So I just want to give you a glimpse into our morning drive to school. I also want to remember this time in life so that when morning drives to wherever are quiet and peaceful, I will remember these mornings I am having now. Let me just take you from the moment I walk out the door til the moment I drop the kids off at school. We take one vehicle to school...saves money and Autumn doesn't need a car since she works for the school. Anyway, we send the girls to the car about 3-4 minutes before we go out. I step out of the house and listen...I would say 2-3 days out of 5 I hear crying of some sorts, but the days I don't are lovely. We switch around seating arrangements based on days--odd days are certain people in front (middle seat) and so on...but they get a little confused sometimes on what the date is, so we have to clear up the date, get people in the right place. Usually all the girls have to apologize to each other because one looked at the other wrong or whatever. And the days that no one is crying, we celebrate with victorious wahoos and screams!
Then we start off to school. Out come the spelling lists (from 3 of the girls) and we start reviewing spelling words. I don't know if I can describe this in the right way so you can get the full effect, but if you would be in our van during this time, you would CRACK up. Usually, S is singing or talking to herself, M or H has their list out and is reviewing with Autumn, I am driving, M or H (whichever is not working with Autumn) has their list and reviewing to themselves, and A, who is supposed to have her list out, is sitting there saying random things as the others spell their words. For example:
Autumn: December (or whatever the word is)
H: Capital D-e-c-.....
A: December remember delember, ashember, lenember,
H: e-m-...
A: m-a-p
H: b-e
A: Hey, b-e...bees make honey
H: r
Autumn: good....S, don't sing so loud I can't hear H,...A, get your words out
A: what words?
Autumn: spelling
A: What's spelling?
Autumn: H, next word
And so it continues....spelling lists flying around the van, random things being said, songs being sung...............I am going to miss this someday!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Tastes like playdough
People used to comment ALL the time on how sweet S's smile is. Well, she still smiles the same amount, and people still notice her smile, but now, instead of saying how sweet it is, they say how ornery her smile is. Yes, there is a lot of mischief behind that big grin, and we just know that if we haven't heard or seen S in a few minutes, go looking and expect to find some sort of mess or mischief. The mess is usually much greater if S and A are together. We have found clumps of hair on the ground, leading us to search heads and find where the hair should belong (luckily it wasn't a lot and wasn't obvious) and the scissors near by; we have found sharpie all over the couch cushions, which came out when Autumn scrubbed it with shout or something and then let it sit in the sun a while; we have found marker on furniture, papers cut, candy wrappers under mattresses. If they are quiet, there is usually some sort of mess to be found. I really thought they would have grown out of this stage by ages 5 and 7, but I have to rethink that one cause I was wrong!
The other day, I was doing something (cooking or cleaning I think) and I was just thinking that S was quiet and I should go look for her. She came out of her room wanting something to drink, but she was crying about it and whining, which automatically makes me say no. I don't even really listen to the request if I hear whining and crying, I just say no. She stopped crying enough to tell me the problem. Here is was our conversation:
S: It tastes like play dough in my mouth so I want some water.
Me: Why does it taste like play dough in your mouth?
She then gives the look. The pouty look that is a total confession in itself to whatever you are asking/accusing her of.
Me: Okay, come on, why does your mouth taste like play dough? S, did you EAT play dough?
S pouts a little more and nods her head ever so slightly.
Me: Well, thanks for telling the truth. Let me see.
She opened her mouth and yep, there is green play dough stuck in her teeth.
Me: Well S, why in the world would you eat play dough? I thought you knew not to eat play dough! What did you think that was?
I knew she wouldn't eat play dough. I finally figured it out...she thought it was fondant. I have been decorating cakes lately (I will show you pictures later) and she liked the fondant, and she thought that play dough was fondant. I cracked up! I figured the nasty taste of play dough was punishment enough for trying to sneak my fondant. I love it when they get their own natural consequences and I don't even have to do a thing!!!
The other day, I was doing something (cooking or cleaning I think) and I was just thinking that S was quiet and I should go look for her. She came out of her room wanting something to drink, but she was crying about it and whining, which automatically makes me say no. I don't even really listen to the request if I hear whining and crying, I just say no. She stopped crying enough to tell me the problem. Here is was our conversation:
S: It tastes like play dough in my mouth so I want some water.
Me: Why does it taste like play dough in your mouth?
She then gives the look. The pouty look that is a total confession in itself to whatever you are asking/accusing her of.
