We've Moved!!

2011-02-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

Find our NEW blog over at:

http://SwingingOnSmallHinges.blogspot.com!

Come on over and become a follower of our new blog and enter to win a 3pc Satin Hands Mary Kay gift set!!!

See you there!

More Swinging...

2011-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am working on Swinging on Small Hinges.

If you get bored and want to snoop around my work in process...

head on over there...

It is growing on me, A little.

http://swingingonsmallhinges.blogspot.com

Swinging on Small Hinges..

2011-02-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

First of all...Blogger makes me want to scream and pull out my hair!

In the last few months blogger automatically 'updated' my blog to their new format...but it is NOT working correctly. In fact, it is NOT working at all. I am unable to change my background color, my font color, size, etc, I am unable to create a NEW template...or update my old one. I am stuck in a holding pattern... Ugh! Blogger, you are killin' me here!

Anyway, on that note... we WILL be changing the name of our blog! We will be MOVING.

The new name will be SwingingOnSmallHinges.blogspot.com.

We will be moving over soon so I hope everyone gets a chance to write this down, update your bookmarks or whatever you need to do so we do not lose touch!

I am attempting to create a new blog and redirect traffic there, but blogger was giving me such a case of apoplexy that I just said forget it for tonight.

At some point I will probably move over to a Typepad or Wordpress...or maybe even buy a dot-com! But...stick with me here for a while longer.

So!

Don't forget!!!

Swinging On Small Hinges! swingingonsmallhinges.blogspot!!

See you there in about a week or so!

Maggie at 1 year...

2011-01-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

Transitions...

2011-01-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged much lately, I know! Sorry!
I have been thinking a lot lately about the necessity of changing our blog name.
I originally started this blog when we began the adoption process as a way to help birth families get to know us...of course, back then, we only had Kayley. And giving the blog our names allowed birthfamilies to google our names and find us...(since we were not allowed to put blog addresses on our profile!)

Now we have Maggie...and of course...
JamesStephanieKayley.blogspot... doesn't include Maggie.

I'm having a really rough time coming up with a new blog name.
And I'm really worried about what is going to happen to my followers and other readers who check in more infrequently?

Either way, I think the time of transition is here and the change will happen in the next few weeks. Many of you I can email, but many of you I cannot, since I don't know your email!
A lot of you too I am friends with on Facebook, but...not everybody.

If you want to make sure you get the new address and we are NOT friends on FB or we don't email, please leave a comment and send me your email...
or email us at JamesStephanieKayley@gmail.com
(ugh--another thing that needs to be changed!)

Kayley's New Haircut!

2011-01-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Short and SASSY!

You're right, she doesn't look like me...

2011-01-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

Its so weird, I have had 2 separate people ask me last week if it bothers me that my kids don't look like me. You know, the fact that, since they are adopted...we don't share common features. One friend pointed out that "it must be hard to not find a little bit of yourself in your children."

In all honesty, I told her, "No? Not really" Because it has never bothered me. It really hasn't. But, since she mentioned it... I did start to notice how much my friends' children look like them and have similar features and personality traits. And, maybe, just a little, I feel a little jealous when I see my adorable nephew look JUST LIKE HIS Daddy. The smile and expressions. How fun! That must feel good? To have a mini-me...to have that common bond...an opportunity to say, "that looks just like...".

But - its ok. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it isn't important. Its more of a gee-whiz kind of thing. And the more I thought about that, the more I realized that...Nature or nurture...my kids and I do share a common bond. A spiritual bond if not a physical bond. Kayley, for sure, has picked up so many of my habits and mannerisms that she is BY FAR her Mommy's daughter.

So, when the 2nd person asked a similar question last week I answered, "You're right, she doesn't look like me...but she sure ACTS a lot like me! (Heaven help us all!).

Spaghetti

2011-01-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

Ha-Ha Tonka State Park

2011-01-20T05:44:00.000-08:00

Because we are crazy and always game for a new adventure, we loaded in the car and headed to Ha-Ha Tonka State Park on an adventure! It was way to cold, so, I'm not sure why....we will definitely have to go back when the weather is nicer and we can hike around a little more...

Snow Angels...

2011-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, I have never laughed so hard... Maggie in the snow. She is at first confused...

Then elated! But, she kept tipping over! She was SO puffy in that snowsuit!

Kayley had a great time!

She kept trying to slide down this hill, but the snow was so dry and powdery that it just wasn't at all slippery.

Maggie tipping over.

Guitar Center - Who knew?

2011-01-08T19:06:00.001-08:00

Who knew that an accidental visit to Guitar Center could be so fun and interesting?

Playing a Bongo.

Possibly a concert pianist? I have a video...I'll see if I can't get it to upload at some point.

Yeah! Rockin out on a Mandolin! (Or according to Kayley "a Kayley-sized guid-tar!")

New View...

2011-01-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a front facing car seat to give you a new view of the world!

Pop Rocks!

2011-01-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

When was the last time YOU had Pop Rocks?

Happy 1st Birthday Maggie!

2011-01-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

You've come a long way cute Baby!
(Maggie at 6 days old)

We love you Melissa for the blessing you gave us 1 year ago!
You are always in our hearts and prayers sweet friend!!

Rockaway Beach - Mini Road Trip

2011-01-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, being the adventurous (and slightly bored) people that we are, we thought we would kick off the new year with a little drive. We didn't know where we were going when we started out...then decided to head to Branson 'the back way'. We made our way slowly through the Missouri countryside...which was beautiful, until we ended up at Rockaway Beach...It was wicked cold out there by the water!!

Maggie was cold so she got wrapped up in Daddy's jacket.

My hair was insanely static-ey after getting back in the car!!! Whoa!

I didn't get any pictures but we made it to Powersite, a little town that was pretty much abandoned near the Powersite Dam. Only we discovered that not much is abandoned any more...new houses and well lived in. We saw the Dam from above...couldn't figure out exactly how to get down there, then decided that we needed another break from the car so we made it to Branson and stopped at Dick's 5 & 10. So, yeah, that place is NOT a good place for little kids...although it was neat and Kayley bought herself a little Sugar Daddy on a stick for only 15 cents...

We also headed home 'the back way', which took a while. On the way home there was this ginormous THING in the road. A cow...or maybe a bull. I'm a city girl and couldn't say for certain, but it was hollering angrily at those other cows across the fence... He finally moseyed off the road so we could continue.

We made it to Springfield...bought Maggie a birthday cake (yes, in case you forgot, tomorrow is Maggie first birthday!!!!) and headed home. The girls did great considering we spent easily 6+ hours in the car. We are ready for more impressive road trips!

New Year's Resolutions -- 2011 Goals

2010-12-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

I usually set some "New Years Resolutions", but I never really seem to follow through. I think previously I never really made a plan...and just said, 'yeah, I need to lose about 20 pounds...and get more sleep...etc' I usually ditched my resolutions within a few weeks until the end of the year when I looked back and realized I didn't do any of them.

Once again, it is time for New Years Resolution...or our 2011 goals.

Only this year I did it a little differently.

I helped Kayley set Goals...then we set goals as a family...then I set personal goals. And --I actually typed them up, with steps or an 'action plan' to help us achieve them. Some are easy, and some are harder. Some are personal and I have opted not to share them on Blogger, but here are a few that I have chosen to share:

Kayleys Goals:
This year, I want to learn: about animals & how to sew doll clothes & how to swim!
I want to read: books about animal doctors
I want to make: animal and animal doctor crafts and doll clothes.
I want to visit: grandma, an animal doctor, a college, and Silver Dollar City
I want to change: how messy I am all the time.
I want to be better at: bicycle riding (no more training wheels and I want a 'stick thing' (ie. a kickstand)). I also want to be able to read without help.
Most of all I want: to homeschool!

Some of the Buckner Family Goals:

Block off time each day for a Family Devotional and Scripture Study. I have purchased a Devotions for Homeschoolers book that I'm thinking will be a great way to get started and of course we will use the standard scriptures as well. We have blocked off 15 minutes after dinner each day for this. While we have been consistently reading scripture stories with Kayley...we have not been actively discussing or studying.

Go on a nature hike to at least 4 different places.

Attend one play/show at Little Theater, Hammons or Branson.

Some of Stephanie's Personal Goals.

Design and undertake a one-year program of extensive church reading.
-Read at least 1 book per month written by a church member
(believe it or not...we have all of these in our personal library already...and I've only read about 1/2 of them)

January:
To Grow in Spirit - Joe J. Christiansen

Small and Simple Things - Marjorie Hinckley

February
Joseph Smith the Prophet - Truman G. Madsen

March
Evidences of the True Church - Dennis K. Brown
Timely Truths from the Book of Mormon - Allan K. Burgess

April
Perfection Pending - Russell M. Nelson
Mary, Martha and Me - Camille Fronk Olson

May
Standing for Something - Gordon B. Hinkley

June
No Doubt About It - Sheri Dew
When Thou Art Converted - M. Russell Ballard

July
The Remarkable Soul of a Woman - Dieter Uchtdorf

August
Happiness: Finders, Keepers - Mary Ellen Edmunds

September
Better Than You Think You Are - Ardeth Kapp
My Sister My Friend - Ardeth Kapp

October
Being Enough-Cheiko N. Okazaki

November
Please Pass the Scriptures - John Hilton

December
The Discovery of Joy-Richard Eyre

Complete at least 4 generations on my pedigree chart. I know that I have this...but it is not documented and needs to be input into Family Search and Ancestry so it can be shared. Eventually I'd like to type this up to give to family members.

