A New Day at the Evans'

Hi Daddy!

Watching some cartoons

That tastes terrible!

Trying the popsicle.

I'm back

Even a bigger smile!

Aren't I beautiful??

See???

Do you see all seven teeth?

I feel so much better!

Analiese's surgery went very well today! As usual, my sweet little peanut, handled all of it with hardly a wimper! Dr. Thomas removed 9 teeth in all, even the molar that he was hoping to save.

Our morning started a little shaky. I jumped out of bed at 7:10 to the sounds of Analiese running around downstairs. I tore down the steps, yelling, "Analiese are you eating something?" Of course she was--Apple Jacks! I was so distraught! Thank goodness I got there just after she started to eat--she couldn't have eaten more than a dozen--with no milk!

We got to the hospital by 9:15 for her 11:45 surgery. We watched some TV, played some leapster and walked around. Finally it was time for the "goofy medicine" that Analiese just HATES the taste. I promised her that if she took the medicine I would allow her to suck on some bubblegum afterward. Well, the darn nurse stayed in the room with us for about 5 minutes updating the computerized chart after she gave Analiese the medicine. I finally was able to give Analiese her bubblegum. Like a trooper, she only sucked on it for the flavor and gave it back to me!

Analiese didn't seem to get too crazy this time. She called Dave and spoke with him and then watched some TV. The dentist came in and talked with us, explained to Analiese what was going to happen and promised to give her her teeth so she could put them under her pillow. She was just fine with all of it. However, when it was time to go to the OR she started to cry. This has happened twice before and each time my heart just breaks! I know that she really doesn't remember it because of the Versed but I remember!

The procedure took about 30 minutes. The dentist came to speak with me and explained that all went well but he was not able to save the molar. Once he removed the crown it was apparent that the 6 year old molar had come in completely sideways and the only way to save it was to remove the other molar that was on top of it. He also told me that ALL of her teeth had the roots, as none of the adult teeth were trying to push the baby teeth out-of-the-way!

The dentist also said that in 6 weeks we would meet to discuss her new appliance that would have to be put in--to stretch her palate. Sigh, so today was just the very beginning of the orthodontics for our sweet angel.

True to form, the recovery nurse had to bring Analiese to me almost as soon as she woke up! Analiese becomes hysterical when she comes out of the anesthesia and NOTHING, just NOTHING calms her down except being in my arms. It didn't take too long for me to calm her and get her to eat a popsicle. From that point on it just got better and better.

We were discharged from the hospital at 3:00 to go home. And, we were very ready to go!

Analiese looks so adorable without her teeth! If you ask her what she looks like, she says, "BEAUTIFUL". Dave probably is more honest when he says that, because of the swelling of her gums and mouth, Analiese looks like a hockey player who got on the wrong side of the puck!

Right now Analiese loves to smile and look at herself in the mirror. It is funny to see the tooth in her upper palate, where before it was hidden by the other teeth (that were all so full of cavities!) and also to see her newest tooth on the bottom that is not in the right place--yet.

One day, we are going to see the beautiful mouth that Analiese already sees when she looks in the mirror! We are so grateful that we have a fantastic cranio-facial team so close to us and also a wonderful children's hospital that treats our children as if they were their own.

The tooth fairy has her job cut out for her tonight. The poor dentist FORGOT to save Analiese's teeth and when they brought Analiese up from recovery I asked for the teeth. The nurse looked and could not find them. When she went to ask the dentist he told her they were not saved. When she came back to inform me, the look I gave her told her that I was NOT letting them off of the hook. So, the wonderful Dr. Thomas and his intern went trash picking to find the teeth. They were able to find 7 of the 9 that were removed. See how wonderful this team is to Analiese???

We wrote a letter to the tooth-fairy asking for money for all 9 and explained the situation. I'm sure she'll understand--don't you think?

Oh, Analiese did ask me a very sweet question during her recovery.

Analiese: "Mom, do dreams come true?"

Me: "Some do, why do you have a dream you want to come true?"

Analiese: "Yes, I want to see a fairy, a real fairy!"

Me; "Hmmm, maybe you'll get to to see the tooth-fairy tonight."

