The Blessing of Family

Friday......no preschool.  The girls are home all day.  I was so thankful for warm weather........and  Grandma.........who  called and said let me come get the girls for a few hours while you relax.....or get some things done...or whatever....YES maam!  No arguing here:) 

 A few "YES!!!" moments this weekend.....were....Wren going to the fridge and opening the door and asking for ham!  She waved her hand no at the eggs, and signed Ham!  She initiated it, knew what she wanted, and asked for it.  I had to tell her the ham was all gone:(  Then Saturday evening Troy and I had a date to Hays.......to get groceries......very romantic hmm?......but I'll take it:)......I had signed and explained to both of them that Mommy and Daddy were going to town, and they were going to stay at Grandmas house.  She signed most of it back to me, and I said yes.....and she nodded ok.  Then thought a moment and signed car (or made a motion like you were driving) and I said yes, drive the car to Grandmas....she nodded again like she understood.  When we got out at Grandmas, we talked a little and they waved bye at us, like I thought you were leaving....get on with it.....then Wren signs "town, Mommy, Daddy"  and points to herself and signs "stay here"   YES!!!!!  Folks......we are getting somewhere finally!!!!  Please keep praying that she will learn to sign fluently, AND listen and HEAR and understand speech......and ultimately, speak!  Please Lord!

 Saturday Grandpa was planting trees outside our front door.  Wren was VERY interested in every step of the process....digging, watering, riding on the tractor......just let me outside!

 The cat...Iley was inside....she was so mad here.....her marker lid would not come off!.....and mom wouldn't help her......mean isn't it!  All she needed to do was to stand up, take about two steps, and SAY..."mom can you help me please"  She is completely able.....but instead was thrashing around on the floor and whining.  When she gets to this point, she's totally unreasonable.......and stubborn!  I kept saying.....fussing won't get the lid off.......bring it to mommy and use your words.  Mom would love to help you............I think she was having more fun feeling sorry for herself!  She finally DID (probably an hour at least later) come ask me, and I cheerfully took it off and told her GOOD GIRL for using your words......she was so pleased with herself, you'd a thought it was her idea in the first place!

Sunday morning......waiting on breakfast......banned from the working area of the kitchen for lack of room, and the seeming need to be between the person working, and the counter.......... they were commiserating with each other in the chair over their mean unfair treatment........and got to entertaining themselves.  They were "reading" the bible with a black light......not sure what was going on exactly, but Iley was amused.

 Later.....after an awesome message from David Platt.......you can watch it here.....http://vimeo.com/56508165  We were waiting on lunch to finish cooking, sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather....which is supposed to end tomorrow....in more rain, and possibly snow.......sob.

 After realizing they were blocking part of the crew on the table...Ash and Ella did a dancing side step.

 Ash gave us his best pose.......and Ella was like .....yep he's crazy....whadda ya do about it.

 Everybody......and the dogs.

Beauty, being kissed by the heathen......who she's rather partial to in spite of his lack of taste in hair styles.

But we love the heathen anyway.......even if we aren't in love with his hair......just thankful that it's just hair, and it will grow back.....and hair does not define who he is.  He loves his little sisters, and they love him!  They were "helping him" Wren was pulling his head down, and pushing his hand up...Iley was just highly amused!.......eat his strawberry shortcake......that Ella brought:)

 Here, let me help too says Iley.

Wren lost a tooth during services...... it caused such a distraction we had to stop the video in order to  properly admire it......and let her check out the gap in the mirror....and stop the bleeding...... before moving on.

We had a slight mishap with this pair.....some rough housing gone awry.....and her glasses got broken, and her head had a bump.  She was nursing it with some ice, and relishing the attention!  It might have almost been worth the bump on the noggin to be made over, and poor honeyed!  We super glued the glasses, and are going to make a run to Wally World in the morning to get another pair.

