An Amazing Sight

Today is a somber one for Arlington Police Department as they buried one of their own who died last week on his motorcycle while doing a traffic stop. I was planning on attending the funeral with Jason, but due to the school holiday, Jackson and Brayden were home from MDO. I couldn't find anyone that was available to watch the boys, so we decided to head to Colleyville to spend the morning with our friends, Laura, Alexander, and Grant. My drive up 360 was uneventful on the way there, just noticed the traffic heading southbound from the construction. As we were headed home going south on 360, traffic started to slow down right around I-30 near 6 flags. Jackson was in awe of the roller coasters and as we cleared the bridge I saw the most amazing thing I've seen in a while. A vision of police cars lined up single file with their lightbars on as far as the eye could see. I was overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of such camaraderie. Of course as we all sat patiently in traffic, I think we were in awe of what was taking place on the other side of the median barriers. I don't know if everyone knew what it was, but it hit home for me. I was probably a bit emotional anyway, since yesterday would have been Patrick's 5 month birthday, but knowing that Craig's wife in now a widow, his 2 yr old John, is without a father, and their unborn child will never know how brave his dad was sent me balling down the road. Not safe, I know, but I couldn't help it. I just balled for them, for APD, for all the children without parents, for widows, and for thanking God that my Jason is still here with me and the boys. Please keep the Story family and APD in your prayers as they heal from this terrible loss.

A Reflection

As another decade ends, I can't help but reflect on what has happened in the last 10 years. I moved from Austin to Dallas for a job, met my best friend, Dwanna and that was just the beginning.

I made some wonderful friends through my job at S&P. Then off to TXU/Atmos Energy where I worked until I decided to follow my dream of becoming a teacher. In April of 2002, I met the love of my life, Jason. We got engaged and then married in 2003. Then we built our first home together.

In 2004, Jason began his fight against cancer. As of today, he's been in remission for 4 1/2 years. Woohoo!

2005 brought the end of chemotherapy with a diagnosis of Jason being in remission. I also left my job at TXU to begin my student teaching in Mansfield ISD. Jason was injured in a softball game and underwent surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. In the fall, I began my first year of teaching at Icenhower Intermediate in Mansfield and Jason was an SRO for APD. In August, most of my family was hit by Hurricane Katrina. For those of you who don't know, my Dad's family is from Biloxi, MS and my mom's family is in New Orleans. Needless to say, we had a houseful of family and some of my cousins friends from college staying with us while they waited to hear the outcome. In December, I said goodbye to my grandma. Once her home was destroyed in the hurricane, she never fully recovered. We traveled to Biloxi to say our final goodbye. It also allowed us to see first hand the devastation that my family endured during the hurricane.

In January 2006, my brother got married. We were able to be in Houston for this wonderful celebration. In February, we experienced the joy and sadness of becoming pregnant and then loosing our baby. Thankfully, in March, I became pregnant again with Jackson. He was born November 10th at 36 weeks after some pregnancy complications that required me to be induced. Our lives were changed again when he was born under great duress but again we were blessed by having the best doctors and nurses by our side taking care of our little boy. I also left my job to stay home with him which was a very hard decision. I'm really glad I have had these last 3 years to be home and watch him grow.

2007 started with Jackson's heart surgery to repair his pulmonary valve stenosis. He had a successful procedure and after our hospital stay, he came home on Jason's birthday. Everything was fairly uneventful until July. I found out that I was pregnant again and was overjoyed to be having another baby. I was also glad to still have a baby who was a good sleeper which helped me to get through the 4-5 weeks of morning sickness. Jackson turned 1 in November and Jason decided to go back to patrol and worked midnights.

In April 2008, we welcomed our second boy, Brayden. Life for us became super busy with 2 small boys and Jason was now working day shift which was a huge help. We quickly realized that we were outgrowing our home, so we put it on the market and were fortunate to have it sell within 3 weeks. We moved to Arlington in August to our new home and absolutely love it. We couldn't be happier with our new house and neighbors!

