what a life i live

emma

2012-02-01T09:01:00.005-05:00

-jeremiah 29:11

levi

2012-02-01T09:01:00.002-05:00

max

2012-02-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

spirit week 2012

2012-01-31T21:28:00.003-05:00

disney/pixar day.....russell from up
disney/pixar day...jessie from toy story

TWIN DAY!!!

blue & white day

max & ali had to dress up, too! {twins!}

bath time!

2012-01-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

miami zoo

2012-01-28T14:10:00.003-05:00

we got to use one of our Christmas presents when the kids were off school last week....

a zoo pass!
the animals were cute.
but i guess i found the kids even cuter.

max & the picnic table

2012-01-27T23:14:00.003-05:00

on Monday he was like this.....

on Tuesday he was like this....

Wednesday he was like this...

boys= crazy & cute

putting up the Christmas tree

2012-01-27T22:59:00.002-05:00

hanging out at nana & papa's

2012-01-27T22:40:00.005-05:00

while in memphis we like to just hang out with the family.
we play games... we watch movies...

we eat...

we just lounge around...

we clean out the attic (actually mimi does)...

we shoot guns...

"merry Christmas, ya filthy animal"

christmas with the fullertons

2012-01-27T22:25:00.005-05:00

PrEsEnTs!!!!!!!!!!

the cousins are all waiting....
we like to give papa presents, too

kyle *may* be crying because one of his cousins hit him. right in the middle of opening a "group present". wish i could say that it wasn't my son...

the beautiful mikaila grace. {caught her in a rare moment of NOT texting!}

caught these 2 in a not-so-rare moment

brianna...got her very own little portable dvd player

it's the blue dress for kaya!

always stands in the back...away from the chaos! then he has the job of figuring out how to get all the loot into the van!

opening presents with nanny & pop

2012-01-18T08:08:00.003-05:00

my kids kept calling nana debb, "nana claus" this year.

seriously, they did! they know their nana loves to give them presents!

tons of fun to watch the craziness of 9 kids opening presents from their grandpa & grandma!

i love the look on luke's face!

emma was so excited to get her very own rollerblades

this is how a lady properly opens her gifts. she was taught well by her mama!

[i fixed the red eye. don't know why it won't save it]

max was loving being in there with all the big kids! he got bristle blocks & loves them!

indy children's museum

2012-01-13T14:25:00.007-05:00

our favorite activity in indianapolis...
the huge, amazing & exhausting children's museum!

a few new exhibits & spent lots of time in the favorite spots. nana debb & all her grandkids. we wore max out!
emma is goooood at the hula hoop!

emma took max down the giant slide

the whole place was decorated for Christmas

levi pretends to scuba divethe girls build a boat

jenna, riley & paige enjoy the beautiful glass art on the ceiling

good thing chloe still has her head!

and levi found an extra one!

the kids all enjoyed this activity of pretending to be archaeologists & figuring out how to put the statue together.

max could have stayed here ALL DAY watching the trains

playing

2012-01-12T10:51:00.006-05:00

before we loaded up the car & headed north the kids had a few beautiful hours left in the day to play with some of their new toys. it was a perfect start to our Christmas break. levi & daddy play some flag football

daddy helping emma on her pogo stick

max playing with his new baseball T

and pushing his shopping cart around. (this thing is ALWAYS full of goodies!)

it's captain america!

em puts on her "real" make-up!

charades

2012-01-12T10:33:00.002-05:00

we all finally made it to nana debb's & popper's house!

one night we had fun playing charades!

the big one

2012-01-12T10:23:00.005-05:00

this year we gave a 'big family gift'.

a trampoline.

they were soooooo excited! it's already proven to be money well spent. they LOVE it & get to burn LOTS of energy!

"christmas day" in miami

2012-01-12T10:13:00.004-05:00

oPeNInG gIfTS!!!

i love this one of emma helping max with one of his gifts.

oh how she wanted a pogo stick!

levi was THRILLED with each gift! i got lots of hugs & thank-you, mommys!

cruisin'

2012-01-09T08:43:00.004-05:00

after max got his new jammies on he decided to cruise around the house for awhile.and park his bike on the chair.

our home Christmas

2012-01-09T08:25:00.003-05:00

"Christmas Eve"

(actually a week early because we travel for 2 weeks)

the traditional new pj's & book.....

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T22:10:00.004-05:00

this year's Christmas card.....

it didn't make it to everyone's mailbox this year. had some technical difficulties. i'm ok with that. still wanted to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

{thinking on the blessing of this year & looking forward to all God has in store for us in 2012}

christmas stories

2011-12-14T13:13:00.002-05:00

max is totally into the Christmas spirit.
he is in love with the tree. the fact that it has so many shiny balls brings lots of squeals from him. he also loves the nativity. he calls them "mommy, daddy & baby." he particularly likes the sheep.

here he is putting the fisher price baby Jesus in mommy's willow nativity.

below he is saying "SHEEEEEP!" very loudly in my face.

emma cracked us up with the following conversation:

(looking at my small nativity, she picks up the angel who is holding a banner that reads "GLORIA")

"mom, i thought the angel was a boy. i thought his name was gabriel. who is this gloria any ways?!"

she also made me laugh when she called king herod, 'king harold' over & over as she retold the Christmas story! (we were super impressed with her excellent re-telling of the story!)

