Favorites!

We are not promised a tomorrow,

so it's what we do today that matters!

 

Remember, when you leave this earth you can take with

you nothing that you have received, only what you have given.

 

Home is where the heart is.

Twenty favorites!

1. Favorite Person:   My Kids
2. Favorite Past time:  Hanging by the pool
3. Favorite Game:  Scrabble
4. Favorite Author:  Danielle Steele/Nora Roberts
5. Favorite Children's Book:  Love you Forever, Brown Bear Brown Bear
6. Favorite Scent:  Clean Linen
7. Favorite Time of Day:  Early morning
8. Favorite Sport:  Football
9. Favorite Food: Chocolate
10. Favorite Color: Green
11. Favorite Season: Spring
12. Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving (use to be Christmas, but it's become too commercial)
13. Favorite Ice Cream: Double Chocolate Supreme (duh!)
14. Favorite drink: Sweet tea, diet coke, coffee
15. Favorite Adult drink: Toasted Almond
16. Favorite Actor: Sean Connery
17. Favorite TV show: Hoarders, CSI
18. Favorite Music: Country
19. Favorite Musician: Alan Jackson
20. Favorite Animal: Dogs

Now you know!

 

A Thousand Band-aids!

A thousand band aids? Well, pretty close to it! Some of those band aids were to cover Mom's broken heart when my baby was hurt!  That baby was Jake! Perhaps the title to the post should have been "A Stitch in Time"!



Injury #1

(Injury #1) 16 months old, drinking a bottle, fell on the cement with a bottle in your mouth  Your chin was cut all the way through.  You would try to drink something and it would come out of your chin.  Off to the ER we go.  They put a white straight jacket on your tiny little body.  After screaming for what seemed like forever, you finally just gave in! 


Injury #2, after surgery

(Injury #2) 3 years old.  You fell on a picnic table bench, hit your nose just in the right place that it practically ripped your nose off.  There was so much blood it was hard to see how much damage had been done.  Hospital #1 sent us to hospital #2 where they had plastic surgeons.  My stomach turned every time I looked at your sweet face.  Surgery put it back together and now no one (except us) can tell! 

Injury #3, Leaving the hospital, all doped up!

(Injury #3) 6 years old.  You and your cousin, Emily, decided to go a little (okay a lot) too fast on Uncle Wade's four wheeler.  We still aren't clear what happened, because y'all didn't seem to remember.  We are SO lucky y'all weren't hurt any worse than you were.  It could have been a fatal accident, and I am so grateful it wasn't.  The docs didn't want you to walk on your leg and you refused to even try the crutches, so a wheel chair it was!

After injury #3, I QUIT COUNTING!  There were many more to come!   Bicycle accidents, a rope accident in a tree (yes, I still haven't figured out how a rope was in the tree and you just about hung yourself!), swimming pool accident that required stitches, oh, and the time you stuck a knife in an electrical outlet and shocked yourself!  (YES, there was an outlet cover, you pulled it out!) 

I am thankful that your brother only a broke an arm and had to have knee surgery after a football injury!  (Thank you Tyler!)

Isn't that a sad sight!

Nasty!

You think this looks bad, you should have seen it before it was fixed!

There just happened to be a rope in the tree and it somehow
got around my neck., (by the way, not at our house, at one of the neighbors).

Swimming Pool accident

Boy meets pavement

Now, see why I feel so lucky to still have you!  You kept the doctors and hospitals busy, that's for sure!  You had a rough time of it, but it never stopped you!  Besides all these injuries, you also had surgery to put tubes in your ears and to take them out, and countless ER visits from bee stings.

I am one happy mama that my baby survived his childhood!  Love you, Jake!

Happy Birthday Mocha!

