the newsletter

1 husband out of town + 1 AHG meeting (picture day) + 3 wrestling practices + 2 days of after school project work (Zach) + 2 track practices + 1 Wednesday night youth group + 2 parent meetings + teacher appreciation week at one child's school = 1 frazzled mom who is thankful for friends and family who provide taxi services on occasion and 1 wrecked house - and that was just this past week

Family Life
To catch up on my family blog, we must go back one week to Friday, February 19th. Andy and I each arrived home from work exhausted and ready to call it a day. However, we could not do that because the girls had a father/daughter event with AHG, and I planned a special outing for the boys and me. Tired as we were, I do believe that we enjoyed our time out with the kids.

Andy's event with the girls was a dress up event, so Julia and I had fun taking pictures while we waited for Andy and Savannah to get ready.

Julia insisted on this angle for this picture. You can see that we have a recently framed picture of her on the mantle awaiting its permanent residence on a wall yet to be determined in our home. Julia wanted her formal portrait in this picture and since it is a beautiful but copyrighted portrait, this is the best I can do to share it on the blog.

The girls enjoyed learning to dance with Dad.

While the girls enjoyed dressing up, dancing, and hanging out with Dad; the boys and I saw The Blind Side. I rarely see movies. Both time and money prevent me from making it to the theater, and this was probably the first movie I have seen in a year or two. We met my sister there, and Tessa and I both loved the movie. Zach loved that the movie was about a defensive lineman as they rarely get the glory. If I only see a movie every two years, I am glad to have put my money and time in this one. If you have not seen it, obviously, I recommend that you do.

Now The Blind Side is not animated, so I was sure that Wyatt would not be thrilled with it. He tried to make a last minute plea for Avatar, but that was not happening. I knew that I would have to make amends (though I do think that Wyatt actually enjoyed the movie). Pleasing Wyatt is as easy as filling his stomach, so I made plans to take the boys to Chick-Fil-A after the show. Unfortunately, Wyatt wanted a burger, but he made due, and we enjoyed our time together.

Wrestling

Upon Andy's return home, we enjoyed the season ending wrestling banquet on Friday, February 26th. It was a fun time at a place with games and pizza and general chaos. When you are chasing kids at these places, they are having a ball, but getting those last moments in with the other parents is impossible.

Because Wyatt practiced with the team but never participated in a match, we were not sure if he would get a trophy. Wyatt participates in sports primarily for the trophy. We are trying to get across to him that he should do what he loves for fun, and the trophy is only a token to remember the good times he had. I don't think he gets it. Wyatt did get a trophy, and to this team, he is like a much-loved younger brother. The boys all cheered for him as his name was called (Wyatt was busy working the room. I can't decide if he will be a politician or a preacher when he grows up). His face says it all in this picture, doesn't it?

Zach was awarded the "most improved" award. A little history on Zach's wrestling career. He started last year, so this was only his second season. Zach went from winning very few matches last year to winning most of his matches this year. In fact he took the district title and placed second in the region. After the awards banquet, Zach headed out of town for the state tournament. Because of weather the state tournament date and location was moved and the banquet had already been planned, so the banquet fell before the tournament.

First match at the tournament - Zach pins his opponent.

In tournament action, Zach pinned his first two opponents. They both put up tough fights, but Zach managed to win those two matches guaranteeing his place in the top six. The top six in the state place and get medals. In Zach's third match, he was fighting to make it into the championship round, and he lost by one point. Unfortunately, Zach thought he was ahead until it was over, so he may have been more aggressive had he known. When you are ahead with a fairly equal opponent, you have to work hard but avoid making risky moves that could get you pinned. He then went on to try and get a spot in the match to determine third place and lost that match in overtime. That put him in a match to try and get fifth place which he won after a triple overtime. I give these details because what was clear to me was that the boys in 2nd through 6th place were pretty evenly matched and any one of them could have landed any where on that medal stand. Zach was very close to second or third place. I don't think any of them could beat the number 1 guy. I am so proud of how hard Zach has worked and that he placed in state.

Zach's team placed second.

Ending wrestling season brings us to a tough decision. Our kids have attended the same Christian school since Zach started there in kindergarten. Wyatt is the exception because he did not do well there (long story on my other blog). When they started there, we chose this school because it was big enough to support a football team giving our different kids opportunities to pursue their different interests while getting a Christ-centered education. However, Zach loves wrestling, has done very well with it, and there is no team at our school. Now we are struggling with whether Zach is ready to be salt and light in the public school system or if we need to keep him at the school where we feel like we are part of a family, and we are impressed with the spiritual and academic education he is receiving. We know that the most important thing is that Zach walks with Christ, and we also know that you cannot wrestle for a club in high school. You either wrestle for a high school, or you don't wrestle. Now we begin weighing our options and praying as we try and make the best decision for our Zach and our family.

