The sun will shine

My bonus nephew got married last weekend at Santillane, a historic bed and breakfast near Roanoke, Virginia. Despite a soggy beginning, the rain cleared and it was beautiful.

There were drenched family poses

silly dad poses for little shutter bugssweet moments with boys and grandmas

one very proud set of parents wishing their second son the joys of a long, happy marriage (they've been together for over 30 years!)

one adorable couple

(notice those cute bobble heads on the cake - big hit with the boys!)

boys finding ways to entertain themselves while waiting

fountain-loving Harry posing

and posing

and posing some more - how fake is that?!

firefly hunts

After dancing lessons with one rockin' grand-aunt Iris,

Harry cut a rug with the amazing Aunt Deb,

and Jack did not like it!

The Shirelles' Going To The Chapel

But when I’m big I’ll still know what to do

Looking through all the wedding pix, I noticed Jack was everywhere, learning how to do everything, including flirt with the ladies like his mom and Aunt Iris. He was often in the middle of the men, figuring out how to be a guy after a few obligatory poses.

He also got some much-needed Daddy Time, asking Dean to make sure he looked nice a few times, wrestling, and deciding he was too cool to watch Dean grooving it (I guess that's not the first time we'll embarrass him and have him covering his eyes). Let's hope the perp walk is a passing phase! There were fireflies galore, and he and Aunt Iris got to experience a little summer magic.

Rodney Atkins' Watching You

Wait a minute, we're fishING!

Imagine having this as your backyard ~ Uncle Les invited us all over for a wonderful day of fishing and playing at the lake. Grandma was good enough to share her pix :)

They both did well, and Jack actually caught two large mouth bass!

Thanx, Les, for a wonderful time and delicious eats, as always. Next time it's our turn :-)

Laurie Berkner's The Goldfish

My grandma and your grandma

Dean's mom got to come for a nice visit last week, and we did lots of fun stuff

Jack putting out his version of the welcome mat

Harry giving everyone a little schoolin'

Uncle Les even joined us for a trip to a science museum

Harry doing a little engineering

Grandma snapping Jack's successful building

They even got to do an ecology lesson with microscopes and note-taking

Harry and Daddy working to decide the habitat of these bugs

and we even hit the lanes for a few games

It was a really nice visit - thanx for coming to see us!

Trad and Anon's Iko Iko

The guy behind you won't leave you alone

They were playing school the other day, and it just looked so sweet and magical to me. Then I realized that in that few feet are a table and lamp owned by my grandparents, a chair owned by Dean's mother, the desk where I learned to write, and a lighthouse from the place where we honeymooned. There's a lot of history and a lot of potential in this picture....

Chuck Berry's School Days

It was the pleasure of my life

Mother's Day is fast approaching, and this year has been filled with so many amazing changes. We have boys with their own personalities and preferences, and it truly is a pleasure to watch them stretch. There is no way to capture it all in a picture or two, but here are a few that move me at the moment.

I always dreamed of the day I could introduce my children to my beloved Gramma....she got one of the first laughs out of Harry just about the moment this picture was taken. She taught me all I know about love and mothering, the fun and the tough parts. I miss her every day, but know she and the other mom-types we've lost are holding our babies and watching over us all.

Some sort of photographic magic happened back in 2007 and they actually looked at me at the same moment - love this picture!

And last year, in about the same spot, deep in conversationand running like the wind - love the shadow

At Easter this year, they had a great time visiting a local horse farm with their friend, Zach. This one really captures their presonalities at the moment.

May this weekend bring you lots of wonderful memories and give you a chance to make more. Thanx to the mothers and others who helped us all get this far

Zac Brown Band's Highway 20 Ride

EIGHT years times ten

Papa Bernie turned 80 back in February, but his big party got snowed out - we're celebrating this weekend. Here he is with his boys last year

He was joking about how he used to hold Jack when he was a baby....what happened?!

We are all so happy to celebrate with you, Papa B!

Joe Walsh's Decades

I guess I should've took more pictures

It was a whirlwind weekend, and I don't think I took a single picture. It was a nice break, tho I kept imagining Alec Baldwin's mental 'click' whenever someone seemed particularly happy.

Thanx to the birthday girl, Dreama, for a fun bouncy time! Hope you enjoy 6 as much as we are :-)

Thanx to the other birthday girl(s), Susan and Cheryl, for a really fun, relaxing time. We love living near you both - thanx for including our family in your celebration!

Thanx to the grandparents, E&ML, for a fun family day today - hope you make it home safely!

Ne-Yo's Pictures

How precious did that Grace appear

~not a day goes by~

we miss you, we love you

Amazing Grace

BOYs been out on the road too long

We're home after more than 24 hours on the road over the last 5 days. The boys were total troopers, meeting over 100 people, sleeping in several different places (not counting chair naps), waiting a LOT and making many costume changes. Jack decided he likes ties and he's 'taking a break from traveling for a while.'






We squeezed in a little bit of fun, and they handled this 'trip for Papa' amazingly well. They reminded us all that going to Heaven is a good thing, and we all got to learn some new things about Papa Bob....one of his neices put it best: "He was loud, and he was fun" Thanx to everyone who sent thoughts and prayers.


Bob Dylan's Gotta Travel On

To make up for someone's lost time

I am not sure where the days went this week. Dean's stepfather lost his fight with life, and we are heading North to celebrate his days and be with family. I never knew him well enough, since he had such a tremendous impact on the man I love to watch raise our children.

Thank you for all the things you taught the people in our lives, Robert! Godspeed.

Alan Jackson's Song For The Life

Why Can't Every Day Be Like Christmas?

It was a wonderful day, filled with excited boys, good eats and a fun visit by Uncle Les.

Thank you to everyone who made it brighter!

Like The Ones In My Memory

Sure, they are toy catalogues, but it's still reading, right?? The boys working their grandparents over the Thanksgiving weekend ;-)

It was great to see everyone, and the boys were really excited to get mail from Poppa Bob after we got home :-)

Randy Travis' Old-Time Christmas

Sweet Gingerbread MEn

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We are home from our visit with the family up north, and the boys couldn't wait to put their new ornaments on their tree - thank you Grandma for the adorable gingerbread men!

How lovely (and silly) are thy branches!

On their way to adorn the tree with the newest ornaments


I may play around with this one to highlight all their hands in the tree :wub:

She'll be comin' 'round the mountain, er, tracks

First decorations completed - woohoo!

and a big thank you to all the people who have contributed to their tree over the years....you may notice your sweet touches in this picture

Sammy Davis Jr. and this video (great for gingerbread ideas and a walk down memory lane)

I love it when you read to me

The Book Of Love, indeed! The boys are blessed to have 6 grandparents, 4 of which they will be with this week :wub:

Pater Gabriel's The Book Of Love