This Journey Called Motherhood

              

1985 – Steve         and       1989 – Becca

      Motherhood is a strange journey for most of us.  We spend all of our youth playing house, caring for baby dolls and dreaming of getting married and having our own kids.

      Then the next thing you know, you’re married and all your dreams are coming true….. or at least you’d like to believe they are.   You realize you’re a little late and panic.   You somehow or another calm yourself down and decide that you might in fact like the idea of being a mother so you head to the doctor to find out if the rabbit will die or not.  It does and so you begin that life long journey called “Motherhood”. 

      In reality, you begin to look like a whale, your hormones are going crazy and you’ll cry about a stupid commercial for an hour.   God forbid that you should watch a good “chic” flick – you’ll have puffy eyes and a stuffy nose for months.   Your ankles swell to the size of basketballs, you can’t see your feet, you’re swaybacked from a much enlarged front side of your body and you waddle like a duck.  Other than that, pregnancy is a great thing. 

       And then after all the anxiety, mood swings, pain, joy, laughter, cursing and pushing comes the moment you’ve waited your whole life for …… the moment when you first look into that beautiful little face, hold them in your arms and know that it was all worth it.

        

   1985 – Steve                    1989 – Becca

      Being a mother means unconditional love sprinkled with discipline, guidance, patience, wonder, worry, pride, anger,  fear, happiness, sadness, expectancy, disappointment and many emotions yet to be felt.  

      The love that I have for all my children (including the one that I didn’t give birth to) will never change.  I can only envision it getting stronger as my life goes on.  I thank God each day for the joy of having them in my life.

NEW YORK CITY!

          It’s December 6th, 2008 and here we are off to New York with my sister-in-law, Anita and my niece, Stephanie.    Anita is a flight attendant and she and Stephanie were headed to New York for a long weekend and invited Becca and I to go along.

       

 

          We boarded an early morning flight and since we were on buddy passes, we were afraid that all four of us might not make it on the flight, but we did.   I was so excited.  I’d never been to New York, much less at Christmas time and it was one of the things on my “Bucket List” that I wanted to do.   Becca and I had to take our traditional “self portrait” to get the trip started off right.

           The first thing we did after checking in at our hotel (which was about a block from Times Square!) was to find a street vendor and buy hats, scarves and gloves.  It was freezing and the wind just cut right through you!  We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and then took a tour of the city.  It was lots of fun to see how they decorate everything for Christmas.  We went to Grand Central Station, The Brooklyn Bridge and lots of other places.

           We rode the subway a lot while we were there (it was mine and Becca’s first time to ride one).  We went to see the Statue of Liberty, China Town, Little Italy, Ground Zero and lots of other places.  We had a ball!  While we were in  China Town, Anita wanted to take us to look at some of the knock-off purses that they sell there.  After she asked a shop vendor about a Prada bag, he called someone on a walkie-talkie and then a lady came and carried us to a little side street and had us get into a parked van with all these purses lining the sides and back of the van.  I must admit, I was very uncomfortable with the situation, wondering when someone was going to start the van and kidnap these four stupid women from Georgia.   Luckily, Anita had done this before and said it was harmless unless the police raided the van.   Well, since I worked for the police in a manner of speaking, I figured it wouldn’t be a very good thing for me to get arrested in New York for buying counterfeit purses.  From then on, I stayed on the outside and just acted as a look-out!  Hahaha, I felt like I was in a James Bond movie!  They did get some nice looking pocketbooks for a really good price though, I must admit!

                      

Becca picking the nose of “Lady Liberty” (or at least a life sized replica of her face and Becca and I with the Wall Street Bull

                  

        Trinity Church was an amazing place to visit and to learn the story of the sycamore tree on the Church grounds that fell without damaging the church, the cemetery or  anything else was amazing.  God is so awesome in so many ways!

