Sunday with Grandma

Sunday afternoon found us at Grandma's house, visiting with family.  We had a yummy lunch of leftovers and sandwiches, and spent the day outside in Grandma's wonderful backyard.  The weather could not have been more perfect for enjoying the outdoors and the company.  Before everyone began going their separate ways, we posed for a few pictures.

Here's the big group: (standing l-r) Adam, Cory, Ethan, Me (holding Paige), Lois, Daddy, Mama, Janet, Aunt Verona, Shiela, Mitch (holding Seth), Uncle Blaine  (sitting/kneeling l-r) Logan, Grandma, Janet, Lee  (kids on ground l-r) Elise, Ian, Merry Grace, Delia, Davin  (Not Pictured--Kelly)

This is Grandma with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She has 3 children (and 3 sons- and daughters-in-law), 13 grandchildren (plus 9 grandchildren-in-law), 23 great-grandchildren, and 2 more on the way (with 4 great grandchildren-in-law) and 1 great-grandchild plus one more on the way.  Pictured here (standing l-r) Me--holding Paige, Ethan, Adam, Logan, Janet, Mitch (not pictured--Kelly)  (sitting) Grandma  (on ground l-r) Elise, Ian, Merry Grace, Delia, Davin, Seth.

And Grandma with her little cuties.  All these little ones love Grandma to pieces.  They know who loves them and who freely shares her cookies and candy. :)  

We sure wish everyone could have been together and we missed those who were not there.  But we thought about you and know you were thinking about us. :)

The Festival

I can't tell you how thrilled I was that our weekend home coincided with the annual downtown festival.  I was wanting a ground steak sandwich something fierce and the kids were beyond excited, so we loaded up the family and headed downtown.

This picture was taken by the car right before we walked up the hill to Main Street.  Basically it went like this: we got everyone dressed, hair fixed, and ready to go.  We drove downtown, paid for parking, unloaded the crew out of the car and walked up the hill/alley to Main Street.  Seriously, we walked to the street, the edge of the street, at which point Ian promptly threw up.  Nice.  So Cory took Ian and Paige back to the car while Elise, Merry Grace and I walked down the street.  I got my ground steak sandwich (oh, how wonderful it was!!!!), Elise and I both had a corn on the cob (drenched in butter, thank you very much), Merry Grace had  a hot dog and we got 2 bags of cotton candy and 3 caramel apples for the road.  It ended up being fun, even with Ian's unfortunate stomach situation.  Luckily, when we got back to the car, Ian was fine and it seems he just didn't get something on his tummy soon enough, and got sick and he is sometimes prone to do.  I've missed the Festival the last couple of years and was thrilled to get to go.  Just thinking about that ground steak is making my stomach growl....

Ninety Years Young and Still Counting...

We went back home last weekend to celebrate a huge milestone--my Grandma's 90th birthday!  What an amazing lady she is and so full of fun and spunk.  We all just love her to pieces.  

Lots of out of town relatives came in town to celebrate her birthday with a party at the church.  There was yummy food, enough for an army, and a program filled with memories of wonderful lady.  She was given a book with a collection of letters from friends and family, expressing their love, appreciation and admiration for her.  I'm sure it will be a treasure.  The evening ended with a video of pictures of Grandma from the time she was a little girl to today.

My Grandma was the 6th of 10 children and this picture was taken around the time she was 18.  Its a scanned copy and isn't as clear as the original but its my one of my all-time favorites of her.  She's the last one on the right on the back row.  What a beautiful girl!!

Here is another one of her with her siblings.  Grandma is the fourth one from the left on the front row.  She has always had the most beautiful skin and we all hope we've inherited some of it. :)

And just because she's gotten older doesn't mean that she's lost any of her spunk.  She's the most fun!!!

Grandma has set a wonderful example of the importance of living the gospel.  Her faith has been unwavering through good times and bad.  She loves her family unfailingly and keeps us all laughing with her sharp sense of humor.  There are a million words of praise I could say about her, but I'll end with the last paragraph of the letter I wrote to her for her birthday.

