The Fig Tree

When we moved in to our house we built 8 years ago, we planted a fig tree that was clipped from one at Little Mawmaw & Pawpaw's house in Louisiana by way of Mawmaw & Pawpaw's house in Houston. It was a little bitty foot-tall stick in the ground in January 1999. We hoped it would grow. Here's what it looks like today!! (I got Little Buddy to pose as a reference.)

We lost a huge limb a couple of years ago during a storm, but it filled back in without a hitch. Dad hasn't trimmed it to grow taller so we can reach the figs as they ripen. I guess it just keeps growing out to the sides instead! The limbs are so heavy with little figs right now! We can never keep up with the fig growth, so any help picking will be welcomed when the time comes this summer!! (And you're welcome to take some lirope with you as well - it's starting to take over in the garden now!)

Little Dancing Girl

We upped the ante with two dance classes this year! (Needed something else to keep us busy.) Little girl took ballet AND tap and we were so *lucky* to be able to be in both (5 hour) recital shows! Actually, all worked well (for the boys who could barely sit still through ONE dance) because Bear ended up with a soccer tournament so we split our time and the kids. Dad took Little Buddy with him to Bear's soccer games during the weekend. Mom took Bit and Little Girl to all the recital practices and performances during the weekend. Mom made it to a part of one of Bear's games and Dad made it to watch Little Girl tap. Little Girl, however, sat through almost 5 hours of other dances - and loved almost every minute of it! We may have a "dancer" on our hands . . . Not so sure how I feel about all that competitive stuff that generally comes with being a "dancer", though . . .

We were able to put our new video camera to good use over the weekend, so here is Mom's first try at video editting. (Pardon the bobble as I try to figure out how to get the cover off the lens! Pretend like it's starting at the very beginning of the song.)





Dad didn't make it to the ballet as Bear's semi-final game was at the very same time. The whole family did, however, make it to see the tap number - Little Girl's favorite. Here's what we have of it . . .



And this is why we quickly remembered that we NEVER leave the tape rewound after we look at something on the camera. At least the one that got recorded over was the one everyone was there for.



Here are some still shots of Little Girl in her costumes. She LOVES getting all dressed up and ready for recital!
(I do have to note that our dance studio and taekwondo are right next door to each other and the schedules overlap - the ONLY way to manage extra-curricular activities for 4 children! PLUS, Dominoes is two doors down - voila - Monday night dinner!)

The Graduate (part 1)

Heidi is now a graduate of puppy school. Each day when we would return from PetSmart, Dad would call and ask how the student was that day. Of course, she was the star - *teacher's pet* . . . And today she graduated valedictorian of her class!! . . . . Ok, ok, so she was the only one in the class!! And she wasn't *teacher's pet*. That would have been Sparky, the teacher's actual pet . . . But, she did so good!!

We had an audience every now and then during the past 4 weeks of class. Do you know how unnerving that is??

She's done well, though. She can sit, lay down, stay, shake, high five (well, ten most of the time, . . . or is it eight?), say "bye-bye", walk on her leash without dragging us around the block, leave it (still working on the exciting trash can, though), and sit pretty.

And she actually sat to let a little boy pet her on our way out of the store today! She's always so excited when someone talks to her or wants to pet her, but she sat there twice and let that little boy pet her for almost a minute!

A note from Heidi: "Get this thing off of me!!! What is wrong with you people?!?"

A Beautiful Spring Break

This is one of several posts "in progress" . . . Kind of like lots of things around here . . . So, instead of painting my bathroom, taping the hallway for paint prep, sewing curtains for the study or reorganizing my closet so I can move my sewing boxes onto those shelves, I'll sit here and complete this unfinished task . . . :-) Besides, Heidi just dragged (or is it drug?) me around the mile-block, so I need to sit for a moment.

Dad took a few days off during Spring Break (yes, a month ago) and we drove to Grandma's for an extended weekend visit. Being in Texas, you never can tell what kind of weather you'll get mid-March. (Actually, I think there are lots of places around the US saying that even about mid-April right now. What's with snow on Easter?) Anyhow, our Spring Break week turned out with absolutely perfect "spring break" weather. A perfect time to be off in the country for a few days to relax.

