Babies everywhere

Howdy! It seems each time we meet here that I have been absent for another long stretch. And today is certainly no different. I felt pretty gloomy when I looked back and saw the pitiful few posts made here this year. We've had such a fast changing year, and I do regret not keeping up with it better. But alas, forsooth, the show goes on :)


I have wanted to blog on our ever expanding family. On both Ricky and my side of the family babies have and are being added. So here they come in the order they arrived.

Last November (ahem, yes that far back) we welcomed Kirby. I just love this darling girl's name. I had a teddy bear as a baby that has managed to stay with me to this day named Kirby. I heard yesterday that this girl has been taking her first steps and is on the move now. Her big brother Elijah will have him a playmate to chase around in no time now.

A few pictures I've gotten to take of Kirby B's first few months.

 It won't be long and she will celebrate her first birthday! She's the prettiest blue eyed little girl.


Allright, moving on....

The next baby we welcomed this year was our niece Kay Anne. She was a very big surprise to our family. And I will never forget the Christmas at Grandmomma Kay's house when we first learned that she was on the way. I cried when I heard and we were all so excited! Aunt Emily got her a little girl when Kay joined the world quickly and sooner than expected. We were all so thankful that everything settled down and little Kay (who was born early and was VERY LITTLE indeed) was just perfect. We got to be at the hospital for her arrival and welcome this girl into the world.

With her 2 big brothers watching over her and doting on her, she has some great caregivers. Kay got to come spend the night with Uncle Ricky and Aunt B. We sure did enjoy getting to spoil on her a bit. I tell you, those roads to all these nieces and nephews who live out of town sure do get long. Like my Memaw used to say- I wish I had a helicopter to hop on and ride over to visit you.

Here are  a few pictures of tiny Baby Kay. Wish we had more but that will have to be a project for another day.

Cousins and Big brother Waiting on Baby Kay to make her first appearance 

First glimpse

Nina & Kay 

Last but not least Eliza or "Ellie" joined our family.
This is my brother, Adam & his wife Michaela's first baby. She looks like both her parents to me. She's gotten to stay with Aunt B a time or 2 and I just love snuggling her. (Okay, in case anyone doesn't know, I just love babies! lol) I know this little lady will be a real cowgirl and figure her parents are already thinking about her first pony :)

Eliza Kay

My baby holding the new baby...why does my baby look like a grown up?!

Sweet new family

Don't you just want to squeeze these sweet cheeks!?

One things is for sure. Ellie won't be the baby of our growing family long ...
She is gonna be learning quickly that babies don't stay babies. Baby Silas (Jake & Ashby baby #1) is on the way in February and Baby ? Reed (Ben and Kristina baby #2) will be just behind that.
So there will be more baby blog posts in the future, if I can keep up!

And just since she isn't left out... a couple pictures of Mamie...who didn't get to stay the baby of the family long either!

Thats all for now folks ~ Maybe I won't be such a stranger around here....we will see!

December 2017

I have gotten lax with taking pictures, blogging and keeping up our photo albums. Lately I've contemplated quitting the blog altogether and resorting to journals again, but then something always calls me back to it and so here we go at the catch up game.

December 2017 was a flurry of activities, as always. Like I said, I haven't been great at taking photos lately so there are several gaps in this post.

We started the month off with a quick weekend trip to Lake Barkley- just Ricky & I. The first weekend of December is becoming a time he plans a trip for us each year. Part of me argues with him that it is too busy of a time and the other part of me comes back so refreshed and ready to be better able to enjoy the Christmas season.

Refreshed, renewed and relaxed, that is how I was supposed to be after a get-away, right?

Instead, I got a day that will live in infamy.
 One Saturday in December, I decided to do some massive Christmas baking with the kids. Our church was having a bake auction the following morning so that the kids could work to raise funds for missions. As I merrily went to the store and began adding items to my ever-filling buggy, I had visions of us baking together and making memories. I decided not only to get enough items for the bake sale but also get extra so that we could take some plates of treats to our neighbors. I could see us in our cooking aprons with flour smeared across our cheeks all while we listened to Christmas carols playing and baked for charity. I was intent on making memories with them that day and couldn't wait to get started. With at least 10 different baking ideas in mind, we dug in.

