Christmas pictures

We took Averi, Sofie, Reiter and their cousin Addison to get their pictures done at portrait innovations for Christmas gifts. It was a great experience, they are super inexpensive and try so hard to work with the kids and make it a quick, easy experience! Sofie was being Sofie and hated every minute of it, it was difficult to get any shots of her not on the verge of tears, such is a 2 year old I suppose, it was a memory for sure! Averi and Addison did GREAT and Reiter did surprisingly incredible! Over all the pictures turned out pretty good, when you are dealing with 4 kids if you get all 4 looking you have done well, even if they aren't smiling!

cookie making...

My friend Kim and her Kids came over to bake cookies and have lunch! It was a blast, we ate pizza and apples. Listened to Christmas music, baked sugar cookies, let the kids cookie cut them and decorate them! The kids were a mess, the kitchen was a mess and yet it was a GREAT day!

cousinly love!

What a blessing for these kids to grow up with their cousin Addison near by, they love him!

thanksgiving 2011

We spent thanksgiving with Kevs family, it was a GREAT day! It is so fun to watch the girls really play with their cousins as they get older, and I love being close enough to family for them to spend time with each other! After we ate and spent time with family we went to Bass Pro to shop a little and let the kids see Santa! Averi loved Santa, Sofie was willing to sit on his lap long anough for a picture since she was promised a candy cane, and Rei just rolls with whatever! It was a great day! We are so thankful for our family and the many blessings God has given us!

Dear Rei Rei,
on November 29th you turned 4 months old! WOW! I can't believe it you are growing up so fast! You continue to remain mellow and sweet, you grin easily at everyone and have the sweetest little giggle! You can roll both from your back to your belly and your belly to your back, you weighed in at a whopping 15.9 lbs and are 25 and a 1/2 inches long, you are quickly coming out of 3 to 6 months clothes and rapidly approaching 6 to 9, lets just say you are a BIG BOY! You love your sisters, you are especially fond of Averi right now, she loves sitting on the floor talking with you and you "talk" right back!
You have just started bouncing in your "johnny jumper" and you LOVE it! You want to be up where you can see whats going on so the jumper is a great solution. You have slept 12 hours a few nights but more typically go an 8 hour stretch then 3 to 4 more after you eat.
I was talking with friends the other day about loving each additional child you add to your family the same way you do your first and I was explaining the feelings I had about you and your sisters from the moment you were born and laid on my chest. Sweet baby boy it is an incredible feeling, to feel you develop and grow in my belly for 9 months and then to labor for hours to finally hold you is a miracle, it is an amazing God given miracle that God has allowed me to experience 3 times (with your sisters then with you)... when I hold each of you I feel like my heart may explode with the love I feel for you all. I pray you and your sisters always know how much I love you and that I show you that daily in both my words and actions because you are a precious gift! I love you sweet baby boy! Happy 4 months!

update:

Life in our house is BUSY BUSY BUSY! So I thought I would give a brief update on us all!
KEVIN...
Kev is still working from home which we love because it allows some flexibility and more family time as he does not have a commute! He graduated seminary last spring and we are praying through what God would have him do with that degree, He is currently serving in our college ministry at church. He helps on Sunday mornings and Tuesday nights and we lead a coed small group on monday nights! Please keep us in prayer as we wait for Gods guidance on Kevin (and our families) next steps in ministry!
Rach (ME!!!) I am still working at Vandy BUT just one night a week! It is a great schedule as the extra money is nice, and I dont have to be away from the kids often! I am loving being home more with our sweet babies and taking care of our home. I know this is where God has called me and I feel like I am filling his plan for me when I am serving my family!
Av is in preschool 2 days a week and LOVES it! Her teachers name is miss Marissa and is the sweetest lady! I went to her fall party last week and loved helping out and watching her with her sweet friends! She is a big time talker and so kind...she literally thinks everyone is her best bud!
Sof well since I just did her 2 yr post theres not much more to say about her except she is WILD! She is funny! And She is SWEET! We plan to start potty training soon and are working on some discipline issues such as biting (so far she only bites her sister but still it is BAD!)...
Rei is a champ! He is always good and easy. He just goes with the flow and as long as we feed him he is a happy fellow! We love making him laugh and are enjoying his rolly polly self!
God has been so good to us the last year. We have found ourselves on our knees deep in prayer over and over the last year and have been in awe of Gods hand working and moving in just the right timing, his timing. We are very blessed!

trick or treat...

