Fun Friday~

Today was definitely because once we read a little while, I turned them loose for a play day.
It didn't take them 5 minutes to bundle and head out to their hideout.
I looked out to check on them and found the bitty girls taking a little rest~

Dad ran by the eye dr and picked up two pairs of glasses for SJ and WP~

AND Rosie leased her first adult home for next school year~

It was definitely a very Fun Friday!!!

Eye Appointments~

SJ and WP had their yearly eye appointments today and we received good and bad news~

 SJ's eyes have improved and she is able to reduce patching to one hour a day.
WP's eyes had worsened last appt and upped his patch to three hours.
Today there was no change so he goes up to wearing one for four hours a day.
The best thing about it... no one complains and just does it.
They both were eligible for new glasses and modeled them for us~

 Everyone got stylish shades to wear out in the sun~

Three new pairs of glasses and SO thankful for great eye insurance!!!

Lots of Snaggle Tooths~

SO let's see...

WP pulled a tooth Tuesday, EC on Wednesday, and SJ this morning @ 5am~

And wouldn't you know PC came back from brushing his teeth to say he has  wiggly as well.

Of course Dr. EC had to see if it really was. :)

Lots of snags around here!!!

Love~

WP is an amazing little soul~

He loves big and serves well.

We call him little Francis Chan and he follows suit!!!

WP~

Miss Hollywood came to school today~

 And WP came running down during rest to say his tooth had fallen out~

Super cute and excited for the Tooth Fairy!

Sweet Moments~

Let's see~

1. Someone says she doesn't need a nap... {5pm sound asleep}

2. School and playing Spot It!

3. Evening Scooter Club

4. Golf lessons from daddy

5. Major nesting going on here... {Tile and grout scrubbing}

I also took a 30 min free photog class yesterday called The World's Greatest Photo Tip

and you can take it too...

If you missed this class, you have one more chance to register:
Thursday, April 24, at 9PM Eastern
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3175640627477075457?source=fblive

And after watching just LOOK at the shots I got~

EK~

SJ~

PC~

WP~

and Evie~

I was THRILLED and in LOVE with my camera again!!!

A Sweet Saturday

A New World~ {SJ}

Evie is running a fever and I made a dr's appt.

We were so excited to take a trip using our new backseat for the boys~

Evie had to get her finger poked... good news~ no flu! no strep! no pneumonia! Sinus infection!!!~

 Feeling much better!

We also got a call that SJ's glasses were ready~

A Whole New World for this girl!!!

The glasses twins!!!

Introducing Professor WP~

In November when WP had his 5 year check up, he failed his eye exam.

On Monday we went for his eye appt and the dr confirmed he definitely needed glasses.

Today was the big day to pick them up...

The before and after WP~

"I can see good now Mom!"

Isn't he just the cutest? 

Everyone loves him in them. 

The girls are especially impressed. 

Thankful for this blessing!!!

Quote of the day from SJ~

"He will probably do much better in school." 

:)

Thankful Day 19 {Love and Support}~

My day began with a tiny one coming around the corner and her first word was "Paint?"... Thankful.

After school and lunch we headed into Gwinnett for WP's 5 year old well appointment.

I am Thankful for a great report although he hasn't gained even a lb this year so need to bulk him up a little and he failed his eye test... off to the eye dr we go.

We were able to meet and eat with Savannah... Thankful to see her sweet belly growing with Baby Dove~

 And while I was loving on 6 of the 8, Scott took Rosie out for dinner and they had a wonderful time... Thankful!

Amelia wanted to meet us so bad but she had class and her Phi Mu Thanksgiving social so she was being loved by her roomies, Lew and Avery... Thankful!

SO Thankful for Love and Support to ALL my sweet ones!!!

Sheila Ray the Brave~

Since we are throwing FIAR into the wind right now and doing a Kevin Henkes author study, 

I thought it necessary for the kids to meet him... online of course~

Kevin Henkes Website

We all sat and watched a great video of him sharing his life as an author and illustrator.

We read Sheila Ray the Brave {did a little predicting and retelling} then discussed the things that do and don't make us afraid.

With those thoughts circling in our heads, we pulled our journals and illustrated just like Kevin... added the words... and used watercolors to finish off our masterpieces.

I think this awesome idea of SJ's is going fabulously!

At one point this morning everyone enjoyed hanging their name on the clothesline~

Naming the letters in their name and everyone else's too. LOVE the connection the little littles make when they notice same letters in various names. 

