I am THANKFUL!

On this Thanksgiving Day, my life could not be better!  I have so many things to be thankful for and so many memories that I cherish.  Below (and in no particular order) are 30 things that I am THANKFUL for:

1. I am thankful for Jesus and his presence in my life!
2. I am thankful for Trey.  He is loving, understanding, dependable, hardworking and the BEST husband and daddy that I could ask for.
3. I am thankful for my daughters.  They both bring me so much joy and because of them I strive to be the best wife, mom & woman that they can look up to.
4. I am thankful for my mom and dad.  They have both made me the person I am today.
5. I am thankful for my Granny, Papa & Granddaddy Casey.  Even though they are in heaven, I cherish the memories that I made with them.  They are the BEST grandparents that any kid could ever have and if I (many, many, many years from now) am half as good at it as they were, my grand kids will adore me like I did them.
6. I am thankful for the men and women that fight for our freedom!!!
7. I am thankful for my flat iron.  Without it, my hair would always be a mess :)
8. I am thankful for my great friends...near & far.  I'm not one with a ton of "best friends", but the ones that I have are all that I need!  They are wonderful people and I am lucky to have them in my life.
9. I am thankful for my mommy friends (they are also included in #7, but definitely need their own recognition)!  I used to laugh when people talked about having "play dates" for their kids, but boy do I get it now!  I cherish the times that Ashton gets to play with her friends and I get to talk to mine.
10. I am thankful for MOPS at SPUMC.  They welcomed me & ALL of the kids with a more the merrier approach and I am truly grateful!
11. I am thankful for my daughter's grandparents.  Nana, Papa, Grandma & Boppa are the best grandparents (other than my own...see #5) that I could have ever asked for.  Kaylyn & Ashton are two very lucky girls.
12. I am thankful for First American.  Without working there, I would have never met Trey or some of the great friends that I have now.
13. I am thankful for story time at the library on Wednesday mornings.  It makes Ashton soooo happy and since she is happy, I am happy :)
14. I am thankful for healthy kids!  I have a cousin with a little boy that is blind and another cousin who's son was diagnosed with leukemia at age 4 (he is now cancer free)...my girls getting a cold every once in a while is nothing compared to the heartache they have been through as parents! 
15. I am thankful for food!  If you know me, you know I LOVE food!!!  As Camala likes to say, I always ask "what's for dinner" before committing ;)
16. I am thankful for Ashton's blanket that she LOVES.  Without it, there would never be naps or bedtime.
17. I am thankful for my iPhone.  What did I ever do without it?!
18. I am thankful for ALL of my nieces and nephews.  I am probably the proudest Aunt in the world!
19. I am thankful for being able to stay at home with my girls (& now...Kellan and Kolby).  It was always my dream to be a stay at home mom and Trey made that dream come true!
20. I am thankful for my in laws.  Paul & Viza and the rest of their family welcomed Kaylyn & I from day one and we are blessed to have them in our lives.
21. I am thankful for sweet tea, fried pork chops, cheese grits and catfish!  Yes, I'm from the country!
22. I am thankful for small towns.  I may not live in Sneads anymore, but you always remember where you came from.  Everyone knows everyone and people always wave and say hi with a smile on their face.
23. I am thankful for my brother and sister-in-law!  They have trusted me with their precious babies & I couldn't be happier (see #18).  Their chunky little faces make me smile :)!!!
24. I am thankful for contacts and glasses.  I wish I didn't have to wear either, but without them, this crazy world would just be a blur.
25. I am thankful for pictures.  They may not all be printed, but I have them and that is all that matters.  I will cherish them forever as they capture memories that I never want to forget.
26. I am thankful that Kaylyn got to know her Great Granddaddy Casey before he died.  I love when she starts off a sentence with "do you remember when Granddaddy Casey...".  He LOVED his "Prissy" so much and she LOVED him too!
27. I am thankful for my home!  It's where my heart is!
28. I am thankful for the friendships I made from working at Champion Chevrolet.  These friendships are ones that will last a lifetime.
29. I am thankful for my Silver jeans.  They're just my favorite!
30. I am thankful for all of the little things in life!  Like having a husband who makes sure I have mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving and that makes rockets that fly with the kids on his day off, for the sound of Kaylyn and Ashton laughing at each other and for the smile on their little faces when they see their mommy!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

One week down...

