This is 6...

Every year I take a picture of the kids sleeping the night before a birthday. I just want to be able to remember them exactly as they were before turning another year old. Landry turning six solidified that we are out of babies in our house and as much as it breaks my heart, I'm also so dang pumped about this stage of "big". 

She is going to seize every moment of six...starting with her "birthday to do list"... 

For the first time ever, we woke up somewhere other than our house on one of their birthdays. But honestly, there's not a better place in the world to wake up on a special day than Gigi and Pops'... we tried talking her into donuts for breakfast but she just wanted cereal so I got as creative as I could with the "birthday breakfast" set-up... haha!

She threw on her crown and fancy new dress and we were off to check some items on that list... 

Pedicures and the toy store were up first... 

and then we hugged Gigi's neck and headed south to CS ... 

so we could hug Daddy's neck (who was putting finishing touches on their room), open presents and eat lunch.. 

The main attraction was obviously the bunk beds...

Landry is everything we never knew we always needed. I've repeated myself 1000 times but she came at such a sorrow-filled time... she was the rainbow after the rain when we lost Fely and she's been sunshine ever since. (Except in the mornings when she is the grumpiest person you will ever meet.)

She does things on her own time. 

She cries at sappy movies.... like tears GUSHING and we all love it so much.

She would eat "pasghetti" for every meal.

Dominos is her favorite pizza. 

She loves getting dirty and playing rough with Radley.

And also being girly and dressing up with Emmy. 

Reading is not her favorite but she's gaining confidence and I'm so proud of her. 

She hasn't decided if Spanish is something she loves or not. 

She is fiercely loyal - don't mess with her siblings or besties. 

She is perceptive and offers love right when you need a hug.

She's totally cool with recycling all of her school work. 

"That's ok, Momma" is one of my favorite phrases bc sometimes I just need "it" to be "ok". 

She loves being a gymnast. 

She loves Jesus and says the best prayers. 

She's the perfect caboose to our crew. 

We had the best day celebrating her as we checked off her list... go to a park, eat pizza, watch a movie... 

This is six.

And I'm so ready to watch her rock it!

Paint and Paws...

We had a busy weekend starting with an art show featuring an original painting by Emersyn. I am completely blown away not just by her talent but also with her confidence in pursing this dream of hers. She is in her element when she is creating and I just pray that we can cultivate her interests far into the future if that's what makes her happy.

I really want to sign up for art lessons with Ms. Lasagna, too! 

Of course the whole family attended and these siblings of her could not have been more proud!

And Ryan and I were equally amazed by our girl, too!

We walked around for a bit to look at all the entires and I was just obsessed with these art collages. We may have to try to recreate something like this during our summer vacation. Mine will look nothing like it's supposed to, but I'm pretty sure Emersyn will nail it!

Then we headed to school for the kids' annual Paw Print Festival. I was busy running around so Ryan was (politely) instructed to "take lots of pics like I would... make sure to get some of the kids playing..."

He took exactly the number of pictures I suggested. 

;)

Somehow Emersyn and Anna ended up running the kids' giveaway and I love this so much because 

1. They always ALWAYS buddy up

2. Anna doesn't go to CHE

3. These two can talk people into anything

I'm pretty much in denial that these big kids are going to 5th grade next year. I need them to be in kindergarten all over again!

Landry was so excited that this was "her" school this year... she just ran off with friends and I'd see her every once in a while as she came in and out for snacks and to tell me stories. 

I wasn't one of those girls who's dream growing up was to be a mom ... I wanted to be lots of things and I just figured I would be a mom. And having a mom that showed up to everything and for everyone was a bigger blessing than I could have realized as a kid. Being a mom is one of my biggest honors... being their mom and most definitely being "that" mom... I love seeing them in their elements with giant smiles and enjoying this life of being a kid. I love that Ryan comes along and helps however and whenever he can even though his work schedule isn't nearly as flexible. I love this front row seat into the life we've built and continue to build. I get so weepy at these events because as they are running around having the time of their lives.... I'm trying to soak it all in because it goes by so fast.

