Family Traditions

What a blessing.......a whole weekend with my Mom's entire family! This is one weekend that we look forward to all year long. My grandparents (Mam and Pap) rent a cabin in Gatlinburg every year before Thanksgiving and our whole family stays for the weekend. They also buy everyone tickets for a show on Saturday night, this year's treat was Dixie Stampede. We arrived Friday night to a yummy yummy dinner and a late night with lots of games and laughs. On Saturday we drove into Gatlinburg and splurged on another family tradition the "Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen." Cooper had the best view in the house on Uncle D's shoulders watching them make taffy. He even got a piece of taffy straight of the machine. I think Cooper would have stayed there all day discussing all the candy he wanted, and watching them make taffy. Saturday evening we were off to Dixie Stampede and a magical show. The highlight of the night however was Dana and Abby being asked to come down to the show arena and participate in one of the games. Good job D and Abby bringing home the win for our team :) The sweetest moment of the night was during a scene when they portrayed the Three Wise Men bringing Mary gifts for Baby Jesus. I was tellling Cooper that it was Baby Jesus and he looked at me with the most serious look and said, "Mommy why is Jesus here? He is supposed to be in Heaven."

I must admit simply looking at these pictures makes me teary eyed. I have such an amazing family. Of course, we are wacky, as all families are but in the end these people are the world to me. I am so lucky that I have been able to share my thirty years of life with the two most amazing, inspiring, good hearted, honest, God-loving people in the world My Grandparents. They have given me so much in my life, material things aside (and Lord knows they have given me that as well) they are simply amazing there are no words to describe them. I thank God daily that not only have I been blessed to have them in my life but that my children have also been able to know them.

My Grandparents watching over "Game Night"

This picture gives "family game night" a whole new meaning
Cooper, Dana, and Abby enjoying the Candy Kitchen
Pap with his Great-Grandbabies
Mam and Brylee

Unfortunately on Saturday night on her way into the cabin my Gradmother took a pretty bad fall. After a short trip to the ER everything checked out just fine. However, this week she has had some complications (pneumonia) and is back in the hospital. I post this simply because I know that the people that read my blog are Prayer Warriors and I ask that you please keep my Grandmother in your prayers!! ( Update: she is home and doing really well) but please keep her in your prayers! Thanks!