I've looked forward to this week for many months now, both with excitement and nervousness!  Now that it is over, I can say that it went PERFECT!  I said a little prayer Monday morning before my feet ever hit the floor & I can honestly say that the Lord must have been watching over me.  My week with Ashton and the twins (& Kaylyn in the afternoons) was surprisingly easy.  I'm no fool, so I'm counting on days that are harder than others & even a few where I will probably want to pull my hair out, but so far, so good :)

My days were filled with lots of feedings (bottles for the babies and real people food for Ashton), tons of  diaper changes & me playing with Ashton.  Thankfully Kellan & Kolby are wonderful babies and made it really easy.  They never cry (until I take Kellan's bottle away to burp him) and they are the sweetest little things ever.  A really BIG accomplishment for me this week was getting to story time with all 3 of the little ones on Wednesday & I even made it to my MOPS meeting on Thursday.  They are both things that I want to continue to be able to do, so I figured that I better learn how to make it happen!

I don't know how to explain it, but I really feel as though Ashton has grown up in a matter of 5 days.  I wish I had pics to show it, but by day two, she was already trying to burp the babies.  I sit on the floor to feed them & she walks between my legs and pats them on the back while I do the same.  It is the cutest thing and you can tell she is so PROUD to help!  She also picked up very quickly rocking one in the car seat while I buckle the other.  I'm not sure why she started doing it, but once I put one of the babies in the car seat, she rocks him while I put the other one in.  She is definitely very curious when it comes to them and doesn't let much pass by her :) 

I didn't have much time to take pictures (I will get better), but below are a few that were snapped throughout the week.

Kolby sleeping...

Kellan sleeping...

All of the little ones going to get big sister/cousin Kaylyn from school... 

Kaylyn was so excited for me to pick her up!  She couldn't wait to get home :) 

Tuesday night gymnastics... 

Going to story time... 

Ashton waking up HAPPY from a nap! 

Picture time before the boys left (Kolby was sleeping) on Friday! 

Happy Anniversary!

On this day two years ago, I married the man of my dreams!  Today, he is the BEST husband and daddy that I could have ever asked for!!!

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.

But I can promise all my heart's devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that's ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.
-Unknown

 

 

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13

Happy 2 year anniversary babe!  I love you more today than I could have ever imagined and look forward to many more years to come!

Love, Your Wife

Happy Halloween

Halloween is always so much fun and I LOVE seeing all of the different outfits that kids are dressed in!  Picking the best costume is always hard at our house, but this year was a little easier.  At Kaylyn's school, all 3rd grade students were asked to dress as pirates which made deciding on the costume very easy!!!  I was able to get some pictures of Kaylyn & her best friend Jessica in their pirate outfits and they were both absolutely adorable.

Our Pirate & Her Best Friend...

On Halloween night, we headed over to my brother and sister-in-law's house to go trick or treating with Kaden, Kellan & Kolby (the twins stayed in the stroller, but next year, they will be ready to go).  Since Ashton was a little older this year, we decided that she could go to a few houses, but mainly just for photos!  She was a ladybug and in my opinion, the cutest one there ever was :)

Our Little Ladybug... 

Kolby (left) & Kellan (right)...Little Monsters 

Ashton had to make sure Kolby was okay...she kept rubbing his head :)

Big Brother Kaden was Michael Myers...

& he terrified Ashton...

She would not take her eyes off of him!

Mommy & Ashton...Daddy & Ashton 

 

Ashton's 1st Trick or Treat Experience...  

I tried to get a cute pic of Kaden & Ashton, but forgot that she was terrified of him...

Lucas, Kim & Kaden 

Ashton checking out her goodies... 

We hope everyone had as good of a Halloween as we did!