Words from the Welch's

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Teaching moments...

2010-10-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love when you career seeps into what you do at home? I have heard rumors of marching military kids, but when I turn into Mrs. Lindsay at home it is rather strange. I guess if that is what it takes to keep order around here then it's okay, right?

Here are some examples of how I make the transformation:

I find myself asking my kids, "What do you think will happen next?" when our television program goes to commercial.

I give the teacher look and teacher voice to those kids that aren't kind to my kiddies at the playground

I have as much fun doing art projects as my children do

I find myself teaching my infant his colors in our books before he can even talk

I ask, "What kind of choice do you think that was?"

When a pop-tart flavor battle ensues you resolve it with "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

When shampooing hair with multiple kids in the tub you chant, "Switch it, change it, rearrange it!"

You realize you are singing preschool music when you load the dishwasher and no one else is even listening to you!

"Welch kids...eyes on me please."

You dub one of your children "The Leader" and the other "The Helper."

But my favorite one of all...

You refer to yourself as "Mrs. Lindsay" accidentally but when you realize you have done it in public and your kids are acting like maniacs, you secretly hope no one knows these are really your kids!

Beautiful Things

2010-10-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

It is that bewitching hour when I surf the net after finishing up homework stuff. Well, I have been surfing for a while, but I have been listening to Gungor's "Beautiful Things" song.

I suppose it is one of those moments where I sit in the silence of my home and relax to the last few moments of my "day of rest" by woshipping to this tune.

Why is it that when we are sitting in the midst of chaos we feel so helplessly overwhelmed? Yesterday, I spent the entire morning cleaning out the garage and cleaning my house. I spent some time online via Skype with Jeremy. It was so great to see his face. Towards the end of our conversation, Bek pops Savannah Kay with a rubber band which causes a small melt-down. I had to address my almost-twelve-year-old for popping her only-six-year-old sister in the back with a rubber band. Being one to support retributive justice, I proceeded to pop Bekah back with the same rubber band. Now I had Bekah bawling, Savannah crying even harder because Mommy hurt Bekah, and now Mason was crying from the swing. Sheesh. All this chaos, and Jeremy was just watching the whole thing. Missing home now mister? These are the moments when a year of single parenting is beginning to take its toll. However, through all my failures and frustrations, He is able to make beautiful things out the dust. No need to feel so overwhelmed...He makes beautiful things...even out of us.

Funny how just a few words can spark such inspiration...

"All this pain

I wonder if I'll ever find my way

I wonder if my life could really change at all...

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground

Out of chaos life is being found in You"

If you don't know this song, please tune in...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyPBtExE4W0&feature=related

I hope this inspires you the way it does me.

By the way, I was standing at the welcome center before and after services this morning when one of our elders made a special effort to come to me and tell me how many positive things he had heard about the preschool. He wanted me to know that he knew how much time and effort I had put in and that everyone could see God's blessings through my obedience. What a blessing! Just that little effort encouraged me so! Out of chaos, life really is being found! Thank you God for making such beautiful things!

Have a worship filled week friends-

Pumpkin Patch at Browndale Farm

2010-10-08T00:12:00.000-07:00

I know this is a lot of pics, but my hubby checks the blog to stay tuned in to our latest adventures...so bear with me! I decided to take the kids to a new pumpkin patch this year. I had researched new pumpkin patch places for the preschool (whew, that was a mouthful) and stumbled upon Browndale Farm in Clay Center, Kansas. It is a pretty decent trek...an hour or so, but it was worth every minute of the drive! We left right after noon and spent the entire afternoon enjoying all there was to do! We stopped for dinner in Clay Center and I had a delicious chicken fried steak with loaded mashed potatoes and salad at a local dive, Danny's. The girls were fishing corn out of their pants all evening! We had a great time just being a little family...minus one very important man!

It was the perfect fall way to start the month of October!

The zip line was Savannah's FAVORITE part!

Bekah had to curl those long legs, but she did it and it was fun!

The corn was a close second...

Pony ride!

The Obstacle Course

Rebekah

Savannah Kay

Rabbits and their baby bunnies

The sweetest racoon we have ever seen!

In the barrell train...Bekah refused to ask for the bigger barrel towards the back

Playing on the hay bales

Feeding the goats

Chickens and Roosters

Trailer full of corn kernels = Perfect Photo Op

Me and my Son

A hayrack ride

My babies

In the Corn Maze

Sweet donkey

Team Work

This girl is a pro!

Happy Fall Ya'll~

Game Night

2010-10-08T00:03:00.001-07:00

Just so you know, Savannah Kay is the Candy Land Champion! She beat me like 6 times!

Savannah Kay Plays Soccer

2010-10-07T23:42:00.001-07:00

Savannah Kay is playing soccer this year. I am so excited because I think she will be a great athlete. She is a little like her mother, and seems to display a little bit of a competitive spirit! Jeremy had taken her on a "Daddy date" this summer and purchased a fancy soccer ball for her. I outfitted her with some pink soccer socks and she was ready to go!

Her team is 3-0 this season! We are so proud of them. I realize winning is not the focus at this age, but who doesn't like to win?! I have to admit that the first couple of games were filled with laughter. Savannah does not like running around back and forth across the field...shocker. Her favorite part of the first two games was drinking her Gatorade on the bench. Thank you Daddy for this suggestion! She begged to be goalie. I snapped a picture of her, and when she saw the camera that was it...she just HAD to pose!

However, by game three, she understood the positions a little better and was feeling a little more like getting that ball! Coach Alex is really good about rotating positions to let the kids experience each area of the field. She was pulled out of the goal because she was fiddling with the net. Coach Alex had her playing Forward and when that ball came sailing from the goal, she jumped behind it and dribbled it all the way in. SHE SCORED THE WINNING GOAL! We had been tied up at 1-1 and that little stinker made the winning shot! I was SO PROUD! She has decided Forward is a good place to play now.

Running around seems like a good trade when you get to score and everyone cheers!

Loving the Jumperoo

2010-10-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may be out of the baby loop (and I am not judging because not so long ago I too was out of the loop), the greatest invention I have stumbled upon is the Jumperoo! One of my girlfriends gave me this neat little contraption after a visit where my little guy was jumping on one of our other friend's lap. "You need a Jumperoo for this guy," and before I knew it I had one loaded in the back of the Sequoia. This is the free standing version of that ancient contraption that hung in the doorway. With vaulted ceilings, the Jumperoo is the perfect solution for our tendency to bounce and our house with no small doorways!

Mason LOVES this thing! Thanks a million Morgan family!

When not bouncing, our baby thinks it makes a great teether too!

Peek-a-boo little guy...happy hopping!

Four month check up

2010-10-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

This baby was almost off the charts in height! I cannot believe in just 4 short months our little guy has grown 6 inches! We love you so much Bud!

Kansas State Fair and SELENA GOMEZ

2010-10-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

Momma and Daddy live in Hutchinson, Kansas...home of the Kansas State Fair grounds. We have visited the fair several times since they have lived there. Usually we do the regular rounds...the giant veggies, the butter sculpture, the concessions, the pig races, the animal exhibits, the petting zoo, a few rides and then home. However, this year I was told that Selena Gomez would be in concert the last day of the fair. I got online and purchased tickets for the girls and I and invited my friend Heather and her little girl Isabella. My crew of 4 and our 2 buddies packed up and headed to Hutch to enjoy a little fair and a lot of concert!

It was only a million degrees outside. Savannah Kay is rosie cheeked and sipping on some water. We sampled the following fair foods during our 6 hours there:

Funnel cake, snow cones, pronto pup, corn, fried pickles, turkey leg, nachos, sweet tea and cotton candy

I think we gained about 10 lbs but sweat off about 5!

Bek and Izzy...she is so Hollywood
Mom and Savannah Kay

The girls just had to ride a water ride...it was too hot!

The second best part of Savannah Kay's day...Cotton Candy!

Me and my girls

Heather and Izzy

Nose-bleed section of the concert

Down front buying t-shirts

Look how close we got!

I think the concert was a huge hit! Savannah kept squeezing my neck and shouting "BEST MOM EVER!" Bekah knew all the words and acted like a concert pro. I don't think she wanted the other 1,000 squealing girls to know that inside she was as giddy as they were. Everyone had a great time and we were exhausted when we left.

It was a great trip!

Hog Roasting

2010-10-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

Our church has an annual Hog Roast. I believe it started out as a welcome to all those university students, but now has evolved into a welcome-back-to-church-from-summer-break event. They had rented giant jumpy houses and we brought covered dishes. This was a great opportunity to socialize with our church friends and enjoy our Sabbath. The kids had a great time, and I was glad to have a "day of rest." Dinner was done and the kids were occupied! Thank you God for good food and great friends!

PJ Party

2010-10-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

These pjs were hand-me-downs from Cousin Wyatt...

I love the two piece! That little belly peeking out is covered in kisses, just so you know!

First Day of School

2010-10-07T22:17:00.001-07:00

The girls started school on August 20th this year. It was a Friday. I guess the thought is that a Friday first day is just enough time to meet your students and then have the weekend to re-arrange the seating chart before the first full week of school (spoken from a teacher's perspective). All I know is that the girls were to precious for words.