Mom

After some setbacks with infections, my mom finally started chemo this week. She felt fine after this first round and was able to attend church on Saturday night. We continue to pray the tumors will shrink and disappear as we long for a miracle.

The Quote of the Week

Julia needed new shoes, so I took her to get them, and this is what she said to me: "We can have light up shoes at my school now. Someone in my class, who I am dating, has green light up shoes." dating and light up shoes, oh to be five again

What would you do with a million bucks?

While the possibility of suddenly having a million bucks is highly unlikely, it is always fun to dream about what you would do with it. Sure, my house has many projects that I would like to complete. I do not think I would move, and my kids are always wanting more. I would like to give them more. A weekend getaway, a trip to Disney, a DS for every child are all things it would be fun to have (maybe some obedience training for the dog). However, if given this much money, first on my list would be to take my entire family to China to volunteer at a camp for orphans. I want my children to see how people live with less. I want them to see that we are incredibly blessed, and I want them to grow up to have a passion to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and take care of the widows and orphans (my example at this point is not cutting it in getting them there). If you have not had a chance to check out http://www.bringmehope.org/ , then go there some time and watch Hannah's Story. This organization runs summer camps for the orphans in China, and I so want to join them someday. I know full well that if the opportunity ever arises, I will be forever changed by it. Oh, keep a box of tissues handy. :)

Made in China

so, what has been happening at our house? snow days - two this week, and enough snow to make it appear that we have no deck (there are actually two stairs from the deck to the yard)
For the record we have no sledding pictures because I have never done that and neither have my kids. I keep saying we will do it next year, but the money never seems to be there to buy the boots and long johns, so....maybe next year.

Can you find the dog? Shiloh is five months old today.

She does not seem to have a favorite person.

These two keep us amused. Check out their sweatshirts. Wyatt's says "Made in China" in both Chinese and English (at least I think that is what is says in Chinese, how would I know?). Julia's says "100% American Girl -Hand Wash Only - Do Not Bleach --Made in China." I have wanted to buy these for a long time and finally broke down and did it.

My purse started falling apart. I loved this purse that Wyatt helped me pick out. It was about a year ago, and his English was pretty good. He wanted me to buy a baby poop yellow purse...ick. He told me black was a bad color, but this one was shiny, so I think that is why he approved.

Why is a new purse cause for a family celebration?

black cell phone + black purse lining = lost cell phone

My kids had the constant joy of trying to find my ringing cell phone in my purse whenever we were on the road. A joy that brought much groaning. Well guess what...finding a purse without a black lining is no small task, and I did not accomplish it, but the small pocket on the front of this purse should save my kids some headaches. Now if I can fit everything in my smaller purse.

Savannah does not care to wear jewelry, but she loves to bead it, so she has been beading bracelets so much after our beading bee that I bought her the stuff to continue. She can do what she loves, and we can donate the results to fight autism and to missionaries who want trinkets to hand out on short-term mission trips. How's that for finding a purpose in something you love?

Today was also supposed to be the day that my mom started chemo, but we have another setback. She has cellulitis in her arm and now has to go through another antibiotic. Keep praying. Your prayers are much appreciated!!

a dance, a new year, and a day to celebrate love

One advantage of having our children in separate school systems is that sometimes things work out for us to be at events at both schools. Julia's class had their Valentine's party on Thursday afternoon because they did not have school on Friday, so I was able to join her for her party. The senior class always sells balloons as a fund-raiser, so balloons were in abundance in her classroom, and Julia was so excited to see me there. She grabbed me by the hand and marched me right over to her desk so that she could show off her loot. I had forgotten that in a kindergarten class with only a dozen students, the kids bring in full treat bags for their friends. Julia's little Laffy Taffy valentines seemed a little lame, but who needs all that candy?

On Friday Wyatt's class had their party, so I was able to make it to that one too. Andy planned to surprise me by showing up at the party. He did not tell me that he had Friday off, but I busted him when I sent an e-mail to his work and got his out of office reply. A party for 26 students instead of 12 creates a bit more chaos. Andy said he would teach middle school over 26 first graders any day, so our hats are off to Wyatt's teacher.

On Saturday Wyatt's school hosted a dance, and students could bring someone special. We had a bit of a mix up because we did not get our tickets. I sent the money in on Thursday because school was cancelled for snow on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I did not get a response. I told Wyatt before leaving that we might not be able to stay, and I was tired, so I was really okay with that. However, they were selling tickets at the door, so I bought the tickets and went on to get the biggest kick out of Wyatt's dance moves and his sweet friendship with Abbi.

I think this is the Cha-Cha Slide.

Abbi and Wyatt had a great time jumping on the lights as they moved across the floor. I get such a kick out of the difference in their height. Abbi is tall for a first grader, and Wyatt is short for first grader, so he only comes up to her shoulders.

Wyatt won a dance with his former kindergarten teacher.

