A moment with Pop....

 My partner each day for school drop-off and pick-up....she is a trooper!

 First dives into the pool....

 filling the pool was a task that someone had to do :)

 One Friday, just minutes before we should have been getting into the car to go watch our favorite 16 year old play his football game, I chose to get into the pool....sort of :)  The girls were so excited!

 A girl and her thumb....you swim some, you rest some...all in a days work!

 One little Drafts isn't quite a swimmer just yet so she goes to swim lessons each week to learn to swim like a dolphin!  And she tells me every week, "I can't swim! I sink!  Way down, I sink!"  Goodness!  We are hopeful that she will be swimming very soon!

 I am loving having my baby, my last four year old, home with me for a bit of alone time....four years is my favorite age, it is so sweet, so innocent, so funny, so perfect!  The last time I had one four year old at home alone with me was when Pryce was four....I loved it with him and I am loving it with C.  We often find ourselves poolside and she enjoys cooking up an assortment of foods for me to try!

 When the sisters are home, they play games with her and build float houses to giggle in....so fun!

 My babies are growing up....

It's homecoming season and that means it's time for a bit of flower shopping for big brother's date....

 and sometimes you just have several late nights that lead to falling asleep while watching a fun show....

 and when you are the baby, why wait for someone to help you get whatever it is you desire....it's just as well that you try to get to it yourself!

 We love the little girls' school.  It is a local arts infusion charter school and they are always updating the parents with pics of activities throughout each day.

 Fall has sprung and my favorite snack is always on hand at home.....

MK's fourth production as a member of our local ballet company....

 shows mean rehearsals most days and weekends, and theatre week which can mean long nights....

 but every second of preparation is so worth it once the curtains go up!

 MK is full of grace.  She loves dancing with her friends.  She loves the challenge of learning new roles with each show.  

 She was cast as a Fireflie for Cinderella and she did beautifully!  

 Sweet friends came to see her dance....

 And we love the support she gets from them!

 Maddox was especially thrilled to see her teacher dance the role of Cinderella....she did a beautiful job!

 I am thankful for the mother's that watch out for my girl when they are backstage....

 photos under the light are the best!

that's a wrap for Cinderella....up next, Nutcracker!  It's MK's favorite!

We went to visit our favorite guy at his college on Saturday!  This pic is funny because Chapman was  a bit out of sorts to see Colin and Kayla holding hands.  We dubbed her the "couples police."  She would see their hands together and pull them apart saying, "No!  I tell you no holding hands!" and they would stop yet try to get away with it after a few moments passed....and then Chapman would see and she would fuss at them again!  Ha!  Even the ice cream didn't stop her from policing them!

 Thankful our guy is doing so well!  He loves school, loves the newfound freedom, and he is thriving!

 Chapman wanted to touch the bear's mouth so big brother had to help her out!

Our friend, Daisy....Maddox and I love our monthly visits with this sweet girl and her mama!

 They've grown to be good buddies in the past seven months.  Daisy visits each month from Colorado for treatment from a team of doctors in our hometown.  We are so thankful for the doctors who want to do so much to help this little girl and many others who are battling childhood brain cancer.  

That's a wrap for now!  Football, ballet, tumbling, bible study, Upward sports, school, and a little of other things in between....we are blessed.

2018 First Days of School

This year we have one in college, one in high school, one in middle school, a 3rd grader, a Kindergartener, and a preschooler!  Phew.

I am still processing exactly what this means, ha!

