:9:

you are nine today sweet girl! happy birthday to you ;-) every year i say this, "i can't believe it," but i really can't. you are growing up so fast and i am afraid if i blink you will be off to college! so i will take this day and savior it. so today and for another 365 days you will be nine ;-)

we are so proud of you! this year has brought about even more changes, and with each change i see you growing into the young lady God IS creating you to be. it's pretty awesome. you are smart, genuine, caring and good...and you love to pick on your little sisters. you still love to draw and create, make friendship bracelets (expect for when you mess up...you are just a little bit of a perfectionist....i have no idea where you got that...ha!) and watch movies.

you are a ball full of energy and we love you so much! can't wait to bring you lunch and birthday treats to school. love you, love you, love you!!!!

"nooooooo"

it has finally happened! honestly i cannot believe that it has taken this long. miss mya now says "no." at this very moment it is the cutest "no" ever (just picture my foot is in my mouth as i write this). i know that it will not be very cute in a few days. but right now i can't help but giggle quietly with my hand over my mouth so she can't see.

sitting at dinner tonight, kylee was asking her questions when out of the blue she said, "noooooo" (the "o" emphasized) in the sweetest voice. it caught me off guard, i couldn't help but laugh. you know what happened after that???? we kept asking her questions that she would say "no" to. yes, i know that was really dumb, but we couldn't resist. maybe i will repost in a few days and let everyone know if it is still cute ;-)

it's time to write

look closely at the computer.....





new years resolutions completely down the drain already....awesome! have i blogged, no! have i stopped biting my cuticles....yes, until a week a go (they are not too far gone...yet). arghhhh. honestly though, the past month or so has been just fine, and i am sure i have had plenty to blog about, but i just haven't taken the time to sit down and do it. mainly because when i sit down to blog, i need to SIT DOWN (and focus)...and at the end of the day when i do sit down, i am unable to focus. my brain is mush and i can't seem to remember anything from the day, except that i am tired. maybe i just have adult onset of ADD?? if i don't have a list forget it, and when i do have a list i will end up losing it, or can't remember what i want to put on it....blah, blah, blah! it's an endless cycle...geesh! so how about the weather? hmmmm, actually the weather has been so amazing i barely have words...can you imagine that?

i have looked back at past blogs and see that most of the posts were funny stories of the girls. but now things just seem much more serious and not as funny. sure we have LOADS of funny things happen, but why is it when i want to blog about them, i can't remember...only the serious stuff? or the funny stuff would embarrass my kids so bad that i just can't put it out there for all to hear about....like what mya does when she is in a grocery cart. i can't go into detail because it would scar her for life as it has for me ;-) so i guess i will just start with kid updates and go from there.....

we are on the back stretch of school and everyone seems to be doing well....actually really well. kylee is doing great right now in school. between tutoring (kristen you are awesome), meds and a few things done differently at school (sitting alone for tests) things are really clicking. she is actually enjoying math and we are thrilled! homework time isn't nearly as stressful as it has been...in fact, she even gets it done in the first 15 min of being home. she is even reading more (mainly because she is having trouble falling asleep) and actually enjoying it. so much in fact that is one of the things she wants for her birthday....books! she is just growing up so fast.....they all are.

alaina seems to be doing very well in school. she came home yesterday with a little paper book from school and when i asked her to read it to me she said it wasn't a reading book it was a math booklet. yeah, story problems...in kindergarten! but she knew them. incredible how fast kids pick up stuff....especially tone of voice and attitude! until recently she has been the sweet kid, never talked back or had any "tone" in her voice. but the tide is starting to come in. i honestly think that part of it is a little attention seeking...or just pure frustration. because she is the "middle" she often gets overlooked. i absolutely hate this, but it is a reality. i am just glad we are aware and willing to do something about it. from being a demanding baby, she has become such a independent kid. she makes me laugh everyday! in fact, today while the "little mermaid" (she still loves her princess love stories) was starting she proceeds to tell me, "this is so not real, but the mermaids are!" me: "i am confused." lainey: "mom, mermaids are real you know." me: "oh...okay then." what a cute little goof!

my baby is finally calling me by name...."mama, mama"......all the time! i love it! she is almost 19 mo (almost 20)...and demanding as ever!!! she is all that and a bag of chips. fortunately she is just as cute as cute can be. this morning while i was vacuuming, God gently nudged me to go and check on mya...so i did. i walked into my office (this has become one of her favorite spots) and saw her sitting on top of my desk! this evening alan called me into the office and pointed to my disc drive...asking if it was okay that my compact flash card was sticking out of it. i wish i had a picture of it (and can't believe i didn't see it earlier...i think i was just a little more concerned with her being on top of the desk). she had jammed my compact flash card into the drive....GREAT! i swear i was just around the corner vacuuming for a minute. i am laughing out loud right now because as i look at the picture i took of her on my phone when she was up on the desk....there it is (the flash card), sticking out of the side of my computer. they are so darn quick!

