Life as a Leach

This weekend was pretty fun and busy!  Matt took a group to  Urban Hope  this weekend, so it was just the kids and me.   On Friday night, my parents and my nephew went with us to do an activity hour at RMH.  We decorated winter picture frames and snowman door hangers and had a hot chocolate bar set up.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, although we had a small crowd.  Usually, people come out of the woodwork for the hot chocolate bar! Saturday was a Raddish cooking day that ended up not going as planned.  I sliced my thumb using a slicer for cucumbers. After much deliberation, I decided I didn’t need stitches.  I probably should have gone, but I didn’t feel like dealing with it.  Thankfully, I have a plethora of wound care supplies and have been dutifully caring for my thumb twice a day.  We managed to complete the meal and had a delicious Swedish inspired dinner.   My niece and Caleb also got together to work on some lessons f...

Dear Caleb, 13! A teenager!!!  Wowsers!!!  How the heck did you get so old??  (I'm not old though, mind you.  Just you.  Don't forget that!)  It seems like just yesterday you were the little guy with an amazing vocabulary!    Now you are a much bigger guy with an even more amazing vocabulary! This has been a good year for you, Buddy.  You have done a lot of growing up and are figuring out who you are in this world.  Your life is filled with music and theater, which makes you so happy! Your schedule is just as full as anyone who plays a sport!  I love watching you up on the stage because I know how much you love theater. Listening to your sing your songs as Horton puts a huge smile on my face.  I can't wait to see the finished product! You are SUCH a smart kid--sometimes too smart for your own good!  Ha!  You absolutely love getting lost in a book and have so much knowledge about so many subjects! Your ...

Happy First Day of School! Caleb is starting middle school today, and has mixed feelings about it!  While he is pretty certain he is going to get shoved in a locker, I have assured him that he will be just fine!  He is such a nice  kid and I encouraged him to just keep being kind to everyone and to not get sucked in by others who like to make fun of people.  I seriously can't believe that he is old enough to be in middle school!  The cliche is true:  time flies! Abby was pretty sad about her brother not being at the same school as her, and some tears were shed after he left this morning.  I told her she must have a really great big brother if she's that sad! Chloe loves getting in on the pictures! After Caleb left, I set to work on Abby's hair.  She requested curls this morning.  I told her that this may just be a special occasions hair style!  :) This moment is not lost on me. This time last year, Abby and I sai...

Caleb is officially off to middle school!  We are so thankful for all of the wonderful teachers he has had along the way.  He's nervous about the transition, but I know he will do great. He was recognized for a variety of activities and won awards for academics, but the award we are most proud of was the Caring Award he was given for having compassion and for collecting soda tabs for The Ronald McDonald House.  Being smart is great, but having a good heart and compassion for others is what is really important in life.  Love that kid!   Time truly does fly!

I am so proud of my boy!  Today, we received the news that Caleb is a 2018 Carson Scholarship winner!!!   He has earned a scholarship to college (at age 11!) and will attend a special awards ceremony where he will hear Dr. Ben Carson speak!  This is a really great honor and we are thrilled for him!  I know I have a great kid, but it's nice when others notice it too. During the application process, Caleb had to list his community service, share grade reports, and write an essay.  I feel strongly that kids should do their own writing (it's the teacher in me!)  I asked him some questions to get him thinking and helped with typing, but these words are 100% his.  I love how his voice shines through in it!  Below is what he wrote. “The more that you read, the more things you will know.   The more that you learn, the more places you will go.”   --Dr. Seuss Share something that you learned from reading.   What were you readin...

Dear Caleb, 11!  Wow!!  How in the world can I have an 11 year old?!?  This has been a big year of growth and experiences for you.  I love watching you mature into the young man God created you to be. This last year, you have really come into your own.  You joined the Musical Theater Club and earned a speaking and singing part in The Little Mermaid.   I was so proud of you up there on that stage!   This year, you are playing Lefeu in Beauty and the Beast  and are doing such a great job.  It is fun to watch you develop as an actor and singer.  You absolutely love to sing and can often be heard belting show tunes from the basement.  In fact, as I type this, you are singing "Defy Gravity" from Wicked ! You're also doing a great job playing the trumpet and were chosen to be part of the All-County band this year.  You are following in your dad's footsteps!  Who knows--maybe you'll join the marching...

