Life Beyond the Pink

Busy Day

2012-02-01T21:52:00.002-06:00

Today, was the 100th Day of School. The Kindergarteners were to dress as if they were 100 years old. So, of course, Maggie was ALL about it!

They paraded around school with their classes. It was the cutest thing!

After the parade Conn headed with Cash to his school where Donuts with Dad was going on.

Rhett and I headed to his 4 month check-up. Yes, we are a month behind. Oops! He weighs a little over 17 lbs and is 26 in. long. He just finished his 4th antibiotic for ear infections, and his ears still aren't clear. Poor dude! We are headed to the ENT next week to discuss tubes. Praying we can get this taken care of and finally get him some relief and ALL of us some sleep! Other than his ears, he is absolutely perfect and progressing right on track! They said we could start solids, but I think we'll wait a couple more months. With the rapid rate that his weight is increasing, I'm pretty sure he is getting all he needs from his mama's milk. Ha!

This is what he does to his ears every time he eats and constantly throughout the day. It breaks my heart!

One last thing. Along with some of my friends, I started a Photo a Day challenge for the month of February.

Day 1...my view

Carline. Bleh! Need I say more?!

I'm Here

2012-02-01T00:38:00.009-06:00

Hi. It's me, Ashley! I promise I'm still here! :)

I do think every night about posting on here, but there's this little thing called life that has me a tad tied up. Right now, it is full, crazy, fun, and chaotic. Add 4 kids and a husband to the mix, and that pretty much sums up the season I am in. I love every bit of it, but it's rocking my world! Not gonna lie. It's a good season...just a very hard, tiring season.

Okay. Moving on...

Some of my friends got together and hosted a Favorite Things party. It was SO much fun! Quite possibly, one of the funnest events I've ever attended!

So, in keeping with the theme, I am going to post some of my favorite things that I've come across recently.

My friend, Carly, introduced me to this group. Love everything about them. The music. The lyrics. The video. Everything!

(mute my sidebar music)

I have lost all of my baby weight...although still a little jiggly. Ha! Now, I'm just wanting to keep it off (and, hopefully start toning it all back up one of these days.) So, I came across this dandy little app called MyFitnessPal. You enter everything that you eat and it keeps track of all your calories for the day. It also searches pretty much any food, meal, restaurant, etc. that you can think of. Oh, and it's free! Score!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/iphone

I am loving all of these articles! I'm sure you've seen some of them floating around facebook and/or twitter. If you get a chance, you should check them out, too.

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/girlsministry/2012/01/3_things_a_dad_needs_to_teach.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifeway%2Fgirlsministry+%28Inside+Girls%27+Ministry%29

http://lysaterkeurst.com/2012/01/i-dont-want-to-raise-a-good-child/

So, back to the weight loss thing. These are some of my new favorite go-to snacks.

Weight Watchers Double Chocolate Muffins

Clif Bars

In LOVE with these...

Ice Skating

2012-01-16T15:06:00.000-06:00

We left the boys at home and had a little date night with our girlies. We took them ice skating with some friends of ours. The girls hadn't been in a couple of years, but caught on rather quickly. Being that it was the middle of the week, the crowd was really low. It was perfect! It was also pretty warm outside so it wasn't unbearable if they fell and got their hands and jeans wet. Fun was had by all!

Hill Country Weekend

2012-01-12T13:37:00.006-06:00

We spent New Years weekend with my whole family in Wimberley. My brother and his family just recently moved there. They are renting a beautiful home on 47 acres in the Texas Hill Country. We had so much fun! There was plenty of room for all of the cousins to run around. The weather was perfect when we arrived on Saturday. We took family pics, played outside, walked around Wimberley's fun little town, fried a turkey, made s'mores, and just soaked up lots and lots of family time!

Exploring the land...

Family pics...

Pappy's fried turkey...YUM!!!!

Hanging out...

A COLD front came through on Saturday night. It didn't stop the kids, though! They ran around and played with the dogs Sunday morning before we packed everything up and headed home.

It is so great to have a fun little "retreat" to visit. :) Can't wait until next time!

4 Months

2012-01-09T21:25:00.005-06:00

Rhett is 4 months old today! I dropped my camera last week and broke it. :( So, I had to take his monthly pics with my iphone. They aren't best, but he's still a cutie!

Here is a little of what he's up to...

Weighs 15lbs. 12oz. (as of last week)
Size 2 diapers
3-6 and 6-9 month clothing
Nurses what feels like constantly! But, prob really only every 3-4 hrs.
Still HATES his car seat
Has had 3 ear infections and croup
Chews constantly on his hands
Doesn't suck on his fingers anymore and really doesn't take a paci
Cat naps throughout the day
Goes to bed at 10:30ish at night and sleeps anywhere from 5-7hrs.
Smiles ALL the time
Laughs out loud
Talks constantly and loudly
Almost rolling over (back to stomach)
Loves his play mat and swing
Grabs everything within reach

I think he looks so different in all 3 of these pics.

Conn calls him a little koala bear. When you hold him, he snuggles right up to your face and holds on.

This was his birth announcement that we sent with our Christmas card. Love those big ole blue eyes and kissable lips!

Now that he is getting bigger, I can dress he and Cash alike sometimes.

Almost rolling over.

He LOVES watching t.v.

When he was sick, he got these really rosy cheeks.

He is almost always this happy!

Happy 4 months, precious boy!
We love you!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T00:42:00.008-06:00

We had a great Christmas! It was crazy and busy, but a lot of fun was had by all! We spent time with grand parents and cousins and lots of time with one another. Conn and I were able to have multiple date nights!! We were constantly being reminded of God's goodness and how He continues to daily take care of and bless our little family!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

Marler Christmas

McWhorter Christmas

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

See you in 2012!!!

