SLO in Arkansas: July 2009

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Grandma Hensley

This has been a tough week for my family. My sweet sweet Grandma Hensley passed away last Sunday afternoon, and funeral services were held Wednesday in Alabama for her. Luckily my doctor gave me the green light to travel, so I was able to be with my family and attend the funeral. We made the trip in one day, and it was so worth it. The service was simple and beautiful, just like Grandma:) We were able to celebrate her life and the legacy of love she has passed down through our family. It was so special to hear that others thought the world of my grandma, just like we did.

When the funeral was over, we were able to go over to visit the place where my grandmother spent years of service cooking food for others. It was so neat to show Silas the place where most of my childhood memories with grandma took place, and share the stories with him. It was a hard day in many ways, but once again I came away feeling encouraged and comforted knowing that I have such amazing women of faith in my family, and that she is finally resting now.

Tyson wasn't too sure what all was going on, but he loved playing with the flowers at the grave site.

Though it was for a tough reason, I had a wonderful time visiting with my family this week. We all missed my sister and her family that are over in Bolivia though. Tyson had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and grandparents, and I enjoyed catching up with my older sister and the rest of the family. Thanks to all who have kept our family in their prayers this week....they are much appreciated.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Happy 2nd Birthday Sugar Bear!

Here we are in July and it's already Tyson's 2nd birthday. Time continues to fly by so fast. In keeping with my tradition from last year, I wanted to make this post for Tyson so that he knows just how much he means to me and the family.

My precious sweet little boy. Two years have passed since I brought you home from the hospital, and it just seems like a matter of days. Time goes by so fast, and I work with all my heart to savor your childhood and treasure our moments together watching you grow. You have changed so much this past year, and are such a big boy now. You have retained your magnetic personality in every way, and are even more engaging now that you are learning to talk! You have never met a stranger, and have so many people in your life that love you like family.

You are ALL BOY, all the time! My goodness you are a mess, but a sweet one:) Thank goodness your mama was a tomboy so she understands all kinds of fun boy stuff that you like. You are still crazy about wheels, and anything that moves. Your fearless spirit continues to amaze me, and you have so much fun trying new things. You continue to love the water, and we have had a great summer of swimming and taking the boat out to the lake, not to mention all the fun we have in the yard with the water hose! You are so smart and so good at almost every thing you try. You watch carefully how things are done and can do a lot of stuff by yourself. I get amazed weekly at the things you get into, because you are always thinking up new ways to climb and get to what you want! You are a fantastic helper around the house, which I really enjoy. You make our daily chores more fun as you are always by my side wanting to help in any way. Your favorite things are sweeping and helping throw the laundry in the washer. You have also earned the nickname "Little Chef" this year by me and your dad. Boy do you love to cook! Every night when supper is being made, you diligently push your chair over to the counter to help out. You love to stir, throw things in to pots, and watch things cook in the oven. You like to pretend cook all the time, and I can never find my pots and pans because you drug them off into the living room to make some delicious concoction during your play time:) You are crazy about popcorn, rice, beans, pizza, granola bars, and ice cream!

You are a daddy's boy. You love your Dad so much, and want to go everywhere he goes and do everything he does. It melts my heart to watch you two together, whether you are just playing around, watching TV, or fixing something around the house. You are crazy about Daddy's truck and every time we are leaving the house you ask "truck???" You would probably be driving the thing by yourself if we would let you!! You love our trips up to Daddy's work to take him lunch or just visit some days. You have a wonderful father who nurtures you in every way and adores just being around you. Even though I hate leaving for work in the afternoons, you are so excited about the time you get to spend with just Dad, and I know those few hours mean just as much to him too:)

