I cannot believe that MK is finishing her Kindergarten year!  It has flown by.  Monday the Kindergarten classes did an alphabet parade around the school.  MK's letter was "A" and she was an American Girl Doll.  

Of course, from the day she got her letter assignment, she wished over and over that her letter could have been "P".....she is a princess from head to toe:)

Tuesday was all about Maddox.  Her first year of ballet came to an end and she was so excited to twirl and dance for us!

She had such a sweet little class and her teachers were extra loving to her, especially in the beginning when she wasn't so sure that going into a classroom without mommy was such a great idea.

Wednesday was all about MK finishing her fourth year of ballet.  She did a magnificent job this!  

Extra bonus was having Miss Addison.  MK adores her!  

And Thursday was MK's field day.....

the competition was running high in the gym.  MK was chosen to do the Teacher Game....intense is the only word to describe this one and she took her job seriously as she helped build her obstacle and then climb through it without knocking it down....yikes.

Friday was spent working in the fields aka strawberry picking with friends.

This little one was so careful to pick the reddest of berries and then take the green stems off one by one before placing them into her container.  

And MK was done in no time with her container and ready to move on to cutting them up to eat:)  YUMMY!

All in a day's work....we were the last to leave the field but I do think we have a very diligent berry picker on our hands.

Of course, in between the events above, swimteam began this week in a frigid pool, Pryce continued his baseball hitting streaks with a 2 doubles and a triple!  The boy is on FIRE!  And we finished our week with our social worker who was able to do two more of our visits.....three down, ONE to go.  ***And it is important to note that the boys are not frequently photographed due to their lack of enthusiasm about my lens.  However, we love them dearly and trust that this is just a phase;)

Adoption

This week in between swimming and park playing and field day and last day ballet dances and baseball....and, and, and,.....adoption was unfolding in many different realms.

A talk with a good friend who is wanting to learn more about adoption.

A family was in China adopting their baby girl.  Disruption occurred.  Her needs were more than what had been disclosed.  Heartbreak.

News came in that a little one I have been advocating for is one step closer to coming home - LOA was received!

Some of our best friends are in Ethiopia and they were united with their three new little ones.  Take a visit to their blog www.threeitwillbe.blogspot.com.  No pictures can be shared but their story is one that is unfolding daily and God's hand is all over it!

And our own.....we have ONE more homestudy visit!  And she has a name.....Mary-Gentry....Maddox says it so sweetly!

Maddox's day to shine was Thursday during her school end of the year program.  To say that this little one has come out of her shell is an understatement.  She began the school year on the hip of her teacher, Ms. Lori.  She didn't cry but in true Maddox fashion, she wanted to be held tight.  

 Fast forward eight months, and you have a confident little girl who adores her best little friends, Mary-Kathryn (L) and Sarah (R), and one who was standing as high as she could on her tip-toes to make sure everyone could see her sing!

 She was so proud of herself and she sang loud and danced and laughed....we were all quite excited for her and her entertaining little self.

 Later, she demonstrated to us how she could pump her legs on the swing....so BIG!

 Friday began early with a little homeschool co-op field day!  Tug-o-war was game one and these boys took their parts seriously.....my boys were on opposite teams, oye!

 C really gave it his best....

 And then it was the return of the hose/tennis ball game....still not so sure of this game but everyone has a great time trying to capture the tennis balls.

 And the balloon toss....

 these two came out as the Champions of the Water Balloon Toss. 

 Then the chaos ensued.  Whoever says that homeschool mothers are calm and quiet, does not know our group.  Water balloons were flying and the adults instigated an all out war against anyone they could bust a water balloon on....the day was a great day of fun and the perfect way to end our academic year!

 Saturday, MK and I spent some much needed time together.  I will be the first to say that I have missed this little one and cannot wait to have her home with us for summer and school next year.  She is ready too!  Saturday it was just me and MK.  We were able to watch her ballet teacher perform early on at a community festival.  Then we went to birthday party number one.  And then back to the festival where we made all sorts of crafts, one being a clay pot in the shape of a heart - so cool to spin a pot!  And then it was off to birthday party number two.  I cherish the one-on-one time I get to have with my children!

 And Sunday it was all about family.  These guys knew exactly what I wanted, a day with them.  A day without all of the mayhem.  A day that began with breakfast in bed and ended with a picnic in the park which included a little baseball game too!  The greatest gift my children can ever give me is time just being with them...love my kiddos and their daddy!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there!  Hope your day was filled with joy!

