Christmas Trip

Despite this...

We headed here...

And finally got to meet...

LAINEY!

Thursday after the funeral & our quick stop in Auburn, we met TJ's family at a lake house. We came hear last year and it was so great. This year we enjoyed the new addition, Lainey! Last year we were praying for her, this year she was with us! What a blessing! She is just precious and I love taking pictures of her :)

We had a great time filled with wonderful meals, movies, playing in the game room, laughing, sleeping/ napping, wearing pajamas, drinking hot chocolate & cyder, and opening gifts. The most popular was probably the girls tu-tu's which TJ proudly modeled Lainey's for everyone on his head (picture below)! We were thankful for this short, but wonderful time with Sarah, Jared, Elle, & Lainey! Gigi and PopPop got to follow us back to South Carolina for CHRISTMAS!

Saturday morning we drove to Birmingham for Barna's extended family Christmas party at Aunt Loretta's house! It was great to see everyone and the food was yummy, of course! We were thankful that it worked out that we could come again this year... then we got in the car and drove 8 hours back home! The trip went well and we are now home and getting ready for Christmas Day!







** There are a few more posts below** I think I'm all caught up now!

If you want to see more pictures you can view the slideshow...

A Quick Drive Through Auburn

On the way from Griffin to the Lake house to be with TJ's family we stopped in Auburn for dinner. It was a quick "drive through" but it was Anderson's official first time in Auburn and the first time we have taken Karoline & Anderson to Niffer's, my favorite place in Auburn to eat. We stopped in the book store to pick up a few Auburn Christmas gifts and I am glad we stopped. The campus has changed SO MUCH! It's just crazy! I LOVE AUBURN and hope that next season we get to go to a game!

I Remember...

I remember making her laugh...

I remember making her cry...

I remember her hands covered in flower when she made fried chicken...

I remember her watching from the deck me, Jennifer, Jeff, and Brent act like crazies in the swimming pool...

I remember driving and getting Diary Queen dipped cones on the way back to her little house...

I remember her hanging her laundry on the clothes line and the horses would come out and greet her...

I remember her face at Christmas time... and her Sock- Shop boxes...

I remember her watching Jennifer and I opening Christmas gifts, my things where purple, Jennifer's always pink...

I remember her sofa's were always covered with blankets (which I never understood), with her tweezers, mirror, and gossip magazines sitting on the table...

I remember going to get my favorite orange juice when I would visit her house, "Bright and Early" and letting me pick out my favorite cereal (always something Mom would never allow)...

I remember crawling around her house after we were supposed to be asleep and hearing her yell "Get back in bed" one hundred times...

I remember driving her insane when Jennifer & I used the phone book to find pen-pals... We got a sweet TV repair man!

I remember her chasing me with a wooden spoon when I would prank call 911...

I remember her telling me to get off the phone when I was waisting time talking to stupid boys...

I remember her always giving me the biggest hugs and she never said I love you enough...

I remember her being so proud of me getting into Auburn... She became an Auburn Tiger at heart.

I remember calling her because she was the only one who knew what was going on in Days Of Our Lives too...

I remember visiting her and eating what dad calls "country morning breakfast...she always cooked... she was an amazing cook...

I remember introducing her to TJ and how beautiful she was at my wedding...

I remember telling her I was naming Karoline after her...

I remember the first time I introduced her to her grandson, Anderson...

I remember this summer her taking Karoline to get her first Dairy Queen dipped cone...

I remember her saying my name and looking at my face when she was so frail in the hospital bed...

I remember being up with her all night, thankful she knew to call my name when she needed me...

I remember holding her hand and saying good-bye and telling her I loved her with all my heart...

I remember telling her over the phone today that I loved her and heard her say "I love you too" to the best of her ability...

I remember so much more...

I remember Mama... and I'll NEVER forget!

My sweet Mama Perkins went to be with the Lord today at 9:44pm!

Praying For Mama Perkins

Please keep my family in your prayers. My sweet Mama Perkins, my dad's mother and my only living grandparent, is very sick. To make a long story short she has had several health problems (kidney and heart) but fell a few weeks ago and broke her shoulder. A doctor at the Griffin Hospital gave her a medication to help with her shoulder but it was had for her Kidney. What a stupid doctor!! She went into kidney failure and is not in Atlanta with doctors who know what they are doing... BUT she is still having lots of complications. She had surgery on her shoulder and really has never regained strength after. The kidney is still not working well and it's not looking good though we pray for the best. I just want her to be at peace!

My dad encouraged me to get a flight today and go see her this weekend. It's hard to hear that but the reality is I want to see her! I leave tomorrow, Friday, and will spend Saturday there with Brent, and spend the night with her at the hospital on Saturday to give my aunt a break and some much needed!

So pray for our family and safe travel for me (I always get so nervous leaving my family behind!) and for my sweet Mama Perkins! Thanks!


(Pictures from this summer)

Wellspring In The Farm Parade

We had so much fun being in our neighborhood parade on Sunday. HERE is the post on our Wellspring Partners Blog and a few pictures below...









Slideshow-

Our Trip To The North Pole

Today was a cold, rainy day so we escaped Myrtle Beach and headed to The North Pole... AKA Bass Pro Shop... to see Santa. It was GREAT... A "real" Santa (no faux beard), short line, FREE picture, they let you take your own pictures, and a FREE kids meal at their restaurant (not that I knew they had a restaurant but it was YUMMY!). Gammy came along for the ride and we had a great time.

As you can tell from the pictures Anderson was not so sure about Santa... Karoline LOVED him though and told him what she wanted for Christmas... A bike, Elmo tickle hands, and a princess castle. After our visit to The North Pole the kids took a good nap with Rudolph.







Our family picture with Santa- my poor mom and her inability to use a camera... sorry its a little blurry.


Gammy got the kids a Rudolph stuffed animal as a fun treat.


Anderson was looking over his shoulder saying "ohhhhh"... he didn't know what to think of the reindeer!

Newspaper

We were featured in The Carolina Forest Chronicle this week. We were asked early this fall if we would want to be featured in the "Home" section and we thought it would be a good FREE opportunity to talk about Wellspring and that I'm a realtor and sell Premier. Anyway, you can read the artical HERE and then click over to page 23 to view the second page...

We are decorated for Christmas... Are you?