Not exactly beach weather, so we painted instead

This weekend has been cool and rainy. Not a great start to the unofficial start of summer, but we've had some fun, anyway. Yesterday, we went with E's buddy Casey and his Mom (hi Evelyn!) to see Epic. It was cute, but E got pretty fidgety early on. Oh well, it was still fun to see our friends.

Today, we went to Misty and Paden's and decided to go to this really cool place where they have tons of different plaster figurines to pick from, and paint. E chose an old favorite, Hello Kitty. Very fun!

 

Since I am working tomorrow (yeah, on Memorial Day. Go, me...), E is spending the night at Misty's, and will go to a parade with them tomorrow. Thank you, Misty!

Hope y'all are having a great weekend!

 

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Meet the newest member of the family

Welcome to Eric, our new pet hamster...Another cage for Mommy to clean. Awesome.

 

 

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Memorial Day concert (and yes, I cried)

Yesterday, Miss E's school had a Memorial Day concert. The Kindergarteners sang two songs: God Bless America (which really surprised me, actually), and a song I didn't know, "Remember" ( a sweet song about remembering the soldiers). Of course I teared up...and my mom did, too :)
Here she is at home before going to school, all ready for the big day...

And here are a couple of very short (aka Mommy was too slow and clumsy with the iPhone video shooting device) clips from the show...

 

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Book review- Too Hurt to Stay

I was invited to review the book Too Hurt to Stay by Casey Watson. Casey and her husband are an English couple who have been doing therapeutic foster care with emotionally disturbed children for many years. Casey has written several nonfiction books about her experiences with the children she has fostered.  I had never read any of her books before Too Hurt to Stay, but let me tell you, after reading this one, I  immediately devoured the other four that were available on Kindle.
Too Hurt to Stay is the story of Spencer, a troubled 8 year old boy who comes to live with the Watsons after being removed from his home by Child Protective Services. Casey writes with compassion, humor, and genuineness. I also love the way she brings her family, including her own two grown children, and grandchildren into the story. She is also great at keeping the reader engaged and not wanting to put the book down! The way she writes, I really felt like I got to know Casey and her family, and Spencer, all so well. Casey's love and caring for this little boy shows through in her writing. And she keeps it real by also detailing the frustrations and real stressors that came with bringing such a challenging child as Spencer into her household. Casey and her husband are truly invested in Spencer, and work hard to give him the love and security that can help him heal.
I loved this book, and the other books by Casey.

Fun at the fair

Every year, my hometown puts on a street fair, and it is this weekend, so I took Elizabeth last night. She was soooo excited, and was ready and waiting for me with her backpack already on when I picked her up from Afterschool. The lines were very looong, but we managed to get in quite a few rides:)

Mother's Day 2013

We had such a nice, relaxing Mother's Day. Went to Church, then out to lunch with Maria. Later in the afternoon, E played over at a neighbor's apartment while I did laundry and goofed around on the Internet. It was strange not to see my own Mom this Mother's Day. She is currently in Italy and will be back later this week. :)

 

 

 

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A letter from Chikondi :)

Last week I got another letter from my little girl in Malawi. I love it when I hear from her :)

Well, hello there

Wow, I cannot believe it's been almost two weeks since I last posted. Bad blogger, bad blogger! My big excuse: I just finished my second week of a new job. It's been busy, stressful, and some long hours. But it's been kind of exhilarating, too. As I told my sister, each morning feels like I'm being shot out of a cannon. I have been pretty wiped out by the end of each day, and just haven't had the energy for blogging once Elizabeth is asleep. I really do love to blog, though, and am determined to keep it going.
Miss E is doing great. It blows my mind that she will be 6 in two months (still not sure what we're going to do for her birthday this year), and going in to 1st grade!! My baby is growing up fast. She has even slept in her own room for the last couple of nights. I'm hoping this will continue. I think, I know she really wants to have this independence. She's made several attempts in the past to sleep on her own, but usually ended up coming back to my bed. I think at almost 6, it's time. This morning, I was really proud of her. I knocked on her door and called out that it was time to wake up. A few minutes later, I opened her door, and she was already up and getting dressed all by herself. That may not sound like a big deal, but for us, it was. We've often struggled in the mornings to get her up and to dress herself. I know a lot of it is my fault. I totally and freely admit I have babied her too much in some areas. Morning time is one of those times when I know I do too much for her, like get her dressed. Mostly because I am in a hurry to get us to school/work on time. But still,  I know I should have been making her do more for herself, things that she is perfectly capable of doing. So this morning, when I opened her door and saw that she picked out her own clothes and was getting dressed with out any prompting (ok, nagging) from me, I was so proud. And it made our morning so much easier, and nicer. Needless to say, I praised her up the wazoo.
Our two little pets, Susie the mouse and Isabella the Beta fish are both still alive and doing well. By the way, mouse cages need to be cleaned out way more often than I had thought. Just sayin'...
On that note, I leave you with a little Elizabeth cuteness :)