Happy Birthday Meme!

This past weekend we had 2 special visitors...Bill's Grandpa who we call Papa and my brother, Uncle Jack! Jack's visit was inpromptue and very brief. He came late at night, and left early the next morning. We stayed up VERY late and had a good time talking. I wish we could see him more. He actually left so fast that I didn't even snap a picture of him! Papa came for the whole weekend. We ate chinese food,  cajun food, french toast, and mexican food all in one weekend! It was delicious! The kids had a great time playing around him and climbing all over him. Papa also spent some good time holding Lincoln. The man was a pro. It is clear that it wasn't his first rodeo. I think it is so cool that he has 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren! 

This past week we also hit the 3 month milestone with Lincoln. My goodness, 3 months! Where has the time gone? Really though, it seems like he has always been here. He was a missing piece to our puzzle. 

Lincoln has gotten so big! He weights 13 pounds! He has started to laugh and talk. He is a really good baby and such a joy to me. My only complaint is that he ALWAYS wants to be held BUT I love having a cuddle bug so it's okay!

Sydney got a new purse this weekend from her visiting Papa and Gigi and she just LOVES it! (ALMOST AS MUCH AS SHE LOVES HER PUPPY!)

This weekend was also my sister Taryn's birthday! Happy Birthday Aunt Taryn! We love you!

And, Today is Meme's Birthday! We love you Meme! I miss my mommy so much and wish we could spend more time with her! I know that Meme is having a good birthday though because she is in Tasmania! 

  

Isn't my mom pretty!? I really hope that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! I hope I can age as beautifully as she has!

Andrew Peterson - Dancing In The Mine Fields

I am completely in love with this song. And I really feel like it applies to Bill and I. 

"Everyone said we were much to young but we did it anyways....We went dancing in the mine fields. We went sailing in the storm...I believe its an easy price for the life we have found...This is harder than we dreamed but I believe this is what the promise is for. So when I lose my way, find me. And when I lose loves chain, bind me." 

I just love it. I guess the reason this song really stirs in me is because I love my husband. We have come a long way. We have truly grown together. He is not the man I first loved when I was 17. He is better. 

Big Brother Liam

I do not blog nearly enough lately. I have so many memories of this sweet time in my life that I don't want to forget but I just can't find the time to get them all online. Maybe I am too busy making memories?! Liam starts Kindergarden in about 6 weeks. 6 SHORT WEEKS. I can't hardly believe my first baby is going to be in school. Bittersweet for sure. 

  

I keep telling him to stop growing so fast but he just won't! He is defiant like that! He told me tonight that I needed to teach him how to make smoothies so that he could make them for his kids one day when he moves out. YIKES!

He is such a blessing in my life. He has such a sweet heart and he truly loves his family. Which leads me to this golden little story...At Chick Fila after story time this week Sydney was being teased by some little boys on the playground. I could see through the glass that something unsavory was going on. I walked into the play area just in time to hear one of the little boys say "She is stinky! She can't play with us!". Liam without a second of hesitation grabbed the little boy around the neck, in a choking motion and yelled "YOU DON'T TALK TO MY BABY SISTER LIKE THAT!" Luckily I was there just in time to break it up. Liam doesn't get mad very easily but you better not mess with his family. 

Sydney and Lincoln are really luckily to have such a great big brother! Bill and I are lucky to have such a sweet son! I believe in nature verse nurture so much after being a mom. I feel like I can hardly take credit for Liams sweet little soul...he just kinda came out that way! 

Sydie Kate You Are So Great!

Isn't she a doll? She drives me nuts. She intentionally throws food on my freshly mopped floor just to get my reaction. She is full of energy and never slows down. She constantly tells me no and wants to let me know that she is in charge. She is exactly what I was scared of when I found out I was having a girl. She has such an opinion and expresses them with so much assertiveness. The surprising thing is that I now realize that this "kind" of daughter is exactly the "kind" I wanted. I wanted a sassy little thing with personality plus. I wanted a daughter who was confident and full of fire. Well, I got what I wished for. She might give me a run for my money but I know that life with Sydney will turn out to be a wonderful time. I know that Sydney is going to make me bananas for many years to come but secretly, I am enjoying every minute of it.

Before and After

We have lived in our new home 9 weeks now. In that nine weeks we have added a new baby to our family, added a new puppy and even managed to have the house painted. I am pretty impressed with myself and I don't mind saying it. So Kelly's Korner is doing "Show Us Your Life - Dinning Rooms" and I feel like I have something to show! Our house has a really long way to go but man, oh, man, we have come soooooo far already and in a really hectic period of our lives! SO....

Before...

And After...

The Dinning Room is the only room in the house that we didn't really have furniture for. I have never had a Dinning Room before. The table was always in our eat in kitchen before and the cabinet/shelf was always a bookshelf in our old living rooms. I actually bought the table and shelf at the same time thought. I got a steal on them both! I love my bar height table but Bill is positive that one of the kids is going to noise dive off the extra high chairs and die instantly. SO...when we moved into this house I found a cute little round table table for our eat in kitchen off of craigslist and now we have Dinning Room furniture! The Dinning Room still needs a bit of work. I have a great idea for what is going to go on the wall as art and I have a pink chandelier I am dying to get hung. I am also on the look out for a great hutch or sideboard. But for now, I love that I get to have all my tea cups displayed finally and my aqua walls are marvelous and happy in my opinion. The bright colors make me smile. The paint job before was really done bad. The paint was not divided well and seriously needed a piece of trim not to mention, I thought the browns were really dreary and not happy at all. My house is a happy place, or at least I want it to be. :)

On a totally unrelated note, something happened today that I needed to document. This event just sort of snuck up on us and almost slipped by. Luckily, a few minutes before 12:25pm happened upon me, I remembered! 

Isn't he beautiful. I could just eat him up. He is delicious. Look at those lips. Two months has flown by and I cannot imagine life without this little boy in our family. And since I am doing before and afters, look at him last month...

He is getting so big, so fast! Slow down Mr. Lincoln. You are making my ovaries hurt! I love him even more than my aqua walls and yellow table cloth! 

My Babies Daddy

My kids must have won some sort of lottery in heaven...they have a great Daddy. Liam told me the other day that if he could swim 5 extra minutes that he would then be my best friend. I replied that I already was his best friend. Liam then told me matter of factly that no, in fact, I was not his best friend, Daddy was. Liam wasn't trying to hurt my feelings, he was just stating the truth as he knew it. 

Fishing at Liam's 5th Birthday Party

Daddy and his Princess

Daddy and Lincoln on their shared birthday

Bill is a marvelous dad. He loves his kids with a deep and unconditional love. I think we had a pretty great Fathers Day yesterday and I hope Bill knows we think he is the best of the best at being a Daddy. I have loved Bill for 11 years now, but I love him a little more watching him love our babies. 

Happy Fathers Day!

Thus is my life lately. I saw this the other day and really got a kick out of it. I may never again have a clean house but hey, I have some really great kids. Now while they are sleeping I better run switch the laundry! (And maybe brush my teeth!)