family dallas trip: day 1.

it's only taken me a month, but i'm finally getting around to posting about the family trip we took to dallas at the end of summer.  haley has never been out of the state of oklahoma, except to visit our aunt who used to live in arkansas. 

haley has stayed pretty busy babysitting for the loves and the leaches this summer, and my travel schedule at work has picked up quite a bit. still, we knew we wanted to get her out of town for a bit, even if we couldn't go for an entire week.

july 25th was a thursday.  haley spent the day babysitting for the loves in barlesville.  we picked her up right after work and headed to the tulsa airport to pick up a rental car.  travis and i had taken the next day off work, so we were going to have a three-day weekend.  instead of using one of those days for driving, we had decided we would drive down on thursday night so we would have all day friday and saturday for activities and part of the day sunday before heading home.  the rental car took a little bit longer to get than we had originally anticipated.  with the plan i have, we can usually get out, pick a car from the aisle, and head on out ... but the tulsa airport was beebopping-showstopping, so we had to wait for one to be cleaned and available.  i grabbed the car and haley and travis headed out ahead of me.  we got to the house and travis and i quickly packed, said good bye to the boys (my mom and sierra helped watch them at the house while we were gone - and then took them to tahlequah and muskogee later in the weekend), loaded up the car, and away we went. 

the drive to dalls from tulsa isn't really all that bad.  we had spotify to keep us company, and i created a fun playlist for our dallas trip.  sometimes almost always, when we get in the car, haley puts in headphones, so i tried to make sure it was a fun mix of songs we would all like.  i even included some one direction songs.

when we drove through durant, haley could see flashing lights in the distance.  she asked what was glowing in the sky.  it kind of cracked me up, because what was glowing in the sky was actually the casino.  (ignore the terrible quality of this picture).

when we got into dallas, we actually hit traffic.  haley was outraged.  what the heck? seriously? traffic at this time?? we explained that texas does all their road construction at night.  the trip definitely wasn't bad, but the last forty-five minutes of the trip i was definitely counting down the minutes until i could crawl into a nice cozy bed.

i wanted to stay at the omni dallas (the hotel that plays in the opening credits of dallas, the show), but they were completely full. so we stayed at the omni mandalay hotel instead. (also in dallas).

now, there are a few perks that come with travel as frequent as mine.  i had earned three free nights with omni because i've stayed with them so much, so our hotel room for the weekend was completely covered -- and we were able to upgrade to a suite for no additional cost.  (yay for free suites for a whole weekend!)

when we finally got to our hotel at a little after midnight this was waiting for us. 

we didn't spend too much time enjoying it, though, because we were all completely wiped out.  we quickly found our pajamas and toothbrushes and started getting ready for bed.

while i was changing, travis tried to make up the sofa bed for haley.  turned out there was no bed in the sofa.  we looked and looked, but there was definitely not a bed ... and there was no other furniture in the room that turned into a bed.  i felt terrible.  haley said she didn't mind sleeping on the couch, so we promised we would get it fixed in the morning, and all headed to dreamland.

6 months.

dear haley,  

today marks your sixth month with us.  you started the month feeling a little heavy after several months of new adventures and adjusting.  you just really miss your dad, and it's hard for you not seeing him.  here are a few things you miss about your dad:

• seeing or talking to him everyday
• his smile and laugh
• that i-love-you-even-though-you-made-me-angry look
• him telling you how much he loves you
• him bugging you to watch a movie with him
• him asking you to scratch his back
• him telling you you're pretty (it was just so special when he told you)
• his snoring
• how he'd make you mad when he'd fall asleep in the middle of you talking to him
• him giving you hugs and kisses
• how he'd listen intently if he knew it was important
• him joking around with you, even if it made you mad sometimes
• when he'd ask you to cut his hair or trim his beard
• him watching your tv shows with you

right now you want to understand why life isn't fair.  the day your dad left, it happened very quickly.  it was horrible for you to see him like that.  as hard as it was for you to see him like that, we've talked about how glad you and i both are that he didn't have to be alone while he was going through that.  

