Stories from the Duke Family

2013-02-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

It has been three months since I blogged - for many reasons I suppose. But oh well, onward and upward.

Mardi Gras 2013 was a grand success. Sort of sorry for the people who Mardi Gras into Monday and Tuesday as it is really rainy outside with no sign of slacking up.
Hope to post some pictures of our recent birthdays and trip to Colorado and other adventures soon.

Hope being the key word.

My sweet six year old

2012-11-11T22:24:00.001-06:00

Stephen Jack is now a six year old.

Let THAT sink in a second.

Birthday weekend pictures to come but first.........
Here is a little flashback:

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Six Month Post (a little late)

2012-10-22T20:40:00.003-05:00

Dear Miss Molly James,
You are six months old!!! You are actually about six months old and three weeks since I am late in writing this post.

Here are your stats - you were 17 pounds 1 ounce on checkup day. Because I forgot to write down your length and head measurements, I can't tell you what they were (oops) but what I do know is that you are perfect just as you are. You babbled to the doctor, grabbed at her stethoscope, did your little pushups on the table, army crawled along the table and stuck out your tongue. The doctor pronounced you fine as a fiddle, and then handed me a prescription for an antibiotic becuase you had a double ear infection! What??? She made a point to tell me they weren't just "a little infected." They were, in fact, "completely full of infection!" I did not see that one coming. Your big brother and sister had the occasional (rare) ear infection when they were small, but I guess this one snuck up on us. You happily sucked down the pink mixture twice daily for ten days and all is seemingly well.

Your Likes:
Nursing!
Nursing two, three, four times a night
your brother and sister
your bath
to go for a walk - not in a stroller - but held up so you can look around "like the queen!" Ansley always says

Your dislikes:
me suggesting that perhaps you should sleep longer stretches at night.
Nanny (my mom) suggesting the same. When Nanny and I were recently discussing this topic, you made sure to scowl fiercely in her direction.
food that comes off a spoon (with the exception of plain oatmeal - that you seem to approve of in small amounts)
getting out of the bath and putting on pajamas with snaps. To protest, you expertly arch your back, curl your toes and attempt to flip yourself around on the bed like a fish.

You are our little Sunshine.

We all four spend more time than I can count trying to get a smile or a babble or a big open mouth kiss. You breathe quickly when get excited. You turn to me in excitement, grab my hair and press your face to my cheek.

And, one of my favorite things, you have learned to lift your little baby arms when I hold mine out to pick you up. Pure sweetness.

You will share the bathtub with Ansley who will wash you gently from head to toe while she sings to you. Stephen will entertain you while you sit in the high chair - making you laugh out loud. Surely the compassion and tenderness and gentleness I see shining in them and out of them is party, mostly, due to you, little angel.

You are, as Ansley has said, the queen of the living room. You go as you please and we move things as we need to. You can pick things up with both hands now, even small things that you shouldn't pick up but I suppose are tempting when you are six months old and that close to the ground.

Your latest words:

BABABABABAB

MMMMMMMMM

We get the occasional "Da" or "Ma." We like to think that you know exactly what you are saying these days.

This is what we are saying to you, Miss Molly James. We were waiting for you, even if we didn't know it at the time. We were waiting for you.

Happy Six Months, Miss Molly James.

The three little Dukes visit the pumpkin patch.

2012-10-17T14:35:00.001-05:00

Gracious.

2012-10-08T17:42:00.002-05:00

A month?!?! Yep, a month.

A month since I blogged. I have things to blog about and lots of stuff in my head. Just gotta make the time to sit down and work on that. As I don't scrapbook anymore - this is how I will keep my memories. These pages will be turned into books (there are lots of websites out there to do this.)

Miss Molly James is going for her 6 month appointment tomorrow. She is up to all sorts of things and I will post more about that after we get her stats tomorrow. She is everywhere these days with a smile that everyone loves.

This past weekend Jamey and I escaped to New Orleans. We were there together 24 hours, but it was just what we needed. Or what I needed. I needed to us to have each other's full attention for a period of time longer than the two seconds before we fall asleep. We tend to meet each other coming and going right now. We both work full time. Jamey teaches night school two nights a week. I am still working with my Scentsy. Jamey starts classes at Alabama in January. I also start school again in two weeks. (What!?!?) My bachelor's degree AND my Master's degree were both earned BEFORE I had children. I have three children now. Not sure what I am thinking...but I am registered so I guess I am committed. I will be working toward my Ed.S. degree ( Educational Specialist). I will keep you posted how THAT goes....

