Back to school

Well the time has come to send them to College.

Cody left for Clemson for his Senior year.(Thank God)

And Audrey headed down to Auburn for her Freshmen year.

We miss you both

Ellison Grace aka Speedy Gonzales

Taking a picture of my oldest Granddaughter is near impossible. This child is constantly running. I tried to get pics the other day at Cody and Audrey's going away party and all I got was the back of her head or the side...or mostly just a blur. Here's a few that wasn't blurred and one when she was finally caught! And the look on her face while she was being held tells you exactly how she felt about it.

Jesus and Jack

Gabe has this utter obsession with Pirates, in particular Captain Jack Sparrow. This kid eats, breathes and sleeps Captain Jack. See the picture below? This is worn so often that when he takes it off and I see that there is blond curly hair underneath it kinda shocks me.

Any way...back to the title post,

Yesterday Captain Jack(Gabe) and the "nice Calypso"(me) were sailing the seas in the Black Pearl (a ship sandbox) , when Captain Jack jumped out of the ship to kill the "mean Davy Jones" ( side note: Gabe's pirate world consists of mean and nice versions of each character)

After ridding the world of the "Mean Davy Jones" , he started walking back to the ship and the following conversation ensued:

Me: "Shouldn't you be swimming back to the ship, Captain Jack?"

Gabe: "No...I'm just going to walk on the water".

Me: "Well...I thought only Jesus could walk on water".

Gabe: "Yeah...Only Jesus and Jack Sparrow!"

Kinda sums up just where Jack Sparrow ranks right now in Gabe's World

Maggie Ann Etheredge

Little Miss Maggie made her debut on May 20 at 1:01 in the afternoon. Weighing in at 8lb 11oz and 19 in long. Maggie is beautiful and Gabe was fascinated with her.

Here are a few pictures from the day.

Maggie Ann Etheredge

Maggie (aka Chapstick) will make her debut May 20th. We are so excited! Another little girl to spoil rotten.

Cody's Home!!!

Springtime is for Swimming?

Personally, I think it's a bit early to even think about swimming, after all the water is only 72 degrees....but that didn't stop my nieces this weekend when they came to visit. I let them be the judge. Here are a few pics...and if you look really close you can see that their lips are slightly blue.

Anniversary

Most Anniversaries are something to be celebrated, but today's anniversary is remembered as one of the saddest moments in my life. Ten years ago today I lost my Dad. Although it's true, that time heals wounds...it doesn't remove them. I guess the best thing about time is that it's given me some true insight on my Dad.

I know that my Dad loved my mother.

I know that my dad loved me, Greg, Jimmy and Wendy.

I know that he thought that his Grandchildren could do no wrong.

I know that he loved playing music and working in the garden.

I know that he would say things out of anger and regret them as soon as they left his lips.

I know that he loved his parents, sisters nieces and nephew dearly.

I know that he loved baseball and the Atlanta Braves.

I know that he would have loved to watch his grandchildren grow up.

I know he would get the biggest kick out of Gabe.

I know Ellie would have him wrapped around his little finger.

I could go on and on with the things I know about my Dad, But the most important thing I Know is...He was ready (spiritually) to go.

I will always miss my Daddy, but after ten years I can now think about him and remember all the things about him that make me smile and not feel as sad.

I Love you Daddy!

Home Sweet Home...Cullman, Alabama

Well, we're finally settled in (sorta). I have unpacked almost every box. There are still a few that have to be sorted but all in all, I feel pretty good about the progress I've made.
I have a lot of stories to post but it will have to wait a little while longer because I'm hard pressed to find the time. I haven't taken may pictures but I did get our first snowfall.

Ellie's first Birthday Party

Not too sure about that cupcake.

Complete with Girlie Tables

Happy First Birthday, Ellie!!!

We Love you, Baby Girl

A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Meaning

What matters is what something is, not what it is called.

Origin

From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594:

JULIET:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

With that said, I for one love the name that Gabe has decided to name his little sister. Not that Jake and Andreas choices aren't good. Names like Sophie, Riley, Presley and Campbell are all great names, but the name Gabe has chosen and insists on, is one of a kind.

Ready?...here it is

Yep,...you heard right

"Chapstick" or should I say,

Chapstick Etheredge

Let it Snow...Please

When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, then I know I'm getting old. --Lady Bird JohnsonWell... been there ,done that. Another wasted day of running to look out the window, checking the Weather Channel and hoping against hope that we could get some snow. Living in the South definitely has its advantages but snowfall is not one of them. As a child it was downright frustrating to go to bed with the hopes that God would answer your prayers with a foot of snow, then to wake up and run excitedly to the window to see... NOTHING! But on those rare ocasions when we did get snow, it was awesome! First, you had the day home, and if you were lucky...you'd get to eat SNOW CREAM! I cringe at the thought of it today, but the excitement of not having electricity and having to keep warm by the fire and using candles and kerosene lamps to light the house made for memories that still make me smile. So...needless to say, I would love to see it snow, just once this year...if not...

Hurry up Spring!

No...I don't make this stuff up!

Remember my cousin P.? No? Go to July 2007 and read the post about cousins. Go on...I'll wait........OK, here we go again


P has had to take all her clothes to the laundry mat for the last 2 weeks because her washer hasn't been working. She tried every thing, checking the breaker box, making sure the water was working etc... She called Sears to come to fix it and they finally came this last Tuesday. When P returned home that day from work she asked her mother if Sears came and were they able to fix it. Her mother informed her that they did indeed come and they were able to fix her problem. P was excited and asked her Mother, "What did they do to get it to work?" Her mother replied, " They plugged it in!"

It's a ......GIRL!!!

Gabe is having a little sister!!!

I'll post her name (to be) as soon as her parents can agree on one. After having 3 sons and a Grandson, the little girls are catching up. I love it!!!

Sometimes, anything can be a microphone.