Memorial Day Fun

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend. We headed to Nashville because Julie was helping her sister, Latonia, at a campmeeting event. While there we stayed with our friends Andrew and Jessica. A couple of our other friends, Oki and Jason, were there at the same time. While the guys were sleeping Sabbath afternoon we took the kids, Thomas and Christina, to a nearby park. And of course Thomas had a blast. He loves climbing and sliding. It was sure to wear him out. After the guys woke up they took the kayaks to the river for some fun. We took Thomas down to watch for a little bit but he was more interested in playing in the water himself...I should have known.

Sunday morning I went to help Latonia and left Thomas with John. After I returned we took Andrew and Jessica's boat and kayaks out to Percy Priest Lake for an afternoon of fun. It was Thomas' first time in a boat and he had a blast. I think he likes the speed like his Daddy. The only time he was worried was if Mommy or Daddy were trying to wake board or ski. We had to keep reassuring him that it was fun. Somehow we managed to make it through the day without anyone getting sunburn...if you've seen John lately you'll know how much of an accomplishment that is. Unfortunately the fun had to end as some point and we had to leave the lake. But I think Thomas is definitely hooked on the boat now.

The fun wasn't over, though. We enjoyed hanging out at Andrew and Jessica's house Saturday night. And Monday we enjoyed spending lunch with Erik and Kajsa and their son, Kaj. Thomas and Kaj are very close in age and activity level so it was really good to spend some time with them. We don't get to see them as much as we would like...I guess we'll just have to go back again soon. And our trip would not have been complete with out seeing Susanna, Moni and their brand new daughter, Sophia. I must say she is one of the prettiest newborns I have ever seen. And she was certainly a good sleeper while we were visiting...hope it continues.

We didn't get to spend as much time with family as we usually do, but I know we'll be back again soon. John will start his second year of this fellowship soon and he should have more weekend off. So, maybe we'll get to do a little more traveling once he does.

Mother's Day Festivities

Mother's Day was a week long celebration this year. Julie's sister (Karissa), Mom and Grandmama came to visit for the festivities. Karissa arrived on Monday and then Grandmama on Tuesday. Wednesday we took Thomas and Haylee to the Children's Museum for some fun and to wear them out. I think it may have worn us out more, though. The kids had a great time and I think Grandmama had a lot of fun watching them too.

Later in the week Latonia and her kids came over and we all went to the Botanic Gardens for a fun family photo shoot. The idea was to get pictures of all the cousins. But who were we kidding? Get pictures of just the kids? Impossible! We did manage to get a few of just the kids but most of the time Karissa and I had to be near Thomas and Haylee to keep them where they were supposed to be. I hope to work on a slideshow of the photos Latonia took and post them soon.

Karissa had to head home Friday before Mother's Day but that didn't keep us from continuing to have fun. Mom had arrived by then and we took Sam, Maddie and Thomas to the Memphis Zoo for a fun morning. Unfortunately there were thousands (literally) of school kids on field trips, so we didn't stay as long as we usually do. We still have fun showing Grandmama and Nana all our favorite animals.

For Sabbath and Sunday we headed to Jackson, TN to spend the day at Latonia's. Sunday morning Latonia prepared a scrumptous brunch for all of us to enjoy. My mouth still waters just thinking about it. (We need to do that again, girl!) It's amazing how fast the food was eaten, when it took so long to prepare...it was worth it though. The rest of the day we lazed around the house and played games.

Thomas and I took Grandmama with us to his Little Gym class on Monday morning. She got to see first hand how much fun he has jumping and swinging on all the cool stuff. Afterwards we headed back to Jackson to spend the last afternoon with Latonia and the kids. We arrived just in time for lunch and fun in the pool. Thomas wasn't very interested in the pool last summer but this time is a different story. It took him a little while to actually stay in the water (it was freezing cold) but then I couldn't get him out. Of course he had to jump in like his big cousin Sam.

We had a great time with Grandmama but she had to head back home on Tuesday. Thankfully she had beautiful traveling weather. We look forward to seeing her again in August when we go up to visit her.

A Quick Summary

Welcome to the Craig Family's Blog. We've never done this before but thought it would be a fun way to let our friends and family know what's going on in our lives. This next year is sure to be an interesting one. In just 2 weeks we will find out where the next fellowship will be. And as soon as we can we will be putting our house up for sale. It's sad to think about leaving it but I guess we can't stay forever.

Thomas is doing great. He is such a bundle of energy...I don't know where it comes from though! He has recently expanded his vocabulary to who knows how many words. He loves to talk (I think he gets that from his Mima). **wink wink** His favorite thing(s) to say is "I want (fill in the blank)!" It's so much fun to listen to him talk. He will even tell me when he wants to take a nap. (Hard to believe, I know.) He is still going to The Little Gym once a week. Although, I think we'll take a break for the summer. I'd like to do some swimming lessons this summer instead. He is also really enjoys playing in the backyard. We'll set up the pool and put his slide in it so he can have a "water slide" of sorts. And of course he still likes to go play in the sand box.

Well, that's about it for now. Keep checking back for more news and happenings!