Our Family Circus

With the warm temperatures, it was time to switch out the winter for the summer clothes! It is like Christmas as the children are reunited with favorites or find new favorites to wear. This outfit was the top pick for Dolly! And this outfit (or should I say her brother's hand me down pjs) was Miss B's top pick. I heard My Dear instruct her to put shoes on as she walked outside in her " outfit." She got a bit upset and said, "But I am a firetruck and firetrucks don't wear shoes!" Then the voice of wisdom said, "then you need tires!" Apparently, she likes white walls! Our Dolly had a date planned with My Dear and eagerly awaited her time to go! My Dear works hard to maintain time with the children despite his work schedule. Even an oil change becomes an opportunity to talk.

My sister was to celebrate her Big 4-0 so KY seemed the place to be for Derby Weekend! The children and I had fun with aunts, uncles, cousins, and horses! Growing up in KY, I just assumed all kids could tell a horse from a cow from a distance. It is hard for me to swallow that my younger 2 can not. I also assumed that everyone had historical stone fences that went along the road with hills of grass. Nope! I miss that! My allergies do not, but I do! Isn't it beautiful! The kids and I enjoyed the Kentucky Horse Park and we learned some cool stuff about horses! Like, those tiny horses are not ponies, they are indeed horses and were bred to be small to work in the coal mines-cool huh! Our Dolly loves animals! A few weeks ago, she asked me how to tell a boy dog from a girl dog. I told her the same way a doctor tells a boy baby from a girl baby. She found a picture of a dog and knew the gender. So, you can imagine her generalization at the Horse Park-the special educator in me appreciate...

Both children had writing assignments a week or so ago that I wanted to share. Dolly's topic was Freedom of Worship and here is what she had to say....although it would be much cuter to see her handwriting with giant and some backwards letters. I will try to type as she wrote. I LiKe my Church. We donot have to go to church But we choose to. I LiKe Kids Church. I am glad we can pray. I Love America!!!!!! Billy made a book called, I LIKE AMERICA. I like America because it is a good place. I like it because we have money to buy food and shelter and DSi (he has been saving his money and just purchased this handheld game system.) We have tools to make and fix "thinks." We have doctors to help us. We have school to learn. And that is why I like America. The End Reminder to me of the wealth of our nation and that God will hold us accountable to what we do with what He has given us.....including these 3 little people wrestling in my home right now!

Too often bedtime is a mess! If I get started later then scheduled, it is a rushed process. In the rush, the little ladies have a hard time falling asleep. My impatience carries right over to them! It seems most likely to happen when the day has been long for both My Dear and I or when My Dear is away at bedtime. It eventually comes down to the girls needing a back rub, an extra million hugs, a song, or for Miss B. to be rocked. I know it would take about 10 or 15 minutes but I am still too anxious to do it. But when I put the me aside, I climb to the top bunk to whisper sweets into Dolly's ear and give her those extra squeezes. It is like medicine for her she goes to sleep feeling calm and loved. Miss B. grabs her bb and is ready to "wock." She even makes a request of what song she wants me to sing. On those nights, in the dark of the girls' bedroom, with the sound of a squeaky glider, the warmth of a sleepy toddler against me, and the sound of sweet voices, I enter ...

What an exciting weekend! Dolly enjoyed her first sleep over. We ate and laughed with our small group and I got to share once again about what I saw God doing in VNam and in my life while I was there. AND the girls took their stuffed animals to have a sleep over at that library. No, the girls did not sleep over but the animals did! B. chose to take Sharky . She took a BB type blanket along with Sharky for the night. She did not like the idea of leaving Sharky there but, did not realize we had done so until it was too late . Mental note, 3 year olds are more then willing to take their toys places but they want to come home with them as well. The girls made picture frames while they were there. They returned this morning to get their animals and the picture frames they made along with a little treat! (sorry for the poor scanning job.) Surprisingly, Sharky likes the very same book B. does! He also sat at the computer and listened to Mercer Mayer's Just My Grandma and Me while h...

The little ladies enjoyed a picnic lunch this weekend. We awoke to cooler weather and both girls were excited about wearing jackets. The hood was likely not necessary but hey, they are excited about jacket weather! I noticed this little Barbie shoe in the back window of My Dear's car. Made me smile! We would have never dreamed we would have a single Barbie shoe in our possession 10 years ago and that it would be on display in our car window. I know it is fuzzy but for some reason I love this picture! Took several pictures of those tiny hands wrapped around the neck of her hero but just could not capture the innocence of them. The little girls sure loves that man, but so do I! Proof that even princesses need an education. It was way fun to go to a couple of yard sales dressed as royalty . Seeing that Dolly has never met a stranger, she and her dress made lots of friends. Each child had a dollar that they received in the mail. Billy bought ski gloves for a quarter. Dolly...

