tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52412684674368746612024-02-21T04:15:54.171-08:00The Dawson DiariesKellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-447300924760162562015-12-05T08:18:00.000-08:002015-12-05T08:18:02.461-08:00"Fools"T-Rex is quite involved with her school. This fall their play was "Fools" by Neil Simon. It isn't one of his that I knew, but it was very enjoyable. T-Rex played the postman.<br />
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Essentially, this is a play set in Russia. There is a curse upon the town making everyone incredibly dense and it can't be broken. </div>
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The curse goes back to when the Count wanted to marry a young woman who refused, so he cursed them all. A young school teacher comes to town at the request of the descendants of the young woman's family and tries to break the curse. </div>
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The postman talking to a townsperson</div>
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The Doctor and Wife speaking to the teacher.</div>
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The teacher reading about the curse. </div>
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The townspeople trying to convince the teacher to break the curse.</div>
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The wedding between the teacher and the daughter. </div>
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The urgent letter.</div>
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She really enjoys theater and is involved in an apprentice group for a local theatre as well. She is working in their musical theatre track. Her first performance with them is next week. </div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-89384883278769814602015-10-09T16:31:00.000-07:002015-10-09T16:31:10.355-07:00The SC Flood I'm dusting off this blog for a couple of reasons. ONE - I'm more secure about our son joining our family and if his birth family finds this then I hope they enjoy the pictures. TWO - I've missed it, but not the pressure I was putting on myself to post everyday..... so I'm not doing that this time. THREE - and most importantly my kids pointed out that I have missed documenting some events and they want a record. So I'm starting again. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblKx_NM9t5eB4sBWjNkj_0l2Trcbmq4ME_dt9hOvf5LSBggmRyhnPPymQIV2A62vCUROrumaMDtTqrhIetUGLTBGkDJ73LBSFYpmxRJCKkEeIQyuGMTfmMcAzogvmAUIBP-oWsrdvygb4/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblKx_NM9t5eB4sBWjNkj_0l2Trcbmq4ME_dt9hOvf5LSBggmRyhnPPymQIV2A62vCUROrumaMDtTqrhIetUGLTBGkDJ73LBSFYpmxRJCKkEeIQyuGMTfmMcAzogvmAUIBP-oWsrdvygb4/s400/IMG_2977.JPG" width="300" /></a> We've had a flood in Columbia, a BIG ONE. It really started last week when we had some rain, and then Hurricane Joaquin moved off the coast and our state got caught between two fronts and then the sky opened up and apparently trillions of gallons fell. I made Alex (used to be Big Al, but now she's in college so I'm using her real name) come home from school because I thought her city would be hit worse...... but we were wrong. We have a lot of low lying areas, but we also have a lot of little lakes, with small dams, that breech or break when trillions of gallons fall from the sky. The picture on the right shows one of these lakes that emptied and flowed down the hill destroying so many homes and businesses. No joke... water over cars, and up to the ceilings of homes and businesses and sooooo much damage. We were lucky. Our pond started flowing into our yard, but apparently whatever the problem was it resolved and we were fine. Sadly our neighbors were not so lucky. Roads are washed out, sand eroded out from under them and huge chunks missing. Our water supply is contaminated and the City/State is working to resolve it as soon as possible, but the reality is this will take months to recover from. If the only inconvenience I have is to turn around on a closed street or boil water (ongoing for days now) to drink water, or deal with being out of school then believe me... my family is blessed.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv0s8yaK2Uiu_8vKpNmrLF8Z3dUG_jaYpVocyVXN4PNaP56tpF5pEX8l-JPC7daSWFsdpy1J8BHARBcv7ZLqF2wqlMqj0v_Lx902z4VuGinng_TxX1W-HaXBhQosMlco8qkDRGX8vF_65/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv0s8yaK2Uiu_8vKpNmrLF8Z3dUG_jaYpVocyVXN4PNaP56tpF5pEX8l-JPC7daSWFsdpy1J8BHARBcv7ZLqF2wqlMqj0v_Lx902z4VuGinng_TxX1W-HaXBhQosMlco8qkDRGX8vF_65/s320/IMG_2983.JPG" width="240" /></a> Southern hospitality is a very real phenomenon here. I've watched so many people gather together to try to help each other out. Not because our politicians have failed, or took too long, but because this is what we do. We want to help someone who needs it. We don't care which church is yours, or your ethnicity, or your socio-economic status, we want to help. Thankfully social media has become a HUGE participant as well. Facebook pages are everywhere for missing/found animals, specific neighborhoods in need, and up-to-date postings for many organizations having collection spots, or places for folks to volunteer. One of my friends organized a neighborhood food drive yesterday for the local food bank. The kids and I went and sat, chatted, collected, made sure our neighbors were okay, and then loaded up the first round of donations (food and financial donations) and delivered them. We raised $300.00 and about 1,000 pounds of food. The kids had a blast. <br />
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Today we joined friends (who happen to be my colleagues) at a local church to volunteer. This is not our church, but is highly organized and had a list of folks needing help to move out of their apartments. The lower apartments were flooded, but the upper apartments had to move out too because mold is setting in and the renovations need to begin soon. Many of the units had their power pulled because of the flooding, and many families were trying to move out as fast as they could. Moving supplies and food were available to all residents, and a group of about 20 of us were assigned to 3 families. The first man was ready, and everything went very quickly. The next lady was still packing so we were trying to put clothes in boxes, move large pieces of furniture and play with her adorable little boy too. Blondie, our friend, and I left after that house because we needed to return home, but Cheesie and the Boy stayed to help the last person. She was the widow of a soldier killed in Iraq and really seemed to touch the hearts of my two youngest. They were very impressed with her story and strength. We have two more days to help others, and I'm sure we will work to find something to do. I'm a little worried that we are supposed to get another 1.5 inches of rain tomorrow, but hopefully it only happens in a few areas. I'm still crossing fingers that the coastal cities don't become overwhelmed with the rivers overloaded this weekend. We aren't out of this yet, but we are doing okay.<br />
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Above: Waiting for the adults to finish furniture tetris at a storage unit, the boys were lying on the asphalt while the girls sat on the stairs singing. They really worked hard all day.<br />
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-77853820836258708582013-12-20T16:20:00.001-08:002013-12-20T17:53:14.853-08:00Not what I thought it would be.... As Christmas approaches and I look at our new son, who is right now enjoying family Christmas movie night, I am thinking about how lucky we really are. I was asked today at the bookstore if I wanted to donate a toy to a child in foster care, and I thought, "Lady if you only knew what was under that tree!" It is no secret in my family that I have wanted to adopt forever - literally since I was a child. I used to read books about families that adopted, and then when the blog "thing" started I quickly found adoptive families that I followed. I generally followed blogs about foreign adoption - except for <a href="http://fosterhood.tumblr.com/">fosterhood</a> (because I love her humor), so when Brian wanted to start the process through foster care, I honestly expected the worst.<br />