Stay tuned for some possible "Fairy sighting photos"

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:39 PM 1 comments Links to this post  

This is a post I've dreaded writing. Back in March, our sweet, sweet Ginger was diagnosed with Feline leukemia (FLV). It was heartbreaking for all of us. We made the decision, as a family, that we would do everything possible to keep Ginger happy for the remaining days she had with us.

It was very hard keeping Ginger separated from Duchess and Clarence. FLV is very contagious, so we had Ginger living in the "penthouse suite" (master bedroom and bath). The other cats had free rein of the house. Daily, we switched places and allowed Ginger to have the reign of the house but all she wanted was to play with Clarence. He was her buddy. Clarence cried for Ginger and she for him. The life Ginger was living was so limited. Not to mention her illness. Poor sweet Ginger was so anemic.

We did everything possible to make her comfortable but in the week prior to our Disney Trip it was obvious that our sweet Ginger was not her old self. We had a tough decision to make. Do we wait until we return from vacation and possibly have something happen while we were away or do we send Ginger off to the "rainbow bridge" before we left?

We opted to take care of Ginger before we left. On Friday the 12th of June, I took Ginger to the vet. Once there I held her in my arms, cuddled, kissed and hugged her as she was quickly relieved of her earthly pain. It was a sad but very tender time.

I brought Ginger back home to rest. All of the girls put flowers on her grave and we intend to plant some perennials so every year they will bloom and remind us all of the love we shared with that sweet little kitten.

Goodbye sweet Ginger, until we meet at the "rainbow bridge".....

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Posted by The Evans Family at 9:54 PM 1 comments Links to this post  

A well deserved rest!

Happy Father's Day Dave!

Poor David, after a week away our lawn looked like a jungle. He spent the better part of today mowing the grass. It wouldn't have been so bad if the self-propelled part of the lawn mower had not broken right before we went to Disney! So, in the horrible heat, Dave was pushing the lawn mower!

We spent some time at the pool but really did not do anything. After a week away we decided that our trip was a celebration of not only Sarah's birthday but our 12th wedding anniversary (can you believe it????) and Father's Day!.

Dave is such a wonderful father. Sometimes he is out of his element with the girls, especially our preteen Sarah, but he makes up for it in so many other ways. The girls have a great relationship with him. They each share something special with him that will carry on through their lives. He and Sarah share a love for learning and discuss, research and learn about so many things together! Dave helps Gracie train for her gymnastics and she loves showing him all of the new things she has learned. And then, of course, there is Analiese! From the beginning she was the "one" who loved her Daddy the most. They have a special bond and she will always be "Daddy's little girl".

I am so proud of David and the father that he is to our girls. He doesn't hesitate to get involved in dance with Sarah or gymnastics with Grace, he loves, just loves to teach Analiese new things and of course he is the one to go on all of the roller coaster rides that Mom is petrified to ride!

One day the girls will understand and appreciate the father that Dave is. Just as I have about my own father. I have THE BEST Dad in the whole world! He and my Mom separated and divorced when I was very young. But, he was ALWAYS a big part of my life. He took the time to come and watch me in sports, he hardly ever had any free time as he spent almost EVERY weekend with me and my sister. I have such great memories of summer vacations that we took and weekends spent camping.

My father has been instrumental in encouraging me and always telling me I could be anything I wanted to be. Now that I am older he has supported me through so many situations. He is always there to lend a hand, an ear or whatever I need.

I love you Dad and you've more than made up for the dime and the fire engine, many times over!

Posted by The Evans Family at 10:51 PM 0 comments Links to this post  

The drive home seemed like it took forever; much longer than getting to Disney! Oh, I know, we were all tired from our week and anxious to get home but seriously, could the traffic get any worse????

The kids actually did very well. It was me, I had the hardest time getting comfortable. To top it off, I was only able to drive for about an hour. I got so darn sleepy. Poor Dave had to drive the remainder of the time. Boy, I wasn't much help at all!

It was nice getting home. We have a few ripe green peppers from our garden that I was able to pick (yummy)! and the tomotoes are coming along nicely. If all of the canteloupe actually ripen we are in BIG trouble--there must be 20 of them!

The cats pretended to be angry with us for going away but that didn't last very long. Clarence is crying for attention and Duchess has followed me around all evening. I know that when I go to bed she'll be there cuddling with me.

