It Snowed

and we are staying toasty warm inside with our handy, dandy, wood stove. :)

Questions About Dad

In My previous post, the girlies answered questions about Mom.... here is the dad version.


Erika:
1. What is something Dad always says to you? I love you

2. What makes Dad happy? When we do what we are told.

3. What makes Dad sad? When we don't do what we are told.

4. How does your Dad make you laugh? When he tickles me.

5. What did your Dad like to do as a child? Play.

6. How old is your Dad? You're 52 right? He's 50.

7. How tall is your Dad?  5'5

8. What is his favorite thing to do? Go boating

9. What does your dad do when you're not around? I don't know, I'm not around.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? Racing

11. What is your dad really good at? Boating

12. What is your dad not very good at? That's hard...keeping track of his keys.

13. What does your dad do for his job? works on cars

14. What is your Dad's  favorite food? Fish and Rice

15. What makes you proud of your Dad? The way he takes care of us.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? Cinderella's Prince

17. What do you and your dad do together? He tightens my legs.

18. How are you and your dad the same? We both finish our food.

19. How are you and your dad different? He has a beard and I don't.

20. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?   to the Lake

21.How do you know your dad loves you? The way he cares.

Anna:

1. What is something Dad always says to you? Have a good day.

2. What makes Dad happy? Steve Vye

3. What makes Dad sad? WHen we don't do what were supposed to.

4. How does your Dad make you laugh? Teases us

5. What did your Dad like to do as a child? Throw snowballs at passing cars.

6. How old is your Dad? He must be going on 51

7. How tall is your Dad?  smaller than my mom

8. What is his favorite thing to do? watch a music dvd of the guy with the long hair.

9. What does your dad do when you're not around? I don't know, I'm not around to know.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? cars

11. What is your dad really good at? cars

12. What is your dad not very good at? cooking

13. What does your dad do for his job? works on cars

14. What is your Dad's  favorite food? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

15. What makes you proud of your Dad? When he fixes my bike.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? I don't know I don't watch cartoons really.

17. What do you and your dad do together? Spend time with each other.

18. How are you and your dad the same? We both like to do dangerous things mom doesn't like to do.

19. How are you and your dad different? He's a boy.

20. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?   Home Depot

21.How do you know your dad loves you? Because He told me so

Sarah:
1. What is something Dad always says to you? He loves me.

2. What makes Dad happy? When you hug him.

3. What makes Dad sad? When you don't hug him in the morning.

4. How does your Dad make you laugh? When he makes up different voices.

5. What did your Dad like to do as a child? Play with his brothers.

6. How old is your Dad? 50

7. How tall is your Dad?  shorter than my mom

8. What is his favorite thing to do? Have a daddy daughter time.

9. What does your dad do when you're not around? Work in the shoppe.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? Racing

11. What is your dad really good at? Fixing things

12. What is your dad not very good at? That's hard...UNKNOWN-emphasis insisted.

13. What does your dad do for his job? works in the shoppe

14. What is your Dad's  favorite food? Sandwiches or rice

15. What makes you proud of your Dad? When he fixes things.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? Popeye

17. What do you and your dad do together? Have a daddy and daughter time.

18. How are you and your dad the same? We're both very good at hugging and squeezing.

19. How are you and your dad different? He is better at fixing things.

20. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?   Home Depot

21.How do you know your dad loves you? Because He says so.

Questions about Mom

Keri posted these on her blog, so I decided to ask the girls.....

Directions:  Ask your child these questions and write down the answers, exactly as they respond. 


Erika:

1. What is something mom always says to you? I love You... Be Careful

2. What makes mom happy? When you rub her feet, when we have a good attitude.

3. What makes mom sad? When we have bad attitudes.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickles me and tells me funny jokes.

5. What did your mom like to do as a child? Did you like going to school?

6. How old is your mom? 52 almost 53

7. How tall is your mom?  5-7

8. What is her favorite thing to do? spend time with us, I think.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? I don't know, I'm not around to know.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? writing a book, helping others

11. What is your mom really good at? cooking and typing

12. What is your mom not very good at? keeping up with the laundry<----TRUE

13. What does your mom do for her job? BCLC

14. What is your mom's favorite food? gluten free pizza?

15. What makes you proud of your mom? The way she takes care of us, and expresses her feelings.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Olive Oyl.

17. What do you and your mom do together? Shopping, spend time with each other, pretty much everything.

18. How are you and your mom the same? We both like jeans and we both order coke when we go out, and we like spice!

19. How are you and your mom different? I can get 3 loads of laundry done in one day. I know how to knit, crochet and sew, she doesn't.

20. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?   California

21.How do you know your mom loves you? Because she says it all the time, AND she cares for me.

 Directions:  Ask your child these questions and write down the answers, exactly as they respond. 


Anna

1. What is something mom always says to you? I love you

2. What makes mom happy? If you do the laundry.

3. What makes mom sad? When you disobey.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? Say funny things.

5. What did your mom like to do as a child? cuddle

6. How old is your mom? Are you fifty two yet?

7. How tall is your mom?  5 foot 3 inches

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Sing

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? I don't know, I'm not around.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Parenting.

