Family Update.

Here I am posting on my in-between semester break. I don't have a lot of free time so when I do have it time is spent playing catch up and spending as much time with the kids and Chris as possible. I have enjoyed this last week so much. I've cleaned my house, caught up laundry, caught up business paperwork and worked cleaning houses. This is a never ending process as in all households but for at least this week I feel victorious in being ahead of it rather than behind.

School is somewhat winding down for the kids so evenings aren't so loaded with homework. Last night we rented a movie. Monday night I taught Natty how to sew by hand. She is currently working on sewing a blanket for Barbie's bed in her Barbie Dream house, pink of course. Tonight we will finish cleaning out old toys to take
some to a little boy who doesn't have any toys and some to Goodwill. The next few nights we will be planting our garden and flowers boxes, mowing and cleaning things up outside.

So proud of Bri. Her choir had concert a last week. The girls had all decided to wear formal dresses. These girls came walking out with dresses that in my opinion were an embarrassment. The low cuts and ridiculously short lengths were not so appropriate and many parents looked surprised. There stood our Bri in a nice tea length dress respectable enough for church. One mother came over and whispered in my ear "please tell your daughter she looks beautiful and tell her thank you for being so respectful". I know it was not easy for Bri to stand there next to all those girls feeling out of place as she often does but she stole the show in my opinion and didn't even know it. I was quick to pass along the compliment that was given. She had a teacher that was extremely kind to her on the trip she took to Chicago with her class. I passed an extra thank you to this teacher after the choir show, she said, "we love that little Brianna, she has such a value system in her that we don't often see..tell her to keep up the good work". I just had to toot my proud mama horn for my girl. Bri continues to dream of going to college to become a Vet. I am working on a visit to UK vet school this summer. This seems to be the school she talks about the most. They are supposed to have a good program specializing in equine healthcare. I am hoping to set up a tour of the campus and then I'd like to take her to the Kentucky horse park as a surprise. Hope it all works out.
We are working with Joe and his interest or should I say lack of interest in reading. We have developed an incentive program for him. Each book he reads he gets a coin...after 20 coins he gets to pick the family fun time of his choice. Saturday we are going bowling as a reward. I have to keep changing things up in this area for him as this tends to be his challenge but his reading has improved greatly and we look forward to the family fun we get out of it.
Chris and I got to go out on another good date last Fri. Two weekends in a row. This time we went to Tipp City and had supper in their historic district then shopped the antique shops. Later we went to Kohl's to get him some new shirts then to Coldstone Creamery for some desert. It was so nice to be alone with him, I miss him when we are so busy.
I have started planning for summer. VBS-plans Adventure on the High Seas, I get to do the bible point again with the help of Bri and my nieces. We will go on a family camp-out in the Big Red Bus at the end of July. After my summer school semester ends in the middle of July I plan to take the kids on weekly Friday adventures hoping for a trip to the Airforce museum, Conner Prairie, Indianapolis Children's Museum, Dayton Parks, maybe the Boonshoft Museum. Not sure if it will all happen but I want to squeeze all the fun I can into those six weeks with lots of park and pool days too. Joe and Natty are going to take swimming lessons and Bri will be barrel racing horses this summer. Can't wait.