Call us crazy

Yes, call us crazy but in a total lapse of good judgement we decided to take a long weekend trip to the beach...with 7 kids.  Actually, it was a blast and went surprisingly well!  We rented a house with Chad and Bec on Edisto Island.  The kids were in cousin-heaven.  

David surprised me with a trip to Charleston on the way up there.  It was part of my mother's day gift:  shopping alone!  He took the kiddos to play in the fountains and I headed to King street.  It was a great gift!  Since we were in Charleston we had to stop for some fresh seafood.  Hunter has his Dad's love for raw oysters.

Once at the island we pretty much just spent time on the beach.  Building lots of sand castles...

Getting buried in the sand...

Some boogie boarding...

A little fishing....

And some fatherly love.

Which lead to this.  I'm pretty sure there is still some sand in there.

Some more fatherly bonding.

Funny how the girl bonding looks a little different.

The kids played hard.  

But not to be fooled - there were definitely some attitudes.

Mama Reese.  The girl will be running the household by the time she is five.  She especially likes to take a mama role with Juddson.  Fine with me - I can always use the help!

The last night we decided to venture out to dinner.  The first place we went to was a little less than happy to see a party of 11 (did I mention that 7 of them are 6 & under!) walk through their door.  But we did get a few group shots before finding a different restaurant.  

Here's the debut of Jack.  Sadly he had an ear infection all weekend and barely even saw the beach.

And here's proof that I was there too!  No illness here, just always behind the camera.

Celebrating the last night.  Aren't they adorable?

All in all it was a wonderful trip.  I think we may be crazy enough to do it again.

PS - Kent & Allison are at the beach this week.  Maybe we can get Savannah to do a recap post of their trip after they return.  No promises, but I'll try!

Lost in the move

I think most everyone knows we sold our house.  It was bittersweet.  We have lived there since Anna Kate was 3 months old.  So it goes without saying we had a million sweet memories in that home.  It all happened so fast that the month of March was pure craziness.  I would pack a box and the kids would unpack two.  I kid, but it sure felt that way.  Thankfully we survived and managed to get it all done.  Now we are living with David's parents while we renovate the new house we bought.  (That is a whole separate post.)

I just stumbled on these pics that showcase some of the fun the kids had.  I guess it goes back to that old wisdom about kids love the box more than the shiny toys.  They sure had fun with all the boxes.  (Note to moving mothers - Packing Peanuts = NIGHTMARE!  It's like Easter grass times twenty.)

Poor Judd.  Sometimes we just can't quit squeezing him.  He's been our chunkiest baby by far and we love to squish him!

You can't tell but this was in our POD.  Before it got too full they were using it as a play ground.  The kids LOVED it in there.

And one of our little princess - Anna Kate making a cake for uncle Chad's birthday.  

Blog love for Jacks

I'm insprired by Emilee's courage to do a post. I realized that Jacks hasn't had much time on the blog so I thought that I would do an update on what he is doing.

Month 7 was a big month for Jack
He learned to

*Crawl
*Go from crawling to sitting
*Pull up
*Say Dada
*Sleep through the night (my favorite)
*and jump out of his crib (not my favorite)

He is a busy little guy.
here are somethings he is doing now that he is 8 months old




Eating all kinds of food - you can tell he is # 4
He is also pushing this wagon around the house



And pushing Reese in the wagon

Facing the Giants

The blog giants that is.  For the two of you who still read this blog you know it is L-A-M-E.  Every time I think about updating it I get overwhelmed at the mere thought.  Then I compare it to all my friend's blogs - and wonder how on earth they manage to update it all the time.  Then I think I really should touch up my pictures in Photoshop before I post.  Then I think by this point we've missed 4 birthdays, an annual cousin party, and who knows what else that I have already forgotten to blog.

But each time I open my iPhoto I see so many pics that I know my family would love.  So alas, I face the giants and give you an update.  It may be the only one you get for the next 4 months but that's just life.  At least my life.

