It's CHRISTMAS....

Twas Christmas morning, we actually slept late

Until 6am at least (there was no debate)

When three little ones ran in our room with cheer

WAKE UP WAKE UP - Christmas is here! 

We rubbed our eyes put a smile on our face

Then all five paused for a moment of grace

Thank you, dear Jesus, for a year filled with love

For kindness and health and the gifts from above

Emmy lead us all in a prayer 

and in my opinion, that was Christmas, right there

Sweet words in her precious little voice

Asking us all to reflect and in Him rejoice

But alas, that Jolly St. Nick

 Had a few more items in his bag full of tricks

Two shiny bikes painted just as a requested

And a Playstation 4 made the day extra festive

But he wasn't done with surprises there was a little more

Some scratch offs, a robot and beef jerky was in store

Then a phone call was made to Gigi and Pops

"GET OVER HERE NOW AND DON'T MAKE ANY STOPS"

Breakfast was served, my favorite each year

Rolls and bacon make us all grin from ear to ear

Then the annual gift sorting began

All you type-As surely understand

We have order to our chaos, or so it would seem

We like to take our time to enjoy each and everything

Like fancy new socks that were chosen by Rad

And can only be FULLY appreciated by a super cool Dad 

While the presents were opened and everyone said thanks

I made sure to snap a few pictures of ME for the photo bank

These four humans are the only gifts I need

I can do without the wants, wears or read

As usual, my favorite part of the day

Were all the hugs given out along the way

A hug for a dress, a hug for a mask

A hug for that special gift that I was afraid to ask

A hug just because is the best hug of all

Better than a hug for a game or a doll

All the new stuff is awesome

That I won't deny

But the real joy is what matters 

And brings a tear to my eye

The moments in between that aren't posed or rehearsed

Are the moments I will always recall first

And the ones I don't capture behind some giant lens

Usually bring me the happiest grin

Each year we get older and much wiser, too

We stop and enjoy instead of having a "to do"

We hug and we laugh and if we're lucky enough

We recognize all the things that make up the "good stuff"

Like laughing with cousins and enjoying new toys

And filling the streets with a joyful noise

All the packages piled under that tree

Aren't the only gifts for you and for me

It's not the ribbons or sparkly bows

That make a difference, that much we know

It's time spent with family and our wonderful friends

That fill the day with joy from beginning to end

May your Christmas be merry and your New Year be bright

And may 2019 be filled with blessings you count each and every night!!

Seas and Greetings...

Merry Christmas!

We hope that 2018 has been as gracious to you as it has been to us. This year has been filled with all the busy-ness that life these days brings but we pray that you are finding time this season to slow down, soak it all in and rest in the knowledge that a savior was born to redeem us!  To save you the time in reading lots of details and me the time in trying to remember them all, I’m going to give you a “by the numbers” review of our year! Then you can go back to that “soaking it all in” part of this season!

24,398: the number of steps we took on our marathon day in Washington D.C. We toured the White House, visited the Renwick, ate at Ryan’s favorite restaurant (Georgia Brown’s), got a behind the scenes tour of the Capitol and ended the evening with the most glorious sunset stroll through the Monuments.

3,598: The number of miles Ryan drove on our TWO WEEK road trip to THIRTEEN states! We have set a goal of seeing all 50 states as a family by Landry’s 21^st birthday. As of the end of this trip, we’ve knocked off 23 states!  Our pictures are from our new favorite beach – the Outerbanks! None of us wanted the trip to end (it’s probably no surprise that I cried as we pulled into CS because I just wasn’t ready for our vacation to be over!)

            **Shout out to the Gorries for being the best hosts ever for an entire WEEK of our journey!**

256: The number of times the kids have asked if we can go back to Disney for Christmas!

93: The age MaMaw would have celebrated on her next birthday. We celebrated her life this Thanksgiving and are so thankful for the years we got to spend with her!

