Catching Up

I just sat here and read my blog from the beginning for the first time in years and I made myself mad that I stopped writing. Oh how I miss those crazy days with my young girls and how I wish I continued to document our lives through blog stories. But life just got so busy and also Facebook.

Almost a year ago I started an adoption blog, but I would like to attempt to get back to blogging about my family and the everyday stuff we do.

So here's where we are in March of 2015 (7 years later! Wow!)

Grant: He hasn't changed much! He's still an extremely talented planning engineer at AT&T. He's a leader at our church and volunteer extraordinaire! He's working hard on his degree at UTSA and being an awesome daddy.

Julie: I'm working as the Director of Family Discipleship at church and I'm enjoying the slower pace from teaching. I love the flexibility of working from home and the ways it allows me to be part of the girls' school (and after school) lives. I completed grad school in Dec. and will hopefully use that Masters degree someday!

Jaedyn: 5th grader, excited and nervous about middle school. She desperately wants to play percussion in the band and she has tryouts at the end of April. She still LOVES animals and has goals to work at Sea World (same goal for years), but has recently decided that she's also interested in learning computer programming to make video games. She is still a unique, creative, artistic, passionate girl who is her own person. She is not afraid of being different and I love that about her.

Mallory: 3rd grader, loves being with her friends and playing Minecraft. She's sooooo creative and I'm blown away by the things she constructs in that game. She's also very artistic and enjoys playing with her toys in imaginative ways. She's a sweet sensitive girl who wears her feelings on her sleeve. She's a little like Elf in that her favorite food groups are sugar, bread and more sugar. We're working on her eating habits and getting a little stronger! :)

Benjamin: Almost 2 years old and living in an orphanage in Uganda. He is hopefully coming home in the next few months and I'll have a lot more to say about him. We do know that he is precious and LOVED!

So that sounded a lot like a Christmas card, but hopefully this is a new beginning for our family blog!

My Not So GT Thoughts on GT

Recently the topic of GT has come up a lot among my friends and relatives.  ‘Tis the season in our school district that kindergarteners are screened for the ever-coveted gifted and talented program.   I have learned so much about it without either of my kids stepping one “bright-not-gifted” toe through the GT door.  I’ve learned that most people have an opinion about it, whether their kids are in it or not.  My opinion is that the system is flawed for certain kids (like Jaedyn).  Although this is written about my oldest child, I must say that my little Mallory has not ever been tested.  I’m happy to let the chips fall where they may regarding all of that should it ever arise.  She continues to do well in school and be a sweet little punkin’ and I’ll write about her another time. 

 Jaedyn was tested in kinder and then again in 2^nd grade, each time not scoring high enough on certain parts of the test.  Without going into too much detail, she’s always had school challenges that prevent her from doing extremely well on standardized tests.  She always does well enough to pass, but is not especially great in the test-taking field.  Now, I’m trying very hard not to sound like one of those parents who thinks their kid is the bomb when they’re really not.  I’ve been through all the emotions about this already and I’m over it.  

I’ve always known Jaedyn was a little different than the rest.  At 15 months we were having FULL conversations and she was already pretty much telling me to go to Hell when I didn’t “understand” her.  So at age 5, she did NOT want to go to an unfamiliar room, with an unfamiliar adult and take a test that was hard, confusing, and boring when she could be enjoying the life of a kindergartener back in her classroom.  For what it’s worth, her kinder teacher was awesome and I would have rather had her there anyway!  She did not do well on that GT test.  First grade was a wonderful year with another fabulous teacher who challenged her in all the ways she needed to be challenged.  She had to sit out that year from testing (to allow more super brilliant genes to form or something).  So here came 2^nd grade.  A new school with a new teacher who did not know quite how to reach Jaedyn.  She became a student in a box with no way to exit.  There were very few opportunities in this classroom to be creative, learn in alternative ways, or think uniquely.  Yet, she still took that silly GT test.  By this time, she was more mature and savvy enough to tell me she didn’t WANT to be in GT so there was NO WAY she was going to do well on that test.  Stubborn with a side of bratty!  Although she scored the highest of all kids tested that year, she didn’t qualify.  

