Whitehead's Full House

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

Enjoy these pictures of Sara and Cami on Halloween. They had a lot of fun going trick-or-treat.

Camryn's First Wedding

2010-10-31T12:46:00.000-05:00

On October 23, Jason's best friend got married. Jason and Ryan have known each other since they were five years old. Jason was best man at the wedding, and Camryn was one of the flower girls. She looked so adorable all dressed up, so I thought I would share some pictures.

She didn't walk up the aisle like she was supposed to, but did go up a couple of times to stand by her Uncle Jason and then went back up the aisle to sit and play with the flowers in her basket.

It was a beautiful wedding and reminded us of how the kids are growing up.

Camryn and Uncle Jason

Ryan, the groom, and Jason

My three 'kids'; don't they look great?

Camryn during the wedding

Camryn with Rocko, the ring bearer

Camryn's Birthday

2010-09-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention that no pictures from Cami's third birthday had been posted yet. We had a bunch of friends over for swimming and then burgers, brats and hot dogs on the grill. As you can see, she had fun opening presents and eating her birthday cake. I still find it hard to believe that she is already three. Time definitely flies when there are young kids involved!

Turn The Heat Off!!

2010-08-17T08:26:00.002-05:00

Okay, I like warm weather as much as the next person, but this is getting tiring. Yesterday was our 17th day in the triple digits, and the forecast for the next seven days calls for more of the same. At this point, all anyone wants to do is go from the air conditioned building to the air conditioned car and back again. Of course, it is not as bad as the summer of 1980 when there were 42 days of triple digit temperatures. I know that Rich will say that this is something he deals with every summer, but as he tells it, Vegas is a "dry" heat. Let me tell you, Texas is not a dry heat!

You would think that John and I, and the kids, could get some relief from the pool. Unfortunately, the pool is not very big or very deep, so the water can feel as warm as bath water. Not very refreshing when it is 102 outside. Oh well, hopefully this will only last for a couple more weeks and we'll be back into the 90's.

Good for a Laugh (or at least a chuckle)!

2010-07-09T08:02:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen this, it is hilarious!! This was passed on by one of my co-workers who was laughing so hard she was crying.

http://m.jezebel.com/5582562/clueless-secretary-makes-for-hilarious-office-email-thread

Enjoy!

Deep Thoughts

2010-06-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a period of time when you start evaluating your friendships? I've run myself down a little, and when I do that, I get very introspective. I start thinking about where I am in life and the people that I've surrounded myself with. Usually I will turn the radio up on my way to and from work and sing along as loud as I can. Recently, though, I have spent the drive just thinking about things, especially the people in my life. We all have different types of people in our lives - spouses, family, friends we talk to all the time and friends that come in and out of our lives.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the friends in my life and how difficult it can be to keep in touch with everyone. I try to touch base with all every once in a while whether by phone, email or Facebook. Most I don't really expect a reply from, I just want to let them know that I am thinking about them. What has gotten me down recently are those friends that I consider to be really close. I call and email constantly and don't hear anything back. I try to arrange get togethers and there always seems to be a reason why they can't make it. Am I being too sensitive? Do I just put it down to busy lives? I still love these friends and will always be there for them in time of need, but how long do I still make an effort? When do you stop trying so hard and let them take the initiative of arranging time together?

I have read articles in the past that suggest you really look at the friends in your life and consider whether the emotional drain of always giving in the friendship is worth keeping those needy friends in your intimate circle. I don't think it is that easy to put friendships on the 'back burner', or ease friends out of your life, but I do think there is a point where you need to withdraw a little. If these people are truly friends that care about and love you, will they sense that something is wrong and start giving a little back?

As you can see, I've really been doing a little bit of thinking. Luckily, I have a little bit of down time coming up to be able to recharge myself. Maybe at that point, I can re-evaluate how all the people in my life fit in.

Travel Adventures

2010-05-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

Those of you that know me know that I love to travel. And for the most part, traveling has not been a problem. Well, that did change a little bit last week; but I still love to travel.

I had flown into Atlanta on Thursday with three co-workers, including my manager, for a meeting on Friday. The flight into Atlanta was uneventful and we even arrived about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. We had heard that there were some storms headed to Dallas, but didn't really think about it because rain is rain.

We had our meeting on Friday, then headed over to one of our offices in Atlanta to meet the staff and get a tour. While we were meeting with one of the managers in the office, we all started getting travel updates on our cell phones. You know the kind - flight delayed, then flight delayed again. Within about an hour, my manager (who happens to have Gold Platinum status) received a text that the flight was cancelled. Normally this would not cause me any panic, but John and I were scheduled to fly to Albuquerque early Saturday afternoon to attend a memorial service for the younger sister of his good friend Roy. For those of you who don't know, Roy and John went to high school and played football together. John and I have enjoyed Roy and Tracy's hospitality during spring training for the last three years.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the storm in Dallas was more severe than predicted and they ended up closing the airport for about four hours causing numerous delays and cancellations. We desperately tried to find a flight out later Friday evening, but were unsuccessful, so we ended up having to stay another night in Atlanta.

As I said earlier, this normally would not have caused an issue, but I only had clothes and other necessities for a one night trip. As soon as Sara got home from work, she and I were on the phone so that she could pack what I needed for the trip to Albuquerque. The plan was that she would pack for me and John would bring it to the airport and meet me at the gate. The plan worked pretty darn good. My flight from Atlanta got into Dallas Saturday morning with plenty of time to spare, John met me at the gate for our flight, and off we went to Albuquerque.

We landed in Albuquerque, got our rental car and headed to the hotel. Once we got checked in, I started unpacking our things so that they could be hung up. I got to the bottom of the suitcase and still had not seen the shoes to wear with my dress for the service. I called Sara and asked if she had remembered to pack them, which she had. It seems that John had decided to consolidate our things into one suitcase (not a bad idea at all), but left my shoes sitting in the bedroom. Oh well, since we had some time, off we went to go shoe shopping. Hard to do when one of the people shopping doesn't enjoy it. :)

Luckily I was able to find some fairly quickly and we were able to enjoy the rest of the weekend. We visited with Roy's family, who are great people, and attended the memorial service. We also had a chance to visit Old Town Albuquerque and take a trip on the Tram up Sandia Peak. It was a beautiful site. Then up really early Monday morning (3:30am MT) to catch a flight back to Dallas and off to work for the day.

We were both a little tired Monday evening, but were really glad that we made the effort to go. And I still love to travel. In fact, I am scheduled to go to Florida next week, then Vegas in June and off to Michigan in July to visit with Cindy. I know - I have a rough life!

Easter Flowers

2010-04-05T17:17:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter! We had the pleasure of seeing John's oldest brother Jack during the weekend, and had a wonderful time visiting. As a combined birthday present for Sara and Easter present for all of us, he bought a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of flowers to plant in the front. And, as you can see from the first picture, we had lots of help with the work. Of course, we did feed all of those boys afterward. Enjoy the pictures, and hope to see comments from everyone.

Can you say "Attitude"?

Had to tell her little girls shouldn't show their panties.

Let It Snow??

2010-02-18T08:12:00.001-06:00

Okay, I moved to Texas for the warm, sunny weather. That pretty much disappeared last week. It started snowing about 3am Thursday and didn't stop until about 3am Friday - 24 hours of straight snowfall for Texas. We had a record 12.5 inches of snow. It was beautiful and a little bit fun. Some of us from work actually had a couple of snowball fights. I had forgotten how much fun those could be. The snow was a perfect heavy, wet snow that just begs for making snowballs. I even saw a couple of snow forts.

