May Update

I am going to try to update you on May in several post. Jim and Whit threw a birthday party for on of Auburn's quarterbacks, Neil Caudle. They rented out the cabins at Gunters Landing and invited a lot of Auburn people. This is a picture of Brother and Tommy Trott who also plays for Auburn. For those of you that know Brother, he loves his Auburn tigers so he really enjoyed the party. Bishop Black out of Decatur played and Crawmama's catered. I will have to give it to Jim and Whit, they really know how to throw a party.



I will have to admit that I felt a bit strange at the party. There were all these people that I grew up babysitting. I was definitely the oldest and the only one who had had a child, but I guess I can still hang with the young ones.


Also in May, was GHS graduation. Here Rollins and I are with my niece Whitney. We love our Whitney, and I am glad she is staying here for atleast another year to go to Snead. There were four of the cousins that graduated--Whitney, Joseph, Raechel and Lindsay. Even though it's Brother's family, I grew up babysitting Joseph, Raechel and Lindsay. I will have to scan some old pictures and put them on here. Rollins and Grady did so well. They both sat through the ceremony and clapped for every graduate.
We went to Mack and Diane's afterwards for a graduation party. Brother is really lucky to have such a wonderful close family and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

Mother's Day

I have so been looking forward to Mother's Day. Rollins has been telling me Happy Mother's Day all week. So, Saturday we had a babysitter come (this was the first time either of the kids had ever seen her, so I was nervous how they would react, but they were both asleep when we left) and we went to dinner with Kate, Stewart, Tim, Foster, Tim and Darla. It was so nice getting to get out without the kids. We never got a call from Haley, the babysitter, so we just assumed the kids were still asleep, because I knew it would probably freak them out to see a stranger in their house and no mom or dad, so we went to the boathouse after dinner. We got home about 10 and they were both awake and happy as could be. Rollins felt a little warm and by the time we got into bed, she was running over 103 fever. We put medicine in her juice and when we woke up the next morning, it was still 102.9, so we skipped out on church. I was really sad because I always love the mother's day sermon. It makes me feel good and I really needed it right now. Anyway, we gave Rollins more medicine and about two hours later it was just like the light turned on. She sat up and wanted to get a shower, and I thought she was over her little spell, so we got ready and decided to meet my family for lunch. We got to the restaurant and Rollins wouldn't even talk to anyone and for those of you who have been around her--that is totally out of character. She kept her head on my shoulder the whole time and I could tell she was running a really high fever. We couldn't figure out what was going on and Dr. Nixon said as long as she was drinking plenty of fluids, she should be ok. Her fever ended up at 104.2. Brother and I were both scared to death, so we got her a suppository (she had to have them when she had pneumonia and they worked pretty well) she slept til 4:30 and once again she woke up in a great mood, so we decided to attend Senior Sunday for Whitney at church. I have never been more proud of my daughter as I was this night. She usually spends church in the nursery, but there wasn't one, so I was anxious to see how she would do. She stacked the song books and sat on them right between me and my grandmother. She sang with us even though I had no idea what she was saying and she would put her arms around us and lean over and kiss us. After we sang "The Greatest Command" (which was sung at our wedding) she said out loud where everyone heard her--"Mom, that was a great song!" Everyone just laughed. Rollins truly is an extraordinary child. she has such a huge heart and she knows just what to say when someone is feeling down and she is only 2. I have babysat and taught so many children, and I have never seen anyone like her--she is truly a gift from God. I honestly believe God sent her here as an angel on earth. She senses when I am having a bad day and she will come to me and say, "mom, it breaks my heart to see you sad, I love you! and it's going to be ok" and then give me a kiss and wrap her arms around me and hold me. If every child could be like her, this world would be such a better place. But back to Mother's Day, we watched a video of the seniors growing up and Whitney had pictures of Jim and Mary. When they came up on screen, I told Rollins, there is your grandfather or there is your grandmother, and it felt so strange to me, because she has no idea who I am talking about, and I don't even have any stories to tell about them. It really makes me sad, because I know how much Bother loved them and how much he wishes they could have seen Rollins and Grady. They meant so much to Capper, Whit, Jim, Whitney and Katie, and they get to have all these memories to take with them, and our children never even got to meet them. I know it really bothers Brother, and I just wish so badly that somehow, God could let them meet. They truly were wonderful people and I want Rollins and Grady to know that.
So, even though Mother's Day was filled with sickness, it was a blessing. I am constantly reminded of how wonderful my life is and how lucky I am to have the most precious children in the world. They have given me joy beyond anything I could have ever imagined and it just keeps getting better. I just pray that I can be a loving and supportive mother to them for the rest of my life, and maybe, just maybe, they can one day look back, and say, "I had the best mom in the world and I know she loved me". If that can happen, then my work here is done and I will feel like I have lived a complete life.

Sorry it's been a while

So, I know it has been a few months since I last posted, but a lot has happened since then and we have been extremely busy, but I am making a commitment to posting more often. As most of you already know, we sold Grady's on Gunter back in March. I was so ready to home with Rollins and Grady, so it was such a blessing. Brother thought I would get really bored at home because I am the person who always has to have something going on. However, I have managed to find plenty to do. I can't tell you how many birthday parties, wedding parties and baby showers we have been to in the last couple of months. We also went to the beach for a week for my brother's wedding. It has been wonderful not having to worry if everything is ok at the store. My stress level has gone down tremendously. Rollins and Grady have really enjoyed having me home to. We are finding all kinds of activities we enjoy doing together. One thing is fishing in the ponds around our house. We have found an awesome pond for bream and another couple for bass. As a matter of fact, Brother and Tim (Foster's boyfriend) are fishing as I type and it is 1 in the morning. We had planned on building a house at the boathouse, but we are really beginning to think we might just want to stay out here because we love playing golf and having the pool and fishing. They are also fixing to start serving dinner at the clubhouse, so we are really pumped about that--their food is excellent. So, I guess we might just build a cabin at the boathouse, so we can still have a place to stay if we want to go to the lake.
Here is a picture of sweet Grady at one of the ponds by the house. That is cousin Whitney in the background. Rollins and Grady love when she comes over.

So Rollins is becoming very opinionated when it comes to clothes. She wears dress up high heels and always carries a purse. Well, I have had a kidney infection this past week, so Brother took her to school. On this particular day, she picked out her own clothes--they were size 18 months that I had pulled out to pack up because they were too small. You could see her diaper under her skirt, so I told her the only way she could wear it, was if she wore big girl panties, and she did. She is so stubborn. She has no interest in potty training even though she knows what to do and ask for a diaper when she needs to pee, but she decided that for this day, she would use the bathroom like she is suppose to just so she could wear some short skirt with pockets.

Here is a picture of Grady on the motorcycle Uncle Jon gave him for his 1st birthday--it is so dangerous, so he can only ride it when we are with him, but that is ok, Jon and Jackie just found out they are having a boy, so I can get them back.

And finally, here is my little fisherwoman. She is growing up so fast. I want her to stay this age forever. She is so sweet and loving and has a deep concern for other's feelings. I could not have asked God for a better daughter. I am so thankful for her and the joy she brings to all our lives. I love you so much Rollins!

Don't worry, I am so proud of Grady too and I am sure when he is able to communicate, he is going to impress us with his kindness as well. He is my little tough guy. He can knock the mess out of his head and never even cry--he is so happy all the time. He plays so well by himself when rollins is at school, and I can get so much done. He gives the best hugs in the world and has the sweetest laugh. Grady has given my grandparents a good reason to stay in this world for a lot longer.