Today has been a long and busy Monday, but a productive one. Dad coming by was a wonderful surprise. I don’t get to see him near as much as I would like to. However, I will be glad to go to bed tonight.
Below is my dad bringing Reagan into the house.

First, my children are growing up so incredibly fast.  Elly is about to turn 6 months and is just about ready to crawl.  When you put her down, she’ll quickly scoot from where you had her.  She doesn’t quite follow any straight line, but she raise up on her arms and knees and whatever else she can get on and move around.  It’s quite cute to see her circular paths of teething drool.  She’s eating more solid foods and is starting to make more distinct sounds.  In particular, I’ve noticed that she has the “da” sound down pretty good.  Lastly, she makes her daddy feel so special whenever I come home, where she will grin and grin at me.  Not to be outdone, Reagan has also been amazing me.  I’ve talked before about my geekness rubbing off, but the other day he asked if he could watch Nick Jr. on the ‘puter’.  I said yes and he took off running.  Dessa followed a moment later to turn it on, but it was already up on the screen.  She asked him how he got it and he excitedly said, “I clicked the green button (the Windows Start button) and then the E (Internet Explorer icon) and then the yellow star (the Favorites) and then Nick Jr.!”(The text link for Nick Jr.)  As a geek and a dad, I was quite proud.  His creative side also flashes out regularly.  Like the routine songs that he makes up to well carried tunes, or the other day when he climbed naked into a Target bag that he had poked two holes into the bottom.  He put his legs through the holes and his arms through the handles like overalls and said, “Look Mommy, I’m a grocery!”

I’ve passed my 1 year anniversary at work.  As of July 3rd, I have worked as an “IT Professional” for 1 year.  It has been a crazy ride, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’ve started a major redesign of our church’s website.  I’m really excited about it because it is the first web design work I’ve done in a while.  I’m working out some rusty skills and learning some new ones in the process.  The result seems to be a very nice look and feel.

Barring anything unforseen, I will be attending college this Fall at Nashville State.  I’m going to get my associates in IT, then go on from there to a yet to be determined bachelors.  While I don’t think I’m going to get much use out of that 2.5 years of a biology major, at least I don’t have to take a science this time around.  Rather, I get to work on Database Programming and Programming in C++.  I can’t wait!  (I really do mean that)

Okay, much more to say, but then that’ll leave me late for work.  So, until the next time my wife makes me blog (just kidding), farewell!

First, when I started my job almost a year ago I had absolutely zero experience in the corporate environment.  I remember the first time that the CEO called me and asked me to come up because he had a computer problem.  I was scared out of my mind that I would mess things up.  Then I get to his office and he’s not there.  I asked my boss what to do when someone isn’t there and he said just walk in.  JUST WALK IN?!  This is the president of the company!  I can’t just walk into his office like I own the place.  He’ll walk in and say, “What are you doing in here?” Then my next stop is asking for my previous job back.  That’s just one example of the myriad of ways that I didn’t have a clue what was going on in relation to the business world.

Contrast that with yesterday and I see where I have really grown.  In a room filled with executives I didn’t really have a problem speaking up when I had a thought.  It was on my way home yesterday that I thought about how much I’ve changed while working at this job.  Things that a year ago terrified me just seem common place today.  Challenges that overwhelmed only mildly irritate.  However, don’t stop feeling too sorry for me.  I still get the overwhelming ones too :).

The second thought that came to mind is the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I got home after 8 last night.  Lying in the floor playing with Reagan, with Elly and Dessa beside us, I was consumed with thankfulness for those three great individuals.  Even when Reagan climbed into the dirty clothes basket and wouldn’t get out to go potty. :)  This family of mine is wonderful, and I’m glad I have this blog to tell the whole world (or at least the 300 or 400 visitors I get a month) this truth!

P.S.  Reagan traded his stairs for an elevator yesterday (see last post).  Also, my sister, niece, and nephew may be coming up this weekend.  I’m excited about that.

