Happy 50th Anniversary!

The weekend of October 16, we had a celebration of 50 years of marriage for Jeff's grandparents.  What a busy weekend! I'm pretty sure planning started way back in the summer, but when I got to work in August, it really took off. Invitations, food, cake, gifts, and all that party jazz.
That Friday, Jeff and I left work a little early to get the boys and head to the airport to pick up some VIPs.  Gammy, Teeny, Reese, Grayson and tiny growing baby Lucas. *The last time I saw him was in July, and we will say that he has grown SO much!!* We got back to the house, ordered some pizza and caught up, finally! Grayson's birthday was the day before, so he had a couple gifts to take care of.  The kids missed each other so very much.  Saturday morning, when Jeff and I got up, Teeny was already feeding all the kids waffles. I think every one of them ate two! Hungry kids in the morning.  We headed out around noon, so that we could go by and see the guests of honor, then head to the hotel for the start of the Bama and Texas A & M game, (priorities people!)
I got ready and headed on over to the restaurant (Grille 29 in Huntsville) to set up what I needed to. It was already set up very nicely, and it was the perfect place for a party.  We had an awesome time that night.  The kids played, we heard memories about Bob and Viv, we ate, and we ate...more. Although, in the midst of all the eating, I forgot to write my favorite memory of the couple....Julia, Judy, Jeff's friend, anybody?

NaeNae (aka, Gammy, Natalie) and me. Love!!!

Me and my big boy.
How grown does he look here?

Baby Lucas! Don't you just want to eat  him up?!

Huddy wasn't really into a lot of photos that night, but I managed to get one. 

The sweet girl who made me an aunt, Reese. Missed this girl so much!!

yummmm! CAKE!!!

Just 42 years shy of our 50th....
Love him!

The happy couple.

Teeny and me...missed her!!

He said, "silly face!'

Grayson and H. It's nice that G is in the middle of my boys.  One time, you would see him playing with H, and then, two minutes later, he was with Huddy.

All five of the grandkids!
P.S. notice the bands around Huddy. He found them while we were unpacking at some point. I used them for Baby Boot Camp back in the day. Since he found them, he has been walking with them, carrying them, not sharing them.  He calls them his, "workout" and he uses them to make his arms get strong. You can think his Aunt Katie Linam for all the workout lingo. :)

We had a ton of fun at the party, but I have to say, there was a weight lifted when we got back to the hotel after the party. Everything went off without a hitch.

Sunday, we had to take everyone back to the airport. It was very sad, but we will have them here for a whole week in November for Thanksgiving!! Can't wait!

Our Weekend

Whew! What a crazy few days, and this upcoming weekend is going to be just as crazy!
Thursday night, Harrison had his soccer game. Since this week is fall break for Williamson County, we won't be playing Saturday.  Papa, Mimi and Michael all came to watch Harrison play.  He took a nap at school so he was EXTRA energetic.

Huddy was too busy eating and playing with his friend, Grayson, to watch the game.  He's actually telling me, "no pictuas, mom mom!" I am thinking that is his new favorite phrase.

H is the one with the bright green shoes.  And the wrestling is very typical of these boys....

Funny story: Harrison's BFF, Etta, plays soccer on the same fields.  We have seen her out there a few times. And it's always a big hug and screaming when H and E see each other.  H was on the field and was waiving so big. I totally thought he was waiving at me...Nope.  He was waiving at Etta. Cue the awkward face and tears!

Friday, we left Franklin about 11:15, after we picked the boys up from school and dropped Sam off at the boarding place.  We made it to Tuscaloosa around 2:30 after stopping to eat on the way.  We met Jesie at the gas station and the boys were more than happy to go with her! Thank goodness for my awesome sisters that helped out so much this weekend so Jeff and I could enjoy a trip down memory lane.  Well, we thought it was memory lane.  We drove around that afternoon and it is CRAZY how much Tuscaloosa has grown since we were there 9 years ago...EEK!!!! We felt a little out of date riding around and saying, "what is that and when did that get there?" That being said, it was great seeing all that has been added to "T-town."  We cooked out at Terry and Amy's camper on Friday night.  Saturday, this guy came to visit us:

David had to work the game doing some stats for ESPN, so he came early to stop by.  We miss the Runges so much!!

Later, Jeff and I drove to campus early since we knew that parking would be a nightmare, and we wanted to walk around the Quad for a bit.  We did have to park way out in the middle of nowhere, but we did get our exercise.  On the Quad, we met up with some old Intramural Sports friends. 

L to R: Driskell, Shane Ashcraft, your favorite people and Darrell. We saw Darrell at Steve's wedding in January, and we haven't seen Shane since we graduated. We had some nice chats.

From there, we went ahead and walked over to the stadium. It brought back SO MANY memories. It was also a little chilly, which I didn't think it was going to be. I had only brought flip flops, so we had to go Saturday morning and get me some more boots.  Sad, I know. Just having to add to my shoe collection.

I can't tell you how many pics there are of Jeff and me at a football game like this....

BIG BAMA SPELL OUT!!!

You can tell I haven't been to a game in a while.  The elephant was new to me.

Awesome sunset over Bryant-Denny.

The game was a little stressful for the first 3 quarters, but Bama got it together and won big.  We were EXHAUSTED by the time we got back to the camper. We crashed and didn't wake up until 9:30 the next morning.  We all got dressed and headed out to Waffle House, because where else do you go for breakfast the morning after a game?

Jesie got back up there around 3, so we headed home to Franklin.  

This is how the ride went, per the usual.  Harrison talked the whole way...

and the baby slept. He was so tired.  