But back to the 24 hours that was New Orleans heaven. Hotel? We stayed here. At the Hotel La Pavillion. In a word, FAB-U-LOUS. Just what the doctor ordered for us. We arrived at check-in time Saturday. Spent the evening walking the streets of the French Quarter. There was lots of music and art and stores with awful things in the windows and people dressed in every which way you can imagine. Street performers were everywhere. Tarot card readers, horse and carriage rides, painters. Jackson Square was lovely as ever. For dinner we enjoyed blacked gator, bowls of gumbo, the Chef's special of the evening which was a flounder dish that was excellent. And homemade hush-puppies with a wonderful sauce was also served. And, brace yourselves, I had a glass of WINE. Slowly. We ate and drank and talked and ate and drank and talked some more. We noticed at one point that we had been there long enough for TWO tables of people to come and go (almost.) Wow. Not once did we take anyone to the bathroom, or ask for a bottle of ketchup or tell anyone not to put use their fork as a back-scratcher. We laughed and talked and enjoyed every bite and sip. We then walked around some more before heading back to the hotel. We listened to a lone trumpet player playing as we walked. We passed teenage boys drumming on the bottoms of buckets. The sounds echoing down the alleys of the French Quarter. We stopped for a drink or two in Pat O Brian's. It was loud and full of Saints and Chargers fans. People of all ages. We shared a Hurricane. We decided Hurricane's tasted better when you are 22.
The hotel had a rooftop pool and hot tub. We made our way up to the top of the 10th floor. It was dark, but the lights and sounds of New Orleans floated up to the rooftop as we sat together Blue Moons in hand. A few other people came and went. We chatted with another couple from Baton Rouge for a while. We all four laughed like we were old friends. I don't even know their names. It didn't matter. We were all there for the same reason.

Now this next part is REALLY exciting. Ready?? Jamey and I slept ALL NIGHT LONG. All night. Do you understand the significance of this statement? All night. Heaven. The next day involved Cafe Dumonde, shopping for treats for our three littles, lunch and then the drive home for me while Jamey stayed to attend the Saints game with friends.

Thank you, Lord, for 24 hour getaways. Thankful to friends and family who kept our children from wandering the streets while we were gone. Thankful to spend 24 hours with Jamey and thankful to come home to three sweet children. Almost 12 years of marriage. Well over 16 years since we met. Half of my life, people. And I would give him half my years all over again if I was given the choice.

2012-09-10T20:02:00.001-05:00

Here is our Sunday afternoon. Perfection.

Do's and Dont's

2012-09-04T18:50:00.000-05:00

Things we do 'round these parts:

Manicures - Ok, well I don't do them. But Ansley and my mom are pretty fantastic at them. They are happy to have a good hour session at a homemade salon here at our kitchen table. Compelte with a selection of colors, nail files, nail buffer thing (I am sure that is the official name) and even a beverage. Ironically, Ansley was introduced to a manicure at the Battlehouse Spa, so the nail salon next to Winn Dixie is not how she envisions her next manicure these days. I am fairly certain I never once played nail salon or spa growing up. If anything, my mom was hollering out the second story window at me to get down from the tops of the magnolia trees that grew around our house. I always climbed too high. I could climb with a book under one arm and be at the top in seconds. How romantic and wonderful does that sound? Reading away my childhood in the top of an Alabama magnolia tree. Now as an adult, I can't think how in the world that was any sort of comfortable. I am pretty sure I would never allow my kids to climb a tree like that these days. Perhaps I should.

Sleep - We sleep when and where we can these days. I don't make my children stay in their beds. Ansley almost always does anyway, but Stephen may venture out a few times a week. I can make a quick bed out of our love seat in the dark in under 15 seconds. I am pretty sure most mamas can. You don't want to sleep in your bed? Not a problem. You can sleep on the couch. Or on this pallet. If you will sleep, I will help you find the right location for the night. That location, however, is NOT in the bed with me and Jamey. Not so much because we don't want you there, but rather there is just no available real estate there at the moment. (See below under things we don't do)

Cartoons in the morning - Yes, we do it. We watch cartoons before school. I let my kids eat ON THE COUCH and watch cartoons. It keeps us happy. It keeps us moving. My kids know that if I see the process of breakfast eating or uniforms is slowing or coming to a halt, goodbye cartoons. I am sure an expert somewhere will tell me to make them come to the table so that we can all have breakfast together. Blah, blah, blah. Who really wants to have family talk time at 6am anyway. Ok, honestly, Ansley gets up as bright eyed and bushy tailed as they come, but must deal with me and Stephen (who are NOT morning people) and she does a fine job of this. Molly James is yet undetermined in the morning person status.

