Princesses

In addition to all the other things that went on this past weekend we enjoyed my Niece's 5th birthday! She was having a Princess Ball and the big girls got to dress up and had so much fun dancing, beading, and being princesses. I actually got a nice picture of the 3 of us. So beautiful!

It was a crazy couple of hours with so many little girls giggling and having fun. It is hard to believe that Elli is 5 now...time is zooming right on by. It was a blessing to take pictures for the event and see all the girls enjoy their special time.

Samantha, Elli, Ayana and Sydnee...all the girl cousins excepts for little Zoee.

Outdoor Fall Piano Concert

Samantha had her fall concert this past weekend too. It was in the amphitheater of Superstition Springs Mall. It was a gorgeous evening and she played "Ode to Joy". We are still so amazed at her composure in performing. She is confident, sits tall and plays like it is no big deal. She did say she was a little nervous this time because Daddy was going to be there. She loves him so much and he ran and gave her a huge hug after. She has improved significantly and I look forward to the Christmas Concert in a few months.

Tobimac, Third Day and Michael W. Smith were AWESOME!

We had the awesome privilege of going to the Make a Difference Tour last night. I have been waiting for this concert since June. I love worshiping with several thousand other Christians and meeting God in that place. There really are not words to describe the experience! We took our good friends the Williams and literally rock the night away. I have never seen Tobimac in concert before and holy smokes does that man have serious energy. His part of the show was a visual  masterpiece with lights, dancing and serious base pounded the arena. Then came Third Day, my absolute favorite!!!! Their music hits my soul deep, deep down. And of course, Michael W. Smith is a worship icon all on his own. I broke down in tears as he sang Mighty to Save...I can't make it through that song without seeing our sweet Nathan belting out that tune. All in all a terrific night with our Lord and good friends. 

 PS Pictures are from Shane's cell phone, not super great, but worth documenting anyway!!

Finally...it's out!

We have had loads of tooth drama for the past 5 days, but today the tooth finally came out. Last Fri it was really close but she wouldn't let anyone touch it to pull it out. We, well mainly me because Daddy is creeped out by teeth, tried bribery but nothing worked. Yesterday it was hanging on literally by a thread and she wouldn't pull it out. Tons of tears and still the tooth was not coming out. This morning we had early morning visitors so their mommy could go for a run and while they were all jumping on the trampoline it "just came out". So we are very excited and have been starring at ourself in the mirror all morning.  She wanted a photo shoot too since she said she looked sooooo different now. (And of course talks a little funny now too.)
Anyway, the tooth fairy shall make a grand appearance again tonight and I am sure the excitement will continue into tomorrow.

Nathan's One-on-one Time

The older kids went to play with Grandma Self on Sat. night so we enjoyed some amazing one-on-one time with our Nathan-ator. I don't know why I have never thought about taking him to the batting cages before, but it was PERFECT!!! He was so happy and excited...I have not seen him this way since the Durango Train ride last  summer. We got a bucket of balls and 30 minutes in the cage. He hit them and every time yelled "Homerun". He also had a great little helper in Leah when it came time to pick up the balls and do it again. Mommy and Daddy even got a shot at hitting a few balls. This will definitely be a "thing" we do with him and are considering having his birthday there. Some much joy in this little boys face... 

Cornrows with Bantu knots

I am getting more and more ideas from other moms and I get all excited to try new styles. The knots on the top are call Bantu knots and they are definitely a more traditional look...seen in Africa, Haiti , etc. I added the multi-colored hair snaps this time because the beads make a ton of noise and sometimes this child gets up way to early for me. Overall a pretty quick style, about an hour. I am not sure how it will hold up through sleeping and such so we will have to wait and see. She is always excited for a new look and stares are herself in the mirror all day.

I guess I just gotta laugh more

Oh the joys of being a single parent while the hubby is out of town. I have several friends who's men travel weekly and I cannot even imagine. I am blessed he is only gone once or twice a year because, geesh, I am exhausted taking care of these kids all by my lonesome.

To my surprise I have actually been doing pretty good. I have had a few rough moments along the way. My "noise" meter (how I handle all the kids and the amount of noise they make) peaked a few times, but over all I managed. Tuesday afternoon got a little interesting however. I had just gotten home from bible study, fed the little ones and sent them to bed. While chatting with Shane on his lunch break Jacob's school was calling on the other line. That is never good in our house...hahahah! Anyway, it was the nurse. Jacob had hurt his hand/finger during lunch recess. She said the swelling was increasing and I should get him seen by someone. So, snatch those sleeping babes from their beds, drop them off at an amazing friend who never says no, and race off to the school. By the time I got there, about 20min after the injury his left ring finger was a sausage and the swelling was moving into his palm. He said a soccer ball was coming at his face and he put his hand up to block the ball. (I did tell him hands were not allowed in soccer and he just laughed at me) His left ringer finger, according to him, was bent all the way back. I though for sure the finger was broken and maybe even the bone in his hand based on the swelling. Off to the ER (by the way, Gilbert Hospital on Power, just south of Ray is the BEST). Xrays, ice and 45 min later it is not broken!!! It is a really bad sprain and maybe tear of a tendon. 2 days later now and it is still a sausage finger. He has been so mature through all this. He has had a significant amount of pain but has hardly complained.  The doctor did say he could still have a fracture that won't show up for a few days, so Shane wants me to take him to see Dr. Braun next week. Pretty exciting  Tues. for this single mom!!! We were in and out of the hospital so quickly we didn't miss a beat and made it to all our Tues. afternoon commitments. I did cheat a little and rent a movie and ordered pizza for dinner that night...heck, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

My love comes home tonight and I couldn't be more excited to see him. I am desperate for his hugs! Nothing beats the embrace of your husband when he's been gone for a week. And, I have a new confidence in doing this mom job all on my own...but let's not make a habit of it, I NEED my hubby!!!