2012

i want to start the year off right with a blog post.....since i wasn't able to finish it with one (i know....slacker). now let's see if i can do this before midnight....ha!

i want to start by saying what a great year 2011! i am truly blessed. let's start with the obvious....a wonderful husband, three amazing girls, great family and friends..a really awesome bible study (love ya girls), of course i could go on and on! these last few months have been exceptionally great (should have blogged about it, huh?) spiritually i am in a place where i haven't been in a very long time, if i can even say that i have been where i am at...did that make sense? i will just say that my daily time in the Word and in prayer has been my most precious time of the day. i have experienced God's peace and joy and presence in such a way that i am overjoyed and busting at the seems excited. His word is alive and alive in me....i am hoping and praying that i can be a reflection of all that i am learning and experiencing.

new years resolutions? be more selfless, loving, kind, PATIENT ;-), love on my kids more, complain less, blog more....and stop biting my cuticles (it's disgusting and it hurts)!!!

so today we start a new year....

kylee has started taking medication to help her sweet brain keep it's focus. since upping the dose a little it has calmed her down a little (though you can tell immediately when it wears off.....she is kind of like a balloon being deflated...the words just come from her mouth 90 miles an hour and she can't sit still) and she seems to be finishing tasks effectively. honestly though, it is hard to tell right now since we are on Christmas break. we have no routine going...and no homework to finish. i will be anxious to see what school will look like in the next few weeks. it was a tough decision for alan and i to go ahead with the medication route. but if it would help her, why wouldn't we try it. she is a sweet girl with a big heart and a wonderful brain....it just works differently...yet, like many others! i just keep praying God will give us wisdom in all of this. it is so easy to get caught up in the challenges that are brought our way....focusing on the negative instead of the positive. i am choosing to switch my focus....i am going to look at our beautiful children with God's eyes (He gave them to me, He lives in me, why shouldn't i use them). He created them, He knows them and everything He makes is wonderfully made! He makes beautiful things...just like that song by gungor (LOVE that song). each one is unique, different strengths, different weaknesses...different spirits, but each one is so wonderful, so beautiful.

i can feel bad for my girls knowing that they have two parents who were oldest children and are very much perfectionist and big KIA's, but i have to stop myself and remember that God gave me (us) all three of three of them. though i don't feel like i will be able to do a good job as their mom, God knows that i can because He is with me. i am willing to be molded into the mother he wants me to be. i need to take a deep breath....and trust.

our sweet little alaina jean, probably feeling a little lost in the middle right now. so much focus has been on the oldest and youngest these past few months...or has it been more like a year...hmmm?? she is our more bendable child...probably because she has too. half way through kindergarten and she is doing so well. i think she is reading like a champ and writing so well. i am very proud of her. she is still likes things that sparkle and loves to mass produce books! not kidding....she will go through an entire ream of paper in two days. we have a lot of teaching ahead of us about conservation!!!!

miss mya actually has a few more hairs on her head....maybe when she is three we can put in piggy tails ;-) sweet thing has everyone wrapped around her finger....probably one of the reasons she is not talking a whole lot. though after her 18 month check up....in which she didn't pass her hearing screen (i am pretty darn sure she has no problem with her hearing) she has actually started saying more things....or at least trying to. so far she says "yesssh (far better than "no"), dada, momma, peaase (please), baby, yanks (thanks), jo jo (our elf on a shelf), ky ky (kylee), ka cker (cracker), papa. She is really trying to say more, it's just a little challenging figuring out how to put all those sounds together. like when she tries to say Bible, it comes out as "bluhhh." it's pretty funny. she really is a smart little thing. she knows what she wants and how to tell you in her own way. one day when she was playing with ohie, it was time to pick up the toys and she didn't want to. when ohie said that they needed to put the toys in the bag mya went over to ohie and pushed her (ohie) with her hand, like, "you go do it." she tried that on me a few days later and i don't think she got the reaction she had wanted ;-) most may give in, but not this mom.....of course i do have to laugh first! i start early in teaching them to help out. we make a mess, we clean it up. unfortunately it hasn't always worked as well as i hoped....at least it has not been initiated independently (with the older kids i mean).

okay, i think i need to stop now. this post has made it very clear to me that i need to post more frequently so that it is not a book every time, but instead of a chapter...or bleep. happy new year to all!!
(side note: i started this post on the 1st and i did not finish this post before midnight....it took two days to finish....sad, very sad!)

this one cracks me up....let's pick on the little one! so fun ;-)





i feel as though i have been in constant prayer the past few months (yesterdays sermon was quite fitting). one of the things i have been persistently praying for (and i will until the day i die) is the girls relationship with the Lord. every morning i can, i have been getting up before everyone else so i can have my one on one time with God. some mornings are easier than others, but when i am up i get excited. i love that time. i love God's word. i love that he meets me where i am at and he speaks to me! all of that joy and excitement have really been stirring in me...which brings me back to the girls. i want to badly for them to one day really realize how great and amazing God is. i want them to experience what i experience every time i sit down and read my bible or pray. he is peace, he is love, he is everything great. it is so true, that when you believe you want to share with others God's good news. i have been a believer for a long time, but right now he is so alive in my life. i want to badly to share that with the girls. something i have really realized is that i am not very good at sharing it with my words...i wish that i was, so i need to share it with my actions. i already know that my actions speak louder than my words most of the time. i look at mya....she is 17mo old and not talking (well, she says "hi" and "dadda"...everything else is "da"), but she knows what is going on. she is watching. she is a little mimic who does everything i do. she cleans, pretends to floss (and use mouthwash), she stretches before we run (even though she is in the stroller...not actually the one running), she paints, she scrubs the toilets. she see's what i am doing. she's not the only one. some of the things that come out of kylee's and alaina's mouth i am like, "whoa, they sound just like me...yikes!" if that doesn't make me stop and reevaluate my actions than i don't know what else would.

