My baby turns 3!

It's official...I am out of baby-land! Christianna is 3 years old today! We have been out of diapers for 8 months (just use pullups at night time), and she's insisting she's a big girl! I now officially have two pre-schoolers and a school-age! It's great, she can dress herself, she can walk, run and play nicely. I love it. Still can't trust her for nothin hardly, but that's cause it's just her-not the age...hoping the age advancement will help with that actually.

When she woke up, I told her that today is her birthday and that she is three years old now. She looked at me and was so excited! She said, "I'm finally this many?" and held up 3 fingers. It was sooooooooooooooo cute! We had lots to do and I was out all morning. I came home with a cake and a balloon and three Dollar Tree presents. We celebrated just us as a family here at home. Shanndon made a comment while we were eating cake, "why didn't everyone else come?" He noticed we didn't have a party. I would like to have another "combination party" this year for Shanndon and Christianna...maybe end of August. We'll see. Besides, I'm in dire NEED of a party!!!!

Happy Birthday Christianna!

New Exchange Student

It's official...we got our confirmation of placement email(June 29) and we've been contacted on the phone and by email (July 1) from our new exchange student!!!! We're so excited!

Her name is Sonja Mueller. She's 15 (will be 16 on Nov. 1). Crimeney, she was born in 1993! That is just a few months after I graduated high school and she could be our kid!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooo old! LOL. Anyway, her mom passed away when she was 10 and she's been raised by her dad. She's an only child. She is from Vienna Austria. She loves kids and animals. She doesn't like fish to eat (neither do we-except David). We're going to put Shanndon and Christianna in one room (currently looking for bunk beds!!!!) and Sonja will have Christianna's room. She is fluent in German (home language) and Latin, French and English. Her emails are perfect and her English seemed really good on the phone! She'll go to Derby H.S. and be bussed. I'm really hoping she mixes well in our church youth group. They are very active and several kids go to to Derby HS, so she'll have a couple weeks to get to know church kids before school. She seems pretty easy going. I asked her favorite color, to do her bedding, towels and room...she said she doesn't have a favorite color and she's happy with whatever, as long as it's not too flashy.

Today we had a leisurely day for the most part. I had a one on one lunch date with a friend. It was so nice! We met just after 11am at Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse. We were sat with two other ladies and cooked for by the owner. It wasn't the big spectacular show that it normally is, but it was nice none the less. We sat around talking for a quite a bit after lunch. It was so quiet and peaceful. I brought home a bunch of leftovers and ate them throughout the day. I LOVE Japanese Steakhouse!!!!!!! The only minor exception to the bliss, was a daycare client calling 5 times over lunch...the 3rd time the phone rang, I answered and told her I was out to lunch and I'd call her when I was done. The 5th time I answered and said, "I'll call you right back" and hung up...CRIMENY! She didn't have a certain time she had to o stuff and I said I'd call her when I was done. So, I picked up two daycare kids on the way home. Only watched them 2 hours.

After kids woke up from nap, we went to the McConnell AFB "Beach Party". They had delivered a parking lot full of sand, had games and activities, inflateables, Radio Disney was there too. The kids had a blast! Daddy even met us for "lunch break". Then we headed off to church for Missionettes. We're taking the next couple weeks to work on "projects". Today the girls did a "Traits of a Godly Woman" Collage. Next week we're doing a "group sculpture"-they have to work together to create a sculpture with recycled materials (and we'll have an "Art Show" after that with their various art pieces they made during that badge). Then we'll finish up puppets and perform a puppet show.

After church, I picked up Stephanie's 2 dogs (they are going out of town) and we came home. Steph had a big tomato come ripe today and it would rot before they got home, so she gave her "first fruits" to David!!!! I came home with en egg carton of cherry tomatoes and one big tomato...SWEET!!!!! :) We miss our garden! :(