Letter learning when they don't even realize it.

 

Dr Visit Again~

WP was still no better after a week on antibiotics so back to the dr we went today~

 Dr. Steele could hear wheezing so she gave him a treatment, poked his finger, and sent us for an x-ray~

3 hours later we learned he did not have pneumonia... changed to new meds and will have a recheck on Wed. 

Hoping he is much better by then!!!

On the way home we had to make a tiny Target run and you would know EVERYONE had to use the restroom~

Kids: MOM! You are not going to take the cart in there are you?

Me: Ummm yes, what else am I going to do?

{Worked like a charm!}

Writing Time~

With our laid back summer schedule, I have done a lot of reading especially about teaching preschool/K age. One thing I keep reading over and over is how important play is in learning and not rushing the curriculum stuff. {Actually knew that}... Since backing off the academics so to speak this summer for the boys has given them to time to mature and grow.

As we put the playroom together, I left a table in the sun room with all sorts of writing and coloring items. So far they really haven't shown much interest but today WP surprised me! He drew something on both sides of a piece of paper and then added 4+ colors {I tell them have to add same number of colors as their age}~

He was so excited to show me and I asked him to tell me about his drawing... I wrote exactly what he told me giving him something to read to anyone that would listen. He was so proud to hang it in our kitchen and he rubbed off on the other two~

I have always believed if kids can feel sucessful with writing/drawing, reading will flow smoothly later. LOVE these little writers!!!

The Jumpers and Builders~

I spent time cleaning and organizing today. 

I cleared the big toy box and put all the legos in it... now they can play all they want then dump right back in the box...

 More jumping~

 A good Monday!!!

Family Time~

Really nothing sweeter than Time with Family except maybe getting really good shots of them~

SO FUN... to me. :)

We all enjoyed time sitting in the park just enjoying a warm breeze and time~

It especially was wonderful when Josh's parents brought their Bostons for the littles to love on {girls mostly}~

Family Time~

In the Park... celebrating the Oldest Original's Birthday~ Savannah!

{I also want to thank Lori Borah for the beautiful matching dresses the girls are wearing... we LOVE them}

A Good Visit~

SJ and WP were adopted with CHD, TOF and BiCuspid Aortic Valve respectively. Each year they have their annual cardiologist appt and today was the day. We struck out a little after 7 and made it to the dr in plenty of time~

Scott surprised me to help with the littles and they did great. SJ got a perfect report and WP had a slight change in his progress... may need a procedure, possibly even surgery sometime in the nearer future than SJ. Both were released for another year and we left feeling very good about their visit. We couldn't be more blessed with our cardiologist, Dr. Wes Lindsey! Lunch @ Schlotzsky's and a Target run made our day just a little fun.

Cute story about SJ today... 'Usually when we have a major dr's appt I take them to Target for a little surprise. Today SJ asked if we would be going and I said probably. Then she said, "If we do REALLY good could we skip over all the dollar stuff and look in the real toy section?" 

Haha that made me laugh out loud. Needless to say they got a new movie to watch in the truck on the way home. :)

They also all got new bubble blowers and boy did they have a ball when we were back home by the pool~

 A Good Visit and very blessed day!!!

Evie and the Boys~

Evie is a funny little bird at times.

The other day when I went to get my hair done Scott said she found a bag of clothes and worked her heart out putting on layer upon layer.

Whenever it is time for her to go to sleep (nap or night), I lay her on the big chair and she falls asleep immediately. Tonight I was watching a photog video while she was falling asleep...

   And at one point I looked over to see she had gathered some of Payne's clothes off his pile I had been folding... pj pants, underwear, socks and put them all on. How did she do all that without me noticing?

Silly Evie... loves her some layers. :)

In other news...

The boys went to a birthday party together~

So the girls had an ice cream party of their own.

The boys had a great time~

and I'm pretty sure Payne sung Happy birthday one million times after he got home. LOL

I can't wait for his birthday in May... he is going to have a ball!!!   

Short and Sweet~

I kinda of figured there would be some controversy with Payne's Short hair and I just feel I owe it to him to say...

His curls were cute but that's not what defined him. 

He is the sweetest, brightest, and loving boy. 

We're kind of a short hair kind of family when it comes to boys (Scott, my daddy, my brother, and WP)... just how we roll in the country. :)

Before and after~

SO handsome! 

