Uncle Nolan

On Sunday January 23, 2011 we lost Uncle Nolan.  He was so strong and brave right up until the very end. He was completely surrounded by his family that loved him dearly, as he passed from this life. What a joyous reunion I'm sure he had with his family on the other side.  Aunt Elaine is so strong and has taken such good care of him. What a beautiful thing to witness, her love and encouragement to him as he was ready to pass. Assuring him, she and the kids would be fine and take care of one another.
What a blessing to know Families are Forever.   We love you Uncle Nolan.. You will be missed



Spring Fever

It's hard to believe it's January by looking at these pictures...

SUNNY AND 67 DEGREE'S

We love this weather, if only it would last.

Little Things

The older I get the more I realize, it's the little things in life, that make me the happiest...

In this CRAZY hussle and bussle of life, it seems we never have time, to "just stop and smell the roses" so to speak. There is always a ball game to be at, or a practice to get to, school programs, classes to teach, meetings to attend, and the list goes on and on and on.......  Why is it so easy to get caught up in this crazy thing we call life ?

I LOVE to cuddle up on the couch and watch movies or read stories, with my hubby and kids. We used to do this all the time, now it doesn't happen as often, so it makes me even happier when it does.

I LOVE the fact that my kids still want to talk to me about their day, and whats going on in their life.

I LOVE the late night talks Mark and I have coming home from "wherever", when the car is quiet and the kids are asleep.

I LOVE that ALL my kids still get excited everynight when Mark gets home from work, and bombard him with the days events in 30 seconds time ;-)

I LOVE that even though Paden is 14, he still tells me He loves me, even when his friends are around.

I LOVE the fact that my kids still want me to tuck them in at night, and spend that few minutes of alone time with them before they fall asleep.

I LOVE the fact that I get random texts throughout the day from Mark, just telling me he loves me.

I LOVE that even though they fight like cats and dogs, my kids still want to make blanket forts with every blanket in the house and get in and giggle like crazy at themselves.

I could go on and on and on,.....

I realize someday some of these things will stop, and I know that they will be replaced with other things that I LOVE. But for now, this is what my life is about, and it's these little things that make my life complete, and get me through the craziness of everyday.

These crazy kids of mine..

There have many times in my life that things have amazed me, but my kids seem to do it on a daily basis. I am posting just a few pictures from the last few months. But each of the pictures captures them so well. They each have such unique, and differnt personalities, but at the same time they are so similar it's scary.

Paden and Garett played on the same Jr. High football team this year. It was so much fun to watch them play together. Nothing like brothers out for blood. They went UNDEAFTED all season, and had very few games that were even close. Another round of Panther football players in the making. It's pretty neat to watch them learn and grow together. This picture was taken after the last game, I needed one good one of them together in uniforms. As This is Paden's last year in Jr. so next year they won't be together. This by far is one of my very favorites pictures of these 2 together.  I hope they always remember how they felt that day !

Then we have Taylor. What an important part to our family. Without her we would definately not have near the excitment around here that we do. I can't always say it's good excitement :), but we LOVE her and her strong willed personality. Her favorite place to be is anywhere her Dad is. She is most definately a daddy's girl. She loves to drive her brothers crazy, (not that it is to hard)  but then turns around and does the sweetest things for them. She is a spitfire. As far as she is concerned there isn't anything she can't do ! And as long as she believes that -- look out world !!!!

And where would we be without this little man ? He brings so much joy and laughter into our home. All of my kids are pretty quick witted(they get that from Mark), but this boy is above and beyond  anything I could ever imagine. This picture absolutely captures his personality. This is him 24/7. And he makes us laugh just as much. He is growing up so fast, he loves to be with his brothers on whatever adventure they are embarking on. But is just as happy to hang out and play with Taylor. He LOVES his DS and as many ball games and late night trips as he's been to in his life, it's been a lifesaver numerous times.

 It's easy for all parents to say they have great kids.... But i truley believe I do. They are hard workers, good students, loving, kind and caring people that are willing to help others with whatever they can. I hope you enjoy the pictures and a little gimpse into their lives.. {{{{HUGS}}}} 

all is well

don't faint........i know it has been so long since i've posted anything, most of you probably thought i'd given up. well you were mostly right ;)
    but 1 of my new years resolutions was to keep this updated ( even if that is just once a week )
so many things have happened since i last posted anything i wouldn't even know where to begin to catch up, so i think maybe it's better if i just continue forward and do so much better from now on !


all is well with the higbee's  we are as busy as ever, and trying to be somewhat more organized.---
   the older the kids get the more out of control i feel my life gets. the days that i plan on being home and getting all my "mommy duties" done, are the days that i get 50 phone calls from each of the kids, saying i've forgotten a library book or my p.e. clothes, or hey mom can you run down and check this out. i have to admilt some days it drives me CRAZY..... until i start thinking about how fast life is speeding by. i'm realizing, before i know it, my kids will be grown and heading out to start lives of their own(what a scary thought for me). as a mother i guess i just hope that i have them ready to go out into the world and face whatever they may be faced with. so if that means that no laundry gets done until midnight because they have needed me during the day, or that dinner is a little late, and when we finally eat we do it on paper plates, because who knows if there will be time to do the dishes before someone needs help with homework, or a project, or oh mom i forgot i have practice RIGHT NOW ! i'm really o.k. with it. my house may not always be emaculate, but guess what we live in it, and it's always full of warmth, and kids and friends, and food, and a lot of chaos---- so to me that means it's full of LOVE, and that makes me one happy momma