a few

pictures, but I have more...blogger won't allow me to add any more to this post.

I got to hold this little one today! I love you sweet Isaiah! Please pray that he will eat....easily.

He is here!

Today began early...real early for mommy and daddy who didn't sleep last night! Lauren and AZ arrived at the hospital around 5:30am for a 7:30 c-section and some lady went into labor and bumped them back a few hours. Lauren kept telling people they here holding the baby hostage! Isaiah Wyatt came into this world around 9:14 am weighing in at 6lbs 3 oz and 18 inches long. They took him to the nursery where me and a proud grandma waited to see him through glass. He looked perfect! Proud daddy came and explained that the little guy had some fluid on his lungs and they were watching him closely. The next few hours were odd. Lauren waited to see her sweet little pumpkin but he had moved to the NICU observation room. He needed a little help with those lungs. She then received the news that sweet little Isaiah has a soft cleft pallet. They were keeping him to help him eat since he was having difficulty with the soft cleft pallet. Lauren missed her little one so they FINALLY rolled her down to see her sweet one at 3:45!!! Before that she had only seen him at that quick glance as they cleaned him up after the surgery. Mom, dad, AZ and Sid all were able to go back and see that little one. I sent my camera back with my dad, but before that this is how we were able to see him.I am so proud of you little sis! Tomorrow we will shoot this photo again, but with a baby in your arms! Isaiah was able to come to her room tonight around 6:30! I haven't called them yet, which has been hard, but I wanted them to spend time as a family and finally rest.

Isaiah Wyatt looking at BOP with the camera.

PROUD DADDY!

Bacteria

Tonight, hubby and I went to dinner by ourselves and the topic came up about bacteria. Stacey told me that bacteria can't move. I, so boldly, demonstrated how bacteria can move up a cup by using my hands. He laughed at me. Then he asked me how I knew that, and my response was that I saw it on a TV commercial! We both laughed... hard! I love you Stacey Pearson and thank you for loving me and my bacteria demonstrations!

Ranch '08

This was the 4th annual Ranch party for the boys!

Family picture...yes, I have on overalls. They are a pregnant woman's best friend. I didn't have to worry one bit about my pants falling down and spending the entire time pulling my pants up!
Cole is 10 and Parker 4!
Mammy and E!
Emaline liked the icing.I love this picture of P. It isn't the greatest photo, but he sure looks cute!The horse joining our party! This totally freaked the kids out that the horse was getting too close to the house, or Honey's car!!!!

Please pray for some cousins...Cousin Lyneil's husband lost his grandmother this morning. This family sure has been through a lot!

Watch out Emmit and Cheryl!

Who needs March 17th, when we had Oprah yesterday! I had DVR'd it, and we had a dance off last night. If you have watched the series, and know the dances, you know that Parker is truly doing his best to imitate the moves. I LOVE the head throw! He didn't incorportate as many 'shimmies' as I would have liked, but I love what we got!

just one of those days...

all I needed to do was sleep...to rest...but my kids had another idea. Play with mommy...

I just love you so stinkin' much!

Baby boy! You are one awesome son who truly makes me smile when I think of your spirit! Your daddy and I wanted you for so long, and then you were that surprise! I will never forget the look on your daddy's face when I showed him the test that finally said we were pregnant! You took your time getting here, as you were suppose to come yesterday...but it wasn't until 1:17am that I got to see your face, all 9lbs 13oz's of you! I have loved you every day for 4 years and am so excited to see what God holds in your future! Thank you for asking me to read you bible stories last night, and praying with me. I love to hear you pray. You remember to pray for people that may have slipped my mind. You not only pray for your friends, but you also remember their parents in your prayers. You are giving, thoughtful, and sensitive. At your party I kept trying to give you a cupcake and you continued to serve everyone at your party instead of eating your cupcake. When we were cleaning up the rodeo I found a cupcake that had not been touched, and it was yours. You were too busy leading that stampede you forgot to enjoy your cake! I love our conversations. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe you are only 4. I love how you still remember that my car is crashed and get upset we don't have it back yet! Amen brother. I enjoyed trying to explain how fast motorcycles go/ why policeman ride motorcycles/ what tickets are/ when people to go jail and why all because we saw a policeman radaring today! It took about 10 minutes! I love how you referred to it as speed lemon instead of speed limit! I love how you protect your sister and truly do love her. I love how you are excited about baby brother and want to touch him all the time, but angel, NOT in the walmart check out line under my shirt. That man was looking at us so strange and you couldn't understand why I didn't want you too! I love that you are creative and crafty. I love that you will eat almost anything I put in front of you! Thank you for being my Pman! I love all 4 years of you. I am so proud of you.

