Prima Ballerinas (Sigh...)

Happy 5th Birthday, Maggie!

Five years ago, sweet Maggie was born. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long because time flies.

We were thrilled about meeting Maggie, but we didn’t know what to expect. (Does any first-time parent?) She was taken to the NICU for a few minutes after she was born because she was pre-term (“near-term”—36 weeks), but when she was about two hours old, the nurse brought her to the room and let us spend some time alone with her. Words can’t even describe how sweet those moments were.

I love watching Maggie grow. She is turning out to be such a sweet little girl. She has such a special, kind heart. I know God has great things planned for her, and I can’t wait to see His plans unfold.

But for now, I’m thinking back five years ago, to that wonderful day Maggie came into our lives. And saying a prayer of thanksgiving for our little girl.

Happy 5^th birthday, Maggie!

Newborn Maggie

Baby Maggie (6 months old)

One-year-old Maggie

Meeting Miller! (22 months old)

Two years old

Three-year-old Maggie

Four years old

Nearly five years old! (5th birthday party)

Joyful, Joyful!

Miller's 3rd Birthday!

Three years ago yesterday we welcomed our Miller into the family. He is the sweetest, best-natured, most adorable little boy, and we are so blessed to have him. He gives the best hugs and kisses and says the most hilarious things you’ve ever heard.

It’s no surprise that when given choices for his birthday party, he chose a pirate party. We loved getting together with friends and family to celebrate our little fella. Here are some pictures…

Most of the friends at the party...Some of them hadn't gotten there yet, but we were afraid there would be a "shipwreck" with the cupcake stand because the wind was blowing, so we had to sing "Happy Birthday" early.

So happy to have the birthday song sung to him!

One of my favorite Miller smiles

Opening presents...genuine surprise! He thought he only got one birthday present, so he was surprised when more kept coming!

"I could do this every day!"

The cupcake stand Daddy and Mr. Scott built

I made the banner. KIDDING...Jeff made it. He's so crafty...

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY, MILLER! :-)

First Day of School!

The kids and I had our first day of school today, and it went great! Here are some pics of the cuties this morning.



A Post of Pictures

Finally, some pictures! And a lot of them...maybe enough to last until Miller's birthday week-after-next. (Nah...)

Can't believe how grown-y that little girl is looking!

Starting ballet for the year...

Jeff asked her to do a ballet pose.

According to Mags, this is also a ballet pose. :-)

This was two years ago when she first took ballet. Crazy how fast they grow!

Events leading up to this picture: Daddy gets Miller dressed. Mommy decides Miller's pants need to be ironed. Miller puts bucket on his head and calls himself "bucket head." Bucket head chases Maggie around and then poses for a picture.

Our nephew Camden had his 1st birthday, and all the cousins got to play together and celebrate! It's very hard to get a picture of 11 cousins all smiling and looking at the camera. (There is one extra child. He's an only child and was probably stunned and confused!)

Miller loved playing with his cousins!

The birthday boy and his cute little curls!

Not a good picture of Mommy, but this is one of my favorite smiles of Miller's.



Good Night Snack

A tradition that I had growing up was always having a "bedtime snack." I was always a good eater (still am!), and I guess my mom didn't see the harm in my having a little snack just before brushing my teeth and going to bed every night. That tradition has pretty much stuck with me (along with a few extra pounds!). As a result, the kids always want a bedtime snack.

Only...the tradition has morphed into something a little different and pretty hilarious. Instead of asking for a bedtime snack, Maggie asks for a "midnight snack." Miller asks for a "good night snack." They also ask for a "midnight show" or a "good night show" before every nap time and bedtime. It has gotten to the point now where Miller calls breakfast a "wake-up snack" and lunch a "good night snack." Silly kids!

Since we still can't find our camera and posts without pictures tend to get pretty boring, here are a couple of previously unposted pics from the past few weeks.