Life in December

My 4 little elves.

I cannot believe we are less than 10 days to Christmas.  How did we get here so fast??  I absolutely love this time of year.  Everyone seems to be in holiday spirit.  We are counting down the days for Matt and Hudson to be off for Christmas break.  Matt takes 2 off weeks every Christmas.  It really is my favorite 2 weeks out of every year.  

I feel like I have been good about updating life on Hayes, but neglected my other 3.  Here's a picture dump and a little update on my biggest 3.

 One night a few weeks ago we went to La Cantera for dinner and Santa. I was able to snap a few pictures of the kids while we were there.  They turned out pretty cute if you ask me.  Trying to get 2 big kids, a toddler, and a baby to cooperate for picture is just about as much fun as getting your teeth cleaned.  We all leave in a bad mood...ok not really, but almost.  I really need photoshop to mix faces around.

Oh my holty boy.  This little guy has to be the cutest thing ever.  I love him so much it hurts.  He is so painfully cute--ALL the time.  Even when he's unreasonable and difficult I can't help but love him UP.  While he is the cutest almost 2 year old on the planet, he can be SOOOO difficult.  HA!  This boy is a mess and keeps me on the tips of my toes at all times.  He is very much in that 2 year old busy, boy stage.  Quite unreasonable most of the time----but 100% adorable all the time.  That is not a good combination when you are needing to discipline this child.  I always am so excited to see him first thing in the morning.  His language makes him so cute.  He talks NONstop and he talks LOUD.  The pictures above are from he and I on the trampoline.  He likes to "Bump wih (long pause) You"...and how can you ever say no when he wants to jump with you.  I adore him.

If you follow me on instagram (allimulls), then you have seen most of these pictures.  This one above, Holton is wearing his UNK's outfit from when he was a little boy.  We call it vintage UNK.  I love it and can even remember my little brother wearing it holding his big brown bear.

If you wonder when you see pictures of him---is he always this happy and cute??  Yes he is...about 90% of the time.  Does he always smile?  Yes he does--always has.

This is how Holty kisses.  He sucks those cheeks in and gives you the sweetest little kiss you've ever had.

Holton is very into choo choos...and is starting to get into big brother's old dress up clothes.  I love seeing Holton wear Hudson's old costumes.  It really brings back such sweet memories of my Huddy bud.

Harp and Holty---she loves reading to her baby brothers.

Harper is the artist of the family.  She loves to draw.  My kitchen table is junky most of the time.  It is covered in papers, drawings, markers, colors--you name it.  This picture above is actually on a good day and it's not too bad.  This is Harper immediately after she wakes up.  She heads straight to the kitchen table.  She does not even go to the bathroom--I have to make her stop and go, and every time she 'insists' she doesn't need to.  :)  I love her artistic side and I love seeing how much she has grown over the last year.  She has a lot of fun Christmas gifts coming her way.

I had to throw in a few pictures of my littlest love.  He is growing and changing by the day...I tell him everyday that "God knew I needed him"....I cannot for a second imagine my life without our Hayesie baby.

 Huddy had Egyptian day in 1st grade a week ago.  It was SO cute.  Matt was able to leave late for work that day, so I was able to go by myself and love on my biggest boy.  I enjoyed so much being with him and watching him interact with his 1st grade friends.  Being my history loving, geography loving, culture/language loving child, this Egyptian unit has been right up his alley.  He has been so interested and love learning about ancient Egypt.  He loved every bit of Egyptian day.  They went from classroom to classroom learning and participating in different Egyptian things.  They made jewelry, got their faces made up, ate Egyptian food, and so much more.  (The teachers really went all out--it was great fun).  Hudson is learning so much and doing so great in 1st grade.  I couldn't be prouder of my biggest boy.

Hudson loves to buy his lunch.  I think he feels very 'big kid' like.  We let him pick 2 days a week to buy and the rest of the week he brings his lunch.  I always write the kids notes or draw pictures on their napkins.  They love it...and I love sending them little reminders that they are loved while they are away at school.  Well, Hudson has this lunch box with this front zipper pocket that we never use.  The other day I was cleaning out his lunch box and looked in that front zipper only to find all of his 'love notes' (as Hudson calls them) tucked away inside of there.  It has to be the most precious thing ever.  He is so darling and precious it could make me cry.  He can have this "I'm so tough and big" front, but he really is a teddy bear boy who keeps his love notes and still sleeps with his blanket.  I love love love my Huddy boy.

The last few days as I have watched the news unfold, I cannot help but put myself in the parent's shoes who lost their precious 1st graders so horrifically.  While I try to imagine, my mind cannot go there because it's an unimaginable grief that they are going through.  My mommy heart aches so deeply for those parents.  It's suffocating the grief they must be experiencing.  As I have seen the sweet faces of those who died on tv, and then stop and look at my first grader, I cannot help but want to hold him tight and rock him in my arms.  I know what it's like to live with a 1st grader...to have desperately loved someone for 7 years.  I know what a 1st grader is like and how busy they are.  I know what 1st grade homework feels like everyday and the sometimes attitude that a 1st grader can put off.  I know how messy a 1st grader can be leaving underwear on the bathroom floor and socks and shoes on the stairs, and the toilet seat up.  I know what a first grader is into and what he wants for Christmas.  I know how a first grader still believes in Santa and all of the magic of Christmas.  I know how sweet and innocent a 1st grader is.  How they love their family and friends and can't go to sleep at night without that last hug and kiss from both mommy and daddy.  I have watched my 1st grader so much over the last few days.  Taking in all his 1st grade, 7 year old self.  When I think about all I know and love about my first grader, and then I think about how theirs was taken from them---it is almost too much for me to comprehend.  My boy doesn't know one thing that happened on Friday.  He probably thinks his mother has lost it a bit giving him so many kisses and tighter hugs.  My heart aches so deeply for those parents because I know what it's like to have a first grader---and now they have an empty room probably with underwear on the floor, an unmade bed from the rush to get them to school on time, toothpaste in the sink, half drunk milk on the kitchen table.  My first grade mama's heart is in CT with those families.  While I don't know them, I feel a bond and connection to them.  My prayers, sympathy, and love go to everyone who was affected on that horrible day.  May God wrap his arms around those families and reveal himself in a mighty way.