Monday, June 24, 2013

The girls and I found a box of old videos today from when they were babies.  We laughed at how different everyone looks  now.  How funny they sounded when they were little and how totally cute they were.  Peyton came home and settled right down with us for the next hour and a half.  It is so amazing to look back at those little girls when they were learning to walk, to talk, to crawl.  They were so independent.  There is a video of Samantha at Dollywood.  She is crying because she can't go on an amusement park ride with me.  So sweet.  I love my babies.  I miss them being babies, but I also love the little girls they are now.  I am sure I will be overjoyed with the young women they will become too.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Summer 2013

Once again I have skipped over some wonderful stories that have happened since my last post.  I always think to myself that I need to add these things to the blog, but never seem to find the time.  Amelia has all but grown out of the baby stage.  She talks and acts like she's 7 going on 30.  Guess it's all the time she spends with big sisters that makes her seem so much older.  She had her first real haircut yesterday.  I let them trim the ends.  I'm so afraid for her to lose her little curls.  Sabrina got the most dramatic cut.  Her hair had grown out to just below her shoulders and she cut it above her chin again.  She loves the cut/short hairstyle and it suits her personality perfectly.  Samantha gave up on growing out her bangs, but kept the back long.  It's just a few inches above her waist now. 
Destiny is in the mountains with Mema and Papa celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary.  They have officially been together for 35 years now.  Rustie, Chad and Jace are in Helen with them. 

We had two award ceremonies at the school to attend this year.  Destiny received the Reading award for the Sixth grade.  She is the single most improved student.  When I think back at how impossible reading seemed for her, I get teary.  She struggled so hard with letters and sounds.  She's been in classes for extra reading help since she was in the first grade.  We buy her books all of the time.  It took me years to convince her to read for fun.  She almost always has a book with her now and it has really paid off.  She has discovered a love of reading and her CRCT scores went through the roof.  The kid who failed to "meet standards" for years skipped right over the "meets" section and is four points above the "exceeds standards" mark.  I could not be more proud.  She still has some work to do in math and with homework, but she finished the year with two c's, two a's and two b's. Sabrina was on the A/B honor roll for the first semester this year and on the A honor roll second semester.  She received her A/B and A honor roll certificate at her end of year ceremony.  Samantha was on the A honor roll all year.  She received the Principal's Honor award for maintaining her A's from the first day of second grade.  Amelia was so excited when they called the girls names and she saw them go up to get their awards.  It feels so good to have all of the kids doing so well in school now.

I worked throughout Spring Break since I took time off at Winter Break this year, but we still fit in some fun.  We made it to the bowling alley and the skating rink.  The girls are really push for a trip to Six Flags this summer and I am really hoping to be able to take them next week. 

They are all growing up so fast and I do miss my little babies, but I love the conversations and the time that I am spending with my girls now.  They are going to be amazing, young women. 

When I look at Amelia, I just see her Grandmother Tingle.  She looks exactly like Mary to me.  Sabrina and Samantha both look a lot like me, but I can see Adrienne in Samantha and Peyton (Owen,Galen) in Sabrina. 

I really want to drive by the house where Destiny's aunt lives to see if I can get my hands on any baby pictures or just family pictures.  A picture of their mom and their mom when she was growing up would be so nice to have for them.  There have to be things in that house that would be special to my kids that came from their birth family.  Picture of her grandparents.  It's crazy to think about how many things I would take out of that house if I had five minutes alone in there. 

Samantha and Amelia have both had these little nagging colds for the past two weeks.  We were driving down the road last weekend and Amelia said, "Mommy, if Samantha and I go to heaven, we won't be sick anymore."  We all really laughed at that one.  "You're right sweetie, but if you go to heaven, you don't get to come back, so let's just try to stick around here until your cold goes away."

For mother's day, Peyton got my mother's ring fixed.  It's been broken for about four years now, so it is wonderful to have it back.  There is no way to add Amelia to the ring, but we will do something special for her or I'll wait and get another mother's ring in the future with all five kids on it. 

We lost Grandma Peggy last month.  Daddy got to spend her last days with her.  He and mom were staying every night and he was coming there after work each day.  I know it helped him so much to get to say goodbye.  I was the first person to speak at her funeral.  I was shaking so hard that I couldn't stop.  I have no idea why that happened when I am so rarely nervous in front of a group.

We bought the girls a new swimming pool last week.  Peyton, Destiny and I put it together right outside the back door.  It'll be so much easier for mom.  She'll be able to see them right from the kitchen window.  Poor little Amelia fell right off of the ladder yesterday when she was climbing out of the pool.  They are going to have a great summer right in their own backyard.