Reiter

I wanna take a pause and talk about my sweet big boy, Reiter. We are busy ALL THE TIME! and With 4 young kiddos we literally NEVER stop moving, going, picking up, dropping off, playing, cooking cleaning and somewhere in there sleeping. But I really wish I could freeze where my boy is right now. He is in this neat spot where he is no longer a toddler but not yet a big boy. He loves trucks and cars and trains. And instead of just pushing them around making sound effects I now hear him say things like "all aboard", "get on", "I take you there... hoooollllddd on". He has an amazing imagination and I really love watching him use it. He really enjoys playing house with his sisters and is always the daddy (imagine that), when in his role he uses this VERY deep voice and bosses everyone around. IT IS HILARIOUS! He is very very shy in new situations but he is usually quick to warm up. He is obsessed with his blankie and it accompanies us everywhere! He is a mommas boy and loves too cuddle and usually ends up in our bed at night. But He adores "working" with Kevin, he helps mow the yard with his own mower, he gathers up sticks for the fire, He loves to ride in Kevs truck with him. He also is potty training and is ROCKING IT OUT! We have attempted twice before with no success. But this time he is doing awesome. He has had some accidents but over all he is really trying to get to the potty and upset when he doesnt make it. I am so proud of him and can not believe my little baby is about to be 3!!!!

fischer is 1

well fischer is obviously baby number 4. I got behind on his monthly posts. I am almost a month late on his 1 year post! But you know what, oh well! If I have learned anything from my sweet fischer it is to slow down, not sweat the small stuff and just enjoy life. Fischer was 10 days late. 10 long long days. 10 days that I thought would never come to an end. And then they did. Contractions came, finally. Water was broken and after 24+ hours my precious baby came into the world. I have vivid memories of his birth. I remember standing and swaying in the shower singing praises to Jesus between contractions and praying for strength to ride out another one when it hit. I remember the strength of his daddy holding my while I leaned on him through a contraction so strong I was unsure my legs would hold me up. I remember laughing with our nurse and her telling me over and over to relax my face, my hands, my whole body. I remember staring at my mother in laws bag and reading "jans junk" over and over until the wave passed. I remember trying not to push when he decided to come after minutes before being told I was 6 cm and everyone leaving the room :) I remember pushing and thinking, this is the last time I will do this and being so happy yet sad at the same time. I remember pulling him up to my chest and him screaming, he was here, he was all mine. God had blessed us with a 4th precious, healthy baby. I am so thankful. This last year hasnt always been easy. 4 young kids is a lot of kids. I have had to learn how to balance, juggle, fail, thrive, and divide my time daily. I have had moments I have felt great joy and moments I have wondered how I was going to make it to bed time. One thing I have done though is enjoyed my children. I have enjoyed fischer as a baby, never once wishing time would hurry or he would get past a phase to make my day easier. When he woke at night I nursed him, sometimes begrudginly as I got out of bed but once we were cuddled in his rocking chair always with great joy :). I have breathed him in and held him close. I have babied him. I have learned to teach my girls how to help me by caring for their brothers, or helping me cook and set the table- recognizing that often times it takes longer and is always messier but is a lot more fun. I have watched my first son turn from a baby to a toddler and on the verge of a little boy so full of life and energy. Having a 4th child has grown my marriage. I have had to rely on kevin for more help. He has learned a new level of appreciation for me and all I do. He is wonderful, he serves us with such patience and I would be lost without him. We are thankful to God for our beautiful children. Thankful that God always has a plan, He planned our family and He has carried us through the last year and will continue to do so. Fischer being 1 is bittersweet. He is growing and thriving and I am happy for him. But he is my baby, he will always be my baby and that momma heart of mine it isn't quite ready to let him grow up!

6

6 years ago this girl

made me a momma. She grew me in ways I never knew. She taught me patience, she taught me what it meant to be selflin the ess, she taught me what unconditional love was, she taught me endurance, she taught me so much more then I can ever teach her! She is the kindest little girl you will ever meet. She is not loud or outgoing per say, but she is EVERYONES friend. She is just plain sweet!She watches out for her brothers and sister and they all look up to her. She is my biggest helper and does so usually with a very good attitude! She looks more like her daddy and has his personality to match! I was so worried about her heading to kindergarten last year and I realize now that my fears were silly. She has excelled! She has made friends, is well liked by her teacher, is reading and writing, adding and subtracting and has been placed "above" on all her report cards! She has only moved her clip down once "for talking in the backpack room" so needless to say her behavior has been great. I am one proud momma! I have missed her this year. Some days I wanted to just go snag her away, but instead I went and ate lunch with her! Her being at school is hard for me, I like to have all my chicks at home, but watching her flourish has been a pure joy! I am very ready to have her sweet self home all summer though! I am so thankful for another year to drink my big girl in! HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY Averi Noe'l!

