The Road Less Traveled...

Rebecca's awards

2010-05-28T08:33:00.005-05:00

One of Rebecca's big accomplishments this year is that she has learned to read! We're still working on proficiency and fluency but she is reading! She even benchmarked on first grade standards at the end of the school year. We are so proud of her and so thankful for her teachers at JNES.

Here she is receiving her bronze medal for reading achievement from Principal Aderholt.

At Rebecca's class awards day she received the "Hardest Worker" award.

After the program, we went back to Rebecca's classroom for refreshments and a touching slideshow. Here are Vivian and Ellen posing with one of Mrs. Richardson's frogs. Mrs. Richardson's classroom is all decked out in frog decor so all the girls wore frog dresses on this day!

Rebecca's first grade teacher, Mrs. Richardson

Field Day

2010-05-26T11:56:00.006-05:00

Field Day was May 14. This is such a big deal that they sell t-shirts for it! The morning activities consist of relays and tug-of-war within each grade, while the afternoon is one big carnival with lots of inflatables, water activities, sno-cones, funnel cakes, candy, and prizes.

Go, Henry!

Run, William!

Jump, William!

Pull, William!

Pull, Henry! (Henry's class won 2nd place in the kindergarten tug-of-war.)

Now on to the first graders!

Rebecca's class got 2nd place in the first grade tug-of-war.

After Rebecca's races. (Ellen has had enough.)

I ended up having to take William and Henry home shortly after the afternoon activities were underway. They both complained of not feeling well, but I think they were completely exhausted!
Here's Rebecca after a good soaking! That felt good!

Preschool field trip/end-of-school party

2010-05-24T08:15:00.003-05:00

May 13 was Vivian's end-of-school party at Onyx gym. They ran, jumped, tumbled, slid, and bounced their hearts out.

And the next day was Mother's Day

2010-05-23T22:13:00.003-05:00

Ahhh...end of the day, enjoying my chocolate truffles and a little Lifetime.

Birthday for a princess

2010-05-22T11:12:00.009-05:00

May 6 was Vivian's 4th birthday! In one way it seems like it was just yesterday when we were picking up that sweet angel in the hospital, but in another way it seems like forever ago, since so many changes have happened to our family in the past 4 years!! All wonderful changes!
Vivian is definitely, without a doubt, my "easiest" child. She has always been very laid back and is compliant, most of the time. I hope I do not eat my words when we hit the pre-teen/teen years! She just has one of those smiles that melts your heart and can wrap just about anybody around her finger. She's shy around strangers but she is a performer! She LOVES to sing and dance. She makes up the craziest songs! She adores books and always has. She is terrified of any living creature except humans. And, she loves to go shopping. Any shopping will do, even grocery shopping.
I have wanted to do a princess party for a while! She loves all the Disney princesses and loves playing dress-up. As her birthday approached, she wanted to change her mind to a Hannah Montana party, and that didn't go over with me that well! LOL I convinced her that a princess party would be way better!

We had a little photo shoot for the invitation.

Birthday morning! She asked for a Hannah Montana costume. Isn't this hilarious?

Granddaddy Bill brought pizza and cupcakes for dinner...

...and a princess bicycle!

May 8 was the day of the party. Presenting Princess Vivian!

Princess Ellen

Snow White and her assistant give manicures

and makeovers

and new hairdos.

Making a picture frame with Snow White.

Snow White reading a story.

Make a wish!

Yummy! Cake & ice cream!

The princess looks pooped.

Tee ball

2010-05-21T16:05:00.003-05:00

We haven't been having a great season in tee ball--we've only won 2 games thusfar, but the boys are loving it. They really haven't minded losing since they get a free coke after each game no matter what. :) They have learned so much. William has been playing the pitcher's circle and first base. He has made several outs for the team. Henry has been playing outfield, but he's really quick and is doing well stopping those balls! Henry is such a fast runner too--he zips around those bases!
It has been very entertaining to watch all the kids. There have been pile-ups of 5 kids over one ball in the outfield, kids running all over the field with the ball instead of throwing it, and hilarious chases with the ball. Gonna miss tee ball next year!

William up to bat!

Henry on deck.

Henry off to first!

First Sunday

2010-05-21T07:39:00.005-05:00

The first Sunday of every May, Billy's paternal grandmother's extended family meet for a reunion and cemetery decoration. We have lunch at Bruce's in Guntersville, go out to the family cemetery which is between Guntersville and Scottsboro, and then have dessert at an old log cabin at the old "home place." This year the event was on May 2. There were local folks, plus family from as far as Oklahoma and Louisiana. We then went to Scottsboro to place flowers on the Woodall family graves. We even went to Woodville to another cemetery to see even more Woodalls. Billy and his dad stopped at Billy's great-great aunt's old house, and the current owners invited them inside. It has been beautifully restored. We have several pieces of furniture and glassware from Aunt Fannie.

Lovin' the corn-on-the-cob

Cheesin'

Brandon and Henry

Could she be any cuter??

Smile, William!

Rare family photo

William loses his first tooth

2010-05-19T21:27:00.002-05:00

William lost his first tooth on April 28. It had been loose for a while, so it was pretty much hanging out and came out on its own. His two permanent teeth on the bottom were already coming in behind. He lost his 2nd tooth on May 6, and he let me pull it.

The zoo, again

2010-05-18T21:48:00.005-05:00

April 28 was the first grade field trip to the zoo. Who knew I would get to go to the zoo again within a month's time? Yea, me! Really, we had a great time. I got to go with just one kid! Billy took the day off and he stayed home with Vivian and Ellen.

Rebecca, on a camel with her friends Whitney and Molly from ABS. Their kindergarten field trip was the same day!

Checking out the tiger.

Riding the carousel.

Petting a goat.

Rhino watching.

On the train...everyone's favorite!

Outdoorsy gal

2010-05-18T09:34:00.005-05:00

Nine is fine!

2010-05-17T09:44:00.006-05:00

April 18 was Rebecca's 9th birthday. I can't believe she is 9 already! We celebrated with a Barbie party, complete with Barbie! The girls had mini-makeovers (hair, nails, eyeshadow, blush, & lipgloss) and played some cute party games. Rebecca had a great time. She just loves all things girly!

Rebecca after her makeover and waiting for nails to dry.

Decorating a picture frame.

Listening to Barbie read a story. When Barbie finished a page, the girls took turns unwrapping a little box layer by layer. At the end, there were rings inside for each girl.

Time for the birthday song and cake!

Pure joy!

Lots of gifts!

Daisy Camp

2010-05-17T08:02:00.004-05:00

On April 16 we went with Rebecca's Daisy troop to Camp Anderel for an overnight "camp-out." We made pizzas, "fire" salads, s'mores for dinner and were treated to crepes for breakfast. The girls made lots of fun crafts...bracelets, sit-upons, tie-dye t-shirts. We sang songs around a camp fire, had a pillow fight, slept in bunk beds, and went on a nature hike.

We even celebrated Rebecca's birthday with a giant cookie cake.

A day in the life

2010-05-14T10:58:00.004-05:00

Ear surgery

2010-05-13T08:02:00.002-05:00

Rebecca underwent a tympanoplasty on April 9th. Due to chronic untreated ear infections as an infant and young child, she had tubes placed shortly after we got her. When the tubes came out, a large hole in her right eardrum remained. This eardrum was pretty scarred prior to tubes, so it was not surprising to the ENT that this happened. She had about half her eardrum on that side and thus had half her hearing as well. Since language acquisition is still her biggest struggle, we knew that the repair had to be done. The surgeon took a graft of tissue (fascia overlying the masseter muscle just behind her ear) to close the hole. He also cleaned out a lot of scar tissue and inflammation in her mastoid bone. This was a delicate surgery, so it took around 1.5 hours to do. She did great, but did have some nausea and vomiting afterwards, so we were at the hospital pretty much all day. She had to refrain from any strenuous physical activity for about 3 weeks; that's really hard for her. I caught her on the trampoline the day after surgery! She will have her hearing checked in a few months.

Here she is at home after the long day at the hospital. She carried her kitty with her to the hospital. She and I spent the prior afternoon birthday shopping. We went to Build-a-Bear and she picked out the Kitty (that she named "China"). Of course, China had to have a Hannah Montana outfit! :)

The bandage is pretty dramatic, huh? Luckily she got to take it off the next morning.

Easter Sunday

2010-05-12T12:12:00.010-05:00

Wow, am I already up to Easter Sunday and it's only May? ha ha
What a beautiful day! We were blessed to be with our church family and enjoyed an uplifting worship service. We were then able to spend the afternoon with Billy's grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Too bad egg hunting isn't a useful life skill, because our kids would have that one down!

Me and the kids.

Henry with cousin Devin, comparing their loot.

Another egg hunt and tee ball opening day

2010-05-11T10:50:00.009-05:00

On Saturday, April 3, after a rainy morning which totally messed up the baseball opening ceremonies, we went to Mom's for the annual egg hunt. It's always something to have all the kids together--there's so many of them!

