I found my toes!

Today I was sitting on my bed, folding laundry, and I look at Maebry and she was playing with her feet. It was the sweetest thing! This is the first time I have seen her grab her little toesies!! I got all excited and made sure she knew she was grabbing them. Love our little Mae Mae!

Homeschool Update

We are in week 4 of homeschool since the long break {new baby + Christmas}. It definitely looks different these days, as we have to be flexible with Maebry and her needs. Just with anything else, some days are easier than others, but at the end of the day I am thankful for this opportunity to share with my children. I may not get a bath everyday {let's be honest}, but my kids are learning everyday about the Lord, history, reading, math, handwriting, science, and are working together.

Finn got this stamp book for Christmas and this was the first time we broke it out. I nearly had a heart attack. I'm so glad I decided to take his shirt off beforehand. The ink did wipe off very easy, but it was everywhere!

Jase really loves to read and is doing a great job with it! I enjoy listening to him read and watching him react to what he is reading. I know he is understanding when he does so. Some days we start school out in the living room, other days we are in the school room. I try to be flexible and accommodate the kids on what will work best at that point in time.

Jase wrote this little story one morning. It is based on a TV series: Star Wars Rebels.

And here is some of my schoolwork! Ha! Shawn bought me a journaling bible for Christmas and this was my first entry! I am hoping to combine some of my favorite things: The Word and doodling/crafting!

It was so nice outside yesterday {finally}, that we had a portion of school outdoors and we all enjoyed it. Here is a clip of the kids getting in some of their exercise and Finn cheering them on.

Below Finn is reading my teacher's manual. If we are in the homeschool room, it is not unusual for him to grab a book and a blanket and end up on the couch, reading a book. He really enjoys it. And if we are talking in the room where he is trying to read, he will tell us "I reading." In otherwords: be quiet!! Ha!

This doesn't have to do with homeschool, but I want to share anyhow. The kids love to hold Maebry and will ask all the time to hold her. If she is not fussy or hungry, then I usually hand her over to them. I love that they love her.

This video is too funny. We were sitting on Maebry's floor while I was folding her laundry and Finn asked to hold Maebry. He thought I was taking a picture of him!! Silly boy!!

Faces of our sweet Maebry earlier this month.

My big kids! Love them. They absolutely love their AWANA program on Sunday evenings. They have learned so many bible verses and look forward to earning badges and jewels for completing the criteria in their program. One of the things they had to do was wear their vest in public. I originally was going to take them to the library one afternoon, but it was pouring down rain and I did not want to venture out. Backup plan for another day: Whataburger. Ha! They were so excited to sport their vests.

Mother Daughter Fellowship

Through meeting ladies in our Married Bible Fellowship class at church, I was invited to participate in a monthly Mother Daughter Fellowship/Discipleship. We will be celebrating God's beautiful creation of femininity. It is for homeschooling moms and daughters to bond with one another while helping our daughters have a big vision of the sweetness and greatness of being girls and learning what it means to seek out and pursue authentic community. I am excited about spending quality time with Allyson and the ladies and daughters. I pray I am training my children up to glorify Him in all that they do.

 

The girls brought a collage or pictures to share with the group to help introduce themselves to their new friends. Allyson's was complete with Disney Princesses, flowers, the bible, a drawing, Disney Princess Legos, family picture, and Hugs and Kisses. She has recently told us that she is in the business of giving hugs and kisses!! She is the sweetest.

 

We met in a trendy coffee shop in the Denton Square. I have never been to this part of Denton before and definitely will be coming back to walk around. The girls shared in the coffee shop and had a snack. Then we walked outside and sat in the grass in front of the old courthouse and the girls ran around and played.

The plan is to meet once a month and have activities for the girls. Ideas that have been suggested are crafts, talk about how to pray for one another, journaling, scripture memory, manners, accountability, what it means to be God's princess. I am very excited about this group and pray that the Lord leads us as we disciple our girls.

Besties Visit

A couple of weekends we had some special visitors in our home. Our best friends from back home came up and stayed a night with us. Their oldest daughter had a swim meet in Frisco, so it was perfect! We stayed up late and shared stories...just like old times! We {kids included} had a great time with Jay, Michelle, Emily and Madeline. They even were able to watch one of Jase's games. Wish it could have been lasted a little longer.

