Christmas tree pics by Anna

Anna loves taking pictures of our Christmas tree. I think it's the lights that she likes. Almost every day I find 5-10 new pics of the tree on my phone. So here are a few for you to enjoy! The story behind this year's Christmas tree is coming soon. 

And yes, please note how few ornaments are on our tree. Every year I give jay and the kids an ornament and they all put their collections on the tree, but that's it; probably 35 ornaments total on the tree.  I just couldn't handle keepingJames and Elizabeth out of them for the whole month! 

Moving on!

Today was sweet Elizabeth's last day of physical therapy! We have done about 10 months of physical therapy for her gross motor delay. When we started and she was 7 months old, she couldn't even roll over yet! 

In the last 3 months, she has made huge improvements in her coordination and muscle tone. She started pulling up and cruising and in just the past few weeks started walking. She is still a little wobbly but is gaining coordination and confidence every day. 

We love her PT and EI therapists and are so thankful for their help. I am sad that i won't get to visit with them each week, but am so excited to see Elizabeth do so well. She'll be 17 months old in a few days and is such a big girl now. We are so proud of you, Elizabeth! 

Leaves and Light: Exploring Fall

Finishing up October

I've been really behind with posting things lately. That's what happens during the first trimester, I guess. Exhaustion and nausea take over and anything that isn't essential doesn't get done. I'm a little over 12 weeks now and hopefully the nausea will be finished soon. It is better during the days, just not so good at night. One day/night at a time....

Anyways, after being in our family for a solid 35+ years, we sold our couch. I know. It's hard to believe. I bought another couch from a friend and worked on cleaning and repairing it, added new pillows, etc. We couldn't really justify buying a brand new couch when we have 5 small children and a dog who will likely spill something, draw something, or ruin something on it.

 We also sold the laz-boy recliner that had a lovely hole in the seat cushion and purchased two leather chairs for the living room. (Ever heard of Joss & Main? I got an amazing deal on chairs on that website. Check it out!) 

Even though I have wanted something different for a while, I still felt really sentimental about letting them go. It made me a little sad to watch them drive away in the back of someone's truck. But it should tell me something about our decorating style when both items were bought by people purchasing them for their elderly parents in nursing homes :) It was time for a change! I'll take a pic soon of the new couch and chairs.

These two cutie pies are already 16 months old. They are just hilarious. James is walking and running all over the place. Elizabeth will do a few steps at a time and is gaining confidence.  They are just so funny to watch together. They have also started showing how they like to take care of each other. James will go get Elizabeth's lovie and give it to her. And yesterday James was crying and Elizabeth went over and hugged him and patted him on the back. She accidentally knocked him down in the process, but she was trying to comfort him! They will say a few words, make lots of babbling sounds, and love to read books.  They like to get cereal out of the cabinet, dump it on the kitchen floor, and enjoy a snack together. They really like taking baths and love their toothbrushes. They actually slept with their toothbrushes one night this week. It's a blast watching them grow and learn every day.

We had lots of fun getting dressed up for Halloween. Our neighborhood does not have many little kids and no one goes trick or treating so we always go to a friend's house for Halloween. Before we headed out this year though, the kids had a small "parade" with our neighbors, meaning they walked through the cul-de-sac acting silly!

We then headed over to our friend's to eat pizza before trick-or-treating. These are the kids from just our two families. We are quite the group walking down the street and knocking on doors!

 This year the babies were super cute giraffes.

Will was Willie, from Duck Dynasty

 Anna was Sofia the First (princess)

 Catherine was a chef and carried a mixing bowl to collect her halloween candy

We have eaten way too much Halloween candy the past few days! We had a great October and are enjoying the fall weather, leaves, and looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Half a dozen

Lord willing, we will be welcoming baby #6 in May! Here's our first glimpse of our newest little one. We could see little legs wiggling already. Incredible! Every single time it is just incredible. 

It does seem a bit overwhelming at times to think about having 6 children. We feel like we are just getting our feet back under us after having twins. But God has planned this one for our family at this time and we are so thankful. 

I know some people think we are crazy to have this many children. A few years ago when a friend of mine was expecting her sixth, I remember thinking "this is getting out of control." And I even knew I would like to have a big family and I still thought that. It was very judgmental of me! 

All I can tell you is that this is what God has called us to. When I feel fearful or overwhelmed, I have to remind myself of the truth. And the truth is that He is the only one who gives life and that He says children are a blessing. So we will celebrate this life and blessing and run to Him with any fears, frustrations, or worries we may have.  

We are excited to see who you are, little baby! And you have five sisters and brothers who are VERY excited to meet you! 

He had a birthday!

Last week Will turned 6 years old! I can hardly believe our "baby Will" is such a grown up boy. He is such a gentleman and has the sweetest heart. He can also be all boy and just wants to get dirty, climb trees, play in the creek, and wear camouflage.

For his birthday, he chose to go to Papa's cabin. Jay took the 3 big kids and spent the night at the hunt cabin. The next day, Papa took them fishing. Will and Catherine each caught a fish. Papa cooked them for lunch and they ate it right up! They also shot BB guns and had lots of fun hitting the targets. 

 For lunch, we had pizza and fruit and chips with the cousins and family. Will requested cupcakes for his birthday treat. You can see how lovely and homemade these were--straight from the Publix bakery! On his actual birthday, he requested my homemade banana pudding so I treated him to that.

Will, we love you so much and are so proud of the wonderful young man you are becoming! You're such a special part of our family and are so much fun. Happy birthday!

A little rest in Colorado

Jay and I just returned from spending a few days in Colorado. He had some committee meetings and they invite spouses to come along for this trip. So we packed up, left all five kids with Mimi and Poppop, and headed west. 

We got to Denver on weds by lunch time and were able to meet up with some friends who live there for a quick meal. 

We stayed weds night at a golf course. I don't remember the name of it, but if you follow golf, this course just hosted the big women's tournament. (See how informed I am??) Jay was able to play the par 3 course on weds afternoon and the main course in Thursday with some if the other guys. He said it is one if the hardest courses he has ever played!! It was gorgeous sunshine and about 70 degrees. 

On Thurs afternoon we drove about two hours to Vail. It was a beautiful drive and I kept taking pictures out of the car window. 

We stayed at a beautiful resort called the Sonnenalp. It looked like we were in the Alps. By the time we woke up on Friday morning, it was only 20 degrees and had snowed! Jay was so excited to see the snow that he was outside by 4:30am walking in the streets. 

It continued to snow the rest of the day. I went for a walk with jay that afternoon in the snow. Nothing like enjoying ice cream when it is a brisk 19 degrees outside. 

By Saturday the sun came back out but it was still cold. We ended our time at a ranch with a big BBQ for the whole group. 

We had such a great time. It was really nice to have uninterrupted time with Jay and to be able to rest and relax. I even indulged myself with a pedicure and rad a whole book. We took a nap and watched a movie and just acted leisurely. And that is a treat!!

We are so glad to be back home tonight with our little people. Thanks Mimi and Poppop for taking care of everyone.