Happy Easter!

This year's Easter celebration has covered a couple of weeks. It first began last Sunday with our grandkids', Tyler and Brianne, second annual Easter party. Bo was working and unable to go with me, but we had fun just the same. We had lots of good food and a really cute Easter bunny cake with ice cream. After lunch, the kids hunted eggs. Due to inclement weather, the easter egg hunt was held in the garage, but plenty of eggs were found by everyone.

Let's go find some eggs!

Tyler finds some eggs

Brianne finding her share of eggs

Look what was inside my egg!

The next part of our Easter celebration came on Thursday when my mother went to Birmingham for CT scans to see if the cancer treatment is working. We were told in February that it could take up to a year to see any change in her tumors and to not be disappointed if we did not see any improvement, since my mom just started the treatment in January. Well, on Thursday, the CT scans showed that the lesions on her pancreas are shrinking and that the other areas the doctors are watching are still stable. We are so thankful for this good news and answered prayers. What a better reminder that Jesus rose from the dead and is with us everyday, where ever we are.

The third part of our Easter celebration took place over the weekend. On Saturday, Tim, Michele, Nicholas and Anna Kay came to spend the weekend with us. We had so much fun! We played with Playdough, drove the golf cart, drew on the sidewalk with chalk, planted flowers, and hunted Easter eggs. On Saturday night, Michael, Jessica, and Merrill came to have dinner with all of us. Merrill is growing up so quickly and is just adorable.

Nicholas with his sweet little smile


Pawpaw Bo and Merrill~Look how big she is getting!

Anna Kay, Pawpaw Bo, Merrill, and Nicholas

(This one will look great on Pawpaw's desk, don't you think?)

Did the Easter Bunny come visit everyone on Saturday night? He knew exactly where to find Anna Kay and Nicholas, although they were not at home. He came to Pawpaw and Bebe's house! Nicholas and Anna Kay got lots of great stuff, especially the chocolate candy :)

Look at all of the loot that the Easter Bunny brought to Nicholas and Anna Kay

Mmmmm.....Reese's Peanut Butter egg

The breakfast of champions!

After breakfast, no we didn't all eat Reese's peanut butter eggs for breakfast, we all got ready and went to church. It was the first time any of our grandchildren have ever been to church with us, which was very special. Nicholas was so handsome in his Easter outfit, and Anna Kay so pretty in hers. After church, my parents, sisters, and family came over to have an Easter/Birthday lunch with us and to hunt Easter eggs. The birthday celebration was for my mom, whose birthday is tomorrow, April 13, and my niece, Amy, whose birthday is April 23, and for Nicholas, whose birthday is May 6. We really enjoyed having everyone over this weekend and hope to do it again very soon!

Waiting to go to church~How sweet is this picture?

Did anyone see which way that bunny went?

Anna Kay found some eggs!

The new way to hunt Easter eggs

- have Pawpaw carry you to the eggs

Found an orange egg!

Basket is getting full!

Wonder what is in this egg

Found another one!

Come on Pawpaw! It's my turn to drive!

Amy, Emily, Beth, Mom, myself, and Brenda

(nieces, sisters, and my mom)

Anna Kay, Tim, Nicholas, and Michele resting

after the weekend festivities

It's Finally Spring!

It seems like forever since I've updated last. We have had lots of things going on and are so glad that Spring is finally here. This weekend was beautiful, and we were so glad to be able to enjoy some of it with Tim, Michele, Nicholas, and Anna Kay. Nicholas had fun driving Pawpaw Bo and Anna Kay on the golf cart, while the rest of us looked on. In the collage below you will see pictures of our newest granddaughter, Merrill, along with Anna Kay and Nicholas. Merrill is almost 3 months old now. She is growing and changing every day. We can't wait to have all of our grandkids at our house at one time. It will be a house full of joy!

Enjoy some pics from yesterday and the last few months.

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Husband

Today is Bo's birthday. Unfortunately, we had to work today, but we are planning to go to dinner with some of his siblings tonight.

Thank you, Bo, for the life that you have given me and for being such a wonderful and loving husband and father. Sophie is going to be one lucky little girl. I love with all of my heart!

