Let the Summer Games Begin!

In our small area, summer always starts at the ballparks. These are some pictures of a few of the first games of the season. This is Mason's second year of tee ball. The runner behind him almost passed him up. LOL

After three years of tee ball, this is Noah's first year with the pitching machine. Doesn't he look serious? Shelbi is in her 12th season of softball. She started at 5 years old. Now, she can only play one more year. =( I'm NOT into sports, but I do enjoy watching my child and the grandkids play.

And here is their biggest fan. I'm serious! This girl can cheer! and she'll sit there and watch the whole game!

AND NOW, THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

Monday, while Stephanie worked, we kept the boys. Poppa and I took them, and Shelbi, to see "Up" and they loved it! Even though, it made some of us cry. Mason, our hyper child, actually watched the whole thing! Because of this child's usual inability to sit still for more than FIVE minutes, this was our first attempt at watching a movie in a theater.

Shelbi just made it back last Thursday from a week long trip to Disney World and Universal Studios with her friend Ashley and Ashley's family

where she bought Leon his first souvenir tee shirt and, of course, Mickey Mouse ears. We saw him Tuesday and tried them on. Isn't he a doll?

We kept Noah, Mason, and Harlee Wednesday and today. We attached a new sprinkler to the hose and they loved it!

Shelbi wouldn't join them and wouldn't even pose for me. Teenagers! Her Daddy had to help me out! =)

This is Harlee shivering. I love the way the water is sparkling in the background.

The boys head to their Daddy's tomorrow for the week and Harlee to her Dad's for the weekend. So after lunch tomorrow, things should be quiet for a few days. Since Larry has to work nights Friday through Monday, it'll just be Shelbi and me until Tuesday.

Spanning the Generation Gap

This is me at 3 months old,

Sarah at 5 months,

and Leon at 3 1/2 months.

See any resemblance? Leon looks just like his Mommy

and a little like his Mimi (especially the ears). LOL

I had the privilege of spending the whole Memorial Day weekend with my little one. Sarah had to work all weekend and Memorial Day. Babysitters for the holiday weekends are impossible to find, so Poppa and I drove 3 hours (each way) to get him Friday afternoon and kept him until Monday. He was so good and so sweet, even though he had a slight cold and thrush. :( In the 3 hours it took us to get home, he rarely made a peep. We changed one diaper in the car on the roadside and stopped for one feeding. We were 10:30 getting home that night. He and I bunked together in the guest room, Leon in the port-a-crib and Mimi in the guest bed. (Poppa had just worked off the night shift Friday morning and, after he drove 6 hours, I wanted to be sure he got some sleep.) My oldest stepdaughter, Debbie, arrived for the weekend a little while after we got home, so we were up till about 12:30. Leon fell asleep at 1 am and slept 5 straight hours! He ate at 6 am, was back "out" by 6:40 and slept another 3 hours. This pattern continued all weekend, sleeping, eating, and a few hours of play time in between.

Larry returned to work Monday morning, so I had to take him back by myself. Everything was fine for the first hour, then he started screaming. I pulled over and calmed him down with his paci when he first started, but as soon as I got back on the highway he started back up. It was close to bottle time and lunch, but we were in the middle of nowhere. I had to drive 20 min. with him sounding like a siren in the back seat until I could find a restaurant to sit and feed both of us. An hour later, we were back on the road and he fell asleep. I stopped along the way to see my cousin, Lee Ann, that I hadn't seen in two years. Lee Ann lives an hour from Sarah and just had her first baby May 1st.

This is Jayla Rene'. She was even prettier in person! =)

Of course, Leon needed to eat again, so we ended up taking 2 extra hours to get to Sarah's. Except for that brief, nerve racking time on the road, he was an angel the whole weekend. I was SO exhausted I stayed the night at Sarah's rather than drive back alone late Monday through all the Memorial Day traffic.

