Happy Birthday Mary

Mary Mary my sister Mary

How I love you so....

Your children were here to celebrate your Birthday with me

this was so special you see....

On this day it was not only you we celebrated

It was my 7 year anniversary....

Off to the church we went

A speech I was to give and a coin I was to receive...

On this special day ~ your Birthday Mary

your kids heard me speak and gave me my coin....

Lucky lucky me for them to see!! Happy Happy Birthday sis!! What a day for me....

Mary BFF Memories

Summer 2005 Mary went to visit her BFF Kerri in Florida to be with her during a tough time in Kerri's life. They decided to take the kids (Brett, Kelsey, McKensie & Skyler) to Disney World! Kerri came across these pictures of Kelsey & Brett and sent them my way!

Thank you so much Kerri!

I love these Memories to Cherish!

Pizza with Love

I was talking to Kelsey a couple Saturday nights ago ...
Her & Brett happened to be home alone and hungry! My mother instincts kicked in, forgetting we were 2000 miles away! I had to feed them! Light bulb goes off!

Ah-ha - PIZZA~delivery~pay over the phone!!!

Wow.... I never thought of that before. Kelsey looked up "Papa Johns pizza", gave me the number & the miles disappeared!
I was able to feed my hungry lil munchkins from NY to Texas....

Hmmm, I wonder who sparked that light bulb in my head!?!

Fun stuff

Relaxing at the computer... Brett is showing Uncle Chad some funny YouTube videos. An orb on Kelsey's head and one above the curtains on Kelsey's side. I took several shots and the orbs only showed up in this one picture!

It's so fun being perseptive; I'm always noticing the strange things that occur.... such as this cardinal painting that was straight yesterday and crooked when I woke up this morning!


Clues that we are not alone......

Cardinal good-bye

What a fun loving week Chad & I had with your kids sis.... Kelsey & Brett are incredible! Beautiful~smart and incredibly funny! We are making some great memories for them!

The last day of our visit: we were taking the luggage out to the car, and when I looked to the left of our car, I saw a bright red cardinal sitting on the rack of a mini van roof just 2 cars away. Staring at Brett & I! I was speechless... I stuttered and stammered a "Look, look, look ~ a cardinal just for you kids"... "Kelsey, come back here" "come quick ~ a cardinal just for you". We all stood there in utter amazement, looked at each other and smiled. So cool! A cardinal visit just before they flew!

We all Love you sweet sis ~ your kids are doing fine! They miss you something terrible, but that is expected... They bring up alot of mommy memories and I love to hear them! "Mommy did this... mommy did that...." All good sis ~ all good!

Mother's Day Red

Sunday, May 9th, 2010.... Mothers Day!

Mother's day is always a sweet day ~ a day to celebrate the wonderfulness of being a mother.

This day reminds me alot of Mary because for as long as I can remember, I can always hear her say "I can't wait to be a Mommy ~ I'm gonna be Mama Mary!" That was her dream!

That dream came true. Two lil blessings Kelsey & Brett!

And what a wonderful mommy she was !!

I got a little sad this Mothers day ~ thinking about how Kelsey & Brett must feel missing their mommy for 2 years now and what they have to go through trying to live with a new stepmom.

As I was driving out of my apartment community to run a Mothers Day errand, in the middle of a tree, a bright red cardinal was peeking out at me!

It stayed long enough for me to capture it in this picture.

I love you Mama Mary & wish you a Happy Mothers Day everyday

because everyday was mothers day for you!

The Day After ~ A time to Cherish

Our mom, who Lisa & I like to call Momma & Mary always liked to call Mammacita

is also known as Gra'ma Sara to Kelsey & Brett! Lets call her Gra'Mommacita :)!

The day after the 2nd anniversary of Mary's death, Gra'Mommacita was feeling a pull to visit her gravesite in Beaumont. This is a 6 hour drive from San Antonio. It turned out to be a time to cherish and a visit that was much needed. Time spent with Kelsey & Brett was priceless. Visiting Mary's gravesite and leaving beautiful yellow flowers for her, eating Dairy Queen blizzards, then staying up late watching "The Sound of Music" (one of Kelsey's favorite movies) was just what Momma Mary had ordered for Gra'Mommacita & her kids!

Oh how I wish I was there.....

