He's still workin'.....

Zade likes to lick the spoon and bowl when we make brownies! He's just like his Mama!
Isn't she just Fabulous, Dahling!!!!


Handsome and Honary all in one.


She looooves her brother, can ya tell!?!




My preschool graduate! Tear.

Zade with his Caterpillar teachers, Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Carie

Gracie with her Zebra teachers, Mrs. Andrea and Mrs. Stephanie

Matt playing with the kids during Field Day at Bluebonnet Elementary! He's such a good Daddy!

All the kids got smart and just plopped themselves down in the pool!

A few weeks ago I was given a CD with different songs on them that I could use for various slide shows I've been working on. At the time, things were so busy that I didn't get a chance to listen to it until one day in the car. This particular day was not going so good. I was, as usual, having trouble getting Gracie to listen to me and was just feeling frustrated. So we were on our way to get this Mama her much needed Diet Coke fix from Sonic when a song came on that I haven't heard in YEARS!! It was "He's Still Workin' On Me". And suddenly I burst into tears. All I could think was, " I've just been slapped in the face by God Himself" He was saying, "Would you be patient?!" The minute that song came on all I could think was how amazing of a child Gracie already is and how far she has progressed in her speech and development. Why can't I be patient with the rate at which she develops?! It's so hard as a Mama to balance my desires for my kiddos with my faith and trust in the Lord. So many times I see things in Gracie's eyes that no one else sees. I feel like I can understand the things she isn't able to say. Then there are times where I feel like I'm not at all in tune with her.

That being said, I'm seeing a new look in her eyes and my heart breaks when I see it. Gracie is starting to really enjoy socializing. She'll see a child her size at the store and just randomly say "Hi". I think that is so sweet. I can tell she so desires to have friends. The only problem is that she's still limited in her speech. It's to the point that kids her age can't understand her completely and she doesn't completely understand them. Because of that the other kids give up and move on to someone else. There are certain children she gets so excited to see and they just aren't that excited to see her. So when she doesn't get a reaction to a greeting she's given them or something she's said to them she gets this look of disappointment in her eyes. IT KILLS ME! That's why she plays by herself a lot or instead of playing will hang with me. People think it is because that's just what she's content to do but in reality it's just her way of coping - it isn't her preference at all. It's so sad to see that kind of thing in my child. I pray for her all the time that God will continue to work on her and bridge that gap so that she'll be able to socialize a little better someday real soon. It's a good lesson to remember - that children no matter what their limitations are have feelings and those feelings get hurt. This is just something that has weighed heavy on my heart today I needed to get it off my chest.

We're off to a pretty good summer. We're not doing too much exciting except making sure we're doing a little "school" everyday. That has been tough but is getting better by the day. My kitchen looks like a preschool! (It's kinda fun!) Here's some pics of end of the year activities we had going on! Have a great weekend, y'all! Let's hear it for the summer!