The Draughons

A couple of weeks ago, some of our favorite people in the whole world came to town--Kevin and Tammy Draughon and their family! They came to town because Kevin's dad had died suddenly. Donald had grown up with Kevin's older brother, Keith, and they had spent many hours together as teenagers. We were able to go to the viewing and funeral and it was great to see so many in the Draughon family and to talk about and hear about the great life that Keith and Kevin's dad had lived. It was fun to catch up with Keith's family which we hadn't seen for many, many years. It was especially great to spend Friday afternoon with Tammy and the kids as Kevin was busy with other things. We did miss Kevin--but we went to Red Robin, the park and Goodberry's--so we didn't miss him too much!!
Kevin and Tammy's children have grown up so much--of course, Tavin was a baby last time we saw him and he's 3 now!! It was fun to talk and play with all of them. It was especially fun to go to the park and see ALL the kids play...

Donald pushing Kaylee and Tori and....

Donald pushing his own kids
(bet he hasn't done that for years!!)

Tavin serving us "hamburgers"
(LOVE the hat--and the boy wearing it!)

This is the closest thing I have to a group picture that day!
Kaylee and Jenna started out on a "ride" at the park and then everyone except Tavin and Tammy piled on! Thanks for the picture, Tammy!

Thanks for spending your Friday afternoon with us, guys!! We love you all!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be this group's mother, mother-in-law, yaya and wife. I'm not always the best at whichever role I'm asked to be in, but I do LOVE it. I LOVE everyone in this picture with my whole heart and I couldn't be happier than when we're all together. I'm so grateful that we all live close and that we're able to be with each other so often. I remember asking my mom what she wanted for Mother's Day and she would say "nothing". I feel the same way--you guys have already blessed my life so much that I don't need a material gift--just having you around is more than enough. Thanks for being part of my family. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your life!

Darin's birthday

(I know I'm late on this post--but I wanted to include some baby pictures of Darin and I didn't know how to scan them so I had to wait until Donald could do it.)

Darin turned 19 on April 24 and since it's his last birthday at home for a while, I thought he deserved his own post.

Darin was a much-loved baby (as you can see from these pictures)

and he's a must-loved bigger baby of the family. He is pretty laid-back (unless you argue with him about the Tarheels), he still has a great smile (and now he has great hair to go with that smile), and he continues to be a source of pride, enjoyment, and love. He has a very loving nature and he really does try to choose the right.

His first birthday

(Devin, Austin, Jenna, Kyle, Darin, Jamie, Megan Whitt, Michael Whitt, Sam Whitt)

And now here he is at his 19th birthday....

We went to a Durham Bulls game with the entire family....

He opened presents....


And he got to share another birthday with his dad...
(their birthdays are 2 days apart)

Darin Frank Gilreath--We all love you!! Thanks for being such a great son, brother, and uncle!!!

Jenna's Last Day of Student Teaching

Friday, April 23, was Jenna's last day of student teaching. Her teacher, Mrs. Russell, invited us to come and visit at the end of the day. While we were there, Jenna was able to open some gifts from the class and from her teacher. It was a teary day for all the adults--and even some of the children. Jenna has had an incredible experience teaching First Grade this year and I know she'll be an amazing teacher!!

Opening a "picture" of all the children in class and a quote from them



Group hug!!



Jenna with Mrs. Davis (the Teaching Assistant)



Jenna with Mrs. Russell

(If you're wondering about Jenna's attire--it was Friday so the kids
and teachers were having a "pajama" day. When I took the
picture of Mrs. Russell and Jenna, Mrs. Russell had already
changed--but earlier she had on red satin pajamas!)

Happy Easter

For Easter this year, we celebrated at Devin and Sarah's home. We had a great Easter dinner, watched General Conference, and then had the annual Easter Egg hunt. Donald and Darin hid 90 eggs and we found them all!! As usual, the big kids and the little kid combined for one big hunt--but mostly we just loved watching the "little kid" do her stuff...

Donald's favorite egg hiding place (the wheel of the car)


Jenna and Darin in the back yard


finding a well-hidden egg...

filling the Easter basket....

Darin's Mission Call

Darin will be serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He received his call in the mail today. The family all met at Devin and Sarah's for him to open the letter.




In case you didn't hear everything, Darin will be serving in El Salvador and will leave July 28, 2010. We're all SO excited!!

Saint Patrick's Day!!

Last night we went to Jenna and Erik's for dinner. Erik (and Jenna) made us a dish from Uruguay that they enjoy. (Erik's paternal grandparents are from Uruguay.) While we were there, Jenna showed us her "costume" that she'll be wearing on Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day. She is doing her student teaching right now and she has a class of 1st graders. Her mentor teacher is big on dressing up and so Jenna is along for the ride!! She really is a cute leprechaun!!!

the "I'm-so-embarrassed" debut

the cool shoes


the "too big" hat--it's sparkly like the shoes!!

serving us--while dressed up!!

Thanks Jenna and Erik for a delicious dinner and a fun preview of Wednesday!!