I thought we would have huge emotional issues, and perhaps mess up what we have going with our daughters. I thought people from DSS would be sort of invasive with their questions, and looking for reasons why we wouldn't work. I thought the child would resent us some because we aren't his first family and lash out with violence or willful misbehavior.<br />
I was wrong.<br />
YES, he leaves everything EVERYWHERE.... but cheerfully picks them up when reminded. He would rather play games and build with Lego than go to school, but he didn't have the successful start our daughters had. He doesn't hit anyone, but has asked if we do - and was visibly relieved that we don't. After school he runs to the house to drop his things on the floor, but then runs back to either help Blondie or me get the rest of the things out of the car. He grudgingly put in time to learn multiplication (the first hole in education we plugged) and when he saw that it got easier, he was proud of himself. He came here playing mature video games that we don't generally allow anyone under 16 to play, and doesn't ask any more. He raked the yard to earn money to buy his birth sisters Christmas presents, and then gave me a one-armed hug when I paid for them myself. The two times he has gotten really frustrated it was more about missing his first family than anything else. The homework struggle is going to continue for awhile, but I think it has to do with lacking skills, and testing boundaries. He is learning that 100% of the time I won't let him slack on the work. He doesn't believe in Santa Claus, but is checking out where the Elf hides EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.<br />
The folks at DSS have been nothing but kind, and working like crazy with us to make everything work. They've seen the craft closet all over the floor, and didn't bat an eye. I had the GAL show up with one hour notice and not worry that the backpacks were still in the entry way, and the beds were unmade that day. When they heard my grandfather passed away they pushed through paperwork so we can take The Boy with us over break - keeping in mind they are all about to start their own vacations with their families. They have given up evenings and Saturdays to work around our schedule to visit with him, and delivered Christmas presents to his sisters for us, as well as work to keep the kids connected.<br />
The birth family is still a bit of a mystery for me as to how it will work out. Right now it doesn't sound like a good idea to call them, and I think it would upset The Boy. I really would prefer something where he could write letters, or email them, but I think that will be down the road when birth mom is healthier. Right now when he tears up (has happened a couple times) I agree with him that, "it sucks" what happened to him, but when he is able to see first mom again she is going to be so proud of him. I am glad though that he is starting to process all that has happened in the last few years because apparently he didn't talk about it at all in foster care. In the meantime we're going to call his older sister periodically, and keep plugging away at school one goal at a time. We'll work on what he wants to call us, and how to pick up toys when we want to do something else, and just keep taking it one day at a time with our son.Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-10870921885194425982013-12-05T14:15:00.000-08:002013-12-05T16:12:49.996-08:00Photo Shoot part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The pictures on the last post were my husband Brian's. While he was taking those, my Mom had these going.....</div>
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This is our American Bulldog/Boxer mix. She is honestly the best dog we have ever had in our house. She thinks she is in charge of the kids and follows them everywhere. If they get too rough she intervenes. If they swim out too far she goes after them and circles them until they come in.</div>
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Here is Blondie with Maggie. </div>
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Mom got some great pics of Big Al and her friend "C." I like the ones of them looking more natural...... although this picture was really of "C" being incredibly uncomfortable. </div>
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Mom selected this place in the college owned gardens near our house. I love the peeling paint. </div>
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"L" had some gorgeous pictures too. Hope she gets them for her mom for Christmas, or at least copies her on the email. </div>
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I wish I could share the family picture she took of all of us, but I'm not allowed to share pics of "the boy" yet. Soon we hope. If you liked these photos let my mom know in the comment section below. She isn't sure she is ready yet to turn this into a business. </div>
<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-3566055470635112662013-12-01T14:18:00.000-08:002013-12-01T14:18:32.205-08:00Family Photo Shoot - probably part 1. I gave my Mom and Brian the task of getting fall pictures of all of the kids, and a family portrait. I want them all put on canvas for my kitchen wall. Mom had previously taken the other four out and taken pics, but Big Al was always busy. Today didn't have any major plans, so we took all of them, plus Big Al's boyfriend "C" and her friend "L" out as well. The boy was with us today too, I just can't post his picture yet.<br />
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While Mom took Big Al, C, and L, Brian grabbed Blondie and T-Rex and photographed them. Mom is going to send the pictures she took a little later.<br />
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Mom had taken the other kids to this path, and I wanted Big Al there too. Big Al was more interested in pictures with her friends. </div>
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Some were serious......</div>
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some involved hair flipping....</div>
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others were just hilarious. </div>
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Some of us got bored waiting for our turn..... </div>
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and took their sister's iphone (birthday present) and started shooting a bunch of selfies. </div>
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We caught up with my sister and my nephew, Super S, and had a great time playing with him. </div>
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Big Al has just celebrated her 17th birthday, so it was a great time to commemorate the occasion. </div>
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While Big Al and C were snapping pics with my Mom, L and I tried to photobomb...... but SOMEONE WOULDN'T JUST TURN THE CAMERA AND INCLUDE US...... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KWMZQMtV93_OAR4e7xtXZaBCi-EglkDYw60KuzjBW1kq251ZABtZmnPD0Ctmug4lGTZLeb_F2JvCVbS-bN0R2AGAcybkT4zAP5JxgGNJK96VhLMeXXfIrHiDDoBFoX7iUzZ8HqERGIEx/s1600/2013Dec01_0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KWMZQMtV93_OAR4e7xtXZaBCi-EglkDYw60KuzjBW1kq251ZABtZmnPD0Ctmug4lGTZLeb_F2JvCVbS-bN0R2AGAcybkT4zAP5JxgGNJK96VhLMeXXfIrHiDDoBFoX7iUzZ8HqERGIEx/s640/2013Dec01_0936.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So we were busted. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK94JxT900BrZJ-44UKqDszMHCQhQhQYNxbrXt-NQGZSvTkjoslOWdnlH8gYy6jfVDpJ3Thz4hL6WV8STmXeUp9DTzWTXyBqRdxeU2CR-UTppaLBUZ2_FKERkZ8MFc1nQmW7fM6mv4a0c/s1600/2013Dec01_0940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK94JxT900BrZJ-44UKqDszMHCQhQhQYNxbrXt-NQGZSvTkjoslOWdnlH8gYy6jfVDpJ3Thz4hL6WV8STmXeUp9DTzWTXyBqRdxeU2CR-UTppaLBUZ2_FKERkZ8MFc1nQmW7fM6mv4a0c/s640/2013Dec01_0940.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