That kid on the left quickly became that big kid on the right... almost shoulder to shoulder with me... wearing the same size shoe as me... definitely smarter than me... and every bit as amazing as that teeny tiny kindergartener that he was just yesterday!

Big XII...

Twelve years ago these two CHILDREN got dressed up, walked down the aisle, repeated some pretty important words, ate delicious food, danced with friends, hugged our parents and started our forever. 

Twelve years pales in comparison to my parents near 50 year story, but it's still a pretty long time! In that time we've created a family, buried love ones, survived hard days, hard jobs and hard parenting moments... we've cried a little, laughed a lot and loved through everything in between. 

Our life is nothing like I imagined and pretty much everything I could hope for. It's messy and loud and imperfect and weird and chaotic and random and just such a delight. We have done exactly zero things with perfection. We text angry words and eye rolling emojis. (Ok, maybe that's just me). We say I'm sorry a lot. And we try really hard not to laugh in the middle of an argument. 

We learn as we go. 

And we celebrated by hopping in the car for an amazing weekend getaway day trip to Ikea and Trader Joe's. 

My parents gave us an entire free day of babysitting and even took the kids to Saturday mass so we could head out on a real date when we returned. 

We are 18 years older than the first time we celebrated an occasion here, and in all those years together including 12 years of  marriage there is no one on the entire planet that I'd rather send an angry emoji to than you. 

Thanks for letting me eat off your plate, drink all your beer, and steal your socks. Thanks for always getting me a glass of water and turning off the lights even when I'm the last one to bed. I love you. 

Here's to many more big years ahead!

Lately...

Lately we have been enjoying all things spring. Like our spring break baby that had her fourth (yes, ridiculous) birthday celebration with framily!

I talked her out of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and into regular ol' store bought goodness.

[Please see FOURTH celebration - she was good.]

One morning as I was walking back to my car after volunteering at the kids' school I heard...

"Katy?..... Katy Guercion??"

Well, my head flipped around faster than something that goes really fast and my old boss was there! The boss that gave me the job at the most amazing deli where I ended up meeting a pretty cool dude that you all know as Ryan. 

HOW FUN IS THAT?!?! 

Know what else is fun? Working with some pretty incredible SHEroes of mine. 

Ryan installed the desk for the girls' room and they are obsessed! I am, too... the afternoon homework sessions have been pretty painless since they now have a big "grown up" space to work. 

We had an ENTIRE WEEK of PERFECT weather. The kind of weather that makes all the hot summers worth it and we took full advantage of this goodness by setting up some picnic dinners... 

and lounging around in the hammocks. 

And yes, that's us in the front yard because we are TOTAL front yard people. 

How else am I supposed to know what's going on in the 'hood? 

And that's us lately!

Friday Favorites: "Good" books...

Easter is NEXT week y'all - how is that even possible? And since Easter is really about Jesus and not about a bunny, I wanted to share my kids' favorite bibles in case you need any last minute Easter goodies. These are all King tested and approved...

Radley has probably read his Action Bible a dozen times. He loves that the format is like a graphic novel and I love that he spends so much time in the word.

They also have a devotional. This will make a perfect gift for the end of 4th grade.

The Amazon description says:

The Action Bible Devotional pairs selected stories from the bestselling Action Bible with spiritual lessons and action-adventure missions that launch kids’ faith into everyday life. Covering themes such as friendship, temptation, sibling rivalry, self-esteem, and materialism, The Action Bible Devotional offers a year’s worth of activities, questions, and ideas that will keep young readers engaged with the Bible every day. 


Each kid also has an "adventure bible" that they use at camp. They've also started following along when Ryan reads from our family bible.

adventure bible (blue) adventure bible (purple)

We have also enjoyed the Really Wooly Bedtime Prayers book. This is for early/young readers and has been such an encouragement as the kids expand their reading skills. Each page has a bible verse, a quick poem, and a simple prayer.

