Saturday, July 21, 2018
Friday, April 10, 2015
He's here!!
We are so thrilled to share with you the he's here!! We have a son! Briggs Andrew actually turns 4 weeks old today. He was born Friday, March 13 at 7:00pm. We love him so much!
Sunday, March 8, 2015
1/2 Marathon!!
Mark has been training for MONTHS for his very first half marathon!! If you've ever trained for a race, you know what a commitment it is!
On Thanksgiving, Mark ran the Fort Worth Turkey Trot 5k.
These 3 cuties braved the COLD to cheer him on!!
We loved being there to support him and all the excitement of race day! The girls remembered how fun it was and were prepping all week to go to Daddy's half MARATHON!! Well, as only a house full of girls can. They picked their outfits, practiced their cheers and watched an episode of Angelina Ballerina that was about a marathon about 10 times. :)
We live in north Texas, so we were shocked to get so much snow and ice early in the week before the race! Of course, in true southern fashion, all schools and roads shut down. Then, the Friday before the race we were all surprised with almost 5 INCHES of snow and temperatures that never got above freezing!
It was SO cold that my girls just wanted to make snow ice cream and play with it on cookie sheets INSIDE!
Saturday afternoon, Mark and a VERY excited Landrie headed out to the Cowtown expo to pick up his race day packet! Look at all that snow still on the ground! They had already cancelled Saturday's 5k and 10k because of the weather. Oh, and Landrie did have a jacket. She was just SO stinkin' excited to have a pullover that matched her daddy! :)
Mark was a little worried about running in such cold temperatures, but we researched all the best ways to survive and were READY! We watched the hourly weather forecast as the night got later. I went out to get ponchos for all of us since it was supposed to be in the 30s and raining. YUCK! I skidded all over the road at one intersection while I was out because of all the snow and ice that still hadn't melted! Around 10pm, the forecast was for freezing temps ALL night with sleet ALL night. Then, at the delayed race start time, it was going to be 30 degrees and snowing/sleeting. Ahh! They had already cancelled the full and ultra marathons. We decided it would be crazy, miserable and dangerous to do it. Even though they promised to have 13.1 miles clear (they had crews work all night long) we knew the roads getting there would be a mess. What a disappointment!!
We soon found out about a virtual option, where you can run the race at a place and time of your choosing, with at least one witness, fill out a form, and still get your medal. Just 6 days after the scheduled race, Mark took that option!
Here's my cute honey, in front of a snow-less yard running in 50 degree weather! Now, we couldn't just have a normal day at home and let him run solo, could we??
Nope!! The girls put on their "marathon outfits," which included a tutu for Tatem (she wears one EVERY DAY) and a cheerleading outfit for Landrie. The girls made signs and were sure to grab their pom poms! Mark was running down a 6 lane road when we caught up to him, so of course we honked and cheered out the window at him, then sped ahead and pulled off into a neighborhood.
We were right on his path, and the girls LOVED cheering and screaming for their daddy as he came up the sidewalk!!!
We passed him again and cheered like crazy out our windows, and raced home to prep for the big finish! (Nothing is fast with 3 little ones!) They played in the front yard, practiced their cheers and running as they watched diligently for Mark to come down the sidewalk.
I have an app that shows a real-time map of his exact location, so I could track him each minute! He was getting close, so we got our finish line ready!!
WAHOO!!!!! He made it!!! 13.1 miles in just 2:04:55!!
We are ALL so PROUD of YOU!!!!
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Landrie blogs about the tooth fairy!
Landrie is currently obsessed about the tooth fairy!! The only problem is that my sweet five year old doesn't have any loose teeth yet! That didn't stop our creative little one from trying! We have a tooth fairy book where the little girl puts a stone under her pillow, so Landrie was inspired to try something similar...
It will happen before you know it, Landrie Grace!!!
Tatem blogs about gymnastics!!
The girls love to write stories, so I thought I'd let them publish their first personal narratives here! Tatem just finished her first semester of gymnastics and LOVED it!!
Here's her story...
She obviously loved all the flips!! She did forward and backward rolls and even got to do a forward roll on the balance "bean!"
We love our little 3 year old gymnast!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
35 weeks!!
This morning I had my sister in law take a quick picture when I dropped the girls by her house on my way to my appointment. I've been just terrible at taking belly pictures this time around! Baby Boy, this has just been a busy pregnancy!! 😄
The good news is that this has been an uneventful, easy pregnancy. It is so much like my pregnancies with Tatem and Harper that it's still hard for me to believe that this is a BOY! Lots of sonograms have confirmed it though! Since I'm over 36 (and over the magic age of 35) I get weekly sonograms or time hooked up to the monitors. It's a treat to get to see him so much! Today he gave us a great profile shot and he has the most beautiful little lips! We could even see him sucking💕
So, what do the three BIG girls think of their new brother coming soon??
Landrie is 5 and loves to snuggle up against my belly to try to feel her brother move. She soaks up every detail that I tell her about his development and recounts them later😄. She likes to shine a flashlight on my belly so he can see and talks to him. She was so excited when our pregnancy app said he was 18 inches, just like her new American Girl doll!! 
