2 Months

You had your 2 month well visit yesterday.  You are 11 weeks old.

You weigh 11 pounds 8 ounces

You are 23 inches long

You started smiling this month.

You're holding up your head well.

You like to look at the lights and watch the ceiling fans.  We just bought you an infant gym, so you can watch and reach for the hanging toys.

You're a great sleeper at night.  Some nights you sleep through and other nights you wake at 4:00 to eat.

You can be fussy when you're tired and still love to be swaddled. 

You're a super sweet boy and we love you with our whole heart.



A Summer of Firsts

First time mowing the grass for our second set of boys

First high school graduate in our family

First time going to Disney World for these little girls

First car accident for one of our boys

First time in the pool for our little one

First smile for our last baby

One Month

Slow down sweet boy.  You're growing too fast.  I just want to cherish each and every hour of you being little.  Snuggling you in the dark of night.  Hearing your little noises.  Seeing your little lips move when your hungry. 



Graduation Day

Somehow I blinked and our first born graduated from high school.

They always say that the days are long, but the years go fast.  This is so true.  It seems impossible that the sweet, smiley little boy I so clearly remember sitting on his Nana's counter and calling the school bus numbers could possibly be old enough to go to college this fall.

 

 

We are so proud of you Jake.  We can't wait to see how God uses the next four years in your life.  We pray that you will meet lifelong friends who will encourage and support you along the way.  Be bold, try new things, and enjoy each day.  You will forever remember the memories you make in college.  We love you!

 



Our Sweet Boy

We welcomed our newest addition on April 13th.

He has brought complete joy to our family.

We could not be more in love with our little old man!

First glimpses of this sweet boy

Pregnancy at 40+ is not easy.  Bed rest for 3 weeks takes patience and a lot of encouragement from your family and friends.  But, this little guy was worth all of it and more.

Our oldest and our youngest

Excited siblings

We have lots of eager helpers

 

 

 All ready to go home

Our welcoming party waiting for us to arrive home.

Lots of blue to welcome their newest brother.

 

 

 

 

Catching Up

It's been a while!

Life has kept us busy over the past several months.

We finished our fourth year of homeschooling and made some important decisions about next year.

Our oldest graduated from high school

and we welcomed our sweet new addition.

Life is full.

2/3rds of our crew

 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 136:1

 

 



Christmas 2015

Before church on Christmas Eve

 Christmas morning

Gifts from Emily

 and Nick who did their own Christmas shopping this year

 Caroline's favorite-Dora

 Andrew got a tablet

 Kate loved all her art supplies, especially her art kit like Emily's

 Jake is ready for college

 Luke achieved his dream of driving his own car

 

Nearly a teenager, this Christmas she wanted a purse and wallet

Matt and Nick are thrilled with their trip to see Clemson play in the Orange Bowl



Thanksgiving 2015

 

I thought I had more pictures, but they must have been taken by someone else.

Brett's family made the trip to Georgia this year to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with us.  It was great to see everyone and have several days together.  My mother-in-law and sisters-in-law were a huge help especially in the kitchen this Thanksgiving.  I was not feeling great for most of their visit, so I am thankful for their help in getting everything prepared and served.

The kids especially enjoyed having the undivided attention of their aunts and uncles.  Our front yard was an active football, soccer, and horse shoe field.  There was a fire every night and lots of football games to watch.  The dining room table usually had a game of Uno going or a certain group of aunts busy doing the nails of the three girls who live in this house.

We have so much to be thankful for this year! 

 

Fall Happenings

 

Kate celebrated her 7th birthday

 Emily turned 12

 Luke listened to lots and lots of music. 

His favorites include

The Books of the Bible

Happy Birthday to Nick

The Wheels on the Bus

We were surprised with the news that a new little one will join our family this spring.

Will it be a girl (pink) or boy (blue)?  Our kids all made their prediction and.....

a sweet boy will be number 9!

Friday nights were spent watching football.

Jake enjoyed his final season as a Warrior.  The team won their division for the first time in many years and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.  It was a great season.

I saw a lot of this sign working the concession stand on Friday nights.



 We got way too much rain!

but were happy that the sun was shining for our annual Christmas parade.

We enjoyed many of our favorite December traditions...

decorating the house, the return of our elf, Carl, decorating gingerbread houses, and making cookies

Matt and Andrew celebrated their birthday together.  Their birthdays are only 3 days apart, so some years they have separate parties and some years we celebrate together.

We welcomed a sweet puppy into our family.

She is getting plenty of love and attention as long as she is not biting them.

Who could resist this sweet face?