Four-wheelin

Fun times at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house!

Fall Strolling

We are loving all of this beautiful fall weather! We've spent every morning and evening doing this:

Firsts

Our first attempt at solid food. I'd call it a success. Mmmmmmm, baby oatmeal.

Change

2011 has certainly been the year of change for us. BIG change including:

1. Selling our first home.
2. Having another baby!
3. Buying a new home.
4. James starting a new job.
5. Me quitting my job.

Yep, that's right. I have quit my job and starting tomorrow I will be a full-time stay-at-home mom. It still sounds weird for me to say it or even type it in words. It's not how I thought I would ever refer to myself. Honestly, I have never aspired to stay home full-time. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just never thought that I would be doing so. Until now. So, here I am taking the plunge. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm excited and grateful for the opportunity. I don't know if it will last a week, a year or longer. I'm just going to take it one day at a time.

And there are a lot of reasons I'm staying home with my kiddos, but let the record show that none of them are because I think that kids of mothers that stay at home are "better off." In fact, I think that's absurd. Kids thrive at home as well as in day-care. I believe it's more about good parenting than whether mom works or not. I know that some women continue to work after having children because their career is important to them. Some women work after having children because they have to in order to provide for their family. On the flip side, some women stay home because they can and they want to. I could keep going, but I won't. Whatever decision a mother makes, and for whatever reason, is admirable. It's all hard work and it's all important. No judgment here, just admiration for all good mothers!

Okay, disclaimer over and now back to me...

I also did not quit because I disliked my job. I had a great job. I had been at the agency for over seven years and had built strong relationships with my colleagues and clients. It was an extremely difficult decision and one that took me months, if not years, to finally make. And I will miss it. I'm sure some days more than others, but I will definitely miss it. A bittersweet decision for me.

And now, I only look forward. Forward to all the many adventures that lie ahead. The good, the cute, the frustrating and the difficult! No looking back!

Wiped Out

 

Case is going through a stage where he refuses to take a nap, especially on Sunday afternoons when the boys are here. And as you can see, it sometimes it catches up with him and he just passes out.

The Delta Fair

The fair. It's dusty, crowded and over-priced, but ohsomuchfun for a three year old! Case had a ball with our good friends, the Shirleys. And a little peer pressure from Parker and Reese definitely played a part in him actually having the guts to get on a ride or two. Bob the Builder and Dizzy Dragons were his favorites! And Emery had a good time too. There's no better place for some entertaining people-watching!  Sorry the pics are so bad. I forgot my real camera, so this is as good as it gets from the iPhone at night!

9-11-11

I will never forget 9/11/01. Ever. Every detail of the entire day is forever engraved into my memory. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones. And I'm grateful to God that my brother wasn't among those who died. He was featured in the Arkansas paper today telling his amazing story.