With all the pictures Kelsey was sending me from her phone, I feel like I was!

Left Behind....

No bus service for Kelsey & Brett.......

1/2 day at school for someone forgetting a stop!

30 minutes go by, then 45! After an hour of waiting and a call to the school, Kelsey was making a joke to Brett and said, "I guess it could be worse... a short yellow bus could pick us up!" Less than a minute after the words came out of her mouth, guess what came rolling around the corner. ....
YES.........A SHORT YELLOW BUS!!! they were rolling on the grass laughing.

She took this picture with her phone and sent it to me...

Kelsey & Brett go Catholic

So cool ~ my neice and nephew have become Catholic.....

This is the same church their mommy - Mary was going to before she left us and the same church Mary's friend Laurie spotted a red cardinal when she cried to Mary for a sign. There is some peace in the church and I'm happy they have joined!

Mary's babies...

BRETT & KELSEY

These are some pictures I found Mary had sent to me.... I had to scan them, along with her words on the back! Precious legacies she left us. They are as sweet as they look! Thank you Mary!

Markelett the very special Monkey

"Markelett" is a very very special little Webkin Monkey...

I named him after Mary, Kelsey & Brett! Three very special people in my life.

I put their names together & Markelett is what I came up with :)!

When Mary died, I wanted to build a closeness with her kids - my neice & nephew, Kelsey & Brett! It was a must!!! Kelsey inherited her mommy's phone so I was able to talk to her all the time. At the time, she was very into the world of Webkin's ~ where they bought a Webkin animal and registered it in Webkin world on the internet. Kelsey & Brett were both very very into it. They had to feed their Webkins on the site and make them work, so they could buy things in the Webkin world for their Webkin house full of many rooms they. As you can tell, I joined this Webkin world to be close to the kids. I bought my Markelett!!!

Well, I've had Markelett for while now and since the kids have outgrown the world of Webkin, he has been quietly sitting on the topshelf of my bookcase., tucked away in the corner. Two times in the last week, Markelett has been found in the middle of the floor - it's only Chad, myself & Boo. It wasn't Chad and it wasn't me, so I have to imagine it's Boo - although he has not proven to be a stuffed animal kind of cat, the only other thought is surreal. I'd like to think it's Mary, letting me know she's near! Who knows.....

Wedding Orbs

Dancing the night away with the VIP! All together on one floor. There was so much love flowing through the night that even the vendors were saying they felt it! When I say it was a dream, I mean it whole heartedly! Dancing with Kelsey & Brett all night was heavenly - I can remember the happiness I felt like it was yesterday....


I have been receiving pictures each week from different friends or family.... I just got these from my dear friend Kim. Great pictures!!
I knew Mary and my dad were there with us.


In this picture dancing with Kelsey, you can see 3 orbs

(2 above each of our heads and 1 between us)!




There is one in the picture with my mom & sister too!

What a gift ~ I knew we were not alone!

So Proud

Chad & I had the pleasure to be with Mary's lil legacies starting Friday, July 31st (Mary's B-day) to Sunday, August 9th! We had so much fun... taking the train to the city, riding the subway downtown, rode a boat around the statue of Liberty, took a Taxi to Times Square & spent alot of time in the fun sweet stores. FYI~the Toys R Us in Times Square is very very big - 4 floors. I actually lost Brett & panicked. I got the whole kid patrol on alert (yes, they have that there)... he was just busy playing a video game & didn't hear his phone. We ate pizza so much - they didn't care :). They were a big part of the wedding & they made us so proud. It was so nice bringing our families together. Everyone got along and mixed so beautifully. Everyone loved everyone!

It was so nice having them here with us. Chad & Brett really bonded. Brett is so funny.... at the end of the night at the out of towners dinner he was the center of attention. so fun & so funny. At the wedding, he was a dancing machine. Holey moley. We learned so much about the kids and are so happy for this time. Brett is the sensitive one. I would look at him & it was such a strange feeling, but I felt like I was looking at him through Mary's eyes. I beleive I felt what she felt when she was looking at him. Pure admiration. It brought tears to my eyes more than a couple times. Once again, Brett has left me with a funny memory One of the last nights here, I went to kiss him goodnight & as I was walking away, he said, "Get back here Aunt Jeni - where's my hug?" Oh my goodness, my heart melted.

