when your daddy is a dentist....

The other day Micah asked Ella if he could check out her baby tooth because her permanent tooth was already growing in behind the baby. She turns 7 this week and hadn't lost a tooth yet! I swear they are cemented in! She agreed to let him feel the baby tooth. In the blink of an eye, Micah pulled out her tooth (long root and all) and she didn't even know he had done it. It was only after he had her run to the kitchen and get tissue for the bleeding that she began to cry. She still thought he was trying to pull out the tooth, but it was really laying on the counter! :)

Man, I love me a gappy toothless smile... I have secretly been waiting for this day for a looooong time! In a matter of seconds, my baby-faced little girl suddenly looked years older. Sigh.

Ella is in for a big birthday surprise this week... I can't wait to share more!

OU/Texas, sweet faces, and miniature horses...

What a bummer! One of college football's biggest rivalry games was today, and it did not go OUr way. Boo. And double boo, our stud Heisman trophy winning quarterback got hurt AGAIN. Not good friends, not good. Cash and I had fun cheering on the Sooners though. Well, mainly I cheered. Cash just looked cute. He's good at that!

He can also look oh-so-serious!

So, this is kind of random, but isn't our maple just gorgeous right now? The trees around town are so beautiful right now. This picture was taken yesterday, one of the first and only days of sun and dry skies that we have had in weeks. I was seriously thinking about going to a tanning bed just to see some "sun".

This afternoon we took the bigger kids to a miniature horse farm here in town. My sister's in-laws had won a "day at the horse farm" at a charity auction earlier in the year. They were so kind to extend an invitation for us to join in the fun! Ella and Ty had a blast with the tiny horses! What a fun day!

here fishy fishy fishy

Last weekend Micah took Ella on a weekend fishing trip with my dad, his dad, and his brother Todd. Ella had the time of her life! This girl of mine loves loves loves all things daddy! She loves to talk to Micah about hunting and fishing and never turns down a chance to spend special time with him! I love to see the love that they have for each other, there really is nothing sweeter!

Be still my heart... Micah caught Ella taking a rest! Doesn't she look so relaxed?

Ella had many stories to tell when they returned! She made up for all the quiet time that Ty, Cash and I had enjoyed while Little Miss Chatterbox was gone!

Cash has been sick on and off for the last two weeks. Seriously, you wouldn't know it because he doesn't get fussy. He had his first nasty ear infection with an ear drum that was about to rupture. Fortunately it didn't! He seems to be on the mend now!

Ty. Well, Ty has been Ty! He makes us laugh all the time! Last week I offered to take him to McDonald's for lunch. He got really excited and said, "yes, I very much want chicken for the Donald's!"

I have been bad about taking pictures the past few weeks, so I will try to make an effort to capture some of our finer moments in the weeks to come! I am off to get ready for a whopper of a garage sale tomorrow morning! chow!

things that make me giggle...

A few things that make me giggle... hope you enjoy! Ella's game day hat

senior year

my smile

Ty's smile

my sweetheart

'nuf said

waiting for a prince

natural curlz

whatchu lookin at?

just another baby doll

baking gone bad

mountain man

ole'

the bone

broken bone

Bevins time

Miller time

taking care of business

food coloring

marker

crayon

so cute

our straw family

best friends

the "vampire shark"

snoozing at the table

my man in the yellow hat

sleeping beauties

freaked out baby Ty

I know I personally have a few favorites, what about you?!

Carterbug

September 18, 2005... Carter's only birthday he would spend on this side of heaven.

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Happy Birthday Carter Lane! It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone. Four years ago Carter was born and a short time later exited this life for a better home, his eternal home. God has proven faithful in all things and has given unexplainable peace to our family. We miss our first born son, but knowing that he fulfilled his purpose here and is safe in the arms of Jesus is more comforting than you can imagine. His death is still hard, the memory is still alive, but the wounds are healing. A scar will forever remain in my heart... the part of my heart that was just for Carter.

I wrote this post last year on Carter's 3rd birthday, and read it again today for the first time in a long time. I thought I would share it again today. I have only changed his age in the post from three years old to four.

This is a hard week for me. Carter would be four years old tomorrow. I have a hard time even typing four, because it hardly seems like four years could have come and gone already.
My thoughts continually drift to the days and weeks surrounding Carter's arrival and his unexpected death. I think of how completely and forever our lives have changed. I think of the shock. I think of the disbelief. I think of the emptiness felt in my heart. The part of my heart that was only for my son, Carter. I think of the love of one mother for her son. I remember the joy of delivery quickly changing to worry. I remember my sister Kathy being by my side as the nurses rushed my hospital bed down the hall to the NICU where Micah and Carter were, and me screaming the entire way. I think of the helplessness I felt as we watched the medical staff attempt to save Carter for nearly three hours. I remember begging God for a miracle, and fast! I remember looking into Micah's eyes, knowing that we both realized Carter's miracle wouldn't be life on earth, rather he would receive the miracle of heaven. I remember the doctor saying we've tried everything. I remember our minister coming to baptize my son in the NICU. I remember seeing tears in the eyes of those working to save our son. I remember being handed our son, so that he could die in our arms. I remember the smells, the sounds. I remember sitting up in the middle of the night, tears streaming down my face, realizing that I didn't know his hands. I remember Micah calming me and describing with the utmost detail, our son's hands. I remember the girls from my Sunday school class coming to the hospital to cry with a girl they barely knew. I remember listening as Micah told Ella that her baby brother had died. I remember Kristen and a few other mommies that had lost babies coming to the hospital to share in my grief. I remember our entire family coming together in grief. I remember leaving the hospital without our son. I remember Micah carrying his son's casket, and remember the moans of friends and family that came to the service.

