Sibling Gifts

One of the gifts of having siblings is actually receiving gifts from siblings.  Actually, this was part of our quest in teaching the kids that it is better to give than to receive.  I can't take credit for it, as I totally stole the idea from my friend Gretchen.  We had lots of fun though.

Jon took the boys one at a time, and I took Rachel shopping.  We hit one of our kiddos favorite spots - THE DOLLAR TREE!  The kids had so much fun roaming the toy aisles to pick out the perfect presents for their siblings. 

After shopping success, Mommy and Daddy decided the gift of yummy Mexican food was in order.  Who doesn't love La Fiesta Grande???  However, while enjoying our food, one thing became crystal clear - our kids can't keep secrets.  Hmmm... must have inherited that gene from Auntie Val! 

To keep the beans from spilling anymore than they already had, once home, we sequestered the children in our bedroom to watch the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Individually, each child emerged to join Mommy in wrapping their carefully chosen treasures.  Foregoing the conclusion of the classic cartoon, the kiddos gathered around clutching their prized purchases as giddy as giddy could be!  Once they exchanged gifts, paper flew, and you would have thought they had the most amazing gizmos and gadgets ever invented! 

"Wow - just what I always wanted!"
"You got this for ME?!?! I LOVE IT!"
"Yay, yay, yay!"

It was absolutely precious how excited they were!  It doesn't take a lot.  $6.36 out of Mom and Dad's pocket and a little thoughtfulness on the kiddos part equalled lots of JOY in the end.... and maybe a Christmas lesson learned.  It is just as wonderful and fun to GIVE as it is to receive.

 Pre-Swap

 Exchange and Open

 Two Happy Boys

 Super excited to open her princess wand and tiara!

Showing off the new loot

Court Is Now In Session!

All rise - Court is now in session.  It's OFFICIAL!!! My cuties names are now legally Jeremiah Cole Ezekeal Wells and Rachel Elena Yemesrach Wells. After our court appearance this afternoon, the readoption is complete. The children no longer hold resident alien status but are now U.S. Citizens.

My one and only court appearance (well, minus future adoptions ) was not exactly what I expected. Needless to say, Franklin County Family Court is not quite like the courtrooms you see on TV. The courtroom was empty aside from our family, our attorney, the GAL, bailiff, court reporter, and judge. Things weren't smooth and polished and moved somewhat awkwardly along. Jon was the one actually sworn in and fielding most questions while I tended to the kids. A couple of times, in response to something the GAL would say, I'd want to reply. However, having not been sworn in, I wasn't sure whether to speak. When the judge would look my way and acknowledge, then I'd chime in. After the fact, I was sworn in and actually answered a few questions and verified Jon's testimony.

Of course, when the judge got to pronouncing their names - Jon and I had to chime in again. Once the case was closed, we posed for photo ops.

It is so nice to have this piece of the adoption puzzle complete. A huge thank you to our attorney and friend, Harold! He spent a lot of time and worked very hard on our behalf... all voluntarily and out of the kindness of his heart. Again, another one of God's blessings to us throughout our adoption process!!!!

Hark How the Bells, Sweet Colored Bells

December 19th  - Christmas Sunday!  Ahhh yes... I woke up a tad bit early so that we could all get gussied up minus the usual, typical hectic Sunday morning stress.  Believe it or not - it worked.  We all made it out the door donning our holiday duds and had smiles on our faces. Posing in front of the Christmas tree is a family must, and one of the rare occasions all 5 of us make it in the same picture.  However, I think the pics of the 3 kiddos are much cuter!!!

Following Sunday School, the children came upstairs and sat on the front pews.  After the prelude and a brief introduction they took the stage to open our worship service.  They played "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Away in the Manger."  Caleb played yellow, Jeremiah had the responsibility of dark blue, and Rachel chimed right in with purple.  The kiddos were so cute playing the bells.  They took the task really seriously and were glued on the color-coded cards being flipped.  It was quite intense for 4 and 5 year-olds, but they were so stinkin' proud of themselves as were we!  Papaw and Mamaw even came up to catch this musical phenomenon.

Creation Camouflage DNG Review

Admittedly, I'm afraid I won't be able to do this review justice.  My sincere apologies to Amanda B.  With a dance recital, holiday festivities, snow, and ice, even our best intentions and well thought out plans have fallen by the wayside.  Not as much schooling has taken place this past week, as I had planned.  I suppose since the rest of the state had snow days so did the Wells :( 

Through the Download N Go series, week long unit studies are available on topics ranging from continents, countries, and key historical figures to edible treats and exotic animals. There is truly something for every student's interests. The units are cross-curricular as they include history, geography, science, math, literature, art, etc. and each unit has been created with K-4th grade students in mind. The Download N Go's are each busting at the seams and filled to the brim with engaging, entertaining, and educational material. Our family loves the embedded video clips and websites, and you can't beat the incredible graphics included in each study.

