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Jacob and Paige…

May 17, 2012 in Jacob, Paige by Petra | 2 comments

I’m pretty sure it’s been years (or maybe just months) since I shared photos on here regularly – or even on facebook. I’m actually pretty sure I never even shared Christmas photos that I promised Britta I would share since it was her first Christmas away from home. I’m such a bad mom. At least in the photo-sharing category.

I took Jacob and Paige on a mini photo shoot when I was learning my new camera in early March… The photography is not good, but the kids are adorable, so here they are…

I’m baaaaaaack…

May 17, 2012 in Darby, Jacob, Paige, Pregnancy, Technology by Petra | 2 comments

Apparently I let my domain name expire. The email attached to it was an old yahoo address, and we won’t go into how much I can’t stand yahoo! Okay, maybe we will — I had a yahoo email address forEVER, and then one day last summer, it had an error message. I messed with it for a couple of days, then contacted yahoo. They wrote me back and said it was such and such error, etc… fast forward several weeks of going back and forth with them, and the email address is not accessible, and even says that address doesn’t exist anytime I tried to log in, and when I went to sign up with the same email address, yahoo said it was taken. I”ve missed who knows how many emails (although I did try to transfer everything to my gmail address), but still – sometimes things like a website that is down for SIX days happens because the expiration notice went to YAHOO. Let’s just say I love gmail and leave it at that.

Vent over. My website is back. New topic…

I am 37 weeks, 4 days along in this pregnancy. The scheduled induction date is May 29th – when I’ll be 39 weeks, 2 days – if Vega doesn’t decide to make an appearance before then. I haven’t had regular contractions, though, so I’m thinking she’s in there for the long haul. I’d like to breathe again at some point, because she is already bigger than any baby I have given birth to (and I don’t know if you know this or not, but I’m not a big girl… there isn’t a lot of room in there!). The nurse listening to Vega’s heartbeat on Friday said “you’re so small” and I just laughed. Because this isn’t small for ME. Oh, and in the ultrasound this past Friday, Vega was up to approximately 7 pounds. I’m hoping she doesn’t go over 8!

I’m sure there are other things I could talk about, but anyone who has been in a full term pregnancy knows that’s pretty much what’s on my mind 24/7.

I guess to make this be not the most boring post ever, I’ll add a couple of photos…

These three crazy heads make me laugh all the time! Paige picked out her own clothes that day (which was March 1st according to the folder they were in… I have a lot of photos I haven’t shared – who knew?), and she loves being one of the “big” kids. I love them…

{note: these photos were taken as I was experimenting with my new camera… obviously this was before I had it figured out. So please overlook the poor photography and focus on the silly, cute subject matter}

My glimpse into a solitary life…

March 17, 2012 in Andrew, Children by Petra | 4 comments

My family is on their way home. I’m happy. I missed them. I have been away from my family before, but I have never been home alone for this long — or alone at all for this long — in my entire life! I moved from my parent’s house (and by the time I was old enough to stay home alone, older siblings and their children had moved back in) into my husband’s house when I was 18. He was in the Marine Corps, and would sometimes be gone for a week or three, but we already had a child when we got married, so I wasn’t alone then. This has been a brand new experience for me! Here are some things that I have learned in the past five days:

