Hays and Cash's 6th Birthday Party

10.25.13

Fun Friday continues with a joint birthday party at a bounce house about three miles from our house and the theme is super hero.  Janna, Cash's mommy, made super hero capes for all of the kids.

Blake, Cash's sister, is sporting her super hero outfit.

What's really cool about this place is that the video games and the air hockey is free!  No coins required!

Cash loves Superman and Hays loves Ant Man.  (Cash and Hays are in Beck's kindergarten class.)

Beck and Kinsey played so hard that they were super excited to get a drink and cake!  And, these moms did it right by providing one white cake and one chocolate cake which made this mommy very happy since Beck does not like chocolate.

I'm really digging the joint birthday party! 

Aunt Wendy's Visit and Much More

10.21-25.13

I took Beck, Kinsey and Aunt Wendy to the park on Monday afternoon and they had so much fun.

Aunt Wendy also got to watch Kinsey dance Tuesday morning and she loved it.

Then, we had to make a dash to Gilmer for my hair appointment and of course the kids fell asleep on the way there.

I love my sister and my new do!

We had to rush back to Tyler for Open House at Beck's school.  He was THRILLED to show us around his room and the playground!

The kids nightly routine varies but what they love to do these days is build a house for their babies.  I especially love watching Beck build a covered bed for Kinsey's Minnie Mouse.  He is the sweetest big brother!

I took Aunt Wendy home yesterday because I have a MOPS meeting on this Thursday morning.  Kinsey loves going to the 3-4 year old class and she made a cat mask today.  I did not do a good job documenting our meetings but I will say that our very first "real" meeting was so awesome!  All of the Table Moms sat in front of the group and answered questions that we had written on 3x5 cards the last time we met.  It was incredible to hear their answers.  The question and answer I loved the most was, "What would you do different?  EVERYTHING!"  It was hilarious watching them laugh and talk about all the things they would have done differently.  I loved this meeting so much that I could not wait for the next one!  Well, the next one was about a lady that has been through so much after getting married.  She talked about her very first pregnancy and how annoying she was because she acted like she was the very first person to ever be pregnant.  She ended up having a miscarriage which brought back memories of my miscarriage when we were in FL for Jeff and Jill's wedding.  Then, she talked about her next pregnancy.  Her doctor had just received the brand new 3-D sonogram machine and tested it on her.  They quickly discovered that her baby did not have arms or legs.  There was not a dry eye in that room!  She went on to talk about her baby being in a full body cast with diarrhea.  It took over 2 hours to change one diaper and that's with many tools and tears.  She also had complications with her third pregnancy and this is when you thank Heavenly Father for all of the blessings in your life.  This lady never cried while she was telling us all of this stuff that has happened to her.  She is such an inspiration and shared many tips if we know someone going through tough times.  Since I'm writing this in January, I can tell you that these two meetings were my absolute favorite for this past semester.  I'm going to do a much better job of documenting our meetings this semester because I do learn something at each one.  I would recommend MOPS to anybody with little ones.  They meet in different churches and each group is different.  Luckily, my new friend, Janna, said she tried out three groups and claims this one is the best. 

Kinsey and I went to a membership warehouse club afterwards and grabbed some lunch before picking up Beck.

Fun Friday (this is my new term to get Beck excited about going to school on the 5th day of the week!) is Crazy Hat Day!

And, it's also his Halloween party!  I volunteered to bring plates and napkins.  A lot of parents showed up and we all stood on one side of the room while the kids ate their treats. 

Fun Friday was a hit and the kids love their new stuffed animals from Sam's!

Families Are Forever

10.20.13

What a joy it is to watch my sweet nieces and nephews eating breakfast and I'm so sad that this is our last day together.

I could just eat this little guy up because he's so stinkin' sweet!

Before going to bless Nanny's grave on this lovely Sunday morning, we took family pictures...

(Kiki and Pops)

(Jody, Jennifer, Noah, Damian and Taylor)

(Brian, Katherine, Ava, Lola and Otto)

Oh Brent, you are such a hoot!