*********************************

levi is also very much into Christmas this year. on Saturday we had a "craft day." he was so creative and made lots of pictures to decorate his door for Christmas. he also made a paper chain to drape over it. he even decided to decorate his dresser with a creation made only from green & red legos. sean didn't know what to think about his boy's great enthusiasm for "decking the halls!"

that cat

2011-12-08T09:57:00.003-05:00

i've always been more of a dog kind of person. but i have to say, that i have been loving our cats. it helps that wolverine is like a dog. he loves attention. he comes when you call him. he is fat and cuddly. he even puts up with this kid! this was not posed. i was changing max's diaper & wolfie came & snuggled in with him. emma took the picture.

my happiness

2011-12-08T09:49:00.004-05:00

my kids.

i let myself get so frustrated. at the end of the day, they are still what makes me happy.

i made sure to get a picture of each one of them on thanksgiving day.

it reminds me what a great life i really do have....through it all.

we took a family bike ride. one of our favorite things to do!

max at build-a-bear

2011-12-08T09:30:00.004-05:00

max received a build-a-bear gift card for his birthday. he didn't really get it, but he was stinkin' cute. since he loves doing everything the big kids do, we let them share the gift card, too! i had a great coupon, so all 3 of them got to do the smallest bear & they had so much fun. emma & levi have a few too many of these....it's so much fun to build your own bear!filling his bear with stuffing
warming up the bear's heart & making a wish

jumping around & being silly

his favorite part: giving it a bath

"love my new bear! i'm just like the big kids!"

he was so wound up, i couldn't get him to sit for a picture! levi used his own money to buy his bear a marlins t-shirt! that boy LOVES his stuffed animals!

emma picked out the pilot hat & scarf. so perfect....to go with his airplane birthday party!

giving thanks

2011-12-04T23:40:00.002-05:00

we had a great day with our friends.

seth fries up a yummy turkey!

family + friends + food = lots to be thankful for!

i *may* have left the bag of gizzards in there. um, i had my hand all the way up there and found the neck & stuff....well, any ways, thankfully it didn't harm how yummy the turkey tasted!

levi & mr. seth checking on the bird.

mrs. broadfield playing a game with emma.

"O give THANKS unto the LORD

for HE is GOOD!"

it's our 17th anniversary!

2011-12-04T16:16:00.005-05:00

sean & i celebrated 17 years of wedded bliss.

a lot has changed since that day. 2 different states. new ministry. 3 kids. a few gray hairs (less hair). the invention of facebook. we're getting older, but one thing has remained the same-- i married my best friend. somehow even our love has changed. it's grown deeper than you can ever dream of way back when you're young & in love. what a privilege & a blessing to be married to this man. there are no words to describe how thankful i am and how much i love him.

we had a fabulous time spending a night away in the Keys. thanks to awesome friends who took charge of our little crew, we were able to spend some much needed alone time. who knew that eating & sleeping whenever one wants would become such a luxury!

dinner at sunset

sean had the alligator. he said it tastes like chicken.

we stayed at the postcard inn

sean's party

2011-12-01T21:29:00.006-05:00

we had a great night!

we love our church & all the wonderful friends God has blessed us with.

celebrating this big milestone was a big deal! {it seems impossible that sean is 40! he is so young at heart!}

he LOVED the awesome gift the group got him!

Happy Birthday, SEAN!

we didn't tell the kids about the party. they were just as surprised as daddy! it was too cute!

the big 4-0

2011-12-01T21:20:00.003-05:00

this year is sean's 40th birthday. our friends in 'the program' decided that he needed a surprise birthday to celebrate his big day. it was really fun to surprise him. he really had no idea! this guy deserves a party.....he is so very amazing! i'm so blessed to have spent every birthday with him since his 16th! looking forward to many more.

love you, SEAN!! what a life we live!

