Best Policeman in THE WORLD

I have so much to say about this precious boy and his

first REAL HALLOWEEN....

But, my family is waiting on me to watch a movie. haha

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Here are a few previews until tomorrow...

I've always know Little Brady was

without question our families true angel....

But tonight I saw his wings...

Without a doubt he is the most unexpected blessing of my life...

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I cut one of Brad's old uniforms up to make my little man

A Genuine Ft. Worth Policeman's Uniform...

and I just have to say....

He was the cutest thing...
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Watching Brady is like a continual dripping of

A JOY iv...

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May we all watch for our children's wings...

We just might find them.

Player of THE WEEK

As most of you know Brent went to college

on a full scholarship in BASEBALL..

After a year however... he decided it was just not what he wanted to do.

It was so hard for him... but he finally got the nerve to say

he just didn't want to play baseball anymore.

He really wanted to try to play college FOOTBALL.

(These are all pictures I took of him playing High School Football)

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He was such a good baseball player (They won STATE in 2008),

he was 3A baseball player of the year, his dad played college baseball and

is still a baseball coach.... so I think everyone (including Brent)

thought he should play BASEBALL..
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Bless his heart... I know it was so hard for him to finally make the choice....

BUT boy when he did it was 100% goal setting, and Football Dreams ahead.

He tried out for Midwestern State University Football Team in July.

They had 1 walk-on spot left on the team.

Many guys tried out, but Brent won the spot.

He showed up in August not knowing at all what to do or expect,

but had made a vow that whatever happened he'd live his

life knowing he'd given it his 100%.
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The team started off with about 20 walk-ons.

They were not allowed to practice with the real team.

It was a little like a military BOOT CAMP..

They ran several miles a day and had to work their butts off.

Several quit, some were cut, but after about 3 weeks

a hand full of guys were left, and Brent was one of them.

Their coach told them they had proven they were serious

and had earned the right to now be a part of the team.
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I remember the phone call I got that day... Brent was so excited...

And of course I was filled with JOY...

There is just no feeling in the world like seeing

Happiness on the face of your child.
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I knew in my heart..

he'd made the right decision.

Sometimes as parents we mistakenly think that our children are

blank slates waiting to be written...

but in fact (as Max Lucado says)

they are finished books waiting for us to read...

God has packed each one of them with a suitcase full

of THEIR dreams, talents, and gifts...

It is up to us to help them discover what's inside that case.
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As the weeks have passed this semester I have never

once doubted Brent's decision.

I hear the smile in his voice and I feel the commitment in his very soul.

He of course is still considered a Walk-on, and will be red-shirted

this season... but he busts his butt each and every day of practice.

Not because of what IS happening,

but for what he BELIEVES will come.

He told me "Mom I'm just waiting for my chance to shine.

Whenever it's my turn I'll be ready."
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There are just no words to express the way that makes my heart feel.

As I write this post tears are rolling down my face.

I am so proud of him that I can hardly contain it.

He did this all on his own...

No one knew him or how good he was in high school.

They'd never seen him play, and

they had no idea of the potential within him.

No one knew his dad or owed him any favors.

BRENT wanted something for himself

and did what he had to do to make it happen.

I must however say a special "THANK YOU" to Coach Rodgers

(Brent's High School Football Coach)

he made Brent a highlight tape to send out to prospective colleges.

Brent couldn't have done it without him.

But most importantly..... HE gave him a JOY for football

that otherwise would have never been uncovered.

He taught him how to believe in himself and to do something

that sometimes NO ONE else thinks you can do.
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Sometimes all it takes is one person to encourage you to open

the suitcase God has already packed for you.

Brent is working harder than he's ever worked in his life.....

But he is having the TIME of HIS LIFE..

Monday I got a text from him saying "MOM guess what!!!

I was named Scout Team Player of The Week."

My heart completely bubbled over like a coke that had been shaken for days...

He said they announced it in the team meeting saying.....

Our Scout Team Player of the Week this week is

a walk-on who has worked his tail off to show us what he can do...

He is someone who shows us everyday that he is here to play football,

and is gonna be a player this team will remember.

His name is Brent Bollinger!
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MY cup runs over with Love for that child.. I adore his every being ,

and I am so proud of him for listening to the Voice only he

could hear inside his HEART..

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MMay we NEVER forget to follow our dreams...

GOD places them within us for a reason..

All we have to do is unpack the case!

Pumpkin Plump...

Our church got together and painted pumpkins to take to

Cooks Children's Hospital

for all of the kids who will not be able to be outside on this Halloween.

It sure puts life into clear focus when you think of all the parents who are

putting a child through treatment on Halloween instead of

wondering what costume they to wear.

Our church asked what they could do to help, and Cooks

asked for 50 pumpkins decorated in Happy Attire to help brighten

the mood, and the day of the people in their hospital.

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Brook and I had the best time working our Pumpkin Magic...

We spray painted each of ours so they would be easier to paint on...

And.. Mr & Mrs. Plump turned out ever so happy I think.