My little Bekah is now a big 6th grader! It seems like just yesterday she was starting kindergarten, and now she is officially a middle schooler. Fortunately, she attends a grade school, so the top dogs are the 8th graders. I can hardly believe she is closing the gap on the title of "teenager!"

Savannah Kay was thrilled to begin 1st grade. She is right at home in the crowd and loves being in the sea of friends at school. I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in this instance. Although she is only six, she thinks she is just as big as Bek. Don't let the Barbie gown and "Baby" fool you. She is a big sister now!
Bekah had a nice ensemble of jeggings and a t-shirt. For those of you who are not aware of this latest fashion craze, jeggings are jean leggins...hence we have "jeggings." In our house they are "jeggins." She donned her gray Converse and a sweet headband.

Savannah Kay elected to dress very practically...for comfort. I let her pick her outfit. I know, I am making huge strides in the flexibility. However, there are some things that are non-negotiables...therefore, she is adorned in a bow. I have informed her that my child will wear a bow until 4th grade. You can take the girl out of the south, but you can't take the south out of the girl. She was probably the only child wearing a bow. Oh well, at least I can pick her out of a crowd!

Hooray for the first day of school!

Baby Mason is 3 Months Old

2010-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

I had these pictures taken in hopes that I would get an announcement out to all my loved ones. Perhaps I will do this tomorrow. Better late than never I suppose. What is it that they say about your third? Who is "they" anyway?!

One of my very talented friends, Jill, took these at the house. She did a great job! I have had another friend make announcements for me. She is an up and coming, so if you need a digital announcement done, give me a shout and I will hook you up!

I had to post some of my favorites online because, after all, I do believe I have the most beautiful little boy in the entire world! Who would have thought that this little miracle would melt my heart like this?! Enjoy blog readers!

Tah Tah Trampoline

2010-10-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

August 14th (I'm just getting you caught up) was a day that will live in infamy. We have owned our trampoline since Bekah was about 4 years old. We bought ol' trusty when we moved to Georgia from the local Wal-mart. Let's just say that when we bought this thing, nets were not even included...that is saying something people!

We have moved this thing to two houses in Georgia, to Arizona, to California and to Kansas. With each move, we broke it down and then reassembled it. When we moved to California, we had to buy a net for it because the post-regulation required nets on all trampolines. Of course we had an odd legged trampoline, so the net was a special order that cost about as much as the entire trampoline did. I would estimate that this trampoline has probably received about 5 gazillion bounces from about 500 different kids. In fact, this summer our neighbors just replaced our net and pads because they were ragged (The net might have been destroyed after multiple interactions with two 16 year old boys).

At any rate, on this particular day in August we had a storm of all storms, and needless to say...we must now put our trampoline to rest. That freakish storm tore siding off our house, blew down the neighbor's fence, shredded the flashing and gutters of many houses and FLIPPED, yes flipped, our entire trampoline upside down.

Let it be known that we will miss you ol' trusty. The yard is naked without your presence.

As a result of our loss, Jerm had announced that we are expecting...

a new tramp is due in the spring!

Only in Kansas my friends...

Interesting note: My Dad researched replacement parts for me. The thought was that we might be able to repair the section of the frame that was broken. Apparently this model was recalled in late 2004. The recall was issued from reports of broken frames. The good news is that we must have had one of the stronger frames...it took 90 knot winds to break ours!

Oh Sweet Irony...

2010-10-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

The girls and I had Chinese for dinner. This was inside my cookie:

Okay, this is for those of you who need a good laugh...

Mission accomplished. Man are the Chinese wise!

Loving on Our Auntie Ray

2010-10-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

My littlest sister and I have always had a special bond. (Well, once I accepted that she was indeed here to stay, I tolerated her existence for the first 8 years of her life.) However, when Bekah was born, she and I really developed a very special relationship. I suppose it could have been because I was in a phase of my life where I was staying at home, and that was fine by her...she was the same age as Bek is now! I can hardly believe that! I would like to say that is was just because I had finally matured a little and could be a better big sister to her. ;)

I called her Rachel, and when she was a baby we called her Rachie...which she HATES now. Haley was about 15 years old when we joked that I could be Lindz, Dad was Steve, Mom could be Mar (mare), and Rachel could be Rach. Was Haley shortened just Hay? Then she joked that she was indeed Hay, and the fam would be Day, May, Ray and I would have to be Duh. Not funny. Well, the Ray thing stuck and now my kids have dubbed her Aunt Ray.

Rachel and I have really spent some great time together this year. I am so proud of her! At 21 years old she is finishing college in December with her Elementary Education degree. I suppose this is just another area of interest we share! We love working in children's education. She was here when our little Mason was born, and spent each night at the hospital helping me in and out of bed and bringing me the baby. Those are cherished memories I will hold dear for the rest of my life. She took a whole week to stay with me in Manhattan and be on baby, Auntie duty.

This summer she was my co-pilot on the long, long, LONG drive to San Angelo. She was my roomie at the hotel. She joined us on our camping trip over the July 4th weekend...AND, she missed me so much while I was in Texas that she came in for the weekend to swim with the girls and just hang out at the house with the kids and me. She was here to hear baby Mason laugh out loud for the first time!

I am so blessed to be so close to her! We adore you Aunt Ray! You are so precious to me. Thanks for being such a significant part of all our lives. We love you.

Three Generations of Best Buddies

2010-10-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

Many of you have read about or heard me speak about my best friend from childhood...I lovingly refer to her as "Perfect Kaely." She earned that title years ago, but in my mind, she is just that! The two of us are thick as thieves, and we owe it all to our mothers. You see, our mothers met just before I was born, and then 10 short months later, Kaely was born. I really do not remember life without her. Having mothers that were best friends set us up for a life-long friendship. My girls call her "Aunt Kaely." In my book, we are family!

Last February Kaely and Will gave birth to little Lucy Jane. Ironically, just as I was congratulating her on her first pregnancy, I found out I too would be having a baby! I joked that she was carrying Mason's bride or best friend...

We had the opportunity to get together for several days during my Texas trip. Our Momma's would catch up. We would visit. Our babies would roll around in their diapers and we would snap blackmail pictures. It was really special to see three generations of best buddies together!

We spent our time at the Blay Family Lake House on Possum Kingdom Lake. Great friends are such a blessing! We made memories that will last our lifetime. If only we could live next door!

Lucy Jane and Mason meet...

He wanted to be as big as she was! Look out sweet Lucy...in a few more months he will be chasing you down!

Okay, this is something I would have never thought I would experience...

Two mommies nursing those babies!

Lucy Jane...I so love you!

Okay, I LOVE this one! His look with hers is PRICELESS!

We love all those babies...even the big ones!

It wasn't all about those babies...Grandmommy went tubing with Bek!

Talk about some great memories!

I tried my hand at tubing too...

PS I was so sore the next day I could hardly hold the steering wheel to drive!

Can you say OUT OF SHAPE?!?!?!

All kinds of celebrating

2010-10-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

I had my birthday while I was on my big Texas adventure with Momma and the kids. I was so blessed to be surrounded by so many people that love me! If my precious husband had to be away, at least I would celebrate, and celebrate, AND CELEBRATE! Thanks everybody for a super birthday celebration! It feels so good to be so loved!

PS, next year I hit the big 30. It's downhill from here!

Here are my photos:

Possum Kingdom with the Blays/Tippens

This celebration was a total surprise!!!

My perfect husband had a cookie bouquet waiting for me at my Aunt's house...

Happy Birthday from the mister!

Mam-maw and Pampa, Aunt Sally and the boys had a cake for me too! Nana and Pappy had cake number 3 waiting for me!
I made a wish...and Savannah Kay did too!

I had a great birthday! Twenty nine feels really fine!

Business and Pleasure

2010-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

This summer I had the opportunity to meet my continued education requirements by attending the Frog Street Press conference in Grapevine, Texas. For those readers that do not know what Frog Street Press is...this is the preschool literacy curriculum we use at the preschool I direct. I needed to fulfill 5 hours of continued education, so I decided to make the trek to Texas.

However, I would never have been able to do this trip were it not for my hero, my interim partner, my mentor, and my partner in crime...my precious Mother. Mason was just a couple of months old, and I would have had to figure out childcare arrangements for the girls. I begged Mom to come along, stay in the resort on "Grandmommy duty" and I would do the conference during the days and hang out with the fam during the nights.

The conference was held at the Gaylord Texan Resort. The resort had a summer theme...Alice in Wonderland. The kids loved it. The kids had balloons made from one of the card soldiers. We traveled down the 3-D Rabbit Hole. They met the Queen of Hearts at her magic puppet show. They had a choice of two different swimming pools. We had great food and great sights to see.

Mom had no idea the conference would be so much work. It's a good thing she loves us so much! Any other person would probably have quit on day one! Let's just say that all that togetherness had some tense moments. Thank you Mom for loving and SUPPORTING me the way you do. I hope I turn out to be half the Momma she is to me!

We decided to make the business trip a family affair and visit the extended family. We cruised through Lubbock to see the Kennedy's (both sets) and then scooted up to Amarillo where we loved on Nana and Pappy and the Welch's. It was so great to see everybody!

By the way, Mom and I are now certified packers. We can ratchet like a real man and we can fit 15,000 lbs of stuff into a 2x4 trunk and flat-bed. Well, we have made a few cross-country adventures to prepare us for this addition to our travel log. However, we had never made this sort of trip with a newborn. Momma, where shall we venture to next...the moon?

