We celebrated Morgan's birthday (again) on Friday night (with the boys this time). Brent grilled hamburgers and Amber made a polk-a-dot cake. We spent the entire night playing "Rock Band" on Morgan's Playstation. We had such a great time (as you can see Dad was loving it). Morgan scored very high on her instruments and Brent was by far the best singer (sorry Chad). I was a close second with Michael Jackson's "Beat It". Sophie and Karlee cheered us on (when they weren't sleeping).
David, Carrie and Mary Nelle (Carrie's Mom) stopped by to see Sophie on Friday. I had seen the shirt Carrie has on (before Amber and I even got pregnant) and knew it would be perfect for us. When I was actually pregnant they didn't have my size. It is just too funny! Sophie was smiling for Cousin David:)
I came home on Thursday to find mom with her top off and a Kroger bag on her head (for those of you who know her you know she gets hot and tends to shed clothes). She had put hair dye on when Sophie took a nap. She did make dinner for us again...ribs, baked beans and potato salad (very tasty).
My Papaw Leroy (really Lee Roy, but I never realized this until just last year) passed away a year ago today (I tried to take a picture of a picture...sorry for the flash in the middle). He was a great man. My papaw loved his children and grandchildren and would do anything for us. I have many fond memories of my Papaw as we grew up. I can remember him pushing around in the wheel barrow when we were kids, supporting us in our sporting events, giving us the coins he collected in the side pocket of his truck, buying my first car. He was a man of few words, but when he said something he meant it. He also had a great sense of humor...must be where my mom gets it. Most of the time I didn't even realize he was teasing or telling a joke. He had such a way of delivering the joke that it would catch me off guard. I loved my Papaw more than anything and I miss him dearly. I know his health was so bad at the end and he was not himself and he is in a better place now. I still wish he could be here now (in good health) and see Sophie and Karlee. I miss him.
Today was my first day back to work and I had to be at the office at 7am. It was "pouring the rain" (Chad makes fun of me describing the rain this way...I thought it was a normal phrase) and almost all the schools in the area had been called off because of freezing rain and ice that was on its way. Of course the rain stopped and the weather didn't end up as bad as they thought. I left the house around 6:15am and Chad took over until Grandmama came at 7:15am. Mom sent me pictures with texts throughout the day (I have no idea how she figured this out, but I loved it). When I got home around 5pm she had spaghetti cooked and sweet tea made. Sophie was happy and smiling and I was so glad to see her. I have to say that today was a little emotional. I had a few tears as I left, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I was leaving her in her own home and I knew my mom ws going to be taking care of her. I also cried a little at work just being back in the office and Ernie not being there. For those of you who didn't know, my manager passed away in November after finding out he had pancreatic cancer just before Labor Day. He is remembered daily (especially since Sophie's pampers have Sesame Street characters and it always makes me think of him). I also cried when I got home - this time because of a deep appreciation for my mother and her being her in Murfreesboro with us as we start our families. I can't imagine her and dad being in Sevierville right now. I am so thankful for her watching Sophie (and cooking my dinner). It sure made my day a lot easier!
I cannot believe how fast the past 12 weeks have flown by. Sophie has changed so much and grows more and more each day. She really has a little personality now. I love her smile and just want to hug and kiss her all the time! I go back to work tomorrow and I am a little sad to think that I won't be with her 24/7 anymore. I know she is going to be in good hands. My mom is going to watch her at our house part of the week and Chad's mom will watch her the other times at her house with cousin Grant. Tomorrow is going to be really hard (not to mention the fact that the high is going to be 29 degrees). I can't believe I am finally up to date on the blog. As you may have noticed I back date my posts. This is really my way of keeping a journal and documenting events. If you didn't realize it already (Aunt Joan), you can see my previous posts by clicking "older posts" at the end of this page. I better get to bed...got a big day ahead of me.
Morgan celebrated her 21st birthday today (I know it seems impossible that she is that old). She has class all night on Tuesdays so we decided we would do a family celebration on Friday night, but us girls would meet for mexican at lunch. Amber, Karlee, Grandmama, Sophie and I had a great lunch and then hung out at our house afterward. Morgan had her first margarita...I'm sure class was more entertaining after that:)
Karlee was dedicated at Grace Community Church in Brentwood on Sunday. James read scripture they chose for the occasion and it was a beautiful ceremony. We didn't get a chance for pictures at the church because it was crowded, but most of the family went to Loveless Cafe afterward for brunch. Lots of great food and the company was great too! As you can see, the girls were out of it by the end of the meal.
We went to Sevierville Friday night after Chad got off work. Sophie did great on our drive (as soon as we got on the interstate and started moving). We stopped in Knoxville to see David and Carrie's new place. Sophie was still sleeping during our visit and was enjoying laying on Cousin David. We stayed at Aunt Joan and Big Dave's and didn't get there until almost midnight eastern time. They stayed up to wait on us and see Sophie before we went to bed. It was Big Dave's first time seeing her and the last time Aunt Joan saw her she was just 4 days old. Sophie did great that night and didn't even cry when we put her in the pack and play. We got up and Big Dave cooked us a wonderful breakfast. Sophie really likes her Uncle Big Dave. He made her laugh and could calm her down when she needed to nap. Cousin Devee and Jeffrey came by to visit. They had also seen her when she was 4 days old. Beth Wilhoit Richards came by to meet Sophie. Then Megan Ellison May brought her two girls, Ava and Isabella over to play. We had such a great time seeing friends and family! We went to see Mamaw Rhea after lunch (everything was based on Sophie's feeding schedule so we could optimize her awake time before she got fussy and needed a nap). Mamaw has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and had her first chemo treatment last Wednesday. She did well with the treatment and did not even get sick. We were happy to see her and so glad she is feeling well. Please continue to keep her in your prayers as she goes through the treatments. We were at Aunt Pauline and Uncle Carroll's house. My cousin Janice's two girls, Whitley and Kennedy were also there so Mamaw had 3 of her 4 great granddaughters (Karlee makes the 4th). We had to head back to Murfreesboro after I fed Sophie at 6pm since Karlee had her dedication at church the next morning. It was a quick trip, but we had such a good time! Thanks to everyone:)
