6 Years

Sunday of this week (September 23rd) this sweet and very special boy turned 6 years old! How can it be that 6 years have flown by that we welcomed this precious life into our family.......we made it through the first year, walking/talking, 2 more babies, toddlerhood, preschool, and now entered kindergarten! We had a busy weekend but were able to do a little family celebration on his actual birthday. This weekend we have a little party with a few close friends in town. Reed we love you so much and are ever so thankful and blessed that the Lord has entrusted us to be your parents. Your sweet and tender little heart is always full of joy, and so loving to those around you (most of the time : ) Happy, happy 6th birthday!

Savoring the time

I used to blog almost weekly...sometimes a couple times a week. Now I often feel it takes me weeks to download the camera, much less blog about things we've done. I'm pregnant, I'm tired, I have a constant to do list; not to mention the dishes, the laundry, the food to prepare, the shopping to do, errands to run, a house to clean, and a family to love, nurture and care for. It all is really kinda endless isn't it? But the one thing I love about blogging is that it's a sort of memory book for me---in all the craziness of our daily life that I don't want to forget even 5 years from now. So I attempt to sit down at least when I can and capture the memories we are making daily. 

Emery-Claire got this flower during her ceremony on the first day of school. She was so excited to bring it home & of course had to have her picture made with it! 

So busy we have been. Starting school, me still organizing and working on my projects, etc. that I guess I think need to get done to keep our home in order. I often get carried away with projects & find them all sucking my time away, so I wonder how worth it they all are. Am I savoring my time and days with these sweet little ones?! Am I enjoying them and pouring into them all that I can?? I would like to think I am, but often it feels like I could always savor and pour in more than I do at the end of the day. 

Me & my girls......boy are the both so full of life, zeal & lots of energy!

 My days often feel long, but yet at the same time they feel short too. I often plan to do more than I can...as I'm sure the combination of caring for 3 little people's needs and being 7 months pregnant (wow 7 months......I can't believe we are getting so close!!) wears me out quicker than I want it to! 

Enjoying a train ride at a recent friend's birthday party at a local orchard. 

This sweet little girl still so seems like my baby.....hard to believe just around the corner we will welcome a new baby to our family. She is 3, which seems so big, yet I suppose being the youngest I still view her so much as the baby. I ask her if she is my baby and her response is "I not the baby! I big girl! The baby sister is the baby!" Her sweet little voice and often unclear speech makes her seem so little to me still. And of course she still hasn't moved out of her crib.....she often asks for a big girl bed. So it's a matter of time before we can finally get the rooms all set up and situated for her; though she still sleeps so good in her own room and in her crib, so it's hard to want to mess with a good thing! Funny how with each child I've left them in the crib longer & longer. Reed was out right away so EC could have the crib (he was right around 21 months), Emery-Claire a little longer---she started climbing out of the crib when she was 2 yrs. & a few months, but didn't get a big girl bed till 2 1/2 yrs (and I thought that was old!) Now here is Mary Etta at 3 yrs. STILL in the crib-ha! She went through a phase this spring of climbing out but then quit and doesn't try now....kinda funny. 

Loving the big slide at the orchard, she just kept taking her sack and going up and down over and over again!

 This boy is loving birthday talk these days (since in a little over a week he turns 6 years old!) Shoo don't even get me started on the fact that my baby turns 6?!! He is loving every minute of his school time, so motivated to learn--especially reading, and meeting new friends! He has loved his man time with Daddy---fishing outings, watching NASCAR (he is a big fan of the car races these days), & of course now football!!! In particular DAWG football! He told me today he does not like Tennessee and hopes that Florida beats them in tomorrow's game. I should be sad, but I'm so proud that he loves his Daddy so much and wants to be just like him & like the things that he likes! So thankful for their sweet relationship & how special their bonding time is since it gets to be just the 2 of them!

At the top of the haystack; this was how he wanted his picture taken!

 I think this has turned into a narrative of all going on with these 3....again for my memory. These 2 are such sweet little friends. It's fun to watch them engage and adore each other so much. Most of the time they really get along so well. The past couple Fridays I've taken them to a local gymnastics place for some open gym time---they stay for 3 hours and play and eat their lunch their. So Reed and I get some bonding time and errand time! They love it! It's so cute to see how excited they are when we come back to pick them up as they tell them all about their "nastics" as they call it! One of the coaches said the first time they just stayed together and didn't separate (almost like twins) but today they played more independently. Thankful they are supportive and so caring to each other! 

Enjoying the hayride at the birthday party

So thankful for  this family of ours! 

Bye bye summer, hello school

I have to admit I was laughing that as I looked and saw the last time I blogged was earlier in August....and now it's September-ha! Well, as I think I mentioned then I've been insanely busy with decluttering, re-organizing, finding places for things that needed places......that is the thing with old houses. I do love our house but you have to be super creative in how you store, organize so many things in them. It often takes more thought than I realize it would! Then there was the Orient Expressed clothing show I did--smack in the middle of my school preparations, well that slowed me down too. I do love selling the adorable classic and traditional clothing---it really is fun and just takes some chunks of time 2x/year. But it was crazy in the middle of my trying to prepare for our school year too! But I got it all done; as well as prepare, gather, & organize our homeschool materials for our 3 days of school time at home. Shooh---it's just been nonstop! So finally this week (& I still have a few things to put in their place but hopefully by end of the week they will be there!) we officially started our school year!

a little bright outside the school before the opening ceremony begins

Reed & Emery-Claire were just so excited to begin this new venture.....so that made it easier. So for 7 hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays they both will be in a classroom setting in a local classical Christian school.....then the other 3 days we'll continue the work sent home and anything I supplement with that. So with my first baby starting kindergarten should I be sad; viewing it as a season coming to an end and a new season beginning?? I think if I was sending him off to the school down the street for 5 days a week and 7 hours a day I probably would.....but really knowing he's here 3 days with me and I still have the privilege of teaching him and sharing in this learning time with him.....I wasn't at all sad to drop him off Tuesday morning. It actually seemed more weird that EC would be gone so long for 2 whole days at just 4 years old! But I do believe she is loving every minute of it!

So here he is all ready for his big first day of kindergarten; so excited and ready to learn! I think his cutest comment from the day was "tomorrow I go to first grade and Emmie goes to kindergarten!" He thought the next day would be a new grade-ha! So I explained that no the entire school year was kindergarten then you get to go to first grade.

very serious in his procession into the sanctuary for the opening ceremony

Ready for her first day of preschool!

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So excited; with friend, Amelia

Enjoying after "first day of school" treat at the yogurt place!

So we've survived the first week! We worked some at home on Thursday and today just had a low key day and some more "fun" activities. Monday I guess we'll be back at it! And hopefully I'll wrap up my still few gathering and organizing of the last few things to be ready to go! What an adventure for sure......but I'm excited and praying we all do well together and really grow and learn through this new season we've begun!