The wonderful man in my life......

As my husband was reading the blog and all the posts about the kids, he said "you never write about me".  So, sweetie this post is dedicated to you.  Don and I are complete opposites in alot of things, but I think we compliment each other quiet nicely.  Our life has not always been perfect, but I have to say I am very happy about the path we are now on.  We can honestly say it's our journey together that makes life so special.  We have 4 amazing children and wonderful friends that adds excitement along the way.  My husband provides wonderful Christian leadership and direction for our family.  Lately, he and I have both longed to become stronger in our Christian walk.  We have ventured out of our comfort zone and started attending a different Sunday School Class where the lesson and discussions that follow have been exactly what we needed.  Don, I love your renewed excitement for Church and I love the fact that you want to be a Godly example for our family. Don is strong, secure, smart and organized.  He is funny when you least expect it and also an extreme neat freak (sorry honey, I couldn't possibly leave that part out).  Our Sunday School lesson yesterday was about leading a life of integrity....I can honestly say Don does his best to live that life.  I am proud to call him my husband and I am happy God placed us in each others paths and made it possible for us to get to know one another over 19 years ago.  I'm glad he chose this Kappa Delta.:)

Our Baby Girl.....

Grayson Claire is the one and only baby girl at our house.  She is precious, sensitive, pretty and strong-willed and yes you can be sensitive and strong-willed at the same time.  I guess I would have to say she is my little partner in crime because us girls have to stick together in a house stocked full of boys.  She is a little girl with many different names, but answers to all of them....Grace, Grayson, Gracie, Gracie Claire or Gray, and sometimes I even slip up and call her by one of the boys names.  Those are the kind of things you find yourself doing when you have a house full of children.  Grayson is very artistic and has her entire life mapped out to include being a famous clothing designer.  She loves horses and she loves her teddy bear (Mr. Teddy is a member of the family).  She would rather play dress up with her teddy than her dolls anyday.  She is happy when she is around a group of girls to play with or she is happy to play by herself. It doesn't matter to her most of the time.  I often see things in her that I wish were me.  She is strong and secure in who she is as a person. She does things because she enjoys them.  I can't imagine her ever giving in to peer pressure as she grows into a beautiful teenager.  I pray that she will continue to be strong in her faith and continue to keep us all on the right track.  God has a very special plan for her life and we are so thankful he chose us to be her family.

Youngest Boy...

You would think with Parker being the youngest boy and having two older brothers to follow in their footsteps, that he would be predictable and that he would want to try and do everything they do.  That is so not the case.  I am often fascinated by the individual he truly is.  He often steps out and tries new things that his brothers never even thought of trying when they were his age.  He loves to sing when he thinks nobody is listening, he can out spell anybody his age (and Kanon) and he is smart and funny.  He told me his goal for this year is to get the class clown award.  Last year, he was awarded most behaved/most mannered and that makes mama proud.  He is passionate and an "old" soul.  He has a heart of gold and you will notice from every picture of our family taken, he is by far the most photogenic.  My prayers for you Parker are very simple.....keep loving Jesus and talking with him daily.  I pray you continue to lead your sunday school class in prayer and be a Christian example for others. I know you love basketball and it makes daddy very proud to watch you enjoy it so much. I hope you continue to reach for the stars and not be afraid to try new things. Mommy and Daddy love you!

Kanon

Kanon is special to our family in many ways, but most of all we love his uniqueness.  He is funny and cute and has that special something that once you meet him you automatically fall in love with him. He has a way with misusing words so much that we gave it a name "Kanonisms" because it is so incredibly cute and funny at the same time.  He says things that come out of nowhere that make you stop still in your tracks and just bust out laughing. He lives life full speed ahead and I love that about him.  He has a sweet nature about him, but doesn't dare want anyone to see it.  Kanon, you are growing up so fast and just within the last month or so have really grown much taller. He has always been small for his age. I pray that all your dreams come true even though you say me and dad are the "killers of dreams".  I just want you to add a touch of realism in those dreams.  I also pray that you will continue to trust in the Lord with all your heart and continue to choose Christian friends who serve as good examples for you.

The Oldest Child.........

These next few posts will be dedicated to each of my children.  I will start with Tyler, the oldest.  He is smart, funny, quirky and handsome.  He has grown up so much the last couple of years and it makes me long for those days when his biggest concern was which Thomas Train he needed for his collection.  He was at the age of 2 reciting verbatim every Thomas The Tank Engine Movie made. He enjoyed spending time at home and was most content when he was home.  We have now traded our trains for girlfriends and wanting to go anywhere to keep from being bored at home.  Don't get me wrong, I know its time to grow up and its the natural progression, I just sometimes miss the time that we had.  There never seems to be those "moments" anymore and bless his heart he is the first child so everything we go through with him is for the first time.  Don and I are making all our parenting mistakes on him.  I hope he survives Mom's worrying.  Lord, help me to not make any huge mistakes that can't be fixed. I pray that he grows up to be healthy, strong and content. And....Successful would be the icing on the cake. I pray that he surrounds himself with Christian friends and that he never loses his way. And lets be truly honest....Mom here will never feel that any girl is the best one for him.

That's what friends are for......

Friends are there to make you laugh with crazy comments and actions that nobody else understands.  I am so thankful for my friends.  My husband and I are so blessed to have some wonderful friends and even more blessed to get to spend an occasional day having fun with them.  Don spent this past Saturday with his long time friend KL as they headed to South Carolina to cheer on the DAWGS and I headed to Chatsworth to ride horses and have some girl time with Lane, Laurie, Lora and April.  We both had a great weekend and what makes it even better is to come back home to each other and our family. 

That Same Feeling......

Last night was a great night of fun for our family.  Don and I got that same feeling we used to feel when we were kids going to the fair.  We enjoyed eating corn dogs, ice cream, snow cones and of course you can't go to a fair without eating a funnel cake.  It was the 2nd annual Pioneer days in our little town with all of the usual fair rides. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening complete with perfect weather.  It started out sunny and a little hot, but by nightfall it was just right.  You could smell fall in the air.  The sounds of the music and the rides and the children laughing made it even more perfect.  Although, I don't think they have updated the music on the rides since Don and I were kids.  We found our self singing to the music and thinking our kids probably had no clue what these songs were. The fair was large enough to offer variety and entertainment, but small enough to feel safe and the kids were able to hook up with their friends and run around.  Tyler took a girl ( which I can't even go there right now, I am having trouble admiting he is growing up) , Kanon hooked up with about 13 of his closest friends (you know Kanon, Mr. Social) and Parker and Grayson always found someone they wanted to ride with. Don was glad he found the men to talk football with and I, of course love running into friends as well.  I hope my friend Jannae's stomach feels ok today.  I think she rode just as much as the kids.  I tried to take pictures, but they are mostly of the little ones.  Tyler and Kanon are not too keen on Mom and the camera trying to capture their every move.

Doesn't that look like Fun?

Grayson has NO fear when it comes to riding rides.  I guess that's what you get when she is the 4th
child with a house full of brothers.

Look at those faces!!

Kanon trying to drive with his right hand.  He is left handed and broke that wrist playing volleyball on Friday.

That's Parker, his friend Logan (that you can't see) and Grayson.  I'm not sure what

they are doing, but look at that smile.

They are definitely having fun.

I tried to take a few pictures after dark, but my camera didn't do it justice.  Another reason for my sweet husband to purchase me a REAL camera. Hint..Hint...