Wesley's Almost TWO

Since Wesley's official birthday is on a Monday, we are having his birthday party on Saturday, July 4th. This year since we are so close to all our family we invited mostly family (with the exception of Trey who is like Justin's adopted brother). So far I think we are going to have a nice turn out for our little man's shin dig. The theme? Well......we left that up to the big sister who was the one who made sure Wesley was having a birthday party (we originally thought we may get off this year b/c of the move and just head to the beach but Kate wanted Wesley to have a party). So for the theme Kate decided on BUGS. Yes..she and Wesley have these stretchy bugs they play with all the time..inside, outside, in the pool, in the tub..you name it they carry these spiders and frogs and snakes and lizards everywhere. So when she made a 'Dirt Cake' a few weeks ago in Summer Camp, she immediately told me that is what kind of cake Wesley needed for his birthday cake. So Dirt Cake it is! It will be my first time at creating it (I've only eaten it once at a crawfish boil at Kimberly's house a few years ago!!)

More pictures to come on that!

How 'S-W-E-E-T' it is to be Kate and Wesley

Since Kate and Wesley have handled the adjustments so well...I took them to DQ for Kate to get her favorite dipped kiddie cone. When I asked Wesley what he wanted he said 'Nothing. I want Kate's'. I asked Kate 'Do you mind sharing?' Of course, since she is the best big sister ever, she said 'Sure'. And she did..and they loved it. I love these guys!

Our world out here....

My friend Shannon and I were instant messaging the other day right after we moved and she was asking me all these questions about our house, neighborhood, the kids' school and it made me realize that she was so familiar with those things back in Conroe (she'd been to my house, saw our subdivision, knew the kids' school, saw my desk at work) that she honestly had no idea about my world in Victoria. Here we go.....the grand tour =)

This is me saying Hi..and yes...I am working from my couch on a TV tray b/c the desk is still at my granny's.

This is our house..3/2/2 about 1750 sq ft (our house in Conroe was 1300 sq ft so we have more room) However you will notice oak trees, not pines..

This is our street (Gemini Court). The entire subdivision has the same type of home. All the homes are rentals but they are kept up very very nicely.


Our view from across the street
The view from our front door we have a very long living room
Jake's couch...yes, we took him with us....so far he's loving itBehind the couch is a 'dining' room but who would let kids eat on carpet? Seriously....I'd like some of my deposit back! So we use it as a playroom.This is the kitchen..simple...way more space than we need but I like the bar areaHere is the breakfast room that we use as the dining roomAnd here is the pantry..who takes a picture of a pantry? I do..b/c I didn't have one in my last house!!Wesley's room. Wesley's letters are now painted RED b/c the white doesn't show up well on white walls..they looked great on our old beige walls.
Kate and Wesley's bathroom

Kate's room (and Wesley sleeps here)
Master bedroom..its very largeMaster bathroom..this room could literally be a small bedroom..huge compared to our old one
Master closet....we have more room than stuff to put in here....niceThis is the backyard....no trees, no covered porch...yes...it is very hot out there and its very depressing that we can't go outside right now...we went from having an acre of fun space to nonuseable space. Good thing we are renting!
And finally....Kate and Wesley's school and our new church. It takes me 2 minutes to get to their school.

Father's Day Weekend.....

I have been to a lot of weddings in my (almost) 31 years but this weekend, Kate, my grandma and myself had the honor of being at one of the most beautiful weddings ever. Not only was the setting absolutely amazing (Old Glory Ranch, Wimberley, Texas) but Amber and TJ were the cutest Bride and Groom and there were many times I had to wipe away tears(and what a great weekend to get married - Father's Day). As we waited for the Bride to make her entrance she rode up with her dad in a horse drawn carriage as the music in the background was Brad Paisley's "Waiting on a Woman." The silence was infiltrated with the clickety clack of the horses hooves hitting the rocky driveway...as we saw Amber arrive through the chapel windows there were several gasps in the church. As Amber recited her vows she had to take her time as she held back her emotion. Erin and I were sitting by each other and we watched from the pews as Brian (Amber's older brother and Tara's husband) held back tears. It made me so filled with emotion. Never having had siblings of my own it made me so happy to see the connection Brian and Amber have. It made me hold Kate tight and appreciate the relationship her and Wesley have too.