I enjoy peace and quiet. Who knew? I always wondered if I will go crazy once all my kids grow up and move out, but I’m thinking I’ll probably pick up a few new hobbies and enjoy growing old with Andrew and seeing my grandchildren whenever I get the chance.
When you live alone, things like laundry, dishes, taking out the trash, and vacuuming don’t have to be done multiple times per day! They don’t even have to be done every FEW days! That was definitely a novelty!!
I may possibly take my older kids for granted. I realized this when I was solely responsible for taking care of our eight cats (which were only four when the family left, but one of them had four kittens the morning after they took off). I realized this when I went grocery shopping last night — thinking that it’d be nice to have food for them to eat when they got home — and when I got home, I had to carry in and put away all the groceries myself! That was brutal. Especially at 10:00 at night when my 6 1/2 month pregnant body was done for the day. And I realized this when I couldn’t say “hey kiddo, grab xyz for me!” I had to get it myself.
Uninterrupted TV is pretty awesome. I didn’t have to pause movies when I watched them!
For someone who has always been dependent, I’m a pretty independent personality (I pretty much knew that already though). I enjoy just doing what I want when I want. I can see how people without children, or people who aren’t married, could easily become super-selfish if they aren’t careful.
I love, love, LOVE, my new front-loading washer and dryer! I actually hadn’t used it yet, because Andrew and the kids had been doing all the laundry. It’s amazing. It’s SO much better in every way, shape, and form than the cheapo washer/dryers we have always had.
Andrew runs a lot of errands for me when he is here. I don’t think I take that for granted, but I definitely noticed his absence when I had to take redbox movies back before 9:00, and when I was almost out of milk!
I don’t have nearly as many headaches when the gluteny people are out of the kitchen and I’m preparing all of my own food. I think I get cross-contaminated a lot. I had suspected it was happening previously, but now I’m pretty positive it was. We are pretty careful to keep it as separated as possible — keeping gluten-filled food in a separate pantry, not buying gluten-filled food that would have lots of ‘crumb potential’, etc., but we share a microwave, counters, refrigerator and cabinet handles, etc. I’m thinking it would be convenient to have two kitchens in the house? But that’s probably not a possibility, but I am seriously considering getting a separate microwave and mini-fridge where they can heat up their gluten and store their leftover Papa John’s!
While four and a half days of solitude was enjoyable, I am positive that having a husband to be one with, and having lots of children to fill the house with laughter, noise, and messes, is THE way to go!

And the thing that I learned the most is something that I suspected all along…

10. I MISS MY FAMILY WHEN THEY ARE AWAY!!! I have the most amazing children in all the land, and I LOVE spending time with my husband and best friend on a daily/nightly basis! My home-alone adventure was very relaxing and a nice break, but I’m super excited they’ll be back in a few hours! :)

February 18, 2012 in Brittany, Children, Darby, Fibromyalgia, Jacob, Jarvis, Justice, Paige, Pregnancy, sleep problems by Petra | 5 comments

Apparently I hit another blogging lull. Over a month? Really? Eh. Oh well. I’ve been jotting down notes for blog ideas in a notepad on my iPhone. I guess I just haven’t been going any further than that.

Pregnancy update ~

The pregnancy is going pretty well. I kind of hate giving out details because I feel like I’m just complaining, but these are the facts: I am still doing the heparin shots twice a day, and it still sucks, but whatever – we do what we have to do for a healthy baby! The contractions have started, and in the last week or so, I’ve had a couple of days where I couldn’t be off my feet because of them. But from the last two kiddos, I know just what to do (lie down and drink lots of water) – and sometimes I think my body is just trying to tell me to slow down. I have insomnia due to restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia pain ~ but we are doing what we can for all that. I am aware it’s going to get worse before the baby comes, but that’s okay. I know it’ll take a while to get my fibromyalgia managed once the baby is born as well, but I’ve learned a lot since I had Paige, so I have high hopes that it won’t take two years before I’m able to run a block this time! :) There are other ailments and issues that come with pregnancy #13 such as pelvic bones that thought 16 weeks along was the time to go ahead and separate – making walking (and anything else) difficult at best, but I’m done talking about all that. SO…

The baby is very active, and she kicks ALL the time, letting me know that she is alive and well. I will be 25 weeks tomorrow. The midwife said they’d induce by 39 weeks if I don’t go before then (I see a combo of docs and midwives). Most of you know Paige was QUICK and very traumatic, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on things when it gets closer to the end. And… we are pretty sure we have a name picked out (as of last night), but we aren’t broadcasting that yet. ;)

The other six kiddos ~

Britta is doing great! She doesn’t update her blog much, but she adds posts to her Ethiopia group on Facebook. If you haven’t joined that, you should. We miss her like crazy, but love how she is allowing God to use her as He sees fit. This is such a great experience for her, and I’m so thankful that she was given this opportunity. Her plan right now, is to still come home in June, and then head off to college in the fall to study Art Education and Spanish, so she can teach (and minister to) inner city kids.

