Thanks for the Memories.

I love my life!

I love my hubby and our routine.  I love my grandchildren.  I love my grown up sons and the beautiful girls they brought home to become my daughter-in-loves.  I love my girlfriends.  I love my memories.

Sometimes, if I'm not careful, I can get lost in my memories. Memories are a place I can go to touch and feel and relive another time and place in my life.  Another time and place in my life that I also loved. 

There was a time when 3 little boys consumed my time and my life.  3 little boys that were full of life and love and mischief!  They had the cutest little faces, the sweetest smiles and the best hugs and smooches EVER!  They kept me busy and I always had to try to be one step ahead of whatever they were thinking. Somedays I was successful and other days they were several steps ahead of me. 

Thanksgiving started the holiday season.  Loved going to pre-school and then elementary to watch them perform in the Thanksgiving and Christmas programs.  I can see each of these little ones just as clear as the day they performed.  The memories are locked inside of me forever.  Little turkeys and Indians and Pilgrims and Reindeer and Snowmen.....

Loved all of the school projects they made. 

Today I am remembering bundling my sweet boys up so they could play football in the front yard with the bigger neighborhood kids or helping them get dressed up in their camoflauge clothes to pretend to hunt (before they got bb guns) in the yard for bears and deer and squirrels.  Mom's rule was no pointing guns (even toys) at people; only walls and pretend targets.  I have a feeling that rule was broken sometimes. :)

Today I remember little boys excited about putting up the Christmas tree; helping to put the ornaments on.  It was always a mess!  After they went to bed, I would always rearrange what they had done.  I so wish I hadn't done that.  Little boys loved to see their Mommy get out the big brown bowl - that meant we were going to start baking for the holidays.  We baked and made goodies for a month.  We would put each treat in the freezer to keep.  Ha!  We rarely had much of each left by Christmas day but had enjoyed our treats daily for an entire month.

My little boys are gone.  Never to return.  I love the grown men that they have become.  I am beyond proud of each one of them.  Even though I knew I wouldn't always be their favorite girl and they wouldn't always be little, I didn't know they would grow up so fast and be gone.  It happened in a flash!

Sometimes I wish I could go back for a day and just savor the feeling and enjoy their precious hugs and kisses and cute little faces.  Oh wait.....

That is what I am doing today with my memories.

Love you Ryan, Sean and Aaron.  You make my heart happy.

Thanks for the memories.

I'm Back!

Well - I had to shut down my other blogs and open under a new name.  I had a stalker/crazy person that decided to follow me and seemed to be very interested in what I had to write.  I tried to monitor comments - started that several months back.  This allowed me to insure that the ugliness wasn't posted but I grew tired of reading what was said about my precious family and myself.
So - here I am with a whole new look and hopefully minus one mean ugly acting person.
I am going to try to add the entries from my first blog - not sure I know how.  We will see.
Hope to see you often and soon.

Self-Esteem

I have so many things to be thankful for - I consider myself the happiest, luckiest and most blessed woman in the world.  I really do.  Those of you that know me - know that is true.

I believe that a healthy self-esteem is one of the greatest gifts that we can give our children, grandchildren and other children in our life that we love.  The world can be a hard and cruel place.  We need to make sure that we send our children out well equipped to deal with the obstacles and realities that they will face.

The more people in our children's lives (in my case, my grandchildren's lives) that love and adore them - the better.  Being loved and adored strengthens their perception of who they are - makes them know that they are accepted, special and perfect just the way they are.  Truly a priceless gift.

I can speak with authority on this subject because I have watched and/or experienced both.

First - my three sons each have an awesome self-esteem!  I did many things wrong as a parent - but that one thing I did right.  It makes me both thankful and proud.

As a child, I lived in a home where there was not a lot of loving or adoring going on.  Our home was chaotic - so many mixed signals; a little love and adoration from one and the polar opposite from others. Everyone scratching and clawing trying to survive emotionally and in some cases physically. (if you want details - you will need to read the book).  Definitely no one was made to feel special.

