New website

I am very disappointed in the lack of posts/pictures on the blog!! I started playing with our iweb program for a new youth website and realized how EASY it is to use!! so.....I made one for us! I don't plan to post on the blog anymore so that this posting will remain at the top and the link easy to find. Click here to visit our new site!

I am a little sad to leave this blog site. Rereading the posts takes me through a roller coaster of emotions...good and bad. For those of you who blog, you probably understand where I'm coming from. But, the exciting thing is that the new website has a blog area so I will continue to document our lives...hopefully more often!! So, for now....goodbye blogspot...hello our iweb!

We made a quick trip to Houston this week to visit Mike's Mimi.

She has been having some health problems and they are still narrowing down what is causing her pain. They have found several other things while doing test after test but I do think they are narrowing in on the cause. We wanted to go visit Mimi for many reasons but one being that with our mission trip coming up, we won't be able to make a spur-of-the-moment trip. We traveled there on Tuesday on home on Wednesday. Mimi was still very drugged when we were there on Tuesday but they began weaning her off her pain meds due to needing her to be able to answer questions. That enabled her to be awake and alert on Wednesday before we left. She was so excited to see us but even more so to see and hear Ranston!! Tuesday night, he made all sorts of sounds and even with her being out of it, she smiled and seemed to respond to him but didn't remember, so seeing him on Wednesday was a nice treat for her. Mike's Aunt Carolyn kept saying she felt Ranston was the best therapy for Mimi!!

I met Mimi when Mike and I were newly dating. We traveled to Spring 3 months after we started dating for Mimi's birthday. It was a bit intimidating to meet ALL of Mike's family, including extended family, only 3 months after we began dating. But, it was a great time to meet Mimi. With her living in the Houston area, we don't get to see her that often but we've seen her twice in the last 4 months and it's been a nice treat!!

More pictures...

I don't remember if I shared this one last time but Ranston has rolled a few more times!! He traps himself on his playmat though...he's not a happy camper when that happens.

and...he's STANDING!! with help of course!

These are from VBS this week.

We met the youth at the bowling alley to say goodbye to our Belgian friend Max...again!! We traveled to Corpus to the airport that morning to see him off...BUT, he plane was delayed and rather than be stuck in Houston overnight, he returned to Beeville. It was great to say goodbye again!

While we were at the bowling alley, our friend Stacy snapped a few pics of Ranston.

As always, things have been hectic with us. Summer is here and that means youth stuff all the time!! We love it though!! Our mission trip is coming up and we are SOOOOOO excited! I'll make sure and give some details for those of you who want to pray for us during the week of the trip.

Ranston is changing and growing every day! He is such a little cutie and I never have to worry about not having someone to help by holding him or watching him! Last week we had 2 instances where I needed someone to watch him. All it took was a phone call...well, actually 2...and it was taken care of! One of our youth is helping me watch Samantha this summer so I hope to get to post a little more. Gina and I were discussing that the days I don't have Sam, I'm busy with something else...which means Gina and I haven't had our girl time lately. Tomorrow will give us a chance to catch up. And, both babies have appointments in the next weeks (Ranston next week and Samantha the next)...we try to plan on riding with each other when one has an appointment so we'll get to visit then. I can't believe they are getting so big! Ranston will be 4 months on Tuesday and Samantha will be 8 months on Saturday!! Time sure does fly!!

Since I always have my phone on me, some pics end up on the phone and not my camera! Some of these are a little old but too cute not to share!

I LOVE the expression on his little face!

Ranston and Samantha napping after Wal-Mart!

First time using his UT paci...he doesn't use it anymore so I'm glad we got this pic!

One of my FAVORITES!

One of his first nights to roll around!

One of the first times he sucked his thumb

Our iphoto is working!!! YEA!

If you follow me on Facebook, you've probably already seen these pictures...

if not, ENJOY!!

(The caption is below the picture.)

We attended a little league game to watch 2 of our youth...Ranston was suited up in case they needed him to play!

Parker on the left and Aaron on the right.

The boys with Todd (my former boss and Parker's dad).

Jill (in picture below--Todd's wife) got to visit with Ranston during the game. He had lots of fun sticking out that tongue!!

I LOVE this picture!! We had Ranston propped up on the couch while we got things together and he slid down a little bit...his hat fell and it looks like he is napping before the big game with his hat over his face. TOO CUTE!!

