Reagan is 2.5!

Our first baby girl turned 2 1/2 today.! And what can I say than what a little blessing she is to our family.

Reagan is a one of a kind little girl. And she's got her fair share of quirks.

1. She's does an exorcist voice. It's really weird, scary and funny all at the same time!

2. She's a hoarder. She pushes a stroller around the house that's packed full of what she calls her "stuff."

3. She says one syllable words as two. Examples: hot is ho-at, yeah is yay-ya, and so many more but I'm drawing a blank now trying to think of them all.

As it goes with every two year old, we are in the midst of the horrible exhausting awful terrible twos! Reference photo below for example! She can throw a tantrum like no other. And don't mess with her "stuff" or it'll be WWIII!

Some of the cutest things about Reagan:

1. She never meets a stranger.

2. She loves to tell you she's "proud (pra-oud) of you.

3. She'll never turn down a hug.

4. She's got sweet tooth like her daddy.

5. She takes care of her little sissy.

Our princess Reagan is a diva, a delight, and a dainty little girl. Happy 2 1/2 Reagan!

"For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues each generation." ~Psalm 100:5

Lauren and the beanstalk.

Our garden is growing! The boxes got built a few weeks ago... Thanks to my dad, and I planted about seven different veggies from seeds. 

In early summer we should have beans (plant featured in this pic), carrots, onion, cucumber, squash, tomatoes and peppers. 

How does your garden grow?

In simple humility, let our gardener God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. ~James 1:21

No. Sleep. Til. dun na, du duuuu ... Brooklyn!

Brooklyn (a.k.a. Brookie Page) turns 16 months old today! A lot has changed since I last wrote about her. Biggest news...she is officially a walker now! See video for evidence.

Brookie is a special little girl who loves to laugh, EAT, dance, EAT, sleep, play outside, and oh, EAT! She's got the sweetest disposition and she's quiet. So quiet that sometimes after a meal, I clean up and leave the room and forget she's still sitting there EATing, because she's so quiet and content.





The times she's not content...well, she is obsessed in love with walking down the driveway to see the fish in the creek. It's to the point where she's screaming at the top of her lungs if we won't let her go!

She weighs in at over 23 pounds now and has all those cute baby fat rolls all over her still. Love 'em! She's also got beautiful baby blue eyes and sweet ringlet curls.

The words she can say are: bless you, thank you (tank tu), pizza (peeeza), pasta, Macie, bottle (bobble), paci, baby, and the usual, mama, dada, easy words. ;  )

Brooklyn is definitely going to be our child that is mischievious. She climbs on things (I've caught her several times standing in a chair almost about to fall off) and she gets into everything!

Her favorite activity by far is reading books. She'll make you read the same book (that she picked out, of course) 10+ times before she's satifised and ready to move to something else. She also loves baby dolls and playing with our inside dog, Macie.

We love our beautiful baby so much!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." ~Psalm 127:3 

Life sure does take twists and turns...

Our life lately has been a little a lot extremely surreal. I won't go into details (via the request of our lawyer...never thought I would say that in my lifetime), but all of you who are close to us know what happened and what we are going through...something we never thought we WOULD go through.

It's just really weird how it all happened. You think you know your friends and can trust them, but it's amazing how easily some will turn their back on you when they are threatened...when, in the end, all you ever did during your entire friendship with them was to try to help them.

It just goes to show we will be more selective with who we trust and who we call our friends.

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" ~1 Corinthians 15:33

Life Lately as Seen Through My iPhone.

So much has been going on with us this summer, but here are just a few snapshots of what we go into!

In May, Brooklyn and I attended RU's annual Employee and Baby Brunch. We had some great mommy and daughter bonding time! 

In early June, Easton attended bible school at a local church. Reagan missed him while he was gone each day, so I made it a big deal to wait for him to get home with Daddy. This is her on the front porch doing just that!

Also while Easton was at Bible School, the girls got in a lot of bonding time. Look at these sweet sisters!

Even though it was sweltering outside this summer, we still spent many days on our screened porch playing.

We also worked hard on getting everyone eating a meal at the table at the SAME time. It's definitely organized chaos!

On weekends we slept in late most days. Love the bed head?

We also worked on getting the kids used to going out to eat. Who wants to be THAT mom and dad with the hyper, screaming, unruly kids?...not us. Here's Easton and Reagan at Cracker Barrel working on their checkers skills.

And finally, pretty much every Sunday that JT worked, we went to visit him at the fire station. We have THREE little people who are enthralled with their Daddy and want to be just like him!

Hope your summer was just as much fun as ours was!

All About the F's!

Fun, Fourth, Fireworks and Family!

My four-day weekend was all about the F's. First up, lots of fun! We spent Saturday swimming in the pool of a family friend. It's saltwater, which is so easy on your skin and eyes, and the kids love it!

The girls love to pose for the camera!

Easton liked to stop and take snack breaks. Can you tell what he's eating?

Sunday, JT and I got some alone time. We went to see Transformers in 3-D. And, NO I don't have a picture of us in those crazy glasses you have to wear! The movie was awesome though!

4th of July this year was fun, but rainy! I am just glad JT got to spend it with us this year! Here's Brooklyn and Daddy when we first got there....before the monsoon started!

Reagan loved all the fun light-up toys!

I'm glad we got a family picture before we got all wet! It's our first one since Christmas!



