Welcome......Sweetness.....Part 1

Hello blogworld....it's been sometime since I have posted I know! We've been a little busy around here....having a new baby and all! Yes, a little over 2 weeks ago we welcomed sweet baby girl Willis into our family...........

 Me and my babies......I tried making a special day with them before our girl arrived.......just down time at home, reading books, a trip to the library, and just time together. This mama was sure sentimental (as I always am before a new baby arrives)......emotional over every little thing all day!

of course always emotional over who "won't be the baby anymore"......this big girl has been the baby the longest in our family for over 3 years now! but she sure is a sweet, sweet big sister!

Arriving first thing Friday morning.....November 30.........excited, nervous, scared, anxious, ready to meet this sweet new baby girl! Are we really doing this again??!!! Here we go!

Here she is........MAGGIE STARKS WILLIS
9:29AM
7 lbs., 15 oz.
20 1/2 inches

hello sweet Maggie! we are so blessed by your sweetness!

our wonderful doctor! I've had a different doctor deliver all 4 of these babies......and Dr. Cunningham was one of the best! 

 

Sweet, sweet baby girl......we love you so! We are so blessed beyond all measure and thankful that the Lord has given us these 4 beautiful and healthy babies.........savoring and soaking in newbornness......for i know it all flies by too fast! so more later on Maggie's arrival, for now I'm going to savor and enjoy my sweet and precious newborn!

Thanksgiving

We finished our thankful tree.....most of the leaves were added and filled this past month as consistently as we could. It definitely is fuller than when we first began!

We had a great thanksgiving weekend with my family! Siblings, cousins, grandparents, it truly was so fun having them all here.....and enjoying the day together! It was warm and beautiful and the kids all got to enjoy lots of outside time! Great food and time together!

 Thankful for these 3 little turkeys : )

Cousin fun times! I guess we're about to even this number out a little more with girl #3.......lots of boys!

We're getting ready for baby girl to arrive this weekend! Can't believe it's time! Today hopefully will be low key and just sweet time together with my little stairsteps before all changes and we add to this family of ours! We may start our advent calendar a little early to get a jump start and just have fun doing things together here, maybe a quick trip to the library. I seriously can't believe the time is already here?! But I think all are excited to meet her.....there have been lots and lots of questions! So different from the days of having a newborn and just having other "babies" that were clueless to what was going on!

Bath Makeover

So months and months ago we began our bathroom makeover! The early part of the summer was demolition and pluming and dry wall beginnings. Then by the end of the summer was finally tile work. We kinda drug our feet in making some decisions on what we wanted it to look like....these things can be hard to decide! And of course my husband interviewed so many different dry wall, tile, etc. people to find just the right one he thought was the best of the best! But as of a couple weeks ago it is officially finished and together and now in working order!!! We love it! And it's been such a nice retreat.....I definitely feel spoiled and have never had a bathroom quite so nice!

demolition mode! i actually never took a picture as it was...so this is all we have. but it was basically pretty 70s with gold mirror, square tiles on wall and around tub/shower, etc.

down to the studs! the beginning of the plumbing work

dry wall is up; ready for some tile work to begin

new lighting installed--it makes it so nice and bright in here!

tile is progressing and 

seriously a real retreat! still debating over a shelf or something over the toilet and where to put the hand towel rack. but this bathroom is definitely luxury!!

A sweet finding

So I have to post this for my own memory, etc. but the other day we were having some limbs cut off a big tree out front of our house. Reed has been wanting to be outside nonstop these days. So as he was outside playing his "basketball game" Casey came in and told me to go look outside. This is what I found.........

I was very surprised (to say the least) that my big 6-year old boy was intrigued by these tree cutters. Because gone are the days of playing with trains and cars, reading books about diggers, excitement over the garbage truck outside our house, tripping over all sorts of trucks and any other little boy mechanical engine of sort to push around on our floors. So yes it warmed my heart to walk outside and find this.....to find my sweet baby boy who seems to be growing faster than I can stand it! He was captivated by the tree cutters, and for a moment it felt like a time lapse. I guess this hormonal, very pregnant momma is ultra sensitive these days! I think it's not only him being the first born but yet our only son. I do love my girls......but there is something bittersweet about just our one boy who is growing so fast! I'm thankful that he is growing healthy and strong, and seems to be doing so well in school....but I often do wish I could freeze time and savor every moment with him (with all of my children) longer than the fleeting moments they always seem to be! We sure love this little guy and are just so proud of the boy he is becoming......he is so sweet and tenderhearted, even really warming more and more to the idea of another sister......I know the Lord knew what He was doing putting sweet Reed as the big brother to so many sisters. He is a truly a blessing to us all!  

Baby Sprinkle

This week some of my very sweet and dear friends wanted to throw me a baby sprinkle to celebrate this little baby girl's arrival! I know it's not the norm or typical to have a baby shower or really to receive very many gifts when it's not only your 4th child, but 3rd child of the same gender as well! So I felt very blessed and it was so fun to have a girls night out with all these lovely ladies!

 Yummy food at one of my favorite places and great fellowship with sweet friends! Perfect way to celebrate this girl arriving in just a couple weeks now!

Thankful for this dear friend! Sarah Jane and I have been friends since college......we go way back! Funny we have not only ended up living in the same city but live around the corner from each other as well!

My sweet hostesses! So thankful for Erin and Jenna! They've truly become such dear friends over the past year.

So glad my neighbor and friend Emily was able to make it! Our children love playing together---as we live directly across the street from each other. So it's been fun to get to know them more and more over the past almost 2 years we've lived in this house.

My other sweet friend Emily......thankful for her friendship as well. She has had 4 children too and her older two attend the same school that mine do....it's always a blessing to have friends who have been in the season you're about to enter into to, and to be able to seek counsel and to be encouraged by them.


It was such a fun evening! I felt very loved and oh so blessed indeed! So thankful that the Lord has placed all these friends in our lives.....with our many moves in this area, life in full time ministry, seasons of multiple babies at once, it's amazing to really see how He has provided such solid and dear friends in my path. I know I'm very, very abundantly blessed!

Thankful

So every year (for the past couple years) we have made a "thankful tree" for the month of November. We try to daily (or as close to daily as we can) write something we are each thankful for on a leaf and hang it on the tree! In the past I would always get "thankful for thanksgiving" or "thankful for food" lots......but I'm trying to prompt them a little more asking what made them happy that day or what are they so thankful for today in specific. So we are getting a little better with our thoughts and responses. It is such a great way to help them reflect on our blessings and provisions from the Lord.

 Since we started about 2 weeks ago now our tree looks so much fuller with leaves and all the things we are thankful for!

 I'm thankful for sweet sisters loving a warm day and wanting to picnic in the clubhouse---as they like to call it! Emery-Claire took a blanket up there to sit down on for her and Mary Etta to eat their lunch. 

And of course we are thankful for this sweet and healthy baby girl we will be meeting in just a couple short weeks---wow we can't believe how close it is now! God is so good and full of grace to us......what a blessing and privilege to have another healthy child entrusted to us! This little round face and chunky cheeks remind of what Mary Etta looks like.

here's Mary Etta shortly after she was born.....see how that round face and chunky cheeks do seem to resemble our ultrasound picture!

It will be fun to see if these sisters look alot like! Can't wait to meet and hold her very soon! We are definitely abundantly blessed!

Halloween

So after the party and fun at school these little children were still just as excited to go trick or treat around the neighborhood! It was really chilly and cool that night. We had several friends & neighbors doing some gatherings, but opted for staying inside till the last possible minute (or meaning Casey took them trick or treating and I stayed warm inside)! We had some sweet friends come over for some chili and the two dads walked them up and around the block for some treats!

 Ballerina and her homemade "batgirl" costume (yes she created this all on her own!) ready for some treats!

 Ballerina, batgirl & Darth Vader

 sweet Caroline (one of Mary Etta's best little friends) was Dora joining us to go in search of treats!

two little blue mouths enjoying their treats! we had a fun night full of sweet fellowship and fun with our dear friends the Davis'

Some October Fun!

So I haven't been posting much these days......I guess too much else going on so it's hard to find the time to sit down and do this. But since we are about 3 weeks away from meeting our baby girl I thought I'd play a little catch up from some fun things in October!

 A few weeks ago we got to go to the pumpkin patch with some school friends. Here is our animal lover loving the petting zoo! She was absolutely ecstatic to see all the animals!

 You would think this girl would be so excited to pose in a picture with her two sweet friends; nope....she I guess was not in a picture taking mood?? So this is what I got.

 These two boys had fun hanging out together. Sweet boys to have to hang out with all these girls! Friends and sisters.......lots of girls around them!

Reed was so amazed by this goat! I think it liked him too! He asked to have his picture made with it.

 The best picture we could get of us all........

Next was some Halloween fun! Their school had a parade on Halloween and then they had parties in their classrooms. So much fun with games, crafts, and yummy treats! They both had so much fun....and of course Mary Etta thought she was apart of the class too!

Emery-Claire's class

Reed's Class

Of course these two peas in the pod are as cute as ever! It's so fun watching them enjoy hanging out together!

 the mermaid enjoys the parade

darth vader strutting his stuff!

Ok this post ended up longer than I thought! I post more this week with our trick or treating pics and fun new pic up close of our baby girl......and finally our bathroom update!