Longview Weekend

We got to go to Longview this past weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary for my music and youth director, Bob White. I don't think that the people that attend their now realize that he use to do BOTH youth and music!!! Now he does just the worship. I was six when he came to my church, so I can remember him literally from day one! He and his wife have meant a lot to me and my family over the years, so it was an honor to drive in to honor him. The pastor that was my pastor growing up was there and preached the morning service. I can't describe to you what it was like to hear his rich, loud preacher voice again! He hasn't lost it! The choir was packed with 90 people and I got to see people that have known me since before I can even remember!!! We reminisced a lot and it was a great time of being with people that are like family to me. The church gave Bob a very nice boat. He was shocked and had no idea!!!!
Mr. Shamburger with Bro. Tenpenny

Laney (White) Jude and Jon Wootten

The Crowd

Bob in his boat thanking everyone

Kristi, Jeni, Jennifer, Missy & Sandra

Bob, The Tenpennys and Randy Stripling
Stewart Girls, Jennifer, Courtney and Debbie, Allison and Lisa


Votto Gaddis, Jeni White Hagle and Jim Bob Griffin



On Friday, we arrived in the evening in time to throw some rotten eggs into the woods and get in some fishing with Grandpa. Reagan caught a large bass, and we all enjoyed some action with the bream and a number of bass. I just love to fish. It was fun to see Blayne really take an interest this time. He stuck with the fishing and enjoyed getting some expert help from my dad who is an expert fisherman.







Reagan had some urinary tract issues and John and I got to spend a good part of the late evening at a private ER in Tyler (45mins away). We got her treated, got medicine and were home by 1:30AM. (It is never dull around here I tell ya!)

Saturday, John and I got to go eat at a local Mexican restaurant with a few of my high school friends. They all laughed (in love of course) at the fact that we are having another baby!!!! It was good to see them. Unlike John, I went pretty much K-12 with the same people. The feel more like cousins than classmates. Afterward, one of my friends invited me to bring my kids to her parents' house (whose land actually backs up to my parents' property) to swim. It was like old times. Her parents always were inviting us over and we, as teenagers, spent a lot of time at her house. It was fun to have our kids together.








After church and lunch and a reception, we came home and packed. The kids got goofy and then we loaded up and headed home!

More Frog Hunts

Blayne continues to enjoy his frog hunts. He will run out in his underwear to catch a frog that he has seen in the window. This toad as gotten huge. It was "screaming" when Reagan got a hold of it and was carrying it around. Fun times!

I Love Adoption

Our good fiends, The Tardys, have been waiting for over THREE years for their referral for adoption.....they got the call today!!!!! They have a biological son Savannah's age and an adopted Chinese daughter that is a little bit younger than Blayne. They are amazing parents and such godly and encouraging people. We are so thankful that the Lord has chosen a baby for them (very fortunate for that baby!). So, it has been a long time coming, but the Lord had His perfect timing. Our friends just relocated to the Seattle area last month as they lost their job and took a great job with Microsoft. So, all of the details are coming together quickly as they settle into their new lives there, and now they prepare to travel to China to pick up their baby girl in a month! God is so good! Isn't she ADORABLE?????

It's A.......

BOY!!!!!
This is the look of two excited sisters!

Savannah couldn't wait to call John!


Savannah, Whitney and I went to my sonogram appointment this afternoon. It was a fun girl time together, as I have never taken them to an OB appointment with me. John had to pull Daddy duty at home because Blayne woke up in the night with a high fever, sore throat and began vomiting this morning (lovely timing!) So Savannah being the secretary that she is, videoed the sonogram and Whitney and I looked on! All three of us were shocked that it was actually a boy...but we are all three thrilled. I think that they, like me, were thinking "we have 3 girls so chances are..." Blayne was excited as a sick child can be and we all sat after dinner and admired Savannah's video skills. Whitney's comment was "he looks like slush" Blayne said "I think that he looks like Darth Vadar" and all Reagan was interested in was rewinding the tape to the place where SHE was singing! The baby looks healthy and the measurements were all right on. We had to stop and celebrate on the way home with some ice-cream! Yum!


The girls and I had some excitement on the way home. There was a man who was obviously "not right" in a car next to us. He sat still through one light rotation and cars just went around him. He looked like he was nodding off, so when the light turned green, I honked my horn and he sort of roused and we took off side-by-side...his head was nodding and his eyes were fluttering. I sped ahead of him and called 911....(the girls thought it was strange that I was calling the police on a man just for falling asleep) as I talked to the operator, he was behind me (a safe distance) swerving all over the road. I gave the best description I could (white BMW) and got off the road at the grocery store. I told them to hurry and help him because something was wrong. The girls and I ran into the store, got our groceries (Milk, Tylenol, bananas and Sprite)...short list! As we approached our turn to go home, I saw an ambulance, firetruck and two police cars. My heart skipped a beat when I saw "the car". I was telling the girls while I was driving that you have to always watch and keep your eyes on other people while you are driving. Yes, I was tattlling on that man, but he could cross the line, hit someone and kill them! Then, we saw all of the action. I pulled into the parking lot, left my girls in the air-conditioned van an approached the officer. I asked if the man was okay and if there had been a wreck. I told him that I was the one who had called. They told me that he had passed out in the intersection right there, and that nobody was hurt. (I was relieved) They followed me back to my car, took a recorded statement, and the officer told me that they aren't sure what was happening with him.