Happy Birthday Mocha!  11 years old today.  You don't look a day over 10!  You have brought so much joy and happiness to our lives!  You were the pup I didn't want.  When dad brought you home I was furious!  What on earth did we need another dog for?  You were cute alright.  A big ball of soft fur.  You loved to play and were so clumsy at first!  You were the perfect height to grab hold of Jake's tee's and pull him down, and you snipped at Tyler's feet and calves.  Now I know puppies are just like babies, and are very orally fixated, but come on ... really, did you have to chew up all of my breakfast table chairs?  Did you think I wouldn't notice that you chewed the corners off my kitchen cabinets.  Did you think that every shoe in the house was there for your entertainment?  I really am sorry I "kicked" you to the backyard, but I just didn't know what else to do.  You were so high strung, full of energy, and I couldn't leave you for a minute!  I guess you were really mad about being banned to the backyard, didn't take you long to eat the fence slats, tear the patio cushions up, and dig a hole under your dog house the size of the grand canyon!  I really did feel sorry for you, being out there all alone, but what's a Mom to do?

You can thank Jake for my willingness to let you back into the house!  He had hurt his leg very badly in a four wheeler accident and was in a wheel chair for a while.  He was bored, lonely, couldn't play with his friends, and he wanted YOU to keep him company ... and of course, I wanted him to be happy!  You ran through the back door and never looked back!  I guess you'd either learned your lesson or "grew" out of the puppy phase.  Whichever it was, was fine with me!  You were obedient, sweet, and respected MY limits!  You wiggled your way right into my heart.  You became my shadow, my friend, my child. 

You have loved us like no other pet has ever done, and I hope you know how very much you are loved!  Happy Birthday Princess!  We love you!

A Love Letter to My First Born

Your Dad was so Proud!

April 30, 1991 was definitely the first happiest day of my life.  The day you were born, Tyler Sean Rhone. You were was born at 7:22 pm weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 1/4 inches.  After a long day of labor and complications, you were delivered by c-section.  I had daydreamed about meeting you while I was pregnant.  I had our first look engraved in my mind.  I had a quick glance at you, but then you were rolled off to the nursery with your proud daddy only a step behind!  He wasn't going to let you out of his site.  Both of your grandmother's were there.  You were the first grandson to be born on both sides of our family.  Oh, you were going to be one spoiled little boy!  What seemed like hours later, they brought you to me all snuggled up in a blanket with a cute little hat on your head.  I was amazed.  Amazed at how perfect you were, how beautiful you were, and amazed that you were mine.  The joy quickly turned into panic.  Countless thoughts rushed through my head.  Would I be a good mother?  Would I know when you were hungry, sick, or cold.  Would I know what you needed and when you needed it.  How would I know what size shoes to buy you, what if they were too little and hurt your feet?  Shear panic!  I had not thought of this before.  How on earth did I deserve such a precious gift?  The tears flowed.  Tears of happiness and fear all mixed together.  I wanted to be a perfect mother for you, I knew that from the start.  I had to be, because you were perfect.  You deserved to have the best of everything!

We soon settled into a routine and figured each other out.  You whimpered and I was there!  I use to love to watch you sleep, your dad and I both.  Sometimes he'd come get me, grab my hand, and we would stand next to your crib just watching you sleep.  You were a good baby, slept all night after a few weeks.  You loved your bottles, but hated the pacifier.  I'd put it in, you'd spit it out!  You loved bath time, we both did.  More often than not we both were soaking wet.  You didn't like being in your crib when you were awake.  The minute you woke up you started crying to get out!  You started climbing out of your crib shortly after your first birthday.  I was so not ready for my baby to be in a big boy bed, but safety came first.  Your Maw-maw made all your bedding, diaper stacker, curtains for your room.  The ABCs and 123s in bears.  She poured lots of love into every stitch.  I still have it hoping you'd want to use it for your child one day.

I will never forget the time you rolled off the twin bed in your room and hit the floor.  You were only 4 weeks old.  What baby rolls at 4 weeks?  I only turned my back for a second.  You cried for a split second, I cried the whole day.  What mother let's her baby roll off of a bed?  A hard lesson for a first time mom.

The first time I had to leave you to go back to work, I thought I was going to die.  I left you in good hands, but my heart ached for you so.  I wondered, would you miss me, would you think I left you and wasn't coming back?  Would you love your caregivers more than me?  Would you think they were your mom?  But, soon we both adjusted to that as well, but it still didn't make leaving you any easier.  I could not wait to get off from work to see you smile when I picked you up!  The work day was so long, and our evening time seemed so short.  Weekends were all that kept me going, and you, of course!

