Happy Halloween!

Tonight was great for everyone.  Low key, not rushed and great family fun.  We enjoyed pizza as we got dressed and Daddy was the star with the face painting.  Once we were dressed, we headed out to do a little trick or treating.  Our spooky skeleton Cade was done after about a few blocks, and preferred to head home to hand out some candy.  Not our Princess Caelin!  Caelin was dedicated to EVERY house and would jump up and down yelling, "candy"!  After a few more houses, Cade and I headed home while Caelin went to a few more houses.  Both kids enjoyed handing out candy to others and got a good laugh at some of the other costumes.  Once we were out of candy, we had baths and read spooky Halloween books in bed with a flashlight.  It was a fun evening by all.  Thank you Lord for nights like tonight when we get to enjoy our neighbors, weather, sharing and each other!

Spooky Treats

Tonight we enjoyed more spooky treats!  Since Cade has soccer practice tomorrow and Thurs is Halloween, we decided we needed a little spooky stuff tonight!  The kids opened gift bags from Nana and Papa first.  We laughed at the Bubba teeth, sticky stretch hands, and glow-in-the-dark stars!  Caelin also got some hair accessories, jewelry, doll and of course a purse!  Cade loved his stars the most and the sticky hand he can throw all over the house.  The kids played with each others colored silly putty and Cade let Caelin wear his pumpkin shirt.  It was a blast, THANKS Nana and Papa for our Halloween pre-fun!  After dinner we enjoyed some pumpkin cookies Daddy got at Starbucks and carved our own pumpkins!  Caelin went first and insisted that the guts of the pumpkin smelled.  We laughed and when Daddy made her feel inside the pumpkin, she was NOT happy!  Cade on the other hand loved the guts and helped clean the majority of his out.  Each of them drew their faces on for Daddy to cut out and then we got to watch their spooky glow from the porch! It was a great evening packed with fun...now off to BED!

Candy Crush at CFBC

Our church had our annual "Trunk or Treat" this year and the theme was Candy Crush.  It was a cute idea and as always Cade/Caelin had fun.  We started the evening off by going to Gamee and Grampee's to get our costumes on.  Cade knew for a few weeks he wanted to be a skeleton, and lucky for me, I found a cheap one at Walmart! Although tonight he decided he did not want to wear the hood or paint his face.  Caelin has known since the day she was born that she would be a Princess.  So, there you have it.  Although Princess Caelin decided she did not want to wear her tiara...so we finalized her look with a bow.  You just can't have it all folks.  Gamee/Grampee get the credit for her outfit as they purchased the accessories and made her shirt and shoes!  I am sure Grampee is proud to admit he helped with the rhinestones and jewels.  After we got dressed, Caelin got her face painted and Daddy even put lipstick on her.  Only real men make rhinestone Princess shirts and put lipstick on their little girls.  Then we were off!  Cade got bored with getting candy early on, and got spoiled on the bounce houses with Gamee/Grampee.  Not Caelin.  She wanted to only get candy, so we let her do her thing as well.  We also enjoyed dancing to music and seeing all our friends.  It was such a great evening and we were even home in enough time to get to bed at a decent hour.  Thank you for the wonderful evening CFBC.

Andrew's 1st Haircut

Had to add in what a special day was for Cousin Andrew also.  Today Andrew got his first haircut!  He is already so handsome, but now he is looking a bit older.  I showed Caelin the pictures that were texted while he was getting it cut and asked her, "What should we tell Andrew?"  I had to laugh when she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "sit still."

One fun fall day...

Today started off with Cade's 4th soccer game.  We are getting better at not talking on the field and watching the ball.  My favorite part of the game was TWO times when teammates fell and Cade was right there to help them up.  He is such a thoughtful little boy!  Go Cade Go!  After the soccer game, Gamee took Caelin and I to Sam Moon to shop for some Princess stuff for our Halloween costume!  Caelin apparently wants everything pink!  It was a fun shopping adventure and lunch at a cafe.  After nap times, we played and ended the evening with some Baylor Football and cookies.  That's what I call some Fall Fun!

