georgia with her aunt marty...she could'nt stop giggling.

Family Ties

Here is Georgia testing out the other swing with her Grandma and Grandpa.

Family Ties

Here is Georgia with her Grandma Great and Grandpa Great swinging on one of the porch swings. She thought it was pretty great and can't wait to be big enough to check out their farm..

Our Trip to the Farm

Georgia and I have just returned from our 3 week trip to Missouri visiting her grandma and grandpa. We had a great time watching the calves play, discovering new kittens and watching the sunset from the sunroom. She had her first official swimming experience and loved the pool. She met her Aunt Marty and Uncle Stacey, and her Aunt Carrie and Uncle Kerry. Her cousins couldn't get enough of her and have renamed her Georgia Cake. While there we found out that my brother in law, Kerry, had a brain tumor and needed surgery immediately. The results of the surgery were beyond wonderful, with God answering all of our prayers. It is benign and he is home recovering with his family. The only improvement to our great trip other than the obvious, would have been if Pat could have been there, too. Daily, someone mentioned how they wished he could have joined us and georgia and I missed him lots. I am very blessed that he is so supportive of time with my family even when he can't get away from work. We had family drive down from Illinois for the weekend to visit as well. It was such a special time. Mom and I were able to take a girls trip to Lexington for the day and Dad spent an entire evening encouraging Georgia to perfect her roll over technique. I was also able to catch one of Jackson's baseball games. I am not biased when I say he is a really great player! I was so proud to see him playing so well and having such a great time doing it. His team is undefeated and if you talk to him for more than 30 seconds, he will let you know that as well. :) Now, if we can just make it down to Texas so she can meet the rest of her great family!

A Time For Tributes...

When my sisters and I began planning my folks suprise 40th anniversary party, we were faced with the daunting task of trying to convey to them the magnitude of the gratitude each of us feels. To say we love, respect and appreciate them is such a gross understatement. I can't think of a wife, mother and friend I would rather emulate than my mom and I know the reason I chose such an incredible man to be my husband is a direct result of searching and finding qualities I so deeply admire in my own dad. So, I had an idea. Well, actually, Dennis Rainey had an idea when he wrote the book, The Tribute. I have had it for over 5 years now, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when we began planning this. The concept is to put to paper a tribute to your parents, to honor them publicly and present them the end product. Not only was the result a beautiful time of honoring and thanking them with loved ones, but also a lot of fun. It was so great to reminisce with my sisters favorite childhood memories and share them with my parents. It seems to me in a day where blaming parents for anything and everything seems to be the norm, there is no better way to honor your parents than to thank them for what they've done right. In my case, that was easy. I would encourage anyone to at least check out Rainey's book and see where it leads you. It offers insightful thoughts on paying tribute to your parents regardless of the type of parents you were given. I am so thankful we decided to do this now and not wait until their 50th anniversary!