Meet My Family!

I'm going to have LOTS of session pics to post the next few days, but right now we have to get to what's more important! :)

Twice every year (once in the spring and again in the fall) my immediate family OF EIGHTEEN get together for a family weekend. Those of you who know me well are thinking WHATEVER... you get together with your family all the time. Yes, it's true, all of my family still live relatively close by, and having the awesome family I do, we enjoy hanging out with one another. We love getting together for birthday parties, football games... any excuse works. BUT, these two times a year, we devote the whole weekend to just family! This particular weekend was planned way in advance, and we were originally going to be in Mentone, AL for the weekend. Soon after we found out that grandbaby number NINE was on the way with my brother and sister-in-law. My sweet sister-in-law, Kim could literally go into labor any day now, so we didn't figure we would make her be an extra couple of hours away from the hospital... and sleeping on an old mattress or air bed! :) SO, it was off to my parents house! My parents have a mini botanical gardens outside of their home, and inside is like a very clean and organized antique shop! (She's going to kill me for saying that)! She talks all the time about being sentimental... I simply call it being a pack rat! :) Either way... it feels like home to me!! Anyways... I've always enjoyed my weekends away with my family, but being back "home" although only about 2o minutes away, felt like I was a world away from work and reality, and back home with my roots! The weather was GORGEOUS! We kept the windows in the house up all day and night. The kids slept in a tent in the back yard (minus my 3 year old son who would have flipped out if he woke up in the middle of the night), and we just hung out! I enjoyed my time so much, I almost dreaded going home. I wasn't ready to get back to work... this weekend was spent focused on what life is truly about! This morning, as the clouds started breaking way to speckled sunshine, I sat outside with my parents (both in their early 60's), and we watched my son and several of my nieces and nephews ride bicycles in the driveway. There was a fatastic breeze blowing, and it was tossing the yellow and orange leaves around on the ground and making the most beautiful rustling noise! NOW... those of you who know me, you know I'm not all "Hallmarky" so that probably sounded strange to you, BUT, at that moment, I was almost brought to tears as I watched my Dad tell another "story"! :) There have been 3 times already in my adult life that we've come close to loosing him for one health issue or another. Just this time last year, we had a huge scare with my brother when they thought he had leukemia. ALL of this came rushing too me and the thought that right now at this very moment, I have everyone so dear to me right here in my life, alive and well. I have SO many in my immediate family, and MANY more distant relatives that are so close to me because I've grown up with them in my life on a regular basis. ANYWAY... at this same moment, there are many in my church family and in my community that are struggling with loss in some form or fashion. Why did I get so lucky to have already had this many years with those I hold so dear? We don't know from one moment to the next what can happen, but I thank you God for giving me one more fabulous weekend with my amazing family!!

That being said.... You're all picturing this huge family all laughter and hugs... and we have TONS of that... BUT, I have THREE OLDER brothers (one that's as sassy as I am), and there are EIGHT grandchildren!! Everyone doesn't all agree, kids fuss, things get loud, there are food and drinks every where all the time with constant pick-up to be done (THANKS MOM), BUT, through the mass chaos, all I hear and feel is LOVE and THANKFULNESS!

I am not worthy, but thankful Lord!!!

Here is my precious family!

Here's Mom and Dad... they started this whole journey of family 41 years ago (I think I'm right on that) :)
Just a couple of years later, Jay made his debute. Although we were ALL surprised to see him settle down, he was the first to give Mom and Dad a grandbaby... look at her now... a gorgeous ALMOST 14 year old!!!!!
Then came Darby. He's the most reserved (it doesn't take much to be more reserved than the rest of us though) out of the bunch... but he's the muscles in the gang! We all need him in our lives! :) He and Kim are fixing to give me another nephew, Liam!!!!! I CANNOT wait to meet this little guy!!

Here's Joby! He's the baby boy, but still 3 years older than me! :) He is by far the sweetest and most loveable of all of us. He's also by far the most talented!!

SO... I'm not posting the picture of me with my sweet hubby and son, because I remain in denile that I no longer weigh 100 pounds like I did in high school... if I don't post it for the world to see, it must not be true! :) BUT, instead, here's one precious picture of ALL of the grandbabies together! This time next year, we'll have one more to the bunch!