This photo is what I had hoped for:

Within 30 minutes I realized I had been extremely delusional with my planning and patience level. I had waaaayyy underestimated how much time it would take us to get things together. Slowly, I felt my happy Christmas memory making day slipping away, but I persevered - determined not to fail.

About 2 hours later with flour smeared not only on our cheeks but on every surface in my kitchen, I was coming apart at the seams. I rolled out sugar cookie dough on my large dining table and prepared to let the kids cut out Christmas cookie shapes with our cutters. Only problem was that the dough went down and wouldn't come back up. Something that has plagued me every time I have ever tried to make a blasted sugar cookie.

About the time that the dough was falling apart and my emotions were too, I realized someone was at the back door.

"It's Mimi," the kids shrieked, glad to see she had surprised us with a visit. "OF COURSE IT IS!" I screamed.

((Now, it is to be noted that I am not a screaming person. So the screaming came as an unexpected shock to the kids.))

"OF COURSE THE BEST COOK IN THE WHOLE WORLD IS HERE TO SEE THIS AWFUL MESS I MADE! Perfect, Wonderful! JUST GREAT!!!"

The kids fell silent and their eyes were huge. And this is the scene that my mom, their Mimi, walked into. The kids felt awkward and I tried to make a failed attempt at covering up what was happening. But it was too much and I repeated "OF COURSE YOU ARE HERE - AND YOU MAKE PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES AND ALL I CAN MAKE IS A MESS!

More silence. My poor Mother did her best to contain her laughter as she tried to reassure me that I was still a good Mother. She even went so far as to compliment my sugar cookie dough telling me it was a really "nice textured dough".

Poor Mother. Little did she know. The dough compliment was the straw. And then the breaking of the Camel's back.
 "Nice dough?" I huffed. "It is STORE BOUGHT DOUGH! I can't even roll out store bought dough much less MAKE IT FROM SCRATCH!!" Seriously, I did not know where the rage came from.

Thankfully, my Mom soon had me laughing over the whole thing and she rescued my dough from my hands and made the cute cookie cutter Christmas treats with the kids while I cleaned up and composed myself.

We certainly made a memory I doubt the kids ever forget! Not exactly a postcard memory - but I doubt they soon forget it regardless LOL~

Moving on to other things we did in December, that had less screaming involved:

We went to the new Christmas Light drive thru in Jackson

Yes Cocoa Buffy is still around. He isn't as exciting as he once was. It happens to us all I suppose. And the cold temperatures gave him some "issues" as well it seemed. :)

Mimi and Laney putting up the girls tree - sorry girls, but  this is the one random photo I took.

Poppa and Caleb getting the boys tree together

Little Mamie celebrated her very first Christmas. She is a growing girl and is so adorable and full of personality!

Caleb and Ricky set up the old Lionel Train this year around the tree. Now that is a memory!

We had Christmas with our Reed family at our house this year. Ben & Kristina hosted the Karnes Christmas. We celebrated with the Floyds on Christmas day, then with Mark & Family Christmas night at our house. We had another year with my Pepaw and had Christmas with him in Memphis. It was another blessed year....and they are rolling by faster each year.

We have so few years left of the kids living at home I just want to take Christmas morning and wrap it up and hold onto it forever. But that doesn't work. Thankfully the Lord gives us memories and some memories last forever. Like I am pretty sure that sugar cookie fiasco will do....living in infamy.

Family Pictures 2017

 Big thanks to Ashby for taking our 2017 Family pictures for us. We for sure couldn't have done it without you :)

Our family is growing up and these pictures prove that it won't be many more years that these kiddos will be small enough to call kids...but they will always be my babies!

So long 2017 - you were a great year! Looking forward to whatever 2018 brings our way :)