2013

What a year...

Started my first year ever without my sweet mama by my side...

Was able to coach Bailee's last year of youth sports basketball, with Ethan as my assistant coach. Watched Halee as she enjoyed being back on the court for the first time since her accident!

Said goodbye to one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew...watched my husband's heart break just as mine had done a few months earlier...held my children as they questioned how they could lose 2 grandmothers in less than 3 months...

Celebrated my anniversary..during spring break...at the beach..with all four kids...

And my "future kids" ;)

Halee competed in her first "real" pageant...

And attended her first dance...and Bailee's last elementary dance..

Ethan attended camp at the University of Alabama...ROLL TIDE!!

Bailee played his first year of JV football...between both boys we got our football fix!

Lots of trips to the doctor for those knees...

Bailee played his first season on the JV basketball team...

Special guests at an Auburn football game...

And made it through Christmas!

And now it's time to do it all over again! Hope this year only holds good things for my family.   I hope to work on "me" more...draw closer to God most importantly...be a better wife, and show my husband each day how much he means to me. Be a better mom...and have more patience and understanding with my kids...teach them more about Jesus, pray with them more, help mold them into kinder, more generous people. Be a better friend.  Make a difference in someone's life...remember that I am second, and live it. :) 

A new school year!!

What a dreary summer it has been!! I'm sure there were only a few days we didn't fight the rain! :( but we still managed to have a pretty great summer!  As soon as school was out, Bailee got braces! 

 

And we took a mini-vacation to Wild Adventures with the whole crew!  

Ethan went to basketball camp at the University of Alabama! Roll Tide!!

And Audrey celebrated her 19th Birthday!! 

We managed to slip in one last beach trip!

And now we are BACK TO SCHOOL!!

Halee is in 5th...

Bailee is in 7th!

Ethan is a Junior!! 

And Audrey is in her second year of college!

And my favorite part about the kids going back to school...I get days like today...a day with just me and my husband!  Those days are few and far between!! Blessed!!

Almost summertime!

I love how I read someone's blog, and realize that it has been months since I have blogged about anything! ;)

I thought that surely after my mom passed, things would eventually get back to a somewhat "normal" routine...I was wrong!! Three months later, my mother-in-law passed in a tragic car accident.  And it completely sent our world turning upside down all over again.  

I think that until you lose a parent, you can't possibly begin to understand the emptiness you can feel inside.  I, for one, feel a lot more alone in this big world. A sense of security is no longer there.  Most days I feel like the world is spinning round, yet I am at a standstill.  Somedays are easier than others...and after six months of bad, I am beyond ready for summer to be here!

The last few months have been full of us being crazy busy!

Halee competed in her first "real" pageant. She didn't win, or place, but she did receive two of the best awards...most photogenic and congeniality...which made me just as proud as if she would have walked away with the crown. 

Also Halee attended her first SGA dance, and Bailee attended his last. :( They are growing up too fast!

Derrick and I celebrated our 11 year Anniversary. Love, love, love this man!

In a non-traditional anniversary trip, we spent it with all four kids, two of them brought their boyfriend/girlfriend, at the beach, during Spring Break! 

Six kids (at one point, 7 kids)...I thought it would be chaos..but it turned out fabulous!

Then we went in to full baseball mode, and that pretty much consumed our weekdays! Proud of their accomplishments...but so thankful I get some week nights at home, instead of the ball field! ;)

Ethan attended his first prom. It was his girlfriends Jr Prom, and they were the cutest couple ever! ;) 

He is so handsome...just like his dad!! ;). And if by some off chance, Bailee were to attend prom his 9-10 grade years as someone's date...we will have 11 straight years of prom...that's a lot of proms! ;)

And now we are less than two weeks til summer break... I'm ready!! And though our summer is already planned out...I'm thankful there will be more time to enjoy my family and less "run, run, run"....ahhh sweet summertime!