John says I should never have sent this picture in to the Ukrainian Embassy for Ava's annual adoption follow-up paperwork (oh well, too late). I was trying to show them how we are helping her to learn to eventually walk, but John says it looks like we have her in some sort of torture device. :)This is a stander that the physical therapist is recommending we start using for Ava. The purpose of the stander is to position her properly while she learns to bear weight for longer periods of time without slouching or leaning. She hated this the first time....HATED it, but several months later they tried it again and it was a piece of cake for her. For some reason she reminds me of the kid on A Christmas Story, so bundled up to play in the snow that he can't get up.
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I found this idea on the internet for Liesel's room. Silhouette shapes cut out of scrapbook paper on little canvases. Does it seem strange that some of these "canvases" are the exact size and shape of Rice A Roni boxes and Jell-O boxes? I'm not gonna say for sure, but I do think my great grandma Nellie Dunnivan, the queen of recycling, would be very proud.--------------------------------------------------------------------
The kids and I had a discussion yesterday about college, and I informed my children that they should think about ways they can raise money for their own college tuition since their dad and I are probably not going to be paying for it. Jude asked, "Mom, do we HAVE to go to college?" I explained that no, nobody has to go to college, but I told him there are some benefits if he decided to go. To which he replied, "I think I'm just going to get a job at Bath and Body Works." I was a little surprised to hear this coming from my mechanically minded boy, so I asked why he'd want to work at Bath and Body Works. He said, "Because a lot of pretty girls go there." (Hmmmmm. Pretty clever boy I'd say!)
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Liesel told me the other day that she wants to adopt a bunch of kids when she grows up. She said she wants to adopt three with Down Syndrome, but first she wants to adopt some "plain" kids so they can help teach the younger ones with Down Syndrome. How cute that she considers herself "plain" compared to Ava's extra chromosome extraordinary-ness.
11 comments:
I know what you mean about college-
My son is a senior and I already
can imagine the bills! I have
started putting money away
every pay for my younger son-
because I have a feeling the money
we saved for their education will
be spent on the first son.
Lucie
Fun thoughts for a snowy, icy day. Thanks for sharing. Love Simeon's comment about Bath and Body Works. He atleast has his priorities in the right order. HA.
Pretty, good smelling women -- bet that made his dad proud! LOL
I also LOVE the glove comment for Hope! It's amazing how creative we can think of things when put on the spot!?!
Ok...that Jude is one smart boy...college or no college! That made me laugh out loud...(and Chad too!).
Don't you EVER stop blogging! I just love your family!!
Your kids are just precious! I love the box idea! Thanks so much! I can handle that price tag.
How smart Jude is, ROFL, doesn't sound like he needs college ;o)
Liesel, what a sweet heart! And there is nothing "plain" about her, she, and all your children, are wonderful blessings!
I LOVE your decorating idea, something I can afford to do and probably can handle the crafting part as well, lol.
What a great idea with the boxes.
They are REALLY cute! Ya'll did a wonderful job.
i love all the cute comments from your kids!
They sound really sweet.
My daughter also talks about adopting. I love that the kiddos are seeing family in different ways than the conventional.
~amy
So as I re-read my comment and shared it with Tim, I realized that it was Jude and not Simeon with the cute girl comment. Sorry Simeon and Jude. Tim got a chuckle.
My parents are also in the position where they can't afford to pay for college, or at least not for most of it. We're in the working class/middle class economic status range, so paying 100K plus per year for both my sister and I to attend school seemed simply ludicrous. I'm a senior in college right now and my sister is a sophomore, and while we do have to cut down on expenses, tuition is totally manageable due to the HUGE amount of financial aid that my school gives me.
My advice? A lot of people are afraid that college is beyond them financially speaking, but in truth there are a lot of resources out there. From what I've read on your blog, it sounds as if all of your kids are really smart. I have no doubt that they can get into the colleges of their choice in the future and can finance their education through scholarships. If they go to top-tier private colleges/universities (as my sister and I chose to do), these schools have made a promise to meet 100% of financial need and take into account family size. They've completely covered (with grants, no less!) the amount of tuition that my parents couldn't afford to pay each year. If they decide to go to state schools or less well known universities, they can get merit scholarships, sports scholarships, or even homeschool scholarships (yep, those exist too!).
My point is, college is a huge financial burden, but you aren't expected to pay it all yourself if you don't have the money. There are plenty of options out there to help out with tuition.
Whoops! I meant to post as me but wasn't signed in. I posted the comment directly above about financial aid and how it has helped out me and my sister.
Also, the way I started saving for college was by dog walking and babysitting. I had a steady job from the age of 11 onwards and put most of the money I earned in the bank. I also have a job on campus now to help pay for textbooks and other necessary expenses, and I still babysit in addition to my regular job. Maybe your older kids can find out if their neighbors need any help with dogwalking/yardwork etc.
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