Santa and Her Little Helpers

Okay I know I have lots of Thanksgiving pictures and catching up to do, but I just had to post these Santa and elf pictures.  The kids and I are so excited about Christmas, and we have so many cute Christmas clothes to take pictures in this year.  And when I say “we” I mean my kids – well my three little kids.  Taylor does not do holiday so he says….

I love this picture.....

 

 

But I really love this series of pictures....... 

Look at them slowly.  Look at how annoyed the girls are at Preston and his inability to sit still.

Addison is trying to hold him back, probably because she knows there will be more pictures to take if momma does not get what she wants. 

 

The girls are so upset with him, well Emma Grace thinks it is great - that is because she too does not like to follow rules. 

 

But it was a great chance to get a picture of my two little girls.  One day I may or may not get the rest of my decorating done!

 

I think they are just rolling their eyes at him now..... 

 

Yes I do have 4 kids but Taylor is always at school by the time I get these little guys all dressed up and ready for the day, so he misses out on pictures!  Plus he hates my idea of fun!

Christmas Christmas Time is Here....

Okay I am back in business.  I have bought some more storage so that I can post.  I love blogging about my kids and my life, so hopefully my kids can one day look back on me and see the women I am and how much I love them.  So to ensure that I can do that I will now pay $2.99 per month so I can keep it up!  During this blog stall out I started to realize that I really need to print my blog because I would just die if anything happened to all of my post.  I started researching and quickly realized that it would cost a small fortune.  If anyone has any ideas of great places to print, that don’t cost too much let me know.

On to my pictures that my Mother-In-Love has been waiting on!  My MIL bought the best embroidery machine ever and I am so ex cited to reap the benefits of it.  She recently sent us a box of Christmas shirts that she had made for the kids.  They are so cute!

I don’t recommend trying this pose.  We ended up with a broken bulb and bloody hand, but it sure it cute!

Addison's shirt says "I don't share Bows" and Preston's says "I like Girls with Big Bows."  So Cute!!!

My MIL nor I think that Preston is “Naughty” but these shirts sure were cute!  And acutely I think Addison is the naughty one but I did not want to give her a complex. 

Emma Grace's shirt says "I am dreaming of a pink Christmas."  We love pink!!!

Thank you Nene for all the great shirts. 

Christmas Christmas time is near....

I love that this year all that Emma Grace wants for Christmas is a golden toothbrush.  I love this kid!

I am hoping that I can post some pictures soon, but I have been having issues with blogger.

Thankful Day 16

Today I am so very thankful that I get to be at home with all four of my babies for the next 9 days, with no interruption of school or other silly stuff like that!!!  We are going to bake (because I need the extra calories - NOT, but we are going to do it anyway), we are going to make Christmas ornaments, and we are going to prepare for our house to be full of family in just 4 short days, and at the end of the 9 days we are going to start decorating for Christmas. 

Side story: I really want to put a Christmas tree up in our basement, which is our playroom (where the kids and I spend so much of our time).  And I want to fill this tree full of all the homemade ornaments that my kids have made over the past 8.5 years.  Well I was telling Ryan this and told him that meant we needed to get a new tree for the upstairs, so we could use our old tree for down stairs.  As I was talking through this with him, he had the most marvelous idea.  He suggested that we get a real tree for upstairs!!!  Yippee!!!  I thought I was done with real trees, but I think that would be so wonderful and make the house smell so very good.  I am really in the mood for Christmas this year, and when I say in the mood I am ready to decorate and read my kids books about the birth of Christ our Lord and Saviour, and I want to bake cookies with them, and make candy, and drink Egg Nog.  I have not felt like this about Christmas in so long, it always felt like such work (since kids came along), but this year I am ready to start new traditions in our new home. 

Oh yea - and I am so thankful for another date night tomorrow night!  This is number two in two weeks, but Ryan and I crave our one on one time.  We honestly believe that monthly date nights are the best thing that we can do for our children and for our marriage. 

So many blessings to be thankful for!

Thankful Day 15

Today I am thankful for all of my children, but I am so thankful that I get the opportunity to experience twins.  These two are so sweet and have such a close bond that I don't think I will ever understand it.  This morning they both climbed into the smallest basket that they could find, and then they got so upset that they could not get out.   So cute!!!!



Thankful Day 14

Today I am so thankful that I get to stay at home with this little love bug, and her sister and her two brothers.  I just love spending so much more time with them and getting to teach them, and getting to hear the silly and smart things that come out of their mouth.  We try not to watch much TV, but we do stop during the day to watch Clifford the Big Red Dog (and sometimes Curious George).  Emma Grace loves Clifford, and she is convinced that if she loves on Fancy a whole bunch that she will grow as big as Clifford.  It took me a while to get this, but one day as I was watching Clifford's introduction I heard them say that "Clifford go so big because Emily Elizabeth loved him so much.)  So cute that Emma Grace would pick up on that. 

Thankful Day 13

Today I am so thankful for great neighbors and great neighbor kids!!  And I know that every Friday and Saturday night Ms. Gretchen will come over and roast marshmallows with us. 

Thankful Day 12

Today I am so very thankful for impromptu trips to the mall with my new Atlanta friend Cara and her son Dillon.  We dropped our girls off at school this morning, piled everyone in my car, and headed down to the mall.  We had the best time walking around and having lunch with the babies.  As always Addison was not happy about having her picture taken!!!

