The Brothers

The below video is so not them. I just couldn't resist though.

the brothers

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Trip to Thibodaux

Ross, Father Agang, Rory, Leah and Bailey

A few weeks ago we went to Thibodaux for the christening of my great-nephew Rory-Henri Alexander Gravois. He is the son of my niece Leah and her husband Ross. He was born December 31, 2008. The christening was in a beautiful old church in Thibodaux. Ross and his family are sugar cane farmers. We met his parents for the first time with they evacuated to our house during Gustav. His sister, her husband and children from Lafayette also came during that time.

The christening gown was made by Ross's grandmother for him. It was beautiful. Ross's parents had a reception after the christening. My sister Mona, ( Leah's mom) and her husband

Mike came from Hammond. It was a great trip. On the way there I kept seeing signs selling cracklins. I told Mike on the way home we were going to stop and get some. We did, and those puppies weren't cheap. Sixteen dollars a pound. But they sure were good.

Doesn't he look like a baby doll?

The Knights of the Templar

Do you really know what it feels like to never be in any family pictures, well, let me tell you. I have years worth of family photos of my husband and his brothers. Where are my sister-in-laws and me? Feeding kids, washing dishes. All those years when we were younger and skinnier, no pictures. Just the boys, smiling, laughing, reminiscing, and generally having a good time. Well, payback is hell boys.






Tommy, Mike, Gerald, Lynn and Jeff Mathews and Mom












The Knights of the
Templar is what my
husband and his brothers
like to call themselves.
This was taken at the
camp on July 4, 2007.
They always take a
brotherly picture with
no other family members
just the boys. This
picture also included
their Mom. Every
Christmas, every photo,
just the brothers. Well
we wives had had
enough.

As they lined up for their usual pose, we had our

water guns ready and let them have it. We normally prim and proper wives let all our years of being out of the picture come out. It really was a surprise to them. And for very smart men, they are so gullible. At Christmas the same year we got them with silly string. Go girls.

Can you tell they are brothers. Try to fiqure out who is who. They should be called Knights of the Bald Head.

By the way, my husband is the one with the comb over. He holds his hair down on top on his head when I cut his hair. Way too much for me. He says he still has hair there. He feels it. Well I don't feel it, and especially don't see it. He uses more hairspray than I do.

The Camp at Iatt Lake

Nothing is so beautiful as an early

morning fog coming up on the lake .

Getting up with a cup of coffee, listening to the birds and feeling

not a care in the world.

There is one place that we can go to just get away and relax. That is the camp. It has been in Mike's family for over 40 years. Not much has changed. Mike's dad passed away in April of 2007 and it has been used very little. There are five boys in Mike's family, Tommy, Mike, Gerald, Lynn and Jeff. Gerald and his wife Marita had a little yellow camp across the road from Pappy's camp. They now have a mansion of a double-wide manufactured home with the most beautiful porches. We have always stayed in Pappy's camp and love going up there especially when Gerald and Marita go. We all have good memories and have had such good times. We hope our kids will one day love it as much as we do. Mike's brother Tommy and his wife Delores just bought a travel trailer and put it next to Pappy's camp. We shall all be there for Easter.

This is the mansion across the road. I could sit on those porches forever.

One of my favorites pictures of Iatt

Lake was taken of Gerald and Marita's dock. We sit out there often. As Marita says she is going to heaven when she goes there.

My Perfect Grandchildren ?

+ Look at those
innocent eyes

Our son Dustin with Payton and Kaylee. How they love their
Uncle Dustin

My toothless ballerina and her

little brother

Such beauty

You know how things can be rolling along and then something happens to break up the apple cart. Last week Payton,(our almost 2 yr old grandson) got explelled from daycare for biting. Kaylee, our beautiful granddaughter came home with the Star Student award the same day. Go figure. Payton never bit at home so it was hard to discipline him for that when he didn't do it there. Just daycare. He is the sweetiest little boy and gives the best sugar. His parents really make him behave. But God looks out over little children and now he is in the best daycare. I can watch him on the web cam while I'm at work. (Don't tell Dr Sanson) and Miss Kaylee has lost her 4 count them 4 front teeth. Two and the top and two at the bottom. She has dance recital coming up in May (Linda Lavender) and I had thought this year to get Albrittons to photo her. I'm still debating that one. Some of my favorite pictures of the kids.

The other important member of our family.

One of the most important members of our family is our six year old pug, Mickey. He was given to us by our kids. They thought once they got married and left home we were lonely. They came by one day with this little pug puppy. Well, he is a big ole boy now. He has allergies, snores, sheds and is almost blind, but gives us unconditional love. He tolerates the grandchildren and is so glad when they leave. Mickey is the best dog though. He is so well housebroken, kind of timid, but loves everyone who comes over. We love him so.

My beautiful grandchildren

We are orginally from the Alexandria area. My husband is an AT & T designer and was transferred here in '96. Both of our boys graduated from NLU and married girls from this area. Our oldest son is a teacher at OPEC and the youngest teaches and coachs baseball for Claiborne Christian (where he graduated from). This weekend we took the grandchildren to Alexandria to see Claiborne Christian play Menard (which is where my husband, his dad, and our oldest son graduated. So it was old home week for us. We only went for the day Saturday and with an almost 6 yr old and almost 2 year old it was tiring to say the least for the old folks. Plus we have alot of family to visit when we are in the area. Didn't get home with the little darlings until nine o'clock that night. I was whipped. You could say I took it easy Sunday. I normally fix Sunday lunch for everyone, but this was one Sunday I just couldn't. The children were great though. The baby boy just got tired and was alittle whinny and grumpy, but so was his pawpaw. All in all it was great. We are going back Easter to our camp. The kids hopefully will come the Saturday before and stay for the day. We will cook, hide eggs, visit. My husband's brothers also have camps there. One next door and the other across the street so we have the best time.
At this stage of our lives we need to reconnect with family. We have raised our children and now want to enjoy the fruits of our labors. We( the brothers and my sister-in-laws love to sit on the porchs, visit, laugh, drink a good cup of coffee or wine and get caught up on all the gossip. We brag about our grandchildren and the "old men" we live with. The men become little brothers again and have so much fun together. They laugh, argue and talk about old times. We all gaze upon the lake and find so much peace. It is heaven.
But I do miss my mojoy blog. Melanie seems alot like me but is much more articulate and so funny. My philosophy on alot of things at this stage is I don't care so much what people think. I can only be myself and if you like me fine, if not oh well...
I have been a Jake follower for along time and cried and laughed and prayed for them.
Some people are so jealous of other people and can't ever be happy. I think God knows the day we are going to be born and the day we will die. Every day is a gift,
so try to do something for others and be happy God gave you that day. I would like to be invited to Melanie and Staci's blogs but if they are uncomfortable with them, I truly understand. Good Luck to you. I have lost both parents to cancer and my sister at 34 to cancer. She left a little seven year old boy behind who has had to grow up without a mother. My mom said there is nothing to compare with losing a child. Not your own mother, dad, or sibling. Nothing. She never forgot my sister until the day she died.

I've been wanting to blog for along time. Not much is exciting and adventuresome in my life. I've always gotten the most enjoyment out of my children and grandchildren. I really don't like to travel. Give me a good book and I can go anywhere. I don't worry about too many things. I just trust that God will take care of anything in his own time. Later I will blog about our everyday lives. Thanks, Blanche

Nanny of Two