I'll never forget the day Beau brought Dexter home. I was napping on the couch and I woke to the sound of little claws clicking around on the kitchen floor. I got up and saw Dexter for the first time. I must admit I was taken aback...he was behaving strangely and he had been shaved. It didn't take but a few minutes before I fell in love. He had been rescued from the streets when he was 3 by our vet. He was agressive and had been mistreated. He fur was matted, he had heartworms and was underweight. He just needed a family to love him and we needed a dog to love. Dexter was not just any dog. Most people didn't understand him. There were several people who loved Dexter and who he loved as well. He knew who was a dog lover and who wasn't. He was our protection, our friend, our "son", our "brother, our comfort, our stress, our first try at parental responsibility and the presence of unconditional love in our house. There are countless Dexter stories in the almost 10 years that we had him. The one story that I've recounted in my head so many times since he passed is the time he saved Grant's life....at least in my estimation. Avery was a baby. Grant, Avery and I went down for our afternoon nap. Something we did every day. Grant always slept and never got out of his bed but to tell me he was up. This one particular afternoon, I forgot Dexter outside (and I thank God). I made sure Grant was asleep, locked the door and layed down with the baby. About 45 minutes into my nap, I heard Dexter barking like crazy....but that was common for him to bark, what was uncommon was the way he was barking. It was a different pitch, a different way, and incessant. I reluctantly got up to bring him in before he woke the kids. When I went to the door, I found Grant on his tricycle at the road. Dexter knew he was out there and it wasn't right and he was trying to get my attention to protect this little member of his "pack." One cannot imagine my state at that moment. Between my upset over Grant and my immense gratefullness for Dexter, I was quite a case of emotions. We learned two lessons after that day: 1. always deadbolt the door for naps and 2. Dexter had a "get out of jail free" card for the remainder of his life. For the rest of his life when he got himself into trouble we reminded ourselves of that day. Beau wasn't real hip on the idea of getting a dog but let me tell you he was as much Beau's best friend as he was mine....if not more. Over the last year as Dexter's health has declined, every time we opened the gate coming home we held our breath waiting for him to bark and this time, he didn't....and I knew in my heart he was gone. We miss him immensely. I cannot express the sadness and grief in our hearts over this dog whom we loved and won our hearts. He would have done anything to protect us. Beau said, he loved our family and he protected our family...he did his job and he was able to die knowing his did his job and he did it well. We will always have a special place in our hearts for Dexter and no other dog will ever replace him. We love you Dexter, Dexy, Tebwezz, Port-o-Mack, Ft. Smith, Forto Gregory and our hearts ache in your absence.

I was afraid I'd do this. I was determined to keep up with this blog. I was certain I'd do this often. I have failed! I am going to try to keep up for a while longer. So, a lot has been going on since June. We've survived the summer...well, we didn't survive the summer, we thoroughly enjoyed the summer. We stayed home for the most part as summer is Daddy's busy time of the year. Uncle Frank, Blakely and Ally came in for 10 days and we LOVED every minute of it! You don't know how much you really miss family until they are 700 miles away. It occurred to me that my brother has been in Kansas for almost 20 years now! I cannot believe that. It is such a good time when we are together....laughs are plenty and bonding happens. We adore my neices and soak up every minute we have with them as those minutes are so few and far between. What I wouldn't do to be a part of their lives daily. Savy G turned 1. What a year it's been for my sister's family and here she is 1 year old and healthy as a horse! Daddy had to have a second back operation while recovering from the first and is on the road to healing again slowly but getting there. August 7th rolled around before we knew it and Grant has begun the 2nd grade! Boy is that big boy or what??? Avery and I had a small pity party when Grant started school. We both missed our "Bubbies" a lot so we made the traditional pepperoni pinwheels and first day cupcakes for his first day home from school! Now, we get our business done each day and anxiously await the big yellow bus to come down the road at 3:45 each day. So far Grant has done well adjusting to being in school again. He misses being home with me and Sissy but he's glad to be back in the swing of things. Avery will start pre-K on September 1st. It will be a monumental occasion. The baby is going to school and Mommy will be sad and proud. Avery has waited so long for this day. Unlike Grant was at that age, she is more than ready to get this ball rolling! It will only be 3 days/week for 3hours each day...just enough for me to do Wal-Mart and housework and go get her! I am tinkering with the idea of tutoring some at the private schools in Denham while Avery is in school or maybe just volunteering at the nursing home by my house. We shall see. Until then, cold weather and camping is just around the corner and we are all four very excited about that! Until next time.....