Happy Birthday DUDE!

Happy Valentine's Day Ya'll!

Part 2

If you are new to reading my blog, first you need to read part 1, and you also need to know that my hometown is Paris, Texas.

She heard it in my voice. I quickly grabbed my cell phone and called my dad since I was on hold from my landline phone.. I told him the address which they gave me to where the beautiful lacy items (not sure of the package contents, but I do like to think it was some really sleezy stuff) were shipped. I confirmed with him that we haven't ever lived at the address listed or he hadn't been at a rent house at this address. He told me the general area of this address, and let's just say it isn't...well a nice neighborhood. He wrote down the address. I hung up with him as I was taken off hold from VS. They were having trouble with their computer, so they told me. At one time they even asked if I planned on reopening my account to remain a VS customer since I had closed my account back in October when all this started. Uuuu. NO! They kept asking my name and continued telling me they had no record of an order that Paige Pearson had placed. My blood pressure at this point was boiling. WHAT DO YOU MEAN you don't have an order placed by Paige Pearson on this account. WHY am I on the phone with you then? They informed me that the order was placed by a PAIGE BOWDEN!!! EXCUSE ME!? What did you say!? ( For some of my readers who may not know me...my MAIDEN name is Bowden) I flipped out! For the next few minutes I had a moment with the VS sales representative to something like this:

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME...someone from my hometown, where I haven't lived since 1994, or had an address there since 1998 used my card to ship to an unkown address using a name that I haven't had on THIS account since 2000 and on a card that hasn't been used since 2003 and at no time was a red flag thrown!!! You have got to be kidding me!
(again, just a summary)

The VS person on the phone then proceeded to tell my how many thousands of internet orders a day they receive and there is no way they can monitor them all, and I must say NOT in a very nice tone! She continued to ask me how someone in Paris got my account number. I told her they must have done one of the crazy free panty give away things trying to get business and sent it to an old address or someone got a hold of a NEW credit card they must have sent out to a Paige Bowden, just like dogs and 4 four year olds getting approved for credit cards. She assured me that there wasn't a record of that on their computer. Great. She again asked me if I knew someone who lived at that address. I told her no, and I think at this point is where I totally lost it. I actually began yelling. I told that sweet little girl on the phone that I had been nothing but nice to each and every collector that had called, and I did everything VS had asked me to do, and that VS needs to take the ENORMOUS charge off my account immediately!

I was shaking...sweating...my heart was going crazy! I really can't remember a time I have been so mad. That sweet little girl then told me then I must go file a police report! WHAT! I still don't understand this one because I don't know how this person in Paris got my account number. Her tone did change after I raised my voice, which is crazy! She became a nice, cool toned customer service representative.

My dad called back and told me he had called the Paris Police Department and asked who lived at that address. It was not registered at all. So after work my dad and Sid actually drove by this house!!! I can't really see my dad being the Perry Mason type! He wanted to stop and go look in the windows but Sid wouldn't let him! The house was in the slum part of town like he thought, but get this, the house the package of unmentionables were sent: vacant! The next morning an officer went to check the house out and confirmed that no one lived there. He then told my dad some things I need to do, like report it to the police department which I live, that it was really out of his hands even if he were to find someone at the house. It looks like the person who used my card, had it delivered to this vacant house on purpose and probably did drivebys to see when a package appeared.

SO...I am still waiting to hear from VS on where this all stands, but for now and probably forever, my feet will not go into that store. I don't think they handled this professionally and with all the fraud that goes on, that 1 of the things that happened didn't SCREAM fraud!

Thanks for letting me work through this again! A special thanks to the PPD! How nice of them to go check out that house! I just wish that could have caught someone! It is just a puzzle! I will keep you readers updated!

(by the way, when my wallet was stolen back in 2004, my VS card was not used before it was cancelled)