Pictures with the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit
Grandmommy is our FAVORITE! We love her so much!
Alice in Wonderland sand sculptures

We were late for a very important date!

With the flower...

Cousin Griffin holds baby Mason

The girls went to Aunt Sally Camp one night to play with their cousins...

Boys, you are the BEST!

Mam-maw ans Pampa with the "greats"

Mason - just chillin'

Grandpa John and Grandma Dorothy dropped by Nana's house

The Welch boys

Making memories with Grandpa John is so much fun!

Mr. Mike and Mrs. Joyce stopped by too!

Pappy and the little caddy

Nana and the girls played a game of Rummikub

Mason was worn out...what a trip!

Mason's 2 Month Visit to Dr. Kate

2010-10-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

My precious little boy turned 2 months old while Jeremy was home. We were able to have Daddy there for the weigh-in and to hear how great we already knew he was!
We are so proud of this little guy!

Here were the stats:

Daddy filled out the paperwork...

The cutest little guy in the whole world!

Thank you Dr. Kate! You are the best!

The Hero Returns...for a visit

2010-08-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post the pics of our hero's great return. Jeremy made it home for R&R (that's military terminology for rest and relaxation...aka a two week visit with the family in the midst of the year long deployment). I was just coasting into town from our San Angelo trip. The kids and I made it in at about 1:00 am and then I had a doctor's appointment at 10:00 am. We needed to get the car unloaded and I needed to get the final release from my post-surgical instructions. I got a phone call from Jeremy saying he would be in at 11:30. Yes, this is where I start to PANIC! Thank heaven Rebekah is such a helper. I left Bek and Savannah Kay to tidy up and I drug the baby with me to the check up. I rushed out, rushed home, rushed a look in the mirror and some perfume spritz, rushed to the airport and rushed into the arms of my precious husband! I cannot even describe the feeling of seeing my husband after months of separation and after all that we had experienced apart. It was just like he never left...only now we were a family of 5! The girls were waiting at home for us to arrive. This gave Mommy and Daddy a chance to say hello. This gave Daddy a chance to finally meet his baby boy, and this gave the girls just enough time to come up with a hero's welcome! The girls were standing in the driveway, waving the American flag when we drove up...which was PRECIOUS!

Welcome home Daddy! We have missed you so much! Jeremy's first look at his son in real life
In awe

The welcome committee

Pure joy

My treasures...How can one girl be so blessed?!

Meeting in the Middle

2010-08-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

While Jeremy was home, we knew it was important to visit with his family. Jeremy's daddy has been battling lymphoma for the second time, and his health has been rapidly declining. With only two weeks of the year in the country, we knew seeing John was important for everyone. This was also a good opportunity to introduce our littlest Welch to the paternal family. Therefore, we loaded up the Sequoia and made the 5 hour drive to Oklahoma City (about half-way for both of us). We were only there just about 24 hours, but it was just enough time to make some great memories. While in OKC, we visited the downtown area, visited the ER (long story), visited with each other, visited the Oklahoma City Memorial and visited the Cowboy Museum. It was a fast and furious trip, but one that we hold dear!

The cutest girl I know

The fam at the Memorial

The OKC Memorial

Jerm, Mason and Aunt Tisha

Me and the mister

Saddles in everyone's size

Sweet sisters

Bek with Aunt Tisha

Grandpa John with his grandson

The three Welch fellas

Jerm with his parents...
their son and his son!

Grandpa John with his grandbabies

This is so precious...I love the way she is looking at him

Two crazies!

Jerm with his Daddy

Dry, Wet and Then Dry on the 4th of July

2010-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July plan was to camp for three days and three nights at Mildford. Jerm, the kids, Rachel and I all drove out on Friday night. We had a BEAUTIFUL view and a great site. Mom and Daddy met us on Saturday mid-morning. We had a great day of swimming, visiting, horseshoes and grilling on Saturday. However, we woke to a small monsoon, which forfeited our plans to stay another night with my sister and her gang. The party was moved to Manhattan, at Casa de Welch.

Let it be known, no rain could get this party down!

Sisters in the camper

Who likes having air conditioning...Rachel does!

Jerm: "Hey Mary, are you just hanging out with all your friends?"

Aunt Rachel on Mason duty...

camping + babies = must have screen room

Loving on that little guy is just so fun to do!

One of the first smiles...and we captured it on film!

Say "cheese" boys!

Jerm and Daddy...male bonding

The view from our site

Roasting marshmallows

I so love this guy!

And then it POURED!!!

Wyatt with Uncle Jerm

Burgers, brats and margaritas!

Daddy was on duty

Then the cousins watched city fireworks from the neighbor's driveway

Hooray for the 4th! All's well that ends well!

Daddy Memories

2010-08-31T20:29:00.001-07:00

The two weeks we had with Jeremy just flew by as fast as we knew they would. However, we certainly made the most of the time that we had...

Jeremy took both girls on a "Daddy date." Savannah Kay and Daddy bought a soccer ball and went to the soccer field. They did dinner at the new burger joint in town, "Smashburger." By the way, that soccer ball is not only pink, it glows in the dark!

Bekah and Daddy went to Chipotle for a bite to eat, and then they headed to the mall. She came out with two tees from Hollister. This Daddy knows how to treat a lady right!

Daddy liked making his little guy smile!

and of course the boys had some down time

Since boys don't do Daddy dates, Daddy just gave this little guy a bath and some snuggle time. By the way, let it be known that the one and only time Mason has peed when his boy parts were uncovered happened on this very night. Jerm thought a little air would do him good, and I was in a panic that we would have a small fountain. I was video taping the bath and Daddy time when my greatest fears were confirmed. We had our first pee incident...from the bed, right into my shoe! Mom may not have much experience with boy parts, but I do know a few things! The rumors are true...if it is out in the open, it is sure to spout!

Loading up to leave

Here I am with my hero, my best friend, the love of my life on the morning he had to leave me. Hurry back home! We miss you more than you could even imagine!

San Angelo Here We Go

2010-08-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

We made the trip to San Angelo, Texas in June. My Grandpa was celebrating his 80th birthday. It was a very long drive...but worth the effort. What a milestone...80 years!

On way back home we stopped in Buffalo Gap to see baby Lucy Jane and her mother, my best friend Kaely. Our drive home was on Father's Day but I couldn't imagine a better Father's Day than spending it with my Daddy and honoring his Daddy. Well, the only thing that would have made it better was if our Daddy was home!

Only Texas can have a waffle that looks this great! I didn't know whether to kiss it or eat it!
They love each other

The group having some of Grandpa's famous catfish and fries

Savannah Kay and her Great Grandpa

Mason sweating it out in the stroller

Cousins being cousins

Haley and Me

Sweet baby boy

Ready for the boat ride

Enjoying the party

Grandpa with the great grandkids

What a cake!

Haley, Rachel and I put this together for Grandpa's birthday. Haley printed and framed our greatest memories of our Grandpa.

Getting a snack on a nursing and fuel stop

The Blay, Tippen, Butts, Welch, Wilscam Group

Best Friends With Babies

Bek with Lucy Jane

Precious Pictures

2010-08-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

An Aunt, an Uncle, a Cousin and a Cake

2010-08-08T23:03:00.001-07:00

My sister and her family headed back down the well traveled road to Manhattan while Nana was in town. We grilled, did gifts and ate some cake. This was cousin Wyatt's first chance to love on "Baby Mason." We are so thankful to be right "down the road" from my family!

Uncle Steve enjoying his little nephew

Wyatt, Mason and Bekah

Cousins and BEST BUDDIES!

Uncle Steve is so fun!

Our sweet pea

More love for Baby Mason

Cake anyone? The dually cake...two May birthdays!

I so love you sissy poo!

Aunt Haley being Aunt Haley

"Oh my gosh...I LOVE IT!"

Peek-a-boo with Wyatt

Hugs before you have to go

So sweet!

Nana to the Rescue

2010-08-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Without a husband around...c-section recovery can be a challenge. My Momma could not stay forever (Though I would have loved for her to!). So, with a new baby, two kids in school and a driving restriciton...Nana volunteered to come to the rescue!

My darling grandmother made the 8 hour trek from Amarillo, Texas to come and assist me and love on her great grandbabies. I am so thankful for this! Talk about some precious memories! How many kiddos do you know that have a hip GREAT Grandmother like this?!

Little Mason has a special bond with the ladies in this family. Our little miracle baby has a special place in the heart of so many...and Nana is no exception! Thank you sweet Nana for coming to the rescue. We treasure you!

Kindergarten Graduate

2010-08-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl is now a Kindergarten graduate! I can't believe it. I made it to the program...despite getting out of the hospital just a few days prior to her big performance. I couldn't miss her big night.

This picture is so funny because she was feeling the tag in her skirt during her performance. It was a major distraction. I just had to chuckle. Everytime she looked up Mom and I were giving her the "put your hands down" sign language. Silly girl!

Savannah Kay is my child with super spirit! I love that she is so confident and has no problem busting a move during the performance! This was too cute not to share with you. Can we say ROCKSTAR?!

Who loves Mommyhood...I DO!

