Birthday Girl!

Ashlyn is 7 years old.

Ashlyn was born on April 30th and what a wonderful day that was! Watching her grow has been a marvelous experience and we know that great things are ahead for her! She celebrated her birthday with a slumber party. She and five friends had a night at the drive in theater, food, and party fun! The girls were chaperoned by Mom and Aunt Julie. Jax and Grey had a sleep over at Grandma's. Love, hugs and kisses to you, Ashlyn, from Grandma and Paw Paw!

Easter time and softball!

Jax was a great egg hunter!

He knows where to look!

Long softball day for Noah!

Jax and Ashlyn all dressed up for Easter Sunday!

A loving, adorable sister and brother!

I was too pooped to post Saturday as we had our church children over for an Easter egg hunt. We had a great turn out and I think we had many more adults than children. We had moms, dads, grandmas, and even great grandmas. Everyone seemed to have fun whether participating or observing. Jax was our only grand here as Noah and Grey were with their other grandparents (Ghee and Paw) and Ashlyn had a gymnastics class. Jax did a great job hunting and was chomping candy as fast as he could unload his eggs. I think Al hid around 500 eggs. There may be a few still out in the field. Hopefully, when the hay is rolled, some unsuspecting cow or horse won't find crunchiness in the food supply.

Later in the afternoon, we went to see Noah play her first two softball games. She had opening ceremonies Saturday morning and two games that afternoon. She got a great hit and scored during the second game! The age range for her team is 8 to 10 so she and another little girl are the youngest ones on the team. They bat balls tossed by a pitching machine and I think she is getting the hang of it.  I know she was worn out by the end of the day. So proud to see her doing her best!

Today, Easter Sunday, was a beautiful day. What a joy it was to worship on this special day, rejoicing in the knowledge that Jesus loved us so much to suffer like He did and His victory over death gives us so much hope! Our precious grands, Ashlyn and Jax, looked so beautiful and handsome in their Easter finery. It is always a joy to have them attend church with us and the members of our church family have enjoyed watching them grow from babyhood! Happy Easter, sweethearts! Oh, how Jesus loves you and so do Paw Paw and I!

Happy early birthday celebration, Ashlyn!

Our precious birthday girl!

Ashlyn with Mom, Dad, and Noah

Tonight we celebrated Ashlyn's birthday, though her birthday isn't until April 30th. She plans to have a sleep over with friends on her actual birthday. Those of us who helped celebrate with Ashlyn were her Mom, Dad and brother, Jax, Aunt Blair and cousins, Noah and Grey, Paw Paw and Me. Noah and Grey spent today at our house. Grey helped me make Ashlyn's cake and Noah spent a lot of time making Ashlyn a special card. She drew on it, painted her drawing with water colors and even drew herself and Ashlyn on the inside, along with a special poem. Our girls love each other and enjoy being together and so do our boys! I am so glad they are all close!  It was a fun and special evening. I hope this year will be terrific for Ashlyn! Paw Paw and I surely love you, sweetheart!

Happy Birthday, Blair

Happy Birthday, sweet Blair!

A little candle blowing help from Noah and Grey.

Our precious, goofy girls outside our window!

Today was Blair's birthday. Jarrod was working so we didn't want the day to go by without some sort of celebrating. We set a dinner date for Subway in Lynchburg because Noah originally had ball practice close by but that was cancelled. We gave Blair the option of picking anywhere she wanted to eat but she wanted to keep our original plan. Our celebratory party included Josh, Ashlyn, and Jax (Jen had a class at the hospital), Al, Blair, Noah, Grey, and Me. I baked a Mississippi Mud Cake for the occasion and we had fun just being together. The children always love one another's company and it's a treat for Noah and Ashlyn as they don't see much of each other since they are in school. We are all looking forward to summer and the togetherness that brings. Blessings on Blair for the year ahead! Love you, sweetheart!

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail!

Jax, happy about finding those eggs!

Jax looks more interested in Charlotte than the Easter Bunny!

Grey is doing a good job at hunting, too!

Grey looks like he has a special furry friend!

Today was a special annual event at our preschool. We take our children across the street from school to an assisted living facility once a month and the children sing and visit with the residents. Today was the Easter egg hunt they plan for our children each year, including a visit from the Easter Bunny, himself! There is a wall of windows looking onto a courtyard at the facility. A lot of eggs are "hidden" in that courtyard and the residents (we call them the grandmas and grandpas) sit at the windows and watch the children hunt. Everyone had an awesome time today and each child got a hefty basket of candy filled eggs! Jax and Grey seemed to have a great time and weren't intimidated at all by the large Easter bunny! What a great event to herald in the Easter season!

Mini Vacation! Ahhhhhh!

Mamaw's House

View from the kitchen window.

My room for the night.

Most of my mini vacations consist of staring off into space and visiting the recesses of my mind. After a few seconds, my husband will say, "Welcome back. Did you enjoy the vacation?" This time, I was home alone and decided to actually go somewhere. I joined my sister, Holly, at my maternal grandmother's house where we spent a leisurely afternoon visiting, crafting, eating outside, watching a movie and relaxing. It was a welcome and needed break from the every day. My Mom grew up in this house where my Mamaw moved after she became a widow. She was the single mother of eleven children and raised them all to adulthood. I always remember the wonderful smell of the delicious meals she cooked. I always felt welcome and never left empty handed. I have memories of large family reunions with big tables set up on the lawn. I spent many afternoons swinging on the front porch and visiting with boy "friends" when I was in high school. There was always a big garden out back that yielded wonderful vegetables! Mamaw rarely sat down, it seemed, as she was tending the garden, cooking or keeping house. The porch swing is gone now, replaced by rocking chairs. Daddy bought the house for Mama some years ago and Holly and Troy did most of the renovating, without losing the character of the house. Mama furnished the house with furniture similar to what was there when she lived at home. Presently, it is a guest house for visiting family members and, sometimes, an escape cottage for some of us. The family pictures on the walls remind us of bygone years and the importance of family ties. I stay so busy that I forget that it is there but, after being reminded, I hope to go there more often to create new memories and share old ones with my grands and my precious baby sister!

Super Sunday Happenings!

A tired Ashlyn waiting for awards ceremony!

Always a winner!

 Today was a beautiful day with blue skies and lots of sunshine! Participating in bible class and worship services was a perfect way to start the day! I am so thankful for each new day and life with my Jesus! His love is unfathomable! Following church, we headed for Murfreesboro to watch Ashlyn perform in her second gymnastics meet. She did a really great job in all events but what impressed me the most was her courage just to get out there! So proud, sweetheart!



Happy 61st Anniversary Mama and Daddy!

We had a great anniversary dinner with  Mama and Daddy! Our group consisted of Mama and Daddy, Holly and Troy, Amy, Alf and Me. Robin came in from work later. It was so great to spend time together for such a special event! Surely do love my precious parents!

Consignment bonanza! Fashion show!

Yesterday evening, thanks to the work put in by my sister, Holly, I was able to shop at an awesome consigment sale for three of my grands! Jax gets hand me downs from a cousin so I shopped for Ashlyn, Noah, and Grey. Ashlyn was here this morning recovering from a fever that she had yesterday and she loved all the clothes I picked up for her. Unfortunately, she didn't feel like modeling them. Tonight, Noah and Grey are spending the night and they wanted to put on a fashion show. The pictures are just a sample of some of the great buys I got. Many of the clothes I bought were new and still had tags. I probably bought around $400 + worth of clothing for $121. Amazing! I am so blessed to be able to shop there and I really enjoy it, shopping for myself, not so much. Looks like everyone is ready for summer and we would welcome a little warm weather.