Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad is pretty adamant about not having his picture taken, so I  do the best I can.

Last night we gathered at my dad's house to celebrate his birthday.  He wanted us all there, so he paid for most of the dinner.  Dad likes to have the family all together, and I think he would like for us all to move in with him.  Because my sister works third shift, Austin and Logan have been staying at Dad's house during the week.  He then brings them out to join us a the pool a few days a week.

Jonathan was working late, so he and Danielle arrived after Regan's (9 months old) bedtime. She was still so much fun even though she was tired.  Every time Jonathan walked past her, whether he looked her way or not, Regan's face would light up and she would grin.  She definitely loves her daddy, but she saves all her kisses for her mom.  Jonathan gets no kisses from her which I blame on his beard, but she won't even let him have them when he shaves it off.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Sometimes you just have to appreciate a good laugh

I get to go to bed laughing tonight over Julia's latest statement: "Something is wrong with my taste buds. I put soap on them today to clean them." 


Andy did verify that she did not put soap in her mouth to clean up bad language.


I did ask if something was wrong prior to cleaning them or after.  She indicated that nothing was wrong before or after.


So I stood there trying to hold my composure after Julia's matter of fact, as if this happens everyday, statement.

Sunday update:
Our day did not start off well. We overslept, and Julia could not find either of her two pairs of sandals. We all lose things, but Julia seems to have a talent for this.  I can't count how many times I buy her clothes, and they disappear for months and then resurface out of the blue. I was very upset with her, and she was very upset. It was not pretty. We did not go to worship in the right frame of mind.
On our return from church, we were in better moods,and I told Julia that she has to get her act together.  She responded with: "I am the youngest. I am supposed to be crazy."

Six weeks later....

Julia had her ears pierced six weeks ago tomorrow.  We changed her earrings for the first time today.  Savannah, in the meantime, decided that she wanted a second hole for her ears.  After letting her think it over for a few days and taking the upcoming field hockey season into consideration, she went for it today.  I never expected my non-glam girl to want so much bling, but she really likes the idea of wearing her fave dangling earrings with a small stud.  Even better, she likes to be a bit different from her peers, and none of them have done this.  As for me, I think Savannah's lobes are right for double piercing.  She has lots of space, and this should be quite cute for her.
Naturally Julia asked immediately if she could also do this...uh, that would be "no."  I was, however, surprised that the two girls getting their ears pierced ahead of Savannah were getting second holes, and they were 5 and 7 years old.

In honor of my summer study....

No other gods by Kelly Minter

I like the picture, and while I think of idols as the computer, FB, TV, money, hobbies, worry etc.  None of those things would be as pretty hanging on my wall.

Sentenced to 30 months or so

Savannah's teeth went to jail today.  The crime...crowding, and an incisor that thinks it is a front tooth and is determined to make its way into the wrong spot.  You should see the X-ray with the incisor almost horizontal above her front teeth, interesting indeed.


Savannah has been anxious to start this treatment.  As an upcoming 8th grader, she has legitimate fears that she will be among the last of her classmates to complete this process.


Andy and I have been less anxious for this day.  We needed $650 for a down payment followed by 25 monthly payments of $112.  We do not have that kind of money.  When we made the appointment, I decided to simply pray that God would provide the down payment.  I told no one about this predicament.  Last Monday when Andy left for work, he informed me that he would be looking into his flexible spending account to see how much money was there. The total came to $662.50 and a huge relief.  So that is our cool God story of the day.


She chose orange and blue (technically teal) bands for her first go round on the braces.  Savannah is her father's daughter (his favorite colors are Broncos blue and orange).

More Wall Art Possibilities

This one doesn't make sense unless you know that this is Wyatt's finding place.

Remember that clicking on the picture opens it so that you can see it bigger.

Wall Art?

I have had an idea for a while now.  An idea to take some of the pictures I have taken with my much-loved camera and get creative.  Using the tools from Picnik, I have been playing with some of my recent photos.  I am thinking that I can frame these for our bare dining room wall.  This gives me two advantages.  It allows us to incorporate scripture on the walls of our home, and this is much cheaper and more personal than buying prints.  What do you think of my work so far?

Remember that you can always click on the picture to see it bigger.  You can then click on the bigger picture to see it even bigger.  If I print and frame these, they will be 8X10s.

One tricky little thing about Picnik is that when the picture is printed, it does not always match the original.  In this case when I pulled up the print preview, I found that the print will not be as long as the original, so the bottom commandment gets cut off.  Unfortunately, fixing this means completely re-doing it.  

Confession

He admitted it just the other day.  We were at the pool.  I can't remember how it came up, but Wyatt sheepishly stated, "okay, there are two girls who think I am cute."  Just two?  Really Wyatt, with your charm, adorable smile, and outgoing nature, I think you may have a few secret admirers as well.  Sorry Ladies.  His mama gets to keep him for a while.

Comic and lovable relief

While I was away overnight, Wyatt and Julia decided to make cards for me.  Wyatt's card simply states "I love you."  He gave me a hug when he handed it to me and stated "this card comes with a hug."  He's just so stinkin' cute!

