Beautiful

As I was sorting through our pictures, I ran across this picture.

I am not sure how I missed it.

It is a beautiful tree photographed on a golf course in Napa, California.  Russ captured it on his golfing trip once I had returned home from California.

I love this picture.  Isn't God's creation apparent?  It is beautiful to me.

I am glad I found this picture; it might be a new fave.

Hey Dat! {Emmitt's first words}

As we were traveling back from Tennessee the other night, Russ and Lawson got out of the truck and went inside the gas station.  To prevent Emmitt from moving into meltdown mode, I got him out of his seat and held him so that he also got a break from being strapped in.

He was very excited to be out of his seat and as he was standing in my lap with his hands and face on the window, I pointed at Russ in the store and said, "Hey Dad!" and he repeated what I said with, "Hey Dat!"

Of course, I got very excited which caused him to say it over and over again as he banged on the window.  It was so cute. 

Russ returned to the truck only to find Emmitt refusing to say "Hey Dad!"  I am not sure he really believed me until last night.  We were outside watching him work on the landscaping when out of the blue, Emmitt shouted, "Hey Dat!"  :) It was very exciting for Russ!

He has lots more "talking" to learn, but I'd say those are his first words... wonder what will be next? : )

A Birthday Party in the park!

This past Saturday, April 30, we celebrated both Lawson's and Emmitt's birthday with a sports themed party! 

As posted previously, Emmitt turned one last Thursday and Lawson will be three the end of this month.  With us now living 5 hours from home, we decided to combine their parties and celebrate in our hometown of Martin, Tennessee. 

I swore I would never do this and would always celebrate at "our" house, but just like Christmas, I ate my words and am glad I did.  The party was held at The Virginia Weldon Park in downtown Martin and it was so nice to have everyone there to celebrate.

We had 52 in attendance and are so thankful for all who came out to celebrate with us!

I will have to admit, however, that this was the most unorganized mess of a party I have ever been a part of.  Had it not been for my mother, sister, father, and Mrs. Sandy Brundige the party would not have taken place.  And just to give you an example of the unorganized mess... we got to the park only to realize that Lawson had no shoes on.  Lovely.  :) Oh, well.

You see, Russ' dad ended up having open-heart surgery on Friday before the party.  His surgery was unexpected and Russ and I went to be with his mom in Jackson on Friday afternoon/night while my mom and sister not only took care of our boys, but they shopped for all of the food and took care of decorations, etc.  Russ stayed the night in Jackson with his brother so to be there with his dad while Mrs. Jane and I drove back to Martin for the night so that she could rest and return early the next morning.   Mr. Richard insisted on us going ahead and having the party for the boys so we did as he asked, but we sure did miss him and Mrs. Jane.

I was up at 6:30 A.M. the next morning ready for the big day and Russ drove back early Saturday morning... although it was a bit windy, the sun was shining which was a concern since the party was outside... after the stormy week in the south I was so excited to see the sunshine!  Supplies needed to be carried to the park, balloons blown up, cupcakes picked up, BBQ picked up, and the park decorated.  The party was to begin at 11:30 with lunch served at noon.  Much to be done.

After getting all of that done, we arrived at the park at 11:05 only for the "mess" to begin.  The first thing to do was to get the table cloths on and the tables decorated.  Didn't happen... the wind and the tablecloths didn't agree.  There were 10 tables at the park which was plenty, but four of them ended up being really dirty with limbs, leaves, etc. meaning they couldn't be used without tablecloths.  The table shortage forced me to use a card table for the cake table which was way too small for the "cake table look" that I had in mind.  I was really disappointed by this and almost let it ruin my day.  When you have something in mind and none of it seems to work out it is very discouraging; I'm sure most of you understand.  I was discouraged, but the party went on and most people never knew the difference and most importantly Lawson and Emmitt had a ball!

Everything else went well.  BBQ, baked beans, fruit, and chips with soft drinks were served for lunch, and chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cupcakes with ice cream cups for the birthday celebration.  It was all very good.

The pictures below are randomly posted.  I had many people taking pictures from time-to-time and I appreciate their help... Mrs. Dawn, Julie Anne, and Lanna... thanks!

-Here we are as a family following the Happy Birthday song- 

-Getting the candles ready-

Trying to keep them lit in the wind was a challenge... just barely made it through the song.