         There is no question in my mind though that my MOST FAVORITE thing we did was to go to Rockefeller Center and see all the lights, decorations and of course, the ice rink.  It was everything I had dreamed of and then some.  It was so beautiful and to be with the ones I love made it just that much more special.  Afterwards, we visited the NBC studios, and looked at some of the amazing store windows.  What better way to start off the Christmas season than with a trip to the beautiful city of New York! 

            If for some reason I don’t get to do all of the things on my bucket list, I will have gotten to do one of the top five on my list.  I may have frozen while doing it, but it was one of the highlights of my life!

         

          Thank you Anita, Stephanie and Becca for making my trip so memorable and fun!  I Love You!

"We're Off to Lakeland - November 2, 2007"

Well, ended up having to work for a little while tonight so I was late getting my cooking done, but I'm finally through. I'm headed to the sack for a little shut eye and then hope that we'll be heading out by 9:00 AM for Florida.

I'm excited and a little sad - this is the last race of the season and I'm actually going to miss the mad rush to get everything done and hit the road..... but at least I have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up - they're always a mad rush at trying to get everything done!

Have a great weekend - I know I will! Say a little prayer for a safe trip for Bobby, Becca and I and we'll see you when we get home -

"One More Race This Season - October 22, 2007"

Well, we made it to South Georgia and back, safe and sound. Bobby and Becca both got to go and we had a wonderful time. Bobby worked with Justin Wakefield to learn how to spot for Dusty, just in case he ever needs a backup spotter. Becca and I taught Justin's wife, Jennifer, to score and she did a great job. Becca scored for Chase Pistone and Jennifer scored for Jeff Fultz. The race was pretty exciting. Dusty had problems getting the car set up and had to get into the race on a provisional - causing him to have to start 35th. He ended up having a great race and finished 13th. Because of that he was awarded the Hard Charger award for the race, so not a bad night overall....

We have one more race in Lakeland, FL in two weeks and then will be off for several months. I'll miss it, but it will give me time to rest up for next season and regroup. Then off we go again, and I'll be a happy happy camper!!!

"Cecil Race at South Georgia Motorsports Park - Oct. 16, 2007"

Well, this weekend we are off to the South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil, GA which is near Valdosta for the Hooter's all pro race. Becca and I will leave sometime Friday morning after I sleep for a few hours (I have to work 6 PM to 6 AM Thursday night).

I'll be cooking for a larger group than usual because a lot of Dusty's family and friends from the Savannah area will come over for this race. It'll be lots of fun and this is a really nice track.

I'm kind of sad because this is the next to the last race of the season and then we have a break of several months before we start back up. Guess it's a good thing though, I need to build my vacation time back up!

Have a great week and remember that I love you all!

"Heading to Talledega! - October 2, 2007"

Woooooo Hoooooo!! I'm heading to Talledega on Thursday to hang out and help cook for Ken Schrader's ARCA car team. I'll get to see all of the guys that I went to California with in June and I'm really excited! I loved going to the race in Sonoma with these guys and I know that this weekend will be just as much fun. I can't wait....

Becca will be heading to Myrtle Beach to work with Dusty's team - I hate that I'll miss being with them, but I'm gonna love being at Talledega and I'll get to see them at the South Georgia race and the Lakeland race later on this month.

This weekend, the ARCA cars race on Friday, the Craftsman Trucks on Saturday and the Cup cars on Sunday. It's going to be like hunting on a baited field! I know I'll have some great pictures after this weekend!

I have to work tonight and then sleep for a little while in the morning. Most of the rest of the day will be spent doing my prep work for the food I'm cooking and I'm also making food for Becca to take to Myrtle Beach.

I'll have handbells and choir at church tomorrow night, will come home and sleep just a little and then get up about 4:30 Thursday morning and head out for Talledega. I'll hook up with the guys at the hotel in Anniston and then off to the track to get our credentials and set up.

I am sooooooo LUCKY and BLESSED - how many people get to live their dreams like I do ? - God has been so good to me and I praise him for all he's done in my life and the blessings he has given to me. How AWESOME he is!!

I love you all and hope you have a great weekend too!

