Tuesday, October 13, 2009

And I hope he bring's you Peace...

This was a beautiful little quote I stumbled upon one day, that really stuck with me... I have it printed out and up on my wall @ work to remind me there are always better days!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Pumpkin patch and pony rides!

John-Mark on "bullet"

PLEASE note my son's face here... :-) I was
just waiting for the "Mommy...what is she doing!?!" haha


A true ropin' cowboy

Aunt Jessi and B

Running to go see the calf's

Mommy and B right before her 1st big ride

B in the chicken coop (notice mommy could NOT go in there!)

B standing in the petting zoo

B picking out her "magic #3" pumpkin

B and the newest member of the farm. "Minnie"

Mommy and B in the pumpkin patch

B is 3!

J-M sayin' "all righhttt" ha

They love each other! :-)

J-M 4yrs , B 3yrs
Fall 09'

Cheesin' by the fall festival table

Mommy and B strolling through the farm

Happy birthday baby girl, Mommy loves you! xx

Taking his baby sis for a walk to the "Haunted woods!"

Thank you all who came out! John-Mark, Bailee and myself all really enjoyed your company!! Big thanks to Kat and Ms.Aletia for taking such amazing photos of the kids and animals for us, it was such a blessing! I know it wasn't the biggest party, or the most organized event...but it was one that my daughter will never forget! Thank you all!
xx Krystina

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

HAPPY FALL YA'LL!

Love, John-Mark and Bailee Dudley


Sunday, October 4, 2009

OCTOBER-R-R-R!!!

Can it really be October, already?? I feel like it was just the start of a new "year"...at least school wise! Now I feel like Thanksgiving is creeping up and soon Christmas will be right at our door!!

This year has been F-A-S-T to say the least...but maybe that's not such a bad thing? My little girl is 3 now...3!?! Can you believe it? We had her party this past Saturday at Halter, Inc. A pumpkin patch/ranch type place close to our old house. The kids LOVED it of course, and thankfully we didn't get any rain! Ill have tons of pics to post soon, but since I broke my camera at Owens 1st birthday (Yes, its really-seriously been nearly 4 months and I still refuse to spend the money on getting another camera, even though I'm nearly dieing without one!) so, I'm a little dependant on others to capture those moments...and download them...ha. O well, all in good time.

My big grandma hasn't been doing well lately, and sadly last Thursday was admitted into the hospital with not a very good outcome- my mom rushed out Friday a.m. on the earliest flight she could to be with her- I haven't gotten to talk to her since she's been gone but I'm hoping shes getting as much out of the visit as she can.

Death is so hard, but it almost seems as though God gives you a silver lining through the practice of funerals or memorials....Not only are you celebrating the life of the one you love/lost, but it also brings together so many families and friends that you might not other wise get to visit with. Every time one life is lost, another is gained- so instead of asking God "Why her, why now??" I try to focus instead on what a great deed my love one did...what a selfless internal sacrifice they made to create new life.

Halloween is coming up, and I promised the kids we would go look at costumes sometime this week to decide what they want to be. The weather has been SO GROSS lately, that I'm really hoping it cools off before then, otherwise our options will be limited to anything netted, with shorts, or breathable fabrics! I remember B's 1st Halloween, she was only 21days old and the weather was miserable!! John-Mark was Batman, and B a ballerina =0) mosquito's were very abundant, and we pushed our heavy double stroller covered in mosquito netting, house to house to house until JM was satisfied. LOL, I would really not be thrilled with another year like that!!

Hopefully Ill be able to stay more on top of the blog, I have a laptop now (a old one...but perfect for what I need it for!) and the Internet at my apartment, so I should have no excuses now!

