The Weathers Channel

2009-10-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

We finally having a baby. The countdown is on. We went to the doctor and had her checked the other day(note to self: put gun on the opposite side that she is grabbing; couldve been bad). The doctor said that Dawson still hasn't made his way down and is scared that he is now too big to fit. She will now be having a C section. This is not what Re wanted to hear but she has put her big girl panties on and dealing with it. We go in at 0700 hours on Friday and we couldn't be more pumped.

Does this really look comfortable? Re says that this is what we are going to do to Dawson. I think it looks like we are putting him in a straight jacket. How is he going to scratch his tush or suck his thumb. I have always told Re that she needed to practice picking up things with her toes in case she ever lost her arms. I guess she realized I was right and decided to let Dawson not use his arms. Anyway, we shall see how it goes. I imagine I will set him free when she is not looking.

Dawson's room is all ready. We have 30,000 outfits and they are all in order. There are a couple of questionable ones that look like dresses. She has a week to put him in what she calls a "day gown", better known as a dress. Im still waiting on smocked outfits for him and Bailey.

In other news, who has been to Turtle Creek Mall lately? If so, did it remind you of shopping in a foreign country. Walking through the food court, Asian women are trying to shove Shricken on a stick down your throat. Just outside the food court, a guy was trying to get us to try out his lotion. I thought that in itself was weird. Re said that some girl asked if she could use a straightener on her hair. Seriously, I know times are bad but in the words of MJ- "Leave me alone". I mean, what's next? Are the referees at foot locker going to start blowing their whistles at you when you go by to get your attention? Will the Cellular South booth bluetooth your phone and start calling you when you go by? You are not going to get me to buy Shricken, lotion, or Soul Glo hair care products by irritating me. Thank you for trying though.

We will keep you posted on Dawson's arrival.

Anyone have a tent?

2009-09-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

No posts lately because my computer is broke. Since the last post, I have moved out. Dont get upset, Re hasn't kicked me out of the house but it wont be long. Re has not been real comfortable lately- Im not sure why. She tosses and turns all night. She also sighs real loud every five minutes. The last straw was when she yelled "STEAMROLLER" around 0230 hours the other night. I am now sleeping on Jon Brent's "Cars" mattress in the bathroom but may have to move since Re goes to the bathroom all the time. I may be pitching a tent soon just to be on the safe side.

Everything looked good for Re's last appointment. Dawson is moving around good in there so he is apparently doing some pushups getting ready to bust out of there. Re still thinks that she may go into labor sooner than the doctors think. What do they know right? She has decided to do that water delivery thing at home. I went and got a Batman swimming pool and filled it up to prepare. She said that she doesn't need an epidural. She is going to have five or six cosmopolitans just before going into labor. She is tough.

In sad news, Mikey will be retired October 1st. This has been a very hard, and sad, decision. Mikey has been at work with me almost every day for the last five years. It is probably hard for some to understand how attached an officer gets to his k-9 partner but it is easy to do when you spend more time with them than you do your family. I will miss having Mikey as my partner but know that he will enjoy his retirement at the house protecting baby Dawson. I will post some photos and video soon if I can get my computer working.

"My eyes are your eyes, to watch and protect you and yours.
My ears are your ears, to hear and detect evil minds in the dark.
My nose is your nose, to scent the invader of your domain.
And so you may live, my life is also yours."

2009-08-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go to the hospital any second now. Thats right, Re says that she will be having Dawson any second now, at least thats what the janitor at some office she went to said. I think it was more like, "Ooooh girl, you bout to spit that thing out aint ya?". I guess Re put alot of faith in what this lady said. She fully convinced herself that Dawson was coming when she got home from work. Luckily Dr Benton set her straight today at her appointment and told her that she was still due in October.

She could believe this because of something called Braxton Hicks(which I called Briggs & Stratton) where you start feeling contractions. I don't think these are contractions. You could see him bobbing and weaving when the nurse pushed Re's stomach on the ultrasound. I think Dawson is trying to let her know that he is tired of being poked in the head, stomach, and ribs. He is now paying her back by performing some judo kicks to her stomach.

Re had a shower two weeks ago- yeah a baby shower. I think she bathes every 3 days. She racked up but I am very upset that we didnt get any matching outfits for Bailey and Dawson. We did get just about everything else you could imagine. Thanks to all who made it happen.

I am thankfully getting over the crud. I know alot of you would like for me to have gotten the Swine Flu so you would have had another reason to call me a pig. Well, sorry. The Z-pack I got has just about knocked it out so guess it wasn't life threatening.

Looking forward to Dawson being here soon

The word for the day is "beast"

2009-08-05T14:53:00.001-07:00

You know how these work. Try it and let me know what you see. Can you see the little baby? How cute. See his face, ear, and feet? You don't see it. Now you know how I felt in the 3D ultrasound we did today. Sherri and the nurse were obviously seeing Dawson while I was over in the chair squinting my eyes, turning my head, and trying to make out different body parts. After about 30 minutes, I finally saw what appeared to be a baby on the screen. I picked up on it alot more when they printed the pictures out for us.

That's my boy!

My boy has toes------------------------------------------------

ReRe was a little concerned with Dr. Benton's statement that she was having a "beast". I think they said he is already 3 lbs 11 ounces and has a while left to grow. I figured we may as well go for the record for world's biggest baby but not sure Re would be pumped about that. As long as he is healthy we will be happy. They have some great technology now and they were able to give us this picture of what he will look like if he keeps up this pace. If this is true, he will be the youngest competitor in Nathan's hot dog eating competition.

Re is feeling good except for a good bit of numbness in her hands. Better days ahead for her. She has really been a trooper and still going strong at work.

Now that I've covered the important stuff, on to the "babymoon". We had a great time in Aruba. No, we didn't find Natalie Holloway. We did ask some locals about it but they changed the topic real quick. All I have to say is Re better keep it up so she can take me every year. Next year will be Hawaii. What's your rank Re?

Anniversary?

2009-07-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

anniversary? I think we should come up with something a little more catching for this day. How about "J-Day", "BBFG"(Bye Bye Forrest General), or "The Family Guy"? I guess I look at it a little different than some- imagine that. I don't see this day as being one of mourning or gloom. Is it sad that J's wife and kids will miss out on having the best man in the world raise them? Absolutely. Is it fair that my mom and dad lost their son at such an early age? I don't think so. Do I miss J more every day? You bet.

However, anyone that knew J is 100% certain where he now spends eternity. I spent 6 months watching my brother slowly die. I watched him suffer day in and day out. I watched him muster up enough energy to go to the hospital to see Baby Ally born- he was so proud. I helped him to the bathroom because he didn't have the strength to get there. I watched him deteriorate day after day. I spent days watching him, or some form of him, lay in the bed in ICU with tubes in his mouth. I watched as my brother gasped his last breath here on earth and wiped the blood as it ran down his face. Where do you think J would rather be- in pain on earth, or at peace with his heavenly father? Easy answer!!!!

Lets go from those days to J's life today. I haven't told anyone but J has been sending me snail mail from Heaven, along with some photos. He has kept me informed about all of the stuff he has been doing since beginning his new life. He just recently sent a package so I thought I would share it with y'all. Heaven has been busy and J has been assigned to the Pearly Gates so he has met quite a few characters in the last few days. He sent me some photos of a few of them.

