Back from Mississippi. We had a wonderful time with that side of the family! I had to put on almost all of the sweet Simon cuddles with Paw Paw - he started saying "pa - pa" while we were there!! The kids just loved playing with Forrest and Dakota. Kara adored the attention she got from Forrest - it was really cute! He made multiple paper airplanes with the Ortlings. The moment he finished folding they would all run outside and see how they flew. Dakota and Simon were a little young to play together, but they played much side by side. They even loved on each other a few times :)! I think both of their favorite things about Gran's hideout under the stairs was pulling the string that turned the light on and off ;)! Em's older brother was able to get back late Friday night, rest Saturday, and come hang out all day Sunday!! We had a big birthday feast for him that day. We're grateful that all Scott's tests came back okay. He's going to try to start eating better for cholesterol reasons and add a bit of aerobic exercise to his LARGE workout routine. Jeff's mom and grandmother arrive tomorrow to visit for a few days. We hope to have some special time with them in the midst of school and the growing lists of meetings and activities :)!

We arrived in Mississippi late Tuesday night to spend time with Em's family. Her dad is going through chemo and radiation right now and all the family is here having some much needed together time!! Em is enjoying doing practical stuff to help around the house, take her dad to the doctor, etc. Jeff and the kids have been BIG helpers, too! They are building a patio out of bricks for PawPaw! The kids have LOVED being in the presence of Uncle Scott and Gran and PawPaw. Uncle David, Aunt Stacey, Forrest, and Dakota arrive today, and we're all thrilled to see them, too (we've never met little Dakota)! ALREADY many pictures have been taken of the fun, so trying to narrow it down today is difficult :)! Em's big brother, Scott, checked himself into the hospital with chest pains last night in Nashville (4 hours away - where he had just delivered his trailers on his UPS truck) . The doctors kept him overnight and are wanting to keep him tonight, too. He is quite frustrated and wants to get back to family time!! We're all praying the tests all come back good and that he might be released this afternoon!!

Catching you up a bit with some pictures of Simon's birthday (7-28)! He loved his cards most. He would hold them and "talk" really loud like he was reading them :)!

This week, he started walking across entire rooms!! He got a bit too accustomed to the dining hall at camp. When I enter the kitchen (at ANY hour), he expects food immediately, and crawls or walks in from wherever he's been! One little growing guy :)!