Love you all!
xx

p.s. "Happy Birthday Daddy!!" xoxo, JM and B

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

A little bit too busy to say im busy

Good morning!!!
This past month has been a complete whirlwind! Packing, moving, settling...its all so surreal. There are days when I still drive home to the old house- put my car in park and hear the kids say "mommy- we don't live at this big house no more!?!" Sad that Im getting directions on where my residence is from a 4 yr old!! So needless to say im dazed, I have good days and bad days- im human...therefor i air to make mistakes- right? Atleast I try to keep in good spirits, i actually like my tiny little apartment...I have wonderful neighbors, good parking, a beautiful pool and park for the kids, all in all i still have many blessings to count.
Ive began starting my days with a red bull- i know, i know not the best choice but its what helps to give me that kick out of bed and jump start my day. Even Bob (the boss man) has noticed a change in me- a numbness of sorts so Im trying my hardest to shake it. Going through all of this makes you appreciate everything so much more, appreciate the fact that I am 22 years old, that my kids are still young and learning, that i do have such a strong family and supportive sisters and praise god that I have a good STABLE job...but losing your family..its never easy.
So today- today im going to start my new life. Im going to focus on my kids more, make my new mistakes, sew my new oats- whatever it takes to make me feel like im a me again.
Thankfully, i have the most supportive friends- Jenny, Meg, Jordyn, Kristi, Jess- gosh i cant imagine what i would be doing right now without them in my life- these ladies have helped me through so much, carried me when i fell, held my hand when i was scared-i owe it to myself...to them to become a better me.

Today's a new day- and today, im going to seize it!

OK- is this not the cutest face ever??? This guy seriously has stolen my heart for the past 4 years!!!

On another note- the Houston Zoo is M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E during the dead of summer...thanks
for that "fun filled trip" Jenn ;o)

(Me and B at the Zooba-Zoo)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

2 EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS, ACCOMPANIED WITH 1 CASE OF A SINUS INFECTION AND 2 CASES OF STREP THROAT LATER....


Today is only Thursday July 30, 2009- just 2 1/2 short weeks after my latest blog yet I'm busting at the seams with all the events of the last 2 weeks alone. Last weekend (07/15-07/19) started off just about as any other real weekend does, the kids were worn out from the week and ready to rest and run wild for 2-3 days before getting back to the hustle and bustle of the school week. I noticed Thursday night that B had a little fever, 100.3 I think it was- high enough to want to give her Tylenol, but not concerning enough to race to the phone calling the Dr. The next day B's temp came and went in cycles- she would get a high fever and we'd give her the meds and she was fine- then 6-8 hrs later it would be back. On and on all day this was the pattern, so I gave her the last does of Tylenol that night after a cool bath and sent her on to bed. She woke-up Saturday a.m. in high spirits- she was bouncing around the house meowing and rubbing up against my legs while I made them breakfast in the kitchen. (Just to clarify- YES I am speaking about my 2 1/2 yr old daughter Bailee in this blog- NOT some sort of cat or kitten. She's just going through a rather strange phase where everything she encounters is being rubbed on her face. Do I understand it?..No, but I accept it.) Any who, she was absolutely fine from what I could see and was not complaining of any pain. We had made plans early in the week to go out and visit with our good friends Ashley and Jeff and their two BEAUTIFUL kids Kaden and Kaylie for the day in Sealy after stopping off at the outlet mall for a little shoe window shopping. With Bailee seemingly feeling better, we headed off without missing a beat. She did wonderfully at the mall- John-Mark and her both roamed freely from store to store without knocking things down or opening candies on the shelves...just behaving well and giving their opinions on anything and everything we would pickup. On the way out, we stopped at Bass Pro Shop and let them see the gigantic fish tank. Thinking it would be fun for the kids, my poor friend RJ held them up and put them inside the dome viewing tank (basically its just like at the zoo- there is a big plastic-like bubble that you can stand in and it seems as though you are in the fish tank) both JM and B began thrashing around violently- they were terrified that the fish would, as JM put it "suck all their air out of their noses and lick them." It was not going as smoothly as planned, so we packed the kids into the car and headed out to Sealy. When we got there the kids were elated, two kids their size to play with, a room FULL of new exciting toys and tons of land to roam on!

