Baller

So following suite just like daddy....this sweet boy LOVES him some basketball!

Last weekend we just wrapped up the basketball season for the year.....his team did fairly well. They won a few games and lost a few. Reed sure gave it his all, and loved every minute of it! We all cheered him on week after week!

So proud of our little buddy!

2013...a year in review

So having baby #4 has really made my organization and picture taking and blogging kinda go out the window. I noticed I've maybe written 1-3 posts per month-ha! So thought I'd write a quick year in review to look back on......

January

love my girls

we ended 2012 with our new family member....sweet baby maggie....so 2013 began with 4 children! wow can't believe we have 4 children!! love all their fun and different personalities

February

sweet siblings

grandma and grandpa came for a visit

we had a little snow

gigi and pops came for a visit

March

Reed lost his first tooth!

Christmas 2013.....one to remember!

So it's that time of the year.....the time we all look forward to. Christmas music playing, decorating the house, shopping for and wrapping the presents, Christmas programs at school, going to see Christmas plays or Nutcracker ballet, looking forward to time with family and close friends......It's all so fun and festive......though I often find I get more wrapped up in all the above than what our most important! We are remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus! Our Savior, Redeemer, God sending His own Son as man Himself!

So in the busyness of all the hustle and bustle, I know I myself so easily forget to slow down and truly focus on what is of utmost important in my life....not the presents, or the decorations, or the christmas cards ordered---but that Jesus Christ came to earth! He came to live the perfect life and die the perfect death so that I might have eternal life with Him! I love our advent calendar using the Jesse tree and scripture passages that go through all of redemptive history from creation of the world to birth of Christ!  The kids really got into it this year and I loved how each day they would recap what all the ornaments on our Jesse Tree represented!

We've also had an eventful season in other ways as well......sickness....ahh yes we can't seem to escape our typical seasonal Christmas sickness! I thought it was pretty unbelievable to see since 2008 the amount of sickness our family has encountered-----

2008: we did gather with my family and after arriving at my MIL house, Reed got sick with a virus that a few days later turned into a diagnosis of rotavirus, which landed us in the hospital for several days!

2009: Mary Etta was little (5 months old) and she was sick with a fever/virus; I got strep throat; my nephew had been in the hospital for RSV/pneumonia---so that year my family did not gather! We stayed home!

2010: uneventful....with the exception that at the first of the year we were moving into the house we had 2 months to renovate (so needless to say we didn't feel we could travel that year)

2011: we actually gathered with my family and all were healthy-yeah!

2012: Maggie just born; so no traveling for us with a 3 week old newborn!

2013: FLU!!!! oh yes the willis family was hit with the flu (or at least Maggie and Momma!) so far no other victims........so needless to say there is no traveling for us to be with my family again this year. and Christmas day Casey started with some sort of stomach flu.....then finally about 7-8 days later he was better...but then I started (and Reed had a mild version)....but wow! it's been a long 2 weeks!!!

so I find it almost funny that in the past 5 years, 3/6 no sickness and 2/6 we actually were with family! so crazy!

So now we've begun a new year.....lots to be thankful for and praying we continue to glorify Him in all we do! Happy 2014!

One

So about 2 weeks ago now...our sweet little babe officially turned 1 year old! How has it been a year?!

We had so much fun celebrating her with family......it was truly a sweet and savory kind of day! Simple, yet great to be together and celebrate our baby girl!

 She loved that smash cake!

So since then....it's now kinda felt like a whirlwind! All the decorating, getting ready for Christmas, wrapping up the school year, etc. Some days I feel like we just had Maggie and she just joined our family....other days I feel like she's always been with us and I can't really remember what it was like before her?! Which seems so strange because for over 3 years we just had the other 3  (or the "triplets" as I like to call them--since they were all 3 born within less than 3 years)....I hardly remember all the transitions....just one day we had one child and the next 3 children!

