach bug for over a month! And I know her pain is even worse than that. Please pray for her relief, health, and encouragement. I had so much fun all weekend I never stopped to get out my camera, so here's a mental picture for you: 9 girls, 2 babies, everyone in pajamas, cheesecake on the kitchen counter, The Proposal on TV.

Second, my jobs. I am so thankful that I am not working full-time this year. I do really enjoy teaching and miss aspects of it (the students for sure, the grading not so much), but I am also loving the break from teaching and being able to hang out with Eydie. On days that I'm home with her we may stay home all day or take a trip to Target or the grocery store or go on a walk over to her cousins' house. I just love the flexibility to wake up in the morning and not have to have a plan for the day. In a couple weeks baseball season will start and we will be spending a lot of time at the ballpark (when the weather's good). On Tuesdays and Thursdays Eydie goes to a mother's day out program and I work at church in children's ministry. I started this in October and really enjoy the people I work with. Also this semester, I am subbing every other Friday for my dad's junior English class. While I do that, he keeps Eydie, so we both benefit! In addition to a little extra money, it's a good affirmation that I do want to go back into teaching down the road, and that for now, I'm glad I'm not doing it every day! And my third little business venture is a consignment sale that my sister and I are starting called My Sister's House. The link at the side of the page will take you to our website. We've talked about opening a consignment store before, but neither of us want to have to work it year-round. So since I'm not working full-time this year, we decided to go ahead and do it. It's a twice a year sale, and the first one is March 25-27th. If any of you have done Dittos for Kiddos in the past, it's similar to that. Our sale will have women's clothing and accessories in The Closet and furniture and home decor in The Attic. We are really excited about it, partially because we will get to shop everyone else's cool stuff. As it gets closer we're also both starting to have nightmares about it. A couple nights ago I dreamed that we were having it in an old dirty warehouse (by the way, the real thing's at 181 Pine, a really cool event center) and people started dropping off soups and casseroles to sell. I kept trying to explain that we're not set up to sell food, but no one seemed to care. We're trying to think through every detail of what needs to happen before then, so I imagine the nightmares will continue as it's on my brain. I used to have dreams that I walked into a classroom completely unprepared and realized I was teaching kindergarten, it was the first day of school, all the parents were there too, and they expected me to sing to them.

Well, this was going to be a post about Eydie at 7 months, but it's already so long that I think I'll just save that for another day. Maybe this week. Maybe.

Christmas pictures

2010-01-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

We started out our Christmas holiday with a trip to the mountains. For the past few years, we've gone on a ski trip with Brandon's parents and another family. I was a little nervous about how Eydie would do in the car that long. On the way to Crested Butte, we split up the trip and only went about 8 hours the first day, but on the way home we spent about 15 hours on the road. Fortunately, we took breaks often and I would nurse Eydie and get her out of the car seat to stretch a little bit. She slept pretty well in the car too which helped. Last year I didn't ski because I was pregnant and paranoid, so I enjoyed it even more this year. We had great weather, and the first 2 days we skied I wasn't even cold, which is so unusual for me. Karen (KK) and Connie stayed in the condo with Eydie while we skied.

Then we came back to a snowy Abilene and had Christmas with my mom's side of the family. We enjoyed being together for several days and even got to eat Grandma's egg rolls on Christmas Eve!

Eydie and her second cousin, Jude in matching Christmas PJ's.

A cousin pyramid. This was better in theory than in reality.
Just look at the faces of the people on the bottom row!

Eydie and her cousins on Christmas morning.

6 Months...a little late

2009-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Eydie turned 6 months old on December 18, but with our Christmas travels and plans I'm a little behind in getting to this post.

We left on the 18th for our ski trip to Colorado (I'll post more about that trip later), and we had a great time there. I was relieved at how well Eydie did on the long car ride.

At her 6-month appointment, Eydie weighed in at 16 lbs. 3 oz. and was 26 1/2 inches long. She drools and puts things in her mouth constantly, so I'm thinking she may start teething soon. The last few days she's been running a slight fever, but it doesn't seem to be affecting her mood too much. I started mixing her rice cereal with apple juice, and she likes it a lot more that way. She doesn't like to open her mouth if I'm trying to feed her, but if I let her hold the spoon she sticks it in right away (with a little help).

She got a jumper for Christmas and has loved it so far. I keep having dreams that she starts walking before she learns to crawl. She loves to be in a standing position; she just can't do it herself. And she's an old pro at bundling up for the snow after being in Colorado and then having several cold, snowy days in Abilene.

She's getting really close to crawling. As soon as I set her on the floor, she's rolling and scooting everywhere. She can get up on her knees and rock and push herself with her hands. But for now she only goes in reverse, which is why I find her like this a lot. It only takes her a few seconds to scoot backwards under the couch or chair or ottoman. So far she hasn't disappeared under there yet, but it did motivate me to clean my floors!

And to go to sleep at night or nap time she love to have her pink blanket, her paci, and the acoustic Beatles CD playing. Usually if we stick her paci in her mouth and give her the blanket, she pulls it up over her face and rolls to the her side. We got a second blanket exactly like it so we can start now switching them out and hopefully it will keep it from getting totally ratty.

Eydie,
It is a joy and privilege to be your mom. Every day I thank God for sharing you with us, and I pray for wisdom to know how to be a good parent. You have brought so much happiness into our lives. I love the way you light up when your dad walks in the door, and the way you make other people (even strangers) laugh just by smiling at them. I can't believe we've had you for half a year already. I treasure every moment with you, and I love this age! You are precious, baby girl!

Oh, the joy of mail again!

2009-12-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

I used to get letters from camp friends throughout the year. Handwritten letters. Now about all I find when I open the mailbox are bills and junk mail. Neither of which are very exciting. Except at Christmastime. Starting in December I love to hear the sound of the mailbox being opened (in our case, the sound of our mailman's iPod as he approaches our house). I love getting updates from friends and family and seeing pictures of everyone. Eydie's almost 6 months old now so we had Hannah Vickers take some family pictures for us, and she gave us so many great ones to choose from for a Christmas card! I look forward to getting one framed and hung up in our house soon!

5 months

2009-11-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

This cheery five-month old would like to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

You have to look closely in this picture to see a little ponytail on her head. We were over at Aunt Summer's the other night and Summer wanted to see if her hair would go in a ponytail. After this Eydie spit up all over her clothes so I stripped her down to just a diaper, and then she fell asleep on the couch. Instead of waking up happy like she usually does, she woke up screaming and I could not calm her down for about 10 minutes. When we went home I told Brandon about it and he said he would scream too if he woke up naked and with a ponytail in a strange place. Good point. Sorry Eydster.
Pierson is such a sweet cousin. He always shares his blankets and toys with her and just piles them on top of her. She ends up looking like E.T. did when he was hiding in the closet.

Whatever Pierson does, Eydie finds so entertaining. He got her giggling hard the other day playing in her crib with her.

2009-11-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Hannah Vickers for this photo! We've got a family session with her in a few weeks, and I can't wait to see what else she captures!

Christmas Card Giveaway...

2009-11-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

My friend Sharon does very cool designs and she has created some Christmas cards and will be adding to them. Follow the link on the right to browse her cards and see if there's one that might suit your family for the holidays. You can also sign up for a Christmas card giveaway! Friday's the last day though, so hurry!

2009-11-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago while Summer was at our house she started playing peek-a-boo with Eydie and got the biggest smiles out of her. This first picture is one of my favorites!
We gave Eydie her first taste of solid food, but she wasn't too impressed. Can you blame her? I think she would've taken to it more if we had started her out on chocolate instead of rice cereal.

Really, this is all you've got for me? I've been watching you eat food that looks a lot better than this for months! Where're you hiding the good stuff?

Homecoming and Halloween

2009-10-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, I enjoyed visiting with some friends who came in for ACU Homecoming. Eydie got worn out from going to the parade and chapel and the football game and visiting with friends and family.

Eydie and Jude chatted it up a little bit. They (we) are going to have fun together at Christmas! Jude looks just like a miniature version of his dad.
We have two costumes for Eydie this Halloween. As a family, we went to our small group costume party as Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Pearl. Brandon and I actually donned these costumes for a grub about 7 years ago, but we had to bring them back now that we have a real, live Pearl! And what a cute Pearl she was! But just in case Eydie ever questions why, on her first Halloween, we dressed her up as an illegitimate child, we got her a flower costume too.

Eydie with her Western cousins at Trunk or Treat

Wilting flower

She passed out on the stroller ride home.

The shamed family

Yawning Pearl

I am loving this cooler weather! I love fall for crisp mornings, spice candles, vests and jackets, soup, cool sunny days, pumpkin spice lattes, pies, and costumes!

4 Months (and a week)

2009-10-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on blogging, so I'll divide the last month into a few different posts. Tonight I'll focus on Eydie's 4th month. It is amazing to me how much she changes from month to month, especially when I see her next to a newborn. She likes to be upright almost all of the time unless she is about to fall asleep (and if we're holding her, she usually likes to sleep on our shoulder). If we set her on the floor, she rolls over almost immediately. She usually gets over to her stomach and then starts kicking her legs and grunting until she gets frustrated that she's not going anywhere. We've started putting her in the exersaucer and she's beginning to reach out and grab the things in front of her. Lately she's been experimenting with her voice a lot. She covers a wide range of sounds and sometimes likes to sing along in church. A couple nights ago she had a long conversation with Brandon. They were talking back and forth and she was smiling the whole time. At her appointment last week, she weighed 14 lb. 10 oz. and was 25 in. long, putting her in the 75th percentile.

Last week I was at Summer's house and Pierson was "playing" with Eydie (stacking blankets, baseballs, bats, etc. on her). She was happy to have the entertainment and just cooing and kicking. Summer and I were in the other room and Pierson walked in with his head down looking hurt and said, "Mommy, baby Eydie hit me." Summer and I cracked up. We went and looked at Eydie whose little eyes were peeking out under the blanket and her arms and legs were flailing. Later Pierson got his feelings hurt again because "Eydie won't talk to me!" I'm going to have to teach that girl some manners!

Still to come...ACU Homecoming and Halloween Party pictures!

The many faces of EPS

2009-10-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Three Months

2009-09-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Eydie is 3 months old now and getting cuter and cuter. She's started to giggle which might be my favorite sound in the world. She's mastered rolling from tummy to back and has been practicing rolling from back to tummy although she usually gets stuck on her side and then gets frustrated and we have to give her a little push to get the rest of the way. In the last month she's enjoyed another trip to the lake, her cousins' birthday party, was introduced to her first West Texas Fair, survived her vaccination shots and a cold, and even went to the movies and stayed quiet from previews to credits.

Kara and Eydie (aka Salt-N-Pepa)

Cutie naked girl and daddy at her doctor's visit. At her appointment last week she weighed in at 13 lbs. 11 oz. and was 24 1/2 in. long, putting her in the 90th percentile.
Today, the first day of fall, was wonderfully cooler. It makes me excited for some cooler weather and for celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas soon!

Just rolling right along...

