Tiny Tales Thursday...

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I did "back date" it to make myself feel better - haven't missed a TTT yet. :)

Since Emersyn is becoming more vocal, it is only fair that I have some tales that feature what she contributes to our daily laughs...

She has a favorite new word. Let me provide some examples...

Radley picks up Emmy's tea set to play.
Emmy's response: Mine.

Ryan picks up a bracelet on the floor.
Emmy's response: Mine.

Katy picks up a doll from the play kitchen oven.
Emmy's response: Mine. 

Radley takes a drink of milk from his cup.
Emmy's response: Mine. 

Ryan takes a sip of coffee.
Emmy's response: Mine. 

Katy grabs her new camera.
Emmy's response: Mine. 

Yes, the seagulls from Finding Nemo have invaded our house. But they sure are cute.

29 weeks...

Me and MAK at 29 weeks... 

I feel/look...  A little rough in this picture. Clearly not a working day for me. :) I feel the same - it's beginning to get a little tougher to bend, but for the most part I'm able to do just about everything. Stretching has made it back into my daily rituals and it makes me feel better. My hips always start to hurt around week 30, so maybe that will help. 

I'm craving... Nothing still. But I don't really say no to food. I've only gained 8 lbs but I don't like the number staring back at me on the scale, so I should probably slow it down a bit. 

I'm doing... lots (in my head). I have purchased four things this week for MAKs room which makes me excited! I am so eager to get in there and make it beautiful - other than that, just a lot of thinking of what I need to be doing. Freaks me out a little bit. Yesterday I cleaned out all of my dresser drawers, so nesting has kicked in, it's just a matter of time before it explodes. 

Ryan is... in for it. After a month of late hours and short weekends, he better prepare himself to "nest" right along with me. :)

Kids are... in Christmas overload. They got lots of big brother/sister books for Christmas (one from MAK, too which Radley was super excited about). Radley pretty much has this thing down, it's Emersyn that won't know what hits her. I'm getting nervous about adding another little one to the mix - just want to make sure they all feel as loved as they are. 

MAK is...  doing great! We had a doctor's appointment last week and GiGi (my mom) got to come with me to hear the heartbeat. 139 - 141 was as high as it got which totally makes me think boy. Moving around like crazy in there and that makes me happy!

We are... Deciding on names, still. We had a "vote" for our families on Christmas Eve and it's split down the middle. I need to email the ballot out to a few others and maybe I'll post it on here next week to get the thoughts (only NICE ones) of my loyal followers. ;) We love all of them and seriously may just wait to meet this precious MAK before deciding. 

We also picked out a few options for paint colors (see first two pics) and I am determined to have this room looking good by next weekend! 

The aftermath...

The aftermath of Christmas is always interesting. 

Parents are frantically trying to organize toys, kids are all hopped up on sugar and Christmas goodness, and  the fridge is overloaded with items that only appear once a year. 

It's a MESS!

But in all that chaos some magical moments appear, too.... 

Allow me to introduce Emersyn the Great... 

And Magnificent Rad... 

He pulls off a wedge rather nicely, don't ya think? 

;)

Twas the night before Christmas...

And the tree was packed full...

The stockings were stuffed with a whole lotta "cool"...

Santa stopped by to deliver some toys... 

Dress up clothes for a girl...

 

And builder stuff for a boy...

The morning arrived and two kiddies slept in

But they were to awake and the playing began... 

We all took it easy, enjoying breakfast and caffeine... 

Because we knew what awaited was an obnoxious scene... 

But before the chaos began to commence

One Radley King stopped to play with a prince... 

We went in order from youngest to old... 

And were ever so careful to do as we were told... 

Radley got Star Wars... 

And Emmy some dolls... 

But the best part of Christmas was just watching it all...

A boy so proud of what he picked for his Daddy...

And GiGi helping Emmy, no the day was not too shabby... 

We hope that the day was special for each of you...

And in case you were wondering, yes, Mommy was there, too! 

Hope you had a blessed Christmas! 

What we've been up to...

Hanging with grandparents...

Baking goodies for Jesus... 

And enjoying our family...

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas, too!

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas!!

We hope that your days are Merry and Bright as your mailboxes are filled with seasonal treats by friends and loved ones. One of my favorite parts about this season is being able to see families grow and change; catching up with old and new friends and sharing with others what is happening with the Kings as well. So without further ado, 2011 can be summarized in three words: Trust, Delight and Olives (yes, olives).

