Happy Easter!

I hope this finds everyone having a wonderful Easter and celebrating Christ's Resurrection.  He died for all our sins!  

Being a little nostalgic right now, I chose a picture of an Easter past.  With unpacking boxes we find lots of things.  Cameron was most excited to find his memory box.  I have a tub for each boy that has pictures, medical bracelets, ribbons, etc.  He actually said that his brought tears to his eyes, but he didn't cry.  He can be so sentimental!

So, back to the picture.  It's funny how I can see their current personalities in this picture.  Look at Alex.  He's in his own world.  Cameron, well he's the cheezeball!  Ann, I let you think about yours!  (But I have to wonder is that an egg Tom is holding on his foot?)  At least they were plastic eggs.  There were so many eggs!  We had so much fun when the kids were little hunting the Easter eggs.  Funny thing is that if we would have hid them this year, I'm sure Alex, 17, would still want to hunt them! 

The past couple of weeks...

1. Poor Natalie!  Cameron accidentally stepped on her leg and fractured her growth plate!  She's in a crate for 6 weeks.  We are down to 4 1/2 weeks.  Poor baby wants out so bad, especially with the move.  She is so curious and sniffing the air! 

2. Losses... So far this week I've lost my driver's license and a tub of homeschool supplies that I need for co-op.  I really am glad that my head is attached.

3. Moving on.  We have about half our stuff over here.  Jim hasn't started the basement or garage, yet.  We are trying to figure out where to put things.  I was so overwhelmed with my kitchen stuff.  It's been in the same place for 5 years and now it's a whole new kitchen.  There is a ton of storage, but I just couldn't figure out where to put everything.  Andrea to the rescue!  She's good and telling me where to put things!  Plus, she's tall and could put things high up without having to grab a stool like the vertically challenged me.

4. Exploring new avenues!  Alex is loving his new room.  Of course, now he hardly ever comes out!  Now that we are closer to Kai, he only has to walk 1/2 mile to visit.  He also started playing Dungeons and Dragons with Kai at the community center that is just a block away.  He also went for a walk Thursday to the other Renton library that is .7 mile away.  He's happy to be able to walk there. 

5. Finally!  Alex finished his winter quarter this weekend.  He finished finals and did great.  B's in both classes!

6. But, but, but....  The first couple of days Cameron complained that there were only grown ups around here.  A couple days later he complained that there were only girls, because he was riding bikes with them.  Yesterday he made friends with a boy.  This afternoon he was invited to play at a kids house and they are watching the latest Alvin & the Chipmunks movie, that he has been dying to see!  

7.  Sorry, officer!  Cameron was riding his bike and was trying to get out of the way of a truck, but apparently was getting more in the way.  The guy laid into him with as Cameron put it, every bad word in the book!  I was not happy about that, but there is a funny side to the story.  Cameron wrote the license plate number, color, make and model of the truck so that he could stay away from that bad man! Cameron has an eye for details, so you better watch out!

Okay, I've caught you all up with the blog.  Not really sure who reads it, but thanks to those who do.  I'm now back to unpacking and maybe finding things instead of losing more!

Cameron's Fortune

Earlier this week Cammy and I took April to Panda Express for lunch.  We hadn't seen her in awhile and really missed her.  So, we are eating our lunch and just hanging out.  Then...Cameron opens his fortune cookie!  "You will soon be the center of attention."  Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!  Soon???  ALWAYS!!!  We got a good laugh out of that one!

Natalie & Packing

Natalie loves to be in the way.  She is a cat after all.  So, as I pack up some curriculum, she makes sure that it's stacked properly.  We don't want to lose any of it.  While I unload the filing cabinet, she makes sure I get every last file folder.  She loves to play with the empty boxes around the living room.  She drags some of them around.  Maybe she's just making sure she doesn't get left behind!

Adoption Day Bowling

We had a great evening Monday night celebrating our family adoption day.  We took the kids to McDonald's for dinner, including sundaes and dipped cones for dessert.  Then headed to ACME Bowling. We wanted a fun activity that we would all have fun doing.  We all had a blast.  It's a real treat for us to go bowling.   I'm not sure why we don't do it more often.  It was league night so we were in the hourly rental room.  It has big screens and neon lights flashing over the pins to change their colors.  The kids loved it.  Alex got to watch a screen and still interact with us!  Cameron got all his sensory input and he's been begging me to go bowling for a long time!  Jim and I had a great time with the kids, but also just watching the kids have fun!  God has blessed us with two amazing boys.

