Weekends are the Best!

Maybe it's the fact that when you work, you always look forward to the weekends.  I certainly do--because then it's family time, which I love.  Don't get me wrong!  I love my job--but being with my family is the best! 

A week ago, George and I went to Orlando on Friday after school and did temple work on Friday evening.  Then we stayed all night in a hotel in Orlando, and went back to the temple the next morning.  It felt so good to be in the temple.  I just wish we could go more often. 

George, also, met with the stake presidents, the temple president, and the area seventy in his capacity as local area auditor trainer for the church.  So, we accomplished so much in the weekend, plus we had a great time, too. 

This weekend began on Friday with the Clay County Health Fair.  Sheila Gann and her committee did such a marvelous job of putting together so many great sponsors and asked if Amy and Alison would like a booth there.  Amy said they would love to!  Since Alison is in China, she made sure Amy had everything she needed, and Amy got everything organized. 

The booth was a huge success! 

Hey, there's a familiar person we know!  Some of our best customers are the ladies in our ward!

Amy and I literally kept running from 7:00  to 1:00 p.m.  We didn't even have time to eat lunch!  (Cassie, notice the pants!)

We really appreciated George.  He helped set up and take down.  He's becoming a pro!

Then on Saturday evening, we had our Fleming Island First Ward Fall Festival.  After a yummy dinner of soups, pumpkin pies, etc., the party began! 

Lola looked so adorable in her little dress which we had seen on-line from my niece, Jennifer Anderson's website.  We knew we just had to have one for Lola! 

Lola with her mommy. 

This is how we decorated our trunk.  It is a yearly tradition for me to do the decorating, but for George to hand out the candy.  (I'm not really that original on the decorating, but the kids seem to like it!)

George is known as "The Candy Man" by the kids at church.  He loves it!

The trunk-or-treat part is always so fun. While I was taking the picture of Amy and the two kids, Lola was more interested in the candy!

Isaac was over jumping in one of the bounce houses. 

Lola with her daddy. 

Jeff and Amy's family.  By this time, Lola was sick of pictures--and actually just plain sick.  She went home with a fever and vomiting.  Poor little girl!  We didn't realize she didn't really feel that well! 

But she was so cute to stand still enough to take one last picture . . .

And get her binky for comfort, but then just wanted to go home!

Like I said, great two weekends with family!  George and I just wish we could be there to see all of our grandkids having fun!  It really is the best!

Florida-LSU, Pictures, too!

Amy took a few pictures at the game which I really wanted to post.  Notice how happy everyone is before the game . . .

After the game . . .

Amy told everyone to fake the smile which everyone did but Jeff and Cassie.

Jeff was not happy with the loss!

Cassie's smile was real!

Hopefully, all smiles can be real next week!

Go, Gators!!!

Florida-LSU Weekend

It's always exciting at the Copeland household when Florida plays LSU--who would have thought that we would have such an avid Louisiana girl as a daughter-in-law?!  But, we still love her!

Of course, we had to stop at Sonic before Craig and Cassie went on to the game.  Sonic is Craig and Cassie's other favorite place besides Sonny's.  Here Craig is helping Riley do the Gator chomp!

At least little Riley is being raised right--see how cute he is in his little Florida outfit?!

And Riley definitely loves his Tiger mommy!

Grandpa and Grandma take Riley back home because the game would be a little lengthey for such a little guy.  It won't be too long before he'll be right in there cheering, though!

Taylor, our oldest grandson, was in town, too, so he went to the game with Jeff and Amy.  We tended their three kids, too.  It was an interesting afternoon and evening with four little ones until 2:00 a.m. when everyone got home--but we all survived--except for the Gators!  What a sad game--happy for Cassie, sad for the rest of us.  Craig said Cassie was a great sport, however.  She only clapped politely when LSU did well, which was most of the game!

Some pictures that make me laugh . . . Isaac loves to ride his bike, but to our dismay, we looked out and he was riding down the street with a dad-burn pumpkin bucket on his head!  We couldn't believe it--but he said, "It has holes in it!"  However, most of the time it was turned and he was riding blindly!  Luckily, he didn't run into anything!

Riley entertaining himself in his carseat by playing (and sucking) on his toes!  Wow!  To be so limber!

Riley trying on a darling gator costume that Amy had for Garrett when he was little.  Amy thought it was a great idea--Cassie, not so much! 

Maybe it was because Lola forgot Riley was inside and wanted to play with the gator like it was a stuffed animal.  Riley couldn't figure out what was going on as his head was pulled this way and that!

Yes, he's really in there--sweating like crazy!

So then Lola had to try it on. 

"Thank goodness," Riley says.  He just wants to play with his toys.  No more costumes. 

But Cassie puts him in one more--"Yes, he likes it, he likes it!" 

We hated to see Craig, Cassie, and little Riley have to come and go so quickly.  I took them to the airport early Tuesday morning.  We loved having them visit.  Please come again real soon!   

Soul Food Festival

Saturday was a very busy, tiring, but interesting day as Amy, George, and I participated in the Green Cove Springs Soul Food Festival.  Amy decided that she wanted a booth at the festival to sell some of the jewelry that she and Alison have worked together to raise a little extra money.  The night before the festival, we found out we needed a canopy tent, so we had to fast and furiously get one as well as put together the stands we needed to hold the jewelry.

Getting the booth set up.

George worked so hard putting all the little pegs in to hang the jewelry on.

The finished booth.  We thought it looked great!

Jeff brought the kids over for a little while to enjoy the festivities.

Lola modeled one of the bracelets.

The boys got an icee . . .

this picture doesn't do justice to the color of Isaac's mouth when he finished!



We were exhausted at the end of the day.  (We had been there from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)  Our heads are still ringing from the extremely loud rap music that was playing all day long, but we had a really fun time and met so many nice people.