2009-09-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Eydie is almost 3 months old and today she rolled over for the first time! This morning I put her on her tummy on the floor and then went to get a glass of milk (gotta start the day off right!). When I came back, she was lying on her back looking surprised. When I said, "What did you do?!" she just grinned up at me. So I put her back on her tummy and got my camera. Within a few minutes she had done it again, this time rolling onto the other side.

Man, I'm on my belly again! Now, how did I get on my back last time?

Hmmm...I think I rocked a little.
Okay, why isn't this working? Am I moving yet?

Ahhh, there we go...success!
Now is she gonna let me lie here or make work for it AGAIN?

What a proud little girl!

Today I watched a show about the photographers of 9/11. I can't believe it's been 8 years already. It was a shock to me last year when talking with my students about it that they were just in 2nd grade when it happened. It is only a vague memory of their childhood. I remember walking through the campus center at ACU and seeing on the TV the first plane hitting the tower. I was a little late for my sign language class (as usual), so I couldn't stay and watch any more. At this point I didn't know it was a terrorist attack. By the time I got to my next class the second tower had been hit. All the classes in that building gathered in the room with a TV to watch as the towers fell. Brandon and I had gone on our first date 3 days earlier, and he happened to have a class in that building too, so we walked together to Moody for a special chapel/prayer service. I cannot imagine the trauma and devastation that those who were there and saw what happened and survived must carry with them the rest of their lives. My prayers are with them today.

Speaking of time rolling along quickly, this weekend is my 10 year high school reunion! I've seen movies where people attended their 10 year reunions and they seemed much older than I feel. I'm sad 3 of my best friends won't be here to go with me (they all live out of state), but I'm also thankful that I see and keep in touch with these girls regularly so I don't need an official reunion to be reunited with them. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that Jocelyn and I learned the dance from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. I loved going to dances in high school, but I'm glad we won't be forced into any awkward dance moments this weekend. Without my girls, it's just not the same doing Kid 'N Play or the sprinkler.

2009-09-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

A very happy and wet-haired Eydie after a bathWe took Eydie to her first football game. Luckily for us, we didn't leave the house until after the rainstorm so we weren't at risk for getting blown away.

We went to the zoo with the Summer, Ava, and Pierson. They're checking out the monkey house here. Pierson got in a starting contest with one of them against the glass.

Eydie, however, was not impressed.

Last weekend we went to Lake Brownwood for Labor Day. It's always so nice to have family around to help take care of Eydie. She had some good cousin time and even got a surprise visit from her second cousin Jude. We were so excited the Thompsons decided to come!

Jude is about 6 weeks younger than Eydie but almost her size. She was already crying before I set her down to take this picture so it is no reflection of her feelings for her cousin!

Such a fun-filled weekend makes you sleepy

Eydie is changing fast. She's starting to imitate sounds and expressions. Brandon loves to try to teach her how to make certain noises and she'll really concentrate on his face and then try to make her mouth do the same as his. Her eyes get really big while she's watching him.

She holds her head up all the time unless she's ready to go to sleep. She loves to be up watching what's going on, and she's getting pretty strong and able to support herself a lot more now.

She finally started taking a bottle! We had been trying regularly, but she just didn't like it and would cry and only take a little bit, but in the past week she's started taking a bottle without crying or fighting it! Makes mama so happy!

And I am loving not working right now and just being able to hang out with our sweet little girl!

2009-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

Two Months

2009-08-19T20:09:00.001-07:00

At two months old, Eydie is starting to fill out more and get little rolls on her thighs and arms. Her hair is laying down a little more now that it's getting longer. And she is starting to smile more at us and stay awake longer. Her big, gummy smile when she wrinkles up her nose is the sweetest thing. The longest she's slept during the night is 6 1/2 hours which was AWESOME! Of course I couldn't sleep that long so I was wide awake for the last hour of that waiting for her to wake up. And she only slept that long one time. Usually it's more like 3 or 4 hours at a time during the night, but at least we know she's capable of it!

Outtakes:

Eydie met her great-grandparents on my dad's side.
They drove in from Seminole to see her.

She's starting to like bath time a little more.

Our changing table is a vanity, and she likes to look at herself in the mirror.

Proud fan of the Rangers

Well, school starts next Monday and this is the first time in 23 years that I'm not going to be there. It feels very weird not to be getting back-to-school supplies and setting up my classroom. I miss it more than I thought I would. But, I am very thankful that I'll be able to be home with Eydie and enjoy this time as a mama while she's so small. Everyone has told me that this time goes by so fast, so I want to enjoy it while it lasts!

Carly and Ben get hitched!

2009-08-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating with Carly and Ben, and Eydie proved to be a great traveler. Of course it helps having family around to hold her for us. She slept the whole way there and back in the car and didn't cry much unless she was hungry. We enjoyed the rehearsal dinner Friday night, a bridal brunch Saturday morning, the wedding Saturday night, and hanging out at the pool in between. Carly made a beautiful bride and we are so excited for her and Ben! We've loved watching them love each other and look forward to seeing what God has in store for them.

My mom and Aunt Vicki admiring Eydie

Our family at the rehearsal dinner
With Gini, Shelley, and Whitney during a miniature golf rain delay
Eydie's sporting a little bikini at the poolAll dressed and ready for a wedding

Mama and daughterCousin Ava (the flower girl) helping out with Eydie

Sweet girls
Fun on the dance floor
Mama, Daddy, Daughter dance
Grandma and Grandpa doing the twist...so cute!

Ava's self-portrait

Sweet brother and sister

4 generations of women

Dad with his daughters

My handsome husband

And the beautiful bride and groom!

2009-07-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Eydie had a full weekend with a Sip and See Saturday and a baby blessing Sunday morning. She was "on display" for people to see and I just hoped she would be well behaved for it all. She did well, but being cute that long is hard work, as you can see in this picture taken after the Sip and See. Some of my mother-in-law's friends hosted it as a way for people to come see Eydie and have coffee and refreshments. It was very sweet of them.

Too tired to pose for the camera (but still pretty cute)!

Here we are with Connie and Colleen who hosted it. As you can see, Eydie was fed up with the picture taking. Look at how she pulled her headband over her face. "Take all the pictures you want, guys, but I'm done."

My niece Ava was a big help opening presents.

And Eydie fell asleep on KK's shoulder.

I promise I didn't teach her jazz hands. She did it on her own.

This is at church Sunday morning before her blessing.

She was a little feisty and squirmy, but she didn't cry which was a relief.

She fell asleep on Papa Dale at church and then melted down into a little ball.
It cracks me up that she can sleep like this.

Brandon likes to sing songs and have her dance to them.
It usually gets her to stop crying .

I finally figured out the sling and wanted to take a picture of how it worked,
but it took a little while. First, not sure about it...

Calming down...

Out.

Saturday morning Brandon got Eydie dressed and ready while I showered. Then I nursed her and she had an explosive diaper on her outfit. So we changed her and I got dressed, then put her up on my shoulder to burp her and she spat up all down the back of my dress. By the time we got to the Sip and See we were both on our second outfits. It was a good warning because this weekend we'll be going to my cousin's wedding and now I know to take at least 2 outfits for each of us for every event of the weekend.

Carly and Ben, we love you both and are excited to celebrate with you as you get married!

Chris and Jenny (another cousin and his wife) are having a baby today! She is in labor as I write. We are praying for you guys and can't wait to meet sweet baby Jude and for him and Eydie to grow up playing together like we did! Congratulations!

One Month

2009-07-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

Eydie's now a little over a month old. I think her hair has already gotten longer and it is definitely standing up more. It's usually the first thing people comment about when we're out. I love that she's rocking her own style already.

Here she is with all the Bonneau girls. They are going to be the greatest baby-sitters at baseball games. Landry, the youngest, already said she feels like Eydie is her long lost little sister.

Sometimes she likes to meditate in her car seat. She brings her hands up, palms open, and puts her feet together. It's really relaxing. You should try it. You can just see the inner peace on her face.

Happy first month, girl! We love you!

2009-07-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

**Sorry all the fonts are different. Blogger won't let me fix it right now.

I've had the intention of updating my blog every day for the past several days, but I just haven't been able to get to it. When Eydie's sleeping, I'm usually trying to decide if I should use that time to sleep myself, eat, shower, do laundry, wash dishes, or take her with me for an outing to get out of the house. After about a week of being at home without leaving the house, I was starting to feel a bit cooped up. But being able to take her with me and go somewhere makes me feel like a normal person again. At her 2-week appointment, the doctor said Eydie is perfectly healthy. She had gained a pound since birth, and we were able to stop giving her antibiotics. We praise God for her health and are humbled and thankful for your prayers.

It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since she was born. I feel like the first two weeks of her life time stood still for me and I was completely out of touch with the outside world. My concept of time has changed. I used to get about 9 hours of sleep a night (sometimes 10 on a weekend) and loved it. Now I get about 2 hours of sleep at a time when I can and getting out of bed at 7:00 feels like sleeping in. Everything's relative. I feel like it was a good night if Eydie only wakes up about 4 times. Usually around 7:00 she's awake and doesn't want to be put back in her bed, so I've been putting her in the stroller and going on morning walks before it gets too hot. She makes a good alarm clock and motivation to get out and exercise. *She's waking up now, so I better go and finish this later.

This picture is Eydie with her great-grandparents in the hospital. It was from a few weeks ago, but it's so sweet I wanted to be sure and post it.

Eydie's not really big on bathing. Really, she thinks it's pretty overrated. It usually gets this kind of reaction from her.

One of my favorite places to go when I was growing up was my grandparents' house at Lake Brownwood. Eydie's already been there twice. We went for the 4th of July with my family and again the next weekend with our small group. Apparently, I was enjoying it so much I forgot to take pictures. But here is one of Eydie napping with Sarah on the best nap couch in the house. She also took long naps with her second cousins Seth and Carly.Last Sunday was Mike Cope's last Sunday as the preacher at Highland and Eydie's first time to go to church. I'm glad she had Mike as her preacher at least once. Brandon and I have loved him. Eydie slept all through the church service and the reception afterwards.

Here she is with some of our huddle girls.

And I thought this picture was too sweet to miss, but Brandon didn't appreciate me whipping out my camera during church. The last song we sang was "He is Wonderful," and as I was singing the words and holding Eydie, I thought of those first couple days of her life and how far she's come and tears welled up in my eyes. Then Brandon looked over at us and he got teary, so when church was over and people started coming over to see Eydie, we were both crying.
ACU's been hosting a high school baseball camp that Brandon's had to work all day for a few days, so I've taken Eydie up in the evenings to the games to get out of the house and give her dad a chance to see her. Here she is with my dad, K-Papa, holding her at her first of many trips to the ballpark.

Newborn Pictures

2009-07-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Our friend Hannah Vickers (vickersdigitalphotography.blogspot.com) took pictures of Eydie Monday night. Eydie was calm and slept most of the session which was nice. Thank you Hannah! You did a great job. These are some of my favorites.

Lazy days at home

2009-06-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying our last few days at the house soaking up our Eydie time. I'm trying to make up for the lack of sleep at night by napping during the day. But Eydie's really a pretty laid-back baby and she hasn't been too fussy even during the night.

Her favorite way to nap with daddy.

Showing off how strong her neck is while Sasi's holding her.

