Crazy Season

OK so I know I hadn't posted in over a month, it's kind of been crazy since Jordan's eye surgery was canceled, but it happen today and I am mixed with emotions. I am relieved and sad and hurting for my child. She seems pretty good today we'll see how the rest of the day goes and keeping her home for a few days to recover. We know get into the full swing of the holidays and I'm having wisdom teeth pulled next week, right before christmas, oh fun, but I'm most grateful for the time we get to spend together and that everyone is OK.

Some Family Portraits

We went to have our pictures taken as a family, noitce our new family one on our profile but here were some extras. I really like the way everyone cam eout.

Tree Pics

Getting in the holiday spirit

It is less than 2 weeks away and we are finally getting into the holiday spirit, after weeks of the girls asking when are we going to decorate... we've been a little busy, we are finally able to say OK, lets get out the decorations.

Eating as a sport

Madison loves to eat, she reminds me a lot of Kaleigh as a baby, she loved food and was a good eater, we're not sure what happened to Kaleigh though, we're pretty sure Jordan has had some influence on her to become such a picky eater, but we hope it never happens to Madison. She loves food. She especially loves, rice, pasta, vegetables (especially peas), meat and fruit (bananas and grapes are her preference). It's awesome to watch her eat. The only thing she doesn't like is baby food, unless it's pureed fruit to mix with her otmeal.

Thanksgiving

We went to Atlanta to see Michael's sister for Thanksgiving and we all had such a wonderful time. All except Madison who decided she was going to be sick the entire time we were there with a fever of no less than 101. I had to take her to an urgent care facility the Friday after Thanksgiving because she had 104, despite that we really enjoyed spending time with everyone. The kids can't wait to go back and spend time with their cousins. Hopefully we can go again next summer, the kids all did remarkably well in the car considering it was a 10 hour trip.

Apple and Pumpkin Picking

It was really cold but we had such a good time going apple and pumpking picking. It's something we have done with the kids in the past but we couldn't do it last year because I was pregnant so I'm glad we got to go this year. The kids are already asking when we can go again.

We just have so much laundry

Finally some pictures

Jordan wanted to be Leo from Little Einsteins, so we had to create

the costume, I guarantee that next year it will be available.

Kaleigh was our Fairy Princess with wings.

Of course Madison was our strawberry, unfortunately the times we put

on her costume she did not want to cooperate.

NO Pictures -Sorry

OK Sorry I haven't posted pictures, it just seems that my days are getting crazier and crazier, I can't seem to catch my breath. AAGGHH. Between, kids activities, birthday parties, girl scouts, ballet and AWANA all included it seems I have no time to do anything at all. Jordan's surgery was canceled because of Strep throat and Madison hasn't slept in a week I'm pretty sure she is cutting some new teeth but the lack of sleep has managed to make me completely forget some very important things - Yikes. Sorry! I will post some very cute pictures from Halloween and some nice family pictures, we are looking forward to Thanksgiving although that doesn't seem to lend any down time since we will be traveling to Atlanta to see Michael's sister. I can't keep up.

Birthday Party for Kaleigh

We had a birthday party for Kaleigh and yes it was a princess theme and yes you are looking at shoe on a pillow cake and yes Michael made this cake. He is the one who makes all the kids birthday cakes and does a great job at it, they always come out awesome.

Posing in front of the castle.

Playing Simon Says.

Playing Princess and the Pea.

Fun with Daddy

Michael is doing some landscaping in our front yard so he got a wheelbarrow and the girls wanted a ride around the house before he took it out side, the older ones were having a ball but Madison was not too sure.

The Birthday Girl - Oct. 10, 2007

OK so this is crazy my Kaleigh is 4 - FOUR can you believe it FOUR! It seems like only yesterday I was watching her doing the army crawl and moving furniture to climb things it's
so wild to see this beautiful girl turn 4. She is so smart and funny and impossible. She has
a ton of attitude and love it's incredible. I hope that I am worthy of being your mom and
that with God's help I can shape you to be an amazing young lady, woman and daughter in
christ.

My almost walker

Can you believe it she's standing all by herself. It's incredible

she's not even 9 months in this picture, we went from crawling

rocking to crawling to pulling her self up to standing alone all in

the span of 6 weeks. It's awful, my baby is going to be walking

before we know it.

The crazy month of September

So this has been the craziest September EVER and that is no exaggeration. We are all exhausted and worn out. Between the start of school, ballet, girl scouts and Awana, Michael has done more traveling in the last month than he has in his entire life. It started out with him going away for the Men's Retreat at church to going to South Carolina, Miami and then St. Louis and finally away for a golf weekend that was planned three months ago with his dad. In between all of this we had Madison dedicated at church. YES! he owes me big, and sometime in the future we will discuss my time away for the weekend.

Pictures from Madison's Dedication

Yes this is very cutesy. I have to do it while I can.

AWAKENING FEST

We managed to squeeze in Awakening FEST (christian rock concert) with 15,000 people, it was a beautiful day, a little cooler than we thought but we had all had a good time just spending the day together.
Of all the people in the world we managed to sit right next to my friend Felicia

who I haven't seen in over a year completely unplanned.

We were in a Lamaze group when we were

all pregnant with our first children. That's her son Austin her first child, she

subsequently has 2 other children. I'm still friends with the other ladies,

though we don't get together that often anymore, but I wouldn't have

made it through those first few months at home with out these ladies.

She's such a Daddy's Girl.

I love this picture just me playing around with the camerae with the girls.

