These are my very favorite pictures of Olivia. I took them by the big pond at our old house. I have them on my MySpace page and lots of my friends have mentioned them to me, so I thought I'd share them with those of you who refuse to join the world of MySpace (Mandy - I'm talking to you.) For those of you who may not know, I'm an aspiring photographer so I'm proud of these pictures. Aspiring was the key word in that last sentence. :<)

Weirdest comment about Olivia so far

So we're in Wal-Mart the other day and we're rolling down the aisle like normal people do. Jake is helping me push the cart, Mike is beside us and Livi is sitting in the front of the cart. So, this middle aged man in one of the Wally World power wheelchairs rides up to us and says something about Olivia being cute. This is normal. Happens all the time. No big deal. Then he asks if she's Chinese. Another normal question. We say she's Vietnamese. He says, "Ah, I spent some time there years back." Normal response from men his age. We get that a lot. So then he says, "Well, she could be mine, well her Mama anyway. I sure had my share of fun while we were over there. Lots of women. No telling how many kids I got over there." HOLY FREAKING COW! I was nearly ill right there in the store. He said this in front of my children! I was not pleased. I looked at him like he was a lunatic and walked away. For those of you who know me, that was actually pretty nice considering. It's a 1000 wonders I didn't clock him. Apparently being a pastor's wife has been good for me :<)

Happy 60th Birthday Daddy Don

we miss you & we love you

This is the very last picture I ever took of Daddy Don. Jake was shooting him with Silly String. It was taken only a few hours before he died in January. He should be in Colorado right now bow hunting for elk. I'm writing through tears. I can't believe he's not camping in the mountains right now. I can't believe that he won't be home in a couple of weeks with hilarious stories about bears and flat tires and stuff Cecil said. I can't believe that I'll never argue with him again. I can't believe he's not here to help me practice shooting my bow. As impatient as he was, he was the best hunting teacher in the world. He was a pain in the butt and I loved him so much more than he ever knew. Even 9 months later, our hearts are broken. We are still so broken, but we're blessed to see so much of him in Jake. Say a prayer for JuJu, Rhonda and Mike today if you will.

Happy Birthday Daddy Don. We'll see you soon.

Sometimes I still feel him,
Little heart within my own.
I’m lost without memories.
A child within me,
But never seen by my eyes,
Never felt by my fingertips,
Never kissed by my lips.
A mother’s love unknown.
Lost for years with a love
I can’t give and can’t receive.
Lost, lost, lost…

missing you today more than usual my sweet love

MANDY!!!!

Since you (for some unknown reason) still check my blog everyday, I thought I'd write a post just for you!!! Hope you're having a peachy day!!