GALlery Day...

Cindy and I always talk about how eerily similar our kiddos are accordingly to age order. Out of the six, Emmy and Anna are our creative spirits - the artists of the bunch so Emersyn insisted that for Anna's "experience" birthday gift we host a "gal"lery day at our house. 

I love how fearless they are. I would sit and stare at a blank canvas afraid to mess something up; they go straight to work creating as they go. I hope that confidence and assuredness stays with them and carries over beyond their love for art. I hope they are confident in their words and thoughts and actions and I hope they know they always have each other to help them be confident when they aren't so sure.  

They painted a "best-friend" flower to share and I think it's my new favorite thing since the friendship bracelet. 

They would rotate between painting, drawing, playing, dancing all the while laughing and talking. I loved peeking into their worlds and listening to them plan when they grow up. 

They are going to college to become artists and then they'll live together with their families and run an art studio (as yet to be named). I think they settled on 4 kids each but we'll see how that goes. 

I love how they lift each other up - they offer support and encouragement and celebrate each other so well. That's such an important thing for women to do for each other and I'm glad that they are learning that now. 

At the end of the day, everyone was invited to their art show complete with movie... 

these girls teach me so much about love and friendship and confidence and the beauty that we all hold within. And I totally want a craft day with my besties now!

Friday Favorites: Time with Besties....

Summers were made to be simple. I feel like nowadays we have to force the simple - turn our head from all the distractions and focus on just being. As much fun as we have going to new places and seeing new things, my favorite times are the ones we spend at home. We've gotten lots of quality time with the besties the past couple of weeks and my kids have never been happier. 

Caro spent the night with us after Anna's birthday party and she just couldn't quit snuggling those kitties. "Zia, I think I get my love for cats from you."

Melt.My.Heart.

The following morning, Cindy and I headed to the lake for a birthday party and Ryan kept the bigs so they could finish Harry Potter and go swimming. Well, Texas had other plans and it rained which really just gave them an excuse to dance... 

And them an excuse to go to the movies, eat candy and drink soda. 

Is it just me or do they look seventeen?

The celebration continued at Spoons at our first attempt to get these girls some new holes in their ears. We still managed to get some froyo and Emmy gave Anna her custom gift with an invite to a "gal"lery day at our house. 

Monday brought us to the lake for Anna's actual birthday....

Tuesday brought Josh to jury duty which meant I got to hang with this crew + Rad while Caroline was at a friends (I know - they have OTHER friends). (Sometimes I feel like a FRIENDS episode when all 6 are sitting in Monica's apartment and someone knocks at the door and they're all "but we're all here... do you know other people?" That's us and the Munsons.) 

They made a killing at their lemonade/cookie/custom art stand and then moved the fun inside for some building... 

and napping. 

;)

We finally succeeded at getting their ears pierced...which concluded their WEEK LONG stint of seeing each other every single day. 

We didn't do anything major - just spent some simple days loving on our friends. But you know what? When they look back at the summers of their childhood, I hope they see long afternoons at the pool followed by short naps wrapped in towels. I hope they sing every word to their favorite song. I hope they smell sunscreen.

I hope the days spent from driving ALLLL the way to the north of town from the south to hang with besties, eating endless pb&js, watching late night movies followed by sugary cereal for breakfast bring smiles to their faces and remind them that sometimes, most times, the best things in life are the smallest.

Linking up  with Andrea, Erika, and Narci  today... 

{NO} Sleepover...

So after we finished up our day filled with all things American Girl, we headed home to keep the party going. Emersyn and I went on a date in April to plan her birthday and she named three things that she wanted:

1. A trip to the American Girl store 

2. Ears pierced 

3. Slumber party

and as nervous as I was about a house filled with squealing little girls, I also know that one of my fondest memories is my own slumber party in the first grade. So away we went... we spent the afternoon "setting up" which included putting my mirror in the play room for their makeovers, setting up the cake and plates, and assembling the fort. 

And that's it because I'm old school. 

