Really getting to be a big girl!

Grace went for her semi-annual eye specialist appointment today and she did great! (Which is such an improvement over even last week) Her eyes are   doing as expected. The doctor was very pleased to see that the lazy eye issue has all but stopped with detection of her need for correction so early. Her prescription did change, hence the new glasses today!! They are what I call "big girl" glasses meaning they are not like the ones she had before, made for babies. I hope I do not regret getting them, but to be safe I bought the warranty..hahahah!

There are so many changes with her lately. She is officially potty trained, for the most part.  A few accidents here and there and we are still working on the #2 in the potty regularly. She has grown so much since her surgery last Sept...and I find her growing out of her 3T pants. Her legs are really long which is why I think the pants are getting short. I know bio mom didn't have long legs, and I could never tell from bio dad's gangsta look if his legs were long but I am going to assume they are. (wink wink)

She did pretty good while I was gone for a week in WA. Although I am sure she prefers me home as she made me pay for leaving with several days of extreme tantruming. She is very sweet for the most part and her interest in learning new things is fun to watch. And it is hard sometimes to realize just a little over a year ago we were so concerned with her speech delay...hahahaha, not any more! Although, most people know she doesn't talk much around anyone else very much, consider yourselves lucky. Even today she asked "Mommy, can you please roll down my window?" Such grown up communication!! Anyway...that is a little update on our peanut. She is turning 3 in May if you can believe that! I am not sure we can love her any more...

Moving

Jacob is now 10 and a half and we both feel it is time for him to have his own space as 'change' is going to be coming in the next few years. (Change I am not entirely comfortable with but is going to happen regardless!!)

Anyway, we moved him into what was formerly the office. And well, Shane's desk and computer are still going to stay in there because I really didn't want to have it invade our room. Shane built and welded Jacob a loft bed and I picked the colors of the room....very pre-teen/teen if I do say so myself. We are approximately 75% done. We still need to take the fan down and add some more lighting. Shane needs to put his desk and computer back together but overall the picture gives a pretty decent idea.

Olympia, WA

Here are a few pictures from my week in Olympia...I was blessed with gorgeous weather the first few days and then snow. It was beautiful!

Downtown Olympia...also the very bottom of the Puget Sound.

This is the view from my Dad's porch the morning I left.

A hard trip because of the circumstances but it certainly was a blessing regardless to visit such a lovely place and to see it snow!!!

Samantha's Winning Art

Samantha has a great 2nd grade teacher! He is real big into getting his students to enter the district or city art or writing contest which is right up Samantha's ally. She has now entered 3 total contest for this year...a writing one, the art one she won and award for and most recently a poetry contest. The art contest was part of the city's Martin Luther King celebration. She was the "Honorary Mention" and that suited her just fine! She was in the K-3rd grade group. Two of her friends won 1st and 2nd places so this was even more exciting for her.

Her teach took a scan of her picture and added it to a CD for us...see I told he was GREAT!!

I love her heart in this picture. It says everything she feels and so much of what we have tried the kids about others. We are incredibly proud of her.

(My mom hopefully took pictures from the event since I was in WA at the time and when I get those I will be adding another post but for now her art speaks volumes!)

Reflections

I am sitting here at my Dad's house watching the time tick away until I can officially 'check in' for my flight home tomorrow. I miss desperately the arms and presence of my best friend...my hubby. I miss the giggles, hugs and "I love you mommy" from my 5 darlings. I am ready to be home!

I also am sitting and reflect on the past week. I came into town on a gorgeous, clear night and the next 3 days certainly did not disappoint. My brother jokes that it is always raining here but every time I have come it is always sunny. Then, on Saturday night it started to snow...and I loved it! This desert rat is a sucker for all things 'winter' and this included SNOW! Sunday morning I woke up to about an inch on the ground that actually stuck and another inch arrived in the next hour. Then, by afternoon most of it melted off, the roads were perfectly clear and again I thought this is perfect. I little bit of snow to melt my heart but not enough to keep me from every day life. I wonder if I could get used to this?? It is snowing again...and it is beautiful. It is so quiet and everything is blanketed. It leaves me at a loss of words and I am mesmerized by it falling. (And then I checked the weather and now I am just hoping I can got home tomorrow.)