Leon had some tummy time. His Nana (my Mom) bought him his first patriotic outfit.

Before I had to leave Tuesday, I managed to get a few cute pictures. I mentioned earlier that he had a case of thrush, so his mouth is purple from the violet antiseptic stuff we had to swab in there. It looks like he has lipstick on. =)

I love the sweet expression in this one! He's looking at his Mommy. He was so excited to see her Monday, he started kicking and shivering. So sweet to see them love each other!

I enjoyed my time with my sweet baby and hated to give him back. It was his first time to be away from his Mommy overnight and he did great! We're supposed to get him again for a few days at the end of June, while Sarah moves to another apartment and settles in. Can't wait! ;)

Wordless Wednesday (My First=)

Last Minute Mother's Day Post

I know, Mother's Day is winding down with only a few minutes left. I should have done a big spread, right? As far as mothers go, I do have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful, of course, that I am a mother. (Thanks Mallory, Sarah, and Shelbi! Love you.) I am thankful that I am a stepmother. (Hey, Debbie, Stephanie, and Leslie! Love you, too.) I am thankful to be a grandmother to my little hearts: Becca, Noah, Mason, Lauren, Harlee, and Leon. =)

However, it would be impossible to have any of these blessings without my mother. I don't know where to begin with this one.

I was born while my dad was in the Navy, so most of my early years it was just my mom and me. Therefore, most of my baby pictures are only of me, or of me and my dad taken by my mom when he was home on leave. I realized this when I searched for some of mom and me together. That's exactly what I found... a few. These are two of my favorites.


I love how beautiful my mom looks in this picture, but I really LOVE the way she was looking at me. This is one I have framed in my living room.


She still looks beautiful in this one, but this time its the expression on my face that I'm drawn to. I look like I'm just enthralled with her. It is so sweet! Like almost all little girls, I remember thinking that my mom was the prettiest mom ever. This picture is so faded, you can't tell that we have matching Easter dresses on. :) (You also can't tell she's pregnant with my younger sister, Bambi.)My mom had the best imagination ever! She played with me on a regular basis. I remember tea parties with Momma, playing "Mommies", coloring together, Barbies, games, etc. My favorite times were story times. My Momma LOVED to read and she enthusiastically passed that love down to us. I still have some of my childhood books. I can't look at them without hearing Momma's voice reading them to me. Those books are some of my most treasured possessions and are now loved by my grandchildren. What better legacy than a love of reading and learning?!

Life with Momma was never dull! There were many spur of the moment trips out of town to the zoo, state parks, or museums. Once, she decided late in the day to take us, and my best friend, to the state fair two hours away! I'll never forget riding those swings under the night sky and getting home well after midnight. As a single mom, she didn't have much money, but she made the most of what she had to do little things with us.

She also taught me to share what little I do have with those less fortunate. She truly believes that giving is better than receiving. She would buy a friend's child a pair of shoes if they were down on their luck or help another single mom out by loaning out her baby equipment. I follow her example by giving to St. Jude and March of Dimes, and sponsoring a child through Compassion.

I learned responsibility watching her raise us on her own. When her brother suffered a brain injury in a car accident and ended up in a permanent vegetative state, she took charge of his care and brought him home with her. That was over 15 years ago and she is still my Uncle Jack's caregiver. She helped her parents during my Poppa's last years and after his death, took my Nannie into her home and cared for her for the last five years of her life. I've told her many times how in awe I am of her sacrifices. She is a living example of John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

I learned from Momma that we love people in bad times, as well as good. We love them despite their faults. We love them through their mistakes, as well as through their successes. We love them in times of disagreement. Thanks, Mom, for all the lessons you taught me.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOMMA!

I LOVE YOU!

And to My Other Mother...

