Until Next Time . . .

Stupid Blog Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:50:00 +0000

I'm sooooo frustrated! Blogger is telling me that I can't upload any more photos. Seriously???? Urgh. I don't know what to do, but I have some great shots from Christmas I want to share! Stay tuned and maybe I'll figure out what to do.

Lou's Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:20:00 +0000

There was no room at the Inn .......

because it was filled with a lion, elephant, and Mermaid So, Mary and Joseph opted for the pop-up camper.

Note the separate beds ....... it was a virgin birth, after all.

I'm just surprised there were no dinosaurs in the equation!

Timber

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:19:00 +0000

While Jeremy was here for the weekend, we put him to work and cut down a tree in the backyard. The brothers grunted and had manly time. I'm sad to see the tree go (even though half of it was dead), but it creates a new project since I'm turning it into a table. We were even able to supply Mark & Dena with a literal house warming gift....firewood! Thanks, Jeremy!Making sure it is level so my drink doesn't spill when it becomes a table!

He's a Graduate!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:29:00 +0000

We were so proud to be a part of Mark's seminary graduation. He has worked so hard and I was so excited to see him cross that stage! All the brothers and their dad were all here at some point this weekend to congratulate Mark (& Dena).......AND help them move! It was a fun and full weekend. Congrats, Mark!

Thanks, Nana!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:05:00 +0000

The girls got their ornaments from Nana this week! They were so excited to open them and even more excited when they were so perfect for each of them.....Bethany got a C3PO from Star Wars and Lou got a dinosaur!Lou put hers on the tree......Bethy put hers in the entry hall. Yep, nothing says "Welcome & Merry Christmas" like a robot decked out in a wreath and lights!

The girls were acting silly and being robots like C3PO

Decorations

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:52:00 +0000

I wish this post was about how beautiful my Christmas decorations are this year, but nope....not this year. I let the girls do the tree - which they thoroughly enjoyed - and it looks like they did it! I left 3 boxes of stuff in the closet. We did get up the nativity, tree, one of the villages and some garlands. It does look like Christmas around here, but it is surely not over the top. The big hit for the girls (other than letting them do the tree) was the window clings Aaron got them and the lights on the tree house(....before the squirrels chewed through the wires!).

Brahma's Hockey Game

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:36:00 +0000

Bethy won a drawing at her school last week for tickets to a Brahma's Hockey Game! She was so excited and we had a really fun family date night. We sat with another family from her school and the three kindergarten teachers. Too fun! It was the girls' first hockey game, so the whole experience was just great.

Getting bundled up Daddy explaining the gameLou was quite excited about her popcorn and coke!Bethy got a bit bored, but luckily had packed a book in her backpack!

Sweet & Sassy

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:20:00 +0000

Bethany went to her best buddy, Caroline's, birthday party last week! It is so fun to see them together and makes me even more sad that they moved further away :( But, they are still close enough for playdates and parties!!!! Caroline's party was at Sweet & Sassy and let me just say that it lived up to its name. They were treated like movie star/super models. The girls got their hair and make-up done, sassy dresses to wear and pranced down the catwalk. After making their own bubble bath and eating cake, they were chauffeured around in a hot pink limo! Let me just say that Bethy had a BLAST and there was a ton of giggles and squeals to be heard!

FOND OF VONDA

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:52:00 +0000

"FOND OF VONDA" on April 24, 2010

This is my 4th year to head up a team for the Race in Tarrant county; and, this year my motivation is even more personal than before. [It started out when we were "Gail Force" in memory of a dear friend's mom.] This year, our team name is "Fond of Vonda" and we will participate in memory of my mother-in-law. The first three years I was able to do it in honor of her, but she won her battle in August and will cheer us on from Heaven. Vonda was an amazing woman and I know Heaven is even more beautiful (and louder!) now that she is there!
I also walk in memory of my maternal grandmother whom I'll meet in Heaven. She won her battle and passed away when my mom was only a teenager. There is no doubt from the legacy she left that she, too, was a wonderful person.
Along with walking in memory of these blessings, I walk for my girls. My prayer is that there will be a cure if they have to battle when they get older. My daughters deserve the chance that others haven't had.
I have complete faith in the plans of Jesus, but I also know he blessed people in the medical field with an abundance of knowledge. Through this foundation, people's lives are touched and that is worth the Race.
Please support us by: contributing on this site, donating to our team by contacting me directly (for supplies and participant scholarships which are needed by many who desire to participate but are financially strapped), JOIN our team (you don't even have to be here to be on our team!), or join us in prayer.

