These Girls are a Growing

Grace went for her annual visit to the pediatrician today. She is still my string bean. She is built just like her brother Christian. - tall and thin...around 80% for height and 50% for weight...growing like a weed. In fact she is almost 1/2 an inch taller at 5 than Olivia was at 6 but 6 pounds lighter does that tell you something? So as for Olivia - this is first time back in a year and her first full year home with us in the U.S. and she is growing too. She is still my short one, but solid as a rock! Crazy this one is built like Jonathon.  She is 50% for weight too but...10% for height. She has grown a little over 2 inches this past year and gained 9 pounds.

The Last Two Off to School

Well the house is all quiet now as the last two went off to school today.  So I now have a freshman in college, a junior in high school, a 7th grader in middle school and a 1st grader and Kindergartener. Wow!  A new season, all my kids in school.  No more little ones at home.  A little sad, but also looking forward to this next season and all it brings! 

 

 

This year he has his license and car and gets to drive to school for the first time

This is the seriously mom do we have to take a picture look.  Not the baby on campus any more, 7th grader.

Celebrating Grace's 5th Birthday Ninja Turtle Style

We had a blast this morning celebrating Grace's 5th birthday!  If you know my girly she is my little tough cookie with the sweetest little heart.  Her choice for parties this year Ninja Turtles.  She cracks me up.  From Tinker bell with Olivia in May for her party to Ninja Turtles for Grace. Each their own little personalities that blend perfectly!  I love it!  I will be short on words since I had a hard time choosing pictures....enjoy!

 

 

 

Don't you love all the Ninja Turtles, we had Toxic Ooze to drink and Ninja mix to eat along with birthday cake, ice cream and of course Michelangelo's favorite - PIZZA!

First we had a clown come and then she changed into a Ninja Turtle costume for a little dancing. The clown did face painting. Grace had Michelangelo painted on her hand and a turtle bracelet and a birthday hat out of balloons!

The kiddos posing with the clown before she leaves to go get Michelangelo!

I think she makes the cutest Ninja turtle ever

I love this girl!

All our Ninja Turtles...the kids got Ninja Turtle masks, toxic ooze, Ninja turtle fruit snacks and blowers

So stinkin cute

The highlight of the day - Michelangelo!!!!!!!

Good friends!

Turtle power!

Happy Birthday Beautiful!

May all your wishes come true

 

Friends....

Oh yeah present time

Score!

Life is good!  May it always be full of blessings.  I love you so much Grace Fisher.  It was fun celebrating this day with you! 

A Child's Dream

So Jonathon is on his third car in almost 3 years. Ridiculous!  He totaled his first.  His second was a complete lemon.  Expensive to say the least, lesson learned.   But I am choosing to stay focused on the positive. Jonathon got his new ride tonight.  His car he has always wanted we broke down and got since he is now a college student with a few years driving experience and we wanted a good reliable car we could trust.  Ouch to the ole pocketbook, but the smile on his face makes it worth it (I think!). Trusting this is the LAST car we will buy him!!!!

 

 

Girls First Day of School!!!!

I can hardly believe it my baby started Kindergarten.  Something about when that last one of yours, your baby hits a milestone and your heart goes soft because you know it is the last time you will have that experience with any of your children again.  Today was a first and a last for me in this way.  I cried a few tears, tears of a season ending with any little ones at home, tears of how fast time flies - seems like we just brought her home from China, but also tears of joy and gratitude and just overwhelming awe of our God and what he has down in her life, the miracle that she is and the gratitude I have that God picked me to be her mommy and share in all these moments.  She is going to do fabulous! 

 

As for Grace, she is over the top excited.  She could not wait for this day to come.  Now like her sister and brothers she gets to go to school like a big girl.  She loves Hope Academy and was so excited to go to school with Olivia. This morning she was ready to begin drop off line.  I explained to her the first week we bring you in but next week you can do drop off line.  The girl is ready!  She was excited when I told her she would do the car pick up line today, lol. 

 

So here are the pictures that speak volumes.

 

Grace about to head out to her first day of Kindergarten

Love this girl, she is so excited

and my Olivia, starts first grade this year.  She loves Hope Academy and loves school.  She is like a sponge and soaks it all in. I am in awe of this girl the amount she has learned in a year.  She started Kindergarten last year after being in the country for 5 months and only the English she had picked up in that short time.  She ended the year, reading, writing and doing all the things a Kindergartner does.  This girl is so smart and I can not wait to continue to watch her grow this year in first grade. I think we are going to see another big year!

Isn't she beautiful?  She is getting so big and really starting to look like a "big" girl now.

 

My sweet girls ready for their day

Don't you love Grace's facial expression?

