Halle Irish Feagin

Hello,

Most of you know that our baby "GIRL" had to make an early entrance into the world. I will make a detailed post when I am not so tired and in so much pain. For now pictures have been requested by many so, I am posting a few to date. Halle is in the NICU and expected to be there for awhile. Here are some of her first photos.
Enjoy,
Love to all,
J
Meet Halle Irish Feagin
August 15, 2009 4:10pm.
5lbs. 14oz. 19 1/4 inches

Utah Photo Montage

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Home Again...........

Well, the vacation has come to an official end. We have been home a full week now.We rolled in last Saturday night about 9pm after two 11.5 hour days bookin it home. Once the horse heads home...there is no stopping him! It was two long days but, we made it safe and sound. Thank God for that!!! The vacation was amazing and Utah was beautiful. Our days were full and the company was good. Drew, Alex and Robert were my heroes and kept our kids busy and happy the whole trip. The first day we went to the Alpine slide and they rode that and the roller coaster, played putt putt and enjoyed a beautiful day outside. The kids loved it! We visited the Salt Lake City Olympic Park and watched the Olympians practice jumping off ramps into this huge pool. The twists and turns were amazing. We discovered that the kids could set up a private lesson from 10am to 1pm and could experience some training and jumping themselves. Robert, Drew and Hunter were the ones who wanted to do it...so we set it up for later in the week. When the day arrived they set off and began their training. They practiced jumping on trampolines into the pool and then they got suited up in their wet suits, helmets, real ski boots and ski's. They started out on a low ramp and worked their way up to this big ramp. I was so proud of Hunter....he hung with the big boys and after warming up marched right up to the top of the ramp and came flying down. Here is a picture of Hunter on the beginner jump. The boys all enjoyed it and it was quite an experience. The next day the crew all went white water rafting. In an attempt to avoid inducing labor we thought it best that Faith and I stay at home! They had a great time and from the description a beautiful float. The boys loved it and told me how they pulled each other from the rafts and floated down the river. Wednesday night we went on our "animal hunt" just like we did every night about 9pm. We were told when we got there that there were Moose and Deer all over the neighborhood...and that they even visited our own backyard for dinner. Well, we figured after three nights of looking that perhaps our children were a little loud and the wildlife was staying clear of the Feagin house. But, as we piled up in the car to scour the neighborhood we saw both Deer and we saw a Mother Moose and her baby walking right down one of the streets just a few streets away from our house. Bo wouldn't let me exit the car in an attempt to get a good picture but, Drew and Robert tried. It was getting dark and the photos are not that great but, it was SO cool to see in person. We had a wonderful time on this trip and loved being with our family. Utah was beautiful and the kids loved the temperature change and their freedom to run around and ride bikes without me having them check in every five seconds. Here are some photos from our trip! Hope you all are well, Love to all, J

On the Road Again........

As most of you know...we left for a vacation in Utah last Thursday. We piled the kids in the RV and headed out. Our plan was to spread the trip out over several days because of my current very pregnant condition and to be able to enjoy the scenery along the way.
To begin our vacation we noticed that Faith had a bunch of small tiny blisters on her feet and hands...and you guessed it...in her mouth. We confirmed with her pediatrician that it was in fact Hand,Foot and Mouth Disease. This virus is very contagious and the advice was to keep her isolated from not only the other children but, her pregnant Mother........sure!! We loaded in the RV the next day and hoped for the best. Before we got out of Plano...Hunter started complaining of a huge blister in his mouth. Sure enough...he had gotten it. The next couple days were painful for Hunter but....he muddled through. Faith began to heal and we have seen no signs of the other children getting it.

Fist stop: Amarillo! We rolled into Amarillo about midnight, Hunter and I and Faith stayed in a hotel while Bo and the boys headed to there "hook-ups" in the nearest RV Park. Sound awful? Not in the book of these little boys....being able to sleep in the RV or as Bo and the boys call it...."the big pig" is a dream come true. It is a little frightening how quickly Chandler can familiarize himself with any new RV park. He likes to make sure he knows all the in's and out's and loves when Bo gives him a job to do. The next few days would bring many exciting new jobs for Chandler.