My stepmother, Margie, is one of the strongest women I've ever known. Her oldest son, my brother Ronnie, died in a car accident in 2004. It was Mother's Day and he was only 41 years old. Margie was devastated. That July, Margie's daddy (my PaPaw) passed away after a long battle with cancer. Margie had been there for him through his entire illness. That November, she developed pancreatitis and her organs started shutting down. It was a miracle we didn't lose her, too.

January 2006, her younger son, Keith, fell 30 feet from a train trestle onto the river bank. He was found a day later and they didn't know how he was still alive. He spent over a month in ICU in a drug induced coma. It was touch and go several times. He survived, but the nerve damage in his legs was so severe, he was wheelchair bound. With his wife as the sole supporter for his family, Margie spent the next couple of years taking Keith back and forth to doctors and therapy. Then, in September 2008, the unthinkable happened. Lightning struck twice in Margie's life. Keith died in his sleep. He was 41 years old. As if Ronnie's death weren't devastating enough, she was now completely crushed. I'd never known anyone who'd lost all of their children. My heart was broken for her. I miss my brothers, but she is their MOM! It still seems so unfair, even though we've seen God's hand and felt His presence through all of this. The amazing thing is that Margie was able to let God comfort her. So many people turn from God when these things happen, but Margie turned TO Him. I am in awe of her strength and her faith!

For weeks, I have dreaded this day for her. Every time I thought about Mother's Day coming up, I would tear up at what she must be feeling. I couldn't send a card that said "Happy" Mother's Day, but I couldn't ignore her today. I found a card that was a Mother's Day card, but with a message of comfort and sent that. I also called her this morning. I'm thankful that God gave her blessings this weekend. She had a good visit with her siblings yesterday. My niece, Lindsey, called her with BIG news! Margie is going to be a great-grandmother! She also got to hear her granddaughter, Shelbi, tell her Happy Mother's Day and that she loves her--- for the first time! Hallelujah!

Margie, I hope you read this and know how much I agonize with you (for you). I am blessed you came into my life 34 years ago! I love you with all of my heart!

Hi/Lo For the Week

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.



Check out my previous post for my "Hi" this week.

My "Lo" was reading about Kayleigh Freeman. So sad.

The Pledge Heard Around the World (or at least OUR little corner of it)

I posted twice in March about my daughter, Shelbi, who has Selective Mutism. If you missed those, read them before you read this one or you might be totally unaffected. Go here and here.

About 400 people in our local high school witnessed, or least heard, a miracle today! Shelbi led the pledge and "moment of prayer or silent meditation." She had her entire high school in an uproar. The office staff, teachers, and the principal were all crying. Kids were whooping and hollering. It was amazing! A few minutes later, she went around the school to each individual class and said "hi." What a testimony of the goodness and grace of God!! Her principal got on the intercom after her and told the kids that Shelbi was the one they had just heard and made the comment that with faith and love anything is possible! How well I know that! When the principal attended an administrators' meeting later that day, he shared with them what had transpired in his office that morning. He told me that even people who didn't know Shelbi were in tears. Her elementary principal came by her school after that to talk to her. Other people's reactions to her speaking have always amazed me! I'm in total awe of what God has done in Shelbi's life and how she is being used to spread His message!

Now, I'm the one searching for words when I use this to witness to people. You have to start from the beginning for people to really grasp what a miracle it is for a 17 year to get on an intercom. =)

My Red-Headed Stepchild =)

Today is Leslie's 27th birthday! Leslie is my youngest stepdaughter. When her Daddy and I got married, Leslie only lacked 16 days from turning 8. Our relationship is a little bit different than most stepmoms and stepdaughters in that I've known Leslie since before she was born. For those of you that didn't read my post on how my husband and I met, Larry and I met ten years before we dated. My family moved next door to his parents when I was 14 and his younger sister and I quickly became friends. Larry was married and had a two year old and a newborn. Less than three years later, they were expecting Leslie (their third baby girl). I actually felt Leslie kicking in her mom's belly. How many stepmoms can say that?! LOL
So, even though Les was almost eight when we married, I have watched her grow from a newborn into a lovely young woman.

