Monday, December 13, 2010

The annual Christmas letter

how many of you do these? I love getting them in the mail. This year I struggled to write ours and almost omitted them from the envelope but I got it done and folded and sent....

so, here it is!!


Here we go again! The end of another year is almost upon us. As we get older it seems the years pass quicker and I don’t think I like it. As I sit and try to think of the “best of from 2010” I find myself struggling. How can that be with 5 kids? Yes, I did say 5.

This year we added the 5th and final child to our clan. Ryleigh Grace was born on July 15th, via c-section. I guess she wanted to make sure that I remembered her birth over the others. She came into this world on a very special date, what would have been my Nanny and Papa’s wedding anniversary. Ryleigh has stolen the hearts of her two oldest brothers but not so much the heart of her older sister.

Kennedi is now 2 (Aug). She loves her baby sister to pieces, or maybe it’s that she wants her sister to be in pieces. It only took Kennedi about 3 weeks to pick Ryleigh up while I was making dinner and drop her on the ground. No need to call DFACS, we tried but they brought her back. Ok, I am just kidding about the DFACS part. Kennedi is great to her baby sister most days and even shares with her. Just a few weeks ago I saw that Ryleigh had a lot of black crumbs on her mouth. It looked like she enjoyed part of Kennedi’s Oreo cookie! Kennedi goes to a Children’s Morning Out program 2 times a week for 4 hours and loves it. Hard to believe that she will be in Pre-K 3 next year! Hopefully in next year’s letter I will be able to talk about her 1st soccer experience.

Dakota is now 7 and in the 1st grade. This past spring he played t-ball and now he is giving boy scouts a shot. Being 3 hours away it’s hard for Chris to make it to all of his games but he does get down to see a few games during each season. Chris recently watched Dakota climb the ropes at one of his Boy Scout events. Seems like scouting is taking up a lot of his time and he sounds like he is enjoying all the camping.

Avery is now in his last year in middle school! We can’t wait for him to be done and move onto high school. It will be wonderful having both boys in the same school once again. Avery does great in school when he put his mind to it. I just wish he would do that all the time. One place where his head is always where it should be is on the lacrosse field. The kid is a beast! He is still on the small side but that doesn’t matter to him. He is proof that size really doesn’t matter in sports. He is looking forward to the possibility of playing on the high schools JV team in the spring (as an 8th grader). He has also taken an interest in hunting and recently passed his Hunter Safety test. Chris loves that but I am still not sure. I don’t think I am ready to replace the meet in my freezer with deer, turkey, squirrel or whatever else is available to shoot.

Conner is in 10th grade and turned 16 in November. I now feel VERY short standing next to him. He is about 6 feet tall and loves to stand next to some of his cousins. The little kid is now taller than a few of them. School is starting to get a little tougher for him. This year he is taking his 1st two AP classes. He likes the idea of having all 11th grade classes this coming spring. Conner recently got his driver’s license and a car. Now that he has both of those, he is never home. I love that he can get himself home from practice but do not like that idea of him being gone all the time. I only have 2 more years of before he goes to college, you would think that he would want to be home every waking minute until then. Conner is back to having his sweet smile. He is scheduled to get his braces off in early December. He has been looking forward to this day for about 2 ½ years and is thrilled that is has finally arrived. This past spring he played baseball on the 9th grade team. He is now getting back into the swing of things with baseball conditioning.

Chris and I are doing well. Chris is still working all the time and we can’t wait until he can cut back a little. Maybe then all the items on the “honey-do” list will get done or maybe just get longer. I am still at home with the kids and most days it’s great. I still stay very busy driving the kids everywhere they need to go and look forward to bedtime when I get a chance to relax.

I think that wraps up most of the big things for 2010. We hope that you all have had a wonderful 2010 and hope your family has a happy and healthy 2011.

ahh the quiet!!

This is wonderful.... it is now quiet, well except for the coos of a very cute 2 days away from being 5 months old little girl! She is on the floor playing on her mat. Yes, she should be sleeping but she is not. As for the big one, she is upstairs, probably also not sleeping but should be. That is ok, she is quiet.

