Isaiah's 7th Birthday Party Sleepover

Saturday night we had a dinner/sleepover party with Isaiah's cousins and a couple friends. It was WILD! The kids all got along great. It was fun to watch them all together. In total, there were 11 kids. including mine. Four slept over, and we made tie-dye shirts, which I forgot to get a group picture of :( There was A LOT going on!!! It's hard accept how fast my guy is growing up! I notice little moments her and there where it really stands out. He pics up on stuff that goes over "little" kids heads. He asks questions that blow me away. I'm so proud of the choices he makes when I see him in different situations. We have little areas, as does everybody, that we are working on. Things like not being a sore loser, etc. But it's really a strong point of his personality, that he has such a drive to win/succeed. With the right attitude, he will go far! Here are just a few pics. I will post some of the boys t-shirts later.

(they're in reverse order! oh well)

Our homemade Christmas decorations!

The boys and I made some decorations with popsicle sticks and glitter glue. I think they turned out great! We don't have a tree yet so we hung them in the windows.

Look! SIX stockings!!! :)

Back to normal

I am so glad to report that Lukey is all better from his croup and harmony has been restored to our home!!! Happy, smiling faces, giggles, and just the USUAL amount of whining ;) Next post: our homemade Christmas decorations!

Nothing worth while is easy

It has been rough around here lately. Luke has been getting up at night for several months now. We can't just let him cry because it would keep everyone awake. Then, last weekend, he came down with croup. It's been miserable! It's pitiful to watch how uncomfortable he is and exhausting to constantly try to console him. His crankiness is also mixed with the terrible two's so it's like the perfect storm. I am tired of being pregnant (feel a little guilty just saying that) but it's tough keeping up with everything. Even little things feel like such a chore. Isaiah started waking up a few times in the middle of the night acting kind of fussy/mad, in his sleep. He wouldn't remember it in the morning. So on little sleep and already feeling emotional, I feel like recently things haven't been normal. Like life is just so hard. What happened? Some of it is circumstances and I'm sure some of it is just my impatient attitude at the end of this pregnancy. Well, I hit the end of my rope the other night. Justin was getting home late from traveling to Georgia for a job and I had a horrible day. I just wanted to sit down and cry. Isaiah saw that I was exhausted and frustrated trying to console Luke and he said "Mommy, imagine if you wanted the baby to come right now and it did". It was half hilarious and half sobering. I managed to get the big boys in bed after lots of yelling :( When Justin walked in the door he took over. He had been up since 4am and it was now 11pm. He stayed up with fussy Luke so I could go to bed. It was a rough night, but he just kept telling me to get some sleep. I woke up the next morning feeling so refreshed. Then Isaiah brought this home in his backpack:

It couldn't have come at a better time! All the children were told to finish the sentence "I am thankful for..." and Isaiah picked me! That just makes my heart pound! It broke my heart when he told me that someone teased him for writing his Mommy. We talked about it and Isaiah wasn't at all upset. Sometimes I feel like all I am is "the bad guy" with rules and punishment, etc. It means so much to me that through his eyes, he sees love. I am blessed and I'll withstand any level of chaos that it takes to get to live this life. But I couldn't do it without my amazing husband who catches me when I fall...

Ready and waiting....

Boys play rough

Isaiah got off the bus the other day with two busted lips and two loose teeth! He was playing soccer at recess and his mouth collided with another boys head. Both lips were fat and bloody and his teeth, well, you can see for yourself. Not pretty. Sooo glad these were not his permanent teeth and that they were probably going to come out any time now anyway. He's been a real trooper about it. It's been a little difficult for him to eat some foods, but he is managing okay.

Happy Redneck Thanksgiving!!!

Justin and I looked so ridiculous this morning making pancakes and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, he walked in from taking out the trash wearing my Uggs and a stained, ripped undershirt. I burst out laughing, and then realized that he and I were matching! I am wearing his wooly socks and cut off yoga pants. Gotta love it! As embarassing as it is, I couldn't let the moment pass without a picture! Hope it gives you a good laugh! Count you blessings today!!! I am, and it's gonna take a while :) Happy Thanksgiving, with love from "Uncle Eddie" and the fam!

Hello blog world! I'm still here! Just wanted to post that I so miss updating my "diary" that is my blog. I have decided to make a better effort to sit down every night after the kids are in bed and type an entry, even if it's just one sentence. I certainly have plenty of "material". The days go by and it makes me sad to think about how many stories I have not documented. So stay tuned...

