Homecoming week

                 At our school the whole school (each grade) builds a float for homecoing week and this includes kindergarten! This picture doesn't do justice to our cool float. We had skillets with a smoke machine blowing smoke cooking up little vikings. We had lots of little waiters and waitress wearing aprons and waffle house hats and some cheerleaders and football players eating at our diner. It was so fun. I got to know so many of my kindergarten parents on a different level than before.  Our float won first place in the competition. I was so excited and can't wait till next year!   The week ended with an amazing ballgame on Friday night where we shared a tailgating get together with lots of friends and many family members showed up to watch the big event. Our little team is now 6-0 and moving forward at full speed.

Happy Birthday my teenager!

Our oldest daughter finally hit the big 13! She has been waiting patiently and now I she waits for the big 14 so she can go to the church dances!!! I never imagined how awesome having teenagers in the house would be but I LOVE it!

Leah Beth at the big 13 has been in YW program at church for one year. I have gotten to be with her in the program for 10 months of that. She has attended her first girls camp! She finished dance in June and began chorus at school. She is the biggest helper in our house. She will pitch in any day with laundry, cooking, cleaning and daily duties. She loves to shop! She loves shoes! She loves make-up!

For her 13th birthday she was able to attend a Taylor Swift concert with some friends and got a pair of cowboy boots.  She had so much fun!  She is such a sweet, thoughtful sister. She loves to be with friends but loves even more to be at home. We love our beautiful blue eyed girl and we are so blessed to be her parents.  She is a joy!

Favorite food:Easy Mac

Favorite clothes:cut off shorts and t-shirts

Favorite subject at school: english/literature

Favorite restuarant: Taco Bell

Favorite Show: Kate plus 8

What do you want to be when you grow up: A mommy and  A nurse to Blake's doctor practice!

Favorite singer: Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood

Favorite song: "Sparks Fly"

 

When the world stopped turning

I'll be hugging those I love a little tighter today.

football

Friday night lights! Blake and Andrew on the field make football even more fun. Our team is 4-0 with homecoming this coming weekend! 

#23-Blake and #24-Andrew

Our baby girl turned 10 on Thursday!  We had a great celebration-cake, friends and swimming! 

Caroline is such a sunshine to our family. She can rap the latest song with her teenage brothers, do the best hip toss I've ever seen a girl do and sparkle when she does it! She is independent, strong willed, giving, smart,and many many more things.  She is in the 90th percent of her age for height and she wears the same size shoe as me! 

Caroline at 10

4th grade-straight A's

loves Taylor Swift

sparkly clothes

American Girl dolls

showing goats

favorite color- blue

favorite food-chicken casserole

favorite thing to wear-Disney world red hat

favorite thing to do-play and swim

favorite sport to play-basketball

favorite show-Big Time Rush

favorite restaurant-Red Robin and fazoli's

Favorite memory from the past year-Disney world vacation


Happy Birthday sweet Caroline!

Kindergarten ROCKS!

I was made to be a kindergarten teacher!I can't believe how much it completes me!  I am so excited every day I go to school. My sweet little class had our routine down today. We had the best day! We learned, we sang, we played, we painted and we rested! I love the sweetness of this age and how they love school! I love how they can't wait to do the next thing and how easily they are entertained!  It's gonna be a great school year!

I love even more that my  kiddos are all at the same school with me!  The boys leave for early morning seminary at 6. The girls and I leave at 6:30. Even though I don't see the boys that often I know they are there and if they need me or if I need them it's just down the hall. The girls on the other hand I see a lot! Since working outside of the home is something we decided for our family I couldn't think of a better place to be than right where they are! I feel so blessed!

Good times-Good times-good times!

few weeks late but school year begins photos!

11th grade

 4th grade

 10th grade

 7th grade

Can't find the words!

Seems like I can't seem to find the words I am looking for to blog.  Sometimes I think it's easier just not to post but I want to remember these moments in the future so I'm making myself!  How can I be so completely blessed in 10 thousand ways and yet still be so needy for more! 

We have had a wonderful, busy summer. There were so many happenings I couldn't keep up.

School has began with a bang. I can't even put into words how blessed I feel to be at the school with all four of my children. I am among friends-big and little!  Kindergarten is where my heart has always been and I am loving every second of it.  The students already have my heart in a very short time. I am loving seeing them progress so quickly.  It really doesn't feel like a job. 

Football season is in and full swing. Blake is starting this year and Andrew is doing great too. His playing time is less but he is working his way up.

I am finally adjusted to my YW president calling and feel like we are getting it under control. I feel like our presidency is now moving forward like a team and really pulling together.

My mom just moved two miles from me. I have always wanted to live this close to her and can't believe how much my load has been lifted just to have her close. She has picked up girls helped with doctor check-ups and cooked dinner.   I LOVE IT and feel so lucky!

I can see the Lord's hand in my life. I can see how we are being prepared for something. We are so blessed.

So what is my problem.....what is wrong with me!  Something big is missing and we all know it!  We have been on this adoption journey for 14 months.   We have only been a "waiting" family with our current agency for 14 weeks but we have known for a long time that someone was missing from our family. Even though a placement in August or Sept. would completely throw me over the edge while I am adjusting again to new job and school - I am getting so impatient! I understand the Lord's timing is in place but I wish I had a time line. We never expecting to be waiting because they had such a shortage when we began. In fact they were placing babies in 3 weeks of becoming active. I am so thankful babies aren't waiting but I hate waiting too!
Five babies were placed last week and I keep wondering what is it that we are missing from our profile. Did I really explain our desire to do the Lord's will and the strong desire to have another child? I have thought so many times that if we had gone to Africa we would be coming home now. But our answers to our prayers were so clear to go this  route. 

When we thought Caroline was the last child I remember being so anxious to get her here and take family pictures and silly little things because I thought my family was complete! Well here I am again being so anxious. My heart although so full is so heavy. It doesn't make sense but it is what it is!

Hopefully now that I have that in the open I can blog again soon with life and normal routines!

Goat showing practice

She loves to spend her time at this farm where the time she spends is so close to her heart. She learns the chores with pride and works hard to do it just right. 

 

 The competition of the battle of the will!

Practice makes better! My little goat showing babe!

children are an heritage of the Lord: Ps. 127:3