Spring is here

Spring is finally here! We survived the yucky winter, but we had a really awesome snow for the first time since moving to Texas in 2004. Avery loved the snow and making a snowman. We have so much to do in our yard. We have big plans for the flowerbeds and backyard, it needs some serious TLC.

Avery continues to change into a very sassy little girl, which can make her mommy very stressed and exhausted. She will be 4 years old this summer, which means we start preK this fall. This fall, she will wear uniforms, which is awesome for getting dressed in the mornings. I also have thought lately, "my gosh, she will be in kindergarten in 17 months"! I cannot believe it, her baby years are ending. She has had a little problem this year with urinary tract infections, for which we are seeing a specialist at Children's Hospital in Dallas. She has had a couple of procedures to determine the seriousness, so far not too bad. We see a surgeon on Thursday to determine if she needs a little minor surgery to permanently correct her problem. Not sure what to pray for, on one hand, surgery would fix the problem now. However, the problem is not that bad, so is surgery may be a little bit aggressive and unnecessary. We will see...

Work is going well for both of us, very busy at both of our jobs, which is a blessing!

We are also planning not 1, but 2 vacations this year! First is our summer vacation at Gulf Shores, AL. Very beautiful beach. We had so much fun last year, cannot wait until mid-August! Our second trip in the works is Disney World! Avery and I have never been, Ed has been several times. I have read and researched a lot of sources, from what I have read, it is beyond imagination! The plans at this moment are for early December for 1 week. I haven't made reservations yet, still contemplating what to do.

Praise the Lord for our blessings in our lives, He is so good to us!

Avery's activities

Is it normal that a 3 year old has a busier life than her mom? My child wants to do so many things. She already takes dance at Dance N Drill, which she absolutely loves. She has expressed an interest in gymnastics and pageants. How hilarious is that. I guess that I will be looking into gymnastics for the fall. I do not believe in the pageant thing, I hate those things! I have already decided that I am going to sign her up for soccer for the fall, Lindale has a 4 year old division. I also plan to put that piano in my dining room to good use in the next couple of years. So if she does everything, that means dance, gymnastics, soccer and piano. Whew, I am tired just thinking about it!

The negative side of living away from family....

Although we love living in Texas and do not plan to change that anytime soon, there is one downer about living several hours away from family. When something happens, it is more difficult to be a part of things there. I have a great aunt named Veda, who is my grandmother's baby sister. 20 years younger than she was, same age as my parents. She has always been more like an "aunt" than great-aunt. Her daughter is around our age as well. She has been battling inoperable stomach cancer for the last year, unfortunately most of the time this is a losing battle. In her case, she lost her battle on Monday night. She was a very sweet, funny and kind woman who laughed almost as loud as I do. For those who know me well, that is pretty darn loud...She was tough until the end.

She lost her husband younger than you are supposed to, age 47, from a sudden heart attack. She has been raising a daughter alone for the last 18 years. Her daughter is an incredibly smart, successful young woman who gave her one grandchild, Jimmy Gage, name after his grandfather, before she passed away. What a blessing he was to her!

God Bless Aunt Veda's family, her daughter is now without both parents and no siblings. This is probably the hardest on her, so many decisions to make. I hate that we won't be there so sad goodbye, but we love you Aunt Veda, you will be missed by many....

Welcome to "RazorbackslivinginTexas"! This is a new thing for me, I have not been a blogger, I even resisted being on Facebook. However, I think that other people's blogs are fun to read, so I decided to start one for our family.

After growing up and living in Arkansas for 32 years, we left our families and friends for a new adventure in the great state of Texas. That was almost 6 years ago, it doesn't seem that long. We came here as 2, but finally became 3, Praise God! We still consider ourselves as "Hogs", and I do not think we will ever become Longhorns or Aggies. (sorry guys) We live a quiet life, boring really, yet we like it that way! Most of our daily activity involves work and dealing with a very stubborn 3 year old, who is truly a blessing from God.

Ed "Shark" works as the Director of a Boys and Girls Club in a nearby small town. This organization has been a part of his life for over 30 years. He loves his job, and cannot imagine doing anything else. He guides and mentors several young people everyday, mostly from poor and broken homes.

Holly works as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at a large local pediatric clinic. This is what I was put on earth to do. Going to work everyday is a priviledge that I never take for granted. I know that I am blessed to have awesome partners that appreciate my work.

Avery is the only "native" of the family, she was born after our move. She is a stubborn, loving, dramatic little girly-girl who loves Princesses, Tinkerbell and Dora. She also has red hair, where that came from is such a mystery! However, she hates to have this red hair done, and refuses bows. She attends Stepping Stone School everyday. Her teacher says that she is "my extra pair of eyes and ears", which really means that she is a bit of a tattle-tale. She is a loving child that is the joy of our lives.