"We're Back From Iowa! - Sept. 24, 2007"

Oh my goodness - what a wonderful time we had! We got back in last night about 1:00 AM after leaving Iowa at 9:30 yesterday morning. Becca and I shared the driving going up and coming back.

We got into Newton at about 10:30 their time on Thursday night and met up with Dusty and the gang at the hotel. Friday morning started early - we had to be at the track at around 8:00 to get our credentials. Friday the team struggled with getting the car set up - it was a brand new car - so they had to start from the bottom up.

Friday night there was a "Fan-Fair" for the race fans to visit the infield, tour the garage and haulers and to meet the teams and drivers. It was pretty fun - I passed out cards and talked to the fans while the team was doing the last minute things that needed to be done to the car. Becca helped put the decals on during that time.

Saturday, we had to be at the track at 7:00 AM to get started and to get the car through tech. The spoiler was too wide and we were missing the taillight decals so we didn't pass the first time through tech. I told Dusty that he needed the taillight decals so that the other drivers would be able to tell when he hit the brakes - after all we were expecting the rest of the field to be behind him!

Unfortunately, we didn't qualify too well - we were 30th, but at least we made the field - there were 4 guys that didn't.

There was a concert by country singer Craig Morgan later in the afternoon and a driver autograph session at the same time. It was great - I thought I wouldn't get to see the concert and it turned out that we were right there with it! We had a ball with the drivers and were all rocking out to the concert.

Becca and I both scored the race - Becca for the 52 car of Kirk Leone and me for Dusty. We had a great view of the track.

Dusty's car was really fast and he managed to make it up to 7th by lap 111 but then the alternator went out. What they didn't realize at the time was that it was draining the battery and on lap 159 the car went dead just as Dusty passed the entrance to pit road. Unfortunately he didn't have enough power to make it back to the pits and stopped halfway down the back stretch and had to be pushed back to the pits. We lost 5 laps and were never able to recover them. It was a real shame too, because he had at least a top 5 car and was consistently passing cars the whole time he was racing. His lap times were faster than the 2nd place car, so I know he would have done well.

We still had a great time and just love working with this team - they are awesome folks and such a joy to be around.

I won't get to go to the Myrtle Beach race because I have to work that weekend, but Becca is planning on going. I hope to get to go to the next two after that though.

"Becca's Coming Home! - Sept. 17, 2007"

Well, the last 24 hours have been interesting. Becca called me yesterday, very upset that all was not well with her boyfriend Chaz. We talked and to make a long story short, she asked if she could come back home. I must admit that I have been praying for this for many months, so ~ thank you, Jesus ~.

We still have a ways to go, but this is a major start and I'm thankful for it!

Some of the dispatchers and officers that I work with usually get together for breakfast on the last morning of our rotation when we get off. This morning Becca joined us and we had a nice breakfast together (along with 5 others). It was a little early for her (we get off at 6:00 AM) so I'm glad she made the effort to come eat with us. It was lots of fun.

She left breakfast this morning to go back to Chaz's house to get her stuff and that's where she is now. I'm headed to get some sleep - It's been 26 hours since I slept last and I'm beat.

Remember that I love you . . . . Jo

"The Iowa Race is Coming Up - Sept. 14, 2007"

I'm getting so excited - by this time next week Becca and I will be in Newton, Iowa at the new speedway that was built by Rusty Wallace. The Hooters team that I cook for and score for will be racing there on Saturday. Becca helps Dusty during the autograph sessions and then scores for whatever driver needs a scorer.

We will leave on Thursday as soon as Becca gets off of work and drive straight through. It will take us about 16-18 hours (including stopping for gas and to eat) of driving but it's always worth it. Up to now, the Mansfield, Ohio track was the furthest that we have gone to get to a race. We'll be driving about a thousand miles to get to the Iowa track.

I have always loved driving - it gives me some good quality quiet time and that gives me the time I need to talk to God and "do some splaining" about the things I need to get forgiven for. Mostly they're little things, but I still need to ask for the forgiveness.