An example; my parents had a love hate/relationship with one another.  My mother had a love/hate relationship with me.  The reason, I looked like my dad and I was the apple of his eye.  He loved and adored me - my mom was jealous - he treated me like a princess - he didn't treat the other kids or her the same.  Me - I am innocent - just a kid.  My mom trying to deal with her own poor self-esteem would undermine the love and adoration that my dad showed me.  I have a dark complextion - dark hair - dark eyes - like my dad.  My mom was very fair, light colored hair like my two sisters.  She would put me in the tub and scrub me with Comet telling me that the dark skin like my dad's was less than ok.  Pow - self esteem buster!  My mom with her very poor self-esteem made comments like, "daddy doesn't love us."  Ouch!  She was trying to get at my dad - but made a direct blow to me.  So confusing - I thought my daddy loved me - does he or doesn't he?  As a child you trust your parents and what they tell you.  So you see - very confusing are mixed signals. 

Don't ever give your child a reason to think that they are not ok or that the clothes, shoes, etc that they like to wear or that the other parent gives them are not ok.  It is a real self-esteem buster.  Don't ever talk poorly about the other parent in front of the children - it will do a number on them - it doesn't get to the other parent (if he/she has a healthy self image) - it only damages and scars a child. 

Anyway - back to the topic, I am thankful that my precious grandchildren have so many adults in their lives that genuinely love and adore them.  The more the better.  It's awesome for them; such validation that they are ok and lovable.

Ryan, Laura, Sean, Aaron and Audrey, you are such wonderful parents to my grandchildren.  So very proud of each one of you.  I am thankful for all of the positive adult influences that my grandbabies are exposed to.  They are destined for greatness with amazing self esteems!

That is my two cents from the peanut gallery today.

Bless you......

Dear Blog...

Do you still love me? 
Haven't been here for awhile, although I think of you often.
I have been very busy writing my book and sewing for my beautiful granddaughters.
Don't give up on me - I will be back.
I may even post a chapter from "the book."  Not sure, the book is very personal and exploits my soul.

Here are a few things that I have decided - random thoughts from my brain:

*  I love writing - I see more than one book in my future. 
*  I love making beautiful things for my granddaughters - I have waited such a long time for little girls to sew for.  I think I am about to get my practicing over - I'm back in the saddle.  Next creations should be mah-velous Dahlings.

*  John and I have been on the hunt for a church just like CLC in Fayetteville for almost THREE years.  We have not committed to a church since we moved from Fayetteville. We continue to visit and visit and visit but never land.  Well - this is the year we land.  Actually, January is the month we land. We will never find another CLC because every church is unique - we WILL decide on one and make it our church home.

*  I'm not trying to wish my life away - but please come fast February - The Florida Keys and Bahamas are calling us.  We have a week planned with Carl and Janice in February in the Keys then hopping on a cruise ship for the Bahamas.  Oh how I love sand and warm weather.  In my previous life I am sure that I was a princess that lived in a castle on the beach and there were handsome young dark-haired men that brought me a steady supply of fruity drinks with umbrellas and fresh seafood.   Ahhhhh........

*  As I have searched genealogy this year, looking for links to my very distant past, I discovered that it is very hard work and the facts are not easy to come up with.  I have found things that warmed my heart and things that made me go seriously?????  All things that I am glad to know because they are part of who I am and have made me who I am - even though some of the things were less than glamorous.

*  Based on the last statement - I have decided 2 things.  First - I am writing everything that I know about me and my extended family present and past just in case my kids, grandkids, and great grands to come have an interest.  Second -to be fulfilled at a later time
*  I am looking forward to 2011!  I predict it will be a fabulous year! Going to usher it in with my wonderful soulmate, husband and friend, John, and his work peeps.  Should be fun - hoping my knee is up to some dancing tonight.  Love to cut a rug with my baby.

