Water Bug

Here are the photos my friend took at the pool last Saturday....8-16-08. (I just got them this morning or I would have posted them earlier). You can see her giving Emma kisses too! She loves giving kisses. She grabs your face and pulls you towards her with all her might and then plants a huge open mouth, often slobbery, kiss! SMACK!!!

Drinks Anyone??

I gave Hope her first sippy cup last night and she did pretty good for her first time! See for yourself!

Words to Live By....

My mother just sent me a pretty powerful email and I wanted to share it with all of you. When the going gets tough, read this posting and it should put things back into perspective.... I know it did for me.

Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
Posted by Regina Brett September 20, 2007 14:03PM
Originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday,May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

The Whole Fam Damily 8-15-08 to 8-17-08

We had another funfilled weekend this past weekend and we got to spend it with everyone from Wayne's side of the family. Uncle Bud, Aunt Gay, cousins Spencer and Garrett (twins) came in. Friday night we went to Dubina and went fishing. The boys love going fishing when they come here.


Then on Saturday, we tried to go to the Weimar pool, but they were closed. So the boys started playing in Aunt Janet and Uncle Barney's pool in their backyard, but it wasn't large enough for everyone.


So... we headed to La Grange to the Country Club pool and had a great time. A friend of mine took some photos of us there, but I don't have those yet, so I will have to post those later. But here is Ms. Hawaiian Tropic in her suit.

Then Sunday, we went to Shiner and celebrated Grandma's 94th Birthday and finally took our four generation photo. Hope was laughing at me because I was singing a song that I knew would make her smile and Aunt Mary Jane was dancing behind me making the adults laugh.


Hope was so tired from the weekend's activities, she fell asleep in the car before we even started driving out of the driveway. She slept for 3 1/2 hours!! What a great weekend!!

Daddy's First Weekend Away & the Girls Go and Play!

Weekend of 8-8-08 to 8-10-08
Well, Daddy had his first official weekend away from Hope and he sure missed her!!
He went on the annual guys weekend and guided fishing trip in Rockport. When I got home Friday evening from work, Wayne had these two notes for us. Mine was on the mirror in the bathroom and Hope's was in her bed.


Friday night, Hope and I went to her first wedding. It was on 8-8-08 at 8pm. She was good and didn't utter a peep thru the ceremony! Thank Goodness!! We left around 9pm as it was her bedtime and she was getting tired. Then on Saturday, I dropped her off at Granny and PoPo's as I had to work. Reed and Emily were there to play with her and help. They just love Hope and really do help with keeping her busy and even changing diapers!! I picked her up that afternoon and we went to the Huette's Ranch and went swimming with Kaley, Jenny and Jaley.


After swimming, we went to Kaley's house for Pizza and a Movie. Hope fell asleep at 8pm, she was TIRED!!!
Then on Sunday evening, we went to the Church Picnic. Daddy put Hope's name on 6 raffle tickets and wouldn't you know it, they drew her name!! She won a $50 gift certificate to a local tire and battery company, so Daddy is going to buy that from her and put the money in her college fund!! What a busy weekend!! Hope was excited to go to Ms. Keri's on Monday so she could relax and get some rest!!

Hope Floats!!

We have been busy since I last wrote. Hope's cousins, Sarah and Christina, came up last weekend and we went to the San Marcos outlet mall and did a little shopping. It was hot, but the stores were nice and cool (and very crowded!!). After shopping, we toured the campus so Christina could see Texas State University as it is a consideration for her!! YEAH!!
Yesterday Hope, Granny, Aunt Janet, Austin, Emily, Reed and I went to SPLASHWAY Waterpark and had a great day!! The weather was a little overcast, so it wasn't too hot and it wasn't very crowded at all! We all had a great time!! I don't know who had more fun, me or the kids!! I LOVE waterparks!! When we got there, we put Hope in her float and she jumped around... it was like her Jumperoo at home, only in water!! Then she spent some time playing in the water with Granny. This was her first time to put on her swimsuit and be in a pool and she loved it!! She takes baths with me everyday and plays with her little rubber duckies and splashes around, but this was different... this was much more fun!! There were so many sights and sounds and she just soaked it all in! She took a few short power naps and when she wasn't in the water, Granny had her by the lazy river watching everyone float by. Austin, Emily, Reed and I rode a few rides and floated the river and spent some time in the wave pool. All the kids are great swimmers. Reed was so cute, he would swim and then when he was tired of swimming he would "bounce" to keep his head above water! Austin, Emily and I would sit on top of the tubes in wave pool and try not (or maybe we did try to) flip the other off the tube. Hope was Amazing all day. Not a single cry out of her until we were on our way home and she was fighting sleep. We had a funfilled day and we were both exhausted. We couldn't have asked for a better day! I can't wait to do this again next year when she is a little older and can do more!!