A Birthday Party for Nana

My grandmother, Nana, turned 88 years old on April 16.

We had celebrated her birthday last weekend at the lake with all our family because we thought she would be going back to Mobile after Easter but because of her fractured foot and the trouble of having a cast, my mother got her to stay in Troy with her.

Mom organized a very last minute but lovely little surprise party for Nana since she was going to be away from her friends on her special day.

Mom invited several women in town that has gotten to know Nana over the past several years of visiting Troy. She served cake, fruit and punch. The biggest surprise was a private concert with Shelia Jackson.

Shelia is our Tourism Director so mom and I work with her a lot on different community events. However, Shelia is renowned for her vocal talent. She sang at my wedding but more importantly has sung for many governors, was invited to sing the National Anthem at the US Open tennis tournament and even has been in a few movies. She is a busy gal but made time to come and serenade Nana and her party guests with a few songs.

We learned that Nana would not had been forgotten on her birthday by her friends in Mobile anyway. She received several phone calls from her friends at Knollwood, the independent living complex where she lives. They all begged her to come home quickly because they were missing her upbeat attitude and playing Rumikub with her! We laugh and say she is the Homecoming Queen of Knollwood because she is so well loved and such the social butterfly of that place.

I think it will be a birthday Nana will always remember.

Happy Birthday Nana!! We love you so much and look forward to celebrating many more years with you. Thanks for being such a cool grandmother and reminding us to live life to the fullest.

A Birthday Party for Nana

My grandmother, Nana, turned 88 years old on April 16.

We had celebrated her birthday last weekend at the lake with all our family because we thought she would be going back to Mobile after Easter but because of her fractured foot and the trouble of having a cast, my mother got her to stay in Troy with her.

Mom organized a very last minute but lovely little surprise party for Nana since she was going to be away from her friends on her special day.

Mom invited several women in town that has gotten to know Nana over the past several years of visiting Troy. She served cake, fruit and punch. The biggest surprise was a private concert with Shelia Jackson.

Shelia is our Tourism Director so mom and I work with her a lot on different community events. However, Shelia is renowned for her vocal talent. She sang at my wedding but more importantly has sung for many governors, was invited to sing the National Anthem at the US Open tennis tournament and even has been in a few movies. She is a busy gal but made time to come and serenade Nana and her party guests with a few songs.

We learned that Nana would not had been forgotten on her birthday by her friends in Mobile anyway. She received several phone calls from her friends at Knollwood, the independent living complex where she lives. They all begged her to come home quickly because they were missing her upbeat attitude and playing Rumikub with her! We laugh and say she is the Homecoming Queen of Knollwood because she is so well loved and such the social butterfly of that place.

I think it will be a birthday Nana will always remember.

 

Happy Birthday Nana!!

We love you so much and look forward to celebrating many more years with you. Thanks for being such a cool grandmother and reminding us to live life to the fullest.

Easter Weekend

This was the first time we celebrated Easter at the lake.  Typically we alternate Birmingham and Troy with Mother’s Day weekend and when its time to spend Easter with my family we are in Troy and go to our church.  So I wasn’t really sure how I would like spending Easter at the Lake.  Well, I am learning that as families change so do traditions!

My mom did a wonderful job of making the weekend really special and fun and definitely a Easter celebration. Thank you Honey!

Here’s how we celebrated Easter:

 

FRIDAY Night we arrived at the lake house and Nana was already there!  She had fractured her ankle so she was a little slow in her new cast but nevertheless ready to to play with Campbell.  Campbell read Nana some books…

  

Then as we were eating dinner, a huge storm came up suddenly.  We moved inside the house and the next thing we knew, we heard this loud noise.  We went outside and it was hailing!  I’ve heard of golf ball-size hail before but this was even larger!  Campbell is holding a piece of “ice” Papa got her…

 

SATURDAY meant it was time to get ready for Easter.  We dyed real Easter eggs in the kitchen…

and made quite the mess….

but the results were beautiful!

Saturday night we went to Pats & Pops house for a special dinner. This weekend was not only an Easter celebration but a birthday one! Nana’s birthday will be this week.

 Nana & Honey

Campbell & her cousin Chance (which is my cousin Ellen’s son.) Campbell wanted to do everything, including eating corn dogs, that Chance did!

