Growing it Out

So I've decided to try to grow Spencer's hair out. This should be interesting since his head is already so big. Wish me luck!!

I'm not giving up on this blog!

That's what I keep telling myself. It has been way too long since I posted. You know what though? I would probably post more if my husband would have gotten me this for Christmas.

Instead, I got this.

I didn't even ask for it. He might as well have gotten me a hammer. Anyway, Avery Started Basketball in December. It was quite an adjustment for her in organized sports. She loved it, and she hated it. She played really well at times and sometimes just gave up and sat down. I learned to just chill out when it comes to my kids playing sports. I get a little carried away trying to coach them from the bleachers (You know that mom. It's me!!!). Christmas was amazing from what I can remember of it. I feel as if a tornado picked me up on December 10th and gently placed me back down on January 2nd. ALL of my brothers and sisters were here--Not to mention mom and dad, Mammaw and Aunt Jan. We had a house full of chaos and fun.

We laugh and played and celebrated. I almost forgot to mention the most important thing that happened over the holidays--Avery got baptised. It was amazing! I am so grateful for her decision to be baptised. The Holy Ghost testified that she made the right decison.

The Busy Life!

I feel like I am working all the time these days. At least I get to work with my handsome husband. Also, my mom gets to spend A LOT more time with my kids. I wouldn't trust them with anyone else. My beautiful little boy just had his FOURTH birthday. He is a superhero through and through. He is obsessed!!! I love my girls very much but Spencer definitely changes things up a bit with his "boyness".

Fall is in the air. I love fall in the south. The weather is 70-80 perfect degrees and you can still wear your flip flops. Have I mentioned that I DO NOT like to be cold. My baby Kate is starting to stand alone. It won't be long before she is walking. NOOOOOOOOO!

We are still alive

Hands down! This has been the craziest summer of my life.  We had about a 2 week notice to move out of our house because we had renters wanting to move in.  Mark spent the summer in Mississippi and the kids and I stayed with my parents in Tennessee.  We were finally able to find a place to live in Mississippi so we could finally be a family again.  Two days after we moved in, school started.  Now we are all getting adjusted to living in a new place, a new job, new schools, and a new ward.  We had to juggle the move with birthdays, family reunion, fun trips, business trips and a wedding.  Someone needs to give me a medal.  Let's see one of those Olympians do this!

What's going on

Things have been crazy around here. Mark and I decided on a career change and move. We have been scrambling around since March trying to get our home ready to be put on the market. We decided to lease it out instead of trying to sell it right now. This has been an especially hard task because Mark is travelling out of town with his new job and four children never make anything very easy. We have been trying to chip away at the massive list we have to do and we finally got the house on the market last weekend. Yay!!

Sitting up

It only took 8 months. Kate can now sit up without nose diving to the floor. She rolls over from her back to her stomach but will not roll from her stomach to her back. I still swaddle her when she sleeps and I am currently working on moving her out of my room into her own room. She loves the snuggness of her bassinet and is having a hard time getting used to the pack-n-play. I have noticed that as I have more children I am becoming less concerned about them completing milestones on my time schedule. Kate is progressing well enough and I'm actually pretty happy she is not crawling or getting into stuff yet.

My 6 month old

This little girl is growing too fast. She's almost sitting up and she's almost rolling over. I think she is holding back a bit because I want her to. I would like to keep her my baby for as long as possible.

We're so glad when Gramma and Grandad come

Mark's parents came down to visit. The kids have been having a great time.
They love to play.





Thay love to bring gifts.

RSV

Because Kate was a preemie, she was approved for the Synagis vaccination. I guess it's pretty expensive because we had to get lots of approvals in order to get her started on it. Well, a fat lot of good. Katie was diagnosed with RSV in January. With my limited experience, it seemed to be a pretty mild case. However, we still had to do breathing treatments every day and night for a few weeks. I couldn't resist the cuteness of Kate with her mask on. She hated it unless she was being held and rocked at the same time.

5 month-old Kafrin

My little "Kafrin Grace Flo" (that's what Spencer calls her) is growing up so fast. I found some pictures on my camera of her shortly after she came home from the hospital.

This was her first bath at home--September 3, 2011. I can't believe how small she is.


She barely took up any room in her bassinet and she could fit into my hands.





Now................She's huge.


At 5 months she's a whopping 15lbs 5oz. She has moved into the 50th percentile for her weight and 70th for her height. She is very LOUD. She loves to laugh and scream and giggle. She'll talk to herself for hours. It wasn't so long ago that we were able to easily swaddle her but now she breaks loose every chance she gets. She won't take a binky so she resorts to sticking her fingers in her mouth. She has found her hands and likes to reach for people and hold toys. She is sleeping through the night most nights until about 4 or 5 am. She lets her sibling waggle her around, kiss her and play with her. She used to cry alot at night. But now she is pretty good about putting herself to sleep or being rocked to sleep in her bassinet. She is such a good, happy baby. I have already talked to her about "not growing up". She's not listening. Come to think of it, none of my kids do.

Lost but not Forgotten

I posted about all my kid's birthdays this past year except for Sarah's. I could not find the pictures I had taken anywhere. Well, I found them on the internal memory of my camera.
My Baby Bean turned five years old this July. I cannot believe it!!
She was into Rapunzel this year so we had a Tangled birthday cake and she got Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder for her birthday.


I just cannot say enough wonderful things about this exceptional red head I have been blessed with. She is the best "little momma" in the world. She takes care of her sisters and brother. Her heart is full of love and compassion. She smiles and the whole world sings. Every day, I am thankful for her presence in my home!!

JOY!

That three letter word is exactly how I would describe Christmas this year. It was perfect in every way. As usual, I was sad to see the holidays end. I just wanted to stretch it out forever.

I got very ambitious this year and made the kid's Christmas PJs. Joanns had a killer after Thanksgiving sale I just couldn't pass up. How cute are they? P.S. I was a big slacker when it came to making Kate some pjs because she had so many Christmas sleepers this year.


Our Ward Christmas breakfast was fantastic. The theme was the Polar Express. The Bishop even dressed up like the conductor.



Avery can't get enough of Girl Scouts. I hosted her Christmas party at my house this year so I could be a part of it. They made ornaments and had a fun book exchange.


I did tons of baking this year. I am really developing a great love of baking. And it tastes pretty good too if I do say so myself. Christmas Eve morning I made gingerbread men and had the kids decorate them all by themselves. We had so much fun I think we will make a tradition out of it.


For the entire month of December, Spencer would come into my room every morning and ask "Is it present time Mommy?" Finally on Christmas Eve, the kids were able to open one gift. Do you see a theme here? Comfy and Cozy.




Christmas morning began at almost 7am. (I know it won't always be that nice.) Santa brought Kate some dresses, Spencer a bike, Sarah a noisy puppy, and Avery a microscope and telescope. Since we had Christmas dinner on Christmas eve, I was off the hook for cooking which worked out perfectly because all anyone wanted to eat on Christmas day was CANDY! I personally enjoyed the leftovers.






Getting to go to church on Christmas day was the most perfect way to spend Christ's birthday.

We listened to a beautiful and inspired Christmas program. The Spirit was so strong, I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day. I am so grateful for my Savior!! And during this time of family, I am especially grateful that these wonderful people who surround me each day can be with me FOREVER! I tried to squeeze every millisecond out of Christmas day this year. In fact, after Mark and I put the kids down, we played games until late. I didn't even want to fall asleep. I guess if every day was Christmas day, it wouldn't be SO special.