Busy with the Boys

Little of This, A Little of That

2010-08-02T09:40:00.003-05:00

Yes, please don't pass out, but here is a post. Been one crazy busy spring and summer. Getting ready to gear up for school, I can't believe it! Here a few pics for your enjoyment of the past few months.... A few weeks ago my moms older 2 sisters came to visit. The eldest, Pat, (on the left) came to visit my mom. We don't get to see her very often but she makes me laugh. The next oldest, Jackie(on the right) we see just about every month. She and my Uncle Homer live back in the town my mom and her sisters grew up in, Munday, Tx. I am so glad they got to get together. Only thing missing was their baby sister, Deb. She lives up in Washington State and I couldn't tell ya the last time we saw her.

My boys actually took a picture together that day. They are as opposite as day and night. They are getting so big and time is passing fast with them. They r one foot apart now in size. Hayden at 5ft and Zach at 6. Amazing how much they have grown this year. Physically but they have both grown emontionally and spiritually. Zach has made some really good decisions and is stepping up as a leader while Hayden is getting baptized in a few weeks!

Had to just add this picture because it just captures the fun of the day~

The Clowdis Girls again. Just love these women!
Shawn and Zach fishing on our quick trip we had to Ruidoso back in June. It was a great 4 days!

My sweet Hayden in Ruidoso. Just love this kid. He is busy doing Taekwondo now and loving it! I guess he and I will start getting geared up for homeschool. We are pretty excited about doing a computerized program this year.

Hayden playing some football while he was at childrens church camp. Our church went to Austin College in Sherman, Tx. He had an awesome time!

This has been our usual venue this summer. A baseball field somewhere. Zach had a great Hub City league season that carried over into the West Texas High School league. Our 14u coach managed to get us in the league as the only non high school team. We played alot of freshman and JV teams and actully did really well. Zach went to a few camps at Texas Tech and learned alot about catching thanks to Coach Jimmy Webster. Today starts Fall Ball season for Zach. 12 games fast and furious between now and Aug 26th. Zach is ready for football but not school. Whats new.....

Staying Busy

2010-04-21T13:55:00.002-05:00

Haven't spent much time blogging obviously lately. Life just continue with work, church, school and sports. We have had a good time. I enjoy my family so much. Here are just a few pics. Zach competed in the district track meet at Canyon Randall a few weeks ago. He finished 2nd in shot put throwing 40'1" and setting a new school record. In discus he the won the district title throwing 123ft. We are enjoying his baseball games and learning to live with the teenage attitude. Hard to believe he will be 14 on Sunday.

Hayden is doing very well. Homeschooling is going very well. I should have started a long time ago with him. He is continuing to bowl and will bowling in the state bowling tourney in Pasadena, TX in June. He has learned to ride a bike which doesn't seem like much to most but for him and his problems with NF, this is a really big deal. The joy I see in his face warms my heart more than I can explain. Take care all. I will check in again sometime!

Home School 101

2010-01-20T11:24:00.002-06:00

Here we are, day 3 of home school. Hayden is loving it. It is actually going much better than I thought it would be. I knew God had been pushing us in this direction for awhile. Zach was a little jealous at first but his sports are way too important to give up to be home schooled to him.

Hayden has been rocking the math. It has been some pre-algebra and I was afraid it was too advanced for him but he has been doing well with it!

Out With The Old And In With The New

2010-01-07T08:41:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am a loser yet again by not getting this done sooner but I enjoyed the holidays but I am glad they are over. Time to move on with life and see what God has in store us. Here is a picture of our lovely tree. Shawn and I had started the red, white and blue theme the first Christmas after 9/11. It is really cool. We have firemen, police officers and American flag decorations. We have added a lot of the kids ornaments over the years. It shows what our family is about and I really like it.

Why is it when boys hit 13 they don't want their pictures taken anymore? Zach is way too cool for all of this (by the way, he is now officially taller than me and reminds me of this everyday). Hayden is still just the sweetest kid that always has a nice smile for me.

Our boys enjoyed the snow very much. This was Hayden's creation that he did all by himself. I think he did a great job!

Shawn and his pup, McCoy. They love each other and Shawn has this pup working like a well oiled machine except for McCoys interest in cords (phone chargers, DSi chargers, etc....)

McCoy has been such a great addition to our family. We are so blessed with this fabulous animal.

Bitter Sweet November

2009-11-19T14:58:00.003-06:00

Since I last posted, a lot has been going on. Busy with school, work and family activities. Here are a few pics to show how our last month or so has been. Hayden just keeps on bowling well. Here is his new bowling shirt along with some of the new awards he has won. He gets better every week. Started out with a 56 avg and as of last week he had an 80 average. He loves doing it!

Football season finally ended. Not exactly how Zach had imagined. Ended with a record of 3-4-1. Hopefully it will be better next year. He decided not to play basketball and now is doing off season. High school coaches do their off-season program and they are kicking Z's booty!

Our sweet Yogi. We had to put him down yesterday. Since my last post he had a knot show up on his leg. It turned out to be bone cancer and it just grew like crazy the past month. He was in a lot of pain and even though it was hard, it was the best thing for him. We are recovering.

Meet this new guy. His name is McCoy. He is our new baby. He seems to help the pain of losing Yogi but he definitely has his own personality. We are so blessed to have him. Thanks Julie and Bubba!

He is 8 wks-old today. We are starting to train him from a book called "Game Dog" by Richard Wolters on the advice of our pastor. He has 3 labs he trains this way. I will let u know how it goes! Hope not to take so long next time to post! LOL!

Rollin' On Into October

2009-10-10T14:26:00.003-05:00

Things continue to busy around here. Bowling and football. Thats our lives lately! Hayden got an award for bowling a 200pt 3 game series. He got to put it on his brand new bowling shoes.

Hayden and Shawn doing there usual fall planting. This is there favorite thing to do together.

Zach's team keeps rolling on. They beat Plainview 12-8 last Tuesday. Would have been more but our offense had some miscues. Defense was stellar except giving up the 2 pt conversion after Plainviews pick 6. Big game this week coming up against Canyon. Good luck Tigers!

September Ups and Downs

2009-10-02T09:32:00.003-05:00

Being September, it has been all about bowling and football in my house. Hayden's bowling league is off and running. He got new bowling shoes and a bag yesterday. He is ready to bowl both sessions and then go bowl in the State tourney in June.

Zach has been busy on the football field. His team is 2-1-1. Not too bad. He is enjoying it and hopes all his teammates grades keep them on the field.

The downs this month have been the motorcycle accident involving our friend, Toby Wimberley almost 2 weeks ago. I think we are past the life and death thing for now but he has a long, long road to recovery.
Shawn suffered a loss of a co-worker yesterday. "Big Steve" West died from head injuries that he suffered at work last week. He was just a 20 yr-old kid that loved to talk football. My thoughts are with his mom today. Hayden's styling bag!

He is so glad he doesn't have to use the bowling alleys shoes now

Zach took care of #24 in red on both offense and defense.

Zach on back-to-back plays!

August Is A Wrap

2009-08-31T15:57:00.003-05:00

Ok, I guess I will get August caught up for you guys. I have been very lazy lately in getting this done. Now maybe my ears will quit burning! This post will make more sense if you start from the bottom and come up. This is a picture of Zach from last football season. His 7th grade season starts a week from tomorrow. We can't wait. I got an exciting call from him after school this afternoon that went something like this: "Mom, did u see any of my practice this morning?". " No, Zach, I was tired after work and went to bed.". " We had first day of pads and I was lighting kids UP!". "Did the coaches say anything to you?". "No, they all just had a look of shock on their faces!". I love, love to watch this kid play football. It is just amazes me. So ready to see the first game. For all you non-facebook folks, I will post a schedule on here soon. Those that are not on FB, get on FB. It is an awesome tool to keep up with folks. It is the grown up Myspace. Check it out!

