Reid and Stefani Adopt

 Here's a few gems from spring break this year. 1.  Isaac has a crazy high jump.  Still can't believe he can do this.   2.  Esther is now featuring the ultimate in natural jewelry: real live lizards biting onto her ears and hanging on for dear life.  I almost want my own pair...just not actually alive. 3.  My sister came down for spring break this year and took her two oldest, Erin and Lainey, and all 3 of my kids to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios.  Reid and I stayed behind with her 2 youngest kids, Dawn and Owen.   Inside Gringott's Wizarding Bank. Outside of Gringott's Wizarding Bank. The Mystery Machine. (Thank you, Captain Obvious!) The kids also got to eat lunch in the Leaky Cauldron, and they each bought a Harry Potter themed toy. Isaac bought the Exploding Snaps card game and a golden snitch, Esther is now the proud owner of a stuffed dragon that is a replica of the one on the top of the Gringott's bank, and Jaydon has made fa...

 Isaac and Esther, since they participated in the Science Fair this year and are both receiving letter grades, were able to earn awards for these ventures this year.   Isaac won 1st place in the science fair in his category this year!  I teased him that he couldn't beat that next year, so what was he going to do?  He replied, "I don't know--get 3rd place maybe."  If he does that next year, he will have a 1st, 2nd, and a 3rd place trophy.   Esther's first year of letter grades got her on the A/B honor roll for the first trimester of school.  Considering all the difficulties we've had getting her to complete any work for the previous 2 years before that, I would say that is a great achievement.  We're hoping she gets her grades up again this trimester and gets another award at the end of the school year.  Isaac, at the end of last year, barely made it on the A/B honor roll after struggling all year.  This year, he started off on the A hono...

 As is our family custom, we went biking again this past Saturday.  We discovered owls in the trees, a dead chameleon, and that the Brevard Mountain Bike Association put in a new biking feature--a teeter-totter!  The kids all gathered up their courage and went down what we call at the Grapefruit Trail "The Abyss" because it's soooo steep.  Reid may or may not be encouraging reckless behavior by handing out slushies afterwards.  We came home to pizza and slushies.  It was a good day.   This is the face of a girl saddened by the loss of such a magnificent creature. The Chameleon These two owls were making quite the racket.  Esther thought they were fighting.  It's mating season, but I somehow forgot to correct her assumption. One of the men at the trail had to show Isaac and Jaydon how to play on this properly.

 This year for our Adoption Day Celebration, Reid thought it would be fun to take the kids to a Hibachi Grill.  I am so bad at taking pictures, or I would have thought to video the kids' reactions to the flames and the fancy juggling of the spatulas and cooking utensils by the chef.  Esther and Jaydon both screamed when they lit the grill on fire for the pre-dinner show.  The chef also tossed small pieces of shrimp into each of the kids' mouths.  Isaac was the only one that caught one.  He has gotten into trouble before doing such stunts in our kitchen.  When Reid told me he had made a reservation at Fujiyama, I was skeptical that it would be a good idea. But it proved to be a fun night for all.  Thank the Lord for adoption and crazy ideas.   

 I am with the 8-11 year old girls from my church every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays for Primary Activities.  Last week we combined with the boys and even the young men and women for a pinewood derby.  It was everything we could have dreamed of--tears from kids whose cars didn't go very fast, crazy looking vehicles, and excitement exploding like a rocket from Jaydon. I'm super sad we didn't get a picture of Isaac and his car. He was upset that he didn't get a medal.  These are the growing pains of life...not everyone can win every competition, and that doesn't make you less important or less valued by others, especially by God.

 

 This Christmas we continued with our gift giving categories.  They are: Something to Read, Something to  Wear, Something for Fun, and Something you Need.  We're finding that Esther really appreciates something to read, while the boys have pie in the sky desires that are harder to fulfill.   Isaac this year begged and begged and begged for a Nintendo switch, which we were loathe to give.   I personally stink at video games and have found zero pleasure in them.  In addition to that, I have seen a few people begin to waste their lives away in front of video games.  So I have denied Isaac this gift for as long as he has been asking--probably about 3-4 years.  All of his pleas and reasons fell on deaf ears.   Then this year, he changed tactics slightly.  He took advantage of my one of my biggest weaknesses to get what he wanted.  He wrote a persuasive essay about why he should get a switch.  Even though I found his argume...