Trips to Texas are always wonderful & ALWAYS a whirlwind of visits with those we love & miss dearly when far away. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon at Grandma Shirley's, GGran to my little ones. We were welcomed with open arms by the lady of the house & Aunt Sharon who couldn't help herself & came over for the welcoming. It was a lovely surprise to spend time with her that evening & provided for some good laughs as we sat & visited after the kids were in bed.
The Fab Four were delighted to be out of the car & the girls did quite a bit of running about the house. The boys were happy to stretch their leggies & get some attention outside the car seats. We enjoyed a yummy dinner & a great nights sleep for all.
The week was pretty much pre-booked to the hour with visitors but instead of running all over town, we requested that everyone come to us. That was the BEST decision we made all week!
Our first visitors that stopped by were GG, Anne & Caroline (Robby's grandmother, aunt & cousin). Robby spent most of the day in the office & got home in time to see these beloved three.
You may remember that Caroline was the flower girl at our wedding & once again, I got to see her just a couple days before my anniversary. She was THREE years old....just a reminder of how long we have been married ; )
Grandma's house was cozy with Christmas decor, old familiar toys & lots of laughter. The girls spent a bit of time snuggled up in this big chair watching Disney movies on VHS. The new favorite of the week was 101 Dalmatians.
Tuesday was a super duper fun day because we got to see lots of friends! Jocelyn & her precious boys Levi & Joel joined us for morning playtime & lunch. Kate, Jocelyn's older sister & her son Bennett also spent a bit of time with us which was such a treat because I usually don't get to see her when I am in town. We were sad that her other two Nora & Asher were at school that day but baby Bennett made up for it in cuteness. Here he is with the big boys...
and with his beautiful mommy...
Charlotte caught me at one moment where she thought Kate couldn't hear & said "Mommy, is that really Bennett?" as she was trying to process having a dog named Bennett & meeting this new babe....it made me laugh.
Here we are with our six...
I loved seeing them & I was quite entertained by her busy boys. They were excited to watch the train go round & round Grandma's village & all the kids had a hard time not touching it. GGran was a very gracious hostess & helped the little ones enjoy all of her Christmas toys.
We thought we would get a nice picture of these four in the event that they decide to have a double wedding in 20 years. I think they match well, at least in the "silly" category.
GGran met the boys back in June when she came to the Sunshine State for a visit & was in countdown mode for a long time prior to our arrival. I assure you, she gave those two buckaroos plenty of attention & cuddles while we were there!
They enjoyed her lap for quite sometime then decided to move onto her shoelaces...
Grandma was an incredible hostess making sure we were comfortable in every way, cooking, helping with laundry, starting her morning early with making coffee & feeding babies, washing countless bottles & sippy cups, occupying little hands while I showered or rested but most importantly, she took time to make lasting memories with my children. Charlotte & Eloise love this woman & speak of her often. We look forward to seeing her again soon.
Oh, remember that village pictured before? For years & years & years & YEARS there has been a little mouse that Grandma hides somewhere in all the houses, trees & snow. We all search for it & I have come to terms with the fact that I am not a good finder. Robby found it one afternoon & hid it. I looked for the rest of that day before requesting a clue. The clue was "my name is Charlie." So I started thinking about all possibilities related to Charlie such as
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory which helped me pretty much not at all. After 48 hours passed Robby led me to the mouse which was hiding at the top of a tree. I had forgotten that we had this large mouse that used to run around our fence, in our tree & across our back deck in Richardson & we named him "Charlie." In all fairness, that was a great clue, my memory is just not up to par these days.
The Village was wonderful to look at....especially for the girls. I did find them whispering in there one morning in the dark so I snuck up on them to see what they were up to. They said "Oh hi mommy! We are just building a snowman!" as they pushed all the "snow" into a pile on top of some of the people. It is hard to keep your hands of something that just begs to be touched!
Tuesday ended with a bang when we loaded up & drove over to the Clark's house in Richardson for dinner.
