October already!

Holy cow, wasn't it just like March? I think the days get shorter and shorter.
We've been so busy with school and football on top of the normal day to day grind that time has just slipped away. And here we are in October.
Last month, my twin sister and I were able to take Mom out for her birthday. We went to see Les Miserables in Atlanta. It was such a fun day. I'm so glad to be close to my mom. I love spending time with her.
We also celebrated Robby's 6th birthday. I still owe him a birthday post, which I will get up very soon! (also more new pictures of all the kids to come!) He is playing football now and loves it. It's so fun to watch. I think it's really been good for him too. But maaan do they get sweaty and stinky! And I'm sure it's nothing compared to when he's older!

We're trying to figure out Halloween costumes for a trunk-r-treat at our church later this month. I'm trying to convince them to do a theme, and everyone but Haley is on board. We first thought of Peter Pan, with Lexi as tinkerbell (even tho I wanted Linds to be Tink), Haley could be Wendy, Robby as Peter Pan, and David as Hook. But those are some pretty demanding costumes. So now I'm trying to convince them that the wizard of Oz could be fun too. We already have a Dorothy costume....so that could be easy. Lexi said she could be Glenda the good witch and then the boys could pick out of the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion...
Alas, Haley wants to be a ballerina. Not sure how I can theme around THAT! I thought I'd show her some cute dorothy costumes in hopes it will get her on board. :D

It seriously doesn't seem like a whole year has gone by since having Linds. I can remember at the beginning of October last year, saying "THIS is the month I'm having the baby!!" (I believe I actually blogged it too, probably on the first of Oct), and wouldn't you know it, she came the last day. I remember the anticipation and excitement, and then the impatience and crankiness when I found out my Dr would be out of down during the week I was due. Then to have to go OVERDUE was just not something I was happy about. But she was very much worth it, my little pumpkin girl!

I'm getting ready to make a move to a new bloggy, but I will link you all once it's up and ready! :) So watch this space!

Till we meet again

After almost 5 years of battling cancer, my Dad's fight came to an end last week. We all knew the day would come, but it sure did go fast. When he was diagnosed, he was at Stage 4. We all knew what that meant. Still through it all, he remained so positive, so upbeat and so brave.

The last week of his life, things had deteriorated pretty quickly, and he remained positive and brave. Even in the moments where he was loopy, he stayed true to character, cracking jokes and just being the same old Dad that I know and love. I am in awe at his bravery through it all. Through chemo and radiation and then when things weren't working, to still know that everything would be ok. Such great faith.

He passed away peacefully surrounded by family. As his breathing became more labored, my mom held his hand and told him if he saw Emily (my sister who passed away when I was 5), to take her hand and go...that it was ok...and that we would be ok. He passed away a few moments later. We sat around him and sang songs and shared some favorite memories of him after he passed. Having the family together was such a blessing. We could rely on each other for comfort and strength.

The services were beautiful, and just as he would have wanted them. It still seems so surreal. I miss him so much. How grateful I am to have the gospel in my life, and to know the plan of salvation. To know that I will get to see him again one day. How sweet that reunion will be.

God be with you till we meet again.

summer memories

Last month we bought a pop up camper. We've had enough of tent camping in the south. It's just too hot, and well, there's nothing worse than waking up wet. We decided we wanted to go on a family vacation to the beach before the kids went back to school. Here's our "baby" LOL



How fun is this!?! Not only did we stay dry (and it was such a blessing...considering it rained EVERY afternoon we were there), but the first night we were actually COLD thanks to the a/c! HAH!
Some random camping pictures...not the best..i kept forgetting about taking pics. :D





















The best part was the beach. Ah the beach. I could live on the beach. There's just something so serene and wonderful about the sound, sights and smells. We were so glad that it wasn't really a very busy beach either. The kids love the beach too. This was Lind's first trip and she was fascinated with the sand. She kept trying to eat it. :D David wasn't too impressed with the water at first, but he loooooved diggin in the sand. The older three all loved the waves as they came crashing in.













We had such fun. And the best part is that now we have a pop up, we plan on doing MUCH more camping! :)

what happened to the summer?

Time has once again slipped by. It's already August. Where has this whole year gone? School started last week and this year I have 3 in school. That's just weird. David isn't used to it and gets kinda lonely. But on the other hand, he's loving the extra attention he gets. :) Alexis had her 7th birthday last Friday. Holy moly she's SEVEN. When did that happen again? Seems like just yesteday I brought her home from the hospital. Next year she gets baptized. It is all happening too fast. She is very mature for her age (I guess it comes partly from being the oldest of many too). She is a big helper, and a great little mommy. She loves anything Hannah Montana and High School Musical. She is easy going and just a lot of fun.
Robby will be 6 next month. He is in Kindergarten this year and so far has been enjoying it. He's already had to miss 2 days because of illness. Gotta love the germs you get from school. :D Football starts next week for him also, and he is beyond excited to play. He is obsessed with transformers and batman currently, but still like Spiderman and tho he probably wouldn't admit it, he still will watch some good ol' buzz lightyear. He is still very much a momma's boy. I can always count on a snuggle from him.

Haley is 4 and in preK this year. She LOVES school and has looked forward to going for quite some time. She is very much into the barbies and princess stuff, although she will play cars and dinosaurs with her brothers just as easily. She is very independent, and will be off in her own little world at times. I like watching her when she doesn't know that I am. It's fun to see how she plays on her own.

David is, well 2. I must admit I think this is the hardest age (to date) for me. I'll give my little man credit tho, the tantrums are getting fewer, and we have made small progress in the potty training deparment. And when he wants to be, he is the sweetest funniest little guy. He has an infectious laugh and says the funniest stuff. He's had to adjust with the older 3 in school but it hasn't been too bad. He still gets to play with Linds.

Linds is 9 months old now. She is taking lots of steps now and is growing so fast. She waves and says mama and dah-dah and loves to babble and blow raspberries. She is overall a very happy baby, but she has horrible sleep habits (which are in part my own fault....or all my fault LOL). She is a momma's girl too, but does on occasion let other people hold her. Although now that she's walking, she wants down to run after her siblings.

And so I'll leave you all with pictures on the first day of school. I know I'm falling very behind in posting here, and I'll try to be better. I need to get Lexi's birthday pictures up too. There are just never enough hours in a day. :)

New pics!!

So I know it's been a while, I am that slack. Life just is BUSY! But it's a good busy.
So here are some new pictures of the littlest midget. I'm going to get some new pictures of each kid this weekend so I can share new ones!

Grow things!

Want to feel accomplished???? Plant a garden!! Seriously my black thumb is turning a tad green!! This morning I went to weed my garden and much to my excitement, I had green beans to be picked!!! Then looking around I noticed little green 'maters!! It's really fun to plant something and now to be able to enjoy it.

So here's my garden. It's a little crowded...but hey, I'm a beginner. :)


My little green maters!




And my beans!


And this was the first pick! There's enough for the family for dinner tonight! YAY!

Party Time!

Yesterday we were able to celebrate Haley's birthday at my parents house. It was fun having Uncle Jym there too.