CHRISTMAS 2009

Christmas 2009 is behind us and the year 2010 is fast approaching. I hope everyone had a Safe and Merry Chirstmas. I'm not going to bore you with many details because the pictures are what you actually want to see:

Christmas Eve morning: The kids playing in the snow at the house.

D'Nae, Rhaeden and Gemma

D'Nae throwing snow on Rhaeden

D'Nae, Rhaeden, Maegen and Gemma

D'Nae Sliding down the slide

Maegen and Gemma


Christmas Eve at Nana and Pops


Rhaeden and the new Rubics Cube

LaShae and D'Nae

Maegen trying on her shirt

Pop helping Maegen with the tape on the box

Rhaeden and his flying helicopter

D'Nae, Maegen, PaPa and Granny

D'Nae

NaNa

Granny and PaPa

Whit, LaShae and D'Nae

Christmas Morning:

Maegen and her pajamas

D'Nae putting on Maegen's Pajamas

Madden 10...yeah !!!

Printer for the new laptop Santa brought

Christmas Night:

Jarrett and Diggs

D'Nae and Keylan

Rhaeden, Cooper, Colt and Kutter

Uncle Monkey and Aunt Tanna

Grandpa John

Cooper Playing the guitar and dancing

Sunday at John and Shirley's for family pictures:

John And Shirley

John, Shirley, Tanya, Mike, Lance, Jarrett, and Jeremy

The Grandkids: Colt, Kadie, Jorden, D'Nae, Keylan, Rhaeden, Kacy, Kutter, Maegen, Shawn, Cooper and Diggs

John, Shirley, Danny, Tanya, Colt, Kadie and Jorden

John, Shirley, Mike, Tammy, D'Nae, Rhaeden, and Maegen

John, Shirley, Tina, Lance, Keylan, Kacy, and Kutter

John, Shirley, Jarrett, LaRinda and Shawn

John, Shirley, Toni, Jeremy, Cooper and Diggs

The WHOLE BUNCH: John, Shirley, Danny, Tanya, Mike, Tammy, Tina, Lance, Jarrett, LaRinda, Toni, Jeremy, Colt, Kadie, Jorden, D'Nae, Keylan, Rhaeden, Kacy, Kutter, Maegen, Shawn, Cooper and Diggs

Santa brought Rhaeden a "Calf Tying Dummy"...here is Mike showing him how to tye the calf..

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

SPORTS !!!

The basketball girls played in the Borden County Invitational Christmas Tournament last weekend (Thursday and Friday ONLY) it had to be cut down to two days because the boys were playing in the State 6-man Division II State Championship Football game on Saturday. Anyway, they played Southland on Thursday night and won. Friday @ 12:30 they played Colorado City and won. That brought them to the Championship game Friday night against Forsan. We had beat Forsan three days prior to this meeting in a tough fight, so we knew this was NOT going to be an easy task. They would be out for revenge and we better be ready. We started the game REALLY slow and found ourself down in a big hole !! I will give credit the girls did NOT give up and continued to fight. When the final buzzer sounded..our girls were on top !!! First time they have won the tournament since 2003. They fought for it and won. D'Nae had a very good game. She was leading scorer with 15 points. I'm not sure the rest of the stats but she had several steals also. CONGRATULATIONS !!! ***Check back for a pic***

As I stated before the boys played in the State 6-Man Division II Championship game Saturday in Abilene against # 2 ranked Highland. We came in as the defending State Champions and the # 1 ranked team. The pressure was on us. Since the Divison splits 4 years ago, no one had repeated as Champions. The game was close and it was a very hard fought defensive battle. It came down to the 4th quarter. Very nerve racking ball game. But...we won 28-14 !!! Back-to-Back Division II State Champions !!! CONGRATULATIONS !!!

