1st day of school

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4th Grade

Kindergarten

Success! I think that sums it up. I was really worried about Megan getting out of bed, but she was a champ. For 4 years, the house has been quiet as Alyssa slips out of her room and reads with me in bed before getting dressed. We have tip-toed around in TN and especially in this small house now, trying not to wake anyone else. Well, this year all of that changed. The lights were on, getting ice from the fridge iwas not a big deal, the house was awake and ready to go!


We left everyone with smiles and ready to start the day. Not sure what I will do with my little buddy for the next 2 years, but we started with traditional welcome home cookies to share over the thoughts from the first day.


 

 

 

Good-bye Summer 2012

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Well, here they are at the end of the summer. What you see here is a very typical photo of my girls, except for Megan is not wearing a dress. And that is only because we were going on a walk around the block and I actually convinced her to wear shorts and tennis shoes. The week before school started I began waking them at the same time we will get up for school. We practiced getting dressed, making beds and then took a walk each day. The morning would start with a happy Audrey, a cooperative Alyssa and consistently a grumpy Megan — she takes after her dad. But this is how they looked at the end of each walk. I hope my hard work pays off tomorrow when I have to wake that grumpy bear up at 6:15 am.

Which brings us to tonight. The night before Kindergarten and 4th grade. I tried to make this last week “fun”. But Alyssa insisted that it was the last day of summer and was hinting at some sort of “treat”. So we took them out to eat for a last day of summer dinner, complete with endless chips and their own dessert.


Cheering to their dinner

Demolishing their dessert in 1 minute…serious.

Now they are all tucked in bed, hopefully asleep, and ready for a new year. Megan shared her “magic” confetti from her teacher, and they all have a bit under their pillows to sleep well tonight. Tomorrow is a big day… 2 down and 1 to go. Lord, watch over my girls tomorrow. Let them be lights in this dark world and put their trust in you as they grow. Amen.

Alyssa’s 9th

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We will skip right over the fact that I have a 9 year old and focus on the birthday party. I was very thankful that Alyssa had a few friends that she wanted to include in her celebration. She wanted a simple and easy swim party. She actually wanted me to make her cake too, which I loved. I tell Ethan that if I die young, make sure they know and see pictures of all the cakes that I made for them. I spend hours the night before each party perfecting their own special cake. She picked out the colors and a big #9 on it this year.




What can I say about Alyssa Mae at 9. She got into a cowgirl kick and wanted a hat for her birthday. Nana and Papa took her to pick one out and she came back with a matching belt. I thought it was very cute, but where exactly do you wear such things? And I guess she needed a shirt b/c the F4J tshirt really doesn’t say cowgirl to me. She did well in 3rd grade. She made all As and Bs, made a few good friends, participated in Girls on the Run and the talent show, and continued with piano lessons. It is good to see her step out a bit more each year. She has become a bit more “mothering” to Audrey and Megan and plays well on their levels. She is helpful, when she wants to be, and dramatic and emotional. But at the end of the day, her hugs are genuine and sweet. She always wakes up with a smile and a ready attitude. She is a good influence on her friends and I pray already making an impact on His kingdom. More photos.

Noah’s Story

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Noah’s 7th Birthday was today. There was no need to prepare the girls, because Alyssa has always taken care of that. She knows the day is coming and I hear her telling Audrey, “Noah is your brother. He is 7 today.” And they feed off of her excitement and really had fun decorating the house and celebrating this day.

For me, the day comes with sweet memories. God has done an amazing job of removing the pain from this situation and replacing it with joy and hope. I can truly say that. I know for many people, so close to us, this day is hard. They remember the sound of me yelling Noah’s name instead of his first cry. They remember watching the team of nurses rush in instead of them rushing in to see him. And there are others who met us after Noah and simply sympathize with us on this day. Friends who love us so much, that they love Noah as well. Oh, I am so blessed.