not to use this as an excuse, but i am human and i am not very good at slowing down my tongue, or controlling the looks on my face, or my selfish attitude. i want our girls to see God's love in me. i want to be more humble, gentle and patient. i want them to know how much i love God, how much i trust him, how much i want to obey him.....how amazingly good He is, how much he loves them, how much he wants to be the center of their world. i could go on and on...because God's love is endless....it is so wide and long and high and deep, that we will never fully understand, but....we can experience it. an man do i want them to. i want that with every fiber in my being. so each morning....i just pray ;-)

okay....status update (since it has been forever since i have blogged)....

kylee: growing up! as i walked to her classroom for her halloween party i became overwhelmed with the fact that we have a third grader. i remember third grade so well. it just feels like she is climbing up that hill getting closer to puberty (which freaks me out a little....not going to worry, just pray ;-)), she's not a baby anymore. things are just changing...the way she talks and acts, friendships. one thing is for sure, she is still a big tender heart! we are still working on school challenges, but we will get there. she is a smart kid, we just have to keep it focused in the right direction ;-)

alaina: she's not a baby either :-( she seems to enjoy school, but i think she likes coming home in the middle of the day. she is already starting to read...which is so fun to see. i wish i would have blogged earlier because she has said some of the darnedest things lately. i love how funny she is without trying to be funny. the other night we were driving home at night and she asked why the high school wasn't asleep (because there were still lights on). it was much funnier in person!

mya: oh boy! where to start? she is such a funny little thing. like i said earlier, not talking....still only has a few teeth, but man does she have personality. she is still attached to mommy. if anyone even looks like they are going to come near me, she starts running....like, "you can't have her, she's mine! i love her dearly, but she really is a little stinker!! there are so many things i want to write about her, but of course as i sit down to write this...i forget them all...darn it!

i have so much to be thankful for. i wanted to participate in the facebook "thankful for thirty days" or whatever it's called, but i knew i would be a big slacker.....so, i will just sum it up here! i am first and foremost thankful for my God. so very thankful that he loves me, that he is here with me always, takes care of me, provides for me, listens to me, holds me, knows me (and still loves me).....and i don't deserve it, not one bit, but boy am i thankful. i am thankful for His word and how it comes alive. i am thankful for the fire that is burning inside of me, for the desire He gives me to seek him everyday and in all things! i am so thankful for my husband who loves me no matter what, who provides for our family, who helps me with projects around the house (even though i know he doesn't want to do them), for our kids who bring so much life and laughter and joy (and tears and frustration....we love you, we love you....one day you will understand) to our lives. you girls make life so much more colorful! though i do love black and white, i have learned that color is better ;-) i am so, so thankful for our families...what would we do without you?! for my friends, near and far...i am so thankful for what you bring to my life. for the roof over our heads and the food on the table...and the clothes on our backs i am grateful. so many things....maybe i should have participated on facebook? here in a few hours i may be thankful for starbucks ;-) i hope everyone out there has a wonderful thanksgiving filled with the Lord's many blessings!

we did it!

ten years ago.....TEN years ago i married my best friend and long time love! some may say that it is a miracle that we have made it this long....heck, some would ask, how the heck did you even get started? i laugh as i write that because it would be honest to ask that. we started dating sixteen years ago...and dating was not our strong suit, but marriage has been pretty darn good (if i do say so myself). of course we have our ups and downs, but we love each other and are committed 100%. i cannot imagine my life without this man who stands by my side everyday. he is my other half...to quote jerry maguire "you complete me."

i LOVE that we have such an extended history together. it is so fun to reminisce and to see where we have come. several jobs, a couple moves and three kids later here we are!

alan, i know you don't read this, but i will say it anyway....i love you...i am so blessed to share my life with you....to be your wife...the mother of your children...to be your friend. thank you for standing by my side...for loving me through thick and thin, for being a loving father....for being YOU! happy anniversary sweet heart....we did it! (happy dance!!) xoxoxo

humble

the other night as i crawled into bed with a heavy, yet hopeful heart. i turned on my kindle and opened up to the first chapter in ephesians. i was going to just read it, but as i started, i could feel the power of the words...so i prayed it. i prayed through the whole chapter. wow! His words are so powerful, so personal and so endearing....why am i so amazed? it washed over me and soothed my heart. why don't i read His word every moment of every day? i need it...i want it...i love it, i truly do! i know how much he loves me, yet i can't comprehend it...does that make sense? it just blows me away that He has blessed me with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, He chose me...to be holy and without fault (in His eyes of course), He purchased my freedom, my sins are forgiven, He has given me an eternal glorious inheritance. i just hate it, that all of this and more is not on the forefront of my mind from the moment i awake in the morning, til my head is resting on my pillow at night. arghhhhh! i am so excited to read and study this book with three very special women. what else can i say....... .