Before we knew it, you were a year old!  You walked right after your first birthday.  You were very active and loved to play.  You and dad would play on the floor for hours.  You always kept a smile on our faces!  We were very close, our little family of three.  We didn't have any family that lived close and everything in our world was you!  Sometimes I wished that we had grandparents or aunts close enough to help us.  In later years, I realized that by having to depend just on each other made our family bond closer.  On your first birthday I cried all day.  I couldn't believe you were one!  It was sad to me, I didn't want you to turn one, two, three ... I wanted you to stay my baby forever.

You were an active toddler and it didn't stop when you started school.  You loved sports and wanted to do it all!  You loved riding your bike, looking for bugs, and doing all those other little boy things.  You always wanted to be with us.  While I was cooking, you were on the kitchen floor playing.  If dad was on the floor watching TV, you were right there with him.  I use to call you our little shadow.

Do you remember your bear?  Boy, I do.  That bear was your best friend.  He had a lot of miles on him and had the stains and rips to prove it.  He went everywhere with you.  Remember how you always wanted him cold?  Sometimes you would put him in the refrigerator.  In the car, you wanted him held up to the a/c vent so he would be cold, and you couldn't drink a glass of juice without your bear in your hands!  Remember the day we put him away?  You were a big boy then, made a big boy decision.  He was falling apart, he had been stitched for the last time.  You were so brave.  You didn't cry, but I did.  I don't think you ever knew that.  I went to my room and cried like a baby.  We still have him, he's in the box we put him in all those years ago.  I wrote you a letter about your bear a few days later, it's in the box with him.  One day perhaps you'll pull him out and read it. 

Your first word was Da-Da.  That didn't surprise me.  You were daddy's boy!  You and dad had a connection, sometimes one I didn't understand.  The times I couldn't seem to make you happy, dad always did!  You always wanted to be outside!  You loved cranes and water towers!  We were always looking for them while out and about.  You hated being in the car, especially as an infant and restrained in a car seat.  A trip of more than a few minutes was a nightmare.  We often traveled to Louisiana and you screamed the whole way there, every time.  Thankfully, you out grew this.  Your first Christmas present was a farm house, you chewed on the duck so much he wouldn't squeak.  Your first "real" Halloween costume was Shredder from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You loved watching the Weather Channel, all the bright colors.  Your favorite movie as a young child was "Two dogs and a cat lost in the woods", (also known as Homeward Bound).  And, much to your dad's dismay, you loved Barney! 

I loved watching you with your baby brother, especially in the times when you thought no one was looking.  You were so sweet to him.  The way you would talk to him melted my heart.  Once he began walking and getting into your things, that changed!  The times you were sweet to him became fewer and farther apart.  I knew you loved him.  You tolerated him.  I often wondered when I was pregnant with Jake, how on earth I would love this baby as much as I loved you!  I didn't know if I had it in me to love another child the way I loved you, I just couldn't imagine it.  But luckily, God had already figured all that out, I didn't have to share my love with both my children, because I loved them equally.  I had enough love for you both and I loved you both for who you were!  After Jake was born you seemed so "big" to me!  Up until he was born, you were still my baby, even at 7.  I was worried that you would think I loved him more, because babies require much more attention.  I really tried to give you everything you needed, and I hope I didn't fail you or make you feel unloved at any time in your life.

You played sports year round and was good at them all.  Dad and I loved watching you play whichever sport was in season.  We were so proud of your athletic abilities and you always displayed good sportsmanship.  I miss watching you perform.  I miss you period. 

Do you know when we left you at college that first time, I cried all the way home?  Silent tears running down my face.  I couldn't believe my first born son was in college.  I found myself in your room many times, not even remembering going up there.  I would sit on your bed, look around your room, and ache for you.  I don't expect you to understand, you probably think I'm silly ... and that's okay, because I know one day you will feel the same.   It's been so hard to let you grow up.  I have always wanted to be there for you every minute, to protect you, to comfort you, to guide you.  My wish for you is to always love passionately, not just in relationships, but in everything you do.  Always be honest!  Take life as an adventure, enjoy every moment.  Embrace even the bad times, for they will make you stronger.  I hope you'll be there for your brother.  You're one of the reasons we had him!  We didn't want you to be alone in this world one day when we're gone.  Perhaps one day you'll think of him as our gift to you!

