A Day with Morgan

I needed to go to the city one hour away and run some errands. Morgan needed new shoes and some things for camp this summer. She asked first thing Friday morning if she could go. Neither of the other girls asked to go with us. Hannah didn't mention going and Haylee didn't until we were walking out the door. Hannah may not have asked because I usually only take one child with me when I go out of town for the day. Haylee and Hannah both had school left to complete. Hannah was in a tizzy because she had rushed through her school and had many corrections to make. Haylee was taking her sweet time as always.

Morgan and I left about 11:30. I felt really guilty for the first thirty minutes or so of the drive. I decided I really needed a break from the girls and special alone time with Morgan. We worked on the last item she had for school while we traveled. We went to a restaurant that is usually pretty fast and it took forever. The blessing is we had a great time visiting.

She has grown up so much in a year. I forget sometimes how much more tense I am with all three girls with me. We had a wonderful day!! I didn't have to remind her to check for cars, stay with me in a store, don't touch, etc. She is ten and acted ten. I was able to let my guard down and enjoy the day. It was a very nice break for both of us. I love all of my girls, but it was nice to have a break from the twins. I had forgotten how much work they are to take places.

Our lives have really changed in a year. I am glad we followed God's plan and adopted our girls, but it is definitely not the easy path. However, it is our path. I must continue to have the trips with only Morgan. We both need them. I do struggle with the guilt at times. I must accept that it is okay to not take all of them everywhere. Our day reminded me so much of days I spent with my mother at the same age. I loved shopping with my mother (and I still do). They are very special memories and I hope to have them with all of my girls.

Also, by leaving them with my husband he understands more of my struggles. Some days when I discuss things about the twins, I think he thinks I am just whining. After he is with them for any length of time, he can relate. I am thankful for my husband and that he gave me a much needed break.

What a difference...

a year makes! I can see a huge difference in my girls since last Easter. They visited the weekend of Easter, but went back to the foster home the Saturday night before Easter. They participated in our homeschool Easter egg hunt last year. Below are pictures of last year and this year...

Last year...

This year...

I had to post the picture of Haylee with a blue mouth because this shows so much of her personality. They all had a great time at the Easter egg hunt.

Being like Jesus...

I read this post on another blog. It was very meaningful to me, so I thought I would share.

The post reminds us that we need to love our children with unconditonal love even if they make our life very difficult.

Camp

Morgan and I went to open house at the camp she is attending this summer. I was very impressed with the camp and she loved it! She was able to ride a horse while she was at open house. She absolutely loved everything about camp!! I am so excited that she will be able to attend this summer. I hope after 12 days away, she will realize how much she really does love and appreciate everyone in our family. Don't misunderstand me, she hasn't caused any problems or been ugly. I just know how some days she wishes she could go back a year ago and be the baby and the only daughter. I think the time away from her sisters will her all of us. I will be able to bond more with the girls and they won't ask where she is all the time. They sometimes don't know how to act without her. It will be an interesting two weeks.

Sick

The cold and congestion bug has been going around our house. Morgan went on antibiotic last Tuesday. Tucker went on antibiotic Wednesday. Haylee went and is now on an antibiotic for a horrible ear infection. What a fun adventure!!! Hannah and Alex are still coughing some and congested, but not enough to be checked out by the doctor yet. The is the first time in one year that I have had them all get sick at the same time. It is actually the first antibiotic I have given Haylee. Thank goodness! The doctor couldn't believe that she wasn't in crying pain from her ear. She must have a very high pain tolerance. Her chief complaint was that she couldn't hear out of that ear. Bless her heart.

Hopefully, they are all on the improving side of things now.

Elliott and I haven't had any symptoms and hope we don't ever get any!!

Gotcha Day!

Our Gotcha Day was actually last Wednesday, April 6th. (Yes, I am a little late posting this. I can't seem to find time to post lately.) The girls picked where we went for lunch. They chose a locally owned pizza place that also serves Blu* Be*l Ice Cream. We had fun at lunch, as well as a pretty good day.

All five at lunch. They all love a reason to eat pizza and ice cream.

Difficult

Hannah is struggling in math. I don't understand. She is faster than Haylee when we are working together. She is faster with math facts, oral and written. However, she gets confused, she shuts down and tunes me out. This happened three times today. If I tell her something, she tells me it isn't right. Our math took forever today because she would get mad at me and shut down. Later, I asked why she was mad at me. She said because she couldn't get the answer. I asked her how that was my fault. I was teaching her and trying to help her and she wouldn't listen. She was to busy thinking about how I wouldn't give her the answer. She can memorize facts, but has trouble applying things she learns. Word problems stress her out, unless they are exactly what we did together. Haylee on the other hand, moves slowly, but does great work. We all get frustrated. However, they both made A's on their math test Friday. So, the info must be sticking. We are going to keep plugging along and finish the school year. They will take the SAT10 in May. I hope their scores improve from last year. They are great girls!! (I can't get my paragraphs to stay separate. I fix them and post, and all of the sentences are back in one paragraph. Sorry!)