Happy Birthday To My Daddy!!!!

To My Dearest Daddy

I would just like to say how much I love you and appreciate all you are to me and Scott and the girls and the boys!!! I tried to send this little birthday wish to you via the email yesterday but all I got was a return saying it was unable to send it!!! Sometimes email makes me so mad!!! However this is my only other way to get this message to you. I hope you dont mind the rest of the world knowing you are another year more seasoned. We love you and wish we could have been there with you yesterday but I hope this will make up for it. I love you Daddy!!!

Haircuts....From 1 to 4 in Two Days!!!

What did I do?!? Believe it or not these 2 pictures were taken 2 days apart. Notice how a haircut can make your baby look like a big boy all of the sudden.

My Little Porcelain Doll

When Baby "L" was born, some friends of ours gave him this beautiful dedication/christening outfit. I guess with the move we werent able to dedicate him at our church so instead I dressed him up and did a little mini-photo shoot with him and this is what I got. This sweet little porcelain face made me fall in love with him all over again. Dont you just want to kiss those chunky little cheeks?

This is a full body shot, and as you can see he isnt all that sure he likes his little baby doll look!

And as you can see here, he is checking out his little gittup. "Mommy, does the smocking on here make me look fat?"

Little "O" Says Doctor

For anyone with children, waiting for your baby to talk is like watching to see water boil. You sit and you repeat things over and over and over trying to get that satisfaction of that one word and yet to no avail they refuse to say anything. Well up until a few days ago Little "O" vocabulary was limited to "ball, Daddy, Mommy, baby, sissy, and tea" did I mention his favorite word is ball. He says it ALL THE TIME!!! Well, the other night we were sitting down to our family pizza night and we were discussing the fact that "H" needed to go to the DOCTOR (which by the way is the meanest word you can say to "H"). Big Papa then said he needed to go to the DOCTOR as well for something he was dealing with. Then out of the blue this sweet little voice beside me shouted out "yeah DOCTOR"!!! I nearly fell in the floor with disbelief, but then he said it again and realized we would cheer for his new word and so this is what we caught on tape after this burst of brilliance....

My Happy Little Sumo Wrestler!!!

I think the title says it all......19.5lbs at 4 mos

Merry Christmas!!!!

Well, I would say the best Christmas present this year (after the birth of our Saviour) is God's gracious gift of a new house five minutes away from Big Papa's work. We have actually had the ability to spend this entire Christmas break with him and life has never felt so sweet!!! We are living in our answer to many prayers!!!


Of course you could just look at these faces and see just how happy everyone is to be close to Daddy again! Minus the tired boys who weren't sure they were convinced Mommy's photo session was all that fun.

Now, we are one big happy family again!!!! And no they do not all sleep in the same bed, even though that sounds super fun to them!!! They do however have unique sleeping arrangements. One is actually using my closet as a bedroom. Can you guess who? (hint: he is small enough to fit in a bassinet) But like I said, they would sleep like this every night if we would allow it!

Home Sweet Home

Ok!!!! So it has been a while since I blogged, but here are the updates. Baby "L" is home from the hospital and is doing great. He has decided to start waking up at night again so sleep is much desired by me. However, after being in such a scary situation with him a little sleep seems very petty. This little guy is a treasure to us all and we will probably be a little freaked out for a while.

Next, we have now officially moved into our new house and are loving every minute of it. We have lovely neighbors and are beginning to see an end to the boxes. However, the best part about it is that Scooter Boo is home as early as 4:30 and we have the entire evening to be with him. I guess God let us go through this trial to show us just how blessed we are to have Big Papa home. We have been through the ringer these past 2 years and we are so happy to see the peace that is here. Welcome home Big Papa!!!!!

Well until we have a computer set up in the new house I will be a little silent on this end but hopefully we will be up and running soon. Until then you can see pictures of the kids if you click on to DANA K PHOTOGRAPY in my friends list and click onto the kids youtube link in her blog. It starts up on its on and it is such a great slideshow. And if you like what you see I can give you her number to set up your own photo session and create your own masterpiece of photos.

Until next time....have a great Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Please Pray!!!

To everyone who visits this site, I am asking you to please pray for our sweet Baby "L". Monday night he spiked a fever and we took him to the emergency room to discover that he possibly has bacterial meningitis. We do know that he has the bacteria growing in his blood and until they can perform a successful spinal tap to test the fluid for meningitis they have to treat him as if he does have it. He does seem to be getting better, however they are having to give him some very aggressive antibiotics and have tried unsuccessfully to retrieve any spinal fluid from him in the past 3 attempts of a spinal tap. Needless to say, poor Baby "L" is not happy with the world, and as any of you can imagine, me, his mommy (who is supposed to protect him at all cost) am feeling a little defeated by this sickness. Just please keep my sweet boy in your prayers.

Who Needs a Barber.....

......when you can just shave your head down to the bare skin and let your 6 year old do it for you? "F" came running when Big Papa called out that he needed a hair cut. All the girls love to shave his head and they are actually getting pretty good at it. I just have to do a few touch ups here and there, but hey, it sure saves money that we can use elsewhere.

Its Harvest Fair Time.....

....Thats just another name for Halloween that we church goin' folk say so we can enjoy the candy and costumes of Halloween without feelin' like we are celebratin' the evilness brought on by this event. Any hoo we went to the local church and had a blast riding on the fair rides and getting candy and eating funnel cake (Scooter's idea-no joke) and watching "B" get stuck in the fun house. We had so much fun we even forgot to eat dinner (unless you count candy as dinner).

Baby "L" was bundled in his multi-layered sleepers and Big Papa's knit hat. Not to mention the warmth of my body (because he wanted me to hold him the whole time). Aint he cute!?!

And Little "O" stole everyones hearts as he peered out from behind the big Superman cutout with his sweet big brown eyes and his cute little cat whiskers. He had no idea what he was looking through but it sure made for a sweet picture.

I dont think you could have found more excited girls then these three! They have been talking about this fall fair ever since we went there last year and they discovered this new excitement. "K" and "H" even rode on this crazy spinning thing that we were sure would make them throw up....nope but "K" did cry after she was off. She cant handle over excitement!!!

Along with their older sisters excitement and anticipation for the rides, these two were giddy for the candy. They played every game they could find to win candy and even made sure they picked things they could share with Little "O". It is so funny when you hear your children questioning strangers if their candy has milk in it. I guess they hear us questioning each other constantly to keep checks on Little "O"s allergies. I must say that boy ate enough suckers to make even me sick.

Hey Hey Hey ...... Goodbye!!!!!

Move day is almost here!!!!! For those who have been praying for our situation of living two lives during the week and catching up during the weekend, thanks!!! Our lives are about to become one!!!!! The girls and I have been packing for the past few days and are realizing we have TOO MUCH STUFF!!!! I guess 7 children and 2 adults accumulate more than I realized. I think I am just going to have to close my eyes and toss a lot of it. The hardest part of this move is going to be the downsizing of our furniture and toys and clothes. We are going from a 2600 sq/ft house to a 2000 sq/ft house which isnt that big of a jump, however there is only one family room and we have 2 here. (Not to mention a formal foyer, an extra bedroom, and an office). Personally, I think this is going to be the best thing ever, but I may be a little biased due to the fact that life has sucked for the past 18 months without Big Papa in the picture everyday. Life as a single mom is for the crapper!!! Anyway, thanks for all the prayers and please keep praying for the adjustment period that is going to follow this endeavor. We will all need a little extra grace to find our places in this new life. I just cant wait to have my Scooter Boo back at my dinner table eating my YUCK I DONT LIKE THAT! I am just ready for the everyday mundane to be my joy again!

I Could Eat Him Up!!!

I wonder if I nibbled on those chunky cheeks if he would taste like sugar? Cause he sure is sweet!!!

Happy B-Day "B-Bear"....

Whats a party without your best friend? These two had a great time celebrating "B"s 8th B-Day!!! Whats even better is we know they will never have to be apart because "I" is also my niece.

"B" started her morning with our cake tradition, and boy has she been waiting all year to do this! She couldnt wait to get her hands on that mixer. There must be something to the sensation of having all the power in your little hands. And having all your sisters gazing in desire at your independent power.

We were then off to Build-a-Bear (again) to bring a cute little puppy to life. This is a very contagious place. Once one child gets to do this you will have to do for all of them. "B" had a great time, but I think the best part of this experience is getting to dress the silly thing. Those clothes are so stinkin' cute!!!

We then had a mini-party with "the boys" and Mrs. S at the mall to share in some yummy cupcakes. Can you imagine the look on everyones faces as we walked our 11 children into the food court. Two mommies and eleven children....I would say we are a little outnumbered! By the way those cupcakes were very good!!!!

I dont know how many of you know "B", but she is a bumble bee lover. She has a bumble bee each summer out in our doll house that she guards with her life and will not let anyone swat him. She has named him "Bumba" and she will stay very close to him with no fear, which is not like my little panic button of a child. Hence we made a lovely Bumble Bee Cake in honor of "B" and "Bumba"!

Now, on to the party! We had a wonderful time again at Memaw and Pepaw's house sharing in the festivities of birthday celebrations. Of course we couldn't call it a party without the conga line, and "B" led the group with her festive dance moves. "B" is such a fun party girl, she can turn even the routine into something super special. Happy Birthday "B-Bear" I hope being 8 is as fun as you have anticipated.

Guess Who Else is Another Year Older?

Thats right.....I can't avoid getting older! I guess the Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Olive Garden is enough compensation for the fact that I cant stay young forever. Ummm...Yum Yum Eat It UP!

Happy B-Day Dear "H".....

Oh my Goodness....."H" is 11!!!! She is officially out of fingers...thats when you know your baby isnt a baby anymore. Her new label for her age is a tween! I guess thats the new word for pre-teen. Anyway, we started the morning with the traditional cake making ceremony. "H" made her cake and then ran like a mad hatter to get the house clean and packed so we could head to Memaw's house to celebrate.

First, we stopped off at Build-a Bear to make "H"s biggest birthday wish come true. We met up with our friends "the boys" and Mrs. S to bring this Cheetah to life. What a fun birthday present!

We then came to Memaw's and finished the cake, and voila, a masterpiece was created!

Wow, that is a lot of shining faces. Can you imagine the amount of energy that was flowing through the house that night?

After the cake and presents Memaw led the party with a conga line as they played a jammin' rendition of the birthday song on the cd player. I think this was the biggest hit of the party. I never knew Memaw could move like that! Happy Birthday "H"!!!!

The Many Faces Of Little "O"

My Little Chunk-a-roony!!!!

Its official the first 6-weeks of newborn frenzy is over. I always dread those first weeks of trying to regulate feeding and sleep patterns, and trying to keep everyone else from feeling lost in the chaos. Well, this morning I woke to a new day! My "Baby L" is now six weeks old and he has celebrated this morning with a huge smile and lots of cooing. He is an amazingly sweet little treasure that melts my heart everytime he gazes at me while I talk to him. He is a little chunk-a-roony who loves to eat and makes such sweet sounds of appreciation while he does so. I could just eat him up!!!

A Little Birthday Story....

Once upon a time there was a daddy named "Big Papa". He had a LOT of children! One day when it was his birthday, all his children threw him a big birthday party. First, they swarmed him on his green couch and showered him with LOTS of love. Then....

.....they sang Happy Birthday, and let "Big Papa" blow out his candles on his Oatmeal cake?....it was not your typical b-day cake, but it was low carb; just how "Big Papa" likes it. "Big Papa" showed how much he loved his cake by burying his face in it. YUM YUM!!!!

Then, we got him drunk (just joking)! It was time for presents. "Big Papa's" many children presented him with their "Dollar Store" finds. It's always fun to see what they each find to be a treasure. "F" found this Martini glass and thought this would be perfect for "Big Papa". It was the hit of the party when he put his ice tea in it to drink all fancified.

Next we presented him with a "PED-EGG" and we all laughed and laughed and laughed!!!!

It was a great night and "Big Papa" was happy to be another year older and surrounded by his many, many children. Happy Birthday "Big Papa"!!!!
The End

Its Big Papa's B-Day...

Oh No!!!! Big Papa's getting OLD!!!!! In honor of your B-Day I am posting this lovely picture. One day you will appreciate my knack of finding these interesting images that I love to post on the web! You see if I put the normal everyday smile and say cheese shots that would give our friends the wrong image of you and our lives together. You see there is nothing more boring than a perfect smile and as we all know you have a way of making sure that life is never boring (crazed is more like it). We all love you and the way you keep us laughing and guessing what today may hold. When God created my Scooter Boo He made you an original! Life is never easy but you make it a fun ride along the way. We love you!!!!

The girls say "Hurry home so we can bite you 34 times EACH!!!!!"
Happy Birthday!!!!

Redemption Picture

I had to blog a redemption picture after the goofy look of the last entry but I needed to share my discovery of both boys in the same goofy pose. Now this is the image of my cutey that I want to share with the blog world. Those are the chunky little cheeks that I love to kiss all day long (even when he has cried about 70% of the day). The girls and I take turns lovin' up on him trying to love his tears away. I dont know what I would do if I didnt have these eager arms to pass him off to sometimes. He is a little bundle of love who just loves to be held (good thing he isnt to chunky yet).

Brothers.......

Baby "L"

Baby "O"

Isnt it funny to look back through the archive pictures and find similar poses of your babies? I was looking at these pictures and the girls were very confused at first as to who was who, and then "H" came in and said you guys are crazy.....that is "O" and that is "L" and she was exact. She says that "O" looks the same now as he did as a baby. I will be interested to see how Baby "L" changes throughout this year. I think Little "O" has morphed into several different looks as these past few months have passed. We can only wait and see!

Thank You for the Prayers

Thanks for all the prayers that went up for "H"s heart appointment. It looks like she is good to go for another year...YIPPEE!!!! It is always funny to see the doctors and technicians reactions when they see her heart in action and how they cant figure how it can be so differently created but perfectly made for her. All I can say is that God's hands were holding Dr. D's hands as he performed her open heart surgery 10 years ago. Only The Creator Himself could take that broken heart and make it whole again. It beats to a different rhythm, but its the perfect rhythm for my "H". It is our prayer that God will grace us with good reports forever, and that she will be spared the need for anymore operations.

Thanks also to Nana for coming and caring for the other guys so we could spend this day with "H" and make it a special day for her. The girls played beauty shop with Nana and learned how to curl their hair to utter cuteness. (Something that I never get to do with them due to our usual time crunches) We then took a trip to the mall (yes with all 7 kids in tow) and ran through the rain over to the neighboring stores ......just another adventure in the life with me and my kids.....welcome to the way we roll Nana!

It was nice to have another pair of hands to bounce Baby "L" while I took care of all the other chaos in the house, not to mention the extra laundry that was washed while Nana was here. I promise Nana, next time you visit we will let you have a little R&R while we wait on you. Your help was very much appreciated even if my head was spinning too fast to really ever thank you, so Thank You!!!

My Itty Bitty Baby

It is usually very hard to catch my newborns with their eyes fully open and looking at the world. I guess usually the flash makes them close those little peepers just as I take the shot, but this little fella will have nothing to do with closing his eyes. He is constantly looking around trying to figure out this new world he has now landed in. I just sit and soak in those baby blue eyes (while he still has them) and wonder why this time is going so fast. Do you realize he will be 4 weeks old tomorrow? He is still teeny tiny to me but I know that it will seem like tomorrow and these days will be over. He is so precious to me and it soothes my soul when he is crying and I sing to him and he stops immediately and looks into my eyes. It is as if he knows that I love him to the core of his being and will always try my best to comfort him in his time of distress. I love this sweet taste of heaven.... you know..... the weeks after you deliver your precious angel and it is as if you are that much closer to understanding Gods love for you; the love that comes not because of what you have done but simply because you exist. We love our baby without the need for him to do anything spectacular, but because he was created through us. God also loves us not because we have done anything spectacular but because we were created through Him. Wow, what Love!!!!

Hello My Name is Chopped Liver

Isnt this the best image of a daddy and his little boy? How is it that I am the one who carried this sweet boy into this world and am the one who feels like I cant breathe when he is too far away from me, yet when Big Papa walks through the door I become chopped liver. Dont get me wrong, I love to see their relationship as it becomes more daddy and son rather than daddy and baby. I can see how Little "O" wants to do everything that Daddy does. They are "buds"!!!! I pray God keeps this bond just as tight and even tighter as Little "O" grows older and starts to become his own man. I pray that he takes the best that Big Papa has to offer and enhances each quality to make them his own. "Lord, help us to raise this baby boy to become a Godly man!"

