7 Years

Today marks the seven year anniversary of losing our sweet Katelyn.  Today, instead of blowing out candles, opening presents, and eating cake, she is singing and dancing with the angels in heaven.  It's hard to be sad when you think about it that way.

But, like every other year, I am sad.
Really sad.

I'm not sure why today seems so hard, and I guess when I think back, it's really no harder than any other year. You'd think that after seven years, it would no longer feel like I've been punched in the heart, but it does.  Every detail of that day comes flooding  right back to me like it was yesterday.  Oh, how I wish I could have her back. 

But I can't. 

So, today I will celebrate her life by showering Parker, Eden, and Lily with an extra dose of love.  I will hug them longer, kiss them more often and tell them how much I love them even when they push me to my limits.  I will not take them for granted because I know the pain that comes with losing a child.  What blessings they are to me, especially on a day like today!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!  We love you and you will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Happy Birthday, Jolea!

Today we got to help our sweet neighbor, Jolea, celebrate her 6th birthday!  She and Parker are both in kindergarten together and have become good friends.  Her birthday party was at a local art place called The Art Barn.  The kids got to choose a shape to paint and decorate.  Parker chose a truck and Eden chose a cupcake.  They both LOVED it and talked about it the entire drive home! 

Happy Birthday, Jolea!  We hope you had a very special day!

 The finished products! 

Happy 5th Birthday Addison!

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet niece, Addison!

This weekend we had the chance to celebrate with Addison at her birthday party.  This year, she wanted a rainbow party at a jump house place in Arlington.  Her cake looked simple on the outside, but had a big rainbow surprise on the inside!

 

The kids all had a great time running and jumping in the bounce houses.  I could not keep up with them most of the time because they were moving so fast! 

Parker, Eden and Lily were so excited when they found out Aunt MerMer was going to be at the party.

After breaking for cake and presents, the kids were back to running and jumping some more.  They were worn out by the time the party was over and had such a great time celebrating with Addison and her friends.

It is hard to believe that Addison is already five years old.  I remember the day she was born so well and am so proud of the beautiful little girl that she has become. 

 We love you so much, Addison, and hope that you have a very special birthday today!

The Carousel Ride

Yesterday, after Addison's birthday party, Aunt MerMer decided that she wanted to take all five big kids on the carousel at the Parks Mall.  The first (and only) time we tried to take Parker and Eden on a carousel was last year at the zoo. They cried hysterically as soon as I put them up on a horse and ended up sitting in my lap while all of the other kids enjoyed the ride. 

This time, Parker couldn't wait to try it and jumped right up on his horse next to Addison. Eden was still quite timid and unsure and tried to back out at the last minute. Aunt MerMer made her face her fears and, although there were a lot of tears at first, I think she ended up enjoying the ride.  Lily, as usual, embraced the new situation with no fear and smiled and laughed throughout the entire ride.  I love watching my kids experiencing new things and it is always more fun when Addison and Aubrey are there too! Thanks Aunt MerMer for the fun carousel ride!

Eden's First Day of Preschool

Eden started Sunshine Preschool yesterday. She will go on Tuesday/Thursday from 9-12. Her teacher is Miss Tammy, the same teacher that Parker had when he was in the three year old class. Parker has been so sweet to encourage her and tell her what to expect at school.

 

Eden was very excited about the first day of school and promised me that she was not going to cry. (You never know with Eden. She still suffers from some separation anxiety due to her extreme shyness.) 

 Even though she stayed home with Granna, Lily had to act like a big girl and get in a picture too!!

I was quite pleased with how Eden did with drop off.  She was very hesitant to join the group but no tears were shed! When I picked her up at noon, she was all smiles and talked all afternoon about her day. I hope she stays this excited about school and pray that she will love school as much as her brother does!

Super Grizzly

Parker had a GREAT first week in kindergarten!  He in completely in love with school and his teacher, Mrs. Pritchard. (He cried last night when I told him we didn't have to set his alarm for school today!) 

His favorite things about school so far have been eating pizza in the cafeteria on Friday, going to centers, and getting to pick something out of Mrs. Pritchard's treasure chest for having good behavior all week. 

We are so proud of how well he has listened and obeyed the rules at school so far.  (Finally, I can see my consistent parenting paying off!)  He made good choices and stayed on "green" every day but I always got a daily report of who in his class did not make good choices.  He was really bothered by the fact that some of his classmates had to change their color and asked me repeatedly for reasons why they would make bad choices and not listen to the teacher. 

Because he had such good behavior this week, his teacher picked him to be the Super Grizzly!  Each Friday, each kindergarten teacher chooses one student to be the Super Grizzly (aka- Student of the Week).  They get to help with the announcements by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with the principal.  They also get to wear a special Super Grizzly vest and have their All About Me poster displayed in the hall.  What an honor to be the first Super Grizzly of the year! 

After helping with the Pledge, all three Super Grizzlies got a special pencil from our principal, Mr. Blalock.

I could not be more proud of my sweet boy!  I hope he continues to love school and learning!  I am so thankful to his teacher for making him feel so special this week and can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for him!