Summertime, Summertime!

I can't believe that August is here and school is about to start! Where has the summer gone? We have had a very busy June and July and wanted to let you know what we have been up to. Here is a BRIEF overview!

The summer started with Molly going to C3Camp. This is a wonderful day camp that was held at our church. It is sponsored and presented by Camp Winshape, which is a part of Berry College. Needless to say, Josh and I were thrilled that Molly was able to get a taste of the Berry experience (our alma mater)! Molly had so much fun with soccer, gymnastics, and painting! It was an amazing time of growth for her, hiding God's word in her heart and applying that to her everyday interests! I highly recommend this camp if ever you have the chance!

And then on June 28th, our little girl turned 8! We were supposed to celebrate at the Sprinkler Park, but the threat of rain moved us to an alternate location.......the ever tride, the ever true.....Chuck E. Cheese!! Yes, this is the 4th or 5th party we have had there. We should buy stock!!!! But the kids always have the most fun! It was a great day celebrating our sweet Molly! How can it be that she is 8? It seems like yesterday my little girl was celebrating her 1st birthday with ladybugs! This time, the more Hannah Montana she got, the better! And she has even begun to roll her eyes at me on my "very lame" attempts to make her laugh!!

In July, Josh and I were blessed to have a little "break". My parents were gracious enough to keep the kids while we took a "mini vacation" to Chicago. Josh was there for a course and I decided to tag along. We always love visiting Chicago and this time was no exception. It was great to enjoy dinner together without having to break up fights at the table!

Then back to Georgia for a visit. Me and the kids spent more time there with my family, visiting my parents, my sister and her family, and my precious Grandma Fannie. It is nice to come home and enjoy the familiarity of it. There is something about sitting in my parents living room watching Andy Griffith with my daddy that makes all other things seem trivial! We were even able to see the Morgans on a little mini trip south! The Groves and the Morgan had way too much fun!! (And the kids had fun too!!) We are so thankful to be blessed with wonderful friends and family!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer as well and that fall is a smooth transition for each of you! I love this time of year. Yet another time of renewal. Not to mention getting back on schedule!! Be blessed!!

Sunsets and Symphonies

One of our favorite events of Memphis in May is the Sunset Symphony. For the last two years, we have packed our picnic supper and headed to the Mississippi to watch the sun disappear through beautiful rays of pink, yellow and purple while listening to the Memphis Symphony.

Watching the sun set over the Mighty Mississippi is really a beautiful sight. Looking at the setting sun reminds me of God's glory. Beautiful, bright, majestic, powerful. There have been times in our lives when I have felt like I was just past dusk. Without the light in my life, I couldn't see what was ahead. But just as the sun always rises in the morning and brings light to all the darkness, so Jesus always rises to meet me at dawn! Just when the darkness and uncertainty seems to have blanketed our lives, God rises with full splendor to reveal all He wants to show us. God is faithful to meet us when we need his dawning power!

End of the Year.....Hooray!!

Well, it has been a while since I last posted, but for due reason!! The end of the school year always brings busy days (and nights). The month of May started off with Molly's Spring Musical. It was so wonderful and she sang beautifully......of course, I am a little partial. They even ended the Musical with "It's Summertime" from High School Musical. She was just sooo cool!!! Reflecting back on her year at FACS, we have been so very blessed! God placed her with amazing teachers and it is such a loving environment. There was no doubt when I dropped her off in the mornings that we were where we should be. She has met so many sweet friends and has really done well academically....(once again, I am a little partial).

Mary Kate ended the school year with her Jr.K Graduation. I wasn't really prepared for this precious little program. I sort of thought they would sing a song or two and be done and then we could call it a day. Boy was I wrong! Once again, God placed MK with unbelievable teachers!! These sweet teachers prepared a program that had every parent in the room leaving with puffy, tear stained eyes! My sweet, energetic, entertaining MK had transformed from a preschooler to a "big" kid!! It just seems like it happened in the blink of an eye! Her favorite subject in class is French. Yes, I said French. She sings songs and counts to 20 in French and all I can do is say "great" and assume she is right!!

And then poor little James is just hauled around to every event like a little rag doll!! He normally started the events off on a pretty good note, but by the end, is "brought" out for a little heart to heart. He has many years ahead filled with musicals, programs, dance recitals, and gymnastics competitions!!

SCHOOL'S OUT!! HAPPY SUMMER!!

OUR BALLERINA

Well, it was year two of the ballet recitals! Mary Kate just loves being a ballerina. Our "miss priss" can't wait to put on her ballet and tap shoes and be the center of attention! The day started off with a little role reversal. James really wanted to wear the pink tutu, but daddy quickly took it off of him. (And I wasn't even allowed a picture of it!!) But then the hair was up, the makeup on, and the tutu in place for the big event!! We sat (and I use the term loosely) through 29 numbers. Can you multiply that times 13 more years??? Now I know exactly how my parents felt!! But it was all worth it for her 15 minutes of fame!

