“Mama, I know this is a hard Christmas for you since Tricia died.” Jamie cleared her throat and agreed with Branson that yes, it had been a difficult Christmas. “But Mama, we know she’s in Heaven with Jesus.” As tears formed in Jamie’s eyes, Bran again reassured her,...
"If you get out on these roads today, know that you're taking your life in your own hands." This morning's warning from Alan, that snow plowing brother-in-law of ours. Turns out I was somewhat prophetical in returning my ski gear yesterday. While Alan was up early to...
What fun to spend Christmas day on the slopes. I think what I love most about skiing is the proximity it allows to nature - to be IN the snow, in the trees, rounding a curve to breathtaking views of the white-blanketed valley below and Sangre de Cristo mountains...
Not me, but Hudson. That's right. In this month's (Dec) Highlights magazine, Hudson's drawing is published in Our Own Pages. How cool is that?! He's excited, but smug. Has hardly said a word. Even with the magazine prominently displayed in our foyer, even with a...
How many Jameses does it take to change a liglhtbulb? No idea. But I do know that it takes about twleve to get a gallon of milk from WalMart in rural north Georgia. I always say being with my brothers is like a holiday, and so this past week was double the fun - a...
- Never underestimate a pink-plastic-high-heel-wearing two-year-old with an enormous planter of dirt - Rhinestone necklaces and high heels and taking a break to teach ballet are critical elements for a family bike ride - No such thing as enough photos of my girls with...
Years ago, after moving to Fort Worth, our friend Chris Wolfe would stop by to visit and ask me, "Hey TJ, what did you do today?" I gently taught him early on that you don't ask a stay-at-home mom, "What did you do today?" It's like asking a pregnant woman how much...
We celebrated Esther Jamie's second birthday recently, and I just can't let the benchmark birthday pass without lavishing love on her little life. A letter to our baby... Little One - You have acquired a handful of nicknames in your two years: Spunky Monkey, Little...
Well, we met her! Finally! Rowan Beth Benjamin, our new little niece. Three 1/2 months old, she is just beautiful. And CONTENT. I’ve met just one baby as “easy” as this one - my friend Sarah’s little Joseph was the same way. Make so little noise, you forget they’re in...
Just returned home from a week in San Antonio and Austin. We turned Corbin’s conference at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort into a family vacation and then headed over to the Hyatt Lost Pines outside of Austin for the weekend. What beautiful and fun vacation spots! As...
A few mornings ago I noticed Branson writing some sort of note. We were headed out the door, and he dawdled with his pen and paper while I ushered the other kids to the car. I was quite curious as to what he was working on, but decided not to ask any questions. I...
"Hey Hudson, would you like to come back here next summer for camp, without mommy and daddy?" "I AM coming here next year, Mom. I NEED to be a camper." Well, we're home. We went into our week at Kanakuk family camp with high expectations, and no surprise, they were...
Branson sat down to e-mail Mama and Papa (Corbin\'s parents in NM) this evening. I looked back to my sent folder and found his unchecked correspondence, with this last line:how has your summer been? well I bet you know that we are going KANAKUK:| OK I HOPE THE LORD IS...
My little boy is growing up. I suppose it’s something I’m going to have to accept. Somehow Hudson has dashed into boyhood right before our eyes. His kindergarten year is coming to an end, and Hudson will move into the ever-ascending numerical...
"Mom! Where's my hat?" "What? Your hat? You don't have your hat?" Standing in our doorway, I glanced at Branson climbing into the backseat of my mom's car. My thoughts spiraled and tumbled with the possible hiding place of the black Pirate's ball cap. The one with the...
Well, I'm back. It's Wednesday, and I don\'t have a "Wednesday Wonder" to offer, and at this point I think they might need to become "Monthly Marvels." Ha. I find that blogging is kind of like exercising. Once that pendulum is stopped, it's hard to get going again. I...
Corbin took Basden Easter dress shopping last week. Ever since, we have had a miniature bride traipsing around our home. Check out the satin buttons running down the back. Corbin swears he tried to steer her other directions, but evidently once Basden locked her eyes...
