Flashback Friday--Like Father, Like Son

Today's Flashbacks are in honor of my sweet boy, Roy (#1). Ever since we found out that our second child would be a boy and I started buying and receiving cute smocks, bubbles, appliqued jon-jons, etc, I have never heard the end of it. I was given a time limit for these clothes, each Sunday I'd hear--and still hear-- the grumble. When I showed him a new find I got at a sale I'd see the rolling of the eyes and hear the "I'm sorry, Buddy" comments.

Well Roy, lookie what I found in your baby box. I think these fashions have a little history in the Graham family tree. Here is a trip down memory lane of some of your best toddler getups. (p.s. I married a cute, cute boy!!).

Remember last summer when I bought that cute little froggie bubble for RoyBoy? I definitely didn't get a round of applause when I brought that thing home. Hmmm. Looks like someone else was a little partial to frogs appliqued on his jon-jon. Get used to this sight, because Roy Austin has a few of these in his Summer '09 Collection:

Here is Roy and his cousin, Jerusha, sitting on their grandparent's front lawn wasting tissues. Roy is sporting another cute little jon-jon, knee socks, white booties and all. And by the looks of these last two pictures, someone really loved his paa-paa:

Here is the Graham family sitting for what I think was their Christmas card photo? Jane help me out, here. Check out little Roy in his lederhosen. See, real boys wear knee socks, Roy, and it's okay for little men to wear saddle shoes, too:

This sweet picture makes me smile. You can barely tell, but yes....Roy is wearing what I can only assume to be a longall. Roy Austin wore these a few times this past winter and they passed the test with mild eye-rolling. This flashback is more for the cuteness factor and the fact that there is no doubt that Roy Austin has his Daddy's hair. The color, thickness, style. It's a little clone-ish:

And there is no doubt that Roy is HIS Daddy's son. When I saw this picture, I saw Roy big time in Franklin. Roy's mouth, hair and serious, concentrating stare look just like his dad's did in the picture! I actually see it all the time in his facial expressions. It's scary how much a child can resemble a parent:

Oh, and if you want a good Easter craft/snack idea to do with your children this weekend or next week, I have one posted on Roof With a View today. Click on the link to see the how-to. It's very easy, yummy and the kids will love it!

Have a good weekend, everyone! We are off to Lynchburg tomorrow for Spring Break! The Logans are coming up from Florida, too, so it will be a slam-packed week of cousins, Caroline's 4th Birthday, seeing old friends and even a Mary Kay party thrown in:)

Flashback Friday, Birthday Style!

Twenty-three years ago today, Roy's little sister, Cissie, was born. I'm sure many of you have wondered about her name. Her real name is Jane Austin, named after her mom and grandmother, but when she was a baby, her three older brothers called her Cissie and so, it stuck! I think it fits her perfectly, because it's a unique, special name and she is definitely unique and special:)

Cissie was a surprise baby, or better yet a true blessing from God! When she was born she had three older and adoring brothers just waiting to hold and take care of her. Roy was 9 when she was born and vividly remembers everything about that time. He always has talked so positively about her and how he loved taking care of her. She has a special place in his heart and he'll still say to me sometimes, "Man, I can't believe my little sister is married!".

(By the way, check out how good Jane looks just days after having a baby! Woohoo! Panty hose and everything!)

When I first met Cissie, I was a nervous wreck. Roy and I had been dating for about 2 months and he talked about her a lot. Being the youngest of the family, I know how important it is to win the youngest member of the family over when you want to make a good impression:) So, it was Easter Sunday and the Graham family was coming into town to drop Roy off after Easter break. From what Roy had said, I knew Cissie was very fashion conscious, so I had Dolly come help me pick out the "perfect" outfit and off I went to meet the family. In all honesty, I was more nervous to meet Cissie than Jane and Franklin! So there we were, meeting for the first time and then going off for a quick dinner. She didn't say much to me that night (she had just turned 14, so she was too cool for school), but she did say she liked my shoes, so I knew that I was off to a good start.

Cissie, you are a very special person to all of us. You bring lots of laughs, funny outlooks, insight, completion-- and style--to the family. You have already accomplished and experienced so many wonderful things in your young life and we cannot wait to see what else God has in store for you! We hope this year brings you much happiness. We love you!

Flashback Friday

This Flashback Friday takes us back to the year 2000. We were fresh off of the worry of Y2K and life was good and carefree.

Here is a picture of me and Dolly taken in February of that year. Dolly was living in Washington DC and working for Concerned Women for America. Daddy surprised me, Dawn and Dolly one weekend and gave us his points at The Mayflower Hotel right in the heart of DC. Dawn and I drove up there and met Dolly in our wonderful hotel room. We had the best girl's weekend, enjoying Starbucks, walking the streets, shopping and pampering ourselves:

Nikki, this one's for you. This was taken at Nikki and Mark's wedding. Their reception was in the front yard of her parent's beautiful home. Out of nowhere, this lady came off the street and into the tent, crashing the party. Nobody knew who she was and the best part was that she was hiding food in her purse! Just like the girl on Steel Magnolias:

In the Summer of 2000, I did an internship on Capitol Hill with my representative. I thought I was something else taking the metro to the Hill, getting off with all the government people and walking to my building. Because Dolly worked in downtown DC, too, we often met for lunch. One day she and Amy met me at the Capitol for a tour. I thought I was so cool showing them around and taking them to the Starbucks in one of the Senate buildings. Amy took this picture and I'm guessing she was really focusing on the Washington Monument?

One weekend the three of us spent a Sunday paddle boating at the Jefferson Memorial and walking through Georgetown. Now, I have mentioned in a previous post that I was a Jackie Kennedy Onassis nut. Here's the proof: I figured out where she and JFK lived when he was a Senator and I made the girls come with me for a photo op on the front porch:
Here is a sweet picture from that summer. You are looking at the bellies of Denise (left) and Dayna (right). Who is inside? Danny and Juette! Wow. Maternity clothes have come a long way in 9 years!!:

In late August, once college was getting back in session, Roy and I drove up to Kings Dominion to meet Dolly and some of her friends one Saturday. Roy and I were just getting serious and talking possible future plans. Dolly kept trying to embarrass me in front of him, and it was almost working. Notice her left hand in this picture and which finger she is casually bending:

September 2000 was the first time Roy took me home to meet his family. I don't know why he waited so long! I grew up in a family where there were no guns in the house, so imagine my shock when all the Graham boys came out of the house one afternoon with guns ready to shoot!! I took my try at it with my future brother-in-law's help. I needed all the help I could get...this was my first shooting experience and I have to admit, it was fun:

Like my jeans? They were Calvin Klein and I thought they were so cool! I think Roy was really impressed with my shooting skills:

Happy Friday, everyone!

Flashback Friday

I have had a busy week, so I wasn't able to scan some old photos into the computer for today. This one will have to do. I love this picture and I have it framed in my kitchen. This was taken Christmas Eve 2005 in my parent's basement right before our annual Christmas Eve Dinner. While growing up, it was our job to clean up the kitchen after dinner each night. Somehow Dawn, Dolly and I ended up getting stuck with it and we hated it!! We learned to turn dish duty into singing sessions (we actually harmonize pretty well) and girl talk time. I still hate to clean up the kitchen, but it's always more fun when you have 4 other people helping you do it! Thank you, Jesus, that the neices and nephews can start doing this pretty soon.

Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend!