Tag Archives: grandpa

Cordele, GA

A few weeks ago my mom told me that she and my dad were going to drive down to Cordele, GA to visit her dad and step mom, Grandpa and Marylene (Muv).  She also mentioned that Marylene wished that Faith could go down there with them.  I don’t mind Faith missing school in order to visit her great-grandparents so I said that Faith could go with them.  As the weeks passed, I realized that I wanted to go too.  After my Grandma Madeline died in May, I have realized that time is precious and that I need to  see my grandparents as much as I can.   In fact, my mom was making the trip down to see Grandpa because it was his 85th birthday.

The seven of us left Charlotte on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Cordele seven hours later.  Of course, I made my parents find a Chick-fil-A on the way down so that the kids could run around and play.  We arrived after dinner on Thursday and left to drive back to Charlotte on Saturday morning.  It was a very quick trip, but totally worth it.

I think that Muv was the most excited to have us visit.  She and Faith were inseparable for most of the time.  At one point I looked around for Faith and found her trying on Muv’s clip on earrings…..

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The boys decided that they wanted to get in on the action.  Notice Miller’s large, colorful earring….

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Then it was time for the much anticipated painting lesson with Muv.  She had already set everything up when we arrived in town.  Faith had been looking forward to this part for days…

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Oddly enough, Wilson and Faith loved the hammock the best.  My dad and I swung them so high on it that they almost fell out.  They enjoyed it so much that my parents are considering getting a hammock…

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Here is Grandpa’s birthday dinner: Mom, dad, Wilson, Miller, Grandpa, Uncle Jimmy and Marylene/Muv, and Faith…

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Miller was so sweet to Grandpa, and vise versa.  Miller wanted Grandpa to hold him and he kept complimenting him on his shirt (not sure where Miller learned to say, “I like your shirt”.)

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Grandpa and Muv thoroughly enjoyed our visit.  Muv called Grandpa into the room when Faith did flips onto the bed because she thought it was cute and showed talent.  Grandpa laughed when Miller was announced and introduced into the room by Wilson to do a “naked baby” dance.   They let the kids jump on the bed, run through the house and play with some old canes that were in a large basket in the hall.   I have the best grandparents in the world!  I am so blessed to have grown up with four sets of grandparents that have loved me throughout my life and love my children just as much.  Going down to Georgia with the kids was a great decision and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my parents.  It takes a village.

The seven hour drive was quite long with the three kids, but it was worth the effort.  I hope that I remember how much we all enjoyed it and do it again next year. As we pulled out of the drive way, Wilson started to cry and say that he didn’t want to leave.  I asked him why and he said (between tears), “Because I love the hammock….and the pink lemonade…and the pizza restaurant….”

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Labor Day Parade

We were told that the town of Matthews had the largest Labor Day parade in the southeast.  Who knew?  This was especially surprising since Matthews itself is such a small town.  We decided that we needed to check it out….everybody loves a good parade.  I packed up the car with the kids, and Tom’s dad, and we drove the three miles to the parade site.  (Matthews is right next door).  :)  I don’t even know if I have to say this anymore or if it is just assumed by now, but the Youngs went to the parade with us also.  As luck would have it, we sat right in front of the announcers booth for the parade.  The first group in the parade was a high school band and then the Matthews School of Dance.  The dance school did a routine of their own, and then they played two songs for the crowd to join in.  Sidney jumped right up and took the kids out onto the street to dance.  The kids loved it!!  As you can see, the four kid are in sync with each other, but not the crowd.  They were dancing to the “to the right, to the right, to right…” song.  I have no idea what the name of it is.  It is basically another version of the electric slide.

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Wilson got to sit on Grandpa’s shoulders for a while….and wear his hat.

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Ella and her dad Erik also joined us at the parade.  Here is Miller, Faith, Ella and Wilson….

 

 

 

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The kids loved the parade because of the music, the princesses, and the mass amounts of candy that they consumed.  I think we will definitely do this again next year.

Grandpa visits

Tom’s dad came to visit for the week. His main motive was to come for Tom’s birthday, but he ended up staying for the week. When he comes over it is like Christmas. He brings the kids toys and backpacks and other small items that he gets along the way. I think that the toys actually used every battery in the house. I guess that it what they usually go towards anyways.

When Tom’s dad, Tom Jr., comes to visit I typically have a nice list of things for him to fix. I always have him sharpen our knives. I think they only get sharpened twice a year when he comes to visit and he has a special knack for sharpening them very well. This time he also fixed our leaky faucet.

On Thursday night I asked him if he would babysit for us. He always says “yes”. Tom and I put Miller to bed and then went out to a local bar that had Tom’s favorite on special: Red Bull and vodkas. Luckily for us, it was also trivia night. Tom impressed me with his “useless knowledge”. I think he answered more questions than I did. I blamed it on his being ten years older. :) Regardless, we were able to relax and have fun together which is always needed in our lives right now.

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Before we put Miller to bed that night the kids had “movie night” with Grandpa.  Wilson was always the first to cuddle up to Grandpa.  Miller was right there with the others; he has to have his popcorn bowl just like they do.

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On Friday the kids had their final day of Bible camp in our neighborhood. My friend April’s daughters and friends decided that they would make money this summer by putting together a camp for the neighborhood kids. They had a Bible story, crafts, games and snack. It was great! I loved having a little more free time and the kids didn’t want to come home each afternoon because they enjoyed camp so much. On the last day I volunteered to help out for an hour and then the parents all had lunch at April’s house together. Miller stayed home and played with Grandpa for two hours. When I got home they were wrestling on the floor and having a fun time together. It was so cute to walk in and see them playing. I was impressed that Tom was down on the floor with Miller. He said that they had already read book and danced together. What a good Grandpa!