Bliss & That: June 2009

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Let Them Be Dirty...

Bella loves being dirty. Paint, mud, mulch, cookie dough... You name it, she likes to spread as much as possible all over herself. She was playing in the sprinkler the other day and this is what it turned into... Finding a nice low spot in the mulch and creating a mud hole to wallow in made.her.day. Even though it takes an extra good bath to shine her up again, I try to remember that these are the things that she'll remember. Still talking about "...remember when, Mommy..." moments of being covered from head-to-toe in mud from afternoons that happened two years ago confirm this. So, note to self... Let them be little. Let them be dirty.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

RN, BSN...

I just wanted to put a shout out letting you all know that Mark is done with school (for now) and has just graduated with his BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing)! Of course this post wouldn't be complete without some slight ego stroking, so I'm gonna go ahead and let you in on the little 4.0 secret. Yep, he did it with a 4.0 GPA too! Although he's not going to a ceremony, I think there is a little bit of anticipation to receive some special honor-tassle-thingys in the mail with his degree. Way to go on some more letters behind your name, Honey! You're on your way to *the* letters CRNA! ;)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

By Your Side

Six years have gone by in a blink. If only we knew then the journey that we were beginning...

Two towns.

One apartment.

One house.

One Home.

One job change.

One dog.

{One Daughter.}

{Two Sons.}

I can't wait to see what the next six years bring our way. I. can't. wait. I love you, Honey!

{Happy Anniversary again, Mom & Dad. 40 Years!}

Can You Believe It!?

Brigham is 10 months old now! What!? This is just not fair. We are way. too. close. to one year old, and I just can't believe it. We love him more and more every day...

His bright blue eyes.
His blond, blond hair with a few tiny curls in the back.
His furrowed brow and sucked-in lip when he's being serious.
His dimpled-cheek and fang teeth when not.
His chub.

You were the perfect addition to our brood, Sweet Briggs!

So Much For...

Lincoln has always been a climber.

Especially when there are kitchen counters involved.

And food.

So...

So much for that yummy Amish-made pie we got from the market yesterday. *sigh*

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Bliss.

Did you ever know that my favorite flowers of all were peonies? Pure Bliss.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Bittersweet

What a bittersweet day it was... Bella has graduated from preschool. It was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun at the family picnic and ceremony! I can't believe that the last two years of preschool went by in a flash. I tried not to cry as I dropped her off for her last day. Thankfully, Lincoln will be there next fall, so it wasn't a "goodbye". Not so thankfully, though, Lincoln will be there next fall... :( Congratulations on your graduation, Princess! We're proud of you!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Whooooooohhh...

In honor of Mark, his 10-year-old-52-mile-per-gallon Jetta TDI (that's Turbo Diesel, though I'd say it's more diesel than turbo...), and our favorite commercial, I thought I'd post this for you all. I can't get enough of it! Hee, hee... Enjoy, Honey! (And I'm sorry in advance if I stepped on anybody's hybrid toes...) Oh, and don't forget to pause the playlist below too. It's not near as funny with Brad Paisley singing a ballad in the background. I tried.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Just a Few More...

I just wanted to post a few more pictures of the River Walk, since it was so lovely there. What a great place to capture some memories! :)

Tell me that this wouldn't freak all of you mommies out!

Mommy and the babes under one of the many bridges.

This walkway was so neat! The water flowed through the stepping stones from a waterfall into the river.

I love this shot with huge American and Texan flags in the background that were hung from one of the historic buildings.

Taking a breather...

Roaming the River Walk

I'm finally getting around to getting a few San Antonio pictures up! It's been a month since we've been there, so I guess it's probably time to let up on the suspense a bit. :) Here are some of the River Walk. We were able to go on two separate days and loved the beauty and vibe of it. It's so peaceful, yet buzzing with activity thanks to the restaurants and shops. Letting the kids walk so closely to the water scared the snot out of me, but luckily Daddy and I were able to corral them well enough that I only had a few "freak out" moments!

We did get to take a cruise on one of the many tour boats.

Bella means beautiful!

I love this picture!

People were very friendly, asking if we would like a family picture taken as they passed by. We got a few taken... Yeah!

Hold on tight, Daddy!

