Baby Mae Kathryn = JOY

 The baby is here, the baby is here!  Our sweet lil' niece Mae Kathryn arrived this week born at 10:29 p.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2015.  She is 8 lbs., 3 oz. of pure sweetness and perfection. 

Look at that precious face - adorableness wrapped in a blankie!

 

Little did I realize when I married Matt 16 years ago that I would inherit the most wonderful sister and brother-in-law EVER - and now, a NIECE!  Laura's due date was on Monday, while I was in New York (blog post coming soon...) and it pained me to think they'd have her over the weekend or while I was there.  I'm ecstatic and thankful that her debut was later this week.

This little girl is going to be super spoiled!

 

Everyone was on baby watch this watch this week.  I was getting texts from family and friends all week asking about John and Laura.  The kids could hardly wait to meet Mae after school yesterday.  Laura told me that a couple of times throughout the day, she had tried to send her back to the nursery, but she'd have a visitor and would send for Mae.  She said, before too long, she just decided to keep her in the room since there was a steady stream of visitors all day.  Everyone is so in love with this little girl and her sweet parents.  Laura looked simply amazing after a long day, and John was smiling ear to ear the entire time.  What an exciting journey ahead! 

 Isaac has told me more than once that he wants Mae to call him "Unky Isaac."  What a turkey he is!  Little Mae is going to be tickled being around this character all the time.  The kids took turns holding her, and it was never long enough.  They loved her little toes, her little hat, her cute little blonde eyelashes, her sweet little cheeks, HEAVEN on earth!  It's been a while since we've had a baby in the family.  We can't wait to love on Mae and watch her grow!  She's got lots of built in babysitters!  We love you sweet girl!

Granny B's Love

 

We lost dear Granny on Sunday, August 9.  She'd been suffering with Alzheimer's for the last two years and required round the clock care.  Granny meant the world to me, Matt and our kids.  She spoiled our kids rotten, and they were hers every Friday for a couple of hours - so I could regain my sanity and run errands (kid-free).  She'd let them destroy her house, chase them up and down her stairs, bang on her piano, empty her deep freeze of push-ups, push them around on her ride-on's, play, play, and play.  She always made me feel like I was doing a great job as their mother and would feed me when I came to pick them up.  It was usually something delicious like fresh pimento cheese and potato chips.  It does take a village to help raise your kids, and Granny was the queen in our village.  I'm forever grateful for the my time with her the last 19 years and her influence on our children during those crucial years of development.  She will be truly missed.

Granny's Obituary

I wanted to add this letter to my post because it truly captures the kind of woman Lucy Ann was and always will be - written by her granddaughter Ann.

Granny 
By: Ann Bradford Caballero 

Granny had three great loves in life: her God, her family, and her church, and she gave her all to each. To know her, was to love her. To be loved by her, was a privilege. She was one of those people whose lives so deeply touched other people’s lives that they didn’t wait to boast about her. I’ve heard people sing her praises my entire life. There is no doubt in any of our minds that when she met Jesus face to face this past Sunday that she heard the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” straight from her Creator’s lips. She sure didn’t have an easy life, but she found her strength and grace in a rescuing and redeeming Savior, and she, in turn, passed on that strength and grace to everyone around her. There are so many stories that I could share about her, but I want to highlight, what I think is her legacy. She loved people, particularly children, like no one I’ve ever known and committed herself to teaching children to love the Lord. She taught children’s Sunday School for as long as I can remember and was the beloved “Ms. Lucy” who always had candy in her purse. She wanted each of her children and grandchildren to know and love God. I can remember so many church services where she had a pew full of us grandchildren, and by pew-full, it could have been eight to ten energetic kids. I guess the bigger picture of us hearing about God trumped the risk of what she might personally endure trying to wrangle all of us, though an endless supply of Fruit Stripes gum in her purse sure helped. Wherever she went, we went with her. She took us right along with her many days as she managed the family business at Bradford Moving & Storage. She stockpiled countless bikes and riding toys in the large warehouse to keep us entertained while she worked. There really is no telling how many times we lapped the aisles on those riding toys in that wide-open place. She loved having us with her and we knew it. To be loved and wanted were intangible gifts that she continuously gave us. She let us grandkids invade every part of her life…her church, her work, and her home. In the Gospels, there is a description of Jesus noticing and welcoming the children in His midst. There is no better picture for me of how her life aligned with His than this one. If you’ve ever been in her house, you know, that making space for kids was her priority. From the dining room area set up with kid-sized tables at every holiday to toys stuffed in endless cabinets and closets throughout the house to the carport that looked like a garage sale of riding toys at any given time to the deep freezer dedicated to a never-ending supply of Popsicles, ice cream bars, and push-ups, it wasn’t hard to tell that kids were always on her mind. My how we played and played in that house of hers. Her patience seemed never-ending, unless we really pushed the limits, like getting someone stuck in her laundry chute. And even then, her correction was gentle, “Well, I think we’d better find something else to do,” she’d say calmly. Her love was fierce, but her approach was gentle. Granny also shared her love of music with us. For many years, her piano had tape and writing on the keys, as she tried teaching us how to play. We could often hear her singing or humming hymns throughout the day. Since she left this world on Sunday, I’ve almost been able to hear her voice singing one of the hymns she sang most frequently. “Oh victory in Jesus,” her quiet voice would sing, “My Savior forever, he sought me and bought me with his redeeming love. He love me ere I knew him and all my love is due him… And, one sweet day I’ll sing up there, the song of victory.” Our beloved Granny, Mom, and Wife: that day of victory for you is today and forevermore. We rejoice for you, though we miss you terribly. Part of who each of us is will always be because of who you were.