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T-Rex hates taking pictures, but was sort of game for today. She is enjoying high school, and finished up cross country with a lot of personal records. </div>
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Little people who get bored want to do what their older cousins are doing, and try to jump the benches.</div>
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Then our crew headed home. When Mom sends some of the ones she took I'll post those too. </div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-78494394390124943622013-12-01T13:13:00.003-08:002013-12-01T13:13:55.933-08:00Whirlwind 4 weeks In the last post I mentioned how Brian and I, and the girls had met the boy. That Thursday he came over for Halloween. We dropped him back with foster mom, and then picked him up Friday for his first weekend. We knew it was the right match 100% when it felt good all weekend, and we didn't want to take him back. It seemed rather pointless, and he thought so too. The next weekend he mentioned it as we took him back too. It's dark, and Brian, Big Al and I are in the car with him, and he says, "This is stupid, when am I moving in?" And that was it. We called the adoption worker, who then spoke to him, and since we were all on the same page he moved in on the following weekend. <span id="goog_1766066992"></span><br />
The only bumps happened at school, but nothing major - probably typical for any boy changing schools...... and families. He seems to have settled right in. He tests boundaries, especially homework, but so far he knows we mean everything, and we haven't had to do much. <br />
Thanksgiving was fantastic. My mom, Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Sister and Nephew joined us. He has handled every meeting of family very well, but we know he can only handle a few people at once. The "rules" say we can't post his picture or his name, so that left me in a mess with the blog. The name is easy, all of my kids have pseudonyms, but the pics are tough. I think we'll try the blurred out face, or sticker over his face until court his over with. We are waiting on an adoption date.... sometime between now and Christmas. He asked me yesterday what was taking so long, and I told him it wouldn't change anything, and that seemed to reassure him. So, be patient with me as I either edit pics for shots without him, or the back of his head, or some smiley face pasted over his, but ultimately I don't want him to feel left out of the family blog. He knows the rules, and he understands the reasons, and he knows we would put him in if we could. We're content with starting his new scrapbook of pictures, and listening to him when he speaks of his first family, and how frustrated he is that some kids can go back and he couldn't. He is very matter of fact about this whole process and his finding his way each day. On our end we are trying to prioritize what we have to work on so as not to overwhelm him, and spend a lot of time with him so he knows he can come to us. It is definitely a worthy process.Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-52133622322796307972013-10-27T18:00:00.000-07:002013-10-27T18:00:21.536-07:00We've met the boy! Almost 2 weeks ago we received a phone call from dss about a boy. He is 9 and they wanted to know if he was too old for us. We told them we were interested (he is slightly younger than Cheesie) and they set up an appointment to hear his story. Last Tuesday we went in and they had his entire file there. It included his history with dss, medical info, school records and a few pictures. We listened to his history, saw his picture and then were sent home with the rest of the information to discuss it. We were allowed to call 24 hours later and accept, so they set our first visit up for Saturday.<br />
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Yesterday, Brian and I went without the girls to meet him at a local gym with a rock climbing section. We gave the boy a choice between batting cages (he likes baseball), rock wall climbing, or the zoo. He chose the destination, and we were thrilled. We ended up arriving 15 minutes early, and the social worker arrived 15 minutes late..... so Brian and I paced a LOT! The guy at the counter was getting nervous just watching us and asked us if we were okay. Once we explained the situation he just sat back and giggled at our nervous energy. As soon as the social worker drove up we ran down the steps, and tried not to mow the kid over. He was also super nervous, so we introduced ourselves, and got him moving into the building to give him something to do. Once he had his gear, we walked to the back and the belayer hooked him up. I realized pretty quickly that this boy was related to spiderman. He ran right up those walls, and when he got stuck he would take a second and look at the wall to figure it out. He did an excellent job. At some point I explained to the belayer what we were doing (when the boy was up by the ceiling) and he just melted. Apparently he has worked with all sorts of kids as well as just started working at our local children's home as a cabin manager. The Boy did a fabulous job, and chatted with us a lot. He spent time answering both of our questions. At one point he watched a grown man struggle on a route that he just knew he could do, and whispered to me, "Watch this." Then he went to the belayer who hooked him up, and scampered right up that wall. He felt so proud of himself.<br />
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After the gym we took him to a cupcake place and sat and chatted. He didn't know what to ask so we told him all about the girls and the dogs. We talked about family and what we like to do for fun. At one point his social worker asked if he wanted to see us again and his face lit up and he said, "Yes! They are nice." So we set a time to meet with him today.</div>
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Today's visit involved the girls. All of us were excited about our trip to the zoo to meet up with him. My mom and sister decided to meet up with us as well. His foster mom drove him half way (they live on the other side of town, and she is an absolute angel to drive him to meet us) and we picked him up in a parking lot. Brian and I went to meet him, and I asked if he was nervous. "Yes ma'am, I am VERY nervous," he said. He got right in the big car with them, and just sort of sat quietly. At the zoo he tended to stick by Brian or I, and we were pleased to discover one of his interests seems to be animals. I finally have a naturalist kid to hang out with! He pointed out a mockingbird to my mom, and then would periodically give us random facts about animals. Once he loosened up we saw the "typical boy" type behavior from him - jumping up on curbs and benches to walk on them, and then at one point telling me that Gorilla's eat their own vomit...... great...... and wouldn't you know just as he is telling me that the Gorilla barfs and ....... well you know..... he was right. </div>
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After the zoo we ran to find him a Halloween costume because his saint of a foster mom is willing to have him come here on Thursday (I"ll meet her half way) and trick or treat. Then it is back to her house for the night. When our day was over and we drove back to the parking lot to meet up with her he looked a little down that the time was over. I think he was just getting the hang of things. The plan --- from the social workers point of view----- is for him to spend weekends here and then move in over Winter Break - before Christmas. If the boy and Brian have anything to do with it, it will happen sooner. </div>
