Wedded Bliss

My brother is officially married and the boys were awesome through all of the ceremony and reception.  Seriously, they stood just like you see them here through the whole thing; more than I can say for my bro who is the tall slim guy in the middle.  Poor guy had to go sit down half way through.

Outside waiting for pictures in the shade.  It looks lovely and peaceful but what you can't see are the millions of black flies.  The boys handled it like pros.  Wondering why?

See that cute little thing in the pink over there?  As soon as she and her two flower-girl cohorts entered the picture, our little men became perfect gentlemen.  Ahh the power of women. 

And HUGE kuddos to my sis-in-law.  This was one kid friendly wedding!  The candy bar was open while we waited for the reception to begin making every child's dream come true.  And the cute little books with pink ribbon on the table were made by the bride and groom for all of the kids to use during the reception.  There were mad libs about Garth and Jodie, wedding word searches, coloring pictures and more.  

This is the loft at my mom's house.  It is the boys' domain for this month.  They love playing up here.  

This is at the other end of the loft.  There is a great little shelf that they use for all kinds of play. The triangle window behind Zay looks down onto the living room.  Elijah loves laying in this window like a cat and watching the TV down below.  

Watching Daddy mow from the back of Uncle Garth's truck.  

Trying out Grammie's new mower with Isaiah.  That's the same view I grew up with and never appreciated until now.  

The woman who makes it allllll happen.. my momma.  :) 

So much to tell...

So little time.
I really need to be off to bed; it's late and we have a flight to catch in the morning. But, I had to post a run-down on our end of vacation activities before we leave this place and return to the routine of life.

Overall, it's been an amazing trip to New Brunswick. I got to know my boys, my mom and my brother better all over again. I reconnected with old friends and relatives and soaked up every ounce of beauty that this place has to offer. I said goodbye to my beloved Grammie and reminisced with my cousins, aunts and uncles. I missed my dearest like you wouldn't believe, and was overjoyed that he would make the long trip with our friend Tom to spend little more than 48 hours here. (Thanks a million times Fuersts for your willingness to make the long trek to NB on short notice.)

The boys have done amazingly well being shuffled around from church to grave site to reception to my aunt and uncle's house and back to Mom's tonight. We fly out in the morning and will actually arrive back in KY before Eric and Tom, but hopefully only by 6 hours or so.

Besides the funeral, which was a wonderful remembrance of a Grammie's life and faith, we've been busy soaking up NB sun.

* Uncle Garth took us out on a houseboat that he helped design. It was windy but we all still had a good time. He also let the boys shoot his paint ball gun. Oooooo Ahhhhh :)

* Yogi Bears Campground provided a full afternoon of waterslide fun. Elijah was tall enough to go down all by himself, so he had a blast.

* The slip and Slide in Grammie's back yard was entertainment as Micah and Elijah perfected their dive down the hill.

* An old riding lawn mower behind Grammie's shed was another fun diversion.

It's hard to say good-bye, especially when we know it will be such a long time before we visit again, but we've had a wonderful time and I've fallen in love with this place and with my extended family all over again.

I am so blessed to come from such a loving, accepting, God-honoring family.
Ya'll come on down to KY anytime! :)

Ugh, pictures won't upload tonight. I'll post some soon.

Finally at Peace

I wrote the post below late last night, and we got the call this morning that Grammie had passed from this life on earth. She is no longer broken and grasping at life; she has the best existence imaginable at this very moment. I will miss my Grammie, but I'm glad she is at peace.

The Meannes of Death

My Grammie is dying.
She is my mom's mom and was definitely the closest grandparent I had growing up. We spent many many nights at her house; she baked the best homemade brown bread you've ever tasted; she made stewed rhubarb with fresh biscuits, and fiddleheads with fried salmon.

She prayed for me every day and often shared about what she was learning from the Bible. She made certain that my way to Bible camp was provided for each summer, and she sewed dresses for me every spring. My favorite blankets, to this day, are the ones she quilted for me out of pieces of old pajamas and scraps from my spring dresses. She was lively, spirited, hard-working and oh so kind. We were a lively bunch of grandkids, and I know we frustrated her at times, but her scoldings were mere tisk-tisks and seasoned with unconditional love. She was the picture of grace.

Today she is lying in her home, in a hospital bed waiting for death. It will be near her quickly now, and as we've visited over the last few days, watching her pass from this life to the next, I'm reminded of the meanness of death. Certainly death is not what God originally designed for Adam and Eve in the garden. There is no treatment to be given, no hope of recovery, no medications to reverse the illness, just waiting. Death steals dignity. It reduces mankind to our weakest state and makes us beg for mercy. Pain medications dull these final days for her, making her more comfortable, but one can't help but ask for death to have mercy and come as she gasps for air and chokes on every breath. Somewhere in there, her eyes recognized me just 5 days ago, and today there is nothing- just a glassy stare.

So my prayer tonight is that God would take her home to be with him. We love her and we will surely miss her, but oh how she deserves the loving arms of her Father.

Blogging from NB

The boys and I are in NB and having a relaxing time so far. I'm am always amazed by how much cooler it is here. I've visited 3 times during the summer, and every time I neglect to bring enough warm clothing. You'd think I'd learn, but alas, this three week trip I'll be wearing the same 2 pairs of jeans and 2 long sleeved shirts for most of the trip. I checked the weather before we left, and while it said that the high would be 80 on some days, that really only means 80 for about 45 minutes in the direct sunlight when there is no breeze.

The boys have had a great time exploring Grammie's back yard and especially playing on the hammock. We've made a couple of trips to the dollar store where Grammie gets them each a new toy. Pirate swords and flying things have been hot sellers. They all did really well on the airplanes and in the airport. We made it through with only one stern lecture to stay with me at all times (Elijah's curiosity tempts him to wander off constantly), and one of the flight attendants said they were some of the best little travelers she'd ever seen. Isaiah even took a nap on flight 2.

We'll post more pictures soon.
Love and kisses to Daddy.

Presents from Grammie

Grammie sent birthday presents a while ago, but I haven't gotten the pictures downloaded until now. The boys have enjoyed reconfiguring their mechano cars, and the fun wigs have been enjoyed by every child who visits us along with the boys. Thanks grammie! There is also a pic of all of them in their PJs from Grammie. They really like to match. Whenever one of them chooses the Batman PJs, they all choose them.