Frankie returns!

Or I guess he never actually left. I didn't see him at all yesterday, but this morning heard a strange noise rustling in my trash can bag and there he was, trying to jump up the side of my trash can.
























He then proceeded to jump behind my desk and up the wall using the cords connecting to my computer. It was quite amusing to watch actually. I didn't know he was capable of all this! Here is a picture of him squeezing his way out from between the wall and my computer desk.




















And now here he is emerging from behind my computer tower with dust on his nose from his dusty climb behind my desk. This picture was taken right before he jumped out from behind my monitor.

















As much as I like Frankie, I could not have him jumping all over my desk today. I took him up to my bosses office and let him jump around in there for a bit, where he tried to scale the wall again, but was unsuccessful this time. I then took him to the edge of the nature center and set him free. I tried to clean the dust off of his nose for him but he jumped away, into forest freedom.

Goodbye Frankie, the friendliest frog I ever met.

Office Visitor and Dad Update

Yesterday I had a little office visitor, he stayed with me most of the day. I am going to call him Frankie... Here he is!





































It is funny to me that I get creatures coming into my office. That is what I get for having an office in the shop and our building being so close to the nature center. haha!


UPDATE: My dad is hearing great! He heard music clearly for the first time two weeks ago and he hasn't heard that in several years. He is slowly recovering from Bells Palsy and is doing wonderful. We are excited to see how much more he will be able to hear in the upcoming months.

ABC tag

* A - Attached or single: Attached
* B - Best Friend: Chris, my hubby
* C - Cake or Pie: cake for sure...with lots of butter cream icing...yum
* D - Day: Saturday
* E - Essential Items: Cell Phone, hand sanitizer either wipes or gel
* F - Favorite Color: blue or black
* G - Gummy Bears or Worms: worms
* H - Hometown: Saginaw, TX or Republic, MO
* I - Indulgences: chocolate!!
* J - January or July: January for sure!
* K - Kids: have none, and NO I do not consider Spencer my kid...
* L - Life is incomplete without: Love and family
* M - Marriage Date: October 15, 2005
* N - Number of Siblings: 2 - Levi & Laci
* O - Oranges or Apples: apple juice
* P - Phobia or Fears: losing loved ones
* Q - Quote: Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
* R - Reason to Smile: My sweet husband and hilarious nieces and nephew
* S - Season: Winter
* T - Tag two: Laci & Stevie
* U - Unknown fact about me: I absolutely HATE being referred to as Spencer's Mommy!! I did not give birth to the varmint and as much as I adore him (I know some of you are laughing right now) he did not in any way shape or form come from me.
* V - Vegetarian or Not: NO WAY. I need meat...
* W - Worst habit: My Internet addiction...staying up too late
* X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: only had x-rays so I don't think I can choose
* Y - Your favorite food: chocolate
*Z - Zodiac sign: don't believe in it

Jules' Magic Trick

Here are two phrases you will hear through out: "You're TIRED, You're TIRED!" and "When I clap my hands..."

Uncle Chris is actually pretty good at making all those animal sounds, what do you think?

Bells Palsy

Well my dad has been feeling great since his surgery until Saturday. He woke up and could not feel the right side of his face. His doctor believe that he has bells palsy and has prescribed him a medication...you see my mom and him are in Missouri visiting family at this current moment in time, so they woke up to kind of a shock and were glad the doctor got back to them so quickly. This condition is typically temporary and he is expected to recover in a few weeks or months...the exact time frame is never set in stone. Please be in prayer that he recovers quickly and this doesn't damage his spirit when also trying to deal with his cochlear implant. Oh and if you want to read more on this condition please click on the title of this blog entry and it will take you to a FAQ page that is very informative.

Cochlear Implant!

My dad, the weekend before his surgery...happy and ready!




















Well my Daddy had his cochlear implant (the surgery portion) done last Thursday. The surgery was successful, praise God! He is doing well and feeling well. Here is a pic of his surgery site (incision) the day after:





















And this is a picture of the face he made at me after I took a picture of his incision...he is still as goofy as ever!



















I love my Daddy, he is so fun! He goes in to receive his speech processor (the outside portion of the procedure that allows the implanted portion to interpret the sound) on August 4th. The whole family is going with my Dad to his appointment. My mom only after asking us all to go, told us she didn't ask the doctor if that many people could be there, but we all want to be there to see if he will be able to hear us when we talk to him. I am anxious to see how all this cochlear implant stuff works. Please continue to be in prayer for my Dad, because it can be a long process for him to relearn to hear sounds in a different way. We have been told that the cochlear implant is more of a computerized version of hearing than natural (obviously). Please pray that he does not get frustrated during this process. I think he will do great so that is the attitude I am going to stick with...I mean, what else can you think of a man who makes faces like in the picture above?? You think he is going to let a little discouragement get him down? I THINK NOT! Plus we will all be there cheering him on. I will let you know what happens when we get there.







