Our Charleston Visit

We had the pleasure last weekend to go to Charleston to visit Uncle Sam during his week off. For those of you who don't know, Sam has just started his second year in his fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Since he gets time off about once a year, we decided to jump on it and make the trip. We had a blast! Sam and Alyssa live in a beautiful area in Mount Pleasant called I'ON Village. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, I encourage you to go online to check it out. It's a gorgeous, picturesque village lined with Charleston-style houses along ponds and the waterway. The neighborhood has several nature reserves, playgrounds and pubs, stores and an inn within a block's walking distance from Sam's house. There are tons of people and young kids out playing and enjoying the scenery all the time. It truly was a pleasure to spend some time with Sam in his new home. AB loved visiting and we hope to again real soon. I've included some photos from our trip below.

Sam and Anne Botts walking along one of the nature reserve trails

Photos of some of the houses in I'ON

The Cardiothoracic Fellow checking out his patient :)

Make Believe

For those of you who know my husband, or anything about the legal profession really, know he works long hours. He leaves early in the morning and gets home around 7pm most nights which the wives of Investment Bankers would probably laugh at, but for a stay at home mom, the last hour of the day can be grueling and I find myself counting the seconds until I hear his car pull in the garage. One of the many things I love about Michael is that no matter how little time he may have with Anne Botts each night before bedtime, he makes the absolute most of it. He walks in, no doubt tired from his long day, with an instant unbridled eagerness to jump right in and play with her, as she does him. One of their recent and nightly activities is a game he made up called “Make Believe.” It consists of him inviting her under a blanket with him to go various exciting places. Whether it be the jungle, the beach, the airport or the grocery store, he’ll point out all the zebras, boats, planes or people they may see, equipped with animal sounds and all, as she cackles away and calls out things she hears and sees. It’s truly a joy to watch and while I was observing the other night, I thought about something that made an impression on me. I’m at home with Anne Botts all day every day….do I approach our daily activities, as fun or routine as they may be, with a similar unbridled passion? I’m ashamed at my answer most days. I guarantee you that as time goes on what Anne Botts will remember when she grows up is not that her daddy worked late some nights, but that he was always so much fun to play with. So, this innocent little game between a daddy and a daughter has been a lesson for me….it would probably do me some good to go to the jungle every once in a while :)

I had to include a picture of them (under the Wolfpack Snuggie no less)

Happy Mothers Day

Yesterday was Mothers Day and we had a great weekend full of celebration! On Thursday, I went to a Mothers Day Tea at Calvary, Anne Botts’ preschool, where the children sang us songs, gave us special art projects they had made for the mommies and served us tea and pie J On Saturday night, we celebrated with my Dad and Barbara with a yummy dinner and sweet gifts. On Sunday, Michael and Anne Botts made it such a special day for me! Michael woke me up and surprised me with a brand new Keurig Coffee Maker, which delivers a cup of coffee to me in less than 60 seconds! What a great excuse to get out of bed in the morning J And Anne Botts slept until 8:45 am, so you can’t beat that for a Mothers Day gift! We had an awesome brunch at the club and Michael gave me the rest of the day off from my Mommy duties.

But, Mothers Day is definitely a day of reflection for me. As most of you know, I lost my own mother suddenly in December of 1993, a day that changed the lives of my family forever. For those of you who didn’t know my mom, she had an exuberant personality that was infectious and she never met a stranger. At the same time, she exuded the gentleness and grace that I can only strive to mirror each day. Her cemetery marker says it all, “A Proverbs 31 Wife and Mother.” Since that year of tragedy, every Mothers Day has been a bittersweet day for me. But, the Lord has brought us a long way since then. My dad and brother and I were a sad sight there for a while. A lot of the time after my mothers’ death is a huge blur, and I’m convinced I blocked out a good 6 months of life after that. It’s a time I never like to think back on.

But, God was faithful and in February of 1995, a pretty lady in a red suit was introduced to us at church and from that day forward she began to put the pieces of our family back together. Barbara married my dad, took on this little broken down family, and helped us begin to heal. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

So, on this Mothers Day I’d like to honor my mom who isn’t with us anymore but dearly remembered every day and her memory will never be forgotten. And I’d also like to honor sweet Barbara, who swooped in and came into our lives and helped us become what we are today. I can’t imagine where we’d be if it wasn’t for you! I love you!

Anne Botts and me at Calvary's Mothers Day Tea

A photo of my Mom circa 1992

Anne Botts, Barbara and me after dinner on Saturday

Anne Botts and me at Mothers Day Brunch

Welcome!

Well, we've finally done it! We've joined the revolution and have started our very own Juby Family blog. I plan to use this site as a family journal of sorts, recording important moments, photos and happenings mainly about our little joy, Anne Botts :) So, sit back, relax and enjoy the posts! XOXO-The Jubys