Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Happy Birthday, Gavin!


Happy 4th Birthday, Gavin!
I can't believe you are 4....where did the whole year of 3's go?? This year went by the fastest of all. You are growing into such a fun boy! You love to ask questions about how everything works and we find you getting into things often. I have figured out that you are not getting into them because you are trying to get in trouble you are just curious about everything in life and want to know exactly what, when, where, why, and how everything works. You keep up laughing constantly and come up with some very creative stories and thoughts daily.

Here are some of my most favorite things you have said/done:
1. sticking your head in the toilet on numerous occasions...and the dog.
2. rubbing syrup all over your hair and arms cause it felt cool.
3. Jesus lives in your stomach and not in your heart...cause there is too much blood in your heart. Jesus loves to eat you leftovers.
4. After complimenting you on your great listening at pre school...you then told me that Jesus turns on the switch in you to listen at school and when you get in the car...He turns it off.
5. You can dress yourself, buckle, fill your cup....you are were one of the most independent 3 year old I have seen.
6. Stories...wow...you tell them in great detail and leave us wondering what is real and what isn't. Your imagination is a real gift.
7. You love to make others smile and have the cutest belly laugh.
8. You LOVE LOVE LOVE to watch t.v. I even put the t.v. on the weather channel once to bore you...it didn't work. You learned quite a bit and talked about it for days.
9. You also love book and ask to be read to a lot.
10. You can be a wild man, but also pretty quiet.
11. If given the chance you are very affectionate and love to be held. I committed 20 minutes a day(10 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon) to holding you...and you love it!
12. You can be pretty shy.
13. Finally got bunk beds and you sleep on the top!
14. I love watching you write your name and seeing how excited you get.
15. You want to be just like your daddy.
16. Recently we found you on the floor at a McDonald's under a chair...dad started to tell you to get up...then we realized you were inspecting the swivel chair to see how it worked.
17. you took the remote apart and then proceeded to tell me how it works.
18. You love to play with small toys and army men.
19. Although you are not the greatest eater in quantity, you will eat anything and are not one bit picky. Salsa is one of your favorites.
20. You are AWESOME!

Gavin,
You are a gift. I will never forget holding you for the first time. I was so proud to have a son. You have never been a demanding child and still tend to sit back and not ask for much or require much attention. Your sisters and brother adore you and love you. Daddy and I are crazy about you and are more than thankful for being blessed with you. God chose you for our family and I am overwhelmed with joy that I get to raise you.
I pray for your future wife and for you to walk with the Lord all the days of your life. To be a man of God and a strong leader for your family.
Happy Birthday, buddy!!
Love always,
Mom


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Joyful

I am tempted to be down on myself and believe the hurtful things that people say and do....but I will choose to be joyful. The Lord has commanded us to have "happy hearts" as I often remind my kids. I am trading my sorrow and pain and laying them down for the joy of the Lord.

This is what complete Joy looks like to me...my boys hanging out together and enjoying one another.Watching my daughter work hard to accomplish something and not giving up.
Snuggling and loving on this precious thing daily.Soaking up ever smile and amazed at the absolute beauty in this girl.

Being able to share my life with someone so selfless and forgiving. (and good looking too! ;)


Thank you Jesus for such a sweet life. I pray I choose joy daily.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Thankful


I started this post a while back and never published it.

I have been feeling so led to share this photo and how blessed we are to have this guy in our lives. He is my oldest brother.
He is a miracle...an absolute miracle.
Without going into detail, he has been through and survived more in his short life then most people would ever dream of in a lifetime.
I thank my God every time I remember you...Philippians 1:3

(this photo was taken Christmas of 2008. My mom and my oldest brother)

Monday, August 17, 2009

30! 30! 30!

I thought I would share 30 things I love about this guy since he turned the big 3-0 today...but really, 30 things that can but kinda...well....alot, so here goes it:
1. gorgeous smile!!
2. loving heart
3.great daddy
4.even better husband
5.incredible provider
6.great runner
7.determined
8.goal setter
9.goal achiever
10. humble
11. giving
12. hard worker
13.patient
14. kissable
15. very good lookin'
16. smart
17.very hairy legs
18. can cut his OWN hair
19. loves to workout
20. triathlon man
21. social
22. compassionate
23. great example for our children
24. outgoing
25. forgiving
26. funny
27. cover stealer
28. easy going
29. messy
30. HOT, HOT, HOT!

