Fishing with PaPa

Visit with the Johnson's

Biggio's Last Game -- We were there!

Baseball, baseball, baseball... if you know us at all, you know how much we love the game of baseball. Last week we attended the last home game for the Houston Astro's. They played the Atlanta Braves and of course they won. This was the last game for our favorite player, Craig Biggio! He retired from the team after playing for them for 20 seasons. He is a great guy and we have truly enjoyed watching him play. Next year, it will be very different watching the Astro's without Craig Biggio. It was incredible experience. It was a sell out crowd with no standing room left. The game set an all time record for the park. Our seats were unbelieveable. We sat on row 9 up from 3rd base line. We bought these tickets about 6 months ago. We learned that we could make some serious money by selling them on E-Bay, but we chose to keep them and let Sheldon enjoy this historic night. My dad and my neice Shiloh came to the game with us. We had a great time. Please enjoy the photo's.

Biggio's Last Game

Little Ranger of the Day

This past Saturday, Sheldon was the honorary little Texas Ranger of the day at the ballpark in Arlington! It was an amazing day in our lives. We want to say a very special thank you to Jeff & Jill for making this possible. You have touched Sheldon's life with this once in a life opportunity! Thank you so much!

Mom, Dad, Grandma, PaPa and the little Texas Ranger, Sheldon, started off the evening with arriving at the stadium early. We used our season parking pass that we were given and I am not kidding when I say, we parked as close as you could. All we had to do was walk across the street and we were at the first base entrance! We then meet a young man named Justin. He was Sheldon's tour guide. He first gave Sheldon a bag full of goodies: he received a ball autographed by the entire team, a Rangers t-shirt, a Rangers button that plays music, Rangers Yearbook, baseball cards, Rangers wall pennant and a new Rangers cap! Then, Justin & Sheldon took off for their tour of the clubhouse. No one was allowed to go except Sheldon! They went under the stands and toured the following areas: Rangers Bullpen, Manager's office, Press Room, Weight Room, Training Room, Uniform room, Equipment room that houses all the bats and batting helmets, they went into the kitchen. Sheldon said they have all kinds of food ready, some healthy and some not so healthy. Then, they went into the locker room. The entire team was in there getting ready and waiting for batting practice. Sheldon said one player was spinning in the nice black leather chair that they each had by their locker. Then, Sheldon went through the dugout and out onto the field. He got to watch the batting practice from the dugout area. His favorite Rangers player is Sammy Sosa. Sammy warmed up by Sheldon the entire time. Sheldon loved watching him bat and was amazed at how hard he hit the ball. Many of the players stopped and briefly talked to Sheldon and a few shared their autographs. He did get to meet Sammy Sosa down in the dugout and Sosa signed a ball for Sheldon and shook his hand. This truly made Sheldon's night!!!!! He also got to meet Jerrod Saltalamacchia. He plays catcher and first. He stopped and talked to Sheldon for a few minutes. He also shook Sheldon's hand and patted him on the shoulder. He autographed Sheldon's new cap. Now, Sheldon has two baseball caps signed by MLB players, Saltalamacchia and Jeff Kunkel. He also got to meet another player, but we are not sure who he was. He did not have his jersey on and we did not recognize him. He briefly met Cruz. He is extremely buff !!!!! The Rangers gave us five tickets that were on row seven. They were great seats!!!!! During the game they put Sheldon's name up on the screen! And to top off an awesome evening, Mercy Me was in concert before the game. The night turned off to be nice and cool. God made everything so nice!!! This truly is a night that we will never forget. What a great opportunity for Sheldon. Please enjoy the pictures that are below and when you see Sheldon, ask him about this. He would love to talk to you about it. Those of you that are out of town, give him a call!!!! Once again, a very special thanks to Jeff & Jill -- we had a blast!!!!!!!!!