Here they are, all eleven of them, age 8 and under.

Since I never feel like Ellen gets her share of pictures, here's another of her.

Rebecca had to make sure that there was a prize in each egg. If it was empty, she would just put it back. :)

After a big lunch and big egg hunt, we came back to our house for a shrimp boil with my dad, step-mom, and Billy's dad. Rusty cooked some mean shrimp!
We then got ready for the boys' first tee ball game of the season. Here are Henry, Walker, and William. Go, Blue Jays!

Ellen entertains herself with PawPaw's glasses during the game.

At least we won the first one! Wins will prove to be a bit elusive for the Blue Jays...

School Easter egg hunts

2010-05-10T11:59:00.007-05:00

Here's a sampling of all the kids' school egg hunts (April 1-2).

Vivian...

Just before William's...

William's kindergarten class

Rebecca's...

Henry's and Rebecca's egg hunts were at the same time, but Billy was able to be at Henry's. I had the camera, so we didn't get any shots of the actual hunt. Here's Henry back inside enjoying some treats.

After school, we colored real Easter eggs!

Quick zoo trip and the last post for March!

2010-05-06T12:19:00.005-05:00

March 31st was the last day on our family membership for Birmingham Zoo, and since it was going to be a lovely day, we went down for a few hours. Vivian likes animals from afar, so without the petting zoo and the lorakeet exhibit slowing us down, I knew we'd have time to get through it all. I admit that I snickered at the thought of her FREAKING out if I took her in there with those lorakeets, but I'm not that mean. We even had time to ride the carousel and the train. Also no worries about her wanting to ride a camel. Oh, and we skipped the reptile house. No reason to give the kid nightmares. Ellen, on the other hand, LOVES animals, and I would have loved for her to have a few up-close encounters. Oh, well, my uncle Dwight raises goats; she can just pet those.

Aren't the girls' matching dresses the cutest? Vivian is crazy about the Princess and the Frog, and she loves for her and Ellen to match, so my mom made them both one.

Still back in March...

2010-05-05T07:56:00.007-05:00

We enjoyed an Easter egg hunt in the park with our church family. It was a little chilly, but at least it was sunny. We had lots of homemade cookies, cakes, and brownies. Who needs lunch?

The kids are ready to hunt! (Take a look at Henry's outfit. He accessorized himself.)

Now where are those eggs?

Ellen catches a windy spray from the fountain.

Henry won 1st prize for the most eggs found...he was up in the 40's. Here he is counting his eggs.

Later that day we went to Birmingham for our friend Zoey's birthday party. The kids had a blast with all the games and inflatables.

Here's the birthday girl!

Little ones at the park and the Fun Run

2010-05-04T10:10:00.005-05:00

O.K., this was also in March! Yikes!
We had a really LONG winter this year, so there were not that many days to get out and enjoy the sunshine until late March.

Ellen loves, loves, loves to be outside.

Rebecca, Henry, and William participated in a fundraiser for their school, called the Fun Run. They got pledges per lap, and each kid ran 10 laps. The boys were particularly excited about it, and because the kindergarteners and first graders ran at different times and I couldn't be at both, I opted to be there to cheer the boys on.

Spring Break in Orlando

2010-05-03T12:05:00.013-05:00

Back in March the family drove down for a few nights in Orlando. We decided to go because we had this great offer to stay in this great place, and all we had to do was listen to a sales talk and take a tour. We went into this thing saying that under no circumstances are we buying a time-share, but guess what...we bought a time-share. We're suckers. But, really, it only made sense because our biggest challenge in vacationing is finding a place big enough for all of us!!
Ellen stayed with grandparents, and although we missed her, it was a good thing because the kids hardly slept. We were close to midnight getting in the bed each night and then up before 7 am each day. We had a really good time, but I did feel like we rushed to get the things in that we did. We're hoping to take a "relaxing" beach vacation this summer.
We stopped and had lunch with some friends. He is a police officer and the kids loved playing in the car. Check out Billy in the back seat!

Here we are ready to go after a night's sleep in Albany, GA.

After driving all day and finally making it to Orlando, we went to Downtown Disney. Here we are outside the Lego store.

Rebecca and Vivian join in a dance lesson to Hannah Montana's "Hoedown Throwdown."

Trying to steal a kiss from William.

The carousel in Downtown Disney. Giddy-up!

The next day we went to Sea World. Here we are on the Atlantis ride.

Going to check out the seals and sea lions.

The Shamu show!

The next day...Magic Kingdom! Here are the boys equipped with their maps. They always had to have a map wherever we went. They're pretty good at it too.

Rebecca just hanging around.

Billy on the Jungle Cruise.

The obligatory castle pics.

And what trip to Disney would be complete without some character encounters? While the guys were off riding race cars, the girls and I went to get our princess fix.

Vivian and I were ditched for a roller coaster, so she got to meet Ariel.

and ride the carousel.

We met back up for some shopping. Vivian picked out a Belle dress.

After the Buzz Lightyear ride.

The best seat in the house for the parade. (Notice Vivian is now wearing the Belle dress, because when an exhausted 3-year-old REALLY gets tired, there are, well, accidents. And after TWO accidents, this was all she had to wear.)

Day 2 of Sea World...kids get to play.

Family pic before leaving it all behind!

I didn't have the camera with me, because I didn't realize that "Wild Arctic" wasn't just a ride. Billy and Vivian stayed in the play area while me and the other 3 went through the exhibit. We got really up close with some Beluga whales and walruses. Beautiful creatures. But when I say up close, I mean CLOSE. The walruses were mating and it was happening right up at the glass. I never did explain that one to the kids.

Tee Ball

2010-03-12T14:32:00.005-06:00

This will be the first year for the boys to play tee ball. They had their first practices last Friday and Saturday. They are really excited about it! Their team is the Blue Jays. It's so funny to watch all the little ones play. One of the first things they need to learn, of course, is the names of the bases and what order you are supposed to run them in. There were kids going all over the place! Hilarious! Billy has agreed to be one of the many assistant coaches.

That's Henry in the center of this photo.

William is here in the red shirt.

Here's one of their adoring fans! I can't believe she's now 15 months old!

Seussical the Musical

2010-03-12T14:18:00.002-06:00

Rebecca's first grade play was on March 4th. She had her own line to say, and she said it loud and clear. I'm so proud of her!

Rebecca is front row, 2nd from right.

Basketball and dance stuff

2010-03-09T11:57:00.006-06:00

February 22nd was William's last basketball game. He had such a good season, especially since neither his mom or dad are very "talented" in the sports department! Right after the game he got to enjoy a pizza party with his team.

Warming up before the final game.

Silly boys...

A trophy tops it all off! So proud of you, #11!

A few days later, it was time for dance pictures! Oh, my goodness, this was such an ordeal. The hairstyles were dictated, and Rebecca was supposed to wear a side ponytail with curls. Well, I finally got some sense, made a side bun and put a curly hairpiece over that! Also, her pictures were at 10:45 and Vivian's weren't until 3:45, but I wanted them to have their pictures made together, so both of them had to be ready for the morning shoot. Crazy to spend your whole day this way, but I'm crazy! Thank goodness for Aunt Beth and Nannie who helped me throughout the day!! Now how am I going to survive the actual recital?

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2010-02-22T10:10:00.005-06:00

Last Wednesday, I visited Rebecca's first grade class to make a little presentation on Chinese New Year. I spent about an hour with them. They ate dumplings with chopsticks, made dragon masks, listened to Chinese children's music, and thoroughly enjoyed the noisemakers I brought! I gave them a quick low-down of Chinese New Year and read them a story. The celebration was topped off with a little dragon parade around the classroom.
Rebecca was very proud to wear her Chinese silk outfit to school and to have a special time dedicated to her heritage.

Saturday night, we got together with our local Families with Children from China group for the big annual party! (On the way there, Billy asked me what kind of food we were having. Seriously.) There was a beautiful slideshow of all the children, yummy food, great company, beautiful decorations (including live goldfish in the centerpiece of each table), lots of crafts for the children, and a lion dance.

Cutie.

My beautiful Chinese princess.

Busy on our crafts.

Checking out the lion dancers. They threw candy too!

One of my handsome fellas.

How cute is this?!

Dancing with the dragon masks we made!

Children are just little people

2010-02-22T08:38:00.003-06:00

I am "fortunate" to be one of those moms who has never, not once, had the crazy notion that I had it all figured out. From the get-go, I was blessed two-fold with rambunctious BOYS in one package! You might know of someone who has one child, and that one child is just one of those easy-going kids. My advice to people like that: Have a 2nd child or a 3rd. You will get off your high horse very quickly!
Oh, don't get me wrong...my kids are great. I love them ALL dearly; they are just each challenging in their own little ways. Sometimes it's quite entertaining and satisfying to figure out each one, unraveling them like a puzzle. But, most of the time, it's EXHAUSTING.

Case in point: Vivian. Had she been an only child, I would think that I was the world's greatest parent, EVER.

