It is exhausting working so hard at school.

Quinn got a Moore hard work and positive personality award.

 Here is all the snow we have had here, along with ice!  YUCK!

 Here is Quinn sleeping through the end of last week with a temperature!

 A few fun picts as well

A couple fun stories:

Parent teacher conferences were good this year.  We have had a couple hard years, where Quinn was not understood and she shut down.  This year, she is loving school, and finally showing off.  She still has her hard days where things don't all connect, but her good days are amazing!

In fact her teacher was giving us an example of what happened right before parent teacher conferences, and they read a story about some girls who were Native American and how they would go to school at a regular school, but would do these amazing Native American dances, in their Native American dresses.  It talked about what they would eat and other things that made them special.

So after reading the book, the teacher asked the class what the book was about.  Quinn answered all this with her computer, using her eyes.  She answered the girls.  Correct.  Then was asked what else did you hear.  She answered their dresses.  Correct.  What else can you tell me, she answered the food, corn.  That was talked about.

Oh it is so good to have a school invested and helping us help Quinn be her best.  I understand there are not always connections, and having not so great experiences, sure make us grateful for what we have now.

Another couple band stories:

Tuesday's Quinn just practices percussion with her percussion group.  They do such a great job including her.  They were learning a new percussion instrument, and after a few kids had their turn, they said, it's Quinn's turn, and helped her practice it.  An adult did not have to ask, Quinn was not left out, her classmates are including her as one of them.  Just the way it should be.

Then yesterday, Monday's is full band day, Sam was late, as the roads here are a mess, covered with ice and so slick.  So many accidents have happened over the last few days.  So Sam did not get Quinn after school, and Denali was called to come get her.  Denali had a friend step in and put her clarinet together for her, and Denali helped Quinn get into her spot.  Hunter and a couple other percussionists, helped get Quinn's things set up for her and had her ready for band when Sam got there and band started.  Again, just helping out classmates to be ready to go.

I can not say enough good things about this school year.  Yes there are hard days, and we are working with our kids on follow through, on effort, on hard work, and we will continue to work hard and be our best.  As of now, we will keep working hard, but will treasure all the positive things going on in the kids lives as well!

So thankful!
Susan

We are so thankful for Sam.  He is a drummer at UNL and getting his degree in Music Education.  He has stepped up and is helping Quinn with band!  We are so thankful!

We helped UNL students raise money for Children's Hospitals.

Our group did great!

 Then we did our trio dance.  After having a rough practice, we had another one, and this time our performance was wonderful.  The kids had a big audience this time and it was a great experience.

 Oh how we love our DBL family!  Looking forward to officially starting our season again here soon!

Then after all that work, Denali needed some time outside to chill out.  Oh how I love this group of mine that God gifted us with!  So thankful!

Happy Valentines Day!

I saw an idea where you add a heart each day in February until the 14th and let your kids know how you love them.

So I did it for everyone in my family, and they loved it.  Each day I would see them over reading their hearts and they even added some hearts to my hearts with things they love about each other.

This filled out bucket and this time of year, with it cold and yucky, I think we really need it.

 Then we had a dance practice.  Denali and Isaiah both volunteered to help Dancing Beyond Limits.
I love the inclusion.  This time they also practiced their trio to perform this weekend as well, and it did not go great.  What a growing and learning opportunity.  There were tears, and sadness and embarrassment, and we talked about how all those moments are hard.  How life is hard, and how we will be there for each other and we will get through it and be stronger for it.  Oh life is hard some days, good thing we can count on each other.  Talk about life being hard, we are working on work ethic and doing our best at school with one of our kids, another one is working on being ok with a new night nurse, and parenting does not always come with a manual.  John and I talked, what do we do, how can we help.  We talk to the kids, we try to motivate.  We try to have logical consequences, and we give lots of love.  Are we doing  it right?  I don't know, but we are currently working so hard to help our kids maneuver this world in the best way we can.  We will keep praying for God to give us the right words and actions to help our kids be successful and kind and love life.

Yikes, I am a bit late on posting this time.  I try not to go more then a week at a time between posts.

Where is the time going?

 

We needed to get out and get some exercise.  This cold air is making us crabby and lazy!

So we got to the zoo and did some walking around.  Found some nice warm areas to remind us what the warm weather feels like.  This this peacock, walked right up to Quinn and our family, and posed for a few pictures.

 Next we went to Lily's basketball game.  I can not say how much I love watching the game.  I don't think it is the actual game I love, as much as the inclusion.  We see bodies of all sorts.  We see folks who are overcoming their disability.  We see acceptance and hard work.  We see regular kids who can do amazing things, and understand life is hard.  We see kids who are so great!  It's also scary, as their chairs will tip over and crash into each other, they fall on the ground, and help each other back up.  

 Quinn got some Kahoot time!

It was a great weekend!  So blessed to have such great friends!

 The weather was so nice this weekend, finally in the 50's and so we had to venture out on an adventure.  Denali is doing a report on tea, so I thought it was only fitting to go do some research.  We had to bring along a group to test things out.

 So Grandpa and Grandma met us for high tea.
Isaiah and Denali think they need to be behind the camera as much as me, so you might see less of them, I doubt it, but they love taking pictures.  I wonder where they got that from! :)

 They had hats for us, so us girls had to take pictures with the hats.

 Isaiah still has his love for tea, so he had as much fun as the girls.  So did dad and Grandpa.

 Pinky up and ready to go!

What a blessed weekend! 

 It has been a lazy sleep and rest kind of week.  To cold to go outside.

I had conferences at my school, so I feel like I did not really see the kids this week.

Quinn has not slept great, due to that yucky snot, but at least it is not the flu.

So we will be thankful for slow weeks, where we can rest and recover.

We do have some fun things coming up though!