Sunday, January 20, 2013

Crazy Eight!

We are alive and well!  These pictures are proof of that!
Mikey and I are headed for our 8th wedding anniversary in just a few weeks!  Looking at these pictures makes me realize just how much our little family has accomplished in that short span of time!

I mean look at these handsome little boys we've been blessed with!  Spending every day with them is wonderful!  They are so smart and funny and entertaining!
{{(((**Swoon**)))}}

Time flies by so quickly that we have to pick and choose what to focus our time on.  Some of the things that are left behind more often than not:  housework, laundry, dishes, personal hygiene. 
Totally kidding on the personal hygiene!  I had you there for a second!

Huett is seven years old and he FINALLY lost his first tooth!  It was on the bottom, left side and you can see it in this picture if you look closely!  Huett is thriving at school and his untainted behavior record continues. His teacher told me that if she ever has to leave the room, but has something she doesn't want the students to get into, she can put it at Huett's desk because she knows that he will not mess with it no matter how curious he might be!  He's my little rule-follower!  He played fall baseball which was a blast, and he is playing basketball right now.  He is also in Boy Scouts which he seems to enjoy! Busy Busy Busy little boys make for busy parents!  And grandparents!

Sambo was 5 when this picture was made, but has since turned 6.  His teachers love him, heck, apparently everyone loves him!  His 4-K teacher told me, my mom, and a friend of mine, on three separate occasions, that if she ever had a son she would've hoped he would be just like Sam.  She said he is just the sweetest, kindest boy with just the right amount of little boy spirit.  His 5-K teacher, at Open House told us, and I quote, "Sam is quite the man about town."  I replied, "Yes, I have heard that a few little girls like him."  She said, "Oh, it's not just the girls, it's the boys, too!  They fight over him in class, they fight over who gets to sit with him at lunch!  They are always out for Sam's attention!"  I can't count on two hands the number of mom's who have come up to me telling me that their kids are always talking about Sam at home!  Little girls are always wanting to have their picture made with him at the parties!  His kindergarten teacher summed it up by saying that he is just a really good friend.  I pray he keeps his confidence (because Lord knows, he's got plenty of it), and I pray he keeps his kind heartedness that has brought him so much friendship thus far.
Oh, Charlie... Charlie, Charlie, Charlie... 
This cute little stinker is a mess, really.  He can be the absolute sweetest thing and he really does hold my heart.  But on the other side of his personality is a stubborn, tempermental, easily-angered little cuss.  There was a year or two there where that angry little cuss was about all we ever saw out of him, but since he started school in the fall last year, I think he has started changing.  His fits are becoming fewer and farther in between, thankfully!  I mean he is so stinking cute that it's hard to get mad at him when he paints himself and the carpet with hot pink fingernail polish, or when he has an accident in  his underwear for the 100th time in a row, so luckily he isn't in as much trouble recently.  He is so excited about starting t-ball in the spring so he can finally get in on the action and off of the bleachers where he's been with me for the past several baseball seasons!


These little guys are where it's at, I tell ya! 
I can't imagine a life without any one of them. 
I also can't imagine life WITH one more of them, either!  Three is enough. 
Unless there's a little girl to be had, in which case I'm totally willing to make an exception =)



What else can I tell you? 
It's been 8 years...
We are still in love. We still have fun. We still laugh at each other on a daily basis.
We are two halves of an amazing team who is far from perfect (no, really), but we are still making it work day in and day out!
I'm thankful...I'm blessed...I'm happy...
They're silly...They're smart...They're amazing...They're our blessings...
And they make everything else worth it 1,000 times over!


I don't go into these posts intending to be so cheesy and gushy, but I mean when I look at my family, it's impossible not to feel that way! Sigh.

Two by Two!

Not too long after VBS at church, the boys came to us saying they wanted to ask Jesus to live in their hearts so that they could go to Heaven one day (never underestimate the power of VBS in the lives of our children).  Mikey and I led them in the sinner's prayer, and a month later, our oldest two sons were baptized!  Our families were, of course, in attendance.  They were able to capture these great pictures for us! 

We go to Highpoint Community Church and their baptism services are quite different from ones I have gone to at any other church!

It's more like a pep rally!  They announce the person who is going to be baptized and then the whole crowd cheers!  There is exciting music playing.  It's really a huge celebration of what baptism stands for, and my whole family enjoyed it!
Sam is 5 in these pictures, and if Huett isn't seven yet, he's very very close!


Sam was going to be sure to be prepared for his dip into the water! 
He wouldn't take his hand down the entire time, and the crowd got a big kick out of it!
In he goes!
Now it's Huett's turn!
He was a little more reserved than Sam, as usual!  Look at Sambo grinning in the background!
Huett was taking in every word!
Huett's turn to go under!
Splash!
All done! We were so proud of them!

This is a milestone in the life of any person, and I'm very thankful that my two oldest sons got to experience it together while their daddy and I were standing with them!  That is two answered prayers!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

I'm BAAACKKK!
This is sort of just a big heap of pics I've been meaning to get around to.  There will likely be several of these posts before I catch us up to the here and now!


Here are the Christmas cards I promised you oh so long ago! 
Aren't they great?!?





A few days before Christmas we took the "big kids" to see ELF at the Alabama Theatre!


We had front row seats and it was too much fun!

SANTA!!
Our elf, Flick had a lot of fun while he was here but no mess was greater than the one he left when he returned to the North Pole!! 





We love our babies!!