Daddy {Mark}

Both my high school and modern-day sweetheart {he claims he's loved me since seventh grade}, Daddy’s the reason we’re on this awesome journey around the U.S. {Truth be told, the kids and I would happily follow him anywhere. We’re pretty fond of him…} So hardworking, he's always busy putting others to sleep. Huh? You see, he really is quite an interesting and diverse person, it's just that he's now an Army Officer schooling in anesthesia. :) For enjoyment and down-time from school and being at the hospital he loves to cook. {What, Honey? You want to make supper? Uhm... okay!} In addition to cooking, he also enjoys hunting and gardening. {See, diverse...} He’s doing a wonderful job already teaching our young boys what is expected of them to develop into a good man and our only daughter what it takes to avoid those good men for the next 30 years or so.

Mommy {Kate}

I'm Kate, spending day and night molding precious lives and trying to keep up with the laundry and dishes. I'm always wondering how I could do things better at home, trying to learn through grace to be the best wife and mother for OUR family, even if others think I'm off my rocker. :) This is still a big work in progress, though, but I'm just so thankful to be doing the only thing I've always wanted to do- be a wife and mama! My newest label other than Army wife is being a homeschooling mommy. I find being in charge of my children’s education just as daunting as being in charge of their haircuts, and I always joke with Mark that I’ll take care of the English if he’ll help out with the higher level math and science. {He's intensely brainy. Yes, the whole package...} Little by little, I'd like to pretend I'm doing ok with teaching them and figuring it out s-l-o-w-l-y. My will-power is next to nothing when it comes to Dr Pepper, spoonfuls of homemade buttercream frosting, my husband's cooking, and a good home décor magazine. I dream of a little hobby farm with a big garden, clothes line, goats {love!}, pasture, and chickens {again} one day...

{Isabella Grace 8}

Our four little ones keep us busy, happy, frustrated, inspired, tired, and loved. Leading the pack is our first and only daughter, Isabella. We should have known from the start that she'd always be our loud and bubbly one, arriving as a tiny peanut four weeks early, surprising us all. She holds her own quite well to say the least with the boys, and is many times the mastermind behind trouble. Her loves are reading and cooking, but not in that order. Bella is turning into quite the beautiful young lady right before our eyes, and is a natural leader and big sister. It’s wonderful to have a big helper at home now too, as mommies of all little ones know how tough it is without “of-age” helpers. We now also find ourselves calling her "Little Mommy" to the boys very often.

{Lincoln Noah 6}

Next there's oldest of the brothers Lincoln, who makes parenting seem way too easy. :) Lincoln’s a lover of monster trucks and sports, though not in that order either. He also recently got bit by the hunting bug, and just got his first compound bow, much to Daddy's delight. Always counting down the years, he can’t wait until he is old enough to be in charge of mowing and “pooper scooping” on our future farm, which is great, since he's a natural at driving. He's also the most affectionate, soft-spoken little boy, always hugging and kissing us while saying, "I love you in the whole wide world."

{Brigham Isaac 4}

Brigham, Little Brother #2, is just a riot lately, and has Mommy and Daddy wrapped around his little finger. {Part of that may be thanks to the fact that he has possibly the longest eyelashes you will ever find on human or beast. We affectionately call them his face blankets.} There's no possible way that he's four years old already, but with that, he has emerged this year as the "class clown" of the family and is always cracking himself or us up with his antics. He is in love with being a big brother to Little Brother #3, but man, can they argue over toys already! His new love is riding his bike on two wheels after getting rid of those nasty training wheels that slowed him down too much. :)

{Griffin Silas 2}

In September 2010, God blessed us with another little boy in our family, who was born at home- a waterbirth. {Loved it!} Griffin's been such a joy and wonderful fit for our family since the beginning. Riding out the gallons of spit-up and thousands of overnight wakings during the first year have all been worth it, and we are enjoying his full-speed approach to toddlerhood now. He keeps up amazingly well with his older siblings and is still at the cutie-patootie age where nobody can stay mad at him. His fluffy blond curls and perfect kisses may have something to do with that. We are all anxious to see how Finn's personality takes shape, making up the sixth piece of our family puzzle.

Bliss & That