the rest of the month progressed a little easier and you had a lot of fun experiences. you: 

• met travis's aunt lou from tennessee for the first time.  you also got to meet her grandkids, caitlin and kevin
• spent the fourth of july with us and travis's family during the day:
• swimming at the pool, homemade ice cream, time with amanda
• spent the evening of the fourth with aunt deniese, uncle john, lindsay, justin, parker, and uncle john's best friend john bodean and his wife deb.  
• had fun in the sun with sierra at our neighborhood pool
• got to take riley jo out to uncle john's land and spend time there with aunt deniese; you were so excited to see riley.  you've been missing her a lot these days.
• spent almost a full week babysitting levi and asher - well mainly just asher.  levi hung out with you guys one day but then headed to his grandma's for the rest of the week
• headed to dallas with us for a family vacation. it was your first time to go to an aquarium/zoo, but i think your favorite part was medieval times (we'll have to go another time when we can stay for the whole thing), and south fork ranch. 
• you spent another few days at aunt deniese's the week after vacation and got to see uncle jason and justin. they told you they loved you and you were super excited. 
• will go to bartlesville schools this year {we're 99% sure}, so the three of us and aunt deniese spent a day at the board of education.  we didn't get to enroll you, but hopefully that will happen on the 8th. 
• got to spend part of the day at my office, see where i work, and meet a few of the people on my floor 
• are counting down the days until your birthday {16 more days!} 
• still have a lot of people in your life thinking of you, praying for you, and asking about you

i know august will be a little different for you -- moving to a new school and meeting new people -- but you're excited for a fresh start.  everyone we've met in bartlesville has been really nice so my prayer for you is that you'll meet some really incredible friends, the kinds of friends you deserve to have in your life.  i know this will bring about more change, but change, even when tough, can be really great.  we're here for you, cheering you on. 

we love you, 

travis, rhiannon, conor, & oli 

sleepy girl.

this week haley has been babysitting asher.  monday she had levi and asher, but since then it's just been ashy.  it must have completely worn her out because we barely got out of bartlesville before she was fast asleep. 

 

girls' evening on the town.

travis was out of town this weekend, so on saturday i invited dee to have dinner with haley and me.  we decided on texas roadhouse where we discovered the most fabulous thing -- they have anyone celebrating a birthday sit on a saddle on a saw horse and wear a cowboy hat .

haley's already counting the days until her birthday {august 19th}, so dee and i told her it was all settled.  we would come back to texas roadhouse just for her.  she was less than thrilled.

after texas roadhouse i started driving to hobby lobby.  then haley informed me it was boring.  i don't know what i did before having a teenager to let me know these kinds of things.

we went to bed, bath & beyond instead.

who knew bb&b was more exciting than hobby lobby?

we spent quite a bit of time walking around checking out the different gadgets.  

haley found several ideas for her birthday including an iPod docking station that serves as an alarm clock and a speaker to play her music.  she also found some bedding she really likes. 

i can't find a picture of it online, but they had a union jack quilt mixed in with this duvet and a few of the passport and union jack throw pillows.

i really liked how it all looked together -- and while i love black and white elements of these different cities, i don't think i would have ever thought to pair it with the union jack colors.  it looked really great together.

after bed, bath, and beyond i wanted to grab a snow cone at josh's sno shack, but haley wanted ice cream, so we headed over to freckles.  dee decided not to have anything, but i tried one of their snow cones, and haley got a small vanilla custard.

they claim they had soft, shaved ice, and while it was good, it just wasn't josh's.  travis and i tried josh's sno shack for the first time a few weeks ago on a super hot day, and it just tasted like summer in a cup.  it was fantastic.  and i don't even usually eat a lot of snow cones. i've gotten them a couple of times with travis in muskogee, but before that, i probably hadn't had one since falls creek church camp in high school.

the sun was starting to set so we headed home so dee could get on the road before dark.   i don't have girls' days very often, but this evening turned out to be pretty great. 

happy fourth of july!

