A new school year!

Yesterday we started a new school year! The girls did great! And momma didn't cry!!

We woke up early-ate breakfast (they had scrambled eggs and strawberry muffins)

We brushed our teeth-and got dressed and took our annual "Back To School Photos!"

We all (5) loaded up in the van and took Madyson first. Since this is her 3rd year in school and she is familiar with her new school (since we've been there a lot the last few weeks working on PTO stuff) we went through the drop off line and let her out.

Then we pulled out of the school-and parked on the side of the road and unloaded (4 of us) and made the .5 mile hike to the next school to walk Aubrie Kate in for her first day at kindergarten! We walked Madyson in on her first day-so it was required we do the same for Aubrie Kate.

She was a little nervous-BUT she did awesome. We got into the school and took a photo-then walked down to the classroom and put her stuff in her cubby-then she sat at her table and we left.

{{Isn't Aubrie's Outfit ADORABLE?!?!!? You can Like Piper Grace Clothing on Facebook and have one made for you in a variety of fabrics!!}}
The rest of the day was.....quiet. Mia Margaret and I cleaned up-played-and watched some Doc Mcstuffins. I got a little sad because I didn't have to booties sitting next to me during the show!

Next we had lunch and then piled up and headed to the long wait of car rider line! by 3:15 I had all the kids in the car and we were headed home!

Madyson had a great day! She has a planner this year to keep up with homework and such-this made her SO happy. She loves some organization. She has a lot of friends in her class and really likes her new school.

Aubrie Kate loved it-she told me all about the new friends she made.

Today they got up and we were out the door by 7am! They were ready for a 2nd day!

I am so blessed that we live in a district where public schools really invest in our kids. This year all the kids k-6 have their own Ipad or Ipad mini in the classroom. Grades 7-12 are distributed an Apple Imac to bring home and do work. Our school district strives to make sure each child has the best teachers, every tool they need to make sure they succeed -and you can't ask for anything better than that.

Here is to a great school year!

End of summer

Summer is over. We have just 47 hours til a new school year. Both girls have met their teacher-turned in school supplies and picked out their outfits for the first day! It has been an awesome summer-busy, full of memories and lots of laughs. Here are a few favorite pics from the summer!

It's been a WEEKEND~

My gracious-we had a full weekend and I am SO tired!

Friday-my parents came to spend the night with us! Todd and my dad went hunting Saturday morning so it was easier for them to leave from our house than try to meet (there wasn't a middle to meet at)

We ordered pizza, my aunt, uncle, and cousins (who moved to Louisiana) came over and the kids played. My sweet cousins met Amelia, and then when they left we watched Les Miserables.

Saturday they guys got up and went hunting-my sister and my nieces & nephew brought donuts over and all the girls (and the lone nephew) ate breakfast, got ready, and picked up my cousin and her 2 kids (4 adults and 8 kids!) and we went to the Mississippi Children's Museum!

my mom with the kids-#8 was by madyson

After hours of playing-we headed to lunch and then did some shopping. Needless to say we had lost our minds! Kids ages 13, 9, 6.5, 5.5, 5, 2.5, 1.5, and 4 weeks....

We survived the day and then came home and RESTED for church on Sunday.

Sunday we got up and had a grand day! I am so sad though-for some reason my memory card deleted over 20 photos I had taken of Todd and the girls and our family-so I have the ones my mom took to share :(

After church we headed out to the country to hang out with my family for lunch and such.

The girls got their-changed clothes and went to the lake to go fishing. (They are my girls!)

um...when did I get a kid this big?

We ate lunch-hunted Eggs-and then the rain came! We got home around 330 and took a short nap-then made dinner and watched the finale of The Bible on History. It was very powerful-and the girls really have enjoyed it. It made the whole "Jesus dying on the cross" idea very real. We have had great conversations each week about Jesus' life. I love exploring the Bible with the girls.

Today we are hanging out-relaxing. Madyson had school today due to a missed day back during Hurricane season.

