Graduation

Today Abigail graduated from high school. We have home-schooled her since kindergarten and she also took classes at our local community college for the last two years. She will be going into a nursing program.

Tomorrow morning she will be leaving for five weeks to volunteer at Young Life camp. I am really going to miss her, but hope she enjoys her time at camp. 

I didn't take my camera to the graduation, but thank goodness my girls had their phones. They took all the pictures. 

Abigail with two of her sisters -- Katie and Emily. Katie is in nursing school and Emily graduated from GMU in 2013.

Abigail with her friend Trey and Katie. 

Sophia

Last Thursday Sophia had surgery on her right leg. It had become tighter and more twisted over the past year and she used it very little. We are hoping the surgery will make a difference -- though the surgeon did say that the leg might start to twist and tighten again as it is a brain thing. 

She really doesn't like to go out places so waiting at the hospital for her surgery was hard. We had to be there at 6:30 and they did not take her back until 9:30. While we waited in a small room she yelled loudly and made lots of noises -- she was not quiet for even two minutes. Really. It was hard as I didn't want to disturb other people. I was feeling pretty stressed trying to keep her quiet -- knowing nothing I did would make a difference, but feeling like I had to try. As I was sitting with her trying to calm her down a man walked over to us and told Sophia that she was a good girl and gave her a dollar. Such a small thing but it actually made me feel better. I felt like he understood. 

They finally took her back and Abigail and I went and got coffee while we waited. We were called a couple of times to let us know that she was doing fine. Then we got the call to go to the recovery room. She was awake, but fussy. She wouldn't drink and refused anything even near her mouth. The good thing was that the nurses seemed to understand that she was NOT going to drink for them or cooperate in any way -- so they just said to take her home and try to get liquids in her. They let us leave immediately. Sophia was so glad to leave. She was pretty quiet the entire ride home. 

She had a bad day or two even with pain medication but now she feels fine and is pretty much back to normal. She can't move around at all, though. The cast is heavy and her right side is her weak side so there is no way she can pick the leg up or move it much. But, she seems to have adjusted to it. It has been a hard week for her.

Family

I think of blogging frequently, but either I don't have much to say or I think of something I really want to write about and then by the time I can get around to it the idea doesn't seem very interesting anymore. So, I end up doing nothing. 

I actually used my blog as a journal when adopting Bella and Sophia and sometimes when we are trying to remember when something happened I pull up my blog and find it -- dates, pictures and everything. So, I am hoping to continue -- if only for my younger kids that like to look at it and go back and remember all the things we have done and maybe books we have read, etc. Also, I do love to put up pictures of all the kids and the everyday things we do. 

Since it has warmed up and now we go outside everyday I have started taking pictures again. The grandkids have been over to play and we have cooked out and even gone to eat on the patio up the street and get ice cream -- my camera batteries died before I could get hardly any ice cream pictures.

We have had lots of time with family. On Sunday everyone came over and we cooked out. The kids ran and played and we sat on the porch and watched. Being Mother's Day I had gotten lots of flowers, candy and gift cards. I went out and sat with some of the kids and just watched everyone running around and thought about how blessed I am -- beautiful day, family over and everyone enjoying each other. I couldn't really ask for more. It was a wonderful day. 

Bethany showing Kasia the fairy house she made.

Madelyn is getting so big. I feel like I didn't see her much for a couple of months because everybody was sick. So glad that we are all well and I can enjoy seeing my granddaughter again.

Andrew buried Bethany in the sand and she loved it. The next day she buried him.

Michael getting a picture before he and Kasia leave for home. Sarah loves Kasia and probably drives Kasia crazy talking to her and acting really, really silly around her. 

A few pictures from the evening my daughter Meredith and I took some of the kids to eat and get ice cream.

Reagan -- she didn't care for that yucky looking pizza her mom got her and I don't blame her.