"I don’t think there’s any question about how much I love you.  I don’t think I could put it into words, even if I tried.  I just have to trust that you feel the same way and know what I mean when I say I love you more than I can tell you.  You always tell me when we talk on the phone that I’m your ideal.  Well, I hope you know that you are mine.  I love you Grandma.  Happy 90th birthday, with at least 90 more to come. :)"

Snaggletooth

I love, love, LOVE when kids are missing one of their top teeth.  I think it is the cutest thing ever.  Ian just lost his first one a week or so ago.  He actually hates having his teeth pulled so much that he waited until his tooth just fell out on its own.  

He sure looked cute with his little snaggletooth look, but for the life of me I couldn't get a decent picture of him.  He had the craziest expressions, the funniest looks and the silliest smiles.  

I love this one, even if his eyes are closed.  And you know what...it just dawned on me...I don't think the tooth fairy ever paid him a visit.  What kind of tooth fairy is so forgetful?!  Can you even imagine?  Apparently he's not too concerned either, since its been at least a full week since he lost the tooth and I haven't heard a complaint.  Oh well.  The tooth fairy isn't perfect, you know.  :)

A Good Excuse

I'd say my blogging has ranged anywhere from sparse to pathetic lately.  I could say I've been busy taking care of my kids, chauffeuring them between school and after-school activities.  Or keeping them up on their homework, fed, clothed and happy.  I could say I've been busy with family activities and visits with relatives from out of town.  I could say I've been busy with church activities and getting ready for the annual Primary Program. And all of that would be true.  Or I could say that I've had a fun case of "morning" sickness that has kept me on my toes.  And that would be true too.  If you're surprised, you wouldn't be any more surprised than I was to discover the news.  :)  I've always thought it might be neat to be surprised.  There's always a lot of thought, planning an prayer that goes into my baby planning process.  Are we ready?  Are our children ready?  What will another little one mean?  But a surprise...well, that would just be that.  It would save me from all that worry and stress.

 So one morning, a little while ago, I woke up and hopped in the shower.  But I got too hot and started feeling nauseous and icky.  I had Elise bring me a little breakfast to the bedroom that I munched on while I tried to recover from this "episode" that I chalked up to a late night, stress, not enough sleep and an early morning.  While lying there, my sweet husband walked through the bedroom, took one look at my and asked, "Um...what exactly is going on here?"  I went through the scenario with him and his first question was, "Do you think you're pregnant?  Because the only time I ever see you do this is when you're pregnant."  I felt sure I wasn't...but....hmmmm....well.....let me think.....  And later that day, I got the confirmation in the form of two little pink lines.

First there was shock.  Surprise.  Wonder.  Confusion.  Anxiety.  It took just a bit for the dust to settle and adjust to this abrupt change of plans.  But, as much as I love my little babies, its hard not to be excited about another little one joining the family.  And then I begin to feel the excitement.  Anticipation.  Joy.  Wonder.  Humility.

And nausea.  Yes, the dreaded "morning sickness".  I have learned a few tricks over the last four trial runs that seem to work for me that helped some.  I got a prescription for Zofran, which helped during the really bad times, so I didn't completely fall apart.  But I learned something else this time.  When you have four little people counting on you to keep going, you kind of have to keep going.  So I've plugged through as best I can with a lot of help from those same four little people and more help than I can even comprehend from my super husband.  I'm starting to get my legs back under me.  Starting to feel some better and more like my "old" self.  I'm not there yet, but I'm better.

The more children I have, the more I realize that I am much closer to being done.  I'm not ready to say never, but this will likely be our last.  I don't love being pregnant.  I don't miss the discomfort and the pain and the exhaustion that comes along with it.  In fact, I think the only thing I miss is feeling the baby move.  But whether I'm done after this one or not, I'm trying to enjoy this experience as much as I can.  I'm trying to treasure it for what it is and not wish it away.  As hard as it is, it is a miracle.  And I'm trying to focus on that.  I'll let you know how that goes. :)

Tar!!! Heels!!!!