Things we DON'T do 'round these parts:

We don't do baby food yet. Babies are all different. And I am certainly not the mama I was 8 years ago when Ansley arrived. At MJ's four month checkup, the doctor told me to go ahead and start solids. He asked what foods we would like to start with? I told him that we would not be starting foods for a while. He looked at me and blinked. I must have looked pretty serious so he said, "Well, you are the mama and she looks fine to me," and that was that. It is important to me to nurse MJ for as long as I can. This is a decision that I feel is best for me and more importantly for her. (I am not suggesting that it is right for everyone or even anyone else.) She will be five months tomorrow. Gracious.

Put baby down and expect her to stay there: immobile she is not. So we are all on guard for where this baby decides to roll or inchworm next. Also, I am reminded of the condition of the carpet daily as I see her eyeballing teeny tiny peices of whatever is on the carpet. GROSS. So I vacuum. Again and again and again. Let me say again, GROSS.

Finally, nights of uninterrupted sleep - that is something we definitly do NOT do. Molly James does not sleep through the night. Not even close. Not even a little. And you know what? I am ok with that. We do kind of a half modified cosleeping sometimes. Sometimes we don't. She nurses as much as she wants through then night usually. And I am ok with that. She is a night snuggler. She reaches out for me with her eyes closed. She snuggles her body up next to mine. She will put her little hand on my face. And I am ok with that. She is tucked in safe between a daddy who loves her , a mama who loves her and a brother and sister asleep in the other room who believe the sun rises and sets because Molly James says it should. And I am ok with that.

There will be time for sleep again. Someday.

An evening at Mamaw Jo's house.

2012-08-29T11:01:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night we went over to spend a few hours with Jamey's grandparents. Here are a few shots. They need editing (hello weird-eyed baby) but I am too braindead from all the rain to do it. Can you get rain induced ADHD? Because I have it. I can't focus on any one specific project right now.

Anyway - here ya go.....

What happens when you get VERY bored waiting for the dr....

2012-08-18T22:24:00.003-05:00

Ansley had a doctor's appt this past Friday. Dr. Mayer, her cardiologist, is ALWAYS on time. Well, apparently not always always. We waited and waited this past Friday. We played on the phone, the Ipad and the Kindle. Then the silliness started in....

The photobooth app on the Ipad provided at least 20 minutes of distraction.

A little check-in

2012-08-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

Here we are sliding right out of summer. I could say all those cliche things like how fast it went, how hot it is...those sorts of things. It has gone fast - but that is old news as a parent. It just does. Time passing fast is the norm.
Tonight we are eating french bread pizzas and watching the Olympics. I already know who wins what tonight, but Ansley does not. It is fun watching it with her. Stephen is not so interested. Last night he suggested that the Olympic officials release a shark into the pool so that the swimmers were required to race and watch out that they were not eaten. When I suggested that someone might get hurt with a shark in the pool, he simply shrugged his shoulders, thought for a moment, and then added, "Well, if they want, they can swim with a sword." So there you go.

Stephen received his Welcome to Kindergarten letter. He was interested enough to open it and ask Ansley to read it to him. He listened carefully and then was on his way to another activity. (These days spy games take up most of his time.)

We have had a bit of a time convincing him that he is absolutely fine in his bed at night. Some nights are better than others. He simply does not want to sleep alone. And by alone, I mean in the bunk bed UNDER his older sister who is obviously in the same room with him. When we questioned him about it, he kept telling us he dreamed about a fire. It is a little strange because he has never come to us in the night about a dream and he can't tell us anything about it. So we reassure him of course. And encourage him. But we all give in a little on the sleeping arrangements. He sleeps with Ansley up top some nights and some nights he will fall asleep in our bed and then Jamey will move him. He is wise to this moving though, and has begun to ask if he can sleep in the bed with me the whole night through. A few times we have let him. Sleeping with Stephen though is a bit, I imagine, like sleeping with sort sort of octopus. Arms and legs flail out, kick back, reach up, flop around and, well, you get the idea. Ansley will cuddle right up and sleep. Stephen sleeps just fine too, but not without the constant movement. A few times I have woken up in the morning after a night bed sharing with Stephen (and a few hours with Ms. Molly James as well) feeling a bit like I was tossed about in a clothes dryer. But we deal with it. It wont last forever. And we are hearing about this fire dream less often these days.I imagine he will be back to normal quite soon. My brown eyed, blonde (???) haired little boy.

