2103 Review

2013 was definitely one for the record books for our family! We hit major milestones, added new members and celebrated Gotcha Days, weddings, births, and moves this year. Here it is in pictures... I kinda can't believe we all made it!

I turned the big 3-0 in January. We celebrated with a fun family dinner.

February 4th we added our third little boy to the family. We happily welcomed Casen Cole to our crazy bunch!

Holy cow! We have three boys under three! Bennett's face is how we felt... Not positive this was a good idea for any of the five of us!

Aunt Sass gave Bennett his first hair cut.

In April I joined Thirty-One and it has been a huge blessing to me and a gift to my sanity!

Happy Easter!

Tucker turned 3 in April! I'm not sure how that's possible.

On Mother's Day we got to dedicated Bennett and Casen at FBC Sayre and their Daddy got to do the honors. One of the benefits of being a PK I guess.

Our sweet Emrie girl gave her heart to Jesus and was baptized in May at FBC Purcell. We're so proud of her and thankful for her decision to follow Christ.

 In June we married this one off! I still can't really wrap my mind around that. She was a stunning bride and the wedding turned out beautifully, despite that the rehearsal dinner was spent trying to out run tornados. The new brother in law is ok too! Although he moved her to Denver so that's a pretty big strike for the big sisters to get over.  

We loaded up for one last summer at Falls Creek. Bennett, Tucker and I stayed for all but one and half days of camp, but we went early so we really made it a week. They did great and were spoiled as usually by our great Sayre church family. I don't know that Tucker ate anything but dessert all week, but we all had a great time.

We spent lots of time in the water and outside. The sprinkler, pool and lake were all big hits for Tucker this summer! Bennett also loved the water. 

We took our first trip to the ER for stitches. Bennett knocked a mirror over and cute Casen's head open pretty good. Little brother was a trooper and didn't really complain much at all. First of many trips like this I'm afraid with our brood.

Tucker played wee ball this summer. It was something else. Pretty cute even if he never really did what he was supposed. I don't know that Tuck is our baseball player but he loved it anyway!

Aunt Sass also got a hold of Casen's curls for the first time this year.

 I got to cross a HUGE item off my bucket list. Garth Brooks came to Norman in July for a tornado relief concert and our good friend got us tickets! It was blazing hot, but TOTALLY worth it! I might of cried a little, but we sang along with every word of his hits and loved getting to see Garth live. I was also astounded at how much he looks like my dad. Weird.

On August 15th we officially added Bennett as a Gordon. His Gotcha Day was so special because we got to do it in Sayre surrounded by lots of people who love us. 

 Bennett's first plane ride. We went for a visit to North Carolina for Chris to check out Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ben enjoyed being an only child for a few days and he was a trooper on our trip. Fun memories!

At the end of September we packed up one house and moved to another. We left our church family in Sayre to move to FBC Greenfield where Chris is now a pastor. It's been a wonderful experience so far, however I remembered how much I hate packing and moving. It was even worse with three tinys to help.

 October 1st was Casen Cole's Gotcha Day. We stood before the same judge that added Tucker to our family. We were so excited to finalize all our adoption stuff for a while at least.

On October 13th our sweet Bennett Harris turned one year old. I really can't believe we all made it to this landmark. There were/are many days that I don't know that we will. 

Later that week our BH got really sick and had to spend a night in the hospital with striker. No fun, but made me really appreciate my healthy children. I can't imagine having a baby that was really sick and had to spend lots of days in that baby cage. 

 Chelsie came home from Denver so we could make our annual sister trip to the Affair of the Heart. I'm so thankful for my sisters and couldn't have picked better best friends. I can't imagine life without them!

 For Halloween we had a Very Hungry Caterpillar and two pears that he ate right through. I've had this caterpillar costume for two years and it finally fit! I just can't get over how cute they are. I do love a good theme as well. We spent Halloween at the church carnival and went to several of our new church members houses to trick or treat. 

The weekend of Thanksgiving we married of Delton to sweet Sarah. They got married in Stillwater and our favorite Poke showed up to the reception. Tucker was a super cute ring bearer but when Pete shot his guns he hit the deck and refused to get close to him. We're so happy to have Sarah in our family now!

 The littles loved the Christmas tree and helped decorate it a little everyday. I found cars, tractors, balls and various other toys in it nearly every day. 

 

Tucker and I took a special trip to Denver to visit Aunt Chelsie and Tuck got to take his first flight. He loved it! It was so fun to just have Tuck time. He's getting so big these days.

 We've made lots of new friends at our new church. The nursery is full for SEVEN boys all born between October and March. Here's some of our boys before they made their Christmas play debut as sweet sheep. 

