Friday Favorites: What a Week!

What a WEEK!! Oh my gracious it has been crazy and challenging and wonderful and hard! Boy are we glad to see Friday!! We hope Garrison is just about well and we're thankful I'm almost there too. Between 3 doctor's appointments, daddy working late 2 nights in a row, days missed of school, and mama not being 100% we are SPENT. Thankfully we have a fun weekend planned and we're almost back to normal! Praise the Lord.

Here's a look at my favorites from our crazy but super special week...

*After having our family pictures done on Saturday (which I'm sooooo excited about because I was given a little preview earlier this week!!) we made a last minute decision to go out to eat with my parents and Anna and Frankie. Our last time going out before meeting Piper! Austin snapped this picture of Terrell and Garrison and even though it's blurry I love it. =)

*This sweet boy loves reading books. And I must say it's my favorite mess he makes. 

*My first glimpse at Piper Caroline minutes after she was born!! Praise God from Whom all blessing flow!!

*After seeing my niece it was time to head back to B'ville to celebrate with my biggest boy at his Student of the Month lunch! And, it just so happens his bestie was Student of Month too! I think having lunch together totally made their Student of the Month honor. =) 

*He had a goal of being Student of the Month for October and we are so proud of him!!

*After signing out Garrison (who wasn't feeling so great) and taking him home where Nana was keeping everybody, I went back to the hospital for my official introduction to Baby Girl and her very first selfie. =)

*Terrell had to work late both Monday night and Tuesday night so I needed something fun to do with the boys Tuesday afternoon. They were spinning their wheels and a little out of sorts after the craziness of the day and really needed something structured to do. So we decided on painting pumpkins! It turned out to be a messy success!

*Layton painted a little... on his own and with help. But he mainly touched the paint and then got it all over him. Haha. 

*Austin thoroughly enjoyed his paint project. He coated his little pumpkin. I'm talking several layers of paint. =)

*Garrison was the most careful and precise and actually had a plan for his pumpkin. 

*Once they dried they turned out super cute and have been a special little centerpiece on our kitchen table ever since!

*The view of Fall out my windows has been a big time favorite this week. So thankful God gave us seasons. 

*Garrison spent the day at home on Wednesday and made his 2nd trip to the doctor in 3 days. Down time on sick days calls for some occasional electronics. 

*Speaking of down time...Austin's go-to activity for down time or when he's tired of playing with the babies or bored or just ready for my full attention is a game. Always. Every single time. Playing a card game or a board game are his favorite indoor pastimes. Garrison's go-to activity for down time on the other hand is a craft. Always. Every single time. Anything he can make or create or that will bring out his artistic side is his favorite indoor pastime. Crafts are a little trickier because they usually require some prep from me or some unique supplies, but on Wednesday I managed to wing it with a simple handprint bat. We made them last year and thankfully we had black construction paper on hand this year too. =)

*Thursday morning I was able to finally go to the doctor myself (yes this is a favorite of mine... I do not avoid the doctor when I'm sick like lots of people I know) and then I made it to Garrison's Field Day. It was a lot of fun! I think his first experience with Tug of War was pretty good... they did boys versus boys from another class, and then the girls got a turn. Tug of War is just a fun classic. =)

*Trying to keep the balls on the parachute was another big hit. Austin and Layton were with me and enjoyed their entertainment for the day. Thankfully things never got too crazy. Ha. We actually went for a little while in the morning and then came home to eat lunch and take a break before going back at the end of the day. 

*After leaving the school on Thursday afternoon we came home to see that AnAn, Frankie, and Piper were home sweet home! This pink bow just makes me happy!!

*Favorite not-pictured moment this week: My big boys being able to go to the Fall Festival at church Wednesday night. Wednesday afternoon and evening were when I felt the worst so I knew I wasn't up for going. Garrison still wasn't feeling great but so wanted to go. We all cried Wednesday evening trying to make a decision and figure out what was best. =( Finally we decided to let the big boys go with my sweet in-laws so Terrell could grab us something to eat and I could stay home and go to bed early. It ended up being the right decision because they LOVED going and had the best time. Big thanks to Nana for making their super fun night possible!

Today is my daddy's birthday... Happy Birthday Papa!! We're looking forward to Austin's Halloween party at school later this morning, a little get together at our house tonight to celebrate Papa's birthday, and 2 soccer games tomorrow morning before it's all about Halloween! We've recorded all the Halloween shows on Disney Junior, we have plans to eat chili and hotdogs at Granna's and Papa's for supper, and then it's go time. Trick or Treat 2015 is almost upon us! Happy Friday and Happy Halloween!!