Nana and her boys (and great-grandaughter)
Ricky, Troy, Matt, Chance & Campbell

Lots of love from Pats, Pops & Honey

 

SUNDAY was Easter Sunday!  Campbell is waiting on the steps to see if the Easter Bunny found his way to the lake house this year

It looks like he did!

And that bunny even left something for Nana. 

Campbell made her “chocolate” bunny at school and I think her eggs were filled with a little something sweeter than candy (hint: something she could use for the slots!)

It was time to get ready for church.  Although it was cool outside,  Campbell had a green spring coat to match her pink floral Easter dress.

This is the church at Children’s Harbor. Its so sweet and special. We were very fortunate to get there in time to actually get to squeeze into a pew. The service was led by a vocalist who played the role of Mary Magdalene.

At the lighthouse outside the church overlooking the lake.

 Josh, Cassie, Christopher, Campbell, Matt & Stephanie

 Honey & Papa with Campbell

Daddy with Campbell.  It was a windy but beautiful day!

 

After church, we came back to the lake house for Easter lunch. It was a delicious meal and Honey had the table decorated just as she would have at home.

After lunch, it was time for the Easter egg hunt for Campbell & Chance. 

Lots of good hiding places…

 

After the kids hunted their eggs, Honey had a special surprise. It was time for the Big Kids Hunt!

She had to explain the rules…huh?  We’ve never done this before. Please note our confused faces (and all our matching buckets!).

The hunt is on…it didn’t last long after we figured out what was in the eggs. We definitely turned into big kids running around (and there was no time for me to take pictures!)

After all the eggs were found it was time to cash in!

 

Campbell says she doesn’t know what is so great about money, its candy she wants in her eggs!

 

After the excitement of the egg hunt was over, it was time to spend our last moments of Easter Sunday relaxing.  Some people napped, others played cards and Campbell went for a boat ride with her Papa. 

We were blessed with a beautiful weekend and special time with our family.  Thank you Honey for making sure it was special even if we weren’t at home.  I think we all agreed the lake is a great place to celebrate our Savior's resurrection, or as Campbell explains Easter:

“Jesus had a cross. And he died. And he rose and rose and rose.” As she is explaining that he rose, she twirls her finger around and raises her arm up over her head with each “rose”.  And when asked where Jesus lives now, she pats her chest and says “ in my heart.”  Does it get any more simpler or sweeter than that??

Hope your family had a beautiful Easter celebration this year!!

Family Update

As many of our friends and family know, this past month has been a crazy one for our family.  Matt was considered for the appointment of Probate Judge.  While the opportunity all transpired so fast, the process seemed like it lasted forever so it was a time of many ups and downs.

I know that typically our blog is pictures and reflections on our very happy, shiny family.  Which we are definitely blessed to have so many wonderful times to share!  However, for me, this blog is not a brag site but more of a journal for our family.  Its the easiest way for me to document life knowing that I don’t have the time (or patience) to scrapbook so I plan to have these blogs printed in a book for us.  And as we all know life, real life, is not always happy and shiny. No matter how we would choose to paint our memories for our children and friends.

Below is copies of emails, one that I sent out in the very beginning of the process and then the final email Matt sent out at the end.

The reason for the post is simply because this process has been a significant part of our lives at this time and I think its important to remember it.  It was a HUGE blessing and I know we’ll look back at this time one day with thanksgiving (even more than we do know) because of the experience and education we all got. And I hope that one day when our children do look over our blog journals that they will see God working in our lives and all the life lessons that go along with that.

So this is in no way anything sad. I think its actually the beginning of seeing Matt’s career continue to blossom into what God has planned for his life.  The outpouring of support, the prayers, letters, phone calls,emails and meetings Matt received and/or was submitted on his behalf was all so encouraging.  I know there was purpose in this process and have faith that God will (and already has) used it for His righteousness.

 

Hunting for Eggs

Saturday our local garden shop , Terra Cotta, hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for Big Brothers/ Big Sisters.  Campbell and I spent the morning hunting eggs with our friends Leigh Anne, Anna & Sarah.

If you haven’t been to Terra Cotta before its so super cute!  I am so proud of Amy & Bryant for opening it up and so thankful Troy has such a cute and professional garden shop. 

Special thanks to “Nanna” Anna & Sarah’s grandmother for helping Campbell with some really good hiding spots!  I wasn’t sure if Campbell would like the big bunny or not but she warmed up quickly and eventually was chasing that poor bunny around.  It was a really pretty day and felt great to be outside and celebrating Spring.