We ate lunch inside then let the kids go for rides on the wagon, eat popsicles, play gardener/lawn man as they blew leaves off the drive and, ahem over water what at the time were living/beautiful flowers and just get crazy. About half way through the day B began to complain she was tired- I felt her head and noticed she was burning up...I cooled her down with a cold bath, gave her some Motrin and put he r to bed. She stayed asleep for about 2-3 hrs and then awoke still warm- we continued the regime of Tylenol/Motrin every 4-6hrs until finally we left Sealy about 10 p.m. that night. (Not after a huge ordeal getting the car started, having to buy jumper cables in a town that shuts down at 6 p.m. and then ultimately having to buy a new car battery for 100$ later that weekend, but hey that's another story)

Sunday morning we woke up with a new light- got dressed, ate breakfast then lazed around the house. B was feeling bad as I could tell and really just laid around the house like a limp noodle. I began to worry and decided later that day that I had to do something- so i took her in to the local ER urgent care room down the street from our house. She hates Dr's offices and even more being in places that are new and scary to her. We waited what seemed to be a life time for the Dr to call us back and then sat alone in a Charlotte's web themed room waiting to be seen.... (this actually worked as amusement for sometime while we waited). About an hr later, the Dr came in did some tests took her diagnostics and deemed she had STREP THROAT...boo what a disaster that was!?!?!

Needless to say it was an eventful week and now just 1 short week later I have yet another child with Strep...thanks Dr's for not just giving me the meds up front to cover both of them...o well- o0o0 and BTW for any other uninformed parents out there- strep is VERY EXPENSIVE =0(

Monday, July 6, 2009

Busy Busy

July has always proven to be a busy month for us- Travis is usually working some long crazy hours, the kids are shuffled around from place to place trying to find new and creative ways to beat the summer heat and somehow it seems we are ALWAYS moving...in the hottest month of the year-RUDE!?!

YES YES we are moving- and as sad as we are because we love our house, it is just another chapter in our life that we must move on from! You know, you never really fully anticipate how many things accumulate over time in a 4bdrm house over the course of a year until your forced to shove every last item into random taped boxes only to hope that they will end up in the same shape once they've arrived at their new destination. We wont have to worry too much about the actual move until July 29th when we close on the house, but even that seems right around the corner!

The kids and I have gotten a small/affordable apartment somewhat in our current location to try and keep the routine as routine as possible. I haven't actually lived in an apartment since I was about 18, so I'm somewhat saddened by the idea of shared walls with complete strangers, and of course...2nd floors! Even the idea of it makes me shutter a little, but like everything else- this is just a small step into the direction of the bigger picture! I know and believe with all my heart that God will lead me through this- that even in the worst situations if you place your heart in Gods hands he will never lead you through something you cannot get through, no matter if the outcome may be good or bad.

This past weekend was 4th of July, and the kids were staying with Travis- to help ease my mind a little and keep me going I went on a much needed break from reality with some of my amazing friends! We camped from Friday-Sunday, floating the river Saturday, exploring old town Gruene, tanning, EATING (lol) and just enjoying each others company. I missed the kids terribly, but we all needed this break to help clear our heads and give the kids some much needed time with their Daddy! Travis kept the kids plenty occupied and loving every minute! They saw Ice Age III, ate ice cream sandwiches, BBQ'd with Papa, went to the zoo with Momo and Aunt Haley, rode bikes around the patio in the backyard, went on a toy hunt at wal-mart, and even had time to visit with Mamame and Pop!!

All in all we are doing well...we have our health, or faith, and our children- for now, that it more than enough. xoxo

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Owen Reed's 1 yrs old!

It's hard to believe that just a year ago today I gave birth to one of God's most amazing little boys, and gave a new hope/love/faith to a family that so desperately wanted a child of their own. Owen Reed Tucker was born on 06/25/09 @ Memorial city Hospital here in Houston, TX.