The next day we drove to Colorado Springs. We went to a place called Seven Falls where between the combination of the altitude and the climbing I was pretty sure what was falling was my baby...right out! The kids liked it...the parents thought it was exhausting and it ended with a most satisfying shopping spree in the gift shop! Chandler is quite the souvenir shopper...if there is a gift shop within a 20 mile radius...he is there and begging us for all the things he has always wanted. This particular gift shop had a huge diamond that looked like a paper weight but, they had labeled it "precious crystal diamond" .....needless to say...Chandler was sold! We tried to explain to the children to pace themselves in the souvenir spending department because we had not even begun our 9 day vacation. It took alot of working on Chandler to convince him that the $17.99 glass diamond was not in fact a precious crystal but, we eventually did and he settled for a $5.99 blue rock that was actually pretty cool. Weston got a piece of gold, Faith got a turtle made out of rock and Hunter decided to tally his spending or savings rather and settled for a postcard! Smart kid!


Onto the Royal Gorge........we splurged for the breath taking train ride through the Royal Gorge to minimize my walking and spent two hours on a train riding through the Gorge. It was beautiful and definitely something to see...I just think the kids would have been alot happier experiencing it outdoors rather than from a train car. Most of the train ride was spent talking about why we would skip the Canon City Prison Museum and ...that's right...Chandler saw there was a Prison Gift Shop that was calling his name. This truly confirmed the child could find something...ANYWHERE! However, after Bo and I looked through the Prison Museum brochure and saw that it showed a real gas chamber that was advertised as "you can even enter and sit in the chair" ewww....is that appealing to anyone? We didn't think so....and so we stood firm in skipping the museum. The boys were most disappointed!





After the Royal Gorge we decided that we should shave some hours off the rest of our trip so we drove to Breckenridge and decided against spending the night because Bo thought I was having difficulty breathing. So off we went. We had a beautiful drive through Colorado and ended up in Grand Junction. Hunter, Weston, Faith and I checked into a hotel and once again....Bo and Chandler were headed to the RV park. The next morning as the RV rounded the Doubletree parking lot...I could already see the enormous smile across little Chandler's face as he sat right up front beside Bo. Chandler was thrilled to share with us that he and Bo had stayed up late and watched a horse jockey documentary movie and before they came to pick us up he got to "dump" all by himself. Days just don't get much better than that for Chandler. Oh, the simple pleasures. You see why things like this scare me???

Our journey today would end us at our final destination...Park City, Utah. We will be spending the next week Bo's brother James, Sarah, Alex, Drew and Alex's fiance...Robert! We are very excited to begin our vacation with them.

We did arrive and the house and city are absolutely amazing. Here are some photos!
I will post soon and update you on our vacation!


Love to all,
J

Fourth of July

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Wow! This summer is moving right along and my blogs are still behind. Maybe one day....

Here we are (or were) Fourth of July. An uneventful weekend for the most part...which by the way...are always welcome in the Feagin household. Watched fireworks in Addison with the Feagin's (Aunt Sarah, Uncle Jame-o & the group. Padna and Papa were there....Alex, Drew, Robert and friends.)

Then on the fourth..we attended the DAC fireworks with my parents and the Feagin's for the club's usual amazing firework show.


As I photographed all the faces of my children and their cousins there was
something huge missing in the group.....it was Becca, there was the ever so obvious gap where her big contagious smile usually sits. I missed Boo that night.
She is in Haiti on a mission trip fostering to dozens of orphan children. A trip I remember her calling me and asking to support and I argued that she didn't need to go so far away, that she could help children in the US, and most importantly if she were to go she would miss a trip to Utah that we were taking with the other Feagin's later in July. She was content without my monetary support and just asked for prayers.....which she undeniably knew she get anyway........