When we got married, Leslie's two older sisters were 13 and 10 and my girls were 5 and 2. Since she had been the baby in the family for 8 years, I expected her to have a really hard time adjusting. I was also afraid she would end up resenting my girls/feel threatened by them. I know there was some jealousy, but I was amazed at how easily Les adjusted from being the baby to becoming the middle child overnight.

Leslie is full of compassion and wisdom beyond her years. She does her best to follow God's will for her life. She really loves her family, which includes her husband of almost 3 years, Joseph, four parents, five sisters, four nieces, three nephews, and other extended family members. She is a good listener and is usually the one all her sisters call to vent or use as a sounding board. (Poor thing, that's a LOT of listening. lol) She is also a wonderful aunt! Her nieces and nephews are always on her heart and mind. I know she is going to make a great Momma one day. =)

Here she is with the youngest niece and nephew, Harlee and Leon.

Now, doesn't that look natural? =)

I wanted to post a picture of Leslie at eight. Of course, there were no digital cameras 19 years ago. After turning my house upside down, I was unable to find the box that the pictures are stored in from that long ago. So, I'll just leave you with a recent one where she's acting eight. lol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LESLIE!!!

WE LOVE YOU!

DADDY, PENNY, and SHELBI
HAVE A GREAT DAY! :)

Happy Birthday, dear Becky! Happy Birthday to you!

Today is not only my stepdaughter's birthday, it is also my baby sister's. Becky is 37 today! It's also Becky's first birthday as a "Nannie." So, here's a picture of my sister with her husband, Greg, and their first grandchild, Talon. (Talon is Greg's daughter, Kelsea's baby.) Talon is my first great-nephew! Isn't he precious? And Becky and Greg are the cutest grandparents ever! Becky decided to be called "Nannie" to honor our grandmother. Aww!

Becky has a teenaged daughter, Hayley, and two stepchildren, Kyle and Kelsea. (And a sister named Penny.)

Happy Birthday, Becky!

Love, your favorite sister! (No, the other favorite!)

My little sister also has Multiple Sclerosis, so when you read this birthday post, please say a prayer for her and all who suffer with this disease. Thank you!

Big, Beautiful, Bald, Blue-Eyed, Bouncing Baby Boy!

I hope MckMama doesn't mind if I did a little alliteration of my own. (Like she'll ever see it. LOL)

Shelbi and I went to visit Sarah and Leon last week since we had Good Friday off. We stayed Thursday night and left Friday evening. It had been almost 3 weeks since we'd seen them! It was a short, but sweet, visit. Leon was SO good and we just ate him up. He smiled and even cooed at me a little bit. The only time he cried was when he was hungry, dirty, or sleepy.

I only took about 90 pictures. Sorry to disappoint Leon's fans, but I'm not putting ALL of them on here.

Mimi, look how BIG I've gotten!

Wow! pictures with his eyes open AND uncrossed! ;)

Loving on his Aunt Shelbi.

I love his little "elf" ears and his chubby cheeks.

We took Leon his Easter basket. My Poppa (the one Leon's named after) made five of these baskets when my kids were little and I wanted Poppa's namesake to have one.

The Easter Bunny came on Good Friday.

Sarah had to go shopping for some new work clothes. Yes, she got a job! She's hosting/waiting tables at Cracker Barrel starting Monday. (I LOVE that restaurant!) While she was gone, Shelbi and I dressed Leon up and had a little mini session. Sarah thinks all babies look like little old men, but they really do when they wear sweater vests and dress pants! =)

Then we "un"dressed him and finished our little session.

Talking to his Mimi. Awww!

Are you serious? The Easter Bunny brought me a basket?!

SWEET! Let me at it!

Wait a minute! No CHOCOLATE?! What kind of

Easter Bunny is that?!