And, then, there's Ellen. She's a sweetheart, but very moody and temperamental. Wonder where she got that from??

They have my heart!

2010-02-19T10:45:00.005-06:00

Here are some photos of all my little sweeties at their school Valentine's Day parties.

Sweet Vivian

Vivian with her teacher, Mrs. Rhonda, and her best bud, Cora.

This was before Ellen fell and busted her lip at Julian Newman.

William decorating a heart

Henry shows off his lion craft.

Vivian loves to be with the "big" kids.

Rebecca's class had a 50's theme party. It was so cute. They danced, hula-hooped, and ate ice cream sundaes!

Snow surprised

2010-02-10T09:02:00.004-06:00

On Monday as the big kids were getting to school, it started snowing rather unexpectedly. We had the most beautiful snow showers with huge, fluffy flakes that left about an inch and a half of snow on the ground in about 2 hours. This is the most snow the children have ever seen! We bundled up and headed out! Ellen was pretty tired by this time, so she wanted to get down in it and crawl. Vivian loved the crunch beneath her boots and scooping up big handfuls of snow. We made a quick snowman before heading inside to get Ellen a nap. I'm glad we got out because it started quickly disappearing by lunchtime. By the time the kids were out of school, it was gone. I wish the kids had been home to enjoy it, but they did get to get outside in it a little at school.

Get me out of here.

What is this strange substance?

Maybe it's O.K. to walk in...

The Snow Queen

Vivian and her snowman, Colosso

Circus

2010-02-09T11:00:00.003-06:00

Vivian and I went to see the circus on Friday. Beth invited us to go with Walker's preschool, so we bought tickets to sit with them. Then, Vivian's preschool decided to go as well. We still went with Beth and Walker, which was a lot of fun. This was Vivian's first time at the circus, and she loved it and soaked in every minute of it! Ellen stayed with PawPaw, and the other kids were at school. I've had to promise to take them all next time!

Barnyard Moosical

2010-02-04T19:47:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday, all the kindergarten classes presented their annual play. This year's theme was the cutest musical with cows, pigs, chickens, and goats. They all did such a great job! You could tell they all worked really hard. The set and costumes were adorable too.

My little pig and chicken!

And she's off!!

2010-02-04T10:28:00.005-06:00

Ellen began walking on January 18th. I guess she just decided that she wanted to, so she started doing it. Now she pretty much walks everywhere.

I remember reading somewhere that personality is established by the age of 6. Oh, I beg to differ. Ellen is such a feisty little thing. She tries to hang in there with the big kids, and she is quick to let her feelings known if someone crosses her or takes a toy from her. She screams really loud! She loves to be in the middle of everything. Her laugh is contagious, as is the laugh of every baby. Can't get much sweeter than that. She is loving as well; she loves to hug and kiss. And she loves her mommy! If she's tired, she wants no one else! And, is she ever into everything! This girl can pull out things from drawers and cabinets and then put them somewhere else. The other kids have learned to store their precious things out of reach! Whenever something is dropped, her phrase is "Uh-oh, Mom-ma!"
Vivian still loves to sing "Jingle Bells" and Ellen chimes in with the "hey!", although she gets a little ahead of herself. Likewise, whenever a prayer is being said, she starts shouting, "Amen!" several times before it is finished.
Oh, and no more bottles!!
Thank you, God, for this sweet angel!

Basketball

2010-02-02T09:37:00.004-06:00

My computer was down for over 2 weeks after becoming infected with a virus. Luckily, all my pictures were saved. We do have most of them backed up, but there are a few recent ones that I have not saved to hard copy. I have figured out that being a computer geek really pays; those jokers charge $65/hour for labor!

William's basketball season tipped off on January 11th. He really loves playing and he is improving with each game.

Posing with the star before the big game.

Cheering on the team?

In action!

Enjoying the game with MawMaw.

The weekend

2010-01-11T12:01:00.005-06:00

Billy got home Friday night from California. Yeah! Saturday, while Billy took all the kids for William's basketball pictures and to watch Walker's first basketball game, I took Vivian to Chick-fil-a for a friend's birthday party.

Here's my brave girl about to give a "high five" to the cow. She was trembling the entire time the cow was present.

After a beautiful Lord's Day service, we headed to Grandma's house for a belated Phillips Christmas.

Here's 2nd cousin Devin in the middle of William and Henry. (He's 6 months older than the boys.)

Macy with Aunt Susan and Uncle Mark

A good day

2010-01-08T10:32:00.002-06:00

The kids had a snow day yesterday, although it didn't snow that much, and Alabama won the National Championship! Billy and his dad have been in sunny and warm southern California since Tuesday for the game, while we've been here in the deep freeze!

Ballerinas

2010-01-06T16:10:00.003-06:00

Granddaddy Bill gave the girls new dance costumes for Christmas. Here they are before their dance classes this week! Rebecca's class is on Monday afternoons and Vivian's is on Tuesdays. Vivian loves it so much that she used to be mad at Rebecca because Rebecca's class is the day before hers. She now says she's happy for Rebecca, but she cannot wait until her turn! She was so funny yesterday as we were driving there, just squealing with excitement. "We're almost there, Mommy! We're almost there!"

William's glasses

2010-01-03T21:40:00.003-06:00

Even though you might have noticed in the holiday photos, I forgot to mention that William now wears glasses. A couple of months ago, there was an eye screening at school, and William brought home a form stating that he had significant hyperopia. We were very surprised as we had no idea that he had any problem at all; he certainly had no signs or symptoms that we were aware of. So, I made him an appointment with an optometrist and soon discovered that his eyesight was pretty bad. The doctor does not think that he will "outgrow" his condition due to the severity, and said that he also had some amblyopia and was glad that we were able to determine that there was a problem and get him in before it got worse. William does great with his new glasses; he is very conscientious about wearing them. I guess that goes along with his OCD personality. He was a little self-conscious at first; it took a while for him to let me take his picture. I think he looks very handsome, don't you?

Now that's what I call Christmas!

2010-01-02T15:59:00.014-06:00

The family get-togethers began on the 22nd at our house...the Brand Christmas.

Posing all the kids before the gift-opening begins.

Rebecca got an easel. She loves it!

Anna and Vivian tearing into their gifts.

Ellen loves her new pet playset.

A Wii game?!

A basketball for William

MawMaw and Granddaddy start opening their gifts.

Not sure what this is all about.

In their matching ballerina gowns

Christmas Eve--The Woodall Christmas

Vivian and Rebecca both love these gifts from Granddaddy Bill.

Checking out the stockings...Rebecca and the recorder! Ellen shows her new sippy cup.

Home again and getting ready for Santa. Daddy reads 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Christmas morning: The first 3 were up at 5:45 to see what Santa brought!

Our stockings!

Ya think Henry might be a little excited?

Opening gifts

Wow!

Rebecca arrives downstairs fully dressed. She spots her pink MP3 player and her Hello Kitty camera and she is a happy girl!

Candy--my next favorite thing!

Off to Mema & Granddaddy's for a late breakfast.

Anna and Rebecca in their matching T-shirts that Beth decorated!

PawPaw and Ellen

Mema and Vivian

William, Walker, and Henry

Granddaddy

Now to Nannie & PawPaw's for a late lunch/early dinner

Nannie and PawPaw pose with their 11 grandchildren, ages 8 and under

Henry's excited again.

Anna and Vivian

I just can't believe I got an Elmo car!

Billy's birthday

2010-01-02T15:46:00.003-06:00

Billy's dad took us all out for pizza for Billy's 39th birthday on Dec. 17th. (Got to get planning that 40th celebration next year!) I carried his traditional homemade red velvet birthday cake to the restaurant, in case you see a little of it on some toothy grins below.

Christmas parties

2010-01-02T15:30:00.004-06:00

Whew, now that Christmas is OVER, I can sit back and reflect on all the fun we had! It was busy, busy, especially with all the activities at school. I am seriously thinking of having the boys in the same class next year. I know, I know, I vowed to have them separated for their own "identities," but this Mom is frazzled!
2009 was a good year for us, overall. It brought many changes and challenges, but I believe that each one has made us wiser, stronger, and more humble. God has blessed us in so many ways.

Throwing snowballs

Enjoying yummy food

Christmas fun at school

2010-01-01T21:40:00.005-06:00

Henry decorating his gingerbread house

Rebecca putting some touches on hers

Vivian's preschool Christmas program

Getting a hug from Granddaddy David

Our angel. Her rendition of "Away in a Manger" will just melt your heart.

Vivian's preschool party

Henry's party: They decorated cookies and made several crafts.

William's party: They got a special visit from Santa!

Rebecca's party: They wore their pajamas and watched Polar Express and then had a fun party full of games and yummy snacks.