Our whole lives Ryan and I have been taught to trust in the Lord. To this day, my Mom tells me (almost weekly) to “give it to God.” And well, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Ryan’s mom, Fely, passed away in May from a short battle with cancer. Fely will always be part of our lives – as evident by the smell of her home that now lingers in ours as we display her treasured Christmas decorations, but nothing could prepare us for her journey. I have never been more proud of my husband as he took gentle care of his Mom; as he walked Radley through the steps of understanding death by grounding his words in faith; and most notably as and his trust in Him never faltered. (Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.) And while we may never understand Him – we TRUST Him. More than anything this year we, as a family, have learned to Trust. Him. It is not always easy and there are many times that we (me and ‘ol JC) may disagree – but well, He has our trust.

And because of that trust, we delight – in Him. In all of his blessings and in each of our trials, we delight in His word and offer our praises to Him. 2011 has been such a journey in our faith. As we strive to teach Radley and Emersyn about what God has given us, as we attend church or bible studies and as we live our lives each day. And through this delight and trust, He never lets us down. (Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.) We have received so many blessings this year! We celebrated our FIFTH wedding anniversary, we witness our children flourish (more on them in a minute), we have our health and our happiness, we paid off our car and school loans, Ryan got a promotion at work, the Aggies went undefeated in conference play, we took family trips – most recently to NEW YORK CITY and we have food to eat and shelter from the storms. We are surrounded by family that is our friends and friends that are like family. Yes – the desires of our heart have been fulfilled – more beautifully than we could have imagined when meeting way back in 1999!

Now about those olives. (Psalm 128:3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.) This Psalm was selected by one of our dear friends to be read at our wedding. And what a prophecy it truly was. I think about it often as I watch Radley learn something new. He continues to add delight to our lives with his quick understanding, his tender heart and his compassion for others. One of my favorite moments each day is his bedtime prayers – blessing his family and friends and never forgetting to include Lola (Fely). He is such a wise soul and we are constantly blessed by every piece of him.

Emersyn is also a beautiful reminder of this Psalm. At 1.5 years she is what I like to refer to as “asserting her independence” which is a nice way of saying giving me gray hairs. J Her vocabulary is catching up to the rest of her as she begins to talk and search for words to explain “the desires of her heart”. She is a skilled climber, runner, and destroyer of Lego cities. Radley is still her best friend and no one can make her laugh like him. To sit and just watch them play together whether it is with a box of Cars or hosting a tea party, well, is heaven.

And, let’s not forget our newest “olive” – in case you haven’t heard or couldn’t tell by that bump in the pictures of our family – I’m clearly a “fruitful vine” and the newest King will arrive in March! Our “mini amazing King” (MAK) was an unexpected reminder that the Lord, through our trust and delight in Him, continues to not only give us the desires of our hearts but to bless us beyond measure.

May those blessings be bestowed upon each of you this Christmas season and all year through!

Ryan, Katy, Radley, Emersyn and MAK

Sweet friends...

These sweet friends got together last night for some cookie decorating...

 

I love how Radley has inherited my "picture taking style". He is on his tiptoes because he is about 3 inches shorter than both Jackson and Kayla. He also makes the rookie mistake of chin up - but it's pretty darn cute.  

There was lots of smiles... 

 

 

Lots of silliness...

 And even lots of concentration...

Emersyn had tons of fun (although I don't know if more made it into her mouth or on her cookie).

Kayla is a seasoned pro at cookie making, so she was leading the table in best practices. 

And Jackson won the award for "most unique design". 

I think they all turned out pretty cute, don't you? 

Tiny Tales Thursday...

Radley absolutely loves Christmas lights. We go on a tour of our neighborhood once or twice a week and his excitement has stayed consistently strong. He has his favorites like the house that has transformed their garage into Santa's Workshop and the house that has programmed their lights to sound and music (which is my favorite, too).

Local businesses have also gotten into the spirit of the holidays and placed lights around their store fronts. One in particular that Radley noticed last week is actually lit all year.

Radley: I LOVE those beautiful green lights, Mommy.
Katy: looks up to see what he is talking about - notices the green lights on "the Tap", a bar my friends and I used to frequent visited maybe once or twice in college. I love those beautiful green lights, too, buddy.
Radley: Can we go to that store?
Katy: Well, not now, buddy. It's for big kids.
Radley: I'm a big kid.
Katy: Well, it's for big kids like at Mommy's work. You know, the Aggies.
Radley: Well, I'm an Aggie.
Katy: Yes you are, but it's for older Aggies.
Radley: Oh. Have you ever been there?
Katy: Yes, a few times.
Radley: What do you do there?
Katy: Just eat and talk with my friends.
Radley: Oh. Like Chick Fil A?
Katy: Yes, kinda like Chick Fil A.
Radley: Oh. Then I can't wait to go there.
Katy: I can't wait to go back there, either, buddy.
Radley: I do love their lights.
Katy: Me, too. Me, too.