From the first moment I found out I was pregnant, until the day he was finally born I would pray hard and daily for God to give me strength and courage to do what was right for my unborn child. God could not of answered our prayers better than by delivering us to Kim and Troy. I remember the first time we met them, at the Chuy's by our house-I was about 6 1/2 months pregnant at the time and was so nervous- what would they be like? What would they think of me? So many questions swirled around my head that day- but from the moment we walked up to the table seeing their smiling faces and feeling their sweet warm embraces, we knew God had perfectly hand picked them for us.


And now, an entire year has passed (so FAST) and every time I look at this little boy my heart races...he is so handsome, so smart and so so very loved! I never doubt my tough decision to place him, and I will never declare that I "gave him up" he is and forever will be my son-by-birth...a brother to John-Mark and Bailee...and the most precious/unselfish part of me. Owen...I love you, Happy birthday!!


Monday, June 8, 2009

Houston Zoo!
















So, for the last few weeks I've been pretty lazy...skimming the blogs of my friends and family...distant relatives and people whom lives touch me in amazing ways just never quite finding time to do "my thing"...FINALLY today I'm posting the pictures/stories of our Zoo trip we took on Memorial Day weekend.

It started off wonderful... I had been planning this trip with a my friend Melissa for quite some time trying to coordinate schedules, find time and acquire patience before the big day. Finally, we settled on Memorial weekend and the timing could not have been better- the weather was beautiful, the kids were in high spirits and I knew in the back of my mind I had an extra day of recovery just in case! The morning started off pretty rocky, I HATE being late at all and I felt the pressure trying to get everything ready and packed up that day. I ended up texting Melissa and telling her that I thought we should meet 30min. later...(only later would I realize how unnecessary that was) I got the car packed and the kids in and left from Katy that a.m. with a full cup of coffee a hopeful attitude and 2 well behaved children. By the time we arrived at the Zoo approximately 45min later, I was not only "on time" but a half hour early...meaning I now knew I would have to wait for Melissa for at least an hour since I had told her to postpone her leave departure time. Funn..lol
All in all it turned out to be quite the adventure with a bloody toe (JM) a every 10min pottier (B) and a very hot, very sweaty mommy. Thanks again to the Dudleys for getting us the year passes...it was a lot of fun and Ill continue to add to these adventures through the year!

Friday, May 29, 2009

SPACE CENTER HOUSTON!

So, Mamaw (Travis' grandma)was in town this week and the kids went on a little "adventure" to Space Center Houston! (And have been telling me about it every day since this trip!) The saw big "space things with arms", "rockets bigger than papa's house" and played on a "commuter" aka computers! They really had a ball and always do when Papa can take a few days off here and there! The kids so enjoy hanging out over at Granny and Papas house and all the neat trips they take with them while mommy's at work! Thanks guys for everything ....including the AMAZING "lights up n' the no lights" shirt...John-Mark was thoroughly impressed!





Thursday, May 28, 2009

Memorial Day weekend and, Mommy Daughter day at the lake!

So, this past weekend was memorial day weekend, and while eventful in it's self...I had been planning to take Bailee to the "lake" for mother daughter photos for quite some time and I wasn't going to let a little stomach bug stand in my way!! (Of course I wasn't going to let my allergy swollen, runny nosed face be in these pictures either!!) She was so good, and has so much fun watching the fish swim in the lake, walking along the "big girl bridge" and playing by the rocks. She is getting so big and more beautiful every day! I plan on going back sometime soon and taking more candid shots with her and big brother too! John-Mark is feeling much better now, despite a rather bruised and achy hiney from a dog bite (thank you aunt makeup for letting my child be mauled by that "beast" lol aka a tiny Schnauzer). We swam with Aunt Haley at popo and momo's house, ate bbq'd brisket and had a great time! hank you everyone for making our holiday much better than it started off!