Participate in Munchkinland's Adoption Book/Blog challenge.
http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com/2010/12/28/adoption-reading-challenge-2011/
at Level 3- Read 12 books about Adoption. 6 fiction/6nonfiction
I will pick these books as I go.

Go to bed earlier & rise earlier (10:30pm-6:30am preferably).

Participate in Latter-day Chatter's Humanitarian Service Project.
http://www.latterdaychatter.net/?p=808#comment-102
Make at least 2 file folder games for the Humanitarian Center

Study "Homeschooling with a Meek & Quiet Spirit" by Teri Maxwell
-Utilize workbook during scripture study.

And of course -- the big ones:

Bring weight to an acceptable level.
I can't claim this year that I need to 'lose that 20 pounds' because I was horrified to get on the scale and realize that I really need to lose more like, 45 pounds. Ugh!
I joined Weight Watchers.
I am hoping that we will be able to buy a treadmill in the next couple of months...but in the meantime I am going to try to make good friends with Leslie Sansone of Walk Away the Pounds and taking my girls on long walks outside when the weather permits.

The other big one is:

Kicking the soda habit.
I confess...I have a soda habit that has gotten out of control. Its the bubbles...its the sweetness...it is the pick up. I love it. Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Pepsi...doesn't matter. Love, love, love it. And it needs to go.

So, will I make it? I'm going to try... And, if at first you don't succeed... well, you know the rest.

Have a great New Year!
Welcome 2011!!!

Tide with Acti-Lift Detergent "Too Short" TV Commercial

2010-12-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

Modesty! People...a little bit of modesty is OK!
Way to go Dad, but foiled by Tide and MOM!

2010 - A year in Review

2010-12-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that 2010 is wrapping up and almost over.
We saw a lot of changes this year and had a fun time growing together as a family.
I had been lamenting how much things have slowed down and that we've gotten boring this year. As I started updating this post I realize we actually did quite a bit!
Enjoy this short recap of my favorite moments from 2010.

Our year started off on January 2nd with the arrival of Maggie!!
Our second adoption experience was just as amazing as the first.
We are so lucky and blessed to be parents!

What a fun addition she has been to our family!

Thanks to my Mom who flew out to AZ to make the road trip back to MO with me... We had some great adventures, but this one was by far exciting. Everything from Maggie barfing down the front of Gramma's shirt to me having to pee soooo bad with no place to stop that I thought my bladder would never be the same again. Then there was that really freaky Super 8...which pretty much had NO lock on the door. I didn't sleep much that night.

Kayley met Maggie and thought she was pretty neat...

Then we had SNOW!
Coming from Arizona...this was a BIG deal!

We made a trip to the Springfield Discovery Center...that was fun. I think we will buy a membership this year!
Valentines Day.

Zoo Babies...
St. Pat's Day...
Shrine Circus...Maggie didn't like it...all the noise, she cried pretty much the whole first half. Can you blame her, I mean, how many 4 month olds like the circus anyway?
Easter
In June my little brother got married...Kayley made the cutest flower girl EVER!
Seriously, does that hair (on Maggie) just not crack you up?
We went to the train museum...

Kayley learned some "valet" at summer dance camp...

July...

We visited Yakovs Moscow Circus!

Kayley drove a "Duck"
Butterfly Palace

Gateway Arch

Halloween

Kansas City

Christmas 2010!
What an exciting year!
I wonder what 2011 will be like?

Facebook Friends - Please Vote for Kayley & Maggie!

2010-12-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! I have entered my girls in a contest to win a 100 dollar gift card to Children's Orchard.

Please, when you have the time go to this link:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/ChildOrchard

Then, scroll down to find this picture of Kayley and Maggie:

Then click "like" under the pic to vote for their photo!

The photo with the most "likes" will win
a 100 dollar gift card to Children's Orchard!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T16:58:00.000-08:00

'twas the night before Christmas...

2010-12-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Where did my baby go?

2010-12-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

She is gone! Look at this big girl! sniff sniff!!

Maggie is FAST!

2010-12-23T07:42:00.000-08:00

Maggie is SO fast in that walker!
Better watch out!!

Santa Past

2010-12-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some ghosts of Santa Past...

What a difference a year makes!

Once there was a Snowman...

2010-12-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

Look at this cute snowman that Kayley made at Zoo-school!

Happy Birthday Papa!

2010-12-21T15:30:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to my Dad,
who is, by FAR,
a pretty funny guy...
a great Papa to my girls...
and just all around Awesome!

(and - did I mention, extremely photogenic?)
Bwahaha!

O Christmas Tree!

2010-12-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

As seen on...

2010-12-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

a shopping cart in Price Cutter...

They are joking right? Haha!

Giggles...

2010-12-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Poor Gingerbread Man...

2010-12-07T07:11:00.001-08:00

These are seriously hilarious!

(courtesy of cakewrecks.com)

Santa's Lap...

2010-12-04T08:36:00.001-08:00

Christmas Pictures...

2010-12-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Happy 11 Months to Maggie!

2010-12-02T08:02:00.001-08:00

It won't be much longer before we graduate to the front facing car seat!

Hard to believe Maggie is already 11 months old...

Between a rock and a hard place

2010-11-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

Where have I been? Oh, you know, stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place. I have been grappling with the homeschool decision for several months and finally, over the last few weeks I have become so stressed out about it that I am realizing I have hit the point where, no matter WHICH I choose...I am going to be unsure and maybe even a little unhappy with my decision. I had no idea that something that should be cut and dry can be so complicated! I have tried everything from weighing pro's and con's, asking Kayley's opinion (she is pro-homeschool all of a sudden), creating sample schedules, reading the full public school's handbook, touring homeschool cooperatives, private schools and hybrid schools, and the list just keeps going. I think I am officially at the 'analysis paralysis' stage.

I think the biggest thing that keeps me from taking the leap into homeschooling isn't the fear of actually DOING the homeschooling (academics, planning, etc) I know that I can handle it...and with the homeschooling we've been doing this year I've discovered that I actually enjoy it! No, it is the part where I will be with my kids ALL the time. I mean, all the time that has me stressed. And I know that many people think that is a horrible thing to say...and don't get me wrong...I do feel kind of ashamed to say it. I don't mean it the way that it comes out though. I mean, there is almost a right of passage in sending your kids to school...where, eventually you get to sit back and breathe a sigh of contentment...and enjoy your quiet house, read a book, take a bath, get addicted to daytime television, run errands alone, take a class, learn how to sew or play piano, spend time with just your baby (or little ones), exercise, surf the internet, make an uninterrupted phone call, take a nap, vacuum, or just whatever. I admit it. I want those things. I love my kids and I want to be with them, but I also know that it is healthy to get some down time. I know my limitations, and I am realizing that I really NEED some down time.

There is also the part where, I am totally disorganized... I have never been organized. I am the kid who NEVER had a clean room. Even when I was a young adult there were times where I had so much junk on my bed I just slept on the couch so I wouldn't have to clean it off. True Story. (No, I am NOT that bad anymore... but old habits...). I naturally fall to a state of chaos and maintaining order for me is quite the challenge. There is so much that goes into homeschooling. Did you know that in the state of Missouri kids have to have 1000 hours of homeschooling per year? Broken down that is an estimate of 4.5 hours per day, 5 days per week. You would get about 8 weeks off during the year and no weekends but 4.5 hours is quite a bit. It's an entire morning and part of an afternoon. And you have to document all that stuff! Yeah--how about that part where I said I am NOT organized. I have never followed a true schedule in my life and the idea of maintaining a daily spreadsheet makes me shudder. 600 of those hours have to come from a set core curriculum required by our state...keeping track of all that stuff accurately...well, lets just say I'm feeling overwhelmed. (No- we don't have to do 1000 hours right now since Kayley is only K4, but next year that is the expectation-I like to stress out in advance).

Then there is the part where Maggie...love her...has been more challenging as she has gotten more mobile. Which is totally normal I know...but trying to do phonics with a baby fussing in the background is near impossible. Well meaning people have told me to "wear my baby" to keep her content... uhm...no thank you. Maggie enjoys clawing my face and yanking my hair... And she wants up and down...not just up. I don't think I could concentrate on phonics while all this was going on either. If you tell her no-no (after she whacks your face), I kid you not, she throws a tantrum. Honestly, I had no idea babies this age threw tantrums. I like to joke and say that she is very advanced for her age. Ha-ha... Again, I know, normal baby behaviors, but I'm 'struggling with the juggling' and not sure how to make it all work. Teething this last month was brutal...lots of fussing and general unhappiness...and now we are into the 'pick me up! carry me around!' stage. I'm getting some awesome arm muscles, but I'm also getting run down by the constant discontent that comes with baby not getting her way. (Which is pretty much every time you put her down - lol) This too shall pass, I know...its not like she is going to go to college expecting me to pick her up and carry her around...but in the meantime...whew! I'm worn out.

