Leah's Night Onstage at the Gospel Barn

Leah got to sing for quite a large audience tonight at the Gospel Barn! 

She did very well!  I am trying to figure out how to get it on here so you can watch...

You will see Arley introducing her.

Sorry about the wiggles... I guess I was sitting in someone's chair and he came and asked me to move while I was videoing!  OH WELL!! 

BTW!  I DID HER HAIR!  She said she liked it even better than the professional job!  I learned from watching her do it though, and from taking it apart!  Hard to put up short hair, now I learned the trick!  She was beautiful once again!

Before and After

Kiahna's 3 week old yarn extensions, BEFORE touch ups...

AFTER:  I took out and replaced all of the extensions along the part and along the scalp line, front and back...

Yes, she normally is sucking those two fingers... and dragging her blankie...

She fell asleep during the re-do process this time...

Graduating from the 5th Grade...

Last night Leah graduated from the 5th grade! It is really cool how big of a fuss the teachers make over them! Because our school is a K-12 school, the graduation for the seniors is set up already for this weekend and the 5th grade gets to use their stage, chairs, and feel very grown up and important!

Leah has been talking about this and very excited for a long time! We bought a new dress, earrings, necklace, shoes... and we got her first UPDO done for this occasion! IMAGINE her dismay at realizing (after the do was done) that she had to put this AWFUL GREY HAT over her beautiful (I just paid to that that done) hair!

She was still beautiful with the ugly gray hat, and we even got it looking nice still this morning so she could wear her beautiful do to school today!

One more day of school after today.

Here are some pictures of last night's event...

Going to the salon for the UPDO...

Jenna Imel, at Unlimited Image, working on Leah's hair...

Finished, dressed, and ready to go...

Okay, pause... anyone thinking what I am... I can do this...

(Which I spent 8 HOURS touching up this week) and yet I have to pay someone to do Leah's hair? Yes, I have issues... HEY!?! Maybe there is a YOUTUBE video for doing updo's I could watch and learn to do Leah's hair too! NO DOUBT there is!

Anyway... walking in... with the pretty gray hat on...

Receiving her "diploma".

Leah and her cousin Cody, at the "party" afterwards with refreshments!

With some of her girlfriends...

And with her teacher, Mrs. Goulet... Thank you, Mrs. Goulet for another wonderful school year! And Thank GOD for wonderful, prayerful teachers in the public schools!

CONTRATULATIONS, LEAH!!!!

Memorial Day Family Fun

We went to one of my sister's houses on Sunday for a Memorial Day gathering and our first bon-fire of the year!  Here are a few of the highlights!

Benjamin, Jadon, and Quinn... this one is sure to make next year's family calendar or BOOK!

Lining up for KICK BALL!

James, exhausted from running the bases!

I can't find any pictures of Zach from that day... don't know where he was hiding, obviously not near me or my camera!

Leah with MARSHMALLOW mouth!

Lucas and Grandma.

Jadon!

Grandpa enforcing Kiahna's TIMEOUT!  oops!

If you love those BIG GIANT hair ballies like I do, I purchased them here. 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE!  WELCOME SUMMER!!!!!

3 Weeks for Kiahna's Hair!

Today is 3 weeks that Kiahna's hair has been in her 140 yarn braids!!  I think that they are still looking really well!!  I think that this style was definitely worth the time it took to put in.  This is the longest any of her styles have ever lasted!  YIPPEE!!

The front of her hair at the scalp is getting a tad fuzzy.  Most people won't think anything about it, I am sure.  It starts to bug me though.  Someone on the  Adoption Hair and Skin Care Yahoo Group, where I learn all these fun things, recommended putting a head band over the fuzzys!  We did that tonight and it was very pretty!  The problem is that I can't let her hair hang loose.  It gets in her way, in her food, and she puts in in her mouth!

Here she is tonight wearing her headband!  I think I will rebraid the front row this week and hope we can make it through Vacation Bible School with this style!  That will be 3 more weeks!!

This first one the headband is pulled back so you can see the fuzzies...

Playing Outside

Now that it is nice enough to play outside...my time in my basement on my computer is limited.  No more just letting them do things like coloring unsupervised...

Hearing them ask for chocolate cake and then finding this wondering if they made some while you were not looking!!

It took me a moment, but I did realize I was ONLY chewed up crayon!  Why not?  It WAS BROWN like chocolate cake!  Maybe it tastes like it too???

Our mangy mother cat moved her kittens into the garage this morning... I promptly moved them out... she promptly moved them back in.  WHAT IS SHE THINKING!  DOESN'T SHE KNOW WHAT THESE CHILDREN (NOT TO MENTION MY VAN) DO TO THINGS LIKE THIS!?!

Oh yeah, they are cute.  (that is my niece Hallie, with Jadon and Kiahna).

But, so far today I have said these things...

"no, kitties can't jump on the trampoline"

"no, kitties don't like to slide"

"no, don't squeeze, strangle, drop the kitty"

"no, kitties don't like to climb trees (at least not WITH you!)