Me: Okay, come on, why does your mouth taste like play dough? S, did you EAT play dough?
S pouts a little more and nods her head ever so slightly.
Me: Well, thanks for telling the truth. Let me see.
She opened her mouth and yep, there is green play dough stuck in her teeth.
Me: Well S, why in the world would you eat play dough? I thought you knew not to eat play dough! What did you think that was?
I knew she wouldn't eat play dough. I finally figured it out...she thought it was fondant. I have been decorating cakes lately (I will show you pictures later) and she liked the fondant, and she thought that play dough was fondant. I cracked up! I figured the nasty taste of play dough was punishment enough for trying to sneak my fondant. I love it when they get their own natural consequences and I don't even have to do a thing!!!
Monday, November 29, 2010
My best friend Paula
Shopping with four little girls is always an adventure--we just never know if it will be a fun adventure or an adventure that makes us want to pull our hair out. For the most part, the girls are getting better at shopping. They really don't ask for things as we go down the isles. They really don't beg for things. They do, however, pick at each other, get rowdy and run in the stores, and just plain drive us crazy...sometimes. Sometimes they help us out and bargain shop for things.
M, when she is not bored in a store, CAN be a great helper. She is logical and can quickly read labels and figure out the best deal. H pays attention to details and is great to offer creative input when shopping for things. She is usually obedient and eager to help. If A is in a good mood shopping, we usually all are in a good mood. She asks a MILLION questions and makes comments about EVERYTHING as we shop. Really, this girl sometimes just does NOT stop talking! When she helps, she is great help, although she hasn't caught on to the idea of bargain shopping yet. S usually does good at riding in the cart, not causing too much trouble. She likes to sing as she looks at things down the isle. Now, just imagine this scenario that has happened to me MANY times while shopping. We are walking down the isle, looking for something specific, and making decisions about what to buy. A and S are both in the cart, M and H are walking beside us, kind of playing tag, but trying not to run. We are just strolling along when S SHOUTS as if there is an emergency, "TRINITY!!!!!! THERE IS YOUR FAVORITE GIRL!!!!!!!!!" I am telling you, this sweet smiling girl can get really really loud and she screams with such an urgency that I get afraid something is very wrong every time! I turn around, looking for a good friend when S points her out again. "Right there! It's your favorite girl!" I see her...my best friend Paula....Paula Dean!!! I do love Paula, but I don't just sit down and watch her shows. I guess at some point and time Paula was on TV and I probably said that I love her and S picked up on that. Then S proceeds to loudly shout/announce to the entire store, "You love her cause she loves butter!"
I guess I better just claim it...Paula is my best friend and we love butter!
M, when she is not bored in a store, CAN be a great helper. She is logical and can quickly read labels and figure out the best deal. H pays attention to details and is great to offer creative input when shopping for things. She is usually obedient and eager to help. If A is in a good mood shopping, we usually all are in a good mood. She asks a MILLION questions and makes comments about EVERYTHING as we shop. Really, this girl sometimes just does NOT stop talking! When she helps, she is great help, although she hasn't caught on to the idea of bargain shopping yet. S usually does good at riding in the cart, not causing too much trouble. She likes to sing as she looks at things down the isle. Now, just imagine this scenario that has happened to me MANY times while shopping. We are walking down the isle, looking for something specific, and making decisions about what to buy. A and S are both in the cart, M and H are walking beside us, kind of playing tag, but trying not to run. We are just strolling along when S SHOUTS as if there is an emergency, "TRINITY!!!!!! THERE IS YOUR FAVORITE GIRL!!!!!!!!!" I am telling you, this sweet smiling girl can get really really loud and she screams with such an urgency that I get afraid something is very wrong every time! I turn around, looking for a good friend when S points her out again. "Right there! It's your favorite girl!" I see her...my best friend Paula....Paula Dean!!! I do love Paula, but I don't just sit down and watch her shows. I guess at some point and time Paula was on TV and I probably said that I love her and S picked up on that. Then S proceeds to loudly shout/announce to the entire store, "You love her cause she loves butter!"
I guess I better just claim it...Paula is my best friend and we love butter!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Adoption Day!!!