Emmy decided that Chic Fil A trumped pizza so they stuffed their faces with some nuggets and soda and then we headed outside to play non-organized games. ;)

I just wanted one group photo before everyone went wild and y'all... 

THEY ARE SO DARN CUTE!

I mean when a group of girls can put that smile on your daughter's face - you know you've hit the jackpot. 

You may notice that one kiddo looks a little older. Well, you're right. Sweet Kourtney (far left) is the old sister of Kara (orange tank) and Emmy ADORES her. A.DORES.HER. And she asked me to ask their mom is Kourtney could/would come. I told her that I would certainly ask but that since Kourtney is heading in to the 6th grade and Kara and Emmy are just in 2nd grade, she may have other things that she wants to do. 

Y'all. She not only came, but she played and laughed and goofed off and was such a delight. Let's all raise up some Kourtney's in this world because what a blessing!

They basically just did a whole lot of nothing.

And it was awesome!

By the time the sun went down, they were ready for makeovers. I was able to take one picture and then they made me leave because they wanted me to be surprised for "the show."

Worth.the.wait. They are clearly tigers and put on a "tiger show" for me choreographed to, you guessed it, Eye of the Tiger. 

A couple hours and 183 makeup wipes later and they were (mostly) cleaned off and ready for some cake. I loved listening to their discussions, at one point, Emmy got nervous about something she was doing and said, "but I don't want y'all to laugh at me." and Kara responded with, "Emmy, we're your best-friends, we've never laugh at you."

They ended the night hanging out with Frankie and Johnny, settling in to the fort and sleeping the night away. 

I couldn't be more thankful for the sweet friends that God has gifted my children. They had the best time and made our sweet girl feel so loved and that is the best gift any of us could ever receive. 

To my best-friend, the teacher...

Best-friend -

I love you for lots of reasons.

I love you because you sucked your thumb until 2nd grade.
I love you because all of my best memories include you.
I love you because you love my family.
I love you because you ARE family.
I love you because you brought DP to all the parties in HS while the rest of us were drinking Fuzzy Navels.
I love you because you are kind and generous.
I love you because you giggle at the same dumb things I do.

I could go on and on and on. I could never stop writing all the things that make me so thankful to have you as my best-friend. But today, I want to focus on one thing.

I love you because you are a teacher.

You always have been.

You taught me how to believe in myself when I thought I needed a boy to prove my worth.
You taught me to speak gently when I wanted to scream.
You taught me to clap in church.

And you have taught countless others one million different things.

You've always been a teacher. A gifted, giving, thoughtful, loving, compassionate, teacher.

And I am so grateful for you.

I'll never forget your first classroom. We spent hours brainstorming ideas on how you wanted to set everything up - perfecting every detail as if you were creating a space for your first-born child, when really, you were preparing for 24 "first kids". That reading loft was amazing. The picket fence shelves and rocking chair that I wanted you to have. The rugs and decor - I remember everything so vividly as you prepared for those first kids.

The first kids you taught to read.
The first kids you helped discover science.
The first kids you taught math.

Those stories stuck with me. The sweet kids. The smart kids. The silly kids.

But the hard kids. The hard kids you don't get enough credit for. The kids that weren't fed at home, so they came to school angry. The kids society would tell us to dismiss or give up on because they were hopeless. The kids that had hard beginnings.

The one student with cancer. We cried over that child. That child that you loved and nurtured. The child you held and prayed over. The child that you made sure was as normal as one can be.

You loved those kids. Each and every one of them.

You still do.

I know, because I hear you talk about them to this day. Your first class that has now graduated high school. The pride you reveal in telling their stories.

So, best-friend. Thank you.

Thank you for taking care of our future.
Thank you for being a light.
Thank you for showing other educators the way.
Thank you for every wiped nose and mended knee.
Thank you for caring not just about how well these children do on a test but what kind of people they will be for society.
Thank you for answering my questions as a first-time parent with a first-time school-aged kid.
Thank you for your extended hours.
Thank you for your personal investment (time, talent and treasure).