Mimi, you tell that Bunny he better bring candy next year, ya hear?

I'll have teeth by then! =)

Did you notice the one eyebrow cocked up in every shot? I think it means he's super intelligent, don't you? LOL I love that expression!

Wednesday was Leon's first day at daycare. The ladies there said he was an angel and only fussed for a bottle. He only had to go one day this week while Sarah went to orientation. He'll start going full time next week when she starts work. Sarah hoped she'd have 2 months at home with him and Thursday he turned 2 months old. How's that for timing? Leon is doing great with the nursing--- gaining well and not spitting up much. (She's pumping and freezing bottles for daycare.) I'm thankful he seems so healthy and happy. What more could we ask for?

What Terrible Two's???

Everyone talks about how "terrible" two year olds are. I guess I really am nuts, because that is one of my FAVORITE ages! Yes, I've been through three of my own and we're on the fifth two year old grandchild. (Leon is next.) I LOVE the independence of this age, the curiosity, and the ever increasing vocabulary! They're like sponges between one and five and it amazes me! My oldest, Mallory, was so funny and charming at two. I don't remember her ever throwing a fit/tantrum. She was pretty much a laid back, sweet baby, and child. :) My middle child, Sarah, was the typical two year old. Her vocabulary wasn't developed enough to get her wants and needs across, so she would have her little "meltdowns." We actually have her on video throwing toys down and crying. Her fits were usually over in five minutes, though. Then there was Shelbi! I'm not sure if she would have been an easy toddler or not. Let's just say that being on the steroid, Prednisone, off and on between 16 months and 3 1/2 years, definitely messed with her moods. (The steroids were used to help control her blood disorder.) When she was on the medicine, she was miserable and the least little thing could cause a meltdown. She would disolve into tears and literally roll on the floor crying for hours. Nothing and no one could console her. When she wasn't on it, she was the cutest, smartest, funniest, most charming child you'd ever meet. She'd count for you, play games, sing songs, and was SO affectionate!

As each of the first four grandchildren turned two, I held my breath. For the most part, they were adorable, with some of the mild "terrible" moments few and far between.

The youngest granddaughter has, so far, been just like Shelbi (the unmedicated version)! She is delightful and I don't think I've EVER enjoyed a two year more--- and like I said, it's my favorite age! Unlike Shelbi, she NEVER meets a stranger and charms everyone. Look at that face!

The weekend before Easter, we took her to the Catfish Festival in Winnsboro, LA. Everyone knows you DON'T strap a two year old into a stroller for hours, during her usual napping time, in a crowd, and expect her to be good. This child was an angel! I'm not kidding! On the way there, she talked and sang a few songs, then fell asleep in the carseat for the last 30 minutes. I thought, "Oh man, she's going to be tired and awful!" Don't they love to prove us wrong! We strapped her in the stroller and she laced her fingers together and sat there like a little lady for about an hour. She never cried or even asked for anything! She didn't even cry when she dropped her sunglasses and a man stepped on them! :( She looked cute in them while they lasted. See?

Here we are waiting for our funnel cake. What's a festival without one of those? She looks like she's trying to decide what else might be good.

She was so good on this little trip, even when I had to change her diaper while she stood on the lid of a port-a-john. LOL

I said, in a previous post, that this one has her Poppa wrapped around her finger. Here she is motioning at him and telling him, "Mere, Poppa." She calls us to come to her all day long! She wants you sitting right beside her or in her lap. She pats her legs and tells us, "Sit in my wap." So funny!
She constantly cracks everybody up. From the time she was 8 or 9 months old her daddy called her "comical." She is indeed! She makes the funniest faces, sings her favorite songs, and has crazy "conversations" on her toy cellphone. Here's you a cheesy smile!