I grew up in my "little bitty home town" for 22 years (3 1/2 of those in college, but that was still where I called "home"). I never noticed how different it was there until we had a few kids, though. When I go on a trip, I like to leave my house as perfectly as possible so that when I return I can only bring the mess of unpacking in to deal with. It pushes the edges of my sanity at times, but I'm really a happier mom for it. Some might argue. Needless to say, sometimes by the time I'm out the door all is not well in the van for the first hour or so. This is especially difficult when I have to pack and load by myself. I remember one particular time after a hectic and stressful packing and driving by myself with the kids, I drove past the city limit sign heading into Grandma's town. I don't remember the specifics of the packing or the driving, but I do remember the feeling that came over me as we drove past that sign into town. We had sometimes joked about this, but it was SO true that day and really has been ever since.

I could actually feel time slowing down as we drove into town.

Isn't that crazy? (that sanity thing again . . .) Seriously, though. Time feels slower at Grandma's house. We enjoy our visits to the "country". And the kids are finally getting big enough to not worry as much when they are outside playing. Grandma's house sits about 50 yards from the spring-fed tank my Papa had built when I was a kid. Makes it nice for all-day fishing, but it's a little worrisome when you have small kids running around.

So, here are some fishing pictures:

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And some other pictures from the week. No pics with Poppa this time . . .

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What'd he say???

This is for all you moms who still have toddlers who speak foreign languages! What a hoot! This lady has such a way with words! Her quirky outlook kind of reminds me of Erma Bombeck . . .

Antique Mommy - Read "Eat Taters Hot"

Glamour Girl

As a special "gift", our orthodontist gives patients a gift certificate to Glamour Shots when they get their braces off. Bit received her first "gift" as she got her first phase of braces off last month. We took a "girls' day" last weekend and went to the mall. My poor mall-deprived children thought they were in heaven . . . so sad . . . But, Bit and Bear had a blast and enjoyed the outing even though Mom set very strict perameters on what "shopping" meant! Bear was an amazing "assistant" for Bit as she got to change outfits and have several shots taken. It was fun to watch Bear enjoy Bit's pictures, but also make mental notes for her portrait opportunity when her braces come off!

Bit got her first "real" valentine from a boy this year. Oh, dear, what are we getting into . . .!? She's not too into the whole boyfriend - who's going with who - thing, so we will be glad to wait that out as long as possible. She does have some interests, though . . . it's only a matter of time . . .

Get your own fluffy pillow!

Heidi has always had a thing for Bear's fluffy blue pillow thing. She went nuts at the pet store earlier over her own version in the form of a fluffy pink pig! And of course, Doting Dad bought it for his spoiled little girl!








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A taste of freedom . . . !!

Panic hid hard this afternoon when we returned from Bear's soccer practice to find Heidi sitting at the door to greet us!!! I was terrified at what I would find as I ventured in the door . . . !! Although everyone swears they closed the crate doors or saw them closed, I don't think Heidi is talented enough to open the door herself . . . Amazingly, the only casualty was an ipod cable with teeth marks all over it. Besides one piece of paper torn to shreds, one poop spot (carpet . . .), one pee spot (kitchen!), she was a very good girl in her 90 minutes of exploration. You have to wonder if she was just at the door because she heard the car in the garage or if she sat there waiting for a while. In favor of the spoiled little thing, I'll think happy thoughts and rest on the latter option.

Spoiled??

Happy Valentine's Day from Heidi! She *loved* her pretty neck-wear for Valentine's Day (not!). She did get used to it for a while as long as everyone left it alone and didn't fuss with it. Mom got creative when she saw how much the pet store was charging for similar items - much cheaper to get the materials at Michael's than the finished product at PetSmart!