VS Story Part 1

This began back in October when I received a bill from VS for $534.18!!! The problem...I haven't used my VS credit card since 2003 (I know, poor Stacey!). I called immediately to see what had happened. I spent many, many minutes on the phone back and forth with different departments each blaming the other for the problem. The fraud department said it wasn't fraud since I had not lost a card or thrown one away lately. Now, back in 2004 while doing some shopping in Babies R US with a newborn my wallet was stolen right out of my diaper bag! It was a total scam. One lady walked up and asked me a question to the right and another lady helped herself on the left into my cart and my wallet doing thousands in damage in minutes at the mall next door! That card was cancelled and another issued. The irony: Stacey called to cancel the card back in May or something like that and since he wasn't the primary name on the card they wouldn't let him, so it was my responsiblily to cancel the account. Oops. ANYWAY, the fraud depart told me it was catalogs problem. That it looked as if someone put in the wrong numbers while typing in the account. They told me I needed to submit a letter disputing the charges and I did. They told me I would be contacted in about 4 weeks from the internal department or something like that. Oh I was contacted all right, and have been for months from the collection agency they sent my name to. Every time they called, I would explain that I wasn't going to pay what they were asking me, I was disputing the charges, but thanks for calling and have a nice day. This went on daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day. I would smile, even laugh when they called. So, I called VS. VS had not received my letter! That was crazy. They gave me the address again, and off my letter went. Calls, calls calls from the collection agency. No one had notified me from VS like they had said they would when they received my letter. The nice collection agency called again. I was so nice to them, like I was everytime before. They were just doing their job, and I understood that but I wasn't going to pay ANYTHING if I wasn't the one enjoying the duds! You know what I mean. This one collection agency girl was so nice to me. I explained what was going on and she told me exactly what to do. She told me who to call and who to ask for and that this was ridiculous! Her computer didn't say they were even looking into the case! WHAT! I think this girl really could have gotten in trouble with the advice she was giving me. She was telling me to get a lawyer and bring a case against VS for ruining my credit. I kind of laughed and thanked her and hung up after she told me that the agency shouldn't call me for 10 days. IMMEDIATELY my cell phone rang. It was the collection agency! I hung up on that lady. I called VS and was then on the phone for 1.5 hours trying to fix this situation. I kept getting transfered, they wouldn't get me a supervisor/manager or who ever I asked for. Catalog department would send me to fraud, fraud would send me to the collection agency, back to catalog. FINALLY this lady on the phone was trying to say that Stacey must have used my card! I took offense to that, but I know it happens in their line of work all the time, but I assured them if he bought it, I would have seen it! I kept referring to catalog and how they first had told me that someone must have typed in the wrong numbers to my account, and this lady got a HUGE attitude with me saying it was an internet order. THEN WHY HAVE THEY BEEN TELLING ME IT WAS A CATALOG ORDER! I asked how someone could use my account on the internet when they didn't have the number! AND how if I had to answer 10 questions with everyone I talked to on the phone to prove it wasn't fraud was someone able to use my card without answering all those questions??? Finally I asked, just where did these nice items ship to? I was expecting...Africa, New York, California! You know what they told me: Paris, Texas! WHAT! She heard it in my voice. She jumped on it! That manager said, "Oh, you know someone in Paris, Texas?" To be continued!

Just too much to say

So many times over the past week I have thought that I needed to blog about certain happenings...but just haven't made the time.

First of all...thank you for all of your special comments and emails about my nanny. She was a very special lady! Yes, Marianne, the strawberry cake is the one with strawberries in it. I actually have it in Nanny's handwriting! Tomorrow is my Pappa's birthday. I can't believe he has been gone for 9 years! He died just a few days before his birthday. February has lots of memories for me, it is also Nanny Betty's birthday month!

Underwear. I really wanted to blog about this. Stacey told me I shouldn't. I told him I was going to post pictures! He was totally freaked out. You see, I was in walmart without children a few days ago and thought I would spend some time picking out some new undies. I am rebelling against VS due to an issue that will be blogged about in a future post about some fraud, so I thought I would try some good ole' Hanes. It took me a good 20 mintues to pick the perfect cut and size, which was TRICKY! I was so happy...that is until I showed them to Stacey. I think he almost fell over and honestly so did I! There were huge! I even rechecked the package. I bought the correct size so the package said, and I did buy only 1 size larger than I normally wear due to baby. On the package the girl modeling the style I picked out (THAT VS OFFERS AS WELL) looks nice, and in no way did I think this style looked like granny panties. I tried to convince Stacey that the style I chose was a new popular style, and dare I say sexy! I even saw Sarah Jessica Parker wearing a pair of this particular style in a promo for her upcoming movie. So I thought there was no way those new undies were going to fit me. You guessed it, they did! So, I went to the gym.


Today, Emaline told my grandmother, "Get out of town!" She got that from me. Better than SHUT UP!

The kids and I had the best time flying a kite today! Emaline did amazing running holding the string. I couldn't get it away from her...until she dropped the string! Luckily we didn't lose my kite!

I recently put my sitemeter back on my blog. I haven't had it on there since I changed my template MANY months ago. I had no idea the kind of traffic I have been receiving. I don't KNOW people in MOST of the places that are showing up!

Happy Birthday Vida Mae!

