And there were 8

There were eight girls in Brooke's 2nd Grade class...

(From left to right) Grace, Annabelle, Harlea, Tallyn, Chloe and Brooke
(not present) Turner and Kayleigh

They all bonded and were great playmates.

Happy 8th Birthday Brooke

On June 11, 2002, I delivered the most perfect bundle of joy...Brooke Nicole Minor. She was perfect in every way. I refer to her as my fair skinned, blond hair, blue eyed girl. She is the middle child and different from her sisters in every way. I often tell her that Hailey and Kelly are the bread and she is all the yummy stuff in the middle...the meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc. It's a sure way to bring a smile to her face!

Happy 8th Birthday Brooke!

Hailey's Special Day

Hailey with...

me and Steve

my parents

and Steve's parents

on her special day.

Baptism, May 30, 2010 @ Lonestar Cowboy Church in Montgomery, Texas.

She was ready and we were too!

Larry Minor (also known as Pops) assisted with her Baptism. He has 5 granddaughters and Hailey was the 3rd grandchild he Baptized.

Pops giving his special message and Hailey waiting patiently

full immersionwhoever believes and is baptized will be saved

Others in attendance were: Brooke and Kelly, Caleb Cypert, Greg and Yvonne Mount and Uncle Charles and Aunt Aleen Mock.

Afterwards we continued our celebration over lunch at Ransom Steakhouse, also in Montgomery.

Congratulations Hailey! Mom and Dad are proud of the young lady you are becoming. We love you!!

Cronh's Camp...here we come!

Hailey and Kendall Kane (a friend from school who also has Crohn's) went to Crohn's Camp this summer at a facility called Camp For All in Burton, Texas. They missed the last two days of school (yippee for them) and spent 3 nights away from home. This is a yearly camp that is funded by Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). This year TCH took 40+ campers who all had gastrointestinal illnesses (liver disorders, crohn's or ulcerative colitis). The purpose of the camp is for the campers to have the opportunity to be with other kids with similar struggles and to also make friendships. They had tons of fun...some of the activities they participated in were canoeing, fishing, horseback riding, gold panning, bike riding, nature walks, high ropes, rock wall, swimming, arts and crafts, pranks (usually boys vs. girls) and they wrapped things up the last night with a dance. The campers ranged from 8-18 years of age. Both Hailey and Kendall had a blast and are ready to go back next year.

Hailey and Kendall in line to get on the bus. They were next to load, but obviously had to pause and hold up the line for one last photo.

They had a several block walk to get to the bus due to construction in the area.

Being silly as they were waiting for the bus to arrive.

Kendall posing while Hailey played with the camera in the car.

Moving on up

My babies are growing way too fast!

Brooke @ the end of 2nd Grade with her teacher, Mrs. Herzog (actually a family member of ours).

Kelly @ the end of Kindergarten, holding her Diploma and posing with her teacher, Ms. Colter.

These ladies were good to my girls and really stepped up to the plate when Brooke and Kelly were missing Mommy while I was away, way too many times, at Texas Children's Hospital with Hailey.

The whole family struggled this school year (in our own way), but with the help and support of friends and family we made it through.

It's hard to believe that next year my girls will be in 7th, 3rd and 1st grades.

I'm really trying to enjoy them before we hit the unbearable teen years. :)

Introducing Lina Karam

Here is a lady we've gotten to know very well over the last 7 months... introducing Dr. Lina Karam, M.D. Hailey's GI Doctor @ Texas Children's. This lady has some serious compassion for children. She ends most appointments with a hug, a pat or some sort of physical contact where she tells Hailey "I hope you feel better soon"!

Tessellation

What is a tessellation?

A tessellation is created when a shape is repeated over and over again covering a plane without any gaps or overlaps.

Hailey started with a rectangle and then converted it to this...

and that one shape repeated over and over became this...

Wolf - Monsters, created by Hailey Minor