Jeff and Pam Griffis

A year already???

2010-11-11T10:35:00.002-06:00

What can I say? It has been a crazy year. I am so glad that I decided to take a chance on me and get the band. I firmly believe that there is absolutely no way that I ever would have made it 70 pounds down without the band.

There is a part of me that is a little disappointed in myself because I know that with only a few minor changes, I would have been at goal weight today and not still another 25 pounds or so away. But if I was going to be totally honest with myself, I wasn't sure this would really work. I have to say that my band has worked for me inspite of me, not because of me.

I have learned to live with my new eating lifestyle (maybe, each day is different). I still enjoy a cookie or some candy and please don't take away my ice cream. But I have made it a full year and know that because I have lost 70 pounds living my life and not being a nazi about food consumption, that I can live the rest of my life with my band.

I would call that a success! What do you think?

A New Perspective...

2010-04-21T13:15:00.002-05:00

I am sure that some of you know that we have our struggles with Connie from time to time. We have been blessed with several good weeks lately, almost so that we might have forgotten how bad it can be sometimes. Well, this week has been really tough with her. I find that when I am stressed about being a mom and always doing the right thing, I go to the internet and read other mom's blogs. I follow many blogs here (too many probably). Today I realize that everything really must be kept in perspective. There is always someone else fighting a bigger battle than we are fighting.

This was written by a mom with her daughter at home on hospice care…

"Towards the end of a pregnancy, a mother will wake up to go to the bathroom every few hours. I think this is the body’s way of preparing you for a newborn and the sleepless nights that come along with it. Layla now spends most of her days sleeping. 30-45 minutes after she wakes up, she is ready to lay down and sleep again. Is this God’s way of preparing me for all the quiet time that is coming soon? The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I WANT interruptions. I WANT Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I WANT to hear her playing with her toys. I WANT to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words “I just can’t get anything done with these kids under my feet all day” I am eternally regretful. The days that I looked forward to naptime so I could get a grocery list made, or finally fold all the piles of laundry…I regret those days too. If I could do it all again, I’d enjoy EVERY SINGLE WAKING MOMENT I had with her. I would never wish for her to sit still or take a nap or go to bed early. I would never look forward to the days when she could sit through an entire episode of Dora silently. I would treasure every second with her."

Ever since Dad passed away, I have been struggling to be sure that I am enjoying the time I have with the important people in my life. When we need patience with each other or one of the kids, we should remember how lucky we are to just have them in our lives for one more day.

I vow to try to remember that we are never promised more than the present and to really take the time to love ALL of the times with my family...even the difficult times.

It has been a year...

2010-03-22T12:49:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that it has been a year today since I was able to hold my Daddy's hand and tell him how much I love him. It seems unreal to me.

I am coming off of a fantastic week with the kids only to be entering what might be a difficult week. I am realizing that I have a terrible denial side to me. I am not sure that I have every really grieved for him. I still have his picture on the fridge and in my office. I have spent the last year getting used to looking at them without crying...until this month. Last week would have been his 60th birthday. I think I missed calling him on his birthday more than I missed him calling me on my birthday. Not sure why that would be.

But, this too shall pass. I can still hear him talking to me, mostly when I am doing to much or not taking the time out that I should to just live in the current moment. I did learn that from him. Life is about so much more than our jobs and the next place we have to be. I know that I get frustrated with the kids because I have so many self-imposed demands on my time and I am really trying to just "be". That has been a tough lesson and not one that I think I will ever master.

I love you Daddy! And to anyone else, please take care of yourself (no one else can do it for you) and treasure every moment that you have with your loved ones.

Walt Disney World

2010-03-20T22:30:00.014-05:00

It has been so long since I posted. We decided to actually attempt another family vacation this year and so we ended up at Disney World in Orlando, FL for Spring Break. It was AMAZING! Neither Jeff nor I have ever been so I had no idea what I was doing when I booked the trip. There were so many choices but it turned out great. I did learn some things so if anyone decides to go, I would be happy to let you in on what we figured out.

All of the kids had fun, including Jeff and I. Amy thought she was too big for the characters and in spite of my encouragement, she refused to get up and dance with Prince Charming! Brad was just beside himself with the whole thing...characters, rides, junk food, you name it! And then Connie...she has amazing stamina.

We left here on Saturday morning and drove to Mariana, FL. Then we got up about 5am on Sunday morning. We met up with a friend of Jeff's from high school and had lunch. Then shortly after arriving at the resort cabin, we decided to go check out Magin Kingdom. They had extra hours for people staying at the disney resorts, so we ended up staying until 3am! I still can't believe it. Everyone had a blast but as soon as we got into the car, Amy and Brad were asleep. But not Connie! She was still going strong. We hunted up something to snack on and about 5am we were pretty much begging Connie to go to sleep.

We slept in the next day since we pretty much were able to do all of the rides at the Magic Kingdom. Then we had to find a camera store because Connie got excited and bounced our camera off the stroller and broke the lens. But I suppose it worked out since I now have a much better lens even if I wasn't planning on spending that money during the trip.

