Taa Daa: Scarf for Anna

I haven't picked up my crochet hook since MARCH, y'all.  Since our first JJ placement.  Six months ago.  But this week ... inbetween Lasa and Arrie, I did.  And this weekend, after Arrie left, I finallllllllly finished up this infinity scarf.

Anna is its proud new owner and she will rock it this winter, for sure! 

Let's hope she can lose that stye in her eye before then.  She's had that bad boy since June. : /

Whew! on the Weekend

Arrie's mom's discharge and quick trip to Gallatin to get Arrie on Friday came JUST in time for me scoot out the door 15 minutes later to enjoy dinner and a Sip 'N Stroll event on the Square in Gallatin with girlfriends.  I had already planned to take Arrie along with me, but was tickled to get to do it kid-free after all.  First, Susie, Cathy and I hit up Ricardo's for dinner. Much laughing, gabbing, cackling, and noshing took place. Also, much TGIF sentiments were expressed.  It's been a long, hard whirlwind of a week for us all!

Then we followed the crowds to the last Amberleaf event of the summer to support the rest of our crew in their new local artisan undertaking.  Kristin and Cindy craft, sew, and crochet ... and now they do it to make a little moolah!  They looked so great manning their sidewalk booth!  We wandered all the vendors and then came back and played the proud groupie part by keeping Kristin and Cindy company til closing time.

Not far across town, Josh joined up with James and Craig and their respective kiddos to check out a local high school football game.  This was our kids' first time ever.

Yes, Anna believed her beachy sunhat was a fitting accessory for a game.  No, she would not be dissuaded.  Yes, I DID try though.

I love packed selfies!  Anna enjoyed the cheerleaders and colorguard best.  Noah loved being with friends and of course the football game.  Great night! And the Gallatin Green Wave won, too. Win, win!

 

Saturday, look who won Mommy's Cutest All-American Girl Award?  THIS girl!

And then the sky dropped out and lightening flashed and thunder boomed and water fell, and fell, and fell.  Her first game got rained out. Such is life!

We enjoyed the whole affair anyway!  We dig the rain around these parts, remember? In other weekend news, Josh finished up the kids bathroom.  What began as this mess...

...cleaned up into this pretty and much cleaner space!

Anna and I have only to finish it off with a couple anchor stencils and maybe some fitting anchor/boat related art? I see a Hobby Lobby run in our very near future. :}

Anna Creates/Noah Creates

Just some of the creative undertakings of my young'uns this month...

Anna and a buddy made a rabbit trap.

I love her bright and hard color strokes and all the details she thinks to include in her drawings.

She got inspired by some golf tees...

These drawings went with a book series we were reading.

She was tickled to have created her own popsicles using an egg carton and the sticks from our math manipulatives. :S 

Tinkertoy table sign and a delicious spread for breakfast from our in-house restaurant named Anna's Pie Cake.  And a photo bomber.

Tinkertoys!

Following step-by-step directions in her Usborne Learn to Draw People book.  Nice work!

 

Noah sticks with Legos and tents in his room.  Here, he and Josh built and programmed a Mindstorm robot called Rapt3r.

It was creepy rolling around and striking at whatever it sensed in front of it.

But Noah was all smiles and excitement to see his work in action.

I love this shot!  That tongue!

Serious work, clearly. :}

I can't wait to see Noah's clay pot from art class soon.  While he was at art, Anna took on a cooking project ... fruit smoothies!

Almost forgot!  A Lego Chima castle stuffed with EVERYTHING Noah could think of to impress the judges in the contest he is submitting it for.  

Psalm 36:5-6

Latest chalkboard update ... taken from my Psalm read through earlier this summer.  I hear the Third Day rendition of these phrases every time I read it.

First Day at Anchored 2015/16

With Arrie in tow, I was slightly distracted at drop off for the kids' first day back at Anchored Enrichment this year.  But I am so thankful for the group FB page and for their teachers who posted good shots of the first day meets and reunion.

Anna is with Mrs. Steen in the 1st/2nd grade class. 



We love Mrs. Steen because of what great care she took of Noah and his peanut allergy the last two years.  Anna will eat her up, she is such a sweet woman.