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We feel so lucky to have been matched with him, and despite all of the waiting over the last 7.5 months of finished paperwork, we are thrilled to be moving forward. </div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-25622126455237971602013-10-13T10:09:00.002-07:002013-10-13T10:09:56.824-07:00My kids are One- Handed Design Engineers My younger two girls are deeply immersed in the rubber band bracelets craze. A few weeks back, as we were moving bedrooms around, Blondie's loom went missing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYmWNq_0McllG7A0d0KhY3-bu9fTwzo5bSzd5zMYNMBnfWVBMvJjbOTRuR3Sa72QnyTtaSDbwCyhJyfxr_opOZBaYT__yBCVeZeT4jrUsnQ8dV0yZu8unf8rar2IMXz1O8mfuzkQ0TQig/s1600/20131006_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYmWNq_0McllG7A0d0KhY3-bu9fTwzo5bSzd5zMYNMBnfWVBMvJjbOTRuR3Sa72QnyTtaSDbwCyhJyfxr_opOZBaYT__yBCVeZeT4jrUsnQ8dV0yZu8unf8rar2IMXz1O8mfuzkQ0TQig/s320/20131006_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This has created problems because Cheesie uses her loom all the time, and Blondie can only borrow it when she is gone. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwF8DLOhEHPQgYlGJ5Ggw9z8ByHEeHuN19MjbWisn_a7pgKH4nCoB9JW-L4Sv0d7N0mtx3IzDxyVVPAft0MEKeWjHJ3dmxK_qpb8w9Oks7NPHPmmqSAMweucfpFlSLOrULXM7oBux-DMJ/s1600/20131006_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwF8DLOhEHPQgYlGJ5Ggw9z8ByHEeHuN19MjbWisn_a7pgKH4nCoB9JW-L4Sv0d7N0mtx3IzDxyVVPAft0MEKeWjHJ3dmxK_qpb8w9Oks7NPHPmmqSAMweucfpFlSLOrULXM7oBux-DMJ/s320/20131006_0024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I understand it, a father made the above loom for his daughters and they used orthodontic type rubber bands for them. It's something all of the 9-12 year olds are doing around here (even the boys). As a STEM teacher, I fully believe in kids making their own items and feeling productive, as well as designing new ways to work. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMfK9hLzOtCwEGyshsrqGQ3BpOZFFS6oHnR52vaFJtivIB0Xj30Pdi8GmOMRXta4mDx3rZcFNGjxhVkllpEdVlneJdCoXpuIRa9sU68CCQQQQ-79uNn2I9HAYG-kX6k6Uxapl8fg_8z6y/s1600/131013_0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMfK9hLzOtCwEGyshsrqGQ3BpOZFFS6oHnR52vaFJtivIB0Xj30Pdi8GmOMRXta4mDx3rZcFNGjxhVkllpEdVlneJdCoXpuIRa9sU68CCQQQQ-79uNn2I9HAYG-kX6k6Uxapl8fg_8z6y/s320/131013_0355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cheesie was on pinterest (she really is getting addicted) and found an example of the picture above (original at <a href="http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2013/10/lil-loom.html">http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2013/10/lil-loom.html</a> ) and made it for Blondie to use. She thought Blondie could hold it in her left hand but it kept sliding around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAiGKAMb_R2iBebiZgMBbZIWKQkCB5EmHodWoFxt2Kn3zvSCiNLPhHS0wObG6ACaiZi6rK0KUvpawJtRgl6GWijzxi-1Ca47yMtFwcq6dcqiNVfnrC8YzcVIfTxee1nK0UST1fyUUGhOy/s1600/131013_0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAiGKAMb_R2iBebiZgMBbZIWKQkCB5EmHodWoFxt2Kn3zvSCiNLPhHS0wObG6ACaiZi6rK0KUvpawJtRgl6GWijzxi-1Ca47yMtFwcq6dcqiNVfnrC8YzcVIfTxee1nK0UST1fyUUGhOy/s320/131013_0357.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cheesie then added legs to it by adding 4 push pins to the bottom, thinking it would just sit on Blondie's leg. That didn't work either. Blondie thought about it, and added in the corn cob holder, so now her left hand can try to hold it, or be placed on top of it to keep it still while she works on her lap. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjUewgc8R7MqTK2VIeL1IdAxIC5Oz4hx7-yfhyphenhyphenuBa5nucT6I8uFR9DDefpl3vhbbietDdo-0UwkKNVOGXv5t3c-6cpwRldvwfd9CPxh1De-bHj-XUyIfncyUbTkHSL-XV6snBHj7uGTa8/s1600/131013_0356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjUewgc8R7MqTK2VIeL1IdAxIC5Oz4hx7-yfhyphenhyphenuBa5nucT6I8uFR9DDefpl3vhbbietDdo-0UwkKNVOGXv5t3c-6cpwRldvwfd9CPxh1De-bHj-XUyIfncyUbTkHSL-XV6snBHj7uGTa8/s320/131013_0356.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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VOILA! My kids are brilliant. </div>
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Below is a video of Blondie explaining their design process. Sometimes it just takes a little while to figure out a new way to do something. It shouldn't stop anyone from trying something new. </div>
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Okay. I'm going to have to work on this later. Youtube isn't cooperating.<br />
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-285461258504863842013-10-13T07:22:00.001-07:002013-10-13T07:22:31.564-07:00Family Fair Winner (10/7) Brian entered the photography contest at the State Fair and received an email saying he won with one of his pictures. The other one (which I actually preferred) didn't make it in because so many had entered similar pictures of the popular landmark. The merit award winning photo was taken of Congaree during a pretty high flood. The reflections in the photo are wonderful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZFOt4UsgshylJKfjVB9-TaCi9Jx5d5k0Evy731YUUCWk2wjxRclpyyn77Pz-AcHvBBjtvoLckyDGjpxYfi2PoM03eAXTsbGc6i7MTEiOtHWCJQjTjXa7vuJj_qBsGJ2clKbYFBQDj4pb/s1600/20131006_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZFOt4UsgshylJKfjVB9-TaCi9Jx5d5k0Evy731YUUCWk2wjxRclpyyn77Pz-AcHvBBjtvoLckyDGjpxYfi2PoM03eAXTsbGc6i7MTEiOtHWCJQjTjXa7vuJj_qBsGJ2clKbYFBQDj4pb/s640/20131006_0026.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
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We were invited to a reception Sunday night for the award ceremony. Photography was located up on the balcony, and all of the merit winners were hung in the middle. I don't know what criteria was used, it seems so subjective to judge art. There were many pictures that I really loved that didn't earn a ribbon, and others I "didn't get" that did well. I took plenty of college art classes and understand ideas of contrast and composition but some of them just didn't grab me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOZrTArV60SZ2L8wAXl1FKa_Qa09P3OHsx_pAP-E-_zT4AK6OyCSjmOQLwbYempd_ExAXL7ej8Ks2NjkXylaXCqvK33o9e7dMiRM6rg44OVP4TIhR3zdKHP3aG3rnuYwo8L0JoekURQ3g/s1600/20131006_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBOZrTArV60SZ2L8wAXl1FKa_Qa09P3OHsx_pAP-E-_zT4AK6OyCSjmOQLwbYempd_ExAXL7ej8Ks2NjkXylaXCqvK33o9e7dMiRM6rg44OVP4TIhR3zdKHP3aG3rnuYwo8L0JoekURQ3g/s400/20131006_0029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We looked through all of the photography, and then moved down to the main floor with the art. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SJr65F1Gt6FmmqySwpBBFvad_Z3h8X5rm8X_pujEGq7hl_mPpbeHeu3bAIwFYbtAQ7gXNgdDuihTxCmCQ3u3Kc-Jay-oB2cXCn7FDqX90-s9tIoGe5u2zR0eAQsZhHGiX7e9XXCWfvwU/s1600/20131006_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SJr65F1Gt6FmmqySwpBBFvad_Z3h8X5rm8X_pujEGq7hl_mPpbeHeu3bAIwFYbtAQ7gXNgdDuihTxCmCQ3u3Kc-Jay-oB2cXCn7FDqX90-s9tIoGe5u2zR0eAQsZhHGiX7e9XXCWfvwU/s400/20131006_0028.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The awards were handed out down there, and the artists were recognized. </div>
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The coolest thing was to just step back and watch people look at his photo. Several people took photos of it, and one man led a long discussion about where the water line was in the photo. He couldn't really figure it out though because to find it you have to understand that the rails in the picture lead down a ramp, and it was shot higher. We stayed for quite awhile listening to others talk about it. </div>
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I am so proud of Brian for his creativity.</div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-8281356744790640762013-10-13T07:07:00.000-07:002013-10-13T07:07:17.972-07:00Busy, Busy, Busy (Saturday 10/6) Saturday started early for T-Rex. She was on a bus at 6:30 headed to a cross country meet in Charlotte.... I showed up much later. I did decide to go a little earlier than her race so I could do a little Christmas shopping (with 4 kids, I start early).<br />