Here are a couple of pictures taken that show you our 'winter wonderland'. We did end up losing three brances off one of the trees in our front yard, but I guess it could have been worse.

Time Goes By

2010-02-06T22:42:00.002-06:00

Where does the time go? I can hardly believe that it is already February. Seems like I was just cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Work has been so busy and it doesn't look like there is any breathing space anytime soon. John is working just as hard. In case, everyone didn't hear, he was promoted to District Manager in November and he has been cleaning up his area ever since. This is something that he has worked very hard towards for a long time, and I am very proud of him.

Sara is back in school for the semester and working at the dry cleaners. We see Jason about every other week on Sunday for dinner. He likes living on his own, but it does get a little too quiet for him and he misses his Cami.

The Munchkin continues to grow. She is potty training now and doing a great job. This last week, she went all day except for a couple of accidents. Even stayed dry during nap time. She still needs the diaper at night, but I don't think it will be too long before those are a thing of the past. She is more stubborn and headstrong than her mom was, so that continues to be a challenge. I can't imagine our home without her. She keeps us young and on our toes.

I'm with Dad. We need to start doing a better job of posting again. I don't get on Facebook much because I can't access it at work, and by the time I get home and the family settles down, I really don't feel like getting on the computer.

I'll try to get some pictures posted soon, but the connection from the camera to the computer is acting up. I do believe it is time for a new, updated computer.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-23T07:38:00.002-06:00

Another year has gone by and, for the most part, all of our family and friends are doing well. I thank God every day for keeping the ones we love safe. I hope this Christmas brings joy and comfort to all and that the New Year is happy and prosperous. Please know that even when I do not do a good job of keeping in touch, each and every one is thought of often.

Love to all and Merry Christmas!!

Moved and New Furniture

2009-11-16T08:54:00.010-06:00

Well, we got everything moved out of the old house into the new. Of course, there is still a bunch of stuff still in the storage unit. Hopefully, we (I) will have some time to weed through it some more and get rid of more. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the new furniture we bought.

This is the new sleeper/sofa that is in the game room upstairs. So in addition to the spare bedroom, we have a queen size sleeper to house plenty of extra guests (hint, hint).

Here is our new family room furniture. Our good friend, Marsha, wants this for her house. :)

This is Cami's new big girl bed. She loves it and has not fallen out yet.

My favorite is our new bedroom furniture. After 25 years (in December) of marriage, my husband and I got ourselves this as an anniversary present.

And, of course, what post would be complete without a picture of the Munchkin! Here she is ready to go to day care on a chilly fall morning. In case you are wondering, that is a bagel in her left hand. She loves having one in the morning. Of course, she can't quite say 'bagel' yet and it comes out 'wagel'.

On a side note, can't wait to see some more posts from the family. I think we have all gotten so busy and are neglecting our posts, although I know a lot of you are doing quite a bit of Facebooking. I only get on it about once every other week or so.

Packing Up

2009-10-22T07:42:00.004-05:00

Well, it's official. We close on both houses next week, most likely on Tuesday. We need to be out of our house by midnight on Thursday, so there's a lot of work to be done between now and then. The garage is pretty empty except for the freezer and the extra fridge. I started packing a few boxes ever day last week, but will step it up tonight. If it is up to me, the only things left to pack by next week would be the beds, the TV and the chairs in the living room.

Jason is moving out today and tomorrow into his new apartment. He sounded a little sad last night thinking about it being his last night in his room. We are going to let him have the living room couch and a couple of the bar stools. We are getting a new love seat for the new house, and there is no place for the bar stools.

John and I are really excited about the move, but at the same time it is sad. We have been in our house for 24 1/2 years. Can you believe it? There are a lot of memories that we will be taking with us to the new house. And we get to start making some new memories.

Our new address will be 965 Kingwood Circle, Highland Village, TX 75077. Can't wait to start having visitors!

It's Ours!!!

2009-10-07T07:38:00.002-05:00

We have a new house! The bank accepted our offer and the inspection has been done. There were a couple of major things found during the inspection, but they are having those fixed. The current 'schedule' is that we close on our current house October 29. The closing on the new house is not scheduled until November 20, but they are trying to get the loan underwritten quicker than that. Still not sure what we will do, or where we will be, for four weeks. Still have to figure that part out. There is some painting and minor repairs that we will have to do to the new house, but we are excited about the move. Cami already knows which room is her's. We went over to the house on Sunday and told her to go to her room. She ran up the stairs, directly into the room that will be her's and laid down on the floor. Smart girl!!

Our New House?

2009-09-27T19:15:00.003-05:00

Well, we finally found a house that we both liked and have put an offer on it. It is a foreclosure, so the bank currently owns it, but they have accepted our offer. We had an inspection done the end of last week, and there were a couple of major things that we have asked to be fixed/corrected. Depending on what the bank says about fixing them will depend on whether we stay with our offer or withdraw it.

A couple of you have asked for some pictures, so here is a sampling. In order, the pictures are the front of the house, looking at the kitchen from the breakfast area (the lady in the picture is our realtor, Julie), the pool in the backyard and the back patio. It is a fairly large house having four bedrooms and three and a half baths. It has a living room, dining room, family room, game room, kitchen and utility/mud room. It should be more than enough space for us. Of course, that means more space to clean also. Hopefully the bank will have an answer for us tomorrow.

Our House

2009-09-12T15:34:00.008-05:00

For those of you who haven't been following on Facebook, or we haven't talked to in a few weeks, we finally got the house ready to sell. We have been busting out at the seams and need to get something a little bigger as we figure Cami and Sara will be with us for another three to five years. At least until Sara is able to graduate from college.

The For Sale sign went up on the evening of Wednesday, September 2. That Friday night we received a call from our realtor that we had an offer on the house. Earlier this week, we did sign the contract to accept the offer. If everything goes okay, we should be closing before the end of October. Below are some pictures of how are house looks right now.

So . . . that means that we have to really start looking for another house. We had found one that we really liked (even though it was really big), but it was a foreclosure and we were not able to make an offer since we don't yet have the down payment (we'll have it when our sale is final). Just this last Thursday, we spent half a day house hunting and we may have found one that we can agree on. Here are a couple of pictures of that house.

What A Busy Weekend!

2009-07-20T18:52:00.013-05:00

Oh my goodness, what a busy weekend we had! John and I left home very early Friday morning to head to New Orleans. His oldest brother's son, Michael, was getting married that night. We did not know that we were going to be able to even go to the wedding until one week before, so that week was spent getting what we needed. That included a tuxedo (yes that's right!) for John and an evening dress for me. As you can see from the pictures below, we both looked pretty spiffy even after a fun evening of dancing.

This is a picture of John's cousins from England that had come in for the wedding and a holiday. Theresa is Mom Whitehead's niece. You know John and his Dad in the back row. John's youngest brother, David, is in the yellow (LSU) shirt. In the middle row beside me are Hugh and Theresa. The front row is Olivia and Ursala, Hugh and Theresa's daughters and Mom Whitehead. This was the first time that John had met his cousins, so it was extra special.

Besides the wedding, it was Cami's second birthday. John and I got home about 7pm Sunday night, so we had to have cake and ice cream for the birthday girl. We will be having the party next Sunday at the house. We plan to grill some burgers, hot dogs and brats and let the kids swim in the pool that John bought for Cami. It is ten feet by 30 inches deep. Just right to cool off in!

