My kids

Each year as Christmas approaches, I get so emotional for a number of reasons. I miss my Grandma this time more than ever. I miss going to Spearman to drive her around looking at lights. I also feel so blessed to have my kids, husband, family, and health. We struggle each year at this time to make our finances work, not because we spend hundreds on our kids for Christmas presents, but quite the opposite. I try to keep our gift giving low and really try to remind them and myself that Christmas is the anticipation of waiting on Christ.

We go to our beautiful Church for Christmas Eve service and as I'm so overwhelmed with love for my kids, I am also so sad to be so far from the family I love so much. I am so grateful to get to fly to see them all after Christmas but I can't help but be sad that they can't see my kids singing in their Christmas programs or going to visit Santa. It's all through photos and videos and I am grateful for those too.

My kids are individually unique and I love them so much. Sallie Rose is kind and silly, but can turn the switch in a second. She also has to get completely undressed to go the the bathroom. I have also convinced her that she needs hearing aids for Christmas. Lulie on the other hand is thoughtful and quite the clown. She doesn't mean to be funny, but when she figures out she is, she never stops. She is rambunctious and energetic. I caught her the other day giving our baby Jesus from our nativity scene one of her pacifiers. I almost melted right there.

Thank you God for my children, for my family that I love so much it hurts that I miss them and for the emotional feelings to be embarrassed about. And thank you for sending your son to us.

Lulie

There is something about this child. Her dark eyes, her toothy grin, her belly giggles, and the way her hair curls just a little bit around her ears. She is sweet and loves hugs. She also loves to kiss you when you are getting onto her. She definitely knows the power of sweet talkin. She loves her sister and her sister loves her. They are kind to one another and help each other. God has blessed us.

Beginning of Fall

Sallie Rose is sick again today with fever so I am home with her. She has been sick every 2 weeks for the last 2 months. I am not sure what is going on. Lulie hasn't been getting all the illnesses so that's a relief. Between my new job and school starting, we have been busy. When we do have down time at home, I love watching these girls play and love on each other.

We are hoping to surprise Sallie Rose with a trip to Disney for her 5th birthday, but we haven't made any final plans yet. It's hard to plan a trip when she's been sick so often. I hope that we can do it and I hope she loves it! I can't believe she will be 5.

Sick weekend

We started yesterday afternoon with Lulie having a fever and throwing up once. She just wanted to be held all afternoon, which I enjoyed. Then I went to bed last night with a sore throat and feeling feverish. I woke up this morning not feeling great, but not terrible. We managed to make 1 of the 2 birthday parties we had today, but by the time we got home from party 1 I was a lot worse.

Kevin is working the rentals this weekend, I'll spare the dramatic story there, and he finally got home at 4. I went to cvs's minute clinic and when I got home Sallie Rose looked terrible. I could tell she had a fever, although she didn't feel bad. So, I gave her Motrin and let her lay in bed and watch a movie on my iPad. We are now all in bed and hope everyone is well tomorrow. I really don't like spending our weekend family time being sick. We did manage to have some good moments. Actually both girls have been so good today.

School has begun

Sallie Rose is officially a Pre-K student. She is at her 2nd day of school and she was very excited to be going back today. I was very nervous and very worried about her that first day. Not only were none of her best friends from preschool going to be there, but there are only 2 other girls in her class. When I picked her up that first day, she was in a great mood and very happy. We went and got a cupcake to celebrate and then we went home and she immediately went to sleep.

Today, she is staying until 4:00 pm to have rest time there and get to play for an additional hour. I made her a nap mat just so she could stay later with her friends. I hope she enjoys it!

Here she is on her first day:

Next week, I will begin my new job. I am so grateful to have had this week off to get Sallie Rose started in her new school and also spend some alone time with Lulie. Lulie and I never are alone and I really do feel like I need alone time with both of my girls to be able to connect with them each. They are so great together, but they are also so different alone.

Lulie and I have not done much, but we have played some and went for a bike ride and she rode in the I-bert seat, which she loved. I had this when Sallie Rose was little and we loved taking bike rides. I love getting to spend some time with my girls, but I am ready to get to work!

Here is Lulie on our bike ride and wearing her sister's dress while she is at school. I had to pry the dress off of her.

Just for fun, here is a photo of Sallie Rose on the I-bert when she was little:

7 hour car ride

Pictures taken by Sallie Rose on our 2nd, 7 hour car ride. Had no idea she was taking them.

Summer time

Lulie @ 1 year

Over the past month, Lulie has transformed into a little ball of personality. I wish that I could follow her around all day and video her so that I could truly capture her little personality. When Sallie Rose was 1 year old, she was sweet and quiet and a little reserved. She was also very Mommy oriented and didn't really like anyone else holding her. Then she turned 3 and everything changed. She has become a sweet girl again and she is super smart and very loving, most of the time.

 

Lulie is something else, for a lack of better words. She is sweet and loving, but she is also so mischievous and daring. The child has to put her hands on everything that comes into her view. She wants to touch and explore every little thing. She is going to be an engineer of some sort!

 

She is also very funny and loves to be silly. She still loves to laugh when everyone else starts laughing, even when she has no idea what she is laughing about. She smiles every time that Sallie Rose walks in the room and she loves for Sallie Rose to squeeze her hard and give her so much love. I always tell Sallie Rose that her love hurts. She loves her to pain. And Lulie loves that! You can see an example of the love hurts hugs in the first picture.

 

This weekend we took the girls to Hilton Head Island, just to get away for one day. It was fun and it was a bit relaxing; however, Lulie is so adventurous that it got a little tiring following her around to make sure she didn't jump into the deep end of the pool or walk straight into the Atlantic Ocean. She also wanted to tear apart every piece of our hotel. She wanted to touch every lamp and open every door. She is so curious. We called her the "tiny destroyer".  The tiny destroyer has also started throwing some major temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way and let me tell you she is strong and strong willed. It takes real strength to get her to not claw your face off or hurt herself by throwing herself out of your arms.

 

On the other hand, she is also really easy going, although it doesn't sound like it. She has a way of attracting people to her and when they get their eyes on her, she stops, looks at the person and then gives the sweetest, gap toothed grin you have ever seen. Then, they fall head over heels for her. I can't tell you how many people stopped me this weekend and told me how adorable she was. I joked to Kevin that her fan club was meeting in the lobby of the hotel to see her off on Sunday.

 

She has also become very Momma oriented. I would imagine that she says Momma 100 times in 5 minutes. She will be completely fine with Susan or Daddy and then the moment I walk in the door, she wants to be held and if she is not held by me, she just repeats Momma over and over. Cute and persistent.

 

She really makes us laugh all the time and we are always on our toes about what she will do next. Lulie has changed her sister's life so much that I could not have ever imagined. They adore each other and are really great together. They both are the light of my life and I am truly blessed to be their Momma, even if it means hearing that word 1,000 times a day.

 

 

Here she is in her baby swimsuit pose, looking so innocent before she tried to step into the pool without any sort of floatation device.

 

 

Lulie's nightly routine consists of pulling all of Sallie Rose's pajamas/socks/dirty clothes out of their drawer and then hiding in the closet eating shoes.

 

 

Oh the hair and the smile.

 

 

Lulie's 1st Birthday party

What a great birthday Lulie had. She got to spend it with her Mayme, Grumpy, Sallie Rose and her cousin, Vin. And of course her wonderful friends here in Savannah!!

She was so happy and cute all day. I assume she knew it was her day. I love this girl so much and can't believe she is 1. And I can believe that she loved that cupcake as much as she did!

I did discover that not only does she love cupcakes, but she loves balloons and the baby pool. What a great day and what a great girl!