More Pictures!!!

Melissa couldn't stand it. She had to take them back for more! I'm very thankful cause I love these pics! We hope you do, too!

Anna's 6 Month Pictures

Melissa took Anna to get her 6 month pictures today. We're so proud of our beautiful baby girl!

Also, a video has been added that I made Melissa for her birthday. It's listed below in the videos section. It's kind of long, but bearable if you like country music...and us!

Trying to Catch Our Breath!

Well, I keep starting out our little updates with something along the lines of, "we've been so busy...", and it seems like every month gets busier and busier. So, instead of starting out with the same ole story, I'll quit stating the obvious and get right to the news.

We'll start out with some somber news. Melissa's grandfather was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. He and his wife live in Arizona, but have since moved to Texas to be close to family. We are glad to have them here. He underwent successful surgery to remove the tumor, and we have a lot of prayer warriors out there helping him along the way. For those of you that have been praying for him and us, THANK YOU!!! Please keep it up. Anyway, we love havng them around. Nate and Anna especially love spending time with their great grandparents. Papa always manages to make Nate laugh!

My parents gave Melissa and I about 20-something hamburger patties and buns left over from a party they recently had at their house. As you know, they are quite the party animals. It would've taken us a year to eat all of the food they gave us, so we decided to have a neighborhood party. We invited a bunch of friends that live on our street over to our house to help us dispose of the food, and we had a blast.

We celebrated Melissa's 29th birthday in August. She was blessed to be able to spend it with her grandparents.

We've had lots of visitors come down to see Melissa's grandfather. His two sisters and all of his children made a trip down to Texas to check on him. We've really enjoyed their company. Here are a couple of pictures of Melissa's cousins, Jillian and Jake, with Nate and Anna.

Melissa started a new job teaching at a private school here in town. She's really enjoying the work, and the school has a daycare for Nate and Anna, so she gets to stay close to them.

I was offered a sales position at a wholesale lumber company based out of Pittsburgh called Snavely Forest Products. After 5 years, I resigned from Bison and took the job. I'm really enjoying it and couldn't be happier.

Melissa, Kristina, and I begain training for a half marathon that will take place next year at the Houston marathon in January. I felt my age when I suffered a stress fracture only two weeks into my training. Melissa and Kristina are going strong. I will begin training again, late in September.

Also, after much prayer and consideration, we joined a new church. There is a link to their website in our "Our Favorite Sites" section. Please check it out when you have time. It is a wonderful place, and we are very satisfied with the move.

I just thought we were busy before. August proved me wrong. Religion, family, and work made sure of that. God continues to bless us in abundance!

Willie and Melissa

July 2009

July flew by. I can't even remember everything we did this past month. Here are some highlights:


On July 4th, we went down to the local Home Depot, threw some lawn chairs in the back of the truck, and watched the Woodlands fireworks show. Nate had his toy shotgun, so I'm sure the locals thought we were a bunch of East Texas hillbillies. Darn straight!

Of course, the sun didn't let up at all in July, though it wasn't quite as bad as June. That's okay. It just gave us an excuse to stay in Papa and Loulou's pool all month long. Here is Anna enjoying a nice refreshing swim.

We spent one weekend in Austin visiting some friends. We had a lot of fun. They recently bought a beautiful new home and we experienced the epitome of southern hospitality. Natalie and Steven, yall can invite us back any time! The kids got to play together, as you can see below. The guys even got in a round of golf on Saturday. A bug bit Nate on his "special part" and it swelled up pretty bad. (I got a little jealous of him.) We had quite an adventure. Thanks again for the hospitality N and S.

Anna and Noah finally got to meet. Noah, I'm not going to tell you again. Get your grubby little paws off my sweet Anna or I'm gonna sic Nate and his shotgun after you...(just kidding Angie. Not really.)


All in all, July was a blast. A hot blast, but a lot of fun. We are looking forward to a busy August. Melissa is going back to teaching at a private Christian Academy in The Woodlands to help us out until the housing market comes back around. (Hopefully soon.) I'm very proud of her and all that she has accomplished. She is an incredible wife and mother, and is always willing to adapt to our ever changing and busy lives. Nate and Anna keep growing so fast. Nate has quite a personality, and Anna is getting one of her own. Time sure does fly by when your having this much fun....

