Great Times
I just can’t believe it’s already time for “newly-sharpened pencils” – off to school for the kiddos! Westin is starting the 8th grade! He is playing quarterback for the football team. I am going to be taping the games; I might get courageous enough to try to upload some play footage! He’s fun to watch! Miss Keeley is beginning the second grade. She is quite a little squirt, and she just looks so cute walking up to that school door every morning with that spring in her step. She loves school – I hope it lasts forever, and something tells me it will! She will begin dance next week, and we can’t wait to get started again! Lily Kate is just about to be three! It seems unreal that my baby has been in my life for three years now. She’s quite a pistol! It takes us all to keep Lily Kate in line! She’s such a sweetheart, and keeps us all entertained with her cute little personality. Westin and Keeley are both old enough to “appreciate” her cuteness, if you know what I mean. One of us seems to come to her rescue if another should get onto her!
I have actually started back to school myself! I took my first full-time position since Lily Kate has been around, and I must say, it is a real change! I am working in the Middle School where Westin attends, and I work in the Life Skills Classroom with special needs children. I am learning a lot, and am enjoying these new teenagers that I work with. Believe it or not, Westin doesn’t even mind that I get to see him at school (or so he portrays:) and I LOVE being able to spy on him)! Mom-mom burns up the road between here and there (a two-and-a-half hour drive) each week to babysit Lily Kate on Thursdays and Fridays. It’s great to have her help, and by Thursday, Lily is ready for some good ol’ at-home time with Mom-mom. Monday through Thursday, Lily Kate goes to a wonderful babysitter and plays with her new little friend, Greenly (or Green-wy in Lily-Talk).
Life just never seems to slow down, but that’s a good thing, too, I guess. I hope you all enjoy the pictures that I have included, and I would love updates on your families!!
I apparently am rusty at publishing this blog, and I can’t actually see the pictures as I try to caption them, so I’ll do the best I can! These pics span the past year for us, and go in chronological order. We start out with Keeley’s cute little basketball team, which I had the opportunity to coach! She is the littlest one (fourth from left) on the back row. I am the adult….hard to spot, I know. Hee hee. There is a 7th birthday picture of Keeley. Apparently, my other two children did not celebrate birthdays in the past year. (I could not find the pictures…) We have before and after pictures of Westin with braces – super handsome with and without. We have before and after pictures of Keeley with glasses – super cute with and without. We have pictures of Lily Kate with clothes and without. I’ll go ahead and say it – super cute with and without! I have a LOT of trouble keeping her dressed – I would have included more clothed pictures if I would have had the opportunity to take more clothed pictures. One picture shows Lily with the remnants of a black eye (where Keeley is reading her a book). This was just one of our many injuries for the year. We lived through a head-first shopping cart fall to the forehead, a back of the head fall in the street that resulted in a staple, a chipped front tooth (twice), just to name a few (and I’m not exaggerating – there are plenty more). If any of you feel inclined to help pay for ER visits, just say the word! I don’t know what this says for my parenting skills, to tell you the truth. Another picture shows Westin pitching in a baseball game. Pretty impressive huh? Oh, I know at least one picture show Corey’s kids as well (no, I did not have another baby!) One picture is at Carter’s first birthday. Oh, and Keeley’s Dance Recital!! Isn’t she beautiful? And…Lily wants to be just like her sister…can you tell? There’s one from Christmas morning, when Santa left Keeley a horse that actually trots (that’s what she asked for – give me one mark for good parenting there for finding it). There’s one picture of Keeley on crutches. What did she do???, you ask… Nothing. I think that might be the best birthday present she has ever received. We’ve spent countless hours with an Ace Bandage and walking on crutches, in our make-believe world. (Does this earn me another mark in the bad parenting department, OR good parenting for coming up with such a creative gift worth hours and hours of fun? I don’t know – keep your opinions to yourself please).
The last pictures are from this first week of school. One shows the first day – what a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed group!! Another shows Westin with his teammates about to be introduced to the town (and literally, the whole town showed up for “Mr. Football Night” – where all teams, 7th, 8th, Freshman, JV, and Varsity are introduced to the fans.) These people take their football seriously! And last but not least shows Lily Kate in her dinosaur pajamas. Don’t tell her they’re for boys – she’s into dinosaurs! I’m just glad she’ll keep them on….
If you click on the picture, they blow up a little! Hope you enjoy looking, and I hope you all are as blessed as I am!!!
First Day of School!