Tomorrow I'll post more with photos of the garden and an update on Ginger.

Posted by The Evans Family at 10:40 PM 0 comments Links to this post  

Having a caricature drawn

Expedition Everest

Visting Asian in the Animal Kingdom

Oh look, Mom AND Dad together!

It's Tough being a Bug guests!



The sun and humidity has changed how Sarah looks!

Here's the tooth!

Wow, the week has just flown by! Here we are on the last day of our vacation. I had saved today for a water park but with Analiese's ear infection we had to scrap that plan. Instead we spent the morning at the pool.

It was quite nice not being rushed. We leisurely work up and had breakfast, then went to the pool. We enjoyed the water and sun then had a quick lunch. After a few hours (about 5) we went back to the condo and got ready to go to the Animal Kingdom.

We arrived just as lots of people were leaving. We were able to get fast passes for Expedition Everest, the scariest roller coaster I've seen! The girls so wanted to ride it; I wanted NO part of it! Poor Dave, I have a photo that we purchased (they have a camera strategically placed as you ride the coaster) and he looks like he is ready to pass out....

Sarah and Grace road the coaster once together and then Dave went with them and after much consideration, Ryley. They had a blast!

The kids, except for Analiese, got a caricature done. They turned out very sweet. We will leave Disney with some great memories and some momentoes that will last a lifetime!

Oh, I cannot forget...Analiese lost her first, well almost first, tooth last night. We really don't count the tooth that the dentist pulled out accidently after one of her palate surgeries as her "first tooth". I pulled the tooth because it has been loose and the adult tooth has already come in behind it. I sure wish I had gotten a photo of that. Poor, sweet Analiese cried so hard. But, cheered up when I took her photo and felt REALLY happy when she woke up to $2.00 under her pillow from the toothfairy!

It is always sad to leave Disney for the "real" world. We had a great time and couldn't have asked for a better week, weather wise. Our family has had a opportunity to laugh and enjoy our time together. God is good, we are truly blessed.

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:59 PM 2 comments Links to this post  

The ferry ride over to the castle

In the castle

The Fairy Godmother

Cinderella

Snow White

Aurora

Dave's favorite

Jasmine

Arial

Happy Birthday Sarah

We started a little later this morning as Dave had to take Analiese to the Urgent Care center. Indeed she has an ear infection, and very close to having both ears infected. Analiese now has drops for her ears and an oral antibiotic. Hopefully she'll start feeling better; she really is not herself.

Once Dave returned from the UC we went to the Magic Kingdom. We didn't have long to wait, just long enough for Analiese to meet the Fairy Godmother--no one was interested :(

We saw five of the princesses; Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White. We took some photos and got some autographs. Since we were celebrating Sarah's birthday this week she received a special cake and a birthday card signed by the Disney Characters. Each of the girls, except for Analiese, had an individual photo taken with their favorite princess; Sarah and Ryley with Ariel and Grace with Aurora.

The food was so very delicious and the service very Disney! We spent a little time in the park taking in some of the rides and shows we missed yesterday. On the way out of the park a storm raced in. By the time we got on the tram to get to the car, it was pouring and we got soaked. We were dripping wet and then had to run to the car through puddles that looked more like little rivers!

I didn't plan anything for this evening, I thought to we'd stay by the pool. Hopefully it will stop raining so we can do that. Tomorrow is our last day to visit the parks and I think the kids want to go back to the Magic Kingdom. Maybe I'll ride that roller coaster again!

Posted by The Evans Family at 4:19 PM 1 comments Links to this post  

A nice cold ice-cream break

Visit to Mickey's house

Grace on the monorail

Dave has just lost his mind!

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Can I get some of these at home???

Just plain old HOT

enjoying the safari





The Magic Kingdom was exciting and fun---of course! The weather was great but still very hot and humid. I even went on two ROLLER COASTERS today! One was the Barnstormer in Toon Town but geez it was a roller coaster! The other was one of the older wooden type roller coasters. Now that was fun--no deep drops or upside downs just plain old curves and dips. I actually put my hands up in the air and didn't have a death grip on the bar!

