Brotherly Love

This my favorite picture of the boys.

Ethan - Our Soon-to-be 3rd Grader

It's so amazing how fast time goes by. It seems like it was just yesterday that Ethan was born. He is growing up to be such a loving and smart boy. He's very shy and doesn't like to have his picture taken (always covering his face), so I don't have any good ones of him to upload.

This year has been a little tough on him. We moved to a new school district and switched churches so that he could be more involved in the children's ministry and meet new friends. Then, my mom passed away. He has felt very insecure this year, but has still managed to make straight A's, except for 2 B's in 2 different six weeks. He has a hard time paying attention because his mind is always wandering to some new "creature" he's making up in his mind or some new invention he wants to make. We do not want to squelch his creativity, but he's gotten into trouble several times because of it. So, if anyone has any suggestions on how to keep him focused on the task at hand, I'm open to hearing them.

He and Jeremiah have become much more interactive with each other as of late. By this I mean that they are constantly getting into little skirmishes. You would think I would be used to it with 4 brothers of my own, but they are SO LOUD!!! I guess it doesn't help that we live in a small apartment and sound carries. You know that I wouldn't change it though. All this "fighting" now will only help to secure a strong bond as they grow up. Brotherly bonds are VERY strong and not easily broken.

I was always following my brothers around when I was little and we are all very close. I call them all "Bubba" so when we're all together, they all turn. It's so funny! It's amazing how memories come up at the oddest of times. We're all in our 40's and 30's, but we still act like little children when we get together. I wouldn't change it for anything because we love each other so much and I know they've "got my back" if ever I needed it.

Anyway, back to Ethan. He has met a sweet little friend, Connor. They are very close and do all kinds of stuff together. We have started a babysitting group with his parents and we trade off for date nights. What a blessing they are to our family. We all go to church together, so that makes it even sweeter. Jeremiah thinks Connor is his friend too and it's hard for him to understand that he and Bubba will each have different friends. Connor is sweet and tries not to get frustrated with him...he's an only child and not used to having a little one tag behind him. They are all so cute together.

He went to the dentist last month and only had one tiny cavity. It's on one of his baby teeth...that's loose and about to fall out. He will thank me as he gets older for making him brush his teeth so much. He did pretty good during the cleaning. We tried to get Jeremiah to sit in the chair, but he wasn't having any part of it.

Here's Ethan's class picture.

Front Row, lst on left

I'll try to remember to do this more often.

Jeremiah's Tball Team

It's been several months since I've been on blogger. I've been attached to Facebook...so much easier to upload content and pictures. Since I know not everyone is on Facebook, thought I should put some stuff on here.

Jeremiah (he doesn't want to be called JT anymore) started playing Tball in April. He didn't like it much at first because the games were early and it was still cold, but he's gotten used to it and loves playing now. He has got a strong arm. I think he gets that from his grandpa Jerry. Maybe he'll be a major league pitcher one day. It's so much fun just dreaming about all the possibilities your children hold.

We were even able to go to a Texas Rangers game with my company and he had a blast. I'll put some of those pictures up too. He's so cute because his tball team is the White Sox, so he wants to cheer for the White Sox. I told him we cheer for the Rangers since they're a Texas team. He said, "Oh yeah, that's right. Duh!" Where do kids pick this stuff up. He and Randy will watch the Rangers on TV sometimes and he pretends to pitch the ball, hit or catch it. So cute!!

Jeremiah is on the bottom row, 2nd from right.

I don't have any more pics on my USB...the rest are on my computer. I'll put a cute video up later.

Christmas

Well, I would have a bunch of pictures to put in this post, but Randy accidentally deleted ALL the pictures I took of Christmas. He thought he had downloaded them to the computer and then he deleted them from the camera. Poor thing, I think he was as upset as I was. Oh well, we have the pictures in our minds!

They boys had a wonderful Christmas. We don't do Santa at our house, but we've started our own tradition where Randy & I give the boys each 3 gifts to symbolize the 3 gifts the wise men gave Jesus. They get more presents from family, so believe me, they're not missing out on anything.

This year a friend of mine told me about The Jesse Tree. She made us one and we started it the day after Thanksgiving. You make a huge Christmas tree out of felt material and then in a notebook, you have bible stories that lead to the birth of Christ, with a symbol for each story. You read one story a day until Christmas and put that symbol on the tree. We had a great time reading all the stories. Jeremiah couldn't sit still long enough to read through a story, but he enjoyed putting the symbols on the tree. I will take another completed picture and upload it later. Here's a link that tells how to make the tree.

http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html

My family's first Christmas with Mom was different. We just had snack foods and did a chinese gift exchange for the adults. We normally draw names since there are so many of us, but we wanted to do something fun this year...to take our minds off Mom not being there, I suppose.

I think my dad has the most fun of all. He had all the grandchildren gather around him. For those that don't know my dad, this is not like him at all. I think they all thought he was gonna give them a "talking to" about being thankful or something. Then, he took out his wallet and handled out $10 bills to each child. You should've seen their eyes. It was like they had won the lottery or something. It was so much fun. None of us knew he was gonna do that and didn't even expect him to do anything. Of course, the money was burning holes in our boys' pockets, but we made them wait and decide if they wanted to save it for something really special or find something now. They chose to go to WalMart and buy more Hot Wheels cars. I think we've got some cars fanatics on our hands. We're gonna need a separate room for all the cars they've collected.

We had the boys clean their toy box and pick items they would like to donate to the Christian charity store. At first, it was hard for them to let go of their stuff, but we reminded them that there are children out there that don't have 1 Hot Wheels car, much less the dozens they have. They're beginning to get it.

Well, another Christmas is behind us and the hope for a brighter new year is upon us. We pray that all our loved ones know how much we love them and appreciate the support they've given us during the past couple of years. We honestly don't know what we would've done with you in our lives.

Happy New Year!!

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.