Granddad - Norwin Lee Elsasser

We were lucky to have made it to Michigan to visit Rich's Grandfather (he calls him Granddad) when we were in Ohio for my family reunion last month. He was such a laid-back, jolly little fellow (sounds funny to describe someone like that, but that is exactly what he was). He was pretty short (about 5'4") which is amazing because Rich's whole family is very tall. They lived outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan (where Michigan University is located!!! BOO!) in a small town called Dexter. It's beautiful there, so many HUGE pine trees and everything is so green and colorful. That is why I like going home to Ohio, too. My mom and my sister have the most incredible landscaping with flowers and trees. Their lawn is bright green and it is just amazing to look at (funny how you don't notice this stuff until you move to the desert). :)

While in Michigan we always go downtown where Rich's dad grew up...we drove past his house they grew up in (very nice) and go downtown to eat. Last time we ate at a really cool restaurant and ironically it used to be the gas station that Norwin owned. We also went to the Dairy Queen (I love me some ice cream lately) and of course Rich's dad had lots of stories of going to that DQ growing up. Rich's dad could tell stories forever!!!! It should be very interesting to see if he tells stories to his grandchildren, too. LOL!

While in Dexter we played Euchre, it was pretty amazing that his granddad was still extremely sharp while playing. He is one of those guys that can count the cards while playing...I was his partner and he could tell me exactly what I was about to lay down, it was unbelievable. I think I would make him laugh because I am very animated and I was floored everytime he told me what my card was. He would smile and he never wore his dentures so he had no front teeth. Everyone would laugh, but he didn't care. His house was still very 1970's with orange carpet everywhere and his furniture was even wrapped in this matching shag carpet. His towels in the bathroom were very retro as well as his artwork. He just never changed the place since he lived there...sometimes I think there is something so cool about that...being so content in not always trying to "update" and keep up with the times. The reason I say that is because my family is VERY into this and I can personally obsess about it with my own house. I could actually have a full time job just playing around in my house trying to make it perfect. Sometimes it's insane. But I do love to decorate!

Okay, DING! (My friends always say "DING" because I go off on tangents about other topics and can't stay on track). My point of describing Norwin and where he lived is for my little guy so he can read this someday and know about his great grandfather that passed away 3 months before he was born. I think it is so important to know your roots.

Norwin LOVED the Detroit Tigers...he could watch them all day long, they also used to attend many games. Funny thing that happened on Rich's birthday is that he turned on the television when he got home from work and the Tigers were playing Texas!!! How crazy. It was kind of a little sign from his granddad.

Well, one thing we know for sure is that we can keep his name going (Rich is the last Elsasser)...and we will make his middle name Lee.

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"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."
I'm blessed because God is embracing me every step of the way (Matthew 5:4).

Kacy's Happy Birthday

Because Rich could not make it to his birthday party, Kacy sang him her own version of Happy Birthday...so cute. :) Just press play!

Rich's Birthday...

Well, this was an interesting birthday for Rich. His grandfather passed away on his birthday at the age of 92. He took it harder than I thought. Poor guy. I think because it was his last surviving grandparent and of course it was on his birthday. It just seems so crazy that Erin and I are both about to have baby boys. It's the true circle of life.

I had 17 people lined up to surprise Rich for his birthday, a cake, presents, reservations...but since he didn't feel like going I cancelled with most but some still wanted to come...and Ramsey, Kelly and her kids were already there (they drove 2 hours from San Antonio just to go out to eat with Rich.) Is this the true meaning of best friends OR WHAT???!!!! I was so honored and felt so blessed that they would do this...what incredible people!!! Meggers (Meg) and her troop came as well! I'm so glad they did because it was a smaller group and we all got to visit, laugh, and catch up. Meg wrote happy birthday daddy on my stomach and I showed Rich when I got home. He got a kick out of it. They also put the sombrero on me and sang happy birthday to Rich as I was representing him...I ate the free fried ice cream, too!!! :)

I am just blessed with the most amazing friends in my life!!! My little boy is going to be lovvvved!!!!

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Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.

1 Peter 2:2 (New Living Translation)

Pics

Here are some pics of Gianna with her favorite princess outfit on and her belly looked like a mini one of mine. She said that princess bellies looked like ours. :)

Last night we went to Kay Bradford's 40th Birthday Party at a Kareoke Bar. That was pretty funny being at a place like that while pregnant. It is a whole different experience!!! But I still went up on stage with all of the girls and sang. My first kareoke with Jr!!!

Baby kicking more and Gianna in town...

I am feeling my baby kick more and more each day. It is usually at the same times everyday. The kicks get a little harder each day as well! Everytime I go workout and then lay down in my bed he starts kicking and rolling around...it's so funny! The doctor said that the endorphins have gone to him while exercising or eating and then when I rest, he wants more endorphins!!! I love to put my hand over my belly and just feel him kick my hand... I feel so blessed to be able to feel all of those movements! I just wish I had a little camera to see what he is doing! He is about 1.5 lbs and about a foot long right now... I can't believe that is inside of me! I wonder if he is going to have black curly hair or thin lighter hair? Is he going to be tall? Will he have white skin or dark skin? Blue or brown eyes? hmmmm.