This week we have our first tball game-Amelia turns 1 month old (OH MY!) and a few other fun projects...

Life with 3 kids, a little bit about Amelia and post c-section recovery.

It's been 2 weeks since little miss Amelia joined our family. I thought (for my memory) I would share how life with 3 kids girls is going-and how my C-section recovery is going!

First-the first week home was-A Lot. Amelia came on 3/3-we had planned Aubrie's birthday party for 3/7 (actual birthday 3/11)

So we got home on 3/5-Todd and the girls had their first tball practice that night. Aubrie's party was 3/7-we had family here-everyone celebrating "The A's) which left Miss Madyson-feeling very left out.

at aubrie's skating party-no I did  not skate.:)

By 3/9-She was falling apart. We both sat in the kitchen crying-5 minutes later-she was better-it took some reassurance to let her know Mommy and Daddy haven't forgotten her-It was just a big week.

Other than that-we haven't had any jealousy issues or other problems. The girls had spring break this week-and I was home all week by myself with all 3 of them. We survived. Not being able to drive wasn't fun-but we made the best of it. Aubrie Kate shared her birthday presents and we made jewelry, colored, did crafts and all sorts of creative things!

Amelia is an excellent baby. I am sure as she "wakes up" it will be more difficult. But right now she has herself on a schedule. She sleeps majority of the day-eats every 3 hours-sleeps a 5 hour stretch each night.

She only fusses when you are changing her clothes/diaper. SHE LOVES being bathed. Totally doesn't surprise me. She always stretched out in womb when I took a bath.

We have a "blooming Bath" and I love it. I know she doesn't looked thrilled in the picture but I was trying to get one without my hands in the picture-but she kept falling asleep-so this is the best I could do this time. I promise Ill get a good one when I have some extra hands.

She is still in preemie clothes-but is slowly moving up to newborn. She is very snuggley and loves to be held.

She loves her Honest Company Diapers. And I received many compliments on them in the hospital. When she thickens up we will switch to cloth diapers and use the Honest diapers when we are out and about.

Aubrie Kate and Madyson both love holding her and picking out her clothes. Aubrie will make sure you wash your hands BEFORE you touch her. She is the GermPolice.

This is my 3rd C-section and the recovery has been great. I was up 12 hours after surgery-showered the next day-pain has been ZERO (praise the Lord). I did have a little set back this weekend. Friday I decided to do the housework and did too much. I have been ordered to bed for the rest of the weekend to relax and they said that should fix the problem.

celebrating St. Patrick's day! Amelia got to come out of her sling for the picture :)

This week we have our 2 week old check up AND AK's 5 year old check up and shots =( So that should be....interesting.

I am loving having 3 girls. I find myself praising God and crying 75% of the time I look at Amelia.  It was really hard the last 4 years wanting a baby and giving it all to Him to handle. I thought His timing was wrong-and that it wasn't fast enough. But God knows. I tweeted this the other day-and want to share again: If you desire to be a mother-keep praying. God hears your prayers and His timing is best!

Happy Birthday Aubrie Kate!!!

To my precious Aubrie Kate-

Today-you turn 5 years old.

You are officially "a big girl" and you are an amazing one. You are still my spirited diva who loves anything and everything that sparkles. You alone make up 1/2 of my weeks laundry with your fashion designs-and you never leave home without some kind of toy! But baby girl-you are the most grateful child. You always say thank you for everything-i.e. "Thank you for letting me bring home this rock." "Thank you for making me chocolate milk" "Thank you for taking me to Disney last year"

You are loving lalaloopsy dolls, still. Recently they came out with "sister" dolls and you adore the ones you got for your birthday.

You love movies and love to sit and snuggle and watch them.

Your favorite colors are Gold, Silver, and Pink.

Your favorite food is Princess Soup, Eggs, and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches (cut into triangles) and you LOVE pickles.