i somehow have very few pictures from this week, but we spent a lot of time driving back and forth between muskogee in the evenings while lou, caitlin, and kevin are in town. 

we spent the fourth at dee's house, with sue and her whole gang coming down for the holiday, too.  this was haley's first time to meet aunt lou and her grandkids.  i think she was a little nervous to meet them, but everything seemed to go really well. lou took haley and caitlin shopping for swimming suits.  while they were all shopping for suits we took kevin and headed to the castle of muskogee with amanda, zach, and tabitha to buy fireworks for later that night.  we had a little bit of a scare as we were standing in line and got a call that ryan was having an asthma attack.  luckily it was a false alarm and they were able to get it under control before we could get his inhaler to him. 

after all the shopping, everyone headed over to the a hotel pool where jim and sue were staying. 

there wasn't any sunscreen so i sat poolside most of the time covered up under my dress and a towel.  when it was closer to time to leave, {and i was sweltering under the towel} i decided to ditch the layers and hop in the pool for a bit. 

as we were getting out of the pool haley said justin would be coming to get her around 4:00 to head over to the land.  we had discussed her spending half the holiday with us and half the holiday with my mom, but a plan had never been shared with me.  i was a little frustrated because i was planning to drive out there, so it didn't make sense to me to have justin come by the house to get haley.  i had no way to get a hold of him, though, because his phone had gotten broken and he was waiting for a replacement to come in.

justin came and picked up haley and i hung out at the lears' until dinner was almost ready, then i headed over to tahlequah.  conor hopped in the car with me and away we went.  at the light in ft. gibson, we passed justin, lindsay, haley, and parker.  conor and i ended up beating them to the land.

while dad was grilling burgers, {super juicy} chicken,  and corn, conor and i followed this cute little guy around.  this mower {and wheel barrow in the background} were new toys for him.

 

this funny little face is staged.  if you ask parker to "make your face," this is what you get.  every. single. time.  he's so funny!

mom, dad, justin, lindsay, parker, haley, john bodean, his wife deb, and landon were all there.  we had fun eating dinner and cupcakes. i stayed for several hours, but as it started getting darker i decided to head back over to muskogee.  i'm glad i decided to leave when i did because conor and i had a beautiful show all the way home.  we had the ft. gibson show plus all the fireworks everyone else was shooting along the way.   we got back to muskogee in time to see a few of the larger fireworks we had purchased, but i stayed in the house with the boys.  oliver and conor really didn't like all the loud noises.

mike vs. harry styles.

On our drive to Edmond today, Travis and Haley had this little exchange:

Haley: Mike's pretty.

Travis: You think Mike is pretty? Mike?? It's Mike!  Mike from Jersey.

Haley: Handsome is a better word.  ... But he's got nothing on Harry Styles.


What do you think?

5 months.

dear haley, 

i almost didn't write this letter, because even though i've published it on the appropriate date of your five month anniversary, i'm actually writing this in late july.  i didn't want the letter to be less authentic by writing it at a later date {and i'm already working on your six month letter}.  you keep reminding me i owe you a letter, though, and i don't want to let you down, so i will give it a shot. 

here's a little about you this past month: 

• you spent time with aunt deniese while we were on vacation and you had the opportunity to babysit parker for justin and lindsay
• at the end of your week's stay with aunt deniese, you headed for a long weekend at megan's; you were so excited to get to see her
• once we got home from vacation, i had to turn around and leave for houston for a week.  it worked out, though because you spent most of the week with justin and lindsay so you could babysit
• we were worried that you spend the entire summer stuck indoors and home alone, but as it turns out, you've been in high demand.  you love babysitting parker and you've started babysitting levi and asher, too.  ashey is your new best bud. 
• you were with us when we got the news that my aunt frances died.  on father's day.  it wasn't a great day for any of us. 
• you gifted travis with a video game for father's day 
• aunt lou came in and you finally got to meet her, caitlyn and kyle.  just like the rest of the family, she embraced you as if you had always been around.  she even took you shopping and got you a new swim suit so you could hang out at the hotel pool with everyone

it's been a really full month for you.  i've been proud of you for taking on extra responsibilities babysitting kids you started out not really knowing well -- and now you just love them.  {i think the never-ending compliments from asher about how beautiful and pretty you are help}.  every day we hit our stride a little more.  you now ask when we're going "home" instead of saying "yours and travis's house."  the boys hate when you're gone, and they get so excited when you come in.