Rich's niece, Gianna, is in town and I took her to the Rec Center Splash Pool and she LOVED IT!!! She laughed and smiled and screamed for an hour and a half. She did not want to leave. There I was with my big belly chasing her around the pool! HA! I was exhausted...that's what it's going to be like in a couple of years! I hope! She is very funny...she actually looks like Rich. Erin is about to have her baby boy in a couple of weeks...I look forward to seeing these two baby boys at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Rich is applying for a few Superintendent jobs in the area (including Gtown!) AHH! This should be interesting! He is so perfect for a Superintendent job, but I will have to be patient and know that we will not have the freedom that we once had and i will not have him around the house as much. I am excited for him...God has given him some special gifts of leadership and goodness and he needs to do something like this for himself and a community. It will be God's plan.

I try to send Rich some scripture for him to read each morning...I think this is very important for a man to remember what is important each morning!
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The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

"Come with the purpose of doing anything and everything that God wants you to do." - especially when gearing up for interviews for future jobs.

"Don't look at what you don't have, look at what you do have!" "Don't look at how far you have to go, look at how far you've come!"

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." James 3:5
(NIV)

This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.


"Don't try to climb to the top by stepping on others. Try to promote others and help others first and you will soon see yourself naturally working up to the top"

When you put god FIRST, you will be happy at LAST!!!


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More reunion...and other fun.

When I went home, everyone loved little Ellie Belly...I know she is jut a dog...but she is so sweet, so kind to children and just does what any child wants her to...never barks or anything. All the kids begged to hold her and wanted to be with her all the time. I also loved the talent shows that all the kids always put on...it's so fun to watch their magic shows and their dance routines. My nieces are raising pigs again and chickens. Their chickens are actually really pretty. Peyton named all of them and loves them dearly. When we first got to their house we went to look at the chickens and Ellie got in the pen and scared all of them and one flew over the fence...we lost it for about 5 hours...Rich tried looking for it down in their creek for a long time. Luckily it came back. Thank GOODNESS...Peyton was so happy!

I had 12 kids over swimming in my pool this week and I loved it!!! I love to have my house filled with laughter and noise and fun! All the moms came over and I had a lunch for them, I love to entertain...I just want people to have fun! They had Ellie in the pool and and she was so good but I felt so sorry for her as she would just try to swim to the side...I finally just wrapped her up in a towel and told them no more pool for little Ellie. One of the little girls wanted to take her home. And she was crying when she left. I look forward to seeing what Ellie does with my baby boy! Also, I hope that my baby is well-behaved and respectful to adults so he is a blessing, not a burden, when around others...I hope he just loves people and has a kind heart.

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I want to teach my children that everyone and everything will change and let you down every now and then...however, the LORD is the one person who will never change what He stands for. Everything that is GOOD comes from the Lord, everything that is corrupt, bad, or evil is never from God and we all need to run from it - always.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 (NIV)

It's been a looong time! Back from Ohio!

Well, it's been forever since I've written in my poor little baby blog...I've had too much going on! We went to Ohio about 3 weeks ago and I haven't caught up since! It was so nice to see my family...I didn't win the Family Olympics, but Peyton did! That girl can win anything. It was funny because Sammy called her, "A midget with super powers!" She certainly is very talented. It was also my grandmother's 93rd Birthday...she is so very sweet. I mean, she is not only sweet, she really "gets it" for 93 years old. It's hard to believe that this is my son's Great Grandmother. I look forward to seeing G.G. hold him. Whatever his name may be! I keep going back to "Trey" but I just can't imagine sending out my announcements with Richard Lee Elsasser on it...I think I've said that before, but that's my hang-up. So, we will see......

I can't wait to bring my baby boy home to see my nieces play sports. I think I'm going to make him a shirt that says, "GO SAMMY" "GO PEYTON" that would be cute. I think as he gets older my dad will be happy to finally be able to play ball and do other "boy" stuff with a grandson...poor guy has 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters! I wonder what a "Beaudet" boy would look like? I am so excited!

I had such a good time at home...everyone is just really down-to-earth...no crazy outfits, or hair, or tattoos or fake body parts...just as "real" as it gets! I love it. I feel very comfortable to be at home. My mom still caters to all of us and I like that, too...that will never get old. I always look forward to going home. They all said I doubled in size by the time I left...probably because I did not exercise and I ate some goood midwestern food! It is really hard to believe that next time I go home...I will be bringing a little baby!!!! I love it.

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When I put scriptures and important words of wisdom on this blog, it is not only for my baby, it helps me put everything in perspective! I want to be sure I go through each of these scriptures again as my child grows to be sure I not only teach my child these IMPORTANT lessons but more importantly I show these lessons through my actions.

