Last Day of School

Monday was our last day of school while stateside. There was cheering and dancing in the halls! I gave out progress reports and the gang is still doing very well. They love taking their report cards with them to show off to friends and family. 6th grade had voice lessons today (Wednesday) and found out that she has her first recital 1 week after we get back. I think there will be a couple of practice performances during vacation.

We will be flying to Dallas, Tx on Saturday for a short layover and then on to Nassau. We will be giving a shout out (from the airport) to our bloggy buddies in the state of Texas. Be sure to listen for us! ~Smile~

Tell Me About Your "Junk Drawer"

I have a "junk drawer" in my kitchen. It is the drawer that holds coupons, birthday candles, extra twisty ties and a host of ketchup, honey, soy/duck sauce and salt packs. I go through this drawer often to clear it of "junk", but the junk just multiplies. I ask my self every time, "Why do we keep this stuff?" but then when the kids ask me what to do with said junk, I without thought tell them to "put it in the junk drawer." Why? My goal for the end of this year is to re-purpose the junk drawer. I will no longer keep packs of ketchup, mustard and duck sauce (that by the way, no one ever uses). I will keep coupons with the grocery list and will put just enough twisty ties in a zip lock bag and get rid of the rest.

So, tell me about your "junk drawer".

They're In the Money

Today the little boys finally got their own bank accounts! It took me a long time get their social security numbers after the adoption and we are just getting around to getting the accounts set up. Now they can take money out of their sock/underware drawer and put it in the bank. LOL!
They are very excited.


9 days!!!

Look What I Got!!!

My little boys went out shopping with my mom today and came back with these tiny, yellow roses with red tinges. They are so cute and smell wonderful. I really like fresh flowers and used to keep them in the home frequently, but have not had any in a while. Also on the entertainment center is a framed picture of Jesus holding a baby that I received as a gift from the family that took our Little Rottie last week. It is a very nice pencil drawing. Just thought I would show you what I got today. ~Smile~

Mat Man Letters

The Mat Man pieces include big straight line, little straight line, big curve lines and little curve lines. These can all be used to make letters.

Carry the 1

2nd grade is learning to add with carrying. James has always shown strength in math and with this lesson, he came to it and did it before I even had a chance to explain it.

Empty Nest... Kinda

Our little foster baby is gone. He went home with his new foster family in a pre-adoptive situation. The family brought gifts for us all and a new outfit for the baby. Very cute. After they left, we went out for brunch and it was so weird to not pack a diaper bag, make a bottle, check the car seat, make sure the stroller was still in the car, etc. We will miss him, but are so happy for him.

Our Home Away From Home

I was just checking the weather in Nassau cause it is so cold outside here. LOL! I found an areal picture of our condo and thought I would share it here. The kids pretty much live in the pool and ocean the entire time.

16 days

New Week & Count Down

We have 19 days until we leave and have really pushed to get as close to the end of November's schoolwork as possible.

In 2nd grade, we are behind in History & Geography... not sure how that happened, but we are doing well in the other classes. I am not happy with this year's spelling for him, but it goes with the curriculum so I am trying to stick with it.

Pre-K is right on track, in fact, we have had to slow down a bit and do extra review to not get too far ahead. He can now consistently read the high frequency words: a, my, I, like, we, no, see, look, come, one, and little.

6th grade has done a great job of getting motivated to bring her grades up and get ahead of schedule. She is as always enjoying her Bible class. She is studying about Paul and likes reading about his conversion.

Little Rottie is leaving Thursday. I am so pleased with the way this transition took place. It was all about him as it should be. It has been a fun 9 months.

Just side information: I received 2 spaghetti squash last week. I had never cooked 1 before and followed a recipe on about.com. It turned out great and the kids really liked it. I only added butter, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Tasty!

Aww Shucks!

Mom #1 is one of the most encouraging blog buddies anyone can have and she has awarded and tagged me for an award.

Thanks Mom #1!!

And now for the rules:

1. Answer the questions below using only one word. Very difficult!
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you. Thanks again, Mom #1
3. Pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers. Some of my favorites have already got this award, so…. If you want to pass I so get it, but I was thinking of you :)

And we’re off!

1. Where is your cell phone? table

2. Your hair? twisted

3. Your mother? funny

4. Your father? giving

5. Your favorite food? cheesy

6. Your dream last night? peepee

7. Your favorite drink? tea

8. Your dream/goal? wealth

9. What room are you in? Living

10. Your hobby? Blogging

11. Your fear? failure

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? moved

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something you aren't? Skinny

15. Muffins? blueberry

16. Wish list item? house

17. Where did you grow up? Ohio

18. Last thing you did? typed

19. What are you wearing? outfit

20. Your TV? ON!

21. Your pets? dead

22. Your friends? few

23. Your life? blessed

24. Your mood? Shaky

25. Missing someone? yes

26. Vehicle? starts

27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes

28. Your favorite store? EBay
29. Your favorite color? fuchsia
30. When was the last time you laughed? Now

31. Last time you cried? yesterday

32. Your best friend? Monica

33. One place that I go over and over? Potty

34. One person who emails me regularly? brother

35. Favorite place to eat? Home

Now... 6 of you who help me stay afloat and you may not even know it...

Fatcat ~ she reminds me to start again in the morning
Christine ~ What can I say... Really!
Renee ~ When Renee speaks of her children, there is a love that is so evident that I cannot help but grab some and pass it on to my kids.
Kysha ~ She is strength with a giving heart.
Christine ~ I am daily encouraged by her take on parenting. She is a must read!
Karen ~ Karen's honest love and acceptance of her Lil' Man is heartwarming

Wanna Hear About My Rock?

6th grade is taking a photography class and 1 of her assignments was to take outdoor pictures of her home. Today she was editing her photos and I saw one that reminded me of story of getting something that I wanted.

I have always wanted 1 of those big rocks that you see in people's yards, but after pricing them knew that it would be one of those things that just stayed on my wish list. Well, last summer our utility company decided that they were going to put meters on the outside of the houses in our neighborhood as most were in the basement and nobody would let meter readers in anymore. LOL! When they dug near my foundation to get to the meter, they hit a rock that was blocking right where they needed to hook into the meter. They had to dig it up and the guys ask me if they could please just leave it in the yard. I cracked up! It was not as big as what I thought I wanted, but it is the perfect size for sitting on in the front yard, the kids love standing on it and jumping off (and it is small enough to be safe for that) and finally, the place where they left it is perfect because it stops the water run-off that used to flood the flower bed we sometime put in there.

My rock!

Progress Reports

Progress reports for 6th grade and 2nd grade.

26 Days!!!!!

The Littlest Rottie

Our littlest Rottie is leaving soon. A pre-adoptive family has been identified and they have started visiting him for the transition. They are a very lovely family and I am so excited for the baby because he is going to a great home. I think my kids are doing okay with his leaving... we talk about it and they understand that he will have a new family.

I started packing today and got most of the children's clothes packed: 2 swimsuits, 2 sets of jammies, and 1 dress/casual outfit in case we go out to dinner or a show. We have this down to a science. LOL! I always put the kids in matching traveling shirts as it helps me to keep an eye on them and lets suspicious eyes know that we are all together.

Community Helpers by James

A booklet by James.

History & Geography class is much better this year for 2nd grade as the lessons are focused on useful information for him and I think he is enjoying the projects this year.