Bit (A) entered the realm of (gulp!) middle school this year. She is now in 6th grade and in the youth group at church. Where has the time gone!?! We tried to convince her that there was a height requirement to get into school and she still needed to grow an inch or two to squeak in . . . she just gave us “that look” . . . It’s a beautiful little look, though. Glasses, braces and all. She enjoyed swimming and volleyball this year, winning a ton of blue ribbons and making it to the Dallas Amateur Swimming Association Championship Meet as well as finally getting a consistent serve over the net. One of her highlights this year was singing in the OAKE National Children's Choir in Charlotte, NC (or was it the 5 day trip alone with mom . . .?)!
Bear (S) continues to pass her “big” sister in height. She’s a delightful 4th grader and is enjoying her place as her siblings’ keeper at school now. She continues to play soccer and has even taken up TaeKwanDo. One of the biggest highlights of her year was when she accepted Christ in April just before Easter. She waited until July to be baptized so that all of her family was able to be there. She was absolutely giddy with excitement. She continued with more piano lessons this year (along with Audrey). The lessons come and go, but they’re always piddling on the piano at home. Oh, and she got braces, too!
Little Buddy (K) was blessed this year with the most wonderful 1st grade teacher her could possibly have. She has so many jewels in her crown after only half a year with him in class! Little Buddy is the most wonderfully sweet and utterly frustrating little boy. God made him cute and loving for such good reasons! Oh, the things his little mind comes up with! After several seasons of t-ball/baseball, he’s opted for a new interest; TaeKwanDo. He’s even got 2 of his sisters taking lessons now. The structure and discipline is right up his alley, so we’re hoping he doesn’t tire of it any time soon. Or practice too much on his sisters!
Little Girl (G) got to start Kindergarten (another gulp!) this year. She waved at the door with a “see you, Mom” look and hasn’t looked back. She had to turn her giggles and grins down a notch so as to not get in trouble every day, but it only took a couple of weeks to adjust. She played soccer again and started TaeKwanDo (after you pay for 2 family members, everyone else is free – why not!). Dance is her first interest, though. She’s taking a ballet class with her favorite teacher and loves going to class each week. She also gave up her training wheels this summer.
Dad increased his woodworking tool collection and experience by building us a new headboard for our bed as well as stripping and refinishing some furniture he inherited from his grandmother. He took Mom on a trip to New York and surprised her with a new anniversary ring in Central Park! (15th anniversary coming up on January 4th! Wow!) Dad planned a great Colorado get-away this summer for the whole family. (Chapter 1, 2, 3 & the Train)
Mom added “blogging” to her list of things to learn this year as she created a family blog to mostly post pictures and stories for family and friends living far away. Her job at the church changed once again as she began directing a new community children’s chorus. She celebrated her 10th year as a Creative Memories Consultant. She recovered from her leg surgery at the beginning of the year, but running again has been a challenge with continued pain and numbness in her foot.
Lucy blessed our lives for a month this fall as we welcomed our first major and long, long awaited pet into our home. Dad has wanted and looked for a boxer for over 8 years now. At 4 months old, we discovered that our sweet little friend had been born with a fatal kidney disease. We had to let her go on December 1st and the pain of her loss is still very great in our house. However, we are excited about the arrival of a new little boxer friend we will welcome home the first week of February. She has been named Heidi and the kids (and dad) look at her pictures almost daily as the breeders send updates on her growth. She was born December 12th in Tyler. We can’t wait to bring her home!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry CHRISTmas!!
We began our Christmas weekend at Grandma's exchanging gifts with cousins and eating all day. We did something new this year with a hayride down to the "old house" in Grandmother's 
pasture. When we got to the house, we stopped the ride and the oldest grandchild (A) read the the Christmas story from Luke 2. It was chilly, but a beautiful night for a hayride. The little flashlights the kids had gotten in their "stockings" were perfect for the ride. The kids (and some adults) were a bit restless during the ride and reading, but it was a nice tradition to add to our annual get-together.
