Easter at School

Jake and Landry Grace have been attending Temple MDO twice a week since the fall and we have been so pleased there! It's hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end very soon and we will say good-bye to many new friends we have made there. Jake will be going to Montessori next year and LG will be at Trinity 3 days a week and with a babysitter the other 2 days.
Today Temple had Easter egg hunts and small parties for the children and both of mine were so excited about hunting eggs. Jake especially was thrilled that I came...hope he still thinks this way in the years to come.

Landry Grace's class at "school". Her teacher is Ellen Glover(or just Glover as the kids call her) and she is WONDERFUL!!!!! She is the reason why we are at Temple MDO and I cannot give her enough praise. Ms. Susy, their other teacher, was sick and we love her too!

Landry Grace loved hunting the eggs in the gym...always on the go.
my sweet boy....only 2 more years before kindergarten:(

He was in HEAVEN hunting eggs!

Jake's class with the Easter bunny. I was told by the staff and later by LG that she wanted nothing to do with the bunny and therefore we have no picture with her.

One more day before Spring Break!! We may have a last minute trip in the works that involves water and sand. Stay tuned!

Fun Times and Cute Pics!

We have had a fun week and I needed to document before more upcoming events. The pictures are out of order but I have too many and don't really want to rearrange them....so let me just recap the weeks events and you can glance at the pics. Last Friday we hit the town with Dinner and a Movie. The Junior Auxiliary in Ruston puts this on and has different organizations participate. The kids ate and watched several performances and unfortunately we didn't make the movie. Maybe next year.

The weather was great on Friday and by Sunday morning we had snow flurries. Being the carefree mom that I am, they were allowed to play outside before church...why not! Snow doesn't come often in LA. During church Landry Grace had an accident and cut her head deep enough that we needed to take her to the ER(only option on a Sunday in Ruston). The dr glued it together and she was good to-go. I might add that this is her 3rd trip to the ER so she is a pretty tough little girl.

Tuesday we hit the park with the Halls' and fed the ducks among other hilarious events that I might not need to go into but let me just say that Jake is a mess! The weather has been GORGEOUS the last few days and I love that my babies enjoy being outdoors. We have had some wonderful play times in the evenings. Tonight I let them have their dinner outside and they loved having a picnic.

Enjoy!

Having pancakes and biscuits tonight for dinner in the driveway.

Loving their new 2 seater car and Jake insisting on wearing Daddy's college football helmet while driving.

Landry Grace and Kennedy at the park...can only imagine these convo's in a few years!

We ran out of bread shortly after the ducks arrived but they still enjoyed watching them.

Katie and sweet Kennedy feeding the ducks.

The CREW checking out the water below. We had such a fun park visit!!

This was NOT set up...I saw them sitting together and went to take a picture. Jake was telling her about his bobo and she told him she'd kiss it for him. I love these sweet moments! So glad I caught the picture.
Landry Grace shortly after we got home from the hospital on Sunday. She did pretty good not touching her forehead.

And this was before church and playing in the flurries.

Trying to catch some flakes on his tongue

So happy to be outside in the freezing weather with me trying to take some cute pictures........

LOVE this picture!! From last Friday. Need I say more?

Family picture leaving Dinner and a Movie

LG with Josiah and Brannon. Loved visiting with you Kim.

And last but not least is LG pictured with our sweet neighbor Grayson. She loves to come over and play with the babies. Thought this was a great picture.

We have so many fun things planned in the upcoming weeks with the first being SPRING BREAK! So happy that I get to spend a week at home with my babies. And the second weekend in April we are taking Aunt Lou to Vegas...and seeing Cher again! Looking forward these events and more. Stay tuned.

Take 2 of a Great Weekend

I try to be as fair as possible with my 2 babies but Jake won't take a
video like LG will....so here is LG having a blast doing "the freeze"
at Avery's party. Don't forget to read my other post below.

Sent from my iPhone

Great Weekend!

