It's been way too long......

It's been over a year since I posted on here!

I think with the boom of camera phones, Facebook and Instagram, it's getting harder to remember to post this blog! I'm going to try and keep up more, but I've said that before so we'll see I guess..... :)

Here are a few pictures to catch up 

A fairly recent family picture, taken at Crystal Beach in Sept

And a more formal one, taken at Thanksgiving

Sam and I just celebrated 6 years married and 22 years knowing each other! <3

Emma just turned 5 yesterday and is becoming quite the young lady! Always willing to help, but also always willing to giver her opinion! Her love language is definitely either physical touch or quality time.

Corrie will be 4 in June and is a joy to everyone around her! She has a very quirky sense of humor and loves to make those around her laugh! :D

Emma and Corrie have a very sweet sister relationship that I hope lasts their lifetime.

And then there was James.

James is definitely all boy. So energetic, noisy and joyful!!! ;)

He has such a joy of life around him and is so much fun to watch play with his car, trucks, airplanes, tractors, helicopters, etc. You name it and he probably has one. And he very carefully lines them all up and makes the noises for each one! :) 

A few days after Thanksgiving, we found out another little one was on the way! :D

I'm due July 24th and we had a sonogram and it's a boy! The girls got to go with us to the sono which they thoroughly enjoyed! 

The sono tech saw something on the placenta that they recommended getting looked at by a specialist, so our midwife set us up to go see one all the way in Frisco. It was a drive, but everyone we talked to said she was the best in the business, and it's worth it to find out! 

Very thankfully, everything is ok with the placenta and our little Franklin Robert and we are so grateful!!!

Just a random picture of the kiddos playing in a box that Sam had ordered something for the Fire Dep in. They played with it for days till it tore so much we had to throw it out. who says toys have to be expensive? :)

Father and Son at the beach. 

Sam and I got to get away for the weekend for our anniversary to the Fort Worth Stockyards. I'm hoping to do a post about that by it's self. we had so much fun walking around, watching the shows, and just being with each other! It's been so crazy the last year with everything going on that it was nice to get away!

And back in May we did a thing. A very grown up and scary thing. 

We closed on our very own house! We were very thankful for my realtor sister's help through all of the ends and outs of inspections and insurance! Thank you Sarah!!!

After just over three years of living in an RV, it took some adjusting to, but we are totally loving it!!!

It has 15 acres and is only 1 mile from the fire station and about 5 min from my family's house.

The view from my kitchen window

from the road

April

Ok, so catching up...I'm just going to post random pics and put captions on them...

Mark and Hillary had a small party for Mark's 25th birthday

Will and Emma...3 days apart

Some cute pictures of Emma

One morning, we went early to church to Faith, Liz, and Sam could play and sing together before the girls left for SE Asia

The Schattes came to my family's house for lunch and volleyball, and on the way there, we stopped for a picture in the bluebonnets

the one that made the on mantle :)

volleyball

resting between games

Hannah and Bobby...He loves playing with balls!

I took this picture and then realized Sam looked rather...dead....

...so he did this.... ;)

chatting...one of the things we do best! :)

my niece, Anna

Some Hutchins came later in the evening

Mommy put Emma to sleep

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of Samuel and Emma! :D

...Grandma...

Grandma

That word means different things to different people.

For me, it meant my dad's mother that lived only a few minutes from us growing up, so we saw her and Grandpa Pete almost every day.

She loved reading book to us, and we loved sitting and listening to her. I won't ever think of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, The Butter Battle Book, or I'll Love You Forever without thinking of her.

When Grandpa died 6 years ago, she moved in with us, and became a very vital part of our lives! We would ask her advice from anything from the dress we were making to the guys that wanted to court us, to child rearing. She loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren very much, and loved for them to come out to her castle and play where she could watch them.

And then on October 31st, at about 11 in the evening, she slipped from this life into glory.

Yes, I'll miss her.

Yes, there are tears.

I tear up when I think about the castle without her,

or when I think that our children will grow up not knowing her.

But, some of the tears are happy ones...

Like when I think about all the good times we did have with her. 

When I think about all of our friends that their grandmother lived far away, and so she 'adopted' them as grandchildren.

When  I think that She is in no more pain.

When I Think that she is forever with The Heavenly Father

When I think of her reunited with her husband, Pete,

Her son, Roy.

 Her favorite brother, Jack, that died in Pearl Harbor,

Her other 5 siblings,

Her parents,

Her best friends, Uncle Roma and Aunt Reba Anglin,

And many, many others! 

She'll be singing with the saints!!!

I'll miss you Grandma! 

But this is only a temporary goodbye!

I will see you again in heaven!!!

Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day <3

As young parents
L-R Grandpa, Donna, Doris, Barbara, Charles and Grandma

As older parents
Donna, Charles, Daddy, Barbara, Doris
Grandpa, Roy, Grandma