J said that Billy Mays came to the Pearly Gates still making deals. He had boxes and boxes of Oxi Clean and told J he would show him how it worked. J told him that there is no need for cleaning products in heaven. He decided to send all of the cleaning products to "Neverland" to be used for the new owners.

He also got to meet Ed. Ed didn't waste any time. He started "The heaven show with Johnny Carson". Who else would they have for their first guest than J. They asked him hours of questions. At the end of the show, Ed requested that J do his own show so he could be his sidekick. J said he hasn't made his mind up yet. You know how he loved being in the spotlight.

J just wanted everyone to know that he is still working out and has put some weight back on and then some. He also added that he is all natural. No Roids needed in Heaven.

J also said that he is making his own rock music, skydives daily w/ no parachute, no longer worries about people messing with his stuff, still collects baseball cards and has them in order, and is happier in Heaven than he ever was on Earth. J has no pain, no worries, and no regrets.

I am proud to say that Jason Weathers was my brother. I learned alot from him, especially in the last 6 months of his life. He had an impact on so many people's lives, including mine. Who else could have such an impact on the nurses, that deal with cancer everyday, to cause them to require counseling when he died? Anna Lea, Jon Brent, and Ally will definitely miss out not having him around but I know that they are loved more by family and friends than most kids with a mother and father. You can expect great things from them in the future.

J, you are definitely missed but I can honestly say that I am at peace with you going to be with the Lord. Have fun and can't wait to reunite with you one day. Oh happy days. By the way, I would appreciate it if you explain some of my quirks before I get there. Peace, Love, and Hair Piece.

Love ya J

2009-07-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

Its been a while again but I have been working hard. Not at work. I have been working day in and day out trying to find matching smocked outfits for Baby Dawson and Bailey. You just can't find a whole lot of places that have smocked outfits for 14 year olds. Isn't that what you are supposed to do? I think they wear these gay outfits until they move out of the house or something. I guess it would be better than the Hooters t-shirt that I saw Bailey wearing at Church the other night(didn't go well for him). This would be a great way to toughen him up also as Im sure he would be picked on a little. Seriously, Re and I are going to have to come to an understanding about these clothes. I think there comes a point when boys need to wear boy clothes or they start acting like girls. We will work on that later.

I really wonder what might happen next with Re's body. She hasn't been sick or had any problems so I can't say too much. However, if she keeps going, it is possible that she will be going into labor in a body cast. How can someone just get carpal tunnel all of a sudden? I must say that seeing her wear those braces on her arms really turns me on. I think Im going to see if she will start wearing an eye patch and walk with a limp too. I was going to go in there and take a picture of her sleeping but its too hot to be living outside.

I think she is also losing her mind a little. She will just grab my hand and put it on her belly. She "claims" that Dawson is kicking when she does that. I will put my hand there and leave it for several minutes without feeling anything. I havent figured out if she has lost it or if Dawson is just really quick- hope its the latter. I let him listen to a little workout music tonight too hoping he would get a workout in. A little baby flutter kicks or squats never hurt anyone.

On a working note, I got to see first hand Friday night why Adam "Pacman" Jones(what a stupid name) gets in so much trouble. His bodyguard decided to turn off on our roadblock and start revving his engine. We had to get them all out at gunpoint and figured out they were just ignorant. Jones said he signed again with Dallas so I wish them luck with him. He said he has straightened up. We shall see.

Remember: Friendship is like peeing on yourself. Everyone can see it but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

Help!

2009-06-25T23:44:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy week. Re had to call 911 on Monday to report that someone had stolen her ankles. I really didn't know what she was talking about but she said that her ankles were gone. She has showed me 5 times and I am yet to see what she is talking about. I understand that she is probably a little swollen in her ankles but I have a great suggestion- no high heels! Thats right Re, there are other shoes to be worn besides high heels(aka- stripper boots). Its time to sport the flip flops, slippers, air jordan's, or just go barefoot.

(Here on the left, you see what you wear everyday. You would get just as many looks with these shoes on the right as you do with your high heels.)

I had an eye replacement this week after Re turned the corner quick and put my right eye out with her breasts.(thats funny, I dont care who you are)

I put Dawson's (yeah, that's still his name) baby bed together this week. I hope and pray that it stays together better than Jon Brent's Big Wheels that I put together. If it doesn't, Im just trying to make him tough. He is going to fall down alot so he needs to learn how to get back up- even if it is at 2 months old.

In other news, my sugar momma has come thru again. Re has made president's club with her company and will be taking her baby daddy to Aruba at the end of July. I am so proud of her because she has worked her tail off to win this trip. Im even more proud because she decided to take me with her to Aruba. I am concerned about the whole Natalie Holloway deal. Im not worried about that happening to Re. Im worried about Re spending the entire time we are there trying to find her. She gets a little caught up with stuff like that. Anyway, we are both very excited and ready to go. Anybody want to house sit with a little dog?

Lastly, I know you heard that the king of pop died yesterday. I read a great question that was asked shortly after his death. --- Do you think Ed McMahon said, "Heeeeeeeerrrrressss Michael"? I thought that was pretty good. Also, for you parents out there, Walmart is honoring Michael for the next 24 hours and all little boys shorts are half off.(thats wrong, but you know you laughed).

Too much going on

2009-06-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

There has been too much going for me to post but you would think that Re could type a little something every once in a while. I have been in Monroe, Louisiana for the past week at K-9 competition. Mikey did pretty good for an old man. He placed fourth out of 30 teams and second in bite work. It didn't take long for jokes to start when they saw him with no tail. "Is that a doberman?", etc. I decided to get their mind off his tail by spray painting him pink and blue. It worked. I also had a guy say that Mikey was at least 10 to 12 years old and that I should retire him. I told him to kiss my grits(dont act like you didn't used to watch "Alice" and laugh at Flo everytime she said that). Mikey won't be retiring anytime soon.

I am very proud of my Eagles for making it to Omaha. That being said, I had to sit on the toilet for 8 hours after the stress of that game last night. We should've won that game. Oh well, North Carolina it is. Im going to go ahead and need them to win the next 2 games so I can make the trip to Omaha.

We have some unwanted guests in our house that have to go. No, Im not talking about my in-laws. There are some dumb birds in our fireplace that won't shut up. I just sprayed some pepper spray up there hoping to make it uncomfortable for them. No comments from the PETA people. If the dang things were paying rent or helping out with utilities, I would probably let them hang around. The sad part is I will have to hire someone to cover the chimney when they get out because firetrucks would have to come rescue me off the roof if I went up there.

Last but not least, we have came up with the name for our little one- Jon Dawson and we will call him Dawson. ReRe is sorry if you don't like it but Im not.

Take it easy and remember: "If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either"

Mikey dont like it

2009-05-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. I put it off as long as I could but had no choice. The Vet said that I could either cut Mikey's tail off now or the infection could go to his legs next. I love my dog to death but would have a hard time dealing with no back legs. Here are some reasons he would have some problems:

1. Trying to get up in the patrol car without those wheels rolling him back down

2. We would not do very well in competition anymore. When he would attempt to sit, the wheels would roll him into lying down

3. There would be no more running down hill without some sort of netting up at the bottom

4. How would he mark his territory properly? He wouldn't be able to pee without doing so on his wheels

5. Speaking of wheels, we would definitely have to get some mud grips or something so he could go on all terrain- I mean, we do work in the county. What if he got a flat on one of his wheels? I guess I would have to carry around fix a flat.