Aug 24th: Kids first day of school. Don't they look excited? Zach with a cheesy smile and Hayden with his eyes closed. 1st week went off without a hitch. Hope the rest of the year is that way!

Aug 22nd: Zach's last summer workout with Shawn. He hated it at the time but now that football has started, he is really glad he did it!

Aug 21st: Zach's last baseball game. It didn't end like we wanted it to but at least Nanny Sue got to come watch him play!

Aug 15th: Our sweet Hayden celebrated his 9th birthday. He is one of the most sincere, genuine kiddos I know. Can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Hand Therapist Rock!

2009-08-05T12:44:00.002-05:00

Aug. 5th: Meet Mack and Carin. They are hand therapist that have done an awesome job with Hayden's hand therapy. Mack is one of the funniest guys you will meet that knows all about hands. Carin is so sweet and did an awesome job working with Hayden, always keeping him smiling even when he didn't want to. Thanks guys for your hard work. PS- Tell Johnny he missed his photo op! LOL! Carin, Hayden and Mack today on Hayden's last day of therapy as long as he behaves! Two of the most genuine folks you will ever meet!

They got Hayden's hand from this............

............To this. Thanks again guys!

July '09 Storm

2009-08-05T12:34:00.002-05:00

July 30: I love rain but I can do without the wind. This is what we woke up to last Thursday morning. What a pain. Shawn had already taken the day off but little did he know what he would be doing all morning. Our fence almost down!

Shawn and our next door neighbor, Zach discussing their plan.

Shawn and Zach working hard.

The finished product!

2009 THF Outfitters Yuck Night

2009-08-05T12:20:00.002-05:00

July 29th: The Heights Fellowship youth group, The Outfitters, had their annual Yuck Night. This year our youth pastor, Jason, came up with the bright idea of dividing the youth into two teams and adding a team of adults. One good thing about having mono, I didn't have to compete! Here are a few pics from that night. I think they all had a good time! Cardenas and his crazy self making his nice new hat!

Zach is not so amused by all the action.

Zach and Hayden with the flour panty hose game. This is the only one Hayden will do, but he loves it.

Zach's buddy, also named Zach, got the raw end of the deal during the egg toss!

By far my favorite game to watch. The blowing of CoCo puffs out of the nose onto the whipped creamed head of one of your teammates. It was so funny.

Outlaws 3-0 Start!!!

2009-07-28T13:38:00.002-05:00

Shawn's dad, Gary, surprised us by riding up on his motorcycle to come watch Zach's game Sunday afternoon. It was a nice surprise and Zach's team did not disappoint. The Outlaw's have started the summer league season being 3-0 and by run-ruling each team. So glad he got picked up on this team and now we at least know what team he will be on next spring.

We have been trying to enjoy what is left of the summer before school starts and we are running crazy since Zach will be playing 7th grade football this year. He is so ready. Hayden's hand is doing well. We are continuing with some hand therapy which should wrap up in a couple of weeks. I have been fighting a horrible case of strep which then we discovered I also have mono! Crazy I tell ya. Hope to return to work next week. Catch you all later!

Outlaw's Baseball--Let's Get Rollin'

2009-07-18T14:43:00.002-05:00

Zach's new team, the Outlaw's. Welcome to a really hot Saturday practice. 1st game this coming Monday. Really, really good team. Zach has discovered he needed to step it up a notch for this team and he is doing well. U can tell its hot, check out how red Zach's cheeks r!

Showing off the fielding skills.

He is hitting the best I have ever seen him hit!

More hitting.

The team was divided into teams of three. Zach's threesome made up of Zach, Ricky and Taylor defeated the other 2 teams. It was alot of fun!

The Month of June

2009-07-12T16:38:00.003-05:00

It has just been over a month since I have been on here. I almost forgot my password to get on, oops! There has been lots of things going on since I last posted and I have been a loser for not getting it done. Regular season baseball ended and now Zach is getting ready for Summer League with another team. They will be called the Outlaws. Zach is really excited about this team. They should do really well.

The Heights had VBS the last week of June. It was lots of fun. On that Friday, Hayden had surgery on his hand to have a neuroma removed. It is all part of his NF Type 1. He was determined not to miss the last night of VBS so off he went in an arm sling with ice on his hand. He did well. This coming Tuesday he will have his stitches out finally.

It has been blazing hot here. A cozy 100+ for the past week. I guess I shouldn't have been complaining about the cold weather we had in the middle of May. I guess that is all for now. Here are a few pictures from the past month. I will try to be more disciplined about posting here. I really need to stay off Face Book! LOL! Shawn mowing Friday. It was so stinking hot!

Hayden July 4th. It was hot that night too! He is getting tired of me taking his picture so much!

Hayden's hand 4 days post surgery. He ended up with 8 stitches. Ready for those babies to come out!

Our children's minister, Mika, after getting a pie to the face the last night of VBS. Our pastor, Mike, had gotten one just moments earlier. It was really funny.

Hayden at VBS the evening after surgery. He wasn't missing the pie action! If u noticed not many pics of Zach. He has been the social bug this summer. Time for him to slow down for the rest of the summer so he can get ready for school and football! Can't wait!

I Know, Where Have I Been

2009-06-09T04:12:00.006-05:00

Well guys sorry I have been away for awhile. With school ending, baseball, getting Zach off to camp, work and having a sickly child for the past week, I just haven't been into getting this done. Now that we have a little break from baseball and Hayden is feeling better, maybe I will do better. Not making any promises, but I will try! Here are a few post from the past couple of weeks. Hopefully, more to come.

Swim Day

2009-06-08T17:46:00.002-05:00

June 5th: Took Hayden swimming at Seahorse. He loves going here. It can get a little crowded at times but it is just right for him. I like sitting in the shade with a good book while he has some fun. Waiting patiently in line for his turn on the slide.

Ready to slide down

Off he goes. We spent 3 hours out here that day and he enjoyed every minute of it.

Chillin' In The Backyard

2009-06-08T17:34:00.002-05:00

June 2nd: With Zach gone to camp, Shawn and I were able to give Hayden all the attention he wanted. We hung out in the backyard with our dogs on this Saturday night. It was very nice and the mosquitoes hadn't arrived yet. Shawn and Yogi. They have a special bond. Yogi is so sweet.

Raisin is the queen of the backyard. She is the Alpha Dog and she loves to get in our laps and look down at Yogi.

Raisin and Hayden. These two just love to play with each other. They have lots of fun.

Hayden after taking a big drink of some water. He is just the cutest kid!

Off To Youth Camp

2009-06-08T17:32:00.004-05:00

June 1st: Even though Zach was going to have to miss a baseball game but we decided that this kid needed some time away and what better place to go than youth camp. Here is Zach in the Whataburger drive-thru before I went to drop him off. He was ready to go. Luggage lining the wall. The scene outside the church as kids arrived. Our youth went to Bonita Park, NM. It was an awesome camp with several students making decisions to accept Christ as their Savior and several others making decisions of going into ministry. Way to go THF Outfitters for being an awesome youth group.

Shawn's Big 38

2009-06-08T03:54:00.000-05:00

May 28th: This was Shawn's 38th birthday. I picked Hayden up from school a little early so that we could go get Shawn's birthday present and cake. We had to go to 2 different Wal-Mart's to find a cake. Top priority on Hayden's list, it has to be chocolate.
Shawn had had a long day at work and was really tired but he was happy to see that his boys had this surprise for him. My three boys!

The Monster Strikes Again

2009-05-23T05:04:00.007-05:00

It is funny that writing this post has been on my mind for awhile for many reasons and then on Thursday night it really became evident to me why, maybe. The first thing I want to say is....Cancer Sucks!!! I know that is harsh, but it is the truth.