Jay and Michelle played tag team with my parents that weekend. One family checked out and another checked in. We enjoyed spending time Nanny and PawPaw on Saturday and Sunday. The kids loved having them around and did not want them to leave.

Maebry is 2 months old!

I figured I should post her 2 month photos before she turns 3 months! I took her to the doctor this past Tuesday for her 2 month check-up and she is doing great. She is 22.5 inches long {44th percentile}, 10 lb 9 oz {32nd percentile} and her head circumference is 15 inches {23rd percentile}. We definitely have petite little girl on our hands, and I am totally fine with that.

Maebry at 2 months
She smiles when you talk to her. Laughs and coos at you {so sweet}. I got some video of her while taking some of the pics below. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or talk to me; you can see it HERE. She actually has rolled over a few times...watch her HERE! She is breastfed and also gets a 4 oz bottle of formula in the evenings when I am depleted, but she is still wanting to eat. She loves her pacifier! She sleeps ok. At night she will sleep about 4 hours in her bed, then once she wakes up I'll nurse her in our bed and she stays there until the morning. She is such a sweet girl and we all love her to bits!

This was her OOTD {Outfit Of The Day} on January 11th before we went to church! She was stylin' in her gold leggings!! I sent it to my MawMaw in Louisiana and she responded back with "she is wearing her New Orleans Saints outfit!" Love it!!

Kroger Marketplace

Since adding little Maebry to our family, our pace has definitely slowed down quite a bit. I still venture out from time to time with all 4 kids by myself, but if Shawn is available, then I'd rather wait to get out when he can join us. And with Mae still nursing around the clock, it just makes it easier if she stays with me. If we are away from the house for more than an hour or so, it is more than likely I will have to nurse. So basically we live in my car! #1 feature in my car: DVD player. Seriously. I really don't care for the kids to watch hours upon hours of television at home, but them being able to watch movies in the car has been a blessing, especially if we are just hanging out in the car while I'm nursing.

On January 5th we started a Whole30, which is real, whole food for 30 days. No grains, no sugars, no legumes, no dairy, and little to no processed food. We eat meats, veggies, fruit and nuts. We completed two last year and they were a great recharge for us. And while the trip back home was nice, I gained 6 lbs in 8 days!! No Bueno! And I know for some people who nurse, the weight just falls off of them...not this lady. I've gotta work off every pound. Shawn and I {and the kids for the most part} are doing it together and that is so beneficial. Today is Day 20 and I feel like we are finally starting to get into a groove. It is so key to plan and prepare with eating this way. I will be the first to tell you that I have not done the best job of planning and preparing this go round, but it has been working out. I am really thankful that Shawn is so forgiving when it comes to meals. I could tell him we were having burnt broccoli and he would eat it up and thank me for it.

Since there are no HEB's on the north side of DFW {insert frown face}, we have been trying out different places to shop. I've been to Walmart, Aldi's, Sam's, Costco {LOVE it!}, and Kroger. After Jase's game one Saturday we went into a Kroger that was close by. Oh my y'all...take a look at this place. There are clothing isles and a jewelers inside Kroger. I couldn't believe it. It is called Kroger Marketplace.

Not just a couple of Lego sets, but a whole isle of them!!

While the kids were at gymnastics yesterday I went to another grocery store in Frisco: Marketplace. Not affiliated with Kroger Marketplace. I had a limited amount of time since the big kids were in class and I had already spent 20 minutes in the car nursing. #typical But they had a great produce section and the sacker pushed my basket to my car and unloaded my groceries. I tried to tip, but I guess he could not take it. I might be visiting Marketplace more often on Friday's! One thing I have really enjoyed about moving up here is exploring the surrounding towns.

Christmas Road Trip

The day after Christmas we packed up our whole house, I mean our Suburban and headed down south. This was Mae's first long road trip in the car. I was a little nervous on how she would do because she will sometimes fuss on the 10 minute ride to church, and we were able to drive 5 hours!! Praise the Lord, she did just fine and we only had one long stop to feed her.

 We arrived at my mom's house around 5 pm that evening. The kids were excited to be at Nanny and PawPaw's.

Christmas: Round 2! The kids loved opening presents again!