Then there is the part where, due to the nature of my husband's job and church calling...he is not home much. Lets see, he works several nights of urgent care a month (so that is a full day when he doesn't come home), plus he works in another town 1 day a week and attends church meetings that night (another day of the week when he just doesn't come home at all). If you include Sunday where he heads to church 2 hours before the rest of us and comes home about an hour (sometimes as much as 3 hours) later than the rest of us...that is pretty much another full day during the week where he isn't home. He usually has 1 hospital meeting a month (another day where he doesn't come home) and 1 night of home teaching (he'll come home for dinner and then leave). I know! I know! I'm complaining... I'm sure there will be somebody who will come on here and give me some crumbs about their husbands being truck drivers or something...(commenter’s: please spare me the 'I have/had it worse than you' spiel-I'm not in the mood and I'll just end up deleting it.) Still that is 10 days a month where I am single-parenting. Or in other words -- 1/3 of the month. Of course, on regular days he gets home by 530 or 600 and that gives us upward of 2 hours in the evening before the kids go to bed. But, for the most part I spend long hours parenting alone with little respite care. The respite care that comes from regular school looks so enticing. (Oh and for the record, no we do not have a regular date night...a big problem I know.)

But on the flip side...there is the part where, public school standardized testing is killing the purpose of an education. Kids are stressed about standardized testing as young as the 3rd grade and teachers are forced to 'teach to the test'. It sucks the joy of learning right out of our young people and they are just pushed through the school system like the product of a big factory. Not to mention the homework. I could rant for hours on my personal thoughts on homework but really, why? School has our kids for 7 hours a day, why do they need to extend their reach into our homes and take away from our family time by assigning kids to do more work at home? I agree homework is a necessity by the time they are in complex subjects like Algebra or Chemistry...but, Kindergartners? Then there are the moral issues of public schools - things like immodest dressing, cussing, sex education, peer pressure, bullying... I know I can't protect my child forever, but I don't feel it is necessary for my 5 year old to be exposed to so much so soon.

But what about the part where, in regular school my girls would have recess? Yeah, I have to admit, we don't have recess at our house. In fact, we rarely play outside at all. I've been too afraid of the snakes, spiders, poison ivy and dogs that run loose to spend much time outside when James wasn't home. We can play in the front and we've done some kites, but we don't have a swingset...and I certainly don't have 20 other kids for Kayley to choose from to play with.

Then there is also the part where schools have music & art. PE. Band & orchestra. Student council and clubs. Parties and fundraisers. Show & Tell... and all the other things that I loved about school. And just the social aspect of having several friends to choose from her own age... Kayley is very social (we'll just have to see about Maggie). She enjoys being with people and doing things. I knew I couldn't do this part so I actively tried to join several co-ops in this area. 3 of which turned me down flat due to the fact that we were Latter-day Saints.

Wait! Back on the other side...
I know that homeschooling will provide the best education for my kids. I know them best, I love them and care the most about their learning and desire to help them learn those things... There are some homeschool groups who have invited us to participate. Classical Conversations looks very intriguing and doesn't care what religion we are...they meet once a week for 3 hours in age groups. They also have lunch and recess. Homeschooling also gives one fun perk that we wouldn't have in public school... being able to go on vacation during off seasons. We could homeschool year round and then take off the month of February and go to Disneyworld... We could travel anytime during the year and count it as 'school' too depending on where we go. We could go on numerous field trips. I'm sure that I would learn a lot too. We can jump on one child's interest and turn it into a full unit study. Kayley was really interested in butterflies over the summer, we made a whole unit out of it. We caught butterflies in her net, put them in her little bug catcher...we talked about their parts and their life cycle and in the end we went to the Butterfly Palace for a field trip. There is definitely something awesome about running with whatever catches her interest. But then again, there is the part where I have to be willing to be intentional to make all of these things happen...and some days (right now it feels like most days) I feel overwhelmed by it all and want to crawl back into bed.

Boy, there is something about that right of passage where your kids go off to school (like every other kid their age does) and you sit down at the kitchen table and read the newspaper... James tells me that I will be so depressed when Kayley goes to school. I know I would miss her a lot. She is my heart. My mom said she cried on my first day of school. I'd probably do that too. But I think after a week...I'd be ok and get started on the 15 projects that have been piling up... I have no doubt in my mind that Kayley would love school...and that makes the decision even tougher.

So, that's where I am. And I still don't know where I'm going. The last couple of months have been emotionally overwhelming for me. Can you believe that I have seen 11 pregnancy announcements in the last 2 months? There has also been 2 successful adoption placements and 1 of my friends has given birth to a beautiful little girl. Wow. I'm really happy for them, but all of the announcements have sent my emotions swirling making it harder for me to grasp coherently at my thoughts. What a crazy roller coaster this life is. So many ups and downs.

Stuck!

2010-11-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Maggie keeps crawling under her play table...and then gets stuck and can't get back out from under it! I think it is hilarious, although she doesn't seem to think so. Doesn't this look just say, "Get me out!!" The funny thing is, she does it over and over again. One day she will conquer this play table...but for now...I have to bail her out at least a couple of times a day. =)

Kayley's Kite

2010-11-14T17:13:00.001-08:00

Teeth!

2010-11-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Maggie LOVES getting her teeth brushed.

Lift Off...

2010-11-06T09:16:00.001-07:00

Bouncing Baby...

2010-11-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

Maggie has really grown into the Jumperoo.
She LOVES it.
Look at the air time!

Kansas City

2010-11-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend trip to Kansas City to drop off Gramma at the airport. We drove up early Saturday morning, dropped off Gramma, then headed downtown for a fun-filled adventure!

First, we checked in at our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt at Crown Center. VERY, very pretty hotel with a great view of the Kansas City skyline. (I sat up late on Saturday night and watched the skyline for a long time...so beautiful, better even than fireworks.)

From they Hyatt you can catch " the Link", which is a covered walkway that takes you over to Crown Center! It was pretty neat, Kayley thought it was really cool to walk OVER the street.

When we got to Crown Center we headed straight to Fritz's Railroad Restaurant! The food is delivered by an overhead train to your table, the kids get cool conductor hats, and there are train displays throughout. The food wasn't great (pretty inexpensive too), but the atmosphere was fun. I'd recommend it to anybody with little kids.

So, from there we headed over to Hallmark and took a tour and hung out at Kaleidoscope. At Kaleidoscope the kids can do unlimited craft projects for FREE! All the materials are provided by Hallmark.

(Making a puzzle)

The Hallmark tour was pretty interesting for us, but horrendously boring for Kayley and Maggie. We did learn how they make greeting cards and package bows!

After Hallmark we headed over to Crayola to learn about Crayons and how they were made. We were bummed that the equipment was already turned off for the day... But, we did get to explore little known facts about Crayola Crayons!
We ended our day with a walk over to Union Station where we found this dead guy playing the piano. While we were there we also walked through the Kansas City Rail experience, but no photography allowed so no pics of that. It was a HUGE mini-railway display that I would totally recommend, again, to anybody with little kids. And, it was also totally FREE!

The next morning we had thought to visit the Zoo at Swope Park, but it was SO cold! So we took a detour and headed off to Liberty and Independence to visit church history sites instead. We stopped off at the visitors center in Independence where we were greeted so sweetly by a sister missionary who convinced Kayley to sing "I am a Child of God" with her...
We played for a while in the childrens area...

Then we headed over to Liberty Jail...where none of my pictures turned out. LOL. We loaded back up in the car....

Then drove over to see the new temple site. Coming right along!

We ended our trip by hitting Panda Express! And Andys. It was a fun, fun weekend!!!

2010-11-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Primary Activity and Program Practice...

2010-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

I admit...I LOVE my calling as primary secretary. We had our activity on Saturday. It was practice for our program and an indoor picnic. I kid you not, Me, my Mom and James (thank you thank you!) made 50+ lunches to feed our hungry primary kids. It was so much fun... Kayley memorized her part (and it was LONG!) with no trouble. The bigger kids were amazed that she was able to do that. Everything went great!!

Playing duck, duck, goose... Kayley is in blue...
Another pic of the back of Kayley's head. The indoor picnic was fun. I tell you though, Kayley has no primary friends her age (except Wes - whom we love! but...he is, after all, a BOY...LOL). So, I encouraged her to sit with some other girls. Doesn't it just break your heart to watch little kids trying to make friends? Ugh! We need more little girls in our primary!! Poor Kayley is sitting all by herself. It makes my heart hurt to see her alone. (If anyone has advice on helping Kayley make friends I'm totally open. There are just NO girls her age in the entire primary organization...)Waiting....

Apple Week - Unit Study

2010-10-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

We kicked off Apple Week with an awesome Family Home Evening about the Parable of the Apple Tree... and made a delicious Apple Crisp that Kayley was certainly proud of!

You see...we scored this big bag of apples from a friend. So, we decided to just make an entire, impromptu, unit study out of apples!

From our Apples thematic unit book (yes, I totally just had this 'laying around'...what can I say?) we learned about fractions by cutting apples in 1/2 and 1/4. We also planted our own Appleseeds on the windowsill (which didn't even pretend to grow) and we also had a fun time learning about Johnny Appleseed (we even watched the Disney version that we found at the library).

We read the book "How to Make Apple Pie and See the World" and learned the geography of where all the best ingredients for an Apple Pie come from. We marked them on our map! I really, really would recommend this Five in a Row curriculum as a way to get your nose into some interesting childrens books. Most of them are classics published in the early 1900's and many of them are Caldecott winners! I'll have to do a better post on FIAR stuff later.

We also had a fun time reading regular story books about apples...
We also made weird Smiling Apple Snacks (it was Chef Cookies idea from our BJU curriculum that week! Talk about coincidental!)

