Braxton & Brinkley's 1st Birthday!

Josie got invited to her first birthday party! She has a pair of twin friends from nursery that turned 1. They had a fun little birthday party. Here are some of the pictures.

Braxton & Brinkley getting their cupcakes. Josie watching a little video.
They also played pin the head on Brinkley & Braxton.

Most of the kids took a turn.

Even Mason had a great time.

Each of the kids got a fun new book to bring home from the party! They had a really great time!

Happy Birthday Memaw & Grandpa Ward January 14th

Today we want to wish MEMAW and GRANDPA WARD a very Happy Birthday!

This is a special day for me to remember because it is such a neat birthday story. Over 55 years ago, my Grandpa Glenn Ward and his beautiful wife Melba Janice Ward were a happily married couple wishing for children. Unable to have a baby on their own, they sought out to adopt a child. They soon received a phone call from the doctor who let them know of a sweet little baby girl that was to be born. On Grandpa Glenn's birthday, a sweet little baby girl was born that they were able to adopt. They named her G'Lenn after her new daddy Glenn. What a sweet day this had to be for my grandparents, to finally have an infant to hold in their arms.

I know that my mom has always had a special place in her heart for her mother Melba, but I know that having the same birthday as her dad has really bonded them together.

I really miss my Grandpa Ward. He is a real hero to me. I wrote a special poem for him in High School that I treasure. It describes him perfectly the way I remember him. I want to share this poem for Him on His special day. He passed away in 1999 after having alzheimers for many years. This picture is one where we were dancing around in the kitchen. He didn't know who I was, but we were having a great time. I miss him greatly.

Gray Haired Hero

Grind, squeak, clank
I reach for a cracker.
Chicken in a Biscuit
Grandpa gives me a sip
of our favorite drink
Squirt
Heaven is our surroundings.
Wheat grinding around us
and Grandpa plays with
my ponytail. I wore it,
just for him
You are my "sugarbear"
You are my grandpa
His lap under me,
arms around me.
Safe.
Dust of grain I breathe.
"Poor old Kaliga," sings
through my ears
Sing it again grandpa.
Tunes repeated
The tractor stops
Whoosh~~~~
Grains pour
from the bin behind us
Empty into the truck beside.
All day it repeats.
Time flies
Smiles of satisfaction
Come ride with Grandpa
OK.
More fun than the beach
Dolls, tea parties and
rollerskating
A day on the tractor
He is my Grandpa.

I also want to wish my MOM a Happy Birthday. She is now 55 and hoping for a Senior Citizen Discount...:) She is a great example to me of what motherhood is all about. She is so selfless and truly giving to anyone in need. I know that she has had a good life, not free of sadness and trials, but her perspective is optimistic and genuinely sincere. I hope to one day achieve the same merit of motherhood that she has obtained. I admire her patience and unconditional love that she radiates. I love this silly picture of her because it shows her personality and the ability she has to make us all laugh. :)

Happy Birthday!!

New Year Resolutions...

It's another year....

I haven't felt like "running" into this new year. I have found myself anxiously stepping into each day, hesitant at what is ahead. It is a different feeling than other years, but I believe that is a good thing. Most other years, I would spend the week between Christmas and New Year's preparing for the new year and making new resolutions. Looking back, it seems that most of the resolutions are the same, or at least along the same lines as the last 20 years. Loose weight, get out of debt, do the many daily tasks, become "Super Woman"...and the last is everything all wrapped up in a nutshell. I believe that I am really always striving to "do-it-all." So, at the end of each year, or by the end of January each year, I realize that I have already failed.

This year I am changing my view on things. I have decided that I am going to "Let It Go." Seems that so many people are always saying that...and I have always struggled with those 3 very simple words. So, I am determined to find out what it actually means to "let it go" and then HOW to physically let something go that is in your mind. I hope that through this adventure, I may actually find some sort of peace with who I am in my life and that I can be Super Woman, without "doing-it-all."

Alice

Up late in the evening...she starts one of ten loads of laundry, fills the kitchen sink with hot soapy water to clean the days worth of dishes and puts away the toys that cover the family room floor. Then she sweeps the floors and mops them on her knees with a rag because she says a regular mop doesn't work as good. Not to mention, garabage cans in three bathrooms and under the kitchen sink are filled with a days worth of changed diapers that has filled the air with an aroma that demands the scent of her favorite candle to be burned. All she wants is to lay in her bed for rest but knows that if she doesn't complete these tasks, tomorrow will be worse. When she finally completes the tasks, the sun quietly peaks above the horizon. A new day.

This has happened on more than one occasion in our home. Sometimes being a mother means that what you do goes unnoticed. Day in and day out, the same routine seems to be that of a "Gound Hog Day". Daily demands to be fed, cleansed, kissed and hugged are consistently requested. Giving up could easily be justified. But she doesn't. She isn't a quitter.

Alice is our earthly angel that keeps us going. She keeps our home together. We are all grateful to have her in our lives to be our mother and wife.

We wouldn't be able to make it without you. You are the greatest Alice!

We love you!

Laughter ~ Happy New Year!!

Matt and I went out for dinner on New Year's Day to have some alone time after being with all the family for two weeks. When we returned home, to Memaw's house, we decided to take some pictures (the one-armed kind) of ourselves. We don't have a lot of pictures of just the two of us. Anyway, it turned out to be a very funny experience. We kept raising and lowering our arms to get just the right angle. You know, at certain angles you can hide a double chin...and lots of other blemishes. One of the pictures Matt is barely smiling because he was trying to look thinner. Aren't we funny! :) Anyway, we got to laughing so hard that we could barely see straight. It was fun and we look so ridiculous. I had to blog these pictures so we could remember how much fun we have together. We really know how to crack up over the stupidest things!! You know you have laughed hard when your stomach hurts when you are finished. Thanks Matt for making me laugh!