The first picture is of Cami applauding our rendition of Happy Birthday and the second is her enjoying her cake and ice cream.

I just had to include this video of the Munchkin on a sugar high. Luckily she crashed pretty quickly and was in bed about an hour after eating. Caution - the video could make you dizzy! :)

Where Does Time Go?

2009-06-25T07:55:00.002-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been over a month since I've posted a blog. There has been so much going on and just not enough time to get it all done. May was a pretty uneventful month. Just keeping busy with work, soccer and keeping up with Cami. She is starting to get into the 'terrible twos'. I'm not so sure that I would call them terrible, but rather 'learning'. She is starting to learn just how far she can push the boundries, and what she can or cannot do on her own. Her vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds and, of course, she repeats everything (and I mean everything) she hears.

June started out with the Alaskan cruise for Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, John was unable to go on the cruise because of work. We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect (70's and sunny). Alaska is beautiful country and full of history. I have posted some pictures on my Facebook site. Not a week after getting back from the cruise, I headed to Las Vegas for a work conference. I took a 'little' detour through Denver to spend the night with Priscilla, Craig, Melissa and Kajsa. I am so glad that I did as it had been too long since I have seen them. We had an enjoyable time just visiting and catching up. Then off to Vegas for the conference. Rich and Leslie were able to join me for the welcome reception on Sunday night and the larger event on Tuesday night. We had a great time and it was good to see the two of them again.

The rest of June (and what is left of it) was spent on the usual work, soccer and keeping up with Cami. John and I are also looking at houses. It is becoming very apparent that our three bedroom is not large enough for five humans and four animals. We have seen a couple that we really like, but nothing that 'screams' at us. In the meantime, we are starting to do some purging and clearing out of all the things that accumulate over 20 plus years. I do believe that John will have the hardest time purging as he tends to be a pack rat. :)

Jason is still working as a leasing agent for an apartment complex, hanging out with his friends and playing softball. No steady girlfriend yet that we know of. Sara is still working part time for a dry cleaners in town, taking care of Cami and taking a couple of summer classes. She did pass all four of her spring classes and is taking one class right now and then one more when the current class is over.

Well, that's the quick update. Keep posting!!!

Some Upgrades (Finally!)

2009-05-02T09:59:00.003-05:00

I was beginning to think that it would never happen, but I've finally been able to get John to agree to some "improvements" around the house. The first step is new counter tops in the kitchen. So long to the 80's counter we had!

Here is the old, 80's counter we had:

And here is my new, updated counter:

The next step is to paint the entire kitchen and attached den/dining room area and then (hopefully) do a tiled backsplash. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't take too long to do either.

One Calm Kitty

2009-05-02T09:54:00.003-05:00

Well, Cami has figured out that she can (sort of) pick up Kali. Of course, Kali is weighing in at about 11 lbs right now. She is so patient with Cami and does not try to scratch or bite her. When she has enough, she just runs and hides.

Tiptoe Through The . . . Bluebonnets

2009-04-13T19:47:00.004-05:00

I told myself as the kids were growing up that I was not going to be one of those parents that stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of the kids when the bluebonnets were in bloom. As most of you know, this seems to be an Easter tradition in Texas. I never did do it with the kids, but I'm a grandma now and I can take things back. Especially since the bluebonnets this year are abundant and gorgeous. There is a field of them by my office that is large and thick with the flowers. Sara and I decided that we would get some pictures of Cami in the bluebonnets, so here they are.

The first picture is a shot of just a portion of the field. It is at least twice the size of what you can see in the picture.

By the way, did you know that from the time I arrived in Texas, I was told that it was illegal to pick bluebonnets. I found out last week that that is untrue. It is, of course, illegal to pick them from private property and that some cities and counties do have their own 'laws', however it is not a Texas law. Nice to know after 27 years here.

Miscellaneous Cami Pictures

2009-04-13T19:33:00.008-05:00

Okay, I promised to post some pictures a week or so ago, so here are a few random pictures of the munchkin.

This is the only way to eat spaghetti!!

Is this what boxes are for?

Crashed! She pulled Sara's comforter over the rail of the crib before she fell asleep.

I love Uncle Jason!

Hope you enjoy a few views into Cami's busy life.

It's Been A While

2009-03-20T08:00:00.002-05:00

I have to admit that I am guilty. I look at everyone's blog sites a few times a week, and noticed that it has been quite some time since I have posted anything on ours. I will try to post another blog with some pictures later this weekend, but I'm not promising anything.

I'll start out with quick updates on the guys since they don't have a lot going on. Jason continues working as a leasing agent for an apartment complex fairly close to the house. We have been giving him (not so) subtle hints that it is getting time for him to be venturing out on his own. ;) In his spare time, he plays softball on a couple different teams and golf with his friends.

John started a new job about three weeks ago working for IBC (International Baking Company). They are the ones that distribute Hostess goodies and Wonder Bread. He has one more week of training before he will be on a route of his own. Unfortunately, because of the new job, he is unable to get the time off to go on the cruise for mom and dad's 50th anniversary. :( We are still keeping our fingers crossed that something might happen and he'll be able to go.

Sara is now going to school at a community college to get her basic classes done, and working part time for a dry cleaners in town. She is also playing some indoor soccer; a couple of teams with me. She was approached again this week by the soccer coach at Brookhaven College. This is the second time that the coach has asked her about playing soccer there and going to school. We need to sit down and look at this as there could be some scholarship involved, but it would mean that John and I would need to help out more with Cami.

Cami continues to grow and talk. Her vocabulary is rather large and she doesn't seem to have too much trouble expressing herself except when she is tired and cranky (don't we all?). She is heading into the "terrible twos" already and is even more strong-willed than her mother. She is also getting some more teeth. At last count, she now has nine that have broken through. She is a very active little girl, loves her Poppi (John's name), and enjoys loving on the cats although they don't care for it much.

I continue to enjoy my job and the shorter commute. It is so nice to leave the house after 7am and be home before 6pm, instead of leaving the house before 7am and not getting home until after 6:30pm. I am still playing indoor soccer, and am in my fourth season of outdoor soccer. Before anyone gets too impressed, you have to remember that I am playing goalie in outdoor so I don't have to run too much. ;)

I am looking forward to a busy travel month in June. Besides the cruise the first of the month, I will also be going to Vegas for a conference. The conference is June 14-18, but I am leaving on Saturday, June 13 to spend the day with Priscilla, Melissa, Kajsa and Craig before continuing on to Vegas on Sunday. I am really looking forward to seeing the girls (and you too Craig!) as it has been at least three years.

Wow! That was pretty long. I guess I shouldn't wait so long before blogs as there is so much family out there and so difficult to keep in touch one-on-one with everyone. I'll try to do better, but no promises. :)

Love to everyone and keep up the blogging!

Too Funny!

2009-02-06T11:05:00.002-06:00

I just had to put this one on the blog! It really made me laugh.

Dad at the mall:
I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 92). We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring every time. When the teenager had had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?' Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one, and in classic style he did not bat an eye in his response. 'Got drunk once, and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son.'

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Just An Update

2009-02-02T07:52:00.003-06:00

Okay, so there isn't much new happening in the Whitehead household. Cami continues to grow - she is saying a ton of words and the doctor has proclaimed that she is 'advanced'. By advanced, she means that Cami's motor and vocal skills are closer to a 3-year olds than an eighteen month old. It is a little creepy sometimes how she looks so intently at you when you are talking to her. It really is like she is absorbing the words. She also continues to be as, or more, strong willed than her mother. Of course, it doesn't help that Poppi (John) spoils her rotten. I continuely remind him to be careful with that since she is living with us and we have to put up with the brattiness (is that a word?). All in all, we love having her and Sara still at the house. It will be difficult for both of us (John especially) when Sara is able to move out and live on her own.