Well, that about sums it up. 12 wonderful, fabulous, love and laugh-filled years...no, not perfect, but perfectly unperfect, if you ask me. It is truly amazing how quickly the time flies by. I can still remember the first day I saw Beau walking in the breezeway at McNeese en route to Kaufman from Kirkman wearing khakis, a yellow Nautica polo, Nike tennis shoes and a Cal Berkley hat. From the moment I saw him, I knew I had to meet him. Beau tells me I did a pretty good job with my eyes letting him know I was definitely interested. The rest is a long fun story but I'll save that for another day. I feel that we have truly embodied the "becoming one." It used to amaze us that one of us would say something random and the other was thinking the same thing at the same time....it happens so often now that we're just convinced that we are just that in sync with one another. It occurred to me recently that I love him more every day and now I love him for totally different or rather, more reasons than I ever knew I could. He is literally my very best friend and there is noone I would ever rather spend time with than him. I know for certain that I married my soul mate...the one I live for, LOVE to laugh with and love with every fiber of my being to the depths of my soul. A little dramatic? Sure, but no words can describe the way I feel about him...and I don't think words ever will.

It seems like just yesterday that my baby girl was born. When I found out I was pregnant, I just knew it was a boy. I was prepared for a boy and really liking the idea of having two boys especially since Grant was such an easy-going, loveable, laid back boy. I had envisioned all sorts of things with brothers and a whole brood of boys! One bright January morning I was shocked to see the ultrasound printed out and reading "Grant's sister" with an arrow pointing to the baby. I just KNEW it was a boy and had totally prepared mentally for that. Now, it was time to switch gears...pink gears! I started getting really excited about pretty pink things and hair bows and sewing, etc...Easy pregnancy until the end. On my last appointment, Dr. Mac said my blood pressure was high and I could either stay on bedrest indefinitely or go in and be induced in two days. We chose the latter. We went in on a Thursday night, pitocin was started in the wee hours. I insisted on a natural labor/delivery again and this time it was far worse as I had back labor very bad....but a good tub in my room. After my water broke and real labor progressed, it wasn't long. Avery was born at 4:15 on Friday, May 27th 2005. She was 7 lbs 8 oz. and that was 2 weeks early! She was so laid back and took to breastfeeding MUCH easier than her brother had. We brought her home on Saturday. Heather was keeping Grant and Olivia at our house. The AC had gone out and we came home to an 80 degree house in May. Beau was able to get someone to come out and fix it late that night after pulling the "my wife and newborn" card. Next day Beau (our protector and provider) put a sign on both doors of the house that said "NO VISITORS: Cathy had a rough labor/delivery and awful day yesterday!" it made some people mad...I thought it was a very loving and protecting act! And then, AC went out again. So, we trekked an hour south to my gracious mother-in-law's house to stay until the AC was fixed for sure. No place is a good place to be other than home when you come home from the hospital, but her house was the next best thing! By Monday, the AC was fixed and we were officially home. When I think back on Avery's infancy, I recall a moment that makes me and Beau laugh today. One night, I insisted on taking over parenting duties for Grant's bedtime b/c I had been recovering for a few days and Daddy had been doing that. I tried. He wanted Daddy. He didn't want Mommy. Even though my head told me not to take it personally, my heart did. Then Grant dropped the bomb! "I want Daddy! Can't you just go put Avery back in your tummy????" I was crying, he was crying and Beau was bringing me Avery b/c she was crying and needed to nurse. I just remember the four of us in the kitchen floor....3/4 of us crying and 1/4 of us shaking his head like "who do I fix first???" Good times!
I love my sweet, funny, chatty, chatty, chatty little Avery. I can't imagine what life would be like without her...too quiet, that's for sure!

