Friends

We are one week in to the new school year.  I could cry.  I'm not, but I could.  I seriously miss summer.  Not the heat.  It's still here and I definitely wish it would find it's way to the other side of the world for a while.  I miss our lazy days.  I miss not having to get up and out.  It's been a hard transition.  The one who has had the hardest time is the one who started kindergarten.  She's done MUCH better than I thought she would, but my girl is T.I.R.E.D.  She has had her moments where she fusses about having to go to school, but she comes home so excited to tell me about her day.

And the one thing that has helped ...

If Mykah has it her way, this will be in their wedding slideshow.  She's slightly obsessed with this sweet boy, but I'm not so sure we should be planning the wedding just yet.  Maybe we should learn to tie shoes first.  They are in the same class, so the thought of getting to play with Jayden at recess spurs her on to actually getting in the car to head to school in the mornings. 

I'm so thankful my kids have such sweet friends at school!

Day 133

mmm ... bluebell

We went to Bluebell today!!  Going to visit the creamery in Brenham has become a summer tradition now and this year two of our little friends joined us.  Treyson and Tyler are our new buddies and we had a blast with all 5 kids.  Poor Jaxton didn't make any pictures because he was happy in his stroller while we chased 4 others around everywhere. 

I think that no matter how many times you do the tour at Bluebell, you can always come back and do it again.  Of course our favorite part was the ice cream at the end.  Try getting 4 kids, 2 adults, and a baby all ice cream.  Jaxton LOVES ice cream and didn't care who else had any as long as he did. 

The kids were all so good!  It was a fun (but hot) day.  I'm very thankful the tour is all indoors because it wouldn't be a summer tradition if it wasn't.

And all but 1 kid had a nap on the way home.  It was PERFECT. 

Laziness and a little Fun

This is me trying to justify the extremely lazy day the girls had.  Treyson is still with us, which means the girls have played non-stop for 4 days.  I mean from the time they get up to the time they go to bed at night, they are busy.  I really like it.  It's a big difference from our typically casual days. 

My girls are technology freaks.  If I allowed it, they would be on the iPad or watch TV all day long.  And there is no exaggeration there.  As long as I brought them snacks occasionally and they took potty breaks, I'd probably not see them all day long, which is why I choose to limit their time on the iPad.  Karsyn actually wakes up every day of her life asking "can I get the iPad?"  It's almost become a natural response to her eyes opening, or something like that.  And it's quite annoying to me.  Today, however, I let it happen ... 

They were in heaven.  Watching the iPad WHILE eating breakfast?  Treyson wasn't as enthralled as the girls were.  You know how little boys are.  His poor little attention span lasted long enough to guzzle down his daily cup of chocolate milk and some grapes and he was off running.  I had to take the iPad away after a while to allow the girls time to get dressed, make beds, and brush their teeth.  You'd think they were headed to jail by their reactions.

While I cleaned the kitchen, the kids played, and the little guy left his trail of slobber all over the house, David was outside doing his most favorite thing in the whole wide world.  Mowing.  And weed-eating.  I'm pretty sure he'd do it every single day if the grass would grow fast enough.  (Yes, there is some sarcasm in that statement.  Okay, A LOT of sarcasm.)  He hates mowing.  But I got married for two reasons ... so I wouldn't have to mow and so I wouldn't have to put gas in my car.  (I'm kidding.  Kind of.)  He mows.  I do it when I'm feeling sorry for him or when I've had enough of the jungle out there.  Then, I took the 3 older kids to the children's museum while the little guy napped.

We met our sweet little friend Faith there and actually stayed for almost 2 hours.  Going places is a whole new journey without a baby to tote.  The afternoon was filled with lunch, naps, and lots more playing.  And because I was filling like a lazy mom today, our afternoon went like this ...

