New Year's Eve

Its amazing how time flies and how much things can change in a year's time.  A year ago today I was 9 months pregnant waiting for the birth of my daughter which would only be 9 days away.  I was excited, nervous and scared...but I was very happy.  When I think of my children and my husband, my heart leaps.  I love them and adore them.  I can't imagine my life without them.  I think about all the struggles we have been through in the last 7 years with losing Jace, my Mom, Jeff's grandparents.  Jace was the most difficult loss.  We were forever changed by his passing and will never again be the same people we were before he died.  I thought after that I could endure anything that came my way.  My Mom's passing was tough.  You always think your parents will live forever.  Mom was too young at 65 but I know she's in a much better place and having the time of her life with all our loved ones who have gone before us.  Jeff's grandparents passed away just a short 6 months apart from each other.  His grandmother had health problems for years now but fought them with such grace.  When she died, Jeff's grandfather died right along with her.  I'm at peace with his passing because I know he is right where he wants to be and that's by her side.  Their love for one another inspired me every time I had the pleasure of being in their company.  My life was changed for the better by having all of these wonderful people in my life.  It appears that 2010 may very well bring additional changes to my life, changes I am not looking forward to.  I pray and hope everyday that I can fix what has been dealt my way.  I don't like the hand placed before me, I hate it.  I haven't handled it well at all but I am hoping to do better.  I will continue to pray and trust the Lord will guide me to what will be the best  for me and my family and give me the strength and courage to remember my grace.       

Struggling

I'm still trying to digest what I have been told.  I hate knowing what I know.  I hate it.  I'm trying so hard to be positive but each day gets harder and harder.  I struggle to keep a smile on my face.  I want to cry all the time because I'm sad.  But I have to force the smile...for my kids...and because its Christmas.  Because its the most wonderful time of the year.  I love this time of year...but I'm struggling.  And I hate that I'm struggling.  I should be talking Santa and reindeer and shopping and parties and family and Christmas trees and snow and gingerbread men and all other things Christmas.  How I'm so very excited for my daughter's first Christmas and how I'm equally excited that Christopher still believes in Santa and hasn't figured things out yet and how I love their innocence.  How I love Christmas morning when Christopher wakes me up all excited that Santa has come and brought lots of presents.  This was a great year.  I loved this year.  So many milestones and so many new beginnings.  Now...now I just want the year to come to an end.

Blindsided

Have you ever been blindsided?  I mean really blindsided?  Like in a way that has left you sitting there with your jaw sitting on the ground, dumbfounded by what you are hearing and utterly speechless?  I found myself in that exact situation yesterday.  I'm still struggling with what I have been told.  And for many reasons, I am not going to tell you what it is that has left me in this state.  I'm not ready.  I just needed to get this out of my system and now, I must end this post because if I continue talking, I will give away too much...and I'm not ready to do that.  I just needed you to know that I've been blindsided...and it sucks.

Canton Finds

As promised, I have taken pictures of almost all my wonderful treasures I bought in Canton last weekend.  There are a few things I am not posting because they are Christmas gifts and I don't want to risk them being found out before the big day.  Before we get to the nitty gritty I wanted to share with you the warm and funky red puffer vest we talked about before....along with the warm and comfy boots I found.  They aren't UGGs but they look just like them and cost way less than the real mccoys. 
Here we go...

Do you like? Well get your own cuz these are mine!  ha!  While in Canton I picked up the beautiful scarf you see in this picture...it looks great with jeans and just about any color top you are wearing.  The pink hat you see is what I'm going to call a head warmer.  No its not your eyes, its pink...I found this on Sunday and decided to get it because it was too cute.  I wish I had had it Saturday before the entire time we were in Canton the temperature never rose above 50.  This little beauty wraps around your head to cover your ears.  Its really cute and they have them in all different colors but I chose pink because I wanted a fun color since this was a fun accessory.  Here is a close-up...

I have always wanted a table to put in my entry.  I knew exactly what I wanted and where to find it.  I was so excited when we made it to one of our favorite vendors in Canton to pick out my table....