 Right before Christmas Bennett had surgery to remove a cyst that was above his left eye. He did great!

 Looking spiffy for church the week before Christmas. Pictures are always a crap shoot with these boys. Oh well. I better get used to it I guess. This was also on our Nana and Papa's 60th wedding anniversary. We joined their party that afternoon. What a legacy! 

I got to finish out the year with a fun college roommate reunion. These girls met me in Purcell for dinner and a slumber party. It was wonderful to see them!

We've been busy this year! Add in Thanksgiving, Christmas and Chris had neck surgery the day before Christmas Eve and I'm not sure what else can happen next. 2014 will have to have a lot to offer to our do 2013. I pray it's more peaceful and we all fall more in love with each other and Jesus. I'm way ok with less exciting! I'm not sure I can take much more. ha. 

Well there ya have it. 

College Roommate Reunion

   Oh how I love these girls! Four of the six of my roommates from the Philly House got together right after Christmas to love on each other for a few hours because Kristin was in Oklahoma. Everyone met at my mom's house and spent a lovely evening together. We had a great dinner at Local in Norman and then they all stayed for a slumber party. The time we spend together is so sweet because it's so rare. These girls were each a huge part of my college experience and I'm so thankful for their rich friendships that pick up right where we left off. Thirty looks a lot different then twenty did, but having friends that have seen both and still like you is a huge blessing! I'm so glad we made the time to see each other.

Judah also made his Philly Girl debut and we all loved getting to snuggle with him throughout the reunion. He was a trooper because we kept him out late, but just having one baby amongst the four of us was also a treat for the momma's of the group! Although I think Megan was his favorite.

Until next time my sweet roommates! Love ya'll dearly!

Tucker's First Day of "School"

Tucker William,
You are growing up so fast! You amaze us everyday at the things you say, the games you play and the sweet way you love. You've always been tender hearted but as you've become a big brother your protectiveness has really started to show, even when it's between your littles. I hope you always act as a protector. (Although your methods of communicating this spirit could be refined a little bit.) You love your brothers and friends deeply and look forward to anytime you get to see them. Church is just about your favorite place to go, except for Granna's. You are a wild man with lots of energy. You love cars, wrestling and watching movies. Your imagination is super active! You wake up spilling with stories of things you've dreamed about. Your cars also tell some really funny stories while you play.
Today you started a Mother's Day Out program in Watonga. You will go two days a week all day and I hope that it is wonderful for you. I know you will love the social aspect and I hope that the structure will also help you develop and grow to be ready for "real" school next fall. We will see how it goes! I know it will be a transition for you to get used to school rules and teachers instead of Momma.
As this day approached I was overwhelmed with how fast you're growing up. I feel like we just brought you home from the hospital last week and now you are big enough to go to school all day without your momma. You did tell me you would miss me and it might make you sad for me to leave you. But you didn't seem to mind when I did leave. You are still a big boy and a big talker. You are an extreme extrovert. You've never met a stranger and much to my dismay you love to strike up conversations with everyone you meet. You also have a gift of making it awkward if they don't respond to you. You just call them right out on not hearing you. Bless it. I hope in school you learn that sometimes you have to be quiet and listen. Never a dull moment.
We are working to help you to be obedient. You are a little too smart for your own good sometimes and talk back or respond hatefully when you don't get your way. We have tried lots of different types of discipline but none seem to affect you for long. We hope school will add another positive discipline source for you and help you learn that reactions are important and that you are not the only kid in the whole world.
You will learn more about reading, writing and early preschool lessons. I think your teachers will be surprised by how quickly you learn and how well you retain things. You are so smart little boy! You make us so proud!
I really can't believe I have a child old enough to go to Mother's Day Out! I know it will be good for all of us, but man it's hard to let go of my eldest little fellow. Tucker I love ya like crazy and I'm so thankful I get to be your Momma. You make me smile and wanna pull my hair out every single day. I know without a doubt you were chosen to be my baby by God Almighty. I have loved watching you grow into a little person and become your own person. You love and feel so deeply. I pray God will grow you into a mighty protector with a tender heart and deep love for others. I pray he will develop characteristics of Jesus in you and that your strong personality will become one of a great leader who will point people toward the Father. You are so special and your Daddy and I love you more then you can possibly understand. Knock em dead baby boy!
Love you more,
Momma

2013 Christmas Letter

To our wonderful Friends & Family,

  We have had a crazy year! 2013 has definitely been one for the record books in our family! This year has been tough, but so worth it to have three healthy, smart, beautiful boys! From births to birthdays to finalizing adoptions to moving churches and changing positions this year has held a whole lot of crazy, a ton of fun and firsts and some struggle just thrown in there for balance I guess! Here’s a little update on each of the Gordon 5... starting with our newest member.

