Celebrating Denae's Birthday

For Denae's Birthday, we decided to take her to a resteraunt with a playland. We don't do that very often, so we thought that she would enjoy it. We ended up getting free milkshakes because the meal took a little longer to arrive, so we did her cake the next evening after dinner. We got her a 10 inch bike with training wheels and she loves it. She can't make it go yet, but she sure enjoys getting pushed places and climbing off and on.

Here's the Birthday Girl!

Blowing kisses for the camera

Playing at the Chick-fil-a play land


We have to stay INSIDE the play equipment

Hi, Mom!

Delaney posing in front of the wacky mirror!
Wee! This is fun!!


MMM, this milkshake is good!

Having cake at home (the next day!)
She blew out the candles all by herself!

Enjoying her cake and ice cream

Time to open presents!
Wow! A giftcard to the Children's Place!!(Mommy's favorite kind of gift!)
Money! More favorite gifts!

On my brandnew Princess Bike!

What a great birthday!!!

She also got two new pairs of sandals. One pair is disney princess and lights up which she wears all the time. Another gift is still on the way. She is having the never-ending birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, Little Angel!

Denae Alysse, my little angel. You have brought so much joy to your mommy and daddy. You are definitly the "baby" of the bunch, and you learned early on how to get what you wanted. You are our Diva. You make us laugh with your silly antics and you love to be the center of attention at home. With others, you can play hard to get, but you still manage to wrap everyone around your finger. You are precious and precocious, a bundle of joy and of energy. I love it when you snuggle close with your blanket, but those moments are getting more scarce as you have discovered your 'independence.' I enjoy watching you play with your brother and sisters. You just know you are big enough to do everything they do. You already figured out how to drive the Gator and are getting frustrated by those 2 wheel bikes that just won't stay up. You would play outside all day if you could. That comes from your "country" roots. Your imagination is really delveloping and you are a wonderful 'mommy' to your babies. You love to sing and will sing along even when you have never heard the song before. You love to pray. The other night in church, during alter call, you laid under the pew talking for a few minutes, then told me you "talk 'a Jesus." I am so grateful that God has already placed a desire in your heart for a relationship with Him. As the years go by, faster and faster all the time, I am amazed to see how much you have already changed from a baby into a "little girl." I know I still have many years to enjoy your childhood, and I plan to do just that, but oh, somedays I wish I could hold you a little longer, even as you wiggle down to play. What a great life you have ahead of you. Your mommy is so grateful to get to go on that journey with you. We love you bunches and bunches, Little Angel.

Happy Belated Birthday, Austin!

Austin turned 10 on Monday, so Happy belated B-day, Austin! Austin is becoming quite the young man. He is a great Bible Quizzer and has taken top honors in recent tournaments, including the highest scoring individual at our tournament in February. He excels at school and does extremely well in the Boys club sports playoffs. We are proud of you, Austin, and look forward to all the great things God has in store for you! Love ya bunches!

Happy Birthday, Christian!

Wow, Birthdays are abounding in our family! My oldest nephew turns 12 years old today, so Happy Birthday, Christian! He is officially in the youth group now, so the DRAMA can begin! Anyone who has ever been part of youth group knows what I'm talking about! Christian is a great kid and we hope he has an awsome birthday! Below is a picture of Christian with his 1st place team trophy and his all tournament team trophy from the first ever Apostolic Bible Quizzing tournament held in Feb of this year. Congratulation to him and his brother for their great achievements. We look forward to seeing the awesome things that God is going to do with Christian's life!

Belated Birthday Wishes

This is a late happy birthday wish for my nephew Presley. He turned 5 on March 8 and I haven't yet posted a Happy Birthday to him. So, Presley, from your family in CA, Hope you had a great 5th birthday. From the looks of the pics on your mom's blog, you did! We love you very much and are excited about all the great things in store for you, like Kindergarten! Yea!

Dallas' Fourth Birthday Party

We had such a good time Saturday night. Kevin's mom and dad, Kathy and Craig and the boys, and Carlos and Denise and the kids came over for Dallas' late B-day party. We had hot dogs, Dallas' food of choice, with chips and salas, another of Dallas' favorites. The kids played baseball and we all wore fire men hats to go with the theme. It was great! Enjoy the pictures!

Oh Happy Day!!

Over a year ago we received a new computer. In the process of moving pics from our old computer, which was close to demise, to our new computer, I inadvertently lost several folders of my most important pics. These included when Dallas was born, his dedication, and 1st b-day, when Denae was born and her dedication, as well as some others, such as various Easters and vacations. I knew I had e-mailed pics to my mom and dad, but they had been unable to find them on their computer. So, as dissappointed as I was, I had to resign myself never seeing those pictures again except in the photo albums of my mind and heart. However, today, something wonderful happened! My mom found the pics on her computer!!! So to celebrate I have included some pics of Dallas' first b-day, which I was not able to put in his slide show. I will share some of the other "lost and found" pics later. Enjoy!


Yummy cake! He just digs right in!
Look at all that frosting in his hand!
All done! Now I rub the plate on my head!
Exhausted! We tried to wash the frosting out of his hair, but without shampoo at the church it was to no avail. It made a wonderful smelling hair gel though! lol

Happy Birthday, Dallas!