Christmas Eve felt a bit strange as we went to church in the morning and had all evening to rest and relax and be together without rushing around for
dinner and getting dressed to fight the parking lot crowd at the church. Dad did go up to help with security for some of the evening services, but the kids and Mom had fun watching Christmas specials and just being together at home. They actually made it through a professional ballet production of The Nutcracker and watched it almost in its entirety. G probably enjoyed it the most.
pasture. When we got to the house, we stopped the ride and the oldest grandchild (A) read the the Christmas story from Luke 2. It was chilly, but a beautiful night for a hayride. The little flashlights the kids had gotten in their "stockings" were perfect for the ride. The kids (and some adults) were a bit restless during the ride and reading, but it was a nice tradition to add to our annual get-together.Christmas Eve felt a bit strange as we went to church in the morning and had all evening to rest and relax and be together without rushing around for
dinner and getting dressed to fight the parking lot crowd at the church. Dad did go up to help with security for some of the evening services, but the kids and Mom had fun watching Christmas specials and just being together at home. They actually made it through a professional ballet production of The Nutcracker and watched it almost in its entirety. G probably enjoyed it the most.We contained our secret until the final present on Christmas morning. The kids tore open the 
last box and were perplexed at the purple sparkly collar and leash. Audrey read the letter from their new little friend at the bottom of the box and one by one, the look of realization began crossing their faces. They scrambled to the computer to see more pictures. Dad has named her Heidi (good German name for a Boxer . . .) and the kids have agreed with it, so I guess it will stick.
last box and were perplexed at the purple sparkly collar and leash. Audrey read the letter from their new little friend at the bottom of the box and one by one, the look of realization began crossing their faces. They scrambled to the computer to see more pictures. Dad has named her Heidi (good German name for a Boxer . . .) and the kids have agreed with it, so I guess it will stick. The breeders continue to send us almost daily picture updates of our new little girl. The kids wanted to see her eyes open and within 
an hour of sending an e-mail on Christmas morning, we received a new picture showing her eyes peeking open. They're completely open now and looking beautiful. We're told that she's doing exceptionally well and is set to come "home" the first week of February.
an hour of sending an e-mail on Christmas morning, we received a new picture showing her eyes peeking open. They're completely open now and looking beautiful. We're told that she's doing exceptionally well and is set to come "home" the first week of February.When they found out that others already knew the secret, they wanted to know how. I showed them the blog post about the Christmas Secret and let them read. I left them at the computer, and when I came back they were teary. They had continued to read other blog entries on the page. They hadn't read the final one about Lucy until then. Dad joined me with them and we ended up huddled around Dad's laptop crying and missing Lucy on Christmas morning. The day that Heidi gets to come "home" will not get here too soon!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Ballet Recital
After several years of ballet with the 3 little girls in the house, we finally got to dance with a cute little pink tutu! Mom is so excited! Finally!
G is the 2nd from the left. Check out the cool "domino" effect on some of their moves! Kind of funny ... Pretty good for 2 months in this class, though!
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G is the 2nd from the left. Check out the cool "domino" effect on some of their moves! Kind of funny ... Pretty good for 2 months in this class, though!
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Saturday, December 16, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
SHHHHHH!!!!! It's a Christmas SECRET!!!
Oh, the tears of joy and sadness today as a sweet little puppy was born . . . So cute!!! So sweet!! Looks quite like Lucy!! Looks like our name on that picture!!! :-) Can't tell the kids!!! Oh, can't wait to post pictures of their faces on Christmas morning!!!!! :-)
SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Monday, December 11, 2006
HOW OLD????!!!!
Oh, what a sweet friend Joyful Journey is!! I have received some really fun cards today from friends, co-workers and family, but this one tops the list! Oh, how wonderful it is when God sends those little words of encouragement at just the right time!!!
