Sunday Funday

Headed over to the Laird's/Deal's house on Sunday for a BBQ/get together with all of the kiddos..Deal made Beer can chicken, the ladies caught up in the kitchen, the kiddos played hard and everybody had Wal-Mart feet at the end of the day :)

These are the 2 best eaters in the group, well, besides Cailey bug!


I would have to say a fun time was had by all!





Can you imagine these 6 in 10 years?

Mimi came for a short visit!!

Mimi and her friend Sandy were in the area for a bridge tournament, so they drove over for a few hours on Saturday! We played outside, danced to music and then played outside some more!


Seriously, how cute are these pics of the boys, swinging and being pushed by their 85 year old Great Grandmother???




Then, as they were leaving, the unthinkable happened. Mimi, Sandy and Grammie were all walking across the yard to their car, and Wade, took off full speed ahead, running right at Mimi top give her a big ol' hug. Well, he obviously did not understand that you cannot run full force into your Great-Grandmother, because as soon as his little arms wrapped around her waist, they both went down. Hard. He landed on top of her and her body and head hit the ground so hard. It terrified all of us, but thankfully, she ended up with a cut elbow and a scare. I am so thankful that all ended well and we are so sorry Mimi!!

Shhhh....

Shhhhh....he had had it with the goggles.

A few weekends ago...the big boys headed over, with Daddy, to visit their Great Grandmother in Macclenny! They played in the yard, rode their scooters, slept with Daddy on the pull out couch and loved on Grandmother!


While they were away, Jack and I spent time with Nana!

The Harrell Boys

I love these 3 special little boys, so much. My love for them is boundless and overwhelming. Pure and unconditional...I am humbled by their innocence and kindness. I am blessed to be able to teach them and guide them. They are all slightly flawed, yet utterly perfect.






(ps. Jack is totally the 3rd child...he has an old Easter towel as his cape and googles as his mask. hehehe....)

Poor baby has a virus that causes a rash...I guess, having 3 kids at the same school, the odds are just not in our favor when it comes to contracting the viruses that go around.


But it hasn't slowed us down a bit!! Little dude is loving the one on one attention this week, as he is contagious and cannot go to school! Darn :)

I step out of the room for 1 minute, and come back to this sweet mess.


We even took a mid-day stroll on the beach with Daddy:


The weather has been gorgeous lately. Highs in the 50's- 60's and the low's in the 30's. Perfect.

Oh Jack Jack. Your personality is shining through, more and more each day...You are hilarious! And bossy...oh little one, you have me and Brody beat on this one. You point your finger, saying a persons name, pointing where you want them to sit or what you want them to do. And you are the baby of the family, so we all oblige, knowing these moments are limited. You love to play "where are you?" and demand that we go into your closet, one by one, popping out to say, "Here I am!!" You sit right next to your crib and giggle so loudly!!! You have started saying, "Mommy-No" whenever I ask you to do something. And everything, is "Miinnneee!!!" I just love your strong personality kiddo!!

Do YOU see the resemblance?? Happy Friday!

Sunday visit

Drove over to PCB to have a quick visit with Grammie! We ate a quick lunch, rode bikes, walked down to the docks and hit up a new playground...

Muggy temps

No idea what has been going on with our winter weather, but it has been hot, muggy and rainy. Not a good combo for January. We have been taking advantage of the warm evenings!



I cannot believe I am actually saying this, but hurry back Summer! Now that we have children, the long summer days, filled with water, sunshine and endless activities are missed!

Happy birthday Sean!

It was one of the boys best friends, Sean, 4th birthday this past weekend. Sean requested an 'all boy' Batman party and that is what he got! The boys all played superheros, cars, trucks, jumped on his bed, played on the swing set and all took turns driving Sean's new ride!

Happy 4th birthday Sean...we had a blast!



Jump ahead 11 years...can you imagine these two actually driving???

Earning their keep

Teaching the boys early, the value of a dollar...er...a quarter! They are making their beds, helping me fold laundry and even helped Todd vacuum last night. We are having them help with small household chores, teaching them that we are a family and we all chip in. In turn, they get a whole quarter at the end of the week, to celebrate their successes! Wonder how long it will take them to realize that a whole dollar is much better? They both immediately put their earnings inside of a small mason jar, screwed the lid on tight and hid them underneath their beds, so Jack couldn't find it :)

Happy 1st Allowance sweet boys!

My sweet BB...you, my dear, are as funny as they come. You are sneaky and witty and love to play fast. You love to spin and dance and get your feelings hurt easily. You are quick when there is a reward, pout when things don't go your way and have perfected "the stomp off" when you are told No. I occasionally find you snuggled up next to Wade, on the blue chair in your TV room, when you think nobody is watching. Your "Beary" remains a constant, all other toys coming and going as you tire of them. You prefer a shower to a bath and cereal over a traditional dinner. You still ask for a sippy and you still love for Momma to help you get dressed. I oblige, because I know my days are numbered in you needing help...You are funny, love to laugh and love to be surrounded by people. You have more energy than me & Daddy put together, and we're often heard to be shaking our heads and pondering "Where on earth does he get all his energy from?" If only we could bottle it, a teaspoon every morning would at least give me a slim chance of keeping up! You get overly excited about everything...just like me...and live life to its fullest! You are my sunshine...on a cloudy day...

A typical Brody picture...forced, goofy smile. That's my boy.