Little Ranger of the Day

Summer Vacation at the Beach

Below you will see two slide shows that will give you an overview of our trip to the beach. We had eleven people: Grandma, PaPa, Gary, Edi, Shiloh, Chelsi, Garett, Nathan, Ron, Tracy & Sheldon. We had four digital cameras. Together we all took 1,378 photo's. Don't worry they are not all on the slide show. I tried to just pick the best. We had a blast. Ron & I can say that it has been one of the very best vacations for us. We truly enjoyed every minute of it. Grandma & PaPa rented a 4 bedroom, 3 bath brand new beach house that was directly on the water. The view was amazing. The water was awesome and we had a wonderful time as a family. Sheldon loved being with his cousins. We swam, played in the sand, played games, cooked great meals, made amazing choc. chip cookies (thanks Edi!), fished, went sight seeing, went 4X4 on the beach (thanks Edi! Ha Ha), hung out and just had the best time. All three of the big boys got to go on a deep sea fishing boat. This was their Father's Day gift. They had a blast. Ron has already asked if he could have that gift again next year. We were so blessed all week. Our injury's were limited to a huge splinter in Nathan's foot, (he was so brave as Momma removed it!). Ron & I feel truly blessed to have the precious family that we have! We praise God for our family. Grandma & PaPa--thank you for planning it and making it so amazing. We love you both so much. To Gary & Edi -- we feel so blessed with our relationship with you. Not many people can say that they truly have a deep friendship with their sibling and spouse! We love you both and consider both of your our dearest and bestest friends. To our precious nieces and nephews-- we love you so much and love to see you throughout the year. You are so special to Sheldon. The memories that we made will forever be in our hearts. Enjoy all the pics!! Love you all!!!

Vacation at the Beach

Beach Vacation

Sheldon's Birthday

Well, another year has come and gone. Sheldon turned 10 this summer. It is very hard to believe that he is already in double digits. It feels like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital! He has grown up so fast and we are so proud of him. He has grown into a wonderful boy that has a gentle heart and a kind spirit. We are so blessed by him. Hope you enjoy the great photo's. Sheldon had a swimming party with 9 special friends. The rain held off and he had a great time. Enjoy!

Sheldon's Birthday!

Metro Fun!

This past weekend we headed to the metroplex to see Rocky, Kristi, Anna Beth & Parker. They just moved into their brand new house that they had built. It is so nice. The neighborhood and location is great!!! Kristi has put her magic touch on it with different colors of paint that truly reflects their personalities.

On Sunday morning, we got the privilege of hearing Rocky preach. As always, he did an awesome job. He is truly a gifted preacher!!! He convicted Ron and myself with his sermon. Good job Rocky!!!! We finally got to tour and visit their new church building. It is so nice. The people at their church were so friendly, warm and inviting. Our favorite part was all the men out in the parking lot--directing traffic and welcoming us with such enthusiasm. It was great to see Rocky & Kristi in their new church. While we miss them terribly, it is obvious to see they are exactly where God wants them to be. God is truly working in their lives and it is refreshing to hear their stories about the youth and children.

Justin & Amber also joined us at church. It was great to see the newlyweds. They are doing great! The kids love to see them again. Kristi and I loved watching Justin & Amber interact with the kids, one day, they will make great parents. Please enjoy all the photo's.

Fun with Metro Friends!

July 4th, 2007

We can't believe it is already July. The summer is going by so fast. We headed west to see family for the 4th of July. Granny & Grandad had the annual cookout and as always Grandad's sausage was unbelievable!! He needs to market it and sell that secret BBQ sauce! It is amazing. We got to see lots of family-- Nana, PaPa, Granny, Grandad, John, Linda, Lee, Mandi, Jan, Dan, Jayson, Lindsey, Payte, Jake, Ethan, and Vicki. Sheldon had a great time playing with all his cousins. As dark began to fall around us, the fireworks came out. Jayson, Dan & Ron did a great job with the fireworks show. Sheldon had a great time playing with Nana & PaPa. The weather was great, the mosquito's were a bit rough but that is just how it goes.

Family Fun on July 4th

All-Star Pics!