zoo with my babe

i wish it didn't take me so long to write this post.....but a week later is better than never. last tuesday was a gorgeous "fall" day. the sun was shining the, a cool breeze blowing....and just me and my babe at the zoo.....before the gates even opened. alan just happened to suggest that i take mya to the zoo after dropping the girls off at school. i pondered it for a minute, then said ABSOLUTELY! man am i glad i did. tuesday reminded me of a morning six and half years ago...the days were almost identical....beautiful fall day we took kylee to the zoo for the first time (she was 18 months old). it seemed as if we were the only ones there (out in africa that is)....well, we pretty much were. this day proved to be the same. it was just mya, i and all the animals. it was great! she was loving it. she could have stayed and watched the lions all day long! i was so disappointed that we couldn't stay longer. it was definitely a short visit to the zoo (i had to go and pick up alaina from school, which meant we only had an hour and a half to roam around), but well worth it. i can't wait to go back...maybe next time we can stay a little longer.

i am learning that our sweet little one just needs a bit of fresh air to be content through the day. if we get our morning walk in she is a much happier kid. this does concern me...what the heck am i going to do this winter? she is going to be a BEAR...oh my!

*sigh*

Completely 100% accurate!!!!!!!!!


poor thing did have roseola for the second time in three months....it was BAD!



the sky is blue, the air is cool...there is a soft gentle breeze blowing through the house....i should be out there enjoying it, taking part in this glorious day. but instead i am sitting here writing, taking in all the silence i can before it comes to a complete halt! it seems as though our house has been turned upside down as of late and i feel the need to vent and pull out a little hair. the days seem to start fairly well (especially the days when i can get a walk in after dropping the girls off at school), but seem to spiral out of control at 3:50. i haven't written these past few weeks because honestly, i haven't had anything nice to say. this may sound harsh, but it's true. but now i feel the need to share this so one day i (and the girls) can look back on this and laugh....because i am definitely not laughing now.

in our house "pit" time starts the moment kylee gets home from school. the homework starts, then the attitude, then the eye rolling, then the frustration, then mya starts crying (and won't stop unless i hold her...but that is really hard to do while helping with homework and getting dinner started), then kylee starts crying...it goes on and on until dinner. then we are okay for a short time, that is unless mya is in one of her moods (which is typically every day)...then there is more whining and crying, then it's bath time with more whining and crying at some point...then mya goes to bed and it is a lot quieter....then the girls go to bed and it is even quieter. then i want to fall on the couch, but occasionally i will get a second wind, but by then i am completely unmotivated. There.....blah.

in regards to homework last week i wanted to try something different because i couldn't handle another argument. the deal was...kylee would come home, read for twenty minutes (unwind) then play until dinner. as soon as dinner was over we would start her homework. it seemed to go well the first night, but the next day she didn't want to do it that way. she wanted to get it over with. i completely understood where she was coming from, but the way it was going it was taking us so long that she couldn't possibly get it over with....it would just drag on forever! thankfully this week we get a little break because it is a short week and they are doing MAP testing the three days they are there. however i am sure there won't be a break from mya's fussiness. i love that sweet girl, love her dearly...and love the fact that she really loves and wants her momma, but there comes a time when they need to be able to be somewhat content with themselves. of course i don't mean leaving her alone, but being able to sit on the floor and play with her toys while i am in the kitchen cooking (which is only 12 feet away...and in open space) shouldn't be too much to ask. she would rather crab my legs and bury her face and cry until i pick her up. i think one of our biggest barriers right now is that she is not talking...not even trying to. she seems to have forgotten the sign language she once knew. needless to say we are not communicating very well and it is proving to be a struggle. she is super strong willed which isn't helping....it may help her down the road, but not really working with momma right now....or daddy for that matter. heck...not even with her sisters. she can actually be downright mean to them.

where is alaina in all of this.....well, quietly playing. i feel bad for her because the majority of my focus is on the other two. she really is the cream filling in the oreo...she helps hold the cookies together. lou, one day you will read this....i want you to know that you are not at all forgotten about, we love you very much!

i love all my girls. i have said it a hundred times...i just hate this tension....the fights, the struggle. we NEED a little peace in this house...even if only for a day. i need to be patient...slow to anger....and slow to speak....quick to love...and definitely more prayerful (and if i still need to, i can go in the bathroom and bang my head against a wall). ;-) that's all!

back to school

we've done it! the first week of school has begun for everyone now. we officially have a kindergartner and third grader. i am minus two at home now....for a little while anyway. kylee's first day was great! which makes me smile and my heart happy. lainey had her first day this morning. it is so hard to tell whether everything went okay...she is so quite and doesn't like to talk about how she is feeling (a stuffer). i pried as much as i could, and it seems that she had an okay time. nothing very climactic. guess, i will have to keep asking.

