Seriously????!!!!

This morning, I hastily snapped a couple of pictures of the girls before they left for school.  Their hair looked kinda cute......I'd french braided the top and ended it in their pony tails.......but you can't see that in the picture.  But none the less.......they looked cute and fresh........right? I had debated whether to put an undershirt on the Cricket......cause she gets hot easily.......BUT......she also has ZERO tolerance for anything even slightly scratchy......so decided to put a tank undershirt, and leave her arms bare.  She whined at breakfast because she was cooooold.  So she went and found a  sweater........fine. At least it matched.

They decided they didn't want to touch!  

 Ok fine Mom.....but it is painful evidently.

Harrison was trying to amuse them.

Better!

Ok people.......seriously!  THIS is what Iley got off the bus today looking like!!!!  WHAT did they DO at school today????  She looks like she's been in a battle.

 What kind of whining did she do to get them to let her take her dress off????  She is NOT called the Cricket for nothing.  Have you ever listened to a cricket.........and tried to get it to be quiet.......you walk towards it and it quits.......you turn your back and it starts up again ........incessant  .....annoying........chirping.........I'm hot.....I'm hot.......Iiiiii'mmmm hoootttt.....I'm really hot......it's hot in here.....i'm hooooooottt......grump grump.......it's kinda hot......I'm hot.........mmmm hmmmm........her teachers really probably need our sympathy!

But seriously??!

Happy Birthday to Me

They aren't quite as exciting as they were 25 years or so ago.......but I'm thankful for another one.  It was a good one!  My family is all well and healthy, I've got a precious grand baby on the way, our house is warm, I didn't have to work, Troy was still home.......I stayed in my P.J's allllllllllllllllll day!  Then at supper time  My sweet kids called and wondered if I wanted to go out to eat........you mean as in... not cook supper......let me think about it......SAID NO MOTHER EVER!!!!

 Me and My main squeeze........wait that sounds like I have other squeezes, and this is just my main one!  Let me rephrase that......Me and the Love of my Life :)  So thankful I get to do life with him.

 This one is tired of the paparazzi shots........he was NOT cooperating at all!  I told him I was going to snap away until he looked normal, and I was going to put them ALL on the blog.  So don't feel sorry for him!

 The girls kept begging to play this pinball game.  Dad finally gave them some money.....only to find out it was broke.

This is Wren, but Iley informed us she played 8 games of pac man..........I think she watched the screen do its thing ...8 times....while she jiggled the stick.

 My handsome.....goofy......boys.

My beautiful daughters.

 I think she may have pinched him under the arm and told him to smile right!

We were missing Thatcher tonight :(  He is in Ohio at a friends wedding. 

It's been so fun to have girls in the house.  Iley walks in the bathroom while I'm getting ready and says "Where we going?"  They instantly know when I've changed my clothes and want to know why.  I told her......then Wren walks in and points to my clothes with eyebrows raised in question and goes "aaaaaaahhhh???"  So I signed to her that it was Mommy's birthday, and we were going out to eat supper with Ash and Ella and Kyndall, and the whole list of other names.  Then Iley says "Mommy you look so Cuuuute!"  "I like your shirt .....and your scarf,..... and your boots........and your panties"  ?????????  now where did that come from???  I was totally dressed and she couldn't see my undergarments!  Wren walks in and smiles and waves her hands at my whole ensemble and kisses my scarf........with out a word she conveyed the same message :)  So sweet.  Actually, to give them credit, my boys both told me I looked nice too.  And as he stands here reading over my shoulder....Troy realized he didn't tell me I looked beautiful. .....His excuse......."I'm so used to it that I forgot to say anything."  Then he adds.......because he's been married too long for that excuse to fly........."but you still want to hear it don't you?"  YES!!  Every. single. time.    Take notes men.

Just Stuff

I've been slacking in the blog department.......I've been working more....which means I have less time to take pictures, or blog about it........and we've just been pretty  boring lately.   Sunday we had all our kids for lunch.  Plus Micah and Carrie....our other kids ;)  Micah was trying some of the salsa that Thatcher bought that had ghost peppers in it.........seriously hot I'm told.  They were all standing around to see if he was going to choke.....probably just a little hopeful if they're honest!  You know.......an eye watering, mouth fanning, guzzling water, hhhhhhaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwt kind of reaction.  He didn't.  He was smart cautious, and just barely dipped his chip.

Here I think they are discussing the fact that it didn't have any flavor......it was just HOT.

And the Cricket......was pleased with her sock hands. MULTIPLE trips to the restroom.....followed by hand washing.....has her poor little hands in a pitifully chapped state.  She is greased, and mitten-ed for the night.  Hopefully it will help the healing.