Abby loves anything related to baby animals.  She's a sucker for the YouTube videos showing baby animals, likes looking at pictures, and is beside herself when she sees baby animals in person!! An opportunity came up for us to meet some brand new lab puppies in person.  After thinking a little, we figured out a way for Abby to see them while still maintaining her safety.  We drove to the person's house and brought a few of the puppies out to the car to see Abby!  She was beside herself all day until it was time. As you can see, she was ecstatic when she met them! There are silver, chocolate, and yellow labs.  Caleb loved the chocolate, but Abby and I adored the silver named Luna! They are the sweetest little things and Abby is already asking when we can go see them again!

Caleb and I are at the hotel tonight (they didn't get into RMH).  I've been feeling like I might be coming down with something.  I got some NyQuil and I'm going to bed early tonight.  Caleb has had a great time in the pool and dinner here was really good.   Abby's surgery tomorrow is at 10:30.  Our surgeon isn't sure that he will be able to do the skin graft tomorrow.  He said it is 50/50.  He has a plan B that will involve us coming back for another surgery in 3 weeks.  We are hoping that the graft will be able to be done tomorrow, but we also want optimal conditions so that it will work! Abby was on the bipap off and on today, but we are hoping that the respiratory rate will improve when she is offof the antibiotic.  It has a side effect of messing with the respiratory system, and we think that what is happening.  I'll post about how things go tomorrow.  Thanks for praying!

In all honesty, I think Abby had more fun st Camp Leach than she would have at the real camp! Caleb and Anna didn't have as great a time as we had hoped and it seemed more like outdoor daycare than the real camp experience Matt and I are used to.  (Here's wishing we lived closer to Wananna!) Today's camp activities included archery, dolls, and play dough.  Abby and her friend also decorated cookies,   And they painted more fairy houses and accessories!  Fun, fun times!   Abby was sent an awesome gift from a sweet teen we don't even know!  She mailed Abby one of her own American Girl dolls and an extra outfit!   It's been a fantastic week of Camp Leach, with one more culminating activity occurring this weekend.  The tie-dye kit didn't come in time, so we will tie-dye shirts this weekend!  This is apparently something Abby has been wanting to do for a long time, and we had no idea!  They did this at camp today, so Camp Leach will be tie-dy...

Abby and Caleb both had a good time at camp today!  Caleb is building a fort in the woods and is enjoying the games they play.  It ended up that a friend from fencing is at camp too, so he has liked having someone his age that he knows.  Anna is having fun too! Abby's mystery friend today was Lucy, and the two had a great time playing inside and outside today!  Shortly after this picture was taken, they got absolutely drenched. Or as Lucy says, "drunked!"  😃   The fairy houses are coming right along and we should finish by the end of the week.  I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.   I have some new tricks up my sleeve for the rest of the week.  Abby told me that this week has been really fun so far--not as fun as the real thing, but fun! 😂. I'll take what I can get!

Caleb is going to be joining the glasses club!  He has astigmatism, so he will need them to see distances.   We bought two pairs because he's a scatterbrained 4th grade boy, but one pair will stay home all of the time.      

Dear Caleb,   Ten years old--how did that happen?!?!  I'm pretty sure the last time I checked, you were a 2 year old who loved splashing in the bath tub. Now you're double digits, and man have you come into your own this year!  You have blossomed into such a fun, wise boy.  I love how much you enjoy school and am amazed by your vocabulary!  It must be all of those books you read!  Every time I turn around, you have a new book because you've already finished the last one.  Thank goodness for libraries! I'm so proud of your Carson Scholar nominee. It's an honor for you to be chosen by your school, and I love the wonderful essay you wrote.   You have also been bitten by the acting bug, much like me when I was a kid!  It was fun to watch you perform in your first musical at church.  Now that you have a great part in The Little Mermaid at school, we are all humming the songs all of the time!  I love listening to you sing! (Well, maybe no...