The first year we lived in Dallas, Robby & I joined something called a Foundation Group at Watermark Community Church. It was made up of young married couples & led by a couple that was about 10 years older than us that had three adorably sweet boys. It was a life changing couple years for many of us as we learned about marriage & began to add or desire to grow our families.
Here are the wives & the husbands...
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| Brooke, me & Renata |
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| Brad, Andrew & Rob |
Brad & Brooke were friends of ours in college, we lost touch for a year then reconnected at a friends wedding soon after Robby & I moved to Dallas in 2005. We bought our first homes just 10 minutes away from each other & had countless dinners together. I was there for the birth of her first two children Corbin(7) & Kenzie(5) & they have since added Camden(3) & Karlee(almost 2) to their crew. We have enjoyed the visits we have had in the past five years that we have lived in Florida & have decided that they are never long enough.
Andrew & Renata had met Brad & Brooke when they were visiting a church in Dallas prior to finding Watermark. We all got together & requested to be in the same Foundation group. They lived near by as well & we spent many a night either on our back porch or at their house with Rob, Andrew & Renata eating sushi & me eating salmon. These two MOVED us to Florida. It was their idea to accompany us on our journey & we were grateful for their service. It made the trip really fun & created some lasting memories between the four of us. They have Owen(4) & Khloe(1) that are soooo precious. We can't wait to see those four again!
The couple that led our initial group was JJ & Charlotte. They were amazing as they opened their home & helped us grow in our commitment to God & one another. Their boys were 4,2 & 6 months old when we met them. Fast forward to present day & they are 12, 10 & 8! What the heck?? Where has the time gone? We had not seen the boys in at least four years so we were astonished with how grown up they looked in braces, new hairstyles & laughed at their witty comments. We were bummed to miss out on seeing Jack, the oldest & JJ but thankful that Charlotte, Chase & Josh could join us.
So, when we left Dallas only a mere five years ago there were five kids between us....now there are THIRTEEN! Quite the change & quite the busy house for dinner! I love when we pray before a meal with a houseful of families & we praise God for giving us the great blessing of noisy kids. What a gift it was to spend an evening with these folks & see our little ones enjoy each other. I wish I had more pictures of all the shirtless shenanigans that went on but these will have to suffice.
Kids table with Corb & Cam on the left & Owen in the blue chair.
Chase holding Anson...what handsome boys!
and my two most favorite Charlotte's in the whole world....
The name "Charlotte" sounded sweet to me because of this dear friend who helped shaped my idea of motherhood as I spent many an afternoon in her home helping with the boys or cleaning the kitchen while we visited. I saw her interact with her husband, love her three little guys & care for her home with much joy that I so desired to emulate if God ever gave me my own children. Well, here I am down the road with four, feeling less organized & more frazzled than Charlotte seemed back in the day but with that same joy that comes from trusting that the Lord gives you enough grace to make it through each day. She has continued to be an encouragement to me even though our visits are few & far between & our phone conversations are often cut short to care for our families. I look forward to telling my Charlotte about this godly woman she shares a name with. Also, I am sure Charlotte would say she was frazzled & unorganized with small children haha! She has told me that there are about six years in her memory that are just a blur ; )
This evening was such a great reminder of God's faithfulness to provide friends in short seasons of life that mean SO much after time away. These three couples prayed for the Lord to give us children & prayed for Owen & Anson to grow healthy & strong, they encouraged us through emails, texts & conversations, they sent gifts as we celebrated arrivals of babies & when we spend time with them, it feels like we never left.
Back to our home turf at GGran's house. Wednesday was full of excitement with my mom arriving via airplane plus cousins, aunts & uncles stopping by for visits. It was attention overload for my four & they enjoyed every second!
GGran got out some puzzles that me & my cousins worked as kids. It entertained the girls well including Miss Aubrey, my cousin Amy's daughter who is just a couple months younger than Eloise.
