My husband

I wanted to take a moment to brag about my husband. He is such a good man, loving husband and extraordinary father. I have never met anyone in my life that has a bigger heart than Jeff. He works so hard to provide for our family. His hard work has allowed me to stay at home with Kade. I will be forever grateful to him for giving me this precious time with my baby. Not only does he work hard, he also loves hard. When I look into his eyes, I can see the unconditional love he has for me. He is so giving, so patient and so kind to me. He loves me the way Christ loved his church. I thank God every day for him. I love you, best friend!

One of the things I admire most about Jeff is his love for his boys. Through the years, I have watched the sacrifices he has made to see Grayson and Levi every other weekend. For 9 years, he has made the 5 hour drive to and from Oklahoma EVERY other weekend. After working 60 - 80 hours a week, driving that distance was often the last thing he wanted to do. But he did it. He did it for his boys. I hope that one day when Grayson and Levi are older, they will thank their father for his dedication.

Watching Jeff interact with his boys is a treat. He is a "hands on" Dad that is often the life of the play groups! All of Grayson's friends want Jeff to play games with them. While all of the other parents are doing adult things, Jeff is right in the middle of all of the action with the kids. I love watching the pure joy on his face when he is playing with his sons.

Jeff has had great heartache through the years because of the limited amount of time he gets to see Grayson and Levi. As a mother, I can now understand the depth of a parents love for their children. It is so hard to see the sadness it brings to my husband when he can't see his boys everyday, when he can't tuck them in at night, when he can't help them with their school work and when he can't give them the love that only a father can give his boys. Nothing, except the peace and love that God can bring, will replace that time he has lost with his children. Divorce is such an ugly thing.

Jeff and I went back and forth for 3 years on whether or not to have a child. We really enjoyed our life with just the two of us. Having a baby brought the fear of losing that special couple time. We were still undecided when God decided for us! What a blessing He has given us. I look at Kade everyday and see God's love for us. He is my little angel. One of the biggest blessings Kade has brought to our lives is the ability for Jeff to experience TRUE fatherhood. He gets to experience with Kade all of the experiences he lost with Grayson and Levi. And let me just say, he is an AWESOME daddy! He gets up at night with Kade to feed him, he gives him baths at night, changes LOTS of diapers and takes Kade for the day so Mommy can have some alone time. In fact, I woke this morning to an empty house. I called Jeff and he and Kade were on their way to church without me! Jeff got him dressed, got his diaper bag ready, and even heated up a bottle to give to him once they got to church. I don't know many men that would do this!

Here are some pictures of Daddy and Kade. Jeff recently went to London for business and brought back some surprises for Kade. Here he is reading "Kings and Queens of England" to King Kade.

Before bath time

After the picture was taken, Kade peed all over Daddy...LOL!

Sir Kade

Our Family's First Easter

Kade celebrated his first Easter with Mommy and Daddy. It was also his first time to attend church. He did GREAT! Slept right through it! We have started going to Watermark Community Church in Dallas. I know that it is the perfect place for us to grow and learn about our Lord and Savior. I pray that Jeff and I are the parents that God has intended for us to be and that He will use us to teach Kade about His love for us.

Kade and the Family that Loves Him!

Gof with Kade

Grayson and Kade

Nana and Papa Rees with Kade

After looking through pictures, I realized I have NO pictures of Kade with Granny Jo Jo and Memaw. More to come very soon :)

Happy Birthday, Baby Kade

Yes, it's been a while since I last posted. We've been pretty busy here at the Rees house. Baby Kade came into our lives on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 12:35 p.m. He weighted 8.5 lbs and was 22 inches long. It was the scariest/happiest day of my life. God has truly blessed us...

The day started out with Mom & Mike following us to the hospital. I had to be there at 10:00 a.m. for my 12:00 c-section. I was absolutely terrified that morning and very emotional. All I could think about was the surgery and how unprepared I felt at becoming a mother. Here's pictures of right before we left.