More iPad watching, but this time Mykah had to wear her eskimo coat.  She swore she was freezing and actually wore it around for almost an hour.  I was sweating just looking at her!  Thankfully we ended the day with a healthy dinner and a nice, long walk around our neighborhood.  We try to walk twice a day (morning and evening) and the girls are working up to being able to walk the whole time without complaining.  I told David tonight that pretty soon Jaxton will be walking/running/riding a bike and Mykah will be riding in the stroller.  She's regressing, it seems. 

I like a little lazy, mixed in with a little fun sometimes.  We do have days where it's more laziness and some days where it's more fun.  Today was a good mix. 

206/365

meet treyson.  he's my 4th child for the weekend.  his parents are going on a cruise and he will join our family until monday.  we are super excited.  he's 2 years old, but he's the most well behaved kid ever.  he fits right in.  the girls absolutely love him too, which make sit easier.  we have big plans for the weekend with this guy.

178/365

i love when my girls make friends.  especially when i also get along with their mama.  this is our friend, G, with the girls after jumping off the diving board at swim lessons this morning.  G was in school with karsyn and i have also become friends with her mama. 

. 273/365 .

today i am so very thankful for friends.  i have struggled a little with this miscarriage, but mostly because i haven't taken any time off.  i haven't stopped.  i've kept going.  and some special friends came to see me today, which allowed me time to sit and just chat with them.  i'm so very thankful that they took time out of their busy day to come hug my neck.  it was way more than i needed.

one surprised me with a coke icee and chocolate.  which was absolutely amazing.  another friend brought me these flowers ...

i am so very blessed with such sweet friends.

. football mom treat .

so, i have a friend who is a new football mom.  and, it so happens, that she is a football mom on mr. hill's team.  when they decided that her son would attend AND play football where mr. hill teaches, i was so super excited.  maybe i'd actually get to see her more often!!!  and i have, which makes me oh-so-happy.  and my tummy is a little excited too!  she sent a sweet treat to mr. hill when school started.  (for the record, i was with him when he/we received it, so it made it home that same day.)  last week, she sent this ...

{note: she sent it last friday.  it made it home this thursday.  just a note.  don't read anything into it, like how forgetful mr. hill is or how i reminded him every day of the week to bring it home.  those are just minor details in the story.}

and boy did she know who she was really sending these too ...

she is my friend and she loves me.  the super cute bowl will make it back to you, even if it's in the dora lunchbox.  (but i kept the orange bow!)  thanks, friend!  and two fist pumps for the first treat (that i know of) that a football mom has sent home with coach!  that's why i'm in it, ya know?!

. 73/365 .

so, i actually took this picture yesterday, but it was too good not to share.  this girl makes me want another baby.  she was the sweetest thing EVER.

how adorable is she?!?!?! 

. 72/365 .

i was able to take pictures of this sweet girl today ...

she was a HOOT.  such a fun personality and she kept her tongue out the majority of the time.  what a sweet, fun girl!  and i can't believe she's turning ONE.

. pigtails and priceless moments .

 
man, this girl melts my heart.  her attitude can get to me sometimes, seriously, but those baby blues, knobby knees, and absolute cuteness are all i need to make my heart pitter patter.  and how cute is this ...

i have actually given up control over her style, but she is doing a really good job herself.  she picks out her own clothes and tells me how to fix her hair.  sounds extreme, but she's a control freak (and i really don't know where she gets it from. ahem.)  so letting her pick out her clothes and her hairstyle gives her control over something important to her.  and i've been so pleasantly surprised. 

today she was able to have a play date with her sweetest friends.  these 3 play so well together and i love listening to their stories and imaginations at work.

crazy, crazy, crazy girls.  but they love each other and really enjoy their time together.  they wanted a little photo shoot, so i had them pose.  then we tried a little jumping action.  ready ...

 
jump ...

i wish we could have play dates every day.  what fun we have every time these girls are together.   and karsyn is so blessed to have such sweet friends!!  