We had several character dining experiences and several mornings Connie fell asleep just after breakfast and slept until lunch. On Thursday she actually slept until about 4pm. Thank goodness it was our last day.

We finally got home this afternoon and we are thankful for the chance we had to go. We were able to spend some great family time and we made some great family memories.

Here are some pics of the week.

and now there's more snow!!!

2009-12-04T11:31:00.001-06:00

Snow in Houston!!!

2009-12-04T09:51:00.006-06:00

Well, the snow fairy is here early today. They have been saying all week that it might snow today. Jeff just sent me these pictures from home. It is supposed to clear out by later tonight and just be VERY cold the rest of the weekend.

Wow! It's December already!!!

2009-12-02T15:31:00.008-06:00

I have been so busy keeping up with life, that I haven't been posting on the blog. I have sure enjoyed keeping up with everyone else's activities though.

There seems to be another phenomenom similar to about 2.5 years ago...babies, babies, everywhere. At least this time there is only 3 at once. Last time there were 6 babies born in our respective families over about 30 days. I am so happy for all of our recently expanded families. Babies are such a blessing.

As for our family, where should I begin. As most know, Jeff had surgery back in August. Well, after some time of wondering what all was going on and him not really feeling better for too long, he was put into the hospital again on October 17th. The tragedy there was that it was the day we were having Connie's 5th birthday party! (I will have to post pics of that later, but here is one that my brother sent me with her cake in the background.)

After one week in the hospital, he had another bowel resection done and spent one more week in the hospital. This time, they were not able to do the surgery laproscopically. So he is still at home recovering. We think he will finally be back at work next week.

So he and I both missed Connie's 5th birthday and we were really bummed about that. In fact only last weekend did I get around to giving her the present we bought for her...roller skates! She got the hang of it really quickly.

Then about the time Jeff was home and on the road to recovery, I had surgery. I decided to go ahead and get the lap band done. It was a tough decision, but so far has been really easy. It won't stay that way and already there have been some major changes but I am sure that in the end, it will all be worth it.

We decided that since the last few months have been so hectic that we would stay home for Thanksgiving. Amy and Brad were gone for the week to their dad's house so it was quiet. We ordered a catered turkey meal and then just made some appetizer type snacks and a dessert or two. It was really nice.

Then since I am a lucky person, my birthday fell the day after Thanksgiving this year. Jeff cooked fajitas and made a huge whole spread to go with them. Mom and Dad were in town to relax with us so we enjoyed our Friday at home. The rest of the weekend was just as quiet. I had grand plans to clean out Brad's room while he was gone for the week, but I guess I took a few naps instead.

Oh, and I almost forgot! We got a new puppy at the beginning of October. She is a Miniature Schnauzer. She will be pretty little. We expect her to get between 4-6 pounds full grown. She is about 4 months old. I know these pics are hard to really see how little she is/was, but that is my shoe is was trying to play with.

School has begun...

2009-08-25T08:48:00.003-05:00

I am really not sure at this point who is happier?

Amy was so thrilled to be back among her friends. I mean really...she's been with family all summer! she will be starting volleyball tryouts this afternoon. She is not all that excited about it but she is in athletics anyway so that she can be in basketball later in the year. She decided that she might as well try out for volleyball instead of doing nothing all season. I am so proud of her! She is really an awesome person and I am so grateful that I get to be her mom! I just can't believe that she is in 8th grade already! I still cry when I remember back to her first day in kindergarten.

Brad started 4th grade yesterday. He is growing up so much too! Like all his friends, he was happy to be back at school. He has the sweetest teacher and I am happy about that. He has been lucky the last few years to get awesome teachers!

Connie woke up yesterday so excited to be going to the first day of school. Now, mind you, she is going to the same daycare she has been going to for the last 2 years. I guess she was just buzzing from Amy and Brad's excitement.

They were all so easy to get out of bed yesterday. Why is the second day so much harder? It was terrible trying to get them up this morning. I guess the new has already begun to wear off.

Well, here are a couple of pics from our BIG kids....

Bowling, anyone?

2009-08-25T07:47:00.007-05:00

We had our back to school cub scout party last weekend. It was lots of fun...to watch! I am not a bowler and since Jeff just had surgery, he was only along for the ride and to get out of the house for a bit. But the kids all had lots of fun!

This video is a bit hard to watch. Amy took it with my digital camera and it bounces quite a bit. It's cute though.

Does anyone have a cure for those silly faces that Connie makes? We have been trying for a couple of months to get her to stop? I especially get irritated when someone talks to her and her only response is some silly face!

I hope everyone else has/had a great first day of school!

Jeff is home finally....

2009-08-15T19:44:00.002-05:00

Actually, he c=got home Thursday afternoon. It was a total shock to both of us. But since he was doing all the things the surgeon thought necessary, he told Jeff that he could continue his recovery at home. Since we have been home, Jeff has been really good about getting his walking in. He is walking our whole neighborhood at least twice a day.

Mom stayed until this morning and took the kids shopping for school clothes. I am so thankful that she did that for me! I love to shop but I don't like to do it at this time of year. This was the last year that I only have two to buy supplies for so considering what they spent, maybe I should start that savings fund now????