   Casen Cole Gordon arrived on Monday, February 4th at 3:50 pm. He weighed 6 lbs. and 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. He came out fussy and remained so for the first six months of his life. He struggled with colic and reflux for months while we all struggled to adjust to having two babies three months and three weeks apart. (It’s as hard/crazy as you’d imagine.) But thankfully somewhere around the six month mark his whole personality changed and he is the sweetest little booger now a days. He is ten months old (gulp!) and he now weighs 20.4 pounds and is 26.5 inches tall. His favorite things are pulling up, cruising around the furniture and chasing his big brothers. He refuses to be left out of any of the action! He smiles easily and is very friendly. He has handled being the littlest Gordon very well and adjusted to the move with ease. Casen is also starting to talk up a storm. I think his oldest brother may have some competition! Casen can say “Momma, Daddy, Nana/Granna, and Bubba.” He loves to jabber and is rarely quiet. He is such a perfect blessing and addition to our brood of boys. We can’t imagine life without his little three toothed smile and curly black hair. We are looking forward to celebrating his one year birthday in just a couple of months. 

   Bennett Harris turned one in October and is into everything! He loves to run, wrestle and play with both his brothers. Ben’s favorite toys are balls, hats and anything either of his brothers are playing with. He also has a lovie blanket that we do not leave home without! He carries it around and sleeps with it - our little Linus! He weighs 23.13 pounds and is 30 inches tall. Bennett is for sure our most stand-off-ish child. He hasn’t shown much interest in talking although he says “Momma, Daddy, Bubba and Bite.” He is very particular about who he likes/wants and doesn’t like new situations much. He is also our least picky eater. All three boys love to eat, but Bennett will eat just about anything. His favorites are strawberries, turkey and cheese. We are so thankful for Bennett and his quiet spirit. We can’t wait to see all he will learn next year and how he grows. What a blessing this boy has been in our life!

   Tucker William turned three in April and he is ALL that is boy! He is smart as a whip and has taken quite well to being a big brother. He is very tender hearted and doesn’t like it when anyone gets in trouble. He is still a big car guy and also likes books and movies and going to the park. Tuck weighs 48 pounds and is 39 inches tall. One of the things we’ve been working on since this summer is memorizing Scriptures. He knows 10-12 memory verses by heart and loves to learn more! It’s a precious thing to hear your child learning God’s word or singing His praises. He is going to start going to Mother’s Day out in the spring and will probably start school in the fall. He is a social butterfly and loves our new church! He is ALWAYS singing or talking. He loves Veggie Tales, Turbo, the color green and making his baby brothers laugh. He’s so sweet with them! Our oldest is still so precious and amazes us with all he retains, how he loves and his never ending energy! Three has been a trying year, but also rewarding to see how much his little brain is absorbing.

   As I mentioned before, Chris is now a pastor. He’s doing a great job and is feeling very fulfilled in his newest calling. It’s been so fun to watch him step into this new role with passion and grace. I think Greenfield is lucky to have found him! He is great from the pulpit and as always he loves people so well! With three boys under three he doesn’t get much time for hobbies but he still loves to golf, OSU sports and spending time with family.

   This year held some changes for me as well. In April I was drowning in diapers and feeding schedules and needed something that was just for me so I started selling Thirty-One and it has been a fun little extra for me! Sometimes its nice to get dressed in real clothes and go out among other grown-ups. I also became a “Pastor’s wife” and while I will confess I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this role change I am loving Greenfield! We have been so loved and taken care of in our short time here and we are looking forward to developing deep friendships here. Although leaving Sayre after five years was REALLY hard, we couldn’t have asked for a better place to move to. 

   I think we have squeezed just about all we could’ve into one short year and while there have been times I wondered if we’d survive - we’ve made it! I know that is nothing short of a miracle and it wouldn’t have happened without the love and support of our friends and family. God has been so faithful to us! He not only provided the finances for one adoption, but two! He allowed both placements to go smoothly and we were able to finalize both boys this fall. We have watched all three boys grow, learn and flourish. He has also provided us with exactly the right church for Chris to follow God’s call to the pastorate in. Holy Moly! Much better than we deserve for sure! We can’t wait to see what crazy adventures 2014 will hold. 

   Thank you all for the special role you play in our family! We wish you the Merriest of Christmases and the very best 2014! We are unbelievably thankful for each of you!

We love each of you!

Chris, McKenzie, Tucker, Bennett & Casen Gordon