So now I see how long it has been since I have really had a chance to sit and blog about the life of these little, and not so little people that live under our roof.


Lets see.... I wrote on how Conner turned 16, and yes that was back in the middle of November. He had gotten his license, is able to take himself everywhere and I realize how wonderful it is! Well at least until I catch wind on facebook or some other source that there is an accident on one of the roads he takes to school when he is at his dads house. And then I realize how scary it is when I can not get a hold of him or his little brother (also in the car) on the cell phones that I pay for and therefore they should answer whenever I need them too (even when the battery is dead). And then when I find out that it was two gray cars. And then the relier that I get when I find out both boys are sitting safely at school. I now see the downside of having a child that drives. I think I will continue to focus on the good list.


In early December Conner also got his braces off!! What an exciting day that was for him. Let me tell you, he is one great looking kid!! Not that he wasnt before but it is amazing how great he looks without his braces. I guess the braces were just a part of him and then when they were not there.... darn!!
Avery is up next.... let's see in the past week we have sat through the last Christmas, oh excuse me, Holiday concert that he will have. I have to admit that I do dread these. He has taken strings (guitar) for 3 years and they still pluck the songs. He did tell me that he wants to take private lessons after this year. Maybe then it will be tolerable to listen to him play. It is such a fun instrument (I took it for a few years after my parents made me stop playing violin but that is another post for another time) and I wish that I had kept it up.

This past weekend Avery decided at the last minute that he wanted to try out for the elite travel lacrosse team. I was thrilled that he decided to try this. I think it would be a great thing for him to play on this team with kids that are very talented. Not sure when we will hear if he did or did not make the team but either way I am proud of him for wanting to try out.


This picture if not of the try out this weekend but it was the last game of the season. Avery has transitioned from being an all defense player to playing defense and middie. He even scored a goal this year (his 2nd in hid life). We were very excited. Avery is one that will take it up and pass it off so that he has the assist but getting him to shoot has taken awhile. I guess being in a defense frame of mind for many years shooting is not an issue.
Kennedi has been Kennedi. She keeps us on our toes ALL THE TIME!!

Ryleigh was Baptized at church a few weeks ago. We had many of my family come to help us celebrate. Of course after it we had a party to celebrate with a wonderful cake!


The girls recently sat on Santa's lap where Kennedi told him that she wanted presents under the tree. When I asked what she wanted in the presents she said, Cheese. Hmmmm ok!

I think that catches us up on most of the major events of the fall. Whew, hopefully I can get to where I post an update at least once a week if not more.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Wow!

I just noticed how behind I was in posting. Nov 10 seems like so long ago. I guess I will have to sit down and make myself focus and get a "Catch Up" post. I have so much going on. Since Nov 10th we have had the end of a lacrosse season, a baptism, and of course Thanksgiving to tell about.

...hopefully soon!!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY!!!

(cont. from below)....

Yes little did we know that right now (2:42am, if this posts when I told it to) I was giving birth to my first child, a son.

4 1/2 hours of labor and no meds! It was an easy delivery as he came quick. I guess he wanted to arrive 20 days early.


What a sweet baby he was!!


and what a wonderful teen he is now!!!


I still cant believe it... 16 years ago (as I get teary eyed typing this).

Conner, you are a great kid and such a joy to be around. Your siblings could not have asked for a better brother. They look up to you and want to be just like you. You are a wonderful role model (most of the time) for them.

You have such brains and such talent and I really believe that you will achieve everything you set out to do!

I love you more than you will ever know!! I am very proud to call you my son!!

Mom

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

16 years ago

16 years ago tonight I was 21 days short of my due date with my first child when I felt a little funny. No pain (yet) just a few little twinges.

C's dad told me we were heading to the hospital and I said no way, we were 3 weeks away. They would just look at us, laugh and send us home telling us it was too early.

This was about 10:00pm on November 9th, 1994.