I have used The Power of a Praying Parent as a guide to pray over our children. But God has spoken to my heart specific prayer request for each of them. For Billy, I pray that he will have a love and deep understanding of the Word. I recall when I saw it being answered. Billy was reluctant to do his school work. I began reading the next chapter we had been reading in the Bible. Billy begged me to read more even though he had finished his handwriting assignment. By no means, is this prayer fulfilled but I see it playing out in Billy's life. When she was just an infant, God spoke to my heart on Dolly's behalf. My prayer for Dolly is that people would be attracted to her so that she could share salvation found through Jesus. We pray that God will use her pretty face and beautiful heart for His purposes. My prayers for Miss B. are that she will love people with the love that only Christ can give and that she looks upon people with compassion. As you can see, in her atte...

This Friday Nana (who was visiting from the Sunshine state) and I took a pink haired Dolly to get her ears pierced. Seemed like the perfect time to do it since another BIG event was to happen in her life. This piercing was to remind her of this....... Isaiah 53:5 But He was PIERCED for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Dolly was baptized on Sunday. Daddy was in the water but Dolly asked " Mami " to baptize her. Since we have no family around, Mami and Dolly kinda adopted one another while Dolly was in the nursery. I could not help but thing of Mami'a past year. The word cancer leaked into Dolly's vocabulary and came out in prayers and then celebration! Thank you God! We told Dolly as little as possible so that her hugs and behavior toward Mami would not change but be medicine to her. This celebration of one life became the celebration of 2 lives an...

I am still here! Not so much writing, but living. Tis summer ya know! Friday night had us going in 2 different directions (probably because there are just 2 adults to get 'em there!) Billy had a ball game while Dolly and B. and I were in charge of the end of the year program for our school group. My Dear put some time into it as well. It was fun to look over our school year and recognize a mom who is graduating from Homeschooling. A sweet friend had a humorous but love filled tribute for what to do with a homeschooling mom when she is no longer a homeschool mom. B. has not even started school but I had the sore throat and watery eyes through this part of the ceremony. Directly after, we jumped in the vehicle to get to KY to love on My Dear's "brother." He and Jesse met in college and his family became ours....adopted by love! Jesse reported for duty to be a military chaplain . They usually have about 80 in a class but his class will be 188! How cool is ...

After a packed weekend and a rainy morning, we were moving slow on Monday. We had no place to go so it worked out perfectly! The children voted for pizza for lunch so we sat to eat. We were pretty much finished eating when Dolly says to me, "I need to accept Christ." She has made this statement before but when we asked why, her answer was, "so I can get baptized." As the momma, I need to be ABSOLUTELY sure that they know what they are doing and why. So I asked her why she needed to accept Christ. She explained,and I asked questions. Billy was biting his tongue wanting to answer for her. She then announced that she was going into the other room to "do it." We stayed seated at the table. She then returned around the corner and said, "Well, I need you to hear me!!" (in her best duh tone!) We decided to call My Dear at work, put him on speaker phone and Dolly started a prayer that went, "Dear God, I hope you are having a good day" and end...

Our Dolly turned 6 today! It still seems like she is 4 and as the years go by, I forget more and more of what the children were like when they were younger. Seems sad, BUT I am SO thankful for healthy, thriving children. As part of the celebration, Dolly got her nails done. She got to pick out the color and they painted her fingers and toes. She even got to sit under the dryer. Our neighbor camped out at our house while B. napped so we could enjoy this event together. We are so blessed by our friends living right on our street. Not just this family but several. I think it should make the property value go up-just sayin '! Billy went with us. It really was not painful for him, silly boy! When I went to pay for Dolly's fancy nails, I realized I did not have any money. I was a bit panicked. The only collateral I have is the children and I was NOT leaving them! They allowed me to leave and come back since the amount was so small. I picked up B. and headed back out ...

I think it is safe to say that most pet owners spoil their pets! Our Annie, who was named after a friend's daughter,is no different. She got this fancy collar last Christmas from my sister. The I.D. tag came in the mail last week from our friends. It is complete with name, owner's name, address, and phone. Dolly likes the sound it makes on the collar as Annie is being walked. For Christmas, my aunt found this sweet bed for Annie. Dolly was thrilled that Annie had a new bed, all her own. This weekend, Annie raked in the goods at the dollar section when we stopped in to pick up Billy's video game. Dolly was ready to spend her allowance and who could resist a shamrock leash! Annie has enjoyed her new dish and Dolly keeps it filled. She takes such good care of Annie and loves her. Annie had a bath last week and then Dolly dressed her in a shirt to keep her warm and snuggled with her much of the evening. I think we can agree, Annie is a little spoiled. Dolly loves Annie so much!...