Mam-ee

Another angel reunited with family in Heaven on October 12th, 2013.  Although our hearts break for her and long to get in "one last hug", I cannot help but smile when I know Mam-ee is dancing with our family now.  The funeral services were held on Saturday, October 19th with so many family and friends surrounding her in Pearland, TX at South Park Cemetery.  To me, the best way to describe Mam-ee is to say she loved God.  I was blessed to know Mam-ee and cannot ever remember a time that she was not reciting verses, singing songs, or telling me about God.  If only we could all be more like her.  In her face, you always saw joy.  I could tell she loved life, and every person surrounding her.  Our family has been blessed with baby quilts for Charles, Cade, and Caelin made by Mam-ee.  One of my most prized possessions is our wedding quilt made by Mam-ee and Aunt Kay.  It is yellow/blue/white which were our wedding colors.  I have two favorite memories with Mam-ee.  One was Mam-ee rubbing my belly when I was 8 months pregnant with Cade.  I can remember her laying her sweet hands on my bare belly and praying for Cade.  It was a life altering moment and I could feel her love in so many ways that day.  My other favorite memory was when Cindy, Cade and I went to VA to visit her when Cade was 14 months old.  Cade would run around being crazy like a typical toddler.  Most older people would have been annoyed with the noise, not Mam-ee.  Every chance she got, she would watch him play, talk to him, feed him her oatmeal, or play cards with him.  I learned from her to enjoy EVERY moment in life.  Enjoy even the exhausting ones, cause they all bless you in the end.  I just want to be like Mam-ee in so many ways!  -Stacy

Many people are not blessed to be able to meet and get to know their great-grandmother like I was. Mam-ee was a special person to so many people for often the same reason: her faith in God. You never had to wonder what kind of a mood she would be in because she always had a smile on her face and a kiss on lips.  I will never forget the consistency with which she led her life. As a young boy I remember visiting her home when my mom would go to take care of Mam-ee's mother (Me-mama). Mam-ee always had her Bible out and the 700 Club on the TV. She was quick to tell you the chapter she had just read, the verse she had memorized, or the lesson she had had just learned.  She was the first person I remember thinking they truly loved learning about God and sharing Him with everyone. I know that she is walking with Jesus in Heaven right now, but I believe the reason she led such a wonderful life was because she walked with Jesus while she was alive. - Charles

As hard as it is to let go, the impact she made for so many is just beyond words.  Thank you Lord for the time we had and the lives Mam-ee changed in your name.  We can all hear you telling her, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Pictures from Family Reunion in 2009 when I was 8 months pregnant with Cade:

Pictures from our trip to VA in 2010 when Cade was 14 months old.  I should mention that we returned home on October 31st to Texas.  I was not feeling great, and Charles jokingly said "you should take a pregnancy test" before we headed out to our church Fall Festival.  Well, we did.  We were shocked and beyond excitement that we had another baby on the way!  So, Caelin, always know that even though you may not have met Mam-ee in person, you heard her speaking/singing the words of Jesus while you were in my belly!

Obituary:
VERGYS TEAGUE McCHAREN "Mam-ee" passed away peacefully on October 12, 2013 at the age of 99 in Fairfax, VA, two months shy of her hundredth birthday. Born in Arkansas on the "11th day of the 12th month of the 13th year", as she was fond of saying.  She and her family moved to the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas when she was a teenager.  While Texas was her home, she moved to Virginia to be with her daughter Kay and her family in 1977.  She is responsible for many frequent flyer miles in the air and on the highways between Texas and Virginia. Vergys, lovingly called Mam-ee by her family, emanated a light from within, a warmth, that all who knew her will remember. She was kind and loving to all she met, always giving and giving, while never expecting anything in return, never doubting someone's motives, never uttering a cross word. She believed in hard work (she worked at McDonald's as a hostess until she was 96 years), loved God, Church, and Country, and loved her family (including all "adopted" members) above all!  She made the most amazing biscuits and chocolate pies and played a mean game of cards (we often teased her that it was the only time she showed any signs of spite or malice!).  She loved to sing, and especially loved to be surrounded by family and friends singing with her.  An amazing seamstress, many family and friends can boast a fabulous pillow or quilt of her making or even a wedding dress!  She often talked about what a wonderful life she'd had and how she felt truly blessed.  She will be in our hearts forever. Vergys was preceded in death by many loved ones, her husband, Elam Beatty, her first born, Betty Lou LeCour, her parents, Lula May and Robert Decumseh Teague, brothers Robert and Henry, sister Hazel Hill, and great-great-grandson Ethan Gettinger. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Charles and Kay Bailey of Fairfax, VA, and her son, Elam Beatty "Mack" McCharen, Jr. also of Fairfax. Her beloved family also included eight grandchildren: Lee (Mary) Bailey, Sharla Bailey, Linda (Jim Snapp) LeCour, Donna (Doug) Dickson, Cindy (Fred) Hall, Laura (Larry) Shuler, Philip and Daniel McCharen. She had 12 great-grandchildren: Donald, Elizabeth, David, Kirsten, Kaley, Kasey, Kyle, Charles, Christopher, Corey, Madeline and Benjamin. She also had 11 great-great grandchildren: Isaac, Jacob, Elam, Kinlyn, Mia, Jace, Lila, Cade, Caelin, and Andrew. Not to be forgotten, she had many beloved nieces and nephews, and an extended family of "adopted" sons, daughters and grandchildren, too - all that loved her just as much as she loved them.