Same beautiful face, gorgeous eyes, sweet smile, and the curls are still up there... still cute... just not sticking up 3 inches LOL.

And speaking of sweet...

Amelia sent us a photo just before leaving for her Phi dance, Rosie's 'rose's for Val (Hayden), and Savannah & Josh's view in Cancun!~

 Gorgeous and Sweet!

 Then there is the Fabulous Five playing this morning~

 So that's the Short and Sweet of my life right now as we know it.

Everything Beautiful!!! 

THEN when I opened my devotional today, God gave me a hug... I am living to please Him and Him only. I hope this blesses you as much as it has me this morning~

God's Acceptance Is All You Need
by Rick Warren

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid." (Psalm 27:1 TEV)

The fear of rejection is based on two things. First, we all need to be loved. That's a fact. We all desperately need massive doses of love in our life to be healthy individuals. God says, "I want to love you." God is love, and he knows you need to be loved.

But, second, we develop the false idea that our need to be loved is solely dependent upon one person or a group of people. When you expect someone else to meet 100 percent of your need for love, you're asking for trouble. You're setting yourself up for hurt and opening the door for the fear of rejection. When you look to any other person besides God to meet all your love needs, he or she can't. There is no human being alive that can love you as completely and as fully as you need to be loved, and there never will be. Only God can do that.

So, the first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is to put God in first place, because he's the only one who can ultimately meet all your needs.

Does God ever love us through other people? Of course. Does God want us to love others? Yes. Does he want to use us as channels of love? Absolutely.

But, you will never have all your needs met by any person or group of people. God never meant it to be that way. They just don't have enough love. Human love is limited. God's love is unlimited and unconditional. No matter how deep your need is, he can fill it.

The first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is realizing the Lord, not anyone else, is your light and salvation: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid” (Psalm 27:1 TEV). This means I look to the Lord to brighten my day, so I am not dependent on others to make or break my day. I look to the Lord to save my life, so I am not dependent on others to accept or reject me.

And this means I need no longer be afraid.

The key to assertiveness is not to psych yourself up, not to be aggressive and live in a selfish way, but to understand how deeply God loves you. When that really sinks in, you’ll be able to say, “God loves me, and if you don't like me, that's your problem!”

The secret of simplifying life is saying, "I'm going to do what pleases God. If I do that, it sure simplifies life. And, if I please God, it's always the right thing to do. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks."

God is SO good!!!
  

A Game and a Kiss~

WP has been home for about 13 months now and he gets frustrated to communicate so we can understand him. I spoke with our ped and we have decided to have his speech evaluated for therapy. 

Along with this frustration, he has had some difficulty learning colors, counting, and letters (all abstract concepts to an extent). I am concerned and have begun to be a little more intentional in working with him on a daily basis with these skills. Today I looked around to see what we could work with and I pulled:

A write on die

Frog counters

Elbow pipe

Container to drop counters

Frog Slide

I wrote dots 1-3 on the die and had WP roll.

When he rolled 1 dot, he placed one frog on the dot and said 1.

Did the same with 2 and 3.

Once he placed the frogs, I had him count them as he slid them through the slide (pipe) into the pool (container). BIG smile.

He loved it so much fun he didn't even know he was practicing his counting skills.  We celebrated BIG every time he counted correctly! You can imagine how excited it made Payne to watch and it wasn't long before both boys were playing... WP trying to explain and Payne watching to learn~

 I can't wait to see them go at it tomorrow!

We read Arthur's Valentine today and at the end there was a candy kiss surprise. I just happened to have a kiss art project...

  We traced, cut, glued, and stuck stickers to make kisses for the ones we love. Evie LOVED gluing SO much! They can't wait to give them away.

Update: Aunt Susan came over tonight and WP counted to 3 and then to 5 by himself! We yelled and screamed and jumped up and down! It is a BIG deal!!! Yay!!! 

 

Good Day~

After a great morning of school, we had a visit from Ms. Judy and she delivered these adorable mugs, flashlights, and coloring books~

 SO a hot chocolate and cookie snack was in order for afternoon snack time. Thanks Ms. Judy!

PS. Have you looked at your ceiling fans lately? Oh my! I was ashamed when I noticed today! Tons of dust on them and on my blinds/shutters. {Clean now!}  I have been nesting for 6 months now... you would think it would all be done. Is it ever? Guess I need to start on baseboards don't I??? Sigh. :)