The Etheredge Family

When the devil attacks!

2011-09-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

After the Fair, I took Ellie and Gabe back to my house so that they could go potty and get "un-sticky"

before I took them home.

Ellie came upstairs, went potty then Gabe came up after.

I told Gabe that he needed to potty but he said that he didn't have to...he stood there for a minute , looked up at me and said, "Well...I do have to poop" . So he sat down on the toilet and I went into my room to get something, came back out and he was still sitting there. He was bent over with his elbows on his legs and his head in his hands and this is the following conversation:

Gabe: I hate the world!

Me: Why do you hate the world?

Gabe: Because the world has the devil in it and he makes bad things happen!

Me: Oh Baby, what has the devil done to you?

Gabe: Well. for one thing...He won't let me poop!

For the love of pineapple

2011-07-06T17:37:00.000-04:00

Pineapple is my favorite fruit and Fresh pineapple is to die for!

I've finally perfected the art of cutting a pineapple and it's so simple.

If you're like me, I use to think that the outside is so daunting to look at that it was'nt worth the trouble to try to cut one....But I was oh so wrong!

It's totally worth it!

First twist off the top

Then cut in half

Next...quarter it

Next cut in eighths

Now the messy part.... cut the core off of each piece

Cut off the outside skin

Enjoy!

The Pirate and the Princess

2011-06-08T23:28:00.000-04:00

After posting about Maggie's Birthday, I just realized that I totally missed putting anything about Gabe and Ellie's last birthday. So....here's a few pics from each.

Gabe's 4th

Can you guess the theme?

Ellie's 3rd

This girl is non-stop energy!

Maggie's Two!

2011-06-08T23:05:00.000-04:00

Maggie turned 2 on May the 20th.

Here's a few pics from the party.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T17:49:00.000-05:00

All about the Grandkids!

In the Beginning...

2010-09-12T12:11:00.001-04:00

Gabe: Granby, Did God say, "let there be light?"

Me: "Yes he did"

Gabe: ...And then it just became light.

Me: Yep...it just became light.

Gabe: So....God just said it and it did it?

Me: Yep!

Gabe: Yep....."He's The Man!!!"

The Waiting Game

2010-08-26T10:18:00.000-04:00

I called Sam yesterday to let him know that I was going to Walmart to pick up some propane for the grill and I would be home later, while I was there, he showed up to drop off some prescriptions. Well...I felt bad for him because he was so sick so I told him to take the gas home and I would wait for his medicine. And Wait I did......

When it was dropped off they said it would take 30 minutes...well, I can't stand to just wait in line so I go browsing....I thought that I would make Sam a homemade Red Velvet Cake to make him feel better, so I go get the flour, buttermilk, cocoa, food coloring, etc... I then go and get in line at the pharmacy(30 minutes are up), wait in line another 10 minutes only to be told "It's not ready, give us 30 minutes)!!!!

Sooooo.... I go browsing again, this time I find myself in the craft section and I decide that I'm going to make my Granddaughters a Tutu. I get all the material needed and head back to the pharmacy. I wait in line another 10 minutes only to be told...guess what? you got it...."it's not ready, give us ten more minutes."

I was LIVID! I also decided to just wait at the counter because...quite frankly, I just couldn't AFFORD any more " Browsing".

Finally got the prespriptions, paid for them and all my other goodies and headed home. I hate to wait but...

Sam got a Red Velvet Cake

and the girls each got a Tutu!

The Plan

2010-08-23T11:46:00.000-04:00

1. Blog ~~daily~~ weekly.

2. ~~Blog at least~~ ~~3x's,~~ ~~2x's,~~ Blog at least once a week.

3. ~~Try not to solely blog about my Grandchildren~~.
3. ~~Try not to continually remind people how stinkin cute my Grandchildren are.~~
3.~~Try not to constantly talk about Gabe and his many adventures~~.
3.~~Try not to tell people about Princess Ellie who doubles as Lava Girl.~~
3. ~~Try not to talk about Maggie Moo the wild child.~~
3. Try not to bore people to death with stories that don't mention the above.

