Kenny Ray is 21!

 

Here are some pictures of Kenny's Party. There is Thomas, Mason and Ryan playing; Mary and Ryan; Kenny and his Dad; Jheri and Kenny and the awesome Happy Day cake; and Papa and Samantha and Thomas and Ryan playing in the hay! It was a great party for a great guy.

Howdy Folks -- It's State Fair Time

This week we went to the beloved State Fair of Texas. For those of you outside of Texas, these pictures do not do it justice. It is a day of visiting exhibits, including every "As seen on TV" product being demonstrated, to eating all kinds of food that is bad for you -- Fried PB & J & B(bananas!), Fries, Corny Dogs, cotton candy, sausage on a stick, well, you get the picture. There is the car show (George this picture is for you!), and the petting zoo, which was a big hit with both Sam and Thomas. As you can see, a good time was had by all!

Samantha is 1

Samantha's First Birthday Party

It is hard to believe that Sam has turned 1. What is harder to believe is Preston is 13 and Kenny Ray is 21! We had Sam's birthday pictures made and her birthday party last week. I'm not going to get all mushy, but I can already see her going on her first date and learning to drive (she's been riding Thomas' little car and she LOVES it!).

The Fire Station

Jheri took Thomas to the fire station today. Here are some pictures. He got the grand tour, including the kitchen, in which he saw a plastic container. He thought it was a cake box and told the fireman that "Thomas likes happy cake." The fireman told him that had vegetables in it; so, Thomas said "Thomas likes vegetables." (I am sure he was thinking someone was trying to pull the wool over his eyes.) When the fireman offered him some, he replied "No thanks." But, he did get some cookies.

Our Rock-n-Roll Babies

 

Here is the next Brother/Sister Rock-n-Roll sensation!

Woo Hoo! We have so Much Fun Together!

Yeah, the kids do love each other -- or are they just big fat hams? I'm going with the love each other option!

An Update

Thomas – He’s now at that age where he wants to “do it himself!” He’s a big boy who can get his own water from the refrigerator door, attempt to fix a bowl of cereal, drink from a cup with no lid, and get up in his car seat and seat at the table. He knows that it is Jesus on the cross. He knows his extended family. He follows directions very well (when he wants!), knows his letters, numbers (and knows what is a number and what is a letter) and colors, can count, build tunnels with this blocks, and can talk Daddy into giving him candy!

Sam – She is playing peek-a-boo, snorting, giggling, crawling all over the place, sitting up all by herself, cruising along the furniture, climbing out of her highchair and getting into all of Thomas’ toys, including knocking down the tunnels he builds with his blocks. Sleeping through the night is hit or miss, but she is trying. She is eating real food and is shunning baby food. She is getting a great personality. She loves her Daddy and when she wants him she gets him!

Tom – He is a wonderful Daddy. He has been such an incredible source of help, support and inspiration to me. Mommies are supposed to know everything, be sure everyone had everything they need, cook the dinners, keep the house clean, do the laundry, go to work, fix the boo boos, and be everyone’s cheerleader. Well, Mommy is not very good at doing all of that all of time. Luckily, I don’t’ have to. Tom is always there when I need him and always reminds me that everything does not have be done RIGHT NOW! Tom is working for a smaller company and is enjoying this work, although he’d like to be busier. His love for baseball is being shared with Thomas. Tom is also a wonderful husband. There is no one on this earth I would rather be with, spend time with, or share my life with than him.

Me – I am in constant awe when I look at Thomas and Samantha. Everything about them amazes me, their smiles, their giggles, their development, and their love for me and Tom. I’m still working and am grateful for my job. Being a paralegal for the attorney I work for is challenging, rewarding and enjoyable. Tom and I have been playing in a year-long Texas Hold’em tournament and I am really having fun. Currently we are doing very well, but the last game in either November or December is what will count. I’m going to start a month-long session of the Little Rock Scripture Study course in September and am looking forward to that.

A shopping we will go....

Jheri took the kids shopping today! They all are getting SOOOO big! Michael and Preston will be going back to school on Monday. Thomas and Samantha will sure miss them during the day.

Pretty Soon, I'll Be Driving this Bus!

 

Bathtime!

I Can Stand Up All By Myself!

And, I can be silly!

A Baptism

 

What a happy day! This is my godchild, Isabella; her mother, Jolene; and her mother, Mary, on Isabella's christening day.

Snaggletooth

 

 

Here is my new smile! Can you see my teeth? I have two more on the bottom.

DAD IS GREAT!

He gave me chocolate cake!

Mommy was not too happy, but I sure was! Thanks Mattie for having a great birthday party with yummy cake!

Blocks and Thomas are not just for boys!

 

I like them too!

Like Two Peas in a Pod!

 

They really do like each other! Thank you Mike, Bunny and Amy for these great shirts! We love them.

Sam is (almost) 9 Months Old

Forgiveness

I've been thinking about grudges and forgiveness a lot lately. Actually I think about that quite often -- both from the standpoint of me forgiving someone and of someone forgiving me. While at godmother class a few weeks ago, I picked up the magazine "The Word Among Us" which has daily devotionals. This one was from a few days ago. I hope you like it.

Has anyone ever hit you, and you wanted to turn around and slug them back? Has anyone ever stolen from you, and you think you would like to steal from them in return? Has someone spread false rumors about you, and you just wanted to tell lies about the offending person?

If you ever gave in to those urges, you might justify it by lex talionis, a law of equal and direct retribution, or as the Hebrew scriptures say, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24). The problem is, your justification may not be correct. This form of reciprocal justice was for the courts to decide, not for individual persons. In fact, personal retribution was forbidden by the Jewish Law: “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges us to go beyond the limits of “logical justice” enshrined in the lex talionis of the ancient Near East. He asks us to place mercy above every other consideration. If a person strikes you on the right cheek, you are to offer him the left cheek. If someone steals a shirt from you, you are to offer him your coat as well. If someone asks for a little help, go the extra mile and offer them a lot of help. Even St. Paul encourages us to be patient, kind, loving, and truthful as we rely on the power of God (2 Corinthians 6:4-7).

Let’s face it: This is no easy task. But Jesus knows how challenging his teaching is. He knows we are bound to fail at times. We should hold ourselves to a high standard, but we should also trust that he will never judge us harshly. The key is to keep trying. Take small steps toward pardoning past hurts and wrongs. Do your best to be generous and kind to your neighbors. Over time, the Holy Spirit will move you farther and farther along, until you are ready to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile in a spirit of true love and generosity.

“Heavenly Father, I thank you that your grace and your mercies are new each day. I marvel at your mercy and generosity. Come, Father, and give me a heart of mercy and generosity!”

Psalm 98:1-4; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Happy Day Daddy

Because I neglected to take any pictures of Tom and the kids on his birthday, I'm making this his "Happy Day" post. We celebrated Tom's birthday with the family and it was so nice. We love getting everyone together at our home. On Father's Day we had lunch with my family and dinner with Tom's Here's some pictures of Tom and Thomas and Sam. I'm finding it harder and harder to take good pictures -- must be time for a new camera!