Between Shawn and I we have lost more than our fair share of loved ones to this horrible disease. I have lost my dad,John, in his early 60's to renal cell carcinoma and his dad to the same type of cancer in his late 50's. My sister. Melinda, died at the early age of 24 to leukemia and a brother-in-law, Steve, in his late 30's to liver cancer. My dad's sister, Frieda, died in her late 50's to esophageal cancer and my step-father, Jerry to melanoma in his 50's. I can't begin to tell you how many extended family members I also have lost to this monster. Shawn lost his mom in her 50's to multiple melanoma as well as 6 months prior to her, her mom died of the same thing.

In the past week or so, two sports figures are dealing with cancer also. Boston College stand-out linebacker, Mark Herzlich, was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma and pro golfer, Phil Mickelson's wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. However, on Thursday night a young sports guy caught my attention. One of Zach's teammates mom informed me that she had received a call about her 13 yr-old son, CP, from the doctor. It appears that he has a malignancy. She was just beside herself. She hasn't told him yet because his appointment with the doctor is not until next Thursday and she didn't want him to have to worry all week.

She was in such a struggle in trying to figure out how to even tell him. I have had lots of cancer experience but not with my own children and I hope that is a place I never have to go. I pray that she and her husband find a way to tell him and that CP is able to take in what is going on and deal with it. I pray that this cancer is contained into one place and that it responds to treatment. As I obtain more info and I know CP is aware of the situation, I will post more specific information. Please lift this family up.

Day 136--The First Of Many, We Hope.

2009-05-18T08:46:00.002-05:00

May 16th: Well, I think Zach is finally recovering from the broken thumb. He finally got what he wanted, a shot over the long fences. Saturday morning, first at bat, first pitch, he took one deep (about 320 or so before it landed) over the left field fence. I was so happy for him. It has been a long, frustrating season for him between the broken thumb, the ever continuing sore heel and a really, really young team. It was a good day for him, you can tell by the smile! Zach is all smiles!

Nice Ball

Hayden's self-pic at that mornings game. Notice all the clouds and the lights are on for Pete's sake at a day game in the middle of May. This has got to be the coldest baseball season ever.

Day 135--Buddy Day

2009-05-18T08:31:00.002-05:00

May 15th: Hayden had a great time Friday at his schools Buddy Day. He and his friend ran around and played everything and I chased behind them to snap a few pictures. I always love these days for Hayden. He isn't really into sports so I enjoy getting to see him participate in this. I am always amazed when I watch him because this is the kid we weren't sure would be able to do these things when he was little due to his NF. He is becoming a really good athlete but I don't think he realizes it. Maybe one of these days he will but until then, I will sit back in amazement of him. Hayden and PJ taking a break from the heat.

He is becoming a good hoopster.

Check out the concentration.

The wet sponge race. Hayden won and was so happy.

The chicken throw. I think this was his favorite.

Day 133-Dual Track Meet Between TVMS and FMS

2009-05-18T08:10:00.003-05:00

May 13: The dual 6th grade track meet between Frenship Terra Vista Middle School and Frenship Middle School was a good one. Each school was made up of two teams, the blue and the gold. Zach's team, TVMS blue team won the whole thing which is a big deal since Terra Vista has never beat FMS in this track meet since the opening of TVMS a few years ago. The coaches are very excited about this group of young men from Zach's school. They have got lots and lots of speed. These boys are so ready for football they can't stand it. Here are a few pics of Zach at the shot put ring. He didn't throw as well as he had been by about 2 feet but no matter what, he was throwing for 2nd place the whole day(which he won). The kid that won 1st is a little more physically mature than Zach and threw a crazy 36'7"!! Check that boy for some steroids! Zach headed for the ring.

His release was way too flat and look how far back he was. Had been working on it but I think he was nervous.

Zach talking to the competition, Chandler. This is the kid that threw that crazy distance. Coach Ramos told Zach not to worry, he would get him next year.

Day 129 We Celebrated Mothers Day on Saturday

2009-05-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

May 9th: We celebrated Mothers Day on Saturday since I had to work on Sunday. I didn't take any pictures but Hayden happened to snap this one as we sat in the backyard while Shawn cooked out. It is nice photo of one of our yard torches and Yogi walking around. Boring I know but it was a nice day.

Day 128--School Picnic & Some Good Conversation

2009-05-08T14:01:00.003-05:00

May 8th: Had a great picnic lunch with Hayden at his school today. Picked up some Chick-fil-a for us(side note: don't go to C-f-a @ lunch time. It is insanity I tell ya!) and we sat on his Scooby Doo blanket, had some chicken and some good conversation. We mostly talked about the ambulance excitement from last night(see next post) and really enjoyed each other. He decided he would leave early with me since they weren't doing much for the rest of the day. It was a perfect afternoon.

Day 127 Hayden The Photo Journalist

2009-05-08T13:55:00.003-05:00

May 7: As I worked last night my Hayden rushed into action for me with the camera. There was an ambulance down the street with two rapid responder trucks at one of our neighbors. Not sure what was going on, but I am grateful for Hayden springing into action for me. We have really got to get a better camera for all this action!

Day 126--Our Puppies

2009-05-08T13:42:00.002-05:00

May 6th: Ok, I missed Tuesday on this 365 thing, but I am trying. Hung out with my dogs for a while. Our little dog Raisin was supposed to be a Schnoodle and we paid a hefty price for her @ the Mall pet store. Well, we don't know what she is, but she is no Schnoodle. She has some kind of heeling capability in her bloodline because that is one of her favorite things to do, heel. Just ask our poor Lab, Yogi. Example of her heeling capability. Poor Yogi will put up with this all day. They really do enjoy each other. She shows a fine technique!

Our sweet Yogi, he is a big boy but he doesn't have one mean bone in his body. Not much of a guard dog. He would just lick any intruder to death. He is so happy go lucky. Not a clue in the world but we wouldn't trade him for anything.

Day 124 Just Know What You Are Voting For

2009-05-04T13:47:00.002-05:00

May 4th:No matter what side of the fence you find yourself sitting on for the May 9th election in Lubbock, there are just a few things I would like to point out. First thing is I have a game for you. Take a look at the picture below and tell me what is wrong with it. I am not picking on the against guys, however it is their sign on which the error appears. Go ahead, take your time and see if you can figure it out.........any ideas?..............You give up? Look below for the answer.

The word "liquor" being used is totally incorrect. Shawn and I have discussed this the past couple of days. According to just about any dictionary, liquor is produced by using a distillation process. That would include, whiskey, rum, vodka, etc, etc, etc. Now correct me if I am wrong but my understanding is that we are voting on "packaged alcohol sales" which include beer, wine and wine coolers and these are by definition made by a fermentation process. So my problem being is the misuse of the word "liquor" is misleading to voters. Granted I know that this is not really an issue but my feeling is if you are going to promote one side or the other, make sure you are promoting the correct thing. Makes Lubbock look more silly than we already are.

However for how incorrect the signs are, I am glad to see the democratic process at work on this. I don't know the exact number, but if you check with the Lubbock AJ, it appears that we are on course to break the early voting record in a special election. I'm glad that Lubbockites are getting excited about something but it is a little sad that is over alcohol sales. Oh well.

Project 365

2009-05-04T10:42:00.002-05:00

OK ladies and gentlemen, I am so far behind in my 365 it is not even funny. Lost my camera for a few days so that didn't help the laziness that I have encountered lately. Therefore, today starts a new day for me. I will pick up 365 from today and try to be better at it. When one works nights sometimes it can disorganize you. I promise to do better!