4. Blog about the things that are important to me and those in my life.

This Blog will be very rambling until I catch up, so bear with me and check back often....at least once a week!

Back to the world of Bloggin!

2010-08-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

I Know, I Know...I have been very lax about posting, but...in my defence, this has been a heck of a year! My mom has been very ill and my weeks were filled with Dr. appointments and Hospital stays. I'm happy to say that we seem to have the correct diagnosis after a year and a half of searching.

Polimyalgia Rheumatica

We're hoping and Praying that my Mom can get back to some quality of Life....If she's able to do this, it also means that my life my get back to normal!

Fingers Crossed!!!!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2010-02-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

Our Princess Ellison turned 2 on Feb. 4th.

It was a Yo Gabba Gabba Day!

Gabe Turns 3!

2010-02-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Gabe turned 3 on December 1st., and can you guess what the party theme was?

Pirates of course!

Gabe blowing out his candles (Notice the "Santa" Boots)

Gabe's Pirate Scowl

2010-01-29T16:30:00.000-05:00

OK...it's January 27th and we are under a Winter Storm Warning! ughhhhh

I am sooooo ready for Spring...let's face it, unless you are of school age there's really nothing in it for me.

Don't get me wrong...I think that the snow is beautiful but after it stays around for a few hours., I want it GONE!!!

To me..Jan-March is the longest and saddest time of the year. I mean....what is there to look forward to?

Groundhogs Day?

The other 3/4 of the year there is always something to Love.

Spring

I love when the plants and trees start to bloom.

I love Easter.

I love that the days start to get longer.

I love the smell of freshly cut grass.

I love to fish.

Summer

I love The 4th of July.

I love to swim.

I love to play outside with my Grandchildren.

(Did I Mention)I love to fish.

Fall

(My favorite time of the year)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Halloween!

I love the crispness in the air.

I love the colors.

I Love Alabama Football!

I (kinda) love Thanksgiving.

I Love Black Friday with my girls.

Winter

I Love Christmas.

Other than that., I would gladly skip the rest of the season and head straight to Spring.

Facebook...The Good and the Bad

2010-01-21T12:38:00.002-05:00

I've recently started doing the facebook thing and I have to admit...it's addictive. So...that being said, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad one. There are some positives and some negatives so I thought I would list both and see if I want to stick with it.

I've connected with people that I have not even thought about since High School.

Good: I may have not thought about these people much but when I found them on Facebook, It was so heartwarming to see where they are in life. I also felt an immediate familiarity to them.

Bad: I also have to share in their heartache. If I had seen the story on the news or in a newspaper about the 25 yr. old man that had died during a duck hunting accident...it would have still been sad, but to now know that he was a son of someone I went to High School with and have just recently connected with, well...my heart is breaking.

I get to follow my Boys lives and their doings more.

Good: I get to see their opinions and feelings about things that motivate them.

Bad: I don't always agree with those opinions!

My nieces, who are growing up way too fast, post often and I get to see a little of their life.

Good: I love seeing the pictures they post of the good times they are having in school.

Bad: I see where my oldest niece is posting about just getting home at 2am! (she is in college) but still!!!

I know it takes time to stay on top of this and I really don't know if I can devote that much time in front of my computer...oh , what am I saying, I'm on this thing all the time! I think I'll keep it up ... for now anyway. I know if my boys or my nieces read this they will be begging me to never sign into Facebook again.

How bout Elmo?

2010-01-14T22:55:00.005-05:00

I had the Following conversation with my Granddaughter yesterday.

I had just picked her up from Daycare and as soon as I put her in the Car seat she asked,

Ellie: Where Elmo Movie?

Me: Darlin...Grandby doesn't have the Elmo movie anymore....Remember? I gave it to you so that you could watch it in Mommy and Daddy's car. How about we go to Walmart and get some new movies to keep in Granby's van.

Ellie nods

Me: How about a Dora movie?
Ellie: How bout Elmo?

Me: How about Mickey Mouse?
Ellie: How bout Elmo?

