Clara Ellen Wilkinson Merrill

Mom is holding me and my youngest brother is in her tummy.


My mom was born September 19, 1943 in a small town in southeast Texas, Honey Island. Her parents did not have a ton of money. In fact, they had very little money at all. My grandfather died when Mom was only 11, so I never got to meet him or my grandmother because she died the year before I was born, in 1971. From the stories Mom told, they were both very special people. They taught Mom about Jesus and how to work hard and study. She passed those teachings on to her 7 children as well.

Mom was the youngest of 4 siblings and very smart. She was very talented too. She could grow just about anything and sew too. She made several of my clothes growing up and even my prom dresses, not to mention my wedding dress and that of my bridal party. Unfortunately, I did not receive those talents from my mom. My sister, Ellen, did. I think inherited her love of books, politics and a strong sense of family and friends. Mom always said, "Mary Grace, if you make it through this life with 2 good friends, then your life has been a success." Mom was right and both of my dear friends showed their support for me when they made the drive from their homes to mourn my loss with me.

My Mom wasn't perfect and she certainly made her share of mistakes, but she did the best she could and I have nothing but admiration for all the sacrifices she made for her family. She had such a bright mind and wanted to be a lawyer when she graduated high school. But, she met my Dad that summer, fell in love, and got married and started a family. I asked Mom if she ever regretted not going to college and she said, "Not one day! If I had, I wouldn't have had all my children and might live wouldn't have been filled with such joy." It was later, after all of us were born, that she decided to go to nursing school. I think she was almost finished when she got sick and had to have surgery. After that, she didn't go back. Mom was a good nurse...she had 7 kids to practice on and believe me, there was always some kind of illness in our house.

Mom was a great saleswomen and she sold many different products while I was growing up. I remember she sold Stanley Home Products, Catoni Lingerie (that was a fun time), Mary Kay, Tupperware, and Home & Garden Party. Mom didn't like to drive at night, so when I got home from school, I would ride with her all over north Texas so she could hold her parties. I would do my homework in the car and help Mom unload and set up for her shows. I was always shy, so I didn't participate, but stayed in the background while she did her thing. I guess I get my salesmanship skills from Mom because whenever there was a fundraiser at school, I was always one of the top sellers in my class. The nights when her parties were close to home, I would stay and make dinner for Dad and my little brother.

Mom was an excellent cook and she made sure all her kids knew how to cook the basics too. Some of us took to the stove and some of us didn't. She always said it was her job to make sure her children knew how to take care of themselves when they left the nest. Well, none of us look like we've missed a meal, so I guess she did her job well.

I didn't mind sitting at Mom's knee or standing beside her at the stove or riding for hours in a car all over creation. You see, when there are 7 children in a house, you learn to take the moments you can to to spend time with your parents. I learned many things from Mom. She always taught us to "believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." I have been on the receiving end of gossip more times than I care to remember and have been hurt deeply from untruths, so I try very hard not to participate in gossip sessions by those that have nothing better to do with their time. Mom always taught me to show more compassion than I receive because I might be in that person's situation one day and need an encouraging word.

Mom's important lessons always had to do with scriptures. She said it's hard to forgive at times, but we must because Christ instructs us to do so. She said there will be those that will hurt you, but you can't let Satan turn your heart cold by being unforgiving. Not only does it hurt us in the long run, it displeases God and does not bring honor and glory to His name. When I accepted Christ as my Savior at the tender age of 12, I began to understand all the things Mom had been teaching me over the years. I came to realize that anger and resentment are wasted emotions that Satan uses to keep us separated from the joy and blessings God has for us.

I remember her saying to never go to bed angry and it wasn't until I began reading the Bible and studying that I found that scripture. All that time, I just thought Mom was wise. When I became an adult and became engaged to Randy, those were the words she gave me to live by. She said you can't let Satan get a foothold in your marriage. If you get angry and have a fight, always apologize and forgive before you fall to sleep because it gets harder to say you're sorry the longer time goes by.

My mom and I were never friends when I was growing up, she was my MOM! She made me do chores, go to school, do my homework, cook and mind my manners. She was always asking where I was going, who I was going with and when I would be home. All the things a good mom teaches her children. She even spanked my behind and popped me on the mouth when I got smart with her, as she should have. Of course, as a teenager, I thought she was mean. I'm sure my boys will feel the same way as they get older because I plan on being just as "nosey" and "mean" as my Mom was with me!!!

