Merry Christmas from Jake!

Merry Christmas from Jake!

Howdy Y’all! This is Jake. I’m back! After my Christmas Card-writing Debut, I decided I like all this attention. So here goes…

2009 started off with a bang and lots of fireworks at the Baehren house. Aunt A’Lise met us at the Creek. She caught a fish; Kait fell in. John had business trips to China, Russia, the Netherlands, Argentina, South Korea, Buffalo, Dallas and a few points in between. Buc-ee’s moved into the neighborhood, and the girls have kept their Icee machine in business. I dug a lot of holes in the backyard. Kait on American Idol’s Bikini Girl: That number was probably taped to her, because if it was stapled it would have hurt! Aunt M’Lys and Aunt A’Lise joined us for Spring Break at the Creek. I chased jet-skis up and down all day long. Kait fell out of a tree and gashed her arm. One hair-raising drive and 17 stitches later, we breathed a sigh of relief over the realization of how very close it came to being a really big deal. The Scott family came to town, and Kait lost her first tooth! Overheard in Biggsville… Abbie: Kaitlyn, you’re really not that smart. Kait: Yes I am! Just ask me a question. Abbie: What’s 1000 plus 400? Kait: Okay. Another question. Abbie & Kait took gymnastics. I jumped on the trampoline. “That man did nothing but spread love.” Pa got a yellow lab puppy named Boomer, and we all fell in love immediately. We spent lots of time with the Owen kids and enjoyed introducing them to some of our favorite places. The Keith Kuties took the Pink Limo to Sub Training. We spent Memorial Day weekend at the Creek with the Bruins. D’Lyn got the Meatless Whataburger. Abbie: Kaitlyn thinks all the boys in her class are in love with her. Kait: No. Just three. Abbie’s 7-8 Girls’ Softball team, the Flames, only won one game all season – and then won the tournament! We wrapped Coach Scott’s house! Kait’s SweeTees T-ball team, also the Flames, were undefeated! Abbie made All-Stars, and then caught H1N1 the week of the Big Game. Hoedown Throwdown! We spent our vacation at the Creek. I chased jet-skis up and down all day. The girls caught redfish, trout, hardheads and sharks! They saw dolphins! My peeps went to Rockport with the Baehrens. They loved the Texas State Aquarium, and they saw George Strait’s house! Abbie & Kait went to soccer camp. John & D’Lyn spent a great day on Matagorda Bay with Captain Gene. D’Lyn out-fished John! I barked all night. John bought me my very own jet-ski to chase! The first time we took it out, somehow a plastic hose from a gas can “landed” in the tank. The second time we took it out, D’Lyn managed to run over the tow rope and wrap it around the impeller. The third time, we had a HUGE thunderstorm. That jet-ski was barely in the water enough for me to chase it up and down the Creek, but it was long enough for Abbie to learn to water-ski. I’m hoping for a better spring! Kait started 1st grade, and Abbie started 3rd grade. Several dear friends met us in Fluvanna for Opening Weekend. Abbie started Destination Imagination. Abbie & Kait got the flu vaccine. That weekend, Kait got the regular flu. Two weeks later, she got H1N1. Abbie’s 7-8 Girls’ Soccer Team, the Texas Bluebonnets, was undefeated and won the division and the tournament! They wrapped our house! Kait’s 6G team was undefeated, too! D’Lyn painted the Expedition pink. She swears it was an accident, but I think it’s kinda fishy considering she is all into pink. Team Tiara walked in the Breast Cancer 3-Day for the fourth time, and raised over $100,000! 2010 is going to be their 5th year, and their goal is to have 100 walkers on their team! I escaped and didn’t get home until eight hours later. Rumor has it John was already mentally landscaping the yard, and D’Lyn had her sights on a yellow lab puppy. Soccer in the cul-de-sac every evening! It snowed in Houston! John & Abbie built a volcano that spewed Big Red several feet in the air! Abbie got her ears pierced. We’re looking forward to Christmas in Waxahachie, followed by a trip to Fluvanna. Watch out deer, here we come!

We hope you had a great 2009 and are wishing you an even
better 2010! May God Bless You!
Love, Jake & Co.

This Child.

This Child now knows the value of a Chi. She now knows she can achieve the straight hair she has always wanted -- in just a matter of minutes.

This Child is growing up.

And as she does that, God is sending people my way who let me know that she is truly a Child of His.

Today a para from the Lifeskills class sat across from me from lunch. She shared with me how much she loves Abbie because This Child plays with her friends during recess. When she could be running all over the playground or hanging out with her other friends, Abbie chooses to entertain a few very special people. And this isn't news.... In Kindergarten she often chose to play with a little boy named Lionel who was in a walker.

This Child is truly a Child of God. I love it that she loves Jesus and lets that love shine!!!

You Missed Me! You Missed Me! Now You Gotta Kiss Me!

Okay. I know. BlogHer should give away a "World's Worst Blogger" award -- I'd be right in line.

I've been gone as a girl can get. I've had so many things I needed to write about, so many thoughts rattling around in my brain, that I couldn't wade through the muck enough to make that happen.

I have things going on in my life and around my life that just don't belong in the outside world. Not even for me.


But here's a glimpse....

I think it's ludicrous that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize.

I wonder how many people who voted for Obama now regret that decision.

My dear mother-in-law deserves a big, huge pat on the back for meeting some significant goals and making some great triumphs in her life in the last few months. I ask that you praise her if you know her and pray for her even if you don't. I love her, I'm proud of her, and I'm basking in God's great goodness for her.

My sweet friend Ruthie is here in Houston visiting the Berzynski Clinic for treatment of her cancer. She still has a tumor the size of a honeydew melon, but yesterday they gave her one bright, gleaming hope. Just one -- that's all she needed. She now has a new lease on life and knows she's found a great place for treatment. What they do there is pretty neat -- treating cancer from the ground up -- not just attacking it with chemo. Just keep praying for her.

When you're not ready to air all your dirty laundry via the web, it's kinda difficult to know what to write. But what I can say is that I need your prayers for wisdom, judgement, and for God to give me the words I need to express what I need to. For those words to fall on open ears and a clean mind and to be taken to heart. And for action to follow.

Team Tiara already has 37 team members signed up for 2010. How cool is that??? We're about to close out 2009 with right at $100,000 raised. AND now we've got a huge start on '10!! So excited!

Yesterday was Volcano Day at school. It's pretty darn cool what you can accomplish with a 2-liter of Big Red and a pack of Mentos. Don't think I've seen that much fun in a while!

Last night was my annual cookie exchange.... Houseful of fun friends who REALLY know how to bake. Now to keep from gaining 20 lbs. between now and New Year's.

My Grandma went to be with Momma and Jesus last week. That was a story in itself. I pulled the girls out of school to go home for the funeral and the weekend. I waited to leave until 3:00, so Abs wouldn't miss her field trip. Well.... With an 8-hour drive north, that put us at the house at 11:00. The girls had gone quite willingly because while snow was a "maybe" for Houston, it was a "certainly" for West Texas. Ummmm..... We arrived with flakes falling and woke up to a dusting that looked like you had sprinkled a single snow cone over the entire home place. Strike one.

When they dug Grandma's grave, apparently someone had beat her to it. There was an unmarked grave there, with a pine box parked in her "spot." Even funnier was the fact that Grandma used to run the cemetary -- and had assigned herself that spot. So.... They quickly covered John Doe back up and buried Grandma a ways away.

The Obituary in the paper wasn't my favorite of all time, I have to say. You see, my Mom's Mom, my Grannie Herring, died in a car wreck when Momma was in college. So I never knew her. Before I was born, my Grandad married my Grandma. She was the only Grandma I ever had. And while most of the cousins called her Laverne, I called her Grandma.

In the paper, a big deal was made out of who were the "steps" and who was the "special" and we were all listed as step-grandchildren. I never thought of myself as such, and I have to admit I felt like I'd been demoted. Grandma didn't think of me that way, either. But such is life.

So... I know this is an insanely jumpy posting, but you're gonna have to deal with it.

Early Friday morning (before the funeral), I talked to Biggsy, who informed me that it was "snowing in Houston; expected to snow through the night; 3-6 inches by morning." Being as I'd already flunked the snow thing once, I decided to skip Saturday's football game and rush home to the snow. We left right after the burial, and made it to Gatesville about the time it stopped snowing in Houston. That's right. Strike two. The girls were PEEVED.

So... Saturday morning we got up and went to the Natural History Museum for Snow Day! The girls had a GREAT time. Mom had a GREAT time. AND Abbie got to pet a real, live reindeer that Santa brought with him. Santa wasn't so happy about that -- apparently the reindeer is hands-off. If Santa really knew my Abbie-girl, he would have known she wasn't going to hesitate to love on that reindeer.

If you're one of those people who has never seen a 6-Man Football game, or you're one of those people who loves 6-Man, this weekend is your chance to see a REALLY great game! My high school, Borden County, is playing Highland in the 6-Man State Championship. It's at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene on Saturday at 2:00. Highland is the school where Carla teaches and Callie cheers. Our family is also well-represented on the BHS side where Jon plays football. It's kinda crazy to think of Callie cheering against Jon. This really should be a fantastic game. Both teams are 14-0 and have 45'd many, many opponents along the way. BHS won their state semi-final game on Saturday 50-0 at the start of the 3rd quarter.

So that's what's been going on here. Hope you enjoyed the update!

Really???

Idiots.