It's Fall!

Fall was fun and fast and came late.  Leaves were still falling in December.  One revelation that happened this season was that Cohen finally learned his brothers name.  This was our conversation on the way to school one morning:

Cohen:  How do you spell K-Loves name?

Me: C A L E B

Cohen:  What, it ends in a b?

Me:  yep

dramatic pause then loud gasp

Cohen:   MY….WHOLE….LIFE… I thought his name was K-love and his name is really Caleb.

It blew his mind!  It still makes me laugh

Caleb, Norah and I went shopping and she loved this head thing.  We saw it when we first came in the store, she put it on and wore it the whole time.

                                             Norahs first pig-tails

 We got hit by the stomach bug from the pits of ….  All 6 of us got it, never at the same time, one would get sick then the next day it would be another.  And 3 of us got it twice.  It lasted for over 3 weeks. Our house had never been as clean during this time, if a surface could be bleached it was bleached.  Even things that shouldn't be bleached were bleached.  Caleb missed a month of church, his sweet teachers and class made him this card, I love our church

 I raked up a pile of leaves and had it ready when the kids got off the bus.  Cohen was hilarious, he ran straight from the bus to the leaves backpack and all.

 Our attempt at a family selfie… we just have too many for this to work :)

 after our selfie Norah just snuggled on me.  It was pure heaven and lasted for about 10 minutes.  I'm sure people driving by thought we were crazy but I was not moving.

                         Even Caleb's photobombs didn't phase her

                      Michael was a mystery reader for Savannah's class

 Cohen finally got a big boy haircut.  He really wanted to keep it like this but we cut it all off

 Michael and I went to live at the garden and saw Darius Rucker.  I had to drag Michael along, he didn't want to go at all.  BUT it ended up being a fantastic concert and we had a great time

 Two of Columbus' boats sailed down the Mississippi and we stopped to see them.  I believe this was the Nina… I think

Halloween

Vampire, Spy, Black Spider-man and a Bee!  

 We went to our neighborhood party and Norah won the costume contest!  By the end of the night she was acting more like a hornet than a bee… but she looked absolutely precious.  Mom found her this costume

                                         Savvy and her best friend Paige

 Halloween was on a Friday this year and the kids really wanted Michael and I to dress up.  So last minute I decided to be a fairy godmother.  I got my make-up done, wore an old bridesmaid dress and put on some of Savvy's angel wings.  The bus drops the kids off at our driveway and when it stopped I jumped out of the garage and flittered around our yard.  I did the same thing to Michael when he was pulling in from work.  I really make myself laugh… but the kids loved it.  I'm getting Michael in on it next year and already have some ideas

Cohen's 7

Cohen's birthday is always so fun, almost all of his parties have been outside with a campfire.  We had friends and family come over and had Mexican soup (one of his favorites), Nerf war, smores and some boys and their dads stayed and camped out in the backyard for the night.

Everyone survived the night

          He wanted Chinese food on his actual birthday so we went to Shogun and he was so impressed.  They had him stand up and serenaded him… he looks shy in the picture but loved every second of it

I've noticed this year him getting closer to Michael and not as much MY boy.  I knew it would happen and know it's part of him growing up but I don't have to like it.  We were crossing the street last week and he didn't want to hold my hand… oh I put my foot down and made that boy hold my hand, and he hated every second of it.  Its really hard for me to let my first born baby boy not be my baby anymore.  I can close my eyes and still feel his head on my chest, sucking his thumb and rubbing the back of my arm.  He had to have been the best cuddlier in the history of cuddling.  Cohen you were an amazing baby and you are an amazing boy.  I'm so proud of you, you make me laugh everyday and you make me think everyday…you ask more inquisitive questions than most adults.  I'll love you forever and whether you like it or not you will always be my baby

Michael's Birthday

 If I'm ever at a loss of a gift for Michael… get him outside.  This guy loves the outdoors, always has, always will.  I wish we shared this pull for trees, and streams, and mountains, and dirt but it's the ocean that sings to me.  He has opened my eyes to the peace of stillness of hiking 7 miles and sleeping on the ground and eating dehydrated food.  And I think I've opened his to having a beer and sitting for hours on end staring at the waves.  We're just good for each other, and honestly if I had to spend a day at the dump but was with Michael it would be fun…. ok so enough mush…. I talked our parents into watching the kids for the weekend and we headed to east TN and Ashville, NC.
  Friday night we stayed in Cumbeland Gap, TN and ate mexican and drove around.  We slept in Saturday then hiked part of the Ewing Trail and made it to the top of White Rock.  At the top you can see TN, KY, VA and NC instead we saw endless white fog.  It was still pretty.