Christmas Catch-Up

2011-12-23T15:33:00.005-06:00

Oh my word! How is today already the 23rd? Seriously, there are only 2 days until Christmas? WOW!

We have been CRAZY busy with a ton of activities going on. So, I'm just going to do a quick recap from the past couple of weeks. If you actually make it to the end of this post, you deserve an extra gift under the tree! :)

Decorating for Christmas...

Keeping warm on a cold winter day...

Christmas movies...

Brownies + icing always make for a good time...

Poor baby Rhett had croup and an ear infection. We went to many dr. appointments. It was a long ( and scary) couple of weeks!

Stuffed...sealed...delivered...
School Christmas Parties

Family Fun Night

Cash's ADORABLE school Christmas performance. It's a shame he's so shy! Ha!

Goodies for our neighbors and Conn's assistant's at work. Thank you, Pinterest! :)

Sleeping in until 9:30 means breakfast at 11 for these kiddos.

Letter's from Santa

Early morning feeding and snuggling time with my littlest love before the chaos of the day begins.

Opening TONS of Christmas cards! Thank you to everyone that mailed us one! It seriously is my favorite time of year! They were ALL amazing this year!

Sporting our Christmas gear...

Daddy took the bigs Christmas caroling...

Kindergarten is hard work... :)

Santa...

Is it seriously December? From the looks of our neighborhood, you would think it was October!
A date night of Christmas shopping! Yes, we did it all in a span of 5 hours! We rocked it!!!

My baby has already outgrown all of his 0-3 month clothing! He weighed in yesterday at a whopping 15 lbs 4 oz! Ha! He is currently wearing size 6-9 month!

Late night daddy time...

We love our Alphabet Alley magnetic play set! You can check out more of their great products here.

Play date with friends...

Someone is getting big...

Precious gift from Erin. Thank you!

Pastors Kids Christmas party...

Much needed ( and oh-so fun) Girls Night Out...

You made it! The End! :)

Celebrating Cash

2011-12-11T15:40:00.000-06:00

We started with cookies at school to celebrate his 3rd birthday! He was a tad excited!

Last Saturday we celebrated here at the house by throwing him a party! We invited a couple of his closest little buddies. He is OBSESSED with all things trucks, dirt, construction...you name it! So what better way to celebrate our boy than throw him a dump truck dirt party!

We went all out had a mound of dirt delivered to our drive-way! It was a huge hit!

We borrowed road signs from a good friend of ours. They totally made the whole look for the party! :)

All the boys got hard hats to wear with their names on them. For party favors, I found huge truck coloring books at the dollar store. I also filled a small metal bucket with truck hot wheels, crayons, car fruit snacks, and a traffic light cookie made by Nanny.

It was a very laid back party. While the kids all played in the dirt, the parents actually got to talk and hang out.

We sang happy birthday to the big 3 year old and ate cupcakes!

Present time is always a hit!

Of course, no McWhorter party is complete without a pinata!

We were even able to snag a somewhat decent family pic.

Such a fun, fun day celebrating our BIG boy!

We love you, buddy! Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

3 Months

2011-12-09T23:55:00.005-06:00

Our littlest love is 3 months old today!

He is still beyond oh-so sweet! Constantly smiling and has just recently started to laugh out loud. He "talks" and coos all the time!!!

He still sleeps like a champ! Takes multiple naps through out the day and at night sleeps from about 10pm-6am.

His two newest tricks include pushing up and sucking on his 2 middle fingers. He has pretty much given up the paci. We have never had a finger sucking baby, so we aren't too sure how to handle it. We've been trying to force the paci, but he really wants nothing to do with it. Weird, since he was so attached to it for the past 3 months.

For the past 2 weeks, he has been battling croup and an ear infection. Thankfully, he is finally turning a corner.

We went went to the doctor last week, and he weighed in at 14lb. 9oz. He is wearing a size 2 diaper and anywhere from 3 to 6 month clothing.

I tried out the bumbo seat, and this is pretty much the reaction I got. HaHa!!!

We love this little dude so very much! Can't imagine the last 3 months without him!

THREE!

2011-12-01T23:22:00.007-06:00

Cash is finally 3!! How did this happen? I feel like he just entered this world at lightening speed! Yet, here we are 3 years later! What?!?

He is beautiful and precious. Rough and hard headed.

He is hilarious and outgoing. Never meeting a stranger.

He listens intently. Catching on to things very quickly.

He is tall and advanced. We have to remind ourselves often that he is still "little".

He loves his momma.

He loves his daddy.

His best buddy is his Pappy.

He is THREE!!!

We love you, brudder! Hope you had a great day!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T15:33:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! As always, we joined everyone (including my parents) at the McWhorter family farm. It has become a yearly tradition, for both of our families, that we all love!

This blue eyed boy enjoyed his very 1st Thanksgiving and was snuggled by anyone that could get their hands on him. He was fought over quite a bit throughout the day! :)

The weather was kind of cold, but beautiful! The kids are at the perfect age where we just let them run free. It's nice not having to keep an eye on them every second.

Uncle Kap took the kids on lots of Rhino rides.

It only goes one speed...FAST! :)

3 generations.

We were also able to get some great family pics for Nanny and PawPaw.

Once it got dark, we went back inside for more playtime and of course more eating!

Such a great day!

We are so thankful that we live so close to both of our families and that they both love one another! That is something that we will never take for granted!

I am thankful...

