Fall Days

Livy is loving Wee School this year. 

She has really come out of her shell since starting school and I'm very proud of her.  I'm thankful she loves it and I think going to school next year will be an easy transition for her(and me)!

I'm trying to savor every moment with her before baby brother arrives.  In a little over three months, he will be here and our household will change drastically. Is going from 1 to 2 kids hard? I've heard different opinions. 

Livy seems ready for him to arrive.  Mommy and Daddy are frantically trying to prepare for his arrival.  Gotta get that nursery done and our insurance straightened out. 

 INSURANCE!! Ick. We've had the worst time with our insurance this pregnancy. I'm praying the Lord has control over it from this point on.

Livy had her first field trip this past week. A trip to the pumpkin patch with her class.  She had a lot of fun and I loved seeing her with her classmates.  Thankful for this school and all the activities she's involved in. Fun year for Miss Olivia.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Livy's first day of school

Livy turns 4 next month. We decided to enroll her in a wee school 2 days a week this school year. She's been excited all summer for school.


I was very apprehensive how the first day would go. She's very shy and gets scared of new people and places. I've covered her in prayer for this school year.


Her first day couldn't have gone better. She waltzed right in...gave me a kiss and said " I love you mama, bye!" I stood there in shock then exited the school.


I was crying because I was so sad she was in school, but also crying tears of joy because she was so brave.
She LOVED her first day of school. She loves her teacher. I'm excited for a great school year for her.
Good luck to all you mommies who send your babies off to school this year!:)

Nutshell summer

Why hello long lost friends...
A lot has happened this summer. So here it is in a big nut shell;)
We're having a baby at the end of January. Looks to be a boy! Pregnancy is going great and Livy can't wait to be a big sister. She never fails to tell me that my belly is getting bigger EVERY day. Currently 16 weeks and feeling all kinds of flutters.




Livy completed level one on swimming lessons. She jumps off diving board and swims in DEEP water like a pro. So thankful she can swim well (being we have a pool in our back yard).




We visited my parents this summer. Nanny Bea spent the whole week with us too. It was one of my favorite weeks this summer.




Went to Branson with my sister and all the kiddos. Our last hoorah before Jennie started nursing school this fall.












We also celebrated lots of birthdays with family this summer. 3 nieces and 2 nephews! Oh, and I gained a new nephew in July. London Stokes.




We are nearing the end of summer. Sad to see it go but this pregnant mama is ready for fall:)
Livy starts wee school on Tuesday and she can't wait. I hope I'm as excited as her come Tuesday morning as I drop her off. :-/
I will be back people. I have a lot to document these next several months,

Kickin' off April

Several years ago, the Stokes' boys started a tradition. Wake boarding at the lake on April 1. No matter if it was raining, snowing, or the sun shining.

Turns out, Sunday was a gorgeous day for the lake and it happened to be April 1. We loaded up after church and headed to the lake.

We threw the girls on the tube and Livy was hysterical. That made Tatum nervous as well(even though Tatum was not scared at all). We finally pulled my screaming child off the tube and all was well on the boat again:)

After we pulled her off. Lol

Marcia and I went out for a spin.

Cuties in their swim suits

Livy and I had Ellie all day yesterday. We had so much fun with her. I was curious to see how Livy would be with her. She's interested in babies, but I didn't know how she would react to her at our house all day. She's a handy little helper and Ellie is one of the easiest babies I have ever watched.

Getting some snuggles in before naptime.

April has just begun and it has been crammed packed full of fun.

Bedroom Re-Do

We remodeled/added on to our home over a year ago.  We added on a master bedroom and bath.  It's a large space(basically because we had a tiny bedroom for 3 years).  We needed space, people! ;)
I had specific ideas for color schemes and decor.  I wanted grays and blacks. When we painted it, I was a little disappointed how light the gray went on.  I, however, did not have the heart to tell my husband I wasn't thriled with the color. 

However....

My bathroom turned out great.  I had blacks, grays, and some reds.  I was very happy with how it turned out. 

