Art

We are loving our new art book. I have guidance and ideas to teach, and they love getting to use the "real" art supplies. It was well worth the money to me, and I think it is great even if you aren't homeschooling!

Our family portrait by Leah

Our lesson here was about the scene of the artwork telling a story. Noah put so much detail in this picture.

These watercolor crayons are a lot of fun

This lesson was to do artwork from photographs. They were suppose to make their drawing/painting just like the photograph. I was impressed with Rachel's duck.

Noah wanted to draw a picture of his baby brothers

Leah thought she was picking the easiest photo to copy of all, but it ended up being harder than she thought, and it took her the longest.

Rachel & Mom

Yesterday Rachel got to have her turn with me. We went to McDonald's, and sat in the kiddie section. I really enjoy getting to have this 1:1 time with each child so that they can have

my full attention.

Hunter is 9 months old

Hunter was 9 months old yesterday. What a cutie tootie. Wow. Who is this boy?? I can go on and on and on about how much he has changed since we got him. I am truly amazed how resilient babies are, that he can make so much improvement in just 2 months.

He has grown so much. When we got him, his diaper bag had a package of sz 1 diapers in there. Yes, those were really too small, but not that much, I put him in 2's, and he is now in 4's. He was wearing 6 months clothes, and now, some of his 12 months clothes are getting small. Yeah, he is getting chubby, but he is healthy. His hair is even is healthier. It has grown a lot too. His head shaped has even changed. It is now more of a normal shape. His body has grown to now be proportioned to his head size. His case worker, everytime she sees him keeps saying how much healthier he is, and how much he has changed.

I am so proud of how he has progressed. He is sitting up now! Truly, I can't describe how limp and floppy he was when he came to us, I would have never imagined he would be sittting up so well now. He is a very happy baby. He will reach for me now, and turn away when someone else tries to take him. He will greet me with a smile when I pick him up from daycare, and even seems excited to see me. He used to SCREAM the whole time I gave him a bath, and now he laughs and splashes, he loves it!! I could go on and on about his changes.

I will take them to the doctor finally next week. It has been frustrating that this process just to get their doc visit for all their referrals has taken this long. BUT...I was telling Clay the other day, when we got him, I was so worried about him.....I thought he would never be able to do anything. I was worried he had something seriously wrong that could affect him his whole life. We have done nothing special. We don't know what we are doing. We have done nothing different than what we did with our own children. It is encouraging to see how much progress he has made just by being in a safe environment with people that love him. That also though, makes me FURIOUS with his parents. FURIOUS. Because we have done nothing special. We are far from perfect parents. So that means they were how bad of parents for him to be in that condition???? Ugh, makes me sick.

He is so much fun to play with. He just laughs and laughs. He is so fun to just squeeze and love on! My favorite though, is when he snuggles up and I get to rock him to sleep. I love you Hunter!!!

Trip to Krispy Kreme

I was already on my way to take Z to his visit to dad when I got a call that he wasn't going to be able to come, but Noah and I decided that we still wanted to go do our fun time together, we would just bring him along. He was very good, and had to try on the hat too! Noah was actually excited to have him along with us!

I was taking this picture to say, "sorry, no donuts for you yet", and about the time I took the pic, his bottle that I had propped up while taking the pic myself with 1 hand...(I wonder if anyone was looking at me thinking I was a total nut!) when the bottle fell, and he is still in his eating pose....he looks like a baby bird!

Noah & Mom

Monday was Noah's turn. We chose Krispy Kreme (yum yum). I didn't realize they had a big window where you can watch them making the donuts. We had so much fun watching....we stood there forever, the people kept looking at us, I guess they were tired of us watching them work. haha Who knew a trip to Krispy Kreme would be educational! To see a picture of me and baby brother that came along, click on our private blog.

The other day we went to Michael's to buy our new school art supplies. I couldn't concentrate at all to figure out what I wanted b/c all 3 kept talking to me about all kinds of stuff. So, Clay took them off to entertain them. As I was checking out, I looked up and look....they were all sitting still and quietly, eating their Skittles their daddy bought them. It was so nice to see them sitting so quietly in a store! For that day, I got to pretend they are always that good! (and Rachel is on a new kick to give me those dirty looks again she used to always do.)

Now that's service!

I ordered a new cell phone yesterday from AT&T, and it arrived at my doorstep at 7:30 am this morning. Wow, I couldn't believe it came that fast. I think that is about the fastest they've ever done anything!

Changing the blog

My kids informed me it was TIME TO CHANGE THE BLOG b/c it is now Fall, and not time to be hanging out on the slip n slide....where I took the pics that were on here. So, this will have to do for now, b/c I don't really have any fallish pics I like, plus, most of them have all my kids in the pics. So, this is for Noah and Leah!

Rivermarket Car Show

Saturday, while everyone else stayed home and took a nap, (well except me) Clay took Noah and Leah to the Rivermarket to a Car show. I asked him to please take along my camera, and he so nicely did. I love to see what he comes home with!

Posing with Lightning McQueen!
After they looked at the cars, they went on a walk across the Junction Bridge

Then they went and played at the new playground along the river, that they said was really cool!

I was jealous I didn't get to go, but the pictures he brought home to me made up for it!

Random pics

Amber playing Patty-Cake

Leah & Mom

Wednesday, Leah went with me for Z to go for his visit, and we had 2 hrs to kill, so I went out in search of a Shipley's Donuts. I have been craving donuts lately, and have really been wanting some from there. My grandmother used to get donuts from there when I was little, and I can't remember when was the last time I ate donuts from there. They were just like I remembered them. (and then Clay had to burst my bubble and tell me he thinks that is where our church gets their donuts....but I didn't know that, so it doesn't count, right?) We had a good time, and I have decided to start choosing one at a time to go with me to have 1:1 time.

Leah is such a nut. These pics crack me up! I just love her.

Boy...I look like I just got out of bed!

B/c of retarded blogger, I wasn't able to put these in my previous post. Here is my crew all riding the horses. They were SO stinking excited!!! I was just as excited for them. I loved riding horses when I was a little girl.

It was a big deal for her to get on this horse and not freak out. She kept saying...."look mom, I am riding and I am not scared!!" She gets scared and freaks out over most animals/bugs...things like that.

I just have to say...what an awesome photographer I was this day.....WHY would I cut the horses head off in all these pics! Geez...that really bugs me!

The Pumpkin Patch

Monday we went to the Pumpkin Patch for Amber's b-day celebration. There was only about 2 other families there, so that was nice. They weren't having the hayride to pick a pumpkin though b/c it was during the week, but they did have some for us to buy. That worked out good though, b/c there was a man giving horse rides there, and the kids were SO excited to do that...none of them had ever ridden a horse before (except for the little pony at Hardin Pumpkin Patch when N & L were too young to remember). So, the money to ride the hayride went to riding the pony, and then we just picked out 1 pumpkin for the family.

I kinda felt sorry for all these animals in the pen...they didn't look too happy

I don't know the technical term for this machine, but the were cutting the kernals off the corn cob

We left Hunter behind at daycare so that we could all ride together. I hate having to do that...I feel like someone is missing the whole time, and Hunter would have loved being there, but I didn't have anywhere for Zachariah to go. He was actually very good...he is so unpredictable when go somewhere....this picture was the only time he cried the whole trip!