Labor Day Weekend

I was very much looking forward to Labor Day Weekend.  It means an extra day off work for Jake and it also meant a family reunion for my moms family at the lake.  What fun!

We ate lots of delicious food, we went on ranger rides, we played on the water slide, we chatted about family life, and many went out and played in the boat and on the water.  We even got to watch fireworks!

One highlight was seeing my cousin Garrett who came in from San Francisco.  For our ten year anniversary, I asked Garrett's girlfriend to paint a picture based off of one of my favorite photos of the two of us.  He brought it to us this weekend, and we are so in love with it.  It turned out beautifully!

Eiley and Nana Great

My nephew Carter had an accident a few weeks before Labor Day and broke his femur.  He was in a cast and couldn't walk.  Ben was such a sweet cousin to him- always trying to feed him and talk to him and entertain him.  One memory that sticks out is when Carter was getting his diaper changed (which is quite a long and hard process!!).  Carter was crying the entire time.  Benton stood perfectly still the entire time (around 10 minutes) and watched him, with such compassion in his eyes.  He didn't move, he didn't say a word.  When it was all over, Ben very slowly bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.  It is hard to explain in words, but it was really moving.  Jessica and I both were in tears.  This boy has such a kind heart.  I love to watch him love on those around him.

Benton always wanting to be near Carter

I got to hang out with these boys by myself for a few hours and we had such a great time playing together.

Carter and Eiley getting to know each other a little better.

As always, we had such a great time at the lake with family!  What a great Labor Day!

September 2015

The beginning of Fall means new routines and new adventures.

When I'm feeding Eiley, it gives Ben an opportunity to get into everything imaginable and make as big of a mess as possible so we have something to do when I'm done!  He does a great job at this.

 After many days of coming home from school and taking shoes off and getting sand everywhere, I made a new rule.  If sand goes all over the floor, you vacuum it up.  That backfired.  She loves to vacuum.  I just gave her motivation to make a mess.

When Sister goes to school, it gives Ben and Mom a chance to have some time to play together.  I love my Thursday mornings with this guy.  Eiley comes along too.

We love to paint at our house.

I'm always trying out new arrangements at the grocery store- how do I most effectively get my shopping done with three kids?  This was a new one I tried out.

Some times after bath you just have to be silly.

Anniston and Benton love Chuck E Cheese.  After Anniston's first soccer game, we came here to celebrate and play some games.

This girl is just the cutest.

The kids love to play in the rain.  It hadn't rained in awhile so when I saw it raining outside, I quickly got the kids in their rain boots, rain jackets, and umbrellas, and we headed outside to play in the rain. I guess it took a little longer than I thought because by the time we got outside...sunshine.

Just smiling at her momma.

This girl, even when she's sick, is so beautiful.  I love to sit back and just watch her.

In case you've never tried it, doing dishes (or laundry or really anything around the house) with a toddler around is a fun challenge!

I took the kids to the park to play some soccer and get some practice in.  This girl is already learning so much!  It's so fun to watch her work at something new!

Anniston Firsts

What an exciting time of year!  New beginnings!
This Fall, Anniston got to experience three new firsts!  Her first day of preschool at Gingerbread, her first day of dance, and her first day of soccer.  All three were big successes!

We have been waiting for a long time to send Anniston to Gingerbread.  Many friends go there and she has been waiting for her turn.  It finally came!  She was such a big girl.  She said goodbye and walked right up to her teachers.  Jake and I both went to see her off and I was so proud of my big girl.  She had a great first day.  She gets to paint and play outside, two of her favorite things in the world.  I believe we have many wonderful years ahead of us at this school.

Every day, she comes home from school with shoes full of sand.  I'd say that's a sign of a great day.  Now we just have to remember to take them off outside.

Anniston really loved her first day of dance.  I have to admit- I was a little intimidated to do her hair and get her all dressed for something I knew very little about- but I have to say, she looked like such a cute little dancer and she had a great time.  I can't wait to get to watch her dance one day!

We were so looking forward to her first day of soccer.  Jake decided to coach her team, and he was a rock star.  Everyone was raving about how patient and good he was with the girls.  I was a proud wife.  They don't keep score (or even have goalies) at this age but we have a good little team!  They all were engaged and excited to play- which was surprising for a group of three year olds.  Dylan is our little star- scored all of our goals!  Anniston did great but by the end, she was really tired.  Lots of laying on the sidelines talking about tired legs.  But snack time was a hit!  Here's Anniston with her first soccer team.  Dylan (neighbor friend), Caris (church friend), Alayna (neighbor friend), and Suttan- our new friend!

The End of Summer

The end of Summer was full of being together and finding ways to stay cool.

Lots of playing indoors when it was too hot to be outside.

Lots of dressing up the baby. 

When did Anniston turn 13?  She looks so old in this picture.  Growing up too fast. 

The first time Eiley smiled for the camera.  Love her smiles and love those cheeks. 

We had a little blow up pool in the backyard this Summer...which we used pretty much every day.   Some times we would put it at the bottom of the slide.  I thought it would be a little more exciting than it actually was, but still....

This boy loves to cuddle. 

What a treat it was to have Nana Great stop by on her trip to Norman.  She got to meet Eiley and spend some time with the kiddos.  We love Nana Great! 

So in order to help move Anniston along in the mornings, I decided we would make a list of everything we needed to do before we could get to the fun stuff.  Then she could do them and check them off.  She loves her list.  Today was breakfast, time with Jesus, getting dressed and going to the bathroom, watch a show (if she did the other things fast enough), and then the zoo!   

So my dear friend Kerri and I decided that in the middle of Summer with 7 kids between the two of us, including two newborns, we would take a trip to the zoo.  Our husbands thought we were crazy!  But we had a great time and I must say, it was a success!  Here is Ben checking out the bear. 

Ben was unimpressed with playing at the park this day.   

They love it when snack time includes popsicles!  

The day always consists of lots of time to love on Eiley. 

 This guy has awesome hair...and a sister who loves to dress him up.

Bat Girl and Superman 

In his jammers, always finding some mud or water to get into. 

These guys sure do love each other. 

Eiley is such a good sport- she goes outside with the kiddos, just chilling on her blanket while we play. 

Anniston has recently re-discovered her bear.  It now sleeps with her every night. 

Anniston is starting dance in the Fall and so we went on a little girls date to buy her ballet and tap shoes and then stopped for a treat.  She wanted us to take pictures of each other on our date.  

As parents, Jake and I talk about what each of us needs to feel refreshed and like we do some things for ourselves.  His may be time to work out or do a hobby he enjoys.  For me, I love the opportunity every once in awhile to sneak away to a coffee shop, to sit, to read, to journal, to drink some coffee.  On this day, I got this opportunity, and I soaked up every minute.  It was wonderful.

It's hard for Eiley to get her naps in with these two around. 

One of the Summer highlights was our water wars.  We would go outside, fill up the baby pool, and go at it with the hose and cups of water.  We ran around and laughed so hard.  We have sure loved our Summer this year, but as always, we welcome the Fall with new activities and cooler weather upon us!  So long Summer!