Now here are a couple of pics of Chris and I (we rarely have pics together anymore, and especially never when we are dressed up) after we went to a wedding last Saturday night. Chris HAD to have this hat...Dick Tracy style (we went all over the mall and other stores outside just to get him this before we went to the wedding). And yes, for those of you who did not know, I married a fashion diva, in the most male and manly sense of the term.

4th of July Weekend

Well our fun weekend began with a yummy dinner at Mark Dean's BBQ for Chris' birthday with Chris' family and Eric, Kathy and the girls. It was SO yummy and I think Chris' family agreed. Apparently their chicken fried steak is one of the best...but I don't eat that out, so I wouldn't know.

















































Chris' parents and Joe stayed the night that night and the guys (Chris, Ron, & Joe) got up the next morning early to play golf. Which gave Teresa and I the perfect opportunity to be crafty and make some cards. We had a ton of fun doing so. The guys enjoyed their golf as well. We had Chicken Express for lunch followed by a not-traditional birthday cake for Chris...I am so ghetto and I didn't have candles to put on his cake so he had to blow out a yankee candle...sheesh. Then Chris' family left and the little girlies came.

















We had Mia and Jules from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening. They are so much fun I tell ya...here is a brief (as I can be) synopsis of what we did.


Friday: Julesie was asleep when they got her and mom put her on our guest bed and Chris went to nap with her. Mia and I went to Joann's before they closed to get some stuff to be crafty with and Mia picked out some beads and candy for our fun evening we had planned. When we got back Chris was panicking because Jules had teeteed during her nap and it soaked through her clothes, a set of sheets, a blanket, two comforters and onto the futon below. Chris didn't know what to do. Good thing Mia and I had just arrived. We stripped her and the bed. Performed a quick wipe-down bath, put new clothes and panties on and grumbled under my breath at my mom for not putting her in pull ups during her nap. Then we met Aunt Laci and cousin Atlee at Rosa's for dinner. The girls were super excited that they got to ride in our BIG car (aka Chris' truck). Mia was so impressed that she got to see out of ALL the windows and easily. Apparently riding in the truck makes them crazy though...I have pictures to prove it, see?









































After we finished eating we headed up to the Dam (on Eagle Mountain Lake) to watch the fireworks. The girls were so hyped up I got some funny pictures.



Jules with a crazed look while holding her pop ice, Mia with a mouth full of M&M's and Me looking pasty and double-chinned.

































































The beautiful 4th of July sunset over Eagle Mountain Lake.














FIREWORKS!!







































SATURDAY: (Chris' actual birthday) Jules and I were the first ones up and we made pancakes for Chris' birthday breakfast. After breakfast the girls snuggled with Chris in the recliner and watched cartoons while I got ready.





















Chris went to work and the girls and I hung out at the house, made Uncle Chris some cards for his birthday and then we went to get Spencer groomed. The girls REALLY wanted to sleep with Spencer for some reason and I told them that they could only after he was cleaned. We went to PetSmart dropped off Spencer and spent about 45 minutes in the store shopping for treats for Spencer and looking at all the various animals within the store. Mia thought I should buy them a gerbil, a dog, a cat, a fish, and a frog...this girl LOVES animals and does not understand why I did not want to buy her all of these things to keep at my house. I sweetly explained that Spencer was enough for me. Jules got upset when we were heading out to the car...I think it was because we were leaving Spencer and she couldn't look at the animals any more or something. This quickly progressed into full on sobs and hyperventilating saying "I WANT MY MO-MA-HEE, I WANT MY DAH-AH-DEE!!" over and over again for about 10 minutes...I was driving to the next location and had NO IDEA how to handle this...really I just wanted to cry with her because she was making me sad, but I knew this would not help. Mia was attempting to be soothing, as was I, by saying "It's ok Julesie, it's ok." Finally, I got her calmed down by convincing her that we were going to go to Lowe's to see Uncle Chris and pick out some flowers for us to plant in the front flower bed and that she was going to get her own gardening gloves. Finally this method worked and she forgot she was crying and proceed through Lowe's saying "TIS!! (what she calls Chris) TIS!! Where ARE you??" It was so cute. The girls were excited to help me pick out flowers and to get their very own gardening gloves. We planted flowers later that night after it cooled off.














































Sleeping with Spencer lasted about a whole 15 minutes which is about the time that he decided that Jules' head was the perfect location for him to chew his new toy. Stinkin' dog!! Scaring my Julesie like that! She already goes from loving/laughing at him to being completely terrified of him and this didn't help the situation.
















SUNDAY: The girls and I got up and went to church...Chris had to work again. We met Chris for lunch at Red, Hot & Blue and then went on a shopping expedition to find them some eye masks...Mia had been wearing Chris' (yes Chris') eye mask to bed the past two nights and had decided that I needed to get her some of her very own. We went to 5 different stores that day to find the blessed eye masks, or as Jules called them her "eye patch". Finally CVS was the store and they were super excited and we bought the last two they had. Jules took a nap when we got home and Mia and I made them both a bracelet out of the beads Mia had picked out on Friday.

I just love those girls and have SO much fun being their Aunt Lexi!!