For those that didn't know, John has been unemployed since the middle of December. Luckily he does qualify for unemployment and that has been a help. The good news is that he received a preliminary job offer on Friday. He hopes to be going in later this week for final interview(s) then background and drug checks. We are hoping he will start within the next couple of weeks. I say "we" because he is driving us all crazy! :)

That is all the news for us right now. Love to everyone!

Cowgirl or Just Cute?

2009-01-24T09:24:00.002-06:00

Like a lot of other stores right now, Western Warehouse is closing their doors. Sara, Cami and I were all able to get some great boots for more than 50% off the regular price. Unfortunately, they didn't have any large, wide ones for John. And, of course, what they had in kids' sizes were very limited. We decided to go ahead and get the larger size for Cami as she'll quickly grow into them. She, however, discovered a way that she could wear her boots now. She is hysterical to watch trying to actually walk around the house because she can't bend her legs totally since the boots come up too far. We got this picture of her the other night after she was ready for bed. She added the boots and the jacket herself.

Post Christmas Fun

2008-12-29T17:43:00.004-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. Our Christmas was a lot of fun. We spent an enjoyable time together opening gifts, relaxing and eating lots of food. Cami, of course, had twice as many presents under the tree as the rest of the family put together. Unfortunately for her, most of them were clothes (larger sizes as she continues to grow A LOT). I am not posting any pictures on this blog, but am posting a couple of short videos. The first one is something that I have been trying to capture for a while - Cami ruling over the dogs. The second is her interpretation of playing with her rocking horse - a gift from one of the neighbors. Enjoy!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-24T08:08:00.003-06:00

Whether you are traveling, staying home or having friends and relatives over, here is wishing you the merriest of Christmas'. Each and every one of you are in our thoughts during this holiday season and throughout the year. I still dream of the year when all of us will be together for Christmas. What a grand time that will be with all the new family members.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Love - John, Deb, Jason, Sara and Cami

Crazy Weather!

2008-12-15T08:04:00.003-06:00

Let me just start out by saying that I really do love living in Texas. I love the weather, the people and the culture. However, these past three or four weeks the weather has been absolutely crazy and it makes me wonder if I am just as crazy as the weather for loving it here. We woke up this morning to temperatures at about 26 degrees with a wind chill of 16. And this after having an absolutely gorgeous, get-outside-and-do-things Sunday with a high of 79. Both Cami and I have been dealing with drippy noses for so long, I don't think we know what it's like any more to not worry about having some Kleenex handy. Now mind you, I don't mind chilly weather (after all, I did live in Michigan for 20 years). It's this darn up and down stuff that makes me a little nutty. All I can say at this point is that I hope we have this temperature for Christmas. Even after being in Texas for almost 27 years, I still miss having cold weather and snow for Christmas.

Here's hoping the next week and a half leading up to the holidays, and the holidays themselves, bring everyone all that they wish for. And that everyone is able to enjoy their families and time off from work and/or school.

Twenty Four and Counting

2008-12-02T08:50:00.005-06:00

Where do the years go? Hard to imagine that yesterday John and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything yesterday, but on Sunday we went to the West End in Dallas (it is a part of downtown Dallas) to have dinner at one of the yummy steakhouses. Then a short (mile) walk to the American Airlines Center to watch the Stars play the Edmonton Oilers. And, yes, the Stars did win!!! All in all, it was a pleasant day and we enjoyed just hanging out together. Kind of hard to do right now with our overflowing household, so it's nice for just the two of us to get away for a few hours.

Yesterday, I did receive some absolutely gorgeous roses from my husband. All the other girls in the office were jealous! :)

Regressing

2008-11-18T09:48:00.004-06:00

I just had to post some of the pictures above. These pictures were taken by a good friend of mine back in the spring. Then she left town with her husband to live in Las Vegas. They are back now and she was nice enough to give me a CD with the pictures that she took. These are just a sampling of my favorites. I was really surprised to see how well they turned out since Miss Cami was not being very cooperative during the shoot.

Halloween

2008-11-09T11:57:00.003-06:00

We tried and tried to get a good picture of Cami in her Halloween costume, but she wouldn't hold still for it. Here is the best one that we were able to get, along with one of Jason in his (doesn't he look goofy?). Cami had a good time trick or treating and came back with lots of candy. Luckily for us, Sara took it over to a friend's house later that night and forgot it so . . . . no candy to tempt us.

Other than that, there really is not much new happening in our household. We are all just keeping busy with work, Cami and our outside activities.

She's Certified (or Certifiable?)

2008-10-28T11:07:00.004-05:00

Saturday was Sara's last day of Dental Assistant class. She is now certified to be a dental assistant. She passed the class with a 94 average, and we are very proud of her. She has spent the last couple of days looking for a job in a dentist office. Her plans are to start taking some of her college classes in the spring (if schedule and finances work out), with long-term plans to get her degree as a Dental Hygenist. She knows it will be a touch road with a little one, but she is very determined and we know that she can do it.

New York Pictures

2008-10-21T20:07:00.003-05:00

As promised, here are some pictures from my trip to New York.

These first three are in Central Park. The first is a few of the pond when you first enter the park from the South end and the second is Belvedre's Castle. Belvedre's Castle is now used as a weather observation tower. The third picture is under the Bethesda Bridge. The 'interior' of the bridge was totally refurbished to it's original state.

This picture is of the Flag of Heroes at Ground Zero. It contains the names of the emergency personnel that lost their lives during 9-11. This was the only evidence that we were able to find commerating that awful day.

This picture was taken on the subway on our way to Greenwich Village. The gentleman in the picture is Glenn. Glenn is a good friend of John's brother Jim. We met him in Louisiana when we went down there for Jim's memorial service. He became an instant friend and I am so glad that we had a chance to get together while I was in New York. He told me that the next time, I needed to make my flight home a couple of days later so he can show me Connecticut.

There are so many more pictures that could post, but I chose some of my favorites.

New York, New York

2008-10-13T07:58:00.002-05:00

For those of you who I haven't talked to in a while, I had the amazing opportunity to go to New York City for work last week. It was amazing! We (myself, my manager and a co-worker) left Wednesday morning for New York to attend lots of meetings and meet some of the people that we work with in out of our corporate office. My manager and I were able to stay over Friday night so that we were able to see more of the city. I will try to get some of the pictures posted later this week, but wanted to get a post out there.

Wednesday after our meetings, we headed to a Korean restaurant for dinner (yummy food) and then spent a couple of hours wandering around Times Square. We saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St Patrick's Cathedral and Grand Central Station. Since it was later at night, we didn't actually go into any of the buildings (except Grand Central Station), but the sites were unbelievable. Grand Central Station is, I think, more beautiful in person than what you may have seen on TV shows.

Thursday we went to Little Italy for dinner and had a scrumptous dinner on the patio of an Italian (what else) restaurant. Afterwards, we went to a place called Ferrara's for some really delicious Cannoli and espresso. With all that food, we had to walk a little bit, so we went over a couple of blocks to Chinatown. Unfortunately, since it was after 9pm, most of the shops were closed.