Happy Mother's Day

Tonight I received my Mother's Day gift.  It did not come in a package.  It wasn't all glittery and full of glamour.  To the naked eye, it would seem as if it wasn't a gift at all.  But to me, it was PERFECT.  A game of baseball with my husband and children.  What began as a simple walk to the neighborhood park, ended in us teaming up, boys against girls, with Ry being the all-time-pitcher.  And there you have it, my gift.  Time with my children.  Happiness.  Laughter.  Good, wholesome fun.  Cheering each other on.  And when it was over, each of them said, at different times, something to the effect of how we should do it all over again soon.  And in the middle of it all, we spotted a little bunny.  Maddox wanted a closer look, so we snuck over to its little nook.  Maddox looked at it and said, "Aww, he misses his mommy and his sister and his brother and his daddy.  He need a family.  Hey, I know, we can be his family.  We can give him food."  Of course, I thought of our little girl who is out there waiting on us, her parents and her sisters and her brothers to love her.  We pray that she is being held tight and loved on until we can hold her in our arms forever!

Maddox Ren

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little princess and she loved to play with her babies....

 and one day her imagination took her away in a boat she made from a tiny picnic table she chose to turn upside down....and to take it a step further, she grabbed her broom to help her row and she sang at the top of her lungs "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream...."

 the beautiful princess held on tightly to those she loved....

 and occasionally the little princess made poor decisions such as coloring every inch of her feet and then stomping through the carpet to see just how many footprints one can make with just one coat of color!

 But she was so darn cute that not too many people could stand to be upset with her for long - 

 and the "sass" factor was just too charming that most chose to hoot at her pizazz.

The beautiful little princess was embraced by those surrounding her.  She was loved.  She was adored.  And she lived happily ever after.  The end.

Oh What A Night!

Spring Formal 2013

 Colin and his partner, Lauren, danced the night away.....Rock Shag, the Waltz, the Twist, and many others that I cannot recall the name of.  

 But before the dancing ever begun, the Grand March took place.  Imagine a sea of people and that is what we were looking down upon.....we literally had to find Colin and not let him out of our sight because once he was gone, he was gone and it was very hard to locate him again.

 As luck would have it, the rain was coming down at a steady pace so our hope for gorgeous, outdoor photos was doomed.  Luckily, we found a nice moment afterwards to snap a picture amongst the crowd.  Colin and his friend, Braden, partnered with twin sisters and the foursome had a great year together.  I would ask the boys during our drives to and fro Social what they discussed during classes and they always seriously said, "We don't have time to talk.  If we talk, we mess up our dance!"

 These two lucked up and ended up being close to one another in the dance crowd....C, first year, WHITE PANTS, tie and sports coat....Parker, second year, tuxedo....each class is required to wear a certain attire.  

 Loved that we got to spend an evening with C!  Following the formal, we all ventured out to dinner and then it was on to some after-dance fun with an evening of bowling!  Good times!

Happy 11th Birthday, Pryce!

Happy birthday to one special 11 year old boy!  

 Waking up is hard to do unless it is your birthday and you know gifts are in store.....

 and gifts there were!  As well as three anxious siblings who could not wait to see what each package held!

 Pryce is my man with a plan usually.  This year was different.  This year he could not come up with a plan for his birthday.  So, enter, mom.  I gave a call to some of his closest friends....

 and while Ryan took the boys to a surprise movie, I drove around and picked up the friends.....

 and we all met at Pryce's restaurant of choice, Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse....

 and there were a lot of smiles, followed by laughter, and....

 some crazy dancing!  I am pretty sure we turned the restaurant upside down:)

And after we left our mark at the restaurant, we ventured home for some good homegrown fun - football, baseball, our annual treasure hunt (in the dark no less!) followed by P's favorite ice cream cake and gifts!  

We are so privileged to call this kiddo ours!

11 years ago, this earth gained a precious baby boy who is growing up way too fast for his momma....he has a heart of gold, a giving spirit, I tell him he is my little creator because he is always creating a Lego something-or-other and he loves art class, he is the friend that everyone gravitates towards, he is a hard worker and a math genius, a baseball maniac, a talented piano player and a swimming sensation.....we love you P!  Thank you God for blessing our home with Pryce!