Change is in the Air

Here's to the most handsome sophomore in town!  He embarked on his journey at 7:15am yesterday and had nothing but horrible things to say when he returned home at 3:00pm.  One of Colin's best qualities is his humor.  He is hilarious so even though he had unpleasant things to say, this mama was in stitches laughing about his description of his day. 

I do pray that he develops a more kindred heart towards school.  Having been homeschooled for the last six years, change is tough and, according to Colin, he is already deserving of a break:) Ha!

 This little Miss was all smiles prior to going to school as well as upon her return from school.  School just fits her.  MK was more than positive about her day and cannot wait to go back tomorrow!

 It was especially nice to have Chloe by her side for this new adventure!  Chloe was calm, cool and collected which made MK much more comfortable.  We are so excited to have Chloe and her family here with us!  We adore them and as they are setting out on a new adventure of their own, we are glad to get to spend this time with them!

 Ryan has always been MK's safe-hold so she was more than glad to have him by her side as she began her day.

 We began homeschooling many moons ago basically because I wanted to know what it was like.  The deal was that we would do it for as long as it was working for all involved.  Our first year, Colin was in 4th grade and Pryce was in 1st grade while MK was in a Mother's Day Out program.  These years are definitely some of my most treasured times with my children and I have been so thankful for every moment with them.  Last year was tough.  We had a high schooler, middle schooler, elementary schooler, preschooler and a baby - a newly adopted baby who desperately needed her moment with mommy.  More than anything, I value the time I have to spend with my children.  I found that being the mom and being the teacher was much more than my head could wrap itself around at one time.  Doing geometry while potty training is just CRazY!  So, we are trying something new this year.  C and MK are going to school.  Pryce will remain homeschooled.  Maddox will attend a local private, half-day kindergarten while Maryn will go to Mother's Day Out three days a week.  And our deal is that we will do it so long as it is working for all of us.  While we are not ready to fully call it quits to the idea of homeschooling, we are open to trying new things and seeing if it is a better fit for our family!   

 We are so thankful to have good options for schooling our children.  And we are especially thankful to have teachers who will love and guide our children during their time of learning at school!

Hosting Changes Lives

Meet Noah

This little guy is a six year old orphan from China - no family and a list of medical needs.  

But let me tell you about him - 

His smile will melt you in an instant, his giggle is even better - its a combination of happiness and "mischief boy" all mixed into one sound; he is smart, obedient, curious, and a bottomless pit - this boy LOVES to eat! 

 Noah does not know the love of a family.  Each night I tuck him into bed and we practice saying, "I love you!" - his sweet almond shaped eyes disappear into his face as his smile takes over.  It is so sweet yet his heart does not understand the depth of those words.  

 Abandoned at the age of 5 months, Noah has lived the past 5 1/2 years as an orphan.  His adoption file depicts a very ill child, one that would require much needed medical attention and lifelong possibilities of unknowns.  And he is SIX years old.  And a boy.  These three facts combined equal little hope.

 Enter Orphan Hosting

Many question the program due to the fact that you bring an orphan into your home, spoil them with love and toys, endless amounts of food, give them new clothes to wear each day, take them to fun places and then they have to go back.  And, yes, they do have to go back.  

 But let me tell you that without this program, our little Noah (as well as the 29 other children who are currently being hosted through this program across the US) would sit on a list for YEARS and grow older and, eventually, age out of the adoption program to land himself right on the streets of China to fend for himself.  The orphan hosting program is his chance - his chance to show off who he really is, his chance to show the world who he really is despite what the medical records indicate.    

And our Noah is NOT what his file suggests.

He is SO much MORE.

Full of life.

Full of JOY.

And, because of the orphan hosting program, FULL OF HOPE!

Happy Birthday Maddox!

"Mom, my face is still the same but my number is bigger!"

 Yes, sweet girl, your face is still the same but you are a whole year older!

 Maddox, we went around the table and told our favorite Maddox stories at dinner....the number one thing we love about our girl is that you always have something funny to say!  And the best part?  Most of the time you don't even know you are as funny as you are! 

 You planned your special day.  Four special guests.  LOTS of make-up.  A tea party.  Dolls.  Dress-up.  More make-up.  Nail painting.  Cupcakes to decorate.  Strawberries - you said we had to have something healthy:)  And punch.  

 You pretended to be shy but we know you are full of life and spunk!

 You told me all day not to worry because it would be a whole year before you were 7....

 Six years old looks good on you baby girl.  We have loved watching you grow this year.  You have gone between loving being the big sister to wanting to be the baby again....what a big change you have adjusted to this last year with bringing Maryn home but you have handled it in stride.  

 And watching you succeed in swimming - we were so excited for you as you made your way across the pool each meet.  

 You have developed friendships this year that we hope will last a lifetime.  Your sweet friends are the cream of the crop and we look forward to watching you grow together.  

 So sweet and silly all blended into perfection.

 We have listened to your prayers and we love that your heart is for Jesus.  We call you our little evangelist because when someone is in need of prayer, you are the one to call.  Your words speak love and kindness tied up with a little sass and laughter....you are our well-rounded baby girl!

