Sweet Baby, Second Grade & Sweaty State Fair

This is getting embarrassing

Like any habit, it takes FOREVER to make it stick... but NO TIME AT ALL for it to unstickl. I was a pretty faithful blogger for over 2 years and all of a sudden I have forgotten all about it!

It's too overwhelming to catch up on my last 4 months of non-blogging, so here are some recent pics of my darlings...

We're still alive!!

I was gently reminded by an old friend (thanks, Joy!) that I have really been slacking in my blogging. Blogging? OH YEAH! That website where I used to post updates of my family and put pictures for others to enjoy. The wait is over, my friends, but rather than try to catch you up on every single event from the last 4 months (has it been THAT long?!) I'm going to throw in some random pictures so you can be refreshed as to what everyone looks like and then I'll go from there... The order isn't exactly chronological, but does it seem like that would bother me? I am 4 months behind after all. :)

Reese and Lincoln pass many warm afternoons on their bikes in the backyard, zooming around the (covered) pool.

Sitting on a real firetruck at our neighbor's Easter Egg Hunt at their church!

After much hard work making a car with Pappaw for the derby race, Emma raced her car proudly!

Knox's very famous awesome mohawk

Lincoln loving on his baby bro

Me & Knox in his famous Colts hat that our friend Jennifer Millsaps made as a baby gift. He has gotten a bazillion compliments on it!

Emma's acting debut! Their first grade did a Dr. Seuss Musical and Emma auditioned for Sally speaking lines and got it!

Baby bro

They all love to hold little Knox... well, Lincoln kinda likes to smack him, too.

Helfert-Huggins wedding

The weather and scenery couldn't have been more perfect for my sister's wedding in Clearwater. Emma was a flower girl and Reese was a ring bearer and they both did super as they made their half-mile trek along the sand from the hotel to the wedding (no joke- the beach was huge!). Thanks, Kara and Chris, for letting us be a part of your special day!

A Disney Birthday!

We were already heading to Florida for my sister's wedding, so we made a trip of it. We started at Downtown Disney for birthday dinner at the T-Rex Cafe (which Reese was terrified of... then loved) and shopping. The next morning, we headed to Magic Kingdom. Turns out you get into Disney World for FREE on your birthday! Just print out a certificate, bring your birth certificate and no more $75 ticket! Anyway, Lincoln got to experience Downtown Disney, but we left him at the condo with Grammie for Magic Kingdom. We packed as much into one day as we could and the kids totally loved it all. Can't wait to go back when they're a little older. I took so many pictures (on the last day before my camera got swept into the ocean)... but here are a few highlights!

Birthday at school

At preschool, they celebrate each kiddo by letting a parent come in to read books to the class. I got that honor (and, wow, do I have a new appreciation for preschool teachers!) :)

Trick-or-Treat

This year, Emma was Super Girl, Reese was a shark, and Lincoln was THE dinosaur.

A few notes:

After bidding on a shark costume on Ebay that went up to over $30, I happened upon the DOG costumes at Target for only $10!!! They are perfect for kids under 4... who cares if there are random ear holes? I will definitely be hittin that aisle up again next year!

The dinosaur costume from Once Upon a Child that I spent $4 on was the best $4 I ever spent. :)

Happy Birthday, Shark Boy!

Since we would be at DISNEY WORLD (!) for Reese's actual big day, we had a shark party the previous week to celebrate (and to use the awesome shark party stuff I got on Ebay) with a few family and friends. In case you are curious, he'll be having a snake party next year. It's good to plan ahead.

Apples 'n Punkins

We decided with the Fall upon us, it was time to hit up the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. It was totally freezing (Josh's worst nightmare), but the rest of us had fun. :)

Family

My cousin Kristen came for a visit from NY and it was fantastic having an extra set of hands. My 2 hands are not usually enough for 4 children. :) She did lots of Knox-holding and even got to share in his first bath misery. We even managed to scrapbook for a couple hours!

Life with Knox

As we stare at our precious baby, we are struck by God's amazing plan to bring Knox into this world. He is a total blessing. The kids are crazy about him- even Lincoln, who has just a slightly difficult time being gentle. :)

Welcome, Baby Knox!

I was up bright and early and ready to be induced for this little guy... and it sure didn't take long! I was all hooked up by 8:00 a.m. and he was born at 10:17 a.m. We were all surprised when my doctor came in to break my water and I was ready to push. The nurses said they'd never seen anything like it. I told them I was fast. :)

Knox Reagan Nottingham

October 1, 2009

10:17 a.m.

7 lb, 6 oz

19 1/4 in

He is absolutely precious and wonderful.

Scooby Doo Fun

On Saturday we celebrated Emma's birthday with family... and since I was barely functioning thanks to the night before.... thank you to Grammie Debbie (mom) for saving me and taking on all the duties that my body was no longer able to perform in the party-planning arena! :)

In the tradition of the Gross family, Aunt Kara took Emma to get her ears pierced at Claires... she got a little nervous right before they actually did it, but she was a champ! Her little "diamonds" look adorable.

Then we had a nice, QUIET party celebrating our sweet little girl.