Griffin Chronicles - Life and times of the Griffin family

Baby V's Portraits

2012-01-27T15:32:00.004-06:00

Finally getting V's birthday portraits up... Matt took these at the Museum of the Southwest the day after V turned two.

The stinker...

She's getting a little bit excited!

Look at that pretty baby...

Celebrating Viola Marie

2012-01-09T19:47:00.007-06:00

Baby V turned two last week on Friday. None of us can believe that two years have come and gone. Even the kids were saying, "We can't let Baby V turn 2!"

On Friday morning, we woke her up singing "happy birthday". Then we had french toast and let V open her gifts. That evening, Memaw and Pepaw arrived from Abilene to eat dinner and cupcakes. Baby V loves "cuh-cakes" so she was very pleased with her little party.

Merry Christmas (Again) and Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T20:59:00.005-06:00

We just got back last night from our final gathering of the holiday season. This one was a combination retirement/Christmas/New Year's celebration. On Friday, we had dad's retirement lunch. That night we opened gifts. On New Year's Eve we had a smorgasbord of treats and watched a couple of movies before banging pots & pans to ring in the new year at midnight. The kids stayed up for the first movie, but they aren't quite ready to make it all the way.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful Christmas as always!

Baby V got new "cozies".

Emma with her prized "make your own tiara" kit.

The kids enjoying their New Year's Eve treats.

With the great-grands

Dad's Retirement

2012-01-02T20:51:00.003-06:00

After 26 years at TABC, my dad retired on Friday. There was a nice lunch for him that day with his family and coworkers past and present. It wasn't an official event, but sort of just happened as word leaked out that he was retiring. My dad had a great reputation everywhere he worked– Ft. Worth, Austin, and Abilene– and a several people shared their appreciation of him either publicly or privately to the family.

I think it goes without saying that Bob is "from the old school".

My Dad giving his speech.

An old friend from dad's rookie years in Ft. Worth.

Griffin Christmas

2011-12-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

I thought I had this post up over a week ago, but apparently I only got so far as to create a folder of photos on the desktop. So, without further ado...the Griffin Christmas.
We traveled to Liberty Hill on Friday, the 23rd. GG had a nice spread of goodies all ready for us when we arrived. We opened our gifts and had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve since that was when everyone could be with us. On Christmas Day, the kids opened their stockings. Then we went to church and had Christmas leftovers. The next day we went to the roost for a big gathering. The place was packed! We were thankful for nice weather so all the young cousins could spend most of the day in the woods.

Christmas Day after church

GG with Baby V and Evangeline

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning stockings

cousins in front of the tree

Emma's fancy Rapunzel dress, her favorite gift.

Morgan tearing into his gift.

Christmas Eve, getting ready to open gifts

MawMaw's grandchildren

MawMaw with her great-grandchildren

The whole crowd

Our Little Christmas

2011-12-28T20:56:00.004-06:00

Ok, time for Christmas celebration #1. We opened our gifts to each other on the 22nd, also known as Matt's 30th birthday. We wanted to do this before leaving for Liberty Hill on the 23rd, because I'm just not hardcore enough to tote all our gifts along.

waiting for gifts

Baby V has the hang of it.

Emma loves these Calico Critters.

Baby V got Pat the Bunny again because she loved the last one to death.

Morgan used some of his allowance to buy this gift for Emma.

Christmas Cookies...

2011-12-28T20:49:00.004-06:00

...'nuff said.

What's happening to me?

Morgan Turns Six

2011-12-12T20:29:00.003-06:00

Morgan is six years old now! It doesn't feel right at all to say that. It's also the anniversary of this blog, by the way. We started it in the pre-facebook days when it was the only way to keep grandparents up to date. Now we maintain it mostly as a family record and to generate the highly anticipated blog books that we give out each Christmas.
On Morgan's birthday morning, I was horribly sick. But I managed to make beer bread– his favorite– with some help from Matt. We greeted him in bed with a "happy birthday" song, he opened his gifts from us & Grandma Motz, and we ate breakfast together. At lunchtime, Matt took the kids to Morgan's birthday lunch at Mr. Gatti's. We had planned to do his party on the 10th, but had to reschedule due to my lingering sickness. Hopefully we will party on the 17th– more pics to come!

The birthday boy surrounded by his loot– and the beer bread.

This is a crazy looking bunch right here.

Decorating the Tree 2011

2011-12-01T20:56:00.004-06:00

It's December 1st– time for the Christmas tree! Tonight we put in our traditional Richard Clayderman Christmas CD and decorated together. The big kids are getting good at ornament placement. We had it adorned in no time.

Emma is such a good big sister to Baby V.

Morgan, taking his task seriously.

The curls!

Tell me that's not precious...

My big girl

Birthday Sampler

2011-12-01T20:44:00.004-06:00

We took Morgan to the ACU campus for his 6th birthday portraits. Daddy's photography skills certainly came in handy. Here is a sampling of the shots he took. Morgan looks so grown up; it's sad!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T20:20:00.003-06:00

We doubled up for Thanksgiving once again. On Tuesday we drove to Abilene to spend a few days. We took Morgan's birthday portrait at the ACU campus on Wednesday. After Thanksgiving lunch on Thursday, the 4 of us (minus Viola) went to the see "Hugo" at the theater. On Friday we drove to the roost for a Griffin Thanksgiving dinner. Then we spent the weekend in Liberty Hill. I squeezed in a day of shopping on Saturday. And Matt & I even enjoyed a hot date at Best Buy/Barnes & Noble/Target/Denny's.

Morgan was very interested in the cooking as usual.

Working hard or hardly working?

My Dad's Thanksgiving shenanigans– we all watched from the kitchen window.

My babies are getting too big...

The crew

Everyone in attendance, minus Matt.

MawMaw and some of her grandchildren.

Thomas, Baby V, and Uncle David

After dinner, Rachel set up the tree and the cousins decorated.

Baby V chillin' with her cousin Will.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-06T20:14:00.007-06:00

This was our first year to carve pumpkins. Of course the kids loved it! We even roasted the seeds. The only problem was we did it too early so 2 out of the 3 pumpkins were too rotten to light on Halloween. So now we know.
On Halloween, everyone had a lot of fun getting fixed up to go out. Doing the makeup was a big highlight. For the costumes, I used a combination of stuff we had and a few new things like a pirate bandanna for Morgan and wigs for the girls. The idea for Baby V came pretty last minute as I realized she is the perfect age to dress as Raggedy Ann– just like my mom dressed me and my sisters.
We had planned to go to an event at the Petroleum Museum, but it was so swarmed when we got there that we turned back. Instead, we went with the Smiths to the Trunk or Treat at Grace Lutheran. Somehow our Halloween plans never work quite right, and we keep ending up there. It's actually a great place– plenty of candy but not too overwhelming. We had plenty of time leftover for the great candy binge of 2011 when we got home.

Matt's serial killer grip

How the pumkins looked when we lit them the first night.

Getting fixed up

At first she was afraid of it, but she let me put it on.

So adorable!

Bbay V was ridiculously cute; it just wasn't right!

We couldn't get them to tear their eyes away from the candy....the look on Emma's face says it all.