It has also helped to bring Becca and I back together. She moved out last November and our relationship was really really strained for a long time. I wasn't happy with her (and I'm still not crazy about what she is doing) but going to the races together has given us a chance to get back on the right track to getting close again. After all, when you spend 16 hours in a pickup truck alone together, you have to get along with each other.

Well, I have to go walk on my treadmill and then get ready for work. It's supposed to storm tonight and that means that it will be an insane night at work. Just another fun Friday night in D'ville....

Love you all (even if you're reading this and I don't even know you!)

Our 25th Anniversary

We have the sweetest daughter - Becca and one of our best friends planned a party for our 25th wedding anniversary at "Agatha's Murder Mystery Dinner Theater".  I knew she was up to something, just wasn't sure what.

When we headed toward town and the directions put us into a parking deck that showed "Agatha's", then I knew that was where we were going.  What I didn't know was that 14 of our friends and family were also there waiting for us.  When I rounded the corner into the theater area, they were all standing up cheering for us.  It was awesome!  Becca was so excited because she had pulled off the surprise!

Bobby and I both had speaking parts in the performance and everyone else got to participate also.  It was so much fun and I have to admit that I almost got to the point of being tired of laughing!

Poor Steve was on the end of the table and kept being used as a resting place for "boobs"!  He'll hate me for posting this picture, but it was so funny I couldn't help myself!  The other picture is of my daughter-in-law, Jennifer and my sister-in-law, Anita singing with their group.

Can't wait to see what they'll do for our 50th (that is if we live that long!)!

I Laugh Every Time I Go To The Bathroom

And NO, it is not what you are thinking....  A while back, I decided to redo my bathroom and wanted to have a mountain cabin / outdoor theme.  It has always been a yellow or light blue and I just wanted something different. 

I found the perfect shower curtain at WalMart - it was a dark sky blue, green, brown and tan plaid.  While I was there I purchased some green towels to match it and a few other items.

I then took the shower curtain to Home Depot to have them match some paint to the green color in the curtain.  Everything was set to start the redecoration of the bathroom. 

Becca came over and helped me paint the walls, we put all the accessories out and then stepped back to see how it all looked.  I must admit that I was a little taken aback.  Standing there staring at the shower curtain with all the green accents around it, we both realized that there was absolutely no green in it whatsoever.  We were amazed.... to say the least.

After laughing hysterically for a few minutes, we could only assume that the halogen lighting in WalMart and Home Depot made some of the tan appear to be green.  Hence the reason that I laugh every time I go to the bathroom....

And don't ever tell me God doesn't have a sense of humor!

That Helpless Feeling

I think that the worst time of my life was when I was told that Becca would need open heart surgery to repair a heart murmur. We knew she had a heart murmur when she was born, but it had been gradually closing up over the years. During the first part of 1994 I realized that I could hear her murmur without a stethoscope. When I asked her pediatrician about it, he said that sometimes when they are closing up they get really loud and this was normal. Several months went by and the next time we went in he decided to send her to a cardiologist for an echo cardiogram. The heart had been building up pockets of muscle around the hole trying to make another valve out of it. At the time it was not giving her any problems, but the doctor assured me that at some point in the future it would start to obstruct the flow of blood through the heart. She was five and had just started kindergarten when we got the news.

I grew up in a time when open heart surgery meant that you went to see the patient before the operation to say your goodbyes. Patients did not usually survive the trauma of open heart surgery and if they did, it was a long slow recovery process. My mind immediately thought of the worse case scenario when the doctor told me and for the first time in a long time, I cried like a baby. Luckily the nurse had taken Steve and Becca to the waiting room to play with the toys so they didn’t see how upset I got. And thank goodness, modern medicine had come a long way and the chances of her not surviving were less than 5%.

Surgery was scheduled for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving at Egleston Children’s Hospital, with us going in on that Monday for all the pre-op work. To keep Becca from being scared and to keep my mind off of what was about to happen, I decided to keep a diary of all the events surrounding her surgery. I took pictures of everything that happened to her and kept notes about the times and what was going on. I knew that when she was older she wouldn’t remember anything about the surgery and would want to know what had happened.

