Bobcat to Tiger

Boy Scouts is perfectly suited to my little Monkey. He loves all the outdoor activities, camping, archery, marbles, cake decorating, pine wood car building, this summer he even gets to do a full week of day camp! He has been blowing me away with his dedication and the speed at which he has been picking up everything! We have had a few big events this past month, Monkey takes such pride in putting on his uniform and doing his best!

This is Sharknado, Monkey's own creation for this years Pinewood Derby. He designed it himself and Daddy and d few friends from his pack helped to build it. 

The very important adjustments of weight and height so it goes down the track as fast as possible. The top fin had to be cut down a lot so it could go under the finish line. 

Sharknado was absolutely one of the most unique and awesome cars out there!

Headed down the track!

Sharknado rocked at the end fell of every run, but stayed together!!! It made it extra awesome!

Monkey was on pins and needles the entire day watching his car go against his friends cars and hoping to win. He did well, but this is our first year ever and we learned we have a lot to learn.

Monkey and his driver's licences, his Pack Leader told him this gave him the ability to drive his daddy's car and crash it, but his pinewood car would probably survive. 

Getting his award.

He was such a good boy sitting and being kind and respectful to everyone around, and even though he wanted to win, he was very happy to get to do this all and spend the entire day watching everyone's else's cars race. There are no words for how proud I am of the kid he is becoming! He is always striving and trying and caring!

Every year in Febuary the Cub Scouts have a Blue and Gold Ball to celebrate the birthday of the Boy Scouts and the great things they did that scouting year.

Monkey's all time favorite Boy Scout event is camping! He got to talk about it for a collage video for the banquet.

   

Part of the Blue and God Banquet was a cake decorating competition and chance to earn a badge. Monkey, his sister and Big Bear had an AMAZING time making and eating the cake! 

Cub paw out of Goobers, movie theater candy was one of the categories and the theme of the banquet. 

The sour patch kids symbolized all the friends Monkey has made since starting Scouting. 

There was a secret to our cake, yummy blue berry layers!

Super pumped to earn this cake decorating badge for his brag vest Mommy gets to sew together.

In fact Monkey earned lots of new badges! And a very special new reward, 

HIS TIGER SCOUT!!!!

Monkey has been in Cub Scouts for less then a year and every time I turn around he is learning something new. Now he has moved past the initial Bobcat stage into the official Tiger Scout.

All of his new Pack friends getting their ranks too.

Mommy could not help getting a picture with her little tiger.

 When we found out 7 years ago that our first child would be a boy I really was not sure about much past a monkey themed nursery and my Grandfather's name but there is a line from a show I like that came to mind, 

"I will love you so much no woman will ever be good enough for you." 

Yes, it is a joke and I pray for his future wife every time I pray for his future, but I love my little boy like no other man I have ever or will ever love.  He is my pride and joy and although I want to wait as long as possible I am believing in God to bless his future and carry him to change the word.

Who he is

PMonkeys own personality and way of doing things has been coming out since he attached himself to a love of dinosaurs out of the blue at age 2. But now that he is nearly 7 we are starting to feel who he is and what kind of person he will grow into. I am proud and excited to see that man, even if I want to put it off for as long as possible. 

Our first trip to the Lego store was a huge success!!! He has been vaguely enjoying them for a year but once he saw the possibilities in that store he was hooked 

He is logical and needs to "why" his way through everything until the very last bit of understanding comes through. 

He memorizes anything said or taught to him. He learns best when someone tells him directly, then the information never leaves him.

He is very friendly, talking to everyone and anyone about anything.

He is sweet and loves to cuddle, needing physical reassurance.

He is sensitive and does not handle the idea of being in trouble or of having some one upset with him well.

He prefers complicated stroy lines and  Pokemon, and loves non fiction books. 

He is curious and an excited learner. 

I just love this little boy so much!

Uniquely Johnny made Lego men.

First Snow Day

 

Our first snow day of the year.  Not much more 3 inches of snow and all of it fluffy, but the kids don't care, after living in Texas this is the first snow we have see in years. Cupcake and Monkey bounced out of bed the moment they saw white on the ground. 

 

Rodent and Silly  Sweetie came over as soon as the roads cleared enough, all they wanted to do was play with their cousins and friends who live on our street.

 

Silly Sweetie has sensitive skin and had to come in ad strip next the fire place and warm up before she jumped back out to her friends.

The kids bathroom is decorated to look like the beach, complete with boogie boards, so we just pulled it off the wall and it was sled! Same with our decorative pool alligator :)

Monkey thinks he can get Mommy with a snow ball, we will see how well that goes for him :)

 

Baby Bee was nice a cozy while her cousins and sisters ran in the snow. Isn't she adorable?

 

There are three friends who live just down the street from us, two of them are in Silly Sweeties class.  They knock on our door every week end asking any amount of kids we have in the house to come out and play for as long as possible! Today we got to knock on their door for the first time! Some very happy friends!

 

Rodent is so beautiful! So grown up.  She has an IPhone now, not connected to a service, but when she was wifi she can text other people who have Iphones.  She spends endless time sending me emodicons and asking me questions.  But when she gets with her 6 and 4 year old cousins she happily plays house and school and everything else.  Such a sweet soul she has.