This week D'Nae and Rhaeden have been taking Semester tests. It has not been the most pleasant around the house. Nerves are on end. Everyone needs to do good. Stress has taken over. Poor Maegen...who has been in quite a bit of trouble this week...she has just been playing. NO semester tests for her. So, why can't she tumble ? Why can't she be loud ? Why can't she play video games ? BECAUSE THE OTHER TWO ARE TRYING TO STUDY !!! Now...think about this for a moment...if she was trying to study..would it really matter what the other two were doing ? Would they care if they were doing what she wanted to be doing ? Needless to say...STRESS NEEDS TO LEAVE !!!

Shirley got some different medicine on Monday. Last night, she looked good !! She said she was feeling MUCH better !!!

Tonight we have the Annual Band Concert. Tomorrow basketball game. Saturday, I'm busy. So, my question is: When am I going to go Christmas shopping ? Good Question !!!

If I don't get to update before Christmas...MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!!

POSTING DELAYS !!

Ok..The Borden County Coyotes are still in the Six-Man Division II Play-offs. They play Motley County Saturday in Lubbock for the State Semi-Finals. GO COYOTES !!!

D'Nae was sent home yesterday from school sick. She was complaining about her eye yesterday morning and thought she would be ok at school. I was going to call and get an appt with the eye dr anyway when he arrived in town around 9:30 but she beat him to Post. It seems she has an ulcer on her cornea and m0re than likely strep throat. The Dr. gave her some eye drops that she had to put in her eye every hour yesterday and now 5 times a day for the next 7 days. She also has to take an antibiotic 4 times a day for 10 days. That means NO CONTACTS. Normally that isn't a problem because she wears her glasses a lot....but...Maegen stepped on them and had broken them. So, Mom took off of work to take her to Lubbock so that she could get her some new glasses. Maegen had gymnastics from 4pm-5pm in Gail so someone had to be there to pick her up. I couldn't be in two places at once...and I didn't have time to get D'Nae to Lubbock, wait an hour (or more) on her glasses and get back to Gail before 5pm. Sooo THANK YOU Nana !!! Now...here comes the tricky part...she has a basketball tournament this weekend, a game on Tuesday, and another tournament next weekend so that is like 9 games in the next 7 -10 days. So...is she going to play basketball in her glasses or play blind ? Only time will tell. I hate to speculate on what SHE may or may not do. It's anyone's guess.

Rhaeden participated in the Jr. High UIL competition two weeks ago. He placed 3rd individually in Maps, Graphs and Charts and 1st place team. He also competed in Music Memory. He didn't place individually but was a part of the 1st place team. WAY TO GO !! I am sooo PROUD of you !!

Thanksgiving (also my birthday) lunch we spent with the Blands. Shirley was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday night she looked really good and said she felt good. Thursday after lunch, she was hurting and took a pain pill. She took a nap and when she got up from her nap she said she was feeling better. Everyone was able to be there for lunch and it was definately a time and a reason to be THANKFUL !! Around 4pm we went to Mom and Dads house to see them. Mike, Stacy and the girls had already left for Glen Rose, so we didn't get to see them, but I did get pictures of the girls. Thank You !!! Mom, Dad, LaShae, Whit, Granny and PaPa were there so we got to visit with them and spend some time with them. Rhaeden and Maegen twisted (doesn't take much) Pops' arm to play dominoes with them. I think Rhaeden won one game and Maegen won the next. Pop was completely shut out !! Grandad was suppose to come but Ronnie had to be hospitlized last week and someone was having to stay with him 24 hours a day, so he stayed to take a shift at the hospital.

Shirley had to go back to the Dr. on Tuesday. It seems her incision is infected and some of the staples had to be removed and the wound opened up and drained. It will have to be packed and unpacked everyday so that it will heal from the inside out. It will take longer, but the tissue looks very healthy. Her spirits are down a bit with this latest obstacle. She just needs to keep eating right and getting stronger. The remaining staples will be removed tomorrow (Friday).

Shirley Surgery

Ok..Where to begin. I know I asked you to keep Shirley in your thoughts and Prayers and I now I ask you to lift her up and the entire family.

Shirley has a large mass in her colon and 2 lesions on her liver. The Dr's are perfoming surgery on her this morning at 11am. Please give Shirley the courage and peace and the Dr's the wisdom to perform the surgery. Please give John, her husband, the 5 kids and 10 grandkids the strength and patience to endure today and everyday after as this will be a battle.

