Baird Wildfire

Volunteer Fire Department of Baird!

ANY OF THESE PICTURES CAN BE MADE LARGER BY CLICKING ON THEM...



These guys were amazing. They fought all day, through the night, and went above and beyond just fighting fires. They would come and give us updates, reassure us, and encourage us.

Our respect and appreciation for these guys is huge. Some of them left our place to go fight the fire at Cross Plains that was so absolutley devastating to that community...it made me feel like I was invested there as well. When people are fighting for something you love, and you are praying for them and their success...you long for the Lord to give them victory in every battle they face...not just the one you are praying for right then.

Front Pasture

In this picture you are looking down from lookout point. (I type these descriptions for my brother and sister) You can see at the bottom where the fire swept over the ridge.
Sam and Emille and the girls had their picture made sitting on these rocks just 2 weeks earlier.

The North Canyon

In this picture you can see both "ridges" are black and burned. You can see the smoke still rising from the bottom of the canyon. We took our cars around to survey the damage...the ash and smoke were still very thick in the air.

More Wildfire shots...

This pic looks blurry because of all of the smoke....this fire burned itself out and then recaught later that night and burned about 200 more acres...At the ridge of this hill was a deer stand that sat on the ground...all that was left was the mark of where it had melted in its place and the remains of the metal chairs that were inside of it.
The cables that held up this deer stand melted in the fire.

West Texas Wildfires

This past Tuesday Tony went to scout out where he wanted to hunt that night. He came back pretty quick after he left to tell me to get the boys loaded there was a fire coming over the ridge fast...It had already taken out most of our back pasture. We got in the car, went and unlocked all the gates for the Baird volunteer fire department, prayed and waited to see what would happen. It was an intense, emotional time...we have ached hearing the news of all of those who lost everything...we saw this fire, its power and it was relentless. We saw that in the twinkling of an eye it could wipe out everything and for many people it did. We are thankful our barn was spared and we lost no animals. Over half ( at least 500 acres) of Rockridge ranch is now black with ash...these pictures do little to show how this landscape was transformed in a matter of moments.

Can't Wait!

Payton is beside himself for Santa to come. Yesterday at breakfast I said to Payton and Benjamin, "I sure love these 2 boys!" I then said, "I love another boy too. He is working so hard today so we can be at home together. I cannot wait until he gets here. He is so much fun and you guys love him too...Who is he?" I was speaking of Tony, Payton however, yelled out "Santa!"

When we left Santa (at the mall) Payton said, "Ok Santa, I love you and I will see you at my house." We are so excited for Christmas day...the boys circle our tree like buzzards daily.

May the Lord who gave us the ultimate gift of Christ continue to shower each of you with His extravagant love.
Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Benjamin sat there like a slug it was his only defense! Notice the atheletic socks with the saddle shoes....We are on the cutting edge of boutique fashion around here.

Payton walked right up to Santa and said, "Hey Santa, remember me?" (He had seen another Santa at his Thursday school.)

I have to stop somewhere

Honestly- I took 89 pictures this weekend. When you are surrounded by so much cuteness what other option did I have? I know my sister will love looking at all of these...I wore Benjamin's hat for our jeep ride...nice to know my head can fit into something 3T(barely). I know they say a picture can say a 1000 words...but can any one picture tell you how much I love my niece Bailey? As I grow older I realize more and more my eyes overflow with tears of love quite often. The sheer sweetness of a full heart overwhelms me.

I more than love my family, I enjoy them. My siblings have always been my best friends. Now they fall in line after Tony (Who I am crazy about by the way, is he the cutest or what?) My brother Sam married someone who I would of loved to have had for a best friend even if I had never been related to her. My sister married someone who I literally burst to be able to tell people I am related to. My nieces and nephews fill my heart to overflowing. I love watching my siblings love my children. I love the fact that all 8 Jeffrey grandchildren adore my brother Andy. He does not get a moment to himself...they are crazy about him. I love that it is hard to pick a highlight from a weekend like this. We laughed so hard, we had many a deep talk, we truly shared the Lord with each other and I walk away so blessed I want to cry. We watched Sam skip an eight pound rock and cheered like he had just won the superbowl...We watched my mom and dad lead our church service and loved the way they still love each other and bring out the absolute best in each other.

Yesterday as we were getting in the car, 3 year old Payton started to cry, and then said, "Mom, my heart hurts." As much as I would love to spare my children any feeling of pain...I know that a hurting heart is the sign that one is truly living. For I am learning, that the deepest of joys, the greatest laugh out loud moments, are accompanied by the sweetest of pains...I treasure each moment, I store them away and thank the Lord for giving me a family that hurts my heart because it simply cannot contain all of the love I have for them.

Feeding the cows

The highlight for the kids is feeding these cows. These are the tamest cows ever and Payton loves acting like they are his pets. He calls the red one that is looking at the camera Sweetheart. She is his favorite. By the way, it was freezing, hence our attire.

Beautiful and Tough Brylee Hannah

These pics show our precious Brylee, one dressed for graduation, the other cruising around the ranch! Oh how we love her!

The Family (-6)

There are 11 people in this picture...There are 6 missing. (They are in Benin) Friday night our youngest brother Andy graduated from ACU. This marked the end of an era. My parents have had a child at ACU since 1988. It was a great night filled with lots of emotion, somehow in all the graduates exiting the ceremony it worked out that my mom and Andy were the very last to leave...they walked out hand in hand. It was a beautiful picture. One that was full of symbolism for me.

I can't wait!

Once again I am reminded that my brother Sam, who created this blog, still has the password to it and can write/download whatever he pleases. Thankfully today we find the picture of one of the cutest kids I know, Brylee Hannah Jeffrey. We are looking forward to being with Sam and Emille and their girls this weekend.