Thankful

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was very nice and it is always great to spend time with family. Before we eat at Jason's Grandma and Grandpa's house we all stand in a circle and say something we are thankful for. This year Oakley was old enough to join in and what did he say he was thankful for..."Mommy!" Isn't that so sweet!! I honestly thought my heart was going to burst right there. That is one of those Mom moments that I am going to lock away in my heart forever. I will never forget that sweet little face and bright eyes looking up at me in front of everyone and hearing that precious little word come out of his mouth!

I am so thankful for so many things in my life that it could be hard to name them all in this post, but here are a few things that I am most thankful for. First and foremost, my God! Because of my God I have everything I need here on this earth and the promise of eternal life in heaven. I am so blessed to have the peace and love that comes with knowing Jesus Christ. Without Him I have nothing!

I am thankful for my husband, Jason. He is my best friend, my soul mate, and an amazing father to our children! Jason, I love you with all my heart. God knew exactly what he was doing when he matched us together. My love for Jason grows stronger with each passing day and with moments like this how could it not.

The love he has for his children makes him the most sexiest man alive in my book!

I am thankful for my three healthy and beautiful children. My life would not be complete without them. One thing I know for certain in this life is that I was meant to be a Mommy. There is nothing more precious in this world and I treasure every moment of it (even the crazy, stressful, sleepless, grapes being stomped on in my living room floor by a wild 3 year old moments.) The other night Jason and I didn't get much sleep because at one point or another all three kids were up during the night. Jason had to leave to go to work really early that morning and I ended up with all three of them in bed with me hoping for a few extra minutes of sleep. Well that didn't happen and at 7:00 am on my day off I have three playful kids laying in my bed laughing and giggling. Later that day I was talking to my Dad and I was telling him about our night and how the kids were wide awake at seven and his response was "enjoy it because you're going to miss that someday." Isn't that the truth!

Avery, you made me a Mommy for the first time, your love for life, your family, and your friends never ceases to amaze me, and for that I am ever grateful! Oakley, you are my handsome little man and a mama's boy all the way, and for that I am ever grateful! Lakelyn, you are my baby and probably my last, you light up my world with your little laugh and the look of wonder on your face when you wake up every morning, and for that I am ever grateful!

I am thankful for all of my family...because of you I am who I am. I am thankful for Jason's family...because of you my husband is the wonderful man that he is.

I am thankful for our amazing friends. You all play such an important roll in my life. It is such a blessing to have friends that you can truly count on and I love you all from the bottom of my heart!

And last but not least, I am thankful for the beautiful snow we had this past weekend! What a beautiful way to start this holiday season!

Basketball

Avery is playing Jr. Pro Basketball at her school this fall and Jason is helping coach. This is the first time she has ever played and so far she is loving it! It is so cute to see her be-bopping up and down the court and her reaction when she makes a basket is priceless! They are honestly so much fun to watch! Here are a couple of pictures from her first game. Excuse the picture quality...taking pictures in a gym with horrible florescent lighting is not the easiest thing in the world.

Avery shooting the ball

She looks like a natural here...she must get that from her Daddy because basketball was never my thing! My dad signed me up to play Jr. Pro once when I was little. I asked him if I had to get up that early every Sat. morning to go play and when he said said yes that was all she wrote. I told him if that was the case then I didn't want to play. Haha...I have NEVER been a morning person! I have always enjoyed watching basketball, but I never had a desire to play so I know my dad has to be loving having a Granddaughter who does!

Lakelyn's 4 months!

Just a quick update on Lakelyn!

~She has finally started to like her baths!
~She is rolling all over the place these days! Belly to Back and Back to Belly! In fact she rolled all the way across the living room floor the other day.
~She was 16lbs at her doctors appointment yesterday. Since she is doing so well we hope to keep exclusively breastfeeding until she is 6 months old.
~I am pretty sure she has already picked up on how to give kisses!
~Her fingers are her new favorite thing to chew on.
~She sat up for a few moments by herself tonight!!
~She absolutely loves all the attention Avery and Oakley give her. They are always sure to get a grin out of Miss Lakelyn!
~She is laughing out loud... and what a glorious sound that is!!
~She smiles all the time, but the minute I put the camera up to take a picture she is done...I am beginning to wonder if I will ever capture one of those beautiful smiles! :)

Puppies!!

