Camdyn Elizabeth @ 3 months

To us, there is nothing more beautiful and sweet than our Camdyn Elizabeth....

 

 

 

 

That's my boy!

 

There is a switch that happens when you become a mother, I believe...something that makes life no longer just about yourself. An undeniable want for your child’s life to be better than your own becomes present. A relentless effort to provide, nourish and love beyond belief; an emotional need to protect your children from even the slightest form of pain or disappointment, and then the pride. Oh Pride.

I wanted doodle to test into the Gifted and Talented program so badly for a multitude of reasons. I want him to reach his highest academic potential. I want him to have a hunger for learning. I want him to know that the “smarter” he is, the easier life can be. I am an educator….I VALUE education. Sure, my bragging heart wants him to be on the all-stars and make the A team in every sport. But…. BUT, my true desire for him is to be equipped with the strongest education possible. I also wanted to protect him from the failure of not getting into the program.

He tested a couple of weeks ago. He felt confident in his performance but this child never lacks confidence, so that was hard to read. Every day I tear into his travel folder like it holds a million dollars, never once mentioning that I was frantically awaiting the letter from the school. Daddy and I both assured him that just being nominated was an accomplishment and that there were no expectations on our part. Yesterday the letter came. As I’ve been doing for the past two weeks, before even pulling out of the parking lot, I was tearing through his folder. It was there. With the letter in my hand, I faced a huge parenting moment. Do I read it right now, here in the parking lot? What if it is a denial…can I hide my disappointment in front of him? What will I say to him? Before I had a chance to process the information, from the backseat…..

“Ha, ha mama. I didn’t tell you the GT letter came! Are you surprised?” How did he know I was waiting on THAT letter?” “yes, baby you tricked me (he usually tells me what is in his folder on the walk to the car)…do you want me to open it now?” “Sure”

And before I got past the first sentence, I was in tears. “Are those happy tears, mama?” “Yes! I am so proud of you!”

While I know this is not his golden ticket into Harvard, I am proud as I can be. I have a Master’s degree in School Psychology. I’ve tested hundreds of children’s IQ on both ends of the spectrum. I 100% understand this opportunity for him.

Dear CMW,

You have made your mama proud, son, as you often do…may this opportunity challenge you to new heights and beyond. You have the world at your finger tips with all that you are. I pray that you always use your god-given gifts to the best of your ability and never, ever take them for granted. I am blessed to be your mother.

Love,

mama

My new toy!

 

I have wanted a Flip camera for a long time now. A quick and easy way to video our life without the hassle of a bulky camera, mini-dvd's and a hassle to charge, etc... MSW got me one for my birthday and I am in love with it! I have already shot more video this week than I did all of last year! It shoots awesome video in HD.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun: Natalie's Birthday Party

At some point, we became adults. Women with husbands, babies, jobs, a mortgage, etc... I don't feel 34. We live very charmed lives and would not change one thing about being women and having those beautiful responsibilities. However, every now and again- it is time for some "daddy up" while mama let's her hair down and hits the town with her girls.

We celebrated Nat's 33rd birthday in style. We had a wonderful night and shared some great times with some wonderful girls. I could write a total sappy post on Natalie and how amazing, wonderful, beautiful, and so on....she is. How much better my life is with her in it. At some point I'll write that post but for now, a little photo video of the night....

Natalie's Birthday from Dee Wallis on Vimeo.

Big Times

I almost feel like I have been living the life of someone else for the past two weeks....possibly a rock star's life?!?! While this blog is public domain and I will only share a few of the details let's just say I have had more going out fun in the past two weeks than I have had in the last 10 years. It all started last weekend with Nat's "Girls Gone Glam" birthday party. It deserves a post of its own but I will share now that we had an amazing 14 hours long party for her!

Come Thursday, it was time to start up my birthday celebrations! Thursday night was spent at Versi with Nat and Crystal (along with about 50 other people.) Manicures were the lowlight of the night and I will stop with the Elvis impersonator. :)

I spent my birthday in perfect style. A morning of a pedicure and massage (Camy went along too!?, an afternoon playing with the most precious two littles, dinner at Acenar and a night at the Valencia with my love. It was the perfect birthday!

I have so many pictures of Nat's party, Mani & Martini night, my b-day and of C&C! I hope to get to them soon. I had Camy dressed up for church this morning so I snapped a couple of pictures for her 3 month album. Poor baby is still scratching herself! If she will ever be scratch-free I can go ahead with a full shoot of her!

 

Camy turned 3 months old and found her voice (has not stopped babbling since)

 

MSW and I (thanks to mimi) spent the night at the Valencia to celebrate my 34th birthday.

 

I spent my birthday morning at Versi. Pedicure and massage...heaven. Look close, see my cute necklace??? Nat had that made for me for my birthday! I love it!!!! Camy went along for her first Spa day! Lots of benefits since Crys is the manager :)

 

Spent the night before my birthday with some of my favorite girls at Versi's Martinis and Manicures. Crazy night but oh so fun!

