Just Because...

Hey Everyone, Got my coffee in my left hand, trying to type 1 finger at a time...this could take all day. Hmmm...sprained my right wrist last week, so thats got me going cray cray! Let's be honest; I can't get anything done and when I do (aka the dishes) its time to start all over again. Sigh...I have actually been instructing my children to help me. Titus is tall enough and strong enough to help with laundry, and honestly he is loving it. No, he doesn't put the soap in but he is capable of putting the dirty clothes in. To him its a giant basketball hoop and the clothes the ball...who doesn't want to score off that! Its a win win for the both of us. His other job is to get all the dry clothes and put them in the basket. This morning I asked him to put the clothes in the basket and without asking he brought them to my bed where we fold the clothes. Another score for this Momma! What does Amelia do? She sits on the bed and "helps" me fold them. She is getting better at it but...yeah its a wad who are we kidding. Both kids put their own clothes away. We are still working on not just throwing them in and jamming the drawer closed. What else do they do? The kids make their beds, pick up their toys,and occasionally when im feeling really "saintly" I let them vacuum. BUT, lets be honest that just turns into a mess....Titus insists its a monster and then tortures the "princess", who in turn feels the need to let out a blood curdling scream because she is annoyed. hahahaha...real life guys! I don't work my kids to death...and its not every day! Only everyday til my wrist heals. wink wink. Ok so my thought: If the child can get the toys out and dump them every where; then they are capable of picking them all up! Goes for cheerios, chips, cracker,and juice! (yes, they clean that up too!) Greyson, is obviously not old enough yet. He is still perfecting his crawl, but his day is coming. Muahahahahaha.... :) Anyways, the kids just woke up Greyson so my free time is gone...so short lived today.

Merry Christmas Newsletter

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!! We hope and pray that this season truly is the best one yet! This year I got overwhelmed with the thought of writing out each Christmas card or just sending a picture with “Merry Christmas” on it! Our year has been the biggest one yet of our marriage and an adventure we didn’t see coming! Let me just say that it was the quickest year jam packed with traveling and settling into being a family of 5! As most of you know Charlie lost his job right after Thanksgiving last year. Wasn’t really the thing that anyone wants to hear before the holidays season. We had plans to travel for the holidays, (which we did anyways) a baby on the way, and like everyone else bills to pay. The God Lord didn’t allow us to wait to long before Charlie got his wonderful job down here in Chattanooga TN! (Yes, Aunt Marie we are very close to Chattanooga) It is almost a year since we’ve moved down here, and we both will tell you it was the best move ever! The people are incredibly friendly, his job is amazing, the weather is a joke in the winter and delightful in the Summer! Chattanooga is the most family friendly city we have ever visited. There is a ton to do and it’s so clean! We are so grateful for all our family and friends who made the trip to see us. (some of them made the trip A LOT!) Grandpa & Grandma Paparella, A. Laurie, A. Lonnie, Grandma Colleen, U.Ed, A.Kellie, Lisa, A. Kim, U.Vinnie, Paul, the Beckwith family, A. Carolyn and the kids, Grandma Ann, and everyone else that I may have missed. You made our transition down here easier. As for travel this year. The kids and I spent a lot of time traveling back in forth up north helping my parents and siblings make the move down here. We didn’t really take a family vacation, but that is ok because all our traveling that we did (or I did) was together. Sometimes, Charlie would meet us to whatever destination we ended up calling home. (Yes, I made the trip to NY 8 months pregnant, and if you haven’t heard Greyson’s birth story come visit and be entertained.) We also traveled to Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to see family and close friends! How are the children you may ask?? Titus Anthony is almost 4 years old! Oh my word! He is super tall and has energy that could light a city! He is an outdoorsy kid and any chance he gets to play in the dirt, wrestle with the dog, ride his bike….he is THERE! He is pretty smart and when he gets stuck on a subject it is like someone hit repeat all day long. It was bees and how they make honey! Right now he is in to dentists. (probably because he had some teeth issues) This summer Titus learned how to swim in our inground pool. He was leery the beginning of Summer but by the end and with the help of Mona he was swimming under water! Titus is also a great big brother. He has been seen holding Greyson under the arms and walking him around, or hugging Amelia when she might be blue. For the most part he makes sure he always knows where his sister is; even if its to annoy. (yes, they have occasional differences) They are the best of friends and it is sweet to watch! Amelia Mary Rose is now 2! She is my little mini me. My calm amongst the chaos of Titus running circles around us and Greyson figuring out where he fits in. Amelia is working on spelling her name and her abc’s. Which she has just about learned. She is a champion snuggler and loves to cuddle up with baby dolls and play quietly by herself. Don’t get me wrong she is feisty! She stands her ground when Titus is being mischievous and annoying. She is also almost potty trained. When she feels like it of course. She has days when she “wants to be like a baby”, but for the most part she knows when she needs to go. Notice I didn’t say “and tells me”. Amelia loves to hold baby Greyson whenever she can, but Greyson no longer appreciates it. (he is as big as she is) She is a wonderful sister to both boys, and she has daddy wrapped around her finger. Greyson Edward is now 7 months old! He is my little sunshine. He FINALLY cut 2 teeth, and is off the charts long! He is crawling and I am trouble! 3 mobile! Ahhhh….He hops up on his knees and rocks till he does the worm! It’s very comical. Greyson loves to smile and be talked to. He really enjoys Aunt Autum, but only from a distance so he can smile at her. He is a super cuddlier under his conditions, but most of the time he won’t hold still. And of course, like all the Gilmore children he loves to EAT! I can’t keep any of their bellies full! Charlie and I celebrated our 5th anniversary this year. WOW! Wow! Wow! It has been a very fast 5 year for us. We can’t believe it! We have been in 3 different homes, 3 kids, new state, 2 jobs, a few cats, and 1 dog. We are doing well. The children occupy a lot of our time..hahaha who am I kidding ALL of our time. We are thankful to have wonderful neighbors and now my parents down here so we can have irregular regular date nights. (yes, you read that right..) In March, we will get to take our first long vacation without kids since…umm…we had them. Charlie and I are going on a cruise! I am so excited as this is my 1st cruise EVER!! Wohoo! So, what does 2018 look like for the Gilmore’s?? Well, honestly, we can’t say; except that we are investing in some land this next year, and hopefully we will get to build a house. At least that is what is on our hearts. We shall see…. We love you all very much!!