Friday was a pretty short day for us, so Bridget (my manager) and I left the office about 1pm after the other Dallas people had left for the airport and headed to Central Park. Let me tell you, that it is amazing what a beautiful area it is! We hardly could believe that we were in the middle of a large city. It is huge, and without the help of a map and some friendly people, we would have gotten lost in the middle of it. We went back to the hotel for a little rest, then headed over to Grand Central Station to meet a friend who was coming in from Connecticut. We went to Greenwich Village for dinner (found another great restaurant) and then spent some time wandering and people watching. We had a wonderful visit and didn't get back to the hotel until about 2:30am. Would have been later, but Glenn needed to catch a 1:49am train back to Connecticut since it was the last train of the night.

Saturday we headed down to the World Trade Center site. They have started construction on the site, so there wasn't as much to see as I had hoped. Got some great shots of the Statue of Liberty and visited the Irish Hunger Memorial. This memorial is an actual Irish cottage brought over from Ireland and reconstructed on the site, with native Irish foliage. Then we headed back to Chinatown to see what we had missed on Thursday night. It was very crowded with all of the "bargain" shoppers and the booths were very tiny. Had another great meal and then headed to the airport to catch our flight out.

All in all, it was a wonderful time and I hope I get another opportunity to visit New York again. Don't think I could live there, but definitely could visit more. We ate a lot of good food, but also did a ton of walking and were exhausted by the time we left. Both Bridget and I were asleep in the plane before we left the ground.

Finally!

2008-09-10T19:52:00.003-05:00

Well, the Munchkin has finally decided to cut some teeth. She now has two on the bottom, one on the top and one more coming in on the top. I kind of figured she would get a bunch all at one time since it was taking a while. It is very difficult to get some pictures of them, but here are a couple of tries. She doesn't like people putting their fingers in her mouth, even to rub on her gums. Strange, I know, since my kids loved to have their gums rubbed when they were cutting teeth.

Bits and Pieces

2008-08-13T08:03:00.002-05:00

Not too much going on in the Whitehead household since Cami's birthday other than the usual everyday stuff. Sara and I continue to play indoor soccer together on Monday nights. She also plays on a co-ed team at Blue Sky which I sub for, and I play for a co-ed team at American Indoor. Outdoor soccer is supposed to be starting in a couple of weeks.

Sara is still working for the Allstate agent, but is going to be starting Dental Assistant school on Saturday. It is every Saturday for 10 weeks. She is carpooling with a couple of other girls from the area and Nona gets to keep an eye on Cami while she's in class. Her plan is to finish this class, get a job at a dental office, then go to TWU (Texas Women's University in Denton) to become a dental hygienist.

Jason is still working as a leasing agent for an apartment complex that is only about 13 miiles from the house. He and I played together in a softball tournament over the weekend and had a good time. His best friend, Ryan, is now back from the Marines, so I imagine that they will be spending as much time together as they can.

John is stilling delivering bread for Sara Lee. He and Rod Miller, Ryan's dad, are getting things ready to go for their deer lease this fall. They have spent a couple of Sundays getting an old camper trailer ready for the lease. He has also 'adopted' a kitten that was hanging out under the trailer. I warned him not to feed her, but he did, and now she has been hanging out on the front porch for the last couple of weeks. I have asked him to take her to Animal Control since we do not have room for another pet.

Cami continues to grow and grow. She still has no teeth, but has no trouble eating most of the foods that she wants. She is starting to learn some words although she doesn't always use them at the right time. She loves bossing the dogs around, and they seem to understand what she is telling them. I have tried to get some video of her "ordering" them into their cage where she likes to join them. We have caught her several times just sitting in the dog cage playing with her toys while the dogs look on. I'm sure we'll start losing some of those toys to their chewing.

All in all life goes on and things are good.

She's One!

2008-07-21T18:26:00.004-05:00

Has it really been a year? Must be, because we celebrated Cami's first birthday yesterday (Sunday, July 20). We had to do it a day late as I was playing in a softball tournament on Saturday. Boy was it hot out!! It was hot for the party too, so it was a good thing that we planned it for inside. We had about 25 close friends come by to help celebrate and Cami received some wonderful toys including a wagon, money in a college fund and lots of clothes. We cooked some burgers and brats on the grill and had plenty of cake and ice cream. The cake even came with a smaller one just for the birthday girl. Here are some pictures of the birthday girl herself: getting ready to eat "her" cake, eating the cake, feeding Poppi and Uncle Jason adding in some ice cream. She was on quite a sugar high for a little bit, then totally crashed. Sara had to wake her up from a two-hour nap and she still went to bed easily.

Back Home Again!

2008-07-09T19:45:00.009-05:00

What a wonderful time we had up north with the family! A huge THANK YOU to Cindy and Joe for putting up with all of us. Imagine - nine adults and six kids (all under 8) in the same house. If you have already read Dad and Rich's blogs, then you know all the fun we had: eating ice cream and watching fireworks; going to the lake and working on our tans; entertaining ourselves during thunderstorms; going to the lake again and eating delicious fish; and getting together with mom's side of the family for the 4th.

I'm not sure that we have gotten back into our normal (do we have normal?) routine yet, but we're pretty darn close. My manager is stressing out right now because I was on vacation last week, in a training class all this week and she is on vacation next week. We have several projects that we are trying to get into production before the end of the summer, so she stresses. Me, I'm not too worried about it at all.

Sara is back to work and Cami is back to day care. By the way Paula, we had to buy some chicken nuggets to keep in the freezer for her. She loves them with some fruit or just by themselves. And the trick of putting the fan by her bed works just as well here as it did in Michigan. We are now trying to get a small birthday get together done for her since her birthday is in less than two weeks. I still can't believe that she is going to be a year old already.

John and Jason were glad to have us back home. Even though they might not admit it, I think they were lonely without us. :)

Here are just a few pictures from the last week. I'm not posting a lot since Dad and Rich already did that.

Cami and Gabi got along well and shared the double stroller during most of the week:

Dad taking (another?) nap:

Sara and Paula with Cami and Gabi enjoying Lake Michigan before eating fish:

Getting ready to eat good fish (not the one Bart 'caught'):

The beautiful Lake Michigan shore line from the picnic area where we ate the fish. Isn't it gorgeous?

Graduation & Walking

2008-06-08T17:25:00.006-05:00

What a busy weekend it has been so far. Friday night we went to watch Jason play softball and then went out to dinner for his birthday. It is hard to imagine that he is now 22 years old; doesn't seem that long ago that he was a young boy. Saturday was spent cooking and cleaning to get ready for graduation party. Sara and her best friend, Lauren, decided to have their graduation party together. Seems fitting as they have known each other since they were babies. Don't know if you can really see the picture in the tan frame, but it is one of Sara and Lauren when they were about six years old.

It was a good time by all and we had tons of food, margaritas and good conversation. The young ones gave out earlier than us "old folks". Monday night is the actual graduation ceremony. It will be interesting as the ceremony is at 8pm, and both Sara and I hope it will be done in time for us to go play our championship soccer game at 10:45pm.

I'm going to try and post a short vido of Munchkin walking (you can ignore the fat lady). This is the first time I have tried this, so hopefully it works okay.

Three more weeks before we are in Michigan!

Just a Quick Update

2008-05-28T08:18:00.003-05:00

Sorry guys, but the computer is on the blink right now, so I can't post any pictures. I'll get some up just as soon as we can get it working properly again. I think we just need to dump the thing and get a new one.