Amber and TJ

Tara and Brian
And then on to the reception where Kate and Peyton had the cutest moment on the swing.....

The picture below will be BLOWN UP and put in black and white and hung up in our living room when we build our next house. I can't even explain the emotion that I feel when I see this picture. Kate and Peyton are so amazing. I remember being pregnant with Kate at Tara and Brian's wedding in 2004 and watching Tara up there as the Bride and just hoping that one day my daughter would have a friend as amazing as Tara.......looks like we have a good start!Grandma and Kate (chewing ice) Me, Tara (cute haircut and highlights girl!!) and Erin

Me, Kate and Tara

Brian and Kate dancing...........
One of the wedding guests (pink dress) took Erin, Kate and myself out to her car to see a baby skunk she rescued and was raising. I know it sounds crazy but Kate is not scared of anything and when she heard the skunk's name was 'Flower' (yes from Bambi) she just had to see her. Very cute.

And just in case you were wondering where Mr. Wesley was....he had a boy's weekend with Dad. What a great way to spend Father's Day Weekend. He and Justin went to Beeville to spend the day with Justin's parents on Saturday. Wesley loved riding the 4wheeler and playing in the water trough. Of course Justin doesn't carry a camera like I do so he took some pics of Wesley on his phone but I don't know how to download from camera to PC so I found some pictures that I thought were appropriate for our Father's Day......And to start....my favorite dad with his most valuable little people................

Here is a picture of Justin a few hours after becoming a father on October 8, 2004. The green shirt belongs to his father who was absolutely in love with Kate...and still is!
And Fathers Day wouldn't be complete without giving props to our own Fathers and grandfathers (Justin never knew his grandfathers but I had a very special relationship with both of mine).

Justin and his dad back in 2002.

I had the most amazing men in my life growing up...my grandpas (Sam and Cricket) were phenomenal men. And even though I only had my own Father for 10 years, he left me quite a few memories that I will cherish forever. Most of all, all 3 of these very strong men left me the most prized gift I could ever have asked for...they set very high expectations for my future husband. And I feel like all 3 of my 'Angels' had a hand in me meeting and falling in love with Justin. As I've watched him over the years as a person I notice so many traits like my own father, the love of the outdoors, fishing, hardwork ethic and just a genuine soul and everyone's friend. And when Justin became a father I immediately noticed his patience and unconditional love for our little ones. He wanted to get off of work as early as possible and be with them as much as possible. He's never needed time away, he's never needed advice. He is just a natural. That is exactly how I felt about my grandfathers. I overheard my grandpa Sam telling one of his brothers one time that there was nothing he enjoyed doing more than being Jessica's grandpa. He left a great legacy....I hope they know (I am pretty sure they do) how much I love them and I thank them for always being there for me (even now as they watch over me!).

Here is a picture of me and my dad as I celebrate my 4th birthday..........

My grandpa Sam (Wesley's middle name is in honor of him) And just for the record I spent more time with my Grandpa Sam then any other adult in my life. He had me every weekend and all summer long. Me and my grandpa Cricket.....he thought I walked on water.....and I know he did as well...And by the way doesn't Wesley look just like me!!

Moving Day pictures (with brief captions)

We started the move with the biggest UHAUL they have. You can't read the caption on the side but it says 'Can Hold 4-6 bedrooms'..well we had a VERY small house (Wesley didn't even have a bed) so we thought that would do it.....oh God no!About midway through the move, Justin, Robbie and Scott realized we would NOT have enough room. In an attempt to not have to come back to Conroe we called in a mad dash back to the UHAUL place and got a trailer too! Thanks Robbie for hauling the trailer back to Victoria! Thanks Scott for driving Justin's truck which was packed to the brim with clothes, riding mower and TONS of other stuff! The guys worked so hard, did such a good job and sweated A LOT!

Rex is ready to go! Jake didn't want anything to do with the UHAUL! I think he was scared he was going to be left behind!

Here is a picture of Justin and Scott making a weak attempt of keeping Wesley out of the UHAUL.

Wesley and Kate LOVED the trailer and played in it until they got so dirty we had to take them in to take baths (which is not as fun when you have already packed the towels, soap and most clothes!!)

We made it!!!