Regardless, know that you are appreciated and every dollar and prayer means the world.

Link to my race page (you can donate OR JOIN via this site):
http://tarrantcounty.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/FTW_TarrantCountyAffiliate?px=5775224&pg=personal&fr_id=1650

Contact info:

Abby Boerger

3545 Wooten Drive

Fort Worth, TX 76133

hm: 817-370-2363

cell: 817-992-3364

Lovies

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:40:00 +0000

My friend, Robin, gave the girls a gift that we can never thank her enough for. She wanted to do something special after Vonda passed and she went above and beyond. There are not words that can express what these lovies mean to us. She had lovies made using one of Vonda's shirts! She had the girls' names and Vonda's life verse embroidered on them. Left us speechless. Thank you, Robin!

New Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Yep, I was one of "those" crazy 30-something women who went to the midnight showing of New Moon. I wasn't crazy alone, though! Candie is also a fanatic Jacob fan, so we went all out silly for the night. Haley also joined us for the pre-movie fun, but had to teach the next day so couldn't watch the movie with us. Haley even matched unintentionally. You can imagine the stares we got when we went out for sushi and then to Buffalo Wild Wings. So silly.Yes, we were total dorks and had matching homemade shirts! Nuts, I tell ya! Candie's was even misspelled, so her paw print had to cover it. We figured if we were going to do this, we might as well go all out and act like a couple of 14yo for the night. We laughed sooooooo hard. It was much needed!Finally in the theatre! Candie did a front roll in the aisle and we squealed when Jacob showed up without his shirt. Too fun. The teenagers around us thought we were looney... they were right!

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:59:00 +0000

We spent Thanksgiving in the panhandle with our families and had a great time! The girls and I went on Monday since Bethy had the whole week off and then Paul flew in on Wednesday. We had dinner Wednesday night with my Dad, but the batteries were dead in my camera. Duh! On Thursday, we had the big traditional dinner at my Mom's - yummy! Friday was time for Christmas decorations at my Mom's. Thankfully, Aaron did most all the work. In my defense, I did get on the roof and put up those lights. We spent most of the day with Paul's family. Then, Saturday was our family dinner with the Boergers. It was a fun day of playing, seeing the Habitat House, and redecorating the living. Melisa and I even got to help Dad B pick out some recliners for his 'new' living room. Saturday evening, we went back to Mom's for a movie w/ her and my brother. Sunday morning was good-byes to my family and worship at Gerald's church. Then, we hit the road. Christmas will be here before we know it!Nana gave us all Christmas jammies!Apparently, it was time to wrestle with Uncle AaronUncle Scott joined in the funHanging out at the Boerger house

Helping clean up around the Habitat HouseLauren and Carson were great buddies!Uncle Gabe won Bethy's heart with a Star Wars video game Lauren fell asleep in Nana's lap after a full day with her cousins at Grandpa's house.

This was the best.... We came home to the front of Mom's house being decorated and lit up. Bethy just kepr giggling and running around. I love watching the girls this time of year!

FINALLY!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:37:00 +0000

Yeah! I haven't been able to access the blog in over a week....lots of catching up to do. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Uncle John!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:54:00 +0000

John came over and spent Saturday with us and, as always, we had a great time. I miss seeing him as much as used to, but that's what employment and a life will do! We played outside w/ the girls and he made homemade egg rolls for dinner. A-MAZ-ING!!!! His birthday is this week, so we had red velvet cupcakes w/ cream cheese icing for dessert. Too fun! John, we love you and are so thankful to celebrate another year of your life!

Uncle Jeremy, MiMi, & Uncle Aaron

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:39:00 +0000

We spent the weekend with both of our older brothers (and Melisa, of course). We had the BEST time!
Thanks to the Boerger B & B for your hospitality. We lounged around the house and enjoyed visiting, lots of yummy food (too much), a family Bible study, time at the park and Paul and Bethy even took a dip in the pool! They confirmed that it was cooooold. Melisa and I had some much needed girl time. We had massages and pedicures on Saturday morning then enjoyed chatting on the porch. She is a precious soul and not only a sister, but also a dear friend. J & M, thanks for everything - it was perfect!
After a couple of days with the Boergers, we headed into Houston and spent the day with my brother. I so love that guy! We met up at his shop and saw lots of his new treasures - beautiful. We headed to lunch and overly enjoyed a diner lunch! Yum! Then, we went to a park and all laughed and played in the beautiful weather. It was great to watch the girls with my brother and hear their giggles. Uncle Aaron wasn't done spoiling, so we headed to Rice village to visit the toy store and Gap. Guess what Lou picked??? Yep, a dinosaur! Soon she will learn to enjoy shopping for clothes, but apparently not yet. So, Bethy banked with lots of goodies from Gap that she looooves. My little diva! It is always sad for me to leave my brother, but it was time to head back home. The girls were zonked out before we even got to I45 !
We were sad that time just didn't allow for us to stop in and see our dear friends in Spring, but hopefully next trip. Also, the girls were just getting over their week-long fevers, so we didn't want to expose them to any kids.
It was an amazing weekend and we are so blessed to have friendships with our brothers (and sil!). Thanks, all!

