Just Bragging a Little!

Well, you know I like to brag on my girls. This time though, I'm bragging on myself. Yeah - not a humble thing to do, I know. Look at these pictures. They are of Hannah painting Sadie's fingernails and of the girls getting ready for bed. But look at their hair.

They both got haircuts. And guess who cut them? ME! They've both needed cuts desperately, and we haven't really had time to go do it. Hannah especially needed a haircut. And Saturday night I was thinking I really need to take them on Sunday for haircuts. And I thought, well, it would be cheaper and quicker if I just did it myself. So, Sunday morning I put some fun "haircut music" on and plopped Hannah in Sadie's booster seat in the middle of the kitchen. Hannah got a lot cut..which I was nervous about. See, I think I failed cutting in kindergarten! ha! I teach preschoolers every day how to cut, but I can't cut straight across a piece of paper without a line drawn. But I decided that I might as well go for it now while they were young enough that they wouldn't be too embarrassed and they would forgive me if I butchered it too badly. And it's far enough away from Christmas that we could have "repair work" done before then if needed. hehe! So, after I had a pile of hair all over the kitchen (which Hannah thought was the funniest thing ever and told her whole kindergarten class about), I sent Hannah to look in a mirror and started on Sadie. She was easier since she didn't need much done..mostly just bangs. But, I think they turned out pretty cute. Never mind that all day Sunday and Monday, I kept noticing little "twigs" I didn't get on Hannah and saying "hey, hold still..let me get that one!". But still..not bad for a first try. And the important part - they liked their haircuts. And no more hair in their eyes. Mission accomplished!

Happy Birthday Sadie!

I can't believe I've gone two weeks again without posting...well, that may be about all you can expect for a while. It's just busy. Not bad busy - just busy around here. Add to that my computer crashed. I was able to hook an old one up - but it's much slower. So, I'm not as motivated to post when it takes a long time. Hopefully I'll have my regular one fixed, especially since I have SO many pictures stored on it. Thankfully, I have both girls' China pictures backed up on discs. And I have Hannah's whole first year home. I also have everything from the time Sadie came home still on my camera. But, that leaves Hannah's 2nd year here - all those pictures are not backed up...so I'm hopeful I can get the computer fixed. And I've learned my lesson - backing up the pictures will be my first task!

Sadie's birthday was last weekend. She turned 3 years old. We had some friends over for dinner and cake and presents. Sadie loved it and it was clear she had watched carefully at Hannah's birthday a couple months ago. She knew exactly what her role was: blow the candles out, eat cake, open presents! It's hard to believe she has already been a part of our family for 5 months. She has come so far in so many ways. I really felt like Sadie had quite a few delays at first. She still has some, but she is moving right along quickly. She is even acting like a 3 year old now...you know, has her own opinion and not afraid to share it, gets a little bossy, says "uh-uh" and "no", and her favorite sentence is "I DO DAT!" (which is equal to Hannah's favorite phrase at three of "by MYSELF!") and her favorite word is "MINE". I love it! Happy Birthday sweet Sadie! I'm so glad you were here at home to celebrate this year and look forward to many more celebrations with you!

Fun at the Beach

Before I get to the beach pictures...I have to share a funny story. It may embarrass me, but it was funny. Today, the firefighters visited kindergarten at my school. As a fireman is showing Hannah's class a smoke detector, he asks "does anyone know what it means when this goes off?" Without missing a beat, Hannah says "mama burned the chicken again"! AAGH!

Well, in my defense..it doesn't usually BURN, but when I coat the chicken with something, it does set off our smoke detector sometimes. I think we just have a sensitive smoke detector! Well, the teachers and firemen got a laugh about it. Hannah's teacher came and told me about it. Hannah said her teachers laughed but the kids didn't. I'm sure they didn't laugh because her answer was logical to them and they didn't find it funny. Doesn't everyone's mama set the smoke detector off when cooking? (humor me, people!) ha!

We were very fortunate to be able to spend this past weekend at the beach with my parents and my brother. It was a short vacation...but nice anyway. Both girls had a great time, and I did too!

Enjoy the pics. These are just a few - I'll post more this weekend.

We're Still Here...

I know, it's been a long time. I have some things to update soon. And hopefully beach pictures soon too!! Sadie had her genetics appointment this week. I'll probably fill you in on the long version later. The short version is the appointment was long, we waited forever, the actual visit with the dr. was fine, we had blood work done, and we won't know the results for probably months.

I had Hannah's kindergarten conference recently. Her teacher said she was doing great, she had no concerns, and Hannah was "a dream". She showed me some of Hannah's journal, and she's starting to write very simple sentences. I know from her homework and books we read here, that she's recognizing some sight words. She knows all her letter sounds. She scored very well on the state's early literacy assessment. I was actually amazed at how well she's done. What really made me feel good though was that her teacher said she was having no problems socially and that she was in fact very social (and I'm thinking, yeah..that means she likes to talk too much! I know teacher lingo and what you mean when you say "social" ha! But her teacher said, no - definately in a good way). She said she's helpful and kind to other kids. She also said she wasn't bossy. I can't say that's always true at home! Hannah relishes the big sister role and while she's kind about it (usually), she definately thinks Sadie should do whatever she says. Her teacher also said she was always so excited to participate in everything and it was clear that she just loved learning. I have to admit, I was quite proud of my spunky, determined, sweet-hearted girl. She's come SO FAR in two years!

We've been good..just incredibly busy. But, while you wait, here's a fun story from mine and Hannah's conversation today. It started this morning when Hannah was asking about Jesus being in heaven. Then tonight, the conversation went like this.

Hannah: Does Jesus wear a dress?
Me: huh? oh, you mean a ROBE. Well, that's what men wore during the time Jesus was living on the earth.
Hannah: Does Jesus wear a dress in heaven?
Me: um..well, I really don't know what people wear in heaven. What do you think Jesus wears?
Hannah: UNDERWEAR! He's a boy. Not panties like a girl.

There you have it! insight into the mind of a five year old!
Have a great weekend. I promise to have pictures in the next update. Hopefully next week.