Busy Week....

Hello, Everyone!

Sorry for the "blogging delay," but we've had some summer fun.... Last Monday and Tuesday were VBS here at Marble Falls FBC, and I was volunteering. Mr. Weiss came along to play, even though he was too little for the classes (aww.... he would have loved them!) I worked with the Pre-K group.... I had a great time, but I was thankful to return home to my own little man! (It's like those "mom swaps" on TV---they're fun at first, but everyone is crying for their own mom at the end.... That's how I feel about Weiss! I wanted him back by noontime!)

Monday afternoon, Cinda kept Weiss and I made a trip in to Austin to get Weiss a train table with several Thomas the Train accessories. I then went to Whole Foods for groceries and then came home to set up the table. When Logan walked in with Weiss (he went to pick him up), Weiss screamed and said, "Thank you, Mommy--Thank you Daddy!" He kept saying this over and OVER.... So precious! He had the biggest meltdown EVER when it was time for his bath.... He LOVES his new train set and has played with it constantly from the day I got it.... It was money well-spent, I might say!

Tuesday, Weiss and I drove to Hamilton to meet Mom and Dad...We ate some good Mexican food (Mom--can you remember the name of the restaurant?) and I drove in to Dallas to spend some R&R time! I met up with Cinda, and I went to the pool while she and Kay McDaniel went to market (Terry and I stayed at the pool)....

I got a bit of sun, too! (Actually, WAY too much!) As I have gotten "older," I have wisened up. I used to worship the sun, staying brown year 'round, thanks to the tanning bed. I was addicted like a smoker is to cigarettes. Bad, I know......

After I had Weiss, there was no time for that. (And I noticed sun spots appearing on my body....AGHHH!) Now, the only tan I get comes from a can. I am diligent about wearing sunscreen on my face, neck, and back of my hands. And yes, I am a bit obsessive about spray-tans; sometimes, I look like an Oompa-Loompa. However, I was a bit late on the sunscreen last week. I am paying for it now....

The McDaniels and Cinda and I ate some great, great food. We went to Charlie Palmer's and Abacus.... We stayed at the Joule, which was INCREDIBLE.... The pool is awesome... It is on the tenth floor, and hangs out over the sidewalk.... That was pretty crazy.... It was solid glass overlooking the street!! (I've included a picture of the outside of the hotel... The pool is the glowing blue to the top right....) Thank you, awesome Mom-In-Law! (I am thinking about booking a night for Logan and I sometime in the fall.... He would love it....)

Anyway, I left Saturday morning to get Weiss in Merkel. I stayed with Mom and Dad, and we ran into Abilene for the afternoon. Weiss had seemed to have grown the short time I was gone! I left Sunday morning to meet Logan and Dickey in Big Spring.... They moved Logan's grandad (Pawpaw/Delbert) to the Veteran's Hospital, which has a hospice floor. They are trying to get Delbert in down here in Marble Falls, but there is a waiting list for the nursing homes they want him in.....

Anyway, he is not doing well at all, but he was having a good day on Sunday; he knew all of our names, and even remembered little Weiss. Weiss was an AWESOME sport, too.... He even sat on Delbert's lap in the wheelchair and let him love all over him. (Thank you, Weiss!) I couldn't have been a prouder mommy! Logan and I then stopped by the cemetery to see Meagan's grave. (For those of you who don't know, Meagan is Logan's sister who was two years older--they lost her to cancer at age 17.) We then got on the road and made it back to Marble Falls.

Weiss and I have just taken it easy this week (he's played with his train table) and I've been cleaning up around the house. I wrap up my career counseling class final this week and won't have another class until late August. It is nice. I am taking a break! See you soon!

The New Jib Jab...

Okay. I've loved this site since early college (when I was a political science major....). Here's the newest Jib Jab. And I think it is pretty much what the Obama supporters think.... Take a look....... (NOTE: You will probably have to scroll down to the bottom of the web page first and turn off my background music to hear.....)

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More Recent Random Pics....