They put a smile on my face while we worked on them anyway...
And Gloria Glorious I hope will make at least one little sick fellow

not think about where they are if only for a moment.

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We dug out lots of Goodwill finds from the past to attach to our
Plump friends... I always knew that the fur and hats
would come in handy one day..
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Some of the Pumpkins even wore a full fledged mullet...
Ha .. Michael (our Group Pastor) borrowed one

to reminisce about the good ole days.
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Though this may not have been a life-changing thing in the face of serious illness...
It was hopefully however a Spark of Happy and a genuine effort
for those out there who are sick to know that people care..
I've always thought that
The world is filled with MUCH

more GOOD than BAD..
But for some reason it's just never makes it on the news...
We then tend to think that what we see on tv is all that's there...
I say...POO on the news...
It's all a matter of where you look....
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and......Lifepointe Church is a fabulous place to LOOK..
I've been going there since last March,
and have met some of the most wonderful people.
People who remind me often ... to care..
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If you live in the Ft. Worth area...
I'd love to invite you to come by next Sunday.
I can promise you will be greeted with a SMILE..
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May we never forget that sometimes it just takes a moment

to show someone you care.

Goodwill Glory

I know simply the mere word Goodwill

conjurs up hair standing visions to some of you

(including my mother), but to me it is better than the Mall.

You do truly have to be a digger at heart

to enjoy a day at a resale store ..

Yes, I admit there are always some colorful folks I mingle in the midst of...

but I just can't resist the thrill of "THE HUNT"

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This week was 1/2 off WEDNESDAY at all the metroplex Goodwill Stores..

I wait patiently each month for the 3rd Wednesday

so I can dig literally "ALL DAY"

I found so many wonderful treasures this week.

So... I decided that even though I was WAY late, I'd spook up my kitchen table.
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I normally get a much earlier start with holiday decor.....

But this year I've been way off my game for some reason.

I got fabulous zebra plates (these were from ROSS) for $1.99 each

because they were out of some set that was broken..

THIS was the best DIG of the Day !!!

I love these plates.

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I got wonderful glass vases and jars of zillions of sizes for about $1 each..
I love filling up clear glass. They seem to take on so many different looks
depending on what you put in them..
Though I already had MANY of them...
I couldn't resist some great new ones.
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Brady and I had the best time finding stuff to fill our jars with.
We went to Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and of course Wal Mart..
He had me so tickled I could hardly shop.

He was yelling at me
"Get this one.... NO get this one!"
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We spray painted pumpkins, and put glitter on most anything that didn't move..
We filled our skulls with black beans, and dug out all the silver "bling" we could find.
I decided I didn't want to just use the same ole' orange and black...
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So we threw in lots of sliver "bling", purple, and my favorites.... Black and White
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We started our table with only the green plates,

and filled the entire top for less than $20.
Now that's why I love Goodwill....
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This is Brady's scary face to go along with our table...
He has had more fun talking to the skeletons than I ever dreamed...
And some of my spiders mysteriously keep disappearing. haha
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The chairs were among my other wonderful Goodwill finds this week.
I loved the style and the size.. They were only $8 each.
I bought enough to go around my table..
My next project is to recover them in zebra and polka dots..
I'll show you when I'm all done.
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And here... My friends is the greatest of all time Goodwill finds..
This fellow as you can see from the size up next to my chase lounge
is HUGE !!!!!
He was just like new and waiting on me to get him home.
He was regularly $2, but since it was half off day.........
I brought this fellow home for the grand total of 1 buck..
WOW WOW WOW
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Brady... who is obsessed with monkeys is in awe of his new friend.
Though he is much bigger than Brady, and out weighs him by a long shot....
He named him Brady Jr...
We all laughed so hard we nearly wet our pants...
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So... next time you travel past a Goodwill sign....
You might just stop in and see what treasures you can uncover..
Who knows what you'll find.
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May we all find something fabulous that just simply makes our day!

Perfectly Pink

I realize that most everyone in the FREE world has noticed that there is Pink all over the place this month...
BUT... to many of us... IT is so much more than just an AMAZING color.
It is a symbol to everyone out there to be aware of Cancer.Pink takes the face of something so UGLY and reminds us all that there
can be beauty in it's CURE.. spe

My mother was first diagnosed with Cancer while she was still in her 20's.

I don't remember much about it because I was just a little girl.
I do however remember the scar she came home with.

This was back before Chemo was used, and I don't remember anyone ever even talking about radiation or any of the treatments so widely used today...

I just remember my Granny saying "they had to get it ALL"... And that THEY DID...

Today I never even notice Mom's scar.... but I notice every single day that she is ALIVE...

May we all know that there is no treasure like our Mother!

Brent's Birthday

I just can't seem to ever find the words to express how incredible it is

to have all my kids together at the same time..

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However, with one in college, one 16 and Social, and the other attached to my hip....

That is Much Harder than it seems...

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Monday was Brent's 20th birthday...

So he came home for the weekend to have his party...

I don't think you ever get too old to want to go to Mom's for your birthday..

