It's been awhile!

Just making sure my blog doesn't get deleted since I had not posted for so long.  I hope that soon I can get back into blogging and perhaps make a book for our family out of these blogs :)

Birthday BASH!!!

This might have been one of my favorite parties ever!! I think our whole family has declared it to be the best weekend of the semester!

Nastya turned 12 on October 10th. Camille and I had this great idea to let Nastya and Galina (her best friend from Ukraine) have a joint birthday party. Then we realized several of Camille's other children were having birthdays in October and November so the party soon became one to celebrate FIVE birthdays. Seems efficient, right?!?

Happy Birthday Nastya, Galina, Clay, Aubrey, and Troupe!!!

And can you get a better setting than this?!? I just love old barns and my parents really did this one up right for parties.

Beautiful girls!

Hay bales never fail to provide great entertainment...

Cutie!

Sadly, two of the birthday kiddos came down with an illness just before the party.

So we ended up celebrating for Nastya, Galina, and Troupe!

The kids enjoying cake in this beautiful old barn...

Love this sweet boy! Happy Birthday Troupe!

We had the party out at our family farm in Seguin and there was so much to do with hay bales to jump, old barns to explore, pecans to pick up, yummy food, and good music (right Christy?!? :))

Best of all were the great friends and family that we had to celebrate with. What a blessing that we LOVE the families of our kids' friends and that they are also some of our favorite people!

Sure works out good that way!

Ethan and Ben loving the glow in the dark sticks! These were a hit!

Love these sweet ladies!

I think this was my favorite part. After it got dark, we tacked up a sheet on the old barn and our youth pastor brought the projector. The kids grabbed some blankets, found a hay bale to lean on and settled in for movie. They watched Spirit - a great movies about horses (of course :))! When there was a huge starry sky on the screen, the kids looked up into the real sky to see tons of stars!! This will be an activity that we will definitely repeat!

Nastya and Galina opening a few birthday presents!
We (plus a few extra kids!) ended up staying all weekend - some even camped out in tents (brrrr....). It was just too much fun to leave... :)

INDIAN Day!!

Jadon's Third Grade Class of Indians :)

This is such a fantastic group of kids - we are so grateful for the friendships that Jadon has in this class!

Another wonderful event that recently took place in Jadon's 3rd grade class! Each student has been learning about a specific parts of one Indian tribe. Jadon researched the Wichita Indians and specifically about their shelters. It was very educational and interesting for all of us. Then they had Indian Day last week. Each 'indian' presented the information that he or she had learned about their tribe to the parents and other students. They also enjoyed lots of fun activities and yummy food.

Footraces were lots of fun and help them expend some of their extra energy! Smart teacher! That ominous sky is misleading - the day turned out beautiful for the most part.

Painting some Indian war signs onto a piece of 'leather'

Jadon giving his report about the Wichitas

This one almost made it on the target!!

It was another one of those days that will not be forgotten. These activities sometimes stress me out because they require a lot of parental work and time, but when they are over I am always so thankful for a school that provides such great memories and opportunities for learning to be so exciting and real.

Pioneer Day!

Every year in Kindergarten, history comes alive for these kids! This is one of my favorites activities that the kids do during their elementary school years!! They experience a day as if they were the pioneers - they rope 'steers', ride horses, wash clothes by hand, make butter, make toys out of wood, pan for gold, sing by the camp fire, and so much more.

It was a perfect day and will always be remembered. Sweet times :)

Here they are reciting the 23rd Psalm.

Indian Clothing Demonstration

Enjoying some biscuits made over a fire

We hosted the event at our house and even Danny the deer joined in the festivities!

A New Year

Yep - if you are checking both blogs I am doing two posts in one day. I won't even say that I am going to start blogging again but here's to a few attempts to catch up. The truth is that I start to panic and think that I can't do a good job catching up on all that we have experienced so then instead I just don't blog. I hate that I think this way, but that is my weird brain...

This year we have three kiddos at The Master's School, which we are so thankful for. This year seems to be extra blessed as far as teachers and friendships go.

Ben is in Kinder!!! I can't believe that my baby boy is going to school. I tried to prevent this for as long as I could but he just went and grew up anyways!!!

And what would Kindergarten be without his bobsey twin Ella. How fun for them they can experience this fun year together!

Do you think Jadon's 3rd grade teacher was ready for this?!? He looks like he is up to some kind of mischief before the year even began! He has a wonderful year and loves his teacher and friends and pretty much everything that he is learning. Jadon is especially blessed with wonderful friendships - that would take a whole separate post to elaborate on what awesome friends he has. We love those boys!!

And Allee obviously didn't listen to her mother either and went ahead and kept on growing and is now in 7th grade!!! Can that be possible really?!? She is loving this year!

End of School Celebrations!

In the spirit of trying to catch up a bit and hopefully start blogging a bit more, I am trying to recount a few of the significant and interesting events of late...

Allee, Jadon and Ben all did so well in school this year and we are so proud of them. It is overwhelming how fast time goes by and how quickly they are growing up!! I keep threatening to stop feeding them or to put bricks on their heads or something, but seriously I just want to treasure this precious time of my children growing up...

Allee~

This girl totally rocked at school this year, despite it being one of the most challenging years she has ever had. Peer issues were difficult and there were many life lessons that she learned through the choices she made this year. She has learned to stand for what she believes in, and has begun to learn that may mean some ridicule/rejection from others. As a mom, I want to just fix things for her but instead I can only walk through it with her and counsel her and praise God that she talks to me about everything and that through it, she has sought the Lord and has grown deeply in her faith. She has, at the same time, been blessed with some precious friendships through it and for that we are very thankful. She is learning to be a leader, to love those different from her (even those who ridicule her for her convictions). I pray that most of all she will continue to draw near to the One who is her strength.