Butterfly Unit Study

2010-10-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

We completed our Butterfly unit by making a trip to Branson to see the Butterfly Palace! It was pretty neat to have studied butterflies in advance. We were able to see the butterflies in a whole new way, identify their parts and discuss what they were doing. I wish I had gotten a pic of some of our completed work, but I never got around to snapping any. We started a lap book...but never actually finished it. I decided that it was too much energy to make an official lapbook and we just ended up making several craft projects instead. Ah! The benefits of eclectic homeschooling...if its not working...we can skip it!
Next unit is our short 1 week study of Apples!

FHE - Fruits of the Spirit

2010-10-12T17:29:00.001-07:00

We had another fun FHE this week! We started an Apple unit study on Monday in homeschool (I'll do a separate post on this later) since we lucky enough to receive a HUGE bag of free apples. So, I thought it might be fun to correlate our short Apple unit and our Family Home Evening this week. We talked about "Fruits of the Spirit" from Galations 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Then I told a cute story called "The Parable of the Apple Tree." It goes:

Once upon a time there was an apple tree which God had created. It was a young tree without any leaves or fruit. One night the young tree saw the brilliant stars and was very unhappy. He wished for himself to have these sparkling stars on his branches so that he too would be beautiful.

The next morning, God noticed that the tree was unhappy, and He said to him, "Let me make something for you. I will dress you up in a beautiful mantle of green so that you will be beautiful to behold. Then you will not be so unhappy."

But the tree was not content with God's plan. "I do not want a mantle of green, I want stars." The next morning the tree saw that God had not given him stars, but green leaves. And the tree frowned upon it.

Once again the tree said to God, "I want stars," but instead, God gave him beautiful red fruit. The tree was even more unhappy. The wind saw how unhappy the apple tree was and the wind became unhappy too. The wind blew and tried to set the apple tree free of the leaves and the fruit, but he failed. However, as the wind blew, some of the leaves and fruit fell to the ground. One piece of fruit broke into two pieces right in the middle. When the tree looked upon the broken fruit, guess what he saw? (Slice the apple in half and show it to the children. When you slice apple horizontal in the middle you will see the shape of a star.) Inside the fruit was the shape of a star!

Many times you and I, like the apple tree in the story, want a special gift like one God has given to someone else. We may even try to give God instructions as to what is best for us. We must remember that God gives each of us special gifts as he deems best. When we rejoice in the gifts he has given us and use them to do his work, then we will shine like the stars.

We finished our evening with a delicious apple crisp that Kayley (nearly) made all by herself!

The parable of the Apple Tree can be found here:
http://www.sermons4kids.com/apple_tree_parable.htm

Primary Program Practice

2010-10-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

During the Primary Program practice today I couldn't help but snap this picture of Kayley and her little friend W. He is such a doll and Kayley thinks he is fun.

Bike Ridin'

2010-10-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

We have to thank Papa for putting the bug in our ear that we might want to go for a little bike ride today. Even Maggie got in on the action...Kayley skinned a knee...and I thought I was going to die. I am so NOT in bike-riding shape! James had to jog along side because his bike needs new tubes. Gramma took pictures.

Maggie-Loo-Loo

2010-10-10T16:36:00.001-07:00

Why Loo-Loo? Kayley started it. She called (she would actually sing) "Maggie Loo Loo Loo Loooooo"....and it just kind of stuck. So, now she is a Maggie-loo. Or a just plain Loo. Or a Loo-Loo. We love our Maggie. We love our Maggie Loo-Loo-Loooooo!

Friday 56: Cast of Characters

2010-10-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Grab the book nearest you.

Right now.

1. Turn to page 56

2. Post a sentence from that page plus one or two others if you like along with these instructions. Or if you don't have your own blog, you can leave it here in the comments.

3. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest book, the most intellectual. Use the closest!

I assume it is called Friday 56 because I was supposed to do it on Friday. But, I'm kind of a rebel and decided that if I waited until Friday...it would never get posted, because I would forget. I saw this on my friend Dana's blog and wanted to participate anyway! =)

So, I went to grab the book nearest me...but, you know what? The approx 40 books that were near me, were all kids books...and didnt even have 56 pages! So, I had to walk into the kitchen where I picked up Max Lucado's Cast of Characters, which has been on my 'to be read' pile for over 5 months now (I got it free from Booksneeze!)... I turned to page 56 to find it....blank. So, I turned to page 57 to find it a title page. So, this excerpt comes from page 58. Yes. I'm a rebel. LOL!

"Mary, Martha and Lazarus were like family to Jesus. After the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead, they decided to give a dinner for Jesus. They decided to honor him by having a party on his behalf. They didn't argue over the best seat. They didn't resent each others abilities. They didn't try to outdo each other. All three worked together with one purpose. But each one fulfilled that purpose in his or her unique manner. Martha served; she always kept everyone in step. Mary worshiped; she anointed her Lord with an extravagant gift, and its aroma filled the air. Lazarus had a story to tell, and he was ready to tell it.

Three people, each one with a different skill, a different ability. But each one of equal value. Think about it. Could their family have done without one of the three? Could WE do without one of the three today?"

FHE - Satans Web

2010-10-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late, but we did a great FHE this week on Satans Web. This is the perfect time of year for this lesson because you can buy that fake spider web so cheap right now! We hung the web, talked about how Satan can 'pull you into his web' by making bad things look good. We discussed what a spiders web really does, how they are sticky and are used to catch prey. We hung up some little papers that discuss what we do that can make us get caught in Satans web (ie. like, disobedient, anger, lying, speaking hurtful words, etc) and what we can do to avoid that trap! We also talked about who Satan is and why he does NOT want us to be a happy family. (I pulled this right out of the new gospel principles manual).
Then we made spider 'cookies' with sugar cookies, frosting and pretzel sticks!

(The Spooky Skeleton Jammies were a nice touch don't you think?)

Maggie @9 Months - and Kayley too!

2010-10-09T06:32:00.001-07:00

Happy 9 months old Maggie!

And the photographer snapped a pic of Kayley too!

Another trip to SDC

2010-10-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

We made a fun trip to SDC with Gramma! Sadly I wasn't very good about snapping pictures, I guess it is because we go there so often. We did try one of these luscious potato on a stick though. They were gooooood!

We had a great time. The red-hat society ladies were there in full-force and they were zipping around on those little scooters everywhere. One of them was struggling to get up a steep hill (low battery I suppose) and another red-hat lady came up behind her and shouted, "I'll help! It'll be just like ICE ROAD TRUCKERS!!" Then she pushed her up the hill. It was hilarious. (Yes...we watch IRT. Makes me want to be a truck driver when I grow up! LOL!)

Anyway, Maggie hung out in the stroller and spent a lot of time honing her new-found skill of gagging herself with her fingers... I don't know why she finds that such a joy...but she does.
Kayley rode the pirate ship! And the roller coaster. And the elephants. And the swings. Oh and the Regatta. And of course Fire in the Hole!We finished up our day at one of our favorite places... Steak N' Shake!
Maggie had some hot fudge. She liked it, can you tell?

An update on Kayley...

2010-09-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be fun to do a quick update on Kayley. She is growing and changing so much just in the last few months! It is incredible. Here are some things she's been up to:

--Kayley can make an amazing mess out of her room...I like to assume it is because she is so creative. (Hey, I ALWAYS had, in fact usually still have, a pretty messy room, LOL!)

--Gramma taught Kayley how to tie her shoes. (Thank you Gramma!!)
--Kayley has officially learned to read. She has read several easy readers, the first series of Bob Books, and lots of signs and billboards.
--She is learning pre-cursive and can write the entire alphabet. She enjoys writing my grocery list for me.
--She can count to 100
--She memorized her first scripture (Genesis 1:1)
--Kayley can identify several historical structures and National monuments (ie the Eiffle Tower, Gateway Arch, Statue of Liberty, etc)
--She learned how to read a graph, make tally marks, identify and name the first 5 ordinal numbers, and complete 3 base series patterns.

Anyway... we are still enjoying homeschooling. We are learning a LOT! I thought you might like to get an idea of what we are working on!

No Words Necessary...

2010-09-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

An Update from James - Thoughts on Fearlessly Feminine

2010-09-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Stephanie received several questions in regards to what I thought about the skirts, how I felt it affected our marriage and if I behaved any differently. Stephanie has asked me to share my thoughts on her 7 Day Modesty Challenge...

I did notice Stephanie was more bright and cheerful during the 7-day challenge than she had been before. She appears to feel better about herself and exudes greater confidence. She complained less about her appearance thus elevating her thoughts and actions. This attitude and bearing affected myself and our entire home. She seemed to be more patient, nurturing, softer and giving. She appeared more feminine and behaved more feminine, which I have to agree, men always respond to. I did. For example, I was raised to open doors for women and it seems a lot easier to remember to do that when my wife is wearing a dress.

Ever hear the axiom, "dress for success?" Sure you have. When you're sloppy it's too easy to be lazy and do a bunch of nothing. When I come home and see the house a mess and my wife looking like she laid on the couch all day I might think, "hey I just worked a 10 hour day, so you could lie around and do nothing, how's that fair?" This does not bring feelings of unity, equality or endearment. My job is important; I want to look professional, trustworthy and important. I want to be taken seriously. When she dresses up it feels like she takes her job seriously, and it's easier to think her job is important too. When we're both dressed it feels like you're a team; you're both engaged in the day and doing something important. That builds unity and a feeling of equality, which is endearing. Dressing up makes it feels like today is an important day and it should be used to do important things.

