OCTOBER/FALL FUN

I love this time of year as the weather cools off!  Thanks to Pinterest we get to try out new recipes and crafts!  As we go through the month of October and November I am enjoying and looking forward to enjoying Miss Macie and Mr. Weston!   

Working on Candy corns 

 Daddy brought Macie and Weston Halloween cupcakes home after his week in St. Louis.  WHAT A COLOR!  They loved them.  We were trying to eat dinner and Weston had a massive screaming fit because he wanted his cupcake.  What were we thinking leaving them on the counter.  He ate about 4 bites of dinner but didn't leave any of his cupcake behind.  Macie loved that her teeth were orange.

 Carving Pumpkins

Macie thought it was way to disgusting to touch the insides but Weston didn't mind one bit.

 I put the pumpkin under my shirt....ha!  

Starting this week I will be going weekly for check-ups.  I can't believe we are in our final month.  I love being pregnant and it has been a really good pregnancy.  There are a few things that aren't so fun...trying to get out of bed, rolling over in bed, bending down and leg cramps!  But I love every other part.  I feel like I look like I did with Macie.  I carried Weston higher and he stuck out more.  Kinsley and Macie have made me have a rounder tummy.  Three times I have had an older lady stop me and say BOY!  Wouldn't that be an unexpected surprise.

 I just thought this was so sweet.  Weston and Madden were very fascinated with the fire.

 Wearing their BONES and eating Halloween chocolate chip pancakes. YUMMY!

 Making Ghost Cookies

We had our 2nd Annual Fall Neighborhood Party! It was a lot of fun!  Lots of new neighbors came down and kids were running around everywhere.  WE had a bounce house which Weston spent hours in unless big kids were in there.  He also was a fan of the cupcakes.  It was so much fun to visit and enjoy a beautiful night.  At the end of the night, I did get sad because we have been blessed with a great bunch of neighbors and lots of kids to play with. It has been so enjoyable to watch all the kids grow over the past three years.  I will miss these kind of things that we do here but am praying we find another great neighborhood to raise our kids.  

Great Wolf Lodge

STOMP! STOMP! CLAP! CLAP! HOWWLLLLLL!

We went to Great Wolf Lodge at the beginning of October with Josh and Blake.  Macie and Blake have gone on the day trip 3 years in a roll now.  The kids were very excited.  Weston would even stomp, clap, and howl.  I loved every minute of our trip!  This time around Weston mastered the slides that were his size.  Macie went on several of the big slides with her Daddy.  She is one BRAVE girl!  It was a great day and hopefully we will carry on the tradition year after year.  It might be a little harder once we move; however, I think we can make it work!  

Big News

3 1/2 years in the perfect home for our family of 4!

Moving here has been such a joy!  WHAT I HAVE LOVED: Being closer to my parents, being closer to my brother's family, Zack being less than 15 minutes from work, bringing Weston home to this house, wonderful friendships with our neighbors, kids running around and playing together, watching the kids in the neighborhood grow and new little ones arrive, gatherings with neighbors for different holidays, getting big group pictures of all the kids, hearing the band play in the morning, finding a church that has been the right fit for our family, watching the snow fall on Christmas Day, getting Gobbled, seeing Macie meet her first TRUE best friend, celebrating Macie's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th birthday, seeing Weston's first steps, hearing Weston's first words, finding out Kinsley was in my belly, and just living life with the people I love.

So when my phone rang about 3-4 weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with all sorts of emotion when Zack said he was given a promotion in St. Louis!  More than anything over the past year, we have prayed and prayed for God's guidance on Zack's future working situation because he has wanted a change and really wanted a wholesaler position within Fidelity! We have prayed that God would take care of our family in the process of it all.  So PROUD OF HIM...YES, I WAS! I support him 100 percent!  I love the man he is, the husband his is, the Daddy he is, and the dedicated, hard worker he is.  I love that he is about to have an opportunity to do something I think he will really love!  I always say I am getting to do what I love each day so I am glad he will too.  However, the tears came and so did the chocolate chip cookies.  I pulled some out and the kids and I had cookies and milk to celebrate and to "feel just a little bit better" with my favorite snack!  Tears came and still come if I think about the actual things I am going to miss most about living here. I can't even go into that right now because I am river just thinking about it. Never in a million years did I imagine living outside of the great state of TEXAS!  I am a loyal Texan for sure...bigger and better here in the great state.    However, what a great opportunity and adventure we are about to embark on.  When it will happen we don't know but we do know it will be soon.  We have to sell our house, have a baby, buy a house, and celebrate the holidays all around the same time!  STRESSED...not really...which is impressive because I am such a planner.  I have complete FAITH in God.  He knew this was coming before I did so HE knows and will guide us through this transition.  I am so glad I can TRUST in HIM!  

 32 WEEKS

Miss Kinsley Grace will be arriving in 8 or less weeks!  I can't wait to hold her, kiss her, and just love her completely.  I can't wait to see if she looks like her brother and sister.  I can't wait to see and watch Macie and Weston when they meet her and welcome her to the family!  I just can't wait!

There has been so much love and help that has gone into Miss Kinsley's room.  I am a little sad to post a picture of her half-finished room but now that we are moving I didn't put up all the fun decorations that have been made and purchased that go along with her room.  This is just a sneak peek of the finished product.

 Playing in the rain is one of the things all kids just love!  Macie, Weston, and Hayden were gathering up all the worms that were on the sidewalk and putting them in the sand toy.  I am not sure how many worms survived but the kids had a blast.

 Working on the letter L!  Weston's famous words are, "I do it, too."  Everything Macie does Weston does "TOO!"  So when we are crafting, drawing, saying Bible verses, and so on WE all get to work together!  I LOVE IT!

 My precious boy and Miss Kinsley underneath!  She has been the perfect seat and pillow for Macie and Weston. They both love cuddling with her in the mornings when we watch a cartoon.

 This little BOTTOM is what I see a lot!  Once Weston potties, he fails to put his undies back on.  He would much rather run around naked.

 FALL CRAFTS!

We love fall and were excited to make our first fall tree.  I forgot to take a picture of the final product but the kids had a good time creating their leaves.

 Macie was the helper recently at her school!  She was so excited to sit on a the monkey seat, eat lunch at the special table with one friend, say the prayer, lead the class where they went, and share her toy/all about me information. I have been really impressed with First Baptist PreK and the teachers she has.  She is enjoying her new friends and learning lots of things at the same time.

 It amazes me how iPADS are such a hit for kids.  Grammy came for a visit and these two fought over who would get to hold it.

 Weston has the sweetest smile!  I just love watching him grow, laugh, and play golf.  He has his iron in his hand.  Golf is his favorite thing to play morning, noon, and night.

September Fun

It is hard to believe how fast the summer went and that we are now starting our fall routine.  I am excited about fall, cooler weather, and all the fun things we will be doing.  I think it will be just great!

Macie had Meet the Teacher last Friday.  She was very eager to meet her teachers and see her classroom.  Macie is going to First Baptist Pre-K (she corrects me if I say preschool) on Tuesday and Thursday.  The teachers seem like they will be lots of fun and will help the kids get ready for Kindergarten.  From what I can tell the kids all look very sweet too.

Macie's room was decorated so cute!  Seeing all the rooms decorated and knowing all teachers have worked so hard to get ready for the school year, makes me miss that part of teaching.  I loved the first day of school.  I loved decorating and getting ready for a new year and new students!  I love the excitement of learning!  The teacher in me comes out and I miss it!  However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE being home with my two favorite little people!

 Ms. Robin and Ms. Beth
Both teachers have been preschool teachers for years.  Ms. Beth is a former Kindergarten teacher.  Both started teaching preschool back when they were new moms so they could somewhat stay home with their children and also give them an opportunity to go to preschool.  Their children are all 20+. 

 Weston loves doing anything and everything Macie does.  She sat down to color after church on Sunday so he did too!  Sunday was a big day for the kids because they both moved up to new classes.  Macie pretended she was asleep in the car right when we got there.  After church she told us she did that because "she was nervous but that she loved it."  All the kids said bye to her as she left.  Weston was "nervous" as well.  My sweet boy seemed to know things were different right off after dropping Macie off at her class at a different wing of the church.  He was holding my hand tightly and trying to walk to his old class.  So he cried for the first few minutes in his new class which led me to crying in church.  Emotional...pregnancy hormones?  I had to check on him and he was fine.

This boy has been taking his coloring very seriously!

 We were also very lucky to spend the weekend with the "Best Cousins" as they have labeled themselves.  It was fun to get one more time together before the all the kids and parents are busy with all that comes during a school year.  Too bad it was so hot!  However, that didn't stop the kids from having fun.  They played hard and we stripped them down so they could have ice cream dessert!  After that they completely stripped down for some sprinkler fun!  I would say this was probably the last time they can get away with that!  7 grand kids 5 and under can be a little wild and crazy!  What will Miss Kinsley think of all the action when she arrivies?

 Pre-K started on Tuesday for Macie.  She was more than eager to get to school.  She and I were having trouble coming to an agreement on the outfit she should wear.  I had one dress out and she was in her closet picking out old, too small, or clothing I wouldn't allow her to choose for the first day.  Luckily she found a dress and couldn't wait to put it on with her BRAND NEW TWINKLE TOE shoes!  Tennis shoes are a requirement so we found one pair that will hopefully work. She loves that they light up.  In fact, she had her dad come in her room at bedtime to show him how cool they were.

 So when Macie grows up she wants to be a FAMOUS ballerina, a doctor, a rockstar (this is new) and a mermaid.  DREAM BIG my girl!

 We were so glad that Grammy also got to come in on Monday and Tuesday!  She was a big help.  I was able to take Macie to school and go to the dentist while she watched Weston.  Basically she said they played golf most of the time.  No one will be surprised at that.  It seems like he is playing golf from sun up to sun down!  Anyway, Grammy also brought some fun prizes for us....Kinsley's table(once the room is finished I will post pics) and matching aprons for Macie, Julie, and me. Macie loves matching Julie and kept asking over and over if Grammy would make her something.

Macie was asking if it was time to go because she didn't want to be late for her first day!  We got there in plenty of time talking the whole way about what a great year it would be.  Again maybe in is pregnancy hormones, but I walked away with tears in my eyes. I didn't even call Zack after dropping her off because I knew I would lose it. She was so very big putting her backpack, lunch box, and water bottle in the right spot.  Macie actually walked right in without saying good-bye!  Being the emotional momma I am, I made her come back to tell her how much I loved her!  

Macie's first two days of Pre-K were a success.  She has already met a few friends. She said she is nice to the boys but only wants to play with the girls. One of her friends is Reagan, who is the line leader.  Since Reagan is the line leader she gets to eat lunch at a special table with a special friend...she chose Macie.  Macie talked about it all the way home.  She loves Spanish class; however, she tells me everything she learns is a secret.  Sometimes it is so hard to get things out of her.  I know Macie will thrive this year!  I am excited to watch her excitement!  It is hard to believe I held that beautiful baby girl in my arms for the first time 4 1/2 years ago.  We keep telling her we don't want her to grow but she insist that she has too.  I find comfort in that fact that she wants me to go to college with her and live beside her when she is married...ha!

 Macie is also doing ballet this year!  We probably should have started it last year because she has talked about ballet forever.  She will be taking tap and ballet once a week.  Her class has about 6 girls in it and from what I can tell she looks just precious in there.  She loves her tap shoes.  Her class has to wear blue so we went and picked out her tutu.  She danced around the store in her tutu and YOU know who danced around after her!

 Sometimes I wish I could just put into words how much I love this sweet boy!  I was taking Macie's pictures and Weston said, "I want picture too."  Well, if he only realized or maybe he does that his momma is the picture taking queen.  I look forward to Weston and I having some special time together these next few months while Macie is at school and before his little sister gets here.

We were working on a little eye hand activity where you put cheerios on noodles.  Weston worked very hard for about 2 minutes and then decided to eat.  Macie just created her own thing.  I know she must listen to directions at school, but every time we are doing something she always has a better way to do it than I tell her.

Oh how this boy cracks me up.  I was putting laundry away and came back to find Weston sitting by the garage door with no shorts and undies on.  He was sort of screaming/making sounds.  When seeing his clothes on the floor I said, "Weston did you go potty?"  He said, "No, I singing."  He jump up and sang all over the living room.  Then he got out his drum and continued to sing and make music. Each time I asked him what he was doing he would say he was singing. It was so funny!  He actually wore the drum around his neck to pick Macie up from school and fell asleep in the car with it on the way back home.