Well...that wasn't too hard.
Thank you honey for all you do! You mean more to us and are more loved every day!!

13 years ago today we started dating and never have stopped...and never will! :) Love you!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Gumby Times 5



Life is so unpredictable! I have been learning that more in the last 6 years than ever. But recently I have had to step it up a notch.
We have had to leave town at the drop of a hat twice in the last few weeks, which is a bit of a struggle with 5 kids and pets. But God has been teaching me that giving up my plans, schedule, and working on being flexible is a great thing for not only me, but our children as well.
Its a heck of a lot of work to pack for 7 people and a dog. And if you are as anal as me when it comes to a clean house, then I MUST clean up before we leave. That includes clean beds for all, house vacuumed, bathrooms clean, EVERY toy in its place...and so on.
But after talking to a few different people with less kids than we have I have come to realize the craziness of 5 young kids in itself has made my kids very flexible. Which I am grateful for. They have had no problem being thrown in the car, sleeping in strange places, being left with people they don't see all that often, and eating crackers, cheese and meat for lunch with a few Cheerios on the side. They just seem to go with flow and not be out of sorts. I don't get it...cause that is not me. I am organized I keep my kids on schedules and I don't ever feed them a meal without at least a fruit.
So lesson learned....my kids are like Gumby no matter how much twists and turns come their way they just adjust to the new "new". I am going to try that approach to life...but with a plan in place of course!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

July Birthday Beauties

All 3 of our girls have July Birthdays...so this month has been one BIG party!!

Aliya Sue turned "1" on July 4th........................................................... Her first cake was a BIG hit!










Emilee Grace turned "5" on July 20th..............................................She got a PINK razor scooter!











Kaylee Jeanne turned "6" on July 23rd............................. She got a PINK razor scooter!













Dear Aliya,
You are such a sweet baby. You are learning to walk and taking a few steps, feeding yourself, and sleeping all night with 2 naps during the day. This first year went by way too fast, but you have taught me to cherish each and every day! You are proving to have a very silly personality and are quite possible the loudest (happy sounds) baby ever! We love you SO much and look forward to watching you grow!
Love, Mommy

Dear Emilee,
5....I can't believe it! You are growing up so fast and it makes me sad. One of the best things about you is that you love to share. You are very inquisitive and witty! You keep us all laughing and we are amazed at what an incredible memory you have. We are anxious to see you blossom in kindergarten this year! We love you SO much and look forward to watching you grow!
Love, Mommy

Dear Kaylee,
I guess you are not a baby anymore...I can hardly stand it. The day you were born was a day I will never forget, YOU are the reason we knew we wanted many children. You were perfect in our eyes and you are still so precious to us all! You start 1st grade in just a few weeks. :( You are a great big sister and help around the house. We love you SO much and look forward to watching you grow!
Love,
Mommy

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Bitter Sweet


The 4th of July......is.......almost......HERE!

And I am kinda sad......

Aliya will be ONE.....

I am NOT.....

Ready!


It so hard to believe that soon we will celebrate her big first birthday. Soon she will walk. Soon she will begin to talk in sentences. Soon she may not want to be rocked. Or be held. Which leaves me thinking what WILL I do??



I will embrace the "new" season of life even if it means no more babies. I will enjoy a little more freedom. I will have such sweet memories of carrying, delivering, and feeding all 5 of them. I will make sure to kiss them goodnight. I will never take them for granted. I will be thankful for the gift that they are to us...each and every one of them!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Graduations



James and Jacey graduated from Gilbert High School (and Joe too, Jacey's boyfriend)

Congrats guys! We are proud of you!



Kaylee graduates from
Kindergarten!

