The Big Reveal

    In the modern era, it is more common than not for couples to find out the gender of their baby before the birth occurs. It was not even an option for The Husband and me in three of my pregnancies and by the time we got to our fourth, we already had two boys and a girl, so finding out the sex of the baby beforehand was not of prime importance. In my own case, I can readily testify that learning whether you have given birth to a boy or girl at the moment of delivery is possibly the most wonderful surprise in life. However, today it seems that the vast majority of couples want to know ahead of time. And since technological advances have given us a window into the womb, if my children choose to find out the gender of their baby and are willing to share the news with us, then I am more than happy to forego the element of surprise.
   My eldest son and daughter-in-law planned a "gender reveal" for us the week before Christmas that proved to be a lot of fun. The plan was for both immediate families, his and hers, to gather at our house and enjoy a meal together. After the meal, my daughter-in-law promised that we would soon learn whether the grandbaby would be a boy or a girl.
    Here's how it played out. The two grandmothers had the honor of cutting the delicious homemade cake which contained a surprise. You can tell that we are just a wee bit excited.

 Those are the parents-to-be standing by to see our reaction.

In case you are wondering, we can't really tell anything yet...

 I'm still in the dark here...

 Can you tell that the other grandmother has figured it out?! I love her joy.

 Ahh...there is the proof. Our grandbaby will be a BOY!

I am hoping that May will get here sooner than later. 

I can't wait to meet this precious little one.

There are also some other little people in our family 

who are eagerly awaiting the arrival 

of a new cousin.

However, I think the biggest attraction that night was the idea of getting to eat some cake!

Recapping the moment!

Momma-to-be with her Momma!

The granddaddy-to-be and his girl!

Momma-to-be and her siblings!

The Daddy-to-be and his siblings sans one son-in-law...

And finally, here's the lovely couple with both sets of grandparents!

No matter the number of grandchildren, the joy is the same. Love has a marvelous
way of multiplying itself like a cup running over with the addition to the family of each little one.
We feel so very blessed.
I am mindful of the scripture I prayed before this first-born son of ours came into the world,
For this child I prayed and the Lord hath granted me the petition
I made unto Him, therefore, as long as he lives, he shall be given unto the Lord.
May it be so with the life of this little one.

Beauty Everywhere

   It was a day like no other. The weather was nothing short of perfect. Brilliant sunshine. A cool but gentle tree-ruffling breeze. Temperatures in the sixties. The hint of fall in the air. Lots of golden afternoon light bathing everything in its warm glow. I know that I was not alone in thinking that heaven itself had bent low to create a magnificent day for this special Bride and Groom. There was beauty everywhere you turned. And none more lovely than the radiance of the Bride and Groom.

 
    It is obvious from these photographs that I am not a professional photographer. Below you can see the real photographer at work doing what she does best...capturing those special moments. I stayed out of the way but managed to get some sweet moments between the Bride and Groom.

Who doesn't love the way that a Bride and Groom look at each other?

The Mother of the Groom, my Baby Sister. Isn't she lovely?

The two Mommas...

 The wedding was held at the lovely Windermere Golf Club outside of Atlanta, GA

 No Auburn wedding would be complete without a Toomer's Corner Groom's Cake. 

Wouldn't you agree?!

More to follow!

A Sweet Love Between These Two

    Neither were actively looking for another life partner. After debating and discussing his phone call with family and dear friends, she agreed to go out with him as a "friend." He wanted the same. The parameters of the relationship were clearly delineated for these two mature adults. Companionship, movies, nice dinners, concerts, walks, long conversations. Very safe and with no strings attached. Sounds good, right?
     Then something began to happen. She made him laugh. He made her laugh. She began to feel at ease with him and to look forward to their times together. He was like an open book, sharing the sorrows and joys that had made him the man he is today. She began to experience a freedom and a joy she had not known in a long time. She found herself smiling every time she thought of him. The worry lines around her face began to disappear. She seemed almost carefree. She talked to her pastor. She talked to her children. She talked to her friends. She didn't want any secrets, but it was obvious what was happening.
     He was smitten. And so was she. But she wanted to take it slowly. No rush to the altar here. Just slow and steady. He listened and agreed. In the meantime he got to know her children and to adore her grandchildren. He couldn't wait for her to meet his own children. His family is small. Ours is large and raucous by comparison. I saw his head swivel in astonishment a few times at our large, noisy, robust family gatherings, but he hung in there and took the teasing and questions in stride.
     They came for a quiet dinner at our home. One hour stretched into two, then three. We laughed about our long-standing connection with this man (we have known him for 41 years) and how the years have changed us all. It was relaxing and enjoyable. He was kind and thoughtful to her throughout the evening, and I knew it wasn't an act. The months passed.
     Then one evening he called to ask if he could come by. He sat in our living room and talked for a long time with The Husband and me. We all shed tears and then we prayed together. He had done the same with her children. Nothing required him to come to them and to us to ask for her hand in marriage, but his honor and integrity impelled him. It says a lot.
     On Saturday, these two tied the knot before the Lord and before the most important people in their lives. They were surrounded at the altar by their children and her grandchildren. His minister and her minister each spoke to the couple. One of the pastors talked about forgiveness being the oil of relationships and how wonderful it is to be surprised and delighted by the way God continues to work in our lives.
      I felt the powerful presence of the Lord that day. It was a day bathed in grace and mercy, a day bathed in hope and secured with promises. It was a picture of the way God loves to delight His children.
      No one is naive enough to believe that this marriage will be easy, because if you have been married or are married, you know that every marriage is hard work. Period. It requires commitment and sacrifice every single day. No one is exempt. No one gets off the hook. To love another person well is contrary to our "human" nature. It is only as we walk by faith and daily surrender our own agenda can we begin to live and love sacrificially. We must have that oil the pastor, Todd Jones, was talking about. The oil of forgiveness. It's a good thing that God gives it freely to those who love Him.
       Here's to new beginnings. Here's to my precious sister-in-law and her new husband. May their joy be made full in Christ.