Friday, December 01, 2006
In Memory of Lady Lucy
(to add some perspective, this was our kids' first major pet and a long-long-awaited addition to our household and family!!)
Today was Lucy's 4 month birthday. It was not a day of celebration, but rather, a day of mourning; the end of a very difficult week of great sadness.
The day after Thanksgiving, Lucy started throwing up. We were at Grandma's house, so we packed up and headed back to our vet as soon as we could. The vet gave her some medicine and we came home. She was doing better until late Sunday evening. She went back to the vet Monday morning and stayed to be hydrated with some fluids via an IV. The vet called later that morning with the news. Blood tests indicated serious kidney problems. X-rays showed abnormally small kidneys. Over the next few days, her diagnosis of Juvenile Renal Dysplasia would become more pronounced and we would have to make the agonizingly difficult decision to let her go.
Oh, the tears that have been shed in this house this week! Us four girls have shed our share, but we have been far outcried by the 2 boys in the house. Dad and K have been almost inconsolable at times. K went outside in the backyard to play and was back in the door very shortly sobbing. It has hit Mom the hardest this week when she's been at home alone - no familiar "chink-chink" sounds as Lucy had previously moved around the house jingling her collar tags. Dad left the house each morning this week with Lucy wrapped in a blanket to keep her little body warm as she made the daily trip to the animal hospital to begin her IV fluids to try to flush her little body of all the toxins that had built up over the past weeks and months as her little kidneys had stopped working. We weren't sure each morning if she would return or what her condition would be if she did return each evening. On Thursday when she came home, we knew we couldn't drag this on any longer, but HOW could we make such an agonizingly final decision!?Through all the prayers this week for a miracle for little Lucy, God gave us a clear answer when Dad found this site as he searched for information on Lucy's disease. Suki's Story.
It was heartbreaking to read her story, but at the same time it gave us a sad peace as we saw amazing similarities between Suki and Lucy.
Lucy's mom was the "runt" of her litter and had trouble putting her weight back on after the puppies (all 10 of them!!) were born. Suki's mom was very similar.
Lucy was always smaller than her other siblings. Since we got to see two of her sisters quite
frequently, we knew how they were growing compared to Lucy. Here's a picture taken 2 weeks ago when the girls had a sleepover at our house. Looks amazingly like the picture of Suki and her brothers! (l-r: Zoe, Lucy, Peighton)
Lucy's appetite got smaller and smaller and she was always very thirsty. She weighed in just before she got sick at 13 1/2 pounds - very very small for an almost 4 month-old boxer, even though she was the "runt". Suki's weight was similar at that age.
Lucy's favorite thing to do was to lay in the backyard in the sunshine. If she wasn't outside, she would sit in a certain spot in the living room and wait for the morning sun to come in the upper windows in the room and she'd bask in the sun inside. Suki's favorite place was by the backdoor at her house where the sun shone in.
Lucy had trouble staying warm. She got cold quite easily. We almost bought her a little sweater on a couple of trips to the pet store . . . Suki's family dressed her in a little shirt to keep her warm.
All these things on their own didn't alarm us although we were perplexed, but put together with our knowledge now, it all made sense.
Didn't make our pain any better, but it made our decision bearable knowing that this was indeed a terminal illness for which there was no cure. She would not be getting better and we couldn't bear to see her get any worse.
Lucy was SO sweet. SO loving. SO smart. Even as bad as she felt this last week, she would walk slowly over to the back door and sit on the rug to let us know she needed to go out.
Her last morning, right after the first freeze of the year, she enjoyed walking in the snow and standing in the sunshine for a few moments. It was too cold for her to stay out, but she sure did like seeing the sun.
Lucy knew where the most comfy spot in the house was - right in the middle of Mom and Dad's bed. Here she is with K a couple of weeks ago.
We are so glad we took our Christmas picture Thanksgiving morning at Grandma's house since it was Lucy's last "feel good" day. Such a bitter-sweet reminder of her. So glad we could take this happy picture with her! So sad that we won't take another . . .
