Oops I did it again.  Too close to midnight so I will just tell you Jessica was born August 2, 1976 and was followed 2 years and 9 days later,  August 11, 1978 by Joe Jr..  Sorry kiddos! Mom stays up too late! Love you  Both!

     First let me correct Jessica's birth date. I was typing the last entry close to midnight without noticing the time so it showed up as August 3 for her birthday. But she was born on August 2, 1976. My bicentinial baby. Two years and nine days later along came Joe Jr. I prefer to call him Joey, but her prefers I don't do it in public so shhhh! Now this child was not an easy birth and I told the doc with the drugs to knock me out! Now! Right now! Not in a minute! Now! And he complied. So after being awake with Jessica this was really different. I awoke to this long skinny red baby in an isolet and asked who the ughly baby was.  Now he was not an ughly baby as my husband quickly reminded me and I saw it was true as my husband explained.  And he reminded me "He is my son and he is beautiful!" And I got past the pain and saw yes he was beautiful and so was my husband  AND the whole world around me. This son of mine only out weighed my 7 lb 7 oz Jessica by 4 oz.  But her short little 19 inch body made that 7 lb 7 oz seem significantly  more than the 7 lb 11 oz. on my whopping 21 and 1/4 inch long boy. And after this experience I looked at my husband and said no more! And I have forever wished I had more. They are the loves of my life. Now if one would just get me a grand child before I meet my maker.

     Now Joe was one of the smartest little guys and I say that not because he was mine but because others saw it too.  He figured out crib toys and became bored with them as fast as we replaced them.  He talked way before he could walk.  In fact at his one year appointment he told the nurse who gave him a tine test "ouch that hurt" and visualize that with a mean glare. The doctor imediatly said"Well we can skip from single words to full sentences for this one!"  He talked constantly. He sat in his high chair and entertained anyone who would listen. He went fishing in the big boats in the big waters. To this day we still don't know where he saw big boats and big waters. He was my best buddy. Followed me around and told me how pretty my creations were. It went like this " Mommy that Pretty! Did you make? Can I make too? At kindergarden pre enrollment he was asked to draw a man. He drew a horse with a man on and and flipped the paper over ready to draw a snoopy. Which he loudly voiced to the person testing him. She said "Wow he really likes to draw and he is good at it! We just wanted to see if he could make a stick figure." Since kindergarden was tested a year early, he wasn't quiet 4.  As an artist he is tempermental and sometimes I want to kick him in his rear. But then he is so charismatic. He just draws people to him. One of those people who never lacks for friends.  Always had a girlfriend and more waiting if something happeded to that one. I am so in awe of him and Jessica too. I can't believe that I had a hand in creating such wonderful people.  Happy Birthday Joe! I love you.

Today my first baby turned 32 years old. She was the one that first turned a care free young woman into a mother.  And having that first baby pretty much smacks the selfishness out of even the most carefree young person. We were just babies ourselves I was almost nineteen and he was almost 20 when we got married and 2 years later in the same month God blessed us with this beautiful child. I went into labor at 6.00 in the morning and made my husband go to work. But he wisely made the decision to check on me at lunch. I kept delaying until he convinced me to get the show on the road at 3.00pm.  At 6:01pm same day she popped into the world and popped her fist in her mouth ready for someone to bring on the grub.  And this beautiful child of mine has been a blessing everyday of her life. When I was in the hospital for 2 and  1/2 months with my leg she was right there bossing the nurses about taking care of her Mom. Now neither one of my two children are married and I don't have grand babies. The said daughter, who is named Jessica Renee' is seeing a guy that she has been engaged to twice.  Now he thinks his time clock is ticking for baby making and she wants to make sure he is really prince charming. Now he is a gorgeous hunk of man, loves God, can quote the Bible to you and is well settled with his own home. Shucks if I wasn't already married, I would marry him.  He is the whole package. Now I really wouldn't marry him, I think that might be too disturbing for even me. I think she just is having a hard time letting go of her freedom. Now she loves kids and even after spending a lot of her grown up years in college she tossed it all to be a nanny. And go figure it pays better than her career  would and has better benefits. Things have always happened like that for her.

Now back to her birthday.  I always let my children make a  request for dinner on their birthdays.  Now this time it was a lunch.  She had a dinner date with said boy friend.  Now keep in mind she could have chosen a lot of food items and Dad would have run out where ever for it.  But she chose-------drum roll------ my home made salmon patties, home made version of a Rich and Charlies salad, corn nuggets, and my home made strawberry cup cakes. And yes out of my old hillbilly mouth came salmon patties, not crouquets, croquets or what ever fancy folk call them.  I ate mine with ranch dressing using my fingers. There I said it.  Anyway I was once famous for my cupcakes. For  every party they had, for what ever reason I made these cupcakes.  Half strawberry and half chocolate.  And the children raved over my cup cakes and came back until the left overs where gone. But please don't tell these silly kids that those were made out of a box cake and canned icing from our local store. Now I intended to show you a picture of this lovely food, but someone said I am hungry I am going to snack. Next thing I know there was one salmon patty and some shriveled lettuce, pimento and artichoke hearts left in the bottom of the salad bowl.

Now I don't have pictures ready today of my newborn baby. But the one I am going to show is of she and I at a St Judes bikathon. Nine years old and she rode 61 miles. For those poor sick babies like cousin Dustin, she kept reminding us. I didn't want her to do it because she had a heart murmur. But the Doc said let her do, but make sure someone is there for her. And I was like duh! But any way God blessed my big hearted little girl and after that bikathon her heart murmur disappeared. Now explain that one away non believers!  Any way Happy Birthday my lovely child.  I treasure you, your brother and your Dad.