Kerry, Amanda & Bree Kindle

Kindle: Party of 4

2012-02-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Christmas. It was so much fun seeing all our family and friends. Aubree really got excited about seeing Santa Claus and putting in her request for a "real" pink, four wheeler. It was so much fun sharing in her delight as she discovered that her wish had been fulfilled. She is already a pro at driving it too. We had so many wonderful Chirstmas parties but as we were wrapping them up and at the next to last party on Dec.28th at the Burnett family party I was very uncomfortable and by 9pm my contractions were regular and 5 minutes apart. As they got worse and closer together we got our things together and headed to the hospital. On our way as Kerry calmly drove, I was comforted by his kind words and loving touch as the pain got almost unbearable. When we got into my room my contractions were 2mins apart and I was dilated to a 5. At 6:02 am we welcomed our precious baby boy Aydan Spencer Kindle. He was 5lbs 15oz 18 inches long and absolutely PERFECT! Once we got home we were showered with many generous gifts from our church family at MSBC. Everyone was so kind and we had food delivered to our house by so many dear friends. That really helped me as I was adjusting to all the sleepless nights. We have the most beautiful family ever and I am so blessed. Aubree is a great big sister and is such a big helper. I am loving my time off at home with them both and feel like the luckiest woman alive to be living this wonderful life with my best friend and soul mate. I am enjoying all the daily blessings God has and continues to shower us with and could not ask for anything more. I would like to close by leaving u with my favorite quote at the moment: Live the life u love and love the life u live. =)

2011-12-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Cruising right along and loving every minute of this wonderful life! We had a great thanksgiving! We are so blessed to live in the same area with my family and most of Kerry's family. We ate Thanksgiving lunch with my family at my Pa and Mema's house. It was a particularly sweet day spent with my family enjoying all the foods my Mema has prepared for us for as long as I can remember. I enjoyed my time with them watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as we always do and then searching through the sale ads and mapping out our shopping route for Black Friday. It was a perfect day except we all still feel a HUGE void anytime we are together and my sister isn't present. Malena was and will always be a very big part of my family. We all miss her terribly and Thanksgiving was particularly difficult as it fell on what would have been her 34th birthday. I know there was a huge celebration in heaven but selfishly we all wish she were here celebrating with us on earth. My family is not the same without her and I know we all wonder how much more precious things would be if she were here. However, we do cherish our time together and are so grateful for all our other blessings. Thanksgiving evening we watched the first half of the Cowboy game with my grandfather and then went to Kerry's parents house to watch the rest of the game and have supper with his family. It was a wonderful day spent with both of our families. Mom and I carried on our Black Friday tradition and shopped til we almost dropped. It was a wonderful time and we got lots accomplished. We both enjoyed it immensely. The rest of the weekend I spent decorating our home for Christmas. Bree enjoyed all the decorating and wanted to put her special touch on the pink and white tree in her room. All the decorations are sparkling, we have all our shopping done and the presents are all wrapped and under the tree. I just love Christmas!! Being so on top of the game this year is nice, I just hope I haven't forgotten anything. I kicked off the holiday party season last weekend with my first party being in Forney at Jennifer's house. It was our annual "Girls" party with my girlfriends that I grew up with and went to school with. We have been having that party since we were freshmen in high school and every year we continue the tradition with a sleep over and lots of catching up and laughter. It was a great party and as usual great seeing everyone. I am so blessed that God placed these amazing women and friends into my life. They are all life long friends that I treasure more than anyone knows. I am 5 weeks away from my due date and so anxious to meet this precious baby boy. I have had 2 amazing showers in the past few weeks. One given by my dear girl friends and another by my awesome co-workers at the hospital. I have been showered with so many wonderful gifts and feel very prepared to welcome Aydan into this world. These next few weeks will fly by I know and Aydan will be here soon. I am diligently praying for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy. Please feel free to join me in my prayer. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season and remembering what the real reason for the season is all about. XOXOX & love to all!!

2011-11-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

The month of October came and went so quickly. We spent lots of time together as a family enjoying the cooler, fall weather. We enjoyed a weekend RVing trip with a group of my dear family and friends. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed the beautiful outdoors tremendously. We also enjoyed a fun family trip to the State Fair of Texas in the month of October. Aubree took a friend with her and the girls seemed so grown up. They giggled and laughed, skipping along and holding hands the entire day. Their favorite part of the fair was the Midway rides. I must admit I loved seeing them take it all in and enjoy themselves. It was a wonderful day for us all. Aubree had her first singing performance at the church's missions banquet. She and her class did an amazing job singing praises to our Lord. It was Priceless!! I also enjoyed accompanying Aubree's PDO class on their first field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. It was a very interesting place and the kiddos loved it! They decorated pumpkins, had a picnic and rode tons of carnival type rides. We also went as a family to a close friends' son's party at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. We enjoyed a group hay ride and lots of fall fun together as a family. Kerry has enjoyed fishing with his favorite fishing buddy now that the weather has cooled off and has even been talking about teaching Aubree to hunt. I keep hoping to make the time to go with them on these outings but have yet to squeeze it in. They usually go while I am at a bridal/baby shower, shopping or some event they would rather not attend. But I am jealous of all the fun and bonding they are doing and hope to get in on it soon. I am 9 weeks away from my due date, which = 31 weeks along. My belly is growing daily and I am so anxious and excited to meet Mr. Aydan Spencer Kindle. I found his coming home outfit last night and can't wait to see him and hold him in it. The time is flying by and with the rush of the holidays approaching, Aydan will make his debut in no time. Speaking of the holidays, I love this time of year so much. The fun family get togethers, the delicious food, beautiful decorations, laughter and chaos of friends and family, the joy of it all makes me so happy. I LOVE IT ALL!!! And this year I am on top of my game, as I am already almost through shopping. I am so pleased and excited about all the wonderful gifts I have found for my loved ones. Now if I can just keep everything hidden and a secret til Christmas. This is particularly challenging with Kerry but I am getting very good at keeping surprises so maybe, just maybe I will be able to surprise even him. Hope everyone has a fabulous November. XOXO

Where did September go????

2011-09-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

The month of September came and went ever so quickly. But it did bring us lots of wonderful blessings. We enjoyed a fun pool party with lots of our friends for Labor Day. Aubree is no longer afraid to jump right in the water and can swim all over the place. It is such a delight to watch her skills develop. We also enjoyed one last day at Splash Kingdom before they closed for the season. We have made so many great memories this summer. We welcomed the cooler weather and are glad to see the beautiful changes fall is bringing us. Aubree started Kingdom Kids at the church on Wednesday evenings recently. I volunteered to help with the pre-k class and it has been a blessing to us both. I enjoy learning and participating in the worship along with Aubree. This month I also celebrated another birthday in style. It kicked off the Friday night before my birthday with my inlaws taking us out to eat at Salt Grass. Then on Saturday I met 5 of my dear friends for lunch. We had a great time catching up and then we went out with a another group of friends and our lil ones Saturday evening to Shenanigans for some good food, glow in the dark bowling and lots of fun. Sunday after church Mom and Mema and I finally went to see "The Help". It was a great weekend and I felt so loved by everyone. One of my favorite things about fall is football season. Kerry and I love to watch the Texas Longhorns and the Cowboys and well really just about any game that is on. Being back in our home town we also enjoy following the G.S. Indians as well. We recently enjoyed fellowshipping with some old friends at our high school Homecoming football game. It was a great game and we had such a fun time. Bree had her first sleepover with two of her dear friends after the game. The girls watched movies, ate popcorn and were up til the wee hours of the morning giving each other makeovers. I am glad they had so much fun and it brought back so many wonderful memories of my childhood sleepovers. I have been doing great and lil Mr. Aydan is growing and kicking around all over the place. Mom and I went to have a 3D Sonogram done last week by a dear friend from college. I am so amazed at how much he looks like his big sister when she was a baby. I can't wait to meet him and hold him in my arms. We got a new four legged addition to our family last week. A friend was looking for a new home for their year old, yellow lab. I was already well acquainted with him because he joins me a lot of times on my walks. Knowing what a sweet and pretty pup he was I mentioned him to Kerry over lunch and as soon as we finished eatting we went to take a better look at him. Kerry is a lab lover so I wasn't surprised when he immediately fell in love. Aubree had gone to see Dolphin Tale with her Bebe and cousins and when she got back he was already waiting on her at our house. She loved her surprise!! First thing she said to me when she woke up the next Morning was, "Your the best Mom in the world. Thank you for my new dog." It melted my heart. I am so glad she is such a lil "animal whisperer". We enjoyed a fun family trip to the Rangers game on Saturday with Kerry's family. They had already clinched their spot the game before but it was still a great win and lots of fun. We have had so many great blessings in September and I am ever so thanful for all the memories we are making.

Half Way There!!

2011-08-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

I was 20 weeks on Sunday. I have started to show, FINALLY!! I have a small baby bump and am loving it. For the longest time everyone would say they couldn't tell I was pregnant and although sometimes I just feel a little thick, I do have a baby bump now. The baby is around 12 ounces now and about the size of a soda can. I can really feel him moving around and kicking in there. From the looks of the 3d sono I believe he is going to favor his big sister. He has her face shape and checks it appears. Aubree is super excited! She hugs and kisses my belly all the time and is constantly rubbing and talking to the baby. We enjoy reading some of her favorite books to him and I can already tell she is going to be a great big sister. She is so protective of me and the baby. We still are not certain about a name but Kerry suggested Ayden (which means Little Fire) and I actually think its cute and sounds good. I think I like Ayden Spencer Kindle but we will see if that sticks. Lol! It is so difficult sometimes to find the right name that we all love. But I know it will come to us eventually. Aubree and I enjoyed the hot days of summer but she was excited to start back to Parents Day Out at Main Street Baptist Church today. She moved up to the bigger class and has two new teachers this year. She seemed very anxious and happy to go today. I am so thankful that our church offers this program two days a week so our dumpling can be in a Christian environment learning and socializing with her friends. Its a great place for her to be. We don't have any big plans for Labor Day weekend. Kerry has been so busy with work lately, which is awesome for our check book. :) We are so blessed to have such a hard working Daddy and are thankful for all the jobs sent his way. Aubree and I will probably spend some time at the water park this weekend and maybe visit First Monday Trade Days to do a little shopping if we can survive the heat. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!! XOXO

It's A Boy!!!!

2011-08-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to say that although I have thought it for a couple of weeks now, I am confident with sharing the news at this point. We are expecting a baby boy!! I am 16 weeks and have felt great so far. We are all super excited and anxious. Aubree is coming up with all sorts of names for her little brother but we still haven't decided on one yet. We have got plenty of time for that though. But I must say these first four months have flown by. I am so thankful God chose me to be the mother to Aubree and this precious baby I am caring. I am blessed beyond belief. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed when thinking about having a little boy and actually said out loud once, "What am I going to do with a little boy?" Although I find myself thinking this a lot before I even realized I had said it out loud Aubree replied, " We are just going to buy a lot of blue and green." Glad someone has got this figured out. Lol! I know or at least hope it will all come to me naturally but I have gotten so accustomed to raising a girl that I am a little nervous about a boy. Not that I wish it was anything else because I don't. I just don't have the experience of a little boy and am unfamiliar with that territory. I know I will get on board with it all and its good to know Aubree isn't sweating it at all. We have been enjoying this summer to the fullest. Aubree has become an excellent swimmer. She has gotten so brave and will jump off the diving board in the deep end and swim to the side or wherever she wants to go for that matter. I am so proud of her and am glad she enjoys swimming as much as Kerry and I. We had a wonderful camping trip and family reunion at Whispering Pines a few weeks ago. It was so nice to relax and spend time enjoying the beautiful country God created with our extended family. Bree loves RVing. She and Nona went a few days before we did and had so much fun together. I am glad Aubree shares in this passion as well. We have been spending most of our free time at Splash Kingdom Water Park. Its a great way to cool off on these 100+ Texas days. I am so thankful for the hot, long days of summer and all the wonderful memories we are making. XOXOX

2011-07-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful get away to the Ouachita Lake in Arkansas. It was a nice relaxing trip spent mostly out on the water in the Crain's house boat. Aubree especially loved riding the sea doos and tubing behind the ski boat. I love to watch her light up when she is truly enjoying herself. She laughed the entire time when I was tubing with her. We enjoyed going out on the boat to beautiful coves where we would dock for a few hours to explore and have lunch or supper. Aubree loved all the shell rock and finding pieces of quartz which the area is known for on the lil coves and islands. There was a beautiful fire works show that Aubree just couldn't stay awake for but it was spectacular. The lake is probably the most beautiful lake I have ever been on. It is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, lush trees and all the beauty nature has to offer. It was a great trip and one that we all made lots of special memories on and hated to see end. Once we were back home we settled back into these scorching hot Texas days. Days where the only way you can bear to be outside is if your in the pool. I have been spending lots of time teaching and practicing Aubree's swimming and she is becoming quite a pro. She loves the water and is a lil fish. I took her to visit with my girlfriends from high school and their kiddos on Saturday. We enjoyed lunch and a pool party at Katy's house in Corinth. There were seven of us that were able to get together and nine of our kids. Only one of the gang wasn't able to make the gathering. It was great seeing everyone and to see our little ones all playing together. These girls have been my closest friends since elementary school. And although we are scattered a lil now we still make it a priority to stay connected. We have a very unique bond and I'm so blessed to have these ladies in my life. I hope and pray God will surround Aubree with a good group of girls and that he will place the type of friends I have in her life too. I am a little sad this week as my doll has gone RVing with Nona. She loves to camp and I know she is having a blast but I'm missing her already. Kerry and I are going to join them on Thursday and spend the weekend at our family reunion so she won't be away too long but still it is long enough. Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful summer seaon!

2011-06-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Way to go Mavs!! So excited about their long overdue success. It was such a great series and I am thrilled for them all. We have been enjoying our season passes to Splash Kingdom water park. It is a great way to spend these hot Texas days. Aubree has gotten braver this year and will go on almost all of the medium sized slides. It is so much fun to watch her enjoy herself and play. We enjoyed the annual Salt Festival last weekend as much as we could with this heat. Due to t-ball games we missed out on most of the day time activities but we did enjoy the live Texas Country in the evenings. I took Aubree to hear Davis Lane Friday night while Kerry was away at work and then we had a night out with our friends Saturday for some Casey Donahew. It was an awesome concert in the streets of small town Grand Saline. I loved it!! We wrapped up our t-ball season last week. The Lil Indians were such a joy this year and we rewarded their hard work with a swim party and trophy for all the kiddos. I go for my 2nd OB appointment this coming Wednesday. I am very anxious and excited about this baby growing inside me. I am 10 weeks Sunday and the baby is the size of an olive right now. I don't really feel pregnant, except for that I am extremely tired. If it weren't for the access to ultrasound daily I would not be convinced. :) Aubree is definitely ready to be a big sister. She is such a mother hen. I can not wait to see how our family adapts to all the changes of a fourth member and am so excited for the blessing God has given us. Happy Friday!!

2011-06-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Lil Indians did a great job at their first t-ball games. They were all so cute and such hard lil workers. I am very proud of them all and looking forward to this weeks games. I have been feeling great and am in the middle of the 7th week of my pregnancy. It is already going by so fast! We had a great Memorial Day weekend camping at Whispering Pines RV Resort with some great family and friends. We soaked up a lot of rays poolside and spent lots of time joy riding on the razor and mule. The kids enjoyed riding their bikes all over the park and a few board games to get in out of the heat for a bit. Of course we enjoyed lots of good food off the grill, home made ice cream and even enjoyed a crawfish and shrimp boil. That was my favorite meal, with the huge breakfasts coming in a close second. I loved the shrimp and mushrooms!! I am always a shrimp kinda girl but for some strange reason during my last pregnancy and this one so far I have a huge craving for seafood. :) I am excited about the Mavs making it to the finals and just hope they can get their shots to fall better in game 2 than they did the 1st game. They definitely didn't get off to the start I was hoping they would. But their game was off so I sure hope they have better luck in game 2. I love the beautiful, long summer days and spending lots of time cooking out, swimming, being out doors and visiting with good friends. We haven't made it to the water park yet but that is at the top of my "to do" list. Aubree ask me about it every time we go to Canton so I know she is excited and full of anticipation. Hopefully I can squeeze that in this weekend among the t-ball pictures and games and a couple of her friends bday parties. Never a dull moment around here, that is for sure. Happy Summer!!

Exciting News!!

2011-05-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

We have had a very eventful week. I got my thyroid levels checked and they are right on track. :) As if that wasn't good enough news, as we were preparing to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary on the 14th , we were blessed with the best present ever. We found out that the Kindle family is growing by 2 feet. We are expecting another baby!!! Yea!! We are all very excited, especially Aubree. She has been asking for a baby for a while now and God decided that now is the time. It's amazing to me how time and time again God knows what we need and when we need it. I have been praying for a baby for a few months now and wanted it in my own time. Just at the time when I'm at peace with it not happening, God goes and makes it happen. What a blessing!! Aubree is already telling me all the things I need to be doing and don't need to do with a baby in my belly. She told me no more hot tubbing and as I was in the middle of the Insanity work out Kerry and I are commited to, she began scolding me to stop working out so hard. Lol! I am determined to keep doing this workout. I may not be able to have a complete "beach body" as the program guarantees and as I was anticipating before I found out I was pregnant. But I'm still hopeful to get my legs and arms toned up and do what I can. I am very early into the pregnancy, I found out at this same stage when I was pregnant with Aubree. Which makes for a very long pregnancy but I can just tell with my body and knew immediately what was happening. My estimated due date is Jan. 15th at this point. Wow!! I can't believe our family is about to consist of 4 people instead of 3 in just 9 months. I am already doodling names like crazy and cannot wait to see if its a girl or a boy. I feel exactly the same as I did with Aubree, so at this point I'm leaning towards it being a girl. We would love her to have a sister but are mainly just hoping for a healthy baby no matter what the sex is. Such exciting news!!! We enjoyed a romantic dinner at Villa Montez Saturday evening in honor of our anniversary. It was a great evening and although we tried not to allow the new baby to be the center of conversation, it did keep coming up A LOT. We are both so happy and nothing makes you feel more connected than to be expecting a baby with the one you love. After dinner we enjoyed one of our favorites from back in our early dating days, Marble Slab. I have an intense love for ice cream and nothing ranks higher on my list than sweet cream and cinnamon from Marble Slab. It was a great anniversary and I already have the most precious thing (besides Aubree) that Kerry could ever give me in my tummy. Plus I recently purchased a new brown Coach hand bag and wallet and to justify the expense(as if I needed to do that but its too late now) I said that could be my anniversary present. So I kinda jipped myself there but I must admit I don't need or want for anything. Another very exciting factor in our lives is that Kerry just finished his school and graduated top of his class with a 4.0 GPA. I'm so proud of him and excited for what lies ahead of him. He now has his previous Bachelors degree in Business and an Associate degree in Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration. So many possibilities and such a bright future ahead of him and I'm just thrilled for him and our growing family. Kerry and I recently agreed to co coach Aubree"s t-ball team after her coach had to take another team. It has been a very fun, however, very interesting experience for us. The teams first games are next Saturday so we will really know more about how we are doing then. The kiddos are so cute and really having fun and learning the fundamentals at this point. I guess that's the most important thing anyway. Kerry put together Aubree's playhouse, complete with a stove, sink, telephone, clock and working doorbell from Nona and Pa and Mema on Sunday while I enjoyed a nice lunch in Up Town with my girlfriends from high school. We met at Ashley's and she had prepared an amazing lunch for us. We spent hours gathered around the table laughing and catching up. I am so thankful for these amazing women who I have grown up with and remained very close to. Sunday evening I enjoyed Aubree's Parent's Day Out end of the year program at the church. The class sang for us and recited scriptures they had memorized. It was such a sweet program. I feel so blessed and am looking forward to enjoying every moment of this pregnancy and the warm summer months that are vastly approaching. Til next time....XOXO

Having so much fun that I forgot to blog!

2011-05-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

We had a very special Easter holiday. It is so nice having both our families live so close that we are able to spend holidays with them all. After Easter service we ate lunch with Kerry's grandparents, then we went to my great Uncle and Aunt's for the traditional Easter egg hunt with my family. Which is growing by leaps and bounds with all the new lil additions. It was so fun to see Aubree hunt eggs in the same yard and field I grew up hunting in with all my cousins. We finished the day off with dinner and another egg hunt at Kerry's parents with his family. It was a great day spent with all our loved ones. We celebrated Aubree's 4th birthday the following Tuesday(26th). I woke her up singing happy birthday. Then she unwrapped a special present from Kerry and I and got ready for parents day out. I took a cute Hello Kitty cupcake cake to her class so that they could all celebrate with her. She had a great day and when I picked her up from school I told her that since it's her special day she could pick what we did for the rest of the day and if we went out to eat or wanted me to cook something special. The sweetheart said she really wanted to spend the day at home playing with her puppies. So that is exactly what we did. After Kerry got home she requested to have dinner at the Dugan's house with the girls. So Lannie grilled chicken and shrimp and she got her wish. It was a great day spent celebrating my precious angel. That Saturday we threw her a carnival themed party at the house. I rented a 24 foot bounce slide, had pony rides, face painting, some carnival games and a concession stand complete with all the carnival foods. Nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones, cotton candy, giant pickles, cracker jacks, lemonade and lots of candy. It was a great party and she had a blast. She is still telling me how much fun it was! :) It was a lot of work but worth every second to make her feel loved. This past week was cruising right along but we hit a tough spot on Thursday. Aubree and I were out in the yard playing with the pups and feeding the ducks some bread when Max decided to run out in the road and chase a big 2quarter ton truck pulling a trailer. He ran right under the front wheel and got stuck. I grabbed Aubree up and ran her into the house. Sadly he got hurt pretty badly and we had to learn one of life's toughest lessons: saying goodbye. Aubree was so devastated, as were we all. Max was a great dog. He had such a sweet, soft side to him and such warm eyes. He was the protector of his sister Zoe and of our home. He is missed so much! Thankfully, Kerry was off on Friday and he and Aubree spent the whole day together and I think her broken heart is mending fine. After work on Friday the 3 of us enjoyed a couple of hours of fishing. It was a great stress releaser and I enjoyed spending time with my family in the beautiful, peaceful nature God created. On Saturday Bebe took Aubree and I to Dallas to the American Girl store. Aubree picked out the twin dolls, had their hair fixed in the salon, got the twin stroller and some extra outfits and then we enjoyed a great lunch with her new babies in the AG cafe. That place is amazing and it was great to see her have so much fun. After church today we spent Mother's Day honoring Kerry' family at Cracker Barrel,his Grandmother's choice for lunch and after a couple hour break which I spent relaxing on the deck sunbathing, we spent the evening and had dinner with my family at Mom's. We have both been blessed by amazing women in our lives. We both have great Mother's and Grandmothers who have been Godly examples of what a Mother should be. They are not only our Mother's but our friends and biggest supporters in life. Without them we would both be lost. I am so thankful for the love of both our Mothers and families. Thanks Mom and My 2nd Mom, Bebe, for all you do for us and for being such an involved part of our lives. We love you both dearly. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I want to leave you with the closing point of our sermon this morning. It rang true in my ears and I hope it will in yours too. As Bro. Ronald said, after preaching a great Mother's day sermon, " Remember there is no perfect Mom. Every Mom has at some point trials and difficulties in their heart and life so do not try to be perfect. Instead turn to the Lord in your hardships and pray to him and he will help you through the trials. As a mother we do not need to be perfect but only remember to always turn to the Lord for everything. " I am so guilty of striving for perfection and then beating myself up when I fall short. Isn't it good to know our God doesn't expect perfection from us but only wants to be a part of our daily walk. What a great God we serve!!

2011-04-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

April has been a fun month for us. Aubree started a coed instructional t-ball league. It is fun to watch her learn a sport that I have so many fond memories of. As a child I spent every summer at the ball fields and it is where I made some of my best friends and even had my first crush. Its exciting to see all the little ones run and play. Kerry informed me after the first practice that one of the neatest things for him about helping with the team that evening was that he was out on the field with five other guys that he graduated high school with. Pretty cool to get to raise your babies with your old buddies I guess. I got to enjoy lunch on the Mi Cocina patio with my old high school gang a couple weeks ago. It was a beautiful day spent with great company catching up. This week we have spent a lot of time at the hospital with our loved ones. Mom and Pa both had surgery and are recovering as I type this. I am thankful for modern medicine and techniques that can heal our bodies. I have been anxiously planning every detail of Aubree's 4th birthday party. She is dead set on having it in our back yard again this year. So I am going to honor her wish, since she is the birthday girl. I can't believe my baby is already four. :( She is growing way too fast! She is so sassy and has a little bit of fire to her too. She is very well rounded if you ask me. She loves animals, the outdoors, playing baby dolls, fishing, shopping, riding four wheelers, and playing with her friends to name a few of her favorite things. Her and Kerry have already caught some pretty large catfish out of our pond. I am hoping to wet a line with them soon! Kerry only has three more weeks of school before he is finished. Looking back it is amazing how fast the years have flown. He is so excited to see an end in sight. We are ready to get our evenings together back as well. While Kerry was at school yesterday Aubree and I enjoyed a fun evening at the Van Zandt Count Fair. we rode with Amie and the Dugan kiddos and we met up with the Stewart family while we were there too. It was so fun to watch the kids run and play and giggle and laugh as they rode all the rides. We had a great night and made lots of memories. I am excited for another beautiful weekend in small town GS. Hope God's blessing pour down on you wherever you are! XOXO

Blessed Beyond Belief

2011-03-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Exactly a week ago today I went into surgery for the removal of the left lobe of my thyroid and the isthmus. I was terrified that the results of that procedure were going to change my life forever. Unable to really let my mind admit to that but being past it, I can honestly say that now. Dr. Abrameit did an amazing job with my surgery and I have had a great recovery. I am still healing but the news we received 48 hours following the surgery made me feel like a healed woman. My tumor was benign. I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted from not only my shoulders but all those around me. I know I had tons of people faithfully praying for me all around the world and I strongly believe God heard those prayers and He answered them. I can not say thank you to everyone enough. I am also grateful for the loving friends and family who stood beside me during this scary process. My husband was the best "nurse" I could ever ask for. He showed me an amazing amount of love, patience and concern during this time and the days following my surgery. He made me one of my favorite soups(his grandmother's broccoli and cheese) and citrus fruit smoothies and even rented movies that he knew I would love(usually we have to do some negotiating when it comes to movies). He took such good care of me and made me so comfortable. I have never seen a man with such compassion and love. Initially I tried to keep all emotion and talk of what was going on away from Aubree. However, the night before my doctors appointment I had a weak momment. All along I had forced myself to think positively and not allow thoughts of negativity and fear to tant my mind. But I was hit hard all of a sudden with all these emotions of fear and the unknown and Kerry sat and held me in the bedroom as I cried. I didn't think at the time Aubree was around or could make out what was going on. Then a few days later she told her Bebe, "My Daddy is strong, he can hold my Momma." Bebe not knowing where this is going said, "Yes, he is" Aubree then told her,"He holds my Momma when she cries about her neck." From the momment Bebe told me that I knew I needed to talk more openly yet age appropriately with Aubree about what was happening instead of pretending nothing was happening at all. It was a very tough time for us as a family. We were all a little fearful of the unknown. Although the majority of the time we did a good job on staying positive and finding hope in what we knew to be true. I must at this time say thank you to my wonderful mother. She had such optimistic and encouraging words of wisdom during the entire process. Never once did she allow me to see the fear she must have felt. But I know it was there, she was just too strong and had enough strength for the both of us. When I called her with the report from the pathologist and told her it was benign, she was so happy and said, " Guess I can cut my hair now." She shared with me that even though I had been a little annoyed with her new, longer than ever hair do and had not only mentioned her needing to get it cut and styled numerous times but I even bought her a gift certificate with a stylist at a salon and at the time she acted as if she just didn't know what she wanted to get done to it. In all actuality, she told me she was growing her hair out because we have the same color(give or take a few gray hairs) and texture of hair so that if I had to loose mine she would be able to have a wig made of her hair for me. What an amazing mother I have!!! Hearing her tell me that not only melted my heart but made me feel like such a horses rear for all the comments I had made about her needing to do something with her hair. What an example my mother has been for me of a mother's love for their children. She has time and time again given her all to me and lifted me up when I wasn't sure I could stand on my own. She is an inspiration to me daily. I know she reads this and I just hope she knows how grateful I am. I love u, Mom! I have also felt a tremendous amount of love from my mother-in-law and have been ever so thankful for her wisdom and comforting words. I have an amazing support system and could never mention all the compassion and encouragement people have given to me but please know every word, phone call, card and flower sent meant the world to me. I appreciate it more than I could ever express! I am anxious for the wound to heal and to allow this experience to leave a lasting impression on my life. I believe everything happens for a reason. I want to use this trial as a testimony of what God can do and how precious every breath truly is. I never want to take this life for granted. I hope I live each day to the fullest and allow God to use me in the way He has planned. Thanks again for all the prayers, love and support!!

