Whirlwind {Sunday Snapshot}

We have had a whirlwind couple of days.

First, Kate and I had the privilege of meeting this new family of four at the airport as they cam home from China....

All the kids waiting (I did not make the sign that Kate is holding--Shelly's sweet friend did)

Libbie is seriously the cutest lil peanut you have ever seen!

Kate was so taken with Libbie.  She could not wait to give her gifts.  It was so cute.
She kept saying,"I love that Libbie, Mama!"

It has been a blessing to witness their faith filled story and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds now that they are home.  In fact, you should go see the miracle that happened in their house just today!!!!

Then on Friday it was field day for Harry which may not seem like a big deal but field day is Harry's favorite day ever!  At his school, the 4th graders plan field day and Harry was elected by his peers to be on the planning and logistics committee.  He had a very big role in field day this year.  I only have a few photos because the school name is all over the other photos.  

You can see Harry cheering loudly in the middle of the tug of war.  I have to say...I was SO PROUD of Harry.  I have never seen him be such a leader as I did this day.  His whole class looked to him as the leader/captain of the team.  He led cheers, helped out everywhere and was so encouraging to his teammates.  He has this natural charisma and leadership at school that we do not always see at home;)  I felt like I was seeing my son through different eyes.  Also, Harry is by far the smallest kid in his class yet all the kids seem to look up to him as a leader.  That made this Mama's heart smile.

In this shot Harry is leading some chants in a huddle.  He is the little one in center:)

The next day we went to the beach with a bunch of families from our neighborhood.  Our good friends (the ones who have Snickers now) have a beach house and the invite us a few times a year.  We usually stay for the weekend but we could only stay the day this time.  It was a beautiful day though!

The water was FREEZING cold but it did not bother the kids.  They all went in the ocean.

Kate had a BLAST running around with her friend, Layne.

Harry had a big time boogie boarding and skim boarding and playing basketball.  In fact, he spent the night with our friends even though we had to go home...

And Will found this big piece of wood on the beach and convinced some of the Dads and kids to carry it to their beach pit/fort....

He also did a a little boogie boarding.

We even got to see snickers at the beach...



but he was way too busy having fun to look at the camera!

We saw this man of war jellyfish too!







Time to head home:)
Harry got to spend the night but Dave, Kate and I came home after dinenr to get Will ready for a big trip!

Today we took Will to the airport.  He is leaving for Paris for Spring Break!!! I am so excited for him!  He is traveling with his art teacher, her husband, a pediatrician/Mom and 9 other students. I love that Will wanted to go on this trip. He does not really know any of the kids going but that did not deter him in the least. He loves seeing the world and was so interested in this trip.  They will visit the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, the Loire Valley and Chartres and may other sites. I must admit that I am a tiny bit nervous for his safety and would appreciate your prayers.  It is not everyday your young teen goes out of the country without a parent.

I am not fond of how I look in this photo (at all) but we took it just before he left for the airport.
I am thinking I need more sleep.

We went out for our favorite Mexican breakfast this morning to send Will off nice and full.

Kate sobbed hysterically saying goodbye to Will.  It was very sad and unexpected. She really loves her brothers!

And they're off.  The students travel group is comprised of 8 girls and only 2 boys!

A conversation with Kate (and lots of other tidbits)

This morning as Kate was watching me dry my hair, she noticed the framed picture on my counter. She took it down and studied it carefully....

Then our conversation went like this...

Kate: Mommy, why did you put me in that?

Me: (Not sure if she is referring to the walker or that outfit)....Why did I put you in what, honey?

Kate: Why did you put me out in front of that bus? It could hit my head and crack it open!

Me: (after a big laugh). Honey, Mommy did not put you in front of that "bus." This picture was taken in China before I knew you. It is special because it is the first picture I ever saw of you.

Kate: Oh, it is still silly that I am in front of a bus though.

In other news, I am still eating nothing but rabbit food!!! And while the goal of this diet is not for me to lose weight, everyone else on this diet DOES lose weight. I seem to not be losing ANY (and I am not happy about that at all). It would be a nice added bonus to drop 5-10 pounds. I am DYING for a latte! Instead, this is what I eat...

And while I love salads this is getting quite boring already. I am open to suggestions/recipe ideas from any one who has eliminated sugar and yeast from their diet before.

This week was BUSY for Harry. I volunteered at his field day....

Me and Harry on Field Day

He went on to the Regional finals for his Invention Fair project (they won 1st place for their grade at his school).

Harry and his Invention Fair buddy (and good friend). They did not place but that is an honorable mention ribbon for making it there. I am proud of them.

He had a school concert last night. I was asked (by Harry) not to photograph it at all but it was cute!

And he had his last baseball playoff game. They did not win. It was sad.

I have more to share about this game but this photo sums it up. That was Harry with his face in his hands. I felt so bad for him. And I miss baseball already:(

Kate had her "celebration" at school this week too. In Montessori schools, you have a really beautiful birthday celebration where you bring in a book about your life so far (that had its own minor challenges). The teacher reads your life story to the class and you walk around a candle carrying the globe for each year of your life. I was beautiful and even though Kate's birthday is still in a few weeks (summer) she was so excited!!!

I am crazy busy planning her b-day party and Will's and with all of the end of school stuff. I think May is always the most hectic month of the year.

Sorry that this is so long. I will (finally) post the photos of Kate's room on Sunday. Have a great weekend y'all.