What a fabulous week we have shared together! No better way to top off our fun than to take a trip to the local Steed's Dairy Farm for a farm-friendly field trip with great friends.

Maddox LOVES animals. And, she has gotten quite good at imitating their sounds....we saw some "oinks" and some "quack-quacks" and some "mooos," to name a few. She was in awe. She even got to pet a baby rabbit.

Where one child was overjoyed and mesmerized with the lesson on cows producing milk, one child was less than enthusiastic to learn about this process. Nausea set in and he had to walk away before it got the best of him!

MK took charge in the corn maze and led us through. She is quite the little leader and had no problem with this task.

And Pryce led the way to all the playground equipment had to offer. They have these huge tunnel slides that are a hit every year as well as a big jumping pillow - these two tied in with duck racing and swings and sand and hay, phew....we were all due for a good nap!

And two funny photos of Maddox....she is always into something and comes up with the craziest combinations all on her own!

Our sweet girl continues to thrive. We went in for a follow-up with her ENT and her ears are great! Hearing is great! And....drum roll please....we gained yet another pound! She really is growing and the clothes that once were too long, are now a bit on the short side - sigh. We had Maddox evaluated for occupational therapy services and she will receive some therapy for the next six months to strengthen her up a bit.

The Scar

Our dear MK. She is growing up. Too fast. So tall. So beautiful. I envy the beauty of her hair. I envy her determination. Her heart is strong. She is an emotional roller coaster these days. One minute she is flying high and the next minute she is at a low all because her shoes, seated right beside her, cannot be found - you get the picture. She goes to school four days a week and LOVES it. Then, she comes home only to remind me that we need to do school at home. I am trying out a reading program with her - she is so ready to read. And I hear, "Hey, mom, did you know that I can spell...." at least a million times a day. She is our little speech therapist to Maddox, always asking Maddox to repeat after her and always cheering her on for the effort put forth. So cute. As she grows up, I feel the need, even more so now than ever, to protect her. She is at an age where differences will begin to be noticed. We were at our homeschool co-op Tuesday. I took the girls to the restroom and MK, out of the blue, looked at me and said, "Mom, do you see this on my lip?" She was pointing to her scar. I said, "Yes." And she said, "Well, what is that?" She even sounded quite a bit, shall I say, put-off that it was there. I told her that was her scar, the scar that formed when the doctors repaired her cleft lip. And then, I showed her Maddox's scar. She shrugged and went on to speaking of other things. I, however, was left in thought, praying her scar will always be something she shrugs off and doesn't put much effort into worrying over. Praying that she will continue to be that strong little MK that we have all grown to love. Praying that she will never choose to hide behind her scars. Praying she will allow God's hand to lead her through the journey He created for her.