Well, it’s safe to say I’m a little behind. In fact, as I scrolled through the 19,000-plus pictures in my files on this laptop, I realized I’ve skipped most of the last twelve months. I have plenty of excuses for not blogging, but who needs those? It’s just me here, and this is really a scrapbook of sorts. So I guess it matters not if it’s in “real” time.
I’m going to attempt to go back to Spring of 2011 and make my way forward. And I’ll try to be short on words and long on photos.
Last spring, if you recall, many folks along the Mississippi River were required to leave their homes due to flooding. In fact, it was the most damaging flood in the past century. My in-laws were among those displaced, unsure of what they’d find once the waters receded. During that six weeks, they lived with some of their dearest friends so my father-in-law could be close to his work. They asked us if we’d keep their lab, and of course, we agreed. Who could resist this sweet face?
Sadie, their six-year-old black lab, immediately made herself at home. And we fell in love with her.
Probably because there was a comfortable familiarity. You see, she was once ours. Christmas of 2005, I had a grand idea to surprise Shannon with a lab puppy, complete with red bow, plenty of cuteness, and puppy breath. A year later, we were blessed with a new baby. And I was blessed with raging hormones, lack of sleep, mastitis, and possibly a hint of postpartum blues. Our one year-old lab, while well-trained for hunting game and obeying commands, was still in full puppy mode. She could chew a water hose into sixteen pieces in the blink of an eye. And those steel bowls intended as dog food containers? They didn’t fare well with Sadie. Eventually, when the bowl was empty, she would attempt to eat it. I found myself cleaning more messes from Sadie than from own children. Combined with the frequent protective barking, I was soon pushed over the edge. My fragile, hormonal state didn’t help matters. One day, much like the Mama in Marley & Me, I declared it was time for Sadie to go. In fact, I may have said something along the lines of “it’s either me, the baby, or the dog.” While I imagine he considered another home for me, Shannon eventually secured another dwelling for the dog. And Sadie loved her new home with Gran and Granddad. They live on a lake in the Delta, just off the Mississippi River, surrounded by many acres of woods and hunting land. Best of all, we were still able to see Sadie whenever we went to visit.
Fast forward to last Spring. April 2011. Once she came back into our home, after those terrible toddler years of puppy-hood, we all fell in love. This was a complete transformation. The once rowdy, rambunctious puppy was now easy going, quiet, non-destructive, and very gentle with the kids. And she and Charlie connected like long-lost friends.
Initially, Sadie made her home on our back porch.
But soon she loved her way into the house with the rest of us. It didn’t seem fair for Charlie to sit inside while Sadie stared through the backdoor.
The only problem we’ve noticed is that she doesn’t know she’s a dog.
Fortunately my in-laws were able to move back into their home in June of last summer. They had a lot of water damage and lost some items in the flood, but their home didn’t float down the river, which was an answer to prayer. After weeks of cleaning, painting, and moving furniture back into place, they were back at home. And they graciously offered to let us keep Sadie, realizing how attached the kids had become to her. (Okay, I was pretty attached, too.) They now have a precious new yellow lab.
Summer of 2011 was filled with the typical activities we do each year. Anna Katherine went to Hawaii with our church’s youth choir for a mission trip/choir tour. I don’t have all of her photos on my computer, but I did take a few shots from their homecoming concert at our church.
While Anna Katherine was away, the boys went with Nana, Pop, and Avery to the circus.
And then they practiced some circus maneuvers in bed.
Ben also played some baseball. He played on a recreational team, which is what I used to think all kids this age played. But it’s become a serious sport since the days of old when I watched my older brothers play. Now there are competitive, traveling teams for seven-year-olds. He just plays for fun. And that’s good by me. So his sweet coach, who also happens to be a youth pastor at one of our churches in town, was great at encouraging the boys and allowing them the opportunity to play at different positions. Sometimes a child might be weak at a certain position, but he still got the chance to play there for the sake of experience.
Walt took swim lessons again. This was his third year, and it appeared he finally mastered it. He’s not swimming laps or doing the butterfly stroke, but he can safely make it across the pool. He’s already asking if he can take again this summer, and he likely will.