We hardly had time to come back to the condo and shower before we went to the Animal Kingdom for dinner. The buffet was traditional African fare and boy was it delicious! The girls were brave and tried lots of new things (except for Ryley who stayed with the corn, rice and some chicken).

We then were able to go on some of the attractions that we missed the other day. The safari ride was amazing to get so close to all of those wild animals.

Tomorrow we have lunch scheduled in the castle. Our plans are pretty much up in the air right now. Analiese got some water in her ear at the water park and now it may be infected. I spoke with our pediatrician's nurse and she thought it was OK to wait to see how it progresses. There is some drainage, which is normal with tubes, and a little pain, but no fever or anything that would indicate an infection. So, we're taking it slowly and if necessary we'll get her to the urgent care tomorrow morning.

The girls are getting more comfortable with each other. Sarah is acting like the big sister and the others are reacting like any younger sibling will--telling her "you aren't in charge of me". Sigh, thank goodness "normal" is returning to our lives!

Message to Carolyn, Ryan and Jeff: Ryley is having great time and sends her love.

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:54 PM 1 comments Links to this post  

Dinner entertainment!

Spaghetti!

Planet Hollywood

This is fun (but hard)!

Made from ALL Legos!

Entrance to the Park!

Back lot tour and some special effects

Gracie

Another fun but exhausting day! We spent the day at Disney's Hollywood Studio. It was so hot and humid it really just sapped our strength. But not before we got to experience some really fun rides.

When we first got there we got in line for the Tower of Terror. This is a thrill ride designed to be an elevator in an old hotel. Once you get into the elevator you take a seat and ascend up 157 feet. At the top you can look out at the studio below; then you plummet 13 stories! I did say "we" all got in line but just standing there for a few minutes gave me too much time to think. Yes, I chickened out and Dave went with all of the other kids. They had a GREAT time!!!

This is the smallest of the parks and we were not able to do a few things we wanted to do because of the long waits. But, the heat just zapped our strength so we went home.

After a short rest time we showered and went to Downtown Disney. We had dinner at Planet Hollywood and then walked around Pleasure Island and the marketplace. In Pleasure Island I got snagged to play a game. It was fun and the kids enjoyed watching me trying to swing a rope w/a ball around a pole--without using my hands!!!

Tomorrow we are off to the Magic Kingdom and I'm sure another very busy day!! On Thursday we get to have lunch in the Castle with all of the princesses--Oh we just can't wait!

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:43 PM 3 comments Links to this post  

How lucky can a Mom get???

The view outside our patio

Mickey giving a Birthday hug!



A bubble Carmen Miranda???

The bubble girls

Ryley and Minnie

I just cannot believe it, my sweet baby is 11 years old today! It seems like just yesterday she was learning to walk! The time has flown by so quickly. I reflect back on the years and see a wonderful person emerging. We have been so fortunate to give Sarah so many opportunities and all of those experiences have helped her become a confident, well-adjusted, well-mannered, young girl.

We spent the day at the Blizzard Beach, one of Disney's water parks. It was so much fun! We coulndn't have chosen a better day. We were first in line and were able to do so many slides not only once, but twice without any waiting time!

Grace and Sarah conquered the highest slide in the park; Summit Plummet. This slide is 120 feet in the air and you travel 60 miles per hour down the 350-slide. Sarah's comment after she finished? "Mom, I conquered my fear of heights!" Dave wasn't brave enough to go with the girls, neither was I!!

One of the best slides was the one where all of us got into one raft and slid down and around! It was so much for all of us!

We were able to stay for about 5 hours and then went home for a much needed nap! The girls were so anxious to take a bubble bath in the big jetted tub. Boy did they have fun with all of the bubbles!

Then we went to Chef Mickey's for dinner. As usual it was lots of fun, though our table was not in a real desired location. The kids were visited by the characters and everyone acknowledged Sarah's birthday. Upon arriving she was able to listen to a phone message from Goofy wishing her a happy birthday, we all got to wear pins announcing that we were celebrating Sarah's birthday and of course she got a cupcake, complete with candle, and the characters all sang and celebrated her day!

We ate lots of food and then went to the Magic Kingdom. We didn't stay long because of the crowds. We'll go back on Wednesday morning when it should be less crowded.