Here is a recent photo of the three of us, a picture of Weiss and precious Sydney White, a picture from Wildseed Farms, a picture swimming in his kiddie pool at Mia and Grappa's, and some pictures from Longhorn Caverns last weekend.....

Some Pictures...

I admit: I get really lazy with pictures. Since I am on Logan's computer, here are some of the latest--from last night, actually. We have been eating dinner on our back patio (with the help of six tiki torches with anti-mosquito oil).... Logan had a little inflatable pool at the end of his little playscape's slide, and Weiss was running around sans clothing and playing in the water. He stopped for some quick pics...

Weiss Antics.....

Weiss is sure growing. I am always amazed at what he says, and there are things I am noticing him pick up from other places. At this stage in life, that's good, because the only "other places" are at both grandparents' homes, the church nursery, and other church activities. However, (I know this won't quite be the case as he gets older....)

Anyway, here are some funny things he's said the past week. (I really should type them as they occur, because I forget so many of the cute things...)

--He constantly calls himself "Puppy Dog." (Remember a previous blog post?) He is always saying things like, "Puppy Dog wants to ____," or "Puppy Dog likes ______." However, if you call him Puppy Dog, there are times when he will correct you. "Me no Puppy Dog; my name's Weiss!!!" I love to provoke this....I'll do things like, "Is your name Jim Bob?" "Hey Santa Claus, would you bring me that toy?" I love it because he will say, "Me no Jim Bob/Santa Claus, my name's Weiss!!!" And if I'm lucky, sometimes he'll say his full name: Weiss Height Tanley. TRANSLATION: Weiss Hyatt Stanley

--I've found a great line of hot dogs for kids at Whole Foods... The meat is from organic, grass-fed, hormone-free beef. It's also free of nitrites and nitrates, so children and even those who are pregnant--some of my friends out there, not me at this time--can eat them. (I remember I could have robbed a bank for a loaded chili dog when I was with child!) And Weiss LOVES them.... I have to cut him off at two hot dogs (minus the buns--we usually do a pita or Ezekiel bread if he wants it) because he could eat them all day! So the other day, he finished his second hot dog over watching "Barney" during lunch.
He pitter-patted up to me: "More hot dog?"
"No honey, you've already had two hot dogs."
He replied, "Three hot dogs???"
(I couldn't stop laughing at how early children learn manipulation.)

--Weiss is capable of potty training (and he's almost two and a half), but he doesn't like to go sit on the toilet when asked. Sometimes I will put him on the potty right after he wakes up and his diaper is dry, but if his diaper is really wet from the previous night, I just skip that step. (I do know that "potty training" ME is an important part of the process (getting me to be consistent), and we're working on that, too. But he's not too interested at this point...) ANYWAY--if it is his idea, he will go #1 and #2 on the potty. Sometimes, he even tells me to change his diaper. For example, this morning, he came in the room and had removed his PJ pants and diaper. He had a fresh diaper in his hand and powder. He said, "Mama, change my pants?" I had to laugh!!!

--Like most kiddos, he has a fascination with water. He always wants to wash his hands and make a mess with soap. However, he goes to the sink so much, I have had to go so far as to put a childproof doorknob turner on the door....

There are other antics, but I will have to think for a minute....

So I've Been Lazy on Posting.....

Hello, everyone! I really thought I would post more this summer; boy, I was WRONG!!! And not that I've been doing anything much recently, besides chasing a 2-year-old around!!!! HA!

We've had a fun week... On Tuesday, Weiss and I went with a little group from FBC to the Strawberry Farm, although we are ending the strawberry season... He had a great time picking blackberries straight from the vine, feeding the goats, petting the horses and donkeys, and releasing ladybugs on the plants to eat the aphids. (He ate more berries than he put in his basket!!! His little face was all purple....so sweet!) And If you don't know the children's minister, Ed Necker, ("Mr. Ed") from FBC, you ought to.... He is so awesome with the kids, so enthusiastic, and so fun! The other day I caught him playing hopscotch with a kiddo.... He's such a kid at heart.... Anyway, we had a great time....