Thank You in Advance for all the prayers !!!

QUICK UPDATE

Ok...just a quick update. I don't have a lot of time.


Rhaeden finished his last year in Pee-Wee football. They went 8-1 and were the Orange Bowl Champions (3rd place). Anyway, it was a good year and everyone had a great time with few injuries...nothing serious. That's always a plus.





D'Nae has started basketball. Her Sr. year. The last year she will play High School Basketball. It's going to be a very emotional year for mom I can already tell ya. She has played in 2 scrimmages with 3 teams and 1 game. They won their game. They had to cancel the Friday night game because the football team is in the play-offs. Pictures will follow eventually !!! Give me time, PLEASE !!!


Maegen is still in gymnastics and loving every minute of it. She is always tumbling somewhere in the house and it always has a "watch me" somewhere in between the cart wheel or the roll....Hence I call her the "watch-me kid"

The Borden County Coyotes are in the 6-man Div II Play-Offs again this year. They beat Loop Friday night 62-6 at Half for the Bi-District Championship. This week we will play Balmorhea for the Area Championship. I'm just not sure where yet. I hope its around Midland and NOT PECOS !!!!


I ask that you send prayers up for my mother-in-law, Shirley Bland. She is currently in the hospital having some tests run. It's a difficult time when you are left wondering with many questions and no answers. Pray that the Dr.'s find the wisdom to find the problem. For Shirley and the whole family to find the Strength to endure.

DEER IN THE HIGHWAY

If you are a driver I'm sure you have had to dodge, slow down, or have seen deer in the road. It is amazing what damage can be done to your vehicle. Also, if you have ever driven the Gail Highway from Post to Gail it is nothing unusual to see 20 to 30 deer on any given day. It is a parent's nightmare that you receive a call that your child (ren) has been in an accident (so far I have had two of these such phone calls) neither one any worse or better than the other. Well, on Monday morning I receive the second of such phone calls from D'Nae telling me they have hit a "deer". I immediately go into panic mode..Is everyone ok ? Do I need to come get you ? All the parent questions in stress mode. NO..NO..Everyone is fine. The truck is fine. They are going on to school. They looked at it when they stopped and got gas. Ya See, they weren't even on the Gail highway. They were on the Tahoka highway headed to town to get gas.



Ok..time to relax. When D'Nae gets home Monday night I go look at the damage. VERY LITTLE ??? Ok..how can you HIT a "deer" (I'm sure going 70 mph that NOBODY saw) and look back and see it laying in the road and the only damage that has been done is on the lower part of the bumper. It took 1/2 the black plastic that hangs below the bumper off and about 1/4 of the bumper. The part that holds the fog lights and the license plate. That's it. The hood isn't damaged. The headlights not damaged. NOTHING else. The only thing that Mike and I can determine is that the "deer" was already dead and they ran over it. So, I go looking for her license plate...I found it and the "deer" !! Check out the "deer" below:


Now...That is just one HUGE GIGANTIC "DEER" !! My children don't know the difference in a COYOTE and a deer....and the school mascot is the Borden County COYOTES !!! This now explains the damage done to the truck a little bit better and makes a WHOLE lot more sense.

So..this morning I give a little lecture about watching where you are going. Don't be messing with the radio. Stay focused. Watch for real DEER.. and of course D'Nae says "and coyotes"

Just thankful and grateful that none of them were hurt and everyone is ok. Nothing that can't be fixed or replaced.

BEWARE OF "DEER" IN THE HIGHWAY !!!

RANDOM PICS !!

I just thought since Mom sent her camera home with the kids the other night I would look at some of the pics on it..There were some pics of my children !! So, here is some random pics that I took off of her camera...

Bailey and Kayla showing at a Stock Show

Rhaeden Learning how to rope

Maegen's 7th Brithday @ Main Event in Lubbock

Ruidoso July 4th Weekend

I hope you all have a GREAT WEEKEND !!!