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I was looking forward to the Cross Country meet because we were going to have both the boys and girls team stay afterwards at the park and have a potluck. It is a super group of teens, and I know a few of the parents. Everyone seems to pitch in and help where they can. The course was interesting because it wound through the woods, around a large pond, around the soccer fields, back around the pond and then to the finish. So some of the front runners connected up with the end group. <br />
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T-Rex is on the left, having just passed a teammate.</div>
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As she continued on she could see the next competitor from another team...</div>
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and then caught and passed her. </div>
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Here she is continuing on around to the finish line. It was brutally hot (running at 12:30 that day and it had to be in the high 80's). The girls looked exhausted. There was definitely a lot of great food and friendship afterwards. T-Rex did well and PR'd. A few days later she was award runner of the week because of her improvement and her positive attitude - which is true - I've never heard her complain about going to a practice, or whining that it is too hot. </div>
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After we got home I helped Cheesie finish a Halloween wreath she saw on pinterest. I had to help tie the tulle because it was a bigger job than she thought. It now looks cute on my door. I am a little worried that she has discovered pinterest - I don't want it sucking up all of her free time (of course, I don't know where she gets it from, cough cough)</div>
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I must have had a lot more energy because after Brian went to bed (he wasn't feeling well today) I pulled out a ladder, a water bottle, and a scraper and went to town on the popcorn ceiling in the entryway. It took about an hour and a half because I tried to clean as I went, but definitely feeling that one more ceiling is well on its way to looking great.</div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-88142979294431339252013-10-04T19:22:00.000-07:002013-10-04T19:26:30.521-07:00Grandma's Gala..... with Zombies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last fall, my mom was selected as one of ten photographers chosen to capture the extreme coolness of a building called 701 Whaley. It is near one of the old mill villages. The front half (a former store front) had already been renovated into chic party venues, offices and loft apartments, but the back needed to be documented before the next phase of construction began. So mom spent a bunch of hours photographing an indoor pool with trees now growing out of the tile, surrounded by a wall, and a former gymnasium turned machine shop. Three of my kids were used as models (Big Al was cheering all the time so she wasn't available) and traipsed out to the enclosed pool to participate. I'm glad Brian went with them instead of me because I might have stopped the whole thing once I saw the broken glass, debris and mice scurrying around. </div>
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Thursday night the photos were all posted and an opening night celebration was hosted by the swanky folks. We dressed up (minus Big Al, who was again at cheer practice) and headed out. We quickly found mom's photos and as we're walking along viewing all of the work we hear, "I KNOW YOU" and BAM a man we don't know is talking to Cheesie. She was thrilled to be recognized (and her confidence built each time it happened). </div>
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Here, Cheesie is posing with her famous portrait. She was wearing a swimsuit (in Dec.) and had gotten cold waiting for her turn when mom snapped it. </div>
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Blondie and Cheesie also were in one together where they are decked out for swimming, but very disappointed in the condition of the pool. I think you can click on the pic above to see the finished portrait. </div>
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We told T-Rex that hers looked like an album cover. At some point a lady was asking her "what were you thinking as you posed for that picture." T-Rex came up with a deep answer, but the truth was she was "staring into space for Grandma." </div>
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We went on a tour of both the pool and the machine shop. The latter will be turned into a theater (the renderings are gorgeous). The pool will be another banquet type space with a glass floor over the old pool. We wandered back over to the party......</div>
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and saw these two walking toward us. They (their company is called Unbound) had been leaning on the building outside and kind of lolling around on the ground, when somebody opened the door and let them in. Eventually they ended up in the main performance space. They wandered through the crowd and eventually settled against a wall. </div>
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We finally talked Cheesie into standing close to them while we took a picture, but she wasn't sure that was allowed, so she sort of stood there...... like a zombie..... but smiling. My sister and I jumped in to show her how to ham it up, but she wasn't buying it.</div>
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Blondie did a MUCH better job, but it is hard to look terrified when you're giggling. The group must have some sort of rule about not touching small children (obviously kids might get a little freaked out), but they realized Blondie was game pretty quickly. </div>
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We joke in our family that, in case of a zombie apocalypse, T-Rex would be our family MVP because of her archery, fencing, cooking and sewing skills. Funny enough, she wasn't too sure about these people at all. At one point she put ME between her and all of the zombies. We finally convince her to move closer to them and HER WORST NIGHTMARE HAPPENS......<br />
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This one moved off the wall and TOUCHED HER. Apparently teens and up are exempt from the "polite distance" rule. Even once this happened we couldn't get her to act out being terrified. She just laughed an "Oh my Lord did this just happen" kind of laugh. </div>
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Look at the detail in these people though. They were AWESOME.</div>
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Brian captured some great pictures of this troupe.</div>
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And then, OF COURSE the music started...</div>
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Sorry for the dark quality of the video - it wasn't lit for stage. Once these guys were finished they just zombie walked out the door and down the street. </div>
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After the Zombies, Brian asked the girls to pose against the same wall. I think T-Rex was still traumatized. </div>
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We walked around and chatted with more people, met up with my other sister Christy, and ended the evening by watching the silk artist. She is a friend of my sister Natalie and performs both silks and trapeze. </div>
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Cheesie loved the act - it fits right in with her dance and tumbling. </div>
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A fabulous night. The pictures will be up for a few months if you happen by. Look for the girls, they would be thrilled to know you saw the artwork. My mom is an excellent photographer so if you need anything "done" I can put in touch with her. </div>