Don't you just love it?  Me too.  The hurricane candle holder you see on the table is also a Canton find.  I fell in love with this little beauty last year but did not have a place for it at the time so I passed on it.  My friend Marilee bought this last year. We went back to the place she bought hers to see if they had another one this year but they didn't. We happened upon this one at another vendor. I was very excited to find it because I really loved it. The cloth under it is a little something I inherited from my Grandma Berger after she passed away.

I wanted to find Isabella a holder for all her bows and clips.  I found this cutie patootie ladybug holder.  I let her have this right away instead of waiting for Christmas because I have always brought small gifts back for my kids and hubby.  Christopher has been wanting a Dallas Cowboys ball cap so I found this one for him.

This next find I call my churches.  I'm not really sure what they are called but this is what we named them in Canton because that's what they remind me of.  There is this little vendor that carries lots of pieces made of iron.  They also have jewelry, purses, scarves and lots of other great accessory items.  I bought 3 of these.  2 are the same size and 1 is slightly bigger.  My plan is to put them on a wall in my dining room grouped together.  When I get them hung, I will take a picture and show you how they look.  For now, you get to see what one of them looks like.  I love these little churches. 

This is called a dough bowl.  I'm guessing it was used as a dough bowl at some time or maybe its just replica of one from back in the day.  Doesn't matter really because I love this dough bowl.  I have looked at these bowls every year and always wanted one.  I never could really figure out what I would use it for but this year I just decided to get it and be done with it.  The possiblities are endless really with what you can do with this sweet little rustic beauty.  I will have to update you on what all I decide to do with it.  For now...its going to sit on the bottom shelf of my new table.

When in Canton, you have to stop by the vendors who have food.  Its a must.  You just never know when you will happen upon a great dip mix or soup mix or even better, muffin mix!  I found some treasures this trip.  What's even better, this particular vendor has a website and you can order more from them!  Woo Hoo!  The Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup was soooooo good.  The Southern Pecan Pie mix reminded me of these little brownies Chris and I used to always get at Bucees until they stop carrying them.  The dip mixes were very good as well...never know when you might need them in a pinch for guests or as a gift!

I had actually stopped to look at a wreath that caught my eye but decided against it. I did find this great wall hanging that I have placed in my dining room.  I love the saying on it...

Ok...so remember how I was talking about wanting more decorations for my Christmas tree?  Well I didn't find what I wanted but I did find these 3 beauties at Cracker Barrel.  I love them and am seriously thinking about going back and getting more of them.  Each ornament is slightly different...Peace, Joy and Noel.

I have a skinny tree in my dining room...yes my dining room again.  Seems like its getting all the action this year huh?  Anyway, skinny tree in the dining room has some sort of rustic looking jingle bell balls on it.  Marilee saw these snowflakes at Cracker Barrel and thought they would look great on it as well so I picked some up....

And last but certainly not least I picked up some of this red ribbon wrap stuff.  Tree skirts don't work too well on skinny trees so I thought this stuff would look great.  Just something to hide the uglyness at the bottom.  I think it turned out great.  I'm not perfect at wrapping this stuff but I think as the years go by I'll get better. 

And there you have it...almost all my finds in Canton.  I am enjoying all of them and can't wait to give the Christmas gifts I found because I'm just as excited about them as I am about everything else.  If you haven't been to Canton, you really should go.  They have some of everything you're looking for.  We are planning and hoping to go in the Spring.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tuckered Out

I am plum tuckered out from this weekend in Canton.  I still need more coffee...thinking an iv drip would work faster.  I promise I will take pictures of all my goodies and post them.  But for now...I must get more coffee and probably some toothpicks to hold my eyes open.  More to come!!