I'll be 43 in January and always wait patiently from year to year

for my Mom to make my favorite chocolate cake

with NO icing just for ME..
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Little Brady... who hasn't quite figured the whole Birthday thing out yet....

always thinks HE'S having a party...

For some reason we keep singing that song,

and for some reason a magical cake always appears for HIM to eat.
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For those of you who remember "my other chocolate blob"

I didn't even attempt anything other than that this time..

A girl knows her weaknesses... haha
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However... it's looks (or lack there of) never seem to affect it's taste..
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Daddy came down this weekend.
So... even though it isn't any award winner,
we had Brad take our picture all together..
My daddy had every single person in the world he loves right there.
His mother is dead, his dad is dead, and my brother is dead....
SO... literally me and my kids are all in this world that Dad has left.
Every remaining drop of Edgar blood was right there in that picture.
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And... when you only have a few people to spoil...
Then rest assured that is what happens...
Brady was singing "Papa is great... He feeds me chocolate cake!"
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They ate 3 more pieces...
And when Daddy left on Monday not a single bite was left. haha
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Though none of us ever dreamed life would bring us to this point...
I've said before I can't imagine it any other way...
These 2 boys melt my heart each time they are together.
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Brent read books to Brady on his new "big boy" bed
for over an hour....
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I guess that means I have 2 big boys now..
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Brent's main Birthday present (it was not the Batman) haha

was delivered on the day he left to go back to school...

So Brook, Brady and I left yesterday after she got out of school

to go take it to him at Midwestern,

and of course it gave us another chance to

take him out for a second Birthday dinner..

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After we finished eating...

We headed back to Brent's dorm to say goodbye

BUT.... not before

Brady had completely entertained Brent's roommate and suitemate.

His little hair was dripping with sweat..

But.. we all got a good laugh.
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May we never forget our children are our GREATEST gifts.

Another Dozing Darling

I got to do another Dozing Darling last week.

These are just the funnest shoots I've done in a while.

Watching a precious newborn sleep just reminds me how dear life truly is.

(And it secretly makes me jealous that I can never sleep that sound)

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This little fellow had a tough start in his life.

Having surgery at 8 days old,
his mother learned early on how dear God's blessing was to her.

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It made my shoot with Little Mr. I a real treasure.

And showed me once again that every moment with our children is a special GIFT.

Then.... right in the middle of his Dozing...
He Woke Up,
Held up his head, and looked right at me..
What a sweet surprise..
So... We went from Dozing Darlings to Awakening Angels
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Then... out he went again....
Sound asleep and posing like a little champ..
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I enjoyed every minute of this shoot...
And can't wait for my next little Dozer...
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May we all have a day where we sleep like a baby....
(hope mine is coming soon)

Circus Silly

Brady and I were just plain SILLY at the circus.

He, having NEVER seen one at all, and me, not having seen one in 14 years

made being there pretty darn exciting..

I must admit watching a CIRCUS at 42 was just more fun

than I remember when watching it in my 20's.

I think this time I had an "I get to" mind set,

instead of an "I have to" state of mind.

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That is one of the many perks about raising a child in this phase of life.

Brady truly gets the best of my time,

but most importantly the best of my heart.

WE laughed, pointed, watched with smiles spread all over our faces,

ate popcorn, drank a coke, and clapped and hollered until

we were almost as amusing as the circus itself. ha

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This little sweety was both Mine and Brady's favorite..

She was so precious trying to be a big girl in the show..

Brady yelled and clapped the whole time
saying "Bitsy, Bitsy Elephant Momma"
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After my terror on the Elephant ride.... haha
Brook was then placed in charge of all events that required
"my feet to be off the ground"
Somehow it just didn't seem to bother her at all.
Maybe it takes passing 40 to realize how bad it hurts to fall
from what feels like "the sky"
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Brady had never seen a camel before, and was quite impressed
with both their faces, and their humps..
And as you can see.......
"Monk, Monk" also went to the circus, and rode all the animal rides.
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Now this......
MY friends was without a doubt the strangest thing I have ever seen..
This person (I think it was a boy)
could absolutely do things with his body that "should not be done"
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Don't know if it's my age....
But I wanted to tell him
"You're gonna have arthritis when you get older"
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Bodies are just not meant for this....
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I am certain... that even at my most flexible...
THIS was never an option!
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Tigers are right up at the TOP of Brady's favorite things list...
And he was quite fascinated with the whole Tiger in the Fire trick..
3 days later... he is still telling me that "Fire hurts babies but not Tigers"
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My complete TERROR of heights caused me to almost

close my eyes through this whole feat.
I would NEVER get that far off the ground even bolted inside a steel cage,
much less walking around in spandex..
It was just TOO much..
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After I opened my eyes again...
Our FAVORITES were back on stage..
By far and away the Elephants were the cutest of all.
And that sweet little baby trying to do everything her momma did was just absolutely irresistible to watch.
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Now I don't care who you are....
THAT is just precious...
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What a wonderful time we had...
Thank you so so much April and Bret for inviting us.
Where would we be without friends..
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May we all find the JOY in something we've done before,
when we GET to do it all over AGAIN !