Back by Poplular demand..

well... maybe not so popular but a few people have been asking why I don't ever update this thing, so I will.
Life is absolutely CRAZY! But, in a good way. The kids are doing great! We all seem to be runnning in a million different directions a millions times per day, but that's life. Tessa is still dancing and wearing her crazy outfits to school, Ella is still trying to adopt every pet in the neighborhood, Gracie and Isaiah have took up wrestling 2 times per week (ahhhh....), Emma is becoming a teenager with all the "perks" of not really liking her parents and in the band playing the saxophone, Cameron is doing great, he is walking and running everywhere, climbing the stairs, and barks every time he sees his Dad and that is hilarious. I guess he thinks his Dad is a dog:)
Time is just passing by so fast. The week begins and seems to end all in the same day. It's funny how with age, time goes faster, things matter less or more, and you seem to appreciate every minute like it is your last. Well, most of the time.
When I was little all I wanted to be when I grew up was a Mom with a lot of kids. Well, I got that, plus a job I love, plus some really great friends who I never would have imagined I would run into along the way. Don't get me wrong things are not always peachy, well most of the time they are not. There seems to be a lot of drama in my life these days and a lot less sleep than I would like to have. I can't remember the last time I slept past 6:30 in the morning... But, all in all I got my wish plus some. This blog is starting to sound a little reflective I think... better stop now.
So, Halloween is Saturday and we are still in the works of costumes. So far.. Cameron is going to be a spider, Tessa is going to be a princess of course, Ella is undecided,Gracie is talking about being Dorothy, Isaiah says he is going to be a wrestler, and I'm not sure if Emma is dressing up yet... Should be interesting.
Hopefully, I will post some pictures of the little darlings in their costumes.. that is if I ever get time to sync the camera to the pc... Hmmm.. wonder if I can get Craig to dress up like Edward Cullen?

Life as we know it...

Well, since our Summer has ended it ended with a bang! We got a new addition to our family about 5 weeks ago. We now have temporary custody of my 9 month old nephew which has definitely been interesting. The kids absolutely love him as do we. It is definitely new though packing up a diaper bag, changing diapers, and getting up all hours of the night. I wouldn't change a thing though we love having him.
The kids started school last week and are doing great. Tessa is in Kindergarten, Ella is in 1st grade, Gracie in 3rd, Isaiah in 6th and Emma is in 8th grade! I just can't believe they are getting so big! The 3 little girls ride the bus and Tessa packs the barbie jeep up every morning with backpacks and rides down to the bus stop and the other girls ride their bikes. Tessa's jeep has a radio so she turns it up loud and jams down the road, it is just hilarious. The hardest part right now is bed time, because they are not wanting to go to be at 8:00 and they need to since they are so hard to get up at 6:30 in the mornings.
Anyway, life is going good. I am definitely feeling older than my age this year, but I think we will survive!

We are HOME!

We made it home! We had a nice trip home, all flights were on time and I was able to sleep most of the way.... Other than getting up at 3AM, I feel pretty recovered. We had a great time in Canada, but there is no place like home. Yesterday we went to Banf and the rocky mountains were beautiful!
I decided to check in on the kids as soon as we landed in Texas and Gracie was being taken to the Dr., she appears to have chicken pox only they are not... so who knows? Anyway, as soon as we got home Craig took off to Nashville to go get them, so they should be home sometime tonight.

Things I have learned while I was gone...
I love my friends
I have the best friends anyone could ask for
My friends will do anything for me
Even though they live in Nashville, I have amazing cousins who will watch my kids for as long as I need.
Shannon and Matt are going to be the best parents ever!! (Tessa had a blast staying with them)
Bob & Gwen take amazing care of Ella anytime I need them, and she still doesn't want to come home....
I am very lucky to have great kids
I really would like just one more baby....
Craig and I can still have fun together and we did!
Group trips are FUN!!
God is so Good, and always with me and if I will listen will teach me something every day....

Snow Day!!

Wow! We woke up this morning and it was snowing hard!! Ofcourse, the downside was they had to cancel the festival and we got to take it all down in the freezing weather. We had a good day though, and got to spend some good times with some new friends. I talked to some of the kids today, and everyone is having a great time and no one really misses us all that much... I guess that's a good thing??!! At any rate, all is well on the homefront and even with all of schedule changes, cancellations and crazy weather this trip has been good and I'm reminded more every day of how God is in control and I am not...

37 degrees?

Wow today was unbelievable here in Canada!! I think the high got up to about 37 degrees and poured down rain all day long. We did set up for the festival today, but it was less than uncomfortable. Once we had worked for a little this morning, we decided we should go to the second hand store to try and find clothes... since we all mostly brought shorts and t-shirts. We succeeded in finding some warm attire and I came back with a nice warm leopard head wrap which did great for my ears today. The rest of me... well was cold.
It really did amaze me at the people that came out today in the rain with babies and small children in tow.
Wow, I am so tired and my bones are aching from being frozen. All in all I think I was a pretty good sport and didn't complain too much about the weather. The people here really are great and I am enjoying meeting new people and making new friendships. I am hoping tomorrow will be sunny and a little warmer, but the forecast is calling for more rain and colder weather....

Here are some pictures from our nice SUNNY day yesterday...

Canada Bound!

Well, we are Canada Bound!! After, plane issues with the weather, being rerouted to another airport, and the flight to Canada being delayed we finally made it Tuesday night. It was a good trip though, other than the fact that airplanes just don't give out snacks anymore. Can you imagine? I was about to starve to death.. Anyway, so far since we arrived in Canada, we have ate, ate some more. Today we are getting ready to go and work. We are going downtown today to help set up for a festival. I have met some really neat people so far, and we are staying in a bed and breakfast that has an awesome family running it. I hear pancakes are on the menu this morning! The time change is throwing me off just a little though, I actually woke up at 5:00 Canada time this morning... Ahhhh!!
The kids seem to be doing great with everyone they are staying with, everyone is taking such good care of them and they are having a blast! They are probably caring less that we are even gone. So, I guess that's all for now!

Infamous Pictures

since the whole moving, no internet most of the time I have not been posting pictures but... I just had to share the ones from Easter. When it got time to hunt eggs, Gracie dressed up in her "Safety gear" and it was hilarious! We had so much fun spending time with our family that day, so here are some pictures!

Summer is here!!

School is almost out.... I am excited to sleep late and for the kids to not have to get ready for school the night before... This year has gone by soooo fast! Everyone is getting so big.
The kids are loving our new house, there are tons of kids in our neighborhood so they stay outside all of the time, which helps the house stay a LOT cleaner. Craig and I are going to Canada in June for 7 days, I am excited and nervous all at the same time. We have never left the kids before for more than a day or two... It will be fun though, and the the kids love where they are staying while we are gone. The dogs are staying home though, so I'm sure they will miss us all very much...
Anyway, Baseball is coming to an end this week for Isaiah, and The girl's dance recital is this Saturday, and next week we have graduations, programs, and parties... And, it's all over. My babies are not babies anymore they are all growing up to be so big. Kindergarten and Middle school here we come!! One more year for Emma and she will be in HIGH School, this is Crazy. I never anticipated them all growing up.