Decorating for Christmas

I just thought I had a lot of Christmas decorations, until I read some of the blogs I follow.  How so very wrong I was!  We've always measured how much I've had by how many boxes Jeff has to get down out of the attic.  I reduced the number a few years ago but now...after looking at all the gorgeous decorations and getting ideas, I think its a pretty good bet, those boxes will be increasing again.  I didn't hang the garland in my dining room like I usually do because I was trying to stay simple this year.  Now I wish I had put it up.  And I do want to add more decor to my big tree.  Like some ribbon, maybe poinsettias or berries to spruce it up some.  I remember my nephew asking me last weekend how many trees we had.  We have 4.  The big one, 2 skinny trees and a table top.  I'm finding out very quickly that is nothing compared to what others do.  I'm leaving for Canton tomorrow and I do have some Christmas decorations in mind that I want to get but now I think I'm going to be adding a heckuva lot more!  I have always loved the transformation the house takes on at Christmas...its like a whole other place.  I remember growing up how much I anticipated Daddy getting the tree and decorations down out of the attic and how much I loved helping Mom get the house ready.  There were certain decorations that went in the same place every year--I can still close my eyes and see it.  I love that memory.  I have been trying so hard to simplify things that I have sort of taken something away from myself by not going all out with my house at Christmas.  I do believe I am going to have to take that back now.  This is my favorite time of year and I love walking into the house when its decorated.  It feels very warm and cozy and I love sitting by the tree with the lights on and just enjoying it.  Yes ma'am...I'm going to take back my Christmas charm and start going all out again.  Yes indeed.  Look out Jeffery, here I come, Houston Oilers #1!  Oh sorry...I lost my head, I took a cue from my sister's post last night on Facebook...you'll have to check it out to see what I'm talking about.  Happy decorating!

Baby Its Cold Outside

Holy toledo its cold outside...but this girl is LOVIN IT!  I love the cold weather...don't care so much for the rain that has come with it because I've been out running errands and I don't like driving in the rain but I'm dealing with it.  There is a rumor going around that we may get some snow on Friday.  I will be on my way to Canton so I hope we don't get too nasty weather while we're on the road.  The only thing missing from this cold weather is a fireplace burning in my house.  I don't have one.  Want one...want one really bad.  I even have a place picked out in my living room where one would fit just perfect.  But its not going to happen so I just keep dreaming....and go to Daddy's house and enjoy his fireplace.  Ha!  I had to go pay some bills this evening and while I was out, I was trying to find some boots that are similar to UGG Boots.  I found several contenders, just not in the right size.  I have a couple more places to check out before I make my decision but right now...Payless is winning.  I would LOVE to have some UGG Boots but I want them now and I don't want to pay the "now" price when I can get them at a discount.  But to get them at a discount, I have to wait a week to get them in.  I don't want to wait a week to get them in because, as stated before, I want them now....for this weekend...for the snow...and the cold....and because I'm going to Canton!!!!  I did find a beautiful red jacket vest thingy with a hood that has fur on it.  Very cute and very stylish.  I think it would look great with my similar but not the real mccoy UGG Boots.   I should take a picture of the vest and show you but I'm not going to...not today.  Gonna wait until I find the boots and show them together.  So you have to wait, just like me.  Ha!  Hey...go enjoy a good fire, good show, good company and this cold weather.  Because if you're in Texas, it can change at any time!  

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm already tearing up thinking about everything I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  I have so many blessings in my life...a husband who loves me everyday, all the time even when I have my off days and who's face still lights up when I walk into the room.  My children who I adore and love more than they will ever possibly know.  A beautiful home that gives us warmth and protection that I really do love, even though I complain about the "construction" all the time, I am grateful to have such a great place to live.  My family that continues to support me, love me and grow with me and who I love making memories with.  My health...oh how I am thankful for my health.  My friends who make me laugh every day and also continue to support me.  My heavenly Father....you have given me a blessing this year that I was afraid to have again.  My sweet girl Isabella.  Words cannot explain what this baby had given me...given my family.  She makes me smile everyday, all the time, she is the sweetest most precious little girl and has put a light back into my life that I thought was gone forever.  I'm looking at her now just so thankful to have her and can't imagine my life without her.  I'm looking at my hubby rocking in his chair and so happy we have stuck together and made things work...even better than they were before.  I'm thinking about Christopher who kept me going and pushing on even when I wanted to give up.  That kid is more special than he will ever know.  And my sweet baby boy Jace who has taught me so much, lessons learned and wisdom acquired. My Mom who's grace teaches me something new everyday.  My Daddy who's strength inspires and amazes me everyday.  And I could go on...clothes on my back, food to nourish me, a car that take me here and there, a job that helps provide for my family and so much more.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take time today thank the Lord for all your blessings, big and small.  