Wow! We just got home from Grant's Awards Day program. Sometimes I wish I weren't such a crier. I'm here to tell ya, I'm about to be elected the town crier for the amount of tears I shed over joy, sadness, pride, etc... This academic year has been an amazing one for Grant! Last year was so tough...starting all day Kindergarten, being bullied, having to learn to stand up for himself, trying to come out of his shell. This year, I remember didn't start out so great either. Unfortunately with the 4 deaths in the family in one year, Grant had a very rough first two weeks after the passing of Toot. He went through the terrified phase of not wanting to leave home for fear that we would die and after many, many shed tears (between both of us), lots of prayers, having to peel him off of me to go to school and seeing the school counselor he got past that phase. No 6 year old should have to deal with that many family members passing in one calendar year. He began to really come out of his shell socially....making lots of new friends and really loving school and his teacher. We were blessed to have Grant in the class he was in. His teacher was amazing! So amazing, in fact, that she won teacher of the year (at which award presentation, I cried for her....GEEZ!) Towards the end of the year at our parent/teacher conference Grant's teacher gave me a fabulous report of Grant's academics, social skills, leadership qualities and the like. I was beaming. I am so proud of the young man he is becoming (and yes, I am getting choked up while writing this). He was one of 2 today who won the principal's leadership award, many academic awards and even an award for his ability to share his knowledge and input in class discussion. He did exceptionally well on his standardized tests and I thank God for all of it and his humility. From the time Grant was conceived, this is what we prayed for....a happy, healthy, intelligent, humble, social baby....God knows the desires of our hearts. I know this. This is my day to brag on my baby and brag I will!

At the teacher conference, Grant's teacher did ask me if Avery was much like her brother. I said "well, if by like him you mean kind, tender, smart, respectful then yes....if you mean by laid back and easy going and quiet, the answer is a resounding NO." She certainly is very different than Grant in that respect. Don't worry, her blog is coming soon and it's sure to prove wordy and chatty just like her!

I love my children. I am so proud to be Grant and Avery's mom. Long before I ever met Beau, I dreamed of pulling up into that carpool and hanging out anxiously waiting on my baby to come and greet me and tell me all about his/her day. I'm here to tell you that when that dream came true, it was all I ever hoped of and more. Ok, so maybe hanging out in the carpool line isn't your dream of motherhood but to me, it was going to be the moment I had "arrived" as a mother. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't as easy as a lot of people think, but I promise you it's the most rewarding job I'll ever have. So what do we do...exactly? MOMS sit in the carpool and anxiously await the play-by-play of the day, MOMS obsess over how many times their 3 year has pooped that week, MOMS get frustrated and then laugh over what was so frustrating later, MOMS can NEVER get enough hugs and kisses and sometimes have to force them on their almost 7 yr old who isn't giving them as often as he used to, MOMS love, MOMS fuss, MOMS' hearts ache for their children, MOMS laugh the loudest when their kid is the comedian, MOMS cry the hardest when their children are hurting, MOMS love to make birthday cakes exactly the way their child has dreamed it up even if it means staying up half the night just to see the smile on their face, MOMS cherish the homemade cards over any gift ever bought, MOMS read...A LOT of children's books and love doing all of the voices, MOMS take walks, MOMS listen, MOMS mess up...often, but MOMS do everything they can to make life a balance of love, fun and structure (which yes, includes discipline) for the greater good of their children. Obviously that isn't the extent of what moms do, but to me, those are just a few of the job descriptions I had in my mind when the job of motherhood made itself available to me. Whatever your motherhood job description was in your mind, I wish you all the best in fullfilling those duties and I promise you that I will do my best too to get the job done....as best I know how. Happy Mother's Day!

As Mother's Day approaches once again, I feel compelled to tell you about my mother. My mom in words...fun, funny, loving, gentle, kind, wise, cute, strong, friendly, optimistic...I could go on and on. If you know my mom, you would probably agree and if you didn't, well, them's is fighting words! I realize often just how big a part of my life that my mother is (especially when she calls me today concerned b/c she hasn't heard from me since Wednesday night - and don't get my sister started...she teases me often that I call them way too much.) The fact of the matter is that I don't call my mom every day or every other day because I need to...I call her often because my heart desires to share with her all it has that day. My mother is the most wonderful role model of what it is to be a mother and I give her so much credit for making me the mother I am today. I don't think women really can appreciate their mothers to the fullest until they have children. As a mother myself, I can look back now and see when my heart ached, hers ached more and when I experienced joy, she shared it with me more than anyone else. My mother is the woman/wife/mother I aspire to be every day...cliche'? Sure. But true nonetheless. So mom, when you read this, know that I love you and I thank you for my addiction to treats and soda, loving to take road trips with me, being the strong but loving disciplinarian you were, listening to all of my silly rants, being my eternal optimist (right alongside Beau) and my biggest cheerleader, giving me honest advice, praying with me, being my audience when I so often wanted one and being the encourager and mother every girl should be so blessed to have. Happy Mommy's Day!