Even though my kiddos have just scratched the surface of the Creation Camouflage DNG, I can confidently say, this may just be our most favorite study to date.  My animal junkies are LOVING it!  I'm excited to complete the study with them and eager to head to the library to gather more resources.  Amanda Bennett provides an extensive list of recommended books/websites/etc.  While the DNG truly is a stand alone comprehensive study, the recommendations are bonus and supplement so well!!!!

An overview of the week is as follows:
Day 1: Hiding in Plain Sight
Day 2: Getting to Know the Rain Forest
Day 3: What Is in the Desert?
Day 4: Hiding in the Ocean
Day 5: Cool Things About the Tundra

As you can see from the sample pages below, there are so many activities included in the Creation Camouflage DNG.  There are notebooking pages as well as lapbooking elements.  All of the prep work is provided.  Simply print the pages, grab some crayons and glue, and the kids are all set!

On Day 1, when talking about how and why animals hide, we had our own hide-and-seek game in the house.  Yes, we broke the "no running in the house" rule, but who am I kidding?  Rarely, do the kids ever follow this rule :(  While Jeremiah was hiding under his bed, he found a new critter that wasn't so well camouflaged... the dust bunny!  Fear not, his sweet OCD tendencies couldn't stand for that, so these feisty beasts met their demise when he came at them armed with baby wipes in hand.  There is one spotless floor under my boys' beds.

Our discussion of winter on Day 1 was definitely aided by the blanket of white God gave us this week.  We were really able to talk about what activities could and couldn't transpire as we were truly living it.  We pulled several "snow" books off of our bookshelves to read...  of course, A Snowy Day.

I do believe that the winter weather is here to stay! While you may be hiding out in the comfort of your warm home and snuggly pj's, don't hide from this amazing opportunity to learn about some of God's camouflage creatures.  Check out the DNG store, and purchase the Creation Camouflage DNG for your family's educational pleasure!  I also encourage you to read others reviews of this product.  Just as I do, I know you will glean much from the ingenuity and creativity of these homeschooling parents.

GCC Christmas Party

Following the dance recital and our Cracker Barrel outing, we headed to Graefenburg Christian Church for the annual Christmas party. This is always such a great time of food, fellowship, and fun. After enjoying some hearty soup, sandwiches, and sweet and savory treats, it was time to open gifts. This is the time that Secret Sisters are revealed, children give presents to Sunday School and evening teachers and kids in their classes, and the PREACHER'S KIDS GET SPOILED. Hmmm... guess who the PK'S are??? Yep, my three cuties! As usual, our church family goes above and beyond!!! They are ensuring our little ones are rotten. This was a first for Jeremiah and Rachel, and by the grins on their faces, I do believe they were fans.


GCC FAMILY - thank you so much for your generosity and the many kindnesses you show our family the entire year through. We love you all so very much!

Stellar Performance

Same song...  Second verse... Much, MUCH WORSE!!!!!

Where, oh where, have the dance shoes gone?
Oh where, oh where, can they be?
Lost in a Princess Tiana backpack
I'm suffering from insanity!!!!

Our morning started off well enough.  Jon headed to church to assist with God's Pantry, and I finished some last minute wrapping for the church Christmas party later that evening.  I fed the kiddos a really early lunch....  bananas and hotdogs at 10:30 a.m. YUM! (Really ICK!) I set out fixing Rachel's hair and dressing her in pretty suntan tights.  I gathered the costumes, and all was running smoothly until I discovered that Rachel's dance shoes were NOWHERE to be found.  So... ransack the house TAKE 2 commenced.  I had all the kids in on searching for the purple Princess Tiana backpack.

When our searches came up empty, I called Jon in a frantic, crazy-woman panic!  He assured me that it would be ok, and I half-screamed/half-cried, "It's not ok!  I feel like I'm losing my mind!"  Somehow, he convinced me to head on to Shelbyville.  While driving, one of my psychotic phone messages was returned, and I learned that we had indeed left the royal backpack and the treasured shoes in the dressing room.  Sheewwww...  this Momma was so stressed out, but thankfully, some immediate relief helped.