28 weeks!

Baby girl has found her name... Lily Kate!

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Way to go Isaiah!

I'm so proud of this guy! When I picked him up after school on Friday, he got into the car with a big bright yellow sticker! I recognized it from last year! It's what they give the child who has earned the "Good Character" reward for the week. Isaiah was the first student to receive this reward during their first full week of school! Could I be any more proud?!?! It makes me feel so good that he is making good choices even when I am not there with him. I know of a couple students in particular in his class from last year that have some behavioral problems. Kids often follow the crowd - when one gets rowdy, they all do. This is proof enough that Isaiah knows right from wrong and he's walking it out! They made this special list of things about him to honor him on his day! ...not sure where the border collie part came from... don't tell angel. ;P

Saturday night just hanging out with my guys...

The brothers snuggling on saturday morning...

Friday, we all walked Isaiah to the bus for the first time. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought, probably mostly because Justin was there for emotional support! :) Sometimes we have stuff built up in our head and become fearful, but when we actually face it, it's okay. And as it turns out, Isaiah's old flame Layla from his kindergarten class last year, is on his bus!!! I think somehow that will make getting up a little easier! I really am glad he will have a buddy to sit with. I'm so proud of him!

Isaiah's first day of 1st grade!

It was a bit of a struggle getting Isaiah out of bed this morning. He has become my late sleeper. All my jokes about "which dress are you going to wear?" and such, were totally not appreciated. Once i managed to get him out of bed (which is not small feat now that they hang from the ceiling!) and got some breakfast in him, he perked up and became excited. Naturally, for the picture, he had to do the "I'm too cool to smile" pose, which I am very familiar with since I had an older brother. I asked them for one "cheese" and that's exactly what I got! I drove him to school this morning, although he will eventually be taking the bus. We met his busdriver at the meet & greet the other night and her name is Miss Mayberry! I felt like that was God's unique was of calming my fears and telling me everything was going to be okay. I sooo needed that! I hobbled (with my fat, black & blue broken toe) Isaiah to his classroom this morning, and he walked right off to his desk, no hesitation. As much as I wanted a big giant hug, he was ready to join his classmates, some of which he already knew from last year. I can't wait to hear all about his day! Is it 2:25 yet???

The boys "new" room

As soon as we found out the sex of the baby, we have been trying to think about how to organize and arrange the boys room. It's not huge, but a decent size. We knew we were going to have to get creative with storage and space saving ideas considering the fact that not only is this the 3 boys bedroom, but it is also their "playroom". Naturally, bunkbeds became the main topic of discussion, but last weekend Justin got a creative itch and look at what he did!!! ...




Eventually Lukey's bed will be up off the floor just like the big boys, when he's ready. That way we will have even more storage space under his bed. The goal was to have as much floor space as possible and I think Justin accomplished that beautifully! He is so talented. He can just get a mental picture of what he wants to make and start cutting wood and assembling... just like that! The boys are very excited about their new hanging beds. Hopefully they don't feel too cramped while "princess" gets her own space. She's spoiled already! Next, we will spruce up the space with some color and decorations so it's a happy place to play!

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Meet Isaiah, Gabe & Luke's little SISTER!

I received quite a shock today! All along, the heartbeat has been rather low, like all three boys were, and when she said that the heartbeat was 135, I was just SURE it was another "lilguy" :) I had settled the "fact" that I wasn't going to have a daughter, and embraced my role as a mother of boys. Justin had a dream months before I got pregnant, that we had a girl. I didn't think much of it because I thought we were finished. When she said "sister" today I covered my face and just began to weep. Apparently the longing in my heart for a little girl of my own was deeper than I had realized! The boys prayed for a sister, but I was growing concerned that they would be disappointed since it was looking like it would be a boy. They are THRILLED to say the least! But not thrilled about how much longer they have to wait to see her!!! Well, what a day! I was COMPLETELY taken off guard, I think it will take a little while to really sink in! I get to shop in the pink section!!! This is not good..... ;)

We're having a...

:) check back after 3:00!!!

Luke's new obsession

I found a bunch of old remotes, or "trollers" as Gabe calls them, in a drawer. Luke thought he hit the jackpot and insisted on carrying them all around, but kept dropping one. He wouldn't give up though! Who needs baby rattles? Luke's a high tech man!

I opened the dryer to put in a load and saw this... almost as if to say "Luke was here" :)