January/ February

I know.. I know.. I'm terrible. It's MAY, and I've not written since Christmas. We have not fallen off the face of the planet. Actually, if anything, we've just gotten busier than the last time I wrote...

Not any less adorably cute. Not any less life full of love... Not any less super blessed and happy.

We have tennis lessons every Monday morning. We get to eat lunch with Dad. We spend time with Aubrie, Rylee, and Aunt Chas. It's an incredible way to star our week. The kiddos are getting really great at it, too! So fun to watch. So love the time with Aunt Chas to talk and laugh together over the funny faces of these 4 precious kiddos faces!

I live with the Nollers now. Loved living with the Hecks. Love living with the Nollers. These are our awesome sweaters from Christmas. That's my cute Bean. :))

Basketball kept us busy through the winter. McKenna started on fire and kept it all season. Carter had a little harder of a time. He's such a little guy. He would stand in his spot... and walk up and down the court. The last game of the season, though, he dribbled down the court and I promise you, I've never cheered so loudly. It is always fun to have Ethan and Brooke as our coaches, they are SO good. We always love playing with Cooper and Ryley, and this time we also got to have Wyatt on our team and enter awesome Williams family as we got their 3rd son on our team, too! FUN games!

Ummmm. These kiddos are the craziest, coolest, most FUN to spend the day with ever. 

I'll keep my job. Thank you. 

No need to get a "real" job and make big bucks to feel like I'm reaching my highest potential in life. 

Nope. Just hugs from these darlings make my whole world.

 Looking for prettier girls? You won't find them. 

Looking for more talented girls? You won't find them.

Looking for sweeter girls? You won't find them. 

They are just pure goodness itself. Thankful to have them as my friends!

No front teeth, and paint everything. McKenna LOVED our month of studying about art!

Such a cutie-- and learning so much. I just love to look back at how little they were, and how much they have grown, but it also makes me sad that they aren't just little, little kiddos anymore. I send my big girl in to make the three of us lunch several times a week. Both kiddos shower all on their own now. HOW did they get sooo big?!

Ashley and the girls came over for a SUPER fun day of making Valentine boxes. What a good time we had talking, laughing, decorating, making a MESS, eating, and enjoying being together. Little one took a good long nap and we took a lot of pictures of these crazy cuties. What a blessing to have cousins that live near by, who are Christians, who you just cannot wait to spend time with!? Sad that Carter Man ended up being sick on the night of our homeschool gtg for Valentine's. It worked out alright, though, because Little Lady got to go to the hs gtg all alone-- Miss Grown Up. And Little Man and I had cuddle and a movie night at Aunt Tammy's. Good memories all 'round.

And speaking of some good memories... THIS might have been one of the best nights of all time. WHEN did I laugh this hard ever before?!?! LOOOOOOVE these girls. LOVE big breakfast for supper. LOVE PJ pants. LOVE Princess Bride. Just LOVE our life!!

Annnnnnnd SNOW. And this little bitty face in Dad's hunting hat. We loved playing in the snow. Sledding with this dude was hilarious to watch and a blast!

Snowed in at this place? With these people?! Only the biggest YES you can imagine!!!!!

There are so many times when I just lose it laughing because of this little lady. This fun night spending the evening and sleeping over at Tina's was perfect. And FULL of laughter.

This is the biggest snowman the kiddos and I have been able to make together. There was snow everywhere. If we'd had more time, we could have made 25 of them! Is she not the cutest little thing?! 

Fun outside, fun inside. It's always fun when your focus is on God, living for HIM, and playing with these two. Lots of hot chocolate and reading and cuddles during the winter. It really flew by...

This just might be the best winter of my life. I LOVE SNOW!

Christmastime in Missouri!

I cannot begin to tell you of the happiness which was coming home to see this little face again.

 

And this one! I really don't like to be away from them. They light up my world! 

On my first day back home, we played a LOT. They took me on a picnic, we climbed in the barn, and we caught up on a bunch of hugs!

 

It. Snowed. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By FAR my very favorite thing about Christmas. I would love for there to always be snow during the winter and us always to be able to sledding! I went with Bean one afternoon. It was AWESOME. The next day we sledded some in the afternoon, then we went again at night. We were sledding by moonlight with Madison and Hallie. It. Was. Priceless.

The awesome staircase at the Hecks'!! We are one big family, huh?!

At Aunt Debbie's on Fun Family Night decorating gingerbread houses. 

That is one crazy little boy.

All of the houses were so cute. The candy soo yummy.

And look at our girls all crazy up on the SUGAR!?!?!? 

=D hee hee hee. It was an awesome time.

Listening to Aunt Chassy sing and Uncle Daniel and the girls playing their instruments= One of my very favorite things in all the world. 

It makes me crazy happy.

Too Cute! Sweet sisters, wonderful aunts, great moms, fun wives, 

Good ladies! <3

This Christmas time was FULL. Full of parties. Full of candy. Full of sticky fingers and yummy lunches with friends. Full of secrets and giggles. Full of super late nights, super late mornings. Full of happiness.

My beautiful CanCan. Life is changing so quickly. I am so excited for her in all that will be coming up soon... it is fantastic to watch. She is such a good girl. I love having her as my sister. <3

The FUN of Christmas right there, I tell ya! Wow. This little girl not only is gorgeous, funny, and sweet. She is hilarious and adorable to watch open presents. That goes for the Hallie Ann, too! And our Lucy Kay, who is getting wayyyyyyy to big, eating wrapping and tissue paper and crawling all over the place... good times.