May your holidays be filled with the REAL Christmas spirit (and not just the kind that comes out of a tap).

28 weeks...

Me and MAK at 28 weeks...

 

I feel/look... pretty good. I have decided however that our photo shoot time may need to change each week because I always have "sleepy" eyes. :) I am a "pg sweller" and since I was pregnant during warmer (read: summer) with Radley and Emmy this was more noticeable. However, I think MAK has been pretty kind to me. My fingers still swell, but that's much better than my ankles!

I'm craving... Nothing, really.

I'm doing... Picture planning. I take maternity pictures on January 13 and Pinterest has my brain on overload of shots I "have" to take. (Sorry, Sarah!) Cindy shares my love of spreadsheets and makes them for their family photo sessions, and while I thought this seemed a little too organized once upon a time... it's beginning to make perfect sense. ;)

Ryan is... actually ready to get started on the baby room. Last weekend he decided we needed to pick a paint color and while that is great - it's the middle of Christmas overdrive, I have enough crazy thoughts of what "needs" to be done floating in my head. I almost burst into tears at the thought of one more "thing". He quickly changed his mind.

Kids are... the same. Radley wants to know why Caroline's baby is already here and we have to wait on ours. Emmy is very into coming up to my tummy and kissing the "baby". She maybe also points to other "bumps" and tries to kiss them, too. Oh - Lord - how do I explain that  to an 18 month old? :) They are giving each other "big brother/sister" books for Christmas and MAK purchased one for them as well - let the educating begin!

MAK is... feeling like a boy these days. Don't know why, just is.

We are... down to two names/gender. We love both of them so much and I can't decide which one I like better. We may have to see this baby to decide, which is completely different from the other two. Also exciting/nerve racking because I like to put names on clothing. :) 

 

See those little sausage fingers?

Santa Baby...

We had a special mail out last night....

And after that quick turn around, Alfie needed some fuel...

And, well, Radley and Emersyn may have gotten some M&Ms for breakfast. 

(No incriminating pictures were taken). 

From our family to yours...

Baking buddy...

Ryan and Radley met the Munson's at the movies yesterday afternoon, which meant I got to spend some quality girl time with Emersyn! And what better way to spend girl time than to watch chick flicks (ie Tangled) and bake?

 (So sad I didn't realize she wasn't looking up)

 

This was our first baking experience together so I wanted to do it right. We had all of the stuff set up and then I realized I didn't have any brown sugar or enough stick butter. 

Awesome.

 

We made a quick trip to the HEB and were back in the flash (this time sans apron). 

Now I will admit that baking is not my "thing". I am a pretty good cook - I can make something yummy out of pretty much anything in our house, but I don't do well at following the exact measurements which means I run into trouble when it comes to baking. Kind of a requirement. 

But Emmy did GREAT! She loved pouring the sugar and flour into the bowl and watching it all mix together. I was so impressed with her patience. 

And she was an AWESOME chocolate chip taste tester, too! 

And the cookies were some of the best I've tasted. 

Love this sweet girl so much!

Book worms...

As I've mentioned it's "peak season" at UPS which means Daddy is a bit busier than normal. It also means that I get to spend a lot of time with two cuties I know solo. Saturday morning I had our day all planned and ran into my room to get dressed "real quick". 

This usually requires my room being destroyed in the process because these "cuties" like to follow me and play while I get dressed. However, Saturday I managed a good 10 minutes with no peep from the other side of the house, which then clearly had me worried. 

I walked to Emmy's room to see what was going on and caught them reading books together. I clearly had to grab my camera because I wanted a picture but then they noticed me so I got cheesy smiles instead. 

I felt like it was my own special Christmas miracle. Getting dressed. ALONE. 

:)

 

I don't think he knows how to NOT smile at a camera. 

Then I got them dressed and we headed out for a fun morning filled with hair cuts, Christmas shopping and a visit to the Children's Museum. 

 

And I didn't take one picture of any of it. Can you believe it? Instead I just enjoyed the moments. 

Loving my Christmas blessings!