Basden Joy with her Cappy...any doubts of the outcome?
Branson and Hudson took their first flights in Dad's plane a couple of weeks ago... I hadn't been able to put my thoughts into words yet, it was such a sweet afternoon! The following is Dad's description of the event. Lots to look forward to at Bourland Field. Thanks,...
Grandma was raised in Glory, Minnesota, and on this date eight years ago she was raised up for eternity in GLORY. Undoubtedly named after the Biblical Queen of Persia, Grandma inherited quite a legacy. And she left a legacy of her own in four children, ten...
My seven-year-old is precious. PRECIOUS. The only thing is, he's seven for just a few more hours. Monday he turns eight. Like most parents, I'm incredulous as to how it's possible that my baby is growing up to be a young man right before my eyes. He was just born! Yet...
Ok, short post today... No specific person I'm bragging on, but instead praising God for HEALTH. We've had a week and 1/2 of high fevers and all that accompanies them, keeping the kids home (and should have kept Corbin home) from school. The flu? Who knows, just glad...
We celebrated Dad’s 60th birthday a few weeks ago. A couple of months ago we realized that Dad’s 60th birthday coincided with everyone filing into town for Christmas this year. All three of my brothers and their families traveled from Tulsa and Atlanta, so the whole...
I’m thinking a lot about our home lately. Maybe it’s the assurance of Spring soon emerging now that the holidays are over, or perhaps it’s due to the great sofa sitting in my garage begging to be recovered. Our master bath desperately needs some love and updating, and...
"Messy Essie" as Basden calls her... this is how we found her last night in the sun room. Always an adventure.
A couple of photos to share our recent celebrations. We moved from Hud's camo to all things girly for Basden Joy's "Sparkle with Joy" party. In addition to Basden's party, we enjoyed our 2nd annual "birthday tea party" with her sweet cousin Nettie May, who turned 4...
I took the kids to the zoo today. Gorgeous weather, with everyone out of school for Thanksgiving. And even though half of Fort Worth had the same idea, it was a great outing for our little family. I enjoyed having the kids to myself - I was able to purely focus on my...
A few photos from Hudson's 6th birthday party last night, very fun! Corbin and I enjoyed the boys a ton, and Hudson felt very celebrated getting to have his buddies over for the party. A few highlights: - Our friend Jeremy came to the rescue, loaning us his...
It's official, Corbin's sister, Cameron is pregnant! The Benjamin-4 will transition next Spring to the Benjamin-5 when they welcome the third little one, an adopted baby that Cameron has the privilege of carrying and giving birth to. Always one to live a little...
My Granny, whom I wrote about in a previous post, died eleven years ago today. And she died fighting. Cancer did its dastardly work on her body for many years, and she fought it tooth and nail with a healthy diet, exercise, and ferocious optimism. And an amazing...
Ok... at least it's not bragging on my kids (this time). There's hardly anyone in the world I'm more proud of than my big brother, Trey. Check out his latest award... his 2nd year to receive this nationwide "40 Under 40" honor. This is the kid who hated to read novels...
I miss my brother. Chris is AMAZING. He will turn 30 in a week. And here's the kicker - I don't know what to get him for his birthday. Yes, he's hard to buy for, not because he has everything, but because he is so stinking contented. I recall grocery shopping as kids,...
1. Lazy, uninterrupted days with family 2. Wildflowers, wildflowers, wildflowers 3. Gorgeous weather with daily afternoon thunder showers 4. Watching movies during afternoon thundershowers 5. Taking naps during afternoon thundershowers 6. Fishing for crawdads... and...
A friend recently asked me to recall a memorable childhood summer. I sifted through memories of swimming, swimming, and more swimming, our backyard pool filled with my brothers and friends of all ages from dawn to dusk. I thought of 100-degree Texas days when I...
We spent last weekend at my parents' lake house, and Corbin even took an extra day off work to extend our weekend. Two snapshots here sum up...