<span id="goog_1697923393"></span><span id="goog_1697923394"></span><br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-72476478551439222182013-10-04T18:00:00.000-07:002013-10-04T18:00:10.301-07:00On the Job We have a tradition in our family, that we celebrate the first day of school with ice cream. Big Al couldn't join us because SHE WAS AT WORK.<br />
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For some reason she didn't want her picture taken......</div>
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She has only been at it for a couple weeks, but they have been wonderful with working around school and sports. </div>
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While she looks forward to the paycheck, I look forward to all of the things this will teach her. </div>
<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-47671975565226717192013-08-24T17:17:00.000-07:002013-08-24T17:17:25.911-07:00Friday Night Lights and Saturday Morning Races Since the school year has started, the sports season has kicked into high gear. Big Al's first football game of the season was last night. The problem is that she is a Varsity cheerleader, and at Varsity games all of the students stand throughout it.... which leads to camera issues.<br />
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They had a great game and beat the other team quite easily.</div>
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At the end of the game the girls have to sing the school song.</div>
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Last year at a game, Big Al let this little girl hold her pom poms for a little bit. Ever since then, the little girl (who comes to watch her brother play) has idolized Big Al. At the end of the game she came running down to the front to talk to her, and was so excited that Big Al remembered her. It was a great reminder for my daughter that little girls are watching everything she does, and to be a good role model. I love that she took the time to speak to the little one and probably made her night!</div>
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After getting home fairly late we were up super early to take T-Rex and her friend to their Cross Country meet. </div>
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The Varsity team was awesome, and placed very well. This is a great group of girls who have really made sure to include the younger girls. Their leadership skills are obvious. </div>
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After the Varsity girls', and JV boys' race it was the JV girls turn. T-Rex took her place in her first official race. </div>
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There were TONS of teams there (this picture shows maybe half of them). They were spread out across the field and had to sprint across before being funneled through a chute. The race wound through the woods, and over sand and roots, so the girls had a narrow route to follow. </div>
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T-Rex at the beginning.</div>
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After she started we walked over to another viewing point before they all disappeared into the woods. You could tell she was starting to hurt at that point.</div>
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Finally she finished and I know she was exhausted. She didn't beat her personal best time, but it was a much harder course to run than the scrimmage. I'm proud of her for finishing though because I know not everyone takes on this type of challenge. </div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-3327314064891081642013-08-21T17:07:00.000-07:002013-08-21T17:07:03.039-07:00First Day of School - 2013-2014 A hectic first day of school as all 4 are up at the same time (as well as Brian and I trying to get ready for work). Big Al has an early class, so she and T-Rex have joined us in the morning rush. <br />
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Blondie was the first out the door for 6th grade. Brian dropped her off at her middle school magnet, and she has come home saying she loves 6th grade (I hope that feeling lasts).<br />
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Cheesie and I were next for the drive to fifth grade. She is very excited, and LOVES her teacher. She is already working on her first project, and thrilled with the ideas they discussed today.<br />
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T-Rex and Big Al left last, so I had to grab them as they were..... without shoes. T-Rex is headed to 9th grade and then went straight to cross country practice. Big Al is in 111th and is still cheering, and has added a job to her list of places to be. Both came home optimistic about this year. <br />
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I am still teaching 5th grade STEMs, am team leader, and mentoring an intern. I think my students are awesome, and I'm really looking forward to helping them find out how cool learning can be.Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-65141960444375123892013-08-18T17:25:00.001-07:002013-08-18T17:25:53.788-07:00Cheesie turns 10 Today is Cheesie's 10th birthday. Yesterday she had a party with friends and today was the family gathering. <br />
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With her friends she decided on an art theme. So we set up a long table in our library and the girls got started with the painting. </div>
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When they finished they came in and opened presents,</div>
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had an ice cream cake, </div>
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and disappeared up into Cheesie's room. I don't know what they were doing up there but it involved a lot of thumping on the floor, shrieking and yelling excitedly at each other. </div>
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Once the paintings were dry we managed to corral them all for a photo op before the parents came to pick them up. </div>
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For the family party she chose to have her special dinner of Ham and Mac and cheese (homemade). Her grandma, Aunt Christy (with Cate and Super S), and Aunt Amy (with cousin CJ) came to help celebrate. </div>
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It was nice to see everyone, and wish CJ the best with starting Kindergarten tomorrow. </div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-77923963873666762642013-08-16T17:23:00.002-07:002013-08-16T17:23:39.827-07:00Cross Country Scrimmage T-Rex decided to try the Cross-Country team at her high school this year. We thought it was important for her to be part of a group (she'll be in orchestra too) as well as participate in a sport besides fencing. She has gotten up early all summer to run for 2 hours with the team and really enjoys the girls. Today was their first scrimmage. T-Rex hoped to beat 40 minutes because she didn't really have an idea as to how much time it would take her to run this 5K. <br />
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When I got there it was POURING DOWN RAIN. I tried to take pictures but was forced back to the car and missed the start.<br />
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But I did see her running this leg of the race...... </div>
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I stood at the finish line with a bunch of other parents yelling for all of our high school girls. AND THEN FINALLY.......<br />
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T-Rex came over the hill. </div>
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She finished at 36 minutes and 42 seconds.... which is good for your first time out. I am proud of the perseverance she has shown this summer, and glad that she has found something she enjoys. Now, she has a time to beat at the next meet. I'm looking forward to watching that time come down!<br />
