My Sister

There are a million things I love about my sister. Here are just a few:

• The love she has for her family.


• Her beautiful smile.


• How she will take in any stray animal and help find it a home.


• There is no ugly dog when it comes to Dee.


• The way she lights up when she knows she is helping someone.


• She listens.


• She never judges.


• Her love for our Planet and Mother Nature.


• She accomplishes EVERYTHING she sets out to do.


• She is so open-minded.


• She loves UFC as much as I do.

We had a conversation once that went like this:

Dee: Well I don't think she should have done that.

Me: I know, what was she thinking????
Dee: Sometimes she just doesn't think things through - I think she is making a huge mistake.

Me: ABSOLUTELY

Dee: Oh no, I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't very nice.

Me: Its me Dee - who cares???

Dee: You don't understand, now its "OUT THERE" and I can't get it back.

Me: I know exactly what you mean....

You are an amazing sister. You have helped me through some of my toughest times. I know I can tell you anything and you won't judge me. You just "get me" and that is rare to find. I love you more than words can possibly describe.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

We may not always understand God's plan. But just by praying we are showing our faith (that little voice you hear inside of you). Faith gives you hope. I have faith in YOU.

T

Emerson's Turns One

One major milestone down - several more to go. Happy Birthday sweet Emerson!

Enjoying her cake...

Cruising the furniture.

Look at those baby blues...

Hurry Dad! Get that present out of the box! Naomi waiting so patiently.

Grace getting love from Mama. This doesn't happen very often anymore. I savor every minute.

Mr. Travis

My amazing husband. Isn't he handsome??? The "other woman" in this picture is just one of the many that I need to compete with for his time. : ) All kidding aside, this man is remarkable.

Thank you Aaron - for your time, for your love, for your hard work, for your shoulder to sometimes cry on, for your faithfulness to me and our family, for your devotion to our children, for your patience (and I know you need a lot being married to me) and for your kind soul. Your love is unconditional and I have learned so much about love from you.

Hang in there - this too shall pass and we have been through much tougher times than this. I love you Mr. Travis.

Boys Galore

Grace is the only girl grandchild on my side of the family. Whenever we go to any family event, including stuff for Nate, it is boys, boys, and more boys.....and then Grace.

These boys are not yet in the stage where girls are, ya know, cool.... No, they are still in the stage where girls are filled with cooties and who know what else. When they play, Grace is always the bad guy, always the monster, always the one they need to "ATTACK"!

I think it bums her out on occasion but all in all she can take care of herself. My youngest sister, Denise, has two sons Joe & Triston. Joe is the oldest and he and Grace get along great. Triston and Nate are only four months apart and they too get along great. Its a great set up. We love our time with this family.

It was Joe's birthday just recently and these are some pics of the fun we had.

My Toothless Wonder

I'm in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, when I overheard this conversation:

Grace: Nate, guess what I did last night?

Nate: What?

Grace: I went to a concert and I lost another tooth.

Nate: Your good at losing teeth!

Grace: I know. The tooth fairy left me five bucks.

Nate: Your know Grace, if you keep losing teeth, your going to turn back into a baby.

Grace: That's not what happens! You just get new teeth to take the place of the old ones.

Nate: Nope - I don't think so.... Your going to turn back into a baby...

Five Things I Love

Rudy's face in this picture.

The loving heart of my daughter.

Her sense of humor.

How Nate thinks he's Spiderman and Rudy is his sidekick.

When its almost Fall and leaves are turning.

This Could Be A Long Season

Did you happen to see the Seahawks play on Sunday? Wow - was that embarassing... My fantasy football team didn't start off any better either. Then, to top things off, I heard Nate (love the name) Burleson was out for the rest of the season. What is going on here? Can we please have a do-over?

My Nate isn't doing so hot. He's decided that he doesn't love preschool after all. He cries, screams and hyperventilates in the morning when I try to drop him off. He grabs my pant leg and begs me to take him with me. It is literally breaking my heart. I knew the transition wouldn't be easy - but this is crazy. I'm just praying he gets used to it and learns to love it as much as he loved going to Terri's.

This time of year is crazy for the Travis family. We have to accomplish work, school, homework, baths, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, walking the dog, gymnastics and soccer. Throw in a birthday party almost every weekend (I'm not kidding) and we are spent. Aaron and I are two passing ships - he goes one way and I go the other.

Until next time,

T

Scoring Machine

Today was Nate's first soccer game. I knew Nate wouldn't be shy but I had no idea he would play so well. Nate scored four goals today. We are proud parents! I have been calling him my "soccer stud" all day. It was so much fun to watch and I can't wait to see him throughout the season.

First Day of School

As promised - here are some pics of the first day of school. Grace started Third Grade and Nate started Pre-school.

By the way, Nate didn't ask to take Baby again...

Arghhhh

We just spent a week on vacation. You would think that taking a week in August would guarantee nice weather ......nope! Not in Seattle. It was cloudy and rainy most everyday.

We did have a wonderful time spending it with each other though. I just love my kids.

Today was the first day of school. Grace is in the 3rd Grade (or turd grade as her Dad would say) and Nate started pre-school. Nate woke up a bit weepy today. I think he was nervous. He ended up taking Baby (this nasty bear he carries around with him) for comfort. He had a great day though and he says he loved it. Maybe no Baby tomorrow??? Will see...

I will post pics of today asap.

Much love, T