Vegas Trip

Where do I begin?

I traveled by myself. Met a gun and ammo dealer, a professor from Ole Miss, a game engineer, and a young soldier.

While there, I stayed at The Luxor with my cousin that I haven't seen in a long time. We hung out by the pool and relaxed.

Witnessed another cousin get married! And got to know his new wife a bit. That was a lot of fun!

Learned a valuable lesson about Las Vegas. Taxis will NOT pick you up on the strip! You have to be at a hotel or a designated taxi pick up spot. This is very important knowledge that was not given to us!

The trip was quick, but FULL of fun! It was strange to be responsible for just myself. I could eat my food at a leisurely pace, I didn't have to count kids every few minutes, and I got to talk to people without being interrupted or distracted.

Don't get me wrong, I missed my kids and husband. However, it was nice to step away for a bit and be reminded that I am also still a person and not just a mom.

I am very thankful that I have a husband that will send me on a trip to see family and tell me to stop calling and enjoy my time away! And no, I did not call constantly! :)

The highlight of coming home was having our youngest scream mommy, run at me, fling his arms around me, and cling and pat my back for a full 10 minutes! The rest were happy to see me too, but none of them showed that level of excitement! I think the rest are secure enough to know I'll come back! ;)

What I realized while I was away was that I want to take a trip with just my husband. And that in 2-5 years, I am planning an adults only trip. All friends and family will be invited to come too. :D

Family!

This week we are enjoying my brother and his family's company! The picture is of me and Libby! She is a girl after my own heart. She LOVES to dance! :)

All the kids have really been enjoying their time with their cousins and aunt and uncle! The boys have been playing Legos and "Star Wars Battle" with Uncle Andrew. The girls join in too sometimes. Libby is fascinated with Nathaniel and vice versa! I'll have to get a picture of Andy playing with the boys!

While the weather hasn't been on our side, we were able to make the most of our prettiest day on Sunday. We drove over and visited Charleston for the day. It was a lot of walking but well worth it! We saw a dolphin in the harbor and got homemade gelato for the kids! We also ate on the pier at Folly Beach! It was a wonderful, tiring day for all!

We can't wait to celebrate with Uncle Andrew this Friday as he turns the BIG
3-0!! :)

Our second double digit kid!

Today is Anna's 10th Birthday! I think it's interesting that we are back at her birthplace for her big birthday! Besides her birth, this is the only birthday she has had here.

To celebrate we are taking her to Oyster House for her Birthday Dinner. We have never been there so we are hoping it is all it is said to be!

Tomorrow is her birthday party with her friends. We will have about 10 extra girls running around! I feel like I need a nap already! :D

Bathroom fun

Today, while two of our kids were at their friends' house, I cleaned our bathroom. I picked up bath mats and washed them, mopped the floor, cleaned out my massive drawer, and cleaned the shower and tub... And who gets to partake in my lengthy exertions to clean? Our 5th is in the tub and our 2nd used the shower. I am so glad I cleaned so they could use it first! :D

Early Morning Risers

Our youngest two boys have decided that 6:00 a.m. is a great time to wake up! While I am thankful that it isn't earlier, I still don't want to wake up. I find it amusing that they each pick one of us to cuddle up to. Inevitably, Blue's Clues gets turned on and a movie plays on the iPad. Shortly after they lose interest, the squealing begins. Then we are all up! Happy or not, the day begins at 6:45. One of these years maybe sleeping until 8 will happen.

Happily Doing School

I pray this continues!

Starting to Fit in!

We are finally starting to feel like we fit in here! Slowly our neighborhood's new houses are filling up and we are meeting more and more people. It is really comforting to meet people that you like and that are similar to you. It seems like on our side of the neighborhood we have a lot of the younger crowd of kids. The older kids are on the other side and not as easily accessible. Jay, Anna, and Xavier have made some friends that come over regularly for "get-togethers", because they are getting to old for "play-dates"! Friends that we have made at church are getting closer to our family and that is always wonderful!

It looks like we will be sitting here for another year. This will make the stay all the better!

Big Changes

This week brings big changes to our household!

The first big change is that Nathaniel is sleeping in his crib that we converted to a toddler bed. His first night he got up once and the second night (tonight), not at all! He is growing up so fast! They really do not stay little for very long... You would think having five before him that I would know this by now, but it never seems to get any easier. Next thing we know, he will be wanting to potty train!

Our second big change is that Caleb will be starting preschool! Jay and Anna both went to a preschool program when they were little. However, Xavier and Sydney did not. The main reason I did not send them was because I had started homeschooling Jay and Anna and didn't want to interrupt their school day. However, last Wednesday night, he decided he wanted to go to "class" like the older kids. My eyes were opened when he walked right in and acted like he had been attending all year! So today, I called over to our church to see if they had any openings in their preschool program. They did and he starts on Wednesday! He will be going every Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9-12. (A side note on the preschool is that I actually taught there the first year they opened! So it is really neat to us!)

Everything seems to be on the fast track in our house lately with the younger two. I feel like I am dragging me feet in these changes because I don't want my "babies" to grow up! We are very quickly becoming a family of older kids and not so much younger kids. This phase of life is very different than what we have been doing. Adjusting to it has not been the easiest. For the past 10 years or so, another baby would be getting ready to be here, or already here and we would be adjusting. Needless to say, saying good-bye to the "baby stages" and entering the "big kid stages" has been a little bittersweet.

And thus begins a new transition to our life!

2013!!

        This year started off with my family visiting! It was wonderful to have 2 years in a row that I had family around to celebrate with. Of course, a couple days later I had to say "see you later!" for a while. :( Jerry left a couple days before my mom and dad and brother. That was a little stressful since we had to basically buy him a new wardrobe! It probably would not have been that bad if we hadn't just bought him one a month and a half before!

        Yes, his military job has him wearing "business casual" and "business" now. What is the difference you may ask?? Well, considering he usually only wears a uniform, this was a complete overhaul of his closet! He now owns several "business khakis", suit pants, suit coats, MANY different shirts and ties. This was an experience for both of us! Thankfully, my dad was here to help us chart the unknown waters of tie coordination with shirts and suit coats! Needless to say, I am glad that is finished! (He has been attending conferences for the military.)

         While he has been away, I have rearranged a room, cleaned out 2, and started school with the kids again. Yesterday was a very productive day for me! At the end, I felt accomplished and my body felt beat up. Thus proving to me, that I need to do more physical activities to keep myself in better shape! NOT my most favorite thing to do. However, the kids are not staying young and they need a momma that can keep up with them. And so, the excercise regime will begin.

         Two really big things happened though over the last couple weeks.

1. Nathaniel turned 2. And has started saying, "love you!"!!

2. Caleb has started the reasoning stage of 4... He said, "I want a broken leg, so my life will be better." Yeah. I have no idea what that means or where it came from!

I hope that everyone's year has started out on a good foot!