Tonight the weather finally cooled off enough to go on a walk. It was good for me to get out of the house. And Eydie loved it too. She was wide awake and perfectly content the whole time.

Relaxing with her Papa Dale

We're taking newborn pictures tomorrow night, so hopefully Eydie (and her mom) will get lots of beauty sleep tonight.

Eydie's home!

2009-06-25T17:16:00.001-07:00

We brought our baby girl home today! Last night I was so excited I had trouble going to sleep just like last Wednesday night when I was planning on being induced the next morning. Then at 11:30 I was thinking about how my water had broken at that time a week ago.

Last Thursday at 12:00 noon we were worried that Eydie wasn't breathing well and had aspirated meconium and we didn't know how serious it would be or the extent of her sickness. We would later find out that she had bacterial pneumonia. This Thursday at noon, however, we were being released from the hospital taking home a healthy baby girl. We will continue antibiotics orally for a week, but it is so nice not to have her attached to an IV!

I haven't gotten a chance to personally thank everyone yet, but again I want to offer a general thank you to all of you who have been praying for Eydie! God has been faithful and answered your prayers, and they have meant so much to us.

Now, what you're all waiting for...HOMECOMING PICTURES!

The ride home

A sweet homecoming welcome

Our family of 3 home together

I think she likes her new bed.

Eydie and her cousins

Proud big cousin Ava

Pierson decides he needs a little attention.

K-Papa and his grandkids

This will be our first night with her. We'll let you know how it goes. Tonight I'm so excited to have her next to our bed I won't even mind those midnight feedings. Wonder how long that will last!

The next best thing to home

2009-06-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hendrick Hospital has a family room that's right down the hall from the NICU nursery for couples who have babies in the NICU to breastfeed or pump. Right now we are the only ones who fit into that category since all the other babies are preemies who are being bottle-fed. And since Eydie is no longer connected to monitors but only has an IV, we are able to take her in there with us and hang out all day. It has been such a blessing! The room has a single bed, a couple rockers, a small couch, a table, and a TV. This morning we got to the hospital around 9:00. We took Eydie into the family room where I nursed her and then she took a long nap on her daddy's chest while he watched the U.S. Open. It was so sweet! When she woke up I nursed her again and then I took a nap on the bed with her napping in her little bed beside me while Brandon went and got us lunch. All day the three of us just chilled in the family room nursing and napping and hanging out together. The nurses just come in there every couple of hours to check on us and update her chart and take her vitals. We've been able to be there all day and get lots of rest. It has been wonderful to have it to ourselves all day! Today Eydie ate a lot. She largely increased her input and output (yes, they're keeping track of everything that goes in and out) from the day before. She's doing so well and looking very healthy. The nurses have been great to us. Today was a good day, and it really was the next best thing to having her home with us.

A sweet Father's Day

2009-06-21T21:21:00.001-07:00

Last night was emotional as we left the hospital without Eydie, but we both also had peace because she has improved so much in just a few days and we will be able to bring home a healthy girl soon. Before we left the hospital, I left this onesie with the nurses without Brandon knowing so this is how Eydie greeted us when we got there this morning. She looked so sweet!

I also had to include pictures of Eydie with her grandparents. They have given her lots of love!

We are so proud of our little girl and thankful to God for sharing her with us and allowing us to be her parents. I still can't believe she's ours and we actually get to keep her. We are in love.

2009-06-20T14:40:00.001-07:00

The best surprise today has been how well Eydie has nursed. I was not expecting her to get the hang of it for quite some time, but she has done so well, especially considering we have to keep her hooked to an IV and several monitors so we're balancing wires and different machines are beeping when something falls off. They had to redo her IV again so she's been thoroughly poked and prodded and has little bruises, but she's been a champ through it all.

We're staying through her last feeding tonight and then tomorrow I'm going to try to come up and nurse during the day as much as I can. I'm not sure how all that will work, but we'll figure something out and we're thankful it'll just be for 4 or 5 days. We give God all the glory and credit for Eydie's improvement. The doctors and nurses haven't stopped commenting on how amazed they are that she is doing so well. We feel that is a direct answer to all your prayers. Praise God!

Brandon has been so great about taking care of both of his girls. He's given me strength and support and showered Eydie with lots of love. He makes sure I get plenty of rest and reminds me that Eydie's in good hands...those of the doctors and nurses in the hospital here, but most importantly her heavenly Father's.

Saturday's report

2009-06-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Summer here. Just thought I would give a quick update about Miss Eydie today. She continues to show signs of improvement. Today she learned to nurse (which I think is pretty amazing considering her condition only 2 days ago!) Again we praise God for her progress! Kate and Brandon and both sets of grandparents have gotten to spend quite a bit of time with Eydie today. This evening Kate and Brandon will be released from the hospital and will have to go home without their baby girl. They are obviously so thankful for how well she is doing, but driving home without her was not what they had in mind when they went to the hospital on Thursday so that will be tough. Eydie is still expected to be in the NICU for 7 days so they will be going up to be with her as much as possible in the next few days. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. We have all felt God's presence and peace through all of you. It is such a blessing and comfort to be surrounded in prayer in times of struggle. Kate has more pictures from today, but I wasn't able to go back and see her so I don't have any on my camera. Maybe Kate will post some this evening. Keep your prayers coming. God is answering!!!

Holding our sweet girl

2009-06-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

We are so thankful that Eydie was doing well enough today that we got to hold her. It was so sweet! We just soaked in that time with her. I tried to nurse her a couple times this evening and she did all right considering what she's been through. It's still going to take some practice for us to get it all figured out, but it was precious time with our baby girl. We're praying she continues to do well tomorrow, and we look forward to taking her home next week. We're both sad that we'll have to leave tomorrow, but at least we're in Abilene so the hospital's not far. Thanks again for all the prayers. We know that God is holding her in his arms, and we're thankful for everyone who has gone to the Father on her (and our) behalf.

Eydie and her daddy

2009-06-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is Summer again. I got to peak in on Eydie this morning with Brandon after the oxygen halo was off. We caught her awake and squirmy. Look at that intense stare. Brandon leaned over to talk to her and she didn't look away. She just stared intently for at least a minute. It was a precious moment.

So glad to see a big yawn and a deep breath.

Brandon posing for the camera just as Eydie streches. So sweet.

Precious baby

As Kate said in her earlier post, Eydie has been doing much better today. The overall mood at the hospital has been more peaceful and hopeful, a direct answer to all the prayers. Kate is recovering well, and they are getting to go to the NICU to spend time with Eydie whenever she can, which is great. They did finally get to hold her for the first time, but I don't have pictures on my camera. I'm sure Kate will post those soon. Kate is hoping to nurse for the first time tonight. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Keep them coming. God is The Great Physician and we give Him all the glory for the healing that has taken place already, and pray for continued improvements in the next days and weeks!

Thank you so much for praying! God is so good.

2009-06-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is Kate. Thanks to my sweet sister for updating and keeping everyone informed on what's going on while I was not up to it. And thank you so much for your comments, texts, encouraging words, and especially for your prayers! Brandon and I were exhausted last night after such an emotional day. It was a roller coaster of emotions and a lot of waiting to see our daughter, waiting to find out what was wrong, waiting to see how she would respond to the medication. Throughout it all we were tired, disappointed, and scared, but we felt the love and support of so many people and felt bathed in prayer. The first few pictures were from this morning. Summer got some good pictures on her camera of Eydie and Brandon that she'll post later. The next picture is from yesterday. This was the first time I got to see her after she was born.
Your prayers are being heard and answered in amazing ways. Eydie is doing so much better today. She looks healthier, she's more active, her cry is stronger, she's completely off oxygen and doing better breathing, and they're going to take out the IV they were using to draw blood soon which means...we'll probably get to hold her today and I'll be able to start nursing her soon! We are so thankful that she's staying at the hospital here and that she is doing so well! I told Eydie last night that she's so fortunate to have so many people praying for her. We have felt your prayers and seen God at work! Thank you!

This morning's report

2009-06-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Summer here with the latest report. I have already been receiving lots of calls and texts this morning. I know many of you woke up and prayed throughout the night as I did, so I wanted to post a quick update. I heard from Brandon that the doctors had just come in and Eydie is doing a little better this morning. As of right now, it does not look like she will need to go to Cooks. Praising God for every improvement and every strong breath. They will continue to try to wean her off the oxygen today. I am heading up to the hospital soon, and I will try to keep updates here throughout the day along with some new pictures. Keep praying. . .

Please pray for Eydie Paige

2009-06-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is Summer updating the blog for Kate. What a day it has been. . .

Thank you for all of your prayers, e-mails, texts, calls, messages, and for showing up at the hospital to share your support and love for Brandon, Kate and baby Eydie. It has meant a lot to all of us and we are asking for continued prayers as the next 48 hours are our biggest concern.

Last night Kate's water broke at 11:30 pm and they headed to the hospital. She rested and labored through the night, got an epidural at about 7:30 this morning and was feeling pretty good after that. Everything was looking great with mom and baby through the labor and delivery. Kate started pushing around 10:30 am and delivered Eydie at 11:48. Eydie weighs 7 lbs. 11 oz. , is 22 inches long, and has a full head of dark hair. She is so precious!

As soon as she was born Eydie was rushed to the NICU, put on oxygen, given an IV and the doctors began running a variety of tests to determine why her breathing was so labored. Those first few hours were tough. Kate had not seen Eydie yet, Brandon saw her briefly, and the pediatrician let us know that transport to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth was a possibility. We all began praying for healing and getting the message out to ask others to be in prayer as well.

Around 4 pm, Kate finally got to go to the nursery and spend some time with Eydie Paige. I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief after mama and baby were reunited. Shortly after that Kate was moved to a mother care room. Most of the day was spent waiting. We had been told that she aspirated meconium. Finally around 6:30, we learned from the doctor that Eydie has pneumonia and has been put on antibiotics. She continues to struggle some with her breathing taking short shallow breaths but her condition has been improving throughout the day. She started on 95% oxygen and has gone down to about 47%, which is better. Eydie will remain on IV antibiotics for 7 days and is gradually being weaned from oxygen. The doctor is optimistic but said the next 48 hours are critical. If her condition gets worse there is still the possibility that she'll be transferred to Cook's.

Please continue to pray for Eydie, Kate, Brandon, and for the nurses and doctors caring for her right now. If you would like to leave a message of encouragement or prayer, Kate will be checking this blog and will post more pictures and updates as we get them.

The grandparents got to go back and see Eydie briefly, and these are the photos my dad could get of her. I think Kate has some better ones. I'm sure she'll post them soon. Thank you for your continued prayers for Eydie Paige. We love her so much already.

40 Weeks and Counting

2009-06-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you checking in to see if there's a baby, the answer's still no, not yet. Today is my official due date, and I'm still hoping she'll be right on time, but I haven't felt any serious contractions or signs of labor, so we may have a laid-back, "I'll get there when I get there" kind of girl. If so, she definitely gets that from me, not her father. Since my doctor's going out of town this weekend, we decided if she doesn't come on her own by Thursday, we'll induce. So within 4 days we'll have a baby one way or another! For now, we're just doing like the John Mayer song and waiting on the world to change...our world at least.