we've had a lot of changes over the past few months and keeping up with this blog has been a little difficult for me.  it's important for me to journal the adventures of our family, so even if i'm a little late, i always try to document the important moments and even some of the moments that don't seem so important at the time, but we end up cherishing for years.

know that we love you and are here for you always.  even when life gets busy. 

<3,
travis, rhiannon, conor, & oliver 

4 months.

Dear Haley,

Today has been four month since you first came to live with us. I am getting a late start on this letter, but I don't want you to think it's because your letters aren't important to me.  They are very important; we've just experienced quite a full schedule in the past month.

The past few weeks have held lots of fun experiences for you. 

• You had an eye appointment with Dr. Hibbets; you really liked him and are already asking who you will see when we move to Bartlesville.  We suspect as infrequently as our eye appointments are, we'll make the drive into Broken Arrow to see him.  He did agree that you need a stronger prescription so Uncle John took you to get new lenses ground for your glasses.
• You spent more time out of school than you spent in school -- where were all these days out when we was in school?  You had an early out on the first Wednesday of the month and then you were out two Fridays in a row.  Your last day of school was May 22 -- School's out for the summer!  Now you're not quite sure what you're going to do with yourself.
• You got to meet Kelsi at iidentity salon. She is my hair stylist and also the younger sister of one of my very dear friends, Jen Collier.  You loved her.  Even more than Dr. Hibbets.  You started worrying again about who would cut and style our hair when we move.  I don't think we'll mind making the trip in to see Miss Kelsi.  She was very patient with you and spent time showing you how to straighten your hair and also how to curl it with a flat iron.  You were walking on cloud 9 coming out of the salon.
• Dee called and invited you to go to Edmond with her to visit Sue.  You weren't so sure of it, but you ended up going and having a fantastic girls' weekend away.  They spoiled the heck out of you: teaching you how to make Sue's famous cinnamon rolls (Travis's favorite); shopping at Dillard's, JCP, Ulta, Target; new clothes, pjs, makeup bag, shoes, and more; Ashley teaching you how to open doors with your feet (this is the first thing out of your mouth as soon as you walked in the door -- thanks, Cousin Ashley); and so many more fun things we thought you would never stop talking about the weekend.  You're quickly falling in love with several of your new family members, and we're so proud of you for spending the weekend away and not missing this wonderful experience.
• Dee got you a new pair of white capri pants -- you managed to sit in mustard and something black the first day you wore them.  You were so sad -- luckily your Nana came to the rescue.
• You've been dying to go to your Nana's but each time you call her she's been really sick.  She's been off of her thyroid medicine, but was recently able to get everything straightened out, so you were able to go visit her the third weekend.  We took you and dropped you off -- your Nana is hilarious, and it's clear how much you girls love one another.  You were so excited to spend the weekend with her.  She was able to get your white pants clean and bright ... but I think you have been too afraid to wear them since.  We went to Edmond to visit Sue while you were at your Nana's, but had to hurry home because of a tornado.  We were so nervous we wouldn't get to you in time.  The tornado ended up being very destructive.  It was an F5 and it hit Moore.  It was worse than the tornado in the late '90s that Rhiannon was in.  So many of our friends were impacted by it, and we were so blessed that family in Edmond and Shawnee were spared from the worst parts of the destruction.
• You got to meet our friends the Loves, (Matthew, Crystal, Levi, and Asher) when we had dinner at their house.  They have been dying to meet you since you moved in and this was one of your first chances to really sit down and get to know them {they met you briefly when Travis was in the hospital}.  You were surprised to learn that Crystal lets her boys play with the neighborhood kids, but doesn't let them go into their houses since she doesn't know their families.  You thought we were the only crazy "parents" with rules similar to this. ;)
• Rhiannon had two different trips to Houston this month; you don't like it much when she's gone, but you like getting pictures from the plane and the hotel. 
• We left on vacation at the very end of the month and you headed to Aunt Deniese's for the week.  We weren't able to text because we turned our phones off while on vacation, but you had a great time with Aunt Deniese.  You also started babysitting Parker.  You watched him twice while we were on vacation, so you were able to spend time with Justin and Lindsay as well. 

