Season's Greetings

It took me literally 47 pictures to get one good one of each of the children and a good one together. This time of year, I try to keep them looking good enough so that if everyone is in a good enough mood, I can snap a quick picture. That has always worked better for me than dressing them up and posing them. It has worked so far. Just moments after I got all the good ones, the night quickly spiraled downward! I'm glad I was prepared that day! Happy Holidays from the Tates!

Collin Mac -- 8 months

Byron Hurst -- 3 1/2 years

Abby Elizabeth -- 10 years

Abby's school Christmas program & Collin's new look

I was wanting to get more pictures of this, but a few things kept me from it.

1. Too many people in too small of a space.

2. Too far away

3. Too wiggly of a person to hold

At any rate, it was spectacular as usual and Byron is really getting into these kind of occasion too. He was singing along too!

This was only a small portion of the chaos.Principal Saunders & Abby after the program while Daddy talked...and talked...talked....Training Byron for his days in school to comeHe likes to be at the top and she likes to perform... Can't imagine where it comes from....

So, most of you know, maybe, that Collin had a hemangioma on the under side of the right side of his chin. It wasn't there at birth. It appeared at about 5months as a tiny red dot and began to grow...quickly! It never seemed to really bother him, but it got big enough to be a nuisance just because it would rub his clothes as he looked from side to side. It got irritated several times and then dried, cracked, and bled. And bled. And bled. After all, hemangiomas are just blood vessels. So, we were referred to a dermatologist in Lubbock. We were suppose to take him Monday, Dec 7, but after the Thanksgiving holidays, I called to see if there was an earlier appointment. Sure enough, they said to come in on Wednesday, Dec 2. We were thrilled! The appointment was at 8am. We live at least an hour and a half away...in good weather. It just so happens that the night before all of this, it began to snow. We were up, dressed, ready, and on the road at 6am! For those of you that know us well, that is a BIG deal! We dropped Abby off at Kevin's parents house to let them take her to school, and us and the boys were off! The roads were clear, no hazards to speak of, and we got there with 20 minutes to spare! The entire drive (and for many days before) consisted of potential arguments for the doctor to have something done about it as soon as possible. We figured we would need to come back at least once. The doctor walked in, looked at it, said, "Oh yeah, that is a pyogenic granuloma. (which I couldn't have told you or spelled before the letter came in the mail with the official diagnosis) We will deaden it with a shot, snip it off and cauterize it." When? THAT DAY!!!! WOW! We were thrilled! It took less time to do it than it did for me to type it out! The shots were worse than the procedure and the recovery was a little rough, but it was wonderful to not have to put a bandaid on him anymore! (which were getting to small to cover it anyway) So here is a before and after shot. Thank you, God, for modern medicine.

The day before. It was growing so big and he was drooling so much, keeping a bandaid on was become a real challenge.

3 days after. My sweet boy now. It is almost completely healed and he will only be left with a tiny, barely noticable scar. (Incidentally, that leaves all 3 of our kids with facial scars. Does that say anything about our parenting?.....)

2009 Snyder FFA Chapter Show

Today was Abby's very first stock show, and I just had to blog it before I forgot and while the boys were sleeping. First of all, Byron has thought all along that one of the pigs was his anyway. Well, last night, we got some pleasant news that they were going to begin with a PeeWee division and let everyone 2nd grade and under show a hog. So, Byron got to pick which one he wanted, and boy did he pick the right one!!! Hershey, the Duroc gilt, was his choice, and she showed like a champ! She won him a showmanship ribbon after peeing on him! The judge moved him out of the way, laughed and gave him a ribbon! Byron didn't quite know what to do so just stood still. He looked to Dad at the edge of the ring and was told it was ok, and he moved on. I would have gotten a picture, but I was laughing too hard!

So then it was on to Abby. They began with the Duroc breeding class. She did SO well! That pig was just like an extension of her and pranced around just like she was suppose to. The judge liked it and gave her FIRST PLACE! Wow! The very first time she showed!!! I was so proud of her! So then, every champion gets to return to the ring where they literally pick the best of the best. She got SECOND PLACE there and received a beautiful belt buckle! We were on a roll!!! But that is where it stopped. She still did well, received another ribbon for 5th place and one more for 3rd place. All in all, not a bad first run and BOY, was it fun! but exhausting! Here are some pictures from the day.