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-19657907726281541842013-08-05T20:48:00.000-07:002013-08-05T21:05:57.436-07:00Botany Bay - the second tripWe couldn't resist heading back to Botany Bay with the rest of the family, and adding in my sister and her two kids..... so 11 of us descended on the island for a day of fun.<br />
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Brian drove with my mom, Blondie and Cheesie. They left super early because Brian wanted time to photograph everything, I was bringing teens, so we left about 3 hours later.</div>
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It was pretty deserted for awhile, and gave Blondie a chance to find shells</div>
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and Brian time to photograph.</div>
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They swam</div>
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and jumped the waves (yes, Blondie jumps)</div>
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and posed for Dad's endless photo requirements.</div>
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One thing I didn't write about last week was the amazing pelican patrols on the beach. Long lines of them fly up and down the beach. Brian got this great shot of a pelican diving for the fish. </div>
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With a very hot day there is zero shade on this beach. The minute you head for the trees that are thick enough for shade you get eaten by the mosquitoes so it is WAY BETTER to improvise and camp out..</div>
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because then the teens show up and the FUN begins!</div>
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I swear these four spent all day getting pounded in the waves. They dove through them, rode over them, got bashed up, and went back for more. </div>
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My nephew "Super S" came for his first trip to the ocean. His mom was smart and brought a giant umbrella. <br />
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He didn't need it for long though, he LOVED the ocean. No fear, no tears (until he got tired). He spent a lot of time laughing and crawling in the water, looking at the mud and waving around shells.<br />
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And if he got bored there were lots of cousins, and his sister to play with.....<br />
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when they weren't messing around in the ocean...<br />
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OR the pluff mud! My niece is in college, but loves to have fun<br />
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and sometimes drags her cousins into it with her<br />
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And while the Pelicans flew overhead</div>
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some took a break before doing it all over again. </div>
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**I will finish this post tomorrow with some pics of the high tide, and HOW HIGH it really got. I also learned a lot about the erosion of this place from the volunteer. It really illustrates why we need our dunes. Stay tuned.**<br />
<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-59123264417364272032013-07-28T15:08:00.002-07:002013-07-28T15:26:43.832-07:00Botany Bay Botany Bay is a place I have wanted to go for over a year. We had planned to go as a family, and take a few friends, but Brian woke up sick, and then T-Rex and Blondie opted out because we had been in the car all day on Friday to see Cameron. So, I packed up Cheesie, Big Al, her friend "M", my mom Cathy, my friend Karen, and we headed out.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jy-N3dsHS2gTIhf0dA8IbKUrx_r_WMjGXCmEkMlQ1_ZOj4zqlxvfr-diwD1l7XYC8d8DYNZpsQxnw22sJDflWv-WzES-gPhUoLV6DHgISOMmZ7eoXM9sBDSbm4D6Wtd7-YRPF44VmDQe/s1600/a+++++20130727_0143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jy-N3dsHS2gTIhf0dA8IbKUrx_r_WMjGXCmEkMlQ1_ZOj4zqlxvfr-diwD1l7XYC8d8DYNZpsQxnw22sJDflWv-WzES-gPhUoLV6DHgISOMmZ7eoXM9sBDSbm4D6Wtd7-YRPF44VmDQe/s400/a+++++20130727_0143.jpg" width="400" /></a> Botany Bay is a nature preserve here in SC that is located on Edisto Island. It doesn't have bathrooms or lifeguards and you can't collect shells or remove anything from the beach, but it DOES have a natural beach with few people, and a huge opportunity to explore different habitats and a bone yard beach. Be WARNED: There are a lot of pictures coming up - but I only included a small percentage of what I actually took.<br />
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When you finally get to the entrance, you sign in, and drive about 2-3 miles down a gorgeous oak alley with a packed dirt road. After passing by fields of corn and sunflowers, as well as many AMAZING oaks, you finally end up at a little parking lot. There was a volunteer there that warned us about a possible alligator on the beach (we never saw him) and then you gather everything you need for the 1/2 mile hike across the marsh.<br />
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Which is where we were exceedingly glad to have a handy teenage boy with us to carry the cooler of food, and since he has wonderful manners he never complained.<br />
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Once on the oyster shell path you walk through the marsh. The egrets and terns were out and happy.<br />
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The fiddler crabs were fun to watch, and show Cheesie how they scurry around. I pointed out plants and grass names to her as well, but I don't think she was as interested.<br />
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Once you emerge from the trees on the hammock you find yourself right in the middle of a bone yard beach. A bone yard beach happens on our coast when the saltwater encroaches into the root system of trees and the trees begin to use the saltwater. Eventually the tree begins to die and turn gray, the root system upends, and the tree is left on the beach. This, in my opinion, is so beautiful to see because the natural bleached colors, and the lines of the trees are just extraordinary.<br />
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Since you can't remove any of the shells or natural materials from the beach there are lots of whelks to find, although you really need to check for the whelk to still be inside the shell (we found a couple). Many people take the empty shells and decorate the trees with them. Big Al found a gorgeous tiger striped one, and Cheesie kept checking out all of the impromptu shell scultpture.<br />
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Walking around you had to be careful. The oyster shells were encased in the pluff mud that was in places all over the beach. As the tide went out I saw that they were easily in areas where people would swim, so I highly recommend wearing water shoes.<br />
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We saw patterns left by sticks and plants<br />
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As well as remnants of trees. I'm not sure if the grouping on the right is natural, or if someone found the pieces and "planted" them there. The ability to find natural art everywhere was really inspiring.<br />
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Cheesie and I went for a walk and she scampered up the trees, and found all kinds of bugs and crabs on them. Below are more examples of the beauty on this island.<br />
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Rather hard to see in the above picture, but those stakes have cages buried in the sand near them. They are documented turtle nests. The stakes were all numbered with the highest we saw being 261. I think that is a lot of nests for one summer, but I haven't looked it up to see if that is the case. </div>
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I saw rain clouds moving in (we're still in the summer of endless rain) and I got a little nervous, so I had Cheesie go get Big Al and her friend so I could catch some pics of them as well. </div>
