Christmas (and New Years') Pictures

Christmas was wonderful! Well, with the exception of the transmission giving out on my car driving home from Hattiesburg on Christmas Eve - but even that had a bright spot - it waited until we were at the exit to Slidell before it quit on us. Everyone was there except my oldest son, Kevin. Here are some pictures taken Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Our Ghost

For years I've been saying we have two ghosts living in our house. Jeremy didn't believe me, until one day he caught a glimpse of it. I finally captured a picture of it when I was taking a picture of Alex and Peyton. Some will say it's a reflection - but there is nothing there to be giving off a reflection. Judge for yourself.

Peyton & Santa 12-9-07

Here's a picture of Peyton with Santa at Northshore Mall in Slidell. Most babies are scared of Santa - obviously, Peyton's an exception.

Pictures

Shelby at 5 months, Peyton trying to take his shoes off 11-26-07 (he hates wearing shoes), Brian playing at Renaissance Festival 11-17-07, Brian has a crush 11-11-07, and me, Queen Elizabeth, Alex & Brian 11-11-07 (Renaissance Festival).

November pictures

Here are pictures of Shelby and Peyton at Thanksgiving with my parents and with my sister, Renee. A picture of Peyton being knighted by Queen Elizabeth (Renaissance Festival 11-24-07), Peyton playing the piano at Thanksgiving and one of Tom and Peyton watching a toy which Tom had attached to the ceiling fan.

Peyton & Shelby

Life Changes

At my age, most women are approaching or have already entered the dreaded "Change of Life" - menopause. Well, I haven't quite gotten "there" yet, and was dreading hitting that "mark" in life. But God decided to throw in a surprise. I became a grandmother in June. My daughter had a beautiful baby boy and my middle son had a beautiful baby girl. In the middle of September, because of circumstances in my daughter's life, the Department of Social Services decided to temporarily place my grandson, Peyton, in my home. To be honest, the first two weeks were hell. My youngest son turned 12 the day Peyton was brought to my home, so it had been a while since I had to deal with changing diapers, middle of the night feedings, and a small person that had to depend on someone else for all their basic needs. The last thing I needed, or so I thought. God knew better.
Watching this little baby, taking care of his most basic needs, and watching him discover and take such joy in the little things in life, I began to realize that I had lost sight of what was truly important in life - children, family, friends, and the little things in life. It also brought to light something I knew in the back of my mind, but I never truly comprehended - even with all our "disfunctional" characteristics and flaws, I have a wonderful family who are the most generous and supportive people in the world. And the two people responsible for that - my Mama and my Daddy. Parents teach by example, not by words, and they have definitely done that. Although my brother, sisters and I have our faults and shortcomings, none of us have achieved fame or fortune (neither of which is important), and we have our problems from time to time, my parents are responsible for creating four truly amazing adults who would give you the shirt off their backs or help anyone in need. Mother Theresa needs to make room on that pedestal for my parents.
And God, thank you for opening my eyes to what's truly important in life.