Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are a few of my favorites from our trip! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Believe in Miracles

A picture is worth a thousand words, so says someone I don't know. :) This one can speak for itself, but of course in Katie fashion I have things to add. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It wasn't about the food or location this year. It was about FAMILY. I loved that. I loved the laughter that came when all the cousins played and played. I loved being able to see Blake and Tonya for a least just a little while. One thing we have all learned this year is to cherish each moment. I take pictures all the time. I want those moments to stay with me. Being with Tonya and hearing how she feels will change you. It will change every ounce of your soul. She isn't aware of that and that's ok. She is just out changing the world, without even trying.

This picture will forever mean something to me. I am printing it out and putting it somewhere in my house that I will look at it everyday. We were not supposed to be able to have kids on our own. God had bigger plans and now we have Whit. Tonya's cancer is one that has a high chance of reoccurance. Doctors and research say that there is a chance it will come back. I am praying God has bigger plans. Miracles happen everyday. We give the credit to medicine or doctors. I am saying out loud here that all the credit will be given to the God we serve. I pray for her to be that one in a gazillion that has no reoccurances for the rest of her life. I pray that we can all spend Thanksgiving together 40 years from now and laugh at how we were worried. She's a miracle walking around too. So, when I look at this picture I will pray for a miraculous recovery. I pray for a long life. It is just so fitting for me to have them together here looking at each other like this with such a love in their eyes. I ask you to join our family in prayer for Tonya and her family. I believe our prayers matter. I believe God hears our plea. I also believe that in HIS name she can be healed.

I believe in miracles.

The Pair

I always thought I would have at least 2 children. I just didn't want an only child. I would NEVER have had mine this close together. I wonder now how far apart they would have been if I had planned it. Lately, I can't help but think about how wonderful their age difference is. I adore it. It's been a crazy, yet wonderful 2 years of seeing my babies together. Today, they were having a very serious conversation in the backseat about the moon. Whit gets so exctited and yells, "Kennedy!" when he wants her to listen. Then he says a million things. I don't even remember the whole conversation. It is funny how a moment like that sticks with you and you want to stay there forever. I love these moments. They adore each other. I adore that about them. My little pair, they are precious to me. Tonight we were going to eat and they were in K's room playing( aka destroying it). I yelled to see who wanted to ride with Greg. A long pause happened and then I hear K yell, "NOBODY!" :) Oh, you two.......I am sure I will be in for it with the things you will come up with. Right now, I love it. I hope I always will.

Moments for Me to Remember :)

All my friends are pregnant. Well, maybe I should say a LOT of my friends are pregnant. Kennedy has announced to large groups of people (on multiple occasions) that I have a baby in my belly. Whit said on the way home the other day, "Mommy, I have a baby in my belly like Sandi." BAHAHAHA! I love it! He came home and stuffed one under his shirt. Tonight as I was tucking Kennedy in she said, "Mommy, can you please go and get a baby in your belly?I really want you to have one in there." I laughed and told her to ask Daddy. I tried to explain that Whit was a her baby brother. She didn't like that. She did like hearing stories about her holding him as a baby. Gosh, she was so still a baby back then too! Then we start talking about going to the hospital and getting a baby. She says, "The doctor gives you the baby, then you put the baby in the glowing box and put things over it's eyes, so it can't see anything." Now, if you know our history with our jaundice babies you will laugh at that. She has seen so many pictures of newborns in the billi lights that she thinks that is the process at the hospital! I love it!

Today, we ran by the Dollar store for a few things. I told the kids they could get a little prize. K chose a baby (of course) and Whit went through tons of options. A bag of dinosaurs, cars, and a sword. Then he saw a little toy iron and he was in heaven. It was quite hilarious to me. Greg is our ironer so it is only fitting that our son wants an iron to be like his daddy. He insisted on taking his clothes off so he could iron them. When Greg got home, he asked him to go get his iron so they could iron together. He did not once associate me with the iron. I love that. LOVE IT!

So, my sweet babies, your Mommy is busy cherishing your little moments. Kennedy, you were born to be a mother. I know your entire life you will beg me for more kids. It is who you are. You've been carrying around a baby doll since before you could walk. You learned to walk with a walker with baby Bobby stuffed in the walker so he could come too. And my Whitfield, the way you adore your Daddy make me adore you even more. You get so excited about deer and golf. An iron even brings you joy. We love it. What a blessed life I lead. Truly, truly, truly BLESSED.

A HAPPY October!

Today, my youngest niece, Paisley turns 5. I can't believe she is five! I mentioned it to Greg the other day and then I remembered. I know all the time. I just don't think about it daily anymore. They say time heals all wounds, and I think time helps a great deal. Tonya and I were due a few weeks apart when she was pregnant with Paisley. I really thought it would be hard for me to watch her grow up knowing I should have a baby her same age. Back to our conversation, I say to Greg, do you think we would have Kennedy? Or Whit? What would our life be like?? God's plan is a pretty good one. I think so often we have it all planned out on our own. We know what we want and how we want it to go. It doesn't always work out that way. 5 years ago my life was sad. I was broken. My heart was in a million pieces. I thought that I might never be able to be myself again. I thought I would cry everytime I saw my sweet niece. But instead, God healed me. He gave me an angel in heaven and he healed me. He gave me a gift I will never regret. He blessed me with the knowledge that life doesn't always go my way, but HIS plan is better than mine would ever be. He showed me how to be grateful. He showed me how to look at each moment and cherish them. It's October and I am happy. It's Paisley's birthday and I am thankful. I am thankful for her precious life and what she brings to our family. I love that I have her as a reminder of God's love. I won't ever forget that year or those moments. I still cry when I start thinking about what we went through, but today I can smile and be happy. I am a very blessed mommy and I will be forever thankful for each and everyday I get to be just that.

Toy Story 2 :)

It's their first Halloween to plan together. Last year, they were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. It was all Kennedy's idea. This year, they discussed it and told me what they were doing!! I cannot believe they are old enough for this. I might have said this before, but I LOVE their age difference these days. They are playing so well together. I have little memories of having one child. I laugh about how I worried about how Kennedy would adjust. What would they do without each other now?? Sweet, sweet, babies....growing up SO fast! I'll call them Toy Story 2 because we only watch that one right now. Jessie did not make her appearance until the second one. Kennedy thinks she is the star of the movie. Shhhh.....don't tell her. Our "Woody" doesn't care about giving her the limelight. :)

~Jessie and Woody Halloween 2010~

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!

One Day.....

Kennedy: "Mommy, one day you are going to come to my wedding and watch me marry Mathis. Now, you have to make sure you look pretty. (she takes her hands and pets my face at this point) You can wear those earrings. You would look beautfiul in them. I am going to be wearing a beautiful wedding bracelet and look so pretty."

Me: **tear**tear

All I can picture is the day she actually does get married and all I can see is the three year old that TONIGHT looks me in the eyes and tells me that story. I adore this little girl. May time stand STILL. At least for a minute. :)