We got to spend the day in San Antonio a few weeks ago with our friend Andrew and Katrina. They live in Corpus but had a VBS training in San Antonio and invited us to meet them for lunch on the Riverwalk. It was soooo nice to have a day off and spend it in San Antonio doing whatever. Usually we have an agenda and we don't get to enjoy the city for what it is.

This is from dinner but we took Ranston to Chuy's for the first time!! It was very monumental as you all know we LOVE Chuy's! He's already been back a 2nd time!

The next three are from the River Boat Tour. Mike and Andrew didn't really want to go on it but Katrina and I both LOVE the tour. I think it is such a relaxing thing to do. Andrew (and Ranston) had never been on it so we said it was a must! Ranston slept but I'm sure he'll be on it again in the future. It was pretty bright that day....he made some really cute faces!

As most of you know from a previous post, the bench where Mike proposed (in San Antonio) has been removed and the area has been turned into a water treatment facility. UGH!! We decided to take a picture with Ranston in front of the gate to the facility since we can't get one on the bench...you gotta take what you can get!

Our little guy is 3 months old!!!

So...we've been SUPER busy lately and I finally took a quick picture of Ranston with his dino before he turns 4 months old!! I don't know if you can see his facial expression in the 2nd one but he was NOT happy to be taking the picture.

Grease...is the word!

My sister LOVES the movies Grease and Grease 2. We used to sing to them all the time when we were little...thank goodness we didn't know the meaning behind what we were singing! ha!! Anyway, she got Ranston this onesie when he was just a few weeks old...Mike said he can only wear it around her...he isn't a Grease fan! He is almost too big for it now!

YEA MIKE!!

Mike graduated from Howard Payne University on May 8!

Ranston watching Daddy cross the stage!!

(held by PoPo)

Mike feeding Ranston in the hotel before graduation.

I know those were a collection of random pics but I had to catch you all up! I'll be sharing about some of our summer activities soon! I'm so excited to not be working this summer!!

WOW!! Things have been busy around here!!

Ranston is now 3 months old!! I'll have his 3 month picture up when I can access my iphoto program. We've been having problems with it for a little over a week now and hope to call about it soon. A few things we've been up to:

Mike graduated!! On May 8, we got to watch Mike walk across the stage at the Howard Payne University graduation. On May 13, the South Texas School of Chrisitian Studies (where the extension of HPU is held) held another graduation ceremony for its students. I'm so proud of him!!

We traveled to Andrews a few days before the HPU graduation to say goodbye to a friend...my friend Bobby was killed in a car accident and I'm so thankful I was able to attend his family visitation at the funeral home and his service. Bobby was such a great guy...loving, caring, always happy...he will be greatly missed!!

Ranston was dedicated on Mother's Day! For those not familiar with Baby Dedication, in the Baptist church, we formally dedicate our children to the Lord as babies. This is simply a public promise to be Godly examples to our children as they grow up and to encourage them in the Lord throughout their lives. I'm very thankful that many of our family members were able to attend the service. They will play a part in Ranston's faith as well so it was important to me that they be there.

Everything in between....

We're gearing up for summer which means VBS, mission trip, camp, etc.

It is going to be a busy but summer is always an exciting time in youth ministry. I'm hoping to reconnect with a few girls during the time they are out of school. I am REALLY excited about not working this summer and being able to participate in all the youth activities.

Not that I haven't enjoyed it thus far, but the last week or so has really made me glad that I'm able to stay home. The time I get to spend with Ranston and Mike is priceless. God has blessed our time together and it is amazing!!

I hope everyone is having a great May!! Summer is on its way!!

No pictures today. Just a warning! :)

I want to write about things going on in Ranston's world.

He is a whopping 10 weeks old this week and man, how time flies!

He does so many fun things. Like...

when he lies on his back and kicks, one leg kicks twice as fast and strong as the other...

when he sneezes, his arms and legs fly into the air...

he grunts as he "gets after" his hand until he finds his thumb...

he likes to "punch" his dinosaur (we names him Thuesa...long story) that dangles from his activity mat...

he is so mellow the majority of the time and loves to stare...

he loves to sleep as much as his mommy and daddy and is up to 7-8 hours at a time...

he is SUPER long...

and has SUPER long arms...

and fingers...

and legs...

and toes...

he is only 2.5 months old but can fill out (lengthwise) a 3-6 onesie with footies...

he has started sleeping on his side...

he smiles and giggles...

he stares into my eyes when I'm feeding him...(love it!!!)

once he starts "talking" (coos), he'll go on for a good while...