Life continues to be hectic around our house as usual. Just a couple of highlights: 1) yesterday (5/27) I started a new job. This is a permanent position that is closer to home. I won't go into the details of what happened with the last one, but let's just say that I wasn't very happy there; 2) my darling son is moving back home AGAIN. Yikes, it's going to be a little more crowded around here. There was an issue with his roommate, so he is moving back home and looking for a job closer to us. He is hoping that he will not have to be at home for very long; 3) Cami is walking (almost) like a pro now. We have to really keep an eye on her as she gets from one place to the other before you know it.

Well, that's about all that I have time for right now. Love to all!!

We're In Trouble Now!

2008-05-19T10:49:00.002-05:00

It's official - little Miss Cami has found her "legs". She started out a couple of weeks ago getting her balance; then taking one or two steps and using furniture to lift herself back up. Well, last night, she was walking all over the living room. When she fell down, she just stood right back up with no help from anyone or the furniture. We are going to have to be on our toes from now on. I'll try to get some pictures, or the short video Sara did, on the site as soon as I can figure it out.

In other news, the memorial mass for John's brother Jim was very nice. It was difficult for the whole family, but hopefully it has provided some closure for them. Cami did very well on the road trip and during the whole weekend. I had gone to the doctor Thursday afternoon, so he did the Epply exercises on me, put me in my neck brace and the vertigo was mostly gone by the weekend (thank goodness). We spent some good time with John's family and a friend of Jim's who had come down for the service. Saturday night, some of us went into New Orleans and had some beignets and cafe au latte; and a hurricane toast to Jim. Sunday morning we got together with John's brothers and his parents for breakfast for Mother's Day then got on the road for home. Considering the circumstances, it was a pleasant weekend.

For now, we are working on Sara's graduation and looking forward to the trip to Michigan for us girls.

I'll try to get some more news and pictures on the site sometime this week.

Spinning Head

2008-05-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

Talk about bad timing. We are heading to Louisiana early tomorrow morning for Jim's memorial service. And wouldn't you know, Tuesday afternoon my head started spinning on me. (For those that don't know, I was diagnosed with Vertigo last year.) I spent most of yesterday flat on my back as still as I could be. When John got home, he helped me do my head exercises hoping to get it straight. It helped a little, but today I am home again and waiting for my doctor appointment. At least today I am not spending the day laying down as there is laundry to finish and packing to do.

For those not familiar with Vertigo, here is a quick easy description. In our inner ears we have tiny crystals that act as balances for our equalibrium. For some people, these crystals come loose and just "float" causing a spinning sensation. Sometimes it is very mild and goes away in a few hours, others it can last a couple of days. My longest episode has been seven days, although it was very mild and I could still function pretty normal. In more severe cases, like the one I am experiencing now, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist can do some special exercises with the head to get the crystals back where they belong. Of course, the last time I had to go see him, I had to wear a cervical collar for two days to keep my head straight. Wasn't that fun?!?! I told John once that it was like having too much to drink without the drinking.

Time to Write?

2008-05-01T08:28:00.003-05:00

Okay, I know it is time for a new post, but between work and mom and dad's visit, and family, I really haven't had a lot of spare time. So here is a little something to tide you over until I can get something more up with pictures.

We had a wonderful visit while mom and dad were here and I was sad to see them go. I told Sara on Sunday night that I couldn't believe we only had one more day with them. She reminded me that I would get to see them again in a couple of months.

The three of us (mom, dad and I) had a wonderful day in Dallas on Monday. I revisited a couple of sites I have seen before, but more importantly, I saw some things that I have not taken the time to see before. Hopefully dad will get some pictures of the 'cattle' up before too long. We did a lot of walking as the only times we were sitting down were on the train, on the trolley and eating lunch. The trip to the Sixth Floor Museum was incredible. I'm not one for museum's, but I enjoyed the whole presentation there.

For now, I have to look forward to Sara's graduation. She and Lauren want to do their graduation party together, but have not decided on a date yet. They have already told (not asked) John that he has to cook. We also need to get her senior pictures done. Hopefully we can do that within the next week. There is a studio here that can turn the pictures around within an hour. We used them for our Christmas pictures and were very happy with the way they turned out, and the price.

Until time permits more, love to all!

Counting The Days

2008-04-17T15:20:00.002-05:00

Only five more days until mom and dad are in Texas. The girls at work can't believe how excited I am that my parents are coming into town. I guess it is because most of them have parents that are only a couple of hours away so they get to see them on a more frequent basis. The only drawback to them coming is that I have to clean the house; and all that know me know that is one thing that I really don't like to spend time doing. And do you think I can "recruit" the husband and kids to help? Ha ha!!!

We don't have things planned while there are here except for on the 28th. Since they have not been to Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum yet (the spot where Kennedy was shot), and I have not been to the Sixth Floor Museum, I thought we would do that. We'll just take the train into downtown Dallas and walk around. There is plenty to see in downtown and it will be some good exercise and hopefully some good weather. Other than that, we'll spend the time visit and just 'going with the flow'.

Sara, Cami and I are really looking forward to coming to Michigan in the summer to see everyone (except Priscilla, Craig and Melissa, darn it). Unless things change within the next couple of weeks, I am going to look at flying us up there. I really don't like the idea of us driving that distance, especially with gas prices the way they are.

And for anyone that is interested, even though she officially graduated in October, Sara has decided to walk the stage with the rest of her class. The ceremony is scheduled for Monday, June 9 at 8pm. Whoever came up with that date and time must not have been thinking clearly!!! We are going to have a combined graduation party for her and her best friend Lauren, probably that weekend. For those of you who don't know (or have forgotten), Lauren is the girl who lives across the street. She and Sara have literally grown up together as Lauren's parents moved in across the street before she was born, so the girls have known each other since they were babies.

So, all said and done, I am counting the days until Mom & Dad get here; counting the days until Sara's graduation; and counting the days before summer vacation. LOVE TO EVERYONE!!

Catching Up

2008-04-06T08:23:00.011-05:00

Ok it's time to start catching up on news and pictures since it has been about three weeks since I've posted anything. Not a lot has changed except Camryn continues to grow. She is crawling, "walking" around the furniture and standing for short periods by herself. I figure it is only going to be a couple more weeks before she tries walking. She continues to be a joy to have around the house.

Here are a couple of pictures of Camryn in her Easter dress. Unfortunately, it got chilly, so we had to put a sweater on her after the pictures were taken.

And who knew that a toy basket could be such entertainment for the adults. I was cleaning up the kitchen when John hollered at me to come into the living room with the camera. He had been keeping an eye on Camryn and watching TV, and suddenly saw just feet sticking up in the air. I guess her balance is still a little shaky, but she did manage to get where she wanted to be - inside the basket with the toys.

Sara, Camryn and I were able to meet up with Cindy and Joe at the Dallas airport yesterday (Saturday), and we spent about an hour together. If I had gotten up a little earlier and checked the flight arrival information, it could have been longer. I think yesterday was one time that American managed to be early instead of on time or late. Their flight got into Dallas about 30 minutes earlier than it was scheduled to. By the time the girls and I got out the door and to the airport, we made it there when the flight was supposed arrive originally. I am going to see what I can do to meet them on their layover Friday. It will be a little more difficult since it is in the afternoon and work gets in the way.

Later this month Mom and Dad will be here. We are looking forward to that visit as it has been since Dad's surgery since we have seen them, and a couple of years since they have been to Texas. The early part of May will find us heading to Louisiana for a couple of days to attend Jim's memorial service. That will be a difficult trip, especially for John. He is missing his weekly talks with his brother terribly. I know time will ease his pain, but it is still very fresh for him.