Me: How about......Yo Gabba Gabba!!!
Ellie: How bout....Elmo!!!

***********************

Me: OK....How bout Elmo?

Ellie: How bout Dora?

She never missed a beat....

Stubborn is as Stubborn does

2010-01-14T22:44:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, my grandson Gabe thinks that he's Jack Sparrow. Well...for weeks now he has argued with me over a line in the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

There is a scene where Jack is in Davy Jones locker and he is hallucinating. He grabs hold of a rope and before he swings off, he turns around and says "Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness"

Gabe insists that he says, "Gentlemen, I lost my head of this business"

No matter how many times I back up the DVD, he will NOT admit he's wrong!

I GIVE UP!!!

Back to school

2009-08-24T12:36:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-23T12:49:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-22T16:20:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-23T07:39:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-04T00:43:00.002-04:00

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

Cody's Home!!!

2009-05-04T00:33:00.003-04:00

Springtime is for Swimming?

2009-05-04T00:25:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-01T23:25:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-18T23:27:00.003-04:00

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

2009-02-08T22:03:00.003-05:00

Not too sure about that cupcake.

Complete with Girlie Tables

Happy First Birthday, Ellie!!!

2009-02-04T15:37:00.002-05:00

We Love you, Baby Girl

A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

2009-01-21T23:25:00.007-05:00

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

2009-01-19T22:14:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-01-10T00:57:00.002-05:00

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!!!

2009-01-09T01:08:00.002-05:00

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.

2009-01-02T23:41:00.002-05:00

Where did I go wrong?

2008-12-29T20:16:00.004-05:00

Anyone that knows me..... knows this,
I am a True Alabama Crimson Tide Fan...through and through!!!
I love Alabama Football, always have, always will.
As many of you know, we did very well this year:
12-1
SEC West Champs
&
Beat Auburn 36-0

Roll Tide Roll!

However...The night before the SEC Championship game against Florida, My One and Only Granddaughter shows up in this ....

Oh well...Go Gators!
(In the Championship Game)

Gabe is Two!

2008-12-29T19:59:00.004-05:00

I am so sorry that I have been so lax in posting, but I've had technical issues, (Translated: I lost my camera cable)
So...I will try to catch up over the next few days.

Gabe turned 2 on December 1st, he had his party on the 5th.
I can't believe that he's growing so fast!

Random pics from Christmas

2008-12-29T19:48:00.004-05:00

I hope your Christmas was as fun as ours. Having little ones makes the Holiday so exciting! Gabe was really into Santa and Ellie would say "Ho,Ho, O"

Gabe wearing Pops hat.

Pop and Grandmother with two of their Great-Great Grand kids.

As you can see...Papa is working on that Santa Beard for next year!

Merry Christmas...From our Family to Yours.

2008-12-23T16:06:00.004-05:00

Alberta ...Florida Gator

2008-11-02T23:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Big Al

2008-11-02T23:28:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Happy 29th Birthday Josh!

2008-11-02T23:14:00.004-05:00

October 31st

You'll always be my little Spook!
We Love you Josh!

Gabe's going to be a big Brother!!!

2008-11-02T23:10:00.002-05:00

Of course that means that we are going to be Grandparents again!
May 22nd is the Big Day. We are all very excited!

Happy 14th Birthday, Emilee!

2008-11-02T23:05:00.003-05:00

October 6th, 2008
Emilee was 14...going on 20!

We Love you Baby girl!!!

Boo at the Zoo

2008-11-02T22:55:00.004-05:00

Max, Cami and I got to go to the Boo in the zoo a couple of weeks ago. I had not seen the kids in a while and it was so much fun to spend some time with them.

Five Little Pumpkins...

2008-10-01T14:38:00.000-04:00

2008 NHHS Homecoming Queen!!!

2008-09-29T22:29:00.004-04:00

Audrey Grace!

NHHS Homecoming 2008

2008-09-29T22:10:00.004-04:00

This is the 1st time I've been to the Homecoming parade at my Alma mater in 15 years.
It brought back so many memories of the great time I use to have here. Here are a few pictures from the parade, what made it so exciting was the fact I not only got to share it with my grandchildren but my niece was up for Homecoming Queen.