My Mom became my friend when I got married because she knew I had entered a different stage in my life so her parenting changed as I changed. It was then that I truly began to understand all the sacrifices a mom makes for her family. All the harsh realities of life she tries to protect her children from. There were still times Mom and I clashed because we're so much alike, but we always said, "I love you" at the end.

Now, I'm trying to find my way through this new stage of my life...life without Mom. She was my friend, my medical advisor, my sound board, my advocate, my seamstress, my teacher, my Bible study leader and my MOM! I know my Mom is in heaven praising our Lord and I wouldn't take that from her for anything. It's just hard sometimes when I realize I can't pick up the phone and call her when the boys do something spectacular or funny or if they're sick and I'm at my wit's end. When will the hurting stop and the healing start? When will I be able to make her cornbread dressing and chocolate pies without over-salting them from my tears. When will I be able to watch a movie about Moms without crying because mine is not with me anymore. When will I stop being scared that I'll lose my Dad too. I just have to keep praying for peace from that fear.

The one thing I've learned from my Mom and taken into my adult life is to love others unselfishly and to give of yourself. Don't let past hurts keep you from loving...love with everything that's in you.

Fall Fun

I love the fall time of year. I love when the weather begins to change from the scorching heat of the Texas summers to the fall breeze. We have got to see the beautiful leaves changing in October and November.

Some find raking the leaves a nuisance, but it's a reminder that life goes on and we're heading into the next season. We should always be thankful of the little things because we never know when or if we'll be able to do them again. Enjoy your time with family and friends and always leave with a hug and a kiss and an "I love you."

We went down to Stephenville for Thanksgiving last weekend and decided to have my niece take some family pictures. We went to the city park and the boys and Randy had a fabulous time climbing trees and throwing leaves and running...lots of running. I think JT may be in track when he gets older.

This will probably be our Christmas card picture.

A little bit older, but we're still one cute couple!!

Our two little tree climbing monkeys.

Isn't this the cutest picture you've ever seen. Such a beautiful smile!!

Here is our rambunctious little leaf thrower! I think he was sliding in to home plate here.

Here they are burying Daddy in the leaves. What fun we had!

I think they were trying to climb the tree here, but with little success.

Ethan had so much fun climbing ALL the trees in the park!

JT wouldn't sit still long enough for us to take many pictures of him. So, here he is playing with a stick.

I think Ethan liked being up high in the tree and hiding behind the leaves.

I love this picture of Randy & the boys walking along the path.

I will do a tribute to mom soon. I have some great pictures of when she was young.

Ethan's 2008 School Picture

Well, it's that time of year again! I plead and plead for Ethan to give me a beautiful smile. He wanted to show off all the teeth he's lost this year. Oh, and his spiked hair. He was trying to show some "tude" (attitude) with his pose!! He's so cute!

He's been doing very well in his classes. He got straight A's the first six weeks. Not sure how he will do this six weeks. He's had a rough time since Nana passed and his grades have dropped a bit.

Please send up some prayers for him to be at peace. He keeps asking us if we're going to die too. If Grandpa and PopPop are next. He's just feeling vulnerable and sad. He's been asking to visit his friends from his old school in Zellars too. It's hard sometimes for kids to adjust to change, but he'll be alright.

Ethan's 7th Birthday

It's hard to believe that my sweet Ethan is now 7 years old!! It was just yesterday that I was waddling around in the 100+ degree weather getting ready to have him.

Ethan decided this year that he wanted to go to Main Event for his birthday this year. Main Event is a huge facility that offers bowling, laser tag, glow golf and tons of arcade games and much more.

This is a picture of Ethan getting ready to eat his chocolate chip cookie cake. He's not a fan of regular cake...who does this kid belong to anyway.

This is our little bowler in action. He bowled a 79 and even got a strike. Even with bumpers up, that's pretty good for only his 2nd time to ever bowl.

All of his Sunday School friends and friends from school had a fun time bowling. They all bowled great...I was very impressed.

JT loves anything sweet and he surely loved this sweet treat. I think he was beginning to get tired though from all the excitement.

Below is the video of everyone singing "Happy Birthday".

