MOVING

Yup, the time has come to put this blog to bed. Thank you for following along. It's been great fun, showing off my babies!

If you are interested, you can catch all of us at our homesteadin' blog at:

http://hallland1896.blogspot.com/

JUST ANOTHER ONE

We're in week #2 of our school routine...and it's going pretty well. Ry has been eager to get up and get going...although she did tell me this morning that the day is just too long and she'd like to come home earlier every day. Hmmmm. I have also noticed that the "family unit" isn't coming now for drop-off...it's just the mom or just the dad. Makes for a smaller group but it's still chaotic in that yard.

I gave the nod to one of the Dad's yesterday, whose wife is quite pregnant. I asked if he was getting excited about the new baby coming. This is where my happy mood ended....
He says, "nah, it's just another one." Just what do you say to that statement? Oh I know what I WANTED to say but that just wouldn't be right!!! As I'm imagining a dozen different ways to rip him a new one...I put on my PC face and asked if they knew "what" they were having. He said they didn't know for sure but that it seemed similar to the boys'. When I mentioned no more pink booties, he was adamant that they didn't want any more girls because....wait for it....because they couldn't carry on the family name!!! Geez where have I heard this archaic bull before?!

At this point someone joined the conversation and it turned to sore knees and forklift driving. I hugged Baby J just a little tighter and walked away.....

I don't know if I'm more mad or sad about this latest encounter with another "father of the year".

Just when I think I'm totally "over" not being able to have another baby....no wait that's not right... Just when I think I'm totally "over" the fact that someone deemed us too old to parent another child, I am reminded just how unfair the situation is. Ohhhh I'll cry for the next couple of days and then get "over" it yet again. But always in the back of my mind I wonder where "they" are. You know who I'm talking about....the "they" who checked our health, scrutinized our financial statements, toured our home....all for the "good of the child." Where are "they" when it comes to this unborn child?!?! Where??

VISIT

My sister, a.k.a Auntie Bev, came for a visit last week. It was really good to see her again! For those of you who don't know, Auntie Bev traveled to China with me to receive Baby J almost 2 years ago!! How time flies....

She arrived to excited squeals:

They played:

A little differently then:

They talked about photography:

Just like in China:

J helped her pack:

And made smoochie faces:

One last hug:

.....and she was gone! We miss you already, Auntie Bev!

NEW YEAR, NEW TRADITIONS

Day 3 into the new school year and Rylee is doing great!! We're very proud of her! At the end of last year, I wasn't so sure that she should do a whole school day, but she's handling it quite well. We will continue to pick her up 20 minutes early though, just because she's on overload by the end of the day and can't handle all the chaos of several hundred kids leaving the school at once.

Okay, so on to our new tradition....actually a stolen idea from Penny, but hey I would like to be a memorable Mom too! lol Every day after school, Jayme and I prepare a special "snackie snack" for the big girl. It's been fun coming up with ideas and I'm hoping that Rylee will remember this when she's older.

Yesterday's fare - veggies and dip with a mango smoothie:


The mango smoothie was just orange juice, a banana, frozen mango chunks and some ice. It was a real hit!!

If you have any ideas for "snackie snack" time, please I beg of you, write me!! My creative juices will be all dried up by October, I'm sure! lol

EAT, EAT, EAT

Big Daddy's lunch bag:

Nope, that monstrous bag belongs to a very cute First Grader, who eats like a teenage boy. I've tried to pack/squish it all into one of those "cutesy" Dora lunch bags, but forget it!

....and she's still hungry when she gets home!!

Day 2 sporting their "hippy dippy" outfits:

FIRST DAY OF GRADE 1

First day of Grade 1:

Noooo, you can't go with Ry today:

Rylee's Helper:

Safely heading home with Big Daddy:

....AND THEN SHE WAS 6

I always told Ry that she had to turn 12 to get earrings, but somehow that got changed to 6. lol She's been sooooo very excited about hitting this milestone. So without further ado...the great earring adventure:

Numbing patches on her ears - getting ready to head out:


In the chair and removing the patches:


Ready, set:


Empty chair - where's Rylee??:


Sometime between pulling the patches off and marking a dot on her ear, she decided she would wait until she was 7....or was it 15? lol

Opening some gifts:

....and more gifts:

Eating some "worm" cake:

Just a couple more shots of her goofiness:

.....and then she was 6.