Another funny thing... I consider myself pretty good at getting around. I had my gps but it wasn't until today that I finally feel really good about getting around Olympia. I wonder if the gps is a tool or a crutch. Have I relied to much on it and have gotten over the fact that I need to pay attention to where I am and make mental notes...probably. Sometimes I wonder if technology is a curse or a blessing...are we getting dumber because of it. Anyway, Olympia and their streets are not the grid I am used to home but the streets are lined with huge, tall evergreens and it feels like I am in the woods all the time. Not to mention my dad's house is very close to the water of the Sound.

A few things I just had to laugh at...I drove past a storage place and they advertised "Heated Storage" Units!! HAHAHAHAH....seriously, I caught myself laughing out load at that one. We have A/C cooled units in AZ and it is just so funny to me that a 3hr plane ride and I am in the land of opposites. I should have taken a picture. (Still laughing about that one!)

I got a huge opportunity to read, read, and read some more. I never thought I was a reader...I was never too fond of it but actually I think I love reading. I just never have the time to read like I have this past week. I managed to read the whole "Hunger Games" trilogy and now have to wait to see it on a movie in March....ahhhhh, so exciting! They were the prefect, keep me up way to late kind of books that I needed during all this down time. I was also perplexed at how emotional I found the books. I know I can be a sap and when I watch a movie or in this case invest myself completely into a book I fall in love with the characters and become emotionally attached. I guess those books are geared for young adults but I found them to be great stories. I hope I can get Shane to read them..and someday Jacob.

I guess that is about it for now. There is so much I have to say about this trip..about seeing my Dad after surgery...about being away from my kids and husband for so long, but that will have to wait for another day. I did take some pictures and will post them when I am home, hugged to death by my lovies and thrust back into  Mommy world.

Thanks to all who have prayed. My Dad is doing well...a few small complications that have kept in the hospital until after I head home but I know God is taking good care of him.

Yeah, cuz I'm cool like that

Cupcakes for my babes to have while I am gone the first of 8 notes...one per day. I think I will miss them too much!!!

"Leavin...on a jet plane..."

It is both good and bad that I am having to fly to WA this week. The good...this mommy gets a break from the kids...one I think is not necessarily 'urgent' now, but always a good idea every once in a while. The bad...I am flying to WA because on Fri I found out my Dad has to have triple bypass surgery. This is an unexpected thing considering he is pretty active and in general, over all, good health. But as the tests revealed...the arteries can hide their issues pretty good.

So, I am headed out to do some daughterly duties. I am going obviously to offer support and hopefully a sense of peace as I am sure he is concerned. I am also going so I can 'serve' by filling the fridge and such with some food as the weeks of recovery are long.

Before I leave however I have plenty to do here at home to prepare. (Although my hubby would say, "forgetta about it!!) I just cannot leave with out filling the fridge with easy, kid friendly foods as well as grown up meals for my hubbers. I made a lasagna last night and a stew tonight. I have a ton of cleaning to do tomorrow before I leave Tues...things like laundry. (They all need to have undies you know!!)

Anyway...prayers are always appreciated for my family here at home and in WA.

And finally...I spent a couple hours writing personal notes to the kids. They will each have one to read every day I am gone. That was special to me to offer then reassurance and encouragement even though I am gone. I know my 'feelers' will LOVE the notes.

More Disney pics

We spent 3 full days between Disneyland and California Adventure. I took my big camera only on the first day. Sometimes it is just easier to enjoy the time without constantly taking pictures, plus with now having an annual pass and our plans to visit the park regularly this year there will be PLENTY of time to take more pictures. These ones are from my cell phone...

Disneyland!!

Celebrating the 1st