Ellen is now ONE

2010-01-01T21:12:00.005-06:00

My sweet baby girl turned one on December 8th. Where has the time gone? She has grown from that little infant that just went everywhere I went over the past year into this little girl who has fought to make her presence known! She really loves to be out and about. She will not nap unless she is convinced that she won't miss anything! She is not walking yet. She can "lightning" crawl because the second she hears me open the dishwasher, she is there in a heartbeat. She loves to see what awaits her in there! She stands alone and cruises. She waves and blows kisses, and can say several words, like Mama, bye-bye, night-night, Daddy, more, Elmo. Billy even got her to say "Roll Tide" tonight! :) Her favorite food is banana. She adores her brothers and sisters. She has eight teeth now and her hair is getting very curly in the back.
We celebrated her birthday at home with family. She had a great time at her party, eating two whole cupcakes and showing everyone her "tricks."

December snowfall

2010-01-01T20:56:00.002-06:00

We woke up December 5th to a little surprise, about a half inch of snow! Well, that wasn't the first time we were awakened...William woke me around 4 am vomiting beside my bed. This was after Henry vomited while riding through the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. (I was in the back seat of the van between Henry and William. Let's just say I am so glad there was a plastic bag in the car!) Ellen had been sick with a stomach virus earlier in the week, and was still having stomach "issues." I changed an icky diaper in a restaurant just before we headed to see the lights! Anyway, I digress... The snow was beautiful, although it didn't last very long. William was still under the weather and didn't feel like venturing out. Maybe January will bring more snow!

Fast forward

2009-12-30T10:30:00.010-06:00

I have not abandoned the blog. One of my new year's resolutions is to keep it up! I think I had got so behind that it seemed like an impossible feat to catch up. And, since I have not been keeping up with photo albums, much less a scrapbook, for my kids, this just seemed like the easiest thing to get going again. Oh, to have everything organized would be such a great feeling, but that's never going to happen!
The fall has been especially busy, with lots of appointments, parties, and family fun. Everyone has been healthy except for a cold or a short-lived stomach virus here or there. :) That's something to be thankful for!

Visiting Grandma

Going to ballet class in our Halloween costume

Into everything!

Ready for my preschool Halloween party!

Trick or treat!

Henry's school party

William's school party

Rebecca's school party

Ready to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood

Finishing the soccer season

Enjoying the beauty of fall

The day Henry decided to put bubblegum in Ellen's hair, "just to see what would happen"

Dance class exhibitions

Daisy Scout Investiture

Making cookies

Preschool Thanksgiving program and lunch

Thanksgiving at Granddaddy's and MawMaw's

A few pictures

2009-11-04T09:10:00.005-06:00

Crawling

A lazy, rainy Saturday

One down with swine flu

Feeding ducks at the park with friends

Enjoying a little sunshine

Bama homecoming

Soccer--the Sharks

2009-11-02T13:03:00.003-06:00

These pictures were taken at the boys' first soccer game on Sept. 12th. We've had a crazy season as almost every game was rained out and had to be rescheduled. Their last game is tomorrow night. Henry's been counting them down; sports just isn't his thing right now, although he has played really well. William has really enjoyed it and he has scored several goals! He's looking forward to playing basketball now.

Ellen

2009-11-02T12:48:00.003-06:00

These were taken almost 2 months ago when Ellen was 9 months old. Thought I'd better get them up before she turns one! She's wearing the same dress that Vivian wore in her 9-month portraits. The dress and bonnet were made and smocked by Nannie.
She started crawling at 9 months and pulling up at 10 months. She's cruising a little, but she still mostly crawls to get what she wants. And, she gets into everything! She laughs at the word "no." She says "Mama" and "Elmo" (which sounds a lot like "mama"). She loves any attention from her brothers and sisters. She's crazy over animals and loves being outdoors. She's shy but flirty; she's not a big fan of strangers holding her right now. She resists napping! She's good to go after a late morning nap until bedtime!

Sesame Street Live

2009-10-09T12:43:00.002-05:00

We were invited last month by my sister-in-law to join my nephew's preschool to see Sesame Street Live. Vivian really enjoyed it, but Ellen was spellbound! She slept a little during the performance, but when she was awake, she couldn't take her eyes off the stage! I think I may have an Elmo lover yet! The boys loved the Wiggles, and Vivian was a Barney fan, now loves Dora.

I can never get Walker to look at the camera!

Beth & Ellen

Two years later

2009-10-09T11:45:00.003-05:00

O.K., I may never get caught up on this bloggin' business. I'm always a month behind or more!
September 3rd was Rebecca's Forever Family Day. Two years ago on that day, we met her for the very first time. That day will always be special to us. While we get to celebrate our other children's birthdays as the day they entered our lives (except Vivian but I held her in my arms for the first time the day after she was born), September 3rd is the day, an arbitrary day that resulted from other people's schedules, that our lives were forever changed by one of God's sweet miracles. We got to celebrate after school with ice cream and a manicure! She chose the brightest, fluorescent pink! Keep on shining, sweet girl! I love you!

Shortly after arriving home in Sept. 2007. She has the "lost" look.

Sept. 2009

Introducing Hunter

2009-09-15T22:20:00.002-05:00

Meet the newest addition to the Woodall family. Henry's name choice won out. Second place was "Fluffer," which was William's contribution. Hunter has a nice home in the garage! Rebecca likes to play with him, but Vivian, who hates pretty much any critter, keeps her distance. I think Ellen is the craziest over him. She loves to pick him up by the tail, his ear, whatever. Hunter doesn't seem to mind.

Officially OLD

2009-09-14T12:23:00.002-05:00

My 20-year high school reunion was held on August 29th, the day before my 38th birthday. It was a fun night--lots of dancing and karaoke. It was great to see everyone again and how much or how little everyone has changed.

My best friend in high school, Kandye

Billy doing a little karaoke!

SIX!

2009-09-14T10:32:00.004-05:00

The boys turned 6 on August 19th. Vivian, Ellen, and I went to school and had lunch with them on their special day. We ate at the special "guest" table in the cafeteria, so that alleviated the problem of them being in separate classes! We took space cookies for William's class and monster truck cookies for Henry's class.
That Saturday was the big birthday bash! They both wanted to have their party at home. I had planned to do some cute games & activities, but the week was so full of errands and appointments, that I wimped out and rented a big inflatable slide! It was a hit though! There weren't any injuries, thank goodness!

Separate cakes again. William wanted a space theme, and Henry wanted monster trucks.

Diving into gifts!

Billy takes a turn on the slide!

First Soccer Practice

2009-09-04T13:16:00.002-05:00

The boys had their very first soccer practice on Aug. 18th. This is their first organized sport, and I'm now a soccer mom! We're looking forward to their first game on Sept. 12th.

Photos of Ellen from August

2009-09-02T16:56:00.003-05:00

Tiny dancers

2009-09-02T12:12:00.002-05:00

Rebecca and Vivian started dance classes last month and love it! Vivian can't wait from one week to the next, and can't stand it when it is Rebecca's day and not hers!

First Days

2009-09-02T10:42:00.004-05:00

August 10th was a big day. Henry and William started kindergarten and Rebecca started first grade! They are all growing up so fast. My baby boys are in kindergarten; it was a tearful day for me. This is truly the beginning of the letting go...
They've been going for over 3 weeks now, and all are enjoying it and doing well. It's fun when they come home sharing their little triumphs, like being able to open their milk at lunch.

Before school...

William putting away his things

Ready to work!

Henry says hello to his teacher.

Finding a place for all his stuff.

Kindergarten is going to be fun!

Walking down the first grade hallway.

I know this routine!

Rebecca greeting her neighbor.

End of the day! Back to Mommy!

Back together again!

Vivian's first day at 3-year-old preschool--Sept. 13th
Ready to go!

Showing Ellen where she will play.

One last pose for Mommy! My big girl!

Our vacation

2009-08-26T13:15:00.008-05:00

I am so behind on bloggin'! This trip was about a month ago. We took all the kids and Nannie & PawPaw to the beach. Well, that's partly true. Nannie & PawPaw had to drive themselves but I guess we could have rented a bus!
We wanted this year's vacation to be a beach vacation because our oldest and our youngest daughters have never seen the ocean. Rebecca lived maybe 10 miles from the South China Sea but she never saw it. (Her orphanage was alongside a river and she probably didn't know that either.)
It was an exhausting trip, but the kids had a great time. The kids loved the pool more than the ocean. You really couldn't get in the water too much anyway because there were several jellyfish. The best thing about the trip was that nobody had a stomach virus this time! Hallelujah! Ellen didn't sleep very well though.

All the big kids were swimming!

Random pictures

2009-07-25T20:35:00.007-05:00

Zoey, one of my best friends's daughter, and Rebecca, at our adoption agency's China reunion

Billy climbing in the 2nd story window after we locked ourselves out of the house. This is the same roof that I fell from when I was pregnant with Ellen (same window I crawled out of too!) Note the "Superdad" shirt!

The girls showing off some dance moves at a family cookout at the park.

The baby class at VBS...there were 16 or 17 babies in here!

Nudie picture of Ellen. She loves splashing in the big bathtub!

Granddaddy Bill (Billy's dad) and the kids. He brings us the best pizza for dinner!