My Little Cupie Doll

Who can resist the opportunity to turn a sweet wet baby in the bath into a cupie doll? Doesnt he look soooo kissable? Bath time is Little "O"s favorite time of the night. He knows that right after dinner he gets to splash about in the sink while I finish straightening up dishes. He is such a clown when he is in the water! Of course I usually have to mop up a gallon of water after he is finished. What's a bath without a good water mess?

TGIF!!!!!!!!!

Friday......I have never been so happy to see this day come! This has been a week of trauma and drama!!!! If I sound a little overwhelmed, then you might be hearing me perfectly well. This has been our official 2nd week of school since bringing home Baby "L" and as you all know school in itself brings enough drama into our house to set anyone packing. We have also endured circumcision, Little "O" falling off a bike that he shouldnt have been on, and "K" nearly giving herself a concussion by running full speed into Scooters Blazer bumper without looking up. Baby "L" seems to really get keyed up at night so that makes things a little difficult in the evening to do things (like make a normal dinner)! Thank you to our church for providing enough meals to keep us going all week without me having to be too creative. There is not a full relief this weekend because my Scooter is still training in the woods with the military unit and we will not see him until next weekend, but at least I do not have to hear any whining about school assignments for 2 whole days!!!! Maybe I will take these 2 days and overhaul my house so I can move everyones sleeping arrangements around to find a suitable room to move Baby "L" into. I guess I am going to have to move two girls downstairs into the guest room and put Baby "L"s bassinet into the room with the 3 younger girls. I need Little "O" to sleep all night, so he still gets his own room for the time being. I have been sleeping downstairs with Baby "L" to keep him from waking up everyone with his high pitched screams, but I am ready to get back to my tempurpedic bed, so we are going to have to do some rearranging. Who knows if any of this will get accomplished this weekend; but hey, if not, there is always next weekend.

Circumcision!!!! OUCH!!!

Let me just say....I think this is the most barbaric ritual we as parents do to our little baby boys. My sweet Baby "L" had his done today and wow what a very upset baby I have tonight!!! I dont blame him at all. When you look at that exposed, swollen and raw looking thing it can make a grown woman go weak in the knees. I dont care if my sweet baby wants to stay in my arms all night just to recover from this trauma I will rock him into the wee hours of the night and be happy to be the comfort he needs. Even the air hitting it at each diaper change sets him into a panic and he turns purple and screams. My heart is breaking for him and I am so mad that I let myself fall prey to these seemingly stupid rituals. My Baby "L" was so happy and content this morning and then I handed him over to the butcher and now he is so not happy! I am praying his recovery is short and my ability to soothe him is great. I'm sorry Baby "L"!!!!

Missin' My Scooter Boo!!!

Now, I know you are all probably getting a little sick of my sentimental postings lately but hey I just had a baby.....what do you expect? Tonight I am sitting here drowning in my self pitious state and wishing my Scooter was here to laugh at me and bring me back to reality. Instead, I spend my nights wishing he would call so I could just hear his voice and he could say something completely distasteful and make me laugh and say "YOU ARE SO GROSS!!" Actually I would really like to hear a little sweetness in his voice and an endearing comment of how much he misses me too, but anyone who knows my Scooter, knows that would just make us both laugh. I am getting sick of the telephone relationship we seem to be living currently and I am tired of pretending that it is all ok. The fact of the matter is that this SUCKS!!!!! I know that these situations are tests of faith and are used to make people stronger but my goodness I think it is time we get a break. This has been going on too long. This in its own weird way sucks more than our separation during deployments. I guess it all just BITES!!!! and I am just caving to the feelings of missing my man. All in all, phone relationships STINK and I will be glad when we are reunited and I can complain about something stupid like Big Papa's obsession with leaving his toothbrush in the bathroom sink. NASTY!!!! I know but it is funny what you miss!!!! I MISS MY SCOOTER BOO!!!!

Faces of the Future