October Baby!

I am so excited and thrilled to announce the birth of my precious niece Piper Caroline O'Mary!! She's an October Baby after all!!

She made her appearance yesterday morning via c-section at 10:18 AM. She weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She is absolutely perfect and I'm so excited she is finally here!!

Shortly after I hit publish on my pumpkin carving blog post, I got a call that they'd be going into the hospital that evening. Anna had a doctor's appointment Monday afternoon and her doctor decided she was ready! They knew they probably wouldn't meet their sweet girl until sometime after midnight and that her birthday would most likely be October 27th. And this just so happens to be the day my mom predicted as her birthday! SO crazy!!! Haha!

After reaching a stand still with progress in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday and realizing she was probably face up and not moving down anymore, they decided a c-section was best. Thankfully I was able to be there and me and my parents got to see her right after she was born. Frankie brought her out to us and we were all immediately smitten. We are praising God for this priceless blessing and her safe delivery!

After watching her get her first bath and seeing her weighed and measured, I had to rush to head to Garrison's school for his Student of the Month lunch. It turned out to be a wild and crazy day! I think I'll always remember the day she was born... probably the week she was born. =) After finishing up lunch and signing Garrison out and getting him home where my mother-in-law was holding down the fort, I got to go back to the hospital to hold sweet Piper for the first time. And see Anna! She was sleepy and groggy but looked amazing! 

Mama and daughter!

Proud daddy. =) 

First family picture. O'Mary party of 3!!

My mom was there all night with Anna and Frankie. Grandbaby #4 and granddaughter #1! I think this makes Garrison the only grandchild Granna didn't have to stay up all night for. =)  

I'm totally and completely in love. I even got to swaddle her twice! Squeal!!! I told Terrell the fever isn't cured yet. =) I'm reminded that I'd rather not go through delivering another baby again (mamas everywhere are tougher than nails!), but hello, the BABY. How I could I not want another one of these?!? I'm hoping lots of time with this sweet girl will give me my fix. =) Terrell insists that it must. Haha. 

I'm hoping to have more pictures soon. I didn't get any of Piper with Papa because he had to leave the hospital with me shortly after she was born so he could go to work. My parents will be back at the hospital today and I'd love to take the boys but we have to make sure we're all healthy first. So we'll see. 

I do know for a fact the boys are already smitten with their new baby cousin. They love her pictures and want to feed her and hold her and see her. Garrison declared on yesterday that I needed to text AnAn and tell her Praise the Lord, God has given you this child. Melt my heart. I'm sure she'll have my boys wrapped around her little finger really soon. =) 

Congratulations AnAn and Frankie!!

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

**HUGE THANKS to my mother-in-law, aka Nana, for spending the whole day at my house with my kiddos so I could be at the hospital when Piper was born, be at the school to have lunch with Garrison for Student of the Month, and then be back at the hospital for some quality time with Baby Girl. We are sooo appreciative and thankful!!

Pumpkin Carving!

Pumpkin carving 2015 is in the books! We enjoyed our It's Almost Halloween tradition last night and fun was had by all! This year's carving was a little unorganized and different than years past, but memories were made and the whole fam enjoyed watching daddy carve and seeing our pumpkin transform into a jack-o-lantern. =)

We decided to do it outside under the garage for the sake of our kitchen. Haha. It's a messy job and we thought cleaning and carving would be best outdoors. 3 little men gathered round and kept close watch once daddy got started. 

Garrison is always our most hands-on and enthusiastic assistant. He loves helping clean out the pumpkin and isn't afraid of the goo and mess.

Austin is a lot more hesitant and easily grossed out. I'm afraid he gets it from his mama. =)

Terrell scooped out 2-3 spoonfuls for Austin to throw away himself and then he was pretty much over it. Garrison needed no encouragement whatsoever as he was totally self-motivated and into the whole process. And Layton was just a curious observer this year.

This was totally staged. He wasn't that into it. Ha!

Once we got the pumpkin all cleaned out it was time for me to free-hand a jack-o-lantern face onto our pumpkin. We weren't prepared with a stencil and since the move over the summer we've misplaced our book of jack-o-lantern faces. So while I was bringing out my artistic skills... the boys ran around in the driveway and chased each other and played and totally lost interest. Haha. Which means daddy carved this year's pumpkin solo... With me as his main cheerleader.