Bath time with Camy

My 11 week old beauty....who loves her bubble bath, is beginning to laugh and coo at us all the time.

 

Precious love....pure love.

 

She scratched herself....darn paper thin finger nails.

 

and then she spots the baby in the mirror, no clue it is herself, she talks and talks to the baby in the mirror.

 

She makes us all happier people and we were really happy before. ~Baby Love~

Parenting, it's a tough job!

Parenting is tough work. It takes patience, consistency and a whole lot of energy. Doodle, for the most part, is a good kid. I know that. However, I also realize he can be wild at times and bossy. Tuesday night was a struggle. He had been at his friend’s house all afternoon and he came home tired and worn out. He bossed me through dinner. For the record, dinner time is serious time at our house. I take great pride (time, dedication, etc…) every evening to prepare a healthy, good meal. We do not eat any processed food and I cook mostly organic. The rule has always been that we all eat the same thing. No alternative meals for anyone. He is a great eater. The problem with your child going over to other houses is they learn “new ways.” He came home to a meal of grilled fish, cabbage salad, Texmati rice and black beans. Ok…so probably not the dream meal of a 5 year old but this is how we always eat and he usually loves it. But, his friend was having mac&cheese and chicken nuggets. So, he could not understand why he had to eat “healthy.” He was fighting a losing battle with me and he knew it.
The rest of the night was just as argumentative about homework, bath time, etc… I did not stand for his sass and this only made him angrier. He went to bed mad. I went to bed proud of myself for keeping calm through it all but also standing my ground on our rules. I also went to bed worn out.
These times are few and far between for us, but when they happen I second guess our parenting. We don’t spank, we are fairly lenient about some things and not about others. Are we making the right decisions? At the end of the day, we do what is right in our hearts. It is hard work but it is my most important work. And just when I think I am losing the battle, he comes home with this….
To the parents of C.W.,
Your child was one of two in his class, to be chosen to test for the Gifted and Talented Program at school. Testing will happen in the next three weeks and permission must be obtained before C.W. can be tested, etc…….
And I swell with pride because despite it all, we are raising an intelligent, well-rounded, awesome kid!

Hello 2010!

My house is clean from top to bottom, the way I always try to start a new year. 2009 was good to us, especially in welcoming Miss C. But it is on to a New Year. I feel like 2010 is going to be fabulous for us all! I make resolutions/goals but keep those personal. But I will share my hope for "Peace" in 2010.

Peace

"It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.
It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."
-Unknown

That is what I hope for in 2010 for us all!

Our Story: The Dating Years and The Porposal

(My trip to Willamsport to see him, finally; circa 1998)