Gabe and Ellie

2008-09-29T22:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Anniversary

2008-09-11T09:27:00.002-04:00

My Brother and his Wife celebrated their 20th Wedding Anniversary on the 10th.

Channeling Brittany

2008-09-10T23:12:00.004-04:00

Audrey didn't believe me when I said that this was going on the blog.

Well, baby girl.....

Date Night

2008-09-10T22:47:00.002-04:00

This past Friday night Sam and I went somewhere we haven't been since we were dating over 30 years ago. That's right...a good ole fashioned drive in. It was great and we had so much fun. I can't wait to go back. At our age...needless to say, we were more excited about the outstanding "snack bar" than anything else. And the prices...well, we saw a double feature, ate supper, got a funnel cake and popcorn for the 2nd feature all for under $40.00. The 1st feature was "Disaster Movie" and the name was appropriate! The 2nd feature was "Mirrors", which was pretty good.
But...you know, it really didn't matter. What mattered was...It was a night spent with the love of my life and it made me feel like I was 16 again.

Ellie at 7 Months

2008-09-10T22:42:00.002-04:00

Gabe at 21 months

2008-09-10T22:41:00.002-04:00

Firsts and Lasts

2008-08-06T10:09:00.004-04:00

Today is Sarah's first day of High School.

Today is Audrey's last "first day" of High School.

The "Freshman" and the "Senior".

This is the first time I have ever gotten to see the girls on their first day of school. Audrey was excited and ready to begin her first day as a Senior. Sarah was nervous and teary eyed as they left.

Have a Great Day , Girls!!

Cody left for Clemson this morning at 6:00. I miss him already, it was so wonderful to have him home for the summer. For 3 months, We were able to be with all three boys!

Playtime

2008-08-03T18:16:00.007-04:00

Back to Clemson

2008-08-03T18:16:00.006-04:00

Well, it's that time again. Cody will be headed back to school Wednesday, so tonight we gave him a little "Back to School" party.

The Boys

Dad, Cody, Josh, Jake and Pepaw

Cody and his Uncles. Tony, Jimmy and Greg.

Cody and Mawmaw

The Cake
Uncle Cody, Gabe and Ellie

Cody and the Girls

Audrey, Emilee, Sarah and Erin

Ellie at 6 Months

2008-08-03T18:16:00.005-04:00

Gabe at 20 Months

2008-08-03T18:16:00.004-04:00

(Go to www.ourroughandtoughblessing.blogspot.com to see more pictures from the beach)

Ellie at 5 months

2008-07-09T08:39:00.001-04:00

Gabe at 19 months

2008-07-09T08:39:00.000-04:00

7th Annual Etheredge Invitational

2008-06-30T01:02:00.009-04:00

Saturday was the annual golf tournament and I am very pleased to announce that the winners this year were of the female persuasion:

Sarah Shubert, Audrey Shubert, Kelly Etheredge, Andrea Etheredge & Tara Hubbard

There were 21 golfers this year and it was the 1st time women participated. I think these ladies were not taken seriously at first, but they played their heart out and never gave up. They won by one stroke.

Way to go Girls!!!

Happy Birthday, Andrea

2008-06-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

Round, Round

2008-06-20T22:19:00.011-04:00

Gabe from Debbie on Vimeo.

Ellison at 4 months

2008-06-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

Gabe at 18 Months

2008-06-08T15:29:00.000-04:00

Happy 17th, Audrey (May 17th)

2008-05-24T00:24:00.019-04:00

Untitled from Debbie on Vimeo.

We love you so much! It's hard to believe that you're now a SENIOR!

Happy Birthday, Sis

2008-05-24T00:24:00.017-04:00

There is no better friend than a sister. And there is no better sister than you.

~Author Unknown

A Perfect 10

2008-05-24T00:24:00.014-04:00

It was an amazing day in Gymnastics for the Etheredge family. Here's a look back at the days highlights.

