Christian's Whispers of Sweet Nothings in my Ear

So, I have this kid that compliments me a lot. . .and I truly think he tries his pick-up lines out on me!  I am flattered and I have to admit, they always make me smile and my heart melt for him just a little more each line he uses.  I realize he is just practicing for his future lady friends but right now, I am feeling pretty glad he uses them on me!  And I must say. . . . .some of them he comes up with are pretty darn good!  Below I will start to try and document just a few he has been using. . . . 

1.) While sitting in the living room holding the littlest newbie we have (one month old at the time) Christian looks up at me from across the living room where he is sitting and playing his D.S. and he says, "wow, that smells great!!!!! Maybe that is you and the baby mommy, that I keep smelling."  then he goes back to playing the D.S. :)

2.)  When eating his box Kraft Mac n cheese he says with GREAT enthusiasm, "mom, you are the bestest cooker ever!!!"

WATCHING for Miracles

Ava is  huge part of us taking care of  our girls!  Sometimes we like to reward her with special things to show her how appreciated she is.  So, Ava had gotten a new ELSA watch from the movie Frozen and it was gorgeous.  She was simply so proud of it and wore it everywhere she could.  One day she wore it to the dentist office when her daddy took her.  She came home and that night after the office was closed and everyone was going to bed, she informed me so sheepishly that she had in fact lost her watch.  She knows she left it at the dentist office.  This frustrated me and I tried to explain to my now crying daughter, that the watch probably won't be there tomorrow because someone else probably saw it and took it home to their little girl that also LOVES Elsa and Frozen.  We prayed for honest people to find the watch and then I promised to call in the morning. 

The next morning, just as promised, we called the office.  They said they had not seen the watch.  We explained it and told them the story.  The front office lady took our number and promised to call us if they found it.  She even went back and talked to the hygienist that had worked on Ava and asked if she had seen it.  That lady said she remembered Ava and the watch being on her wrist because they had talked about it but she had not seen it since.  Ava was still praying so hard but I figured it was gone for good. 

Later that day we were out and about and I decided last minute, because she was still so sad and praying so hard, to stop in and check it out.  We prayed one last time before we got out of the car.  Her hopes were so high and mine, sad to admit, were not.  We walked in and up to the front desk.  I started explaining that we had called earlier and they remembered us immediately.  I was sad for Ava as a few of the ladies came over to the window to see her and they were all so sad and giving her their sweet sorrows as she was holding in the tears.  We politely thanked them, made sure they had our number, and turned to head out.  We had shared with them that we were still praying so it might turn up unexpectedly.    They just smiled.  Here is the best part!!!!!  AS were turned around to head home, with our heads hung, someone stopped us.  It was the man sitting in the waiting room when we first walked in, and he had said hi and we had said hi back.  He said, "are you guys looking for a watch?"  we said yes and he said follow me.  We followed him out into the hall and he walked up to a door and pulled something off the random door's doorknob. As he turned around to extend his hand toward us, there in his palm was Ava's WATCH.  His eyes were looking at us and watching as our expressions turned to amazement and  pure joy. . .for we had seen a miracle!  TRULY.  :)  Ava started squealing her appreciation.  As for me, not a surprise to many, I started crying.  I was so in awe that God had worked this miracle out to build my child's faith.  God does care about the sparrows and the little things!!  The chances of the watch being picked up and carried out of the office into the main complex and then hung on a random doorknob of another office that happened to be the last door before the outside door.  The even smaller chance of us seeing it or running into someone that had happened to glance, see it on the door knob, and be in there long enough to hear that we were looking for it.  We ourselves had walked past the door and watch and never saw it at all.  This man smiled at us and Ava went flying back in to the office ladies to show them her answer to prayer.  Even the dentist came out to hear what had happened.  WOW. . .oh the faith of a child. . .if only we could all have that faith.  Thanks be to God for showing up in this BIG way to such a little girl that means so much to her mama!  :) 

Last Day of School

Ava graduating 2nd Grade / Christian Graduating 1st Grade

Well, we have officially made the move. . . we have decided to become a homeschooling family!  The kids are very excited but with that comes many lasts.  Last time getting on the bus, last day of school at Hamilton Heights. . . so on and so forth.  I decided to interview them just as I did in the beginning of the year.  Some things changed but some not so much.  Ava is Purple and Christian is Blue. :)

What are you excited about for your last day of school?

                It's the end of school

                Excited it is in the end of the year

What do you want to be when you grow up?

                Be an ice cream guy

                I want to be an Ice Cream Girl and  a Teacher

What is your favorite color?

                Blue, Pink, and Purple

                Pink

What did you like most about school this year?

                We had to go and get in small groups this year, and getting wet out in field day

                I liked when it was time to switch classes, because I got two teachers instead of one.

Who is your teacher?

                Mrs. Brubaker & Mrs. Zullinger

                Mr. Rumble

Who are you going  to marry?

                Emilee at the Chiropractic

                I don't know

How many kids do you want to have?

                One hundred

                Five

What was your favorite thing about your summer?

                Getting Popsicles

                Swimming

Who is your best friend?

                Selena & Jaden

                The whole class

What is your favorite school lunch?