Meeting up with buddies!

Baby V and big Raggedy Ann

The line-up...we've seen this before at a few birthday parties.

The binge

Island Living

2011-10-23T20:38:00.005-05:00

After months of waiting, we finally did our big kid-free vacation. We dropped the kids off in Abilene, drove to Liberty Hill, and flew to St. Thomas for a week. We arrived on Sunday night after a grueling all-day flight schedule. We checked into Island View Guesthouse, met our hostess, and settled in.
On Monday we picked up our rental car, figured out how to drive on the left side, and commenced a driving tour of the whole island. We also did a little shopping that day and went to Morningstar Beach. On Tuesday we visited Blackbeard's Castle– which actually has nothing to do with Blackbeard– and rented a jet ski at Sapphire Beach. On Wednesday we took the ferry to St. John. It was even more beautiful than St. Thomas, and is kept mostly as a national preserve. we shopped a little, visited the ruins of a sugar mill, and then hiked about a mile to get to the beach we wanted. There are not many roads in St. John. Once we got there, we swam out to a smaller island where we had our first snorkelling experience. I almost bailed initially, but in the end decided to "be a sport". On Thursday we did a kayak tour to nearby Hassel Island. It was a 3-hr tour, though by no means as ill fated as that name suggests. We got a vigorous workout in the kayak and came home with a really outstanding sunburn. On Friday we returned to favorite, almost-private spot– Bluebeard's Beach. We had discovered it the night before. After that we spent a little more time Hull Beach, just reading & relaxing. Every day we enjoyed amazing meals comprised of mostly local seafood. The whole weeks was bliss– no working on our marriage and no car accidents!
Special thanks to Memaw & Pepaw and Papa Wes & GG for your loving care of our kids while we had our getaway.

At Hook, Line, & Sinker

Blackbeard's Castle

the jet ski

Epernay Wine Club & Bistro

At on overlook on St. John

part of the hike to the beach at St. John

In the background is the island we swam to for snorkelling

A 17/1800s fort on Hassel Island

Another fort, oldest on Hassel Island

Our kayak

At Gladys' Cafe

Our favorite beach

Udder Delite dairy bar

The Busiest Week Ever

2011-09-23T20:18:00.005-05:00

Ok, I'm finally getting this one up. Two weeks ago tonight, we had the big premiere of Matt's movie. The week leading up to this event was the busiest ever for both of us! On Tuesday, the kids & I traveled to Abilene to spend a couple days with Nathan & Jennifer, who were home from Germany. We came home Thursday evening. On Friday, I whipped things into shape as best I could in time to welcome the Griffin family. Wes & Jan attended the premiere that night whil Kate & I stayed home with our kids. On Saturday, the entire Motz family joined us. We all went to the premiere that night, while Wes & Jan watched the kids. Both nights of the premiere were a success. The event didn't sell out, but there was a good attendance. The crowds on both nights seemed to enjoy themselves and asked a lot of questions afterwards.
After church and a family lunch, we drove to Liberty Hill for yet another treamtent with Dr. Fullerton on Monday. After the appointment, our trip home included a stop at Enchanted Rock. It was a hot day so only Matt & Morgan made the tip to the top.

Uncle Nate and his "mini me"

Playing with toys at Memaw C's house.

The Q&A after the show

At the premiere...

A few of our Providence friends at the premiere

Baby V finally warmed up to Uncle Nate

Emma loves the new baby!

The Motz + Griffin group

The Griffin + Hopkins group

After Haleigh bribed Baby V with cake, they were friends.

Morgan on top of the mountain

At the mouth of the cave on top of Enchanted Rock

Midland Fair

2011-08-26T21:18:00.003-05:00

This year we decided to try out the Midland Fair. Compared to the one in Odessa it was pretty low key, which is good and bad. I did kind of miss getting an eye full of denim bustiers and 11-yr-old couples intertwined amongst the carnival rides...but I digress. Midland's expo center is new, so this is only the 2nd year we have had a fair in town. We braved 100+ degree temps for a few hours this evening. We ate dinner, visited the petting zoo, rode several rides, shared a funnel cake, and watched some bull riding.

"Little Matt's" Wedding, Meeting Evangeline, and Hamilton Pool.

2011-08-26T21:04:00.005-05:00

...and a bunch of other stuff. We went to Liberty Hill about 2 weeks ago for Matt Parker's wedding, and I'm just now getting the pics up. We drove down on Friday, met Evangeline (the kids were all quite taken with her!), went to the rehearsal dinner, and then left the kids while we squeezed in a date. On Saturday evening we all attended the wedding. Congratulations Matt & Bev!
On Sunday evening, we attempted a trip to Hamilton Pool. We arrived at 5pm only to find out it closes it 5:30 (we thought it was 6:00). Epic fail. So we ended up at the Iron Cactus at Bee Caves. And after dinner, the kids played in the little sprinkler park area nearby.
On Monday morning, Matt & I had our 2nd prolotherapy treatment with Dr. Fullerton. Then we finally made it to Hamilton Pool as it was on the way out towards Llano. The stop was worth it!

The kids love their new cousin.

"Little Matt" is a married man.

Baby V at the sprinkler park

Mercedes & Baby V

The babies at Hamilton Pool

This was not a planned part of our trip so some of us are swimming in clothes!

The waterfall was just a sprinkle overhead, but the spring-fed pool was seemingly bottomless.

Abilene Trip (and bonus videos!)

2011-08-07T15:53:00.003-05:00

We have a couple of pics from last weekend's trip to Abilene. The kids enjoyed their first Grandma Motz style shopping trip. You can bet that made a big impression on them!
Also included in this post are two somewhat recent videos that have already debuted on FB, but are now making their official blog appearance. We have the one of V "praying" and demonstrating a few of her words, including Morgan, Emma, oh man, and obey. And then the video of Morgan & Emma's Psalm 19 recitation. We worked on this for over 2 months. There are still a few bugs to works out, but I wanted to get it on video before it was too late.

The great grandparents

Grandparents

July Vacation

2011-07-18T12:04:00.006-05:00

We just got back from a week in south-central Texas. Our first stop was in Uvalde, where we visited some important Matthews/Griffin family sites. From there we went to Concan to spend the next two days with the entire Griffin tribe. The river looked pretty sad, but the swimming hole at Neal's still provided lots of fun. On Tuesday evening, we left for phase two of the vacation: San Antonio. There we took in the zoo, kiddie park, hotel pool, a few restuarants, Tower of the Americas, Imax theater (Cars 2 in 3D), and the Alamo.

Outside a restuarant in Uvalde.

Morgan looks like he's ready for battle with some river creature...

Morgan loves his cousin Sylvia.

All the kids from Emma on up got their own walking stick...all of which had to be promptly confiscated.

the baby girls...

Viola, loving the water as usual.

I couldn't believe Morgan mustered up the nerve to jump off.

...Since he did it, I had to follow.

This is my favorite! Look at that pose.

Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Aggie (from Jan's side of the family) were passing through, so we met for lunch.

The kids had at least as much fun on the tubes out of the river as they did in it...

Seriously, we're talking hours of fun in a pile of floaties.

A little bit of coloring time

We're looking at the hippos underwater.

