I'm thankful for...

Boys...

Babies...

Silly faces...

Brothers...

Cousins...

Creative little girls...

Chess lessons from old guys who don't play chess...

Crazy games...

Family...

We spent a great few days with my parents and brother last week over Thanksgiving.  My brother Hoa also visited from North Carolina and I got to meet his kids for the first time.  I haven't seen him in almost 15 years and my husband had never even met him.  He was actually my foster brother, but he lived with us for 5 or 6 years while I was growing up, so I've always thought of him as a brother.  It was so great to spend time with him and his family (minus his wife who had to work).

Milestones

Well there is certainly lots going on around here these days.  It seems like my boys have all decided they're going to grow up this week.  Today happens to be Micah's birthday.  Happy Birthday Micah!!  He got to spend his sixth birthday looking for deer in the woods with his Daddy.  What a fun day! 


While Micah is getting a little bigger, he's still the same ball playing kiddo he's always been. But he has certainly added a wealth of football knowledge as well as a serious interest in soccer recently.  So far, his size doesn't seem to be impeding his athletic ability much.

Micah's baby brother also just happened to turn two months old today.  Just look how cute my boys are together.  At least they're cute when they want to be ;)


Isaac has changed quite a bit over the last month.  He still doesn't like the car, but now he does tolerate it under certain circumstances.  We've even discovered that he will take  a MAM pacifier if we insist, but usually he'd just prefer a blanket and a cuddle.  The best part of this new two month old baby is the smiles.  He's decided he loves to play with us first thing in the morning, right after breakfast that is.  He'll smile and laugh at anyone who comes to him for a good ten minutes if he's just eaten.  Baby smiles are just the best aren't they?!

Now for Jadon.  His birthday was last month, but he's decided he's not to be left out of the growing boys' club.  We had an unusually calm week, so he and I spent the better part of Monday through Wed in the bathroom on the potty.  And believe it or not, my boy is potty trained.  If you ask him, he'll be sure to tell you big boys go in the potty and babies go in the diaper.  And Jadon is definitely a big boy!!

Some days I just can't stand the fact that my kids are growing up so fast, but most days I'm so proud.  They are great kids, aren't they?

Fall photos

You know that old saying, "the best laid plans..."  Well, that was how I felt today after my attempt at a photo shoot for my kiddos.  The day was gorgeous: blue sky, lots of sun (not always great for photos, but there were enough clouds to make a go of it), warm enough for just a sweater and no rain.  So I found some fallish sweaters for the big kids and went to town looking for something for Isaac (I had a gift card specifically for this purpose).  We struck out at Walmart, so I used the gift card for family essentials and found a cute sweater for my guy at Target. 

Then we headed off to the lake.  I had done a shoot out there a week ago that the scenery was awesome for.

However, I forgot to take into account the torrential rains we had last week. Of course I think my kids are adorable so anywhere will work, right? Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the rain decimated the leaves on the trees and filled the lakebed with water.  This shot was no longer possible.  That was REALLY sad, because I love it and I wanted it for my kids.

But we made do. I stood below this dock to take pictures last week, today the water came right up underneath it.  There was no standing below it today. But Micah definitely seems to be at home on the water, doesn't he?

Here, we found a little bit of yellow still left on the trees, but JJ appears more interested in the stick he found than in any photo shoot.  Maybe that's why I absolutely love this shot.

Chloe is certainly growing up to be a big helper. 

She's such a big girl and she's really sweet to her little brothers (most of the time).

Isaac is getting big too, big enough he stayed awake and happy to sit for the camera with his big sister.  Aren't they sweet together?

We had a great time out together despite the rough start.  And it was a great day to be outside even without any picture taking.  I hope we have a few more days like it this year before it gets any colder.  I just love fall.

Our own little pumpkin patch

Last night was Trunk or Treat.  I had already planned on Isaac wearing the pumpkin costume I made for Jadon when he was a baby

so Micah and Jadon wanted to be pumpkins too. 

Chloe wanted to be different and be flower this year.

So we got them all dressed up to go to the church where Kevin's cousin and his family actually had a jungle theme set up in there trunk. They even included the boys' costumes in the theme.

The kids were adorable and they all had a really great time. I can't wait to see what they come up with next year!!

Are you ready...?

...For some Football?

The last two weeks have been completely chaotic.  I must have been insane when I filled my schedule to overflowing just a month after having a baby.  We have had dr appts and photo shoots and retreats and just a few birthday parties.  But we survived and had a little fun on the way. 


Micah and Jadon's birthdays are exactly 4 weeks apart, and because of the sheer number of fall birthdays in the Rodie clan, we've celebrated them together the last couple of years.  Last year, we had an airplane party at the church where we threw paratroopers and foam gliders off the balcony into the gym.  I wasn't sure if we could top that this year, but we sure had a good time trying. 


Everyone agrees that Micah is the king of baseball, but Jadon has become a pretty big football fan.  And what's more appropriate for fall birthdays than football?  So we borrowed some flags from Aunt Jody, and invited all our friends.  And then we prayed for good weather.  It turned out to be a perfectly fall day.  We did get a little sprinkle during the game, but not too bad at all.


So how do you throw a football party with a bunch of kids ages 3 to 7?  Well first you need teams.

Kevin and Justin were our captains.  They did a great job teaching the kids how to play.  And how cute are these little football huddles?


Then you start running!

Caleb was a little intimidated to begin with, but he quickly got the hang of the game.  Look at him go!!


Of course we had to have a cheerleader.  "Touchdown!" 

Eliana was happy to oblige.

After an hour, all the kids were pretty tired and sweaty so we headed inside for some cake and yummy hot chocolate.  What a great party!