The day began as usual getting everyone dressed and off to school. As I am rushing the little girls out the door, I stepped back to the kitchen for something and noticed the time on the oven. 9:01. The time of his birth. The air quickly left my lungs as I was suddenly, unexpectedly overcome with tears. A few moments pass and of course I was out the door. It was a moment in time that I am deeply connected to. We ended our day with balloons and cupcakes, singing to heaven as though he was on the edge of a cloud listening. The awesome part of this is this story is real. It is not like Santa, where one day they will realize none of that can happen. There is no fabrication of the truth here. Noah is in heaven with our Savior. He is safe, happy and looking down on us. He knows when we love and celebrate him. And honestly, I believe he gets our balloons in one way or another.

I am going to walk through his story again each day.


Texas Awesomeness

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I have seen bluebonnets for years. In the spring, they would cover the sides of main highways to and from cities we would travel. But this year, they are everywhere. And not out in the country, but right here in the neighborhood. For weeks, we have enjoyed the sight of fields of blue and orange.  We attempted to get some photos tonight. I really felt confident. I didn’t bring rewards, I just knew they were old enough to do this. HA! They tried… But you know what, we got what life is right now and this is enough. Enjoy some Texas awesomeness. More




2 Year Survivor

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On this day, March 5th, 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Alyssa asked this morning, “But you had the cancer before that day.” And, yes, I guess I did, but this is the day that marks my knowledge of the disease. And this is the day where our fight began. I am beyond thrilled to say that I am a 2 year survivor today.

Throughout the last year, I have come to realize how blessed I was to be able to fight this disease. How blessed I am to be healthy. As I walked through the shock and my treatments in 2010, I was not really aware at the seriousness of my disease. I was told that I would have a very high survival rate with treatment, so of course I did the treatments recommended. 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation. I finished, there was no cancer detected in my body, I moved on. It wasn’t until I began to visit doctors here in Austin that I looked head on into the fact that my fight is not over. Two oncologists that I met, suggested yearly CT scans and after reviewing my stats, removal of my ovaries. I was shocked. I thought I was good? They would both explain to me that my young age, the size/type of tumor and that lymph nodes were positive made me high risk. My current oncologist said if I were his wife he would do everything he could to keep the cancer from coming back – hysterectomy, 6mo – 12 mo CT scans, etc. I left the office with just “whoah!” How did I make it this far being so naive about my disease?

Was it naive or faith? Maybe I was just dealing with all I could then and now I can begin to make the best decisions to move forward. I remember a statistic that my TN oncologist gave me based on my exact cancer. He said that in 10 years, I have a 50% chance of being cancer free. For some reason that speaks louder to me today than it did 2 years ago. I am more prepared today to face this head on. I will continue with yearly CT scans. I had my first in February and after too many days of waiting they finally found my results and confirmed everything was clear. I will also be removing my ovaries. Well, not me. My cancer was estrogen/progestrone receptor positive. Which simply means that it fed on those hormones. The fact that my body is still making them is a risk that we don’t want to take. And, I will be able to take a more effective drug if I am post-menopause. But with that comes risks. Removing those hormones from my body at my age puts me at risk for bone loss and heart disease. Did you know that estrogen protects your heart in women under 45? I think Ethan’s words were something like, “Let’s just get you to 10 years. Then we can worry about your heart.” I love that man. And pray with every bone in my body that we grow old together.

The short of this is, “Hallelujah Praise God, he has healed me.” But with trusting and giving him praise there is a part in it for us. Decisions that we can make to keep this cancer away. And in the last few months, we have made those decisions and will move forward fighting and still trusting. Seriously, what else is there without trust in God?

