I got malled by a bear!!

...a Kiley Bear that is! I had to take the kids for their check ups and 3 out of 4 of them had to get shots! Kiley hid under the table (Ben did too), and I had to move the table and drag her out! I got scratched, kicked, pinched, and hit...pure craziness, and definately out of her normal sweet, loving nature.

But, let me catch you up on The Lavenders! We got rid of Lily, the dog, and replaced her with 3 BuildABear animals (much better). Kaitlin named her pink bear Sweetie Pie, Kiley named her pink bear Ariel, and Ben named his owl Buzz Lightyear. I don't know if I'll ever want a dog again...

I threw a baby shower for Tera in August! Makynli should be here somewhere around October 20th!! Her big sisters are so excited! Kaitlin made a cute card too! It said, "I hope your baby is a good one". Haha!! I even got to do lots of baking! I made and decorated the sugar cookies too.

The kids are getting so big! All of them! Kiley turned 4 in June, but I always think she's still my little baby girl! Everything she does and says suprises me. She is still my cuddle bug. Every night and at nap time she has to have her blanket and Bella, her doll.
Ben has a new favorite phrase and I love it! He says, "that's what I'm talkin' 'bout". And it's usually followed up by the cutest grin ever!!
It's been 3 months and 3 of us have gotten a year older. :) Kevin turned 30 and we had a big ol' celebration for him and my Mom at our house (they share a birthday!). Ben turned 3 and had a Toy Story 3 party! Kiley blew out Ben's candle the first time, so I relit it. Then he insisted that we sing "Happy Birthday" again so he could blow it out. :) And I turned 27.

At the end of September we went to San Antonio. My mom, Neil, Tiffany, and Aiden joined us! We had a great time! It was all of ours (except Tiffany's) first time to Sea World. The kids rode their first kiddie roller coaster...which I thought was enough, but Kevin really wanted to take Kaitlin on a big one. And, she was terrified!! So, I of course had to ride it and see what scared her so badly. And, ohmygosh!, it was crazy scarey! My poor baby!

Ben enjoying some food at the wonderful Guenther House:

Having as romantic of a late night River Boat ride as we can with 4 kids :)

Our crazy crew!

Neil, my mom, and me!

This was such a great trip! I can't wait to do it again!

Still trying...

Still trying to invent that pause button...but, in the meantime, my babies are turning into wonderful "big" kids! :)

My sweet Kaitlin:

She teaches an art class to her brother and sister every week. She's an awesome teacher. So patient. She makes "chores" lists for herself, and actually does them! Loves to wear dresses (everyday if I'd let her), her Dora perfume, jewelry, and make-up. :) Her reading skills are amazing! How can a 6 year old read that well?! She's a sponge that is thirsty for knowledge. This Sunday at church they preached about baptism and she told me, "Mommy, I want to be baptized". Some might think she's too young, but who can really decide when a child is ready to make that public display to proclaim that she loves God. I know Kaitlin will touch so many people throughout her lifetime. I'm so proud to be her Mommy!

My big Kiley girl:

Loves dresses, jewelry, make-up, anything of Mommy's, and her sister & brothers. She's still so in love with her baby brother! She loves to spin on one foot and say "Mommy, watch my spin!". She has a smile & dimples that will make you melt! My little kitchen helper. She loves to help me do anything. My sweet princess!

Mr. Benny Ben:

My crazy, silly, lovable Ben! He tumbles, jumps all over the couches, picks up bugs, can catch just about any grasshopper he sees (and then ends up squeezing them to death, but at least he caught it!), thinks he's as old as his sisters, still needs his Mommy all the time :), and loves to play outside. He LOVES to help me in the kitchen. He and Kiley are always standing on a chair right next to me asking what they can do next. I have to lay with him every night to get him to sleep, and every morning when he wakes up, he yells at me, "Hey! You left me in my room by myself!" Haha! So cute!

My little Noah:

Noah's almost crawling! For more than a month he has been scooting all over the floor. I love that he can get to what he wants. He's so happy! I just have to look at him, and he's got a big smile on his face. He has the cutest giggle and he's such a chunk! :) His hair is getting longer and he is starting to get little curls in back. Noah is starting to remind me of Ben when he was a baby. He's doing great eating baby food. I have given him a little bit of my food, and he loves that too! :) He loves to grab...anything: hair, your plate of food, hands, your face, toys, ANYTHING in his reach! :) Love this baby!