Ansley's new obsession is the Olympics. I can't imagine where she gets her excitement. The poor child asked the other day if she, too, could one day be a beach volleyball player. I think my parental obligation is to encourage her in whatever her pursuits, but lets be honest, in the word's a friend, Ms. Chris Burrell, she is a tiny tail. In both weight and height. So beach volleyball might not be her thing. And after watching the agony of a mistake, hearing the awful tales of separation, financial struggle, and watching your child's dreams crash in but a moment, I have no desire to push her into being an Olympic gymnast. Nonetheless, she is happy to walk along the back of the couch (balance beam) and cartwheel across the living room floor.She is 100% ready for 3rd grade to begin. Good Lord, third grade?? My blue eyed girl with light brown hair who has recently begun a love affair with accessories. Jewelry, scarves, hats, sunglasses - she loves them. Of course, she also is happy to have a good bike ride up and down the street.

And finally Ms. Molly James. Quick to smile but also quick to tell you she is tired of whatever she is currently doing or not doing. More likely you will get a fuss, rather than a full out cry, but if you don't move quickly enough, she is not afraid to unleash the tears. Her bottom lip will poke right out when she is sad or when a noise startles her. Jamey's personal mission to capture the lip out on camera has not yet been successful but hopefully we will catch at least one shot of it. Cuz, dang, its cute!!
Molly James has not shown much interest in the Olympics quite yet. She has rolled over a few times, but not consistently yet. She sure can kick around in the bathtub though and will grin up at me the entire time. Sweet, soft little blue eyed baby girl.

I do love these three.

Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
(Hamlet, 1.2.123-6)

Snapshots of July

2012-08-02T14:43:00.000-05:00

her eyes

2012-08-01T14:14:00.003-05:00

You forget lots of things once you move out of the baby stage. The constant state of tired, the amount of diapers you go through, the constant bouncing, walking, patting that you do as a parent. I am in full-on baby stage right now so there is no forgetting for me yet.
One thing I had forgotten about, or maybe I am just appreciating this more this time around, is the almost constant eye contact between mama and baby. This tiny creature who cannot tell me what she wants or what she needs through her words. We spend all day trying to catch her eye, to make her smile. To connect with her through her eyes. You hear people talk about this when visiting other countries. Two people may not speak the same language, but someone how they communicate through facial expressions and most especially through eye contact.

Molly James and I spend much time with our eyes locked on each other. During diaper changes, nursing sessions, cuddle time. We just simply look at each other. Of course, I whisper to her constantly and she is beginning to make sounds back to us (in fact, she can get pretty vocal these days) But I love how we still communicate through our eyes at this stage.

We have been hunkered down today at home. The heat is a bit much for us all. We enjoyed grilled cheeses for lunch and now its Chamber of Secrets time. I am a bit sad at this whole Chickfila business. It seems that ugliness is coming from both sides of what has become a huge issue. I read this blog http://jenhatmaker.com/blog.htm recently and I am encouraged that others also feel the same way. She of course, says it much better than I ever could.

What I wish is that Christians had been spurred to as much action in other areas as they (some of them, not all) seem to be today. Perhaps manning and stocking food banks, volunteering at local nursing homes and low income daycares, picking up trash, reading to their kids, writing a real letter to a friend. My friend Ellis recently did this. Celebrated a family member's birthday by random acts of kindness. I am going this evening to hear from another friend who spent her own money and time off from work to spend a month in Romania working with orphans. Shouldn't that be what we celebrate? What inspires us to get up and get moving for Christ? It is not us versus them. It is not Christians versus the rest of the world. Seems as though we are drawing lines in the sand, and we all know what happens to anything written in sand. It's temporary. Things written in sand DON'T LAST.

My kids are happy. And that is what I want. For them to be happy as kids and later as adults. Whatever else comes and whatever else they choose, I want them to be happy. I want them to love other people. I want them to choose to look into the eyes of other people and connect with them. Not in a spirit of right versus wrong. But rather in a way that helps them find kindred spirits among us, from all walks of life.

I do not pretend to be a political expert and I don't pretend to be perfect or to have any of the "right" answers. And I hope today's movement will spur conversation instead of name calling and Bible verses typed out in anger. I don't know. I do know people are hurting. From loneliness, a scary diagnosis, a job loss....and that we need each other to help us shoulder our burdens.

