Well, the new school year is off to a great start. Devin is loving every minute of it. She's rotating among teachers for different classes, and thinks it's the coolest thing ever! She's also taking part in an after school program, "ASPIRE", that adds enrichment to their learning experience.
Deren is being his usual funny self. He really does have a great sense of humor for a kid who's not yet 2. And his laugh is contagious!
Keep my mom in your prayers. She has begun the process of trying to get a kidney transplant. My sister, Tracie, is going to test to see if she's a match. I'll keep everyone posted on the progress.
We've had a LOT of much-needed rain in the past 2 weeks. It has helped to cool things off here. But I must admit: It was really nice to see the sunshine this morning.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Devin goes to Church Camp
Devin went to church camp at Riverbend Retreat. She had a wonderful time, and is looking forward to going next year. I'll have some additional photos to post once I get around to taking her disposable camera in to be processed.
Trip to Mobile, June 2009
First picture is of me and the kids with my Uncle Eddie, cousin Melissa and Aunt Linda.
Second picture is of the kids with my Aunt Edna and Aunt Eva.
Update/Summer 2009
Wow! Where did it go?
Well, let me start by telling you that Devin made the "A" honor roll for the entire 2008-2009 school year. (yea, Dev!) She also had perfect scores on both the math and reading TAKS. We are so proud.
Deren got his first haircut this summer. Gone are the beautiful blonde curls. He also had his first (but surely not his last) "injury" -- a busted lip. Remember how your mom always told you not to run with scissors? She should have mentioned those pesky sippy cups!
Eric has been playing softball 2 nights a week. He's also done a little fishing with Will. He took Devin fishing for the first time. She caught a small perch. She also caught a "stick fish", a "gauze" fish and a "wire" fish. That's my girl...
I have been working like crazy. It's been very busy at the hospital. We are undergoing a major expansion. I've done a litte (very little) scrapbooking, but I hope there's a crop in my near future. I also found a new addiciton...FACEBOOK. I have reconnected with so many people from high school, past jobs, etc. CRAZY. But let me just say this for the record...I do NOT play Mafia Wars. And I'm not going to play Mafia Wars. That's all I've got to say on that...
We've actually made it to the movies a couple of times. Funny story...we loaded up the family to go see the new Star Trek movie (yes, Eric & I are Trekkies! And there was no way I was missing this one on the big screen) We had not taken Deren to the theater since he was a few months old (when you could strategically plan around a feeding followed by an extended nap...) So he's sitting on a booster eating popcorn (another first - which he loved!!!) by the fistful. So the movie starts. And a hush falls over the theater in anticipation of our first glimpse of the Enterprise. In the silence, you hear Deren's little voice..."Oh...wow" followed by adult laughter from the crowd. A little while later he fell asleep on my lap. On screen, someone was shouting at another character, "Give me your hand!" All of sudden, Deren threw out his arm, reaching for them. Too funny! By the way, it's a great film. Even if you're not a Trekkie. Even if you weren't a member of the William Shatner fan club for 5 years...I'm just saying.
We also made 2 trips this summer. We spent 4 days in June in my hometown: Mobile, Alabama. You think it's humid here? You have no idea what humidity is. We took the kids to the beach. No, Deren did not like the water. Devin had to be drug out of the water. Ate lots of wonderful food. Saw all my wonderful aunts and uncle. (Aunt Edna, Aunt Eva, Aunt Linda and Uncle Eddie) Saw some of my cousins, too. Did I mention the food? Homemade buttermilk biscuits every morning with homemade strawberry preserves...ymmm. Fried okra. Sweet potato casserole. Cucumber and pecan dip. We also spent 4 days in Levelland, Texas. The 4th of July would have been Eric's dad's 75th birthday. Eric played in the golf tournament, and we visited with Kay. I'm glad we had the opportunity to go and be with her.
Yes, we are officially counting down the days to the start of school. Devin has all her supplies packed into her new backpack. She has all her new uniforms ready to go. Eric? He's looking forward to football season....I guess it's time for me and Jen to start making Friday night plans.
Well, let me start by telling you that Devin made the "A" honor roll for the entire 2008-2009 school year. (yea, Dev!) She also had perfect scores on both the math and reading TAKS. We are so proud.