Can you see the boo-boo under Kinsey's left eye?  Well, she tripped over my purse at the funeral yesterday and ended up getting carpet burn as she fell down.  (The chairs were covered with a thick fabric almost like carpet and the skin was scraped off as she fell down.)  Ever heard of somebody getting hurt at a funeral?

(Jeff, Jill and Marcus)

We also celebrated Lola's birthday before everybody departed.

Nanny was such a sweet lady and I'm so honored to have had her in my life for the past 11 years. 

Now we are off to Longview to pick up Aunt Wendy...sleep tight little kids!

Nanny's Funeral

10.19.13

Katie Ella Lee Bishop was born on July 3, 1924 and died October 15, 2013 after a sudden illness.  She was born in Kelsey, Texas and was married to the late Alton W. Bishop.  They owned and operated Whites Auto for many years, which was located on the square in Gilmer, Texas.

Katie was the oldest of three children born to Oni and Hector Lee, who preceded her in death.  Her sisters include Virginia Lee Arnold, married to Larry Arnold and Glo Gordon, married to the late Gerald Gordon.  She also had a half-sister, Faye Lee Dunkley, who was married to Romas Dunkley, both of whom are deceased.

The greatest joy in Katie's life was her family.  She and Alton were blessed with three children: Dr. Wesley A. Bishop DDS, of Gilmer, whose wife is Kathleen; Deanna Bishop; and Gilmer attorney, David A. Bishop, whose wife is Karen D. Bishop.  Of her three children, Deanna and David preceded Mrs. Bishop in death.

Katie was also blessed with six grandchildren, four of whom are married with spouses she considered to be like her own grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, whom she loved and adored, as well.  Her grandchildren include Laura Lee Bishop and Rachel Anne Bishop, daughters of the late David A. Bishop and Karen D. Bishop.  Other grandchildren, with their spouses and great-grandchildren include: Jennifer Bishop Mask and husband Jody R. Mask with Noah, Damian and Taylor; Dr. Brian W. Bishop DDS and Katherine Bishop with Ava, Lola and Otto; Brent L. and Sheri Bishop with Beck and Kinsey; and Jeffrey S. and Dr. Jill Bishop with Marcus.  Also, Mrs. Bishop had numerous nieces and nephews who fondly remember "Aunt Katie".

Katie was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  She and her husband volunteered as workers in the LDS Dallas Temple for many years prior to her husband's death.  Katie worked diligently for over thirty years researching and compiling her family genealogy with some family lines going back as far as 1092 in England.

Katie also served in the Primary Organization of her church teaching the very young children at the ward and stake levels.  For many years, she owned and operated a private kindergarten in Gilmer, as well, and was affectionately known as "Miss Katie" to the many boys and girls she taught.  She had a great love for all children.

Above all, Katie's abiding faith was a firm foundation for her family.  She was the rock that kept the family grounded and "Nanny" will be deeply missed.
(written by Kathleen Bishop)

Nanny's graveside service was really touching especially when her great-grandchildren stood in front of her and sang a song that Nanny taught to many primary kids at church which is called, I Am A Child Of God.  (I have the video if you would like to see it.)  And, two vintage planes flew over on the busiest day (because of the Yamboree) of the year in Gilmer, Texas. 

There was an abundant amount of food dropped off by many friends of the family. 

Nanny's sister, Virginia, pictured with her husband Larry and their daughter Kaylynn and their son Doug with his wife Crissy, their son, Cole, and their daughter-in-law, Sierra.  (Doug and Crissy's son, Devin, and daughter, Katelin, could not be here today.)

Rachel, Karen and Laura Bishop

It was so sweet of Uncle Bill, Aunt Stevie and Richarda (Stevie's sister) to drive here from Denton so that they could be here with us today.

Earlier today, Uncle B (aka The Tickle Monster) had some fun with two little boys by the name of Beck and Marcus.

Later in the evening, he also got Kinsey.

Otto was pretty happy to hang out with his cousins today.

This is what our vehicle looks like after buying Yamboree toys for Beck, Kinsey and Noah...major light show!  And, I sure enjoyed hearing these kids giggling!