This summer is really flying by. Kaitlin has pretty much taught herself how to swim. I'm so proud of her! We've been swimming, gone to the zoo, the movies, had play dates, I've actually started excersing (applause, please!), had a couple of "watch TV all day" days, stayed up late, slept in, gone to Target & Wal Mart way too many times, and even got a puppy. <----I think that's the craziest/dumbest idea we've had yet. Haha! The kids named her Lily. She really is a good dog. But, I'm not really a "dog person", so adjusting to having a dog in the house is crazy hard for me. I loved dogs as a kid, but now that I am cleaning up the messes....mmm, not liking it so much! But the kids LOVE her, so it's all worth it. Noah has even noticed her. As I was holding him today, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Everywhere she went, he would turn his head and watch her. Too cute!

I even found out I am going to have a neice! Tera is due October 21st! This baby girl is going to have the best big sisters, and without a doubt, they will spoil her like crazy!

Kevin has been busy working hard. He started a new business a few months ago, and has been doing great! He's so excited about it, and that makes me happy. :) He has been putting in a lot of hours, and we miss him like crazy around here. Love you Hunny!

For a while I had my own photography business, but for the past year I haven't had the time or energy to do it. :( Tonight I went out and took pictures of the kids...and man, I felt so alive! It felt so good to be out there doing what I love! I edited some pictures (not my favorite part, but it's still great too!), and I feel like I NEED to do this more. I can't describe the feelings I have after taking pictures of my kids, other people's kids, families, etc.. Pure joy!

I'll leave you with some pictures of my babies today:

Noah's first experience with "grass"...I don't know what he thought, but it sure was cute to watch him! :) My little cutie!

My beautiful girl who just LOVES life!
This picture IS her! Laughter, joy, LOVE!! Isn't she just beautiful?!

My handsome little man! So independent...but still my little snuggle bug!

Summer Break!