Becca has been gone for 4 weeks now and she keeps a blog as well! I cannot tell
you the joy that is bursting from her face in every photograph she posts. There
is no doubt that she is full of the Lord's grace when you read her posts about
her feelings and experiences with these orphan children. There is no doubt that
when she left I thought that THEY were so blessed to get her and I can see from
her blog that she is being equally blessed by being with them. How foolish was I
to try to thwart the Lord's plan for her.She went there as a servant of the Lord and His plan is being fulfilled. He has prepared her and those children are receiving the blessing of her to the fullest extent. She is truly a light in each one of those sweet children's lives. Please keep Becca and her mission in your prayers over the rest of her 6 week journey and her safe return home. His grace is all over Becca, these children and her mission. Her daily entries speak mainly of the love and inspiration she receives from these children and the beauty she is witnessing on her hikes during her time off.

I thought about Becca a lot that night. Not just because I always enjoy her incredible infectious laugh and her happy spirit...but, also because she was in a place that is so poor and the children are orphans and their lives contain few of the freedoms ours do. I watched our children run and play without a care in the world and hoped that they always enjoyed the freedoms our country has sacrificed so many and so much to possess. I have to admit that until 911 I think I took for granted many of those freedoms and liberties but, like so many people...that day will have a place in my mind forever. It changed the way I looked at a flag, listened to an anthem and really changed the way I felt about our country.

Bo and I try to teach our children how lucky they are and what a blessing it is to live in this country and I often wonder how much they really comprehend....and this year Becca is learning it first hand. I cannot imagine how this mission will have changed her and how much she will truly change the lives of those she has touched in Haiti. She is amazing to me....her courage to travel there, live there and teach and care for those children. I cry every time I read her blog because she is so much more amazing that I originally thought and because there are actually children sleeping 5 and 6 to a crib. Just shows ya prospective is good for the grown ups too sometimes.

I hope that you all had a wonderful 4th with your families...we did with ours...even though we missed our Becca Boo. I am grateful and thankful for our blessings and that of our country. I hope you all experienced those same blessings this holiday.

(Here is Becca and a photo of with one of her kids!)

God Bless America,
Love to All,
J

The Lake House.....

We arrived and returned safely from my Aunt and Uncle's Lake house in Florida. The kids were great on the airplane and very excited to begin their vacation. It is an annual vacation that we love and gives our kids a chance to renew the bond they have with my cousins who are like siblings to me. I have always been very close to both my Aunt and my Uncle and cherish the relationship that she and my Mom worked so hard to nurture. Though we have always had the distance from Dallas to Florida, when it comes to this family my heart has never felt them to be far away.

This year was a little different,special rather because my oldest cousin Brian and his wife Lauren had a baby girl in December and this was our first time to meet "Baby Reese". I don't think it a bit strange that I am about to have our 5th child, but yet every milestone in Brian's life seems emotionally challenging to me. I wasn't ready for him to be married and yet cannot imagine our family without "the babe" and now.....now he has become a Father. And as if there was anything I didn't think he could do well.....I was touched to see how well he did Fatherhood.

It was funny to watch my kids with Reese...she is 6 months old and I think they had all forgotten what it was like to have a new baby in the house. The boys were sweet as ever with her and it made each one of them so excited for our new baby. Faith.....well, Faith....loved her, without a doubt but, it made me think about 5 day a week preschool for Faith in the Fall. Just kidding...she was, as you all can imagine..very into taking care of her and getting into all her stuff. I just hope that she didn't frighten Lauren into stopping at 1....

Faith did divide her constant attention between Reese and my Aunt's four month old puppy Maggie. That poor dog must still be recovering from all her "walks" which resembled alot more like being dragged...and her talks....which were alot more like Faith explaining to her why she couldn't allow her to walk (get away) from her because she was "her baby". It wasn't a good sign that after we had only been in the house for an hour the dog would see Faith coming and run and hide under the couch. She could only be removed when leashed and drug (by Faith) although in her mind...Faith was doing her a favor...because what puppy doesn't want to be on a leash and go for a drag???? :)

We had a great week and it was great to meet the precious new addition to our family. All the boys learned to ski and did a fabulous job! They all popped right up and then we had to dump them on the beach to get them to quit. It was a combined family effort since I was confined to a beach chair in my current condition. Poor Papa, Brian, Lauren and Michael never got a rest..for my children never tire from the constant boat rides, tubing, seadoo rides and now skiing....And of course the never ending WWE wrestling moves by Michael was a huge hit! I love listening to my boys present their case for yet another seadoo ride to my Dad by saying....this time can we go on a "special" ride...as if they all aren't the same...and as if my Dad would EVER say No..... And that is one of the greatest things about this trip...they never hear that word. It is hard for them to understand that Brian and Lauren are parents and grownups now and have jobs and responsibilities and Michael is a college dude and has friends and outings....but, even with all that...the effort and the bonding is amazing.