6. I don't think he would be able to scratch very good when he found drugs without rolling away

7. We would have to put up with jokes like "what do you call a dog with no legs?" "it doesn't matter what you call them, they aren't going to come"

After watching this short video, my decision was easy. You see the other dogs running around having fun while the dog on wheels looks like like my grandmother Mimi with her bad hip(love ya Mimi). Mikey was going to keep his legs if I had anything to do with it

I go back to get him and not only is his tail gone, somebody thought it was necessary to shave half way up his back. It kind of reminded me when I was younger and thought it was cool to shave my baseball number in the back of my head- a little too much. I was so COOL and so is Mikey's hair, or lack of it. I think Im going to give him a little "just for men" and turn that grey into slick black while he takes the next few weeks off work. We might as well finish that extreme makeover while he has the time. If we can just keep those stitches in for 10 days it should be ok. If not, staples are next and the big cone around his neck.

ReRe is still prego and doing good. We have about 750 outfits for Baby Weathers that we got from Steph. Im just glad she is letting us use them and not pay for them because we would be broke. To go along with the monograms, we have changed the baby's name to Jose Booya Weathers- so exciting.

Bout time huh?

2009-05-13T20:45:00.001-07:00

Its been forever since I posted and I have no excuses. Well, I have several but you don't want to hear them. Alot has gone on since the last post. I finished my half ironman in 7 hours and 22 minutes. I would like to say that I could've kept going but I was done. I will do a couple of shorter triathlons over the summer and fall and have already signed up the Oschner next year. I have asked for permission to do the half ironman in Augusta, Georgia but it doesn't look good. Oh well. I have a few pounds to go but doing well.

Now to more important news. We found out that we are having a baby boy. Yeeaaaahhh. Re was not very happy with me that day though. She went and had them put the results in an envelope and had to ride around with it for 2 hours while I exercised. We met at Ocharley's and opened it together. Either I didn't seem excited enough or hormones were in high gear that day. She started to cry like a girl that just fell off her bike. She said that I was disappointed. I told her if she didn't stop crying I was going to tell the waitress that we just broke up. Luckily, she got over it.

Lets talk a little about this pregnancy thing and how it has made some changes- some for worse, some for better:

1. I am very worried about my son being a narcoleptic when he arrives. It seems to be getting better but for the first couple of months, Re would walk in the door from work and fall asleep. She would wake up the next morning, go to work, come home, and fall asleep. Im not talking about 8 or 9 O'clock at night. She was asleep at 6. She took naps under trees during lunch at work. This dog came to our house one day and obviously caught narcolepsy from Re. Poor Rusty!

2. I know we have some expenses coming so I thought I would use this pregnancy thing to our advantage. We now contract our house out to meat companies to help keep their meats cold until they are ready to process. The good news is that we don't have to keep any of our perishables in the fridge.

3. I hear stories of pregos having weird cravings. I can honestly say that Re hasn't had many of those YET. She did, however, go to the grocery store and come home with every fruit that God created. If I was pregnant, I would be eating like it was my job. Donuts, pizza, cookies, blizzards(every day), etc. Baby Weathers is counting on you to eat good stuff Re so get after it.

4. Speaking of eating, I feel very confident that if a natural disaster occurs shortly after we have Baby Weathers, he will be able to eat for months by breastfeading. That's all Im going to say.

5. I must say Re has some serious will power. She has been smoking cigarettes since she was 4 years old or so and hasn't had one cigarette during the pregnancy. She has smoked crack a couple of times but she said that is okay. She only started having a diet coke or two in the last week or so. I don't know which one has been harder for her but she has done great.

Re has been a champ so far. Let me go ahead and answer some questions so you don't have to bother asking them:

--- We may breastfeed and we may not; we shall see how it goes

--- Baby Weathers, unless he comes out as a she, will be circumcised

--- Will she use anesthesia? If she don't, I will

--- Unless someone is offering to clean cloth diapers every day, we will be using disposable

--- Unless God catches us slipping, we will have the baby at the hospital

--- Also, we have named the baby Orville Redenbocker Weathers after Re's latest craving.

Just Do It!

2009-03-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

"Swim like your gonna drown, ride like you stole it, and run like the cops are chasing you". This is my philosophy for next Sunday. The swimming like Im going to drown shouldn't be a problem since that is a possibility. I have hired a guy that is going to be standing by my bike when I finally get out of the water that is going to let me punch him in the mouth and jump on the bike like I stole it. Lastly, I believe I will use my imagination- N.O.P.D. don't play that. I will pretend that the old man that I am running in front of is a police officer chasing me.

I think the best quote I have read is the one that says,(mom, dont read this) "For some sports you need a ball, for a triathlon you need two". They say that this is why Lance Armstrong won't do triathlons.(that is a bad cancer joke) I have found that the training has been tough but very fun. We shall see how it turns out. I thought I would post a couple of quotes that I thought were pretty good:

"Dont drown, dont crash, don't walk"

"Pain is temporary, quitting is forever"

"There are no atheists the last 8 miles of an ironman"

"Im not slow, Im just enjoying the race longer"

"Triathlons were invented by white people because Kenyans don't have bikes"

Things are still going as good as to be expected for the amount of training we have been doing. I have reached the 30 pound mark on my weight loss. I will take the other 12 off in the next month or so. I am very excited about that. I went jogging today and my shorts were falling off. Luckily, it was raining so nobody else was out there watching me pull my pants back up. I will be shutting down training completely in the coming days so that my body can recover some. I will still get a workout everyday icing down the different parts of my body.

Re and I will be going to New Orleans a couple of days early to eat, get robbed, and get molested by the transvestites on Bourbon Street. Now that I say that, I have found my new training site for the next triathlon. Think about it. How fast/far do you think I could go if I put on my bicycle shorts and went running or biking down the gay section of New Orleans. Pretty fast.( not that there is anything wrong with that). Ill save that idea for when I don't die on this one. I know that ReRe is not real excited about this thing but Baby Weathers could not be happier. See ya

BRAD

One Heartbeat

2009-03-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

I must say that I heard the greatest sound I have ever heard on Tuesday's visit to the baby doctor. We got to hear the heartbeat of Baby Weathers and it was such a relief. I could download that sound to my MP3 player and listen to it for hours while training. The Doc said that there is a less than 5% chance of miscarriage since we heard the heartbeat. It was also nice to Not here 7 or 8 little heartbeats. The Doc was full of good news, at least for me. He said that sex was still in and that Re's boobs were going to continue to grow(without spending thousands of dollars for breast enlargement). He also told Re that she could have a little caffeine so her diet cokes are back in play. What a great day! Shortly thereafter, Re took our poor baby to the Britney Spears concert but I will let her fill you in on that.