"Put your hope in God who richly provides us with everything..." 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) We can put our hope in wealth, but that can be taken away at anytime. If we put our hope in God, he will always be there!

Halfway there!!!!

I am finally halfway through my pregancy! :) Going on 21 weeks!!! My belly has definitely grown this past weekend because I couldn't stop eating, my stomach would get striking pains in it and my belly is itching like crazy (stretching). So, I just got back from the pool at the Gtown Country Club and all the ladies said that I did grow. I enjoyed myself at the pool because I could just let my belly hang out and not worry about sucking it in!!! :)

However, I do feel like this little boy is growing in my BEHIND because that is growing, too. But, I will continue to say, "I don't care, I am blessed to be pregnant!"

4 more months to go! As I sit here, I am feeling him "kick" for the first time!!! It is the weirdest thing...it feels like a heartbeat in my belly, but it's his little kicks. So cute! I have been trying to poke at my belly for the longest time to make him kick or something. :) If he has legs like his daddy then I am in for it!!! They are BIG and very strong (like tree trunks)!

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Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)

Weekend in La Grange visiting the Blackwells

After the adoption in San Antonio we went to La Grange to visit one of Rich's best friends, Wess Blackwell, and his family. Wess is a doctor (I think the only doctor) in La Grange and he is the nicest and most honest person I know. Rich and him remind me so much of each other. They have been best friends since the 7th grade and they are so lucky to have had such a wonderful group of guys to hang out with. Success was honorable with this group as they pushed each other in sports and academically and celebrated one another's accomplishments. What a wonderful thing to have growing up! Their loyalty is forever, like brothers.

We went to Natalie and Noah's swim meet...it reminded me of when I swam back in the day. We brought Ellie and I have never seen a swarm of kids around a dog all day long. It was unbelievable. We were calling Natalie "Paris Hilton" as she would take Ellie around by the leash and everyone would surround her and want to play with Ellie...Natalie would then say, "Okay, we've got to keep walking, excuse us!" I had Ellie's pink spiked collar on her and two pink bows in her hair, like pigtails.

We were playing cards and Natalie acted like Ellie was playing, too. This dog gets wayyy too much attention.

We had a great time with the Blackwells and on the way home we stopped at the best bakery and I had SO MANY JELLY ROLLS, UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't stop eating. I don't even like jelly rolls.

Rich had Ellie in the car with him and he said when he stopped at a stop light she would get up on his arm and look at the cars next to them and Rich said he did not feel too manly when this happened. HA! That is funny. But he loves her.

After the long weekend, Ellie slept for 8 hours!!!! She was exhausted with all of the kids playing with her. She didn't move a muscle. :)

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Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.

2 Timothy 2:15 (The Message)

After the Adoption...

After we left the courts, we went back to the Scott house to celebrate. Rich is so fun to watch with the kids. He was so gun-shy to have one...but is so enthralled with kids when he is around them (unless they are disrespectful - he has no patience for that). Derek and Kelly have a 40 pound tortoise (Franklin) and this thing was chasing Ellie around everywhere - for about an hour!!! It was the funniest thing. Sometimes if Ellie knew she had Franklin in a precarious situation, she would go "nose to nose" with him. It was hilarious. I am anxious to see how Ellie does with our new baby. She is used to being the baby...she even sleeps in between Rich and me at night...she loves to snuggle and stay warm.
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I loved this scripture...forgiving is one of the hardest things ever to do. But when God is in your life, He gives you a peace inside that fills you up and there is no room for bitterness and grudges. I love it!!!

"If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good.
If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"
John 20:23 (The Message)

Tyler's Adoption

Well, Tyler (TJ) is finally adopted. It has been a year and a half in the making! Rich and I are his Godparents and I am so happy for him! He came from a family that were all in prison or selling/addicted to heavy drugs such as Meth. It was a very sad life that he had, but he has such a happy one now!!!! I can't imagine a mother not wanting to give her son the best possible life. But, it is a vicious cycle and the life you grow up in is the only one you know. As parents, we want to build a solid foundation for our children so they can make solid decisions. They will not listen to everything we say, but they will sure imitate our actions.

The adoption hearing was so sweet and heartfelt. The lawyer asked a series of questions to Kelly and Derek: "Have you loved this boy as though he was your own?" And they both said yes with tears in their eyes. "Will you love this boy unconditionally and accept him as he is forever?" And they both said yes while everyone in the courtroom was tearing up. The judge asked the CPS worker if it was in the best interest of the child that he be adopted by Kelly and Derek and the CPS worker said, "ABSOLUTELY!" Once he was adopted, the entire courtroom cheered and Tyler said, "YAY!" It was cute.

I will try to be the best Godmother I can be. I need to focus on Tyler, Sammy and Lexi as they are all of my Godchildren and I will try to teach them what I can about following God's path...it is the ONLY path that leads to happiness. :)

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Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.
James 3:13 (The Message)