Well that's all I have for now. I hope that everyone else is doing well.

Day 3 and still counting...

2009-08-12T16:50:00.002-05:00

Jeff is doing so much better today. He started a clear liquid diet last night and is getting to move to a soft diet for dinner this afternoon. The surgeon is happy about his progress and so are we. We finally have some peace with the nursing staff only to have the neighbor man move all his family in with him. Boy! Are they a loud bunch. But (and this might amaze some of you) Jeff is just taking it all in stride and turning the television up. I am kinda shocked that he hasn't asked me to get his computer for him but he has just been vegetating in front of the television for now.

I decided (as though anything is up to me) that this would be a successful trip if we could get him home by Sunday evening. It looks like we might even get him home before then. But we are not rushing anything. He is walking quite a bit and taking it slowing with his intake. I will spare the details but we have proof that his bowels are working again.

I guess that's it for now. We hope everyone is doing well.

Day 2 and counting

2009-08-11T19:50:00.002-05:00

Well, today was mostly just about overcoming last night. It was a rough one...but mostly because the nursing care has left something to be desired. Although to the nurses defense there did seem to be several different emergencies last night. Imagine that! Really sick people in the hospital! Who would have thought that?

Jeff is doing better. He just told the nurse that he is only having pain when he moves...and he pretty much only moves when he is tired of hearing me nag him about getting out of bed. But, he sat up for a long time two different times today and even took a walk. So, that is good. He is beginning to get hungry and the bowels are showing some signs of waking up so all of that is good news.

I had a good conversation with the patient advocate this afternoon to explain that we would really appreciate it if the nurses would try to understand what it is like to be the one lying in bed and unable to do much for yourself. Just to be clear here...I totally get the job these nurses have to do and I respect them for their dedication to the health of our community. But, really does an IV pump really have to beep for over 30 minutes before they (or anyone) does something to silence the pump? Jeff does pretty good sleeping through the lady's machine next door but when his machine does it, he isn't quite so patient.

Hopefully tonight will be at least a little quieter and Jeff will get to sleep at least more than 15 minutes at a time.

Jeff is on the road to recovery....finally

2009-08-10T19:16:00.002-05:00

Well I guess even with this blog, email and the amazing invention of the telephone I am still terrible at keeping people updated on life's events. I realized this today as I emailed Aunt Mert today to let her know that he was out of surgery and in recovery. She apparently was one of several people that I neglected to even tell he was having surgery. I am so bad at this communication thing!

So, here's the deal. He has been struggling with diverticulitis since August 2007 when it perforated his colon. He had an 8 day hospital visit then and when he was released he was told that many times it can be treated with diet and being cautious (and having a prescription on file at all times). Well that plan worked well for a few months and then as time passed he was having more and more pain. Then about the beginning of the year, he had a tough bout with it has pretty much been on antibiotics about 3 weeks of every 5-6 weeks since then.

A couple of weeks ago, I made him an appointment and he had a CAT scan done. His gastro doctor told him to make an appointment with the surgeon because it definitely would require surgical intervention at this point. She explained to him that basically his body has built up so much scar tissue that the colon was narrowing and had the potential for another rupture. The surgeon agreed and 10 days later, here we are!

We got to the hospital (Methodist Hospital, Sugarland) this morning about 6am and they started his surgery about 830am. The surgery lasted about 2 hours and he spent a little over an hour in the recovery area. They finally got him into a room and he slept for another couple of hours. Only in the last hour or so has he been waking more regularly. They have him on a morphine pump and I think he wakes up when the medicine wears off. He only sleeps about 15 minutes at a time so it looks like it will be a long night.

As for the expected outcome....they were able to do the surgery laparoscopically so that is a good thing, I suppose. The surgeon told us that the procedure itself isn't much different but the scars are less. He is in alot of pain right now, but they are doing what they can to help him there too. He just met the nighttime nurse and remembered that he didn't care for her the last time he was here so it may be a long night. I am going to work on convincing him how much better he will feel in the long run if he will try to move around a bit. I know it will hurt, but I feel like I can empathize with him since I have had 3 c-sections and my tubes tied. Maybe he will at least realize that I know partly what he feels.

Anyway, that's about it for now. The kids are at home with my mom for the week. Amy has summer band and is starting her softball practice back up. Then there's school clothes shopping and sports try-outs in the next couple of weeks. Oh yeah, and school starts on the 24th. Why does it seem that the older they get, school becomes secondary to everything else. Luckily I am blessed with the world's smartest kids so it isn't too much of a struggle that school's main focus for her is to socialize.

Thanks for checking in on us. Love to you all!

Now the healing has begun...I think...

2009-07-29T14:47:00.002-05:00

Well, Dad's memorial service was nice. We did it at the house and while it didn't seem as formal as maybe it should have been, it was all I could do. His sister and her husband came down from Mississippi and my Mom and Dad came down from Groesbeck along with my brother and his family. It was intimate but small. Actually it turned into a weekend event since everyone stayed at the house all weekend. Our house was full, but I am glad that they were able to be there!

