Pigtails and Crewcuts

For some time I have been wanting to cut Bella's hair short...closer to a "bob" style. I got half brave a few months back, but only went shoulder length...didn't seem to do it. So I let her continue growing it out but it just seemed so stringy.

SO...while in Georgia, her cousin Breanna had a short haircut and she wanted hair like Breanna. So naturally we did not wait to jump on that. So off to the local kiddie hair salon...

BEFORE...

DURING...

AFTER...

Beach Bums

Columbus, GA is only 189 miles from Panama City Beach...which happens to be on the list of one of world's more beautiful stretches of beach! So naturally we escaped to the beach, not once, but TWICE! It was the perfect escape!

One of Abbey's favorites was waiting for the waves to roll in and roll back out...

We also learned that after our first trip to the beach it would have been a good idea to have a little pool for Abbey to play in...also somewhere to rinse her hands in...she was a little particular with the sand on her hands. Besides on our 2nd trip to the beach the waves were quite overwhelming, so the little pool was perfect!

On our 2nd escape my cousin's joined us for some family fun. We stayed on the beach this time...SO much more convenient, but all of us in ONE room! Fortunately we were barely in the room and when we were, it seemed to work out fine. Certainly made for some extra fun memories! And since "Uncle" Stuart had the snorkel mask, he found MANY little crabs for Bella and Breanna...was a little difficult for the girls to send the little crabs back to their mommies before leaving the beach, but they did.

Old Friends

While we were in Georgia we took the opportunity to catch up with some old friends. So as to not impose completely we took the whole weekend to visit with the Carey's! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to say the least. Oddly our hubbies had similar taste in music and guitars as well. (http://thecareyclan.blogspot.com/)

They took us to lunch for some quick Mexican food! Always a hit with our family! Shell, if you are reading this...don't forget to try our MI favorite - Qdoba! Mmmmm!!!

Although Abbey is only a mere 5ish months older than Ava...she kept calling Ava...bebe, bebe. "Baby" Ava was adorable and sweet...and a great hostess! Not a fuss over sharing any toys nor her beloved Paci!

Thank you Carey's for a great visit!

Georgia Fun

While in Georgia it was not all doom and gloom, we tried to make the best of our time there and enjoyed making many fun memories as well. Below are some of those memories...

My cousin Breanna turned 9! She had her birthday at "Hollywood Connections". It's a movie theatre showing only movies for kids (G, PG, PG-13) and in the complex they have rides, arcade, putt-putt, restaurant, and plenty of screaming crazy kids! Fun!!!

Abbey LOVES water! We got there and it was already a "Michigan summer" so we bought a little pool to keep cool. Of course the neighbor came out to the fence a little concerned the "baby" might catch a cold since it was still a chilly 84 degrees. I reassured him we were from MI and were used to cold water and she would be ok. hehe Anyways, I went to turn the hose on and had my back to the pool, by time I turned around Abbey had made herself comfy in the cool water.

Playing in the rain...

Abbey's favorite chair to sit in and watch Elmo...

"Monkey Joes"...aka "Pump it up" Georgia style.

Field Day with Breanna

Anne Shannon, Grandma Shannon, Granny, Friend, Foe...

I am struggling to write this blog entry...

You see my Grandma was not a nice person. Oh sure, there were those she knew outside of the family that thought the world of her, thought she was generous, kind, thoughtful, sweet, and so on. Those of us close to her knew the real Anne Shannon. Anne Shannon hurt many in her lifetime...her daughters, grand-daughters, siblings, husband, friends, and so on. She hurt all of us with her words, lies, betrayals, etc.

So when I got a call on Easter Sunday on my cell phone, from her house, I knew. I did not shed a tear for Anne and felt no sorrow. I felt relief that her journey on earth had come to an end. I only felt anxious of what would lie ahead...funeral preparations, managing her estate, and how everything was going to "go down" so to say.

Well this is how it went down...

Loaded up the car and drove down with my girls and mom to Georgia thinking we'd be there about 3-4 weeks. Enough time to have a funeral, have an estate sale and clean the house out ready to be sold. You see...last I knew I was the executor of her will, and had been deeded her home with rights of survivorship. The house was and is still mine legally, the will...well she voided it complicating things a bit. But for now, paperwork and probate are in process and I am now "administrator" of her estate.

So back to how it all went down...

I really don't know how to sum up my time spent there...to say the least drama, drama, DRAMA!!! If you want details...you'll have to ask. But to suffice, my trip there came at the cost of a relationship...while other relationships grew and have become even more cherished than they were before. Grandma created drama while alive and made sure there would be plenty of drama once she was gone.

This blog topic will evolve I am sure...

Happy Belated Easter

Life has been a little crazy the last two months so thought we'd go back to where we left off...Easter!

Our church this year did Sunday morning beautifully! I was blessed to be able to participate in our worship. Bella also joined me on stage for one service...didn't get a chance to get a pic of her up there but am glad she chooses to participate whether from the comfort of her seat or in front of all.

Here are a few pictures of friends we enjoyed on our Easter Sunday.

After worship we joined our extended family for some food and fun!