2011-03-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

The month of February was quite a whirl wind and with all the chaos I easily neglected my blog. The month started off with Kerry getting sick super bowl weekend. On Monday he tested positive for type A flu and by Monday night Aubree and I were running fever as well. Our household was out of commission for a full week but thanks to an early start on tamfliu Bree and I had a much milder case than Kerry did. At least we were all home piled up in bed together. And thanks to my wonderful Mom and Mema, we had food delivered to our door step daily. I LOVE my Momma's potato soup and Mema made sure Aubree didn't go without her beans and cornbread while she was stuck in the house. The country girl loves any kind of beans. We enjoyed a romantic night at Olive Garden in celebration of Valentine's Day. There was nothing more perfect than spending time with my two loves. And although Kerry had class after dinner, I still enjoyed a lil shopping with my lil love bug. Aubree and I also made cute, mini cupcakes for her grandparents and class party on Tuesday. They turned out so precious and were very yummy and fun to bake! It was as perfect as any Monday could be. I enjoyed a fun Saturday night in the big city with my girlfriends in celebration of Mandi's upcoming marriage. We stayed at a very modern hotel, Aloft and ate fresh sushi at Kiniche and then topped the night off at Ghost Bar. Which I must say has the most awesome city scape view I have ever seen in the Dallas area. We didn't run into any famous stars at Ghost Bar but I will admit we felt like for one night we were the rich and famous. LOL! It was so much fun and a great night of female bonding. The following weekend was the couple shower for Matt and Mandi and it was another great night with wonderful couples and families. On the 24th I went to see my endocrinologist for a routine check up. I took Aubree hoping to enjoy a little more time with her before I took her to school. Well, the appointment went south real fast when I told the doctor that based on an ultrasound I had done it looked like the tissue had changed. She immediately wanted another FNA(biopsy) and I certainly wasn't counting on that since we had just had one a few months prior. I guess I was sorta in denial and trying to make lightly of the change until the doctor expressed her concern. Well Aubree stood right there beside me holding my hand as the doc stuck a HUGE needle into my neck four times to collect the sample. Aubree didn't even shed a tear. She was so brave and mature. Next I was off to the lab for some blood work and then would be waiting about seven days for a phone call from the doctor. Meanwhile, we celebrated the union of our two dear friends at Stone Oak Ranch. It was a beautiful ceremony and a great reception. Aubree really did not like her Momma dancing at all. Every time she would realize I was on the dance floor she would pull my back off. But I love to dance and I would wait til she was playing and dancing with the other lil girls and sneak right back out there. he-he! Besides, isn't she too young to already be embarressed by her Momma?? At home we turn the radio up and dance all the time. I was surprised she had such a beef with it, but she clearly did. One thing that we have both been enjoying lately is playing at the local park a couple times per week. This is perfect weather and the mosquitos haven't taken over yet. We have so much fun and I even managed to sneak in a few pictures. Aubree's joyful laughter and those memories are PRICELESS! It has been a tradition to spend Sunday afternoons at our second home with the Dugan's. We have enjoyed this beautiful sunshine outdoors. The guys throwing horse shoes while the kiddos zoom around on the four wheelers and us women enjoy relaxing in the warm air. Its really a perfect, relaxing way to end the weekend. I received a call from my doctor early Monday morning saying the pathology report came back saying I had a follicular lesion with Hurthle cell neoplasm. The doctor requested a second opinion and had me do more blood work. In the mean time I was trying to stay true to what I know is the truth and not let my mind wonder. The second report came back the same as the first and my blood work was all out of whack again. We discovered I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which does explain my hypothyroidism. A Hurthle cell tumor is an uncommon and controversial neoplasm. The pathologic determination of malignancy is difficult as the architectural and cytological features of the benign and malignant tumors overlap. FNA is useful only to establish the presence of Hurthle cell neoplasm. The final diagnosis is dependent on histological analysis of the surgical specimen. Therefore, the only safe way to tell what we are dealing with is to have it removed. This has been a very scary realization and I am reluctant to have my thyroid removed but at this point have no other option. I am diligently praying for the tumor to be benign and for the small uncertainties not to cloud my mind. In all honesty, I am fearful of surgery and uncomfortable with the idea of having a scar across my neck but at this time those are minor worries and I am focusing right now on doing what needs to be done. I do believe in the power of prayer and would gladly ask everyone to pray for a good outcome. I have found comfort in several scriptures but this week am reading in the book of Peter and am reminded in Peter 1:1-10 why God gives us trials in our lives. This has been an eye opening experience to say the least. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Monday the 14th and am ready to get this show on the road. For the remainder of this week I am enjoying this beautiful weather and every precious moment God blesses me with. I will use the trials we are faced with to grow closer to God and to my family. I am so blessed and often we get caught up in worldly things and take for granted our health and our amazing bodies and our loved ones. I could go on forever but to keep it short, this is a life changing experience and I have to realize that God is in control and with us every step of the way. I find peace in God!

Let it Snow!!

2011-01-20T11:51:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love winter weather. I know I say that about every season but they all come with such a refreshing, new and exciting feeling. We were blessed early in January with a beautiful snow. We came out of church and as we sat looking out the window these huge snow flakes began to fall all around us. The biggest flakes I have ever seen. It was fun to have snow ball fights, drink hot chocolate and of course have homemade donuts with Kerry's family courtesy of Memaw Kindle and snow ice cream thanks to Aunt Jennifer. It was a very magical day and I am so thankful for those beautiful memories, which I captured with my new camera that Kerry surprised me with for Christmas. We made a deal this year regarding our gifts to each other. I had been wanting a new Coach purse and he wanted a new cell phone. So being that we both were very particular and they were around the same price we decided to pick out our own presents this year. And other than stocking stuffers that was suppose to be our gifts to each other. But of course Kerry had to go and make me feel bad by buying me an awesome new camera and surprising me with it. Which was a great surprise but all I had for him was a new belt, cologne and some small stuff on Christmas morning. Not that I don't LOVE my camera, because I definitely do but I was a lil embarrassed. He didn't act one bit disappointed though and was just so proud of himself for pulling off a surprise. Which is a big deal for him because usually he cannot keep a secret. He is the type that wants to give you whatever he has for you as soon as he buys it. It is pretty cute I must admit but I am thankful for this surprise. And now thanks to him I have been picture happy and have tons of them to post. We have been enjoying the laziness of this month and spending lots of time at home snuggled up watching football and movies and playing board games. We have also spent some great time with our friends and family. I am trying to be more of a chief at the Kindle home and have been focusing more on planning and preparing us some yummy yet healthy meals and treats. Its actually been a lot of fun and I have a very good helper who loves to cook and bake. Aubree is no longer taking gym or dance classes due to the fact that she didn't like being so busy and going to the classes. For now she would rather stay home and play in the afternoons. This was a difficult decision for me because I wanted her to have the advantage of starting early but she just hated leaving the house. (Could have something to do with the fact that we got 2 new puppies and all she wants to do is play with them.) Once we got there she loved it and had fun and was a great learner. But getting her there had become a battle and a fight every time we had to go. So for now we are enjoying our time together at home in the evenings. Her instructor said this is pretty common at her age and to try her again when she is 5 yrs old. So I guess we will see about it again in the future. We do still enjoy playing gymnastics at home in the comfort of our living room with all her babies and pets. Lol! Kerry has started his final semester for his degree in air conditioning/heating and refrigeration. His schedule is not so crazy this time and we are looking forward to his graduation in May. God has blessed me in so many ways with a wonderful husband, loving father and best friend. I am enjoying this chapter in our lives and look forward to all our "seasons" together. Aubree and I met him last night in between classes for a yummy dinner at Red Lobster. It was a great night and while he was in class we did a little shopping to pass the time. On our way into Target, we were trotting along holding hands and she looks up at me and says, " I want to be just like you." Talk about priceless. It melted my heart. I didn't know what to say to her. I am very hard on myself and am a perfectionist. Many times I feel as if I fall short of the person and mother I want to be and feel let down at times by things I do or don't do. This made me realize how much of an impact I am making in her life. And that in her eyes I am doing a pretty good job. Which means the world to me! Of course, I will always strive for perfection but it's nice to know I am a harder critic on myself than she is. In so many ways I want her to be better than I am. I want more for her than I had and so I take that statement as a compliment but I hope she surpasses the person I am and is so much more than I will ever be. It is my prayer that God will work in her and use her for great things! It has been such a great winter month and I am excited for every precious memory we are making!

Christmas Is My Favorite Time of The Year!!

2010-12-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

We have been thoroughly enjoying the Christmas Season. I love decorating and putting up our trees. And although Kerry probably didnt love hanging the lights and decorating our yard, he did a wonderful job. Not to mention made me and Aubree very happy girls. I love shopping for others as much as I do myself and had so much fun sharing it with Aubree. She is quite the gift giver. Very creative and thoughtful about what to give others. We enjoyed wrapping all the gifts together almost as much as picking them out. It has been so much fun reading the Christmas story over and over to her and baking Christmas candy and cookies and all the yummy foods we bake around the holidays. She is just an amazing helper and makes everything so much more enjoyable. We started the month of December off with the Miller Christmas and every weekend since that was full of celebration with family and friends. This year I hosted the annual party with my bff's from high school(and years before that too). We had a fabulous dinner at Four Winds Steakhouse and then came back to my house for a gift exchange and to catch up. It has been a tradition for 15 yrs to have our girl time and we always stay up til the wee hours of morning visiting and still don't really feel that we had enough time. It was a great evening and due to our busy holiday schedules everyone scurried home somewhere between breakfast and lunch. My life has been so blessed by these wonderful ladies and I am so glad we have made it a priority to keep this anual slumber party a tradition.. The Riggle family Christmas was on the18th and was such a treat. Aubree and her cousin Lilly really enjoyed each others comapny this year and it was a delight to see so many lovely faces. We were treated to a great night in Bosier City by Kerry's wonderful boss for their company Christmas party on the 19th. Jerry took us along with his wife and 3 adult children to stay the night at Sam's Town and to dinner at Ralph and Kacoo's. They made us feel like part of their family and were such kind and loving people. It was such a refreshing get away and a fun time for us all. We had a wonderful time with them and are so glad God has placed them in our lives. Aubree enjoyed riding in the Christmas parade this year as the Little Miss Van Zandt County Queen. She had so much fun tossing candy but really got a kick outta seeing Santa the most. She sat in his lap and didn't hesitate to tell him she wanted a tv to hang on her bedroom wall and a dvd player. I was impressed with her braveness and am thankful for a darling picture too. I am happy that Santa did not disappoint and the angel got a 26 inch Magnavox flat screen that has a built in dvd player. She also received several new movies and is a very happy girl. Of course she got tons of other wonderful gifts from Santa, us, and our families but the tv was the one thing she had her heart set on. She loves to watch movies. Every evening she wants to curl up in our bed and ask me to turn a movie on. Now she can curl up in her new bed and the beautiful bedding Nona made her and watch movies anytime she wants. :) We had a wonderful Christmas holiday and enjoyed all our friends and family so much. I am grateful for Kerry's much needed time off last week. He had the week off and I had part of the week off so we were able to enjoy lots of family time. We spent Christmas Eve eve with Kerry's parents and siblings' families, Christmas Eve at my grandparents as always and Christmas day we had breakfast at home and played with Santa's gifts then went to lunch with my Mema's side of the family. Then we spent the afternoon at home enjpying our new things and then went to the Dugan's annual Christmas party that night. We had Christmas with Kerry's Dad's family on the 26th and with the Burnett family the 27th. Thank you for all the generous gifts and the traditions you have all instilled in us. I am so thankful for the birth of Jesus Christ and for the freedom and traditions we have to celebrate his birth. Merry Christmas and may you have a very Happy New Year.

2010-11-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so much fun this year. Aubree ask to be a lady bug back in September and we found a very cute costume on the internet. Thankfully it fit her to a T. She wasn't too fond of the wings though. The strapes cut into her shoulders and bothered her. Grand Saline held the annual Goody Trail and this was probably the most people I have ever seen at it. The trail of costumed kids was awesome and afterwards we went to the carnival as well. Aubree enjoyed playing the fun games and visiting with all her friends. She is a social butterfly for sure. After all the excitement and seeing friends and family we ordered pizza and she was fast asleep in no time. All the excitement wore us all out. We celebrated Kerry's cousin Tim's marriage to Shannon at a beautiful ceremony and reception in Bullard. The wedding was beautiful and so much fun. It was a great time of fellowship with all Kerry's family. This particular weekend was a very blissful time but also one that was very sad for me and my family. On the same evening as the rehersal dinner I went to see my Aunt Wanda who was in ICU at ETMC in Tyler. She had a major heart attack and her organs were shutting down. Mom and I went in to see her and I held her hand and she looked at me and squeezed my hand and then not long after that she received her wings and heaven got another angel. I have always been very close to Aunt Wanda and it was hard to say good bye. I miss her dearly but am so glad she isn't living in pain. I have a very large, close family and during this time I was reminded how precious it is to have one another to lean on. This past weekend was a very exciting weekend for my home town. Grand Saline hosted the 1st Annual Peanut Butter Festival. We are home to a really unique PB store, Nutty's. They make their own 12 flavors of PB. It's a real cute, old fashioned store on Main Street kinda a diner type shop that has hand dipped ice cream , fudge, candy and of course pb. The festival was a huge success and Grand Saline attempted and successfully broke the world record with the largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It weighed 1,343 lbs and was massive. The peanut butter, jelly and bread all had to be made within 24 hours and in a certain distance from the location as the sandwich was assembled. It was an awesome experience and is cool to know that the world record no longer belongs to Oklahoma, but resides right here in East Texas. Pretty neat huh?!? The festival consisted of tons of vendors, rides, games, food and live music and entertainment. Aubree won 1st runner up in the 3-4 yr old category at the festival pageant. She was so beautiful and had a blast strutting her stuff. She was also awarded the "IT FACTOR" of her group. She was tickled to receive 2 trophies and said to me as we exited the stage, "Momma, did I do AWESOME?" As she stuck her precious , lil hand up for a high five. My reply of course was, "Yes, sweetheart you were awesome." The entire festival was so much fun and I am glad we got to be a part of it. We are so blessed and I am looking forward to some fun time next week with both our families as we celebrate Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that I serve a mighty God, for my family, our health, my friends, our jobs and all the many blessings in our lives. I am so blessed I could list them for days. WOW now that's a blessing; to be so blessed. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Fall Fun

2010-10-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at the State Fair of Texas. It has become one of our family traditions. Kerry and I have been going together since 2001. We have so many fond memories and love to take pictures of the good times we share there. It's cool to see how much and how little we change over the years. There are pictures of Aubree in my belly and then every year there after. This year was by far the greatest for her. I know I probably say that every year. But it was priceless. The girl smiled the entire day and I can still hear her deep, belly laugh as she rode the kiddie rides and even a couple that I myself was a lil scared of. She is so brave. She laughed hysterically on one ride in particular that went super fast and then even went backwards. I was watching on the side but am so thankful she asked Bebe to ride that one with her. Thanks, Bebe, for saving me. Lol! We had a wonderful time visiting the exhibits and shows. And last but not least, trying all the food. It was a grand time and I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories. Nona and Gramps and Bebe enjoyed it so much they wanted a souvenir. They got a good deal for buying two so they purchased hot tubs at the fair and should be having them delivered any day now. That's kinda an odd sounding souvenir, but one we are all excited about. Hopefully, soon we can be enjoying some hot tubbing at both Nona and Gramps and Bebe's. We have been so blessed by beautiful fall weather. Aubree and I enjoy playing outside almost every afternoon. Her favorite thing to do is lock hands and run through the yard and pasture with our puppies chasing us and nipping at our ankles. It is beautiful to see how much she enjoys running outside. I love it and hope we can enjoy it for many years. We enjoyed a week full of fun homecoming festivities lat week. The parade was Aubree's favorite and she talked all weekend about going to the football game and wearing her pretty mum. I love the small town pleasures that she enjoys so much. Again, they are priceless. Saturday we celebrated a dear friends 2nd birthday and then her Momma's(who is a little older but I won't reveal her age). We went out for an adults night of good food and good times with our friends. Uncle Julio's still ranks pretty high on my list, might I add. We finished the night off with some great live music and then retired for the evening at the Marriott Courtyard. It is always so nice to spend time with our friends, even though we miss our baby girl dearly. It was a great weekend. Only thing that could have made it any better would have been to see the Cowboys win but I have learned not to rely on them so much. Win or lose I will always be a fan. I just smile and go on with life either way. Excited for what the Rangers got going on and hope to see them advance after tomorrows game. Let's Go Rangers!

2010-10-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Feeling so blessed today. Blessed that I have a career I love and a job at a great, small hometown hospital that allows me to do what I love and be only a few minutes down the road from my baby girl. It is so nice to work with people I grew up around and to have the opportunity to provide care for people right here in my own community. I am loving this opportunity God has given me. I am also feeling blessed because I am at peace with what all has been going on with my thyroid. I am happy to report that my medicine is doing the trick. My thyroid levels tested normal this past time and the cyst, which is called a goiter is shrinking. It is down to 3.2x 2 cm. I am so relieved and happy that this was able to be corrected with medicine. God is so good! I will continue to monitor it but am so pleased with the way it turned out. Got a fun filled weekend planned with a beautiful forecast ahead. Gonna spend the evening relaxing at home. This is probably Aubree's favorite thing to do. She is becoming a pro at riding her bike and loves to play outside. She is a really smooth driver, and the puppies spend a lot of time chasing her in her gator too. I enjoy leisure time at home like this. Although it is rare. We are going tomorrow to the Sate Fair of Texas and I can hardly wait. Aubree will enjoy the games and rides so much more this year than the previous years. Hope you all have a blessed and wonderful weekend.

Another 2 months post rolled into 1 big blog

2010-10-04T14:26:00.001-07:00

Hmmm, Where should I start? We were busy in the month of August celebrating summer with a wonderful Casey Donahew concert under the stars. It was an awesome performance and made me even more of a fan. We enjoyed our night out with good food, good friends and good music. We spent the weekend of Aug. 14th in Houston celebrating Kerry's Dad's parents 60th wedding aniversary. They requested the entire family(there were 35 of us) travel to Houston and have an outdoor photo shoot of everyone together and then some family groups. It was priceless. Afterwards we had a cookout and pool party at Kerry's uncle and aunts house. It was a great time. On Saturday everyone traved to the Nasa Hilton and we enjoyed the day and then spent the evening at the Kemah beach boardwalk. There we ate at the Aquarium which was fabulous and enjoyed live entertainment and music. This was a really neat trip and I am so glad we got to share in their celebration. We met up with my girlfriends for a girls day the following weekend. Aubree enjoyed having her nails painted at the saloon for the first time. She chose neon green and I must say her nails were hard to miss for days. She was so good and still though. Bee was so impressed she gave us the entire bottle of green nail polish. Either that or it is so hidious only Aubree had chosen it. LOL! Either way we got neon green nails and toes anytime we like. Aubree started tap and ballet leasons the 2nd Monday of Sept. She is so cute in her pink tights and black leo. They are learning the basics and it is the highlight of my Monday(Nona's too. She doesn't miss a class). Aubree still loves gymnastics too. The running around to this lesson and that has already started and it is so much fun. But makes me a lil sad that she is growing up so fast. We have a full pledge petting zoo now at Kindle farm. In addition to our 11 yr old golden retriever Alex, and our 16 month old cat Blue, we have our duck Cinderella, Dora, and Polly and now two baby pups Max and Zoe. I wasn't kidding about the zoo was I? It's a lot of mouths to feed but we are animal people and love our zoo so much. I was against two new pups but Kerry and Aubree baited me in and made it hard to resist theses precious pups. They are outside dogs and they run and play with Aubree so well. She is the happiest 3 year old around. So life is good. Mom threw me an awesome birthday dinner on the 10th with all my close friends and family. Seafood always makes me happy and mom went all out with hot pink and zebra decorations and chocolate cake. It was a great time and if I had to turn another year older there is no other way I would like to spend it. We went out the following night for an adult evening of good food and live music. Kerry thoughtfully surprised me with a new Victoria's Secret perfume and also a pair of black Coach boots that I love and the sweetest card I have ever gotten. He never siest to amaze me and knows how to spoil me rotten every day of my life but he always puts a lil extra effort in on my birthday. After a steak dinner at Four Winds Steakhouse with his parents and my mom the following week I couldnt have had a better birhtday. I feel so blessed by all the people in our lives. A family RVing trip with my grandparents, mom and three generations of the Phillips family at Hawkins Lake wrapped up the month of September. We had a fun trip and Aubree is definitely a lil camper. We are loving the beautiful fall temperatures October has brought us. This weather is perfect! We have eatten atleast half of our meals out on the deck this past week enjoying the changing season. Happy Fall Y'all!!

Summer Lovin.....

2010-07-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

I know this is a redundant statement that is in like all my latest blogs, but I absolutely LOVE summer!! We are outdoors type of people and enjoy grilling, relaxing outside on the deck, gardening, fishing, camping, long walks and runs in the warm evening air and beautiful days playing in the water. Those were just a few of the wonderful past times we have been enjoying this summer. We spent the entire week RVing a couple weeks ago at a lovely family rv resort. We had a great time enjoying the lazy summer days where the only time schedule we were on depended on what time the pool opened and closed. It was a great week!! Aubree has learned to swim under water and is getting really close to being able to swim on top of the water. I am so impressed with her progress this summer. We also enjoyed a road trip with Kerry's parents to Austin last weekend . It is always refreshing to get a way for a few days. Kerry helped his Uncle Steve build a privacy fence with the guys while us ladies enjoyed a more leisure trip. We did a good deal of shopping at the Round Rock Outlet Mall. I love that place, too! So much to see and do but just not enough time to do it all in. Oh well, it was probably better on my check book that away. Lol! It was a great trip that included lots of shopping and good eatting of course. Aubree had her first dental appointment a few weeks ago. She did fantastic and loved Dr. Richie. She got a good report with no cavities. He advised me to not allow her to have her OJ in the middle of the night as she has been accustom to having. So we immediately started giving her a cup of water to take to bed. She no longer even wakes up during the night for a drink. Which is great for us both. I am a light sleeper and always woke up when she did. So we are FINALLY sleeping through the entire night....most nights anyway. That is such a nice improvement. She remembered almost everything the doc told her and reminds me often if I am not following his orders to a tee. Aubree is also doing well in gymnastics and still anxiously awaits her weekly lesson. The girl is so full of energy and coming up with the craziest things these days. She is a hoot! She loves to play outside and the other day got such a kick out of playing in the water hose while I was watering the flower beds. She laughed so hard and thought she was so funny when she sprayed me or Kerry. She can turn the small simple chores of day to day living into fun, joyful times. She lights up our home and makes the world a better place. I could talk about the joy she brings to us for hours. On another exciting note, I am getting ready to change jobs and am really excited about the opportunity God has laid before me. I am leaving the office I have been in for the past 2 1/2 yrs to take a job at the hospital in my hometown, Grand Saline. I am nervous about the change of jobs but am very excited about the possibilities ahead. I will be trading in my long work days and 2 hrs of drive time a day to be right here in town. It will allow me so much more time with my family and I am excited to be able to contribute to the community I grew up in. My grandmother worked all of my childhood at the clinic there, so I have a lot of fond memories of it. I am sad to leave the office I have been in but feel this is a chance I must take. It will be a great opportunity and is a blessing for me and my family. We have another fun Saturday at Splash Kingdom Water Park in store this weekend and I can't wait for the good times ahead. Hope everyone has a great weekend!! XOXO

2010-06-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here I am again blogging a whole months worth into one mega blog. I do apologize and am going to try harder to sit down and post more frequently. God has been doing some amazing things in my life! I have been enjoying this summer and seeking God"s plan and will for me and my family. In my career I am blessed with ample opportunity to show God's love and grace and I have really enjoyed reaching out to my patients. However, it is my desire to step out of my comfort zone and seek Him in every opportunity. He continues to pour down His blessings and I am ever so grateful! I experienced some really difficult times last month when I discovered a 5.7cm x 3.2cm complex cyst on my left thyroid. After having a complete ultrasound, thanks to a girlfriend of mine from college, Dr. Zeb sent me to an ENT in Rockwall who did some blood work and discovered I have hypothyroidism. Which means I have an under active thyroid. Dr. west is hopeful that is what caused the cyst and he started me on synthroid. He then scheduled me to have a fine needle aspiration(FNA) done at Lake Point Medical Center. There a pathologist collected some of the cells and tested them. They drained 20cc of fluid out of the cyst at that time. Thank God 72 hours later the pathology report came back benign. Unfortunately the cyst has came back and is currently 4 cm x 3.2 cm. I am scheduled to see an Endocrinologist in Tyler on July 12th to get my medicine regulated and hopefully then the cyst can be drained and will stay that way. According to Dr. West that is a long shot but is worth a try being that I am not crazy about the alternative of having my left thyroid removed. I have learnt a lot during this process and God reminded me how precious life and the everyday small stuff really is. Often in life we get caught up in the day to day routine and take our health for granted. I am guilty of that and am trying to be more appreciative of all the blessings in my life. On another note, Mom and I recently took Aubree in for her 3 year check up. I still take her to MDPA in Coppell due to my dislike of change. I am comfortable there and they have seen her since the day she was born. She hit a big growth spurt this past year. She has always been in the low percentiles for her age but not anymore. She weighed 32 lbs and that put her in the 50%. She was in the 5% at her 2 yr check up and in the 3% for height and now she is in the 75% for height. The doll grew 6 inches in one year. I remain amazed at that. We had a great visit with Dr. LeYoung and then enjoyed a fabulous lunch. Following lunch we headed over to Fire Wheel Shopping Center and shopped a bit. Aubree enjoyed using her birthday gift card at Build- A-Bear. She picked out and designed a white unicorn in pink princess attire on roller skates. It is adorable! And her new bff for the moment. Also in the past month we welcomed a dear, sweet, new addition to the Phillips family. Justin Rex Phillips was born on May 18. He is so precious and to me favors his big sister Finlee Rae. I know Audra and Justin are proud parents and probably very tired too. Audra said its a hard transition going from one child to two. I hope I know the feeling in the next couple of years. Lol! We have been enjoying our season passes to the Splash Kingdom Water park in Canton. This year Bree is tall enough to ride the big tube slides with me. She absolutely loves the big blue one! I love it too....mostly because I enjoy hearing her deep, belly laugh all the way down it. What memories we are making!! I have been loving every minute of summer and all the fun it brings. We have an all American camping/boating trip planned for this weekend to celebrate July 4th. Its us and the Phillips family and we can all hardly wait. Happy Summer 2 u all!!!

