Birthday Boy!

Yesterday was Papa's Birthday and according to Brooklyn he is a whapping 30 years old. Hope you had a Happy Birthday. Mimi made a delicious meal of roast beef, rolls, salad, greenbean casserole, mashed potatoes, and olives. All of that topped off with a Red Velvet cake (per Papa's request) and ice cream. It was all yummy. Of course I forgot my camera. Entertainment was provided by Brookyn and Jack, as they danced and sang along to High School Musical 3. It was hilarious to watch. There was only 1 thing missing...the Brights. We wish ya'll could have been there to help us celebrate.

Here are several reasons I'm glad Papa was born:
1. He is the ultimate family man...always loves being with his family.
2. He is funny and he doesn't mind when we laugh at or with him.
3. He doesn't get mad about the "big" things.
4. He always reminds us "to remember who we are."
5. He works hard.
6. He supports his family in all that they do...sporting events, talks in church, etc.
7. He loves our mother.
8. He's handy to have around...I have lots of fix it and make-it projects that he's done for me.
9. He was a great example of what a son/daughter should be...he called his mother almost every day, reminding us how important it is to have a relationship with your parents.
10. He was strict, now as an adult I can appreciate it. I think it kept us all safe and on the right path.

Hope you had a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!

And to WRAP things up...King Tut...

get it...to wrap things up! Ha ha ha ha! OK, seriously...we loved this exhibit! The Atlanta Civic Center had a King Tut exhibit. It has huge and really cool! Once again, Kate loved it and wanted to read every display...Clair liked it for about 30 - 45 minutes, and Bowen liked it for -30 minutes (yes, that is NEGATIVE thirty minutes). The only bummer...like the Terracotta Soldiers...you couldn't take photos in the exhibit. So, here are a few from the gift shop and from outside. Bowen in a King Tut head dress...$33...nope, we'll take the book for $4.99! Kate and Clair also wanted to try on the hat...Kate wanted to buy the hat, but her $8 budget wouldn't allow it! I don't think King Tut would appreciate this tissue box in his image! But I thought it was funny!And, one of the greatest treats of this trip was finding my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in ATLANTA...Stephen made a legal U-turn to get us back to Taco Cabana for lunch. Yummy bean and cheese taco for me! :) Then we promptly saved the location on our GPS for future visits! :)

Our Twin Family

The Binns are our friends from Georgia and are the perfect twin match for our family.

They have three kids....just like us...a daughter 7 years old (just like us), a daughter 5 years old (just like us), and a son 2 years old (just like us). We love them ALL! Patrice (the mom) is a great person! She is a good mom and she laughs at my jokes! William is too funny and is a great dad! The family is a great example to us and we LOVE being with them. Even though we don't get to see each other very often, when we spend time together it is like we were never apart! They are such great friends and our kids really love each other and get along wonderfully! It was a wonderful way to spend our Sunday evening in Georgia! Thanks for the yummy dinner and the great company!

We already miss you guys...and your little dogs too!

Day Two in ATL

Next was World of Coke!

They had all these really cool bottles decorated for different cultures.

Then we went into this cool room with all these classic coke signs and got to see other cool vintage stuff!

We meet the Coke Polar Bear!

Then we got to sample 62 Coke products from around the world...Kate and Clair were in "soda" heaven!



We needed some food to counter all the sugar we consumed in the form of soda...soooooo Stephen took us to this great little Brazilian place! Clair LOVED it and even tried chicken hearts and liked them! She ate three! Look at that full belly!

Terracotta Soldiers in the ATL

So, this long weekend we packed up the van and took our little family on a trip to the big city of Atlanta... AKA - ATL! ATL is hosting several really cool exhibits...Terracotta Soldiers from China and a King Tut exhibit from Egypt! So, Saturday morning (Valentine's Day) we went to the Atlanta High Museum of Art to check out the clay warriors. (Kate and Clair with their best solider faces!)

After we saw the Terracotta Soldiers exhibit we checked out some of the art!


Then we washed our art experience down with some yummy and "healthy" food from The Varsity - an Atlanta institution! (Like Kate's onion ring bracelet?)

Then the next morning the girls "dug" out their own Terracotta Soldiers from the gift shop!

Brooklyn's Favorite Gift

Yesterday Brooklyn was eating breakfast in bed...for her birthday and my dad said, "I'm really excited to give you your surprise tonight." (He of course was meaning the state quarter collection that he's been working on for several years.) She said, "Oh, I hope it's a work badge."

Being the good Papa that he is, he went right to work and made Brooklyn her very own "work badge." She loved it.


She especially liked pulling on the retrackable cord. She was so proud wearing it.

I do believe it beat out the quarter collection, dress-up clothes, real clothes, and cheerleading outfit. She "can't wait to wear it to Papa and Mimi's work" the next time she goes! :)

Happy happy birthday Boogie dear!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUSIN!

Little baby Brooklyn with her cousins!
This is one of my favorite pics of Brooklyn...taken at the missions.Clair and Brooklyn...best friends! Look how tender...Brooklyn's little hand holding Clair's hand on her shoulder! SO SWEET!
Beautiful cousins...a little older!

Is this a two headed cutie or two best cousins at the pool sharing a towel?

In Memory

As most of you know, Stephen's sweet grandmother...Margie Worthy Bright...Mimi passed away today! She will be missed. I have been blessed to have married into a great family. A few years ago I wrote a poem inspired by my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law (Mimi). I thought I would share it in her memory!

Women of This Family

Generations of women who share the same name
Yet we lack one thing in common, our blood is not the same
Through marriage our husbands names we take
Now in this family we claim a stake
As we study each gentle women dear
Many similar traits soon become clear
Women in this family are courageous and true
Women in this family work hard and push through
God is center, no other above Him
Obey all commandments, avoid all sin
Teach your children and love them too
Be supportive and proud of all that they do
Husbands are loved and treated well
With a friendship that through time continues to swell
I am proud to be a small part of this great legacy
And hope to bring honor to my limb of the family tree

Rosalind Call Bright

Never a Bore....look who just turned 4!

Yes Brooklyn turned the big 4 today. She was so excited for this day and is even more excited for her party on Saturday. She wanted me to send a card to her cousins Kate and Clair, "begging them to jump in their car so they can get to the party just in time." (Her words to me.) Well, stay tuned for more pictures. I have a really cute picture and movie clip of her playing the Wii the other night at my house. She was so funny. I had a great time watching her try to ski jump without becoming a snowball. It was hilarious...so stay tuned in the days ahead.