2011-11-24T00:08:00.002-06:00

that he chose me.

that these 4 call me momma.

for wonderful schools.

for a happy, healthy 2 1/2 month old.

for lazy days at home in our pj's.

for friends finding true love.

for modern day medicine.

for the colors of a new season.

for creative outlets.

for sweet smiles.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Chronicles 16:34

The Weekend

2011-11-13T20:39:00.008-06:00

Conn left on Thursday to go hunting with some of his best friends. I think this is their 5th year for the annual "Huntereeno" hunting trip. They go to the McWhorter family farm and hunt until Sat. My dad goes and does all of the cooking. The guys look SO forward to it every year. All of us wives joke that they are like kids on Christmas morning waiting all year for this trip to arrive! Ha!

It was a good year for Conn. He came home with 3 deer!

We took family pics on Sat. We even got some really cute ones. But, man, was it tough getting them! There were times I didn't think some of us would make it out alive! Ha!

Conn was actually off today. It was so nice having him home! We did nothing but relax and play outside! You would never know that it was the middle of November! The girls even set up a lemonade stand! Yep, we must live in Houston!

So blessed to have a relaxing weekend with nothing on the calendar. We don't get those very often! We loved having our daddy home, too! Now, it's back to the daily grind of making lunches, getting clothes ready, and doing homework! :)

Hope you all have a fantastic week!!!

2 Months

2011-11-09T22:13:00.002-06:00

How is my littlest love already 2 months old? These months have flown by!

His 2 month well check isn't until next week, so I don't know any of his official stats. But, here are a couple of things about Rhett Sterling..

Size 1 diapers
3 month clothing
Cooing, Talking, Smiling
Just found his hands
Sleeps 12am-6am most nights! Woo-Hoo!!!!!
Still HATES his car seat
Loves his paci
Loves anyone that will hold him
Eyes are still very blue
Very laid back
I pretty much feed him on demand
Has no real schedule for naps or anything

We love you SO much!

Then and Now

2011-11-04T22:16:00.003-05:00

As you can see from a couple of posts back, Lily dressed up as bumble bee for Halloween. When she had picked out the costume, I had totally forgotten that she had already been a bumble bee once before.

Oh.My.Goodness. Check out that chunky little 3 month old? How is that possibly the same little girl...7 years later?! Love!!!!

Fall Baking Day {2011}

2011-11-03T22:35:00.001-05:00

My friend, Missy, had another fabulous Fall Baking Day! She is seriously the hostess with the mostess!!! You can read about our other fun baking days here and here.

The menu consisted of all things Fall!!!

Caramel Apples with every topping you can imagine...

Candy Corn and Pumpkin shaped Cake Pops...

Oreo and Pretzel Bark

and...SO much more!

She had cute bags and ribbon to wrap all of our goodies up in to take home.

Oh, and when we got there she had already baked us individual loafs of Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! Seriously?! I told you she was amazing!!!

Thank you, Missy, for all of your hard work and creating such wonderful memories for all of us!

Lindsee, Jen, Amanda, Missy, Me, Kristy, Erin

(missed you girls who couldn't make it)

Halloween {2011}

2011-11-02T15:04:00.001-05:00

The night before Halloween, we went to Conn's parents church for their Trunk or Treating/Fall Festival. The kids had an absolute blast! They loved being able to wear their costumes more than once.

A sweet Bumble Bee and Monarch Butterfly

Four little loves...

Couldn't you just eat that chubby Dalmatian up?!
and, they're off...

They had tons of great rides and yummy carnival food!

Nanny and PawPaw were one of the cars helping to pass out candy for the Trunk or Treat. They had it decorated so cute.

Such a fun (much needed) family night!

Oh, and where are all the pictures from the actual night of Halloween and all the trick or treating that we did? Well, my camera battery was dead! Ha! Just picture the kiddos in these same exact costumes running up and down our neighborhood streets with cousins and friends! :)

Dress-Up Fun

2011-11-01T15:31:00.007-05:00

Lily, Maggie and Cash all had Storybook Parades at their schools.

Junie B. Jones Graduation Girl

Barbie Fairy Secret

This is how our Fireman felt about taking pictures. Ha!

He changed his mind once the parade started.

He spotted his daddy!

Stacy had sweet, Landry last week. Here older brother, Weston, is in Cash's class. She and Rhett hung out together during the parade. :)

They had a little party afterwards.

Such fun times! So thankful for our school's!

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T23:17:00.004-05:00

A little sneak peek of our Halloween fun...

Miss Bumble Bee, Mr. Fireman with his Dalmatian, and Miss Monarch Butterfly

More to come!!!

Brotherly Love

2011-10-28T15:09:00.007-05:00

Cash adores his baby brudder! Since the day Rhett was born, Cash has shown nothing but love towards him. He has never once acted jealous about no longer being the baby of the family. If anything, he is overly affectionate with Rhett by constantly smothering him with kisses and hugs. This makes me so, so happy!

Their first set of matching jammies. Cash was so proud to show them off! I could just eat these two boys up!!!

I think it is so cool that we were been blessed with 2 girls and now 2 boys!

Happy Friday!
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Fall Festival Fun

2011-10-27T14:50:00.004-05:00

Although it has been in the 90's all week, we tried to pretend like it was Fall by taking the kids to a local Fall Festival.

The McKellar's joined in on the fun, too!

There was a wonderful pumpkin patch where we could have taken great pictures of the kids, but we were too busy eating shaved ice to stay cool and fighting off bumble bees! Ha! Such is Fall in Texas! :)

Girl's Day

2011-10-25T10:54:00.003-05:00

We had a girls day while daddy stayed home with the boys. Lily and Maggie both wanted to have their hair cut at Sweet and Sassy.

Maggie had a lot cut off, while Lily just got a trim.

It was also a BIG day for Maggie. She got her ears pierced! She has been asking for a while and was SO excited that she was finally having it done!

Unlike her sister, she sat there and never made a sound.

She chose the stone "October Rose". If you ask her, she will proudly tell you that is what it's called. Ha!

