New Boots

Happily posing in their new boots.

Watching a signing time video.

 I think the sign here is Grandma and Grandpa.

 Still wearing the new boots.

Etch a Sketch with your breakfast anyone?

 You run that side, I'll run this side.......not sure how that picture turned out.

 Saturday they played together all day....  like angels......well like angels with their halo's just a little askew....  Wren ....of course......tied a string between the door knob on the dresser, to the one on the door.....which led to a blanket hanging over it......which made a nice fort behind it......which led to............

 more blankets....of course.......and much screeching.....just because.  Ahhhhhh there's Mom, let's hide......etc.

 Nothing as much fun as a surgical glove full of water that has sprung a leak.

We have had so many good reports home on Wren lately!  She is doing so well, and learning new things everyday.  One of the ladies from the Service Center, came by to see how she was doing.  She hadn't been there for a month, and couldn't believe how well Wren was doing, and how much she had improved :)   She is sounding out her vowel sounds, and tries to say all of her abc's when she is signing them.  She is sign reading simple books.  This girl is going places :) :)  Thank you God!!  It has seemed slow, and sometimes extremely difficult for her......and her mama and teacher......but we are making progress!!

I worked at the school for the last 2 weeks as a substitute helper in several classrooms.  I heard from her teachers more than once....." I have to tell you what Iley said, or did"  She has come out of her shy little shell this year for sure!  One day she was HOOOOOTTTT.......i'm hooooot, i'm hooooot........i'm still hot.....her teachers, being well versed in her ability to moan at length, knew there would be no progress unless she was cooled off.  Iley insisted that she had another shirt under her dress, so the teachers let her take her dress off.......then they realized it was a little sleeveless undershirt.  So she ran around her classroom, happy as a clam......and cool as a cucumber in her little undershirt and leggings.  Her teacher did make her put her dress back on to go out in the hall way, and to lunch.   

Happy Birthday Grace

Our niece, Grace turned 8 and had a birthday party.  Her request, instead of cake......home made doughnuts.  YUM!!  Her mother is a better woman than me!  She also wanted crackers and cheese, and soft pretzels.  Her mom thought maybe that was a little heavy on the carbs.........ya think?  Naaaawww :)  She had little smokies, crackers and cheese, veggies and dip, pickles, and doughnuts.   Wren ate about 12 little smokies,  Iley had only 5, but ate 2 whole doughnuts......Wren didn't touch the doughnuts, or the crackers.  Pretty typical.

The tempting tower that I sat right in front of all night!!

 The Birthday Girl :)

Big sis Evie, was in charge of the doughnut frying........at least when I saw her.

Grandpa and Grandma D.

 Check out the look Wren is giving Hans here!

Lucy wasn't thrilled about being in the picture, but I was trying to get the two little spatter's behind her.....Hans wanted Wren to hand the present to him, to hand to Grace.  Wren wasn't about to let go of it.  SHE wanted to hand it to Grace herself!........thank you very much.  She was giving him the evil eye!!

 Mission accomplished.  Heading back to get another gift.

Sherman was hiding from the camera.

 Iley wore this pajama shirt of Grace's all evening.  She found it and liked it, and promptly put it on.  We assured Grace that she wouldn't wear it home.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet, Sat on her tuffet.......

Harrison was snapping pictures for some reason this morning.  I was putting pig tails in Iley's hair.

Wren was done and lying on the chair waiting on her breakfast.  NOT normal.  She had a rough patch at school today :(  Hoping she isn't coming down with something.

 Iley ended up a little red today!

Say Cheese!

Seriously Cheesy!  Ok Aunt Gwen.......here's your required picture.  They loved their new duds, and they LOVED the chapstick eggs! and washcloths!  I think Wren took hers to school for sharing today!  I can't imagine all the strange household items and toys that must get shared regularly! LOL.  I wish they'd slow down on the growing now though :(  I didn't get to have them when they were little......so it would suit me fine if they would stay little a while longer.

This was Iley's request for her hair style today.

My sorry attempt at corn rows!  In my defense.....my victim was extremely wiggly, and kept dropping her chapstick egg......

 Iley wanted a picture of the top of her head too.  ??

 This is the way they watch the ipad.......mere inches from the screen......huddled together like a couple of small gnomes.  I can never decide if Iley's eyes are worse than we think....or not as bad.  She wants to watch anything on the screen this close up......but she can find a hair in the bath water, or a tiny gnat that  has dropped in, without her glasses on??