Opening Ceremonies

Gabe opens the show with his Floor Routine

Next up is the balance beam, after a moment of whining he steps on the beam and delivers a riveting balanced walk.

Oh no....his first stumble. Could this mistake cost him the gold?

Gabe must score big on the bars to elevate him to the top.

Looks good so far....

Yes!!! He sticks the landing!

All that's left is that long crawl to the top of the podium.
And then the Gold!!!

Happy Birthday Erin (May 14th)

2008-05-24T00:24:00.012-04:00

Happy Birthday

to the Biggest

ALABAMA....

CLEMSON....(just Kidding)

AUBURN FAN
Even though she bleeds Orange and Blue, We still love her and after 10 years, I think we'll keep her!

Congrats Sarah

2008-05-24T00:24:00.007-04:00

My niece Sarah Graduated from 8th Grade last Tuesday. She's "officially " a High School Freshman.

"Big Fish"

2008-05-24T00:24:00.002-04:00

Since being back in Alabama I have re-kindled my passion for fishing. My Sister-in-Law Melody and I go whenever we get the chance. We live about 5 miles from Guntersville Lake and Dam. And Boy...do we catch the fish! I don't know what I would do without my own personal "Laura Ingles" with me to handle all the gross stuff (like taking off the really "big fish"). Oh,... I can bait my own hook and take off some fish (with a towel) but when one has swallowed the hook or has it coming out of his eye...I call for Melody. Below is a picture of Melody with her "Big Fish".

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T22:32:00.005-04:00

As a child you walked before me, To lead by example. As a teenager you walked behind me, looking out for my back and being there when I needed you.
As an adult you walk beside me. So that, as two friends, we can enjoy life together..

Happy Mothers' Day, Mom

Happy 21st Birthday, Cody!!!

2008-05-06T21:26:00.005-04:00

2008-05-06T09:51:00.003-04:00

Ellie at 3 Months

Gabe at 17 Months

AREA CHAMPS!!!

2008-05-05T18:49:00.000-04:00

Oh...say can you see

2008-04-25T21:48:00.003-04:00

The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.

Woodrow Wilson

Walking out the back door the other morning, I looked down the road to see my 88 yr. old Grandfather raising his flag. Before I knew it, I had grabbed my camera and a sense of pride and respect washed over me. Pride in a Grandfather that served in WWII and survived the horrors of war and Respect that he still honors our Country enough to raise the flag.

Prom 2008

2008-04-20T22:21:00.007-04:00

My niece Audrey went to her Junior/Senior Prom this past Saturday night. I may be a tad biased but I thought that she looked really beautiful.

Audrey and her date John Blake

A great looking couple!

Angel Etheredge

2008-04-14T12:13:00.004-04:00

In Loving Memory

Angel was born on Christmas Eve 1995, She became a part of our family in 1996. Angel and Oscar were together for 12 years and had 3 litters of pups. In recent years, Angel's health had gone down and she was plagued by tumors. After agonizing about this for months, Angel was peacefully put to sleep today.

We'll never forget our "Angel Baby".

There's no place like home, there's no place like home

2008-04-14T12:13:00.003-04:00

Well...We are officially home! I've been in the "just visiting" mode for three months, but now it has finally sunk in....we live in Alabama. There are many people that I miss so badly in Greenville, that I'll forever miss, but they will always be a part of my life. There are many things that I have to get used to again. For example...Tornadoes! I had forgotten just how many more bad storms we have here. In the 13 years we were in Greenville, I can't remember being under a Tornado Warning, A Watch...yes, but not a Warning. In the 3 months we've been here, we've been under a Tornado Warning, no less than 10 times. I also have to get used to having family around all the time. Even though I loved Greenville, there were times that I would have loved to be able to just go down the road and see family and spend the afternoon with them. It's difficult some times to live in a city where you have no family around. I can't begin to explain to you how it feels to keep my Granddaughter every day and see my Grandson in the afternoons, to cook for everybody, to go to my nieces softball games, to sit on the front porch with my Mom and brother in the afternoon, to go to Church and know that you're related to half of the congregation. These are a fraction of the things that I didn't know that I had missed so bad. There's still one empty spot in my life right now....but he'll be "home" from Clemson in a few weeks.

