Stock Show Pictures

    

 Blackout

This is the pig Kalebh won Reserve Grand Champion With 

Just a day walking the pigs. 

KK and Blackout...getting ready for a haircut...Blackout not KK. 

Kalebh did such a great job this year with the pigs. He was clipping them pigs without having to snout them...I think that is what you call that....I call it cruel and unusually punishment! 

KK is loving on knockout...he is the baby and our Houston pig. 

Kalebh and Amigo...this is our first year to have a lamb and I hope our last :) Amigo came a week before we left for Panama so thus his name! 

Showing Like A Champ!

Showing Knockout! Our Houston Pig. He won Breed Champion.

Showing Blackout. In the Grand-Drive

Kalebh and the Judge with Blackout the big winner.

A good day at the show! We are blessed!

When Chad and I found out we were having a boy one of the first things Chad talked about was getting back in the show ring...me a city girl that like to have my nails done and go to Starbucks just kind of laughed. But, when Kalebh hit 3rd grade the pigs sales we hit, the feed store became a normal thing and the pig smell...well you never get use to that. After the first year of showing I decided...I can either join them in the barn, pens, and wash racks...or I could be left at home by myself. It was a easy decison. I wanted to be in on the memory making, the laughs, the tears and the winning!!!
Today, we are saying good by to 3 of our 4 animals and let me tell you many tears of been shed. We love these guys! I am thankful for stocking showing, I am thankful for a husband that is patient with his children in teaching them life lessons while raising and showing animals. Kalebh and KK are both learning about hard work, winning, losing, getting up early to feed, bust water, care for sick animals. But, at the same time they are making memories that they will all share for years to go. Love my stock showing, pig smelling family! 

Hard Week

Hello! First, apologies for my lack of blogging over the last two weeks. Lots of things to update you on. 

--last week was stock show week. We had our county show. Which has come to be one of my favorite weeks out of the whole year!  Something some of you most likely find really funny coming out of my mouth. It was a busy week...washing, clipping,  walking, loading, moving, unloading, setting up pins and weighing in for the show. The "getting ready" started Saturday before the show with the clipping and then came the walking. It made my heart so very happy to watch my kids work so hard and work together. I love it when I can sit and watch them loving on their animals. The stock show was wild and a long day but it was a blast. Kalebh worked really hard this year following our summer pigs this summer. He learned a lot that he has used so far and it is just a blast to see how much more confident he is. We showed sheep for the first time. Sheep are dumb. But Kalebh got 1st in his class with his sheep. Then we showed three hogs. A Duroc which he placed 2 nd in his class, a Burke which he place 1st in his class, and breed champion with, and last was an all black cross. He won 1st in his class and then reserve grand breed. Followed by... Reserve Grand Champion of the whole show! He did great and it was that much sweeter to see how hard he has worked. It was a blast. Picture blog to follow later. 

Last Tuesday Chad's grandmother "MeMaw" was put in the hospital because she was dehydrated and the hospice nurse felt like she needed to be seen in the hospital. They decided to keep her. On Thursday evening her body started to wear out and the sweet doctor prepared the family that the end was near. Friday while we were at the stock show setting up  chads sweet MeMaw who touched my life in so many ways was healed externally and went home to be with Jesus. We are all sad here but, we keep reminding ourselves she isn't sick, she isn't hurting and she is home. Juanita kept Kalebh and Kk while I worked from the time they were 6 weeks old. She was such a part of their loves. Kk is having a really hard time and we would welcome your prayers for her as she processes this loss. Charlie...PawPaw is staying with Edith Chad's mom and they both as well would welcome your prayers. God is faithful, he has walked before so far and we know he isn't stopping now. 

Chemo...Cancer sucks...

Aj will take treatment 5 of 6 tomorrow!!! She told me this week... I can see a light at the end of this tunnel. The treatments are still very hard on her so tomorrow at 9:30 please lift her up as she starts her NEXT TO LAST treatment! She will have surgery on February 24th. Followed by radiation. Aj is slowly starting to make plans to return to work for a few weeks before surgery. Thank you all so much for walking this journey alongside us. We are grateful for your love, support, prayers, emails, calls, and cards. God is so faithful! 

---Prayer Needs

Please pray tomorrow at 9:30 for Aj as she starts her treatment. Please pray she won't feel anxiety, no side effects, sickness or nausea. 

Chads family during this time of loss. 

Kk as she learns to handle this heart ache. 

Juanita's sister Rose's family. Rose was diagnosed with cancer on Wednesday and went home to be with Jesus last night. 

Love you ourPrayer warriors. Thank you dr carrying us!  

Chemo 2 of 6

Monday at 9:30am Aj will start treatment 2 of 6. Bobby will be with her tomorrow. 

Please Pray

• As they leave the house to drive to the treatment center Aj will have a sense of peace. 
• Pray that Bobby will have the right things to say to put her at ease. 
• Pray for Holly the nurse as she treats her. Pray for Melissa the Tech as she visits with Aj to keep her positive. 
• That the meds will not make her sick but work to heal her. 
• Pray that she will feel love, rest and peace. 

Sweet Dreams,

Out with 2013...in with the new 2014

Happy New Year!!! Wow we have had a wild holiday but a very fun one. We spent time with the Whittington's in Clovis on the 23rd, Chad's family Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, spent a day at home and then headed to Houston to be with Aj and my parents. 