The beautiful Stanford Chapel at First Presbyterian Church

 Flowers by Jim Knestrick of Knestrick by Design

The Bride arrives accompanied by her son and his new bride!

 My lovely sister-in-law

 pictured here with her beautiful granddaughters

The Bride wore a collection of family heirlooms: her maternal grandmother's brooch, her paternal grandmother's watch, her daughter's pearl bracelet, 

and she carried a spray of white roses with an antique handkerchief on top of a Bible given

to her parents on their wedding day by the great-grandmother for whom she was named.

Her earrings and the family crest ring were gifts from the Groom.

 Another picture of the granddaughters...I couldn't resist!

The Bride, her daughter-in-law and daughter

 The Groom

 There was no rehearsal the day before. The Bride and Groom wanted to keep it low key and simple.

Both families gathered at the altar, and the 

Bride came down the aisle accompanied by her grandchildren, daughter, and daughter-in-law.

Here she spies her Groom waiting for her.

 Just before they are pronounced husband and wife!

 The new Mr. and Mrs.!!

 Are they happy or what?!

 More joy!

 Part II to follow with pictures of family and friends!

Let The Others Eat Cake

     Last week's birthday bash for our first grandson was purposefully low-key. With his parents currently undergoing a house renovation that has seen them moving out of their house and decamping to not one, not two, but three different locations, they opted for a "just family" outdoor party in a neighborhood park. The Daughter kept things really simple, and it was a good call. She served mini cupcakes from The Cupcake Collection, mini ice cream sandwiches and little bottles of ice water. There were picnic tables, a few helium balloons for decoration, a frisbee, some nerf rockets, lots of shade trees, and a good old fashioned playground nearby.
    The weather was amazing. When the daughter sent out her Paperless Paperless Post invites, and I realized the party was going to be outside, I worked up a sweat just thinking about it. Four o'clock in the afternoon in August in Nashville can be absolutely brutal. Last year the heat index for the very same day was 106. Yikes. The boy may have a few "hot" birthday parties in his future, but this first one was not one of them. The temperature was only 84 degrees, the humidity was low, and I never even broke a sweat!
    The Birthday Boy was a champ! He loved the attention, loved his toys, and had a great time. But he did not like his cupcake much. It was pretty funny!

Uh oh. Something's up.

Everybody has gathered around me, and they are singing some silly song.

 Oh wow. Take a look at that thing. Is that candle for me?

 I'm thinking about it...

 Not so sure about that blue stuff...

 I think it's growing on me...

 Good one of the family, except that I forgot to look at the camera!

 Let's skip the cake part...I'm just gonna concentrate on the icing...

 GiGi comes over to help me along....

 Now it's time to open presents. Yippee!

I love Thomas the Train!

 My cousins and sister are only too happy to help me out with the presents

Aunt Kelly and my cousin Mia are a big help!

Sister is trying to explain the instructions to me. I'm not too interested.

Momma decides that I need to try on my new shoes...

What are shoes anyway? I like my bare feet just fine.

Momma, I'm telling you it's not gonna happen!
Take these things off NOW!

 This is my Pappy, my cousin and my sister. We are adding another cousin
in a week or two. There's already room in Pappy's lap for him!

 That's my Uncle Bear and my Aunt Betta

 That's my Momma with my great-granddaddy, Pa Poag

 Here's Uncky, Nannie, and my cousin (Little Two). 

 That's my Uncle Jacob and my Aunt Kelly

 This is my cousin Tatum, my grandmother Gigi, and Ken.

 This is another shot of Uncle Bear and my cousin (Little Two)

Tatum and I are chillin' out with Pa Poag, our great-grandfather

My party sure was a lot of fun. I want to do it again next year.

And can you guess why Nonna told me that this is her very favorite picture from that day???