I had some thoughts on the phrase above about how she complained less about her appearance. When someone is obsessed about his or her self they come across as more juvenile or immature. The world, it seems, would have us all stay in this self-obsessed adolescent stage worrying only about the outward appearance. Maturity only happens when one moves beyond the earlier inward focused stages of life into selfless, giving and nurturing stage of life. A woman is beautiful because she has character and influence; this gives her depth, strength and confidence, which is always attractive. A woman is free to be a leader as she concerns herself about others, and in no way is she weak or submissive. I believe I have seen a maturing over the last week in my wife.

So did I act differently? Yes, but I thinks it changed more how I felt which will continue to effect changes.

Have I noticed a difference in my marriage? I think it has been a good influence.
Was it the skirts? I believe they were a catalyst but the real difference was our behaviors and attitudes.

So this begs the last question; should she continue to wear dresses and skirts?
Yes, I would love it.

-James

Fearlessly Feminine - Challenge Day 7

2010-09-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this week went by so fast. I didn't get to blog about as many things as I was hoping but I had a wonderful time testing my femininity and my wardrobe.
I did get one question from my good friend Savannah who asked me, "Have you noticed a difference in your marriage? Do you act more feminine then you did before? Does your husband act differently too?"
What a great question. I think so. I definitely noticed that I acted more feminine than before. Honestly I found myself feeling more 'soft.' As in, more soft spoken, less prone to getting frustrated, more forgiving...I know it is kind of weird, but dressing more feminine and feeling more respectful toward myself really encouraged me to feel more respectful toward others.
As for what my husband thought and how he acted...I'll let him give you a blog update on that!

FHE - Reverence

2010-09-20T17:34:00.001-07:00

Tonights FHE was on Reverence!

I loved this idea that I found on FHE Planner.
I took a bag and drew small pics of what we can do to be reverent.
I drew eyes, mouth, ears, toys, etc.
Each time Kayley pulled an item out of the bag we discussed what we should do to be more reverent during Sacrament, Primary, and at home.

For our scripture we used Leviticus 19:30
Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

and the talk from Elder Oaks (May 2010 Friend) called
"How should I behave in Sacrament Meeting?"

Was one of our better 'discussions' during FHE!

Fearlessly Feminine - Challenge Day 6

2010-09-19T17:24:00.001-07:00

I have to admit...I cannot believe that I am 1 day shy of the end of the Fearlessly Feminine 7 Day Challenge! It went by really fast, I feel really great and pretty feminine but not "girly." Kayley has participated in over 1/2 the days with me (I am NOT going to make her wear dresses...but she loves it and it didn't take much encouraging). Today was Sunday and I usually change out of my dress as soon as I get home, but I have gotten into such a habit of wearing that I honestly didn't notice and felt pretty comfortable hanging out in my church clothes all day.

A girlfriend of mine posted on her blog about femininity this week too and I just LOVED the analogy she made... I hope she doesn't mind that I re-post it here... It makes a LOT of sense!

When talking about the desire or taking the time to get dressed and fixed up in a feminine manner she said,
"Here is why it matters:"

"Assuming that the prices were exactly the same and the stores were equidistant to your home, at which store would you rather shop? The vast majority of people would feel much more comfortable with the second one. The fact of the matter is, what's on the outside does count."

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that thought... So true!
I love having smart friends, I learn a lot from them.

We Love Gramma!

2010-09-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

We love when Gramma comes to visit!

St. Louis Gateway Arch

2010-09-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

We were excited to go to St. Louis to pick up Gramma on Saturday. We left Maggie with sitters (thank you thank you thank YOU Grandma Gwen and Grandpa Kay!) while we made the trip. We stopped at the Gateway Arch for a little bit and oooh'd and aaah'd.
Kayley got a stamp in her Passport to National Parks book!

It was hot and we were tired!

The Worlds Largest Rocking Chair...

2010-09-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

We couldn't resist this detour to see the worlds largest rocking chair in the middle-of-nowhere on some lonely stretch of old Rt 66 on our way back home...

Fearlessly Feminine - Challenge Day 5

2010-09-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Challenge Day 5 went great. We went to the St. Louis Arch and then picked up Gramma from the airport! It was hot though! Whew!

Fearlessly Feminine - Challenge Day 4

2010-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

I think I could get used to wearing a skirt. It is actually pretty comfortable (will need to invest in some tights if it gets much cooler--work with me, I moved here from Phoenix!) I feel kind of cute, and I love my shoes. LOL!

The garbage man ran my can to me after he unloaded it... I was headed that way anyway, but I like to think it made him feel more of a gentleman since he met me halfway and saw me coming in all my skirted-ness. Then when the UPS man came he offered to carry my boxes into the kitchen for me (they were from Schwans). I graciously accepted. Is it the skirt? I think maybe it is!

Today I wore a simple khaki a-line skirt (no slits in my skirts in case you wondered) and a knit top. (It was chilly again this morning, only 60 when we left the house! I topped my ensemble with a hoodie in the morning, but shed it by afternoon). I went to the Childrens Orchard Tent Sale...(don't bother going, it was a bunch of junk that was not cheap) and then the library. We homeschooled for 2 hours and did another load of laundry (daily!). Now we are just hanging out...Kayley watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Hot Dog!) and Maggie is pushing buttons on her muscial play phone over and over and over again. =)

Dressing With Dignity - Colleen Hammond

2010-09-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

What a pleasant surprise when I logged on to my blog this morning to see that Colleen Hammond (YES-The Colleen Hammond) stopped by and made a comment! I mentioned a few postings ago that I just finished reading her book called Dressing With Dignity. It was very interesting and really refreshing to read from someone who is concerned with societies fashion trends and the disintegration of femininity. I know this is something that I have lamented myself and I shudder to think what will be the next "popular" fashion must-haves for our 'tweens and teens. The dramatic change in fashion has really occurred over the last 100 years. When I blog next I will show you some pictures of how dramatic this change has been.

In her book Colleen said,
It is pretty obvious that the women's fashions of today are often geared toward destroying a women’s sensitivity for her femininity... When you look around at society today, you can't help but notice the disintegration in morals and values. And we know things don't just happen by accident, so it would not be unreasonable to think that clothing styles went down the tube this far and this fast just by chance. Most of us have heard that Satan's biggest deception is convincing us he doesn't exist. He has been extremely busy, especially since the 1800's, working behind the scenes to oppose all that is beautiful, sacred and holy.

In our Gospel Principles we learn:

Satan attacks the standards of modesty. He wants us to believe that because the human body is beautiful, it should be seen and appreciated. Satan’s plan is to deceive as many of us as he can to prevent us from returning to live with our Heavenly Father. He is cunning and powerful.

And in the scriptures we read:

1 Timothy 2:9
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

I think it is pretty obvious that the desire toward immodesty is not a God-Inspired feeling. Our kids are sucked into what is 'popular' and what is 'cool' or 'Sally has one-why can't I?!', etc. One of the reaons that I feel nervous about sending Kayley off to public school is the issue of immodesty. Of course, public schools do have dress codes, but their standards are so much lower than schools that require uniforms, or homeschooling.

A couple of weeks ago we saw a little girl in the playground at ChickFilA that had on a Madonna, 80s-inspired-meets-Amy Winehouse kind of outfit. She couldn't have been more than 7 or 8. It was a hot pink/black zebra stripe mini skirt with a tight fighting tank with a see-through bolo jacket. To complete her ensemble, I kid you not, it had fingerless gloves (yes, like hooker-gloves) that went up past the elbow. You are kidding me right? She walked by and my husband just made the comment that sounded something like, "whoa." Why....why...OH...WHY...do you want your 8 year old daughter to be dressed like a call-girl?

Colleen continues,
In the 1950s Pope Pius XII cautioned women that, if certain styles were an occasion of sin for others, it was their duty not to wear them. He also warned mothers to make sure their children were dressed modestly. Tragically, some mothers today are enabling their young daughters to dress in "hooker chic.". Have parents become desensitized to today’s fashions? Have they been duped by the fashion industry? Manipulated by wanting their children to be "popular?"

Other Moms are stressed over the same issue. When shopping for modest clothing, it can be a challenge to find outfits that are appropriate for your childs age. The majority of childrens clothing on the market is designed to make your little angel look like a little devil.

Check out this link to see what the top 6 immodest fashions are for lil' girls:
http://www.homeeverafter.com/girls-modesty-worst-immodest-kids-clothes/

What are we setting our daughters up for when we allow them (and our example shows them) that dressing immodestly is OK?

Let me finish with my favorite part of Colleens book:
Do low-cut skin-tight jeans on women and teenage girls present an allurement to unchaste thoughts and desires for the average male? YES! ... For us gals, our emotions are tough to control...especially when we add in hormones! For men, their hormones automatically react to changes in their environment and can be tough for them to control too! They see a female dressed in a provocative manner and their autonomic nervous system kicks in. They're aroused. Not because they WANT to be, but because their bodies automatically release hormones that cause arousal. Why do you think men treat women differently when they are dressed femininely? I believe it is because, subconsciously, men can read women’s body language. If they see a woman who dresses with dignity and who carries herself with grace and femininity, they pick up on that. They take it as a sign to approach her with the respect, reverence and honor a woman ought to have. When a woman dresses with dignity, men tell me that this appeals to their chivalrous nature. Her femininity helps them to elevate their thoughts (not to mention their eyes). It allows them to uphold a woman's honor, to respect truth and beauty, and to grow in their role as a "gallant knight". On the other hand, if a woman is dressed in an unfeminine manner, men are more likely to treat her like "one of the guys.: If she is dressed immodestly, then they may view her as a sexual object and may even treat her in a crass manner. They certainly won't treat her with respect and they may even verbally harass her. I would guess that most women would rather be treated with respect.