Amy & Aubrey helped feed/entertain the boys at lunchtime.
The girls got some sunshine in the chilly weather out on the front porch with their beloved GGran.
The boys stayed cozy inside. Aubrey's little brother Luke who was five months old fit right in with Anson & Owen. Can't wait till they can all chase each other around!
Aunt Sharon came back over for round two.
Aunt Sandy surprised us when she dropped by as did Uncle Ron & Aunt Sheila!
The girls played "wake up Uncle Ron" for a LONG time providing lots of laughter for all involved & watching haha!
Wednesday was also our 9th wedding anniversary & we celebrated with a Starbucks beverage, a walk around Barnes & Noble followed by Rob's work Christmas Dinner. It was a lovely evening. We have been so well cared for by the company Robby works for & truly enjoyed spending time with the five other couples that evening. They genuinely care for one another & their families along with running their business in an honorable manner. We are grateful for the Lord's provision in that area. I enjoyed visiting with two of the wives who are part of a Classical Conversations group near their homes in Dallas. They each have two or more kids ahead of mine & were full of wise words. While we were out for the evening, the Fab Four were loved on by Gaga, GGran & various other family members. They probably didn't even realize we were gone haha ; )
On Thursday, Robby's Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Bill & cousins Ana & John stopped by in the morning. It was great to catch up & watch Char & Elo swoon over John. I think they may have pictured him being like Uncle Scott & Uncle Kyle. They requested that he chase them all over Grandma's house & that he did! He runs for the college he attends so he can keep up with the best of them including a speedy couple of preschoolers ; ) Elizabeth, the older sis of Ana & John had to work that day so we missed visiting with her.
When I spend time with this family I am reminded of the couple of summers Robby & I were together prior to getting married. We spent 4th of July together on Lake Texoma with this fun bunch. We also brought Bennett & Bella back with us for a day trip the year they joined our family. Happy memories!
After lunch & naps for the babes my precious friend Halie & her son Calvin came over. It was just beautiful outside so we decided to play in the backyard versus tempting the kids with all the breakable items inside. We saw Halie & her husband Eric back in August when we took our
vacation of a lifetime horrific trip to West Palm Beach ; ) I was in a much better mood this visit with plenty of rest & healthy kids. We even got a picture together!
Mr. Calvin turned two the week after Christmas & this was my FIRST TIME TO MEET HIM which was ridiculous! He was cute as cute can be. I had a big smile on my face watching Halie in action as a mama after praying for a long time for God to give her a baby. He is a gift & we enjoyed getting to play with him for a bit! She wrestled him for a quick pic...
I would say that playtime in the backyard sums up many an afternoon at GGran's house. This happy face captures the way we felt outside playing on the same swing set I enjoyed as a child.
We spent our first five nights at GGran's house before packing up & heading north of the city to Uncle Joe & Aunt Deb's house. On our way there, we picked up some donuts & stopped by the Armstrong's house. Robby & Damon used to work together & have kept up well in the past couple years. He & his lovely wife TK have twin girls that are 3 followed by another adorable girl who is 1 1/2 & are expecting a baby boy very soon. It was really fun to see some twins in action & another house with lots of kids + a dog. It was a quick but great visit & I regret not snapping a picture of our lively bunch!
Next stop....Aunt Deb & Uncle Joe's! There are more pictures to come & stories to share of when we celebrated Christmas later that weekend but I will close with my three favorite ones of our time there.
I walked into the kitchen one morning to find Char assisting Uncle Joe with making pancakes....in her undies...with a bib, I mean "cape" on. Love that girl & her ability to maintain warmth in a close to nude state with freezing temperatures outside!
We spent every waking moment with the fireplace on, playing on the floor. Eloise got some lovin' from Anson which made her smile.
Aunt Deb got the hang of feeding two babies rather quickly. I was impressed with her skills!
What a fun filled week it was & this was only the first 6 days of three weeks away! Much more to come!