The day began (at lunchtime) with some french fries. No those are not his pajamas. It just kept him warm and kept me from having to keep up with socks. He has grown fond of pulling them off. Actually, only the right one...Chowin' down before the show. They were famished!PawPaw and Byron waiting to show his pig.That kid looked like he had been doing this his whole life.And he got rewarded for it!A little down time for Collin. He had to be held the whole time. NO WAY was I going to put him down anywhere in there! Oh, the things he could have put in his mouth! I cringe to think of it....He did take a nap surprisingly.I really didn't get very many good pictures of her actually showing. And the ones that weren't blurry ended up dark. Must be the operator.....Our little winner! We are SO proud!!!!Showing the Hamp. He didn't do so well. But, like Dad and Paw Paw said, that is just one person's opinion.....A little more down time. I wonder if I could get some of those pens for the house.....The trophy, the buckle and the pigThis is what I found in my backseat when we got home. And we ALL feel that way.

Good night all!!!!!

Halloween....just a little late.....

I know it has been MORE than a month, but I still wanted to be a proud momma and display my sweet kids. What else would you do on a blog anyway?!?!

This happened before we made it to the first house.....My sweet, ferocious boys....The lime green volleyball player. Hopefully, by the time she plays for the high school team, they will have uniforms that cover as much skin as this. When she stood up, the only skin you could see was from the neck up and the wrists down. I won't start on that. That is my soapbox....Don't I have the cutest trick-or-treaters????

He's gonna hate me for this someday....

Byron (from the bathroom): Mom! I'm done!

Mom (entering the bathroom): Do you need my help?

Byron: No, I'm not done yet.

Mom (leaving the bathroom): Ok, let me know when you need me.

Byron: MOM!

Mom: Do you need me now?

Byron: No, I just need a magazine....a Hay one.

Pictures to come of Halloween (I know!), Abby's birthday, Collin's new image, and the Christams tree!

Collin Mac Tate

If you follow the counter on the right hand side, you will realize that Collin turned 7 months old last week. I should have blogged that day. But I didn't. I am taking the opportunity now though, so hold on to your hat. I may get wordy....

Although Kevin and I said we would take all the kids that the Lord decided to bless us with, somehow, I didn't ever think we would have more than 2. We waited so long for Byron, we figured we had reached our limit for blessings. But, oh, how welcomed he was. Here are the top seven things I love about my 7 month old.

1. He is the most snuggly of my kids. When I pick him up out of his crib in the night, he snuggles his face into the crook of my neck and wraps both arms around my neck as if to say, "Oh, Mom, I missed you while I was sleeping. Thanks for coming to love on me some more." I will always remember the feeling of that.

2. He has the cutest little smile. It lights up his whole face. But if he is tired or not feeling well, he won't smile at you. Period.

3. He has learned to say "Momma" and he uses it in context. When he realizes I am not holding him, he tries to climb out of that person's arms and says Momma until I come "rescue" him.

4. He is so observant. Just today, I was talking to him and making faces at him and then turned just slightly away to talk to someone else or look at something (I don't really remember what) and he leaned over as far as he could to continue to study my face. He doesn't miss anything.

5. He is the most unique of my babies. He rolls all over the place, crawls, and is already pulling up on things. He can get anywhere he needs to go, and is trying desperately to keep up with everything that is going on. I can't believe how fast he is developing. It seems to be much faster than the first two.

6. The boy can EAT!!! He knows when it is time to eat. He knows when supper is ready. He wants to eat what everyone else is eating and he will eat until you stop feeding him. I had heard of children like this, but never had one of my own....until now. I honestly have never fed him anything that he wouldn't eat. He seems to run out of food before he runs out of appetite. Kevin told me to start stocking the freezer. And he is right....

7. His favorite place to take a nap is always right beside me. With each child, the "you can't sleep in my bed" rule has faded just a little more. I think now it may be completely gone. From the beginning, he has slept in our bed...alot. It is what allowed me to get enough rest to function. Abby, of course, was the only child for a long time, so sleep was easy to get. Plus, she slept ALOT more than my boys do. Byron was almost like a first child again because Abby was already in school and I could sleep whenever Byron slept. This time is a bit more challenging, but at this point, we have our routine, and it works for us. Just don't get us out of it.....

Collin Mac, I love you to the moon and back. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. May you always look to God for guidance.

