Missing.

My aunt emailed me this picture this past week. I wasn't expecting to receive it and there it was, Pappy on my screen looking just like I always remember him. Happy and on his porch. Smiling his genuine smile and there. Being here makes them being gone easier. It's like I am just out of state and they are still there...their house is still their house, I am just away. But it's not real....what's real is that they really are gone. I don't get to cut his hair again wearing Grandma's genealogy apron. I don't get to sit and chat with my grandmother while she drinks her coffee and makes us dinner. Instead I try to forget but try to remember in the same breath. Instead Gavin sits in her chair and eats breakfast every morning. It's his favorite spot...GiGi's chair at the bar. Instead I get to make Grandma's meatloaf for my dad and my guys and share with them how she used to make this for me when I would come over so many times because she knew it was my favorite. Even when for a little while it wasn't and I would never tell her...but she always made it because it was my favorite. And for Robert she would make fried okra and spaghetti. I make her spaghetti and it's never the same but always reminds me of her. They were so much of my life and they still are but in a very different way. I wish I could tell them that...again. Just that. Thank you. I love you, I miss you, but thank you. Infinity derf 100 Thank yous.

Pretending it's spring

And late spring at that! The weather the past week or so has been amazing and we have been enjoying every bit of it...

Last week during their break we headed up to Murfreesboro to visit fam and enjoyed a day at Centennial Park with Robert's Mom and Ryan who brought a kite!

It was a very windy day!

Wrestling with Ryan....

Zachary can do cartwheels!

I threw the football some with Robert....I was too scared to catch this one--it hurt my hands!

A Holiday

Um so Christmas has come and gone. We had a wonderful extraordinarily low key holiday this year. No grandparent visiting, no family dinners, no traveling, no hauling cranky sugar filled kids to various houses, no wrapping presents until 3am, just a quiet Christmas at home. My mom came down as well as Robert's brother from Chattanooga and that was that.

Every year for as long as I can remember we have spent our Christmas's running all over. Every single Christmas Eve was without question spent with my dad's parents--this year my grandfather passed away and so did that tradition. One of our own family "musts" is that we are home Christmas morning and this year we moved so spending Christmas Eve or day anywhere else would not allow us to be home Christmas morning. So instead people came to us. Robert's parents are going to spend New Years with us and we will celebrate Christmas with them at the end of this week. My dad swung by yesterday and we said our hello's and swapped gifts with him. While the quietness has been nice it's also been strange, the hustle and bustle is part of the excitement of the season sometimes so it's just been a odd holiday for us. A great one just different! The kids have had a blast and spent 5 solid days at home doing nothing but playing with their new toys and hanging out with us. They went absolutely no where and spent several days in pj's all day, they were in heaven. It has been wonderfully relaxing for sure.

I have lots of pictures and eventually will load them up. Until then!

Punky Punkin Punk

I have never called my kiddo's Punkin....instead I have shortened it to Punky, one time I shortened it to Punk and giggled because that just wouldn't work. Punky barely does. Right now they are often referred to as "Z", "J-baby", and "Boog" which is not short for booger....in my head it's a variation of bug but to ensure that it is properly pronounced I imagine one must spell it "boog". All of this to say that we went to the Pumpkin Apple Farm a couple weeks ago. Grandpa tagged along and it was decided this was the best Pumpkin Apple Farm we have ever been to

ETA: So after posting I usually do a once over of the finished product on the blog and I am cracking up at my unintentional arrangement of photos...As I finish up that this is the "bestPumpkin Apple Farm we have ever been to..." I follow it with a "Moonshine" sign. A) no pun intended and B) no moonshine was had or purchased.

And there is one other activity that Z and Boog did while the were at the farm that certainly deserves it's very own post....something that most definitely shows off their matching daredevil tendencies. Any ideas what that was!? A hint: They shot up like rockets!

Twenty nine

Today my younger brother turns 29. His last year in his 20's...crazy! Happy Birthday to my little brother, Bert Gee--who is really named Robert much like my husband, weird I know. Oddly enough as well my brother was called Bobby when he was a little boy and my husband, Robert, was called Bob. He may hurt me for letting that out, haha. Anyway Happy Happy Fantastic Birthday Day to my wittle bruva.

This weekend Robert's parents came down for a visit. We had a super nice time just hanging out. Yesterday we watched the boys soccer games. Which by the way they both are loving. Zachary's team lost 1-0, but this was their first loose so they were pretty indifferent about that...they are a pretty awesome little team though! And Jakeb's team has struggled A LOT, yesterdays game was their SIXTH game and they have only scored 1 goal up until yesterday where they scored FIVE and won. Everyone was so incredibly excited, it was awesome. And Jakey boy played his heart out--he did awesome and seems to finally be getting the concept of the game. They both are doing amazing but this is Jakeb's first time playing so he's behind a bit on his comfort level.

After soccer we hit up a few consignment/antique stores around--we have TONS of them here in ATL area. I didn't buy anything but certainly found things I liked--just nothing I had to have. I have specific peices of furniture I am wanting and am focused on that right now. We are working on furnishing the dining room and sunroom--all we lack is a love seat and a sideboard/buffet thingy in the dining room. It's coming together FINALLY. I am on the hunt for the perfect shelf/cabinet for the kitchen and found bar stools today. It's looking good up in here.

Some pics from the boys first soccer games...Jakeb is the one in the middle with his back to the camer running away--number 7
That's Zachary and his coach...he's number 8