A little party for our girl...

Blaire's birthday party was this weekend. Since she's a low key little girl, we decided not to overwhelm her and just had family. Gram and Aunt Layne flew in from Georgia, and the local Sherrers came. Aunt Layne baked the birthday cake at her bakery in Atlanta and brought it as her carry on! It was DELICIOUS!!

Our theme was "little"....we had miniature food.....even miniature beverages for the adults. It was relaxing and fun. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the party! :)

The main cake



Miss Blue Eyes suited up for the meal...



Her party dress...



Her special gift from mommy and daddy - an engraved cake set for use on all the special days in her life!



With her brothers...Collin just being Collin, and Justin fresh from his soccer game.



Her smash cake...



Skeptical girl...



unsure...



Warming up...



A little help...




And fully involved!




Excited!




Monkey see, monkey do....just like my mama with the cell phone...





Thanks for looking!
K

Happy Halloween!!

We had a fun Halloween!

We had the kids on the street come over for pizza tonight prior to trick-or-treating. It was a madhouse of superheros (mostly Galactic...) with a ghost,a pokemon and a pirate thrown in for good measure.

Here are some photos for your enjoyment!

The gang - note, Leia is trying to escape!


Our three (with a spare under the swing...)

Happy Birthday, Blaire!

A year ago tonight I was taking an ambien, so I could sleep before my c/s.








We dropped the boys off the next morning in a very normal fashion and made our way to the hospital, expecting to greet our third boy. Well, I was. :)



As they were delivering the baby, gender still unknown, it began SCREAMING. This baby was NOT happy. Carleton told me, well....we have a screaming head! That was new. Justin wasn't breathing at birth, and Collin cried just a bit before quickly settling. This baby was howling. Then came shock #1 - It's a GIRL! And shock #2 - only 7lb 3oz! Oh, she was just so lovely! The operating room staff was so excited - nurses who aren't assigned to you poke in your recovery room to find out the gender. It's so rare that people don't know! They wanted to know right away what her name was. We had no idea. It's shameful, as we'd been having children for over 6 years....you would think we would be fixed on one. We had three girls names...and we wanted to check her out and see which one fit!



Blaire has been the sweetest baby. This past year has flown by! She's cuddly and loving - and completely attached to me. Only recently is she showing some independance. She'll toddle off after the boys now. Just this weekend she has started playing outside in the sandbox with Collin. Of course, she's eaten a little bit of sand....but she is really starting to enjoy "toddler" activities...not just being on mommy's hip.



I still stumble over the word "daughter"...it's just so different after boys / sons. I have managed to stop referring to her as "buddy" or "little buddy". In fact, she may never know her actual name since we all use nicknames on her constantly. Miss B, princess B, Sister B, Blaire Bear.









So, Happy Birthday Blaire! What a joy to watch you grow!

I'm so far behind!!

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I posted.

Blaire has been walking for just about that long. It has been so fun to watch her master this skill....and she has done it with fewer bruises than her brothers did. She scraped her head going down the driveway once, but for the most part she's been injury free. The boys always seemed convinced they could recover their footing, even when rapidly closing in on the concrete. Blaire, on the other hand, is always willing to sit, should things start to look shaky. She reminds me of, well, me. I took the very same approach to skiing for several years after I first learned. Any chance I was headed for a fall.....sit down. It works. Your rear might get wet, but your arms and legs are not broken. I consider Blaire a smart girl.

Justin is in a Deion Sanders phase...simultaneously playing baseball (coach pitch) and soccer. This was a parental scheduling error. At one point he had 5 soccer and 2 baseball games in an 8 day period. It was a bit much, and we won't be making this particular scheduling error in the future. Fortunately, he seems to be happiest when on any sort of field. So this hasn't been nearly as stressful for him as for his parents! First grade is going well. He is thoroughly enjoying his teacher. And, like the rest of first grade, he is absolutely obsessed with Pokemon. I still don't really know what it is....but will admit it is a welcome change from the summer obsession with Star Wars!! We no longer have to refer to him as Luke!

Collin is enjoying his time at preschool. He takes gymnastics and got to ring the bell last week. He "completed" his backwards roll. Very exciting when they get to ring the bell! Today we went on a date - just Collin and mommy. He had been very anxious to go see the broadway musical version of "The Lion King". I had considered it, and then essentially forgot over the summer. When the ads started up again this fall, the tickets were scarce. A wonderful friend surprised us with some this weekend. So we put on our "fancy church clothes", as Collin said, and headed to the Music Hall. He was mesmerized. For three hours he sat and watched in awe. He was first on his feet after the particularly rousing numbers - clapping his little heart out. At intermission we sat to have a snack. When the "five minutes left in intermission" announcement was made over the PA, Collin scooped up the rest of his snack, shoveled it directly into his mouth, grabbed his playbill and headed back to his seat. I didn't even say a word! He was NOT going to miss a second of the show. He was in my lap for the finale and I was all tears and sniffles when he leaned back to tell me how "awesome" this day was. He was so right! Collin is a very creative child and this musical simply thrilled him. The music, the animals....everything. It was absolutely worth putting on your fancy church clothes, to him. :)

It seems we are regularly tired these days...and I'm always a step behind on the housework / laundry / etc.....but I'm so grateful to have the chance to spend my days with these little people.

