Jeff's Birthday

For Jeff's Birthday, we had a low country boil. It was great! It was also Mimi's birthday. So Mimi and John were here as well as Brandy, Jason, Brooklyn, Brandon, and Taye Taye. Seth and Katie were here and Lora, Chris, Olivia and Jordan. We had a great time. Larkin insisted that Dad have a race car birthday cake (sorry MiMi). It was a fun night and I got so hot, I jumped in the pool with my clothes on...you should've seen the look on the kids faces! They really do have a very cool Nana!!! Anyway, Seth made a "Volunteer" Corn Hole game for Jeff for his birthday...it was cool....even though he told us he was making it for himself...now he wants one..we had fun with it all weekened. Brandy and family got Jeff shorts and a pirate shirt that Brandon picked out (too cool, Lucas!) and I had the quilt that his Grandmother had made him quilted. It was such a neat gift. It was the only thing left in the house when we moved in (May 1999)....thank goodness. He wants to hang it on the wall...it was his "whirly bird" quilt. It means a lot to him. All in all it was a very good weekend. We also went over to Uncle Kenneth's house for a cookout Saturday night and got to see Uncle Robert, Aunt Curly, Aunt Tinker, Aunt Marie, Aunt Ally-O, Uncle Sherman, and lots of other family and friends. Everyone commented on Larkin and how handsome he is and dark and what a great disposition he has! He is a wonderful child and so much fun.
Update: Lori waited until Jonathan was born (since it was only a few weeks away) and made Jeff a coffee cup with all of his grandchildren on it (trimmed in orange, of course!).....he drinks out of it everyday! Taye Bug said "hey Papaw, dats me papaw, dats me, on the tup, Papaw!"






In case you are wondering or haven't guessed yet, No he did not eat the watermelon, he just licked the salt off.....but he had fun doing it!

The Beach 2008 and a few memories

I want to tell you all about our summer, but we have just been so busy.
We had such a good time with Henry, Harrison, Deidra, and Brian. Holly and Walker, TIffany and Sydney, Sharon, Mike, Wyatt, and Lauren (so now we know even more fraternal twins!). We can't forget Seth and Katie who came down and played with us for awhile. I have tried so hard to get them into my slideshow, but for some reason some of the pictures keep kicking out. Give me a little time and I will fix it!

Cindy, Marty, Pat, and Lyndsey entertained us while we were in Destin. When we got home, we brought Olivia and Jordan with us and we watched Lora and Chris' wedding video. How much fun it was to see big hair! Also, Little Pat was on there dancing his heart out like Seth and Brandy! How fun that was, we laughed and then Katie realized that Seth was almost 9 in the video and that I was holding him.....Larkin is 5 and I can barely pick him up anymore.....Is Larkin that much bigger than Seth or is Mommy just a little older now!?! Don't answer that!

JOJO and EE

We had such a good time with the twins this past week...we wanted to go play tennis, but it was terribly hot....so we went bowling, to the movies, out to dinner, swimming, and some nights we were so tired....we just rested! You know you are all worn out when the kids say "let's just stay home and rest!" Brandy, Brooklyn, Brandon, and Taylor came and spent time with us as well as Katie! Thanks to Brandy and Katie the week went very well! I miss my "dollies" so much and can't believe how fast they are growing up!

Kung Fu Larkin

My baby boy is growing so fast and is now trying to order things for me from infomercials on my cell phone.....He is soo Good to his Mom!!!!

Larkin has decided that I need those pretty bulbs that you fill up with water and place in the pot with your plants (my poor plants!); and a pocket book that holds everything including 2 bottles of water and and umbrella; oh yeah, and don't forget the green bags that keep your food fresher longer!

Well, to make a long story short, the 1st couple of times he grabbed my cell phone to call...well, he didn't get the whole phone number punched in.....as it turns out, he has now located the pause button on the remote (boy they really do learn about the remote far too young these days!!!)! So, now he pauses the tv, locates my cell, backs the TV up a little, and starts punching numbers. He really wants me to have these things and he says that I need them! I tell him "all I need is you!"

JoJo and EE went with us to buy Larkin's 1st school supplies!

Can you say heartbreak!?! Thank the Lord that Jordan and Olivia were with us or I would have broken down in the store buying my baby boy's school supplies for Kindergarten. I am having such a hard time with this (thank God I work in a mental health facility.....I may need their services). You see, I KNOW just how fast it all goes from here. One day they are starting to Kindergarten, the next day they are driving, the next day it's off to college (and then I do melt down). I'm not a woman of many tears...no crybaby here....but there are some things that bring me to my knees....they are my children. I love them all so much and the grandchildren....whew.....You just have to experience it to comprehend the depth of it all....the love, the growing pains, the compassion, and the strength that is FAMILY. I love my BABIES.....every last one of them beyond measure!!!!!!!!!

Destin 2008

All the kids were here

Now, ask me if I even thought about getting my camera out?!?
Ok, Seth and Katie were here Sunday. Lori, Burt, John, and Clara were here Monday afternoon/evening as well as Brandy, Brooklyn, Brandon, and Taye Taye (they usually are here on Monday/Tuesday). After they had all left for the evening. I went to put my cell phone on the charger, noticed my camera on the charger and I said "Jeff Casteel, do you realize that all 5 grandchildren were here tonight and we could have taken a few pictures....and" and I guess I was a little excited about seeing everyone....I just forgot. Clara is growing and filling out and yes, she looks just like her Mommy. John weighs almost as much as Brookie and Brandon who are 2 1/2 years older than him. John has a very good appetite and eats well! He is solid as a rock and heavy to pick up. Brookie feels like a feather in my arms compared to John. He is not fat, just solid. Maybe he can teach Uncle Larkin to eat a few things. We had a good evening. Next time, someone please remind Nana or Naye Naye to get the camera out!!! Please!