summer highlights...

 boating with friends in my home town!

 4th of july

 boating with friends in my home town...

 my aunt sandy and I ...at moms house and pool ...

 summer pool time..

 Fathers day pic nic

Happy 5th Birthday Gracie!!

Today we celebrated Grace's 5th Birthday!! Gracie is such a sweet heart. Always cares so much for others, she has amazing manners and talks to you like she is a teenager..hmmm, I wonder why? Her teenage siblings I'm sure have a little influence on that. She truly is the light in every day. Thank you Lord for blessing us with such an amazing little daughter!! (I wanted to get this posted tonight on her b-day-nearing midnight here..I will post more pictures and write more soon)

Track Star **

I am such a proud mommy of my daughter Amanda-my little track star. Only being an 8th grader she got moved up to a HS Varsity Track meet the other day. Her last meet of the season. For the first time she ran the 300 meter hurdles and she placed 3rd....was about 1 second from making it to State!!  The one race she thought she would not do that good in, she did great. This year she competed in 75 meter hurdles, 100 meter hurdles, Long jump,  4x100 relay.  All in all, she had a great season!!   

 We were so happy when Grandma and Grandpa W drove all the way out (8hrs) to come and make it to one of her track meets. This season was a bit rainy and colder than most have been in the past. IT meant a lot to Amanda that they made it out to support her. :-))

Mother Day Hike To Devils Bathtub

This Mothers Day My family took me to the place I have wanted to hike for a couple of years. Devils Bathtub is an amazing hike. Not really marked fully by a "trail", you basically find your way to the top and end up crossing the water about 14 times. This water is freezing cold. But lucky for us this Mother's Day was  in the 80's. Great perfect weather and that is not typical for this time of year. After our hike we changed and went out to dinner.  I would have to say that this Mother's Day was the best on record!! Thank you family for making me feel so special!! 

Crossing the water was not always easy. But it was fun. Grace being only 4 did amazing, she did not need carried at all, she hiked up and down by herself. Except for crossing the water, the boys just handed her off to each other and she thought it was so fun!

 I have been blessed with the very best kids in the world. I feel so lucky to have such amazing children!

Wordless Wednesday!! Hoola Hoopin

Kindergarten at 5 --or Not?

So this year Grace went to preschool. Love the A-becca curriculum. She has a excellent teacher we feel has done a great job with her. So then comes the big question...Do we send our little girl who will turn 5 on August 4th to Kindergarten or do we wait?  Well all year actually we thought she would go to Kindergarten next fall. Her teacher kept saying she is definitely very smart "gifted" and will be more than ready to go. 

So kindergarten orientation comes..I took her to that. They evaluate your child and you wait. Yep papers say she is academically ready. Socially she is ready. But why are we suddenly having doubts about her being the youngest. Maybe God is trying to tell us something. So I asked the question on my adoption chat I am part of . Of course I got about 40 plus comments saying many different experiences. Some people children were fine starting that young, some struggled later.. Well it was the struggling later that caught my attention on this. So I kept asking more people. Not asking them what I should do , but to get to hear maybe  some more experiences.  Still many of the same stories with both sides. I asked my sister who works in the schools as a counselor. She consulted with 4 different teachers. The consensus was wait- this surprised me. She gave me reasons I had not thought about. Looking way ahead....She would graduate at 17, youngest in class. She may be ready academically but they have seen children that hit about middle school age and being the youngest catches up to them. Not only will she always be small, but also younger. Honestly she still loves her nap time too..all day kindergarten could be really hard on her.   Her friends would all get to drive a whole year before her. Just different things that would come up because of a younger age. With every thing gathered and really praying about this. We both suddenly felt great peace ( i love when God does this) about waiting off another year until we start kindergarten.  With all taken in ....there was not one person that regretted waiting. While many did regret starting them so young. In my opinion you can never go back!!  In talking to her preschool teacher she also felt that waiting would be best...she wished she had waited with her daughter too.....She will advance Grace up another level in the A-Becca curriculum and work with her on K-5. So she will not be bored but challenged.  When she goes to Kindergarten the following year she will be older, but probably always at the top of her class . 

 I can't seem to post with out pictures can I!! 

I am happy that I get another year before my little one starts full time school....This younger age is so precious...thank you GOD for giving us peace about this decision!!!

Family Day April 16

 April 16- we celebrated our Family Day! Four years ago that our little Gracie was in our arms. This is a day I will never forget and one of the very best days in my life! If you have given birth to a child I compare her being in my arms for the first time exactly the same as when i birthed my other two children. I can not believe how fast 4 years has gone by. It seems like she is growing up so very fast!! Being our youngest child I think I really cherish these younger years.

 Lovely Cup cakes...

Daddy picked her up from Preschool- and had balloons for her-she was so excited and surprised he picked her up too..

Its tradition for us on this day to have Bulgolgi for dinner- Sooper yummy

My sister and her little one Eira made it over for dinner. :-) 

Spring Snow --we got dumped on !!

 Yep we got dumped on ..School cancelled...and about 12 inches of snow!! One little girl is loving it and trying to sled as much as she can!!