The slideshow/movie I made was a big hit so I am happy about that. And while I didn't think it would be possible, I do feel better having the service behind me. I actually put some pictures in a frame and brought it to the office. That says alot since it hasn't been that long that I cried just at the sight of him in a picture or the thought of him. Now, I am able to start getting my heart to understand that he would want us to miss him but he would want us happy.

Thanks to Aunt Mert and Aunt Bev for the beautiful plant. Also thanks to Dad's girlfriend Denyse for the flowers. They sure did help to brighten up the room! Thank you also Laura for your kind thoughts. These have been some pretty dark days in my life and I look forward to putting them behind me.

The weekend ended with Amy going home with Granny and Brad going home with my aunt. Anyone like to have a 4 year old for a few days????

Now, it's time to start gearing up for school to start. I would sure like to be able to take some time and not have to always be preparing for something....will that ever happen?

It has been one of those weeks!

2009-07-24T08:11:00.003-05:00

It seems like I say that more and more these days. I am not sure if it's just the fact that it's summertime and the kids need to be entertained or my emotional state since losing dad.

Brad and I left on Sunday for scout camp. Boy that was an experience...and not one that I am ready to do again. But, Brad had such a good time that if he asks to go again I am sure we will go. I took Brad and 2 other scout friends with us. I have pictures to upload, but I don't have them here now.

I have been working on getting my pictures transferred to my new Mac computer. I am so glad that I bought it! I have had the best time playing with it. Of course, transferring information is a pain but I am getting there. I am now going to make slideshows of the pictures and put them on DVDs so the kids could actually see all the digital pictures that we take.

I get so frustrated because we take all the pictures and I am either not smart enough or not patient enough to figure out how to do the digital scrapbooks and stuff so I can put these pictures in albums for the kids to see. Now, with my new computer, it makes it all so easy! I have a sharing site so I will post a link once I get things up there that others might want to see.

Tomorrow is the memorial service for dad. I am both dreading it and glad that it's almost over at the same time. I never could have imagined the pain and how long it can last. I was able to make a movie/slideshow with his pictures finally but it has been tough. I am not at the point of feeling joy when I see his smile. I do feel his love, but I still just get incredibly sad when I see his face. Hopefully tomorrow's gathering will help with that some. Anyway, if you want to see the movie (it's kinda long) it is at www.gallery.me.com/pamgriffis.

Here's hoping that a houseful of guests make the weekend bearable.

Life has been so crazy!!!

2009-06-17T08:34:00.007-05:00

I realized on Monday just how long it has been since I have posted. Although I am glad to see that summer seems to get busy for everyone. One thing I have not quite understood is how summer gets so busy for our house since Jeff and I both work? I guess it's because I am obsessed with making sure my kids don't just sit and vegetate (sp?) all summer. So there is a high school girl that comes by and runs them to their various camps and other things to do (and I might add...make sure that Amy and Brad don't torture/kill each other).

Last week was cub scout day camp with 200 boys all week. Boy! That was fun! Actually is was fun and was made even more enjoyable by knowing that I will most likely not have to do much with the camp at all next year. There are so many pictures from that camp that I would even be able to post them. Although I did manage to get a few pictures of my own children this year...

even Amy gets to go to Cub Scout camp...although this year she was big enough to be a junior volunter....

and apparently, I didn't get any pics of Connie at camp. She loves camp so much that every time we even drive past the fairgrounds, she asks if it's time for camp yet.

On Monday, we got a really nice surprise...Bra and Uncle Doug came and spent the night with us! We had a great time visiting with them. I did get a picture of Connie this time...

And yes, that is my 4.5 year old daughter in a pullup before bed with no jammies. She just about refuses to wear clothes to bed. I guess it's because she is so hot natured and I am usually just happy to have her going to bed at some decent hour and staying in bed all night. As for the pull up, I am hoping that she will grow out of it. About half the time, she doesn't wet, but the pull up is easier than the mess.

And now for more fun pics

2009-05-01T15:44:00.010-05:00

As Laura has said, baseball is in full swing. Brad and Connie are playing for the local little leaque and Amy is playing tournament ball. Connie's first game gave me a little scare. She hit the ball ok but she didn't care for those other players to be standing on the bases as she was running. She she did what any kid would do...she pushed them off! And I don't mean she lightly pushed them off...she ran at them with her arms stretched out and palms up and just basically ran straight into them! Boy they were surprised! It just didn't occur to me that I should have told her that in practice there is no one standing at the bases, but there will be during the games. Now that we have a few games under our belt, she is better. Then the other night at a game she ran up to second base and when the baseman wasn't anywhere around she left her base to go tell him that he should be over there watching the base. It was too far to get a good picture, but she was standing there with her hands on her hips telling him all about it. Of course, we have to keep in mind that she does not particularly care for the part of the game where she is in the field. She spends that time flirting with her coaches, picking flowers or just dancing around singing. So I am not sure where she gets the authority to tell anyone how to play. But she is having so much fun! And that makes it all worth the effort...(just remember that our Connie is always the clown, so I hardly ever get pretty pictures, but they all make me smile)

And I actually have a few pics of Brad playing too....

Thesnthe bottom fell out...

