A Jet Plane Bound for Georgia!

Packed my bag last night and hopped on a plane bound for Georgia today. I will be helping out with our sweet granddaughter Emery, while her mommy, Leah, has surgery tomorrow (Friday) morning to remove her thyroid.
 

Leah has had benign nodules slowly growing on her thyroid, and the doctor felt it was best to remove it. Please keep her in your prayers, for no complications, minimal swelling and nausea, and that her recovery would be swift. 

I will be staying the whole week to help Kyle care for Leah and Emery, and to finish up last minute packing as they move back to NC next Friday! Busy times for sure. Thank you for your prayers for our daughter, and for EZ, as he and Mom take care of one another back at home while I am away!

Mom's Boone Birthday Celebration!

Mom turns 82 today! We were able to celebrate her birthday a bit early in the mountains over the weekend with all three of her children, their spouses, a granddaughter, her husband and two great grandchildren! We had a wonderful time together and are so thankful that everyone was able to travel from Florida and Charlotte to join us at the cabin. The porch rockers were ready and waiting...

After a delicious breakfast of coffee and Six Cheese and Dutch Apple bagels from Einstein Brothers, we headed to the local park for a walk and a swing. The little ones had a great time!

Soon it was time to head back to the cabin to grill homemade burgers and brats (some of Mom's favorites) for a late lunch. We put together quite a spread and everything was delicious!

Addyson loves her Uncle David, especially when he got on the top bunk to read stories to her!

We actually had two birthday girls as my sister-in-law Shannon's big day fell a few days before Mom's. Happy Birthday to both of you!

As darkness fell, EZ built a nice fire on a clear, cool night and we collected the essential ingredients for s'mores. Yummy...let the marshmallow roasting begin! What a sweet time of conversation we all shared together around the campfire.

We shot this quick pic before David and Shannon headed home: David, Shannon, Mom, Me, EZ, JoAnn and Johnny. We had a great time together and I KNOW Mom loved having all three of her kids and spouses there to celebrate!

This is Johnny and JoAnn's daughter Sarah, and her husband David, with their two precious children, Jaxon and Addyson.

Breakfast had to include Monkey Bread, along with sausage links, scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, kiwi, juice and coffee. Addyson and Jaxon were enjoying Gigi's iPhone.

 

Fun weekend, start to finish. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIGI! We love you so much and are so glad you are a part of our lives.

Tara's Birthday Breakfast

Tara's birthday was back on September 7th, so I am definitely running behind on this one! Finally got the pictures off the camera and had a minute to recall the morning events. This year we decided to have a birthday breakfast for Tara with the family, so that she and Jamie could go out to dinner and a movie later that night, just the two of them. Though 8:30am was early by our standards, the kiddos arrived ready for a party! So thankful for our sweet firstborn and the 32 years we have enjoyed with her.

Here's to many more birthdays together over the coming years! May God bless Tara and her family.

Days with the Dewdrops

Living as next door neighbors to Tara, Jamie and the grands, hardly a day goes by that we don't see one another. For a little over eight years now we have done life together, especially when twins entered the picture (twice!) and Multiple Myeloma threw us into a tailspin. We count it a great blessing to be a part of their lives on a regular basis and feel that our grandchildren have been the best medicine for Big EZ. We just love them to pieces. Here is an iPhone glimpse into some of our recent memories: