First Soccer Tournament

On her way to the goal

Her medal...she was so proud of it..."I've never gotten a medal before...ever"

Love rolling down the grassy hill

See...it was on purpose...several times

Faith and her friend from soccer "A"

Her guys...does this look like a CD cover or is just me? :0)

Oh, and our miss thang - working her game

Today was Hope's very first soccer tournament. She had a ball. Well, we all did. Love totally dug being outside all day. She also found out that she is very good at rolling down hills -on purpose none the less. She also had a doting sweetie "B" (my cousin's cute daughter) to spoil her for hours at a time :) Faith had her friend from her soccer team there (who also has a little sister on the team) to hang with. And Hunter had his Grumpy. Hope had plenty of fans...MiMi, Grumpy, Ninnie, Baby J and MaMa. We recently moved Hope up an age division. We were a little worried about her hanging on the bigger field. She did perfectly fine :) In her first game she scored twice. She wasn't quite herself but I think it will come. She is on a pretty good little team too. Today at lunch with the team I kept glancing over at the girls and was so pleased we had made the choice. Hope and all the girls sat at a table all together laughing, cracking jokes and sharing food. It was just so sweet to see budding new friendships. Hope has found a team full of girls that all really like each other and the parents are friendly too. For those of you who are soccer moms also you may appreciate the sweetness ;) Our girls did so well and more than anything they had so much fun! Which is the most important part of the game...because if isn't fun anymore...why bother?

Happy 14th Birthday Faith!!

Wow! Another year already? I am just getting used to the idea of her being 13 and now here we go again.

We already celebrated her birthday with family by going out to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. The big slumber (or lack there of) party is this weekend.

Faith,

You are a gift. Truly there is not a single child on the face of this Earth like you. You have such big dreams. You want to adopt 4 kids, 2 from China and 2 from Africa. I love that adoption means so much to you. You want to grow up to be a lawyer. I have to tell you the way you argue you may just be barking up the right tree. I love how you don't put anything out of reach for yourself. Nothing is impossible to you. I know you are all about friends these days. You love hanging out, chatting, texting and im-ing. You stand up for people who need it. While I sometimes cringe when you tell me about stepping in front of someone to shield them or speaking up on the behalf. I am really proud of you for wanting to protect others. I know that sometimes you mean well and things don't go as you had expected. I love that you continue to try and not let past failures stop you. I love that you have a heart for Jesus. I am impressed with your way of thinking and you making your relationship with the Lord a top priority. I see your heart and know that you struggle sometimes to stay true to your convictions. I love that you don't give up and walk away but move forward knowing each day is new. I am so incredibly blessed to have you as a big sister to my little girls. They have no idea what a cool gig they have as being your little sister. You love them big time. You are so important to them both. I love that you want to set a good example for them. I am thankful to you for being such a great babysitter too. You have helped not only the girls but Daddy and I by allowing us date time. You have made a difference in our marriage. You can play soccer like a mad woman. You have some mad soccer skills. You truly rock on the field. I love watching you play a game you love so much. You are funny. You like to crack jokes and make people smile and let loose. Your whole face lights up when you smile. I love seeing you in your silly zone. But, sometimes you drive me crazy. You keep me on my toes and have definitely paid me back several times over for the way I acted when I was a kid. However, I truly think you are some kind of wonderful. A daughter that I not only love but really like. A daughter I am proud of and love with my whole heart. You are a gift. A gift that keeps giving. A gift that I will never quite understand how in the world I was chosen to be your mom. But I am so very thankful that I was. Happy 14th Birthday baby girl.

I love you more than all the stars in the sky,
Mom

Oh, one more thing...can we slow this next year down a little?

Celebrating....

Happy Valentine's Day!

and....

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

or translated - Happy New Year!!

Not only is today Valentine's Day but it is also Chinese New Year.

We started off the day with church, then lunch, then a big ole trip to Wal M*rt for the kids to pick out their valentine. Both Hope and Love chose the biggest balloons ever for their gift, Faith went with flat out cash, and Hunter chose Turtles...I heart those things :)

We had grandparents visit bearing gifts for Valentines as well. Needless to say my kids are in no shortage of sugar - Lord help me....and their teeth.

For dinner we are going out or having take out...not quite sure...because it is COLD! And of course, it will be Chinese food.

Tomorrow. Now that is a big day in my book - more to come.

White as Snow...

This is one of the most beautiful mornings I have ever seen. Breathtaking, really. Have you ever noticed with a blanket of snow even dirt piles and weeds look pretty? Well, they do. White is pure, it is clean. I can't help but think about the scripture in Isaiah.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool... Isaiah 1:18

While our lives may be a mess and resemble a dirt pile or weeds through His blood our hearts became white as snow. White and pure and clean. And that is how the Lord see us. Isn't that incredible? That He sees us as spotless. I've often wondered how that works. How can our hearts be stained with sin and yet He sees us as beautiful. I had the connection today. As I looked out in our neighborhood - where weeds grew was beauty, where filth lie below the surface - pure white. I truly am in awe of a God that by giving His son for our sins we became white as snow. I know I don't "feel" white, pure, clean or spotless. But that is because I have been allowing the world to have its hold on me. Those are my choices. I have the snow as a clear visual of what He sees. And what He deserves from me, my heart, my choices. To live to glorify Him, to bring honor to Him, to love Him more than any immediate gratification or pleasure that the world has to offer me.

Ok, I am going to go somewhere with this. Hopefully it makes sense. Just as the snow from the sky covers the ground and all it touches turns into pure white beauty so does the blood of Jesus with the hearts of those who believe. So, snow from the sky has the same effect with the earth as the power of Jesus' blood does with believers. The biggest difference I can see is that while the snow from the sky melts away and the filth re-emerges for all to see. The blood of Jesus Christ is an eternal covering. You don't have to wait for another season of snow for us to become pure once again. God gave us his son once and he died once for us to accept Him once for us to be covered always.

So, while we drown in sin or surface from it, while we become backsliders or begin to move forward again, while we have been wounded and are beginning to push through the pain...He has us in his hands. No matter how dirty we are - all the while - He has us. And through his blood He has washed us as white as snow. Beautiful. :)

Ok, I could go on but I am changing subjects.

Finally, the snow man has been built. Love is thrilled. Or she is " 'Appy (happy)..eva, eva, eva eva" :)Which I have to tell you something quick about that statement. Love walks around asking...." 'Appy or Sad?" to everyone in our family. She takes almost hourly inventory of our feelings. It's cute. Anyway, here is the snowman. We lacked the basic decor for the snowman. He would not retain the choices we had so we resorted to a more beachy approach. It worked. And we are 'appy with him :)

Snow Much Fun 1.5

So after school didn't exactly go the way I had envisioned. Faith had a history project to finish up after school with a couple of friends. Hunter had enough of the snow playing all day today between classes. Hope lasted less than 5 minutes. Love would stay out 24/7...along with Faith - little snow women. Big Daddy stayed out with Faith...snowball fights, he buried her in the snow like she was in sand, they made snow angels - some real good Daddy/daughter bonding ;) I have no pics. boo.hoo. We still have no snowman. However we have some of the most delici-oh-so snow ice cream. We just didn't have the man power for the snowman tonight. Big Daddy is off tomorrow and hopefully the kids school will be cancelled. Bright and early or cloudy and early - whichever it may be - we all have a date with some snow...man. Get it? Snow...man. Snow man. Make a snow man. Hee hee! Officially a dork, I know. Not that you all needed written proof. :) Pics tomorrow of the big kids - promise. (Happy MiMi?) :)

Faith making snowballs

Umm...that is Big Daddy making that snow angel

The snow ice cream...I doubled the gallon recipe and it is going fast!

Snow Much Fun!!!

Love only had a half of day of school today so she was the first one to get to take advantage of this crazy wonderful weather. We have SNOW!! And not the usual dusting :) So here is part one...needless to say she absolutely had a ball. She is ready to make a no-man with the big kids too. She just kept yelling...No-ball fight!!! And then with the sweetest grin ever she would peg me with a wet snowball. Sweet kid ;) Anywhoo - part two will be when the big kids get home :)

Crazy...

Sometimes, for no good reason, girls get together and dress up weird, act crazy, and laugh A LOT. Oh, and stay up real late, eat pigs in a blanket and popcorn - and watch TV while playing Imaginif. To be young again ;)

This is my dry run at a slumber party for Faith's upcoming 14th Birthday...a breaking in if you will. I always think odd numbers are a bit more complicated with girls. It seems someone always feels left out. This night went much better than I had imagined. Now I have to begin to mentally prepare for quadruple the amount of craziness, noise, and well, weirdness that usually goes down with a bunch of sleep deprived teenage girls. I know I've been one of those girls. Although it was long, long, LONG ago :) Seriously though, I can't wait. :)

Just Breathe...