If we do choose to eat somewhere or not eat somewhere, maybe we could follow that decision up with a commitment to reach out to someone. To invite them across the lines we have drawn in the sand and to look into their eyes.

Yes, Yes I did... Or, my Top 10 thoughts on flying with kids.

2012-07-19T13:52:00.001-05:00

Did I actually fly from Mobile to Dallas to Colorado by myself with three children?

Yes, yes I did.

And I survived! There is hope for many of you out there should the opportunity arise for you to fly somewhere with kids. Several people have asked how it is done, so here goes.

1. Ok, I will be honest here and say that it probably does help that my kids have flown quite a bit in the past. So it wasn't as "new and exciting" as it might be to another child. They quite like to fly. Layovers, not so much, but flying they enjoy.This is not so much a tip as it is just a fact. On to #2.

2. Let them know what will happen before it happens. My kids have flown before, but I still took the time to remind them about how we get through security, how we behave at the gate, how to find our seats on the plane, where to put their things once seated. Those sorts of things. The good news is that children and those over 75 are no longer required to take off shoes to get through security. Of course, while we were going through security, I was "randomly chosen" to have my hands swabbed for explosive residue. Thankfully all that was on my hands was diaper cream and hand sanitizer, so I was good to go. While I was being screened, Ansley and Stephen sat at the end of the security area with our stuff - within my eye sight. Have I said before how awesome my kids are at traveling? I don't know if they somehow understand the seriousness of following my directions perhaps - I am not sure what it is - but they were shining stars.

3. Where was Molly James during all of this? Molly James and I were as one unit. I wore her in a Beco baby carrier that I am currently borrowing from Melia. Super comfortable for both baby and me. It was like an instant sleep inducer for Molly James and I was free to use my hands for whatever I needed to do. Like have them swabbed for explosive devices. If you have a baby, I strongly suggest wearing your little one over dealing with a stroller in a crowded airport. Especially large airports like the Dallas airport where you will be going up and down escalators to get to the train that allows you to change terminals.

4. Involve your kids in the process of getting where you need to be. If your kid has learned any numbers or letters, give them a job. Stephen especially enjoyed looking for our gate number or watching for our Terminal on the Skytrain in Dallas. I took a few moments and explained to Ansley (who is reading pretty much everything these days) how the departure and arrivals screens are read. It was a great lesson for her and she very much enjoyed reading them in the airport. We also played a little math game and figured out the length of delay time for certain flights. Molly James passed the time by nursing and napping.

5. Another good tip for flying with kids is to remind them of their space on the plane. I know the man who sat in front of us on one flight was dreading it after he saw a row of little Dukes behind him when he sat down. However, I had reminded the kids that their chair was their island. Where do they stay? On their island. This prevents little legs from kicking the seat in front. Once we were settled, entertainment chosen, seatbelts buckled, the kids really did well. Stephen does enjoy looking out the window, but Ansley was happy to read or play her DS. Molly James was happy to nurse and nap. (do you see a theme with Ms. MJ?)
At the end of this one flight, the businessman complimented the kids on their behavior. "I thought this would be a nightmare of a flight with all of you behind me." he said. "But your children did very well."
"Um, thanks." I said. (Nightmare? Really? Good grief)

6. Did you know kids fly alone all the time? Of course you did. And of course I did. But they are not MY kids. People turn their kids over to airline employees constantly and fly them from one part of the country to another.So, surely this means they are trustworthy? can you think of a news story where this turned out badly? I can't. I didn't google it, so don't tell me if you do. I say all of this for a reason - twice while flying I had to leave the older two in the care of airline employees and guess what? It turned out just fine. The first time a lightening storm in Dallas meant all of our gate checked items were stuck under the plane for a good 30 minutes. We did not check any baggage, but the baby seat was gate checked so we were forced to wait for it at the gate. When they brought the carseat up, there was a giant surge of people trampling each other to get down the gateway and then back up. There was no way I could get all of us down there with our bags, get the carseat and then fight the crowd back up to the terminal. Enter two airline employees who offer to stand with the children. They had badges. They wore uniforms. They had been working the gate the entire time we were there. They looked nice. So I said a quick prayer to God for guidance, felt that is was safe (aka - there was no panic in my stomach), and Molly James and I took off after the car seat. Sure enough,Stephen and Ansley were right where they were supposed to be when I returned. I also had to leave them one more time on the plane while Molly James and I ran like crazy people back up to the gate when I remembered my cell phone was plugged in up there and not, in fact, in the diaper bag where it should have been. The phone was still there. The plane did not leave me. (Stupid phone battery!)