On Wednesday, Logan and I went in to Austin to see my parents, who were in town for the Texas Funeral Directors' Association convention. They were there with Monty and Debbie Howard, who are their friends and partners in business. We went to eat at Hofbrau's on 6th street.... Very good service and a good butter sauce on the steaks. We had a good time and a fun visit.

Thursday morning, Weiss and I drove back in to Austin for the exhibits and to see Mom and Dad again. There were casket exhibits, hearse exhibits, embalming chemical exhibits--you name it!!! Weiss woke up in a cranky mood, and to top it off, he hurt his arm roughhousing at the convention. (If you want all of the details, ask Lexy!!) Mom and I had to leave the convention and get him some baby Motrin....His arm hurt all day, and we had to see Dr. Torry after hours for him to check it out! Thankfully, during his bath that night, Weiss was magically all better!!! Praise the Lord!!!!

Rusty, Jessica, and Isabella Baker spent the night with us Friday. Bella is only a few weeks younger than Weiss, and it was so much fun to see them all and get the kids together! Bella is a cutie patootie, too! Weiss and Bella played, and Logan was a sweetheart for keeping Weiss and taking him to dinner with everyone while I went to see Jane Elway at FBC. She is WONDERFUL!!! She is a tiny, 71-year-old woman who portrays biblical characters. And she is INCREDIBLE...
She portrayed Martha, the mother of the boy with the loaves and fishes, Pontius Pilot's wife, Phoebe (the deaconess from the old testament), the Symarian woman at the well, the woman who was about to be stoned, and I may be forgetting one or two....Maybe that was it..... I was blown away. And if someone had never heard the gospel, it was so clear in her monologues with the women she portrayed.... She would dress like the women in front of the audience, and it was so cool seeing her wear the different head coverings, tunics, and period clothing. I also got to see someone I was not expecting: Nancy Shirley, from San Antonio!!!! I was so happy to see her; she was there because her church is hosting Jane this coming fall, and they wanted to see her and get promo pictures with her. Small world!!!

Today after church, we had a picnic in the backyard. Then, Logan, Weiss and I went to Longhorn Caverns outside of Burnet. It was really fun; Weiss seemed to have enjoyed it. We hiked the nature trail in the heat; thankfully, we wore outdoor sweat-wicking clothing so we were prepared! However, there was a good deal of shade. We then took the 2:30 tour. It was nice and naturally "air conditioned" in the cave.... I'll have to post pics.... We really had a good time. We'll have to go back. Since it is only about 10 miles from home, I'm sure we will!!! After Logan got a geocache or two with his GPS on the way home, Weiss fell asleep. Logan read my mind---I really wanted a snowcone and have not had one in like 3 or 4 years! It seemed like an "official" way to roll in the summer for me! However, Weiss conked out and so he missed out on the fun! I got my usual: a wedding cake flavored one, and Logan got white coconut cream! YUM!

The boys dropped me off by the house so I could do homework and they went on to Lake LBJ to swim at Dickey and Cinda's and go out in the boat.... Boo.... I had to miss out! They also grilled out while they were there and I was stuck at home.... Anyway! It was a great weekend, and Weiss was pooped!

Oh, What a Night!!!!

Hello, all! It seems as if this week has flown by---there has been something to do almost every day! I went to west Texas to get Weiss and Zoey and see Mom and Dad. We ate at top-ranked Harold's Pit BBQ, which was AWESOME (they are ranked as one of the top BBQ places in the state, located in Abilene)!!!! They are finally open for dinner now--it used to be lunch only--and it was GREAT food.... Logan is going to have to go. I hit a MAJOR storm driving in to Merkel, complete with hail. On I-20, the traffic slowed down to about 15 to 20 MPH.... one of "those" storms. The lightning was incredible, too. It was beautiful to see the storm build up across the West Texas plains on the way into town. (We can't quite get the great visibility down here in Central Texas to see a beautiful T-storm building up, so I've missed out...)

Anyway, as soon as I was in town, I had to leave to come back to Marble Falls so Logan could see Weiss... he was missing him desperately!!! (After a Target and Chick-Fil-A stop on the way out of town, of course!)

