Wedding weekend

We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh, PA at my cousin's wedding. It was a very nice wedding, but more importantly than that, it was such a treat to spend time with my dad's family. My dad is one of five children. He has two older sisters named Elizabeth and Sarah, one older brother named Henry, and one younger brother named Joel. Their father passed away from a heart attack when they were young (my dad was about 8) and their mother (my grandmother) was left to raise five children all alone. I could write an entire post of the amazing lady my grandmother was. She never complained and was a true example of what a lady should be. She passed away last year and we got to spend time with my family last summer as we celebrated her life. She is and will forever be - a true example of the Proverbs 31 woman:

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.


Every time I read that scripture I am brought to tears. It is such a picture of my Nana Nora. I wish everyone could have had the privilege of knowing my grandmother and the special lady she was. She was truly remarkable.

My grandmother


Reading her bible


Nana Nora with her five children. Before my dad's father passed away, they traveled all over the United States - before there were interstates. Here is a picture of them at the Grand Canyon.
From Left - Nana Nora holding Joel (my dad's younger brother), my dad, Henry (my dad's older brother), Sarah and Elizabeth.


Celebrating Joel's birthday.
My grandmother, Henry, Sarah beside Elizabeth (on back row), Joel (on front row in front of Elizabeth) and then my dad on the end (far right).


This picture was taken last year at my aunt Sarah's house. This was the first time my dad and his siblings had reunited in about 30 years. They were together for Nana Nora's funeral.
They are sitting in birth order - Elizabeth, Sarah, Henry, Dad and Joel


My Nana Nora holding me as a baby


A true lady - My Nana Nora


So, this past weekend we went to Pittsburgh, PA to celebrate my cousin's wedding. My cousin, Rory, is the oldest son of my uncle Joel (my dad's younger brother). He married a very sweet girl named Jessie. It was so nice to spend time with my dad's family again. My dad grew up in New Jersey. His siblings now live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, so it is hard to get together and see each other on a regular basis.

Sage and Walker are about to board the plane. We flew from Greenville, SC.


Jessie and Rory - the new husband and wife


A closer picture of the happy couple. My cousin Rory likes to express him self in unusual ways. I think his hair was blue at my wedding and red at my sister's wedding. His hair was back to it's original color at his wedding, but you can see him expressing himself with his shoes....


A picture of Sage with baby Walker after the wedding. They are standing with my dad.


My dad, my mom and my aunt Sarah catching up.


Wes and Thomas strike a pose - while Sage is acting silly in the background!


Wes holding Walker, Sage, Thomas and me at the reception


My dad, mom and aunt Sarah at the reception


First Dance


My cousin Kevin (Rory's younger brother) and best man giving a toast at the reception.


My dad holding up the party favors - Heinz mustard and ketchup bottles


My dad and his siblings at the reception
Front row - Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Henry
Back row - Dad, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Joel


Thomas and me at the reception


The DJ was great! He got everyone to get up and dance.
Here is a picture of my cousin Daniel in the conga line.
Daniel is my aunt Sarah's oldest son.


My dad was sitting at the table clapping his hands when the DJ exclaimed, "Someone get that man up and on the dance floor - the one clapping his hands over there." The bride was leading the conga line and she stopped and picked my dad up....


the rest is history...
"Come on Baby...let's do the twist...


To the "Y-M-C-A"


As mom and Walker looked on...


Time for the garter toss


Rory surfed thru the crowd


Sage and I with the groom


My dad's family -
Left to Right - Daniel, Dad, Aunt Sarah, me, Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Henry, Sage, Aunt Peggi (Joel's wife and mother of the groom), Uncle Joel and Rory


And one more -
Daniel, Dad, Aunt Elizabeth, me, Sage, Uncle Henry, Uncle Joel, Aunt Sarah, Rory and Kevin


What a special weekend. It is always a treat to spend time with family on the weekend. Rory and Jessie's wedding was beautiful and we had a wonderful time. We are looking forward to getting together again next summer.