Kelsey has grown up so much. I almost didn't even recognize her... Amazing what a year will do. She is 13 now & what a change. She is so beautiful. I just love having her by my side. My lil shadow. I accidentally cried (well, tears were rolling out of my eyes without my permission) while her & I were driving alone and she was just looking at me and softly asked what was wrong... I whispered back that this happens sometimes because I miss my sister. I assured her it was normal & I was okay. She smiled sweetly, like she understood and agreed, then raised her hands in the air and said "You have me Aunt Jeni ~ her replacement". Yes I do!!! How lucky am I?!

Nephew ~ BRETT B-DAY

Happy Birthday - Brett's double #1! The big 11! He got an ipod, Mario cart for Wii, an electric skateboard and a Guitar hero game for Xbox & saw "Transformers" on the opening day today!!

If any lil boy deserves it the most - it's Brett! I love you so much!!

Kids on the Go

Well, I got the tickets for Kelsey & Brett on Sunday.

They are going to fly on their mommy's B-day... how special is that?!

It just so happened to be the day to be!

I wonder if Mary had anything to do with that?

July 31st is the day you see...

I tried for the 30th, but their dad couldn't make it.

So the day after will be the perfect day ~ for Mary's lil legacies!

Woohoo - I can't wait. It's their first flight!

I've already day dreamed of greeting them at the gate!

Snow for Kelsey & Brett

12-11-08 It snowed for Kelsey & Brett ~ in BEAUMONT, TEXAS!!!!

It's been many many years since that happened. What a special Christmas treat for them.

When I spoke to Kelsey a week ago, it was snowing here in NY & she was so excited & so jealous - she said she wished it snowed there.... well, she got her wish!

Thanks Mary!

A Quote ~ for Mary by Thomas Edison

I read this quote today & I instantly thought of Mary... how true it is to her.

"When a man dies, if he can pass enthusiam along to his children,

he has left them an estate of incalcuable value"

~ Thomas Edison

Mary succeeded in this - she was fun and funny all the time (even a child). Although Kelsey & Brett miss their mommy more than any of us, they have been given a gift of stregnth and humor. They are so funny, even through their pain.

Mary's lil Angels

Remember this picture? Lisa's wedding...Brett was so cute ~ such a flirt that night. He danced with every girl he could. We were blessed with his fun flighty spirit. I remember just laughing and having so much fun watching him!

I spoke to Kelsey & Brett yesterday! They sound okay.... I know better though. They miss you so much! They are tough, they have inherited that inner stregnth from you. Brett is just so sweet & so friendly. He was playing with some friends. They were at Kelsey's best friend Camilla's house. Camilla has 3 siblings just like us. Thank God for Camilla & her family, they have really been there for Kelsey & Brett! I miss them so much. Kelsey today said she saw that movie "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"... She is so good about telling me the whole story when she sees a movie. She said you would have loved it! I believe it. Everyone knew how much you loved dogs. Chihuahua's especially. You loved those lil things because they remind you so much of us (lil, but full of life!).....
I saw that movie "August Rush", the last movie you saw with the kids. I loved it too. Kelsey said you didn't like the ending. I wish you were here so I can tell you how you should interpret the ending, you would have liked it then.
I was thinking, I have spoken to Robin Williams a few times on the phone due to my job. I wonder if it would be out of line to tell him how much Kelsey loves him & how August Rush was the last movie you two saw together and if would mind autographing an August Rush photo for Kelsey. Hmmmm, I'm going to see if the opportunity arises. Why not right?
Well, I'm praying I can visit them next month. . . I NEED to! My heart aches for them everyday.

You are still with us Mary. I love you so much!

Thank you for your LOVE

Mary's legacy

Dear Mary~

When I look at Kelsey & Brett I see you..... not just the physical appearance, but the funniness too. You did a wonderful job in raising them during the most important days of their lives. Don't you worry, we will take over from here. Brian is loving them the way they deserve & JoJo is giving them the stability and discipline the need.


The kids know how much our side of the family loves them. They know that they can always depend on us. We will stay close, don't you worry. We will never forget you. We will keep you alive in our hearts!

Just wanted you to know... okay? You always worried so much, so I am trying to help you.


NO Worries ~ "Worrying is a like a sin ~ it's telling God you don't trust Him".