7. Allow your kids to pack their own little backpacks. But here is the key - only let them pack it as heavy as THEY can carry it. So no heavy books and toys. Because if it is too heavy, guess who ends of carrying it? Yep, the grownup. Even if it is a rolling bag, don't pack much in it. They will tire of it quickly. So paperback books, a few small cars, a cloth doll...these are the things you want to pack. Also a light jacket as it is cold on some planes. (not on any of our planes this time however). Stephen and Ansley carried their own things this entire trip. Made things much easier.

8. Have gum for your older kids to chew on takeoff and landing. Stephen wont chew gum, so I simply asked the flight attendant for some water and he sipped it during takeoff and again during landing. Helps their little ears. It doesn't bother Ansley to change altitude, but it does my Stephen. Molly James nursed through takeoff and landing. She was good to go.

9. We used Priceline this last time to purchase our tickets. Which meant we bid on them and were not guaranteed the time of the flights before we purchased them. Since it didn't really matter what time we got there this worked for us and saved us a TON of money. We probably would not have been able to go had we not bid as opposed to paying full price. If you are flexible in your times and maybe even by a day or two, check out priceline. Don't be scared of it. We saved close to $1000 by using Priceline this time. Side note - even though priceline asks if some of your passengers are children, they apparently don't tell the airline that, so at checkin we had to do a little paperwork, but it didn't take long. And because I always checked in early at the airport, there was time to change our seats around so that we all sat together.

10. Last but not least, do not feel bad if your children require a few extra minutes to complete whatever task is at hand while you travel! When we first began traveling, I would mumble apologies to those around us as little ones struggled to put shoes back on or a backpack on the conveyor belt for xray. But what I discovered is that 99% of people simply don't mind. I can't remember getting one frown or scowl from anyone on this trip. I got lots of "you have your hands full" or "are all three yours?" but never once did I get any ugly or impatient remarks. I think people are generally very nice. Most people, anyway. People offered to get our bags from overhead, offered to hold something for me while I fiddled with the baby, told me their own stories of children or grandchildren. Even in Dallas, that was crammed full of people due to delayed flights and thunderstorms, people were kind. Kind with their eyes and their words. Patient with little ones and patient with their mama.

Colorado in Pictures - Part Two

2012-07-17T16:50:00.001-05:00

Colorado in pictures - Part One

2012-07-15T22:12:00.001-05:00

The good memories of the week...

2012-07-10T15:03:00.001-05:00

This girl can bait her own hook, catch a fish and then get the fish off the hook. Her future husband will be thrilled.

That bucket is full of small clear (nonstingin) jellyfish. She is an excellent jellyfish catcher.

She would stay in the water for hours.

Stephen loves the water too, but you know him and picture taking :-/

The view from the deck.

Checking out the fish daddy and a few uncles and cousins caught on one of their trips out.

Here is Stephen poking a king in the eyeball.

Jason, Mr. Fish, Eli, Ansley, Stephen and Molly James

Playing with Poppy - "I found a bug in the couch!" Poppy exclaimed pulling off Ansley's blanket.

Stephen had to have a turn being a bug too. (Good gracious he looks dark skinned in this picture)

I love the expression on Stephen's face in the picture. This is what childhood should be.

Truly this girl has my heart. What would I do without her?

Jumping waves - my sweet little man.

The lens kept fogging up in the humidity. But I like this picture of A. In this picture she is so long and lean with sweet freckles on her pink cheeks.

Blue eyed little baby girl.

The thinking baby. Cousin Vicky said of this picture, "I think, therefore I am adorable." :)

Her happy place.

Poppy watching the storm roll in one afternoon.

Nanny and Tilly doing the same.

Jamey and Ansley with a good view of the bridge in the background.

And now........

Off to another adventure...................

A post that will only exist for a short time....

2012-07-08T22:48:00.003-05:00

Here we are sitting at home on a Sunday night in July. Two oldest watching netflix way longer than they should. The littlest one has been asleep about two hours. She may wake about 1am. She may go a bit longer. Jamey is gone tonight on a deep sea fishing trip. Stephen will ask to sleep in my bed. I will say yes. Ansley will crawl in with us at some point too. I will probably end up on the couch with Molly James at some point - dream feeding and kicked out of my own bed by two little warm bodies who will be entwined with each other, the sheets, and several stuffed animals or baby dolls - Ansley always brings a few with her in the night as they surely can not be left alone in the top bunk.
My baby is three months old now. She turned three months while at the beach. Her fuzzy hair is growing in quickly now. Her smile comes quickly and envelopes her whole body. She tightens up her hands and arms, throws her head back and smiles with her whole being. She is our angel. A blessing and pure joy just as my other two are. Sometimes I feel as thought my heart will burst from the fullness I feel inside for them and for Jamey.