Wow, I can't believe my little boy is turning 4 today! He is truly all boy, despite having 3 sisters. Yes, he does have his moments of wanting to play dolls with his sisters just to have someone to play with, but his toys of choice are cars, trucks, trains, and dinosaurs. He is really into firetrucks and other vehicles with sirens right now. He likes to ride his bike (no training wheels) and drive his John Deere Gator. Mud seems to attract him like a magnet, and keeping him cleaned up is a full time job. But, he also loves to wear suits and he cannot leave for church without his Bible. He still loves the drums and will use anything that remotely looks like a drumstick to play drums on any surface. Even at this age he can keep the beat. I guess that comes from being born in "the 'hood." lol Dallas, you are such a special treasure to Mommy and Daddy. You have been a joy and a blessing and a trial (lol) all wrapped up in one precious little boy. From the moment we knew you were on the way, we have loved you and that love has just grown as the years have passed by. Watching as you have followed after your sisters, and then as you began to do your own 'boy' stuff has been so fun. You are one tough little dude, thinking you big enough to do what the big kids do, but you are still ready to snuggle up with Mommy or Daddy at days end. We can't wait to see what all new things you will learn to do this year and we know that as the years pass by, God is going to do great things with your life. We love you bunches and bunches!!

Happy Birthday, Haley!

My niece Haley celebrated her 12th birthday yesterday. She has always been so special to me. She is the one who gave me the name Meme. When she was a baby, she would say Mama for her mom, Katrinia, and Meme for Aunt Melissa. The name just stuck. I love you, Haley! You are turning into a beautiful and remarkable young lady. I can't wait to see what God has in store for your future, but I am also excited to see what God begins to do, and is even doing with you, now. By the way, now that you are 12, do you think your mom and dad would let you fly out and stay with me for a couple of weeks in the summer? lol That's a long way, but we would love to have you. Hope you had a GREAT birthday and we love you sooo much!!!

Random Pictures from December

The Little Lady

Darilyn's Birthday!!

Happy birthday, Darilyn!! I didn't get to finish your slide show yet, since we had company and I got hurt, but I will get that up for you. I promise!!! I can't believe you are already 6 years old!! You were such a precious little bundle of joy and have been our little lady from the start, always sweet and tender and ready for a snuggle. From the time I held you in the hospital, I knew God had great plans for your life. I pray you keep your tender spirit and use it for God's glory. I love to watch you pray and worship, and praying with you as you seek the Holy Ghost is an honor I would never ever trade. Now you are in Kindergarten and doing so well. You received a justice and fairness award the other day and your teacher said you were the best kindergartner. I can't help but agree!! So, little lady, or ladybug as you re-nicknamed yourself, I want to say Happy Birthday and I love you. God truly blessed our family by giving us a wonderful daughter, Darilyn Jade.

I would also like to wish a Happy Birthday to my sister!! She shares a birthday with Darilyn, which Darilyn thinks is very special. Happy Birthday, Katrinia!!

Happy Birthday, Mallory!

I want to wish a very special niece a very happy birthday. She is turning 7 today and growing up so quickly. Delaney and Mallory are "twin cousins" as we like to call them, born only a couple of weeks apart. It was always fun seeing them together when they were so little. Now, although we don't get to see her as often, my girls just love it when they get the chance to visit her. Delaney said its like having another sister almost the same age. We love you Mallory. You are a precious girl and you bring sunshine to our lives! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to a my Wonderful Granny

Today is my Granny's birthday. She was a wonderful grandmother. She passed away this past February and we miss her. We lived across the street from her when I was growing up, at least until I was 9 1/2. I can remember waiting at her house for the bus to school and going there after school was over. She always had snacks waiting for us. She had the best beaded necklaces that she would let us play with and a cabinet in her kitchen, under the microwave, filled with toys for the grandkids. Whenever I was in the bathroom too long, she would always come knocking to make sure I wasn't "meddlin'" in stuff. I am sure I usually was! I remember going to church with Granny and Papa sometimes and sitting in the red velevet theater-style seats. I was so fun to sit on top of the seat when it was folded up and then slide down with a plop as it folded down. Granny's purse always smelled of mints and she usually had certs or gum to give us. Of course, the gum wasn't for church! After I got a little older and moved to Texarkana, my favorite memory of her is how she would come out the door as soon as we drove up, ready to give out hugs and kisses and ooh and aahh over how we had grown. And the way Granny and Papa cried and prayed over us every time we were ready to get back on the road. She was a classy lady. I loved to see her all dressed up for church or to go out to eat. As I grew up even more, getting married, moving even further away, and having kids of my own, she would call to see how we were doing. I loved to hear her voice on the phone. And the times I was able to take my own children to see her were special and precious. I always knew she prayed for me and for my kids. She is part of my heritage and part of the legacy I am passing down to my own children: a Holy Ghost filled, Jesus name baptized, Christian lady that loved her family and put God and others first. I love you, Granny! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Princess Delaney!

Seven years ago today I held my firstborn child for the first time. I looked into her sweet face and cuddled her close. I watched as her daddy snuggled her to him and called her princess. Since that moment I have never been the same.
Delaney, your are a blessing to us. Your sweetness, your desire to learn, your willingness to help, your sensitivity to the Lord. All of these things and so much more make up who you are. You try your best at everything you do and you succeed, whether it is learning to ride a bike, school work, or Bible Quizzing. I still remember telling you a Bible story when you were about 2 1/2 yrs old. Daddy usually told the bed time Bible stories, but he was out of town, so it was my turn. I tried to play down the firey furnance in the story of the 3 Hebrew children, but you stopped me. "NO, Mommy, not a hair on their head was burned and they didn't even smell like smoke. Only the ropes were burnt." Since then you have been wowing your teachers at both school and Sunday School with the knowledge you have at your age. And I can't forget to mention when, at 1 year old, Daddy offered to kiss your owie, but you proceeded to kiss it yourself. Little Miss Independent. But you still love to snuggle up in our laps and whisper that you love us. I guess next to holding you for the first time, seeing you receive the Holy Ghost at 5 years old and then get baptized a few months later have to be the most precious moments of my life as your mommy. I love you, Princess! You bring so much joy to our lives and we can't wait to see all the wonderful things God has in store for you.