Let the good times roll

Just a photo roundup of recent family events: my sister Shannon’s Match Day in Shreveport a couple of weeks ago, and also a fun family reunion party last Saturday at Michael’s aunt and uncle’s home on Lake Ponchartrain…enjoy! 🙂

Gabe has been asking us to go fishing for months and months. It’s just one of those little kid things when they get an idea into their heads and fixate on it. My dad found two little fishing poles for Gabe and Faith, and Michael set them up fishing off Uncle T’s pier at the party–their first fishing experience! Gabe caught a 15″ catfish (which we threw back, of course) and was quite proud of himself!

Hanging out and eating petit fours (my favorite!). Gabe is extremely loving and sweet with Gianna. He even flirts with her in Baby Talk, just like I do. So cute.

My brother in law, Dr. Jeff, and Gabe. Gabe and Faith (and Gianna now too) love crawfish.

I need to get this little fish a swimsuit! She had to borrow one of her cousin’s. She’s got her mother’s fair skin tone, though, so I’ll be looking around for a suit this year that will cover up her baby skin from the sun. (Any suggestions?)

My sister in law, Shell, looks this beautiful in every single picture she takes…she below…:)

I surely love my cute sister-in-law. She’s such a love.

Switching gears now…on to my sister Shannon’s Match Day a couple of weekends ago. We had such a good time, and we are thrilled to bits that she matched to New Orleans, since that means she and Myles will only be an hour or so away from us.

Margaritas for happy hour at Superior Grill after Shannon’s Match Day: My cousin Liz, my brother Ryan, me, Shannon, Michael, and my sister Rivers is kneeling in front of us

The Happy Couple:) I think I had already downed my frozen pomegranate margarita by that point. Probably why I look extremely happy and relaxed here…

Rivers, Ryan and Michael

Gianna with her godmother, the soon-to-be Dr. Shannon Palombo. Considering who Gianna is named after, I think it’s so beautiful how Michael and I asked Shannon and Michael’s brother Chris, an anesthesiologist, to be godparents. We didn’t plan to have Gianna’s name and her godparents have such a special connection–it just felt right and ended up being pretty neat, I think.:)

My grandfather, Tom Berryhill, and my brother Ryan. We had dinner at a delicious, upscale pizza place called Frank’s. It was great to have Paw Paw be able to be with us for the weekend. He is so proud of all of his grandchildren, and tells us so all the time.

Shannon reading out where she matched–LSU New Orleans in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics! She is going to be a wonderful physician.

My cousin Liz, me, and Shannon at Superior Grill

We ended up stopping in Natchitoches on the way home from Shreveport. We went to see my sister Rivers (who goes to school there, at least for the next month or so:) and we ran into a little street fair where a local charity was releasing butterflies. It was a sweet little afternoon of unexpected fun. I hardly even remember the kids all melting down into wild things on the way back to the van. We had skipped naps to take them to the fair. They all fell asleep in 12.4 seconds once we got back on the road. Michael and I really enjoyed the ride back to Baton Rouge from there. We had some good hang-out time talking in the car all the way home. It was a little taste of those old college road trips when we talked for hours and dreamed big dreams and just enjoyed each other’s company.

Oh, what is that I hear? A little boy waking up too early from his nap and calling for his mother to come to his side at once…

And so I think I’ll leave the rest of the captions I wanted to write unwritten, and the edits I spotted unedited. I will say that little prayer that I say to myself before I go in to get the children out of bed in the morning or just as naptime is ending and they’re all waking up. Lord, I’m here. Help me today to be a cheerful and willing servant to my family. 


Peace to each of you!