Valentine’s Dance

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Ethan had the chance to take all three girls to the Valentine’s Dance at our church. I thought he may just want to do the older girls, but he was all in. And of course, with all three going, I just had to go shopping. I took Megan and Audrey one day and Megan went straight to her choice. She tried it on and twirled in the dressing room like a bride. No doubt, it had to be bought. Audrey’s was really my choice, but she is still compliant enough to like it. I took Alyssa one night and got a good glimpse into our future. She didn’t like what I picked and I certainly didn’t like what she picked. How long can we hold off the teenage years? We finally headed to the dressing room with about 5 dresses. One was itchy, one twirled good, one didn’t twirl, wrong color – you get the idea. She was actually trying hard to pick the one she knew I liked, but in the end I let her choose.

Dressed, tights, hair x 3 and they were off. The girls had a blast and danced the whole 2 hours, Ethan said. Megan walked into the room and headed straight to the front to dance by the big speakers, while Alyssa hung by Daddy and shared a few dances together. One of many special nights to come with the privilege of three girls.


Asheville, NC

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I was never one to have lots of friends. I have had a handful of close friends my entire life and that is totally fine with me. The problem with not making groups of friends though, like in college, was that I never had girls to go on trips with. I have heard many who take regular “girl’s trips”, get together with old friends, meet up somewhere fun and catch up. Well, one of the blessings of moving away from Tennessee was that I did leave a group of friends behind. And that allows me the chance at a “girl’s trip”. So at 36, I had my first one.

God blessed my time in TN with different groups. I had individual people who meant a lot to me, I had my small group from church, and I had amazing neighbors. This trip was arranged by the girls that lived all around me. Five of us took 2 days out of life to have a road trip to Asheville, NC. We ate at only local diners, visited a waterfall near the Smoky Mountains, shopped and just relaxed together. Being real, catching up on life.

I returned home to Texas with many bonuses. I was refreshed. Both by being surrounded by friends and having some time away from the daily life with kids. I came back with a new look on parenting, mostly from watching my friend in her daily activities with her kids. And I came home, glad to be in Texas. I absolutely loved living in TN, and for many months I was sad I had to leave so much behind. But as life takes shape in Round Rock, Texas, I can see God can bring good things wherever I go. The trip back to TN opened my eyes that it is not my home anymore, even though it is where my house. I could appreciate my time there, but I knew it was time to head back to Texas. I was glad when that plane touched down on the dry, flat land.

I am looking forward to years of girl’s trips and will call myself blessed to have friends in so many places.




Elementary “Talent” Show

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I was so proud to see my once shy, stage-fright daughter, walk across that big school stage, sit down and play without a mistake. She was slightly hesitant when I suggested she sign up for the talent show. We simply filled out the form together and she put it in her backpack. I told her if and when she was ready, she could turn it in. Next day…she turns it in. She did great in the audition, the dress-rehearsal and the night of the show. Now that she has conquered the stage, I can’t wait to see what is next for her. VIDEO


Nana and Papa were able to come watch.

the Whooping Cranes

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I don’t think it is a secret that my husband loves birds. Birds in the backyard (of which we currently have zero), birds migrating in the sky, birds sitting on power lines as we drive by at 70mph, and especially rare birds within driving distance of our home. This is our whooping crane adventure.

The whooping crane, the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. It is one of only two crane species found in North America. There is an estimate of only 400+ left in the wild and we saw 3 of them. They established a winter home at Granger Lake in December, outside of Austin, and Ethan heard the news. We all headed out searching for the cranes. It wasn’t hard to spot them based on the collection of old people and scopes. We followed the crowd and got a peek at a pretty cool piece of nature. And as a bonus, we spotted a bald eagle sitting in a tall tree. Pretty amazing even for us who aren’t totally consumed with birds.



Don’t let these photos fool you. The girls took one or two looks and then played in the dirt for 30 minutes.


This is a photo through a telescope. We could see it a bit more clear with the scope, but it sure made me wish Ethan had one of those really expensive scopes to see them crystal clear. To my surprise though, many an old lady asked to see the cranes through his scope and were impressed with the view. He must know what he is doing.