You are important.
You are building our future.
You are changing lives.
You are building bridges.
You are underpaid and overworked.

Yet you never complain. Because you are committed to your work. You are called to serve. And I am ever-so-grateful for you.

Yours is an uphill battle but you are equipped with weapons beyond compare. The gift of patience. The gift of understanding. The gift of compassion. The gift of love.

My life would not be the same without teachers like you.

Fight the good fight. Your voice will carry far beyond the years you spend in those hallowed halls. Children will become teenagers who become adults who will quote you. They will think of you. They will want to make you proud.

Because you aren't just their teacher for a year.

You are a teacher for life.

If it ain't broke...

I'm not sure how or why the tradition of bowling on our MLK holiday got started, but it's a day I always look forward to spending with this crazy crew of mine. We almost tried out the new jump place in town, but y'all, they SURGE prices on school holidays. Ummm. No.

Meanwhile at Grand Station, we bowled, laser tagged, bumper carred, and played games for the low price of $16 each. Clearly we shouldn't mess with a good thing.

Our group has expanded over the years and this year we had SEVENTEEN kids and six adults hanging with our crew.

The big boys were on a lane all to themselves without bumpers. All that Wii bowling must have paid off for Radley because his game has totally improved.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?!?!"

Besides being great "athletes" these kids are just FUN to hang out with. I love their sense of humor and sarcasm. I love listening to their stories and watching them interact.

I just adore how much the adore each other (well, mostly each other).

Radley asked me if he could make a living bowling and visions of my life spent at a bowling alley flashed before my eyes. 

And you know what? There are worse places you could be!

All the kids were {mostly} all smiles which made the day that much more fun.

I'm totally having a love/hate relationship with how much they are growing up. 

I love that we do this every single year and I can't believe how tiny they were when we started way back in 2011. We totally brought the swing in with us y'all. Crazy? or Genius?

And because I was curious, here we are through the years.

1. Where was Mills in the 2012 pic? Maybe she was napping but it's unlike me or Cindy to leave a kid out of a picture for a silly reason like that.

2. We were kind in 2011 & 2013 to settle for pics of kids not looking at the camera... Again - who are we?

3. We did not plan for them to all match in 2015

4. We clearly were missing the Munsons (they ditched us for camping - ha) and quit caring what they wore. 

And here they are now.... who are these giants and what did they do with our children?!? Also, my motto of "the more the merrier" made this day so much more fun!

As fun as bowling was, I think the real winner of the day were the bumper cars.

Every one had so much fun - maybe we will go back before next year!

Just treats...

Did it seem like Halloween lasted forever this year? Holy sugary goodness - I felt like it was the holiday that never ends, but at least we got our money's worth on all these costumes! 

From left to right: Jifflypuff, Angel, Wigglytuff, Rey, Movie Star and Pokehunter

And then a mighty ninja showed up!  

You really have to appreciate a theme... and if you haven't played PokemonGo yet, you may not totally get ours, but I have to admit, it was pretty fun. The kids planned it all out - I just ordered the masks and provided space to trace the game screen.

Clearly we needed an action shot... 

The Hot Messes were anything but... how cute do they all look?  

After all those pictures, we were finally off... 

And while this picture 

a) proves once again that I can't take a photograph

and

b) showcases how cute kids are running up to houses... 

My favorite part is ALWAYS watching their faces when they leave with the loot!

It's like seeing the groom see the bride for the first time...

Joy...

Elation... 

and sometimes, sheer coolness. 

This is usually the one night I remember to snap a picture with each of the kiddos... 

and even prove that the King himself was there, too. 

We brought our wagon to haul all the "stuff" that the kids would inevitably not want to carry later and set a STRICT "no riding" rule... and then the baby wanted a ride and Ryan is sucker. 

And I warned him that once one kid got a ride, EVERY kid would want one... 

and well, that wagon was hauling some precious cargo. 

;)

Quicker than we realized, it was time to head back to the house... 

where the counting of the treats commenced. 

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween, too!