This Fall - Birthday, Preschool, Halloween

Ok so my resolution for 2014 is to keep up with this blog! Some of these pictures date back to August and it is nearly December now.  It takes time to document, but looking through these pictures makes me so happy that I get to spend my days with these two precious people and I don't want to forget a minute of it. 

Both children are enrolled in preschool this year and it is such a blessing for all of us.  They love their teachers, friends, and activities there. The first day of school just happened to be August 27th - somebody's 4th birthday.  

First day being 4 years old and first day in the 4's class. 

Gotta love first day of school pictures! 

Lucy Mills taking McClain's picture on her Barbie phone ;) 

Along with fall comes football season.  Suggie has graciously given up many a Saturdays to spend with her grands so that mommy and daddy could enjoy a watching a ball game.  These two sure do treasure her company and her time invested in them. 

Lucy Mills interest to learn has really taken off this fall.  She loves to work on her letters, trying to spell words, and doing "school work" with Mommy.  

She had a minor surgery to caurterize veins in her nose recently.  A few minutes after coming out of anesthesia I was rocking her in the recovery room when she looked up at me and said Mommy, can we just go home and do school work now? Yes sweet, studious child we can. 

In October the 4's class at preschool hosted Western Day for the parents.  Our little cowgirl dressed up (and then took her pink cowboy hat off) and paraded in the sanctuary on their stick horses.  

The children did a great job singing songs and performing for us.  These are Lucy Mills' two best preschool friends - Eva Claire and Evie.  Sweet girls. 

So thankful for her friendship with Evie. 

Lucy Mills loved having Pop Pop come and see her at Western Day.  

There was even a real horse for our cowgirl to meet. 

This was the first time we have joined in on Halloween.  For Lucy Mills' first Halloween we went to Alabama, the following year I was on bed rest with McClain, last year someone was sick, so October 31,  2013 was a day we were all looking forward to. I knew exactly what I wanted to dress the children in.  As soon as I found some red sparkly shoes, Dorothy and the Lion from The Wizard of Oz seemed to be a perfect fit for my cuties.  

The night before Halloween I took Dorothy and Lion to the Fall Festival at their preschool.  We rode our first roller coaster together, jumped in the bounce house, and went Trunk-or-Treating. 

They also celebrated with a fall party at school.  

Here is Lucy Mills with her her teachers Mrs. Whittle and Mrs. Lambercht. 

And with her best gal pals Eva Claire and Evie. 

I also celebrated with McClain's class and the 2 year olds got to pick pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. Here he is with his best bud Jack Gentry. 

On Halloween night we invited Lucy Mills' preschool friend Evie, and her family over for our neighborhood block party and trick-or-treating. 

-Brock, Evie, Lucy Mills, McClain- 

They children loved Halloween (minus the one scary house we visited). The costumes, the candy, going door to door - it was a great memory. 

And I'll end this post with this image - what joy this brings their English major mama to see her babies' noses buried in books.  This could occur on any given day - us in our pj's sitting around reading together.  Love it. 

Still Here

Well life is just breezing right on by.  The moments turn into days, the days into weeks and months, and eventually I look back at the 'ol blog and am sad that I haven't documented as much as I would have liked.  I know in 20+ years I will miss the intricate details of these days being home with my children. 

However, time away from the computer means time spent making memories along this unique journey of mothering my little ones.  They are still small, yet so grown up, developing into neat little people whose company I have grown to treasure. 

She has blossomed from a toddler to a pleasant little lady with a mind of her own.  She enjoys preschool, especially the little boy with the blue-rimmed glasses named Bryan.  Apparently they like to "be silly together." 

Despite her pink, ballerina inspired assembles she enjoys playing any sport with a ball.  She is most at home outside on a sunshine filled day where she can kick, dribble, throw, or swing at a ball. This makes her daddy oh so proud.

She is in a big stage of being a daddy's girl.  He has been away traveling with work quite a bit lately, so she always asks for "special days" with daddy when he is home.  These usually include ice cream, chocolate, fried nuggets or some other type of yumminess that mommy avoids during the week.  While he is away she asks me what he will eat for supper, what color scrubs he is wearing, and then we always remember to talk about how thankful we are for our hard working daddy.  She lights up for that man. 

She has also been hard at work writing her abc's.  She is very good at writing the letters in her name.  Other times she will bring me a paper of scribbles and say "here Mommy, this says I love you very, very much."

My wild man.  I knew that with his laid back, easy going personality that he would never go through the tantrum-filled terrible two's like my first born did.  I was wrong. 

A mere month into his second year meltdowns, tears, and yelling no Mommy, no! with a pointed index finger became a daily reality.  We are working through it. Somedays you just have to laugh because he is so stinking cute when he gets mad. 

The most notable thing about this sweet boy lately is his talking.  Last week I had 5 people in a matter of minutes tell me how well he is talking and how much they just like to hear him speak.  I haven't found a word he can't say or at least that I can't understand him attempting to say.  I know this is so rare in children this age, especially boys.  I do enjoy how much he understands and can communicate to express himself. 

He loves to read.  He loves to dance during guitar time with Daddy.  He won't eat fruits but I can get a few vegetables in him most of the time.  He is so funny without even trying to be.  Yet also a charmer who knows how to get a smile out of someone; especially me when he says Mommy so pretty, you so beauutifuul Mommy.  Melt my mama heart every time Brown Eyes. 

I love that he loves his sister.  His sis.  He has gone from calling her Sissy Mills, to Sissy, to now just Sis.  Oh how I love the relationship these two share.  The giggles, the smiles, the teaching, the fights, all of it.  This is when having them a mere year apart is totally worth it because they are so involved in each others worlds. 

These days are not easy, but they are so, so worth every second of effort, exhaustion, and uncertainty.  I love these two babes with every fiber of my being.  I bet in the years to come I will reflect on these days as some of my best time spent.

Investing in them is worth everything. 

2012 Reads

This post may be completely boring but I want to start documenting the books I am reading.  I have been an avid reader since I was a child and am trying to be more diligent in this area.  {Translation: stop watching those addictive reality tv shows!}  I can remember telling people that I wanted to be a writer and a librarian when I grew up...nerd alert! 

The majority of my reads these days tend to be focused on marriage and motherhood, so maybe it will help others currently on the same path.  Plus there are a few photography and fiction novels sprinkled in the list just to keep the Self-Help category from being too daunting.  ;) Feel free to suggest books or blogs that are interesting - I am always looking for the next thing, even if it takes me a while to plow through it.  

Here is my 2012 list so far and I hope to add more and more. 

Praise Her In the Gates  Nancy Wilson

Loving the Little Years  Rachel Jankovic

Kisses From Katie  Katie Davis

A Mom After God's Own Heart  Elizabeth George

Folly Beach  Dorothea Benton Frank

The Best of Me  Nicholas Sparks

The Shaping of a Christian Family  Elisabeth Elliot

The Bathtub is Overflowing but I Feel Drained  Lysa Terkheurst

Just Give Me Jesus  Ann Graham Lotz  

Max on Life  Max Lucado

Understanding Exposure  Bryan Peterson

The UnManual - Making Your Camera Work for You  Drew B

The Magician's Nephew  C.S. Lewis
Don't Make Me Count to Three!  Ginger Plowman
The Excellent Wife  Martha Peace


As my children get older I want to record their favorite books from year to year.  Please recommend any good children's books that are good read alouds and I will also pass on the ones I find to be encouraging.
Here's to a summer with our noses buried in page turners and not the fixated to the flat screen!