Check out my mom's tree! My dad was searching for some shelf ideas on the internet and came across a picture of using a ladder for a tree. He went out and bought some plywood and my mom dolled it up. I think it is vey unique and one-of-a-kind!!

We visited with Grandpa Leonard and Grandma Cony. It seems like every time we visit there, no matter what time of the day, we always end up at the kitchen table eating! I'm not complaining one bit, but seeing this picture of Finn and Grandma at the kitchen table made me realize that!

Grandpa Leonard and his 4 grandbabies. Looking at this picture, a few thoughts come to mind: my dad and Maebry are 70 years apart...70, Jase is way too big in this picture, Allyson...look at the camera {we say that all too often}, and Finn, did you get that boog?? Geez!

We spent a couple of afternoons over at Shawn's parent's house and it was a nice time visiting with them and all of the cousins. Kids had another round of Christmas!!

We were able to squeeze in a little "friend" time while we were there too, which was great catching up. Sure do miss these guys!!

My step sister was celebrating her birthday one evening, so we headed back over to my dad's to visit  and eat some more! Ha!

Nanny loved spending time with her newest addition over the holidays.

We ended up staying a few extra days than we had originally planned, which was nice and gave us a day to relax. We stayed pretty busy making all of the rounds to visit our loved ones. I'm so glad we were able to come to our home town over the holidays. And Mae did great on the way back home, what a blessing.

Merry Christmas!

Yes...I am a little late. Ok 3 weeks late, but better late than never, right? It has been pretty busy around the French household these days and blogging just has not made it high enough on the priority list. I will probably pay for this in the morning, but I wanted to post some memories!

Christmas Eve was pretty low key. We hung around the house most of the day, got ready for Christmas and played with the kids. That evening we got ready and went to church for the Christmas Eve Service. When we arrived the main sanctuary was already full, so we headed over to the chapel {overflow} across the hall and took a seat. {The chapel is where we attend service evening Sunday evening.} While our church is pretty big, we really love it and feel at home here. It has been a blessing to connect with families and start building relationships and also continue meeting new couples each week in our Married Bible Fellowship {Sunday School}. The Lord is good.

So when I was 7 we moved to California for a short period of time. I spent Christmas of 1987 there and it is still vivid to me. I remember going to a party with my parents and aunt, uncle and cousins {we lived with them} and me and my two cousins went Christmas Caroling. I remember it like it was yesterday. We would go door-to-door and sang songs and at the end of the songs the homeowners would give us something: a nickel, piece of candy, something small. It was really fun. Anyhow, I mentioned it to the kids and suggested that we should go caroling this year. All of my kids love to sing, so why not. Well, time just away from me and I was not on top of my game and did not plan a night for us to go. Jase and Ally kept reminding me about it, and I did not want to disappoint, so we went Christmas Eve after church. The weather was not that great and that is a hard night, as families have their traditions and are getting ready for bed. The kids were able to sing for a few families and they really enjoyed it. And they can say they went. This year I plan to do a better job of putting it on the calendar and Mae will be a year older, so that will help out as well.

A little bit of footage of the kids caroling.

After caroling, we came back home and snapped a few shots of the kids. So precious, just love them.

When Jase was born, we started a little tradition on Christmas Eve. The kids get to open one present before they go to bed, and Mom gets to pick it out. I think Jase has caught along, but they are new pajamas to wear to bed. Here are the kids opening up their gifts. It was a hit.

 

Christmas morning came and Shawn and I were lying in bed and none of the kids were up yet. I think it was after 8:00 am when Jase woke up. I know the pictures below look like presents galore {but remember we have 4 kids now!}, and believe me there are plenty, but each child only opened 4 presents. For several years I have been wanting to scale back and try something different. Each child opened 1 gift from each category:
1. Something you want
2. Something you need
3. Something you read
4. Something you wear
Now I did have several clothing items in the something you need box. With this cold weather, they did need some warmer clothes. Something you wear mainly had fun dress up clothes. Finn got a pirate costume, Jase got some Indiana Jones dress up clothes and Ally got some American Girl doll outfits for her and her doll to match. There is always room for improvement on my part, but I think it went great for the kiddos.

This past advent season we focused on Jesus coming as a babe to this earth. We added to our Jesse Tree everyday and read from The Word. These activities replaced our normal school time. With Maebry just weeks old, it was such a blessing to take a break and enjoy her and the season.