We then headed over to Ashville and the trees were gorgeous.  I tried and tried to get a picture that did the colors justice but couldn't get it.  At one stop we found a tree that looked just like a dunce hat.  Michael wore it well

 We went to a brewery that night and then watched football in our hotel room.  Sunday we headed home and but stopped in Cookeville first

We had a perfect time.  Happy 33rd Birthday Michael, I love you like crazy

This, that and boo boo's

 Norah and I have the house to ourselves on Tuesday and Thursday's because the older three are in school and I just kind of follow her around and make sure she doesn't kill herself.  She is into everything and is the most mischievous little squirt

 She loves the pantry.  If she is quiet then she has gotten food and is hiding someone eating it

 Her and Caleb were playing in the hall and I heard her scream.  There was blood and I saw her tongue….. and oh oh oh poor baby.  I called Becky right away to come over and watch the other kids so I could take her to the ER.  By the time Becky got there (which was like 3 minutes) it had stopped bleeding.  I called our dentist and sent him pictures and he said they wouldn't stitch it and that the tongue heals fast.  She took it like a trooper and it didn't stop her from eating or sleeping.  The next day it was closed unless she stuck it out and by the second day it was closed completely

 Three days after the tongue incident I got a call from the school nurse…ugh…. Savvy had fallen and her elbow was banged up.  When I got there the nurse was telling me how Savannah hasn't cried a tear and the nurse said it's ok to cry I know it hurts.  Savannah kept on telling her she was fine.  I decided to take her home and the moment I opened up the van door that baby girl started balling.  She is so tough ALWAYS but the moment it's just us two she lets down her guard.  I love her so much it hurts.  We had to treat it like road rash, she has a pretty cool scar now ;)

                   I don't even know whats going on here, it's just funny

                                       Caleb and Norah at the zoo

Schools Back

Well actually the kids have been in school for 4 months but I'm just now blogging about it.  I'm on a mission to get updated.  The kids were excited to be going back but I was a tad sad.  I miss them a lot when their gone, when I was driving them to school I thought "I'm going to blink and they will be in college" and got all misty eyed and then Savannah said "mom are you crying?"  and I was like "no something must be in my eye"  She didn't fall for it:)  But I miss them already and they are here with me now… I'm going to be a mess when their not in my house

Savvy got Mrs. Lash who has been nothing short of amazing.  She keeps me updated on all thats going on in the class and most importantly she loves Savvy and Savvy loves her

Cohen got Mrs. Eakin, thats who Savvy had last year and believe it or not, she is amazing too.  We really lucked out this year:)  I LOVE great teachers.

 Then my baby Caleb started pre-school.  He was hard for me to send off, I think because we were together so much in Walla Walla.  I was a bit worried on how little bear would do in school.   He loves it, probably more than the other two did and is doing great.  After his first day we went and got a doughnut and EVERYDAY since when I pick him up he asks if we can have one.  We usually will get one once a week.  The first time I went I ordered a glazed (Caleb), chocolate (me) and a doughnut hole (Norah).  And the lady said "you just want 1 doughnut hole?" And I said yes its for the baby.  When we got home there were 2 doughnut holes in the bag.  And if she's at the counter I always end up with 2 holes :)

Fa Love Pa

So did you know there is a movie where a dolphin talks and at the heart wrenching end, the dolphin(Fa) looks in his trainers eyes (Pa) and says "Fa love Pa".  Well I didn't either and Mom enlightened all of us on this blockbuster hit and it became the anthem of our beach trip.  When someone said something funny they would end it with "Fa love Pa" When someone told a sad story, someone from another room would yell "Fa love Pa".  In the off chance there was silence on the beach it would be broken with "Fa love Pa".  It still is cracking me up thinking about it, I love our beach trips!

Mom got Savvy a mermaid tale and she wore it 75% of the time.  She mastered swimming in the pool with it.  (She's reading a mermaid book)  I LOVE HER

Cohen's skin is amazing and he tans the best of the family.  I can have 100 spf on him and clothes and he still gets so brown

Norah!!!  She's wearing Savvy's first bathing suit, my heart can't handle this picture

My very own sea turtle

Speaking of sea turtles there were 2 nests super close to our house this year.  We all went down for the watch party.  The organization watching the nest handed out goodies to the kids and gave everyone red tape to put over you flashlights.  It was really neat and exciting.  Well the nest that no one was watching was the one that hatched… go figure :)  Several made it to the ocean but the lights from the houses made some of the turtles go the wrong way.

Mom got all the girls these amazing caftans.  When she told me she was getting them I said whats a caftan?  She said its like a moo moos.  How have I heard of moo moo's and not caftans :)  It was love at first sight for everyone involved, they were worn all day, especially after lunch:)  I'm sure I saw envy across the beach as we would parade down everyday.

As always such a fun and amazing trip.  The kids are such fantastic travelers but when we had about an hour left to go they started getting delirious and pulling out all kinds of things from the back of the van. I noticed it was quiet and found the boys like this.

  Already can't wait for next year.  Family and Beach is an unbeatable combination