I am also thankful for my little love bugs, and these matching outfits that I bought from Gap last season for $1.97 each! 

Thankful Day 11

Today I am thankful for an awesome church that we have found to raise our family in.  Today we an awesome Bible Study and Sermon all on raising our children to know, love and serve the Lord. 

Thankful Day's 8-10

Okay I have really been terrible about blogging this week, and honestly I have phases of blogging that I go through. Sometimes I love to blog everyday and sometimes I don't want to be bothered for weeks. Here are my thankful's for the past 3 days. I have thought about them, I have just not gotten to my computer.

Thankful Day 10
I am thankful for getting to go to gymnastics with Emma Grace, and taking her to Wal-Mart and picking out a treat with her! She is precious and I just love watching her grow up into the little girl that God has planned for her.

Thankful Day 9
I am so thankful for date nights. Ryan and I got to get out last night and had so much fun having dinner together. I told him that I wanted to go somewhere so that I could remember that we lived in the big city. I often accuse my husband of living a double life, because he gets to travel into the big city and see the big building and deal with the hustle and bustle that comes with city living everyday. While the kids and I stay nestled away in the "burbs" every single day.... Well after last night and our big city adventure I am thankful that we don't have to get out into the city very often! I can't deal with all the traffic, and all the people!!!! Ha....

Thankful Day 8
I am thankful for prayer. I have had a rough week this week, and the more I turn it over to God the more I realize that He is in control, and I need to start turning it over to Him sooner because he makes it all better and truly answers prayer!!!!

Thankful Day 7

Today I am extremely thankful that I have options. And when I say “options” I mean outside of the home job options. After being cooped up in the house with all of my children for the past 4.5 days I woke up ready to go back to work this morning. I seriously thought about dialing 1411 when I was on my way to drop my kids off at preschool this morning, to see if I could find a recruiter to help me find a job that did not involve children.


I admit that this say at home mom thing is new to me and the kids and I are still getting use to each other, but we are in a really exhausting and patient trying stage of life right now. I know it will pass, and I really don’t think that I would trade our stress free life for anything, but it is so nice to know that I have “options.” And to know that I worked really hard to have a great career, and that if I decided that I wanted to go back to work full time that I could do so and probably make really good money, and be really good at what I do.

That is it that is what I am thankful for today. I know it is selfish but this is my blog and how I am feeling today.

Thankful Day 6

Today I am thankful that I got to go out to dinner with this wonderful group of women last night!  From left to right: (Tracy, Cara, Amanda, Zaquis, and me).  All of us are new to the area except for Tracy, and we all have children in the same class except for Amanda whose little boy is in the 3 year old class at our preschool.  It is so nice to have friends who are going through the same journey as I am in this big world. 

I am also thankful for election day 2012, and for the fact that I live in a country that allows me to get out and vote.  And I am thankful that none of my kids have school today and that we get to play in our PJ's all day long.  And finally I am so thankful that I had heavy whipping cream to put in my coffee this morning, since I had accidentally used all of my half in half in my Alfredo sauce the other day instead of HWC.  I just pray my booty does not get 5 times as big from all the extra fat! 

...... And I am so thankful that my family, and my sister will be here in two weeks form today......  I am just extra thankful today.

 



Thankful Day 5

I am thankful for a lot today, but mostly for Girl's Night tonight!!!  I love girl time, and I love the group of girls I have found to hang out with in the ATL. 

I am also a little bit sad today.  I found out this morning that my parents sold their farm in Arkansas.  It just confirms that non of us will likely ever live in the same town again.  So sad.....

Thankful Day’s 1-4

I have never been on the thankful bandwagon, but everyone who still blogs or does Facebook is doing a 30 days of thankful. So I thought I would try. I have to catch up because it is now November 4th, so bear with me and I will try to become more regular.


Day 1: Thankful that I will see my family in 20 days!

Day 2: Thankful that I only have 19 more days until I get to see my family.

Day 3: So thankful that we have a washing machine that works, so we could spend all day doing our sheets and comforters after our oldest daughter got sick in it all night long.

Day 4: So thankful for a wonderful husband, who brings me coffee every morning.

Setting Traditions

Today we lazed around and did not do a whole lot of anything.  Emma Grace and I made a “daddy do list” for daddy, did our popcorn words, our writing, and then we packed up some of our Halloween decorations.  It made me happy to put up this pumpkin bowl.  My momma made this when we were younger and every year she would serve some sort of soup oin it for Halloween.  Usually she made lobster bisque and it was my favorite!!!!.  Well in our move to Atlanta I somehow ended up with her bowl and we thoroughly enjoyed eating twice baked potatoe soup out of it the week before Halloween.  I hope my mom does not reclaim it, because I look forward to making a tradition out of it with my kids!  I love setting traditions for my children. 

I love being home with these babies every day.  They are so sweet.  Well Emma Grace has been a real hand full lately but I still love being home with her. 

Addison hates having her picture taken.....

Tonight after Emma Grace’s gymnastics class we were going to go out to dinner.  We were going to eat cheep Mexican food, but when we got there the parking lot was so full that we had to drive over and park at Wendy’s.  Ryan and I were in two separate cars, and when we got out of the car I said let’s just eat here.  Funny how thin your patients spread when you have four hungry kids.  Never in my life did I think I would be settling for Wendy’s, and be tickled to death about it.  I love having a big family, full of little kids.