Welcome Jesse!

My sweet friend, Bethany, is now a proud mommy! Balen's newest friend, Jesse David Blakemore was born December 14! I am SO excited for Scott and Bethany. He is precious!

My Peeps!

Love these three crazy cats!

Tucker

I love that my family says I Love You.

I love that my family has deep roots.

I love that my family enjoys each other.

I love that my parents are full of integrity.

I love that they never drank or cussed in our home.

I love that they made us go to church.

I love that we talk about things most families don't.

I love that my dad makes me feel like a princess.

I love that my brothers do too.

I love that we have always had "deep family pow-wows" when things need discussed.

I love that if Justin is involved in these talks they can go on for hours!

I love that Josh can make us all laugh.

I love that he can also preach us a good sermon!

I love that we have been through so much together and still stand.

I love that I bought my dad a CD tower one year for Christmas.

I love that he thought it was the dumbest gift he ever received!

I love that my mom can be a little ditsy, and that I can be just like her.

I love that my mom can be so powerful, and hope that I can be just like her.

I love that my family loves music.

I love that my family prays.

I love that my parents never gave up.

I love that we don't yell and scream at each other.

I love that there was no abuse.

I love that we have spent many nights sleeping on hospital floors.

I love that we are all still here.

I love the family I grew up in.

Pearl Dog

This is our dog that doesn't stay, play, eat, sleep, or cause trouble here!?!

Apparently our house isn't as good as Mark and Terrie's! Paige took this today. Looks like they were getting a lot accomplished! Keep up the good work Pearl...just like me, always in the right place at the right time! Maybe that's just called "in the way"???

Big Man

Little Things

Everytime I see a pair of baby shoes on the floor it makes me cry. They always remind me how much I am blessed. I learned at a young age that life if precious. People are here one day and can be gone the next.

Sometimes we get caught up in "living" and don't take time to live.

As Christmas approaches, I can't help to think about all of the mothers who haven't figured it out yet, or maybe they have just forgotten. It's all around us. Nagging, complaining, abuse, and yelling.

As a teacher I have seen firsthand that so many kids never get a chance to know what love is. Even more sad, they never get to experience the Father's unconditional love.

These snapshots of life are the things I love. These are things I would miss if my Little Man was gone one day. They are things I see every single day, but so often take for granted.

Learn to love the little messes in your home, all the imperfections and people's quirks. Your wife yapping on the phone, your husband snoring too loud, your son's stinky socks and muddy shoes, your daughter's toys strung across the house.

Life is precious. Make this Christmas different. Be thankful for who you have. I think about how much I love my son and realize God's love for me is far greater than any love I can ever feel for Balen. That is amazing.

I challenge you to look around your house and become aware of all the little things that represent the people you love. Begin to enjoy and appreciate them while they are there.

Merry Christmas from Balen

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

Dr. Seuss