We actually do have pictures...

...we just haven't posted them until now.

Over the weekend, I made a pact to myself that I would blog everyday this week. Well, I blew that in exactly zero days. Life got in the way. Work is nuts (even at home), Kelsie is still just 4 weeks old, Cayce and Kyle have both been to the dentist and we are moving in three weeks. Sue me for not posting until now. I actually believe I lost my two readers. Oh well...it'll make for a thin scrapbook someday.

Anyway, Kelsie is still gorgeous. We fell in love with her immediately. Cayce and Kyle just love her. Even Kona (our dog) comes to check on her when she is crying (which isn't that often). She is a gift from God. Well, I know you did not come here to hear me ramble, at least this time. So...on to the pictures:

Kelsie Jayne

Wow. She is here. Let me just say that this birth was a tad more eventful than the last two. Here are some details...

Kelsie Jayne Patterson was born on May 31, 2006. She was 20 1/4 inches long and 6 lbs 13 oz. She has a fair amount of blond hair and blue eyes. Mom was amazing during the delivery and felt no pain (Thank you Epidural). What a difference seven years makes. When Kyle was born, they thought you needed to stop the epidural close to the end, so that Jennifer had enough feeling to push. This time the doctor let the medicine flow, so she pushed and felt nothing.

I'll give you both a second to recover. My head is spinning a little just typing it...

Anyway, Kelsie is beautiful. She has ten fingers, ten toes and all the parts seem to be in the right place. Well, all but one.

As Kelsie emerged, our doctor pointed out something called an omphalacele (ohm-faa-lo-seal). Basically, part of her intestine was sticking out through the umbilical cord. It was about the size of a golf ball. This is not normal. We learned that they are not dangerous (at least in her case) and that omphalaceles need to be repaired by a surgical procedure. We also learned that it could have been much worse. Many kids with these types of birth defects have all of their intestines or other organs protuding. (Again...head spinning) We are actually very fortunate.

Remember, she is about 40 minutes old when we learn she needs surgery. Now, for those who do not know, we live in Abilene (for now). It was not comforting to learn that there is not one person in that city who can fix this problem. She has to be flown to Fort Worth. Immediately.

This is not something you want to hear 45 minutes after giving birth.

But, it was what it was. Kelsie and I hopped aboard "Teddy Bear Air" and flew to Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. We got there when she was about six hours old. That to me, is amazing in itself. Once we were there, the nurses and doctors poked, prodded and actually reduced the defect so that it was as big as a raisin. Dr. Sidebottom (you can't make that up) told me that she would most likely have surgery on Friday, but otherwise, she was healthy.

Well, to make a long story short (too late), Kelsie's surgery wasn't until Monday, she got Jaundice (awesome) and had an IV in her head. What a great weekend for her, huh? Anyway, Monday's surgery was quick, easy and painless and the doctor said she is as good as new. She is eating like a horse and everything seems to be working. We should get to go home tomorrow (Thursday the 8th).

What have we learned? God is good. We already knew that, but he proved it once again. He has given us more than we could ever want. He worked through the doctors, nurses, our parents, friends and extended family, who were just amazing this past week. My wife is the greatest woman in the world. She had a baby on Wednesday and rode to Fort Worth less than 2 hours later. She has been unbelievable this week. Cayce and Kyle have been spectacular children during this ordeal. They can't wait to have their baby sister home.

And why not...Isn't she beautiful??

What I did on my Summer Break

My last post was March 2nd. That's almost three months. However, it was hardly a summer break. Just a break from blogging, I know you both missed me. Here are some highlights from those three months.

1. Kyle started and finished a little league baseball season. He was a Diamondback this year. (If either one of you remember, he was a Padre last year). This year Kyle decided he wanted to be a catcher. He went and asked the coach and became the starting catcher (that was easy...). Now, usually, in the lowest level of little league, all you need is a backstop with arms at Catcher. Kyle worked hard at being a great catcher though. I really hope he sticks with it. I will say it looked odd for the tallest kid on the team to be the catcher. The kid is a beanstalk. It was a fun season and they got a lot better during the year, let me tell you. That first game, they had no clue what they were doing. By the end, they were throwing out runners at home and hitting the cover off of the ball. I cannot wait until next year.