Trishia and Brett are going to Kenya!

A friend from our church and her husband are going to Kenya. They are missionaries with an organization called Vapor Sports. I have added a link to the Vapor Sports web site and a link to Trishia and Brett's blog, so please check them out. They are following God's calling, so please keep them in your prayers.

In Memory of Mary Aline Hinson Rigby

June 5, 1918 - January 4, 2009

On January 4, 2009, Bo's mother, Mary Aline Hinson Rigby, passed away. Born June 5, 1918, Mrs. Rigby leaves behind 11 children and 46 grandchildren and great grandchildren. She had been sick for some time. It is a very sad time, although we know that she is in a better place and no longer suffering.

I hate that Sophie will not meet her grandmother in this lifetime, but she will know the legacy of her namesake and what a fine woman she was.

Our Last Christmas Celebration for the Year

The first weekend of the New Year we had Christmas with Lee, Regina, Tyler, and Brianne. We played with Playdough, and I cooked dinner. Brianne started this new thing of wanting everyone to pick her up. I told her we were going to change her name to "Pick Me Up" since that was what she said most of the time. We had a lot of fun and opened the last gifts for the year. Enjoy the few pictures I was able to take.

 

Post Christmas Shopping

On Monday, Bo and I went on a little post Christmas shopping trip with my mom, sisters, and nieces. We stayed at the Rossbridge Resort and Spa in Birmingham, which is absolutely beautiful! It sits on one the of Robert Trent Jones golf courses among rolling hills and a beautiful landscape. Photography by Selma native, Katherine Tucker Windam, was displayed throughout the hotel, as were some very interesting pieces of art. Each room has a balcony overlooking the golf course or pool area. Our room overlooked the pool, and we were able to open the doors and sit out on the balcony and relax. Right after we checked into our rooms, we went out on the balcony to have a quick look around. We all heard music, but thought it was being playing on an audio system. The music kept getting a little louder and a little louder. We caught a glimpse of something walking from a distance, and lo and behold, it was someone walking the grounds playing a bagpipe. It was so neat!

We relaxed for a while at the hotel and then decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Our brother-in-law, Shannon, joined us there. The food was delicious, and the cheesecake was absolutely out of this world. We all made pigs of ourselves. To work off the cheesecake, we shopped! What a way to exercise! It was a lot of fun spending a few days with my mom, sisters, and nieces. I hope we get to have many more trips just like this!

 

The Birthday Girl!

On Sunday, we celebrated Anna Kay's first birthday! It's hard to believe that she is already a year old. Where does the time go?

The party was a lot of fun, and the food was delicious. As always, the cake was precious. Anna Kay had lots of help opening her gifts. Her big brother, Nicholas, and cousins, Ava Grace and Maddie, made sure that all the gifts were opened and enjoyed. I'll bet she won't need any help next year!

 

Christmas Day

We started out the day bright and early with breakfast at my grandmother's house. She is 92 years old and has a birthday right around the corner. All of my mother's sisters and most of their families were there for breakfast, so the house was full.

After breakfast, we drove to my older sister's house for lunch and to enjoy the rest of Christmas day. We spent the day chatting, eating, catching up with everything that is going on with my nieces and opening gifts. My brother-in-law was working, so unfortunately, we had to open gifts without him. :(

Sophie got a couple of Christmas gifts again this year. My family is always so sweet to remember her, even though she is not with us yet. My older sister and her family gave Sophie the book, The Mitten. I had never heard of the book, but I read it when we got home. It is a very cute book, and I know we will enjoy reading it to Sophie. My parents and younger sister gave Sophie her very first jewelry, a silver cross necklace. It is beautiful, and we just love it! Thanks to all of you for thinking of her and us.

We really enjoyed getting to spend the day with my sister and her family, and we hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the pics!

May I Open A Present Pleeeeeease?

Last night we had Christmas with Tim, Michele, Nicholas, Anna Kay, Michael, and Jessica in Spanish Fort. We started out by going with Michele to take Nicholas and Anna Kay to see Santa Claus. Michele was afraid that Nicholas would not sit in Santa's lap, but to our surprise, he did! He was such a big boy and told Santa what he wanted for Christmas and had his picture made. Anna Kay liked Santa too! They are both getting so big.