Don't you just love those big smiles?  We love these boys so much!  I love Alex in the bottom right picture.  It is so hard to get a good picture of a teenage boy! 

More glasses!

Cameron has passed the 20 pairs of broken glasses!  The vision therapy office has had problems ordering his glasses.  This is the 3rd time they have ordered.  Each time it takes 4 weeks to come in, so 4 weeks to find out they didn't come in!  His bifocals had both arms taped.  Cameron started wearing his single vision lens glasses and broke an arm, then the other.  Both were taped, but one just wouldn't stay on.  So, he was wearing glasses with one taped arm!  A couple of weeks ago he had his appointment and they ordered the glasses again and they should be in in about 2 more weeks. (We'll see)  I was desperate and found a cheap place on line and ordered a pair for $37.  They should be here in the next week or so.  Well, he needed glasses now.  His vision is 20/200, so it's not like it's a minor thing with him.  Well, we went to Lenscrafters for the one hour glasses.  We went to the one at Southcenter mall.  They didn't have his lenses.  I called the one in Bellevue and their machine was down.  Called the one in Redmond and they didn't have them in stock.  Called the one in Federal Way and BINGO!  We have a winner!  Tuesday we headed down for his one hour glasses.  They were having a sale (good thing!) We got them for just under $200 and that was 1/2 price!  OUCH!  After all, we are used to free glasses!  At least we got the pair that can actually bend.  Maybe they will last.  I sure hope so.  At least we have 2 back up pairs on the way!  He was very happy to get his bifocals again!  Even he notices that his behavior is better when he has them.

The Blubbering Reader

As part of our WW II unit study, I read Sadaku and the Thousand Paper Cranes.  What a beautiful story, but sad.  So very, very sad.  It's only 60 pages and by 55 I'm crying.  At 57 I'm sobbing and sniffling.  Just one chapter left.  It's only 3 pages of reading!  Can I do it?  Well, maybe I could have, I don't know.  Cameron took over.  He said he'd read it!  The last sentence is her falling asleep and not....  Cameron skips to the next page, which talks about the memorial.  I didn't know he had stopped at the last 2 words.  I thought there may have been another paragraph.  He looks at me and says, "You don't want to know."  I said, I already know she dies.  So, he says, "did not wake up."  I think I used half a dozen Kleenex.  I'm so glad we read this story.  It touched me (obviously) in such a profound way.  Growing up, I knew about Hiroshima.  It was just an event in our history.  The holocaust was always brought to life by The Diary of Anne Frank.  I'd never read anything from the Japanese point.  This is definitely been an eye opener of a unit study to me. 

On a lighter note, because I had to do something other than end the story with her death.  We decided to look up her memorial at the Hiroshima Peace Park.  Then we looked up origami cranes.  They are pretty complex, so we just looked up origami.  Cammy being the cat obsessed one was interested in making an origami cat.  So, we did.  He made a big one that he could use as a mask, and I made a little one.  Aren't they cute?

Taking down the swing set and fort

We'll call this part of the moving series.  Jim kept Cameron outside ALL day long!  They went out at 10am and he came in at 9pm and most definitely needed a bath!  Cameron helped Jim take apart the swing set and fort.  They sawed it up and had a nice fire.  Cameron worked hard and earned $7!!!  He dug dirt and leveled out the backyard where the swing set was.  I really should have taken a picture of him before he showered.  At least I did get home using the saw!  Only Jim would let him do that.  He was sawing away and so proud!  It was great therapy for him.  He was able to work that proprioceptive system good!  (Had to throw that word in for my friends who know therapy!)  So now he is down in the bed, actually our floor.  He's sleeping in our room tonight.  It's a treat!  And hopefully, he falls asleep fast and has a good night's rest.  I'm sure he will!