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As Big Al and M walked over, they noticed the pluff mud. If you haven't experienced pluff mud it has a particular smell that everyone here identifies with the lowcountry, and it stains everything. If you walk across it you either slip, or sink into it. </div>
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Of course if you're teenagers you pick it up and throw it at someone, or smear it on someone. </div>
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When they finally made it over to where I was standing the goofiness began..... not that these two were being serious before.</div>
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And then the second pluff mud fight began....</div>
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Stylish whelk hats. Eventually they went back to swimming, and I sat on the beach enjoying the evening. </div>
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A shrimp boat with TONS of gulls and terns harassing the poor fishermen.</div>
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I love this beach, and think we'll be bringing more folks out to it soon. I am DEFINITELY making sure my other kids get out there within the next couple of weeks. And..... since we never saw the alligator we were warned about we'll have to try to find him next time.</div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-18201020299378315742013-07-27T07:19:00.001-07:002013-07-27T07:19:21.898-07:00Does your family do this? Yesterday we were on the way to meet Cameron, but had scheduled a side trip to a big fabric store for me. We don't have a DVD player in the car because it is a great time to just hang out...... which leads to a LOT of moments like this:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Db3OnPOIBYQ" width="560"></iframe>Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-13912107435918265532013-07-26T18:32:00.002-07:002013-07-26T18:49:33.485-07:00Meeting Cameron - July 26, 2013 As a mom to Blondie, I keep in contact with the Hemisperectomy Foundation, and the RE Children's project to keep us with new families who, unfortunately, are facing what we endured 8.5 years ago. Cameron is finally in inpatient rehab about an hour from us, so we drove up to meet his family.<br />
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The girls made him a blanket (on his lap) and Big Al and Cheesie made a giant cookie for him. We were glad to see him eat a little bit of it - his feeding tube was recently removed so its time to get those muscles moving. </div>
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We sat in the dining room and chatted. We got to meet his Aunt and Cousin, as well as their Pastor and his wife. It was nice to see Cameron smile and try to talk to the Pastor. You really can see that he is trying to come out of the difficulty of surgery and get back to his old self. </div>
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Of course the worst part of rehab is all of the work people make you do so you can walk. We went with him and his mom to the therapy gym and Blondie helped him working on standing and kicking a soccer ball. </div>
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He was quite tired after all of the exercise so we let him head back to his room to take a rest. Hopefully we'll get back up there before school starts so we can see him again. I know that this is a tough road, but each and everyday will find him getting stronger and more like his old self. I can't wait to see him walking on his own, and chasing his cousins around. </div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-46792951036143402462013-07-26T18:13:00.004-07:002013-07-26T18:13:53.609-07:00Fishing with Chopper - July 20, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Many evenings, Brian heads to the backyard to fish. Of course he can't go alone, the dogs follow him and hang out too.</div>
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Tonight he managed to catch this little guy. He never keeps them, always throwing them back for another evening of fishing, but he and Chopper have developed a bit of a ritual.....;. </div>
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First Chopper sniffs the poor thing to make sure he's safe.....</div>
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and then he gives him a goodbye kiss. This totally grosses me out, and the fish doesn't look too pleased either. </div>
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Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-21046795054431117462013-07-26T18:05:00.000-07:002013-07-26T18:05:26.341-07:00And it Still Continues to Rain - July 14 With all of the rain we've been having we're pretty well saturated around here. One of Brian's favorite places to go is Congaree National Park. They have an upper and lower boardwalk and when it rains a LOT the lower boardwalk is covered.<br />
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Brian ran out there for the day to see what was going on, and it didn't seem too bad. The upper boardwalk (above) is usually right up to the walking level and all of the support beams are underwater - clearly not the case today. <br />
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He did manage a bunch of nice pictures though. <br />
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If you're in SC and have never hiked through Congaree you should really consider it. BRING the bug spray though, the mosquitoes can be vicious.</div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-20434102970493225292013-07-26T17:52:00.002-07:002013-07-26T17:52:56.122-07:00The Summer of Rain We are used to a scattered afternoon storm here in the South in the summer. We are NOT, however, used to the daily deluge we've been getting. We have so many mushrooms in our yard we figure it will rival the grass soon. We also have a permanent mud puddle in the backyard near the pond. <br />
Brian decided to take Cheesie outside and take advantage of the giant mushroom in the front yard (as well as his photoshop skills) and managed to capture this:<br />
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<br />Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-72312985519451673822013-07-26T17:48:00.001-07:002013-07-26T17:48:45.776-07:00Making Candles - June 28, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you're married to, or related to, a teacher..... you may know that we have a terrible problem with hoarding every copy of everything we might use in the classroom. We also are known to hold on to old "stuff" in case we change back to that grade level. HOWEVER, with everything on the internet (and easily found on pinterest), emptying those unused bins of junk is a priority this summer. </div>
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While emptying one of my bins, I found an old coffee can and crockpot that I used when I taught 4th grade (a LONG while ago) as well as a huge block of wax. I hauled it all out, and asked the girls if they wanted to make candles (why yes, they did). So we added water to the crockpot, inserted the coffee can of old wax, and while that melted we whacked the huge chunk of wax into pieces. <br />
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The girls started out by dipping, but after doing a bunch of wonky looking ones they decided to use the little votive forms, as well as old glass jars that used to hold candles and poured the wax in. So I now have a whole bunch of candles in case of an emergency. BUT, I still have a lot of wax left so I wasn't able to empty that bin, but I did manage to get about 9 bins down to 3 so I'm calling that progress. </div>
Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241268467436874661.post-34488752540428128822013-07-26T17:36:00.005-07:002013-07-26T17:36:43.657-07:00Angel OakKellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16854297659644929721noreply@blogger.com0