Thankfully Blessed ~

 we are so blessed

to have such loves

and to be loved

our children grew fast

and the grandbabies even quicker

truly, where does time go

we are so proud of the adults

they are becoming

and the parents they are

the grands?

very proud of those young ones

that are already moving into

the teen years

our hearts runneth over

with thanksgiving and deep love

Guess What!?!?

not exactly my favorite season since our girls aren't home any longer. well, okay, it's not my favorite season. there i said it. i'm a fall and winter person, with spring running a close second to fall. but here we are, moving into summer and that means, hopefully, we'll be seeing a bit more of our daughter's and their families. i don't know about yours, but our grands stay so busy with sports!

elle's program as she prepares to leave kindergarten. this child is so excited to be going into first grade. we had to laugh during the program as she looked a bored and only sang when she wanted to. she's loved kindergarten, though, and i'm sure will rock first grade. the girl loves school!

Stacey teaches high school so i know she's looking forward to some time with family, traveling, and not getting up early each weekday morning! looking forward to heading their way and spending some time with our ms babies and families.

owen is three now and still in love with being outdoors, his mum and dad, john deere tractors and being outside. did i mention that already?! the child loves being in the dirt, with the dog, on a tractor, and playing with the animals on the farm. can't wait to spend some time with them, too!

ah, yes, it does. although, the older one gets, the more we remember summers past. still sweet, still fresh, especially when i can't remember where i put my keys yesterday! have a beautiful summer, stay safe, and continue to pray for our nation.

Pieces of my heart ~

and here are some of my blessings this Spring ~

our youngest grandchild turned three this Spring

and i'm  not sure just when he grew up

too quickly that's for sure

loves his daddy & mommy, lucy, and tractors!

our youngest daughter with her family at Easter

one loves to swim, one loves basketball, and

miss priss loves her ballet and gymnastics

(and 'her boys')

our oldest with her youngest in Memphis, i think,

traveling with her soccer team. this sweet princess loves her

soccer and her gymnastics and i love watching

her intertwine ballet with gymnastics to music ~

{we have another son in law and grandson {smile font}but

no photos of them yet. traveling with baseball or outside!

I am a thankful for our babies, their men and the gifts of

grandchildren. He is always near. Always with us.

And that's a promise from a God that cannot lie ~

Our Winter Babies ~

2014 got off to a grand start with our Christmas celebration that we do in January. We've done this for 10+ years now and still enjoy it. The babies get too play with each other and the girls get to catch up and the guys cook and watch sports. John and I take delight in the laughter and memories hang around long after they've packed up and driven home. It's the highlight of our January. We love these munchkins dearly and their parents even more ~ Hurry back! We miss you already {heart font!}

Favorites From Last Week

The week began with Brandon's fishing trip ending and him returning home to three babies that celebrated with a trip to a favorite ice cream parlor and a wife very glad to have him safely home. I love this shot. He looks happy and there's a fish! 

Heath and our newest grandbaby, Owen. Need I say how thrilled the whole family is to have a new baby to spoil! Owen is growing so quickly, as they do, and his parents are fascinated. (He has his mommy's blue eyes {heart font} .) 

He loves to be swaddled, and listen to the vacuum cleaner. Seems to calm him. I think it makes him feel Mommy is near!

Brandon & Jenny's son, Ian, was baptized yesterday. Family and friends gathered to witness this precious moment. He was so happy. Our heart memories this past week still warm my heart today. We are a very blessed family. Thank you, Lord.

Happy Birthday, Leslie!

2007 ~ Christmas in Prattville

and Miss Marley getting a treat!

Dec 31 2011 ~ your sisters, family and friends

gather for your wedding to Heath,

and we rejoice with you and answered prayers

Once more we gather with you,

for the birth of Owen Heath!

What a whirlwind 18 months.

Fall in love.

Marry.

Build a home.

Get pregnant.

Owen's birth.

When He blesses, he truly pours them out.