Stovers vs. Bird

2009-06-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up and went out to the garage to price some stuff for a garage sale. I had been in there for about 5 minutes totally oblivious when I almost stepped on a bird lying on the floor. I froze and checked it out quickly from a safe distance. I don't know how I didn't see it sooner. There were feathers all over the floor around it and the bird was still alive but definitely not moving.

I went and woke Brandon up, notified him of the bird debacle, and solicited his help in removing it so I could continue my work. This was not the way he wanted to be woken up this morning, but he came to my aid. Now, my husband is a sweet guy and in most cases, a tough guy, but he does not like dealing with dead or dying animals. Well, who does really?

So the two of us discuss our strategy in the garage, armed with our garden tools. While we're assessing the situation from different angles, this poor bird is looking at us and its little body is moving up and down. I reassured Brandon that the bird could not fly or it would've by now. Our plan, after we talked ourselves into it, was for him to use the hoe to drag the bird into my shovel and then I would walk it out of the garage and toss it. The handle on the shovel is shorter than the one on the hoe so I had to get closer to the bird to put the shovel up against it. Brandon was leaning over behind me and began his first maneuver. He puts the hoe carefully on the opposite side of the bird and attempts a quick jerk to get it into the shovel, but the bird starts flying right at me! Brandon is quickly out the door and I am right behind him screaming while my knees and arms are flailing. Before I became pregnant, I was a regular jogger, not fast, but efficient. I am sorry to say that if I am ever in extreme peril, I have no confidence in my ability to escape quickly. All my finesse goes out the window and I run in the most awkward and ineffective way possible. This compounded by my normal 9-month waddle had Brandon laughing hysterically at me, and I must admit, his squeamish reaction cracked me up as well.

So now we reassess the situation, and I swear the bird is laughing at us. All my confidence and hope is shot now that I know the bird is not just alive, but capable of flight. We consider coaxing cats to go in and get the bird...make a sign that says "Free Food," we discuss just closing the door, letting the bird die peacefully, and then returning later to extract its lifeless body, but the bird has ended its flight directly between us and my cell phone. So one of us has to go back in. Brandon explains to me our options: "I could go in there and get your cell phone and we could leave the bird, or I could try to scoop and throw it towards the door with the shovel." Since I am not going to step back into the garage, I leave the decision up to him. He collects himself, calmly walks past the bird, brings me my cell phone, and then goes back in with the shovel. I'm standing in front of the garage but to the side asking him what he's going to do next when, in one swift motion, he launches the bird into the air. Again I'm in direct line of this thing, and my mind is telling me to run, but my body is slow to react. Before I can even start to move, the bird hits the side of the garage door with a final thud to officially put it out of its misery. Brandon's apologizing for the aim, blaming it on the angle he had to take being crammed in by the mower, and I'm having to recollect myself after twice yelling and running frantically away from the flying body of this poor devil-bird.

Thanks to my brave husband, the bird is now dead and no longer tormenting and teasing me so I can continue my task in the garage. This is one time I wish we were on a reality show so a camera crew could've captured and preserved the event for our future entertainment. Stovers 1, Bird 0.

39 Weeks...Welcome Summer Vacation!

2009-06-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Our huddle gave us a surprise diaper shower a few weeks ago. When we agreed to be huddle leaders, we had no idea if we could commit to being here for 4 years, but now our group has graduated, and those 4 years went quickly...especially their senior year! We'll miss them!

Such good sports to play baby shower games...for the sheer entertainment for the rest of us. Here they are racing to see who can drink Kool-Aid out of a bottle the fastest. Not as easy as it looks. It took them a long time to down the bottles.

The last week of school, one of my classes planned a baby shower for me. These have been sweet kids to teach. They make me really enjoy my job. They brought cupcakes, cookies, drinks, and they each gave me a baby book to read to Eydie.

I made it through the end of school and packed up my classroom! In my mind, I've been thinking if I can just get through school I'll be ready for her to come, so now it's just a waiting game. My due date is a week from tomorrow, and at this point she could be early, on time, or late...we don't really know. I love the anticipation and excitement. I told Brandon this morning this could be our last Sunday in a few weeks to go to church...or I could be saying the same thing next Sunday morning.

Week 37

2009-05-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 weeks left of school and 3 weeks until we meet Eydie! I've had bursts of energy intermixed with some afternoon naps. I've cleaned out the garage, the bathroom cabinet, the bench seats, and am in the process of bringing stuff home from my classroom. I put together the pack-n-play, bouncer, and the high chair, and have washed and put away Eydie's newborn clothes. Brandon and I enjoyed watching movies and going out to eat over the weekend. He's also getting some golfing in before she comes (not that he won't be able to do that after), and last weekend my mom helped me clean out all the grass and vines in our garden and get some flowers. So...I'm getting more excited and more ready to bring our baby girl home! Thanks for the diaper pail advice. I decided on the Diaper Champ and ordered it, so hopefully it'll get here before she does. I would be happy if I made it to my due date, June 15th, so I could finish school and then get about a week off. We'll see how Eydie feels about that plan...

Talk dirty to me

2009-05-20T20:09:00.001-07:00

I've read consumer reports and customer reviews on diaper pails, and I can't seem to make up my mind. The Diaper Champ saves money because it takes any trash bags, but they don't lock in odor as well. I've read the Diaper Genie II Elite works well, but you have to pay for the refill bags which are a little more expensive. Our nursery is right off the living room, so I don't it to stink up the house. Any suggestions or advice on products you've used?

The way things are moving around here...

2009-05-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry: The music keeps going after the video's over...

This is how I'm entertaining myself while Brandon's at the regional tournament. I think I may miss this after she's born. People have asked me if I'm ready for her to come, and while I'm certainly anxious and excited to meet her, I don't wish any of this time away. I've loved being pregnant and have felt great, so I'm not totally ready for this to be over. Plus, I want to get things at school wrapped up and baseball season over first.

Speaking of baseball, ACU lost their first game in the regional yesterday. This afternoon they overcame a 7-0 deficit against the University of Texas Permian Basin and ended up winning 10-9. Since I couldn't make the trip, I listened on the radio during my team and planning periods and then all of my 7th period class listened with me to the last inning. They play again tomorrow night...not sure what team they'll play against yet, but Eydie and I will probably be lying on the couch like this cheering them on.

35 Weeks, Baseball, & Showers

2009-05-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

I've had these pictures but haven't had the time to write much lately, so this is mostly a photo post to catch up on the last week or so. This first picture is on Mother's Day at 35 weeks.

This was our shower last Saturday. It was beautiful! The decorations were so cute and I had a great time. Eydie will be blessed with lots of great stuff, and most importantly, with love and support of family and friends.

With the grandmothers

With my mom and grandma

With Ava, the big cousin-to-be

With the Bonneau girls...my helpers at the shower

Summer did these collages for me to hang above the crib.
They turned out so cute! I love them! Ava also did some artwork to add to Eydie's room.

Saturday through Tuesday, Brandon practically
lived at the baseball field as they hosted the LSC tournament.
I was up there whenever ACU was playing, and for the first time in 7 years, ACU won the tournament and now has an automatic bid to the regional tournament next weekend!

Wednesday we had a triple shower at school for us, another teacher having a baby, and a teacher getting married.

Honorees of the baby/baby/wedding shower

My grad. class at ACU ended last week. I was relieved to turn in my final Friday and now can concentrate on putting away those baby gifts and getting things organized at home before Eydie arrives. Just four more weeks of school...and baby soon after that!

32 Weeks

2009-04-20T14:41:00.001-07:00

Things I am enjoying about being 32 weeks pregnant:
feeling all the kicks, flips, and hiccups
warmer weather
baseball games
anticipating watching Brandon with his little girl
sitting in Eydie's nursery
maternity clothes (no zippers, hooks, or buttons)
taking a day off for my doctor's appointments
registering and having a baby shower
my growing belly (hopefully this will eventually be followed by a shrinking belly)
dreaming about Eydie Paige and what she will look and act like
talking with Brandon about our future family
sleeping whenever and as much as I can right now
my students' questions about pregnancy
the countdown to school being out
my nephew Pierson patting and pointing to my belly saying "baby"
enjoying my last few weeks alone with Brandon

I love a four day weekend!

2009-04-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

My nephew Pierson is a huge baseball fanatic. He's one and a half, and only says a few words perfectly, and baseball is one of them. Friday he watched the ACU game intently the whole time and even commented on plays, mostly by pointing, laughing, and excitedly talking in jibberish, throwing in the word baseball every now and then and nodding at us to see if we agreed with his assessment.

He put on my hat and tried to sell "papes" to whomever was interested. Headlines don't sell papes. Newsies sell papes.

I took a break between the double header to visit with Jenna and Reese one more time before she left town. Reese is such a cutie!

Our last Easter with just the two of us.

Ava was quite excited about Easter egg hunting. Because of all the mud, her tights didn't stay white for long, but she looked adorable anyway!

Today Brandon and I registered. It's been 6 years since we got to do that for our wedding registry. It was very fun. Brandon loves an opportunity to use the scanner gun.

9 more weeks until we meet Eydie!

In case you haven't heard...

2009-04-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

In other news...last Wednesday, I found this strange man lurking outside my classroom. It took me a second, and third, and fourth glance to finally realize it was my dad...minus the goatee and wearing a wig. He teaches junior and senior English in the hall just below mine, and appreciates the well-executed practical joke. So, on April 1st, "Mr. Tucker" was Mr. Pierson's sub first period. Classic.

Nursery Pictures

2009-03-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

Over Spring Break we started to get the nursery set up. My mom sewed the baby bedding. I'm lucky to have such a talented seamstress at my service! Thank you Mom!

I got this rocker at a garage sale a few years ago, so we're giving it a new home in the nursery. We'll probably recover it but in a color similar to what it already is.

I sewed these pillows for the trundle bed. It was my first time to applique, but it won't be my last. I loved doing it!

We're going to use this vanity as a changing table.

Since our house only has two closets (Brandon uses the one in our room and I've taken over the one in this room), this will be the baby's closet. My grandpa made shelves to go inside it.

28 weeks along...growing steadily and still feeling good!

I ordered this diaper bag on eBay.

We're about 12 weeks away from our due date and I'm starting to get really excited about meeting her and seeing if she looks more like Brandon or me! When Brandon was little he had white-blonde hair, so I wonder if she'll have blonde hair and blue eyes or brown and brown like me.

Six months

2009-02-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

I've still been feeling well other than the congestion and the fact that our school hasn't switched the system from heating to air conditioning so the last couple days it's been 85 degrees in my classroom. Fortunately, there is an end in sight soon to that discomfort!

And my students are sympathetic when they come in there 7th period and say, "Mrs. Stover, you've been in here ALL day?" Some of my students have been really cute about getting excited when I'm growing or when I wear something that particularly accentuates my belly. Some of the girls pat my belly as they walk into class and say "Hey mama" or "Hello baby." I had a boy who stayed for detention a couple days ago ask me all kinds of questions like, was I excited, was I nervous, was my husband gonna be in the delivery room with me, was I afraid of the pain? He even warned me, "I heard that part sucks pretty bad."

