Gratituesday~sweet time with family and friends in TN

We had the most wonderful time on our family trip to Tennessee. We spent a couple of days in Savannah, TN. My sister and her husband have just moved in to their beautiful, brand-new home. We were so grateful for their hospitality in letting us crash on their guest bed, futon, air mattresses and couch! Their house is gorgeous, but the real reason we were there was to see them...and it was precious time!
We also got to spend far-to-little sweet time with some very dear friends. The Seller's Family is now living in Savannah, also. John is the associate pastor at Mount Hermon Baptist Church. I am always amazed at how we can go a whole year without seeing these precious friends, and as soon as we get together, it is like we see each other every day! We had so much fun! We grilled-out (one of our favorite pastimes) and the kids played so well together! Becca and I even had the chance to sneak away to the fabric department at Wal-mart and shop and talk without any kids!!! John and Becca also have a beautiful and welcoming home and they are doing an amazing job raising their 2 little ones...Brighton is 3 and he is funny and charming...Raelyn is 5 months old and she is a happy, smiley, sweet and oh-so-cute baby girl!


showing the kids how to shuck corn



Hadley was fascinated by the little worms in the corn



Our yellow lab, Crush loved playing with the Seller's weimaraner, Macey




Avery loved Macey, too!



Ben and baby Raelyn got along great...except when Ben tried to steal kisses...Raelyn does NOT kiss on first dates!



The 2 Mommies


We also visited Clarksville, TN, where I was born and where my grandparents still live. My Grandma Sue graciously hosted us all, and she fed us well while we were there! We had a wonderful afternoon at her house visiting with her, along with my other grandparents, Oma and Pa. I absolutely adore visiting with my grandparents. They are the most fascinating people! On Saturday, we drove over to Nashville to visit my great grandmother, Grandma Katherine. It was wonderful to have the 5 generations together again. Ben enjoyed meeting his great-great-grandmother for the first time. It was a special visit.
We were gone from home for 9 days, but we had such a wonderful visit~we wouldn't have minded staying another 9 days! I am grateful for all of the people who were so gracious and hospitable on our journey. And, I am so thankful that they are apart of my life!



Grandma Sue loving on her first great-grandson


Avery LOVES her Jason!



Isn't he handy?



Ben meeting his great-great Grandma Katherine...(don't know what happened to this pic)



Ben thought Jeff was funny



Ash and I enjoy our visit at Grandma Katherine's while Avery catches a quick nap


our visiting wore this little dude out!

for more gratituesday, visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers...prepare to be blessed!

Aunt Fran

Last month, we were so blessed to be able to sneak over to Tampa and visit with Brian's great-aunt Fran. She is a true southern lady. When we arrived, she had lemonade and cookies ready and waiting for us. We had a wonderful time catching up with her and the kids loved her! We took a nice stroll around the pond and enjoyed the perfect spring weather and the beautiful flowers that were just bursting into bloom! It was such an enjoyable afternoon. I hope to be able to go back and visit her soon. She is such a rich wealth of knowledge and experience. I feel like I have so much to learn from her. I am so thankful for this precious link to generations past!

Disney/Sea World!!!

We had such a wonderful time on our vacation. It was such a blessing to have 4 full days with my precious family! Where to begin? Well, we woke up early Thursday morning. I went to the kitchen to start breakfast. We like to eat a big breakfast before we leave for the parks. We made chocolate chip Mickey pancakes! Yummy!



Well, while I was fixing breakfast, Brian went to wake up the girls. He went to the girl's beds to discover a very feverish Avery. She had a temperature of 104 degrees! Needless to say, we got off to a late start that day! After children's motrin, she was feeling a little better and we decided to head out and try to make the most of the day. We went to Disney's Animal Kingdom that day. Avery spent the majority of the day sleeping in the stroller. We did have a great time that day, though. The girls absolutely LOVED the show Nemo, The Musical. They also both loved the Triceratop Spin, a fun little kiddie ride in the Dino-land section of the park. They were intrigued by the Safari, too. We even got to see the Lions up and prowling around. The animals were really awake and active this time! Even with Avery being sick, we all had a great day!



Hadley got her face painted!



On Friday, Avery was feeling a lot better! That was good, since it was her birthday! We got up and had another special breakfast-Daddy made sausage balls! The girls got dressed in their princess dresses and we headed to The Magic Kingdom! Brian's parents and my mom and sister, Ashley came down and joined us for the day. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun! We ate lunch at The Crystal Palace with Pooh Bear and Friends. It was GREAT!



On Saturday, we went to Sea World. It was another great day! I think Sea World was actually Avery's favorite place! She has now decided she wants to be a whale trainer when she grows up! They loved the Shamu show and the water and sand play areas the best. And, each of the girls got to pick out a stuffed animal. Avery chose a big, plush Shamu and Hadley picked the biggest stuffed dolphin I have ever seen! It is HUGE! It was a great way to end a great vacation!


Ben in the giant sand box at Sea World