I remember it all, and will forever.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

Not all the memories are painful. The is so much GOOD that has come from Carter's life. The Lord has proven himself faithful time and time again. Micah and I have been blessed with two more children (and maybe one more before too long...wink wink) since Carter's death. Our lives have been enriched by friendships that may not have ever happened otherwise. The emptiness in our hearts has been filled by our Heavenly Father with peace and hope and love. We always remembered to give God the praise when life is good, but now we have now learned what it is like to really be dependent on him. I rejoice in Carter being in the presence of the Lord. How amazing that must be!

We miss you beyond words Carterbug! Take good care of your baby sister. We are so thankful that the Lord gave us you. You are our miracle, and we love you so. Carter, you are in our future, and we look forward to our heavenly reunion. Hugs and kisses!

Did I ever mention?

Did I ever mention...that this baby...
makes our lives,

so rich?

Well, it's true!

Cashie baby, you are one loved little dude!

P.S. Sorry for the "big boy" clothes, mom! I just couldn't help myself when I saw this pseudo sweater vest and jeans. Nothing says "fall" like a good sweater vest! ;)

14er!

Those of you who know me well at all will NOT believe where I've been. Micah and I just returned from one of the very best vacations we have ever had... just the two of us! See this mountain? It's big. Really big. 14,110 feet up to be exact.

This weekend I "bagged" my first 14er. That is hiker lingo for "we climbed all the way to the tip top." We spent the weekend in Colorado Springs after getting the "itch" after we were in the area back in July! Micah and I began our trek at 4 a.m. Did I mention that the mountain we climbed was Pike's Peak? It is probably the most famous and most traveled mountain in the states. The trail we chose to hike was called the Barr trail, and it is notable because this hike has the highest elevation gain of all 14ers (goes from 6,600 feet up to 14,110 feet) and is the longest hike (13 miles each way). Pike's is also unique because it has both a road and a train that go all the way to the summit.

Micah was so patient with me! He encouraged me when I needed encouragement and rested with me when I needed to rest.

I may have been smiling for the picture, but I really spent most of the hike sucking air! I had such a hard time breathing in that thin air!

The trail got really tough after we reached the tree line. The last 3 or 4 miles were so mentally and physically tough. It seemed like the trail went on forever, all you could see was brown boulders everywhere, and the summit seemed so dang far away. Not to mention we were at such a high altitude that it was hard to breathe. We pressed on and made it to the summit in the early afternoon. It was so weird to get to the top and see a bunch of tourists walking around eating the famous Pike's peak donuts. We both didn't feel very well up at that high elevation, but we managed to take a few pictures before we hopped on the Cog train that took us back to the trail head.

brrr.... it was cold up there!

The next day, we felt great! Micah and I were both surprised that we weren't sore really at all. We hit the road and landed at the Royal Gorge. It was a magnificent sight, but again... really touristy!

The bridge has the state flags lining it. Here is the great state of O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!

The suspension bridge is wood lined and shockingly there were (giant) cracks in the wood!

Later that day, we wound up on this beautiful drive between the Royal Gorge and Cripple Creek called the "shelf". We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! We happened to stop on the side of the road at a historical marker where many dinosaur fossils have been discovered. The sign told us that the pavement ended in a few miles!

The rest of that 20 or so mile drive was beautiful. It was literally a one lane road unpaved road on the side of a mountain with no rails or extra room at all!

Eventually, we made it to Cripple Creek. We ate lunch and headed back to Colorado Springs. We decided we would drive through Garden of the Gods. It was pretty cool too, but honestly, my biggest memory of the park, was this man. Why do people feel it is necessary or appropriate to wear Patriotic spandex? I don't get it...at all.

Our final day in the Springs was fun too. After breakfast, Micah and I decided we would try out the Pike's peak highway. The road is 19 miles long, and takes about an hour to reach the summit. The road was down-right scary above tree line. Half the road was paved, half was not. There were surprisingly few guard rails, and at points there is no horizon. It literally felt like we were driving to heaven. At the top, Micah and I parted ways. I drove down the mountain, while Micah ran down the trail! He really wanted to experience going both up and down that trail! As soon as I got to the bottom of the mountain I looked up, and saw a giant black cloud on top of Pike's. I was scared to death for Micah. The number one killer on Pike's is lightening. I began praying and was a nervous wreck for the next hour. Thankfully, Micah called after only two hours and said that he was okay. He only had three more miles to go, and had gotten safely out of the storm. He had been hailed on and was cold, but was near the end! After less than three hours, he was safely back in the truck after a quick 13 mile run down!

Before dinner, we saw the most beautiful rainbow! What a great end to our vacation! I am purposely not mentioning the OU game that we watched from a yummy restaurant/bar. (sniff sniff).I must say that I had my doubts going into this four day get-away. I was very nervous about the hike. I didn't think it would be fun or easy. And it wasn't! But, it was by far one of the most rewarding accomplishments I have ever experienced. Reaching that summit as a couple was simply amazing. We have been through a lot in the past several years together, and I really don't have the words to describe how this summit strengthened our bond as husband and wife. Of course we missed our kiddos, who were all safely being spoiled by grandparents, but having time as a couple is so important!

Thank you babe for believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. We pushed ourselves past our comfort zones, and had a great time doing so! Thanks for the adventure! I am already looking forward to our next....