Girl Scout Day Camp 2009

Last week Saige went to Girl Scout Day camp. As I watched her get on the camp bus the first day I kept thinking, "she doesn't seem old enough for something like this, does she?", even though some of the girls were even younger than she. As I watched her get off the bus that day, I had a mommy moment (choking back tears so I didn't look foolish in front of the other moms, although they would have understood) I just couldn't believe how grown-up she was. She steps off the bus with her jeans on (a big accomplishment for her if you are familiar with her clothing issues), her bandana in her hair, a ponytail frazzled from a day in the sun and wind, and the slightest sunburn on her cheeks....it just happens so fast. She is truly a grown up girl, well maybe not grown up, but she's not a little girl anymore.

Each time one of our kids hits a milestone (first day of school/preschool, losing their first tooth, going to their first friend birthday party, going on their first playdate, etc.) I'm always struck with the feeling that they are growing up so fast. Somedays I long for the days when they are more self sufficient, when I don't have to brush four sets of teeth every night and every morning, when I don't have to do six little pigtails every morning......but I know someday I will miss having kids who need me, so I will try a little harder to appreciate these times instead of wishing them away!

Anyway, here are some picts of Saige and all of her Brownie friends!

Progress!!!!

When our family entered this world of Autism 6 months ago we hoped for, prayed for, and anticipated moments like this. To those of you who have a child with Autism, and those of you who love a child with Autism, you know what a great moment this is. No, he's not speaking in complete sentences, no he doesn't even say a word in this clip. But....HE TURNS HIS HEAD WHEN I CALL HIS NAME!! Woo Hoo!!! It truly is a big step, he's responding to his own name nearly 100% of the time. Not only did he turn his head, but he came running towards me for some big hugs!

Not only that, but this picture captures another new milestone, he is LOVING to play with his siblings. They wrestle him, play house with him (guess who get's to be the baby every time), and give him tickles and kisses all over! I love the look on his face in this picture. He's having so much fun, and so was I :)

The cloud is lifting....

ABC n D Family Fun Day!

Wyatt's preschool held their annual "Family Fun Day" a few weeks ago. Let's just say water table + dirt table + Wyatt= A GOOD, BUT MESSY TIME! They also had a blow up bounce house, crafts, bubbles, water rockets, and snow cones! It was a great time!

Girl scout award ceremony

The pictures aren't great (I was trying to wrestle a very cranky Wyatt at the time), but you can definitely see the pride on Saige's face as she stood up with her whole Brownie troop and each took a turn telling what their favorite activity of the year was. They all worked so hard and earned a lot of badges! Way to go Saige!

A belated birthday post...

It's hard to even remember Micheala being this small. This picture is of the first day at our home over 1 1/2 years ago. It didn't take long for her to start growing taller, growing stronger, and of course growing sweeter every single day!

This is a picture of us celebrating Micheala and Saige's birthdays at Great wolf Lodge last month. We had a great time, but didn't get much sleep...

Micheala blowing out her candle's at Grandma and Grandpa McDavitt's house. Look at our big 6 year old!

Birthdays at Great Wolfe

Happy with the end result

Maybe I am the only person with this problem, but family picture day is the MOST STRESSFUL day for me!!! That is why yesterday I had planned everything out just perfectly, we decided to just photograph the kids so John and I could help position, chorale, and entertain them without worrying about whether we're looking at the camera, or whether the expression on our face reflects the stress and frustration we're feeling inside as we wait for the photographer to snap the picture before Wyatt, or whomever, goes running from the room. I scheduled the time for 6:00 so John would be home from work and could help me at the studio. I purchased all of their clothes, hairbows, etc well in advance. As you can imagine, my well thought out plan did not go as I had hoped. My house was Grand Central Station all day yesterday! Phone ringing, knock at the door, phone ringing again, kids home from school, everybody in the bath, someone's having a meltdown about their clothes, phone ringing, someone's having a meltdown about their hair, that's okay-John will be home soon to pick up the slack, phone ringing.....John's held up at work....guess I'm on my own, dinner's ready-nobody likes what we're having, more tears, more tantrums, and we're not even out the door yet!

Finally we arrive at the studio (5 minutes early I might add) and we walk in to a full waiting room. I check in and ask, "are you guys running behind a bit?" Their answer, "Oh no, we're just finishing up and we'll be ready for you shortly". I've heard that line before and should have known better, I SHOULD have taken the kids out to the van to watch movies until they were REALLY ready for us, but thought we could manage. AFter 25, yes 25 minutes, of trying to keep Wyatt's hands out of the toilet bowl and the drinking fountain, trying to keep Wyatt from running into other people's photo shoots, trying to keep him from grabbing toys out of other people's unattended bags (seriously, at least zip them up), it was finally our turn. Those of you who have had 2 year old boys know what fun it is to try to get them to hold still for a picture. I'm still too exhausted to even try to recap all the work it took to get just a few good shots. But I must say, I was very pleased with the end result. Despite all of the effort, stress, energy, and waiting it took to get these shots, I know they are absolutely my favorite!

Love this picture! Childrens' faces show so much JOY!

Sisterly love! What sweet girls we have been blessed with!

This captivates Wyatt's true passion and personality:

1) He loves all things Mickey Mouse (he's holding Mickey and Goofy in the picture)

2) He's always on the move!

3) He's the sweetest little boy you'll ever meet!

Sweet Saige...this picture shows her full of sweetness, a little bit of sassiness, and beauty!

Happy Belated Birthday to Saige!!! (March 12)

It's hard to believe Saige is 7 years old! Here are a few snapshots from along the way....
Here's her first picture, all 4 pounds, 15 ounces of her. She was soooooo tiny!





Saige feeding her cousin Ben, I think they may have shared that bottle.
Saige screamed when she sat on the Easter Bunny's lap every year until she was about 6. You have to admit, he does look pretty scary!

We love you Saige!

Who needs a dog, right?

Wyatt's new skill: eating off the floor. He pushes the bench up to the cereal cupboard, turns his favorite cereal box upside down until it spills all over, then gets on the floor and eats it! Mickey helps too of course.

He also likes to crawl under the table after meals and clean up what's been dropped on the floor. Who needs a dog, right? Boys can be so gross sometimes.

missing blogs.....

I'm finally putting my blog back together after having lost a lot of info, namely my friends and family blog list, but I know I am still missing a few blogs. I foolishly never saved a back up, and have now paid the price. SO, if you don't see your blog listed, PLEASE SEND ME A LINK! I know I am missing some from before and have racked my brain to try and remember who I'm missing but this list is the best I can do. Please help!

Useful information....

Just in case someone out there may need to know this one day....rubbing alcohol will get ink off of almost anything including kitchen cabinets, wood tables, doors, and tv screens!

A big birthday party

A few weeks ago we all gathered for a 1st birthday party for the girls' little brother. We had a great time at Fun Run in Liberty! If you haven't been, it is really neat! We even liked it better than Air Zone down in Gladstone and the price is about the same.

Anyway, it was really nice to get to see all of their sisters, their brother, case worker, and all the foster parents involved in their care. It is truly an amazing group of people. Every now and then you hear a horrific story in the news about a foster family who was horribly abusive to the children and are now in jail. For some reason this is the impression that sticks with most people about foster families...that they are only in it for the money (seriosly, it's not that much), or that they don't really care about the kids. I wish that everyone could know these wonderful families like we do. They are all good christian homes who felt the calling to open their doors and their hearts to children who need a place to heal, all at the risk of having their own hearts broken some day when or if they have to say good bye to the kids they have loved and cared for. This truly is an amazing group of people and we had a great time!