A few weeks ago we had some dirt work done on our farm. We dug a pond and cleaned out some fence rows. A few days later Jason's dad was out picking up around one of the brush piles when he heard what he thought sounded like puppies...and puppies it was...7 to be exact! We took the kids out there and they played and played with the puppies. They were the cutest little things! A few days later the owners came and got them (they belonged to some people that live down the road from us.) Avery was so upset when they were gone. She just cried her little heart out. Needless to say her Daddy promised he would get her not just one but TWO puppies this coming spring. I don't know if he really knows what he has gotten us into, but I guess I don't mind too much...I mean every kid needs a dog right?

How sweet is that!!!

Halloween at our House

The kids has so much fun on Halloween this year! They talked about it for weeks beforehand and are already talking about what they are going to be next year. Avery decided to be a Red Devil this year for the sole reason that red devils have to wear red lipstick...right? When I first asked Oaks what he wanted to be he told me "Doctor Mater." Do you know how long it took me to figure out he wanted to be Darth Vator?!?!?! Miss Lakelyn was a pea in the pod with a big pink bow on top! Avery REALLY got into trick or treating this year. After we stopped at the first house and ran into several people we knew she told Jason and I that we were not to talk to anyone else anywhere we stopped so we could hurry and get to the next house! Oakley had a blast too and I am pretty sure he would of already ate all of his candy if we had not put it up...he has a pretty serious sweet tooth. And of course Lakelyn didn't know what what going on, but we sure had fun showing her off!!

My babies ready for trick or treating!

Our pumpkins we carved...we meant to carve three but after these two I had all I could take! Next year we may have to go back to triangle eyes and noses!

Lakelyn 3 months old

So I am a little behind on posting this but better late than never right?!?! Lakelyn is still quite the little "baby-doll" at our house. Avery and Oaks love to hold her and give her hugs and kisses all the time. She is all smiles these days and here is a little of what she has been up to:

*Learning what her hands are...she grabs EVERYTHING she can get her hands on! She has gotten a hold of Avery's hair more than a time or two. She is also getting really good at holding her toys and putting them in her mouth too.
*She LOVES to be talked to and LOVES to talk back.
*She is very good at blowing bubbles!
*Lakelyn is all smiles these days...all you have to do is look at her and she is bound to give you a smile!
*If you remember she started rolling belly to back at 5 weeks old. Now she is so close to rolling over back to belly! I keep thinking it will be anyday, but just as I think she is about to she gives up.
*Sometimes she is quite fond of her paci...other times she doesn't care a thing in the world for it and other times it makes a great chew toy!
*Sitting in her bumbo on the kitchen table and joining us for dinner is one of her favorite times of day.
*She is starting to really like her exersaucer for a few min. at a time.
*I have become quite the baby wearer and Lakelyn seems to like it quite a bit too! She loves to be right up next to me in our sleepy wrap!
*Baths are something that she is slowing starting to like.
*Lakelyn is a very content, easy baby and rarely cries..if she does cry you know she is either tired, needs a diaper change or just needs to be held for a few moments.
*And speaking of being held...that is one girl that LOVES to be held!
*Looking in the mirror absolutely memorizes her!
*We are still exclusively breastfeeding. She is nursing about every 4 hours during the day, but no matter what time she last ate at daycare you better believe she is ready to nurse as soon as she gets home!
*She still wakes up once during the night to eat and as much as I love my sleep I honestly don't mind our little cuddle time at 3 am
*She actually did sleep through the night once but it was just a fluke!
*When it is bed time she wants to be put down in her bed and she goes right to sleep.
*She loves for me to sing to her and it is such a joy to see her face light up when I do!
*When she went to the doctor last week she weighted 15lbs, so she is quite the little chunk!

Wow, how 3 months has flown by! Here are a few of her 3 months pictures I took!