Gymnastics

I have been planning on putting the girls in gymnastics since we met Miss Gracie in China!  To say this girl is made for the gym is putting it mildly :)  Wesleigh is not as coordinated and flexible as Gracie, partly due to her Spina Bifida, but she loved every second of it and I think this is going to be great to strengthen her!

They actually went last week, but due to Bryce's birthday, license, party, etc....I'm a little late posting.

Seriously?? How cute are they in these leotards??

Yes...Gracie was the life of the party. Honestly, I cringed through most of it because she was all over the place! I'm sure it will get better... right????

As brave and fearless as Gracie seems to be, she is very timid to take risks sometimes.  It makes me laugh, and I haven't quite figured her completely out yet.  Watch this sequence:


She is so strong and has a death grip with her foot.  It took quite a while to get her to let go and flip.


Then she grabs onto the teacher's leg and would not let go!


Wesleigh, on the other hand, is not as strong physically, but it willing to take more risks.  Now that I'm typing, I think it's a trust issue.  When Gracie has to rely on someone else to catch her or support her, she's more nervous.  When it's a situation where she's dependent on herself (such as jumping from my coffee table to the sofa), she flies without any problem.  How about that...epiphany!! :)






Again, Wesleigh loved this and fell into the pit without any problem.  Gracie wanted to love it, but didn't want to let go :)  She finally did though!

I know I posted too many pics, but it's so hard for me to leave any out.  I want to remember it all!!!  I know their interests will separate at some point, but for right now, they both love EVERYTHING!  Some of you asked if they are doing dance again...YES!!  There is no way I would miss that!

One Year Ago Today...

We met this little firecracker!




What a difference a year makes!!

I can't believe it's only been a year.  I looked back at my Gotcha Day post last night and sat with my jaw hanging open.  She has grown so much.  Gracie was different than Wesleigh in that she was not developmentally behind.  She also transitioned super fast.  That first day in Walmart...she saw Sam (our guide) run into something, and started laughing.  She never looked back after that.  What a strong, resilient spirit this one has!!! God has definitely ordered her steps and destined her for something great. I'm just trying to hang onto her coat tails!! :)



Gracie has brought this house to a whole other level I didn't know existed.  She keeps all of us on our toes, and has brought some amazing characteristics out in Wesleigh.  She has forced Wesleigh to be more assertive and outgoing, and Wesleigh teaches Gracie that there are times to calm down and how to be a good listener.  I think they were exactly what each other needed!  They are sisters through and through!  It has been fun to watch their relationship blossom.





I took Gracie out last night for a last minute photo shoot.  She is such a good model sometimes and was loving it yesterday!  I didn't have the time to put her hair up, so we decided to leave it down.  I love it!!  (You know I can't post just one!)












Happy Gracie Day to my sweet girl!!  We are so thrilled you are with us!!!

That Didn't Take Long...

So...Bryce has had his license since Tuesday, and driven to school two days.  In that amount of time, we've already dealt with some attitude that is not quite like him.  That little piece of plastic left him feeling quite entitled, so we've had to work on that.

Miraculously, after school yesterday, he was the most pleasant person.  I was so happy to see that my rational boy had returned.  Shortly after he got home, I understood why:



While picking up a friend in the neighborhood for school, Bryce backed into the mailbox across the street!!! He didn't realize he had caused damage to his truck until he got out of school. He now has to pay to get the light repaired and also has to talk to the owner of the mailbox.  I think it's such a God thing! Something to knock him off his high horse and remind him that he hasn't really arrived.

 His truck is hard to back up in. I actually crunched a parked car a couple of years ago in it :( It just takes some getting used to. I am thankful that God chose to teach some valuable lessons in a harmless way!

 We were all able to laugh about it. We don't really get worked up about little things about that. If his attitude had not been apologetic and humble, it would have been a different story.

 I can tell you one thing though....he will NEVER live it down!!!!  Some of my funniest stories growing up are car stories of me and my brothers.  I still laugh out loud thinking of them.  This is why my kiddos will never drive brand new cars!  This story would not have been funny if his car was brand new.

Back to School

Well...the boys went back to school today!  It's early, but they also get out earlier than most people in May which is good.  They were all excited to go back.  Braden has been at a different school the past two years, so I know he was excited to see old friends.  Cade is thrilled to be in Jr. High, and a little nervous to be at a new school where he doesn't know the teachers.  I am happy that they are back in the same place for a year :)



(Braden even fixed his hair this morning! He made sure to let me know that he only cared because it was the first day. Tomorrow, all bets are off! lol....)

Notice Cade's socks and shoes.  He is not one for following the crowd.  He likes to do things his own way (and most times, people follow his lead)  I love that!!!


 Bryce is excited to go back...mainly because he now gets to drive himself. I have to say...that little piece of plastic seems to have gone to his head! He has become quite, what's a nice word to use... annoying!! It's only been 2 days and he's already gotten very upset at me for not letting him run the roads whenever he wants. (He doesn't read my blog so I can write this!!! lol...) I suppose he's testing his boundaries, but it has left me with my mouth hanging open a couple of times. IT's ONLY BEEN TWO DAYS!! This morning, we were all getting ready for school, I look our the window and see Bryce backing out of the driveway!! He didn't even say goodbye!!! He so should have known better because I ran him down, made him get out and take this picture!!!



I can't look at it without laughing out loud! So funny...and such good revenge for his stinky attitude! I can't even tell you how mad I would have been if I hadn't caught him though!! Here's another, just for good measure!



HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'm still laughing!!!

Here's to a great school year!!!

Happy 16th Birthday Bryce!

WOW!!  That was fast!  0 to 16 in about 3 days flat!!  How does that happen?

I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that this was Bryce:



Bryce has always been infatuated with anything on wheels (He even wants to be a pilot "when he grows up").  His favorite childhood toys were hot wheels and a roads mat.  If I had a nickel for every time I was asked to "pay roads"...  Years ago, in a former life, I used to scrapbook.  (I quit after our fire and I lost most of them)  This one survived and today...that makes me very happy :)

(notice the spare truck in the back!)

Now look at my baby boy: Finally has his own "real" wheels. This was Richard's old truck. It has a ton of miles on it, and is perfect for Bryce's first vehicle. He is so proud.

 

We had a party for him, which was originally just going to be family. Then we realized that he had band practice from 6:00-8:00. I told him he could ask some of his friends to come over and eat cake if he'd like....

Yep...just a few!!! lol...  (there are about 10 of these boys upstairs sleeping now!)





I'm just realizing that I have NO pics of family!!  It was a little overwhelming!

These two would never admit it, but they were super excited for Bryce. This was their way of expressing that :)


They actually came to me in the middle of the chaos and asked if I approved. Of course I did! Had it not been so crazy, I would have taught them how to do a better job than that!!! I've rolled a few houses/cars in my day!!! :)

Bryce, I am so proud of the man you are becoming, and so proud to call you my son.  You have amazing gifts that God has given you and am so excited that I have a front row seat to see how He uses those gifts in the future!

Giggles By Candlelight

We lost power tonight, and although the temperatures were rising quickly inside and we were missing the olympics, the kiddos made the best of it.

Cade made the girls a fort and they took turns telling stories.  I'm so glad I grabbed my camera because I absolutely love these pics!  What sweet memories were made tonight :)







Then they got Dad in the fort to tell them a story. He came up with a story about a princess who lived in a castle that glowed pink at night. Ends up, it was the fire breathing dinosaur (yes...he said dinosaur) that made the castle glow. :) The girls were totally into it every single second. So cute!

A Fresh Start

This year, the beginning of school represents a fresh start for me.  Last year, at this time, I was frantically packing to leave for China, leaving behind 4 children...right as school started.  We left on Aug. 13, just a few days after the boys began another school year.  I don't know about your house, but here, that's a very busy time for us.  The boys are adjusting to new teachers, homework, a new schedule and we are all working out the kinks of carpools, dinnertime, extra-curricular activities, etc.

(leaving for China)


By the time we got home from a physically exhausting trip, that adjustment phase had happened without me...I was not adjusted!!  My focus immediately needed to be on Gracie's adjustment to a new "everything" and Wesleigh's adjustment of not being the only princess in the house anymore.  There was never enough time for homework, cooking, cleaning, or talking.  That seemed to set the tone for the entire year.  In addition, Richard has recently started a new company, which is always stressful and time consuming.  Just thinking back on it all makes me cringe.  Of course, we got through it, but I felt the entire school year that my boys were totally fending for themselves.  I was doing everything I could to meet everyone's needs, but failing.  Thankfully, I have an amazing husband and parents who totally had my back and helped with meals, tutoring, babysitting, taxi-ing kids, etc. and we made it!  The end of school was a huge victory for me and an enormous sigh of relief.  I felt that I could finally catch my breath...and I have.

This summer has been busy, but mostly because having 5 kids moving around in the same house is always busy.  We finished a not-so-enjoyable baseball season which has lifted a ton of bricks from my shoulders.  I find myself motivated and excited to start this school year in a non-stressful way.  Braden and Cade are both going to a new school this year, and Bryce will be a junior!  I so want them all to have amazing school years, and I want to be present.  I missed so much of Bryce's sophomore year, simply because there wasn't enough of me to go around.  I will not let that happen again.

There are lots of exciting things beginning this week:  Bryce gets his license when he turns 16 Tuesday!!!  This will be a great help because I will not need to be his taxi service anymore!!  Braden is coming back to our local school and he and Cade will be in the same school this year (which starts Thursday!).  Cade is going to jr. high!!  Cade is also playing football for the school, so he will practice after school instead of during dinner time :)  Also, the girls are starting gymnastics!!  They are so excited they can harldy stand it!  I know Gracie is going to thrive in this sport and the olympics have totally fired them up.

For the first time in a long time, I have the urge to tackle some "extra" projects like gardening (the flower beds have been neglected too!), exercising and painting my bedroom.  These are things that I used to enjoy, but have been on the back burner.  I will also pick up the pace on my blog again.  I have always gone in cycles with the blog.  Sometimes I love it and have a ton to say.  Other times I don't think anything in my life is blog-worthy or I just can't make myself do it.

Overall, I am happy to have this year behind me.  There is no doubt in my mind that adding Gracie to our family was exactly what God had in store for us, but adding that little cutie was like bringing a tornado into this already crazy house!  She literally makes my head spin!  She has come so far, and I will have a big 1 year post for her when that date rolls around in a couple of weeks.

So...Happy New Year to me and all you fellow stay-at-home moms who are about to send your children off to school, as well!  I'm praying for a great year! 

Alright...if you read all of that, you deserve some pictures! Here are some pics of my little tornado riding the waves. She is so funny. Sometimes she is so brave and adventurous and other times she's a scardy cat. She got flipped a few times and got right back out there!

Look at all the sand in her hair :) She is such a hoot!