You have a Rapunzel doll you bought at Disney last year "Punzie" and you sleep with her every night (and all 5 of your baby blankets)

You're OCD about washing your hands.. You make everyone who comes in the house wash their hands. We will hear you in the bathroom-just scrubbing away.

You are playing Tball this year (again) on daddy's team! You are very excited but miss dance a lot-So I believe you will be back there next year!

We had your birthday a little early-you wanted a skating party-and since we didn't know if mommy would be in the hospital or not-we obliged.

The card reads "I am WHEELIE glad you came to Skate and Celebrate with me!"

My precious doodle-I am so excited to see where this year takes you! Kindergarten, surprise trips, lots of mommy time over the next few months! i am so blessed to have your sweet spirit in our bunch-

Love you always!

A little post :)

Friday night we had my family over to celebrate my dad's retirement! He has been a faithful employee of the USPS for over 25 years. He worked the night shift-all of my life-so he missed out on a lot of things. But I always knew he was doing it to provide for us-and I am so thankful he has the chance to enjoy life now!

Me with no makeup (SCARY!) I was so busy getting everything ready for the night-I forgot to put it on. Oh well-it was just family.

Saturday-we met my mom and did some shopping. I needed to pick up a few items for Amelia and we had a babies r us gift card so that was great! We also began the debate over strollers-Needless to say-we did not get one! Once we got home our friends Bridget and Ken came over to hang out. Bridget is 21 weeks pregnant with a little boy! B&K and I go way back to elementary days-then as grown ups. I was their wedding coordinator-and now we are expecting together! (and their daughter Makayla is Aubrie Kate's BFF)

Sunday-we went to church then I earned my Meanest Mom Badge-Then we had girl scouts-then we went to our friends Carla and Michael's for the Super Bowl!

Monday was low-key. AK and I hung out-planned her bday party-and picked up Amelia's bedding (here's a sneak)

Then we went to our church's clothes/food pantry to work. Here are the some pictures of the impromptu fashion show we put on at the end of the night :)

Kristen and I modeling our "Say Yes To The Dress Your Bump" look. We are 4 weeks apart-both pregnant with our 3rd girl!

Jennifer is my sweet-sweet friend! Her husband Joseph was my "boss" when I worked for the church.

These are our life group girls (minus Mallory-who's grandfather passed away suddenly-please pray for her) Kristen, Me, Jennifer and Carla :) I love this group of girls!

AK's TBall Party!

Aubrie Kate played Tball for the first time this year! We (the broadus girls) are not very sportsy when it comes to playing sports that involve doing multiple things (hitting, running, throwing, tagging out...) esp. when it is HOT. Now don't get me wrong, we love sports! We just like Cheerleading, Dance...long distance running to the IPOD type :)


But Aubrie Kate tried Tball this year at the request of a dance buddy and I am so glad she did!

This past Saturday are fabulous coaches hosted a swimming party for the team and each girl got a medal and a trophy. Aubrie is over the moon with her trophy, she cleans it daily :)

 Allie, Aubrie, Ramsee, and Pollyanna in the wading pool :)

 Aubrie "that's not my bat" Broadus getting her medal and trophy from Coach Brent :)

So proud!!

 Happy Little Team :)

Look at ME!

So most blog post this week award goes to me!

I have a new system in place for blogging so I hope to stay caught up now!

Thank you to all 300+ of you that visited during Kelly's "Will you be my friend?" SUYL. I am so excited to grow my list of MS bloggy friends!

I have had so much feedback on "Just need to write" through tweets, emails, and messages. Thank yall for the kind words and support. Life is getting a little less chaotic, but I have a super strong feeling that God is up to something BIG. Words can not describe what is going on in my heart right now, but my whole "outlook" on things is getting wider.

Sunday in church, our Pastor spoke about David and Bathsheba and sin and responsibility. 

 "The failure of responsibility is a welcome mat for the enemy."