I often ask Beau..."What would people think if they were looking in our windows?" You just never know what you'll see. I can say without a doubt that I know I married my soul mate when he has no qualms about reenacting a Journey video with the family...costumes, instruments and vocals. I think he knew what he was getting into when he met me and Lisa...babies of the family, always striving to be the comedians and centers of attention. Fortunately, with his laid back attitude and willingness to allow me to be just that we fit like puzzle pieces...but don't let his quiet demeanor fool you...he is often the one to initiate our rock video reenactments. I'm off to go finish sewing...I'm exhausted from rocking out so hard.

One more thing...it makes me laugh out loud when I think back on my brother's class of 1988 high school pin...it was in the shape of Louisiana and the top of the state was a hand giving the "rock on" sign and beneath that it said something along the lines of "SHHS Class of '88 Rocks!" Classy folks.

So, last weekend, Grant got the opportunity to accompany Beau on a trip to Sandy Hollow to a gopher tortoise sanctuary (I'm probably mis-naming it)...it's a place where the threatened gopher tortoises can live in harmony with nature (sand) and each other. They went with another biologist to school some local Girl Scouts on gopher tortoises and their habitat. Grant apparently was in his element....talking to the ladies and sharing his knowledge of biology with them. Apparently his innate reasoning concerning the burrows impressed not only the scouts but his father and fellow biologist as well. What can I say? He is his father's son in that respect. I only wish I could have seen him in action. Sometimes that kid is 6 going on 43. It cracks me up! He loves to be informative...whether it is to Avery on how to hammer stakes in the ground safely or to me on how to not be fearful of picking up a common snapping turtle by the tail. Oh the things we learn...

Well, it looks like blogspot and I broke up for a while. For the last two weeks every time I got on my site adware and spyware totally infected mine and my mother's computers (shaking fists in the air). We've worked it out and I think we can move on past this...that being said, more blog entries to come very soon.

My mom reminded me today of Grant's imaginary friend, Paul. Let me tell ya...that Paul was some rascal! Paul appeared around the time of Avery's birth....maybe right before. When I told Grant to do something he didn't particularly care to do, he was quick to tell me what Paul thought about it...not him, but Paul. Paul was very mischievous...we got to hear about all of his tales. I even vaguely remember Beau and I having to send Paul away for a few days and would you know, he went! Grant informed us that Paul was the size of a mosquito and so was his father. His father's job was to sit atop the streetlights and change their colors for traffifc. Apparently Paul's mom was in jail...not sure where that one came from. Anyway, we don't hear much about Paul anymore but Grant informed me today that he is in fact still around...he just stays out of town a lot. It think that is best for all of us. Good ole Paul...

Avery received a hand-me-down Upwards cheerleading outfit from her cousins...she is ready to learn cheers and Mommy was happy to provide some...of course we censored out "sexy" and replaced it with "pretty" in Firecracker...I think that is what this good little Nazarene girl did when she was 3. ; )

I was just thinking today how awesome it is to be a stay-at-home mom. Today, Avery and I dropped Grant off at school, drove by and checked out some real estate....one day we will find our dream house in the country...then came home to clean. There is nothing like cleaning bathrooms and playing hide and go seek in the midst of messy hands and the mind-numbing aroma of cleaners galore! One bathroom down...what to do during the intermission??? Robotics dance with Avery to Lady Gaga...what else? So, after a few songs and making up interpretive dances to them, we're off to the kitchen to eat lunch and then it's back to housework....this is the life!

Warning: If you are not an animal lover, you will not appreciate this story.

Avery wanted to ride her bike this morning so I walked Dexter as we went along. We passed a house where an English bulldog and a Yorkie live together. They usually are contained in their fence but today, somehow the two got out and were livin' it up in the ditch. I thought I was going to pass out from laughing when I witnessed this: the bulldog would get in the ditch and the Yorkie would jump the ditch over him. The bulldog would scoot down the ditch a ways and the Yorkie would jump the ditch over him. The Yorkie only jumped the ditch across his friend. It was hilarious. Then upon completion of the last jump, he fell in the water and looked around like "this is great!" The two continued to frolick around the yard having the time of their lives. I can only imagine if dogs talked what they were thinking. I only wish I would have had my camera on me.