Justice has a few more months before he gets his license (June). North Carolina’s driving laws are out of control ridiculous and it takes FOREVER for kids to get a license. He’s applying for jobs. He’s making mostly A’s (and a B or two) in school. And he is planning to join the Special Forces right after high school.

Jarvis’ 13th birthday is TODAY! He’s such a great kid! We lifted his usual time restrictions on the Xbox just for today, and I don’t even know how many hours he has been on there – he is taking FULL advantage and killing as many brain cells as possible. ;) Even though he will graduate from high school very young (a few months after turning 16), he still goes back and forth on what he wants to “be”. And we don’t really push that sort of thing (the whole “YOU MUST HAVE DEFINITE GOALS” sort of thing), as we just want our children to flexibly follow God’s plan for their lives, and we know that sometimes that is revealed at a young age, and sometimes not until the last minute.

Darby is 10 and the drama knows no bounds. She has more confidence than anyone I’ve ever known, which cracks us up all the time. She still talks incessantly, and I’m not sure that’ll ever change. She’s a GREAT big sister to Paige, and Paige thinks she hung the moon. Their relationship reminds me a lot of me and my older sister, Marci. I got her room completely purged/organized/cleaned/almost-completely-decorated this last week, and she’s working hard to keep it that way.

Jacob is hilarious. He loves math but hates the tediousness of reading/writing, which is a lot like Justice was. He plays outside all the time, and thinks he’s the coolest dude around. He’s still planning to marry Katie – our friends’ daughter who he sees maybe once a year, if that, since they live in Tennessee. But he is devoted. He’s totally into cars right now. And magic tricks.

Paige will be 3 in a couple of months (on Easter). She was never that interested in the potty, but a few weeks ago, she decided that she would just be potty trained in one day with nearly no effort from me. She still goes at night, but stays dry through naps, even long ones. She says some super funny things, and reminds us a lot of me! She’s very determined, and we love watching her little mind work.

That’s all I got for now. I have tons to blog about, but most of it takes actual brain power, rather than just stating some current facts about my kids… and brain power is lacking lately. ;)

What kids do when I’m not around…

November 12, 2011 in Children, Darby, Jacob, Paige by Petra | 6 comments

I had a photo shoot on Friday, and when I got home to upload the photos to my computer, this little series by Darby and Jacob was in the folder of pictures. They really need no commentary…

The Name Game.

October 19, 2011 in Brittany, Darby, Jacob, Jarvis, Justice, Paige, Pregnancy by Petra | 2 comments

So, the other day, a friend asked me what my middle name is. I’ve never kept my middle name a secret, but for some reason, when she asked me, I hesitated. So I decided to just put it all out here on the blog. Because inquiring minds want to know. And because, being pregnant, names are on my mind.

My middle name is…

***drumroll***

Candy

That’s right. Candy. Like the food you eat on Halloween. Or every day. Depends on who you are.

What’s the story behind my name, you ask? Okay, I’ll tell you.

My first name is the feminine form of Peter. Petra means ‘rock’. It’s also a city in Jordan, and a Christian rock band. But I was named after Peter. My six older siblings also have Biblical names – the boys after Bible dudes, and the girls… after Bible dudes (Joel, Joshua, Matthew, Marci [from Mark], Titus, and Timberly [from Timothy].

