Rockin' Around the Clock {At the Hop}

My girls had their First Grade program last night, the theme was "At the Hop". 

Oh.my.goodness.  They have been practicing and singing and dancing for months now.  Who knew 150 First Grade students could rock the house so well!? 

It brought tears to my eyes to see Olivia, up moving and shaking, thinking about how far she has come in the last year!  She was definitely one of the more enthusiastic singer/dancers, being located in the front, on the end!  Abigail was in the middle but could still "shake it up baby"! 

They had so much fun and it was truly a joy to behold! 

Easter {He is risen!}

What a wonderful weekend it was! 

The girls and I colored Easter eggs on Saturday, I forgot what a mess THAT can be!  They had gotten kits from Build-a-Bear and we had a fun time putting tattoos and stickers on our eggs.

Then Sunday morning, we started out with Easter bunny surprises, which Olivia just couldn't grasp.  She came home right before Easter last year and doesn't remember it at all.  Trying to explain the Easter Bunny to an almost nine year old sounds, well, ridiculous.  So I didn't try too hard, just let her enjoy the candy and small gifts the EB left!  That was enough.

{Notice the Easter baskets Grandpa Bernie made for my boys many years ago}

We then got all dolled up for church and headed off to hear wonderful worship music and an awesome message, He is risen indeed!

After lunch, we headed off to Uncle John and Aunt Ellen's for an Easter egg hunt (x 3 or 4) and a feast fit for a king!   It's always good to be with family and this year didn't disappoint.  Everyone seemed truly glad to be together.  The girls enjoyed running around with their cousins Liz, Emmie and Maddie, letting off some steam!  And my boys hung around all day, spending time with us; that doesn't happen too often so we savored their company as well. 



waiting not so patiently to eat so we can go hunt for eggs...sigh*





My girls on the hunt!





Tried to get everyone looking at me, not so much!



It was a great day, perfect way to celebrate a risen King!

One Year {HOME}

I cannot believe it has been one year today since our Olivia joined our family.  In some ways time has gone sooo fast and yet, others, it stands still.  Livi has come so far in 12 months, we take it for granted. 


We had conference with her teacher the other night and discussed her reading and where she is on the "scale" for our state.  This scale doesn't take into account that Olivia spent the first almost 8 years of her life speaking a completely different language (or two).  It doesn't matter that she knew no English until a year ago.  The State only looks at her as a first grader who is behind.  It's very frustrating but we are so thankful and blessed to have a battery of teachers who GET IT!  They see how far she has come and recognize that she will only continue to blossom. 


The biggest challenge for Livi now is, she can say a word, sound it out perfectly, speak in fluent sentences, but she doesn't know what the heck some of it actually means.  It'll come.  We try to point things out to her on a daily basis so she knows what a flag is or what a jacket is (vs. a coat) etc.   I try to put myself in her situation as often as possible and understand her frustration.  We are so very proud of her! 


There have been so many firsts this past year, too numerous to name them all.  The ocean, swimming, dentist, motorcycle ride, birthday party, her own clothes, her own toys, major surgery, LOVE, RULES, FAMILY.  And through it all, she has kept that winning smile. 


We love you Olivia ZiJing!  You have blessed us greatly!

{and we obviously need to take some new pics, thank goodness Easter is almost here}

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him."

1Samuel 1:27

and yet ANOTHER first {Daddy's Harley}

Olivia has been waiting impatiently for the weather to break so she can go for a ride on daddy's big bike.  We have had unseasonably warm weather here in Ohio (thank you very much) and he got the bike out last weekend. 

After a few battery issues, it was all systems go.  Our girl has a smile that lights up a room and the ride she took up the street and back didn't disappoint!  I see my seat has been replaced by my two girls since Abigail can't resist a ride on the bike either... 

Maybe a side car IS in our future?

Seeing the Difference {Already}

Olivia has been such a trooper with her hand/arm; no real pain, no complaining, just an inconvenience at bath time and bed time! 

We headed to the doctor on Tuesday to get the cast off and have her arm re-casted.  Well, the doctor was so pleased with her progress, she did NOT need a new cast.  He put her in a splint (she has to wear it ALL the time) and we scheduled therapy.  The next big decision we will need to make is whether to make her index finger into a thumb and her middle finger an index finger, therefore giving her a "pincher".  The doctor has a few young patients he has done this with lately and he has promised to call me over when they are here (parents permission of course) so I can see the benefits.  We would not do this until Fall, so we have a lot of time to make the right decision. 

And without further ado...(if you have a weak stomach, beware)

BEFORE -->

AFTER-->

Honestly, how awesome is that?

Happy Birthday {Abigail 7}

My first (and youngest) daughter just turned seven.  I can't believe it!  Abigail has been with us for almost five years now and she has grown into such a beautiful, loving (on her terms), KIND and CARING person.  She loves her sister like they've been together forever.  Yes, they argue, but in the end, Abigail has Olivia's back. 

We celebrated with a pancake breakfast dinner in her honor and topped it off with cake, ice cream and PRESENTS.  When we asked Ab what she wanted, she said anything she got would be nice!  Ahhh, love this girl's heart.  The best part about gift opening time {for me} was watching her and listening to her READ her cards!  Oh how far she has come! 

She is having her very first sleepover this weekend, two friends are coming and her cousins are coming over to party with us.  Should be interesting, to say the least! 

We are thankful every.single.day for the gift the Lord has given us in our Abigail, we love her with all our hearts.  (sorry for the awful phone pics, camera battery was dead)

Prayer Request {Hand Surgery}

Tomorrow is a big day for our Miss Olivia.  She is finally going for her surgery that I talked about here.  We tried not to talk about it too far out so as not to worry her too much, but last weekend we brought it to the forefront.  A lot of questions, a lot of restlessness and now yesterday she came home from school with a low grade fever and said she was "having a sad day". 

Our prayer is that the surgeon's hands be guided by the GREAT SURGEON and that Olivia's pain be minimal.  This is no small surgery but the end result will be for the best.  Her hand & arm will look more like her left hand and she will benefit with better dexterity.  Down the road, should we go there, she will also have a "pincher" that will enable her to manipulate things, where she can't right now. 

Thank you for praying for our little girl.