Deren got his first haircut this summer. Gone are the beautiful blonde curls. He also had his first (but surely not his last) "injury" -- a busted lip. Remember how your mom always told you not to run with scissors? She should have mentioned those pesky sippy cups!
Eric has been playing softball 2 nights a week. He's also done a little fishing with Will. He took Devin fishing for the first time. She caught a small perch. She also caught a "stick fish", a "gauze" fish and a "wire" fish. That's my girl...
I have been working like crazy. It's been very busy at the hospital. We are undergoing a major expansion. I've done a litte (very little) scrapbooking, but I hope there's a crop in my near future. I also found a new addiciton...FACEBOOK. I have reconnected with so many people from high school, past jobs, etc. CRAZY. But let me just say this for the record...I do NOT play Mafia Wars. And I'm not going to play Mafia Wars. That's all I've got to say on that...
We've actually made it to the movies a couple of times. Funny story...we loaded up the family to go see the new Star Trek movie (yes, Eric & I are Trekkies! And there was no way I was missing this one on the big screen) We had not taken Deren to the theater since he was a few months old (when you could strategically plan around a feeding followed by an extended nap...) So he's sitting on a booster eating popcorn (another first - which he loved!!!) by the fistful. So the movie starts. And a hush falls over the theater in anticipation of our first glimpse of the Enterprise. In the silence, you hear Deren's little voice..."Oh...wow" followed by adult laughter from the crowd. A little while later he fell asleep on my lap. On screen, someone was shouting at another character, "Give me your hand!" All of sudden, Deren threw out his arm, reaching for them. Too funny! By the way, it's a great film. Even if you're not a Trekkie. Even if you weren't a member of the William Shatner fan club for 5 years...I'm just saying.
We also made 2 trips this summer. We spent 4 days in June in my hometown: Mobile, Alabama. You think it's humid here? You have no idea what humidity is. We took the kids to the beach. No, Deren did not like the water. Devin had to be drug out of the water. Ate lots of wonderful food. Saw all my wonderful aunts and uncle. (Aunt Edna, Aunt Eva, Aunt Linda and Uncle Eddie) Saw some of my cousins, too. Did I mention the food? Homemade buttermilk biscuits every morning with homemade strawberry preserves...ymmm. Fried okra. Sweet potato casserole. Cucumber and pecan dip. We also spent 4 days in Levelland, Texas. The 4th of July would have been Eric's dad's 75th birthday. Eric played in the golf tournament, and we visited with Kay. I'm glad we had the opportunity to go and be with her.
Yes, we are officially counting down the days to the start of school. Devin has all her supplies packed into her new backpack. She has all her new uniforms ready to go. Eric? He's looking forward to football season....I guess it's time for me and Jen to start making Friday night plans.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The phone call in the middle of the night...
The phone call in the middle of the night will usually be one of two things: a drunken misdial or bad news. When our phone rang sometime after 3 a.m. on the morning of March 27th, I was hoping for the drunken misdial....
Eric's dad went into the hospital for a hip replacement on March 24th. He called us late that evening to let us know that the surgery had gone well. Eric called him on Wednesday to check on him. He was doing okay. He was hoarse. He said that he had some sinus drainage and it was irritating his throat. But he said he felt pretty good. On Thursday evening, I asked Eric if he had talked to his dad; had he gone home? Eric decided to call him around 8:30. They talked for a little while. Speck said that he had gotten up to walk twice that day. He told Eric that he was running a little fever and was getting antibiotics. He also told Eric that the doctor had said he could go home on Friday. Eric told him to give him a call and let him know that he went home. The last thing I heard Eric say was, "I love you, Dad."
Our phone rang in the middle of the night. I looked at the clock: some time after 3 a.m. Who could be calling at this hour? Speck's cell phone number was on the caller id display. When I answered, it was Kay (Speck's wife) asking to speak to Eric. I knew it wasn't good. I could only hear Eric's end... disbelief evident in his voice. Resuscitate him? Why? What do you mean...not going to make it? I'm coming. Right now.