The front porch was "base" so when I went looking for them I found them running down the sidewalk, Layton trying his best to keep up and play too. Daddy carved, the boys played, mama photographed. =)

Of course once they knew daddy was busy carving the face they had to stop to check in on things. Then they'd run around and play some more before coming back to check in. Terrell told me if we wanted them more involved next year we had to do it inside... and he's probably right. We weren't necessarily disappointed that they lost interest we just weren't expecting them to. The great outdoors are apparently just too tempting! Ha.

Ta-da!! Selph Family jack-o-lantern 2015!

Right after finishing we moved him to the front porch...

Later on I got a text from my sister telling me to move it down to the step because you couldn't see it good from the road. Haha!

We went outside before putting the big boys to bed to see it in the dark and we're all pretty smitten. Yay for another fun pumpkin carving and Fall tradition!!

 Pumpkin Carvings of the Past:

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

 ***We just knew our niece would make her appearance over the weekend... especially after finding out Anna was in early labor Thursday afternoon... and especially after a trip to the hospital Thursday night and into the wee hours of Friday morning. But, alas, no baby yet. She's comfy where she is for now. So the waiting continues. Will she be an October baby or a November baby? Will she have her first Halloween this year or next?? Oh so exciting!! Squeal!!!! I'll keep you posted. =)

Friday Favorites: Homecoming Week Edition

We've had a pretty good week back after Fall Break. It was hard waking up super early on Monday and trying to get back into the swing of things but it's always a bonus having Homecoming Week right after Fall Break. (Another major perk to living in a one high school small town.) And I can't even tell you the difference in my big boy this year going back to school after our first break of the year. No anxiety, tears, dread, complaining, NOTHING. We love 1st grade!!! =) God has blessed us with an amazing year so far and we are thanking Him often!

Here's a look at my faves from our Homecoming Week...

*Monday afternoon the boys got special Halloween cards in the mail from Granna and Papa complete with stickers and cash. Can you say love language?! 

*My littlest love decided to be my laundry helper this week. =)

*Austin asked to do our transportation graph this week. This is probably his favorite "school" activity ever. 

We eventually had to move to the table thanks to baby brother and we did lots of sorting, categorizing and classifying, and even made our own graph without the lines and numbers. Haha.

*The laundry basket has been popular this week! 

*I got really brave this week and took Austin, Layton, and Baby A to Storytime at the library. It was fun for the boys but a work out for me! Sooo, the jury is still out on whether we'll make this a regular thing or not. 

*I finished reading this book over the weekend and LOVED it. Their testimony is amazing! God is amazing!! The book has light and funny stories and deep and heavy stories. The way God brought them together and held them together is amazing. Their story is amazing. Obviously the whole thing is amazing. =) I definitely recommend it. 

*My biggest and my baby kicking the soccer ball around while their little (in Garrison's case) and big (in Layton's case) brother had practice. Being a soccer mom isn't always easy but I sure do love watching my boys play. It's one of my very favorite things!

The little, big brother practicing hard. =)

*The boys spent 2 mornings in a row before school decorating the pumpkins in their Halloween cards with jack-o-lantern stickers. They turned out adorable and this was the perfect early morning, pre-school Halloween activity.

*One morning while Baby A was still napping Austin asked to watched the Halloween episode of Mickey Mouse that he'd seen a preview for... and Layton decided to climb on the couch and watch a little too. This cozy little set-up lasted approximately 4 minutes before Layton became a blanket hog and lost interest in the show. Hahaha!

*Silly Sock Day! This was the best we could come up with. One royal blue baseball sock and one red. =)

*Pure concentration as he practiced those letter e's!

*Career Day cuteness!! He has officially decided he wants to be an animal explorer and/or ranger when he grows up. Animals, particularly wild animals, are a true passion of his right now. And just this week we've really seen his interest level and love of this type profession soar. And that's thanks to Career Day! We have loved watching his excitement grow and trying to answer his questions and just watching our baby learn more about what he wants to be when he grows up. 

His interests could change a LOT between now and him choosing his college major, but we also know sometimes your love and passion for things when you're little stay with you forever. No matter what we can't wait to watch him do something he loves!

*Favorite not pictured moment: Terrell got home from work a little early on Monday afternoon so he took all 3 boys to Garrison's soccer practice while I stayed home and cooked supper and had some quiet time. It was so needed and SO appreciated after a long Monday and first day back to our regular routine. Terrell Selph is the best!

This weekend is a pretty full one. We're planning to take our big boys to the Homecoming game tonight, we have 2 soccer games tomorrow plus our annual family pictures, and we're hoping to carve our pumpkin at some point. Annnnnd, we are officially on BABY WATCH!! This weekend should be exciting! =) Happy Friday!!