PERFECT MOTHERS DAY

Blogger had not been very cooperative this week, so I am a little late with my Mother’s Day pictures. I am also posting the CARD BOX winners at the bottom
of this post. 
The picture above takes my breath away…Look at those little lover eyes of Jack.

We had a great day, celebrating with lunch at the Country Club, all of us together and all on time….so all four little's….saw lots of old friends…(The Country Club is owned by our church…and may have the best golf course in town.)
Micah and Amanda took Parker and Austin for an afternoon of golfing while the rest of us went home and took a nap.  It was 92degrees and very high humidity and not my ideal of a great afternoon riding in the cart.  BUT I DID GET PICTURES and I did get some great gifts….a 2 hour massage which I used today, gift cards to places I like to eat, movie gift cards and handwritten cards that reduce me to tears.  Especially this year.  In case you are new this has not been an easy year.

Here's Jack (POP) with Greg and his family

Micah and Amanda (she was treated like royalty too)plus he has her out on the town tonight too after another afternoon of golf.

One of my favorite pictures….Micah and Parker…Best Buddies, Friends, and everything else you would want a stepdad-stepson relationship to be.
And I can only see it getting stronger.  Talk about answered prayer. 

cousins Jack and Austin, with Jack just about to fall asleep. 

Greg and his BOYS….HIS pride and joy and the reason he gets up everyday. 

Just could not resist this one in case you were looking for a new hairstyle….not sure what Micah had in mind.

Me and Austin…..not my best hair day

Drop down to the one below and look at that grin on Grayson's face..priceless
   

Dana and her sweet boys…Dana has been doing PX90 (I think that’s it) and her arms tell the story

And last but not least two little men VERY TIRED and READY to GO.

OK for the two winners of the card boxes….
1, Courtney’s Corner
and the second one goes to
2. ONE WOMAN JUGGLER

And I a special thanks to all of you who voted for my nephew, Sweet William.  He is 300 ahead and the contest ends in the morning….so I think he is the winner….YEAH
I have some new giveaways that will be posted on the holiday blog in the next few days….so be on the alert…

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO MY GIRL

                      
I am lucky to have a daughter and a daughter-in-law that are both wonderful MOTHERS.  This post is to tell Amanda how over the top PROUD I am of her, especially this Mother’s Day.  The almost 12 year old PARKER above is the little boy that made her a Mom and me a Grammy years ago at the very young age of 18.  For the next 11 years she worked for a doctor and had a very good job, BUT she always wanted to go back to school and finish college. 

Fast forward to last October when her Dad had his stroke and something changed.  She encountered many nurses through our 6 week hospital stay and realized the difference a GOOD NURSE makes.  A few weeks later she first told her Dad and then me, that she was quitting her job and going back to school to become a nurse.  It was huge to give up a good job and an income. 

With Micah’s blessing and encouragement, she did just that. Took a HUGE leap of faith.   In January she enrolled in school and has studied until her eyeballs have almost fallen out.  She finished her first semester this week with all A’s and 1 very high B.  
I cannot tell you how proud we are of her.  She is going to be an awesome nurse. Staying home has given her a new lease on life. 

The extra amount of time she has gotten to spend with her boys has been the big BONUS.  She has even taken up golf and she and Micah play several times a week.  She is just HAPPY.  And that makes a Mom and Dad HAPPY. 

This little boy below, Jack aka Woody made her a Mom for the second time. 
This Man made her his QUEEN and shows his boys how to treat her everyday!
         
                     
           

           Happy Mother’s Day Amanda

Tomorrow I will get some new pictures of Dana with her boys and post them soon.  She is a great Mom and I am proud to call her my daughter-in-love. 

Remember there is a giveaway tomorrow….and because I need you to do something for me, I will give away another “Card Box” on Wednesday.  My little nephew is in a contest that I so want him to win. 

Would you please go to this link and vote for Sweet William.  You do not have to sign up, just click on his name and that’s it.

Come BACK HERE and tell me. Your name will go in the drawing for tomorrow and Wednesday.
 
http://exploretexarkana.com/pages/Contest/view/1

If you have not read this post on my other blog, it may be my most read post since I began blogging.  I am shocked at the email and all the requests to repost it..(be sure and turn the music down)
Happy Mother’s Day to all my blog friends. 

MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY

My heart hurts for all those Mothers out there that are trying to pull their families back together after a week of devastation.  Where would you even start?
I just found this on a blog and thought it was EXCELLENT.