***Warning*** Long, long post to follow that brought many tears, but was totally worth it.







You know it is odd how you have been on my mind all day. I knew it was your birthday, but for some reason, this year, more than any other, you have lived in my heart. You would have been 95 today. March 8,1995 I received a call my freshman year at ACU that you had gone to be with our Savior! You were a beautiful lady. I remember so much about you, things I love. I, also have those memories I would like to forget. That disease that controlled your life those last years robbed us. I remember those days in Clarksville, Sunday lunch at your house every Sunday, fighting those crazy crawldads, playing in your sewing room, buzzing that button above the bar that would ring that back room...why did it do that? I remember your love for Blue Bell, I remember you dishing it out, pouring that Magic Shell on top, and us sharing it. I remember you humming. Home again, home again, jiggity jog is what you would always say as we pulled your blue car into the garage. I loved sitting with you at church, in the same row...for how many years was it Nanny? And your hats! You didn't go to church without one, usually purple to match your suit and of course a feather. I sing that old hymn that you would sing to me when you pushed me in your swing set to Parker now. He can sing it now too! Then we moved to Paris. I remember you and Buddy coming to bring me the necessities when Mother Nature visitied this unsuspecting 5th grader! Eating at Furrs. Then, you became my roommate! I am so sorry for all those times I was unkind to you. I know you have forgiven me, but a middle schooler sharing her room with her grandmother was uncool or so I thought! You know what I remember...the example you showed me...you read your Bible every night. You were such a kind person. I remember hearing MANY stories about you and how you helped customers at Self Serve by probably never bringing home a pay check yourself. Those last few years were tough. It was so hard to come visit you, knowing you really didn't remember me. You would call my name, but you called everyone my name! I think it was because of that year we shared my full size bed, bathroom, and closet!







Thank you, Vida Mae, for being a Christian example for me. I miss you. I am proud that Emaline carries your name. Happy Birthday Nanny! I love you!



The photos below are really for all of the cousins, but feel free to scroll through our family history! I added some commentary of the pictures in case you have stuck with it this long.You can read who is who on the bottom of this one. Ruby, well she belongs to the faithful commenter Marianne, that is her MIL, and Bessie, well she belongs to Andrea and Lyneil ( and Amy but she never updates her blog). Bessie told me that they gave Buddy that apple to keep her still. I may have to try that on one of my photo shoots! Vida, Bessie, and Ruby above. I think they were visiting someone in Commerce? Any one know the rest of this story? Here they are, all the girls: Bessie was 20, Vida was 19, Ruby was 18, Martha was 2 (Cousin Susan belongs to her, as well as, Missy) and Betty was 7 (Roselyn, Avery, Julie, and Kanyon belong to her). Uncle James wasn't in this picture, with was Will Ed or Hilliard.



The studly man in all these pictures of course is my grandfather. His name was Harry Houston Bowden. A sawmill man, a rancher, and a fisher he was. He was taken before I was ready, before I really knew him with a heart attack on a fishing trip. I love the stories about his love for my grandmother...amazing examples!

Thanks!

I had a wonderful birthday! Thank you for the ecards, comments, and even an entire blog dedicated to me! We celebrated all weekend, even if I was out for the count with the worst headache known to man! Friday night, Stacey took us to Chicken on a chain...oops, I mean P.F. Changs. Parker didn't understand what Stacey said and thought we were going to see his favorite rodeo bull! Satuday, the day my head was going to explode, we went to a company party, which I got to see 3 people I know ride the mechanical bull! I rode it last year, but this year my condition kept me from it! Sunday morning (actual birthday) we had donuts and chocolate milk for breakfast, Babe's for lunch with my family, and Super Bowl party at a friend's house where at half time I was given my favorite strawberry cake! I do feel old, and I think I am really starting to look pregnant. Today walking through the preschool hall, a lady passed me and said, "You are getting big!" Emaline quickly added, "MY mommy is big! BIG!" How about saying to a pregnant lady, "My, you are really showing!" instead of using the word BIG! If I am BIG now, oh goodness what I will be in a few months!

Today at preschool, Parker's Discovery teacher came and found me to tell me a wonderful story. The teachers were discussing art museums, and famous artists and asked the kids where they might find pieces of this famous art. Parker quickly raised his hands and said: MY REGRIGERATOR! He is quite the artist!

tongue hurts =

Viral tonsilitis, and sinus infection. YUCK!

I seem to have some kind of sinus head thing going on...it has wiped me out!

Looking at those maternity pictures I took of myself (which wasn't easy!) my hands look massive. NOW, I know I have big hands, but they just seem so manly. Not sure I can photoshop my arm off! My grandma always said she knew me in any sports pictures because of my hands. Not sure that is a good thing. Can you make hands NOT look like you can palm a basketball? Which I can't, but I thought it was a good illustration. Enjoy the warm weather...and my cowboy and girl!