Can you believe that it has been two years since adoption day! It has gone by so fast. It is so neat to look back and see how far the girls have come and how far we have come as parents! Things that used to be a big obstacle is a little easier now. I think it is so fitting that our A-day anniversary is on Thanksgiving Day this year...very fitting cause we are very thankful! Autumn and I did not set out to adopt. We said from the beginning that we would not adopt. It just wasn't an issue or an option. We weren't against other people adopting, it just wasn't in our thinking for two single people to adopt. It just wasn't in our thinking at all. Thank you LORD that your ways are higher than ours! And thank you LORD that you show us just enough of your plan, but not too much because that would have been overwhelming if you would have shown us from the beginning that these were our kids forever! When we tell people that we did not want to adopt and then ended up adopting, they give us this look and kind of nod and say something like, "yeah, I would get too attached too." The thing is, it isn't that we got too attached. We were attached to other children in our home that had to leave. We were completely ready to let the girls go to wherever God had in mind for them. Wherever. At different points in the journey, their forever destination seemed to be changing, and with every change, we fought for what we thought was best for them and we did our best to equip them for their future without us. It wasn't that we were too attached. God just revealed the next part of the plan. I hope I can explain this right. Our feelings for the girls never changed. They were the same from the beginning, it is just that we were clued in to what the plan is (clued in from the Lord, not dhs). At that point, the decision seemed natural. The decision was easy in the fact that we just knew it was right, but hard in the fact that we knew this was a huge forever decision.
I realize that some people were afraid for us...thinking that Autumn and I were giving up our lives and throwing it away for these girls. What if we get married, what if these girls just ruined our chances of marriage, what if what if what if!!!! We couldn't think of those things. Truth is, they aren't for us to figure out right now. We know that God is in control of all of those things. He cares about the details of my life. He plans them. We know that he didn't put our family together just to drop us and forget about the future. I didn't even plan on writing all of that tonight, but I know a lot of people are often curious about what our thought process was in making the decision to adopt. I know some people think we are crazy and some may not agree with our decisions, but again, we strive to follow the Lord in each decision. We are so thankful that He chose us to raise these girls! People tell us ALL the time how blessed these girls are that they were rescued from their situation and put in our home. Really, Autumn and I are the ones who are blessed! Yes, we get frustrated daily with different things, we have to battle issues that most families don't, we have chaos constantly, but we are blessed beyond measure with our family!
So I know this is a long post, but in honor of A-day, I wanted to post this commitment that we wrote to the girls. Autumn read this in the courtroom during adoption. It was wonderful. It was a great day. We had our wonderful friends and a lot of our family in the room. The court was filled with love. I think the judge even had a little tear in his eye! Anyway, I think I could go on all night, but I won't. So here it is:
M, H, A, and S,
We, Autumn and Trinity, commit you to the Lord as we adopt you into our family. We commit to loving you without conditions attached. We commit to leaving with you the legacy and traditions our mom and dad and family left with us. We commit to teaching you the ways of the Lord. We commit to discipline you so that you will be molded to be more like your Creator. You are not the second best plan for our lives. God perfectly orchestrated each one of you to come into our home at the right time. Just as God has adopted us into His royal family, making us one of His very own, we adopt you into our family. God has made you each unique and has given you each a special personality as well as special gifts and talents. These gifts have gotten you through very difficult situations and the Lord will continue to use you to bring honor to Him.
M, you have incredible leadership skills, great instincts, and the ability to provide for and lead those around you, as well as a magnetic personality. H, you have such grace and a striking beauty. Your constant thoughtfulness makes others feel special. A, you have great charm about you. You also have sincere concern for others and their feelings. S, your smile is so warm and beautiful and instantly makes others smile. You are so observant of situations and people around you.
God did not take you from your past so that you can merely survive, but rather so you can use your experiences to minister to others and further His Kingdom. God has a big plan for each of your lives and we commit to be diligent to guide you. We will pray for you each day. Because of the love, grace and mercy God has given to us, we in turn are able to give that to you. You are a true blessing and gift in our lives.
We love you!
Autumn and Trinity
"You may not be the child of my blood, but you're the child of my heart."
I realize that some people were afraid for us...thinking that Autumn and I were giving up our lives and throwing it away for these girls. What if we get married, what if these girls just ruined our chances of marriage, what if what if what if!!!! We couldn't think of those things. Truth is, they aren't for us to figure out right now. We know that God is in control of all of those things. He cares about the details of my life. He plans them. We know that he didn't put our family together just to drop us and forget about the future. I didn't even plan on writing all of that tonight, but I know a lot of people are often curious about what our thought process was in making the decision to adopt. I know some people think we are crazy and some may not agree with our decisions, but again, we strive to follow the Lord in each decision. We are so thankful that He chose us to raise these girls! People tell us ALL the time how blessed these girls are that they were rescued from their situation and put in our home. Really, Autumn and I are the ones who are blessed! Yes, we get frustrated daily with different things, we have to battle issues that most families don't, we have chaos constantly, but we are blessed beyond measure with our family!
