The Countdown Has Begun!!

I am so TOTALLY EXCITED about my trip to Texas on Friday that I can hardly stand it!!!! I have 4 more days until I get to see my family!!! I CAN'T WAIT to see them!!!!! (Am I over using the exclaimation point & CAPITAL LETTERS in this posting? I think so, but that is just how excited I am - SO GET USED TO IT!!!!) While I would never be able to list them all, here are some of the things that I am looking forward to most on this trip:

1. Seeing my sister on Friday when she picks us up at the airport!! We have never been that mushy with each other, but I think I might cry when I see her. When she came out to take care of Collin after his surgery and to take care of me when I was so sick, it meant SO MUCH to me! I don't think that I will ever be able to repay her for what she did for me - something that makes me realize what an amazing person she is and how BLESSED I am to have her as my sister. Okay - I am starting to tear up just thinking about it so let's move on...having a baby sure makes you more emotional (can I use that excuse here?)!!

2. Seeing my mom & dad when we get to Tyler!!! I already know exactly what is going to happen. Becca, Collin & I are going to pull into the driveway & my mom will be watching out the window for us when we arrive. Mom & Dad will run out the back door the minute we pull into the driveway & I can just see my mom walking out doing this excited half-jumping up & down and waving her arms thing she does (I LOVE IT), and my dad will be right behind her with the BIGGEST SMILE ever on his face. Before I can even get Collin out of the car seat my mom will be all over him!! My dad will greet me first before he says hi to Collin (THIS MAKES ME FEEL SO SPECIAL) and he will give me a BIG hug while my mom continues to make over Collin. Dad will unload all the bags for us and then we will all go inside together! Yea!! Sorry Becca, I know that they will be extremely excited to see you too, but I think that we may just have to wait a minute at least for mom to recognize us until she gets her hands on Collin!!

3. Seeing Collin meet the rest of his family for the first time!!! Collin has several family members that he will be meeting for the very first time this weekend - his great-grandparents (Nana & Granddaddy), my Aunt (Aunt Becky), and my cousins (Brenton & Landon). It is very sad for me to think that he doesn't even know them yet. Growing up we were all so close (and still are). Becky is more like a 2nd mother and Brenton & Landon are more like brothers! I know that for a lot of people it's normal only to see great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins a few time a year, if that, but that is not my family! I really want them all to be a big part of Collin's life & I just need to figure out how to make that happen while we are in Florida.

4. Going to Luby's!! Okay, I know, I know - if you know what Luby's is you are probably wondering why I want ot go to the old folks hang-out spot, but I absolutely LOVE IT!! (This is not the same as the Luby's in Jacksonville - when I first moved to Florida I was VERY DISAPPOINTED to find out that the Luby's here is a ghetto sandwich chop). If you're not from Texas then think of a Picadilly, but about a billion times better!!! I already know what I am going to order - the Lu-ann plate with fried fish, man-n-cheese, fried okra & cornbread - okay, that was a lie, I am probably going to get the full-size fish instead of the smaller Lu-ann portion, and I will probably get mashed potatoes too! Hey - if you only get to eat there a few times a year, you might as well take full advantage of it & load that cafeteria tray up, right?? Yum!!!

5. Getting Collin's pictures taken! We previously tried to get Collin's pictures taken here in Jacksonville, but that didn't exactly work out how we planned (see Family Pictures - Almost!) I really hope that he goes along with it this time!

6. Collin's Sip-N-See party on Sunday afternoon!!! Two of my mom's best friends - Midge & Jane - are hosting a party for Collin on Sunday afternoon. It should be so much fun & my mom has already picked out several different outfits for Collin to choose from. I am looking forward to getting him all dressed up for the event!

7. Going to my parent's Sunday School class! The people in my parent's SS class have been true prayer warriors for our family! Every time that Collin has been sick or had to have his surgery my mom would contact the class & they were all praying for us. They even prayed for me when I was so sick a few months ago. They are so sweet & most of the people in the class have been there since I was little, so we really have grown up knowing them. Sorry GABC (Green Acres Baptist Church) Nursery, but Collin will be coming to SS and "big church" with his mommy! He has too many people who want to meet him to be stuck in the nursery - plus I think my mom would have a heart attack if he was out of her sight for more than a few seconds this weekend!!!

8. Lots of rest!!! Okay, this is probably not going to get me nominated for mother-of-the-year, but I think we threw that out the window a long time ago. I am just looking forward to lots & lots of rest - I know that Collin has soooo many people who want to get their hands on him that I am planning on taking full advantage of it! I know that I won't be able to stay away for long, but if Dede & Jimbo want to hang out with him at 6am when he wakes up then they can BE MY GUEST (mommy needs a little catch-up sleep)!!!

YEA!!!!! Now, the question is how am I going to concentrate on ANYTHING ELSE for the next 4 days???