Do not ever forget....

My stars!!!!

Happy Birthday, America
Owen

The Albuses
Rebecca, Jeff, Jonathhan, Angel

The Carpenters
Wade, Clayton, Drew, Owen, Sarah

Happy Birthday, Angel

Drew's Infecous smile

Clayton is fearless

Jonathan on Graduation Day

I can still hear my Mother saying "Oh, my stars"..  It was funny then.  Now I just smile.  My daughters have matured into blessed godly mothers.  And my grandsons...  It goes without saying..  All five are perfect boys.  Well, not always.   ; )  BUT, I feel like I miss so much because they grow up so quickly.  I don't get to see them nearly as much as I would like to, but even daily would not be enough.  Both daughters live out of town, and both have lives of their own. They are so busy. I get to see a part of their daily activities through Facebook and blogging.  Isn't technology amazing.  I have evolved from swearing computers were stupid to a very semi geek experimenting with all the latest creative tools.  I even have a Facebook page.  Since I am retired, I so enjoy seeing my kids (ex-students) graduate from college, get graduate degrees (lawyers, doctors, etc), get married, and have children.  The move from Dallas was hard but necessary.  I still miss my friends in Big D.  I never quite felt the same connection with Houston "society".  I still can feel blessed when I look into the eyes of my grandsons.  They are the greatest gift I could hope for no matter where I called home.

Middle Chiild Syndrome

My older brother and sister were born one year apart.  My Dad was in World War II so I was a "war baby".  1949 was a year of MANY births!  My younger brother was born eight years later,  At some time in my life, I was the oldest, baby, and middle child.  That birth order thing was confused by me.  Even so, I consider myself a middle child.

Middle children are unique.  There were many baby pictures of my older siblings - first born - and an abundance of my younger brother - the baby.  The youngest picture of me that I had seen was when I was six.  At about ten, in my mind, that could only mean I was adopted.  One of my childhood friends had just discovered he was adopted, so adoption was on my mind.  This deduction was totally silly.  My sister and I look somewhat alike, talk alike, and defiantly have the same genes.  I could even fool my sister's boyfriend when he called her into believing I was she.  But that's another story.  I asked my mom if I was adopted. Her reaction was shock, tears, and then assurance that she definitely remembered my birth.  My childhood friend was shocked and confused when he first found out he was adopted.  That emotion quickly turned to pride when his mom assured him that he was specifically chosen to be a part of their family.  I soon began to feel that adoption was pretty "neat."  Having a chosen, loved child is just as much a reason for celebration as that of having a biological child.

I have a middle child grandson.  His mom and dad give no more attention to the oldest or the baby than they do to him.  There are just many pictures at various stages of his life.  I'm sure it takes an effort to always give equal attention to each.  I cannot even imagine keeping up with three very active boys. They all are so different - the scientist, the artist, and the never-stop-moving.  As babies all three resembled.  It was definitely obvious that they were brothers.

As I look back over my blog, it doesn't seem that I paid as much attention to my precious Drew.  Maybe this post will make up for it.

And they all grow up...

Where does time go?!  Angel will be in third grade, and Jonathan will be in first grade,

Clayton will be in second grade, Drew in Mother’s Day Out, and Owen learning life lesson at his Momma’s feet.  I know I’m getting old – we Senior Citizens have trouble remembering what day it is – but these boys seem to be growing too fast. Before I know it Angel and Clayton will be driving.  Oh my…  I don’t think I or their parents are ready for that. Children grow so quickly.  It wasn’t so long ago that our two “girls" were up to mischief and providing joy to Popa D and I.  Enjoy those little ones. Make a Bucket List, cobwebs can wait….

So much has happened this spring and summer.  Owen had his first birthday, learned to test his moma, and learned to walk.  What a busy boy!.

The Easter picture of the Albuses was beautiful, and the boys looked so handsome.

The Carpenter boys and their momma looked amazing at Valentines.  All the outfits were selected by Clayton.

Clayton won the spelling bee at his school.  I'm glad he didn't get my spelling gene.  He also was given gold medals at church for memorizing 75 scriptures.  He was the only 1st grader honored.

Speaking of medals... My nephew Trey lived with us when he first moved to Houston.  Getting to really know him was a joy.  He recently swam, biked, and ran his first Ironman.  What an accomplishment.  He couldn't have made it without the support of his family. 

What's up?

Poppa D did great with his bionic knee. Dr. L did a fantastic job. I guess it helps to have an orthopedic surgeon with mechanical engineering as his first degree before going to med school!! D did not run the Houston Marathon – as if he would have anyway –but he is walking to the mailbox and all around the neighborhood.

Both of our oldest grandsons accepted Christ in the last few months. Poppa D and I are so thankful that their tender hearts were open to Him. We were able to watch O being dedicated and C being baptized on video and thanks to YouTube. At least Poppa D and I will be able to see A’s via webcast. Both boys came out of the baptistery with huge angelic smiles on their faces.

All five grandsons are growing up too fast. The youngest one is out of control growing. He is the happiest little guy. He and his mom came to visit one weekend – just the two of them. Even after a long 5 ½ hour drive in horrible Houston traffic and cutting a tooth, O was grinning and cackling while jumping in his Johnny Jump up. He is an amazing child. He is just like his dad physically, “a tall glass of water.” He now is standing up on his own. Walking will be the next milestone. All of the other C boys are growing up equally as quickly. C boy will be in the 2nd grade. He loves science and Math. I guess he takes after his mom. He is going to a classical curriculum school. I was amazed at the types of assignments he has. I don't remember learning what a bar graph was in first grade. He has completed his first basketball season. I think he has found his sport. He loves it and seems to be quite good. D is the artistic one in the family. He loves to draw and create. His sense of humor is amazing. He loves to tell jokes. One that I thought was funny was”Where do pencils come from? Answer: Pennsylvania” He can make a dreary day fill with sunshine. In fact, one of his favorite songs is “You are my
Sunshine". The wheels in his head never stop. He is always thinking. He is convinced that he can do anything the "big boys" can.



The A boys are not letting their cousins be the only ones that are joys. A will be in the third grade. He loves to draw. He is fortunate to have a momma who is a talented artist. He has a live-in art instructor. He also loves rocks; he has quite a collection. A has joined Scouts. He participated in his first pinewood derby recently. J will be in first grade next year. He has been in a unique kindergarten program; he was taught in Spanish half of the day and English the remaining part of his day. He was at our house several weeks ago and decided that he would explore the mechanics of our scales. We were not aware of his experiment until A came in frantically exclaiming that he weighed 125 pounds! Poppa D proudly remarked that he was going to be an engineer. Will first grade be ready to challenge his inquisitive mind?