A much needed mini-vacation

My mom is retiring from teaching after 32 years!!  When we were invited to her retirement banquet at her school in Atlanta we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it.  My family is always up for a trip so we threw around a few ideas.  We love the Highlands and Cashiers, NC area, but the weather did not want to cooperate with that idea.  So we headed to Sevierville, TN to the Wilderness at the Smokies.  To be honest the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is not my favorite mostly because I am not a country music or Nascar fan, and I am loyal to Colorado and the Rockies.  But it turned out great.  We had a deluxe suite with plenty of room for us all with a crazy special deal since we visited during the low season.  The kids LOVED it.  And the Smoky Mountain National Park is really beautiful.  The Wilderness at the Smokies is a huge lodge with 2 outdoor water parks and an indoor water park with slides, wave pool, surfing, etc.  We would definitely go again during the low season.  The cousins had so much fun riding water slides and hanging out.  We ended the trip visiting Gatlinburg.  Of course the kids thought the tacky shops and mini-golf were awesome:)  On our drive out we stopped and played in the river in the National Park.  It was a nice ending to a really relaxing trip.

We headed back to Atlanta to celebrate my mom's retirement.  Her coworkers did such a lovely job.  There was singing, dancing, and crying.  She is going to be missed.  It was touching to see how many lives she has touched.

 A new chapter begins...

Catch up time!!

Before starting a blog I couldn't understand why some of my fave bloggers would go missing for a while.  I would think it can't be that difficult to blog on a regular basis.  I take it back now.  Life got busy.  Somehow at the end of the day uploading photos didn't sound like a good time.  I'm back, and it's time to play catch up.

Let's start with a fab party weekend in South MS.  It was bittersweet as we celebrated my nephew's 2nd birthday. My bro-in-law and family are headed to Quantico followed by flight school followed by several years all over the world.  We are proud of him but will miss them.  The weekend was also special because my mom came into town on the train to ride back to Jackson and stay for a few days.  While near the Gulf Coast we made a quick visit since she has not been back post Hurricane Katrina.  They are making progress.  The new homes are lovely but is still shocking and sad how much destruction occurred.  The kids love the water and the freedom of the beach.

Birthday Boy

Such a cute cake by Amy

Bro-in-law, Steven with new little one, Evie

Sweet girl

Sis-in-law, Amy

I'll be back!

Blessed

It has been a harder transition moving than I imagined it would be.  I blame my "half glass full" personality:)  Our entire daily routine has changed, and somehow I thought it would be seamless.  The thing that has been easy our these guys.

All three of them have been such troopers.  I feel so blessed to have these 3 sweet guys---all with their own unique personalities.  With the switch to apartment living, homeschooling, and not having friends here, there has been minimal to no fighting and lots of cooperation (which is actually the norm).  I just worried with the increase in time spent together we might have issues.  It seems to be the opposite.  We have grown even closer as our time is more intentional now.  Don't worry there is still irritability and pestering with some meltdowns.  At night we have occasional weepiness for GA--which is completely understandable as I have those same feelings.  Our former pastor in Atlanta, Andy Stanley, mentioned on more than one occasion that he never let his little ones go to sleep at night without asking if there was something on their heart--worry, sadness, etc.  We follow this practice, and I love it.  They are very open with their feelings, and I am thankful for that.  I feel like keeping communication open is so important--especially with boys.

This is our "old soul".  He has a tendency to worry but looks out for all of us, especially me.

This is our "motivator".  He cheers everyone on and is very giving.

This is our "comedian".  He keeps us all laughing and loves to cuddle.

I also have to mention this guy.

He is such a great husband and dad.  We can't wait for him to walk in the door at 5 each evening.

Looking forward to settling into a home and finding our place here.  These guys make the journey a nicer one.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

Eggs, Planes, and Gardens

This year we celebrated Easter 2 1/2 hours south at Eric's parent's home.  Eric is blessed to still have all 4 grandparents living.  It's so nice to get so many generations together with aunts, uncles, and cousins.

We headed down on Saturday morning after we all had 24 hours of antibiotics (strep throat struck again!).  Most of the visit was spent outside--the weather was beautiful and the temperature was mild.  For an inside break, we dyed and decorated Easter eggs for Sunday's hunt.  The kids (and adults) were really creative.  They turned out great.  It is interesting dyeing fresh brown, white, and green eggs.  The colors take differently with each type.  My personal fave were the brown eggs.

Another requested activity is to ride around the property on the lawnmower trailer.  The boys love doing this with Nana and Pops.  Millie, the dog, even got in on the action this time.

Eric's paternal grandparents live down the same road so we decided to make a quick visit.  The kids climbed trees, inspected Grandaddy's garden, played on the boat, and fed some fish in the pond.  Little boys and the country do go together.

To end the day, Pops and Eric took Ethan and Graham on an evening plane ride over the town.  Little pilots in the making.

Easter Sunday started bright and early at Eric's childhood church.  It was nice to see old friends and family.  We are so thankful to have been raised by families who love Jesus.  Ethan and Graham had some really big questions this year about the resurrection.  We treasure the moments when we are able to share about God's love with them. We really missed going to Buckhead Church but know there is a church in Jackson for our family.  On a side note, only in an old country church do people show up for Easter Sunday on their antique tractors and trucks.

The remainder of the day was full of food, egg hunts, garden planting, and more lawnmower rides.  We left feeling tired but thankful.

Cousins (impossible to get all 5 smiling)

Cousin Jackson

New cousin, Evie

With Grandpa

Cousin Audrey

Cousin Jobe

Uncle Drew and Noah

Happy Easter!