One night, I asked our little "Dolly" to get ready for bed. As she did, I began picking up toys off of the floor. She stopped me and asked me not to disturb this wagon parked beside the dollhouse. Yes, the dollhouse with a horse in it and no, she did not use the word disturb. She told me that the children were going to deliver groceries and flowers to people who have cancer. Why didn't I think to do that with my children and their wagon? My Dear will be thrilled to see this picture but I could not resist the story. "Dolly" woke up not feeling well a week ago. "Billy" wanted cinnamon rolls and can pretty much make them himself. He decided to serve "Dolly" breakfast in bed-mom and daddy's bed. They are just kids, but I love how God is molding their hearts and think I might take some lessons from the sweet darlins'!

It happened last night and it happened again tonight! As I put the girls to bed, Blake (2) is always eager to pray! She prays for the people in our home and many of them more than once because she does not recall who she already prayed for (or maybe they just need it more...huh.) She occasionally will add someone else like a grandparent or a teacher at church or her beloved "Mami" who cares for her during our small group. I prayed for the children and our children we have not met yet . This includes the spouses of our children and generations to come as well as any other children God adds to our family. I also prayed for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and those folks who call us family since we do not live close to any family. Then Miss Lydia, prays for, " all the mamas and daddies and children that are sick in the whole world ." As if I did not learn from that prayer, tonight she prayed for, " everybody she knows and everybody she does not know ....

No matter how tough the day has been, there are so many stages in my life that I want to savor and not forget. I am constantly reminded how quick 18 years can pass and each step of the way, our children will need us less and less. This morning, I walked around my nicely swept kitchen and rounded the bar to where our son had prepared a bowl of Cheerios. When I sat down, my socks had Cheerios clinging to them. Usually, it is my midsection food hangs on to but now it is my socks. One day my house will be tidy and Cheerio free. I took the above picture this summer when the neighborhood boys came inside to play. I don't want to forget the young feet that have felt welcomed and safe in our home. Nor do I want to forget how Lydia's pink shoes fit into the pile. I don't want to forget the piles of bibs that come out of a load of Miss Blake's laundry. I usually have to wash just to keep her in bibs. I treasure the memory of crawling into bed one night and My Dear's feet bein...

We have pet names for our children, not anything we planned it just happened. Lydia is Wilma, I think she got it because it goes with wild! Wednesday night was Wacky AWANA where the kids were encouraged to dress WACKY! Lydia began planning immediately. Clay was uninterested in participating but had plenty of good ideas for Wilma and she of course went for it- All or Nothing! The soccer socks are 2 different colors, she has capris on under nightgown, 2 different shoes, a bib, an apron on her back and to top it off, a swim diaper on her head! She put her uniform vest on backwards under her bib. Blake was not happy about Wilma taking her new bibs out of the drawer so we asked permission for the Turkey bib. Even B thought it was pretty funny.

Okay, so it is actually a little more than a day but, here goes... Lydia discovered a "beautiful dress" in her closet. This is the dress that my niece Amber wore in our wedding 13 years ago. Lydia felt like royalty . The lace got hung on her shoe and ripped while wearing it on Sunday. She said, "Well, at least I got to wear it once!" She reminds me of that Amber too! (This picture is the exception to the rule, but then again so are those girls!) Ms. B is finally changing sizes along with the weather. I drug out some of her cousin's hand-me-downs. Ryleigh is a week older but a year ahead in size-and we are reaping the benefits! B. put these shoes on all by herself. I grabbed the camera and asked if I could take a picture of her new shoes and this is what I got! They are cute, really, they are! Look at her shirt...more teeth are on the way and they brought a runny nose with them! This Lego creation is one he is most proud of. He took probably 7 pic...

Today we met our precious friends for a day at the zoo! One part of the zoo is divided into habitats. We were able to discuss adaptations animals have to help them survive in their own habitat. So fun learning!!! We were about to enter another building but realized it was closed due to a school field trip. We circled around it, putting us on a stage with seating around it. Our Lydia began to twirl and dance and called to her friends to join in. My friend said, "Now we are in Lydia's natural habitat." What do you think? Picture taken at a church event. Can you guess which one is our Lydia?