Blogging Blues

Sorry everyone for the long absence.  I haven't had a lot of material for blogging.

This is what our Saturday mornings look like.  The girls are always up waaaaay before we want to be....so....the night before, we shut their door.  They are not allowed to come down until Mom or Dad open it.......at least that is the  way it's supposed to work.  It took 3 weeks of Wren getting sent back up, for her to get the concept!!  Now if it's been too long (she thinks) she opens the door.....tells Iley, "the doors open.....go on."  Then if Iley doesn't get sent back up (which she always does if one of us didn't open the door), she figures it's safe for her to come down too.  This reminds me a lot of the penguin story......push one off the cliff....if he doesn't get eaten by a shark it's safe for the others to jump in.  This girl is so smart!  Even if it doesn't work! Once we do open it, they LOVE getting in bed with us.  We can handle about 15 minutes of this before it starts to get too wild.  Then it's "everybody out of the pool!"

 I love that she is looking at her signing papers!!

And Iley.....is playing with all the loot that Wren hauled down the stairs, and spread the blanket for, and set up.  Once it's set up Wren is soon done.  Her favorite part is just thinking it up and hauling it around, and setting it up.

 They stuff their backpacks full of stuff and haul them around.......rarely actually getting anything out of them.

 Saturday eve. we made a run to Hays for  basket ball shoes for Sherman who decided to sign up at the 11th hour.  We had to deliver a load of molding to a customer, and make the mandatory stop at W@lly world.

 Iley insisted on wearing these green sandals....it was too chilly for them...and they would NOT stay on her feet!  But some people cannot be convinced.......or at least not without more effort than I had the energy for....so she wore them.

 .......and they kept falling off.  But OH JOY.......we ran into Calli, one of Wrens class mates, in W@lly world.  They were so excited to see each other.....like they hadn't just seen each other all week:)

Wonder of wonders.....Iley sat here and petted Tito for 5 minutes!

The girls hit the clothing jackpot this week!!!  They got a box of clothes from their Indiana friend, Anya...and a box of clothes and these cute little wash cloths and some egg chapstick from Aunt Gwen and Grandma!  They were delighted!  THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH!!!

Wren progress:  Today before school I told her with out signing...."Go get your coat"  I said it slow and enunciated each word, made sure the boys were quiet.....and she signed back to me with raised eyebrows in question "coat?" YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!  I know she is super smart and probably used all her environmental clues, and knew it was time for that......BUT.....she was busy doing something with her papers, and I stopped her by calling her name, made sure she was listening......and she seemed to have heard it!   Thank you Lord for progress be it ever so small.

Then today her teacher sent home a note saying that the class was all sharing something they were thankful for, and she signed with NO HELP....that she was thankful for Jesus!  Wow.  ONLY GOD.  We pray before each meal, and at bedtime......but she really doesn't have enough language for us to get the whole concept across.  I pray daily for God to give this little girl language!!  She has so much inside that little head that she wants to share, but doesn't have the tools yet to express it.  It's coming......but SO much slower than I imagined.  I know that God has a plan for this little girl.......and as crazy as she makes me some days, I'm so glad I get a front row seat to watch it.

Saturday the boys had their friends over again to do more work on their fort.  Wren always heads out the door with anyone going.  She loves to be DOING something.  When they all came back in, Harrison says "she is one tough little girl"  I said why is that........imagining that she fell off of something, or hit her head, or something of that nature.  He says "we walked all the way down to the pasture, out to the jumps (motorcycle) over to old 40, around by Uncle Gary's, and home.  She never complained once."  She's a trooper!  If they would have taken Cat Cat.......she would have started whining ......with out ceasing.....about half way through......and had to potty at least twice.  But no worries......she had no desire to go.  She was quite content by the fireside, licking her paws just dink donking around with her puzzles, and toys, and pencil and paper.  Wren would have had the living room rearranged and the entire contents of the toy box relocated in the same amount of time.

  Iley loves to sit on your lap and  talk and connect with words, and be silly.....Wren would rather just hug the stuffing out of you and move on to the action.  They usually get along pretty well.  Iley's biggest complaint.."Wren not listening to ME"  Wren's biggest complaint......."Iley won't come play with me"