I have many, MANY friends whose kids are in GT.  Sometimes it seems like I’m the only one with regular kids.  And I will admit, sometimes I host the “why not my kids?” pity party.  But then I think about my kids. MY kids.  The two precious girls that God gave to ME.  Galatians 1:10 says “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?  Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”  I picture God up there with his arms crossed giving me the stink eye.  “Who are you trying to compare yourself to, Julie?  Because you do realize this has nothing to do with your kids and everything to do with YOU, right?  Why not be a glass is half full kind of parent and stop comparing your kids to someone else’s.  Stop looking at what Nancy Fancymom has or says or Instagrams and look at the blessings right in front of you!  Are your kids the image of Christ each and every day?  Do they talk about me to their friends?  Are you teaching them to honor ME or MAN?”  Oh.  OK.  You made your point.  

For some, the GT thing is pretty much just a status symbol that they toss around like living in a certain neighborhood or making a 6-figure salary.   Truthfully, not many of my friends do that.  Most are very humble or don’t even talk about it at all.  Most are secretly wishing they could just kick back and drink a bottle glass of wine while their kid writes their spelling words 5 times each (shout out for regular kids’ homework!) instead of running around Hobby Lobby at 8:30 at night looking for spray paint and modeling clay.  For many, many kids the GT program WORKS.  It gives them an opportunity to shine outside of the regular classroom.  It gives those kids a chance to interact with like-minded peers.  I’m definitely NOT against this when it fits that type of kid.  It just doesn’t fit my kid.  And I’m OK with that.  Now.  Really.  I believe she’s had opportunities in the classroom to shine and be unique and stand out.  I’m thankful for her teachers who challenge her, argue with her, praise her, and let her bring her caterpillars to school so she doesn’t miss them hatching into butterflies.  I look at Jaedyn and I pray that she will NEVER, EVER change.  I admire her for so many reasons and even wish I had some of her qualities.  Here are just some of the ways my Jaedyn is GIFTED that no test will ever reveal:

• ·      She has a fierce compassion for animals.  She asked her friends to bring gifts for the animal shelter for her 6^th birthday.  She regularly gives money (her own!) to Clearwater Marine Aquarium to help dolphins and other sea creatures.
• ·      She is as curious as George.  She’s been a question-asker since she could talk, but as she’s gotten older her curiosity has led her to research topics online and in books and write reports about what she finds out.  She will randomly spout out facts about various things. 
• ·      She loves to write about what she loves.  She does not necessarily like to write about what someone else wants her to write about.  She’s written a book series called Banana, Lava, and Grass.
• ·      She could watch Animal Planet, The Weather Channel, and Discovery for days without ever taking a break.
• ·      She’s generous.  The other day I caught her sneaking 3 bags of celery sticks and 3 packages of peanut butter into her backpack.  When I asked about it she said that some kids at school didn’t have a snack and her teacher allowed them to share.  I may have acted immaturely about that and barked mean words like, “I’m not buying snacks for the whole class!  Individual peanut butter cups are expensive!”  Hello...image of Christ???
• ·      She’s funny and sarcastic.  Let me think about where she might have learned to be that way.  Nope, can’t think of anything.
• ·      She’s persistent.  This can be good…and very bad.  She has stuck with gymnastics, even though she has not moved up levels in over a year.  I’m so proud of her commitment.  She can also argue and argue and argue and argue.  Future lawyer?
• ·      She’s awesome with words.  Not much more to say about that.  She’s just great with reading, vocabulary, talking….spelling not so much!
• ·      She’s unique.  I love this about her the most!  Make no mistake, it can be frustrating.  If you’ve seen what she wears and/or what her hair looks like most days, you’ll realize I stopped fighting that battle long ago.  But she is who she is, and although that makes some people uncomfortable, I love that I can pick her out of a crowd.  She will never be a cookie cutter kid.
• ·      She’s a sponge.  She listens, absorbs, processes.  And you never know what she’s going to do with that information.  She’s full of surprises!
• ·      She’s beautiful and kind.  She’s passionate and strong-willed.  She loves to cuddle and her love language is an equal mix of quality time, touch, and words of affirmation.  She would much rather spend time with us than get a gift.

I don’t need a GT test to tell me that my daughter is gifted.  I believe our awesome God gifted every child to be special in their own way.  He gave Jaedyn to me exactly the way he planned, with all her bells and whistles.  He doesn’t make mistakes and I believe He was even showing off a little when he made my Jaedyn. 

Summer Fun-Mommy and Mallory Day!

For Mallory's special day, we started off at Kiddie Park! Mallory truly loves all rides and has no fear about riding any of them (not that there are any super thrill rides at Kiddie Park...) I had so much fun watching her face light up on each ride.