After swim lessons one day, Walt decided to put his entrepreneurial face on. Instead of a lemonade stand, he opted to sell water. Tap water. I came outside to find this scene at the end of my driveway.
Location may have been a factor in weak sales. We live on a cul-de-sac with only a few houses. Or quite possibly all the hand stirring resulted in a slow day for water sales.
Father’s Day came along, and we celebrated the Dads in our family during lunch that Sunday. (I still can’t believe I’m writing about events from last June, and it’s now March!! Time is flying!)
After church, my family gathered at our house. Uncle Grant came to town for the day, so we all enjoyed the afternoon visiting and catching up. We all stay so busy now that it takes a holiday to get us together.
(I love this photo of the kids with Pop. Little did we know then how precious this photo would become to him. During the fall, when he spent many days in the hospital, a framed 8×10 of this sat at his bedside. The three youngest grandkids couldn’t visit, so he at least could see their faces each day.)
The kids got to spend some quality time at the end of the summer visiting with Gran & Granddad. (The early part of summer was spent cleaning their home to prepare for moving back in following the flood.)
At the end of the summer we visited my Aunt Amy and Uncle Jerry (my Dad’s brother) for a family reunion. Neither of my Dad’s parents is still living, and they are the only two children. We felt so fortunate that all of the children/grandchildren were able to be present. My cousin Chris flew in from Colorado and the rest of us just drove a couple of hours. It was a great day being together with the whole family.
If my grandmother was still living, she’d be most impressed with the service of the sweet tea in Mason jars. She loved to have her iced tea in a jar, and if she wasn’t quite finished with it, she covered it in plastic wrap and put it in the “ice box” to save for later.
School started shortly after and fall was upon us before we knew it. (I believe I already posted photos from the first day of the school year. How sad is that! The school year is almost over, and I’m still covering material from last summer.)
Well, fall came around, and with it came MSU football. We decided again this year to get season tickets for our family, although in hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best use of our limited funds. We don’t do a vacation in the summer, so I try to justify the cost of tickets, saying “oh, but it’s family fun that lasts throughout the entire season.” Due to some unforeseen circumstances, and possibly a deer hunt, we missed a few home games. But we did have a great time when we were there cheering for our DAWGS.
And while we do love the tailgate, we enjoy the excitement of the game and cheering for our Bulldogs.
(In case one should wonder if Anna Katherine and I attend these events, the answer is “yes.” She’s usually strolling around campus, finding her friends and dreaming of 2015 when she’ll possibly be living there. And as always, I’m the lady behind the camera.)
Walt’s class went on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, so I joined them for the day.
Those pumpkin patches are a little more entertaining than I remember as a kid. Actually, I’m not sure we ever took a field trip to the pumpkin patch in preschool. For that matter, did we take ANY field trips in preschool? Woe is me. I’m also pretty sure I walked barefoot in the snow three miles both ways.
Nonetheless, this pumpkin patch included bouncy houses, a playground, a miniature putt-putt golf course, a petting zoo, and a small train ride. No room for boredom. The only thing it lacked was a real pumpkin patch. Maybe it was a bad year for the pumpkins or this patch had just been picked over, but it looked as though they’d purchased a crate from the local Walmart and scattered pumpkins over the patch. The kids cared less, though, and Walt was tickled with his selection.
We both required a nap at the end of the day. Come to think of it, I’m starting to require naps a lot more lately. Maybe it has something to do with turning forty. This past October marked the big one for me. As much as I had hoped it would slide by with little fuss, I had a few friends who decided to surprise me. We have a small group that celebrates birthdays together, and typically we just do lunch or dinner at one of our homes. They had me save a date for my birthday dinner. However, on the morning of the planned dinner (at the CRACK OF DAWN), they all arrived at my home, burst into my bedroom wearing party hats and blowing horns, and announced a change of plans. I was to be packed and ready to leave after work that afternoon. There would be no dinner in a home. Instead, we were taking an overnight road trip.
I was too groggy to make complete sentences. Fortunately Shannon knew ahead of time they were coming so he was dressed and greeted them at the door. All I could manage to say was, “I think I’m scheduled to work at the nursing home tomorrow.” They had covered all the bases and had even cleared it with my boss so that I could be off. That’s a birthday gift in itself!
