7 Months

Carter just turned 7 months today. My little buddy is on his way to the year mark. So instead of writing it all out I am going to try to capture his new leaps with pictures...because we all know pictures are WAY better than writing about it!

I can get my toes into my mouth now...yummy!

I can sit up SO tall now...I love this view

I am happy when I wake up in the morning and talk and play in my crib

SO BIG...love raising my hands up high and flapping them all around

Love Love playing with my xylophone, a definite favorite

Love playing (eating) blocks...laugh when my sisters make towers for me

and I knock them down

And just because he is so ADORABLE. Love having a little boy!

Is She Really Seven?

Seven already! It's true, the day after Thanksgiving my pretty little light of sunshine turned SEVEN. This same little girl that changed the course of Tim and my life and I am SO thankful for her. She is truly a gift and when Tim and I talk about her our hearts get bigger and fuller!

Seven years ago she was born the day before Thanksgiving...what a day. I tell her about that day often and she loves hearing about it, especially the part where EVERYONE and their mother was at the hospital for her birth (and then in true typical sister form she reminds me that only Papaw came to Brooklyn's birth since we had moved to TX). She loves loves the part where the security guards had to come to move my family and friends to another area because they were taking up too much room and surprsingly they were too loud...no how can that be?? That minute she was born life would ulitmately never be the same and I am so glad for that. This little girl so sweet and small would teach me so much about life, love and being a mom. Sometimes I feel bad because she is my first I make a lot of my mistakes on her :) but God must have known because that girl has more grace, heart and maturity than anyone I know. She goes above and beyond at being a big sister to the two little ones...she is always helping or taking care of a friend who needs something and thinking about others. She constantly leaves me love notes, cards and pictures that make even a bad day turn around in a snap. Kennedy can write forever, loves coloring and anything Barbie!

Birthday morning surprises

Just ice cream sundaes, not a cake eater!

Wanted to eat Mexican for her birthday dinner...she loved being sung to and the hat!

Check out Brooklyn in the background on her phone!

Heading off to school for her birthday celebration!

Kennedy, I can definitely see that this year has brought about so many changes...such a jump growth wise, socially, and maturity wise from Kindergarten to 1st grade. You are my little reader with a book in your hand walking around the house. Learning how to do things gets frustrating because you are way more comfortable doing what you know and are afraid you aren't going to do it right (so much like your mommy). But your face shines bright and the pride when you get to do something new is amazing. You are asking so many questions now about life and everything in between, God, relationships, people and really taking it all in. All of a sudden this world and place we live is becoming so much more to you and you realize how full it is. I still love checking on you at night before I go to bed, kissing your forehead and just staring at you like I did when you were a baby in your crib. The time has gone so fast but I have loved you more and more everyday, laughed with you, cried with you and learned about life with you. Your daddy is always saying to me how special you are and what a smart and sweet girl you are! I am proud to be your mommy and glad that God made you the big sister in this family! Happy 7th Birthday!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Here are some fun pictures from our Thanksgiving. Looking back I can't find one picture of Carter :( so sad! His first Thanksgiving. We didn't even get a family picture. I either have a picture of Carter on another camera or need to dress him back up in his Thanksgiving garb and take another...he won't know the exact date in the future :). The day was full of food, food and more food! We headed to some friends house where it was a full house and of course the full Thanksgiving meal. Somehow even though my mom was in town and of course Tim was there too I ended up at a table with all three kids by myself...so needless to say I am not sure how anything tasted, but I think it was good!

This tradition started last year...the girls and I collect rocks and paint them and write everyone's name on them. Last year the theme was pink because it was Kennedy's birthday and this year her theme was jungle animals. They are fun to do and we will see what our collection looks like after the years!

All I Want For Christmas Is

TWO front teeth. Carter's two bottom teeth popped through the end of November. The first one the week before Thanksgiving and the second one Thanksgiving Day. Now if I could only manage to get the picture to see how cute those little biters are. I will keep trying

Let It Snow

So it did end up snowing a lot (ok for those of you back East not a lot a lot) but a LOT for here! It was incredible. I did manage to videotape it this time for the kids to see in the future...two years in a row now so who knows when it will happen again. We went and grabbed Kennedy early from school and came home and bundled up and played in it for oh only about 5 minutes. Long enough to get wet mittens and pants and they were done. But it is so neat to experience something like that and take in the moment watching the kids and smiling inside and out.