Love these two blue eyed girlies and making memories with them!

Whew!

2011-10-20T13:07:00.002-05:00

The weeks are flying by! We are always so, so busy! Last week, we had something every single night! Thankfully, this week has been a much slower pace. I have had this post in my drafts for over a week now. Hopefully I'll finish it soon. I guess you know it's been a while since you last updated your blog when someone asks your husband if everything is alright at home because I haven't posted in so long. Ha!

We gave my precious friend, Stacy (& her hubby), a diaper shower/baby blessing. She is having her 3rd baby, Landry, next week. We have been pregnant together with our last 2 babies. It was such a great night of laughing, talking, eating and prayer. So thankful for all these couples!

It has been so great having older children while also having a newborn. I have built in babysitters!! Score! Anytime I need to cook dinner, clean, do laundry, etc. the girls are always willing to hold Rhett. It doesn't last for too long, but I'll take all the few minutes here and there that I can get!

Cash had a fire truck come to his school last week. They handed out fireman hats. He wore that thing for days! He even took it to bed with him a couple of nights! Can you take a wild guess what he's going to be for Halloween?

Maggie joined Girl Scouts this year. This is a new thing for all of us. I was never involved in it growing up and Lily hasn't been in it either. Maggie had a mom in her kindergarten class start a troop and almost all the girls were joining. So, of course, we signed her up. Conn and I made a decision that during the Fall we weren't going to sign the kids up for any activities. With Rhett being born and having 2 girls in school full time, we just thought that it would be best to take a few months to get used to this "new" life. Her troop only meets once a month, so we figured we could handle that. :)

Littlest man is doing great! He will be 6 weeks old tomorrow! Wow! We haven't been to a check up since he was 2 weeks old, but the boy is getting huge! Little rolls are starting to form everywhere and there is definitely another chin that showed up. Ha! So stinking cute! He still HATES his car seat and pretty much anything that has to do with being put down. So, we do a lot of cuddling and staying home during the day. We get bored at times, but I just can't take the screaming in the car! AHHHHH!!!!! Praying it ends soon! Other than that, he is perfect!

Over the weekend, Mrs. Janet, Lindsay and Parker stopped by to love on the kids! We miss having Lindsay around, but SO thankful she stops by for visits when she is in town.

Momma snuck away for a couple of quiet, relaxing hours. Heavenly!

My life long friend, Callie, wrote an amazing post on her blog about the ups and downs of motherhood. She is my rock star friend who has had 4 babies in 3 years! You can read her post here.

Hope you all have a great weekend! It's beautiful right now in my neck of the woods! :)

One Month

2011-10-09T20:55:00.001-05:00

Life.

2011-10-08T15:45:00.004-05:00

We are on week 4 of having 4 kids. I think we are finally getting the hang of this whole thing. Someone asked me last week how do I get through every day? I laughed and said I have no idea! Ha! Honestly, though, I think we are surviving day by day with a lot of humor and a lot of prayer! Thankfully, Rhett is an amazing baby! We are just so beyond tired at times. You think by the 4th baby you would get used to this no sleep thing.

This precious love is 4 weeks old today! He has been smiling since the beginning of the week. I finally caught it with my iphone.

The girls had Donuts with Dad on Tuesday at school. They all love this event. Not only does Conn get to eat breakfast with his girls, he also gets to hang out with all his buddies that are dads too!

Rhett finally got to have a real bath! He LOVES bath time!

This big brother has become so grown up since his baby brother has arrived! He has been nothing but loving and helpful towards Rhett. Such a huge blessing! He is also SO stinking funny!

Someone celebrated their last year in their 30's this week...and, it wasn't me! :)

The girls also had Walk to School day. They love this event, too!

This is how I get most of my work done around the house. Such a sweet little helper! :)

Oh, isn't this just yummy?!

This is my life.
It is full.
It is so, so good. :)

3 Weeks

2011-09-30T16:06:00.004-05:00

Rhett is 3 weeks old! We went last week to his 2 week check-up and he weighs 9lbs. 5oz. He is an eating machine and is starting to fill out with some chubbiness on his thighs and definitely in his cheeks! He just moved up yesterday to a size 1 diaper.

Rhett LOVES his paci and HATES his car seat! When I say HATES, I mean HATES!!! He screams from the moment we put him in to the moment we take him out. Sometimes if he is asleep or if someone is back there shaking the seat and keeping his paci in, he will somewhat calm down. Other than that, riding in the car with him is pretty much a nightmare. Car line is fun, let me tell ya! Ha!

He is sleeping really great...so far. I usually feed him between 10:30pm-12am and he'll sleep until about 5am. He sometimes stirs around 3am, but I have been putting his paci in and he has been going back to sleep. I'm praying this sleep pattern continues.

He is definitely our easiest baby so far. Rarely cries (except in the car) and is very easy going. The older 3 have adjusted really well. They are all in love with him! Constantly wanting to hold and kiss him.

Conn and I are adjusting too. Ha! Having 4 kids has proven to be very difficult at times, but we are slowly getting the hang of it. Sometimes, we don't really know if we should laugh or cry. Thankfully, we choose laughter most of the time! Right now we are just trying to survive day by day! But, no matter how chaotic life may get, we never forget how truly blessed we are!

Rhett's Birth Story

2011-09-24T22:41:00.003-05:00

We're here!!! We're alive!!! Rhett is already 2 weeks old! We are slowly but surely coming out of the newborn fog! :)

Many have asked about Rhett's birth story. Although it was very exciting and did come with some surprises, it was nothing like Cash's. Sorry to disappoint. Ha! :)

On Thursday (Sept. 8) I started feeling a little "off" around dinner time. I really can't describe it, just different. Conn left for a meeting at 6:30pm, leaving me with strict instructions to text him if anything was to happen. I had a feeling that this might be the night, so I had him take a picture before he left.