Julia's card was a bit more busy than Wyatt's and came with the interesting text transcribed below:

Clearly someone is singing "Baby, baby, baby...be mine mine" according to the drawing labeled Justin Bieber.  Out to the side, it says: "look it's you with Justin Bieber"

Underneath this drawing is another drawing labeled "Love Story."  Two characters are drawn with the statement:  "Oh it's a love story baby just say yes"

On the right side inside of the card is the following note:

Dear Mom,

I missed you so much.  are you good?  you are so spical to me.  I love you so much your as cute as Justin Bieber.  Thank you so much for the things like toys, a room, sports, clothes, and other things to.

Love, Julia

P.S. You are so like singers, like taylor swift, Justin Bieber

It is good to know that I rank up there with Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift in Julia's book.

I finally asked Wyatt today to let me see if he has any end of the year awards, and he pulled this self-portrait out of his backpack.  I love it!  Savannah pointed out that he even drew his dimples.  How cute is that!?  Wyatt put some of his favorite things on the borders of the picture. He included Bakugan, crystals, TV, a yo-yo, candy, a beyblade, Pokemon, and a Christmas tree.  We have some kindergarten art done by Zach and Savannah hanging in the entryway to our home.  I think this piece of Wyatt's will be a worthy addition to that area.

I also learned that he got the Excellence Award for being a Super Scientist.  

Julia got the Fruit of the Spirit Award for Peace.  I am slightly perplexed by that, not that Julia isn't peaceful, but she is rather spunky.  I guess that she does get along very well with everyone.

Savannah got the honor roll award.  Her homeroom award stated that she has a tender heart and is always ready to share a smile. She finished the year with all 'A's.  During the course of the year, she maintained all 'A's except for one B+ in Science.  She received the Principal's Award (given to the student with the highest average in that teacher's classes) for Literature.  This one came as a surprise to us as Savannah's first academic love is math.

As for Zach, high school is quite an adjustment.  He survived the year and finished strong in a few of his classes.  He passed Latin, but it really kicked his butt.   He is hoping to find a job this summer as we really could use the help paying for football.  

Gotcha!

Three years ago today, we met a boy ready for adventure.  With no tears at all, he joined our family and let us know by the end of the day that he loved Coke (or Cola as he called it).  We worried about communication, but it was rarely ever a problem.  Happy Gotcha Day Wyatt!

Beautiful

In a bit of respite from the pain of life that seems to be becoming a constant here, I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful state park.  We stayed overnight in a cabin and enjoyed hiking, an indoor water park, and abundant beauty.  This post will show off some of the amazing scenery.

This was my first time visiting this park, and I am very hopeful for a return in the fall. I am sure that it is amazing at that time of year.

Gotcha!

Happy Gotcha Day to Julia!  Six (I can hardly believe it) years ago, eight families flew from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and met our daughters within two hours.  We had a pretty upset and despondent group of children.  Julia let us know very clearly how she felt about us when she screamed at us for three hours.  Now, Julia is firmly set in this family and lets us know that she wants to remain the baby of the family.

true

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/opinion/01ravitch.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

New York Times article

This article came across my e-mail a few days ago.  The opinions of this author are quite accurate.  I have seen this firsthand.  Depending on how you use the statistics, I have either been at a failing school or an amazing school for the last few years.  Now that we have faced the restaffing option, my guess is that the powers that be (ie. the government who passed this terrible law) will use the stats to show off the successes of this school.
Unfortunately, much damage was done in the process.  If you have never watched a career that has spanned decades be ripped out of someone's hands, you may not know the devastation it causes.  I just watched that very thing become a key component in the unthinkable -suicide.
The schools will continue to be as good as the support at home behind the students who walk through the door.  That is the simple truth.

Happy 7th Birthday Julia!

A "Tangled" cake

love the perspective on this one...lots of fun earrings, and I still have to buy more because she needs a quality pair for swimming, the beach and camp this summer

rockin' the Justin Bieber mic

Austin and Logan each brought a friend, so Zach scrounged up some old shorts so that the boys could enjoy the hot tub.  Naturally, Wyatt was one of the boys as well.

Julia wanted to set the order of events.  Presents were to come pretty early.  As it turned out, Tara had to leave early, so Julia opened one gift before Tara left.  She then saved some of her gifts because Tiffany had to be there late.  When it came time for pictures with the guests, Julia insisted on including the gifts.

Regan was all smiles the whole time.  She's at that great age when babies are pure fun.  She also arrived sporting newly pierced ears.

It wasn't an easy week.  I attended the most painful funeral I have ever attended and was charged with comforting my heart-broken nephew during the service.  I closed the door on 18 years at a school that I love and said goodbye to a staff that I adore.  However, the week ended in celebration...the celebration of a beginning. We celebrated Julia's 7th birthday with family, cake and presents consisting of earrings, Webkinz, and Justin Beiber stuff.  She thanked us again and again.  So she didn't get the mansion and bathroom she listed, but she apparently had a very fun birthday and enjoyed the guests and the gifts very much.
Seven years ago someone decided to leave Julia in a place where she would be found.  Six years ago we met her and began the adventure of a lifetime.  We are grateful that life was chosen for our spunky girl who lives, loves and dreams big.