And I love these pictures of Brooklyn's idea about where the best spot to watch the snow is...from inside!

I love this one because you can see her little hands grabbing at the window and the snow falling!

Brrrrr!

So it looks like we have a 80% chance of snow here tomorrow. Can you believe it...it snowed last year and was amazing! I remember bundling the kids up and getting them out there to be in it, eat it, you name it because I didn't know when the next time they would see it.

And because it's been cold (at least cold for here) I had to get some pictures of my cute little bundled up boy...it doesn't get any cuter than this!

Who Are Those People???

The things that come out of kids mouth sure make for a lot of laughs throughout the day...and Christmas time is no different.

Yesterday, we were in the car driving home and Brooklyn looks out her window and shrieks, "Who are those people and what are they doing in front of our church?" We had already driven past our church but I quickly figured out she was talking about the nativity scene they have displayed in the front. She got quite territorial for a minute and wanted to make sure she wasn't missing anything, and believe me Brooklyn never misses a thing! So it was a fun time to explain what baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary "were doing at our church."

Brooklyn and I were reading one of our favorite Christmas stories the other day, Room for a Little One and all of a sudden she looked at the last page and stopped short and said, "mom, where are baby Jesus' clothes?" I told her that he had just been born so he was nudie because babies are born without clothes. She took a minute to digest this newfound news and looked at me and with shock says, "was I born without clothes too?" I said yes honey and then she went on to ask if Carter and Kennedy were born without clothes too because she wanted to make sure she wasn't the only one in the family!

It reminds me of when Kennedy was three...she LOVED singing all the Christmas songs with me. Feliz Navidad and Silent Night were by far the favs!! But the cutest part about that Christmas was when the word PEACE was changed in every song she sang.

So...from Hark the Herald, the line Peace on Earth became PEAS on earth. And from Silent Night it became Sleep in heavenly peas!

And because every post is better with a picture (or FOUR) here are some from us finishing the tree. They really get into it and are truly helpful which is fun. Even Tim hangs a lot of the ornaments. We listen to Christmas music, of course and then sit around it and have hot chocolate or cider...these are the memories I hope they always remember. Brooklyn loved hanging the star this year...and I have to take a picture of the bottom left side of our tree...Brooklyn took all the leftover ornaments that hadn't made there way onto the tree that night and hung them all on the bottom left few branches...my tree is sagging but I can't make myself move them, it looks too cute and it is so Brooklyn!

Ho Ho Ho

Happy December 1st. The Christmas music has been playing since Thanksgiving, the tree is up, not yet decorated and the rest of the Christmas decor is scattered throughout the house and I am LOVING it. I am insisting that we only read Christmas books and listen to Christmas music all.day.long. Yes, I will probably drive my family crazy but it's only for 25 more days!

The kids already saw Santa...it actually happened back mid November. We have this great old fashioned toy store here and Santa comes every year in December for a couple of weekends but this year he had to "travel" to do business at the North Pole in December so he had to make the pit stop in November. I watched my three kids and couldn't wipe the silly smile off my face the whole time. It was the first year that Brooklyn was not scared of Santa and we managed a tear free picture and she talked to him.

The morning we went to go see Santa each girl took a list and wrote out their wishes to take on the visit. When they were all done writing and we had moved on, or so I thought I was sitting their feeding Carter and I see Brooklyn heading for her kiddie scissors. Next thing I know she is cutting up her list, "to make a puzzle mommy!" Well of course to make a puzzle, who doesn't do that. So ALL of the puzzle pieces go into a baggie to take to Santa. Kennedy of course looks at her sister like she is C.R.A.Z.Y!

So Brooklyn walks up to Santa with her puzzle and what does Santa do? He gets out of his chair and sits right down on the floor and spends what feels like forever putting together Brooklyn's puzzle to find out what she wants for Christmas. The sweetest most patient thing I have ever seen. Kennedy was excited to show Santa her writing and ask for her wishes.






And Carter was super cool with Santa...like he sees a jolly old man with a white beard every day. Talked to him like he does us, I think he just revels in any attention be it from Santa or the check out lady at the grocery store. But my favorite picture I have gotten with each child was when they were really little and just staring at Santa. Love it!