Proof that daddy was here...

...and again at the Tower of the Americas.

We've all kind of had it here, plus the kids aren't loving all the pigeons hovering all around.

We killed a little time at the Disney store before the movie.

Unfortunately, the random stranger we selected didn't know how to focus the camera.

Recent Fun

2011-07-03T17:00:00.005-05:00

Here's a little photo & video compilation from the past month. We've had a busy summer, and it's going to get crazier from here on.

Here we are enjoying the Griffin nacho tradition on our 2nd night of watching The Fellowship of the Ring.

Emma & Viola are really close...here's Emma reviewing the ABCs with V.

And here they are in action, feeding the baby.

Emma graduated to a booster seat soon after her 4th birthday. It makes the car seem much roomier.

The kids have been doing a lot of swimming, and they usually dry off with a little time on the "relaxing swing" as they call it.

Here we are ready for our 10th anniversary date.

Swim Lessons

2011-06-18T21:25:00.006-05:00

We took the kids to the COM center for their first swim lessons. They had a 30 min class M-Th for two weeks. They were both a little bit scared. Emma was especially afraid at first, and spent most of the first lesson clinging to the teacher's neck. After that, she warmed up a little. She ended up passing the first level and Morgan passed three levels. They both had a great time, especially on "pirate day", the last day of class. They got to jump off the diving board and swing on the rope swing. They''ll definitely need a few refreshers courses, so we plan to go for another round in September.

kicking with the dumbell

Morgan learning to float

Emma's toes say it all...she's a little freaked right now!

Morgan refused help and jumped off like he'd been doing it all his life.

Emma had to be dropped off the edge every time...

...but she always came up with a huge grin!

Baby Talk

2011-06-12T14:22:00.001-05:00

I got a video sample of V's baby talk yesterday. She sounds a lot like Morgan did at this age. I've tried to capture her praying, but that hasn't worked out so far.

Cuteness Explosion!

2011-05-30T09:44:00.008-05:00

I hope you're all ready for an onslaught of cuteness! We braved the 100 degree temps last night to do Emma's portraits at the park. This time Matt took all the shots while I helped with posing a little. Afterwards, we had a picnic and the kids enjoyed some playtime.

Grandparents, we will be sending you the digital files so you can make your own prints. It's going to be a tough decision because they're all pretty adorable, if I do speak from a biased perspective...

She's changed a lot since last year, lost the baby look....

This is one of my favorites!

We had to include this one...she's a little bit concerned because it's "slippery".

tree hugger!

Emma's Party

2011-05-23T08:50:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, we had Emma's birthday party. It was princess themed for the 3rd year in a row, and I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time. This year I bought the cake iced and bordered, so I just had to decorate the top with flowers and princesses. I have to say I was pretty pleased with this compromise. Emma dressed in her Belle costume for the party. We had both sets of grandparents, Aunt Kate & Mercedes, the Smiths, the Turners (our neighbors from a few houses down), and Kate (a new girl at church). Our house was very full!

The bi-annual "couch shot" of all kids in attendance.

One of Emma's new costumes.

Emma's 4th Birthday

2011-05-19T10:16:00.003-05:00

Emma is 4 years old today! We woke her up with a "happy birthday" song, had cinnamon toast for breakfast, and let her open her gifts from us & from Grandma Motz. She got a "Miss Weather" set, Cinderella bride doll, princess pajama set, and Minnie Mouse purse. From Grandma she got a bigger pool for the backyard & a mermaid toy to go with it. She is now wearing one of her favorite dresses; and for lunch, she has chosen to go to Double Dave's. It's a good day!

Minnie Mouse purse

Cinderella bride doll

"Miss Weather" dress-up doll

Baby V was a little afraid of all the tearing paper.

Goodbye Blue Blanket

2011-05-01T15:53:00.003-05:00

We swaddled Morgie in this blanket when he was a newborn. It is little more than a faded rag now, and we packed it away today. it's a sad day...probably sadder for me than even for Morgan. R.I.P. blue blanket.

To the Sandhills!

2011-05-01T15:48:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday evening (Easter), we decided on a spontaneous trip to the sand hills in Monahans. We packed a quick picnic supper and, depsite a flat tire on the way, made it to the dunes at about 7:00. The kids got in some hard playing, and Matt captured the sunset photos he wanted. We brought home three very tired, sandy, and weepy babies at about 9:30 that night.

Easter Videos

2011-05-01T15:43:00.002-05:00

Mini Vacation to Liberty Hill

2011-04-20T10:06:00.005-05:00

We finally made it to Liberty Hill this past weekend. While there, the kids enjoyed plenty of playtime with Mercedes and exploration in the woods. Matt & I had a great date on Saturday night at the Iron Cactus & Alamo Drafthouse. We also had a few photo sessions of course. On the way home on Sunday, we stopped by Inks Lake. What started as just a look quickly turned into a swimming session– clothes and all. Afterwards, we tried to stop by the Mansfield Dam but found it closed to public access.

Baby V Is Finally WalkingI

2011-04-11T16:28:00.003-05:00

As you know, Viola has been very serious about her walker toy for the past week or two. And then she finally did it! That little stinker took her first steps on her own on Friday night, while I was out with Emma. We got her to perform a little bit for us today.

Impromtu Carlsbad Getaway

2011-04-07T18:31:00.005-05:00

On Friday of last week, Matt said, "We should do something special with the kids tomorrow...maybe a movie or something..." And somehow that turned into a quick trip to Carlsbad Caverns. It was a trip which turned out to be a bit longer than we had anticipated- we left at 10am and dragged ourselves home at 9:30pm– but was worth the time. We did the "Big Room" tour, which involved about 2 hrs of walking. But thankfully, we went down via elevator and spared ourselves the steep descent. The kids were very excited, but it did wear them out. In fact, if you look closely at the last picture, you can see that Emma is wailing as I drag her up the path. Viola was living the sweet life, riding high on Daddy's back all day.
After the Caverns, we drove to the town of Carlsbad and had some really spicy Mexican food at Lucy's.

Baby V is 15 months old

2011-04-06T16:46:00.003-05:00

Well, she's still not walking on her own. But she has recently begun zipping around with her walker. As you will see from the video, she is plenty agile enough for walking– she's just a big faker!
She is also giving big hugs, saying a few new words ("sister","brother", "amen"), and scribbling with crayons. These pics were taken a couple weeks ago. The video is from a few days ago.

Rembrandt Film Festival in Dallas

2011-03-21T20:11:00.003-05:00

While I was in Austin for SXSW I was notified that my film Open When Johnny Can Read had been accepted into the Rembrandt Film Festival in Dallas and had received the award for Best Narrative Feature. We decided to make a round ten days out of our trip and Ashleigh and I took off for Dallas from Abilene on Friday. The Festival was held at the Dallas Convention Center on Saturday, March 19th. The film was well-received by the audience (small though it was) and we had a great Q&A session afterward. Venus Monique and Kari Jones were able to travel up to receive the award with me as well. I also had my family there (Mom, Dad, Sister) and my sister's friend Melissa and her husband.