That's about all I have energy to post right now. Everything has been spectacular so far.
I'll post more tonight when the kids go to sleep (if I manage to stay up myself.) Thank God that I took tomorrow off. There is no way I could work with everything going on. And did I mention that its 100 degrees in Victoria right now and our A/C isn't really working? So another 'TO DO' added to my list of 'TO DOs' while the kids go to their first day of school tomorrow. We've already been acquainted with a glass company as well (small accident the guys had when the appliance dolly was left unattended next to our bedroom window). Tomorrow we'll meet an A/C repairman...geesh..I've had more repair work done in this rent house the first weekend then we ever had in our house in 6+ years. But even with all that..its been spectacular. Did I mention how I was able to make a left turn across 6 lanes of traffic on Friday night without being at a stoplight? Yeah...its pretty amazing this small town living. Definitely not for everyone...but I think we will fit nicely here. Check back later =)

Happy Birthday Jake!

Today Jake (our original baby!) turns the big 11! I got Jake as my 20th birthday present from Justin. Justin and I both grew up with dogs and we have a passion for canines so when I asked for a puppy he agreed. I don't remember what kind of dog I wanted but I did not set out to get a toy poodle but Justin convinced me that poodles were super smart, didn't shed and he had been around them a lot growing up b/c his mom had a few and they were really sharp. He also was very practical in his thinking b/c we had a small apartment and needed a dog that wouldn't grow out of the space. And we needed a breed that would potty train easily. Jake met all those requirements. He also told me he wanted a white one ( who's present was this anyway?!?!). I don't remember why he wanted a white one but looking back, it was probably b/c his mom had Zee who was the female version of Jake and she absolutely LOVED Justin. He was quite fond of her, too. So I walked into the pet store and they had 6 toy poodles. 2 white, 2 black, 1 grey and 1 brown. They put the two white poodles on the floor for me to play with and Jake came straight to me....and its been love ever since!
Jake definitely has his own little quirks (and anyone who has been at our house for a few hours knows exactly what those are!) but he is the most amazing dog ever and I'm so Blessed he's fit into our lives so perfectly. He and Rex make a great pair and its been a great 11 years!

Jake's a tad bit nervous these days with all the boxes..once he realizes he's going with us...he'll be 'Jake' again. Love You Jake!

Zonked.....

I can't say much more than that....Kate and Wesley played outside until almost 7:30pm tonight. They played in the sprinkler, they played in the turtle sandbox that makes a cute pool, they ran around Justin while he tried to figure out how in the world he's going to move that play station he disassembled yesterday. They just played and played and played. Wesley played on Kate's bicycle and can almost ride it on his own. Kate picked every single flower off of the bush by our neighbors property line. At one point I found them both hiding underneath one of our moving boxes in the garage playing hide and seek with each other. It was absolute pure fun for them and it kept them out of our hair while we tried to make even more head way with this moving thing.....so here are some cute pics I snapped while Kate and Wesley snoozed (HARD) on the couch. Kate's leg is hanging off the couch and Wesley looks like he's praying. He might be praying...wonder what he's asking for (more Gerber cheese puffs b/c my sister keeps eating them as soon as I get them)

A view from the rear.....

Wesley and I took one last spin on the lawn mower this Sunday as we mowed our back yard (the ENTIRE acre) so that Dad could focus on taking down the kids' play station (whether or not it ever gets put together in the same manner again, leaves much to be questioned..but that's a story for another post!)

I snapped this picture this morning after the grass had been mowed and the play station was down and it was very emotional for me. To see our chairs together after sitting on the back porch last night while Justin grilled burgers....very sentimental moment.

When we built this house in 2002 they only gave us 4 pallets of grass for the entire front and back yard. Now after much hard work on our part we have carpet grass on the entire acre and our front yard is the most beautiful in the subdivision!

When we built the house we didn't have a fence (most builders don't throw in fences when the lots are this large). So after a few weekends of help from family and friends we had a fence. Then during my pregnancy with Kate, Justin and I together finished fencing the entire back half of our acre. I can't tell you how many times in the hot September heat Justin would tell me to go inside before you bake that baby! And with only a week to spare, we finished that project!