(Kaylee and her teacher Ms. Grove
and the para Miss Anderson)


Emilee graduated from King of Kings pre-school and will go onto have Ms. Grove and Miss Anderson in the fall! She also graduated from Cubbies this year where she memorized over 30 bible verses!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Life In A Very Fast Lane

Life is crazy...crazier than I ever thought it would be. I have gotten the feeling from people lately that Troy and I do it to ourselves by putting our kids in too many things. But, both of us feel its totally worth it! We still get great quality time as a family, but let out kids experience things for themselves. So here is a little update on what we have been up to:

KAYLEE: gymnastics, gymnastics, gymnastics
She has become quite the little gymnast. Everything in the house is used for some sort of "trick" these days. She is the youngest in her class and other than her size, you would never know it! The best part is the huge smiles she gives while she is out there working hard!


EMILEE: Dance, Dance, Dance
Emilee had her first dance recital on Sunday, June 7th. She was nothing shy of being one beautiful ballerina! She got on stage and danced without one bit of hesitance. The make-up, hair-do, bundles of flowers and fancy costume left me being asked if tomorrow is her recital again...sorry babe, you have to wait a whole year to do that again. But, mommy and daddy can't wait!
*Due to the fact that she was not allowed to wear her costume to the recital, then dropped off backstage for the "stage mommy" to dress her, and by the time I could get her at intermission she was back in regular clothes we do not have a picture of her in the costume yet. As soon as we get the professional pictures on here we will be sure to post them!! And also possibly the video!

GAVIN: T-BALL, T-BALL, T-BALL
Gavin after finishing his first season playing soccer has now started playing for the Marlins. He was quite the slugger! After his first at bat, the other teams coach told his players, "Back-up, this kid hit it really far last time." Boy did that make his daddy smile! Once again I am asked daily if he has a game today. He is not so fond of playing in the field though and was quite disappointed to learn that the other team gets to bat too, but he is learning to accept it! :)

GAGE: SPECTATOR, SPECTATOR, SPECTATOR
Gage's life consists of being driven from one place to another. He never minds, never complains and I honestly think he thinks he is involved in all the sports too. He takes his glove to Gavin's game, carries Em's dance bag for her to and from dance, and loves to imitate Kaylee by doing some forward rolls in the living room. What a good sport he is whether it be a spectator or just making a tower out of soup cans in the kitchen, he is pretty much always happy!


ALIYA: LOVABLE, LOVABLE, LOVABLE
Need I say more?? Aliya is a lovable, sweet, squishy baby that bring us ALL so much joy! She is "cruising" around furniture now and starting to say some words. Her favorite thing to say it' "Uh, Oh" all day long! A new one this week was "thank you." She is growing up so fast and we are making plans for her first birthday which in on the 4th of July. Her life consists of most of her naps being taken in her car seat and her crib is just a place to sleep at night. Thankfully she is a very easy baby and all smiles as long as on mommy's hip!

TROY: HUSBAND, DADDY, TRIATHLON
Along with being a great husband and daddy Troy has begun a new hobby this summer. He is a swimming, biking, running maniac! By the end of the summer he will have done 4 triathlons. We had the privilege to all go to one a couple weeks ago. At this particular one he swam a 500, biked 18 miles, and ran a 5k. The kids enjoyed cheering for their dad and watching him come and go from the transition areas. Troy said it was so fun to have us there! I am looking forward to the next one and hoping to have the kids sport some "go team Hamblin" wear for him! I am so proud of him and what an example for our kids to see their daddy work so hard! I know it has been fun for him to have a hobby of his own even if it does mean single mom for a few Saturday's a year!
:)

Well that is all for now, hopefully I can get around to doing some more frequent shorter posts, but no promises!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Family Fun