As we would learn later, Speck had gone to bed. The nurse had gone in to check his vitals. She told him that she was going to take his b/p. Speck threw out his arm for her, and then went back to sleep. About an hour later, she stepped back into his room to find him breathing hard. His pulse was thready. She called the charge nurse. He crashed. They resuscitated him, and moved him to CICU.
Eric jumped up and jumped into the shower. He started throwing clothes into a bag. Then the phone rang again...it had only been about 30 minutes since the first call. It was Kay. Speck was gone.
We made the trip to Levelland that afternoon, and arrived to freezing temps and snow. It just didn't seem real. I hadn't expected to make this trip until July! Friends and family began to gather. Speck had so many friends. Plans were made for the funeral. Eric and Tony were tasked with choosing the palbearers. There were so many to choose from. We knew that there were to be 8 honorary from the Littlefield ISD administration. So my idea was to have "innies" and "outies". Eight to take him in and eight to take him out. Twenty-four total.
His service was not sad. It was touching. There was laughter. Friends gathered to remember Speck; to tell stories. I told Eric that I was jealous of many of the people at the funeral. After all, they had gotten to be a part of Speck's life a lot longer than I had. Tony gave a beautifully touching eulogy. He talked about what a wonderful friend and dad Speck had been. I know that he was a wonderful father-in-law. And he was a wonderful grandfather. I'm sad that my children will miss growing up with Papa Speck. And I will miss him. (ccf)
Eric's dad went into the hospital for a hip replacement on March 24th. He called us late that evening to let us know that the surgery had gone well. Eric called him on Wednesday to check on him. He was doing okay. He was hoarse. He said that he had some sinus drainage and it was irritating his throat. But he said he felt pretty good. On Thursday evening, I asked Eric if he had talked to his dad; had he gone home? Eric decided to call him around 8:30. They talked for a little while. Speck said that he had gotten up to walk twice that day. He told Eric that he was running a little fever and was getting antibiotics. He also told Eric that the doctor had said he could go home on Friday. Eric told him to give him a call and let him know that he went home. The last thing I heard Eric say was, "I love you, Dad."
Our phone rang in the middle of the night. I looked at the clock: some time after 3 a.m. Who could be calling at this hour? Speck's cell phone number was on the caller id display. When I answered, it was Kay (Speck's wife) asking to speak to Eric. I knew it wasn't good. I could only hear Eric's end... disbelief evident in his voice. Resuscitate him? Why? What do you mean...not going to make it? I'm coming. Right now.
As we would learn later, Speck had gone to bed. The nurse had gone in to check his vitals. She told him that she was going to take his b/p. Speck threw out his arm for her, and then went back to sleep. About an hour later, she stepped back into his room to find him breathing hard. His pulse was thready. She called the charge nurse. He crashed. They resuscitated him, and moved him to CICU.
Eric jumped up and jumped into the shower. He started throwing clothes into a bag. Then the phone rang again...it had only been about 30 minutes since the first call. It was Kay. Speck was gone.
We made the trip to Levelland that afternoon, and arrived to freezing temps and snow. It just didn't seem real. I hadn't expected to make this trip until July! Friends and family began to gather. Speck had so many friends. Plans were made for the funeral. Eric and Tony were tasked with choosing the palbearers. There were so many to choose from. We knew that there were to be 8 honorary from the Littlefield ISD administration. So my idea was to have "innies" and "outies". Eight to take him in and eight to take him out. Twenty-four total.
His service was not sad. It was touching. There was laughter. Friends gathered to remember Speck; to tell stories. I told Eric that I was jealous of many of the people at the funeral. After all, they had gotten to be a part of Speck's life a lot longer than I had. Tony gave a beautifully touching eulogy. He talked about what a wonderful friend and dad Speck had been. I know that he was a wonderful father-in-law. And he was a wonderful grandfather. I'm sad that my children will miss growing up with Papa Speck. And I will miss him. (ccf)
Devin turns 9
Opening gifts with Cadee's help.
Blowing out the candles.
Waiting for all the candles to be lit.
Birthday luncheon at Cheddar's.
Bluebonnets
Devin and Deren enjoying a Spring ritual in Texas. Deren did NOT enjoy sitting among the bluebonnets! (ccf)
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