Other than that, life continues on and we take each day as it comes. Love to everyone!

Goodbye Jim

2008-03-14T04:59:00.002-05:00

All, it is with a heavy heart that I write this update. This morning at approximately 2:45 CST John's older brother Jim passed away. John is holding up, but I know that the next few weeks are going to be difficult for him, and the rest of his family. At this time, we do not know what the plans are. John's parents will stay in Connecticut for a little while longer while they, and Jack, settle some of Jim's affairs. Sometime in the next few weeks, a memorial will be held for Jim, most likely in Baton Rouge. Jim was loved by many and will be sorely missed.

Where Do I Start?

2008-03-10T15:30:00.010-05:00

It seems forever since I last posted something, and I really don't know where to start. February (and so far March) have been difficult times emotionally.

As you know, John's brother Jim has been fighting cancer since the first of February and John's parents have been in Connecticut giving him support, and just being there. Jim has some wonderful friends that have been there for him and his parents during this trying time. John flew to Connecticut on Sunday, March 2 and the kids and I followed on Monday, March 3. We did not tell anyone that the kids and I were going to be there, so it was a wonderful surprise for them; especially since they have not had a chance to 'meet' Camryn yet. She and Dad have been spending quite a bit of time at the hospital with Jim and are worn out. We were all prepared to see a different Jim, but I was still amazed at how thin and frail he appeared. As of yesterday, Jim has decided to stop all treatment for the cancer. He will be leaving the hospital on Wednesday to spend what time he has left at home. His spirit remains upbeat and he is comfortable with his decision. We are going to get John back up there within the next 2-3 weeks again. If you want to keep more up to date with Jim, there is a web site set up. It is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimwhitehead. Here are just a few pictures that I took while we were there.

Camryn with Nana &PopPaw Camryn with Nana

Four Whitehead women

We all returned home late Wednesday night, and I spent the early part of Thursday unpacking and doing laundry as John and I were flying out to Phoenix on Thursday night to visit an old high school buddy of John's, Roy, and his wife, Tracy. We were a little concerned about whether we were going to make it out or not since mother nature decided to throw some snow at Texas for the second time that week. We ended up with about 4 1/2 inches of the beautiful white stuff at our house. Luckily flights were still getting in and out of DFW Airport and we landed in Phoenix only 30 minutes later than scheduled. We spent the next three days relaxing at the hot tub and pool, going to spring training baseball games and enjoying the wonderful cooking of Tracy. John and I both needed the break and it came at a perfect time. We are back home now and facing going back to our 'normal' schedule.

From the back patio (pretty isn't it?); Cami "enjoying" the snow; good friends Roy and Tracy Courtright in Phoenix.

Update on Jim Whitehead

2008-02-17T11:57:00.003-06:00

Please pray for John and the rest of his family as they go through a very difficult time. We received word last week that his Aunt Sarah, who lives in England, had passed away on Monday. Since John's parents had gone to England during the summer to see her, and they are dealing with Jim's cancer diagnosis, they did not go back for the funeral.

Also, John's older brother Jim is not doing well. In addition to the lung cancer, he has tumors in his back and neck and they believe the cancer is in his legs as well. He is currently in the hospital getting radiation treatments and drugs for the pain he is in. John's parents have been in Connecticut with Jim since February 8 and do not plan to go back home any time soon, and his oldest brother Jack got there over this weekend. John is heading to Connecticut on March 2 and we are trying to get the whole family up there. Jim (and his parents) have not seen Cami yet, and we feel that we need to make this effort. We will keep you posted with any new developments.

Another Rough Start to the Year

2008-02-07T09:09:00.000-06:00

Well, we managed to get through the first of last year without going insane, and it looks like we are starting out rough again this year. Please pray for John and his family as they are going through a tough time right now. As most of you know, John's mother (Betty) is from England and that is where most of her family still is. Her sister, Sarah, is currently very sick with Alzheimer's and lung cancer and she received word earlier this week that Sarah is now in a coma. The priest has already been to see Sarah to say the prayer of dying (they are devout Catholics). Then to top that off, John received a call from his older brother Jim on Saturday to say that he had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jim does not know how advanced it is yet; he went in for tests on Tuesday and will be meeting with the oncologist later today. He seems to be in good spirits, but says that the waiting on the test results is the worse part right now.

Fortunately, every one here has finally gotten over the stomach virus that we had. Everyone came down with it except Camryn. On Monday, Sara fainted while she was at work. I came home to take her to the doctor, who checked out her lungs, ears, etc. I asked her if she could run some tests to check for low blood sugar or low iron since this is not the first time it has happened, although it has been over a year since the last "episode". Well, the glucose test came back just barely in the normal range and this was after Sara had had some oatmeal, strawberries and TWO Dr Peppers. Obviously, her sugar was low when she fainted. On Tuesday, we got the results of the iron test and she also has low iron. So. . . .the doctor has told her to start taking an iron supplement, eat first thing in the morning and try to eat something every two to three hours to keep the blood sugar level.

I thank God every day for my good health. I know I can stand to lose some of the weight I've put back on, but my blood pressure, sugar and everything else are in good shape, so lots to be thankful for. John has now gone over a year without smoking. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!!! He continues to have trouble with gout, but the medicine helps keep it at bay a little.

Love to everyone out there! There are days when I get homesick for Michigan (not too much during the winter), but think of everyone almost daily.

Pictures (Finally)!!

2008-02-02T09:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I haven't gotten the Christmas pictures developed yet. But I have (I think) figured out how to get the pictures from the new digital camera to the computer. I think it would help some if one of the kids was here to do it for me. Oh well, I'll give it a try. The pictures here were taken as a "test" with the new camera, so they are not from anything in particular. There are, of course, pictures of Camryn and one of the cats. I'll bet you all can figure out which cat is Tigger and which one is Kali.

As you can tell, she is teething and likes to spend as much time chewing on the pacifier as she does sucking on it. Sara took her in for her six month checkup, and this little bugger is now up to 19 pounds. The doctor said that she is in the 95 percentile for both her height and weight and that she is advanced in her motor skills. Hmmm - I'm betting she'll be walking within the next couple of months. Yikes - that means cleaning up all of the little and breakable stuff in the house and putting those outlet plugs in again.

The cats and the dogs are still pretty much ignoring her, but they do go up and smell her ocassionally. Bear is already protective of her when he is in the house, but Elmo is too hyper and we keep a close eye on him so he doesn't accidentially step on her.

Here are some of the other shots from the Christmas shoot that we didn't send to everyone, but they gave us a disc with all of them so why not share here.

I think John is in love with his granddaughter!

That's all for now. I'll try to get some more things posted in the next few days. Love to everyone out there and hope to see most of you this summer.

Just Some Notes

2008-02-01T09:38:00.000-06:00

Okay, I "promise" to get some new pictures up (and updates) this weekend. It will be a challenge as I will be watching Camryn Saturday and Sunday while Sara is working. She and I are going to have a fun time. We already have a lunch date with a girl friend and her daughter on Saturday. Then Sunday we are all going over to a friend's house for the football game.

I found this quote on my niece's website and loved it. Wish I had had it to fall back on last year.