Little did we know!

....to be continued!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

rolling, rolling, rolling,

Yup, we have hit milestone, the 1st of many for R. She is now 3 1/2 month old and she is now also rolling all over the place.

This morning I was able to leave her on the bed in her boppy but tomorrow she will have to move down to the floor.

I noticed that she was getting close to rolling from back to front but just couldn't get it. I grabbed the flip, videoed for about 30 minutes with no luck. I walked into the kitchen, turned around and she was on her tummy. I looked to see if K maybe rolled her over but she had not moved.

So I missed the 1st time she rolled. But of course that is not all I missed. While I went to grab the flip to try again but by the time I got back she had rolled onto her back.

OK so I missed the 1st roll both ways.

At least I was able to see it many many more times tonight.

Ahhh, she is growing so fast and knowing that this is the last one it really makes me sad!! It seems like yesterday that I was watching this video over and over. It was almost 2 years ago to the day.

Tomorrow I will post the video of her rolling.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Happy Halloween!!

As everyone knows last night was Halloween. I have to admit that I am not a huge Halloween fan but I do enjoy seeing the kids dressed up and having fun. That translates to... in a few year Chris will be the one taking the girls around trick or treating while I stay home and hand out candy.

This year we did it together. It was R's 1st Halloween and the 1st that K really got into it.

Isn't she the cutest little kitty you have ever seen?


The only thing missing were the boys. They left that afternoon to head to their dads house. Before they left I wanted to get a few pictures of the 4 kids together.

And this is how it went....

I called the boys over with the girls and all the kids were in order except for the toddler..


Exhibit A

Said toddler was running around all over the place. The oldest teen went to get her and this is what took place...


Exhibit B

And this is what happens when you try to take a picture of a still unwilling 2 year old.


Exhibit C

So plan B happened... notice the orange just above C's shoulder. That would be Daddy! Yup, K was find as long as Daddy was holding her...

Exhibit D

When all the pictures were taken. We went home and had a little fun before trick or treating...



And of course, the shot of Daddy and his 2 little girls!


After that we went off trick or treating where K had a blast. We walked around with a few neighbors and Kennedi was such a big girl and kept up with all the older boys!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Friday, October 15, 2010

3 months old!!

Yesterday was the 15th and that means that R turned 3 months old! Time has gone by so fast and I really wish that it would slow down a little!

Here are a few pictures of R that were taken in the last month!









The Pumpkin Patch!

It's that time of year again, I just wish it would be a little cooler.


It is just not normal to be decorating the outside of the house in Halloween stuff and sweating while doing it. I always remember going trick-or-treating and freezing while walking. I guess that is the difference in Maryland and Georgia!

Anyway, today with our playgroup we headed to one of the local pumpkin patches.

I do have to add that I have 2 huge "Fails" to report. 1)I did not get many pictures at all and 2) none of the many pictures that I did not get are of R!! OUCH!!

I do have to say that it is not easy to take pictures when you have two little ones with you. But, I have also been really bad about taking pictures for about the past month. There are only so many poses you can take of a newborn/infant. Also, there are only so many times you can beg a certain toddler to be still and actually look at the camera instead of walking away. I have way too many pictures of the back of her!


So... here are the pictures that I did manage to get today. Yes, I know I need to take some photography classes. That is actually on my list of things to do when I have some spare time. I guess I will be able to enroll in some classes in the year 2028 when we have no more children at home.






proudly holding her pumpkin!


a close up of K and her favorite pumpkin.

Monday, October 4, 2010

GAP Casting Call

OK so I have entered the girls in the GAP casting call. It's a long shot but you just never know!

If you would take a minute to click on their links and vote. You do not have to register for anything. It does ask for an email but if you do not click the box under your email it does not send anything to you.

you can vote everyday!!

click here to vote for Kennedi

and

click here to vote for Ryleigh

THANK YOU!!
Please let me know if there is a problem with the links I posted!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

2 month check

So we were a little late with R's 2 month well baby check. Better late than never!!
I am really not sure why it ended up being so late this time but hey we are done.