So that afternoon, the girls showed up looking like this.
The front says “Heatherpalooza…Forty and Fabulous”
The back says “See ‘ya next year”
My sweet Mama released some photos to these ladies without my knowledge. In fact, she gave my sister-in-law, Shannon, a large box packed full of Olan Mills memories. That photo on the front of the t-shirt was from the first grade. In what I can only call a very unfortunate event, and possibly a lapse in judgement on the part of my hairdresser, I got my first permanent at the ripe old age of six. And then I lost my two front teeth. Which basically meant I looked like little Orphan Annie. Little Orphan Annie who got into a fight with Pepper, Duffy, and the gang. And lost.
On the bright side, permanents are really not so permanent. I kept my head high, remembering that the sun would come out tomorrow. And by the tenth grade, I was smiling with a full set of teeth and peeping through blinds to capture the memories (see back of t-shirt above).
The girls took me to Memphis for the night. We rode in style in the conversion van, had a wonderful dinner at Felicia Suzanne’s downtown, and then spent the night at the Peabody. It was a special treat and surprise when my brother, Grant, who lives in Memphis, showed up to visit with us!!
So turning forty was pretty fabulous, thanks to some sweet, sweet friends and family. I began to realize my age when Anna Katherine announced she had a date for Homecoming. This was her first homecoming game to attend as a high schooler, and when William came into our home with the corsage, I was a little teary. And happy, too. ‘Cause she was all smiles.
She also had fun helping decorate the freshman float and riding in the parade.
Ben’s class, along with all of the second grade classes at his school, performed at our local Hospice House’s fundraiser, Celebration Village.
Halloween rolled around, and the kids decided to carve some pumpkins. I’d love to say we make this an annual event, but we seem to forget. Or I just put it off until it’s too late. Anna Katherine took over with the artistic work while Shannon completed the detailed carving. The guys loved scooping out the “gunk.”
The boys enjoyed trick-or-treating. Anna Katherine’s outgrown the days of dressing as Hello Kitty and Dorothy, but she still likes to walk her little brothers around the neighborhood. (And they’re pretty good about sharing their buckets of candy at the end of the night.)
The little Ninja and Optimus Prime (Transformer) made their final stop for candy at Nana and Pop’s house.
Walt’s class had a party. (The older grades don’t do too many parties anymore, which makes me a little sad. Ben usually has two parties a year.)
Along with one other Mama, I helped with the fall party. Which basically meant I dropped off cookies and chips. The other Mom was the creative one. She planned the festivities. I only stayed a few minutes since I had to run back to work, but I got a few photos.
Ms. Florence Jo and Ms. Catherine are both such sweet, sweet teachers!!
Just a few weeks after the Halloween festivities, Walt’s school had their annual Thanksgiving Program.
And he was just about the cutest Indian/Native American I’ve ever seen.
As I reflect back on Thanksgiving, I can’t help but mention a very significant event in the life of our family. Dad had his heart attack just eight days after Halloween and came home from the hospital on Thanksgiving Day. I know I’ve already written some about that on my two previous posts, but I can’t just skip over that as I’m going through the timeline of last fall.
The days following his bypass surgery could only be described as a roller coaster. One day looked promising, the next looked bleak. One day he was walking the hallway, the next he was back in surgery and in ICU again. The nurses in ICU eventually teased him, saying he had a girlfriend up there and he couldn’t stand to be away. I know God allowed those days of riding that bumpy, jarring roller coaster were for a reason. I watched the person who has always been the strongest and wisest man in my life stop breathing. Right before my eyes. One minute our family was talking to Dad and the next he was lifeless. And then they called a code. We waited in a room. Silent. Prayerful. Tearful. And still. Until the surgeon entered to tell us Dad had been resuscitated and the bypass surgery would begin immediately.
I wondered how many times God would grant us another miracle. He’d already been so good to us. Dad had beaten the odds on his advanced prostate cancer. (And given God the glory all along the way.) He chose to fight it as long as treatments were provided, and he was not only given quantity but great quality of life during the five years since his diagnosis. How much more could his body endure?
