Busy Fall

Brenlee and I had fun at the University of Houston football game against Rice U visiting with her cousin Lauren that cheers for UH. It was fun to see Aunt Kay, MaryClaire and others at the tailgate party, but Brenlee was a pretty tired little Cougar as it was an afternoon game--Can you say MISSED MY NAP without crying???? Brenlee was a pretty good sport, but was knocked out by the time we left the parking lot! Thanks for putting up with us, Lauren!


Bill and Justin had our camera in Colorado with them on a hunting trip. So, I have more pics of CO than Brenlee! LOL

Enjoy the pics.....

Fall

What a busy time of year!

School Daze

Brenlee goes to St Peter's United Methodist Church, Early Childhood Program and LOVES IT! She did not want to stand still for the picture...she wanted to turn in circles! Silly Girl is loving school!

OMG....I've been BAD!

OMG...I've been bad as I have not posted in forever.....we have been in Europe celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary! 8/9/10 was our anniversary and we were sipping champagne on the Eiffel Tower, Jules Vern Restaurant, to celebrate the occasion.

We had an amazing time in Paris! And Milan! And Lake Como....and Switzerland...
and Venice...and Florence...and Lucca....and Barcelona Spain....and Amsterdam!

I'm happy to say that we made a million memories and took a thousand pictures (yes, really) but all I have time to post is ONE! Gotta run....

WOW! What a wonderful trip! Dawn and Mike were our "tour guides". It was quite a whirlwind!

Petting Zoo

We went to Maud Marks Library this morning for "StoryTime", to lunch at McDonalds (thanks Dee!) and back this afternoon to the library for the Petting Zoo. Brenlee kept picking up the chickens and they were very patient with the attention! But after a few minutes, they hid under the back leg of the llama. LOL What a fun day!

Wedding

Brenlee was in a wedding recently and we all had fun! Congrats to the new bride & groom! They are very brave to choose a 2 year old for flower girl, but she did great! The wedding was great FUN!

May 2010

WOW! What changes can a year bring! Last year at this time....
we had a son just out of surgery, struggling with a feeding tube
a house that was gutted to the foundation and studs in the kitchen
and a husband about to have a Heart Attack and get 2 new stents! WHEW!

Now, we have a son that is about to take a trip of a lifetime this summer,
a house that is beautifully remodeled,
and a husband that has lost 35 pounds working to stay healthy!

2010-a new year-a new beginning... Thank you, Lord, for all of our blessings!

Wonderful!

I wanted to share these wonderful pictures of Brenlee that were taken this spring!
ENJOY!

What a week!

What a spring! We have made many memories at the lake and in the hill country!

So, I was setting up a blog for a friend and remembered that WE MUST HAVE THE MOST HIDEOUS BLOG PAGE IN HISTORY. I had started changing a few things and was interrupted...frustrated....etc and left it looking chaotic!

So, I'm going to spend a little time trying to spruce it up!

ENJOY the pics from Canyon Lake & the WineFest in New Braunfels! We have had a fun spring!

PS--Justin is doing great! He is still on a feeding tube, but .... life does go on! He has gone on with a smile on his face; he is an inspiration and yet does not know it!

Easter Weekend

It was a gorgeous weekend at the lake! We got home in time to spend the afternoon/evening with family and friends at Kay's. Justin had been to the ER the night before and did not join us. Talking with him on Monday, he said that he was feeling MUCH better. They had to loosen his feeding tube as they had installed it way too tight. The guys had an invitation to attend the Masters, but were unable to make it happen--due to last minute airfare prices and last minute days off of work! They really appreciated the invitation and were so sorry they could not make it happen!

Then, our little Brenlee! That Girl! She saw a cousin with tattoos up his arm and proceeded to tell him that he made a "bad choice for drawing on his arm and that he should go to time out". Do you think that she has heard that information before a few times???

Thanks to all family and friends for continued prayers for Justin. Hopefully, he can skate along for a while now with no more new surgeries, etc.

Another day; another step forward

Justin had another busy week! Monday, he went in for a 5 minute procedure that did not work out. They pulled on his feeding tube;he was very sore and they said come back tomorrow. Tuesday, it was supposed to be a 15 minute procedure, but what they had planned did not work out. They ended up punching a new hole in his stomach and putting in a new feeding tube, in a new location. He is very sore but again has survived to fight the fight. Bless his heart! My prayer for Justin is that things would go as planned, but each time we find out that the Lord has a plan of His own.

This update is being posted on Thursday morning because the neighbor cut the telephone line last weekend. We have had no phone service at the house or internet for several days....bummer! We are good to go now with a temporary line and they have 10 days to put in a regular line.

Brenlee is at her first day of swim lessons with her daddy! ;-) Can't wait to hear all of the details....

Love and happiness to all....and HAPPY EASTER!

