All about LOVIN' a BABY.....

I adore Laynie fans.

They come in all shapes and sizes, and come from far and near.  It always overwhelms my soul.

Yesterday, at Laynie's memorial blood drive, it was no different.  New faces, familiar faces, beloved faces, so many came to remember a tiny baby, and help save lives in her honor.  It was fantastical.

 

Austin Greenhaw started us off.  He came running in (right at the 3:00 starting bell) decked out in a purple sweater for the occasion, lamenting, "It's too hot for this sweater".  We love Austin.  He and his wife Kelli are part of Lacey's lifegroup, and he was one of Laynie's angel-bearers at the cemetery and has been with us for the long haul.  (Remember, we even took a trip to Haiti with him and Kelli), we love and appreciate us some Greenhaw family.

Next we had Brittany Meadors swing by to donate.  She was dragging her hand behind her due to the big engagement rock she recently acquired (Smiling).  We go back many years with Brit, she was in pom with Lacey in high school and we made a lifelong friendship with this little gal and her mama.  She graduates from RN school in May and I am so proud of her!  She also is the doting aunt of the cutest little boy in the land, and we were so happy to see this beautiful gal. 

This wonderful family rarely misses a Deaton event.  We missed the baby sis Amanda yesterday, because her daughter had the flu (Thanks for keeping that at home), but the bulk of the Cope's made it to the blood drive again this year.  We love Josh and Jamie, and their three munchkins, Blake, Jake and Brinlee.  And Beverly Cope got this family thing started back many moons ago, when her co-worker at the time, Carl Deaton, shared his grandbaby's story with her.  Beverly started following me on my blog, and got all her kids hooked, and now they are family.  Blake wins the Team Hope 5k every year (in his age division) in our "Wings to Fly" run in El Reno.  None of them have missed an event that I can remember, ever.  Someone from the Cope family always represents, and they are family to us.  Love you Copes!

Lifechurch, Midwest City was well represented yesterday, as several of the Lifekids staff came to donate.  Jessica married Lacey & Tyler, and though she says she feels like a shrimp around our very tall family, we still love her and think of her as our short family.  I won't say which person was the only fainter yesterday, but if I was saying, Chris Cunning might take that award, though I would rather just blame it on the Daniel fast he has been on for the last 20 days (wouldn't even eat the food he needed to, to overcome the dropsies at the blood drive,

because it had sugar in it), so just because he was laying backwards on the table with his feet in the air, that has nothing to do with the fact he may or may not have fainted.  His wife K.C. gave him a pep talk, telling him he wasn't really white as a sheet.  We love love love love love our church family and it was so fantastical that they all came out and donated blood for our little sweetheart's memory. 

Back before we attended lifechurch, we were members at Midwest City Community Church of the Nazarene, and Pastor Nate Cook always generously donates their gym for our blood drive every year, and Lori Perry hasn't missed a drive yet.  Kristie Valtierra came this year (decked in her OSU orange, GO POKES) and I got to see her bambino, Justice (Same age as Hallie, and MAN have our kids grown up on us!)  I adore these ladies, and appreciate them so much giving their time (and blood) to our baby's memory.  Thank you ladies....I wuvs you.

Lacey had friends, miracle mommies and more friends show up to donate, and it's overwhelming to me how, even after a few years, Laynie's memory still brings people out.   Precious friends.

Speaking of precious friends,

Allison Jakkus (fellow mommy on Hal's club volleyball team)

 Church friends, (and CA alumni) Jen Bartlett (3rd year for her) and Anthony Rodriguez (first timer!)

 Linzy Hall, my trusted confidante, who gets all the secrets that I find too burdensome to carry, I always end up in her office, telling her everything, leaving her to be the one to not have to tell Lacey.  Lacey's co-worker and partner in all things Children's Hospital Foundation  (her 3rd year to donate too)

 My wonderful buddy, Amy Astle, (3rd year to donate) who runs in the runs, donates the blood, crossfit queen of the world, how I wuvs her too.

 This lady has followed me before she even knew me as a person, she knew me as Lolly, the writer of the blogs about Laynie, and imagine our surprise when we find ourselves sitting next to each other at a Sisters Conference at church and we connect the dots.  Nancy Roy has been a wonderful source of strength for me, sending me encouraging messages when I am down.  Single handedly got so much visa money for the lovelies at Christmas, it rocked (literally ) my world.   She is a precious soul, and I love her to the moon and back. 

Some friends are family, and some family are friends, and this little gal is both.  Carl's cousin, Janet Harbolt, is my sister from anotha-motha, and we laughed our faces off yesterday about dating and kids (even though she isn't really sure how old hers are) and I never get to see her enough.  I love her long time (said in best Hong Kong voice) and we will be running/walking/crawling the 5k together this year, and I am looking very forward to it.

Speaking of friends that are family......Jerad and Ashlee Ethridge, to my knowledge, have never missed a blood drive.  Preslee is a frequent flyer too, and I have loved watching this little lady grow up.  (she used to be in my Let There be Light, back when she was in Diapers)

 She's grown just a bit since the first blood drive.....

And her mama doesn't pass out anymore, in fact, she can fill a bag in no time flat.   Love us some Ethridges!!!  And I have to put a special shout out to her mama, Peggy Smith.  Peggy has always donated, in fact, this family, like the Copes, come out in full force for our drives.....

and we needed a special favor, donating blood for a special little someone last week, and she dropped what she was doing, and raced to OBI to donate for our precious little friend.  Even though OBI had evacuated the building and all the fire trucks were there when she arrived.  Which is about her luck.  She and I roll that way. Always have Perfect timing, with running into walls and door frames, tripping over lint on the floor, wearing two different shoes, and marching through Target with our barn doors open.   Those kinds of things.  So I appreciate and love Peggy.   My friend, Becky Singleton, also donated for our precious little friend, and she is another BIG Laynie fan.  Love me some BeckyBug.

Then of course, there is family that actually IS family, and Tyler and my bubba were there to lend their blood to the cause.  

 I especially love this picture of Tyler, Austin, and the OU board of Directors big shot in charge of all things CMN on OU campus, Quy.  Tyler called them the AT&T bars.  Do you see why I love my son in law?  Hims funny.

  But mostly, I just love the love that is still so evident when it comes to loving our baby.  We know first hand how important blood donation is, and we are so fortunate that so many people still come to remember our baby, and we are able to help OBI in this way.  The love and support of all of our friends and continuing to build her legacy is an honor and a privilege for us.

Cause at the end of the day, it's all about lovin' a baby, and savin' some lives.