After we got back from seeing Santa, Nicholas wanted to start opening presents. We told him we had to wait until after dinner to open gifts. He could hardly stand the wait. He begged and begged. Well, since we couldn't open presents, we played with them. We made a Christmas present train, and we shook and squeezed the presents to see if we could guess what was inside. We even tried to peak into some to see if we could catch a glimpse of what they were. Anna Kay stole some of the bows and decided to chew on a couple, but who doesn't love a little baby chew on their gifts? Especially such a cute baby at that!

After everyone finally finished their dinner, which was quite delicious, we opened gifts. The wait was definitely worth it! We had a blast!

Thanks to Tim and Michele for having us over! It was great spending time with everyone.

Enjoy the pics!

A Christmas Carol the Musical

As we continued to celebrate my Dad and sister's birthdays, today we went to the Shakespeare Festival to see A Christmas Carol the Musical. It was terrific! The actors and actresses did a wonderful job. I am ashamed to say that at the age of 40, this was the first time I have ever visited the Shakespeare Festival, although it is only an hour and a half away from where we live. There are several really good plays scheduled, so I hope to get to go again soon. If you have never been and want to know more about the Shakespeare Festival, click here.

December Birthdays

December is full of birthdays!

Our oldest grandson, Tyler, turned 6 on December 9. Bo and I went to visit them last weekend, and Bo, Tyler, and Lee went to see the movie, BOLT, in 3D. Tyler was so excited and had a blast. So did Bo and Lee!

My dad, whom I will let you guess his age, had a birthday on the 12th. We took him to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, after which we went to my sister's to open gifts and have birthday cake.

My sister Brenda had a birthday on the 18th. We celebrated last night with a birthday dinner and her favorite red velvet cake. We will continue my dad and sister's birthday celebrations tomorrow with a family trip to the Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery to see A Christmas Carol and lunch at the Olive Garden. Yum!

Our youngest granddaughter, Anna Kay, turned the big 1 yesterday, the 19th. She was supposed to have her birthday party today, but her big brother, Nicholas, got sick, unfortunately. We are going to celebrate her birthday as soon as everyone is all better.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we will celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Christmas day. Let's all remember the true reason for the season!

It Was Fun While It Lasted

This weekend, Bo and I went to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, Georgia. We started the season by going to Atlanta to watch our team, Alabama, play Clemson, so we thought it only appropriate to close our season of traveling to see the Tide play by going back to Atlanta to watch Alabama play Florida. The Tide started out the season ranked 24th. No one expected us to have a good season, nor did they ever expect us to go undefeated and ranked #1 going into the SEC Championship game.

As most of you probably know, we did not beat Florida, but we are so very proud of our team and all they have accomplished this year. We have so much to look forward to next year, and can't wait for the 2009 football season to arrive.

Enjoy the pics from the weekend.

Roll Tide!

My sister, Beth, and I on the MARTA

Having fun with the Chick-fil-A cow at Fanfare

Bo and I with the SEC Championship trophy

Bo and Beth

Our brother-in-law, Shannon, trying to win a prize

Leigh Tiffin warming up

Offensive line warming up

Do you think this guy might have been an Alabama fan?

The press waiting for Alabama to run out of the tunnel

Not many press waiting on Florida to run out

The coin toss

A Great Raffle-Way!

What is a raffle-way, you may ask? It's a combination of a raffle and giveaway.

If you notice, there is a "Rebel for a Cause" button on my sidebar. If you click that button, it will take you to a blog post on My Charming Kids blog telling you about this raffle/give-a-way for 3 great charities. One is for the charity, String of Pearls, and the other two are charities benefiting China adoptions, No Hands But Ours and the Elison project. In this Raffle-Way you could win a wonderful Canon Rebel digital camera, zoom lens, memory card, camera bag, custom-made camera strap, a 16X20 canvas, and blog make-over! Wow, that's a lot of really cool stuff! For a suggested donation of $10, you can be entered to win all of this! If you donate $20, your name goes in twice, $30, 3 times! You see how it works.

Well, go check it out. It's for 3 great causes!