Yesterday while I was teaching Romeo and Juliet, one student kept talking to the girl next to her. So I went over and just put my arm on her shoulder to get her attention while I continued to talk. She stopped talking and laid her head on my belly. "Uh, Yesenia, are you comfortable?" "Yes. I just want to feel her move." "Okay, well, like I was saying, Romeo and Juliet..."

Here I am at 6 months

I did these on Photo Booth. Notice the crib in the background. It's the one Brandon used to sleep in. His parents came over and set it up last week. Over Spring Break we're going to sew the baby bedding and get the nursery set up. I'm so excited for that!

Jenny and I took this picture at church Sunday. She is about 4 months along. (Is that right Jenny?) Our kids will be second cousins.

This is the fabric we're going to use for the baby bedding.

And this I ordered online to do some applique on pillows for the guest bed.

I'm headed out of town tomorrow with some other teachers for a Pre-AP English training. I'm very much looking forward to getting out of my hot classroom, getting a break from school, eating out, and hopefully stopping by a Gap Maternity while we're there.

21 weeks

2009-02-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

At 21 weeks, our baby girl is about the length of a carrot, at least that's what babycenter.com says. I haven't been taking regular pictures of my growth because I feel like I haven't been changing that much...until I stand on a scale. Then I realize I'm growing! So here are some 21 week photos.

My only discomfort with pregnancy has been a constant state of congestion. I finally decided to try the neti pot because people had been telling me about it. If you want a good laugh, watch the video demonstration on YouTube. Then watch the bearded guy do it with coffee and whisky. I've added that to my nighttime routine, then I put on a Breathe Right strip, and turn on the humidifier and I'm ready for a good night's sleep. Honeymoon's over Brandon. This is your wife now.

It's been so fun to start looking at girly things. These are some things that I got or that were given to us. Actually, I already had the Texas Rangers outfit and the blue and cream shirt before I ever got pregnant. I put them on the clothesline with Brandon's sign when I told him we were having a baby.
I love being pregnant. I am just starting to feel her moving around, and it is the coolest thing. I'm enjoying every step of the process, and I'm very much looking forward to turning our guest room into a nursery. I like to decorate anyway, but this will be especially fun!

2009-01-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

We had an appointment scheduled for Tuesday morning, and Monday night the receptionist from the office called to let us know that if AISD delayed school because of the ice, our appointment would be delayed as well. Tuesday I got up and turned on the news, and it was the first time that I was ever disappointed to see that school was canceled. I called the office, and sure enough, we had to reschedule our appointment for Friday. But Wednesday was canceled as well and I took off today for our appointment, so it turned out to be a very good week working only 2 days and off for 3.

Brandon and I could only come up with girls' names; we didn't even have any boys' names in the bag. Every time I'd start to talk about it, he'd say it may not even matter so let's just wait and see. We aren't 100% set on our daughter's name just yet, so I'm going to wait to post it, but we are so excited to be having a girl!

The weather is beautiful today. I met up with my mom and sister and her kids and we went to look at some baby stores to get ideas for a nursery. My mother-in-law met us for lunch, and then my mom, sister, and I went to the gym for some Body Flow. It's been a good, girly day!

Christmas celebrations

2008-12-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas started off last Wednesday night with our huddle Christmas dinner party at our house. Don't you love all the Christmas sweaters? Very festive! Brandon's apron says "Christmas Diva" in glittery letters. Which, of course, he is!

And one of these lucky girls left the white elephant exchange with a pogo stick. They'll be jumping in the new year.
Then we had our small group Christmas skate party. Notice Brandon's mullet. Just cause.

Me and my sister. It had been a long time since either of us had been to the Family Life Center. Any other Abilenians out there remember birthday parties and lock-ins here?

And my adorable niece Ava. She helps spread Christmas cheer!

Sorry the skating pictures are blurry. Everyone was just moving too fast!

Zach and Kara working the couples skate. I'm sad you can't see her awesome outfit. It's a black one-piece pants suit with fringe and a studded belt. It made a reappearance from our 80's party.

And as soon as school got out last Friday, we left for the mountains with Brandon's family. I didn't get to ski this year, but I love the town of Crested Butte which I explored thoroughly.

Our stockings hung with care.

The boys ready to ski

Brandon and his dad

And the girls shopping and walking the town

Our traditional picture in matching shirts

This year's idea for the shirt came after we went to the Eagles concert together.

Again, while the guys ski...

...the girls will enjoy lattes!

Brandon's mom and me

i believe in christmas...

2008-12-13T20:28:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with my mom's family in Abilene. Part of the activities included moving my grandparents to Abilene. We also had fun playing tennis, indoor soccer, going to the ACU football game, eating, and playing games at the house. Somehow I was so wrapped up in the activities that I didn't get any pictures.

I've been enjoying the Christmas decorations and music. Today I did some gift shopping and watched Christmas movies at home. This semester has gone so fast. I'm looking forward to being in the snowy mountains in a week curled up in the lodge with a book.

As far as pregnancy goes, I'm 14 weeks along. I've still been fortunate enough not to have nausea or morning sickness. I'm slowly starting to get some energy back, although it comes and goes. I have had a cold for several weeks with coughing, sore throat, runny nose. I'm not sure if it's due to the pregnancy or if it's just lingering because I'm not taking any decongestants. Either way, I'd much rather have a cold than be throwing up, so I feel lucky.

I'm starting to show just a little bit. It's enough now that a couple people I've seen who didn't know I was pregnant have asked me. That's always a risky thing to do, but it made me so excited that they could tell I was pregnant! The baby is now about 3 inches long. We got to hear the heartbeat and see him or her squirm around quite a bit last week. Here are some pictures with the Christmas decor.

Ready for a break

2008-11-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your comments and for sharing in our joy and prayers over this baby. I'll keep you posted as things progress. I have another sonogram in December and we will find out the sex of the baby at the end of January. I finally broke down and got some maternity jeans and I wear them every day now because they are SO comfortable. I got them just in time for the holiday feasting. I'm gonna be feeling good about my elastic-waisted pants!

Since we start school a little later now, we go from Labor Day until Thanksgiving without a break. So this holiday comes at a much-needed time for the teachers and the students! Last week in my Fiction class, my friend Shelly Sanders was our guest speaker. She led us in an exercise where we write a list for a character. This one came to me pretty easily and is inspired by a couple students in particular whose names I will not disclose.

Questions From My Eager and Analytical Students

Hey miss. What are we doing today? Is this homework? Is this for a grade? When’s the retake? Hey miss. Am I your favorite student? How long does it have to be? Will this be on the test? How old are you? Did you mean for your hair to look like that? Are you coming to my game today? Hey miss. What’s your name again? Am I failing? Did you call my mom? What’s my average? When’s this due? Have you been talking to my other teachers? What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so tired? Are we doing anything today? Did you grade our essays yet? Hey miss. I don’t get it. Could you explain that again? Can I come after school for help? Will you be here in the morning? Can you write me a pass? Can I go to the bathroom? The library? My locker? The counselor? The student store? Can I get a drink of water? Can we have a free day today? Do you have change for a five? Do we have to read this? How long is this? Will we be quizzed over this? What’s a verb again? Is there extra credit? How can I bring up my grade? Hey miss. Wait, what are we supposed to be doing?

Those of you who are teachers could probably add some questions of your own students to this list.

Brandon and I set up our Christmas tree and decorations yesterday so we are ready to celebrate and I am feeling festive. I hope you all have a good holiday and enjoy your Thanksgiving wherever you spend it!

Great Weekend and Great News!

2008-11-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

First of all, it's about time I post our exciting news...We're having a baby in June! I'm 10 weeks pregnant and feeling great. I've been really fortunate not to have morning sickness and nausea. I have felt extremely tired and been napping as often as I can. I'm hoping in a few more weeks to have a little more energy, but I'm so thankful that I've been healthy. We had our first appointment a couple weeks ago and heard a little heartbeat and got to see what the doctor says is a baby, but doesn't much resemble anything recognizable to me at this point. We are so excited for this little miracle and praise God for His perfect timing and plan!

This is how I let Brandon know. We call my dad's dad Papaw, and Brandon's first reaction was "Your Papaw's coming?" Then he got it and just kept asking, "Are you sure?" He was so excited but he didn't want to jinx it by talking about it as a sure thing before I had a blood test. I told him it wasn't like calling a no hitter in the middle of the game, but I think he felt a lot better after that first sonogram.

Papa-to-be standing in front of his sign

Right after I found out, Karen and I went to New York. We couldn't resist getting this onesie!

This past weekend, my college friend and roommate, Beth, married her friend since middle school. It was a great celebration and such a fun time to be together with all our friends. She was radiant as a bride.

All 15 girls together for the first time since college!

What's a reception without a little electric slide?

My handsome hubby

Then Saturday night in Dallas we went to the Eagles concert with Brandon's parents and another family. I loved hearing all the classic old songs.

I am still enjoying teaching freshmen English and have been glad that I have a student teacher this semester which gives me a little more flexibility and time to work on stories for my Fiction Workshop class I'm taking at ACU. I'm plugging away a little at a time on a Master's degree. At the end of this semester I will have completed 15 hours, almost halfway there.

I'm so excited to be pregnant. We have been praying for this for a long time and are thankful for the opportunity to be parents. I think in the back of my mind, I was a little fearful that we may not be able to get pregnant whenever we decided we were ready. And I'm mindful of those who have been praying for this and for whom it has not happened. I've been praying for and thinking about friends whose babies have had health issues and all the parents can do is take each day as it comes and trust in God. I realize that becoming a parent makes you vulnerable to the unknown. You could have a child with health problems or have a perfectly healthy child that could die suddenly when he or she is older. Nothing is certain except God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So I pray that this baby will be healthy as it's growing and developing. And I pray for wisdom as a parent to trust in God, to seek Him, to lead our children to Him, and to always know that our promise will be fulfilled in our life with Him, and in that we have hope and purpose in this life.

Homecoming and Halloween Party

2008-10-29T19:28:00.001-07:00

I had a very busy and very fun weekend with friends coming from out of town for ACU Homecoming. We hung out together all weekend and had a great time catching up.

Siggie breakfast

Leah, Sara, Mary, and Michelle

Kami, Amber, Eric, and Garrett

Kami, Mindi, me, and Leah

Then Sunday night our small group had a Halloween costume party. You may remember from last year that Brandon and I went as Kara and the Corvette she scratched while working at Sonic.

Well, this year Brandon was on his way back to town from a golf trip with his college friends, so I enjoyed dressing up with Summer as Ava's bridesmaids.
Chad the zookeeper and sweet Pierson

My cousin Carly (Jenny) and Ben (Forrest Gump)

Weekend in the Big Apple

2008-10-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Karen (Brandon's mom) and I had a full weekend in NYC. We were most thankful for the weather. It was 70's and sunny all weekend long, perfect weather for walking, which we did a lot! We went to three shows and got in plenty of sight-seeing. We ate and walked our way through Manhattan, mostly inspired by movies. We walked from Times Square, through Central Park, over to Riverside Park (pictured below, where Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks meet at the end of You've Got Mail). Then we walked to Tom's Restaurant (which you will recognize from Seinfeld and from Suzanne Vega's song The Diner), and back through Central Park where we got a cab to Serendipity (featured in the movie by the same name).

