We've just returned from our trip to the East Coast. After having to change our clocks on Saturday night for Daylight Savings and then having to adjust them to the Eastern Time Zone on Sunday, we decided that we may reconsider traveling that direction for Daylight Savings Weekend in the future!!
Anyhow... we started off the week in Monticello where Ray C. and the children had a wonderful time hanging out with family! My parents came down to get me so I could go to my grandfather's house for a few days to help them clean it up! We were able to get rid of a lot of empty boxes and papers from 15 years ago that he didn't care about having anymore! (By the way, he approved of everything!)
After a full day of cleaning and a good 8 hours of sleep, my aunt called early Wednesday morning to say that my uncle had died of a heart attack. My mother and grandfather were devastated, but we know God had a hand in the timing with us already being there for the news and Papa not being by himself.
So, we traveled to St. Simons Island, GA for all of the funeral arrangements and stayed there the remainder of the week in a condo that a friend graciously loaned us. Ray C. and the kids met us on the island, and we were able to enjoy being with family in a different situation than we had planned.
The children were amazing! They did so much "adult stuff" the whole week with great attitudes. They were actually very interested in the whole death process. We allowed them to see Uncle "T" in the casket, and they were not afraid at all. Chase kept touching him to be sure he really died. He was very confused about how he could die but still be here. We had some great conversations about death and souls.
Chase announced on Saturday morning that he couldn't wait to bury Uncle "T". When I asked why, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "cause I've never done it." My mom and I looked at each other and, at the same time, said to him, "We're not going to bury him ourselves, you know!" He actually thought we were going to dig the hole!
The kids sat through the funeral and the burial service and were excited to see that Grandaddy was the preacher for a change! Jean asked my dad to do the service because Uncle "T" thought so much of him. In fact, he said that he was one of three of the most incredible men he'd known in his life!
The entire week was a celebration of Uncle "T"'s life - exactly the way he would have wanted it!
Because Finley was too small to ride some rides, we were able to truly benefit from the FunPass system and their "buddy pass" to ride our favorite rides several times with no wait time!!
The Swiss Family Robinson tree was really cool. I tried to convince the kids to read the book. Maybe they'll read it if I just get it for them anyway!
Everyone was excited about the Incredibles, and the "Crew Members" helping organize the pictures loved me! :) I overheard them saying that I should be doing their job...which could have meant I was too bossy....but I told them that I'm a wedding planner which means organizing quick pictures is a must!
Couldn't resist a picture in front of the fake city scape in Hollywood Studios!
Everyone's favorite...After Thomas poked his eye, the monster chased the kids! It was hysterical!
We did everything we could stand in two days! It was a great trip to Disney World! Too bad we have to downsize our house now...just kidding! 
We had fun seeing the chickens and goats they have now!
I was really excited that Jordan went with us! It made for a fun trip! Finley LOVED Jordan! I must admit that I was jealous! Finley never talks to me, but she wouldn't let go of Jordan!
I can never resist snapping pictures of the kids with their grandparents! I love this one of Chase with his Papa!
Ray C.'s dad got married this past weekend! We had so much fun getting ready for it! However, it did take a while to get all four girls' hair braided and everyone dressed! This is my sister-in-law and me working on hair while everyone else watches! We have 7 children 7 and under between the two of us! So, "Peppy" inherited 7 little angels on Saturday, and they ADORE her!!
We were so excited that Honey and Jessie were able to come down for the wedding. There were so many people there that we had a video feed in a separate room!
This is our niece, Maggie, throwing flower petals down the aisle!
Of course, all the kids were in the wedding, but I don't have a good picture of the boys, yet.
With three preachers, they are REALLY MARRIED! Ray C. did the main part of the ceremony which included a wonderful homily. We heard so many compliments on what a great wedding it was - the best most people had ever been to. They are such a sweet couple - perfect for one another, and it showed throughout the ceremony! They cried like twenty year olds getting married!
I thought it was so neat that they chose to use all local vendors. That means a lot when you consider that the population of Monticello is under 7000!
Peppy and Papa with all their grandkids. They fed each of them a bite of cake! I may be the only one who noticed the symbolism of it, but I really appreciated it regardless. FYI...the tradition of the bride and groom feeding one another comes from the groom feeding the bride to symbolize that he will provide for her and her feeding him to symbolize that she will take care of him. So, when they began feeding one another, I couldn't help but think about the symbolism of their grandparents taking care of them! It made me smile!
Uncle Glen, me, and my mom!
My mom with Juanice and me!
This is all of Ray C.'s mom's family! We were SO grateful that they came! Their support meant so much to us all and was a testament to all who heard they were present of how special our family is!! (Thanks again, grandma and grandpa, Uncle Art, Aunt Ruth, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Barb! We love you)
Making it official! Everyone signing the marriage certificate!
I love this one! Aren't they the cutest couple?
