In Case They Ever Wonder

Sophie's best friend in the world is Jack McClanahan, who is the son of my best friend in the world, Ashley McClanahan . Now one might think that Sophie and Jack have been forced into being friends, and really, they have, but their love for one another goes far beyond anything that ">Ash and I could have ever forced upon them. And even though Soph has had their wedding planned for years now, they actually act more like brother and sister than anything else! Even though he wants to play football men and she wants to read a book, and she wants to color while he wants to wrestle, most of the time they are able to meet in the middle. Now that we are back in Tennessee, they are having so much fun spending more time together. This past Saturday, we were able for the very first time to watch Jack play soccer on his team, the Nashville Skunks! This is Jack's third season playing, but our first time watching him, so we were more than a little excited! Hence, the skunk poster a...

Sophie decided it's time to educate Will. She is rather unimpressed with her brother's command of phonics, so she decided to begin "Will School," a letter a week, tailor-made to interest a two-year-old boy. Sophie is in charge of the planning (with a few suggestions from me...), and I'm responsible for implementing. Sophie did a great job with letter A teaching Will... A is for... Alfie (a Thomas character, we are trying to using Thomas characters as sure-fire attention grabbers) airplane and angel (Will is a huge fan of Blue Angels after our trip to the beach) Aunt Tori (We were sure to have lunch with Aunt Tori to celebrate!) Alabama (believe me, we talked about this particular A a whole lot on Saturday) apples (we snacked on them all week. Of course, we always do, but I pretended it was all about A!) Animals, Animals (one of Will's Eric Carle favorites), Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Bad Day , (one of Soph's favorites, but one ...

My sweet Lillian Hope, You are eight months old, and each day when I look at you, I'm filled with wonder. Recently, Daddy and I heard a song ( When We Were Young ) that perfectly describes how I feel about being your mama. Eight months later, I look at you and I still can't believe you're mine. You are so beautiful, so precious, so full of joy and gentleness. I have been given two amazing gifts, and I guess that somehow, even though I knew I would love you, I didn't realize that you would totally knock my socks off! I just can't believe that the Lord has blessed me with you. I've experienced the joy of parenting and the overwhelming love a mama has for her child, but, until you started smiling, I never fully understood the term "bundle of joy." And there just isn't a better term to describe you. Sometimes in the middle of the night I can see your precious grin through the darkness of our bedroom. Even though you can't possibly see me we...

Fall is coming, or so the calendar says! For the first time today, I walked outside and believed it may actually happen! I am so excited to experience my favorite season of the year with my littlest pumpkin, Lillie Pie! I can't wait to show her the leaves, to take her to a pumpkin patch, and of course, to take her trick-or-treating for the first time! Fire pits and football, pumpkin crunch and pumpkin carving - I can't wait! So come on fall, my pumpkin pie and I are waiting for you!

Our family loves words, and our house is full of them! Words read, words memorized, words sung, words spoken, and sometimes, words shouted! I don't know how poor Lillie will ever get a word in! Here are a few of the more memorable words heard from Sophie and Will just this week. "I will not assault her again!" Nice. If only it had been true. (in the middle of the grocery store after Sophie stole his buggy) "You are mean Sophie and I am most indignant!" (Boy, did we get some looks on that one! Thanks, Thomas. Though actually Will corrected me, letting me know "Gordon say that!") Of course, he full-force charged Sophie a few moments after declaring his indignance! Just after Will timidly asked if the bats were going to get him since it was dark outside, and we subsequently corrected Sophie for scaring her brother about said bats, we overheard... "Will, have I ever told you about the deer that eats little boys?" Well, he definitely has her whe...

So, they aren't quite big enough to show up in a picture, but at seven months, our sweet Lillie Pie finally cut her first tooth - and then within a couple of days, her second tooth! Both were bottom center, first right, then the left. She continues to be Lillie-the-late-bloomer, as she went toothless way longer than either her sister or her brother. But though she had a couple of fussy days, her teething experience has been a breeze compared to big brother's! She is sitting up so straight and strong, and she couldn't be prouder! Again, laid-back Lillie sat a little later than Sophie and Will, but I think it's probably because I so rarely put her down! Sitting helps her hang in there with Soph and Will a bit better, though I still have to hold her about 80% of the time, so Will doesn't accidentally flatten her! And in further Lillie-is-a-genius news, she is constantly saying "Dadda" - yep, Dadda! When she wakes up in the middle of the night, she gazes at...

Big Will had his first day of preschool this past Tuesday. Now, last year he went to the toddler class while I taught on Monday afternoons, and that was his first taste of school, but this is two days a week, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. - you know big boy school. And speaking of "big boys," Will looks like an absolute giant in his classroom full of normal 2 1/2 year olds. In fact, Will's buddy is actually a little small for his age, so the two of them together is quite a sight - though a very precious sight! Will has a very nice teacher, Ms. Theresa, who is also a big Alabama fan, so that is a plus! There are only five kids in his class, but I'm thinking from the exhaustion written all over Ms. Theresa's face in the afternoons, that five is plenty! We had our first "back to school" breakfast for Will, complete with a Thomas sign made by Matt! (Finally, I was grateful for Matt's amazing cartooning abilities!) Along with his sign, we showered Will with other Thoma...