Spring Break in Abilene & Paris

2011-03-21T17:10:00.004-05:00

The kids and I headed to Abilene while Matt went down to SXSW. We were supposed to spend Thurs-Sun in Abilene and then join him in Liberty Hill. But things didn't go exactly as planned. We found out on Saturday that Aunt Gerri died the night before. That meant the kids and I traveled to Paris on Sunday night. We had the funeral and big family dinner on Monday, then returned to Abilene on Tuesday. Just a few hours after our return, we got big news from Matt about his acceptance into a film festival in Dallas. That meant further traveling to Dallas for the weekend (while the kids remained in Abilene). We returned from Dallas on Sunday, picked up the kids, and made it home to Midland just before bedtime.
In between all the long drives, we squeezed in two trips to the children's museum, Six Flags for me & my sisters, picnics, artwork at the literature museum, bike rides, and other fun stuff.

We had Chick-fil-A in Pepaw's office building on Friday.

Pepaw's office is on the top floor.

Morgan & Emma working at Pepaw's desk.

Viola making herself at home on Pepaw's office floor.

In front of the Titan ride...

The kids cozied up in the bed at Darenda's house.

the "kids" table!

Viola's special spot in the corner.

Emma is loving this...

...and this!

These kids are all related somehow, just don't ask me to explain it.

Matt at SXSW 2011

2011-03-20T21:21:00.004-05:00

While Ashleigh and the kids stayed in Abilene, I went down to SXSW 2011 Interactive and Film Conference in Austin, TX. I stayed with Papa Wes and Gigi in Liberty Hill for the week and traveled every day back and forth from the convention center as I've done for the past four years or so. The plan was to have Ash and the kids meet up with me half way through but the unexpected death of Ashleigh's great aunt required an extra trip to Paris, TX for Ashleigh and the kids and they weren't able to make it down this time. Here are a few photos from my time in Austin. I got to meet Danny Devito, Rosario Dawson, Carla Gugino, Rainn Wilson, and Ellen Paige. Ash will post a separate blog for her Abilene and Paris Trip.

During my stay in Austin I was also able to visit my Grandma in New Braunfels. On my last evening at my folk's house I went out with Kate, Ryan, Mercedes, and Mom and Dad to a little restaurant in Liberty Hill called Dahlia's.

Shooting Rockets in the Park

2011-02-26T14:21:00.002-06:00

Today we decided that it was finally warm enough and still enough to shoot off the rocket we've been working on over the last couple of months. So Morgan, Emma, and I (Daddy) loaded up this morning and headed out for the park at Abel Jr. High. As you can see the rocket was hand painted by Morgan and Emma and they also helped assemble it. We had three successful launch/recovery cycles each initiated by a countdown chorus that had other picnicking families looking on suspiciously. Lots of fun!

Building Projects

2011-02-20T19:59:00.003-06:00

I know it's been a long time since we posted; things have been pretty uneventful around here I guess. But I thought I'd present a small collection of pictures of recent building projects. Morgan has been building away with wooden blocks, Legos, and whatever else he can find. And on Saturday, Matt helped him with his first real woodworking project. Morgan called it a "dog house" for his new stuffed dog, but it's become more of a mini playhouse.

Viola's Portraits

2011-01-20T16:47:00.006-06:00

We got Viola's 1 year portraits made this week, and they turned out great of course. Baby V is just as photogenic as her older siblings. Grandparents, let us know which prints you want.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

Happy Birthday, Baby V!

2011-01-10T14:59:00.004-06:00

Baby V turned 1 last Thursday...not such a baby anymore. My mom came down for our little family party. I made the traditional Motz family 1-year-old cake. I don't know why I didn't make it for the first two kids. This time I had to do it since it was my last chance.
Viola loved her cake and even tried to imitate us singing "Happy Birthday". But I think her favorite thing was the cheerio necklaces made for her by Morgan and Emma.

Christmas Time is Here (and Gone)!

2011-01-02T14:53:00.006-06:00

I just realized yesterday that I hadn't completed the Christmas blog! Another holiday has come and gone. This year we spent Christmas in Abilene. We returned to Midland on the 26th and hosted the Griffin grandparents the next evening. Thanks everyone for a special celebration!

Ahhh...the classic fit in front of the Christmas tree...

...a tradition started by Jansen and carried on by Stefan, both of whom finally know how to pose for a picture!

Opening the stockings

Baby V's first gift...Pat the Bunny book and stuffed toy.

She fell in love with her new bunny.

Memaw C. as Santa Claus.

Oooo...presents....

Christmas with the Griffins

Baby V's adorable new bib

GiGi as Santa Claus

Another fit in front of the tree...

The Belle costume...glorious.

Total Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-22T18:14:00.002-06:00

Ashleigh and I were up in the wee hours of the morning on December 21st to watch the total lunar eclipse. We were fortunate enough to have clear skies and a good camera. These photos were taken with my Canon 7d on a 18-200mm lens.

Christmas Cookies 2010

2010-12-19T19:12:00.004-06:00

We made cookies on Thursday night. This year, the kids played a much bigger role in the decorating process, so their bodies were at least as decorated as the cookies were!

Baby V played with cookie cutters.

Emma directs the proceedings.

Morgan with his hot chocolate and cookie (and frosted eyebrow!)

Party Weekend

2010-12-12T19:41:00.008-06:00

Yesterday we did Morgan's official party. We had the Griffins and Motzs down for the occasion. Just about the same crowd of friends showed up this year as do every year, except that we were missing the Goodman family. Thanks to everyone who came; and special thanks to Mom and Jan, who helped me so much with prep and cleanup.

"Cookin' Its"

My creation this year wasn't as difficult as last year's.

Morgie's birthday buddy, Caleb– they were born on each other's due dates.

Too many cooks in the kitchen!

Don't they llok adorable? Why couldn't we get smiles like this for our Christmas pictures?

5 Years and Going Strong...

2010-12-08T10:05:00.003-06:00

Five years ago we became parents for the first time...and started this blog to document the journey. Morgan Wesley is 5 yrs old today. He is a delightful son and loving big brother. We're so proud of him!

Quick Trip to Abilene (and BIG photo shoot!)

2010-12-05T14:34:00.008-06:00

The kids had the first of several Christmas celebrations this past weekend in Abilene. Since Nathan & Jennifer are leaving for Germany very soon, we came in for a quick visit on Friday night, and returned home Saturday night. On Friday we went to Shannon's school musical ("Hello Dolly"). On Saturday, we opened gifts with Nate & Jennifer then embarked on a massive photo shoot project. Matt was our photographer, and of course the results are professional grade! We took hundreds, but here are just a few...

We all helped decorate Mom & Dad's tree.

Morgan with Uncle Nate & Aunt Jennifer.

The kids were almost hypnotized as they watched the gifts being opened...
...I've never seen Emma sit this still.

We took the shots with Memaw & Pepaw at home.

This is in the chapel at ACU.

The sibs.

The married couples.

Our album cover...

Baby V loves to give kisses– can't believe we caught this!

We got one with Morgie since he'll be 5 this week.

