Mom's Day 2011

My friend Melissa just posted an excellent blog entry detailing our shared Mom's Day. You can read it here. In case you don't click on the link, I'll give you a synopsis. We (the Dallas' in our car and the Williams' in their car 12 miles behind us) set out for Amarillo early Sunday Morning. The purpose of the trip was to see Curren Gomez get dedicated (along with 40 other new arrivals). Eric, the girls, the grands, and the nannies all took the stage to dedicate Curren. I know this day was hard for Eric and his family but I was so proud of all of them and blessed to get to spend the day with them. The week leading up to the service was really tough for me. I struggled with really missing both my mom and Brie. While I know my mom is in far better shape in heaven, sometime I play the "what if" game. I wonder what my life would look like now if mom had stayed healthy. What kind of relationship would she have with my children? I could go on and on. I usually don't because I am satisfied with her being whole in heaven. For some reason it hit me hard this year. Most likely because I was also missing Brie and feeling so broken for her children. I know that God has and will continue to place wonderful, godly influences in their lives. But selfishly, sometimes I just want Brie back.
The day in Amarillo was good. I had a rough time during praise and worship, but made it through. We all had lunch together. The kids played in the kiddie pool and watched a movie. I got to hold, feed, change, and love on the Champ. We left in the late afternoon. We stopped in Tulia so the rest of my family could meet my cousins' newly adopted baby boy. We got to eat at Chipotle (my favorite) when we arrived in Lubbock. Once we got home, the kids were excited to give me all their homemade goodies. They worked hard on their cards and poems.

They also got me a new bike which my friend, Laura, helped me pimp out with a baby seat. Pictures of that will have to wait.

I love being a mom to my kids. Although they do things that annoy me like Zach showing up to baseball practice without his shoes. Not just the right shoes, but shoes at all. Or like Abby peeing in my bed as I type this post (she was in my bed because she has strep again and Tim is out of town again). They also do and say funny things like Calyn coming upstairs in the middle of the night saying that Grant's crying is making her ears hurt. Today, Zach pointed to a Chihuahua in the car next to us. While I was impressed that he knew the dog was a Chihuahua, Abby didn't see the dog and said, "Where is the enchilada?" Abby does not think it is funny at all when Grant scratches or bites her. She is however, the first to comfort him and feel bad for him when he gets punished for scratching and biting her. She hugs him and tells him, "It's okay bubba."

There is almost never a dull moment at our house. I would not trade our chaos for anything. Losing my mom and Brie has taught me a lot about not taking things for granted. Brie and I talked just before her death about whether our goal was just to survive or to thrive. We both decided while we go through seasons of just surviving, we did not want stay in those places. We wanted our families to thrive and our relationships with Jesus to thrive. I think I am more than surviving but still have a way to go before I can claim to be thriving.

The fifth of May

I found the cutest cookies on one of my favorite blogs. Sweet Sugarbelle is a South Plains native and makes me want to bake more. Her cookies looked like this:

My cookies looked like this:

I made guacamole and queso for dinner:

We had the tortilla chip cookies with guacamole (fruit dip) and salsa (strawberries and kiwi) for dessert. Tim questioned me as to when we started celebrating Cinco De Mayo. I replied, "When it gave me an excuse to make something cute."

Prayers Please

My cousin's family is going through a very difficult time right now. Would you please stop and pray for them? Please pray for peace and comfort and understanding.

Also, tomorrow we are headed to Amarillo. Curren is getting dedicated. Please pray for the Gomez family as they go through their first Mother's Day without Brie and for Eric as he dedicates his son without his wife by his side.

One more- our family is also going through a very challenging time. I do not have the freedom to share but would appreciate if you would pray for courage, wisdom, and encouragement for my husband.

Thank you!

One down, seventy-nine to go

 Before:

After:

Calyn recently "lost" her first tooth. She had to have it pulled by the dentist because it was infected.

Thinking about her teeth, reminded me of the dinosaur project the twins did for school (not sure why but probably all of the teeth we the kids had to cut out). The twins worked with one of their friends and they each produced a dinosaur fossil head. They were Zach's archeopteryx skull (2 liter Sprite bottle), Calyn's tyrannosaurus skull (gallon milk jug), and Sydni's triceratops skull (half gallon milk jug and paper plates).



How can you tell when Grandma visits?

Your dinner plate looks like this:

Your baby toddler looks like this:

Your big kids smile like this while they play outside in 50mph winds:

Thanks Grandma for a fun visit.

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):