Our day trip to Mt. Zion. The water in the pool was straight out of the creek, and Ellen did not flinch at the COLD water! When Henry got in the creek, he said the water was as cold as all the popsicles in the world!

Vivian helps fill Ellen's pool.

How refreshing! Rebecca's teeth chattered the whole time, even after she got out of the water and dried off.

Lunch. The three "extras" are my step-sisters' children, Fiona, Phin, and Scarlett. We all came with Nannie and PawPaw.

William enjoying a swim.

Henry wading.

July 4th holiday

2009-07-10T21:34:00.005-05:00

We received some lovely gifts from a friend in the Netherlands.

A night at the Kiddie Carnival. What a great way to spend an evening with small children! And where else can you get 50-cent snow cones?

Independence Day was celebrated in high style! We had a big picnic with extended family and topped the day off with the town fireworks display. Billy had to miss out on the picnic due to work but he was able to meet us for dinner. He and Granddaddy Bill took the kids to see the fireworks. Ellen was too worn out for the night life!

Here is Uncle Rusty in the creek with Rebecca, Anna, Henry, William, and Walker.

I think she's recovered from her surgery, don't you think?!

Uncle Dwight gives the last ride of the day.

I need to get a photo of Rebecca on her bicycle! She is riding perfectly without training wheels. Nannie taught her how, using some "purple hair" as an incentive!

Summer update

2009-06-29T21:49:00.006-05:00

So far in June, we've enjoyed VBS, swimming lessons, and Billy's 20-year high school reunion. June has turned out to be REALLY hot, so we've tried to keep cool. Outdoors, we've found some refreshing spots, and indoors, we've been busy with games, crafts, puppet shows, and costume changes. Vivian had her tonsils and adenoids out last Wednesday. She has been doing very well, so hopefully we can get back out and about very soon! She has been such a trooper. There were no tears until today. I had been seeing how she would do on less pain medication. She started hurting this afternoon and cried a little. Mostly, she just wanted me to hold her. She is such a cuddler! I love that girl!!
The boys have learned how to ride their bicycles without training wheels, so they've been tearing up the pavement! Rebecca almost has it. She balances really well, but we just can't get her to keep pedaling! I think she'll have it in a couple of more days! Nannie has been working with Rebecca on her reading. She is learning a lot of sight words and things are starting to click (I think); she definitely has good days and bad days with her attention.

Look out, Diana Ross!

Mmmm...these Logan's yeast rolls aren't bad.

Chewing in the sunshine.

Henry, the squinter

This water feels so good!

Vivian prances around.

Modeling

Cold watermelon!

My ears glow with this backlighting!

My littlest ones

2009-06-14T21:46:00.002-05:00

Ellen is SIX months old! Time is really flying by this go-around. She's such a happy baby and she seems to be happiest when things around here are the craziest. She loves all the interaction with the other children. She's a little shy around strangers but she's such a flirt too!
She's weighing in at 15 lbs., 6 oz., and is 27.5 inches long. She has two teeth now.
Likes: waking up early, making growling noises when I'm happy, being tickled
Dislikes: riding in a carseat, being left in a room by myself

Vivian LOVES being a big sister. She calls Ellen her baby. Vivian is also all into whatever her big sister, Rebecca, is doing. She loves dancing, playing dress-up, and playing with her dolls. My sweet girl is going to be getting her tonsils out in a week and a half (because they are ENORMOUS and causing her to have sleeping difficulties). I dread that day but I know she is going to be a much happier kid when she can breathe again!

This is pretty much how Vivian is whenever Ellen is awake.

Our Memphis trip (a week late)

2009-06-13T15:45:00.003-05:00

Last weekend (after Billy had taken the kids camping for a night) we all traveled to Memphis for Billy's cousin's wedding. It was a rather interesting trip, not in that Ellen pretty much cried all the way there, or just going ANYWHERE with five small children, but that we missed the wedding right off the bat! We went cheap and decided to stay at the Marriott downtown (Priceline, baby!) instead of the Peabody, which is where the wedding reception was held. Anyway, since we didn't know exactly where the church was in relation to the hotel, we thought we would just ask our friendly concierge to help us. Well, we got directions to St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral instead of St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral. Oh, well...we were told that it was a lovely wedding! Since we had some "extra" time before the reception, we took a tour of downtown in a horse-drawn carriage.

The reception was really beautiful and the kids had a great time, once the Blues band started playing. You should have seen William's moves! Ellen was exhausted after her day of crying, so one of us had to hold her the whole time. (She wouldn't go to anyone else.) So, sorry, no pictures from the reception. Before heading back to our hotel we took the kids to the roof of the Peabody to see the Duck Palace.
We managed quite nicely in one hotel room. The boys slept in sleeping bags on the floor, the girls slept in one bed, Billy and I were in the other bed, and Ellen slept in a portable crib. Full house! I'm glad it was only for one night!
Before going home, we took the kids to Graceland. (It was everyone's first trip!) They enjoyed it more than we thought they would! It was a fun day--not too much whining or fighting!

Down in the Jungle Room...

Dancing to the Wurlitzer..."Hound Dog," I think!

Henry loved the table we scored at lunch!

Ellen's first road trip

In front of the Lisa Marie

The rest of the story

2009-06-13T08:31:00.003-05:00

Rebecca has epilepsy. The medical term now is seizure disorder, I'm guessing because the term epilepsy has so much of a stigma associated with it. We now understand that all of her prior "episodes" were associated with seizures...complex partial seizures that you may not necessarily be able to "see." A week ago while we were in the waiting room at her OT and ST appointments, she slumped down in her chair and had a generalized tonic/clonic seizure. It was so heartbreaking to watch her little body go through that. It seemed like an eternity before it was over. It lasted at least 30 seconds. When it was over, I had to pry her little hand from her hair. The staff at the therapy center called her neurologist for me, and she advised us to go to the ER and she would see us there. All Rebecca wanted to do was to lie down and sleep, so she didn't like me moving her to get to the ER, getting checked in, holding her until we were called back, etc. She was pretty combative. She just slept once they got her in a bed. I would wake her up to give her sips of Sprite. She vomited a couple of times after they gave her a popsicle. Her neurologist ordered an EEG there in the emergency room and then she came in to see her. I told the doctor what a bad morning we had had, the strange behavior that Rebecca was exhibiting and how she was not following through with anything I was telling her to do. She said that Rebecca was probably having seizures then, not able to process what was being said to her. There are occasions when she does this, so we are left to wonder if she has been having "mild" seizures more than we even realize. Rebecca is now on an anti-seizure medication. We are so hopeful and prayerful that it will stop the seizures and possible help her overcome some of her other issues--language difficulties, behavioral problems, etc.

Oh, how I did not want this diagnosis for her! I know there are many people with seizure disorder that live perfectly normal lives, but she has had so many obstacles placed before her already. I'm also thankful at the same time that this is something that we can manage, that there is medication for her condition. I have been thinking of all the children that suffer and die from horrible diseases like cancer, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy...diseases that are far worse than what Rebecca has. And then I remember what Rebecca has gone through in her short life already. It is beyond my comprehension...not a life, but a mere existence without love. To me, that is the worst thing a child could suffer.

I have tried to do everything I possibly can to help Rebecca. I know I have obsessed about what new therapy to try, what to do next. I have been relying on myself and what I can do for her. Rebecca's new diagnosis has reminded me that I am not in control, that I need to turn that burden over to God. He will take care of her far beyond what I little I can do. And I am only able to do what little I am able to do through Him anyway! Help me by praying for her; pray for Rebecca to continue to grow into a loving, happy, confident, and independent young woman who is guided by a wonderful Savior!!

He does much better if left to his own devices...

2009-05-24T21:01:00.002-05:00

This evening as we were getting ready to go to Bible study, Billy went upstairs to get Vivian dressed. Assuming that he knew to put the dress on her that she wore to services this morning, I just yelled for him to bring down a specific knit dress for Ellen to wear. Next thing I knew, Miss Vivian was downstairs dressed like this:

Ahhh...much better!

A retirement party

2009-05-24T20:50:00.002-05:00

My aunt Sandy is retiring this year and her children gave her a lovely reception on Saturday afternoon. She has been an elementary school teacher for 30(?) years. When the kids are "cleaned up," I often try to get a few snapshots. Doesn't always quite work out! I really hate my camera because it is so slow!

I did get one of the girls in their coordinating navy dots!

See what I mean?

They posed like this on their own!

Rebecca--Field Day and Roller Skating

2009-05-24T20:34:00.004-05:00

Rebecca's school held Field Day on Friday. I didn't get to be there for much of it since I had the other four children all day (preschool is finished). The morning was full of team events, while the afternoon was just one big carnival. Rebecca had a blast!

Inside one of the bouncies

Rebecca with her friend, Nancy Grace

Finishing off the day with a train ride.

Saturday I took Rebecca to her friend Lillian's birthday party at a skating rink. This was the first time that Rebecca has been on "real" roller skates. She went skating a couple of months after we got home from China, but she used the kiddie skates that go over your shoes at that time. She was pretty wobbly, and enjoyed skating on the carpet at first. She then got brave and got on the rink!