Morgan's Birthday Portraits

2010-12-05T14:30:00.004-06:00

OK, family, it's time to get your orders in. Here are Morgan's 5-yr-old portraits, labeled alphabetically. Please tell me which ones, what sizes, and how many you would like.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T20:40:00.005-06:00

We just got back a couple days ago from our whirlwind Thanksgiving tour. We spent Tuesday night, Wednesday, and half of Thursday with the Motz family in Abilene. Then we drove to Liberty Hill that evening. On Friday we drove to San Antonio for a day with the Griffin extended family. We spent Saturday back in Liberty hill, and we drove home on Sunday.

"Cooking Its"

In typical Motz fashion we had to have a photo with props– in this case, a turkey leg.

Yes, I made them all wear Thanksgiving hats...they aren't old enough to complain too much.

Baby V's 1st Thanksgiving dinner.

This year's photo session was surprisingly painless.

6 of the 10 Griffin cousins...and almost all of them are looking at the camera.

This one was really tough to get!

Wes is showing off his illustrations for a Griffin family book.

The baby girls...

Halloween 2010

2010-11-14T17:38:00.004-06:00

This post is SO late, but... here are a few pics from Halloween. There wasn't much to it this year. We went to the evening service at church, then rushed home to put on costumes. We thought there was a festival at the church across the road from us, but I guess we read the sign wrong. Maybe they had it on Saturday night, I don't know...whatever the case, when we drove up, the parking lot was empty. At this point, it was 7:30 so we raced over to a "Trunk or Treat" at the Lutheran church. It was a small affair- and it was all over in about 15 minutes- but the kids did come home with a bagful of candy. And they ate it all except a few pieces as soon as we got home.

Matt's Ordination

2010-11-01T20:18:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed a short visit from the Griffins the weekend before last in honor of Matt's ordination as deacon at Providence Presbyterian. The service was wonderful, and so was the meal afterwards! Sorry it took me so long to get these up...

It's too much to ask that we all be looking at the camera, but here we all are.

Ray Jones, Reed Gilmore, Matt, Greg Eddings, Greg Berkhouse, Pastor Mike Philliber

It's been awhile since we had one of just the two of us, so here we are...

Country Time

2010-10-14T11:07:00.006-05:00

Last weekend I took the older two kids on a whirlwind tour of Paris, TX (and surrounding communities). Matt and Viola stayed behind to prep our house for a new coat of paint.
While we were there, we visited Aunt Mildred (my great-grandfather's only surviving sister), Pyles Cemetery, my grandparents' home in Tigertown, the "dirt road" (and hay bales!), the Paris town square, and many other sites of family importance. We got together with the Roams several times, and the kids loved playing with their cousin Madison. We were also treated to a refreshing stay at James and Darenda's house just outside of town. James made his famous cinnamon toast for the kids, and they watched him work in his upholstery shop. They also went for a walk in the "forest" and did a little hunting.
The trip was a big hit, so we've decided to make it an annual October tradition.

Memaw C. and Aunt Mildred

In the barn at Aunt Mildred's house- there were chickens, ducks, and a cow & new calf

On the fence at Aunt Mildred's house

Viola Marie's grave at Pyles Cemetery

Viola Marie died on the day our Viola Marie was due.

Memaw & Pepaw with most of their grandkids.

With the great-grandkids (minus Viola)

The cousins

Our special dirt road in Tigertown

Gathering horse apples is a mjor pastime in Tigertown.

The hay bales- highlight of the trip!

Aunt Haleigh took the kids' shoes off and let them put their feet in the fountain.

A walk in the "forest"....

...and some hunting.

Vintage Viola

2010-09-20T10:16:00.003-05:00

When we were in Abilene a few weeks ago, Matt restored a couple of my family's old photos. The first one is of Viola Marie Hicks, my great-grandparents' first child, born about 1915/16 (not sure). She died at 18 months old of diptheria. Our Viola Marie is named after her.
The 2nd photo is of my great-grandparents with their second child, Ellory Oren Theodore Hicks (aka "Uncle Ted"), born a couple months after Viola's death.

The original "Baby V"

J.W., "Ted", and Maude Hicks

Labor Day Weekend In Abilene

2010-09-11T11:47:00.006-05:00

We had a "Redneck Labor Day" in Abilene, TX. The weekend was named in honor of Matt's lobster-red face and neck that were sunburned at the Abilene High football game on Saturday. Then we completed the picture by making S'mores in 90 degree weather while being entertained by Pepaw's water hose tricks. Good times!

Morgan & Emma found a playmate in Pepaw C.

Morgan made a helmet out of a watermelon while I wasn't looking.

Baby V assumes the resting position of every Motz child and grandchild so far.

Memaw C toasting her marshmallow to perfection.

Emma couldn't be happier with the results.

The sight of Morgan trying to get all of his food in his mouth at one time is a familiar one.

Baby V says, "What S'mores?"

Video Update- Mice in a Box and Baby V Waves

2010-09-11T11:45:00.001-05:00

Here are some recent videos of Baby V and the kids. Baby V turned 8 months old this week, and has learned to wave.

Griffin Weekend

2010-08-17T15:08:00.004-05:00

We enjoyed a visit from Papa Wes, GG, Aunt Kate, and Mercedes this past weekend. The kids loved playing with their cousin, especially since she can follow them all over the house now.

Baby V is now 7 months old and cuter than ever!

more of the cuteness...

Kate might not like me posting this, but it's cute...sorry Kate!

All four Grffin grandkids.

I love Mercedes' look here.

Baby V!!!

Official 6-Months-Old Photo Shoot

2010-07-26T20:28:00.004-05:00

We were a couple of weeks late getting Viola's 6-month portraits made, but we made it. Curtis, who is now our personal photographer, came to the house this time. Despite the fact that V refuses to show off a big grin for the camera, we are happy with the results. Once again, the pictures are labeled with letters so you grandparents (and greats) can choose. I hope to get them printed this week.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

4th of July in Liberty Hill

2010-07-09T14:20:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday we drove to Liberty Hill for the 4th of July weekend. On Friday, Papa Wes & GG were kind enough to babysit for us while we enjoyed date night on 6th St. On Saturday, we drove to New Braunfels to spend time with MawMaw. Sunday afternoon, we headed to the traditional Griffin spot at the San Gabriel park for fireworks. Before the show, the kids enjoyed a petting zoo, train ride, and fishing with Uncle Matt. We were also able to get some great group photos during our time there, though not without considerable wrangling!

Morgan with his great-grandma, 86 yrs old.

MawMaw with 4 of her 10 great-grandkids.

Unlce Matt handled the babies like a pro.

At least everyone is looking in the same direction!

GG with the two youngest grandkids.

I'm gonna get you, Baby V!

Our family of five...getting Emma to even look our way was near impossible, so a smile was too much to ask.

Somehow, Papa Wes captured a smile from almost everyone (so we had to steal it from his blog)!

Matt & I before the fireworks show.

Fishing with Unlde Matt- they each caught one.

At the petting zoo, which I have to admit was pretty fun!

The piglets weren't very happy, but they sure were cute.

Morgan & Emma both spent a lot of time with the bunnies.

Great-Grandparents Come to Midland

2010-06-25T14:03:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, Memaw brought Memaw & Pepaw C to visit for the day. It was their first trip out since we moved to our house on Harvard. We showed off our little garden and the great-grandkids, of course. Matt got some good pictures. I especially like the ones of Memaw C with Viola Marie.