Over the summer, many changes have taken place in our little family. We have moved to a new town about two hours away from Panhandle. Westin is starting school sports this year, and he has more opportunities down here to see his dad, and for his dad to watch him shine!! 7th grade football has begun, and Westin himself stated “I’ve waited my whole life for this!” As soon as he gets his uniform, I’ll post a picture of him. We have all enjoyed our new church and our new town! First day of 1st grade for Keeley, first day of 7th grade for Westin, first day of “Where did everybody go?” for Lily Kate!!
“Wait!” Lily says. I know we’re going somewhere – let me get my shoes on! Little did she know she’s in for a lot of boring days with just mommy!
Okay…I had to include this picture too!! I had the chance to go on a Ladies’ Retreat with my church this past weekend. If you know me at all, you know that I am scared of just about everything…I climbed up a fifty-foot tower and zip-lined down – AND SURVIVED!! More soon!
How Time Flies…
I am embarrassed to say that it has been A LONG TIME since I have written anything on my blog!! Excuses are like noses, BUT…my computer crashed, and it took me nine months to fix it. Well, actually, it took me nine months to take it in to get it repaired. It only took the technician 6.7 hours.
I have chosen some random pictures to get started…Two of the pictures give you a small idea on how Lily Kate likes to climb. If you are ever in doubt of where she might be, your best bet is to look up. She will surely be sitting, or standing, on top of something. Westin Chase was baptized this past summer!! At Camp Blue Haven, our summer church camp, he was baptized on a Friday night in a very chilly New Mexico river (which happens to be the exact same spot where I was baptized!) — very exciting!! 
One picture shows just how much demolition actually took place to my new little house in Panhandle. I will soon post pictures of the finished product. So THATS what I’ve been working on instead of writing – I knew there was something…(poor excuse, I know). Another is my favorite shot of Keeley in all of her summer glory – with a frog. I am happy to say that her friend the frog survived this particular day, but sadly, he met his demise on a day not long after this. It must have been the many jostling trips along side Keeley in the Barbie Jeep…I also included a picture on the first day of school (I know, I know, it’s about to be the last day of school!). This is sweet Keeley on her first day of Kindergarten, and handsome Westin on his first day of Junior High School!! I’m happy to say that they have both had great school years. Coming soon…Lily Kate’s first birthday!!! (even though it was 7 months ago…)
Disneyland Adventure
During the last part of June, we took our long-awaited trip to Disneyland in California! What a great experience this was! Forrest Sr. and Linda, Tracy and Kacy, Forrest Jr., Westin, Keeley, Lily Kate, and I made our way out to L.A. for a great week. Jimmy (Forrest’s brother) was able to meet us out there for a couple of days. Lily Kate made her debut on an airplane, which went very well for a 9-month old! We flew standby through Southwest (thanks to Jimmy!) – from Amarillo, to Denver, to Phoenix, to Corona, California. And coming home – Corona, to Las Vegas, to Austin, to Dallas, to Amarillo. If you’ve never walked through eight airports in a seven-day time span with three children (one not able to walk and one who gets tired after twenty steps) and FORREST, you don’t know what you’re missin’!!!!
MomMom took this picture right before we entered security at the Amarillo Airport. If she would have been able to take it on the other side of security, I can tell you that we would have all had much more frazzled looks on our faces. BUT, we arrived safe and sound this same night at the right destination, so all is well…
Here we are, ready to begin the day – Lily Kate is already taking a snooze!
Forrest Sr., Westin, Kacy, and Keeley with Micky and Pluto in the background! Notice the jackets – it was so nice and cool in the the mornings and evenings – perfect weather!
On the famous tea cups – Big Forrest, Little Forrest, and Keeley, and Jimmy and Linda
In front of the Disneyland Castle…
This goes to show that no woman can resist the charms of Westin…
This was late into the night at Disneyland – I’m sure Lily Kate wondered what had happened to her little routine world! And this picture of Keeley says it all – she had given all she had all day long, and had loved every minute of it..bring on the fireworks!
These, of course, are just a few select pictures and couldn’t really do the trip justice. We really had a great time – kids and adults alike! There was also the day at the beach which will be remembered as the day Lily Kate face-planted in the sand and had to get a saline wash at the lifeguard stand, all while her dad had to be rescued by lifeguards (and speedboat) from the impending riptide. Boogie-boarding always sounds good, but probably shouldn’t be attempted by the forty-year-old novice…WHAT A TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!
Keeley turns FIVE!!
I am going to pretend that I am not five months behind on updating the blog – Let’s pretend it’s APRIL 15th!!! This might be an unpleasant reminder of Tax Day for some of you out there, but around here, it’s KEELEY’S BIRTHDAY!!
