2 years home

I should be one of those people who put together a slide show celebrating the day, but I'm having trouble getting our MN pics onto a post, so what can I do? We spent a pretty low key day with kids at vbs, then some fabulous fun at our friends' house, followed by a movie night supporting the girls' missionary fund for vbs. I did run some errands with Hannah, and she ran, literally, beside me as we rushed into one place after the other. I thought as I did - we've seen some big changes in her during this time. Mobility-wise is just one. We recently watched video of her from our trip to ROG and are amazed at the difference. We saw little Nika and so wish he could be home, too! Then there were the thoughts of Evan. I remember being on the plane home thinking that when we flew to be with our family, he was home in heaven. So many emotions and thoughts. Happy 2 years being in the Wright family!

July 1st. New adventures are on our plate today. To think last week we were enjoying great weather and memory making opportunities of Minnesota. I have to say, 50's for morning temps beat 80's by a long shot! E kids travelled well, and we have a chance to hang out with cousins we hadn't been with for any extended period of time in many years. There were new people to meet, good food to eat, lots of time choking in smoke from the fire the kids were good enough to feed with the leaves that were nearby, fishing and playing on the rafts. It was so relaxing we decided to stay another day. We got home Monday night, quickly unloaded the kids and travel paraphernalia, and got everyone into bed. Catherine starts a summer intensive, a day late at TBC, where she took ballet a year ago. Sadly, our travel schedule didn't allow her to be there last school year. We had to learn how to sew on ribbons and elastic,and tie them the right way. I'm thankful there is another CC student who lives close enough for us to car pool. Every day she comes home full of stories and new things she's learned. In the middle of all of this, Samuel left ths morning for Northern Tier for 2 weeks, and we had much to accumulate for the adventure. At least 8 days portaging in the Boundary Waters, wearing the same thing every day, changing at camp (wearing the same thing at camp every day), into sleeping clothes, then back into portaging clothes. They do shower and use a suana when they end the journey, which is a very good thing. Everything he needed for that trek had to fit into a 30 liter dry sack. Sleeping bag included. Packing it all in was an adventure in and of itsled! I'm so excited for him to have this opportunity. Looking forward to hearing his stories and throwing away his clothes once he gets home. To show the effects of these older kid activities on their younger brother, you would have to have been in our living room a few nights ago. I was in the back of the house enjoying listening to them trying to get his attention. C was trying to get him to do ballet with her. "good job, caleb! First position. Keep your feet just like that. Perfect! Now, releve'. (Clap, clap) pay attention! I am not pleased with this. You need to releve'!" Meanwhile, Samuel kept coming over. "Caleb, want to come fight with me? Let's go get our guns. Boys fight, they don't do ballet!" this lead to loud hand clapping by C. Back and forth it went, but I believe the fighting won out! A few funny Caleb sayings. For some reason we were talking about getting married. He asked a lot of questions- who will I marry? When will I get married? Etc. we knew she had to love Jesus. What he then informed us was- "she has to like my clothes." as we were traveling up to MN, it's frequently snack time, in their minds. Should more than an hour pass without something entering their mouths, it's almost more than they can bear. "Mom! Can I PLEASE have a snack? I'm fanished." he had a great time with his "husband" Kasi, whom he's only met one other time. Kasi was so patient with him. They were great fishing buddies. He couldn't quite understand "cousin" vs. " husband." some days reading lessons go very well. Sometimes we have to use bribery. Just think if I'd realized I was able to teach the older 2! We read a lot, but I thought the school would do it. Sad. In the midst of all of that, Hannah is having fun hanging out with every one. She just had a procedure done to fix some damage on her ear drum. She was a trooper and came out of it just fine. Back to herself that afternoon. I think she enjoyed her time in MN, and everyone was so impressed by her abilities, and the improvement from out last trip there in Oct. 2010. We did deal with some behaviors while we were there that normally we can handle in private at home. It was very tough discussing it with the extended family. I know some of the things we do in helping her overcome some issues, people don't understand. It's been almost 2 years, and I'd hoped we be farther down the road. It'll come in time, I know. Patience. I'm so glad she has Caleb. He certainly makes her keep up, and she does her best to do just that. Best friends/enemies, but great playmates over all. Tomorrow starts a week with only little ones at home. It'll be fun to see how that goes. I'm thinking this is a good time to be in the little pool and at the library. Pictures another day!

We're still here! Again, life is busy with not much to report but the day to day "life" things that are too boring to share.

Quick updates on everyone:

Samuel- happily scouting and earning his way to Northern Teir for this summer. He's also getting ready for Philmont next summer. Thrilling that he has these chances. I haven't measured, but I'm sure he's passed me in height by now. Denial works for a while:) he's getting ready to test for Memory Master. I so enjoy how he goes off by himself to study and comes back excited about his progress.

Catherine- still happily spending time with friends, doing school with Caleb, and planning her business, "Weeds No More." She will weed all your flower beds for $5. We're looking at getting her back in ballet this summer in prep for the fall. She's missed it and I know it'll be quieter this year, somewhat, so she can make use of her talent. She has also been going with me when I teach my knitting class. Nice to have extra hands to help. She's also working hard for MM.

Hannah- has a new pair of shoes with purple butterflies on them. Her class went to the zoo this week, and she was able to tell me three things she saw. School is still very fun, as is her PT time at home. Her hair is growing out again, reminding me of when she first came home. I'll let it go a little more, but I won't be able to let it get much longer or we'll be dealing with the hot, heavy hair we dealt with the summer she came home. Too much to comb through and too hot for OK.

Caleb- learned what the 5 little monkeys did. He was jumping away on the bed telling Samuel how he would get some apple sauce in the morning if he behaved. Hmmm Next thing you know, he's crying and dripping blood from his mouth. Best thing for that is sleeping with your mom, and daddy finding some place else to sleep. He looks a lot better today, but provided a great example of how our immune system works, which we'd just been studying with the older 2. He's learning to read and mostly enjoys it. The best part is when he sees a word in a book that he knows.

Hank just got fixed and has one of the funky collars like the Little Rascals' dog had! Chasing the cats is a lot harder now!

As for the adults, life is good and full. We've been able to drive together the past few weekends we've gone to Branson. How much better to ref the kids and read to Buddy while we drive than being the driver. We're reading about Benjamin Rush. Amazing Founding Fathers we had.

Have a great weekend!

I'm enjoying the unseasonably warm weather we're having lately. It sure makes it nice to take walks and be outside. I'll take it as long as I can! It's funny to see swimsuits in the store and imagine being able to skip cold weather all together. Not so.

We are getting ready to again make some changes. Although this season has been good, it hasn't been easy. I'm seeing how many loose end are held together not so well, that I really do need to spend more time taking care of some things I've let go/band-aid treated for the past few months. Plus, we miss being together as a family. So, we're making a switch in Hannah's school so we can be in OK more. We'll still be going to Branson, but will probably be going as a whole family instead of the kids and me (and the cats.) God has good things, and we look forward to when we can all be together all the time in Branson, but we'll be patient.

Today we started having PT come to our house, which will be a great blessing. There is a possibility that we can do all 3 therapies at home! Running has its benefits, but a lot of drawbacks, too. Being in one place, being able to focus on things will be great. CC will continue in Branson, and I'm very excited about all the things we'll be doing next year in our community.

One quick funny thing from Catherine, then I'm off to tackle my counters. (Pray for me!) Back in the day, your hair was all the same color, and heaven forbid your roots show. Now, with multi-colored-no-doubt-it-came-from-a-box-with-one-hair-having-mulitple-colors fashion, I guess it doesn't matter. So last night she said to me- "Mom your hair looks so nice with that color from whole foods and then your real color showing by your head!" Gotta laugh!

1000 gifts

If you're like me and the days get filled with so many needs and have to's and should do's, time goes on and I forget to notice the little things. The joys that come softly into our lives. God is faithful and good, but if we don't stop to notice, we lose somle awareness of His presence and His strength carrying us through our days. So, I was reading this blog about being thankful and looking for God's love in each day. How if we find just 3 things a day, in a year we'll have seen 1000 gifts from God to us. That's pretty significant.
Can't promise I'll do it everyday and blog it, but I'd really like to open my eyes more to His goodness around me this year. I have some catching up to do.
So, here goes...
#1- help at CC that lightened my load and enabled me to enjoy my work there many times more
#2- jelly beans that helped perk up kids during Essentials this afternoon
#3- friends for my kids to hang out with who love Jesus, too
#4-beautiful sunrises on chilly mornings
#5-sunny afternoons that lend themselves to a walk home from school (remember the 1/2 mile hilly driveway?)
#6-horses that eat apples from your hands and let 4 year olds practice giving them hugs
#7-cats that have more sense than I do- pushing themselves in front of my work, so I have to stop and pet them instead of working on something that can definitely wait
#8-soft yarn and time to knit so I can share love, wrapping around total strangers needing some hope
9#-words in season that whisper His love and faithfulness
10#sleepy snuggles

This morning, as we entered the New Year, my sweet Grandma entered eternity to be with her Jesus. I can't tell you how glad I was to hear of her peaceful passing and the hope that she is actually experiencing. To know that she's with our loved ones, the ones she knew, and all the babies of ours she hadn't yet met, is really a fabulous thing. My mom and 2 siblings were there before she passed, even though a snow storm came in as mom was driving into MN. How thankful I am that we made a trip last year, that Hannah and Caleb could meet her and make some memories.
With such a hope as heaven, what hope we can have for the year ahead.

Merry Christmas!

So far this month we had a CC party, a Sunday School class party, attended a hand bell choir concert, and listened to Christmas radio most of the day through. Tonight we went to Church on the Move's Christmas program and drove around afterward looking at lights. As we were nearing our house, the kids told us it was snowing. It was 38* out, which is too warm, I thought. When we got out at the house, behold, baby snow flakes!
We're so thankful for the truly blessed year we've had. I know it's been a sketchy year, but in and around my lack of blogging, we've had a good time.

Updates on the family-
I'll start with the biggest- Buddy. Business has been very good for him this year, which means he's away more than we wish. However, he does enjoy coming to MO on weekends he can, helping out in the parking lot at church, and relaxing with the family. Sleeping in, reading, watching football, and talking walks are his cup of tea. We did coax him into putting up a trampoline and a tire swing. Both are big hits, and we're thankful.
Yesterday gave us a little excitement. We were (big kids and I) bringing in the last of the presents to wrap for the little ones and my phone was in another room. Bad deal when your husband calls from Urgent Care saying his grinder went flying and got his toes. That morning I had been thanking God for His mercies that endure and are new every morning, not knowing how badly we would need them before many hours had passed. Thankfully, the toes are all on, and only 2 needed stitches. 9 in all. I got to help the Dr., which was actually a lot of fun. We knew the same Dr.'s from my days in the ICU. When he mentioned the need for nurses, I told Buddy I could go back to work and he could homeschool... He wasn't fond of that idea. ;) So today, he went back to work. By the time he came home and we went to the program, he was done being on his feet. Hopefully he'll use great wisdom tomorrow. The scripture that came to mind was, "It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed." Lamentations 3:22. Just to think of what could have happened....

Delahne- happy knitting with a new set of projects. One of the ladies on Hannah's bus in going through chemo, and she inspired me to make lap blankets and wraps for those at her clinic. I'm hopeful they'll be a blessing. I'm enjoying the break from CC, but we're still so full of activity, it's hard to tell we're not doing it. Today we baked for our neighbors, and had a few goodies ourselves. I really enjoy cranberry season! I colored my hair for I think the 3rd time in my life. It was supposed to be "dark golden blonde" and turned out to be a bit auburn. I have red in my hair naturally, so I guess going for the most intense effect and my normal tendancies did a great work together. It's not so dramatic that people even comment, so I may try something else for fun later.

Samuel- still doing Boy Scouts. He's looking forward to a really neat adventure this coming summer in the Boundary Waters. Funny that I'm from that area and never went! It'll be a long trip, but I think he'll really enjoy it. He's working with his dad to earn the money for the trip. He also earned enough to go shopping Thanksgiving night and get his own laptop. He really likes it alot. He's making movies, playing games, and occassionally losing it for not quite the best behavior. He's reading "Mover of Men, Mover of Mountains" and "Left Behind" in his spare time. He's been a big help to Catherine in wrapping presents for us.

Catherine- having fun with her friends here and there (OK and MO) is the best for her. She's still very creative and likes music. She has a keyboard that had a headset. Frequently uses do not include music, but rather giving instructions. She has been on a roll making beautiful scarves for Christmas gifts for friends. I think she's made 4 in one week. While we were reading together, she'd be knitting up a storm. Just one more chapter! And away she'd go. She has been busy planning Christmas presents, going shopping, and wrapping most of the presents. Her kitty is such a joy to her, still. It's kind of funny watching her go get Fluffy. I'm sure Fluffy has resigned herself and tolerates being captured and wrapped up while we read, most days.

Recent reads we liked- "Calico Bush", "Carry on, Mr. Bowditch", "The Gate in the Wall", and started "The Red Badge of Courage." It's so exciting to finish a book and anticipate the good one that will follow. We've learned so much as we've read. It's my favorite part of school. Could we just read all day knit?

Hannah- has just learned how to fasten the bottom of her car seat harness thingy. She could do the top, but always said the bottom was too hard and wouldn't try. Just this week, she's figured it out and is so pleased with herself. She can write her name and count to 15, recognize most of her ABC's, and building with blocks. She likes to show her daddy how she can run and jump. We're still working on a wide variety of things with Hannah, but I believe she is improving in many areas. We're still working on her trying' to make people happy, but not communicating what's really going on, especially when she's away from home/family. "We can't help if you don't tell us whar it is going on. You won't lose it, we can just help you better. These things take time. We did do an MRI of her lower spine to rule out any issues there since there are no voluntary trips to the potty. Although she did tell me once a few weeks ago that she had to go. We're not sure why this is, but we'll get over this, too. She has a great time on the trampoline and will jump and jump for a long time. While she jumps, she sings and talks. I wish she'd keep it up when we come around, but she always stops.

Caleb- begs to do school with me. He really likes cutting and tracing, is learning to write his name, knows most of the letters' sounds and names, and could sit and "read" books for hours. It's amazing to have him be so still with books and then turn into a big ball of energy you'd like to bottle or release to the outside world. This is another reason why we're thankful for the trampoline! I told him a story tonight about someone special going to a family's house. "What was his name?" "Santa." "Hey, that's my daddy's name!" He's looking forward to having his daddy dress up in a few days. There's a little trouble understanding why he has to wait for opening presents and why they aren't all his. But, when I suggested we go through his toys and share them with other children, he was right on it and gave quite a few away. He's quite the boy.

Pets- we have no idea what happened to the lizzard. Nora is half self-cropped and looks a little silly. We haven't quite reached the behavior modification medications yet, but she does do nicely with calming treats! She hasn't quite made friends with the kitties, but we're hopeful. Thankfully, she still comes around when the kids go to bed for some attention from me. The kitties are growing and lots of fun. Fluffy doesn't want to be held, except when captured by C, but she sure likes to be petted when you're sitting still. Smokey is sweet and sleeps with us occassionally. She's Buddy's favorite.

We're headed to spend an Ozark Christmas this year, joined by my parents. We're really looking forward to this time celebrating our Saviour. We've been doing an Advent devotional this year, complete with ornaments for a Jesse tree. We don't have a big tree, but have a few live trees on our mantle. It's actually really nice. We also go a menorrah and we going to have one of our friends say the pray in Hebrew, but that didn't work out. All in all, we're just celebrating how good our God has been and will continue to be to us and all who seek Him.

Merry Christmas! (perhaps I'll post some pictures soon...)

Walking home after school

eating with Nana at the fall social

Happy Birthday!

View from our front deck

Fluffy and Smokey

Ready for the Fall Social

So happy to have been at the game.

Barely tolerating the new tire swing.

Lots of snuggles and reading with Nana

Typical Caleb fashion

Isn't it sad that it's been so long since I've posted that I have to type the whole website thingy in to get to my own blog? I don't even want to know how long it's been, but we have been having a reallly fun fall. First of all, fall in the Ozarks beats the ones we had in OK. Not that I don't think they were great, just that the colors and the hills and the amazing number of trees surrounding us are really fabulous to see.

So, let's see. Buddy and I celebrated in a not-so-celebratory fashion our 14th anniversary. (We didn't do anything because we were in differnt states. We do, however have plans for something lovely in the future. Oh, for a date night!) Looking back at our wedding pictures really shows the hands of time and the amazing adventure these years have been. I am truly thankful for our family, and that Buddy finally agreed with me that getting married WAS a really good idea. :)

Buddy's mom came to visit us for 2 weeks and got to spend a lot of her time here in our "little slice of heaven," as she called it. It was so nice to have an adult around during the day, some extra support when I felt like I wanted to leave the dishes for the maid, even if it took her a few months to come. Actually, I was really in the baking mood and she helped me keep up the with mess so we could eat yummy things. What a great reason to have desserts and bread products every day! The kids thoroughly enjoyed their time with Nana, and when Caleb found out Nana had gone home, he said, "That's sad!" What's really so sad is that I didn't take enough pictures of their times together. Lots of good walks and book reading. She even got to come to CC one day.

We had the best time together we've ever had and I look forward to the next visit.

Samuel turned 12 this past week. I've been seeing the dark hairs on his upper lip for some time and have been calmly ignoring them. And resisting the measurements that show he has only a few more inches until he's taller than me. He's long past my shoes but can still wear some of my hoodies. One thing I've noticed, which is sweet, is that is still likes to be near me. When I told him I was going to walk into his class at church and give him a great big birthday hug, instant panic was in his voice and on his face. Yet when we're in Walmart or doing something together, he sticks right by me. I see the push to be cool, but then he doesn't smile as much as he used to. That makes me really sad. He was blessed to go to the World Series when it was in St L, even though they lost that game. Then he was able to go to an all-night event with a friend his birthday weekend after hanging out with his old CC friends for the evening. It's great to see him growing up and being responsible enough that he's the kind of kid others want to have around. All in all, it was a wonderful way to become the big 1-2. He's a great kid, and we're really blessed to see him becoming a wonderful young man. His humor is really fun to hear, and his appetite is huge!

2 weeks ago, 2 little kittens were found behind the shop of a former non-cat person. This person brought them home, contacted a cat lady to find out how to care for them, brought them to MO so they wouldn't be alone for a weekend, took them back to the cat lady to find out further care, and asks about them when he's not with them. We decided that we needed to do something for Nora, because she was getting stressed out by all this travel and the new arrivals. So she is now the former non-cat person's companion, and the little ones are the kids' school time helpers. It's amazing how still they are when they're holding their little ones. Sometimes they come to school dressed. They're doing great. Caleb needs some gentleness training with them, but they're surviving little boy love.

Catherine is still having a great time with her neighbor friend. They really have a good relationship and enjoy many of the same things. I think she's learned how to build a fire with K's help. They can never play too long, and the time between visits is too far apart. May that help motivate for great behavior!

Hannah's having a great time in school still. I've noticed that she's gotten skinnier since she started school. I guess she's working a lot harder now that she's there with the regular class so much more. They snack morning and afternoon, but she is needing some more to chunk her back up. Some days she comes home and wants to go to bed right away, but some days she'll play for a while. After 3 days, she's pretty wiped, though. Occassionally, I'll just keep her home so she can rest.

Caleb is as lively as ever, full of energy, tough as nails, ready to race/fight/snuggle all at once. He had a blast dressing up for the Fall Social at church. Caleb figured out that kitties and dogs lick to say hi and give kisses. He decided that the way he should show his love is to lick either the cats or anyone he's around. He had a hard time understanding why that wasn't ok at first. We were glad when he finally did.

I'm back to knitting some, working on a cable knit/bobble scarf. I haven't finish my socks yet, but I plan on it this weekend when I have a few moments without distractions. Ha! I think that catches us up for now. We are looking for a new home for our dog. She's gotten so much bigger than we thought she would be, needs more care than we can give, especially when we're travelling back and forth so much, and needs more attention than she's getting here. We're hoping that she can be there soon and get the extra loving she needs. Sadly, we just aren't in that place in our lives. I did chop off a lot of hair, and now I feel like a throw back to the 80's with wavy hair and cowlicks that make my bangs have volume!

Happy week!

The writings are done! I'll happily go back to editing my kids' papers after this. That was tough! I feel S's pain of writing what he thought was a great paper, only to realize you left out one word that makes all your double spacing off and you probably have to rewrite a few sentences. Oof tah!

Funny story- Last weekend I was able to go to Kindle the Flame, a fabulous women's conference. First time in years that I could go. (Thanks Buddy for watching the kids!) I got to see a friend from the big hair ORU days, which was a lot of fun. Anyway, the last night we take communion and pray for the upcoming year. I was thinking as I got my little cup of white grape juice- oh that's right, they use white so if it spills it won't be as noticable. Just then mine slipped from my hand and spilled all over my dress. Good times!

Has it really been that long since I've posted? It's not as if there has not been any activity in our world.

We started our CC group, had some changes in our group, celebrated Labor Day with my parents in MO. I got to see a really cool way to make socks. I must admit that the mechanical side of it all really intrigued me, as well as a much faster way to make a pair of socks, a project I've yet to attempt. She said she'd be there until the end of September, so yesterday when H was in school and S went to work with Buddy, I took the C's and spent some time making my own sock. It is a lot of work! There are so many things to be looking for all at once. I really liked having to switch out the needles when we went from one pattern to another- knit, pearl, knit, pearl to knit 3 pearl 1. That was probably the easiest part. I thought the way they make a heel is really cool, but it turned out to be really stressful, especially when people were coming by asking what I was doing and commenting on my one mistake. THEN, I knocked over a little cup that had 33 needles in it into bark mulch! Maybe I was too optimistic of my abilities. However, when the time was done, I'd completed a sock with only 1 mistake that was easily corrected. Plus I learned about the Kitchner Stitch and how to do a Russian join. Today I go back and pick up the second one she's graciously agreed to finish for me. I'll have to close the toes, but that'll be a great challenge.

We also celebrated Caleb's 4th birthday. It was so much fun to watch him getting so excited and remembering past Christmas and birthday times. He's becoming such a fun boy. I must admit I've had some challenges with the baby adn all the changes go=that have gone on in our family in the last year, but he has a sweet heart. He tells me all the time how much he loves me and how pretty I am. Can't help but love a fellow like that! His little smile and happy attitude make days fun and the energy he has makes me wish I could bottle it up.

A few days later, it was my birthday. My parents came over and watched all 4 so Buddy and I could go out. We had a blast just being able to relax with no time contraints, a rare thing for either of us. Not feeling older, but I am now moving farther into this decade. Life is good, and God is amazingly faithful. I do treasure the friendships that have grown during the past few years and trust those will be with me as I head closer to the next decade.

Let's see, lots of trips back and forth to OK, which we're getting better at those. We're enjoying fall weather will lots of time outside. The changing leaves are some of our favorite things. We're headed to a football game this afternoon and some time with friends. Samuel went camping last 2 weekends ago, Catherine has made a new friend in MO that makes her time there really fun. Hannah is in a new class at school. She was in there only one day and was able to tell me the teacher's name. That is highly unusual for her. Most of the time if I ask her if she knows something she'll say, "yes" and then be unable to provide answers. Even with prompting I'm not always sure she knows the answer. The last thing I saw is what she'll repeat. If I change the order of the words I give her, she'll switch her answer. So, it was a big thing when she could tell her teacher's name. There is an aide in there to help her get from one place to another and to help with the bathroom. She rides the bus and is really tired when she gets home. We usually try to have some time to relax, eat, and then she's ready for bed. Caleb is has been interesting for me at CC. We have only older children in families who've never been in CC before, so all the parents need to be in class with their children. The first few weeks exhausted me as I tried to figure out what to do for him. last week I gave up and brought a movie for him and let him watch Charlotte's web. It worked. This week, Hannah is out of school, so I'll have 2 who will be in there to keep occupied in a good way!

Because I'm teaching Essentials for the first time this year, I have a bunch of papers to write. Oh, my! I think it's easier to write my kids' papers than to come up with my own. They are due this weekend. Speaking of which, I'd better make wise use of my time.