From that night forward we were together, or in those days we called it, “going around.” MSW first meet my family at Christmas. His first encounter was in my kitchen. Crystal, a junior higher, was sitting on one side of the bar and MSW and I on the other. Mid-sentence Crystal tipped a little too far back in her chair and flipped over backwards. And that was how he met my sister. Later that evening the rest of my family came over. You have to remember that MSW grew up in his great grandparents’ home. Quiet, calm, just a few people is what he was used to. My family, well, let’s just say we are the opposite of what he was used to. He kinda had a confused look on his face the whole evening. As he was leaving, he said, “I love your family!” We all adopted him in and he became one of us. He went on every family vacation with us and pretty much lived at my house. That is until the hour when my mom would run him off for the night but he was always back my breakfast time. We dated for the next two years just in that manner.
Then he graduated from PHS (top ten, might I add) . We often discussed our future college plans. I had always dreamed of leaving the small town life and going to either A&M or UT. MSW wanted a smaller college, one where he had a chance to play baseball and one that had a good Accounting program. He was recruited by a couple different colleges. He actually started summer ball at UIW but after a day there, decided that was not where he wanted to go and signed with TLC. I spent that summer lifeguarding at the public pool and he working for his cousin. We both dreaded the end of August.
I remember the day that we moved him into his dorm, I more specifically remember driving away that evening. I began my senior year of high school, and he is freshman year of college. We talked on the phone every night. My mom got him one of those bag phones where calls were free after a certain time. We saw each other every single weekend that year. I would either go up there or he would come home. There was one weekend where he played baseball out-of-town all weekend and did not get back to Seguin until Sunday evening. We met in San Antonio for an hour that night to eat dinner together. I do not remember it being a difficult year, to be honest. I enjoyed being a senior and spending my last year with my life-long friends. He adapted to a new place and devoted a lot of time to baseball. Our relationship only grew that year.
He came home for the summer and we shifted right back into our “regularly scheduled program.” The state passed the top 10% rule that year that guaranteed admission to any public university. So, I went ahead and sent in my apps to A&M, UT and TLC. All three options sat on the table for months. In the end I went with my gut, which took me to TLC. Today I can tell you that was by far one of the best decisions I have ever made for a multitude of reasons.
The next four years were some of the best of our lives’. Our relationship grew and deepened, yet we also realized the importance of remaining individuals. MSW played a lot of baseball and I pledged a sorority and was a cheerleader. We both made the most amazing friends which to this date still remain some of best friends. We were both very active at TLC, which became TLU after a couple of years. I was a bat girl all 4 years and never missed a home game. We enjoyed going to most of the Greek parties, heading home when we had a free weekend and enjoying picnics at Stracke park. MSW was on a 5 year plan due to needing 150 hours to sit for the CPA exam and I graduated in 4- that put us graduating together. As we both approached our senior year we had decisions to make about our future. I knew I wanted graduate school, he was hoping to be drafted. We talked about marriage, it seemed inevitable but we were not on a specific timeline. We both had dreams and goals and supported each others’ 100%. I applied to SWT, Trinity and Emporia State (Kansas). He kept in close contact with his scout. The spring flew by and we found ourselves into April. I was waiting for letters from Graduate schools and he was waiting on the draft. We were both too nervous to discuss what would happen if both of our dreams did come true.
It was finals week, a Wednesday to be exact. We were both home for lunch, I remember having to take a Multi-media final exam that afternoon. While eating a sandwich, the phone rang, it was Emporia State University (ESU). I had only been to Kansas once. I presented at a small university in Wichita that February. ESU was my professor’s alma mater and I had applied there only out of obligation to him. My hope was to actually attend Trinity- it was the easy choice, especially if MSW was going to be away playing baseball. Dr. Weaver was calling from ESU to congratulate me on being accepted to their university and wanted to offer me a full ride and a graduate teaching position. This changed everything. After 4 years of private school tuition, this was very, very appealing. But, it was in Kansas and that was so not my plan. I had no idea what to do and I only had a few days to accept or deny the offer.
I went and took my final. When I came back to the apartment, MSW met me there with roses and a ring. He had bought my ring weeks before and was waiting to plan a big, romantic proposal. After the ESU call, it only made since to him to do it that day. So on a random Wednesday afternoon we were engaged. We had never looked at rings but I do have to say that he did amazingly well all on his own and that means so much to me! He told me that he thought that I should accept the ESU offer and that no matter how far away he or I was, that our relationship would last and we would marry. I made the call the next day.
His call came a few days later. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and was to report to training camp early June. In a matter of days, dreams of all kinds were realized and the reality of time apart was impending. We graduated TLU early May and set off for a road trip to Kansas a few days later. We checked out the campus, figured out my living arrangements and made peace with our decisions.
The day we took him to the airport was one of the hardest days. While I swelled with pride for him, my heart broke at the same time. We both knew it would be months until we were together again. I had no reason to stay in Seguin and it was too early to move to Kansas, so I went home to Pearsall for the summer. I spent every day hanging out with my sister and her friend, Thomas. We did a whole lot of nothing. I planned all summer for my first visit to see him.
We talked on the phone as often as we could but it was usually only for a few minutes each night. He was on the road a lot and trying really, really hard at baseball. He wrote to me every single day. I have every single letter and cherish them as one of my most prized possessions. One day I am going to have them bound into some type of book to protect them but today, they still remain in their post-marked envelopes. We decided to plan the wedding for the following January. We were both now anxious to get married and saw no point in waiting. January made sense since he would be in his off-season and home and I would be on break from school. So, I spent that summer planning our weeding and planning for my move to Kansas. I needed him with me so badly and he was so homesick. It was a hard time for both of us.
Finally he had a home stay and I got to go visit him in Williamsport, PA. It took me three different planes to get there. It had been exactly 100 days since I had last seen him. I think I was there for 3 days and those days flew by but it felt so good to see him and be in his arms. Upon my return to Texas, I would be moving to Kansas. I needed him to tell me in person that I could make it there and that everything would be ok. He was going to come straight to me in September at the end of the season. It was wonderful to see him play in those games and see the life that he was living.
My whole family packed up and moved me to Kansas. They stayed a few days after me and my little friend, Luckey dog, moved in. I did not want them to leave. The first few days there were horrible. I did not know anyone. I was lonely, I missed MSW terribly, I was homesick and I was losing confidence that I could do this. I think I only made it 5 days there by myself. I decided one night enough was enough and I loaded me and Luckey up into MSW’s Yukon and headed south the next morning. I think they called me the boomerang  I spent a week at home trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. Was I going to give up that easily? I just had to make it on my own a month and then MSW would be there and then I knew everything would be ok. I headed back, reluctantly, but I did it. It was now the week before school was to start and I had my first meeting at Dr. Davis’ house. It was there that I met, Meggan. I am not sure if she knows what a God-send she was for me. We hit it off right away and for the first time, I felt like I just might make it there. Once school started I was fine. Keeping busy with teaching undergraduate classes during the day and attending my classes in the evening. I spent some weekends with Meggan and her family and in no time MSW was flying in. One of the happiest days of my life!!!!
We lead a very simple life in Kansas. I kept my school schedule and he worked out and subbed at the local high school on days they needed him. We would occasionally make a Saturday trip to Topeka. We looked forward to the wedding and spending some time in Texas with our friends and family. After months of being apart, we relished in being with each other again. In no time it was December and we were packing up to go home and get married!!!
Our wedding…tomorrow!