Farewell D

2009-05-03T17:47:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday afternoon my family and I had the honor of watching the funeral procession of Sheriff Deputy D. Harvey. For those of you that did not know D, he was killed in the early morning hours last Sunday while responding to a call, when his unit was hit head-on by a supposed drunk driver and his unit burst into flames. D. died on site. I know living in Lubbock that we, including me, are tempted to not really think of how much these men and women lay their lives on the line for us everyday. I ask that we do not take these individuals for granted. I have two nephews, one here and one in Oklahoma that are police officers, so this hits close to home.

Please be in continued prayer for D's wife and two young boys as they search for their "new normal" in the days, weeks and years to come. Even though they go to our church I never knew D but in passing but I wish I would have. As I talk with people who did I realize the fine man he was. I leave you with images from his funeral.
AeroCare led the procession
Lubbock Police Dept and Lubbock Sheriff Dept united.
Law enforcement from all over Texas and New Mexico. What a site!

Happy 13 Z-Man!!

2009-04-25T20:27:00.002-05:00

Zach at a few months old. Who knew he would grown into the meat head he is today. He was a good baby. The only really hard times we had were the many nights sleeping in the recliner because he had such bad ear infections it hurt to much to lay flat. We survived to move onto new challenges.

This is Zach today. The Big 13. It is hard for me to believe he is officially a teenager today. It is a mixed emotion day for me. I am glad he has survived to this point, (LOL) and I miss those sweet times when as a little boy he held my hand and when I was pregnant with Hayden and had so much morning sickness all day, he would sit with me and brush my hair. I guess as a four year-old that was all he could do to try to make me feel better. However, it is a proud day for me too. I look at this boy in an almost man's body and see how he is conducting himself. Granted he has the teenage emotional, moodiness thing going, mostly around us, but at school, church and sports activities he is taking care of business. He is probably one of the most respected kids in those areas. I know I am his mom but other adults that deal with him on a day to day basis are always very complementary of him. He works hard at school even though he suffers with severe dyslexia. He tells me everyday that if Jesus comes today, he is ready to go but until then he will do his best to serve him in the right way. Then when it comes to sports, we know he does what he needs and sports make him very happy. So even though he is growing up and I know it won't be long until he is grown and gone, I have a peace that between God and us that maybe he will reach his full potential. Happy Birthday Z-man. We love you and cherish the young man you are becoming.

Day 113(63)Cast Is Gone, More Basketball

2009-04-22T09:13:00.003-05:00

April 22nd: If you are looking for day 111 and 112 of my 365 project, sorry they don't exist. I did not take one picture those 2 days. I was just not with it. Tuesday was a long day. Zach did get his cast off but we waited in the Drs. office waiting room for 3 hours, no joke. Once the doctor made it in to see him it took all of 5 minutes. He said it should be healed and said we didn't even need an x-ray, cut the cast off and we were done. Hope it is healed, makes me a little nervous. After baseball practice we enjoyed playing some basketball. Hayden is becoming the little hoopster of the house!

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, My Hero

2009-04-22T08:56:00.003-05:00

Carrie Prejean may have cost herself the Miss America title after the answer she gave to Perez Hilton's question about same-sex marriage but I commend her for her answer. This country is way to worried about political correctness instead of moral and biblical correctness. If more people were willing to be more morally and biblically correct then maybe our country wouldn't be in such a mess. As for Perez and all his whining since Carrie's answer....get over yourself! You asked her her opinion and well, she gave it. She was not rude or demeaning in her answer she just gave her belief. Mr. Hilton, you want people to be tolerant and accepting to your opinions and way of life yet you are not willing to give Miss Prejean the same courtesy. Get a life dude!

Day 110(60) All It Took Was A Woman.....Just Kidding!

2009-04-18T12:42:00.005-05:00

April 18: After a frustrating evening of trying to change our old basketball goal out for a new one, Shawn was tired and decided to wait on me. Together this morning we got it done in about an hour. We work well as a team like we always have even though we can have some rough spots. The boys were happy with the finished product and we are just glad it is done. Hope to enjoy a peaceful day with my boys. We actually have no baseball today which is great. Hope you all have a great day too!

Day 109(59) The Meeting Of The Minds

2009-04-17T18:15:00.002-05:00

April 17th: This is the scene in my driveway as I type this. This is Shawn and his co-worker Chris trying to put a new basketball goal up for my boys. I wish I could say it was going smoothly but they are looking a little frustrated. I will keep you posted!

Day 108(58) Like He Has Done It All Along

2009-04-17T18:03:00.003-05:00

April 16: Yes, that is Zach playing center field with Shawn's glove on his right hand. I am proud to say that even though our team didn't win, Zach played an awesome CF with the wrong hand. He also was batted clean-up but due to the lovely storms our game was stopped and he only got to bat once and got thrown out at first. Hope his team gets better because Zach is getting a little frustrated.

Day 107(57) Another Bat

2009-04-16T10:06:00.002-05:00

April 15: With Zach's thumb injury it has been hard for him to use his Sr. league size bat so he had been using one of his old little league bats until it cracked on us last week. Knowing he was going to need to use a lighter bat for awhile we made the decision to purchase a new one. We found a great website that sells last years bats at a really discounted price. That is the only way we will ever purchase another bat. That way they have been out for a year and all the reviews from others users are available and you know if you are getting a decent bat or not!

Day 106(56) Not So Tough

2009-04-16T10:01:00.002-05:00

April 14th:Zach's cast after only having it for 1 week is looking a little rough. Had to take him back to our friendly ortho tech, Jay, today to get some repairs done on the thumb. With Zach playing baseball all the batting is taking a toll on the thumb part. We see the doctor on the 21st. Hopefully if he can't get out of his cast then they can put a new one on. I don't think it will hold up much longer.

Day 105(55) One More For The Road

2009-04-16T09:57:00.002-05:00

April 13th: OK, I know Easter is over but I had to post this picture of Hayden with some real little bunnies from his school. This kid just loves animals and I have no doubt he will be that vet someday that he wants to be.

Day 104(54) Fun With The Boys

2009-04-13T09:23:00.002-05:00

April 12th: My boys after the big egg hunt. Hayden is so happy with his collection of eggs and Zach... well Zach I think is trying to look really tough posing with his stash. How tough can you look posing with a yellow easter basket? I love the fact that even though he is growing up he is still willing to do things with Hayden. As I make them say to each other often "Brothers forever, brothers for life," because you are after all, your brothers keeper.

Day 103(53) Lightening Delay

2009-04-13T09:13:00.003-05:00

April 11th: Zach's team had baseball pictures bright and early @ 8:30 then a double header starting @ 10:00. The first game had 2 lightening delays. Shawn tried to catch some sleep during one of them. Zach is back playing as a designated hitter. They actually had him batting clean-up with a broken thumb. That is crazy. He did get walked twice and struck out once but did manage to cross the plate once in the 2 games. It was a long morning. Zach's team is young and inexperienced and are really missing his pitching and fielding. Hopefully his thumb will heal quickly so he can get back at it.

Day 102(52) Good Friday

2009-04-13T09:02:00.002-05:00

April 10th: Good Friday....I think of this day a lot. I try to put myself back at the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus. I think of his disciples. What was going through their minds that whole week. The fear, confusion and craziness of it all. Would I be like them? Would I have frozen in my shoes and defied him? I would like to say I wouldn't but how many times have I done it in my own life? People say things against him and I decide that it is just easier to ignore them than to say something. Maybe it is my own fear, confusion and craziness of my own life that I push him away sometimes to do things my way. Sweet Jesus, continue to work with me in my walk with you, Amen.

Day 101(51) The Making Of The Eggs

2009-04-13T08:58:00.002-05:00

April 9th: My boys coloring Easter eggs. I always have a picture like this from every year. This makes me think of my dad also because one of the last pictures I gave him while he was in the hospital was of the boys coloring Easter eggs.

