Back from a few days at the beach...

Well, Bo and I are back home after a few relaxing days at the beach. We did not plan anything while we were there, which was the plan, except for dinner with family and lunch with a friend of mine from college. The weather was beautiful the whole time and the water was cool, so we enjoyed daily trips out on the boat to soak up the sun.

While having dinner with family, we discovered our grandson, Nicholas's, fancy with photography. Below is a slideshow of Nicholas's pics, which are quite good for a 3 year old. But we wouldn't be biased or anything, now would we.

Nicholas, Bebe and Pawpaw think you take great pictures!

Below are a few more pics from dinner...

Our sweet little Anna Kay

Anna Kay and her big brother, Nicholas

Nicholas and Pawpaw

Nicholas, Anna Kay, and Pawpaw

It was great, but now back to reality....

Brianne Turns Two!

On Saturday, our granddaughter, Brianne, celebrated her second birthday with a swimming party. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the pizza and cake. Below are a few pics from the weekend.

Happy 50th Anniversary!!

July 5, 1958

July 5, 2008

50 years ago today, my parents got married. We have truly been blessed with wonderful, loving parents, and we hope they have many more years together. We love you both very much!! Happy Anniversary!

Below are some pics from the dinner celebration we had for them. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

We hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Birthday Parties and Beach Trips

Our grandson, Nicholas, turned 3 years old on May 6. Wow, how fast time flies. It only seems like yesterday that we were all at the hospital, waiting his arrival. This past Saturday was Nicholas's birthday party. The weather was beautiful and the party was a ton of fun. The kids really enjoyed splashing around the splash pad. They had so much fun, it was difficult to get a picture of Nicholas or Tyler not running. Enjoy the pics below.

Nicholas blowing out the candles on his cake

Boy, this cake is sooo good

Nicholas and Tyler playing in the bubbles

Watch me run!

Pawpaw and Anna Kay ~Isn't she precious!

Tyler and Brianne taking a break

This is so much fun!

So many gifts to open

After the birthday party, we headed to the beach with Lee, Regina, Tyler, and Brianne. Tyler had never ridden in Granddaddy's boat and was so excited about it. We went out to the island and played in the sand. We had a great time, but the jellyfish were already out, which kept us from playing in the water. It's unusual for them to be out this early. It's usually the 4th of July when we start seeing them. Oh, well. Maybe they will go away as quickly as they came.

Brianne sporting her new swim ensemble

Tyler in his new shades
Regina playing her new game - Jellyfish Toss

Playing in the sand

Happy Mother's Day!

We want to wish each and every mother, and soon to be mother, a Happy Mother's Day!! For Mother's Day this year, I got the sweetest gift from two of our grandchildren. Tyler and Brianne gave me two stepping stones, one for each of them, that they made themselves. Tyler's has his hand prints, name, and year on it, while Brianne's has her foot prints, name and year. Brianne didn't want to put her hands in the cement. She's such a girly girl. Tyler and Brianne, Bebe loves her Mother's Day gift so much! Thank you!

T-Ball Day!

Today we spent the day with Lee, Regina, Tyler, and Brianne watching Tyler play T-ball. This age is so much fun to watch because they have no care in the world. Tyler hit the ball twice and caught the ball when it came to him. Way to go Tyler!!

Brianne also had fun climbing the bleachers, her daddy, and granddaddy during Tyler's game.

Born in My Heart Art Auction

Tomorrow begins the Love Without Boundaries "Born in My Heart" art auction, which goes through Tuesday, April 29. For those of you who are not familiar with Love Without Boundaries, it is a charitable organization that helps orphaned children in China by providing medical care, nutrition, education, and foster care to some of the most vulnerable children. The auction contains beautiful artwork, and the proceeds go to help provide children with the heart surgery necessary for them to survive. Please take the time to go here to check out Love Without Boundaries and here for the auction. This organization has provided so much care for many children. Without them, many would have never survived to find their forever families.

Sophie's Room Is Complete!

8 months ago, we started decorating Sophie's room. Today it is complete, and we are so pleased with the way it turned out. Christi Dunn captured exactly the look I was wanting for the room. She painted all of the canvases in the room and the knobs and pulls on the furniture. She is such a talented artist, and we are so blessed to have her in our area. Thanks, Christi!! Sally Willis sewed the curtains, cushions, pillows, and table skirt and topper. She does beautiful work, and her talent put the finishing touches on the room. Thanks, Sally!

Happy New Year!

February 7th was Chinese New Year, the year of the rat. To celebrate, we went to the annual Chinese New Year Parade in Fairhope that our agency sponsors. It was so much fun to see all of the Chinese children from the area. The weather was beautiful, so many people participated in and enjoyed the parade.

Enjoying the parade

3 girls picking up candy and beads being thrown from the floats

Our friend Martha and her mother, GrandMary, with Martha's daughter, Isabell, who was adopted in December 2007

A Chinese takeout float

The kids really enjoy throwing things to the parade goers

Some of the floats were very elaborate

Our friends', Stephanie and Brian, son, Ben, who was adopted in July 2007. He is precious little boy

Me and Bo with Isabell. Isn't she precious!

Merry Christmas!

We had a very Merry Christmas with our family this year, but it seemed like a part was missing. Sophie is that missing piece, but our prayer is that she will be with us next Christmas. Although she was not with us, Sophie's Nana, Pawpaw, and Aunt Brenda gave her a Cabbage Patch Doll, and her cousins, Emily and Amy, gave her a couple of great books. Thanks for the gifts! We really appreciate them.