All-Stars 2007

Well, city league baseball season has come to a close. Sheldon was picked to be on the American league All-Star team. Above is a picture of the team. He is joined by one other boy from the Rangers team. We have practiced very hard and long, but it is paying off. We have played three games in the Regional Tournament. We beat Palestine 11-1, then we beat Kilgore 12-5, then we beat Carthage 3-2. Our next game is against Palestine again. It is a two game elimination, so I will keep you posted. Sheldon is pitching and playing 3rd base. He is doing great, we are very proud of him and all the boys on the team. It has been super fun so far. Enjoy the pics and video's.

Sheldon makes All-Stars!

Family Vacation

Family Vacation 2007... we had a blast! We all headed to Oklahoma for a long 7 days. Here is who was able to come...Gran, Grandad, Oneta, Walter, Darlene, Grandma, PaPa, Gary, Edi, Ron, Tracy, Shiloh, Chelsi, Garett, Sheldon and Nathan. We got to stay at the very newly remodeled lake house. Gary & Edi and other family members have worked on the lake house for over 18 months. It was so nice!!! They thought of everything, it is in a great location and the setup is amazing. It is right by the water, very nice beach, cool screened in porch, plenty of sleeping room, hot water, good food, fantastic a/c, comfortable beds.....it was wonderful.

We spent most of our days fishing, swimming, cruising in the boat or golf cart, riding sea doo's, tubing, playing games on the porch, riding bikes, sleeping, eating, laughing...we did it all!

Please enjoy the pics! It is so much fun sharing these with you.

Toys at the Lake

Above are pictures of the toys that we got to play on while at the lake! There was also one other boat that I thought I took a picture of ...but I guess I didn't. Anyway, we had a blast. By mid week, we were all a little concerned about the price of gas! Can you imagine filling these up everyday... well, we did!!! We had a great time on the Sea Doo's, cruising the lake and catching lots of fish!

Family fun at the lake!

Check out my Slide Show!

Trip to Houston

Hello to all family and friends,

Below are pics from our trip to Houston. We spent two day in Houston and had a great time. We started off our trip at the Children's Science Museum. Sheldon had a blast. There are so many things to see, do and touch! We all enjoyed this very much. Next, we went to our hotel for a short swim in the pool. Then, we headed to Minute Maid Park to watch the Houston Astro's play the St. Louis Cardinals. As all of you know, we love our Astro's. Sheldon of course also like the red birds (if you are a baseball fan, then you know why I called them red birds), anyway, Sheldon wore his Astro's shirt and his Cardinals hat. He said that he felt like everyone was starring at him. I told him not to worry about it and enjoy the game. We got to the park before it opened. We were one of the first few in line. We decided to head to the outfield to catch some practice home run balls. We never caught true home run balls, but we did get two Houston Astro balls. Luke Scott tossed one to Sheldon and then a strength coach tossed one up in the stands and Momma used her long arms to reach in and catch it. The ball was hit by Craig Biggio, my favorite. The game was good, great seats, lots of fun. The Astro's lost but we still love them.

We spent the night in Houston and the next morning we took Sheldon to another museum. We saw Africa on the 3D IMAX screen. Then, we went into the Butterfly Garden. It was so amazing. We all loved it and did not want to leave. Sheldon is very fascinated by animals and insects so he was just like a sponge, soaking it all up. It was a great, short, mini vacation. Enjoy the photo's below!

Check out my Slide Show!