So I know this is a long post, but in honor of A-day, I wanted to post this commitment that we wrote to the girls. Autumn read this in the courtroom during adoption. It was wonderful. It was a great day. We had our wonderful friends and a lot of our family in the room. The court was filled with love. I think the judge even had a little tear in his eye! Anyway, I think I could go on all night, but I won't. So here it is:
M, H, A, and S,
We, Autumn and Trinity, commit you to the Lord as we adopt you into our family. We commit to loving you without conditions attached. We commit to leaving with you the legacy and traditions our mom and dad and family left with us. We commit to teaching you the ways of the Lord. We commit to discipline you so that you will be molded to be more like your Creator. You are not the second best plan for our lives. God perfectly orchestrated each one of you to come into our home at the right time. Just as God has adopted us into His royal family, making us one of His very own, we adopt you into our family. God has made you each unique and has given you each a special personality as well as special gifts and talents. These gifts have gotten you through very difficult situations and the Lord will continue to use you to bring honor to Him.
M, you have incredible leadership skills, great instincts, and the ability to provide for and lead those around you, as well as a magnetic personality. H, you have such grace and a striking beauty. Your constant thoughtfulness makes others feel special. A, you have great charm about you. You also have sincere concern for others and their feelings. S, your smile is so warm and beautiful and instantly makes others smile. You are so observant of situations and people around you.
God did not take you from your past so that you can merely survive, but rather so you can use your experiences to minister to others and further His Kingdom. God has a big plan for each of your lives and we commit to be diligent to guide you. We will pray for you each day. Because of the love, grace and mercy God has given to us, we in turn are able to give that to you. You are a true blessing and gift in our lives.
We love you!
Autumn and Trinity
"You may not be the child of my blood, but you're the child of my heart."
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Thankful Game
When the girls are being ungrateful for things, like when they pout or complain when they get something nice, we play the thankful game. When they complain, we make them say 3 things they are thankful for. For every time they refuse (yes they refuse), we add another thing. Little miss A once got up to like thirty something...pretty much she was just going to see if I was going to give up and I had made up my mind that I WOULD NOT give that one up! Luckily, she lost count of how many things she said so I just had her name things until she got in a happy mood. It drives me CRAZY when the girls are not thankful for the wonderful life I give them, but then I realize something...it isn't ME that gives them a wonderful life, AND....how many times am I not thankful for the wonderful life our heavenly Father has given me? Yeah...too many times. Sooooo............I am going to have a little thankful game of my own on here. I have seen people write something every day on facebook that they are thankful for. I love reading those people's things, but by the time I noticed what they were doing, I was too late in the game. So here is my own little game. I am going to go through the alphabet and thing of something I am thankful for with each letter. I am just going to write whatever comes to my head first, so they may not (well, mostly won't be) deep and thoughtful, but you just never know what will come to mind.
A--Adoption--It has been just about two years since we adopted the girls and I am really so so thankful. Each one has made my life better because they are in it forever. But even more than their adoption, I am SO thankful to be adopted into God's family! Just to think of that concept overwhelms.....His love and grace is so overwhelming and wonderful!
B--My nephew B. Really, what would I do without this little guy? He calls me almost every day and talks to his "TT"--that's me. You know he is a special fella if I am proud that he calls me TT!
C--Camera--I LOVE my camera! I have to remind myself often that we are not supposed to love our possessions so much. I am just so thankful to have a nice camera AND to know how to use it pretty good and I look forward to learning more!
D--Dogs--I guess I am thinking of them because they are laying here with me as I write. I love these dumb dogs. We have had Maggie for like 5 years and have had Hudson for several months. They are both a lab mix (Maggie is 60ish pounds and Hudson is 80ish pounds) and they both think they are one of the kids. Hudson has separation anxiety and if he isn't let out of the house every 2 hours, he pees. He is really annoying sometimes, but I love this guy. And no question that Maggie is the 5th child (or the first as she sees it). Today when I came home for lunch I was getting the mail and I hear someone say, "Hi there". I am not kidding when I tell you that Hudson said it. You should have been there to see my face! I was in shock but I am telling you...That dog talked to me! Needless to say he won't talk for anyone else tonight, but he DID talk to me earlier today!!!!