I had decided that when they took her to surgery, I would finally be able to have a nice cry, but when the time came – Bobby and everybody else was crying, so, trying to be a good mom, I got a stiff upper lip and held it together.

The surgery went well and I continued to occupy myself by working on the diary. I stayed at the hospital the whole week because I couldn’t bear to leave my baby there. They had a nice shower area for the family and sofas in the waiting room that slept better than our bed at home.

When Becca came out of surgery, Bobby and I were the first to go into ICU to see her. We knew what to expect about all the tubes and bandages, so that wasn’t much of a surprise. She was still out of it so all we got to do was watch her. Bobby was so pitiful, all he could do was cry. I had been so strong through the whole ordeal because everyone around me was falling apart and I still had to be strong when all I wanted to do was cry for my poor baby.

The second time we got to go in, my mother-in-law went with me. Becca was awake but her hands were strapped down to keep her from pulling out any lines and she still had a breathing tube down her throat. My heart broke – she kept trying to say mama and to reach out to me, but she couldn’t do either one and I couldn’t even hold her. Well, that was my moment – I had to turn away so that she wouldn’t see me cry and I only cried for a few seconds, but it was enough to scare everybody in the room. When I left the ICU, the staff had a nurse and a counselor waiting to make sure that I was OK. I think I must have scared them half to death when I cried.

The next day when it was decided that Becca should be put in a regular room and they started removing all the drainage tubes, cath lines, etc, she would scream every time they pulled on the heart catheter. The cardiologist decided that rather than taking a chance on doing some damage, they would take her back to surgery to find out what was wrong. My poor baby had to go through a second surgery. Luckily it turned out that the catheter was hung on a loop of suture and there was no damage done so the surgery took just a few hours.

She went back to the step down unit of the ICU and on Friday night was put into a regular room. At this point she had not had any food since early Monday evening. The cafeteria was closed but the nurses were so great – one went down and managed to bring Becca back some mashed potatoes and popsicles so Becca was in hog heaven! On Saturday they actually let her go home and I figured that I would have some time to get all of the Christmas gifts wrapped and do some decorating while she was recovering. Well, Becca had other ideas. Once she figured out that she didn’t hurt she was up and running and hasn’t stopped yet!

Watching your child go through something like this is one of the hardest things you ever have to do, you want so bad to take away their pain and make them better but you can’t. You have to trust that God has given you the best doctors and nurses to make them well again and that he will hold your child in his arms until he can place them back in yours.

Tuesday morning came around and the whole family was there to wish her well. After they had given her the “happy juice” (a type of anesthesia) Steve knelt beside the bed to kiss her bye and she was so sweet, stroking his face and loving on him and then before we knew it, she drew back and hit him, knocking him to the floor then just laughed and laughed. I thought for a minute that Steve would probably take care of the surgery problem by just killing her on the spot, but being the sweet little boy that he was, he just got up and went back over and gave her a kiss. It was the greatest of Kodak moments and I was so in shock that I forgot to take a picture of it….. go figure!

Mom, April and Steve naming Becca

My mother and father lived for the day when I would have them some grandchildren. When Steve came along, they doted on him and spoiled him every chance that they got. My mother would say that his “poop” didn’t stink (I’m here to tell you it did, but that’s another story).

When we found out that we were going to have another baby and it was a girl, Mom and Steve decided that they were going to name her. I only had one stipulation and that was that I wanted her middle name to be Joenne after me. They both agreed and immediately said Stephanie (after Steve) Joenne, but my sister-in-law and I were both pregnant and she had already decided to name her’s Stephanie if it was a little girl.

