Easter - what a wonderful day!

As I look back, I am so thankful for our Easter Sunday. I know it was a while ago but I'm just

now able to write. Christ is Risen....He is Risen indeed! We had a great time at church where

a wonderful sermon was preached. We also were able to fellowship with friends and family

after the service. Then we went over to Mary Beth's house with the rest of my family.
Dad was living with Mary Beth so it was easier for all of us to just go over there. The weather

was wonderful - a beautiful day actually! The guys (Will, Rhett, Greg and Brett -

a friend of the family) played a little basketball. It started out as HORSE but then

turned into a 2v2 match. Allison, Mary Beth and I got the food together in the

house with dad. Nanny was playing with the little ones, as usual. And Dad just

took everything in! The little ones would walk in and out of the house,

stopping by his chair to "talk". At least they thought they were talking to him

and he would just listen to their babble :)

Everything was just as it should be, all of us together!
Dad was getting a little hungry and requested some food.
Dad: "I'm hungry"
Mary Beth: gives him some ham then says "Dad, EAT YOUR HAM"
(those of you familiar with Napolean Dynamite it's a familiar quote)
Allison and I thought it was pretty funny!
After his second helping of food, we decided to give dad his Easter basket so he could

finish the meal off with some fine candy and chocolate! Everybody else got their Easter

baskets too. We've continued the tradition of being together on holidays trying to be

together at most of them, knowing that mom LOVED holidays. I think it's something we

do without saying it. It's just a way to remember mom. I was surprised by how fast the

time flew. We stayed there almost all afternoon. All of us were having fun playing

around and laughing with/AT each other! Dad enjoyed just watching everything go on

and eating a good ole' meal with all of us! I do have to say Dad had to endure Greg's

story of his male massage therapist! I think Dad got a good laugh at Greg's expense!

For this day I am so thankful and it will be with me forever!
Christ is Risen.....He is Risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

Our family

Nanny with me and Reese

Give me a kiss!



My sisters!

Hey Reese, can you an Uncle Will say "Ahhhh"

Dylan showing her how to put eggs in a bucket!

Can I eat these eggs?

Uncle Rhett and Aunt Allison...."Little Jacque say weeeee"

Greg and Reese

The boys playing basketball.

Little Reese

Reese with her best friends.....Nanny and Emma

Reese giving Nanny a kiss.

Empathy.....something we have mastered!

Empathy: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to,

and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another

of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience

fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner . (as defined by webster)

Reese has this mastered. She feels so deeply for the other kids, she cries too!

Or maybe she is just scared and confused! I like to think she has mastered

empathy but it's more likely the latter!

This past weekend we were in Virgina visiting her friend Emily Ruth

(actually, my friend since grade school - Lauren). Emily Ruth is a month

older than Reese. They played to together very well but Reese spent a lot

of the time crying. She cried when Emily Ruth cried and she cried when

Emily Ruth would scream. I guess this shows that Reese was either scared or

confused....or maybe both!!! But overall is was a great weekend. Reese and I

rode up to Virginia with Lauren's mother to surprise her for her 30th birthday.

We got to her house while they were on their way back from being out of town.

We decorated the house and stood in the dark waiting!! She opened the door....

we turned on the lights....yelled HAPPY BIRTHDAY......she cried!!

Great birthday surprise.........I LOVE SURPRISES!

It's amazing we have been friends for 25 years!

We are starting Emily Ruth and Reese out early :)

A little bug!

We have had our first experience with the stomach bug this week.

Reese is 16 months old and this is the first time she has EVER t

hrown up. I have been quite amazed that she never really spit up or

threw up much as a baby. This little bug started Tuesday morning and

hasn't been that bad. She got sick Tuesday morning but after she got sick

she seemed fine! All day she played around and seemed to enjoy herself

but last night around 3 am she got sick again. So, now we are just trying

to "sleep" it off! Hopefully it will work! I do have to say that I hate that she is

sick but I LOVE how much she wants to cuddle with me and be with me!

Hopefully this little bug will leave soon and all will be back to normal!

Feeling the beat~!

I've been noticing that over the past month that Reese has picked up on music.

Towards the end of February we were driving along listening to her CD when

I looked in the mirror and saw her clapping her hands. It took me a second to

realize she was clapping her hands to the song, "If you are happy and you know it!"!

She's been clapping for a little while but I was quite amazed she knew to clap

when to song said to!

This weekend while at the beach we were walking down the hall in our hotel when

Reese stopped in the middle of the hall and started bouncing! They were playing

music throughout the hotel and I guess the moment took over!!! So there we are,

standing in the middle of the resort and she's bouncing to the music. A few couples

thought it was pretty funny too! I did get tickled watching her "dance"!

Ummm...I wonder, might I have a dancer one day???

"I'm walkin' yes indeed, and I'm taklin' 'bout you and me"

On the 25th of February, Reese turned 15 months old. Just a few days before then,

actually on Valentine's weekend, Reese started walking. She has been moving

about the den holding on to the furniture but was very leary of taking steps. But, I

guess it was just something about the Valentine's day weekend that lead her to

walking. I do remember the advice MANY mothers gave me.....

"Don't teach her to walk!!!". WOW, it does change things once they can

start walking! She is such a busy bee! Not only does she like to walk every where,

she LOVES to talk! Most of the time I have no idea what she is saying

but there are a few occassions I catch a word or two! (Usually it's DADDY!)

A year ago!

I can't believe it was a year ago that a "typical" doctors visit led to a hospital stay, which led to the birth of our sweet little girl!  The whirlwind of those days, especially the day of the 25th, feels like just the other day, but to see her now, you would think it was years ago!  I never knew how much you could love something/someone until she was born!  As I look back, I am thankful that I was on so much medication after the C-section because it helped me to not realize I wasn't seeing my brand new baby girl!  I wasn't able to see her until 20 hours after delivery!  The thought of that now is devastating but the Lord knows how to comfort me when needed.  Over the past year, I have thought many different times how wonderful "this" age is and each stage just seems to be getting sweeter and sweeter!  I remember how much I just loved holding her in my arms as she slept all swaddled up in her blankets and then when she first started to smile and coo at me. And now as she babbles to me and calls out "maama", it amazes me daily the love that fills my heart!  I often think how selfish I am because I want her all to myself all the time and can't even start to understand the selflessness of God!  How He knew what suffering His son would undergo and still allowed all that to take place for me?!!  I'm know I wouldn't be able to do that!  I am just so thankful for this past year and all the amazing blessings the Lord has bestowed on us!  Our sweet little 3 pound girl has grown and changed into this cute, lovable, personality-filled 17 pound one year old!  Thank you Lord for what you have given to us and how you show us daily the blessings you pour out to us!  So  all that to say little Reese is now a year old - 17 pounds, almost walking and talking up a storm!