2. I finished my career (at least this portion) at ACU. It was a great job for 6 1/2 years. I owe them a lot for preparing me for my new gig at Lipscomb. I worked there longer than I have worked anywhere (so far), so it was a little strange cleaning out the office. To put it in perspective, Cayce was 2 1/2 and Kyle was 14 months old when I started there. They are now 9 and 7 (with another one on the way). This time in Abilene has flown by. I have made and will keep many friends. It is pretty bittersweet. But I digress...

3. I started my new job at Lipscomb. Holy cow. What a great opportunity. God has done some amazing things in my first 8 weeks there. What's funny is that people told me it would take 2-3 years to make some of the changes I wanted to make. Well, folks, I am here to tell you that God breaks down barriers. Actually, he steamrolls them. With his help, our organization has made some significant changes to make us successful. I am really excited about what God has in store for us in Tennessee. Plus, the frequent flyer miles are racking up. Hawaii, here we come.

4. Major League Baseball season started. I forgot to make picks, but I would have been wrong anyway. As of now, the Rangers have a two games lead and the Rockies are 1/2 game out. I know, I know the Rockies will drop out, but the Rangers look pretty good. Last's nights game was ridiculous. Down 7-0, Barajas hits a slam, Kinsler hits two homers and then Nevin wins it with a walk off in the 9th. Classic. I love the picture on this website. I can't wait to take my kids to a Ranger game.

5. Oh yeah, the baby. Actually, this is about the biggest thing going on. My wife is so amazing. This pregnancy seems to have lasted 15 months and she is doing great. It's all coming to an end though. In fact, I was in Minneapolis earlier this week (very cool town) and was supposed to go to Nashville to work until Friday. Bad idea. I headed home Tuesday with the notion that we may have this baby this week. After two trips to the doctor saying "Let's induce!", they finally told us we will induce next Wednesday the 31st. Kelsey Jayne (unless we spell it Kelsie) will be here within a week!

I guess that catches both of you up, somewhat. There is a pretty amazing story about finding a house in Nashville, but I will wait until next time to tell that.

I just won't wait 3 months to do it.

Classix

Ah, the frivolous post.

This will be mindless, meaningless and will have no impact on your day. But it sure will be fun to type.

Yesterday, my old college roommate, Steve Crockett, sent me a link to a website that took me back to college. Was it a link to photos of old college friends? Was it a link to someone's blog who I haven't thought of in years? Was it a reminder of how much I love ACU (even though we are moving...)?

Nope. That would be meaningful...

The website he sent me is called ConsoleClassix. On that site, you can play practically every Atari, Nintendo, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis game available. Everything from "Adventure" to "Yar's Revenge" and everything in between. Talk about a blast from the past. We played a ton of Nintendo when we were in college. Hours and hours of the greatest games ever. Sure Xbox and PS2 are great, but this is greatness.

What a great site. I had forgotten about half of these games and never played the rest of them. Sure my kids make fun of me for these games with awful "side-scrolling" graphics and bad music. But they are the games I grew up with. There are some funny memories associated with some of these games.

However, you can't do this kind of blog entry without a list. So, in honor of my friend, Steve Crockett, I give you my top 10 Atari and Nintendo Games of all time.

10. Karate Champ.



Karate Champ was one of those games no one ever admitted to liking. So I won't do it either. I hated this game, but strangely couldn't stop playing it.

9. Kaboom!



Kaboom! was a game from the Atari era that was a blast. All you did was catch bombs in a bucket of water. Simple. Stupid. Addicting.

8. Solomon's Key



Exceptionally underrated game. Very easy and yet really, really frustrating. My friend David Hancock would play this game all night while listening to "White Lion", yet he is completely normal...

7. Mike Tyson's Punch Out.



How many of you remember beating Glass Joe? How about Bald Bull? C'mon, be honest...Mike Tyson's Punch Out was a great game. Maybe should be top five...

6. Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt



I may get challenged on this, but Super Mario is not a top five game. I know it started a string of games, but it's my dorky list. Not top five. Duck Hunt, however...