2009-05-01T15:16:00.002-05:00

Not long after the Lexington trip, I got the call that I have been dreading for months...well, actually years. Dad had just been here for 3 weeks in February but reluctantly I had to send him home to see if they would be able to give him his chemo treatment in California. We were so trying to get something worked out so he could stay with us but the stars just weren't lining up for us. Anyway, his girlfriend called on Sunday, March 15th, and said that he was not doing well at all. So, off I went to California to spend what was the worst and yet somehow the best 10 days I have ever spent with my Dad. I am still not even close to be able to deal with it, and I am not sure I will ever be able/willing to deal with the loss. I knew as soon as I picked him up at the airport in February that his time on earth was much shorter than I was ready for. We had known that he wouldn't survive his cancer, but there is never enough time to spend with the ones that you love. He passed on March 23rd and I still have not been able to organize a memorial service for his friends and family on this side of the country. That just seems to final and I'm not ready.

He made peace with himself in those last days and that is all we can ever hope for someone. He accepts Jesus into his heart and finally felt that he would be forgiven for his sins and that Jesus would take him home. That process was a miracle in itself and I truly feel blessed to have witnessed his journey to forgiveness.

Anyway, I made a memorial site if anyone is interested...http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/alanross/homepage.aspx

The site has been good for me to have a virtual place to see his pictures. I can't take down his picture on our refrigerator, but I can't look at it either. Somehow on the internet, it doesn't seem so sad.

So my words for today....give everyone you love a hug, a kiss and a prayer every day because you just don't know how many days we have.

The boys trip to the USS Lexington

2009-05-01T15:00:00.006-05:00

I really hadn't realized how long it has been since I have posted here. I guess there goes another New Year's Resolution down the tubes.

Anyway, back in early March, Jeff and Brad went with our Cub Scouts and spent the night on the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi. They said it was loads of fun...and I agreed that it probably was...for them. The girls and I stayed home and just spent some time painting fingernails, doing hair and watching movies. Yes, folks, that's my idea of fun. So here are some pictures...

Connie's T-Ball Practice

2009-02-27T09:57:00.012-06:00

OK. Now that I have had some time to think about it, maybe giving Connie a bat wasn't such a good idea. But she's just so darn cute playing ball....

And her she is trying make contact with the ball. It's a cute picture, but if you look close enough, you will see that she actually hit the tee and the ball fell straight down. Oh well, she ran to first anyway.

She had to hold the batting helmet on because the straps were too long and she thought it was going to bounce off.

I know no one will believe me here, but this is a picture of daddy about to distract her from the game. But you could tell that she loved her daddy being right there with her on the field. I wonder what will happen on game day?

And this is just Connie and Daddy playing around.

And I just had to post a picture of all 3 of my children acting like they like each other, even if it was only for a brief moment....

What a crazy life we live!

2009-02-24T12:54:00.002-06:00

I knew it had been some time since I had posted, but I hadn't realized that it has been a month! Where did the time go? Unfortunately, I know where the time went...

Amy has finished up basketball, started practicing with her select softball team and begun track practice. The first track meet is this Saturday. She is going to be running the 100M dash, I think. We will see for sure on Saturday.

Brad is still going strong with his cub scout stuff. He had his banquet Saturday and received his Bear badge, along with a ton of other awards so he was proud. He has started the practices for baseball as of last night so that will keep us busy too.

Connie is about to get regulated on her medicine, I think. Hopefully that will help to ease the frustration in our household. She starts practice tonight for T-Ball. She is so excited that she can barely contain herself.

Jeff has taken a new position with the Scouts so his stays busy with that. He is also trying to find some time to finish up his degree with the Masons. He sure doesn't want to start over at this point.

As for me, I am just hoping to keep my wits over the next few months. The spring time is always busy and my Dad is really struggling with his cancer. He has been here for almost 2 weeks. I am so thankful that he was able to make it here to see us and to meet Connie. We are stuggling now to find a way for him to get treatment at MD Anderson. Because of the stage of his cancer, palliative treatment is our only option, but it is certainly better than nothing. It is so tough to see the amount of pain is endures.

So that has been our life for the last few weeks. I will post some pictures soon. It was great to log on this morning and see the pictures of all of the cousins.

Amy's Last Basketball Game

2009-01-23T12:53:00.007-06:00

Well, Amy's last basketball game was last night. They ended the season undefeated so they were really excited about that. Of course, there was that tournament that didn't go so well for them, but the girls say that doesn't count....

I am so proud of her. She really did what she could this season. I was a bit worried about her in team sports because I was afraid she would have my coordination skills...but she did great! Last week's game was awesome for her, but I was so into the game that I didn't take any pictures.

Here is a picture from her last game....the movement is so fast and the gym was a little bit dark so the pictures aren't great. Her jersey number is 2.

She is the cutie all the way on the right.

Brad's Spelling Bee

2009-01-23T11:15:00.004-06:00

Brad studied so hard...he was the classroom spelling bee champion last week. So yesterday was the grade level spelling bee. He was so excited! It's hard for me to get off work sometimes, but I refuse to miss these moments simply because I work. There were twenty two students in the grade level spelling bee. It was funny because most of the kids had to sit out because of silly mistakes. They would spell the word right except for getting excited and either starting off with a totally unrelated letter or adding some totally unrelated letter at the end. They were just all too excited and nervous. Here are a couple of short videos of Brad spelling.