My first-born, list-loving, take charge girl regularly tells me how it will be when the baby comes... "Mommy, I'll take care of the new baby, Tatem will take care of Harper and you can just rest. We will take care of EVERYTHING!" Sounds good to me, baby girl! I don't doubt she will be a huge help.
Tatem is three and getting so much bigger each day!! She comes over, puts her hand on my belly for 1.2 seconds and always gets so excited as she exclaims, "I feel him kicking, Momma!!" Every time we read a book, watch a show or hear of a friend with a baby boy, she is just thrilled. "They have a BOY baby and we are gonna have a BOY baby, Momma!!" She loves to point out baby things that we can get for our "new baby." 
I think my favorite part of watching Tatem with this pregnancy though is when she talks with Harper. Tatem and Landrie are just attached at the hip. They play together alllll day long, since neither goes to school. When we found out I was pregnant, Harper was just 8 months old, and Tatem told her all the time, "Harper, that's you baby friend!! You gonna have a baby friend!! Harper, you so excited?? You baby friend is coming soon!!" Even now that Harper is in the mix with the big girls, Tatem still loves to tell her about her baby friend. So sweet!!
Harper turned 16 months this week! She is such a delight! She has absolutely no idea that there is a baby in my belly or that she's going to be a big sister. Right now, she just enjoys that my baby bump gives her a spot to perch on when I hold her! 
She ADORES all things baby though! She loves to feed babies and stuffed animals bottles and snuggle them. She gives them kisses and puts them in her high chair!
I'm sure we will have to keep an eye on her so she doesn't try to pick up the real baby! She can say a word or two (my parent's dog's name Indy, and she's said momma and dada and ball a handful of times) but Harper does NOT like to talk! Her big sisters do plenty of talking for her. She understands everything we say, so I'm not worried about her, but maybe she'll start talking when this little guy comes!
So life with 3 kids 5 and under is kind of nutso, but such a dream come true! Here's a great example. We pulled into the driveway today and BOTH big girls had fallen asleep.
That NEVER happens, so I did what any good mom would do and left the car running and called a friend! I heard Landrie wake up and start to talk with Harper and didn't think anything of it. A few minutes later, I looked in the backseat to see if Tatem was still sleeping.
Can you see everyone?? Tatem is snoozing away, completely oblivious! Landrie took Harper out of her car seat and somehow got her back on the third row, all buckled in like an adult. Harper was thrilled and just relaxing! Landrie, on the other hand was standing on her head marveling over how soft the ceiling felt with her feet??! Oh my! It's never dull around here! We will be a regular circus when we add in a newborn, and I can't wait!! I know a lot of people might think we are a little crazy having this many kids, and having them so close together, but we know this is exactly what God has for us! During all those years of agony and waiting, He knew that he had the babies planned for us! It is NOT easy but oh, is it rewarding!! We love our little family so much and are excited to add our newest member next month!!!
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Family Picture of FIVE one last time...
I'd better get our Christmas picture up on here before this baby arrives! Mark's sister took these at the end of November! I ordered cards and never sent them out😁☺️
My three girls are SO excited to meet their baby brother in a few weeks!
Happy Valentines, my love!!
And just because I love this one...💕💕
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Fourth of July!
As I uploaded pictures from my camera, I had to laugh. BEFORE the 4th of July, I had TONS of pictures. I set up photo sessions of the three girls in the backyard, we did fun crafts, and lots of activities. Then, I found out I was pregnant! Apparently, life with a 4 year old, 2 year old, 8 month old and morning sickness don't mix well. :) We quickly switched to survival mode! I may not have nearly as many pictures, but I still want to catch up on the blog! It's our family's only scrapbook, so I'd better get moving!
Harper's first 4th of July!!
Then I attempted a group shot and ended up with a whole lot of craziness!
And more!
But this big 4 year old was so excited to pose!
So was 2 year old Tatem!
Love her!
Landrie had a ball posing with her flag! She was SO excited to go see fireworks!
Look how little they look just one year earlier! I was so happy these dresses still fit!
One of our very FAVORITE things about living in Houston for a year was that we lived just 45 minutes from my parents! As a great added bonus, my oldest brother and his family moved to the north side of Houston a few months after we did!! Houston is HUGE, so they were still almost 1.5 hours away, but we got to see them a lot! We headed over to their house for some pre fireworks festivities. I was pregnant, but had no idea yet. :) Here's my brother Eric and Mark enjoying some yummy snacks.
Sorry about your closed eyes, Dad and Mom, but I didn't get many pictures!
Aunt Melissa, Baby Harper and her cousin Bennett!
If you were anywhere near Houston last 4th of July, you know it monsooned all day! We skipped out on fireworks and mud and just enjoyed being all together. :)
When the sun came out, we met back up at the outlet mall out on 290 for a family shopping day! Here are a few of us!
Brooke, Tatem, my parents
Landrie and Haper
Hopefully this summertime post warmed you up in the middle of this freezing January!
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