We first celebrated at the City Park with her twenty closest friends from the afternoon Pre-K class. Although the wind was blowing an average of 35 miles per hour, and the wind chill was 65 degrees, we still had a blast, complete with a My Little Pony birthday cake and chocolate ice cream.
From there, we went to MomMom’s house for our family birthday party. This time the cake was homemade (much better!!) and we enjoyed watching Keeley open her presents.
By the end of two parties, we were all pretty much partied out…but there was one more surprise on the back porch. Keeley opened the back door to find a brand new Barbie Jeep. It was so dark and cold outside that time didn’t allow for a picture of the moment. But, I will soon post a picture of the cutest little five year old in the world cruisin’ around the backyard in her sweet ride!!!
Spring Breakout!!
We had a fun-filled Spring Break! First, we headed out to Waco and stayed for a few days. Keeley had a blast playing with her cousin! As I enjoyed the weather on the back porch with Lily Kate and a book, Keeley and Kacy proceeded to dig up an entire brick sidewalk just about ten feet away from me. I think I might be fired as babysitter…But I couldn’t disrupt the “Roly-Poly Experts” (as they called themselves) as they discovered specimen. I’m sad to say that only one of around twenty of the subjects survived the rigorous torture of being pried open from the defensive rolled-up position…Oh, well, all in a day’s work for the roly-poly experts…
Westin, Keeley, Lily Kate and I ventured down to Austin for a LONG overdue visit with Anjie. We had a great time and I loved meeting her new Emma! Lil and Emma are right at six weeks apart (Lily Kate being older), and it was so much fun to watch them together. Maybe future college roommates – who knows!!
After we returned to P-town, Westin went to Santa Fe to go snowboarding with his dad. They had a great time. Westin went from wanting to play college basketball before the trip to wanting to pick a school in Colorado so he can snowboard all the time…hmmm…We have seven years to think about it. Seven years!! I’ll blink and it will be here.
Well, the Spring Breakout (Keeley’s terminology) is over. It was a great one!!!
Life
Within eleven days, we have attended nine basketball games and three baseball games. Who plays baseball in February, you ask – well, apparently, we do…Westin is loving every minute of it. And, thankfully, his sisters have been real troopers about watching every minute of it. I use the term ‘watching’ loosely, of course. Wouldn’t it be nice if any of these would have taken place in our home town? That would be way too easy. And, you know me, I’m not complaining. I would choose watching Westin in a sporting event above just about anything I can think of. I just need to remember to take my camera…So, here are pictures from those rare times at home!
I don’t know what that look is on Westin’s face. And it doesn’t go well with poor Lily Kate’s crying face, but the point is – isn’t it nice that Bubby is feeding the baby a bottle?
By this point, you might be thinking Lily Kate is a bit mistreated by her siblings. I don’t really know what this look is, but I thought I better share it. (Actually, I think it’s the “Oh my goodness, why is that really bright light flashing in my eyes?!”)
There’s that silly flash again – Why do they keep doing this to me???
Hmmm…Why does Lily have a blue pacifier and a blue blanket you ask. Am I fooling anyone?? Little Westin at four months old. See any resemblance??
Here’s to another baseball practice and another basketball game tonight!!
Happy New Year!!
Well, here it is…the Christmas Picture. Yes, we could have used a haircut, yes, we probably needed something for static control, yes, the baby probably needed shoes, yes, Westin’s left leg looks unusually long and..um..bent..BUT, the deed is done.
Things are finally getting back to normal around here. The holidays are a welcomed break from a schedule, but it also feels good to get things back on track. Westin would definitely not agree with me, since he finds 9:00 way too early to get in bed these days! Speaking of Westin, I just don’t know how he does it. We are going to two-hour baseball practices three days a week right now (and we make our first showing for a game in the first weekend in March – could this be considered overkill?). We are also going to at least one basketball practice each week with a couple of games thrown in there too! Thank goodness gas prices are down with all of our trips to Amarillo! Even though he is very busy, he is enjoying every minute of it. Here is the holiday experience break down: It’s much more enjoyable if you sing it to the tune of the William Tell Overture!
Where’s Westin’s phone, where’s the phone, where’s the phone phone phone?
We ordered it from Hong Kong three weeks ago.
Could it be that Ebay is not the way to go?
Oh, we got it!! But what exactly is band width???…
Santa came, Santa splurged, he ate and then he left.
Baby Alive, here she is, and yes she pees and poops.
Oh, But Mom, I must have blown it with Jolly Old St. Nick
Because what I really wanted was a Barbie Car…
Here we go here we are in warm Waco
Westin’s banned from golf carts at PawPaw’s country club.