Social Media to the rescue.

It is so hard to know what and how to respond in a tragedy. 
Grasping For Objectivity
in My Subjective Life
….love that title, gives some great suggestions.
 
I am busy making Mother’s Day baskets and that famous CARD BOX is the favorite gift again this year. Some mothers request it year after year. 
I am going to give away a
CARD BOX!
Parker will draw on Mother’s Day. 
All you have to do is tell me that you went to ONE blog of someone touched by the tornadoes and encouraged them.
If you tell me you visited multiple ones, then I will enter you that many times.  You can read my previous post for just a few of the blogs I found.  It will not be hard to find them.   Feel free to leave names of other blogs in the comments.  I would love to visit them.
Sunday I will post about a very special Mom.
 
There are so many incredible Moms in the blog world.  I started to list some and realized I would leave someone out.  One that is especially dear to my heart right now is Paige at Paige's Petals. She inspires me daily as she walks through a very hard place.

Being a Mom has been the greatest honor of my life.  It is a job I have failed miserably at many times. It’s a job I get a redo on regularly. I laughed at a comment someone left essentially saying they felt like we had perfect relationships.  If I have ever given  that impression…
x that out. 

We argue, get our feelings hurt, get in each others business, give our opinion when no one asked and all the other things you can think of on a regular basis.  But as the song says “We ARE FAMILY” and as Woody’s favorite song says, “You’ve Got a Friend in ME”

We have each others back, no matter what, and that’s the way it should be.  We are a soft and safe place to land.   I really would pick my adult kids as my friends and that’s a good place to be. 
This is a year that I have needed them more than ever.  This week marks seven months since their Dad (and my husband) had a stroke.  Today he is out in the back yard playing “golf” with Woody.  Earlier today he was out delivering baskets, going to the grocery store, picking up the kids from school.  Five months ago we had no idea if he would recover 100%.  He has and I cannot tell you how much of that is because of the love and encouragement of his kids and “the littles”!
        
Happy Mother’s Day to all My Blog Friends.  You make my Life Richer!


I know it must drive you crazy when I change font colors so often…It’s just me. Sorry
REMEMBER THERE IS A GIVEAWAY SO COMMENT AWAY.
I just posted a GREAT READ on my other BLOG. It will not be for everyone but it will make you think.

THE PERFECT DAY

I am just going to WARN you that you are going to have to indulge me TODAY. After all it's MOTHER'S DAY! Since this is a record of the journey of our family doing LIFE together, I want to record every memory in detail. That MEANS lots of pictures. I really believe that PICTURES are worth a thousand words. So if you stay with me at the end of the post there will be PRIZES...notice the plural.
Our day stay started at CHURCH. Not our normal church..we had decided last night to go the
THE SIMPLE CHURCH. This is a church that is an off shoot of a large Baptist church in our town, one they began a couple of years ago in a theater at THE BOARDWALK. Today only a couple of years later, they have four services. The pastor of the Baptist church sent one of his finest staff members out to start a new outreach, one that would reach the unchurched, those disillusioned with the normal church, those that did not fit in, and probably a multitude of others. Today, every theater is full and they do it three times at this theater and one at another site across town. Only God could have arranged that. It's laid back, a live band, and as we were there today, I could not help but think that this might have been the place JESUS would show up if he was in town. I have heard many Mother's Day sermons and I think today's just might have been the best one ever. Justin Haigler, you did an awesome job correlating the likeness of Jesus and a Mother. And I don't need to tell you when you have all your kids and all their kids, there is not anything to TOP that. No gift, no meal, no anything. As I looked around the table at lunch, my only thought was "God, You are so GOOD"!I got some fabulous pictures and did not get THE GRANDPARENTS in one...but we really don't care...It's much more fun to look at YOUTH. One reason we met at The Boardwalk was to eat at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro for lunch, with a slice of my FAVORITE cheesecake, the Hawaiian cheesecake. It
is full of pineapple, nuts and coconut and the yummiest cheesecake ever. WE had FAR TOO big a ticket, but what price tag can you put on days like today. We had an hour wait but we did not care...and the kids were so good. They had champagne for all MOMS...more about that later in a picture, as it seem like Amanda kept pouring mine and Dana's in her glass, so I think she had more than a few glasses.
We exchanged gifts right there in the lobby...they have an awesome waiting area...other restaurants should take some pointers from them. I got flowers, flip flops, a beautiful card that said you have a spa massage already booked and waiting for you on your Disney cruise, cards with handwritten messages that made this Mom cry, a gift certificate for nails and a pedicure and a book I am ready to read. Regardless of your political feelings, I don't think there is anyone that does not admire this classy lady. To me she was the essence of a First Lady.