All the precious times to just cuddle in, read a book, spend the evening playing games, talking for hours with friends and family. Finishing up so many last minute projects. And all the wrapping!!

Then, time to open! All the gifts I was given were awesome. I loved every one. And felt overwhelmed with the love and thought that went into them... nothing compares with getting to see your friends open the gifts you've made for them, though!! SUCH FUN!

This Christmas was spent with my Hecks, my kiddos, Aunt Tammy and the girls, Nathan and Ash and the girls, Dan and Chas and the girls, Grandma and Grandpa Heck, the Morton Chan, the Jenkins, the Richardsons, and a bunch of new friends and family. 

It was a HOLIDAY WEEK!

The biggest blessing through it all, is that we are all Christians. We are fighting for what is right together. We are working for the same goals. Every day. 

We certainly are BLESSED!

 

2012 was an amazing year... Here's to a FANTASTIC 2013!

To GOD goes all the glory! 

Ga Trip!

It was so fun to go to Ga for awhile at the beginning of December. I went by way of many stop... so many friends, so many hugs. Long, encouraging talks. Putting up Christmas trees. Staying up super late to get every possible minute together. Starbucks with a friend who can't stand coffee taste by loves the smell just like I do. Running hugs and giggles from girls. Sitting on a couch knitting and visiting. Holding little kiddos. Meeting at restaurants for 3 hours meals. Catching up with dear families and the little ones showing me *everything* they own. Many hours in a car, phone calls, beautiful secrecy always changing. Showing that there is a GOD and that He is ALIVE!

Finally. Reaching TN. Where my Moma, Daddy, Alyssa, and Christina were waiting at Gran and Grandad's, which is to me, Tennessee. I'd been there twice since moving a year and a half ago. But I had not been there with my family in 2 years. It was an happy, though emotional greeting. And oh, what fun we were gonna have! After our little Christmas there at Gran and Grandad's and meeting Jeremey over Skype, we got to worship at Morrison~ I got to sit with my Connie Jo, Marion was leading singing, and our Andrews came to see us! It was a PERFECT morning! We hit our favorite Mexican restaurant, and away we were for mini roadtrip-- CHATTANOOGA!

Dream come true #1~ On the Chattanooga Choo Choo! I asked for us to go on this trip. It was so special, just the 7 of us, on a trip again. Like old times... last time, but bring on the future with added family on our trips, too. :-)

My incredibly talented, beautiful, and very smart older sister, Alyssa! <3

My totally adorable, funny, super sweet younger sister, Christina! <3 

My GA family!! :) :) :) :) :)

We got to be with Gran on her birthday! We went to McKays, an incredible used bookstore and found many treasures-- including school books for my monkeys!

Gran and Grandad, Moma and Daddy, Alyssa and Christina. We were at Rock City! Dream come true #2 on this trip!!! It was fantastic. I'd go back anytime. It was beautiful. Loved the added features related to Christmas, too. And ohhh how I loved the caves and the lights!

My grandparents are so sweet. They are so good together. They take perfect care of each other. They have varied interests, they are super independent, and they are just AWESOME! I learn so much from being with them and am thankful beyond words that they have spent so much time with the three of us girls while we've been growing up. They have helped to make us who we are. I want to be more like them...

When I get to be with my sisters, we laugh a LOT! There are so many inside jokes and memories. I just love these girls. They know me. SO. Well. TOOOO well. =) We had a super di duper Christmas time at home in GA. We opened stockings, ate Lucky Charms, and opened presents. Everything was lovely, and I was totally impressed with my sisters' talents-- Christina knitting me a blanket and Alyssa made me a duffel bag. Both are beautiful!

Our time at home held a very special meeting. My gonna be brother-in-law. His name is Jeremy. And I love him. He makes us all laugh. He's super cool. Alyssa likes him, too. =D We had lots of fun together. He went to Grandma's Christmas with us and was just instantly a part of the family. 

When I'm back with my family, I never want it to end. When I see all my friends at Duluth, at preschool, my sweet babies... I just don't want to leave them. I loved that life in GA... but, my heart belongs to Missouri now. It's home... Soooo after a wonderful time seeing bunches of friends on my way home as well, I came back home, home to my Missouri. 

To begin Christmas all over again. <3

KONOS day at our house!

I am thankful that we Homeschool. I am thankful for the time with the kiddos as well as when we get together with our homeschool group.

The past couple months we've been studying all kinds of things about America.

THIS IS SUCH A CUTE BABY!!!

The best thing was that the kiddos got to vote-- Which Ice Cream do you like the best?! It came down to Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookies 'n' Cream. The kiddos were so excited.

Waiting in line... My house full of cute kiddos, wonderful mommies who do so much work at home to teach their kiddos, and the excitement of which ice cream would win out!

Elizabeth handing out the ballots. Poor girl got stitches later in the day, but it was all good right now...

My sweet boy, voting for the first time. He voted for cookies 'n' cream. =D

McKenna voting in the awesome booth. She voted for mint chocolate chip...

Hallie getting ready to vote...

Playing outside together on a perfect fall day in a huge pile of leaves-- AWESOME!

LOOK AT THAT HAPPY FACE!

I love our kiddos. And our happy life.

Little man doing his project for the AMERICAN FLAG! Everywhere we drive, he's always on the look out. It's tooooo cute. This was the day of his first report on his own. I was VERY pleased with how well he did. My big boy!

She did a great job studying about the White House. She did a report and drew a picture. She is a cute girl. Getting to stay at home and teach and be with the kiddos, not having to send them off every day is the BEST thing ever. We are SO blessed!!