pumpkin patch kids

Did the pumpkin patch today. Even got my girls to put on semi-fall clothes. Which was a chore! We chose a giganter and even got carted out, kids and all!
( notice Gwen's jeans: she has been wearing these since she was 2!)

Gwen wants a Poll

Gwen is not sure her Hanna Montanna wig looks good. We haven't found a way to slick it down ( if anyone has any hints please tell) She wants to know if she should wear it with her costume or not. Mostly she wants her Mimi's opinion but she wanted me to go ahead and post it. She also doesn't think the bangs look Hannaish, but I did buy the Hanna Montanna Wig, so............. I don't know.
" please comment!", says Gwen

Race is Two

No more babies in the Reed house. Race turned two this weekend and he was so fun to spoil! The girls treated him like a prince , Kirby put a car together for him and I sang Happy Birthday to him at least a hundred times. Here he is on his special day.
Race is so fun and such a little man. He loves his blanket, his spiderman couch and to watch Blue Clues and eat goldfish. Oh and his Spiderman light up shoes ! Everyone who is around him knows he loves to say, "I go Fast!"
Wow, how appropriate.

Better Mariah?

This picture was for you girl. Blonde enough for ya now?

My little sister has a bump!

Last weeknd was my sister's baby shower. It was beautiful. Her sister-in-law hosted it at a gorgeous house in Buda, TX. Tons of wild flowers set amongst green grass and stone water fountains speckling the landscape. My girls had a blast running around and we enjoyed seeing old friends, eating yummy cookies under delicate shade coverings with my Mom and sisters and giggling while Whitney opnened presents and Meggie tried to be grownup sitting beside her recording the gifts. Whitney is the prettiest pregnant lady I have ever seen! She is doing great and we can't wait to meet our new nephew/niece. ( Yeah, of course she is not finding out, she is my sister!)

Also I am upset there are no pics of my Mom here. Somehow she always manages this. Mom, people want to see your pretty face!

Fall

We started Fall off right with a trip to Austin and a pile of leaves in Grandma and Pop's yard. Way too much fun!

Fighter Man

otherwise known as Spider Man. Race is very fond of his new shoes.

A Room to call her Own

When I could stand the fighting no more I resorted to giving up our beloved playroom for Peace in the house. So here is Claire's new room which was makeshifted in one evening thanks to our friends who loaned us a day bed ( aka a crib w/o one rail) and a rug. She loves it. She loves that it is right by the kitchen which means she is always really close to me. All she requested was a Hot Pink bed spread which I thankfully found at Ross for $20! After about a day of her having this room I kept realizing my kitchen utinsils were missing along with many bowls and silver ware, the last straw was the coffee pot. When taking a closer look I found many of these items tucked in Claire's drawers and under her bed. Upon asking her why, she announced "Well Mom this is not just a room, this is my home and you need to get me some of this Real stuff of my own!" So I have I have compromised by allowing her to store some of my stuff in her room but the coffee pot had to get back to it's rightful position.

A Dog...........................kinda

Well I finally gave in to my parents request to take their dog home to live with us. I still have no idea how this happen. I am weirdly okay with it and have been shocked by my instant bond with this dog. Capri is a 7 yr old lab mix. The kids have been in love with her for years and if you know my Claire you know how much this means to her. I have oddly already learned lessons about myself through caring for Capri and in some way feel like having her is like having a piece of my Mom with me all the time. To make a long story short, 2 days after bringing Capri home with us and almost killing her on a 3mi walk we found out she has heart worms. So because the treatment is extensive and very hard on the dog my Mom has taken her back until she is well.
Evacuating with 3 kids and a big ol' dog is not easy let me tell you. However Capri gave me a sense of peace the entire trip with her nose pressed against my shoulder. I actually miss her.

Better Late than Never

Went back to school about a week and a half ago.



The pic of me is kinda deceiving because this is me at 5:30am now that they have returned to school. I know you thought I was spending my mornings leisurely with Race. We still get good morning time together, it's just playing cars or taking a walk instead. No worries, I do love this time and if I have ever told you I'm praying for you this is where you can picture me doing it.
School is good so far. Gwen is in a Module which is 1st and 2nd together, so I"m still trying to wrap my head around that. We love her teacher ( she is one of my good friends) and love love love the school. Claire is enjoying pre-school, I think. She is happy when I come get her but still reminds me every morning ( she only goes 3x at week) she would rather be with me. It is a long day for a girl who would rather be under her bed playing puppy dog. But I'm praying I did the right thing to prepare her for kindergarten.
Gotta go, 35 1st and 2nd graders are counting on me to set up their lunch room!

July in a Flash

Summer is Gone
Homework is back
Here's my Favs from July before I hit the sack


This is Breckenridge. Totally beautiful in the summer!

Denver was everything I wanted it to be: Clean, very urban, and the kids loved it too!