Day 100 (50) Big John

2009-04-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

April 8th: Seven years ago to the day is the day I lost my dad, John. After a long battle with kidney cancer the day came that God called him home. It is funny that no matter how many years pass, I think I miss him more today than ever. As children we need our parents to provide food, shelter, clothing and lessons learned. However, I think as adults we need our parents more for friendship and knowledge. As an adult, I have come to understand why our parents did the things they did and how they did them. There is a respect and different kind of bond that is formed. I know there are very few days that go by that I don't think of him. I wish my boys could have gotten the chance to know him too. Miss you Dad. (Dad holding Hayden the day he was born with Zach by his side.)

Day 99(49) He Got It

2009-04-08T14:15:00.004-05:00

April 7th: Zach got what he wanted. A cast instead of a splint. This offers him a better opportunity to play baseball. He can't stand to sit still. Good thing Shawn is left handed, that way Zach uses Shawn's glove to catch with, gets the ball out with his left hand, throws the glove off and then throws the ball. It is quite entertaining to watch. He will probably be limited to right field but he is all for it. The scary thing is that he seems to be hitting better with the cast on then he did before he broke his thumb. To him, he will do whatever it takes to play. He has realized when he couldn't play that you can't take playing for granted. I always say, everything happens for a reason and this has been a good lesson learned.

He really wishes he could pitch but don't think we can work that one out.

Day 98(48) If The Wind Doesn't Kill Them

2009-04-08T14:12:00.003-05:00

April 6th: Our pansies in the front flower bed had been looking great until all the crazy, dry wind. Hang in there guys!

Day 97(47) No Picture

2009-04-08T13:56:00.002-05:00

April 4th: Sorry guys, I was so ill this day that no pictures happened. I will try to make it up with 2 pics in one day sometime.

Day 96(46) Me and Raisin

2009-04-06T12:08:00.002-05:00

April 4th: Saturday afternoon. My little Raisin keeping watch over me. Yes, that is me crashed out on the couch. I had worked the night before and was not feeling well at all. After I got off work, I took Zach to his teams 8am game and then I came home and crashed out. I think the house could have burned down around me and I would have never known.

Day 95(45) The Pink Was Just Too Much!

2009-04-06T12:03:00.003-05:00

April 3rd: When I walked into work this was the bright, pink patient board that greeted me. It was way too much. I already was starting not to feel well. My other co-workers agreed it was way to bright. My great friend Jenny decided to assist in making a change in the board.

Hear is the nice, soothing, gray tape we agreed on to replace the awful pink. It is much easier on the eye!

Day 94(44) March of Dimes

2009-04-06T11:50:00.003-05:00

April 2nd: Some of my great co-workers worked a bake sale as a way to raise money for the March of Dimes from our antepartum unit. Here is my attempt at more cupcakes. Our unit did an awesome job and raised over 900.00 dollars.

Day 93(43) For Darla

2009-04-06T11:44:00.001-05:00

April 1st: Not an April Fools Joke Darla, I actually made cupcakes for the boys. They loved them>

Day 92(42) No Surgery, But This Is Painful

2009-04-01T10:20:00.003-05:00

March 31st: Got to see the orthopedic doctor, Dr. Lehman. He is an older gentleman that was very nice to Zach. He told us he didn't want to do surgery on Zach because of the area of the break is in the growth plate and he said it would destroy the growth plate where he would need to put the pin. He put him in this hard splint and we return in 3 weeks to see how its coming along. Looks like he may be back in the game in 3-4wks. Thank goodness because his not getting to play is not only painful to him, but us too. He is driving us crazy!

Day 91(41) Our Wayward Yogi

2009-04-01T10:14:00.002-05:00

March 30th: This is our silly lab, Yogi. Last Friday during all the snow and wind, our side gate got blown open and he decided to roam the neighborhood. Thanks to some really nice Tech kids, he was in a warm house for the night. By accident we found a found ad on Craigslist.com and it was Yogi. We were able to get him back on Saturday night but it was stressful until we did. Crazy dog.

Day 90(40) Lets Pray No Surgery!

2009-03-29T11:38:00.003-05:00

March 29: Yes folks, it is what it looks like, a broken thumb! Zach and I got up early so we could be one of the first at urgent care. We saw Dr. Lyons who is always great with the boys when we go there. He said there was still some dislocation so he fixed that and then the but came, he also has a small fracture. He said at least 4-6 wks out of baseball. When I asked him if he thought it would need surgery he would not say so that has me concerned. We see Dr. Klepper in the morning and then probably on to an orthopod. Pray for just a 4-6wk cast and no surgery.

Day 89(39) Lets Hope Its Not Broke

2009-03-28T21:24:00.003-05:00

March 28th: Zach had a 4:oo game today in the nice, cold wind. During the 2nd inning Zach tagged a kid out at 3rd to make the 3rd out. After the play he took his glove off and showed the umpire. The umpired called the coaches over. At first I thought he got cleated, if only we were so lucky. The coach held up his hand and is left thumb was sticking way out the side in not a normal position, he had a dislocation. The coach got it put back into place. Zach was up to bat and went out to bat. The umpire couldn't believe it. He said Zach was tough. Unfortunately he couldn't grip the bat and had to bunt getting thrown out at 1st. That was all of his playing for the day. The 3rd base umpire told us he thought he was going to pass out when he saw Zach's thumb. We plan on getting an X-ray in the morning at urgent care. I will let you know.

Day 88(38) Winter Wonderland

2009-03-27T13:14:00.002-05:00

March 27th: I know it is not a lot of snow but I will tell you one thing, its cold out there! Hayden's school playground. I forgot he was the snack master of his class today so I had to go get snacks and bring them to him.

My view as I sat at the red light at 4th and Frankford just after I left Wal-Mart picking up those wonderful snacks!

Day 87(37) Traffic Jam

2009-03-27T13:10:00.003-05:00

March 26th: This picture does not do justice to the crazy traffic that one encounters at Zach's middle school. It is crazy and you have to watch out for them all because you never know what they are going to do.

Day 86(36) More Meds

2009-03-27T13:04:00.004-05:00

March 25th: Zach originally went to the doctor on Monday but we had a repeat appearance on Wednesday. After an X-Ray of his sinuses it was determined that he had a continuing sinus infection and his antibiotic was changed. I believe he is feeling better.

Day 85(35) This Old House

2009-03-27T12:57:00.003-05:00

March 24th: On one of our many trips to Walgreens this week i snapped this shot. This is the house that has sat at the intersection of 4th and Slide. I know it has an official name but no sleep last night so I am too tired to look it up(maybe Shallowbottom can help me with this). I've always known it as where the Rip Griffin offices were. However, thanks to growth and progress the house was sold to the highest bidder and had to be moved so that Slide Rd could be expanded to Loop 289. Looks like they were pretty close to moving it.

Day 84(34) Plug It Up

2009-03-27T12:53:00.002-05:00

March 23rd: Sorry this pic is so blurry. What is it u ask. Ear wax which Zach used in his baseball game that night. Went to the doctor and had a sinus and ear infection. I think the wax help some but with the wind blowing 80mph Monday night don't know if anything would have helped.

Day 83(33) Water Gun Fights!

2009-03-24T14:42:00.004-05:00

March 22nd: A lazy, warm Sunday afternoon. Zach was headed to his buddy's house to play XBox Live when Hayden asked him to hang around the house for a while and play water gun fights. Even though Zach really didn't want to he gave in and did. I even think he had some fun. Thanks Zach for being a good big brother. Even though you fight with each other all the time, it will be these times you remember the most. Zach getting his aim on.

Hayden circling around trying to stay away from Zach.

Hayden takes this battling very serious!

Day 82(32) Yummy!