All in all it's been a pretty busy month for us.  Travis is resting a lot and trying to feel better;  Rhiannon has been in and out with trips to Houston; and you've branched out and enjoyed new experiences.

It's still not easy for you to be here without your dad; we can only imagine what that must be like -- and imagining going through it is really tough for us just thinking about.   You still manage to laugh and find joy in each day (even on the days when you don't realize it).  You never thought you would enjoy being away from us, visiting other people, but you've started developing relationships that are already becoming very special to you.  My prayer for you is that you are able to breathe a little and stop worrying about all the little things that start to bring you anxiety.

We're so proud of all that you've accomplished. And we're so grateful to our families who have embraced you as their own.  You are very loved, Haley Girl.  By so many people. 

peanut butter truffles by haley.

while at work today, i received the following text from haley:

after a text like that, i'm not going to lie ... i was a little nervous what i might come home to and find in my kitchen.  it turns out i found these peanut butter truffles.  i don't have the recipe so i can't share it, but they are balls of peanut butter covered in white and brown almond bark.

haley used a "healthy" version and wasn't impressed.  i found them incredibly rich, though.  they tasted a lot like a reese's peanut butter cup, but sweeter. 

i was proud of her for trying out something new and impressed that they turned out on the first batch.

happy "mother's" day.

it's kind of funny that i wrote a post almost apologizing for feeling like a mom when i know i'm not really ... because haley gifted me with this little beauty last night before she left for justin and lindsay's house to baby-sit.

there wasn't a lot of fanfare or a big emotional moment {and in all honesty, i'm kind of thankful for that}  in fact, the plant was just kind of thrust into my hands as haley rushed in the front door from five hours of running "quick errands" with sierra to pack and get ready to leave for muskogee since justin was waiting.

but it was heartfelt and sweet, and i absolutely love the flower.

thanks for my beautiful orchid, haley.  i know i'm not your mom, and i would never pretend to be, but i'm glad you're part of our family, and i love your generosity and thoughtfulness.

haley's new playlist.

when haley first moved in she told me that her dad used to make playlists for her.  he wanted her to know that she was beautiful and wanted her to have great self-esteem.  i know it's not the same coming from me, but i believe in the same thing -- i think every girl should know her worth.  today i pulled together a list of songs for her so she could create another play list. 

who says - selena gomez
what makes you beautiful - one direction
just the way you are - bruno mars
beautiful - christina aguilera
hey you - miranda cosgrove
pefect - pink
beautiful soul - jesse mccartney
who you are - jessie j
pretty girl rock - keri hilson
firework - katy perry

i included one direction, so whether or not she likes the playlist, i should get some points. ;) 

i also included a quote {i couldn't find the original author, so if you know it please let me know, as i would like to give them credit}. 

"it can be really, really hard to feel good about yourself.  when you feel hopeless, and lost, and broken, it's even more difficult - but know that's what makes you who you are."

travis and i continually try to remind haley that we are proud of her; that we love her; that she is a member of our family; and that she is beautiful.  sometimes she doesn't get excited about an accomplishment until after we have told her it was a job well done, so i wrote her this letter the other day.

dear haley, 

somewhere deep inside of you, you have to start loving you again. you have to remember you're beautiful.  you have to be proud of your accomplishments. and you have to remember all the times you've been told you're beautiful, you're loved, you're accepted, and you're embraced. they say kids are the most honest people - they tell you like it is.  asher continues to see your beauty and remind you of it.  sue talked about how beautiful you are before she ever even met you.  you, haley, have to remember your value and your worth.  you are something amazing your dad created.  you are his legacy. 

we will continue to stand beside you, cheering you on all the way, reminding you of each of these things.  my hope is that you begin to believe them again, no matter what anyone else might say. 

you are loved little one.

hang in there lovie.  one day at a time. 