5. Legend of Zelda



I don't know anyone that didn't finish this game. That is how sad we were in the early 90's. Anyway, I showed Zelda to Cayce (my 9 year old) last night and she laughed and said it looked ridiculous. This morning she asked me to play it when she gets home from school. Ridiculous? I think not.

4. Pitfall



My wife's favorite game of all time. That is probably why it made it this far up the list. I love her. Well, that and the fact that he made a "Tarzan" sound when he swung on the vine... Greatness.

3. RBI Baseball

My friend Garrett can still hum the music that plays during the game. Nolan Ryan and Tony Armas were sick. Bob Stanley and and Jose Oquendo were not. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent in Chad Land and Mike Harris' room in Mabee Hall playing RBI baseball. I loved being the Red Sox and taking on the Mets or Angels. But I think my all time favorite RBI Baseball player was Kirby Puckett. I loved that guy.

2. Contra



Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start. Need I say more?

1. Tecmo Super Bowl



This was and still is the greatest video game of all time. You can have Halo. You can have Madden. I love this game. My roommates and I would listen to Led Zeppelin, Del Amitri and Journey every night and play this. Nothing brought more joy and more anger than Tecmo Bowl. Bo Jackson and Christian Okoye were awesome. So were "QB Bills" and Joe Montana. The Browns, however, were terrible. Great memories.

So there you have it. The definitive top ten. You also got a bonus look at the nerd side of me.

And it didn't even cost you any rupees...

Tennessee Jed

The Grateful Dead once sang:

"Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain't no place I'd rather be,
Baby won't you carry me...back to Tennessee."

Well, I guess officially I've never been in Tennessee enough to be carried back, but it is a good lead in nonetheless.

Both of you will be happy to know that Jennifer, Cayce, Kyle, Unborn female baby and I are moving. To Tennessee. Nashville, actually. You may say to yourself, "WHAT???" If you are saying that, then this blog is for you.

I predicted to my wife on New Year's Eve that I believed I would have a job change in 2006. Little did I know that God had sooner rather than later on his mind. On January 10th, I received a phone call from Ricky Holoway, a good friend of mine and the Director of Admissions at Lipscomb University in Nashville. I had talked to him about doing some consulting at Lipscomb this year. He said to me, "You know that consulting we talked about? We will do it one better. We want you to come work here." In my mind, I laughed. There was no way we were moving to Nashville. Boy, was I wrong.

But, I decided I had nothing to lose and that the chances were exceptionally slim that I would actually get this job. So after an interview in Abilene and two in Nashville, the unthinkable has happened. I have accepted a job running enrollment at Lipscomb. Wow. They even called it an Associate Vice President position. That made my friend, Mike Shanks laugh. "You?", he said, "Are you sure they interviewed you? Have they met you?" He instills a lot of confidence in me, obviously. (For what it is worth, I shudder and kinda chuckle when I hear him called "Doctor"...so I guess we are even)

Anyway, God was all over this process. We threw all kinds of obstacles in the way of taking this job. He removed every one of them. We aren't even moving until after the baby is born (which was the biggest of all obstacles). It has been truly amazing to see God's hand at work. It has been a whirlwind two months.

So, we are moving. It should be a very interesting time in our lives. We think we will love Nashville. However, I do know that I will never see my friend, Craig Fisher ever again. He never goes to Nashville. Just ask his old roommate, Brandon Scott Thomas. Even with that, I am really excited. There is a ton of work to do. Lipscomb is a school with unbelievable potential. That is a big draw for us. We hope that we can make a difference in Nashville. We will need God every step of the way, trust me.

Kyle and Cayce are so excited about moving. They were a little hesitant at first, but it didn't take long for them to warm up. In fact, the second I told Kyle we could regularly go to Titans and Vols games, he immediately wanted to leave. At least I am raising him with his priorities straight. Geez...

We will really, really miss Abilene and ACU. But it is fun thinking about the journey that God has led us on up to this point as he "carries us back to Tennessee."

By the way, can you quote the Grateful Dead while talking about God??

2 to 1

Well, we know.

My wife and I have been blessed with 2 children so far in our lives. Cayce, our 8 (almost 9) year old daughter, and Kyle, our 7 year old son. They have been a joy, a terror, and a blessing all wrapped up in one.

