Wow, what a day!:)

Mason-Kate had a special day with her favorite man - her daddy!  

 From the moment they met, they held a special bond that only daddies and daughters can share.  

 The pair began their day at the circus with MK's kindergarten class, front row seats!  Then, Ryan picked MK up from school and whisked her off to get her hair done - she chose to have it straightened and felt just like a princess as she watched Miss Hanna perform her magic:)  Then it was off to dinner, MK's choice - Chick Fil A.  And finally, they landed themselves in dreamland - the Father/Daughter dance.  

 In addition to spending the evening with her daddy, MK loved seeing all of her friends all dolled up and dancing the night away!  Miss Addison is one of MK's favs from school and she also teams up with us at Girl Scouts.  They have become the best of friends!

 Meanwhile, I spent the day with two of the most handsome boys ever!  They were looking sharp as they approached the capital building all prepared to present their bills to the awaiting crowd.  They participated in Teen Pact - C's second year, P's first.  It is a one day event held each year for homeschool children at the capital.  

 We were joined by friends and thoroughly enjoyed our day in the mock legislature.  These guys are all set to change the world!  Bills were presented anywhere from pesticide reduction to statewide donut day - take one guess who presented the statewide donut day????  Of course, P!  Everyone was in favor of that becoming a law immediately!  And C, on a more serious note, presented his bill to instate a law that would allow homeschool children to participate in local public school extra curricular activities.  Some states already allow this, Georgia does not.  

 With these future lawmakers, anything is possible!  

And, Maddox, well she spent her day with the undivided attention of Ryan's parents, G-Mom and G-Dad.  When I asked her if she cried at all during the day, she replied, "No, I just laugh and laugh!"  So thankful her grandparents were here for the day!  It was most definitely one of those days that could not have been done without help!

C finished up his basketball season on Friday.  Though their season was less than stellar, we all had so much fun cheering them on during their final game.  At halftime, they were down by something crazy, like 30, and by the end of the game, they were on fire and brought the game back to a three point margin.....there was a lot of crazy cheering and excitement in the stands!  Way to go C!

P's basketball season is in full swing and winning is their name.  My moment with Pryce this week was on Tuesday....and basketball was not involved.  Instead, it was a schooling moment.  P is involved in an intense writing class.  Last year, my favorite part of schooling him was watching him create his stories and share them with me.....he was so proud and excited about his accomplishments.  This year has proved to be a bit more challenging with the content and though he has continued to excel, he hasn't expressed the excitement about his work.  Tuesday was different.  The joy was back.  He could not wait to share his latest work with me and the smiles and proud face was back in full gear.  So fun to see success through a child's eyes!

MK....oh how I love this girl.  I miss her and cannot wait to have her with us next year during school.  She is having a fabulous time in Kindergarten though and her teacher is smitten.  Again, I watched her swim this week and I just stand amazed at what she is capable of and the determination that surrounds her.  She learned how to do the Butterfly stroke and she is killing it.....6 years old, amazing.  My most proud moments are watching her with Maddox.  Their relationship continues to grow and MK can be so loving and caring towards her little sister - she really likes to help and encourage!

And Maddox....to live a day with Maddox is to experience life from all angles.  She is so sweet.  She, out of the blue, will say, "Mommy, I love you more."  I must say I love the early morning snuggles, the tight hugs at school when she says goodbye, the running into my arms when she sees me.....she is just so stinkin sweet.  Yet, there is spice.  And she is not always nice.  And she will tell me ,"NOOO!!!" in a heartbeat if she doesn't agree with what I have to say.  Recently, she has started to write letters, trace her name, count to 25 - sometimes higher....she is thriving!

MK is SIX

MK's birthday celebration spanned out over a one week period.

 First up, her official birthday party with friends.  She chose to go to a local pottery painting establishment and paint tea cups and saucers.  Each little lady took their time painting their own design and I must say that this was the quietest party one could possibly have with little girls.  They were so taken with their painting, they forgot to talk.  

 January 15, 2012.  MK's official day.  We began with a donut cake, indulged in chocolate cupcakes with her class for lunch and ended the day with heart shaped Little Debbie cakes.  Enough sugar for the entire month of January:)

 But with these smiles, who could turn them down?!  We love a good reason to celebrate and birthdays are a top-notch deal in our home!

 MK had one birthday gift wish.  A matching dress set for her and her American Girl doll, McKenna.  Good thing birthdays are for making little girls' dreams come true!

 And finally, the official family birthday celebration at Miyabi.  The boys were so into it, hats and all.  It is important to note that on this night, P tasted zucchini without gagging and ate a decent amount of rice.  Definitely not the norm.  

 We had a funny little chef who made our girl feel number one all night.  Then, we topped dinner off with a basket of flowers, a little drum serenade with dancing around and a birthday wish.