. slurpee straw surprise .

you know one thing that makes me tick?  one thing that makes me so happy?  when people think of ME.  is that selfish?  i LOVE it when people say "i thought of you when i saw this" or "when i put this shirt on this morning, i thought of you because it's orange."  i LOVE that.  it truly makes me happy.

you see, my sweet friend shan thought about me when she saw something.  and, little did she know, this something would change my world.  

  

so you know of my true love for all things orange and also of straws.  i must have a straw to drink anything, no matter what it is or where i am.  a few days ago, there was a minor crisis at my house when we were about out of straws.  i was in a state of instant panic. 

when shan handed me this at church yesterday and i read her sweet words, my heart, and my teeth, were instantly happy.  and i smiled all day afterwards.  it sounds silly, but this straw is insanely fantastic.  it's about ten inches long, and a quarter of an inch wide making it somewhat wider than your typical, midieval straw.  even better ... it's METAL!  actually, even better than that ... it's ORANGE!

i must admit, i about broke a tooth, drown, and choked on ice on the first slurp, but i think i got the hang of it now.  my drink of choice at the time was diet coke, but i can guarantee if i was drinking a slurpee with this thing, it would certainly provide a quicker method of delivering the ultimate brain freeze. 

i LOVE it, my sweet friend.  i am so thankful that you thought of me and thankful that i will never be without a straw again.

. sweet friends .

making new friends tends to bring me closer to old friends.  i recently made a new friend and i probably annoy the heck out of her because i have neglected to have that special girl time in a while.  you moms out there know how important that is and when you have it, you tend to talk the others ear off.  maybe its just me?

anyways.  we have tons in common and i can't wait to see where God takes our friendship.  she's a prayer warrior, very generous, a fabulous cook, and hilarious.  to name a few.  i've enjoyed talking to her and she's simply a sweet friend and a blessing at the perfect time.

HOWEVER.  the time i have spent with her has made me truly miss the time with another sweet friend of mine.  the sweet friend that happens to live in another state and i only see twice a year unless i'm having a baby (and don't expect that again for a while). 

jasey and i grew up together and then parted ways.  little did i know that us meeting up again after almost four years in my not-so-favorite place (starts with a W and ends with almart) would turn into a friendship that would last a lifetime.

i can't wait till our next trip, which hopefully will be SOON.

so tonight, i'm very thankful for sweet friends.  old and new.

 

. what a trip .

call us brave.  or call us stupid.  your call.

spring break this year found us, once again, venturing to oklahoma and san angelo.  things this time were different though.  we had a two year old and a newborn.  no one told me how hard it would be to travel with the two of them.  let's not talk about that though.

we went to oklahoma first, driving all night, to see this cute little guy ...

 

... oh, and his parents too.  one pretty much becomes chopped liver when the kid arrives.  we've learned that, and learned it fast.

karsyn and konner had blast and played really well together for the most part.  we went to the park three times!  it was so nice to get away and hang out with friends for a few days.  and we LOVE going to their house because our kids seem to sleep so well while we're there. 

 

after several days in oklahoma, we headed to san angelo (which evidently means, "place on the edge of nothing" ... thank you for that translation, tracy).  mykah was able to meet her great-granny (on my favorite man's side).  karsyn gave away lots of hugs and kisses that day.  and got into just about everything she could get her little hands on.

 

 

 

overall, both girls did SUPER, but we were more than ready to be back home.  as always, we needed a vacation from our vacation.

. how could you pinch this? .

happy st. patty's day.

[ have Faith ]

no really, lauren ... have that baby already!

my sweet friend is 36 weeks pregnant and i went to a baby shower for her today.  she is absolutely the cutest pregnant lady ever.  she's smaller than i am when i'm not pregnant.  seriously. 

anyways, enough about me.  this will be her very first baby and i am so excited for her.  i know that God has prepared lauren and stanley to be wonderful parents and has equipped them to nurture and take care of baby faith.  i am so excited to see what God has in store for their little family and what joy faith will bring to their lives.

for I knit you together in your mother's womb; you are fearfully and wonderfully made.                psalm 139:13-14

my prayer is that this child will be born so healthy and will bless their lives as parents and i am so glad that God has given them this wonderful child to call their own. I pray that, as parents, they use the gifts that God has given them to equip that child for life, for their future. I just pray that God lays so many blessings upon their family and that the love that passes no other will pour down on them at this time.

love you lauren!  make sure you call me as soon as you go to the hospital!