Collin and mommy on the way to the Lion King.

Just to remember..

My grandaddy.

We already miss him, but know my grandmother is glad to have him back with her.

Listen UP!

Because she means BUSINESS!!!

First Grade!

Can't quite believe it...but he's in a numbered grade!

He is loving it so far. Of course, they haven't started homework just yet!

He has one of his favorite friends in his class...and his teacher is the mom of two grown boys. That is a relief.....as much as I loved his Kindergarten teacher, I had a moment of panic when I learned that she had sweet twin daughters. The year turned out great and we loved her. Hopefully we'll have a good experience with this teacher....especially since she is a boy-mom.

He has come home very happy every day this week! Off to a good start!

Greet the troops

I took the kids to greet the troops arriving for R&R.

There's not much you can say....to describe standing behind these families, waiting on their loved ones. Children waiting for their dads. It was overwhelming....One poor family in front of me, a mom and her two middle school age sons.....waited and waited....their Dad was practically the LAST out of all 275 soldiers to deplane. It was excruciating for them!

I was so glad the boys got to be a part of this. And it was so sweet to watch the soldiers be overwhelmed by the crowd....stop...and pull out their cameras to photograph the welcome they got.

And the Tuskeegee Airmen were there to greet the soldiers as well.

cruise...

I'm saving a place to post pictures......

Cross Country...

We made our summer trip to GA on the 5th of July.
Bless my sweet mom for making the drive with me. She's such a pro...she flies in, we grab her from the airport and throw her in a minivan full of kids. THAT is love, my friends.

When we got to Atlanta, I divvied the kids up between mom and my sisters. And I took a pre-dawn flight to Boston to meet Carleton for a weekend alone. I honestly didn't worry about the kids at all. I worried more about getting them back completely SPOILED! :)
Carleton and I toured so much the first day that there was practically nothing to do the second...except eat. We had a great time visiting with my brother (who will forever be scarred from his bachelor pad in the North End being used as my pumping facility!).

The boys reveled in their time alone with their aunts. My sisters took them each on fun adventures. Justin got to drive a golf cart and see horses at Kate and Anderson's friend's farm (heaven) and Layne indulged Collin's artistic side with lots of crafts, as well as taking him to the aquarium. Did I mention spoiled?

And mom got to dress Blaire up and show her off in North Ga. I think she was quite happy!

My time with the kiddos in GA was fun, too. Katie and I took all the kids to the new Coke museum. We didn't lose anyone and the kids had fun. Mission accomplished. Minor meltown when I dumped Collin's orange drink b/c I thought he was done. Note to self : He was NOT done. NOT done. Oops.

We had fun in the mountains...fishing for the boys while Blaire and I went outlet shopping with mom, Mema and Nancy. And the trip home was uneventful.

Now we are washing up and getting ready for our next adventure!

Patterns and numbers....

I am by no means a mathematical person, but I like order...patterns, I suppose.

When Blaire's c/s was scheduled, I was childishly excited to have children born in August, September and October. Really, I grinned. And when I realized that the kids are each 3 years, 1 month and 1 week (ish) apart.....Well, that was downright thrilling.

I love stuff like this!

So, imagine my excitement yesterday when Justin brought the scale into the kitchen. He wondered how much he weighed. He is 59 pounds. Naturally, Collin wanted to be weighed as well. 38 pounds. So we had to weigh Blaire, using the old "Weigh mommy, then weigh Mommy with Blaire" tactic. 21 pounds.

Just picture my bizarre glee when I realized that, weight wise, Blaire + Collin = Justin.

Yes, I have some issues.
:)

Blaire v. Wilder, Round 1

So, Wilder is 10 years old. He's been through infants TWICE before. He knows how they work.

Still, he has been getting closer and closer to Blaire.....just as she's becoming more mobile. And "grabbier". I think he's been testing out his reflexes or something. And they aren't good...

Wednesday I was doing something in another room, Blaire was playing on a blanket in the den floor. She begins screaming - her "hurt" cry...not the bored one. I ran in there. My girl is flat on her back, one hand FULL (I mean cotton ball full) of Wilder's hair. Her other hand full of WILDER'S TAIL. He had scratched her on the arm and she still wouldn't let go of the tail.

The scratch was tiny. Wilder seems to be catching on and keeping his distance - for now.

Justin and Collin had better watch out. At 7.5 months, the girl isn't afraid of animals with claws. They need to think twice before messing with her!!

Cindy Lou Who revisited

Collin woke from his Tuesday nap with a verrrrrry interesting hairdo....one that seemed strangely familiar. I realized I had, indeed, seen him look this way before.....here are the comparison photos -


Post nap, November 2004:


This week:


He has grown up so much!
K

Milestones!!!

Lots of little changes around here! Drum roll.....