The rest of my house is done in different shades of blue(inspiration from my mama's house). I fell in LOVE with it.  Never thought I was a "blue" girl, but I love every room in my house.  Paint makes a big difference to me. There's something peaceful about soft blues:)

So, a year later, I start becoming brave and telling Derick I wanted to re-do our bedroom. Derick-"Seriously, Katie??? It's only been a year!" But, I had a brilliant idea...my mom and dad came in for spring break and my dad is a PERFECTIONIST! I knew he'd be the perfect man for painting my bedroom. When I asked him if he was willing to help, he graciously accepted. So, I bought a new bedspread(I wanted something simple) and I got all my paint bought.  Last Wednesday, my dad and I painted all day.  It was my favorite day of Spring Break.  I spent the whole day alone with him talking and laughing. 

Thanks dad! You did great.









Now, which room should I tackle next?
Just kidding, maybe!

Nanny Bea turned 80!

We celebrated my Nanny Bea's 80th birthday on Sunday.  She looks FAB for 80, seriously, it's unreal!

She had the sweetest birthday party with her family and friends surrounding her.

My Aunt Brenda made these "B" cookies and my mom made her "BEA" letters.

Mom made these mints.
I can't quit eating these delicious mints.

It was a great birthday party.  I hope I'm as blessed as my Nanny Bea at 80!

Sunny Spring Days(Uh, where did ya go?)

Did anyone else enjoy last week's temperatures? 80's? Yes, please.

 

 Now, we are drowning over here in our neck of the woods with RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. I'm all for rain, but I like my sunshine. Come back please(Especially since it's spring break over here and we have four kiddos to entertain all week).

See, the sunshine agrees with us much better :)

Derick got Livy a puppy dog in January. A guy from Derick's work just showed up at our house with this little puppy and I was so confused. Derick had made arrangements to get this puppy without telling me. (sneaky, sneaky, sneaky). He did this because I would have probably said no.
Livy named her Sugar. We really didn't get to "play" with her much because it was in the middle of winter. In the last few weeks, Sugar started growing on me. The nice weather was what brought us together. ;) On Monday, we couldn't find her anywhere. She was getting brave and going next door to Dan and Launi's house. Launi stopped by Monday afternoon and I asked her if Sugar was at her house. She hadn't seen her all day:( That evening Derick said it probably wasn't good. She had either gotten run over or the coyotes got her. He sent ME into the woods to see if I could find her. I had no luck:(
Derick suggested we go next door to our other neighbors to see if she wandered off over there. We drove up in their driveway and there was Sugar....
My sweet reunion with Sugar...;)


We really enjoyed Sugar the rest of the week. Livy gave her piggy back rides, pushed her down the slide, and just ran around the yard chasing her all day.
After church Wednesday, Derick came in our bedroom and said Sugar got ran over before church. I laughed and said, "You're joking!" He shook his head no and said "she's dead."(Phil accidentally ran over her in the driveway). We didn't disclose this info to the kiddos:/
I started bawling right then and there. Oy!! My entire life, I've never been an animal lover At ALL! I cried for 2 hours. Derick then started laughing at me. He said I grew a heart finally towards animals.
The next morning, I told Livy that Sugar got run over. I started tearing up as I told her. She patted my shoulder and said,"it's okay mom, we'll get a new puppy." My 3 year old was consoling me. Yikes.
So today, my dad and I are headed to AR to get a new puppy. Livy already named her "Lucky"!



She's a full blood Australian Shepherd. I hope for my sake this puppy dog lives up to her name, "Lucky."

Gardening and life's questions

Olivia is almost 3 1/2 years old.

Doesn't seem possible.

The other day, I had her baby album out.  Derick picked it up and started looking through the pictures.  I looked up at him and he had huge tears rolling down his face. He said, "How could I forgot how small she was?" We both lost it....right there in our bathroom. Ha.

She's obsessed with picking flowers. She begs me every day to take her outside and pick flowers. Maybe she'll be our family gardener.  Dianna said Derick was her "nature" boy. He was the first one out in the garden and he told her when her first blooms on her flowers were appearing.

Maybe she's taking after her dad.