At pick up.  Noah's in there across from Anna's arm in the air, though you have to look closely!  Where's Waldo, much?

Noah has moved up into the 3rd/4th grade class with Mrs. Kingsolver and we are really excited about the new challenge.

 

Thankful for Thursdays again!  Thankful for a thriving homeschool co-op!  Thankful for LHBC allowing Anchored Enrichment to use their classrooms another year!  Thankful for this homeschool support!

Colocación de Quatro

Yes, you read that right.  That title of Placement 4 was entered in spanish because this week's visitor DID NOT SPEAK ENGLISH at all.  Nor did his poor mother who was sicker than sick and doing all she could to recover in the hospital.  Being new to town, she had no one and DCS called on Jonah's Journey to take care of little Arrie in the middle of the night on Sunday.  

He spent one night with Susan who works for JJ because it was the middle of the night already anyway.  Monday, he went to stay with a JJ family.  But when mom was not able to be released as expected midweek, Arrie had to be relocated again because that family was going out of town for the weekend.  SO, I got the text Wednesday afternoon, and by 5:30 that day, we were meeting Arrie at our neighborhood park.  That was a rough night for the poor kid - understandably!  Third place to sleep in a week ... among strangers ... without momma ... and it bears repeating - the language barrier!  Yikes!  I held that clinging crying little monkey til I couldn't hold him anymore and just put him to bed.  He cried himself to sleep and slept over TWELVE hours.  I had to wake him in the morning in order to get Noah and Anna off to their first day at co-op.  Thankfully, he awoke in a much less emotional state.  He ate things he had not eaten for the other family and we enjoyed a nice slow day with just the two of us.  After swinging by a friend's house to borrow some clothes that actually fit the tiny thing, we stopped at the parque (park) again to play.  More than once.

He was alllll about playing with carros (cars).

 

 He also enjoyed pushing the buggy ... all the way to the parque.

He must have done this slide a hundred times!

 

He fell asleep right on cue for siesta (naptime) while I did a couple GTP meets on the way to pick up the ninos (kids).

 

Then, Noah went happily back on big foster brother duty.

 

Noah is so on board with our fostering habit, this sample of his work speaks for itself.
Me: Why did you not put me in your drawing of our family?!?!
Noah: I did!  That's you with the hair.
Me: Ohhhh. Well, where's Anna then?  I only see you and Arrie.
Noah: Oh.  Oops!

The second night Arrie was with us, Anna had a tball scrimmage.  And that poor kid who was fine all day went really scared and clingy and tearful once we got out of the car at the field.  I think the park feel and all the people made him think he was going home with a new family again?  So, I held him and kept telling him "Estas seguro" (you are safe) and "Te vas a quadar conmigo" (you are staying with me) and "Esta bien" (it's ok). 

He heard me, he got it, but he still cried if I so much as moved his position in my lap.  After about an hour, and some tears from him when I had to get up because my legs were going numb, he finally let me just sit beside him. He even relaxed enough to try silly faces with Noah and me at one point.

And by night's end, he even ran around kicking a ball with us and cheering on the big boys practicing baseball behind us. 

His momma spiked a fever that day as well which was bummer news because we knew she wouldn't be discharged until she was 48 hours fever free. So I settled in knowing it was quite likely Arrie would stay with us through the weekend instead of through Friday like we were originally told.

And then, hooray!, momma called Susan Friday afternoon saying she was out (don't ask me how that was possible) and with the help of some man who spoke enough english to make things easier, she got my address and they both came out to get Arrie right away.  There was not much to say because of the language barrier still, so I just passed off his Journey Bag, happily watched him run across the yard once he realized she was there, kissed his forehead and waved Adios, and with Susan's help we insisted they take her carseat for Arrie.  They didn't have one at all.  Don't even get me started about that.  This whole foster scene is just SO eye-opening and heartbreaking and faith building and grace growing and life changing.  And hard! But so .... I don't know ...so something right for us.

Also, a giant shout out to the Google Translate app for making a BIG difference for us while he was here.  Clearly.  All my high school spanish came back to me quickly, but not without the ready help and translation of the fairy godmother that was my iPhone and this app.