On Wednesday evening, when we got home, we had dinner with at the Burns' with the Duvall family joining us. It was really fun... When we pulled up to their house, Weiss let out a blood-curdling squeal of delight.... He then proclaimed, "SOPHIA!!!" Logan and I looked at each other and laughed.... He was super excited to see her.... There were a total of five kiddos, and they all played in the Burns' beautiful backyard.....

Yesterday, I kept Royann Williams' two kiddos, Cayden and Colsen, from 12:00 to 4:00. We went over at 11; Royann brought us lunch. (Thanks, Royann!) They were fun and Weiss certainly enjoyed playmates for the day. We were over at Royann's house, which is just down a few blocks, and the boys all played outside and enjoyed it. It was fun hearing the commentary from Cayden (almost 5) and Colsen was such a sweet baby and SOOOOO easy to take care of... WOW.... All Royann said to do was lay him in his bed and tell him "Goodnight, Colsen," for his nap... I did this, and he was out for TWO AND A HALF HOURS!!!! And not even a peep. When he woke up, I stuck my head in the door, and he was just cooing to himself.... If all babies were like Colsen, everyone would have 4 or 5 kids, no doubt!!!!!

After babysitting, Weiss and I drove out to this lake area past Wertz Dam. Logan had gone out to cook with Bob Clifton for a Texas Tech Alumni gathering. There was a large crowd, and one of the old TT athletic directors spoke, along with a TT spokesperson. It was fun. Weiss had a good time, too: it was right by the lake, and Weiss wanted to get his feet wet. It started out so innocently..... We ended up stripping him down and putting him in a swim diaper. He LOVES to pick up rocks and throw them in the lake. He could do this for HOURS.... Future rock skipper. And of course, I enjoy it because he stays in one place and is occupied for a long time, so I can enjoy myself and "vegge out" a bit....

Friday, Nancy Foley and the girls came for piano and stayed afterwards a bit and had lunch with me. I enjoyed the visit. We had planned to go overnight camping with the Homeyers, but Delbert (Logan's grandad) is not doing well, and so he had to leave really early this morning to go and see him at Big Spring. So Logan, Weiss, Kelley, Matt, Max the dog, and I all planned to go have an evening picnic at an LCRA park on Lake Travis and then come home.

We drove about 10 minutes outside of Marble Falls on FM 1431 to Smithwick and turned off to an LCRA park. There are many LCRA parks, but Matt and Kelley had not been to this location. However, it was beautiful.... No one was there.... just us. Max swam, and Weiss stripped down to his swim diaper and was wading around... It was the perfect temperature and warmth. There were beautiful rocks everywhere and the water was very clear. We all waded out to this big rock area in the middle of the river/lake and played for awhile.... I kept saying, "I already want to plan to come back here...." It was really beautiful....

We then decided to have our picnic. We hopped in the cars and drove down just a bit, to where we had seen some other cars and picnickers/campers. We parked on a very high embankment. (The Homeyers had their truck, and we had my little SUV...)
We took the Homeyer's cute picnic basket, a backback with some towels, diapers and water and our insulated bag down to another nice "rock island" in the water. We waded out to it in shin/ankle deep water. We did notice there was a strong current, but Logan carried Weiss, and all was well. We had a wonderful dinner of Darcy's Deli chicken salad and homemade bread on beach towels. (Thanks, Matt and Kelley!!!!) After eating, Kelley and I stayed and visited while Matt, Logan, Weiss and Max went and walked down the little rock island....

Kelley was the first one to notice the water beginning to rise. I didn't really think anything of it, at first, but we had to start moving our shoes we all took off down by the water's edge.

Then we began moving our gear, which was closer to our picnic area we had made.... The guys were quite a ways down, and then they turned around and began coming back to us.... After gathering our gear up, Matt tried to ford the water with the picnic basket to get back to their truck. He was our "guinea pig" testing the water. He was planning to come back and get Kelley to help her across the current, which was now past Matt's waist. (Correct me if I am wrong, Matt...) He had to turn around and come back. The current was too strong. Matt could have swam across and ended up down the river on the other side, but because we had Kelley and Weiss, this was not a very good option.