Riverside Park

Gray's Papaya--Famous Hot Doggery
In You've Got Mail, Meg and Tom also ate hot dogs here.
I can appreciate a good dog, and these were delicious!

Tom's Restaurant...it was worth the LONG walk!

I loved this place. Some people wait hours to get a table,
but we lucked out and were seated right away.

And we enjoyed delicious frozen hot chocolate.

LOVED Wicked! We saw this Friday night.

Saturday morning we went to Soho in search of an antique fair which apparently no longer exists. But we did find the artwork of John Lennon on display!

We had lunch at Katz's Deli where Meg Ryan REALLY
enjoyed her meal in When Harry Met Sally.

Saturday matinee of the new musical A Tale of Two Cities

A Columbus Day street fair we happened upon

And Saturday night we saw Jersey Boys.

We packed in about as much as we could do in our time there and loved every minute of it. Thank you Karen! It was so much fun!

Road Trip #2

2008-10-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Lubbock, Texas. My dad's sister and brother-in-law along with their two kids and their families moved from San Diego to Lubbock about three years ago, so we decided it was time to make the drive out there to visit them since they're so close. Brandon was in California, so he didn't get to make the journey with us, but my parents, sister, her family, and I drove out there Friday night and came back Saturday evening. My cousin and his wife own the Jump N Jungle which is a building full of inflatables for kids and adults, so on Saturday morning we had the place to ourselves. I raced Chad and Summer through the obstacle courses (and beat them both of course), and I think the kids had fun too. I guess I was too busy racing and playing to take any pictures, but you can follow the link to their website to see what it looks like. My papaw drove out from Seminole to join us for lunch. We had a good visit and hopefully won't wait as long to plan the next one.

Papaw and his grandkids

Papaw with his kids

On the way home, Ava watched a DVD, and I had to put the monkey
on her head to hold the headphones on. She didn't seem to mind.

Road Trip #1

2008-09-28T14:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my friend Kenli and I left at 7:00 in the morning and drove to New Braunfels to attend our friend Beth's bachelorette party. We floated down the river in the afternoon. The water was COLD, but I was so glad that the sun was out and it was a warm day. It was perfectly relaxing and great to see Beth and to meet some of her high school friends. Since Kenli had to be back last night, we drove back to Abilene and got in about 11:00. So it was an incredibly short trip, but a fun one! Kenli is a freshman dorm director, so during our 10 hours in the car we shared a lot of dorm stories.

I told her about how Jenna and I were doing Tae Bo in our dorm room in Gardener one night. (You all remember when Tae Bo was the big thing, right?) Well, apparently there was a group that was supposed to be working out in the lobby that night which we didn't know about it. And for some reason they didn't end up doing it. So a girl comes down in her sports bra and shorts and asks where people are doing Tae Bo and our R.A. tells her it's down in our room. So as Jenna and I are punching and kicking the air in our little room, trying to avoid kicking each other or our furniture, a girl we'd never met opens our door and just joins in with us without saying anything. Jenna and I exchanged glances and just shrugged our shoulders and kept following Billy Blanks. Love random things that happen in the dorm!

My new look!

2008-09-23T14:36:00.001-07:00

My friend Sharon created a great new look for my blog. (You can follow the link at the right to hers.) I think she did an amazing job capturing just what I wanted. I love it! Thank you Sharon!

Last night Ava came over for a while after dinner. I love being her aunt and that she lives just around the corner! She's all into pretending to be an adult right now. So she put on a little purse I have and a watch (one from the last post), and pretended to be my pregnant Sunday school teacher. It was more like she was impersonating a teacher rather than just pretending--she had all the mannerisms and sayings and tone of voice down perfectly. And anytime she needed to pick up a book or something off the floor, she would do it very carefully, bending her knees and explaining to me that it's sometimes hard to lean over because her tummy's so big. Her are some pictures of us being "such silly girls!"

Swatch yourself

2008-09-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

At 50 cents apiece, I got these new accessories this morning for my next 80's party. Who wants to dress up with me?

summer, my first true love, i will miss you. but for now, the real world and i have this thing going...

2008-09-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

This picture is from Wilderness Trek, which I never got around to blogging about, but could use many superlatives to describe how wonderful it was. I feel refreshed from being in the mountains. That is my place to feel refueled, re-energized, to reconnect with God. I suppose it is my retreat, if you will. So me, God, and a mountain made it wonderful, but that feeling was compounded by having my husband along with me, and a great group of high school graduates and seniors as well. This summer has been so good for Brandon and me to hang out together, to travel, to be with family and friends.

And now school has begun again...I'm teaching freshman English again, and looking forward to getting to know my students personally. I've said this before, but I love that my job has beginnings and ends, so not only are my students starting fresh with a new year, but I am too. And it's been nice visiting with former students who have stopped by my room to say hi and tell me how their first weeks are going. It's encouraging to know that I'll have the same kind of relationships with this new group of students by the end of the year that I have with students from previous years. Although the shock of going from no schedule and no responsibilities to teaching full-time and taking graduate school in the same week is a difficult adjustment, I'm looking forward to this semester both at Abilene High and at ACU. And of course it's nice to get a holiday after just one week of school!

Pictures from Italy and Spain

2008-07-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Cinque Terre in Italy felt like the backdrop of a movie. I was amazed that places this beautiful really do exist.

At the train station

After we arrived in Riomaggiore, Italy

Barcelona, Spain

Madrid

Pictures of Paris

2008-07-21T20:09:00.001-07:00

I hadn't gotten around to posting about our Europe trip yet for two reasons: trying to sum it all up in a post or two seemed daunting; I've been getting ready for our next backpacking trip which leaves Saturday for Colorado. This time we'll be going without showers and climbing a mountain, but we will have lived out of backpacks for 3 of the 4 weeks in July. Sounds like a great month to me!

I won't even try to tell you all about our Europe trip. If I know you well enough, I can talk to you about it anyway. I will give you a sampling of pictures from the places we visited and explain those a bit. Every time I travel I have a new appreciation for other cultures and it intrigues me to find out how other people live. We traveled with another couple and enjoyed having their company. Sometimes it helped lighten a tense situation (for example, not being able to get the train we wanted, communicating with someone whose language we do not speak, lost hotel reservations) when we had other people around to joke with about it. We divided up our almost two weeks between Paris, Cinque Terre in Italy, Barcelona, and Madrid. We packed it in and saw as much as we could. We spent our first few days in Paris which is where these pictures are from.

Shelly and me on a street by our hostel

Shelly and Brandon: weary, jet-lagged travelers trying to make themselves sight-see our first night instead of crashing at the hostel which is what we felt like doing.

Brandon and me in front of Notre Dame
Sitting in a pub across the street form our hostel
A beautiful garden we walked through on our first full day in Paris

Brandon and me in the same garden
Group photo in front of the Eiffel TowerBrandon and me take the mandatory tourist photo
Getting ready for our night bike tour through Paris
We rode into the courtyard of the Lourve as the sun was setting and a street musician was playing. This may have been my favorite moment of the trip!

We enjoyed chocolate desserts in a tea room on the Champs ElyseesWalking to the Arc d' Triomphe

View from the top of the Arc d' Triomphe after climbing a long spiral staircase

Sitting in our windows at the Young & Happy hostel. Fortunately, it did not make us old & grouchy!

Enjoying dessert on my 27th birthday

Still to come: pictures from Italy and Spain!

Weekend with the cousins

2008-06-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I cooked Japanese food and had my cousins over that live in Abilene. During the school year, several of my cousins get together for cousins lunch about once a week, and I'm always jealous that I only have 30 minutes for lunch and can never make it, so I decided to start a cousins dinner and at least participate that way. All of the cousins on my mom's side of the family are really close. We're really lucky that we all get along so well and love getting together.
Over the weekend we had a cousins float trip in the New Braunfels/Gruene area. Friday night we had dinner in Gruene and stood outside Gruene Hall to hear Hootie and the Blowfish performing. On Saturday we floated down the Guadelupe River which was surprisingly cold. I wish I had video of that because I was cracking up watching everyone try to get on their tubes without getting wet. The water was like ice and we were all trying to keep our bodies as straight as possible so as not to touch the water. After lunch it warmed up a bit and I even got out of the tube and swam a little.

Here we are in Gruene before dinner. Brandon had signees in town so
he couldn't make it. We also missed Summer and her family, and Kasey.

Bradyn and Bryce monkeying around

Listening to Hootie

Ben and Carly

Chris and Jenny

Saturday night after dinner at Mamacita's

And this next video is of some of us on the blob. Jason and Laci are working at T Bar M, so we got to go swimming there Saturday night and get launched off the blob into the water. It was hilarious. My aunt said it was more fun than watching fireworks. After each person launched, everyone "oohed" and "ahhed" about how high they got. The last one is me flailing through the air. I don't know why I feel like I have to run while I'm in the air. Enjoy the video! We had a blast.

Brandon has been paying attention when I have given advice to people about registering. I always say to register for a KitchenAid mixer because I wish I had. I found this one from the 1950's at a garage sale and have used it quite a bit. Just last Tuesday I was bragging to my mom about how great it's worked even though it's old, and as soon as I said that, it quit working!

But when I got home Sunday evening, there was a note from Brandon saying that he got me something silver for our 5 year anniversary. This was waiting for me in the breakfast nook! I love it!

Dedicated to my husband of 5 years on our anniversary

2008-06-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

*I apologize in advance for the gushy romantic stuff and the excessive amount of photos.
**Our anniversary is actually tomorrow, but I will be floating down a river and not able to blog. I didn't want someone to read this and think I forgot what day I got married.

This is an excerpt from a letter Brandon wrote me on November 13, 2001 (we had been dating a couple months; we got engaged a year later):

I know that I have already kind of said this and I hope that this doesn't scare you or make you feel weird about anything, but.....Kate, I love you! I know this because I have never felt this way before. I know this because I want to do anything that I can to make you happy. I know because your happiness matters more than mine. I know because your problems become my problems. I know because your feelings matter more than mine. I know because your experiences and history are important to me. I know because I want to know you. I know because I want to understand you. I know because I want to build a great spiritual relationship with you. I know because you are such an outstanding girl from such a great family. I know because my family likes you. I know because your family likes me...I hope. I know because my friends like you. I know! I know that you don't have to feel the same way that I do, but I just wanted to tell you how I am feeling. I hope that all of this doesn't frighten you or make you freak out about anything. I just want to tell you what is on my heart and I honestly want you to always understand exactly what I am feeling and going through.

As you can tell, I tended to get a little freaked out when he said things like this early in our relationship. I would usually counter with reasons why he shouldn't love me and how we didn't even know each other that well yet, but he was patient and just kept reminding me that he knew he loved me, and I came to trust and accept that and fall in love with him too. I love the Jack Johnson song "Better Together." Hum it to yourself while you look at the pictures.