What a fun Halloween we had this year! We had our friends Kim and Dave and their sweet kiddos and our friend Carrie and her son over for dinner and then took the whole crew (9 kids under 7) out to get some serious candy! The kids had a blast and us parents talked until 11pm, so you know we had fun too!
This was just Averi's 2nd time going door to door and Sofies 1st but it took neither or them long to catch on! Sofie stayed with the big kids until she got so tired she gave up (more candy wasn't even worth walking anymore!) and climbed into the double stroller with Rei and just watched the big kids! Reiter slept through most of it!
Here are some pics of the kiddos, Rei was a cowboy Sof and Averi are fairies!

Happy 3 months handsome

Seriously what a stud!



Could this boy be any cuter? He is so easy, he smiles easily and has even started laughing! He is HUGE at barely 3 months he easily fills out 3 to 6 month clothing! He is sleeping like a champ going to bed between 8 and 9 and sleeping until 5ish then going back to bed until 8 or 9! He can roll from belly to back! We love having him to call little brother, he is a joy and the perfect addition to our crew!

Sofies fall festival...

For Sofies 2nd birthday we had a Fall Festival. We had it at Kevins family farm, it was a GORGEOUS day outside! We had a great turn out! We painted faces, made foam crowns to wear instead of birthday hats, and we even had a "non hay hay ride" meaning Kev couldn't find hay so we loaded up the trailer with blankets and took a ride! We had an awesome day, Sofie was thoroughly spoiled!

a letter to my birthday girl...

Sofia,
I sit in bed after a looonnggg day preparing decorations and food for your 2nd birthday party! It blows me away that you have been here, in our arms, for 2 years. You my dear are a gem, I can't fathom a single day without you here with us. You are beautiful and precious and have taught your father and I more about parenting in 2 years then I think many have learned in a lifetime!
I want to remember everything about you at this stage of life so I want to tell you about who you are as a 2 year old. You are a BIG SISTER! Although your little brother has only been here for a couple months you have formed a bond and attachment to him that makes us so happy! You love to give him his binky when he cries and you love to "chat" with him, he loves to give you grins which always result in you giggling! Being a Big Sister has also shown some challenges for you sweet girl. You are a mommas girl, you always have been, you used to be so clingy I could rarely put you down, especially if we were around people you weren't familiar with. You have come a long way and (especially if Avs with you) you are much more willing to venture out on your own. BUT you arent always fond of how much time Reiter spends in my arms. It breaks my heart when he is fussy and has to be held and you cry because you want to be held as well, I try my best to hold you both but it is not always possible and you are learning patience as you wait your turn. Life is busy with you and your siblings Sof but I adore the time I get to hold and snuggle just you baby girl, I hope you know that you are special to me and your daddy.
You are a LITTLE SISTER! Being the little sister is so fun for you. You adore Averi, the 2 days a week that Averi is at school you ask constantly "mommy wheres Averi?" it is so sweet. You love to play with your big sis, you follow her around everywhere and copy everything she says and does. You bicker with one another over toys and books but are slowly learning to share and handle your arguments calmly! Averi adores you sweetie... when you are 15 remember that! I hope you are best friends always!
You are the middle! I used to worry that you will be "lost" between your big sister and little brother but you have enough personality for 15 kids so I find myself worrying about that less and less! A friend of mine told me when I was pregnant with Reiter that the middle is the cheese to a grilled cheese, and it is the truth, we would be no good with out you in the middle keeping it all together little girl. You are precious!
You are a talker! Oh my we get told all the time how shocked people are by the amount you talk. I believe this is another benefit of being the little sister as you imitate your big sister! You speak in full sentences in a tiny raspy voice! You are funny, REALLY funny... you keep your daddy and I laughing! Everyone who meets you instantly falls in LOVE because you are so sweet with your words and actions!
You are STUBBORN... at 2 your stubbornness can be quite a challenge. It often takes several rounds of discipline to get you to stop doing something and many times you do the same thing you have just been disciplined for while looking at us smiling just to see if we will actually discipline you again, which we do. It is an exhausting never ending cycle! But your personality,especially in this regard, has taught me so much on true patience, I pray that I will always discipline you out of love and in a way that points you towards your heavenly Father, not in a way that purely shows you my lack of patience and frustration! I am also learning to pray not that you would not be stubborn, because that is part of who you are, heck you were that way in my belly, you were 3 days LATE! Instead I have started praying that God would use your stubbornness to his glory, that you would learn to be stubborn in your beliefs but also to bend your will to the Lords will for your life, He has big plans for you baby girl this I know is true!
You are gorgeous! You have the biggest blue eyes with KILLER lashes! It has taken two full years for you to finally have some hair but it was worth the wait as your hair has come in in gorgeous blonde curls! Your sweet grin lights up the room.
You are sensitive. You feel so sad for others when they are sad that you cry a long with them. When Averi cries in time out you stand a few feet away saying "it ok Averi it ok" you can see the distress on your face because you hate her being in pain. I love this characteristic about you. God has given you a heart for others and I believe if you allow him to he will use that heart to touch so many others!
You are LOUD! You laugh loudly! You talk LOUDLY! You run around like a wild women... LOUDLY! And I LOVE that about you! I love to chase you, to tickle you and to hear your wild laugh!
You are passionate! You literally do everything with every ounce of your being. When you throw a fit it is a fit that takes a minimum of 30 minutes to get under control. When you hug you do it with all of you, tightly and yet gently, it is so sweet and I cant get enough of them! You do everything to your fullest ability and therefore live every moment to the fullest I wish I was more like you in this regard!
Pearly, we love you. We are honored to be your parents! We knew from the 1st day we held you that you were not going to be an easy baby, and you aren't, you keep us on our toes but in turn you have bound us together as parents, as a family, and you make up for those hard moments with your love, smiles, passion, kisses and hugs! I praise the Father for giving me you to call my daughter!