OK, this is where you have to endure......Maybe it won't be that bad. I really do have CUTE GRANDKIDS. If you read this post , you know that I am crazy about them.
Parker and Austin Best FRIENDS
Jack, The Life of ANY party!

AMANDA ENJOYING Her CHAMPAGNE

Jack and HIS NUMBER 1 WOMAN

Jack Studying the MENU

Our Little FLIRT
IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN, TOTALLY!!!

Beginning to TIRE of the WAITING

I THINK WE HAVE A LOVER ON OUR HANDS

AMANDA and HER BOYS

GREG and HIS LITTLE MIRACLE

DANA AND HER BOYS

MAY BE MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF THE DAY

Parker and Austin ALWAYS HAVE FUN!

SOMEONE please bring JACK some FOOD or his MOM another glass of champagne!!!!

I told you he is MADLY in love!

Does he look like he has had his picture MADE before?


My BOY and HIS BOY!

TALK about MADLY in LOVE!!!

Grayson so HUNGRY he has resorted to eating his FOOT!

I think Amanda had another glass of CHAMPAGNE!

JACK with UNC and Aunt Dana

Grayson not sure he wants Daddy holding JACK!

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE SPECIAL THAN FAMILY?


Everyone went home HAPPY. Parker got to go home with Austin and spend the night . Jack came home to spend the night with us so his Mom and Dad could go to the movie. This was one minute after we got in the car...

This is his LIFE at our house, so why wouldn't he want to come HERE. Notice, RECLINER, BOTTLE, and a FUR BLANKET, watching his favorite cartoons. So that was my day and I would not have changed one minute of it. A great cup of coffee and reading some great Mother's Day posts have finished off my afternoon. Jack is awake now and raring to play, as in WILD! He had a little SUGAR at lunch.
So let's have some winners....Since I do not have Parker here, just decided I would do something totally RANDOM !

The Mother's Day package is going to my 650th follower,
Bren at SEEKING GRACE ON THE NARROW PATH! This is not a blog I have read long but I love her blog name. Stop by and visit her.

I am so blessed that I want to bless a few more bloggers on this MOTHER'S DAY SUNDAY.

These other 3 winners will be getting a SURPRISE in the MAIL SOON.

They are SAVANNAH at MINIATURE MUMBLINGS

TRACI and BENEATH MY HEART AND MANDY from BURKETTE BLESSINGS! I just had my husband choose random numbers that were special to us. I have been overwhelmed at the response to this post and am still getting comments. I promise there is a post coming from MICAH, sharing his feelings. He really wants to share how having a Dad in prison affected his life and how it challenged him to be the man he is TODAY.

THANKS FOR THE HONOR OF BEING YOUR MOM AND A MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY

I hope these letters are not too personal. If they are, just skip to the bottom to the Mother's Day giveaway. Absolutely ALL you have to do is comment. You don't need to follow, blog about it, or anything else. Just accept it as a gift for stopping by. And if you know me, you know I will give away more than one gift. That's just how I love to do it.

TO MY BOY

Dear Greg,
What a ride.....36 years ago you made me a MOM. HOW can that be as I think I am still 36! The numbers don't add up. Some days I think my memory is not as good as it once was, but I remember every little detail of the day you were born. It was LOVE at first sight. I am talking about madly in love. I was so proud to have a boy. And from that day until today you have been MY BOY. I won't write your life story here, though I could and maybe one day will. This letter is just to tell you what a difference you have made in my life. There is not a more generous human on earth. You had your teenage years, we survived, college years, we survived, a few hard years in your late 20's, we survived. Not only did you survive, you just got better. You are so much like your DAD and that's a good thing.. I see him in you more times than you know. For 11 years you have been the ULTIMATE UNCLE. No kid has been more blessed than Parker. For so many years you filled so many spaces in his life...and I can promise you that little guy loves his UNC. You are a great brother. During Amanda's years of being a single MOM, you were ALWAYS AVAILABLE to DO ANYTHING she needed. That never went unnoticed. FAMILY is so important to you. You wear your love for Dana on your face. She is truly the one for you. You immediately excelled at being a step dad or as Austin says "Daddygreg" I love that its all one word. In the past 12 months, nothing has brought me more joy than watching you with your boy. You were born to be a DAD and though the road seemed long and sometimes questionable, God smiled and gave you and Dana the sweetest gift. When Grayson was only a few hours old and he had to be quickly moved to the NICU across town, I saw my boy in a man's body, scared to death. Those first hours, as we met with the doctors, I saw fear in your face,a trembling lip and again this Mom wanted to make everything OK. I couldn't, but God COULD and he DID and I will be forever thankful. I have seen you weather many storms and each time have been so PROUD of you. We laugh a lot about you not being able to be trusted in Target or Walmart, with the boys! Deep down I love that generous kid in you. I pray you never lose that. Two of my proudest moments were when you spoke at both MEME and GRAMPS funerals,just three months a part. The tribute you gave to each of them far exceeded what any preacher could do. So on this Mother's Day week, I say once again to God, thanks for MY BOY. Thanks for giving me THE BEST!

