May Daze

Well, May hasn't disappointed in the amount of activity this household has seen.  Sigh.  I love my family I love my friends.  I love everything we do.  And yes, don't get me wrong, I understand that I am the biggest factor that contributes to the busyness of my life, BUT...it may be my old age, but I'm starting to think that living on a farm in the middle of nowhere is becoming a more and more appealing idea on a daily basis=)  Ha!

That being said, I have enjoyed every second of our May craziness.  It started on May 1st with my sister-in-love's baby shower for my side of the family.  Couldn't have been a more sweet day to have all the ladies together.  Little Hartley's due date was the 26th, so we are praying that any day now her sweetness will arrive.

(Meema & all her daughters & granddaughters...special times.)

All 3 Preggers in front, with me & April hanging out in the back=)

Next on the agenda was a visit from Joey's parents in Texas.  The kids always love seeing their CeCi and Pop Pop.

 Then Mother's Day!  I actually got a half way decent picture this year...Yay!  Had to throw the other one in for good measure though--in tribute to past years=)  We spent Mother's Day picnicking after church then picking strawberries as a family.  Enjoyed every second.

Next up was our 10 year anniversary celebrated with a dinner to Ruth Chris Steakhouse and the completion of the Warrior Dash together=)  Yeah, I know...not terribly romantic, but we have plans for a trip in 2012.  Plus, what better way to represent and celebrate the reality of 10 years of marriage than to hurdle cars and fire, climb walls of rope and wood, and crawl through tunnels all the while getting ridiculously slathered in mud and dirt?  Sounds like a marriage to me!  =)  And the best part?  We did it together.  Even when Joey could have totally outpaced me once more, he chose to do it with me.  That's what marriage is all about.  Love you babe!

The next weekend was Savannah's first debut as a flower girl in Megan Well's and Tyson Hill's wedding.  She performed perfectly, and I was so proud of our little girl.  She looked beautiful and enjoyed every minute, but with no nap and by the end of the day, she was on a fast downhill slide into meaningless tears and clingyness.  Joey said he didn't even get out of the parking lot from the reception site before she was asleep in the car, and that NEVER happens to her.  What a trooper=)

***A perfect performer at the rehearsal dinner***

Daddy is always there to help his little girl...

Sweetness.

Lovin' the chocolate fondue!  You can start to see the glaze over in her eyes though...

...so very tired.

So as Joey headed home to get the kids settled back in the house, I headed on to Augusta to celebrate a significant milestone in my oldest, youngest brother's life.  I've missed every other significant milestone in Matthew's life it seems, all for reasons out my control, so it was important for me to be there when my little brother donned a white coat and took an oath to be the best doctor of physical therapy he can be.  If only you all knew how far he's come.--tears--I am so proud of him.  Two years until graduation, Matthew.  Hang in there, and know that your family is so very proud of you.  Not just for the dedication you've shown and ways you and Emily have sacrificed to make this happen, but for how you've grown in the Lord and followed Him through to this point in your life.  You're going to make a terrific DPT one day and bless so many people's lives, but more importantly, any day now, you're going to graduate into the life of a father, and to me that's even more impressive because you're going to be great at it.  I know it's hard, but you're setting a good example of what it means and looks like to grow up, take the Lord's hand, and shoulder the responsibilities of a real man of God.  You will earn more than just my respect in the many years to come.  Love you bro.

My cousin Amber's graduation was next, this past weekend along with a family birthday party, and that brings us up to speed to today...whew! In the meantime, school has let out for the year, and it's just me and the kids.  Home.  Trying to enjoy each other.  (And that's another blog post for another day all in itself.)  But I am glad to have new friends from many arenas of life to share the summer with.  Should be fun=)  Loving life.  Loving the Lord, and loving as many other people as cross our path in the process.  Blessing to you all!