40 weeks

I started having contractions off an on, but they were still 15-20 min apart. As I was recording all of these times, I was putting kids to bed, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and folding clothes. I was just trying to stay busy so the contractions would pick up and become more consistent.

Conn got home around 9:00pm. I sent a text to our sitter and gave her the heads up that we would probably be needing her to come over soon (she lives about 2 min. away) and sent a text out to the grandparents. Contractions weren't bad, but definitely getting stronger. I knew we would be heading to the hospital shortly. I got dressed, got the kids clothes ready for school the next day, packed lunches, etc. Conn was totally chilled about the whole thing and sat down to watch football. :)

Okay, so this is where the excitement kicks in. :) I went to check on the kids one last time. As I was coming back downstairs, I had a really big contraction at the very top of the stairs. I stood there for a minute to breathe through it and let it pass. As soon as it was over, my water broke!!!!!! When I say broke, I mean it burst! I literally heard it!! I just kind of laughed and stood there...not knowing what to do. My water has never broken on its own. A crazy feeling, by the way. I looked over the balcony to tell Conn. He said he had been watching me since the start of the contraction. He jumped up and we both just kind of looked at each other. Ha! I went to change clothes while Conn loaded the car. Our sitter showed up and we left about 10:30pm to head to the hospital. I was texting people on the way there through each contraction. They were coming on pretty strong at this point, along with a lot of pressure. I couldn't believe that this was it! We were about to meet our precious, Rhett!

We checked into the hospital at 10:45pm. I was dilated 5cm. They had been warned that I progress really fast, so they went ahead and put in my order for the epidural. :)

At about 11:45pm I got my epidural. It kicked in and I was feeling good! :)

Some of the cheering crew...

Janet, Chris, Mammy

It's GO time!

3 easy pushes later, Rhett made his BIG debut at 12:17am!
Happy Birthday, my precious love!!!

He was SO alert and wide awake. Never making a peep. Just looking around and taking everything in.

The whole crew (minus my dad who was taking the picture)

Dr. Strong who has delivered all 4 of my babies!

My oh-so talented friend, Shannon, who is responsible for these amazing pictures! Love her! :)

Aunt Shar-Shar

Mrs. Janet

Pappy

Mammy

PawPaw and Nanny

First bath...

Snug as a bug...

Rhett meeting the rest of the crew. They were just a tad excited!

Family of SIX! Seriously?! WOW!

We LOVE having visitors!

Carly and Maggie

Kim, Huntley, and Hudson

The Morgan's

Uncle Brandon, Aunt Shar-Shar, and Campbell

Stacy and Lexie

We headed home the next day. We were SO beyond ready to get out of the hospital!

Let the fun begin!!! :)

He's Here

2011-09-10T23:46:00.002-05:00

Rhett Sterling McWhorter

September 9, 2011
12:17 am
8lbs. 11oz. 19 in.

Beyond Blessed

2011-09-04T00:12:00.002-05:00

One of the biggest blessings that Conn and I have been given in our 11 years of marriage is our Small Group from church. Last week, we were blessed once again with a surprise baby blessing and diaper shower for our sweet, Rhett! It was so much fun being with many of our closest friends!!

Thank you, for being such a blessing in our lives! We thank God for each of you daily and love going through life with you! We love you all so much!

Lily and Maggie's Room Reveal

2011-09-01T18:11:00.000-05:00

Over the summer, we have had some huge room rearranging projects going on in this house! I think I blogged about this a while back. Well, I am so happy to announce, that one of those rooms is actually complete!!! Woohoo!!

The girls moved in together to Lily's room. It took us FOREVER to find bedding that we liked and to find a similar iron bed to go with the one that we already had. But, it all finally came together. I love the way everything turned out! Now, if we could just get them to quit talking at bedtime and go to sleep at a decent hour, we would be good! Ha!

Entering the room...

The tree hand painted by their Pappy! Love!!!

View from other side of the room (things still needed to be added to the shelf)...

Fun hanging birdcage with a pink birdie inside. :)

Lily requested that their names be hanging from the tree limbs above their beds. :)

Maggie's bed was my bed growing up. My parents bought it for me when I was 2.

Lily's bed doesn't match perfectly, but it was the closest we could find. I do love it, though!

View from the beds (pictures still need to be added to the bulletin boards, window frame needs to be hung and the dresser needs some "pretties" sitting on it).

We bought this chair about a year ago at Roundtop. It has been in our room up until now. It matched perfectly with their colors and it makes a great reading chair.

Hope you enjoyed the tour! It was a lot of fun (and, a lot of work) to do! A HUGE thank you goes out to Mammy and Pappy for their many hours of help with this project!

School Days...Continued

2011-08-31T22:28:00.002-05:00

Today, was Cash's 1st day of Pre-School!

Please excuse his crazy, crooked hair! He has the STRAIGHTEST hair, and whenever he get's a new haircut, it is NEVER straight and every single "cut" shows! Crooked hair and all, I thought these pictures were too cute not to share! Love this boy!

He was SO excited to go see all of his friends!

Once at school, he ran in his class and started playing.

But, ran out real quick for one last hug!

They said he had a great day! Oh, and that he was, "Such a busy boy!" Ha! Ya, think?!

Well, with Cash being away, meant this momma got to play! Yay! I know that the count down has begun for these "kidless" days, so I took full advantage of it!

I started with this...

Ran a few errands in between...

And, ended with this...

