Happy New Year!!

Good bye 2008 ... Hello 2009

As many of you know 2008 has been a blessed year for the Rakestraw family. I hope it has been for you as well. As we say goodbye to 2008 lets look back at some of the wonderful things that have happened
1) Travis got his pilots license
2) Chase and Skylar successfully welcomed their baby sister into the world
3) Live to see another day and lets pray this continues after January 21st!

With all the crappy things that have happened this year, ie stock market basically crashing, new president elected blablabla we need to be thankful for things that happened in retrospect to these... Gas prices Finally went down and there's a new page being written for the history books "First African American elected President."

We, the Rakestraw's have had to say goodbye to a very dear loved one. Meemommie will greatly be missed! We have also been blessed this year in welcoming Mason (Tim and Kimberly's son) and Britain into the famiy.

So as we finish this chapter in our lives in the next couple of hours and reflect on the great, yet some sad, things that has changed us for ever, I pray that God has blessed you, your family and loved ones as he has blessed mine. God bless and Happy New Year!

Rakestraw Annual Christmas

Sunday was our Annual Rakestraw Family Christmas dinner and gift exchange, for the kids anyway. We all had a great time and ate WAY to much. Unfortunately, this year we were missing the reason the Rakestraw family even exists, Meemommie. She left us to be with her maker back on October 23rd and we all miss her dearly. She was worried that when she left us we wouldn't continue the Annual Christmas party but there are too many of us that won't let that happen. It's because of her that the family is even here, we owe it to here to keep the tradition alive. The three boys are getting older and at least one of them is getting more "Bah-humbugish" but there are new and old members that are more than willing to spend a few hours with each other once a year.
There are more pictures on my facebook if you are interested. We eat, drink and be merry like most families but it's one of my favorite days of the year. I married into a great family!

Christmas 2008

Here are this years Christmas photos

My new Mantle

As some of you know, last year we had to tear down the wall and my mantle due to a leak around the fireplace at the ceiling. So last Christmas we didn't have a mantle to put the stocking up, it was just a whole in a brand new wall. We didn't have a mantle all year, it's been a busy year and there were other more important things on the list to be done around here.

I told Travis before Thanksgiving that he was to complete my mantle after the turkey holiday because I didn't have a mantle last year and I wasn't going to go another Christmas without one.

It use to be a brick hearth and was brick going up along side the old mantle. It is now done and gorgeous. I am so happy with it and can't wait to find something very large to decorate over it. A nice big flat screen would be nice, hehe. Any body have any suggestions?

The kitchen floor is next to be tiled since we just had to buy a wet saw thing-a-ma-jig to cut the tiles with for this project, whatever!

7 weeks and 4 days old

Well, I've had enough of this being awake until 3 or 4 in the morning crap. Last night we, me, was doing some research on line to figure out what to do. I didn't have this problem with the other two.

So last night we started a "Routine" and I am exhausted. We got a bath at 7:30 and at 8pm we were in the crib. Yes, the crib. She slept for about an hour, then for the next hour I was going back and forth putting the passy back in and patting the back and rocking the crib. Needless to say all of this went on until 4:15 this morning and she finally passed out until Travis came in to wake us up at 7am (I'm pooped). I kept her up until 11:30 this morning and made her take a nap, in the crib (yay go me) until 2:30. Now if I can keep her up until 7:30 ish or so tonight, take a bath and go to bed maybe we'll have a "routine" in play.

She weighs a ton, Travis made the comment that his thumbs don't touch when you hold her up under her arms. I haven't gotten on the scale with her lately but she goes back to the doc on Dec 22. As you can see in the picture, she is holding her head up very well. She was doing it from birth but she doesn't doddle it anymore. Now if I can only get rid of the pootin'.