Team Francks

I'm having a Pajama Party... and you're invited!

Our family service project for April is a Pajama Party (its a different activity than I had originally planned for a couple of reasons... but we'll do our original April activity later in the year).

Let me explain our Pajama Party:

There's this really cool organization called the Pajama Program.  The organization provides new pajamas and/or books for children in need.  I heard about it several years ago and was recently reintroduced to their program.  Their mission touched my heart and I knew it would be the perfect project for our family service project.

The organization was founded by Genevieve Piturro... here's a bit of her story:

“I visited a Center in Harlem for children with no fathers and whose mothers are in prison.  My intention was to read with them in the evening, after my work day.  One night as I said goodbye to the children I watched them go in to a nearby room to sleep.  They slowly climbed onto couches and futons.  Some were crying and the staff tried to comfort them and ease them onto a soft surface.  There was no changing of their clothes, no bedtime stories, no hugs from moms or dads.  I was paralyzed.  This was not the way bedtime was supposed to be for a child. 

I waited for the staff to finish with the children and asked them if they needed pajamas… could I bring some?  I couldn’t believe what the staff told me about the children who were brought to them every day and every night.  The stories of abuse and neglect were horrifying and heart breaking.  I couldn’t change what had happened to these children but at least I could give them a pair of warm, clean pajamas.”

She goes on to talk about how she knew she had found her true calling in life…

“The pajama program provides new pajamas and new books to children in need… Thousands of children we serve live in orphanages, group homes and shelters and are shuffled often between temporary living facilities.  Many of them have been abused and abandoned, and have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a mother or father tuck them in at bedtime and read to them.

Pajamas are like a hug at bedtime… open your heart… help us make a difference.  There is a great need.”

How many of us take for granted a nice pair of pajamas and a bedtime story…are able to tuck in our children at night and give them security and love. 

And that my dear blog readers is where you come in.

Between now and April 20^th I will be collecting new books and pajamas to contribute to the Pajama Program.  If you're interested and would like to donate books or PJ’s please let me know… you can leave a comment or email me at CajunFrancks@aol.com and put PJ Party in the subject and I'll send you the details.   Thanks!

October in Utah... Our Top 10

the last catch up... hooray!  Are you as excited as I am? :) 

After Birthday Palooza we stayed in Utah for few days to celebrate Utah in October... I love Utah in the Fall... there's so many fun things to do and the weather is still nice and the colors are beautiful.

So in no particular order our Utah Highlights:

1. Cousin Charlotte's baby blessing... it was beautiful!  We're so excited for Jimmy and Sara!

2. Family picture with the Francks

3.  Pumpkin Patch with the Boone's

 

4. Pillow fights with Grandpa

 

5.  Meeting new baby McKenna... I love her and her mama so much!

 

6.  A trip up north with cousin Charly and Auntie Sara to surprise Grandma Kathryn and trick or treat at her work.

7.  A small luncheon (baby shower) for Auntie Emma.

 

8.  Early Halloween Celebration with cousins

 

9.  A drive up the canyon to enjoy all that is Autumn!

10.  Cutting off the baby curls... It was time... he had been called a she one too many times!

("swimming" in Grandma's tub to get all the yucky hair off... don't worry we have clothes on!)

Love the new cut!!

A good, fun, happy week spent with family!

Christmas Highlights 2009

We had a nice, quiet and wonderful Christmas... little buddy was kind of in to it this year which made it super fun... we only got him couple of things and he really only wanted to play with one of them... after an hour we finally put it away so we could show him the other things.

I made a highlight slideshow at the bottom... its my first slideshow that I've made on my mac... let me know what you think.

Christmas Season 2009 highlights (in no particular order):

The week before Christmas we got together with my Boone Cousins in Dallas for a pre-Christmas dinner before they all left for Utah for the holidays (lucky ducks!)... the food and company were great!

Appetizers for Christmas Eve- Instead of our traditional Mexican feast we opted for Appetizers this year... It was a fun change.

Night at the Museum Marathon on TV Christmas Eve... we love that movie!

Christmas Dinner at friends house

Reading Christmas Stories throughout the month (I loooove Christmas books!)

A White Christmas (A Christmas Miracle!!)

Christmas Eve PJ’s

Christmas socks... A new tradition started by my husband... he bought us all fun socks...