I've always tried to let you know how very much you are loved.  I pray you have never felt unloved, unwanted, or unappreciated.  Your dad and I both are so proud of the little boy you were and the man you've become.  You have always never ceased to amaze us, from a tiny baby to the loving, caring man you are. 

Always remember, I love you all the way

around the world and back again!

Mom



A Love Letter to My Youngest Son

December 29, 1998.  Jacob Walker Rhone, that's the day you were born.  The "second" happiest first day of my life.  You were delivered by c-section at 10:18 am weighing 9 lbs. 6 oz. and you were 22 inches long.  You were born almost a month early, sure wouldn't know it by your size!  In fact, you started trying to make it into this world way before your time.  I was put on bed rest with you at 5 months pregnant....way too early for you to be born.  I stayed in the hospital a total of 11 times, sometimes for several weeks, while I was pregnant with you.  It was a very difficult pregnancy, and I wondered would you be difficult as well.  Totally the opposite!  You were the best baby!  I prayed the whole time I was pregnant that you would be okay.  I was terrified that all of the complications were going to affect you.  I had already had one perfect son, and I wanted another.  But, I also knew, that I would love you no matter what.  I loved you before you were conceived.  I wanted you so badly.  Your dad and I tried for a long time to have you.  We lost a baby before you.  I was overjoyed the day I found out we were expecting you!  The day we found out you were a boy, tears of happiness ran down my face.  I wanted another boy.  I wanted you like I had never wanted anything in my life.  And, we were ever so thankful when you were perfect too!  No lasting effects from the pregnancy complications, or being born too early.  You were a big butterball baby with lots of hair and boy could you scream.  (Not to mention your first hello to your doctor was pee in her face!)  Wonder how many baby boys instantly pee the minute they're born.  You acted like you'd been holding it awhile!  Everyone in the operating room laughed.  All I wanted to know was if you were okay.  I wanted to know if your lungs were developed.  They laughed at that too, because you were screaming!  They said "Don't you hear him screaming?" "He wouldn't be able to scream that loud if his lungs were not good!"

Your big brother looked at you with the sweetest eyes.  He was amazed by you.  He loved you instantly.  Now, I know, that you've wondered over the years if he loved you at times, but I assure you, he loved you!  He might not have always shown it, might have acted like he hated you at times, but I promise, he loved you.  Siblings are like that!  I know, I had three brothers!

You filled our house with love and laughter!  You were always smiling and you too, were always on the go!  You sometimes would lay in your crib for hours talking, playing, just patiently waiting for someone to come get you.  You loved playing by yourself, especially with your beloved army men!  Everytime we went shopping you wanted a new pack of army men, and I, of course, gave them to you!  I use to hate finding army men all over the house!  Truth be told, I miss that now.  One day, not too long ago, I found one stuck under the sofa, I cried.  I cried for my little baby who was no more.  I cried for the memories, I cried just because.  I guess those days of despising those things all over the house weren't so bad after all.  Otherwise, would I have missed them?  I sometimes wonder if you even miss playing with them.  I know!  You're a teenager now and you don't play with toys.  Sad.  Sad because I miss my baby, my little boy.  But, I so love the young man you are!  You are so happy go lucky.  You are always smiling, always happy.  You are so loving, considerate, smart, and a thousand other things!

Remember your "nite-nites"?  I still wonder why you called them that.  Cloth burp diapers.  Maybe because I always stuck one under your chin and you would hold on to it while drinking your bottles.  You liked the way they felt.  Maybe you associated that last bottle of the day with going "nite-nite" with your soft cloths.  You loved to hang on to those!  You had twenty of them and you wanted them all!  Your bed was like a nest of cloth diapers.  I loved how you would twist a small corner and put it in your ear, lay your head down and go to sleep.  Eventually they became shreds, after countless washings and being drug all over the place.  You slept with those things til you were 7.  One day you just decided you didn't want them any more.  Put them up!  you said.  I put them all in a zip lock bag and they're in your childhood keepsake box.  I cried.  My baby didn't want his security blanket any longer.  Tough day to be a Mom.