 On your 6th birthday you requested to have your ears pierced.  We agreed and up you went into the chair with your brave face on.  Mommy had to snap one last picture sans earrings.

 Though there was a bit of fear in your eyes, you were brave and not one tear was shed.

 Instead, you were all smiles and excitement flowed through your body.  You told everyone we encountered about your new look!

 We surrounded you with love and gifts on this very special day but in reality, you are our gift.  

We are so thankful for your life and we love celebrating you!

Some of our Favorite Peeps!

We got lucky this summer! Some of our favorite people, the Mohrs, came for a visit!  

 We were so excited to show them our little home!  And we even took on some sites that we have never been to - the drive-in being one of them!

 The Big Mo was a hit!  With a family the size of ours, the Big Mo is the way to go!  Two movies and half the price of going to a theatre!  Plus, you can take your own food and there isn't any of the undercover operations sneaking candy in:)

 Chloe and MK had lots of laughs together!  These two amaze me.....they have a very special bond that I pray will last a lifetime!

 Within minutes of the Mohrs arrival, these two took off to play and they played and played and played!  

I love knowing they have each other!

 Finley was excited to have visitors too!  Lots of treats for him and lots of love!  

Seabrook 2015

Happy July 4th, 2015

The children wasted little time getting their suits on and heading to the beach to enjoy the surf and sand!

And it is medicine for my soul to sit back and watch my five children as happy as clams playing together!

There were evenings spent on the beach fishing - lots of fish caught as well as a baby shark!  The shark story is a funny one.  Pryce caught the shark and Ryan had gone back to the house for a moment.  We didn't know how to take it off of the hook so we asked the neighboring family for their assistance.  The dad and 11ish year old daughter came over and the DAUGHTER took the shark off of the hook!  Our mouths hit the floor as she handled the shark and then asked if Pryce would like to throw it back in.  What boy would have the nerve to say no???!!!

Maddox has always been our child that can sleep anywhere and she loves to sleep on the beach. What a gift!

MK is our monkey in the middle.  She will be the glue between the boys and the girls as they meander through life.  I love that she can hang with them and then dote on her sisters all in a good day's time.

And the laughter.....music to my ears.

Sweet girl was all dressed up and she was running all over the beach a mile a minute!  Admittedly so, I could not keep up!

MK was much more cooperative :)

Maddox, not so much!  She was on her own time, in her own world!  

This pretty much sums up the evening of photography on the beach!

Sassy and sweet....

The boys are often not photographed anymore....it is a rare event when I am able to convince them that a picture is good for their health!  Or at least it is good for mine!  

Ryan's parents joined us for a long weekend....we enjoyed our time with them, watching fireworks and watching the parade!  

They really are the sweetest! 

KNOB HILL BARRACUDAS 2015

Boy, were we glad to be back to our summer swim team grind with "our people!"

"Our people" aka our old neighborhood peeps!

They welcomed us with open arms and we could not have been more happy!

This year, the Drafts family swimmers consisted of every big kiddo in our family....

our boys helped to carry the team and endured intense practices each morning.  Hard work always pays off and our guys spent their season aiming higher each week - we have consistently told our swimmers that success is within yourself first.  With that in mind, the boys decreased their times each week in every event they swam.  So much so that Pryce even won himself a spot on the All Star swim team in freestyle and backstroke.  We were busting with pride!  All Stars consists of the top 20 swimmers with the best times in their age group out of 22 teams in our area.  It is a  true honor to be selected!

MK 

Our MK is amazing in the water.

She is determined.

She is fierce.

She is confident.

And she is FAST.  

But she loathes the attention.  

This season she conquered the Individual Medley.  It is tough with a capital T.  Butterfly, Back, Breast, and Free 100 yards.  She was our little All Star too and one best believe this momma was acting all kinds of crazy cheering for this kiddo!

Maddox

Our wee little swimmer.

Our mighty little fish.

She never once blinked an eye at practice or during the meets.

Staying true to her nature, she was fearless in the water.  

The coaches adored her and deemed her "the entertainer."

And she swam her heart out winning herself the title of the fastest 5 year old backstroker out of 22 teams of kiddos....and she also got to experience her first All Star meet in the pool as well! 

She claims that swimming backstroke is awesome because you just flip on your back and relax!  

Part of the fun of swim team is the relationships you develop with your teammates.  In my humble opinion, swimming seems to be the one sport that everyone walks away happy doing.  Watching the older children cheer for the little ones, and vice versa, makes for a good night!  There isn't a loser.  Though everyone does not receive first place, everyone does typically decrease their times each week.  And then the exercise part is phenomenal.  Swimming is a life skill and one that I love knowing my children will carry with them through life as well as the memories of their summers with their friends doing something they love!

Our swim team crew plus one swim team wannabe.  

It won't be long until Maryn joins the team too!  Her two big sisters have her in the pool daily teaching her to float on her back and do the four different strokes!