Winter Formal

Corsages!

Dinner at our house.

Braving the cold! It was about zero! Tanner rented a car that matched Riley's dress. How cool!!?? In our town at Winter Formal and Prom the guy's only ask friends, even if they have a girlfriend they take a friend. I kinda like this strange tradition. So, this was Riley's first date!!! Knowing everyone was going as friends made it so much easier!

Chestnuts Roasting on an open fire...

One night when Hallie was four Brady was playing with her on the floor in the living room. He lifted her up like an airplane overhead for one of his strong daddy tricks. His hands must have been gripping her a little too tightly around her ribcage so as not to drop her on her pretty little head! Because she, in her adorable tiny tot voice, said "daddy you are hurting my chestnuts." Needless to say we giggled about that one for awhile. Until it turned cold (which in Galveston meant in the 60's) and Bing started crooning his Christmas songs. It was then that our families giggles turned into hysteria. I mean come on... "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...." "at the fireplace where we'll watch the chestnuts pop, pop, pop, pop." You couldn't contain the laughter that instantly filled our car the first time we heard those songs after Hallie coined our new nickname for that particular part of a girls anatomy. I'm sorry to say that those songs will never be the same for us. I just hope I haven't ruined them for you by letting you in on one of our Banta Family Secrets. Let me tell you, we have some good ones that we will never share!!!!

Giving Thanks for Kari!

I lost a sweet friend today but heaven gained a beautiful soul. Kari was in a Beth Moore Bible study that I was trying to lead in 07-08. That is how I met her. She has one of those beautiful memorable smiles, a great laugh and always sweet positive things to say. What drew us closer was her prayer request towards the end of our "Daniel" study . She and Tom, her husband, had been married for a few years and wanted children. "Tom and I have decided to go through the adoption process and we need your prayers." As the months passed and they jumped through the adoption hoops and filled out countless forms and were interviewed they finally got to start the waiting part. While she patiently waited Kari decided to help put together a calendar entitled the Naked Truth. She was the photographer taking modestly and creatively covered naked cancer survivors in our community. It was sold all over town and an article appeared in our paper showcasing the calendar the very week she was diagnosed with Leukemia. I talked to her on the phone and she told me she was hopeful about her treatment because it could possible cure her lupus as well. HER LUPUS!!!??? You mean I was in a Bible study with her for over a year, went to church with her, ate her husbands delicious oyster stew on Christmas Day and she never complained about having lupus once?!

Kari bought a ticket to go see Beth Moore with our Bible Study group of girls that fall. However, she was stuck in a hospital room on the oncology floor while we took turns going to see her smile after we'd been to the conference. (Beth Moore wrote her a beautiful letter wishing she could have seen Kari while she was in Billings. ) Her husband Tom was at her side every time Brady and I went to visit her. The strangest thing would happen when Brady and I would leave their room. We were there trying to encourage them and without fail, they would spiritualy encourage us!!! How is that possible except through Christ alone?

Tom and Kari kept a Caringbridge website to let people follow her long road. From the first entry on Oct. 16th, 2008 until the last entry this morning it has been a beautiful testimony of faith and perseverance. Most days giving me a scripture I needed and a hysterical little idiom to make you laugh. Tucked in those journal entries were Kari's accounts of the day with never a complaint. No drama, no exaggerations, and most of the time her plight was undershot. I can't even begin to imagine what she and Tom endured. Scary fevers, being poked and prodded thousands of times, bone marrow biopsies, nausea, vomiting, insensitive medical staff, isolation, seemingly unanswered prayers. And yet I never heard a complaint or a grumble. I have learned something very important from Kari as she lived and through her death. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. Philippians 2:14-15 In my world Kari shown like the North Star. If only I could apply this scripture to my very easy life as she did in the face of many difficult trials. If only I will count my blessings. Lord, please help me live this life bringing you glory and not bringing you complaints!