If you know our family at all, you know we are big Tarheel fans.  And big is probably putting it mildly.  This past Saturday Cory and I took Elise and Ian and Neal and Amanda took their older kids, Emmy and Charles Allen to UNC's game against ECU.  (This was made possible, in HUGE part to my wonderful parents who drove 2 1/2 hours to baby-sit the two little girls for us, so we could go with the older two kids.  Not only that, but they had to drive back the same night, getting home after 1am!!!  Wow!!!  You guys are awesome!!!  Oh, and did I mention they fixed our broken washer to boot?  Seriously.  You guys are the best!!!)

We couldn't have asked for more beautiful fall weather for the game.  We beat the traffic there, got seated early and were set for the game.  Since we had four seats in one area, and four seats in another, Neal & Amanda took the boys with them and we took the girls with us.

 Before we even got in the stadium, we passed a lady selling these cute blue and white boas.  Cory could not pass up getting these for these cute girls.  I think the idea was genius because these were just about the greatest entertainment ever.  And so stylish. :)  We literally had at least a dozen people stop us and tell the girls how cute they were.  But of course...

Elise and Emmy were great cheerleaders and yelled, screamed and chanted with the best of them.

 Cutest Carolina fans--hands down!!!  Love these girls!!!

And just when you thought they couldn't be any more stylin'...you see these fancy UNC glasses and you realize you were mistaken.  Definitely more stylish!! :)  Love it!!!

More cuteness.

Cory and I at the game.  What fun it was!  Cory makes watching any sports game more fun.  He gets into it so much, its contagious and makes it more fun for everyone.

Our seats were in the sun and while the air temp was perfect, the sun was HOT!!!  The girls and I got hot sitting there and spent the second quarter outside eating frozen lemonade and enjoying some shade.  We made it through the third quarter before the sun finally went down and we got some much needed shade.

 What a beautiful day to watch these guys STOMP the Pirates.

It also made for a long day for this cheerleader who does push-ups for each touchdown.  But he doesn't just do 7 more each time.  If the score is 21, he does 21 push-ups.  Imagine how tired he must have been by the time the heels scored 42 points! :)

It was such a fun day, especially with a win for the Heels.  It was nice being there with friends and family.  Go Heels!!!

The Fourth Article of Faith

You may or may not be familiar with the Articles of Faith that tell some of what we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, believe in.  The words have been put to simple melodies and the children learn to sing them.  Each year, they learn them, and other songs, during Singing Time at church. This is the fourth one, and Merry Grace has apparently been paying attention during singing time.  What a cutie!!!

Syrup Anyone?

Pancakes were on the menu this morning for breakfast.  

Apparently someone didn't have enough syrup.  (Although that may be debatable.  Can you SEE that plate?!)

I'm pretty sure this isn't what the pediatrician recommends for a healthy breakfast.
However, I think I may have seen this kind of behavior before....Remember this?

Sweet little Paige isn't the only one with a sweet tooth.  I think sweet little Ian may have one too. :)  Sometimes its just not worth bothering with the milk.

(Anyone care to explain how it could have been 5 1/2 years since Ian was this size?  Yipes!  Excuse me while I go freeze time.  'Kay, thanks!!!)

Ian's Seven!!!

I was just getting over the fact that my "baby" is two, when I turn around and my sweet son is seven.   Each year, we like to play the "remember what we were doing (blank) number of years ago" game.  I like to reminisce about the many things I hoped would be the trigger that would bring that sweet boy into the world.  Not long before his due date, there was a full moon.  I've always heard that full moons bring the babies.  But not Ian.  So a few days later, there was a hurricane.  Isabel, to be exact.  We were living on the coast and while it wasn't expected to be too big of a deal, I've always heard that storms bring the babies.  But not Ian.  So my due date came and went.  And no Ian.  At long last, and before I could go completely stark raving mad, my doctor decided to induce me.  So a week late, Ian made his debut into the world.   He came in after an easy labor and an easy delivery, particularly in comparison to his big sister.  He was a cutie and I was giddy with happiness.