The truth is....you would never know that the three of them have lives, professions and responsibilities because they cater to their every nautical whim. Then when their little tummies rumble my Aunt is there to whip up anything their hearts desire to nourish them for their next excursion. Amazingly, her kitchen never closes. It's funny...I dread a vacation more than life itself and yet this annual Lake Weir trip always proves to be one of the most relaxing weeks of my life. I love the accommodations, the food and most of all the company.

So, thanks Aunt for waiting on us hand and foot for another year. We keep saying as we keep expanding in numbers that this will probably be the last year but, then again...how could we deprive any of our other children of such an experience??? I don't think the day will come when I don't think it's a priority for all of us to spend time together and Faith has got alot to teach little baby Reese. So, don't count us out yet and keep the grill fired up for us....
Til next year,
Love to all,
J

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Father's Day

My dates are a little behind but, wanted to touch on Father's Day. Our Father's Day was a little different this year, at least for me it was. Just a few days before Father's Day a good friend of Bo's died unexpectedly from a heart attack at 52 years old. Eddie has three daughters, one of the daughters was married in the spring and is expecting her first child, another daughter is to be married in the month of July. There were so many things tragic about his death. He was young, no time for goodbyes, his daughter will be married without him, his grandbaby will only know him through the eyes of Eddie's wife and daughters, so many unfinished things....

Just days before Eddie's death my Mother had emailed my brother and I a little something on some of her personal thoughts on the upcoming Father's Day weekend. The email spoke of her loss of her own Father...at a very young age that just happened to be right before her wedding as well. It talked about how much she missed him over the years and how much he missed in her life and all of ours.

The two events brought many thoughts to mind about the Father I was given. I have always felt extrememly blessed by both my parents. They are both incredible to me and our children and we have always shared a very close relationship. My Mother has been an amazing person in my life and an equally amazing Motherly example for me. I thought and thought about what she said in her email about her Father and my own.

What can I say about my Dad...I was always the "Daddy's Girl" by true definition. I have always had a connection to him and always loved that we were alot alike. We share many of the same interests and have much of the same temperment. We are both very happy optomistic people who enjoy life and the people in our lives. I have always admired my Father for his "can do" attitude and recognize that same trait in myself pertaining to a number of things. I share his love of electronics, photography and automobiles. He always reminds me of my love of aviation as a child although I think as I have aged and have had children I struggle with that hobby and my own mortality. In that struggle I have become less and less of an enthusiast of flying. Sorry Dad! However, I love how much he loves it. I will forever love the sight of my Father taking off in his airplanes and know that he experiences few pleasures that mean as much. Photography is a love of my Father's that he has passed onto me but, there are few things that touch me quite like a photograph of my Dad's. The photos he takes of my children are priceless and truly do speak a thousand words to me but, many of his other photos of airplanes and landscapes are a direct window into his beautiful soul. His photographic talent is a gift from God and I love that he recognizes that and uses it to it's fullest capacity. I love that even after it transformed from a hobby into a profession that he never takes his talent and gift for granted.

As blessed as I have felt...I feel even more blessed to have our children have them as Grandparents. I thought about how I missed out on that experience in my own life and what that has meant for me. I fall into the catagory of not really knowing what I missed because it was all I ever knew...that is ....until I had children. I must say that instead of feeling badly about what I missed...I relish in the joy our children get out of their Grandparents. I would not trade the memories they are making with them for even one of my own.

So, on this Father's Day....I hope that my sweet Dad knows how amazing I have always thought he was and is....how much I have loved every minute with him and how pride I have in being able to call myself his daughter. How much joy I get from watching him with our children. How important I think those memories are and how I know they are making my children into better people....

