Better Late Than Never

Okay, so I have a ton of catching up to do. Grayson had a great birthday, and I still cannot believe he is three years old. We have been super busy since Easter, but it has been a good kind of busy for the most part...Anyway, I am what you call WAY BEHIND as far as blogging goes, so I will attempt to catch up over the next few days. I was gonna just do it all in one "shabang" (I apologize if that is just a Kelli word...all at once) but I didn't want anyone to go blind due to reading the computer screen too long, so I will just start with Easter. So, here we go, a brief (well, I will try my best to be brief....I do tend to ramble....such as now) summary of the last few weeks....
Easter was wonderful. We had a great time with family and friends. Although we did have 5, yes 5, Easter egg hunts, our family spent a lot of time reflecting on Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. Jim and the Heights Band provided an amazing time of worship the Thursday before Easter in which we focused specifically on Christ's death on the cross. Of course, we followed up with a huge celebration worship service on Easter Sunday praising God that He is risen and alive! It was perfect! With that we were able to spend time with our close friends and both my family and Jim's family in Lamesa. We even had a good ol' fashion indoor Easter Egg hunt at the farm (Jim's parents house) since there was zero visibility due to the yearly West Texas Easter sandstorm. Here is a few (or maybe more than a few...) pictures of the Archer's Easter Festivities....

Grayson's Easter Egg Hunt at Calvary PDO.....prior to his Easter haircut, I might add.

Presley's kindergarten egg hunt

I am SO blessed to work at her school so I can easily attend her kindergarten events. Jim also came and helped "hide" hundreds of eggs.

Easter Sunday

My beautiful children....I love it when I actually capture a moment when they show that they really do love each other!

Easter at Mimi and Papa's house in Lamesa

This is a picture of Presley and Grayson with some of their cousins on my mom's side of the family. I have spent almost every Easter Sunday of my life with my Mimi and Papa, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Every year when I was little, all the cousins would line up on the sidewalk just like this before the big hunt. Next year, Camren will be ready to run with the others!

I love this picture of Pres. She looks so sweet here. Only minutes after this picture was taken she was slamming confetti eggs on everyone's head...She had a blast! Grayson did not care so much for sister whacking him on the head and getting paper all in his new haircut!

One of the most fun things we did was have an egg hunt with friends. Here are all the kids lined up ready to go. Yep, my kid is the one with the basket on his head....no surprise there! Stay tuned as I try to catch up over the next few days! I hope everyone has a great week!

April 13, 2006

Has it really been three years since my baby boy was born?? Grayson will turn three years old tomorrow! This time three years ago I was anxiously awaiting the first time I would see my son's face and hold him in my arms. I was enjoying the last few hours of feeling him move in my tummy and cherishing those last moments as a family of three before Presley would be so blessed with a baby brother. Wow....it seems just like yesterday. Three years later, I have a beautiful brown eyed boy who melts my heart and fills my life with incredible joy. This boy of mine is something else....always ready to go and full of energy, but always willing to crawl up in my lap and cuddle. Grayson has the reputation with teachers and family as being "very witty." I am constantly asked by those who know him if I write down all the funny things he says, and if I don't I definitely should! Grayson loves to be the hero, rescuing his big sister from the "bad guys." He loves to play with his "good guys", race Hotwheels, watch Dora, drink chocolate milk, and play baseball. He loves G-Dad's motorcycles, Mimi's house, Daddy's guitars, and Momma's kisses. (Well, maybe not LOVES the last one, but he is kind enough to put up with LOTS of kisses!) He sings a mean rendition of 5 Little Monkies Jumpin' on the Bed and can easily entertain a roomful of people with his funny expressions and conversations.

The third birthday is bittersweet for me....I am so blessed to watch this little boy turning into a big boy right before my eyes. He is becoming so independent and I look forward to all the neat things he will be able to do as he gets bigger. On the flip side, the third birthday is a farewell to the baby stage. He really is a big kid now. He rarely needs me to carry him anymore, he no longer needs me to change his diaper, he goes to the potty pretty much on his own, he gets his own goodnight drinks, he cleans up his room, he expresses his opinions (although not always appropriately) and so on and so on. Where did my baby boy go?

I thank God for this handsome, healthy boy He introduced me to three years ago. I thank God for Grayson's wonderful personality and witty sense of humor. I thank God that I can come home each day to a welcoming shout of "MOMMY!" a toothy grin, and hugs and kisses from my little man. I pray that he will love God with all his heart and that his desire will be to follow Christ. I pray that he would grow into a man of God and that he will be a Godly leader. I pray that as his parents, we will be good examples to him and point him toward Christ.

Grayson Jack Archer--8 lbs. 13 oz. 12:15 on April 13, 2006

Grayson's 1st Birthday

Grayson--2 years old

Grayson--3 Years Old

Happy Birthday, Grayson! We love you!