And my Brad is still little. I just hate that all the kids are growing up. I was almost happy that my little boy's feet didn't even reach the ground when he was on stage waiting his turn to spell....

Connie is building a Pinewood Derby Car!

2009-01-20T08:04:00.004-06:00

Ok, for those that don't know this already....our lives our completely submersed in Cub Scouts. This coming weekend is our Pinewood Derby Car race with the Cub Scouts. The siblings are allowed to race in their own race if they want to participate. Last year, Connie wasn't all that into things but this year, she is making her own car. You can see her here in the background working on it. (There aren't any pictures of Brad working on his because Dad forgot to take pictures and I was at a meeting about our Cub Scout day camp this summer.)

Connie takes a ride

2009-01-09T14:34:00.004-06:00

OK. Several weeks ago, I saw a video of Lilly being dragged down the hall by her dog. And as Laura told the story, she went to check on them because of all the laughing the kids were doing. Well, a few nights ago Jeff and I were doing something and heard Connie just laughing hysterically. The first thing I did was chuckle remembering Laura's blog post. Then we go into the kitchen to find Connie riding the dog!

Connie singing at Aunt Mert's in Pecos

2009-01-09T14:24:00.003-06:00

Connie is an absolute fanatic about Taylor Swift. I couldn't find her at one point and when I went outside she was dancing and singing all by herself. Of course I think she was deliriously tired by then and none of us were feeling good.

In this video she is singing "Teardrops on My Guitar".

I watched her for a bit and then gave her my phone to sing by. I just love it when the kids are in that quiet kind of mood. It happens so rarely in my house.

Is that Connie cleaning the kitchen floor?

2009-01-08T16:01:00.009-06:00

Ok. First let me just say that I already know I am a monster of a mother. I have been working on getting the kids more into chores and housework. I mean it surely can't be bad for them to learn what it takes to keep a house running...and exactly how that laundry gets from the middle of their floor back to hanging in the closet.

Unfortunately, Jeff and I leave for work so early and we do so much during the week that our current housekeeper/nannie has been showing Amy how to clean. Well, over the New Year's break I was doing something (very important, I am sure) and really noticed just how filthy our kitchen floor was! I mean I knew it wasn't getting as clean as I would like it, but I hadn't realized that the baseboards hadn't seen water in who knows how long.

So Amy and I spent New Year's Day and the day after cleaning so I could show her how I wanted things done. She really did it all in good humor, considering. (That should probably be a clue that I don't spend near enough time with her if she's happy even cleaning house with me.) Anyway, as we were almost finished cleaning the dining room floor, Connie wanted Amy to come play with her. I explained to Connie that Amy couldn't go play until the floor was done. She she asked if she could help her. Of course, I said yes!

And yes, that is a toothbrush in Connie's hand. But in fairness, we weren't cleaning the floor with a toothbrush. We were using scrub brushes to get up the dirt that had found itself in the linoleum. We were only using a toothbrush for those crevices in the corners the get the baseboards clean. Really, I am mean but I don't even think Cinderella had to use a tooth brush....

Connie is a ham!

2009-01-08T15:53:00.003-06:00

Well we took the kids for some family pictures last week. As usual, Amy was interested in participating, Brad was in a goofy mood and Connie was a hamming it up! The photographers are friends of ours and they spent a great deal of time trying to get Amy to at least pretend that she liked her siblings. But, it wasn't happening.

The picture below is a picture AFTER we spend almost an hour in the shooting room trying to get at least a few good shots. Amy and Brad have school pictures of course, but it's so hard to get them all together and clean so I thought while I had Connie up there getting hers, I would throw Amy and Brad in too. I also kinda thought that if Amy was a little surprised then she would be better, not. Maybe next time.

Christmas in Pecos

2008-12-28T18:32:00.006-06:00

Well we are home after several days in Pecos. We got there Wednesday afternoon for all the Christmas eve activities and left about 6am this morning. We finally got home about 3:30pm this afternoon. It wasn't really all that bad. I usually really don't look forward to the drive because it is just too long to have Jeff and Connie cooped up in a car! But this trip was so much better.

Christmas eve was a blast! As usual Aunt Mert and Aunt Bev went way beyond and made it so much fun for the kids. After church, everyone gathered for some ham, sausage and brisket with lots of sides (and more importantly, lots of desserts).

After everyone ate, it was time for the pinata in the back yard. This year it was Thomas the Train. I guess Clay likes Thomas the Train. I think it was a great idea that went a little south when everyone started hitting Thomas. Clay was not really thrilled with this idea. He spent quite a bit of time talking about how Thomas was broken. Poor little guy. And I am sure that Kelsey will expand on this, but it seemed that Clara wasn't really very happy about hitting Thomas with a bat either. Of course Clay and Wyatt had a turn with the pinata as did Connie and Clara. The bat was a little too heavy for the little ones, but they gave it their best shot.