I have one month left to get ready for the big event and interested to see how it will go. Re is pretty convinced that I will be getting a drip some time that day. She may be right but I will get an "A" for effort. I've been training like a mad man and have loved every minute of it. I did, however, get chased by four dogs and laughed at by a horse on a bike ride the other day. It may have been those sexy shorts I wear. I have lost 22 pounds and several inches and expect to lose another 10 to 20 in the next month. We shall see if it works out in the end. Who knows, I may try a full at the end of the year. I haven't decided if I am going to let Re go with me yet or not. She doesn't have to best attitude about it but she said she will be there.

BRAD

MARDI GRAS

2009-02-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend! Re got to get her fix of Mardi Gras and it was a first for her- prego style. I have to say that she was a real trooper. She was standing behind the barricades by 10 or 11 in the morning and stood there catching beads, cups, etc. for 12 hours. She really loves it and I do too. I know some might think that Mardi Gras is somehow sacrilegious but I didn't see anything of the sort. I did, however, see a bunch of people(young and old) having a great time watching parades and catching beads. Its about air mattresses, standing on ice chests, and catching beads. It doesn't get less stressful than that. There were young kids, old ladies, Aunts, Uncles, and freaks all having a good time together. The only problem we had was when a young guy tried to take one of Uncle Al's .25 cent beads. Those Louisianans are very serious about their beads. Uncle Al yanked out one of his nipple rings off and ran the guy away. I also got to see a young lady tumble down the escalator and collapse a few seconds later at the elevator. I think she had a fear of things ending in "ator". A fun time by all. Im sure our baby will enjoy the next 18 years at Mardi Gras.

(UNCLE AL)

Quote of the week: "you complete me"

2009-02-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

A new baby brings much excitement and also alot of concern. You have to start out doing everything for your new baby, which includes giving him/her their name. We have started brainstorming and have some great ideas for baby names. I figured we should just go with the most outrageous name we could drum up. How will we come up with one, you ask? We have been looking high and low. I have started in the pantry and have some good ones. We would use lemonjello or oranjello but they both have already been used. I was thinking more along the lines of "Crystal Light", "Honey Bun", or "Frita Lay" Weathers. Im still working out the kinks.

I have also thought about a foreign name. I think Chinese babies are so cute, especially fat ones. We could name our baby "Chin tu Phat". Even better, you see spanish everywhere now. A hispanic name might be just what we need. Doesn't "Guadalupe Weathers" have a nice ring to it for a girl. If I knew that that he/she would give me a hard time like I gave my parents, I would name a boy "Abdul Ali" and a girl "Hameela Hakbar". They would never make it on any form of transportation without being searched by the security screener.

We have a long time to figure out what we want the name to be so I will keep working on it. I know I will have much more to worry about than that once the child is born. If its a boy, I just hope that one day he is not on youtube dancing in a leotard to Beyonce's "Single Ladies".

BRAD

7 Years and The Weathers are Preggers!!!

2009-02-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow 7 years ago Brad and I were married. Our wedding was just as I had always dreamed a wonderful time. I am not certain that everyone had as much fun as Brad and I did but it was definitely everything we wanted for our night. I was such a low stress bride but when in came to fun I was serious- I wanted to have a good time. I knew that no matter what at the end of the night I was going to be Brad's wife and that was all that really mattered. You see, I am that girl who "knew" when I met Brad that he was the one for me. I am that person who got the "feeling" immediately. I even wrote about it in a journal the day after. It's very special and I am so thankful for my husband and our relationship.

What a great way to celebrate 7 years of marriage- We are having a baby!! Yep.... The Weathers are Preggers!!! I am very nervous and realize that telling everyone early is risky but we know that God is in control whether we share our news or keep it a secret until a certain day. I am praying constantly for the safety of this baby and must admit the fear is kind of consuming. I just wont let myself let my guard down. But again I keep telling myself God is in control and I keep telling Him that I do trust his plans and I am working now to replace my fear with Trust.

"I thank you dear Heavenly Father and I ask you to Bless this baby and pregnancy may I relinquish fear with Trust. I thank you Father for this blessing and the many blessings you have provided me especially Brad and Bailey. I love you and thank you for sending your only son Jesus."

Happy Anniversary Brad- I love you, I am so proud to be your wife, thank you for allowing me to be a part of Bailey's life.

Wes is Secret Service

2009-01-22T22:05:00.001-08:00

I thought I would tell everyone about my cousin Wes's big night. In case you did not know, Wes has a second job away from Bancorpsouth. He IS the secret service. That's right, he holds his finger in his ear and talks into his watch when we go places. He points at stuff and clears out the crowd when he deems necessary. Everyone gets a good laugh but he takes it very serious.

Well, I was able to get him another gig that was right up his alley. I was asked to be Newt Gingrich's security/driver/whatever for the First Priority fundraiser tonight. The day before, they told me that they were going to need another person and vehicle. I immediately thought of Wes and said that was right up his alley. Needless to say, he jumped at the chance. I packed two guns and told Wes I would throw him one if things got really bad. They would have had to get REAL bad.

We pick Speaker Gingrich up at the airport and took him to USM. I didn't talk the entire way from the airport to the campus. I just drove and listened to Newt and his people talk about all kind of things. It was very interesting. When we got to campus, he walked around for about 45 minutes and nobody bothered him. Around 4:30, Brett Favre came to see Newt(at Newt's request). He didn't make it five feet in the door before people were shouting at him. One guy yelled that Brett was his daddy. He sure didn't look like one of Brett's children. I thought it was very funny that all of these "educated" children walked past Speaker Gingrich and didn't bat an eye and yelled across the room at Brett.

Wes had to take Newt's main man to the airport and had to get there in about 10 minutes. I was happy to hear that nobody ended up in the hospital. I think he did run WDAM news off the road and maybe passed a few vehicles that he shouldn't have. He did make it back in one piece.

Speaker Gingrich was very personable and went out of his way to talk to people, take pictures, and sign autographs. His speech was incredible. He talked about how we must Recenter America on the Creator from whom all our liberties come if we want to get this Country going back in the right direction. He gave great examples of how the key historic exhibits in our nation's capital show reliance to God and why God should be taught in History and Government classes. It was really great. I pray that one day he has the chance to lead our country. He would do great things.

Anyway, I know it is kind of a random post but wanted to give Wes props for a job well done. He might have a job in the secret service yet. I will try to post our pictures whenever I get them.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

2009-01-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been two weeks and I have done my first official weigh in. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for but it is a good start. I am down to 229 so I lost 13 lbs in the first two weeks. Im not concerned about the rest of the weight because of what two of my "friends" have talked me into. I really don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to it, but its too late now.

I will be doing the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 in New Orleans on April 5th. The event is 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run, and 1.2 mile swim. I am now training like my life depends on it. From hearing ReRe talk, it may. She has been as supportive as a training bra on Dolly Parton. I will admit this is really short notice and I have alot of work to do but it is a great goal. I would just really like to be able to finish the race and do it in the alotted time limit. Either way, I will definitely have no problem losing the weight with the amount of training my "friends" have me doing.

I have petitioned the race officials and have already been denied several requests. They informed me that I will not be able to wear the arm floaties that I have been training in. I guess I can give those back to Baby Ally. I was also denied the rights to use a raft, kickboard, or any other floating device. I definitely think swimming will be the toughest part. I mean, you can stop biking or running for few seconds to catch your breath. If you stop swimming, you drown. Luckily, I have hired the cast from Baywatch to make sure I will be okay.