Some days she's a cat....

and some days Anna Grace is a princess. And some days she is both. It all depends on her mood. Today she was both.

We started off our day with a visit from Anna Grace's teacher. Her teacher came to our house this morning to meet AG. We had a wonderful visit with her and AG loved her and didn't want her to leave. She brought puzzles for AG to put together. Then AG drew her a picture. Then.....AG dressed up like a cat. And was a cat the rest of the time her teacher visited.

AG is going through this cat phase...and it is cute and weird all at the same time. I didn't go thru this as a child, so I don't quite get it. I am sure it will pass and I try not to pay too much attention to it. But it does worry me when she starts asking for her breakfast and dinner....on the floor. Yes, that is right. She wants her meals on the floor so she can eat them like a cat. At first I played into it, but now I am tired of it. So, I told her today we can't do that anymore.

I decided to do something special for lunch. I told her I would make us a Princess Tea Party lunch. She got excited and picked out her favorite foods from the pantry - pretzel sticks, peanuts, oreos, an apple, and a peanut butter sandwich. I even made special "pink" raspberry lemonade.

We had a wonderful lunch together. We sat at her special table together and enjoyed our lunch. I like to pretend to have a fancy accent and call AG "dahling", but she doesn't like that and asked me to be mommy, so I did.









What a fun and special day. I have a few friends whose children started 5K this week. It makes me sad to think AG will be starting 5K in one year...time flies. It reminds me to treasure these special moments. They won't last forever.

Happy Birthday!

Since we have been home we have celebrated two birthdays.

Anna Grace's friend Lucy turned three on Friday, and she had a princess party at Top Hat Special Teas complete with dress up, a catwalk, tea, yummy munchies, cake, presents and karaoke.

It was a fun and special day. AG informed me that she plans to have her next birthday party there. She loves to dress up like a princess and walk on the runway. But what is the main reason she wants to have her party there?? It is because the birthday girl gets to sit in a special seat with a pink crown cover. Aren't children so easy to please?!? I love the simpleness in their lives and what makes them happy.

Here are a few fun pictures from Lucy's special day.

The Birthday Girl - Lucy on the runway


Hazel, Maddie, Lauren and AG get dressed up and ready for the runway


AG on the runway


Lucy and her cousin enjoy special birthday "tea" treats. (Notice the special birthday covered chair that Lucy is sitting on.)


Hazel and AG enjoy special treats together


Time for presents - Lucy is opening her present from AG


Time for cake


We had a wonderful time at Lucy's party. It was nice to come back in town and see friends. Lucy was supposed to have her birthday party while we were gone, but she got sick with the stomach bug and had to re-schedule the party. We were sad Lucy got sick, but were glad we were able to come to the party.

The next birthday we got to celebrate was my precious sister, Sage. Sage turned 30 on Sunday. We had her, Wes, Wyatt and Walker over for dinner on Saturday night. One of our favorite cakes is a yummy cookie cake!!


Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear aunt Sage! Happy Birthday to you!


And many more...


Sage, you are such a blessing to me. I don't know what my life would be like without you in it. You are a friend, a confidant, but most importantly, my sister. I am so glad God gave you to me in the form of my sister. And I am so glad we live in the same town - again. We have been through so much together. You know me better than anyone. You are very special to me and I love you. I hope your 30th birthday was special!!
Much Love always, Me

Two week vacation

Anna Grace and I had a great two week vacation. We were able to travel to Greenville for a week to visit friends and family, then to Charlotte for a weekend, and then to Virginia to visit our dear friends Mary, Todd and Spencer.

This post goes right along with the last post. We have been blessed with so many wonderful friends. It was great to get to see some of our dear friends in Greenville along with special friends in VA (that used to live in Sumter).