And finally, yesterday, Tuesday, JT and I went to Villa Rica, Ga., to help my parents and Aunt set up my grandmother's room in an assisted living facility. We tried to make it feel really homey and comfortable for her. She's moving in today, and I hope it's a smooth transition for her and my mom and aunt.

Happy Hump Day!

Coupon Clique

With a family of FIVE now, it's really important that we stay on a budget and shop smart. So, in regards to this, I have become an insane crazy awesome coupon lady girl!

Just today, I went into Publix, and before coupons my total was $129.97, after coupons...du, dun, duuuun....$37.95!!! I saved $92.02! AND, I actually got things we'll use/eat!

My adrenaline was pumping when I went in the store...that's how I know I'm crazy about coupons! Especially when I save that amount of money!

Because I am so excited about it, I started my own Facebook page for it. Search for coupon clique on Facebook and you should find it first thing if I'm your friend on Facebook!

Have a great Thursday!

Beach or Bust!

In a few weeks, we'll be headed to the beach...Fernandina Beach, Fla. to be exact. I can't wait. This will be Easton's fifth time, Reagan's second time, and Brooklyn's first time going to the beach.

We've had so much fun over the years, but having our children there with us makes it that more exciting and fun. Seeing it through their eyes gives new meaning to the experience!

The first time Easton went to the beach, he was 5 months old. And that year we went to Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

For Reagan's first time at the beach, just last year, she was 9 months old. We went to Tybee Island, Georgia.

I can't wait to go this year and see Brooklyn's reaction to the beach, and take lots of pictures of her and Easton and Reagan!

Have a great Tuesday!

Who I Am...

I am...a wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, and friend.

I want...a bigger house where all our kids can have their own rooms and with a BIG playroom where I can just shut the door to all the mess!

I have...a very blessed life.

I wish...that I could be a talented, professional photographer.

I hate...that I only get to see my kids for three hours a day during the work week.

I fear...the future. I can be a very pessimistic person.

I hear...my children telling me they love me and my heart melts.

I search...for the things that truly make me happy in life…beyond my hubby and children; I am still searching for most of them.

I wonder...what kind of people our children will grow up to be. Here’s hoping we can raise them to be good people!

I regret...that I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my grandmother. She’s slowly losing her memory, and might one day forget who I am.

I love...that my husband is my best friend.

I ache...when I workout too hard!

I always...kiss my husband and kids and tell them I love them before I walk out the door. You are never guaranteed another day or minute in this life.

I usually...worry about everything!

I am not...a happy camper when I am hungry or sleep deprived.

I dance...with my kids to songs on cartoons.

I sing...to my kids, in the shower, in my van, walking up the stairs at work, everywhere I can!

I never...tell a secret. If you tell me it’s a secret, I keep it.

I sometimes…wish life was easier, but wouldn’t change it for anything.

I cry...at everything.

I am not always...the best at keeping in touch with friends….sorry!

I lose...my keys ALL the time.

I am confused...at the way humankind treats each other.

I need...more time to spend alone with my hubby.

I should...not worry, not fear the future, chase my dreams, and spend more time with my hubby!

Our Baby Brooklyn

Our sweet baby Brooklyn will be 6 months on Monday, June 20. I can't believe I have already had the privilege of being her mom for half of a year already.

Some things that I always want to remember about her at this age:

• She has already said her first word: Da-Da!
• She can roll over from back to front and front to back, and she can sit by herself with support from her arms.
• She loves to eat sweet potatoes and fruits, but pretty much shivers and gags at everything else.
• She has the sweetest disposition and seems to be very laid back.
• She loves to watch everything her brother and sister are doing. She laughs every time her sister laughs and loves when her big brother holds her.
• I love how she gets so excited when she sees me for the first time after I've been gone for a while.
• She loves to chew on her toes and fingers and drools all over you!

Brooklyn has just been a pure joy and blessing to our family. We adore her and love her dearly!

Growing Up

It's amazing how much your children change in personality and looks in just a few short months time. It makes me sad that before too long, they're not going to be babies anymore, but grown kids.

Can you believe this was Easton at just a little under two years old?

And this was him just a few weeks ago.

Here's Reagan at 9 months old.

And here she is at 18 months.

And little bumble B at 3 months old.

Now 6 months old!

Our kids are growing into special little people and we cherish the time we spend with them. One day, they're going to be all grown up, but they will always be our sweet babies!

Summer Daze

This summer we have a lot of plans...plans, that is, for playing, laughing, loving, swimming, celebrating, jumping, exercising, vacationing, cooking, sleeping and more of what I just said.

We've already gotten off to a great start. We kicked off the summer, or soon to be summer, with a Memorial Day cookout with JT's family.

We enjoyed some watermelon,

played with trains,

and loved on our baby dolls.

I can't wait to see what else this summer will bring!

Happy Hump Day!

Mommy and Daddy Time!

Johnathan and I recently just got back from a whirlwind trip to Panama City Beach, Fla., with a couple of our friends. We had so much fun "adult" time, and it was great to get away from the stresses of home and just long enough for me not to miss the kids TOO much!

The first day, we rode scooters. J let me drive. I was freaked out at first, but soon got the hang of it!

We visited the famous Pineapple Willy's. Great food right on the beach!

We did a lot of laying out on the beach. Here's our Sports Illustrated Swimsuit-esque picture...yeah right!

The last night we were there we went to Angelo's, home of Big Gus, the famous 20,000 pound steer...okay.

Overall, we had a blast but we were ready to get back to our munchkins.

Happy Hump Day!