Mom got back home after dropping the kids at school to find Heidi snoozing (snoring!!) away in her crate. What a sight!
Heidi was propped up on her bone pillow and snuggled down under her A&M blanket. Mom got several pictures and took some good looks at them on the camera to be sure they looked ok. Notice anything? Mom didn't either at first . . . (click on the picture for a closer look) Little Buddy had kissed his sweet little friend goodbye and tucked her in for a nap, but he didn't quite finish his job . . . gate on the crate is completely unlocked! Good thing Mom came back home instead of heading off for the church! No telling what the house might have looked like in 3 hours!


Gate is locked this time! I can't tell you what peace of mind I have when they're both locked in and quiet! Won't be long before they're both too big for the crate . . .

Changing Faces

Now who's who????? Mom actually has to look closely sometimes . . . How pitiful is that!?

Bear now has glasses and front braces. Bit has her front braces off for a while and will have her new glasses sometime this week. Hopefully, her new frames will be different enough to go back to quick identity for Mom.

Heidi has grown SO much this week! She's already so much bigger than she was when we got her almost 10 days ago!

In taking this picture of the girls, I just couldn't delete this goofy one with Heidi's tongue sticking out.

Personality Princess

No, I'm not talking about Little Girl . . . although she and Heidi do rival for that title!
























Heidi LOVES her people - especially her Little Buddy who will sit and snuggle as much as he will run and play!


She loves rolling around in the dead brown grass in the backyard. She rolls and rolls until she's completely covered, then she stretches out in the sun covered in grass. Sounds like Little Buddy's best friend!

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Bringing Home Baby

It snowed the 1st day of December as we said "goodbye" to our sweet little Lucy. It snowed the 2nd day of February when we said "hello" to our sweet little Heidi!

Heidi is home!

The day began with Dad and Mom dropping the kids at all the schools and heading out on the slick snowy roads for Terrell, our halfway meeting point with the breeder. We were so glad school was not cancelled or delayed for the day! We were anxious to get on the road though, not knowing what kind of delays we might encounter along the way due to the past 12 hours of snow. We made good time and sat at the outlet mall in Terrell waiting for a little while watching cars and wondering at each one - would it be her. She drove up right at the scheduled meeting time. It was so cold outside and Heidi had gotten a little carsick along the way, so she was shaking. Mom bundled her right up and jumped in the warm van with her while Dad finished some paperwork with Stacie. Her 7 little pounds felt almost weightless bundled up in her special "princess" blanket. After Stacie left, we sat and cuddled her in the parking lot for a bit before heading back home with our new little bundle (detouring by Dad's office for a quick show-off).

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We got home and introduced Heidi to her new surroundings. The quiet little bundle suddenly burst into action. She had dozed and snuggled all the way home, so she was rested and ready for play.

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When the kids walked in the door from school, we timed it so that Heidi would walk through the living room so they would see her as they came in the front door. They were SO excited. Little Buddy was surprised and hugged her like crazy. Little Girl giggled and giggled. Bit and Bear had sneaked a peek at Mom's e-mail a few days ago and ruined the surprise for themselves . . . BUT, they were all surprised at how small little Heidi is! We really didn't get a good perspective in pictures and even the pictures we've taken don't show how cute and petite her little facial features are! She's SO cute!!! She has SO much skin to grow into! Pawpaw said she has more wrinkles that he does!

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And what a spunky personality she has! She's all out sleeping or all out playing. She even made it through her first night without any accidents and only a slight whine or two. Dad took her out at 2am and 6am and she went with no problem and went right back to sleep. Little Buddy kept her company all night in a sleeping bag by her crate. He said he had to tell her a couple of times during the night that "it was ok." He put his fingers in her crate so she'd feel someone there with her. He loves his sweet little Heidi.

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She's so adorable!

The breeders sent us some new pictures today. Heidi is SOOOOOOOOO cute!!

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We are so ready to bring her home! Little Buddy woke up this morning crying for his sweet Lucy . . .

Oh, and Heidi says "Happy 15th Anniversary" to Mom & Dad today!

2006 - Year in Review

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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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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A cool new find!

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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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

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!!!

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 . . .