E--Emily--She is a wonderful girl that surrendered her life to children's ministry several years ago when she was in high school. She is in a transition period of her life right now and works, lives at home and comes to the church and helps me do children's ministry stuff on Wednesdays. I love her! We have so much fun together and she does anything I need her to AND she is so wonderful to my girls!
F--Family--I have the BEST family EVER!!! I love my dad so much and can't even express with words what he means to me! There isn't very many people who are so close to so many of their family members. I have 5 aunts that I am so very close to and I love them, then add my cousins and step-sisters and Pam...I am blessed! (I will talk about Autumn and Bethany when I get to S, don't worry)
G--Grandparents--I have so much respect for the way all 4 of my grandparents have chosen to live their lives. People come to me all the time telling me how one of my grandparents have influenced their lives. A said in her prayer tonight "Thank you god for Papa and that he lived his life good and made good choices". Amazing...even though he is gone, she realizes the impact of his life. My grandma is a constant example in the way she lives her life every day for the Lord. My grandmother is in the nursing home, but she still can pray the sweetest prayer and sing praises to the Lord, even when she doesn't even realize all that is going on around her. Her eyes light up when children come around and when you talk about the Lord. My Paw Paw faithfully stays at the nursing home and watches over her. He doesn't just sit around though, even in the nursing home, he finds a way to serve and minister to others by helping them get places and eat and such. Four AMAZING examples!
H--Happy mornings--It doesn't happen every morning, and I love my children no matter what, but I am so thankful for the mornings when all 6 of us are happy!
I--ideas--I don't always have a lot of good ideas, so I am thankful when I get one!
J--Jesus--Really...I don't even know what else to say about Jesus...I could not get through a day without him!
K--Kindred spirits (yes, I love Anne of Green Gables) There are so many people God has placed in my life that are kindred spirits--they just get me. I'm not even going to attempt to name them cause I know I will forget someone, but you know who you are!
L--Laughter--I LOOOOOVVVVEEE to laugh and pretty much laugh about everything! I even laugh at very inappropriate times. My friend Becky and I laugh nonstop when we are together. The girls love to laugh too, and I love that!
M--moments alone--I love the chaos in my life, but I am also thankful for the moments that I have alone. They are precious. Now realize that my moments alone are NOT in the bathroom like I think they might be when I go into the bathroom. But every time I go in there, it is like an alarm goes off and all children automatically need something. I am thankful for moments alone!
N--new and used clothes--I enjoy shopping for the girls' clothes. I also love it when some of our friends give us their hand-me-downs. It is fun to receive the clothes and it is so generous of them to do so. I know they could do something out with their clothes, so I am thankful they choose to give them to us.
O--Oklahoma (random I know, but it is the first thing that came to my head)...I am meaning the play Oklahoma. We love the state too, but we absolutely love going to see the musical every summer. I love that tradition!
P--peace--I am thankful that even when situations are crazy and circumstances can get really difficult, God gives a peace beyond all understanding.
Q--Quarters--The girls can get a quarter for each chore they complete. I am thankful that a quarter can keep them pretty much motivated at the time. I know that pretty soon a quarter won't cut it, so right now I am thankful for quarters.
R--real people--I am thankful for the people in my life that do not pretend. They are real. Good or bad, they are real....they are who they are...no apologies...I am thankful for that!
S--Sisters--easy one right? I can not imagine my world without my sisters! Yep, just tried to think of that world without them and I just can't do it! I love them so much and I am so so so so grateful that my girls have each other! I remind them often that not everyone has a sister and they are something to be cherished, not to fight with!
T--truth--The truth is what I cling to every day! I am thankful that God reveals His truth to us through His Word!
U--Unique family--I totally realize that our family situation is not normal. I realize we are unique and I am so thankful for our unique family!
V--Vacations--We love to go on vacations! We love going to hotels. Even if we don't go far, we like to go to a hotel and pretend like we are on vacation! It is just so much fun and I am thankful for those times together and I am thankful for those fun memories.
W--Wacky games--I love to make up wacky games to play and I love it that the girls like to play them! I am talking about games like: you have to sing everything instead of talking for the evening, dance parties in the kitchen, making animal sounds after every sentence...pretty wacky but creates lots of laughter!
