It's Been a long time!

I will be posting a ton of new pictures in the next few days. I have really neglected this blog! Someday my kiddos will wonder what's with all of the gaps in posts on the blog, and I will just tell them I was too busy playing with them and being their mama to blog.

Of course, Jack is a growing BIG boy. He loves Buzz Lightyear and his favorite animal to sleep with is a giraffe named Lenny that was passed down from Anabelle. In fact, Lenny goes everywhere. He rode down the belt at the grocery store which Jack thought was hilarious. Anabelle, of course, went into rescue mode and jumped out of the basket to the belt to "save him". Jack is babbling so much and really beginning to use his words. Unlike Anabelle, he is taking his time on speaking in sentences. Josh and I have learned to not compare Anabelle and Jack when it comes to talking. She speaks so well and Jack is just on Jack's time. :)

Anabelle has really slimmed up. I wonder where my chunky little baby went? She gave herself her own haircut this summer. While at the hair place trying to fix her man-made mullet, she informed me that Jack loved his haircut that she gave him, too. She said he laughed the whole time. So much for capturing the little guy's first haircut...She has also started playing soccer. I mean, if you want to call it that. She is a champ in warm-ups, but sits in the middle of the field and refuses to play during the game. BUT, I must say, she looks super cute doing it! Pink shin guards, pink cleats, and ribbons in her hair make up for the lack of playing time:)She has learned the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our favorite line is... And to the rePUBLIX, for which it stands... It is really funny. She has also started learning her letters and how to write them. She does a fantastic job at it!

We are currently remodeling some parts of our kitchen that required us to take down a wall. The kids were amazed when they went upstairs yesterday. They couldn't believe it! They spent their time going in and out of the kitchen through the old wall. Even Belle, the hound, was shocked. She is so old now, I am surprised she even noticed.

So many things have changed since my last blog. It is amazing how life can throw you curve balls that you never see coming. The last few years have been full of change for me. I married Josh, we had Anabelle, my Daddy passed away, we had Jack, we decided to move to another state, and the biggest change, I lost my Mama and the babies lost their GiGi. This has been a tough adjustment for Anabelle. It has truly been one of the hardest things to do as a mom- explain to your child where her Gigi is. In fact, there have been many times when I go to pick up the phone to call my mom and ask for her advice on how to do this. And, if you know Anabelle, this little girl is smart and curious and wants answers. I know this is something I will never get over. People tell you it will get better, but it doesn't. I think you just learn ways to cope with it and try to keep on keeping on. As I was cleaning out some things of Mom's, I came across a letter from a group of cafeteria workers. They wrote my mom to tell her thank you for sticking up for them when nobody else would. This type of character is something GiGi was an example of for me and I hope I can pass on this type of character to Anabelle and Jack.
Yesterday, Anabelle learned the letter G... This will always be a special letter to me-