Today was the annual ballet recital.  Sadly my camera battery died but here are a few snapshots from my point & shoot (& no I am not editing them!) of our cute ballerinas.  They were adorable.  It's so funny to see their personalities portrayed in their "performances."

And though she wasn't "technically" performing today Reese came dressed to impress also.  Last week at the dress rehearsal she proceeded to strip down naked and ask Rebecca, "Where's Mine?"  She wanted a pink costume too.  So being the smart mom Bec is she just brought her looking the part today.  Adorable.  She's so stinkin' cute.

That's all for now.  Check back tomorrow or in October.  You never know when I might get motivated to update again.  

Christmas Recap

Now that the tree is down and I've swept up 3 dustpans of dead needles I thought I might do a quick Christmas recap.

Every year we do the kids pic with Santa. We did it growing up and it was so fun to look at the difference a year makes. Of course we tend to forget until like the day before Christmas and end up in an hour line with all of Knoville's other procrastinators. But it's worth it! I hate how Hunter looks like a "big boy" in this photo. He's changing before my very eyes into a little preschooler. I miss that chunky little face & blond shaggy curls. Good thing I've got another one to kiss on who I think may have declared on being a baby for life. The kid REFUSES to walk. As in he won't even try. I mean he can. He cruises around the furniture all day long but he has no interet in going mobile. I think he knows he's got it good being the baby & milking it for all it's worth. That's okay, his mama kinda likes it. :)

By the time Christmas is all said & done we have Christmas at 4 different houses. Don't worry I'm not blogging about all of them. In fact, I don't even have that many photos. I think by the time I chase around 3 kids I often forget to pick up my camera. But we did have a wonderful Christmas & we are VERY blessed.

These are from the Stanley Christmas. Two traditions take place at the Stanleys every year: Seafood is served & MANY stories are told. These two are from the story telling hours. And even though we hear the same stories every year they never get old. I think they actually get funnier. You try raising four crazy sons & you'd have some good stories too!

This is one from our Christmas morning. Every Christmas morning David reads The Innkeeper by John Piper. It's an advent poem he wrote for his church.

Of course there was lots of gifts, food, and chaos. Thanks to all of our family for all the wonderful gifts. Toys are overflowing from every corner!

My little helpers My little helpers

The kiddos decided the other day they wanted to lend me a hand and help around the house. (You know your house must be dirty when the kids start volunteering for chores!) Of course at 4, 2, & 1 they weren't a whole lot of help but they were enjoying it so much I couldn't stop them. Washing the dishes was by far their favorite chore.

Really, it's irrelevant that there was more water on the floor than in the sink. And only one cup got broke. It's all about the memory, right? I'm sure in 20 years when I look back at these I'll think it was a perfect little moment. :)

Those cute little hineys. (Umm, yes, Anna Kate's pants are on backwards...)

Even Fred got a bath. See that teddy bear Judd is holding? Anna Kate picked him out of a toy bin at a Christmas event we attended. Juddso has claimed total attachment to him. Whether he is eating, sleeping, or playing he has a tight grasp on little Fred. (Name curteous of his big bro & sis.)

While I don't think I'll be handing over dish duty anytime soon they sure were adorable...and soaked!

Ringing in 2010

Dinah turned 60 right after Christmas. We had a chance to throw her a surprise party at an Italian resturant in town. Here she is being "surprised." It was a sweet night to honor such a Godly woman. She is a joy to us all!

We went with Chad a Bec to a cabin in Gburg for two nights to ring in the New Year. Let's just say with 7 kids we didn't get to wild & crazy. We woke up New Years day to a beautiful white landscape. The kids were excited to go out & play.

I think this is Reese's "frozen" look. I could photograph her all day. She is so adorable - even with breakfast still on her face. :)

Mom, I think this must be Anna Kate's Florida genes coming out. Who draws a sunshine in the snow?

She must have been missing her Mimi.