Addie being Hanna Montana

several current photos

L to R:

Addie in her new Chinese dress, Vicky and Kate on the "new ride" at our house, Addie has officially lost her two front teeth!

Week of 8-25-08

OK so some days I may not get a post up on this blog so will try for a weekly post...Last Sunday I attempted photos of the girls. We have a wedding to attend and I asked the girls about getting new dress's and they all said they wanted to wear their new Chinese clothes I had brought home...So they were trying them on so what better time for some photos...occasionally though there was a lot of messing around going on as you can see by this photo.
We are at the end of the first full week of school and all seems to be going well except all the girls are very tired at the end of the day. And why do they get up so early? They get on the bus at 7:05 and yet are waking up at 5:30...we have a rule that you cannot get in our bed unless you have a fever or the sun is up ...today at 5:30 when my alarm went off I could hear talking...three of the girls were outside our bedroom door, sitting on the floor visiting...waiting for the sun to come up :) what a way to wake up. Penny is really opening up and we are seeing her personality more, plus we are seeing she has a quick grasp of English, Vicky is thrilled to be the only girl able to drive the new mini bike that suddenly appeared at our house and she can also give the little girls rides as their legs are to short to drive it themselves..I would like to ask for prayers for safety of our son Kris and his family during the storm approaching the southern states. Cathy and the girls are packed to leave if evacuated and Kris will stay behind with his troops...but will be sent to Texas I guess if the Air force evacuates the base too...please include all the people involved down there! I have more pictures to post...R

Friday Aug 22, 2008

This morning while I was waiting outside with the girls for the bus to come we were talking…Vicky asked me if I was going to be late for work…I said no, I don’t have to be to work until 8 o’clock…she said you going to be late? And I said no, and if I were it is ok as I am the “boss”. Wow the look that was on the girls faces! Impressed! So that started Vicky asking her usual 9,000 questions…you own the company…yes I and LaLette…oh…you Teresa’s boss?...yes…you Tina’s boss?...yes…you nice to them (I lied) I said yes…then she slapped me down when she said you own the work because you and LaLette old? Thank God it is Friday?

First day of school-2008

Today all the girls went to school. Kate is in kindergarten...just does not seem real! Penny and Vicky are both in fourth grade this year. Vicky was so successful last year that we jumped her to 4th from 2nd. We had put her in 2nd for the added help of the English language etc...she did so well she won her class spelling bee...Penny will get all the help she needs and have Vicky in the same room as her to help with language if needed...Addie went on her way to 1st this year. I am praying she remembers to put the Mrs. in front of the teachers name this year. Last year she called her teacher Paxson all year...no Mrs. to it.

So now every morning I have about 45 minutes to myself..although here I was thinking a chapter of my book would be read, maybe do a better job curling my hair...a longer shower...what did I do? I checked all the rooms, threw in a load of laundry and headed into the office! Go figure....

Today we celebrate Claude's 50th birthday. The school all sang happy birthday to him and the staff all brought in brownies, cupcakes and rice crispy treats. It is fun to be celebrated this way.

We are still saying thank you's and prayers for Penny's adjustment. She is doing so well! She asked if she could call China today after her first day of school and I told her yes. I hope that goes well like the last calls have. Please say a prayer for Vicky's continued adjustment of a family...she is doing so well after the last couple weeks...

Mine tastes like dirt too!

So we are into the second week of settling in. We made the decision to put Penny, at least to start, into 4th grade. This would allow for extra help for an additional year before hitting Jr. high. The new piano was delivered last night and Penny has been giving each girl her own lesson....Penny is so delighted over this posses ion as are the other girls!
A look into the last few weeks happenings at our house-...the other night i asked all girls what do you want to eat? Addie wanted chicken with ranch-strawberry shake-Kate said double hamburger-no bun and a sprite-Vicky said a hamburger with everything and fries and a coke...Penny said chicken! All of a sudden all the three who had previously placed their orders said they wanted the same as Penny...I just wrote 4 next to Penny's order. So as we were driving down the road I asked Addie is your chicken good? YES! Kate is your chicken good? YES! Vicky is your chicken good? YES! so then to test the follow the Penny rule that has been happening I said Penny does your chicken taste like dirt? (sorry, I did take advantage of no understanding of what i said) and the three others all chimed in saying their chicken tasted like dirt too. Who won on this one?
We do have to make times that Vicky and Penny are not together, or are at least including the other two little ones....the girls all need to know each other as sisters.
Penny is opening up more and a tiny bit less shy around Claude and I.
So at the end of our first two weeks I have to say I feel we are doing OK! Thank you for the prayers.

THE piano

After playing all the pianos at one store and saying NO to them...then going to the next store and playing all the piano's (thank goodness she did not like the $25,000 baby grand!) she sat and played this piano, at the end of the song Claude said she hit one of the keys with a ping stood up and said YES. The piano gets delivered Tuesday....She told me she wants to teach her little sisters to play piano....Claude is so sensitive to these girls..yesterday when they were in town he stopped at the store to let Penny "visit" her piano...she sat and played several songs he said...