Enjoy your weekend!

Back packs- check
Lunch boxes- 2/3 checked
Essentials folders- check
Clothes for the morning- check
Why did I not make a list of absolutely everything I could possibly need for our 1st day of CC? I tell you what, tutoring 2 years prepared me somewhat for directing, but honestly, I have a lot of nervous moments thinking about all I need to gather. We're quite a bit farther away from our meeting location than we've been in the past. Also, in the past I've been able to leave during opening ceremony and run home to pick things up if I forgot. Now it would be at least an hour drive time to get home and back, not to mention the digging time. I've really made efforts to prepare- making lists, printing out good ideas, having supplies in one central area, but my lists are sometimes in different places. The Lord knows and will help...

...24 hours later, and our 1st week is done. The Lord was very faithful, and in spite of Buddy taking a wrong turn to our meeting place (he stopped to get a flag for us so he wasn't following us) and missing our family presentations, we had a fairly smooth day. I really enjoyed seeing the kids, basically total strangers, having such a great time playing together at recess. Being our first day, we have some kinks to work out, but all the kids did great, and from my children's reports, they enjoyed me tutoring Essentials! That was one of biggest concerns, so that made me feel much better. Now to find someone to keep Caleb company while I'm tutoring... it's a little difficult to tutor while your 3 year old is climbing on you, in spite of the back pack full of fun things to do. Something we will be working on.

On another note, I made some really fun Mexican dishes this weekend. I had gotten a BH&G magazine that was 143 Mexican recipes. I made Enchiladas Suizas and Grilled Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas. Sadly, the recipes are not online, so I can't share with you. We really enjoyed them, even though the Enchiladas were a bit spicy, sometimes that just hits the spot. I'm looking forward to my next recipes from the magazine- pozole, something I first ate in Acapulco in 1993 and have been wanting to try to make ever since.

Working in the store they set up. They did a great job. C was just sure we would write real checks and give real money to her for the things we'd already purchased to give to her! It kept them entertained for 2 days. Samuel came up with a "yarn rewards card" that got an "X" everytime you came, and gave you 50% after your card was full. I'd come to his store a lot!Here are some pictures from our time at the Battlefield. We were a little surprised at the way the battle went, not understanding the nature of the guns and their method of fighting back then. Fortunately, we were standing right where the Confederates, who won the battle, were standing.This nice young man let Caleb hold his gun, Samuel got to see his very large knife,and everyone got to shoot his .58 caliber black powder rifle.

We enjoyed listening to these participants talk about different places they'd been and their knowledge of this particular battle. Wish we would have talked to them before...All the kids tried on hats. I think she'd make a good cowgirl!How do I look as a southern belle?Hannah had her 1st day of school today. It was nice to meet all the people who will be helping her at her new school. We actually decided to keep her in K, she had so little of it last year, and has so many skills she's sure to pick up with more exposure on a daily basis. No, her name is not Abby, but we did some switching around at the last minute, and the name didn't get changed at her table. She had fun. When I picked her up from the bus I asked her what she did. "Played." "What else did you do?" Silence. "Did you do something else?" "Go potty." Those were the highlights. :) I'm glad it was quick for her and that she now gets a few days to rest up before we start the long days of school again.

We started in earnest for the others today. Of course, we're going through the adjustments of little one needing to keep out of the way some of the time, learning to listen while mommy is teaching the others, and remembering how to play by himself. It'll come. I'm so glad we've been doing spell and reading together most of the summer. It truly would have been a shock to start cold turkey!

Here's our silly family pic. Good times.

If it's raining outside, and much cooler than we're used to, out come the jackets- even for the animals!

I think one of the issues that you deal with when you adopt an older child is the "training," which is not the right word, but the essence is there, to please, to smile sweetly, and to say the expected answer so people will like you. In our case, H is great with new people. She smiles and is very charming in her demeaner. She answers "yes" to questions that are obviously "no" answers to those who know her because she has learned that mostly the questions require a yes answer to make people happy. We're still dealing with her being able to leave anything on her bowl/plate. There is always more for her later, and she is getting better about it, but it bothers her if she has to stop before the last crumb is gone. We recently went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Since she never says she doesn't like something (except her Daddy's oatmeal shortly after she first came home) and we're trying to see what she really does like, Buddyasked her if she wanted to try a salsa that was on the hotter side. I told her it would be ouchy in her mouth, but she looked at Daddy and smiled. She took a bite and I could tell when she wasn't looking at him that it did not feel good. He asked if she liked it; she smiled and said yes. I asked her if it was ouchy and she didn't smile and said yes. When we asked if she wanted more, she said no (after I asked her a few times and reminded her it is ok to say no) and yet when she had more on some rice, I told her not to eat it because it would be ouchy. We let her do what she wanted and she ate it, even though it hurt her. Just to get the last grains of rice.