Happy Birthday, to our Leslie Dian.

We love you so very much.

Our Easter Babies

It was a beautiful weekend for Easter.

A mite cool, but sunshiny smiles.

I am so in love with our family.

The men that lovingly married our daughters are men of our hearts. We could not have asked of God any better than the ones He chose Himself. And the grandbabies?! Well, if you're a grandmother or a grandfather yourself, you know there aren't words to express the love in our hearts when they run to us with that look that's just reserved for us. To watch them grow brings a tightening to the heartstrings but what a blessing. This year we were given another gift to love and spoil. Owen Heath Taylor joined our family and again, we've lost another piece of our heart. We are all thrilled that he and Leslie came through birth just fine and are settling in at home with daddy Heath. John and I are so very thankful for these sweet blessings. 

The Maddox's 

The Green's 

And, The Taylor's.

With our newest family member.

(Marley has been very receptive {smile font}. 

John and I stayed with Miss Marley until Owen came home. It was cute the way Heath and Leslie introduced Marley to her brother and invited him into her home. I'm not sure how long Leslie has had Marley but I know it's in the double digit years. We hated leaving but have been blessed with almost daily photos of this precious gift from God. He seems to be changing daily, but then, they all do that, don't they? I look at our daughters and wonder where time went. Just this past Easter, they were playing in the front yard with my grandmother's hats and acting like they were "old ladies". That photo still makes me smile. 

Of course I had to get some rocking time in!

Happy Easter, Dear Ones ~

He arose.

What beautiful words.

Celebrate His ascension

tomorrow and everyday.

Here are some of my favorite posts from Easter's past:

Yes, Grandmommies Brag

Family & Friends

And Some More Easter!

Elle Elizabeth Maddox

March Winds Bring Easter

It's Easter!

And this year, we have Owen Heath!! What a beautiful gift from God during this Holy week. Leslie and Owen are home and doing fine. We are blessed.

Welcome to Our World, Owen

Our middle daughter, Leslie.

Her new baby son, Owen.

Her first.

Our sixth grandchild.

There aren't enough words.

Our cup runneth over, Lord. 

The new family came home this morning.

Marley was happy enough.

She was glad her mum and dad were home!

Didn't give Owen much of a glance.

It was a good feeling to have them home. 

Of course, we loved holding him as well.

A rocker+a baby=Pure Bliss

John now has four grandsons.

He's over the moon,

and the two granddaughters?

The ones that spoil him?

They keep his head in the stars. 

The rocker? It belonged to Leslie's beloved grandmother. She's in Heaven now and Leslie recovered the seat. It mean a lot to this child to be able to rock her son in this chair. Goes clear to the heart of the matter. Thank you, Father, for this new family. We promise to always be a living example of Your love and promises. We won't lead him astray.

And to Heath and Leslie? Congratulations. Again. Owen is simply beautiful and we are thrilled that he belongs to you and that he's home where he belongs. The best part of your life has now begun. We love you very much and are always here for you {heart font}.

Birthday Flashback ~

I thought it would be fun to have a Birthday Flashback. It really is true, that one feels ten years younger on the inside than the mirror shows on the outside. Life is fleeting, and I savour each and every day. With three dearly loved daughters, and three men sent from God to marry them, they've given us six precious and adorable grandbabies, with number six to be born in just a matter of weeks. God is so good and I fall at His feet with love and adoration. So here you go, Birthday Flashback to 2009!

Let's Be Serious, Then I'll Be Funny

I have to tell you, our Congress and this President scare me. I would love to find grounds to impeach him and start over with, or maybe without, a Congress. We have compromised so much already on gun control. We need to feel safe. Schools need to be secure. The last several weeks all I've heard are hearings on gun control. What about funding education - hey, that's a new one! NOT! - and put security guards in schools. Restructure fronts doors to be security conscious. There's much that can be done to make a school and it's grounds more secure, but for that you need money. And guess what doesn't get much money in too many states in the Union? Education. Our children. We actually spend more money on the prisoners in the state of Alabama than we do on our school age children. That is sad. That is uncalled for. Guns aren't the problem. People are the problem. Secure a property and it deters unwanted intruders. That's my soapbox for tonight.