We made it back in under three hours. So, Monday I had to pick up Sammy.

Don't mind the ugly kitchen floor. Sam slept the whole day Monday.  He must have played hard, too.

This week is going by so fast; I can't believe it.  They put the carpet in the game room yesterday, so we can finally unpack the boxes that go up there. We go to the airport tomorrow to pick up Gammy, Teeny, Reese, Grayson and Lucas.  We are so excited to have them here!!

Side note: Big HAPPY BIRTHDAYS to my mom and Grayson Jeffrey!!!

What's Up Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! I feel like this week is going by incredibly fast. I'm sure it's because we have been so busy!


What I'm Loving:

These people!! It was so good to see all of these girls last weekend, and I can't wait until we are all together again.  We don't do that enough.  Granted, we are able to do that a lot more now that we live closer to each other, but I don't think it will ever be enough.

I also love the picture of the kids. I honestly think it captures all of their personalities perfectly. Who knew you could do that with an iPhone, am I right?

What We've Been Up To:

This is Fire Safety week at school for Harrison.  This was the other day when they made fireman hats.  Yesterday, he learned how to, "stop, drop and roll." I'm going to have to video how he does it.  It's so funny. Also, check out the little girl behind Harrison.  Can we say, sassy? And...Harrison's best friend in class is little Etta.  She is on the back row with the green tank top.  She plays soccer like Harrison, and they are always together when I go pick him up.

And then, last night, we got home and Huddy usually wants to rock with me or Jeff.  Jeff had a work event, so it was just the boys and me at home.  I asked Huddy if he wanted to rock, and he said yes. However, he did not mean with me.  When I went to take the photo of Huddy being a grown up to send to Jeff, he gave me the stink eye. And then promptly told me, "NO PICTURES MOM MOM!"

I assume it was because he wanted me to finish dinner so he could eat...or at least that's what I'll tell myself.  Surely it isn't because he's becoming more independent and growing up, right?

What I'm Dreading:

Yesterday, I went to the dentist to have some work done.  After two hours of working on my teeth, I came out with a droopy and swollen left side of my face.  It's still swollen today. And to make it all worse, at 7:30 AM tomorrow, I have to have a root canal. So much fun!!! To be completely honest though, I'm looking forward to the root canal because then, my tooth will not be killing me! I've been popping Motrin like candy, but it doesn't do much for the sensitivity. :/ Ok, enough about my dental issues...

What I'm Excited About & What I'm Doing This Weekend:

These two go hand in hand since Jeff and I are headed here:

to see these guys:

lose to these guys:

This is the first game in Tuscaloosa that Jeff and I have been to since, ready for it, 2008!!!! Isn't that crazy?! As much time as we spent at games while in college, we haven't been back in seven years.  We are some slacking alumni. Geez! We are taking the boys to Jesie, and she is taking them home with her to stay with Katie and the girls. Two weekends in a row with Jesie, Katie, T and Ella...they're super excited!

What We're Watching:

Season five is finally on Netflix, so Jeff and I have put all of our current shows on hold! We are obsessed with this show.  I didn't start watching it until last year, but I can't stop. Thursdays are Blue Bloods day on ION, so if I have any time at all, guess what channel my tv is on.

Harrison has been enthralled by this new show on Disney. And,  I have to admit, the theme song is pretty catchy.  I think we have recorded every single episode, and Harrison loves it. Huddy could still care less about TV unless Elmo or Mickey Mouse is on. And then, he will only watch it when they sing.  He's just not a TV kid.  He will watch whatever is on while he is rocking, but that's it.  

What I'm Looking Forward To:

Next weekend, Bob and Viv (Jeff's grandparents) are having their 50th anniversary party in Huntsville.  Natalie, Telena, Reese, Grayson and Baby Lucas are all flying in for the party. We are crazy excited to see all of them. :)

Our First Overnight Guests

Katie, Jesie, Taryn and Ella all came up Friday evening and stayed the weekend.  The Luker house was SUPER excited to see all of them.  Harrison was so excited that Taryn would get to see his new room and sleep in his bed. His teacher said that was ALL he talked about on Friday, and I'm sure they're getting an earful today. They didn't get there until around midnight on Friday, so we didn't see them until Harrison and Taryn woke up at 6:15 a.m. Saturday! Harrison had a soccer game at 9, but we weren't sure if they would play.  It was in the 50's and raining! But, the game was still on.  Jesie stayed home with the two little ones since Ella needed a nap and Huddy is getting over a double ear infection.  We froze out there, but H played well in front of his audience!

We were all bundled up, but I don't think we bundled up enough!

For the rest of Saturday, since it was so very yucky outside, we stayed in and watched football! 

She finally started warming up to me...How cute is this little girl?!

Jesie, Katie and I went out for a little sister time Saturday evening, and the kids stayed home with my ah-mazing husband who volunteered to watch them.  Before we went, we took some photos...

The lighting isn't too good, but we still got one.

My little Huddy Buddy.

This HAS to be one of my favorite pictures EVER!! Taryn's face, H's mouth, and Huddy's whole pose! We told them to make a silly face and we were NOT disappointed by the outcome.

I thought this one was silly, too.

They stayed for Sunday morning, then they had to get home. It was a short trip, but I loved it so much. It was so great to see all of them. When I saw T, she hugged me and said, "I missed you SO much!" Melts my heart!

Yep, we got all four of them to smile!

That Taryn, she's something else!

And Ella is just wondering what is going on here?

The boys get to go to Katie's house this weekend with Jesie.  Jeff and I are headed to the Bama and Arkansas game! Roll Tide!