I have to start this post out with the sweetest thing ever! Ben prayed for the first time last night!! For a while now he's been saying short prayers like, "Thank you God for this day.", but last night he said, "Thank you God for Wal-Mart, and Target, and Arbys. Thank you for my bike, my mower, my Power Wheels. Thank you for Kaitliny's (yes, with a "y". That's what they call her.) bike, and Kiley's bike." Then I told him he can say Amen when he's done. Then he said, "Amen. I love you God" How sweet was that?! I am one proud Mommy! I love what he's thankful for, and I don't have a clue where Arby's came from! LOL . I love hearing my kids pray, or "talk to God" as we call it. Kaitlin totally understands prayer and it always amazes me what she says.
Since summer break has started, we've been pretty busy. We've been to the museum, rode the train by the zoo, swam, gone to Louisiana, gone to Wichita Falls, run tons of errands, and just hung out around the house. Last summer I was pregnant and tired all day long and we didn't go anywhere, so I feel like I need to make it up to the kids. :) Tomorrow Kaitlin starts a summer musical camp, so she'll be gone from 9-2 this week.
I have decided to home school as well. I've heard that organized people do really well at homeschooling, so I'm hoping that I, a very unorganized person, can do it! I was EXTREMELY nervous about the whole thing, but with lots of prayer I feel a great peace about everything...now to get organized! :) I know that homeschooling is just what Kaitlin needs. I'm also excited that I will have time to teach Kiley and Ben too!
I need to give an update on all of the kids because they are changing EVERYDAY!!!
Kaitlin:
She has lost two teeth since December & has a very loose one right now! We're thinking this is going to be the summer she learns to swim! She is a GREAT reader and speller! Her teacher told us that when they finish kinder. they want them to read at a level 3 and Kaitlin was reading at a level 34!! She thinks that's a end of 3rd grade level...me and her Daddy are just a little proud!!! ;) Kaitlin is such a little artist! She could draw pictures all day long if I would let her! She writes songs, stories, and sweet notes for everyone! Sweetest, most caring personality ever! I could go on and on...love, love, love her!!
Kiley:
Kiley can spell her name!! She turned 4 four days ago! Every picture I take of her, she has to stike a pose! I love it!! She went through a stage for a while where she wouldn't even look at the camera. This girl is just full of spunk & sassiness!! She came in from outside tonight and said, "Ok everyone, the ballerina is back". This weekend while swimming, she did belly flops for hours (with a life jacket on, of course) & would say, "watch me do my big jump"! She LOVES her blanket and baby Bella, and there's no way she could ever go to sleep without either one of them. Tonight she told me, "Bella's teething" (just like her baby brother, Noah). I could go on and on about her too!!! Love, love, love her!!
Benjamin:
Where do I begin?? He cracks he up! He's got the silliest facial expressions, but my favorite is when he puckers his lips out & kinda squints his eyes a little (I am sooo making this face right now as I'm typing, lol!). Ben loves his Mommy! He needs someone to lay with him every night to fall asleep, and I truely love that!! :) He is rough and tough and always hurting his sisters...poor girls! While swimming this weekend Ben would say, "watch me do my big jump", and would do the cutest little hop into the pool. He's always getting into water and mud. I can never let him outside by himself or he WILL BE a mess! He loves to ride his Power Wheels. I love, love, love the little "big" boy he is turning in to!
Noah:
My sweet baby boy is getting big and it's making me so sad. June 6th he got his first tooth and the 2nd one popped in the next day! He can get up on his knees for a split second! Noah is always smiling!!! He always has his hand in his mouth with a big grin right behind it! :) He can roll over both ways like a pro! He's tried baby food a few times, but I think he'd much rather have what we're eating! He's also got quite the grip! :) His brother and sisters can make him smile just by looking at him :) But if they say "Boo Noah!", he laughs like crazy! His smile makes my days great! (along with the smiles from my other "babys"). His Jumperoo is his favorite thing! He jumps and giggles like crazy in that thing!! Love, love, love this baby!!!
Kevin and I have been so truely blessed! We could not have asked for better kids! I am so lucky to be able to stay home with them and be a part of every moment of their lives...the hugs & kisses, the screaming, the story times, the potty training, seeing them love on each other, and always having little helpers in the kitchen.
Yesterday was Fathers's Day. We made Kevin breakfast. Then we had my dad, Kevin's dad, my brother, his 2 brothers, and their ladies & "babies" over for dinner (lasagna, manicotti, salad, garlic bread, & Kevin's favorite chocolate mousse cake from Central Market)! It was a full house, and I loved it!! If I could have a party every week, I totally would! I love my wonderful husband. He is so good to me! :)
On the 12th we had Kiley's birthday party. It was a tea party theme and it was so much fun! My dad made 2 picnic tables for the kids and I love them (they think they're pretty cool too, lol)!!!! She had such a fun party and loves being 4! I, on the other hand, am trying to invent a "pause" button...when I do, I'll let you know! ;) It's such a good feeling to see our kids growing up, but it's all so sad at the same time. For her actual birthday we went to Chuck E. Cheese (we do that for all the kids on their actual birthday day). Her friend Shiloh got to come with us and we met Joel and Eryn up there. I made her a giant cupcake and we ate some good ol' CEC pizza.
Kevin and I get to go on a date on Wednesday and I'm sooo excited! We really need some "us" time (a.k.a. "Mommy and Daddy time" to the kids). They love when we go on dates, and Kaitlin always tells us to be sure and kiss! Haha, she's great!

Let the break begin!

