My little granddaughter Zoe got her ears pierced yesterday. I have not seen her since it was done, but Chanda said that she was a real trooper. She did not even cry...she just had a dazzed look on her face.
Zoe is such a beautiful little girl. She looks so much like her daddy and big brother Jaden. She has the biggest blue eyes and the cutest smile. And she is so much fun to have around. She loves to lie on the floor on a blanket and kick her feet and arms. And than she loves to start squealing at the top of her lungs. I guess she thinks that we forget that she is around and wants to make sure that we know that she is there. And does she love to eat. When it is time for her bottle she will watch until she sees that one person that made it come into the room and than the legs and arms go wild. I enjoy her so much, but than I enjoy all of my grand babies. And I am so glad that they are all in my life. Can not wait until August when we take them to Texas to meet their great grandmother and all of their other relatives.
I love this picture of my beautiful mom and my great niece Chloe. My niece Shannon has started do photography as a fun hobby and took this picture of the two of them at my mom's house in her living room. I love the way that she made it look and the way she bought out the beautiful blue in Chloe's eyes.
I love my mother so much and it is sad that right now she is battling lung cancer. That is why she has the scarf on her head. She choose to take all her hair off since she was loosing it to Chem anyways. She is such a wonderful woman and has loved and cherished all of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She is so proud of each and everyone of them. And it is so sad for my mother because she has out lived two of her children, and two grandchildren.
My mother lost her daughter Stacey back in 1997 on Thanksgiving Day in a private plane explosion. And than my her son Reggie died this past June of a massive heart attack. The two grandchildren that she lost was my son Cody that died at 21 and a half hours old from complications due to a surgery that was given to me. And than my brother Reggie's little girl died at 6 weeks old from SIDS. And I know that there is never a day that goes by that she does not think of each of them. But she still has so much love in her heart for the remaining 3 children, 15 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. Thank you Mom for being you!
My girlfriend Kate was able to go to Hawaii last month to visit a friend of her's. I am so glad that she got to go because if anyone deserved it she did. Like myself Kate is a single mother of two sons, Alex 18, and Jared 17.
Kate and I have been really good friends for a very long time (to be exact, we met right before Vanessa was born and right after her son Jared was born). We had been next door neighbors for a very long time, but with her working during the day and I was busy raising my 6 kids we never talked before. Right after her son was born I decided that it was time to finally meet her and her husband Tom. And should I say the rest is history.
When Kate decided to leave her husband and file for a divorce, her and her sons stayed with the kids and I for a couple of weeks. I was already separated from Virgil and it was nice to have someone else around to talk to that was not a kid. But after two weeks Kate and her boys moved out and started their new lives in Orem. But even though they lived in Orem we would still always get together and go do fun things together with our kids.
We have seen each other through a lot of different stuff and I am so glad that she is still my friend. And I was so glad when she told me that she was going to be able to go to Hawaii for 9 days to visit another one of her friends I was excited for her. She deserved getting away and having some relaxation. Kate and her son Jared still live in ST. George and I am not able to see her that much, but we do text and talk on the phone a lot!!!! And I am so lucky to have her as one of my good friends.
Well while I was visiting my family in Texas, someone very special to our family left to go on his mission. Elder Caleb Poulson, went into the MTC on April 10, 2011 and has officially left to go serve his mission in Nashville, TN.
Caleb came into our family about 3 years ago when he started dating my daughter Kayla. They dated steady for over 2 years and decided to just be friends last July. Of course this made our family really sad, because we had all grown to love Caleb and considered him one of our family. But even though they are just now friends, Caleb and Kayla have spent alot of time together over the last year.
This picture was taken of the two of them at Caleb's farewell luncheon. Personally I think they make a cute couple, but than again I may be partial since I love Caleb as one of my own sons.
I know that Caleb will go to Nashville and be very successful on his mission. He is a very likable young men and he knows his gospel and will teach it the best that he knows how. Good Luck Elder Poulson on your mission. We miss you tons, but like you said the time will go by fast.
Now it is time for me to do some bragging about my youngest daughter Vanessa. When Vanessa first told me that she was going to be taking woods this year, I thought that she was crazy. I always thought that was a class for boys. I guess I was wrong, or I should say that Vanessa proved me wrong.
The first project that she did was my Christmas present from her. I had always said that I wish that I had a time out stool for the grand babies to sit on. So what did Vanessa make, she made me the cutest little stool. And the grand babies loved it. Now when I tell them to go to time out they fight over who gets the time out stool. Should I say that when there is a time out at my house it usually means for more than one person at a time.
