Happy Father's Day and Anniversary!

A big two days around the DeVore house.  Father's Day yesterday and today is our 7th anniversary!!  I am so blessed to have Steve, he is a wonderful husband and father.  I know my Mother began praying for my husband when I was very young, and that is the only reason I can imagine why God blessed me with him.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  And the number one clue that he's amazing?  I'm the happiest when I'm with him.  He provides everything I need.  He also is a great provider for Lowery.  I think she gets her independence and confidence because of Steve's attention and affection towards her.  Steve follows the bible on how to be a husband and father and that is all I could ever wish for.   Plus, most of you know Steve well.  Can you imagine the entertainment and comedy (and harassment) I get on a daily basis?  

Yesterday was a simple day together - church, lunch at cheesecake factory and an afternoon of na

ps and playing in the pool.  All in all a good day.  Our big plans to

night?  Well, I think all of the 4 people w

e know well in Dallas are busy so we will have a family anniversary celebration.  Brenda/Carla, please come visit soon so your kids can have a romantic night out.  Ha!  

 

Swimming with the cast

It ain't pretty (and neither am I in these lovely pool glamour shots), but we have tried to let Lowery get somewhat in the pool the last week.  We take a plastic bag and tape it around her cast.  She props it up on a towel on the side of the pool.  She can walk around and play on the steps - she has these plastic fairies and mermaids that can keep her busy for an hour or so in their underwater "world" on the steps.  Or sometimes she gets on the raft and floats with me, which she calls the "lazy river."  I know I am pushing it letting her get close to the water  -  and only one slip would be all she wrote and the cast would be soaked.  But it is getting really hot here and I feel sorry for her, not being able to swim.  Plus, it's the last few days in the cast so I figure it can't do so much damage if it gets wet.  Only 3 more days to go in this thing - counting down to cast removal and beach!! 

 

A Little Homesick

All of you Northwest Arkansas friends, I am missing you!  Not that I didn't miss you before now, but it is tough today (for some reason, I'm not sure).  We have been having such a great time here, but I am ready for a visit home.  I miss the church, I miss friends.  I miss Chick-Fil-A Fridays, my "counseling" sessions during Lowery's dance/gymnastics and Sundays.  I miss my little Lawson, Rachel and Lauryn and my baby Abbi Springer.  I miss cooking in my kitchen at home, and even miss Marketplace.  

I've done pretty well until now.  I think not getting to come home in May like we planned (because of Lowery's arm) hurt things - I just haven't been back there as soon as I thought I would.  We were so busy there, always surrounded by friends and activity.  The down time here has been good and we have had so much wonderful time together as a family, just the three of us. But it can't replace the time with good friends who are like family and I am ready to see everyone!  We will probably be there middle of July and I am counting the days.  I miss and love all of you and I am sad today!

Me, The Pool and a Ssss. . . .

I can barely say it because the whole incident and its bad memories come flooding back. But, yes, I was in the pool yesterday with a snake.  

There was major flooding and damage around here with all of the storms on Wednesday, which is what I am hoping caused the snake to be near the house.  Anyhow, the story goes like this: Lowery was down for a nap and Steve was home for lunch so I decided to try and get some sun.  I pull the raft over to the side, get on and begin my - what is supposed to be relaxing - time in the sun.  I'm floating around and notice some dirt on one of the side tiles.  I started looking around to the other tiles and that's when I spotted it.  Its head sticking straight out from the cover of a drain on the side of the pool, about a FOOT away from me.  I'm frantic - I start paddling backwards towards the step and that's when it slithered in the water WITH me - and all "you know what" broke loose.  I don't know really how I got off that raft and to the steps, but let's just say it wasn't pretty.  And if a movie camera would have been rolling I'd be $10,000 richer courtesy of America's Funniest Home Videos.

With all of my flailing, splashing and screaming, Steve runs out.  I muster a throaty, drawn out scream of "Sssnnnaakke." Steve now looks worse than me. What now?  We know we need to kill it, but how?  With what?  We don't have a lot of tools, no hatchet handy.  You know us, we're not nature people.  Don't build things, have tools around.  We're sports people, we like sports. Not snakes.

Steve tries to trap it with the pool cleaner-net.  He does, then instructs me to go look for something to actually kill him with. What did I come up with?  The biggest kitchen knife we have. Please see picture of said murder weapon.  The snake swims in 

the filter basket - it took all of the courage me and Steve had to take the filter top off.  Then we got another surprise, along with the snake were two brown and slimy frogs. What is this, wildlife aquarium?  We're both hollering now - I trap the snake with the net pole and Steve reaches down and cuts the head off with the kitchen knife.  Not pretty, but over.  Of course you know the worst part - the way the body keeps slithering around after the head is gone.  This totally creeps us out and its a while before we (I mean Steve) can muster enough composure to actually lift the filter basket and take it to the grass out back and dump it.  

I've always prided myself of not being that afraid of snakes - spiders are my terror.  But that has changed, and I am freaked out beyond words.  How will I enjoy the pool again?  Will it ever be the same?  I'm a mess, I'm disturbed.  Granted, it was pretty small - a baby.  BUT WHERE IS THE MOTHER??  Help me!!!!  

Cast #2

Well we are officially in Cast #2.  After three 1/2 weeks in the original neon pink, above- the-elbow cast, we moved on to a shorter cast.  Lowery did great getting the original one removed - or shall I say sawed off (first picture).  She has debated for a week on the color of the new cast, and she finally chose El Dorado Wildcat purple.  The bones are healing and she is right on track - thank goodness she did not require surgery.  Although I'm still trying to figure out how a simple cartwheel did so much damage.  She has really been good throughout the entire ordeal.  No whining, complaining, and not one mention of itching.  We are proud of her.  Two more weeks in this purple cast and then we will finally be able to go to a removable brace, which means summer can finally resume for us.

I haven't blogged much lately because, to be honest, life with a 4 year old in a cast can be pretty boring.  No swimming, no parks, no jumping, climbing or sliding.  We have managed to visit the zoo two more times - taken each set of grandparents.  We also visited the Dallas World Aquarium, which was fun.  All in all, despite the broken arm, we are loving life here in Dallas so far.  We miss NW Arkansas and especially our friends and church, but so far we are blessed to have another place that is also beginning to feel like home.  Here are a few pictures from the zoo trips and aquarium.