This is our first Spring Break to actually look forward to (since we've always had all the kids at home with us). But, since Kaitlin is in school, we actually want to "celebrate" this week. I would like to do something fun everyday for them. Tonight after soccer practice (I'll get to that later), we ate at Mark Dean's BBQ with Kevin's side of the family. Love, love, love every one of them. It was late so Noah wasn't in the best mood. Lately he's been going to sleep around 7-7:30 and we got to the restaurant at 7...so, Noah got to be held the entire time. :) I have finally accepted the fact that Noah is colicky. Car rides are no fun, beacause my poor baby screams the whole time. At home, when he's awake, I usually have to hold him. I LOVE to hold him, but it's hard to do things and spend time with everyone else when I have a baby in my arms. Hopefully I can get all of our baby toys out of storage soon. I'm sure something bright and colorful that makes lots of noise will entertain him. I just pray everyday that this colic will go away.
Kaitlin had her first soccer game last weekend, and they WON! Go Incredibles!! She's so cute the way she just bounces around the soccer field.
After her game, I took Kaitlin to a NAM interview. NAM is National American Miss. It's a beauty pageant that isn't about dressing your daughter up to look like an adult. NAM is more about inner beauty and teaching children interview skills for later in life. My little chatter box should never have interview problems. Well, I got a call a few days ago and her interview went well! They would like to have her for a call back in April!
Later that night, Kevin and I went on our first date since before Noah was born. We went to Olive Garden and then saw 2 movies! It was a well needed date night. I sure have missed my alone time with my favorite man! It's nice to feel like just a wife sometimes...
On March 8th, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversay. Every year we go to Texas de Brazil! This year we brought all of the kids, and boy was that interesting. Thank goodness they have an elevator to get to the bathroom, because with 4 kids there were a lot of potty trips! I'm glad we got to have a date night a few days before, because there was nothing relaxing or romantic about our dinner that evening. Haha!
Kaitlin is about to lose her first tooth! She's so excited! I remember when I was little and had a loose tooth, it was all I could think about. Everytime I look at Kaitlin she's wiggling that thing! I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I can't believe how fast they are all growing up! Noah will be 3 months old in a few days! He LOVES smiling and "gooing" right now. We have little "conversations" all day. His face just lights up when you talk to him, and he always has so much to say back. Ben is really into counting lately! It's the cutest thing ever to hear him count everything. While we're reading, he'll just randomly start counting things on the page. We have such smart kids. Kiley is my little dress up princess right now. As soon as she wakes up, she'll pick her first princess outfit for the day. She'll usually go through 3 different outfits everyday.
How did Kevin and I end up so blessed? We have the sweetest, most beautiful, loving, caring, and well behaved children! Thank you God for trusting us with these special gifts!

A BIT OF A LONG ONE....

It's been 3 weeks since I've updated this thing! A lot has happened! We had our second snow of the winter! Aside from our power going out and having to spend 2 nights at my mom's (that part wasn't bad), we had a great time! We, mostly Kevin, built a giant snowman! And Kaitlin finally got to build her first snowman! It was amazing to have as much snow as we did. After the snow melted, 2 days later, it was time for Valentine's Day. We brought the kids to ChuckECheese, and oh my gosh, that place was busy! The kids made Chuck E Valentines and left them on the stage for him (since we left before he came out). We totally owe the kids another trip, because we left after 30 minutes! We had dinner with Meoshi, Shiloh, and Nash at Boston Market...YUMMY!

On a sad note, later that evening we found out that Kevin's Aunt Becky had passed away. She was a beautiful lady. Family was such a priority for her and it shows through her wonderful children. Her funeral was just as she would have liked it. All her friends and family were there and it was standing room only. :)

Kevin's dad went in the hospital the day after the funeral. That was pretty scary. The hospital couldn't figure out what was wrong. He came home today and seems to be doing ok. I am so happy everything ended this way! Vernon's gonna be around for a lot longer! :)

I get to be an aunt again! After what seems like forever, Lee and Tera found out they are going to have a baby! Sooo exciting!

Earlier this month we were at QT, because my BIG boy Benjamin said he needed to go potty! I was too excited because this was the first time he ever asked to go while we were away from the house. He's 100% potty trained at home, but he's a little scared to go on those big public pottys (he thinks he is going to fall in, poor thing!). Well, as I was paying for my hot French Vanilla yumminess, this sweet man in line next to me asked if my kids could each have a pack of M&Ms! I just love random acts of kindness!! And, now that my two younger ones know there is candy in gas stations, I'm sure I'll never be taking them inside again, haha! Wal Mart is hard enough. You have to wait in that long line with all that candy just hanging out next to you...even I can't resist sometimes, I can't imagine how hard it is for a child!

On February 20th Noah rolled over!! Twice!!!! It's so cute to watch him pick that little leg up and roll on over. I haven't gotten a picture of him in action yet, because everytime he does it I either don't have my camera or I just can't take my eyes off of him to snap a picture! But, this is him right before he rolled today! What a big, beautiful baby boy! (and there's his proud big brother!)

Kaitlin, my big 6 year old, had her first school project! The theme was dinosaurs. She did such a good job. She is such a creative, smart, caring, big girl. I just love, love, love her!