Our tree is up!

Hey Everyone, This past weekend we went and got our tree. What fun it is now that the kids are starting to get what's going on! Of course, Titus wanted to get the tallest tree in the lot (which I can't blame him..) however, our ceilings won't allow a 9ft-12ft tree.Our cute tree is 6ft and for the first time since we have been married we have an actual tree topper! SAY WHAT!! OK..ok...its not ours, but we are honored to have it this year. It is my parent's angel.It was giving to them by my Grandma Judie and her late husband Ed. It is a fiber optic angel; nothing really special except it was giving with lots of love. So we couldn't have it sit in storage and collect dust til mom and dad settle into home. It had to be shown for all to see, because when we look at it it reminds us of Ed and Grandma. Next year we will be back at our struggle whether to get a star or an angel, and who knows if we will settle on something. For now we are going to enjoy what we have. Maybe...just maybe...mom and dad will give us the angel and then we won't have to decide..hahaha or not..

Happy Thanksgiving

Good Morning Everyone! Happy Thanksgiving... I know I know it is Tuesday after Thanksgiving....but with all the hustle and bustle of the weekend I didn't sit down and blog, nor did I want to! Hahaah...right?! For Thanksgiving this year we went to our wonderful neighbors house. They make the meat and all their family brings the sides and dessert. It was lovely! After, lunch we hung out for awhile and then we headed over to my brother's house for some birthday cake. (yes, every few years Ted's bday falls on Thanksgiving. He just loves it! not...) Of course, the cake was extremely good! oh man! So good.... Then, on Friday we headed up to Kentucky to celebrate thanksgiving and friendship for the weekend.It was a wonderful reunion of 3 generations! It was alot of fun and we are so blessed to have a friendship like theirs. :) Now to move on to Christmas!! (27days and counting)