Happy Baby and Recent Videos

2010-06-09T13:47:00.005-05:00

Happy Baby...

...and three recent videos to get you up-to-date on all the cuteness around here:

The Cutest Photo Shoot Ever

2010-06-05T14:43:00.008-05:00

This year we decided to ask Curtis to take Emma's birthday portraits. It's a lot cheaper than Sears, and we love the shots- all 300 of them! These are the best of the best...Grandparents, it's up to you to choose your favorites. Let us know which prints you want. For ease of selection, I've labeled the photos with letters of the alphabet.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Adventure in Liberty Hill

2010-05-28T17:48:00.004-05:00

Following Emma's party last weekend, the kids left with Papa Wes and GG for a week in Liberty Hill. From what I hear, it was a whirlwind of story hours, trips to the park, picnics, waffles, and playtime with cousin Mercedes. I wanted to document their adventure for our own blog, so I snatched a sampling of photos from Papa Wes' blog. Here they are....

At one of many library story hours...

Mercedes is old enough to play!

Morgan is trying to hold her, but I think she has her sights set on escape!

The kids got to pick their own fresh peaches.

Papa Wes tells great Pecos Bill stories.

GG's picnic extravaganza

I'm glad the kids have a cousin to enjoy.

Emma's 3rd Birthday, Part 2

2010-05-22T18:48:00.007-05:00

As promised, here is part 2 of Emma's birthday celebration. We were honored by the presence of Memaw, Shannon, GiGi & Papa Wes, and the Smith & Goodman families at her official party. Thirteen kids aged eight and under!

GiGi has Baby V laughing.

Emma admires her cupcakes.

The littlest girls...Viola & Chloe

All 13 kids- sort of looking at the camer!

Some of the guest waiting (impatiently) for cake.

I went the easy route this year- bought the little Belle cake and just made the cupcakes.

Great shot of Emma's candle-blowing moment.

Baby V soaks it all up.

I would not be at all surprised to find Morgan wearing this tutu in the near future!

Aunt Shannon & Morgie

Memaw and Baby V

Emma is very impressed with herself, and it has been more than a little fight to get her out of this costume ever since!

Garden 2010

2010-05-20T13:37:00.003-05:00

We've had a lot of rain recently so the plants are thriving. Matt is maintaining our vegetable garden, while I'm trying my hand at flowers for the first time. I just put in climbing roses today.

My new climbing roses.

Our vegetable garden- corn and jalapenos do especially well here. The potatoes are also looking pretty lush.

A few flowers under the fig tree- really need a few more here.

The main flower bed. It doesn't get as much sun as I originally thought. Still, the plants are growing and there are blooms on the day lilies.

Emma's 3rd Birthday, Part 1

2010-05-19T13:47:00.004-05:00

It's Emma's "real birthday" today, so we had a little family party. It's just an excuse for more cake, really. We let her open her gifts from us and from Grandma Motz. The rest are being saved for the party on Saturday. Stay tuned for Part 2!
Emma woke up with plenty of sass this morning- started out by yelling "Noooo...!" the whole time we sang Happy Birthday this morning because there was no candle to blow out afterwards. But we did get an awfully sweet video of her loving on her new Corduroy Bear that almost makes up for it all.

Corduroy book and bear.

Morgan is equally enchanted.

Emma's new princess panties!

Here she is with the Belle doll she got from Grandma Motz.

Psalm 23

2010-05-10T16:41:00.000-05:00

The kids have recently memorized the 23rd Psalm. Enjoy!

Peas in a Pod

2010-05-08T14:58:00.003-05:00

My girls

Emma is a sweet big sister.

Morgan and Emma watching "Cars".

Morgan and Viola having a little party.

4 Months Old

2010-05-06T13:37:00.003-05:00

Baby V is 4 months old today. Somehow these past months have managed to simultaneously be the fastest and slowest months of my life! Today, V had her first few tastes of rice cereal, which she neither rejected nor embraced. She sat serious and silent, as is her way. Other developments for her are pushing up on her hands when she is having tummy time, using her feet to arch her back and scoot across the carpet, sucking her thumb sometimes, and rolling front to back (this has only been accidentally accomplished twice so far).

Going outside is one of V's favorite activities.

Playpen time is super fun!

V is getting a kick out of this dangling toy.

V Laughs Out Loud

2010-04-28T12:21:00.001-05:00

Matt was telling me some kind of story last night and, for some reason, V got tickled. She started laughing so much, we had to get it on video.

Flower Garden & Daddy Time

2010-04-26T19:21:00.002-05:00

Here's a look at the new flower bed. Not much blooming yet...except for Baby V! Also included are a couple shots of V with her Daddy. He plays a little bit rough, but she doesn't seem to mind.

Breakin' Hearts Across America

2010-04-23T14:32:00.003-05:00

V is getting cuter everyday...cute enough to be "breakin' hearts across America" as her Daddy says. The first photo was taken a couple weeks ago. The last two were taken yesterday.

First day in the exersaucer...

Daddy took this one with his fancy new camera lens.

She found her thumb for the first time!

V Gets Clean

2010-04-18T19:49:00.003-05:00

Here's a glimpse of Baby V, now 14 weeks old, in the tub. Bathing is one of her favorite activities.

Baby V is 3 months old

2010-04-06T21:35:00.002-05:00

Viola is 3 months old today, and I took her to Sears for her first portrait. As it is her custom to make us work a little harder for everything, the photographers and I had to exert ourselves a bit to get a few grins (despite the fact she'd been all open-mouthed smiles earlier in the day). We finally got some nice shots.
Viola has made good progress in the last few weeks. She is now happily taking her bottle every 3 hours and sleeping through the night. Her naps are also showing slow but steady improvement. She will be going in for her first check-up later this month; but as it stands now, she weighs 16.5 lbs. according to our home scale. And she's got the length to go with that!

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T15:02:00.005-05:00

We spent a quiet Easter on our own this year- no traveling and no guests. The kids loaded up on candy from their baskets, and we enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs and banana bread before another excellent Providence worship service. After the kids woke up from their naps, we did and Easter egg hunt. Then the kids helped Daddy plant the rest of the seed in our garden while I prepared a meal for a new mom in our church.

The spread- Tacie Motz style

Emma wastes no time...

...and neither does Morgan.

Daddy offering help while Emma is probably insisting on doing it herself.

We are unsealing our oven to check out our resurrection cookies.

Showing them the "empty tomb".

The kids colored in their Beatrix Potter coloring book before church.

The silliness...

We tried this shot about 20 times...

...and these two pics made the cut.

Morgan is apparently exhausted by his egg hunting and gardening efforts.

Recent What-Not

2010-04-03T20:50:00.003-05:00

Here's a little collection of recent photos. Most are of Emma in a couple of dresses Memaw made for me when I was a little girl. The blue one was my Easter dress when I was two. The yellow one was my Easter dress when I was three. It was Emma's favorite.
The last picture is of my prepared flower bed. I plan to fill it starting next week.

