Reese and her Carters

Last Saturday, Reese's good buddies, Carter A. and Carter T., had their last wrestling tournament which was here in McPherson. My kids were so pumped to go watch!



Seriously, how cute?! Reese and Mallorie both made signs while we were waiting...love their innocent love for their friends!

The rowdy crowd was just that.....



R-O-W-D-Y!

Carter A. seemed pretty pumped to have a fan club....



He wrestled so awesome!







Way to go, Carter!

We had a short wait before it was Carter T.'s turn....more signs were made, however, my girl, Cru, and Carter A. had no time to hold them up because they spent the whole match beating their fists on the mat yelling, "Go Carter!!!". It was great!

And he did great!







Way to go, other Carter!



This mama was into it too and it wasn't even my child!

Just FYI, Cru will not wrestle! The choke holds and pinning and boys crying would just be too much for me to handle.

So we'll just continue making signs and cheering for our friends!



Thanks to my parents for keeping Everlee, who had a blast playing with cousin, Charlee! My mom said it was like having twins.



Grandma had a long day with all these kiddos.....



Not sure she would have it any other way. Thank you, Grammie!

I'm so thankful my kids had some fun cousin time with Charlee!

Reese's Hair Cut

Reese has been asking for a while now to cut her hair. At first, I thought nothing of it and basically blew her off because hello, her hair is beautiful, super long, the hair I wish I had, so why in the world would we ever cut it?



Well, she kept asking, so I finally listened and asked her why.

1) She wanted short hair like her friend, Reese E.
2) It was hot and itchy when she slept.
3) It was sooo tangly! One of her new chores is to brush her own hair, but it really is nearly impossible for her to do.



She had some valid reasons, so I made her an appointment. But now came the big decision, do we cut 10 inches off for Locks of Love?



After measuring 10 inches, it was still going to be below her shoulders, so at first, I said to go for it. But then my heart started beating really fast, and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. My selfishness kicked in....10 inches, oh my word!!! During all this, Reese kept saying, "Cut it, cut it!"

But I just couldn't do it.....maybe someday. So, we just cut five inches off.



Reese LOVES her new "short" hair! It's so much easier to brush, it looks so healthy and thick, and she can actually wear it down without it being out of control.



Oh, and if your needing your nails done, you should totally check out the new manicurist at the salon I go to....he's super cute, super friendly, and sure to make your nails look like they never have before :)

Survivor

When I decided to start my blog nearly three years ago, I stumbled across many in the process. I have a handful that I consistently stalk follow. The writer behind this blog recently shared that her sister was going to be a contestant on the latest season of Survivor. I was a Survivor fan for a while, but then several seasons ago, I just stopped watching. No reason, I just lost interest. Kinda like the Bachelor.....seriously, how many seasons can you have?

Anyways, when you follow a blog for that long, kinda like watching your favorite tv show, you start to feel like you "know" the family behind the stories. So, I felt it was a great reason to get back into the show.

Our whole family is into it. And Reese loves it! Maybe a little more than I thought.....

Her new favorite thing to do outside is tie her jump rope around the tree, hold on tight, jump, and yell, I'm on Survivor!".







I think she would do well in the immunity challenges!

But you know what she would be even better at????

Building fires!

In fact, she found an old box of matches at Grammie and Papa's house this weekend and behind closed doors (she was playing with little toys that Everlee could have choked on), she proceeded to strike a match, "quickly blow it out" (her words, not mine), then throw the HOT, STILL SMOKIN' match in the office trash can, which only contained paper!

Yay for Miss Pyromaniac! They always make it til the end!

I'm just praying none of the contestants figure out how to cut hair with fish bones or something!

Actually, a professional may be taking care of that for us this week......

Hot Wheels

If you remember, Cru got a new bike for Christmas.



Well, the one time he tried to ride it, he was a bit frustrated.



He's never showed interest in riding it since then.

I guess we just had to wait for the right time....

