I jinxed myself!

Well, I said it in the last post. I jinxed myself. In my defense, not entirely my fault. As many of you know, my dad's youngest brother Jeff was diagnosed with cancer at the end of July. He fought so valiantly, but on December 2nd, Jeff's 46th Birthday, he took a turn for the worst. He passed away with his family by his side. I have to thank Rachel! Jeff's fiancee Rachel was our Angel! She is one of the most AMAZING, loving, caring & gentle souls I have ever known. I don't know what any of us would have done with out her. She is a blessing to all of us & I think that I speak for my ENTIRE family when I say that she & her kids are a PERFECT addition & fit to our family! Willie & I were pretty close while I was growing up. I always wanted to spend time with him & do everything that he did. I'll never forget my 6th birthday. He gave me a ride on his new 4 wheeler, and we melted my brand new moon boots. We grew apart the older we got, but the bond was never broken. NO matter what...... Willie NEVER forgot my birthday. He called me every year on March 22nd, the conversation always started the same...."Hey Little Willie! Happy Birthday!" This year is going to be tough! I miss him deeply & think of him often. Jeff loved so many people & so many people loved him!

December came & went in the blink of an eye for us. It was tough to get back into the swing of things, but slowly, we're getting there. There isn't a whole lot to report on Rob & me. Oh wait, there are 2 big things for us this year.

The first: Rob is taking me to Tennessee in March for the Bristol Spring race! Happy Birthday to me. I've been to NASCAR races & tracks before, but never an actual race at Bristol! I can't wait!!!

Second: Rob & I are going on a Caribbean Cruise with the rest of his family in October of 2010 to help celebrate some milestone birthdays. I won't mention the actual number just in case my in-laws read this, but let's just say that I'm excited the temperature will be over 50 degrees!

Mollie: LOVES school. I am amazed at how much she has changed in such a short time. Back in January, over Martin Luther King Day, she was upset with me because I wouldn't let her go to school. I couldn't convince her that no one would be at school because of the holiday. We have 3rd quarter conferences tonight already. Before I know it, summer break will be here. She's making all kinds of friends and is having a blast with Girl Scouts. Any one interested in cookies??? She's also decided that she wants to play soccer again this Spring, bible school, swimming lessons & golf this summer. No wonder the kid doesn't gain any weight! I wish running after her & her sisters had that effect on me!!

Tink: She's a spitfire! We're gearing up for her 3rd Birthday! I can't believe it's here already. I'm not real sure what to get for her birthday. Tink loves to play with little Matchbox cars, Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop animals & put puzzles together. She also loves to read. I found her this morning reading a story to Elleh when she was supposed to be getting dressed. She keeps asking when she gets to go to school & Sunday School. It's hard to explain to a 2, almost 3 year old that she can go next year!~

Elleh: Well, Elleh is nine months old today & mobile! She finally figured out how to crawl, forward I might add. She pulls herself up on everything & if she's in her walker, watch your ankles! She's on a mission. She has more hair than both of the other two girls combined at this age, 4 teeth on top & 2 on the bottom and has decided that baby food is NOT an option for her anymore. She says "da da dad" & gets SUPER excited when she sees Rob or the girl's.

That's us in a nut shell over the last 2 months. I will do my best to make sure that I post on a regular basis in the future. I hope that everyone is happy, healthy & doing well.

~Until next time~