Kelley's Wedding

Kelley and I have been best friends for nearly thirty years.  We lived next door to one another for fifteen years.  After my family moved a few miles down the road, I still spent many days, nights, and weeks with Kelley and her family.  Her parents were, and still are, my other family.  They fed me breakfast many days before we left for school and had snacks for me before I went to work after school.  They had a special seat at our wedding and I even stayed at their house the night before Adam and I were married.

On October 12th, Kelley married her new best friend, Randall.  I am so happy for her, but I do miss my best friend. 

 

Alexander thought Kelley looked so pretty and Audrey said she was a princess.

Kelley and her Daddy.

               Mommy and Audrey had fun dancing at the reception. 

 

Poor Owen was exhausted from a long day of wedding 

                                     preparations and festivities. 

     We pray God's blessing of a wonderful marriage and Happily Ever After for  
                                           Kelley and Randall. 

We Celebrate Again

 

After the wedding festivities were over we celebrated Alexander's birthday with my family. We had a Lego birthday party, but Alexander received Jake and the Pirate gifts, clothes for his Build a Bear Bears, and lots of UK gear.  

He loved his UK sunglasses from Kiki. 

Alexander and Audrey were thrilled to see Jessica and Addie Mae.

Alexander requested blue balloons to release for Daddy Bob. He had it all planned out and informed us he would count to three and then release the balloons.   He was very serious and watched them intently until they were too high to be seen.  It was the most precious sight. 

Even Audrey watched the balloons like she knew what we were talking about. 

Alexander's Lego cake was certainly not my best work.  I was a little rushed and didn't have help from the cake master, Kelley, since she was on her honeymoon. 

Audrey certainly enjoyed the colorful Lego block cakes even though they weren't very pretty. 

                          She insisted on trying all colors of cake. 

Pirate Party

Our little pirate is five.  Alexander loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so we had fun planning a pirate party.

We encouraged Alexander to ask his guests to bring food for the Oakland Food Pantry rather than bringing gifts for him.  We have so many toys and it is a difficult task to find a gift for a boy who already has so much.  We are thrilled to contribute all of this loot to the church Food Pantry.  

We had a true pirate dinner of chicken legs, golden macaroni and cheese, green bean swords, and ocean water.  

 

The best treasure was the chocolate treasure chest cake.  It was quite yummy, especially since it was filled with jewels and good doubloons. 

 We had a nature scavenger hunt, walked the plank, and had a pinata.  We all had a great time celebrating our biggest boy.  We are so thankful for our precious family.  

Alexander is 5

 Our first born.  We prayed for him for months before we became pregnant. 

 Alexander was such a good baby.  He was so fun and still is. 

 Alexander turned two just a month before my Daddy died.  Daddy Bob loved Alexander. 

Alexander turned three just before we moved to Nebraska.

                              Our baby turned four and was no longer a baby.  

Today our big boy is five! This year Alexander welcomed with love a baby brother.  He adores Owen and Owen already tries to do whatever Alexander does.  Mommy loves spending her days with Alexander.  Alexander has begun to develop an interest in his school work.  He is beginning to sound out CVC words and does very well with math.  He enjoys doing addition and subtraction problems using beans as counters.  He got a new bike from his grandfather for his birthday.  He got to open it two days early so he can enjoy the bit of time that is left to ride it before it gets too cool.  He quickly learned how to ride, with training wheels and a helmet.  Our Xanderito loves to sing, dance, play cars, and get dirty.  He thrives on finding sticks, bugs, and plants and asking why questions about them.  He already has a love for the Lord.  He and Daddy enjoy turning the praise music up loud and singing together.  (Too loud for Mommy.)  Last month he got to go play golf with Daddy.  He thought that was great.  He has also enjoyed playing Disc Golf this summer.  On Saturday, Alexander got to go to the movies and see "Planes."  This was his reward for doing school work for 20 days in a row. Alexander loves to watch Kentucky play basketball and football.  He loves giving Trey a hard time about his Cardinals.  Anytime he gets to choose what to wear or buy, it is always blue.  What other color would he choose?  He has gotten pickier about food lately.  He typically is a great veggie and fruit eater, but lately prefers his protein.  He often asks if this or that food is healthy.  He asks if it has a lot of protein or sugar. He loves to snuggle before bed.  Mommy and Daddy enjoy that special time with him.  He loves to wake early.  We often hear him singing in his bed in the morning. 

The last five years have seemed like a blink of an eye compared to the ten months trying to get pregnant and waiting for our special gift.  We are so thankful for God's perfect timing.  We love you Alexander. 

Half of a Year?

How can it be that Owen is already six months old?  He was certainly a surprise but has been such a joy to our lives.  He is such a sweet snuggler.  He loves to pat on us and give kisses.  He has recently learned to squeal and get almost anywhere he wants to go.  

He has recently enjoyed trying some new foods.  So far he has loved everything he has tried including apples, carrots, and avocado.  Owen is definitely our biggest babe.  He weighed 18 pounds 13.5 ounces, 72%.  He was 27 inches long 60%.  He has a big noggin, like his brother and sister, 45 cm, 89%. 

At his six month check up we were pleased to hear that there is no indication of a heart murmur, his ears are clear after having fluid behind his ear, and he appears to be a happy, healthy, perfect baby boy.  We are so thankful.

 

It's Not Fall Y'all

With back to school season and Labor Day everyone thinks it is fall. Thankfully it is not fall yet.  The kids have enjoyed lots of fun in the back yard pool.  Yes, I think our yard looks a bit redneck right now, but the kids are enjoying it. 

I can't believe Owen is six months old.  How has he been here half of a year already?  He is trying to crawl.  He is doing an army crawl and can eventually get to where he wants to go.  He still demands to be held most of the time.  He loves to play with your hair and pat your face.  He is so lovable and precious.  He is such a gift.  

Alexander will be five in just over a week.  I am so thankful to have him at home with me and not going to school right now.  He loves to play cars and enjoys exploring outside.  He and Adam have been watching the cicadas hatch this week.  It is amazing to watch him grow and develop each day.  He is becoming more compliant about doing his school work.  He is beginning to sound out CVC words.  This is a VERY exciting thing for a reading teacher mommy. 

Audrey had her first dance class this week.  She was the youngest in the class, but probably the most confident.  She had a great time doing Mousexercise and learning first position.  She will play, sing, and read in her bed for hours at nap time.  How precious it is to hear her sing, "Lord, I Need You,"over the baby monitor.