                Pepperoni Pizza

                Pizza Crunchers

          

Sweetest Letter on Earth

Today was an extremely frustrating day for me.  We took  Christian to his neurologist for an evaluation and though we have no answers, we still have a ton of testing to go through to HOPEFULLY figure some things out.  This is disheartening and very frustrating.  On top of that, today was so busy, I had NO time to do anything productive so I felt worthless and grumpy.  I was feeling discouraged about how foster care was affecting my immediate family, wondering why we do it, and also just worrying about our adventure of homeschooling next year.   One thing that needs to be said here is I am a person that often prioritizes many others over my family.  That needs to change.  The second thing that I need to mention is that yesterday, while on the way to a graduation party for Brady Smith, the song from Steven Curtis Chapman that talks about "LOVE fill up all of my spaces" came on the radio.  The kids and I had a great little conversation about how we want Jesus LOVE to shine through us and fill up every area of our lives so that when others see us they can't help but see Him!

So, on to today.  Ava was sitting at the table doing something on her Ipod. Then she all of a sudden told me I must find my Ipod so I can read her note and she promptly ran outside.  I took my time finding it and let me tell you, when I found it and charged it and read the text message / long letter she had sent. . . WOW!!!!! It literally brought tears to my eyes and revived my heart and just made me so so so happy in general.  I am sharing this because I LOVED it so much and I want record of it for me later on.  So proud of this girls heart.  Seriously the Best Letter Ever!!!!


Hi mom, sorry that I have not go back to you in a while.  Also I can not wait to be homeschooled next year.  Are you excited to homeschool us next year.  Just to let you know we all love you.  Also I can not wait for summer to come.  You are the best mom I have ever seen.  I am sorry for the times I fout with Christian.  I should be kinder to him.  you will always be the kind girl you always are.  I will never let you behind.  Also I am sorry for the times I did not obey you and put more on your plate.  Sometimes I wish I would not put more on your plate because you already have a lot on your plate.  I should be the best dauter I always should be.  Sometimes I get tired of the crying baby's but I love Jesus so much that I give my house to the baby's we get through foster care.  Also I like when you take me to yard sales.  Also I like your giving heart for others I love you mom.  Thank you for being my mom I would never ask for a better mom.  If I could pick a mom it would be you mom.  Sorry for lying to you today and got Christian in trouble.  Will you forgive me.  Thank you for taking us places you do not want to go to.  I love the way you take care of us and give us all we need.  I am also sorry for fighting with Christian.  I like the way you tought me to clean.

Who Farted?

Well sometimes you get a glimpse of what goes on in a family at home, when you are reading a child's STORIES they write in school.  I  keep many of the stories because it usually gives me glimpses into the real things going on in the kiddos heads.  However this one, I had to share.  I was crying as I read it and, honestly, slightly embarrassed that this is what she wrote but mostly just amused.  This story was written in its original spelling and punctuation.  No editing from myself occurred:

May 2014
By: Ava Bumbaugh
End of 2nd Grade Year

Titled : Silly

When I went to my ants house my dad was watching tv.  One hour after my dad turned the tv on, my dad made me laugh so hard.  I had a lot of teers coming from my eyes.  My dad  said "What's so funny?"  What's funy is you fourted on the couch.  I never want to sit on that seet ever again.  Dad said "its not that bad.  Yes it is it smells like roten eggs.  Reley, yes dad.  Fine.  When I turned around my ant was terrified who fourtied.  I said "it was my dad."  She said "You are in big trouble Boy."  Why because it stinks.  now go back home!  Fine, let's go guys.  Go ok ok were going.  Those people do not stop farting.  Why are they still in my driveway.  Guys, go out of my driveway.  When she went inside she farted too.  She felt bad because that was halaryis.  Then My dad farted again the whole car smelled like through up.

The End

Locked Door

The other day we thought we were having a repeat of Ava all over again. :)  We were hanging out at home and the older two were at school.  All of a sudden we heard this little knocking noise coming from Ava's room.  Here, Kaydence had accidentally locked herself in Ava's room.  This was exactly the age Ava had done it a few years back.  We were trying to talk to her from this side of the door, explaining to our not yet two year old foster daughter, how she was to get the door unlocked.  She couldn't understand (of course) so she was trying and we were working on this side getting the door knob off.  As we are working, we hear her stop whimpering and pause.  Then we hear the door knob wiggle and then we hear, "oh man" in this stinking tiny voice sounding so frustrated.  ahahha.  She is a funny goose.  Love that girl.  We did get her out and she was very happy to see us. :)  We told her not to do it again but she has an obsession with closing doors so we will see if she remember to not LOCK them now.  :)

Ava's 2nd Grade Project on Landforms

 

Ava had a project on landforms and her project topic was Valleys.  She had to fill out a research paper by doing her own research on line and in Library books.  Then she had to show some kind of landform model.  So we made this project with U-shaped and V-shaped valleys and then she painted it.  I thought she did a pretty good job.  She was nervous to give her presentation but she did it anyway!

Her cue cards she used as she gave her little presentation before her class was as follows:

Card #1 - My project is on a valley
Card  #2 - A valley is a low area of land between mountains
Card #3 -  Valleys can be formed by water or snow erosion
Card #4  - The bottom of a valley is called the floor
Card #5  - The valley soil is good farmland, rich in vitamins

The research paper was just answering many questions like what is the definition of your landform and so on and so fourth. I thought she did a great job.  She got what would be equivalent to an A in class for her project. :)  I guess the tough projects have started!