Memorial day

It's a quiet day here at the Corley house…..spent yesterday in Frisco with Chase and Angie….helping them pick out plants and get the landscaping ready for a party they are having tomorrow.  Sweet time with my kids….

I am reminded today of my daddy….Michael's daddy…..and so many others who fought in WW2 - i never talked to daddy about the war - i just got a feeling it was something he didn't want to talk about.  I did hear stories….the kind of stories that were heartwarming…..like one time he asked me if i knew angels smoked cigarettes.  One time during his service, they were leaving a shore and daddy was the last one to climb the rope to the ship before they left….daddy grabbed hold of the rope and before he knew it, the ship was leaving - he was dangling there on the rope and said he wouldn't have made it but two of his mates came out to have a cigarette - they heard his cries and got him help.  There's also the infamous story about New Zealand…..they were docked there for two whole weeks and stayed on the shore in tents and ate rations in tins (i have the tin he used too….it's in the trunk with all his things from the war) - he said there were two guys, daddy and another guy, that were completely bald.  Daddy was completely bald by the time he was 21…..anyway, they grew FULL HEADS OF HAIR while they were in New Zealand!  He said all the guys would run to the two of them first thing in the morning to look at their heads!  I have always told daddy i wished we could figure out what made that happen….and bottle it because we could sell millions!  He said as they left New Zealand, it took a couple of weeks and all the hair fell out.  He said he figured the only way he could do it was recreate it and for it to be the same time of year, eating the same things……just an amazing story.  I am not sure i would believe it had it been anybody else but my daddy telling it!

I am so thankful for our daddies…..and the time they gave up to keep us free.  I have no idea the sorrow they saw…..the heartbreak, the hurt.  But i am so thankful.

I miss my daddy so much.

Papaw, this one is for YOU

Today, in doing Meals on Wheels, we were blessed with some SWEET time with Papaw (aka Henry Beckham III) - the sweetest man with the twinkle in his eye.  Today as we arrived to pick up our meals, we noticed everyone on our list was grayed out except for papaw (grayed out means they don't want a meal that day) - papaw has been VERY sick….his health has gone down leaps and bounds - i actually haven't seen him in over a month because he's either been in the hospital or the last time i was there, he was sick in bed and so sick he couldn't raise his head.  He's 91…..i have been sooooo worried about papaw.  But today, we got the sweetest surprise!

Altho

He's still very weak, he insisted on standing up for a big long hug and since we had nobody else on our list this day, we got to visit for over an hour with papaw!  His daughter was there and we got to hear stories about growing up and what a little stinker papaw was in his youth!  We told some stories too and this one about Avery Grace - he wanted me to write down…..sweet papaw wants to keep it so he can read it over and over.  The story made him laugh so hard….LOVE to see joy well up in him. Sooooo, here's the story:

Shawn and Avery were shopping at Whole Foods and Shawn said not to ask him why, it was too long of a story, but he and Avery were having a deep discussion about the Branch Davidians….Shawn said all of a sudden, Avery looks him in the eye and says "daddy, i want to know the TRUTH" - Shawn is taken aback and wondering what in the world is coming and she tells him again "Daddy, i want to know the TRUTH.  Is Santa Claus real?" - the question has come up many times lately, even with me.  I just quickly changed the subject and Shawn and Deb have done the same thing….but this time was different….."Daddy, my friends have been talking and i want to know the REAL truth.  I don't want to be made fun of.  Daddy, IS SANTA CLAUS REAL??????" - Shawn looks her straight in the eye and says "Avery, are you sure you want to know the REAL truth?"  "Yes daddy….please tell me for REAL" - Shawn looks at her and shakes his head no…..she ducks her head and then looks back at him "The Easter Bunny?" - again, Shawn shakes his head no.  Avery questions again "The tooth fairy?" - shaking his head again she takes one last stab at it "okay, the birthday fairy????"  The birthday fairy was a story made up by her momma and daddy ever since she was a little bitty girl….outside her room there was a huge tree, and every August, the fireflies were everywhere in that tree and those were actually birthday fairies coming to announce Avery Birthday on August 29th.  SURELY the birthday fairies were REAL… but Shawn slowly shakes his head no.  Avery bows her head low….and then looks back at Shawn and says "oh my, it seems my whole life has been a LIE!"  Then she looks at Shawn and says "i am NOT telling mom" - he thinks she's saying this because Avery thinks it will break her momma's heart that she now knows the truth….but no, she finishes "i am NOT telling mom!" - and after a few seconds she tells him " YOU ARE!" 