Ian may be seven years old now, but he is still a cutie and he still brings our family so much happiness.  My cousin (who has a son a year older than Ian, born on the same day and also to a family that includes three sisters and no brothers) commented that she loves all the boy-ness that her son brings to their family of girls.  I love that about Ian too.  I love how his cheerfulness, his mischievousness, and his energy just rubs off on the rest of us.

For his birthday, we went out for biscuits for breakfast (thanks Biscuitville, for the coupons you sent in the mail!!!).  That night we ate Chinese for supper and blew out candles on a Tarheel birthday cake (Ian's request).  Once again this year, I was reminded that if I'm not the worst cake decorator in the world, I'm at least in the top five.  Thankfully, my kids are easily impressed and thought the cake was "awesome."  Either they can't see or they are kind, because it was really ugly.  But I did make it with a lot of love, which is the part I hope they saw.  :)

Ian opened some presents that he loved, including a new bike, now that he has outgrown (and more or less worn out) his old bike.  He loves it.  His favorite parts are the breaks and the kickstand.  Of course.

So Ian is now seven.  If I thought two wasn't much of a baby, where on earth does that leave a seven-year old?  Although, I reminded him at dinner that he will never be too old to be my baby.  That's just the way it is with Mamas.  Grandma told him that Pa was his Mama's baby, even when he was 70 and she was 90!!!

Ian, thanks for all the fun, joy, laughter and mischief you add to our lives.  I love you all the way to infinity and beyond. :)

A Little More Conversation

The other evening we dropped Elise off at her FIGS class at church, so I had only the three younger kids in the car.  And boy, did we have some fun conversation. :)

Ian is all boy, even with three sisters.  This was the monologue I heard from him.  "I think I have a bruise on my head." (pause) "But at least its not a bruise on my eye.  That would really hurt.  But for some reason I've always really wanted a bruised eye.  I think that would be cool."  Yes, definitely boy.  I am sure Elise has never, for one minute, wanted a black eye.  And I hope Ian never gets one either, no matter how cool he things they are. :)

I was asking Ian what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday.  He thought for a minute and said, "Oh!!!  I know!!!  Birthday cake!!!"  Also for each birthday, the kids (or grown up) get to choose their favorite meal for dinner that night..  So I wanted to know what Ian wanted for his birthday.  He thought for a minute and said, "I think I'd like either Chinese or Pizza.  Those are pretty much my favorites.  The only foods I mostly like are Chinese and Pizza.  Everything else is disgusting."  Good to know, buddy.  I guess I can cross, oh, just every meal I ever cook off your list of good foods.  :)

I also loved hearing about their possible costumes for Halloween this year.  Ian either wants to be Superman, Batman, a Power Ranger or a Fire Nation guy (apparently from Avatar: The Last Airbender) only he will be a good Fire Nation guy.

For weeks, Merry Grace has insisted she wanted to be a cowboy.  (No amount of explanations have convinced her to be a cowgirl.)  So she was going merrily along, describing her hat and boots.  And I think I was zoning out, because I've heard this description 63 times already.  When all of a sudden I hear her saying, "And I'm going to have sharpie teeth.  And blood.  Blood dripping out of my mouth and down my cheeks.  And scary eyes.  Maybe black eyes."  So I quickly interrupt her to ask what on earth she's talking about.  "My costume, Mommy," she answers.  "I know, sweetie, but what does blood have to do with a cowboy?"  "Oh," she said, "That part is a vampire.  I want to be a vampire cowboy.  Because its for Halloween and I need to be scary."  Well, mission accomplished, honey.  Just the description scared me.