You just never know when you are out there on the roads what could be going on around you. This was a very good lesson for my girls. They saw all the chaos going on and saw that this could have been a really bad thing if the police had not come and looked for him and found him before there was an accident. Now they will probably tell me that tattle telling is a GOOD thing!!!!

So...we are happy about our BABY BOY....and thankful for protection on the road today. God has been so good to me!

Poppa's Funeral

Poppa's funeral service on Saturday was a very sweet service. The preacher did a good job and it was obvious that he knew him well and loved him much! I hope to have pictures later this week. I didn't take a lot as John sister was snapping photos at this occasion. She is going to make me a CD, so I will wait to have all of the pictures to compile for a slideshow. We had a family meal at a local favorite restaurant of Poppa's called "The Rails" on Friday night and the church ladies prepared a delicious lunch for the family after the service. There was not a graveside service as it was 100+ degrees outside. After the lunch, and changing clothes, we took the kids to the local bakery to spend their Poppa money (quarters that he had collected) and they each bought a gingerbread man. It was a quick turnaround trip, and the kids did great, but the exhaustion set in yesterday afternoon, and we all rested!

Here is Becky's slideshow from her blog....I "borrowed" it until I have all of my pictures....I think that I failed to mention that our main computer DIED on Sunday, so John is building us a new computer. So enjoy Becky's slideshow for now.

Poppa's Sweet Memorial at the Nursing Home

There was a sweet memorial service at the nursing home for Poppa-Plays-Toys (a name that Savannah entitled him when she was a toddler) yesterday. It was well attended with by lots of residents and even the nursing home cat! David spoke and told of sweet memories of Poppa and did a good job describing his wit and sweet disposition. Dale told about how long he has known Poppa and that he loved the Lord. He also read a letter that Julia had written to a friend that told about childhood memories of her Daddy and it really honored him as a Dad and as an example of showing Christ-likeness. They told some funny Poppa/Grandma stories and David even displayed Poppa's closed fist greeting and gave an example of how Poppa would whistle for the kids to come! It was crowded in the meeting area. The walkway was lined with wheelchairs and several friends of Dale and Julia came to show their support. My girls passed out music sheets as we were going to sing "It is well with My Soul" One of the residents started belting out the song as soon as she received her sheet. My kids got so tickled and it was FUNNY! John accompanied on the piano and David led the group in singing the hymn. The kids enjoyed wrestling and playing around after the short service. Whitney commented that this might be the last time that we come to Stonegate Nursing Home. She said it with a sense of sadness. She has had three great-grandparents there, and it really is a special place. I was obnoxious and took pictures for those relatives that live far away and could not be there today. I thought that they might enjoy seeing how Poppa was honored today before we meet in Arkansas on Saturday. As we were leaving, his doctor, Dr. Kelly, arrived and he was so sweet and told Dale and Julia how he enjoyed working with both Poppa and Grandma. Well, here are the pictures. Oh, and David you will notice is on crutches. He learned the hard way why there is a label on a ladder that reads "DO NOT CLIMB ABOVE THIS STEP"!!!!!

Vacation to Hot Springs, Arkansas

We had a wonderful get-a-way to Hot Springs Village this week. We spent lots of time with John's Aunt Rosie and Uncle Bobby and his furry cousin, Sam. We hiked, went to the lake, swam, the girls made homemade sugar cookies and decorated them, saw fire works, made hand cranked ice-cream, and enjoyed the beauty of God's creation. I think that we saw at least one deer each day. The kids got to compete in paddle boat races and even a BIG splash contest at the pool! (and John won 2nd place int he adult division after a splash off...the kids were SOOO proud of their Daddy and his ginormous splash!) Rosie fed us some wonderful meals (all of which John got recipes for) Blayne got to spend some time playing the Wii with Uncle Bobby and John got to drive their really cool Mini Coup car (isn't that what all little boys dream of?) The kids did great on the trip and rolled with the plan for each day. This was Reagan's first trip to see big fireworks up close and personal, and after her initial tears from the first BOOM!, she recovered and enjoyed the rest of the show. She fussed when we came home today because she didn't want to come back to THIS house, she wanted to go to our "new" house (which was our little rental house in the village). John made the remark this week that he needed to figure out a way to work and support our family from vacationing full time. We love to go away and be together.

On a sad note, we did receive some sad, but happy news while we were gone. John's sweet Poppa went to be with Jesus on Friday. It was very fast and he did not suffer. We are happy with for him as he is now in Heaven with his Creator and singing in that heavenly choir, he is reunited with his love, and other family members, but we are sad for us and will miss his sweet, sweet bald self and the gentle man that he was always known to be. I am thankful that we had been to see him recently and that Savannah and Whitney got to see him just this week!!!! So, we will head back to Arkansas at the end of this week to attend his funeral and honor a man that we all love and miss.

Poppa and Baby Jack last year at Savannah & Blayne's birthday party.

Poppa made this hat for Blayne at the nursing facility where he lived. Blayne was so proud of his cowboy hat that Poppa made!
(Our summer vacation history is not looking too good: last summer we got the call that my grandmother had terminal cancer, this summer Poppa died....maybe we will stay home next summer!)

Here are pictures from our trip:
(you might want to grab some popcorn and a coke...it is a LONG slideshow...sorry!)