11. What is your mom really good at? Folding laundry.

12. What is your mom not very good at? Nailing in boards.

13. What does your mom do for her job? She's a parent trainer.

14. What is your mom's favorite food? I don't know

15. What makes you proud of your mom? When you help someone in need.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Daffy Duck

17. What do you and your mom do together? Get a coke.

18. How are you and your mom the same? I don't think we are the same.  Oh, we're both girls.

19. How are you and your mom different? In every way but one.

20. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?   Walmart.

21.How do you know your mom loves you? Because she tells me so.

Sarah's answers:
Directions:  Ask your child these questions and write down the answers, exactly as they respond. 


Sarah

1. What is something mom always says to you? I love you, you're wonderful.

2. What makes mom happy? When you tell her you love her and you hug her.

3. What makes mom sad? When you have a bad attitude and yell at her.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? When she tells about when my brothers were little.

5. What did your mom like to do as a child? Go to the beach.

6. How old is your mom? 52

7. How tall is your mom?  6 feet

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Having fun with the whole family.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? She gets on the computer.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Writing a wonderful book.

11. What is your mom really good at? Typing and hugging.

12. What is your mom not very good at? Writing on the Chalk board.

13. What does your mom do for her job? She homeschools.

14. What is your mom's favorite food? Rice

15. What makes you proud of your mom? She's really good and cute with animals.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? When I was little: witch in the wonderful wizard of Oz because of her moles:
                                                                                                                                   Hmmm. I don't know.

17. What do you and your mom do together? Shopping

18. How are you and your mom the same? We both like talking to each other alot.

19. How are you and your mom different? I like doing dangerous things. She wouldn't want to.

20. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?   Movies

21.How do you know your mom loves you? Because she hugs and kisses me alot.

Well, there you have it. :) 

When Your Head Knows What To Do

When your head knows what to do and you don't do it, what is that called?

I call it Blowing It!

Today, wasn't too much different from most days, though 2 of our nameless, nap taking children, just fell into a pit.....
Not a real pit, but a pit of behaviors that are totally unacceptable around here. Let's just say they got a case of the "snottys".

I probably COULD have diverted, redirected, ignored, accepted a half hearted apology...... but no. I didn't.
I indulged myself. I admit, I was caught of guard. Our morning went great. What could happen by just walking out the door to go shopping? Isn't that supposed to be fun?

Instead, I allowed my hurt feelings to show. Then, I got bossy.  Then, I got unhappy..... and then,  when we returned home,
I started crying.
It is a RARE thing for me to do this, so it caught Mike's attention. I overheard him come in the house and ask the girls, "What did you do to mom?"  Since there was no sufficient answer... he came in and asked, "who"..... I told him Erika was innocent.  The other two, who shall not be named were asked a few questions and then sent to separate rooms to think of some answers.

As he and I talked, I told him, I just want to fix things.  I want things to work out right.  He said, "wow, you sound like a guy!" LOL  Thanks dear.  I said, yea, "Now I'm an emotional guy!" :)
We both got a chuckle out of that.  We came up with a game plan together.  LOVE that MAN!

Gosh, I feel better.  Not totally better, but way better than I did earlier today.  Sometimes a good cry isn't so bad. I think what really made me feel better was Mike stepping in and in a very good, kind, yet firm way, letting two little girls know their behavior effects everybody, and it was NOT ok.

We were supposed to go to a special event tonight, but instead, Mike and Erika will be going to the movies.  It is a daddy - daughter date which is much deserved.
The other 2 darlings will be staying home with mom, not because they are in trouble, but because we aren't going to our event,  which was obviously going to be too overwhelming, and we don't want to overwhelm them.

I probably could have handled things very differently early on, and just gone home from our attempted shopping trip early. That is my normal policy, and I broke it.  Instead I tried to make things work, and it was like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.  I won't be doing that again. Way too much stress for me.

I'm sure we will all be back to normal by morning as these bumps seem to occur, as none of us are perfect.....and sin natures are alive and well. :)  I was hoping to attend that event, but there will be other events to attend, and honestly, I am really happy that Erika and Dad get to go and have a great time together.

Three Little Words

A MUST READ!

The flowers are courtesy of my Mike! :)  Thanks dear.

Sarah and the Special Quilt

This morning I found Sarah in her room playing with her paper dolls.

Sarah is such a blessing to us. She is our little Ukrainian Princess and we just love her so much.

What is special about the quilt?  Well, we attended a garage sale not long ago for a Reece's Rainbow

family, so they could raise money for bringing home their new little boy.  He has arthrogryposis like Erika does.  We purchased this quilt at that garage sale. Everytime I see it, I remember to pray for our friends who do not live very far away, and for thier new little boy who will be home very soon~!

You can check out their blog here, or just go to my sidebar on the left.

Their blog is called Surrender.

Guess Who

I just found these on my camera. LOL  They must have taken these when I was out getting goat feed. :)

Ticket To Ride

Uncle Bob always picks the best games! Last year, he brought Blockus.  This year, he brought Ticket to Ride.  The girls love it! And we like it too. :)

Thanks Uncle Bob!

Book Books Books!