So Much To Do, So Little Time To Post!

2010-05-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all who have been wondering why it has been so long. The only excuse I have is...LIFE. We have been going from day to day and everyday I have the intention of blogging and then look back and remember, oops I forgot! So where do I start? In the month of April I helped host a baby shower for one of my besties, Audra Phillips. It was a fun shower that my girlfriends threw for her. Man did she rack up on the lil boy things. Baby Rex is already so blessed with overwhelming love. We also enjoyed our first camping trip in the new RV. We went to Whispering Pines along with Pa and Mema, Uncle Bobby and Aunt Nadine, and Kerry and Darla Phillips. It was the first voyage for Pa and Mema's, Kerry and Darla's and our trailer. We had a great time and enjoyed the new roomy camper so much. It is like double the room we had in our other camper. The trip was so fun and Aubree and Finlee were great entertainment. Lol! Aubree Malena Kindle hit another milestone in April. It was three wonderful years ago April 26th that God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl. She had a wonderful Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party. It was in our back yard just as she requested. All her friends came and enjoyed her playhouse, swing set and trampoline. She loved it!! They also enjoyed driving around her new green gator(Aubree refers to it as her tractor). I had the patio decorated in all MMCH decor with huge balloons and streamers. Salt City Sweats made this amazing two layered MMCH cake that was breath taking. It turned out just as I had requested. I threw in a few snacks and drinks and as Aubree put it, we had the best party ever! It was a huge success and I so enjoyed watching all the kids play and enjoy themselves. The girls didn't even give the boys a chance at the pinata. It only took about four beauties to have that thing busted. Watch out guys, we got some tough girls around here. He-he! Happy 3rd Birthday to the apple of my eye! You have blessed us more than you will ever know. With this beautiful spring weather we have been enjoying our beautiful patio and back yard. We have enjoyed many BBQ's and cookouts with our friends and family and look forward to hosting many more. I love this time of year. The beautiful weather and late evening sunsets are my favorite. Plus it allows for Aubree to do what she loves most, play outside. Kerry completed his 2nd semester with all A's again. He made the President's and Dean's list again. I am so very proud and excited for him! And for us, cuz we got the whole summer to enjoy him home in the evening with us. Yippie!! Another reason I love this time of the year! I had a fabulous Mother's day and enjoyed spending the day with my Mom and Grandparents for lunch and a nap and then that evening enjoyed a shrimp boil with Kerry's Mom and family. We are surrounded by loving, caring, Godly, amazing Moms that are such a great example of how a Mom should be. It was truly a blessed day. Last Friday, May 14th was me and my honey's 5th wedding anniversary. As much as I would have loved to run away with my groom, due to our schedule at this time we were unable to take a trip but have a couple in the making for later. We did enjoy a fabulous, romantic dinner at Four Winds Steakhouse and of course ice cream to follow. We spent the night talking and laughing and well, I will spare ya the juicy details. Needless to say it was a great evening and we both enjoyed our anniversary to the fullest. I could not imagine my life any other way and had no idea how someone could complete me the way he does. He knows EVERYTHING about me, even my darkest secrets and feelings and still he loves me unconditionally. He is the only person who I can completely be myself around and know no matter what he has my back. He makes me feel so safe and secure and loves me like I never imagined. We have had our ups and downs, but in the end of the day we always know where our heart belongs. He is my soul mate and my one TRUE love. I look forward to the rest of our lives together. I knew I had chosen a great man to be my husband, but never imagined how wonderful of a father he would be and how every day together gets better and better. I am such a lucky girl to call him my man! The rest of the last few weeks have been filled with what to some may seem like boring everyday life but to me it is a treasure. I have enjoyed some rays by the pool watching Aubree splash around with her Daddy(the water is still a lil too cold for me). We have also enjoyed a craw fish eating with some dear friends and neighbors and Aubree's first recital, if u will, at church. It was so cute! Her class sang three songs and she did an amazing job. I was a proud Momma once again. Like I said, that may all seem mundane to some but to us it is precious, just as everyday is. ~Come grow old with me, the best is yet to be.

LITTLE MISS VAN ZANDT COUNTY

2010-04-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

There is a queen among us!! As if she ever lets us forget. She is already treated like royalty by all of her grandparents and great grandparents but just to make it official Aubree had to get herself a crown. A couple of weeks ago Aubree was in the Miss Van Zandt County Pageant and did such a good job. She was so big on stage and hit every X all by herself. She is a ham and ate up all the attention and being center stage. It was so cute how she waved and blew kisses and pranced around. We have it on video if anyone ever needs a good laugh. Its hilarious how much personality this chic has. I love it...could be because I am her mother but I will proudly say she is a beautiful doll any day of the week. I curled her hair on hot stix for the first time before the pageant and that was so "cool" to her. I think those are the same hot stix Malena used to curl my hair sophomore year of high school for the Favorite's dance and those babies still worked like a charm. The curl held all day. Her hair was so pretty, too. During the crowning she was so sweet and so proud. She clapped for all the girls and even for herself when they crowned her Little Miss Van Zandt County. She loved her trophies, flowers and crown so much! She wanted to carry the trophies everywhere, even to church the next morning. She was so happy and that made me so happy too.

What a beautiful time of year!

2010-04-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

We are loving this beautiful spring weather! Thanks to day light savings I now can almost cram everything I need to get done into the day. Almost! Aubree is loving playing outside lots, too. It's just beautiful! We had a delightful Easter weekend. Friday afternoon Aubree and I met a friend at First Monday Trade Center and enjoyed shopping out in the sunshine. It was a perfect day and we enjoyed the leisure time together. Saturday we did some good ole fishing at Tuttle ranch and then went to the community egg hunt and play day at the ranch. Bree loved it all. She is such a lil fisherman. She is not scared to grab the bait or fish either one. She also enjoyed the egg hunt. This year she is not bashful. She found a bucket full of candy. The highlight for her though I do believe was the horse back riding. She loved it!! She also enjoyed participating in the egg races, obstacle courses, bounce houses and other games they had set up. It was a perfect day to spend out at the ranch. That evening we went out for delicious Mexican food and then called it a day. A wonderful day indeed.
Resurrection Sunday was a wonderful day as well. We rushed out of the house in our Easter best and enjoyed worshipping with all our family in Christ. I had organized a breakfast for our Sunday school class and it turned out flawless.(If I do say so myself.) Thanks everyone for chipping in and making it a success. After a very heartfelt worship we went to Kerry's parents to spend time with some of his family. It was a delicious meal and a great time spent with my other family. We arrived at my great Uncle Bobby and Aunt Nadine's at 4pm just in time for the traditional egg hunt. It is always so much fun cuz the "young" adults hunt along with the 2 little girls. This year it was all about Aubree and Finlee, my cousin and bff's lil doll. The girls are great friends and cared more about being next to each other than actually hunting. Although they both managed to snag a basket full of goodies. Bree is a fast learner, she would shake the eggs and if they didn't jingle she threw them down. It was hilarious!! The girl is a toot I am telling ya. Funny thing is she would rather have change than dollar bills. Oh well, her loss was Finlee's gain. We ate supper with my family and then visited for a while before we made another round by Kerry's parents. It was a busy day!! But such a blast and Bree got to have another egg hunt at Gramp's and Bebe's before the sun went down. It was such a blessed and beautiful day to celebrate the rising of our Savior. Oh and I almost forgot to mention the 4 new members of our family that were Bree's early Easter present from us. Last week Kerry and I took Aubree to get 4 baby ducks. They are so cute and messy all at the same time. The idea is to raise them inside until they are big enough to live out on our pond. We will see if I can stand them that long. LOL! Actually they aren't so bad, but they are noisy and messy. However, Bree is crazy about them. She holds them and sings to them and reads to them. It's adorable!! She wakes up and the first thing she says is "Can I hold my ducks?" She has named them all by herself. Cinderella(that's her favorite duck), Belle, Daisy and Donald Duck. It is really fun having them around....most of the time.

Feeling So Blessed

2010-03-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

In the past few weeks we have enjoyed lots of wonderful blessings. Some with our family and some with friends. One of my favorites was spent with a group of 10 of our dearest friends enjoying a night at Shoguns, our favorite Japanese Hibachi grill. We had such a wonderful time. The food was fabulous and the night was filled with good times. A short week later I was star stuck as we were sitting at Chili's in Lindale and realized we were sitting next to the entire crew from Extreme Makeover Home Edition. They were all there and even came over to our table to talk to us. Such kind, down to earth people who do an amazing job in helping those in need. What a cool experience that was. We also survived our 2nd annual garage sale. These sales are not something I enjoy, however I am amazed at how well baby/kids clothes sale. We had our sale with 4 other families in a great location and I am still in awe at how well it did. I got rid of a lot of unneeded stuff and put some extra cash in my pocket. Gotta love that! Sunday I indulged in Red Lobster's Lobster Fest and it was oh so good. Lobster tail, crab legs and shrimp...MMMM...makes my mouth water just remembering how good it was. Following our delicious lunch we spent the day shopping. Kerry looking for a new tv for our bedroom and me mainly enjoying all the cute lil girls clothes that are out for spring and summer. Aubree loves to shop with me and is so cute picking out the things she likes. She is set for spring and I can't wait to see her in all the darling outfits we got her.
Just when I thought life couldn't get any better, it did. We went on Tuesday to Medical City Dallas for Aubree's yearly follow up on her renal reflux. She had to have a sedated VCUG and renal ultrasound. This was very stressful for Kerry and I as we hated to see Bree put to sleep and we were prayerful that God would take care of her and make her reflux better. It had previously been graded as a 2-3 out of 1-5. As the VCUG was underway the doctors were amazing and were talking us through the procedure again. But as they neared 8oz of fluid being injected this time there was no reflux seen. YEAH!! It was officially gone. Only 20% of kids outgrow renal reflux and thankfully Aubree is in that 20%. It never crossed my mind that it would be completely gone. All this time we were praying for it to have improved, just for it to not be worse. Last year they had told us that some outgrow it by the time they are 5 yrs old and if this didn't happen or if it got worse she may need surgery to correct it. All I could think was please don't let it be worse and don't let there be any kidney damage. But God is so good!! He cured her and took the reflux away. For us that was such a peace of mind and meant no more prophylactic antibiotic daily for Bree. What an AWESOME day!! As a treat for Bree's day we had promised when it was over to take her to Chuck E Cheese. However, she asked to go to McDonald's and play on the playground instead. And since it was her treat we let her decide. We compromised and stopped at Chic-fil-a to play since it was on our way home. Aubree had a great time and played like such a big girl. It was a great day and again, I could not ask for more. I feel so very blessed to have the life I have. God is so GOOD!! To top off my great week my raise at work went into effect this week and I got back payed what I was owed. Yippee!! I truly feel on top of the world and owe it all to our amazing God. Thanks to everyone who prayed for Aubree and for all of our family and friends for their amazing love and support. XOXOX to all!!

2010-02-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed this past week with a beautiful snow. In east Texas snow like that is rare and it was such a delight to see it falling and sticking, if only for a day or so. On Thursday I was sitting with Jennifer Stewart having lunch at La Waffalatta in downtown Mineola and it felt as if we were sitting in Manhattan. Through the huge glass windows we could see large snow flakes steadily falling. It was amazing. Through out the day it continued to snow and by the afternoon the ground was covered. I was able to attend Aubree's Valentines Day party at parents day out and then we went home to enjoy the snow some more. Bree was confused a little. She kept asking me"Where is the grass?" Her mind just couldn't figure out where it had went. That afternoon Jennifer brought the girls over to play and we enjoyed watching the snow from the warmth of our living room. Kerry made homemade chili for us all to enjoy and we took lots of fun pictures in the snow. It was a great night with great friends. The snow fell all through the night and by Friday there were probably 10 inches on the ground. It was the prettiest thing ever. Due to the snow my office was closed and I got to spend another day at home with my wonderful family. We had snow ball fights and made snow angels and had such a blast playing in the beautiful snow. Just as we were almost frozen we loaded up and went to Kitchens for breakfast by the fire place. We were too late for breakfast so we had an early lunch instead. It was a great time, however the snow had caused our electricity to go out so we spent the day in town at Gramps and Bebe's house. There we made snow ice cream and enjoyed the cold winter day. It was so fun sharing this experience with Aubree. Our electricity was out until Saturday afternoon so we enjoyed a day of shopping and leisure with Bebe. Then we had a great italian dinner at the lake with Gramps, Bebe, Nona and the three of us. The snow was all almost melted by Sunday and although I was sad to see it go, it was nice to see the grass again. Sunday was a very special day. Not only was it a day of love, but our oldest nephew, Parker was baptised at church. My heart is always moved when a child accepts Jesus but it was even more precious since it was our dear Parker. After church we enjoyed a great lunch and then my two loves(Kerry & Aubree) and I and Bebe and Gramps enjoyed seeing Valentine's Day at the theater. It was a great day filled with lots of chocolates, kisses and love. I could NOT ask for more. XOXO to all!

Too cute not to archive....

2010-02-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

I use this blog as a way to keep a lot of our events archived and there were a couple of cute comments made by our darling Aubree that I want to make sure never get lost or forgotten. First off, Kerry and I love to watch sports. From football to basketball to hockey to baseball to UfC and Nascar. We enjoy all sports and most of the time don't miss an event. The same goes for my Mom and Grandparents. They are usually watching basketball or whatever sport is in season. My mom especially loves to watch the Maverick's basketball. She doesn't miss a televised game. Well Miss Bree has joined my mom in her passion for the Mav's and will cheer them on every time they are on the big screen. It is really cute to hear Bree say "Go Mav's!" or "Go Dirk!" Yes, she has learnt who most of the players are from my mom. She is very interested in this particular sport. Which I think she gets naturally cuz it is a sport that both my grandparents loved to play and from what I hear were very good at playing. The love of basketball was passed from them down to my mom and her brother Curtis and even to myself. I loved that game and still today enjoy playing and watching basketball. Well to get to the point, Pa and Mema and Bree were watching the Mavs and Bree ask, "Where is Dirk?" and teasing her, as Pa always does, Pa replied, "He's probably off with his girlfriend." And as serious and innocent as can be Bree replied back, " I am Dirk's girlfriend!" It was the cutest thing ever and she was so serious its not even funny.
On another note, this is a story that just melted my heart. I put this on face book so some may have already heard this, but for my Dad who I know isn't on fb I wanted to share this. Our cat Blue has a sore place on his back leg that we have no idea what has happened. We think it is a bite of some sort but aren't sure. Well the place started to get bigger and is bleeding more and has us all concerned. So we have been doctoring it and Bree has been pretty worried about it. Well out of no where the other morning she said to Kerry, "We need to talk to Jesus and ask Him to make Blue better." What a brilliant idea! I was so proud that at such a young age she already knows to go to God with her worries and ask him for help. This was a priceless moment for me as a mother. What a blessing that Bree is to our lives and to know she does understand the concept we are trying to teach her about having a relationship with God and talking through prayer to Him. It was just the sweetest thing and I wanted to share this joy with everyone, but my dad especially who always conveys the importance of having a relationship with God to me. And who always reminds me to turn it over to God, and although it may not be the answer I am wanting, it will be what God wants. And after all that is what we are here to do, seek God's word and live the life God wants for us. Hope these stories will warm your heart as much as they did mine and be a blessing for you all. XOXO

The month of January....

2010-01-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying this beautiful weather but know that the cold front is back on its way in. Last week I enjoyed running outdoors and it gave me a lil taste of what I have been missing on the treadmill. I love to run! It is relaxing and calming and a time when I can think and collect my thoughts. However, it is not nearly as refreshing when done indoors and not outside. I am not trying to rush things but I loved the 70 degree temps last week and am anxious for spring to get here. I am starting to think Bree has the same love for running. Every day she wants to see how fast and how long she can run. She runs up and down the living room, going full throttle the whole time. It is cute seeing her try so hard. I hope she grows up loving to run like I do. As a child I use to go out in the pasture with my Dad and we would have races through the woods and all over his land. We would see who could run the longest before they had to stop. Chasing each other all over, up and down hills and thru the creek. We went everywhere. It was always lots of fun and is a very good memory I have of time spent with my Dad. He always encouraged me and kinda planted a seed in me that has really flourished. As an adult I have participated in numerous charity events, marathones and half marathones, all sorts of runs and running organizations and hope to continue this well through my adulthood. I hope that I can do this with Bree someday(I can invision us chasing each other all over our land) and it is my dream to run mother-daughter events with her when she is big enough. I sure hope she loves it like I do. Her health is very important to me and I want her to enjoy exercising. I want it to be something we can do together. We have spent a lot of the month of January trying to slow down and spend more time enjoying each other, our home and allowing Bree to play with her toys and things. We have stayed in a lot of days and cooked our meals and eaten at the table together as a family instead of going out as we were so accustomed to before. We still enjoy a good meal out too dont get me wrong. It has just been fun planning our meals more and grocery shopping as a family has become one of our favorite things to do. We all enjoy cooking together and love how much more connected we feel after spending our time at home together. Our lives were so chaotic during the holiday season that this time of rest and relaxation was very needed. Plus I am constantly reminded of how fast Aubree is growing up and don't like looking back and wondering where the time went. Its inevitable I know but at least I can say that I am spending as much time as possible enjoying everyday with her and nurishing her mind and soul. One of our favorite family games that we have been enjoying is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse bingo. Bree got this as one of her gifts from Nona and we all enjoy playing it. Plus it is teaching her shapes and colors. Colors she has known for a while but there are a few shapes which she is really learning for the first time. Bree is really a lucky bingo player too. I have always enjoyed playing bingo on the cruise ships we go on and have been pretty lucky there too sometimes. I am sad to admit this but Bree usually beats Kerry and I most of the time. However, it's a fun time for us all. Bree has become quite the pajama girl. As soon as she comes home for the day she ask if she can put her jammies on. Normally it is fine and she spends the rest of the day comfy in her jammies and house shoes. And much to her delight she will enjoy "pajama day" at Parent's Day Out this Thursday. She is overflowing with personality. Always making us laugh. The other day she was very clear on informing Bebe that she wants to be called Aubree instead of Bree. I am not sure if she is sincere or if that was only for the time being but I have gotten in the habit of calling her Bree. I sure hope it doesn't last too long. Hopefully it is just a phase. She enjoyed a slumber party last week with her 1st cousin Kate at Gramps' and Bebe's house. I heard they had a lot of fun and while doing so I got to enjoy a date night with Kerry. So it was a win-win situation for us all. Well maybe not for Bebe. The girls kept her up most of the night and I sure bet she must have been exhausted. We spent last Saturday celebrating Bree's other cousin Lilly's 2nd birthday. It was a fun Elmo party and Lilly loved it. The party was great and we enjoyed spending that time with Clay, Tori and Lilly. Last night we were out to dinner with Gramps, Bebe and Papaw and when the waitress brought us Kerry's to go order Bree said to us, " I don't want Daddy to go to school." Made my heart melt. I knew it must be hard on her cuz she doesn't see her Daddy as much when he is in class but this was the first she had every said about it. She loves her Daddy so much and he is so amazing with her. He is a great Daddy and it makes me sad that she misses him so. I reminded her that he loves her and going back to school is a sacrifice he is making for all of us. So that one day he can be home more, enjoy his career and provide more for us. I am not sure if she understood but seemed to be comforted by what I said. God love her soul!! Precious little darling! Makes me even more ready for the relaxing weekend we have coming up. I cant wait to spend some time home together as a family enjoying each other's company. Every one should try it. It is great to slow down and plan on spending more time as a family, bonding and relaxing together. XOXO

2010-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

After 12 wonderful Christmas parties and a very busy vacation, I am finally sitting down to blog about our wonderful holidays. This year Bree really enjoyed unwrapping her gifts and those of everyone around her that was willing to let her help them. The magic of Christmas was definitely present in our home. Bree's laughter was priceless and filled my heart with joy on Christmas morning as she discovered all the joys of being a child at Christmas. We are so blessed and it was great sharing this time with our families. I have started a tradition of making breakfast casserole on Christmas morning and having both our parents over. We all enjoyed watching Bree play with her toys. She loved every minute of it. A couple of her favorites were the outdoor trampoline, that of course came with the padding and enclosure and her talking spring horse and the musical sit-n-spin, easel desk and stuffed Dalmatian puppy that has a stroller and accessories. She had such a blessed Christmas and received so many cool gifts that she loves. Kerry and I both exchanged stocking stuffers and agreed to build a shop/workout bldg/ storage as our gifts to each other. My Mom gave us professional grade garment steamer to share as well as a LL Bean jacket for Kerry and shirts and 2 yearly subscriptions to outdoor and gardening magazines that he had wanted. Mom gave me a pink Ipod to use when I run and some really cool knee boots. From Kerry's parents we got a Vita Mix 5200. For years we have seen the demonstration at the State Fair of Texas and admired how "MEAN" they are. For like 2 days straight we lived on smoothies and have been amazed at how good they taste. Maybe they will help us both to get more veggies and fruits in our daily diets. The cool thing is u can fill it w greens and not even taste them when they are mixed in with the fruit. It also makes warm soups as well. We just dumped in the ingredients for tortilla soup (including fresh, raw vegetables)and in a matter of minutes had warm soup. Fascinating huh? My Mema got Mom and I an awesome gift that I am supper excited about as well. She got us season passes again this year to Splash Kingdom.(The local water park that we spent like every Friday of last summer enjoying.) Well now we are all set for this coming summer and I just cant wait. Bree has so much fun there and will be able to enjoy even more of it this year. Thanks,Mema! We received way too many wonderful gifts from our families to list everything but now u have an idea of some of the great things we were showered with. We thoroughly enjoyed all the time we got to spend with our families and friends during the season. As for vacation, I was off from work for 12 wonderful days. We spent a lot of the time relaxing at home. We hardly ever get to just spend down time at home just the three of us. So I enjoyed pajama days the most, more than I would have enjoyed any trip for sure. I spent most afternoons out on the trampoline with Bree. She loves to play 'break the egg' the most. We also do a lot of chasing each other in circles too. While Emily and Josh were in town we also enjoyed a fun night of bowling with Kerry's parents and family. This was Bree's 1st time to bowl and she absolutely loved it! The kiddos had a lane all to them selves with the bumpers on and had a blast. She keeps asking to go back and I keep promising cuz I must admit I had forgotten how much fun it is myself. Kerry was the ultimate champ and beat us all but I did have a great time too. Now if I can just get my house back in order and get all of Bree's new things organized. We may have to add on to our house just to accommodate all her gifts. Thanks to everyone for all u did to make our holidays so outstanding. We are all so blessed! XOXO

2009-12-14T11:43:00.001-08:00

We have been greatly enjoying the month of December. I especially love this time of year and have enjoyed the chilly, cool weather this month has brought us. I am finally finished decorating our house for Christmas. I set up our nativity seen and put the finishing touches on our tree yesterday and Kerry helped by putting white lights on our house and shrubs. Bree has been in awe of our tree and loves to rearrange the ornaments on her pink tree in her room. It's sweet though to see her just gazing at the trees in bewilderment. She is so active in all the festivities this year. She enjoys putting the tape on the presents when I am wrapping them and finding the perfect spot for them under the tree. She also loves the snow globes and all the musical decorations. We have enjoyed discussing what the true meaning of Christmas is with Bree and she is so excited to have a birthday party for Jesus. Everything about the season is so breath taking to her. She has also enjoyed the excitement of Santa Claus and the gifts she will receive. She got to see Santa for the first time this year after the town Christmas parade with her friends Finlee and Addison. They sat in his lap and she smiled and starred at him with such delight. She was happy to ask him for a "Jumpoline". That is what she calls a trampoline. Which is really the only thing she has her heart sat on this year. Her friends Hannah and Sarah have one and oh how she loves to go over to their house and play on it. Nona also took her to see him when he and Mrs.Claus were visiting downtown and again she sat in his lap and ask for a jumpoline. I am surprised she hasn't been scared of him this year, but she reminds me often, "Momma, Santa is nice." So I guess she was pretty impressed with him. He may have gotten some brownie points cuz both times she saw him he gave her candy. Hmmm...that was a pretty smart move Santa Claus. Bree has been a doll singing lots of Christmas songs around the house and in the car. She makes the season so much fun! We have already began with the party madness that we so look forward to every year. The first Sunday of Dec. is always the Miller Christmas lunch. This is a celebration with my Mema's mother, Granny's side of the family. It was so nice seeing everyone and the food as always was great. Then on the 11th I celebrated with my girlfriends from high school. We got together this year for the 15th annual party which was hosted by Holly Tomlin at her house in Allen. There are 7 of us girls who have been getting together every year and we have such a neat, life long friendship. We enjoyed a great dinner at Mi Cocina and then spent the night together catching up and laughing about all the memories and history we have together. It was great seeing all the girls and I am so glad we have kept that tradition going through the years. Sunday after church we enjoyed lunch with my Grandparents and Nona at one of our favorite restaurants and then went home for a much needed nap. That evening we enjoyed the Festival of Lights at MSBC with some dear friends and then went back to their house so the kids could play for a while after we had pizza for supper. What a great night of good entertainment and good company. Kerry finished his first semester of the heating and air condition curriculum and was the top in his class. I am very proud of him and his decision to go back to school. It wasn't the easiest thing for any of us and it took some adjusting, but we all made it and in the long run will b better for it. It will be so nice to have him home more while he is off for Christmas break. Bree has been growing so much. She loves to read books to our cat Blue and our dog Alex and really anyone who will sit still and listen. She makes up most of the stories based on how she interprets the picture on the page, but she usually tells a very interesting story to say the least. She loves to shop with her Mommy and we have been getting more than our fill of that this holiday season. She is so much fun and always ask me "if i like this" or "what about this, this cute, Momma?" or something like that. The girl definitely has character! Friday when I was dressing her for the day, she put her pants on and while I was getting her a shirt out of the closet she turned her back side to me and said, "This look good from the back, Momma?" I cracked up! That girl is hilarious and always amazes me with what comes outta her mouth. I will end for now with another cute story about Bree. A week or so ago she was asking me all about my work and what I do. And said when she gets big she wants to be Cinderella. I laughed and thought that was so cute. Then a few days later when ask again what she wanted to b she said,"Jesus". How precious! The girls got ambition.Ha!Ha!