Today was Lucy's 4 month birthday. It was not a day of celebration, but rather, a day of mourning; the end of a very difficult week of great sadness.
The day after Thanksgiving, Lucy started throwing up. We were at Grandma's house, so we packed up and headed back to our vet as soon as we could. The vet gave her some medicine and we came home. She was doing better until late Sunday evening. She went back to the vet Monday morning and stayed to be hydrated with some fluids via an IV. The vet called later that morning with the news. Blood tests indicated serious kidney problems. X-rays showed abnormally small kidneys. Over the next few days, her diagnosis of Juvenile Renal Dysplasia would become more pronounced and we would have to make the agonizingly difficult decision to let her go.
Oh, the tears that have been shed in this house this week! Us four girls have shed our share, but we have been far outcried by the 2 boys in the house. Dad and K have been almost inconsolable at times. K went outside in the backyard to play and was back in the door very shortly sobbing. It has hit Mom the hardest this week when she's been at home alone - no familiar "chink-chink" sounds as Lucy had previously moved around the house jingling her collar tags. Dad left the house each morning this week with Lucy wrapped in a blanket to keep her little body warm as she made the daily trip to the animal hospital to begin her IV fluids to try to flush her little body of all the toxins that had built up over the past weeks and months as her little kidneys had stopped working. We weren't sure each morning if she would return or what her condition would be if she did return each evening. On Thursday when she came home, we knew we couldn't drag this on any longer, but HOW could we make such an agonizingly final decision!?Through all the prayers this week for a miracle for little Lucy, God gave us a clear answer when Dad found this site as he searched for information on Lucy's disease. Suki's Story.
It was heartbreaking to read her story, but at the same time it gave us a sad peace as we saw amazing similarities between Suki and Lucy.
Lucy's mom was the "runt" of her litter and had trouble putting her weight back on after the puppies (all 10 of them!!) were born. Suki's mom was very similar.
Lucy was always smaller than her other siblings. Since we got to see two of her sisters quite
frequently, we knew how they were growing compared to Lucy. Here's a picture taken 2 weeks ago when the girls had a sleepover at our house. Looks amazingly like the picture of Suki and her brothers! (l-r: Zoe, Lucy, Peighton)Lucy's appetite got smaller and smaller and she was always very thirsty. She weighed in just before she got sick at 13 1/2 pounds - very very small for an almost 4 month-old boxer, even though she was the "runt". Suki's weight was similar at that age.
Lucy's favorite thing to do was to lay in the backyard in the sunshine. If she wasn't outside, she would sit in a certain spot in the living room and wait for the morning sun to come in the upper windows in the room and she'd bask in the sun inside. Suki's favorite place was by the backdoor at her house where the sun shone in.
Lucy had trouble staying warm. She got cold quite easily. We almost bought her a little sweater on a couple of trips to the pet store . . . Suki's family dressed her in a little shirt to keep her warm.
All these things on their own didn't alarm us although we were perplexed, but put together with our knowledge now, it all made sense.
Didn't make our pain any better, but it made our decision bearable knowing that this was indeed a terminal illness for which there was no cure. She would not be getting better and we couldn't bear to see her get any worse.Lucy was SO sweet. SO loving. SO smart. Even as bad as she felt this last week, she would walk slowly over to the back door and sit on the rug to let us know she needed to go out.
Her last morning, right after the first freeze of the year, she enjoyed walking in the snow and standing in the sunshine for a few moments. It was too cold for her to stay out, but she sure did like seeing the sun.
Lucy knew where the most comfy spot in the house was - right in the middle of Mom and Dad's bed. Here she is with K a couple of weeks ago.
We are so glad we took our Christmas picture Thanksgiving morning at Grandma's house since it was Lucy's last "feel good" day. Such a bitter-sweet reminder of her. So glad we could take this happy picture with her! So sad that we won't take another . . .
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