40: The age Ryan turned in May! The kids spoiled him rotten and we celebrated with dear friends at his favorite old stomping grounds in College Station! I even surprised him with a weekend away with his best buddies!

24: The number of items I’ve checked off my “40 by 40” list. Since I have less than 100 days until I reach that milestone, I may be changing the name to “40 by the day before I turn 41!”

10: The number of canvases Emersyn has brought home with her original artwork! She is our creative child and has loved her Tuesday afternoons with her bestie (Anna) at art!

5: The number of times each day that Landry asks if she can put on “GYNastics clothes”. This girl LOVES gymnastics and we love watching her do something she enjoys so much!

3.5: The number of flag football games Radley got to play this fall. After seven years of nothing but “fütbol” he decided to try a new sport. Sadly, the October and November rain had different plans for his football career – he’s switching back to soccer in the spring! ;)

1: The number of new cousins that joined our crew! Keirstyn Guercio was born on April 20 and the #wee3kings have been smitten ever since! That brings the girl/boy ratio to 4:2!

Within each of these numbers is an infinite amount of blessings that we pray you also enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happiest of New Years!

We5Kings

Ryan, Katy, Radley, Emersyn and Landry

Christmas Countdown 2018: 9, 8, 7...

Our countdown continued with some of our favorite activities... 

Only 9 days until Christmas – Light 5 candles at church for people that need prayers

We don't have any pictures of this one, because not every single moment needs to be documented. But I do want to remember the family we lit a candle for. A mom and her two kids that we see every week in church - we arrived a little late on Sunday and the pews are more crowded this time of year so we couldn't find a pew that would fit all 5 of us. This momma noticed and moved back to free up space in her pew so we could sit down. I hope we always remember the simple kindness in that gesture and  instant difference it made in our day. May we all live our lives so that people light candles to bless us back. 

Only 8 days until Christmas – Game on! Let’s make breakfast for dinner and play our favorite games!

As excited as I was about brinner and board games, the night got even better when Ryan showed up at 5:45pm! Y'all - this is just crazy cakes. I mean, that's really not normal on any day but during holiday peak season?!? I was frightened. That was amazing on its own, but we also had the added bonus of Miss Elizabeth and Corey AND I made cream gravy so basically we had the best night ever!

Liz and Corey also brought Radley a belated birthday gift which was maybe the sweetest thing ever - Corey gifted him all of his old Pokemon cards and Radley was so excited! They immediately started using words that I didn't know the meaning of but I didn't really need to... I just needed to know that my kids are loved by lots of people and that's the gift to me. 

I also won the game, but that's not really important. 

;)

Only 7 days until Christmas – Tomorrow is MaMaw's birthday! Let’s go buy a special ornament to honor her!

We headed to HobLob after the evenings crazy of art and gymnastics and I got a little worried that we weren't going to find anything. At this point they have already taken most of Christmas down and what's left is broken, chipped or an emoji which is not the looking we are going for. Emersyn spotted this frame ornament and asked if we could put a picture of MaMaw inside and I think it's just perfect. 

But as we were about to leave, I spotted this angel holding a red bird. MaMaw loved red birds and we love her so the two are a perfect fit, 

Happy Birthday, MaMaw...and Merry Christmas, too!

We5AmeriKings 2018: Day 10

The morning we had been dreading arrived way too soon for us. Goodbyes are kind of the worst and this one was like waking up from the perfect dream - we just didn't want any of it to end. We squeezed all of our friends extra tight... 

loaded the car and got moving. This was going to be our longest travel day and let's just say we had less than the best driving conditions. 

Exactly.

Instagram made our long days a little extra fun - we loved each and every question that people sent our way... totally recommend this as a family activity if you have a long road trip planned!

After answering questions, reading books, eating their weight in snacks and surviving the down pour... Ryan and I FINALLY let them watch a movie. 2300 miles travelled without so much as a complaint? We kinda felt like they earned that 2 hour break in the drive. 