We were all laying in her bed last night and I had a necklace on and it had Karoline's picture in it.  She grabbed my necklace and said, "Awww, she's sleeping mommy, she'll be back soon." I again looked at Derick with tears streaming down our faces.  She has had a lot of "big" questions for me here lately and it's been tough trying to discern what she's old enough to understand.  I never knew a 3 year old would be so interested in so many "real life" questions. 

Being a mom has changed my life. I've had to learn things I've never dreamed of doing. Each day is a blessing. (cheesy, it's true). These days at home with her have been some of my best days. 
I guess I'm feeling a bit THANKFUL today.

Dabbling in arts

I'm like a year behind on this fad...but better late than never. It's a work in progress. Livy and I cut, sewed, burned our fingers on hot glue(me, not her), and self-taught bow making. I copied off peoples pictures...I pinterested my way through a lot of it. I'm slowly getting the hang of it:)


In Livy's toy room, her closet didn't have a door. None of our closets came with doors. Is that an old house thing? Anyways, I sewed a curtain because it's such a tiny little doorway. It turned out pretty cute(just don't look to close) ;)


What shall I create next?

First time

I'm a little behind on this, so here it goes. I've noticed a few of my friends have given up a few things for lent. It intrigued me and I asked my husband his thoughts on it....
I won't bore you with our detailed conversation, but after some thinking on it, I decided to take part in it.
I decided to put FB to rest these next several days. It's something that takes up my time all too much. Its more a discipline "issue" for me. I'm home everyday, and it's easy to click on my phone and start perusing(stalking) all my friends lives;)
This will be good for me. I need it.
So friends, I didn't fall off the face of the earth(in case you couldn't find me through FB) ;)

Spring...almost!

Can you feel it.....














Spring is almost here.....

February's Fun Countdown

February has been a fun-filled, packed month.
 
Olivia decided she wanted to throw all her friends a fun Valentine's Day Party(okay, her mom convinced her). I had a lot of fun planning this fun day for her and her friends.  Pizza, cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries, candy, and zebra marshmellows was on the menu. They gobbled it all up. Successful party.

The theme was hearts and zebra print.



Livy was quite proud of her red tu-tu. She may have twirled a dozen times that day.






She thought she was pretty hip with her new dress and hot pink belt. (Dressing little girls will never get old for me)!



Derick did good on Valentine's Day. Lot's of gifts for his girls. He wrote a special note with these roses. We celebrated our 10th Valentine's Day together this year.



February is also Derick's birthday month. He requested a quiet dinner at home so that's what we did. Livy baked him up a yummy cake.



One day this month, Ronald McDonald House sponsored a special deal at McDonalds.  Cheeseburgers and Hamburgers were 39 and 49 cents.  Some of the proceeds went to the Ronald McDonald house.  We decided to support this lovely cause since it was offered to us when Karoline was in the NICU at St. Francis. You don't have to ask me twice to gobble up a cheeseburger and fries;)



One day last week, Livy and I enjoyed the 70 degree weather and cleaned up outside by the pool.  Livy sported this swim wear most of the day. We are ready for the warmer weather and lazy pool days.

We ended February celebrating my nephew Titus 3rd birthday.  I didn't get pictures because I was snapping pictures away on Launi's camera.  It was a cute "train" themed party. We have spent the rest of the weekend with Derick's family.

Looking forward to welcoming the month of March this week. Spring..here we come!

Weekend Cap

We've had a fun filled weekend with lots of family. Every January, we get together with Dianna's side of the family for Christmas. It's great to see all their faces.  We don't see them often, so it's a treat to see them when we do.  Derick's family is like my own. So thankful for all of them.

It was extra special because Marcia and Ellie came too. This baby is PRECIOUS! I've honestly never seen such a happy baby. She definitely got lots of attention(how could you not with this face??)

It was a fun filled weekend but I'm glad to be home this Monday morning with Livy.  She asked for pancakes for breakfast and she ended up eating 3 pancakes.  I'm pretty sure she's on a growth spurt.  She'll be sporting high waters in a few weeks probably because I cannot keep this child clothed! I've had the hardest year fitting her for clothes.

Anyways, I'm thankful for this day at home with Livy.  She's playing in her toyroom and I'm fixing to tackle house cleaning.

Have a lovely week friends!