March 2010

Brenlee continues to amaze me and I'll try to load a video that I took of her. OMG-it made me laugh outloud! That girl and I have soooo much fun!
Justin continues to amaze me, too! Fishing with family and friends brings him a lot of joy! He continues to have surgeries to update his situation and has one coming up Monday, March 29 to update his feeding tube. Prayers are with Justin as he faces another hurdle.
We are almost completely finished with our house. We had some painting done upstairs and are trying to get draperies and rugs ordered for the downstairs. God is great and He is good....we feel very blessed for the success of the past year and all of the good things in our lives. Bill & I had a wonderful evening with family and friends at Rick's 60th birthday party. We should have an amazing evening tomorrow at another party. We are thankful for all that life has to offer! God bless you and yours!

March 1

We were hoping for so much more from Justin's last surgery, but we have learned... to be thankful for small steps. The good news is that his voice is no longer nasal and we can understand everything he says on the telephone! We are very thankful for the steps forward that Justin has taken and thankful that Justin seems to have an inner strength and zest for life!

Justin took part in a skeet shoot last weekend. Although, he was not the best shooter on his team, he hit 10 skeet with 5 shots at the last station! I'm sure that he was beaming from ear to ear! They had a great time!

Donlee has just completed his 3 day Bar Exam. Thoughts and prayers are with him as he anxiously awaits the results of the test.

Bill and I went to the lakehouse. The view was magnificiant and the Biegel's took us out on a boat ride Saturday afternoon. We worked like crazy on yardwork as the weather was pretty spectacular!

February

Pics of Brenlee in the Valentine's jumper that Shasha made for her and her trip to Maryland with her mother. ENJOY!!
Justin celebrated his 28th birthday yesterday! And one year anniversary of the surgery to remove the benign tumor from his neck. He worked late and came by to see the family...spending time with the Smiths and us. He was delighted with his gifts and seems to be content with the surgery results. His voice is clearer, less nasal and he continues to keep on keeping on!

Amanda and Brenlee spent some time in the snow last weekend with her college friends. They had a great time! Donlee takes the Bar Exam this week and we all wish him the best of everything!

Bill and Sherrie are staying busy....we spent last weekend at the lakehouse. It was beautiful and we had a relaxing weekend!

Friday, Feb 12

Justin had surgery yesterday and he seemed very delighted with the results. We are cautiously optimistic! They did several things....cut a muscle, stitched in the throat, and adjusted the vocal cord.

Busy with Bren....gotta run!

February 2010

First picture....Houston Zoo with cousins, Kyle and Micah
Second picture...Playdate with cousin, Mackenzie
Third picture....Valentine's Dress made with love by Shasha

The cousins were so much fun in January!
The day at the zoo was fabulous (weather was amazingly beautiful) and Kyle wanted Brenlee to love his favorite place at the zoo...the snake house! And, Micah, is just a total sweetie to Brenlee, caring for her just like a big brother would...in fact, both of the boys were so sweet and could not wait to show her around the zoo!

Lunch and playing with Mackenzie was quite a delight! Mackenzie has so many way cool toys that Brenlee was very busy the entire visit. I think her favorite, besides dolls/pacifier, was playing outside with Mackenzie in the playhouse and on the slide!

We look forward to more "playdates" with our cousins as the spring and summer of 2010 arrive!

Justin began the month with another surgery. It was rather minor, comparably speaking. They cut a large sore from his feeding tube area and stitched the skin back together. He seems to be doing well! Bill took him for the outpatient surgery and he was back at work the next day. He is a tough and determined young man. He will have an assessment and possible surgery mid-Feb on the throat....to provide minor relief for swallow of saliva and volume of speaking.

Brenlee continues to be our comic relief! That girls makes us laugh! And, between Justin and Donlee, we have quite a bit of entertainment around here! Amanda, Bill and I watch the antics and laugh out loud!

And the Katy house is coming right along! The wood floors were just installed in the living room and dining room. They will do the hall and trim on Monday. WOOHOO! We should have an Open House BEFORE the one year anniversary of the storm! We might just do that....

Best of everything to friends and family in 2010!

New Year 2010

Bill and I celebrated the new year with a trip to Vegas! We had fun and the NORM...he won and I lost! Thankfully, I lose pennies and he wins dollars!

Justin has left for California on business and it is nice to see him back in the swing of things! He is planning some hunting trips for he and Bill coming up later this year. Keep your prayers coming, although, there is nothing new to report on his health at this time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all! We pray that your year is full of health & happiness!

Christmas Photos 2009

Thought I had posted this picture of Brenlee...taken by Amanda's friend, Deanna.
ENJOY!

Christmas 2009

It was a whirlwind Christmas at Amanda/Donlee's home! Brenlee was still a little confused/apprehensive about Christmas. We attended a children's church service and she opened her gifts. She was extremely pleased with her new dolls and tricycle from Uncle Justin. We, also, celebrated with the Allen Family at Kay's house. The pictures are from Kay's.

****There seems to be quite a lag between Thanksgiving and Christmas....do you think that Bill having a heart attack might be a reason to lay off of the blog??? Yes, Bill had a heart attack and 2 new stents! He is doing great and determined to get his health on track!