Ella Rae is the 4th of our 5 grandchildren. Our oldest, Benjamin, is a Sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill. Samuel, Benjamin's brother, is 14 and an excellent baseball player. Hannah is our 11 year-old granddaughter who used to spend a lot of time with us before she got "too old." Then there is Parker, Hannah's baby brother, who will turn two in January.
I'm Ella Rae's G-Daddy and Joyce (my wife) is G-Mommy. Ella Rae is getting very talkative and every outing with her is a grand adventure. When she gets in the car she will say, "Songs!" She wants to hear the CDs of children's music that Joyce keeps in her CD player. She sings along with the music and has learned, among other things, to say AMEN! (If you're happy and you know it . . . ) That is a wonderful thing for the daughter and granddaughter of a preacher to say! Ella Rae also loves her "babies" (baby dolls) and she will add to her collection this Sunday.
She loves her dog, a gentle rescue Yellow Lab named Teddy, whom I call Teddy Reusky. Every night she wants G-Daddy to tell her a story, and it usually revolves around Teddy Reusky running away into the woods and meeting all these wonderful animals: cows, pigs, horses, chickens, ducks (we make the animal sounds for each one) Teddy Reusky eventually finds the Three Bears House and after eating Baby Bear's grits (G-Mommy makes the best grits), breaking Baby Bear's chair and going to sleep in Baby Bear's bed, the Three Bears return home to find Teddy Reusky in bed where, according to Ella Rae, he wakes up and pee pees!
All of Ella Rae's family will be at the party Sunday except her Uncle Knight who is in the US Navy, but plans to be home for Thanksgiving. Aunt Lynn (Aunt "N") is bringing a fantastic Horsey birthday cake that will be decorated with a horse (Ella Rae has been horseback riding and loves horses) and, of course, Teddy Reusky will be on the cake. Her four cousins, Benjamin, Samuel, Hannah and Parker will all be here along with their families.
Ella Rae is at that wonderful age where she is fascinated with life and loves everyone. The other night at Southern Lunch we were getting ready to go when Ella Rae walked up to a complete stranger to inform her that she was going bye-bye with G-Daddy.
We are blessed with our children and grandchildren. All children deserve unconditional love and a stable and secure environment. Every child deserves a chance!
Happy Birthday Ella Rae, even if you are "Two Old!"
That picture is simply beautiful. I remember long, long ago (it seems) when Hailey was that age. It was an amazing time in her life, and ours!
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