What else did you love?  Let's see, your first word was dirt.  Yep, dirt.  You loved dirt.  You loved guns.  What three year old asks Santa for a machine gun and a bazooka?  You knew every gun there was!  You would roll around in the front yard with your guns, making noises, having the best time.  Your dad and I would stand at the kitchen window and just watch you.  We loved watching you use your imagination, and what an imagination you had!  The stories!  ..and the stories you loved for your dad to tell.  Everyday, you wanted dad to tell you a story, and you hung on to every word!  You also loved to go to Home Depot, or Home Bepot as you called it.  Nothing like sitting on the riding lawn mowers!  That was soooo cool to you!  You acted as if going to Home Depot was like going to the playground! You loved "Bear in the Big Blue House", we had every video to be had! 

You also loved your brother.  You wanted to be with any time he was around.  You loved trying to keep up with him and doing all the things he was doing.  You rode your bike at 3 with no training wheels...bubba didn't have training wheels.  Remember that?  You use to call him bubba....but somewhere along the way you changed it to "Tyder"....guess you heard us calling him Tyler and it stuck with you.  I'll never forget the day he was at school and you snuck into his room. I found you sitting amongst all his baseball cards.  Baseball cards were everywhere!  You learned to do many things at a young age trying to be like "bubba"! 

I'll save all your childhood injuries for another post!  (That's a full post all on it's on!)  You kept us at the hospital for one reason or another! 

I could go on and on, but I won't.  I hope you know, sweet Jake, how much we love you! 

You are my sunshine,

my only sunshine! 

Mom

Take Me Out to the Ballgame ...

This is Zeph, my nephew, whose baseball team won State Champs!  The went on to Regionals in Arkansas, played well, won a few, but were defeated.  So proud of him, my brother (one of the coaches), and his whole team!  Wow, what an awesome accomplishment! 

He's a great catcher!

His 10 year old team!

Only sad thing is, he and his brother, Kai, didn't get to come to my house this summer.  First time in 4 years.  Hoping for the week of Thanksgiving!

I am so proud of you Zeph Hunter!  Aunt Jodi loves you!!

Oh, Brother!

Oh, Brother!  Yes, that's about right when you have three of them!   Sometimes when I was a kid I didn't think having three brothers was that great, but now that I'm all grown up (sometimes) I do!  Our Mom had all four of us about two years apart.  Wade is the oldest, then me, then Wes, then Welby.  Ever heard of someone named Welby?  For those of us who are my age and older, you'll remember Marcus Welby, MD...the tv show, well, that's where his name came from!  I think having three brothers is why God blessed me with boys!  I wouldn't have known what to do with a daughter.  I would much rather be at the baseball field, football field, or any other outdoor sporting activity, rather than a dance recital hall, a beauty pageant, or any of the other things some girls like to do! 

My brothers are all special to me in different ways.  Wade, my older brother, is special because, well, he's older, I always looked up to him.  Apparently I was a bad biter as a child.  Evidently, (I don't remember), I bit him all the time.  I'm sure it was in self defense!  When our Mom was pregnant with Wes, (brother #2)  they would ask him if he wanted a sister or a brother and his response was "I don't care as long as it doesn't bite!"  Wade has two beautiful daughters whom I proud to call my nieces!  Big brothers are the best!

Brother #1, Wade (and me!)

Wes, my brother who's two years younger than me, is most like me.  We look alike, think alike, and have the same "neurotic" tendencies!  We both like things organized, clean, a certain way!  As children, we probably argued more than I did with the others.  Probably because we were so close in age and so much alike!  Wes is retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service.  I'm a proud sister!

Brother #2, Wes (and me!)

Welby, my baby brother, well, he's the baby, gotta love him!  He was like any other typical "baby" of the family.  In fact, as children he use to say, "I'm the baby, that's why".  He use to crawl into bed with me and always wanted his back rubbed!  As a teenager, I can remember telling my Mom, "You're too easy on him, you didn't let the rest of us do that!"  Welby and his wife, Angel, have two boys and one daughter, whom I adore!

Brother #3, Welby and his daugher Piper!

"A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams."