Swamped

I have literally been thinking about a blog post I wanted to write about feeling like I was coming out of a fog that has been in my head since China.  However...I can't even find enough time to write the dang post!  I am swamped!  I don't know if I've been this busy since I was packing for China.  The good news is the girls are enjoying VBS this week!  This is giving me a little time each morning to take care of some things without the two of them under my feet.  I don't even have a picture to share that's not still in my camera!!!

Just a few more days until the dance revue!!!
I'll be back with everything we've been up to soon!!

Practice, Practice, Practice

Are you sick of hearing me talk about the dance recital yet??  Hang in there...just a couple more weeks and it will be a thing of the past :(  I have to say that I have surprised myself.  I didn't really know if I would enjoy the "girl sports" because I enjoy the boys so much...but I do!!

I sat in on rehearsal this morning to take some pics and I am so glad I did.  I can't look at them without cracking up.  Let me explain...Our teacher, Ms. Becca, emailed us videos of both the tap and ballet numbers to practice during the week.  You might (or might not) know that I'm pretty competive, and I took her seriously.  The girls have loved practicing their numbers all week long and have gotten very good at them!  One side effect of seeing the dances so many times is that Gracie has learned not only the dance, but the song.  She has always sung the song while they dance, but today she belted out most of it...it was hysterical!  Honestly, she is the life of that party and doesn't even know it.  Thankfully, they put her on the back row because she's such a wild card, she might have everyone running circles up there before it's over :)

You can see her teacher getting a good laugh at her. (For the record...my two knew that dance better than anyone in there :) lol...  (btw...Gracie tore that hole in her tights on the way to dance!  argh!!!)
 

 This is their solo during the daddy dance. The song is a mixture of Indiana Jones and Walk Like an Egyptian. She is supposed to be "walking like an Egyptian" here, but Gracie "gallops like an Egyptian"! She completely passes up the little girl in front of her, but gets right back to the right place as she gallops back the other way. Notice all the older girls behind her...every one of them is cracking up at her as she gallops back to her spot!
 

 I have to give a shout out to my awesome hubby and my sweet daddy. They have been practicing twice a week for a couple of months and I have never heard them complain once! What sweet memories they are making with my precious girls. I am truly blessed.








As you might have guessed, Wesleigh is my total "rule follower".  She stands on her spot and does her dance, exactly like Ms. Becca has told her to.  She doesn't let Gracie phase her one bit :)

One Project Done

This project has been in the works for years...literally!  We moved into this house 4 1/2 years ago and hardly have hung a picture on the wall.  It's my indecisiveness.  I have a hard time making decisions on dumb stuff like this.  Going to China again...no problem.  Picture frames...freak out!!  Geez!!  Finally, I took the plunge and ordered a collection of frames (these are from Organic Bloom).  Even though I was so excited about them and knew what I wanted to do, I still stared at the box for a week or two...scared to pull the trigger.  There's something about a hole in the wall that is so permanent.  It's crazy, I know!

Richard was out of town last week and I finally got the courage to start hanging.  First I used paper the size of each frame so I could place them where I wanted them.



 Then I replaced the paper with the real thing :) There are a couple I would like spaced a little differently, but for the most part, I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

 Then the hard part...pictures. I have hours and hours represented in hundreds of GB on my computer, but when it comes to chosing which ones to use...I'm useless. I finally just made myself decide knowing that I can change them out at any time. I am thrilled with the way it turned out and find myself staring at the wall numerous times a day :)

   

The girls have gotten the biggest kick out of them. They love to look at the pictures of their family. Wesleigh is on a big "family" kick. She talks about how much she loves her family and names everyone in it all the time. I love that. Now my problem is that I would love to do this to every wall in my house! I know that would be a little strange, so I'm going to refrain, but I do want to do another wall like this in my bedroom or bathroom. Give me another 4 years and I'll get that one done too! :)

The "not-so-sleeping" Beauty

Everyday, I put Gracie down for a nap in her room and I hear her playing for a while before she falls asleep.  I never know what the room will look like when she wakes up and how many toys she will have in that bed of hers :)  I don't mind because it's a little extra quiet time for me!  I also never know what she will be wearing when she wakes up.  She could have on pajamas, a princess dress, a swimsuit or nothing at all :)  I went to check on her the other day and this is what I found:

(notice the ladybug slippers that complete the ensemble)  I'm just super impressed that her Rapunzel doll actually has clothes on!!!!


BTW...I snapped the picture and then left her alone :)  Gotta love naptime!!!

Cade

These pics are from the same day that Braden's were taken.  (I want to post about that trip, but wanted to get all these posted first)  These might be my favorite pics of Cade in a long time!  I don't think he looks like he just turned 11!!!  These look like they should be his senior pics!  Thank goodness, they aren't :)  He's all about his style and what he wears.  He was dressed and ready to go hours before we actually left, and brought an extra shirt and shoes.  I never stop being amazed at how different each of my children are!




My favorite:









Cade's favorite:  This was before he got all sweaty playing football :)

Braden

Braden is my child that always seems to escape the camera. There are a few reasons for this. First, he is always sweaty and dirty, playing in ditches or baseball in the backyard. Also, if he had it his way, he would never have to button anything. It would be sports shorts and t-shirts 24-7. Add to that the fact that he really doesn't like to have his picture taken and you have my least photographed child :) We met a lifelong friend of mine the other day at a great place to take some pics and I made sure they were all clean and presentable before we left. That doesn't mean they were that way when we were done...but there's only so much I can do! I even got Braden a haircut before we left...he was my goal.

 So.. Here are a few shots of my middle boy. He is 13 and is in the middle of a growth spurt. He comes up to me and measures nose to nose everyday. It could be any day now that his nose moves above mine (I still have him by about a 1/2 inch, if that :)  We also weigh the same.  (Proof that muscle weighs more than fat!!)  That puts him at about 5ft. 5 1/2 inches. His limbs, however, are the size of Richards. His arm from elbow to fingertip is actually a tiny bit longer than Richards. Knee to floor, Braden is about 1 inch shorter than his dad. That essentially makes him a 13 yr. old boy with the body of a 5'6 girl (minus the boobs)  and the limbs of a 6 ft. man :) Don't you dare tell him I said that!! lol...

 

Look at those long limbs!! :)












So that's my "B".  He finished school yesterday, and couldn't be happier about it!  We'll be baseball-ing it this weekend.  Maybe he'll hit one out of the park and I'll have something big to take pics of :)

Coming to a Close

Well....it's almost a wrap!  This school year is coming to a close, and I couldn't be happier about it!  This school year began with Richard and I in China to get Gracie and I feel like I never really caught my breath.  I am already hoping next year will be more organized and "calm".  I know...I'm still living in my state of delusion. Please...let me be...I like it here!!

Meanwhile, we've said "goodbye" to a few things this past week.  The girls said goodbye to their first preschool teachers.  These ladies were amazing.  Gracie came to them not speaking any English.  They came up with creative ways to involve Gracie and foster her English.  I will never be able to express how much of a blessing these women have been to me this year.  They loved each of my girls for who they are and embraced their individual personalities.  What an amazing experience this year of preschool has been for my girls!

(outfits are from Zulily!)




 Cade said "goodbye" to elementary school! I have a 1 year break from our elementary school. Then I get to start it ALL over again!!! I have had at least one child in this school for the past 10 years! Unbelievable...even more unbelievable that I still have 5 more to go!!! Cade had amazing teachers, as well. These women know me (we've been there 10 years, after all!). They have picked up my slack on more than one occasion and I so appreciate it! They have loved my boy, and you can't ask for more than that. And you can tell...he loved them right back :)

 

 Bryce said goodbye to riding with someone else to school :) Evan is our neighbor. He has brought Bryce to school everyday this year...what a blessing! I just love Evan. They both thought I was nuts going out in my pj's to take this picture, but that's the way we roll over here :)

 Bryce turns 16 on August 7. School starts on August 9. It might be the only time he's ever wished a summer away :)

 Braden is saying goodbye to the school he's attended for the past two years. We have decided to bring him back to the public schools here. He and Cade will go to the same jr. high for one year and then be together for 2 years of high school. He's still there for a few days, so I don't have any pictures of him yet :)