In Case They Ever Wonder

These are my guys. And the little guy has really been missing the big guy. And from what I heard, the big guy was really starting to miss the little guy too! See, these guys didn't see each other for over two weeks! No playing trains, no wrestling, no playing outside together - no guy time! Now that I think of it, it wasn't just the guys missing each other! I know two little blonde-haired blue-eyed girls who were ready for some daddy-daughter time! And actually, this blonde-haired, blue-eyed mama was missing daddy too! We are so glad to all be living under the same roof again! And since we are now living in a two-bedroom condo until our house in Georgia sells, we should get all the "together" time we could possibly want! In fact, I plan on sharing some of our "Tales from the Condo" on the blog! But one thing is for sure, whether we are in a condo or a castle, these guys (and three girls) are thankful to be together!

At four months, Lillie continues bring amazing joy to our family! She is a happy girl, smiling, not just with her mouth, but with her whole face! She likes peek-a-boo, and she loves "flying baby" where I lift her high in the air. She loves music, though if brother is around, the songs have to be about trains! She likes a nice bath (though she doesn't get very many), and she loves to coo and babble to keep our attention. She has expressive eyes that seems to reveal her moods. She has a serious, inquistive side and a playful joyful side. Of course, she also has a tired-out get-those-big-kids-away-from-me side! There is a definite gentleness about Lillie that is distinct from both Sophie and Will. She can certainly let you know when she's unhappy, but her cry lacks the dramatic intensity of her sister's and the pure strength of her brother's. Lillie is almost never put down and though she's rolled over once, she may never do it again as she is most often in m...

Will seems to have hit his two-year-old stride. He now daily tells me, "No, I won't." He frequently kicks, hits, or tackles, declaring "It funny - not rude!" And while I've said for a while he didn't know his own strength, I do believe he is starting to figure it out! He is still incredibly large physically, and now his personality is catching up to his body! He is still a great lover of trains and cars, and he loves to tell me to "talk Thomas," meaning I'm supposed to be Thomas and he's some other train. The only problem is that I only know how to have a train conversation for so long, and he could play for hours! (What in the world do trains talk about anyway?) His new love is hunting for bugs, and he has a particular love of rollie-pollies. He likes to load up his pockets and announce "rollie-pollie in my pocket!" When asked his name, he responds either "William James" or "Willie James," at which point I...

Lillie is well-loved by her older siblings. Sophie is thrilled about have a sister, and she is even exciting about changing her diapers! Will rarely leaves Lillie's side, and he wakes her up most mornings, no matter how much I may try to prevent him! Sophie is as proud as a peacock when people tell her how much Lillie looks like her, and Will is convinced that he is the center of Lillie's universe, (she's cooing at me, she smile at me, I'm her brudder)! Any concerns I had about Lillie not getting as much attention as the third child were just silly. Sometimes she gets more attention than she wants (sometimes she tires of Will's daily toe counts)! But already I can see Lillie responding to Sophie and Will more each day. It is such a joy to see my children growing in their ability to love one another.

As I've said, May 9 is Dad's birthday and this year, Lillie's dedication, but we also celebrated Mother's Day on this special Sunday! And we had no shortage of mothers and children on hand to celebrate! (And if you ask me, either aunts should be included in Mother's Day or they need a day all to themselves!) To church on Sunday, Lillie wore a dress my grandmother made almost 57 years ago for my mom. I have pictures of Sophie in this dress and of course, Mee-Maw has many memories of both making it and dressing her little girl in what would become an heirloom in our family. Lillie wore another family heirloom to her dedication service. She looked just beautiful wearing the same dress I was dedicated in, worn by all the baby girls in our family either home from the hospital or at a dedication service. My great aunt made the dress for me when I was born, and it was worn most recently by Sophie at her dedication when she was almost exactly Lillie's age. Again, a floo...

My best friend in life is Ashley McClanahan . We've been friends since 7th grade, when we were just twelve years old. I have literally done more of my life with Ashley than without her. Boyfriends, breakups, graduations, engagements, weddings, you name it, we've been through it. We have cried buckets of tears together and for one another, but the laughter has far outweighed any sadness. Very few tales I have to tell don't involve Ash. And though a few of those tales include some tears, nearly all include lots of laughter. She is much like the fourth daughter in our family; In my crazy-close, tight-knit crew, she is one of us. We are each other's people. One of the greatest comforts and joys of my life has been that Ash and I have gone through parenting, basically together. Sophie and Jack are just 10 months a part, and then Will, Cole, and Lillie are truly stair-steps, at 2, 1, and new, all with birthdays within three weeks of each other. (It's her turn to have a ...

May 9, 2010. I've thought about this date for months now. I've known it was the date of Parent Child Dedication service at TPC since well before I had Lillie. I've known it was the day after Sophie's play in Atlanta since her school schedule came out last August. For months, I've known that, once again, Mother's Day and Dad's birthday were landing on the very same day(the second weekend in May can be an expensive one in our family)! I've known that May 9 would be an overwhelming day for our family for quite a while now. But only in the past three months did I half-dread May 9, 2010. Since we had just been through my aunt dying of cancer only four months after diagnosis, I wondered a little over three months ago if we would be celebrating Dad's 59th birthday. I wondered if he would ever get the opportunity to spend much time getting to know his newest grandchild and whether he would live to see her dedicated to the Lord. Then after I felt like he migh...

May is known for being hectic in our family, tied only with December for crazy busyness. Last year, we celebrated Tori's wedding, Sophie's end of year play and recital, Mother's Day, Dad's birthday, Hope's graduation, and Sophie's best friend Jack's birthday. (By the way, the morning of Jack's party, I found out I was pregnant with Lillie - a little more unexpected excitement for the month of May!) Well, I'm not sure we've topped last year, but we're off to a great start! So far this month, we've... taken a trip to Six Flags (my first and last while living in Atlanta) celebrated Aunt Tori and Uncle Derek's first anniversary with them (Rosa Mexicana in Atlantic Station - so fun!) announced Matt's resignation from Crossroads and our move to Tennessee (so bittersweet because though we are thrilled about the new opportunity at TPC, we have loved Crossroads so very much) experienced Lillie's first fever (didn't turn out to be ...