Monday Coffee Session

Good Morning Everyone, I actually scheduled a blog session today and look at that I am writing it! Greyson is napping and the other 2 kids are outside playing. I have my coffee and some thoughts so here I sit and share. Usually, when I schedule to blog, as you know, it doesn't happen, or I have know idea what to write. (besides the obvious) My best time to blog is while I am in the shower. (am I right?!) In the shower don't we all conquer the world, set new goals, reestablish the conviction we set out to keep, and become refreshed as the hot water runs over us! I know I do...so, let my coffee be my hot water, and the letters on my keyboard reestablish my convictions as I convey them to you! (wow! I sound so logical and smart!) Who am I kidding...haha I am a momma with 3 kids who brushed her hair yesterday because we went to church! I still have my mascara on because I am to lazy to take it off. (my friend Megan's words ring through my head....mascara is made from bat poop! ahhhh) Sigh, who says knowledge is power. I find it at times quite exhausting. (sips coffee) Mmmm....really coffee is what helps me guide my family in the morning. (kidding of course, but it sure helps!) For those of you who hate coffee I am so sorry. Now for my kids update since I haven't done it in a while. Greyson, is now 6 months old, rolls every where, is getting on his knees and will probably be crawling before Christmas. My boys like to move move move! Which means Amelia and I are in trouble because we like to sit and enjoy the quiet. Amelia is my quieter one. She enjoys quiet mornings playing on her bed with her babies, or snuggling with her 3 blankets. In the past month she has really started talking in sentences and oh my goodness it is so CUTE. She likes to copy just about everything Titus does! Oh my eldest son....Titus, we can't believe he is coming up on 4. Time waits for no one! He is smart as a whip and is really starting to be a helper. He has LOTS of energy and still at night has a hard time settling. (just like Charlie) I started school with him, but then he lost interest. Which is ok by me. When he focuses on something he wants to learn...aka Bees right now. I take the time to read him books and tv shows about them. He knows his ABC's and 123's, so don't be concerned. I don't feel the need to push him. There will be time for that when he gets older. Right now we are enjoying nature and how different things work. Charlie and I are doing great! We have (mostly him) been working on a new dining room table! It looks so good and hopefully by the end of this week it shall be done! It's like a quilt; far from perfect and made with lots of love! I haven't downloaded any pictures, so you'll have to wait till its done. Ahhhhh......kids are in and getting into trouble...can no longer focus..AHHHH I didn't get as far as I would have liked, but isn't that life. :) #itsallsmallstuff #ineedtotypefaster Have a great day...and my interrupted thought process will see you next week...maybe with a complete thought, and some pictures!

Really slacked....

Hey Everyone, Chalrie always asks me if I have blogged, and my answer is in my mind I have...seriously, I blog in my mind all the time. hahaha I just never make it to my computer to write it out. Sorry.. :( I am tring...key word "trying" to become more scheduled, so I should probably add this to my list. Honestly, I hate playing catch up. We have (as usual) been super busy. When are we not, right? Let's see..... 1. Baby Greyson is 4 months old! He is such a joy. Greyson lights up the room with his smile and you can tell he is going to be hilarious when he can start to talk. His eyes just sparkle when you talk to him. He can roll over, belly laugh, he watches his siblings in envy, and is a great little traveler. He has more miles under his belt then most people do. He has been to NY several times and we just finished up a trip to Missouri.

2. Sweet Amelia turned 2! She seems like she has been with us a lot longer!Amelia, so feisty and sweet all at the same time. She is getting quite tall and she is learning everything from Titus. Not sure everything TItus is teaching her is ok..haha but she is none the less. She loves to be play outside, swing, swim, play with her baby dolls, and read books. Amelia loves a good nap (she just doesn't know it) and if she doesn't get food she is the worst hangry person I know. (besides myself.)

3. TRAVEL!! The kids and I spent the whole month of August in New York helping my family get ready for their move to Chattanooga! It came at a good time! We didn't get to catch up with to many people while there since my mom got shingles, but thats ok. We got to spend time helping her out and playing with the cousins. We also made a trip to Missouri to celebrate the marriage of Charlie's nephew Michael. It was the fastest trip ever, but it was nice to see everyone there. 4. My brother and his family finally made it here! They are pretty much settled, and Ted has started his new job. It is nice to have them so close! Autum will be here sometime this week or next. She hasn't decided yet. She is on an adventure right now (traveling) and when she is ready to settle she will come home...aka here to live with us. :) In case you are asking yourselves when are my parents coming...well, the 1st sale of their house fell through, so now they have to wait for another buyer. Fingers crossed it'll be soon! I think I hit on all the big things that are going on right now. Between traveling, moving people around, working, raising kids, and well just life you can see we are busy. Oh before I forget....(I didnt forget him. lol) Titus is doing great! Big and super smart!!!! He has started doing some school. I don't push it right now since he is only 3, but when he needs focus time or wants to do work we will. :)

Love to all!

Greyson Edward Gilmore

Ladies and Gentleman, I would like to introduce baby Greyson to you! He was born on May 18th.(yes, I am aware he is almost a month old) He is a little ball of sunshine and is our smallest baby to date; due to being 3 weeks early. He was on the road to being our largest I think, and according to the nurses as well. We are delighted to have him in our family and look forward to seeing his personality develop. Oh, he weighed in at 8lbs 10 oz and is 21.5 inches long.