Then my thoughts shifted to another priveledge given to me....the Father given to my children. How remarkable Bo is with each one of them. How he never tires of playing with them...no matter how many hours he has worked. How his face lights up and his eyes twinkle when he talks about them or tells a story about something they have done. I am amazed at his patience and I love how he can make our children laugh. I have witnessed few men enjoy their children every day of their lives quite as much as Bo does. There is no place on earth he would rather be than with our kids. He has no prouder moments than those with our kids. He equally loves all his time with them whether it is throwing a baseball, shooting hoops, hitting golf balls or snuggling in on the couch to watch a movie. He is a softie for our little girl wanting to sleep in our bed and I love to watch the two of them snuggle up so close to eachother you couldnt slip a piece of paper between them. Our kids adore their Dad but, I do believe that one day I will ask them to reflect and make sure that they realize what a gift and a blessing they have in their Father....just as my Mother did to me. I will remind them to make sure that they don't miss the opportunity to express how much they love and appreciate all that he does for them and the sacrafices he has and will make for the good of our family. I know they already do but, like myself...I don't want them to assume he knows...it needs to be said.

Bo and I and the kids spent a nice Father's Day weekend with all the Father's in our life. Our gathering's meant a little more to me this year... and all through the weekend I kept having these moments where I would recognize how fortunate we are to have these great men in our family.....these amazing Father's...Brother's, Uncle's.....Grandfather's......and all of those are married to equally amazing women. Our children are surrounded by wonderful moral, christian, loving men and women. And what parent could wish for more....

Life is too short not to make sure that we honor these men in our family. I hope that we remember that not only on Father's Day but, all the days....I love and honor you all!

Love to all,
J

A Trip to the Doctor.....

I took the kids the other day for the long awaited "4D" sonogram. This is one of a couple pictures we received. Wow!!! How amazing. Isn't it incredible....a little window inside my tummy and our little person is no longer a black blob on a screen. The boys were amazed and couldn't believe their eyes. They have already decided that this baby is more a Feagin than a Wilson but, Hunter feeels confident this child shares his sweet lucious lips. They have not focused too much on the gender only to say that it could easily be "Chandler by the nose and forehead...although quickly pointed out it could be a Faith...who looks just like Chandler" so we left that undetermined...and focused on what we knew for sure just....this baby is another undenyable....Feagin baby!!!
It warmed my heart to listen to all our children gathered around me talk about the different things that they saw and how excited they all are to welcome this little baby into our family. There were alot of "can't waits and he/she looks sooo cute".
Interestinly enough Bo and I didn't expect to enjoy parenthood quite as much as we do and consequently everytime we make the decision to have yet another child we experience things we never thought we would before. Yes, even after 5...there are new things.... As I was laying there getting my sonogram, knowing what to expect I was watching the expressions on the children's face as the first image of the baby's face appeared...I was so excited for them to be able to get a glimpse of another one of God's amazing miracles in progress. They all gasped with wonder and awe when the babies face popped up. What was more amazing to me than the clarity of our unborn child's face was the instantaneous love and attachment that each one of our kids showed at that moment. Just like Bo and I ....they already loved this baby and they knew he/she was a part of us. I love their love for eachother and their ability to see the perfection in each baby we are blessed with and how they are so happy to welcome yet another one. God is good and oh, man....we are blessed!!!

Love to all,
J

The Horse Show

Ok! I am back to my old ways! A blog slacker!!! What can I say? Pregnant, 4 kids...and four thousand activities! Does that cut it?

Chandler had a horse show about two weeks ago and did very well. He has been taking lessons all year at a farm near our house and loves every bit of the animals and the wide open space. It is easy for him to forget that all the chaos and hustle and bustle of our everyday lives is just outside the fence.

He came away with three ribbons and 12 bucks from the "ride a buck" race where they had to tuck a dollar bill under each leg and then perform various tasks with their horse. He was able to hold onto his "bucks" til the very end! He won 1st place ribbon!!! He was quite proud! Here are a few pics from the day! He had quite a crowd out to watch him!

Love to all
J