Papa -- the boy, the soldier, the grandpa

The first title to this post was to be a wordless Wednesday. After finding the pictures I wanted to post, there was NO way I could let it be wordless. There is too much to say.

My granddad was a veteran. He served in World War II and was wounded in Warsaw, Poland. He was to be sent home, but wouldn't go and requested to be sent back out. I thank God every day that he was spared to be sent home at the end of the War. He then wed my grandmother and began a 50+ year love story. He always said, "I don't know what she ever saw in me. I'm glad she waited for me."

Papa is on the right in the second picture.I see Collin Mac when I look into the face portrayed in this picture. I don't know if this was before or after the war, but he hardly ever spoke of it. Memaw said early on he would wake up from some awful nightmares, but he never told her what it was about. God only knows what he saw there now. He took it all to his grave.These two pictures were taken about 10 days before he passed away. I was lucky enough to be there when these were taken and my wonderful Aunt Dana had the forethought to take them and I am so glad she did. This was the last time I ever saw him alive. I am often floored at how much I miss him. I can still think about him and smell his skin.

I can't tell you how many times in my life I saw my grandpa this way. He always had a bible opened on the dining room table to whatever passage he was reading at the moment. That man knew his bible. And he LIVED it.

Thank God for veterans and Thank God for my granddad. He began an amazing Christian legacy for our family.

Something to pass the time...

Collin seems to have some kind of obsession with drawer handles. If I am holding him while I open a cabinet door, he practically jumps out of my arms trying to get to it. If he is on the floor, he use every method of movement he knows to try to get to it. It must be something about the shiny-ness of it or something weird. He was in the floor, supposedly playing, when I heard the noise that I knew to be a drawer handle in his room. Honestly, the boy played with the handles for 5 minutes, at least. He would lift it, and it would drop and bounce a few times. I can't find the joy in that, but I do find the joy in the fact that he finds joy in that. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

So, this is the video I managed to get. When I arrived with the camera, it was almost like he smelled it and decided to quit immediately so as not to have evidence. But I persisted and got a little of what happened. As always, Byron wanted to get in on the action as well, and ended up getting smeared with his own peanut butter in the process. This is also the spoon full of peanut butter he was suppose to be eating in the kitchen. Oh well, that is one of those minor battles in my book.

Collin is so very close to crawling. I don't know what "step" would be in crawl-language, but he took a couple of "crawls" today. It won't be long now and Christmas will be FUN!!!!

Happy Birthday, Nana

I have been really bad about blogging lately, but I hope to remedy that situation in the next week or two. Of course, by the time I get caught up to today, I will have another week or two to catch up on. Oh, well. I have PLENTY of material to keep me going.

My Mom, the fabulous Marianne McGowan Richardson, was able to celebrate another birthday on October 27. Yes, that means both of my moms are October babies. Sadly, as much as I wanted to be with the woman who gave me life on the day she was given life, it was not meant to be. My mom lives in Florida now, so I don't get to be with her as much as would like, or any at all for now. Luckily, my wonderful brother and his beautiful, sweet wife get to look out for her and be with her as much as they like. Plus she gets to spoil a couple of grandkids as often as she likes. That's not half bad.

What to say about my mother? Where to begin? All of my short life, she has been a single mother. With 4 kids. FOUR kids. I struggle with my 3 and my wonderful husband is there to help me as often as I scream for it. How could she have raised such amazing children (and I speak more of my 2 fabulous sisters and the aforementioned awesome brother than I do myself)? She raised us to fear God and always to put him first. She struggled to make it at times. ALOT. But she did it. But you would never know of the trials she faced based on her outlook on life now. She fears God and her ultimate goal is to serve Him in Heaven someday.

But that's not all. She raised 4 Christian kids. And then she had her own life to live. But then, in October of 2005, she chose to quit her job and care for her cancer-striken mother, my Godly grandmother, until she passed away in February of 2006. The story doesn't end there. Her father, my amazing grandfather, was so grief stricken at the passing of the love of his life, he almost immediately required more care. So for the next 3 years, 5 months and 4 days, she was by his side every minute of every day, caring for him in absolutely any way he needed her. He had been by my grandmother's bedside for almost every minute of her last few months. He ate there, prayed there, talked to her, and slept in a recliner holding her hand until she faded away. It took a toll on this 79-yr-old man, and my mother was there to pick up the pieces and care for him until he went to be with her in July 2008. And she did it without complaint and fantastically. There are a couple of extra stars in her crown if you ask me.