She fell quite a few times, but laughed every time!

Trying to get my balance!

She had so much fun that she did not want to leave. I had to promise her that we would come back again and skate!

Little graduates

2009-05-22T09:15:00.004-05:00

I did good--I only cried during the slide show!

My boys...growing up!

Henry with some of his classmates. Henry is at the far right. The little girl next to him is his girlfriend (according to Henry), Sarabeth. Not sure if the feeling is mutual.

My "eldest" son. They announced what they wanted to be when they grow up. Henry wants to be a farmer.

William with his friend Van

My future astronaut

Waiting for the ceremony to begin

The fam

Rebecca--our kindergarten graduate!!

Last day of preschool

2009-05-20T21:18:00.004-05:00

It was a day of three parties, the first one being across town at a city park. We made an appearance with Vivian's class for a little over an hour. That was probably long enough for her to play a little and cling to Mommy a little too.

Here she is with one of her teachers, Mrs. Melanie.

And with Mrs. Alecia.

Ellen likes the park too! I have got to remember a sun hat next time!!

This is fun, but the swings are my favorite.

Now at Henry's party back at the preschool. He is showing off the craft they made out of poster board, a styrofoam bowl, and some yarn.

Henry with a few of his buddies.

Henry's teacher, Mrs. Sue.

Both classes had a balloon release to celebrate the last day (not exactly the "green" thing to do). Here is William's class about to release their balloons.

There they go!

William's class (plus one sibling)

William and Mrs. Wanda

Posing in the preschool lobby on our way out.

If I wasn't being pulled in so many directions today, I might have been a little emotional. When I was putting the boys' lunchboxes away on Monday, I almost got a little teary-eyed thinking that was the last time I would pack their lunches for preschool! Tomorrow night is the big graduation. I hope my mascara is waterproof. I can't believe my babies will go to kindergarten in August!!

I hate to brag, but

2009-05-12T17:26:00.002-05:00

I have the best husband in the world! For Mother's Day, he made me this photo collage of me and the kids with Proverbs 31:28-31 in the center.

I also got a gift card (which I already spent on a new dress), a lily, and an orchid corsage that I wore to church. The corsage didn't make it through the service, since all three of my girls needed some "mommy" time during church.

And to keep on boasting, here are a couple of photos of my beautiful baby. I just realized that I haven't posted any pictures of her lately! Poor neglected child! :)

A week behind

2009-05-11T15:25:00.006-05:00

Last week was so busy that I hardly had time to catch my breath! A few of the highlights:

We went to the McCamy (Billy's paternal grandmother's side of the family) annual Decoration Day. We had lunch, then placed flowers at the family cemetery, and then had dessert at an old log cabin on the family property. There is a gentleman that is using the property as a hunting camp, so there are always interesting things for the kids to see.

Like petting a real raccoon...

On such a soggy Sunday, it wasn't too difficult for the "big" kids to find a puddle to splash in. They all had to ride home in their underwear. :)
Rebecca met her 7th(?) cousin for the first time and they really hit it off.

Last Monday was the preschool's field day. There were sack races, relay races, an inflatable bouncy and slide, a balloon artist, bubbles, hula hoops, and a painting craft. The boys had a blast, but Vivian was feeling a little under the weather. She had a low-grade fever when we got home, and I quickly followed. (No, we didn't have the swine flu!)

Waiting for the next event!

Lots of bubbles to be made.

Vivian taking a stab at the sack races. The two- and three-year-olds weren't too great at this event.

Billy took off from work on Tuesday because I was sick. He got to take Henry, William, and Vivian to the dentist. (All the kids and I took Rebecca the week before. What a disaster that was!)

When you don't feel so great, you'll let your kids play with anything! Seriously, Vivian got two "real" make-up sets for her birthday! Thanks, Nannie and Leah!

I met with Rebecca's teachers to discuss her IEP. It was great to sit and listen to them talk about how much progress she is making. I like to be optimistic, so it is refreshing to hear! Rebecca and Vivian also had their regular check-ups at the pediatrician last week. Rebecca had gained 10 pounds in one year! In 19 months, that child has gone from a size 4 to a size 7!! She's playing catch-up in more ways than one!

Happy Birthday, Vivian!

2009-05-05T21:10:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Vivian's 3rd birthday, and to think that three years ago, we weren't even expecting this precious angel to enter our lives.

We celebrated with a Care Bear party on Saturday. She opened her gifts from us that morning. In addition to her pierced ears, she got an Elefun game, a Cabbage Patch doll, and a baton. (That's the mystery present that Rebecca is holding.)

Rebecca with some of our guests.

The cake.

A little shy during the birthday song.

Showing off my moves in my new ballerina costume.

Prelude to a party

2009-05-01T20:29:00.004-05:00

Somebody is about to be 3 years old! I took Vivian today to get her ears pierced. She has been wanting this for a while. She was so brave but when it came time, you can tell she was having second thoughts. She did not cry at all though.

Sassy again! See my sparkly earrings?

Helping Mommy make cupcakes. When I told her I was making cupcakes for her party tomorrow, she threw her arms around me and said, "Oh, thank you, Mommy!!" Melted my heart. Stay tuned for the Care Bear cake made by Lisa!

I'm ready to go pick up everyone from school!

It was a tres, tres Happy Birthday!

2009-04-21T12:03:00.003-05:00

Happy 8th birthday, Rebecca! In the short 19 months that you have been our daughter, you have grown and changed so much. You are a beautiful, precious little girl! We love you!
Friday Rebecca had her "special" day at school. She got to bring in some of her favorite things to show the class. I also made a poster full of pictures of her. The class sang "Happy Birthday" to her, and she got to blow out her candles. She was all smiles. Her teacher asked her some questions about her family and what she liked to do, etc. She also asked her where she would go for her birthday if she could choose. Rebecca said, "Chuck E. Cheese." (Oh, wouldn't that have been easier!!) We then went to lunch and Rebecca passed out the homemade cupcakes that I made. (No, I didn't buy them! And they even had lots of sprinkles!)
Granddaddy Bill brought pizza, cake, and ice cream (and presents) on Friday night. Rebecca got a High School Musical outfit, a Pinocchio movie, and a set of Princess sheets. Of course she had to sleep on the sheets that very night!

The big day--her Fancy Nancy party! We had lots of dress-up clothes and, of course, accessories, fancy pink punch in a fancy punch bowl, and "fancy" food--fruit, finger sandwiches and chicken nuggets on crystal trays. The cake was a beautiful 3-tiered pink cake, thanks to Lisa! The girls had their nails done and made a princess wand craft. I only wish we would have had time to make parfaits. We love Fancy Nancy!

Does this color suit me?

The dressing room

The only shot we got of the cake!

Making our wands

Yes! A Hannah Montana nightgown!

Waiting patiently for the cake & ice cream

Egg- ceptional Easter

2009-04-12T21:21:00.006-05:00

Counting eggs after Henry's preschool egg hunt.

I missed William's egg hunt but was there for the pizza party!

Rebecca found 23 eggs at her kindergarten egg hunt!

Later that afternoon...the neighborhood egg hunt!

In the midst of it all, Ellen (sort of) enjoys her first rice cereal. She had her 4-month check-up and she now weighs 14 lbs. and is 25 in. long.

Coloring eggs Saturday morning.

Nannie & PawPaw's 10 grandchildren (and there is one more on the way) just before the big egg hunt! From L to R, Scarlett, Rebecca, Fiona, Phin, Henry, Walker, Vivian, Anna, William, and Ellen (with PawPaw).

Found another one!

Oh, no, the "terrible threes" are coming!

Easter Sunday

We hosted Easter dinner at our house with another big egg hunt. My kids should do this professionally! :) Note Henry's green face, thanks to Grandma's cupcakes!

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way!

2009-04-08T21:17:00.004-05:00

I'm tired. Really tired. More than just the mommy-of-five-young-children tired. We are in the 4th week of our kitchen/laundry room/bath remodel. I'm going to love it when it's over, but the whole process is just awful. It's taking twice as long as the initial estimate, and I never know what is going to happen from one day to the next. I'm finding out just how long you can drag out mudding and sanding drywall. I have no idea until I get home in the evening if my kitchen will be usable. There is dust EVERYWHERE. There are strange men in my house constantly and they don't knock before entering. And this is all minor in comparison to having to either stay away completely for the day or to keep the children out of the way. Being away all day means I have to do all my everyday chores at night. I'm not getting into bed until midnight on most nights. Plus, Rebecca is really acting out right now. My day really gets interesting at 2:30 every day, when I pick her up from school. I'm hoping that much of her problem is the change in her routine and things will be back to "normal" very soon!
But, Spring is here! Despite all my complaining, the kids and I have enjoyed our outings. We've had to endure "Dogwood Winter" earlier in the week, but those 70-degree temps are back. Easter weekend looks like it's going to be beautiful!