Life has become so crazy around here. Now that 3 of the kids are in activities I feel as though my house may have said good bye to its clean days. But we always make time for some family fun along the way.
This weekend Troy had his first camp out with the big three kids in our backyard. I got to sleep in the big comfy bed alone and listen for the 2 little ones! :) We cooked marshmallows and sat around the fire pit for awhile once we got the 2 smallest babes asleep. Much to my surprise the kids slept really well out back and so did daddy!
Saturday we got up and bathed the kids and hit the road to Ames. We went out for pizza and walked down Main Street some...its was a beautiful night!
Sunday we went to Ada Hayden Park and went through the little stick maze (pics to come!) and let the kids throw things out in the water. It was so relaxing! That afternoon we attended James and Jacey's high school graduation. Troy and I and the two oldest girls went while the little 3 napped at grandma's. We are so proud of them and were glad to be part of their special day!
Monday we were able to go to Hidden Acres and hand out with the Graden's. It was a fun time to hand out with them and let our kids play! We were so entertained by the chicken's, being brought fresh warm eggs by the mini chicken farmers playing outside! They also got to pick up some baby goats, pet a pig, a lamb, and feed some baby horses! But, the highlight of the day was the pink barbie jeep that pulled a wagon and was driven by some crazy kids! Then off to Ames for a baseball game...followed by a late night drive home.
It was a perfect weekend and as K said in the car today..."We don't need family fun night this week, cause we just had a fun family WEEKEND!"
I pray we have many more fun times to follow!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

No "Butts" About It

There's no butts about it we will be changing our blog sight soon....more details to come in the near future!

Our little g (Lg) thought he would come to breakfast this way earlier in the week....I knew I would find a good use for this photo at some point!

Monday, May 4, 2009

One Hour and Thirty-two Minutes Later


Dad completed his first triathlon this past weekend. Here are a few pictures to prove he did it and finished!

He did a great job and finished 6 minutes before his estimated time! I am super proud of him and his hard work.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Did You Know?


We just might have a model on our hands....


She can never resist the urge....


To smile and pose....EVERY time there is......


A camera in sight!!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Lots to Cover

I always hated it when teachers started class saying, "We have lots to cover today." But due to a busy life with 5 little ones and my neglectful blogging, I do have lots to cover! :) So I will hit some highlights and try not to bore you.
Well, K and I took a little trip to visit our new, adorable, and absolutely studly nephew/cousin. We were gone for 5 days. Dad played Mr. mom and did a fabulous job (with a little help from Grandma Suzie on the weekend)! K got to do some fun things with her uncle Mark and Aunt Gina...while I lived in la la land loving on Weston. K made cupcakes from scratch with Gina, went to a very cool park, dyed Easter eggs, and got to go on her first creek walk with Mark. She enjoyed being the center of attention and got some much needed attention! Although the night before we left she was missing her sisters brothers and her daddy lots! This was my first time being away from Gator and I did quite well but missed them ALL so stinkin' much! Just to brag a little when we arrived home the house was clean, kids were freshly bathed AND I was informed that Lg no longer had pacifiers.....which I will admit I was kind of upset about....HE IS STILL A BABY!!! But we had a wonderful and stay and enjoyed meeting Weston and loving on him. This trip left Gina and I wondering how we could make it possible to live closer once again. We LOVE them!!!!
We had a very nice Easter at home where my parents came for the weekend. I took advantage of the girls still being small enough to dress alike. They may hate me for it some day but it made this momma's day! I dressed the boys the same too...aren't they all just cute as can be!





  • The girls sang beautifully in church!
  • 3 Easter egg hunts
  • One birthday party
  • Gator starts really crawling (AAhhh, we now have 5 mobile children)
  • The kids receive fishing poles in their baskets (daddy's idea)
  • 5 very excited children, 2 very exhausted parents....oh and grandparents! :)
It was a fun-filled weekend celebrating the resurrection of our Savior! Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!

We had Lg's 2 year check up (a little late), E's Kindergarten check up, and Gator's 9 month check up all in one week....3 seperate appointments 3 seperate days. I now have my own parking spot at Children's Clinic. :) All the kids checked out fine and Emilee is officially registered for Kindergarten!



Sunday, April 12, 2009

A New Name

Our puppy now has a new name....Zoe. After calling her Ella for a little over a week, we began to realize not only her head would turn at the sound of her name. "Gator" who is also often called Liya (Leah) was responding too and visa versa. There names were just too close and confusing both of them. So 10 minutes before the first vet appointment we changed her name. Poor K came home quite confused...its amazing the changes that can take place when you're off at school!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The New Addition


Cinderella (Ella)
9 weeks old
Such a fur ball of fun!

EGGstra Helpful Boys

I decided to make my monthly shopping trip to Sam's Club on a morning that I only had 3 kids with me...first mistake, since 2 of those kids were boys.