She did great! She got 3 seperate shots and was a trooper. Of course she turned beat red and was pissed but its worth it in the end knowing that we have protected our baby from some really horrible things!

Her stats were:
Length: 23 3/4 inches (93%)
weight: 12 lbs 2 oz (86%).

Our pediactrician says she is built like a supermodel.

I'm a Big Girl Now!

Sunday was the beginning of a new chapter for K.
While I was down at the kitchen table tutoring (the girls were in for naps.. or so I thought) I heard the noise of a doorknob jiggling. I dismissed it thinking that I was just hearing things but a few seconds later K's door opens and out she walks.
Remember she is supposed to be in her CRIB taking a nap!
Yup, it happened... she climbed out of her crib for the first time.
So... when daddy came home we went out and let K pick out the bedding for what will become her toddler bed.
Of course she chose the Disney Princess (yes, that was the choice over Dora).
So home we went to put it all together.....
went from this.....


to this.....

My big girl is now in a new bed and she LOVES it!!!

Glucose Tolerance Testing....

Ahhh a sigh of relief!!!

I had not heard from my Doctor about my 2 hour glucose test that I had done last week. This was a requirement since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I was pregnant. I was starting to get a little worried and thought about calling my doctor to check on it but it was a case of... if I know then I have to do something about it.

Well, in the mail today I got the results. I guess I did not get a call because at my 2 hour I my levels were 85!!!!

I AM DIABETES FREE!!!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

My little helper!

One thing about me is that I do enjoy baking. I do not do it often anymore but I like it when I have time to. When the big boys were younger I would make their birthday cakes and they would turn out pretty good (in my opinion). Now with 4 kids here most of the time, I do not have much time to do anything let alone bake.

But...

A few nights ago, I decided to make some cupcakes. YUMM YUMM... All of a sudden I had a little helper by my side.

I pulled up a chair and started to make the batter (from the box)....

Kennedi poured the water and oil in the bowl and helped me mix...

After she learned the best part of the cake making process....

you guessed it....

licking the bowl!!


and she seemed to like it!!

It was a wonderful night!!

Yes it was....

This little angel....

was so kind to Chris and me!

She laid down in her pack and play at 9:00pm and did not wake back up until 6:30 am!!

OH WHAT A NIGHT!!!!

Now if only I could have slept straight through instead of waking up, looking at the clock and wondering why Ryleigh had not wanted to eat.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

It's that time of the year!!

The time of year we look forward to.....

you know...

when the weather gets a little cooler...

days are a little shorter....

and Saturdays mean sitting in front of the television...


drinking a beverage and eating a lot....

watching some college football!!


Down here in SEC territory we try to influence them early!!







WAR EAGLE!!!!!!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Another "Cheese" face

... just because you can never get tired of this sweet thing!


I have a lot of catching up to do but I am very tired this evening. Maybe this weekend at some point. Ryleigh is growing like a weed and looks different everyday.... but enough until tomorrow....

WAR EAGLE!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Well......

I just had to post this because I think this made Chris' day today!

I got the mail a little while ago and in it was a package. I looked and saw that it was from a family member, one that Chris has not met.

I opened it up and there was an adorable little dress and black shoes for Ryleigh but that was not all....

There wrapped up in a little package on it own with a note on it that says, "Someone has to be a Georgia fan" was this.....


I sent a picture of it to Chris and he commented back to me how much he liked that. Of course he did, It was Ryleigh's 1st (and only) Georgia outfit!

Come to think of it, it is the ONLY Georgia outfit that anyone (besides Chris) in the house has.

She will look very cute it in and we will take pictures of her in it but she WILL NOT be allowed to wear it on November 13th of this year!!

I think Chris has a new favorite family member!!

WAR EAGLE!!!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

1st day of "school"

..... ok, it's not really school, it's CMO (Children's Morning Out) but it IS school to K. This year she is in the Caterpillar room (the 2 year old room).