I never get tired of watching the kids experience Disney. Even though the girls have all been here before it is fun to see how they respond. Sarah, of course, is SO grown up and knows all "the secrets". Grace and Analiese are still young enough to be caught up in the magic of it all.

We are so lucky to be able to watch Ryley's first reactions to the parks--they are just priceless! I hate to inform her parents but Ryley wants to live at Disney!!! Maybe Beau and Kristin can come next time and experience all of the fun!

Sarah is so into our Disney trips that she already has already chosen where we'll stay the next time! We better start saving now!

Posted by The Evans Family at 11:14 PM 3 comments Links to this post  

What a Wonderful, wonderful day! We left the condo at 8 AM and did not return until 9:30 PM!! We are all so exhausted but so very happy!

We spent the morning at the Animal Kingdom. The best ride was the Kali River falls. We went twice and the first time Sarah, and Ryley got soaked. The second time it was me and Gracie! It felt great because it was SO hot!

We left the Animal Kingdom after lunch, went back to the condo, swam for about an hour and then left for Epcot. We ate dinner at the Biergarten. It was lots of fun, especially when the Oompa band started to play. The girls (and Dave!) went out to dance--no Carolyn and Kristin I DID not provide any entertainment for the Disney crowd!

We stayed for about 5 hours and watched the fireworks and then went back to the condo! The girls are tired and after watching a little of the movie Hairspray I tucked them all in and they were fast asleep within minutes!

I cannot tell you how much fun we are all having--except for the travel to and from the parks that is. Not too much traffic but Dave and I are both directionally challenged so we get a little stressed :)

Tomorrow is Sarah's 11th birthday so she has chosen to spend the day at the water park and then dinner at Chef Mickey's! We'll probably go to the Magic Kingdom after dinner. Our dinner is much later than we normally eat (6:50) but that is the only time I could get. Oh well, we'll just have a late snack to tide us over.

The girls are getting along well; just like sisters! Yes, just like sisters, so for those of you who have a sister know what I mean;)

Posted by The Evans Family at 10:25 PM 5 comments Links to this post  

Family of the Day!

At the pool.

Waiting for the slide

We MADE it!!

Well we arrived safely at Disney World! We had an uneventful trip, even the drive wasn't so bad. I think we've had so much screaming and yelling in the car that when we have a "normal" trip it seems like a treat!

Our resort, Old Key West, is FANTASTIC! I love the the theme. I feel like I'm getting the beach without the ocean! We have tons of room. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

The girls did so well on the drive. We spent some time at the pool tonight even though it looked like it was going to storm. We had just arrived and the girls only got to go down the slide ONCE and the wind picked up and the sky turned dark. But, we didn't have any thunder or lightening so we stayed. I'm glad we did because the storm blew past!

When we arrived to check in this afternoon, we were surprised with a bouquet of balloons, pins and a certificate naming us, Old Key West's Family of the Day!! Now you tell me that I don't have a guardian angel--someone knew that I had a HORRIBLE week and needed some TLC!

Tomorrow we are off to the Animal Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the evening. We'll have dinner at the Biergarten--Ryley says she loves German food---Carolyn I didn't know you were so international!

We are so excited to be here and I can't think of a better place to regroup and laugh. This trip is so perfect for us!

Posted by The Evans Family at 9:24 PM 2 comments Links to this post  

Ask anyone who really knows me and they will tell you that I believe, wholeheartedly, that everything happens for a reason. I don't believe in randomness nor do I believe in coincidence. In my heart I know that there is a God who has a plan for me, and that plan is so much better than any plan I could ever come up.

Now this post is not about religion nor an invitation to debate whether God exists. It is about what I believe and not about judgements regarding others' beliefs. This is about my faith.

For many years I didn't have faith nor did I believe that there was any sense to what was happening in my life. I could never understand WHY things did not work out the way I wanted them. I was angry, sad and always looking for someone to blame--usually it was the God I was brought up to believe existed.

It wasn't until I got pregnant with Sarah (and that's a story for another time) did I ABSOLUTELY believe that God existed. It was then that I realized how important it was to pray for guidance rather than to pray with a list of demands.