All you need is LOVE...and something to wear

2008-06-16T07:35:00.001-07:00

We had a great time in Colorado over the weekend for Landon and Whitney's wedding. We've gotten to know them well over the past year and a half and love them so much. They are both sweet, caring, easy-going, fun-to-be-around, make-you-feel-good people. (OK, easy on the hyphenating, Kate.) We broke up the trip by spending Friday night at my aunt and uncle's house in Amarillo, so we enjoyed visiting with them a bit. On Saturday we got into Colorado Springs about 1:00, and got a call from Zach asking if we could do a favor. "Sure," I say, "we can't check into our hotel until 3:00 anyway." "OK, here's the deal..." He continues to explain how the tux rental shop didn't have one of the groomsman's pants, and we could either A) find pants that match the groomsmen's suits, or B) that groomsman could wear the groom's and we could get a new suit for Landon. So we go to the hotel where the wedding party is staying, pick up Zach, and head to the mall to find a new suit for the groom without him there and without him or Whitney even seeing it. I loved what Zach said on the phone to Kara as we were on our way, "We're about to call a Sheets family audible." In fact, there were lots of sports lingo being passed around: The pressure's on, we got to knock this one out of the park, it's game time, rise to the occasion team, etc. Fortunately, like I said earlier in my run of excessive hyphenation, Landon and Whitney are cool and calm, and just excited to be getting married, so it wasn't quite as stressful as it could've been. Landon said to me, "Hey, I'll be getting married no matter what I'm wearing." And it all worked out fine. Landon looked so handsome, Whitney was gorgeous--just like a photo from a bridal magazine, and the wedding was beautiful. We had a great time, and are so happy for them.

Here I am with my cousins, Seth and Carly.

Brandon and me in the reception tent.

With the newlyweds.

And posing with Kara.

You can kind of see in this picture where the wedding took place behind us. It was outside in this courtyard area in front of a beautiful building. And it was in Colorado, so the weather was great. I was sad we didn't get to stay longer than a night there and enjoy Colorado a little more, but we'll be going back in July for Trek, so that made leaving the mountains a little easier.

Gladiators ready???

2008-06-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I helped out at Highland's breakthrough retreat by being gladiators and battling against middle schoolers in inflatable obstacle courses and jousting. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Oh the joy of wearing wigs. It's good to know how Brandon
looks in a mullet just in case that look ever comes back.

2008-06-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm very fortunate to have the group of girlfriends that I do and to have been able to see several of them in the past few weeks. Tonight I got back from a trip to Dallas with Jenna, Jody, and Reese (her mom and daughter) where we visited with Jaymie and Kanyon, Beth, and Christine. It was great to talk to Beth about her wedding plans and to share in this exciting time in her life. She joined us at the hospitals to visit our other friends.

Jaymie's been with Kanyon at a "feeding camp" where they've been working with him on taking food for six weeks. I got to hold Kanyon for the first time, and he has the prettiest blue eyes. Every now and then while I was holding him he would look up at me and put his little hand on my face and I would just stare at those eyes. I don't know how Jaymie has done it living in the hospital and being away from home. I don't think I could be as positive as she is about it. For them, please pray for Kanyon's progress and development, and for energy and strength for Jaymie and Kory.

Christine is back in the hospital again with a lot of pain and very few answers. I know more than anything she just wants to be home with her two little boys and to be a wife to Matt. The past year and a half has been so trying for their family with her hospital stays. She is a strong and faithful woman who seems like she has had so much more to deal with than anyone should in a short amount of time. Please pray that Christine will be able to go to the Mayo Clinic and have specialized doctors give her answers and solutions to her health problems. And pray for strength and encouragement for her family as they help take care of her and the boys. Pray for energy for Matt as he balances time between the hospital, work, home, and being with his sons.

Seeing both Jaymie and Christine makes me realize how much I take for granted and how easy I have it. They have handled the trials of the past year or so with grace, perseverance, strength, and faith. I wish I could do something to help them and their situations. I just felt so helpless leaving the hospitals and going back to my great life. I know God is with them and in control. Please say a prayer for each of these sweet girls.

A Taste of Summer

2008-05-27T19:51:00.001-07:00

This 3-day weekend was just a taste of what's to come. It was long enough to feel like summer vacation was already starting. And I enjoyed getting to see some girlfriends who were visiting Abilene. On Saturday Brandon and I went with my parents to Lake Brownwood to enjoy Memorial Day weekend with some of my family. We enjoyed taking out the boat and swimming in the lake and visiting with family. Sunday we had the pleasure of hearing our friend Josh Ross preach at Highland and visiting with him and Kayci and their son Truitt. This is a picture from church of Jenna, Kayci, Leah, me, and the kids. Leah was so nice to let me borrow one of hers for the picture!

I love the feeling of going to bed without setting an alarm to wake up at any particular time in the morning. Monday I celebrated the holiday by having lunch with Jennifer, Jenna, and Leah.
I also went to a matinee movie, a cookout at my sister's, and played miniature golf and laser tag. Such a fun weekend made me really anticipate this summer. I am so excited to spend a summer in Abilene with Brandon!
As excited as I am about the school year ending, I am going to miss my students. By the end of the year, we know each other so well that we get along easily. Next year the students I taught my first year as an 8th grade Language Arts teacher are going to be seniors. Our huddle will be seniors as well. Tonight Brandon and I went to a retirement dinner for John McCabe, my freshman U.S. history teacher. He has taught for 46 years. I can't imagine how many students he has impacted and how much things have changed since he started teaching. He has become a fixture at Abilene High with his idioms and "McCabisms" and he will be missed.

12...

2008-05-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

The number of school days left until summer vacation...amazing! My week is even shorter because I was sick on Monday and stayed home all day watching TV and reading The Brothers K. I am loving this book about baseball and religion and how they both affect the relationships of one family. Here's an excerpt about the oldest brothers growing up and apart:

"To me it felt as though two old and intimate friends, after sixteen years spent hiking shoulder to shoulder, had come to a fork in the trail, and without even noticing had taken different paths. When they first looked up and saw what had happened, they were not at all far apart: they could still speak quietly to each other, could still see each other perfectly well. But they just kept going! All those years spent side by side, yet they didn't hesitate, didn't wave goodbye, didn't even acknowledge that they'd parted! Somehow this chilled me to the heart. It seemed that only I understood that, blithe as their divergence had been, it was permanent. So as my big brothers hiked intrepidly on, I--the slow, over-round, over-adoring brother who'd spent his whole life traipsing happily along behind both of them--just stood back at the fork, watching them veer farther and farther apart, and grieving for us all."

Tonight one of my students' parents had their daughters' teachers over for dinner. They have a great outside patio where we ate and visited. It was a really nice way to feel appreciated and rejuvenated for the end of the year. Another thing that is rejuvenating is getting a good laugh at my students. By this time of the year I really enjoy and appreciate them (some days that's easier than others), and joke around with them, and sometimes get a long, good laugh at their expense.

So last week we were reading To Kill A Mockingbird and one of my students fell asleep with his head on his desk. I guess he fell into a deep enough sleep that he was dreaming and he thought he was falling down the stairs, so his body jerked like he was trying to catch himself, and he ended up catapulting himself out of his desk and almost fell on the floor. I couldn't help but crack up, along with the rest of the class, at how ridiculous it looked. It was even better when he looked around with his half-asleep face trying to figure out what was going on and why everyone was laughing and that he was not actually at the bottom of the stairs, but in English class. 12 more days of fun stories like that, and then I'm on summer vacation! What a good job!

2008-05-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some blog reading lately, but not so much writing. Just haven't felt in the mood for it I guess. But I just went back and read some of the things I had written about in 2005, and it's so interesting to see what was going on at that time. This summer Brandon and I will celebrate our 5 year anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been that long! Our first year of marriage I was student teaching and he was the grad. assistant at ACU. We lived in a one-room garage apartment. We cleverly positioned a screen to be a divider between the "living room" and the "bedroom." I remember when we moved out of that apartment and into our rent house I was so excited that we actually had a closet for our vacuum cleaner and didn't have to keep it at the end of our bed. In the garage apartment we shared a tiny closet. We did enjoy having our parents and my Nana over a few times for meals. A couple people would sit at the table (that had a leaf down and was pushed against the wall), some could sit on the loveseat, and one or two would sit on our bed. It was cozy, but it was ours, so we loved it. Then after a year we moved to a rent house on E.N.11th. It was really cute and had just been redone with new paint and carpet. Our landlords were so nice, and like I said, we had a place to put the vacuum cleaner away, so I was way excited! The house we live in now (and have for the past 3 years) I just love! We were really lucky to get it the way we did. Summer, Chad, and Ava had just bought a house around the block, and our friends were moving out of this house, so she called and asked if we were interested. Without looking at any other houses, we decided to buy it from them. It's been great for us. We love the wooden floors, the exposed wood, the breakfast nook. We had the kitchen redone to add storage and paint the cabinets.

And this is my favorite addition to the kitchen. I love it when this cute little girl comes over and makes cookies with me! She is the sweetest niece and I love being her aunt!

Santa Fe

2008-03-21T14:38:00.001-07:00

My mom, dad, sister, her kids, and I all had a nice time in Santa Fe over the beginning of Spring Break. Brandon and my brother-in-law had to work, so they didn't get to make this trip with us. Sorry guys! Somehow, all of my pictures are of Ava, and I didn't get any with my mom, sister, or me. I think I mostly took pictures the first day, and we had been traveling all night to get there, so the rest of us were looking pretty rough and didn't want our pictures taken. After that, my mom and sister got some group shots, and I just figured I'd get their copies, so I hope those turn out!

The weather was pretty cool and windy, but the sun was shining every day, so we still enjoyed walking around the Plaza and getting out. We ate at some great restaurants (Pasqual's, Blue Corn Cafe, Upper Crust Pizza), went to some shops around the plaza, the library, a bookstore, art galleries, a children's museum. We saw a lot in 3 days considering we also all went back to the hotel in the afternoons to take naps with the kids.

Ava was so excited when we left Abilene at midnight. (Our plan was for the kids to sleep through the night, but it didn't exactly work that way.) Ava and I were in the back seat, and she would loudly whisper, "KATE...do you see Santa Fe yet?"
"Sorry, Ava, no...we're just to Lubbock. Can you go to sleep and dream about Santa Fe, and then maybe when you wake up we'll be there."
"Tell K-Papa that if I fall asleep, I want him to wake me up when we get close."
"OK. I'll tell him."
"Maybe I should sleep with one eye open for Santa Fe just in case."

Ava and Pierson at breakfast at Pasqual's after the nine-hour drive. They look surprisingly perky here, but that didn't last long. Other than that though, they were great travelers and perfectly pleasant doing all the things we dragged them to.

Ava and K-Papa dancing

Yeah, I don't know what to say about these. Ava thought they would make good pictures, so she posed with them and asked me to take her picture. Funny girl!

During our middle-of-the-night car ride, I told Ava about the staircase at the Loretta Chapel, so we made sure to go see it.

And Ava and Summer enjoyed painting their faces at the children's museum.

And now it's Easter weekend, and then I get a Monday off before I have to go back to work. Love that!