 

They decided to build an "Olaf." Not a snowman, an Olaf.  This generation may replace the wood snowman altogether. :)
 

Belly woopers!

 

Rodent wanted chicken noodle soup, perfect end to a fun morning in the snow.  Now they get to spend he rest of the day just playing. 

Hug and Kiss and Goodnight

Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.

 Twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder what you are. 

I don't know when it started, but for as long I can remember we have had to sing  "twinkle" every night before these two will go to sleep. 

Daddy sings it silly and makes up new words or Mommy sings it while we cuddle. Then we "hug and kiss" and say good night. 

Christmas Season is Here!!!

 I pray I am raising children to have joy all year round and not to hate Christmas because Mommy started to early every year! :) I LOVE Christmas season, celebrating for as long as we can!! And getting my checklist completed so we can really reveal in the relief that is the birth of our savior!

BIRTH.....OF.....OUR.....SAVIOR!!!

People, listen, he became man! For us! On this day he came into the world to change it! To rescue us all! WOW!!!! God entered the world as man! I just don't think I can get my point across as full as it is in my heart so I will move on.

With no further adue, 2014 Christmas pictures!!

Greatest gifts the Lord has ever blessed me with.  I wonder how He determined I was worthy.

Cupcake's hair took about half an hour of curling and spraying and blow drying as she yelled at me, "Momma it hurts so much." Then the moment she realized she looked pretty and everyone around her started to tell her so, she was sold and determined herself to be "queen of the day." After the photographer told her to put her hands on her hips she walked around like that constantly. It was hard to get her to stop.  Standing in the mirror in the bathroom with both hands on her hips shaking them around she chanted "hips hips hips."

Monkey boy lost his first tooth last month and excitedly shows everyone he meets, the new tooth is already starting to show up and we will all miss this glorious gap in his teeth.  But lucky the other teeth around are starting to wiggle :) Now Monkey knows he is hansom, but he just does not care very much. What he does care about is being a good little Monkey.  He jumps up there smiles and gets away.  Always has taken great pictures!

Now this is the big thing! Never have I gotten a good Santa picture, essential of the mommy and child agreement.  Cupcake does not like strangers, Monkey will talk to anyone and will do so for as long as no one drags him away. Cupcake has refused to sit with Santa for 3 years running, usually making me sit with her and ruining the picture.  But this year as we walked around the mall, still fancy from our pictures, Santa was suddenly there with no line, since it is still mid November, and Monkey could not be held back! Earlier when we walked into the mall we had our budding reader read a sign, as he sounded out the words he got more and more excited.."Ssssaaaaannnnttttaaaa IS HERE! AHHHHHHHH"

Cupcake asked for "twim babies"

Monkey asked for "steel drums" Santa and Mommy had a short talk then Santa told Monkey gently he would probably be disappointed and should think of something else. :) Like a microscope!

But I am not done yet....

 I present my other favorite blessings! I am an Aunt second in life and my brothers and their wives have been very generous to share there children with me on a daily basis! Letting me into daily and special occasions, making Halloween costumes, throwing birthday parties, and even holding babies during their first night with us! I could not be more lucky to have these 4 nieces and 1 nephew, unless there were more of them to love...wink wink :)

So sweet and perfect, just for one second.

We have

Super Why, Monkey, Rodent

Princess P, Cupcake, Silly Sweetie

and then

Baby Bee

Each nickname is not just to protect them and have fun here, but a very special bond between them and myself, with each name having special meaning for our relationship.

I swear they are more like siblings then a set of cousins! Isn't that just wonderful? 

Here is a prayer from the deepest parts of my heart, the love of siblings to be shared among 7 cousins and more, for friendships so deep and true and joy that never ends being shared with each other.

Merry Christmas, and may the Lord bless you and yours at the Christmas and all year long.

Cupcake Becomes a Kitty

Love getting some special items that lead to an unexpected hour of meowing and purring at our feet. 

I got this set of zip up jammies from Children's Place because without feet they will last years and I like to cuddle with my kiddos and this is soft and cuddle ready! But Cupcake was so excited to become a kitty cat. With out zip she transformed!!!

Meow!

She is too pretty and sweet for her own good :) 

Super Smart Monkey

Last year was monkey's kindergarten year and we lived in Texas. In Texas kindergarten and PreK are not required so in the school he started in his ADHD diagnosis was not taken seriously and we watched his knowledge base decline. So we removed him and homeschooled him for all of kinder. I loved it!!!! It will always be a special time in my heart. Watching him grasp a concept or read his first entire book filled me pride and joy I cannot explain. 

When we moved home and monkey had the chance to go to the school his uncle teaches at and his cousins attend I could not reason keeping him home anymore. 

Although I miss him so so much an wish I could still spend those best hours of the day with him, he is truly thriving! He loves school and refuses to miss. He shows excitement and pride in his school and everything about it. His teacher communicates great with us about his ADHD and how they manage it in the classroom.

 Today he came home with a 100% on his math test, the only one in the class!!! I am bursting with pride!!! I squeezed him and hugged him and celebrated him and it was just as joyful as if he was still home with me. This is a day I hope he treasures and always strives or it again but we know he can! And we are here in the school and at home if gets stuck.