You are full of life, sensitive, and abounding in energy. You love life and exploring every little thing you encounter. You are very independent and never follow the crowd. You are always doing your own thing, no matter what every one else is doing. You love kids, as well as adults and have a great time making new friends. We still get lots of comments while shopping or eating out from strangers who you have befriended during our time there. One man at Sams asked if he could take you home! No one believes that you are just 2 years old most of the time...they think you are much older because of your confident personality and physical capabilities. You are a lot like me, so we bump heads at times, but I think it makes me understand you better. Daddy just looks at me all the time and says "He gets that from you!" Tyson, you give my life so much joy and purpose on a daily basis. You make me and your dad so proud just because you are you. I have tried so hard to spend as much time as I can with you these last few months before your little brother gets here, and have cherished every minute of it. I often find myself wondering how in the world can there be room in my heart to love someone else as much as I love you little man. You made me a mom, and are so special in every way. I know there are a lot of changes coming up in our lives as we get ready to welcome your brother, and I know you will handle them in stride like you do everything else that comes your way. I am excited to see how you adapt to your role of big brother and the relationship you and Jace will form during this next year. I can only hope he shares some of your qualities:) I am so glad you are my son. I love you Tyson Rhodes. Happy 2nd Birthday sugar bear!!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

I Love Silas!!

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to my wonderful husband who makes my life so much easier than he has to! He works so hard to take care of our growing family, always has a smile and a positive attitude, and makes our family so much fun. He takes good care of me pregnant or not, and has been happy to step up and help with all the things I have fallen behind on when I just can't keep up. He is my constant encourager, a great listener, a fantastic father, and my best friend. I know I often take all these things for granted and today I wanted to remind him what a blessing he is to me and our family. I love you Silas:) Thank you for all you do.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Wood Chuck

Silas grilled pork chops for us for dinner several nights ago, and we were trying to get Tyson to say "pork chop." He pretty much calls everything chicken, or rice, or a hot dog!!! He said it a few times after we did, and then randomly in the meal he points at his plate and tries to say it again, though it came out sounding a lot more like "woodchuck!!!" We about died laughing, and of course now I can't stop calling the pork chops "wood chuck." Silas asked me what I wanted for dinner yesterday and I immediately said, well I do not want the leftover wood chuck for sure:) The picture has nothing to do with the story. Just a cute one of Tyson loving his ice cream. The fun part is that this is his favorite spot to eat ice cream. He takes his bowl and runs to the middle of the living room and plops down on the rug with it. Luckily he doesn't spill too much:)

Sunday, July 05, 2009

4th of July

We had a simple and enjoyable 4th of July this year, and it was great! We decided recently to not go to the lake like we usually would, with me being so pregnant and all the craziness that there is at the lake on a holiday weekend. So instead, we stayed here in town and were able to spend a relaxing weekend together as a family. We headed over to a friend's house on the 4th for some swimming, hamburgers and hot dogs, and some hanging out. Then we came back into town for the firework show at the Jonesboro fairgrounds. Since this was our first 4th here in town, we weren't sure what to expect, but it was great! We got a good parking spot near the fairgrounds and had perfect spots sitting in our chairs in the back of the truck. It was surprisingly cool here.....low 80's and a slight breeze, which made the evening of sitting outside just perfect:) Tyson and the kids enjoyed playing with their glow sticks while we waited for the show to begin. Tyson has never seen fireworks before as he was in bed fast asleep last year when they started. He was a little scared at first, but then he started enjoying himself and naming the colors. He just kept saying....ohhhh hot, and fire, every time he saw one go off! It was cute. It took for ever to get out of the parking lot and home, and he was so wound up from the evening that we couldn't get the little guy to bed until almost midnight! We had a great time though, and everyone had fun.

Tyson loves swimming so much, and is so fearless in the water. We have found that the arm floaties work best for him, since he can keep himself upright and still move around. He likes to lay back and float too. He is still figuring out the whole kicking and moving his arms thing, but he gets around pretty well. He loves jumping off the side of the pool and doesn't mind his head going under. He just pops up and swims to the side to do it again:)

Here is the picture of my new hair cut. I didn't quite mean for it to get this short, but turns out it is very easy to manage and I am really enjoying it:) It is much cooler for the summertime, and I shouldn't have to get it cut too soon either.

Here is my 33 week pregnant picture. I head to the doctor on the 6th, then one more 2 week appointment before we start going every week. It has seemed pretty fast for me. Still feeling great overall, but definitely getting a bit crankier the bigger I get. I alternate having days of lots of energy with days of sitting on the couch, which works out well I guess:) We are almost finished with the nursery, and I am starting to think about what we need to pack for the hospital. Other than that I am still trucking along with work, attempting to keep the house under control, working out in the yard, and loving my time with Tyson and Silas. Life is good:)

SLO in Arkansas