Now, the tie will be broken on June 11th.

I always battled the idea of three kids. First, you move into 5 passenger vehicle stage at all times. My Jeep has become very impractical. Second, you have the whole middle child thing. Third, and I believe most important is what I call the "Roller Coaster factor". There are no roller coasters designed to carry three passengers. All of them either hold four or two. Guess who gets to ride by themselves in this equation. That's right. Dad.

However, I have warmed to our life with three kids. It is going to be fun.

Anyway, I know both of you are getting angry with me for waiting this long. On or around June 11th, Jennifer, Cayce, Kyle and I are having a...

Girl

We saw the sonagram last Thursday and it was amazing. We then sealed the result and met a bunch of our friends for ice cream that evening. We let our kids open the envelope in front of everyone so they could share it with many of their friends. Cayce jumped up and down and Kyle was bummed. Yep. Kyle and I are surrounded. Even our dog is a girl. I pulled him aside and told him that us guys are going to have to stick together. He thought that was cool and is now pumped that it is a girl.

So there you have it: Our final score (we think):

Girls, 2. Boys, 1.

Oh yeah...I have a blog

Have you ever had good intentions? Something you want to do but can't seem to make time for? You know, like cleaning the storage room or the junk drawer? Or buying socks? Well, I have intended to type a blog for a while now. I know both of you are thrilled I'm back, so let's catch you up.

-------------------------------

We get to see a Sonagram and find out what flavor of baby we are having next Thursday. I think it will become quite real at this point (however, my wife would argue it feels pretty real to her!). It's interesting because both of our kids want the opposite of what they are. I think they like the idea of being the only boy/girl in the family. Being an only child, I have no idea what that means.

Adler's concept of birth order (children take on certain characteristics depending on where what order they were born in) is interesting to me. However, I think that, if this linked table is any sort of accurate, God assigns characteristics based on the final order. In other words, my youngest son Kyle, has always had a middle child attitude. Is that because God knew he would end up being a middle child? I don't know, but at least it is interesting to me (but probably not you...)

-------------------------------
People keep telling me that an Ipod is the great electronic device on the planet. I may agree with that, but Satellite Radio is a close second. This was really the one thing I got for Christmas and my birthday (spaced 6 days apart thank you), and believe me it surpassed expectations. I chose Sirius over XM and I couldn't be happier. What amazes me is that I can have the same radio station from Denver to Abilene without ever losing signal. No more "Clayton-Raton, New Mexico" static (anyone who has made that drive knows of what I speak). But the programming is really good too. It alerts me when the Mavs or Vols are playing. It lets me know when one of my favorite songs comes on. I could definitely do without Howard Stern...but I just don't turn it there. But if you ever thought about Satellite Radio...go with Sirius. You will never listen to local radio again (or listen to commercials!!).

This message paid for by absolutely no one.

-------------------------------

Football season is just about over. Actually, it is. The Patriots got knocked out by the worst team possible. (Denver) Peyton Manning is out. The Cowboys didn't even make the playoffs. So what do we get? A Seahawks-Broncos or Panthers-Steelers (or some combo) Super Bowl. Yawn. In fact...looking back...what an awful season. I just can't bring myself to say the words "Seattle Seahawks - Super Bowl Champions". Yuck.

Oh well, bring on the NCAA Tournament. (Go Gonzaga!!)

-------------------------------

I just got done taking my first college class in 13 years. I decided to take a "Behavior Modification" class through the Psychology department. And no, I don't need to modify my behavior. I took a short course to gauge my interest in going after my Masters in Psychology. It was very interesting.

I think I would be a much better student now. From what I understand, older students usually are. The cool thing as that I had real life experience to relate to whatever we were discussing. I wouldn't have cared one bit about it at the end of college. I loved it.

And yes, I am leaning toward getting a Masters. I just wish I could go to the Masters after I finish my masters.

-------------------------------

And finally, Joel Quile published the best blonde joke I have ever read. It is absolutely awesome. Check it out here.

-------------------------------

Well, you both can count the days until I post again. The over under right now is 60 days. Place your bets.