In just over a week there seems so much to document in our life, events of life as well as just life itself that provide for no marker other than they are moments captured in photo that I wanted to remember quite possibly forever. They say you take pictures of what matters most to you and that is true. What matters most is my family! Every moment, the crazy and the quite, the special holidays and yet no holiday at all, the early mornings and late nights, the happy and the sad.
We celebrated Whitmer Christmas, Grandparents Day at CCS, spent lots of time with family, Maggie started her orthodontist work with her pallet expander (thank you to 3 fabulous years of her sucking her fingers), Thanksgiving, and ended with a family stomach bug I was the only one who managed to escape it! Mixed in all this was just moments of life.
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| Ahh, these three! They are so close and cherish each other. I adore the big hugs they give when they see each other and when they say good-bye. |
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| My family! I get so spoiled having us all together for a whole week! |
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| The latest addition this year and this little man is sure loved! We adore having a boy around this all girl house! |
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| Gjysh and KK got Ellie a big bear! Maggie had to bring hers down to snuggle up with. |
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| Mom and dad did this cool ball of fun prizes as a game. We LOVED it! |
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| A quite moment one morning by the tree. I sure love Christmas! |
Grandparents Day at CCS was fun for the girls to have both sets of Grandparents. Gracie this year was choose to greet and lead Grandparents around as they arrived. It was a special honor and recognition of her leadership inside and outside the classroom.
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| Gjysh and KK with Gracie |
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| Grammy and Papa with Gracie |
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| Gjysh and KK with Maggie |
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| Grammy and Papa with Maggie |
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| Grmamy, Papa, Maggie, Gjysh, KK and Gracie 2016 |
Right before Thanksgiving Maggie got her pallet expander appliance installed. She was a trooper. 3 months of every night adjustment and we are praying this part is behind us. We struggled and could not get it to turn the first few nights so we were back in today to learn again.
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| Maggie "before" |
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| We love Dr. Dyer's office. They are so wonderful and sweet to our girls and supportive of us! Ms. Nicki said tonight she would come every night on her way home to turn it. Ha, she was joking but it was sweet of them to meet us in Ooltewah to learn again tonight to tighten it. |
Here are some other sweet random moments from the past week or so.
Funny sibling moment to share. Maggie was asked to clean her room for what I think must have been the 10th time in a matter of two days. It was a disaster and really gives me anxiety at some point. I know, my issue to work on. I had let it go until I was home Friday with them. Maggie was instructed to clean her room when I heard "Gracie, I will give you ten dollars if you will help clean my room". Now, Gracie did not agree and I did not even allow that exchange should she have. But, I will say I was impressed at age 7 she thought through that in such manner!
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| M&M store prizes from when Daddy went to Vegas! |
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| This girl and this dog! |
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| Auntie Rach snuggles with Silas |
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| Together almost non stop! |
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| Maggie and Mommy loves |
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| I can't resit the pause in the moment to watch them sleep and pray over them. |
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| We are growing up! The list is so simple in such a very good way! (Gracie's) |
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| A little play time with one of our little buddies TAG |
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| ah, so peaceful |
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| The annual John Deere picture for my Grandma. We started this years ago in honor of them and their years on the farm. This year we added a little boy! What fun! |
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| Gjysh took the girls to the aquarium while KK snuggled Silas at home. The girls sure loved it! |
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| an afternoon nap on the porch.. yes please! |
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| Me and my oldest! |
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| somehow just like that they look so much older! |
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| I came home from church to this sweet image! (although it was because they were all sick with the stomach bug) |
It was a full fun week but restful too. We are all well now and giving one last push for school and work travel before Christmas!
My best Mommy memory is often each night snuggled next to the girls just speaking life and value into them. Telling them how beautiful they are, how proud we are to be their parents even on hard days, how much we know they apply themselves at school, what good friends they have chosen and how important it is to life to have good friends and to be a good friend and to show Jesus love (even to our sister). I could snuggle them all night long and pray they know these truths are wrapped around them.
