Summer Visit to TN!

We got to drive up to good 'ol Rocky Top Tennessee the beginning of June. The reason for the trip was to meet up with my folks in Knoxville to go to a family friend's wedding! Well, the 3 of us Burkes turned it into a week of vacation to see family! We started off in Cleveland. We got to see both of Dave's sisters and their kids. It's always fun to see McK with her cousins...does my heart good!

Bedtime stories and snuggles with Gran.


Dave's parents' house is great for spending time outside! There's so much to do! They have it childproofed and ready for fun!


We celebrated McKenna turning 2 with the fam!


Everyone enjoyed the cake...can ya tell? :o)

Fun presents!!!


Testing out McK's new sprinkler and cooling off in the "pools" :)


Matilda provided plenty of entertainment with bubbles, while McK rocked out on the piano!

Eli was a good helper to Uncle David and a trip would not be complete without taking a picture of the little cousins in the bathtub!

We scooted over to Knoxville for a few days and got to meet up with my lifelong friend Jennifer. Her little Ty is just a few days younger than McKenna. We got to go to their house for lunch, exchange presents for the kids, and catch up! Thanks Eidemillers!!!



The wedding site was beautiful so we took some time to pose for some pics! McKenna didn't quite make it through the ceremony, so she got to play outside with Dave and got nice a sweaty!




During the reception, McKenna cooled off and hit the dance floor with Pop :)


Celebrating AGAIN for our BIG TWO YEAR OLD!!!!

Pop and Gigi got McK a beautiful dress, bow, umbrella, and a nice sand/water table that was already in Jacksonville!

We got to stay at my Uncle Ross and Aunt Le's house! We got good use out of their basement and toys! My cousin Rebecca came over with her 3 kids and turned up the fun a notch!

I jumped on the chance to get my parents' lifelong friends together for a chance to reconnect and catch up! Jennifer helped me reserve a beautiful clubhouse and everyone helped with food. It was such a sweet and special time to see my parents with friends they've had for over 20 years. It made me understand that the friendships we are making, at this time in our life, have the makings for doing life together with these friends for the next 20 + years! I'm banking on seeing some of the friends we have now at OUR 30th wedding anniversary party!


Jennifer, Emily, and Me have been friends since I was in 3rd grade! Our kids are all around the same age. It was so cool to see them play together!

Our moms were friends first, then we became friends, and we pray our children will form friendships even through the distance that separates us! The group to the right is everyone that could make it (minus Jim and Susan Clayton)...also Emily was standing in for her Mom who was outside entertaining kids!

We swung back through Cleveland to get a few more minutes with family before heading back to Jax! It was a good trip!


Looking for butterflies with Gran and getting hugs from Eli!

Lastly, we stopped in Newnan, GA to visit with Dave's childhood friend, Brandon, and his family. Brandon got called into work, but his wife Charlotte and daughter Chloe were grand hostesses! We toured their lovely home that they've been working on and then had lunch together! We missed seeing Brandon, but were thankful for the afternoon with his lovely girls :)

May Visit to Oklahoma!

McKenna and I got to fly out to OK to visit my folks one last time before McKenna turned 2...we have to start paying for a seat for her when the big birthday rolls around! It was a week full of fun and family!

Mom and Dad built an above ground pool in their backyard for their 30th Wedding Anniversary! It didn't even have the deck built around it yet, but we gave it a thorough test run and enjoyed it ALL week long! This investment will truly pay off for them with all of the fun their grandkids will have while visiting!



Gigi converted the formal dining room into McKenna's playroom. They brought down my old chalkboard for her to play with. I learned how to write my name on this chalkboard, so it was neat to see my little girl draw on it. Mom was so good to have toys for McK to play with!



We went to the park with Pop & Gigi! We fed the ducks, played on the equipment, and sweated A LOT!!!! :)


Another fun outing was a trip to the Zoo! McKenna started off with a not-so-good attitude, but really enjoyed the petting zoo!



We got to go to church with Pop & Gigi! Their church always seems glad when we visit. It's fun to see Pop show off his McKenna.


Uncle Keith got to come home for the weekend from his summer out at Camp CrossTimbers!
Keith was good to soak up every minute he could with McKenna.



Cousin Paul was roping and playing in concert while we were there, so we got to go and join in on the fun. McKenna LOVED the music - she would drum on the tables and dance around on the floor!



We got to drive to Memom's and spend the night! The 3 GREAT grandkids had a good time together swimming, blowing bubbles, and playing with playdough!



Memom snuggles...

Bubbles on the porch with Gigi.

We surprised Mom and Dad by throwing them a SURPRISE 30th Wedding Anniversary Reception. The theme was "Swimming into 30 years". Their dear friends, Pam and Les Wald, hosted the party for us complete with swimming pool! Aunt "Ha-Ha" (Hannah) outdid herself with making and putting together our meal and dessert for the evening! They were VERY surprised. Dad was so surprised he asked what the occasion was that we were celebrating!!!
Patti, Jack and Memom came!




McK enjoyed the dessert.



We didn't get to see Uncle Kevin and Kelly very much because they traveled over the weekend we were there and then had to work, but we got in as many hugs as we could.


McKenna LOVED Aunt "HaHa", but her new BEST friend of the trip was, hand's down, Murphy! She loved that dog so much! They were on a "nickname" basis by the end of the trip...she called her "Murph" :o)