I managed to capture this shot of Marisa as she was getting ready for bed the other night.  CRACKS ME UP!!!  She looks like she's dancing in my slippers and on her head is a Blue Bell Ice Cream Hat that GeeGee & GeePa Clemens picked up while at the Blue Bell factory in Brenham, TX.  She loves that hat!

    Sorry about that.  I kind of went into a brain lapse and forgot to keep up with this. I'm just going to write a little now to catch everyone up on the goings on around here.  I'll add pictures tomorrow and the next few days.  We've spent the entire weekend tilling and preparing the yard for our new flower beds.  I say we, but Josh did 99% of the work.  I spent most of the time keeping up with Marisa and trying to keep her entertained.  Here's what we've been up to the last couple of weeks:

Josh:  Working LOTS!  It seems that the hiring freeze Voyager put out in the January/February time frame has only made the workload larger for the current programmers.  When he's not working late in the office, he's coming home to work.  I think this weekend was to free his mind of his work, but he's definitely physically exhausted from all of the work he put into the backyard.  And, it didn't help that the tiller decided to attack him a few hours into the tilling, yesterday.  He hit the fence with it and it  kicked back and the handle shot into his ribs on his right side.  He said that the force of the kick was so strong he yelled out and fell flat on his back.  Nice!  Good thing I wasn't here to witness that!  Stay tuned, I'll be posting pictures of our progress on the yard.

RT:  I just finished the 5th Harry Potter book.  I was so disappointed at how slow it was compared to all of the others!!  I've heard nothing but good things about the 6th book, so I'm been desperate to start reading it.  I started to read it about 10 minutes ago, but started to feel guilty about the blog neglect.  I should be finalizing the plants for the landscape, but yet again, it has taken a back seat to my good buddy, Harry.  I'm really not going to know what to do with myself once I've finished the 6th book.  I guess, I join the other frenzied Harry Potter fans who are anxiously awaiting the next book.  I must say, it's all so sad.  Of course, I do have 2 baby afghans that I need to be working on.  The babies are due in July, 10 days apart.  So, I'm thinking the baby showers will be in May.  Let's hope, I get enough warning to finish them.

Marisa:  She was invited to the neighbor's last week for a playgroup and they had an Easter egg hunt.  There were 3 boys there with her, and in the first 2 minutes of the hunt, I think she had gathered more eggs than all the boys had combined.  As she picked up each egg, I heard her say, "This is my egg, this is my egg.."  CUTE!  They also had the Easter bunny come and visit.  Too bad, Marisa wouldn't go within 5 feet of him.  Sorry, everyone, there was no picture taken with the Easter bunny.  She's also becoming very nurturing these days.  Always asking if you are ok and if you hurt yourself, she asks..."need a kiss?"  and is ready to shower your booboo with her very wet lips.  SO CUTE!!

Well, that's it for now... Pictures to follow from our visit with GeeGee & GeePa Clemens & the Tickle Bug!!

of Shahriar Yekrangi (Dec. 26, 1975 - March 26, 1999)...

I know the Blog was meant to keep you in touch with us and especially Marisa.  But, today I had to take the time to write about our dearest friend, Shah. I have been thinking about what I was going to say in this entry for a while now.  Not sure how I could possibly express to you all how much he meant to all of us.

It was 7 years ago, today that the world lost a great man to a tragic car accident.  I remember the day so clearly, as if it were yesterday.  The pain of it all felt like the wind had been knocked out of me and as I gasped for breath, I felt like the world had stopped moving.  There was no way that what Josh was telling me was true.  It had to be some mistake.  How were we supposed to go on without Shah?  He was such a vital part of our circle of friends and I always felt that he was the gel that held us all together.  However, his memory and spirit still holds us together.

I can't even begin to describe the greatness that was Shah.  His spirit, his soul, his humor & his mind were above all others.  He had a pure heart who gave everyone a chance without judgement and taught so many to love.  Wherever he went, his laughter filled the room and everyone was drawn to him in so many ways.  I remember how much my parents loved him because of how respectful he was.  Whenever he came to my house to pick me up to go to school, he always made it a point to find them, say hello and to ask how they were.  And, before we left he would seek them out to say goodbye.  He was the friend that was ALWAYS late, and everyone just said..."oh, it's shah".  He was deeply religious and never faltered from the beliefs of the Baha'i Faith.  I think Shah's biggest flaw was always putting everyone else above himself.  He was the most selfless person I'd ever known.

The day of my wedding was the last time I saw Shah.  He died exactly 6 weeks later. The news of his death shocked not only family and closest friends, but also those who had met him for the first time at my wedding.  Shah left such an unforgettable impression on all who met him, that even those who were around him for that brief moment shed tears on the news of his passing.  For Shah's friends, life as we knew would never be the same.  How were we going to move on without him?  Time does heal, but it definitely doesn't let us forget.  I think of Shah on an almost daily basis for fear that I will forget the times and memories that we shared together.  I'm thankful that I was blessed to have known someone with such an amazing heart.  I have peace in knowing that he's watching down on us from Heaven and that he's Marisa's guardian angel.

Kenny Chesney's Song, Who You'd be Today, expresses exactly how I feel: 

I miss my dear friend!!!  I thank God for giving us the chance to know him even if only for a brief moment.  Our lives are better for knowing him and I wouldn't trade our time with him for anything!  Although, I know that he knew how much he meant to me, I wish I had one more chance to tell him in my own words.  I've learned that it's so easy to take the ones you love for granted...so, do take the time today to tell them you love them and how much they mean to you!

  Our fun-filled week didn't end at the zoo on Wednesday.  We went to the Dallas Arboretum for the Dallas Blooms Festival to enjoy the day with Angela, Baby Alison, Amy and Patrick.  In the last 7 years, Angela, Amy and I have become amazing friends who have shared both happy and sad moments in our life.  We've grown together in so many ways and without a doubt they are my best friends. Taking our children to the arboretum together was a bonding experience that I definitely will want to become a spring tradition.  The plan was to enjoy the beautiful day and to get some great pictures of our children and of the three of us as we are today - best friends, enjoying the bonds that motherhood brings.

Baby Alison is almost 3 months old.  In a year, she will be right there with Patrick and Marisa running through the gardens.  Her cries are barely a cry and unless you are a mother you wouldn't understand what it means to miss hearing that sweet sound.  She's a precious little thing and although she is almost 3 months, people look at her in awe as if she were a newborn. 

Isn't she cute?!?!?!  We tried getting pics of the 3 kids together but there was always one that wasn't cooperating.  Gee...go figure!  So, here's a grouping of pictures of them enjoying the day together.


We'll have to get a picture of the three kids together in the fall when Alison is a little bigger and Patrick isn't so terrified of breaking her.  Can't wait to see them chasing each other around the flower beds next year!!

Marisa had the most fun rolling down the hill and chasing after the birds, I think.  She wasn't too sure about the hill at first since she was quite dizzy when she got up from it and almost fell over but after that minor setback, we had to convince her that there was other fun stuff to do. She was running barefoot full speed through the grass chasing after the blackbirds that landed.  Of course, she would only run through the grass barefoot!  Here are some great shots of Marisa!

        

And, last but not least... here's a layout of the three of us with our children.  We will always share the common bond of friendship but our hearts will always be united through our passion for motherhood.  I LOVE YOU, ANGELA & AMY!!!  I hope everyone is as fortunate as I am to share their lives with friends as wonderful as you girls are to me!  To many more traditions with our kids!!