End of Year Awards

OK, this post is mainly for the grandparents and other assorted relatives. The rest of you will just have to endure the "brag fest." ;)

Evan took second place in the sixth grade spelling bee! He studied the word list very hard. The bee started at 1:00, and most kids were out by about the eighth round. By about the 15th round there were only three spellers left.
One of the three finalists misspelled "phenomenon", leaving Evan and one another boy to battle it out. At 2:30, Evan and the other finalist were still at it, and ended up spelling every word on the list correctly!
At this point, the judges moved on the the championship list. Evan finally struggled with the word "dachshund" and took second place! We are so proud of him for his hard work and perseverance! He was thrilled to receive a trophy!

Logan had a great year in first grade. He was given the award, "Best Rule Follower" for following directions the first time, and for doing what he is supposed to without being asked. We are proud of our Logan!

And Justin received a plaque for having a 4.0 GPA for all four terms! You can tell from the picture how excited he is! (Seriously, it was like pulling teeth to get a picture of him. He's 14-- does that explain it??)

Birthday Boy!

In the midst of a very busy week (baseball and last week of school), we celebrated Evan's 12th birthday!!
Evan was our preemie baby. He was born a month early and weighed in at 5 lbs, 5 oz, which is actually not too tiny considering his early arrival. (His older brother weighed in at almost 9 lbs, so a 5 pound baby seemed very small to us!) Shortly after his birth, Evan had some difficulty breathing and stayed in the hospital for a week. When he came home, he had to have oxygen for another week or two.
It was a very stressful time, dealing with Justin (who was 2 years old and not particularly happy about Evan's arrival) and the constant worry that I wasn't doing something right with Evan's oxygen and the machine that monitored his saturation levels.
Looking back, what I remember most about that time is the outpouring of love and prayers from family and friends, and deep gratitude to our Father in Heaven for answered prayers and blessings of peace.

Today, Evan is a healthy, happy, intelligent, and athletic young man. He is very kind and is a good friend-- not just to the "cool" kids, but to kids who struggle and need a friend.

Evan wanted a new bike for his birthday.

Flashback of Evan, doing what little boys do best! I had forgotten how white his hair used to be! :)

Hello, little legs!

We're finally having some warm weather around here, and it's been fun to play outside without freezing!

I think we might have a "girly girl" on our hands. Not only does Sarah have a shoe fetish, she also squeals with delight when she puts on a dress or skirt. :)

We've been busy, busy with end of year school activities and baseball (all three older boys are playing--yikes!), and just life in general.

Summer is almost here! The kids are thrilled, and I am gearing myself up for this change in routine. :)

Home for Six Months!

Sarah in a contemplative moment (or maybe she's just playing with the blinds...) I put these overalls on her for just a minute one morning (to see if she had grown into them) and got this shot!

Sarah likes to help fold clothes and try on her brothers' shirts.

Six months?? We can't believe we've been home for six months with Sarah! When we were waiting for LOA and travel, it seemed like the days ticked by in slow motion. And now, it seems like time is flying by twice as fast!

Here are some discoveries and milestones:
1. Sarah loves vegetables, especially carrots and cucumbers. Hurray!
2. She is not fond of cold foods like ice cream and popsicles. Maybe she'll acquire a taste for them this summer.
3. She knows what she wants and will let you know about it... often loudly! So she has learned a new word this month...."Please." :)
4. She sings and dances to music. She sings short phrases from some of her favorite songs.
5. One of the most common questions I get asked is, "How is she doing with a new language?" The short answer is very well. I think the fact that she was 20 months old when she came home has a lot to do with this. She has also picked up words very quickly and understands most of what we say.
6. She continues to impress us with her agility and quickness. She is always in motion and can do some amazing things.

7. And finally, it has been fun to watch the relationship between Jason and Sarah blossom. When we first got home, I spent a lot of time refereeing squabbles over toys, space, and my lap! I knew it was going to be an adjustment.. and it was.

Now I can look back and say that things are definitely better. We still have typical preschooler issues, but I smile when Jason asks me, "Where's Sarah?" when he first wakes up in the morning.

Even though it's busy having two little ones again, I am so glad that my "tail enders" have each other!

Mother's Day Gifts

I hope all of you had a nice Mother's Day.!! I am so thankful for the blessing of being a mom. It's like the old army slogan: "The toughest job you'll ever love!" :)

I am also thankful for my mom, who is an amazing example of selfless service and unconditional love. I talk with her daily and appreciate her wisdom and advice. She's my best friend, and I'll never outgrow the need to chat with mom!

And this Mother's Day holds special significance for us, as I realize that although it isn't my first Mother's Day, it is Sarah's first Mother's Day! How amazing is that! I am humbled by the opportunity to mother this sweet little one.


Sarah with Granddad and Grandma. She wanted d.o.w.n.!!

I received nice cards and letters from our older boys, and was also surprised with a special floral arrangement.


Jason, Sarah, and Logan came running in the house with fistfuls of wild flowers from our backyard! I love this!

Finally, some big news to report! This year, I received a special Mother's Day gift from Jason.

Drumroll, please.... he is well on his way to being potty trained! Woo hoo!

I know, I know, TMI (too much info), but I don't know who's more excited about this-- him or me!! :)

It's been a long time coming... we were making progress before we went to China, and since then... well, let's just say we got a little side tracked for a while! But now we are all celebrating this latest "big boy" milestone!

Wordless Wednesday