(And I enjoyed the quiet). 

We crossed a new state off our list (spoiler alert: SC was voted least favorite welcome center on the trip)...

and then one more... 

and about 10 hours later, we arrived in ATLANTA!! We 100% lucked out and missed all major traffic and pulled directly into a primo parking spot at our destination of choice for the day. Miracles happen, people. Prior to our trip across the southeastern states, I was discussing places to eat with my friend, Gerald. He told me that we "HAD" to go to Ponce City Market when we were in the ATL and while we were all incredibly excited for dinner... 

we were even MORE EXCITED about who we were having dinner with!!! Y'ALL. 

I'm just going to pause right here and tell you that while I was clearly prepared to see my mom, dad, brother and nephew when we arrived... I was in no way prepared for how incredibly awesome it was going to feel to see them!

PRO TIP: Plan a crazy road trip. Talk your family into meeting you at some point. Make memories. 

We all scattered for dinner and sampled a little bit of everything... friend chicken, hamburgers, shrimp po boys, gyros, you name it... and we tasted it. Can't recommend this place enough... if you're in Atlanta, then make plans to spend an evening at Ponce. 

The kids donut know what they would do without their favorite big cousin Owen ... 

And I donut know what I would do without my driver, partner, ride or die companion. 

Day ten was one step closer to home... but it turns out home is just where ever I am with him. 

We5AmeriKings 2018: Day 9

The rain decided to join us for our last day at the beach, but that didn't stop us from heading down there to play. 

The waves were CRAZY!!! And the water was freezing... but there's something kind of awesome about being at the beach in the rain. We were the only ones down there which is also a perk of the rain. 

The drizzle and the chill were too much for a few, so one group headed back and a few of us stayed a little longer to soak in the peacefulness of the rain. I don't remember what we were talking about, but I do remember loving that moment in time with just me and him... listening to his dreams of the ocean and being grateful for a God that blesses us in big and small ways.

And since it was the middle of July and we were at the beach, it only made sense that we would make a big ol' batch of HOT CHOCOLATE for the kids. Ha!

We took advantage of those clouds and ran into Nags Head to score some souvenirs.  And wouldn't you know it? The sun decided to come out again, so I cut my shopping excursion short and we headed back to the beach house!

The next few hours were filled with little people laughing, wave fighting, castle building, hole digging, and me just soaking up all the goodness of the day.

I don't know if we sit in the moment enough. That's a lie - we don't sit in the moment enough. Days are filled with giving updates on our lives instead of just living our lives. I'm always glad for the choice of just sitting to him, and taking in the life that we've created together. 

Take crazy trips. Plan ridiculous road trips. Go somewhere you've never been. Spend days with people you've never met. Show your people the world outside your bubble. Pack the car with junk food and PB&Js and drive to an ocean that your toes haven't felt. I promise that you won't regret a single second.

And enjoy a beer with this new motley crew of folks you've met... 

because soon enough the sun will start setting on those perfect days of nothing at all and you will have to force 10 kids to come inside for dinner. 

North Carolina was so good to us... but we still had four days of fun left.... next stop? ATLANTA!!!

We5AmeriKings 2018: Day 8

Our second day in North Carolina was perfect. Plain and simple from sun up until sun down we enjoy every single bit of the time we had in one of the most beautiful beaches we've visited. The kids made fast friends with alllllll the other kids at the beach... did I forget to mention that we met two other families there? Oh. Let me rewind...

So, you remember that we basically invited ourselves to stay at Jenn and Dave's is part of the grand scheme of getting to FINALLY beach with them. Well, that also included two other families and their kiddos for a total of TEN kids, eight parents and 1 dog. (And may I add, that Bailey is hands down the coolest dog, I've ever met.) And as crazy as it all sounded... we had the BEST time with them! Jenn was so nervous because she and Dave were the common thread of all of us, but turns out she knows how to pick friends and we all got along so well. 