Our beach trip was 99.9% perfect. The .1% some of you know about. The short of it is that the people next to us behaved in such an appalling way, that we had to cut our trip short. I am not afraid to say that I am angry. I am angry at their arrogance, the horrid words they yelled and disregard for the ears and eyes of my children and the relaxation and peace my mom so very much deserved. I will be angry for a while. But I will get over it. I don't have the room or the time in my soul for that anger permanently.

I think perhaps a few of them next door felt an ounce of shame as we packed hurriedly to leave yesterday. Many of them disappeared into the house. But several grown men stayed shouting horrid things as we went up and down the stairs emptying the house is a desperate rush. Thankfully my children were gone with a sweet aunt by that point. And thankfully my husband has a better hold of his temper than I do....Their words echoed in my ears last night, but as the hours passed today, their words are growing more faint. I have asked God to take those echoes from me. I believe He has heard my prayer and I am thankful that the awful feeling in my chest is subsiding.

But I will say this, meanness and pure evil do exist. And are all the more ugly when positioned next to the love and kindness and gentleness that filled our beach house. My babies, my parents, my husband (truly, I love this man more every day) - the laughter of friends and family that came to visit - the good food - the brushing of a little girl's sunkissed hair after a bath at night after a beach filled day, the grin of an impish little boy who has swiped a sugar cookie from the table before dinner on the deck overlooking a sunset on the water, the wide eyes of a three month old angel who is grinning at her 78 year old Poppy who is singing old country western songs to her with his low voice filled with love for his tiniest grandchild. What filled our beach house is stronger than the meanness next door. What filled our beach house was a quiet that could not be stamped out by the words and actions of those filled with hate and an extreme excess of alcohol.

I am writing this post to get this out. But I am going to delete it at some point. Because those people will not be a part of the memories I have of this past week. It may take me a while, but eventually I will feel nothing but pity for such people. But for now, I am angry at them. And I am going to tuck myself in on the couch with two little people who are calling, "Mama, come lay with us." We will watch a silly show and we will laugh. And I will wake up tomorrow with the same love that has surrounded me always and that carried me through the weekend.

Love wins.

Splash Pad

2012-06-20T21:16:00.001-05:00

Photos by my friend Laura - who has shamed me for using my phone camera so much lately. Phone camera pictures don't compare to a real camera photograph!

***Texas pictures below this post***

Texas = Hot

2012-06-20T15:19:00.002-05:00

We made it back from our trip to Texas. Molly James did fine (minus the 12 hours there and the 12 hours returning that is). Well, to be honest she did not scream the entire ride - she took naps to rest up for more screaming. Screaming is hard work!
But we all survived. She was a champ at hotel living. We stayed in a very nice hotel that had suites (thank you to Jamey's sister Elizabeth for hooking us up!) and we all had plenty of space which I am sure helped.

Again, blogger seems to want to upload these in any order it wants to (I need to switch to Wordpress) so here we go.

A non crying moment in the car

Stephen lost a tooth on the trip! I couldn't believe it. He actually lost it in a Chickfila in Louisiana somewhere. A very proud boy indeed. We did have a few moments where the bleeding freaked him out a bit, but he soon recovered and was very pleased. We decided not to ask the tooth fairy to come to the hotel, but instead we saved the tooth for home. And the tooth fairy did indeed make her appearance our first night back home.

Fun at the hotel pool.

A little rest time for our girls.

Molly James with Aunt Stacey. Aunt Stacey had the touch!

Stephen and Daddy ride motorcycles at Incredible Pizza.

Molly James and I did a lot of this at the hotel.

This was actually the night before we left.

Stephen being difficult in regards to pictures.

Our oldest girl - somewhere in Louisiana.

Molly James' feet at our picnic.

Ansley at the hotel and ready to swim!

Ansley, little Stephen and big Steve people watching at the hotel.

Baby feet at a swim meet :)

Swim Meets are hard work.

Creative bath taking at the hotel.

At the San Antonio Riverwalk.

Blueberry Pickin'

2012-06-07T17:08:00.004-05:00

It was HOT.

There is a baby in the blueberry bush!