X--X-tra special job! (I know that's a reach using the x) I love working with kids. I am so thankful and totally impressed with my kids at church. I learn so much for them and I have so much fun with them!
Y--I can't think of anything that begins with a y except for yawn. So I guess I am thankful for sleep!
Z--the Zoo I live in! So thankful for it!
That game was harder than I thought! I'm glad I did it...my heart is full thinking of all of the blessings in my life!
A--Adoption--It has been just about two years since we adopted the girls and I am really so so thankful. Each one has made my life better because they are in it forever. But even more than their adoption, I am SO thankful to be adopted into God's family! Just to think of that concept overwhelms.....His love and grace is so overwhelming and wonderful!
B--My nephew B. Really, what would I do without this little guy? He calls me almost every day and talks to his "TT"--that's me. You know he is a special fella if I am proud that he calls me TT!
C--Camera--I LOVE my camera! I have to remind myself often that we are not supposed to love our possessions so much. I am just so thankful to have a nice camera AND to know how to use it pretty good and I look forward to learning more!
D--Dogs--I guess I am thinking of them because they are laying here with me as I write. I love these dumb dogs. We have had Maggie for like 5 years and have had Hudson for several months. They are both a lab mix (Maggie is 60ish pounds and Hudson is 80ish pounds) and they both think they are one of the kids. Hudson has separation anxiety and if he isn't let out of the house every 2 hours, he pees. He is really annoying sometimes, but I love this guy. And no question that Maggie is the 5th child (or the first as she sees it). Today when I came home for lunch I was getting the mail and I hear someone say, "Hi there". I am not kidding when I tell you that Hudson said it. You should have been there to see my face! I was in shock but I am telling you...That dog talked to me! Needless to say he won't talk for anyone else tonight, but he DID talk to me earlier today!!!!
E--Emily--She is a wonderful girl that surrendered her life to children's ministry several years ago when she was in high school. She is in a transition period of her life right now and works, lives at home and comes to the church and helps me do children's ministry stuff on Wednesdays. I love her! We have so much fun together and she does anything I need her to AND she is so wonderful to my girls!
F--Family--I have the BEST family EVER!!! I love my dad so much and can't even express with words what he means to me! There isn't very many people who are so close to so many of their family members. I have 5 aunts that I am so very close to and I love them, then add my cousins and step-sisters and Pam...I am blessed! (I will talk about Autumn and Bethany when I get to S, don't worry)
G--Grandparents--I have so much respect for the way all 4 of my grandparents have chosen to live their lives. People come to me all the time telling me how one of my grandparents have influenced their lives. A said in her prayer tonight "Thank you god for Papa and that he lived his life good and made good choices". Amazing...even though he is gone, she realizes the impact of his life. My grandma is a constant example in the way she lives her life every day for the Lord. My grandmother is in the nursing home, but she still can pray the sweetest prayer and sing praises to the Lord, even when she doesn't even realize all that is going on around her. Her eyes light up when children come around and when you talk about the Lord. My Paw Paw faithfully stays at the nursing home and watches over her. He doesn't just sit around though, even in the nursing home, he finds a way to serve and minister to others by helping them get places and eat and such. Four AMAZING examples!
H--Happy mornings--It doesn't happen every morning, and I love my children no matter what, but I am so thankful for the mornings when all 6 of us are happy!
I--ideas--I don't always have a lot of good ideas, so I am thankful when I get one!
J--Jesus--Really...I don't even know what else to say about Jesus...I could not get through a day without him!
K--Kindred spirits (yes, I love Anne of Green Gables) There are so many people God has placed in my life that are kindred spirits--they just get me. I'm not even going to attempt to name them cause I know I will forget someone, but you know who you are!
L--Laughter--I LOOOOOVVVVEEE to laugh and pretty much laugh about everything! I even laugh at very inappropriate times. My friend Becky and I laugh nonstop when we are together. The girls love to laugh too, and I love that!
M--moments alone--I love the chaos in my life, but I am also thankful for the moments that I have alone. They are precious. Now realize that my moments alone are NOT in the bathroom like I think they might be when I go into the bathroom. But every time I go in there, it is like an alarm goes off and all children automatically need something. I am thankful for moments alone!
N--new and used clothes--I enjoy shopping for the girls' clothes. I also love it when some of our friends give us their hand-me-downs. It is fun to receive the clothes and it is so generous of them to do so. I know they could do something out with their clothes, so I am thankful they choose to give them to us.
