Prayers for Wendy Shack and Brian Leonard

Hello all,

Unfortunately, today's post is a dismal one. For all of you Kojies and HU people, Wendy Shackelford Leonard and Brian are in need of our prayers. Brian has been fighting a brain tumor for the past 10 years. They have recently moved back to NC for chemo at Duke. During his treatments, he contracted bacterial menengitis. They have had a very hard week and has been on a respirator and feeding tube. I believe he is off of the respirator now, but he still has alot to overcome. His tumor is now a stage 3. Please pray for Wendy and Brian. Wendy is so strong - she always has been.

Also, please pray for Sheri and Zach Jacobsen - Zach and Brian have been best friends since middle school.

I'll post his caring bridge site here later.

Cheer Camp

I am at University of Tennessee - Big Orange Country - at cheer camp. We are tired, sore and pretty much ready to have the long bus haul home over with! We have had a great time - but I may be getting too old for this! My legs are so sore because for some strange reason I decided to actually learn the hip hop dance. This dance is something that girls between the ages of 14 and 21 should have no problem with - but at 33... I just can't seem to move the same way I used to without severe muscle soreness!! Oh well, tomorrow supposedly I have to do it on stage with 2 other coaches! Ha - that should be on yout ube within a day or 2. Good grief!

I miss the kids - but know they are having fun. Mom said they are trying all kinds of new food some of which I think I are disgusting!! Oh well, at least they are open to try new things!

7:00 will be entirely too early for me tomorrow - so I better get to bed!

The first few weeks of summer

Well, I can't believe what I just did. I just hugged and kissed my 2 babies and put them in my parents' van and watched them drive away. I have officially allowed my parents to take my children for 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS~!!!!! July 2, I will fly home to get them and fly back with them. I am still shocked that Chris and I let them leave. We went to dinner with friends tonight and have returned to a very quiet house. I don't like it ... at all!! I don't think I know how to exist without 2 sweet little ones to bathe and feed and tuck into bed at night. I miss them so much already it is ridiculous!!!

Okay, so on to what we have been up to. Chris and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We spent a weekend without the kids this past weekend (we wouldn't have done that if I had known the kids would be leaving!!) We just stayed at the Hilton here. We went to dinner with some friends of ours Friday night. Sat morning we got up and ran a 5k. Chris and I have both been running again, and it is fun to have a hobby that we both enjoy. It was a very hilly course with 2 long hills near the end that like to have killed us both! But we made it and we were both excited to have the first of many behind us! After a quick shower, we decided to go do some shopping and then we ate at Paula Dean's new place. We decided to just go to a movie - we saw The Incredible Hulk. I loved it. The next morning we got up, ran to get some donuts and met his mom at the house to get the kids ready for church. My parents drove over and met us at church that morning. It was nice to spend Father's Day with my daddy. The kids gave both Chris and my dad cards where they had recorded their voices saying "Happy Father's Day - Love Price and Rylee We love you." It was very cute - even though it took me about 80 times to get them to say it at the right time, without the phone ringing in the background, etc... We took the dads out to Texas de Brazil Sunday night for dinner. We were all surprised at how much Price and Rylee ate!!

We enjoyed my parents being here this week. The kids have really loved seeing their MiMi and Papaw. Rylee and Price kept talking about going with them. I haven't decided if mom and dad brainwashed them of it or if they were really just wanting to go. Rylee even said, "If momma misses me, I will not cry." Either way, it is good for them all. They don't get to see each other much since they live a good 20 hours from here. I am sure this will make memories for all of them! If I can get through it!!

I am off to cheer camp Mon - Fri of next week so I will be keeping busy. Then I will be home for just a few days before heading to get the kids. I know I will be very ready to see their sweet little faces. Chris will be bacheloring it here at home ... completely alone!

10 things I will NEVER do and 10 things I would LOVE to do...

1. I will never live in Alaska - or anywhere else that is FREEZING!
2. I will never jump from an airplane - unless my life depends on it.
3. I will never like raw fish. (Adina has introduced me to fru fru sushi - and I admit that it is pretty good, but that's as far as I can go.)
4. I will never get used to being away from my family. :(
5. I will never stop being in awe with my kids and my husband. They ARE AMAZING!
6. I will never be able to go to the movies without wanting popcorn.... salty, salty popcorn. (Frances is the only person who can outsalt me!) Same goes with passing Sonic without a getting a drink.
7. I will never stop being annoyed at chewing gum on the bottom of my shoe or on my clothes for that matter.
8. I will never stop worrying about silly things that I should not worry about!
9. I will never have an indoor pet - except for a fish - which we do have!
10. I will never stop craving sweet tea... even though I don't drink it anymore.



1. I would love to live in Texas again - closer to family and Steph. Wouldn't it be fun to raise our kids together!!??
2. I would love to run a marathon.
3. I would love to be able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want... and not worry about the scale or the mirror.
4. I would love to go back to grad school - and will someday very soon!
5. I would love to have our cabin and boat back.... why did we sell it again?
6. I would love to have a bigger house!!
7. I would love to be better at taking pictures and documenting my kids growing up!
8. I would love to go back to Harding for a week.... like really go back to say... 1995 with all of my friends and acquaintances and of course the body and carefree life that I had then. I have lost touch with so many friends! Wouldn't a reunion like that be fun?!
9. I would love to be able to sing, but I can't - so I try not to torture those around me.
10. I would love to have more time with my grandparents and family members who have passed away... so they could meet my kids, etc...

Time to catch up!

Well, I am sufficiently behind in blogging several important things from the month of May. I have a video of Price riding his bike for the first time without training wheels, pictures of his school program and graduation, pictures of Drew Livia - my brother's beautiful baby girl, and Mother's Day. I don't know that I will ever catch up! Here is a picture of Drew. She arrived on May 15th weighing 8lbs 10oz. I went to Little Rock to help Tara and Darold over Memorial Day weekend and to see the cute little girl. She is PRECIOUS!! Just absolutely beautiful. Price and Rylee are so excited about Baby Drew. They say their prayers at night and thank God for Baby Drew, Uncle Darold, and Aunt Tara. It is so cute to see them so excited about their new cousin. I'll have to catch up with pics and videos on the other events from May in another post.

Price said the funniest thing this week. He came into my room and said, "Mom, we need to take Rylee back to the Baby Shop because she keeps fighting with me. Let's take her back and get a new baby. This time - let's get one with red hair and a ribbon on top of her head." Rylee's quick response was to take Price back instead. Price said that he was a boy - not a baby and could not be returned! Too cute!

On another note, it has been so fun to watch the 2 of them become friends. They love to play with each other now, and it is so much fun to just sit back and watch them. I'm trying to document the cute things that they are doing so that I won't forget.

We have finished our first full week of summer, and we are gearing up for week 2! We spent the 1st week just relaxing. We went to the park (in the rain) with the Hutchins and spent the end of week in the pool! VBS starts tomorrow for Price at our neighbors' church. I know he will have a blast. We also have swim lessons the next 2 weeks for both Price and Rylee, so we will be busy. But it is more fun that way. Chris and I will be going to a wedding this weekend in Oxford. We are looking forward to having a "date"! We are also taking a mini vacation together for our anniversary. It'll just be a long weekend, but kid free! :)

I have officially started training.... again. I have a friend who I have convinced to run as well. She has never really run before, but I think I do better having someone who I feel like I have to push and who is relying on me! I have to have a partner. Otherwise, it is too easy to rationalize not going. We did 2.5 miles tonight. It feels great!! Traci and Marli, we have really got to get together for a half this year!

I'm going to try to be better about updating! I'm off to catch up on all of you!