Ready or Not

2011-08-29T14:18:00.006-05:00

Rhett Sterling McWhorter...

will soon be making his big debut!!!
We are all so very excited and can't wait to meet our newest little man!
"They" are predicting this week sometime. So, we will just wait see! :)

McWhorter Family Vacation

2011-08-28T05:56:00.004-05:00

The first week of August, we went to the beach with the McWhorter family. We stayed for a week at Pointe West Resort in Galveston. Now, for all you locals, I know what you're thinking...Galveston?! Well, the weather was perfect, there was no seaweed, and the ocean was actually clear and had a hint of blue to it!!! If you've ever been to Galveston, those are some HUGE things to be excited about! Ha! We had such a great time! Our family loves the beach and sun! Yes, it can be a pain at times to keep things free of sand and we get a little nervous at how far out the girls can go in the ocean, but other than that, we love it! It is like a big wide open playground for the kids! We had never been to Pointe West before. I had heard good and bad reviews on it, so I was a little skeptical. Plus, like I said, it was Galveston beaches! :) But, it ended up being awesome!

We pretty much had the same routine everyday. In the mornings, we would lounge around, eat breakfast, and get the whole crew ready to head down to the beach.

Once at the beach, we would stay for 2-3 hrs. So, so much fun!

After the beach, we would head to the resort pool. It was a great way to cool off after being in the sun, sand and salt water for many hrs.

Then, we would head back to the house for lunch, naps (for the young and old), lounging around, and sometimes a little crafting for Nanny and her girlies.

Nighttime would consist of more pool time, eating dinner, playing with cousins, laughing with family, s'mores, kids going to bed, and adults staying up until all hours of the night talking.

And...that is where our fun, family beach vacation comes to an end. Unfortunately, our family of 5 (almost 6) had to pack up a few days early and head home. I started having some pretty major contractions and we got a little nervous being almost 2hrs. from home. Thankfully, they stopped. We were sad to leave, but felt it would be best to be at home and close to my hospital and Dr.'s. Due to that little incident, I have no family group pictures. :( This make me so sad. But, even with no pics, I know memories were made that will last a lifetime!

Thank you, Nanny and PawPaw, for an another amazing vacation! We will always treasure these times together as a family.

Shower in a Box

2011-08-23T21:59:00.002-05:00

Last week, I received a package in the mail. I hadn't ordered anything online recently, so I had no clue as to what it could have been. Then, I saw the return address label. It read...

"GNO Friends!" I was filled with excitement as I began to open it.

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, then you know that a group of us "bloggers" formed a real life friendship about 2 years ago. I love these girls to pieces and have been so beyond blessed by each one of their friendships. Yes, we met in a crazy way, and many people do not quite understand it. That's okay, though. It blows my mind sometimes, too. :) I love that we are so real with one another, that we have laughed together, cried together, prayed together, seen each other through many pregnancies and hard, hard times and so much more. I love that they each love the Lord! I love that most of us are going through the exact same stages right now with our families, kids, and just plain life. These girls just get it!

Anyway...when I first opened the box, there was this precious poem...

Underneath the card, was a Shower in a Box for me and my sweet baby boy! How fun is that?! They TOTALLY surprised me!!! Oh, I was in tears!

From the bottom of my heart, I could never thank them enough! These were the first gifts that I have been given for this baby boy! So fun!! I was so thankful for all the wonderful clothes, gifts cards, and mommy treats; but even more thankful that God crossed all of our paths and these incredible friendships have formed! Thank you, ladies, for everything! I love you all dearly!!

School Days

2011-08-22T19:00:00.002-05:00

The girls finally had their first day of school today! WooHoo! They were SO excited last night! We put them to bed at 8, and they were both still wide awake at midnight! I'm sure they will CRASH tonight!

Nanny and PawPaw came over early this morning to see Maggie off for her first day of Kindergarten. They did this with Lily, too. Such a sweet tradition!

Gotta love the first day of school outfits and poses! These girls know how to strike it! :)

Watch out, 2nd grade!!!!!

HEEELLLLOOOO, Kindergarten!!!!

And, they're off!!!

Daddy and his girls!

Maggie has the same Kinder teacher that Lily had. We LOVE Mrs. Samford! So, so blessed!!

She also has Lexie and Ellie in her class. They have been friends since they were born. Their mommas, even longer than that! :)

Lily has Mrs. Bruce! She came home today saying that she was, "AWESOME!" :) I love to hear that!

Can't believe that we have 2 in school now! It is definitely going to be an exciting, busy year! We prayed on the way to school this morning that this year would be tons of fun and that they would learn a lot! But, more importantly, that they would show God's love and let His light shine through them!

In the same way,
let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven!
Matthew 5:16

We love you, girlie girls!
You're both gonna R-O-C-K this school year! :)

It's Finally Here

2011-08-21T01:34:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, Maggie, will be walking into this school as a Kindergartener. She is SO beyond excited! We are SO beyond excited for her! She has been SO ready for such a long time!

She has a couple of her life long friends that are going to be in her class. How fun is that going to be?! There is also the excitement of meeting lots of new friends, too!

We love you, sweet girl! We are praying this is going to be an awesome year for you!

I'm Here

2011-08-09T23:05:00.002-05:00

Hi! Just checking in!!! Yes, we are still alive! No, baby boy has not arrived yet. We are getting oh-so close, though. Only about 4 more weeks!!! The count down has definitely begun!

I have a ton to blog about and a whole lot of pictures, but my Mac is currently getting worked on at the Apple store. Something crazy came over it. Therefore, no computer and no iphoto, means no blog posts and no pictures. I am currently on Conn's computer. So, through my trusty iphone and Instagram pics, I will try to catch you up on the past couple of weeks.

***We have begun the process of rearranging rooms. The girls are moving in together and the baby is getting Maggie's old room. This means...painting 2 rooms, moving and painting furniture, cleaning out closets, cleaning out toys, etc. The girls room is in the final stages. I'm loving it! A big shout out goes to my parents for helping us with the transformations!