Giving me the thumbs up! This ride went the highest and fastest!

She called this one the "yee-haw ride".

Yes, her shirt says "My Mom's Cool", because...quite frankly...I am!

(Just kidding...I did not plan that, but it worked out for our date!)

After lunch and ice cream at McDonald's, we headed to the zoo to ride the train!

Mallory was all about competing with Jaedyn's day. Every time I tried to go home, she would tell me that Jaedyn stayed gone longer on her day, so she would add more things to our "to do" list. After the train ride, she talked me into going to the Witte museum to see the dinosaurs. We stayed there for quite a while exploring and playing in the tree house.

Summer Fun-Jaedyn and Mommy Day!

One of our summer traditions is to have a "mommy and me" day. It's a day I get to do something special with each girl on her own. They really look forward to it and I treasure the time together. Jaedyn's day was a trip to Bandera. We started with breakfast at McDonald's!

Most of our day was spent at this nice little water park at the Flying L Ranch. It was neat to go back to a place where I used to work and see all the changes. This water park is small, but fun. We really enjoyed it!

They also have a mini-golf area. She INSISTED we do this and that she play with a pink club and pink ball. She lasted 3 holes before she was bored.

Last stop was to the General Store for ice cream!


I was explaining to her that this was a "cowboy town" and that quite possibly we could see a real cowboy on a horse going down main street. She was really interested in that and wanted to walk around and see if we could find any horses. After all, she says horses are her favorite farm animal. (For the record, she informed me that dogs are her favorite pet and turtles are her favorite sea creatures)

Unfortunately, we didn't see any horses around town, so I asked her if she wanted me to drive her out to a dude ranch. She said, "Nah, but do they have any ranches for girls?"

This led to a converstation about what a "dude" was and I'm not sure I got that right...

We did drive out to the Mayan Ranch, but all the horses were out on a trail ride. Maybe next year, we'll get in the saddle!

End of the School Year!

Well, another school year has come and gone! I finished my 7th year of teaching! I love it at Evers and had a great year. I was so blessed to have both of my girls with me this year. It was so nice to see them at lunch (they both had lunch at the same time, which happened to be during my conference time!) I think toward the end of the year, Jaedyn was reaching the point of embarassment. "Jaedyn, there's your mom again!" Here are some pictures from their award ceremonies:

Mallory finished her first year of ECC!

The best part of the awards ceremony is the cake!

Receiving her award from one of her teachers.

Shaking hands with the principal!

Jaedyn had a great year in kindergarten. We knew there would be some challenges (and there were!), but she had a wonderfully patient and loving teacher and we couldn't be prouder of the progress she made this year!

Daddy brought home a cookie cake and balloon!

Showing off her kinder memory book.

Jaedyn Melts My Heart!

I'm blogging this so I don't forget it! Today we went to Sea World as a family. Yes, it was hot! Yes, it was VERY crowded! Yes, there was crying involved. But, I'm starting to realize how grown up Jaedyn has become and I enjoy hanging out with her. We were floating the "river" just talking. She was asking all about blood, the heart, the body, etc. She was asking how blood was made and if it helped you breathe. I was trying to explain as simply as possible about blood carrying oxygen, etc. She kept asking how it was made. I told her the God made it when he made our bodies. She contemplated that for a few seconds and then said, "When I get up there, I'm going to check out that factory!" Can't you just picture God on an assembly line? She said, "I bet he uses ketchup and then just adds some air."

This evening, she got on a kick about owls. She wanted to know all about them. She dug around on her book shelf until she found the book Owls by Gail Gibbons (awesome non-fiction author by the way!). We read it and she was just fascinated, although a little scared of them. When I got up to leave she told me I was her best friend and that she "loved me higher than the trees". I told her I loved her higher than the clouds. She finished with, "well then I love you higher than heaven." She's just an amazing 5 year old and I'm so blessed to be her mommy!

Here are a couple of recent pictures. One is of Jaedyn at her friend Amber's birthday party (at a farm) and the other is on the day of her preschool graduation at Walmart getting her new bike!

P.S. My little Mally is pretty special too!!!! :-)

New Additions to the Family (yard)!

Check out our new trees! We're pretty excited, as you can tell. No one else would post six pictures of trees on their blog. They are both red oaks and they make the live oak the builder planted look pretty sad. I didn't get a picture comparing them to our puny live oak tree, but you can see some of its leaves in the second to last picture.