Duh Family

It's been a few years since we had family portraits taken, and it's come to the point where this is as good as it gets. This is the real deal, folks. Love it or leave it.

My Brothers...

In life, there are many things that you may never know about someone – even if you're very close to said person. My close friends and even some family members learned something about me in the last week that, until recently, I had never given a second thought about sharing: I have three older brothers.

Most of my friends and family are aware of my sister, Tiffani. We speak often and visit each other whenever we have the chance. She is my mentor, especially in the parenting arena, and I can always count on her for sound advice.

My two oldest brothers, Michael and Steven, are my dad's sons from a previous marriage and my youngest brother, Ryan, is my mother's son. Although Ryan and I are not close, we do keep tabs on each other regularly. Unfortunately, I lost touch with Michael and Steven over the years and have only regained contact since moving to Atlanta.

This major detail of my personal life was suddenly brought into the limelight on September 15, 2009 when Steven was killed in a car accident at the age of 40. As he was driving, a tree branch fell onto his vehicle, causing him to lose control and overturn into a ditch. Although he and his passenger were wearing their seat belts, Steven did not survive the crash. Thankfully his passenger escaped with only minor injuries.

I was deeply saddened to receive the news from Michael about the accident and even more saddened that I didn't have the chance to really get to know Steven. Although we were siblings by blood, we were only mere acquaintances. I knew he was married to a beautiful woman named Kelli and that they had a daughter named Sunni Jo. He worked as a mechanic in the Pine Bluff area and was the lead singer of the band Black Iris.

I regret that, as his sister, I knew about him only what most people would consider to be idle chatter or social pleasantries. I never got to know the person that he was...father, husband, brother, good person. Life seems to be full of regret, sometimes.

Immediately after receiving the news, I began making plans to travel to Arkansas for the memorial service. Determined to not add missing Steven's memorial to my list of regrets, the family and I hit the road and met Tiffani and Athena in Pine Bluff on Friday afternoon.

Tiffani and I hadn't seen some members of the Shelton side of the family since we were small children and I was a little nervous about who we might be seeing. Everyone was gathered at Steven and Kelli's house. Uncles and Aunts, siblings and friends all sitting around talking about the life of Steven. They shared photos and stories, laughed and cried. It was truly wonderful and I feel closer to him now more than ever. Another regret.

I met my niece, Sunni Jo, and Kelli, Steven's wife, for the first time. What a lovely couple of ladies. Sunni Jo is a year younger than Mason and her toothless smile would melt you heart. I'm certain that she was the apple of Steven's eye.

Many of the older people who attended the memorial stated one thing that stuck in my mind: As you get older, it seems like the only thing that brings families together are marriages and deaths. As I get older, I am finding this to ring true.

One good thing did come from our visit to Arkansas: I got to spend quality time with Michael. We had chatted on and off for several years. He would often drive through the Atlanta area on his truck route, but we were never able to cross paths in person. I have invited him to come and stay in Atlanta whenever he feels the urge...I hope he takes me up on that offer.

How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

I think we've all driven down the road and seen a dog hanging out of the window with tongue wagging and hair blowing in the breeze. It's not every day you see a child and his best friend, who happens to be a bear instead of a dog, hanging out of a car window. Rest assured, we are parked in a parking lot, so no safety violations here!

Happy Anniversary, Blog!

Today, I am celebrating 3 years of blogging! That means that, for over half of Mason's life, I've been writing our story for the online world to see and read. It's been a pretty wild ride, so far!

This photo was taken the summer our family moved to Atlanta (I think). Mason stayed with his grandparents for nearly a month! He got his first ear infection that summer and spent numerous hours with his 3 cousins at the farm in Kansas.


I don't have many photos from when we lived in the apartment in Duluth. It was a difficult time for our family. I had difficulties finding a job, Brian worked long hours and Mason and I spent a lot of time together.





This is my favorite of his Halloween costumes, by far! The year is 2006 and it was my first Halloween at Consumer Source. Little did I know that everyone in the office dressed up and we decorated our cubicles and passed out candy to children from the homeless shelter. After the kids left, I brought Mason to the office to trick-or-treat. Man, he raked in the loot!


Brian still worked at the Atlanta Athletic Club – where we frequently fished the ponds.


Pre-K graduation was a ton of fun! I had a hard time facing that I now had a school-aged child.


Tiffani and Athena came to visit and we went to the GA Aquarium. I can't wait to go back!


We love spending time outside!


Mason wanted to be a veterinarian in 2007, so we got him a pair of scrubs and a stethoscope. He listened to Bear's heartbeat quite often.


Callie came to join our family in 2008. She won our hearts at PetSmart adoption day and has been a great addition!


The boys love her!


Sometimes the birthday goodie bags have something to make me smile.


I don't know many people that don't have a fond childhood memory of licking the mixer bowl...


...or jumping into puddles.


Mason LOVES the snow. It could be because he's only seen it a few times in his life. It does snow in Atlanta, but not very much and it doesn't stick around very long. This photo gives you a good indication as to why some things are referred to as "flat as Kansas".


Mason's first kiss! Layla and Mason spent the day together at Six Flags and had a blast! Do you think he likes her?


Mason will forever be a part of the Hoschton, GA Guiness World Record for the most scarecrows. He looks pretty scary, right?


...or is THIS scary?


Joining the Taekwondo class was one of the best things Brian and I have done for Mason. He loves it and it helps with his behavior and motivation. I never would have thought that an extra-curricular activity could do so much for a child's well-being.


2009: our family goes to Disney World for Mason's 6th birthday. What a great way to celebrate!


Swimming lessons went well. He got over his fear of deep water and learned to float on his belly and stomach.


We make an effort to go to the coast at least once a year. We didn't make it to South Carolina again, but we were in Florida a few times. An excuse to go really isn't needed.


And last, but not least, Mason learned to ride his bike sans training wheels. This was taken just a few weeks ago! My goodness the last 3 years have flown by. What a great adventure our family is on...I can't wait to see what's next!