Here's Ellen "rolling" into Spring. She's 4 months old today, and she rolled over for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

Meeting the Easter Bunny at our church's egg hunt.

The church kiddos (and this isn't all of 'em!).

Vivian at her preschool egg hunt today.

I'm hoping to make it to the rest of the kids' school egg hunts on Friday. Henry's is at 10:00, William's is at 10:30, and Rebecca's is at 11:10. Think I can do it??

Anatomy 101

2009-03-26T21:33:00.004-05:00

Vivian is exhibiting some interest in the human body right now. For instance, she's proud that she knows exactly where her pee and poop come from. She also thinks it's a hoot when I'm changing Ellen's clothes. She always points out those little items on her chest. She calls them "nickels."

(Why do I have two posts in a row that mention poop?!)

My day was worse than your day!

2009-03-24T20:55:00.002-05:00

Billy came home from work tonight, exhausted, as usual. (I am very appreciative of how hard he works and what a good job he does.) He made the comment along the lines of, "Whew! What a day!" I promptly asked him if anyone happened to wipe his/her poop on his pants. Just kind of puts things in perspective...

March Madness

2009-03-21T20:30:00.005-05:00

Our kitchen remodel started this week during SPRING BREAK. Good timing, right?? We tried to be out of the house most of the day every day. The kids loved it because we got to pack a lot of fun things in a short amount of time. We've played and picnicked at the park, spent time at Nannie's and my brother's homes, ate at McDonald's with a Playplace twice, shopped at Target, played at JumpZone, and spent the day at the zoo. (We met the Kemps there. Zoey has grown a foot since I saw her last!) It's been a great week but I am very tired! I didn't have a free hand very often to snap pictures but here are a few!

At the park...

Hanging out at Nannie's

At the zoo (Henry is a big Peter Rabbit fan.)

William made sure we didn't get lost.

I'm really not sure what they were mining for.

Is there room for one more?

A great way to start your day

2009-03-15T07:53:00.001-05:00

Our week

2009-03-13T12:34:00.003-05:00

Sunday afternoon was spent at the rodeo. This was everyone's first rodeo, except for Billy. He said his grandparents took him when he was little.

The weather was gorgeous so we spent a couple of hours at the park on Tuesday. We fed the ducks until they just couldn't eat any more stale bread.

Someone always finds the one mud puddle...

All my preschoolers had "Muffins for Moms" at school this week. Vivian's day was on Wednesday and the boys' was today. Mmmmm, muffins!

Tomorrow morning we are having a benefit garage sale for a special family who will be traveling to South Korea soon to adopt a baby girl. If you know who we are and where we live, come and support this great cause! Rain or shine, we'll be here!

Go Fly a Kite!

2009-03-08T21:33:00.003-05:00

It's feeling like spring again! The weekend weather was warm and breezy--just perfect for Kite Day. Our FCC group gets together each spring for some kite flying, but I think this is the first time we have actually had the weather for it. Did you know that the Chinese first invented kites over 600 years ago? There were some beautiful dragon kites with long tails, but our kids were set with their Disney kites! (Thanks for the photos, Lisa!)

3 months

2009-03-06T20:45:00.002-06:00

Ellen will be 3 months old on Sunday, so I took her today for more pictures. Having portraits done at all the age milestones is a big deal for me. Forget that my house is a disaster and my laundry is piled sky-high! They're only little once and I just want to capture every sweet moment!
She wore the same dress that Vivian did for her 3-month portraits. I only wish she had enough hair to get a bow in!

A little princess

2009-03-05T10:43:00.003-06:00

Vivian went to her friends' birthday party this week. Meg and Blakely (or "Blake-a-ly" as Vivian calls her) are now three! All the little girls dressed up in princess dresses, shoes, and jewelry, and then were treated to a "makeover" with shimmery eye shadow, lip gloss, and nail polish. They were then "presented" to the adoring fans. Too cute!

Eighteen months

2009-03-03T21:10:00.003-06:00

Eighteen months ago today, we met you for the first time. It's amazing how much you have accomplished in such a short time. We are so proud of you, and we are so proud to be your parents! We love you so much!

He's certifiable!

2009-03-02T20:29:00.003-06:00

Billy is officially board certified in family medicine! He took a day-long exam the Thursday before Ellen was born, and he received his certificate from the American Board of Family Medicine in the mail today. Congratulations, Dr. Billy!

A party and some snow!

2009-03-01T12:18:00.005-06:00

Saturday, Nannie took the kids to see their cousins, Jackson and Evan play basketball. We then met up at our cousin Jordan's 2nd birthday. It was held at a local volunteer fire station, so the kids got to climb on some real fire trucks. They all had a blast! I didn't get picture of the birthday boy; he wouldn't stand still long enough for me to snap his picture! We left there to meet Billy's Grandma at Billy's mother's gravesite. It would have been her birthday too. We then went out to dinner with Grandma. Oh, we had some tired kids in a crowded restaurant!!

What's up with this hat?

We woke up Sunday morning to the first (and likely only) snowfall of the year! Rebecca, spotting the white stuff from her window, came downstairs shouting, "It's snowing in my room!" Check out the fashion footwear: plastic shopping bags! You have to do something to keep those feet dry! The kids came back in for a hot chocolate break and then headed out again. I wasn't feeling well so Ellen and I stayed in where it was warm!

Since snow was covering the roads also, we opted not to drive to church that morning. After a big weekend, we all settled in for a Sunday afternoon nap. We overslept and there was no way to get everyone ready to make it to the evening services. Forgive us for being lazy slacker parents, God! Billy did hold a little Bible study for the kids.

My little protectors

2009-02-20T20:31:00.002-06:00

Playing dress-up has become almost a daily activity with the kids. Seeing a little princess prance through the house has become such a common occurence that I have not stopped to snap a recent picture of either of the girls in their finest attire! I couldn't resist these of the boys. They really get into their roles!

William the Great

Henry joins in with his best Power Ranger pose.

Vivian decides to be a Power Ranger and William demonstrates the stance.

I think she's got it!

No post would be complete without the obligatory baby picture! Look how she is growing!

Be Mine

2009-02-17T10:50:00.003-06:00

I was able to be at all the kids' Valentine's Day parties except for Vivian. Hers was on Wednesday and that is the day that I take Rebecca out of school for occupational and speech therapy.

Here is Henry making a candy necklace.

William waits patiently for his valentines.

Together again. The boys are in different classes, but they go to lunch around the same time.

At Rebecca's party. Actually, the whole family went! Vivian really enjoyed sitting next to Rebecca.

Rebecca's kindergarten class

This weekend Billy and I went to a couple's retreat with about 20 couples from our church. We watched a DVD series, entitled "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage," by Mark Gungor. It was hilarious, and we both learned a lot about each other. Billy surprised me with flowers and balloons. He had them delivered to our hotel room before we arrived.
(I hate this picture of me! Now I see where all that weight is that I see on the scales!)

Spa services available

2009-02-11T22:28:00.004-06:00

Daddy gives great pedicures!

Getting the "royal" treatment

I'm thinking the mullet might need a trim.

Inseparable

2009-02-05T10:09:00.002-06:00

Now eight weeks old!

The Year of the Ox

2009-01-31T15:01:00.003-06:00

Last night, we celebrated Chinese New Year with our local Families with Children from China chapter. However, we've recently tweaked the name to Families with Children from Asia since we now have some families who have adopted from Korea and Taiwan. I'm not sure of the final head count, but there were close to 150 people in attendance! It is always wonderful to see so many families formed through adoption together at the same time. There was also a baby shower for the Hammond family who will be traveling to China very soon to bring home their son, Reed.

The kids always like to try their hand at eating with chopsticks.

No chicken fried rice for you tonight, Ellen!

Forever sisters!

Another busy week

2009-01-30T16:55:00.005-06:00

We've had OT/ST, an ENT appointment, a trip to the optician, a school play, and a field trip, along with the day-to-day stuff (which is enough to overwhelm me anyway). In the national news this week, a lady in California gave birth to (relatively) healthy octuplets. If that's not enough, I learned today that she also has 6 children age 7 and under! Can you imagine????

The entire kindergarten at Rebecca's school put on the cutest program yesterday, entitled "Let It Snow." We couldn't get a good photo of the stage from where we were sitting with our mediocre camera, but here are a couple taken after the big show.

This is Rebecca's kindergarten class. There are 3 other classes, so there were roughly 75 kindergarteners on stage singing. They all did so well!

And, speaking of the white stuff, SNOW is finally in the forecast for next week! Wouldn't it be great for the children to see their first big snowfall?

Today, the boys' preschool class took a field trip to Jump Zone. They had been so excited all week; Henry even started squealing in delight as we were driving up to the building this morning.

Of course, Miss Vivian joined us.

William and his friend, Van.

One of Henry's last slides of the day.

Ellen had a blast as well.

And, tonight...our Chinese New Year party!

Just a few pictures

2009-01-27T20:23:00.002-06:00

Good help is hard to find these days!

I love hats and earrings!