more party fun

2011-11-20T20:34:00.003-05:00

i didn't feel like i got any really great pictures of the night. it was busy & got dark fast. i had in my head what i wanted to do for a picture of the birthday boy, but he was much too "into" the whole party thing that he was not interested in posing for mama! here are a few pictures of him during the party. it was a very fun night. max is blessed to be surrounded by so many special people who love him very much.he was saying, "i TWO!" , holding up random fingers
some of his party guests.....gabe (age 22 months) & ali (age 19 months)

first gift of the night. at first he wasn't too crazy about having to end his play time. then he realized how much fun it was to open cool new toys & he loved it! he greeted each one with so much joy & lots of "oooooo's!!!" (nice muddy jeans! a sign he was having lots of fun! and the airplane shirt--CUTE! my neighbor made it for him)

a wagon ride with his buddy jonah (age 11 months)

airplane party

2011-11-20T16:50:00.005-05:00

i've known for many months that i wanted to do an airplane themed party for max's 2nd birthday. he (like most kids his age) LOVES airplanes. he sees them in the sky & hears them before anyone else! i saw the paper airplane 'garland' somewhere in blogland this summer & that was my start for the party. then, thanks to pintrest...many more inspiring ideas helped me along the way. honestly, these pictures don't do it justice. it was so cute & simple & the yard just looked fun. then when it was full of our friends playing & enjoying all the food, it was perfect. max loved every minute of it.

levi, the mascot. he got himself dressed like a pilot & was my official helper. very cute.

emma helped make all the paper airplanes & she and sean blew up all the balloons. oh my, were they a big help! i just have to say...my husband is AMAZING!

"my how time flies!" is what i put on the banner....in honor of how fast our boy has decided to grow up. i put pictures of him out to show a "timeline" of him getting bigger!

our friend, emily pergl made the cupcakes. i found a free printable to make the toppers.

i LOVE having parties. but....i must be honest. it was challenging. {& i may have had a major melt down when levi injured his mouth, again, in the middle of preparing for the party} in the end, i'd say it was all worth it.

our baby is 2

2011-11-20T16:38:00.004-05:00

GoOd mOrnInG, MAMA! I'm not your baby any more....I'm TWO!!!

{i was greeted by this adorable two year old the morning of his birthday. he already seemed to know the day was all about him. & he loved it! i wondered how much longer i'll be picking him up out of his crib, with arms stretched out to me & with this happy smile!} dear max.....i love you. i love you. i love you. i love you. and i love you some more. thanks for bringing me so much joy. i am so glad you were born! our family would not be the same without you!....love, mama

Happy Birthday, Max!!!

he was so funny about his candles! scared to death of the fire! he was loving him some yummy cupcake that miss emily made! (everyone loved them...only 1 left when the party ended!)

end of the season party

2011-11-15T20:55:00.003-05:00

impressive

2011-11-15T13:52:00.003-05:00

this girl is crazy! all 42 pounds of her. levi couldn't even jump to the bar or pull himself up once. she did do more...i just didn't get it on video! (and max stepped in a fire ant pile, so....all the fun stopped for a bit!)

oleta river state park

2011-11-15T13:27:00.008-05:00

on Saturday we went with our friends in 'the Program' to a state park for some mountain biking. of course there are no mountains in miami, but i guess that's still what it's called. it's how Sean kept himself feeling young on his 40th birthday.the kids and i found some easier trails to ride on while the group hit the tough ones. emma & levi had so much fun. we will for sure go back again. max got to stroll along like this or sometimes he hit the trails on foot.they stopped to play along the way....& took a short nap! ;)we stopped along a little beach & max enjoyed throwing rocks for a long time. one of the girls got injured. she is Levi's teacher. they made sure she was alright & kept her company!

nana & papa

2011-11-03T21:20:00.003-04:00

here are a few pics from nana & papa's visit to miami.
life was crazy. we were busy. the time was short.
but we LOVED having them here with us & we wanted them to stay FOREVER

after school one day we went to their hotel & enjoyed the pool & hot tub! ( & fruit from the snack bar!)

cute trick-or-treaters!

2011-10-31T21:53:00.005-04:00

headed to the mall for some candy!

max & hollie

dennis the menace

{basically he refused to keep any other costume on, so we worked around it!}

max & julia, the little cupcake

loading up the helmet with candy!

50's girl & indian girl

urlacher & indy

dennis & "mr. wilson"

{max & our neighbor, mr. garcia!}

filling up with more candy from the pergls

the pink fairy wants to eat her candy, too!

those cheeks...

2011-10-31T13:03:00.003-04:00

sometimes ya just gotta hold 'em up! {this is max's new thing. emma & i crack up every time we see him just chillin' on his elbows, resting those cheeks in his hands!}

life is a roller coaster

2011-10-27T14:30:00.003-04:00

trying to enjoy the ride!

life has been crazy & this scene has been coming to mind....both reminding me to enjoy the ride & totally cracking me up!!! :)

max & ali

2011-10-26T21:36:00.003-04:00

.....ali & max!
have i put pics of max & ali up? she's 4 months younger than max. her mama is my friend & teaches at our school. she hangs out with us 2 or 3 days a week. they are like brother & sister. complete with the sibling rivalry! but they are so cute. i'm thankful to spend my days with them!