We spent another weekend in Bossier and although it was quick, we had a good time as usual. Saturday was Avery's 2nd birthday at Gymboree and the kids had a great time. Landry Grace especially! My pictures are of poor quality as I somehow have lost the battery to my Rebel and had to use my iPhone for pictures. Not a good combination when you have kids going 90 miles per hour.



We continue to have a strong connection with our friends in Bossier. It's not that we see them every time we are in town or that we talk all the time even. There is a group of about 12-15 of us who became friends through our Sunday school class in Benton and have just had that "connection" since. We have had all kinds of trials and tribulations in our group. Moves, divorces, deaths, diagnosis', etc. Through it all we are prayer warriors and most of all true and devout friends. The most recent diagnosis is that of our friends with a 5 month old baby boy. I will with hold names and the diagnosis as the news was just found out on Friday and the family is still dealing with the situation the best way they know how. I am so thankful that God has placed this group of people in our life. We have grown together, prayed together, multiplied together, and cried together. My heart aches for this couple but at the same time I know that God placed this child with THIS CERTAIN couple for a reason! I know that God has his hand on them and will allow them to "embrace the journey" with their sweet boy. May we all choose to become better and not bitter when faced with obstacles. And although you may not know whom I am talking about, please pray for this sweet couple with me as they raise this child with love and knowledge of a God who is all knowing and all powerful and oblivious to ANY imperfections that we may see in any child of Him.

LG singing "Jesus Loves Me"

Had to share this sweet video of Landry Grace singing. We are in
Bossier for the night and excited about Avery's birthday at Gymboree
tomorrow!

Sent from my iPhone

Matt's Eulogy

This past week has been one of the toughest of my life. Not only has Matt lost his dad and I a wonderful father-in-law, but my children have lost their Papaw. There are no 3 people on this Earth closer than Matt, Mark, and Papaw. He passed 5 weeks from the time we found out about his cancer and we are going to miss him so terribly much. Matt and his family were so overwhelmed by the outpouring of people who came to mourn our loss. I am not surprised because I knew the type of person Papaw was. He was so many things to so many people. We were told many times what a wonderful funeral it was. That it was the most uplifting service anyone had ever been to. It was truly a celebration of life that represented Papaw well. No one left the service without laughing and crying. With permission I am typing Matt's eulogy that he delivered at the service. It was so hard for him to do but he wanted to honor his dad in this way.

Everybody please bare with me as I am about to do the hardest thing in my life and that is to talk about Ralph Tatum Tyler. Believe it or not he is now singing better than Brother Patton. And oh how he loved to sing.

The name Ralph Tatum was used by his mother. Usually when she thought he was being too hard on me and Mark, or when she had had enough of his picking. And everybody knows how much he loved to pick on people.

When it came to the 2 women he loved in his life, he was called Husband and Brother. Mom and Aunt Lou: I know he did not always show affection towards you two, but he truly loved both of you.

Papaw was used when it came to my 2 children: "Boom Boom" and "Lu Lu". He said one of the most disappointing things about dying was that he would not be able to see them grow up. Well Papaw, you now have the best seat in the house.

Then there were names like Big Ralph, Fat Boy, and King. All of these were shared by numerous friends he had throughout his life. And then there are some nicknames that I cannot share here today that he had.

For 33 years he was called Coach Tyler(he had taught PE and drivers ed at Bossier High). That is an awful long time to be called COACH to have never coached a sport.

Finally there is a name that Ralph Tatum Tyler went by and that was My Dad. These 2 words are the most cherished words that come out of my lips for Mark and myself: My Dad. Over the past week I have been told numerous times that my dad was a man's man. People, you do not know how much that means to me and my brother. He did not say that he loved us much but that was my dad. We knew it through my dad's actions. He told me last week while lying in bed that when he saw me entering the gates of heaven that he'd come running. Well Dad, I will meet you halfway. THANK YOU for raising us the way you did. I hope to turn out half the man that he was. I LOVE YOU.

And on this day I KNOW he made his daddy proud.