How Adorable!

 How adorable is this picture I snapped of my mom and Brady waiting for the dance recital to start?!?!

The Rest of my Life

 This may end up being one of my favorite pictures for the rest of my life.

Introducing Super Brady!

Olypics Day!

 Last week our big kids had Olympics Day at school.

Tracey and Caroline were figure skaters, Howard and Lee Lee wore red, right, and blue, and Hunter and Brady were just their adorable American-loving selves.

Such Fun

 This Thanksgiving break has been so much fun thus far.  We've been staying incredibly busy with seasonal activities and family visiting...

I absolutely love the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season... but tomorrow I HAVE TO DO LAUNDRY!!!

Forgot!

 You know you're the 6th baby when your mother goes the ENTIRE day wihtout a clue that you are officially 5 months old.  I saw the date all day yesterday but did not remember that my baby was turning 5 months until 8:50pm when he was asleep in bed (Thank you Lord) and hopefully going to stay asleep for several hours into the night.

So... I will have to take his 5 month pictures tomorrow.  Sorry Brady.

In order to tide you over, I will share a picture that his baby-sitter sent me earlier this week.

I tell you, this little boy is the happiest, most joyful, and loveable bunch of chunky baby goodness that was ever put on earth.  I feel so fortunate to be able to soak up every last ounce of baby sweetness for as long as he's a baby and to get to watch my other children enjoy his sweet disposition as well.

Daily Dose

 Just want you to have your daily dose of adorable...

Cutest Picture

 Someday I will take a picture that captures how amazing Brady's blue eyes are... (I REALLY REALLY hope they stay as blue as they are now!).  The blue shirt had his eyes sparkling all day, but for now, you'll just have to take my word for it and enjoy this adorable picture, which does not highlight his blue eyes like I was hoping it would.

Not Quite...

 They were looking so cute for my picture and then I told them to hug each other... and it wasn't quite as cute an image as I had in my mind...

1000 Words

 1000 Words

Favorite Toy

 I'm pretty sure the dishwasher is currently Hunter's favorite toy

What You Haven't Done Today

 He doesn't do it every day, but not infrequently, Hubby will be talking to one of the kiddos and then, out of the blue say, "You know what you haven't done today?" and the child says, "What?"

Daddy replies, "Given me a great, big, gigantic, HUG!"

And the child happily gives daddy the biggest hug he or she possibly can.

Yesterday, Tracey got home from her second day of first grade... and as dinner started, she looked at Lee Lee and said, "Lee Lee, you know what you haven't done yet today?"

Lee Lee said "what?"

Tracey replied, "Given me a great, big, gigantic HUG!"

Lee Lee immediately ran to Tracey and the two of them hugged.

Happy Place

 I took this picture a few weeks ago right after Tracey took a face plant riding her scooter.

That being said, this picture really demonstrates Tracey's happy place.

She LOVES cuddling with her baby brother... and he's getting to an age where he wants to explore more than he wants to be cuddled, but Tracey still tries like crazy to love on him and be as helpful as she can.

I'm so glad she loves being a big sister.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Making A Train

When you are determined to make a train one way or another...

1000 Words

1000 Words

Already...

I wasn't expecting this kind of trouble for another few months at least...

Cuter Every Day

This little guys just cuter and cuter every day... I guess when you're six months old, that's they way its supposed to be.

"Princess"

Our big girls take dance class on Wednesday nights and Howard and Lee Lee get to sit and watch for the 45 minutes.

Addallee insists on wearing her own tap shoes (shoes her older sisters have outgrown) and she loves prancing around the floor chasing Howard.

This past week, she sat down and spread her hands out in a certain way and suddenly announced to me, "I Princess!" 

I said, "You're a princess?"

Then she thought about it and said, "No, I Addallee!"

"Oh, you're Addallee."

Upon additional thought, "No, I princess!"

"Well, are you Princess Addallee?"

"YES!  I Princess Addallee!" and she struck her pose sitting on the ground with her hands out!

 

Tracey and PEO

We are still adjusting to life with our oldest in kindergarten, a transition made more difficult by the fact she was in school two weeks, then had labor day weekend, then one day back to school before we pulled her out of school three days to travel 2000 miles to and from St. Louis for a family funeral.

We are still learning a lot about the rules and regs of the school, family expectations, student expectations, and our own routine in this new school environment. 

Well, during her second week of school, Tracey was picking out her school clothes for the next day, and said, "Oh, Mama... I want to pick a special outfit for tomorrow.  Tomorrow I have PEO."

PEO is an International Women's Organization of which both my mother and I are members.  Tracey knows about PEO because I attend monthly meetings, help organize social events, support fundraisers, and it is commonly discussed around our house and with my mother.  PEO is something Tracey has heard about her entire life.

When I heard that she had "PEO" the next day, I didn't correct her and tell her I was sure her school did not have a PEO chapter... I just said, "Okay, Sweetie, that's awesome," and let her go on picking her clothes.  For all I knew, our little leader had organized her own PEO meetings with her friends -- that would be our little Tracey Ann.

So, she carefully picked out a special outfit, and then chose a hair bow, and then chose a necklace.  While making these careful choices, she repeated several times that she had "PEO" tomorrow.

Then, she suddenly stopped, with two necklaces held in mid-air.  She looked at me and said, "Oh.  Wait. ... ... I have PE tomorrow."

That was such a special moment as my oldest was so excited for PEO... and then realized on her own that PE (Physical Education Class) might be something a little different. 

We then had to discuss wardrobe and the fact that there is a different dress code for PE than PEO. 

While my children are very familiar with workouts and the importance of exercise -- they really have never heard the term "PE" before.  "PEO" on the other hand -- that they hear about ALL THE TIME!

 

Sisters

I'm not entirely sure that my girls look alike... but I definitely dress them in similar styles at the same ages.  We love hand-me-downs and I do the same hairstyles.