Thanksgiving

I was excited to get off work a little early today so I could get home and start my dishes for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner at Daddy's house.  For my part of our dinner, I will be preparing my wonderful and full of nothing but yumminess Dressing. My always requested and equally yummy, Double-Layer Pumpkin Pie and for a surprise treat I am trying a new recipe, Southern Pecan Pie Bars from the fabulous Paula Deen magazine. I'm especially excited about Thanksgiving this year because all of my family will be together.  My nephew Paul, who lives in Florida, is even here this year.  The holidays have been difficult these last couple of years without Mom so its always important to me to make sure we are together with Daddy to have dinner because I don't like him being alone.  I love Thanksgiving.  I love all the hard work that goes into preparing the meal, the day, the celebration, everything.  I was just telling the girls at work that one of these years I would like to take on the task of hosting and preparing everything for the meal.  I love cooking and baking, especially for the holidays.  Just once I would love to prepare the meal for everyone.  I know you are thinking I'm nuts but really...this would be fun for me.   I can't wait to dig into the turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, broccoli/rice casserole....oh my mouth is watering just typing this.  And then to relax on the couch and watch some football.  Ah...my perfect day.  Yep....Thanksgiving will be good this year.  Stay tuned to see what I'm especially thankful for this year. 

Pilgrim Christopher

Christopher's 4th grade class put on a Thanksgiving play last week called, "The Turkeys Go On Strike".  it was sort of a traditional Thanksgiving play with a twist of humor.  They had the turkeys, Pilgrims, Indians, cranberries and squash for the traditional side but it also included reporters and football players for the twiest of humor.  Christopher was a Pilgrim...and mighty cute one at that.  I was so disappointed with my picture taking skills at this play.  We were in the back of the cafeteria with the lights off and I couldn't pick up anything.  The pictures I tried to take were awful so I don't really have any of him during the play.  I did get this one...its a little blurry and fuzzy but its my little man in action.

This play, in my opinion, was by far the best his class has done at his school.  They perform a play every year and I enjoyed this one the most!  Every kid was dressed in a costume and I really got into the play, which is another reason I'm so disappointed I can't show you more pictures of all the cuteness.  It was a really fun play and I'm very proud of my boy for a job well done.  Here is a picture of Pilgrims Chris and Nick after the play.

Rainy Days

I love rainy days...love them!  Most people think I'm crazy when I tell them this.  Like the coworker who walked in this morning and said, "oh man isn't it beautiful outside" in her sarcastic tone.  My reply was, "yes it is, I love days like today" in my enthusiastic voice.  She turned around and looked at me like I was nuts, loony, off my rocker and had curse her in the worst way.  There's just something about the rain that calms me, a thunderstorm that gets me excited.  I love watching the lightening, especially at night went it lights up the whole sky.  Now...I don't like driving in rain.  Hate it.  And I do prefer to be at home in a good comfy pair of pajamas, snuggled up on the couch with my favorite quilt playing with the kids or watching a good movie...but I don't want to drive in it.  Rainy days are good for getting stuff done in the house--no excuses for wanting to be outside.  Baking cookies, playing board games, coloring (yes I still color), doing laundry, cooking a pot of something good, Facebooking, sewing (I don't sew), making tie blankets (that I do), hanging out with good friends and catching up, snuggling with the hubby, eating lots of snacks, blogging, helping the kids make a fort out of blankets, pillows and sheets.  Oh I could go on....but I'll stop because I'm stuck at work today and I must get to work.  I love rainy days...the possibilities are endless and if you stop to look at the beauty of the rain, you too can enjoy it.