 

since you've been gone.

today makes four months without uncle david.  haley has been with us just over three months, and her dad has been gone four months now.  i try not to bring up the day.  i know she must be thinking of it, but sometimes i hold my breath and pray by some chance, she doesn't realize what day it is and isn't quite as sad. 

today the weather is gloomy, so when i got a text from haley this morning saying she was sad, i hoped it was just the weather.  sad exhale.  she was thinking of her dad and remembering it is four months.  of course she was. i wouldn't expect her not to be.  i just wish i could spare her from that kind of pain.  

i asked if she reads the letters i write each month.  i reminded her that she is starting to laugh again and not just once or twice a week.  and that she's starting to sing outloud.  she tells us she wants to be a singer, but we'd never heard her make a peep ... until recently.  when i told reminded her of this, she started laughing and said, "when i was singing to you yesterday, i was just trying to mess with you. wait till [sic] you hear the real thing."  that in and of itself was a wonderful reminder -- "you were being silly yesterday -- that says a lot.  look at how far you've come.  three months ago you wouldn't have even thought to be silly.  you were still shut off."  i know she's not completely healed -- that is going to take a long, long time, but little pieces of her start to awaken all the time.

she was shocked to hear that i thought about uncle david all day yesterday.  somehow she thought she was alone in remembering him.  she didn't think he was on everyone's minds the way he is hers.   i explained that while none of us lost our father, people lost their brother, their friend, their confidant.  and while it's not the same as she must feel having lost her dad, i know i would be a wreck if i lost either of my siblings.  uncle dave had several siblings and nieces and nephews who were very close to him.  some who talked to him every day.  everyone lost someone very special. 

i reminded her that she is not a lone.  that people ask about her all of the time. they say they miss him and some wish they could put the loss out of their minds ... that they wish they could forget he is gone.  but just like haley, everyone will forever feel that hole.  

i just have to believe it gradually gets better with time.  slowly but surely.  even when it's hard. 

if you pray for haley, ask that she wouldn't feel like she has to be over this loss right this second.  that no one expects her to be.  she feels like no one understands, even when others share their stories of loss.  she doesn't want to grieve at the level she's grieving.  she's mad and confused, and sometimes feels guilty for feeling happy.   no one wants her to feel those things, but we know it's natural for her to be going through that roller coaster of emotions.  she puts a lot of pressure on herself to "just move on" when no one expects that of her.   keep my little family in your thoughts and prayers and lift us up so we always know what is best for her.

haley & dee's road trip to edmond.

This weekend Haley went to Edmond with Dee to visit Sue and her family.  The story has a happy ending ... but the beginning didn't start off so smoothly.

Dee called Travis earlier in the week and asked if Haley could take a trip with her to Edmond.  She was out of school on Friday for an unused snow day, so it would be a long weekend.  Travis told her we were fine with it, and let her know we would talk to Haley about it.  When we first ran the idea by Haley, she immediately turned it down.  She knows Travis's mom and has hung out with her several times already and has even spent time with Sue when we went to spend the weekend at her house.  She didn't think she wanted to go this weekend, though.

We asked her to think about it and told her all about the fun they would have, including learning how to make Sue's infamous cinnamon rolls.  We asked her not to make a decision right away.  Sue called me and asked me for Haley's number later in the week and began texting her about the plans for the weekend and everything they wanted to do.  She said the girls would be there and Haley would fit right in.

On Friday morning, Haley still didn't think she wanted to go.

"Do you have your bag packed, Haley?"

"No, what for?"

"My mom just left Muskogee and will be here in about 30 minutes."

"I thought I had a say in this!"

"Well, you did, and we listened to you, but we really think this is a great opportunity that you're missing out on and something that you really need to try.  It's something you'd regret down the road if you didn't give it a shot.  So many fun plans have been made for you."