i have such fond memories of elementary school. sitting in front of the school waiting each day for the girls to come out...i sit and reminisce of those days long ago ;-) some days i wish i could do it all over again....just without the mullet and little better fashion sense (okay, just not in the eighties). my two favorite years were the 3rd and 4th grade. it helped that i had really great teachers those two years (i will never forget them). i remember racing through multiplication times test to win the best prize, falling in love with the box car children and lots of little crushes. third grade was the year that the boys separated from the girls and vice versa. that is when cooties and crushes began. i am assuming that things haven't changed that much...i am only 22...right? yeah right! with that being said...about the separation of boys and girls...i hope and pray that that won't bring any added challenges to kylee's year. kylee is our little tomboy...nothing frilly or pink!!! she likes to hang out with the boys and play star wars...yet she loves to hang out with her girlfriends too. speaking from personal experience, it's easier to hang out with the boys, there is no competition and they are no nonsense! of course i liked hanging out with them because i was the one who always had the crushes. oh, how proud i am of myself ;-) anyway, kylee came to me one night this summer and said, "i know God made me a girl, and i like to play star wars with the boys and that's okay, but they don't want to play with me...and i don't want to play what the girls are playing." ohhhhhh, lump in throat! immediately i want to try to talk it out and fix it...i don't want my baby being stuck in the middle and getting left out. that breaks my heart....but....what if that is where God wants her. what if that is where he can use her? okay, that literally just dawned on my now (not this summer when we were actually having this conversation). i need to step back and rejoice in the child God created (that He created in each one of the girls), not try and change them, but help mold them, encourage them, LOVE them. it is sometimes so much easier to right these thoughts than to actually put them into practice. Lord help me! i need wisdom that is for sure and a better attitude. she will be fine...and i know she will shine (ooh i made a rhyme).

as for miss mya she has reminded my of my place in life right now....that is on the floor. as long as i am on the floor life is pretty good. if i dare get up, the world comes crashing down. what am i to do? she is getting so big. climbing up the stairs, not listening to a word i say, finding wonderful treasures in the trash can, locking herself in rooms (because she likes to close doors), growing out of all her clothes, NOT speaking a word...though she does lip sing....literally! when music is one, the lips are smacking, but nothing is coming out. we have a little milli vanilli! maybe i should play "blame it on the rain" for her and see what she does....ha!! she is too cute. things in her little world are becoming funnier and more adventuresome. i am glad i have her here at home with me while the big ones are off at school...she can keep me grounded a little longer ;-)

i am such a lucky girl. married to my best friend and the mom to three awesome little girls....excuse me, two big girls and a baby! what more could a girl want! homework....yeah!!!

hard

yesterday was one of those yuck days. it started off fine. the kids were excited because they were going to find out who there teacher was...and of course, who was in there class. after a visit and several text, the kids found out who they had...no real need to even go up to the school. but we still wanted to see who was in who's class. i wasn't worried about alaina because we had already found out that two little friends were in her class (yeah!), but we hadn't heard about kylee. needless to say, we got there, we saw it, we were sad. none of her girlfriends from last year were in her class...the only other girl from her class last year is someone who doesn't mesh well at all with kylee. the look of disappointment on her face...which then turned to anger and a little anxiousness just made me sick. i felt horrible! she wouldn't let me touch her or talk to her, she just wanted to leave. the first thing i did when we got to the car was pray! i prayed that God would give her peace and comfort...and strength to stand strong....to embrace the situation. we left the school and as we were pulling away she asks me if i can call and have her moved to another class. i took a deep breath and swallowed the big lump in my throat and told her that i could not do that. as much as i wanted to say "yes honey, i will call when we get home" i couldn't. i know that there are parents out there who would be on the phone immediately, but i am not that parent when it comes to this. everyday we come across people who are rude, bossy and inconsiderate. how do we learn how to deal difficult people/situations if we are completely removed from them? alan and i both want her to learn how handle situations such as these...stand up for herself, be an affective communicator. but boy is it hard to swallow that and say, "here my little third grader, this is the hand you have been delt right now...we are going to figure this out and pray our way through it." ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

well, it gets better! we go up to the school later last night for the actual meet the teacher night. we get their supplies and head off to meet alaina's teacher. as we are walking up to the room, the grapefruit size lump reaches my throat. my second baby is going to start kindergarten....boo hoo! so, we go in, look around (mind you, alaina has a very firm grip on my hand telling me how nervous she is....awesome!) after spending a little while in there i think she felt a little more comfortable so we decided it was okay to go find kylee's classroom. we head over to the third grade pod....we look, and look, and look and can't find kylee's class. hmmmmmmm, where is it? alan finally finds it down the hall next to the fifth grade pod (not even in a pod, in a classroom off of the hallway). okay. so we go in and meet her teacher (very sweet) and find her desk. we put her things away and look around a minute. the teacher happens to mention that she hears (she is new to the school) that this classroom they are in can either be hot or cold. okay. i stop and talk to the teacher for a minute. she notices that kylee has dairy/gluten allergies, so she tells me that they put the other girls with those allergies in her class as well. okay. we leave, i get out into the hall and i want to cry. why you may ask? it may sound ridiculous to some, but what the heck. were they the left over kids and they didn't know what to do with them. they isolated them from the other third grade classes (and next to fifth graders....nothing wrong with fifth graders, but not necessarily an appropriate place to put third graders), when there is a fourth grade class in the third grade pod???? i don't understand. it also concerns me that they are secluding kids with certain allergies. i understand that it would be easier on the teachers, but we the parents are responsible for our children's allergies....and we teach our kids to be responsible as well. so why can't they be with everyone else.

