Where has my baby boy gone???

Jackson turns seven today, and I'm not sure how that happens, since just yesterday I was staring at this sweet little face...

I look at these pictures and am instantly transported back to 2006.  

 But then I see pictures like this one and remember how BIG I thought that kid was!

 When he started pre-school, his backpack was almost as big as he was, but by the time he went to kindergarten it fit him perfectly.

 He has fewer teeth but more words.  He's learned to read!  He asks questions that I don't always know the answer to.

 He isn't a fan of soccer or baseball, but LOVES basketball and hopes we'll let him take karate soon.   He has mastered monkey bars.  He is an expert tree climber.

He noted the other day that he "hardly ever gets in trouble."   This is true.  He is such a sweet boy and has become a real helper around the house. It makes me proud that he's even  better at school and church than he is at home.  Does he grumble and roll his eyes?  Yep.  He gets it from me (he gets a lot of his personality from me...and if you look in the 1980 Vandalite, you'll also see that he's not just his Daddy's boy on the outside!)

I know I will blink and he will be 14, then 21...but I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

Easter 2013

Easter is always an exciting day at our house.  Our kids look forward to the Easter bunny's visit (Jackson informed me he was pretty sure there was no Easter bunny, but didn't elaborate.  Hedging his bets, I suppose.)  I'm happier now that they know the real reason for celebration. Seeing a risen Savior through the unwavering faith of a five year old is the best way to celebrate.

We are still working on getting all three of our children to stand still, smile and look at the camera all at the same time.  But we got them all in the same frame, so that's progress! :)  Jackson was feeling very, um, brotherly and kept crossing that fine line between arm lovingly draped around the shoulders and chokehold.

The best part about Easter is getting to see family.  It's not that we don't see each other regularly, it's just different.  And we had a few key players missing this year. :(

 Annabelle was super egg-cited (sorry) about the egg hunts.  Being the youngest, she got a slight head start and took full advantage.

Happy Easter!

Surprise!

Remember how I said Jackson wanted to throw a surprise party for Sadie's birthday?  Well, we took the idea and ran with it. Surprising a five year old is not rocket science.  :)  We told Sadie we would "eventually" have a party for her at OMG, but that we were very busy and it might be a while.   Keep in mind that we had her 4th birthday party in May, 'cause that's how superstar moms like me roll.  But since she knew a party would eventually happen, she was able to pick out a cake, decorations, etc.

The day of the party, Kevin told her he was taking her on a "Daddy/Daughter date."  They went to Dairy Queen and Dollar General--it takes a lot to impress a Reed girl. ;)  Then he told her they had to go to OMG to pay her gymnastics tuition, and SURPRISE!!

We were so happy that all her besties could be there.  Jackson was excited that he'd helped pull off a surprise party.

I was happy we had her party before May. :)

Sadie's Five!

What a year she's had!

When Sadie started Sunshine Friends this year as "the big sister," it was the best thing that ever happened to her.  She and Jackson like each other sooo much more than they used to now that they have a little time away from each other each day.  And she just continues to grow and change and become such a big kid.

Sadie got to play softball for the first time, and she did great.  

Right after school started, Sadie told me she wanted to cut her hair off.  I honestly felt sick to my stomach.  But she and I were not friends every morning when I had to brush her hair.  So after a few weeks, we had a long talk about why she wanted a hair cut.  She knew it wouldn't take as long to brush, and it wouldn't hurt as much.  She just really REALLY wanted to get a haircut.  So we did.

It was sassy and cute and perfect for her.  She loved it.

She also got to play soccer this fall, and loved it--to a degree.  But about halfway through the season she said, "I like soccer, but I don't want to play anymore." :)  We told her she would have to honor her commitment to her team until the end of the season, and that was okay with her.

She got to celebrate her big day with her birthday twin, Aunt Debbie.  Usually the two of them go out for breakfast, but we all happened to be in Oklahoma visiting Cody, Karen, and Jones so they had the whole day together. :)

Last year, we kept thinking we would have Sadie's party sometime in January.  Then January turned into April, and we still hadn't had a party. : (  Not parent of the year, for sure! But we had her "half-birthday" in May, and we're back on schedule this year!  I promise!  Jackson came up with the idea of throwing her a surprise party, so we're excited about it!  Keep your fingers crossed!

Christmas 2012

Christmas this year was a little different than normal, but then, life would be boring without a little different thrown in for good measure, right?   The Saturday before Christmas, we got ready to have our normal family Christmas dinner, just the five of us. Kevin had told me most of the day that he wasn't feeling great, but we thought it was just allergies...until bedtime that night and he was running fever.  By the time he woke up Sunday morning, it was full-blown sick.  

Flu.

At Christmas. 

Great.

I promise I really did feel bad for him. While I Lysoled every surface he touched.  And spoke to him from a distance of no less than ten feet.  And made the kids wear surgical masks.  

Not really.  But it crossed my mind.

He did go to the doctor... who sent the prescription to a pharmacy that was closed.  Which prompted an 8:00 trip to Tyler to the one pharmacy still open.  But the kids thought it was an adventure, so it was actually okay.

 Jackson got all the goodies he was hoping for.  He didn't ask for anything "big" but he asked for A LOT...he has no shortage of great gift ideas. :)  He didn't get all he asked for, but he was very excited about what he got (Note the football jersey we gave him--we can't let those pesky Longhorns in the family do all the indoctrinating!)

 Sadie's list was pretty short.  She wanted a doll house...and lots of babies. :)  She loved her doll that she said looked like Aunt Robin. :)  She also got the cutest bicycle from Nana, which was a big surprise for her that she loved.

 All Annabelle wanted was "toys."  No specifics.  Just toys.  She loved the time with family, the opening presents, the whole shebang. Santa brought her triplet baby dolls.  That are motion activated and move and laugh (creepy baby doll laugh) and cry at really weird times.  Trip.  Lets.  Not Santa's best choice.

We gave her a Little People nativity set, and she LOVED that.  All season long she's been pointing out "Baby Jesus" everywhere we went (Which made me smile. Every. Single. Time.), so I knew she would love to have a nativity that was hers that she could touch and play with.

I love the conversations it initiated.  I love that my kids are as excited to discuss the true meaning of Christmas as they were to talk to Santa.

 But the biggest, best surprise at Christmas was SNOW!  Not often do we have the dream of a white Christmas become a reality here in Texas, but this year was different.

And different, in this case,  is GOOD. :)