I just love getting to listen in on these kid conversations.  I need a good giggle every now and then and these certainly gave me mine. :)

Happy Birthday, Baby Paige

 I can hardly believe another year has come and gone and my baby is a two year old, which seems farther from being a baby and closer to being a big kid.  But while there's a tiny ache in my heart to let go of the little baby she's been, I can't help but love the little girl she is becoming.  I love her fluffy blonde hair and her expressive blue eyes.  I love how many words she knows and how well she can communicate what she wants.  I love the way she tags along after her siblings.  I love the way she sucks her thumb, even when its covered in dirt.  I love her sassy little self when she doesn't get her way.  I love the way she snuggles when she's tired.  I love her face when its sticky from a lollipop or a popsicle.  I love watching her walk around with a baby doll like she's a little mama herself.  I love her hugs, her smiles and her kisses.  I guess there isn't much I don't love about that sweet little girl.

Her birthday started off bright and early with lots of birthday wishes from everyone.  I'm not sure she knew exactly what to expect from a birthday.  But she did know she was having one and was pretty excited about it.  After walking into the kitchen, she discovered the crepe paper decorations, which she decided were the "party."

After admiring the decorations, we jumped right into presents.  Saturdays are busy days and we were all being pulled in several different directions, so we decided to just start the day off with a party. :)

I can't think of anything better than that deep intake of breath and expression of awe and wonder at seeing the gift you've been given.  Kind of makes all the party stuff worthwhile for that one fraction of a second.  

After Cory cooked the birthday breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits, the rest of the day was filled with different kinds of ballgames and practices for different people, a meeting, a playdate and a few other things. But we all gathered back home in the evening for a birthday supper of yummy alfredo.  And what birthday is complete without birthday cupcakes?

What a difference a year makes when it comes to blowing out candles. :)  Last year she had not a clue and this year she was unstoppable. :)

YUMMY!!!

It was a wonderful birthday to celebrate a wonderful girl, who is the icing on the cake in our little family.  Happy Birthday, Little Bit.  Love you to Bits. :)

What is it about pudding?

One of the best things about Cory coming from a big family, is all the instant friends my kids have in their cousins.  Merry Grace and Ally have finally gotten to the age where they can interact and play like friends.  Merry Grace had been asking for Ally to come over for a while, so once school started back, we borrowed her for a day to play.

They had such a good time playing--with baby dolls, on the trampoline and just using their little imaginations.  (Or big imaginations, as the case may be.)

Sometime in the afternoon, they got hungry for a snack and decided pudding would be perfect.  Clearly it was entertainment as well as food.  I would have stopped them sooner, but they were giggling so adorably, I just let them have their fun.  What is it about pudding that just seems to scream, "Make a mess with me?"  We had such a fun day with Ally and are already ready for another play date.  :)

Fall

Although its been a hot week, over the past couple of weeks we've had some nicer weather--cooler temps, nice breezes and less humidity.  It has been perfect weather for a picnic lunch in the front yard.  There's such a short break between the heat of summer and the cold of winter, so we're trying to enjoy every minute of the beautiful weather that we can!

Fall Ball

Since I mentioned that the kids were playing Fall Ball, it seemed the appropriate time to describe how the last games went down.  For much of the season, the kids will have games on the same night at the same time, just at different parks.  With Cory coaching Ian's team, usually I am with Elise and have the two little girls with me.

It just so happened that one night last week Elise had an earlier game and Ian a later game, so we'd all get to see a little of each game.  So Cory took the three older kids to Elise's game and I came a little late with Paige because neither of us had been quite ready to leave on time.  From the time I got to Elise's game, Merry Grace was having a hard time.  She was bored, she was starving, she was thirsty, she wanted to play on the playground, she wanted to go to the concession stand....and on and on and on.  After a couple of warnings to stop whining or I would take her to the car, it became necessary for me to take the two little ones to the car.  :)  So I was basically able to come to the park, listen to a whiny child, and watch Elise stand in the outfield and bite her nails for one inning.  After taking the two (now crying, not whining) kids to the car and driving them around while Elise finished her game, they finally fell asleep.  So I picked Elise up and we drove to Ian's game.  Once we stopped the car, the little ones woke up, so I dragged two (now sleepy) kids up to Ian's game.  We sat down and Cory handed Merry Grace an orange drink he'd bought for her.  I opened it, only to have it overflow and spray out all over my clothes and legs.  With both Merry Grace and Paige still being tired, they both wanted to snuggle on my lap, but neither wanted to share.  And they were cold.  But we sat there and watched Ian scuff he feet around in the dirt and kick up a dust storm and sling his hat around for one inning and saw him run to the dugout afterwards exclaiming, "Mommy, now that is how you play baseball!!!"