Oh where has the time gone?  She's growing up way too fast.  

Love you to the moon and back sweet Avery Grace!

Mother's Day 2014

In getting some pictures together to put a little something about our momma's on FaceBook, i went through picture albums of momma and daddy's…..Oh my goodness, where did the time go?  With tears rolling down my cheeks, i paged through memory after memory.  Oh my goodness, i miss our parents! To Michael's mom, this post:

Happy Mother's Day memaw....we miss you so very much! You were such an example of how to love our Lord and Savior with every breath. Thank you being sure Michael knows and loves our Lord. You lived a life just waiting to see Jesus....at deaths door, you were like a child on Christmas morning....waiting to open that precious gift you had longed for so many years. Enjoy your Mother's Day with Him....I pray He will give you and momma great big hugs from us! We miss you memaw….

and to My momma, this post….

Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute....I didn't grow under your heart, but in it. Oh momma....words can't say how thankful I am that God put me in your arms. You loved me up momma....you made me secure in your love....you were the greatest example of unconditional love....you prayed for me....you made sure I loved The Lord with all my heart....you were the perfect example of what a wife and mother should be. I couldn't have ever felt more loved had I grown under your heart. I love you momma....with all I have. I miss you more than words can say. But eternity waits....how blessed to know I will spend with you. Happy Mother's Day momma. Love, "your Cindy"

Oh how we were blessed with precious mommas!  I wish i could do it all over again……i would have spent more time….more visits….more dinners….more just one on one times with our mommas.  Time moves by so quickly!  Everyone that has reached a certain age tells you that, but you just don't realize it until it's time to look back.  

We had a fun Mother's day with the kids and Haley and Hayden.  Mother's Day isn't quite the same because we don't get to have Addy and Avery and now Audrey with us…..but we did enjoy our time together.  We went to True Fire for brunch…..that place is one of my very favorites!  

A cute thing happened there…. - we were at lunch and it took FOREVER for our food to come.  We didn't mind because we were busy visiting, but little Hayden - bless his heart, he was SO good.....but a couple of times he did try and get up.....he was just bored.  Anyway, toward the end of the meal, he told his momma "i wanna go to the toy store!" - there was a "Learning Express" about 2 doors down from where we were - anyway, Angie put him off and said "Oh Hayden, let's wait a while"- so a little later he said "Momma, dada can take me to the toy store and we just get a YIDDLE toy" - Angie told him "no buddy, let's wait until everyone's finished eating"  and just a few minutes later he looked at Chase and said "hey da-da - yets go to the toy store and we just get a YIDDLE toy" - biggest grin on his face......Chase told him "Buddy, let's wait a while".....well, i was through eating - they were all having dessert......Hayden was next to me so i grabbed his hand and said "Come on Hayden - Mimi will take you to the toy store" - well, i didn't realize what he said to the table as we were leaving......Angie told me later he had this HUGE grin on his face and hit eyes lit up and he said "Oh, i get a BIG toy!" - sweet baby.....he knows who loves him =)

It was really a fun afternoon - after the late lunch, we went back to Chase and Angie's and sat on the patio by the pool……sweet conversations and a few went swimming….i love my family so much.  Thank you Lord for each one of them.  They are precious gifts in my life!

 I am so proud of my boys……Lord they are wonderful sons - precious men.  Thank you for the gift of these boys and their families in our lives.  God your gifts are so precious.

Stormy days….