The girls are both doing so well at school.  I'm so pleased with their progress.  Iley brings home a math sheet each night to work on......(which definitely won't be her strongest subject)  I about make us both crazy trying to get her to understand it.  Then I do flash cards with both of them.  Iley LOVES to do homework.....I have to bribe or threaten Wren to do it.  Iley can fly through her site words, and color words, and Wren has all but black, blue, and brown down on the colors.  On the eight sight words, Wren only gets hung up on like and  "and"  Iley knows them all.......as long as they are on the blue paper.  I held up one of the same words, hand written on white paper, and she had no idea????  I need an icon with head banging motions here that says arrrrgh!

A little update on Wren.  She is trying to sound out a LOT of words.  If you just say one word, she almost always tries to say it now! She isn't "understandable" yet, but you can tell she's really trying.  I was saying brOWn when doing her flash cards, and she definitely has the OW sound down.  She can say B B B.....so now we just have to tie some sounds together.  She says I lub bub, for I love you.  She says ome for home.  She says Iiii eee for Iley.  and tries so much more.  She's even starting to put her hand in front of my mouth, or on my throat to see how I'm making the sound. :):):):)  YAY!!  Her wanting it, will be MORE than half the battle!  One of the substitute interpreters that worked with her earlier in the year, was back last week and said she was way ahead of where she was last time she subbed.  She's also doing better with her frustration coping, and is able to turn her day around faster.  She does really well interacting with the other kids.  A note home today said "Wren is doing great!  She is reading from the same books as the other kids."  YOU GO WREN!!!!!!  Beauty from Ashes :)  I love it :) 

Tea Parties

Yesterday, I was invited to a Christmas Tea.  Such a fun afternoon!  Great food, great company, festive decor'.

The top layer was desserts... A coconut date cake, a pecan cream cheese bar, and a German Chocolate bundt cake.

Sandwiches were on the second layer.  Cucumber w/ cream cheese, avocado, tomato and walnut...and ham salad and pineapple.......yummy.

 The bottom layer.....my favorite........was strawberry and white choc. scones, and some cheese wafers.  I LOVE the scones!!!  I might have been a slight pig in the scone area......

  

The lovely group of ladies that I'm honored to call my friends, and sisters in Christ.  Our sweet hostess is the beautiful lady on the front left in the photo.  Thank you Rhonda!  From left to right is Marla, Fran, Opal, Myself.  This group made the 50 mile trek to Hays...every Monday night...... for Weight watchers for about 3 years.

 Cousins Evie and Kaci bought these fun head bands for the girls at a craft bazaar.  They loved them.

 Today, it was the girls' turn to go to the tea party!  Rhonda always has her granddaughters the day after she has the ladies, just for fun, and to help clean up the left overs.  This year she included my little girls.  This was their very first tea party.........I'm not sure they really had any idea what a tea party was......but it included tea.....which they like (although they drink it iced)  and anything that includes the word party sounds like a good time.  This was what they looked like before leaving for school......I had them tea party ready because they get home at 3:53, and we were supposed to be at the tea party at 4:00.  Then I looked at the lunch menu......OF COURSE.....today is sloppy joes!!  Oh good grief.....what are our chances of staying clean??  I gave them both instructions to "push up your sleeves, and lean over your plate!"  I signed, and pantomimed to Wren.  They both actually did pretty well!  I

 This was after school.  They were running to the car.  SO excited :)

 Jumping up and down waiting for mom to get there.

 The first thing Iley says after hello's and introductions......."where's the toys?"

 I'm not sure that one on the right is quite sophisticated enough to be at a tea party!

Such beautiful young ladies!  3 fair beauties, and 3 Asian ones.

Although the hostess didn't seem one bit worried about it.........people.....do you see the amount of breakable objects surrounding my 'less than graceful' offspring????  Just a tad bit nerve racking at times!

I'm picturing Wren tipping her chair backwards into the shelves of glass behind her..........

 Or Iley......a stand with unprotected china teapots to her right.....a whole buffet of china next to that........ 

 

 The older girls were very sweet to help my littles.  Such a sweet group of girlies!

 

Two beautiful China daughters.

Wren ate 3 of the tomato and avocado sandwiches, and maybe 2 turkey ones!  She ate one piece of cake, and didn't touch the scones or anything else.

 They both loved the tea.....with a spoonful of sugar in it. Ricky, if you are reading this.....your girls have the cutest noses! And gorgeous complexions!

Thanks again Rhonda for your labor of love for theses precious girls!........And thank you Lord that we left her house in one piece!  A modern day miracle for sure ;) !!