Splash - March 2015

March's 2015 splash photo is not terribly exciting.  This background is a lake near our town - Pickthorne Lake.  The day we drove out there was cold and overcast.  The kids were not excited about this picture, but, I was fresh out of ideas.  What strikes me about this photo of my BallTeam is that it's hard to guess their ages any more based solely on their sizes.  JMichael is almost as tall as Josephine; Charlotte is taller than everyone, they all are so fit and so athletic.  We are blessed.  Plus, pictures in the cold make them huddle together - which the Momma in me finds totally sweet.

Budding Photographers?

Charlotte (12) took this photo of herself - and her new Chucks.  She didn't retouch it.  She used a flash at night on the sidewalk in front of our house.  She set the timer then struck her pose.  Pretty way cool, I say. 

Josephine (10) used the timer to get this shot of herself on the trampoline.  My phone is sitting in a tree beside the trampoline.  Josephine was especially excited about this shot because she got it on the first try!

 

Technology has definitely been great for their self expression.  I'm so amazed and impressed with what my kids can do with my phone!

More Birthday Fun

Rachel loves musical theater.  She's participated in the theater from singing and acting to performing and competing.  She's even spent time backstage with scenery and being a stagehand.  For her birthday, we surprised her with tickets to Mary Poppins - at the Arkansas Reperatory Theater in Little Rock.  We had a great night.  The show was amazing.  Rachel was surprised and enjoyed the show immensely.  She even looked into auditioning for the 2015 season.  We shall see - I would love to see her on a big stage like the Rep!

Snow Days

We had a few weeks in February and in March that gave us some snow.  As a result the kids will be in school until June 5 this year.  I had days home from the office, too.  The kids got out and played.  I stayed inside.  No snowmen, but, a great shot of Josephine, taken by JMichael!

And our coveted football field.  All white.  Our superintendent is big on Twitter.  I don't tweet, but, he posts his tweets on Facebook.  Our school district even has an app.  This is the crazy world we live in!

Curly or Straight?

Samantha works really hard on her hair.  She washes and conditions it.  Then she oils it and straightens it.  This process costs her hours.  She literally gets up at 4 am to get ready for school.  What many people do not know is that Samantha has her dad's hair - super curly. 

 

Just recently we have had some snow and rain.  Samantha walked home from her friend's house - just down the street - and she got caught in the rain.  She was out in the weather maybe for five minutes and this is what happens - the curls come out!  I had her permission to post a picture of Samantha with her curls coming out.  This picture just shows some curl surfacing.  Isn't it pretty?  After a shower she is pure curl.  She is beautiful curly or straight!

Josephine jumped in the photo, too.

Rachel is 17 - almost.....

Rachel has been growing - in so many ways - but today I will talk about how her hair has been growing.  She is in 11th grade, but, hasn't cut her hair since fourth grade.  Today was the day - not for a hair cut.  Today, Rachel got dredlocks.

Dreds for white girls are not too complicated.  We found an African hair braiding shop in Little Rock that would take her on.  Her hair is so thick and so long and she was pretty excited to get dreds.  We decided that her birthday week should start off with a bang. 

The before shots - lots and lots of hair.

Six hours later!  Dreds and layers!  More birthday fun to come for the soon to be 17 year old!

 

And after she played with it and added some beads.

JMichael is 7!

JMichael is the little man of our BallTeam.  With four older sisters, he is the most doted on of all our children.  He thinks of himself as just one of the girls and when his sisters have friends over to play, he goes right along with them.  He's had his nails and toes painted, his hair straightened and jelled.  He's worn more lipstick than most boys in his class, I'm sure.  But make no mistake - JMichael is all boy.  He loves any sport he plays, he loves to watch WWE Smackdown with his Dad, and he is feisty as the day is long.  He has a great appetite and his allergies are fading with age - he can eat eggs straight now.  Still no nuts - that still gets a big reaction.

JMichael is sweet and cuddles his Momma like a good boy should.  He is doing well in school, with the help of his reading intervention for his dyslexia/dysgraphia, and he says that Math is his favorite subject - after PE, of course.

JMichael got a crocheted blanket - in orange, his favorite color - from my Mom, and James' Dad and Jean took us all out for hibachi and gave JMichael cash!  He's a happy, rambunctious little man and we all love him to pieces.

Splash - February 2015

The February Splash was taken in our hallway at home.  Samantha has recently been experimenting with lip stains, and while I have never even owned a lipstick in my life, my ladies are pretty good about applying makeup.  I haven't taught them a thing, because I know nothing.  In spite of my ignorance, the ladies are interested and capable.  They threaten to make me up and one day I may let them.  JMichael was a doll for this picture.  He loves his sisters.