pizza + movie night

2011-10-16T00:19:00.004-04:00

the boy wants to grow up so fast! he ALWAYS wants to do what the older 2 are doing. recently he is refusing to sit in a booster or highchair. he threw a fit to be put in the shopping cart. my other 2 never did that at this age. he is ONE! (soon to be 2 in one short month!) he thinks he is a big kid. we usually have pizza & movie night on fri. or sat. night. it's big deal to the kids & something we all look forward to. the past few times we pulled in a table so he can sit in the living room & watch the movie, too. he has been doing great!

just hanging out

2011-10-13T21:22:00.007-04:00

while daddy goes to the meeting during the day we hang out with our friends at the pool & playground. we also made bracelets. went to downtown disney & shopped for a little while at the outlets. but all i got were pictures of max being cute at the pool. then i went to the stroller to pack it up for our lunch break & he fell in. and i had to jump in with my clothes on. so that was the end of that.

he was having a ball & being SAFE while playing with "big Emma". (our 15 yr old friend) later he got out of the pool and was hanging out at the gate (to far left of the lady holding her swimsuit up!), talking to another friend outside the pool. then a split second later he was on the stairs with some of the other younger kids & lost his balance. good thing mommy is always close by! she knows how "adventurous" her boys are!

i did get a shot of some of our other cuties.

hang 10

2011-10-13T21:20:00.003-04:00

levi + superheroes

2011-10-13T21:15:00.004-04:00

islands of adventure

2011-10-13T20:43:00.006-04:00

or "island full of adventure" as emma called it all week!

last week was the annual teacher's convention in orlando. we usually go up a day early and do something fun as a family. this year a former student helped us to get discounted tickets to islands of adventure. our first ride: spiderman. it's a 3D simulation ride & the kids were just big enough to go on it. it's one of our favorite rides....the kids were terrified. levi loved it but was super scared. emma bawled her eyes out when we got off the ride. pitiful. she was brave enough to try it again without the 3D glasses, after we explained to her how the ride worked. she liked it better the 2nd time."it's okay, sissy". it is interesting to go to an amusement park with a toddler. we did the child swap. which meant sean would wait for emma & i to go on a ride and then i would take max while he & levi went on the ride. max was not interested in rides. he went bonkers on the merry-go-round. after trying to coax him onto one of the characters or even sit on our lap, i had to carry him off-screaming.we got wet!!!my boys...representing
he wouldn't ride anything, but he loved to climb!

more baseball

2011-10-02T16:09:00.003-04:00

BaSeBaLL SeAsOn 2011

it sort of kills sean to have to cheer for the 'red sox' since he is such a huge cubs fan! but we totally support our little guy's team! it's awesome because our friend is the coach and he does a great job. sean gets to help out and all the girls come to cheer. right now, it's such a fun part of our life. soon everyone will be in different sports and we'll all be split apart all over the city. i know that time is around the corner, so i'm purposefully enjoying this season!

my girl

2011-09-26T21:01:00.005-04:00

we've been drawing on the driveway with chalk since this girl was a toddler. i saw this picture tonight and realized that she is growing up so fast. and it brought tears. i'm going to enjoy drawing on the driveway with her for as long as she'll let me.

first game of the season

2011-09-24T21:57:00.002-04:00

emma & the spelling bee

2011-09-21T12:03:00.005-04:00

emma had her spelling bee today. she was super nervous. and excited. she's been carrying around her list and highlighting words. she's not naturally a good speller, but she does have an excellent memory. so if she really studied and concentrated, i think she could do very well. she wants us to study with her, but she um, *hates* to be corrected...so our study sessions are often short! she did very well today! she got out in the 17th round (i think). she ended in 4th place and still gets to go to the next round of competition. i think she's pretty happy about that....mama doesn't know how to feel!! {nervous and dreading studying!}

max is a puggle

2011-09-21T11:52:00.006-04:00

it's not working out too well. we moved him to the 2 year old class for wed. nights, too. he's not ready. he was feeling so uncooperative that night that i couldn't even get a cute pic of him in his adorable little puggles shirt! he doesn't sit still for 2 seconds, let alone an hour. he'll be big enough soon enough. but for now the teachers in his class have their work cut out for them! hopefully they don't cringe when the see him coming! maybe i'll get a good picture tonight...& maybe he'll have a better night in class!

how i get it done sometimes

2011-09-21T11:40:00.003-04:00

it can be hard for me to keep up with my housework these days. i don't know why it's gotten harder rather than easier. now with #3 and sometimes #4 (miss ali, my babysitting "job") it just seems to be tough. when emma and levi were little, i thought it was hard, but every week every room got cleaned. now i am barely able to keep up with maintaining.

life is a tricky mix of balance. i'm working on it.

max joined me while cleaning the bathroom. i managed to finish the job & wash the dishes while he watched 'george'.