I have a double seater bike that doesn't appear to be against the rules. I have hired Lance Armstrong to assist me on the ride. You can't have headphones so Re has talked Britney Spears into riding next to us for some entertainment. Not to sing, she will drive with her children in her lap and keep getting stopped by the police.

It should be a tough event but very fun. I will wait and thank Josh and Read when it is all over. It depends on how it goes. Either way, my big butt will be in shape.

Love ya Re

Throw me something Mister!!!!

2009-01-13T16:58:00.000-08:00

"Down in New Orleans where the Blues were born it takes a cool cat to blow a horn and all the gals??? on Rampart Street are jamming on down to the Mombo beat"..... I could be off a word but you get my drift. This time of year is my favorite EVER!!! Better than my birthday, Christmas, Newa Years, Anniversary- ok mabye I am stretching it but not really :). Actually our anniversary is Feburary 16th and that is always near Mardi Gras. We were married in 2002 the weekend after Fat Tuesday. One thing I said that year was that I was going to make Brad sign a contract that 2002 would be the ONLY year we missed Mardi Gras (we were preparing for our wedding.) Well I didnt and we have missed some but nonetheless I always get SOOOOO excited this time of year. I think that this is often hard for people not from New Orleans to understand. It probably has to do with the fact that for one solid month all of my life everything revolved around the P-raid or parade schedule. I will never forget the countdown to the first parade of the season. You see my parents were divorced but I think I got it honestly- my Dad NEVER missed Mardi Gras either. It was every year that he would travel to New Orleans from Houston and the entire "Thomas" family from grandparents to grandchildren would check into the Hotel Intercontinential on the Friday before Mardi Gras and check out on the Wendesday after. We would check out just in time to head right to church and get ashes for "Ash Wendesday". This also started for Catholics lent- so you could sin all weekend through Tuesday then "give up" a bad habbit for 40 days until Easter. It also non oficially as I knew it became 'crawfish season". Cathloics cant eat meat on Fridays during lent so crawfish boils are in FULL effect every Friday during this time. (That's just on a side note).

I carried this passion through high school- you see in New Orleans student sacrifice Spring Break and get the ENTIRE week off of Mardi Gras (even though Fat Tuesday is just one day the party begins weeks prior.) Some of my best memories in life are at Mardi Gras bioth in High School, College and after- although the after is much more subdued that the prior :). The year befiore my father passed away (thats for another blog) was my Freshman year of college- WOW. The Hotel Intercontinential gives each guest/room 4 arm braclets (if that) for hotel guests to enter the gates that surround the hotel. Well my dad was friends with the head of security and well lets just say that I took advatage a little- ok mabye alot. My Freshman year I invited EVERYONE to the hotel - I mean everyone. The Thomas family was less than impressed at all of the people I had coming in and out of the hotel rooms and gates. SO my dad, who incidentially LOVED my friends, to keep the peace, got me my own room to accomodate some of the excess people. It was a blast. I kid you not we had 7 people in a King bed and people all over the floor Fat Tuesday night. It was a BLAST. I think the head of security told my dad at last count I had 50 people check in under our name. Now I think some of those were "randoms" who just jumped on the bandwagon but however many it was ALOT. This was the begining of a tradition that my closest friends and I still carry on.

In high school one of my best friends moms was a costume seamstress for many of the Krewe's and her father built floats. The Krewe of Diana which rolls the week before Fat Tuesday in Metairie thought it was a good idea to give her parents a "Float"to fill. Meaning they could fill the float with riders at no cost, all we had to do was buy our "throws" (beads). Well at the time we were Seniors in High School and my friends older brother was a student at LSU (not a good combination). We got the top deck and he and his frioends got the lower deck. Let me just say this.... a good time was had by ALL. My friend next to me got sick in my beads, we were holding friends up by the legs as we passed our parents on the parade route and we had a ball. Bad news.... her parents lost the Krewe as a client based on the shape of the float after we road on it. PS- we were upstairs and had nothing to do with damage!!

Anyway, Mardi Gras is to me the BIGGEST perk to living in New Orleans, but dont get me wrong there are many. I miss being there this time of year because to be so close here in Hattiesburg when it comes to things like this (and the Saints) I feel miles from home. Now don't get me wrong I was so excited to be able to participate in the Mardi Gras festivities here in Hattiesburg when I met Brad and still am but there is nothing like a Hurricane and a sack full of the "throws" you ahve caught after a day full of P-raides. So throw me something mister and Mardi Gras MOMBO your way to the Big City it is trully the best party ever (if you know wher not to go :)!!!

PS- we will not be missing it this year we will arrive Second Lining our way to our first P-raid on Feburary 22nd!!!! We'll bring back some throws for "ya mom n them"!!!

A lot of pain, hopefully no gain

2009-01-09T00:50:00.000-08:00

It has been 8 days since I started my journey to lose 42 pounds. First off, let me tell you that I will accomplish this goal and will do it by exercise. Some other people are cheating. One of our friends got the stomach virus and lost 8 or so pounds. A guy I work with got his jaw broke in two places and now drinks out of a straw. I wouldn't imagine that he would pick this way to lose some weight but he will anyway. Some people choose to throw up their food after eating- I consider this food abuse. Some people starve themselves- I consider this abusing yourself. I like to eat and will continue to "bust my neck" as I heard my old partner call it. I could try Atkins if I wanted to have the energy to walk from the couch to the bedroom but I dont do diets.

"Hi, my name is Brad and I am a foodaholic". Now everybody at the same time now- "Hi Brad".

Now that I made that clear, let me just say that the first week starting back working out is like being struck by a semi-truck, repeatedly. I am 33 years old and started two a day workouts on Jan 2. What was I thinking? I am not a high school football player. Every bone in my body aches. Anyone else ever jumped out of bed with a cramp in their calve so bad you wanted to shoot yourself in the thigh to get your mind off of it? Me too.

With the exception of the initial soreness Im feeling, I must say that I am feeling ggggrrrreat. I am still very out of shape. I did manage to go 18 miles today on the bike. Of course, a guy that passed me in the last mile pulled up next to me and started giving me mouth to mouth. Its hard to know whether he thought I was cute or if he really thought I needed the air. Either way, I didn't fight him off because I was out of breath. I also asked for a defibrillator also just in case. It would still be better than having a seizure while on a treadmill at the gym- funny story.

You know what the best part about riding the bike is? You guessed it. I get to wear the bicycle riding pants. It doesn't get much sexier than that. They are a necessity though. Ask Re. She rode with me on Sunday and her bottom is still sore. I will try to get Re to take a picture of me in the shorts if she can stop laughing enough to do so.

I will be weighing in every two weeks. Hopefully, it will be way down. If not, Im sure it is because I have built so much muscle. Everyone knows muscle weighs more than fat.

Still Fat,

BRAD

A Year Ago Today- Our Lives Were Changed FOREVER

2009-01-04T11:20:00.001-08:00

It's my first time to enter the blog world. But I am hoping to find it as therapeutic as Brad has over the past year. Today 1 year ago our life changed forever. The 1st Sunday of 2008 which was January 6 th started as a normal morning. Bailey and I went to church and the only odd thing was that I remember Bailey kept falling asleep during the service- ugh I woke him up several times. I wish someone would have woke me up later that day and said what was happening was all a dream.