I know I would much rather be treated respectfully. I am so grateful that I have a 'gallant knight' who supports me in all that I do and has been encouraging me on my 7 Day Modesty Challenge.

Very Special Thank YOU to Colleen Hammond for stopping by my blog!

If you are interested in learning more about Colleen or purchasing her book (a signed copy for only 10 bucks!) hop on over to her website at:

http://www.colleenhammond.com/
Her blog is awesome and you can also find her on FB!
Sorry friends, the book is NOT available in the Springfield library system although the library graciously tracked down a copy for my use from St. Louis through their inter-library-loan program! You just have to request it.. Hmmm...maybe I should add this book to my wish-list for Christmas?

Fearlessly Feminine - Challenge Day 3

2010-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am on Day 3. Yes, I did this with the camera timer and I could not get one to turn out very well, this was the only one that wasn't blurry. When I tried to take out the red eye, it made my eyelid all black! And then it wouldn't let me 'undo' it. Argh! So, obviously, this is a really horrid picture of me. Sorry all!

Anyway, it was freezing in our house this morning so I have worn this hoodie pretty much all day. I did housecleaning today in a skirt and it actually didn't cause me any problems. I can't guarantee that I stayed "ladylike" the whole time, while I was crawling around on the floor picking up toys...but I tried. We've been home all day today and in this pic I still have wet hair from the shower...and Maggie...well, that's bed hair 100%! LOL! We homeschooled for about an hour, then cleaned, and then had lunch. I have made a discovery though, I need a bigger apron. One that doesn't wrap around my neck. Anybody know where I can get something like that? After about an hour my apron felt like it was pulling on me.

So far, so good!

Adoption News...

2010-09-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

So close, yet so far away.

We still do not have a court date to finalize Maggie's adoption. We turned in our papers and we are still just waiting...waiting...waiting... Our lawyer mentioned there is a 6 month waiting period after we appeal to the courts but that they were going to try to waive it. But, we've heard nothing. So! We just keep on waiting.

In other news. Received a letter from LDS Family Services about a change in policy as to how many children couples can adopt through their agency. They have gone back to a "2 Child rule" but thankfully, those of us who were approved couples before the rule are grandfathered in and are able to adopt 1 more time through the agency.

What does this mean for us? Nothing yet. I've heard people say that when their family is complete they feel a really good sense of peace. I suppose the fact that I was already stressed about where our next baby was going to come from didn't imply 'peace.' LOL! Honestly, adoption is such a roly-coaster that I just don't know if we are up for a 3rd go around or not. 2 girls are nice... Our birthmoms are amazing. We have great relationships with them and a high level of comfort. I am almost afraid of the process again. Having Maggie/Melissa and Kayley/Krystin is literally like winning the lotto twice... It just isn't done. And I'm just not sure it can be done a 3rd time.

Seriously though, if Kayley had her way she told me we would have "a lot more girls and just 1 boy...no...no boys, I don't like boys." hahah! Girls are fun! I agree!

Fearlessly Feminine - Challenge Day 2

2010-09-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Why dresses?

Deuteronomy 22:5 reads:
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

So, really, why dresses? First of all, the scripture doesn't say that a woman shalt wear dresses and the man shalt wear pants! Besides, back then, didn't both sexes wear similar clothing? I've been asked the question, "weren't robes like dresses? and Jesus wore robes...so didn't Jesus wear a dress?" Goooood Point!

I'll pick apart the research I have done so far...

What did Jesus wear?
(or in other words...did Jesus wear a dress?)

In Jesus' time :
Men wore--
Tunic (short, usually stopped below the knee to mid-calf. No this was NOT a dress, although it was not pant either!)
Girdle (a belt)
Mantle (outer garment - like a robe)
Sandals
*(Interesting fact... to "gird your loins" meant literally to take your Mantle and bring it up between your legs and tuck it into your girdle to keep it from getting in the way while you were working or running! Men often showed a LOT more leg than girls and when girded had a look that was similar to shorts... Women wouldn't have done this...it would have been very indecent!)

Women wore--
Tunic (very long -- or in other words a dress, definitely NOT pants or something that showed any leg!)
Girdle (belt-more ornamented that a males)
Mantle (ornamented and LONG)
Veil (Head covering)
Sandals

So- Jesus did NOT wear a dress. And, you are right! He did not wear pants either!

If we look at Deuteronomy we have to understand that the point is that it is NOT appropriate for a woman to wear that which is considered mans clothing. (An image of the restroom sign popped into my head again). She should wear that, which is womans clothing... (which, back then and up until the sexual revolution was modest dresses -regardless of what the man wore!).

I know, I know! There are many, many, many points that could be argued here...

Yes, there are obviously pants that are womens pants that could not really be worn by a man...but the question is, is it truly appropriate for a woman to wear pants at all? Don't look at me...I've been hung up on this issue for a while now. I'm not sure. What about this idea...is it appropriate for a man to wear a womans dress? We raise our eyebrows at that because, really...it isn't. A dress is womens clothing! At least here in the U.S. and many European cultures it is. Of course, there are some individuals who cross dress...but, that is not the point!

I liked this comment from Dana...and she is right, a LOT of it does depend on culture. (I love surrounding myself with smart, educated people! Thanks for the thoughtful comment Dana!)

She said, "As for what constitutes "mens clothing" that all depends on the culture in which a person is living. In the middle east for example both men and women wear robes but colors vary. Women also wear the hijab of course covering their hair, neck, throat.

In the Pacific islands we find again that both sexes wear what we'd call a dress/skirt.

It both of the above cultures it's vitally important to wear these items as it helps the body maintain a healthy body temp & prevents overheating.

In colder climates among Innuit peoples in Siberia/Alaska/Canada we find that the dressing standards among the sexs is identical. Again it's a matter of keeping the body temperature regulated in a harsh environment.

Also in the Asian cultures we find that both sexes wear similar clothing tradtionally with color & pattern being the only real difference.

As of today those are the only true variations between the sexes within Western culture. People of both sexes tend to dress comfortably in whatever way best suits their individual needs. As we saw the need for women to crossover into jobs that were traditionally held by men we found that they began to adapt their dressing style to suit their workplace environs. For instance women can't work wearing dresses inside a factory setting as the loose garment could easily become entangled in fast moving equipment resulting in catastrophic injury and even death. The same goes for women who began to operate farm equipment once it became mechanized. It's too dangerous to work around thrashers/hay bailers/etc... in a skirt so they changed their attire.

She is absolutely right, historically, a lot of things changed during WWII when it became necessary for a woman to wear her husbands trousers while she worked on heavy & dangerous machinery... but interestingly enough, most women did NOT wear pants during social activities. It was still 'not done.' I wasn't until the late 60s (the sexual revolution man! peace! love! etc...) that everything changed.

It has only been in the last 50 years or so that wearing pants became 'OK.' My mom has told me that, for her, even up until late elementary school, it was required that girls wear skirts to school....because...well, girls wear skirts. Boys wore pants.

I'll be blogging more later this week about fashion, culture and changes through history and it is interesting to see the hemlines go from modest to (in my opinion) immoral in less than 3 decades.

I'll also be reviewing an interesting book I read by Colleen Hammond called "Dressing With Dignity." Just to give you a taste, Colleen says, "Do parents realize that 'ladies of the night' wouldn't wear on the street corners in the 1950's what some girls wear to the mall these days?" Yipes! I know I've seen this! Have you?

Also... What do you think a mans eyes are drawn to when a woman wears pants? What about when she wears a nice, modest skirt? I'm still looking for facts and figures on this one... Women who advocate skirts insist that mens eyes are drawn directly to your crotch in front...your booty in back. I'm still researching this and will see if I can get more on this before the 7 Day Challenge is over.

So, I did wear a skirt today. It went really well. I've actually been pretty comfortable and I don't think anybody thought anything of it. I ran a couple of errands and now just hanging out at home while the girls enjoy "quiet time."

As a quick Afterward:
NO! I am not trying to convince you to wear skirts. =) But I do feel something working in my own mind and I cannot help but study this out to see where it will go. I have had a couple of people ask me, "Do you feel the Holy Ghost is prompting you to wear dresses?" It is NOT culturally necessary in the LDS Church and I would be the cheese standing alone if I decided that this was the case. Honestly, I don't know. I did ask my husband (bless his heart-he supports me in these wild ideas I get) what he thought. I wondered if I were truly being prompted to wear skirts and dresses...then why am I the only one? His response was, "because you asked." Hmmm... good point. I can't imagine too many of my friends asking a similar question. LOL! When I mentioned it to a few friends many of them thought I was crazy...and usually ended up saying something like..."I'm afraid to ask because I don't want to find out the answer!" I did get a few comments about how, if it was truly an issue the President Monson would say something about it... but, would he? I mean, do we need to be commanded in all things? He is awfully busy combating bigger issues right now like Pornography and Provident Living. I believe there are some things we just have to decide for ourselves... And NO WAY! I did NOT throw out my pants... This is a 7 Day Challenge... Which is not only challenging me to dress femininely for a week...but challenging me to think about my wardrobe and decide what is modest and feminine and what makes me look like a bag lady and to thoughtfully consider new scriptures.

Crawling...