When we got to the hospital, they immediately put me in a gown and began the process of starting the IV. I say process because it took them 3 attempts before they could find a vein. The nurse had to call the anesthesiologist to start the IV because my veins were too little. That was the most painful part of the day. It was awful, really. After the IV was started, they wheeled a tearful me into the OR. It was soooo scary!!!

 I received the spinal (which was NOTHING compared to the failed IV attempts) and the nurses helped me onto the table. Jeff was at my side the entire time and he helped distract me through the procedure. I could feel tugging and pressure, but nothing painful. Finally, I heard the sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life, my baby Kade crying for the first time.

 It took awhile before I got to see him because they had to make sure he was okay. It seemed like it took forever! Here's a picture of me seeing my precious baby for the first time.

More pictures of Kade right after he was born

G-Mike with Kade

Sophia, Debbie and Olivia with Kade

Phil with Kade

I love you so much, Kade. I am so blessed to be your Mommy. You are going to have the most extraordinary life. I can't wait to show you the world and teach you. I pray that you will grow to know Christ and that your Daddy and I will be living examples of Christ's love for you.

Baby Showers Galore!

Jeff and I have been blessed with AMAZING friends. When we moved to Dallas, we knew only a handful of people. Through work, we have both met some really good friends that have blessed our lives. Our friends have been so generous and giving by throwing us baby showers! Their thoughtfulness really means the world to us. Here are some pictures from the showers. Please ignore the fat woman in the pictures with the bloated face...LOL!

My first shower was given to me by all my former students. I can't even begin to tell you how much this meant to me. I consider each of them my own and love them so much. The hardest thing about not teaching anymore is not being able to see their cute, smiling faces every day. I definitely miss all of their sweet little hugs as well! I kid you not, I got at least 20 hugs a day from my kiddos. I can't think of a more rewarding job.

Our second shower was given to us by Jeff's co-workers. It was a surprise shower disguised as an office Christmas luncheon that spouses were invited to. Turns out I was the only spouse invited to the lunch! Funny story. Jeff forgot to tell me about the lunch and called me an hour before it started and asked if I was available to come. Luckily, I was not subbing and was able to make it :)

And as if a kid shower was not enough, the mom's from Glenhope decided to have a Glenhope Mom's shower for me! It was at Stacy's house and my mom was able to come into town for it. I had such a good time seeing everyone. I got lots of advice, which was kinda fun hearing it from mothers who received lots of advice from me about their children when they were in Kindergarten. What goes around, comes around! We played Baby Pictionary and Guess How Many Safety Pins Fit Around Lucie's Waist. Thanks, Stacy ;)

And finally, the last shower given to us was from the teachers and staff at Glenhope Elementary. My sweet friends/kindergarten teachers, Edie, Jayne and Michelle, hosted it for me. They are such gifted teachers whom I learned soooo much from. I really miss working at Glenhope. It is a very special place to work and attend school. Maybe our little guy will one day be a Glenhope Gator. I truly hope so!

Happy 70th Birthday, Carol!!!

We surprised my mother-in-law for her 70th birthday a couple of weeks ago. Jeff and I flew down to Houston to celebrate her big day. Richard, my father-in-law, organized a dinner with all of their friends at Lupe Tortillas. He told her he felt like going to dinner that night and when she walked in, she was surprised by about 25 friends plus Jeff, me, Rick and the boys. Her face was priceless! Here are some pictures of the big surprise!

Me, Carol, Jeff and Rick

And here's a picture of me and Richard with the infamous owl. One night we were visiting Richard and Carol, I looked out their living room window and saw this owl sitting in the tree. It was dark outside, so I thought it was a real owl! I was so excited because growing up in Lubbock, we never saw owls at night. According to Jeff, I crawled very slowly to the window to get a better view. Later that night, they went outside and took the owl down so that I would think he flew away. Needless to say, Jeff and his father had a very good laugh that night...