2009-03-21T20:56:00.003-05:00

March 21st: How good does this look? Shawn's homemade chicken fried rice. The bad thing? I was a loser today when I went to Wal-Mart and forgot to get some egg rolls. Oh well, I guess we will just have to suffer with just the rice. Darn the luck!

Day 81(31) Hayden Is A Believer

2009-03-21T16:48:00.003-05:00

March 20th: My sweet Hayden. He is all about holidays. I don't think I have ever been around a kid that enjoys them all so much. He actually gets it. He understands everything about them that so many of us miss. He gets the being around family, the eating, the getting of gifts and the hunting the eggs but the thing that impresses me so much about him, is that he gets the Jesus part of it all and at such a young age. This kid is a true believer in every part of his being and he doesn't care what others think. If some one at school says something about his sweet Jesus, he lets them know about it. I don't know what this kid will choose as a profession one of these days, but all I know is that he will be spreading the Word to whoever will listen.

Day 80(30) Lazy Day

2009-03-21T16:33:00.003-05:00

March 19th: This is Zach having a lazy morning. I honestly can't say he has been doing much of this. He has actually been working this spring break. He babysat the next door neighbor last Saturday night making some good money and then the rest of the week he has been helping his buddy down the street, also named Zach, scrape paint as prep work for an exterior painting. I don't know how much he is raking in with that one. I have been proud of him going out and earning some of his own money. He is beginning to understand the value of the not so mighty dollar.

Day 79(29) The Big Juicy Ones

2009-03-19T18:14:00.004-05:00

March 18th: Ok, because I am a nurse I feel I can say this, we are a unique breed and one of our favorite things are the big, juicy ones. Get your mind out of the gutter. We just really like those big, juicy veins to start IV's in. However, me myself enjoy the challenging IV start that others seem to shy away from. Nothing makes a nurse feel more confident in themselves then to start a challenging IV.

Day 78(28) The Name Game

2009-03-19T18:05:00.003-05:00

March 17th: This is the lovely dry erase board at my work. To the left in the area you can't see are the names of our patients as well as their physicians. The area you see here are the names of me and my wonderful co-workers. Our names can appear anywhere from 3 to 6 times on this board depending on how many patients we have on our floor and how well we are staffed. We usually prefer the slow nights where our name only appears about 3 times but that has been wishful thinking lately!

Day 77(27) The Deuces

2009-03-17T08:55:00.002-05:00

March 16th: On days I work sometimes I don't feel very creative and I don't really look for a photo to take and before I know it the day is gone. This is one of those days. As I was headed off to work I asked the hubby if he would take some pictures for me and I would pick one out. He wasn't up for that idea and suggested that I take the camera to work. Well, I wasn't up for that idea so I turn to my youngest and ask him to shoot some film for me. He is usually shooting pics anyway so why not. Well, believe it or not, he is usually very creative, but I guess last night was not one of those nights. This is the best one I could find with him flashing us some deuces. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers! Hayden being to cool for us.

Day 76(26) Getting Ready For The Opener

2009-03-15T16:54:00.003-05:00

March 15th: Shawn and Zach finishing some extra baseball work before he has his opening game on the 23rd. Not having enough practices with the team so a little work needed on the side.

I'm sure that Zach was glad we were done. He understands that sometimes it takes some extra work even though he doesn't always like to do it at the time, he likes the results he gets in the game.

Day 75(25) Shawn's BAP's

2009-03-15T16:45:00.003-05:00

March 14th: One of the many reasons I love this man, he LOVES to cook and as for me I only do it out of necessity. Shawn told me, "You know what I'm cooking?---BAPS". I know I had a confused look on my face when he said this. He then asked, "Do you know what BAPS are? Big A** Patties! LOL". Only Shawn.

And of course, he can't resist "hamming" it up for us. He can be so entertaining! I'm just glad he likes to cook!

Bill and Roger

2009-03-14T13:42:00.002-05:00

The past few weeks Shawn and I have caught this program on the God Learning Channel. It is Bill and Roger ministries. These two guys are fellow South Plains/Panhandle guys. They are farmers/ranchers from the Vega area and are Worship leaders at the Barn Church in Hereford, TX.

I have found these guys very interesting and easy to listen to. I think why we like them so much is that they remind us of men we grew up around in our small, west Texas towns of our youth. I believe these guys have something going on and are headed in the right direction. If you have time check them out at www.billandroger.com . It will be worth your time.

My 365 picture is yet to come, cause I haven't even taken it yet. Uh-oh!!!

Day 74(24) Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

2009-03-13T11:23:00.002-05:00

March 13th: I have to say I am enjoying this rain. Although it is a little cold, I will take this rain all day and then some. I love the sound of rain against the roof-top. It is a little mesmerizing and I feel like I could watch some TV and then take an afternoon snooze before I pick up those crazy boys.

Day 73(23) 15 and Counting

2009-03-13T08:47:00.002-05:00

March 12th: 15 years later we are still here. I had planned on getting a picture of Shawn and I together all day but it just never happened so I will make you guys suffer at looking at an old pic. Yes, we look very young and yes, I was once skinny. Maybe on of these days again( I know never this skinny again). We had a nice day but we plan on going out Saturday to Harrigans by ourselves. We will see if we get the chance!

Day 72(22) Man in the Moon

2009-03-11T11:17:00.004-05:00

Time change, what can I say about it. I wish it would get left one way or the other but doesn't look like that would ever happen. Although I am not real excited about losing this hour of sleep(I will eventually adjust), I did see this beautiful site this morning as I took the boys to school, so I guess it is not all bad.

Day 71(21) Hayden and Homework

2009-03-11T11:05:00.004-05:00

My Hayden is such a trooper. Not really being our avid sportsman and not having practice of his own, he gets drug to most of Zach's practices and games. This is nothing new for him since he has pretty much been doing this since day 1. So, this is a common scene of him, in our backseat doing homework while we watch Zach do his thing. I hope Zach appreciates how accommodating his brother has been for him one of these days. In the future I hope Hayden finds something he really loves doing and Zach has to slow down and wait on Hayden some. I think it would really be good for both of them.

Day 68, 69 and 70

2009-03-11T11:01:00.003-05:00

Ok guys, I know you have been waiting on some pictures from me but I have been having some issues. Saturdays, Sunday's and Monday'spictures are on a video camera that also takes stills. Unfortunately, I cannot get them to download so I will continue to work on them. Be patient.

Day 67(17) Growing Up

2009-03-06T15:53:00.003-06:00

March 6th: This picture was taken today as my eldest child was walking away to go do his job. He and a lot of other middle school boys got various jobs at the Tiger Relays today and tomorrow. Zach and his running buddy, Ryan (the #3 in the foreground) have the exciting job of setting starting blocks for all of the hurdle races. I was there to drop off some cash, bring his cap and get some sunscreen on that boy. He leaned in the car window for me to put the sunscreen on and kept saying "hurry up mom." I guess I should have given him a big smack on the lips and he really would have died.

I know this is all part of growing up for him. In some ways it makes me sad but in other ways it brings me joy to see this kid that used to be so unsure of himself socially, growing into a confident young man and socializing very easily with his peers.

Day 66(16) Sweet Tears

2009-03-06T08:58:00.003-06:00

March 5: I am forgoing a picture of mine today in order to post this video. This is former President George HW Bush in a press conference after his wife, Barbara's open heart surgery. You hear the love in his voice for her. If only we can all be so lucky. This is truly one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. These are two of my favorite people. They have a true love for one another as well as a true love of Jesus.