That was 12 years ago. I have much more patience when things do not go as I expect in my life and I've done a much better job at letting go of preconceived ideas and accepting outcomes as they happen. Now, does that mean I've stopped making decisions and just let stuff happen? Absolutely NOT! I now pray for wisdom and guidance and try to make the decisions that God is guiding me toward.

That brings me to the reason for this post; Matthew. God's plan for us has turned out to be so very different then what any of us imagined when we began our journey to bring Matthew home. In the past 19 months Matthew has been with us, it has become obvious that we were not the forever family for him. For whatever reason, we believe, we were only supposed to be the family to bring Matthew home from China. We don't know why God called us to be that family.

After much praying and seeking guidance we decided to follow a path different from what we originally set out to walk. That path has brought peace to each of us. We are confident that the choices we've made are the best choices for everyone. They were not the easiest choices, nor were they the "popular" choices. But they are the RIGHT choices.

I don't intend to post about our journey to this point. It's just not necessary to give the specifics of how we arrived here. We are here because of our love for ALL of our children and yes, that includes Matthew! We've made decisions for him that, hopefully, will allow him to develop his full potential.

Just as Matthew has a birth family that made a difficult decision for him, he has our family that also made a difficult choice. We can only hope that his first family did it out of love, because this family certainly did.

Our family is grieving over an ending that we didn't expect but also celebrating a new beginning. Please keep us all in your prayers.

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:21 AM 5 comments Links to this post  

Today we went to the gym for a fitting for Grace's apparel for her upcoming competitive season (August through December).

First she tried on the competition leo--it fit like a second skin. Oh, the Mom in me said, "go up a size", the ladies who were doing the fitting obliged but then proceeded to show me how "big" the leo was on Grace. My question, "can't she grow into it???".

Their answer? "Nope" and this is the second year of these leos (they change every two years) so next year it will be a totally different leo! OMG!

The spirit leo wasn't in so Grace will have to have another fitting but, of course, I had to pay for that also!

Next was the warm-up suit; pants and a jacket. Again, I wanted the "larger size" to grow into. Nope, it has to fit properly. Goodness knows we don't want Grace looking like her gym clothes don't fit!

Then on to the shoes (yes, mandatory shoes!). Again, this is the second year and next year they will be different.

Oh, don't forget the shorts and t-shirt---yup, second year for these also!

The only thing we got that was not mandatory was the hoodie and just to show them I bought a size TOO big!!

SO THERE!!!

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:59 PM 0 comments Links to this post  

MATTHEW QINGNAN EVANS
11/12/2007 - 6/10/2009

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:46 PM 11 comments Links to this post  

Grace's TOPS group; Amelia, Lauren, Rachel, Hannah and Grace.

The TOPS team at GAA

Grace had her very first testing for her TOPS program today. For those of you who don't remember, Grace is part of an elite gymnastics program called TOPS (Talent Opportunity Program). This is a program by which the USAG gymnastics identifies potential elite athletes and fast tracks them. This program is the direct road to potentially becoming a member of the USA National Gymnastics Team---where our Olympic athletes are chosen. Right now, 50% of the girls, who have been on the USA National Team, came up through the TOPS program.

Grace has been on the TOPS team for about 6 months now. She has made incredible progress. The testing today is one of three that she will participate in this summer. The best score of the 3 tests will be sent to the USA gymnastics. At this level, 7-8 year olds, Grace is not old enough to qualify at the National level and go to the Karolyi camp, that is for 9 years old and above. However, she is eligible to qualify her coach if she reaches the highest level.

Grace tested with some other girls who have been on in the TOPS program for 2 years and was not that far behind them. There are 9 areas the girls were tested in: handstand hold (timed, max is 30 seconds, Grace did about 5 secs), leg lifts (max is 20, Grace did 20), 20 meter sprint, cast (on bar), rope climb (6 feet in pike position), vertical jump, press handstand (start in straddle position and move to handstand), leg flexiblity test, and bridge test. If you want to see the requirements and explanation of each of the skills go here: TOPS TESTING

Grace had lots of fun, but did admit she was nervous prior to the testing. After testing, about 10 of the 17 families and coaches went to dinner. It was lots of fun and a great time to get to know some of the other families who have been on this journey a little longer.

