I was told to get my "Smarties" up!

We were all sitting around the table after dinner. My kids started talking about how they wish they were home schooled. They know two families in the area that home school, plus some kids that went to Vietnam with us, that's it. But it's funny because they will bring them up because for some reason they think life would be easier if they were home schooled. They said they could sleep in sometimes, take fun trips and not do so much home work. So this is when my dear sweet 6 yr old princess says, "you better get your smarties up Mom!" What???!!! Does she not think I'm smart enough to home school? We all laughed so hard at her for saying this but now I'm like, What? Why the heck would she say I need to get smarter? AND she IS only 6 for petes sake! I try to live up to the blond image and it has gotten me this far in life, but now I may have to dye my hair! AND I will remember this when it is college time sister! Smarties Up...... what will she come up with next?

A sad day

It was a sad day in Vietnam Adoption Land. Vietnam adoptions officially stopped. I'm so sorry to all those waiting that didn't get referrals. Hopefully things will get resolved in the future. Check out this link
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jp1qmvyR1pqc_TliypfenNxy6wJQD92TTMR80

This will be a hard thing to explain to our kids when they get older. I pray ours was all done ethically.

The things she says........heavy on pictures

My Rockstar turned 6!Raven with friends at Rock Star 6th b day party


My handsome boy. 2 older girls told him there was a dance this year where he would have to ask a girl to it. Was that a hint? Back off girls! Stay away from my boy!!!!



This girl just LOVES her milk!

she felt this suit was a little weird!
Just chilling in her floaty

kids fun on the 4th at grandma and grandpa's
Our Jet ski died on us out in the middle of the Ozarks! Twice!
Our maze of boxes the day of our move. Kids thought it was fun!

Yes Dad is playing barbies with the girls! I love this picture!!!!
Dad and Rockstar Raven at her b day party
Fun with the girls on my 41st!
Grandma and Grandpa just put in a pool by their lake home! kids love it!

"Bayben!" "Bayben!", "Ri-Ri"!

This is what Paisley calls her sister and brother. It is so cute to listen to. She is getting a loud voice like the rest of them. She will often imitate her sister. So if Raven is yelling "mom!" she has to follow saying the same thing. In the car it can get a bit annoying with then all yelling "mom" trying to tell me about their day all at the same time. I had her at work the other day and caught her imitating me sticking the end of a pen in her mouth while she was drawing. I didn't even realize I was doing that as I was writing some orders down.


Raven started 1st grade and is loving it. Loving the time with her friends most of all. She did have to turn in one of her "crayons" today. This is a disiplinary thing. She was talking of course. She started dance classes today. She has Jazz followed by ballet and tap. She loves it, but wondered why in Jazz class they weren't doing some moves that Hannah Montana does like swing the hair around. (picture little miss ham bone swinging her head so hair goes across face) She really wants to take piano. There is a fabulous teacher right down the street from us. I don't really want to buy a piano just yet. I want to make sure she's commited. She said she could just get a nice keyboard for now. We're still thinking on this. Our nights are pretty full!

Rykers in middle school now! 6th grade! Our school goes up to 8th. There are only 14 in his class and only 4 girls. But the whole middle school does a lot together. He likes it so far. They brought home a book they use in Bible each day. It is awesome! Teaches them about peer pressure, treating others equal and not judging no matter what they may be wearing, and has a whole chapter on integrity! I just love it! It teaches them about choices and references back to the bible. He just started soccer this week and drum lessons. He is loving both so far. He has a great drum lesson instructor. I think he will learn a lot. They also have a new music teacher at school that seems really good as well.

We ended our summer fun with a long weekend to a amusement park and spent a lot of time in the hotel pool. Why do the summers have to go so fast! I cannot even believe this weekend is Labor Day weekend! It saddens me to think of the weather ahead. I think we'll take up snow boarding and ice skating this year to get in the spirit of the season!

"nighty-night baby"