at the end of last year during conferences, i was excited to hear that they were asked, if they could have anyone on there class with them next year, who would it be? we were told that they were really going to work hard to pair kids together to make things a little more comfortable, and an easier transition. i guess what i should say is that i feel that kylee keeps getting overlooked. what i mean by this is that because she is a "good" kid and pretty easy going (at school) she gets passed over. just like she was her first grade year when we had all that crap going on with all the girls in class being mean and cliquish. she never spoke up, yet she got dragged down...she was overlooked. oh, i don't even know what else to say. i feel that there is so much more....i am so frustrated. she had such a good year last year, she made some really nice friends....i don't want her to endure another year like first grade (yet, in a completely different way). it hurts her and it hurts our family because guess who she takes it all out on....us. not that i wouldn't gladly take it, but it's not fair that she would even have to internalize stuff.

i know i am jumping the gun in saying a lot of this.....i think i just need a place to vent. this year could be a terrific year....that, i am praying for!! God does not give us what we cannot handle. and He has a plan for kylee, plans for her to prosper, not harm her....plans to give her hope and a future. i love that..........

PAUSE.......

i just got off of the phone with the principal (i forgot to mention in the midst of my venting, that i did email her regarding the room situation....not with the intention of having her moved)....we talked and she offered to have kylee moved to another class. God just opened another door! yeah God!!! wow, thank you so much! i feel the weight being lifted. thank you mrs. hite for listening and understanding, it means more than you know. i think i am done now ;-)

PS. the allergy grouping was a complete coincidence.

okay, i know i said it was hot, but man....108 degrees...WOW! something i have always wanted to try was to fry an egg on the ground when it was hot. well, it's HOT, so i thought i would give it a go. obviously, it didn't work, but i took a picture anyway...it looked kinda cool! i should have tried it in the street, but didn't want to further embarrass myself. needless to say, we stayed inside today. had our daily "let's let mya sleep as long as she can movie afternoon." i really hate that we have watched so much tv, but with it being so hot...and finally figuring out that if it is super quiet in the house mya will take a decent nap...what does a mom do? todays movie was "guys and dolls." the girls love musicals, and so do i! this past winter when it was so cold and blizzard like outside "bye, bye birdie" was playing. i am looking forward to the tv being non existent here soon when the girls go back to school.

i must say that staying inside has helped me to be productive in areas i have wanted to since we have moved into our house. i have organized all their craft stuff, organized junk drawers, cleared out the "throw everything in there" guest room. it feels good. next on the agenda is our bathroom....we have so many cabinets and stuff just thrown in willy nilly (it drives me crazy that it is not organized). we'll just see if that gets done in the next...i still want to paint our bathroom off of the kitchen. so much to do.

HOT

it is SO hot!!!!! i have tried to hold my tongue and not complain, but seriously!!!! i am done! i am tired of staying inside. the pool isn't even fun...it's a warm hot tub...YUCK! okay, i am done......

school is about to begin. next week we are in full transition mode....early to bed and early to rise. we will just see how that goes. kylee is ready to go back (for the most part)...lainey on the other hand won't even talk about it. that makes me a little nervous. she is not one to really like school, she would rather be home with me. luckily she has a big sis to walk her to her class and give her a hug before she goes in (per daddy's request). i am still in shock that kylee is going to be in the third grade and lainey in kindergarten. it goes so darn fast. i have been watching alaina the last few days and have noticed a few changes in her over the summer. the way she talks, so much more mature....and her little baby body is no more, she is longer and leaner....and very tan! something she said the other day made my heart smile (something she has said before....and i will never try and correct this), she was laying against my chest she told me that she could hear my heart "beeping." AWESOME...love it.

speaking of funny things...we were all lying around, alan was channel surfing...stopping at "the three amigos" when kylee excitedly pops up and says, "it's the four francesco's!" i about lost it...the four francesco's....where did that come from? i am not sure, but i am sure it was funny.

okay, side note....as i am sitting here writing this alan pointed out that my left foot twitches when i am on the computer (he said all of my toes are always moving...great!) now i am trying to type without consciously doing it....and i can't think straight.....i am laughing. i may not be able to finish this post. yes, i know that i am WEIRD!!

anyway, my tail is still following me every where, kylee has just hit her reading goal of 1500 minutes this summer, and lainey...she makes my heart "beep."

i know there was more i wanted to write, but i lost my train of thought with my foot twitch. good night!

sleepy morning eyes. she may look happy now....hmmmmm. it wasn't two minutes later she was crying.


