Texas! - Part 1

 Noni and I got to go to Texas! We snuck down for a quick trip...just four days. I thought the little girls might have a heart attack if I tried to go for any longer than that, haha. They were definitely NOT happy that I was leaving them and didn't understand why they couldn't go too. I had told them about it briefly at the beginning of the summer and then I made sure not to mention it again until the day before I left because I knew it would be a big problem. 

Peaches pestered me with dozens of questions that day and Lou just walked around looking sad and abandoned. Bedtime was really rough but I finally got them down and once they were asleep I headed to Noni and Papa's to spend the night so Papa could take us to the airport at 5:30 the next morning. (thank you Papa!!) It was hard to leave when the girls were so upset about it, but all the big emotions were worth it when we landed and within an hour were holding the most precious baby boy in the whole world!!! 

 

Of course we went to see Aunt K, Uncle S, and Aunt J too, but baby S was the main event! We have prayed a thousand prayers for this sweet boy and I knew I could not let a year pass before I got to meet him! He was born at 33 weeks, back in June, so even though we saw him at two months old he still felt like a newborn!

 

Is there anything in the world more precious than a new baby?! Look at that little button nose and those tiny fingers and toes!!!

 

 

 We got to spend the next three days holding him, feeding him, and taking turns loving on him. So so precious.

 

 

He was already hamming it up for the camera. Haha! 

 

 

 

Big yawns! 

 

 

Look at this funny guy! 

 

 

I just love him!!! 

 

 

He had a doctor's appointment the first day we were there and weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce so it was no wonder he felt so much like a newborn to me because two of my babies were born at 8'1 and two at 8'3. Peanut was the only one under 8 pounds since she was 10 days early. 

 

 We were able to tear ourselves away from him long enough to enjoy their beautiful pool for a while! I think it was 103-106 the days were there but it felt so good to me! I know I'm in the minority but I love the heat!

I love taking newborn pictures so S and J let me take a bunch of him over the course of our stay. We were really glad we took this one because after almost two decades with their sweet fur baby P she passed away just a week after we left. :(  :(  :(  She has been in poor health for a while and they've been caring for her so faithfully, giving her multiple medications every night for almost a year even through months-long hospital stays and all the chaos of having a newborn in the NICU. She was so very loved and will be dearly missed. :'(

 

 

More pictures of our stay tomorrow. 

Funny Friday

 

 

 

Happy Friday!  

Lou Laughs! - Part 16

 November 24th

We were listening to Odyssey and there was a silly story about a girl wearing a chicken costume and had to give the Heimlich to a guy who was chocking. Peaches said, "What?! She had to give a hind kick to him because he was choking?!" Lou started laughing and said, "Hind kick!" and they both started popping a leg up on the seat back in front of them laughing hysterically and shouting, "Hind kick!" 

December 26th

Peanut was trying to convince Boo to try ranch which she doesn't like. Lou, "Yeah S! Try it!" Boo: "It's not healthy so it doesn't benefit me to try it and like it." Lou: "It is too healthy!" Peanut: "No it actually isn't." Lou: looking at the picture on the front, "Yes it is! It has vegetables!" Peanut turns the bottle over and reads the ingredient list. Vegetable oil was one of the ingredients. Lou: "SEE!? VE-GE-TA-BLES! Hear it!?!" 

January 16th 

She was doing an MLK day assignment in school and I was trying to help her think of ideas. The prompt was "What do you dream of?" I read it to her and she happily jumped up and said, "Cake!" 

March 25th

She was talking to Papa and he asked her what she had learned that day. She thought about it a minute and then said, "Pe-pasta Aba-steen Art". After some quick deduction we realized she was saying Picasso's abstract art.  

April 3rd

She was outside with Jax and was wearing a black coat. She was getting frustrated and I asked her what was going on. She pointed at him and said, "Mommy! He's getting hair all over! He's trying to shed his-self!"  

 :)

Wordless Wednesday

 

Peanut's Birthday! - Part 2

 Another activity they did was making Peanut's birthday cake, but they didn't just make it normally. They played "Blind, Deaf, Dumb, and Disabled". Peanut was blind, K was deaf, S was dumb (she had a piece of tape over her mouth), and L was disabled (hands tied behind her back). 

It was so funny to watch them try to coordinate baking a cake with their limitations.

 

 But they did good and got the job done!

 

 

Their other activity of the day was the Slip n' Slide!  

 

 The water was freezing!

 

 

 But they seemed to have a great time!

 

 

 

Peaches wanted to go on it too, but the other sisters didn't. 

  

 

Peaches and A went in the hot tub for a while afterwards, but the big girls went back out to do some more racing. 

 

 

Then it was inside for cake and presents. They did the cake half chocolate and half German chocolate since not everyone likes the coconut pecan frosting. 

 

 

Happy birthday to you... 

 

 

Make a wish!  

 

 

She got so many fun presents! Lou got her the Mercedes Lego and Peaches got her a bunch of gold, dangly, earrings.  

 

  

 

I bought her a hair dryer and a round brush so she can stop coming downstairs after every shower to use mine, haha. 

 

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa got her a candle warming lamp that she wanted. Aunt K, Pawpaw, Uncle K and Aunt J all gave her birthday money. So far she has ordered a leather watch with some of it. 

 

Daddy found her these neat Formula 1, artistic looking, posters for her room. 

 

Uncle B and Aunt M got her a beautiful red dress. Aunt N and Uncle M got her a pretty brown floral shirt that goes with a skirt that Uncle W and Aunt D got her. 

 

 

After presents they played a little longer and then we took everyone home. Such a sweet group of girls!

 

 

After dropping everyone off we kept driving towards the city and met up with Bug and F for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Bug made her homemade caramels and got her some fun new clothes. 

 

 

This girl loves sweaters! 

 

 What a wonderful day celebrating our Peanut!  

 

Peanut's Birthday!

 T had a big surprise for Peanut this year! I was planning to buy her a comforter for her "big" present because she's been wanting a new one, but she's also been really into Formula 1 racing so he talked me into going another direction. 

 

We spent more than we would normally but he said it's really a gift for the whole family. :P

 

 

Four RC Formula 1 racing cars! 

 

 

And then he took her out to show her what he's been working on out in the shop. 

 

 

A race track! This is just a mock one using hoses for the track. He eventually plans to build one with sides like he built this ramp/bridge. You can go over it or under it! 

 

 

Then it was back inside because Boo really wanted to give Peanut her gift...a Formula 1 sweatshirt with Peanut's favorite team, Mercedes. 

 

 

 

We sang happy birthday with the donuts she picked out for breakfast.  

 

 It was the school's workday so after that we all piled in the car and headed up to work for a couple hours. I cleaned out vans, T helped re-rock the flower beds, and the girls alternated between helping with both of those and some other projects when they got tired of one thing. 

 

After a couple hours of work we grabbed some of Peanut's friends (and their little sisters) and headed back home. She requested hamburgers for lunch. :)

 

 After lunch they unboxed all the cars and fitted them with batteries.

 

 

 And spent hours, on and off, racing around the track!

 

 

So fun! 

 

 

Noni stopped by on the way to work at the church and brought Mama's gift...new shoes! 

 

 

Her friends got her some sweet gifts as well! 

 The rest of the pictures tomorrow!