Sweet Day

2009-11-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

Today I found myself thinking a lot about my sister, Malena Louise Spencer. Today would have been her 32nd birthday and I cannot help but to think of all the wonderful birthdays we got to share with her. For as far back as I can remember Mom always made us feel so special on our birthdays. She would always let us pick where or what we had for supper on our birthday and she always had a cake with ice cream just the way we liked it. We also always got flowers at school or work or wherever we were and a sweet card and a present or money, which ever we preferred. Mom made our birthdays a big celebration and a very special time for us all. I have way too many fond memories to share them all on here, but they will forever be cherished in my heart. I also find myself day dreaming of what Malena would be like today and what we would have spent the day doing with her. For sure we would have gotten pedicures and mani's cuz that was one of Malena's favorite things for us girls to do together. I miss celebrating her birthday with her and really enjoyed spending the day looking at pictures of her past birthdays and recalling the laughter and joy we shared on those special days of celebrating her life on this earth. How sweet our time was together and I am so thankful we were such a close, loving family who shared so much together. Malena Louise Spencer Nov. 24,1977 - June 19, 2004(Sorry some of the pictures are out of order but it wouldn't let me rearrange them and save them.)

Fabulous Fall

2009-11-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

It has been absolutely gorgeous for the last couple of weeks here in Grand Saline. The trees are turning colors and the weather has been perfect, warm in the 70's with a little fall breeze. Wow, it has been beautiful. We spent last Saturday enjoying the sunshine with some friends at the pumpkin patch in Canton. It was a neat place with a blow up slide, carnival rides, pony ride, hay ride, kiddie roller coaster and lots of photo set ups. Bree loved it! She rode all the rides and had a blast. We both had a wonderful fall day. That evening she dressed up as a Dalmatian puppy to go trick or treating and to the town carnival. She was so cute and had a great time getting candy and playing the games at the carnival. I enjoyed watching her have fun more than anything. It was so sweet seeing her be playful and have a night all about her. Sunday after worship we celebrated Mauree Comer's 5th birthday with her. She had a cute pirate party and all the kids enjoyed it. On Monday we welcomed Brady Wallace Cranfill into the world. He is the baby of proud parents Greg and Katy Cranfill. Katy is a lifelong friend of mine and it was such a blessing to share in this time with her. I have tried to get back into my running routine this week. With the daylight savings and all it gets dark here around 6:00 and I have been trying to run on a treadmill inside instead of outside. In some ways this is much easier because I can run and watch Bree while she plays next to me at the same time instead of leaving her for a 35 min run. So, I actually like running inside, but do enjoy going for an outside run on the weekends when the weather is permitting. I love to run and when I get "too busy" and don't make time for it I can sure feel a difference in my mood and the way I feel. Crazy sounding maybe, but for me it is true. We spent this past Saturday at the Stewart's enjoying the awesome weather again. The girls enjoyed playing outside most of the time. They have a trampoline and Bree laughed hysterically for probably 20 minutes straight while they were jumping. She loved it! I must admit it is great watching her light up and enjoy herself. She has such a deep, wholesome laugh. It is precious. We took over frito pie stuff and we all enjoyed them. Even Bree and Hannah loved them, which they can be hard to please sometimes when it comes to food. It was a great day and Bree must have played her lil heart out cuz she was bathed and asleep by 6:30. Therefore, allowing Kerry and I to relax and catch up on some great college football. What a perfect day! Sometimes, it is nice to relax and spend time with those we love. Bree is learning so much these days. She loves to sing her ABC's and can even count to 10 now. She is like a lil sponge and loves to be read to every night. At bedtime she brings me like 6 books to read. (And is disappointed if I don't read every page!) Her vocabulary grows everyday and I just never know what to expect to come out next. She also loves to work puzzles. Her mind is busy learning and she is so much fun to be around. What a lil blessing!

2009-10-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

I am getting pretty regular about only posting once a month I know, but seriously I don't know where the time goes. Before I get the time to post again it's like the month is already gone. So this month we ran around as usual trying to keep up with all we had to get done. October 9th and 10th was my high school 10 yr class reunion. We met at the GS football game on Friday, which was a cold night and it really felt like football weather. Bree sported her adorable cheer leading suit and a really cute mum Mema made for her. She thought she was as big as the other girls there. It was great seeing everyone and then we had a fifth quarter party at the home of Ray and Debbie Carnes. They are always excellent hostess and the gathering was great. Lots of laughs and remembering when until 2:30 am, when we decided to call it a night. Saturday we had scheduled a family picnic in the city park but due to the rain and cold weather we met at Pappadales Restaurant instead. It was a small group for lunch but good company non the less. After lunch we went home for a short nap and then the class of 1999 met at the Chamber Building for a catered BBQ dinner and entertainment. Our very own, Edgar Gonzalez, did a great job at the dj table. We had a great time and it was so nice to see everyone who came out. However, I was reminded just how old I am. 10 yrs..... how have 10 yrs flown by since high school? Where the time went is beyond me.
We celebrated Olivia Paige Tolar's 1st birthday on the 17th. Her actual bday is Oct. 13th but her party was the following Sat. She had such a cute lady bug themed party and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. She was still smiling when we went to leave. What a precious milestone!
This day, Oct. 17th was a day of happiness and sadness and many mixed emotions. At around 5pm Kerry's Grandmother aka Gigi went home to be with our Lord after an extensive battle with cancer. This was our first Grandparent to loose and a tough experience to say the least. Although, we are very sad that she is no longer here in her earthly body, we are rejoicing in knowing she is in Heaven and no longer suffering. Mary Nell Burnett was a very sweet, loving, nurturing Grandmother who loved her family very much and we already miss her dearly. However, we were relieved with how peacefully she passed away with her family at her side and thank God she didn't have to suffer anymore. This experience was very confusing for Bree. Bree has a special place in her heart for all her great grandparents and Gigi was very special to her. Kerry had taken her to see Gigi in the hospital on Thursday and we were just getting out of the car at the Hospice facility when we got the call that she had passed from this life. So, poor Bree was confused when we told her Gigi went to be with Jesus. She didn't understand and thought we had left her at the hospital. It was very sad and difficult to explain to Bree. But she does seem to be doing better with it now. However, Gigi's memory will live on in our hearts forever.
When we loose someone we love we are reminded of how temporary our lives here on this earth are and it helps us to appreciate every moment we have with those we love. I spent the rest of the week trying to love and enjoy every minute of the blessed life I have been given. We often rush through our days and forget how precious every breath we have here on earth truly is. Bree loves to help in the kitchen these days. On a couple of occasions I let her help and we even had some friends over last week for supper and the girls made cookies for dessert. They loved putting chocolate kisses in the middle of the warm, fresh baked cookies. She enjoys helping so much and usually if I am in the kitchen she gets her step stool and comes running to help with whatever I am doing. It is very sweet. Saturday the 24th we spent the day at a fall festival and it was so nice to appreciate the changing season. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed spending some time outside. That evening we went to dinner with some good friends and celebrated Jennifer Tolar's birthday. I won't mention how old she is....but most people can probably figure it out. We spent the day Sunday enjoying our family time at home and also enjoyed watching the Cowboys win. They sure are fun to watch when they get their act together. Go Cowboys! We had a great weekend!! Hope everyone has a great week and Happy Halloween!

Another Mega Post

2009-09-30T16:57:00.001-07:00

The month of September was filled with a lot of excitement and good times. My high school girlfriends hosted a baby shower for one of our dearest, Katy Jarmon Cranfill. We had a wonderful time showering her with the cutest baby boy gifts around. Mom made a delectable white, baby carriage cake. That turned out perfectly! (If I do say so myself.) It was a great time with dear friends and Katy was absolutely glowing. I can't wait to meet Mr. Brady Cranfill in another month or so. The 10th was another milestone for me, I turned 29. The day started off great as I was greeted at work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my family. They were from Kerry, Bree, Mom, Mema & Pa. Last year I received 2 bouquets, one from Kerry and Bree and the other from Mom, Mema & Pa. As u can imagine I had a difficult time transporting them home, so I dropped a "hint" of how much easier it would b for them to go in together next time. I guess they must have been listening. The girls at work surprised me with a gorgeous chunky, hot pink and zebra print necklace that I had been wishing for and an Italian cream cake. (my absolute fav!!) Then, my Mema made my favorite chicken and dumplings for me for supper and gave me this gorgeous, new chocolate brown bedding. I also received a card and money from my in laws. I had a great day and the celebrations had just begun. Mom, Bree and I spent the day Friday in Dallas shopping. We even made a stop by the Medical Center of Lewisville, which is where I worked for 6 yrs before we moved to GS. It was great to see most of my old co-workers and let them see how big Bree has gotten. After visiting for a while we got back to our shopping and closed the shops down. Saturday Bree stayed with Nona while Kerry and I went out w 4 other couples to an excellent dinner at Four Winds Steak House. Yum-O!! Then we headed out to Silver Saloon for some good ole live music and dancing. Another fav of mine! We had a terrific time and I loved every minute I got to spend with our close friends who all came out for my birthday. Sunday afternoon Mom made dinner for me and again I got to pick what we ate. She made me the best cheese manicotti ever that was followed with delicious Oreo cookie cake. Good thing I wasn't dieting cuz my bday weekend was full of good food. Which I dearly love!! I had an awesome birthday and was blessed to share it with my family and friends. Kerry's grandmother "Gigi" celebrated her 76th birthday Sept. 14th and then my Mema also celebrated her bday on Sept. 19th. She turned the big 76 too and is still going strong. We are blessed to have all of our grandparents still with us and what a joy it is to celebrate their birthdays with them. On the 20th Kerry and I went with 2 other couples to see the 1st Dallas Cowboys season game in their new home. OMG!! It is fabulous! Jerry did an amazing job. Talk about impressive. The game was close but we lost to the Giants, but it was still an awesome time. I am so excited for the upcoming football season. Kerry and I are both passionate about college and pro football. We love this time of year cuz the weekends are full of good times cheering for our fav teams from the edge of our couch. I LOVE IT!! Bree and Kerry are both enjoying school. Kerry is doing so good. Probably not having as much fun as Bree is at her school, but he has made 100 on 3 of the 4 test they have taken and 110 on the 4th one. That's impressive too, huh? At least, I am impressed. We have been loving this beautiful fall weather. Bree and I enjoy walking Alex in the evenings in the cool fall air. And we have been spending a lot of time out on our deck. We are especially enjoying eating and playing outside. Bree ask to play in her sand box almost every day here lately. The girl plays so good by herself and has a huge imagination. I love to watch her be creative with the things she makes out of the sand. She is such a joy to be around. Thank goodness I have her to take my mind off of Kerry being away at school. We both wait anxiously every evening for him to come home. Secretly hoping his classes ended early and he will be home before we are expecting him. Although, I miss him like crazy I am glad he has this oppertunity. We are so blessed!! Thanx for checking on us. HAPPY FALL! GO COWBOYS & LONGHORNS!! XOXOX

Life in the fast lane!

2009-09-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

In the past month we have experienced many changes in our family. The biggest event that has happened is that my sweetie aka Daddy has gone back to school. He is a college boy again...scary thought huh? Actually we are all very excited about his decision to back to TJC to get a degree in air conditioning and refrigeration. Kerry has a Bachelors Degree in Applied Science but has never really enjoyed his career choices. So, he has decided to take the opportunity and go back to school to do something he enjoys. For those of u who don't know him, he is a very hands on type of guy. He loves to put things together, build things, take them apart and all that sort of stuff. He is a genius when it comes to building things and how things work. It just comes natural to him. I am so glad he is going to have a degree in something that interest him and at the same time it is something that he can grow in and has many avenues to offer him. It is something that in the future if he wanted to he could own his own business. That is ultimately his dream and in Texas it is something that there will always be a demand for. I am so fortunate to have a career that I am completely passionate about and absolutely love what I do everyday and I am thrilled that Kerry can see that same result in his near future. He has to go four semesters to complete the program and graduate. It is difficult for us sometimes. We are trying to adjust to him being busier and having more obligations and being away from us while he is in class. Bree misses her Daddy sometimes when he is occupied with school, but it is only temporary and he reminds us that ultimately he is doing this for the best interest of our family. We have to value our family time even more now than before. Daddy is not the only one who started to school recently. Tuesday Sept. 1st was Bree's 1st day to go to Parents Day Out. This is a program that is offered at our church for 6 hrs a day 2 days a week to children between 2 and 4 yrs of age. In the program the kids learn bible lessons, shapes, colors, numbers and much more. They also do crafts and get to play and socialize with children close to their own age. It was difficult for us to decide whether to put her in the class or not. We struggled with if she was big enough and mature enough to have to be on a schedule and follow the classroom rules. We prayed a lot about it. In the end we knew how much she loves going to Sunday school and church and this would be with most of her same friends and in her same classroom. Also, several of my girlfriends kids were going as well as Bree's 1st cousin Crew and we knew she would enjoy seeing them more. So, after much consideration, we decided it would be to her benefit to go. Needless to say, I was one nervous Momma Tuesday morning! I mean my baby girl was going to be in a classroom setting and I was afraid she wouldn't be ready or like it. I just kept picturing her missing her normal daily routine. Until now Bree has stayed with family and been catered to by her loving grandparents and great grandparents. She was very happy and content in her routine and being the center of attention. I worried she would not like the change and would miss the old care free days of hanging at the house all day doing whatever she wanted on her terms. But as soon as I woke Bree up Tuesday for class she was smiling and said,"I go to school today?" Seriously, that was the first thing she said. So, we got ready and packed her lunch and Kerry and I took her for her first day of PDO. I think I was more worried and sad than she was. She went right into the classroom and started playing with her friends. Seriously, she was such a big girl and never even looked back. I think she loved the idea of playing with other kiddos and getting to be with her friends. My baby spent the whole day at school. As for Kerry and I we went to breakfast and enjoyed spending time together alone. We hung out on the couch just chilling and cuddling. (which we usually do with a 2 yr old climbing all over us.)We missed her greatly, but it isn't so often that we get a day relaxing together at home alone. It was nice. When I picked her up she was smiling and the director of the program said she smiled all day. I think she loved it. She wouldn't say much but I am pretty sure she is happy to be going to school. She was excited to go again today. She couldn't wait to get there and kept talking about all her friends in her class. And after picking her up today she seemed to have had a wonderful time. Other than that we have been spending a lot of time swimming and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Last weekend we took a road trip to Magnolia, Tx. Which is close to Houston. I love road trips....that could be b/c I rarely have to drive. Kerry always wants to drive, so I get to enjoy the scenery and the conversation. It is always so nice to just drive and talk and just have several hours together on the road. Bree was a pretty good traveler, too. Other than the fact that she is potty trained now so we had to stop several times to let her go to the restroom. But actually that was pretty nice, too. We discovered some really cool convenience stores and rest stops along the way. We stayed with Kerry's Uncle Robert and Aunt Julie. They have an amazing home in an awesome community. We spent most of the time enjoying their backyard living area and kitchen and their pool and jacuzzi. In their neighborhood there are tons of wild deer everywhere. We took the golf cart thru the streets and saw so many deer just chilling in the neighbors yards. It was great. Our trip was so much fun! Bree is such a blast to be around. She is a social girl. Everywhere we go she makes friends and is the life of the party. She has so much love for people and animals and is such a delightful person. I can just see the love and joy she has for life in her eyes. She is talking so well and we have to really be careful what we say in front of her lil ears cuz she picks up everything. And I do mean everything! Our lives have been so blessed by her dear, sweet soul. We don't have too much going for Labor Day weekend. I think since we have been spending so much time on the go and Kerry has been away at school so much we are probably most excited about spending some time at home as a family. My wish is for everyone to have a safe and wonderful holiday doing whatever it is u love. XOXOX

2009-07-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

It has been hard for me to get back into the groove of things at work after being off last week. I enjoyed sleeping in, lounging around and the fun filled days I got to spend with Bree. We spent most of the week camping in our rv trailer at whispering pines resort. My family was there all week and it was so nice to enjoy the beautiful, HOT summer outdoors. We did a lot of swimming to cool off. Which is one of Bree's fav. summer activities. She is learning tho. I spent about 30 min a day working with her on kicking and moving her arms. She can do it... when she wants to. That's about how things go around our house. We like to think we are in control, but a lot of the time it is our very own little"PRINCESS" that is ordering us around. Sad, I know...but we don't go out of the boundaries of what's safe and what is right. Pretty much she just tells us when she wants to swing, or swim, or what she wants to wear, or when she wants a sucker. ( Suckers are her favorite treats. My Mema bought a huge bag of 500 dum dums from Sam's, so thanks to her we have plenty on hand.)Things like that. And of course we all enjoy making her happy. Anyways, this past weekend was the "Riggle Reunion". My grandfather has a large family. He is one of 8 children. I cannot imagine how his parents survived 8 children. One keeps us busy enough! (For now, anyways) Well, every summer all his siblings and their families get together for a weekend long reunion. They have been doing this for as long as I can remember...even before I was thought of. For the last 7 years it has been at Whispering Pines Resort, which is one of our favorite camping places. It has a lot to offer. Very nicely kept, beautiful cabins for those who don't rv, 2 pools(1 for adults and 1 for children), jumping pillow(kinda like a huge, cushiony pillow set in the ground) sand volleyball, tennis courts, basketball, putt-putt golf course, horseshoe pits, nature walks and much more. It really is a great place to spend some time relaxing with ur family. We always have a great time!! And as always it was so nice to spend some time with my Pa's family. Our time together is usually centered around lots of good eating. We have these huge breakfast where everyone brings something and then throughout the day there are snacks and then lunch together and of course every evening we met in the air conditioned building for an enormous supper together, which was followed by an assortment of homemade ice cream. My family loves to eat!! And there is always plenty of delicious food at our gatherings. The theme for this year was "Survivor" and we played some really fun games. Bree especial loved the crafts for the kids. The cereal necklaces were her favorite. She enjoyed eating her fruit loops off the necklace even more than she enjoyed stringing them. It was fun to spend time with my cousins, who I have always admired and to see Bree playing with their children, which are her cousins too. There were around 90 people at the reunion. We are always so pleased with how many families come and participate in the weekend long event. Its neat how we have such a large family and everyone gets along. I mean our family is very close and there is no division among us. We are all always there for one another and it is cool that we still get together every summer. We get together at Christmas and through out the year too, but the summer reunion is really great. I am so blessed by my large, close family. This week we have been trying to get caught back up on things around the house. No fun I know, but it had to be done. I hope everyone has a great weekend! XOXOX

Happy Father's Day

2009-07-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

I know this is a lil late, but I wanted to wish every father a Happy Father's Day and most importantly honor the best father in the world!! When I searched for my soul mate and partner in this world, I always tried to imagine how they would be as a father. I knew Kerry was an extraordinary person, a wonderful man and my soul mate, but I never knew he would be as good of a Dad as he is. He is amazing with Bree. He takes such good care of her and loves her and me so much. He is so patient with the both of us and is such a fun Dad. He plays with her and has so much fun with her. We are always laughing when he is around. Bree is definitely a big Daddy's girl. We spent Father's day with Daddy at my g-parents for lunch. Bree enjoyed Kerry pushing her in the swing and playing outside with her. Then we ate supper and spent the evening at Kerry's parents house. We had a wonderful day and want everyone to know our Daddy is the best!!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

We have had such a wonderful holiday weekend. Friday Bree and I spent the day at Splash Kingdom Water park. We got season passes and Bree absolutely loves to go and play in the kiddie castle. She crawls on her hands thru the water and says to me, "Look Momma, Me swimming!" She is such a hoot!! The things she does and says keeps me rolling! So we spent the day there having fun. Then that evening we went with Kerry and Gramps over to A Taste of Italy which is overlooking Lake Hawkins. It has the most beautiful patio out on the lake. We enjoyed dinner so much!! Great food and an awesome view. Then we rode around the lake site seeing. Something Kerry and I love to do together. Sat. morning we were complete lazy bones. The three of us slept in til 11:00. Wow!! It was so nice!! So once we finally got around we headed out to Lake Tawokini where we met up with the Dugan and Tolar family. We spent the afternoon out boating and swimming and man was it a fun trip. Bree is fearless. Which is cool, but scary for us as parents!! She, like her Daddy & Momma, is a water person. Put me out in the water and I am content for hours...that is exactly how she is. She loved it!! Then Sat. evening we headed over to the Hill's home for a fish fry and pool party. More swimming and fun. They have a gorgeous home on 80 acres and from their balcony we could see numerous firework shows. We had a wonderful 4th!! Thanks everyone for spending the holiday with us. Sunday at church the Children's Director told us that Crew(Bree's 1st cousin) and Bree were so cute hugging and talking to each other but that they may need to separate them. I am sure they were too busy talking to each other to listen to the SS lesson. It is sweet tho how good they get along and how close they are. Bree will definitely be taken care of by her 3 big cousins. Sunday evening Gramps and Bebe brought Parker, Brett, Crew and Kate over for grilled burgers and hot dogs. Then Kerry made some of his famous homemade strawberry ice cream(actually the recipe is my mom's, but Kerry is getting pretty good at it!!) The kids had a fun time playing on the playground and then they helped Kerry and Gramps pick and shell some peas from our garden. Which I must give Kerry and Gramps props for cuz we have gotten all sorts of fresh produce from our garden. It is therapeutic to work in and man are the tomatoes delicious!! Kerry also made some pickles that I swear are the best I have ever had!! We are enjoying our garden and I am checking the watermelons daily to see if they are ready yet. Last weekend we met Kerry's brother and his family, his parents, g-parents, and his aunt and cousin along with his wife and daughter at the Alligator farm. This was such a cool place. The kids got to pet the baby alligators and watch as the big ones swam and ate. We had lunch and the kids enjoyed playing and then we finished the trip off with homemade peach ice cream. It was a great day!! We have been busy this summer introducing Bree to all the wonderful things of summer. Bebe and I took Parker, Brett, Crew, and Aubree to the Blueberry patch in Edom to pick blueberries. The bigger boys were a lot of help but as for Crew and Bree well they spent their time playing in the dirt. Which was really pretty cute...Thank goodness we brought a change of clothes cuz Bree was covered in it!! No kidding, head to toe covered. We did pick a large bag full of blueberries and then the kiddos enjoyed some blueberry lemonade. What a treat!! We stopped at an amazing bakery for lunch and enjoyed some delicious food. Another wonderful day that I can't wait to scrapbook about. We have been enjoying this summer so much. I am a summer girl for sure!! I love the water, sunshine, camping and the beautiful scenery of the flowers and green grass around us. We have enjoyed hanging out on our patio most evenings enjoying the fresh air and the quietness of country living. Last Thursday we had the Stewart family over and it was so nice to sit and visit and watch the girls swim. I even commented on how precious it was to sit and hear the girls sweet laughter as they played. They had so much fun. Which is what summer is all about. I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful season!! XOXOX

Malena Louise Spencer Nov. 24, 1977 to June 19, 2004

2009-06-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

(This was written on Friday June 19th but not published until today.)Today is an especially difficult day for me and my family. Five painful years ago my beautiful, sister Malena was killed in a horrible car wreck. As I have tried to focus on the wonderful memories of Malena, who I and my family referred to as Nina, left us with. I am reminded of all the hurt and devastation her tragic accident caused me and my family. Nina was the sweetest, most loving, forgiving, non judging person I know. She always thought of helping others and was a very dedicated worker at ETMC Athens where she was a registered phlebotimist going to school to be a nurse. She truly had a heart of gold. I miss her loving personality and the joyfulness of her laughter. She and I had a very close relationship and she was always there for me...never judging me, just always listening and being a friend. She and Kerry were very good friends and like each other in many ways. They both had the same take on many things and would team up against me from time to time. I love the memories I have of the three of us going and doing things together. I am grateful for the 26 years we had her on this earth, but cannot help to wish we had longer. I miss all our long telephone conversations and her rational advice and the way we had so much fun together. Nina wasn't too crazy in the past about the guys I chose to date and usually disapproved. Until Kerry and I started dating that is. She knew Kerry from high school and always thought he was a good person. She liked us together and would go just about every where with us. She even kept us together a few times. We hung out just about every weekend together. It was really cool for us to be so close. Now I am so thankful for all the memories we made and Kerry and I always laugh when we think of my sister. She left us with many fond memories and I know we all miss her dearly. Please remember my family in ur prayers as this is a very difficult time of year for us all. XOXOX

Hello...Where has the time gone?