My middle name is my mom’s first name. Petra Candy. Her name is Candy Lovely. Her mom’s name was Lovely Brownie. (I’m not making this up). I always wanted to keep up with the tradition of naming a daughter’s middle name after my first name, but I really liked the name Brittany when I was pregnant with her (and I’m going to just make it known right now that Brittany was NOT a popular name until AFTER I named her – that next year it was like the most popular name… ugh), and Brittany Petra didn’t go together. So then when I was pregnant with another girl – and I was *sure* it was going to be my last pregnancy (haha!), we decided her middle name would be Petra. However, when she was born we could NOT decide between Darby and Aliya, so we were like “let’s just use both!” So she is Darby Aliya Petra.

More interesting family names: My mom’s sister’s name is Cherry. My great aunt’s name was Love (my sister’s middle name is also Love). My paternal grandparent’s names were Wilbur and Charlotte… and they lived on a farm. I remember being completely intrigued when I read Charlotte’s Web as a kid.

So far my kiddos names are:

Brittany Caitlin (I already had picked out Brittany, but was searching for a middle name – I was looking through the baby name book and my brother, Matt, said “what about Caitlin?” and I looked and that was the next name on the list, spelled the same way he was spelling it, AND I loved it – so Caitlin it was)
Justice Thor (Thor is Andrew’s middle name, and also Andrew’s dad’s first name)
Jarvis Alexander (his first name was going to be Ethan, but then he was born on his Great Uncle Jarvis’ birthday – so we named him after him)
Darby Aliya Petra
Jacob Andrew
Paige Sophia Grace

And the new one? I always start a boy/girl name list when I find out I’m pregnant (because it takes the entire pregnancy to come up with one we both like and agree on, and plus, it’s fun to name people), and I had two names on the girl list but have since decided I hate them both. So since I think this baby is a girl, we’ll see if she actually gets a name in the next 32 (or 30 – fingers crossed) weeks.

Britta Cait goes to Ethiopia…

October 11, 2011 in Brittany by Petra | No comments

Yesterday, we said goodbye (for a while) to our 18 year old daughter. Britta left for an 8 month missions trip to Ethiopia. We miss her already, but we are SO very excited that she is following God’s plan for her life, and we cannot wait to see how God uses her. Keep up with her (and find links with details on what she is doing and how you can support her) on her blog: http://brittagoing.blogspot.com

Saying goodbye at the airport on Monday evening

I know, I know…

August 10, 2011 in Brittany, Children, Darby, Health, Jacob, Jarvis, Justice, Paige by Petra | 4 comments

(I thought I lost this post that I wrote a few days ago – turns out it was just late at night, and I was tired and published it as a new page instead of a new post – doh!)

Pretty sure I’ve set a new record for how long I can go without blogging. I’ll try to make it up to you, but we all know that I spend way too much of my computer time on facebook in order to blog regularly. Maybe I’ll add a daily “blogging hour” to our school year schedule that will be starting in a few weeks! Speaking of which, I kind of can’t wait to get back on a schedule. Wait… did I just say that? Who have I become? Well, since you asked, I’ll tell you! (and since after writing the below super-long post, I’ve decided to break it up with some recent photos so you don’t get bored with my ramblings!)

First of all, I have become a woman who has a real-live husband in her life, rather than an across-the-world skype version! So excited to have Andrew home (it’s been a week)! He is SO helpful, you just don’t even know!!! We went on an awesome date last weekend before the big kids (a.k.a. babysitters) left us alone with the three youngest kiddos, and got a couple of photos with my phone…