Hope is sick...again. Poor thing. I don't know what it is but I can not keep 4 children well...ever - or at least it seems. I feel like I need one of those big tents for termites put on our house and for them to pump in as much professional strength Lysol as they can...and let it sit - for days. I remember the sick days with my two oldest. You know, when they go anywhere and catch everything...and school seemed/seems to be the biggest playground for all those neat little bugs, viruses, and the like.

Hope is back on her breathing treatments and antibiotics. She seems to be doing better this morning. She is on her 2nd round of this mess. The first time just didn't kill it. Its not fair. But she is the biggest trooper. She deals with it really well. Last time the antibiotic jumped up and slapped it down pretty quick. And she is praying for that again. Tomorrow is her 100 days of school party and she does not want to miss it. And if the day continues as is - she won't.

She is an old pro at this thing.
She has a LOT of support from her little sister. Love will tell her, "jus breed"(just breathe), while patting her on the back or rubbing her cheek. It really is sweet.

Oh, and speaking of sweet... :)

This Morning...

This morning Love totally marched right into the house after dropping off all the big kids. She seemed to be on a mission. And, she was. I asked if she wanted me to turn on a Hi-5 for her. This is ritual as I check up on emails/blogs. She told me no. She went right to my bed, under it actually. And she retrieved Hope's DS. Hope did make the comment last night that she wishes that Love would play her game while she was at school so that she did not have to take so many turns while she was in the middle of doing something on her game. I had some sympathy...not much, but some. I guess Love totally took our conversation to heart. She came out and told me..." pay game -Hope at kool". That little stinker has taken out and put in all 3 of Hope's games - perfectly. And, she knows how to play them. Although her fun is about to end. I am not letting her stay on it more than 20 minutes. I just thought it was funny how she decided she would follow Hope's suggestion.

She was supposed to go back to school this morning but she just couldn't do it. She just isn't back to 100%. She will return Thursday. Her little nose is still running like a faucet. And having been a substitute I know how much teachers enjoy this. She said in the sweetest voice ever..."tay home now with mommy". You betcha I let her. But, now that I think about it...it may have been less about me and more about the game ;)

Oh, a few other things she has been saying that just get me......

When she is wanting to tell me something that means a lot she will use the words..."eva, eva, eva, eva, eva..." behind it. Like "I wuv yoo eva, eva, eva, eva, eva" :) or the other day she was really upset with Hope and she said, "no way, eva, eva, eva, eva, eva" and then put her head down with her hands covering her face. She was oh so distraught.

" 'Meer " is another. She means come here. She says it in the sweetest little voice.

She says "sah-ee" all the time. She means sorry. She knows how to use it. She is sorry for an awful lot too. If you get hurt, if she makes a poor choice, if she spills something, if you say excuse me to get by her, well, a whole lot of things.

It is so much fun watching her little brain stretch and her words to finally meet up with her thoughts. I can only imagine how much more enjoyable her life has been to not be so frustrated with us not understanding what she has been trying to tell us. Although her gestures and eyes can tell quite a story all by themselves :) Have I told you all lately how much I LOVE being home with her? Well, I do :)

Growing Up...

Everyone has been telling me lately how much Love has changed. To be honest, I don't really see it. Until I look back at her a year ago. I don't have many photos from a year ago on this computer...'member it crashed? But this one in particular reminds me of just how much of a baby she was.

February 2009
February 2010...how 'bout that hat?

Speaking of growing up...there is my little guy - Hunter. Well, technically he isn't so little, he towers over me nowadays. He was going fishing with Grumpy yesterday and while he was headed to the shower he said this to me:

"Mom, will you put on a pot of coffee for me?"

I don't know if it is just me but it cracked me up. I would have expected hot chocolate or even tea but not coffee. He drinks it off and on when we have our nightly pot but it just struck me as odd. Not that I didn't like it. It just made me think he really is growing up and he isn't always going to be here. Even though he will always be my little man he is making more grown up choices...even in his hot beverages. Today a pot of coffee tomorrow the car keys...seriously, he could start anytime now driving. He just has to go take his test for his permit. Can't even go there...too hormonal, I'm not too proud to admit it.

Does anyone else wonder why Hope may have wanted her jeans packed into her cowboy boots now? I think I have more insight after this ;)

I may have gotten the corniest mom award yesterday for taking these photos. I was hoping to have fish pictures to back these up. Alas, fish were not in the cards for them yesterday. Maybe next time big guy.

*ps Thanks for dealing with the continual blog changes. Hopefully I will find one that fits soon. It is like a new shade of lipstick...you have to wear it a few days to know if it is a keeper.