2010-08-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sunbathing

2010-08-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Dr. Kate said a little sun may do my little guy good. So we set him in front of the back door. This precious little guys was too tired! Mommy just had to snap a few shots of his first sunbathing experience!

Home from the Hospital

2010-08-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Mason's First Few Days

2010-08-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

The best things really do come in small packages

Aunt Rachel took the night shift the entire hospital stay

Lots of time talking to Daddy

Grandmommy gives him the traditional first bath

Bekah knows just what to do

Papa and his little man

I so love him <3>

Sleeping with "Daddy"

Loving Our New Little Guy

2010-08-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that this little guy is so loved!

Our little family

Big Sister Bekah

Papa

Aunt Rachel

Grandmommy

Aunt Haley

Uncle Steve

Big Sister Savannah Kay

Baby Mason Arrives

2010-08-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

I know this is a long one...but how can you hold back the pics when you have so many wonderful ones?! Okay, so here is the run down. We decided to save our 2 week R&R (rest and relaxation) visit from Jeremy until 6 weeks after Mason was born. This would make his visit closer to the half-way mark. Plus, our visit would be less stress and provide more time to just enjoy being together and avoid the madness of childbirth. However, we arranged to have Jeremy participate in the delivery via webcam from Iraq.

I asked my precious friend and talented photographer to sit in on my c-section and photograph our delivery. I was worried that Jeremy may not have a good Internet connection to see baby Mason's big day, so I wanted to have pictures that would make up for his missing presence. Mom was there to video and support me. I was so blessed by the hospital staff. One of the nurses made it her job to just carry the laptop around so that Jeremy could see everything. I am so thankful that technology has become so advanced that with the click of a button and an Internet connection, my precious husband could see the birth of his child from a small metal building in the middle of the desert! I have posted the best of about 600 beautiful images for you to see our journey. God is so good! I am reminded so clearly that "My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ." Philippians 4:19

Meet our newest addition...Mason Todd Welch

Jeremy was online from the time I entered the operating room. He talked me through my spinal...
This is the first breath of air baby Mason took!

Dr. Priddle shows us our little man

7 lbs 11.5 oz of perfection

I love this one...like Father like son! Look at those lips!

Precious little hands

Precious little feet

Love at first sight

Mason decided the clip board was a foot stool! He had been screaming his little lungs out and then after propping his foot up, he was silent. It was hilarious! Jeremy's reaction was caught on camera!

His first footprints

Dressing to meet Daddy

Daddy was beaming with pride and love!

Why hello Daddy...nice to meet you.

This is my most favorite picture of all...bliss captured on camera.

Mommy meets her little man

I should add that my Momma is my hero! Her commitment to this endeavor has blessed my soul. She was my rock throughout...and I hope I can one day be a Momma to my kiddos like she is to me. I love you so much Momma!

He loves me so! No amount of miles could keep him from supporting me. I am the luckiest girl in the entire world!

Maternity Pictures

2010-08-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

I realize I now have a three month old little guy. Hopefully most of you have either met our precious baby via the world wide web or in person by now. However, it dawned on me that perhaps I should update the blog while I can and then I won't continue to put off my update because I am so far behind. Ahh the irony. Don't blog because you are behind, creating an even greater gap in your blogging.

Well, I will do my best to get you up to speed and then keep you up to speed.

To begin, before I post baby Mason's debut on my page, I thought I would post some of my favorite maternity pictures. I had these taken at 32 weeks. My most precious friend, Whitney, took these for me. I thought I should share my favorites with you. I still can't believe we had a Welch numero three!

35 weeks and 2 days...

2010-05-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

I took this picture at 35 weeks and 2 days. As you can see, I am looking large and in charge now! I can hardly believe we are just a few weeks away from our big arrival! I was able to visit the doctor on April 12th and see our little fella for the last time prior to delivery. Our 2-vessel chord has not proven to be any hindrance to our growing miracle. Baby Mason weighed 6 lbs and 1 oz. He had a strong heart beat and sweet disposition. I was amazed to see that he has loads of hair upon his little head! Perhaps the wives tale about heart-burn is true? My chest has been on FIRE! Will we have a red head? I am beginning to wonder...

At the end of our little showing, we were able to see Baby Mason in 3D! This was a very pleasant surprise! The pics look a little strange because the umbilical chord was across Mason's face. The technician thought he may have even been sucking on it...weird huh? Well, despite the chord, we could see his precious little face! He has those same little lips the girls have from their Daddy! I can't believe in just a couple of days I we will see those lips outside of the womb! I know these pics will probably be viewed by most of you after he has already arrived, but I thought I would share anyway! Wish us luck!

The white fuzz around the edge of the head is hair. This shot was taken from above the head. Unbelievable!

Can you see those little toes?

Our sweet angel's face

Despite the bit of chord, this is my favorite pic. Oh sweet baby...we can't wait to kiss all over you!

Easter with the Fam

2010-05-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

This Easter was the first major holiday I have spent without my precious husband. Well, I suppose Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and even MLK and Presidential birthdays could be considered "major holidays." However, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas seem a little more major to me. Blah, blah, blah...I am a little sidetracked I guess. All that said, I was unable to do any travelling this Easter, so the family came to me. We had a church egg hunt and Easter experience, then we grilled, played ball, dyed eggs, went to Easter service and then went to brunch. It was a nice day...but the best part was celebrating the Ressurrection of our Savior! He is risen...He is risen indeed!

Baby Shower pics...as requested

2010-05-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take this rare opportunity to post the pictures of the events of my life for the last few weeks. I have been busier that I could ever have imagined! I feel like the only down time I have had was when I slipped in the tub or into the bed. However, I have been asked to update the blog with pictures...and before this little guy arrives in just two days, I am determined to get this pictures up!

Thank you to my precious sister, Haley for all the hard work that went into making my shower extra special. Thank you Rene for the sweet invites. Thank you hostesses for all the little details...and thank you loved ones for all your generosity! You have no idea what your kindness has done in my life!

Shower Tower

2010-03-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

I registered at a local boutique in Manhattan for my shower. They put up a "shower tower" for shower attendees to shop for your registered items. It was really surreal to shop for baby items again after all these years...and shopping for blue was an entirely new experience! Baby boy...we can't wait to get you here!

32 weeks and holding...

2010-03-21T21:08:00.001-07:00

March 15th marked week 32 for me! I cannot believe we are so close to the end of this adventure! I had maternity pictures taken this week. A precious friend of mine is a photographer. We met her, Whitney, through our small group. She is probably one of the most spiritually sound college girls I have ever met. I was so excited to have her snap some shots of the girls and I to capture our pregnancy adventure on film. She came to the house and we had a big time!

If you haven't already peeked at the preview pictures, you can do so by visiting:

http://www.simplybeautifulcaptured.com

Let's see, we also visited the doctor this week. I was able to take the girls and they met their little brother via sonogram for the first time. Mom made the trip up to Manhattan to go with me, but was super sick and had to go back to my house and to bed for the day. The girls and I sat and watched with amazement. The sono tech pointed out little hair on baby Mason's head. She showed us little feet and a little mouth. Mason was 3 lbs 14 ounces. This is just 2 ounces less than Jeremy was at birth. Needless to say, our little hero is growing strong. This puts our mind at ease that that two-vessel isolated chord has not caused any reason for concern. We also bumped up our scheduled c-section to May 4th. We are scheduled for 11:00 AM that Tuesday.

My next appointment is scheduled for March 29th. We will just do a standard heart rate monitor and no sonogram. The next appointment in April will be our last sonogram check and then we should be right on track for one last appointment and then a pre-op appointment.

I don't have pics on disk this time, so I will have to scan them and post them when I get a chance. I guess this is all I have in baby news.

We shall keep you posted as time continues. I am looking forward to my shower this weekend. Oh the wonderful little boy things I cannot wait to see! Let the celebration begin!

Our Spring Break Adventure

2010-03-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City for a little spring break getaway. For those of you who are not familiar with this little place...it is a huge hotel with an indoor water park. We have wanted to visit since we laid eyes on this place, but had not made it happen. I figured a little mid-break visit was just what we needed to do, so I loaded the car and we spent two days and one night checking the place out. I have captioned the photos below for you!

The girls jumped straight in line for a big slide!
This picture was taken in front of the huge water barrel that dumps every 5 minutes. I captured the crash later.

Each evening the hotel hosts a story time in front of the clock tower. The animals come alive and then a lady reads stories to the kiddos. They encourage you to visit in pjs...so we did!

The story was The Wide Mouth Frog.

At the end of the story time we got to meet Wiley Wolf.

Here we are in front of the clock tower.

Then next morning we had a buffet breakfast. Savannah is a big fan of sausage...can you tell?

Bekah preferred bacon!

Then we hit the park again. The girls took a ride on the double tube ride.

Can you tell whether or not they had a good time?

This was the other multi-rider slide...in pitch dark!

All smiles

Savannah decided to pose in the shooting water springs.

Bekah was a little less animated!

Together they are quite a pair

Who is the bravest pregnant lady you know? That is right, I took a bathing suit shot at 32 weeks pregnant and I even posted it for you to see. I did the lazy river and the pool...you will be pleased to know I skipped out in the slides!

This was the "big dump" shot.

We headed home around 3:30pm on Wednesday but stopped by the sweet shop on our way out.

We left with goodies...

