November 07 is so different from 06! Last year we were so sad because of all that happened in Jefferson County! This year, there is a deep scar, but we're healing and the three precious grandchildren shown above are a big part of that healing. We are truly thankful for each of these precious children we have been given to love! Our day began early and the turkey was popped into the oven before 8 to ensure that we ready by lunch to enjoy our "feast". God blessed us with plenty of food, all three of our children at home, and all of the grandchildren here for part of the day! Charli had to go visit her mom and family for the day, but once Julia and Sam arrived, the house was "popping" again! They are so delightful! Julia alternates between being an Auburn and Tennessee fan, and Sam is GEORGIA all the way! Its such fun to try and trip him up by saying "War Eagle" or "Roll Tide"!!! His response is always "GO DAWGS-woof, woof" He is so cute and is quickly losing his baby look! (boo hoo) At just 3 weeks younger than Charli, he is the baby of the family! Julia, our first grandchild never fails to amaze me, and her beauty is breath-taking! She is also the sweetest and funniest angel! Charli is full speed ahead, and charming, and adorable, and Mr. Sam-man is a heart stealer! They are my very HEART!
Juila is 5 now, and reading well, and doing math in her head although she is only in kindergarten! Jud couldn't be with us because he and his dad have a Christmas Tree business, and it's in full swing by Thanksgiving! Lots of folks finish dinner and head to find their tree, so Christmas Tree City, in Rome Georgia is there--selling trees to make Christmas beautiful!
As we give thanks today, I thank God for salvation, and the Son He gave for me, I thank him for my Christian husband, and for four wonderful children who love the Lord and serve Him and for the beautiful grandchildren He has blessed me with! I hope you can be thankful too!

FUN SATURDAY!

1. Julia, 5, on the slide, with Aunt Amy, Uncle Matt, and baby brother, Sam. 17 months

2. Matt and Charli, 18 months

3. Aunt Amy and Sam

These pictures tell some of the story of last weekend, and I wanted to share what a weekend we had!!! Pam and Jud had planned, weeks ago, to attend the Georgia game with friends, and David and I agreed (very willingly) to keep Julia and Sam. Little did we know that David would have to be hospitalized for a heart catherization on the Friday before! Amy had agreed to come home to help with the three and we had a good time although G-daddy wasn't really feeling great! (Pam and Jud offered to make other arrangements for Julia and Sam, but my heart was set on having them, so we went full speed ahead!) Amy was a REAL TROOPER, and really worked hard, covering for G-Daddy! The were wonderful, and we made it to church, almost on time, for Sunday School. On Sunday afternoon, we took Julia and Sam back to their parents' and stayed for the evening worship service where Pam's husband, Jud, was ordained as a deacon for their church. We are really proud of the fine Christian husband and father he is! The weekend was great, and the only down thing is that they did find blockage in 3 of David's arteries. 60%, 50% and 30%. They are treating it with medication. Keep us in your prayers.

Also, while you're praying, there is a special little girl, Mallory McElhaney, age 2 1/2 who has a disorder known as Mitochondrial Disorder. It is a genetic disorder that causes multiple medical issues, and the life expectancy of a child with this disorder is to not live out of childhood. The average age is 7. Mallory is the third of three daughters, and her older siblings are Laauren, 5 and Anna Kate, 4. Mallory's family is very close to Pam and Jud, and they spend lots of time together, so we see them often, as well!

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope its not too boring.

Labor Day is truly a wonderful time if your grandchildren visit and you get to catch them dressed for church! On Sunday, the Rutlands came over from Rome and I made this photo of Sam, Julia and Charli before they changed into play clothes! As you can see, Sam wasn't really happy about his older sister holding him in place! We had a happy visit and Charli loved playing with the two cousins! She and Sam are "learning" to share toys and Julia is busy finding places to play that will stop the two little ones from grabbing her things! They are growing faster than I would have imagined they possibly could, and they are so delightful! Sam is almost 17 months old, Julia is 5 years old and Charli is almost 18 months old! Before long they'll be too big to pose in G-daddy's chair!

Introducing Charlise (Charli) Robertson! Yes, I know there's already a photo of her in the family portrait, but that was before her legal name was changed to reflect that she belongs to the ROBERTSON CLAN! If you've been reading my eldest daughter's blog you know the problems we've had over the past year. I will spare you the long version, but tell you that last October, after almost a year of court hearings, Matt was divorced from his wife of 14 months. Charli is the result of that brief marriage, and Matt was granted primary custody of her on October 4, 06 when she was only 7 months old. In an effort to regain custody, lies were told that hurt our family badly. When the dust settled, Charli was back with us, and Alyssa now lives with her mom and her mom will not allow us any contact. Charli is now 16 months old, and this picture was taken a week ago, just before we left for Sunday School. She is the delight of our hearts, along with her two cousins, Julia and Sam Rutland. She loves her cousins, and they love her too! We can only imagine what she and Sam, who is 3 weeks younger than her, will get into when they get older! Poor Julia will have her hands full, trying to get her little brother and her little cousin to stay out of her stuff! Here's a picture of the three of them on the 4th of July! We thank God daily for the miracle of our grandchildren. David and I delight in them constantly! They are so very precious! God has entrusted Miss Charli to Matt, and we are helping him with her until he gets more adept at parenting. He is doing really well with her, and she loves her Daddy! Personally, David and I think we have the four cutest grandchildren in the world, and we miss "Miss Alyssa" the granddaughter we aren't allowed to see. She will always be in our hearts and hopefully she'll come to visit when she is grown and make her own choices.