January 2009 started with Jason's birthday and the news that I was pregnant again. It was really surprising since we weren't trying for another baby quite yet, but we were excited. We were thankful we had moved already since we were filling up bedrooms pretty quickly. In April, we found out that our baby would never live to be brought home because of Potters Syndrome. It was the saddest day of my life up to that point. In May, my sister got married, so I traveled to Charleston, SC to be there with my family. We had a wonderful weekend and I enjoyed some alone time. Jason stayed home with the boys so I could attend the wedding. Now, I'm happy to say that I'll be an aunt again in April. I can't wait to meet baby Hester. In June, I was asked to teach summer school, so I did that for 3 weeks. I was glad to get back in the classroom and didn't realize how much I missed teaching. July was just another month, and then on August 18th, we welcomed our 3rd son, Patrick into our family. He was stillborn at 34 weeks, exactly 17 weeks after we decided to carry him full term. He was just perfect and saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I have ever done. In October, we decided to start remodeling our kitchen and after 4 weeks, it was done. We are so happy with it. I also started sewing diaper wallets and selling them at craft shows. It has been a success so far, so I'll keep doing that throughout the year.

That is a lot to process in 10 years, but what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I am so grateful to my family and friends, to have a loving husband, and 2 healthy boys to share my life with. Here's to the next 10!

A White Christmas

Who would have thought that we would have a white Christmas in Texas. I guess if you consider it is Texas weather we are talking about, it's not as shocking. Yesterday it was 71 degrees and today, snow.

Jackson is so excited for Christmas. He keeps bringing me presents asking to open them. We decided to start our own tradition of opening family/friend gifts on Christmas Eve and Santa would come on Christmas morning. It gives us a chance to spread it out since we are home for the holidays. With no family around to share the holiday with, it's nice to have our own traditions to do with the boys. Brayden doesn't really understand what is going on, so he just likes to do what big brother is doing.

We had a busy week last week. Jason has successfully recovered from sinus surgery and went back to work today. It was so nice to have him home for a week and the boys loved it too. Jackson and Brayden were both sick with ear infections and swine flu and I battled an upper respiratory infection. Thankfully, we are all well and able to enjoy Christmas. The boys and I may be going to Houston for a few days if the roads are safe and we all stay healthy. Jason is going to be working some long hours this weekend, so I thought it would be nice to get away and visit family. This would be Patrick's first Christmas and he would be 4 months old. I think the boys would have enjoyed showing him their new toys and he would have loved to watch all the festivities. I know he's watching down on us and sending us this beautiful snow!

Some funnies :)

We have a new addition to our family! No, not another baby. An imaginary pet dinosaur. Yes, that's right! Jackson's own creation, who at times lives in his bathroom and sometimes on his bed. He only comes out at night. He's a friendly dinosaur, but he's scared of him too. So every night we send him out the window, mommy likes the window and the dinosaur goes to Eli's house. I decided to inform Lindsay of the dinosaur coming to her house every night. I'm curious if Jackson will wonder if he's there the next time we go over to their house.

He's also decided that showering is much better than taking baths. So this morning he was in my shower and I stepped into my bedroom to put away a few things. He then started belting out Ring Around the Rosie. It was just funny to hear him singing in the shower. I guess it just surprised me since I used to sing in the shower, but don't anymore. It put a big smile on my face.

Tonight, we went to a fundraiser with our mom's group and had pizza with Santa. He liked Santa this year, but not enough to sit on his lap or give him a high five. He only leaned in from a few feet away to tell him he wanted more trains for Christmas. Brayden started crying before I even got close, so no pics with Santa this year. When we got home, Brayden went to bed but Jason was watching football. Jackson came to sit with Jason and when the game was on and the play started, he said, "Go dude!" It was so funny. I have never heard him say that before, but I've heard his daddy say it. It's just a reminder of how much he repeats what he hears.

Jackson and Jason watching the game:
 

Today I'm Thankful For...

Today I'm thankful for many things. Most especially the few hours I got to hold my beloved son Patrick. Today would be his first Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the love he brought us even though it was only for a short time. I'm thankful that God chose me to be his mother and Jason to be his father. I'm thankful for the support of our friends and family as they walked the difficult road with us. I'm thankful for the grace God has poured down upon me these last 3 months and the healing that I have experienced. I'm thankful for a wonderful church that has blessed our family with a beautiful garden where he was buried. I'm thankful for Jason's job, even when it seems some things aren't fair. I'm thankful for my friendships, near and far. I'm thankful for our beautiful home and the opportunity to make it our own. I look forward to many more Thanksgivings here. And lastly, I am truly blessed and thankful for my husband, Jason, and my two beautiful healthy boys, Jackson and Brayden who I couldn't live without! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Catching Up

It's been way too long since I've updated the blog. I think about it everyday, but am finally pulling myself off of facebook and here's the latest news from the Banks household...