Olivia and her 1st grade teacher this year, Ms. Laycheck

My kindergartner at her table...two Grace's this year in her class again

Grace and her teacher Mrs. Holeman

 

Can't wait to hear all about their days this afternoon.

 

So now two in elementary and my oldest Jonathon started college last week.  He of course isn't about the pictures anymore.  But he is off to a great start.  He is living at home this first year and doing a bridge program with our local university, UNC-Charlotte.  He will work with both UNC-Charlotte and CPCC (Central Piedmont Community College) for his first year, attending at CPCC and putting in 24 credit hours.  His 25th credit hour and second year will be at UNC-Charlotte in the Fall of 2014.  Jonathon wants to major in Criminal Justice and his dream is to work for the FBI.  UNC-Charlotte is a great school and has a wonderful Criminal Justice program so this works great. The bridge program is a great option, for kids not ready to step out the doors on their own yet and wanting to take a baby step into the whole college experience. 

An Amazing Cruise

What an amazing week.  I don't even know where to start.  We spent 5 days on a cruise of the Caribbean.  We went to Grand Turk, Nassau, Bahamas and Carnivals private island Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. The Caribbean waters always take my breath away as I marvel at the hand of God.  We laughed a lot.  We played hard, we relaxed and even took a nap one day (big for me!).  We took everything in and had a great time. 

 

This trip was just Guy and I along with our oldest son Jonathon and his girlfriend Allie.  We had a lot of celebrating to do. This trip was Jonathon's high school graduation gift from us.  It also fell over me and Guy's 20th wedding anniversary, August 7, so we had our own celebrating to do as well.  It was one of the highlights of our year.  Here are just a few shots from our week. 

 

Picture Night at the Beach

We took some pictures on the beach last night and they turned out great.  It was so hard to choose which to post.  I did my best, you can check out Facebook though for more!

 

 

Jonathon and Christian and their girlfriends, Allie and Hannah

  



My girls, Olivia and Grace

Logan and his cousin, Mason

I am blessed - my family!

All the kiddos this year at the beach

Guy and I

The whole gang this year

 

I am overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving even in the midst of the craziness as I look at these pictures.  I am truly blessed! Even after a moment this week when I had to step away from it all and take a walk alone and I asked the question I dare to confess "where are you God right now, through tears"?  I look back at these moments, these faces, my family and I see you God in the faces of those I love more than life itself. Thank you - thank you!

Enjoying Family Vacation at Ocean Isle Beach

We are officially half way through our family vacation at Ocean Isle Beach and having a blast.  We have hung around the island most of the time with mornings on the beach, afternoons on the canal (we got a house this year on the canal) and evening golf cart rides, ice cream and putt putt.  Today we took we went for the afternoon/evening into Myrtle Beach and hung out at Broadway at the Beach with shopping, more putt putt, more ice cream (hey that is what we do at the beach!) and a dinner at Senor Frog. 

 

Our house we rented this year is perfect layout for us, with 4 bedrooms that sleeps 10!  This was exactly what we needed this year since we let Jonathon and Christian bring their girlfriends and Logan brought his cousin Mason. Everyone has someone to hang out with and it has helped with the bickering (I think?!?!?, sometimes doesn't seem like I ever escape that completely with my boys - someone tell me that is normal).   We even have our bottom floor of the house that is a game room with couches, tv, full size pool table, air hockey and fuse ball. The kids have enjoyed down time in the evenings there as well.

 

So I have taken over 200 pictures and have decided to be intentional at going through them each night so it isnt' so much when I get home. I also decided to update the blog half way through and even that was hard to narrow down my favorites. So enjoy, there are several good ones, and hey I have 8 kids here....

 

 

 adorable huh?

 

they both love the water, difference - Grace runs into the waves, gets thrown down and back up again, Olivia has fun running from the waves

 

Pure joy!

Loves the water, can you tell?

Bahaha - this one makes me laugh.

My goofy Logan - I think its the age

Grace managed to crawl in the hole the boys dug

Love Graces' hip popped out with her sassy self

Logan and Mason made friends with boy next door and enjoyed jumping off their boat in the canal

Cousins chillin on the pier

Riding the waves with big brother, Jonathon

They buried Christian - see his head?  Made him into a mermaid....lol, he is such a good sport

Christian and his girlfriend Hannah, and Jonathon and his girlfriend Allie

 

The four teens chillin in the canal

All the kids playing putt-putt

Jonathon and Allie

Guy and I

 

Christian skim boarding - he's good

and riding the waves - love the smile

 

Cute couple, look how tan

 

Funny chairs and Senor Frog 



 These girls love each other

 

Sillies.....