Getting ready for the new school year ...

Why does it get worse .... before it gets better???

I am working on the school room and some how create piles of messes.  If I don't know what to do with it at the moment, I put it in this area.

 

 

 

 

Who knew lesson planning could be so much fun?!

 

 

 

We got all of our books for Adventures shelved ... and divided with pages

 

 

 

Then we stickered and number the books according to which week they would be used.

 

 

Neatly sorted math blocks that we are not utilizing this year.  The puppies are hidden in a high cupboard.  They are nearly as bad a leggos.

 

 

Seth likes listening to the piano!

She puts her sister's shoes on her feet

Gloria is rockin' her ADL skills!!!  Check her out!!!! She put shoes on all the time.  She has also started putting pants on and taking everything off.  I am not sure how impressed I am with the undressing part!

 

 

 

It is our anniversary!!!!! We need presents!!!!!!

EDITED TO ADD -

THE GOAL WAS MET ...
 
THEN IT WAS REVISED TO DOUBLE

AND THAT GOAL WAS SURPASSED!

THANK YOU FRIENDS!



Will you help us celebrate our anniversary??? 

Will you buy us a present?

We have been married 22 years!!!!!

Copper is the "present" for a 22 year anniversary. 

Would you give us some copper?  1200 pieces of copper?  1200 pennies ... it sounds like a lot.

But it is just $12.00.

We need diapers .... no, we are not that old, but we are getting there!!!

Actually, my babies need diapers.

No, not the babies in my house.

The babies in my heart. The babies with special needs that don't get out of their cribs often.

The ones on the other side of the world. The ones laying in perpetual wetness.

The ones that live in the orphanage that Seth, Sammy and Gloria lived in.


If I told you I needed $12 for my babies because they had a rash and I did not have enough diapers to change them often   ......   Would you GIVE me $12.00?  I am pretty sure most of you would.


My friend is adopting a little girl from there. and  will be returning shortly and would like to bless the children with diapers. 

I'd love to blow them away. 

I'd love for her to have to make multiple trips to deliver all the diapers. 

I'd love for the orphanage workers to know these children are worth diapers ...

This is another chance for us to show Jesus. 

To show the nannies and all of those at the orphanage, that these children matter, that they are valued, that they are loved by a bunch of radical Americans that love like Jesus does.

Friends, I am asking you to give like it was Noah or Gloria or Samuel or Seth laying in the same diaper for a 12 hour shift.  Please!

We donated the money we were going to use to pay for an overnight trip to celebrate and have a small break from life while Aunt Sissy watches the kids.  Instead, we bought diapers.  I am not asking you to send your vacation money, just your Starbuck's or McDonald's money. 

Please friends!

You can donate through the chip-in on Lyla's mommy's blog  The chipin has ended - thank you!

Make sure to send a note that you are celebrating with us by giving diapers to orphans.

I honestly can't think of a better present!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Sissy

We celebrated Aunt Sissy's birthday today!

We are so blessed by Aunt Sissy. 
No one can compare to her! No one! Ever!

First, we sang to her!

Then we found some money to buy her presents.

Then, we went to Costco.  I did not take any pics, sorry.

But, I can assure you a good time was had by all and

the kids earned churros for their good behavior!

Next, we cooked

And cooked some more

And yet some more ...

We set the table - with REAL dishes .. again!!!

We sang again!

And opened presents ....

I am not sure Aunt Sissy got to open any of her present,

she had many helpers!

Crazy Schedules!

This is my crazy August calendar.  If you count, you will see we have 42 Dr/therapy appointments this month!  Thankfully, a good portion of them are in the home. 

As we are gearing up for full time school, I am attempting to regain control through the use of an hourly "routine" chart.  We'll see ... it's kinda working ... a little, maybe :)

We have schooled all year and did not take a break for the summer, we just downsized the number of subjects we were doing.  In two weeks we will be in full swing with another grade added into the mix.  I will have two 3rd graders, a 2nd grader and a kindergartner.  How it will all fit in, I am not sure, but it will work somehow!  I do have to admit, I feel quite overwhelmed when thinking about all we will have to do in one day!

The kids that are responsible for chores, all have responsibility sheets.  The idea is they are laminated and they check off their responsibilities as they are completed.  We tried them out for a week and there are many tweaks that need to be made. We are going to work them one more week before I reprint and laminate new charts.

A close up of the chart.  In a perfect world, everyone will participate in the bedtime routine activities, so everyone has that on their chart.  

Funny Friday Girl

Stylin' Sam

And before you ask ... yes he is wearing his sister's shirt and yes, it is inside-out.

Super Seth!!!!!

Super Seth, he has flower power! Don't mess with him!

A little help for my friends

As many of you know I have been hosting a blog auction for my friends, The Sharps.

Today is the LAST day and we still have items without bids.  Ack!!! Help!!!  Please!!!!!

Please click the link and see of there is something you would like.

Sharp Auction!!!

Can you help us out???  Please????

TWO BABIES need to come home!!!!

