My favorite dancer girl

Last winter we learned about an amazing dance program a couple towns away.  It meets in a church.  It has a creative movement class for three year olds.  T LOVES it!  Once a term they have a parent observation time.  Brandon was able to get lot of good pictures and videos.  She is a very busy girl in the class.  We are not surprised! We are so thankful for this class and for T's amazing teacher Miss C! The recital in December is going to be a hoot!

T: We were just doing our stretches!

T: I love to dance!

T: I do just what my teacher tells me to do! 

T: Hi dad!

T: My dress is sort of big!

T: I like to stay close to my teacher!

T: I was flying!

T: I jumped right over that pillow!

T: I was just checking what was under the parachute.  It was just feet. 

T: So I decided to come out. 

T: Then I decided to life the parachute high!

T: What do you mean sit down, we need to run and jump!

T: OK, I am ready to sit!

Fire Station Open House

Earlier this month we enjoyed our annual trip to the fire station for the open house.  M anticipates this day for quite a while.  We rush home after church to change and then head down to the station.  We got to do a couple of fire truck rides, go in the big ladder lift, put out fake fires, get suckers and hats, and enjoy time with friends!  What a great hour!

M: Mommy and I got the front seat!

T: I got to sit with Daddy! 

M: We were up really high.  (I might have gotten car sick turning for this photo)

M: Mr. S helped me put out the fire!

T: Mr. S is supposed to be a school, but he came to be a fire fighter too! (Like her boots?) 

What a view! 

The boys got to sit together on a second bonus ride!

T sitting with her best friend Charissa! 

We are so thankful for great friends! 

T: I sure do love you Baby A! 

A Princess Lives Here!

We take seemly countless photos of Sweet T and her clothing creations.  She has a style that can't be compared.  She marches to her own parade.  Today a friend was watching her and asked if she just had a lot of sugar... nope, none... that is just her!  While parenting her is NOT EASY, she does give us much to smile about when we watch the way her mind works and her actions and of course her clothing choices.

T: I needed to eat ALL the leftovers and a whole container of strawberries.  

We had friends over for a meal and fire.  It was chilly but T still wore her favorite swim suit.  She also had to bring several loads of things out with her.

T: We are ready to watch the fire. 

She never sits still for long.  She came back out with more babies and blankets and clothes and switched to a different chair.  She made her own sling out of a cloth diaper and was wearing and nursing her baby by the fire. This girl!

T: I am a good mom!

T: I can't talk, I am nursing! 

T: What?  There is nothing strange about this picture!

T woke up from nap wearing FIVE layers of dresses and skirts and slipper socks! 

Every Monday T and Brandon enjoy a bike ride to a nearby town.  T always has quite the wardrobe on their dates!

T: Sometimes I like being in a baby swing! 

T: My purse doggy likes it too! 

T: Being upside-down feels so good!

T: A mom always has a purse close by! 

Because T prefers to be naked or wearing a princess dress or swimsuit, school days are always hard.  She rejects real clothes.  The outfit below reflects a great deal of compromise.  She hoards so much in her backpack.  Thankfully we talked with her teacher about it and the teacher asked her to not bring extra stuff to school.  It worked perfectly.

T: I am ready for school! 

T: There IS room for all this in my back pack!  I need it! 

T: I will make it all fit, I promise!

HAHAHAHA!!!!  We crack up every time she carries this book around!  

T: See, I told you it would all fit.  Did you not know? 

I LOVE this picture.  Sure, her outfit is unique, but she looks so big and so strong and beautiful! 

Another day, another unique outfit!

T: Daddy picked up this plant and it was all over me!

T: I like to wear dresses around my waist and creative tops  like this one!

T: This is a fun way to ride a horse!

T: Giddy Up!

T: This feels so good!

Can I just say, Brandon and I are rocking the carefree parenting thing.  As I type this and look at the photo below, I can't believe that we let her go to school like that, but we did!  Oh T!  You make me smile!

Who knew that a baby swimsuit cover up and a sun dress would be just the outfit needed for preschool.  The socks really complete the outfit as well. 

T has a very very hard time sitting and eating.  We are working on some visual schedules, but sometimes we just have to get food in and the system breaks down.  We were sort of at the table, right?  I am so glad that T loves avocados.  She is balancing very well.  Note the backwards swimsuit!

T: I love avocado mom!

T: I got to eat a special bar at the park! 

A Super Weekend

The HUGE Auction (over 300 bid items)

The events of this big weekend are all quite a blur.  As some of you might know, I had jury duty last month.  I ended up getting a trail the week of our big adoption event.  I had to serve 20 hours during the two days before the event.  It was wild and stressful and I just realized I was holding my breath as I was typing.  Yes indeed, I am so glad to be done with this service.

Anyway, I went right from jury duty mode to event prep mode.  Two minutes after I arrived home after jury duty, my parents arrived.  I didn't even greet them, just walked out the back door and thanked the Lord that they were here, my service was over, and we all survived.

I am SO THANKFUL that my parents were here to help.  They are incredible.  I was out the house most of the time they were here.  My mom made the meals and cleaned up after them.  She put kids to bed and read and played.  My dad played A LOT with the kids. He and M threw the football for a long time. There isn't much better during a stressful time than knowing that your mom and dad are here to help.  They knew what I needed without asking.  Mom was able to take T home for a nap on the event day.  Dad stayed back at church and helped with take down.  Not only was it amazing to have their help, it was also amazing for them to see what the big event is like and to be a part of the fun!

The event went so well!  It was our best year ever for promotion and for guests from outside the church.  The weather was perfect! Countless hours of volunteering combines to create an incredible day for adoptive families and for the community!  We feel so very blessed to be a part of it all!

The run begins! 

M started the run strong! 

I got to push J and eventually L and J.  I wish we would have realized that at least two of the tires were flat.  It was a long 5K! 

Morale was low so all three kids piled in the Burley! 

Brandon RAN with 3 in the Burley... in jeans... 

About to cross the finish line!

My dad was getting a bit competitive at the finish line. 

Almost the last ones, our weary crew made it to the finish line! 

M NEEDED this car and I bid over twice the value to win it!