So here it is..... Service ends and Bailey and I are going to meet Brad's parents Mr. Jon Mark and Ms. Peggy along with Stephanie and the kids Jon Brent and Anna Lea (she was 8 months pregnant with Ally) for lunch at Movie Star in Purvis. We get to the car and I just happen to look at my cell phone as I am exiting the parking lot I have a text message from Stephanie which says "I am not going to lunch. Come find me in the Church." I knew something must be wrong but never imagined ever what it turned out to be. I turn around and anxiously begin to look for Stephanie. It didn't take long before I see Steph with a crowd around her. With Bailey right behind me I approach her and she looks at me with tears rolling down her face and says "Jason has cancer, probably Leukemia you need to call the Weathers." WHAT?? It's a Sunday how can Jason find out he may have cancer today and surely this is all a mistake. And....I cannot call his parents and tell them-but I need to get them back to church?? I felt so sick to call The Weathers and I was a chicken I could not tell them the truth as to why they had to get back to the church so fast on the phone. I just called them and said that they needed to come back and I didn't know what was wrong. I was so scared for them I just could not bring myself to tell them the situation. I felt guilty for a minute that I scared them and they did not know why they had to return but knew obviously something was wrong. However, I now know that that gave them 5 more minutes of life as we once knew it.

You see.... Jason was back in Naples. He was only able to come home for a couple days and he flew out Christmas Eve AM to head back to work. Stephanie and the kids stayed here. Jason began feeling under the weather while he was here but when he returned he felt worse. After several days of fever and chills Stephanie called him on that Sunday morning 1 year ago and made him go to the Dr. (Unlike his brother Jason listened to his wife). Steph went on to church and Jason texted her saying the clinic was closed, she said find another one. He found a clinic that was open and texted Steph that they were taking blood and running several tests his direct quote "I hope you are happy". Steph says 20 minutes went by and she did not receive any texts. Then the phone rang just as service was ending. She exited to take Jason's call. That's the MOMENT that life for the Weathers/ Shows was forever changed. Jason was upset and he explained that based on his lab/blood work a Physicians assistant said that he had Cancer and probably Leukemia. Jason was instructed to see a Oncologist as soon as possible and the PA gave him some names in Naples of physicians he may see.

So I called the Weathers they are in route back to church. Now I call Brad, he was working an extra detail that day. I explain to him the situation and he was so calm. He totally believed this was a mistaken diagnosis. AND a part of all of us thought this could not be happening and he saw a PA, surely the PA had been a little dramatic and Jason was just sick. SICK alright little did we know. The Weathers arrive and I will never forget it for as long as I live. They are walking toward us and Mr. Gary meets them and says "Jason has cancer they believe it's leukemia." The Weathers didn't even blink it was like they were in the Twilight Zone. I personally do not think that they for one second thought Jason really had cancer. They said this is a mistake and Jon Mark told all of us (the panic/ cryers) to get ourselves together!

Steph immediately said I want him home in Hattiesburg. I want him to see a Dr here. We sat in shock trying to figure out what to do to get him here, the easiest way. It's a long drive to Naples but I remember Mr. Jon Mark saying "I am going to get my boy". After further discussion and the reality of a long drive there and back it was decided to fly Jason back. We would call the airlines and get him on the 1st flight back home! That seemed pretty easy but quickly as easy tasks would be difficult for the next several months that was the 1st. After getting Jasons blood work faxed to the church and Mr. Jon Mark speaking to a local physician it was determined that based on Jason's low levels (I think) it was not safe for him to fly with other passengers. Are you kidding me?? Seriously he is so sick that it is dangerous for him to fly like all normal people do in time of crisis. Reality is starting to hit but not near the reality of the next few days. We are all gathered in the church office the kids are running wild and myself, Ms. Peggy, Ms. Nancy (Stephs mom), and Steph are sitting in SHOCK and disbelief. Time is passing and Mr. Jon Mark is walking in and out as he speaks to physicians and Jason on his cell phone. Meanwhile Mr. Wayne and Ms. Melinda (Stephs sister in law Ashley's parents) are busy around the office. Ms Melinda was tending to the children and Mr. Wayne is on the phone working a miracle. The 1st of many GENEROUS outpours of support we received form our community. Mr. Wayne has found a private plane to fly Jason home on Monday!! And so after further discussion it is decided that we will take the offer and we depart the church around 3:00 pm.

This day one year ago in many ways feels like just yesterday. But for me personally I had this bad gut feeling from that moment until the end July 12th, 2008 when Jason went to see our Father in Heaven. The day that Mr. Jon Mark said "I am going to get my boy" is the same day that our Heavenly Father was making preparations to get His boy too.

Our entire life is changed forever. I remember coming home from church that day and thinking "This AM I woke up and today was going to be just another wonderful Sunday at worship and with family." And in a sick way it was, just not MY idea of it. The Weathers/ Shows family embarked on a journey that was so difficult and challenging that there are many days I didn't think we would make it. But there has been so many great things that have come from this experience that I will continue to share in future blogs. I talked to Stephanie that Sunday night on my back porch via cell phone as I had done hundreds of times before and would do thousands of times after. Our conversations however took a turn that day. We were close sister in laws that morning but that night we became just SISTERS. The next several days were devastating as it was confirmed that Jason had Leukemia.

Fast forward to Monday January 7th , 2008.... I worked in Meridian that day and Brad and Mr. Gary boarded the plane to pick up Jason. They got a late start due to fog but I remember praying my entire drive to Meridian for their safety and Jason's health. I called on my first Dr. and I was just so worried I remember asking the Dr.what he though of Jason's numbers (blood work). The Dr. responded saying "no thats not Leukemia that's blah blah blah (I cant remember what the medical term was) he said he will need just a steroid shot (I think) and he will be fine. I took it and ran with it! I called Steph and Ms. Peggy immediately and shared this diagnosis. It was able to get me through the remainder of my day in Meridian. I returned to Hattiesburg that afternoon about 5 pm. When I got to The Weathers Brad his parents and the children were there. Jason and Stephanie had gone to the clinic to see Dr. Bellare (the Oncologist). That was the most awful WAIT of my ENTIRE life. It was horrible. None of us spoke really, we did not know what to say. But the children were there. It was so weird. I remember just walking through the house like I was literally floating on air because this could not be happening to us- well forget "us" Jason. Brad and I somehow gathered in Brads parents room (there is a sitting area). We sat in silence (Brad, myself, Jon Mark, and Peggy). There was some random chatter but I have no idea what we were talking about and it wasn't long until the phone rang...... UGH. Brad jumped up and took the call, he didn't say anything at first. He didn't need to we could see it on his face. He then said "we will be there in a minute, ya"ll going to Forest General?" And so there it was the diagnosis from HELL. He hung up and said "He has Leukemia, they are admitting him to start chemo immediatly." It was confirmed no more hopeing it was a mistake, the PA was right, Jason had Leukemia..... And we were one day into Our Journey- Our Lives Were Changed Forever!

Today although not the exact anniversary is the Sunday a year later. I am nervous and scared to open our lives up to the web again but am hopeful that, as I mentioned, Brad's therapy works for me as well.

