This Week's Happenings

I can't believe another week is over! Boy does time fly when you are having fun!!!! I am not sure if I realize how much fun we are having, but I am sure I will look back years from now and realize!!!!!!

School rocked on this week!

I am seeing great strides in my two oldest this year. They have really started to take the responsibility of making sure they start school on time and accomplish their work plan. I can concentrate on my Kindergartner and 2nd grader for longer periods.

Last Sunday Toby preached and illustrated sermon and Kaitlyn was the servant girl to Pharaoh! She loves the performing arts and will be joining an Improv group in January. I will have to take her, so I might just join. We attended last night to see what it was like and it looked like so much fun.



Ricky's travel ball team takes up a lot of his time.
In the picture above, he is the 3rd kid from the right on the back row.
He loves the game and I like the exercise he is getting.


The middle three kids are heavily involved in soccer this fall!
Here are a couple of pictures of two of my budding soccer players.








Kamryn is growing!!!! She babbles, coos, and smiles at everyone.
Her 2 month appointment was this week and the Dr. changed her formula. It was determined that she has an intolerance to milk. Oh my, I pray she out grows this.


Life would definitely be a challenge to add lactose intolerance to the nut allergy and my food intolerance. Not sure what we would eat!!!!

Sister time!!!!

My First Kitten and Taming the Tiger

Recording my youth from birth to 12th grade.

Join us by clicking on the link above.

Age six is somewhat of a blur in my mind. My life sort of meandered on in the same way it had in kindergarten. I am not sure life in a small town for a little girl is much different from day to day, unless something huge happens. I do remember two very important things that did happen that sticks out in my mind.

As a preschooler, we would go and visit a neighbor that had a lot of cats. She was always trying to give me a kitten and my mother would reply, "NO!" I always left there in tears. I can't remember why we visited those neighbors, other than to torture me, but we did and often. One morning, my dad left to go on duty (he was a state trooper) and on the front porch there was a tiny kitten. The kitten was crying and mom was praying it would go away before I woke up. Either God had sent that kitten to me, or mom didn't pray hard enough; because, when I woke up it was still mewing loudly on the front porch. I heard it immediately and remember rushing to the door, throwing it open, and finding a tiny gray and white stripped kitten. I was in love!!!! I brought him in and gave him some milk, but he was so tiny he really didn't know what to do with anything in a bowl. Mom told me that she would get a bottle while I was at school, but to ask around to see if anyone wanted a kitten because we were not keeping him. All day at school, I kept my mouth shut, which was VERY HARD for me! I wanted to tell someone, but was afraid they might say they wished they had a kitten. When I got home, I told my mom that no one wanted a kitten at school and I thought we should name him Kit. She was still not convinced, but after watching me feed and play with him, she relented. I had my kitten!

The other major thing I can remember that happened to me was I entered first grade. I started that school year with anticipation that this would be another year of me basically doing as I pleased, and then I met Mrs. McKillips. One day early in the year, she called my mother about my talking habits during class. My mom told her to do whatever it took to tame the tiger. The next day, she had a little talk with the class and told us that we were here to learn. She ended her little talk with the statement that if anyone didn't want to follow the rules we could go home. I stood up, stretched, and said, "Guess I need to go on home then!" She looked at me and told me exactly what my mother had told her. Mrs. McKillips told me later that I wilted into my seat and was the perfect child for about three days. After this little incident, I started to learn the joys of reading and writing.

Just Because She is So Cute

Check out the hair!!!

Her hair is wavy and the front sticks up most of the time.

This Week's Happenings

A lot has gone on around here this week as usual. Here are a few of the highlights from this week:

The fair is in town and going is always fun. We don't always ride rides, but never miss the petting zoo and animal exhibits.

We haven't been to our local zoo in awhile, so with the weather so nice we decided to visit. Our zoo is really nice and beautiful.

One of the reasons I do not post many pictures of my oldest son.

Well, I guess he does add interest to the picture.

Kensli is terrified of the peacocks that roam free around the zoo. I must admit they can be quite intimidating with all their screaming. They always seem to visit the cafe area when we are eating, which sends Kensli into orbit.

Notice her table top sitting...if you look hard in the back ground you will see 2 peacocks. There were four actually all stalking our food.

If I hadn't said before, you could tell how she feels about the peacocks by the look on her face!

What Kamryn did at the zoo.

Finally, a good picture of my handsome son.

They are getting ready for Zoo Boo.

A lot of the big blow up characters were already set up and the kids loved it.

Toby came home after being in Vietnam for a week. Toby stayed home all day Tuesday to rest and spend time with us, so we took a small holiday. It was so good to relax and spend time together during the hustle and bustle of a busy week.

Ricky has been having a lot of experiments in Science this year. He is taking Apologia General Science 7th grade and loves it. Here are some pictures of 3 of the experiments he did this week. He is keeping a notebook with all his experiments, and I am taking pictures of each one for him to add.

A busy but good week!!!!!!

Vaccinated with a Phonograph Needle

Recording my youth for the next 12 weeks. Click on the link above if you would like to read more or join.

