Cutie Birthday Girls

Sweet Ainsley Mill Gassiot turned 2 years old! She is Kim's 4th kiddo, and such an answer to prayers. We love that girl, and Mailey asks all the time, "Ainsley Mill comin' to see me?" Happy Day, little lady!

Another sweet girl turned 7, and we were so excited to go to Amarillo to celebrate with Miss Mali Elise Gomez. We got in some much-needed Curren time and snuggles, too. He is doing so well! He passed all developmental tests beyond his age except for his head strength. They are working on some neck muscles and seeing what happens. But really, what a miracle this boy is. Nothing is behind with him. He looks so much like Brie and Brandon with Eric's auburn hair. I really am still in love with that little man. Eleri found her Makenna and got some loving from her. Mali was all smiles and giggles, was super respectful and kind, and just made me stop and thank God for all the prayers on her behalf. Prayer is powerful and effective. It was a bittersweet time of celebrating and remembering and crying and laughing. We are very glad we were able to go. Happy amazing 7 years, Mali Elise!

Makenna Cello Informance

Makenna has been soooo loving her cello lessons. We were very blessed to get into the Texas Tech String Project. The classes meet twice a week and give two private lessons a semester, for only $100! Most pay that in less than a month if they are renting their instrument. Our amazing friend Brett Berridge was able to get a cello for Makenna to use all year for FREE. Ahhhhhh, such a blessing! Instead of a performance, the teachers and students do an Informance, to inform the parents and guests of all the things they have learned this semester. It was a great showing of the skills and technique. Here are some pics and videos. So proud!

 

 

 

 

 

Live Green

The kids' school has been such a great example for the community. Way back in 1998 when I student taught at North Ridge, there was a great mom named Mrs. Zack that helped out all the time. She made gardens in the front area, was able to get animals for the school, and started the recycling movement there. She was not even paid and was there all day every single day. Now she is on staff, runs the entire science lab, has placed animals in each hallway and in every single classroom, is in charge of community wide recycling at the school, and has created jobs for each child in the school to help out. Her group is called the North Ridge Zoo Crew. They feed and care for the animals and give treats and points for recycling each Wednesay, along with teaching science through amazing experiments. I started recycling seriously about 7 years ago, and now it is part of our life here with the school's involvement. Even Mailey will hand me her yogurt and say, "Here is a-cycling!" It stinks because Lubbock does not have a formal recycling system like a bin you can fill and they pick it up. You have to take it to a designated dumpster area. I have really loved the fact that one woman has literally changed the focus and theme of the school. You might see her walking around with a snake on her arm or a chicken on her shoulder, but she has done more than any one woman can. The North Ridge Zoo Crew is in a contest at a local bank to earn money for the Zoo Crew. Mrs. Zack raises funds through fundraisers alone, so getting a gift from a contest at the bank would be wonderful. All you have to do is vote one time every day HERE. Just click on Community Rewards and scroll down and click the bubble beside North Ridge Zoo Crew. Then fill out your name and email, and vote every day until mid-December. Thanks for helping out Makenna's school, and hey, you don't even have to buy some ridiculously priced tub of cookie dough, either!

Closer

It is close to ONE YEAR since Brie died. Sometimes it seems like an eternity without her. Others it seems like I just talked to her yesterday. All of us have been emotional and trying to prepare and figuring out events and just plain sad. How can it still be so unbelievable? I keep telling myself to take it one day at a time. On Thanksgiving we will celebrate and be thankful, on Christmas the same, but the day after will be Brie's day. I keep trying to make myself save all the feelings for that day, just to get through all the others. It is just a day. I have learned that many, many times over my life. God also has replaced many of my worst with some of my best. I do not tend to dwell on anniversaries of things, but just see them as a day. None of that makes it easy, though. It is also crazy that Brie's song, Forever Reign, keeps coming on the radio. I was safe from it listening to The Message on XM, but 2 weeks ago they decided to play it, too. I really love the song, and really love singing it. I think it is another way for God to bring comfort to us, and for us to remember. Mali's birthday is coming up. Her first one without her mom. Brie always wrote her a letter on her birthday. It makes me want to scream that Mali will only have 6. The last words of Brie's letter to Mali last year were that she was so glad she got to spend 6 years with her. That has always taken my breath away. Most of us would say we have loved these 6 years and cannot wait for more or what an amazing 6 years this has been, but saying she got to spend 6 years with her period...ugh. I cry at that gmail commercial where the dad is writing emails to his daughter as she grows to one day give them to her. I can't even think about going on the Polar Express and listening to the music and remembering Brie's last Lubbock trip. Cold days seem colder and reality seems more harsh. Glaring at times. A sweet friend Brie loved and mentored naming her baby girl in her tummy Brie. Curren nearly being one. Fall. Wind. Leaves. Coffee. Life. Brie was part of mine, and though that makes so many more things harder, I am so glad she affected all of me. I miss her and who she was to all of us.

My favorite words...

You are joy, You are joy
You're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life,
In You death has lost its sting

Surprise!

Brie's bff Carrie just had a sweet baby girl named Cora Hope.

Beth and I really wanted to go and visit her, but did not know how we ever could since Carrie lives in Arlington.

We decided that this Wednesday we could drive after school to Marc and Sarah's, and then surprise Carrie on Thursday.

Only problem was that her husband, Dan, did not get back to us until Tuesday after I kept bothering him :).

We hurried Tuesday night and cooked several meals and muffins and pies. Dan needed pie he said. hahahaha!

Dan cleared Carrie's schedule and even took and picked up the kids from school that day. So nice!

So off we went! God really ordained this trip, working out every last detail.

We got looooooooost going from Marc's to Carrie's, and that put us about an hour later than we thought. We picked up some decaf coffee for Carrie, and then drove to her house and rang the doorbell. I was holding my camera, ready to get her face, but she didn't answer the door! We turned around to see a car slow down and stop in front of her house. It was Carrie and Cora, headed to Babies R Us. What perfect timing God worked out. Her face in the car was priceless...confusion to astonishment to tears to smiles to probably thinking we were crazy! I hate that I could not get a good pic since she was in her car, but it was great. We were able to get the food in the freezer and go with her, then got lunch. It was so refreshing to be able to hang out and just talk. We were able to love on Cora and sit and chat for hours. It really was a perfect day, and I am so very glad we went. Yes, it might be crazy to drive hours there and hours to her house and then hours home in a 24 hr period. But we all needed it. We knew we could not replace Brie, but we also knew Carrie needed a good surprise in her life. I love that girl, which also gives me another thing to thank Brie and Jesus for. Sweet Carrie is my friend now, too, and I am forever grateful for that. Thank you, Jesus, for working out the details of our ten kiddos between us all and allowing us to go!

Sweet Cora yawn

Beth and Cora

Cora was soooo good the entire day!

Love rocking a baby girl....or any baby for that matter.

Camera on a timer does not equal the best picture, but here we are. Love these girls.

Tricks and Treats

This week we made some caramel apples and carved 2 tiny pumpkins. Tracen is the only kid each year that wants to carve a pumpkin, and he will not touch a single seed or stringy inside mess. He just sits and waits on whoever is doing the hard work to finish so he can carve the face. That boy. For Halloween night we loved hanging out with the Hontz family. Sam, Candace, Sammy, and Elijah are so amazing and we don't get to see each other enough. Sam is the chaplain at the prison, and God has done amazing things in his life. We had a great night getting treats and trying to avoid scary things. :)




Chicken, Jack Sparrow, and 80s prom queen. Yes, that is my Freshman year prom dress. sweet.

Elijah joined the picture
Sammy and Candace