RIBS, PULLED PORK, AND GOOD FRIENDS!!

One of the things we love most about Memphis is, of course, the bar-b-que!! And the weekend to enjoy it was this this past weekend at the Memphis in May Bar-B-Que Fest!! We have been lucky enough to get invited to one of the tents by our good friends Jeff and Carmen. The ribs, pulled pork and baked beans were flowing freely!! And they were delicious! GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS, AND GOOD TIMES!! Come join us next year!!!!!

Home Sweet Home!

We just got back from a week in the good ol' peach state. Even though we have really loved our time here in Memphis, there is no other place in the world that screams home like grandparents, humidity, pine trees, and of course, mama's Sunday roast!!

We started the week off in Thomasville with Paca Rick and Grammy Suzie. We had a great time playing at the park, visiting and playing with Georgia and Sugar (the dogs). We even got to visit with Mrs. Louise and Mr. Jim (Duke).

We then headed north (slightly) to Albany to visit with our friends the Morgans. The kids had so much fun catching up with their friends! (And mom and dad had a great time too!!)

And then north again to Milan to visit with my family. The girls (all 7 of us) had a mother/daughter luncheon at Antioch. It was a lot of fun to see so many of my "extended family" that I had not seen in a while. And my precious grandmother, Grandma Fannie, was even able to be there. The next day, Mother's Day, we were able to go to church with my family. And then, what better way to top off the trip, but with my mama's Sunday roast. Pure heaven!!

After a slightly stressful flight, (3 kids on a plane with no nap), we arrived back in Memphis in one piece. These trips tend to be an awful lot of work, but certainly worth the effort. There is nothing like a trip home to help you put all of life into perspective!! There is really "no place like home"!

Sweet Baby James, Baby No More!

Three years ago tonight, Josh and I were looking over our sweet baby James in amazment, once again, that we had created such a precious little human being. Now, as I am typing this, he is sitting on the floor with his daddy and sisters crashing cars into each other! My, how time flies!! We celebrated James' birthday on Saturday with a party at the park! After lots of rain the night before, it turned out to be a beautiful day! James had a blast playing with his friends and eating cake and ice cream. Ohhhh, the sugar high he was on!!

Happy 3rd Birthday James!!

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CATEPILLARS!!!!

Well, the catepillars are back. We never noticed this in Georgia, but this time of year, we are invaded by hundreds of the little fuzzy creatures. The kids have been waiting for their arrival with hesitant anticipation. They love them, but normally at a distance. However, this year, by some miracle (if you know my children) they decided to catch them all and save as "pets". So, here we go, gathering up multiples of the nasty little creatures (I am not a fan of any insect in multiples with lots of legs!!!). We have decided to TRY and keep them alive until they build a cocoon and become butterflies. Not sure how well that will go, but at least we can try!!

It reminds me of how we are born into this world.....as creepy little nasty things. Then, by God's grace, we are transformed through metamorphisis into God's image. It seems so complicated for a mere worm to become a butterfly. But the great thing about being a child of God is that it is not complicated at all. We give our lives to Him, accept Him and serve Him. It is just that easy!! And then, we become a beautiful butterfly, glorifying God with our colors!!

A Thank You

There are so many days where I think "Where is my salary??" The jobs a mom performs are countless. By days end, I am thinking to myself how in the world am I going to last even 30 more minutes. And then something happens that makes every exhausting moment worth it all. That moment happened today.

After the morning hussle of getting everyone ready for school, the hustle and bustle had finally slowed down a bit. Mary Kate and James were looking for trouble and Molly was quietly coloring at the table as they waited for carpool. A few minutes later, Molly came to me with a "thank you" note she had been working on. It reads as follows:

Your the best mom,

we thank you for what you have dune for me, Mary Kate, and James, and of corse daddy,

we love you so much and everone elce.

thank you

I am sereus.

THANK YOU

For all you moms out there, they do notice what we do!! How precious it is to be reminded of that!!

Daddy's Little Helper

Well, the sun finally came out and we had a beautiful weekend! So outside we went. I snapped this picture of the two men in my life. I looked up and saw that Josh's shadow was hard at work as well! James had a great time "mowing" the lawn with daddy. And then we woke up this morning to freezing temperatures and a forecast of possible snow tonight!! Happy Spring!