All seven of them!!
Taiden, Charlie, and Archer 2 years old
Teagan 3 years old
Sam 4 years old
Ava and Huett 6 years








The Beautiful Ava Claire!!


And her kindred spirit puppy, Lilly!

 I'll be back with some more interesting posts, hopefully!  I just really wanted to start getting some of these pics off of my phone and into my blog!!

We are having an outstanding summer, and we haven't even gone on vacation yet!! 
Happy Playdays everyone!!

Coming Soon:  Fun Summer Events!

And most importantly, BASEBALL!!!!!


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Thanks Giving

So, I've come to the conclusion that sometimes
 life can knock the breath right out of you,
 and sometimes it can take your breath away.

Life around here isn't perfect. 
In fact, it's far from it,
but in the midst of it all,
I'm more than thankful for
my husband who is a great father to our sons,
my Huett who is smart, caring, careful, and considerate,
my Sam who is hilarious, spiritied, and full of wit,
my Charlie who is my absolute heart.

My parents and my in-laws without whom lives around here would come to a screeching halt!
My brother and sister, who are the coolest, most awesome siblings in the world. 
(You should all be very jealous)
Three of the most beautiful nieces that exist, and the absolute coolest nephew on Earth (that's not an exaggeration)

An amazing new church and church family when we absolutely needed it most.
I've never felt more at home and at peace than I do now.
Thank God for the people he has put at Highpoint Community Church
and for allowing us to stumble upon it in a way that only God himself could've orchestrated.

A summer full of great vacations and birthday parties
A chance to visit family in their part of the country instead of them visiting us in ours!

I'm grateful for all of you who I see still visit my blog on a regular basis waiting for an update, despite the fact that I've only updated about 4 times in the last year.
 I resolve to do better for you guys, but really selfishly, for me.
This blog helps me keep up with "us" for years to come!

 
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Blessings to you all.








Posts coming soon:
Christmas decorations 2011
Christmas cards 2011
Family Pictures

Sunday, September 18, 2011











My baby is TWO!!


My sweet angel baby is two!! I don't have a lot of time to write, but I didn't want to leave everyone that has been imploring me to blog completely out in the cold! So, here is a post about Charlie's second birthday bash! I need to "back-blog" a post about Sam's 4th birthday party in which we successfully crammed around 90 people into our house. It was insanity, but one of the funnest to date for the kids. Maybe I'll eventually get back around to that...Now, back to Charlie!
My mom strikes again with the adorable birthday themed outfits!
~Adorbs~
Of course, I had to make my signature road signs! Huett and Sam were so amazed that I actually drew them. Did I use the word drew correctly?? Is that past tense for draw because it definitely doesn't sound right. Drawed? Drewn? Whatever...
Anyway, I routinely put these at the turns in our neighborhood to light the way to the par-tay!
For some reason, my pictures get out of order here. This was the "grand entrance" as the kids were calling it. It should be after all the road signs, but clearly that didn't pan out for me. I'm not going to start over, so just work with me, people!
This is the view when you pull into the party!
Yay for big shiny balloons!!
You made it to Charlie's party once you've seen this sign! I know, I know, we need to paint the mailbox. We tried, we really did! The spray paint Mikey bought as a quick fix because we literally thought about needing to paint it the day of the party wouldn't take. It was weird. Maybe none of you would've noticed that if I hadn't pointed it out.
"X" marks the spot to the birthday party!
Spoils of War!!
These cupcakes are DIVINE and they come from good ol' Wal-Mart! The whipped icing is to. Die. FOR.
I made these myself. Easy, tasty, and a hit with the kiddos!
Balloon Arch, baby!
Second time's a charm.
I made a balloon arch the day before the party and had Mikey help me put it up early Saturday morning.
By noon, half the balloons had popped for some reason. It was about 80 degrees outside, so not too hot, but the heat is the only reason I can think of for all of the premature poppage. Thank Heavens my sister was there to replenish the arch just in time for the party, or else my grand entrance would've just been an...entrance.
The pirate ship!! This was a slide/bouncer combo! Slide for the big kids, jumpin' for the toddlers!
And plenty of surfaces for adults that choose to plank!
Charlie actually helped me open his presents this year instead of drinking a bottle during the present opening like he did last year!
I just like the colors in this picture.
Olexa's at her best...as usual. This decoration matches Charlie's invitation perfectly!! It was absolutely delish!
Charlie's party gifts! Cute!
Charlie doesn't understand how to blow out the candles, so he got a little help from his brothers and cousin, Ava Claire!
He didn't know what to think about the "Happy Birthday" song!
This is the only "family picture" we got. As usual, it was so hectic, I forgot to make time just for that.
:-(
Charlie was attached to me almost the entire time, and didn't want anything to do with anyone else, but when he saw Ashton, he immediately got down out of my arms and ran over to him, gave him a hug, and came straight back to me! He loves Ashton! And Ashton loves him right back!
I thought this was a good picture to close with! My kids, and all my nieces and nephews...oh, and my parents!
The party was a raging success, as they usually are, but by the end, I was exhausted! Mikey was exhausted, and the kids, well, they were all asleep by 9:00 that night. Huett even fell asleep in Mikey's arms watching TV and he hasn't done that in a few years. He's 6, now, y'all!!! Can you believe that?!? Anyway, I will try to not be so absent!
We've got some exciting things going on in our lives right now, and I will try to keep everyone up to date on those!
Until next time, if you are lucky enough to have a happy, healthy family, don't take it for granted. Enjoy every minute, and love one another! These things are a gift from God!
Have a happy fall y'all!

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