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Where did April go?

So, I think I blinked and April was gone and May was here. I can't believe how quickly it came and went. As busy as it was, I had a great time visiting with family and friends! Sorry this post is pretty long. There are several pictures of my adventures visiting.

My first stop in April was in Ozona where we celebrated Ryan's 3rd birthday and Easter. Melonie had Ryan's birthday outside at their house. It was a Mickey Mouse themed birthday, as this is Ryan's absolute favorite character. We had yummy cake, ice cream, busted a candy filled pinata and had a great time!

Ryan and his cake. This is a normal smile

when posing for the camera. Such a silly boy!

Posing wearing his Mickey Mouse

ears that TJ I got him.

Practicing swinging at the pinata. He had

a blast doing this! He's a little destructive!

But what a sweet face!!

I stayed in Ozona the rest of the weekend to celebrate Easter. Twylah out did herself, as usual, with our traditional Easter lunch. Then we headed over to Melonie's to see if the Easter bunny had visited. We found that boy did he ever! The yard was decorated with lots of eggs, boiled and plastic. The boys were so excited! Anthony decided to not participate this year as he thought he was too old. This made me so sad, because in my mind he is still the baby. After hunting eggs, I headed home to see my hubby, who was slaving away at the house. When I got home, I found all the laundry done and house cleaned. I guess the Easter Bunny visited me too! :)

The best part about Easter is that He is Risen making it possible for us to have these precious times with our families. I'm eternally grateful for Him!

I love this picture of the Coltyn and Riley!

Sweet Cousins!

Waiting on lunch...Anthony, Ryan (who wasn't cooperating),

Coltyn and Riley hanging out on the front porch.

Ryan scoping out the Easter eggs.

Sweet Coltyn. I love this picture of him!

Riley not wasting any time picking up eggs.

Ryan helping Riley find eggs.

The boys being oh so patient while we take pictures.

Through their sweet little smiles they were

asking us to hurry so they could count their eggs.

Our baskets runneth over!

Pretty girls! Twylah and Melonie

Like Mother, like Daughters

The Stewart family!

The girls!

My next stop the next weekend was to Abilene. I went to visit Terra, Josh, Mom, Mark and Megan. Friday night I stayed with Terra and Josh. We had a great time visiting and playing. Of course we had to go to Taco Bueno so that I could have my regular burrito and nachos. It was so good! Saturday morning we got up and took Josh to the park. Then we went to see a house that Terra was looking at buying. That house didn't work out, but another one did. Congratulations Terra on being a new home owner! I can't wait to see it. After that it was off to Mom's for lunch. She made her famous gumbo, which was so good! Then Megan and I went to get pedicure's and hang out. It was so much fun! I miss being able to see them! I met back up with Terra and Josh for dinner then I was off to Midland. Terra has some great pictures on her blog: Joshua Michael Corrigan. I haven't uploaded them yet. The Sunday I got back from Abilene, I got a stomach bug, or so I thought. I couldn't seem to get over it. I finally went to the doctor this past Thursday and found out I have gall stones. I will be having my gallbladder removed as soon as school is out. Not much fun, but hopefully I will feel better!

The last stop of April took us to Amarillo. TJ and I went to visit Jeremy, Allison and Thayne. We had the best time! Thayne is absolutely adorable and so much fun! T.J. and I were just talking about how we were ready to see him again! Hopefully soon!

Mr. Cool Baby Thayne! As cute as he was

in his hat and sunglasses, they didn't stay on for long.

Playing with Uncle T.J. His laughs were the best!!

This was my month in a nutshell! I told you this post was long, sorry! I'll do better at staying up to date. As you may have noticed, T.J. wasn't in many of these pictures. That is because while I was touring West Texas, he was at home slaving away on finishing our new front door. I'll post pictures of our home remodeling another day. He has done a fantastic job so far!