2010-09-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Out of all the toys...
she heads for the humidifier!

FHE - Modesty...

2010-09-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

For FHE, and to help kick off our 7 Day Modesty Challenge, I thought it would be appropriate to teach the girls (yeah, I know, Maggie wasn't really listening) about modesty. We used the article "Modest at Any Age" from the May 2010 issue of The Friend. We talked about what it meant to be modest and what the standards of modesty and grooming are according to our church's (and the Lords) standards and expectations.

We used the Modesty Checklist
(also found in the May 2010 issue of the Friend)
to evalute several pictures of 'tweens
(who, by the way, do not typically dress
modestly in fashion catalogs! Holy moley!)

It reads:
Shoulders covered?
Shirt covers tummy?
Shorts or Skirts go to the Knee?
Shirt not low cut?
Clothing not tight?
Sloppiness?
Combed hair?
Clothes not torn, saggy or holey to fit in with a style?
Labels on clothing not rude or offensive?

Then we read from 1 Timothy 2:9
Women adorn themselves in modest apparel...

To test our knowledge of modesty,
for our activity we made a life-size Kayley paper doll,
and dressed her in modest clothing!

Tracing Kayley...

Getting Miss Paperdoll stuck to the wall...

Drawing panties (can't have her naked under her skirt!)

Curly hair...

Hairbows are a necessity.

Fully dressed Miss Paperdoll.

Fearlessly Feminine - The 7 Day Challenge

2010-09-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've decided to do something quite different. I am participating in The 7 Day Modesty Challenge from Fearlessly Feminine. Here is what it is about:

The Challenge

The challenge is to wear only skirts/dresses for an entire week of seven days, and then post a photo of your outfits (head to toe) on your blog.

What is on the inside will show on the outside so dressing in a feminine manner in this way shows what we desire and strive for at heart. Why dresses and skirts, you ask? Dressing in a feminine manner doesn’t mean you must loose your respectability. It means you value your respectability and wish to honor to the Father and to yourself more than the whims of society.

The Goal Of The Challenge:

As the mission statement of Fearlessly Feminine says: to encourage, inspire, and challenging ladies to rediscover the treasure of dressing in a feminine manner. They ask us to do some evaluating of yourself at the end of the week and compare it to your regular way of dress.

Consider answering some of the following questions.

How was the experience for you?

Any particular stories?

Did wearing skirts rather than pants affect the way you felt?

The way you felt about yourself?

The way you acted?

The way you carried yourself?

Were you able to go about everyday activity as freely as pants?

How did people respond?

After the challenge do you desire to keep wearing skirts more regularly, or were you desperate to wear pants again?

So, I started the challenge today...and Kayley decided she wanted to do it too. (Although the kiddo wears dresses most of the time anyway-she loves them).

Day 1: Stay at home day. We homeschooled today and did some laundry.
Oh...and I blogged. LOL!

Yes, I really do need to lose about 30 pounds...painfully obvious in this self portrait of me. LOL. I was tempted to just take a pic of my clothes and then decided that I might as well put me on there and not worry about it. (Weight Watchers! I'm coming!)
OH, and yes, those are my fluffy socks and fluffy slippers. My tile floor is always so cold in the mornings!

So, even thought I know that I am no raving beauty (as in, me wearing tight pants probably doesn't turn any young mans head - unless he is gawking at my big butt and laughing about it with his friends)...I wanted to participate in this challenge anyway. I think it sets a good example to my girls and to others around me.

Wearing dresses and skirts is something that I have been thinking about for a long time. I have done a lot of scripture study on it and I have found a lot of interesting details/thoughts/opinions on it but not much by way of answers yet. It does tell us directly in the Old Testament (Deut 22:5) that a woman wearing a mans clothing is an abomination to the Lord. Does this necessarily mean pants?

Well, you tell me...do pants pertain to the man? or the woman?

Which restroom are you going to go into?
(No we are not in Scotland and that is NOT a guy in a Kilt on the right...
this is truly a universal sign of restroom symbols).

This will be an interesting week! I have a lot of stuff lined up in the blog queue that has to do with modesty, femininity and scriptural references. I love being a maverick. Being different is definitely one of the things I do best.

ReRico Brazilian Steakhouse

2010-09-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a great time going to ReRico Brazilian Steakhouse. There was WAY too much to eat...and we did eat WAY too much but it was so different, unique, fun and YUMMY! We had a gazillion choices... This is one of those places where the guys come around with a big hunk of meat on a skewer and saw it off at your table. Yes! It is like a buffet...only you don't have to get up!

They give you these little wooden doo-dads. Green means go (i.e. Bring on the meat!) Red means stop (I'm about to burst! Cease the meat!).

Then very nice dudes come around with that wicked looking knife and a very luscious hunk of steak and saw it off onto your plate. Honestly...I was in heaven.

The floor around Maggie. Where did her socks go?

So... really recommend ReRico. Although...we probably shouldn't eat there too often...since I'm already about 30 pounds heavier than I ought to be...Ack! But, that is a story for another day and another diet. For now...I'll just relive fond memories of ReRico...

Silver Dollar City

2010-09-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Stuck

2010-09-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Baby Pedi

2010-09-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Maggie loves her Pedicures...

Maggie @ 8 Months...

2010-09-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? 8 Months!!

Kayley back to school...

2010-09-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

Waiting in the car line...

Kayley was thrilled to be going back to preK.

Random Happenings...

2010-09-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

For BJU Math a few days ago we made paper hats (we were learning about triaangles). Kayley thought we should all check it out...as you can see it fit everybody differently. This is Kayley.Mommy...

Daddy...

Maggie...

Look out! Its a pirate! Arrr!

Kayley's hair that turned out so darn cute!

The cats know a good place to hang out to get a snack!

Homeschooling in my Heart

2010-09-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, since putting Kayley back in preschool, I've just been a little depressed. I really enjoyed homeschooling (and I know she did too). I went shopping on Friday morning and I was looking through some books as the thrift store and found a couple that are perfect for unit study about stars. I squealed (to myself) and then remembered that we are only 'sort of' homeschooling. I made a deal with Kayley that she would continue to homeschool with me on her 'off' days from preK so, I do get to do some of my favorite homeschooling things...like BJU Math and Phonics. We are still working through Five In A Row...although we don't always get it "in a row" and, dissapointingly, our Butterfly unit study has fallen by the wayside, along with our planned trip to the Butterfly Garden in Branson. Sadly, other planned unit studies and activities have fallen off the radar...with an implementation date to be determined.

I guess I am just feeling really dissapointed. I know going back to preK really meant a lot to Kayley. She was really thrilled to be back and I'm ok with letting her go. I am glad I get to work with her on the off days but I am still really freaked out about what I am going to do with her next year. I just want to make the right choice, and it is so overwhelming to chose something NOW that will have such a lasting impact on her life LATER. Ugh!

With that said, I read a great article on Latter-day Homeschooling yesterday that really made me feel better. The article is called, "Don't be Afraid to Choose Your Own Path" and in it the author says, "I think the most important thing my husband and I did for ourselves and our kids was to listen to the Spirit. We did neither “school at home” nor “extreme unschooling” but instead chose a path that allowed flexibility, and reinforced the importance of personal choices and finishing what you start. Each one of our children has had their own path that allowed them to grow as they needed. The kids have even briefly attended a public school or public charter academy over the years. They were short but great learning experiences for us as parents and especially for our children." It was a relief to hear from other homeschooling parents that their kids did, indeed, attend even public school for a time in order to allow for their personal growth and development. I am trying to remind myself that, just because this is what Kayley needs right now...doesn't mean that she will still need this later. Her needs (wants) may change and I just need to be prepared to roll with it and make changes as she grows.

My sincere hope is that we come to a nice homeschooling conclusion, but if we don't, that is ok. I can assess the needs of my children individually. Maybe Maggie will be a very happy, stay-at-homebody while Kayley stays a social-butterfly. Kayley will probably do well in Gloria Deo Academy (the hybrid school)...she would go to class 2 days a week and homeschool with Mom 3 days a week. (The downside being - I don't get to choose my own curriculum!) Upside, she is only gone from home 2 days a week and I get to be extremely involved in her schoolwork and I will know everything she is learning. I can also supplement with a couple of other things in the downtime if I choose...as long as it doesn't overwhelm her academically. But, maybe Maggie? Maybe Maggie will be my little homeschooler...I get her for another 4 years before I HaVe to make any decisions! Thank goodness...

In the meantime, I am Homeschooling in my Heart...with a little bit of phonics and math...and that is OK.

Link to article here:
http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/2010/09/dont-be-afraid-to-choose-your-own-path.html

Sink Bath...

2010-08-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks GramDaddy for replacing our yucky sink

with one that is worthy of a baby bath!!

Laughing Sisters...

2010-08-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Back to School

2010-08-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

Kayley went back to PreK today. I had no idea that it would mean so much to her. We pulled up out front and she shouted, "the car line! we are here!!!" And then she asked to climb up front where she immediately put down the window and started waving to the kids in front and behind in their cars. When it was our turn to unload, Kayley squealed to see Ms. Carey and was jumping up and down and hugging on Mrs. Jackson. She really, truly, missed her teachers and her school. She had a great day. And, sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

I'm a little dissapointed that I couldn't convince Kayley that homeschooling was fun. I guess I am just not nearly as fun as art projects, storytimes and the playground. I tried though. And I am still torturing her with homeschooling, even though she went to preK today. Truly, she enjoys the homeschooling as well. But, she was so happy to be back to Kids Korner today.
I felt sorry for myself for a while, then went shopping and felt much better. I am grateful for our homeschooling summer and we will just take it one day/one year at a time.