We went to see a second ortho surgeon a few weeks ago, who gave us a different, more extreme idea for H, but also said we don't have to do anything and could just come back in a year. It's been challenging deciding what to do, but we're trusting God to show us. We've been working with the orthodics and prosthetics people to develop a shoe for her while we're figuring things out. She's so pleasant with them and "yes" to this, "yes" to that. She was actually able to walk faster with her new shoes, even though it is a little different for her. She has a flat surface for walking, giving her a better sense of balance. She still has work to do because her core strength is still low. They velcro on her feet and when they're open, her feet slide right on down into them. They are lightweight and full of cushion, which is a great change. We left there and went to the store to get dinner and some groceries. When we got in, she was crying because her feet were "ouchy." Why didn't she say that to the orthotist? We got home and Buddy asked her about her shoes. "Good," she says. Wait, I thought they hurt you. Do they hurt you? Finally, "yes." When I took off her shoes, there was no swelling or redness, so we'll try it again. Here she is with her new shoes. You can tell she's a little tired.

Another thing we're still working on is the whole communication issue. She's improving, but learning to express herself is a challenge. If things are challenging for her, she says "ouchy" and cries (for me and not her therapists.) Distinguishing between pain and it's hard or I don't like this feeling is something we're working on. Asking for help instead of crying or just sitting there not doing anything is coming along, too.

Yes, things are a lot better, and I enjoy looking at something we've worked or struggled with for a year and she's finally doing it. Sometimes in my busyness, it takes me a while, and it comes as a realization that I haven't had to remind her to do or not do something for a while. She is full of smiles and a willingness to please, tries to do whatever you've asked her, mostly obeys without complaining (although she has picked up "why" and "aaaah!"), is thankful for whatever she gets, and stays in bed after we say good night. She knows about 1/2 her ABC's and sings little made up songs while she's on the potty or by herself. These are the joys

One of the benefits of having hot weather is that I can avoid looking in the backyard at all the toys, balls, and various things that need to be picked up. A side benefit is that the little red wagon gave us a wonderful show of the rain that came last night! I was awake during the night listening the the thunder and looking at the lightening. We were all so thankful for it.

This year in CC, we're studying American History. I just like history, but in particular, I like to see the hand of God as He brought our nation into being and guided it through the years. We are blessed to be living really closely to Wilson's Creek Battlefield. When we went to check out the library last month, I saw a big poster advertising the 150th anniversary of the battle that occurred there. I planned on going with the kids, but let the date slip from my mind. Sadly, Samuel was planning on a camp out, that I agreed to, the same weekend. A friend reminded me of the event last night so I could let the Scout Master and Samuel know he'd miss out on this camp out. Seriously, it was quite upsetting to him. In the 6 months he's been a Boy Scout, he's been camping 6 times, I think, so it's a bummer to break the streak. However, I'm pretty sure that while he's watching the reenactment he will forget about his camp out and the barf-in-a-bag that was to be his breakfast.

We're back to OK for a bit. We were going to leave earlier in the day, but we first did some spelling and reading, decided to try out the track at the high school (it's basically brand new and made with rubbery material, which is really nice.) I have no idea how far it is around, but I RAN twice around it. If you know me and my hate (no love at all) relationship with running- even at ORU when you were supposed to run 3 miles, I managed to get out of it with my fellow nursing students- that is a huge deal. Caleb did an amazing job. He ran around twice, too, all but the last 100 feet. He actually wasn't very far behind me. ;) Hannah made it around once, and ran for a nice portion of the way. Samuel beat us all and could've gone around again, I think. We all left with orange/red shoes, and tired, thirsty bodies.

After we had a beautiful rain during the night, we were able to continue our yard raking project. There are a lot of rocks in it that are painful to big and little feet. We decided to see how much we could get off the ground and make it more enjoyable to be outside. Of course, wearing shoes would solve a lot of that! We made some nice piles and will do more when we get back. Just looking at the piles makes my feet feel better!

Just before we left, we got a call Catherine had been waiting for. Off and on she had complained about her eyes bothering her, so I finally made the call and got her eyes checked. She needed the very slightest correction, so it was very quick to get them in. She thinks they're pretty cool, so she wants to wear them all the time instead of just when she reads. We'll see how long that lasts!

So far we've had them for 4 days and they've not been lost once! Great job, Catherine!

Yesterday we went to a big back to school bash, complete with funny family pictures, give aways, face painting, and crafts. The line was entirely too long to wait for the face painting, so I promised to do it myself this morning. Caleb wanted a tiger, so with my limited makeup, here's how he turned out.

Catherine didn't tell me what she really wanted and told me something else that made her entirely unhappy when the results were completed. Hmmm. I think there's a lesson there. Soon afterward, it was forgotten in the midst of wearing a fabulous long red dress from Grandma!

As we drove home, we hit about 45 minutes of a totally cloud filled sky and fabulous rain. The temp dropped to 72*. What a nice drive! As we got closer, the temp climbed 30*. We stopped at a friends for a little pool time and enjoyed the water. Hannah sat on the side and didn't complain once about being splashed! That's a first for her, which was so nice to see.

