And then there were six...

We went down to Nashville for the weekend to meet the brand new baby and sixth grandchild in our family, Emily! She is completely adorable and came out with a head full of black hair, just like her older sister Kaylee. Our entire family was together for the occasion, which is an occasion in itself, and the most fun I've had in a while! I love, love, love seeing my sisters and being with their families, and it just keeps getting better and better as we multiply! We spent the time just hanging out, letting the kids play together, talking and catching up, cooking, eating, riding bikes, strolling, and just relaxing. Jude had a ball with his cousins, and was especially intrigued with his boy cousin Tyson. Ty just started to walk, and does this drunken sideways crab walk while simultaneously giggling as loud as humanly possible, and had us all tickled to death most of the weekend! Little Kaylee is getting so big and beautiful, and I knew I was in trouble when I realized that I was jumping on her pink princess bed with her and singing along to her blaring CD (which she rigorously "cleans" after each use, its adorable).

We also had dinner with my girlfriends Anne and Jaclyn, and Jaclyn's husband Pat. It was a perfect night for an outdoor dinner and we had a great time catching up on each others' lives. Jude was the stud of the evening, and was happy getting passed around the group and getting some good love from his honorary aunts! He lunged at Anne in an unabashed attempt to nurse at one point in the evening, and Jaclyn changed his diaper later on, so needless to say, everyone grew quite close very quickly!

Its been interesting to see the family dynamic shifting over the past few years....my sisters and I used to be the focus of family get-togethers since we're the kids, then our husbands came along and took some of the attention off us, and now the kids have completely stolen the show! And I have to say, I'm very happy to give the spotlight to the little ones and give them the doting and affection that I was so lucky to have growing up:) Our parents did a really good job with us, and I'm glad we have the chance to carry that on with our own children. These are great days, and I intend to enjoy every one of them. I can't tell you the number of parents that have warned us about how incredibly fast kids grow up, and before I turn around and warn new parents about the same thing after Jude is grown, I want to take their advice and savor every smile, every hiccup and sigh and drool and goodnight kiss, because no matter how many moments we get, it'll never be enough, will it? :) I hope everyone is coming off a great weekend, and that you all enjoy your week!