I am very thankful for this sweet family of ours.....some days are hard....it is exhausting always being needed, feeling like I can never accomplish tasks, staying up late to get things done/getting up early to be ready for the day......but I know that I'm so greatly blessed and that there truly is nothing I'd rather be doing or anywhere else I'd rather be! Some days I know I easily complain and need to grab hold of how gracious the Lord is to me......time with these sweet babies is fleeting and we only have so much time to savor these little years.

 though these face expressions pretty much sum up most of our days together.....

 but of course there are plenty of these moments as well.....


some fall memorable moments to savor......

 cute cow (the 3rd willis baby to wear this costume!)

so we are richly blessed indeed......and as quick as the first year flies, I'm still savoring and soaking in every moment with all 4 of these babes.....I know I fail so often at being selfless and loving them all well, but thankful for a gracious and merciful God who not only forgives me yet sees His perfect & righteous Son covering all my sin! So grateful He loves me because of Him and not what I can or can't do! What a privilege to be in this advent season to reflect on these great truths and celebrate the coming of the baby Jesus---our King and Lord and Savior!

1 year

so it happened today......my baby officially turned 1 year old......it's always so bittersweet.....the first year, officially behind us now. but yet she's so fun, full of life, sweet, engages with us all, laughs, babbles, imitates, has her little "tricks" she performs, etc. so we are having so much fun and enjoying every second with our girl....but yet we know it's so fleeting too....this babyhood stage. the kids are constantly asking/saying "i wish we could keep maggie a baby".....oh sometimes mama does too! of course i'm excited to continue to watch her grow and learn...and see all that God has in store for her sweet little life.....but even as much as i try and soak in and savor babyhood it still goes by way too fast!

9:29am 1 year ago today.....we met our little Maggie Starks for the first time!

couldn't be more smitten with this sweet baby girl......what a blessing she was and is to us all!

first family of 6 pictures.....

man have you grown and changed so much over the past year......but we love you more and more everyday! Happy 1st birthday sweet baby girl!

Savoring 11 months

So I'm a little behind in writing Maggie's 11 month post....since in a little over a week she is officially 1 year old??!!! How is it possible that we are approaching that first birthday.....I knew it was coming, getting closer and closer....but still hard to believe it''s already that time! She's crawling, busy, into everything, loves to eat everything, wants to be and do whatever the big kids are doing; totally entertained by them! She has all sorts of fun little tricks....raspberries, tongue clicks and other noises, shaking her head (especially to music--so cute), giving open mouth kisses (the sweetest), and lots of babbling to keep up with the loudness in our house! My personal favorite is "mamama" of course!

Now for some pictures.......

 I know I'm bias....but I seriously can't stand all this cuteness!

 This girl is all full of joy and sweetness!

So yes we are in the stages of putting together a small family celebration (I never do tons for the first.....and like it to be family) after Thanksgiving. Poor baby end of November/December birthdays.....you are just smack in the middle of the holiday season! But more to celebrate!

the cutest little cow in her first halloween costume.......almost all 4 of them have been able to wear!

Love love this snuggly, happy, smiley, laughing, joyful baby girl! So thankful she was brought into our family a year ago! We love you more and more everyday Maggie!

Thankful 2013

so each november (i think this is year 3) we started doing a thankful tree...after being inspired by some friends i had seen. so here is this year's.....

i can tell at our ages....7, 5, 4.....they are getting the concept much more than even last year and really thinking beyond their usual "thankful for food!" reed wants to say he's thankful for Jesus almost daily....which is great, but I try to prompt him to think of other things Jesus has done for him that he can be thankful for.....Mary Etta often wants to copy what Emery-Claire says.....but she's had a few original ideas....apple pie (after we had some apple crisp after dinner one night), gum from Gigi, and daddy taking her to chick-fil-a.

so i can't find our previous thankful trees....maybe i forgot to take pictures of......

but i do have post from 2012  (though I'm pretty sure we did in 2011 and 2010??)

this year i've very thankful for these 4 little people and a godly husband who is so passionate for the things of the Lord.......