July 15, 2010 10:33 p.m.

I have to write about something that makes me very proud.  It is about Chips.  Chips (and Sweet Girl) have both been having a great time at Music Camp and at VBS, both offered through our church.  Chips has been receiving some pretty neat compliments, and I want to share them here.

1. The Chief Musician of our church saw me twice last week (during Music Camp) and commented about Chips.  He had been teaching him in a small tone chimes group.  He said that he really enjoyed Chips, that he has a great smile and that his attitude is positive and very refreshing.  That pleased me.

2. This week, the lady who taught Chips' class at VBS (who happens to be the pastor's wife) told me that she really enjoyed having Chips in her class because he is such a willing participant.   That comment made me feel good, too.

3. Yesterday, another mom came up to me and told me that on the way home from VBS the day before, her 11 year old son told her that he really liked Chips a lot, because "he is really nice, he really loves Jesus, and he always tries to do the right thing".  The mother followed up by saying she was thankful that Chips was in her son's life, that as a peer, he was a good Christian witness to her son.  All I can say about that compliment is WOW!  What better words could I possibly hear?

We are still pretty new to this church, but people are starting to appreciate our son as they get to know him.  Chips isn't doing anything unusual at these events.  He is just being himself.  Very cheerful and happy, very engaging, and enjoying everything he does, big and small.  He also loves to engage adults in conversation at every opportunity.  It is so wonderful to see him growing in Christ in this way!

VBS is this week.  Therefore, I am two tired.  Two tired to right a decent blog post write now.  Maybe tomorrow. ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Whew.  And I thought this wood be an easy weak!

This is the first post of my first blog. This is a special week for our family. We homeschool year round, but this week is almost no school. This is the first time I have ever brought our kids to VBS (Vacation Bible School) and they are loving it. I have 3-1/2 hours of solitude each morning this week (very unusual for me, since I am normally with my kids 24/7/365) so I have planned to alleviate my severe guilt and work on my daughter's adoption lifebook. You see, I did a beautiful lifebook for her brother several years ago (uh.. that's 5 years ago) and never got around to doing one for my dd. She is 5 years old this year, and I am finally doing it this week. Hooray! My guilt is gone!

So, I drove one morning to T*rget to purchase the scrapbooking supplies that I ran out of, or didn't already have, and I have been moving along on this project all week. I had already written a draft of the lifebook text on my computer, and know what I want it to say. Now, I just do the decorative part, and the actual creation of each page of the lifebook. It will have about 16 pages, of which I have dug into only 5 so far.

What is a lifebook? Well, for kids who were adopted, it is a great way to share with them their life story from birth, as we know and understand it. It is an opportunity to write to them, on their own level of understanding, about their earliest days/months/ or years, in a way that answers their questions, and smooths the way for further conversation. My son likes his lifebook, and I hope that my daughter will too.

Beginning next Monday, we hit the books again. Both of my children are being homeschooled with the Calvert School curricula. My son is exactly half way through third grade as of this week, and my daughter is about two thirds of the way through kindergarten. We homeschool year round, and plan our longest breaks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day each year. We do most of our school during the summer months. We also do most of our vacationing at off times throughout the fall, winter, and spring. It is too hot to go anywhere in the south during the summer months (in my opinion) and we can avoid crowds by vacationing at off times.

Thus concludes my first post. Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading about us, and come back often!