Although Iley was getting a huge bang out of this........we had to stop it for fear of the swing set falling apart!  The whole thing was swaying, and the swing was sagging a bit.

   

Scout is hard to get a picture of!  She is always on the go!

 Wren was trying to get Iley to ride down on her shoulders!! NOT a good idea.

This didn't work out much better for them.

 She climbed up here by herself.....smug much?

 The guys had a fierce game of basketball.....Troy and Ash against Ike and Thatcher.....Ike and Thatch won.

Just a swingin

LOVE all these faces!

 They just look a bit like chicken combs.........can't say I love the haircuts...nope.....but I DO love the silly boys!

Perched in the middle of everything.........their favorite spot to be!

Being Chummy over their eggs and rice. 

  I have a bit of trouble getting them to eat lunch!  Maybe because they pig out at breakfast?  They both eat 2- 3 eggs a piece every morning! 

Wren gets home at 11:25 from sign class and we have to leave the house again by 12:15 to take them to preschool.  Doesn't leave much time for Wren to come in.....shriek...and jabber....show me her papers.......find out what Iley's been doing while she's gone.....do a walk through of the entire main level and upstairs to make sure she didn't miss anything....sit down and eat.....have conversation with sister, much giggling, and playing in your food....get shoes back on, back packs zipped, coats on, everyone herded to the car.......and then take off for town.  The high light of the trip is a certain hump in the road that if you hit at a fast enough speed "gets your tummy".  They are always bummed out when we meet a car and have to slow down:)  for those not familiar with KS....it's sand roads, and we pass a car on the way in..... average of one a week on this road.  If a car is coming you have to move out of the packed tracks into the looser sand......and slow down......which totally ruins the effect of the bump!

 

I wonder some days if I am warping them.......we struggle to get Wren to listen or try to voice something that makes sense.......so when she's done on the potty.....and totally at my mercy....(would this be the equivalent of stealing someones clothes while they are skinny dipping?)  ....I make her at least try to say my name instead of just bellaring AHHHHHHHH when she's done.  Usually I accept anything close....today I decided she wasn't getting up till she put forth a little effort.  I put one hand on her throat, and one on mine and we did the ahhhhh sound.  I showed her that its not a bah bah with explosions of sound.....but that you keep your ahhhh steady, then do your lips mamamama fast.  she was doing a Baaah...........Baaah with lots of air.  She was NOT happy with me!  But I loved on her....and kept trying......and Iley is standing right beside her  (this is a tiny airline size potty room with three of us squeezed in...come to think of it, I'm sure Wren was the most comfortable!) doing it too (warped?)  She finally started with the ahhhh  I nodded good.........and did the lip motion to make the ma ma ma....SHE DID IT!!!  I KNEW she could if she would just TRY!!  She just has NO time for sit still and concentrate stuff.  Maybe the car seat is the next place of attack??  I may be riding in the back seat for years though unless the cooperation and progress pick up...........

Just Playing around

Bath time with the new bubble bath......so far no rashes!  Yay Aunt Lucy, good choice.

 Wren putting on her bubble bra.

Captured!.....or maybe rescued?

 

Maybe he was saving her from this?

She looks kind of like a damsel in distress.

I think this was the bat!

 ......and this.......

 

Love the gun and the shoes!  Don't worry mom, I've got them under control!

Calm amidst the storm....??

 Monday after school it was such a nice day that I took them to the park.  The next day it was frigid, so good thing we went.  I took them to this same park a couple of weeks after we got home from china last year.  They wouldn't walk across the sand, they needed a drink, they had to potty, they wouldn't go play, they were scared to try anything!  This time, I couldn't get them to leave.

 Iley kept bumping her head on the bar above the slide.

 Not sure how they ended up like this, but they thought it was pretty funny!

  

They were holding hands:)

 

 

The teeter totters scared them to death!LOL  I was laughing so much:)  These are supposed to be fun girls!

But these tall slides with no sides didn't phase them?