he plays

2011-09-17T22:22:00.004-04:00

i love to watch kids play. {boys especially fascinate me. i guess because i was never around them.} he really does entertain himself pretty well. i love it when we get a toy that they love. this is the fire station set from imaginext. it was levi's. he played with it, but max loves it. we put the firefighters and police officers in and out of the police car and fire engine. he puts things in and out of the firehouse, up the stairs, through the doors. he makes cute sounds as he pretends.

max's stinky feet

2011-09-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

teacher

2011-09-11T22:04:00.002-04:00

she really wants to teach him to talk! she had a phonics book out and was showing him pictures and trying to get him to repeat after her. he is actually starting to try to repeat words, finally. although we're all convinced he has his own language! he is always jabbering...complete with expression and hand motions!

hero

2011-09-09T12:36:00.003-04:00

in every little boy there's a hero just waiting to come out and save the day!

soar

2011-09-09T12:28:00.002-04:00

strong, determined, smart, beautiful + Jesus = the sky's the limit

because "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it in you." {phil. 1:6}

a beautiful mess....

2011-09-09T12:22:00.003-04:00

life is short......

....stop and enjoy the mess!

he is obsessed with oral hygiene

2011-09-07T11:37:00.004-04:00

Dear God,
please let him be a dentist. the family sure could use one.
Amen.

2011-09-05T20:33:00.004-04:00

today was a wonderful day. {regardless of the heat, crowds and starting off the morning shall we say "on the wrong foot"?!} the kids have been asking all summer to go to the zoo. wow---they LOVE the zoo. this weekend a special $5 rate was available and we took advantage of it. emma and i took pictures of the animals for her animal notebook that she'll be doing sometime this year. so glad for some much needed family time!

(i have been fighting with blogger for weeks now about how to arrange my text and photos in my posts. i am losing & blogger decides to put funky spaces where ever & it's frustrating! so...enjoy the random order)

this is so me!!

2011-09-01T21:15:00.003-04:00

smoothies

2011-09-01T21:06:00.002-04:00

we've been trying out smoothies. everyone loves them {except emma, of course...but she insisted that we put little umbrellas in them}. i need a recommendation for a blender. i just bought a black and decker....used it 4 or 5 times and now it doesn't want to work. same thing happened the last time i bought a blender a couple years ago. bummer. it's so easy and pretty fun to make them...i'm looking forward to more yummy smoothies!

so true...

2011-08-29T21:02:00.000-04:00

that's how max rolls

2011-08-29T12:17:00.002-04:00

max's first day in the toddler class

2011-08-28T14:41:00.003-04:00

the time has come for my little man to move on from the nursery into the the big boy class. it seems he's a little too rough to remain with the babies and so it was suggested that he move to the 2 & 3 yr old class a few months ahead of schedule. (protecting the innocent ones left behind from his pushing, squealing, toy stealing & chair tipping. but also leaving behind a band of wonderful nursery workers who have fallen in love with him over the last 21 months and taken such good care of him, regardless of his silly antics.)

showing off his very first paper and new ball someone gave him. he got a good report today! he was very proud of himself!

just like my big brother

2011-08-28T14:34:00.003-04:00

doing homework

or playing baseball

{on levi's first practice of the season max noticed levi and daddy getting ready. he quickly grabbed the first glove and baseball he could find and followed them right out the door. he cried when he was told he couldn't go with them. amazing...it's in their blood.}

inspire

2011-08-28T14:08:00.004-04:00

some things that have been inspiring me lately.....

[1.] my Bible study on the fruit of the spirit by beth moore. {living beyond yourself} God has used it tremendously in my life. and boy have i needed it. it's taken me forever to get through it because it is so long and in depth. but never before have i received so much practical, encouraging and life-changing Biblical teaching.
[2.] this blog: the inspired room. i looove it! i love decorating ideas and before and afters make me happy!
[3.] michelle duggar from '19 kids and counting'. you know, i used to think they were just a little bit too odd for my taste. but thanks to dvr, i've been recording the show and watching it on nights i can't sleep and it has truly been a blessing. they are an amazing testimony for the Lord and people WATCH IT! their spirit and attitude towards raising children has inspired and encouraged me. recently michelle said that they always try to praise their kids 10 times more than they correct/discipline. i've tried doing that and i see a difference. mostly in my attitude towards my kids because i'm trying to find the good rather than focusing on the bad. (which is exactly what i tend to do) it also afftects the child's attitude towards wanting to please you.

things

2011-08-28T13:52:00.006-04:00

things that are making life a little better....

1. pandora.com why has it taken me so long to take advantage of this?! love it and so do the kids. once a day i put on the toddler station, so fun!

2. dr. pepper. 'nough said.