My dad travels a lot with his job. He was away for the week we were in Greenville. My parents and Thomas' parents live in Greenville, so is a treat for AG to get to spend time at both houses. AG spent a few nights with Thomas' parents (Gram and Gramps) and enjoyed VBS at their church that week. While she enjoyed time with Gram and Gramps, my mom and I enjoyed some time together. I also took advantage of this time to visit my dear friend Ashley who just had her second baby - a boy named Ames. Ash and I have been friends since 7th grade! We had a great afternoon catching up and spending time together.

Here is a picture of me holding sweet 11 day old baby Ames


Mom and I decided AG's hair was out of control and needed a style. Greenville has a cute kid's haircut place called "Snip-Its". We took her there to get a "hair shaping". It was such a fun experience and AG loved it.

Here is a picture of AG before her haircut.


Here is a close up - WILD HAIR! The green card in her hand was given to her. She holds it during her haircut and uses it to redeem a prize when the haircut is over.

The sylist and I decided a nice angled bob would look good on AG.


Here the girl has taken some of the bulk out of the back of AG's hair.


All done!


Time for a sugary surprise!


A picture of AG when we got home (back to my parent's house). She was having a snack (with her new haircut) wearing a princess dress up. I couldn't resist taking a picture.


Haircut from the front...I told AG NOT to smile!


We also got to visit with another special middle/high school friend. Sweet Dana and her girls - Hayley and Ella. Dana and I have been friends since 6th grade. She has been a special friend to me. We always enjoy getting together and getting our girls together to play. They always play well together. They love to play dress-up. AG, Hayley's friend, and Hayley have fun in Hayley's room.



And of course the girls always like to make silly faces!


We had a special treat when we got back to Nana and Big Pop's house (my parents). Aunt Sage, Wyatt and Walker were there!! AG and Wyatt always like to play with the sand table together. Notice my child has already changed clothes. It is an Indian girl outfit that my mom made.


AG and Wyatt enjoyed climbing this BIG rock in my parent's yard.


They enjoyed watching videos together...


And going to play at an indoor playground when it was too hot to be outside.


AG and Wyatt on the bouncy slide. AG is at the top and Wyatt is sliding down.


AG is at the top again and Wyatt is sliding down again.


Then we met Thomas at Carowinds in Charlotte. We had a great time and AG had fun. Her favorite ride was the Carousel. She always loves the carousel the best.


AG and Thomas on one of the roller coasters. If you look closely, you can see Thomas waving.


AG and me on the "Little Bill" boats.


AG and Thomas ride the car. AG loved it was pink.


AG picked out a pink jet to fly.


AG and Thomas on Azul - Dora's train ride.


AG's favorite horse on the carousel. Her name was Margot.


Then we headed to Blacksburg, VA to visit our special friends - Todd, Mary and Spencer. Mary and I met each other in Sumter when Thomas and Todd worked together. Mary moved to Sumter when she was 6 months pregnant with Spencer and I was 10 weeks pregnant with AG. God brought her into my life when I needed another mommy to talk to about things. She has been such a blessing to me and I will treasure her friendship forever.

AG and Spencer always enjoy going swimming together.


Spencer and AG swinging at the park


And running together...


Todd watched the kids, so Mary and I could have some time together. We enjoyed sushi!! It was wonderful and beautiful to look at. I had to take a picture.


AG and Spencer at the Frog Pond.


AG and Spencer playing with another sand table!


And swimming at home again.


I have never added a video before, so I hope this one works. Mary and I were talking while AG and Spencer played in the pool together. They both kept singing and singing about anything and everything. The funniest part was that they both kept trying to out sing each other. (Scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause the music so you can hear the kids singing!)


And with Mrs. Mary at dinner...eating Yummy Pizza! Mary is pregnant with her second child - due on my birthday in December!


And then out for Ben and Jerry's ice cream.


Before we left town, we took a picture.


Ta Da!


We have had a wonderful summer. It has been so much fun to visit with friends - old and new. It has also been fun to spend time with family. What a great summer we have had! I see why AG didn't want it to end.