Happy Birthday Joan!

This is another repeat post

but I couldn't say it any better

this year

than I did last year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOAN!

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Joan

Happy Birthday to my sister, Joan!

The Early Years…

You holding me.

As far as you getting to be an aunt,

I decided to start you off easy on January 1, 1994 – with an 11 year old!

Thank you for being a great aunt to Crystol –

the first niece to make you an aunt when I married her daddy.

Thank you for being a great aunt to Anna - 1996 - your first newborn niece.

Thank you for being a great aunt to Wesley - 2000 - your first nephew

(I do not have a photo of you holding a newborn Wesley).

Thank you for being a great aunt to Luke (2002).

You were even in the room when he was born into our world.

And these are the photos of your earliest UNC-Chapel Hill influence on my youngest.

As soon as Luke was placed in his hospital crib,

you placed a UNC Tarheel bear in there with him

(that's you in the top left corner of this photo videoing the moment).

Not to be outdone, Rob placed his Duke Blue Devil jacket in there with him too. 

We were all about equal exposure – since Rob didn’t throw out the bear!

Your latest aunt photo with my kids – at Anna’s Winter Concert.

(February 8, 2014)

Thanks for always supporting your nieces and nephews in all they do.

Thank you for coming to:

baby dedications,

dance recitals,

preschool graduations,

college graduations,

church programs,

theatre productions,

birthday parties,

a wedding,

and so many more happy days over the last 20 years.

Thank you for coming to my house when I needed you to keep the kids

on the night Rob became unconscious.

Thank you for getting the kids back and forth to the hospital on the awful

day that followed so your nieces and nephews could say goodbye to their daddy.

Thank you for everything you did in the days afterward for me

and for your nieces and nephews.

Thanks you for being there for their dad’s funeral

and in the days and nights after.

To sum it all up, thanks for caring so much about us

and thank you for being there!

It matters - to them and to me.

We all love you!