Last Day of School

Well, the kids have come to the last day of school for Chrsitmas break. They return to school on Jan 7th, so everyone pray I still have a sane mind when that far, far, far away day comes!:) I am sure they will have so much fun it will pass to quickly for them.

I wanted to do this post to share a picture of Keely's hair that her teacher/aides did for her today at her class Christmas party. It was fixed so cute up on top in a high ponytail and they beaded a strand of hair as you can see in the picture. She got lot's of other treats at her party and painted us a Santa piggy bank for her gift to the family, it was so cute. I think it is great they take the time to help the kids do that for the parents. I will try and post a picture of it at a later date.

So hope you all enjoy Keely's picture! Only 7 Days till Christmas!!

Happy 16th Birthday Keely!

Keely feeding the giraffes.

Showing off her Sweet 16 necklace from Mawmaw and Pawpaw.

Loving her birthday zebra.

Wow, 16 yrs old! Keely is such a sweet girl who is happiest playing outside with the dogs or inside on the couch watching her favorite show, and watch the same episode time after time and be just as happy it's on for the 20th time as she was the first! She would rather eat icecream than anything else and will often steal her brothers if they aren't careful! She is also the only person who can take a bite out of every apple in the bowl without anyone noticing! Watching her grow and progress has been quite an experience. She is so smart, yet stubborn enough to only show you what she wants to. That is usually when you least expect it or in ways that catch you off guard, when she's doing something sneaky!:) She has most of her family wrapped around her fingers, and toes for that matter. And she knows it too. She makes an impression on everyone she meets from drs and nurses who have cared for her and then years later recognize her, and teachers and aides who have connected with her and been able to to reach her and teach her things and care for her beyond our expectations. She loves her brothers so much and she is very lucky to have 3 brothers who are so protective and take such good care for her, even when she is beating them up! She is also a daddys' girl and believe it or not at 16, still gets so excited when he gets home from work. While some days are more trying than others, it has been a blessing to be her parents the last 16 yrs. She keeps us on our toes and guessing what's next pretty much day after day, and has taught us lessons of tolerance and compassion and simple happiness!

She is our Angel!

Christmas time again!

Well, I realized today it has been 1 yr almost to the day that I started this blog. I haven't been the best at keeping it up as some people remind me, I hope to do better in the new year. Although that may be tougher to do with Kelcie coming into the world soon. Monday is Keely's 16th b-day and the first entries were done last yr on her 15th b-day, looking at her pictures she has changed so much in a year. Hopefully over the next few days or weeks I will have new pictures of all the kids to put on here and some more updates. It's hard to believe that it is Christmas time again, wow this yr has flown by, guess they do as you get older:(, but I wouldn't know about that! That really only means we have a whole new year to make more memories, what can be bad about that? This past year we have seen new places, reunited with missed family, had new babies come into the family, witnessed some special people who worked so hard to concieve a baby get their dream, and have worked to bring our own special addition into the world. Not bad for only 1 yr, can't wait to see what the next one bring! Happy Holidays