Vacation

A while back a friend at Kevins office offered us her beach condo on Hilton Head Island for a majorely discounted price! We of course said YES! We took Kevins parents a long and had an awesome time. We spent a lot of time at the beach that we were able to walk the boardwalk from our condo to, we also spent a lot of time at the pool, the adults played cards and caught up on reading and shows. It was perfect! Our 1st day we were there we took the kids to a train museum in Savannah. They were able to explore some trains, we had a picnic lunch and ended it with a train ride. Reiter especially LOVED it! He kept saying "all aboard the choo choo train". We also took the kids on a dolphin tour. We went out on a boat and watched for Dolphins. The kids thought this was fun for the 1st 10 minutes and then were more interested in playing with the Captains black lab lol. The highlight of our week for our kids was the Pirate ship. The kids were dressed as Pirates, given painted on mustaches and scars, and were given Pirate names: "angel fish Averi", "Star fish Sofia", "rip tide Reiter", "tadpole" for fischer! They took us out on a boat and we found a treasure out in the ocean that "stinky pete" was trying to steal. The kids even got to spray "stinky pete" with cannons(water pistols)... It was a total blast! Hilton Head was beautiful and very family friendly, we want to make it a yearly thing!

home...

we moved 3 weeks ago. We have worked our rear ends of and slowly but surely the "new house" has slowly become our "new home". It is a wonderful feeling. It is awesome to know you are investing somewhere you will be long term. I love standing back and figuring out exactly what we want and how we want it! our neighbors have been awesome. They are kind, they have reached out to us. The little girl across the street has played with Av everyday and her parents are just the sweetest. We wanted and prayed for a neighborhood where our kids would have friends and watching that come to fruition is SO EXCITING! Kevin, bless him, has been especially hard at work. On top of working his regular job he has hung curtains, hung pictures, put beds together and now a long with some buddies he is building me a sofa table (they finished late last night) and a farm house style kitchen table! I had no idea how handy he really was :) We are so excited to be on the other side of our move! I know so many people have asked to see more pictures of the new house, and I promise I will, when the time allows!

this house...

Three and a half years ago we moved to murfreesboro. We moved into this rental house and could not have been happier.

We had 2 kids, Av and Sof and they were SO little!

We have since bought a new home

While we are THRILLED and EXCITED and SO PUMPED to get into our new house it is extremely bittersweet. We love the home we are in. It holds the majority of our families memories. We have brought both of our sons home here. Our daughters do not remember any home but this one. We have hosted countless birthdays. Watched our children open Christmas gifts here. Watched as 2 of them took their 1st steps. We have rocked our babies here. Been up all night with newborns and sick children. We know the creaks the floor makes. That the microwave is to loud and the dishwasher is too. We have played and played and played in our back yard and formed deep friendships with kind neighbors. We have walked the neighborhood a million times as our kids have rode bikes rode in the wagon or the stroller. It is a precious house. It is home. Here it is to new memories, here is goodbye to our first real home and hello to what we hope is our FOREVER home!

Fischer is 9 months...

9 months is always a monumental month for me.It is hard to swallow. Hard for me to realize that my baby has been on the outside nearly as long as they were on the inside. Realization that they are on the verge of toddler hood and rapidly leaving the infant stage behind. But in the same breath it is a fun milestone. Especially for Fischer. In the last month he popped through 1 tooth, his first. Which was crazy because none of my other children got teeth until after their 1st birthdays. He started army crawling then less then a week later began to rock on all 4 then a couple days later started pulling up and on wednesday began cruising! I mean seriously Fischer could you spread it out a little! He is still a mommas boy, loves to be held and cuddled but since he has figured out how to crawl he is very wiggly. He is FINALLY sleeping through the night and nursing 4-5 times a day. He LOVES his siblings and Sofia still thinks he is her baby doll! We love you Fischer Jonathan!

cute kids..

Seriously I have no words. I am so blessed. my heart literally swells when I look at them!