Happy Easter

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I love what it stands for, the newness of Spring, and the fun we have, as a family, getting together. I'm traveling to Ozona tomorrow for Ryan's birthday party and then we will have our normal Easter lunch and egg hunt Sunday. I'm so excited about seeing everyone!

I hope all of you have a very Happy Easter!

Love,
Steph.

Happy 30th Anniversary Twylah and Tony!

On March 23rd Twylah and Tony will celebrate 30 years of marriage. What a wonderful milestone! Lacretia and Melonie hosted a dinner celebration Saturday night in Ozona. We had a yummy dinner of brisket and all the trimmings and lots of fun! With 4 boys around it is always entertaining! Melonie had a beautiful cake made, which Ryan could not wait to eat. He talked about it all day. It was great to use as incentive (not bribery) :). "Ryan if you smile for the camera you can have cake", "Ryan if you eat your dinner you can have cake", it worked every time! :)

It was a great day! I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the love these two wonderful people share. Twylah and Tony, I hope you have a wonderful anniversary Monday! Love you!!

The beautiful and tasty cake.

30 years looks good on the two of you!

Ryan, Mel, Tony, Twylah and Lacretia

Ryan, Mel, Steph., Lacretia and Twylah

Twylah cutting the cake.

FINALLY! I get cake...mmm

Ryan with his piece of cake.

Ryan loves his cousin Coltyn! Either that or he's beating him up, who knows!

What cute brothers! Coltyn (8) and Anthony (10)

Poor Riley had an earache and didn't feel well.

Ahh...this is what I call relaxed!

Ollie's favorite sleeping position...

Cracks me up everytime I see him sleeping this way!

Have a great weekend!

Things we keep...

I received this forward the other day and thought I would share it with you, my friends.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a housedress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more. But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it... it's best we love it.... And care for it.... And fix it when it's broken..... And heal it when it's sick. This is true... For marriage.... old cars... children with bad report cards..... Dogs and cats with bad hips.... And aging parents... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.... And so, we keep them close!

Since losing Mama and Papa, I understand this better! I'm so grateful to have friends and family that will care for me, love me, fix me, and heal me. Just wanted to let you all know how special you are to me and how much I love you!

Steph.

Worry no more...well, at least not all the time!

Most of you that really know me know that I'm somewhat of a worry wart. I worry about everything! I even worry, when I don't have anything to worry about. I love to watch the show Jon and Kate Plus 8. At one of my outings to Target the other day, I found their book, Multiple Bles8ings (yes, the 8 is supposed to be there). I love it!! As most of you know, TJ and I have been trying to get pregnant for some time now. It has been very frustrating! I've gone through so many emotions: excitement, worry, sadness, frustration, anger. Now, I think I'm numb to it all. Or, maybe I'm just figuring out that I have absolute no control over our situation. See, along with worrying about everything, I like to be in control of everything! Maybe the worrying issue and control issue go hand in hand, who knows. One of my biggest fears is the unknown. I'm not a fan of surprises, I need to be in the know! Well...maybe not about everything, but everything that is going to affect my life. So many times people have told me to let it go, God's in control. I know He is, I do, but I just have a hard time letting things go. Now, I really think I am letting go. Maybe I'm not numb, I'm just finally giving my worries, about not getting pregnant, to God. So, back to the book, Kate quotes bible scriptures all through the book. Many of the scriptures she quotes while describing her fears and frustrations of trying to conceive have really comforted me. It is a great book and I recommend it to all. One scripture really caught my eye and made me realize that I need to live for today and today alone:



Matthew 6:34

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"



I'm not going to say that I won't ever worry, because I will, but I'm going to focus on today and enjoy the gifts that God has given me. I have hope that He will bless TJ and me one day with a beautiful son or daughter. Until then, I'm going to open my heart to Him more and listen to what He has to say and really try to let go of what I can't control, like the unknown...



I'm sure I've bored you with my ramblings...sorry! It makes me feel better to share my thoughts with you, my friends! I hope you all have a wonderful week!