I think it is hard sometimes as child to realize some of the sacrifices your parents make for you.  It may seem like they just "come to a ball game."  And sometimes that's exactly what it is.  But sometimes its a sacrifice of time, energy or sanity.  :)  And what it boils down to for me is that its worth every bit.  I can't wait for the next game. :)

Park and Cuteness

Elise and Ian are both playing softball/baseball this fall.  In the past we've stuck to spring only, but this year decided to try fall as well.  Cory is helping coach Ian's team, but one night he wasn't able to make practice, so I took him and let the other kids play at the park while we waited.  

All the kids decided to wear ball caps to the park and I thought it was just about the cutest thing ever.  Especially this little gal who thought she was really something with that hat on.

I believe I've mentioned Merry Grace's "style" before.  Oh yeah, like about 5 minutes ago. :)  Here is exhibit #2--purple and teal plaid capris, underneath a pink paisley dress, paired with a navy spiderman ball cap.  If I remember correctly, I think her big sister had her own style too. :)

Elise and Merry Grace are such great big sisters to Paigie.  She is lucky to have them.  And I don't think they mind the total adoration that she has for them either. :)

A Style All Her Own

This girl justs makes me smile.  She is just too cute for words. :)  She told me the other day that she wanted me to take out her earrings and change them.  After taking them out, I asked what she wanted put back in her ears.  She said, "A pearl in this one and a candy cane in this one."  So I let her.  She has a pearl in her right ear and a pink hoop (a.k.a "candy cane", although I have no idea why) in her left.  If anyone can make that look cute, its this girl right here.  Love her to pieces! :)

Sweet Sugar

This afternoon the little girls and I met Cory for lunch and to run a couple of errands.  It was a fun treat for all of us to hang out with for a little bit during the day.  After lunch, we had to take him back to his office.  No one was thrilled about dropping him off.  Merry Grace said, "Do you have to go back to work?" and Paige would say "WORK!!!" while shaking her head has hard as she could and would then forcefully demand, "Car!!!"  I think she was trying to say she didn't want to take him back to work that he should stay in the car. :)  There may have been a little bit of pouting in the back seat.  When Cory got out, he opened Merry Grace's door and proceeded to give her a big, sloppy, smoochy kiss on each cheek.  She barely made it through the first kiss before she melted into silly giggles.  Paige was already giggling by the time Cory got around to her side of the car to plant to equally sloppy kisses on her cheeks.  So instead of leaving with two sad, pouty girls in the back seat, I left his office with two giggling, smiling girls.  Just one more reason why I love that man to bits!!!  I remind the kids all the time how blessed they are to have such a wonderful Daddy.  I'm pretty sure they know.  The smiles on those girls' faces pretty much said it all. :)

Paige is a Big Mess

What follows, is a montage of pictures.  My theme is: Paige is a Mess.  I think that pretty much says it all.

This is Paige where she plays in my potted plants on the porch and ends up covered in potting soil...as does my porch.

This is Paige eating an oreo and making a mess.  A ooey, gooey, sticky, sweet mess.  But still a mess.

This is Paige rinsing off her syrup covered hands in cream soda and wringing them out over her pancakes.  Nice.

This is where Paige poured out most of the salt container and played in it.

This is where Paige thinks she rules the world. :)

This is where Paige got into the foaming handsoap and used it as a hair product.  Picture #4 in this series is where she looks just like her Daddy. :)

This is where she copied her big sister and her cousin and made a mess with pudding.  Thankfully, she was eating butterscotch.

This is where Paige stole my two mini cupcakes and then stole my big cupcake and ate them with a spoon.  And made a mess.  

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this crazy, sweet, mess of a girl!!!