Day 63(15) Give Me Your Eyes

2009-03-05T14:52:00.004-06:00

March 4th: My view of traffic as I sit at the intersection of 4th Street and the West Loop. Even though Lubbock's traffic congestion is really not an issue, I will admit there are times that other drivers can push my buttons. I try not to get frustrated and I tell myself, "Get a grip Denise, Jesus would remain calm in this situation." That helps thinking that to myself and listening to Air 1 radio helps too. The song that was playing when I took this picture was Brandon Heaths' "Give Me Your Eyes". This is one of my favorite songs. It talks about seeing the world and the people in it through Jesus' eyes.

Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes

Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere

Why have I never cared

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, He's buying time

Chorus

I’ve been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong I need a second glance
Give me a second chance
To see the way you’ve seen the people all along

Chorus

Day 62(14) The Battle of the Tree

2009-03-03T16:04:00.002-06:00

March 3rd: Shawn and I got a call from Hayden yesterday about 240. He says we need to come get him because he had had a battle with the biggest tree on the playground. LOL! What really happened is that he was walking with a group of friends and doing his usually chit chatting and had turned his head back to carry on the conversation as he continued walking right into a tree. How he managed to find one of only about 3 trees on the campus is beyond me. Leave it to our Hayden!

Day 61(13) Hiddy Ho, Good Neighbor

2009-03-02T12:04:00.002-06:00

March 2nd: Shawn has today off for one of the 50(not really) State of Texas holidays he gets off. Honestly, this is one of his favorite days to have off, Texas Independence Day. He loves America, but I don't think it would bother him if Texas was its own country. So to celebrate he is getting to do fence repair! Just one of the many things he does to keep our house in good shape. Thanks Shawn for all you do for our family!

Somehow I don't think Wilson ever looked like this looking over Tim's fence on Home Improvement. Scary!

Day 60(12) They Finally Did It

2009-03-01T14:50:00.003-06:00

March 1st: What is this you ask? Well around 3AM this morning I heard a lot of screeching, a thud and then the squealing of tires. I looked out my front window to see if I saw anything and waited to hear sirens of emergency vehicles but they never came. Don't think I am weird for not walking outside to see what was going on, you see unfortunately this is a common occurrence by our house. Our poor neighbor, Felix lives on the corner house where the road has a big curve to it. I can not tell you the number of times he has had cars run through his yard. He had his mailbox ran over so many times that he finally moved it to the other side of his house by us. The front orange cones sit where we had a fire hydrant. As many times as people have run through his yard they have managed to miss the fire hydrant. That was until the wee hours of this morning. The far orange cones is where the hydrant finally rested. I'm not sure how they managed to miss the white mustang in the driveway next door.

The final resting place for the poor fire hydrant. I guess the combination of not paying attention, a curve in the road and I'm sure some added cocktails contributed to the demise of our red and green friend. I bet the car or truck that hit it looks a lot worse. I'm sure my red friend here faired much better in the end.

Project 365 Catch Up (its been a long week)

2009-02-28T18:48:00.004-06:00

Feb. 25th:This is our crazy little dog Raisin. Don't ask me what she is because we really don't know but we do know that she is a great dog that loves all of us. She loves us so much this is her usual position because she always wants her tummy rubbed!

Feb 26th: This is a new Frenship Tiger sticker Zach got for us to take place of our old Shallowater sticker. Hayden made sure we got it on the car. I am so glad that their transition to Frenship has gone so well.

Feb 27th: This little one is Pyxie. Trust me, I used to think that people that owned pets like rats were weird so I guess we fall in that category of weird now. She is one of the coolest pets ever. We got her for Hayden about 8 months ago. We love her.

Feb 28th: Hayden is such a good keeper of his rat. He did one of his chores today, cleaning out Pyxie's cage. Hayden is such an animal lover. His future plans he tells us, is to be a veterinarian.

My picture taking suffered a little this week with a busy work schedule and the sickness of my friends daughter. I am happy to report that she is out of PICU and doing a lot better. Thanks for all your prayers. One thing this week has reminded me of is just how important all the boys in my house are to me. In turn I have thought of how much the Lord must love each one of us and the faithfulness I have in him.

"Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord." Psalm 117:1-2

Thanks for the Prayers

2009-02-27T05:15:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update on my little friend, Annalyssia. Many of my co-workers and I spent the day @ the hospital with her and her family. As it turns out she did have a pleural effusion(puss behind her lung) that had to be cleaned out by a surgical procedure (VATS procedure), rinsed out well and chest tube put in place. She was placed in the PICU for precautionary reasons but is doing much better. Her respiratory status is much better. She will be staying in the hospital for 5 days up to 2 weeks. Continue your prayers as she is still struggling with high fever and that the antibiotics work quickly to clear up her infection. Thanks!

Need The Prayers Going!

2009-02-25T19:48:00.003-06:00

A very dear friend and co-worker of mine, Lisa, is a single mom that is doing an awesome job raising her 2 kiddos. Her little one, Annalyssia, came down with the case of the flu last Thursday. She had a really long weekend with her because she felt so bad. I get a call from Lisa last night that her little one was running a 104.6 temp. She was able to get it down around 102 and got her back in to see the doctor this morning. She got the news that she didn't want to hear, pneumonia that would require a hospital stay for a few days. However, tonight she gets the news that it is possible that she has a pleural effusion (puss around her lungs) that would require a "vats procedure" which would include an ICU stay and a chest tube! She will have a chest X-Ray in the morning so please pray that it is not the pleural effusion, just regular pneumonia. This is a scary time for this 6 yr-old and her family!

Day 55 ( My day 8)

2009-02-25T09:28:00.002-06:00

Feb 24th:Zach 1st day of baseball practice. He was a little tired because the coaches at school ran them hard, then he had tutoring until 430 and then we had to be at practice by 530. He was a little tired and exhibiting his pre-teen attitude. Hopefully today will be better.

Caught Hayden doing his favorite thing after school to do, play games on the computer. He really likes www.eskimogames.com to find fun games to play. Did you notice the nice haircut?

Day 54 (my day 7) She Is Going To Kill Me For This

2009-02-24T08:29:00.010-06:00

Feb 23rd: On my way to work, I realized I hadn't taken a picture today so I took my camera with me. This is one of my co-workers that I caught off guard and she is going to kill me for this!

Day 53 (my day 6) Welcome to Mom's Barber Shop

2009-02-22T19:06:00.002-06:00

Feb 22nd: Today was a big day for Hayden. After church, one of Hayden's teachers in the children's dept., Steve, approached us to let us know that he had gone over the ABC's of becoming a Christian. Hayden answered all the questions correct and prayed the prayer to become one of God's own. We could not be happier. I had a feeling it was coming because he sure had been asking a lot of questions. So to celebrate I gave him a "I am saved haircut." We are working through a book to make sure he knows whats what and then we will be planning a baptism. We will let you know when. Peace to you all.

Day 52 (my day 5)

2009-02-21T18:35:00.002-06:00

Feb21st: Well, for pretty much the whole day we waited around for this, Zach's baseball try-outs. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is that time again. Zach moves up to the 14U group this year with the big boys. He is so ready. Not wrestling this year has left him with some free time. I think he really enjoyed the break, but I think he is starting to get a little restless and ready to do something. It was pretty cold by the time we got done but it was one of the warmer try-outs I have been to. Unfortunately for you guys, you will get to see a lot of baseball pictures so settle in for the ride. See ya tomorrow.

Day 51(my day 4) Oh, Baby

2009-02-20T14:02:00.003-06:00

Feb 20th: Yes that is probably what it looks like. I attended my works "Skills Fair" today after working all night. So if this post is a little bizarre it is probably from the lack of sleep. This is my co-worker Kim demonstrating how to care for an infant after a precipitous delivery (baby coming out really fast with just u and no "Doc" to be helping you out). Yes, this is part of my life, women's services. Been in some form of women's or children's services since I graduated nursing school. I love it!

