My baby boy turns 8!!

Kale turned 8 today!! It is hard to realize my boys are growing up so fast. Kale chose to just hang with the family for his day. He wanted to eat at Cici's, get ice cream, and go to Funland. We did Cici's and ice cream, but will have to do Funland another time. We had a card with money on it, but the card got left at home. He also went to Target to pick up a flag football set and a few pair of shorts. Nana Jo and Nama had sent money and Papa had money at the bank for Kale. He had plenty to spend and even saved some.

Kale has always been and continues to be a VERY laid back boy. Not much phases him!! He loves all his grandparents, but he has a very special relationship with Papa. I believe it is because he is sooooo much like Papa and Uncle Marvin. He would move to his house and never blink an eye at home. He likes Papa'a laid back life, fishing, naps, and piddling around. He is a bright boy with tons of book sense. We often are not sure about his common sense, but the SCOPE teacher keeps reminding me most gifted chldren do not have common sense. So, we are feeling like he is probably VERY VERY VERY gifted!!!!! He loves to play football and is pretty good. However, he has a bad temper and often ends up letting his temper get in the way. He is working on it and we have seen some small improvements. Kale loves his sister and would do anything for her. Kale loves his brothers and generally will help them out when needed. They have the typical brother relationships. We love Kale and can't wait to see what his future holds!! Happy birthday, Kale Jonathan!!

Spring Break

During Spring Break, we put hardwoods down in living room, hallway, and kitchen. We began on Monday, worked Tuesday, took a break Wednesday and Thursday, and then finished up on Friday and Saturday. Naethan, Ben, and Clint were big helps with this project. The floors look really nice! We still have a few projects to complete in the kitchen, but the big projects are done.

For our break, we headed to West Moreland State Park with two other families. Our kids love hanging out with the Pelt and Clifton kids and were very excited to spend 2nights with them. We really liked this state park and will visit again to hike and stay. All 3 families ended up with different cabins, but close to each other. The kids enjoyed being able to run back and forth to each cabin. We hiked to fossil beach to find shark teeth. The hike was great and we even found a few teeth. Next stop was George Washington's birth place. It was beautiful!! We walked around and looked at all the houses and such. Our final event of the day was a game of kickball. This was lots of fun and we realized we are all very competitive. Each family had different meal responsibilities and no one let anyone down. The meals were fabulous!! We can't wait to do this again.

Spring break came and went in a flash. The good thing about that is it means school is lots closer to being done!! Woo-hoo!!!

Papa's visit

I had a workday so Papa came up for a visit. He picked the boys up from school on Thursday and they had ice cream (imagine that??). Chloe and I met them and Jonathan for dinner later that evening. The next day, Papa took the boys to the NRA museum and a few other places. Wendy came up on Friday night and stayed with us. Papa had won a karaoke machine and brought it up for us. The kids had fun singing and performing on TV. On Saturday, we ate breakfast at Panera then headed to find some fun. Mary Washington was having a cultural event so we headed there. The kids enjoyed the different displays and running around. It was nice out. Next stop was Ferry Farm. We did not stay long as Keegan was having some sort of allergic reaction adn needed medicine. After some great meds, we went into town to eat lunch. We ran a few more errands and then headed home. It was a full day!! Wendy had to head back home and Papa needed a nap. We cooked out and had a good dinner while the kids played. Papa ventured back home on Sunday morning. The kids had tons of fun, but are always sad to see Papa leave. They can't wait until summer to head to Bayboro:))

Keegan Daniel

On March 12, Keegan turned 9. It is amazing to look back at his last 9 years and to look where he is now. His character is one of a kind and his personaltiy shines in everything he does. He has come so far in life with the challenges that were before him. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the rest of his life. Whatever it is, Keegan will be up for the challenge. We love you buddy and are very proud of you!!