Justin on Friday -

Justin today -

The second tooth held on for dear life over the weekend. I now understand why my parents were always after my loose teeth. I practically had to sit on my hands so I didn't yank that dangling tooth from his mouth. Today at VBS, it came out in the snack. What was he eating? PUDDING. Does that tell you how loose the tooth was?! It's so exciting!! He's really proud of himself.

Blaire is mobile. In a 12 hour period last week she figured out how to roll across the room and consistently go from sitting to all fours to get things. Life is about to get pretty interesting around here! AND she has slept for a 12 hour stretch! Only once so far, but we have our fingers crossed for repeat performances soon. She is regularly using her new mobility tricks to reach her favorite snack.......paper. That girl.....

And Collin has had an exciting day. The little brother finally came into his own. As he is now three, he can attend summer camps. He started his first day of VBS today. He was stunned that he got a t-shirt and his own class. He's so used to going with me to drop Justin off at activities. He loved every minute! I think he is going to pass out cold when he realizes he gets to go to zoo school!

K

ahhhh.. the beach!

We had a wonderful week in Florida. A very relaxing week...just what we needed. We only went out to eat one night. We just stayed on the beach, napped, Carleton grew his beard out and I got to see some knots unfurl from his shoulders. Life is so busy around here that we really look forward to downtime with NOTHING to do!!

On the way out, we spent a night in Houston. Darrell cooked steaks and we were able to have a very peaceful adult dinner! Justin and Sara always disappear as soon as we hit town, and now Collin and Owen have started doing the same thing. So the adults were left alone with miss B (who was just playing with her feet on the floor next to us) to enjoy our dinner. We hit the road at 6am Sunday to make the rest of the drive to Seagrove.

We always stop in Pass Christian when we drive to FL, and this was our first stop post Katrina. Most of the town is gone, but there are still a few of the old homes being repaired. And we let the kids play on the beach for a second. Blaire's first sight of the beach!

Seagrove was perfect. Collin dug for hours every day, Justin battled the waves and Blaire splashed in the tide pools. They met some kids from Alabama and enjoyed their company. We all enjoyed watching Beckett. He's a really cute kiddo. Collin ran a fever the first day we were there, but that was it. Unfortunately, it looks like whatever he had passed on to Beckett and he got a harder hit. He ended up with an ear infection by Saturday.

This time next year it is going to be so fun to watch Beckett and Blaire tearing around together! The kids enjoyed seeing Papa, Layne & Gene, Kate & A as well. Justin really liked playing soccer in the surf with Drew. I'm surprised Carleton and Justin aren't pickled, as much time as they spent in the water!

D & A spent the last night at the beach house with us, as they were en route to Disney. Have to say that when, at 6am, we headed for DFW and they headed for Orlando, we were feeling more than a bit jealous! The kids were great for the 13 hour drive home. We did it straight through. They are road warriors, our bunch. Blaire was upgraded to a big (rear facing) carseat for the trip and was quite happy.

It was a great trip. There is something so wonderful to me about having all of our kids in the car, headed for some adventure. I just love it!

More pics:

Crunch Time

April and May are simply crazy for moms. I don't remember them being particularly crazy in that period of time when I was an adult - no longer a student - but not yet a parent.

For parents, you basically take a deep breath around spring break, dive into it....and surface for air the first week of June. Agree? Spring Break, Easter, Mother's Day, MY Mother's actual birthday, field day @ the elementary school, shop for teacher gifts, Spring Programs, Spring sports - WHEW! So it is May 24th....the last day of school for the boys...and I can see the light...


Justin has graduated Kindergarten. I now have a first grader. Who wears a size 3 shoe and tends to get a bit sassy in the mouth. We took him to Cracker Barrel after the celebration and Carleton got him a Mav's jersey. Pretty sure it will have holes worn in it by August. He told me on the way to bed that he plans to wear it tomorrow. We are really proud of him. He had a great year - lots of maturation. Not the best picture, but it was hard to get good ones in the crowd. I just concentrated on watching.



Collin finished up the year @ Presby as well. He was blessed with the world's most amazing teachers, just as Justin was three years ago. He had a wonderful year and loved every minute. He is such a cutie - very into the weather right now. I believe I've mentioned our crazy spring. This morning, as we were heading to school, he looked at the overcast sky and announced "These clouds aren't headed to our beach (we are going on vacation next week), they are headed to the Northwest part of China" and proceeded to climb in the van. A&M has an excellent meteorology school. The top picture is the boys with the preschool teachers. They are amazing.


Blaire, Blaire, Blaire. She's a happy chunk. She is on a good routine. Not sleeping through, but sleeping longer....2 or 3 am. She's into her food more now. I believe she'll be moving to her big girl carseat this weekend. At 18 pounds, I can't say I get much use out of the infant carrier any longer.


And here is the girl. Post-bath glee:

And I'm going to print this and carry it to dispel the disbelief I'm met with when I tell people she's in a size 4 diaper @ 6 months. "No she's not!". Oh yes, she is. You can reach up and pinch that booty on your monitor, but it's much more fun to squeeze in person. I really could eat this little girl up with a spoon. And I propped her there on the stair. She did not get into that position on her own. She fell over shortly thereafter! :)