Charlie

Hi.  I'm Charlie.  I'm the newest Coleman.

I make Anna Beth smile a lot, especially when I chase her.

I'm pretty cute.

Sometimes Creek steps on my face,

but I don't mind because I'm pretty laid back.

Lynnsie's a little nervous around me and she'll only barely touch

 my toe or ear if I'm asleep, but I'm sure we'll be great friends someday soon.

I like it here.  They even gave me my own

shoe to chew on and play with whenever I want.

I think I'll keep this family.

Insta Friday...What a week!!

Fun filled week this past week!! AB got fancy for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Creek proclaimed the need for a beach vacation with his adorable shirt, Lynns was sweet as ever, especially as she loved on Creek!! The girls got a hunting lesson, I'm convinced ABs love for the piano is as great as mine, toe socks rock, Jacob's awesome, and hopefully I have a new hobby!! Happy Friday, y'all!!!

Insta Friday

Coffee, sweetness, and the Bible. Here's our week in pictures. Happy Friday, y'all!

Do over, please...

   I want a do over of 2013 so far.  I really, really hope the first week is not an indication of the rest of the year.  I thought it was pretty stinky that I was ending 2012 in bed with a migraine, but waking up and having it still linger for days was almost stinkier.  Seriously, this thing will not go away!!  Jacob's also been sick in bed...we just keep trading places, I'll be in bed for a while and he's up with the kids, then he lays down for a while and I'm up with the kids.  What a team!!

   And I want a do over because Creek is still in this "I was around grandparents, and great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all kinds of people who thought I was completely perfect and shouldn't hear 'no' for a whole week!" phase and the retraining process is going on 3 weeks now. Thanks, fam!! We love you, too!!! (Seriously, we do love you and wouldn't have traded the time with you for the world!!)

   And I want a do over because AB started the year out in her "testing" phase and Lynnsie has become a little adamant about expressing her opinion very loudly.  And for a long time if her opinion isn't noted and agreed with immediately.

   And I want a do over because maybe once or twice in my "I feel like poop" mood, I snapped at my kids and had a crummy attitude.  Yeah, I definitely want a do over to erase that. 

   But I also want a do over because last night, as I was whispering my prayer for Creek while I rocked him and laid him into bed, I realized how quickly these days are slipping through my fingers.  That just Friday I took him for his 15 (and a half) month check up when the day before that he was only a few weeks old.  And how Anna Beth was talking about what kind of party she wanted for her 5th birthday.  Her 5TH birthday!!

   And I want a do over because I really liked watching the girls play "adoption" with their baby's and stuffed animals this week.  They had their own little adoption system and they made sure each and every one of them had a mommy and a daddy.  So I'd really like a do over to see that again. 

  Too bad we don't get do overs.  At least not in the sense that I can erase my crummy attitude.  But my kids do give me a do over...like tonight when AB told me she loved me.  And I realized that even though my attitude's been crummy and I've felt awful for several days, she loves me anyway.  And I can get a do over because my God forgives me.  And His mercies flow new every morning - even the mornings after my crummy attitude. And because of His love, He lets me see the sweet glimpses and interactions of my kids as they play things like "adoption".  And just simply playing together, no matter what it is. 

    I may not get a do over in the way I'd like, but my God is greater and stronger and His love is deeper and wider and it covers a multitude of do-overs. 

Snuggles

So, I thought I would start this blog with one of my favorite "little things" that I get to encounter every single day. Seriously...Every. Single. Day.  It's called snuggle time in our house and I get to do it with both Anna Beth and Lynnsie.  There is nothing better to my day than snuggle time.  It absolutely melts my heart and brightens my day no matter what has happened.
Snuggle time goes a little something like this: I get up (or try to) about an hour before my girls usually wake up...just to have time to get a shower (in peace) and drink my coffee while doing some Bible reading and spending time with God.  I do this anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes...depending on what time I make it out of bed and how late the girls sleep in :) Anna Beth usually gets up first. She comes into the living room with that precious "I just woke up" look on her face, still with the lines from the pillow on her cheek and some awesome bed hair.  Then, the best part...she climbs into my lap and just sits there, snuggled up, for a few minutes.  She's very quiet and usually leans up to take a peek into my coffee cup. We sit that way almost every morning and it is a great way to start the day.  We end the day in a similar manner.  When I go to tuck her in at night, she wants me to lay down and snuggle again with her.  I tell myself that the bedtime snuggle is NOT her way of prolonging her day :)
Snuggle time with Lynnsie, the youngest, is different and just as precious. Hers are kind of random during the day.  We often joke and call it her "recharge"!  She crawls up and grabs onto the bottom of your pants or your foot or whatever she can take a hold of, lays her cheek on you, and sucks her thumb. Or she climbs into your lap, lays her cheek on your cheek, and sucks her thumb. Or she grabs your hand and lays her cheek on it and, ...you guessed it...sucks her thumb.  It only lasts a few seconds, but it is priceless!
I love snuggling with my babies. I savor every second of it and I pray they NEVER grow out of it!! This is, perhaps, my favorite "little thing".