We have had a very busy summer. Peyton and I have both worked a ridiculous number of hours, but the kids have enjoyed spending time with Mema Lorelei. Papa Don has not been feeling very well so a few weeks ago, Mema Shirley and Papa Don had to quit keeping the kids. It's been a little hard on the girls because they were with the everyday since they were 8 months old. I was talking to them about Papa Don being sick and Samantha said, "We are going to have to have a funeral for him too, Mommy." It broke my heart to tell her that she was right. I tried to explain that it could be a long time before that happened, but she watched cancer kill Jordan and she knows what is going to happen. My kids have had their hearts ripped out once this year and I'm afraid it might happen again before the year is over. I can only pray for the strength to help them each through the grieving process once again. I don't think any of us are even close to being past the pain of losing our beautiful Jordan. Rustie had to move this week. Buying her first house should have been a joyous occasion, but it's been torture. Peyton went down and packed up Jordan's room. Rustie couldn't bear to watch the boxes leave so Heather took her away for a few hours. They put everything in the garage at the new house. When Rustie walked in the next day, she saw all of Jordan's boxes stacked neatly on shelves and every single box had a heart drawn on it. She was so touched by Peyton's gesture. He was/is a great uncle. He loved Jordan like she was one of his girls.
This is why I don't even update the blog lately. Everytime I sit down to write, I just start going on and on about Jordan again. I just miss her so much.
On a happier note, we took a few days off at the end of the July to spend some time with the kids. I really enjoyed myself. With the exception of having my iphone stolen at Sears in Southlake Mall, we had a great time.
Thursday, July 21, 2011/our Ninth wedding anniversary: We took the kids to Six Flags where the girls rode their first rollercoaster....the Mindbender. Unfortunately most of the pictures were in my old phone, but I will upload the few that I had already uploaded to Facebook. Samantha was really excited to see the Bat Mobile. When we started walking down the hill towards the back of the park, she yelled, "Oh my goodness, we are in Gotham City!" What a wonderful little girl she is. They were both being so brave when we went to get on the ride. As they started to bring down the lap bars, Sabrina, who was riding with her Daddy, changed her mind. She started screaming, "Let me out of here. I don't want to do this." It was really too late to do anything about it. We told her it would be okay and we headed up the hill. She screamed the entire time. She was literally terrified. She refused to ride anything big the rest of the day, but she still rode tons of other things. Samantha was scared too, but she was smiling when the ride was over. She liked the butterfly feeling in her tummy. She'll be like her mom. Peyton and I drove to California when we were in Vegas just to ride the tallest wooden coaster in the US. When we got there, we found out it was closed for repairs. We both have an adventerous spirit and I'm glad to see that this is a trait that our kids share too. Amelia, on the other hand, needs to be a little less adventerous. She jumps off of anything and everything....from the pool ladder to the couch, to the high chair. She is fearless and we really worry about her falling. Destiny rode almost all of the big rides. There were a few that she couldn't ride, but for the most part, she rode anything she wanted to. We rode Goliath which was crazy!! I loved it. It's a long ride and it's smooth....not jerky. It's so spread out across the park. Awesome ride.
Friday, July 22, 2011: Peyton and I spent the day shopping for the girls birthday. It was our day together since we spent our anniversary with the kids. I am reminded every single day how blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband. I was always meant to be with him. He is truly the half that makes me whole. I know how wonderful and rare it is to feel that way about someone.
Saturday, July 23, 2011: We had a small birthday party for the girls on their actual birthday. It's the first time their birthday has been on a Saturday, since the Saturday they were born. We had barbaque (for the Papas) and mexican for lunch. We had cake and ice cream too. It was a pool party. We only invited their grandparents and great grandparents. Mema Lorelei bought them bicycles. Jace was excited to pick them out. Peyton and I got them the toys they wanted. Samantha a toolbox (substitued Handy Manny building kits) and Sabrina wanted a Tangle castle. I had a hard time finding the boy doll from the Tangled set, but I went to four different stores to find it. It felt good to have the time off to pursue a doll. I would normally give up after store number two, order it on line and wait for it to arrive. We decorated in a Rock and Roll theme...complete with a Pink Guitar pinata. Good times!
Sunday, July 24, 2011: I took the girls shopping for school clothes. We were supposed to go have lunch afterwards, but unfortunately when my phone went missing, we had to rush home. I was so dissapointed that we didn't get to spend the rest of the day out together, but they were thrilled with the clothes that we bought for them.
The Birthday Bash: Mema Shirley's 75th....
Today, August 4, 2011, is Mema Shirley's birthday. We are planning to have a small party at Aunt Rosie's job in Stockbridge. I don't know the name of the bar and grill that she is working at, but I do know that Elvis is going to be making an appearance. It should be fun. She needs to have a good time. It's been a long time since she has. She's been so worried about Papa and she needs a break. (Update: The old ladies danced all night. We had a wonderful time together. Aunt Thelma danced and sang and said some "not so nice" things to Elvis. If she was 20 years younger she would have taken him home. The cake was a beautiful picture of Ma. I laughed so much my stomach hurt when I got home. This was also the night that I got to meet little Haddon for the first time. He's gorgeous! It was a work night so we had to call it quits about 10:30. I made it home just after 11 and found Amelia sound to sleep in the middle of our bed. What a cutie!!
The girls will start school on Monday. Destiny will be in the fifth grade and Mantha and Beanie are going to be in the first grade. Amelia will miss them when they go back to school. She spends so much time with them now, but it won't be long and we'll be walking her into school on her first day. Time just flies.
We celebrated Michael's 18th birthday yesterday. Sabrina wanted to know if that made him a man and Samantha wanted to know if turning 18 meant he didn't have to listen to us anymore. We had a few lessons in what it meant to be living at home with your parents and going to school when you are 18, and then we went to the China Palace Buffet for dinner to celebrate. We only invited a couple of his friends and his grandparents. In the end, the dinner guests were Peyton, me, Michael, Destiny, Sabrina, Samantha, Amelia, Noel, Mema Shirley, Papa Don, Mema Lorelei, Papa Jerry, Grandmother Tingle, Granddaddy Tingle, Molly, Santos Robles, and Jason English. I loved doing the party at a restaurant. No setup and no cleanup! We all enjoyed ourselves. I wish we had memories of what it was like the day he was born or pictures of Michael as a baby, but just looking back on the past 7 years, it is unbelievable how much he has changed. Michael has been taller than me since he was 15. His voice has completely changed. He smiles so much more than he used to. I know there are memories that we will never be able to share with him...roots and history that we might never know, but I am confident that we have made significant contiributions to the man he will become. Happy Birthday, Son! I hope as you head into manhood that you will find the path that is right for you. Dream big and don't settle! Work hard for what you want in life and live each day to the fullest. All of this and my stomach was in knots when he walked out the front door last night to go hang out with his friends. I don't like the 'boys in cars' part of this motherhood thing. 
