Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Christmas Pictures












Happy Birthday to ME!




Today is my birthday - I have made it to 28! I don't like the thought of approaching 30. I have accomplished many things over my 28 years, 3 of the most important are getting married to my wonderful husband, and having 2 wonderful experiences giving birth to 2 beautiful, healthy little girls. And yes, I did say 'wonderful' - I had some painful moments, as to be expected, but overall I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just wanted to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope everyone enjoys time spent with family and friends - but most importantly, remember the reason for the season!!



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Just an FYI

I've uploaded some pictures of my latest work - check it out if you want to:
http://leneymariedesigns.blogspot.com





My Little Superstar!

Last Tuesday night Caleigh had her dance performance. She was sooo cute in her outfit and pigtails – but she got a bit shy on stage (what can I say, she gets it honest). She did do some moves, but you couldn’t tell any different because none of them were exactly working together real well (we are talking about a bunch of 3 year olds) – but that’s what makes it entertaining, right?





Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Abbey @ 7 Months

Abbey turned 7 months old on November 29th. She is growing so fast - and developing such an amazing personality. She is such a happy baby. I just love both girls to pieces!!!










Pics from Graduation










The Graduate....

He finally did it! Ok, so he actually got his diploma in August, but it didn’t really feel ‘official’ until he walked across the stage. He walked Friday night (Dec 12). The girls and I rode over to Starkville with Mike and Diann (Jesse was already over there). We find Jesse and I bring my camera up to take a picture…..and to my extreme dismay….my battery is DEAD AS A HAMMER!! So Diann hands me hers, and I turn it on…..and her battery is dead too! I was SOOO upset. We found a place to sit and got settled and I just started crying. But then I remember that my battery charger was in my camera bag in the truck (I try to condense everything into one bag, and this is what I get). So after Jesse walks across the stage and sits back down, Mike and I head out to the truck. Of course we are on the complete opposite side of the building then where we came in, so we walked (or he walked, I had to jog to keep up). At any rate, we found an outlet right outside the section that we were sitting. I go to sit back down and as I’m walking down the steps I can hear Abbey crying. Apparently the noise had woken her up and she was not happy. Even though they tell you to hold the applause until the end, there are those select few that feel the need to holler. Granted, I certainly felt like yelling for joy when Jesse walked across that stage – but I also have respect for the other thousands of people in the coliseum. So I take her and go back up the steps; Mike gets her; I go back down the steps; and by that time the ceremony is over. Then it takes us FOREVER to walk just a few feet through the crowd to get to Mike and Abbey (and my battery, which I am praying is charged enough to get some pics). Finally some very nice lady lets us go through. We get some pics (below) and head back to Columbus to eat. We had planned on eating in Starkville, but decided it wasn’t the best idea with the number of people that were there that probably had the same idea. We arrive at The Grill about 10PM (and both girls are still awake – imagine that!). We headed home at 11PM, and the girls were passed out before we reached the bypass.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Long Awaited Move

Just to follow-up, my brother is now in Winston County. His custody status has not changed, so he’s still only gets visits twice a month (2nd & 4th Saturdays), but it will be much easier to visit now.
If anyone is willing, please send him a Christmas card – it doesn’t matter if you know him or not – he’ll be glad to receive any correspondence from anybody:

Winston Co. Corrections
David Neyman, #108449
P.O. Box 1437
Louisville, MS 39339

He has not been assigned a zone yet, but this is the address given to send mail.
Thanks to anyone who will do this – it’s very much appreciated!!




Just Venting

Ok, so I posted a ‘vent session’ yesterday, then I went back and deleted it. But here I am again. I am so fed up with all the crap surrounding my family. I think that sometimes people need to be reminded that we have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Also, let those without sin cast the first stone. I remind myself of these things every single day. I am the youngest of 4 children – one of whom passed away 6 years ago; one who lives in Arizona, the other in prison and then there is me. I sometimes feel that I am left alone to fight a battle that I cannot win. I am tired of feeling the need to defend myself and others, to the point where I am physically and emotionally drained. I try to tell myself that if anyone TRULY knows me and my family, then they know the real story. There are some people who have only been through a fraction of what I have, but choose to believe what they want. I don’t want anyone to think negative things about me, or anyone else, when it’s not warranted, when it’s not even close to the truth. It’s just been hard for me to move past things when certain individuals are treated differently based on fictional stories. It’s just gotten out of hand and I wish it would stop. I just ask for prayers for my family.



Monday, December 8, 2008

Good News...I think

So my brother is finally getting moved closer – I hope. A while back he had been approved for transfer to the facility in Louisville (Winston Co.). He had a hold put on his transfer because they were trying to get him moved from B custody to A custody (not really sure what all this means, but it would have been a good move). And they only move B custody inmates to Winston Co. (not sure why this is the case, but that’s what David was told; my mother has actually been telling people something different – but that is false information – as well as another dysfunctional drama that would take me quite some time to explain). At any rate, his move to A custody was rejected, so they are transferring him. I assume it is to Winston Co, but who knows. I received a letter from him yesterday with a note on the outside saying ‘it’s Thursday morning and they are moving me’ with a question mark. It would be awesome for him to be closer. I’ve only seen him twice in the year that he’s been in Leakesville. It’s especially sad this time of year….
I can’t believe Christmas is only a few weeks away. I am trying to make all my gifts this year, as I don’t have money to spend, and I refuse to go into more credit card debt than I already am just to buy gifts that might never get used. It’s such a nice feeling to not have to worry about buying everyone something. After all, it’s hard to really remember the reason for the season when you are all wrapped up in making sure you get the best gifts for everyone.




Monday, December 1, 2008

Pictures from November 22nd

Here are some pictures from my sister's quick MS visit (ok, so there's no pics of her, but I got several of the boys). The day didn't exactly go as planned, but for the most part the kids were oblivious to the turmoil. They just had fun playing outside (and giving me turkey feathers....which I graciously accepted, but the poop-covered ones ended up back on the ground when they weren't looking)...














Kid Movie - or not....

Jesse and I took Caleigh to see Madagascar 2 yesterday afternoon. Although it was funny – I have to say it was not necessarily for a 3-year old (or any child for that matter). I do not understand why the creators of these movies think that they have to put tons of adult humor in them for them to be funny. I guess I understand that the adults need to get some humor out of them – but they should be made for the kids who will be watching them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my girls to start asking “those” kind of questions earlier than necessary – I want them to stay as innocent as they can for as long as possible. I know, I know – we took her to see it, but I just didn’t expect there to be SO much adult humor. It was a good movie, and I would watch it again – I just wish they would make more ‘G’ rated movies that are also fun to watch…….



Rub-a-dub-dub...

Rub-a-dub-dub...
Abbey has decided she likes bath time. For the first few weeks of her life she HATED baths (so did mommy and daddy). She likes kicking her feet in the water.

my caleigh bug....

my caleigh bug....
this was before we got her hair cut - her bangs were awful! :-)

Caleigh

Caleigh
Yes, she has 'bed head'. She didn't even change out of her PJ's until she had a bath that night. Any time that I want to get her all 'cutsied up' to take pictures, she refuses and it turns into a battle until I finally give up. Guess I'm having to pay for being so stubborn myself....