self-portrait in the Bonefish Grill parking lot (mmmm... saucy shrimp...)
I am now a morning person. Okay, that’s a lie. I’d still rather stay up until 4 in the morning and then sleep until noon. But, I have forced myself to make some major life changes. On weekdays, I get up at 4:45 (okay, okay, I hit the snooze again at 4:45… I actually get up at 4:50… yeesh), and get to my good friend, Molly’s, house by 5:00 (er… 5:05-ish) and we walk and/or run for anywhere between 1 1/4 miles to 2+ miles. If we run, we have our ipods going, if we walk, we generally use it as our therapy sessions. Jarvis usually goes with me so he can stay with Molly’s kids while we exercise – he doesn’t mind getting up so early, he is my one kid that doesn’t seem to need a ton of sleep in order to function. Lucky boy! (updated to add – Molly and I are now training for a half-marathon, so we are running 3 miles two mornings a week and have varied our workout to fit our training schedule the rest of the week – including two 3 mile runs with the Brick City Running Tribe during the week)
All of us (minus Andy, who was in Iraq at the time) with all of the Houghtons.
Ideally, on days that I actually got to bed at a decent hour (by 10:45 so I can get 6 hours of sleep), once I get home from my morning Molly time, I make some green tea, get a light breakfast of fruit and nuts, and go sit on my front porch with my phone (which has my Bible and prayer list on it). I sit out there for about an hour – just me, the early morning quiet, and the Holy Spirit. It’s amazing! In my life, I think I only had early morning Bible study time once… and it’s the absolute best way to start out the day!

Molly and I had a blast at VBS this year... who knew it could be so fun??
Sometimes I workout again during the day – usually some yoga (or occasionally some tai chi that I’m really bad at), stretching, and I’ll alternate some leg/ab/arm workouts. Andrew and I have plans to start on a serious crossfit program soon, though. We just need to acquire some gym equipment (anyone giving away a weight bench and weights???).

Britta took me to Outback for my birthday this year (the big 3-5, eek!). Oh man - those ribs were SO delicious - I hadn't eaten ribs since we lived in Washington and MAN were they good! Thanks again Britta!!
God has healed a lot of my ailments that had me down for so long, and the ones that remain only show their ugly faces now and then. It’s SO very cool to be able to function as a normal human again, and Andrew and I (and the kids, I’m sure) have learned many life lessons through the process of me getting well. It’s so crazy that less than two years ago, I couldn’t run up the driveway without crying/passing out/dying from the excruciating pain that would have caused, that is, if I’d been able to run at all. I’m still so amazed when I run more than a few blocks at a time that my body is still moving. I love it!!! Now, I’m definitely not ready for a marathon yet – but I can run at least a 1/2 mile without having to walk for a minute (updated to add – Molly and I ran a mile and a half without stopping to walk this past Monday, then proceeded to run at least a mile of the next mile and a half! Hooray!). Earlier this summer, Molly and I had a day where we walked a mile in 9:45 then ran in 7:15 or something close to that. We haven’t done it since then, but we have no doubts that once the 973% humidity dies down, we’ll get our speed back up and be smoking everyone, including Nick and Andrew (hahahaha – I made myself laugh on that one!).

Jacob's main goal in life is to be a superhero.
I’ve become social again, and I love it. Not that I ever stopped being social, but with all the moving the past several years, plus my health issues that kept me down (not to mention the bed rest with the last two pregnancies), I wasn’t able to do as much as I wanted to do. Now, I have friends, and a social life, and I volunteer for things, and I’m constantly on the go. I wouldn’t have it any other way! God has really blessed me with some wonderful people to hang out with around here!

Please... someone tell me you want an adorable kitten! They are super cute, but we do NOT need to have four cats. The white one and the calico are up for grabs. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller??

I wasn’t planning on turning this into a post about exercise – lol – so let’s talk about the kiddos!!!

Britta is outta here! Well, not officially yet, but soon. Britta graduated high school in June (through our homeschool umbrella program based in Nashville), and we just got her sanford achievement test scores (that she took last spring) and she scored post-high school on absolutely everything and she scored in the 90′s% on many of the categories (not math though – lol)… so yay! Homeschooling was a success!! Britta was all set to apply to some colleges (her plan was to major in art education and minor in spanish so she could teach art to inner city kids and also be ESL certified so she could actually communicate with them), when another opportunity showed up. In early October, Britta will be heading to Ethiopia with some missionary friends for 8 months. She will be helping Jon & Jess Bridges with their 2 year old son, Dawit, and she will also be teaching art to kids at a drop-in center for street children, and possibly teaching English to girls at a halfway home on their way to foster care. Britta has felt led to missions since she was really young, and Africa has always been #1 on her list of places she wanted to minister, and children in need have always been on her heart. I believe God has been preparing her for this her whole life, and He custom-made this trip just for her. Even Ethiopian food is naturally gluten-free! Amazing. (if you have not received one of Britta’s support letters, and you’d like to learn more about what she’ll be doing so you can be praying for her and/or offer her financial support, send me a note with your address and we’ll get a letter out to you!)