I remember my parents having me do things because they were the right thing for me, so I hoped that while Haley was a little frustrated at first, that she would come around in the end and really have a good time.

And it turns out that she did!!  Dee let her plug her iPhone into the car on the drive to Edmond so she could share her music with her {including songs that are special to her because her dad picked them out for her}.  Each time we texted to check on her, she was having a great time, laughing, playing with the boys, holding Bella, and baking.  Sue and Ashley both sent me pictures of her hanging out with everyone and she seemed to be coming out of her shell more and more each time.

They spent a full day shopping {and even got home late tonight because of a last minute shopping trip to Target by our house}. 

I sent a text to Sue while Dee and Haley were on their way home thanking her for hosting them this weekend and for being so warm and accepting of Haley.  Sue's response was so sweet, "She is a love and a member of our family now.  I even added her to the birthday list this morning ... She smiled her beautiful smile.  I think she was pleased."

When Haley walked in the door, she couldn't stop talking.  I thought Dee must have given her Mt. Dew directly to her bloodstream she was so hyper and giddy!  She told us Ashley had taught her how to open the door with her feet {but she didn't think it would be appropriate to do coming back in the house for the first time all weekend}.  She, Dee, and Sue had a fun girls' day shopping {so she showed us all her new gifts}; she'd gotten to meet Tabitha and the boys; she loved Ashley & Bella; and just couldn't quit talking about what a fun trip she had.  She also came bearing treats - Aunt Sue's cinnamon rolls that Travis loves.

Travis and I couldn't have been happier to hear that she had opened up, let down her guard a little bit, and had a great time with the family.  And she even said she would want to go back!!

I know our families are great, but I've been impressed with the way everyone embraces Haley as if she has always been part of the family. Thanks for helping make this transition a little easier.  We love you. 

It was a good weekend for Travis and me as well.  We were able to get some rest and unwind just a little bit.  It's been just a little over three weeks since Travis was released from the hospital, but he's still not doing a whole lot better.  His pain is more controlled, but it's still a waiting game of when the medicine will kick in and really start pushing this disease to remission.

We visited with Haley and Dee a little bit, but then we had to hop in the car to meet the Loves.  Haley came with us so she could babysit Levi and Asher while we were on our date night out at Los Cabos.  She was already in love with the boys, but after Asher told her she's pretty, she can't wait to babysit them again.

All in all it was a great weekend for our little family.

working up a sweat.

haley recently started jillian michael's the shred. we did it a couple of times together, but my schedule doesn't make for very consistent work-out times.  on days when she's not babysitting, haley's at home by herself a lot.  she decided she would start doing her workout during the day while no one is home.

today i got this message from her while i was at work.

such a cutie.   the best part?  the rest of the conversation ... 

nothing like a little intimidation & encouragement from your family pup. ha!ha!

the love of haley's life.

I sent these pictures to Haley today to cheer her up while she was headed to Edmond with Dee.  I'm pretty sure she thought I was actually standing with Harry Styles, because she texted me back in all caps, "WHERE DID YOU GET THESE????"

Oh that girl.  :)

3 months.

dear haley,

as you know, it has now been three months since you came to live with us -- one quarter of the year!

here's a little bit about you this month:

• your conversations with the boys crack me up.  you are so funny with oliver and conor.  sometimes i wish i could turn on my recorder while you're telling me about your afternoons with them and the things the three of you "say" to each other.  a girl after my own heart in your love for our boys.  
• being home without us while travis was in the hospital was hard for you -- you spent a lot of time with oli and conor comforting you.
• aunt brenda brought your dad's ashes to you one day after school and shocked you when she said, "your dad is in the sack in the back."  i am so sorry we weren't home with you to help you go through this event.  you had been asking and asking, but when the time came, you weren't quite ready.  i hate that you had to go through this experience alone (for a few hours until i could get home).  we decided it would be best for me to hold onto the ashes until a little later date.
• we talked about the plan of action for your last six weeks of school and you wanted to show your teachers just how capable you are. 
• we've started calling you "little wart" {as a term of endearment}.  you worry about everything these days.  you had a bump on the bottom of your tongue and you were certain it was mouth cancer.  you realized you took too many claritin and decided to google the importance of your liver.  that time you were certain you were going to need a liver transplants -- and of course they won't have a liver for you and you'll sit and sit on the list.  you were certain you were going to die without your liver.  i think you and mister c. little would be great friends these days.  ;)
• you laugh so much and are slowly opening up again.
• i heard you sing for the first time this month.  you've expressed an interest in singing, but i've never heard you.  on the car ride home from the hospital one night you started singing.  {softly, but singing nonetheless}. it was wonderful.
• after our talk, you whipped out a plan for tackling all your work, and we started tracking it on a dry-erase board.  you knocked everything out in a week -- even with me encouraging you to slow down and take your time, if necessary.  you got 100s on just about everything you turned in
• we saw your grades take HUGE leaps
• jake's storage building burned and you suffered another loss as many of your dad's things were in storage there
• you filled out your first job application.  it's for cinemark broken arrow.  one of travis's favorite jobs was when he was working at the theater.  you told caitlyn this and she was able to get a job at the theater in claremore.  you decided to go for it as well.
• you think about your dad a lot right now {of course you do!} and there are certain things you wish you could put out of your mind.  we wish we could take that away for you.
• you didn't have any of your electronics for five days. you weren't sure you were going to make it.  on the night travis gave you your phone, you only had it for about five minutes before coming in and saying, "i'm already bored with facebook.  nothing significant happened. [friends] are just complaining and i don't really want to read that."  i couldn't believe the sky didn't fall.  ;)
• you learned the oklahoma laws for getting your driver's license may have changed, and you are on cloud nine.  you may be able to immediately get your license instead o fwaitin g
• you and rhiannon did your first day of the 30 day shred.  according to your facebook post, you're "feeling determined." we can do this!
• today you headed off for your first road trip and weekend in edmond with travis's mom and his aunt sue.  we can't wait to hear about how the trip goes {and think you'll love learning to make aunt sue's cinnamon rolls}.

we know this hasn't been easy for you.  you keep "trying to get over it quickly," and we have to remind you that something like this isn't easily forgotten.  aunt deniese still tries to pick up the phone and call her mom sometimes.  you feel like your brain is slowly but surely opening up and is a little better prepared to think about this loss, but most of the time it still doesn't feel real.  keep that chin up, buttercup.  it's going to take a while, but as we've reminded you before, you have a whole, great big family of people who love and care about you -- and a new family who loves you just as much and is so happy to have you as a part of their own.

we're here for you anytime.  you feel more comfortable opening up, and we want  you to continue to do that.  you made rhiannon a promise this month -- please remember it anytime you are sad and know that you should never feel like you're inconveniencing us, even if we are at work.

we love you,
rhiannon, travis, conor, and oliver

harry and haley.

So Haley and I were driving in the car today when a OneDirection song came on.  Haley's love for Harry runs deep, and it cracks me up how quickly

"If Harry sang this song to me he wouldn't even have to say anything else. That's it. We would fall in love and get married and have babies. We would be the perfect couple. Haley and Harry. Harry and Haley. Oh goodness, Rhiannon!"

harry styles.  image via people magazine online

haleyisms.

My friend Jen used to post on her blog funny things her husband, Court, would say.  She called them "Courtisms," and I'm beginning to think I might have to implement "Haleyisms."

Case in point ... 

Tonight as we were leaving Muskogee Haley turns to Travis and says, "Your dad is just one of those adorable people I would buy at Walmart." 

Such a funny girl. 

#HarryStylesLoveMe

That funny girl of ours is at it again. {She's either going to appreciate these posts or hate me one day ... hopefully the former.}

Don't worry, Haley.  I think your "husband" is safe.  I'm a happily married girl {and blessed to be so}.

it's celebrate haley week.

last week haley had a failing grade in journalism because of all the make-up work she had to do. just look at what she has now.  =)