Oh--by the way--Kelley is due at the end of July with their first baby. So not only did we have a toddler, but a pregnant woman on our hands. (Yes, folks, all great stories have a pregnant woman. I guess it adds to the suspense.....)

Even Max the dog was having a hard time swimming against the current. The water was even doing the little thing where it peaks and whitecaps, so the current was a movin', folks..... After exploring some other options, we figured we would all move to the opposite bank of the river/Lake Travis instead of attempting to get to our cars. The water was less intimidating going away from our cars... It was more shallow, and at this time, the water was still rising....

What was the cause of the rising? Well, The Highland Lakes are all connected by a series of dams.... Lake Travis is connected to Lake Marble Falls via a dam, and on the other end of Travis is another dam, connecting it to Town Lake in Austin. Unlike some of the lakes in the Highland Lake chain, Travis is not constant level. Lake Travis is a very large lake (stretching from practically Marble Falls to Austin), and we were close to the dam, but could not see it. Anyway, the dam will open and release water periodically. This is exactly what it was doing when the water began to rise around us.....

So we all flailed out of the water with our gear. Matt and I were acting as sherpas with the gear, while Logan had Weiss on his shoulders and Kelley was gear-free because she had some gear of her own (baby Homeyer!). We climbed up the slippery banks--complete with rust orange mud--and Kelley and I waited with Max and Weiss while the guys walked down to an area where they could possibly communicate with others by yelling across the water. (By now, people across the river were noticing us....) Weiss didn't have anything but a swim diaper on... We had extra diapers and shoes in the backpack with us, but when we drove on down the river, Logan took Weiss's wet clothes and put them in the back of my car to dry. However, we were blessed because he did not get cold... The weather was neither too hot (for Kelley) or cold (for Weiss)....

Meanwhile, Kelley and I were watching points in the river to see if the water was still rising. We could see some people with lifejackets and ropes trying to get across. There was no way... The river was at least 150 yards across, and the grown men with lifejackets kept losing their footing from the current in waist-deep water..... We were still within earshot of the guys, even though they were 100 yards down or so... (The sound echoed off of the high banks, just like a canyon....) We heard the guys across say, "Go back to where ya'll were... [the rock island we moved off of]....Ya'll can get out across here....." [about 100 yards or more down on the other side..... they were showing us we could get across, but the current would take us down quite a ways....]

Logan and Matt yelled back, "We have a pregnant woman and a baby...." The guys on the other bank said, "Oh...." Yes, that plan failed....

After watching the other group with the ropes and lifejackets attempt to get about 10 yards into the river, we saw their truck race up the steep side of the bank and out of our sight, back down the road to leave the park. By this time, Matt and Logan had made it back, and we all decided to walk back down to where they had communicated with the guys. (It was an area of large, smooth rocks for us to sit on and camp for the evening, if this was necessary.) We all got there after retracing the path the guys had made. Thankfully, we were all full from dinner and had more liquids if needed (We had water bottles, tea and lemondade in the cooler....) We also had more bread, Cheetos, chicken salad, Weiss's crackers, and trail mix, if needed. We even had baby wipes for toilet paper and some beach towels for cover! It was even a full moon, so we would have enough light to get around.....I had some bubbles out and blew some for Weiss, but quickly got frustrated because he LOVES to dump out his bubble solution. Matt took him for a little stroll while Logan discovered he was the only one with his phone, which had gotten wet, but still worked.... (None of us had ours because we had just planned to picnic and go right back to our cars....) Because his good phone was recently stolen, he was using his old phone, which did not have any local contacts plugged in to it.... only San Antonio contacts.... He dialed "411" for info to get the LCRA's number to ask them about the rising water (still rising).... We knew they had to close the dam gates soon, but did not know when... He could not get ahold of anyone, after calling two numbers.....