That's her latest! At 20 mos. old now, Paisley's favorite thing is to get babies and wrap them in little blankets and snuggle, rock, and sing to them. It is the cutest thing ever! She had been going to bed all snuggled with them lately. We moved into a different house and she had done so well sleeping! She now also says, "sweet dreams", "love you", while signing it, and "see morning" when I put her to bed. Of course I may be the only one that really knows what she's saying but it is so sweet! The funniest was after Raven's 6th birthday party, (more on that later), Paisley had something all wrapped up in a blanket and was carrying it around. When I looked to see what she had....there was Raven's Hannah Montana doll all wrapped up like a baby! It was so funny. Raven didn't think so!
The other thing Miss Paisley does is every time I go in her room to get her out in the morning she says, "poop" and "nose" while pointing to her butt and nose! Her nose is usually runny and she needs her diaper changed but normally doesn't have poop in the morning, but that is what she calls it.
She loves to say "no" for everything. The kids think this is funny and start asking her all kinds of questions, "do you love Mommy", "Do you love your babies?", "Do you want to go outside". She is getting really picky with her food now too. She still hates fruit. I can get her to eat a banana sometimes but that's about it. And she is turning into miss drama queen like her sister! If she doesn't get her way she will be all dramatic and slowly go down on the ground and lay there hoping you will notice she's laying flat down on the ground.
She is still a cuddle baby which I just love! She is pretty outgoing when she wants to be. At my Chocolate store the other day she runs up front and starts saying, "chocolate"! She loves water and the pool. She scared me half to death when at a friends house she all of a sudden decides to lay flat down in the baby pool and was completely under water. My friend thought it was funny and great since she's a swim teacher and says Paisley will be a great swimmer some day since she's not the least bit afraid of the water. But she's one of those kids you have to watch like a hawk near the water! At Grandma and Grandpa's pool this 4th of July we all had such a blast! Miss Paisley would just go floating around in a big baby floaty thing, or I would pull her around on the lounger. She just loved it!
Now Raven's party. We were busy with the move for her 6th so we just had a small family party here at the house. We each got her one gift and it was so funny because her Dad thought it was cool he went out and got his own gift for her. Ok fine, that's the first time that has ever happened, I had all the gifts ready and he wouldn't even tell me what he got her. So when she opened it and say it was a dvd player, she said, "oh. I thought that like you would get me a toy or something!" We laughed so hard. He explained that it was for her room and the old little tv we put in there for when she wants to watch her movies in her room. She wasn't impressed. She also go a webkinz, a pink guitar, a bratz scooter from her brother so she quits using his, and a stuffed dog in his own purse bag. She says she wants to be a rock star and likes to sing for everybody. Hannah Montana is her idol.
We had her birthday party just last weekend at Justice at the mall. It is a "tween" store. She picked the rock n roll party. She had 6 friends there. They had so much fun. They got hair and makeup done, got to pick out outfits to wear and have a runway show, be manicans in the window, played some games. She got tons of Hannah Montana stuff! Makeup, art kits, sleeping bag, purse, and clothes!
The night before I took her shopping with Miss Paisley for a new outfit to wear to her party. She picked out the cutest rocker crop jeans with longer hannah shirt with a gold belt! The shoe department was fun! Raven tried on 20 some pair of shoes and there was something wrong with all of them! She just wanted flip flops. But she has several pair and I'm not buying another pair at a department store where you pay twice a much. She was so dramatic....had to run in the shoes to see how fast she was in them, and then when picking them out would say, "fab-u-lous" like that spoilied brat girl London on that disney show! No more Disney for her! We were in there 4-ever and I was exhausted when we got home! Hello she's only 6! What's it going to be like when she's 13?!! Oh but my girls are so much fun! We even get Ryker involved singing and dancing with us at night! And he suprised me with his voice! The boy can sing! he's just not as dramatic when doing so like Miss Raven is. And he has the moves! I would like him to take some hip hop dance lessons. He said he would if one of his friends would take it with him.
He has already made several friends in our new neighborhood! We're only here temporarily but it has sure made it easier on him having new friends. The only thing is the houses are so much closer here and I'm not used to that and his friends are just right next door and one down so he ALWAYS wants to play with them. And this street is a lot busier so I'm the mean mom that makes him wear a helmet even though his friends don't have to, and I won't let either of the kids on the neighbors trampoline because of the stories the therapist have shared on kids accidents on those crazy things! Am I an over protective mom? Not compared to some and personally I don't care what others think and that's what I tell my kids. I love them more than anything so I try to protect them so they don't get hurt! But mr. Ryker got in big trouble today because when Grandma was here watching him and he was supposed to stay inside, he took off out of the garage and she didn't know where he was. He was 2 houses down with his friends! No, we aren't having that. Did I mention school starts next week?!!!!!!!!!!!!

She graduated Kindergarten

Her teacher Mrs. Yount
Her assistant teacher and helper Mrs. Pilling

her friend Schaffer
My little one is going on to first grade! And my son is going to be in middle school! We've decided to send him to the same private school. It goes up to 8th grade so it will be nice having them at the same school next year! And the smaller size will be great for both of them. He does know a couple of the boys there so doesn't seem to concerned.