O--Oklahoma (random I know, but it is the first thing that came to my head)...I am meaning the play Oklahoma. We love the state too, but we absolutely love going to see the musical every summer. I love that tradition!
P--peace--I am thankful that even when situations are crazy and circumstances can get really difficult, God gives a peace beyond all understanding.
Q--Quarters--The girls can get a quarter for each chore they complete. I am thankful that a quarter can keep them pretty much motivated at the time. I know that pretty soon a quarter won't cut it, so right now I am thankful for quarters.
R--real people--I am thankful for the people in my life that do not pretend. They are real. Good or bad, they are real....they are who they are...no apologies...I am thankful for that!
S--Sisters--easy one right? I can not imagine my world without my sisters! Yep, just tried to think of that world without them and I just can't do it! I love them so much and I am so so so so grateful that my girls have each other! I remind them often that not everyone has a sister and they are something to be cherished, not to fight with!
T--truth--The truth is what I cling to every day! I am thankful that God reveals His truth to us through His Word!
U--Unique family--I totally realize that our family situation is not normal. I realize we are unique and I am so thankful for our unique family!
V--Vacations--We love to go on vacations! We love going to hotels. Even if we don't go far, we like to go to a hotel and pretend like we are on vacation! It is just so much fun and I am thankful for those times together and I am thankful for those fun memories.
W--Wacky games--I love to make up wacky games to play and I love it that the girls like to play them! I am talking about games like: you have to sing everything instead of talking for the evening, dance parties in the kitchen, making animal sounds after every sentence...pretty wacky but creates lots of laughter!
X--X-tra special job! (I know that's a reach using the x) I love working with kids. I am so thankful and totally impressed with my kids at church. I learn so much for them and I have so much fun with them!
Y--I can't think of anything that begins with a y except for yawn. So I guess I am thankful for sleep!
Z--the Zoo I live in! So thankful for it!
That game was harder than I thought! I'm glad I did it...my heart is full thinking of all of the blessings in my life!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Birthday--a little late
So if you have read this blog at all, you know that our little miss A loves animals, dead or alive! She loves weird creatures. She absolutely LOVES frogs! Her whole face lights up when she finds a frog. She just loves them, so we decided that we would let her have a frog birthday party. She was the most excited about being able to go to her favorite art teacher's house and making frog cupcakes. I think if she didn't get presents and didn't have a party, she would have been perfectly fine with just going with Jessica to make cupcakes.
We had the party at the park, and there was a stray cat that kept coming by. This poor cat looked like it had a bad disease, but sweet, tender-hearted, weird creature loving A could not leave that cat alone. I kept telling her to leave it alone, but she kept going after it, so I figured that she already had it picked up, might as well get a picture and remember the moment!
I always upload the pictures backwards, so we will go through the party in reverse order. A is a funny girl and doesn't like a lot of attention. She is kind of a loner and she really doesn't like to be the center of attention. So present opening just isn't her thing, well, in front of everyone anyway. She is just so unsure of what to do in front of everyone, so her emotions just come out as if she doesn't like the present, but she always does.
Of course we all dressed in green and A wore her special frog rain boots for the occasion!
Fun at the park!
Love these glasses!
Here are the cupcakes. The frogs you see in this picture are plastic. The fondant frogs took a long time, so they did as much as they could then put plastic ones on the others!
Lily pads...so creative!
Autumn did really good and found frog candy for party favors.
Jessica said that A did the frogs mostly by herself! I think she did a fantastic job!
This frog loving girl makes our lives lively and interesting! She is artistic, inquisitive, and so loving. She brings so much love to us. She brings a different perspective on everything her little eyes see. We love our little A and we are oh so thankful to mama C that she is alive and in our lives forever!
We had the party at the park, and there was a stray cat that kept coming by. This poor cat looked like it had a bad disease, but sweet, tender-hearted, weird creature loving A could not leave that cat alone. I kept telling her to leave it alone, but she kept going after it, so I figured that she already had it picked up, might as well get a picture and remember the moment!
I always upload the pictures backwards, so we will go through the party in reverse order. A is a funny girl and doesn't like a lot of attention. She is kind of a loner and she really doesn't like to be the center of attention. So present opening just isn't her thing, well, in front of everyone anyway. She is just so unsure of what to do in front of everyone, so her emotions just come out as if she doesn't like the present, but she always does.