BGSOUND SRC="bring the rain.xml"

April Showers

With springtime, came rain! We have had lots of rain here in Memphis over the last month. It seems as if everything is water logged. We rode downtown this past weekend just to take a look at the Mississippi River. As some of you may know, the river is not that wide through the city. But as flood waters have risen, the river has decided to take on its name of "Mighty Mississippi"! But eventually, the waters will recede and the grass will become green once again. This reminds me of the seasons of our lives. Over our "little journey" through Josh's training, med school, residency, fellowship, another fellowship, all the while raising 3 kids, it seems as if our flood waters have risen and receded more times than I care to count. But I am reminded that this is just a season. Eventually, the grass will become green again, and we will be all the more thankful for the sunshine!! I wish I had time to list all of the blessings that have come out of our difficult times. From moving to Memphis and gaining wonderful lifetime friendships, to wondering how the bills will get paid and seeing God's faithfulness to provide! Just as the April showers lead to May flowers, so our trials lead to blessings.

"You are sunrise,

You are blue skies.

How would I know the morning

If I knew not midnight."

Nicole Nordeman

God is always good!!

Mary Kate"isms"

I guess one of my favorite things about this whole blogging thing is that I get to post about what the kids are doing. Unfortunately, I didn't take after my very talented sister and become a scrapbooker. So this will allow me to keep track of all those funny moments and big achievements. (lets just hope I can keep up)

As I mentioned earlier, MK is our "ham" of the family. She is always coming up with something. There is a certain look that she can get on her face and you just know those wheels are turning!! Today, she got in the car and was evidently pondering the thought of what happens when you break your arm or leg. (Probably from too many times of me saying"Don't do that or you will break your leg!!!") She asked me, "Mom, if I break my arm, where will you put the broken off piece?" Well, I had no idea I was going to have to break into an anatomy lesson. How many of you remember "The foot bone is connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone is connected to the leg bone......"? So I had to explain to her that the bone is protected by the skin and so forth. Where is Josh when you need him???? Her next question....."So where are you going to put my arm if it breaks?

Easter Best

We had a great Easter Sunday. The kidos were dressed to the nines and we were only 10 minutes late to church. It was already starting off good!!! After a wonderful service, our friends Russ, Brandi, and Asi came over for lunch. What a great way to celebrate a lazy Sunday afternoon, with good food and friends.

I always love the Easter season. It is such a great time of renewal. I need to be reminded in a powerful way of what Easter really means. That my sins are forgiven and I am washed clean by the cross. What an awesome feeling!

Molly, Mary Kate and James were exhausted at days end. They were so excited to have "Dr. Russ, Mrs. Brandi, and Dr. Asi" here. They played hard and Mary Kate even beat Dr. Asi at a little competitive game of memory!

A New Venture

Because I don't have enough to do in my spare time, I have decided to add something more!! After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to start a little side business. I have combined my love for childrens clothes and my love of sewing to create Groves Girls, a custom made clothing line. I have enclosed a link on our family blog to the Groves Girls blog. Please feel free to take a look and if you have any questions, please contact me.

Hello 21st Century!

Well, here I am in the world of blogs! I have had several friends that have blogged, so I was up to the challenge!! Of course, I really just needed one more thing to try and keep up with and update on a weekly basis!! But it is a great way to keep everyone up to date on what is happening with the "GroovinGroves".

We are still "groovin" in Memphis. Memphis has been a great place to be over the last year and a half. (If you don't watch the news). God has blessed us beyond measure. He came before us and prepared for us a place! When we rolled into Memphis from Macon, we were met with instant friendships and loving neighbors. It has been a chapter in our lives that was opened with uncertainty and hesitation (and lots of tears), but now that has changed. We are being so blessed by our time here! Where the road will lead us next is still undecided as of yet, but it is in the waiting that we grow and learn. God is still trying hard to teach me patience!! And I am evidently a slow learner!!

Josh is still loving the world of plastic surgery. He will love it more when he is in the "real world" of plastic surgery. Those days when he comes home explaining (in elementary terms of course) what great surgery he was able to do reconfirms his decision to become a plastic surgeon. It is hard to believe we have a little over a year left to go! Could that be light at the end of the tunnel I see?

Our kids are growing like the weeds in my back yard. Molly, who is 7, is in 1st grade. Mary Kate, 5, is in Jr.K and James, almost 3, is a typical 3 year old boy. Molly and Mary Kate are now in the same school and James goes there 2 days a week for Mothers Day Out. They love their school, (Go Crusaders!!) and they have made sweet friends. Molly continues to be my thoughtful and quiet one. She loves gymnastics and Junie B. Jones! Mary Kate is always keeping us in stitches! She never meets a stranger and is curious about absolutely everything! I never knew that one topic could provoke so many questions. (Her latest is how do they REALLY get babies out of mommies tummies) James keeps us on our toes. He is always looking for something to take apart, climb, tear, or color on (like my fine dinner plates). They are such blessings and joy in its purest form!