Thomas was a tough one to break. After the kids had their turns, Jeff, Cody and Mason got a shot at bringing him down. I am going to try to post the video to my blog...it was a tragic ending. If the video won't work online, I am already making copies to be sent out for everyone to see.

As tradition has it, the pinata ends with a special visitor. This year he snuck up behind the fence! (I wonder where his reindeer where?)

Then we went inside to visit with Santa and see what he had in his bag for everyone. It was so much fun. It a great time for all. Although I must admit that Connie confronted Santa because she didn’t get the only thing the had asked for this year. Right after she opened her first gift from Santa she made her way up to him, stepping over those in her way, and told him that she was mad because he didn’t get her what she had told him she wanted. She continued to tell him that she had asked for a DS gameboy with two screens and a pen just like her brother. It was pretty hysterical, but I have to admit that I was a bit embarrassed and felt like I had messed up with Santa. But it didn’t take long to redirect her and get the fun going again.

On Christmas morning, we stayed at the farm for awhile and opened our stockings. About mid-morning we made our way to Mert’s house for more food and cookies. We really enjoyed the time to visit and play with the babies. I have pictures that I will try to post also of them. All the kiddos are getting so big!

On Friday afternoon, Johnny and Lola Kay came for a visit. It was nice to get to spend some time with them as well. Connie was so happy to spend some time with her “Grandfather”. (I really don’t know why she has taken to being so formal with her grandparents. She does it with my family too.)

By Friday afternoon, some of the cousins were heading out other directions. Saturday we just hung around and visited. I got some really cute pics of Connie on the trampoline singing all by herself. I personally think she was delirious by this point.

I am so thankful for the entire Griffis family. It is so nice to be able to enjoy the magic of Christmas with such a great family. I know the kids love being able to play with so many cousins. And maybe even play in Aunt Mert’s pond if no one is looking….

OK. That is pretty much the details. I am making a few copies of the pictures and the video of the pinata in case anyone might want a copy. There are just too many pictures to post here and I am sure that others will be posting pictures too.

I hope that everyone else had a wonderful Christmas holiday and continues with a very safe, happy new year!

We will continue praying for Larry and hope all is well in Abilene.

Santa is coming to town!

2008-12-16T14:35:00.006-06:00

We had our cub scout Christmas party this past Saturday. The kids all had a great time and were able to spend some time with Santa. He was a great Santa and really got to spend some quality time with him.

We went to the mall to see him just before Thanksgiving because there was no line and Brad and Connie seemed to be in a good mood. Well that may have been correct right until the time Connie realized that she was supposed to get at least in the general vicinity of this big man in a bright red suit! She was none to thrilled about that idea. I don't have those pictures in the computer to compare, but needless to say, she liked this Santa so much better!

Once she watched him with the boys for awhile, she decided to go up and talk to him. Of course she must have known that I wanted a picture of her with Brad because she flat out refused to go talk to Santa with Brad. But since Austin is her boyfriend, she decided he could take her to Santa. So here is a picture of Connie, her boyfriend Austin and Santa. (And for the record, I tried relentlessly to tell her that Austin was not her boyfriend, but she wouldn't stop calling him that.)

And here is one of Brad with Santa:

And then while the boys were off playing together, she went back to see Santa AGAIN! And in case you don't know Connie too well, she really isn't in to hugging people and certainly not into kissing people. Here is a small video of her getting snuggly with Santa:

It's snowing!!!!

2008-12-11T05:20:00.006-06:00

OK. It hardly ever happens in Houston, but it actually snowed yesterday. It wasn't much, but it was something, at least. It snowed for several hours yesterday afternoon and into the evening. Although most of it didn't stick to the ground. I am sure that Laura in Oregon won't be impressed with our little bit of snow but the kids had fun talking about it. I wonder how much snow Kelsey got since she's a little further north from us???

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of our snow....

Jeff and Allen

2008-12-10T16:12:00.004-06:00

Here is a picture of Jeff and Allen when they went hunting a couple of years ago.

And here is a picture of Jeff and Allen with their Kingfish last spring not long after Jeff got his boat.

And thanks Kelsey for telling me how to put my pictures where I want them.

Amy at her basketball game...

2008-12-09T05:22:00.002-06:00

Last night we attended another of Amy's basketball games. In the picture above, she is 2nd from the left. She has had a great time playing basketball and I am so happy for her. She obviously didn't get her abilities from me. I was worried when she tried out for the team because she is not very tall and hasn't really shown any hint of the competitive agressiveness needed for the sport in our hometown. I must say that she is growing in her abilities at each game.

She is pretty proud right now because although she is on B team, her team remains undefeated. I am so proud of her.

I am going to try this again!

2008-12-08T13:37:00.003-06:00

OK. I am going to try to start this blogging thing, again. I so enjoy reading Kelsey's, Laura's and Tonya's blogs. It's great to be able to keep up by the internet. Besides, our families might be interested in what keeps us so busy that we never call anymore. (LOL)

Jeff went deer hunting early Friday morning. He went with his friend from work along with his brother Allen and his kids. I understand it was pretty cold up there, but I was warm and toasty here so I can't really speak to that. Apparently, there was plenty of small deer but not too many large enough to bring home. So, Jeff and his nephew Casey shot some hogs. At least they were able to shoot something. I will say that I am a bit glad that Jeff didn't bring any of his hog home because our freezers were not prepared for it!