"I KNOW God won't give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much!" - Mother Teresa

Time is Flying

2007-12-17T12:51:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness! Where does the time go? Driving into work this morning I realized that it is only a week before Christmas. It seems like Thanksgiving was just last week. I think (hope) that I am done shopping except for stocking stuffers. Still have to clean the house good since John's folks will be here on Sunday.

Cami is now 5 months old and growing every day. She is now turning over from her back to her stomach (her preferred position), laughing versus giggling and holding her bottle for short periods of time. She is doing the "swim", so I don't think it will be long before she starts crawling. I glanced around the living room the other day and decided that I would have to start thinking about what needed to be child-proofed.

I don't know how Paula does it with five kids. I took care of Cami on Saturday since Sara had to work and I had appointments and errands that I needed to take care of. I guess I forgot how much extra effort it is to have a baby with you when you do those things. I didn't get everything done because of the extra time spent feeding her, changing her diaper and just getting her in and out of the car. Hmmm - wonder if part of that is just me getting older. :) Oh well, it was fun for both of us and we had good naps that afternoon.

2007-12-02T20:54:00.000-06:00

We've never been very good about getting family pictures done. Sara pointed out that we haven't had one taken since she was in elementary school. Our goal in the next week is to see if we can't get Jason home for a little while and go get some done. In the meantime, this is one of Cami that her Grandma Dora had taken. She was nice enough to give us one. The dress is one that Dora bought for her. I love the expression on Cami's face.

Cami is really starting to roll over from her back to her stomach at will. She is still working on going from her stomach to her back. She is also trying to hold her bottle and is sucking on her lower lip a lot (I remember both Jason and Sara doing that). Being a grandparent is pretty awesome. It is less stressful than being a parent and we seem to be noticing all of the milestones of her growing up more than with our own kids. I thank God daily for bringing this precious bundle into our lives.

Catching Up

2007-11-25T11:37:00.000-06:00

Finally got the computer working, so here are some more pictures. This first one was taken in the hospital the day Cami was born with her Uncle Jason. Doesn't he just look like the proudest uncle? One of the first things he does when he comes home is pick her up no matter who is holding her.

Cami loves to sleep with Poppy. I think they were watching the football game and didn't last long. Cami likes to watch football, and it doesn't seem to matter who is playing.

Sara and Cami went Trick-or-Treating with a half dozen of their friends. Luckily for all of us they didn't bring back a ton of candy. Not that Cami could eat any of it to begin with.

Thanksgiving was a good day. John's youngest brother David came into town and made John some oyster dressing in place of his mom. Jason also came home for dinner and did some damage to the turkey. Cami was at her other grandparents house until 3pm, so we waited to eat our dinner until halftime of the Cowboy game. Sorry your Lions didn't win Rich. We had so much food that I think we will be eating it for the next week easily. The picture below is Cami in her highchair waiting for us to sit down and eat.

Good News, Bad News, Good News, Bad News. . .

2007-11-20T13:32:00.000-06:00

Good news = I get my braces off finally (after more than two years).

Bad news = they don't have a spot available until January 9 because of the holidays, etc. So it looks like I won't have them off by Chrismas unless someone cancels between now and then. Oh well, I guess I can wait another few weeks after this long.

Good news = I don't have to wear any more rubber bands except at night. For those that know, I have had to wear the rubber bands in one form or another for a little over a year.

Last bad news = we are having issues with our computer at home, so even though I have gotten the pictures back and can scan them in, I can't post them until we get it up and going again. Verizon thinks it is our modem, so they are sending a new one to us; just don't know how long that will take.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! We will be thinking of you.

Dad's Home

2007-11-17T09:09:00.000-06:00

Well, Dad got home from the hospital Thursday evening. He's doing really good and glad to be at home. Looks like I won the bet with Cindy and all her girls are giving her a hard time about it. Cindy - I think that makes up for the fact that we didn't put up anything on that bet.

Life continues along as normal at the Whitehead household. John's youngest brother David will be here for Thanksgiving and so will Jason. Don't know if we will have other "stragglers", but they are welcome to show up. It looks like John's parents are going to wait and come for Christmas.

We went to court yesterday morning and got a "temporary" order regarding visitation, child support, etc. Everyone was civil and just want to get all the legal stuff out of the way. We have agreed to let the Haskins (other side of Cami's family) have her Thanksgiving day from 10am-3pm, then she comes back home for Thanksgiving dinner here. We are going to sit down together (yes, all of us) and work out a visitation schedule for holidays. I feel confident that we can work everything out now without having to pay the lawyers.

Sara starts a new job on Monday at the Corner Bakery that just opened about 2 miles from the house. She will be working during the day, so daycare for Cami shouldn't be a problem. Cami is trying to hold her own bottle and roll over. She is a good baby, but she does have her mother's temper especially when it comes to food. When she says it is time to eat, it is time to eat!

I'm going to drop off some film to be developed today, so hopefully I'll have some new pictures to post next week. I told John we need to get a new digital camera for ourselves as a Christmas present. Of course, I still expect something more under the tree. :-)

Back From Vegas

2007-11-14T08:47:00.000-06:00

I got home Tuesday afternoon with no problems from my visit to see Dad in Las Vegas. He was looking good when I said goodbye on Monday night. If you want to see some pictures of Dad, go to Rich's blog (Little Brother on the right). It was hard to come back, but made easier by the fact that he is doing well. Cindy and I have a "bet" going on when he will be able to go home. We had both picked Friday, but since we can't have the same day I relented and let her have Friday and I (being the optimist I am) took Thursday.
I didn't plan to do any sightseeing while there, so I didn't bring my camera with me. Not that it would have made a difference since the digital is broken and I would have to get the pictures developed, then scan them into the computer to post. Oh well, hopefully Rich and/or Joe will send me a couple to post on the site (hint, hint).
We did do a couple of things on Monday like go to Hoover Dam (very impressive) and to Red Rock Canyon. Can't wait to get to Vegas again to do some hiking in Red Rock. Since it was late in the afternoon when we got there, there wasn't much time to walk around.
That's all for now. I'll try to add more stuff by next week before the in-laws come in for Thanksgiving.

We've Joined 'Em!

2007-10-30T23:17:00.000-05:00

Since most of the family has joined the "blogging" world, we decided it was our turn. The entries may be far between since life tends to be very hectic, but we'll make it the whole family's responsibility to keep it updated.

Life in the Whitehead home has been crazy busy the last few months. Jason went to Louisiana to live and work with John's younger brother David. He was going to go to school in Baton Rouge and play baseball, but his arm wasn't cooperating for him. He came back home in August, stayed at home for a couple of months and is now living with a friend in Richardson (a suburb of Dallas).

Sara was keeping busy being a mom to our beautiful granddaughter Camryn, going to school and working for the neighbors. On Friday, October 26, she graduated from high school. We are very proud of how determined she has been in getting her diploma. She no longer works for the neighbor and is looking for another job while still being a mom. As soon as she is settled into another job, she will start taking some college courses. She is an awesome mom (darn if she isn't a natural at it), and Camryn, Cami for short, is a happy good natured baby.

John and I, of course, are still busy working. At the first of September I left Perot Systems, after almost 16 years, and am now working for a consulting firm in Dallas. I have been assigned to an account in the Dallas area and have been learning my new duties.

After starting the year unemployed, John found a position the end of April with the Schwan's Food Company delivering to grocery stores. Besides home delivery, Schwans carries the Tony's, Red Baron and Freshetta line of frozen pizzas and other frozen goodies.

All in all, life is good. We all have our health and each other. And now, hopefully, we can stay more connected with our spread out family.