Knowing limitations...

2010-08-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

We've had fun this summer, Kayley and I, homeschooling. We've worked through a lot of phonics, Kayley learned to sound out words and is pre-reading! We've worked through Math, she is really rocking at patterns and we had to skip over colors and shapes cause she knew them backwards and forwards. We've worked through Five In a Row learning about the geography of China and had a blast with science learning about butterflies.

But-through it all- Kayley keeps questioning when she gets to go back to preschool. And, why she can't ride the yellow bus. Mind you, she is only 4 and it is not time for her to get on that yellow bus anyway...even if she were 5 and starting K for real, she will sadly not find herself on that yellow bus... No way - no bus...

I keep second guessing my decision to homeschool with Kayley. She likes it, but if I were going to homeschool, I should've never let her go to preschool. She loves preK, she misses it. And honestly in several ways, so do I.
I love choosing curriculum, I love studying and learning with Kayley. I love all the benefits of homeschooling.
I think part of the reason I keep feeling so insecure is that fact that I have very little support. My husband supports me, our parents support me, a sis-in-law supports me, and 2 good friends support me. But, that's about it. I have gotten a lot of anti-homeschool comments on my blog. This is MY blog people!-the one that I really NEED to keep public for the sake of my daughters birthfamilies otherwise I would've went private ages ago and not invited those who don't support me. I know, I've gotten some nasty people telling me that if I didn't want the worlds opinion I should go private. Trust me, I really WANT to. But I won't. At least not soon.
Either way-
I could probably plow through homeschooling with a lack of support, but it wouldn't be very easy.
Then, to add to the problem, we didn't get into a homeschool co-op because of our religion. Now I can truly say I know what if feels like to be discrimminated against. I'm not sure what that homeschool co-op is afraid of? Maybe they were worried that Kayley would be proselyting to the other Kindergartners? I was really counting on that co-op to help Kayley get the sense of 'school' that she was craving and a chance for me to meet other Moms who were also homeschooling...
It would be very hard to go it alone, homeschooling, without support. Of friends, family and a co-op. Not that I couldn't do it...but I know my limitations. And I need support.
But when we add on top of that...the fact that Kayley just really wants to go to school...well, maybe we need to re-evaluate the whole situation.
So, we did some hard and fast re-evaluating and here is what we decided.

No-
Kayley (or Maggie) will not be starting public school (hooray that we are still 1 year too young to even really need to worry about it). But, Kayley will be going back to her private preschool program tomorrow.
I have thrilled her beyond all reason to take her back.
She is so excited.
I am grateful that it is not all day, every day, for 7 hours a day kind of program.

Yes-
we will continue homeschooling this year even though Kayley will be going to a preK program. I will give updates on what kinds of things we are working on. We will continue with BJU phonics and Math, and FIAR geography and unit studies. It is pretty likely Kayley will be beyond Kindergarden by the end of the year, but...we'll worry about that when we get there.
We are bouncing around plenty of ideas.
(Sorry-public school is still not an option for now.)
Most likely it will be the hybrid school.
2 days on - 3 days off a week.
The schooling that Kayley wants-the homeschooling that I want...
But, we'll see.
We are playing it one day and one prayer at a time.

We have Tooth!

2010-08-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe how fast time is flying by.
Maggie cut her first tooth today...
and I predict:
Crawling by the end of the week!
(I hope not, but she is up and rocking and really wanting to go go go!)

Yakov Smirnoff - Moscow Circus

2010-08-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm always a sucker for doing something fun, so I convinced everybody that we needed to go down to Branson and see Yakov's Moscow Circus. It was a lot of fun. They even served food! "Yak in the Box!" We saw the World Champion unicyclist and an amazing lady who was flinging and twirling fireballs. We didn't get to meet Yakov (darn) but we did get to see a giant caricature of his head...which was kind of cool. (Although Kayley thought it was spooky).

The First Day of School...

2010-08-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I posted. I have a lot to say, but just no time to sit down and get it all on the computer. Both my girls keep me pretty busy! I was blog hopping over the last few days and saw many of my friends posting the 'first day of school' pictures. I felt a little pang of jealousy since we are homeschooling. Then, I realized that we did indeed have a 'first day of school' as well, it just didn't involve lunchboxes or school buses. Couple that with the fact that Kayley is just-turned 4 and is not 'technically' school age.... Either way. We DID, in fact, start school last week and here is Kayley on her First day of Kindergarten! Yes! We are homeschooling Kindergarten this year even though Kayley is only 4. She is beyond ready.

It is going really well so far. Of course, this is only our second week so its all subject to come crashing down. Since a few people might be curious to know we are using a combination of BJU Press K5 curriculum for Phonics and Math. We are using Lapbooking and Magic School Bus (whee!) for Science and we are using Five in a Row for Reading/Literature & Geography. I know, it sounds like a lot, but trust me...it boils down to less than 3 hours of school a day. The rest of the time I get to spend just hanging out and loving my girls, going on play dates and field trips, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

I can't believe we are getting so close to school age! I get choked up thinking about taking my Kayley and putting her on that yellow bus. 7 hours at school! That is a LONG day. Why are they there so long? What are they doing all day? What are they learning? I am so glad she is still 4 and I don't have to make that decision this year. If this year goes well, and we enjoy homeschooling, we'll keep at it another year and maybe another year. If it doesn't work...if Kayley is not happy...if I am not happy...if Daddy is not happy...we will re-evaluate the situation. One year at a time. So far we are really pleased. We miss preschool a little but not too much. We are joining a co-op that starts in September and we also signed up for the Zoo pre-K classes as well. Kayley is likely to take a dance class and an art class at the YMCA as well. We will not lack social activities that is for sure!

I have already heard from several of my girlfriends who's children started K this year. One of them told me that she cried all day knowing that her child was going to be gone from home for over 7 hours of the day. One of them said that their child cried and cried at drop off time. One of them said their daughter came home today asking, "What is crack?"
Really? Why are kids talking about crack in K?
And, why....why would I want to put my daughter there?
I know, I know...they have to learn about the world sometime--
But, do they have to make all of these awful, childhood-robbing
discoveries at the tender age of 5?
I don't remember hearing about that stuff when I was in Elementary school.
I think things are a LOT different now than they were when we were kids...

So glad I get to keep my kids close to my heart for another year...and maybe another after that...and maybe another after that....
One year at a time.
So far--so good!

Kayleys 2nd Dance Camp Recital...

2010-08-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Branson Landing and Noah

2010-08-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

We headed down to Branson to the Sight & Sound Theater to see Noah. It was really neat! Lots of animatronic animals and wrap around stage! I'd really recommend the show, it was a lot of fun. Afterward, we puttered around Branson Landing where Kayley played in the bubble machine and got a cool ladybug balloon bracelet!

Lettuce tell you about Kayley...

2010-08-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sure by now you are wondering why I snapped this picture of Kayley posing with Romain lettuce. And I just wanted to let you know, that I have NO idea why Kayley wanted her picture taken with Romain, but it just so happened...that I had the camera in my purse that day. So, I took her pic... Isn't she cute? That is some pretty good looking Romain too.

Peas...are....

2010-08-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

YUCKY!

ZZZZZZ.....

2010-08-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

That jumperoo really takes a lot out of you...

Hot Diggety Dog!

2010-08-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Maggie at 7 months....

2010-08-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

My girls are just TOOOOO cute!

Jumperoo

2010-08-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

The new jumperoo is a big hit!!

10 minutes later....

I know one baby who is going to sleep really well tonight!

My new sink!

2010-08-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

I really, really, really have to thank my father-in-law Jim for installing a new sink in my kitchen! I am NO good at fixer-upper projects and I am so grateful that he was excited to help us with this one! I have to admit I was a little worried when I wandered back to the computer and saw this:

But, things l0oked like they were going pretty well.
Maybe because he had Kayley as a big helper?

My old gross sink on the deck. Isn't it nasty? It is made out of acrylic/plastic and was stained and scratched and just plain yucky!

The empty counter top~

The end result. A brand new, gorgeous stainless steel sink complete with a new disposal!

A Kayley Favorite video....

2010-07-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

I can't resist pulling up and replaying some of Kayleys best moments.
She is so stinkin' cute!
Ack!

My favoritest Kayley video of all time...

2010-07-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

4 Years Ago Today...

2010-07-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

4 Years ago today...we met our Kayley for the very first time.
We became proud parents through the miracle of adoption.
And we've been blessed with nothing but miracles ever since.

Enjoy your trip down Kayley's memory lane!

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Pretzelmaker

2010-07-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

When we went to the mall last week we stopped to get a pretzel while we waited. They were in the process of making them and Kayley was really interested in how the guy just threw the dough up in the air and it landed as a pretzel! So, he cut off a piece of dough and walked Kayley through the pretzel making process! Isn't that awesome?

Kayley & Maggie

2010-07-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

O' Pioneer!

2010-07-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tonights FHE was in celebration of Pioneer Day on July 24th. Daddy was so clever we even had a 'Conestoga' on our pioneer trek. Kayley went all out and put on her best pioneer frock. We discussed what it was like to be a pioneer, we learned the song "Pioneer Children Sang as they Walked", and we enjoyed a dinner of pioneer flapjacks and salt pork (ie. pancakes and bacon!)