Her second project was a toy box. My son John had been shopping around for a toy box for his kids and he kept complaining on how expensive they all were. So Vanessa spoke up and said that she could make one in her woods class. So she worked and worked on it and finally she was done. And this is the finale picture of it. I am so proud of her and Jaden and Zoe loved it very much.
This has got to be the funniest thing that I have seen in a long time. As some of you know I was going to be going to my hometown of Gatesville, Texas last month for the birth of my oldest daughter's baby.
One afternoon I had the girls get the suitcases out of the storage for me, so I could see which ones I would be taking with me. To see what ones would hold the most stuff, we had opened them up one by one. Well, we had this one opened up and Jaden decided that he wanted to pack himself in there to come with me. First he took the pillow off of my couch and put it in there, Than he got his favorite car and Vanessa's pillow basketball and he climbed in. He laid down and made himself comfortable. When I asked him what he was doing he told me "I AM GOING TO GO TO MEE MAWS HOUSE". Mee Maw is the name that my grand babies have given to my mom. It was so funny, and than to top that off he told Kayla to put Zoe in beside him because she wanted to go to Mee Maws house too!
It was all so cute that I had to take this picture of the two of them lying inside of my suitcase. And it sure did make my mom's day when I developed the picture and took it to her. When she asked me what they were doing I told her that Jaden said that "him and Zoe were going to Mee Maws house". I think that she laughed so hard it made her cry. I can not wait until August when we all go to Texas for our first ever Family Reunion and she is able to see these precious little ones in person. Out of my six grandchildren she has only seen two of them. She saw Rylan when he was a baby and than she has seen Rancher that lives in Texas. So I know that it will do my heart good to see her with the other four. Can not wait until the first of August.
And this is the new addition to my family. Rancher Robert Jeffcoat made his debut on Saturday, March 26, 2011. And oh is he ever so cute!!!!
I was lucky to go to Gatesville, Texas (thanks for the Christmas present from Chris and Jenn) for his arrival. I arrived in Austin on Wednesday the 23rd of March. When Crystal went to see her dr. on Thursday he told her to walk, walk, walk and eat lots of fiber. So on Friday her and I went to Waco and we walked and walked and walked. Saturday morning early she called me and asked me what she should do. She was having some really bad pains and her water was leaking. I told her to call the Labor and Delivery in Clifton where she was going to deliver him at and see what they said. I also told her to call me back. I waited and waited but no call. Finally about an hour later my son in law called my son's house (where I was staying) and told us that Crystal was at the hospital and for us to head that way.
I really felt bad, because she had told us that it could only be her and Randon in the room and the rest of us would have to wait in the waiting room, so my son was not in any big hurry to get there. We stopped at the post office, got gas and stopped at this place for some breakfast. We finally arrived in Clifton at the hospital around 11:30 A.M. As soon as we got there everyone was telling me that Crystal had been asking for me. So I went in and sat with her. By than she had had the epidural and was feeling nothing, but she was so exhausted that she was trying to rest. I thought it would be better if she got some rest while she could and I headed down to the waiting room with the others. And let me tell you there were a lot of others there. It reminded me of when my son Christopher was born in the old Gatesville hospital. I think the whole town was there for his birth.
Later I found out that they would allow me into the Labor/Delivery Room. So when Sharon (Randon's mom) and I went down to see if we could hear anything the nurse came out and got me. I guess Crystal was wanting me in there with her. And even though I was in the room when Chanda had both Jaden and Zoe and also in the room with Holly during labor with Kambria, there was something different about being there with one of my own girls. Crystal had a long time delivering Rancher but he finally arrived at 4:34 P.M. and weighted in at 6 lbs. 15 ozs. and was 20.5 inches long. And what a beautiful baby....He had blue eyes and lots of black hair (he reminded me so much of his Grandpa David when he was a young man). And his skin was so soft and beautiful and he had a dark complexion.
I was lucky enough to go and stay with Crystal, Randon and Rancher for 10 nights and tried to help them the best that I could. I wanted to be there if they needed me, but I knew that they had to learn most of the stuff on their own and to do it the way that they felt comfortable with. Thank you Crystal and Randon for my beautiful grandson and for allowing me to stay as long as I did. Love all of you very much. And a big Thank You to Chris and Jenn for my Christmas present to come and be there.
My little granddaughter Zoe got her ears pierced yesterday. I have not seen her since it was done, but Chanda said that she was a real trooper. She did not even cry...she just had a dazzed look on her face.