Bekah - strawberry cheesecake

Savannah Kay - chocolate covered marshmallows on a stick

Mom - snickers cheesecake

We had a great time, and the girls have already made big plans to head back with Daddy and Mason. I am not sure when it will happen, but I am just as anxious to visit again!

Chuck E Cheese Adventure

2010-03-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

On the Friday evening of our spring break beginning Rebekah went to her 2nd Annual TC3

Lock-in with the church. Feeling a little ambitious, I decided to drive 45 minutes to Topeka and take Savannah Kay and her buddy Makenna to Chuck E Cheese! I also drug my friend Tana and her little boy, Broden. All the kids had a big time, and I documented the night with my camera! Makenna and Savannah Kay pose in the booth.
Broden spent the evening sneaking under the table to get to the games!

The girls decided the moment called for a crazy face picture!

Won't Savannah Kay make a great big sister? Smile Brody...Mom's taking the pics.

Teamwork is the best way to play!

Who doesn't love this mouse?!

Another week down...

2010-03-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Somehow I have survived another week. I am not sure how, but I keep knockin' 'em out. The girls and I had a rather low key weekend. We went to dinner with friends Friday night. We to a dinner party Saturday night. We had church Sunday. Before I knew it, the weekend was over and the new week had begun.

I made a trip to Topeka on Monday. A girlfriend and I did some major shopping and I made out like a bandit. The girls now have threads to get them into spring. I made a Motherhood purchase...which was not necessarily for fun but business. Awe, the bliss of pre-delivery, pre-nursing purchases.

So, this week I have a most stressful meeting for preschool finance stuff. I am feeling a little anxiety about the whole thing, but feel that I will somehow survive the ordeal with God's help. Faithful readers, please pray for me.

I do have my next doctor's appointment a week from Friday. We will be doing another Baby Mason photo shoot. I am feeling really good, despite the exhaustion that is starting to set in. I had Bek snap a photo of me this week (30 weeks 2 days). I have really tried to keep up with my photos since my mister is so far away. I don't want him to feel like he's missed it.

I have just a few more weeks to go...

Well, I suppose this is all I have for now, but I will be sure to keep you updated as to how my meeting goes. Nightie night!

It happened again...

2010-02-28T22:26:00.001-08:00

Our baby girl lost her first front tooth a couple of weeks ago. As you can see, this was pre-haircut. We were so thrilled to see our first top tooth was out!

Now our little Savannah Kay has lost her second front tooth! I will say that this one as just as wiggly as the first, but hung on a lot longer. She was not too sure about two things...

-how she would look without front teeth

and

-if it would hurt to pull it out

I decided it was time for removal when it was just dangling after an evening of wiggling...so I coaxed her to just pull that thing out. Guess what...she did! We have saved the tooth from the tooth fairy because we are expecting a most beautiful Tooth Fairy Pillow from our favorite friend in Alabama.

Savannah Kay thinks this is a tooth that has earned the right to be the first in the new pillow. I suppose it is worth waiting for that dollar too! The way she says her S sounds is so adorable. I am hoping she gets the hang of her new toothless eating soon, though I don't think much will stand in her way! Our baby is growing up so fast. Perhaps it is just that she knows a new baby is on the way and she is ready for the role of big sis...without baby teeth!

Bekah Sings...Like an Angel

2010-02-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

I forgot to make mention of our other precious child's big moment. A few weeks ago, Bek performed in the Regional Honor Choir. This was quite an honor. She was one of a handful selected out of the entire school of 5th and 6th graders to perform with other selected students from the region. She learned several songs in several languages. Mom joined me for the big concert. I took video of the group, but as she practiced Mom suggested I record her singing all by herself so I could send it to her Daddy. So...I did. I hope you enjoy this. I am so proud of her!

Bear Hug Student and a Birthday

2010-02-22T07:04:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that my family made the trip to Manhattan this weekend. It just so happened that my precious Daddy celebrated his big 61st on Thursday the 18th. Their trip was a great excuse to celebrate his big birthday. Excuse the hormonal moment, but I think it is rather important to take a moment to explain just how precious those birthdays are to me. Just 4 short years ago, cancer almost took my Daddy from us. I am so thankful he is here and mostly healthy...and celebrating 61 years alive!

Friday night I took the family to The Little Grill. This is a local place, owned by a Jamaican man. The food is really good and the atmosphere is even better...especially on Friday nights when the owner picks up his guitar and sings. He plays classics from Van Morrison, Elvis, Bob Dillon and others. To much protest from my nay-saying mother, we headed out for dinner to this little Manhattan secret. I think she thought I was taking us to some one's backyard in the middle of nowhere. And guess what....Everyone had a great time! Occasionally I do pull through, Mother.

After enjoying good food, great company and fantastic music...I asked our entertainer to sing "Happy Birthday" to my sweet Daddy. The host promptly ordered a shot of Hennessy for the birthday man...and Daddy took it like champ! It was hilarious! Mom kept asking "What is Hennessy anyway?"

Our singer even sang "Brown Eyed Girl" to the girls. When we left, everyone had a huge smile on their face and swore we would be back soon. The best part was that we felt like we had been on a mini vacation to the islands despite the outside freeze. PS, it snowed on Saturday. I snapped a few photos to remember the evening. We came home and enjoyed carrot cake and presents. It was a perfect evening!

Prior to our big celebration, I made a trip to the kids' school. Savannah Kay was the "Bear Hug Student" this week. This means she took home the class bear and needed to send back pictures of herself and some forms that shared all about her. In addition to hosting Ted E. Bear for the night...she could invite a parent or visitor to come and read to the class. I made the trek to the school (20 miles outside of town) to read a couple of books to her class (just like a good Mommy should). I think they really enjoyed my visit. I read We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Don't Be Silly Mrs. Millie. Both are really cute little books. My sister Rachel came along and documented the occasion for us. Thanks little sister! Hooray for our little Bear Hug Student!

Baby updates...

2010-02-21T20:17:00.001-08:00

27 weeks 5 days

The last couple of weeks have been filled with a wealth of baby activities for me. I have been working on the nursery for the last few days. I received my baby bedding and am so thrilled with how it looks. The bedding was made by Kimberly Grant and is called Zoom Zoom. It was even cuter in person than what I picked online. I also painted the pictures you see on canvas. I saw some online and decided I could make them myself...and so I did! I am pleased with how they turned out. I still need several things...baby changing pad, diaper caddy...things of this nature, but I hope to get some of those goodies at my shower.

By the way, my sweet sister has stepped up to plan my shower for this little guy. I will be having a shower on Saturday, March 27th at 2:00 pm. I am so excited!

I have also been to the doctor again. I will be 29 weeks pregnant on Monday, February 22nd. For those of you who may not know, this little guy is attached to a two vessel isolated chord. Basically, the umbilical chord only has two vessels instead of three. My doctor does not seem concerned, but this can cause low birth weight, so I will be having a sonogram each visit to make sure our little guy is swimming in enough fluid and growing strong. My Momma, Daddy and baby sister came to visit this weekend...and were there to see our little hero on video. Baby Mason is now 2 lbs 10 oz. He is in the 54th percentile in growth...which is good. He had healthy blood flow coming through the chord and a strong little heart rate. I was shocked to know they could tell all this from the sonogram. I am scheduled for another showing March 12th. This means I am now down to the two week appointments for a couple of times and then I will start my weekly visits before having the c-section. I have just 9 short weeks left!

I have attached some baby photos for you to see our little man. The pictures will show fewer and fewer details as he and I run out of room for him! So, enjoy these while you can. By the way, we did prove once more that he is indeed a little boy. This baby was face down with his legs spread out like a little frog. Obviously he is not a modest little fella!

Jeremy was able to call in on Friday just before the sonogram. I was pleasantly surprised to hear his voice. He has been doing a lot of travelling in the last week, and I had not heard his voice in a while! He was still not back to his original destination, but being the super dad that he is, he made it his mission to find a phone and check in. Please continue to pray for his safety as he moves around in country. Hopefully he will return to a solid internet connection in his room. We have yet to webcam since his internet options are rather limited and the connection in his room has yet to work. This is why he has not been able to update his blog or facebook with friends. Just keep checking in and hopefully he will be up and running soon.

I suppose that is all for now. More soon!

A Quickie

2010-02-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

Mom is in town for a super-d-duper visit. Praise the Lord for a Momma close by! Savannah Kay has been sick with cough and fever for three days. It snowed 2 inches this morning. I have a clean house and fresh linens on all the beds. The last of the baby bedding shipment arrived today. We have curtains! I registered at Hey Baby and Target. Bek has an Honor Choir performance tomorrow, and amidst the chaos this lifted my spirits...

Mom: "Papa is out of town right now. He's going to be gone for two weeks and that is a long time."

S.K.: *raised eyebrows and lifted shoulders "Weeellll, that is not as long as MY Dad."

True...so true! We win! What do you have to say now Grandmommy?

Babies and sweethearts

2010-01-26T20:29:00.001-08:00

Why is it that I must have a hormone overdose when life is the most hectic? I have to sit laughing now, just because this is my latest version of crazy. If I'm not laughing I'm crying. I swear, how in the world I'll get through this pregnancy is a mystery.