From what I saw, Grace is just one talented little girl. Once again, I caution you to mark your calendars for Summer 2016--you won't want to miss that summer olympics--especially the gymnastics!

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:08 PM 0 comments Links to this post  

My sweet 1st grader!

Sarah enjoying the water balloon fight

The first group to complete all 6 years at our school!

What great strides Matthew has made! Notice the missing tooth!

You've made it Analiese!

Friends since Kindergarten!

The last safety patrol duty!

Finally, the kids finished the school year. We had a different school calendar this year due to some school construction last fall. When we voted, which seems like eons ago, it didn't seem so bad not getting out of school until June 5th. Well let me tell you, when the the rest of the surrounding communities end right before Memorial Day, June 5th feels like a lifetime away!

The week after Memorial Day, when all of the other schools where out, Sarah's dance studio had their dance recital practices (until 9:00) and then on Thursday night, the first recital. We did not get home from that recital until 11:00. Poor sweet Sarah had tests and final presentations she had to take care of. Needless to say, I had one tired child!

Then this week, Grace started her summer gymnastics schedule--5 days a week!!! I had to check her out early almost every day so she could participate with her team. I didn't want her to miss anything because tomorrow she has her first State level testing for her TOPS program. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Needless to say we celebrated today and will celebrate more when I finish on Tuesday, then summer can truly begin for us!

It's been so busy these past two days, AND very emotional. On Thursday we celebrated Analiese's graduation from kindergarten. I so cannot believe that my baby is now a 1st grader! Analiese has made tremendous growth this year in just about every area; except height and weight! She is reading, writing complete sentences and adding and subtracting. I so remember when kindergarten was about making friends, painting and having snack!

During the ceremony I was unable to get any good photos for a multitude of reasons. It certainly did not take away from the emotion of it all. At one point, when the kids were singing, and Analiese was so dramatic, all I could do was sob! I so kept thinking of my sweet baby living in the orphanage in Sichuan, China with no running water, heat or cooling. To see her singing, dancing and celebrating her completion of kindergarten filled my heart with emotion.

After that ceremony, I was able to celebrate Matthew's completion of 1st grade at his end-of-year party. It was wonderful celebrating his successes. We are so proud of him. He passed the state required test in all 3 areas; reading, language arts and math!!! To think, this young boy did not speak a word of english 18 months ago!

Then, yes, there is a then....I spent the rest of the afternoon with Sarah for her cookout. As a graduating fifth grader, they had a wonderful celebration. Part of the reason why they were given almost an entire day, prior to graduation, was that this class was the first class to have attended all six years at the school! It was bittersweet to watch those kids, who we welcomed as kindergarteners, enjoy their final days as elementary students.

I was able, after Sarah's AM graduation event, to attend Grace's end-of-the year party. It was fun for Grace, but I'll tell you, after two days of hot dogs and pizza I really wanted a huge salad! We took some photos of Grace and her friends, some of the girls have been together since kindergarten. And, having been through the experience of Sarah's graduation, I so wanted to just push pause for Grace and her friends. Before we know it, Grace will be finishing elementary school---ACK

Then of course there was Sarah's 5th grade graduation. How grown up my little girl looked! She was so beautiful and confident. We were so proud of her achievements. I was able to control my emotions, having teared up only a few times during the slide show. However, the dam burst when the classes did their "final walk" through the school. All of those children who Sarah had over for play dates, sleepovers and birthday parties were now leaving elementary school. Those babies were going on to middle school and it happened so quickly.

How did the time fly without me realizing it? How did my sweet little girl go from "Q the bride" to receiving the National Fitness Award???? When did all of those girls get so tall and grow womanly legs??? And how on earth did my first child go from kindergarten to 5th grade in a blink of an eye?????

Needless to say, I'm reflecting on so many things. I remember Sarah as a baby, Grace as a frightened, grieving toddler, and Analiese as a malnourished little girl. Today was a huge "AHA" day for me. I realize how fast my kids are growing up, changing and moving away from me. I want to celebrate and enjoy each and every moment because they don't last very long. Before I know it, Sarah will be in high school and Grace will be leaving elementary school.

I so want to slow our lives down and keep them as kids a little while longer. Does anyone know the secret to that?

Posted by The Evans Family at 8:21 PM 1 comments Links to this post