"Momma, will you build me a Lab?"

"Um, sure.....I think" was my response! My son has been asking for 2 weeks for me to build him a Lab in our house. I spent the last 2 weeks trying to figure out how to do such a thing! I mean...where do I begin? ....What does this 5 year old friendly lab need to contain?.....Where am I going to "build" it?

Well, yesterday I went and got a few things from the sale rack including a small globe, a cheap telescope, a super on-sale chemistry set (complete with test tubes), a planting set in which you learn all about plants growing, and a super cheap magnet set, then we grabbed a few things that he already had including his toy laptop (every Lab has a computer right??), his desk, a magnifiying glass, and his goggles and I built the boy a Lab in his bedroom!


The far corner of the room is sorta contained and all his "science" things are in there. He is so happy! I'm glad I didn't fail him in my attempt to build this Lab. I did not truly know what he had in his little mind...but so far...so good!

We spent some time today planting the plants

and bubbling strange concoctions of citric acid and baking soda

And my new little scientist was satisfied......whew!

A weekend of accomplishments!

Saturday was Ecrissa's ballet recital! It was so super duper cute! She is involved with a group that holds classes for children with special needs. She gets to do a hip hop class and a ballet class with this group. The recital was just for the ballet class and they were so awesome! It was FORBIDDEN to take any type of picture during the actual recital so the pics I have are of the rehearsal night and after the recital itself.

Ecrissa looked so pretty and had so much fun being dressed up in her princess dress and performing on stage! She was so cute! She loved being the center of attention (surprise surprise) and she did a really good job with her dance moves.

Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't any excitement....and so......One of the little boys in her class pulled the fire alarm as they exited the stage! He didn't realize what he was doing, but they had to evacuate the entire Royce Hall Auditorium (probably over 1000 people) and have the fire marshall come in and assure the safety of the building!

Ecrissa's favorite part was her flowers and she held them for hours and hours. I am very proud of this little ballerina!

And Also.................Jaryse graduated from Kindergarten!!!!

He and his classmates were so super cute and did such a good job with their song that they sang which was accompanied by sign language and the poem that they recited.

I can't believe my baby will be in first grade, but I'm so super amazed at all that he has learned and how far he has come.

I missed my PJ saturday, but it was all so very worth it!

The 12th

Today is PJ day! YAY! Today is also 15 months after coming home from Haiti, 5 months post Haiti earthquake and 4 months post turn on date for Ecrissa's Cochlear Implant and one week left of our first year of school in the U.S. Every day I am amazed. I'm amazed at how we are still adjusting. I have come to the conclusion that we will most likely always be in a state of transition and adjustment. As we grow and mature and learn we will also continue to learn to be a family, how to function in the world, and how to be 'comfortable' in our newness of each phase of life. This is so exciting to me, yet scary at the same time. Being comfortable sounds so wonderful. To reach a point where we are all safe, happy, healthy and comfortable sounds so awesome! But, that would mean hitting a plateau. The last thing I want is for any of us to remain exactly where we are today for the rest of our lives. I want my 7 year old to continue to learn to use her hearing, to learn to read and do math. I want my 5 year old to continue to learn to read, learn about science and grow to make healthy and wise decisions. Yet, with each step they take, they will stumble. Then, I have to learn to support them, guide them, and to be the Momma that they need at that particular moment. These are such important things in our lives. The unknown can be so scary and yet so exciting.

When I look at the faces of those two precious angels that the Lord entrusted to me, I'm terrified of making the wrong decisions. Yet, I know that He does not make mistakes. He gave them to me and I need to believe that He will guide me as I parent these kids. When I became a Christian and as I was signing the initial papers for my kids, I prayed that God would raise these kids with me. That He would be my partner in their lives. I know that He has not left me or them. He loves us and is here with us protecting, providing, and leading.

Today is one of those days of reflecting. Reflecting on all that has happened and anticipation for all that may. Thankful for all that we have.

Awesome Awesome Awesome!

This was an awesome weekend! We started it by Friday when I picked up the kids getting a great report from both teachers! Ecrissa's teacher assistant told me that she is doing an AWESOME job and behaved great for the substitute and is really doing a good job in class! That is MUSIC to my ears!!!! Jaryse's teacher told me that he behaved (which, believe it or not has been a bit of a struggle for him lately!) and worked very hard in class! He is reading well and his writing and math is improving daily! YAY YAY YAY!!!! Happy Momma!

So, that Happy Momma decided to take full advantage of National Donut Day! Yes, Friday was National Donut Day and so we got our free glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme!!! MMMMMMM MMMMM MMMMM!!!!!

Then we headed straight up the coast to camp Kramer Hess where we were so lucky to be a part of the 25th annual House Ear Institute Family Camp. This is a weekend camp for families who have a member who is deaf or hard of hearing! I LOVED this camp last year and I LOVED LOVED LOVED it this year! It is so awesome to hang out in a place where my little girl is completely accepted and fully understood! Where siblings know exactly what Jaryse is going through and parents are right there with me! They have awesome activities planned for the kids and great educational talks and activities for the parents!

We got to meet up with friends that we met last year! Jaryse was SO SUPER EXCITED when he saw Marin and her family walk in! The kids had a blast together!

The kids played in groups, did wall climbing, martial arts, painting, exploring, and even got to observe some of the sea life from the Aquarium of the Pacific in their mobile aquarium that they brought to the camp!

I met other mom's that are going through the same frustrations with school districts as me, the same issues when out in the community with their deaf child and the same sibling things that we deal with. I also met 2 other mom's whose deaf children are also adopted!

I learned a TON about different amplification devices and alerting devices for my home and school that can help Ecrissa. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the prices of these devices. I expected them to be super duper expensive, but they are really only a little expensive! Actually, they are very reasonably priced, lower than I ever expected. Now I am on a mission to try to find a way to earn/raise this money to purchase these things that can be so crucial to Ecrissa's success!

I am thankful for this camp and all of the families that I met this AWESOME weekend!

Thank you Lord for all of the blessings that you continually bestow on this tiny family!