Quiet & Shy

I am a very quiet and very shy person.  Many times in my life this shyness has been mistaken as me being a snob...and it continues.  I am uncomfortable in many situations, just not knowing how to talk to people, always afraid of saying the wrong thing and looking like an idiot.  I stick to the people I know like glue in any social setting.  My poor husband has a permanent attachment for the rest of his life.  I think he is beginning to finally understand how truly sick to my stomach and nervous I get when I'm around people I don't know--even sometimes around people I do know. Jeff has never had this problem.  The man can walk into a room full of people he doesn't know and by the end of the night...he will know more than half if not all of them.  Me, I'm tucked off in a corner or attached to his hip hiding.  I hate being this shy and I try really hard but sometimes it gets the best of me.  For instance, when I'm shopping or running errands by myself, I many times will not see someone I know because I am in my shy zone.  I keep to myself because I don't think you want to talk to me.  On a confidant day, I just might see you and say hello.  Yes people, I am this shy.  But please don't take offense to this, I'm not being a snob, I'm not ignoring you the way you think I am, I'm just in my shy zone.  I feel like only people who are this way can truly understand what I'm trying to explain here.  This past Saturday our very own Angleton Wildcats football team was in a play-off game against Rosenberg Terry.  Daddy, Tony, Cindy, Chris and I all went.  Some of my former classmates were also at game.  After the game, the classmates all went to Pizza Hut to visit and celebrate our win.  I hesitated going but with a little nudge from Jeff, I did go...and I had fun.  I was a nervous wreck the entire time, but I had fun.  So I'm trying and after putting all this out there for y'all to read and laugh about, I will say I do feel like I have gotten better over the years.  Still not where I would like to be, but better. 

10 Months & Growing

I cannot believe 10 months have passed by since our beautiful baby girl Isabella joined us.  10 months!  The time has flown by in warp speed.  I can hardly believe that we will be celebrating her first birthday in just two short months.  I better get busy planning!!   Here are some highlights of Miss Isabella's progress...

You weigh 21 lbs.
18-24 month clothes
Size 4 diapers
Whole milk
Still some baby food but more table food--you love it!
You LOVE Zesty Tomato Lil Crunchies
You are moving and grooving all over place.  Your Daddy and I believe you will be walking in the next few weeks!
Will fuss if Mommy walks by and you see her.
If someone is in the room with you and they walk out, you sometimes fuss because they leave you.
You were recently baptized.
You recently had your first bout with head lice, no thanks to your brother!
You adore your brother, your face just lights up when you see him.
Will sit with Mommy, Daddy or your brother and watch tv.
Will lay on your pillow and drink a bottle by yourself.
Sleeping through the night w/o getting up for a bottle but you still fidget a lot.
Have started throwing fits a little.  they are cute so we don't mind.
If you have something in your mouth that shouldn't be there and we take it, you get really mad.
Your brother can make you laugh like no one else.  I LOVE hearing y'all play together.
Have started waving bye-bye backwards. 
When you see something you want, you go gimme-gimme with your hands (waving bye-bye motion).
Working on blowing kisses...you've done it once for us.
You are a VERY HAPPY baby.
Had your first Halloween--you were a beautiful pumpkin.
You still dance all the time and we love that too.

You are truly a blessing Isabella.  I hope one day you will understand the happiness and space you have filled in your family's life.  We are so lucky to have such a beautiful girl.  We love you!

Isabella's Baptism

Isabella Marie was baptized Sunday at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Needville.  Father Joseph did a wonderful job with her...he was very easy-going and rolled with her when she was being curious and checking things out.  Her new Godparents Dina Rozner (my cousin) and Chuck Kovar (dear family friend) were beside themselves with pride.  Isabella was the only child baptized after Mass but she definitely had the biggest crowd with 20 guests.  There was supposed to be another family but they didn't show.  I think it surprised Father that all the people there were for this one special little girl.  She looked so sweet in her dress that I agonized, worried and fretted over for 2 weeks!  I wish we had taken more pictures of her in the dress where you could really see it but it didn't happen.  Maybe I'll dress her in it some day again soon...

Mommy, Godmommy, Isabella, Father Joseph, Godpappa, Daddy

Proud sweet big brother Christopher and Isabella. I just adore this picture.

The day was beautiful and everything went just fine.  I did have an uneasy feeling after Mass that they had forgotten about us because I didn't see any other families there with children dressed in white and I guess I was also expecting they would mention it at some point during Mass.  They did remember so all the fretting, worrying and agonizing I did about this was probably not needed but I feel a little better thinking that because I did do all of those things, the day turned out the way it did.  Beautiful and just fine.