We always try to keep a good balance when it comes to Easter. Yes, we love the Easter Bunny and dying and hiding eggs. Dressing up in our "L'il Magic" outfits, etc. But we do our best to make sure Grant and Avery know that all of that is just fun tradition and the real reason we celebrate Easter is remembering that Jesus died for our sins. So, in making our Easter cross for the flower beds, it turned out to be a great lesson for both of them. It is amazing to me how much children listen and ask questions when you are working on things together. Making our cross, decorating it and "planting" it in the flowerbeds did just that...sparked conversation. Funny thing was that Avery was asking all of the questions and Grant was answering. Some of the questions and answers were funny and some were downright impressive. They really do listen when you are talking. Happy Easter!

Yesterday Grant was playing in the front yard with Avery and our 3 year old neighbor. I had to ask the neighbor not go in our flower beds b/c of Beau's precious seedlings that we don't want broken or disturbed. Well the neighbor goes into our other neighbor's flowerbeds when I went inside. So, my 6( going on 35) year old son comes to tell me this story:

Mom, Neighbor Boy (protecting the innocent) went into their flower beds and I told him he needed to come out so he doesn't mess up their plants. He didn't want to. I told him he was acting like he owned this property and I told him he doesn't own this property and I know he doesn't b/c he is not rich!

Apparently one must be rich to own property??? (Keep in mind, the neighbor boy is 3 and can barley talk.) Grant then procedes to tell me that he rattled off the three reasons he knew the boy wasn't rich....and they are quite obvious. A. The clothes the boy had on....he was not wearing bow ties. B. He does not ride in limosines. and C. well, he knew there was a third characteristic of "richness" but couldn't remember at that moment.

So, the lesson? You can TOTALLY judge a book by it's cover...if a person is rich, he will be a property owner, wear a bow tie and ride in a limosine.

So, apparently Grant and I were my dermatologist's dream come true today. Just between the two of us, we had 4 skin issues. I've recently learned that plantar warts hurt! Having them burned hurt even more. So, got that taken care of and then had a little cosmetic post-preggers weird skin stuff fixed. Geez! They don't tell you in the books about all of the bizarre post-pregnancy issues that arise....it would probably freak too many of us out. Oh well, small price to pay for sweet babies. And Laura, I'm going to pass on the pics of all the skin issues. I'm really trying to keep my blog a vomit-free zone.

Next morning we were up and ready to go....coffee outside, waking to the warblers (which I need to learn to deal with...I just as soon wish the warblers would warlbe themselves back to sleep) - noone said I was a camper just yet....I have to ease into this. We spent the entire day hiking, fishing, playing in the creeks, exploring, riding bikes. It was wonderful. Grant fell off his scooter on a very steep hill trying to be a daredevil. He cut chunks of meat out of his arm and knee. Avery got tangled up in Dexter's rope as he tried to run after some kids. I stepped out of the camper into my shoe and onto some stinging insect which we never could locate. Stung so bad I couldn't move my foot for a good part of the night. Next morning it was better. Beau came out of the experience unscathed. We were whooped by the end of the day. Matter of fact, Dexter was so exhausted that Beau said not even a child dressed as the UPS man dancing a jig on a bicycle could excite him...it was true. We even wondered if Dexter would wake up the next morning...poor old boy. All in all, a wonderful trip with no tv or radio or cell phone...just the way I like it.

So, for the last few years, we've been putting money away in order to buy either a camper or a boat. When the money had been saved, we opted for the camper for a myriad of reasons. A. We're not so much boat people. B. Hurricane evacuations! C. Quality family time and memory making for years to come. I think (C.) was the real reason we opted for the camper. And already, it has proven to be just that - a memory machine! After a disappointing first weekend when all close campgrounds were booked, we camped in the backyard. It was a great trial run. This past weekend was our first real deal. We headed "close" to a campground in Mississippi that was supposed to take less than two hours to get to...ended up taking us three. No reservations can be made. We prayed the entire way, "God please have one, just one spot left for us." We arrived at dusk and would you know....God answered our prayer very specifically...ONE spot left and there was one other car behind us. Yikes! We got there and had to set up camp in the dark. Beau and I were tired and foul from having to squelch the excitement of the kids long enough to set up camp in the dark. I failed to mention the campsite we had was right next to the bath house.....that could be good or bad. Once all was set up, we could relax by the fire and begin to enjoy our first adventure!

Well, here I am....on the bandwagon a tad late. Not into "tweeting" so I felt this was a better fit. Mostly this blog is being created for selfish reasons. I feel like I forget so many wonderful, humorous things throughout the day and won't remember them in the future. This way, I can keep a record of memories and give you a glimpse into the day to day goings on in the Gregory household....a' la Doogie Howser minus the blue screen, white cursor and Vinnie.