Here is Madison trying to stand with while she was trying to figure out how to crawl. Yes another over achiever. Watch the video below to see more. It's funny this is her at the beginning of the month, now at the end she's up, she's crawling, she's even starting to slowly cruise.

We've already had to drop the crib to the lowest setting because she's pulling herself up in her crib. She wasn't even eight months yet. YIKES.

I'm so not really ready for all this.

Hit the play button to watch., it's a little grainy, but cute.

More of the first day

Kaleigh and her little friend Anna pick up right were they left off last year, best of friends.

First day of school for Kaleigh

Today was Kaleigh's first day of Pre-school for the second year. She actually has Ms. Gail who was Jordan's pre-school teacher when she went to pre-school. Ms. Gail will be great for Kaleigh she will know how to keep her challenged yet keep her in line. I'm looking forward to this year. Although I have to admit, I sobbed when I dropped off my little trouble maker.

First good picture of the teeth Madison has

My Cinderalla Princess

This is so funny, so Kaleigh has turned in her crown so she can begin wearing her cinderella cape, gloves and purse ( I wish you could see it), I got some wild looks with her walking around stores with this child. I'm so glad she has her own sense of style. I had to say no to the glass slipper that light up.

Our first week of school and the Men's Retreat

So we got through our first week of school it was long and I'm glad it's over. Jordan had a great week but she was so tired and a little tempermental. Kaleigh was so excited to have her sister home and someone to play with, but Jordan was in no mood for her sister, so it made for quite a few issues. Not to mention the least of which was Kaleigh feeling left out because she didn't start school until today. Thanks Goodness. To add to the icing on the cake, Michael went on a men's retreat with our church, he was gone all weekend, we all really missed him, but we managed. Thanks to my friend Elizabeth for coming over on Saturday and helped me with the kids, we even made it to church Sat night and out to McDonald's with some other mom's, it was awesome. While we were having dinner together our husbands were having breakfast I thought it was funny when Michael told me. I'm so glad he's home.

It's Finally Here - the first day of school

I can't take it, it's finally here the first day of 1st grade. It's a official I am the mother of an elementary school teacher. I have so many feelings running through me. I asked Michael to

stay this morning and help her get ready for school because after the wreck I was last year with just kindergarten I knew I would be a wreck today. I feel like a big hole is in my heart, she'll be gone all day and I know I'll miss her terribly. I'm excited on the one hand and nervous on the other. I pray that we have layed the foundation well as we begin this new and exciting chapter of our lives. She will no longer have just our influences but the world's as well and I trust that God will protect her and guide her, as long as we continue to teach her to trust in him. Not so easy for an adult to accept let alone my little six year old.

A Mom's Prayer On the First Day of School

Here we are again, Lord. Their backpacks are loaded and their faces are scrubbed

and their lunch accounts are full.

And I know you'll walk with them, Lord.

You always do. But a mom still has to ask.

Will You walk with them?

Will You whisper to them what they need to hear,

when I'm not there to whisper it?

Will You please, oh please, cover their school with the protection

only You can give, and will You keep harm far away?

Will You make their minds strong and ready to learn?

Will You help them understand that hard work

honors the One who created them?

Will You guide their teachers, giving them patience

and wisdom and creativity and more patience?

Will You bless them for their efforts?

Will You love all those children there,

the ones whose lunch accounts aren't full, the ones who feel alone?

Will You teach my children to be kind

and unselfish and to love those who are different from them?

Will You point them back toward home

just as soon as you can?

Lord, I give them to You today and everyday,

trusting them to Your care. Amen.
(taken from another mom's blog)

I can't beleive it's Sept. 1st

I'm in shock really, it's hard to believe that our summer is over. Where did it go? It's so hard for me to think of Jordan going into 1st grade, it puts such a lump in my throat, I fight back the tears. On the one hand I'm so excited for this chapter in her life to begin but now for sure she will be a big kid, one that's in school all day.....At least I still have Kaleigh and Madison. Although if it were up to Kaleigh she would be going to 1st grade with Jordan or at least Kindergarten. Slow down there sweetie there is still so much time. This time is so fleeting I need to savor every moment. As for Madison I need to put weights in her diaper she gets closer to crawling and pulling her self up on things every day, I'm not ready for that! I didn't tell her she could do that, I do not give permission for my kids to grow up, because it's just not fair!! Do I sound like a 4 year old? You bet.

This has been a quite a summer, beginning with a trip to the beach, a trip to NY to see family, summer school, VBS, the girls doing an awesome job learning to swim and finally ballet camp. What a world wind, no wonder it went by so fast, good thing I didn't blink, because I might have missed it all.

Ballet Week

This week the girls got to go to ballet camp and had a blast. They loved it and they looked so cute, I didn't realize how much they would enjoy it and how much they missed doing it after taking a year off from doing it because of my pregnancy and Madison's birth. We'll just have to see how the rest of the year goes with ballet and tap.

The Movies

I got to see a movie!! Yeah! I love going to the movies although I have to confess I hate parting with money to see a lousy one, not to mention if it's not clean, but my friend Diana invited me to a movie and it was good! We went to see Becoming Jane, about Jane Austen the author,total chick flick. Thanks Diana for inviting me and thanks Michael for staying with the kids so I could have a great night out with my friend for some much needed me time.

My nephew came for a visit - it was too short

My nephew came for a visit with my parents it was too short a visit and I missed
seeing him. He was so much fun and the girls love having their cousin around, just
a glimpse of the energy that would have been in our house had we had a boy. So
fun.