My Baby Girl

She's 17!!!
Whitney & Emily

It doesn't seem like 17 years ago that I was hoping & praying for one more addition to our family!!! Actually, the hoping & praying begin long before that.

There were a couple of years of praying, buying EPT tests & being sad about the results. I begin to wonder why, tried not to get obsessed or depressed, and had decided the next month was time for a specialist when my doctor's nurse came out to the waiting room to tell me the blood test was positive. "Aren't you excited?" she asked. I guess I was so stunned & afraid of being disappointed after two negative home tests that I had a really blank look on my face. 9 1/2 months later we brought home all precious 6 lbs. 11 ounces of her. For the next couple of years she was decked out in more bows & ruffles than I could afford to buy, but I loved every minute of it! I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown by & that next year she'll be getting ready to fly the coop! The years in between have been full! She's kept me at ballgames as much as her brothers before her. She keeps me on the edge of my seat whether she's playing or cheering. She might look a little like I did at her age, but lucky for her she definitely got her Daddy's athletic skills. I sit amazed as she shoots three pointers, clears hurdle after hurdle, or back flips across the field ahead of the football team as they make their grand entrance on Friday nights. I assure you I have never done any of those things! Nope, not even a cartwheel! I am proud of the student she is, the leader at school & church, & all the good choices she is making, but most of all I'm just proud of her & the fine Christian woman she is becoming. When she was little she always wanted me to lay down with her at night & before she would go to sleep she would say, "If Jesus comes back I want our whole family to stay home." At first I tried to explain why we would want to go, but after about a year or two of this nightly routine I groggily began to respond "OK". How sweet to watch Jesus work on her heart through the years. How thankful I am that He sent her to live with me, and blessed to know that she belongs to Him.

I know that I'm a little late with this birthday post, but I wanted to wait until after she & her BFF, Emily had their birthday bash. It was so fun, but I have to say I'm kinda glad there are no big plans for this weekend. Of course, that's been known to change around here. Some of us don't like a dull minute!

Home Again, Home Again Jiggedy Jig

Matt says I always said that when we pulled in the driveway. I really don't remember it, but can't deny it being true! But for the best home again news, Christine came home from the hospital on Tuesday. She is slowly recuperating & resting at home! Praise God! He is good all the time! I really can't wait to see her well enough to stand before the church & sing her solo,
"You are God Alone". She has modeled His unshakable nature through these difficult days & what a great testimony to our faithful God it will be to hear her sing it again. "In good times & bad, you are on your throne, you are God alone. You're unchangeable, you're unshakable, you're unstoppable that's what you are. You are on your throne. You are God alone." I will be boohooing in my pew. They might have to call the paramedics for me! I have to look no further than sweet, perfect baby Samuel to realize that God has heard & answered many, many of our prayers. No further than the way he has held Matt up by his power, & how precious to see our church family rally around him daily at work. Praise God for his job at church. No further than sweet Jack adjusting to constant change & entertaining us all the way. We are blessed & I KNOW that God who has begun a good work will carry it through to completion. He has great plans their family & he will love hearing her solo best of anyone! Praying & believing for her good health!

Up, Down, & All Around

Enjoying a great dinner at Cabo Wabo, no tequila I promise. The arch where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.

Precious little miracle.

Taking a break from playing on the computer to pose.

Baby Sam growing like a weed! And yes, in charge at Giggi's house!
Jack trying to give one more smile up for Giggi's camera!

Be fruitful & multiply!

From three daughters came lots of grandbabies, their spouses, & great-grandbabies!

Happy Birthday to Poppi!
Jack sings just like Mommy!

Mom & Dad
Better known as Poppi & Nana


It's been awhile since I posted, & a lot has happened since then! On the upside, we had a fun trip to S'ville to celebrate my daddy's 85th birthday & my parents 65th anniversary! Wow! We had a great time & got to see lots of family & friends that are spread out all over Texas. It was also a great time to reflect on the blessing my wonderful parents are to us and so many others as well. They are truly some of the most loved, and most loving people you could ever hope to find. Blessed beyond measure to be their baby!


Kyle finished up his internship at the church in Tyler. We loved having him home for a short time. While he was here Ray, Kyle, Whitney & I managed to take a quick vacation. We spent a few days in Cabo & had a blast. As we started home we found we had several call ASAP messages because...