I will leave you with this- cherish EVERYDAY because you could wake up one morning as we did and things never be the same again!! But to God be the Glory in all things because He Reigns. He has "His Boy"! We miss you J. Love, Re

Mr. Dip Alot

2009-01-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Bailey at the beginning of his punishment

Christmas was very interesting. We come home from my parents in the early afternoon so Bailey could see his stuff he got from Santa. Yeah, we still set things up like Santa came for my thirteen year old. Its alot easier than wrapping all that stuff. Anyway, we get up there and he begins looking at everything. About that time, Mikey begins to sniff around his jacket and wouldn't leave it alone. I jokingly asked Bailey what he had in there and he said nothing. As Mikey continued to sniff, I grabbed the jacket and began to look through it. I could immediately tell that Bailey was uncomfortable. In Bailey's "secret pocket"(what he told Sherri), I found a can of Skoal. Needless to say, I was not happy. I had already had one talk with him. I had to walk out of the room so I didn't start a war.

Bailey sitting down outside not feeling very well(notice shirt off)

We were leaving for vacation the next day so I told him that he would be dipping the entire can when we got back. He had to think about it during vacation. He also had to put up with smart comments from me and Papa during the trip. Like, "We can really make some money from this. You can make your first car into an advertisement for Red Man or Skoal". We thoroughly enjoyed it.

I thought about what I should do for punishment. Time out obviously wouldn't work. I thought about making him get naked with a sign that says "My dad found dip and made me wear this sign" and walk in front of Walmart. I could have made him do math problems for 8 hours since he is sooooo good at it. I even considered calling my Jr. High principal and allowing her to use her paddle on his tushy. I have even heard of more severe ones like: deleting his 500 songs from his Ipod and computer or deleting saved games to his playstation or xbox. Those would probably make him upset with me for a long time and wouldn't really address the problem. I have to save the jail time and community service for more severe problems.

Bailey throwing up over railing------------------------------

The funny thing about it is that Bailey asked his mom if he could stay with us one more night when he got back. He knew he was going to be punished and still wanted to stay. I think this proves that kids want discipline.

He arrived home and we went out back with the Skoal can. I told him to start stuffing his mouth. He got to where he couldn't stuff anymore and began dipping. At about 20 minutes, he asked ReRe for a short sleeve shirt. It seemed he was starting to sweat a little. About 10 minutes later he was throwing up over the railing and saying he wouldn't ever do it again. I allowed him to spit the dip out and get something to drink. I also told him he still had to finish off the can. I walk back out about five minutes later and he is lying in the grass, sweating down. ReRe saved the day and told him that he was thru. He went up to his room and stayed in bed for a while. I definitely think he learned his lesson.

I read something recently that helped explain why children act up. After creating Heaven and Earth, God created Adam and Eve. The first thing he told them was not to eat the forbidden fruit. Of course, they asked "why not". God replied, "Because I am your Father and I said so". A few moments later, God saw his children eating the fruit.

"Didnt I tell you not to eat the fruit", God, as our first parent, asked.

"Uh huh", Adam replied.

"Then why did you", said the Father.

"I don't know", said Eve.

"She started it", said Adam

"did not"

"did too"

"did not"

Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve have children of their own. Thus, the pattern was set and has never changed.

Bailey lying in grass with cold rag( exercise complete )

As I did to my mom and dad, Bailey will, unfortunately, do to me; and his children to him. There is reassurance in this story though. If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give your children wisdom and guidance and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

Im sure there will be many more struggles during the teenage years. I have many hopes and dreams for Bailey but often wonder if they outweigh my fears. What makes things so hard is that I would willingly die for my son any day of the week. On the other hand, I would like to kill him on some days of the week. I guess that is just how it goes. I appreciate my mom and dad more and more every day.

Chunky Comadina

2008-12-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

Its almost the new year and 2008 has been a long one. I got on the scale the other day after putting on a pair of shorts that didn't feel right and was not impressed. I weighed in at a whopping 242. What? Come on. That can't be right. I got off, got back on, 242 again. I always knew that I could win a donut eating competition if I wanted to. I didn't, however, ever want to look like a donut. I have compiled a list of ways you know that it is time to shed some poundage.
I love Jeff Foxworthy so I thought I would base it on "you might be a redneck if ......".

You might be a tub a lard if :

1. a fire starts between your inner thighs when you walk for more than 10 minutes. You know, the kind that you have to cake some vaseline on so you don't walk bolegged.

2. you go to disney world with your family and they let you know you are too fat to ride "its a small world".

3. You start to wear cocoa butter on most parts of your body to reduce the amount of stretch marks; the smell makes you hungry so you start to eat some more

4. people start to ask you if your boobs are real or fake.

5. American Airlines hires you as a flight attendant and then tells you they are going to charge you an extra fifty dollars per flight for the extra weight

6. you lay on your wife and she passes out

7. you have to go to an auto parts store and get a seatbelt extension so you dont get a ticket

8. you think that Richard Simmons might actually be able to help you

9. you are worried about a "fat tax" and the Mississippi proposal that would ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers

10. your fingers are too thick to text message

11. you get on the elevator and actually look at the weight limit sign

12. you are sitting down eating at Season's in your new, red Christmas sweater and a kid jumps up in your lap and begins to tell you what he wants for Christmas

13. you have become "the fat friend"

14. the pants you once affectionately called "hammer pants" are now called spandex

15. you thought about wearing your wife's spanks (whatever they are)

16. your love handles now come with a bike; pegs and all

17. you order two big ones, a large fry, an oatmeal cookie, and a diet coke(because you think that the "diet" evens everything out

18. you wonder if there really is a "fat potion" like in the Nutty Professor.

19. your insurance company agrees to pay for lipo and a few tummy tucks

20. you look like you ate Calista Flockhart

21. you buy a scooter to save money on gas and spend more money on tires

Well, you probably get the point. 2009 will be a new year. I have my plan and will be under 200 lbs in just a few months. Hopefully. Either way, I will be happy. It will either be a skinnier smile or "a fat kid love cake" smile.

I wish everyone a very happy new year and hope you stick to all of your new year's resolutions; at least for a month or two.

Merry Christmas J

2008-12-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

J,

I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. I know you are now experiencing the most amazing Christmas that you ever have; even though you spent 32 of them with me. I laugh thinking about the many mornings that you would wake up at about 6:00 in the morning and you would have to wait several hours for me to wake up to see what Santa brought us. As exciting as those times were, I picture you being like a big child again in Heaven for Christmas. Keep smiling brother. Its what keeps us going here on Earth. We miss you terribly. Mom has had a terrible time since you have been gone. I can't really begin to imagine how it feels to lose a child. That's not how it is supposed to work.

I know you have enjoyed watching your kids these last 6 months. They have really adapted well.

Anna Lea has matured alot for her age. She talks about you alot and remembers stuff that y'all used to do together. I have taken her to a couple of movies and each time she tells me how she loved going to the movies with you. She had a big slumber party for her birthday. More importantly, she was baptized Sunday, along with Re. I know how that made you smile. We went to the Christmas service last night and I watched her do the Lord's Supper. It was incredible.