*  I am ever mindful that I am nothing apart from God.  The older I get the more I realize that everything in me that is good is from Him and if it is not so good, it is my flesh.  I want to grow in  Him this year - become more like Him - my desire is to come to a place where others look at me and see only Jesus.  I know that will most likely never happen on this side of Heaven - but I am going to strive for it anyway.

*  Reading the bible from cover to cover again is a goal I have set for 2011.  I don't want to do it just to say that I have done it - I want to do it because the Word is alive and like a 2-edged sword - it will cut thru the chains and set me free (er) and will live (be alive) inside of me.  Can't think of anything better for the new year - more of the Word and Jesus inside of me.

*  Finally - I feel blessed beyond all comprehension - above and beyond everything that I hoped and dreamed for.  God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and best friend; 3 handsome, smart, responsible sons that I am  beyond proud of; Audrey and Laura are perfect daughter-in-loves, if I had been allowed to hand pick them - they are the ones I would have chosen; 5 incredible precious beautiful grandchildren; many trusted, loyal and loving friends; we all have good health and are happy.  Really - I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Woo Pig Sooie!!!

College football season has begun! 

John is a college football fan - I am a fan of only one team - ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS!

Believe it or not, there was a time when I didn't even know what a Razorback was!  It's true!

As you know, my parents moved to Arkansas from Colorado to retire the day after I graduated from high school.  I had absolutely NO intentions of moving to Arkansas.  I stayed in Colorado for college.  I remember my daddy trying to talk me into moving and going to the U of A.  He said that I would love being a Razorback.  And I said, "what is a Razorback?"  He proceeded to tell me it was a wild Hog.  I am sure I rolled my eyes and let him know that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.  I was going to CSU to be a RAM!   Who would have known that many years later - this girl would be calling the Hogs at the top of her lungs, an avid Razorback fan???  Gotta love karma. 

This past weekend was the first home game - my sweet wheelin-dealin hubby found us front row seats for the game.

We (as in the Razorback football team) POUNDED Tennessee Tech.  It was so fun.

We tailgated before the game with some folks from John's work.  Good food, great conversation and maybe just a bit too much beer for Poppy.

Our seats were on the 40 yard line - yep - front row!  You know who sat right in front of us?  The Tennessee Tech football team.  Oh my goodness!  The crowd taunted them - at times it was funny and at times I felt bad for them.  Aactually, the players took it well - the coaches got really mad.  ;-)

Out next front row seat game is when we play Ole Miss.  Uncle Carl will be with us.  Should be interesting and fun.

Here are a few pics from the first game!

Summer Fun!

I am going to call this post Summer Fun because as usual, I am behind on blogging.  It has been a fun-filled summer and I am going to try to cram a recap into this one post.

First - summer please don't go! I am not ready for summer to be over.  I love summer and sunshine and warm weather and the lake and the pool and playing and birthdays and grandbabies and family and friends...... OK - most things on my list will carry over into Fall and Winter - but not on the same level as summer!

For the first time in MANY years, I allowed my skin to see the sun.  I did protect it with 70 sunscreen - but still ended up with an awesome tan.  No brag - just something God blessed me with.  I have to admit I have enjoyed the beautiful bronze color that my skin naturally becomes when exposed to sun - even managed to avoid the "there's just something about Mary movie lady look."  You know the gal I'm talking about. ;-)

John and I bought a boat this summer - actually, we bought two boats!  The first boat was an awesome Criss Craft witha HUGE engine that went really fast.  Liked that one a LOT. By August, we had determined that it wasn't big enough to put the entire family on at one time.  Sold the Criss Craft and purchased a Party Barge.  It will accomodate all of us at once and allow us to grill, etc.  John and I took it out yesterday - it is going to be great. 

July 21st we celebrated Emma Grace's 2nd birthday!  It was a fun party at the lake house with a Crab theme.  Lucy and Emma Grace celebrate their birthdays together.  It was hot and fun.  Love you my beautiful baby girl!  Part of her birthday gift from Nene and Poppy was a trip to build-a-bear and a spoil me rotten afternoon.  Emma Grace is not quite ready for a weekend - I am betting she will be next summer.