When I saw this, I knew it was me. I love to laugh. At anything. And when you go to someplace like a beach, a football game, Wally World, there are people. And there's always something to laugh at or about with people or animals. I love AFV!!! Those dummies! And yes, I laugh at me. In fact, I laugh the hardest then.

We have wonderful plans for the weekend. A baby shower for our newest grandchild! We shall finally celebrate Christmas with our daughters and their families! (We had the flu yuck and Jenny's family had ear infections etc, so we postponed) Having a shower on the same day makes for a fun-filled day. We'll finish it off at a favorite Mexican restaurant, the grands will get a whole day to play with each other (praying the weather lasts) and I'm hoping someone remembers to take lots of photos! I was made fun of not too many years ago for always having a camera handy. Now I forget {sniff font}. Here's hoping Stacey and Jenny have theirs! I pray you have a great, laughter filled weekend, yourself!

Recent Favorites ~

This sweet baby of ours is excited, because~ 

they had a SNOW DAY!

Stacey's a teacher, so she was happy, too!

We got none. Nada. Zilch. Not a flurry.

BUT, Winter isn't over yet!

I laugh out loud each time I see this.

Or think of it! 

And I have a girlfriend that needs this. Bahaha.

She wants a bike to ride,

and she loves walking on the beach.

Heeeeere ya go, Deborah!

This sweet beauty?

One of God's gifts to us in the animal kingdom.

Oh John, find a way to take me here one day.

And not just in my dreams~

I want to make these for Easter.

They're just too cute!

Raspberry Confetti Kisses

And this one has grabbed my heart!

Leslie & Heath's latest 'baby bump' photo

of our newest grandbaby. A boy.

To say we're thrilled is an understatement.

I pray your week has been filled with moments

that made you laugh, made you giggle,

made you thankful, made you dream,

caused you to pause and say a prayer.

My Favorite Photos This Week

Jenny's family had a nice Thanksgiving break filled with dinners, shopping, laughing, and dreaming of all that comes during this season. This photo was taken at Brandon's parents, but I now have a photo of the tree already up in the Maddox household! Ah, to be a child again. Well, not really. It had its worry free days but I love this stage of life as well. Older, maybe wiser?, and happy. The older I get, the more I treasure photos such as these.

When I saw this one, I actually cried. This is our Leslie. Pregnant with our sixth grandbaby and we are overjoyed. The pathway to welcoming this precious child was a bit more difficult and the answer to many prayers. She and Heath made a fun and relaxing trip to the Smokies over the holidays and I love that this was made, for it's a vision I'll hold for a long time. I'm so looking forward to rocking their little man. Yes, we have another grandson to love and spoil. {heart font}

When Stacey posted this one, I thought, "Gosh, I miss them. It's been awhile since we saw them!" It really hasn't been, but I have the heart of a grandmother that adores her 'babies'. My sweet mother in law love always called hers "babies", no matter how old they were. Now I know her heart and how it feels to be a grandmother. There really aren't words, just as I never understood a mother until I became one. Babies. Be still my heart. 

Stacey and Brett. The proud and loving parents of the two decorating their Christmas tree. All three girls have so much to look forward to in the new year with various dreams coming true. All three families stay busy. Busier than I think we ever were. However, it's easy to see that our children take time to share life with laughter and adventure; fill their homes with love; and make sure the Word of our Lord is taught and nurtured. It is an indescribable feeling to know we will walk through His gates one day and be together through Eternity.

I pray your holiday week brought joy and delight to your heart and home. Now begins the wishing and dreaming of a white Christmas, a baby's birth, and the gift of giving. I'd love to think we might have a white Christmas, but with our azaleas still in full bloom, I doubt it. But one can hope {wink font}. Take care and have a great week!