The BIG 4-0

No, I'm not getting ready for my 40th birthday (cause that's still YEARS away!!!), I'm talking about my parents celebrating their 40th anniversary.  I asked my mom several months ago what she and Dad wanted to celebrate their anniversary.  (I felt that this was something important to celebrate, especially with the divorce rate in the world today.)  Mom said that she wanted dinner with just the immediate family.

So on June 16, 2012, the 10 1/2 of us got together (figure that one out) for a nice dinner of steak, baked potatoes, and salad and a special dessert of banana pudding (one of Daddy's favorites).  I couldn't have done it without the help from my brothers and sisters-in-law!!!

Back in November or December, I started thinking of something special I could do for Mom and Dad for this milestone.  I finally settled on creating a new wedding album for them.  Their original one was falling apart and I wanted the pictures that they had from their wedding to be preserved for generations to come.  So, I stole their album and put the pictures into a scrapbook, then I found some pictures that my grandfather (mom's dad) took at the rehearsal, wedding, and reception and I decided that I could have some fun with those pictures and scrapbook them! :)

Mom loved the album.  I'm sure that Dad loved it too, but he doesn't really speak of things like that.  The kids loved looking through it too.  It was a little more special since we had the unity candle that Mom and Dad lit at their wedding on the table and pictures of it in the album.

We also took the opportunity to take a new family photo (probably the last one with just 10!).  We had a wonderful evening and it was so great to spend this special day with not just my parents, but with the rest of my family.  They mean so much to me and I can't wait to spend more time with them.  I pray that one day I find someone that I will spend 40 years with!

Take one

Take two

Do you see the 1/2 I was talking about earlier?  We had to take two shots because with three small children and seven adults, you can't get a good shot in just one attempt (and sometimes not even in two).

Jay helping open the present

Still opening

Looking at the book

Happy Birthday Granddaddy, Family time, and a trip North

My mom's family got together during the Mother's Day weekend to celebrate my granddaddy's 90th birthday!  We had 26 of the 35 members of our family together!  The most that we've had all in one place in quite a while.  It was too bad that Josh couldn't be there or we would have had all of Granddaddy's daughters and grandchildren present.

The birthday boy ;)

Blowing out the candles

Almost the entire family

The Sisters

The original Galloway clan

My mom's youngest sister, Jeannie, has always been the fun aunt (not that my other aunts aren't fun, but since she didn't have any children of her own, we all kind of adopted her :)) and for some reason, all of the nieces have been called "Jeannie" while Jeannie gets called all of the names of her nieces.  So we decided that we needed to take a picture of "The Jeannies".

The Jeannies

The smallest of the next generation had fun playing together both during the party and then on Saturday night while the rest of us enjoyed the manager's reception (with free drinks) and dinner all together (we left the grandparents home so they could rest).  It was so neat to see the kids all play together and have fun. These pictures aren't the best, but it's the best you get when you have two two-year olds and one four year old running around :)

Jay and Lily posing themselves :)

Lily smiling, but already thinking
of where she's going next

Jay turned around just as a snapped
the picture

Just before we had dinner, Steven joined our cousin Richard at the bar and they were watching some racing on the T.V.  Well, Mr. Jay just loves racing and so he decided to join Daddy at the bar.  It was just too cute not to snap a few pictures of :)

Like Father, Like Son

We managed to get Jay's attention

After our weekend in Charlotte, Mom, Dad, and I went to Ohio to retrieve their Hi-Lo camper that was being repaired.  Since the repair shop was within two hours of Lake Erie, I convinced Dad to go there first (also, we weren't going to be able to get the camper until Monday, so what was the rush).  So we spent Mother's Day in the truck with a brief stop at Lake Erie.