They were disappointed but set out on a quest to find just the right name. Steve got out books so he could find girl names and he and Mom sat on the sofa and put names together for what seemed like hours. Bobby wanted her named something that would have a nickname that he could call her by. It was funny listening to all the combinations that Mom and Steve came up with. Bobby would check each name for what the initials would spell, what nicknames she could be called by and other name related problems. The whole family got in on the act. Mom and Steve finally came up with Rebecca Joenne and it was agreed that we would call her Becca.

Never in the history of our family has it taken so much time and effort to name a new baby. But it was worth it, Becca seems to fit her just perfectly. And the whole family was happy with her name.

I have a P.S. to this story - April called me and reminded me that she was the one who originally said something to my mom about calling the baby "Becca" and I have no doubt that she did.  No matter what, it's fun that we all had a hand in naming her!

A family to be proud of!

Back in May, my son and some of his friends hosted a "white trash bash". It was like a costume party (well, for most of us anyway) in the middle of the year.

There were rules of attendance - no mixed drinks - beer only (and only certain types were allowed); you had to dress up; no tables to eat at, you had to eat out of your lap; corn toss, horseshoes, beer pong and flip cup were the only games allowed and if you brought wine, it had to come out of a box. If you didn't have a tattoo, one would be provided.

It was an absolute blast! I of course, was in hog heaven since there were hundred's of "Kodak" moments. And believe me, I took full advantage of that fact!

Most of the people in attendance were friends of Steve's from school, so it was fun to see them all. Hope you like our family portraits.

And of course, the evening would not have been complete without trying to fill up the fence with beer cans..... after all, it was a "White Trash Bash"!!

I live with a bunch of comedians!

For mother's day this year, the kids came over and we had a cookout.  April, Steve, his wife Jennifer, Becca and her boyfriend Shane and Bobby and I were all there.  The only one missing was my Granddaughter, Ashley.  We had a wonderful time and I really enjoyed getting to be with all of them.

Whenever we get together for family events, I try to take a group photograph before everyone heads home.  Well, this night was no different.....  after taking several shots, and finally getting all the puppies in the picture, I decided to take one more just for good measure.

Seems like the kids had another idea in mind..... they decided to jump out of the picture, leaving just Jennifer and Shane with Bobby and I.   Well.....  I got the last laugh!  They had forgotten that I have a wide-angle lense on my camera.  You can see the results! 

What a bunch of comedians!  At least life is never dull with them!

Becca's finally 21! Woo Hoo!

Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote a blog. I was determined that I was going to try to keep up with this blog no matter what and you see where that got me!

My daughter-in-law, Jennifer and Becca

Well, Becca has finally turned 21! It's so hard for me to believe that my baby girl is 21. It sounds cliche, but it really does seem like she was born just yesterday. I feel so old (haha). We had a huge party on the deck and there were people in and out all night! All the kids were here, lots of friends and a bunch of Becca's co-workers showed up. We had enough food to feed an army and everyone went away with at least a full stomch!

Most of what happend in Vegas will stay in Vegas!

Wow, I can't believe that it has been so long since I posted a blog, but it has been a busy couple of weeks. Becca and I went to Las Vegas with my sister-in-law, Anita and my niece, Stephanie so that we could celebrate Stephanie's 21st birthday. We had an absolute blast.

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I wish my whole family could have gone with us, but for a first time visit to Vegas, going with Becca was a lot of fun. She and I for the most part, like the same things and enjoy a good laugh!

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It was a little nerve-wracking at times because Becca will not be 21 for another month and she wanted to be able to play the slots some and be able to have a drink with Stephanie. I just knew we'd get busted, but since Becca looks older than she is, she was able to play a few slot machines (she even won $50) and got to have a few drinks, so she was extremely happy! She only got asked for ID one time and that was as we were walking through a casino.

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We did the whole tourist thing, checking out a lot of the hotels and sights. Someone told Becca that after she had been there for 4 days she would have seen it all..... they lied! We were there for eight days and didn't see half of what we wanted to see. I am exhausted!

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Some of the hotels go all out to decorate and some of the artwork was just awesome. I loved all the hotels with themes like Excalibur, MGM, New York - New York, Paris, the Bellagio, etc. Las Vegas at night is a whole different world from the daytime Las Vegas, so it is like visiting 2 different cities.