3. hot shots liquid ant bait. we have been having so much trouble with bugs lately. roaches, spiders and ants, oh my! i finally sprayed the baseboards and that seems to be helping. but the ants on my counter were about to make me go insane. it's a problem almost everyone i know here in miami has at some point. had a coupon at publix for these and decided to give them a try. after about 4 days....NO MORE ANTS!!! yay!!

he can do it himself

2011-08-23T08:20:00.004-04:00

it seems you just blink and they grow up. he suddenly has gotten very good at using his utensils. i was watching him eat his lunch and realized how big he seems today. i know that eating with a spoon is no big deal for a 20 month old...but i just can't believe how fast he's growing up!

and somemtimes two spoons just get the job done better.

video clips of emma's orchestra

2011-08-22T13:36:00.003-04:00

emma's first violin orchestra performance

2011-08-22T13:12:00.007-04:00

the concert was on the campus of florida international university.

checking out her stuff before the performance

messing around with daddy while we wait

she was the first one out there for the "sound check"

she's so cute!

she got to play with the "first violins". i wish i would have gotten a picture of the entire orchestra. so cute to see all these kids playing their instruments! she was in the beginners orchestra. she is almost ready to move up to the intermediate level.

so proud of her! her technique and control has improved so much since starting lessons at this new music school. she is working very hard.

just do it....

2011-08-22T12:54:00.004-04:00

....paint something with chalkboard paint. you'll love it. we do. after years (has is really been years?!) of being inspired by sara's art house, and falling in love with the house on disney's 'Good Luck Charlie', i finally did it. it looks so cute and is so much fun. i encouraged my friend to paint her ugly old refrigerator with it and it is awesome. i will definitely be doing more....i'm thinking about doing the kid's closet doors. that way they can make whatever they want and i can leave mine pretty! ;)

[an image of the kitchen from the set of 'good luck charlie'. the house is SOOOO fun and inspiring. the show is a really cute family show that we all love to watch together.]

the maxinator

2011-08-18T09:25:00.003-04:00

he's almost 2. he looks like he's almost 3. good thing he's cute, 'cuz he sure is a handful. The tantrums are frequent, his voice is always loud, and he's always running & climbing. BUT...he always has a smile, he entertains himself well, he's super tough, loves his family and really tries to obey. He's a daddy's boy and has the best-ever-belly laugh!
he's not talking much. he says...all done, more, mama, dada, bubba, emma, uh-oh, ball, juice, shoes, car and probably a couple of others. he's finally starting to say sounds of animals and point to body parts (although he doesn't always get it right!) he's really wants to talk, but he finds ways to let us know what he wants.

on the first day of 2nd & 3rd grade....

2011-08-15T11:45:00.003-04:00

the first day of school is pretty exciting. getting all the supplies. new shoes. the anticipation of seeing old friends and getting a new teacher. for a mom it's bittersweet. it's a definite marker of another year older. the house is a lot quieter during the day. (which is both nice & sad all at the same time!) i am so proud of both of them and i'm looking forward to all that God has for them this year!

last night of summer vacation

2011-08-15T11:32:00.004-04:00

these tents have been a summer favorite! they ended up in our room and on our last official night of summer vacation emma and levi wanted to camp out in our room. we heard their giggles for while, but it wasn't long 'til they were sawing logs. {how much longer will they think it's the best-thing-ever to sleep in their tents in mom & dad's room?!}

fun in the sun

2011-08-11T22:11:00.005-04:00

the second best reason i love living in miami is going to the beach. i. love. it. we haven't been as a family all summer. i've taken the kids to "circle beach" a couple times. but this time we had a day free and headed down to "the big beach" with some friends. it was good to pretend we were on vacation for the day!

saying good-bye to summer

2011-08-11T21:30:00.005-04:00

making a fort....eating fudgesicles....water balloons.

it's going to be hard to say good-bye to these care-free days.
next summer i will have a 9 yr old, 8 yr old & 2 year old. i can't believe it.
sometimes i weep over the time i've squandered and all of my parenting flaws.
but mostly i'm thankful...and in love with these days...having a blast being mom.

the kids have been watching toy story 2 in the van. it's funny how only hearing the movie while driving causes me to hear things i've never noticed before while actually watching the movie. i heard woody say something like "yeah, i know andy is going to grow up and i can't do anything about that. but i wouldn't miss it for the world." i feel the same way.

keeping me laughing

2011-08-08T21:43:00.004-04:00

tonight i laughed and it felt good. sure, i still had to clean up the kitchen, get on to the kids and my once empty laundry baskets are now full. but i still feel happy from the belly-laughing we did tonight. at dinner max found onions on his plate and he flipped out. it was so hysterical. we had roast, carrots and potatoes. a few stray onions got onto his plate. he doesn't know what onions are...his reaction was completely unexpected and we could not stop laughing. he was screaming and pointing at his plate. finally i figured out that he wanted the onions off his plate. by the time i got out the camera what i caught on tape was us just torturing the poor kid.

the laughing continued at the dollar store.....sean was walking around with a big goofy hat and ugly sunglasses being loud and trying to embarrass emma and levi. it worked and it was super funny! ahhhh. i love my family! LAUGHTER TRULY IS THE BEST MEDICINE!

the cats: july 2011

2011-08-05T22:24:00.002-04:00

these cats beg for food! especially wolverine! i was taking a picture of emma and levi munching on their popsicles when he jumped up to get a taste!

they are outside cats, but sometimes they sneak in. again, it's usually wolverine that insists on bolting in each time the door opens!

max is in love with the kitties. he is really sweet with them!

max is going to church!