With more clothes and more toys and a Cousin Christmas picture,
We venture back home and it takes us twelve hours…
Another big adventure to Abilene,
We saw Corey and Jenny and the very pretty girls,
UGG this, text that, oh, to be a teen again!
Nevermind, I can’t afford it!!!…
Now it’s time for Westin’s 11th birthday party.
Here’s hoping to no emphysema from the bowling alley,
And thanks to Forrest for hosting 10 boys for a sleepover-
They survived, and he did, too!!!…
THE END
And here’s to surviving until next year!!
Miss Lily Kate for her three month picture (and her first studio picture):
I’m sure you can tell that Little Lil hasn’t missed many (or any) meals!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Lily Kate Update
I just think pictures say enough here….is that not the cutest little thing you ever did see?? Lily Kate definitely has the baby thing down. We made it through our two-month shots, even though we both cried. She cried for 20 seconds – I cried for a teeny bit longer. I told the doctor that she wanted to eat every two hours. Then I told her that she sleeps 9-10 hours straight every night. She said, “Uhh…You have nothing to complain about…”
When a liquid diet just isn’t enough…
Lily Kate is two months old!! To mark this special occasion, Lily has decided to start sleeping through the night! Anywhere from eight to ten hours – and when she does wake up, she’s as happy as can be! She greets you with a big smile, as if to say “hey, I haven’t seen you in a while!” My present to her was the introduction of rice cereal. She chows down on formula every two hours, so I decided it might be worth a shot…
Okay, swallow…
Yea!! That was tasty! Notice the double chin – I have a feeling it’s only just begun! Happy Birthday, Lily Kate!!
At home with three children…
My, how life can change with the addition of one more child. Between Westin’s basketball, Keeley’s dance, school for both of them, Panther football games, TECH football games (can you believe it?? Go Tech), eating three times a day, getting baths and showers, the list goes on and on…we are somehow surviving the chaos!! But, it is fun chaos, believe me!!
Here is Lily Kate (Lil, Lily Put, etc.) at 10 days old. She’s wearing the bow that Nurse Judith made Keeley while she was in the hospital – Keeley’s first bow, Lily’s first bow.
Uhhh…This says it all, doesn’t it? How dare Bubby hug Keeley? (aka, what can we get Bubby in trouble for in this thirty second time span??)
Okay, this picture is not very recent (April, 08), nor is it our finest moment…but I couldn’t resist…
Lily Kate in her Halloween outfit. Notice the cheeks are beginning to chub!!
The looks on both of their faces is priceless – they’re already crazy about each other!
Keeley makes a great big sis – whenever Lily hears her voice, she immediately starts to look for her.
How spoiled can an 8 week old be?
Extremely. Today Lily Kate is eight weeks old, and she seems to have everything figured out. She knows that if she cries for a maximum of ten seconds after someone has so rudely quit holding her, that same someone will give in and pick her right back up. She also knows that there is more to life than being held. For instance, if she gives out a couple of whimpers, this same someone will not only hold her, but walk her around the house, facing forward, so she can see everything that’s going on. And..if she wimpers just one more time (and weather permits), she gets an “upright” tour of the backyard and all its wonder. That seems to be the ultimate in baby satisfaction.
This picture is at 4 1/2 weeks old. This was the first dress that Keeley wore for a picture, too.
The other much-anticipated time of the day is the nightly bath. Lil’s favorite thing is nice warm water poured over her Buddha-like chubby tummy. Here she is at 7 weeks old wrapped in her favorite bath hoodie towel, courtesy of Aunt Dedie!
So, Lily Kate is well on her way to princess stature next to her big sister Keeley. I thought Keeley had the title very well secured, but something tells me I ain’t seen nothin’ yet…
Keeley Ballerina
Keeley has been taking dance this semester. Since classes are “closed” to parents, we have been wondering what our little ballerina has been working on! So, when we had our Parent Watch Night last week, we were very excited. Keeley, along with BFF Emma, are in the same class! The class is a combination of ballet and tap. You can imagine what it sounded like when twenty four-and five-year olds were wearing their tap shoes…
Our lips have stayed chapped for the past several weeks. I now know the reason why…
Okay, this picture shows some real potential – that’s a pretty high kick!
Now this next one…well…
Okay, look how cute this is - Keeley and best friend Emma – they started Pre-K together this year. It’s fun to think of all the things that they are going to get to experience together over the next, umm…thirteen years!
So the money spent on ballet/tap this year has been well worth it. Keeley has her first dance recital in the Spring (April, I think). I think they perform one ballet routine and one tap routine completely decked out in beautiful costumes. The costumes were ridiculously expensive –hmmm, this is bringing back great memories of my old dancin’ days—but I know it will be the best show in town!