Viola's Baptism

2010-03-28T14:14:00.005-05:00

Viola's baptism today was a very beautiful service. She wore the christening gown I wore when I was dedicated as a baby. Papa Wes and GG were with us to celebrate. Viola was pretty surprised when the water ran over her face, but she only cried for a minute.

Spring Break in Abilene

2010-03-21T15:39:00.004-05:00

Matt dropped us off in Abilene last Friday on his way to SXSW in Austin. We stayed until the following Thursday. The kids enjoyed trips to the park, zoo, and McDonald's. They also spent lots of time chalking on the back porch, jumping on the trampoline, and playing in the garage on the two rainy days we had.

Here they are in the zoo sign

And here I am with them

We brought a picnic along

The monkeys always put on a show.

It won't be long until they are all three drawing.

Viola enjoyed a little time outside too.

Memaw read an Easter story, then Morgan drew this.

Viola Videos

2010-03-08T15:47:00.002-06:00

Viola turned 2 months old on Saturday. Although she's no Emma, her sleep habits have improved tremendously and her schedule is more stable. And she has entered the "happy phase", smiling and cooing a lot. Here are two recent videos of her for your enjoyment.

Catechism Kids

2010-03-04T14:11:00.002-06:00

This is the section of the children's catechism we are currently working on. They are learning it really well. Of course, since I was attempting to video, they were sillier than ever. Hopefully you can understand a little of what they are saying.

Q. 31. What was the sin of our first parents?
A. Eating the forbidden fruit.

Q. 32. Who tempted them to this sin?
A. The devil tempted Eve, and she gave the fruit to Adam.

Q. 33. What befell our first parents when they had sinned?
A. Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable.

Q. 34. Did Adam act for himself alone in the covenant of works?
A. No; he represented all his posterity.

Q. 35. What effect had the sin of Adam on all mankind?
A. All mankind are born in a state of sin and misery.

Q. 36. What is that sinful nature which we inherit from Adam called?
A. Original sin.

Q. 37. What does every sin deserve?
A. The wrath and curse of God.

Q. 38. Can any one go to heaven with this sinful nature?
A. No; our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven.

Q. 39. What is a change of heart called?
A. Regeneration.

Q. 40. Who can change a sinner's heart?
A. The Holy Spirit alone.

Q. 41. Can any one be saved through the covenant of works?
A. None can be saved through the covenant of works.

Q. 42. Why can none be saved through the covenant of works?
A. Because all have broken it, and are condemned by it

Q. 43. With whom did God the Father make the covenant of grace?
A. With Christ, his eternal Son.

"Vegetable Soup" Garden 2010

2010-03-02T16:38:00.004-06:00

Work began today on our garden for this year. The kids helped Matt prepare the compost mix and fill the garden boxes. They also planted potatoes and carrots. Over the next few weeks, they will be planting much more. Zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, jalapeno peppers, okra, corn, and tomatoes are some of the things we plan to try this year.

Griffin Visit

2010-03-01T16:06:00.004-06:00

We enjoyed a very short visit from the Griffin grandparents this past weekend. They came in late Friday night and left early Sunday morning. On Saturday, while Viola and I went to a baby shower, they went with Matt and the kids to Clear Springs Cafe. Or is that Cold Springs? Cool Rivers? Anyway, it's a Griffin favorite. On Saturday night, they watched Morgan & Emma while we attempted a movie date with Viola. She shut us down so we headed back home to watch Back to the Future together.

Viola is the fattest baby ever...

...and just as happy as our other two were.

It's hard to believe she's only 7 weeks old.

Here she is in the famous cradle.

The Big Snow

2010-02-27T17:05:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week, we got the biggest snow we've had in Midland since the first year we we here. It was probably 4-6 inches of accumulation. The kids finally got their snowman. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, someone had demolished it .

Emma's 1st haircut

2010-02-19T13:11:00.003-06:00

Matt took Morgan & Emma for a haircut this morning. It was Emma's first real haircut- besides the buzz we gave her when she was about 4 months old.

Recent Stuff

2010-02-15T19:22:00.003-06:00

Here is an assortment of photos from the last week...finally some of Viola with her Daddy and siblings. Both kids are really sweet with her. There's also one photo taken today of me, Viola, and Dawn at out last visit. Viola now weighs 13 lbs, 2 oz and is starting to coo a little bit. She likes singing and watching the fish above her swing.

One Month Old

2010-02-06T20:09:00.002-06:00

Viola Marie is one month old today. Her first month was kind of a doozy for both of us, but it looks like things are starting to settle down now. She is eating well and sleeping better almost every day. And at least once a day we're able to coax a smile out of her- we even managed to capture one for a picture.

Bathtime in the Sink

2010-01-31T14:52:00.003-06:00

These photos were taken last week on Thursday when Viola was 3 weeks, 1 day old. She keeps pretty quiet in the "bathtub", which is the sink for now. It won't be long before she outgrows it.

"The Cow" by Robert Louis Stevenson

2010-01-25T13:57:00.005-06:00

Morgan and Emma have learned another poem. Here they are reciting it together.

The Cow

The friendly cow, all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple tart.

She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;

And blown by all the winds that pass,
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.

Morgan's Writing

2010-01-22T14:59:00.003-06:00

Morgan has become very interested in writing lately. I have shown him how to make some of the letter; others he has just figured out how to do on his own. A few days ago, he wrote his name and then Emma's and Viola's names. After that he asked me how to spell "big brother". I added the lines on his easel to guide him a little- everything else he did on his own.

Viola's Birth Story

2010-01-19T10:47:00.004-06:00

Much of this story is taken from the note I posted on Facebook, but I wanted to record a few additional details here...

I knew that going into labor naturally would be exciting, but I definitely underestimated the magnitude of the surprise. I prepared myself for a nice, medium-length labor- a sensible 8 to 10 hour ordeal. I assembled a tool bag of mental techniques and physical props to assist the process. And I carefully coached myself not to expect anything to happen until at least 40, or even 41 weeks, had passed. So carefully in fact, that when labor began, I nearly missed it. For weeks leading up to the birth, I felt increasingly painful pre-labor contractions. Sometimes I would get excited that this could be "it", but I trained myself to set wishful thinking aside. I didn't want to be too disappointed if I went overdue.

Wednesday morning, the morning of the birth, appeared to be just another practice run. I felt hard contractions and jotted down a few times to see if they were forming a pattern. For some reason, I believed that true labor would exhibit a rigidly ordered progression with contractions at 25 minutes apart, then 24, 23, and so on. When I saw that my contractions were jumping around between 15 and 30 minutes apart, I dismissed the whole thing. I took the kids to Target and then made lunch. A little before 2:00 pm, I called my mom to tell her about the contractions I had that morning. I told her I didn't think anything real was happening but she might want to be sure her bag was packed just in case. As we were talking, I felt my water break.