Sheldon completes 3rd Grade

Well, the school year has come to an end. Sheldon has completed 3rd Grade. Please allow me a few minutes to do what mothers do best.....brag on their children! Sheldon had an amazing year. He is truly dedicated at school and did a great job. The lowest grade on any report card was a 97! He made a 100 on both parts of the TAKS test! Momma is so proud!! He was selected to be a member of the Student Council at school. He ran for president, gave a speech in front of the entire school...over 500 people...he did not win...but had a great attitude...what a great experience!!!! He was a part of the Robotics program which Momma taught. We both learned so much together. He participated in the following at school: Writing contest, Science Fair, Accelerated Reading Program, Battle of the books, Student Council school store manager, school wide spelling bee, Raguet K Champion, Stone Soup musical. He received many, many awards for: music, PE, all A's honor roll, math award, reading award and the list goes on. As you can tell Sheldon is very academically driven. We are very proud of him, but please note that he works very hard on his grades. He is very committed and does a great job without a lot of hounding from us. As you see him over the summer, please tell him how proud you are of him. We want this desire to excel in academics to continue every year. Please enjoy the photo's of 3rd Grade. Sheldon is now a proud 4th Grader...we can not believe how fast time goes by. We will cherish every memory from this year. A special thanks to Mrs. Roberts (3rd Grade Teacher), Mrs. Shofner (principal), Mrs. Stewart (2nd Grade Teacher), Mrs. Cobb (Librarian), Mrs. McNellie (Music Teacher)...these ladies have touched our family in an amazing way.

SFA TRACK GOING TO CALI

This past weekend, SFA Track competed at the NCAA Regional Track & Field meet. They had one athlete make it to the dance. One of Ron's athletes, Leah, made it in the long jump. She did an outstanding job. Leah was ranked 14th going into the meet. She had two good jumps, but not good enough. It came down to her last jump, she nailed it!!! She finished 2nd at Regionals. That gives her (and Ron) a ticket to the NCAA Track & Field Championships in California. We are so proud of Leah and Coach!!! When Ron got home, we had his truck full of purple and white balloons!!! Then when he got home, we had the driveway all decorated with sidewalk paint. We had fun painting the driveway. Thank goodness it really does wash off!! Way to go Ladyjacks!!!

Nac Attack Tourn

This past weekend, Sheldon's baseball team, 'Nac Attack', played in a tournament. They played four games and won four games. They were crowned as the Super Series Championship Team. Sheldon had a blast! Nana & Papa were here to cheer him on. We had a great weekend. Enjoy the pics!

Nac Rangers

Nacogdoches Rangers! Here is Sheldon with his city league baseball team. We final get to be the Rangers! We are so excited! Our season is about half over and we are having a blast. The coaches of Sheldon's team are wonderful Christian men. We are so thankful for this. Waiting on the baseball draft can be very stressful and we are very pleased with the coaches that God has given Sheldon. Our team consists of 11 boys. They are a great group of boys. Sheldon has made many new friends. The positions that Sheldon is playing is: pitcher, catcher or short stop. He likes all three of these and is happy to play any of them. As you will notice, Sheldon is getting taller and taller everyday. He just keeps on growing and growing. It will not be long until he is eye level with Mom.
Go Rangers!!!

Jeff Kunkel

Sheldon had the honor of meeting former Texas Ranger baseball player, Jeff Kunkel. We went to his house a few weeks ago. Sheldon was completely overwhelmed by all of the super cool baseball stuff that Jeff had. He was so kind to Sheldon. He showed him many special bats, balls, cards, uniforms, etc. It as very exciting for all of us. Jeff signed a brand new hat that he wore at the opening ceremonies of the Texas Rangers first home game and he gave Sheldon that hat. We will treasure it and save it forever. Sheldon truly loves baseball and getting to meet Jeff has been a huge highlight for him. Thank you Jeff!!!

Daddy's Birthday & Easter Sunday

Above are pics of our weekend with Grandma & PaPa. It was PaPa's birthday on Easter Sunday. I think PaPa turned 22 0r 23, HA HA!!!! We had a great weekend hanging out and going to play whirly ball!!! What a great game!!! Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!!

Science Fair at School

Sheldon and one of his classmates worked together on a Science Project. They did a comparison between Lions & Cheetahs. They both love animals and they really did a great job. I am so proud of both of them.

Photo's our new front yard!!!

Here are photo's our final product. We are so happy with it. It is very clean and crisp. We have planted a variety of plants. We phased them out, so that we will have something in bloom each season. We planted 5 large Azalea's and 4 smaller Azalea's. These plants do so well in East Texas. They are now blooming!!! I can't wait to see what it will look like in about two years when the plants are settled and blooming!!! They have already grown so much from when these photo's were taken. I need to go back outside and take some more!!!