Getting to buy for the Angel Tree at Church

Having a fun visit from my brother David and his family a couple of days before Christmas... they were on their way home to Virginia and we got to have a quick dinner with them... Love them so much!

Attending several different parties this year... it just makes the Season even more special.

Driviving through the Christmas lights... its one of my all time favorite traditions!

"Santa" delivering goodies to Daddy's co-workers

Talking to family and getting to talk to my brother Jesse who's on a mission in Alabama.

Reading the Nativity and remembering the Reason that we celebrate the Season.

Other favorite pictures:

 

 

 

 

Hope your Christmas was happy and filled with the love and peace of the Season!

Slideshow:

Double the Fun...

Sweet Baby Madilyn (my niece) and her mama (sis in law) are here from Viriniga visiting us this week... we are so excited they are here!!  You can be assured that Blue Bell ice cream is being consumed.  A trip to Texas just wouldn't be complete without it.

Baby Madilyn and baby Joey were born on the same day... just hours apart from each other.. they're our little spirit buddies... and they've hit it off like they've never been separated... wreaking havoc on the living room... no laptop cord, no book, no easy access object is safe from these two.  

Aren't they the cutest little mischiefs you've EVER seen.  

 

 

 

Love you Bek and Madilyn... soooo happy to have you here!

p.s. look at those eyes!!

My Texas Baby...

Having a baby in Texas was totally worth it be able to take these kind of pictures!  Can you stand the cuteness?? 

Little man and I spent this afternoon frolicking through the bluebonnets... I loooooooooove this picture so much... its going to be big big big and hang in my dining room... I have a bunch more that I'll post later and I might find a different favorite but for right now this is the winner!

P.S.  I really wanted to take a cute bare bum picture of him on a blanket in all the flowers... but his daddy would have had my hide... sometimes you just have to pick your battles :)

Called to Serve

My baby brother just received his (LDS) mission call to the Birmingham Alabama mission... he reports for work on July 1st.  We're sooooo excited for him!!! 

Watch out Alabama... here comes one of the greatest guys ever!

Love you buddy!

p.s. you can read more about our church missionaries here.

back to blogging musings...

1.   Wow. That was quite the break.  I really didn't intend to take that long of a blogging break... just kind of happen and before I realize it it's the third week of January.  But I'm back and looking forward to a new and exciting year.

2.  With Joey off work for a couple of days we decided to take a very quick trip to Utah.  We called it "Baby's World Tour:  meeting the fans"... It was little man's first flight, first time meeting Grandma's and Grandpa, Aunties, Uncles and cousins.  It was also his first time leaving the state and first time experience the snow and cold... lots to process for a three month old.  We got to spend time with both sides of the family... it was way too quick but lots and lots of fun.  Lots of pictures below.

3.  Project 365 is in full swing... a picture a day in 2009... you can see my pictures on my Project 365 blog here.  I've also started the scrapbook.  It's a really fun project and I'm enjoying the challenge of taking pictures of the little things in my life... it's making me more aware of things that might otherwise be forgotten.  

I'm still trying to figure out if I want to post in a weekly format or a daily format.  So the 365 blog is still very much a work in progress.

4.  It was a year ago this week that we did our Embryo Transfer as the final step of the In-vitro process.  I keep meaning to write about it, especially before I forget a lot of the little details... it was one of the hardest and most emotional experiences of my life... But this week as I kiss and love on my miracle baby I'm especially mindful and aware of the goodness of our Heavenly Father ... a Heavenly Father who is mindful of my heartaches, my joys, my sorrows, my successes, my wants and my needs.  I hope to never take that for granted. This week I celebrate a baby, modern medicine and a loving Heavenly Father.

5.  I made New Year's Resolutions.  I love a year of new goals.  Will post later.

6.  My baby does not sleep during the day... much to my dismay and frustration he does not take naps. But while we were in Utah Grandma Mary was able to get him to take a nap... the secret?... a slip... the silky kind that you wear under your skirts.  Give him a slip to and lay him down in a dark room and he is out.  For a full hour.  A FULL HOUR!  The heavens are singing hallelujah's on my behalf.

7.  My Christmas decorations are still up.  Ugh.  I had every intention of taking them down before we left for Utah... but I ran out of time... and here I am on the 18th day of January still looking at my Santa collection.  I was able to take the tree down yesterday but if I have to look at my decorations any longer I'm going to go out of my mind.