Cleaning out Maggie's room...

Lily's room before...
Sneak peek of girls room...

***We went to the beach last week with Conn's whole family (a whole post in itself). We had such a great time. We were supposed to stay until Friday, but came home early on Wednesday because I was having very strong and frequent contractions. With my past history and how fast my babies come, we didn't want to play around. So, we loaded up late Wed. night and got home around 2:30 in the morning. The contractions slowed down, so we decided just to go to bed. Thankfully, for the most part, they have stopped and no trip to the hospital has been needed. I can tell my body is beginning the process of "getting ready". So, we are just taking it day by day.

***I turned 35 (now 36) weeks. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by!

***I pulled out all of Cash's old baby clothes and actually got the baby's bag packed for the hospital. I bought some new outfits just for him, but I'm so thankful that I already have tubs and tubs of boy clothes!!

***We went to Conn's 20th high school reunion. It was actually a lot of fun! It was great to catch up with all his old buddies. I can't believe that he has been out of h.s. that long! He's old! :)

Class of '91...

***We met some friends for a little play date at Wendy's, of all places. They had storytelling, face painting and crafts. Fun times!

These 3 will all be starting Kindergarten at the same school! Woohoo!!

***Like I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of closet's to clean out. YUCK!!!!

Before...

After...

***We have all been going a little crazy! Summer has been fun and eventful, but the count down to school has begun! We are ALL so ready for it to start! It is time!

***And this pic is just for laughs! :)

Hope you are all having a great week!

Family. Friends. Frio.

2011-07-30T23:02:00.001-05:00

The week before last, we headed to our annual Marler vacation on the Frio river and at Garner State Park. We always look forward to this week and the kids talk year round about wanting to go back to GSP! This year was a little different in the fact that it wasn't just the Marler family that was going to be there. My mom's best friend, and most of her family, were going to come along for the fun, too. It was such a fun week! Pretty sure the laughter never stopped! We soaked up tons of family and friend time!

As always, I have a ton of photos that share the memories of our week. We played in the river, we jumped off rope swings, we stayed in a cabin with 25 people, we danced the nights away at Garner, we chased kids, we had talent night, we soaked up the beautiful Hill Country, we laughed, we caught a mouse INSIDE the cabin, we ate shaved ice, we decorated cupcakes, we colored, we played in the hot tub, we ate, and ate, and ate, we stayed up late, we played games, we played "name the baby boy!", we took afternoon naps, and SO much more!

The group...

The cabin...

The river...

The dance...

The hill country...

The kiddos...

The boys...

The girls...

The family pics...

The shaved ice...

The ride home...

See ya next year, GSP!

Help Wanted!!!

2011-07-26T14:22:00.010-05:00

Does anyone out there know my name?

Cause my parents don't seem to have a clue!

Hayes Everett

Jack Sterling

Jack Everett

Rhett Sterling

Judd Everett

PLEASE help them out!!!

Thanks, Baby No Name

34 Weeks

2011-07-26T09:54:00.002-05:00

Seven

2011-07-24T23:33:00.003-05:00

7 years ago...

I was 4 days past my due date.

7 years ago...

you made me a mother.

7 years later...
I could not love you more.

Happy 7th Birthday, Lily Belle!

We hope that you enjoyed your special day!
We love you!

Sea World Fun

2011-07-22T23:44:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, we loaded up the car early in the morning and made our way towards San Antonio. We were going to spend the day at Sea World with my brothers family, before meeting up with the rest of our family for our annual Frio/Garner State Park vacation.

We got there as the park opened. It was overcast skies, but I'm pretty sure we were already sweating before walking through the gates. Ha!

Our first stop was to feed the dolphins! The kids all loved it, but Lily was the only one brave enough to actually do it...

Shark tanks...

Getting a lift from daddy...

We rented a stroller. It was worth EVERY penny! Even the older kiddos enjoyed it! :)

Of course, we took in the Shamu show...

Maggie and cousin Chloe...

Elmo 4D show with the cousins...

The kids cooled off at the spray fountains...

We ended the day with a little roller coaster action. They all wanted to ride it over and over. But, even at 6:30 at night, the wait was still about 40 min. long! They rode it once and then we called it a day.

A great time was was had by all! Cash was out before we left the park.

We spent the night at a nearby hotel. Thanks to two sound machines and an ipod, we all slept great!

We all woke up refreshed!

Next stop...Marler Family Vacation!!!

Around Here

2011-07-06T22:41:00.005-05:00

We had a great, relaxing 4th of July. We baked a lot of goodies and went to Conn's parents house for burgers and the works! It was a great day full of family and laughter!

We have been hitting up the pool about 3 days a week. All 3 of my children are the most social kids I have ever met! This personality comes alive full force when we are at the pool! It is considered "boring" if there is no one to play with. Oh, and having each other doesn't count. Ha! Thankfully, they have made friends every time we have gone.

I was ironing the girls dresses the other day, and I began to wonder how long they will let me dress them alike. Random, I know. :)

Speaking of the girls, they are at the awesome age where you can have real, meaningful talks with them. Here they are eating breakfast with Conn...deep in conversation.

My new addiction! Thank you, Annalee, for introducing me to this refreshing treat!

The process of rearranging and redecorating rooms has slowly begun! We have 9 weeks. That's plenty of time...right?! :)

Someone had a little run in with the road. Let's just say, it wasn't an ideal morning for a bike ride. Thankfully, this was about the only injuries that occurred. We are also very thankful that he was wearing his helmet. It was cracked all down the side from the force of the fall.

We took a little road trip to attend a summer get together for my dad's side of the family. It was about 3 hrs away and on a lake. The kids got to jet ski, tube and play with a lot of dogs. Pretty sure it was one of the funnest days they've had in a long time!

