Grandma Jessie's 84th Birthday! 3-21-2011

The Winfield's wanted to get together for a girls weekend.  We originally planned this for Hot Springs, but it was moved to Mena to include my Grandma and we ended up scheduling it around her birthday, March 21st 2011.  It was so much fun!  Grandma's dementia was at that time so progressive we were all very worried about her.  Also she was physically weak and had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and gallbladder issues.  Currently she seems much better, she is staying with my Aunt Sue which I think is very good for her. 
Mom, Hudson, Holden, and I drove down together on a Friday afternoon.  Lacy followed us in her camaro.  We all met for dinner on Rich Mtn which is where we stayed the night and planned to stay the weekend.  It was a large group: me, the boys, mom, Lacy, my Aunts Janie, Sue, and Sandy, my cousins, April, Paul, Lori, Macy, Madelyn, Rhett, Mandy, Hillary, Hannah, Sue, Byron, Bill Sandy Ty, John, Erika, McKinley, Elijah, and Byron's son Randy.  We spent the next day mostly in limbo.  Me, mom, Lacy, Hudson, and Holden ate breakfast on the mountain and drove down to meet everyone.  We played at the park in Mena, which was hit hard the previous year by a tornado, but it is still an awesome park.  Hudson loved the ducks and playing in the water.  Holden stayed in the stroller and napped mostly.  Then we all met up at Lori's house to visit, and then on to a local Italian restaurant for dinner on the patio.  So awesome!  Then we drove to the nursing home for grandma's party.  We sang happy birthday, visited, and then Gary and Byron played hymns while most everyone sang.  Grandma enjoyed it immensely, as did I.  It was such a great 2 days with my family!  Afterwards, mom and I decided to head on home instead of staying another night on the mountain.  We were tired and ready to sleep in our own beds!  Below is the first time Grandma Jessie met Holden.  He was about 4 weeks old in this photo.  Lacy and I had drove down for my cousin Glendon's funeral in DeQueen (August 2010).  Glendon passed from a very rare form of lung cancer on Jul 31st.  He was 34 years old.  He had two beautiful children, Lyndon (his wife's from a previous relationship) and Riley age 3 1/2.  On our way home we went through Mena to see our grandma so she could meet Holden as an infant.  As you can see she adores him.