And these people know how to beach! They all came prepped with their umbrellas, and chairs and beach gear. We did bring our chairs, towels, and coolers but they all were ready to beach. I'm pretty sure the high that day was 75 so it felt like winter to us. ;) 

Look at these cutie kids!! It should be noted that Gracie has a strict "no pictures" policy as seen by her expression below. HAHAHA!

This was another one of those days where my camera stayed put and my heart stayed full. I spent less than 10 minutes snapping a few "to remember" moments but really, I just soaked up the sun, the fun, and the memories of the day.

I'm not sure how many times we looked at each other and said, "I can't believe that we are here!!!" ... at least 183 for good measure. I thank God for a million little things, but I thank Him frequently for the beautiful friendships He has given me.  I get some strange looks when I talk about Jenn, we are hard to explain. Two gals that live 1000 miles apart. Met once... blogged... texted...emailed... met... but when I'm having "a day" or "a moment" or a million "moments", I can send her a message and know that she gets me. She gets it. We are similar creatures filled with a shared love of creating, loving big, living out loud, doing too much, and not regretting a moment of the crazy we created. Our husbands work long hours, but also devote themselves to our schemes... they are every bit as chill as we are stressed and it drives us equally crazy. I mean who says yes to the person that invites herself to your house with her family for a week??

The same person that would have invited herself to begin with!

:)

Days don't get much better than these...especially when you've been going non-stop for seven days. The kids loved the break in the trip and sticking their toes in a new ocean!

And because I like to torture myself, I found the pics from our Gulf Shores trip in 2014. 

Those sweet babies may not be as little, but they sure are just as sweet. 

We really just got lost in the day together. New friends with new stories... sharing old memories while creating treasured moments. At the heart of those stories will always be these four - I'd go to the depths of the ocean for them and I'm beyond grateful for His provisions in allowing us to adventure together year after year. 

A day at the beach. I'd honestly spend a million days at the beach with these peeps... funny how well you get to know someone in a fraction of a second. Thanks for letting us invite ourselves on your vacation... we had a blast!

We5AmeriKings: Day 7

After three delightful days in D.C. we were up dark and early once again for a quick 5 hour trip south to North Carolina. The kids literal response when we told them how long the drive was, "Oh... that's all - this is going to be an easy day!" 

We have zero photographic evidence that we visited Virginia because we were in the rain all.day.long. We didn't stop because it just wasn't worth sitting in a car all day soaking wet for a picture. I am certain that the Virginia welcome center would have made the top 5 for sure. However, once we arrived to North Carolina we documented it not once.... 

but twice! 

We made it to Nags Head in record time despite the rain and our first stop was Mama Kwans. Jenn was so excited for us to eat there and I was just so excited to finally be at the beach with the Gorrie's. 

(Let me back up and fill you in on something... we have been dreaming about a joint family vacation for YEARS. Probably since Henry was a baby and he's now 7. Her family visits the Outerbanks every year but we've just never been able to join. So when the kids picked D.C. as their destination of choice, I was DETERMINED to figure out how we do the thing and get us to the beach. Turns out, we just needed a two week road trip to make it all happen. Ok....back to regularly scheduled blogging.) 

MK's doesn't open until 11am and the place fills up QUICK. So, our darling husbands took one for the team(s) and waited outside to snag us the first table. #luckygals After some delicious tacos and the best mango margarita of my life, we headed to do the only sensible thing to do while it's raining at the beach...

ride a mechanical shark.... duh! 

He was SO excited about this and did surprisingly well hanging on. 

We met up with the entire crew...and shopped some more before heading to our home for the next week. 

Wouldn't it be nice to own one of these?

The rain stopped just in time for us to unpack, throw on some bathing suits, and...

HEAD TO THE BEACH!

#happyplace

After some showers and silly faces... it was time for a well-deserved bedtime for this crew...

and well deserved beverage for this one.

We couldn't have been more excited to spend the next three days with every single one of our new friends!