Berger Family Gathering

Today we drove to Victoria to visit with Daddy's family.  Years ago after my grandmother passed away we decided to start getting together to see and visit with everyone other than at weddings and funerals.  We started meeting in the Spring but quickly added a Fall gathering as well.  I love these gatherings and I hate that we don't get together more often.  Its great to see how all the families are growing and changing but at the same time, its a shame that growth makes us so busy that we can't do it more often.  We always have many laughs and hugs and always plenty to eat!  This visit was especially sweet because all my Daddy's brothers and sisters made it to Victoria.  We took this picture of them...

Back row L-R:  Jim Berger, Tim Berger, John Berger (my Daddy), Al Berger, Pat Berger
Front row L-R: Sister Gregoria Berger, Carol Berger Rainbolt, Jeanette Berger Sprta

Aren't they a beautiful group?  I think so.  I enjoyed seeing everyone today and can't wait for the Spring to make another trip.  Who knows...maybe we'll get a wild hair and add in a third visit during the year. 

Happy Birthday Jeffery Durrand

On this day in 1973 my hubby Jeffery Durrand Bevers was born.  A few minutes before him, his twin brother Jerrell Jordan Bevers was born.  Yes, my hubby has a twin brother.  I know what you're thinking...my gosh, there are two of them running around!  The answer is yes but these twins are not identical.  In fact, you don't know they are twins unless they tell you because they are quite different.  And I wish I could find a picture of them to post but I have been flipping through pictures for a while now and can't find any so you will have to take my word for it.  I decided I would post a few pictures of my hubby...

A mug shot of himself...I love this look on him...little scruffiness makes for a sexy hubby. 

I'm pretty sure Christopher is telling his Daddy how he thinks things should be done....

Another sweet picture of my boys...a proud Daddy moment...

And while I was looking for pictures of Jeff to post, I found this picture of him and his brother Jerrell standing beside each other...along with a bunch of other brothers and cousins.  This was a very sad day in our family's life...the passing of Joe Brock, Jeff's grandfather.  All the grandsons looked so handsome dressed up that we had to have a picture of them.  The boys are all wearing a tie from their grandfather's collection.  From left to right are:  Stevan Cravey (cousin), Aaron Erickson (brother), Michael Cravey (cousin), Jeff Bevers (as himself), Jerrell Bevers (brother & twin), Brian Bevers (brother). 

What a crew!  And I told you they didn't look like twins.  I see the similarities when they are together and its scary at times.  These two guys have grown into two fine men.  I'm proud to have them in life and I'm grateful to be married the most handsome of the two...sorry Jerrell.  Happy Birthday My Love.  Here's to many, many more years to celebrate!  Cheers!

Happy Halloween

This Halloween was extra special this year because it was Isabella's first one.  Yes she was a pumpkin...I stuck with the tradition.  The boys were both pumpkins.  I had thought about a ladybug for my girl but when I found this pumpkin costume there were no more decisions to make...this was it.  It was girly and fluffy and I loved it. 

And I must say, she looks sooooo cute!!  I just loved her in this as did others.  When we walked outside to take pictures the neighbors were oohing and aweing over her.  She impressed all. 

Here's one with Mommy....

Later when Christopher got his costume on I tried to get pictures of them together but Isabella was done by then.  Isabella wasn't real sure who this masked person was....

She never cried but I did make him take his mask off so she could see it was her brother.  I'm not sure it worked.

A close-up of the Unknown Phantom....

The day before Halloween Isabella had an appointment with Dr. Patti.  We delayed her 9 month well baby visit by 3 weeks so we could check her ears from her last infection--we got an all clear (woo hoo) and my goal is to keep them that way!  She is doing great on her charts weighing in at 21 lbs., 2.5 oz. and 27.5 inches long.  We got the all clear to try whole milk and so far so good.  She doesn't particularly care for cold, cold milk so we warm it a bit and she takes that just fine.  Since it was the day before Halloween I dressed Bella up in her spider dress I found on Etsy.  It was a little cool outside so we had to warm it up a bit.  I know she looks all over the place with her dress, leggings and shirt but she still looked adorable. 

And I did put socks on her feet.  Her little feet are so chunky I have a hard time finding shoes so we stick with socks for now...and plus I read some article on Baby Center that said we shouldn't worry about shoes until they start walking so I said "okay"...that's less for me to worry about, right? 