My early years could have come straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I was blessed to have lived in a time and place where I was free to play for long hours outside, not worrying who lived next door or down the street. Days were endless and time stood still on lazy Sunday afternoons. Simple things were celebrated, and sorrows were grieved by the whole community. Family, community, and church were integral parts of my life. Half of our church was related to me, and that half was related to the other half, so everybody was aunt and uncle. I was the darling of the church, due in large part to two of my cousins having being killed nine months earlier. I arrived at a time when the church needed a bit of uplifting; therefore, I was spoiled and loved by all!

My ability to talk started early, probably because I was the only child for the first four years of my life. I would say, "Hi, doll!" to everyone I met by the time I was ten months old. I was such a talker that my uncle told my mom one day, "They must have vaccinated Kayla with a phonograph needle when she was born."

Around the age of three, my dad tried his hand at ranching. I was a cowgirl through and through. I had a pair of Dingo boots, a hat, and a cowgirl dress that mom had made. Going to cattle auctions with my dad made me feel so big! Unfortunately, within a couple of years, the cattle market crashed and Dad lost a lot of money. He got out of the cattle business altogether, and I had to hang up my boots and hat.

By the age of four, I became fascinated with Native Americans. I loved the idea of living in a tee pee, riding horses, and using bows and arrows; but my favorite was wearing moccasins. I loved the feel of soft leather on my feet and being able to sneak up on someone was a huge bonus that couldn't be beat!!!! That summer we went on a family vacation and visited a reservation where I was able to meet a Native American boy with a squirrel. That sealed it in my mind! I returned home determined more than ever to grow up and live on a reservation!

I was four years old when my parents brought home what I affectionately call the bain of my existence, my brother. He was adopted through the same agency; and even though I loved him, sharing the attention was a little hard. He was a sickly baby and one that I felt I had to take care of and teach about this great big world. In my book, he was a project to work on and I went right into my new role with gusto. Having mastered the art of communication when young, and being so much older and wiser, sure helped me with this situation. One of the first things I thought he should learn was medical terms and aspects of body functions. One day my mom overheard me telling him, "Peyton, when you were born, they cut your vocal cord; that's where your belly button came from." On another occasion I was heard explaining that your "ballard" holds your tee-tee. Guess I should have been a doctor today with all that knowledge!

Kindergarten was a breeze for me in many ways. I am sure poor Mrs. Davis counted down the days left in her school year, and I felt that this lady needed my help. I loved recess and enjoyed story time, but the greatest time of all was nap time. I could entertain my classmates with stories and keep them all from taking a dreaded nap. I spent over half of the year with my sleeping mat behind the teacher's desk to isolate me from my audience. Oh, poor substitutes who had no clue!!! Needless to say, I passed Kindergarten with flying colors.


I wish all kids could experience the joy, happiness, and love that filled my early years. They are some of my sweetest memories!

My Gotcha Day

For the next twelve weeks I will be recording my youth from birth to twelfth grade.

Click on the link above to learn more about recording your youth.

I am not sure what happened at my birth or the weeks leading up to the eventful day, because I was adopted. I really wished I could tell you how many hours my birth mother was in labor or how nervous my birth father was, but I can't. I CAN tell you what happened 16 days later.

In the 70's most adoptions were closed, which means that all records of my adoption were sealed. I used to peek at my birth certificate to see if the blanks left there had somehow been filled. Growing up, I made up stories as to what happened and even told people I was from different parts of the world. I remember one time a substitute teacher asked different children where they were born, and since I really had no clue, I said Canada. The sad part was she knew my family and quickly set my imagination straight!

When my mom was in college she had heard a professor say that by a specific year, which she doesn't remember, there would be millions of orphans in this world. The thought so overwhelmed her that when my parents wanted to begin a family they chose adoption as they way to do so.

My parents applied to Volunteers of America about 5 months before I was born. They went through a grueling few months of getting paperwork done, home visits, and interviews and were finally approved. The day they received the call that they had a child they were at my Granny's house. She answered the phone and realized who was on the line. The agency asked to speak to my dad, and Granny got so excited that she forgot my dad's name. After getting his attention by calling him Mr. (last name), my mom and Granny listened anxiously for any news. Dad talked vaguely during the entire phone call and would not give them even a hint as to my gender. When he finally got off the phone he said, "Well, we have a girl and she will be 16 days old tomorrow!" They were so excited that Granny threw the dish towel she was holding in the air! The next morning they drove to the agency and picked me up!

That day in October became my Gotcha Day. In the adoption community the term Gotcha Day is the day when you become a family, the day all hope arrives, the day they never let you go forever.

They had several names picked out and finally settled on the name Kayla Denise. My mom had heard the name Kayla when she was a teenager and thought it was beautiful. Denise was after a cousin, that my family was extremely close to, that had died nine months earlier in a car accident.

So, the part of my story that I know really doesn't begin at my birth, but 16 days later when a wonderful couple brought me home and made me their daughter. Over the years I have filled my blanks with love and realized that no matter where I began, my story is beautiful!

Magic Beans

This morning I handed Tiger half a bag of beans, and she promptly informs me they are magic beans. She played most of the morning sorting, counting, gluing, and playing with her beans. The only break she took was to work on what she calls her "color project". She was so enthusiastic about her "magic" beans that Bear asked me during Tiger's nap if they were really magic!