An Angel

One week ago today, Sweet Hailey became an angel.  She left her painful life on earth, and went to be with Jesus in Heaven... as her mother said, "she earned her angel wings".... and what better day to go to Heaven than on a Sunday morning, the Lord's day.

As her mother describes in her posting from this past week, she left this world peacefully without any struggle or pain... for that they are thankful, and so are we.  As broken as our hearts are for her entire family, whom we grew to love while living in the Indianapolis area, we can't begin to imagine their pain.  Their love for our Lord was as evident then as it is today, even amongst their pain and sorrow.  I have no doubt that God is pleased with their faith in Him, and is holding them tightly in the palm of His hand.  He understands the pain that goes with losing a child as He has endured it Himself, however He promises to grant them peace beyond understanding; we must trust that He will. 

This past week, they had a Celebration of Life to honor Hailey.  Her mother has posted pictures from the special day on her CaringBridge site.  It truly appeared to be special; I wish we could have been there.

The promise of Heaven is comforting, knowing that her broken body is now whole, and that she can run, walk, play, and be happy.  I am certain that God was waiting for her with open arms.  She is in a better place and we shall see her again someday.

In closing, we want to thank you for praying for Hailey and her family.  Cancer is an ugly and relentless beast.  May they find a cure as to prevent pain and heartache such as this.  Please continue to lift them up during the coming weeks, months, and years ahead for the road before them will be sad and difficult. 

Thank you, once again.

Love,

Selena

A future in football???

Although Lawson's future in football is unclear at this time, his interest and liking for the sport is very clear!  As mentioned before, neither Russ nor I possess any athletic ability or coordination, therefore watching him develop a love for sports continually blows our minds and even causes a few laughs from time to time.

These pictures were taken one crisp and clear morning... We had been outside playing for a little while when he wanted to go back inside to get his football.  At that time, Russ heard us and decided to take a break for some football fun... and I tell you what, Mr. Lawson had so much fun!

He was a little confused here... he lifted his foot before throwing the football as he does before pitching a baseball... when you're an all-sports-boy they all begin to run together!! : )

I love his little smile in this picture!

A football player?  Only time will tell. 

For now, we will continue to cheer him on as he "plays" football, baseball, soccer, golf, and most recently hockey! 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It was a fun night!  On October 23, family and friends came together to surprise my mother and celebrate her 50th birthday!

I am not good at surprises.  I don't like them and am definitely not good at keeping them.  However, Julie Anne and I, along with my mom's friend Dawn, pulled this one off!  It went great!

Mom's birthday was actually on October 11, but due to schedules and the possibility of her expecting it, we waited until the 23rd to celebrate.  Invitations went out and the strategy began.

Much planning to do.  I wanted it to be a true surprise so with the help of my mom's friend, Dawn, and her husband, it was a surprise indeed.  Russ and I arrived in Martin on Thursday night - my sister came in from Nashville on Friday afternoon, and my mother had no clue!  It was fun, but sneaky.  We quickly realized that lying is NOT easy!!! 

My poor sister told my mother a long story about going to a haunted house in Nashville with her friends as we traveled to Jackson to eat dinner on Friday night.  And I explained the many things we were doing in Evansville to prepare for our last week there as I swept off her back patio.  She seemed to believe everything, however her questions seemed a little more pointed than normal.  We decided it was our guilty conscience.  Lying wasn't easy. 

Saturday morning she and Dawn headed to Jackson to shop and the fun began!  The party was planned to be at my mom's house, and fortunately, my mother is a good housekeeper so there was little work to be done with regard to housework.  We did, however, have lots of setting up to do.  The party was to start at 5:30 with my mom arriving around 5:45. 

Julie Anne gathered several clothing options with the matching accessories and took them to Dawn's house where she would "freshen up" before being taken to the party.  She was simply told that she needed to get ready for an event and was to ask no questions.  They did a great job with her.  They blindfolded her as they drove in a mysterious route to the party. 

In the mean time, many of her family and friends were gathered together awaiting her arrival!  We had 37 in attendance and we are very thankful that they joined us.  It was a windy, but pleasant night.  Our plans for candles on the table, and a warm fall fire in the fire-pit were scratched with the burn-ban.  The fire-pit was on the patio and I had decided it would be fine, but since the mayor was in attendance, I decided to follow the rules. ;)  It was nice, nonetheless. 

-Everyone is waiting for her to arrive-

-Lawson waiting with Aunt Julie-

-Emmitt waiting with Brittany-

SURPRISE!!!!!

Following the surprise, many hugs were shared. 

The traditional color for the 50th birthday is black, but how boring and sad is that?!  I found some party plates with black, purple, and turquoise, and they were a go!  We used all three colors.