At the home front, we were busy too. Amy's birthday was last week so she had a sleepover on Friday night. We had 4 girls total so that was nice. She originally planned for many more, but was happy that her bestest friends could come. I played with Brad and Connie until it was their bedtime and they I turned over the living room to them. The played the wii until all hours. Man, to be young again. I am so thankful that she is old enough to just let her and her friends be. Of course, hopefully their text messaging didn't keep any adults on the other end awake! Man, I just don't get that never-ending text messaging these kids do.

Then, Saturday I took her to the nail salon and got her nails done. She thought she was ALL THAT! Saturday was her Christmas band concert. She is in 7th grade this year and is really becoming a young lady (most of the time). She reminded me of my junior high years running around with friends. It really warmed my heart, but made me sad in a way too. It seems the older she gets, the more I realize just how short a time we actually get them to ourselves.
On Sunday, we cleaned up the house so that Jeff wouldn't think we were total bums all weekend. Of course, I don't think he even noticed he was so tired.

Anyway, I am going to TRY to put a picture of Jeff's prize as a test. That way, when I have an actual picture of my kiddos I might know what I am doing (probably not though).

And apparently I will have to figure out how to get the pictures where I want them in the post. Oh, well. I gotta go for now. I will have to play with it more later.

Jeff is getting real food.

2007-08-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't posted for a couple of days because frankly. it's been pretty busy. Jeff walked ALOT on Wednesday and spent most of Thursday in bed resting so I was a little busy entertaining him and also I went into work for a little bit to see what has been going on there.

Yesterday Jeff was hoping he was going home. He had a CT scan to see how he was healing. The first doctor (internal medicine) came in and said that it was beginning to heal but still would need to be on antibiotics for a couple of weeks. Then the second doctor (surgeon) comes in and tells Jeff that he doesn't feel that it is healing well enough yet and he will assess again on Monday if he should have surgical intervention. So we were a little bummed for awhile. Then his other doctor (gastroenterologist) came in and sat down with us and explained that the CT scan did show improvement but we should not be expecting it to heal so quickly. Basically he feels that Jeff is doing incredibly well and should just keep taking it easy. So we started feeling much better after talking to him.

This morning the weekend surgeon came in and said basically that they want Jeff to be on IV antibiotics for 7 full days and then they will switch him to oral antibiotics and let him go home. That could mean we are home by Monday. YEAH!

In the meantime, we are thinking about getting ready for the hurricane that is headed this direction. Allen has been helping out tremendously with getting our travel trailer pulled away from the Gulf Coast and back home.

On another note, my Dad has been allowed to start eating solid foods as well. It looks like him and Jeff are at about the same point.

I guess when it rains, it pours!!!!

More later.

Jeff is getting better everyday

2007-08-15T22:50:00.000-05:00

The doctor came in today and said that Jeff's white blood count was down so the infection is getting better. He is virtually pain free. They started him on clear liquids and he tolerated it well. They moved him into a bigger room and for that I am grateful (and so is my back!). I now will have a couch to sleep on instead of putting two chairs together. Of course we can already tell that the nursing staff leaves alot to be desired. The staff on the other floor was so awesome. I kept telling Jeff before he was moved that we would miss the great nurses even though we might enjoy a nicer room.

Anyway, I am so thankful that he is feeling better and it looks like it will be few months before we are back for his surgery to take out the damaged colon.

Mike and Kristina's wedding

2007-08-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

This picture is kinda blurry, but here is Mike and Kristina at their wedding in July. Hopefully I will get some of the pictures from the photographer soon.

Jeff is getting better!

2007-08-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

Well it has been a long few days with Jeff. Sunday after we got home from taking care of my Dad in California, he was in so much pain that he asked me to take him to the ER. He had been in pain for a couple of days but thought it was just gas. Turns out he has perforated diverticultis. So at this point he is on antibiotics for several days, at least. He is feeling much better and his fever is gone. His white blood count is going down and we are hoping that he continues on the same path. That means that he has avoided a nasty surgery and will be able to recover and have the corrective surgery at his "convenience". (If there is ever a convenient time to have major surgery.) He says he wants to wait until after hunting and fishing season. We will see what happens. He is supposed to be moved into a better room soon. I sure hope so because I am staying with him and this tiny room is not comfortable. But, I'm not complaining. After all I have been through with my Dad, I am just s thankful that Jeff is getting better so quickly.

P.S. He is in Methodist Hospital in Sugarland.

The kids at Mike's wedding

2007-08-14T20:09:00.001-05:00

Here is a picture of the kids at my brother Mike's wedding. They were so happy to be a part of it. It made them feel special and they all 3 had a great time.

Our New House

2007-08-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

Since some have been asking, here are some pics of our new house. We are so happy to have it and I love living in town. There is plenty of room for guests if anyone wants to stop by!