Many changes again...

So I can't currently find the cord to hook my camera up to the computer (not that I've looked too hard), so you all will have to do without pictures for a little longer.  Here are the updates:
1. Charles is back.  He came back toward the end of last month and the plan is that he will stay here with me until we all move.
2. James has a new job.  He is working at Chase bank, and enjoying it quite a bit so far.
3. Jaqueline and Maya went home to their dad for their 90-day trial home visit on July 31.  They seem to be doing well so far.  I saw them yesterday for the first time since they left.  Jaqueline wanted to do almost nothing but sit in my lap, but I think Maya was mad at me for abandoning her so she ignored me most of the time.  Sad.  We've been doing well since they left - it's been much quieter around here- but we mostly just try not to think about it too much.  They both had their birthdays this month, so they were both 2 at the same time for about half a month.
4. Baby Charity is doing well.  She is 5 months old and now weighs almost 13 pounds - small, but healthy.  Her dad seems to be doing well, and should he continue to do well, she will probably be transitioning to him in October or November, which means that...
5. We're probably going to still be here until November.  At least, that is the current understanding.  If I am still here and it snows, I may have to pull all of my hair out!
6. We homeschool, and this year decided to try doing K12, which can be (and is, in our case) public school from home.  We are trying it for Emma, who is in 4th grade.  We have been at it for almost 2 weeks now.  It was a lot to figure out at first, but we are finally getting it down.  It was tough the first week, but I think that now that Emma and I have started figuring it out, we are enjoying it more.  It is more intense than we have done in the past, but I think that is okay.
7. Charles is not doing K12.  We are still on low intensity for him since we are mostly focusing on getting Emma started, but once we get her going a little more, I will focus on him more.  He just turned 5 in June.  He is getting better at recognizing letters and numbers, saying letter sounds, building things, doing puzzles, drawing shapes, tying knots, and spelling his name.  He is also getting better at trying to not get frustrated so easily when things are difficult for him.
8. Emma took private swimming lessons this summer, and has gone from being a dog-paddler to a real swimmer.  She loves to swim.
9. We also chopped Emma's hair.  It is just above her shoulders in an a-line.  She likes having it short.

Those are the main updates I can think of right now.  I'll try to get around to posting pictures in the not-too-far future.

Quick pics

Our latest news

We have a new foster daughter!  She is Jaqueline and Maya's baby sister and she was born on March 18.  What a doll!

Here is Emma with a friend from the Firebird ballet.  They were Babushka dolls.  She did a great job, and totally enjoyed herself.  James was here for a week, so I was able to break away from the kids and be a parent helper.  That is always a fun job, and a great chance for me to spend quality time with Emma.

While James was here he got a chance to play a lot with the kids.  They especially enjoyed playing ball.  Charles was hitting the ball fairly consistently.  The kids sure love their dad!  Charles has been missing him, and we were planning on having him possibly join James in May, but with the new baby here, we decided last minute to have him go with James back to Texas now, so last Tuesday they flew out there.  Charles loved flying in a plane and he has been having a blast with all of his cousins.

According to James, Texas is already in full bloom.  Yeah.  And it SNOWED here!  Totally unfair!

My amazing daughter...

So, Emma is a chef as well as a dancer and a seamstress.  I just finished eating lunch, which Emma made with supervision but very little help. She made homemade pasta and deviled eggs.  It was delicious.  She loves to cook, and I have a hard time keeping her out of the kitchen.

Emma is a "real ballerina"!

Emma auditioned for our local ballet company's upcoming production, The Firebird, and made it!  This is her first ever "professional" ballet.  She is SO excited.  She will be a doll that has been enchanted by an ogre (I believe).  I don't really know all the details, but her performance will be on March 26 and 27.  Congratulations, Emma!

Emma's reading list

I thought I'd post books that Emma read last year.  This is not an all-inclusive list, but some of the major books.
Mary-Kate and Ashley books (she recently discovered them and loves to read them)
High School Musical books
The Bunnicula Series by James Howe
Star Wars books
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Mysterious Benedict Society Series by Trenton Lee Stewart
The 39 Clues Series
The Magic Tree House Series
The American Girl books
Disney Fairies books
The City of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau
The above books have been read multiple times by Emma.  The following books are books she read once.
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
The Borrowers and The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton
Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace
The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Florence and Richard Atwater
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The 13th Floor by Sid Fleischman
The Bobbsey Twins at the Circus by Laura Lee Hope
The Music of the Dolphins by Karen Hesse
The following are books we read or listened to as a family:
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara, Dinotopia: The World Beneath, and Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time by James Gurney (beautifully illustrated books about a hidden land where people and dinosaurs co-exist)
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
The Boy Who Ran for President and The Boy Who Became President by Dan Gutman
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Christmas through Valentines...

James took Emma and Charles sledding on Christmas Eve. They had a lot of fun.

We had Christmas by ourselves. We didn't do a ton of gifts, but loved what we did get.

Charles got these gifts from his Grandma Lisa, who came to visit a week later.

As you can see, the Jedi are still alive and well, and Emma is currently in the process of training some younglings.

James has been in Texas for 3 weeks now, and I am hangin' here with the kiddos. It hasn't been too tough yet, but I think a lot of that is because Emma is a huge help and James is always available for me to call if I need him. He's so great. The kids and I will be here until things get resolved with Jaqueline and Maya...hope that's sooner rather than later, cause we would love to be in Texas! April would be the absolute earliest that could even possibly happen, but I'm planning on it being later than that.

We had a family pre-birthday celebration for Emma's 9th birthday before James left. She got a book about the costumes of Star Wars (called Dressing a Galaxy). She loves Star Wars (you'd never guess from these posts, would you?) and loves costumes, sewing, design...she had checked this particular book out from the library at least 5 times. She was very excited to get the book.


Well, James took the digital camera with him (he needs it for his job), so I probably won't be posting too much until we get to Texas (or until I get my own camera), since I won't have any pictures.