Here's a close-up of my girl...

And here we are at Dr. Patti's office waiting to see her....

All in all it was a good Halloweenie weekend.  We only took Isabella to the neighbor's house to trick or treat because it was cool and a slight wind outside...for her, all the makings for another ear infection and as I said before, my goal is to keep her ears clear.  I made the block with Christopher and crew and visited two haunted houses or would it be haunted garages?  Brought home lots of great candy and made more memories for another year.  I love Halloween...I love to see everyone's creative minds come to life on this night.  It makes for great fun for everyone...young and old.  I hope all of you had a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

I took the kids to Sunny Hearts this past Saturday to get some pictures of them in the pumpkin patch.  It was a quick photo shoot because we had a parade to get to.  I had intended on going earlier in the day but Isabella took an extra long nap and I didn't want to wake her.  When we got there, my beautiful daughter was more interested in the grass and hay and pumpkins than looking at Mommy and smiling. I went with it and tried to get some pictures of her and Christopher interacting with each other. 

Christopher loves his sister which is evident in this picture of him giving her kisses... 

And I just love this picture.  I think you can see why....

After the photo shoot we went to my Dad's house to watch the neighborhood Halloween parade.  The kids in the neighborhood dress in their costumes and rides their bikes or walk or get pulled in a wagon to collect treats from their neighbors sitting out by the road.  Here we are waiting for the parade to start...

I didn't get pictures of the kids when they came by because I was busy helping Christopher pass out candy to them.  They came in a herd and in about 2 minutes, they were gone!  Afterward we sat and talked for a while, Christopher rode his bike and Daddy put Isabella on the tricylce for a ride around the driveway....

Aren't they cute?  As you can see, Bella still has some growing to do but she liked holding on and riding around with Pop...and I think Pop had fun too.  It was a good beautiful day. 

Fair

Last week was our annual Brazoria County Fair.  We didn't make it out there as much as we usually do but did manage to get out to the BBQ Cook-Off...mainly because my brothers had a team and food and a place to park our hiney's when we needed a break.  We didn't make it to the petting zoo with Bella or any of the other stuff.  I only took her out there for a few hours on Saturday because it had warmed up and the wind had died down a little.  She's had an ear infection so we were very cautious about it.  While we were there, Jeff stopped by to grab something to eat, take a break and see his girls--Chris was gone at the time spinning himself silly on all the rides.  I took this picture of Jeff and Bella--oh I think my hubby looks so handsome in his Sheriff's uniform.  I do miss seeing him in it all the time, but I don't miss the time he spent working for them.  Anyway, here's the beautiful picture I snapped of them...

Then it was Mommy's turn....

Later, Chris returned ready to dig into Uncle Tony's ribs. Obviously Chris and the judges think otherwise on these ribs....

And this picture I took prior to the Fair.  This is Chris and his Lego entry.  For about 4 years now he's been building something and entering it in the Fair.  This year was a Kingdom.  He was very proud as you can but again, the judges didn't agree as much--he won 3rd Place.  He was disappointed but is gonna give it a go again next year.  In fact he's already thinking about what he's going to build.

Happy Birthday Jace Andrew

Last Thursday was what would have been my baby boy Jace's 7th birthday.  I miss my son every day and think of him every day.  Jace was born October 15, 2002 at 12:03 p.m. (just in time for lunch).  He weighed in 6 lbs. 12 oz.  He was a good baby, a happy baby...and he left us much too soon.  I will always treasure the time we had with him.  Jace has taught me so much these last 7 years.  One thing in particular is that I try very hard to never put things off for a better time or for the perfect moment because that chance may be taken away forever.  I tell my family how much they mean to me everyday.  I stop to take time for my kids.  The aggravations that once seemed like a big deal no longer are.  Life can change in an instant so live it today.  You don't have as much control as you think you do so go with the flow, its much easier on you and everyone else.  I could go on but I think you understand what I'm trying to say.  Its hard to imagine that Jace would be 7 because I still think of him as a baby...but at the same time I try to imagine what he would like?  He was born 6 months after my niece Makenna and 9 months before my nephew Brandon so he would be running around with both of them.  Would he be into Transformers with Brandon...love the Cars movie?  Into Legos with his brother?  Would they still be inseparable?  Would he have turned his nose to potatoes like his brother or not been able to refuse them like his mommy?  No tomatoes like daddy?  Salads like his mommy?  These and so many other things I often think about.  I miss him every day and I wish he were here every day.  I'd like to share some pictures of my sweet boy the day he was born. 