We waited a bit longer, and then began to hear the faint sound of diesel engines and firetrucks.... We all had that nauseated feeling you get when you are super embarrassed. I envisioned ropes and rescuers, complete with helmets for all of us, fording the river. Because the road was windy, we would hear the sirens and then they would fade away. We were almost relieved because we thought they were going away.... However, we would all hear them again, and then we would all collectively say "oh no" and began joking and laughing out of embarrassment. However, Weiss knew the sound. "Fire trucks!!! YEAH!" Someone was excited.

It began growing a bit dark. We then could not hear the sirens, but saw the lights. And not just one or two vehicles, but TWO AMBULANCES AND TWO HUGE FIRE ENGINES!!!! However, they would do us little good at this point because we were about 200 yards or more separated from them---they were across the river...... Weiss was so excited, saying, "Firetruck!!! Firetruck!!!!"

Shortly later, a volunteer fire rescue truck--someone's farm truck with lights on the top---not as embarassing---pulled up. Then a Ford Explorer complete with lights pulled up with ANOTHER volunteer firefighter. Logan, Matt, Max the dog and I hopped in the back of the truck with the gear. Kelley and Weiss were inside the truck with the firefighter. The Ford Explorer, which was the volunteer firefighter's stepson--who was also a volunteer firefighter--followed. (A family affair!!! Wait....it gets better.....) After a drive down a bumpy-as-a-washboard dirt road and a few telephone calls, we found someone to come pick us all up at the Spicewood Fire Station, clear on the OTHER side of the lake. (Our cars were about 20 miles around the lake from us or so now....

At the end of the dirt road, a Buick LeSabre pulls up, complete with lights and a whip antenna (pretty funny!). It was the volunteer firefighter's WIFE... (So there's Gary the firefighter, his wife now, his son, and his grandson, who was also in the Ford Explorer....)

Kelley, Weiss and I hopped in the Buick so Logan could ride in the truck. Poor Matt had to stay in the back with Max, who was behaving like a really good dog does. (He's a great dog!!! Kudos for chocolate labs!!!) Kelley and I heard some interesting stories, to say the least, on the way back..... I'm glad the woman didn't know that a PASTOR'S WIFE was present.... (Haha---Kelley and Matt, you guys are totally cool about it, but I'm sure we would have had a 'G' rated conversation if only she had known.....)

When we arrived at the Spicewood Fire Department, it seemed like there was a party going on! There were several people there for a Friday night, and an LCRA officer drove up and got a statement from us. Kevin Naumann, a new MFISD school board member who is also a volunteer firefighter, called the superintendant of MFISD to get Rick Edwards's number--the OTHER new MFISD school board member. We wanted to make sure he was on his way..... (Because we didn't have our phones and Logan had his old one, when we dialed "411," it gave us Rick's home number, and Matt talked to Kim (Rick's wife), but we didn't have Rick's cell...) Anyway, Rick came out in his brand spankin' new truck, complete with the paper tags.... I got in and dirtied it up because I had some rust colored mud on me and my shoes....

They dropped Weiss and I off at Kelley and Matt's house while Kelley, Matt, and Logan all went in Kelley's car to get the two remaining vehicles back at Lake Travis. I stayed and gave Weiss a bath, and Kelley left a tank top for him to wear....It was so funny---it looked like a dress on him!

When they all arrived back at the house, Kelley said, "You'll never guess what happened!!!" Apparently, she said there were state troopers and more cops at the site, and they stopped Kelley and questioned why she was out there. (She dropped off the guys--I guess they were still getting in the cars....) She told the officer we were the "stranded" people, and the DPS officer I guess knew what was going on (Kelley, correct me if I am wrong....). The officer said there were gunshots fired, and they were investigating. GREAT.

I'm glad we were NOT still out there.... And, to top it all off, the water level STILL had not gone down from the dam. The firefighters assured us it would probably go down right after we left for the fire house, but Kelley said it was still up.... We really WOULD have had to camp out there ALL night...

The fire fighter also informed us there were 2 separate mountain lion sightings recently in that same area we had been at on the rocks (when the firetrucks came). We surely would have chummed them in with our chicken salad leftovers......

But God took care of us. Even if it was a bit humiliating, we are safe. And Matt has a good sermon story--or series--now to preach.