Around the house
Meet Rosemary

Paul worked on charts early so we could have our days together.Spoiled!The girls loved MiMi's tub Getting warmed up by the fireSnuggles from Lou Playground

MiMi got the super aunt award by going down the slide! Poolside

The girls decided to play in Unlce Jeremy & MiMi's hatsThe girls helped MiMi plant flowersTeaching Uncle Jeremy how to play dinosaurs Grilling...yum

Uncle Aaron

My FAVORITE picture:She adores her Uncle Aaron Brother & Sister

Halloween '09

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Such a fun time with all the festivities! We started out the week before with the block party at the church. The girls had a good time playing all the fun games and seeing their friends in costumes. Bethany was Doctor Barbie and Lou was a dinosaur!

Next on the itinerary was the party and costume parade at Lauren's school. She didn't want to wear her Dinosaur costume because she didn't want to scare her friends! I told her if she didn't wear it, she wouldn't get any treats. Her response...."Dinosaurs don't eat treats." Geez! Somehow, her teacher convinced her to wear it!

Madi got to go to the party with Auntie! She was so good!The real Lou....They do a finger painting on their window for each season - here is Lauren's jack-o-lantern.

On Friday, they all dressed up at Paul's office. He went as Clark Kent/Superman!

On Friday night, we went to "Literacy Night" at Bethany's school. The teachers dressed as their favorite book characters and had several games set up. Bethy got tons of candy - too much and it wasn't even Halloween yet! We 'camped' in the living room that night (a tradition). We watched Disney's Earth, ate popcorn and had hot chocolate! Fun family memories!

Taylor was in Bethany's preschool class last year. They're not in the same kindergarten class, but it is fun to have her at the same school!Her friend, Kaitlyn, who is in her class.

Saturday morning, Nana & Buster arrived! We played around the house then headed to Elyjah's birthday party. More fun at the park with friends in costume! Crazy games and Krispy Kreme donuts were a hit.

Mummy wrap game
Little Abby had her "Honey" (aka Haley's mom, Kim) at the party, too. Mom and Kim have gotten to hang out before, so they had fun catching up and watching all the kids.
We rounded out the evening with traditional trick-or-treating in our neighborhood! FUN!!! The girls had a blast. It was fun to hear them giggle and run to the door. Too much candy.....

Babies!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:52:00 +0000

A new love in my life: Christian Paul Gray Autumn meeting her baby brother for the first time! Her face is priceless 6 days later, I got to meet Collin!!!

It is so fun to see these little guys born into AMAZING families. To hold the babes of two of my favorite women is priceless. God is good.

JODI!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:40:00 +0000

We had a surprise visitor from Alabama.....Jodi & her little Abbi! She is a dear soul and I am blessed to call her my friend. She's the one who got our accountability group together over 3 years ago. We went to dinner and to the movies :) Fun times!!!Didn't get one of Kaci & Jodi together BUT I did get this one...... Which one is taller? Kaci or a chipmunk???

Fun with the Gray Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0000

We had so much fun having Autumn for 3 nights and Isaac for 1 while Tammy had Christian! It was bittersweet for me because I would've loved to have been in the waiting room when he came into the world, but I'm thankful they are like family and the kids do great at our house. Lou had a blast with Autumn!Tammy will hate that Autumn's hair isn't even combed in these pictures. I was lucky to get us all out the door for carpool on short notice, so the hair (for all of us but Beth) had to wait! We dropped Bethy off at school then took an impromptu trip to play at the mall before it got too crowded. The girls we sooooo cute together!

The kids got to play at the park across from the hospital when we went to meet Christian.

Please take note that I did the girls' hair before taking them to the hospital!!

Tammy was doing great, so she and I walked to the park, too, while the doctor got their paperwork together. Isaac came home from the hospital with us on Friday and we had a picnic on Saturday for lunch. They all played outside for 4+ hours solid that day!