August 15th Lawson celebrated # 8!  Oh my goodness - hard to believe that our handsome little first born grandchild is in the 2nd grade.

August 3rd our beautiful Laura was another year older and on September 8th, our beautiful Audrey will have a birthday.  We are going to celebrate the two together since there was a lot going on in Laura's birthday month.  I am so thankful for my two daughter-in-loves.   It is amazing to watch them love and care for my sons and grandchildren.  I tell them all the time, and I mean it, I couldn't have chosen better life partners and mothers for my grandchildren if I had made the choice myself. 

Lawson played football again this summer.  He is so adorable all decked out in his pads and helmet.  He had a great season too - even made 2 tackles that got his name announced on the loud speakers.  He was so excited and so proud. We missed that particular game because it was late and we live in Bella  Vista - but he called us and told us the big news right after the game.  Proud of you little man.  It is surreal to watch Lawson play football on that field at Springdale High School.  I have watched MANY games there and listened to the announcers call out the Coble Name multiple times.  I know, time flies by.

We got a new car this summer.  I really think it is Poppy's mid-life crisis car, but I am enjoying it too.  I don't have a picture, but it is a black Jaguar - the Vauden Plaus edition. 

Took our 3 oldest grands to Branson for a week.  That was a fun time.  See post below.

I so love our family.  I am humbled when I look at them and think about how very blessed I am. Someone said to me recently "you are so fortunate to have such a loving family."  Well - it is WAY past fortunate - it is all-out BLESSED above what I deserve or could have hoped for.

As much as I don't want to, it's time to wind this summer down.  I will miss every weekend at the lake and fun in the warm sun.  I won't have to miss my swimsuit though, I still wear it every weekday morning at the gym - swimming laps.

Onto Fall - Woo Pig Sooie!!!!!

Nene duty!

I love Nene duty!

Nene duty is when the parents of my sweet babies need a helping hand.

Sean was busy moving one evening and I got to watch Lawson while Britain played her t-ball game and then take both to their swimming lessons.

Britain had a great game! 3 good solid hard hits and two scores. She looks adorable in her uniform.

After t-ball, we raced to swimming lessons.  The kids changed into their swim suits while we inched along in the traffic trying to get out of the ballpark.

After swimming lessons they were starving!  Poppy had hamburgers and mac n cheese ready for us at our house.

This last pictures is one of my favorites.  Britain has a friend, Phoebe, that went to play school with her for quite awhile.  Phoebe moved to another playschool about 6 months ago.  Both girls are playing T-ball.  Phoebe spotted Britain first and came running to her.  They hugged each other for about 30 seconds and then told one another how much they missed the other.  It was really sweet.

Last night, Ryan and Laura had a date.  Nene and Poppy got to keep our sweet Taylor and  Emma Grace for the evening.  Lots of fun!

Nene and Emma Grace.

Taylor does NOT like to have his picture taken - actually, in order to get a picture of him, one must sneak which is very hard, bribe him - pretty hard, or just take what you can get.  Following is the best I could do last night.  Love you Taylor Lee.

Emma Grace loves "outside."  She will say that over and over and over again until she is outside.  So cute.

Look at this pony-tail basket shooting girl.

The menu for the evening was pizza, corn dogs and ice cream!  Hey - Nene and Poppy were in charge - whatever they want....

Please note Poppy and Taylor in the background - those two played the Wii most of the evening.

Look at this little face.  It makes my heart happy!

Emma Grace has added another very active word to her vocabulary - "self."  Which means - let me do it myself.  She tried to put her jammies on "self" - below she has the top on the bottom.  But hey - she did it "self" and that makes me  happy just because it makes her happy.

One last picture.  It wasn't taken last night - it was taken about 4 years ago - back when Taylor let us take his picture.  This was the little face he made when asked to "smile!" 

Now this just makes a Nene's heart happy.

The end.