Like all mom's I was excited to get those 1st day pictures before we loaded up in the car. Like most kids, Kennedi was not very cooperative about these photos.

Here is the 1 picture that I got before we left the house!

Nice huh? As you can tell.. she was ready to go!

When we got to school she was ready to go in! I tried to get a picture by the CMO sign.... That was a big no go! She took off towards the playground. So instead we walked into the building to her class.

As soon as we opened the door to the building you could hear the screams and cries of the kids that did not want to leave their moms/dads. It was so sad to hear all the crying. I figured that as soon as Kennedi saw the kids in her class cry she would join in. At first she grabbed onto me (while Chris signed her in) and then about 2 minutes later she was ready to go into the room.

When we looked in to see how she was doing, we saw this

note the train and the Dora doll... two of her favorite things!


and then we noticed that it was all the boys crying. The girls were just playing and checking out all the new things. I loved the look on Kennedi's face as she walked by the crying boys. She had this puzzled look on her face trying to figure out why they were crying! It was precious.

So now she is home, in for her nap and I am hoping that Thursday is as smooth for her as today was.

Monday, August 23, 2010

It's party time!!

A few weeks back was K's 2nd birthday. We would love to have celebrated it then but the big boys were at their dads house for their summer trip. Chris and I decided that we could not have a party without the brothers that Kennedi adores so we impatiently waited to have the party.

This past weekend we were able to celebrate with a few family members and friends.

K and one of her cousins, M...

We had a great time and Kennedi got lots of great things.... The theme this year definately was Dora! We can now open up a Dora the Explorer store right out of the house!

Aunt Barbie loved to get some Ryleigh time



The Dora cake.... and it was GOOD!!

K blowing out the candles... She had to get the help of daddy.

Probably one of my favorite looks is K's CHEEEEESSSEEE face!

ahhhh now on to think about the oldest's birthday... Thankfully he agrees that the 16th party is more of a girl thing so he thinks he is opting out of that. But at any rate I will have to think of something creative for him!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

1st Day of School

One of the bad things about living in the south is the heat, especially this year. I have not been outside a whole lot because it is miserable out there and being that I was pregnant for much of it makes it even worse.

With the heat comes higher electric bills. WOW this summer meant A LOT higher! I think this is the first month we have hit the 300 mark and I am really hoping it does not happen again!

But that is not the worst part of living in the south. What is even worse than those two things is that we start school sooooooooooooo early! I mean really, who starts school in August? Early August at that!!

WE DO!!! And I DON'T like it!!! I guess there is not much I can do about it besides be thankful that I am no longer going back to school on the working end. Whew I am so happy I am home with the kids (well.... most days).

Here are my big boys on the 1st day of school. They were at their dads for the 1st day this year but they sent me 1 picture. I will be taking more pictures Monday for the 1st day at my house (but don't tell the boys, they wont be happy about it).


Wow.... 10th grade and 8th grade. Where did the time go?

Two years from now I will have one starting his last year in high school and then one starting her 1st year in school (Pre-K). Two years after that I will have the same with two others.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

2 growing girls!!

Kennedi had her 2 year appointment yesterday and of course I forgot my camera!

Anyway.. at 2 years Kennedi is
27.6 lbs
35 inches

She is doing a great job with her growth! I am not sure how since the kid doesnt eat but I guess itis working for her.

While we were there we did a weight check on Ryleigh. I was a little worried because of all the spitting up she has been doing. I mean like projectile spitting. I guess it is not really holding her back.

At birth she was
8 lbs 1 oz

When we left the hospital she was
7 lbs 3 oz

When we went back for her 1 week check (which was really about 11 days) she was
8lbs 3 oz

Yesterday at her weight check she was 3weeks and 4 days and she weighed
9 lbs 9 1/2 oz... WOW!!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday to you.....

Happy 2nd Birthday to Kennedi.....

Happy Birthday to you!!!












The little princess that you are.......

WE LOVE YOU KENNEDI!!