I got Miss Rachel all dolled up, watched her get hosed in sparkling body glitter, and have her rear end sprayed with hair spray to remedy the static cling.  Hmmm... the one thing this proved, I am not now nor ever will I be cut out to be a pageant Momma.  Before I could dwell on those thoughts long, Kacey positioned the girls in lines.  I gave Rachel a hug and high fives and headed out the door.  Rachel called out, "I love you Mommy!" Nervously, I headed to sit with Jon.

When Rachel took the stage, she looked a little unsure.  I then saw her start scanning the audience.  An immediate smile lit up her face when she spotted Daddy then positioned on the front row to capture the dance on film.  As the music started, she locked eyes on Kacey and did exactly what she was supposed to do.  It was such a joy to watch her.

During intermission, I went to change her, and all she could say was, "Cool Mommy!  So cool!"  Once she was in her white and gold tap costume and returned to her spot in line, it was time to make my exit.  There were 3 criers in the room as I left, but I poked my head in for one last check and Rachel was grinning ear to ear.  I was sure she'd turn on the charm in her tap routine.

The funniest thing happened before the tap music started.  A ring-leader on the back row was enamored with the sound of her tap shoes on the floor.  She began to jump and at 3 and 4 years old "monkey see, monkey do!"  Several girls began jumping as well.  Not to be left out, Rachel joined keeping a perfect steady beat with her jumps.  Somehow, Kacey got their attention, the music began, and the girls danced their sweet little routine.

Needless to say, Mommy, Daddy, Jeremiah, Caleb, Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Matthew, Aunt Megan, baby Malach, Mark, and Jane were all so very proud of Rachel and her stellar performance.  Rachel received a trophy cut-out of herself and a flower, and then we headed to Cracker Barrel with the fam to celebrate her job well done!

Where, Oh Where, Have the Dance Tights Gone?

Where, oh where, have the dance tights gone?
Oh where? Oh where can they be?
They're not the ugly olive green kind,
But the ones I just had my best friend pick up for me!

As catchy as this little ditty may be, I was not so happy to be singing it!  Originally, when dance costumes arrived, we were given options as to where to buy the girl's dance tights.  Attempting to be "Bargain Betty" (ok - that's really my friend Gretchen's self-appointed yet incredibly accurate title!), I opted for the Payless option.  Out with the Black Friday crazies, Gretchen gave me a call and actually picked up the tights for me.  SCORE!

It wasn't until opening the tights on dance picture day that we realized that they were not nude or suntan at all.  Instead, they were a hideous brownish - and on Rachel, an olive green color.  Ick!!!!  They clashed horribly with the teal outfit, but thankfully, when photographed didn't appear as ugly with the white costume.  Hence, the fact, I purchased some of these pics of my cutie!!!!  Really, can you blame me?  How could I not splurge on these?

I decided that it would be best to get the more expensive tights for the actual dance recital, so Rachel would have a more attractive ensemble and would match the majority of the other girls.  Since the store that sold the dance tights was so close to my best friend's house, Jane was able to pick up a pair of tights for me and bring them to church.  Unfortunately, between Sunday and Friday, I managed to lose the tights.  I looked every place I could possibly think to look, and they were nowhere to be found.  While looking, I was ranting and raving, so my hubby agreed to go to the store and buy another pair.  Unfortunately, shortly after he left, he phoned to say that there were no longer any tights in Rachel's size available.  Ughhhh!

As I loaded up the munchkins to head to Shelbyville, Rachel in ugly tights mind you, dear Jon headed to a dance store in Lexington.  Thankfully, mid-rehearsal he phoned to say he had pretty tights in hand :-) I believe, Rachel was a tad-bit overwhelmed at the big stage.  Before all the other girls arrived, Miss Kacey took her up on the stage and Momma nabbed a few pics.  Then, when class started, Kacey went to work placing the girls...  "X marks the spot!" and my baby was front and center :-)

It was in the lag time that Rachel began to panic.  I knew it immediately.  She started fidgeting with her skirt, looking at the ground, and scratching - all tell-tale signs that she is uncomfortable and/or nervous.  I went to the stage to talk to her, and she touted her typical, "People no look at me!"  She never wants to be singled out, the center of what she perceives as negative attention, or feel as if people are laughing at her.  I did my best to reassure her, but the magic happened as soon as Kacey turned the music on.  Rachel's eyes were glued to Kacey.  She mimicked her every move and was completely focused.  She danced surprisingly well.  I was so proud of her. 

We exchanged some high fives and hugs, and I changed her into her tap costume.  Miss Pris took the stage with some confidence this time and did a great job.  I'm so proud of her - what a LONG way she has come in 10 months!