My sweet Wade...you, my dear, are as sweet as they come. You are intense, smart and love to be challenged. As a matter of fact, you can figure out any puzzle or game we set in front of you. You are kind, love animals and you have a special place in your heart for this Momma. Your feelings are hurt easily, and you already hold a grudge. You are persistent, picky and the worlds best snuggler. You are happiest when surrounded by all of your Rescue Bots and you know immediately if one of your brothers has swiped one. You are so fast and coordinated and have great balance! You lose your patience quickly when it comes to us teaching you things, because, well, you want to “do it yourself”...You are quick to learn, happy to teach others and prefer to spend time alone. You are quirky, sensitive and have an old soul. You are clever little cookie and I'm not sure where it comes from, but you absolutely have to be first at everything, and suffer dreadful melt-downs if you're not. I can only hope that this competitive spirit is one of the traits that gets you where you want to be in the future. You still get me each and every time, when you all of the sudden appear in our bedroom, "Momma, Daddy...please tuck me in, snug as a bug...". You are my innocent boy...bright eyed and full of wonder...


My sweet JackJack...You, my dear, are as "all-boy" as they come. You are rough...and tough...and take the world by storm every opportunity you can. You are a gift. You are hard, fast and give the biggest, puckered up kisses, this side of the Mississippi. You scream want you want, over and over until you get it. You love my hip and would love to stay perched on it as long as I will let you. You try to keep up with your big bros, constantly have a bruise or scrape on your face and are absolutely heart broken when B and W won't let you in their room to play. The way you throw a football, baseball and basketball amazes us! It’s like you were born with the natural talent to aim and throw. You run goofy as all get out though and get frustrated when you cannot keep up with the big kids. You are independent, but shy. You are loud, but clam up around strangers, practically sticking your whole fist in your mouth when you are nervous. Your smile has already opened doors and paths for you that most will never have the chance to walk through. You are a breath a fresh air...you are my baby...

This weekend was completely laid back...lot's of family time:

The boys cleaned their rooms, made their beds and even had a little helper...We have started implementing little chores into their daily routines. For now, at the sweet age of 4 and 1, they beg to help and enjoy cleaning! Yes, I know, this is a temporary lack of understanding on their part and will end shortly :)


Jack's newest obsession is feeding the dogs their treats. All day long. And helping to put their food in their bowls. He walks with the cups filled to the brim with the dog food, proudly holding the cup as steady as his little hands will hold them...looking at each family member, making sure we are all watching him. And, he calls them both Buckley...as a matter of fact, every dog is Buckley. He says "Buck-yeeee"


Our weekend adventure brought us to Marianna...checking out land, the lakes and springs that border it and we accidentally ran into the most awesome park we have ever been to. The Mother load of all parks...huge sprawling fields, a pretty lake and a pretty decent playground! The old trees were breathtaking...



The rest of the weekend was basically spent indoors, as it was drizzly and cold out, all weekend long...We kept a steady fire burning, spent lots of time cuddled up in our jammies and Nana even taught me how to use my new sewing machine! I learned how to spin a bobbin, thread my machine, all about the presser foot and plate, the position of the needle when turning my fabric and how to sew two pieces of fabric together. VERY elementary skills, but, hey, ya gotta start somewhere!

Notice how Wade is in footed jammies? His request! He requested the "zip-up kind, Momma, cause my feet get cold!" I bought three more pairs that afternoon. Cannot have my little Wade having cold feet! hehehe. Hey man, whatever works.

Christmas 2012!

For sake of time...and to make sure that I do at least do finish off 2012 properly, this will be a very photo heavy post!

The boys were able to see Santa again, aka Dan Nelson, at school! B-man hoped right up, again; Wade conquered his fears and slowly jumped up on his lap, bless his little heart; Jack still wanted nothing to do with him, again. He was terrified!




We ended the week with their annual school Christmas party...


And enjoyed our fire and family time that evening...


Although I do not include these sweet boys in many pics, they are a huge part of our family and are always joining in our chaos! Sweet Buckley and Miller!


Santa even sent each boy an email!! Their little expressions were heartwarming and to experience the magic of Christmas through your children's eyes is definitely something you don't forget:


Copy and paste this link in your browser if you want to hear what they listened to. (There were obviously 3 different messages, all tailored to Brody, Wade and Jack):

http://www.portablenorthpole.com/watch/gNRyl7edVLFHfam2yUhjFug

On Sunday, we headed over to Tallahassee to celebrate Pop's birthday and exchange Christmas presents!




We went back home that evening, and woke up on Christmas Eve and celebrated my birthday, with our annual Reuben lunch, and exchanged Christmas gifts with Nana and Gator...(I finally got a sewing machine, and a Kindle Fire!! Wooohoo!)


After Nana and Gator headed home, we re-packed the car and headed back to Tallahassee for Christmas! (Lot's of back and forth going on...)

Christmas Eve night, we opened presents from Grammie and Mimi and just enjoyed each others company!


After sprinkling reindeer food and leaving cookies for Santa, all of the kiddos were snug in their beds...(until Caden woke up and came out right in the middle of Santa's Elves putting together his trampoline...thank God he was still half asleep):


Christmas morning Santa came!!!!!






Christmas night, we loaded up the kiddos and headed to see the lights at Dorothy B. Oven Park...it was a great end to our busy days...


For all of the pictures I tried to get...this was the best I could get!! Ha!






Thank you to ALL of the Santa's that showered our family with presents...we are still discovering gifts and relishing in all of our new things! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!