I thought I would ask for "help" to keep them occupied...second mistake.

I turned my head away for just a little too long, TWICE...third mistake.

As a result I made two trips to the front to hand them one and a half cartons of BROKEN eggs. Thankfully I didn't have to pay for either and the lady kindly smiled and told me to go pick out some new ones. Three dozen eggs, gone to waist....and all I keep thinking is poor chicken went through all that work for nothing.

Shew...we made it home with the 3rd carton of eggs all in one piece! HOORAY!

I quickly began putting all the groceries away to begin to fix lunch for these starving boys. Bg so nicely found his dinosaurs and began to play. And Lg sat at the counter quietly playing with some slimy goo....WAIT, WHAT,...SLIMY GOO????? Yes, you guessed it I spoke too soon. Gage opened the eggs, broke one and was having a ball watching it run between all the food and his fingers.

I LOVE my boys...but am SO thankful for my girls! :)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Possible Mailman in my Future

Today as we were in the car I began asking the kids what they thought they wanted to be when they grew-up. I got all sorts of answers from a mom to maybe a cow. But I was not prepared for the answer Bg would give. A mailman. So I went on to ask him why he would want to be a mailman. He said, "Well, you get to drive a really cool truck, wear any clothes you want (we live outside city limits), and when I get big and move away then I can stop by and see you everyday when I bring you your mail."
I was NOT prepared for such a sweet answer. That made all these years of wiping butts, cleaning vomit, and never getting enough sleep TOTALLY worth while! Thank you Lord for such a great reminder of just how much this momma is loved and what a blessing my children are!


.....Well, I felt I needed to add to this post that I just finished. You know the one where my Bg is so sweet and wants to make sure he sees me everyday when he is older. I made my way up to bed and got all ready for some much needed sleep.... just to find that that same sweet little boy who begged to nap in our bed today....thought it would be necessary to UN-stuff my pillow and throw it all behind our bed!!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Wild Water Weekend

E-"Mommy , when we get there do you think you would have to hold me"
Me -"Why? You mean in the pool?"
E-"No, cause Gage has shoes on his feet."
Me-" Where are you shoes?"
E-"Well, didn't you pack me some?!"
Thank goodness for Target! That was our first stop on the trip down to Kansas City for a fun weekend. We decided it was time for a fun family get-a-way. So on Saturday, March 14th we loaded up the kids and Uncle James and took a little trip.
After our little trip to Target we ate at T-Rex(a very fun restaurant) and then off to the hotel. After a not so good night sleep, we suited up and hit Coco Key Water Resort. Yes, we are aware there is one right here in Omaha, but what fun would that be?
Boy oh boy, do we have some water babies on our hands! K was slipin' and slidin' down every water slide she was big enough for and only took a quick break to eat some lunch.She spent a great deal of the day wearing out James! E loved the lazy river, some water slides and laying in the splash area. Bg spent most of the day in the hot tub that was indoor/outdoor (quite fun!) and had a real attraction to the different sprayers throughout the park. He got such joy out of spraying people that were least expecting it! Lg...well, he was quite the sight. I quickly realized a life jacket was crucial. He is FEARLESS!! He went down water slides and loves to go under water. He is quite trusting in the fact that he goes under and waits for someone to pull him up. :) Needless to say I was a little on edge. Aliya enjoyed splashing, and playing in the fountains, floating on the lazy river, and of course napping! As for James...he was very disappointed that were not many girls there for him to check out. This made me quite happy since his eyes should be on his NIECES and NEPHEWS making sure they didn't drown! :)
I must add if any of you think of doing this with your kids it was quite disappointing that we had to pay full price for the kids and there were lots of things they were not big enough to do yet. Thankfully we didn't let it get in the way of having a fun day. Next time we will check out some other parks and a little more investigating on height requirements though.
Dad and I really try to make a point to do some special things as a family that most might not attempt with 5 small kids. It does require help and extra hands, but its so worth it in the end! I must admit the day was VERY mentally exhausting for this momma who always wants to know exactly where her babies are!
And one of the best parts of the day came on the car ride home.....SILENCE!! :)