why is it that kids instinctively know when you have things to do in the morning....they get up super early? for the life of me i can't understand this. well, actually i think i do, but i don't want to believe that satan would use my sweet little babies to deter me from getting into the Word for a little while....but why wouldn't he? he makes me so darn mad. i need to remember this when my feet hit that last stair in the early morning and the baby starts crying to not get mad at them....but to pray instead. not let him win! seriously, it never fails that on days that i intentionally set my alarm to get up early to read my bible and workout they are up as soon as I get downstairs!!! i have conquered kylee in regards to this...she can now read a clock and knows not to come out of her room until 7:00...alaina doesn't do it very often because she has big sis telling her not too....well, miss mya...sigh! it hasn't helped that mya has not been taking very good naps as of late. she was only taking a 30 min nap in the morning, so my thoughts were to get rid of that one and just put her down for an early afternoon nap. well, that is not working out very well. she thinks she only needs an hour to an hour and a half nap. NO WAY kid...you need MORE!!!!! mommy needs a little more time and a happy baby at the end of the nap! needless to say it has been a rough few days if not longer than that. i remember this time not being very fun with kylee and alaina too....but kylee never did wrap her head around the nap concept...alaina thankfully did (and still does on occasion) i am hoping and praying that mya will follow suit with her middle sis. i guess we will just wait and see.

thankfully she loves going to bed at night. in fact, her bedtime routine is such a sweet part of the day. she gets a bath, gets dressed, get her blankie, we snuggle up in the rocking chair and read her Bible! She LOVES her Bible, it is the ONLY book she will actually sit down (and really relax) and let me read it to her. i can read it cover to cover (it's a baby Bible, so that is not hard to do) and she won't move unless there is an action that i have her do with the story. it is so sweet and so hopeful...."it is the same with my word. i sent it out, and it always produces fruit. it will accomplish all i want it to, and it will prosper everywhere i send it." isaiah 55:11 NLT His words and truth are in her...she already longs for them. how awesome is that!!!! help me Lord, to not just be a hearer of your word, but a doer...so my girls will see your love, your truth and your ways through me. AMEN!

t-rex never again

oh my....how i wish i would have had a video or even a picture of the experience we just had. i hope my words can do it justice. for our last evening without daddy ohie was going to meet us out for dinner. she told me to find a place that would be fun for the kids. well, the only thing i could think of that was close was T-REX. we have never eaten there and the girls have talked about going there every time have been up at the legend's. so...we get there a little early to walk around before we were supposed to meet ohie at the restaurant. we get to there, i open the door....alaina's feet stop and then SCREAMS! her feet wouldn't move! i tried telling her that we had to go in to see if ohie was in there waiting for us. yeah, that didn't work, she wasn't going in. so we back up and move away from the door. i try to calm her down and explain that the dinosaurs are fake and that i would never take her in a place that wasn't safe. well, that didn't work either. at this point i am hot (literally) and really getting frustrated. what do i do? i try calling ohie to let her know what is going on, but can't get a hold of her. so i keep trying, and keep trying to explain that we have to go in to make sure ohie is not there. i was thinking she just couldn't hear her phone inside the restaurant....so i knew we had to get in some how. by now, we had been sitting outside in the blazing sun, we had tried several more times to walk up towards the restaurant with no success, just more screams, i was getting mad, i was dripping sweat everywhere....i was to the point of tears...and didn't know what to do. finally, i put the stroller about three feet away from the door and tell the girls not to move...i was going to open the door and try and get the hostess's attention....at this point we had a large group of people (who turned out to be a little flash mob....not obvious or anything) staring at us (lainey is squatting down behind the stroller....and did i mention that kylee is now crying and scared too! the only calm one was mya, and she was the one i was concerned about). well, i can't get the hostess's attention, but i get the attention of some guy standing there who was able to get the hostess's attention. she eventually came over, i asked her if they had someone come in that was expecting anybody, she said she didn't think so. awesome! now what? i was done and walking away when my phone finally rings...it was ohie calling from another restaurant nearby telling me that she had left her cell at home and that she couldn't 't find a place to park. after all that, i was done and ready to go home and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. after getting to the car and cooling off, i just laughed. what else was i to do. it really was much funnier to me....my words definitely did not do it justice ;-) hope everyone else is having a great saturday night!!

pucker up butter cup

lots of pictures.......







summer is half way over. even with it being as busy as it has, it hasn't gone as fast as i thought it would. but i still feel like i haven't gotten anything accomplished....except for this weekend i guess. the hubby is out of town on a float trip, so it's just been me and the girls. so i have been able to check off a couple of things on my LONG list of "to do's"......painted tables, painted the girls cork board frame, met some new friends at the pool (this has been on the "to do" list for one whole year!!), maybe get a few pictures hung?? anyway....i feel a little lighter.

the first night without daddy, the girls (minus baby) had mini facials and pedi's (at "momma's special spa"), watched a movie, read a book and all crawled into my bed. i think my back is still a little sore from that night. last night kylee had a friend sleep over, which included pizza, popcorn and cookies. tonight is going to be low key...maybe a little movie, then off to bed (church in the morning)! we've had a good time, the girls have been great, but we all miss daddy!

