Thankful Day #1: My Mama

In 2011, I blogged about what I am thankful for every day of November, and it was such a fun and meaningful thing to do. Last year, I was entirely too grouchy and very pregnant to be in a daily blog frame of mind, so I didn't do it. However, this year I back on the gratitude band wagon! 

I'm extremely, crazily, emphatically, completely grateful for my Mama. She is the strongest Christian woman I know. She appreciates life's essential combination of Goobers, Coke, and a bubble bath. Plus, she has sacrificed thousands of hours of what could be free time to raise my children while I was first finishing my degree and now while I am at work. If I can't stay home with my babies, there is no one else I'd rather have take care of them. There is also no one else I'd rather have hold my leg when I'm delivering all those babies either or to spend those first nights with in the hopital. She is simply the best. Love you, Mama!

Yay for Fall!

I'm so grateful that the weather has turned cool and crisp, and I can actually pull down my hooded sweatshirts from the top of my closet. Yay for hooded sweatshirt weather: McLain and my favorite time of the year!

Since school started in August, our family's chaos has been pretty minimal, which is saying a lot since there are six of us. I wouldn't change our big, goofy family for anything. Most days... ;)

McLain is in 7th grade and is doing really well. He is completely independent with his school and homework, and I love that he is responsible and mature enough to be. Middle school made me super nervous when he started, but this year was such a smooth transition. Love it! McLain is in his second year of orchestra and still enjoys playing the cello. He made first chair again last week, which is very exciting and important in the orchestra world. :) Now that he's taller and 12 1/2, he sits up front with me while I drive if Clay isn't in the car. I love how he talks my ear off and will belt out songs with me. Last week, our version of "We Are the Champions" would put Queen to shame. I'm eating these moments up, because I know the I'm-a-teen-and-I-despise-my-parents phase is just around the corner.

Keaton is in first grade now and has such an eagerness to learn. His teacher totally gets his big personallity, and I'm so thankful she does! Keaton has really taken off in his reading, and I am so excited that he is a true reader now. Being a school teacher, I don't take that for granted at all. His favorite books are Pete the Cat and Go, Dogs. Go!, which he now reads to Collin. Keaton is still obsessed with Duck Dynasty and will use any excuse on the planet to get me to watch an episode with him. On Tuesday he said, "Mom since baby Sissy got a new tooth this week, don't you think we should have a Duck Dynasty date to celebrate?" Such a silly boy! Keaton has always been my monkey, but now his climbing knows no bounds. Anytime of the day, I can find him on top of the doorframe or walking the edge of some piece of furniture. Perhaps, the circus is in his future.

Collin is a TALKER. He talks all the time. About everything. I love it! He actually has a really amazing vocabulary, and his articulation is very clear, which I am SO grateful for. He is also pretty darn bossy and sounds like me more often that I would care to admit. This week, when Amelia-Grace was knocking pictures off the end table, he fussed, "No, Sissy! You want pop?" Too funny.Yesterday, we read a children's version of A Christmas Story  for the first time. After we were finished, he flipped back to a picture of pregnant Mary and Joseph and said, "Dat's Mommy and dat's Daddy. It's baby Jesus in belly. He night night." Such a little smarty pants! Collin started two year preschool in August, and on his first day his teacher told my brother how impressed they were that he knows almost all his letters. Yay for a toddler who loves to learn like his big brothers!

Miss Amelia-Grace has had a big fall. She has cut her two upper teeth just these past two weeks, which brings her total up to four chompers. We suspect two more will be here any day now. She has been cruising along furniture quite confidently for weeks now. McLain alleges that she took three steps toward him oin Wednesday, but there were no witnesses, so I don't think I'll count it, especially since she is completely uninterested in repeating this alleged event. During my fall break, Miss Sassy Pants swallowed a coin in Cold Water Creek's dressing room, which earned her her first trip to the ER. Thankfully, she passed her naughtiness six days later when we learned she was worth ten cents. Amelia-Grace loves to make a big mess, especially when Collin can help her. One evening when I was cooking a cobbler and working in the kitchen, I discovered that the two of them had decorated my living room floor with an entire bag of Doritos. Naughty babies!!!  

I'm looking forward to this fall and spending it with my munchkins. Hopefully it will be a season with no huge messes of ER trips. :)

Love my youngest and oldest

Keaton and his tiny tin town

My Colly and his Boppy (AKA his fav person on the planet)

My crazy, loud, messy herd that I just love. 