My first (and hopefully last) baseball injury

2008-03-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night I was at the ACU baseball game like normal, and I was sitting on the front row just behind first base and to the right of the dugout. I was visiting with my dad and Brandon's mom and enjoying the weather and the game when I suddenly saw the ball come off the bat straight at us. I tried to turn and get out of the way, but I wasn't quick enough. It nailed me in my left arm just below the shoulder. Immediately the trainer and the people sitting around me starting asking if I was okay. I was so relieved it didn't hit me in the face, so I told them I was fine, but then the tears filled my eyes and the pain started to set in. I went in the clubhouse (with my dad and mother-in-law) and the trainer got me some ice and pain medicine. Brandon came in and checked on me as well as my brother-in-law and niece who were also at the game. Ava asked a lot of questions. She wanted to know why I was crying and what the ice was for. Then she said in her matter-of-fact little voice, "It finks in here." (Translation: stinks) The bruise started out just in the shape of a baseball and has changed colors and started spreading down my arm. I think it's starting to fade now, and the soreness and swelling has gone down too. I think I'll go back to my regular seats at the top of the stands where you get a little more warning before the ball comes at you.

A relaxing Saturday with Kate...

2008-02-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

The weather today is so cold and rainy, so I have spent the whole day inside the house in my pajamas with a fire going watching movies. I made bacon, eggs, and biscuits for breakfast and then made a tuna salad sandwich for lunch and ate them while watching "Woman of the Year" and "Pat and Mike," both Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movies. I love watching old movies, and Kate and Audrey Hepburn are my favorite actresses from that time.

Last night Brandon and I enjoyed a nice dinner out with Summer and Chad who happened to be at the same restaurant for their Valentine's date, so we had a fun double date at a new restaurant in town and enjoyed our conversation with them.

On Valentine's we went to the Homer Hiccolm and the Rocket Boys concert at the Paramount. Their music is really good, and it's pretty rare to get to hear live music in Abilene, so it was a nice Valentine's treat.

Tonight I'm going to Sing Song. I was jogging around ACU earlier this week when everyone was in costume going to the dress rehearsal. I have 3 cousins in it this year. It is completely time-consuming for those involved, so I'm sure they will all be ready for a break soon.

Spring Fever

2008-02-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

"An optimist is the human personification of spring." Susan J. Bissonette
I'm not very good about blogging about the daily things. I tend to mainly go event to event even though I enjoy and appreciate other people's blogs about ordinary, everyday life. I keep a journal and that's where I write more about the day-to-day things I do, but I'd like to share more of it here as well.

I feel so ready for spring. I want a break from teaching and grading to just sit and read a good book and take a long nap and maybe travel and go to a movie with Brandon. Baseball season is just starting for him which means I will have some weekends where I spend most of my time at the ballpark and some weekends where I'm here by myself. I enjoy both. I've been very thankful that the last two weekends have been warm, sunny days. It makes watching baseball games so much more enjoyable. I think Brandon is going to make a great head coach someday. And I'm very glad that when I go to his games here I can enjoy the company of my parents, his parents, my sister and her family, and our friends at the game.

On weekends when he's out of town, I usually spend some time reading, go to garage sales, and maybe do a little work around the house. I really really need to clean out the garage. I hate it when I know I have something but I have absolutely no idea where it is. And our garage has been the catch-all for anything that didn't have a place in the house. I need to organize and get rid of a lot of stuff. Spring always makes me want to do that. Yesterday, when looking for some of our wedding shower invitations and gift lists--I know I saved them SOMEWHERE, didn't I?--I found some pictures from middle school. I wish I had a scanner so you could appreciate my middle school B team basketball picture with my permed hair, short bangs, skinny legs, high shorts, and socks halfway up to my knees and scrunched down. I also found my backpack from high school with a note I carried with me everyday from my sister. She left it on my car the first day of my senior year. More treasures are waiting to be rediscovered whenever I get the energy to excavate the ruins.

My weekends would be so much better too if I didn't have to grade. I try not to bring papers home to grade whenever possible because I don't want the guilt of taking them back to school Monday morning without having accomplished anything. But it is inevitable, so this afternoon I'll probably go to Starbucks where I can't be distracted by TV or books or even cleaning the house (which, compared to grading, would be more enjoyable) and read essays.

2008-01-23T20:16:00.001-08:00

I spent the weekend with my college girlfriends for our annual MLK weekend trip. This year we were missing six girls who couldn't be there including Jenna who is in Guatemala and Leah who is on bed rest so her twin boys don't come too soon.

It is so nice to be able to pick up right where we left off even though a lot has happened in the past year among our group. We were able to go to the Saturday night service at Richland Hills and hear Christine sing. After all the prayers for her health and the frustration of her many hospital visits over the past year, it was so great to hear her singing and praising again. When I lived with her in college, I always loved to hear her sing around the house.
This year, Kayci's in-laws were nice enough to let us all stay at their house, and they helped baby-sit Truitt so Kayci could enjoy some girl time. They were so kind to do this because we pretty much took over their house. We enjoyed her mother-in-law's good cooking while we were there and we spent a lot of time at the house just talking and catching up with what's been going on with everyone. We saw the movie "27 Dresses" which was very funny and a great one to see with girlfriends; we ate out at Pei Wei, one of my favorite restaurants; and we spent some quality time at Super Target. I left feeling relaxed and refreshed, which is something that I was really needing. Girlfriends are great therapy!

REVENGE and Ski Pictures (finally)

2008-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we took part in rolling some of our friends. And Monday, they got their revenge on us. When I came in from work, I tried to turn the lamp on and it didn't work. I tried a few other switches and then figured the electricity had gone out. Then I noticed all the clocks and the fans were working and our shoes were randomly scattered around the house. Aha....they got us! The light bulb went on (metaphorically speaking, that is) and I knew something was fishy (literally). So I check out the rest of the house to discover hundreds of Dixie cups filled with water and stapled together lining our kitchen floor, and fish floating in the tub and toilet. We think a few more people had a hand in this than the initial victims, so everybody better watch out! The best part was a picture Kara emailed to me of Will and Levi on our bed mooning the camera. They teach them early at the Sheets house!

Even despite the extreme cold, we had a wonderful time on our "Stomble" family ski trip. We spent a lot of time sledding on a hill behind the house. We created a jump, so you could actually get some air before you landed at the bottom. We also entertained ourselves by playing a lot of games and watching movies. And of course the skiing was fun too, just a little too chilly for my taste.

Notice our matching "Stover/Womble 4th annual ski trip" shirts!

I'm so glad this is a 3-day weekend! I need it so badly, and in just a few minutes I will be heading out of town to get together with girlfriends from college for our annual MLK Girls Weekend! I'm looking forward to relaxing, eating, maybe shopping a little, and laughing a lot.

2008-01-03T14:55:00.001-08:00

We had a great time over Christmas with our family. We got together first with my mom's side of the family in Abilene. I love it when we are all together. My mom is the oldest of five kids, and there are 11 grandkids, 3 grandkids-in-law, and 2 great-grandkids. It's a full house when we all get together, and I LOVE it! This year everyone came to Abilene. Here are some pictures from our time together...

Summer and her cute kids

Jason, Ava, and Bradyn doing their mean faces. Don't get on their bad side!

The girl cousins: Summer, Kasey, me, Jenny, and Carly

This year Seth broke his dad's record for the number of egg rolls eaten at one time. It was very entertaining for the onlookers cheering him on. Seth, you make our family proud!

3 generations: Summer, Grandma, Mom, and me

This is a picture of all the cousins. My uncle Don had shirts made of our my grandmother's family symbol. We were all proudly displaying our Japanese family heritage.

And here we are with my parents and sister's family. We had a Pierson family gift opening before our extended family came to town. We are so blessed by our families!

After Christmas we went on a ski trip with the Stovers and Wombles.
More pictures of that to come...

Favorite Christmas Music Memories

2007-12-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not someone who enjoys Christmas music all year long. In fact, it really bothers me to hear Christmas music playing in stores before Thanksgiving. It's like when you eat too much of your favorite dessert until you don't really like it anymore. I love Christmas music so much that I don't want to spoil it by over-indulging. But when this time of year rolls around, and I pull out my old favorite Christmas CDs I love how each one takes me back to a different memory I have of listening to that music and who I was with and what I was doing at the time. So with each CD, I will share my favorite Christmas memory. (This is not in chronological order, but in order of my favorite CDs.)

1. A Very Special Christmas 3

This is my favorite Christmas CD ever. I love the collection of artists on this CD--Sting, Smashing Pumpkins, Natalie Merchant, Snoop Doggy Dogg with Salt N' Pepa, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Blues Traveler, Enya, Hootie & the Blowfish, Chris Cornell, Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds (my all time favorite Christmas song!), and Tracy Chapman. I was introduced to it my sophomore year of college. This was a unique Christmas for me. My parents were living in Japan, my sister had gotten married the summer before and was having her first Christmas with her new in-laws, so I tagged along with her and spent Christmas with my brother-in-law's family. His mom decorated a special little tree for me with pictures of my family. I thought that was so sweet of her. Since we were out of school for a month, I also spent some time with college friends and their families. It was a Christmas that made me really appreciate my family and being able to all be together! And it made me thankful for those who go out of their way to make others feel at home.

2. Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas

This was the CD we listened to at home when I was growing up. Aaron Neville can really belt out those Christmas songs, and that high-pitched vibrato puts me in the Christmas spirit every time. I have great memories of decorating the tree with my mom and sister, and dancing around the living room with my dad. Since my sister is four years older, she always talked me into dressing up when we were younger. We would be elves in Santa's workshop, and then when she got too old to dress up, she would create a costume for me to wear and stage me for the picture as Santa with his reindeer. This Christmas music also reminds me of the smell of baking cookies and fresh coffee.

3. Point of Grace - A Christmas Story

This was my roommate Jenna's CD before I got my own copy later. It brings back memories of living in the dorm with her, listening to this CD while trying to finish writing my papers that were due at the end of the semester. It also reminds me of one of my funniest Christmas-decorating experiences. We were living in Sikes Dorm and decided to hang some Christmas lights around our window. Since we didn't have a ladder, I had Jenna sit in the armchair in the corner to hold it down while I stood on the back of it to hang the lights on the top of the window. While I was up there, our phone rang, and instinctively, Jenna jumped up to answer it. As soon as she did, the chair fell backwards and I ended up folded in half in the corner between the chair and the walls with my hands and feet straight up and Christmas lights dangling around me. It might've hurt if we hadn't been laughing so hard. She moved the chair and helped me up, apologizing profusely. It's one of the many funny memories I have of living with Jenna.

4. Josh Groban - Noel

I got this CD this year from my mother-in-law and am really enjoying it. So far, while listening to it I've been writing a paper and finishing a very special quilt for some good friends. I'm sure I'll add more to it, but that memory will always stand out to me when I listen to it.

2007-11-25T15:12:00.001-08:00

I spent most of Thanksgiving day sick in a hotel room, but despite that, we had a nice holiday. I am sad that I missed out on one of the days of the year when you're allowed to eat hoards of delicious food without thinking twice about it. I almost convinced Brandon to take me to Luby's for lunch today just so I could get a little turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie. But soon Christmas will be here and I'll be able to partake of my favorite holiday cuisine...Grandma's egg rolls and sushi!! We came back to a snow-covered Abilene Thursday night, and then were excited to get more snow today! My dad and I even braved the cold weather yesterday in Lubbock to watch the Abilene High football game. Now I'm trying to get motivated to get ready for school this week, but really I'm just soaking up my last few hours of vacation! I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving holiday!