Snips and Snails and Birthday Tales

Two birthdays here within five days of each other means two birthday letters within five days of each other. Today's letter is for 'Max', our second born grandson. His birthday lands on Hodgepodge Day this year so I'm writing a day early. Let's call it happy birthday eve because if you read here you know I'm all about stretching out the celebrations. 

Dear sweet Max,

I can hardly believe you’re turning six years old tomorrow. I guess that’s something “old” people say, but time really does move faster as you add more candles to the cake. Grandparents especially like to remark on the truth of that!  

You’ve had a big, busy year, with a move midway through from beautiful Cambridge, England, to the South Carolina countryside, and you’ve taken it all in stride. And now we’re neighbors. Yay! Pawpaw and I love having you just a few short miles away, and we look forward to sharing ordinary days, and the special ones too, in the years to come.

You started kindergarten this year and have learned to read, which you know is Nana’s favorite. Daddy reads aloud to you and your big brother most nights, and that sweet Max, is a gift and a memory you’ll look back on and treasure.

Besides books, you love hiking with your family, outer space, exploring the woods, Legos, music, superheroes, knights in their armor, and riding your bike fast! You’re strong and funny and a good big and little brother, landing right in the middle and bringing the fun.

I pray this year brings you lots of new experiences and grand adventures. More stories to read, more goals to score, more lizards to chase, and more of the kind of laughter that lights up your whole handsome face. Keep being curious, keep being kind, and keep falling more in love with Jesus every day.

Have the happiest 6th birthday ever, my sweet boy, and know your Nana loves you deep and wide. xoxo

"Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."

1 Corinthians 16:13–14

Hello Monday Afternoon

I didn't have it in me to blog Sunday night, and then had some things to do here this morning, so going to try to catch up now. I took very few pictures this weekend which is partly why I put off doing my Hello Monday recap. I feel like these posts need pictures. 

Honestly I'm not sure what I did on Friday. The kids spent their first official night sleeping in their own beds in their own house Thursday night so we woke up to a quiet house Friday morning. When they pulled out of the driveway on Thursday hubs was a little sad and my daughter laughed and said, 'see you tomorrow' because that's life now. 

While it's nice to return to our quiet morning coffee routine we are also missing the hugs and chatter and big smiles we've been greeted with first thing every morning since mid-January. We'll get used to it. 

I think hubs and I went out to a little local 'dive bar' for dinner Friday evening. I only know this because I took a picture of one half of my BLT, which hubs thought was funny (as in odd), but I told him that's how I remember things now. Sad, but sort of true. 

Plus it was delicious. This place is tiny and low key but the food is homemade and tastes like your momma made it. 

I do know hubs spent the entire day on Friday cleaning both my car and the boat. And the dock too, because why not? I'm getting new tires put on my car as I type,  and hubs says you can't take a car for new tires without washing it first. 

I mean I could, but he couldn't.  

He came home from washing the car and said he was just going to clean the boat which is a job in itself since it's been covered all winter long, but he cannot ever do just one thing so he went ahead and waxed it too. 

With his sidekick of course. Then,  since he was there and had the power washer going, he also cleaned the dock. 

She's all ready for her first voyage of the season.

Now we just need the weather to get with the program. We have a rainy few days in the forecast, but hopefully later this week we can go for a spin. Ride? Cruise! 

Saturday I picked my daughter up at her house which is 3.7 miles from my house (just sayin'), and we drove a little over an hour to a baby shower for her sister-in-law. 

The shower was in a friend's home and the hostess did a beautiful job with the decorating, the food, and all the little nice touches that make an event feel special. 

It sprinkled on us a little so we ended up opening the presents inside, but it was a lovely event and a fun day. 

The hostess had these sweet little favors which are wildflowers on seed paper. You actually plant the paper and flowers will grow. 

My daughter rode home with her mother-in-law because her hubs was at their house with the kids so they could have an early Mother's Day dinner together on Saturday night. I came home and kind of wanted to flop on the couch, but hubs said he'd been 'lazy' and wanted to go out so we did. 

fyi-my hubs is never lazy. 

We went to a local place for Mexican food and a margarita which was fine. 

Sunday morning we went to church with the kids. We've been going to their church the past few Sundays and I really like the pastor. The messages we've heard have been excellent and they're going through 1 Corinthians one chapter (sometimes less) at a time. So so good. 

We arrived before the kids did and it's so sweet to see them running towards us. The kids come into church for the first part of the service, then go to their own classes before the preaching and Max held hubs hand the whole time. After church we went to breakfast/lunch with the whole crew. I always order breakfast, but the boys had lunch so everyone was happy. 

My daughter brought me the cutest hat as a gift and the sweetest cards. Hedgehogs are a thing for my girls and I so they always try to find me hedgehog cards when they can, and I appreciate it.

I haven't mastered the selfie. Carry on. 