When we built the house it was just Justin and myself and Jake and Rex. And I have to crazily admit that we modified the house around 2 very important aspects of our life. (1) We bypassed the carpet in our house and tiled all the floors and put in a doggy door to make Jake and Rex have a very nice pad. (2) We also had extra wide doors put in and extended our back patio so that Wes had an easier time getting around in his wheelchair. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that 6 years later we would have our own son named Wesley and Wes would have a son of his own. Wow how time flies when you are having fun!!

When we first built our house, Carol and Carthan lived on one side of us and Art and Olga lived on the other. We have since had 3 new neighbors on each side of us! Some good, some not so good. Some quiet, some not so quiet. Some clean, some not quite so tidy. This is probably one of the biggest motivating factors for me wanting to move closer to where I grew up (Hallettsville - pop 2,700). Where I grew up people didn't just come and go because of their jobs. They stayed in the same house on the same street (or farm) forever. And the farms were passed down from generation to generation. My friend Dawn's parents live in a very old farmhouse but it is the coolest house ever. And in order to get to her parents house you have to pass her aunt and uncle's house and her grandparents house (who are still married and going strong!)
I have had the same friends (lifelong friends) since before I started school. People aren't defined by their jobs or where they worked or what subdivision they lived (there were no subdivisions as we know them today...just North, South, East and West). You knew people from school, the bank, the grocery store and Church. I can honestly say that I don't know what a lot of my friends' parents did for a living or where they worked. But I can tell you all about their family, their birthdays, and that they all were raised with mutual respect for themselves, their neighbors and the Lord. That is the same environment I want for my kids. So on that note, I'm excited to be turning a new page.

We got to see Tara and Brian and Peyton this weekend and every time I'm around Tara it makes me realize how lucky I am. She's an amazing friend and a lovely person. I am so happy that we will be closer to her and her mom and dad. Now if we can just get them out of Austin soon!

Kate and Wesley's end of school year program

As promised, I just had to blog about Kate and Wesley's performance at their school's end of the year program. Of course, each class had their very own entertainer. Neither of my kids would fit that description. They both stood attentively and attempted to sing their song and recite their Psalm (Kate's class only). One little boy in Kate's class got jiggy with it and a little girl in Wesley's class kept waiving to her family in the crowd.

What made me even more impressed is that Justin was 100% determined that as soon as Wesley saw us, he would jet..he would get scared of all the people staring at him and jet down the stairs straight to mom and dad. Justin was even examining the stairs before the kids got on stage and he was so worried Wesley would go tumbling down. Oh contrary....Wesley stood their at attention and his only outburst was when he first saw us...he raised his hand up high and said 'Mommy...Daddy'. Then he proceeded to stand their the entire time while his sang The Bumblebee song and Jesus Loves Me...very cute!
Kate's class is more easily molded by bribery so the weeks leading up to their performance their teachers would give them lollipops for a good practice and they got Popsicles as well. Dad treated both the kids with ChicFilA after the performance b/c he was so proud of them!

One thing that Ms. Colby (the director) said at the beginning that was very poignant to me was how she noticed the similarity of this program to our walk with Christ.
She said 'If you notice the baby class kind of walks out of place, looks around for comfort, looks around to see if someone is there they can run to and when the show starts they are kind of squeamish about singing. But as they get older you will notice they walk in a straight line, they sing louder and have confidence that they are not alone.'
This is very representative of our walk with Christ. At first we are all over the place, going in our own directions, feel alone, don't know if our mommy's and daddy's are going to pick us up at the end of the day....But then we begin to understand Christs' role in our lives and we become more confident and we understand that we are not alone and that He is with us always. There is no reason to be anxious...He is always walking by our side and pointing us in the right direction. And as we become more comfortable in Him and His role in our lives we can sing louder and at that point we can become Teachers of our own and spread His word through not only our singing but our actions and the way we treat others.

Kate has only been in here class for 2 months but the children in her class accepted her with open hearts and there is one little boy (Bailey) that gives her a hug every day when she walks in the class. Yesterday when they gathered in her class before the show, he gave her his usual hug and then noticed her pretty heart necklace and told her how beautiful her necklace was (yes, he actualy used the word beautiful which was even cuter!). Then he told her how pretty her hair was. My heart was so happy to see such a young little boy with so much respect and love for others. I hope he grows up and continues to share that spirit. The world needs more Bailey's. I love knowing that my Kate and Wesley spend their days with adults and children who are focused on doing the right thing and making others feel wonderful. You can't ask for a better feeling than that!!