Mom, I love you more than you will ever know. I miss you every day. I know you are happy in Florida and I am glad. Thank you for the example you set for your children and your grandchildren. Your legacy will live on in them and in me as long as I live. Happy **th Birthday. ( I won't tell the actual number!)

Byron took this picture. If you want to be in one of his pictures, you have to duck to get into it. And FAST! But this one wasn't too bad!Mom, with my brother and sweet nephew and niece. SIL didn't get to be there this time.

Happy Birthday, Maw Maw

Over the weekend, we were blessed to get to enjoy time with family and celebrate the birthday of my wonderful mother. (I dropped the "in-law" a long time ago. Abby still can't figure that out.) I won't say how many years she celebrated, but we hope she is around for many more to come.

She is an example to me in many, many ways. There are not enough descriptive words to describe her. There are the basics -- Daughter, Wife, Mother, Maw Maw, Woman. There are the descriptive -- caregiver, supporter, encourager, cheerleader, helper, friend, companion, listener, advice-giver, role model, teacher, among many others. Then there are the spiritual -- knowledge-seeker, Bible-reader, homebuilder, life-leader, wisdom finder, meek, humble, gentle, kind, loving, fruitful, etc.

But most importantly, she wears the name Christian. She is an inspiration to me, I am sure to the rest of the family, and to all those who meet her or come into contact with her. Thank you, Mom, for being who you are to me. I love you and I hope you had the best birthday yet.

Lighting the candles...isn't it fun?

Even more fun? Blowing them out! Granny is always there to hand out the LOVE! Thanks for a WONDERFUL MEAL!

Can't get by without a little silliness... Especially when Carlton's around!Aunt Janna is pretty fun, too. She is ALWAYS willing to play!Gotta have the "official" birthday-with-the-grandkids picture! I PROMISE, this is as big as the headcount is going to get!And, of course, it just isn't a party of ours until somebody ends up crying. I have a feeling that, for years to come, it is going to end up being someone that has to go home with me.Happy Birthday, Mom.

Hershey & Bacon

Well, we are officially pig owners. Abby would say they are her pigs, but honestly, it is going to be a great big group effort. And there is NO WAY Byron is going to let her go outside by herself to take care of them. It is going to be quite an adventure and has been quite comical already. What have I gotten myself into?

Dad and Abby are putting the finishing touches on the pens so that the pigs can be moved in. It is such a great bonding thing for them to get to experience together.

This is a picture of the boys and I staying out of the way so that Dad and Abby can get the pens finished. This is a very important step. We had been out at the pens watching, but it didn't take too long for Daddy to begin a slow, steady growl, so we found something else to do.So, let's see....which one should I choose? In the end it came down to what Dad and Les Sanders (the pig breeder. Sanders Show Hogs -- awesome establishment & awesome family!) thought. Abby and I are doing this together and have absolutely NO idea what makes a good pig....yet.Byron decided he needed one, too. Abby, bless her sweet little heart, is letting him believe the boy pig is his. How awesome of a sister is she?!
And HERE THEY ARE! Bacon is Byron's pig, the boy on the left. Hershey is Abby's pig, the girl on the right. (And yes, Kevin, I know that the boy is a boar and the girl is a gilt. Didn't think I was listening, did ya?) Aren't they SO cute?!?! (Yes, those really are the names they were given by my daughter)She was SO excited that she got close enough to touch them! She loves animals!Notice the pig is blurred? He ran from Byron at every opportunity. I kind of don't blame him considering Byron would probably have "pig-piled" him if he had gotten the chance. He ran after those poor pigs, around and around the pens, until he got too frustrated. He said, "Momma, I can't catch one!"So he decided he would be the pig. That is him saying "oink". The feeder is behind him, and, yes, he did eat some of the food. Just one piece though.....I think.....

That is one proud Piggy Momma!!!!I have the MOST beautiful kids in the world. I just couldn't resist the picture opportunity. I took WAY more pictures of the "getting ready for the pig" process, but that is all I will post. I got several of these: "Mom, are you taking pictures AGAIN?!?!" and an occasional, "Ok, Mom. Here's what we are gonna do. Do you need your camera for that?" from Kevin. At any rate, they still love me enough to let me take pictures. Thanks kids....