2009-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have posted a blog. So much has been going on in our lives and I have pushed blogging aside. Kerry and I celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage on May 14th. Bree spent the night with Nona and Daddy and I spent an evening out to dinner and a movie. The years have gone by so fast and we enjoyed our special date in celebration of our anniversary. Bree is so much fun to be around. She loves playing outside and most of all playing in the water. Memorial weekend we went and stayed in The Embassy Suites in Irving and this was her 1st experience of the summer of swimming in a pool. She absolutely loved it!! She couldn't get enough of it. We had such a fun time with her. Then we spent a few afternoons out on the lake boating with the Dugan and Tolar families and that was another favorite for her. She laughed and giggled the whole time we were cruising on the water. She is a little fish! While we were boating Bree went without a diaper for like 6 and 7 hours at a time. She would tell me every time she needed to use the restroom. So I realized that if she could remember to tell me for that amount of time then she could possibly tell me the rest of the time. Hey, it was worth a shot anyway. So, I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up several cute, girly panties for her and we were both so excited. Bree loved wearing her big girl panties and she was so easy to train. Since then(knock on wood) she has done great. We welcomed baby Austin D. Dugan into our world May 29th. Bree went with us to the hospital and was so excited. When he was born she was running and singing in the waiting area, saying "want to see, want to see." We decided to give her dear binky, which she loves so very much, to Austin. It was a lil hard at nap time that afternoon. She cried for it and wanted to go to Nona's house to get another binky.But I convinced her that we gave them all to Austin, even Nona's. And after that she has adjusted rather well.Although every once in a while she wants to go look in the cabinet where they were kept to make sure they are still gone. My baby is such the big girl. Big girl panties and no binky all in the same week. Wow!! Well we wanted to reward her, so we got her two, new baby kittens for being so big. She wanted to name them both Gracie, I think after our Pastor's baby that stays in the nursery with her. But since they are both boys we had to help her pick another name. We named one of them Tiger because he has tiger stripes all over his body and the other one is Lil Blue cuz he is a grayish blue color. They are really sweet and playful and Bree loves to drag them around. Poor kittens!! But they do love her, too. The other morning I was getting her ready to take her to Pa and Mema's house and they were meowing like crazy, as they usually do when they see us. Well Bree said "Kitty's crying, want me...want me to hold them." I though it was so cute. She thinks they are her lil babies and she is their Mommy. She is definitely an animal lover. As natives of Grand Saline we enjoyed introducing Bree to the annual Salt Festival which was held the 1st weekend of June. We took her downtown to the kiddie capers, which she enjoyed. Her favorite thing, which came as no surprise to me, was the petting zoo. She loved the blow up slide and games too. That evening we dressed her up in her Ariat Baby Phat red boots along with a denim skirt and red tee that said, Mommy's Cowgirl and took her to the rodeo. She loved seeing the cows and horses and sat in the bleachers cheering for the calves during the calf roping. It was a lot of fun for us all. She makes everything so much more enjoyable! The Salt Festival will surely be something she looks forward to as her Daddy and I both did when we were kids. We have been so busy with lots of summer birthdays. We recently celebrated Bebe's, Uncle Brandon's, Finlee Rae's, Hardy's and Finley White's, Marti's and Macoy's and we have Hannah's and Crew's this week. Wow, there are a lot of blessings that were born in the summer months. Which means lots of parties and celebrations for us. We have enjoyed celebrating our loved ones and friends so much!! Happy Birthday to them all! Well I know this has been like a huge post of all sorts of things, but I have been going non-stop. I'll try to post again soon. XOXOX

Our babay girl is 2!

2009-04-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Wow...Sunday the 26th Aubree Malena turned 2 years old. It is impossible for me to think of where the time has gone. She is speaking in sentences now and learning her colors. She loves to sing, mainly twinkle twinkle little star and Jesus loves me. She is such a joy to be around. We had a Fancy Nancy party at our house Sunday afternoon to celebrate this milestone. There were 17 kiddos and they enjoyed playing on Bree's new wooden swing set Gramps and Bebe gave her for her b-day. They also enjoyed the cutest pink, tiara cake and banana splits. I tried to take quotes from the book and apply them to the party. There were frilly toothpicks in the sandwiches, cuz Fancy Nancy states that, " Sandwiches always taste better with frilly toothpicks in them." The kids also had fun dressing up Fancy Nancy style. After the party Bree said to me, "Party fun, Momma." It was so sweet. I am glad she enjoyed her party. Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating Bree with us. We have been so blessed by her precious soul. Last week we enjoyed taking Bree to the Van Zandt County Fair. We met The Stewart family at Jerry's for some pizza first and then took the girls for a fun nite at the fair. Bree and Hannah, who is a few months younger than Bree, had fun riding the elephants together. Them and the lil train roller coaster, and the carousel were Bree's favorite rides. She had such a great nite. Daddy even won her a cute, purple stuffed teddy bear. I am just left wondering how my baby got so big so fast?....

2009-04-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ok I know it has been forever...but I will try to get back on track. We have had such a busy month. I helped give Amie Dugan a sweet shower to get her ready to welcome her precious baby boy, Austin into the world. He is scheduled to arrive May 29th, unless he decides to come earlier. Easter was a great experience for Bree. Lots of egg hunts and candy. We took Bree to the Tuttle ranch, which is one of our neighbors' ranch, for a huge town hunt on Sat. afternoon and then that night we ate supper with Kerry's family and then she hunted eggs with her cousins. We had candy running out our ears at this point, but we still managed to take her to one more hunt on Sunday after church at my great Uncle & Aunt's house. Going to Bobby and Nadine's for Easter has been a tradition in my family since I was small and Bree seemed to enjoy it as much as I always did. She is like a pro now at the egg hunting thing. We celebrated the rising from the dead of Jesus with lots of family and friends and of course we r trying to teach Bree all about the meaning of Easter and everything else. She gets a lil of it. We will just keep teaching her. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter as well. Aubree has been busy helping us work in the garden and in the flower beds around the house. She mostly just loves to play in the dirt, but she thinks she is helping. We have also been getting the deck and porch fixed up, too. We have been working especially hard to get everything ready for her 2nd b-day party at our house this weekend. She is so excited. She says, " Bree 2, Party with cake, ice cream and friends. " It is so sweet. She tells me like everyday who she wants to be at her party. I cannot believe she is already 2. I haven't been blogging cuz I have been scrapping like crazy to get her 2nd scrapbook finished by her b-day. And I can happily say....it is finally finished. 35 pages that sum up the last year of her precious life. I will post more later...I just wanted to let everyone know I do intend to get better with this again. XOXOX

2009-03-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it has been a couple weeks since I have taken the time to sit down and blog. I have only one excuse....LIFE. And it has been busy. Busy, yet I love every minute of it and am so blessed by the the life I have been given. So, what is it that we have spent the last couple of weeks doing? Well, we took Bree on an 8 hour car trip to Springfield, MO a couple of weeks ago. We rode with Gramps and Bebe to visit Josh and Emi (as Bree calls her). The car trip was not as bad as I had anticipated with a 22 month old little one. Bree slept and watched movies almost the whole way. We had so much fun visiting and enjoyed a lot of good food while we were there. The best part of the trip tho was when we woke up on Friday morning and there was snow everywhere. It snowed like 2 1/2 inches while we were asleep. When Bree looked outside she said "Broke". It was so cute. She kept telling us that it was broke outside. Little ones have such a precious way of viewing things and it is funny the things they come up with. We played out in the snow and Gramps and Kerry even built a snowman with Bree. She loved playing in the snow and liked to eat it even more. The trip was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed it. We have been celebrating a lot of birthdays this month. Last Friday we celebrated with cousin Brett for his 5th b-day. Wow it is hard to believe he is so old. He is such a sweet soul and a joy to be around. Saturday we journeyed to Allen to attend Emma Tomlin's birthday party. Emma is about 6 wks older than Bree and the girls have a special connection. Holly and I have been close friends since we were 13 and it is so special to see our little girls grow up together. The party was a lot of fun and we enjoyed seeing everyone. This week has been about spending a lot of time indoors since we have been blessed with the beautiful, much needed rain. I know our garden is rejoicing and thankful for all the water we are receiving. Kerry has been so busy working around our house and on our land. He got our dock and deck finished this week. They both add a lot to the look of our place and I know we are going to enjoy them this spring. Bree has been helping me pot some blueberry plants and really enjoys watering the plants and flowers. She is so independent these days. Definitely going on 2 years old. She has to do things her way or it gets really dramatic. She is so sweet but very head strong, too. She loves to color and draw and also loves to dance and sing. She is so fun to be around. She just radiates with energy and joy. She is such a blessing in our lives and I never imagined how much better a lil one makes everything. Sorry it took me so long to post, but now you have an idea of what our lives have been like for the last couple of weeks. Thanks for checking on us. XOXOX

2009-02-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

To sum things up for the past week I will start with Friday, since the week was pretty uneventful and spent mostly working. However, we did manage to spend time having dinner with Pa, Mema and Nona on Wednesday and Gramps and Bebe and Aunt Beth on Thursday. Then on Friday Kerry and Aubree met me in Mesquite for lunch at Jason's Deli. This is one of our favorite places to eat and probably one of the things I miss most about not living in the Dallas area anymore. Bree shares our love of muffaletta's, too. After lunch we headed downtown to have our taxes done with Mr. Orrick, which we love. He and his wife are really sweet people and they were so kind to Bree. His office is right across from SMU and overlooks Central Expressway. The walls on the outside of his office are glass and Bree enjoyed looking down on all the moving cars. They had this peg game where all the pegs were different colors and Mr. Orrick asked her to find the yellow pegs and sure enough she went right to them. And then she found all the blue pegs, too. We were all impressed. She loves her Doug and Melissa puzzles and one of them is about matching colors, so maybe she has learnt some colors from that. But I must also add that the week before we were making Valentine cards for her grandparents and on one page there was a place for her hand prints. So, I got out the hand paint and we did her prints. Well, Bree picked up one of the paints and said "paint pink" and sure enough, it was pink. So, I guess she is really learning her colors. To a first time Mom it is really cool how they pick things up so fast. After having our taxes done we took Bree to the Dallas World Aquarium. It was great! Bree loved all the fish, birds and turtles. It is really an awesome aquarium and I highly recommend it if you have not experienced it before. Of course we enjoyed it as much as Bree and it was unanimous, our favorite thing of all was the sea otters. They were very entertaining and friendly. We finished the day off with a little shopping. It was a perfect day. Aubree is such a good girl when we are out on the go. She really enjoys going places and was so fun to spend the day with. Saturday we spent the day in our pj's. We were complete bums. Kerry painted our front door black and mowed some but Bree and I spent the day playing inside. Kerry grilled cheeseburgers for supper and I never knew Bree liked them so much. She ate an entire half all by herself, along with some chips and ranch dip. What a big eater! Sunday on our way to church I asked her if she wanted to go to church with Daddy and Momma or go to the nursery and she said, "nursery." I guess she does like going to the nursery still. Mostly though, I think it is so neat how a 22 mo. old can understand what I am saying and express her thoughts so well. I am so glad we are able to communicate so well, now. It was only a few months ago that she could barely talk and now she has learnt so much and can tell me what she wants. After church when we got home from lunch Kerry went back out to mow some more and Bree was in her room watching him out her window while I changed. Well, when I went in there to see what she was doing I found her holding my lipstick with it smeared all over her chin. She missed her lips just a little. Ha! Well, it was the long lasting kind that last for like 8 hours and I couldn't get it all off. Hopefully it will wear off soon. She had sat on the bathroom counter with me this morning while I got ready and I let her play with some of my brushes, so I guess she wanted to complete the look with some lipstick. She is in the stage where she wants to do everything we do. If I put on deodorant, she wants some. If I spray perfume, she says, "Bree some." So I always pretend to give her some. She is the same way about my makeup and everything else. It is so fun to see her pretend and try to copy us. We spent the afternoon outside enjoying the beautiful day. Brandon and the 3 boys came over and Bree and I really enjoyed playing with them. I have a short work week this coming week. I work Mon. and Tues. and am off for the rest of the week. Woohoo!:) I can't wait to spend 5 days at home with Kerry and Bree. Kerry worked hard last week to get our gates painted black and a new mailbox and porch light up. I posted a picture of the gate to the front pond, which I love looking out at from our kitchen window. Although, we do miss some of the amenities of living in Dallas, we love the beautiful land we have in Grand Saline. Our house is small and cozy, but we love it. Plus the land is so pretty and we have a lot of hopes for it. We are starting to get things to looking the way we want them to. It is so fun working on our land and house. We are really enjoying the countless projects ands the difference they have made to the looks of our place. Thanks for checking on us. XOXO

2009-02-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

In honor of Sweethearts Day I spent a lot of time this weekend remembering the special moments of my true love. For those of you who don't know Kerry and I both grew up in Grand Saline but he is 5 years older than me and we didn't really know each other until the summer of 2001 when we ran into each other in the infamous "bear grounds" in town. He was with some mutual friends of ours and I was with Audra, a long time girlfriend. We started talking and there was just something about him. He was funny, outgoing and witty, but also charming, sweet and polite and really thoughtful. (I know some of you may be wondering if we are talking about the same guy.Ha!) He has always been so sweet to me and treated me like a queen. He is this big, rough, tough man's man who has a heart of gold and really knows how to make a girl feel special. We ran into each other the next night at a friends house and again hit it off great. I must admit that after talking to him I couldn't wait to see him again. At the time I was living in Mesquite going to college in Dallas and had to go home then on the third day for school. Well, I can still remember the feeling I got on that Tuesday (5 days after running into him in the bear grounds)when he called me for the first time. We were good friends at first but both knew there was something really special between us. At the time neither of us were wanting a relationship, but we just couldn't let each other go either. We talked and saw each other on weekends and whenever we could for 3 years and then when he graduated from UT Tyler he moved to Dallas to be closer to me. We became engaged on Dec. 21 of 2004 and got married on May 14, 2005. We have always had this special connection and I am so glad God brought us together. May 14, 2005 was one of the greatest days of my life. I can still remember the look in Kerry's eyes as we stood there saying our vows. He and I have this deep connection, we are true soul mates. He makes my life so wonderful. So, as I spent time remembering all the special moments of our wedding day I got the album out and started looking at all the pictures. Seriously, that day was AWESOME! We were married at Castle Douglas in Rockwall, Tx. And everything about our wedding day was magical. I was so honored to share the day with some of my best friends and family. I decided to share some of the photos with everyone so you can see how truly wonderful the day really was. We have now been married almost 4 years and have been blessed with a 22 month old beautiful little girl, Aubree Malena Kindle. God has been so good to us and I am so happy to have celebrated my 8th Valentine's Day with Kerry. I was off from work Thursday and Friday and enjoyed my long weekend with my family and friends. I spent the majority of this time at the Dugan's house assisting with a garage sale. Bree loved playing outside all day and ofcourse spending time with Mommy, Daddy and the Dugan's. We spent Feb. 14th enjoying the beautiful weather outside and also enjoying our time with our daughter. That evening Bree spent the night with Nona and Kerry and I enjoyed dinner and some alone time. Our daughter is the center of our universe, but we do still love spending just a lil time alone together. I will spare ya the details. Ha!Ha! Anyway, happy V- Day to everyone! XOXOXO

House Painting

2009-02-08T16:22:00.001-08:00

We have had a very busy week getting the house ready to paint. Kerry worked very hard caulking the house and sealing everything so that we could get started. We spent the weekend in our painting clothes. We are using a color called sand dollar on the upper half of the house and practical time on the brick and trim. Kerry painted the back of the house on Friday while I was at work. Then on Saturday and Sunday he worked on the upper half of the house and the trim while I rolled the brick on the bottom and then helped him paint the trim. I also got on the roof and painted the chimney. I must admit that this was the funniest thing ever. I felt so important and like I was really accomplishing something. Bree enjoyed playing outside and watching us paint. It was fun for her to get to spend so much time out doors. The sunny days were so nice and we all enjoyed being outside. I must say that I really had a fun time working with Kerry. It was fun to see the progress we were making and to share in the accomplishment together. By 5pm Sunday afternoon we had completed most of the painting. Kerry still needs to case out the pole on our front porch and paint it and the doors are going to be painted black and there are a few touch ups left to do, but it really looks very good at this point. We were amazed at how much the painting changed the look of the house. We love it. However, we would still like to extend the deck and put a rail around it and then stain it. And we also want to build a dock with a rail on the pond next to our house and paint the gates black and then also put up a new mailbox. So, we are thrilled to have it painted but we do have a lot of projects left to do. However, I know it will all come in time and I am enjoying all the hard work and progress we have made thus far. Kerry has done a great job and he has made our home very comfortable and although it is a small country house, it is exactly what we want right now and we are all very happy with our home and land. Lately we have been focusing more on spending time with our family and friends. We are cherishing the small moments in life with Bree. Teaching her and learning along with her. I have found myself in a state where the things that were once so important to me seem so minor right now. All I know is I feel a part of my soul has now found more happiness and peace in spending more time with the husband and daughter God has blessed me with. So often in life the days fly by without me really knowing where the time went and that scares me to think of my life passing by so fast. So, I have decided to focus everyday on slowing my life down and enjoying the precious moments God has blessed me with. Bree loves to run and play and especially likes to ride thru our pasture in Daddy's truck. She has taught me to treasure the small things in life that I often overlook. I love how innocent and sweet spirited Bree is. I want to be more open and care free as she is. We are so blessed to be back in our home town with our families and friends. It is the little things in life that are the most important to us and we are enjoying slowing it down a little and doing the small town things we love. I have finally posted some pictures of our home and our new paint job. And although the work turned out nicely and I am very happy with everything, I am also very thankful for all the memories that were made during the process of getting it all done. Thanks for checking on us. I hope everyone has a great week. XOXO

2009-02-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Our weekend was one filled with lots of fun with some of our closest friends. Friday evening we hung out at Lannie & Amie Dugan's house. Lannie and Kerry grilled steaks and we had a delicious dinner. Afterwards, the adults got a lil competitive playing chicken foot.(Which has become one of my favorite games..not sure as to why, but I love it!!) The girls enjoyed playing at Allison and Addison's art table and with everything else they could drag out. Bree loves to go over to their house and play. Saturday I had my Grandparents over for breakfast. I am not much of a cook, but I do make this breakfast casserole that my Pa really likes. Bree liked having them over and really showed out for them. We were thrilled to be a part of the twins 5th birthday party Sat. afternoon. It was at the skating rink. Boy, did that bring back memories of my younger years. Bree's feet were too small for the skates, but she loved watching the other kids skate and Lannie even took her for a few laps in his arms. Which she loved. She didn't want it to end. Bree also loved the cake. She ate a piece and a half. What a big, healthy eater!! Sat. late afternoon we hung out with Gramps and Bebe and then went out with Jennifer, Eric, Amie and Lannie for the night. Then on Sunday we had more fun at Lannie and Amie's watching the super bowl game with everyone. Like I said we had a great weekend with our friends. And Bree still didn't get enough either. She keeps talking about Amie and the girls. We are so blessed by our good friends. Have a great week and thanks for checking on us. XOXOXO

2009-01-30T06:26:00.001-08:00

BRRRRR.....Rabit!! It has been so cold this week. We have literally just been wrapped up in a blanket on the couch snuggling. Bree is such the snuggle bunny. If I am laying somewhere and she would like to lay with me she says, "Mommy's Tummy" and I know she wants to lay on my tummy. And if I am not fast enough with covering her with the blanket, I almost always have wrapped around me. Then she usually says, " Feet cold" and I know she wants under the blanket with me. So seriously our house is not really that cold, but I just can't get warm enough. Besides, I do love laying on the couch with my baby wrapped up in a blanket on my tummy cuddeling with me. Those momments are precious and it is not all the time that I can get my 21 month old to lay and cuddle. So, believe me I cherish it when it happens. The ice and freezing rain hit Greenville and the surrounding area early Wednesday morning. Therefore, my office was closed and I got to spend the day with Kerry and Aubree. We slept in, rode around our property with Kerry looking for critters to shoot and then Kerry made us breakfast. So, the day was off to a good start. Then we "chilled" at the house with Bree. That afternoon was spent with the Dugan family. Bree loves the girls Allison and Addison and talks about them all the time. They really are great with her. They make her feel as big as they are. We ate a late lunch/early dinner with them at Val's in Canton. It is a small, quiet restaurant on the square that has great Italian food and amazing dinner rolls. They are to die for, seriously! I highly recommend this place..try it out if you haven't already added it to your list of favs. Bree didn't eat much at lunch due to her being too busy watching the girls and growling. Yeah, her Daddy taught her that and I am so proud.(Just Kidding!) It is pretty cute but also pretty annoying at the dinner table. Another small thing that we are gonna have to work on....but who gets the blame Bree or her Daddy for making it a game to growl at people. Due to her not eatting much she and the girls were hungry again once we got home. So, we discovered Bree's love for chicken nuggets when we got back to the Dugan's house. Amie fixed the girls dinosaur shaped nuggets. And Bree sat right in the middle of them at the bar.(She sat on a lil suitcase so she could see over the counter.HA!Ha!)So Amie gave her 2 nuggets and the girl normally just plays in the ketchup with her food and eats a little. But actually she ate those 2 nuggets and then wanted more. She does usually eat better if Amie is fixin it and if she is sitting next to the girls eating. I suppose she feels as big as they are and wants to be doing just what they are doing, so she sits there and eats with them. So, she wound up loving the chicken nuggets. Now, of course I have tried chicken nuggets before with the girl and she wasn't that crazy about them. But She loved them Wednesday night...go figure. So, I have added dino shaped chicken nuggets to the grocery list. I mean I will try anything to get the girl eating better. Move over green beans and peas...this could be Bree's new favorite food. We will just have to wait and see I guess. Well that is about the highlights of our week. I hope everyone has a blessed and warm weekend!XOXOX

2009-01-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy around our house lately. Kerry has been working so hard to get the outside of the house ready to be painted. A lot of the boards and trim on the house had to be replaced and there was a lot of caulking and insulating to be done. After getting that done Kerry did most of the primer painting. I can only take credit for painting a small portion of the front of our house. The primer is tinted in the color that the upper half of our house is going to be painted, Sand Dollar. So, we were able to get an idea of how the color will look. We are going to paint the brick and trim on our house a darker shade called Sands of Time. Hopefully, we can get the house painted in the next few weeks. We have also been working hard on starting a garden. Yes, we are having a family garden in the pasture directly behind our house. Kerry and his Dad have done most of the work thus far, but last Sunday afternoon Brandon and his boys came over and we all worked out there for a little while. The boys and Bree mostly just wanted to play in the freshly plowed dirt, but they occasionally helped with the dirt work and enjoyed riding on the tractor with Kerry and Brandon. It was a beautiful day and it felt great to be out in the fresh air. We have already planted our winter vegetables and the garden has been very therapeutic to all of us. Our plan is to just let our friends and family help us work in it and then we can all share the produce. It was an idea Gramps first mentioned, but one that Kerry and I had already talked about. We both want to enjoy the land and it is even better sharing it with the family. We both grew up helping our Grandparents work in their gardens, but as for us doing this on our own.....well, it's a learning experience that is for sure. It should be interesting! Bree loves being outside and she is learning to steer her jeep. She is getting very good at it and you have to watch her closely or she will be gone before you know it. She is talking in short sentences all the time now. And she loves to sit at her piano and sing in the microphone. It is so sweet. She has the cutest voice and holds nothing back. The girl loves to jam!! I even got it on video the other night and I love to replay it over and over again. It is so sweet!! Last week she started running a fever and had a lil cold. It was so sad to see her feeling bad. We took it easy most of the week and by Friday she was on the mend. Since Bree had been sick all week she hadn't got to see Bebe and Gramps much. Bebe is helping a lot with the care of her mother Gigi, who is battling cancer and we knew Bebe couldn't be around Bree and Gigi. So once Bree was better, Bebe and Gramps came over to see us. Bree was so glad to see them. She wanted the both of them to sit in the floor and play with her. She definitely has been missing them. And they had some good news to share as well. Gigi got a good report on Friday and the chemo is working and her tumors are shrinking. Yeah!! That was great to hear. Later, Saturday we went to lunch with my Mom and Grandparents and then went to Lilly's 1st B-day party. Lilly is my cousin Tori & Clay's angel. She is so cute. Bree really enjoys seeing her and we all had fun at her party. Bree also really enjoyed gathering up the candy that Tori had sprinkled on the tables. She had both her hands full. You would think we never let her have candy. We do, we just don't give it to her all at once. So, when she can she gathers as much of it up as possible. She gets her sweet tooth from her Momma, so what can I say.Clay gave her a sack so she could keep it for later and that made her pretty happy. The girls are 9 months apart so I know they will have fun together when they get a lil bigger. Thanks for checking on us. XOXOX

2009-01-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Bree amazes me every day. The cutie patootie is just so smart. I know this is a mother thing, but she seriously is communicating so well. Last Sat. while Kerry was cooking breakfast Bree wanted to help so I put her in her high chair and gave her some things to work on. Well this lasted for a few minutes and then she started saying "Me want down." Wow! Three words together, I thought. I mean that is a short sentence. Kerry and I were truly impressed. I know to most this sounds silly, but it is a huge deal to us. Later that day we were getting ready to go outside to see what Daddy and Gramps and Lannie were working on (They have been getting the outside of our house ready to be painted.)and as I went to put her coat on she said, "Me can do it." Again, I stopped and just looked at my precious daughter who a few months ago she was barely talking and now she is talking in sentences. She has learnt so many new words and what they mean and now she is putting those words together to form sentences. Before, she would just say, "down" and we would know she wanted down, and now she is speaking so much clearer and making combinations out of her words. Amazing, isn't it? Oh and if you were wondering, yes, she is Miss Independent. She loves to try to do everything herself. Dressing, brushing her teeth, eating, putting her shoes on, even bathing herself. Everything I am telling you. She plays so big with all her dolls too. And I do mean all of them at once. She has to have her bed completely full with her dolls. There are like 10 of them on there at once. It is so funny. She has such a good imagination as well. She pretends to be feeding and caring for her dolls and her puppy so well. The girl is just growing way to fast! Everyday I am just blown away at the things she says and does. Lil ones are just so much fun and sooo cute!! How did we ever survive without Bree in our lives is a mystery to me.

2009-01-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

I had to wait til after Christmas to tell about the Christmas pictures we had made to give our family as part of their gift. Bebe got the Kindle boys these adorable matching Christmas sweaters and shirts and the girls beautiful red dresses. So all the Kindle grandchildren had matching Christmas attire. Well, Jennifer and I thought it would be a nice surprise to have all the kids pictures made since Bebe had gotten them such precious clothing. The idea itself sounded pretty simple, until we actually tried to get 5 kids six years old and under to all sit still, look at the camera and smile at the same time. Talk about crazy. They all did pretty well, it was just a lil challenging to showcase each child's beauty at the same time. But the kiddos all looked so sweet in their outfits, so it really didn't matter if they were looking or not, they were adorable. Cara at Magical Memories took the pictures and boy did she earn her money. Ha! I just know I was tired when we left, so she must have been exhausted!! But they turned out precious! The Grandparents were delighted, too. So it was well worth the chaotic hour and a half it took to get the pictures we wanted. Thanks Cara!! I absolutely love the pictures!

