Happy Birthday Chad!!

My first born son came into this world at 6:53 pm on New Years Eve .... 39 years ago today...did all I could do to get him here in time for that 1979 tax deduction!!!!  Cap'n was in his second year of Veterinary Medicine and every penny counted..heheheh!! and after being 3 wks past my due date, I didn't care how or when or where he came........just get that baby on the ground!!  Of course, back then, we didn't have access to finding out the sex of our babies, so you can imagine the thrill we felt when I gave my husband that son to carry on his name.  (Little did I know then that I'd give him TWO more boys to carry that name while making me a crazy woman with all their little boy/big boy antics!!)

As I sit here remembering that new yrs eve night, when all the nurses were mad because they weren't out partying, I am amazed at how our lives have been enriched because of him.  And the pride and the love I felt on the day that his own son was born.  THE CIRCLE OF LIFE CONTINUES TO AMAZE ME!

I

I also continue to be amazed at how beautiful he is!  (sorry....mom brag)

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, SON, AND REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE CELEBRATES YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Christmas Gathering 2018!

Since we all gathered at the deer camp for our Christmas celebration, all the gifts had to be moved from my house to the camp....took Hailey and I about 2 hrs to load my car with gifts and food...thank goodness she was here to help me!!

The first four sugarplums to arrive were filled with anticipation of family gift opening!

(the most beautiful sunset happening outside that window on right!)

cap'n enjoying a little lap time!

3 more lil sugarplums..Bromley, Sophiejane and new little Lulu!

All my sons and all their wives and all their children and all the dogs!

We are very lucky to have such a wonderful family!

Some images to show our time together...

decorating cookies to leave for Santa!

Matt doing his magic with the fried turkey....we also had Cap'n's gumbo and dressing w/gravy.

Weird combo but we're a weird bunch!! (and we like it like that!)

Brie with Washington huckleberry preserves inside puff pastry not cooked yet! 

also had stuffed pistolettes, shrimp butter, pig candy and marinated crab claws--that I forgot to get out of fridge....roll eyes now!!

My baby boy always collects and brings me mistletoe on Christmas eve....how sweet that this year he 

and HIS son brought it to me....how I love that kid!! both of them!

and then middle boy and his bride put it to use!!!

Let the craziness begin!

my daughter in laws know what makes ME merry!!

Next day, two families went back to their other families and homes and one came home with us...

...where you would find this lil elf helping me roll out cracked pepper for a beef tenderloin, hash brown casserole, avocados and olive bread for Christmas eve dinner for just the four of us. I may have heard..."Can I help you do that YaYa???" 50 times! And I loved every single time I heard it!

After that group left the next morning after Santa came, we drove to our middle boy's home for a Prime Rib roast lunch with them!  and OH SO DELICIOUS!!!!

We've had such a fun week of Christmas and Family.....and that's what it's really all about, isn't it?

Celebrating the birth of Jesus WITH family...We Are Blessed.  So Blessed.

and next????  the birth of my firstborn son on New Years Eve.....39 yrs ago!!!!!

wow! where the hell did THAT time go????

Reflecting...

...Christmas time just makes us do it!  Remembering, every time you pull the ornaments out of the boxes.  I always smile, sometimes chuckle alot, remembering times when certain ornaments were first put onto the tree.

the time I surprised my daughter in laws with a trip to New York and one of our stops was the Christmas Extravaganza at Radio City Music Hall by the Rocketts!

the ornament I bought the first year of our marriage. It has the "1977" on it and I remember feeling so bad for spending the money for a real Hallmark ornament when we hardly had enough money for hamburger meat....my husband was in his first year of Vet school at LSU and times were tough.

Every year, that ornament has been one of the first on the tree. But one yr I dropped it and it broke on top.  I cried and cried.  Until he surprised me with a special box to place the remains in so I could still put it on the tree and continue to remember the exact day and place where I bought it....41 1/2 yrs ago!!!!!

HAHAHAHAHA...kinda says it all!!!!

Is it so wrong that a quarter of my tree is dedicated to POODLE ornaments???!!!!

Sophiejane loves it!

So many nights before I turn the lights off before bedtime, I stand in front of the tree and remember. I reflect on so many different times of my life and all that has happened in my lifetime.

I smile and realize I'm a very lucky girl!!!

While all this sappy stuff is happening in my home, those hunting boys are making memories of their own.  And enjoying the beauty of the land!

Sunrise in the duck blind!

We will all gather this weekend....a YaYa's wish for a perfect Christmas!!

They will laugh when they see this one!  See?  Another Christmas memory!!!

A Silent NIght ....HERE?????!!!!

I doubt that!!!!  We've got some very excited little people around here who are counting down the days until the BIG MAN arrives!!!!

WE ALL BELIEVE!!!!!

But here...until they all arrive...it is very calming....

Let's all slow down and just enjoy this week before Christmas.  Slow down on the wrapping, don't cook so much.  Stop shopping and write some personal notes instead.  Listen to music and go outside to smell and feel the air ... wish on a star!!!

LET THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT FILL YOUR SOUL WITH MAGIC!!!!!!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like ........

 

coffee..hot chocolate..wine..anyone??

elves..elves...EVERYWHERE!!

baby Jesus and Ol' Saint Nick will be here before we know it!!

 

 

 

 

Wait Christmas...Lemme Do Thanksgiving!!!!! 2018

The big holidays are hard for me to get published on the blog because we take SO many pics during our 4 days together and it's hard to decide what needs to go into our diary and get those pics edited.  But since I'm so late, there will be no editing today...just original pics of us spending time together and doing what we do best.... PLAYING, LOVING AND BEING THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING WE HAVE AS A FAMILY!!!

My Family!!!  

We were missing our first daughter in law because she was at her mom's house but made it to us in time for lots of leftovers!

Nothing is more satisfying as a mom than to be surrounded by all of her children at the same time!

Grandchirren were at the "kids table" ... isn't that where you start to learn about life??? at the table?  Hasn't everyone been at the kid's table at some point in your lives???!!!!!!!

We began gathering on Wednesday for the weekend.  Cap'n cooks steaks on Wed night and they get up early on Thanksgiving morning to hunt.  This has been going on since we've been married...some 41 yrs ago!  The girls and kiddos hang around, lazily enjoying our morning together. We love it.

This day began beautifully...

the view out into the fields from our porch...

the view on the other porch once all the boys come in!!

I start roasting a turkey

while uncle matt preps a turkey for frying...with the help of little ones!

multi-tasking!!!  heeheehee

fried turkeys never look that pretty but man, oh man....do they ever taste delightful!!!!!

Our usual first toast of the day!!!

and another.....

and another.....um, you get the idea here!!! 

popular place to be in the kitchen when foods are being prepared!

cap'n at his carving station.  matt at his!

Not long after we enjoyed a beautiful meal together, it was time to go cut a Christmas tree down and bring it back to the house.  Cap'n found a great tree and he loves to take the grandchildren out and let  them all take a turn at 'timber' duties!!

Lilli!

Lane!

Case!

Even little Logan, who is about a yr old, got a chance to saw the tree down!!

thanks shanon for helping cap'n!

Now, Katiejane wasn't with us because she was out with her daddy deer hunting for the first time....that's a BIG DEAL in this family!!!

It's a Christmas tree AT the deer camp.....this only seemed fitting!!!

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY WE HAD!!!

and the rest of the weekend??????

Lots of hunting stories being told!!!

(just love seeing all of my guys together!)

Even our youngest grandbaby got to go to the deer stand with his dad!!

AS OUR STORY GOES.....WE HAD A VERY......