Moving our oldest into a college dorm more than two hours away from our home was one of my life's surreal experiences.  You see, just 18 years ago, I was the one rocking him and wishing for him to sleep just for a moment so that I, too, could rest....and as I rocked him, I played with this little arms and his little legs memorizing every ounce of his being and trying hard to imagine him as an older kiddo - this was next to impossible! To me, he would always be that tiny little baby.  And, yet, here we are, 18 years later and my baby boy, the one who first made me a mom, the one I constantly apologize to because he is our "experiment", the one who is the leader of our pack of six, and now he is a college freshman, living away from home, learning how to do this thing called life.  My prayer has been and will continue to be that he will always lean back on the foundation we have established for him and know that we are here in the good and the bad cheering him on!  My favorite and most comforting words I have received from him since his move have been, "I love it here!"  So thankful he has this moment in life!  Can't wait to see how God will use him as he grows!  The world is at your feet C!
Our high school sophomore....P started off his year a bit unsettled.  He was really struggling for a moment on what his next steps would be....after spending his summer serving on two mission trips, working with our church in youth sports camps, traveling, and a bit of football practice, he was torn as to what he was going to do this Fall, play football or work at the church with our Upward program.  Ultimately, it all worked out!  P is playing football and loving it while he has also been given the opportunity to intern at our church with Upward on the weekends and some evenings during the week!  He has a full schedule - school, football, intern, and he was selected to our Cotillion Club for this year as well!  We are thrilled to have a front row seat in this guy's life.  I was a bit worried on how he would do with his right-hand-man being away at college, but P has handled it all in stride and keeps my car burning up and down the road.  Due to this, my street has dubbed my car, "The White Bullet!"  Oh dear.
Our middle schooler....so, this is a first for us.  Our boys were homeschooled during middle school so MK is our middle school guinea pig.  So far, so good.  She seems unphased by the jump from elementary to middle....the locker was a bit intimidating but in true MK fashion, she got it and hasn't looked back.  The technology aspect is incredible....I went to "Parent Academy" and came home a lot baffled by how everything is at the tip of my 6th grader's fingers if she needs it....the only thing is that she must know how to use it all!  And it is a lot....I told Ryan that I am simply amazed we both made it through college!  MK continues to dance....she is currently rehearsing for the upcoming performance of Cinderella.  She also is doing a tumbling class to brush up on her back handsprings and such.  She, too, seems a bit torn at times....she loves dance and yet she is curious about cheerleading.
Our 3rd grader....she is all things Maddox.  She recently asked me if I would mind if she chose to drive a motorcycle when she was older.  Ummmm, how does a parent even answer that with a straight face?!!?  I was dying a little inside.  And then in a very grown up, snotty sort of way, she announced that I didn't have to like it if she drove a motorcycle....what?!?!?  Who is this child!  So, this one is going to keep me awake at night for sure!  She still dreams of being a surgeon....she loves singing and was recently selected to be one of the 30 chorus members in her school....she loves all things art, she is an entrepreneur who recently earned over $200 in honor of her friend, Daisy, for cancer research.....she is an old soul, one of the kindest children to ever walk along beside us, and yet a little stinker all the same!
Our Kindergartner....Maryn is loving her year at big school with Maddox.  Her best friend, Charlotte, is in class with her.  Maryn recently told me that she sits at table One, Charlotte sits at table Two, and "all of my boyfriends" sit at table Three - yes, ALL of her boyfriends!  This girl is the only girl of ours to ever even mention the word "boyfriend".....she is killing us!  We don't encourage this madness at all but she is so proud of her men!  Maryn shocked us all by coming home and reading sight words....we had no idea this was something she knew!  She will tell you school is too much work but she is rocking it and we are so proud!
Our preschool girl....goodness, where to begin!  Chapman is attending three days of preschool this year.  Every morning she begs to stay with mommy yet every morning she goes into her room with a smile on her face.  She is the baby to us all, the one who we all think is precious beyond words and the one who can also send us to our knees in prayer when her temper gets the best of her.  She is hilarious and cute and busy and cuddly and kind and she doesn't hesitate to tell any one she is the "baby boss".....words will never serve this one justice.  She is our Cha and we all are so thankful for her life each and every day!  She loves ballet with her sisters and she is taking swim lessons too!  When she isn't dancing, schooling and swimming, she can be found playing tricks on us all or pulling every living thing that has been put away back out into one giant and complete mess!
Almost a month in, and everyone is settling in nicely.  We have our morning routine, our afternoon routine and our extra-curricular madness.  I am often asked how we do it, and, truth be told, I am really not sure.  Ryan and I are a good team, he helps when I can't pick up the pieces, and when that isn't an option, we turn to friends and neighbors for a helping hand.  It works and we just plan day by day, sometimes hour by hour because if we look further than that, it can be a bit overwhelming!  Thankful for my six pack!

Seabrook Island 2018

Seabrook Island is one of our most treasured places to be with our family.  I remember Ryan taking me there early on in our dating....I told him it was great, it was the beach, but it wasn't "my" beach.  I grew up going to Garden City Beach....at Garden City, you went to the beach or you went to the beach....there wasn't a pool or a golf course or deer roaming about.  It didn't take me too long to realize the true beauty of Seabrook, the slower pace, the bike rides, the pools, the wildlife, and the gorgeous sunsets.  Never have I have seen such a beautiful sunset as the ones we have the privilege of watching at Seabrook.  We are fortunate, Ryan's family has a house at Seabrook and they allow us to visit often.  But this year has been a bit different....due to renovations, we haven't been to Seabrook all.year.long.  We were thrilled to be there for an entire week with our dear friends the Butchers.  This was our fourth trip with these guys but this year was extra special because they had their newest addition, Ailee James, in tow.  This time last year, AJ was not even a thought on their radar but God showed up big and here they are now, a family of 6!  Our boys spent their time on the beach together and then headed out for bike rides and pool games while our girls played together on the beach and then spent time poolside to wrap up their days.  It was a fabulous week or low-key fun and relaxation!  This was our last official beach vacation of the summer....until next year Seabrook!  

 That summer Pryce let his hair grow all.summer.long.....

 a bucket and a sister and a brother....

 when fish are caught, all must take a peek....

 Chapman never came off of the beach without stopping to tell us about the dolphins using her map on the boardwalk....

 one of my all time Cha pics....thumb in and feet up....relaxing and taking it all in!

 the shoreline was their gym mat....

 So sometimes your friend asks your boys if she can take a pic of them at sunset....and the boys jokingly skip off goofing around and making fun of me when I tell them to hold hands and walk so I can take a pic....and then the friend takes a pic of their antics!  LOVE this....these boys of mine, I cannot wait to share this at just the right time in their lives!

 Happy 9th Birthday Maddox.....

 G-Mom baked the most delicious chocolate cake for Maddox's birthday....

 a mermaid was born.....

 a mama and all of her babies!

Goodness, I do love Seabrook!  Thankful for the many memories we have there and look forward to so many more!