He got a bunch of neat toys too. Grandpa gave him an Erector Set. He hasn't played with that one yet because little bubba tries to put the little pieces in his mouth. He got Battleship and Operation, which we have played SEVERAL times since. He also got a new game for his Leapster, NASCAR. Don't ask. Here are some pics of him opening gifts with his friends.

Jeremiah Tries Bowling for the First Time...

We were even able to get JT to try his hand at bowling. He didn't like it at first, but he started getting the hang of it. He really like "throwing" the ball down the lane.

Everyone had a Blast and I want to go back and play "Glo Golf". That looked interesting.

Trip to Montana

This summer we spent a week in Bozeman, Montana. This was mainly a Staples family reunion, which celebrated the 60 years of marriage of Randy's grandparents and their 80th birthdays this year.

TRIP TO YELLOWSTONE

Thursday, we took the boys to Yellowstone National Park. Ethan completed the Junior Ranger program and got a badge. They gave us a worksheet to complete while we traveled the road through Yellowstone. We had to stop at most all the attractions along the way because he had to tell things about each. Mom and Dad had to help with this one because he and JT fell asleep at one point.

The picture below is of the boys listening to a park Ranger talk about all the animals that live in the park and their natural habitats. Ethan was even able to raise his hand and answer a question. We were so proud of him. He doesn't like talking in front of crowds. We saw a bunch of animals, mainly bison, which is NOT the same as buffalo. The boys did like seeing these huge animals along the road side. We even got caught in a bison traffic jam. There were about 3 or 4 trying to cross a bridge and they were just taking their sweet time in both lanes of the bridge. I did not like being stranded on this bridge that was several hundred feet above this huge and rapidly flower river below. The best part though was the hippie lady in the travel trailer blowing kisses to the bison as they passed saying, "I love you." Quite amazing to watch.

Of course, what's a trip to Yellowstone without going to visit Old Faithful. We got to see it go off twice while we were there. It went off right as we arrived, but we didn't get to see the whole "show" so we stayed and ate lunch and then visited the gift shop while we waited for the next scheduled eruption. The Rangers said that the timing has been off since an earthquake a few years ago. It was about 90 minutes or so between the two eruptions.

It was a good trip and hopefully we'll be able to go back when the boys are bigger and will appreciate the history of it more.

FAMILY REUNION

Friday, we all gathered for a dinner reception to honor Randy's grandparents. There was much laughter as his dad and aunts and uncle remembered the "Good ole days". His aunt Loreen and her family even wrote and sang a little diddy. I've uploaded the video so you can have a listen. Totally cracked me up.

Randy painted them a landscape of Lake McDonald, which is at Glacier National Park (northern MT). It is a beautiful painting. We had a scripture etched on a plate and attached to the frame. "My Lord, O Lord, how majestic is your name."

All their children got up and spoke about how their marriage has influenced their own marriages and how sweet their memories are. Jerry, Randy's dad, made a touching tribute to his parents as Mary Jane would have liked. MJ always tried to find different ways to show others how much she loved and appreciated them. I know she was smiling down from heaven with Jerry's choice. He had special leis from Hawaii flown in to give to his parents. They were made of plumeria flowers. He even read what each petal meant in the Hawaiian culture.

• Aspiration


• Devotion


• Sincerety


• Faith


• Surrender

Jerry then presented all the ladies in his life with a beautiful plumeria flower necklace. This was so endearing because it was totally something Mary Jane would have done. It was a very moving moment for us all. We saw allot of kissing going on too. Grandma and Granddad are still so much in love after 60 years.

PICNIC

Saturday, we meet at Nadine's house and had a picnic on their beautiful lawn. This reminded of the church picnics we had when I was growing up. Eating was synomous with Baptists, but now that everybody is so health conscious, we don't have those fellowships anymore.

The boys seems to enjoy themselves. They played with their cousins and played lawn games.

"Farmer Jack" video

Ethan's New Glasses

Well, Ethan picked up his new glasses yesterday. He absolutely LOVES them because he only took them off to go to sleep. He looks so cute in them. They are very red, which is his favorite color.

The lady at the eye doctor's said they were girl glasses, but a few days after Ethan picked them out, another little boy came in and picked out the same pair. I guess he's setting a new trend!! They look very artsy, which fits him to a "T".

He sure is a little cutie!!

Ethan Started 2nd Grade

Ethan started 2nd grade at his new school today. We got to tour the school and meet his teacher last Friday, so I think that helped to alleviate some of his nerves, but not all. He was very excited over the weekend and was counting the days til he got to go to school. Oh, to be young again and love to learn!!

His teacher, Ms. Whited, seems to be very nice. We were told by another parent that she is very strict and tough. That's good though because Ethan needs to be challenged...he gets bored too easily and then starts talking and gets in trouble.

I dropped him off this morning and waited with him until the bell rang for classes to begin. Here are some of the pictures from this morning. Doesn't his new haircut look so cute!! He's lost another tooth too!! He's got 3 more that are really loose. He picked out his new backpack too. Speed Racer! He wanted to bring his lunch to school this year so he got a Speed Racer lunch box that matches the backpack.

He looks so little next to all the other 2nd graders. He's so cute with his new tan from swimming just about every day. He's now decided that he wants to be a swimmer, so I've got to find some indoor swim classes for him.

Here's a picture of him and Ms. Whited. I emailed her a little while ago to see how he was doing and this is what she said. "He is doing fabulous. He has already made several new friends today. He seems to be adjusting very well."

Randy and JT are walking there now to pick him up. I will have him get on tonight and give everyone an update on what his first day of 2nd grade was like.

Here's a picture of me and him waiting for the bell to ring.

Until next time,

Mary

Welcome to our family blog!!

Well, I think it's about time I got with the swing of things and started sending out updates on the family via blog posts instead of emails...sorry. I didn't realize all the neat and cool things you could do on these blogs. Like upload a video. I've been trying to figure out how to share some of the cute stuff the boys have done that we've captured on video, but they're too big to email. I NOW have my answer. (Thanks, Kari)

Check out our beautiful family. Randy has been getting some freelance graphic design jobs from a realtor in Plano. He loves creating new branding for people. I love watching his ideas come to fruition. God has really given him an awesome talent. One of my former co-workers wants him to come up with a painting for his sister's birthday. He's going to be doing a painting for our pastor's birthday and my mom's 65th birthday. He's going to be a very busy man!!

Ethan will be starting the 2nd grade next Monday, August 25th. He's very excited about getting back to school, but nervous about the new school and not knowing anybody. He's so outgoing so I don't think he'll have any trouble making new friends. He's my little peacemaker. He was bullied in both kinder and first and somehow managed to turn his tormentors into best friends!! What a sweet spirit the Father has given him. Now, if he would just use that gift in his relationship with Jeremiah!! Brothers! Boys!! We took him in for his 7 year check up last Friday and was told he has 20/40 vision and to take him to an eye doctor. He went today and he's nearsighted with a slight astigmatism, like me. He picked out his own frames and since his favorite color is red, he picked out red frames. A little girl in the office said they looked great, so I'll go with that. I'll send a picture next week after we get them back.

Well, we've been potty training Jeremiah for the past couple of weeks and it's been very interesting. At first, he had many accidents with No 1. He's pretty much conquered that, except at night. It's No 2 we're having troubles with. Moms, if you've got any suggestions, please share. I have never seen a child act this way when he needed to go No 2. He will run around holding his britches and doing something similar to the "peepee dance". We've titled this new movement the "poopoo dance", sorry but he's a 3 year old. He will then proceed to shout, I need to lay down, I need to lay down. Mommy/Daddy/Ethan, rub my tummy. After this going on for a few seconds, we try to coax him into the bathroom, which always results in a huge dramatic production that could rival any Broadway production. (I'm not really sure where this gene came from!!) The child has an amazing spincter muscle because we do this routine for about an hour or more some days before he will actually relax enough to go in the potty. Afterwards, we celebrate and remind him that he will always feel better once he's done. So, next time you think it will be easier, no way, not with this child! We are at our wits end.

Since we've moved into the new apartment, both boys love to go to the pool and swim. Ethan has become a little fish (I think the swim gene comes from both sides of the gene pool). Jeremiah, not so much. We can't get him off the steps that lead into the water. He has, on ocassion, ducked his head under the water, so that's an improvement. They both have nice tans, with white bottoms...so cute!! Could we have a little Michael Phelps in our midst...stay tuned.

I will be starting classes again next week as well. Thankfully, I will be able to take both classes online, which will allow for more time with the family and I won't have to leave work early, which has always seemed to cause a little friction with some people.

That's pretty much what we've been doing lately and what's coming up.

Have a great day!