Resurrection Sunday 2011

We had a wonderful day. We went to church and then headed over to the Buschman's house for lunch. Grant and Addison hunted a few eggs after lunch. The weather was beautiful. Neither of them touched their lunches, but they each stopped and opened each egg in order to get to the goods inside.

  

 

This was Grant trying to give Addison a kiss. Addison declined his offer.

We are so very thankful for the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. Today we celebrated that He is Risen!

Brie's Blog Book

Carrie, Melissa, and I helped Brie's dad turn her blog into a devotional book for mothers. This was such a labor of love. When Tom first mentioned the project, I eagerly agreed to help. I had no idea that he meant that we would have to get started immediately. Talk about fast forwarding the grieving process. All three of us went through Brie's blog and pulled out the posts that we thought pointed to how Brie lived her life for God and dependent on God. We edited the posts for ease of reading and then added scriptures and journaling questions. Although the job was rushed, I think the book turned out great. All proceeds form the sale of the book will be used to pay for college for Mali, Eleri, and Curren. If you want a copy, you can order a book here or I can deliver one to you. We are asking for a $20 donation for books delivered locally (they are also available in Amarillo, Dalhart, and Dallas) or $25 if ordered on-line.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and prayer for this family. Please do not grow weary in praying for them.

Hair cut

Before Grant turns one and a half (tomorrow), I figured I'd better blog about when he turned one (and a few other events since he turned one).

This picture does a good job representing the four Dallas children. Grant is questioning why he is where he is and why someone is taking his picture. Calyn is carefree with an easy smile. Abby is being her usual the rules-don't-apply-to me self. Zach is sulking and finding great joy is frustrating his parental units.
We celebrated Grant's first birthday with a backyard bbq on September 11, 2010.

We had family and friends celebrate with us.



There was a lot of food.There was a happy birthday boy.This one is for Brie:).Grant was trying to impersonate a smurf.Luckily he had an appropriate change of clothes.

At the first of December, I took Grant for his first haircut. It was so sad to see his baby hair fall to the ground, but he did look so handsome after the cut.

Before:

During:

After:

He has gotten his hair cut twice since these pictures.

I miss this smile

Our story in pictures

Last October (I know I am so far behind), we attended a wedding reception that had a photo booth. I think the couple got their money worth on our family alone. The kids spent much of the evening taking their pictures. The rest of the evening, they spent on the dance floor. Based on their re-enactments of Dancing with the Stars, I much preferred the photo booth option.

All of us in order of addition to the family:
Our efforts at having personality:

Tim and the kids:

The 3 Dallas girls:

Calyn and Abby:

The three "big" kids:

Zach (can I just mention what kindergarten has done to my sweet boy):

Calyn (serious and smiling):

Abby (the party girl):

Happy Valentine's Day

Side note: I promise that we are not abusing Zach. He had yet another "incident." He tripped and managed to break his fall with his head. Poor guy!

Squeeze it in

I have to get this post in before tomorrow. Valentine's Day is one of my most favorite days of the year. But before we get to the love, let's re-cap the recent winter weather.

The kids were so excited about playing in the snow. I felt like it was way too cold for them to be outside. So we compromised. We have to check our neighbor's mail everyday because she is in the hospital (has been since October-feel free to pray for her-her name is Leona). I bundled up the big kids and let them go get Leona's mail. I went out with them and let them play as long as they wanted. We were outside less than 10 minutes! It was cold!

Grant was SO mad that he did not get to go outside (he is not outside in the picture but it looks like he is)

We enjoyed the week of very cold temperatures. We enjoyed several fires in the fireplace, stew, smores, chili, and hot chocolate. It was fun to take a break from our normal routine and just enjoy lots of time together as a family.

Be still my heart

Last Saturday, Melissa and I loaded up our children and headed to Amarillo. Thanks to a large freezer, I only had Makenna and Grant in my car. Mak watched a movie while Grant slept, making for a quiet trip.

Part of me was dreading this trip. Part of me was hopeful. Several of Brie's friends had met in Amarillo the previous Monday in order to spend time with the girls and help organize. I was set to make the trip and even had grandparents come from Wichita Falls to watch the kids for me. However, a vicious stomach bug struck on Sunday night. It took out me and the three older kids. Calyn also had strep. Grant and Abby had sinus infections. It quickly was clear that I was not meant to go to Amarillo. Melissa, Carrie, and Rachel were able to love on the girls, meet the new Nanny, see/hold Curren, and organize closets. There was a lot of crying involved.

Once we arrived in Amarillo (for Eleri's birthday party) my heart was happy. Uncle Brandon held Eleri while she opened her presents. She was beaming while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. Mali's smile was such a sight to see. She played the big sister role excellently as she helped Eleri open her presents. Eric looked good and was having fun playing golf in the backyard with all the men. It was so good to see each one of Brie's special loves doing well.

After cake and ice cream, I asked Eric about seeing Curren. It was about 20 minutes past his normal visiting time but Eric called up to the hospital anyway. The nurse informed him that Curren had just had a major diaper explosion and that if we came immediately that I could hold him. I was in the car so fast that I did not even tell my children that I was leaving. Curren was just finishing a bottle when we arrived. I then got to hold him. He looks so big in the pictures, but he is still so, so tiny. It meant so much for me to be able to hold this precious boy. I got to tell him about his mom and how much she meant to me. I got to gaze over him and thank God for his life. I tried singing to him but that was just not my thing (sorry Carrie-there was an audience).

I hated to leave Amarillo but am so thankful for the ways that God has and continues to provide for Brie's family. I miss her everyday but know that she is where she was meant to be. Now I am encouraged that her family will make it through. It will be a daily struggle but God is good. He will hold then through every step. Please continue to pray for this family.