They have an entire series of books that would be great for Easter gifts, baby gifts, and birthday presents for littles in your life.

Ryan purchased a family reading bible a couple of years ago but we figured out very quickly that Landry was too young. Let's be honest... this isn't the easiest book to get through. ;) We have started reading again and we have really enjoyed the format of this bible and the options it gives you to get through the entire book.

Amazon says:

If you are one of the millions of Christian parents looking for a way to engage and understand the Bible together as a family, The Family Reading Bible is the Bible to meet your needs. Throughout the development of this unique Bible, the special content (reading paths, questions, fun facts, and more) was tested by Christian families just like yours, who provided insightful feedback and help in order to make this Bible useful for you and your family in everyday life. The Family Reading Bible is designed to help parents use the Bible itself as their family devotional tool. A reading system with three easy-to-use paths allows parents to accommodate children of various ages and stages. Readings of manageable length along with age-appropriate, engaging questions will encourage and maintain your kids’ interest in God’s Word. The Family Reading Bible is the perfect tool for parents in their role as the spiritual leaders of their home. 

Three reading tracks: • Track 1: Short Path—for families with tight schedules or children under 9 • Track 2: Long Path—for longer devotional times and children over 9 • Track 3: Off the Beaten Path—provides an opportunity for creative exploration of various topics of the Bible.

As much as I would love to start bible journaling... I don't have Emmy's artistic gift. Instead, the idea of a bible coloring book sounds AMAZING....

That's it for today! Linking up with Andrea, Narci and Erika for Friday Favorites. 

Happy Weekend, friends!

TIny Tales Thursday...

The girls and I were on the way to gymnastics when they started talking about their "whole" names. This lead them to wonder the "whole" name of lots of other people... MaMaw, Gigi, Daddy... and then Landry wanted to know one more...

Landry: Mommy... what's God's full name?
Me: God...
Landry: No... I think it's God Jesus King ... but not like us King...
Emmy: Yeah... just his name, King. Like HE IS A KING.


**************

We try to stick to a pretty solid routine at night because we all function better with sleep. Radley is starting to stay up later which both kills me to see him grow up and makes me so happy to have a late night buddy. He was trying to get a few more minutes reading and I told him he needed to turn the lights out.

Me: Go to bed, buddy...
Radley: But it's the BIBLE... are you saying there's no time for the WORD of GOD?


**********

The kids love to check the mail and sometimes I'm nice and let them because I also love to check the mail... even though most of it is just junk. Landry had the honors the other day and walked in to give me the mail. I went through it and handed her a stack to recycle which included a brochure from a church...

Landry: Mommy... you can't recycle THIS... it has JESUS on it...
Me: Jesus likes us to recycle
Landry: NOT THIS. I'll keep it in MY room.

A break...

While Ryan and I were busy getting the girls room ready the kids were living it up with Gigi and Pops in Waco. They LOVE spending time with them and I'm so grateful for how close they all are. 

I drove up on Wednesday and Landry's birthday celebration continued with the "frousins" at Poppa Rollos. Jenni suggested we go to dinner and then like all good best-friends, showed up with cupcakes and a tiara for the birthday girl. 

As much as I appreciate the quietness of an empty house and the ability to use the restroom without interruption, I sure am happy when we're back together! 

On Thursday morning we headed to Dallas for quick trip to Spark! This is a sister museum to the City Museum we visited in St. Louis. 

If you are within driving distance then I highly recommend you make plans to visit!

There is enough fun for everyone! *Note me in the bottom right

So many nooks and crannies to explore that kept a smile on all of their faces.

Then this girl was even more in heaven when she noticed they had art stations set up!

In between crawling through tunnels and sliding down "the fastest slide ever!" we still made time for a few selfies. (Except Radley who made a friend in exactly 2.4 seconds and was off running around.)

They even have a selfie station which we clearly tested.. 

And as if that wasn't enough fun for one morning... Emmy lost a tooth!

Fun day, awesome break!