Dad made it through the bypass, with several complications over the course of the next couple of weeks. But he made it home on Thanksgiving Day. He started home health physical therapy. (The doctor didn’t think it was a good idea for his daughter to be his therapist…thought I’d be a softy!!!) Soon he progressed to outpatient cardiac rehab and was doing really well. By the first of the year, he was out driving and taught his Sunday school class the second weekend in January. But a few days later, he had a bad fall on his steps at home. He was unconscious for about 15 minutes and had a significant concussion and bruised lung. So back to the ICU he went. To see his girlfriend. 
Fortunately, there was no life-threatening injury. It was a blessing he wasn’t on a blood thinner, or the bleeding in his brain could have been a much more serious deal.
Just about the time he was recovering from the fall, he began having some shortness of breath. Mom took him to the hospital, since the last episode of shortness of breath (with no other symptoms) was a major heart attack. They kept him a few days and decided to put in a pacemaker. And at this point we decided it was time to name a room after Dad. Bless his heart! Literally.
We celebrated Christmas (before the fall and the pacemaker…it really is confusing going back in time to write.)
The kids decorated gingerbread houses with Nana. She is a wise lady, and now not only does she buy the pre-assembled houses, she also has two shifts of decorating. The girls have a gingerbread day, and the boys have a gingerbread day.
I had the best intentions of taking the kids to see Santa at the mall. But Ben didn’t seem all that interested. So when Walt’s teacher sent a note saying they were taking a field trip to see Santa and eat at the mall food court, I felt like I’d received an early Christmas present. And a couple of weeks later, along with a collection of other handmade treasures, Walt presented this sweet gift to me.
I decided to stop by Walt’s class during his Christmas party. I arrived a few minutes early and found his teacher reading the Christmas story from Luke while the children were dressed in character and acting out the parts.
After some snacks and gifts, Walt said Merry Christmas and good-bye to his classmates (until 2012). Then we headed to Ben’s school for his Christmas party.
We celebrated Christmas with Shannon’s family at his sister’s house the weekend before Christmas.
Christmas Eve we attended our candlelight service at our church and went to Nana and Pop’s.
Someone in the above photo was not being extremely cooperative. So we tried one more time.
And this is where I threatened telling Santa to just “skip over our house tonight.”
While it’s the oldest threat in the book, it worked. He genuinely looks happy now.
Well, Santa didn’t skip our house after all.
It was a Rock ‘n Roll Christmas. (click to see video)
At 5:30 a.m., while the boys strummed the electric guitar and hammered on the drums, I questioned why Santa forgot to build a soundproof room.
While Walt wanted instruments, Ben wished for all things Lego-related. A much quieter alternative to the band.
And of course, Anna Katherine wanted clothes and a new cell phone. That sums up teenage girls. They don’t really need food to survive. Just the two c’s. Clothes and a cell.
Santa didn’t forget Sadie and Charlie. And they were so grateful for their bones.
That Sunday morning was a flurry of activity. By 7:30 we were all dressed and brunch was being prepared. The family came around 9:00 and then we had church service at 10:30.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. By the time we got home from church around noon, I was ready for a long winter’s nap!
We enjoyed the rest of the time off during the holiday break. I especially love working as a school therapist, because the schedule allows me to be home when the kids are home. We slept late most days, played with all their new games, watched football games, and finally put up the Christmas decorations. (That part always makes me sad.)
New Year’s Eve rolled around, and it was a big night for Anna Katherine. A group from her high school each year sponsors a “Winter Formal,” and this was her first time to attend. She went with her good friend, Kellam.
Several of her friends and their dates got together before the party for a dinner. (Thanks, Mallie, for hosting!) The Moms got to be there for part of the evening to help prepare and serve the dinner. It was such fun to watch them and hear the laughter. Brought back so many memories. And makes me feel so old!! Once they headed to the dance, I headed with Shannon to our own couples’ party, where we yawned the night away until the clock struck midnight. Turning forty has not been good for me. Then we rushed home to relieve the sitter and wait on our girl to make it back from the ball. She and her date rolled in the driveway just after us…safe and sound. Happy New Year!!