We have had a really good few weeks, thanks to a great psychologist that we have been seeing. We have a lot of love for one another, but with the death of Patrick among all the other obstacles from the last 6 years, I finally needed someone to talk too. Jason was also excited to join me and it has been such a great experience for both of us. I'm actually quite amazed that we made it this long without talking to someone. Needless to say, we are back to getting into our old groove and things are great! Say a little prayer for Jason, he is putting in for a detective position tomorrow and we would love this opportunity for our family. He has worked really hard the last 8 years and it would be a great payoff for all his hard work.

I have also been sewing up a storm. Most of you know that I make diaper wallets. I'm going to be in 3 upcoming craft shows with my friend Lexy who is making baby blankets and loveys. I'm so excited to actually try this new venture out. We will be in Dallas November 20th and in Arlington on November 21st and December 5th. If you want to come shop for some Christmas, it would be great to see all of you there.

On Tuesday, I went to get my haircut (by the best hairdresser in the world) and was watching a little boy get his haircut while I waited for my appointment. In the meantime I was playing peek-a-boo with his little sister. To make a long story short, I ended up talking to their mom, Whitney. After a few minutes talking about our kids, MDO, and mom's groups, I mentioned that I was President of AECPTA. She asked my name and then said, "I know you." She's been reading my blog and we have actually commented back and forth a few times. It was so cool and a total God thing that we met that day. I'm looking forward to having her at pancake parties on Monday's and maybe we will be able to convince her to finally join our mom's group too. Shannon has been working on it for a while already.

I want to say congrats to my friends Joy, Laura, and Becky who all had beautiful baby boys in the last 6 weeks. It's a blessing to have your boys in my life for me to love on. They remind me so much why I chose life for Patrick and even though my baby boy is in heaven, I get the chance to celebrate the healthy lives of these 3 little boys. I can't wait to spend more time with all of them.

Here are some recent pics of the boys. They are doing great and loving their new school. I can't believe Jackson will be 3 in a couple of weeks. It's hard to imagine how fast they are growing up. We are truly blessed!

Deep Fried Butter

Yesterday, Jason and I headed to the State Fair of Texas. Of course, it's our date day since the boys are in MDO. We opted for an enjoyable fair day hence the reason we went while it would be just the two of us. Neither one of us ate breakfast with the full intention of gorging on all kinds of wonderful fair food. Let's just say, we ate and ate and ate some more and then drove home only to rest for 20 minutes before picking up the boys. My first thing to eat was a Fletcher's corndog, then onto Jason's first pick, deep fried butter. That's right, deep fried butter. The funny thing was that the guy who created this was actually trying to convince us that it was healthy since it was butter and not margarine. Anyway, they weren't bad. We had ours topped with honey and cinnamon/sugar. They looked like donut holes. It won for "most creative" in the food category for the fair this year. Next was a big ear of corn, fresh squeezed lemonade, and Jason had come beef gordita and a chicken soft taco that he liked a lot. We ran out of coupons, so we opted to stop eating and just walk off some of the food we just ate.

I got a new wallet in one of the market areas and then we got suckered into purchasing Shu-Nu after a demonstration on my very old and dirty shoes. Jason has been cleaning and spraying all his shoes and is convinced we didn't get scammed out of $20. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. We were hoping to look at some mini-vans while we were there, but the car show area had been scaled down a bunch. Honda wasn't even there, Nissan didn't have a van, so we only got to check out the Toyota Sienna. I really liked it and I think we've narrowed it down to a Sienna or Quest. Somewhere in our future a mini-van lives. Can't hardly wait. It's a little embarrassing to think of how excited I am to be driving the "looser cruiser" as Jason calls it.

If you get a chance, head to the fair and enjoy the beginning of fall. It's one of my favorite times of the year.