Nate Moments

Melissa has been keeping a journal of "Nate moments" that are especially memorable. Maybe it was something funny or cute that Nate did, or maybe something really special that we don't want to forget. We were reading through a few of them last night and it brought us a lot of joy. I thought it might be nice to spread that joy. Hope this brightens your day...(thank you Melissa for taking the time to write this stuff down. It's priceless!)

1/20/07
Daddy gave you his cell phone to play with tonight. He pressed "key lock" on the phone so that you couldn't hit the numbers and accidentally call someone. Somehow you were able to call 911!!! Daddy had to get on the phone and tell them you called by mistake.

5/24/07
You discovered the moon tonight. You kept looking at it, smiling and saying "moo".

7/20/07
Today you threw daddy's I-Pod in the toilet.

May 2008
I cannot believe how much you've changed in the past couple of months! You are talking so much. You started the "mine" phase. The other day it was raining outside. Daddy took you out to watch it and you said "my rain".

June 2008
I love how when you want me to pick you up, you say "my hold you".

07/21/2008
Today you pointed to the sky and said Jesus. I asked you where he lives and you said Heaven.

September 2008
Well, it seems that you have an imaginary friend! His name is "giant" and he mostly stays outside. When you hear him, you say "Shh....what's that noise?" You also like to look around the house for him. You told me his favorite food is spaghetti!

October 2008
You were a cowboy for Halloween. Whenever I'd ask you what a cowboy says, (expecting you to say "yeehaw, stick em up, etc) you would say "moo".

11/24/08
Mommy, daddy, and mimi took you outside to look at Venus and Jupiter shining brightly in the sky. You wanted daddy to "lift me higher so I can touch them". Then mommy asked you to say Jupiter and you did! Then, mommy asked you to say Venus and you proudly and loudly said "penis". We all had a good laugh!

January 2009
Don't ever, ever, ever, ever bite the tiger.

06/30/2009
You are so clever and witty. You were singing, "A pirate says aargh. A pirate says aargh." A la The Backyardigans (a kid's tv show). Then you sang, "A pirate says are...we going swimming?" You wanted to go swimming really bad that day.

Never A Dull Moment

Well, our house is busy as usual. Anna is now baptized. We had a little party at my parents house after the church service. Most of my family was there, and Melissa's dad, aunt, cousin, and grandparents made a special trip to Texas to be there for the event. Here's a recap of the last month...

Welcome Anna to our Savior's family!!!

Some of Melissa's family were able to make the trip down to Texas for the event.

The reception was held at my parent's house. Thank you mom and dad for provding the facilities and grub. Just about all of my family was able to attend. I'm very blessed to live close to most of my family. Some had to make a significant effort to be there, and we sincerely appreciate that they took the time. We love you guys!!!

It didn't rain a drop here in June. Seriously, I don't think we had one drop of rain. But we did celebrate Father's day. Either I'm doing something right, or I received a very BIG hint...

Melissa and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on Monday the 29th. Thanks to Kristina and Milchy for giving us a night out!

That's all for now! Pray for rain.

I hate to always start my posts with, "It's been a while..." but here we go again. It's been a very busy month. Melissa, Nana, Nate, and I took Anna to her first Astros game.

Aunt Nana bought Nate a new bike. We slapped some training wheels on that puppy and away he went. We rode all the way down to the park without incident, but on the way back he fell. He now refuses to get back on. We finally got him to ride down the street tonight, so there's still hope.

Anna is starting to smile...

Nate's learning how to use a camera...

And cruises the lake often with his girlfriend Sophie.

Yes, it's been a full, fun month indeed. To top it off, Grandpa Smith arrived in town today. Anna's baptism is next Sunday, so he's staying the week with us. Anna met her grandpa for the first time in her life today. As you can see, she was very happy.

Nate is happy to see his grandpa, too!

We'll have many more pics and stories coming soon, as Anna's baptism is next Sunday and our families will be coming together to celebrate. Until then, have a great week!