On the down side Christine has been very sick again. She has spent the last few weeks in the hospital. She had to have the surgery she had done last fall redone about a week ago. She's had several other setbacks with two blood clots, some unexplained internal bleeding, elevated liver levels, and just plain being miserable. She is still having a lot of pain and nausea. You can read more on her blog and Mindy's blog, too. This has been going on for about a year now. It is very disappointing for her to start feeling better and then be so sick again! Please keep her, Matt, & the boys in your prayers! They need a break! I've tried to take a lot of pictures of the boys while she's been stuck at the hospital, so I'm going to try to add a few to the post! That means I'll be done in an hour or so! Ha! I really stink at this but I'm too proud to ask Whitney to help me! Well, when an hours up I might! Love you family & friends!

OK, I added a few pictures. They're not exactly in the order I intended, but I'm sure you can tell what goes with what paragraph! Less than an hour, I might add!

Happy, Happy Birthdays!

What a busy couple of weeks for the Pinson's. I used to be the only birthday in July, but now I'm very blessed to share! Of course baby Sam had his big birthday debut in June, but yesterday which was his Daddy's birthday was his due date. We are so happy to say he is thriving. He loves to eat & is growing like a weed. Still tiny, but right about the size he would've been if he had been born on his actual due date. He's healthy & strong, and need I even say precious. I could sit, rock, & stare at him all day. Jack had his Mickey Mouse birthday party in July! Fun, fun, fun! Lots of family, friends, a Mickey Mouse jump house, hot dogs, cupcakes, & on & on! He was the star of the show, loving every minute of every thing! I don't even need to tell you how crazy I am about this little guy. He is such a great kid. He was super to have around all through the hard times his mommy went through during her pregnancy. Mimi & I passed him back & forth, drug him all around town everyday, and to the hospital where he made best friends with all the nurses, knew where to find the chocolate milk, brought mommy sweet treats & his own personal artwork, & always was happy to bring her lots of hugs & kisses. I really was amazed at how he handled all this time with such a sweet attitude. He's just a great kid, & his parents have done a great job instilling a love for others & a secure nature in him! The very next day after his birthday was his Mommy's birthday. We are so happy that she is feeling better everyday! It was so hard to watch her suffer for such a long time! I've never seen anyone hurt so much! She is without a doubt the toughest girl I know! We are so blessed to get to claim her as one of our own! I truly feel like I gained a daughter when Matt married Christine, but also her sweet family that we love dearly. She is a great wife, mommy, daughter, and finally Whit has a sister! We love her so much! Just a week later & we are celebrating Matt's birthday! Couldn't be prouder of my eldest son! He is a great husband, dad, brother & son. He is an amazing rock during hard times, and you all know how much fun he is when things are going good! He never ceases to amaze me with his love, compassion, strength, and the way he uses the gifts God has given him. Watching them makes growing a little older a lot more fun! Really, I kinda feel like they just caught up with me & now we can all be the same. Happy Birthday to the junior Pinson's! We love ya!!!

Feeling Blessed & Oh So Thankful!

Finally home! Wanna play some basketball?
We were blessed by the special prayers of the Roadmap Kids.

Lots of Prayers!

Blessed & honored to be prayed over!

Tiny Baby Sam in daddy's hands

Don't forget Jack!

Proud big brother!

Proud Aunt Whitney & great babysitter if you can catch her!


The last few weeks have been blessed by many answered prayers & sweet memories! Sam has gotten to meet new cousins Jaxon & Avery, see all of his great grandparents, almost all of his aunts & uncles, lots of cousins and we have all throughly enjoyed loving on him & being entertained by his big brother! Just a few more weeks of summer & we'll be busy again, but this has been the sweetest break ever!

Samuel Ray Pinson

Here are some photos of the sweetest, tiniest little thing you've ever seen. He is just so precious & amazing all the doctors & nurses with how well he's doing. His nurse tonight said "he doesn't realize what a tiny thing he is, he thinks he's big". He's still breathing on his own, hasn't needed an IV, & is feeding well through his NG tube. He's our little answer to all those prayers! Thank you, Lord!!! We trust the Lord to continue growing him & blessing him with health & strength, for we know God has great plans for Samuel.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

He's Here!!!!!!!!

Baby Samuel Ray Pinson made his arrival this afternoon at 3:51. He weighed in at 3lbs.14oz. & is 16" long. He's very tiny, but very perfect. He is in the NICU, but is doing very well to be 7 weeks early. He's been breathing on his own and his oxygen level seems to be doing well. He may need to go in the incubator some to help regulate his body temperature. Please continue to pray for the next few days will be important ones for his breathing, eating, swallowing, and growing stronger. Christine is also doing well. Please continue to pray for her complete recovery also. Matt & Jack are excited & relieved, and very much in need of a good nights sleep. Thanks so so much for all of your prayers! Please keep them going! I pray God blesses you each tenfold for the prayers you have offered for us! Love you & hope to have some pictures to share soon!