Of course we all dressed in green and A wore her special frog rain boots for the occasion!
Fun at the park!
Love these glasses!
Here are the cupcakes. The frogs you see in this picture are plastic. The fondant frogs took a long time, so they did as much as they could then put plastic ones on the others!
Lily pads...so creative!
Autumn did really good and found frog candy for party favors.
Jessica said that A did the frogs mostly by herself! I think she did a fantastic job!
This frog loving girl makes our lives lively and interesting! She is artistic, inquisitive, and so loving. She brings so much love to us. She brings a different perspective on everything her little eyes see. We love our little A and we are oh so thankful to mama C that she is alive and in our lives forever!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Fire Safety Week
Fire Safety Week is probably a great week at most people's house. I'm pretty sure it was barely even mentioned before this year at our house. I'm thinking that it was mentioned some...M, H and A would tell us of seeing the firemen and we would go over our safety plan. Now, remember, I am the safety plan queen. Well, I was until S came along! I am a teeny bit of a dramatic person and I am not always the quickest thinker, so I am constantly thinking of a safety plan just in case something goes wrong. When we go anywhere, I am constantly looking for my exits and think through exactly how I would exit if something happened. You would be shocked to know how many scenarios go through my mind that I think through how I will handle them. When I can't get a hold of people on the phone, I automatically think carbon monoxide. Really, I should probably stop now before I freak too many people out!
So the basic story is: I like to have a safety plan. Needless to say, before fire safety week even starts, we go through our fire plan. We go through our fire plan pretty consistently. We have a place to meet in case of a fire, we talk through how to exit the house, we talk about not hiding under the bed, and we even have practice drills. One night, Autumn and I waited until they were asleep, then set off the alarm...just so they knew how to wake up from a sleep and know what to do. Well, last year when S was in pre-k, they did a week about fire safety. Well, S was TOTALLY freaked out. She was constantly upset and afraid our house was going to burn. We would be out and about, doing something fun, and S would start worrying that our house was burning down. While I told her that I was just sure everything was fine, I was freaking out inside because kids will have that sixth sense sometimes....luckily this wasn't a sixth sense, just worrying. Our house didn't burn. I don't know how many nights she can't fall asleep because she is afraid she will have dreams about fire. Well, the past few months she has been doing really really good with the fire thing. And then what do we find out this week is???? Yep....you guessed it...fire safety week! I'm not sure if they actually call it fire safety week, but they have the fireman come and talk to the kids and everything.
So, this year as a big girl in kindergarten, S is facing fire safety week with great courage! She is not having bad dreams about fire and she isn't freaking out about it all the time. Nope. This year, instead of making her afraid, fire safety week has empowered S to become miss fire safety patrol police! She came home from school, yanked the dishtowels away from the oven handle, and yells when the hair dryer comes close to the sink! So, I will take this moment to thank the Lord for our little safety monitor! LOVE HER!!!!!!!
So the basic story is: I like to have a safety plan. Needless to say, before fire safety week even starts, we go through our fire plan. We go through our fire plan pretty consistently. We have a place to meet in case of a fire, we talk through how to exit the house, we talk about not hiding under the bed, and we even have practice drills. One night, Autumn and I waited until they were asleep, then set off the alarm...just so they knew how to wake up from a sleep and know what to do. Well, last year when S was in pre-k, they did a week about fire safety. Well, S was TOTALLY freaked out. She was constantly upset and afraid our house was going to burn. We would be out and about, doing something fun, and S would start worrying that our house was burning down. While I told her that I was just sure everything was fine, I was freaking out inside because kids will have that sixth sense sometimes....luckily this wasn't a sixth sense, just worrying. Our house didn't burn. I don't know how many nights she can't fall asleep because she is afraid she will have dreams about fire. Well, the past few months she has been doing really really good with the fire thing. And then what do we find out this week is???? Yep....you guessed it...fire safety week! I'm not sure if they actually call it fire safety week, but they have the fireman come and talk to the kids and everything.
So, this year as a big girl in kindergarten, S is facing fire safety week with great courage! She is not having bad dreams about fire and she isn't freaking out about it all the time. Nope. This year, instead of making her afraid, fire safety week has empowered S to become miss fire safety patrol police! She came home from school, yanked the dishtowels away from the oven handle, and yells when the hair dryer comes close to the sink! So, I will take this moment to thank the Lord for our little safety monitor! LOVE HER!!!!!!!
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