What a great way to get to be with most of our family! Love time together. We spent Saturday in Deer Park and did some fun shopping and dinner at the Cheese Cake Factory and then Sunday Church with Aj family and what a great place of worship they have. We very  much enjoyed the message delivered and Chad and I will be making adjustments this year and not resolutions. So, thankful that God uses all kinds to speak to our hearts! Monday I took Aj for Chemo. I will never really be able to explain to you the feeling of watching her have to take that awful medication. I understand it is helping her to get better in the long run but I have never in my life see something work on ones body as quickly as this did hers. It was all I had to not sit there and bawl. The nurses in that office are angels. I think it was such an opener as to how God places us in jobs, appointments and such for a reasons. Holly the nurse and Melissa the tech were amazing...the LOVED my sister and that my friends is heart touching. As Aj would closer her eyes during the 3 hours we were there I would just pray for her, for each of those ladies and for the other people taking chemo. Because, quite honestly I have no idea how in the world people can walk this road with out the peace and comfort we receive from our Father and Healer. Aj did okay she was just so tired by the time we got done. We headed home that afternoon and she has been resting on and off since. Please pray that these 5 treatments she has left will leave her feeling good. And please pray that this chemo is working to make her cancer free!!! 

As I have sat and reflected on my 2013 Here are the things I want to share. 

January...Stock Show, Kaileigh broke her other arm (might as well even them out)

February...San Angelo Stock show, Kalebh's basketball season, Kalebh had mono.

March...KK and I did the color run in Lubbock with some sweet friends of ours.

May...Heaven gained such a sweet, sweet lady that I was blessed and honored to call Granny! 

June...Chad and I spent a weekend in New Mexico with some sweet friends...we just love the Brown's. 

July...Wow...Chad, Kalebh and I spent 6 days in Panama. What a life changing trip that was for us. We were honored to lead a group of 23 people to a 3rd world country to share Jesus. So, many wonderful reminders of how blessed we are. 

August...I attended a weekend in Deer Park with some great friends. Girls that I grew up with and some I had not seen in a long time. It was a wonderful time. 

Kaileigh started the 1st Grade and Kalebh the 5th...where has the time gone?

After 10 years as the youth pastor at FBC Lockney Chad resigned. It was time but, oh how we miss it. 

September...We had a vacation to Sea World. I had never been and it was so much fun!

September 15th...Kaileigh was baptized by my Dad. It was so special and so sweet. I am thankful that 2013 brought salvation to my sweet KK and both of my kids now know what Love really is. 

October...Cancer....Cancer sucks....but once we were done throwing a fit about it we all joined forces and got a plan. October I drove mom to Houston and Aj's sweet church family had her a hat party. On our way at the door to the party i was blow drying her hair and more was falling out than was staying on. So, on our return from the party Aj's mother in law shaved her head. Man, I wish I looked as good as she does...she is so pretty! 

November...We celebrated Avery's 1st birthday. Avery is my cousin Matt and Callie's little girl and I. LOVE. HER...she is pure sugar! 

Aj also felt good enough to come to Artesia so we spent  Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's. 

December...Christmas Tour!

As I think on these things I think man this was a year full of happiness, memories, sadness, sickness, but as ever year I stop and think...I am a child of the King, with a family that loves me, Parents that continue to teach me, a husband that loves me no matter what, kids that are amazing...and the list goes on. I just have to say the prayer of my heart for 2014 is that I will do whatever I can to show love to others. But, not just love I want to show Christ love. My heart has heart so much at the thought that people have to face some of these things we have faced this year without Christ. Losing Granny was hard. She was kind of the glue that kept us all together. She prayed for us, she taught us, she loved us, she made us laugh, she helped me to be a better cook, she showed me Jesus and taught me how to be a God fearing wife. For all of these lessons I will forever be grateful. Granny lived a life devoted to Christ and she spent many years giving, ministering and love other. I am peaceful knowing I will see her again and that she is in Heaven living out what she taught us here on earth. But, I promise you this...a day does not go by that I don't miss her...want to talk to her or just hear her laugh...not a day!  Cancer is a word a year ago I though just "other" people had to deal with. But, it is on our door step and with this fight Aj is fighting I have really learned what is important in life. I am thankful for most of the lessons. But, with this fight I have seen such a sweet love from people all over the world for my sister and our family. It just has all came full circle for us. 

There have been many things happen this year that have taught me that you cannot put your faith in earthly things or people. I have seen the worst in some people and have walked away from friendships because I just cannot allow myself to be treated in a way that is not okay. But, through that I remind myself it is a lesson as to how I want to love on people and how I hope to never leave other feeling unworthy. I am thankful for hard lessons. Because, it is in those lessons that we find out who we are!

Prayer for 2014

Father, thank you for your Son Jesus. Thank you for your forgiveness, your grace and your healing. As I have sat and reflected the year 2013 and I am thankful for many things. I am thankful for a family that has left a legacy of severing you. I am thankful for a family that in hard times pulls together, I am thankful for friends and family from all over the world that take time to check in on Aj and pray for her battle against cancer. I thank you for these same people that are a support to my Parents as they watch their baby fight a nasty battle with breast cancer. Thank you for placing these people in our lives. I thank you for my sweet husband that stands beside me in the good, bad and ugly and loves me all along the way. I will forever be grateful that he was able to have a relationship with my sweet Granny and she taught him the power of prayer. I thank you for Kalebh and KK. I thank you for bringing Kk to your saving grace this year. Kalebh is growing closer to you each year and I praise you for that. God in all these good things I thank you for the hard times as well. Thank you for teaching us, walking with us and loving us. Even though I have learned some hard lessons within some friendships this pass year I thank you for teaching me more about who you are. God, I pray that 2014 will be a year of healing...healing for Aj, healing for our family and healing for other issues as well. We trust that you have our best interested at heart and we will praise you in this time. Thank you for loving us even when we are unloveable. 

It is in your AMAZING name I pray! Amen

Happy New Year...make it a year that Counts...for HIS kingdom. 

Loads Of Love!