I had this "great" idea the other day to buy some shaving cream and let the kids play with it. You know, be creative? Welllllllll, bad idea! Don't get me wrong, the kids loved it! But I on the other hand got to clean it all up. Oh, and Ben apparently thinks he is going to fall in kitchen sink holes too! Haha, I put him in the sink to get rinsed off, and he started crying and saying "fall in Mommy!!" I'm horrible, I couldn't stop laughing! He freaks out if cups and silverware get near the sink holes too. He cracks me up! Silly little guy. But, other than the mess, I can't wait to let them play with the shaving cream again...outside!

Now for the sad part...

This Saturday Ben busted his head open. He jumped on Kaitlin's back while she was laying on his new bed (oh yea, Ben has a big boy bed now!) and she pushed him off and he hit his head on the wall at the corner of the window. I freaked out. Kevin freaked out. Ben was calm. After we calmed down a little, we were both still shaking, Kevin shaved a little spot on his head and put a butterfly "stitch" on it. It is the hardest thing as a parent to see your baby get an ouchie! Sooooo, he got two Blockbuster movies and some chocolate chip cookies! I think he's got a few more weeks of spoiling ahead of him. My poor baby! The next day we had to take him to Cooks Childrens Hospital because he vomited 3 times! The doctor said it had nothing to do with the head injury, but I disagree. Mommy's always right, right?! He was so nervous and so was I. Then, they gave him a Mickey Mouse shirt and a car...he liked that part! He is getting better everyday.

Sunday we had my dad and Missy over for dinner. Before they were here 5 minutes Kaitlin had Pawpaw dressed up as a Princess! And Missy was next!

Kaitlin is supposed to have her first soccer practice tomorrow if it's not too muddy! We're all excited! Here's a few random pictures from the past few weeks!

Grand Prix Racing

2 weeks ago today my baby boy started smiling!
This is the only picture we could get of him smiling that day...Kaitlin took it! It's from the side, but it shows just how cute he is! My new problem lately is holding Noah. I've always wanted to hold him all day, but now that he's smiling it's nearly impossible for me to want to put put him down! We all love this smiley little boy sooo much! Kiley calls him Mr. Smiley Boy. I love when the kids are running around the house like little crazy people, and then out of nowhere they'll pause for a moment and give Noah a kiss. I have the best kids ever!

Today Kaitlin had a Grand Prix race at church. She came in 5th! We are excited for her, but she is sad that she didn't get a trophy. :( It's totally breaking our hearts...there was even tears from our sweet little Princess. She did have a great time though! We can't wait 'til next year! And next year Kevin gets to make 3 cars!

I am at a loss for words today, so I will make up for that with some pictures!

Can you believe it...

Two blog posts in one week! Yep, that's the new organized me! This has been a fun week, despite the rain. I found out a few weeks ago that Neil and Tiffany will be moving to Wichita Falls in May or June! We are sooo excited! I'll finally get to see my cute 'lil nephew all the time (and take a bunch of pictures of that smiley baby too!). I've been looking around for a Mother's Day Out/Preschool program for Kiley and Ben. They either have no openings or will end up costing us $300 a month. Which really isn't too bad...but, if you know me well, I'm a little cheap! Kiley is ready to get back into a preschool program. She's been asking me for months to put her back in school. I love that my kids love to learn!

I always have a new "favorite" that my kids are doing/saying! Right now, Ben is saying "Nummy, Nummy!" (in 2 year old, that's "Yummy,Yummy!"...love!! Kiley is loving on her baby, Noah. She always tells me, "Mommy, I love your baby."...love! On a side note, when Noah was still growing in me, Kiley would kiss and hug my belly EVERYDAY and say "I love your baby" and "I can't wait 'til your baby is here". It's so precious to see the love my big girl has for my baby. This week Kaitlin has explored spelling her middle name. She has been able to spell her first and last for some time now, but for some reason we never taught her anything about her middle name! She was at the table last night writing Kaitlin "Meshel" Lavender. Kevin was telling her that it's spelled Michelle, but instead of her listening to him, she argued "'cause that's not how it sounds, Daddy!" Darn phonics! We told her that we gave her that name, so we would obviously know how to spell it...I don't think she agrees!

I will leave you with a picture that I captured from the girl's bedroom window a few days ago. I love where we live and that the kids can see deer in their own yard! (& some other favorite pics!)