I did have a super doctor's visit this week. We will be introducing little Mason Todd Welch on May 6th, rain or shine! My precious sweety pie worked his Iraq schedule to call precisely at appointment time. Might I add that is was particularly admirable because of the 9 hour time difference...making his call around 11:15 pm in the desert. He said that little heartbeat was the heartbeat of a hero! The miles may separate us, but we are determined to make this as much of a joint venture as possible. After we disconnected I just bawled to my sweet doctor. Then I was fuming mad that I had entered the zone of hormonal looniness. Sheesh. I am such a baby. I will say that my doctor did remind me that doing it all provokes tears in even the strongest of women. However, I am NOT a cryer. Someone should tell my hormones this.

I am now 25.5 weeks pregnant, and beginning to feel it. I was thrilled to learn that although I feel like I have gained a million lbs. I had only put on 6! There is hope that I will not weigh as much as an elephant upon delivery.

I am receiving my crib tomorrow, which makes this baby officially official. He will even have a place to sleep. My bedding should be coming in this week too. So it seems I will be nesting for the next few weeks.

The girls seem to be doing well. We are as busy as ever. Bekah is in honor choir at school, which makes for an even busier week. She has also started gymnastics, and is moving right up through the levels. Savannah Kay is just as hilarious as ever. She has decided she needs to do gymnastics too. I suggested she ask for this for her birthday...in April. Are you noticing the repitition. I am still not sure I can add one more thing to my weekly agenda.

Which leads me to my next announcement. I will no longer be teaching, while simultaneously directing, while walking the tight rope with baby in hand. Just joking. But I really have stepped down from teaching to direct. I think the best thing for me to do right now is to take a load off and get through this delivery. Especially since I am still trying to finish my Marketing degree in the midst of all the other things I am doing. What in the world was I thinking?!

Jeremy seems to be doing well. He has sent us a DVD of himself reading to the kids. The Army has a program called United Through Reading, where soldiers pick books, read them on video, and mail book and video to the kids. Technology is so great! He has officially moved in with our friend and his coworker, Joe. I pray that they remain friends since this means lots of togetherness. I had hoped and still hope there is a chance he will end up with his own room sometime in the deployment. Better yet, perhaps he'll just come home!

Well, my bed is calling and I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow. Nightie night!

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-01-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

All in a days work...

2010-01-12T22:29:00.001-08:00

I must say that as the days drag on, I am trying to find my way in the madness. How can you live when half of you is a world away? I am no newbie to the life of a single mother while Daddy is away at work, but this is time it is killer. I am well aware that part of the reason for this is the fact that I am one walking ball of Estrogen, but can't a girl get a break?!

Today Bekah was tested for placement at the local gym. She is officially back in gymnastics and begins next week. This was her birthday present from Mommy and Daddy. Savannah Kay thinks she needs to be in class too. I reminded her that her birthday was in April. I am easing myself into new activities since I seem to be overbooked as it is.

This afternoon I did some baby shopping. My most precious friend in all the world is having her first baby in February and I was responsible for finishing up the Butts family shopping for the shower this weekend. I will confess that I picked up a few things blue while I was there. This is the first time I have purchased anything for this new little one. I wrote Jerm an email tonight and confessed that this was the first time that I felt our little baby was now a little addition to our family and not just an event occurring on May 6th.

Jerm woke us this morning with a call from overseas. He is in Kuwait and preparing for his permanent move to Basra. I just know that I can't wait for him to get settled so we can Skype!

His phone call set the tone for a magnificent day. I even received a little delivery to complete the perfect antidote for a lonely day. It's not easy being married to the perfect man...but I'll just have to hang in there! I love that fella!

By the way...Welch baby three is officially Mason Todd Welch. Daddy is Jeremy Todd. I hope he is just like his Daddy!

A new year...

2010-01-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

As one can see, I have not been very committed to my blogging in the last 9 months, but those of you who have remained in contact with me know just how insane my life has been. For those of you that are not in on the latest Welch madness, I will try to give you a quick rundown before I proceed like business as usual.

June - I was officially hired as Director for the brand new UCC Preschool Academy at our church. I spent the remainder for the summer wearing many hats to complete the Kansas State Licensing process and get the school ready for the children that would start in the fall.

July - I continued my break-neck speed to get the preschool ready to go and began solidifying teachers and students lists.

-We embarked on the single greatest vacation any of the Welch family members had ever participated in...we went to Disney World! It was everything we dreamed and more!

August - We sent the kids off to school. Bekah started 5th grade and Savannah Kay started Kindergarten. Jeremy had a little procedure and we embraced the fact that our child bearing days were at an end.

September - I started the school year at the preschool and was now titled Lead Teacher for 3-4 year olds as well as Director. SEPTEMBER 12th...we discover we are no longer finished bearing children, for I WAS PREGNANT?!

October - Jeremy left for an 8 week school in Arizona. The kids were Red Riding Hood and

Granny Wolf for Halloween.(Thank you Grandma Dorothy!) We heard Welch baby #3's heartbeat for the first time.

November - Jeremy spent his 31st bday in Arizona at school. I prepared for Thanksgiving Feast at preschool and Kindergarten. We made a trip to Hutchinson to have family Thanksgiving and Jerm returned the night before! We celebrated Jerm's birthday on Thanksgiving day!

December - We witnessed our first major snow and school cancellation of the winter season. We received news that Jeremy's dad's cancer had grown needing immediate attention and treatment. We attended Bekah's first band concert. She was the best clarinet player in the group! We discovered baby #3 was a BOY! We celebrated Christmas in Texas and in Hutch.

January - We celebrated the New Year as a family in our home...making plans for 2011 when Jerm would return home from deployment. We celebrated our 9th anniversary. We had another super snow storm that cancelled school again. Bekah turned 11 and Jeremy left us here while he began his year long deployment to Iraq.

He has been gone just 24 short hours and it feels like an eternity. His new blog has inspired me to take up my duty as blog writer and share my thoughts with you, dear readers. Please check it out to keep up with him while he's so far away! http://www.jermfam1.blogspot.com/

As I conclude, I will say that any responses out there are so coveted. If you read this, let me know! If you have words of wisdom or encouragement, I could sure use them. My prayer is that 2010 flies by. After all, each sunset brings me closer to 2011 and the return of my soul and other half. I miss you my love! Hurry home to us!

Sisters and Saturdays

2009-06-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

The weekend has come to an end, and I thought I would post a little ditty about all things Welch. Let's see...I was plenty busy trying to get paperwork in to the city for a Conditional Use Hearing and Variance Request. The preschool keeps me on my feet!

Jeremy is still abroad. He left a week ago, and seems to be doing well. I am anxiously awaiting his return on Friday.

Savannah Kay participated in VBS at a local church and Bekah continued her play practice for Seussical the Musical. I was child free from 9-12 and then our sweet Nanny, Rachel, watched the kids for me a few afternoons.

We are still growing sod. I am sure our water bill is going to be atrocious, but we will have blades of green to enjoy. I am sure the fruits of our labor are continuing to sprout. It has been rainy this week, so a break in the bill was welcomed!

The highlight of the week was my baby sister's visit to Manhattan. I was so glad to spend some time just hangin' around with her like the old days. We watched a few flicks and ate some great fare. She even helped me to get my new office in order! We shared the best Saturday I have had in a really long time. Thank heaven for little sisters and Saturdays!

Fishers of Men???

2009-05-31T21:32:00.001-07:00

I thought I would use this picture from our Memorial Day family camping trip, because it was perfect for my thoughts.

Today was another blessed occurrence where the Lord impresses His Words on my heart.

Jeremy and I have committed to many areas of service at our church here in Manhattan. I have recently been hired as the Director for our new UCC (University Christian Church) Preschool Academy. Jeremy and I are team teaching a young married couples Sunday School class, and Jeremy hopes to start working with the worship team in the next few weeks.

All this brings me back to my original thought about being fishers of men. Our Sunday School class is doing an Andy Stanley study called GO FISH. It is so great and we are only in week 1! This week the DVD of Andy Stanley's message was so great I just had to share!

Andy...since he and I are on a first name basis ;)...talked about how we all make excuses for why we are not the best person to share God's message with others. Preachers think we are the best because they are the preachers and people dismiss them. We think preachers are best, because IT'S THEIR JOB! People with a life full of rather good circumstances think the jaded individuals have a better testimony to tell, while the jaded look in admiration upon those from a more righteous life. What does God say? "Come. Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." We are not already fishers of men...He makes us that way!

Jeremy had never caught a fish before the Memorial holiday. Yes, at 30 years of age he caught his first 2 fish ever! Was he born an angler? No. He was trained by my father and brother-in-law that knew what they were doing. Did his training make him less of a fisherman because he had no previous experience? Absolutely not! In fact, he is the best lookin' angler I've ever seen!

I view my new opportunity to be a leader in a new preschool as a tremendous opportunity to go fishin'! It's a matter of circumstance, you see. God has put me right where I am, with the perfect life experiences to match with some person under His Divine plan. Just as Andrew and Peter dropped their nets in the middle of the day...after these fishermen had been fishing all night and caught nothing...and then struggled to hoist their overflowing nets, I hope to cast my net into the Manhattan sea and bring in children that can learn about God and grow their relationships with Him...all because I was willing to get in the boat!

Have a great week...oh and GO FISH!