Day 50(my day 3)

2009-02-19T13:30:00.003-06:00

Feb 19th: This is a wedding present I got today for my nephew Cole and his wonderful bride-to-be, Lynn. They are getting married this Saturday in Midland. Due to some unfortunate scheduling issues we are not going to be able to go. Trust me, this is one wedding I didn't want to miss. This couple is something else. They are two of the most genuine and happy folks I know. I know these two will have a blessed union because they place Him before anything else. I love these guys and wish them a long and happy marriage.(I had to add a picture of them that I stole from my sister, Carol's blog so you could get a look at this great couple.)

"A good marriage is the union of two forgivers." -Ruth Graham

That is Lynn and Cole, two forgivers in the image of Christ

Day 49(my day 2)

2009-02-18T19:02:00.003-06:00

Feb 18th: I took this picture while we were sitting at a red light as I was taking the boys to The Heights for their respective youth groups. This is Zach's life line although he does a lot of texting most is to just a few people one of those being me. Since I do work nights I like for him having this because we can communicate much more easily than if I had to stop and talk on the phone.

Day 48(or day 1 for me)

2009-02-18T08:40:00.004-06:00

Feb 17th: My friend Darla has been doing this project 365 thing (taking a picture and discussing it each day of the year). It looks like fun so I have decided to give it a try. Yesterday was my first day so here is my picture. This is Hayden as I am picking him up from school. He was smiling. What you can't tell is that the wind is blowing 100mph but at least the dirt wasn't blowing too.

Mold Becoming A Pest

2009-02-17T13:57:00.005-06:00

In today's Lubbock AJ an article appeared about some of the 5th and 6th grade classrooms having to be closed due to a discovery of mold at the Shallowater Middle School. It is not know if it is the toxic form or not but it was stated that individuals can have an allergy to it. What I am wondering about is if this is the reason Zach had so many issues with his asthma while he attended school there earlier this school year? Since moving schools he has not had one episode with his asthma. I guess we should always be aware of or surroundings especially mold in all of our homes and places of business, It appears to be a continuing problem for everyone.

Before And After

2009-02-15T15:54:00.005-06:00

BEFORE

(very Mountain Man)

AFTER
(The handsome man I married)

For some reason my crazy husband, Shawn, got a wild hair(LOL) and decided to trim up today. Trust me, not that I am complaining. My kids and I so prefer him this way. He is so handsome when I can half-way see his face. Hope he stays this way. He even made the comment, "If something happens and I die this week you can now have and open casket so you won't be embarrassed." He is so dramatic! Whatever.

The Face Of The Flu

2009-02-15T14:32:00.003-06:00

My poor Zach has been ill all week. This past Monday morning he asked if he could stay home from school because he wasn't feeling well. The answer was of course was no. That afternoon when I picked him up he was dragging. When I asked him if he wanted to go get something to eat I expected the usual answer of YES!. However, the answer I got was, "Can I just get a smoothie. I don't feel well." After we got home he finished his smoothie, looked me and said, " I'm not doing my homework because I am not going to school in the morning." He walked in his room and went to bed. He stayed asleep for the rest of the night.

The next morning we went to see our trusty pediatrician, Dr. Klepper. He did the wonderful nasal swab and back he came with the news, Influenza A. Ordered some major cough medicine for him and said no school for a couple of days. It turns out he did not return to school for the rest of the week. High fever, stomach things I would rather not mention, really bad cough and all the aches to go along with it made the week miserable.

Yesterday it seemed that he was getting a little better so today we decided to take him to the batting cages to knock some rust off since he has baseball tryouts on Saturday. I think it may have been too soon. 3 buckets of balls and you can tell by the picture the end result. He was totally spent. Good thing the boys are out of school tomorrow for Presidents Day. Maybe he can get it together before then!

I Found The Picture

2009-02-14T17:51:00.003-06:00

I found the picture I was looking for of Shawn and Rudy ( from my previous post "Anger turned into men of God). That is Shawn on the left and Rudy next to him along with teammates Joey and Louis. They had just won the 6-man regional track meet.

Good Mood Morning

2009-02-06T09:16:00.004-06:00

Zach thinking he is coolTrying to show some skills

Hayden in a great mood

This morning when I drove up to my house after my last of 3 nights of work, I see a sight that made me smile. My boys had the garage door open out playing ready to go to school. Most mornings I am still trying to get them to hurry up and finish getting dressed so I can get them to school on time. I guess it was TGIF for them too!

I love these boys and even though they can drive me crazy at times they truly make me happy everyday. They are both becoming young men of character and even though they have such extreme different interest and personalities they have one thing in common, their relationship with Christ. God is good! Peace to you all.

Anger turned Into Men of God

2009-01-30T09:00:00.003-06:00

I had promised you guys about a neat experience that happened over the Christmas Holidays. I had put off posting this because I have been trying to find an old picture to post with it but I have not had any luck so I decided the story needs to be told even without the picture.

Alot of you know my husband Shawn. The big one with the big, red, scary beard. Sometimes I think his outward appearance scares people away from him. Shawn is not big on crowds or meeting new people so I think he likes that. This is not a new thing with him. Even in his high school days it was the same story. He had a classmate that was alot like him in the fact they were angry young men. His name was Rudy.

Shawn and Rudy played all the sports that Loraine High School had to offer at the time: football, basketball and track. The were very competitive with each other on and off the field. I'm not sure that they were that great of friends in high school because they were both too busy being angry youth.

These boys graduated nearly 20yrs ago and had not had much contact with each other since then until last year. Somehow, Shawn got Rudy's phone number, can't remember how. They began talking ever so often. They realized that both had gotten active in their churches and that they were both working on their anger.

Over the Christmas holidays they both discovered that they would be in the Colorado City area at the same time. They knew they wanted set-up some time to visit with one another. They met up at the Dairy Queen in C-City. They discussed many different things from kids, jobs, past transgressions against one another, the reasons for their anger and how they work on it daily but most importantly they discussed their faith and the relationship they had formed with Christ.

Who would have ever thought that these two angry, hometown sports heroes who could only show their anger and how "manly" they were in their youth, had become true men of God. Every time God does something it amazes me. I know I shouldn't be amazed because of how awesome He is but the work He has done in these two just blows me away.

Photo Tag

2009-01-23T09:38:00.002-06:00

Ok, I know I promised some really good post but I haven't made it back. The sickness bug has been running crazy at our house. So in taking the easy way out at the moment, I decided to take a go at the photo tag game. So this is the 4th photo from my 4th folder. It is funny that this is the picture because I was going to blog about this situation but it never happened.

This is my neighbor, Felix's driveway. Yes that is Lubbock's wonderful fire dept. Felix is a mason here in town and has several hands that park their vehicles in his driveway to go to work with him. This poor fella's truck caught on fire when he started it trying to go to lunch. I took the pictures because Hayden was at school and I knew he would be disappointed that he missed all the excitment. The fire dept did a great job!

Christmas Holidays Finally Over

2009-01-06T09:30:00.003-06:00

Hayden getting ready to play of game of Murder @ Nanny Sue's
Zach had enough Christmas fun!

My niece Hannah with my nephew Adam's new puppy. I think they named her London?

Contrary to popular opinion, Zach and Hayden really do love each other!

This was this morning. Hayden's first day at Frenship NorthRidge Elementary. I hope it all goes well.

Well, I know I have been away for awhile but the Christmas Holidays have kept us really busy. We had a really nice Christmas break but the boys were really ready to head back to school today. There were some really neat encounters we had during our time off. I will get busy and post some of those experiences in the next couple of days. Missed all of you. Good to get back in our routine.

PS--Congratulations to the comeback kid, Colt McCoy and the Texas Longhorns on their thrilling victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in last nights Fiesta Bowl. It was nice to watch the comeback since our home team could not get it done. Not a very good Cotton Bowl.