So very proud of Caleb!  It has been a big week for him!  On Monday, he found out that he was awarded the nominee for the Carson Scholarship!  He will be his school's representative and will continue with the application process to hopefully earn the scholarship.  His cousin Sara won for her school as well, so we are hoping this will be a family thing!   The essay was, "Who is your hero?" And Caleb wrote a beautiful essay about Abby.  I will share it when I can access it from our home computer!  He did such a nice job and his love for his sister is just so evident in his words.  The essay alone made me proud, but I'm excited that others recognize how great he is as well! His other exciting news is that he was cast as the role of Grimsby in his school's production of The Little Mermaid!   This is a great role with some good lines and lots of singing.  He has worked so hard for this audition and we are thrilled for him!  It is a great...

  Abby got this sweet snow globe ornament today from Make a Wish!  It's flat on the back with a magnet on the back, so we can use it all year.  Such a fun surprise! We enjoyed going to my family Christmas party today.  Since we weren't sure we would be able to be there, we were especially glad to go!  The kids had fun playing with their cousins and they all seemed to enjoy their gifts.  The girls were all given JOY shirts by my aunt in support of Abby, which were really cute! We are so grateful for all of the love and support my family gives us!  They are the best! Tonight ended a bit teary when Caleb broke down while he was praying before bed.  We had suspected that there was a lot going on in his head, but he hadn't expressed it until then.  So the four of us had a little hug fest and then I climbed in bed with Caleb for a while and let him ask all of the questions he wanted.  He often does that, but understands that it's not good to d...

I recently got my engagement ring repaired and it was returned to me in a ring box.  Matt walked in on Caleb down on one knee with the ring box opened, proposing to...Chloe.  😁 Her response?  She just got up and walked away. That boy is hysterical!!

Tonight, Caleb and Abby performed in their first official musical.  Theater was an important part of my life growing up, and Matt and I still really love going to see shows.  I love being able to share this with my kids now! Caleb was thrilled to have a great speaking part in the play.  His character is a Star Wars lover who turns every line into something from one of the movies....type casting?!?!  He has worked so hard and did a really great job! Abby was one of the little angels and did a great job singing and sparkling on stage.  She learned every line and every word to every song (thanks to having the entire musical on CD so that Caleb could practice with it!), so it was pretty cute to watch her mouthing the lines along with the different characters.  When she wasn't on stage, she was quietly cheering Caleb on and proclaiming that her brother was doing a great job! My boy was a bit glum after the show was over because he wanted to do it again! ...

I really do! Yesterday, after I finished making Abby's seashell cupcakes for her birthday party, Caleb said, "Mom, you do the best parties.  I love how hard you work to make them nice!"  I told him that meant a lot that he appreciated that! Two days ago, Abby was taking a long time in the bathroom and Caleb went to check on her.  She was cleaning the bathroom with Lysol Wipes!  When Caleb asked her why she was doing that, she said, "To make my family happy!" I'm so thankful that my kids are striving for Godly character.  They do very well in school, but that will only take you so far in life.  Being a person of integrity and someone people can trust is so important!  I pray that they continue to show Godly character as they grow up!

Abby's first day of kindergarten Favorite thing about school so far:  centers (especially the playhouse) Abby has the same wonderful teacher and assistant Caleb had in kindergarten, so we are thrilled as can be!  We also hit the jackpot with her one-on-one, who is the perfect fit for Abs.  We are so thankful for all they have already done to ensure that Abby has a safe and positive kindergarten experience! Caleb's first day of 4th grade Favorite thing about school so far:  math because we get to play games Caleb has two excellent teachers who are both very experienced in the subject areas they teach.  I know he will do well under their care.  He has made a few new friends and is enjoying being with one of his closest friends again this year.  He says the day flies by because they are working and having fun! The kids are riding the same bus that picks them up from our driveway and Caleb is taking really good care of his ...