**and, a little shout out to the blog stalker!  SM.  you know who you are. **

[ no pics. no baby. no problem. we have friends. ]

what a whirlwind these past few weeks have been.  christmas came and went so fast.  it's almost surreal.  it doesn't seem like that time of year.  not only because of the weather either.  i guess it's because of my pregnancy.  i just didn't get into the season this time around. 

the day after christmas, our favorite friends from oklahoma came to visit.  they went with us to pick up our new-to-us car the day after they arrived and spent the whole next week with us as well.  all i can say is ...

so.  much.  fun.

they have a 15 month old son who is absolutely adorable.  him and karsyn played so well together.  like a brother and sister would.  almost.  they enjoyed throwing blocks at each other and playing with karsyn's kitchen.  it was so neat to see them interact. 

their visit went by too quickly and i kind of ruined the moment for us by going to the hospital.  after a busy, fun weekend, i spent monday, tuesday, and wednesday in the hospital with preterm labor.  really thought i was going to be not-pregnant after that.  didn't happen.  i ended up on bedrest for the remainder of their visit, only to be back in the hospital the day after they left.  not to have a baby again. 

other than the hospital stay, we had tons of fun.  visiting.  while i was in the recliner.  jasey is super organized and a go-getter, so my whole house was organized when she left.  she finished up what i hadn't got to in mykah's room.  rearranged and organized karsyn's room.  and tons more. 

james.  what a guy.  the first day i was in the hospital he stayed home with both kids.  amazing.  he did such a great job and was probably not thanked quite enough.  his brain was probably fried.  his body tired.  but he did it.  and didn't complain. 

so although i took no pictures that week.  had no baby that week.  we have friends that rock our world!

{ happy birthday wishes }

today, my sweet friend, jasey celebrates her birthday.  she lives too far for me to celebrate with her, so i thought i'd let the world know that she's a year older. 

i stole this picture off of her myspace page, so hopefully she doesn't mind. 

happy birthday, sweet friend.  i love you and miss you and wish you the best.  now hurry up and get back to texas so i can hug your neck.  here are 10 things i love about my friend.

1.  she's an awesome wife and mother (especially for what she has to work with)  :)

2.  she thinks of others first.

3.  she takes awesome pictures.

4.  she's very creative and a wonderful decorator.

5.  she's so stinking crazy and funny.

6.  she drives a purple car. 

7.  she lives in oklahoma.  for whatever reason she decided it was more important to live close to her family than to me.  ugh.

8.  she's super smart.

9.  she loves me for who i am.  at least i think she does.

10. she loves my God too.

{ congratulations }

thought i'd do a little shout out to my very sweet friend licia who got engaged!  woo hoo!  i'm so excited for her.  she deserves only the very best and i truly believe travis is just that.  congrats guys!!!

{ ooo's & aahh's }

our sweet friend AW brought us some yummy treats today.  they were gone in about 2 minutes.  seriously.  even karsyn had her share.  she had her share of clothes too.  you see, AW has been on a cleaning spree at her house.  i bet it's ultra organized by now.  goodwill probably loves her.  so do we. she brought karsyn a box of clothes that K2 use to wear.  they are super cute.  karsyn enjoyed emptying the box, filling it, and emptying it again and again and again.  this box of clothes entertained for HOURS!

thanks AW!!

she enjoyed the treats AND the hat!

i wish i would have known sooner that a box of clothes would provide so much entertainment.

who me???  (notice the outfit, AW?)