Dinner with Friends!

It feels like a million years since we have had friends over for dinner! 

This week we had old friends over for dinner.  The kids think that Roy and Jackie are their grandparents.  It is so funny.  Roy was our pastor for many years and is now "retired."  It is fun to  have our kids experience the richness of older generations.


The occasion called for real plates!

I made a yummy roast, potatoes, carrots and corn.

The kids made fresh squeezed lemonade.

Roy and Jackie brought cookies for dessert.

Gloria hated the cookies.

Here, Grace is telling all about the Olympics.

My favorite little guy!

Brothers

Made in heaven!

Cochlear Mapping #3

I have to tell you ... a cochlear implant is a miracle.

We had a big day today. First we saw the surgeon. Seth is doing great and was discharged. We only need to see him if we encounter a problem.

We then went to the audiologist and had another mapping session. Basically the volume was increased. He was giddy when his audiologist turned the CI on after changing the settings. I wish I had captured it on video.

His hearing was tested in the booth today and with the cochlear implant, he is hearing in the 30-40 dcbl range.

I've been less than stellar when it comes to making him wear his hearing aid. I was told today that even though it does not help him hear much, it does help the nerves stay open and if we do a second implant, we want the nerves to be open. So ... I ordered a neoprene headband that I am hoping will keep his hands off the hearing aid. He pulls them out every five seconds. Ok, that is an exaggeration, but every five minutes is not.

This video is after taking the implant off and putting it back for the second time with the new mapping.



We have another mapping session in two weeks!

STOP THE PRESSES!!! SHOCKINGLY, I made a grammatical error.

I know it is the end of the world, I made grammatical error ...

HA!!! I've been hit by my first troll.  Bold enough to leave a comment, coward enough to do it anonymously. 

Their (as opposed to there or they're) comment was  ...

Anonymous has left a new comment  ...
I would have.
The verb is "to have".
"of" is a preposition. Prepositions link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other words in a sentence.
I hope you don't homeschool.

I am calling them out from their anonymous position.  You see, they say "I hope you don't homeschool."  But, from my blog tracking report, I can see they read my intro page which clearly states we homeschool, so they are just being a jerk, an anonymous, cowardly and deceptive jerk. 

OH and I went to PUBLIC school ...

Anyone wanna track them down?  Their IP address is 128.176.216.65 ...

Oh, for fun ... here is all their system information ...

	Date	Time	System		Location	Host Name/Web Page/Referring Link Multiline URLs
	7 Aug	06:45:31	Firefox 14.0 WinXP 1280x1024		Muenster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany	Universitaet Muenster (128.176.216.65) [Label IP Address] Let's Fill the Van!: Moving Bedrooms letsfillthevan.blogspot.de/
	7 Aug	06:45:05	Firefox 14.0 WinXP 1280x1024		Muenster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany	Universitaet Muenster (128.176.216.65) [Label IP Address] Let's Fill the Van! letsfillthevan.blogspot.de/2010/12/welcome.html
	7 Aug	06:44:50	Firefox 14.0 WinXP 1280x1024		Muenster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany	Universitaet Muenster (128.176.216.65) [Label IP Address] Let's Fill the Van!: Welcome! www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc

=s&
source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fletsfillthevan.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fwelcome.html&ei=rP8gUPqbKo36sgaLtYDwBw&usg=AFQjCNF-wZsgS-Gx34PwaECWo7VOoReEnw
 

Farmer's Market

Yummy organic purchases from the farmers market.

We washed it all and the chopping commenced.

I bought a bucket of Chinese Eggplant that I am not sure about ... The skin is really tough. I need a way to use it fast!

From this we made lunches and a few dinners for the week.

Cabbage soup - it is delish! Cabbage, onions, potatoes, ground beef and brown rice.

Vegetable Pasta - peppers, onions, zucnini, tomatoes, eggplant and pasta.

Sauteed Green Beans

Stuffed Red and Yellow Peppers - brown rice, ground beef, tomatoes and tomato sauce.

The vegetables of their labors

This is the vegetable pasta.

Moving Bedrooms

We rearranged bedrooms today  We moved lots of beds, dressers, clothes and stuff.  Where does all this stuff come from.  Seriously!

This is my reality from today.

I would of rather done this ...

Best Cats Ever

Faith wanted a kitten for her birthday. 

So we got TWO!!! 

And they are the best cats ever.

The kids LOVE them and they LOVE the kids.

To be honest, I was concerned about the kitties having

enough patience to be  pets of 9 children.  But they have

totally surprised me.  There were actually 3 kitties and

we chose only two and I kinda wish we would have

taken the third too.  I am hopeful that a good home was

found.

The girls are all sure the kitties are acutal babies.

This cat likes to be swaddle and pushed in the

shopping cart.  This kitty is Ruth.

Ruth perching

This kitty is Boaz and he loves the sink.

and the clothes basket

Some how, they think MY bed is theirs!

Or maybe they think the babies' crib is theirs.