Emmitt thoroughly enjoyed his first birthday cupcake!  It was so cute. 

Lawson didn't eat his cake at his first birthday party nor at this one... too busy playing!

The cupcakes... in a box and not on the table... but the party went on!

I made the pennants out of various types of scrapbook paper, matching the party plates, and toothpicks; they worked great and I was very pleased with them.  The paper was on sale for 6 for a $1.00...Seventy-five cupcake toppers for $1.00!  Score!  : )  Nichole Cobb Burnett from Martin made them and they were scrumptious!

-A few snapshots of our guests eating lunch-

Maddie, Mama B, Aunt Christy, and McKenzie

Mrs. Dawn and Emmitt... she introduced him to Cheetos for the first time... and I am sure you can imagine how much he LOVED them! 

Granddaddy, Aunt Brenda, and Grandmother

Daddy Denton, Ms. Cherri, Mrs. Sandy, and Cadence

Our two newest cousins were also in attendance... Baby Jenna Kate and Baby Drake were sooo sweet!

Rhett also enjoyed his cupcake!  Lawson is sitting beside me as I type this and he just said, through his laughter, "Oh, my boy Rhett was so silly at my birthday party!"  :)

Now time for gifts... the boys received so many nice things!

Emmitt received a dancing bear from Mama B and Daddy Denton.  He dances to "Cotton Eyed Joe" and is really cute!  Both boys are enjoying him.

His friends were so helpful in opening his gifts!

The party came to a close with the pinata.  Lawson was very excited about this pinata... it had been in our closet for several weeks and I was very concerned about its survival - wasn't so sure it was going to make it to the party without being crushed!  He helped choose the candy and trinkets to fill it which was a lot of fun!

It was a "ribbon pulling pinata" meaning you didn't have to hit it, but pulling the ribbons wasn't successful resulting in hitting it with a baseball bat.  Lawson went first...

My dad had to hold him up...

And finally after each child had another try with the bat, dad finally just busted it releasing the goodies!

The following pictures are shots from the afternoon with family and friends...

Russ, Emmitt, and Granny

Love this picture of my sister, Julie, with Lawson

I ordered jersey type tees for the boys off of Etsy.  They had their name on them and the number associated with their new age.

Emmittt preferred the ground over anybody's arms or lap.

Lots of fun on the playground equipment was had by all!

Mr. Richard's first cousins and Emmitt... Rene' and Emmitt, Suzanne, and Dorothy

And lastly, me pushing Cohen and Lawson

As I look back at the pictures, it truly was a fun day... table cloths, cake table or not!  All that really mattered was that Lawson and Emmitt had fun.  Emmitt of course, could have cared less, but he did have fun, and Lawson is at the age where he totally understands what is going on and was so excited! 

I am thankful for all that helped make it possible and for all that came and helped us celebrate.  Mom, Dad, and Julie Anne - I owe you... big time!  I love to celebrate birthdays and believe that one more year of life is worthy of a party!  I am thankful for a day to celebrate our boys.  We will enjoy another small party and cake with close family over the Memorial Day weekend which will be Lawson's real birthday weekend. 

We are most thankful that Mr. Richard's surgery was successful and that he is now at home and doing well.  We stayed in Martin through yesterday to be with Granny.  It was nice to spend several days with her.  He was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon and we returned to Columbia late last night.  He seems to be doing well all things considered.

Thanks for stopping by and for taking time to read about our boys' big day!

Have a great day... it's almost the weekend!

In honor of Hailey

As many of you know, the little girl of our friends, Mark and Shauna Trainer, earned her angel wings last November.  She fought a seriously aggressive form of brain cancer and when her body was no longer able to fight she went to be with Jesus. 

Hailey Ann was a beautiful little girl whose name meant Gracious Hero.  

Isn't she beautiful?

And a Hero she was to all who knew her.  She fought a long fight and amidst her illness brought much love and joy to those that knew her... those near and far...  and most of all, she brought joy to our God...  In her short, but meaningful life she brought so many closer to Him.

She truly is a Gracious Hero.

My sister, Julie, and I have made the decision to grow our hair out in order to make a donation to Locks of Love in honor of Hailey.

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hair pieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under the age of 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.  

If you've known anyone fighting cancer, then you've probably also known someone who received Chemotherapy as a treatment for their illness.  While Chemotherapy can be successful in fighting cancer cells it also destroys hair cells resulting in hair loss.   