2011-08-05T22:21:00.001-04:00

camp-in

2011-08-01T22:28:00.003-04:00

emma and levi got a new tee-pee this weekend. they have them set up in their rooms and have been sleeping in them at night. enjoying summer fun...only 2 weeks left!

the 3 amigos

2011-07-31T14:28:00.004-04:00

max, kyle & beau

these 3 guys are all one year old. they are VERY cute......and VERY busy. they are the last 3 grandchildren in the grand total of 13. it seems i spent most of my time with these little guys--trying to keep them out of trouble, and SAFE! they were cracking me up this night swapping turns sitting in the little chairs and playing with the wii remotes....thinking they were just like the big kids! kyle and i had a special little thing going while i was there. we got pretty tight--i almost brought him home with me. i think he had a little crush on aunt heather and i was totally ok with it!

cool cousins

2011-07-31T14:18:00.004-04:00

we continued the trend of trying to keep cool!
this sprinkler park is a favorite activity for the kids every summer. even the big kids came out with us....we all got treated to a yummy lunch at booya's afterwards by papa!
the funny part was when we were mistaken for a day care....true story!

at one point while taking some pictures i got water dumped on me unexpectedly! i didn't realize i had wandered so far into the splash zone! it entertained everyone around and thankfully i was able to get my camera dried off quickly!

baby it's HOT outside

2011-07-28T16:36:00.005-04:00

the heat in memphis was unbearable. heat index over 110'.
we had to get these kids out of the house, yet keep them cool.
aunt christina and uncle nathan brought over a slip and slide.
it was a great way to beat the heat!of course the boys had to put their own twist on slipping & sliding.....let's throw balls at people when they slide down!max & kyle were just parched! they needed to get drinks! Popsicles for everyone! eat 'em fast!

emma rides the big one

2011-07-27T13:26:00.004-04:00

i really love this girl. she has a need for speed! she's such an interesting mix of shy and timid along with wild and determined. she psyched herself up all day to go on this big slide with daddy. none of the other kids would try it. i went....and screamed my head off! {glad that wasn't caught on video!}

water park & go karts

2011-07-27T13:01:00.009-04:00

my muscle man
everyone had a buddy.max crashes in the shade for awhile. it was nice to have extra adults to watch him so mom and dad could ride on some slides!

luke gets to drive his own go-kart for the first time!

i don't think riley trusts nanny's driving!

drive-in movie: CARS 2

2011-07-27T12:56:00.003-04:00

our first ever drive in movie.
SO FUN!

we backed in the mini-van and pick-up truck. brought coolers filled with drinks and snacks. the kids all piled in the truck and we lined up lawn chairs for the adults. we went on a week night, so it was not busy at all. such a fun summer memory!

diving board performers

2011-07-22T20:17:00.005-04:00

"the dare-devil"....she also was doing back flips, but i didn't get it on tape. she did one and some teenage boys went crazy and asked her to do it again and she wouldn't. not even one more time. at all. we all begged. popper offered money. nope, wouldn't do it.

"the goof-ball"...his talents lie more in the entertainment factor. he had the lifeguard cracking up.

jumpin' in and keepin' cool

2011-07-22T20:05:00.002-04:00

i am a terrible person

2011-07-20T23:29:00.004-04:00

tonight sean took the older 2 kids with him to the gym to play basketball after church. it's a special treat for them because they get to stay up super late. i let them go knowing full well they will not be under constant supervision since daddy will be playing basketball. these circumstances have the potential for disaster. as they ran out the door i said, "please don't get hurt." so you can imagine the sick feeling in my stomach when sean came in the door (before levi) with a concerned look on his face and said, "there was an injury tonight."
levi then pops in behind him and they all chime in about how the camp evangelist got hit in the face. i couldn't gather all the details at once, but it was obvious that levi was not hurt and i was so relieved. i was relieved it was the evangelist who got hurt and not my son.....what kind of person am i?!!!

celebrating america's birthday in the land of lincoln

2011-07-20T22:32:00.005-04:00

luke had a baseball game, so we went to cheer him on. what's more american than baseball?
had a delish cookout at jenna's. yum!
watched fireworks in the midst of cornfields. loved it.
nanny, in true nanny fashion, provided awesome snacks, sparklers and cute outifits for the kids.
a sweet celebration. God bless America!