i don't think i have posted since mya started walking. she took her first steps june 25th (actually walking)...and now she is pretty much all over the place. it is still so new that i forget that she can walk, when i turn around and see her coming towards me, it freaks me out a little. the latest thing is to carry something in each hand while walking! one of the cutest things she is doing right know...is give kisses. these aren't just any ol' baby kisses (you know the open mouth slimy kisses we all love), these are big puckered up kisses! she was never one to give out any kind of kiss, but now.......oh, they were TOTALLY worth the wait!! they are awesome. what is even funnier is that when she gives one, she expects everyone else to line up. she will give one kiss, then turn to whoever she wants to kiss next, pucker up and expect that person to come running....which of course we do, who wouldn't? i think she just likes to watch us all act like fools for her! but we are fools for her, she kind of melts our hearts!

kylee and alaina are about finished with their summer rec activities....which have been great! lainey has been taking a music an swimming class. kylee has been taking karate and loving it! oh, and miss alaina lost her very first tooth (june 30th)! i have a feeling she is going to be pretty toothless this school year....there are two more wiggly ones in there. i guess this means we will probably be heading to the orthodontist soon for spacers. her narrow little mouth isn't going to tolerate all those new big teeth. can't wait ;-) she is so much like her dad (he had to have them too! however, i was looking at alaina the other day and realized that her and i share the same chin. i know this has no significance to anyone, but to me it does. i didn't think this poor child even came from me, she is her daddy's clone.....but she did and she has my pointy chin ;-) it made me smile. why does it make us happy that our children look like us? i don't believe that it is because we are being conceded, maybe just to prove to the world that they are really are children. why, i am really not sure? weird!

well, miss mya is up from her nap....way TOO early i might add. this switching to one nap a day is for the birds. i forgot how bad it stinks. she has only been asleep for maybe and hour and a half...yuck!!! fun times ;-)

before i forget...while driving the other day, lainey overheard me talking to my dad. when i got off the phone she asked me why i still call my dad, "dad." so we went round and round about how even though you get older your parents are still your parents and so on. she proceeded to tell me that her kids will call alan, "alan." she also realized that papa and ohie would be her kids great grandparents and that papa would become "papapa", hence the extra "pa" stands for the "great." did i explain that very well. it sure was funny listening to her tell me. i couldn't stop laughing. i just love her wittiness, she's so funny without even trying to be funny! got love her ;-)

PS. for those of you who read our blog, please excuse the fact that i include dates of things in the midst of writing.....it helps me remember (since i have been terrible at keeping up baby books, this is as close as i will get)....and the fact that i can't remember anything anymore!

summ 'a' time

man where to start? this summer has been so busy already. i am caught up with a few things, so i thought i would take a little time to reflect....while i enjoy a cookie!

miss mya had a great birthday! fun filled with lots of cake and presents...with all the fam ;-) the morning of her birthday the girls just couldn't wait to give her their present....so, before breakfast they gave her their present and sang happy birthday to her. we have never had a reaction with the other girls like we did with her. she got so excited when she saw her baby doll and then danced when they sang happy birthday to her. it was great! that night after dinner, i took pictures of her as she dived into her very own cupcake. what was better was when she dug into her polka dot birthday cake. she didn't hesitate....she had fun picking off all of the polka dots...then sharing. man i love that girl.

i love ALL my girls! we were sitting in the doctors office the other day for mya's one year appointment when i had a profound moment...imagine that!! sitting next to each other on the exam table were all three girls.....as i stood there watching them something one of my girlfriends had said to me hit me..."you were so meant to have girls." in that moment as i looked at them i realized that she was right. i was meant to have girls....these three beautiful, sweet, sweet girls!! i always thought that i would have little boys...why, i am not sure. i think that the thought of having girls scared me a little bit. in fact it still scares me. i start to think about how badly i will screw up, how i might scar them, or break there spirit. typical mothers guilt i suppose. but what i have to remember is that God knew what he was doing when he made me their mother. yes, i will screw up....but God has my back. i know the Lord is always with me, i will not be shaken, for He is right beside me (psalm 16:8) i love these girls so much, but God loves them a hundred times more than i am even capable. He has plans for them, and i need to remember that.....and pray like crazy over them. i am not one to brag, but our girls are amazing. precious gifts...that is for sure!!!!

today, i was able to spend the whole day with one of my dearest friends (and her boys). our visits are few and far between, but it is always so great to sit and catch up. i miss having her near. i did love being able to hang out with her three boys today too. they are so precious. her littlest one is just 15 days younger than mya, but doing everything 10 steps ahead. in fact, the last time she was here (which was about three months ago) she brought her little guy with her who was already crawling (mya was not)....but a week later she started crawling. well today mya got a glimpse of what "walking" looks like. so what did she try to do tonight....she tried (took one step) to walk. i have a feeling it will be any day now. i guess she learns by example?? oh, and something else i forgot to mention...two days after her birthday she finally cut her first two teeth. after her bath tonight i noticed that her front two teeth are next in line..they are almost ready to pop through! my baby is getting big. i guess that happens when you turn "one?"

well, i think it is time to close up shop....a storms a brewing....i think the house my blow over (the lightening show is pretty incredible though!)