Hello world...

We call this the kool-aid smile picture.  This was Christopher and Jace's first meeting.  That smile you see on little 3 year old Christopher's face is a genuine unforced smile.  This is out most favorite picture of these two...

This is the next day when I finally got to really hold him and check him out...10 fingers....10 toes....

And with big brother....

And home...

Forever in our hearts sweet boy....Mommy loves you.

Potato Soup

Yes I know its 80 degrees outside here in Southeast Texas and I'm talking potato soup...but at least its not 98.  It was raining off and on today so that made me want to cook something like soup and since I was off and finished my running early, I decided to oblige my hankerings.  You can't beat this recipe...its so dadgum easy.  My boss made this for lunch one day at work about a year ago and we loved it.  I've made it once with a few tweaks of my own and it turned out great.  And shhh, don't tell anyone but the hubby had two bowls of it!  I know!  Can you even believe he ate soup?!!?  I'm afraid to say it out loud, that maybe it won't happen again.  See, I figured I could get away with making a pot of soup on a Monday because generally I don't cook on Mondays.  Mondays are leftovers, sandwiches, frozen pizza, can of soup...I think you get the picture.  So I figured I'd make a pot of soup and the boys would eat something else and I would get the whole pot of deliciousness to myself.  Slurp!  Didn't work.  However, I'm excited the hubby ate two bowls of soup because the hubby never eats soup...unless its really, really, really cold outside because he doesn't particularly care for soup.  I tease him all the time saying he married into the wrong family because my family loves us some soup, especially homemade chicken noodle soup.  Slurp!   Not the hubby...but he's coming around I think.  Today was proof.  So I made this potato soup that's really easy and I'd like to share it with you.  Are you ready?  Cuz if you blink, you might miss it...

Potato Soup

1 bag shredded hash browns (frozen)
6 cups water
7 tsp. Wylers Chicken granules
2 packages cream cheese
1/2 jar Pace Mild Queso
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, 1 tsp. dill

You throw all that into a pot and let her go.

Now when we made this at work, it seemed like it wasn't thick enough for potato soup so when I make it I add a packet of peppered country gravy to help thicken it up--a trick I learned from my brother, thanks Tony, wink.  I also add...are you ready?  Bacon.  Now I cook my bacon, crumble it and put it in there because I don't eat bacon that's still moving and if I'm adding bacon to my soup, I want to be able to enjoy it too.  Plus, the bacon also gives it a nice flavor.  Oh yes, when I'm feeling frisky like I was today I'll add just about all the queso to the mix, and then finish the rest off with a bag of chips.  Ha!  Anyway, here it is and I hope you like it.  Like I said, its easy and its delicious.  Enjoy!   

A Cool Front Is Coming!

Woo Hoo, Yippy-Ky-Yay, Yee-Haw...and now I'm blank!  I was trying to think of all the things I say when I'm excited and I just went blank.  The reason I'm expressing my excitement is because a cool front is coming...today....right now, its coming...for real...seriously!  See...look at the radar...

That's not me in the red box by the way....I'm down in Texas!  But that's it right there barreling straight for us and I'm tickled pink about it!  I am so ready for the humidified sticky icky hot yucky weather to get the heck out of here.  I love the cooler weather and all it brings.  Layers of clothing, boots, sweaters, scarves, hats.  I'm not a hat person but I think they look lovely on everyone else.  Me, I'm the dork trying to be a hat person and I'm not.  I look like a dork!  Hats aside I love just about everything else about cooler weather clothing.  Jeans...you can even wear jeans without them sticking to your everything....those who live in Texas know exactly what I mean by "everything".  So yes, I'm excited about the cool front coming!  And by the way, Happy Friday to everyone!!!  I hope you have a marvelous weekend...in the cooler weather cuz in case you didn't know...a cool front is coming!