I love everything he does!!

I'm so proud of my husband!!

On May 8, 2010, Mike will be a college graduate!!

Mike will be graduating from Howard Payne University with his Bachelor's degree and I couldn't be prouder. There were many people that did not think he would finish...he has had more obstacles than one person ever needs and yet he has finished! Mike is the first to tell you that he doesn't enjoy school much. There are classes he enjoys and but overall, he does not care for school. He has worked so hard to finish his degree and I'm so excited his hard work has paid off.

Mike--let me start by saying that you are so much smarter than you give yourself credit for being! You have stuck with school when others would have given up...through hurricanes, serious illness including surgeries, numerous moves, uncooperative professors, crazy schedules and work in ministry, not to mention life in general! I am so proud of you and I thank God for giving you to me as my husband. I know that Ranston will be proud to call you his dad just as I am proud to call you my husband. May you always remember the feeling of accomplishment you feel as you receive your degree. I know you aren't finished with school completely yet but you have accomplished something many do not. I know that this was accomplished with God's help, direction, and guidance. You strive to follow His will and I believe this is part of His plan. CONGRATULATIONS HONEY!! I'll be cheering you on as you walk across that stage.

I'd love for Mike to be encouraged by notes of congratulations from our friends and family! If you'd like to send Mike a note, leave a comment letting me know if you'd like his email address or our home address.

Two months and growing like a weed!

Happy Friday!!

I decided to give our blog a new look. I'll probably play around with a few options before settling but it is nice to have a chance to give it a makeover!

Ranston and I have added Samantha to our activities a few days a week. Samantha is the daughter of our friends Jim and Gina and it was been fun having her with us. She's 6 months old and loves to "talk"...LOL I'm watching her 3 days a week and I'm looking forward to being used to having 2 babies! I knew it would take some time to get used to before I started watching her. This morning has been a bit hectic with them both wanting things at the same time. Thankfully they are both napping right now!

Ranston wore new jammies that had a matching hat. It fit like a "do rag" but I think it looked like a surgeon's cap! :)

Ranston is overall such a happy baby!! He definitely has his moments of fussiness but loves to smile and play.

I didn't make a sign for this picture. This is his 2 month picture. He has grown soooo much! At his 2 month appointment he weighed 11 pounds 12 ounces and was 24 inches long. That is 3 pounds 4 ounces and 3 inches bigger than he was at birth. He is in the 95th percentile for length and 50th for weight...which the doctor says is great!!

Stay tuned for what's happening in Mike's life in a few weeks!!

Hello all!! I'm very sad that I've only posted once since Ranston turned 1 month...he'll be 2 months tomorrow! Time flies!! Ranston and I have been busy so I haven't had a lot of time to post...but I have been taking pictures. I'll put a few captions but I know he's going to wake up soon so I better take advantage of my few minutes.

Ranston in an outfit from his Lala. He wasn't excited about it. LOL

Ranston snoozing on his daddy

We were invited to spend Easter with friends and they have BEAUTIFUL wildflowers in their front yard. We snapped a few pictures!

Ranston and I ventured to West Texas for a week. The rest of the pictures are from our trip. He was a GREAT traveler!!! I'm glad too because we like to go, go, go!

We started by staying a night with Mike's grandparents.

with our friends Leslie and Conner (15 months old)

Aunt Christy

Grandmother

our friends Lindsey and her daughter Emily

meeting his great-great grandmother Molly. She was a hoot with him!

5 generations on my side of the family! Ranston, me, my dad (Pop), Grandmother, and Molly

Ranston and I with my cousin Sumer and her son Drake (9 months old)

The Helvey great grandkids

Me and Ranston, Sumer and Drake, Hunter and Rori

We tried to get a pic of Nana with all the greats but Rori ran off and Drake wasn't happy. We gave up quickly. :)

@ Cassidy's Sub Shop in Andrews...mmmmmm....

with Nana

with Bonnie and Shaun Swanson

with Papaw

with LaLa

I worked with these girls at First Methodist before moving to Beeville. It was so great to catch up with them before leaving town! We never imagined we'd all have boys 2 years after working together!!

Misty and Gatlyn, Jana and Alex, Me and Ranston

Ranston was sniffed by so many animals on this trip. Not including the cats, he was sniffed by:

YoYo

Katie

and Frisbee

Check back soon for Ranston's 2 month picture. We go to the doctor tomorrow and I can't wait to see what his measurements are!