Bekah's Field Day

2009-05-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Just as the end of 4th grade approaches, Rebekah had her field day at Riley County Grade School. I was unable to make it, so Grandmommy came to the rescue. With Savannah Kay in tow, the three of them conquered the jumpy castle, marbles in the wading pool, snacks, horses and fun. This post portrays the girls in a most perfect way...as the sisters they are 90% of the time...hip to hip. Savannah has no idea how lucky she is to have such a sweet big sister. Bekah let her little sis tag along the whole afternoon. Look out 5th grade, here she comes!

Zoo-rific Party Time

2009-05-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Savannah Kay had the best birthday we could have asked for! We were back to the zoo, but this time our trip was just for our little 5 year old. 12 little friends and all the family (Grandmommy, Papa, Aunt Haley, Uncle Steve, Cousin Wyatt and Aunt Rachel) all made it out for Savannah's special day. This party was especially superb because all I had to do was mail the invites and show up on time. The zoo handled everything...including the tour, the Baskin and Robins cake, the crafts and the animal interactions. Savannah was all smiles...and it was the best celebration she has had to date!

Savannah Kay turns 5!!!

2009-05-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Our little one is officially 5 years old! I can't even believe it! My how time flies when you are having so much fun! Our little angel went to school today on her very special day, but it is very convenient that I happen to work in the same building, so Daddy met us at the school for cuppy-cakes with her class. She has made 5 whole trips around the Earth now...as was demonstrated in her circle-time. She even picked out a present from the birthday box. It was a most stupendous day for all! Happy Bday Tootie! We love you soo much!

Savannah Kay goes to the Zoo...

2009-05-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Savannah Kay experienced her final field trip with FUMC Preschool. The irony in this is that the very next day was Savannah's "Zoo-rific" birthday party. We preplanned her party before the preschool calendar was released, so we had two very zoo-filled days! Jeremy was home this week, so he was the chaperone for Savannah's trip. I was thrilled that he was able to tag along before the preschool adventure came to an end. He documented the occasion with a few snapshots. Enjoy!

Grandmommy's Bday and the Preschool Program

2009-05-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

The last week of April was super busy for Savannah. I feel like she is all I write about sometimes, but right now she seems to be the one with the most going on! Let's see...Mom's birthday was April 26th, but we were unable to meet her on her special day because Jeremy's parents came up for a visit. I made Gourmet Chicken Spaghetti and bought a carmel cheese cake that was officially dubbed her MOST FAVORITE BDAY CAKE EVER!!! Mom came down, and Savannah had three of her four grandparents present for her preschool program and her birthday on the 29th! I'll add birthday pics on a separate post. What a lucky little girl she is to be so loved!

On the Farm...

2009-05-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season of field trips, I guess! Savannah Kay was able to go on a field trip to her teacher's farm! Yes, Mrs. Hinkle lives on a real life farm with cows, tractors, puppies, cats, horses, ducks and chickens! We had a great day and took some photos to share!

Fire Safety with Savannah Kay

2009-05-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Savannah Kay had a preschool field trip to the local fire station. She was greatly impacted by the whole experience. She knows to crawl on the floor, how to feel the door to see if it is hot, leave everything behind and meet at the mailbox! The only negative part about the whole visit was that she is now very concerned that we don't have any fire ladders! I guess we can add those to the list of important things to get! I snapped a few pics...Enjoy!

Easter from Kansas...I know I'm behind!

2009-05-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know Easter is but a memory for most of you, but I thought I would back it up so that you might be able to play catch up to the latest and greatest happenings in our life...

I'll spare you the ramblings from this crazy woman and give you the quick summary and the pics!

We had a little Easter hunt with the church (University Christian Church or UCC)...
We went straight to Grandmommy and Papa's for another hunt and some lovin'
The girls played Wii bowling in sponge rollers (Savannah Kay beat EVERYONE!)
We had Easter dinner at the Terradyne Country Club where Aunt Haley works...
and then we headed home! I am waiting on the email with the Easter dress pics, but here are the hunt and roller snapshots! Enjoy!

Still kickin'

2009-04-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

I know most of you probably think I have just given up on the blogging thing. The truth is that I was enrolled in a Statistics class that was killer! After five long weeks of stress and studying, I was back on track to picking up the pieces of my life! I have oh so many great things to share, so please have patience with me as I post them as I have time! My schedule has been so packed that I am still trying my best to get my de-railed train back on the tracks! More soon...so keep tuning in!

Birthday Girl

2009-01-24T20:27:00.001-08:00

Numero 10 is a pretty big deal. I mean, this is the first number with double digits. Then there is always the significance that most of us have 10 fingers to count, and ten toes on our feet. AND the most common number system used today is based on the number ten. The term of 10 years gets a fancy new name...a decade!

After this very official introduction, I would like to present to you our very official 10 year old daughter, Rebekah! Can I believe it? Why no I cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was rocking my little baby, and now she is a big tall 10 year old!

It is our tradition that we often celebrate Bekah's birthday on her HALF birthday. I mean, we do celebrate her actual birthday on the day, but her party is usually planned on a different day further from Christmas and closer to warm weather. This year her birthday fell on Daddy's surgery date, so we made some adjustments. We did the usual tradition...breakfast in bed.

It isn't common for her special day to be on a school day, so she was pleasantly pleased to be with her friends at school as the princess of the day! We sent snacks and she had a great time. That night we had Mexican at the local dive and they sang a Spanish version of the birthday song. They even put a little ice cream on her nose! She received some super presents, and gave the day two thumbs up!

This was one was from Mommy and Daddy. Bekah is our crafty kid, so this was given to her along with all the materials for hours of fun and piles and piles of messy and fabulous projects!

This was a big hit, compliments of Grandma Dorothy. It could, quite possibly, be the most annoying present in the entire world. It's a voice manipulator...but it was a big hit. Bekah even asked, "Mom, when this runs out of batteries...will I be able to get new ones?" She already knew the answer.

A new pink watch...it even lights up!

"Scratch pads" of money! She's rich!

10 dollars for a 10 year old...Thanks Aunt Sally and Uncle Jeff!

She also got a movie for her Disney Mix Max...iPod thing!

Operation...

2009-01-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

How does it always happen that I am weeks behind on the blogging and then I have to post like three times to cover all that has happened in the weeks before?! Are there ever enough hours in the day to do all the things we would like?

I am sure some of you are curious just what sort of "operation" news I have to gab about. My daddy has had yet another procedure...but this one seems to have been a tremendous success! For those of you who are not in the loop, my Daddy, Steve, is a throat cancer survivor. Unfortunately, one of the many side effects from radiation result in paralysis of one vocal chord. His voice was not much more than a strained whisper. After a failed voice procedure in October, he was referred to larynx specialist in Kansas City.

On January 8th he had surgery to correct his voice. The doctor implanting a piece of material inside his throat that moved the immobile chord toward the other, thus producing sound again. He will always have the paralyzed chord, but now he can speak with some volume! You will never know just how much of a burden has been lifted from his shoulders now that his voice has returned! Hooray for Daddy...we love you sooo much!

A Horse is a Horse of Course of Course...

2008-12-30T21:11:00.000-08:00

One of the special things we got to do while we were celebrating Christmas with the family made Christmas even more fun. Rachel was house/horse sitting for our family friends the Frasiers. When she was not feeding the dogs, letting the out every four hours, feeding the horses, breaking up frozen water troughs and checking on the house...she was was able to ride (weather permitting). One afternoon the weather was perfect for riding...so Papa, Jerm, Bek and Savannah...and yours truly...headed out for an afternoon in the arena. We really had a great time! I was a little worried the note to Santa might include a pony after this day, but who needs a pony when we can visit six everytime we visit Grandmommy and Papa?

A Birthday and the Luminaries

2008-12-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 20th is my baby sister Rachel's birthday. There is usually some sort of Christmas event on or near Rachel's birthday. This year we traveled to Hutchinson, Kansas to visit "Grandmommy" and "Papa" and the rest of the family for Christmas. We left on the 20th so we could celebrate Rachel's birthday and stay through Christmas.

Each year Hutch celebrates the season with a night of luminaries in the downtown area. We have been able to see this several years. However, this year it was FREEZING!!! We walked just long enough to see Mr. and Mrs. Clause. Here's to Rachel's big 2-0! Christmas here we come!!!

Promotion Time

2008-12-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

December 19th is Jeremy's anniversary for promotion. This year marked year two for him, which meant a promotion was in order. I could not have been more proud of him. My parents made the trip down with Rachel to attend this special occasion. The girls were able to participate in the promotion too. Rebekah changed the rank on Jeremy's beret and Savannah ripped off the old rank so I could put on the new. There was a huge turn out! Chief Warrant Officer II Jeremy T. Welch...we are soooo proud of you!

Savannah's Home SWEET Home

2008-12-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

December 17th was Savannah Kay's last day of school and Christmas Party. Savannah was ready-spagetti for us to come and participate. Jeremy was able to take the morning off and join us! Each child was given a bag of candy, graham crackers, icing and a plastic knife. We had a wonderful time, and her creation was PERFECT!

Hellllooooo Snow!

2008-12-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

Today was the very first real "snow day" we've had in our newest location! We were all pretty excited because we haven't lived in a snowy place since we moved from Texas. It started snowing around 3 am, and it continued all day. I think we got around 4 inches. When the big kids got home from school we dressed up in our snow-gear and headed out for some neighborhood fun. I, of course, had the camera in hand. It was a great afternoon!!! Hooray for snow...it really feels like Christmas time now!!!