Of course I was in hog heaven and took over a thousand pictures (some will be deleted because they are so bad and some will never be seen - if you know what I mean!!)

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Becca made me ride the roller coaster at New York - New York for which I will forever hate her and she will never be able to repay me for the pain and suffering she put me through. I bought the souvineer photo of us on the ride only so that I would have something to blackmail Becca with for the rest of her life. I love roller coasters, but this one was 5 or 6 stories in the air and had so many loops and twists and turns that I could hardly walk when we finally got off the ride. My whole body felt like it was bruised and battered and I hurt for days! Getting older is not what it is cracked up to be.

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My niece did not get to Vegas until about 9:00 on the night before her birthday (had she been at home she would have already been 21, but since Vegas is 3 hours behind us, she had to wait a while to turn 21). This was a good thing since it gave her a chance to be at a casino ready to put her dollar into the machine at the stroke of midnight. She ordered a drink and they carded her which made her very happy - she got to show them that she was 21 even though her license said she was "under 21". It was funny to see how excited she got!

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I'll write more about our trip later, but for now I'm just glad to be home and back to a normal routine. I missed Bobby and all the puppies more than I thought I would. Enjoy what you have, because no matter how wonderful it looks, the grass is not really that much greener on the other side. There really is no place like "Home"!

Meet the Family - Becca

Becca is my baby girl and has always been a beautiful child, well..... except for those first couple of days.

When Becca was born, they had to use forceps to get her out (she was a very large baby - almost 10 pounds) and it caused her head to have corners (I swear she looked like an alphabet block!). When I first saw her I cried (I didn't know that her head would round out in a couple of days - all I knew was that her head was square...).

My mother-in-law was the secretary in the church I grew up in and when she came into the room and talked about what a beautiful baby Becca was, I cried more. She had never lied to me before. Finally one of the nurses told me that it wasn't permanent and she would be fine in a couple of days. Boy, was I relieved!

With the exception of a few Kodak moments, she turned out really well, if I do say so myself!

She has grown up to be a beautiful young woman and has a great personality. She has lots of friends and is constantly on the go - sometimes it's really hard to keep up with her. We have a good time together (but it usually ends up costing me!) and I'm sure we will for many years to come.

Meet the Family - The Kids

Bobby and I have 3 kids, April (who is by Bobby’s first marriage, but she’s always been my first child – even before Bobby and I married), Steve and Becca. Our children are not exceptional except for the fact that they are beautiful, smart and well-rounded.

They were taught from an early age to respect other people’s property – the first rule at our house was “if it’s not yours – DON’T Touch It!! They grew up knowing that if they disrespected their teachers, anyone from church, their grandparents or just about anyone else, then the punishment would be severe.

They knew that if they were sent to the office for being bad that they had better go ahead and call for an ambulance and family and children’s services because they were going to need them by the time I got through with them.

They were taught to say “yes ma’m and no ma’m, yes sir and no sir”, to open doors for others, to say thank you when someone did something for them, to respect figures of authority, to honor the flag and to be kind to others who were less fortunate than they were.

I am very proud to say that my children are not axe murderers or thieves, they aren’t members of gangs, they don’t do drugs, and don’t live off of the government. They are just good well-rounded American kids. I'm not saying that they are perfect, because by no means are they even close to perfect, but I couldn’t be prouder of any of them.

They’re all adults now and letting them go was a really hard thing to do because they will always be my babies. Sometimes I can’t quiet let go, but it’s getting better and a little easier as time goes by. Most of the time I enjoy the empty nest, but sometimes it gets really lonely and I want my babies back, then I get over it.

I seem to have trained them well and so far so good..... Just remember to give your babies lots of hugs and kisses because before you know it, they get to "big" for them. Either that or teach them that they will never get to old to mind their mama (which includes giving hugs and kisses) or their mama will take them down a notch or two!

"Train up a child in the ways he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6).