Daughter2 sent her gift earlier in the week, and I knew I'd love it because it's from a company I order from myself-The Rifle Paper Company. They have hand painted designs...stationery and home goods, and I think they even do wallpaper too. The quality is so good. She sent this pretty tray-

And a stationery set (yes, I write notes and letters) in a pretty box-

There's a nice pen, pretty paper, and envelopes with fun seals that I can't wait to use. 

It was a gray rainy day so we came home and I put on my comfy clothes and spent the afternoon reading. Hubs had booked us a table at a nice restaurant in the 'city', but we decided before church to cancel and just go to brunch with the kids instead. We watched a couple of movies that evening and just chilled, all of which made for a very nice Mother's Day.  

And that's pretty much the weekend that was. Hope yours was filled with lots of happy moments too. 

Linking a bit late, but not too late, with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap party. Have a nice week!

Weekend Jamboree

The weekend. It was a doozy y'all, and I mean that in a good way. It was my grandson's second birthday. It was anniversary #40 for the hubs and I. It was Father's Day. It was baby dedication day for Sugar at their church. 

It was food and fun and family. 

It was cards and presents and balloons. 

It was baby girl in her Daddy's baptismal gown and a sermon that highlighted marriage on the very day we married. 

It was men supervising the BBQ, the grill, and the smoker. 

It was also college baseball (GO VOLS!), heat, and naps in cribs and on couches. 

I could write a post about any one of those things, but I think I'll just dive in and see where we land. I will very likely write a separate post about our anniversary because someday I have to climb out of the shallow end of the blog pool and get back into deeper waters. There is much to be said about a long married life. Stay tuned. 

Back to the kiddie pool...we made the three hour drive to daughter2's house Friday morning, with a stop at her nearby Publix to pick up subs for lunch. When we walked in the door sweet baby J literally clapped his hands and jumped for joy at seeing our faces. There's not much in the world that can top that. 

We had lunch and both kiddies took naps before the in-law grandparents rolled in. We hung out on the porch and passed Sugar from grandparent to grandparent while little man played. There's a lot of watching the grands do whatever kids do when you're a grandparent. And you think it's all marvelous because it absolutely is. 

Daughter2 made spaghetti for dinner and we watched Tennessee baseball win in the last seconds of the game to beat Florida State and then we watched all the replays and then Saturday we watched the ending a few more times because it was so good. 

Unless you're a Seminole of course. 

Anyway, Saturday morning was the birthday party for sweet baby J. As an aside, I always write my grandchildren a letter on their birthdays and you can read his in the link here (Two-rrific). The birthday was small, really just family and the next door neighbors, but the size was perfect for someone turning two. 

There was a cute construction theme with vests for the guests, and bins of kinetic sand with lots of construction vehicles and assorted road works equipment tucked inside. There were chicken minis from Chick-fil-a, sausage balls, a fruit tray, pasta salad and a scrumptious homemade cake courtesy of his momma. 

Homemade and homestyle are my favorite kind of parties, and J had a ball leisurely opening presents and exclaiming WOW! upon seeing each and every gift unwrapped. Completely precious. Everyone rested, chatted, read, and/or napped that afternoon, then my son-in-law grilled hotdogs and burgers for dinner and then we all pretty much collapsed into bed at an early hour. 

Did I mention the heat? Whew! It was extreme all weekend long. 

Sunday morning I got up and took a walk around the neighborhood before the temperature went soaring, we had a quick breakfast, and the guys all opened their Father's Day cards and gifts. 

We don't really do gifts on Father's Day, but I bought all the men a jar of these pickles I spotted at the local farm stand the other day. They all like pickles and spicy food (these have a whole jalapeno in them, along with lots of garlic and onions) plus the name screamed Father's Day to me. 

We all changed and  loaded up the cars for the short ride to church. There were four babies being dedicated today and big brother was feeling like the freshly minted 2-year old he is up there grinning on the stage with his parents. His dad had one hand on his shirt collar most of the time, but sweet baby J enjoyed every minute lol. 

Sugar of course was just like her name. Sweet. She has the biggest, best smile y'all. It's like a full body smile and her whole adorable face lights up. 

After the dedication portion concluded the whole congregation sang Jesus Loves Me and it made me feel so teary. Getting toddlers and babies and yourselves to church on Sunday mornings is not for the faint of heart, but my daughter2's church is bursting at the seams with small children. Makes my heart so happy to know these young families are doing whatever it takes to get there each week. To raise their children in this upside down world to put their faith in the One who made it. 

The media loves to tell us every awful thing millennials and older Gen Z-ers are up to, but when I'm around my girls and their friends I see hard working, committed, faithful parents raising families and living with intention. These young adults don't make the news, but they are quietly going about the business of living full, productive lives, and the world is less depressing when we remember that. 

My son-in-law is a master griller and he smoked a delicious pork butt for Father's Day dinner. 

There was more college baseball afterwards (GO VOLS!) and it was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend. I think Sweet baby J would tell you that next to the balloons this was his favorite part-

So how did you spend your weekend? 

                              

Linking up with Holly and Sarah for their regular Hello Monday blog party...see you there!