"I'm back!!!"

After a rough start to the week, Alexis is much better. Can you tell by this face???



Grandparent Day at Forest Hill Elementary for Blake (Kindergarten). (Grandma Connie, Blake, JoJo, PopPop Tom)



Grandparent Day at Forest Hill Elementary for Nicholas (1st Gr) PopPop Jims, JoJo, Nicky, PopPop Tom)
Blake got strep throat last night but had an antibiotic in him by 9 last night. He seems great today.
Thank God for meds!!! The Smith family has been dealing with strep germs all winter (Kendra has had it 6 times!!!)



What "Sick" Looks Like...

Poor Alexis! This is what a baby looks like with a 104.4 temp! The photo doesn't show how miserable she really was. Her face was covered with a rash. After a trip to the doctor, she tested for strep. That was yesterday. She was still smiling at me. Thankfully today, with a couple of doses of meds in her, she awoke with a low temp and definitely on the mend.

Three Silly Siblings!

My sister doesn't take a lot of pictures but when she does, she has really captured the spirit of these three little monkeys. I actually entered this photo (without her permission) in a contest which shows children with Down Syndrome interacting.  Blake and Nicholas do all sorts of silly things to make Alexis laugh. Ohhhh the love! 

Three Silly Siblings



Texas Treasures!

I took hundreds of pictures while in Texas. HUNDREDS! Be glad that I chose just a few to blog about. There are many, many pictures that were taken at the Mennonite Health Assembly that I didn't write about. I am always happy to pass on any photos if asked. But for now, I am choosing some of my favorite moments of the trip from beginning to end. Of course, Nila was the reason for the trip. She was the best part...just having a friend like her allowed me to be me!  She made the trip wonderful.  It really was hard to choose...there were so many moments but I will be selective:



...meeting these women

...watching these two "get the job done"!

...thanking God for sending this woman to rescue me!

...  gathering these sisters  in one place

...loving this kind  man who makes everyone feel special and of course dear Nila!

...being with Tim and one of my dearest friends Jan

....  seeing spring everywhere while on the River Walk

...experiencing beauty in all directions

....sharing laughter

.... loving my time with best friends

...meeting Nila's precious parents

...what can I say?

...seeing the model of the Iwo Jima statue

...driving to the north end of South Padre Island and instead of seeing snowplows seeing sand plows trying to keep the roads open!

...listening to the glory of the ocean

...eating 'naughty' foods in the middle of the afternoon with Nila and then wandering outside the restaurant to look at the beautiful boats. What to buy...what to buy!

...being able to say that we were stopped by Federal Agents and had our car "sniffed" for drugs. I wanted to take the Agent's picture but decided against it!
So many moments....so few pictures posted! 



Southside Elementary School Carnival

Oh my goodness! Such excitement! Layla could hardly wait for her school carnival to begin! I arrived early to take pictures! This is a representation of the many very well made posters that were around the building.

Elizabeth (right) was a busy girl since she is the PTO President and was in charge!

There were sooooo many activities for the kids to choose from. Among them were.....



the bounce houses....

Jump Marley, Jump!



silent auction...

(I actually won a classroom basket!!!)

board breaking (Star Tae Kwon Do)....

Layla put all her might into breaking a board...

and was rewarded with a head band!

basketball..........

duck bobbing....(this is my dear friend Carolyn Smith who retires this year! She was in charge of "ducks".)

Marley checks the number on the bottom of the duck. Ohhh the excitement!!!

These wonderful ladies went way over and above in the supper preparations.
Tom and Brent said that the food was reallllly good! Go girls!

The Bake Walk is always a big hit. Thankfully, Layla and I didn't win any but it all looked wonderful!

Marley tried the bean bag toss and missed but she looked cute trying it!

The balloon man made a lot of terrific creations and people waited patiently throughout the evening for their turn. There was also delicious cotton candy to eat, cup stacking, face painting and dancing.  Life is good isn't it?

Of course, the best part is seeing your friends!

Friends are the best part of being at school!!!

Elizabeth was at school all afternoon until 10:00 PM. This is what parents do  not only for their own kids but for the families of an entire school.

Thank you Elizabeth from Southside Elementary! 

Upon the boardwalk...boardwalk!

This is our hotel in Port Aransas, TX near Corpus Christi.

Upon leaving the hotel, we were greeted by this turtle. There were dozens more nearby.

This is the boardwalk that led to the beach.

The boardwalk was as much fun to walk on as the pier!

Walking in the sand for a mile to this pier was a real challenge for me but it was worth it.

On the pier....a LONG pier!

The sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the clouds.

It was a gorgeous day!!!

Willibey Wascles!

Funny man!!! This is the main Willibey. This is Duane Willibey...funny, witty, sharp as a tack, storyteller, tease, and Nila's dad. It was so much fun to be around him and his sweet wife Eileen. Nila and I had such a good time visiting with them at their home in Harlingen TX. We were with them for 2 days and enjoyed it so much. Duane (or Dwight as I sometimes accidentally called him) recently returned home from the hospital. The timing was wonderful. Nila and I were able to meet his therapists and we could see him getting stronger by the day. Meet Eileen. Eileen has a servant personality. She waited on us hand and foot. I kept trying to get her to go home with me but "Main Man" wouldn't hear of it. He thinks she is irreplaceable (he calls it "job security") and I'm thinking he is right! Before Nila and I were to leave Harlingen, Eileen drove us around their community to meet some friends. We hopped into the golf cart and took off.

Meet Don and Ann Prosser. (If I have the wrong names, I'll correct them later.)

Ann's mother also lives in the park and has had this little guy, Clancey, for 26 years!!!

Ann Prosser is on the left, Nila, Eileen and Ann's mother.

Sorry, too many names to remember...

In the same mobile home community live these wonderful people...Don and Shirley Willibey. Don (or "Rye" as he is known) and Duane are brothers. I am so proud of Don for letting me take his picture since we woke him up and that can make a man grouchy. He even consented to letting me take his picture though I think that he really wanted to hit me in the head

Wow! Don let me take TWO pictures!!!! I'm sure he'll thank me some day!!!

Meet Bob and Ann Slentz. Bob, like several of the other men in the photos, had already been over to Duane's home to see how he was and to see if he needed anything. What a tribute to Duane just seeing the number of guys that showed up to check on him!

This is Shirley Willibey's brother.

This is a couple from Quebec, Canada. He speaks English pretty well.

It was nearly time to say good bye and I still needed a photo of our hosts. They were so good to us and we enjoyed our time with them so much. Duane was kind enough to "hop" up and let me take their picture together. What good sports.

Good-bye until April when Duane and Eileen will fly back to Butler, Indiana. Good-bye Eileen. Good-bye Dad.

Good-bye Dad. I love you!

Good-bye Eileen and Dad.

Oh....more neighbors!!! Good-bye neighbors. Good-bye Eileen.

Good-bye Dad!

Good-bye Eileen.Good-bye all! Good-bye Harlingen.