Show Me Those Pearlie Whites!

Last Wednesday (after stalling for, well, four years!) I embarked on our first visit to the DENTIST! And let me tell you, the Pediatric Dentist is AMAZING! ~ but you wouldn't think so by Savannah's reaction! (Thankfully she was not screaming and crying, but definitely apprehensive and opposed to the entire visit and we had to reschedule a week later!) Adelyn bought all of the tricks, and she did GREAT! (Even got a polish-job and some fluoride!)

You walk into the dentist office, which is cleverly named "Little Teeth of Texas" and it's a Cowboy Wonderland! Video games, plush horsies, bead toys, books, and it goes on! All I remember having in the dentist waiting area was an expired edition of "HighLights" magazine (remember that magazine?)

It didn't stop there, because they have every possible clever tool for kids that you could imagine! You know how adult dentist offices give you 'construction glasses' to cover your eyes from the bright light? Well at "Little Teeth of Texas" you get to pick out a cool decorate pair, and of course Savannah wore "Cinderella." You can sit on a 'horse saddle' to get your blood pressure taken.

The XRAY room is painted dark blue with stars all over, to stress the importance of taking care of your teeth so they "Shine Like STARS"!! (That was the hardest part for Savannah to get through, though she did it and was VERY brave).

Once we got to the 'cleaning chair' which had a television hanging over it, Savannah had me pick bubble-gum flavored tooth paste, and Apple flavored gloves for the hygienist. 

She did so awesome getting them cleaned! Finally Dr. Gerling checked for plaque and announced NO CAVITIES! YEAH! Savannah has become slightly obsessed with brushing flossing, and keeping away the 'sugar bugs.' That's my girl, the rule-follower :) Let's see if we can keep it up for the next 6 months! Thanks to Little Teeth of Texas, I think she'll be excited to go back!

As Good As Family

It seems over the last 20 years that it is just as 'normal' to be a 'divorced' family as it is to be a 'typical' family with Mom, Dad, kiddos. But where does that leave the kiddos when they grow up? For TJ & I, it is often a difficult place to be…. especially now that we have our OWN kiddos. Granted, we understand that some marriages just dissolve, and end out of necessity. (Although both of us would tell you with 100% certainty that if we could rewind the clock, make things different…. we would choose for our families to be together, intact. Regardless.)Be that as it may, we move on, we do what we can to make the best of it. And we are thankful to have married-couple mentors, who receive us like family.

Take Mark & Linda Countryman… 

TJ became friends with their son Adam in High School.

When Adam asked us to move to San Antonio and they were all here, they definitely became important.

They are so sweet, open with their love and their home, and they are a great example of two Christian people, devoted to a Christian marriage. And now, they extend their love to our kiddos as if Grandparents to them. When you come from a broken family, that means the world!

We recently took a trip to Houston, TX, which is where Adam (who is the Godfather of both girls and whose wife we cherish as an excellent Godmother) lives, and now Mark & Linda as well. It gave us that 'visiting home' feeling despite the fact that we'd never been to Houston! It was a great time and a special way to spend Valentine's Day. 

Thank you, Mark and Linda, for being like family to us. I would be remiss if I did not mention Ed & Julaine Luhmann, who we cherish as well! You never know how you are affecting someone by opening your heart and home to them. 

Rest assured, you have impacted us!

Hello & Goodbye

Today I said goodbye to my sweet baby girl. She started out small, so dependent and incapable. And today I said goodbye. 


Today I said goodbye… to little fingers wrapping tightly around mine, as if holding on for dear life and knowing no other security…to the smacking sounds of a pacifier that soothed this baby each and every night…. I said goodbye to "Hold you!" and "Ma - ma"  and the crinkling sound of a diaper as baby crawled swiftly across the floor…. 


Then, as I was shedding tears in the sorrow of my loss, in the blink of an eye, I said hello to a Beautiful, Independent, Strong and Amazing Young Lady who was standing before me.

I said hello to a girl who rises with the sun each day with energy and joy, gets her little self dressed on her own, and comes running to our room yelling, "Good morning Mom, Good morning Dad!"

I said hello to a girl who helps all the time, with excitement and enthusiasm. (Even to scoop dog doo, without being asked!)


I said hello to a girl who is proud of her baby sister and cares openly for her EVERY DAY.

I said hello to a girl who hums and sings through the most mundane parts of the day.


I said hello to a girl who likes to ask people questions about themselves, and remembers their favorite color, in order to associate things with them and share their excitement when she sees their color.


I said hello to a girl who is starting to say "Please" and "Thank you" & "How was your day" because it's the right thing to do.


I said hello to a girl who demands to lead the family in prayer at meal-time because she is getting to know her Creator and the way He provides for our needs.

I said hello to a girl who is beginning to understand the power of positive words and the danger of negative words and will correct herself humbly and appropriately.
And every now and then, when this girl falls down, or gets her feelings bruised, she will run to me like that little baby who I said goodbye to, showing me that she had never left… she had just grown! 

Happy 4th Birthday Savannah Grace Winters!

You are a GIFT from GOD and we love you very much!