95/365...enJoy

"Kyker kids.... REPORT!" When they hear daddy say this, no matter where they are or what they're doing, they come running. All of them - even though the little two have never actually been taught to do it they just copy the bigger kids. If they laugh (which they always do), they have to go back to where they were and do it again (laughing is very un-Marine). It works awesomely when we need to have them all in one place for a minute (but only when Daddy does it).

Kyker kids reporting joy...

94/365...enJoy

 I've been patiently awaiting it's arrival and today it came. In all it's (overflowing!) glory. My mom has diligently crafted all new bedding for our faithful Moses basket for each new baby and I think, maybe, this one might be my favorite so far. All it needs is a sweet new babe to fill that hat and those precious little pants!

New Moses basket, ready and waiting joy...



93/365...enJoy

What's the next best thing for a little girl with no sisters? Three sweet little cousins who live just a hop, skip and jump away! I'm so thankful that my Girl in the Middle has these little ladies to grow up with.

Springtime sister love joy...


92/365...enJoy

Today marks the day that we can legally have our sweet  new baby at home! The state of SC says that babies have to reach the gestational age of 37 weeks in order to be born at home so that any risk that could be associated with a premature baby can be dealt with in the hospital.

I'll admit, the 37 week mark kind of sneaked up on me (it's not like there's ever anything else going on around here to keep my mind occupied or anything), so earlier in the week when I realized we were almost there the nesting kicked into full gear. I think the nesting instinct is the only thing that could ever give a woman the undeniable urge (and energy!) to clean the laundry room, the coat closet and the pantry all in one day.Oh yeah, and mine and Jimmy's closet, too.

The birth supplies are ready and waiting, the blankets and clothes are washed and put away, baby almost has a name (we're getting close, I can feel it), the newly furnished-by-MawMaw Moses basket will arrive on Sunday and everyone is excited.

Ready for baby joy...

91/365... enJoy

Today we needed a little break from the everyday routine. Spring fever is threatening to creep its way in and the weather was amazing, so we headed over to Paris Mountain for a little nature hike.  We saw turtles, ducks, fish and were even able to identify a few of the birds that we heard and saw. It's amazing what a little fresh air does to help take away the grumpies (mine included!).

Enjoying God's creation joy...









89/365...enJoy

With all of the birthdays we've been celebrating around here, Jack has started to pretend that a lot of things are cake with candles on top. And adorably enough, it's always Mommy that he's singing to. And to make it even cuter, the only words he sings are, "Happy Mommy. Happy Mommy. Happy Mommy!", and then he blows out the candles.

Imagine his delight when his big brother Sam helped him make a "layer cake" for mommy, complete with 33 candles!

Celebrating when it's not even my birthday joy...

88/365...enJoy

The bigger boys have both had penpals for a little while now and they really enjoy writing letters and getting letters in return. Caroline was so excited last week when I told her that she could have a penpal, and then even more excited when her first letter arrived on Saturday morning. She felt like such a big girl opening her envelope and the reading the letter all by herself. So today, instead of doing her handwriting, Caroline asked if she could start her return letter to her new friend. She told me what she wanted to say and I wrote it all out for her and she diligently began to copy it, wanting it all to be perfect. They've both seen pictures of each other on the internet and, I've got to say, I pretty much love that six year old little girls like to tell each other that they like their hair. : )

New friends joy...

87/365...enJoy

Our whole family has been watching a mama and daddy eagle in Iowa over the past few days as they care for their two baby eaglets and wait for the third to hatch. It's completely fascinating! We keep it running all day and check in on them as we walk by the computer, but there is one of us who simply can't get enough. "Babies?" is the first thing out of Jack's mouth whenever he wakes up in the morning or from a nap. He runs straight to the computer to check on them and will stand there watching, even when the mama or daddy is just sitting on them and there's really not much to see. All the other kids will have run off until there's something exciting going on, but not Jack! He loves to watch and then come and give me a play by play. And we all know when they've gotten up and you can see the babies when Jack starts yelling, "Babies! Babies!" He wants me to tell him whether it's the mama or the daddy that's with them and he especially loves it when they are giving the babies "bites". Nature study starts early around here!

My little baby loving the baby eagles joy...

86/365...enJoy

Travis has been begging to be entrusted with this task for quite a while now. Jimmy's been looking forward to it even longer. The wait ended for both of them this afternoon when Travis mowed the yard for the first time. Our boy is growing up! And he came away with visions of a summer lawn mowing business dancing in his head.

Grown up chores joy...