The Rice Box

2008-04-06T22:49:00.006-04:00

When Cody was a little boy, I made him a rice box to play in instead of a sand box. Unlike sand,... rice wouldn't get rubbed in his eyes, tracked through the house or get in crevices and get carried into his bed. He loved his rice box and so did all my nieces and Cami and Max. We've had it with us for the 15 years we were away, and the girls had only got to play in it when they visited, so...when I brought it home to Alabama this week...let's just say...the girls STILL love playing in it!

Gabe got in on the action too! His favorite thing was to fill a cup up with rice and shake it out...fast!

Closing the Door

2008-03-31T23:15:00.004-04:00

Well...the day has finally come. We closed on our house today. We are no longer the owners of 5 Georgetown Circle. While I'm so glad that this step is over, it was also very sad. As we begin our search for another home, nothing can replace the memories that this home gave us. This is the home that my boys grew up in. In 1994 Josh was 14, Jake was 11 and Cody was 6. I'll always treasure our time here.

Happy Baby

2008-03-25T22:01:00.003-04:00

Ellie from Debbie on Vimeo.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-24T16:05:00.010-04:00

One of the best things about living close to my Grandchildren is getting to enjoy Holiday's with them. Here are a few pics of Gabe and Ellison on Easter Sunday and the rest are of Gabe's Easter Egg Hunt at the Park.

Beautiful Ellie- 7 weeks old

Gabe and Ellison

As you can see...Getting Gabe to sit still is not an easy task!

Jake, my Mom, My grandparents, Josh, Gabe and Ellie.

*****************************************************************************

Gabe at the Park

Gabe at Gulf Shores

2008-03-20T11:02:00.003-04:00

A little stroll on the Beach

Andrea said that Gabe just took over her Beach Chair

This is what happens when you ask Gabe to "Show me the face"

Generations

2008-03-16T01:09:00.002-04:00

Ellison and her Great-Great Grandfather

Ellison- 1 month

2008-03-09T00:17:00.011-05:00

I can't believe that Ellie is 1 month old already! She was 6 lb., 19 in. when she came home, 7lb, almost 21 in. at 2 weeks. She nurses great and seems to be a very content baby. We've gotten to babysit a few times and I have to say... it's becoming our favorite past time!

Catching up

2008-03-09T00:17:00.006-05:00

My precious Grandbabies!!!

Gabe, 14 months....Ellie, about an hour old!

Gabe and his PaPa

Christmas 2007

Just having fun!

The First of many....

2008-03-07T10:34:00.002-05:00

Well, Gabe got his first "real" pop on the leg from his Granby yesterday. While it wasn't an earth shattering pop, I expect it did sting a little.

We had been outside all morning and Gabe was having a great time but by about 1:00, I could tell he was getting very sleepy. He's always been pretty easy to get to sleep, all you have to do is lay down with him for a few minutes and he falls asleep. Well...yesterday he DID NOT want any part of a nap. Here's how the attempt played out.

*I laid him down and he immediately went for my hair (he loves to gently rub your hair as he falls asleep) but...instead of the gentle stroke of the hair it was an all out assault. He pulled once, I told him no, twice, I told him no, third time I gave his hair a little tug and he got the message.

*I Then thought that he had given up, but...I was wrong. He then took his little hand and rubbed my face, then he hit my head several times, fast. I grabbed his hand and told him "No hitting".

*Finally...In fast acrobatic moves he worked his body around until he got his feet up to my face and then he started to kick those little feet as hard as he could. That's when it happened.. I popped that little leg and he knew his Granby meant business!

Two minutes later...Gabe was fast asleep.

Happy 25th Birthday, Jake

2008-02-23T16:07:00.001-05:00

Papa's Girl

2008-02-23T15:33:00.001-05:00

Happy 7th Birthday, Max!!!