After days and days in the 110's, I was so relieved to only see 102* on my car's thermometer today. Funny what 10 degrees can do for you! It was even nicer to drive northeast a bit and watch it drop even further. I was on a call this morning, getting ready for the school year and heard people talking about the 90's being so hot. It made me laugh. We probably would think it felt cool. ;)
I agree with one of my friends, who said one of the benefits of this hot dry spell, among other things, was that we no longer stick out on our block. All the yards look scorched.
And so, we pray for rain. God, Who created the universe, Who is said to bring rain to the just and the unjust, will hear our prayers and bring relief. I keep telling my kids they need to do this or that, because if it rains, we don't want it ruined. Maybe I should hold of on washing my car...

If God can use a donkey...

Yesterday, Catherine had the great idea of putting something large and fun on Buddy's key chain, since it is sometimes misplaced. Great idea. Kind of. Fast forward 3 hours and he needed to get something from his truck. Where are those keys? All the kids are in bed by now, supposedly asleep. We looked all over and couldn't find them. We decided to just trust God to help us. (That's what we're supposed to do, right away, right?) We stopped looking and went onto other things we needed to be doing, and in a little while I heard the dog whining at the back door. A minute later I heard keys jingle outside the door and drop. Low and behold, the dog had the keys for us. Isn't God good? Funny how He brings things about when we trust Him.

Update on the Wright house. This has been one wild and fun summer. I don't think I've ever had one like it. We found a house to rent, have spent each week going back and forth to different homes, done a lot of therapy, been working on wheel chair and special shoes, become the Director for the Branson CC group, and gone to some trainings. Meanwhile, in my spare time, I've been getting ready for the school year. We've so enjoyed our times in Branson and am so thankful for the opportunity to start a CC group. It's been a blessing to our family, and I want to pass it on to others. So, if you know homeschoolers in our area, pass them on our way!

We'll continue going back and forth, Buddy joining us when he can, but we'll be there more than here, except when we take breaks from CC and coming back to visit if Buddy can't come our way. I'm working on streamlining our transitions to make it more enjoyable for all of us. Chore charts and tasks are really helpful.

More has happened, but it's time to head out again. Finally getting internet access, so I can feel more attached to the world!

A year ago yesterday, we came home from ROG and got to be with loved ones again. It was a fabulous, tiring ordeal. Obviously, if you've followed for any length of time, I'm not great having the camera in the same state as I'm in, nor do I put pictures on here of signifcant moments. I also don't know how to make a slide show to commemorate the journey. If you care, you can go back and look at pictures, which are fun to see.
As we were talking with a friend at gold camp yesterday, Hannah was running around the green, chasing after Caleb. Happy as can be. Amazing to think a year ago I carried her everywhere, she only got around on her knees with much encouragement. So many other things have changed in a year, sometimes it's hard to remember what it was like when she first came.
Gotta run, but thankful for the good times we've had.

I got the header picture changed! Such talent, haha! Slowly but surely, I get things done.

This past week, we took off again for the farm and decided to be really brave. Buddy worked into the weekend again, so he couldn't join us. We've figured out our way around the house and the yard and are venturing out. But we haven't been to SDC since we first went over in June. Picture 4 kids and me going to the park for the day. I forgot to move the stroller into the car before we left here, so we were strollerless. Thankfully, when I explained our situation to the parking people, they let me pull up into the disabled parking (right in front of the park entrance) and we were able to rent a double stroller. We had a blast, deciding Thursday is the day to go, especially if you can go in the morning. We made our way to the local library on Friday to check it out and use their internet. (The guys didn't quite make it or bother to call to let us know they weren't going to make it to the house.) It's quite small, but was still full of books, and they can get books from the big Springfield library if we need them. (We went to the big one a few weeks ago. Quite an experience- they had a gift shop and a cafe. Small town people getting culture shock in the big city!)
We intended to have guests on Friday, but it didn't work out, so Saturday we invited some other friends. Good times in our pool, sharing some good food, and eating cherry cobbler. MMM mmm! I'm so glad I got all those cherries on sale!
Sunday after church, we weren't quite ready to go, so while the littles were resting, the big ones and I read a book about the civil war from the perspective of a 14 year old girl and planned what to do. SDC called our name, and we set out for a few more hours of fun. The cool thing is that it's only about 20 miles (like most everything else) from the house. Zip, zip, zip and we're there. I think we got everything in we wanted. C and H rode the ship that goes up and down and actually had fun. We're going to wait on Thunderation for C until Daddy's with us. 3 seems a little young, but he's big enough.
Glad to be back here where we're altogether. This weekend will be a big camping trip for Samuel- caving in the panhandle somewhere. I'm so thankful he has these great opportunities. He'll surely have seen more of OK in the time he is here than I have in the 20+ years (that sounds terrible!) since I came.
Have a great week!