Jon Brent talks about you alot too. He will start talking about you "not coming back" and it breaks my heart. He did get some shoes just like you and loves to tell everyone that he has shoes like his daddy. Jon Brent is you made over, except for his loud mouth. He is OC about all of his stuff. I went over there a while back and he had a new blanket, which was just laying on the couch. I grabbed it and he quickly got it back and said he was going to take it to his room. About 10 minutes later, I noticed that the blanket was neatly folded and at the bottom of the stairs. We figured out that Jon Brent did it. ReRe can't even fold clothes the way he did that blanket. I cracked up. He also has everything in his room like he wants. I walked in one day and moved a DVD about 2 feet and he noticed it about thirty seconds later and put it back exactly how it was. HILARIOUS! Im also roughing him up some so he doesn't think he is another girl living in a house of three females.

Baby Ally. All I can say is that she is the best baby I have ever seen. She definitely has your quiet demeanor. She is crawling good now. She has even learned a different method to crawl when she is in a dress; which is every day. She kind of does a spider crawl. It is funny.

I know you would be so proud of them. I consider it a blessing to be a part of their lives.

Missing ya bro

Catholic to Baptist

2008-12-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a big weekend. It started when we had my work Christmas party at the house. The big bad wolf would have loved blowing our house down Friday night with all of the pigs stashed in here. We had a great time and didn't get the law called on us one time. At least, I dont think so. We played dirty santa and I got some great gifts. I wore a dress and underwear in front of everyone. It was a good time. I work with a bunch of good guys and gals. Its probably a good thing I feel that way since I would die for all of them.

Sunday was a big day for ReRe. She threw her many years of Private Catholic School down the drain and became a Baptist. It only took about seven years of going to Temple Baptist to finally convert. She didn't have any doubts, just alot of demands. I thought some of them were kind of odd; but if that is what it takes. The Church signed the contract with her last week. Our Pastor, Tony Merida, will now wear a Catholic "Nun" outfit once a month when giving the sermon. He will also spank her once a month when she confesses her sins. I thought about trying to explain to her that Baptists don't do that but I have a deal worked out to find out what her sins are. I want to compare them to mine. 50% of the Lord's Supper will now have real wine. She said it doesn't feel right unless it is the real stuff. You will also see a new look at Church. They are installing some of those wooden things that Catholics kneel on. We will start playing follow the leader at Temple Baptist. Up, down, kneel, jump and jack. I mean, isn't that what they do at the Catholic Church? If someone else kneels, you kneel. If someone says something, you mumble something too. I won't bore you with the entire contract but it should be interesting. I can say that I am very happy that Re has joined the Church that I have gone to all my life and that she loves it as much as I do. Even better, she was able to get baptized the same time as Anna Lea.

Sunday night, we took Jon Brent and Anna Lea to Bellingrath Gardens outside of Mobile, Alabama. It was a long ride and I heard The Chipmunks more than five times there and back.(I guess that will teach me to bring one video) The ride was well worth it. This place was incredible and the kids really enjoyed it. They had more lights and displays than any place I have ever been. Great fun.

Keep smiling

BRAD

To be or NOT to be

2008-12-17T19:40:00.000-08:00

Well, today we received the news that we have been waiting to hear; not wanting to hear, but waiting. The "baby" doc said that Re was definitely having a miscarriage. Very disappointed is probably how I would describe our reaction. We both want so badly to have a child but it obviously is not meant to be right now. You really have to look for the positives when stuff like this happens. One positive is that they say that it will be easy for Re to get pregnant again. Another positive, We get to keep trying to have a baby. Practice makes perfect. Maybe God just figured that we hadn't perfected it yet. What else? Re would have been at her "peak" prego in July and August. She would have been big, hot, and very prego. We will be pregnant again in a couple of months so her big prego time will be in winter months. Its actually a blessing. We will "get er done".

Sunny Days/Stormy Nights

2008-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Why a blog? The main reason is because I can't afford a therapist and this is the closest thing I can get to one. I remember writing stupid stuff on J's CaringBridge site and how good it made me feel to let things out- even if most of it wasn't true. I have also taken some cheap shots at people on their blogs so I thought I would give them a chance for revenge.

I must say that I will not be sad to see 2008 come to a close. It has kind of been like a guy that I saw trying to back a trailer up today. I sat there for about 5 minutes waiting for him to finally get it in the driveway. He would back up a little bit and then realize he was jackknifing the trailer. He would pull up a little bit to straighten the trailer out and try again. That is kind of how this year has been. As soon as we moved a little bit forward, our trailer would jackknife. Like the Superman roller coaster ride at Six Flags New Orleans, our year has had many turns, loops, ups, and downs. Lets just hope we don't get shut down in 2009.

Lets look back on this roller coaster. We started off horrible very early. Only a few days after the New Year, J was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was put to the test with all of his treatment. He was beat down for weeks at a time. It was really tough to watch. Then in February, a huge blessing. Baby Ally was born. You can't help but smile when you see her. She looks just like J with a little hair. Only time will tell if she will have to get hair plugs like her daddy did. In July, the roller coaster broke down while we were upside down in a loop. J began spitting up blood and was taken to Forrest General where he went into cardiac arrest. He went without oxygen for over six minutes. Watching J the last few days of his life here on earth was not very pleasant. Unfortunately, I won't ever be able to get that out of my head. Even knowing that he wasn't lying there suffering doesn't help when you are listening to him. I won't get graphic in the chance that someone reads this, but it wasn't pretty. Knowing, without a doubt, that J is enjoying his new life in Heaven made it easier on the family. Several months later, we bought a house next to Steph and the kids. The kids have truly been a blessing. They crack me up.

Fast Forward to Tuesday, December 2. Re gave me news that we had been waiting on for about 2 years. She is finally pregnant. My boys can still swim. After two years, you begin to wonder if your boys need a life vest, a canoe, or to be picked up by the Coast Guard. Needless to say, we were both elated. We were planning to surprise the family for Christmas. We, of course, ordered our Christmas cards announcing that we were expecting. On my birthday, Re calls me and says that she is on her way to Forrest General because she is bleeding. I met her there and they did some tests. The Doc did not give us a whole lot of hope. We both went back home and layed around all day. A few days later, Re got blood drawn and the "baby" doctor said he was "cautiously optimistic". Can anyone explain what that means? You use caution when you are driving through a construction area, not having a baby. Anyway, we would take that over the alternative. So, we got happy again.

Fast forward to today. Let's see where to start. Mary, who has worked for my parents for years, died this morning after suffering a stroke. My grandmother, Mimi, went to the hospital after she didn't make sense this morning. Luckily, everything turned out okay. By the way, if Re took me to the hospital every time I "didn't make sense" I would never be at home. Steph had a stomach bug, Ms Nancy was standing there and her knee gave way causing her to have to get an MRI, and my angel son, Bailey, came home with a short form from school. It seems he likes to run his big mouth in the class that he does the worst in. Its like we were living in Bizarro world. To top it off, the "baby" doctor told Re that it looks again like she is having a miscarriage. Now we have to wait to find something out. All we can do is trust that God has a plan for our lives. If it is not meant to be this time, it will happen soon enough. Re has a huge heart and deserves to be a mother. We will trust in his timing. He has blessed us tremendously.

I know I have rambled on but thought I would lay some background for my future ramblings.

BRAD

P.S. Please pray for Ned Nelson, Neal Sandifer, and all families struggling through illnesses this holiday season.