{levi's new favorite shirt}

{max was scared of the noisy fireworks. made it easier to keep an eye on him!}

{emma loved her some popcorn}

s'mores+catching fireflies for the 1st time=great summer memories

2011-07-19T22:18:00.001-04:00

a day in the life of max

2011-06-26T16:59:00.003-04:00

he's pretty much cute all day (as long as you don't try to strap him down!).
i could follow him around and take pictures of the cute stuff he does all day long.

the other morning i pretty much did. strapped on emma's violin case and walked around the house for awhile like this.
after an epic battle with emma and levi he hung with me at the table.

once again had to be like the big kids. sitting on the back porch enjoying a freeze pop.

church softball

2011-06-22T10:35:00.004-04:00

what's summertime without a church softball league?
it's one of the ways my husband keeps himself young.
the kids run around and play and get filthy and occasionally stop to cheer for dad.
the wives sit around and talk. (and try to keep an eye on the kids) *and pray for no injuries!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T22:57:00.003-04:00

[my dad & levi *may 2010, miami]

[sean & his dad*christmas 2010, memphis]

God has blessed us with wonderful dads! And our kids are so lucky to have the best grandpas! We just don't get to see each other as often as we would like. It would be perfect if we lived in the same town and could go to church together or have barbques on the weekend. But instead we make different kinds of memories by taking long trips and having big family gatherings. We have tons of fun and their love for us and impact on the lives of our family remains the same. Thanks, Dads, for all you do! We love you!

sean=dad of the year

2011-06-19T22:31:00.003-04:00

happy FATHER'S day to my husband.
the greatest dad any kid could ask for.
emma, levi and max love their dad so much.
how could you not.
he loves them so much. {he tells them and he shows them.}
as you can see by all the little things he does.
they will always be able to say....
"my dad was there for me. or my dad spent time with me."
he is their hero. their playmate. their teacher. they don't know just how blessed they are, but some day they will.

[thank-you, sean for all you do for your family. you inspire me and encourage me. i'm so glad to be on your team in this amazing adventure called parenthood. i love you more every day. i hope we let you know that. God has given us these little miracles and entrusted us with a huge responsibility. you always seem to keep that in perspective and help keep us on course. your fun-loving spirit, combined with a strong desire to serve the Lord make our home a wonderful place to be.]

emma on stage

2011-06-16T22:09:00.004-04:00

after taking a break from violin lessons last year, we started her with a new teacher in february. things are going MUCH better. it has been a huge answer to pray. the violin is a very difficult instrument to learn. she is pretty good---i could never do it! she is very coordinated and has an excellent memory, so these things help her to catch on quickly. she struggles with repetitiveness and wants to just do it to get it over with. overall it's something she enjoys and she wants to get good at. we just want her to use her talents for the Lord and to be a blessing to others. she wanted to perform for me on stage.

max has always loved being around emma when she's practicing. i think he'll be her biggest fan.

swimming lessons

2011-06-15T13:09:00.006-04:00

ahhh. the bag of fruit loops allowed me to have 20 minutes of just sitting and actually watching the older 2 kids! hopefully it will continue to work each morning 'til swim lessons are over!

levi's teeth

2011-06-15T08:08:00.003-04:00

this post is to document that at this stage in our life we are dealing with levi's teeth. pray for him (and us!). he has another appointment on thursday. we'll see if he looses the permanent tooth that got knocked loose last week and find out what needs to be done to repair it. not a fun part of our life right now, but.....ya gotta love that smile & we have to keep it lookin' good! ;)

emma's baby brother

2011-06-11T09:57:00.002-04:00

a recent conversation i had with emma:
"mommy, i remember the first time i ever saw max. he was kinda skinny and normal looking. then one day i woke up and it was like someone blew into him and he was all puffed up and fat. i miss him being puffed up and chubby like that!"

more kitty cuteness

2011-06-08T12:50:00.000-04:00

my crafty girl

2011-06-07T10:44:00.003-04:00

emma has a little artsy streak in her.
our neighbor girl had her first communion this weekend. emma decided to give her one of her squinkies and created her own gift wrap. she made the box and covered it with construction paper and even made a bow! ya gotta love her!

here's some dirt on max...

2011-06-04T13:54:00.005-04:00

max is kinda making me crazy these days. one of his "things" is that he obsessively wants to go outside. i mean on the ground kicking and screaming if he is told 'no'. usually it's no big deal if he goes outside. but you have to be prepared that he's going to make a mess and become a mess. he tortures the cats, plays in the food and water, gets out every toy, writes on EVERYTHING with the sidewalk chalk and climbs on stuff that will lead to an injury. he always needs a bath when he comes in. and he has learned how to open the door himself. yesterday he got out and before i dragged him back in, i grabbed my camera 'cuz he looked so stinkin' cute sitting there with the cat. he was giving the kitty "love" and fixing him a special dinner. but the best part was when i saw his face! totally cracking me up! how can you get mad at that face?!