 Thankfully, Emma, Jay, Aunt "Nellie", Gran, Pop, G-Dad and G-Mom were able to join us for her special night....then it was off to spend the night at Gran and Pop's with the cousins.  Always a good time when these guys are together!

 Emma and MK have become pen pals and they have been planning their sleepover for well over a month now.  So glad we were able to make it happen!

 Before we wrapped all of the celebrating up, it was off to the zoo for a bit.  

 And what better place for a group hug than the zoo entrance?  Random, but they do love each other to pieces.

 And while the bigs headed over to do the ropes course, the littles stuck together like glue and we toured the sites of the zoo....

 Thankfully, Gran was able to watch the boys during their high-air adventure.....

 watching my boys well above ground attached to a mere rope, well, it just makes me a bit nervous.  

That is it for now.  Until later, I leave you with this pic of our sweet, yet one-of-a-kind girl!  

All is quiet, the house is still.  After three days of flying solo, the children are all nestled together on our living room floor asleep anticipating the late night arrival of their daddy.  We have all missed him so!  He drove the company car so his car has been parked in our driveway.  Each time we came home, Maddox would shout, "Yay!  Daddy's home!" I was quite proud that we all survived with no meltdowns, no illness and pretty much managed to stay on task and attend our normal day-to-day activities, with the help of friends of course!  The highlight of the week thus far has been last night.  Both boys had basketball games.  Both boys scored.  Both boys' teams won!
My personal highlight of the week was when my friend called to say she was adopting from China - and she lives right here!!!!  Can.not.wait to see what God has in store for this family!
A small update.....more to come.....my picture downloading man has been gone and though I could figure it out, I haven't had the time - imagine!  

MK to Maddox: "Mommy is the boss around here!"
Maddox: "ANNNDD ME, Mei-Mei!"

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Maddox to her patient, loving speech therapist: "Well, I can't work.  My cleft palate is hurting."

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Me to Maddox: "Maddox, what did you learn about at church tonight?"
Maddox: "I don't know Mommy. Wait one minute, I think about it, ok?"
Me: "Ok.  Did you learn about God?"
Maddox:  "No.  I tell you that.  We learn we are mish-naries" (missionaries - a big word for a three year old!)

Happy Sixth Birthday, MK! (the first post:) )

Once there were two women, who never knew each other.  One you do not remember, one you call Mother.

 Two different lives shaped to make you one.  One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

 The first one gave you life, and the second taught you how to live it.  The first gave you a need for love.  The second was there to give it.

 One gave you a nationality.  The other gave you a name.  One gave you a talent.  The other gave you aim.

 One gave you emotions.  The other calmed your fears. One saw your first sweet smile.  The other dried your tears.

 

 One sought for you a home that she could not provide.  The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

 And now you ask me, through your tears, the age-old question unanswered through the years.  Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?

 Neither, my darling.  Neither.  Just two different kinds of love.

(Author Unknown)

Mei-Kate, Mei-Mei, our sweet baby girl, may you always keep shining with success in your world.  Happy 6th Birthday!

BACK TO SCHOOL week....gone are the fun holidays and family time and back are the school days and extra curricular activities in full swing!  

MK came home on Tuesday with a special treat in her bag.  About a month ago, she was awarded this certificate of achievement during a school wide performance.  Her teacher sent me a text and said that MK looked a little embarrassed by the attention but she smiled as she got to pick out her choice of special activities to take home.  As a result, our family gets to spend a fun day with MK at a local amusement park for FREE.  Love!  What an honor it was for her to be chosen.  Only 4 children in the whole school are chosen each quarter and they must be recommended by their teacher.

 With school in, homework began and Maddox did not want MK to work alone so she practiced her handwriting following an afternoon of ballet.

 One morning, Maddox quietly gathered some of her favorite dolls and Cotton Ball  for a little clothing and accessory makeover.  

 The weather here is abnormally HOT.  Like 83 degrees hot.  In January.  So, we took it upon ourselves to get out and soak up some of the bright yellow stuff.  The boys received fishing poles for Christmas and they were very excited to go to our neighborhood pond and put them to use!

 Pryce needed a helper during school one day.....Finley to the rescue!

 Little miss will be receiving a new helmet for her half birthday that is coming up!  She puts Cruella DeVille to shame, slinging her bike this way and that while fishtailing for an added flair.  The faster the better; swerving to miss something in the road or in her path is just an added bonus to her three wheeled adventure.  

  Our sweet girls.  So glad to see this more and more. Their relationship continues to flourish minus a few squabbles here and there.  I just love that they enjoy their time together.

 And a night with one of MK's besties.  The girls were so cute together dressing up, painting nails, applying glitter tattoos, curling hair.....these two have been together from the very beginning and their little friendship is precious!