On Friday, after we had spent all afternoon outside playing with every single toy we own, it was nearing sundown, however the weather was still beautiful, so I suggested we practice riding his bike. Much to my surprise, he said yes! So, we strapped on his new, size 8 helmet....



and off he went!



Like he's been riding for years! He made it all around the neighborhood three times!

We came around the corner just as Daddy was coming home from work, so of course, he wanted to show off!



Actually, he really just wanted to "ride by Hunter's house" AGAIN! Every time we rode to Hunter's, he would sit in their driveway and throw a fit because we wouldn't let him go inside and play with Hunter.



All he asks to do now is practice riding his bike (and play baseball)! Yay!! So proud of him! And I'm so excited we have another bike rider amongst our family!

Complete

A couple weeks ago, I took Everlee for her one year pictures. With all the driving and picture taking, it was definitely a long day, but it was such a great day! Just me and her! I feel like I fell in love with her all over again!



We set out around 8:45 am, which is pretty early for us. Thanks so much to my parents for helping with Reese and Cru that morning since Chet had to work. I really don't know what I would do without all their love and support.

Everlee slept the whole hour and a half trip. I'm so thankful she loves to ride in the car like her sister. While she slept, I talked with my bestie whom I love and miss so very much.

Everlee was an angel during her photo shoot. Really, I didn't expect anything less. And by the end, she was worn out.

I decided to grab a quick bite to eat before leaving town. Beloit doesn't exactly have the best restaurant selection, but we sure enjoyed our Dairy Queen date. They only had one high chair, which was being used, so Evee sat in the booth beside me, and as my hand stuck like glue to her little leg because she was all over the place digging in her diaper bag and stealing fries, it hit me like a ton of bricks.......no more babies.



Yes, I say over and over again, we are done! And we are. But in that moment, when I thought to myself, no more babies, all I wanted was another baby.



All I could do was thank God for her and for her brother and sister. What beautiful angels they are.....so why on earth wouldn't I want to create another one?





But does that feeling ever really go away?



I've been selling lots of baby stuff lately, which hasn't exactly helped the yearning feeling. But it's been fun reminiscing and has made me even more thankful for what I've been given.



And then I feel.....





complete.

10 years ago, I would have never thought completeness came from wiping butts and driving a mini van.



And from watching babies hug a favorite dolly while sleeping.

But it does. Our family is complete and I absolutely love it!



**Remember when Chet took all those maternity pictures? Still so in love with them :)**

Time to be a better blogger

I had high expectations of being a better blogger this week.



But, I failed. Again.



We are busy!



It's no lie, this time of year is super chaotic for our family. But this time of year also means spring time is approaching, which makes this mama very happy!



I just wish mother nature would make up her mind! Nearly 70 one day, although fun, can be such a teaser when the temp drops 20 degrees the next day!


Hitting off the pitching machine....the girl's got skills! First swing went over the fence!


Looking for the ball, scared of "the beast"....I told you Sandlot was the latest obsession!




Little man got a bit frustrated (surprise, surprise), but connected a few times!



Never fear, when the temp does drop and the wind blows like, well, like we live in Kansas, we find other things to keep us entertained.....




I didn't think of it until afterwards, but a trip to the donut shop before library time probably wasn't the smartest move.

I'm trying really hard not to use Everlee being the "baby" as an excuse that prevents me from doing activities with the older two.









Hello, Jami! This is why you blog!



The time spent with these little loves is FLYING BY! And it's all these little daily moments that I don't want to lose sight of!



Like when Reese asks me if she looks like a teenager when she wears her bag over one shoulder.



Or the fact that ever since Cru turned three a week ago, he seems to have grown up by 5 years!



And he insists on playing baseball all the time and only wants to wear button-up shirts unbuttoned like his hero, Benny. (Once again, Sandlot! Watch it!)



Or how Everlee is always just a few steps behind her siblings wanting to do everything they do, which Reese and Cru don't really care about now, but wonder what they'll think when they are teenagers?



I don't want to forget any of it! Ever!



Time to be a better blogger!