Natalie and the deposit

You will have to get used to Natalie stories.  I love her and she is just so much fun!  We got the lease emailed to us yesterday to look over.  We weren't sure if there was going to be a pet deposit or not, but were prepared if there was.  So, I found out how much.  I call Jim and said, "Do you still want to keep her?"  Right then she starts meowing!  Like she understood.  I know she didn't, but the timing was hilarious!  And by the way, we would never really get rid of her.  She's part of the family!

Planet 51

I took the kids to the $3 theater to see Planet 51 this afternoon.  It was a cute movie.  Towards the end the kid tells the general that he is just scared of the unknown.  Well, on our way to the library after the movie, Cameron states that moving might not be so bad after all.  He says he doesn't want to do it, but like the movie he is just scared of the unknown. 

Changes in 2010

With 2010, we have decided on a few changes. For one, a cat. We were fostering a cat for a couple of days and Jim fell in love. New Year's Day Natalie became a permanent part of our family. She's a sweet gray, short hair cat. We all love her. Cammy can't stand to not know where she is all the time. But, she loves me. Us girls are sticking together.

Another new thing, we are moving. No, not buying a house. Yes, I know that you build up equity in a house when you buy, BUT you also have to have a huge down payment, pay taxes, and if anything breaks you have to pay to fix it on your own. That's just not for us. Jim and I had different priorities in the house. Except for 3 bedrooms and enough parking. That was a given. The boys have been sharing a room for 5 years and well, they are 17 and 9. The great thing about our new house, well we got what we both wanted!

SO, March 12th we will be moving to our new home. It's 3 bedrooms and still in Renton. That makes me so happy. I love it here. This is where our family is (Except those in Texas!) It's a block away from a park and just a lovely little house. It was another time that the Lord provided in such great timing. I saw it and called the day it was listed, which was also the day we received our tax return and could put down a deposit if we needed to. Just like our home here. We had looked and looked and prayed and he made this our home.

We will miss it here. We have lots of memories. We are really excited about the move, though. All of us that is, except Cameron. He doesn't want to move. It is hard for him. he already doesn't do well with transition. He's been here since he was 4. Once we move, e will love it, but it's going to take time.

Those are our first 2 big changes. I'm anxious to see what else God has in store for us this year!

Schooling

Alex is loving Running Start at Highline Community College. He was struggling a bit in the beginning, but is on Vyvanse now and it has helped him tremendously. Right now he is taking Psychology and Interpersonal Communication and enjoying both classes. He's made a friend, Gretchen that he loves to talk games with and they text each other frequently.

It's about time for Alex to register for next quarter's classes. He's taking a couple of library classes and a computer class. Luckily books won't be the $385 they were for this past quarter! Whew!

Cammy and I are involved in a great co-op down in Burien. He is taking The Way Things Work, Beginning Chess and What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs. He loves it. Chess is his favorite class. I am actually teaching a class, too. I'm teaching yearbook. We've had 2 classes and I am enjoying it. I have a great group of students.

Cammy is still taking art with some other homeschool friends. We have to do some of it at home, because it is the same day and time of his social skills group. April enjoys helping him out with his art. She does a lot of the projects with him.

Cammy and I are also studying World War II. We are doing it as a unit study. I think I am learning just as much as he is. I was never that interested in it, but we have been reading stories about it and watching movies. It's been very interesting and he's writing diary entries as if he is in that time and place.

Let's try again!

I refuse to give up no matter how many times I take extended breaks from my blogs! I've kept in touch with most everyone on facebook. I have to say I do like it more than MySpace. I didn't in the beginning, but it grew on me. I was glad it did because, honestly, the ads on MySpace are filth! Facebook has been fun, especially getting in touch with old friends and seeing what is going on in their lives.

There has been too much going on in our lives to actually put on here right now. Let's just say lots of ups and lots of downs. The constant in it all is God's grace, mercy, and love! He holds my hand each day!

The kids had good birthdays. Thanksgiving came with all the boys getting sick. Then we had a lovely Christmas with our tradition of staying in our jammies all day. No dressing up, no places to go, just enjoying each other. New Year's Day we had the Grosso's over for brunch and games then we headed up to their house for a movie. It was a wonderful day.