2009-01-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

The other day I gave Bree a chocolate pudding to snack on. She is getting to the point where she tells us what she wants and doesn't want to eat. Pudding is still at the top of the list. So, while I was unloading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen I occupied her with a pudding. I thought that was a good idea until I turned around to see her covered in pudding and our dog Alex licking it off the wall and floor. She had it everywhere!! Normally she is pretty good at hitting the target, but by the way it was all on the wall I think she must have found a new target. However it did make a cute picture and we went from the kitchen straight to the tub. Its quite hilarious now when I think about it.

2009-01-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

I know I am so behind and have so much to share with everyone. Our Christmas was awesome! It was so fun playing Santa. Bree woke up around 7am and I got the video camera and caught her all on tape. She hid behind the couch and peeked out to look at all the toys Santa had left her. She was so bashful about it. It was the cutest thing ever. She was really into unwrapping the packages. She really wasn't that concerned with what was in them though. She grabbed the candy overflowing from her stocking and tried to hide it in her arms. She was not about to let us take it away from her. She got a Barbie jeep and a pink four wheeler, among many other cool toys and within minutes was a pro at driving them both. Although it is a game to see what she can run over, she can drive pretty good when she wants to. The day was full of fun and Bree made everything even sweeter. We celebrated Christmas for the next 4 days. Our last party was on Dec. 29th. Bree seemed very overwhelmed when it was over. However, we all enjoyed the time we had with family and friends. I was off all of last week and it was tough coming back to work today. I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing at home with my family. We did a lot of eating out and shopping and visiting with loved ones. It was so nice. Bree plays dolls all the time. It is so fun to watch her feed and care for them. She got the doll bed, stroller , carrier, diaper bag and bassinet and loves to play with them. She has started putting words together and even some phrases. Although, at times she still talkes in her own language. We rung in the new year at the Phillips and enjoyed spending time with everyone. Bree and Finlee wore their Friends Forever shirts and played so well together. They mainly spent the night pushing each other in the doll stroller and cooking in Finlee's kitchen. Hard to believe they are so big. Happy New Year to everyone!!! XOXO

2008-12-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Is it really already Christmas Eve? This is one of my favorite times of the year and the only thing I don't like is that it goes by way too fast. We had so much fun celebrating the season last weekend. Friday evening I spent time with my girls from work. Shelly hosted us at her lovely home in Caddo Mills and the 5 of us had a time playing spoons and other festive games Shelly had organized. We ate, and exchanges gifts and enjoyed each other out side of the office. Saturday we went to Tyler to do some more shopping and then to my Pa's side of the family Christmas dinner. Bree was such a ham at the party. She played with all the kids and thought she was as big as them. Although, they were all way older than her. Nona brought her a present to open and she was so good at opening it. She really has it down, now. She got a tea party set and loved it. Her and the other kiddos sat there playing tea party for the longest time. This was a very good time and then Kerry and I left Bree to spend the night with my Mom and went to Lannie and Amie Dugan's for a party with some of our friends. Sunday we relaxed and worked on wrapping the presents. I noticed at this time that at some point Bree decided to add some decorations to our family tree. She had hung her pink bracelet on our tree and left it there. I guess she wanted to add her touch to the tree. I thought it was very sweet and left it hanging there too. This week has been flying by. Bree is really into the presents and last night while I was wrapping some she pointed and said, "Mine, mine, mine". I explained that at Christmas we give gifts to those we love just as gift were brought and given when baby Jesus was born. We celebrate his birth by giving. I could tell this was all way over her head because she pointed again and like a broken record was saying, "Mine." We will continue to work on the meaning of Christmas, but I am thrilled she is big enough this year to open presents and really get excited about everything. I am so excited about Santa coming. I use to love this as a child and I love sharing it with Bree. Kerry and I layed awake in bed talking last night til like 1:30 am about it. I couldn't sleep I was so anxious. This morning I asked Bree, "Who is coming to see you tonight?" She replied so sweetly, "Santa Claus, he brings presents." I just love the excitement in her face and voice. And, yes I know there is a much more important meaning to what this special day is about and we teach Bree about that, too. But I also love the magic of Santa. And it is way more fun playing Santa and sharing it with our daughter than I ever knew it would be. As A child it was a tradition for Malena and I to fall asleep in the same bedroom together listening to 106.1(they play nonstop Christmas music on Christmas Eve). We had a deal that whoever woke up first would wake the other person and we would run into the living room together to see what Santa had left for us. I remember the glow of the presents under the Christmas tree and the magic of the unwrapped gifts Santa had left for us sparkling in the dark. Malena and I would usually wake up around 3 or 4 and our 'Santa" almost always came really early, so we would look at all our gifts and play with them for a while and then around 5:30 or so we would go wake Mom and show her what Santa left. Then around 7 or so Mema and Pa always came over to see what Santa had left for us and share this special time with us. This was so much fun and Malena and I enjoyed it so much that my Mom told us that as long as we believed, Santa would come to see us. So we "believed ", and even today Santa still comes to Mom's to see us. The magic of Christmas morning is something I can still feel in my heart and I can see the glow of our tree in the house we grew up in. I am so excited to share this magic with my daughter in our own home. I hope everyone has warm memories that feel your hearts at Christmas and share the magic of the season with those you love. Merry, Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love Christmas time. Last Friday and Saturday night we spent with friends at holiday parties. Saturday was the "Magnificent 7" as my girlfriends and I were called in high school, party at Audra's house. We gathered around 4:30 with all the children. There are 5 girls and 1 lonely boy. We are working on a second generation of Mag. 7's. All the girls are really close in age so it is so fun to watch them interact. And Hardy, well he is our ladies man!! One day he will appreciate being the only boy, but for now he is surrounded by dolls, pink toys and girly bows. Poor thing!! The kiddos had fun exchanging gifts and enjoyed decorating sugar cookies Audra made for them. Then the little ones all went with their Daddy's or grandparents so the 7 of us could enjoy an all adult dinner. We ate at Posados in Lindale and man was it good. I had a blast spending time with the girls. We went back to Audra's and played the white elephant gift exchange, which is always interesting and enjoyed our time visiting. As always the night flew by and the next morning it was sad to say farewell. I really love these girls and we all share a very special relationship that seems to thrive even with us all living in different areas and in different stages of our lives. These girls and I have been friends since elementary school and are the kind of people who I know I can always count on...good or bad. We are so blessed to have each other. Sunday we celebrated my SIL b-day at Kerry and Debbie's. I am also very fortunate for my in laws. I am definitely surrounded by wonderful friends and family. We took Bree to MSBC Festival of Lights. The program was great, but Bree is still too little to really enjoy it. She slept thru the whole thing. Little doll!! We have had a pretty busy week. I have officially gotten all my presents wrapped for Christmas. Lets just hope I haven't forgotten any one. Bree has helped us do a lot of baking and candy making. She loves to help. She is so funny. I just love this stage in her life. She is talking so well. Wednesday was my office Christmas lunch and our theme was mexican food. I made 7 layer dip and we all enjoyed our party. The staff all exchanged gifts which was fun and very entertaining. While I am counting my blessings, I am fortunate to have a career I love and to work in a lovely office with wonderful people and a great doctor. I really do still love scanning and it is nice to get to know my patients and their families. Tonight Bree is spending the night with Bebe and Gramps, so Kerry and I can have our weekly date night. Thursday nights are officially are time together as a couple. We usually have dinner somewhere or do whatever we chose. I am not sure what we will decide to do tonight, there are a couple of movies out that interest me. So I guess we will see. This weekend I have a party in Greenville on Friday evening and then we have a family party and one with some of our G.S. couple friends on Saturday. I can't wait! I love all the festive parties. Have a great weekend!! XOXOX

Christmas Memories

2008-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Well I am copying this from my girlfriend Holly, thanks for the great idea. I loved reading your memories. Now, I am going to tell you about some of my favorite Christmas memories. Christmas in my house was always so much fun growing up. With Christmas music loudly playing in the radio my Mom would let my sister, Malena and I help decorate the tree and put up the lights outside on the house. We had theses lil wood characters and so many lights I use to think it looked like a Christmas wonderland at our house. And then we would go inside and spend the evening making Christmas sugar cookies from scratch. We would cut out trees, bells, gingerbread men, santa claus, and stars from the most delicious dough. So good we would get into trouble for eating it raw. Then we would cover them in our choice of sprinkles and bake them to perfection. We also helped Mom make peanut brittle, fudge and my favorite, peanut butter balls. These memories are so precious to me. My mother and sister both love to cook and are very good at it, I must say. As for me, well I didn't inherit that gene, but I do love to make Christmas cookies and candy with some of my favorite people. This is one of my very favorite memories and I was so thrilled to include Bree in the baking this year. May we have many more wonderful memories.

Holiday Fun

2008-12-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend getting caught up on sleep and settling in our home. Bree enjoyed relaxing around the house in her Christmas pj's. We read her at the time fav. book for the gillionth time. It's the Princess Fairytales. She picks that book every night to read. Talk about getting old, but she won't have anything else right now. Saturday we had some family pictures taken and Bree was such a lil ham. She really likes to have her picture taken..wonder where she gets that from? For those of you who know me, you know I don't go anywhere with out a camera. I am very picture happy! Cara at Magical Memories gave her a candy cane when we were done and she ate the whole thing before we pulled into our driveway. I think she might have liked it! Now when she sees them hanging on Nona's tree she thinks she has to have one. I told her no, and she asked me "why?" I had no idea that all would start this early. She has been asking me why a lot this weekend. It makes me laugh, I just had no idea she would start that so early. Kerry got our closet shelves finished so I unpacked the boxes in our closet. It was so cool finding all my clothes, shoes and purses that I hadn't seen in 6 months. It's like I have a whole new wardrobe. I love it!! Saturday afternoon we took Aubree to see the Christmas parade downtown. Bree loved the tractors and horses and of course the candy she picked up. We asked if she wanted to go see Santa and she said,"yes"with a smile. So we followed the crowd to the depot to see Santa but when we got to the front of the line and it was our turn Bree started to panic. She held on to me as tight as she could and started to cry hysterically. There was no way she was going to sit in Santa's lap. Needless to say I had my picture made holing Bree next to Santa. We really enjoyed the Winter Bizarre and all the fun Christmas activities. Sunday we started our holiday season off with the 1st Christmas Party. We had the Miller Family Christmas. This is my Mema's mother's side of the family. It was a big turn out. My Mema's Uncle Timmis Miller who is 91 was the only sibling who is still alive of the 8 siblings of my Mema's mother. It is really neat to see all the extended family from my Mema's side and I am blessed that everyone is so close. Bree enjoyed lunch and playing out on the slide with all her distant cousins. But I must say I think her favorite part was present time. Mema gave her present to her and she immediately tore the bow off and started to unwrap it. This year Christmas is going to be so much fun for her. She knows all about presents now and how to tear into them. It was so fun to watch her tear into the package. Sunday evening Bree and Nona made Christmas cookies. Bree actually ate mor than she made, but she was still a good helper. Nona always makes the best Christmas cookies and candy and it was fun for Bree to help her like her Mommy use to do. I can't wait for the rest of our Christmas activities. We have 2 parties next Friday, 1 Saturday, 2 the next weekend and then who knows what all we will be doing the week of Christmas. We always have a very busy holiday season and I wouldn't want it any other way. I love seeing all the friends and family for the holidays! Speaking of family, Kerry's Grandmother Burnett received some, plain out BAD news from her oncologist this last week. She has lung cancer again. For those of you who know Gigi, she is one of the strongest women I know. Please pray for her as she will be going thru a lot this holiday season. May everyone have a blessed week. XOXOXO ( Oh, I found these pictures from Bree's 1st b-day and decided to post them since I never did. I can't believe how much she has changed in just a few months.)

2008-12-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

We had such a blessed TG. Bree was such a joy. I was fortunate enough to have Thursday and Friday off to spend with my family. Wednesday night we ate supper at Kerry's parents with the family that had already made it to town. Kerry went duck hunting with his brother and family early Thursday morning and amazingly, Bree and I slept in til 10:00. She is such a good snuggler and we both enjoyed the time of resting together. Bree and I got ready, Bree wore her turkey shirt that Aunt Jen made for her. Talk about cute. Then we met Kerry at my Mema & Pa's for lunch. Bree was such a joy at lunch. She loved all the food and especially loved to share a piece of Mommy's favorite, million dollar pie. My Mema does most of the cooking for our family and as always it was delish. Bree really was entertaining. She is such the talker these days. We watched some football and then went to the Kindle's for supper. Both sides of Kerry's family were there so it was definitely a full house. Bree had a blast playing with all her cousins. There are 3 little girls now...so they are making a come back to catch up with the boys. We are so blessed by our family and really enjoyed spending time with them. Lights went out at our house around 12pm and I was awoke by my alarm at 2:30 am to enjoy a family tradition that was started with my sister. We love bargains, so we would always get up super early for black Friday deals. Every year the stores open earlier and earlier and if you don't get there when they open, chances are you won't get what you want. So Mom and I left GS at 3am to arrive at JCPennies at 4am when they opened. I know it sounds crazy, but it is really a lot of fun and something my family has been doing together for about 15 years. We look thru the sale adds and make a list of where all we want to go on Thurs. night so we can be prepared for the big sales. It is exciting to see all the good sales and then to try and cross people off my Christmas shopping list. We got all our shopping done ( we hit like eight places) by 8:30am. I was so thrilled we were able to get everything we went for. Mom and I had such a wonderful time and are still laughing at the memories we made. Once we got home I was going to go take a nap when Bebe called to see if I wanted to go to 1st Monday with some of the family that was in town. Not wanting to miss out on a girl shopping trip I decided to join them. Aunt Beth, Aunt Julie, Allie, Bebe, Jennifer , Kate and I had a good time shopping and I am almost all finished with my Christmas shopping. That's what I love about black Friday, the bargains and getting most of my shopping done. The sleep deprivation hit me Friday evening around 7pm and Bree and I were asleep on the couch by 9pm. Poor Kerry, we had rented movies, and he was the only one who stayed up to watch them. I just could not stay awake any longer. Sat. Mema took Bree and I to Ivan Smith Furniture to get a new breakfast table. The two tables from our other house are too big to fit in my new breakfast area. So for Christmas Mema offered to get us a table that will fit. We found a really cute one and Mema didn't even make me wait til Christmas to unwrap it. Bree actually did help us pick it out. We were looking at tables and it was between two and I ask Mema which she thought would be best. Then I walked over to the one we didn't pick and was looking at it and Bree said"NO, no, no!" and that was that I knew she liked the other one best of all. Thanks Mim! It looks great in our breakfast area. I also put up the tree in our family room and Bree's room and most of our other decorations. The ones I could find anyway. Bree loves the trees. The one in her room is a white tree with pink and silver girly ornaments. She thinks it is so special to have her own tree in her room. I tried to do some wrapping too, but Bree wanted everything I was wrapping so I decided to do that at a later time. Our house is 90% decorated for the holidays. I love this time of year and can already tell it is going to be so fun for Aubree. Sunday was baby/child dedication at MSBC. We committed in front of the congregation and God to raise Bree in a Godly home and do our best to teach her and train her up for the Lord. It was very special time for us. It is very important to Kerry and I for Bree to know the Lord and to some day commit her life to Him and be saved. Bro. Ronald did a really neat dedication service and gave the 7 children personalized Bibles. It was very cool. Kate was one of the other babies dedicated, so it was even more special for us. Also, every year Mom sends flowers to the church to set out on the Sunday after Malena's b-day in honor and remembrance of her. The flowers were absolutely beautiful and I know the congregation enjoyed them. After church we had lunch with Kerry's family and then spent the afternoon relaxing. Bree has been using the potty like such a big girl. She tells me almost every time she needs to use the restroom. She is such a big girl. She loves our new house and is so proud of her room. She has already discovered how much fun it is to jump on her bed. We put it on the toddler bed this time instead of the crib. It is low to the ground with a side rail so she can easily get up and down. Every time I go in there she is on her bed either playing with her dolls or jumping on it. I can usually tell when she is jumping by the loud laughter coming from her room. She is just a bundle of joy for sure!! Happy Monday to everyone!XOXO

2008-11-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

We have had a wonderful week of moving in. Friday the Phiillips' and Dugan's came over and all the girls had so much fun playing. Bree especially loved doing flips with the girls through our, at the time, empty den. The guys moved a load while Bree was entertained with the company. We moved the rest of our stuff on Saturday. Now for the fun stuff...decorating the walls. Kerry especially loves this. Just kidding. I am such a pest trying to get him to help me hang everything. But I must say at this point in time I am completely happy with how the house looks on the inside. It has been a challenge trying to fit the furniture we had in a 2500 sq. foot home into a 980 sq. foot home. This has been very tough, but Bree's bedroom furniture all fit in her room, as did our bedroom furniture and our den furniture fit as well. And to top it off, I even have as much cabinet space as before. After putting all my kitchen boxes away, I still have 2 empty cabinets. So , I must say I am very surprised at how well everything is fiting. The one thing I do miss though is all the extra closet space I had. I guess I will just have to get rid of a lot of the junk we don't use very much. That should be a fun process. We are still working on unpacking the boxes in our closets, but other than that it is coming along very well. Hopefully we can hurry up and get the inside decor done so we can start fixing up the outside. You know how it goes, there is always a project when you own your own home. On a high note we had a great time at the Dallas Cowboys game last Sunday. We got started early with Breakfast at IHOP and then went straight to the game. It was a fun game. Audra and I sported our pink jerseys that we decorated with rhinestones. Since the boys played great we were proud to be wearing them. After the game we stopped at Northpark for dinner at Maggianos. Talk about delicous. Then we did a lil shopping and headed back to GS. What a great day. Go Cowboys!! Monday, Nov., 24th was a very special day for my family. It would have been my dear sister, Malena's 31st b-day. I spent the day remembering all the good times we had and found piece knowing she wouldn't want me to be sad but to celebrate the 26 years we did have together here on earth. Birthdays are huge in my family so it was hard for me not to think about what we would have been doing for her birthday. Actually, I can probably guess. She would have wanted to go out to eat and then my grandmother would have made her favorite, Italian creme cake. I miss her so badly. This time of the year is always very tough on my family. Although, I must tell you Bree delighted me the other night when I got her out of the tub, we walked thru the hall by my sister's picture and Bree pointed to it and said, "Nina." I was so proud. We always point to her pictures and tell Bree about Nina so I was thrilled that she was absorbing it. Malena loved children and I can only imagine how much she would have adored Bree. Sometimes it hurts me when I think of all Bree is missing out on by not getting to know Malena. In so many ways Bree reminds me of my sister. I love it when she does something to remind me of her. Not that I need reminding, I think of her everyday. I tell Bree stories of her and want her to know her thru me. Mom and Bree took a vase of flowers to the cemetery to honor Nina's birthday. It is a very special day to us all. We are super excited to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with all of our family and friends. And we can't wait to see everyone. Happy Turkey Day to everyone...please have a safe and happy holiday and know that I am very thankful to have u in my life. Please take this oppertunity to tell your family and friends what they mean to u, u will never regret sharing your feelings with them. XOXOXO

Moving In!!!

2008-11-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to say the inside of our house is finally ready and we will be moving in this weekend. Yeah!! Kerry has done an amazing job on getting everything ready and with some help from his Aunt Beth, Gramps and Bebe and Lannie and Brandon(actually getting this house ready has been quite a project for everyone) it looks great. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard and donated ur precious time to help us out. Thanks too, ladies for being kind enough to lend us your husbands. I know everyone is so busy and we greatly appreciate all the help. I am so excited. We still have a lot of work to do on the outside, but the inside looks fabulous. Bree loves her room. aunt Beth did an amazing job painting it. When Bree goes to show someone her room she always walks in and says "EWWW" as she enters. I think she definately loves the pink design Aunt Beth did. I have been preparing her to sleep in her own room when we move in. That is the plan. So I tell her about her own room and how she will have her own bed and dresser and toy box and her own book shelf in there. Then I usually ask her if she thinks she will like sleepin in her own bed in her own room? She usually smiles real big and with the sweetest voice says"Yap." Although the grin she gives me kinda seems a little like she may be fooling me with her answer. I guess we will see how that all turns out. At bedtime she has to have Mommy and Daddy both there and then she will usually lay right down and go to sleep. sometimes she does a lot of flopping in her sleep or as she is going to sleep. We have to hold the laughter in sometimes. She flips all over. The girl is such a snuggler though. I love it so the transition will be tough for me too. This week has been very rapid. Yesterday we ate supper at Moms for my Grandfathers 75th birthday. We are so blessed by what he means to our family and enjoyed his day of celebration. Speaking of celebrating, I bet Gramps and Bebe will be doing some major celebrating now that we will be moving into our own home again. Thank you to everyone for being so kind and giving us somewhere to stay during the remodeling process. We greatly appreciate it so much!!! I do have to mention that we had a great time last Sat. night. It was our highlight of the weekend. We went to Shoguns(Mmmm) with Eric and Jen Tolar and Lannie and Amie Dugan. Talk about a wonderful night. Yummy food and a great time with friends. We also enjoyed church on Sunday and then lunch with Kerry's family. Bree loves her cousins so much. Crew and her are especially fun to watch. They love to sit right next to each other and at lunch Crew was so sweet to Bree. He was feeding her faster than she could chew. Talk about sweet. Bree loves all the attention the boys give her and she is so fascinated by Kate. She always wants to give her big hugs and kisses. Thank goodness Kate is use to it from her brothers so she tolerates Bree well. Other than that we have just been fiercely working on the house and enjoying all the football on tv. Which I must say I am super excited that we will be attending the Dallas Cowboys game this Sunday with Justin and Audra Phillips. I will definitely let you know soon about that experience. Bree is talking so much and has just the cutest personality. She is so much fun to be around. She lights up our lives so much. She loves to dance and is such a girly girl. Life must have been so boring before her. Mom and I took her to a GS high school basketball game which she loved. She kept saying "ball" everytime it would go by her. And the nochos we got at half time were a huge hit with her too. It is the little things that are so fun to experience with her. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Meanwhile, come see us in our new house if you are out and about GS. XOXOXO

2008-11-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

God is SO Good! After much agony and prayer we went yesterday to Medical City Children's for Bree to have her VCUG and renal ultrasound. We arrived at 7:30am for the renal ultrasound. Thankfully Nona(my mom) and Bebe(Kerry's mom) both came with us. We were all really concerned about the procedures. The sonographer was super nice and being that I have 6 years of experience in scanning pediatrics I kinda knew what works best when scanning little ones. I always had my patients parents lay down with their children and talk calmly to them during the entire procedure. So that is exactly what I did. Bree actually layed on top of my stomach facing up and I held her hands and talked to her about what we wre doing. Amazingly this works so much better than holding your child down on the bed and trying to get them to lay there being still. So the sonogram went well. While waiting for the next procedure Bree was getting so hungry. She kept digging through her diaper bag saying "Eat." But I could not give her anything..it was so hard to explain to an 18 month old that she could not eat yet. Next we went in for the VCUG(Voiding Cystogram). The staff was wonderful!! The anesthesiologist walked us through everything and the pediatric radiologist let Kerry and I stay in the room for the procedure. Bree has had breathing treatments before so wearing the gas mask was no big deal to her. She sat there on the table wearing the mask so big like. Then when she was out of it the radiologist got started. She talked us through everything. Seriously she made it so much better for us than we anticipated. She showed us right where the reflux was and we got to see it all. Then she explained the best ways to treat the renal reflux and said that we caught it early and there was minimal damage to Bree's kidneys so her reflux could be managed with medication. She would not need surgery at this time. Thank you God for letting the nurses ans doctors be so great and for us discovering this when we did. When it was over Bree was so sweet. She woke up in recovery and looked around and seriously the first thing out of her mouth was "Snack!" So of course we got the baby some juice and gold fish. She came out of it beautifully. We were so glad. As I said before, God is so good! So now we are just thrilled that we know what we know now and we can treat it. We will be taking Bree to see a pediatric urologist in the near future and will be addressing the renal reflux and our baby is going to be okay!!! I am so relieved we did the testing and can go forward from here. Thank you for all the prayers and words of concern. We are so blessed by our friends and family. XOXOXO

2008-11-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

Bree really got into her 2nd Halloween. She was a cheer leader. We met Audra, Justin, and Finlee downtown. Finlee was the cutest spider ever. The girls walked the entire town and loved getting the candy. They were so much fun to watch, we were rolling just watching them. After trick or treating we headed to Austin. We stayed with Kerry's Aunt Beth and Uncle Steve in Austin. We had so much fun shopping and enjoying Austin. The three of us went, along with Brandon, Jennifer, Parker, Brett, Crew and Kate as well as Gramps and Bebe. Beth and Steve had a neat omelet breakfast with waffles that we all loved. Bree mainly filled up on whipping cream. Healthy I know! They also hosted a wonderful fajita dinner Sat. night. We enjoyed seeing all the family so much. The kids enjoyed Inflatable World and playing on the playground at WaterLoo on Sunday. Taylor, Ashley and Abigail Rogers met us at the mall and the three girls were so cute together. Bree loves her cousins. Beth and Steve were wonderful hosts and we had a great trip. This week we got the cabinets all finished and the doors hung along with all the hardware on. Kerry also got the tin back splash hung. Aunt Beth came to town and painted Bree's room and we got the base boards down and I painted the shelves for her closet so other than hanging her chandelier (which is in storage) her room is ready. We are going to start laying the tile tom. after we go pick our appliances up at Lowe's. Things are getting really close to being ready for us to move in. Yeah!! Poor Bree has had another cold this week. This time she has had a real raspy voice and a lot of congestion. Her fever only lasted for about three days and the lil doll seems to be getting over it. Her procedures were rescheduled to next Thursday, Nov. 13th at Medical City Dallas. She will be sedated for the procedures and we are hoping it is not as bad as it all sounds. Please keep us in your prayers. On another note, Bree has started to really sing out loud. She loves to sing Old Mcdonald and Jesus Loves Me. She has the cutest little voice. And she is such a prissy girl. If I haven't got a bow in her hair fast enough, she will look at me and say, ''bow?". She also takes off my jewelry and wears it. She loves baby dolls and purses, too. The girl also has to have her nails painted if she sees Mema painting hers. And she loves to shop. What can I say, she gets it honestly. She is such a lil Diva. She loves to try on new shoes, too. I love it!!!

