Alabama Update

We'll start with the fun stuff first. Melissa is doing well. Her next office visit starts the bi-weekly visits. She did the Susan B. Komen walk with work. As you can see, Baby Jelly Bean is growing well. Mom, hope you can see these pictures of her house. Jeff has been painting like crazy. She's picked out some really nice colors. We will try to get more pictures later. They haven't painted the baby's room yet.

 

Stallworth's have pretty much been all about soccer. Haley's team...the Lady Phantoms - White (I think that is it) just finished regular league play in Huntsville. They lost a hard fought first game 1-0. Someone tried to say that team was playing up (that they were all younger than the age group Haley plays in) but all the kids on the team were about a head taller than our kids. And not just Haley who is vertically challenged. But the girls didn't let that slow them down. They got off to a shakey start with the other team scoring a point in the first couple of minutes. But that was all they did as our girls came back to win 5-1. Haley had a couple pretty good saves in both games when playing keeper and did very well while out on the field.

I tried to get a picture of Will's game that day. But it was at 7:45 am. and the sun was coming up right behind them so after one picture I quit. Half of his team has been asked to play up the next session. They pretty much dominate the field when they play. Didn't know if I showed the cake Haley made for Will's birthday. She even drew the picture free hand. I thought she did awesome.

Tom just got him a new toy. He keeps trading up for a bigger one. This one is a Yamaha 950 something or other. I have yet to get on any of his motorcycles. On a sad note Tom's sister Patty lost her battle with ovarian cancer Friday. She was 53. It has been almost three years since she was first diagnosed. She had surgery a couple weeks ago to remove new tumors and to put stints in her kidneys. She went home for a couple days then came down with a high fever they couldn't get down. They put her in a comma for a few days as they got things under control because she was in a lot of pain. They were optimistic that things were going to be okay, but the tumors were growing too fast and they caused bleeding and infection in the colon/intestins. Clair (Pattys husband) called Wednesday and said it wasn't looking good and Tom flew out there (Salt Lake City) Thursday morning. His parents got out there Friday afternoon. They took her off all the machines a few hours later hoping she would be able to make the trip home but she was only able to hang on for a little bit.  Parts of her obit include "In 2003 Clair and Patty were awarded the Congressional Angels in Adoption Award for their "selfless acts of kindness and dedication to making a difference in the lives of children everywhere." Their family includes Christina Tillman (biological), Samuel, C.J. Lily, Jacob, Joseph, Benjamin, James, Adam and Ammon Walker, her Son-in-Law Josh Tillman, and her grandsons Ethan, Owen and Spencer Tillman. They had also adopted a son Elijah who died several years ago. She will be buried next to him in Lyman, Wyoming where they live.

Okay, maybe I should have started with the bad stuff first. Hate to end on it. But hope everyone is doing well. Can't wait to see you all in a couple of weeks.