Well, here it is, all done.  I tried to create sections according to subject matter.

IT WAS HARD!

We gave one more large bookshelf in the bedroom full of novels and older text books.

And I also have a box to go to Half Price books..... that is after dropping off 3 already!

Love seeing Mike enjoying reading a good book! :)

Happy New Year Everybody!

We are about to start our festivities...... Pizza is definitely on the menu. :)
The girlies and I worked all day long getting the rest of the Decorations put away, and then rearranging the living room and a couple of bedrooms. We decided to add 3 book cases to be near the school area.
That way, MOST of our books are in the same room. It looks rather library like, but I like it. :)

I was also thinning out books deciding what stays and what goes.  That is always hard.

And then, ANNA and I  ventured out one more time to see if we could find her some clothing that fits.
She just doesn't stop growing!  We tried the other day, and she was too overwhelmed with trying things on, and the sisters were with us.  So today, we went alone.

SUCCESS!!! We had a very sweet mother daughter time, and we even snuck out to Sonic where she had a "butter finger blast". :)
She found several shirts she liked and are nice enough for church.  Folks, this is a big deal!  It is HARD to find things she really likes.  We hit a bonanza today though. :)

We brought home PJ's for Erika too, and a baby out fit for Sarah's doll.
All in all it was a great last day of the year!

Hello 2011~!!! We're coming at ya!

Sarah Had A Sleep Over Guest

She Did It!

2 Days ago, we began the "Changing of the Room".... we started allowing each girl 6 months of having thier own room, and 6 months of sharing.  We started this a year ago, so Erika and Anna have each had their chance at having their own room.  Anna used the room for her things, but spent most of her time sleeping with her sisters. Erika used the room fully, and invited her sisters for overnight visits.

But it is Sarah's turn now.  Honestly, I didn't think she would do it.  She kept discussing it and saying, "I don't know if I want to.  I DO want to and I DON'T want to!

We told her she didn't have to. She has had major fear issues about being alone due to some circumstances before we knew her.  But she surprised us all and said, "I'm going to do it!"

Her first night, she lasted about an hour and went into her old room with Erika.
The second night, she lasted a little longer.

But LAST night, she went to bed surrounded by Barbies and babies and went to sleep.  At 4:00 a.m.
I heard a quiet little weep.... I asked, "Are you ok?"  She said, "Mama, I just don't think I can do it!"
I let her know it was 4:00 a.m. and it was almost over. She asked if I would stay awake until she went back to sleep and I said I would.  I think she went right back to sleep, and then, I woke up and checked on her at 6:00 and she was soundly sleeping. YEA!

We got up and went in and woke her and congratulated her on a true Heroic Effort to conquer her fear.

At breakfast this a.m., daddy was talking with her  about how he was so happy that it was her choice to do it, and that we would never force her to conquer her fears; but we would support her efforts and cheer her on.  It is her timing and she will always be safe with us.

It may not seem like much to some of those who read my blog, but this little girl could not go to the bathroom alone day or night just 5 years ago.  It was not just fear, it was TERROR.  It took 2 plus years to get her to go to the bathroom at night without us getting up and staying in the bathroom with her. 
Our Sarah is growing up and facing her fears and CONQUERING them! YEA! SARAH!

A missionary friend in Ukraine just sent this link to me. This is EXCITING!
What wonderful news to read about Adoptions in Ukraine. :)

Looking Forward to 2011!!

I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to 2011.

I made some resolutions last year, some of which I kept, and some that I didn't keep.... but Progress is Progress! :)

This year, I have some new ones and some old ones to keep hoping for. :)

My biggest accomplishment this year was keeping my filing updated.  I am looking at some that still needs filed, but it is THIS MONTH's stuff! That is a big accomplishment for me. :)
I am already working on getting things together the way Mike wants them organized, and we will have everything ready for the accountant on TIME this year. Yea!

My biggest goals this year will be for personal improvements.  I have not been able to remain totally vegan or vegetarian.  It is HARD!  My old habits come back and I succomb.  Gluten free is no problem now, but the next step is to eat more BEANS, not more Chicken! And another step is no sugar.
What is the deal with sugar?  I have gone without for long periods of time, but wow, not lately.
That fudge was just too good! :)

My daughter in law Em's gave me two really cool cookbooks that are gluten free and vegan.
So, I am looking at ideas!
Thanks Ems. :)

So, this week, I am looking forward to an all new 2011. I love fresh starts.... last year was hard. It was the first Christmas without Dad, and then mom died in the early Spring.  So we didn't have either one of them all year, and it felt odd.  They were just gone. :(

This year, we are really looking forward to. The Lord is good and His Mercies are new every morning.

Uncle Bob

Uncle Bob is such a wonderful Uncle. He faithfully loves on his little nieces and us too. :)
We sure wish we were all closer, but we love being together when we can.

Bob is always thoughtful and caring. He is genuine and funny and witty and dare I say sarcastic? LOL

But in a great sort of way.
He always makes his stay enjoyable for us and keeps us laughing.
You can tell by the first picture above that all of the girlies adore him.

Merry Christmas Uncle Bob, and Happy New Year.... !