TURNING 10 - games

And now, a few shots of our new favorite game: Musical Clothing. If you're in the front of the line when the music stops...you have to put something on from the clothing bag. A last second addition to the party but a really big hit for 10 year old girls.

TURNING 10

 

Double digits...a big deal at our house. Sheridan chose a rainbow theme and invited her sweet friends over after the last day of school! Beautiful sunshine made the day perfect for a party! We had a spider web of colored yarn out on the new patio, painted everyone's nails in rainbow colors, ate rainbow colored food and laughed a lot! SO thankful for her sweet friends and our family who pitches in to throw our birthday bashes!

Reading, reading, reading

 

 

 

This 4th grader had the highest Accelerated Reader Points in her grade and won a Kindle! At the beginning of the school year she set this as her goal but about a month ago she told me she was going to stop reading because she was behind someone by about 100 points. We encouraged her to not stop reading and told her it was OK if she didn't win. 

 

Two days before the final awards assembly her teacher text me and told me she had the most points of any girl in her grade (335!) and it would be a surprise for her. All the top readers from each class were on stage, Sheridan even thought the other girl's teacher had said her total wrong. It was so fun to see her face. I'm proud of her hard work and happy for her to have this good ending to her school year.

28th Anniversary

 

Where else would we be on Memorial Day weekend but in Mtn Home? With the exception of a few years when I had little little kids and the year Sheridan was born, I go and take someone with me to help out mom with her big weekend. Customers come from all over to play on the lake and they  know about our special weekend sale commemorating the anniversary of the shopping center. This was Erin's first year to work with us and we have a big time meeting new friends, helping customers and relaxing at night in Mtn Home.  

 

A Walk to Remember

 

 Graduation Day: Sunday, May 19, 2pm, Tucker Coliseum. Lauren and 147 of her classmates tossed their caps in celebration of the completion of 12 years of schooling. Their class earned 3 million dollars in scholarships and are heading off in all directions. So thankful for a ceremony that started with a prayer and ended in smiles with friends and pictures with family. "For I know the plans I have for you..."

 

Senior days

Lauren graduates tomorrow. We're not teary about graduations. We're so thankful for all the phases our kids have gone through and can't wait to see what the future holds for them. Do I think I have prepared her for the future as well as I can? Yes. Have we worked hard to build a relationship that has stood through junior high and high school? Yes. Do I think my kids will make mistakes? Yes. Do I know Who holds their future, Who will take care of them when I am not with them and Who they are ultimately accountable to? Yes, yes and yes.  

 

Lauren doesn't know exactly what she wants to study in college so there is a little apprehension about this, but it's not a concern. Lauren will succeed in whatever she chooses because she makes wise decisions and because she knows that the things that give her joy are also what she's best at. OK, I might tear up a little tomorrow...look at this face!  

 

 

 

UPDATE

We've been pressing the adoption process for the last two weeks and every time it seems like we're making progress, we also feel like we add two more steps until the finish line. We have completed our CPR class and gotten Rolle a new series of rabies shots. We have begun a home study that includes 4 visits from an independent social worker who asks us all kinds of intrusive questions...that we don't mind answering...but we've written it all down at least twice now. The lady who came for these visits prefaced her first visit by telling us how long this study would take, that she did it part time, and she was going to be very detailed. Sometime during the first round of questions, she realized our expectations were to get the children sometime this summer. She has been very kind to come twice this week, and has committed to help us get through this part of the process as efficiently as possible.

There are a lot of individuals involved on the other side of our process. It's not linear. It's not a check list and if we do check something off someone else has to approve that and re-check it. I am thankful people are checking into homes they are sending children into, that's important. However, the efficiency is frustrating. Sometimes we want to just forget it and then we realize it won't change the process and there will still be children without a home.

Everyday 12 children are taken into foster care in Arkansas to add to the already 4000 in care. There are currently 500 children available for adoptions and waiting for a forever home in Arkansas.