Littleton was picturesque
This is the town our friends live in. I felt like I was in a movie the whole time I was there. Their house is set in the foothills and there is beautiful hills, mountains and green everywhere! Here is Gwen on the Alpine slide, which was her highlight of the week. And Race on his first pony ride, which he was ecstatic about. He kept saying " I go Neigh, I go Neigh" in a very excited voice.
The grown ups got a night on the town on Sunday. We went to John Mellencamp at Red Rock Amphitheatre. This the most beautiful venue to see a concert in the world. Also Velvet took me up here on Saturday to run the steps with her. Yeah, killed my legs and I didn't even run most of it! Velvet is total stud and totally blows me away with her physical fitness and mothering skills. Thanks Scott and Velvet for having us out it was completely wonderful. ... more pics to come

32

Early 30's. What can I say about turning 32 that would inspire other women to embrace their 3o's? Mostly what I love about my age and where I am in life is that I'm constantly aware that life is bigger than me. I have freedom in being the Me that God created me to be. So different than when I was 20 and trying to figure out who I was. As I ride my bike in the early morning hours around the island I can take in the smells of beach, the sight of sunrise and the sound of a new day beginning. My heart sours with joy as I praise God for what I have been blessed with and the surroundings he so graciously allows me to live in. I have a secure marriage to man I'm totally in love with, I'm content and fulfilled in my role as a mother of 3 little people who demand most of me all day. The little time I get to reflect, read or chill are so much sweeter than when I was 20. A glass of red or a cold dark beer shared with Kirby on our back porch are like vacations that last one evening but carry me through a week. The dreams of writing articles and books and running an orphanage are still very real maybe even more now that my time is delicate. I know God put those desires in my heart and He wants to see them come to fruition as much as me. But I don't think they are anything compared to this time right now while I'm at home raising my little children. I am grateful for the Hope of Christ. Yes, these may be the best years but they are no doubt very trying. I have never before in my life been so tempted with anger, control and frustration as I am now daily with three little ones at my knees. I have experienced Jesus be for me what he has always promised he will be time and time again. I have learned more about my talents and my struggles in these last years than high school and college put together. So at 32 I am grateful, joyous, loved and still overly excited about being alive.

Some stuff left out

Somehow I forgot to blog about some earlier summer stuff that was soo much fun. This collage is from our first trip to Houston in May for Meg's graduation party. In the pre-party the girls dressed up in 'dress up' clothes and were so adorable doing the macarana on the dance floor. The party was at our friends house and they have a back yard that rocks the free world. Before we left town we had an afternoon at my Aunt's pool. Lots of fun, family and topped it off with sundaes. ( notice the white booty behind the girls eating theirs) I could swear I have already wrote this exact blog? But can't find it so I'm gonna post it anyway.

Black White and Red

Were the colors of the day. Our niece Katherine was married a couple of weeks ago. The wedding was one of the sweetest I have ever seen. Katherine now 20 had been dating Michael since her early teens and he was her one and only boyfriend. She is the best example I know of Purity. Their first kiss was actually during the wedding ceremony! Wow. Although the decorations, bridesmaids and especially flower girls were beautiful, as one watched the ceremony you could not be distracted from the sweet purity of this couple coming together as one .
" Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5: 8

These are a few of my favorite things

Daddy playing with kiddos


Family outing to Stingers (which is complete with a kids playroom) Looks like Kirb is in serious prayer for the mask girl. Oh and notice my new haircut? Not in love with it but glad to be shorter.

playing play dough and other messy crafts

Visit with Crissy

Just returned from Crissy's. It was a blast. She cooked me delicious yummy things, and caught u on the happenings and laughed about the past. Yes, M you were included in a lot of the laughing part. Rylin and Gwen did a Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus show in which there was a lot of silly shaking ( Rylin) and a lot of hair swinging ( Gwen) while Keegan and Claire laughed on the sidelines.
Thanks C for all the coffee, and wonderful hospitality. We LOVE being at your house.
Here's what we did:

Helotes Nature Center!

There was exactly nothing here. But the kids managed to go on adventures anyway and everyone had a good time. ( except Race)

Along with our Nature center visit we did a lot of hanging out with Crissy's gang. It was much needed time but we missed you M! My favorite was Keegan's stern, " Settle down guys." as he climbed to the breakfast table with his bed- head. Mariah you remember this bed-head from Spring Break? Just as cute this time. Here he is with his adorable cheeks.

Here are some more random chill out pics.
As we were driving away from Helotes Claire says, " I'm sure gonna miss those guys." This after being the absolute most annoying bully of the bunch the entire weekend!
That's what friends are for though right? Full of Grace and Unconditional Love. I"m thanking Rylin and Keegan for giving this to Claire throughout the weekend. Maybe next time she won't feel such the need to fight her way through.

Jana with Gwen

left out this cute pic of Jana with Gwen on last blog.

Backing up to when we were gone...

While on our Anniversary trip.... The kids were happy . Which as any parent knows is a HUGE blessing when your away from your kids. My good friend Jana came down from Austin, just to watch them for us and she was amazing. She went with Claire on her field trip, took the kids to do fun stuff every day and completed the days with homemade dinners and time left over to play with the kids in the backyard. I cant' brag on this girl enough and her servant attitude. When we walked in from our trip, A. the kids were happily playing B. dinner was waiting for us, and C, she had make coffee for me!!! WOW.
God has totally blessed me with Jana's friendship. She was the one here when I was on semi-bed rest with Race and she has continually served our family with such sweetness it's unreal. I wish her many sweet sweet children when it's her turn. And I pray I can be for her a fraction of what she has been for me.