Trip to Lamar

We visited Bob, Tara, Payton and Koen in Lamar this weekend. We hadn't been there since Faith was a baby, so we were very excited to go. Jon, Angela, Anthony, Gideon and Evie were also there...so we had a full house! Anybody who knows the Littlejohns can tell you that they are a lot of fun when you get them all together. And, it was just that....lots and lots of fun. We had a great time visiting and swimming and catching up with one another. The weather was nice enough for everyone to swim twice on Saturday, so the kids were definitely worn out by the end of the day. All of us adults stayed up too late on Saturday, so we were all worn out on Sunday! The men went with Bob to visit his work and they were very intrigued I'm sure, they didn't get in until around 1:00 am. Us women stayed up until 12:30 am just talking and visiting. We always do this, we don't get to see each other enough, so we always end up staying up too late! But, it was still fun and I love to catch up with the girls when we aren't chasing or feeding or changing one of the kids, it's nice to just sit and talk once in a while. You can see in the pictures that we all had a blast. It's always interesting to have that many Littlejohn's in your home all at one time....especially when 6 of them are under the age of 5!!

Dad's 57th Birthday

We celebrated my Dad’s 57th Birthday yesterday. Everyone had a great time and really enjoyed the cake. We bought a few of those candles that won’t go out and it was fun to watch him try to blow them out. Faith and Bryce even tried to help Papa blow them out.

My Dad is a great man who is respected by every person who knows him. And, if you ask anyone in the surrounding areas about him, I’m sure they would have a great story to tell. He’s been in the area since his birth, way back in 1950! I always said growing up that I would get as far away from here as I could after graduation. But, when I got out there in the world and realized that every place isn’t as honest and good hearted as my hometown, I just wanted to go back. My Dad represents what I see in so many people from the area….he’s a good man through to his bones. I have always been proud to call him my Dad. He’s the epitome of what a Father stands for. Caring, loving, dedicated, honest, hardworking, loyal, honorable, respected and so much more. And I couldn’t ask for a better Grandpa for my daughter, she just adores him. She wants to see him every day and talks about him a lot. She loves him like I do, but I think maybe even a bit more, because Grandpa is not nearly as strict as Dad is! I always felt like he was over protective when I was a child, but now that I have my own child, I see that he was nearly being a Dad. Loving us and protecting us in the only way that he could. He always encouraged me to do better, to give it a little more and to never give up. He taught me so much about life, but hardly ever said a word. He leads by example, not by words. He is one of those strong, silent, gentle types that inadvertently scare off the boyfriends, but keep their daughters very close to their hearts. I always knew that I was very loved by him, even if he never said it, I still knew. I couldn’t have picked a better Father for myself, even if God had given me the pick of all men in the world, he is my perfect Dad. I’m so thankful for all that he stands for. I’m thankful for every second I’ve ever spent with him.

Happy Birthday Dad!!! We all love you so very much!

My Big Girl

I just needed to post this morning about how proud I was of Faith when I took her to preschool.We were up kind of late last night, so I didn't expect her to do well. When we got to school, there was a boy in the class having a major meltdown. He was not only screaming and crying, but also kicking and hitting the teacher. I thought for sure that Faith would lose it at this point, because as we all know, tantrums can cause a snowball effect with children...and it started down the line slowly, one child after the next grabbing on to their Mommy or Daddy's leg and crying. Faith was covering her ears and looking rather distraught, so I expected her to do the same. I leaned down and hugged her, whispered into her ear how proud I am of my big girl and kissed her cheek. She then walked up to the teacher and proceeded with the daily task of ordering lunch, looking through the book bag and saying Good Morning. She hung up her "pack-pack" and went to her seat, got her coloring page and crayons and said "I love you Mommy, I'll see you at 5."

As I walked out of that room watching my big girl coloring with all of the emotional chaos going on around her, I could not have been more proud.

First Day of School

Faith's first day of Preschool was today. She woke up very excited and wanted to leave right away. I snapped some pictures of her getting ready and even caught her excitement in one of them. She was very anxious and in a hurry to get there. She gets to take one toy with her each day, so she also had to get her baby ready. She was telling her baby about all of the new people she would meet and about the playground and her teacher. She told her baby that it would be lots of fun and that Mommy will always pick her up. That made me very happy, but also made me almost break down before we even got in the car to leave. I love that she knows that I will always come back and always be there when she needs me. That is comforting throughout the day when I'm at work and worried if she's missing me. This morning was an emotional roller coaster for me. I was so excited for Faith and so happy that she was so ready to go, but I was also running the same old doubts through my mind. Why didn't I stay home with her for just two more years? Now I don't even have the option of staying home with her. Then I remind myself of how social and independent she really is. She never would have done well cooped up in the house with me. She would be the one with cabin fever, always wanting to go go go. She's a Littlejohn for sure. I guess most working Mom's put themselves through the ringer for the same things that I do. I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow, but today was a tough one. Faith did great at school and was non stop talking all the way home. She wanted to tell me about everything from what they had for lunch to who she gets to sit by to who cried all day long.....little did she know that was Mommy. So, now I'm going to get her in the bath and into bed, where I can still cuddle with her until she gets too big for that as well.

Parent Orientation

We went to Parent Orientation at Maranatha last night. Faith was great, she met some new friends and was excited to see her name tag on her desk area. I think she is a little like me with some things and likes to know that certain spaces are hers and hers alone, she likes structure and has to know what's next, she's constantly asking what we're going to do next or who are we going to see next. But, the rest of her is just like Daddy. She's social and outgoing and a natural born leader. I'm not sure why this is upsetting for me, there is something about my baby growing up that makes me very sad. I stood there watching her and wondering to myself why I felt that I had to be encouraged. Shouldn't I be encouraging Faith, shouldn't she be the one with the fears and the doubts?? She doesn't need it, she's independent and social and doesn't worry about things that I do. She's ready for this chapter of her life, she's ready to make new friends and meet her new teacher. I'm not ready. Maybe that's why they call it Parent Orientation and not Student Orientation.

Us....

Meet Faith Ann....this beautiful, smart, outgoing, eccentric little girl. She is the reason for everything that I do. She is definately the center of my world. Faith is more than I ever dreamed a daughter could be. She is so full of laughter and love...when times are tough or work was stressful, it all goes away with just one little smile or wink from her. She sure can make your heart melt. So, anyway, welcome to our life, or as much of it as I'll have time to post...it's a bit fast and busy at times, but I love it anyway!