As my sister and I discussed donating our hair, we discussed the sadness that little girls and boys must feel as they lose their hair.  Hair defines the "looks" of an individual to a certain degree.  I mean people pay big bucks for a certain look when it comes to their hair... cutting, coloring, straightening, perming, styling, extensions, technology for hair growth in the event they are losing it, hair products of all different types, hair accessories, and the list goes on and on... your hair is important to your confidence.  As we reminisced on the many different hairstyles we had as little girls, we decided that growing our hair and donating it to another child was the simplest way to give back.  And hopefully this "simple way" will be more than simple when making a boy or girl feel good about themselves.

We are excited about this opportunity!  We are excited to be able to give back to other children in honor of such a sweet little girl... and we are excited about sharing love and joy with another little boy or girl as they receive a new hairpiece, just as Hailey shared love and joy with all who knew her.

Locks of Love has specific requirements on receiving hair donations.  One requirement is that the donation must be 10-12 inches in length.  It takes a minimum of 10 inches to design a nice hairpiece.  12 inches, of course, would result in a longer hairpiece.  My hair is longer than Julie's so I will probably be waiting on her a bit towards the end.  As to how long it will take... we are unsure, but we are in for the duration. 

We are very excited and will be keeping you posted.  If you'd like to join us, that would be great!  Leave me a comment and we can connect.

Here is a picture of me and my little sister, Julie Anne.

And here is our "before" picture. 

Inches to grow... in honor of Hailey! : )

And in case you haven't yet had the privilege to hear the story of Hailey, the Gracious Hero, I have posted a few postings about her in the past... you can read about her here, here, and here.  You can also visit her CaringBridge site here; her mother does a great job of sharing her story.

She was beautiful.  Her heart was precious and abounded with love and joy. 

Thank you, God, for Hailey's sweet life.

Happy Birthday, Emmitt!

A year ago today, God added sweet Emmitt to our family. 

It was a beautiful day, much warmer than today, and little did we know what was in store for our family!

He has grown by leaps and bounds and has filled our home and hearts with so much joy. 

Emmitt's first year in pictures...

Taken the day that we brought you home... one of your mama's favorites.

At the hospital... you had just had your first bath and were finally calm and warm...

-One month-

This was also your big brother's second birthday... he loved to push you and you didn't seem to mind... He really loves his little brother!

-Two months-

Bright eyes, but still serious.

-Three months-

Your personality was beginning to bloom!

-Four months-

You loved your bouncy seat...

-Five months-

Blowing bubbles with your mouth, laying on your bear mat...

-Six months-

We moved out of our Evansville house on October 28.  You were six months old and were rolling around everywhere!  You were so cute and our movers, Gerald and David, loved talking to you.  You have on one of my favorite outfits... a hand-me-down from your big brother.

-Seven months-

Hanging out with dad at our new house

-Eight months-

You were so proud that you could do "touchdown!"

-Nine months-

Such a happy boy and so curious...

-Ten months-

Emmitt, your mama continually has to dig things out of your mouth... you will eat, or attempt to eat anything you can get your little hands on.  This particular night, you had discovered a Girl Scout cookie left behind by your big brother... you thoroughly enjoyed your first GS cookie!

-Eleven months-

-Twelve months-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Emmitt!

It's been a fun day!  We awoke early this morning and went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast before taking Lawson to school.  Emmitt and Lawson shared country ham, hashbrown casserole, and banana slices... Emmitt ate more than Lawson, by far.

Our smaller camera didn't work so well in the morning light at CB...

 Mom and Big Brother Lawson with the Birthday boy!

Dad with Big Brother Lawson and the Birthday boy!

Happy Birthday, Emmitt!

 Russ left ahead of us a little bit and as we were walking back to the van, Lawson noticed our shadow.  A picture was a must!  Isn't it cool?

He is so big!

And we couldn't go without singing Happy Birthday to you!  Lawson blew out the candle and then we all clapped!  :)  You shared a cookie with Lawson and of course, you thought it was yummy!

Emmitt we are so very thankful for you and your birthday... God chose this special day.  He gave you your first breath and we are excited to be celebrating your first birthday!

Happy Birthday, little brother, Emmitt Bragg!

We love you very much!