Throw in a "GET AWAY FROM THE ROAD" and a "DON'T UNPLANT THE FLOWERS!" and you get the drift!

REPLANTING...

I'd better go check on them again!!

Gotta love computers... and cameras...

Not sure why that picture of Lucas was such an odd shape and size... gonna try that again!!

I tried that 3 times yesterday on that post and it kept coming up that funny square shape!  WHO KNOWS!?!?!

So, Lucas is opening his gifts on Sunday morning... Jadon was with me in Ft Wayne last week when we stopped at the used video game store and bought the Star Wars Lego Game Boy Game.  Jadon couldn't stand keeping a secret!  But he did good!  That is until Lucas started opening!  Then he says as Lucas opens the OTHER gift!  Is that the STAR WARS GAME BOY GAME WE GOT YOU???

I'm so glad he's so cute!

Not sure what my carmera's problem was on Friday night, but I had to delete most of the pictures I took, they were all blurry.  What setting was I on??  Look at Jadon in that picture... yes, he moves that fast that you can see right through him!!  LOL!!

Speaking of bad pictures... (at least they are better than those I found in my album yesterday!)  After attending an entire season of Swing Choir Events, I finally took my camera.  (Depending on which family member you asked, we may have been to anywhere between 487984793 and 5 events)  The night I take my camera the group is only partially in good light!  Look how dark James looks!!

Here's the group picture...

Nice lighting huh... not the best for a picture, but AWESOME sound in the Decatur Church of God for their last concert!  Their director Brad Byerly is undergoing surgery this week for cancer.  He has been in treatment most of the school year.  Please keep him in your prayers.  He brings praise and worship music into our public school DAILY in this class!  All that this group does is bring music into churches on Sunday evenings. (oh and have parties after each event! Brad's no dumby!!)

Lucas turns 10... a trip down memory lane...

There are definately some birthday's that are monumental. Turning 10 (or any change of decade for that matter!!!!) Is a BIG deal!! Lucas is my youngest biological child. It's been 10 years since I gave birth!! And I am pretty sure that I am still trying to lose the weight I gained from that pregnancy! (okay maybe I lost that weight and it just found me again!!)

I got out the old photo album this morning to scan in a baby picture of Lucas to share with you all. I found all kids of fun things to show you!! One thing I noticed is that THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF ME WITH BABY LUCAS UNTIL HE IS A WEEK OLD!! What is up with that!?! Lots of Jim and the kids with him, but where am I? Oh yes, on the operating table, recovery room, and recuperating from surgery! All 4 bio kids were delivered by C-Section. THANKFULLY!! Lucas was my biggest (they kept growing larger as we went!), weighing in at 9 lbs 9 oz!!

Here he is!!

That's Rick* in the surgery garb, Zach and James watching, and Dad taking video (hey, we weren't totally incompetent parents! At least we took video!

This is the first picture I found with me in it after Lucas was born! And I am not even holding him!!

And this is where Lucas was at 10 days old. ICU at Lutheran Hospital. He had SVT. Supraventricular Tachycardia, a heart rythym disorder. His body was shutting down and his heart was going at close to 200 beats per minute. After a week in ICU, he had a full recovery and has not had any symptoms since! PRAISE GOD!!

Oh, and this was stuck in the album... Rick and I in high school! My senior year, Sunshine Banquet, so technically Rick was out of school.

I found evidence that my older kids may just have been as messy and into things as my younger two are! Here is some proof...

"Helping" with the dishes? Leah on the stool, Zach on the counter.

James and Zach @ 5 and 2 years old...

Reminds me of this one of Jadon this spring!

Leah a mess in her high chair...

One more from memory lane... Lucas at 3 months old...

Lucas at 10 YEARS OLD!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Lucas!! Mom Loves You!!!!

*not his real name.

Preschool, Mother's Day, and Birthdays... oh my...

Add in a stressed out, too busy mom and life is just grand... uhg!!

Jadon had his last week of preschool last week, it included a muddy picnic and a graduation ceremony...

Not getting too close to the edge of the water, right Jadon??

We were walking around the Bison pen. We came upon these geese. The faster the kids went, the fast the geese went, the faster the kids went, the faster the geese went... there was no need for the parents to exercise again that day after that hike! You can see who's little head is in the lead...

Kite flying...

Chasing Bubbles...

Graduation...

He will go to preschool again next fall... but he graduated anyway!

Lucas will turn 10 on May 18th! We celebrated along with Mother's Day and his cousin Whitney's birthday last weekend. This weekend he will have a few boys overnight here!

Lucas now hold the family record for the dirtiest shirt ever...

I tried not to listen, but it was something to do with 4 wheelers, wagons, and dragging behind in the grass... and he is my calm child...

And, me being the miracle mom that I am! Got that shirt clean enough, I think he could wear it in public once again (because of course it was one of the only new ones I bought him this spring!)!! YEAH ME!