But have no fear, help was on the way. My sister and her two kids, plus my brother whom I haven’t seen since last October came up to see us. Steve hadn’t seen Elly and had flown in from Phoenix for the weekend. I was extremely happy to see him. Reagan was extremely happy to see my niece and nephew, and he made them know it by keeping them busy the entire day. After they were here and had gotten to play with Elly and Reagan, we all went (minus the yard selling Dessa) to Don Pancho’s and ate some Mexican food. The kids gagged when I ordered Mole Poblano and told them it was chicken in chocolate sauce. There’s nothing like messing with young, impressionable minds.

Dessa got home at around 5 and then turned right back around and headed out to give Dinner Theater practice at the church. My family then left and I’m back to being the only parent in the house. Face slapping time!

Church Sunday was good, but busy also. Dessa had a bake sale going to raise money for the drama team, but our alarm clock was set to 5pm instead of 5am (my fault), so she was late getting started and still had things to make (if you didn’t get any of her chocolate truffles, you missed out). After church was the bake sale, so I brought the kids home with me. By this time, my face is really starting to get red and irritated from the slapping.

Unfortunately, we decided after lunch to take a nap. This nap lasted until 5:15, then by the time we had made our way through a bottle and a poppy diaper and then an experience on the changing table that we do not want to go into, it was after 7 when I got to church (it starts at 6).

After church was a dinner trip to O’Charleys with our friends Nick and Alisa. This ended a bit sadly with Reagan crying hysterically that he didn’t want his friend Peyton to leave while he hugged her and she called for Nick to help her. Actually, it was much more cute than it was sad.

Well, I leave you with this proverb and pictures:

A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

But, as it often does, life happened. First, a dear, sweet Sister in Christ went home to spend eternity with our Lord. I must say that Janice Huddleston will be missed, but after her long battle with cancer, there is a part of me that is glad that her suffering has ended. The funeral was a glorious display of God’s anointing and peace. To all of her family, I say the same thing that our Savior did. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (bold and emphasis mine)

We got up Saturday morning to go to “Mother’s Day Breakfast” at IHOP. (as an aside, I saw this weekend an ‘American House of Pancakes’. What a ripoff… Of course, it does allow one to say, “IHOP on over to AHOP”). We had already decided to forgo our trip to east TN, and I had called my dad to let him know. He, however, decides that he still wants to see the grandkids, so on his way home from Oklahoma, he calls to say he stopping in Nashville at a truck stop and wants us to meet him.

On our way out the door we decide that we might as well go on home and visit after the funeral. What’s more, we decide that Reagan is going to get a real treat. We let him ride to east TN in the ‘big truck’ with Papaw. He went nuts. My dad said that in the four hour trip, Reagan only stopped talking for the 10 minutes he fell asleep. Poor man! =)

And so, after the funeral, we went home (actually, we spent a few hours trying to get our van fixed, so we ended up leaving around 6). We got to my parents at about 10 and pretty much went straight to bed. It is SOOOOOO nice when my family gets around the kids. They never get to see them, so they want to hold and watch them the whole time. Sunday morning we slept until 9am! I don’t remember the last time that has happened. My dad? No, he didn’t sleep until 9 =). I’m not quite sure if Reagan ever did go to sleep.

After a rushed morning, we tried again for a “Mother’s Day Breakfast”, but Reagan’s booster seat was with my sister and my dad wasn’t giving up Elly, so it was just me and my sweet Dessa (we did finally get a mother’s day dinner on the way home in cookeville. We at at O’Charleys). On the way home to Nashville, we stopped by a little place called Chuck E. Cheese and Reagan, Lyndsey, and Jaydan (my niece and nephew) had a blast. On a related point, it is amazing how much money you spend on tokens to get tickets to purchase foam airplane.

It was indeed a busy weekend. Before I leave you, though, I want to say something. CONGRATULATIONS to my wonderful wife, Dessa! She has graduated with her associates degree in early childhood education and I could not be more proud of her for how hard she has worked to do this while being the best mom and wife in the world.

Okay everyone. Check out the pictures below.