Granddaddy and Nana Jo visit

Grandaddy and Nana Jo came up for a visit and we decided to get Grandaddy to help out with a few projects. Friday night, we hit Lowes to get materials for the project. On Saturday, we began with McDonald's for breakfast and then Nana Jo, the kids, and I were off to a different Lowes to pick up more stuff. While there, Lowes was having a kids project of building a water gauge. So the boys (with LOTS of help from a GREAT employee) completed this project. They enjoyed the tool aprons and goggles more:) Then we came home with the needed items for Jonathan and Grandaddy. We left them to work and went to town to eat lunch and shop. The boys found some treasures at 5 and Below. Next stop was Happy Hour at Sonic. Final stop at Dollar General to get Chloe (who was at home asleep) a gift. Upon returning home, the men had done quite a bit. Before bedtime th ey finished up and. . . we now have a microwave above the stove, new lights in kitchen, new light and celing fan in living room and new light above desk. It looks SUPER and we are very excited to have these projects done!!! Thanks Nana Jo and Grandaddy!! The boys and Chloe had lots of fun seeing the grandparents and were sad to see them go Sunday morning. Hopefully we will see them again soon.

Chloe funnies!

Sorry about the quality of picture. It was with my phone and the easiest way to take one quickly.

Jonathan has had a fake puppy since he was little. It is a HEAVY sort of rock style puppy. Chloe has recently discovered this puppy. She totes around her puppy and pets him and talks to him. She wants him to sleep in the bed with her and covers the dog up because he is cold. As soon as we get home each day, she runs to get her puppy. It is really cute, but she is NOT getting a real one:)

Last week we were at Chick Fil A (big shocker). I was on my way home and we stopped to pick up dinner. Well, the cow was outside and I said, look there's the cow as I rolled her window down. She proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs for the window to go up and no cow. I know I am cruel, but it was very funny. All the way home, I'd roll the window down and say there's the cow and she would scream. The next day on the way to school, the boys wondered what would happen if we rolled window down. Well, she screamed again. In fact, over a week ago this happen, but she still screams and whines when I mention Chick fil a or saw there's the cow. Since we eat at Chick fil a way too often, this could present a serious problem.

Aunt Wee Wee and Uncle Matt

A few weekends ago, we headed to my sister's house in Maryland on a Friday night. We hung out that night and after the kids went to bed, I enjoyed playing the Wii Fit while Matt and Wendy enjoyed laughing at me. Jonathan was finishing a paper for school. The next morning, we went to an Amish place for breakfast. It is such a neat place to eat and look around. Next stop was Sandy Point near the Bay Bridge. It was a little cool outside, but beautiful. The kids enjoyed running free, skipping rocks, writing in the sand, and just having time with Wendy and Matt. There is a neat jetty that is made to walk on; Wendy and Matt stayed back with Keegan as there was no way he was going out there. Then we heading downtown to Annapolis to walk on the waterfront. Wendy and Matt were married here almost two years ago which was about two weeks after Chloe came home. It was funny to see her in the park now compared to then. She has changed lots. After eating lunch, we went back to their house and rested (or at least I did). Wendy and Keegan made his birthday cake (pictures of that to follow soon). Jonathan and I went out to a seafood restuarant on the water for our anniversary and then to a few shops. We headed home early to tuck the kids in bed. It was now Jonathan's turn to play Wii Fit. The next morning, Wendy cooked a good breakfast and we headed to church. It was lots of fun!! Thank you guys; I know we are a loud crowd!

Life

It has been awhile and when it has been I like to play catch up, so here goes. . .

*Cody read the book Inkheart while Jonathan listened to it on CD. Then he took all the boys to the movies to see it. Both agreed the movie was NOTHING like the book. Chloe and I went shopping while they were at the movies. It was a fun night.
*For family night we went to Suessuical at a local church. It was put on by CYT. The kids really liked it. The Little Mermaid is coming in May and I hope to take Chloe.
*This week we have enjoyed two snow days at home. It snowed around 6 inches and made for lots of fun.
*We went on a hike on the trail near our house. It is lengthy, but a very nice hike with many streams and creeks. I was able to take many pictures and the kids were prepared for the hike with magnifying glasses, snacks, and water. Chloe enjoyed walking and riding on dad's back.
*Papa challenged Kale to not get his hair cut. Kale made it until a couple of weeks ago. Jonathan and I had been ready for it to be cut for awhile, but had not had time. Kale began to complain about his hair as well. So he lost the bet with Papa, but we are all glad to have lost the shaggy boy.

Life has, as always, been fun and busy and this is our slow time of the year. The boys are all doing well in school. Chloe loves her new sitter and friends. We recently attended a middle school orientation for Cody. It is VERY hard to believe that next year he will be in middle school. He will no longer be with me at my school. Cody is growing up so fast. Chloe will join us next year for preschool at Riverview. She can attend 2, 3, or 5 days. I'd like her to go for 3, but it depends on transportation right now. I am excited for her to be at school. Keegan has an addiction to all electronics. He would play the Wii or watch TV or on the computer all day if we let him. He is growing straight up; not out and eats like a horse. Kale continues to excel in school and has qualified for SCOPE for next year. He is excited about that. The boys will be joining the swim team in our neighborhood this summer. I think it will be a great way to meet friends and have fun. Practices will just add to the craziness of life since I'm pretty sure they practice most days.

I changed the background as March begins birthday season around here. Keegan will be 9 next week, followed by Kale turning 8 in April, and Cody turning 11 in May. Let the fun begin. . .

iHeartFaces

I read about a photo contest on a friends blog and decided to check out the contest. After reading about it, I decided to join the contest. The hard part was figuring out which photo to use:( So, we'll see and maybe I'll do more of these; there is a contest each week.

Book Break

After reading about this book on the Toole blog, I wanted to read the book. Thanks to a blog tour, I was able to have the book sent to me and all I had to do was read it and write about the book. I love to read so I was quite excited. So here goes. . .

Jeanne Damoff writes this true story about a near drowning of one of her children and how it changes their entire world. She talks boldly about her faith, her doubt, the troubles that are created from the accident, her family, and her personal feelings throughout the story. Her community never leaves this family hanging from the smallest issues to huge ones.

I cried from beginning to end. This is an amazing book!! I liked at the end how the people in the story wrote where they are now and how Jacob changed them. I would recommend reading this book to anyone. It will touch every part of you. You can find it on Amazon.

Wordless Wednesday

Making cookies

Papa and Keegan scrap

Annual tree cutting event

This year for Christmas we did something different. We have friends who create a scavenger hunt for their kids to find the gifts. Well, since the kids had big outdoor items, we thought it might be good to have a hunt. After opening the gifts inside, they found a note from Santa. It told them to put on a coat and shoes then go to the backdoor to wait for instructions. Chloe had the first clue, followed by Keegan, then Kale, and last Cody. They could only open a clue if all 4 of them were at the spot. It all led to the church trailer which Jon opened. Inside they found Chloe's jeep, Keegan and Kales's bikes, and Cody's DS. Now, let me say, Cody had already found his DS. Kale had been sick throughout the night and had ended up in our room on the floor. When Keegan and Cody got up, they came to our room also. We were not quite ready to get up yet since we had not slept much. As it got lighter, I heard some discussion about some sort of game. It suddenly dawned on me, I had plugged Cody's DS into the outlet to charge and they were looking right at it. I was VERY upset. I wanted him to be surprised along with the others. Oh, well, he was very excited. Anyway, they had a super day with Papa, Aunt Wendy, and Uncle Matt. They look forward to receiving Papa's gift each year--a gift card to Dollar Tree--and he did not fail them. They love to go shopping there with their money. The bow and arrows were big hits. The weather being so nice helped with the outside rides. They rode lots throughout the day in their jammies. Chloe preferred to have Keegan drive her around and he was more than happy to oblige. It was a wonderful day spent with family!

Christmas Digi Scrapping

I did these 4 pages today of the kids from Christmas. Once I get going, I really get going!!!

Papa and Keegan cook

PS The pie did not turn out too well. Papa blamed it on my electric stove. He uses a gas stove and says it heats differently:0)

Pillar Church did a kids choir/musical this year of the Christmas Story. Cody played Joseph; Keegan was an announcer and had to say "Hear Ye, Hear Ye" three times. He did an outstanding job!! Kale was also an announcer who had to tell everyone the king had issued a decree (and a little more). And Chloe sang the first and last song in the kids choir. She knew all the other songs as well. We practiced often in the car; so much so that all 4 of them pretty much knew everybody's lines. It was quite amusing to hear them go through the entire musical with only the 4 of them.

Catching up before Christmas

Yes, I know I am behind again. I actually like the catching up thing; it goes so much quicker!!Let me catch you up until Christmas and then I'll do that soon and add pictures from all our Christmas activities.

*November 15 we headed to Maryland to Matt and Wendy's for Thanksgiving. Dad was already there. We ate lots of great food, laid around, went down to the water (it was rough and cold), watched football, and preetty much did nothing. It was terrific!!! We spent the night which is always fun. Wendy cooked us breakfast the next morning and then we headed to church. The boys came back with dad later that day. They were out of school the next day and he was going to hang out with them.

*For Thanksgivng, we went to the Toole's and ate with everyone from Pillar. We had a huge feast and lots of good conversation. A great time was had by all.

*On the Friday after Thanksgiving, we headed to NC with the first stop at Papa's. He cooked the normal requested shrimp--you can't even know how good it is until you taste it:) We had fun and enjoyed our time together. The next morning we headed to Nana Jo and Grandaddy's house for another round of food. It's always fun to eat, eat, talk, eat, and well eat some more. It was rainy and cold so it made for soem crazy kiddos, but they managed to have fun.

*December 5, the kids, myself and Jennifer and her kids headed to Blue's Clues Live at a local high school. It was kind of cheesy, but the kids enjoyed it. Free tickets always make things better. Next, we went back to my house and had hot chocolate and cookies before putting the kids to bed. Then Jennifer and I stayed up very late doing nothing. The next day, Jenn and I headed to town to do a little shopping (Jonathan stayed with all 7 kids!!). On the way back it began to SNOW!! I am like a little kid when it snows. I was very excited even though it was very little.

*December 14, the kids were in a musical at Pillar Church. Cody played Joseph and Keegan and Kale were Ceasar's announcers. Chloe sang in the choir. The kids were amazing and really enjoyed the experience.

*On the 19th we attended the annual Pelt Christmas party. It was a t Kelly's Ford Inn which is near our house. Becky Castle (one of the boys favorite sitters) made it back into town just in time to keep them. We enjoyed decking ourselves out for the event and hanging out with adults. As always, the Pelt's out did themselves.

Now we are up to Christmas break. Since I am home from school for the next week and all our company will have come and gone, I can catch up blogging and pictures. I'll leave you with one of the kids for now. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

BEST Christmas present ever!!

Is this a Chloe face or what??

We received a package today from our adoption agency. Inside was a small sketch book with her footprints at birth, photos of Chloe from when she was 2 wks and up, and notes to Chloe from a few different people. The notes were written in Chinese so we will have to find someone to translate, but it is so precious. There was also a CD with hundreds of pictures from near birth all the way to Gotcha Day!! There are several pictures of her birth mother and other people that we are not sure who are. We can easily tell her birth mother--she looks just like her!! There are pictures with her and the gifts we sent. We have asked many times for these pictures and had given up getting these so we were very excited!! I will post more later.

PS After "opening" the CD, they have the pictures in categories. There are folders with her birth mother and they are labeled with three different visits. This will be awesome for her to see as she gets older to kow her mother came to see her at least these three different times. They also included pictures with her BM, Chloe, and the gifts her mother left for her.