Yes, I'm still here...just very busy!

Okay, soo...yeah I know it's been a loong time since I posted, but it's just been crazy around here. Here's what happened since I last posted.

1. My brother Dallas, his wife Cindy, and their precious baby girl Presley came to town to visit from the 21st till the 23rd. It's always great to see them, and it's neat b/c Presley is still just so different every time I see her.

Keith rocking her while they have a stare out.

This is my Great Uncle James with Presley. He loves kids and was like Grandpa to Dallas and I growing up.



2. Keith and I went to Branson from the 25th till the 27th. That was a great trip for us and we really enjoyed getting away alone.

3. We started working on our bonus room the 29th, and that led to working on the kitchen and living room. Still to go is the office and lots more to do on the bonus room. And we wanted to strip wallpaper in and repaint the half bath this summer too. So much to do...so little time...Aarrgghh!!! HELP, I'm losing my mind!

4. Keith's parents came to visit us on the 4th and brought our precious niece Lucy with them. First, we got to show off all the work we'd gotten done so far on the house and we cooked for them. And, we bought Lucy a little blow-up pool from Wal-Mart. That was a blast. She loved it and had a ball. I was the one playing in the pool with her, so I'll have to get pictures from Carolyn to post later. Oh we love that little girl!

5. Sunday was filled with family get-togethers at 2 and 6:30.

6. This week has been more of working on the house (though not as productive as last week was).

7. On Tuesday, I had my first professional massage. It was a Valentine's gift from Keith that I kept forgetting to call and schedule, so he called and scheduled it for me and gave me about an hours notice of my appt time. Oh my gosh. That was absolutely amazing! Now, I totally understand why people like them so much. I told Keith, and our parents, that if they ever couldn't think of something to get me...that would be a great idea.

8. Yesterday was my Dad's birthday. He's 57 now! He and Mom were getting up early to have breakfast at IHOP, so I joined them. Then Keith and I met them for dinner. And after church, the members surprised him with cake and ice cream. It was a good day of celebrating.

Thanks for reading and I'll try to not be so long between posts next time. Thank you for leaving comments! I like reading them. Until next time!

Back Home

Well, Keith is better now...his hearing seems to be back 100% b/c he can hear my whispers again (oh what short-lived fun I had). Just joking. I'm glad his hearing fixed itself w/o another doctor's visit.

And, we're back home now. We went to visit his parents for a week, and it was a really good visit. We left here on Thursday the 12th and came back on Wednesday the 18th.

I had some free time Friday, so I went and visited with one of my girlfriends from college, Trisha. She and her husband Steven are wonderful people and we've managed to keep in touch, even though she moved away 6 years ago. For you long time readers, this is the couple who's son I went and visited in ACH April 12th. Will is now at home, and through all the testing they discovered he has Prader Willi Syndrome. This family will need prayers to continue to carry them on this new journey God is helping them on. They are a wonderful couple with amazing faith and two other wonderful sons. I went over with the intention of just staying a little while, but we just got busy doing things and talking and catching up and before I knew it I was leaving 3 1/2 hours later. Oopps. I hope they were okay afterwards. I know I sure enjoyed it. I always enjoy seeing and talking to them. No matter what Trisha is going through and dealing with, she still always encourages and uplifts you. What a blessing she is.

The rest of the trip was good too! We got to keep and play with our niece Lucy for the weekend. That was great! She's so adorable and precious and cute and sooo much fun to be around! And, no, I'm not the least bit proud! Here's some pictures of her. We bought this outfit for her and I'm proud to say I got her wearing a bow in her hair (or at least for this weekend)! She's never worn bows and I wanted to see her in one, especially with this dress. So, I bought some and it worked! She left it in and when it came out, she wanted it put back in. YEA!


She loves playing with bubbles!


Isn't she adorable!!!

And she loves to be outside!

Keith likes this picture of her.

And I like this look on her face.

More fun running.

Me playing peek-a-boo around the tree with her.

And she loves to play in her pool with the turtle sprinkler! This picture looks so much like Keith it's unreal. Carolyn (his mom) has a picture of him just like this, only with swim shorts instead of a swimsuit. I've seen it before, but she didn't know where it was. If we had it I would scan it and post it so you could all see the resemblance.



We think she's a doll and love sharing her with everyone! Hope you enjoyed!

Keith is Doing Better

Hello all! Well, Keith is finally getting better. Sunday night, June 1st, we spent almost 3 hrs in the Emergency Room. He had severe pain in his right ear that hit rather suddenly and very intensely...it's got to be bad if Keith says "take me to the Emergency Room." And it was. As soon as the doctor looked in his ear, she asked how he was staying so calm and functioning so well. It looked so bad that she said he should be balled up crying with pain. She called it a middle ear infection and sent him home with 2 prescriptions. On Friday we went to his regular doctor for another appointment, b/c Keith was not satisfied with his progress. He gave him another prescription to go with his diagnosis - something long and complicated that I've already forgotten, but it boiled down to the fact that his allergies and sinuses have been so bad that they irritated his eustachian tube, which messes with the pressure inside his ear and causes the pain and loss of hearing or magnified hearing. (I think I remembered all that correctly, but if a medical someone is reading this and it doesn't make sense, then I probably remembered it wrong). He is now through with all the medications and the pain is all gone (YEA!), but his hearing is still not 100%, it's much better, just not totally fixed yet. So, we'll see where we go from here. Some of you know Keith enough to know he has amazing hearing (I can't ever mumble from anywhere in the house b/c he'll hear it, no matter where he is.) So for him to not be able to hear like that again, is driving him crazy and frustrating him quite a bit. Time will tell. If it doesn't fix itself soon, I'm sure we'll be back at a doctor's office. I hope all is well for all of you reading this. Take care and thanks for checking in on us!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

YEA!!! WOOHOO!!! HOORAY!!!

This is what Keith and I think about the school year being over with. We are soo excited! I just finished my 5th year of teaching and he just finished his 1st year of teaching. For four years now, I've been telling Keith that as a teacher he will truly appreciate and look forward to every break (Christmas, Spring, Good Friday, and especially Summer)...more than you ever did as a student. And now, he finally believes me and truly understands what I've meant.

We've got a lot to do this summer that will keep us very busy, but we're excited about the finished projects....well, the prospects of the finished projects at least. Here's hoping we finish all our projects on the house before the end of July (when we start back with meetings and conferences for the next school year).

I'll publish updates on our projects as we actually do them, accompanied by pictures when possible. We like the before and after shots. It helps us truly see how much we got accomplished and how much better the finished product is.

New Washer and Dryer

Keith and I got a new washer and dryer and we're so excited about them! We bought them on May 3rd and they were both delivered within a week. They are great! I've gotten to use them both several times and they are definitely the best set I've ever used. The washer is a front-loader, which I've never had before, but I really like it. It uses so much less water...it's great! B/c of the location and size of our "laundry room," these are the best pictures I could get of them. Hope you enjoy looking at them! I certainly enjoy using them! (And I think they look neat too!)

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Presley Rebecca Gipson joined this world at 5:29 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2008. She weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz., measured 19 inches long, and has a head full of dark hair! Dallas and Cindy (her Dad and Mom) are doing great and already wrapped around her little fingers! So are the rest of us! Grandad, Mumsie, and Aunt Lisa arrived at the hospital in Gainesville at 5:45 a.m. on Thursday the 24th, after driving straight through the night! Here are some pictures, and I'll post more later when I get them off Grandad and Mumsie's cameras. Hope you enjoy our beautiful precious Presley! And, no, I'm not biased at all! :)

My Pictures of Presley Rebecca Gipson