Happy 5th Birthday Dallas!

This boy has spent his birthday sick. The stomach bug decided to grace him with its presence, and to beat it all he is getting the cold that both Kristen and Lauren have. So, it has been a pretty lousy birthday for the birthday boy.

He was feeling better this evening, so we sang happy birthday and he got a couple presents. He'll have to wait on his requested birthday dinner until he is back to normal.

This boy has had us all wrapped around his finger since he was born. I'm not gonna lie, he is spoiled and gets his way most of the time. But, when you've been this adorable since birth it's very easy to give in. 

From the moment he was born he captured my heart. There was something about having a little boy. It was different. He is always willing to help me. He helps me carry in the groceries, set the table and always keeps his room neat. Everything must be in its place. He did inherit my OCD for cleanliness. 

Most often you will find him and Kristen arguing. Kristen tries, but he is definitely a little bother sometimes. He's all boy and enjoys annoying her. That's what little brothers are for. 

But these two.....

The bond they share. Be still my heart. He used to ask for "my Nauren".  I love hearing them laugh together.  She definitely looks out for him. 

From the beginning he has kept me laughing, and wanting to pull my hair out. Sometimes at the same time. 

It has been such a joy watching him grow. He is super smart and loves school. He catches on to things very easily. He likes all things super heroes, ninjago, Pokemon, and his Papaw.  He also likes playing Barbies with his sisters, and would be very angry to know I have divulged that information. He loves playing the matching game and wii. He likes sunglasses, doing flips on the trampoline, dessert, and having a neat room. He loves his daddy and wants to be just like him. He gets upset very easily, but is easy to laugh as well. He likes to read. He hates sleeping in the dark, losing at anything, green beans, and doing crafts. 

I am so blessed that God chose me to be his mother. He completes our family and brings so much joy to our lives. Life would be very boring without this little boy. Happy birthday Dallas. I love you to the moon and back. 

Happy 10th Birthday Kristen

    

Well, she has made it to the double digits, and that is hard to believe. This poor girl has been pretty sick for the past two days and was upset she would be sick on her birthday. But, she woke up this morning feeling much better. For that I am grateful. 

It's very hard to believe that my firstborn has been in our lives for 10 years. I can't remember what life was like before her. I prayed for her and God blessed me beyond anything I could ever imagine.

I thought I was prepared, but had no idea how hard it would be going from just Paul and me to having a baby. I'd like to say I was a rockstar mom, but I was mostly a blubbering mess at the beginning. But oh how much I loved her!

This little girl grew and grew.

And then she became a big sister. And what a great big sister she is.

I have so enjoyed watching her grow. She has such a kind heart and keeps me laughing. She likes to read, write stories and loves doing art projects. She is always wanting to learn new things. She is great in math, but her favorite school subject is writing. She likes eating fruits and veggies. Her favorite drink is Root Beer. She loves anything strawberry and stuffed animals. She likes making videos and taking pictures. 

She hates potatoes, uncomfortable clothes, waking up in the mornings, and cleaning up. She is my messy child and definitely didn't inherit my OCD for cleanliness. But, I love her and all her messiness.

Today we celebrated her birthday by going to the mall so she could pick out something from her favorite store, although she now has a new favorite.

She ended up getting a purse and a charm bracelet that has her initials on it. 

Meme and Papaw met us for lunch and bought her a new wardrobe for summer. We fixed her requested birthday meal, grilled Carribean jerk chicken, mixed veggies and strawberry cupcakes. 

We ended the night watching Grace perform with the Powhatan High School Show Choir. 

Even though she is growing I still see my little girl who always wanted to dress up and be a princess and have tea parties. I love you Kristen and happy 10th birthday!

Party Pictures

I'm trying to get this blog back up and running. Here are some pictures from Lauren's birthday. If you can't tell she really likes Barbies. 

We are so thankful for our loving family, especially those willing to travel from North Carolina to make Lauren's day special.

I just love this girl! Very thankful for eight years. 

Tennessee

It seems as if Gatlinburg/Pidgeon Forge Tennessee was the vacation hotspot this year. I was so excited about this trip, since I was around Kristen's age the last time I was there. There are so many great memories I have of going there: Dolly, riding the trolley and the candy store. All are still there, and much more expensive and a lot more built up. More commercialized than my young brain remembers. I'm sure I was more excited than the kids and really can't wait to go back. 

Our trip started and ended with a visit with my 98 year old grandmother. We are so very blessed to have her to love on for 98 years. Her stories are the best, her smile even better, but her hugs.....I wait all year to get my gran hug. She hugs you with so much love. Although she wasn't feeling well, she was still happy to see us. I cherish my time spent with her.

We spent our first day in Gatlinburg going to some shops. You can't go to Tennessee without going to a boot store. 

I had to post this next picture because of Lauren's expression. Paul told them to look scared and her face cracks me up. She embraced her role as the frightened girl about to get swallowed by a shark. 

This next picture just makes my heart happy. This is my mom and dad, who made this trip possible for all of us. We are so thankful for them and how much they do for us. They love unconditionally and I hope I'm half the parent to my kids that they were/are to me and my sister. Even though my mom was in pain from her back and my dad was tired of all the walking at Dollywood, they still stayed with us when I'm sure they wanted to go back to the cabin to rest. What can I say....they are the best!

Before we headed to Dollywood we went on a mountain rollercoaster. This was the only picture my sister got. It was pretty fun and all the kids liked it. Lauren kept asking to go back. A good rollercoaster introduction for Kristen.

Dollywood was everything I remembered it to be. I really do love that place.

We all had our favorite rides and for many of us there wasn't just one. Dallas liked the little cars. And the carousel.

And the Ferris wheel. 

He loves cars and pretends to drive everywhere, so he really wanted to ride the bumper cars, but wasn't tall enough. I felt so bad for him. But he did like this drop kiddie ride. He rode it several times. The funniest part is Lauren's expression. I was scared for Dallas, figuring he had no idea what he was getting himself into. But then seeing Lauren so scared kinda made me forget all about Dallas. 

You can see panic setting in. She's seriously having second thoughts. And, I might add,  look how small Dallas looks. Surely he is too small for this ride, that's what this momma brain was thinking. Actually it was more like, "He can ride this and not the bumper cars?"

This is her going up trying to look excited for everyone. 

And the descent.

She survived and didn't get back on that ride. And thankful for Uncle Harvey and Aunt Kelly for being so brave to ride this. I can do rollercoasters, but not sudden drops...over and over and over. 

Her favorite was the swings and I tried to get a picture, but they were all blurry. That was the main ride she wanted to ride. She did enjoy the carousel too.

Kristen's favorite ride was the Rampage. It was a water ride and we were all soaked. She did ride her first rollercoaster. An old wooden rollercoaster that was so rough I got an instant headache. She looked terrified and didn't like it much.

We talked her into trying a newer smoother rollercoaster, the Wild Eagle, and I was so proud at how brave she was. She was super nervous, but tried it. I don't think I would after having rode the first one. 

Here are some other random pictures from our time. We had such a great time spent with family. We are so very blessed.