Maclain is THREE!

On November 25th, Maclain turned three... how is that even possible?!?

There is so much personality wrapped up in this little girl, it's crazy!  She makes our heads spin at times, but we wouldn't trade her for anything in the world!  I am loving the spunky little girl that she is becoming, even with the challenges that come along! ;)

Just yesterday she was getting dressed and she informed me that, "The Bible says that the tags go in the back when we get dressed, Mommy.  The Bible says it!"  I'm glad she knows what the authority should be in our lives. :)

Maclain is going to preschool 3 days a week with Maddox right now, but after we move, she will most likely be back at home with me full time until Maddox starts Kindergarten in the Fall.  Now that Miller is getting a little older, they can develop their own little "sister bond" that I hope will prove to be very special.

For her birthday, she got a Frozen bike from Nana and Pop, and she is loving that right now.  She has been riding Maddox's bike here and there over the last couple of months, but now that she has her own "big girl bike" she is getting better at it.  Today, we went over to an abandoned parking lot and let her get in some good practice!  By the end of our time there, she was going almost as fast as Maddox. :)

We love our silly girl!

Miller is ONE!

On October 4th our little Miller turned ONE!  I still can't wrap my mind around it...

It's so weird to think that we no longer have a baby in our house!  Miller is now almost 14 months old, and it seems like it has happened in the blink of an eye!

Some things I want to remember:
-Miller is still not walking yet... She has taken 1-2 steps in the last couple of days, but nothing consistent
-She is beginning to transition to one nap a day
-She is by far our best eater... not too picky and will try most anything!  Her favorite foods are pasta and strawberries!
-Miller is saying many words, but her favorite one is "NO!" :)
-She wants to be in on everything her brother and sister are doing, but it's hard to keep up sometimes :)
-She is still not a great traveler, but will do better if we let her watch a movie
-She does not like being handed off to anyone right now, and will let you know it!

We love you Miller Lee!

A New Chapter

Our family has some pretty big news to share...

We have sold our house here in Tallahassee, FL and will be moving to Charlotte, NC this month!  This was not an easy decision for our family, but one that we think will bring the best long-term happiness for us.  Daniel has made a job change and we will be heading up to Charlotte in just a couple of weeks!  We have made two trips up there to secure housing, and we feel great about the area where we will be living.  We are buying a house in Matthews, NC... just outside of Charlotte.  I have gotten Maddox enrolled in a preschool up there, and we are now packing like crazy!

We have had a great experience here in Tallahassee and we have made friendships here that we hope will last a lifetime.  Sometimes there just comes a point in life where you feel led in a different direction, and this is where we are finding ourselves.  We are stepping out on faith that this move will be a great one for us.  I truly feel that life is what you make it, and so we intend to make it the best we can!

In the Past Week

Here's a little bit of what we have been up to in the past week...

A morning blowout led to a morning bath :)

Isaac spent the afternoon with us and the boys had fun playing outside

This girl is one big mess!!

Maddox rode a horse at Kate's 5th birthday party!

He loved feeding the horse too!

Maddox and the birthday girl, Kate!

Maclain and Audrey enjoyed eating their snacks at the party :)

Baby Tyler

My good friend Renee had her baby boy a couple of weeks ago and I was able to go see them in the hospital the day after Tyler was born.  Even now, I still forget how tiny babies are when they are first born!

A week or two later I took the kids over to Renee's house so they could meet him.  Maddox and Maclain really enjoyed holding him...

Isaac showing off his baby brother

Miller didn't like it too much when I held Tyler.  Oh dear!  At least she will never have to adjust to a little brother or sister ;)

Miller - 11 Months

Wowza...that was fast!  In less than a month we will have a 1 year old!  I wish I could say I was really sad, but honestly, I'm so excited to see Miller keep growing and experience more as she gets older.  She has been such a good baby and is changing so much!  It's been a fast 11 months!

Some things I want to remember:

-She is becoming less interested in the bottle and more interested in table food.  She loves "real food" and I think we have been better this time about introducing what we are eating to her starting at a younger age.

-Favorite foods: green beans and strawberries!  I can't feed her either of these fast enough.  I'm convinced she could eat an entire container of strawberries in one sitting.  She also really likes pasta (like her Mommy)!

-Still naps pretty well and takes a morning and afternoon nap.

-Has started saying a few words: uh-oh, Momma, Dada, and night-night.  She also waves, gives kisses, and claps when she feels like it ;)

-Has started pulling up, but is not close to walking yet.  Maddox and Maclain didn't walk until 14 months, so I don't expect it to happen before then for Miller.

-Has definitely developed stranger anxiety and prefers to be with Mommy or Daddy.

-She loves it when Maddox and Maclain play with her and they can still get the best laughs out of her.

What a joy our little Miller is... can't wait to celebrate her 1st year in a few short weeks!

Back to School

I've taken a bit of a blogging break this summer.  Now that school is back in, I hope to catch up and update more often.  I'll start with back to school...

Maddox is in VPK this year and it's his last year before starting kindergarten.  He is in Mrs. Cherri's class at Timberlane and we could not be happier with the way school has been going so far.  The program is paid for by the state (hallelujah!) and is 5 days a week, 9-12.  His very best friend Nolan is in his class, and he is absolutely loving school.  Maddox has always appreciated a structured routine and thrives in school. We are blessed by Timberlane's program.

Meet the Teacher Day!

Maddox and Mrs. Cherri

Maclain is going to preschool 3 days a week and is also adjusting very well!  This is her 2nd year in the 2 year old class, but they had to split the group because it got so big!  So they put her with the older 2's and Mrs. Jill is her teacher this year.

Ready for Meet the Teacher Day!

Maclain and Mrs. Jill

I won't lie... this last summer was the hardest one we've experienced yet.  There are several reasons, the main one being lack of a schedule.  Miller was at a tough age for a lot of different things, and it seemed like I just couldn't keep us busy enough.  I thrive when we are on the go and have a lot to do, but life at home with 3 littles doesn't always lend itself to that lifestyle ;)  We are all thankful school has started back and we are figuring out a new routine!  Here's to a great 2014-2015 school year!

First Day of School 2014