This is going to be my motto for the month. I am battling a spiritual battle inside. For 2.5 years I have been surrounded 6 days a week by Godly people who supported me daily. Now, it is up to me to bring God into my life. Working from home adds alot of extra responsibility. Family is A LOT of responsibility. And managing it all is huge responsibility. The only way to do it all and do it all successfully is by leaning on Him to give me strength and help guide me.

On the Adoption front: If I go by my gut, a lot should be happening in the next few months. You know before you give birth you get that "nesting" feeling? Well, I defiantly have that right now. I need baby #3's room done, I have a desire to start doing a lot more and this is a new feeling for me. This whole process I have been kind of "going through it" without the emotions that normally go along with adoption. My reason behind it is this is God's thing. I know He is in control and I have done really well to just let the process go His way and tried not to let my emotions of I WANT MY BIGGER FAMILY NOW get in the way. But in the last 2 weeks, the nesting feeling has set in. And this was brought on by nothing. SO, we shall see!

Aubrie Kate is done with 3k preschool for the summer!

Last Day at 3k!

 She will be hanging out around the house with me/Todd/or a sitter until Madyson is out at the end of May. Then we will have a little Summer celebration kick off, then my mom will step in to help me during June&July (as well as some super fun "big girls" to help!) THEN in 60 days we leave for DISNEY!!!

I am so excited about our trip to Disney World! Our best buddies are going with us this year. You can follow along our planning process over at our Disney Blog!

On the Lifestyle change, I am now into month 2 of my big lifestyle change! For the newbies. I gave up eating all animal products for 2 weeks. My life changed! On week 3 I integrated milk, cheese, eggs, chicken and fish into the diet. But kept red meat out. Week 4 I thought I could eat a hamburger at a cookout and be okay. WRONG. never been in more pain in my life so I gave up all red met.

I have not felt better in my entire life. Including the years of playing soccer, cheerleading and dance.

I am down 14lbs total. and still have 6 to go! But, I am content with this size. I feel healthy. I look healthier and I can see my family making better eating choices. I have a TON of recipes to post! My girls are diggin Veggie Grits and Turkey Bacon on the weekends!





Happy Birthday My Aubrie!

Aubrie Kate!

You are four today! I can not believe those words! You are the most adorable blondie and have the most infectious laugh!

What are you up to these days? Well, You started Ballet this year, and you love going to dance class.

You are in 3k this year and love your teacher Ms. Hannah.  You feel like such a big girl now that you get to go on field trips.

You are starting Tball this spring. Something that is out of the ordinary for you (since you are a little on the prissy side) but you are excited bc you got a new pair of shoes.

Speaking of shoes, you adore them. When I asked you want you wanted for your birthday you said "SHOES" and "DWESSES" and "PAPUNZEL"

You are very smart and have excellent handwriting for your age. You love to color and to put stickers everywhere.

You are done with sippy cups, pull ups, sassys and all the baby stuff. Which makes me very sad.

You love a good surprise and when Madyson (or I) try to tell you your surprise, you say "No, WAIT! I want my Swurprise to be happinin"

You have a little lisp and it is the cutest thing! You are very much in control of your life and march to the beat of your own drum.

You are a size 9.5 shoe and a full 4t almost 5t clothing. You love that you are a "yewo" hair kid. You are 95% always dressed in a dress or skirt and rainboots. its your style :)


We adore your spunky self and are so thankful you are in our family! Happy Birthday Little Doodle!

It was a big day!

Yesterday was a big day in our house for the girls!

First-the drama...

Madyson got in the car after school yesterday and just started bawling. she had gotten a purple face for talking (it goes green (good)...purple (warning)..etc.) It was horrible for her. She cried about how sorry she was she didn't get green and that she won't ever do it again. I couldn't help but snicker! I am surprise she lasted this long without getting one! (she is my child...) after a hug and "your going to make mistakes sometimes and thats okay....as long as we don't let our mistakes become our habits.." talk....she was much better.

Then the excitement....

Ballet started back yesterday! 

And this little cutie was so excited! she has patiently waited 2 years as the "little sister" and now she is a "balareena"