Easter Eve

We spent Easter Eve with my Dad, Anita, and Abby.  

The evening began with an Easter Egg hunt for the boys, followed by a yummy supper of grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and the trimmings.

Here are a few pictures from the night...

My Dad and Anita have four rabbits... these two seemed most interested in the paparazzi on Easter Eve.  It only seemed natural that they would want their pictures taken on the night of the               Easter Bunny, right?

And now for some outside fun...

Aunt Julie was there, too!

I LOVE this picture!!!!!

Look at Emmitt waving at the kitty cat... isn't it precious?! :)

And that's all I've got for that Easter celebration... it was a very enjoyable evening.
Thanks Dad and Anita for a fun Easter Eve!

There's still more Easter to come!

The Easter Bunny

A few quick pictures of the Easter Bunny...

Emmitt was the Easter Bunny... :)

My sister and I made a quick trip to Paducah on Good Friday as we both needed something for Aunt Bertice's funeral.  I took my camera anticipating the Easter Bunny would be visiting the mall.  Sure enough he was there.  Unfortunately, they told me I couldn't use my camera unless I was going to pay them $17.  :(  I couldn't believe it.  Anyway, I got a few shots from afar, and Lawson visited with him; Emmitt was happy watching from the sidelines.  

Yes, Lawson has on Russ' magnetic name tag.  He found it in his briefcase before we left for the mall and insisted on wearing it.  Doesn't he look cute? :)

Such a big boy!

Easter Egg Hunt #1

It seems as though we've celebrated Easter for like a month. 

Not really, but we definitely celebrated for a full week!

It all began last Sunday as my mother hosted an egg hunt for the employees' families at the hospital where she works.  There were approximately fifty children in attendance, the weather was perfect, and the kids had a ball!  

This was officially Emmitt's first hunt, and you would have thought it was his hundredth.  He knew exactly what to do.   {I took like fifty pictures, so I "collaged" them to keep from boring you with this excited mama's photography... you can click on the collage for an up-close view, if you wish.} :)

-Emmitt's Egg Hunt-

-Lawson's Egg Hunt-

Lawson's age group struggled to find the "Golden Egg".  After all of the colored/decorative eggs were found, they had to go back and find the golden egg... With much dissappointment on his part, he didn't find the golden egg, which meant he didn't get to take home the child-size Corn Hole game.  Do not despair... the Easter Bunny came through with a golden egg and a surprise!

And lastly, here are their baskets full of eggs.

Lawson found 26 eggs.

Emmitt found 23 eggs.

They are at such a fun age.  I can't believe we are finally able to do things like this.  Although it was just an Easter Egg hunt, I was so proud of them as they were hunting.  :)  It was as if they were at the Olympics or something!  Ha!  I tend to be very competitive... I had to really work to keep from sharing that characteristic on Lawson as I prepared him for the hunt.  "It's just for fun, Lawson... this is not a race, and if you don't find the golden egg, it's ok."  That was hard for me.  I have lots to work on as they become more involved, don't I?  :)

It was a fun afternoon!  Good job, Mom... everyone seemed to have a hoppy time! :)

MORE EASTER TO COME!!!

She's in Heaven

Last Thursday afternoon, our family lost a very special lady.

My Aunt Bertice, who is my great aunt on my mother's side, fell last Thursday morning in her kitchen.  She sustained facial injuries and her body was unable to recover due to the blood loss.  

Her last fight on this earth was overcome with victory as she entered the pearly gates and is now walking the streets of gold.  Not only did she gain her angel wings as she entered Heaven, but she also rejoined her sweet husband, Uncle Jay... and as the preacher at her funeral said... "what a beautiful reunion that must have been."  

This tragic accident, along with her unexpected death, has made us so very sad, and it still seems unreal.  However, for the past twenty years she has lived on this earth waiting for the day she would once again walk hand-in-hand with her husband.  We know she is there with Uncle Jay, and we know that is what she wanted.  She is now whole, happy, and peaceful. 

The thought of them together makes my heart smile so big!

I've gone through my pictures and here are a few that I found... She was as lovely on the inside as she was on the outside.  And if only you could have heard her sweet voice.  

I will never forget her voice.

These two are from her birthday party this past August.  

She was 84 years old young... still going strong!

Isn't she lovely?

She will be missed.  Her absence has left a void for my mother's family.  I consider it a blessing that we have found comfort in the belief of everlasting life and knowing that she's in Heaven.