Not the best picture, but it's a light
house in Lake Erie

A look of Cleveland across a bit of
Lake Erie

Happy Mother's Day at Lake Erie

a self portrait with a Lake Erie
background

Our trip was a total of five days (Friday - Tuesday) and we went through a total of nine states (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, then back through Georgia and Florida).  I was able to see the Ohio River for the first time and enjoyed the beautifulness of The Great Smoky Mountains!  It was a fun trip, but I was never so ready to be back in my apartment and out of a truck :)

The Great Ohio River
outside of Cincinnati

The Smoky Mountains - can't really
see it but there is smoke coming
off the mountain

We're talking about another trip to Charlotte for Fourth of July (since we didn't really get to spend much time with the grandparents), but first I have a trip to Tampa and Busch Gardens coming up next weekend.  Then in June I will be celebrating my parents' 40th Anniversary and the birth of my best friend, Christy's, baby girl!!!  So I'm sure that there will be more stories and photos to come!!

Birthdays, birthdays, and more birthdays!!

I'm a little behind in posting this, but March/April is a very busy birthday season for the Southwell family!  We have 4 birthdays in 3 weeks (but since three of the birthdayers are the next generation, the 4th birthday doesn't get as much attention anymore.

Miss Lily turned 2 on March 18.  I can't believe that she (and Ethan) are already 2 years old!! I was able to go home the weekend of her birthday and had a little fun with she and her brother the night before her birthday.  (We didn't have the party until the following weekend.)  I introduced them to Tangled and they loved it!  Jay was belly-laughing at a few of the scenes - it was hilarious!  I unfortunately didn't get any pictures that weekend.  I know, I'm a horrible Oba!

Ethan turned 2 on March 25.  That's right exactly one week after Lily, Ethan made his grand appearance!  We were able to celebrate his birthday this year on his actually birthday (pictures to follow).  He also had another grand adventure that weekend in that he moved to Wauchula to live with both of his parents!  Danielle found a job in Sebring and so she, Josh, and Ethan are able to live full-time under the same roof!  I miss them in Gainesville, but am so happy that they are together!

Joshua turned 27 on April 1 (I can't believe that we're that old either), but I'm not really sure how much celebrating went on.

Jay turned 4 on April 3!  My baby is growing up and will start Pre-K in August (although, apparently he thought he would start the day after he turned 4; Grammy had to correct him and explain it all).  I feel like it was just yesterday that he started the next generation of our family.  Four years has gone by so fast!

Tiffany decided that since the kids' birthdays are so close together, that they would have a joint party on Saturday, March 24 (smack in between their actual birth dates).  It took a little thinking to come up with a theme that Jay would agree to (he really wanted a Cars themed party, but we tried to come up with something that was a little more girly too) and she decided on an ice cream party!  What kid (or adult) doesn't like ice cream?!  The kids all had a wonderful time and so did the adults.  I will say that present opening was mayhem with two kids tearing into presents, but we loved it!

The next day on his actual birthday, we had a party for Ethan.  It was at a little park and the kids had a blast playing on the jungle gym and swings.  I was able to get all three of my yearly pictures with the kids and they turned out pretty well.

Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Toppings for Ice cream

Jay got some of Grammy's
homemade Vanilla!!

Lily decided she wanted a cupcake
with icing :)

Tiffany reading to the kids from
one of Jay's gifts

For some reason, the kids wanted to
play in the unused dog pen

Miss Lily loves the slide!

Jay scaring me that he might
jump :/

Ethan showing me his
mad climbing skills!

Me and my handsome 4 yr old big boy!

Me and my curly headed 2 yr old!

Me and my little2 yr old princess

It was a crazy, but fun weekend!  Up next?  Granddaddy Galloway (Grammy's dad) is celebrating his 90th birthday!!!  As many of the Galloway clan that can make it will be gathering in Charlotte, NC for the celebration May 11!  Can't wait to see the family and spend some time with some of my favorite, if not a little crazy, cousins and family!

A Little More Craftiness

A friend of mine's daughter celebrated her 9th birthday last week and for her birthday cake, she decided she wanted cupcakes that looked like owls.  My friend has collected owls for a long time (I believe it was something that her mom collected before she passed away) and now her daughter has taken a liking to them as well.  They found a cake book that had some owls in it and, of course, I had the book (same one that inspired the Gator last year).  We did a trial run the previous weekend and I decide that if they baked the cupcakes, I would be able to decorate them on Friday (the night of the party).