 It all started as i left with my friend Suzanne to do Meals on Wheels.....and the rain had already started - torrential downpours.....and the wind was awful - she picked me up so i stood under the portico and opened my little umbrella to make a mad dash to her car - JUST as i got out of the shelter of the portico the wind came and blew the umbrella up in the wrong direction.....i got soaked.  We had decided to go by Nothing But Bundt Cakes and get little cakes to take all the mother's on our route.....Suzanne had a lunch date with out of town family, so i offered to get out at all the stops so she could stay relatively nice looking for her lunch date.....rain poured on me again as i entered the store.....we know the owners because they are the ones that bought our house in Heath, so we hugged.....i explained to her what i needed and a customer there in the store with us overheard me and offered to pay for all the cakes - random acts of kindness just blow me away sometimes - she explained that she was a nurse and her heart was for the elderly......she worked with home health care and with hospice and she dearly loves the elderly - so wet me hugged her big and thanked her and headed out the door with my box of cakes.  I bought little clear plastic sacks and i made Happy Mother's Day tags for them and our plan was as i went in to deliver the meals, Suzanne would assemble the gifts in the car......sooooo off we go....let me say here too, you must imagine the picture of me here....i honestly look like someone turned a hose on me - and my hair....oh my hair.....it curls up like crazy when it gets wet and it's NOT attractive!  At this point tho, my hair is plastered to my head.....anyway, as we go along our route and stop to deliver our meals, the rain just is coming down in sheets and also the thunder and lightening.....really concerned me because it was CLOSE.....We saw lightening strikes that seemed RIGHT in front of us and going all the way to the ground.....LOUD thunder.....and then there was the rushing water in all the gullies and people's yards looked like lakes.....so when we would get to a home, i would literally run....gave up the umbrella because it didn't help at all.....just RAN with meals and gifts in tow.  Then as we are going down this one country road to Mr. Lacy's house, we look ahead and in the middle of the road there's a tiny little black dog headed down the center of the road.  As we approach, she turns and starts heading for our car.  Suzanne stops the car and tells me "Oh Cindy, open the door and get that baby" - so i open the door and here she comes....she has no qualms about getting in the car but as i get her in my lap.....she's shaking like crazy.....she immediately puts her nose in the crook of my arm and hides.  So now, not only am i wet....not only is my hair plastered to my head....but now i smell like wet dog =)   We continue on our route, the little dog shivering in my lap - every once in a while she starts panting like crazy.....When i get out to deliver Mr. Lacy's meal i put her in my seat....when i come back, the wet dog is sitting in the impeccably dressed Suzanne's lap - Suzanne tells me that as soon as i got out of the car, the dog JUMPED across the seat into her lap.  Now we both smell like wet dog.  We finish our route and we are headed home....Suzanne has already decided she will take the dog home, give her a bath and then when the rain stops we will go back and put up signs....it's obvious, altho no collar, that this dog is loved and well taken care of......she's older....gray hair around her mussel and neck and she's got quite the fat tummy....somebody loves this little one.  So here we are.....driving back to Rockwall....me drenched - hair now curling every which way - the wet smell of dog filling the car - oh yes, i can't forget as i look down at my arms, i look like an ape....both arms COVERED in short black hairs.....this little dog likes to share her coat =)  - Suzanne who has a lunch date in an hour ALSO looking ape-ish - anyway we are driving along with the shivering dog in my lap and all of a sudden we look at one another and almost at the same time - "oh my, WHAT is that smell?" - i cringe and say "oh Suzanne....did she poop on me?"  The most horrible smell ever permeated the car - we both start laughing so hard that tears are rolling down our cheeks.  Suzanne can hardly drive she's laughing so hard.  I gently lift the dog's butt so she can peek underneath....."no she say's....the storm has just scared the gas out of her!".  So Suzanne takes the little dog home.....she never quit shivering in the car - we think that the storm just scared her so much - that, plus being lost.....tail was tucked way between her legs the entire trip.  Suz got her home, bathed her and dried her off....she said she put that dog down and the tail came up and wagged like crazy.  She said that little dog has made her self right comfortable - slept in the bed with she and Patrick and their little dog Annie last night.  We are going today to put up signs around where we found her.  We KNOW somebody is missing her.  Suz said she's SO lovable.  I told her she better find that owner or she would be in love and hard to say goodbye!  

Such a sweet day with my friend Suzanne…..thank you Lord for the gift of Suzanne in my life.  She's truly a gift.  She's the one i can be myself with….totally, honestly, and never feel i am being judged or scrutinized - she's such a gem - with a heart as big as Texas!  

p.s. on time with little man

a couple of things i forgot regarding Hayden and the last sleepover……We were headed to the bathroom to brush teeth, get pi's on and he looks over at the table where the "tooties" are sitting and he says "sometimes momma let's me have tooties before i go to bed…..sometimes she even MAKES the tooties!

And then as we are playing with his toys "my momma doesn't like bad guys"

I love to hear him play…..he makes his voice go up high and then down low as he moves his spiderman and batman and super heroes around.

His little program for the end of the school year was last week.  It was the sweetest thing ever…..this one song they sang…..said something like "With all my heart i love you" - and as Hayden sang this song, his entire demeanor changed…..he sang so loud - from the bottom of his heart "with all my heart i YUV you" - Angie and i cried like babies through the entire thing.  I think i saw papas tummy going up and down too just a little…..thats what happens when he gets emotional and tries not to cry.

Super sweet times with a precious little boy!