Me and my favorite fella

Snow tubing debut

The Daddys' doing what Daddys do

Snow angel...

Snow face!

Below: Toots in the snow...sporting a 1990 throwback, compliments of Auntie Rachel, who is now almost 20!

The Crew...

Christmas Cookie Time

2008-12-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite traditions here at the Welch family home is to make our annual Christmas cookies. Jeremy says Christmas at our house is just like a Christmas card. He loves every little tradition we do with the kids. Might I add, that he is the most wonderful man to be married to because he makes it so easy to incorporate all those wonderful traditions...especially during the yule-tide season of cheer! Most of our traditions come from my childhood. Turns out there are a few perks to growing up in the Leave It To
Butts-ver household. My sweet Momma was the best Momma in the world when it came to traditions and especially glad tidings of Christmas cheer. Following her lead I have donned the Christmas trim and started a collection of Christmas books. We have an endless supply of "hot drinks" and many Christmas flicks to watch when the weather outside is frightful. Our Christmas cd collection continues to grow as has the twinkling lights that started inside our house and on our porch and now they appear on the roof-top!

Back to our cookie making...

I have the BEST recipe in the whole wide world for sugar cookies, compliments of my precious friend Kimberly Humphries. She shared with me the Crisco butter stick cookie recipe found on the label of the Crisco butter stick box way back in our days in the land of Aloha. We started using this recipe on a bright Hawaiian Christmas where we spread the Mele Kalikimaka cheer. It's been about 7 years now that we have used this same delicious recipe. I have to tell you...it is simply superb! So we put out a vinyl table cloth and got busy working on our cookie making extraordinaire! Savannah was of the philosophy that more is always better! Bekah made each of her cookies a complete work of art. Good news is we have plenty of cookies...bad news is we are completely out of sprinkles! We all had a great time...and yes, they do taste as fantastic as they look!

Each one of these cookies was carefully covered in sprinkles and each red hot was strategically placed!

Betty Crocker ain't got nothin' on this girl!

Even Maddie was in the Christmas spirit!

Nephew Wyatt is ONE!

2008-12-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

December 2nd was the BIG DAY...but the celebration happened the Saturday after. We made the two hour trip to Wichita for the big party. I can't believe that precious baby is already ONE! I was still feeling a little weak, but nothing could keep me away from his little party. He really had quite the turn out. He is absolutely precious! I took several pics and just HAD to share!

PS...this could be the CUTEST little boy in the whole wide world!!!! Happy Birthday buddy! Auntie Lindz loves you sooo very much!

Tis the Season...

2008-12-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

G2 Christmas Party

It seems Jeremy and I have embarked on our most Christmas-y of events. I must admit, I just LOVE this time of year. I am winding down at the preschool. I planned a Polar Express Party complete with golden tickets, chocolate milk, cookies and bells. The kids just loved coming to school in PJs!

I was glad to be back at school...last week was a real mess. I was so sick with 102 degree fever for four long days. After two trips to urgent care, and a trip and day-stay to the hospital in Junction City...it seems my adenoids have were over sized and ready to come out. The anti-biotics were just not working, and I kept telling Jeremy I just could not breathe. So my doctor met us in the ER and after an x-ray and then a CT scan...the verdict was in. Who knows why I didn't just clip out my adenoids when I had my tonsils removed...but now they were the size of golf balls! A hefty dose of steroids and I was on my way to recovery! I will be following up with an ENT, but most likely I will be scheduling surgery for adenoid removal. I missed a day of teaching in all the madness! Needless to say, this week has been a bit of a whirlwind, but somehow we are all in tow. I have one more day of teaching before the winter break begins. After Tuesday I am home free!

This Thursday we attended Jeremy's "Holiday Party" for work. Don't you just hate those politically correct titles?! It was a Christmas Party to us. The company did a pretty good job of planning, and the kids enjoyed themselves. They had ornament painting, fishing, musical chairs and even SANTA. Savannah was NOT a fan of the Mr. Clause...she informed us he was a fake. So here are some pics for you to enjoy. Hope your Christmas is on its way to being the holliest jolliest time of the year!

Jerm and the other Warrants

Savannah paints ornaments

Bek reels in a goodie!

Savannah has a big time fishing!

Bek paints her little train

Turkey Treats

2008-11-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

In my spare time...wink wink...I am still always trying to go the extra mile as Mom-o-the-year! Savannah Kay was to bring snacks this last Monday, so of course, I had to do something impressive. I decided to do thes cute little turkey treats for the kids to enjoy. I was rather pleased with how they turned out, and thought it would be fun to share them with you! Happy turkey day!

Jerm turns 30!

2008-11-22T19:55:00.001-08:00

It's official...Jeremy is over the hill! I can hardly believe my sweetie pie is the big 3-0! This is especially difficult to believe because we began our relationship when he was but 18 years young! I wanted to do it up right for his momentous milestone, so with a few things up my sleeve, there would be a week long celebration.

Event one...Jeremy and I go to Wal-mart to discretely pick up some groceries for our surprise celebration Saturday, which Jeremy knows nothing about at this time. He notices a DVD set of the three origional Superman movies on sale for $10.00. We toss it in the cart and I give him the "Happy Birthday" routine. That afternoon, I pick up black balloons from Dorothy and John and Tisha...preordered for pick-up in Manhattan. We had dinner at home, and our nieghbors/friends joined us. I had picked up a small carrot cake for Jerm. However, when Mom, Dad and Rachel called to send Jerm many happy returns, Dad and Rachel spilled the beans about their visit on Saturday.

Event two...My family comes to visit. I must say that anytime I make arrangements for our family to get together, I have this fantasy that our entire family will all have this Leave It to Beaver moment, and the heavens will open up with trumpeting angels and a heavenly host. That said, there is never any pressure put on those that let me know in the 11th hour they will not be attending. Perhaps, there might have been something of this nature that occured the night before our not-so-surprising soirée. You can imagine my face when each of my family members attended my event for my precious hubbie. We had the best day! I presented Jeremy with an Ibenez acoustic-electric guitar from Mom and Dad, Rachel, Dorothy and John, and me. He was pleased as punch!

Event three...THE BIG SURPRISE! Being a woman of determination...I decided to put together a super surprise event a week after Jeremy acutal birthday. You see, I wanted to host a karoke event, and this cool little watering hole hosts a karoke night on Thursdays. I had everything planned perfectly. We had a casual dinner at a new Mexican restaurant in the same strip center as the karoke bar. Then I asked the sitter to play along and show up "late." I timed it just right, and then I decided to walk down the center to look around. Jeremy thought we were killing time until midnight for the new Bond movie premire. As we walked up to the karoke joint, he asked me if I really wanted to go in a have a drink. Jeremy's face was priceless! Everything went perfectly! Where there is a will, there is a way! Happy Birthday Sweetie! Many happy returns!

Conquering Chuck E Cheese

2008-11-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

So while we were in the area, the kids and I were able to spend a little extra time with Haley and Steven and our precious little cousin/nephew Wyatt. Before leaving town, we decided to dine with our favorite pizza-eating mouse at that fabulous establishment for those of questionable sanity...CHUCK E. CHEESE! We had a grand time, and took a few snapshots...enjoy!

The kids favorite ride was the coaster video accompanied with moving seats.

Savannah and I did a little buck hunting.

Haley and Steve had a little hoops competition.

Wyatt rode the wave runner.

Isn't he so adorable!

Say cheese!

Having a cousin live so close to us is sooo much fun!

Halloween with the Butts Family!

2008-11-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

So, since the Daddy Welch was not here for our Halloween festivities, the kids and I made a little trek to Hutchinson, Kansas. Mom and Dad's church has a little canival of sorts. The kids decided to do a little preliminary trick-or-treating, and then Haley, Steven and Baby Wyatt joined us at the festivus for the rest-of-us! Oh yeah, and since my sweetie pie sissy poo was in town, we decided to resurrect the 1987 costumes we wore as children...minus the leotards! We had a super-fantastic time!

Community Helper Costume...

2008-11-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

October 31st is handled carefully in the Christian Preschool Savannah Kay attends, and I work in. They decided several years ago to use this opportunity to allow the children to dress up but the key is that they must be "Community Helpers." Savannah's costume this year would be really pushing it as a "Community Helper." Minnie Mouse is just not very "Community Helper"-like! My precious Director said my suggestion that Minnie could be a Disney Worker would totally pass as "Community Helper." However, you know me...I could never have the child that didn't do the Community Helper idea up! After a week of contemplation, Jerm came up with the perfect solution...

I present to you the very FIRST Lifeguard in FUMC history! Mission accomplished!

Spooktacular

2008-10-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have a million and one things to blog about and no time to do it ever! I have been so swamped! Today the girls and I attended the Manhattan "Spooktacular" at the local zoo. Basically, all the kids dress up, and visit the zoo. Lot's of local businesses have little tables set up and the kids trick-or-treat each booth while checking out the animals. We couldn't have asked for better weather! It was rainy and chilly this week, but the sun was shining today! I attended the big event with my two neighbors/girlfriends and their kiddos. We had a great time...and I documented the trip with my photography, as usual!

Happy Halloweenie blog readers!