Here's how they turned out:

Who, Who!

I also have been playing again with paints and stamps!  I make maternity shirts and onesies (or any size kids' shirt) for Gator fans.  My best friend is pregnant and so I had to make her a shirt and since I already had the paints out, I decided to go ahead and make my "niece" some onesies.

Maternity shirt

Onesies for the littlest Gator fan!

If anyone needs either of the clothing items above, please feel free to contact me :)  I love making them!!!

5 years - A Rememberance of the Greatest Lady I Know

It hit me last week that on February 27, 2012 it was 5 years that my Granny has been gone.  At times it feels like she was just here and we were just sitting and enjoying each other's company.  And then again, so much has happened in that 5 years that it almost feels like a lifetime ago that she was here.

I remember the last day that I saw her and the emotions going through me.  In a way, I think I knew that the end was near and that I may never see her again.  I think it was God's way of preparing me so that I wouldn't feel that lack of closure.  It was Sunday,  Febraury 25, 2007.  I had come home for the weekend to celebrate my Mom's birthday.  As usual, we went down to Arcadia for church and then went back to the assisted living place where Granny was living to have lunch.  Uncle Bill joined us as he typically did on Sundays after church.  One of the most vivid things I remember (and one of the clues to me that her time was coming) was when Granny started talking about how her oven wasn't working properly (she didn't have one in her room) and was pointing at her T.V.  Dad tried to gloss over it and say that she was just joking, and that she shouldn't joke that way because she was starting to upset her granddaughter and daughter-in-law.  Granny gave him a confused look as if to say "I'm not joking, now fix my oven.".

For those of you who read this and don't know the story of my Granny, I'll have to share that with you some day.  But the main thing to know is that she had some major health issues and her passing was a blessing.  However, the selfish side of me was so not ready for her to go. There were things that were supposed to happen that she needed to be here for (my wedding, the birth of children, my graduation from UF - to name a few (and no not necessarily in that order).  I know that when those events happen, I will have a moment of emotional break down knowing that Granny is not physically there with me to celebrate.  BUT she will be watching me and celebrating with the angels in Heaven.  She was always there for me and my biggest role model for my Christian walk.  She inspired so many and I will do my best to let the next generation of Southwells know what an amazing person that Ada Ruth Reeve Southwell was and who their Granny is to me.

Wish I Was There

My mom has the wonderful opportunity to keep Jay and Lily a few days each week.  This past Tuesday, she sent me the picture below of the kids napping.  Last week, Ethan had joined the fun for a few days and Mom had to break out the kinder mats to nap them on (since she doesn't have enough beds or rooms).  I guess that Jay and Lily liked napping on the mats so much that they wanted to continue this trend even when Ethan wasn't there.

I love these kids so much and they are all so adorable! I wish that I had a picture of all three of them napping, but that will have to wait.

What's up with you?

So, I've been busy at work since my last post (yes, I know that it's been almost two months), but mainly I've been affected by allergies (at least that's what I think they are).  Since Thanksgiving I have been coughing, battling a sore throat, and stuffy.  Then to add insult to injury, I was diagnosed with the worst double-ear infection my nurse practioner has ever seen!

So I decided that maybe it was time to go to the doctor (I haven't been to a doctor/clinic this much in the last 12 years!) and figure out what is causing this mess.  Also to see if I can find a remedy that won't cost me $20 or more a month (now that allergy medicine is over-the-counter).

I've got to get feeling better because it is almost that time of year again - birthday season in the Southwell family.  The kids will all be celebrating their birthdays in the next month and a half.  I can't believe that Jay will be four and Lily and Ethan will be two!!! Where has the time gone?

I'm not sure what the birthday plans are yet, but I'm sure that I'll be able to capture some cute moments - not to mention our annual pictures.

And then in June, I will be adding another girl to "my" kids!  My best friend Christy is pregnant and due June 15 (really rather hoping that she doesn't decide to come that weekend as I will be celebrating Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary, but. . . )!  I am super excited to have another niece (and this time I get to buy clothes for her)!

More posts and pictures to come soon.  Just keep your eyes open! :)