We gave Thanks

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! My parents and Jonathan came out! I am not sure who was more excited to have them here, me or the kids!! We had a nice visit, filled with a little bit of going, a lot of laughs, some good eatin' and just hanging out.

At the Arch

Mama makes a moose shirt for the kids every year...here are the 2011 shirts

We all took part in making gingerbread houses...one of the J's favorite thing to do :)

Y'all come back soon. You hear?!

memories from GEORGIA

Georgia, sweet Georgia! We took a trip to see our family over Easter, which was SB for the older two J's. My, oh my...what a wonderful time we had. There was a lot going on and we stayed super busy, no-one wanted to leave...there were a lot of tears this time :(

On a much happier note, let me give a shout-out to Michele!!! She went above and beyond the call of friendship, let me tell you about her sweetness! Just weeks ago, she called me and told me she had a crazy idea. After telling me her idea, I told her she was, indeed, crazy. She flew down here, from WA and drove to and from GA with me! Did ya'll here that? She is a dear and true friend to subject herself to traveling for 15 hours with us!!! Greg is tdy (aka: gone) in Virginia, for a military course. So, it was me, Michele and the three J's. She stayed with us for two weeks and we had so, so, so much FUN! Love ya, my friend!

It's hard to pick from so many pictures. I picked my faves, and tried to give a little caption for most of them. There will be some more posts later...of more fun times; but for tonight, I must go to bed!

Jordy with G and G...how bout' them dawgs?!?! They gave him this new hat...he looks so dag-gum cute!

Ms. Michele giving Jannah and Carley a little pedi and mani!

Look at this good-lookin bunch! Gamma made the dresses and bow ties; she always outdoes herself, thank you Mama! We actually wore our Easter frocks one week early...don't tell anyone!

How cute!

Gampa and his boys

Gamma and her girls

Love me some Mama and Lori!

What would a trip to GA be without a little dirt bike, Georgia Boots and shootin' a gun?

***Thanks Jonathan***

Good times at Grandma's house!

Easter morning...they were so cute and so full of sugar a few minutes after this picture!

Jonathan and Aunt Melinda...Let me just tell you a little something about Jonathan. I was 17 when he was born, and I can promise you that he stole my heart, along with everyone else's! He really doesn't know how much I adore him :)

Jannah with Great Granny

Lori and Aunt Melinda

*they make me smile*

Oh, I almost forgot about Jordan's pet...thanks Aunt Lori for catching the lizard! He brought him back to IL with us, he lasted for a week...oops!

Jamison had been waiting for a while to bite into the bunny- looks like it was rewarding!

Jannah showing off her sugar cookie creation

One word sums up the trip: WONDERFUL!!!

Forever Friends

These ladies are my forever friends. The crazy thing is that we're all related, and it may seem odd, but they are just so special to me. Even though I did not get the memo on wearing beige, I still love them...just kidding about the memo! The sweet lady on the left is my aunt Melinda, next is my sister, Lori, then me (in the magenta shirt, not beige), and then my mama; Mama and Melinda are sisters. When we were in GA, Greg and my Daddy watched all the kids while we went out; we had the best time, I'm already looking forward to our next night out (in 6 months, since I live kinda far away from them). Even when Lori and I were young, we all did stuff together; like shop, go to the beach, just hang out. So, as adults, it's only natural for us to be together. I feel like they know me at my best and my worst, and they still love me. We laugh and cry together; we share our hearts and dreams and concerns. We pray for each other. We talk by phone, alot; we can pick up right where we left off, always. These ladies are what I call, "my girls." What they don't know is that I feel like I'm the most blessed one!

This one's for you Auntie M!

Several months ago, I created a slideshow of our family holding Jamison for the first time when we went back to the States. I was disappointed when I was putting it together that I didn't have a picture of my dearest Aunt Melinda holding him; I really thought I remembered taking a picture of them. Just tonight, I ran across a CD that my Mama had burned for me, and on it were all of the photos taken on her camera while we were there. Boy, was I thrilled to find this picture!!! See, Aunt Melinda, I knew I wouldn't have forgotten a photo op such as this :)

Love you and Jamison does too!