Below is the food table.  For dinner we had BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and potato chips.  It was very good and enjoyed by all.  Above the table, pictures of my mom from the past 50 years were hung for her guests to see.  Thanks to my grandmother and granddaddy for digging those sweet pictures out! :) 

And then the cake... my favorite part of a birthday party... I love birthday cake!  It was another Jerry Joyner cake... Mr. Richard drove me and the boys to Paris on Friday afternoon to pick it up.  The trip from Martin to Paris is much shorter than the one from Evansville, but our little Emmitt is a terrible traveler so to ensure the normal travel time, he drove, and I rode... in the back. :)  Gotta love that baby!

Anyway, I picked it up and he had written me a note on top.  It said, "TRANSPORT THIS CAKE AS IF IT WERE A BOMB!"  I wasn't so sure it would make it as the party was 27 hours away.  Mr. Richard did a great job driving us home, and the cake was just perfect for the party!

Isn't it pretty?!  

And it was scrumptious just as expected!

The following pictures are various shots from the evening. 

A few gifts were given...

Julie, Mom, and Me

Me, Daddy Denton, Mama B, and Emmitt

Daddy Denton and Emmitt

{He loves this baby, I tell ya!}

All of us...

Lawson trying to keep Sophie from jumping into the drink tub

Me and Emmitt with Mrs. Sandy and baby Cadence

Me with Grandmother and Granddaddy

There was a birthday party going on, but tuning in to that TN/Bama game was a must!

Sleepy Emmitt and Ella with Julie Anne

-Baby Cadence-

Debbie with Emmitt, Dawn, and Gary in the background

Granddaddy, Julie Anne, and Emmitt

And a happy birthday night it was!  Thank you, Dawn and Julie Anne, for your help!

Mom...  I am happy that you enjoyed it; we love you!

Happy Halloween!

It was a fun, uneventful night...  we had plans of attending a nice Halloween party, but after a quick trip to Selmer to look at furniture (putting us late to the party), and Russ being out of town, we decided to play it low-key.

Mom helped me dress the boys and we were off!  Lawson is at a fun age with regard to getting into the excitement of events, holidays, etc. 

He wanted to be a baseball player which was an easy pleaser.  A pair of x-small baseball pants from Dick's, and a Cardinals "jersey" from the awesome Super Wal-Mart in Columbia made our Lawson a happy boy!  $14 pants + $15 jersey = $29... I was happy and so was he!  We purchased the pants several weeks ago, and he was less than enthused.  The jersey however, was a fave!  He wore it for approximately 48 hours straight before I washed it and hid it until tonight.  He slept in it and all.  He is sleeping in it right now. :)  Whatever works after a late night with Halloween candy.  He looked cute, and he was happy!

As to Mr. Emmitt... I had not planned to dress him up.  I didn't dress Lawson up for his first Halloween and felt quite guilty when I got to school to see all of his infant friends in costumes.  My practicality certainly did not "shine" as a mom that day and it almost got in the way this year.  Russ and I were at Macy's in Columbia SATURDAY when I spotted a sweet little puppy costume that was 60% off and Russ twisted my arm.  :)  Had the price checked and $9.99 sold me!  I am happy I went for it.  He was adorable and sooo happy!  Daddy Denton asked me at least three times if he was always so happy... not so much, but tonight was a "treat".  So, even though I waited until the very last minute, he was festive and sweet.

As to trick-or-treating, the party would have been a blast I am certain, but the time we spent with my grandparents was very relaxing and enjoyable for all.  We began at Grandmother and Granddaddy's where he scored lots of chocolate.  Reeses' cups were quite enjoyable for him and a Snickers bar for me.  Looking forward to supper at their house tomorrow night; will be delicious, no doubt.

Next was Mama B and Daddy Denton's where he enjoyed Gummi Life Savers, cheese ball and crackers, Hershey kisses, and Dr. Pepper (8 PM eeks!).  Emmitt rolled ALL OVER the living room floor as Lawson played a nice and noisy tune on the piano... fun times!

Mr. Emmitt, the puppy... I am convinced he was wanting me to scratch his belly.

He got stuck... I like this picture because of the wastebasket.  It has been beside Daddy Denton's chair for as long as I can remember.

And our baseball player... I thought he was cute and his happiness is certainly shining!

The Cardinals are #1, Mom!

Emmitt and Granddaddy

A shot with the two of them just wasn't happening and I finally gave up.  This was the best and is far from good, but a memory indeed.  Emmitt was so eager to grab  his pumpkin and you can notice Lawson's grip on his neck preventing him from doing so, as well as the serious look of concern on his face! 

Two pumpkins will be a must next year... and I expect it to be double fun.  Emmitt will be walking (and talking, I am sure!).

Hoping everyone else enjoyed a safe and happy Halloween!