Dad

Last week my parents moved to Florida to live with my sister. I had not seen either of them in a while but they were able to stop off in Murfreesboro and visit. My Dad has Crones disease and has been in poor health for a long time, I am used to him needing to go in and out of the hospital and used to him having surgeries... but when they stopped by our house he looked by far the WORSE I have ever seen him. He was pale, his legs looked awful he was out of breath...
For those that know my Dad though he is 1st stubborn and 2nd an incredibly hard worker! I love him, but he will not stop pushing himself until he is so sick he has to go to the hospital! He was bound and determined to make it to Florida despite how bad he looked or felt. They got to Florida and into the hospital he went.
He had been on blood thinners so they had to wait a couple of days to do a heart cath to see what the problem was. On Thursday they were finally able to do it and they found several blockages. They sent him into the ICU immediately to await open heart surgery. My sister called to inform us, and we ultimately decided to load up and drive the 12 hours to Florida.
I don't know the last time I cried so much. To be honest I was convinced I was not going to see my dad alive again. From what we were being told he was in critical condition and they were unsure what the outcome would be. When I talked to him the night before his surgery he admitted he was scared, literally the only time I can remember him saying He was scared. I was scared, my brother and sister were scared.
I kept praying for God to heal my Dad, to protect him through surgery, for him to guide the doctor and surgeons hands and for me to be at peace with whatever outcome God had planned. God was so present on the drive down. Averi and Sofie are notoriously bad in the car. They were so unbelievably well behaved on the ride down and Reiter slept much of the trip. It gave me a lot of time to pray for my Dad.I talked to him at about 530 (we had stopped at a hotel to sleep a little bit) before they took him in to be prepped for surgery,all I could do was cry. I was so scared that this may be the last time we got to talk. I told him I loved him, told him I thought he was a wonderful Dad... He told me not to cry, that I would see him in a few hours.
So we got up and drove the last few hours. Kev prayed with me and held my hand. About 10 minutes before we got there my sister in law called and gave me the news. Dad was out of surgery! PRAISE THE LORD!!! He had done well and was in the ICU still on the Ventilator. The next step would be removing the vent, they thought it would be 8 to 12 hours before they could remove it, they removed it after 2 hours! So many people were praying and our prayers were answered!
Seeing Dad still on the Vent was hard. But the next time I saw him he was off and able to speak. I have never felt so good talking to my Daddy. I have never realized how much I need my Dad, how much I appreciate and love him. I admire his work ethic, I admire how he tries to protect his kids even though we are all adults now. He is my Dad and I can not say thank you enough to God for placing his hand on Dad and giving him another day, because I needed to spend more time with him, I need to talk to him more to hug him more and to watch him hold my babies! Thank you Jesus for one more day with my daddy.

Fall is in the air!

We are loving the cooler weather, we are spending as much time outside as we can...







We even visited a pumpkin patch on saturday! The kids had a blast picking pumpkins, playing in a corn maze, sliding down a 40ft tube slide, and making sand art! It was a GREAT family day!






... and the days it has been too cold or wet we have taken up tent building! We have camped, had tea parties and put our babies to bed all in our living room tent! I love being their mommy!

Reiters 2 months!!!! WOW! He is a whopper of a boy weighing in at 13 pounds and 23 inches long! He is Happy and sweet and a joy of a baby! He only gets up once (sometimes twice) at night but my pediatrician was pleased with his sleeping pattern as of now. It is funny by the time you have your 3rd you pretty much give up the idea of scheduling and just go with a lose routine, you give up the idea of sleep and roll with a few hours of sleep at night... infancy is so short lived why not check your attitude and just enjoy that baby for where they are, that is precisely what we are doing! Reiter is smiling and laughing and "talking" up a storm! We are totaly crazy about this boy and can not imagine our home without him!