It wasn't as big a gush of fluid as I thought it would be, so I still wasn't certain. I called Dawn anyway. She told me that over the next 2-3 hours the contractions would likely move to 10 minutes apart, at which time I should call her back. I called mom back and told her not to rush. In my imagination, the contractions were still 20+ minutes apart. In reality, they were never separated by more than 15 minutes after my water broke. After calling Dawn and Matt, I threw myself into a frenzy of household chores. I cleaned my bathroom, swept the kitchen and dining room, and fretted over the kids' overnight bags. I figured Viola would arrive maybe 8-10 pm. Sometime around 2:30, despite contractions that were already less about 8 minutes apart, I told my friend Faith that I still planned to make pancakes for dinner! But by 3:15, I began to feel more urgent. I called Matt again to ask, "You're coming home, right?" He arrived around 3:30, and Dawn came sometime before 4:00. The contractions were manageable up to this point because I was busy and because there was such a nice break in between each one. In fact, the break between pains was so relaxing, I would even begin to fool myself that the next one wasn't coming.

We had established "plan A" and "plan B" childcare for the kids- I was adamant that a "family birth" was out of the question- but it happened so quickly we couldn't get reach anyone in time. When the kids got up from their naps at 4:00, we confined them to their room. Between then and about 4:30 Matt ran back and forth taking care of me, filling the birth pool, and serving the kids their snack. I sat in the living room with Dawn while she led me through some relaxation exercises. After 4:30, the pain intensified and I could no longer let Matt out of my sight for more than a couple of minutes. When I moved into the birthing pool at 5:00, we put the kids in the playroom at the back of the house.

Just before entering the pool, I felt the first inklings that Viola was making her descent. After entering the pool I enjoyed about 5-10 minutes of relief. I think it would have been a helpful tool if I had had a longer labor. As it turned out, I moved into the transition period almost immediately. After that, nothing could help me. Labor was like a freight train moving full speed through my body. I dilated from 8 to 10 cm in a few minutes. At this point, I had a very strong urge to turn back, as if I could somehow call the whole thing off. I remember telling Matt, "I don't want to do this." I had imagined the need to push would be a sensation I could control, but was a little alarmed to find how forceful and involuntary it was. The mental imagery and other techniques I had planned flew out the window. I clung to Matt's neck and survived because I had to.

Viola was born at 5:33 pm, and I felt overpowering relief. A few minutes after she was placed on my chest, we brought the kids into the room. How sweet to have them with us to greet her right away- I'm thankful God knows what we want and need better than we do. Nine minutes after the birth, my mom rushed in. None of us were ready. If I had been rushing to the hospital, I probably would have been one of those women who delivers on the sidewalk.

There were so many things I loved about this experience. I was cared for by someone who became a trusted friend over the course of the pregnancy. Because of this personal care, I actually felt like I was having a baby this time instead of undergoing a procedure. Matt and I were able to do something truly important together. The wonder and mystery of birth- elements stripped away by the modern hospital atmosphere- were restored to us.

Viola's Progress

2010-01-13T19:32:00.004-06:00

I thought we'd better do a quick update now that we've come to the end of Viola's first week. We had plenty of company and lots of help. My mom arrived just 9 minutes after Viola's arrival (so close!) and stayed with us until this morning. Papa Wes and GG came to town Thursday morning, the day after the birth. They stayed with us until Friday afternoon. On Saturday, my Dad and sister came to spend one day. We had a few hard days of adjustment, but things began to turn around starting on Sunday. After Dad and the girls returned to Abilene, it was just us and my mom. We couldn't have made it without her. We said good bye to her this morning and then loaded everyone up for out first family outing. We dropped Matt's car off at the mechanic then had lunch at Michael's.

1/9/10, 3 days old

1/11/10, first shampoo

getting her hair did!

5 days old

I can hardly tell the difference between her and Morgan at this age, especially in this picture!

my mom with all her grandchildren

We tried to get a group shot at Michael's...unfortunately this was the best we could do before the camera ran out of batteries.

The Birth of Viola Marie - January 6th 2010

2010-01-07T09:10:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, a little after 2pm, Ashleigh called me in the middle of a meeting to tell me that her water had broken and labor was starting. Since we had decided to have Viola at home, there was no rush to get home—we still had plenty of time. I finished up the meeting and made a few phone calls. Finally, around 3:30 I headed home. Dawn, our midwife, made it to the house at 4:00 and at 5:30 on January 6th 2010, after only three hours of labor, Viola Marie emerged in a birthing pool in her own room. We are so thankful for God's protection and for providing Dawn to hold our hands through the process. Viola is a whopping 9lbs. 4oz. and 21in. long. Ashleigh and Viola are both doing very well. We're all resting now and enjoying being home together.

Here's a few post-birth photos (the process was too fast for pre-birth photos).

Sandhills 10K

2010-01-02T12:58:00.003-06:00

At one of our trips to the sand hills in Monahans this summer, Matt commented that it would be a fun site for a run. So when we received a brochure for the Inaurural Sandhills 5K/10K not long after that, he couldn't resist. Only the sheer enormity of my belly restrained me from competing this time. We got up early this morning for the drive. It was sunny and calm with temperatures in the thrities- perfect racing weather. Matt chose to compete in the 10K race, and enjoyed a challenging, scenic course through the sand dunes. He placed 2nd in his age group. The kids were excited to cheer him on; Emma even broke free and attempted to run to Daddy as he neared the finish.

Christmas in Midland

2009-12-28T11:29:00.005-06:00

Due to the close proximity of Viola's arrival, we celebrated Christmas with both sides of the family at our house this year. The Motz family arrived Monday to spend that night and the next. On Monday night we toured the Grasslands neighborhood to enjoy all the lights. Afterwards we watched A Christmas Story. "Not a finger!" quickly took its place among all our other traditional family sayings. On Tuesday evening we opened our gifts. Among many other things, the kids opened Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip dolls.
After the Motz departure on Wednesday morning, the Griffin family arrived that evening to spend two nights with us. On Christmas Eve, Jan and I spent most of the day taking turns in the kitchen as we prepared the holiday meal. Thanks to her help it went very smoothly and the food turned out great. I even made monkey bread for the first time. That night the kids opened a couple of gifts including pajamas and a laughing puppy dog from Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Aggie. You can see from the picture below that they aren't quite sure what to make of it. After the kids went to bed, we watched It's a Wonderful Life.
On Christmas morning we slept in until about 8:00. The kids looked at their stockings as soon as they got up, and I made pancakes. After breakfast, the real extravaganza began. The kids got more stuff than the law allows! And we got some great stuff as well. Thank you to both families for a special time and for all the thoughtful gifts.

We'll Be Eating Christmas Cookies for a Fortnight

2009-12-11T20:12:00.004-06:00

Christmas cookie night is now officially an annual family tradition at the Griffin house. As of tonight, we've churned out three expertly decorated batches of cookies in as many years. Morgan is now old enough to remember the last cookie baking extravaganza and, in fitting fashion, informed us every time we deviated from the previous year's proceedings. I, of course, was there to enjoy the fun but someone has to operate the camera. (As a side note, we just finished reading the complete works of Beatrix Potter for the second time. Any perceived reflection of her writing style in this post is purely coincidental.)

Morgan's 4th Birthday Bash

2009-12-05T15:53:00.002-06:00

For Morgan's 4th birthday party we did a Prince Phillip theme. Prince Phillip cakes aren't available at supermarkets so I labored over a shield cake for 2+ hours the night before. We had at least a dozen kids present. Morgan had a great time with all of his friends. Thanks to my mom and mom-in-law for all their help!