8.  I saw Mamma Mia while I was in Utah.  I assumed I was going to love it since I LOVE ABBA music.  And while I give the music in the movie an A, I give the story and plot a D.  Boo... very disappointed.  I thought it was cheesy and annoying.

9. While we were in Utah it snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed.  After we dropped Joey off at the airport we drove to my mom's house in a blizzard... a drive that is usually around an hour took me almost three hours.  Ugh.

10. Lots of Photos from our Trip:

some good ol' Rock Band

Lots and lots of deer in my parents yard.  Isn't it magical.

 

Grandpa Boone getting little man to sleep... not an easy task!

The boys watching the University of Utah beat Alabama.  Hooray!!

Auntie Carrie bathing little man in G & G jet tub.

Little man getting lots of one on one time with Grandma Kathryn (Francks)... he reached and grabbed his toy for the very first time under her tutelage.

Lots of games while we were visiting the Francks in Clearfield.  We love playing games!

Squeezes from Uncle John (Francks)

So happy to see Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Sara (Francks)... I love them as much as little man does.

Lots of hugs and kisses from Uncle Matthias and Auntie Carrie (Boone)

Uncle Jesse (Boone)... I love his little Christmas sweater vest.

Auntie Mariah holding little man and his newest cousin Miriam born three weeks ago.

Hanging out with cute cousin Aby Jayne (and Grandma Mary's magic slip).

Sunday Dinner with the whole fam... one of my favorite traditions

The view from my parents front door... the mountains always make me homesick for Utah.

We were so excited to get back to Texas so the Joey's could be together again.

the end.

Girlfriends Christmas Party

Last night was my annual girlfriends Christmas party... it's always a lot of work but so worth it.  We were missing a couple of the women last night but I hope everyone had a good time... I know I did. 

We did "My Favorite Things" again... everybody picks one of their favorite things  and brings 11 of that item to give to everyone... at the end of the night you go home with 11 different gifts... I love the creativity of the gifts... we had homemade honey butter, homemade egg nog, a nativity, foot lotion, Halloween shirts, jewelry, journals, roses... fun stuff. 

After dinner (three different soups, yummy avacado poppy seed salad and the most heavnly rolls brought by a friend) we did the gift exchange and then had dessert.  Everyone stayed and chatted until about 10pm before they started leaving.

It's fun and something I look forward to each year... I love these women and am grateful to have them in my life.

 

 

 

Baby Blessing

Yesterday was a special day for our little family as we were able to bless our little one in Church.   I was sad that our whole family wasn't able to be here... but so happy that Jimmy and Sara were able to come and be a part of our day...

I felt so emotional and such gratitude... there were so many times that I honestly didn't know if we'd ever have a child... so to be able to watch my husband hold my tiny baby boy all dressed in white surrounded by some of our dearest friends and give him a blessing asking the Lord to bless him with health and strength, a kind heart, a desire to do good and to serve Him and others... it was almost more than my little heart (or tear ducts) could handle. 

It was a good day... a very good day indeed.

 

 

Several have asked about his name... Joseph Boone... my husband is Joseph... my maiden name is Boone... not to be confused with my Uncle Joseph Boone who is the MTC President... several of the missionaries here thought we were naming him after my uncle... and while a great man that's not necessarily who we're naming him after :)

It's Blog-iversary time!!!

This week we celebrate our three year blog anniversary... Three years!!! Wahoo!!!   

So its that time again... the time where you come out of hiding and leave a little ditty... name, how I know you, how you found my blog, etc...  just leave me a comment.  Let me know who reads the ol' blog.  (p.s. I know that there are lots of you hiding (the stats don't lie... people who read our blog but never say a word.)

So please please please humor me.  Leave a comment.  You never ever have to leave another comment after today if you don't want to (well at least until next year when I do this again )

To make it fun and entice you to leave a comment I'm going to give away a prize... all the names that leave a comment will go in to a drawing and in a couple of weeks I'll draw a name.  A fabulous gift.  That will be determined at a later date .

And wouldn't it just make you feel warm and fuzzy to be able to go in my book of blogging?  I think it surely would

thanks!!

p.s. Thanks to all you that read and comment!  I've made some great friends through this wonderful world of blogging... who knew I'd love it so much.  Did I mention... THREE WHOLE YEARS!!!