2008-02-20T22:15:00.003-05:00

Tiny bundle of joy!

2008-02-04T20:59:00.000-05:00

Ellison Grace

6 lbs. 6ozs.

19 inches

Miss Ellie Grace made her debut today at 11:26am.

Mom and daughter are doing great, Dad is still on cloud nine but seems to have both feet on the ground at this time! She is a beautiful and dainty little girl who has already wrapped her Papa and Granby around her tiny finger.

Peach Bowl

2008-01-04T00:09:00.000-05:00

Parade

The Game!!

Sam's Birthday

2007-12-17T20:22:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Sam's Birthday last weekend by surprising him at a restaurant. All of the family with the exception of my brother and his family were there. Sarah, (my niece) was having her birthday party with her friends at her house. Even though it was Sam's birthday, for some strange reason, all my pictures were of Gabe!

Cousin Erin thought it would be funny to give Gabe a lemon...obviously he didn't think it was very funny!

Christmas with the Kosmicki's

2007-12-17T20:13:00.000-05:00

This Sunday night we had our annual Christmas "Breakfast" with the Kosmicki's. It's so hard for me to believe that we will never be together at my house again. Jack, Susie, Cami and Max are so special to us that it is making leaving much harder. Here's just a few pictures from Sunday night.

Happy Birthday Gabe!!!

2007-12-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

December 1st, 2007

Not really loving the hat!

Toys, Toys & more toys!!!!

Finally.....The Cake!

Happy Birthday to our precious boy.

We love you,

Granby , Papa, Uncle Cody, Uncle Josh & Aunt Kelly

Happy Birthday Sarah!!!

2007-11-29T10:43:00.001-05:00

Deck the....

2007-11-28T21:30:00.000-05:00

Well, this is about all the "decking" I'll be doing this year.

It makes me so, so sad, but there isn't any reason to drag all my decorations out for no one. We will be in Alabama for most of the Holidays. This is the 1st time in about 30 years that I have not put up a tree. I'll probably get out the little 2 foot tree for Cami and Max. I look forward to next year and our new home and being able to really Deck the Halls!

Playing in the leaves

2007-11-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

Black Friday

2007-11-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

Call me crazy, stupid, or a glutton for punishment, but for the last 3 years my nieces and I have braved the crowds and hit the town for the after Thanksgiving Day sales. This is one tradition that I hope lasts a long time. All four spend the night with me Thanksgiving night. We wake up about 4:30 am, get dressed and go out for breakfast (Cracker Barrel) then we hit the Mall. We have a really good time listening (and singing) to the Christmas songs in the car and just acting crazy. Of course, by 9:30am, we're all ready to go home and go to bed. It wouldn't be that bad if we could go to bed earlier but when you don't go to bed until 1:30am and then get up at 4:30am, that bed starts calling. But, when those 4 get together, sleep is the last thing on their mind. Here's a few pictures of the girls sometime after midnight.

Gabe loves a cell phone!

2007-11-26T09:50:00.000-05:00

Texting....

Talking

The process has begun...

2007-11-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I haven't written in a while but this whole "moving" thing has got me running around in circles. I'm trying to decide what to throw out and what to keep. It's amazing the amount of crap you can accumulate over the years! I decided that I would start the smallest room (our bath). So far I have one full bag of trash and one bag for goodwill. At this rate I'll be finished by June! I've got to kick it into high gear. Maybe one reason I can't get motivated is that it's going to be very hard to leave this place. We've lived here longer than we've ever lived in one place. Cody has actually grown up here and there are many memories.

Sam is leaving Sunday for Alabama. He'll be working in Huntsville during Thanksgiving week. Cody and I'll be leaving on Weds., then we'll all return to Greenville for the week of the 26th. After that, Sam will be "officially" in Birmingham. I will continue to travel back and forth until the house sells.

Yes,...in case you're wondering, Cody will remain in Clemson, although...I keep reminding him that Tuscaloosa (UA) is just down the road from Birmingham.

Gabe at 11 months

2007-11-02T23:25:00.000-04:00