The dance was scheduled to raise funds for the basketball and cheer leading teams, and they put a limit on the number of tickets sold. Unfortunately, they only sold about half the tickets that they wanted to sell. I do think that this will be THE EVENT next year as this was the first time they did this. I must add that it was a bargain at $3.00 a person compared to $12.00 a person for Julia's father/daughter dance which is not a fund-raiser.

This picture is random, but it is my attempt to get a picture of Julia's pouty face which she uses on us when she is not getting her way. I must now interject Julia's funny quote of the week. Two snow days last week meant that Zachary, Savannah, and Julia were supposed to go to school today, a day that was originally scheduled off for them. Julia said to me, "we have a make-up day, does that mean we have to wear make-up?" Wouldn't my little glam girl just love that idea?

For the first year since we brought Julia home, we did not celebrate the Chinese New Year with our local Families with Children from China group. It was scheduled on the night that Zachary was supposed to be at the state tournament, and we had so much other stuff going on that we skipped it. Instead, we opted for lunch out at an Asian restaurant on Sunday which happened to be both the Chinese New Year and Valentine's day. Our lunch was very nice except that both the boys ended up not feeling well. We went to an Asian buffet, and I think Wyatt got too exotic, and Zach just got too much. We had fun recounting the days Zachary and Savannah were born and the days we met Wyatt and Julia in China, a very appropriate thing to do on Chinese New Years as they celebrate all birthdays on that day in China. Our server tried to teach me how to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese, but her pronunciation was very different than what I am used to hearing in America, and I am a poor language student. She thanked us for adopting Wyatt and Julia. I think they should be thanked for being such incredible blessings to our family.

After our lunch we came home and did our traditional celebration of Valentine's day. Normally the kids decorate a cake. We opted for cupcakes this year because the cake pan was occupied with an apple crisp that Andy had baked. Along with the chocolates that everyone in the family received, we are in sugarland for sure here.

Of course Zach is too old for this tradition but not to old to enjoy the result.

While I baked cupcakes, Savannah was busy baking pudding filled muffins for a project at school, so we ran late for the next part of our Valentine's celebration. When Savannah's muffins were almost finished, we had a full blown dramatic and scary situation here. Julia suffered a nose bleed like none I have ever seen before. She was supposed to see the doctor today to see if her strep is gone, and after another nose bleed this morning, I definitely want to address this situation with our doctor. However, we have rescheduled the appointment for next week due to the weather, so we will wait.

Fortunately, the bleeding stopped so that we could go to my parent's house and join my sisters, Mom, and sister-in-law in beading bracelets. These bracelets are sold to raise money to beat autism, and we had a ball making them. Some of the guys even got in on the action. We borrowed the kit after Tessa, Tara, and I made them as part of a service project in our Bible study. We had such a great time that night, and I think I am hooked. It is like being part of a quilting bee where women gather to work and chat. Last night was such fun that we stayed so late that I missed one of my very favorite Olympic events (okay it is my favorite) - pairs figure skating.

I ended up buying five bracelets. That is the only down side to this beading. I love bracelets. I bought two purple ones in honor of the color for pancreatic cancer as I continue to pray that God will give us a miracle and cure my mom of this dreadful disease.

So we stayed very late, and Wyatt ended up staying the night as he did not have school today. I was a little concerned about leaving him without any clean clothes as we were supposed to get a big snow last night, and I was afraid he would get stuck. Julia was very disappointed that she did not get to stay too, but she was supposed to have school today. Well, as it turns out, we do have messy roads, and Zach, Savvy, and Julia have the day off. It does appear that Wyatt is stuck. OOPS! He gets pretty spoiled over there, so I am sure he does not mind one bit.

a superhero among us- who knew?

Julia was playing superhero with Wyatt tonight. Apparently, that requires a special costume for her while Wyatt remains in his school uniform. note the dress, ahem "cape" The untrained eye might mistake the "jet pack" for a balloon

Finally, snow worthy of a snowman

While we slept last night, a school-halting amount of snow was dumped on us. So, we slept really late (Zach got up at noon). We have had one other snow day this year, and the snow at that time was too powdery to stick, so a snowman was out of the question. When I went outside this morning to snap some pictures of Shiloh in the snow, I realized that this was snowman snow that we had on our hands. Of course I am not going out to play in it, but I thought the kids would be excited. They weren't, and I assumed that Shiloh would be the only one in this family getting any time outside today.

Baby, I was born to run!

Shiloh took her pig's ear outside and buried it in the snow.

There it is.

Andy came home for lunch, and Savannah did actually go to work on a snowman. She got a little help from Julia. You can't tell from the picture, but that snowman is wearing a Broncos cap.

Zach built a fort.

I have been unusually tired lately and even considered calling in sick so that I could sleep one day last week, so today I slept late and also took a two hour nap. I think I am still recovering from watching the Superbowl Sunday night and then arriving home at close to 11:00p.m. with a 5:30a.m. wake up call ahead of me. Maybe I will be functional for the rest of the week with this relatively unexpected reprieve.