Fall Fun

2008-10-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

We introduced Bree to one of my favorite fall activities last night. We had supper at the Dugan's and Lannie had a wonderful treat planned afterwards. He built this really cool fire pit and the girls roasted marshmellows and made smoores. Which happens to be one of my favorite treats. Who doesn't love gooey marshmellows melted on rich chocolate and smoothered between two graham crackers? MMMM......my mouth is watering just thinking about it. And ofcourse Bree loved them. She was eating them just as fast as Addison was making them. They were a great team. Addison enjoyed making them as much as Bree enjoyed eating them. Ofcourse they were a little messy, but definately worth it. Bree wouldn't roast her own marshmellows because everytime she got close to the fire she would say"hot, hot" and didn't want to be too close. However, she did like sitting in the chairs and watching the blazing fire. It was a perfect night for a marshmellow roast and we all really enjoyed it. As for myself I love sitting around a fire on a cool night with good friends and the smoores were just icing on the cake.

Our First Cold of the Season

2008-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

The bug struck Aubree last week and she generously shared it with both her Mommy and Daddy. I started feeling sick on Friday and by Saturday it had hit Kerry too. I guess it is just a little cold that is going around, but it sure has made us feel terrible. We have all been coughing and sneezing like crazy. However, on Friday Bebe met me in Mesquite with Bree at Babies'R'Us where we had Bree's 18 month pictures taken. This was not the funnest thing for Bree being that she was still sick and had a runny nose, but the pictures turned out good. She just didn't have as much fun as usual and she was a little less cooperative. But, now that I know how she felt, I really think she did excellent. After having her pictures done we took her to see Dr. Holt her pediatrician. He thought she looked well, but the little runt only weighed 19lbs 6 oz which put her in the 3rd percentile in her age group. This was a little concerning to us all. She was 29 3/4 inches long which put her in the 6th percentile. Aubree has always came in low in the percentiles, but this is the lowest she has ever been. However the girl is a big eater. She is not picky what so ever and will eat anything and everything. So we are hoping there is nothing wrong and she just has a good metabolism. However, we did schedule her for a sonogram of her kidneys and a VCUG test to check her out, given her recent urinary tract infection and now the low weight. Please pray with us for the test to be as painless as possible and for everything to turn out okay. After the appointment Bebe and I took Bree straight to Abuelos for some fine mexican food to try to fatten the girl up a little.(I wish I had that problem!!) Then after we all got our tummies full we went to the mall to walk it off and do some shopping. Bree especially loved playing on the indoor playground. She ran around as if she were as big as the 5 and 6 year old kids there. We finally called it a night when the mall closed and headed back to G.S. Saturday Bree and I rode with Pa and Mema to the Golden Sweet Potato Festival. They had a great parade and Bree really got into running after the candy that was thrown her way. She had both her hands as full as possible. It is amazing at how fast she picks up on things. We all had a good time at the festival. Saturday night Kerry kept Bree while Mom and I enjoyed a night at the American Airline Center watching the Dallas Stars play. Although I haven't had as much time lately to watch the Stars play, I really enjoy watching them. Talk about a good game, too. It went into overtime and sadly the Stars lost 6-5. But Mom and I still had so much fun. On Sunday the colds really set in and we were all very tired. We spent the day resting and Kerry and I worked a little in the afternoon on painting the trim in our house. Kerry has this week off from work and has been working really hard on the house. I will post pictures soon of the house and Bree's 18 month beauties. Happy Halloween to Everyone!!!

2008-10-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged!!

Below are the rules.

1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is UP

I was tagged by Katy @ Our journey

Here goes:
1. I am a very passionate runner. I have ran 2 26.2 mile marathons and numerous 13.1 mile half marathons. I also have ran in several 5k's and team events. I love to run long distances. It is a therapy for me and is how I relax.

2. I am very sensitive person and cry when I see someone else hurting or crying. And you better believe I always cry in sad movies. It's just who I am.

3. I am very OCD. I am a cleaning fanatic. Everything has to be in its place and my house clean before I can go to bed at night.

4. I Love being a Mommy!! I never knew how wonderful it would be. Kerry and I have been so blessed by Aubree. She makes our lives so much more meaningful.

5. I love to garden. I grew up helping my grandparents in their large garden and am very excited to have some land where we are going to have a garden next season.

6. I have had the same close friends since I was in elementary school. There are 7 of us who have been close friends all through school and who still get together often, talk weekly and are the best of friends. We have shared high school graduations, college graduations, then weddings and so much more. This group of friends are true and have been there for each other through so much. I am so blessed by my life long friends.

I am tagging : Rachel @The Kaiser Family
Ashley @ rogers neighborhood
Jennifer @veryfullquiver

Another fast paced, yet wonderful week!

2008-10-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

We went last week to see Baby Olivia once she got home. She is so sweet! Well done, Eric & Jen!! Justin, Audra, Finlee and Mom rode with us and we met Katy there. Needless to say the guys were highly out numbered. We all took turns holding the baby, even Bree and Finlee. They both liked to give her hugs and kisses. It was very cute. On Friday Bree spent the night with Nona. Kerry and I went to Pappadales and had supper with Chris and Donya. It was great to have some adult time and catch up. We also enjoyed sleeping in on Saturday. Although we both missed Bree, it sure was nice to get some rest. Mom hosted her 35th class reunion on Saturday, so of course Bree and I helped her with that. Most of her classmates brought their grandchildren with them. Bree had so much fun playing outside with the other kids. It was such a perfect day. I love this time of the year. Although, it is difficult to get my daily run in, being that by the time I get home from work I barely have time to change before dusk. Yes, I am a chicken and don't like running in the dark. Although, my running time has gotten better since I am trying to beat the dark. Sunday Kerry and I worked in the nursery and realized how rotten Bree truly is. I don't know if it is the fact that her great grandparents and Bebe keep her , or the fact that she is an only child, but she sure is bossy and she likes to have things her way. (Who doesn't, right?) But seriously we have got to schedule more play dates and teach her to be a little less aggressive. One thing is for sure, the girl is very expressive and has a way of getting her point across. Which is very cute, but I won't think so if she is known as the school bully. I guess we have some time to work on it, but seriously call me about the play dates....we both need them. Mom(Nona) and I introduced Bree to the simple game of ring around the rosie tonight. She thought it was hilarious. She chuckled the whole time. Except for when she was trying to tell Mom and I where to fall. See what I mean about bossy! It is so amazing how the simplest things can bring so much joy. We all enjoyed it. Thanks too, Mom, for the great supper. One of Bree's favorite things to do is "dip" food. She will eat anything if she has something to dip it in. It is so funny. If it can be dipped, she wants it. Mema made her sausage links and gravy to dip them in for breakfast this morning. From what I hear they were very yummy and Bree loved them. Bree is still doing pretty good with the potty training, although her sickness did set us back a little bit. It is hard to remember when she was the size of sweet Olivia. She has grown so much. Everyday she learns something new. These are definitely the best days of my life and I love that I have such a wonderful husband and daughter to share them with. God is so good!! What a blessing he has given me and Kerry. I hope everyone has a good rest of the week. As Bree would say, "Wuv Eww!"

2008-10-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Bree is on her way to recovering. She is feeling way better, however she has broken out in a horrible rash from the antibiotic. I guess she is allergic to the sulphur. So we have switched her medicine and she is seeming more and more like herself everyday. Hooray! She has been such a Momma's girl since she has been sick. sadly, I have loved how much she clings to me. But I am so glad she is feeling better. Monday, Oct. 13th Jennifer and Eric Tolar welcomed Miss Olivia Paige Tolar at 5:42pm. She was 7lbs 11oz. 19 3/4 in. She is absolutely beautiful! Bree has been saying baby a lot since we saw her at the hospital. Maybe she is ready for Mommy to have a baby??? Probably not. She doesn't share so well here lately. We really need to work on that more. She surprised Kerry and I the other night, we were playing outside in her wagon and she pointed to the sky and said "moon." The girl was pointing to the lite shadow of the moon that was coming in. How she knew that I have no idea, but she is talking and learning so much. She loves to read and color so much. She has also started to watch movies in the car lately. I mean really watch them , not just stare at the screen. she loves 101 Dalmatians. The other night she got so mad because the tv was not working and we had to drive home from Baylor Dallas home with out the tv. It was really sad. She just didn't understand. Well, we are hoping to go see baby Olivia again tonight, which I am really excited about. Although it does give me the baby blues. Which, if you need really cute baby accessories or bows, or outfits, check out my sister-n-laws page veryfullquiver.blogspot.com. She is super talented and has some adorable items for your little one or for a gift. Have a great evening! XOXOX

2008-10-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been so busy. Oct. 3rd was Grand Saline's Homecoming. It was a lot of fun to take Bree to the homecoming parade downtown. Bree loves to people watch and the cars throwing candy really amazed her. Friday night we dressed her in her cheer leading suit and tried to get her to wear the adorable mum Mema made for her, although she wasn't too happy to wear it. I guess it got in her way. She loved the game and kept trying to go through the gate to get out on the field. This became a horrible fight, she didn't understand why she couldn't get out there and play. The child is very strong willed. I wonder who she gets that from??? We enjoyed seeing several friends and visiting with everyone. And Bree slept like a rock that night. Sat. morning Kerry , Bree and I went to Terrell to G& S to pick up the doors for our house. Then we ate pizza at Cic's. Hamburger pizza is one of Bree's favorite foods. She ate a whole piece, including the crust. She is such a big eater. We went on Saturday afternoon with a big group from MSBC to see the movie Fireproof at the Carmike theater in Tyler. The church had a theater reserved all to our selves and it was full. The movie was very touching and seemed to be very beneficial. It really makes you think about how you act and react to situations in life involving you and your partner. I definitely recommend it to everyone, no matter what stage you are in in your marriage. After the movie we had dinner with three other couples at Roadhouse. Then Kerry and I went to Marble Slab for dessert. Mom kept Bree for us and we enjoyed our date so much. We worked some more on our house on Sunday and then spent the night relaxing at Mom's. Bree has been doing so well using her big girl potty. It is amazing how smart she is and how fast she learns. We are now spending some time staying with Bebe and Gramps at their house, and will hopefully be in ,our own home soon. Bree started running a fever this past Thursday evening and by Friday was definitely not feeling well. Her fever on Friday was up to 103.7 under the arm. I took a urine sample to Dr. Sherbert and he found blood and pus in there. So we started her on Bactrim for a urinary tract infection. However, we could not get her fever to break so we wound up taking her to Dallas to Children's ER based on advice from 2 different pediatricians. This was a very scary process for us all. Bree was very lathergic and burning up. She wouldn't eat or drink very much at all. Luckily as soon as we got there her fever broke for the first time in 30 hours and she seemed a lil better. We decided to get a hotel and take her to her pediatrician first thing Sat. morning. Good thing we stayed because as soon as we got into bed, boom her fever went back up to 103.4 under the arm. Her fever persisted and at the pediatricians office she got a white blood cell check that was elevated and they did a cath to get another urine sample. This was not fun for Bree, but in a few days we should know more about what is going on. Meanwhile we are still piggy backing motrin and tylenol to try to keep her fever down and giving her the antibiotic. On Sunday morning she awoke after finally getting some sleep and for the first time in three days was thirsty and hungry. Maybe the sweet girl is starting to feel a lil better. I sure hope so, this experience was very scary and hard on us all. In the midst of all Bree's illness, Mom and I gave Pa and Mema a surprise 75th birthday party at the church. We were successful in keeping it a secret and very pleased with how it turned out. They enjoyed it very much. Please pray for Bree and for her recovery. Have a great week!! XOXOX

Making Progress

2008-09-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

We worked so hard on Sunday afternoon on our house. We had a painting party and were amazed at how much got accomplished. We painted the entire house including the ceilings all except for the kitchen and family room ceilings. It looks great. The kitchen, main room and bath are painted kilim beige and our bedroom is done in hopsack. I am not sure as to what I am going to do to Bree's room yet. Her nursery in our old house was done in pink and cream stripes, which I absolutely loved but I can't decide if I want to do them on her room now. It is a smaller room and I just don't know how it will look. I have posted some pictures of her old room, and would love to know what you think. For now I did her room in the cream , which is actually antique white and am waiting to decide what else I should do. I have played with the idea of doing a chair rail and doing stripes half way down the wall. I know I am going to hang her name and do the same bedding and window treatment. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Kerry's talented Aunt Beth is coming in November and is going to help us again, so we have a lil time to decide. She did an excellent job on the stripes in the nursery, so I know whatever we come up with will be beautiful. We took Bree to the State Fair of Texas on Sat. and had a wonderful time. My Mom, Gramps, Bebe, Aunt Alice and Uncle Charlie went with us. Bree especially loved the bird show. Her favorite part was when a bird took a dollar out of her hand. She laughed so hard. She also enjoyed the rides and games. The ducky game was so fun to watch her play and we let her pick out her own prize. For those of you who know Aubree you won't be surprised that she picked a brown puppy dog. She grabbed it and instantly started kissing and hugging it. Probably not the most sanitary thing, but it was so sweet. The fun house was another one of her favorites. We all enjoyed watching her discover all the wonders of the fair. Kerry and I have been going to the fair since our first year together in 2001. We always enjoy all the neat shows and booths and loved sharing this special event with our daughter. Another highlight this weekend was the Marcus vs Lee football game in Tyler. We went with Justin & Audra to meet Katy Cranfill. Her husband, Greg is the quarterback coach for Marcus. What a game! We enjoyed it just about as much as we enjoyed visiting with Katy. Thanks for inviting us, Katy...hopefully we will see you again at Homecoming. Thanks for checking on us. I will try to post some house pictures soon. XOXOX

2008-09-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Bree is the silliest little girl. She loves to play and laugh. The other day she was laying on our bed and started saying "Binky" and had her hands turned up as if she didn't know where it was. so I started saying "Binky" too and looking for it. After searching for it for a few minutes she went to her secret hiding place and started laughing hysterically and grabbed her binky. I realized at this point that she had hidden her binky and was pretending that it was lost. It was too cute. And of course she wanted to do this about four or five more times. But it was worth it to see her get all worked up laughing at herself so hard every time she "found" it. She also loves to dance and sing and she finds it very amusing to have me dance and sing with her. This is pretty hilarious as I am sure you can imagine. Last Friday the 19th was Mema's 75th B-day and we enjoyed taking her out for dinner and having cake and ice cream with the family. We are so fortunate that Kerry and I have both sets of our grandparents still living. Saturday Bree and I went with Mom, Mema and Pa to Dallas to my great aunnt Doris' house for fun and then we went to lunch with my Pa's brothers and sisters and their spouses. It was great to spend time with everyone. That night we went to Gramps and Bebe's for supper and to watch the UT football game. And of course on Sunday we watched the Cowboys game with everyone at Bebe's as well. Bree especially enjoyed the pizza and playing with her cousins. Although, she is a bit jealous when her Mommy or Bebe or Gramps hold lil Kate. She instantly wants in the lap of whoever is holding Kate. We have had a pretty uneventful week. However, we did enjoy supper at Cecil and Sue's house on Tuesday night. They had the whole bunch over and Bree colored with the boys and played like she was as big as they were. I did see her running from Crew a few times. He likes to give her these huge bear hugs and she gets mad some times if they last longer than she thinks they should. I have been getting ready for a garage sale that Mema is having and Bree just doesn't understand why all our things are out in the carport. Kerry & I have been benefiting enormously from the marriage serious going on at MSBC. We are excited about seeing the movie next weekend, Fireproof. This weekend we are taking Bree to the State Fair in Dallas, so I will let you know how that turns out. Enjoy your weekend !!

Blessings beyond measure!

2008-09-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Blessed beyond measure is how I would describe my life. This past week has been one blessing after another. Bree has continued to talk non stop. Amazing me everyday with new words. She even said "I love you" to me today. Of course I said it to her first but it was still priceless to hear her say it back. She has recently started pointing her finger and saying "No,no, no." I don't do this too often, so I'm not sure where she picked this up, but she loves it. It is cute, for now. I still have to remind her not to say it to Mommy or Daddy, but its cute when she says it to our dog, Alex, or her babies. She also loves to play with her pretend camera and say" Cheese" as she takes a picture. She is at such a fun stage. We went to play with Finlee last night, Justin & Audra Phillips' daughter who is about a month younger than Bree. The girls have such good imaginations. They played with pots and spoons for the longest time. They would stir the invisible food and then take the biggest bites. They were such good sharers too. They had so much fun and we had as much fun watching them play. We spent the weekend mostly having family time. Mostly watching a bunch of movies together. Saturday I helped host a house warming for Lance & Jennifer Davis. They are good friends of mine from high school & also our soon to be neighbors. They have an amazingly beautiful home. Saturday night we hung out with Gramps & Bebe. Bree says "Gamps" for Gramps. Too cute! Sunday was another great message at church and a beautiful song by Bebe. Bree was waiving at Bebe from the congregation the entire song. I still don't know how Bebe kept from laughing. As for our house it is ready to be primed and painted which is what we intend to get done this next week and weekend. Having the walls textured really made a big difference on the looks of the house. Last Wed. the 10th was my 28th b-day. I had a wonderful day and felt like royalty. Kerry & Bree sent me a beautiful basket of flowers and Mom & Mema & Pa sent me a vase of flowers to work. Bebe brought Bree to the office and we had a yummy lunch at Red Lobster. After lunch the sweet girls in the office gave me presents and a delicious chocolate cake. That evening Mom, Mema, Pa, Uncle Kurtis, Kerry , Bree and I had supper at Papadales and then had cake and ice cream at Moms. I then went to pokeno at Cara's house where I had a great time and managed to escape with three lovely gifts. What a wonderful b-day, thank you for all the sweet cards, calls and gestures everyone did to make my day special. Then to keep the celebration going, Debbie(Bebe) had supper for me on Thursday night at their house with the family. This was very uplifting as I spent most of Sept. 11th remembering what tragically happened 7 years ago. My heart goes out to all of America for the pain we all experienced on that day. It was great to spend time with family and thanking God for all that he has done to rebuild the lives that were shattered on that horrible day. May we never forget 9/11. On a brighter note, we had so much fun watching Bree play with her cousins, Parker, Brett & Crew. She adores them and I think they are pretty fond of her too. She can't wait for Kate to get a lil bigger so she can really play with her too. Bree has mastered the art of climbing. She climbs on everything. And thinks she is so funny doing it. She really has a good sense of humor and can really laugh out loud at herself. She really likes to go riding in her wagon lately. That is a daily must right now. She is also getting good at the potty thing. A few times this past week she would take her diaper off and run to her potty to go the bathroom. Talk about exciting. We are so blessed by this precious little girl and all of the other wonderful people in our lives. May you all have a blessed week!

2008-09-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

We love because He first loved us. I John 4:19

The sermon at church today was another wonderful message that moved me greatly. It was from I John 4:07-19. Bro. Ronald did an excellent job conveying the message. He spoke of how in order for us to truly love our partner, family and friends we must first accept and love God and rely on on the love God has for us. Very moving and has made me focus a lot on how I need to work on displaying God's love in my everyday behavior and actions. Bree has really grown to enjoy going to the church nursery. She loves to go in there and play and the past two Sundays she has not cried when I leave. This is such a blessing. I can really focus on worship and not worry as much about her because I know she is happy. Her latest is to say"Me need that." Talk about sweet...and hard to resist. Although I keep reminding her that she does not need it, she wants it, but she insist that she needs it. She also loves to play with her camera and say "cheese". It is precious! Friday night we went as a family to the Grand Saline football game. We met Gramps, Uncle Brandon and the boys and uncle Charlie and Martin. Bree was all decked out in her lil cheer leading suit along with her pom-poms. She had so much fun watching the boys run up and down the football field. She was definitely a tiny cheerleader clapping along with the cheerleaders and the band. Friday night football games are just one of my favorite things and I am so glad we get to experience this back in our hometown. What a fun night! Saturday was Jennifer Tolar's baby shower at the MSBC Hub. The old gang, Audra, Katy, Holly, Hollie, Jen and myself met at Papadales for lunch. After a nice visit we headed to the church to set up for the shower that was given by us girls. The shower was so much fun and Jen definitely got "showered" with gifts and love. It was so good to see all of my girls and I was reminded of how wonderful it is to have lifelong best friends who are such caring, wonderful women. It has been awesome to take our friendship to yet another level and experience raising our babies together. What a blessing! These extraordinary women have been close to my heart since elementary school and truly define what friendship is all about. We spent Saturday evening at the Phillips' residence with a few other wonderful couples. Mom took Bree with her and my grandparents to Tyler to a homecoming for my cousin Brad who just got back from serving in Iraq. We hated to miss this but it was definitely great to hang out with our friends. As for our house, it is being taped and bedded this week and will be ready for painting this next weekend. Then we have to tile & carpet the floors, put in the new doors, bathroom vanity and cabinets, light fixtures and appliances and a few other lil things and we should be ready to move in. Hurray!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I want to say thank you to all of my wonderful friends and family for all of your unconditional love and for being such an inspiration in my life. Hugs & Kisses to all!!

2008-08-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Always give thanks to God the father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

I have really been feeling a sense of gratefulness lately. From the moment I wake up in the morning my heart is filled with warmth. Usually the first thing I see when I open my eyes is this precious little 16 month old girl laying next to me sleeping so peacefully and my wonderful husband on the other side of me. Immediately I am overwhelmed with a sense to thank God for the joy and pleasure Aubree brings to our world. As I watch her sleep I am amazed at how beautiful and perfect everything about her is. God has graciously given me a wonderful family. Everyday I am amazed at how much Aubree is learning and changing. She is talking so much. She started say Uhh ooh this week and just last night we heard her singing Old MacDonald Had A Farm. Although we weren't sure what she was singing at first. The verses of the song are kinda gibberish but then when it comes to the ee-i-ee-i-o part she sings it loud and proud. It is so precious. She is such a delight to be around. She can also say and point to almost all of her (or your) body parts. Careful though she does poke your eye pretty hard and it'll hurt if your not paying attention. Bree is really at an independent stage. She wants to be such a big girl. Specially when it comes to eating. She wants to feed herself with out any help. This gets pretty messy! She loves to play with her babies and feed them their bottles too, although most of the time she ends up trying to drink their juice from the pretend bottles and doesn't understand why nothing comes out. She has her own sign language. When she is looking for something she turns her lil hands up and walks around looking so lost. It is so cute. Being that time flies by so fast and we are usually so busy, we have been spending any free time we have at home as a family enjoying Bree. Kerry and I have agreed that our time with Bree goes by way too fast and we need to start spending more time enjoying the simple moments in life. Although I am so grateful for the time we have together, I do feel that the time with Bree has gone by way to fast. I am happy to see her grow and learn, but also a lil sad when I think of how fast she has changed. In church today Bro. Ronald started a new series on Fireproofing your Marriage. Kerry and I greatly appreciated the sermon and it is our prayer to remember to submit, love and respect each other as we face the trials of daily life. We usually try to follow this anyway, however in the crazy everyday world we don't always remember to honor each other as much as we should. The series is shadowed by a movie coming to theaters at the end of September. From the clips I have already seen it seems very beneficial for all couples. We are looking forward to the upcoming sermons and the movie. For now we are trying to enjoy each other and remember to thank God for the blessings in our lives and enjoy our precious gift from God.

2008-08-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well as the summer is coming to an end we have been trying to get back on track with everything. Kerry has been working a lot on our house this past week. He and his Dad have finished the plumbing and installed the new water heater. They also finished the sheet rocking in Bree's room, the bathroom and the ceiling. So now we are trying to get it taped and bedded and then we can start painting. I have been sanding the cabinets and getting them ready to be painted. We still don't know what color we are going to paint the cabinets though. I am considering doing them like my SIL Jennifer's. She did a white-wash finish that looks really good. You can check them out on her blog veryfullquiver.blogspot.com. The house is a big mess right now, but the yard looks pretty good. All the rain was great for the elephant ears I inherited. They were really drooping from the heat but have perked right up. The grass is nice and green too. To take a break my Mom and I went out with some of my girlfriends and their mothers again this past Friday night. We went to the Dallas Studio Movie Grill to see Momma Mia. Talk about a great girls movie. Its like a modern day Greece. Atleast I liked it almost as much and it is one of those you want to watch over and over again. We had a great time. Bree stayed with her Daddy at his parents house and I know they all enjoyed that too. Kerry had another night with his daughter Saturday night. Bree went with him and Gramps to Lindale to eat and Shop at Lowe's for Gramps' B-day present while I went to a progressive dinner with The Womens Minestry of MSBC. The dinner was like 40 something women who met at the church then went to a lovely house for appetizers. Then we went to Debbie's for the main course. She made an excellent lasagna with green bean bundles. Then we went back to the church for homemade pies and to put together gift bags. The food was fabulous and the fellowship was even better. I really enjoyed spending time with some of the women in the church. That is another thing we are trying to get back in the swing of. We would like to become more active in the church. Sunday was Gramps' birthday so we ate with him and the family after church. Don't worry I won't post your age Gramps.(Ha! Ha!) We are so fortunate to have such loving, considerate, caring Gramps. He has been such a big motivator for us on the construction of our house. He really devotes a lot of time to his family. And we thank him for everything! Well, Bree has been using so many new words lately. She loves to say "outside & if you get in her way she'll tell you to move. The lil stinker. Instead of saying yes when you say something she likes, she claps. It is so sweet. She loves to go to our house and feed the fish in our pond. She thinks she has to every time she goes there. We have also been enjoying spending time with Parker, Brett, Crew and Kate, and of course with Brandon and Jennifer. The boys are so much fun for Bree. She loves to pretend she is as big as they are. She has been trying to color a lot lately. She really likes for some one to color with her. Of course it is just scribbling, but I think it is great. Thanks for checking on us!

Such A Big Girl

2008-08-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

About six weeks ago I noticed that if I said to Bree, "Momma has to go to the bathroom," she would run to the bathroom and pat the potty. So I thought to myself, she knows what we do in the bathroom. So I got her her own "Royal Potty" that plays assorted music when she potties in it. Being the sweet girl that she is, she almost always follows us around the house when we get up to do something. She doesn't want to miss a thing. So she usually goes to the bathroom with us and while we use the restroom she sits on her "Royal Potty" in her diaper, mind you. Well, Monday night while i was running her bath water, she was waiting anxiously as always and then when I took off her diaper she turned around and went to her potty chair and sat right down. I could see her lil tummy straining as she tee-teed right in her potty. I was so impresses! The chair started playing music and in ran her Daddy and Nona. We were all so proud and she smiled the biggest smile ever. Then she waved and in her sweet lil voice said, "Hi." Talk about a moment to remember. Our lil girl is growing up so fast. Now I know we still have a long way to go with the potty training thing, and this seems like such a small deal to some, but to me it was huge.