10-31-09

Happy Birthday Dear Brady, Happy 36th Birthday to you! Brady wanted me to go hunting with him as one of his presents. So, Jay and I spent the day with daddy looking for Antelope and "The big buck." We didn't "get" anything but some exercise, fresh air and fun memories.
His mom came over to join the party for brisket and birthday cake. PoGo even got to come in the house for the evening to help him celebrate!
Then over to some friends house for trick or treating with a little Bumble Bee, a Leopard and Tiger Lily!
Charlie was determined to be Zorro, even though there wasn't a Zorro costume to be found in any store. Daddy, Riley and I all worked to make his costume idea a reality.
Jay in the parade around the school as THE GOOD KNIGHT.
Bailee was a Leopard. Shockingly, she was the only one in the whole school, even though I got it at Target. Living in the middle of nowhere does have its advantages.

PoGo Ate...

PoGo Ate by Riley, Hallie, Bailee and Vicki

PoGo ate Bailee's Friendship Bread and
PoGo ate her first bed!
I feel I should go check on that darling louse
I think I hear her chewing on the house!
PoGo ate some one's Christmas lights,
A mouse and some birds she finally got her snacking right!
PoGo ate my cutest sandals (brown and black),
I nearly had a heart-attack!
PoGo ate tons of our pool toys
but, she wouldn't eat those goose decoys.
PoGo ate my flower pot made of clay.
Oh well, I never liked it anyway.
Pogo ate one of our Sprinkler heads
Whatever she gets a hold of she quickly turns into shreds!
PoGo ate the contents of my purse
just when I thought it couldn't get any worse!
My lipstick and journal gnawed on in the grass,
I think I'm gonna spank her.... hiney!
PoGo ate some snow boots and Jay's soccer ball.
PoGo actually ate a hole in the wall.

Oh the fun has just begun,
this all happened in year one!
We love that puppy, yes we do!
I wonder what she will consume in year two?

Oatmeal

Christmas 2004

Texas Bluebonnets 2005

When we lived in Galveston and the girls were little, they would complain about whatever I made for dinner. Too much whine with dinner, if you know what I mean. I didn't want to make two dinners every night so they ate some portion of what Brady and I were eating. There were several evenings they survived on rice or bread. Oh well, they survived! Anyway, I still didn't like hearing the complaints! So, when Brady had to do an away rotation in Washington, D.C. I thought I'd cut them some slack and fix them "kid-friendly" meals for seven straight nights! I was so excited to finally get a break from the bad reviews I was receiving from my food critics in training. The first night I proudly placed tacos on the table. Guess what? They complained, deep breath, okay! The next night I made hot dogs! Guess what? They complained, Grrrr! The next night I let them help me make pizzas. You guessed it, they complained, here come the water works! I called Brady, sniff, sob, sniff, they are still complaining about dinner. He said "okay, here's what you do... make them one more meal they should like and WHEN they complain make them oatmeal for dinner the next night. Keep making them oatmeal for dinner until they learn to quit complaining!" I was like... this is genius! Plus, I won't have to plan dinners for awhile!

On the fourth night I made pigs in a blanket and mac-n-cheese, no-fail-meal, right? Wrong, THEY COMPLAINED, how could they? As soon as the first complaint left their perfectly proportioned pouty lips, I said "TOMORROW NIGHT YOU WILL HAVE OATMEAL FOR DINNER!" In one perfect harmonious chime my three little darling girls yelled " YAY"!! So, as planned, I made oatmeal for dinner the next night and all I heard was yum and mom this is so good! UGH! What's a mom to do? As a last resort I prayed for wisdom on how to handle my serious whine with dinner problem. As a result of my prayers, I told the girls this whole story from beginning to end and how their whining made me feel and they laughed and laughed. We all laughed!

I haven't heard a complaint about dinner in years. Maybe I just tune it out now!? I just try to focus on the "thanks mom," or the "this is good" I hear every now and then. However, one Saturday about a year ago Riley complained about lunch. My retort was, "I'm sorry you don't like lunch, what are you going to make for dinner?". She got on the computer and looked up the recipe for Asian Chicken, we went to the store and bought her ingredients. She cooked it all by herself. It was delicious and she hasn't complained since!