The new normal

2009-01-24T21:45:00.002-06:00

I hope next week runs a little more smoothly than this week has! Whew, I'm so glad it's over! Sunday proved to be an emotional day for me--I was 6 weeks postpartum--you figure it out! Monday was a holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Forget about reflecting on history and the meaning of such a special day when you have five kids to care for and there's no school! Tuesday was another day that will go down in our nation's history, the inauguration of America's first African American president. But did I get to watch any of the news coverage? Of course not! Imagination Movers and Caillou demanded our full attention. Plus, William came down with an ear infection and felt lousy.
Wednesday was loaded with fun. William was still sick so he couldn't go to preschool that day. He had to stay with PawPaw and I felt so guilty that I couldn't stay home and take care of my boy. After dropping Henry and Vivian off at preschool, Ellen and I went to pick up Rebecca at school to take her to therapy in Huntsville. After therapy, we ate McDonald's from the drive-thru, and I went and checked her back in school. Ellen and I then ran through the grocery store and grabbed a few things, finishing just in time to pick up Henry and Vivian. We stopped by home so I could put some items in the fridge, and then went out to pick up William. We made it back in time to pick up Rebecca again from school. I think I even managed to make spaghetti for dinner! (Can you say "Super-Mom?" HA)
Even though we didn't get out that much on Thursday, the time at home was rough. We ALL were having a bad day! I decided to make lunch "easy," so I popped some chicken nuggets in the oven. Well, guess, what! My oven burned out! (Forget the fact that it is 30+ years old.) An added bonus was that Ellen had a blow-out in the car seat after we got home from picking Rebecca up at school. Taking the cover off of a car seat to wash it always makes for a good time.
Friday finally came! Not that bad of a day, but I was exhausted!
And today...my dear mother came and got the kids so Billy and I could go and ponder what to do about the oven. We ended up being more confused than we started so we bought a toilet instead! (We have three that need replacing.) Billy thought that he could install it, but it ended up taking 7 hours and 4 trips to Lowe's. But the best part is the unexpected "shower" he received when he overtightened the shut-off valve and about flooded the entire 2nd story! I had to run outside to turn off the main water valve while he tried to hold back the flood with his thumb. At least he was laughing when he came downstairs soaked head to toe! All I could think about was all the laundry he was creating. I had just finished folding and putting away five loads.

Sorry there are no pictures! Who has time to take pictures???

Yes, Henry, it's something like that...

2009-01-23T20:00:00.003-06:00

Tonight, Billy was reading to the children the story of Abraham. He read to them about Abraham packing up his family and moving them far away because God told him to. He talked about how Abraham heard God and obeyed Him. Henry replied, "But I can't hear God talking." Billy tried to explain that God doesn't speak to us like He did to Abraham, but we can read about what God wants us to do in the Bible. Henry: "But I can't read!" O.K., O.K., on to the next part. Billy then read about God's promise to Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Henry's observation: "Whoa, they couldn't even fit in our minivan! I guess he needed a limousine!"

And there are many more just like her...

2009-01-17T20:23:00.002-06:00

It's looking like Rebecca has "skipped" one of her episodes. (Thank you, God!) We're still trying to figure out the pattern. In retrospect from what rambling nonsense the orphanage told us, she likely had been having these for quite a while before her adoption. She had her first one with us after six months, then three in a row about 6 weeks apart, then none for three months, then three in a row, and here we are now waiting on the next.
I have been making sure that she gets plenty of rest because I was anticipating her to get sick. I think it paid off because her transition back to school after the Christmas break was pretty smooth. She had been having a hard time getting back in the swing of things after a break from school. In the beginning of the year, this could just be from the weekend!
Although Rebecca has made HUGE strides since the beginning of school, she still has so many struggles. There is so much more to it than just "catching up." How can a child be subjected to the worst neglect imaginable for the first 6 1/2 years of her life and not be profoundly affected in her development? There are just parts of her brain that have never been stimulated when they were supposed to be stimulated and therefore she has lots of sensory processing problems, among others. I took her this week for further evaluation for occupational and speech therapy. She's getting both of these at school, but in a totally different focus. I was very impressed by the OT. I learned so much about Rebecca's deficits in her development in such a short time. For instance, Rebecca's scapulae are very widely spaced and have an almost a winged appearance. (I really just thought this was the way she was built.) The OT explained that it was her little body's way of stabilizing itself because she was never given the chance to strengthen the muscles of her trunk when she was an infant. The babies in the orphanage lie on their backs for at least the first year of their lives. In Rebecca's orphanage, this was on a wooden board in a metal crib (no mattress, blankets, or pillow). Most of the babies can't even sit up until they are at least a year old. At first my instinct was just to soak up as much information as possible and take it and use the strategies that the OT has given me to take Rebecca back through all of these stages, and I still want to do that, but my anger has set in...
Anger! Anger at a country and government that would allow such neglect on such a large scale. Anger at the orphanage for not giving my daughter better care. There are so many "stories" out there, almost romanticized, about how much the babies are cared for by their ayis (nannies) and that the ayis cry for them when they are adopted. What a crock! If anyone had cared the least bit, why didn't someone pick her up and rock her? Why did she just lie there in that cold crib? She has every physical manifestation that this is exactly what was done to her, and not just as a baby but her entire existence there! She walked like a toddler when we got her and could not maneuver stairs, despite the fact that the room where she slept was on the 2nd floor and there was a so-called "activities" room on the 1st floor! And then there are all of her scars--what happened to her??
And then there is the profound sadness that I feel. I now have this beautiful newborn baby girl who I am able to give all the things to that I could not give to Rebecca. I just hope and pray that I can somehow get all the gaps filled in for her.

Baby pictures!

2009-01-17T08:21:00.002-06:00

Ellen will be 6 weeks old on Monday! We changed her formula again and this one seems to be helping! We've been getting some major smiles since about 4 weeks. Just makes your heart melt!

TEN pounds!

2009-01-09T21:49:00.003-06:00

Ellen had her one month check-up today. She gained a whopping 3 pounds in just 4 weeks, so even though she has tummy troubles, it's not holding her back (takes after her mommy?)! The doc put her on one of the elemental (aka EXPENSIVE) formulas. We'll see after a few days...

Thanks for the advice, Becky B. I want to say that both the boys were worse than Ellen is, because I remember Billy even going out in the middle of the night to take them for a ride in the van. (That was one of the few things that would put them to sleep!) We haven't had to resort to that yet--she just likes to be held constantly. Billy is also a pro at swaddling babies! Ellen looks like a little burrito when he's done.

Growing too fast

2009-01-07T21:42:00.002-06:00

Ellen will be one month old tomorrow (my, how time passes so quickly!). She is becoming more like her brothers every day--COLICKY! She's currently screaming her head off right now as I type. Billy has taken over the rocking for a little while so I can rest my ears! We go back to the pediatrician on Friday, but I know full well what he will say, "She'll grow out of it in a couple of months!" Yes, but will she have a sane mother by then??!!

Here is the little troublemaker! We took the kids to the movies on Saturday. Ellen did very well during the matinee. It would have been a different story had it been an evening movie!

"I love my baby sister!"

Christmas joys

2008-12-30T08:03:00.006-06:00

Rebecca gets a CD that sings her name!

One of four dolls that Vivian received!

We are so ready to tear into these!

Grandma visits, bearing gifts!

Grandma (actually, she's Great Grandma!) finally meets Ellen. Grandma flew back from a vacation in Australia the day she was born and then came down with the flu! We're so thankful she's well again!

William's one request from Santa is filled: a space shuttle!

And Henry's one wish: a Walkin' Talkin' Lightning McQueen!

Nannie & PawPaw's TEN grandchildren (and we have half of 'em)!

Seven of eight little ones were present for dinner at Grandma's.

Since you've seen me, I've had my first real bath,

and my first trip to church!

I also really enjoy keeping my mommy & daddy up at night!!

A few celebrations

2008-12-22T15:40:00.006-06:00

The preschoolers had their Christmas program last Monday and wrapped up their school Christmas parties on Wednesday. I didn't get to go to any of their parties, and William let me know that I was the only mommy that wasn't there. I seriously doubt that, but it made me cry anyway!

Here's Vivian with her giant lollipop and giant smile! She came home with a huge bag of "loot" from her party! How much can a 2-year-old ingest?? By the time I made this picture, she had already devoured an entire full-sized candy cane and a white chocolate snowman. (This monstrosity of a lollipop went in the trash when she wasn't looking.)

Another photo exhibiting Vivian's sweet tooth: Licking the cream cheese icing from Daddy's red velvet birthday cake!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! With help from my mom, the kids put their handprints on a T-shirt for Billy. (We did Ellen's footprint instead, since newborns love to fist their little hands! I was afraid he would see the evidence; she still has some orange paint on the cuticle of her pinky toe.)

While Mom watched the other kids, Billy and I both went to Rebecca's class Christmas party on Friday. Here is Rebecca with her kindergarten teacher.

Rebecca and her special education teacher.