Saturday, January 30, 2016

Birthday Partyin' Great Wolf Lodge Style

 We woke up on Kam's birthday to fresh donuts that Daddy brought home . . .
 
Birthday01W  
 
 . . . and a little surprise for the girlies:
 
Birthday04W  

We didn't tell the big girls about our trip until about an hour before we were to leave,
and we didn't tell the little girls until we pulled in to the parking lot!

Miss Kam was such a trooper.


Birthday28W

It was her birthday day, and instead of celebration and fun, she was told she'd have to run errands with us all day.  When we stopped for lunch at Shari's along the way, she exclaimed,
"This is the BEST birthday ever!" 
Little did she know what was to come!
 
 Birthday19W  

We swam and played until waaaaaay after dark.
 
Birthday21W  
 
 
Birthday24W  
 
 and were so sad to have to head home in the morning.  
 
Birthday29W  
 
 But we'll be back!
 
 
 
post signature
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Happy 7th Birthday, Kameryn Faith


I'm not real sure if I should smile or cry.  I kinda want to do both.

Miss Kameryn turns 7 years old today.

She doesn't look much like the tiny little girl who used to toddle around right behind me.
Those baby teeth have been replaced by big girl teeth.
Big girl {sometimes sassy} voice has replaced the baby voice.

She's growing right before my very eyes.

But in my heart, she will always be this tiny girl:
 

The one who made me a mama for the third time.
The one who kept me company for two weeks on bed rest in the hospital.


 
 


  My little cuddle bucket, smiley-faced girl who loved "chockit doonuts".
 
084B  

And accompanied me on EVERY prenatal visit in eager anticipation of her baby sister.
 
Kam08  

My princess.
 
KamFB  

My Kameryn Faith, so full of life.
 
Kameryn'sFirstDay  
 
Kam02W

Watching her live life to the fullest is like a breath of fresh air for my soul,


every, single, day.
  
Kam12

Miss Kameryn loves noodles and parmesan cheese :)
 

 She LOVES to play dress up.


 
About once every week or two she'll ask me to put all her hair {she has a TON of it!} up into sponge rollers for the night.  And she doesn't complain about sleeping on them one little bit!

 
She dreams of dance, and pageants, and all things girly.

 
And her zest for life cannot be matched.

 
She's my nurturer.
 
 
She worries about hurt feelings, and loves to make others smile.

 
Happy Happy Birthday, Kameryn Faith!
 

 You are a blessing on our lives!!! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
post signature
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, January 18, 2016

In the Grand Scheme . . .


Okay.
I know I mostly just post pictures here, with a few little nothing thoughts sprinkled about, but today I've got thoughts.

I know.

It's a miracle.

Lately I've taken to stressing about everything.
And by lately, I mean pretty much the last 6 or 7 years.
Truly.
I have terrible anxiety that runs the gamut from worrying that I will die before I get to see my babies grow up, to absolutely ridiculous things like "did I respond to that one email I got this morning? Oh no, what if Mary May thinks I'm ignoring her.  I'll bet she hates me now".  Yep.  I don't discriminate, I just worry about it all.  I'm a multi-tasker like that.
And for me ~ worry, stress, and anxiety manifest themselves through a LOT of stomach issues.
And that leads me to step away from life, in general, and just want to hide away at home with my little fam.

But, I digress.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, the stuff I worry about.
Well, it's pretty much everything. 
But recently, {the last year or so}, the worries at the forefront of my brain
are predominantly concerns about my girls.  I mean, they always have been. 
But now, instead of worrying about diaper rashes, or picky eating,
I worry about their education.  Their hobbies and activities. 
Specifically: their homeschool education.  Are we doing enough?
And the fact that they aren't in every activity or sport under the sun.

You know what doesn't help the worrying?  Satan.
He loves taking every worry and insecurity we have, and magnifying it for us.
And Social Media.
Oh Social Media.  A definite love/hate relationship for me.
I love being able to connect with others, but it can be difficult when it *looks* like everyone else is living the perfect life ~ doing it all right ~ when sometimes you feel like you're doing it all wrong.

But the other day, while I was worrying about whether or not to continue homeschooling past 8th grade {Sierra will be a FRESHMAN next year.  HOW did this happen so quickly??}, and then worrying some more because my girls aren't involved in a sport or activity every.single.season., I had a moment of peace.  And clarity.

Because you know what, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS:

*It doesn't matter if you're a mama who works, or if you're a mama who stays at home.

*It doesn't matter if your kiddos are homeschooled, or attend public school {or private, or charter, or, or, or}

*It doesn't matter if you're a vegetarian, or if you like your meat!

*It doesn't matter if your child is involved in sports or activities every single day of the week, or not at all.

*It doesn't matter if you have one child, or 12.

*It doesn't matter if you use Pampers or Huggies ~ hehehehehe!!!

It plain does.not.matter. 

Because when we parent with love, and follow God's plan for our lives, the rest falls into place.


And on that note . . .

You know some photos are comin'

I just have to.

We've been having some awfully crummy weather days, but that hasn't kept us indoors, no siree!

We just bundle up, and head right out into the sprinkles.
 
Explore02W  
 
 
Explore03W  
 
 
Explore06W  
 
 This little fishy-guy was cracking me up.  He did NOT like us getting too close to the water. 
Any time we would lean in for a closer look, he'd jump out at us to scare us away.
 
Explore04W  

The girls braved the old, rickety bridge for a quick group shot {much to Kenners' dismay.  She did not want to set one foot on that bridge!}.
 
Explore01W  

After a long walk to the creek and back, we were COLD, and wet!
Hot showers, and hot cocoa all around!
 
Explore08W  
 
 
Explore09W  
 
 
Explore10W  
 
 
Explore11W  
 
 
 And now . . . I'm either ready for about a foot of snow, or 80* temps!

This rain can go bye-bye!

Oh!  By the way, fellow homeschooling friends . . . my sweet friend, Melissa, is starting her journey as an Usborne Book distributor.  They have the coolest books for your homeschool library!!!  I am having an online book party Wednesday night.  If you are interested in taking a peek at these gorgeous books, just let me know, and I'll link you right up to the group!
 
 
 
 
post signature
 
 
 
 

Monday, January 11, 2016

Schedules & Routines

 We are officially back into the swing of things around here.

Last week we just dove right back in to school.
I am pretty proud of the girls.
We have a lot to accomplish in the coming months, and there was not one complaint about the long schooling hours.  Especially after a fairly lengthy break.  We got used to our down time!

After school one day last week, the fog had rolled back in, and we were feeling a little blah.

So we decided to make an ice cream treat.
 
Icecream01W  

This little miss loved shaking her ice cream bag.
 
Icecream02W  

And in no time at all, we had a delicious snack!
 
Icecream03W  
 
 They've also been busy dressing up their Barbies, and staging them for a little Barbie photo shoot.
 
Barbie03W

 
Barbie04w

We've only gotten a few shots so far {dressing Barbie, and changing out backdrops has proven to be a lot of work!}, but the goal is to make enough images for a calendar.
 
Barbie07W  
 
 
Barbie08W  
 
 We are in the middle of planning some fun outings to get us through these dreary Winter days, but until then we've definitely been keeping busy at home!

What have you been up to?? 
 
 
post signature
 
 
 
 

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin