W is for Weddings

Is it Christmas?  The reason I ask is because June is going to be like December for us this year.  Of course we will have our normal two birthdays (Nicholas' and mine) and Father's Day (which is on my birthday), but this year we also have two weddings in June.  They are not just weddings we have been invited to either; they are weddings of two very special people in our lives- my nephews, David and Matt.  David is getting married in Beaumont and two weeks later Matt is getting married in Dallas.  We love the women they have chosen to spend the rest of their lives with, Linda and Jen.

Katie is so excited because she gets to be in both weddings.  One of the dresses she is wearing flows down to the ground, and the other comes right to the knee.  They look funny in her room hanging side by side, one so formal and long, the other short and summer-like.  What a symbolic contrast between brothers and their brides; each unique and special.

Andrew will be the ring bearer and wear a tuxedo in David's wedding, and Nicholas will do the same in Matt's wedding.  They, too, are excited about participating in the special events.

I know it will not be long before our children go down the aisle, if that is what God has planned for them.  I only hope they find the kind of everlasting love that Pete and I share.  When it is right, it works.  Merry June!

Who's Blowing Out the Candles?

One of the advantages of having children so close together is that they enjoy the same things. Take, for example, birthday gifts. When one of my kids gets a gift, it is usually something they all can enjoy. This great fact rang true over the weekend with Andrew's birthday presents. Here is a list of some of the items Andrew received for his birthday and who actually enjoyed them:

1. The first book in a new series "The 39 Clues"~ Katie grabbed onto that book in the blink of an eye and read it in one day. She is now begging for the second book.

2. A Lego Star Wars model~ Andrew's friend gave that to him when he came over Saturday to spend the day. While they were at the computer, Pete and Nicholas sat at the kitchen table and assembled the whole thing.

3. An Ice Age Wii game~ Nicholas must have thanked Nini and Papa ten times for Andrew's new game.

4. A Mario Brothers Nintendo game~ Katie snuck it into her room and played it while Andrew and Nicholas took turns on the new Wii game.

Of course, being the kind-hearted, giving person he is, Andrew gave permission for the others to test out the new gifts. He got many more cool gifts and had an awesome birthday (except when Nicholas kept blowing out the candle during the "Happy Birthday" song...).

Snowy's Accident and Pete's Birthday

Today is Pete's birthday. Happy Birthday, Pete! I love you! The best present we have ever given my dear husband is our lovable dog Snowy (pictured above). He adores her, and she loves him. Watching Pete and Snowy interact is so sweet. Jake, my dog, loves Snowy too, and spying on them as they play can be hilarious at times. But in the backyard, Snowy loves to dig and get into everything. In case you don't remember, or are just beginning to read this blog, we adopted Snowy from the Humane Society and gave her to Pete for Christmas. The day we picked her up was the day it snowed here in Southeast Texas- hence the name Snowy (plus she has some white on her belly).

Well, yesterday Pete was grilling dinner outside when he came in suddenly and in a panic cried out, "Snowy has lost her eye!"

Katie started crying immediately, as any preteen girl would do, and I tried to remain calm.

"Are you saying her eyeball fell out?" I asked, unable to imagine what Pete meant.

Pete was rummaging through the phonebook to find the animal hospital that is open on the weekends.

"Her left eye is swollen shut and her eyeball is pushed back. The clear coating on the outside is gone. She might be blind now," Pete answered.

He called the emergency vet and immediately took Snowy in, as the rest of us sat and waited. Jake sat by the garage door, visibly concerned about his hurt buddy. Time seemed to pass very slowly as we tried to eat. Would Snowy need surgery? Would she be permanently unable to see from that eye? Would she die? All of these questions were scenarios floating through my head as I tried to swallow my dinner.

Pete finally called and I could hear the relief in his much calmer voice. Her eye was okay. She hurt it somehow, with a stick perhaps, and the eye naturally overreacts and swells shut so as to protect itself. They would be home soon, with eye drops, ointment and antibiotics for Snowy. The whole incident cost $125.00.

So today, on Pete's birthday, we have so much to be grateful for- Snowy will be okay, and so will Pete!