Aunt Bertice... 

 Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for your daily walk in the Lord.  You were a teacher for Him and lived a great life serving Him.

We are so proud to call you our's.

Until we meet again... know that you and Uncle Jay will always be in our hearts.

I love you, Aunt Bertice.

A Sneak Peek

I just realized that I haven't shared many general pictures of our new house, so here you go...

Russ' Office, like almost every other room in the house, has had lighting added or upgraded. {We still have lights that need to be upgraded, but for now, all are installed.}

A childhood friend, Benjamin, has been the brains behind the electrical additions.  He is the best and Russ couldn't have ever done it without him.  

All wood flooring in the house is being refinished as I type.

There you go... a few more pictures of our new house.  I have a kitchen/hearth room update, and more bathroom pictures coming soon!

Boys' Bathroom Update

The renovation of our new house is moving right along... projects seem to be taking twice the amount of time to complete as planned, but most people whom have done the same type projects seem to mention that this is normal.  Isn't "normal" comforting? :)

Anyway, we've still got a ways to go, but here are a few updates from the boys' bathroom which is located down stairs.

I decided to take you all the way back to the beginning...

Lovely, isn't she?  

The pink and gray didn't quite meet the boys' look.  

These pictures followed the demolition...

Look closely as you will see the mentioned changes as you scroll through the pictures below...

The remodel begins here...

 We love the new tile on the floor! 

On both the floor and and around the shower, we chose cultured marble with a honed finish verses a slippery shiny finish.

Here's the shower... Although it's hard to tell with the lighting, the glass accent tile matches the color of the tile on the floor.

That's where we are as of today.  Look forward to getting the vanity installed, paint on the walls, crown molding and trim back up, and new lighting installed.  

I believe we are really going to be pleased with the finished look.

More to come.

Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend!

Memories on Monday

A few memories from last week with my sweet boys.

Our friend, Rhett, got a mohawk a few weeks ago, and Lawson has been asking for one since.

Rhett's hair is longer that L's so I wasn't sure it would work, but much to my surprise, after a bath and a little bit gel on his wet hair, we had a mohawk going on.

He was so excited.

Another delightfully tacky moment in the life of Lawson Bragg.

In addition to a mohawk last week, we visited Dr. Lucas, a new pediatric dermatologist regarding L's birthmark.  She also took pictures and will get back with us this week with a plan.  At this time, she believes a doctor in Birmingham, AL will best be able to help us using laser treatment.  It's hard to believe we will be getting ready for Kindergarten this time next year and we hope to do something before he starts school.  We don't want his feelings to be hurt if we can do something about it.  I will keep you posted.

The next memory is remade day after day.  Emmitt loves to sit with Granny and she is so patient with him.  They read and talk, and shop in catalogs and newspapers for groceries, trucks, tractors, and the such.

He loves her.

Lastly, our sweet little Cargill baby.  

These pictures are precious, if I must say so myself.

Happy Monday, and have a great week!

Thanks for reading!

First Day of New School {Lawson}

This past Wednesday, Lawson attended his newest school here in Martin.

Our family is very excited about the opportunity for him to be attending UTM's Children's Center.

Here he is on his first day.

There is a real, adult-size basketball goal in his new room.

By all means, he had to wear his jersey.

After nine months on the waiting list, we received a call from Mrs. LeeAnn for a part-time position.

He is currently going to school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Mrs. LeeAnn's phone call resulted in smiles and thanksgiving for answered prayers the remainder of the day.  

We are very excited!

A few memories from his first day according to him:

I drank all of my milk in a big boy cup.

I played basketball with McCall.

My new friends are Barrett, McCall, Nolan, and Cody.

I didn't like the lunch.

I can't take my shoes off at nap time.

And for our memory...

I dropped him off around 8:30.  He jumped right in like he'd been going there forever.

He can stay as late as 5:20.

Around 3:00 I became anxious to pick him up, however decided to wait until 3:30 as they have afternoon activities in which I knew he would be participating.

When I got there to get him, he was still playing and immediately began to cry, begging me to come back later to pick him up.

I left and came back about forty-five minutes and, once again, he began to cry.  

I carried him out in tears.

He loves his new school.

We are so pleased.

Emmitt will also be going once they have an opening.

Thank you, so much, God, for answered prayers. We see you working in our life, and for that, we are thankful.