Love, Mom



TO MY GIRL

Dear Amanda,

I always wanted a boy and a girl. I always wanted my daughter to have a big brother. When I found out I was pregnant with a girl I felt like that dream came true. After a rather scary pregnancy, a ruptured appendix and major surgery when I was five months pregnant, it was an anxious day when you were born. When you were born totally healthy we were so excited. I can still remember the doctor saying, "She's Perfect"! Those are words every parent longs to hear. Not only had I given Meme and Gramps their first grandchild in Greg, but now their first and only granddaughter.

I think the mother/daughter relationship is harder than the mother/son. I can't explain that, apart from raging hormones that don't always happen on the same day. But we made it! We made it through so many fun times and we made it through the harder days. My life plans had not included a teenage daughter that was going to be a Mom at 18. As I write this tonight I am so glad that my plans were changed. When I think back to those days, those are the days I was most proud of you. Proud of your decisions, proud of you being responsible, and forever grateful to you for giving us the gift of PARKER. Talk about a life changing MOMENT. You were a MOM from day one, just a NATURAL. You totally amazed me as a teenage MOM. If I failed to tell you often, please forgive me. You were the BEST! Not only did you fall in love with a little boy, he fell madly in love with his Mom. A love affair that would last a lifetime. You have literally grown up together. Never once did I see you lacking in the job. Anyone that knows Parker, knows YOU excelled at the job of MOM.

Now eleven years later, I am still so proud of you. You waited until Parker was 8 to marry and you married just the right man. You knew he was RIGHT, long before I did. I am so glad that I was the one that was wrong. Just tonight Micah told me how YOU are the reason he is the man he is today. In case you did not know, he is more than madly in love with you, even when you wear pajamas that don't match. Nothing makes a Mom smile more than to know your child is loved. There is not one doubt in my mind that you are his PRIZE IN LIFE. Then you gave us another gift in Jack, a little guy that has a personality that makes me laugh more than I have laughed in years. I cannot imagine life without him. I saw your strength when he was four days old and critically ill from some form of meningitis. Your cool, calm and collected manner is something I have always envied. When all we could do was trust God to heal him, you did. A faith builder I never wanted to repeat and then in less than two years we were back in that same NICU with Grayson. The old song "Great is They Faithfulness" took on a much greater meaning in our family. When I look at you today, I see a strong beautiful woman, with hair that everyone wants, that is far surpassing me in the Mom role and nothing makes me happier. In case you did not know, people covet your hair. I am so glad that God chose YOU to be MY GIRL.

Love, Mom

AS I was writing this tonight I realized that I really have 4 kids. I really think of Dana and Micah as my kids too and am so thankful that my kids hand picked my other two! Being a Mom has been the greatest privilege of my life and yet the one I have failed at many times. I was just reminded today of an area that I fail at over and over. With grandchildren we all get a second chance and I am so thankful for that. I think I have Grammy down. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING A GRANDMOTHER. It really is my passion in life. Even if I don't do it PERFECT, you will not find any grandmother that is more in love with her little men.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all my BLOG FRIENDS. The GIVEAWAY is everything below and a couple of other surprises that I am adding to the GIFT. There are TWO GREAT cookbooks in the mix, along with my favorite Robin McGraw book, a Nicholas Sparks book, a beautiful picture and of course a diet and health book. Don't all Mothers need that? I will draw Mother's Day evening and announce the winner.