Still Homeless

2008-08-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well as you probably know we are still working on our new house. This remodeling is quite a process. I must be honest though, lately we have been slacking a bit. The house has not been one of our priorities. We have been busy spending time with family and friends. Kerry's sister Emily was in town and we have just been preoccupied with a family wedding and lots of other family fun. Congratulations to Mike & Ashley Baker!! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful! We spent the day recently visiting with Katy and loved her new house in Corinth. Holly and Emma met us there and we took the girls swimming in Katy's pool. It was go good to hang out with some of my dearest girlfriends from elementary school. Bree and Emma are 6 weeks apart and they played so well together. They kept hugging and kissing each other. They are both very lovey girls. They were even holding hands a lot. Talk about cute!! I was also so glad I got to stop by The Medical Center of Lewisville and say Hello to all my old co-workers. I miss you all so much and it was great to see you. Well we have had an up and down time with Bree's new kittens. They disappeared from Mom's on Wed. morning and were gone all weekend and then on Sunday nite Kerry and I were on the back of our land putting out some deer corn when we heard a meow. We both started calling the kitties and out of the woods ran Spice. How she got to our land is a mystery to us. sadly we have not found Sugar, but Bree was so glad to see Spice when we brought her home. She was looking for Sugar the rest of the nite though. Which saddens me. But what can I do? We are thankful though to have Spice back safely. Well Bree is still a doll baby. We were in the Miss Canton pageant 2 weeks ago and the beauty received 4 awards. We were so honored. She got plaques for Best Dress, Most Beautiful, The Red, White & Blue Modeling Category and received a crown for the queen of 12-23 month age group. We had so much fun and she walked across the stage like such a big girl. Aubree loves attention and will put on a show whenever the chance arises. Needless to say she was not scared and laughed when her time to go onstage came. Although her Daddy and I are not big pageant people I think there is a lot children can learn from them and as long as they have the right attitude going into it then there is no harm done. I prayed a lot the week before the pageant that God would give me the right attitude going into this and that no matter what the outcome I would still think just as highly of Bree and the other contestants. Bree and I love to dress up and that is exactly what the day was all about. Bree wore a beautiful dress and had fun running around playing with the other kiddos. Thanks Amie and Hollie for all your help getting ready for the pageant. And thanks to all my family and friends for coming to the pageant and supporting us. What a blessing you are in our lives.

Where Did July Go?

2008-07-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy enjoying our summer and working on the house and land that this month has flown by us. Bree is so fast now. She is all over the place. Last week Bebe & I took her to have her picture taken at Kiddie Kandids. They take amazing pictures and always seem to capture Bree in her best momments. The photographers are so good with her as well. Although I must say Bree really hams it up for the camera. We took her to stride rite for some new shoes and the lil stinker went from being a size 3 1/2 in May to noe a whooping size 5 1/2. We then took her to Flower Mound to see Dr. Smalley for her 15 mo. well baby visit. She is still a munchkin, but he was impressed with her steady climbing growth. She weighed 19 lbs 2.5oz. was 29 3/4 inches long. She remains in the 5th percentile in her weight and the 25th for height, but he was pleased overall with her steady growing. He said she was developing wonderfully. Afterwards we took her by her old school to see everyone. It was so nice to see Ms. Cookie, her teacher. We miss her kindness and smiling face so much. Bree showed her all of her new tricks, too. She winks, holds up one finger when you ask how old she is, blows kisses, gives huge hugs, Eskimo kisses, butterfly kisses and much more. Next we met Aunt Kathy at The Galleria for a lil shopping and dinner. What a perfect day!! Bree has a huge vocabulary she even says thank you now. She loves to ride her car and horsey & is still in love with all animals. We proudly welcomed Bree's 4th cousin into this world on July 15th, Miss Kate Marie Kindle. She is beautiful. Bree loves playing with her cousins and the boys are so good with her. We have truly been blessed by her in so many ways. Thank you for checking on us.. Much love to everyone.

2008-06-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy lately chasing Bree around and getting ready to close on our house and 19 acres. We close on Tuesday the 10th of June and then we are going to start a complete remodel on the house. The land is beautiful. It is 19 rolling acres with 3 ponds and is in a nice , quiet area just about 2 miles from my Mom's place. Kerry has already started to mow the land and clean the ponds up. It is very peaceful out there and in the future we hope to build a new home on the top of the big hill in the middle of the land and rent the house we are remodeling. We are very excited about the possibilities of our new home. Bree had a wonderful 1st birthday. The theme was "Pink Poodles in Paris". She had the cutest pink poodle shaped Birthday cake w/ iced bone shaped cookies. She loved the cake. She demolished it into a million lil crumbles. She liked to play in it more than anything. She enjoyed all the attention at her party. Thank you to all of our family and friends for coming to celebrate such a wonderful milestone in our lives. She has two bottom teeth now, so she thinks she can eat anything we are eating. However, mashed potatoes are still her food of choice, and Mema makes them for her just about everyday. They spoil her rotten. She definitely entertains them. She is talking a lil more everyday. She says a new word all the time. She loves animals. Kerry and I took her to the Tyler Zoo not long ago and she loved feeding the birds and the elephants. She also loves to swim and do anything outside. She is the huggiest child I have ever seen. She gives the best, biggest hugs ever. At her 1 year check up she weighed 17 lbs. and 13 oz. and was 29 inches long. She is a petite lil thing. Over the Memorial Day holiday she came down with the chicken pox. This was not a fun time. We were at the Whispering Pines Resort with the Lee and Phillips family and I was so afraid that we had exposed Zander and Finlee to the pox, but as of now, no one else has gotten them. Bree had a ton of bumps all over her body, but the majority were in her hair. She never ran much of a fever and didn't really scratch them either. Most of the pox are gone now, there are just a few scabs left. I guess that is one thing we don't have to worry about again. God has blessed us tremendously and we enjoy every second with our families and friends. May God Bless you always.

Our Baby Is Turning One!

2008-04-21T18:59:00.001-07:00

This past year has been an amazing blessing from God. Our lives have been by far enriched by Aubree Malena Kindle. She has constantly amazed us with her sweet personality and persona. We could not love her more. She is running around every where. Everyday is a blast to experience with her. She finally has two teeth on the bottom that are just about to break thru the gums. She is the biggest hugger ever. When she sees us she comes running and has the biggest hugs to give. She is definitely an outdoor girl. She loves to go out to play. It is so hard for me to believe that she is turning 1 this Saturday. The year has flown by. Along with all the wonderful joys she has brought to our lives, we also have some more good news. We close on our house in Lake Dallas on May 12th. Once we do that we can get more settled here in Grand Saline. We are definitely looking forward to that. I hope everyone is having a great spring & hopefully we will see you soon. Thanks for checking on us...God Bless.

Country Livin

2008-03-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

We have been back in G.S. for two weeks now. My new job is fantastic! Everyone in the office is super nice and I think it already feels like home. We are still staying with family, as our house is still for sale. Bree stays with Mema & Pa and Bebe during the week. Although, we all really miss her teachers at CCLC we are loving that she spends so much time with our families. They are really enjoying it, too. Bree has started to walk short distances at a 0time. I guess she has been doing it for about a week now. She is so funny. She will walk across the living room or from one thing to another from time to time. But sometimes she gets so excited and falls. She loves to dance and play the piano. She is so good natured. Although, we have found one thing that she does not care for at all. The Easter Bunny. Audra and I took Bree and Finlee to the Tyler mall on Friday to see the Easter bunny. We got the girls semi-matching Easter dresses. Bree's is green with big pink flowers trimmed in pink & white polka dots and Finlee's is yellow with big pink flowers trimmed in yellow & white polka dots. They even have custom made hair bows to match. Way cute!! They had such a cute set up for pictures in the mall. The girls were playing and when we sat them down on the bunnies lap, Finlee did great, as for Bree she started shaking and screaming. The poor baby was terrified! We tried to play and sing and I sat there next to the bunny, and she was fine but every time I would hand her to the bunny she cried. So Finlee had her picture made in his lap and then we rearranged the set and set the girls on the bench and had the bunny sneak in behind them. But Bree kept her eye on him the whole time. Other than that she loves everyone. We are so happy to be back around all of our family and friends. We enjoy seeing everyone so often and all the convenience of having everyone right here. Thank you for checking on us...God Bless & Happy St. Patty's Day and Easter.

Coming Home to G.S.

2008-02-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

After much consideration we have decided to put our house on the market and move back to our hometown Grand Saline. I have accepted a position at Dr. Zeb's cardiology office in Greenville, Tx. Kerry will continue to manage the company he is with, the drive is actually shorter from G.S. than from our house now. Bree will be staying w/ my grandparents and family everyday which we are very excited about. We are hoping to find some land and build a house, but until then we will be staying with family. Although this will be a big change after being gone for 9 years, we are very excited and look forward to raising Bree around her grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts & uncles, cousins and many of our long time friends. We have been talking and praying for this move for a very long time and we feel like it is now God's plan to move us back. Thank you for all of your prayers on this matter. We will greatly miss all of our friends and neighbors here, but it will be so nice to be back with our family.

On another note, Bree is really growing fast. At her nine mo. check-up she was 16lbs 2oz. 27 3/4 in. and her head was 42cm. She is long and skinny. She is doing great. She likes to clap & sing, play ball( throwing the ball back & forth), and stand. She is such a fast crawler. She is really into everything. She is such a sweet girl! She loves to give big hugs & kisses. She even hugs Alex every chance she gets. Bree is the light of our lives. She makes everything fun. Last weekend we had a girls day w/ our friends from G.S. and we took the girls to the park after lunch. Bree & Finlee loved to swing. This was Bree's first time and she would kick her legs & laugh when she wanted to go faster. Sooo cute! They also liked to slide. It was so much fun exploring the park w/ these sweet lil girls. Bree is also a big eater. She wants anything we are eating. The other night at Jason's Deli Kerry was having brocolli & cheese soup and Bree wanted some so he was sharing it w/ her. I got some ice cream and figured she would love it, so I gave her a bite. She got so mad she pushed the spoon away, started crying and then spit it out. She was expecting more soup and didn't want the ice cream. Kerry gave her soup and she stopped crying and was happy again. I think we may have found one of her favorite things! Atleast for right now anyway. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family life. I hope everyone feels the true love and joy that a family can bring. God Bless!

Happiest 9 Months of Our Lives

2008-01-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

We can hardly believe that Aubree is now 9 months old. She has been such a pleasure to be around. Her presence has brought so much joy to our home. She is babbling all of the time now. She has 3 main understandable words, Momma, Daddy & Alex. Her procedure with the ear tubes went great! Thank you for all of your prayers. The tubes have been doing their job. They have been draining a lot lately. The poor baby was sent home on Monday from daycare with 101.5 temp. Bebe and Gigi came to stay with her for the remainder of my work week. Dr. Holt said she probably had a viral infection after blood work and testing her for RSV. Both came back negative. The chest x-ray showed that she still has bronchiolitis, so we are continuing to give her breathing treatments. She does pretty well with them for the most part. She has her second boo-boo on her noggin from trying to pull up on things. I am sure there will be many more to come. She loves to play with her toys. Friday night we were in the den watching tv and Bree emptied her toy basket completely. She pulled every toy in there out. It was so funny. She usually just plays with whatever we put out for her, but this time she crawled over to the basket and emptied it. She is a woman who know what she wants! Although, she is also very indecisive like her mother. If Kerry and I are sitting on opposite sides of the room she will crawl towards one of us half way and then turn and go back towards the other and then repeat the process until we go get her or something else catches her attention. She is so fun to watch. She really is entertaining! Once again, we are blessed by her presence in our lives. She is such a sweet girl!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We had a very blessed Christmas. I was off from Dec. 20th thru Dec. 30th to spend time with Bree during her 1st Christmas and w' family. I enjoyed my time thoroughly! Thank you to everyone who so kindly gave to us this year. We appreciate the lovely gifts. Bree enjoyed all the people and lights and wrapping paper this year. She also got several really cool toys that she enjoys playing with. And also some adorable clothes that she loves. She is officially a crawler now. She goes all over the place. She is pulling up on everything too. We can't believe how quickly she has grown. She is still nursing but is also eating all kinds of baby food and cereal. She has a head full of golden blond(almost white) hair. And the bluest eyes ever! She is the happiest baby and is so loving and playful. I love it when she gives hugs and kisses. It is so precious! She weighed 16lbs 7oz. yesterday at the ENT doctors office. Which by the way, she still had an ear infection in her right ear. Therefore we have decided that since she has had ear infections for the past five months that we are going to put tubes in her ears. The procedure will be on this Friday, January 4, 2008. The procedure itself takes only about 5 min . Dr. Baeur will drill a whole, suction the fluid and put in antibiotic tubes. He assures us that she will instantly feel better. Please pray with us for Bree and those taking care of her during this time. We are anxious for Bree to be back to felling her best! We wish everyone a wonderful 2008!

Tis The season

2007-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

As Christmas approaches I am filled with the joy and spirit of the season. Bree has been an awesome shopping partner and we have just about wrapped up our holiday shopping. Bree loves to ride in her stroller and I can already tell she is going to be a SHOPPER like her Momma. She loves to feel of everything we pass by. She experienced her first Christmas party last Sunday at the Miller Christmas in Alba, Tx. She was the center of attention in her red, plaid bubble suit trimmed with a black velvet collar and waistline bow. She enjoyed opening her first present, too. As soon as Mema handed it to her she reached for the shinny green bow. She ripped it off! Nona then helped her get started with the wrapping paper, but then she took control and tore into the present. It was a handheld light-up, musical phone. She enjoyed the first of many Christmas parties. She is still sitting and turning on her knees but she isn't ready to crawl forward yet. She will army crawl backwards on her tummy but hasn't started going forward...it will come when she is ready. Everyday is so much fun watching her explore the things in her world. She is so happy and has a smile that melts our hearts. She is a big babbler. Ooing and Gagaing all the time. I wish I knew what she was trying to say...No telling! She is really into the Christmas lights and loves all the pretty decorations. If only I could keep them out of her reach. We are having a blessed Christmas season. I wish that for everyone too!

So Much To Be Thankful For...

2007-11-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

As we are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday we can't help but to be reminded of how amazing God has been in our lives. He has blessed us in so many ways. Kerry and I were so fortunate to find each other at just the right times in our lives, when we were able to appreciate each other to the fullest. We have an amazing friendship and have made a wonderful family. Bree continues to brighten every day of our lives. We thank God for her! We are also blessed with very loving parents, careers that we love, a cozy home , health and much , much more. We are definitely very thankful for all the blessings bestowed upon us. Bree is 7 months old on Monday. She is really on the verge of crawling. She sits and rocks forward but hasn't taken off just yet. She is very curious about everything around her. She loves musical toys and of course toys that light up. However, she would prefer to play with other people to toys. She loves people. To her there is no such thing as a stranger...which could be a bad thing. Although I think of it as just being really friendly. She loves to touch faces and to pull hair and whiskers. She is also a pro at eating with a spoon. She enjoys it so much! She is such a happy girl! She really smiles from the inside out. I hope everyone is well...Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Lil Miss Canton

2007-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Things are fabulous in the Kindle home. We are so blessed by the precious lil girl God gave to us. Bree is getting so good at sitting on her own. She will sit and play for long periods of time. She is getting even better with her little hands. She had a blast trick or treating( Or maybe that was her Daddy & me) but she was a lot of fun too. She made a beautiful ballerina. On Sat. I entered her in the Lil Miss Canton pageant. There were many beautiful babies but Aubree was by far our favorite. She wore a soft pink sleeveless dress w/ matching socks & bow. She was happy during the contest and won Most Photogenic and Lil Miss Canton! We were thrilled! It was so sweet. They gave her a snowflake crown, two trophies, a plaque, a sash and a stocking full of goodies. It was a lot of fun. I was surprised that it was such a pleasant experience, however I feel like that was a one time affair. At least until she is old enough to tell me if she wants to do another pageant. Bree is still enjoying her 1st foods. She loves squash, sweet potatoes, bananas & applesauce, however, she isn't crazy about green peas.( She must take after her uncle Brandon on that one.) Oh and another mile marker she met on Wednesday was she said Dada for the first time. Since then she has been a big talker. Saying Dada & Momma often. It is priceless! We are so happy and thankful for every moment we spend w/ Bree.

Our Lil Ray of Sunshine

2007-10-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Bree is learning and doing new things daily. The other day when Kerry and I went to see her at daycare as we were leaving to go to lunch we were saying bye-bye and waving and Bree stuck her left arm out in the air and waved to us like a pro. We were both so tickeled. Then on last Thursday evening we met Kerry & Debbie & Aunt Beth for supper and Aubree started giving Bebe all these wet, slobbery kisses. Again, we were amazed. We had no idea she could give kisses or wave. Everyday she amazes us at what she can do. And then last night she was sitting on her Daddy's chest and he was holding her hands playing with her and she did this cute lil scooting move. Which she does all the time now. It is precious! She'll scoot on her bottom all the way across the bed. She is sitting up on her own now most of the time. Every once in a while her cheeks will pull her down!(I'm kidding!) She loves to laugh. Every inch of her body is tickelish. She is also really playing with her tongue a lot and moving it, and ofcourse she babbles too. She has been introduced to veggies now. She loves squash and sweet potatoes, but carrots gave her a huge body rash. Something just doesn't agree right now. Maybe we will try them again later. I am saddened when I think about how fast the time has gone by and how much she has grown. Life is sooo wonderful. As for Kerry & I we spend all our free time admiring Aubree. Thanks for checking on us, We love u!

2007-10-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

Time Sure Flies

Can you believe Aubree is now 5 months old? Where did all the time go? She is changing with every minute. She has gotten very curious with her hands and everything goes straight to her mouth. She has to taste everything. We have started feeding her rice cereal with a spoon. Boy is that a mess!! She usually likes to eat from a spoon, except lately she hasn't had as much of an appetite. On Friday she ran a lil temp.(100.9) and then Friday night she was really fussy and acted as something was hurting her. On Sat. morning when we woke up she was burning up so I took her to see her pediatrician. They did a CBC test and her WBC count was 22,000. The normal range for an infant is 10,000-16,000. So then they drew blood and took a urine sample by catheter. The poor baby already felt bad and then was poked and pricked all over. She also got a shot of a really strong antibiotic to start treating the infection. We also went to the hospital and got a stat chest x-ray, which turned out to be normal. We are still waiting, they are suppose to call us today with the results from her lab work. I really would like to know what it was bothering her. But atleast she is feeling better now. Her WBC count was 10,000 yesterday and she weighed a whooping 14.86lbs. She is really growing fast. She loves to laugh and we love to hear her precious laughter. She also really enjoys looking at books and magazines. I try to read to her daily and she seems to enjoy it. Thanks for checking on us...We love u!

Wow, Bree is so smart!!

2007-09-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Bree has really grown. She is 24 1/2 inches long now and 13 1/2 lbs. She rolled over for the first time on Sept. 2nd and then on Sept. 8th she said her first and favorite word....Momma. It was absolutely fabulous to hear her say it! She melts my heart. She is so sweet and such a good natured baby. She has really gotten good at grabbing things as well. Sat. Sept. 15th she held her own bottle...talk about precious. She has such a radiant smile, too. She is really developing and man is she smart. Kerry & I are enjoying watching her discover this great big world. She had some of her Daddy's sweet tea on Sat. and absolutely loved it. She would grab at his cup for more. She also loves to play in her exerciser that Nona & Mema gave her. Her lil, chunky legs really get after it in there. Its adorable!! Motherhood is so GRAND!! Everyday is so precious with her. Thank you God for the amazing blessings you give to us!

2007-08-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Bree felt better for about a week and she returned to school. We had a good week and then on Friday we met Jennifer & Brandon and Bebe & Gramps at Medieval Times. It was a lot of fun. Bree was fascinated with the lights and the horses. She wanted to be held so she could watch the show..in fact she watched almost the entire thing. It is so neat to watch her discover new things. She also enjoyed licking Daddy's fork with his cake icing on it! She likes sweets like her Momma. We enjoyed having everyone stay with us, but were saddened on Sunday when Bree woke up congested again and not feeling well. She also had a temp. of 100.7 degrees. Bless her sweet, lil heart. I gave her Motrin and she seemed to feel a lil better, but she wasn't herself. Her fever persisted and Mema & Nona had to come to keep her because she couldn't go to school feeling that way. On Monday morning I took her to see Dr. Leung and she was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears, the left being the worst. We started her on antibiotics and today she seems to be feeling better. Her temp. seems to be staying around normal for the first time w/out the Motrin. Besides her cold she is really verbalizing a lot. She coos and talks all the time. We are sure she is saying something really important, we can tell by the tone of her voice. She is a very good natured baby, even when she's sick. She loves to cuddle and chew on her pink monkey(Thanks Melanie!) and you should she her talk to it. It is so precious. We are excited about having a girlz weekend w/ Nona & Mema while Daddy goes dove hunting this weekend. Thanks for checking on us. XOXOXO

Poor, Sweet Baby

2007-08-13T08:11:00.001-07:00

We just finished up a nice visit with my Dad. He was in town to meet Aubree. I must say Aubree liked her Pa Paw. She was intrigued by his beard. She would pull and rub on it every chance she got. I am sad to say that Bree woke up on Sat. morning with a raspy cough, which progressed into a pretty bad sounding cough. It was accompanied by lots of sneezing and a runny, congested nose. Poor Baby!! It is so sad to see Bree coughing and struggling to breath. Bebe came on Sunday to help us out with her and is going to stay to watch her until she feels better and ready for school again. She just doesn't feel well. I can tell by her actions and the fact that she wants to be held and cuddled all the time. We are taking her to the pediatrician this morning & hopefully he can help her to feel better. It brakes our hearts to see her feeling bad. Mom is doing well from what I hear. She sounds great...we are going to see her this weekend so we will see for ourselves. Bree has started scooting on her back. She doesn't care much for tummy time, but when I put her on her play mat on her back she will scoot herself all the way off the mat and sometimes across the living room floor. It is hilarious to watch. She has also started trying to grab everything in sight...my hair, necklace, jewelry....anything that is in front of her actually. She is laughing and trying to talk all the time. It is a joy to watch her grow!!

2007-08-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

We are back home and back to our normal schedules again. On July 25th I received a horid call saying that my mother(Vickie) was being taken to the hospital in Tyler for chest pain. In my career field I imediately paniced and we rushed to east Texas. Upon arriving at Mother Francis Hospital I learned that my dear mother had suffered a heart attack. She was in the ICU and for the first time in a long time I felt so helpless and afraid. My Mom went for a cath on Thursday morning where we discovered she had two completely blocked arteries. (RCA & LAD) The cool thing was that on her way to the procedure the nurses let Bree ride on the garney with her. They both smiled the whole way. This was the best Mom had looked in the past few days. She had to have a double bypass surgery. This news was very shocking, my mother who is only 52 & the strongest woman I know, needed bypass surgery?!.. In disbelief of what was happening I thanked God for allowing her to make it to the hospital and turned things over to Him. Friday morning she had surgery from 7:30am til 11:50am. Thanks to everyone who came to sit with us during those frightening hours. I was pleasantly surprised to see several of my dear G.S. girlfriends there to support me. Your love has been amazing!! Mom came out of surgery and it was very hard to see her looking so frail. She awoke from the anesthesia around 6pm. Again I was amazed by what an unbelievably strong woman she is. She recovered wonderfully and is now continuing to improve at home with Mema & Pa. Than you God for all you did for our family and Thanks to everyone for their prayers and thoughtfulness. On a more positive note, while we were enduring this process we met an extraordinary family in the waiting room. The Albert Smith family, whom were a really great bunch to be around. Mr. Smith was having a bypass at the same time Mom was. God has a way with bringing good things out of a seemingly bad situation. We are now back home and all is going well! Thanks for checking on us & have a great week!! Please continue to pray for Mom & Mr. Smith as they face some challenging rehab and try to regain their strength.

Aubree's 1st day of daycare

2007-07-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

Aubree slept so well through the night. She awoke at 4:30 am to nurse. Afterwards she fell back asleep like any other morning. Although, it was unlike any other morning thus far for both of us. I got ready for work while she slept. Then at 5:30 she awoke again for whatever reason and I began to dress her and give her medicine to her. I was glad she awoke again, because my fear was that I would miss out on her moring smile. But luckily for me she woke up smiling and playful like usual and I got to share a few moments of laughter with her before work. I then loaded her up for work. Upon arriving she slept til 8:00am. I nursed her and then returned to work. I went to visit her at 9:40 again and then at 12:20 and 2:30. Each time she was awake sitting in a bouncer, smiling. What a relief! And each time when I entered her classroom she would grin so big my heart would hurt with joy. While nursing her she would smile and talk to me, sometimes even laughing. It was as if she was telling me all about her first day. Her teachers' names are Deborah(The lead teacher) and Cookie. They seem really awesome! My heart is at ease after seeing how well she ajusted. I love the fact that I can go over and see her whenever I want. Which today has been every couple of hours. I miss her terribly but I have enjoyed my first day back at work. Bree has done amazing and I feel confident she will continue to love her daycare.

Growing like a weed!!!

2007-07-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Aubree is growing and changing so rapidly. She was 12 weeks old last Thursday. She is smilimg and laughing all the time. What a happy baby! She lites up when you talk to her or even when she sees a familiar face. Bree is cooing and aahhing all the time, too. It is so precious to watch her enjoy life. Saddly, she will start daycare Monday. She is going to Childrens Choice Learning Center which is a HCA hospital affiliated learnin/daycare center. I am very confident in the center and its employees, however it will be extremely hard to leave her. Atleast she'll be right there w/ me and I can go see her often. On Thursday Bree started imitating her Daddy and making the motorboat noise w/ her mouth. Now she does it non-stop. Its adorable! Her Daddy is pretty proud too. We are amazed at how fast she is changing. She is doing a good job of holding her head up as well. She still takes reflux medication and hates it as much as ever. She has outgrown her favorite pj's. We are heading to Target as soon as I get finished to shop for new ones. We had our pictures taken at Magical Memories. Cara did a great job! But, ofcourse she had a great subject!!! We had a lady date/lunch with the girls from G.S. this past week. All the new babies were so precious. We all enjoyed it. We Hope to see everyone soon. Love you, Amanda

2007-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

May 19, 2007

Everything is well here. Bree had her follow-up appointment Thursday. Her weight was good. A whooping 8lbs. 2.2 oz. We were all pleased. However she is still batteling the reflux and has to take axid twice a day. The faces she makes when taking her medicine are wild. She is not sure about all of that. She is also taking oral medication for her thrush and for gas. Poor child...she has to take more medicine. The thrush is clearing up so it shouldn't be much longer on that medicine. I am really enjoying spending my days with her. Although they go by so fast, we have fun napping and playing together. She is changing daily. However, I still don't know who I think she favors. Its hard to tell at this point. One thing is for sure, she is an angel sent from Heaven above. Only God could create something so perfect. We have been so blessed by His gift. We all send our love to everyone. Amanda