Paige loves watching music videos with "bitta"
Britta is currently in Atlanta, staying with Andrea and Adam, so she can help care for Gideon as they welcome a new baby into their family. Who knows how long she’ll be gone, as that depends on how long Little New Van Meter wants to stay in her mom’s belly!

This is the kitten we are keeping. So cute.
Justice and Jarvis have spent this week at church camp. We have been praying that God would speak to both of their hearts and they would come home closer to Him. They get home tomorrow (I guess I should figure out what time, since at this moment, I have no clue what time I’m supposed to pick them up from the church – I’d hate to make them walk home after a week at camp! lol). (update – they are home and they had a good time! So happy to have them home!)

Justice got a much needed haircut when Andy came home! (this was taken at our church picnic last weekend)
Justice has had a pretty good lawn care business going this summer, and once he turns 16 (in early September), he has grand plans of finding a high paying job so he can order a million pairs of custom-made Nikes. Ah, the priorities of a teenager. lol

beautiful britta
Jarvis is such a well-mannered, easy to get along with kiddo. He’s still into video games and animals and any kind of science… and also correcting me if I get some sort of math issue wrong. Also, he is signed up for recreational soccer this fall. He tried out for the Challenge team, but then they ended up not having a Challenge team for his age group or the one above it because they didn’t have enough players and coaches. They did say the U13 Rec team does get to travel around the area, though, so it’s pretty similar to the Challenge team he was on last year… but they get to play on Saturdays instead of Sundays! Hooray!

silly jarvis
Darby is a nut, as always. And I’m pretty sure her room will never ever be clean for more than ten minutes. She’s a sweetie though, and still loves to talk… to anyone… about anything. There’s really no telling what random information she has put out there. I cringe just thinking about it. lol. I have had people ask me about the strangest things. Just know, people, that if you are talking to Darby, that even though she means well, she doesn’t always get her facts straight (especially if the story is about me… and especially if it’s any at all embarrassing – I’m just saying). Oh, at the end of gymnastics in the spring, they asked Darby to join the advanced girls class next time. We are figuring out where she’s going to sign up (and yeah, pretty sure I need to call them tomorrow – someone remind me) for the fall sessions.

Darby jumping off the high dive at swim lessons last week
Jacob is so excited to be starting soccer in the fall! He has also turned into quite the little socialite. I’m pretty sure he has more friends than I do. He’s so cute, and says the most hilarious things. I think he could get whatever he wanted with those eyes and that smile. He’s quite the charmer.

Jacob at swim lessons last week
Paige is a mess, but she’s adorable, so it’s okay. She also says hilarious things, and she loves to sing and/or dance! I love hearing her have little conversations in her bed at night before she goes to sleep – she does different voices, her imagination goes wild, and sometimes if we’re lucky, she’ll belt out some song lyrics at the top of her lungs (favorites of hers: “baby mine, don’t cry, baby mine, dry eyes” [she leaves out some words, but it's okay] and “hallelujah, he reigns… he reigns!”)… she also makes up songs – the other night, Andy heard her make up a song about poop. Oh well… lol.

Paige drawing (her favorite activity) at the Marbles Museum

“I’m a soldier, bang bang, I really wanna hold her…”

May 19, 2011 in Jacob, Random by Petra | 2 comments

The other day, Jacob (age 5) said to me, “I want to be three things: a rock star, a ninja, and a spy. Wait, and fast speed.” Then about five minutes later, he came back and said, “One more thing: I also want to be a dad… And a painter.”

It’s good to know he has some achievable life goals. I guess if the first four things don’t work out, he can fall back on being a dad and a painter.

In other news, for Christmas, Andrew and Brittany bought me a couple of new earrings for my cartilage piercing. They ended up being a thicker gauge than the one I got it pierced with, though, so I never did anything with them. Today, however, I decided to just have Brittany jam one in there, and yeah – it just went in really easily with no pain. Who knew? I love it! (and it’s the inspiration for this blog post title – and for those who don’t live in the world that is my head - those are lyrics from a song named ‘Veronica’ by Wreckless Eric. If you don’t know it, you should.)

Yes, that’s a little silver pistol… cause I’m cool like that. And yeah, it’s a horrible cell phone picture taken in my bathroom mirror – that’s why it’s blurry and grainy… whatever.

Two days in a row… I’m on a roll already!

May 7, 2011 in Brittany, Children, Darby, Easter, Jacob, Jarvis, Justice, Paige by Petra | 6 comments

An update for the three readers I have left… :)

Jarvis’ soccer team finished their season winning 7 out of 8 games. Way to go Jarvis! The tournament is next weekend, and if they win some of the games, then they’ll also play in the championship. Go Firestorm!!
Jarvis and one of his teammates
Paige has been talking more and more – she is so adorable! She has gotten sillier and more cuddly, and wants us to repeat everything she says back to her so she can be sure we understood her. (and she gets frustrated if we did not understand her!)
Paige's "fish" face
Brittany will soon be graduating from high school! Am I old enough to have a grown child??
Last week, a puppy followed Jarvis home from his morning run... thankfully we found the owner (or at least a woman who claimed it) because my kids were begging to keep it! lol
I had more energy in [the last half of] March and April than I’ve had in years, however, the last week or two have yielded pretty much zero energy, so I’m hoping it comes back in full force very soon!
The kids running with friends at the soccer game... I wish I had 1/2 their energy!
Andrew will be home in two or three months (hoping for two). I can’t wait!!
Paige misses her Daddy!
Darby has had a pretty big growth spurt recently – her newest pants are all suddenly too short!
Darby being silly... as usual.
Is it really May 7th? How does time seem to go so slow and so fast at the same time?!
Paige likes to wander off ~ she doesn't worry about losing anyone, she just keeps going... because up to this point someone has always run after her. We have to keep a close watch on Miss Wanderer! lol
The kids and I took a day trip to the beach about a month ago – we had a total blast and want to go again really soon!!
Jacob loved the beach and surprised me by running right into the water! He also loves his "beach shirt", just fyi.

Paige was a maniac digging in the sand. I think she could have stayed there for many more hours just playing in the sand. It was pretty much her favorite thing in the world.

I really wish the beach was ten minutes away instead of nearly three hours!

Working hard to fill that bucket with sand (note the giant belly poking out of her tankini!)
Easter was fun and I have a ton of photos to put on Facebook soon. We were sad Andrew wasn’t here to join in the celebrations with us, but we sent him videos so he didn’t feel completely left out.
Me and my six gorgeous children on Easter Sunday
Paige turned two last month! I put a birthday photo album on Facebook from her April 22nd party (her actual birthday is the 8th). She is so adorable.
My sweet little two year old.
I have been taking more and more photos lately. It’s time for a camera upgrade, so I’m hoping to budget that in at some point in the near-ish future… not sure where I’m gonna pull a couple grand out of, but I’m hoping a money tree grows out back. Think it’ll happen? lol I actually got paid to take some photos last week – that was quite the novelty for me! It also forced me to step up my game a little and learn some things I had been putting off – so expect my photos taken from here on out to be a little bit better (not the ones in this current post though… most of these were taken before the new things I learned).
Miss Priss
Mother’s Day is in the morning. I am so thankful to be the mother of six amazing, smart, beautiful, funny, silly, well-behaved (for the most part ), talented, wonderful children. I am incredibly blessed!
Silliness abounds in our house!!