This Boy and I...

have now been married for 13 years. That's wild for me to really think about. Clay and I met in August of 1994 and married in September of 2000. Next August, we'll have known each other for 20 years. Just crazy. 

We've been through a lot. When we first got married, we were so broke, but I don't think we really noticed how much. Those days when we shared one car and lived in a tiny two room duplex were definitely character building years. We grew up a lot together. It was fun and tough all at the same time. 

Since we got married, we've been through the birth of our four sweet babies, the deaths of all four of our grandparents, and a lot in between those big life-changing events. We've changed jobs, houses, and cars...some better loved than others. 

Marriage is not easy. Some days you just have to grit your teeth and remember that you promised God and each other that this crazy ride was until death do us apart, not until someone finally remembers to pick up after themselves in a timely manner. 

I love this boy, especially 13 years later. 

So This Beautiful Friend of Mine Got Married...

On Friday, one of my most most favorite people on the planet got married, and I got to be her matron of honor. I had my toast for the reception all typed up in my pocket and ready to read, but at the end of the night, I realized that the moment had slipped everyone's mind, including mine. So I quietly tip toed to the bridal suite, and tucked my toast in the bride's makeup bag, because I wanted her to know how much her friendship means to me. When we were all packing up to leave, she found it early, read it, and we had a good hug and cry/snort filled laugh about it. I love you, Grainger! I'm toasting you now! 

   I have known Kristin for 8 years, since we were both new, 2^nd grade teachers with single wide trailers for classrooms. Over the years, we’ve shared a lot of laughter, a lot of intense episodes of Desperate Housewives, and a ridiculous number of sarcastic comments. We have been together through births, baptisms, grade level changes, and break ups. I am so excited that God has finally blessed Kristin with a great man, a man who makes her laugh often and often until she snorts. I’m grateful that he’s a man who may not be perfect but who is absolutely perfect for her. May you both be as happy in your next fifty years together as you are today. I love you and congratulations.

My Girl

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll175/simplychicblogs/aquaandmulti-dot.jpg

It's amazing to me how often I'm asked, "Are you glad you finally got your girl?" While we were absolutely not trying to have another baby, I'm eternally grateful that it was God's will for us to have one and for number four to be a sweet, little girl. Yes, I am SO glad to have my girl. 

Loving My Babies and My Summer

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll175/simplychicblogs/aquaandmulti-dot.jpg

So blessed to have four healthy, sweet kiddos and 8 1/2 uninterrupted weeks to be with them during the summer. Life is so good right now that I wish I could hit pause for at least five years.

Add caption

Spring Time Already...

This winter and spring have been hectic but so much fun. My babies are all happy and growing like weeds.

In February, Keaton turned six, and we celebrated with family and friends at the bowling alley. He started his second season of soccer in March. He loves it and is now much more focused than last year. No more "walking like an Egyptian" across the field! Keaton is doing really, really well in school. He knows all of his 110 kindergarten sight words and is working of his phrases now. I'm so proud of him!

McLain is officially a preteen. Scary thought! He turned twelve in April, and we celebrated this milestone at Mountasia with a bunch of his guy friends from school. I am so grateful that he has found a fun, wholesome group of boys to hang out with. McLain just had his final 6th grade orchestra concert this week. Clay and I are so proud that he has been first chair in the cello section all year! He definitely has those musical genes, like his Daddy and uncles. McLain is in the midst of his fifth soccer season. It'a amazing the growth he has made in five years.

Sweet Collin turned two just two weeks after McLain's birthday. We celebrated with his favorite buddy, Elmo! Collin is such a funny guy and is really starting to talk. I love to hear him say "We're home, Mama" when we pull into the neighborhood and "Shooooooooes" whenever he's ready to go bye-bye.  He has become a fierce protector of his sister and loves to take care of her. I love to watch him get excited when she wakes up and say, "HI! HI, baby!" with a huge smile on his face. Precious!

My baby girl is already five and half months old. I can't believe it! Amelia-Grace is such a sweet, HAPPY girl. She recently started having big belly laughs and rolling over. My girl is a big snuggler and loves to be rocked. She is so much fun to take shopping, and I feel certain that she loves going to Target with a big bow on her head as much I love going with her and showing her off.

 School will be over in three weeks. I'm looking forward to mornings of sleeping in (hopefully until 7:00!), to afternoons spent at the pool, and to evenings watching Duck Dynasty and eating chocolate chip cookies.