Happy Belated Birthday Daphne!

Well, as it turns out, I'm not going to win the "Mother of the Year" award. I can't believe that I forgot to post about Daphne's birthday! I'm claiming that I didn't post anything on her birthday because I was waiting until we had her party, but the truth is that I forgot.

Daphne turned 6 years old on October 29th. It's hard to believe that she's that old!On the day of her birthday, I ate with her at school, but we didn't have her party until this past Saturday. We had a family party at our church because the more our family grows the smaller my house gets. All the kids brought bikes, scooters, and other outside toys. We rode around the church parking lot and played soccer on the front lawn. Then we went inside to eat pizza and open presents. I think that everyone and a good time and all the kids were worn out and ready for a good night's sleep.

As I've done with Kaylee and Noah, I want to take a minute and let everyone get to know Daphne a little bit better.

Daphne is.....the oldest child and a natural leader; sometimes she thinks that she is the boss and that she knows everything. I really think that she believes that she could run the house without Micah and me; she is very, very smart. Her reading abilities amaze me! She will pick out a book, sit in her bed, and figure out the words and then read it to me and Micah; she's a good big sister and likes to help (most of the time) around the house; she will even get Noah dressed if I need her to; She is my pickiest eater, but I can't complain much because I am a very picky eater, too; She's very much into fashion and likes to pick out her own clothes and come up with her own outfits; she loves any kind of craft, drawing, etc,; she is a good athlete; she isn't afraid of any rollercoaster or other rides; I'm sure that she drives her teacher at school crazy with questions of "why" and "how"; she tends to be a perfectionist and we're trying to teach her that she doesn't have to point out how the other kids did something wrong or colored outside of the lines; she knows that smoking is bad and she will announce this anytime she sees someone in public smoking or if she sees a cigarette on the ground; she struggles with her inside voice (as do I); Daphne is the coolest 6 year old I know and we're so proud and lucky to claim her as our daughter.

Like any parent, especially a "Mother of the Year", I could go on and on talking about my kids and how great they are, but I will spare you for now.

Happy 6th Birthday Daphne! We love you!

My Name Picture

I wanted everyone to see the picture that my friend Terri made for us. It's currently sitting on top of our entertainment center. I absolutely love this picture! I got really frustrated trying to take a picture of it because I don't think any of them do it justice. All of the letters are from different signs around Searcy. Most of them are from Harding and the "X" is from the clock where Clara's buried. That was a very touching surprise. If you would like a name picture of your own, go to Terri's blog to contact her. Thanks again Terri!

Happy Halloween!

Here are some pictures from our church's Trunk or Treat on Thursday night. We're headed to may parents' church Halloween night so that will mean more pictures and a lot more candy!


Princess Tiger Lily, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell


The Two Peter Pans


All the Sexson Kids (minus Heidi) - this one's for Grammy and Granddad!

Johnston's Pumpkin Patch

Today the Mother's Day Out program went to visit Johnston's Pumpkin Patch in Greenbrier. This is a wonderful place and the kids always have a great time. We've been going there for the past four years. They have lots of pumpkins, farm animals, hay rides, and much more. It was a beautiful day to go. It started out a little chilly, but quickly warmed up to where we were all comfortable. We got quite a bit of rain last night so there was a lot of mud, but luckily we didn't have too many kids fall in it. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story!

P.S. - Daphne isn't in any of the pictures because usually she'd be at school, but she came home Wednesday sick so she got to spend the day at Grandma's house. She was feeling much better by the time I picked her up this afternoon.

First of all, I want to say that I'm sorry for not posting very often lately. We usually have something to do every single night of the week. Hopefully, things won't be as hectic in a few weeks and I'll do a better job of keeping up with my posts. I have a few friends that blog daily which amazes me. I'm amazed that they have the time and also that they have something interesting to say everyday.

Micah started a new job last week in the narcotics division. This job allows him to grow out his hair and his beard and basically wear whatever he wants to such as cut-off shorts, dirty t-shirts, hats, etc. Needless to say, he's thrilled. This is his ideal work and pretty much anytime wear. He's supposed to be able to blend in with the druggies so he's beginning to look quite thug-like. I'll try to post pictures often so everyone can see him evolving.

On Saturday, we went to the Airshow at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. That's what all the pictures are from. The weather was beautiful, sunny, but with a cool breeze. They only problem was that I forgot to bring sunscreen so we all have pink cheeks. We had a lot of fun and the best part was that everything (except for the food) is free. We even got a lot of free ice cream. The kids got to climb on a variety of airplanes. They were quite impressed with the flight demonstrations especially the Blue Angels and the 300 soldiers who parachuted out of the cargo planes.



Micah and the Kids in front of a cargo plane



Just some of the 300 Parachuters



Noah in a tank



Daphne in a tank



Kaylee looking out the window of an airplane



I didn't take this because my camera is way too slow, but I found it online.

Congratulations Hicks Family!

I want to say congratulations to my friends John and Melissa Hicks! Also congratulations to Big Sister Kayden! John and Melissa had a baby girl today that they named Brecken Ann. This is the same baby that I asked for prayers for a few months ago. So far, everything looks healthy. You can look at Melissa's website or her sister Terri's for more information and pictures.

Our Weekend

Here are some pictures from this weekend. There's some from Daphne's soccer game Saturday morning. Our usual coach was out of town so Micah filled in. For some reason Micah believes that soccer is only for girls so I'm glad I was able to get some pictures of him on the soccer field. I'll be able to taunt him with them for the rest of our marriage! The rest of the pictures are from Family Weekend at Harding. They had inflatables set up for the kids and a lot of good food. Belles and Beaus performed throughout the afternoon which was nice. I really enjoyed listening to them. After we ate, Micah's mom took the kids so that Micah and I could go to the football game and actually be able to watch it. The Bisons won!! And it turned out to be a really good game. I have always enjoyed watching football, but it was extra nice to get to watch it with Micah. (It was also nice getting to watch it with my in-law siblings Marshall and Amy!)

On Sunday, we went to church in Bradford with Micah's parents and then we drove back to Searcy to visit the cemetery. For those of you who don't know, Micah and I had a daughter that was stillborn. Clara Jade Sexson was born on Sunday, October 5th, 2001. She would have been seven years old. We always visit her grave site on her birthday and we try to go several other times throughout the year as well. She is buried in the Garden of Time which is where several other babies and young children are buried, too. This day is always a hard one for Micah and me. We spend most of it crying and saying prayers of thanks for Daphne, Kaylee, and Noah. It's amazing how much you can miss someone that you never really even knew. However, last year and this year it has also been very hard for Daphne and Kaylee. They don't understand why Clara is in heaven and they say how much they miss her and would like to play with her. This, of course, makes it even harder for Micah and me because that is something that's really hard to explain. We love you Clara and we miss you very much, but we know that we will see you in heaven one day!


The Garden of Time


Both of the girls thought that Clara's marker was too dirty so they cleaned it off with some wet wipes. They made it very shiny and pretty.