I love these kids as my own and we are so blessed to have our best friends less than an hour away!

Divine Appointment

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:54:00 +0000

There are times in our lives that I believe are Divinely appointed by God. [I know, I know - all moments are from Him, but sometimes I think He goes for a gold star for extra effort!] Last Saturday was one of those times for our family. Hang with me here as I tell you about it...... It is worth your patience and needs your prayer.
Paul and I took the girls to Little People park which is kind of tucked back in the neighborhood - in other words, you don't just stumble upon it. For such a beautiful Saturday, I was surprised that we had the place to ourselves - at least until Laura & Bradley walked up with their two little ones.
It started out with a simple chat about the UT game and ended in a commitment of prayer for them and their nephew. They were in town to visit Laura's brother, his wife and their one-month-old son. Matthew was born at 25 weeks (for those men out there who have no idea what that means.....a 'term' pregnancy is 40 weeks), so he had only spent just over half the time most babies do in his mommy's oven. As you can imagine, that comes with many medical concerns. To hear more of the details and follow Matthew's progress, visit the blog that Laura set up for him here.
He is in the hospital downtown and his parents are staying in the Ronald McDonald house since they live near Weatherford and have no other family near. I ask that you join us in prayer for Matthew and all those who love him. If I become aware of another way to help, I'll let you know. I'm sure they'll appreciate your prayers!

A Weekend at Nana's

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:59:00 +0000

The girls and I took advantage of a three-day weekend and headed to the panhandle to see Nana! I love being in my Mom's house during the fall. It was cold outside and perfect inside. We took Buster for a check-up (he's a whopping 2 1/2 lbs.), went to the pumpkin patch, and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs all on Saturday. So, that justified it being a "jammies day" on Sunday! We had a fire in the fireplace all day, stuffed the scarecrow, and carved a jack-o-lantern. Judy (aka Sissy) came and hung out for the afternoon as well. It was such a fun and relaxing weekend! Waiting for Buster at the vet Playing with Nana's decorations.....and Lou played w/ Buster's hippo Isn't he adorable?!?!?

The pumpkin patch

Stuffing the scarecrow - Bethy looks forward to it every year. Buster was so funny with it. He kept attacking the paper they were wadding up! We all had a good laugh.

Our Jack

Lunch With King

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:20:00 +0000

After spending the weekend with my mom, the girls and I met up with my dad for some playtime and lunch. We started out at the play area in the mall and visited the pet shop before we left. Before leaving, the girls had King promising to buy them a guinea pig or bunny for Christmas (w/ parental approval, of course)! They've talked about it ever since...guess there's no turning back now.
The girls had a ball running around Chuck E. Cheese's and Bethany got a slew of tickets. Lou mainly rode the games that didn't give tickets, so I tried to compensate by throwing a few skeet ball games myself ;) The girls loved playing with King and slept great in the car when we hit the road!

Boo's vs Booze

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:45:00 +0000

In my attempts to perk up my sick Bethy, I hung some Halloween garland in the girls' room. One of her favorites is one that Uncle Aaron sent a couple of years ago that says "boo" on it. So, her comment upon entering, "Where's the boo's?" I had to chuckle because my first thought went to "booze". I guess that's where my mind wanders after 4 days home with sick kids!

Who am I kidding.....I'd think "booze" regardless!

Random Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:26:00 +0000

I realized that I had several random pictures on the computer that needed to be mentioned but didn't justify a whole post. So here is a random one :)

Bethy sportin' a couple of tops she got for her birthday. Thanks Mimi & Jeremy and King! Thank you, Nana, for our box of Halloween goodies!
While Paul was at his Dad's, my dear girlfriend Haley and her two sweeties (little Abby & Cooper) came for dinner and a movie!
Bethy showing off the bookmark she earned at school.

Here are a couple of her assignments that she did earlier this year. The first is a poster that is all about her. The second 2 just crack me up.....The page was a list of "name something that is____" and Bethy would name what she wanted to write and all I did was help her spell them. Two of them made me laugh sooo hard:

"Name something pretty. Bethany"

"Name something scratchy. excema"

Lauren spends hours on end playing with her dinosaurs. No doubt she is still a girly-girl, though. She makes sure they're accessorized!

A Visit from Grandpa!

noreply@blogger.com (Abby) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Paul's dad came to visit for a few days and Auntie (sister Sarah) was here for a bit, too! We had so much fun and alot of laughter was heard! There was tickling, arm wrestling, and giggling! Thanks for spending some of your days off with us!

Tickles!

Beauty shop w/ Auntie

Dog-proofing the yard