She is so loving, too! Just a few minutes ago, she walked up to me, rubbed my leg and said, "I love you, Mimi." Awwww! Lots of times she has hugged me for no reason and tells me, "Mimi, you such a sweetie." We wondered if she would be jealous of Leon after being "the baby" for over two years. Well, sharing "my Shelbi" with him was the ultimate test and Harlee passed with flying colors. She was loving all over this baby, playing with his feet and hands, and rubbing his little head. She was so gentle with him and kept saying, "Awwweeee." How sweet is that?!

Monday, Shelbi, Noah, Mason, Harlee, and I went to McDonald's for lunch and play time. This is the silly face she makes when we're teasing her. After eating her nuggets, she "ordered" her big brother, Noah, to stop spinning the balls and "C'mon." She wanted him to go in the tunnel with her. He obliged. Way to go, Miss Priss! Poppa's not the only guy she has wrapped!

However, she did show a little bit of the typical two year old when we had to leave the playground! We had a snot slinging fit thrower on our hands for a few minutes, then after a good nap, she was back to her normal, happy little self. =)

Seventeen!

Today my baby is 17! Wow! Shelbi is the youngest of six girls and the only one my husband, Larry, and I have together. When we married, we had five daughters by our first marriages. Larry and I decided we wanted ONE child together. Of course, with five girls, we were hoping for a boy. LOL I asked God for twin boys (figured an only boy after 5 girls would need a buddy.) Shelbi was born three days after our second anniversary. We fell in love with this dimpled, little clone of my husband. Her middle name is Layne. That is a combination of Larry's and my middle names--- Wayne and Lynn. This little baby (little? yeah right, 8# 15 oz!) became the center of our family. After all, she's the only one of the eight of us that is related biologically to ALL of us. The jealousy involved any time you bring a new baby home, paled in comparison to how much the other kids loved her. I don't think she could have been loved more if she had been twins. We were blessed! She has been such a joy, too. Well, after she outgrew colic. =)
Shelbi is a great teenager! How many parents can say that?! Honestly, I mean.

The most important thing is that she is a Christian! =)

On top of that, she's almost always on the Honor Roll. So far, only one "C" on her entire high school transcript! Yay for smart girls!

I can trust Shelbi to do the right thing. Unlike many other girls her age, she dresses modestly and is praying for God to show her the person she is supposed to marry. She has committed herself to waiting on Him (and him) and not date until that time. That amazes me!

She's compassionate and loyal to the ones she loves. She loves God, her family, and her friends wholeheartedly. Her nieces and nephews are crazy about her (especially Harlee) and vice versa.

She absolutely adores babies (any baby) and wants to be a NICU nurse one day. Seeing our pastor's 2 lb. preemie granddaughter in the NICU last year really reinforced what she believes her calling is.

This past year brought a LOT of firsts in Shelbi's life. Shelbi got her first stitches from a fall with a friend. Somehow, she and her best friend thought duct taping themselves to each other back to back would be funny! We spent a couple of hours in the ER getting stitches in the side of her head. Not so funny to me!

She had her first surgery (gall bladder) last September while we were vacationing in Memphis.


After struggling with Selective Mutism for years, she has established several new friendships and participated in family gatherings in ways she hadn't been able to before. She even gave her first ever on stage performance during a youth revival (video on blog titled "I Believe in Miracles" and the next night gave her testimony. So brave!


She watched a baby (Leon) being born! Again, a brave thing for an almost seventeen year old that's never had one of her own. Thank God! LOL


One of her best friends had a baby in March and Shelbi got her first namesake! Guess it's a good thing her middle name is unisex, because little Brayden Layne is a boy!


She got her driver's permit. Then got her license last month! (No picture of that-- too much info on it!)


A couple of weeks ago, she was allowed to go out of town with a friend and no adult chaperone. (It was just a day trip, people!)

It's been a busy and exciting year!

Happy 17th Birthday, Shelbi Layne!

You'll ALWAYS be our BABY!

With all of our love,

Momma and Daddy

We can't wait for the rest of the story!