Big Brother is already in love with his "baby boy" and is SO ready to meet him!

Someone gets to go on a 7 day backpacking trip in the Rockies. I'll let you take a guess which one of us it is?! :) Praying that we ALL survive! Ha!

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T01:02:00.003-05:00

VBS

2011-07-01T22:14:00.009-05:00

For the past two weeks, the girls have been able to attend VBS at two different churches. This week, Cash was able to go too! :) They have loved every minute of it! Most days were "themed" and they had to dress according to that theme. I was going to let it slide a little because it was starting to stress me out. Ha! But, the girls were very persistent on sticking to the rules. We did the best we could most of the days with the stuff we had around the house.

1st Week...SonSurf Beach Bash...
Crazy Hair
Mismatched
Beach Days
2nd Week...Live the Adventure
and, Gold Rush

So blessed that our children have places to attend where they have loads and fun and are able to learn about Jesus all at the same time!

Pool. Pizza. Popsicle.

2011-06-30T20:48:00.011-05:00

A while back I bought this pool at Walmart for $15. It's a little redneck, but the kids LOVE it! Tonight we let them eat pizza and popsicles outside while swimming. They thought it was great! It was a fun way to end the day!

Jesus Loves Me

2011-06-28T19:00:00.006-05:00

(pause blog music)

I'm a BIG kid now!

2011-06-27T23:03:00.006-05:00

The Friday before father's day, Cash was given a package of Elmo underwear by his Nanny. He wanted to wear them SO badly the next morning. I told him he could if kept Elmo dry! I really had no expectations. He did so incredibly well that we declared that the 1st official day of potty training boot camp. He has never looked back since!!! He has done absolutely amazing!! I was SO nervous about beginning because every one told me how hard boys were to train compared to girls. I don't know if he was just ready, or if it is because we literally just went cold turkey on the whole thing. No pull-ups, no back and forth between diapers, nothing!

The girls were both going to be at VBS the following week, so Cash and I stayed close to home just to make sure that our boot camp stayed some what on a schedule. :) We did make a quick trip to Target for him to pick out some more underwear, though. He chose Diego, Mickey Mouse, and boxer briefs like his daddy's. :)

It has now been one week and two days, and I can say with confidence that Cash is pretty much 100% potty trained! Woohoo!!! We have already taken a short road trip, gone out to eat, ran many errands, attended a birthday party, and went to church...all in underwear!!! I don't have to ask him anymore if he needs to go, he just comes up and tells me.

So, so proud of my BIG boy!!!

Friends are Friends Forever

2011-06-26T21:19:00.004-05:00

Last week, a group of us got together for a fun night of painting. It was such a great time and a lot of laughs were shared between all of us girls!! It was also a sad night because we were also gathering together to say goodbye to our precious friend, Heather. She is moving back to Tennessee this week. This is the first time since our little group has "formed" that someone has moved away. Moving is never an easy thing and Texas is going to miss her greatly!

When we first got there, we hung out for quite a while. I'm pretty sure that our instructor thought that we would never quit talking, laughing or eating. Ha!

Catching up on life

Heather, Jenn, Callie and Kristy

Me and Heather

Missy, Callie, Annalee, Me, Kelli
Annalee, Kelli, Amanda
The instructor finally gathered us all to start painting

Heather and Lindsee

Missy and her adorable helper, Evan

This is why we LOVE Heather! :)

Annalee and Kristy

I even got to snuggle sweet Evan! I told Missy that I needed my practice of doing things one handed with a newborn before Sept. gets here! :)

Kristy, Heather, and Annalee

Finishing up our masterpieces. :)

All of the artists

We all signed the back of Heather's. I think some of us even broke out singing, "Friends are Friends Forever." It was a sweet moment.

Heather with the two preggo's

If you didn't know from previous posts on this blog, Callie and I, have been friends since kindergarten. We are now both pregnant with our fourth babies! So, so fun...or just plain crazy! We haven't decided! Ha!

The whole gang

I love these girls and have been so incredibly blessed by each one of their friendships over the past 2 years. We love you, Heather, and can't wait to come visit you in gorgeous TN!

Pool Days

2011-06-21T11:04:00.002-05:00

Just like most people in the Houston area, we have been hitting up the pool in order to try and stay somewhat cool during all of these H-O-T days that we have been having!

This summer has been great with the kids and the ages that they are all at. I have now conquered my fear of taking all 3 by myself and we have all survived! Ha!

We love swimming on Friday's because Conn is able to join us on his off day! The kids L-O-V-E it! Daddy is much more fun than this momma any day of the week! :)

I love when daddy is there, too. The little man and I can actually relax for a few minutes! :)

As long as Cash keeps his floaties on, he is free to do whatever he wants. We established this rule at the very beginning and it has worked great! Once those floaties come off, though, he is not allowed to get out of a chair. He loves to get in and out of the pool all by himself and be able to walk around the pool area. He goes back and forth between the big pool and baby pool.

The girls on the other hand, are swimming machines!

We usually pack a lunch to take with us. The kids love having a picnic by the pool.

Happy pool days, to you! :)

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T00:20:00.002-05:00

You're the greatest! We love you!

Week in Pictures

2011-06-17T23:16:00.013-05:00

Game night with precious friends...

Date night with my Dad...

First snow cones of the summer...

Daddy and kids take naps = momma gets a pedicure...

Being able to color with markers means one happy boy...

Chick-fil-a craft day...

Movie date with girls...

After church Sonic treats...

Love my boys...all THREE! :)

HOT outside = play time inside...

The end. Happy weekend, friends! :)

The View from Here

2011-06-14T09:38:00.002-05:00

28 Weeks...