Ansley and her good friend Anna Faith


Side Note - here is Ansley and Anna Faith 8 years ago :)Now, back to the blueberries!

Stephen prepares to tackle the 10 acres of bushes.

Hard at work with friends.

The fruits of his labor!

Jordan, Anna Faith and Ansley ready to weigh their berries.

Stephen and his bucket

Hurry up, Mama! The sun is bright!

In response to a recent facebook post....

2012-06-06T20:28:00.002-05:00

So I know I mostly use this blog to share stories and pictures of the kids. But since it is my blog after all, I am going to respond to another blogpost I read recently posted on Facebook by a few people. I am not going to link specifically to the blogpost, mostly bc I feel like the author meant well. But the gist of the blogpost was that a young mother was chastised by another woman in her church bc her clothes, in this woman's opinion, were a tad tighter now that she had carried a child nine months and then delivered him. The woman had taken the time to call the young mother and ask her questions such as, "was what you were wearing causing men in our church to stumble? Were you preventing others from worshipping?" I just about stopped reading the blog at that point bc I knew where it was going. But I read on. And it made me sad. I have, as well as many other women, been in a place post baby where things just don't fit right. Heck, getting yourself and your children/baby to church those first few months is a miracle in itself. The author states she felt the woman had every right to say what she did. That she should have been more careful dressing now that she had to bend to pick upon a baby or reach down to change diapers. And perhaps she does. I don't know. But what I do know is that there was a long list of things that woman could have called her up to say. "can I bring a meal?" or "what's your favorite coffee?" or "you are doing a good job, hang in there." And we wonder why young people leave the church. Why there are so many with such a sour view of Christianity. I have problems with this story for so many reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that I have several close friends who have struggled with eating disorders over the years. And I can't think of anything more damaging to a young mother's spirit than a phone call criticizing her appearance. We can never know what another person's internal struggles may be. What damage we might cause with unkind words or criticisms thinly veiled as a 'I'm saying this because I love you" speech. When that lady was busy planning her after church phone call to that one mother, she apparently forgot to take a moment to check herself. To think about what her "important" phone call might cause another person to feel or think. I just do not feel Jesus would ever ask us to make such a phone call. I just cant help think that there was a golden opportunity to minister and lift up a young mother that day that was sorely missed. All in the name of keeping "worship" safe from the wandering eye of a man who apparently can't control himself or his thoughts. If we the church are to be a place of refuge and encouragement, let us simply do it! Let us speak words that lift others up. That make them feel included and wanted. if nothing else, the blogpost I read this week was a reminder to me to be sure I speak encouragement to others. To be a light to them when I can be. And to worry a whole lot less about what someone may or may not be wearing when he or she comes for worship.

Random Pictures

2012-06-05T10:10:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks.

First off, swim time!

A very nice friend gave us some tickets to Disney on Ice - we had a great time.

Blue Snowcones :)

Can you find MJ in this picture????

Stephen finished up soccer and did a great job!

Ansley's last day of 2nd grade. She had a WONDERFUL teacher this year. Ms. Arrington, you taught her so very much and we are thankful for you!

Last day of K4. Kindergarten, here we come!

Side note, Stephen does not eat ice cream. I told him to take a small bowl and say thank you at the party and he did just that. He did not, thankfully, shout out, "I don't like ice cream!" to the nice mamas who volunteered to put together an end of the year ice cream party for his class. Whew.

Stephen and Ms. Teresa. LOVE her.

Stephen and Ms. Johnson. She is FABULOUS!

This is a little baby burrito who was wide awake at 10pm the other night. This rarely happens. But she looked so peaceful, I had to take a picture :)

Two sisters at about 8 weeks old

2012-05-31T08:46:00.003-05:00

backyard adventures

2012-05-28T09:24:00.001-05:00

The first Duke camping experience was a success! Jamey and Ansley and Stephen spent the entire night in the tent and had a blast. As they are still sleeping, I haven't heard the stories yet from bedtime in the tent. I can't wait :)

Here are a few pictures from the evening.

Molly James supervises the tent making

Getting set up

The kids hard at work helping Jamey :)

Checking out the inside

Ready to get the inside set up too!

Smores!

Hot Dogs!

Outside Nighttime picnic

The many faces of Molly James (and modeling a onesie that was Ansley's - a gift from their D-Jo)

2012-05-21T21:45:00.001-05:00

Exhausted from taking Stephen to school.

Teasing me with a little smile :)

Still thinking about smiling :)

Stephen says, "Super Baby!"


Night, Night :)