Blessing Day

We blessed Gavin today at church and that always makes for such a special day. I love having a righteous husband who is able to give such a sweet blessing to such a sweet little boy. And Gavin didn't even cry - I was so happy! It was fun to have so much family there, and we especially loved having Mike fly in from AZ to be there. The kids have loved having him around this week! He and Chris even took the older 3 kids camping at Tyler State Park this past weekend while I enjoyed some quiet time with Gavin, and spent the night with my parents.

Gavin's Happy Place

All of our kids have LOVED to lay on the changing table! Gavin continues that tradition, as you can see in the video below.

And just a side note on Sydney. Today we were at the grocery store and she made a few innocent/curious kid comments, a couple of which I'm sure the checker overheard. Anyway, first she asked "Mom, is that a boy or a girl?" to which I quietly responded a girl. Then she said "no, the one with the brown face." Honey, it's still a girl. A minute or two later she commented "Well, she talks wierd." Hmmmm...I think we need some guidance in this area.

Happy Halloween!

No blog would be complete without a Halloween/Pumpkin Patch entry, so here you go! Halloween was awesome as always. I still can't imagine any neighborhood I would love more than ours. It goes above and beyond on Halloween night - there are kids everyone you turn! We kept our same tradition by starting off with the neighborhood parade, followed by neighborhood cider, punch and cookies, then trick or treating with friends, followed by a very festive dinner at our dear friend Connie's house with more friends. We finally got to bed close to 11:00, and loved every minute of it. Carter was the best - my totally "un-shy" little boy had no reservations with trick or treating at all, but did run from a few vampires yelling "It's too scary!". I love the 2's with him!




And I took the 3 younger kids to a Pumpkin Patch in Flower Mound on Wednesday where they had a blast. I couldn't have asked for more perfect weather!

Sydney's Big Day

Today my crazy, adorable, fun little Sydney turned 5. I know I say this a lot, but the other day I saw a picture of her as a little girl and I really, really got teary-eyed knowing that I'll never have that time with her again. I absolutely adore this little girl and want to hold on to every moment I have with her, just like the rest of my kids. What a joy it is to be a mom!

4 months old

3 weeks old

So I did the "home party" thing again. I guess I didn't learn my lesson last time. Anyway, we had a great time and Sydney loved the house being full of squealy, happy little girls. We did a Baking Party, since Sydney LOVES to bake, where the 9 girls made their own pizzas with dough I had previously made. Then while those were baking they added their own mix-in's to cookie dough I had also already made. Then while those baked they ate their pizzas and played some "baking games". Afterwards they decorated their own mini cakes and brought them home in personalized cake boxes while wearing aprons I had personalized for each of them. We ended with playing outside and presents. It was a fun and exhausting evening! Thank goodness Jana was still here to help out. And the evening was so busy that I forgot to take even one picture!


Today, on her real birthday, she chose the breakfast and later made and decorated her own cake, of course, per her request. Then we opened presents tonight while Carter cried b/c he wanted it to be his birthday instead. And I thought I had enough candles at the house, but we were short one - that's why there's a tea candle in the middle of the cake. Cute, huh? :) And, to add to the drama, Brighton stood behind Sydney and blew out some of her candles at the same time. It's always a circus around here! We love you Sydney!

1 month old

Gavin turned one month old a few days ago, so I had to take a few pics of him with Carter and Sydney. They sure do like their little brother! And we were so sad to see Grandma leave on Saturday. She was here for a week and was a HUGE help to us. We sure love our mom's - what would we do without them?

Gavin's Newborn Photoshoot

The beginnings of a smile...