Sunday, December 15, 2013

Caleb's First Birthday

My sweet grandson Caleb turns 1 on December 27th. Brooke threw a party on December 15, 2013 for Caleb in San Antonio. I was not able to go as I had just had surgery the day before to remove the dreaded kidney stone. My sweet mom and dad came over to care for me. Kirk and Connor went and had a great time. It was a samll party with just family, but just what Caleb needed. Here are the pics from the celebration:

Caleb and Wyatt

Abbey and Caleb

Loved this toy!

Happy first birthday to someone who means so much to the whole family. You are our angel and our joy. Happy Birthday!

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Thanksgiving 2013- Such a Blessing

I have never felt so blessed for Thanksgiving. I was just out of the hospital the Monday before Thanksgiving and everyone was in town. Well Abbey and Justin had to leave for work that day but they had been with me the whole week before. My sister's family,mom and dad and the other three kids and their families were with us. Luci hosted a beautiful Thanksgiving and my girls cooked everything. Travis fried the turkey and Connor made some pies. It was glorious! Kirk gave a very emotional prayer before the meal which had us all in tears. I didn't get many pictures from the day, but it was truly a Thanksgiving I will never forget.

Brooke and Travis and boys

Uncle and Nephew Nap

Playing at the Arboretum

At the Park before Thanksgiving

Home from the Hospital

My sister's beautiful family

Caleb and Riley

Gingerbread House Time

Finley separating the candy

Connor building the house

Finished

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.

Count Your Blessings! Bella

Wyatt turns 1

Hi All- catching up on a few posts. Remember those three grand babies I had last year. Well they are all turning one. November 19th - Wyatt turned one. Abbey and Justin had a beautiful birthday at the park near our home in Austin. It was nice to go back to that area. I unfortunately was very sick and just sat for a while and watched the kids play. The whole family came and lot of Abbey and Justin's friends. The other grandparents came as well. Even Brooke's mother in law and sister in law came to help. I just love our big family. Kirk ended up taking me home to Abbey's then to the hospital later. I did get some pictures from Brooke. It was a beautiful day for a special little guy. Happy Birthday Wyatt!

The Birthday Boy!

Riley and Luci

Abbey and her Wyatt

Connor and Carter

Birthday Cake Time. Finley Loves a party!

Playing at the Park

Caleb and his Gee Gee

Wyatt and Daddy

The sun rose today with a very special charm, the clouds cleared today with a very special intent and the trees are all swaying in unison - just to wish you a very Happy Birthday.

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The One that Changes Your Life

Well this is the big one- the blog that changes it all. As many of you know I almost lost my life this week as my body went into kidney failure and septic shock. Four days in ICU and 4 days on a cardiac floor have made me so appreciative of the power of prayer and love. I was surrounded by endless prayers and unending love all week. My sweet family has been through it all with me and I am so very thankful for all of them.

Jeremy- for staying with me endless nights and always taking care of me
Luci- unending hospitality, friendship, and love
Brooke- my magic chef and the source of much of my prayer power (she is so strong)
Travis- for loving me, his wife, and our family
Abbey- her knowledge and bull doggedness at the hospital and for nursing a baby while spending 48 hours with me in ICU
Justin - for loving Abbey and this family
Connor- his calmness in a crisis
Momma and Daddy- for coming up every day so Kirk could take a break and taking care of our babies- Maggie and Buster
Ellen- for coming to visit big,bossy sister every day ( it was hard to be bossy in ICU) and for loving my family
Last but not least- Kirk- my rock, best friend, and confident, who had to make some hard decisions with out me. He is so very, very strong!

Words really cannot express my gratitude to my family, extended family, friends in Austin and Dallas, church families and my school communities. So I will not try. I do want to tell you about two instances where I know God was with me.

I really needed to get to the hospital Tuesday morning instead of Tuesday afternoon as was originally planned. Out of the blue, my urologist called Tuesday morning at 7:00 AM to tell Kirk to get me up there. That call may have saved my life. I know my sweet Aunt Laura in heaven had something to do with this. I mean how often to Doctors call at 7:00 in the morning?

The other power of prayer was when my heart had taken on an arithmic heart beat for over 24 hours and my blood pressure was way too low. Brooke asked a lady from her church to pray the emergency room novena, at that very moment the heartbeat flipped to regular and pressure was up. God had other plans for me!

So what to do you when you experience something like this- how do you ever go back to the way things where? Well in my humble opinion you don't. Sure I have eating habits to change, two more surgeries, and lots of lifestyle changes. Here is what I have done the last two days:

Enjoyed my children
Cherished my grandchildren
Called my parents everyday
Talked with sweet friends
Prayed a lot
and smiled a lot

From now on if:
Some one asks me to pray- I will unceasingly
Someone asks me listen- I will completely
Someone asks me to love- I will whole heartedly

Last but not least- get a medical directive/living will to make things easier for your family.

I dedicate the rest of my life to my Lord and Savior and will follow His will. I have been given such a gift and will always appreciate it.

One last picture as this is what life is about:

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Halloween Awards 2013

It's time for the annual Halloween awards:

We had a frog, snow white, Tinkerbell, and Jake the Pirate

A Puppy Dog

Pumpkin Patch- San Antonio

Pumpkin Patch -Dallas

A Football Player

Walking Baby- Wyatt

Four of the grand children trick or treated here in Dallas and the other two in San Antonio. Such a fun night for everyone. Man those four year old are serious about getting candy!

Wyatt was here for a week as Abbey had a conference. Luci watched him and they all had so much fun.

Grandchildren- my gosh the greatest love of all!

Count your Blessings, Bella

Saturday, November 2, 2013

This and That

We continue to stay busy this fall. We spend most of our time visiting the kids or having sleep overs with the Dallas grand kids. We took in a Rangers play off game, a Hockey game, and a few movies. We also try to see my mom and dad a couple of times per month. We also managed to see Kirk's mom and brother as well in October. We have even managed to get together with long time friends to our delight! Our God Daughter Linsey got married this month and it was so nice to be there for that special event. Most importantly, we have found a church. The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. It is a huge church led by a dynamic Bishop from the Anglican Church. We look forward to worshiping there and becoming part of parish life. We have already taken all the Dallas grand kids to a church family movie night and picnic. So here are some this and that pictures highlighting life in Dallas, Texas.

Family Walk in Austin

Fall Activities- Decorating Halloween Cookies

Go Stars!

Go Rangers!

Go Longhorns!

He Walks!!!!!!!!

Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age. Jeanne Moreau

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Friday, November 1, 2013

Day at the Fair

On a cool day in October, two ladies set out to the State Fair of Texas along with two beautiful children. Let's see, there were corn dogs, cotton candy, taffy, lemonade, rides, baby animals, face painting, and lots of smiles and laughter. The pictures say it best:

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.

Lao Tzu

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Soaring High

Connor Wesley Smith is an Eagle Scout! We are so proud of Connor and his accomplishment. Here is an excerpt from his scoutmaster's email :

Troop,

Please join me in recognizing the accomplishment of Troop 159's own Eagle Scout, Connor Smith! We congratulate Connor on his achievement, and celebrate with him. It is truly the proudest moment for a Troop when one of its own earns the rank of Eagle.

The trail to Eagle is a long one - less than 5% of the young men who start in Scouting complete the journey. It takes hard work, focus, and perseverance. There are many merit badges to earn, service projects to complete, and perhaps most importantly leadership to provide the Troop. It has been my pleasure to be part of Troop 159 with Connor as he completed his journey to Eagle.

Connor has been with Troop 159 since 2006 and wrapped up this part of his Scouting journey following his Sr. year at Westwood - a particularly challenging set of priorities and demands to manage. His Eagle project at Eagle's Wings was highlighted with a big Thank You! in the Sep 2013 issue of Eagle's Wings Happenings.

I still remember the first time Connor and I were camping together, a canoe trip. Connor was first up to volunteer to help the younger guys portage their canoes "over the wall" and was never without a big smile on his face no matter what I asked him to help with (which was quite a bit).

Eagle Scouts aren't born, they're made. Connor chose to become an Eagle, and did it. I am confident that Connor not only has earned his rank, but understands what it means to be an Eagle. I wish Connor all the best as he moves on to college and the rest of his life, and hope he stays involved in Scouting as an adult!

Congratulations Connor!

Scoutmaster Thompson

We had his Court of Honor on October 7th in Austin. The entire family came as well as special friends from his life in Austin. A beautiful book of congratulatory letters from Presidents, Congressmen, Nolan Ryan, and many others was given to Connor. Connor made a special speech, thanking his family and those adults that helped him achieve this goal. I had to write a recommendation letter to the Boy Scouts for Connor and some of the excerpts from that sum up my feelings about my boy:

I am the mother of an outstanding young man. He has been an anchor in our family for the last 7 years and a joy to me for the last 18. Connor came into a family of three siblings. He is the baby and 7 years younger than the rest of his siblings. He has always been a child with knowledge beyond his age due to his older siblings. They absolutely adore him and spent lots of time with him as a child and adolescent. Connor does not have a family member that does not adore him. He spends time with his grandparents, his siblings,his nieces and nephews, and his parents. I have been amazed that he is able to balance family life with church, school, and boy scouts with such ease. Connor is an excellent communicator and has been known to carry out this skill in the most delicate of situations. I also see Connor as an outstanding young leader. I would call him a servant leader and he patterns that servant style after Christ. He has deep religious convictions and a strong sense of family values and morals. Connor aspires to become a firefighter and I look for him to give service in that capacity in the community he lives. I am so proud to call my son: uncle, grandson, brother, friend, student, and Boy Scout. He has worked hard on his Eagle path and I know he will carry the values he has learned in scouts through the rest of his life.

One Proud Momma Here!

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Weekend With the Grandkids Down South

Kirk and I took a weekend to go down to San Antonio to see the boys! Brooke has Hudson and Caleb and Abbey has Wyatt.

We so enjoy going to Brooke's as she is always a great hostess. She cooks healthy food for us and watches football with her dad. We relaxed with the boys and had a really laid back weekend. Abbey, Justin, and Wyatt came in from Austin to visit as well. Hudson is two and a half now and such a joy. He was very attached to Kirk this weekend. He wanted to play with Pops all day. Wyatt and Caleb interacted with each other and were so cute together. Both babies are standing and starting to walk. It was a glorious weekend.