Black and Blue

Zach had an "incident" involving a metal pole on Thursday night.
Zach, Calyn, and I arrived about 8:15 pm at a local junior high for my volleyball game. The school is always dimly lit at night. Calyn and I were walking towards the main sidewalk that leads to the front entrance of the school. Zach ran ahead of us to go up another sidewalk that intersects with the main sidewalk. For some reason, he left the sidewalk and cut across the grass, probably in an effort to get to us before we got to the intersection. What he did not see was a metal railing that ran the entire length of the main sidewalk. He was running full speed as he collided with the metal railing. I saw him hit and knew that the impact was bad. He started screaming hysterically and instantly got two giant knots on his head (in the middle of his forehead and above his right eye). Fortunately, he was not seriously injured. He is a little beat up but otherwise okay.
This is a picture of him on Friday:

This is a picture of him on Sunday:

Updates on Curran

Baby Curran is hanging tough.
Daily updates can be found here.
Please keep praying for him, his dad (Eric), and sisters (Mali and Eleri).
Also, please join me in praying for Brie's brother (Brandon) and her dad (Tom).
Thanks!

It is time.

I say it's time but my next thought is maybe it is not time.
How, oh how do you write about someone so dear and precious to you in the past tense? Especially when you still can't believe they are gone.

I think I will start by telling you about Brie and me. I know we met at nine30 but I am not sure how or when our friendship began. It seemed that Tim and I often sat behind her during church, and Tim was always joking that someone needed to feed her because she was so thin. We were both pregnant with our first children at the same time. We used the same OB. I think we first connected when we ran into each other at an appointment. Our OB was always running late so we had the chance to visit. I remember going to visit Brie in the hospital on Thanksgiving Day after she had Mali. I knew that she had Mali because my OB told me that day after at my appointment. I was on bed rest, but was leaving the house to go eat Thanksgiving lunch with some of our friends. I convinced Tim to take me by the hospital, and we took several non-practical presents from a local boutique. I guess that shows that at that point I did not really know her because I would never have given her non-practical gifts otherwise.

Somehow we really connected after the birth of our kids. We got to know each other each week at a Bible study a couple of other moms held for moms that were nursing. I don't think I learned much about John through that study but cemented friendships that will last forever. Brie and Mali started coming over to visit and later play. Our friendship developed. Brie and I were very different. We often commented that we were surprised that we were friends. She was so tiny. I am not tiny. She was messy. I do not like messes. Imperfection didn't bother her. Imperfection often bothers me. She wanted to be the best mom possible. I wanted to survive. She drank Dr. Pepper. I prefer Diet Coke. She was cheap. I could stand to be cheaper. She considered "running" as a jog around the block. I run at least three miles or I don't bother. She made homemade invitations. I remade them because they weren't straight. I could go on and on and on.

Two things that Brie and I shared (and I guess why we were so close) were our love for God and our desire to honor Him in day-to-day living. Brie and I talked for hours and hours about how to be better moms and wives. We prayed for each other and often shared our struggles. We prayed for each others husbands and children. A common theme I have heard repeated over the last week was that Brie didn't just say that she was going to pray for you, she did. This is so true. She prayed for me and my family through the small things and some very large things. Brie challenged me to love my husband more. She taught me biblical truths about my role as a wife and a mom. She encouraged me to spend more time playing with my kids and less time worrying about house duties.

I grieved when Brie moved to Amarillo. She was my best friend. Mali was my kids' best friend. It was hard. No more play dates. No more lunches. No more Bible studies together. No more pictures at the Tech tulips. No more leaving the OB's office and heading straight to her house so that she could be the first friend to hear that I was pregnant. As time went on our friendship changed. We were not physically close, but we still talked often. I knew that I could call on her for advice. She knew that I was always available for whatever she needed. I hated that I could not help her out more when she was so sick with both Eleri and Curran. We still prayed for each other. I would often get one line texts asking me to pray. I'd pray and wait for her phone call explaining the situation. She and the girls (and sometimes Eric) would come visit usually for some special occasion. The kids and I (and sometimes Tim) would travel to Amarillo. Abby's birth. Grant's birth. Sara's wedding. A cousin having a baby. Birthdays. Baby showers. Surgery. Doctor's appointments. Husbands travelling. Trips to the zoo. We still shared our lives.

Brie loved me, and I loved her. In fact, I almost would always tell her that I loved her at the end of our phone conversations (like I tell Tim that I love him and then hang-up). I always caught myself before I said it as I am not one who tells people how I feel. Again, Brie is teaching me. Tell people how you feel when you feel it. There may not be a next time. I wish I would have told her that I loved her. I know that she knew but why was I hesitant to tell her?

Brie had a rough life in many ways. She faced many struggles as a child and many of these struggles affected her as an adult. However, Brie trusted God. She basked in his unconditional love. She fiercely loved Jesus, her husband, her girls, her unborn baby, her friends,and her family. She wanted everyone to find happiness and freedom in Christ. She wanted others to know of the difference that Jesus Christ made in her life. She wanted to honor God with her every action. I know that she is sitting at the feet of Christ in heaven and soaking up every word. I miss her terribly but am happy that she is happy and right where she ultimately wanted to be.

I will miss her friendship, her sweet smile, her advice and wisdom, her love, her prayers, her messiness, her books (she was so cheap but always bought the latest book from our favorite author), her comments on my blog, her encouragement, her baby bumps, her vacation stories, and her declarations that she was not high maintenance.

I know many lives were changed on December 26th of 2010. I look forward to seeing how many lives are eternally changed from either knowing Brie White Gomez or hearing of her story.

I love you friend.