In academics she has worked hard and that has paid off. She was awarded the Cum Maximo Honore Award, which means that she has made straight A's each semester for fourth grade through sixth grade - not an easy task and she was only one of a few students to receive this award. She was also given the Character Award of Courtesy. This fall she will enter 7th grade at the same school but it should be a much easier year for many reasons. We are thankful for all that she learned this year! She has matured into a delightful young lady, is such a joy to be with, and is a blessing to each of us!!

Jadon ~

My sweet boy is growing up way too fast!! I really can't believe that he is 8 years old!! How did my baby get so big. Jadon has a sensitive heart and a determined spirit. He is blessed with a incredibly wonderful group of boys. All of us moms of these boys are in awe of how God has put them together and is growing them up to be men after His heart. They are such a strength to one another. For now, Jadon is in such a protected environment and is growing and learning so much within that environment. His teacher, Mrs. Puddy, helped to develop a strong love of reading in Jadon. He has taken off in reading and often curls up with a book. This is something that we desire for each of our children to develop. Jadon is typically very diligent in his work, coming right home and doing his homework without being asked. His handwriting leaves a bit to be desired though :) He took so many awards at the end of school that is was almost embarrassing - Reading Award, Spelling Award, Music Award, Spanish Award and the Character Award for Joyfulness. We thank God for how He has gifted Jadon and it is our prayer that he will use them all in ways that glorify the One who made him.

Jadon's diligence sometimes also becomes a point of struggle - he will become so focused on what he is doing or on what he wants to do, that he has a hard time moving on to what else might be necessary. But he has such a tender heart and is learning to put other's needs before his own. I love seeing the Lord working in his heart - it is so precious.

Benjamin ~

Oh my baby boy is not so much of a baby anymore!!! I can't believe that he is really six and will start Kinder this Fall!!! Benjamin has the most tender, kind heart. He knows when I am sad and is always quick to give me a hug and tell me how much he loves me. He melts my heart every time!! As much as I would love to keep him little forever, it has been a joy to see him mature so, so much this year. We can look back now and see that it was definitely the right decision to wait a year to start school. He has needed this year to mature and is now very ready for school. He will have a wonderful group in his Kindergarten class, including his bobsey twin Ella. They are still as inseparable as ever - too cute!

Ben continues to love all things electronic and the best days are those when I have a broken clock, phone, dvd player, or anything else that he can take apart and 'figure out'. He also loves the outdoors and catches new creatures (usually with Nastya by his side) on a daily basis. Here is his preschool MDO graduation (with Ella of course! :)

I am about to combine the two blogs, but for now I posted Katya's and Nastya's end of school achievments on the other blog. They did wonderfully this year as well. It was a great year but we were all tired by May and are now LOVING summer!! I guess I'll be ready for school at the end of August but I'm not sure - I really do enjoy this time of slower pace and fun family times without the pressures of school and activities. A season for everything....

Look who's hanging out with us :)

It is normal to have a deer in your living room, right?!? Well I guess normal for the Potts :)

This picture was taken yesterday. Danny makes himself right at home and thinks he might be a person. It difficult for him to understand why we kicked him out and told him to go play with the other deer. He didn't mind playing with the dog and the cat though...This was Danny in June when we first rescued him. He has been a delight and a pain to raise. At first he required feedings around the clock. He was just about to be set free in October when he broke his front leg. He caught it in the door to his stall that he had been living in. It was pretty tragic. But of course we called the vet and had the leg set into a splint. The greatest part was that we got to change it weekly to prevent circulation problems. It took four of us to hold him down and change it. Yes, definitely a pain. But could you resist a face like that? Perhaps soon he will make friends with the other deer. In the meantime he visits daily for granola bars, a little milk and whatever other treats the kids find for him.

Thankful Tree

It's a good thing that the leaves were big on this tree because we all had LOTS to be thankful for! Amazing how focusing on what we are thankful for causes our hearts to overflow with joy and contentment.

High Point Winner!!

It is a joy to watch Allee ride. She has learned so much and each time she has competed she has made mistakes and learned from them. This past show in November, she was ready to go. Rue, her sweet horse, however, was a bit distracted. He was so excited that his friend, Sugar (Nastya's horse) was at the show with him. Unlike his typical calm demeanor, he was giving Allee attitude and being everything but compliant. But Allee, gathered him together while warming up and worked him through his attitude. By the time her first class came along, they were both working well together. And proved it by taking first place!! This was her first time to come out of a class with a first place ribbon. As the day progressed, they continued to place high - several more first places. Then came the western classes, which happen to be where Rue excells. However, in past shows, this has been late at night and Allee has struggled to stay focused. Sometimes we catch her having more fun talking to the other riders than focusing on the class :) But not this time. She stayed focused and as the show got closer to the end, I began to add up her points as well as those of her main competitors. It came down to the last class and I didn't tell her, but we knew that if she did well, she would earn high-point. It happenned to be the hardest class - patterns. She did better than ever and aced it.

The glow on her face as we told her that we were pretty sure that she would get high-point was unmistakable. She asked if she would win anything and we told her that the prize was a silver belt buckle. She asked, "How big is it?"

We told her, "Not as big as your head :)"

But what made this mother's heart even more proud was to see her accept that award graciously and to go out of her way to congratulate her friends and her sister on their accomplishments.

Way to go sweetheart!!

Bailey

Today we had to say goodbye to our sweet, loyal, beautiful dog Bailey. There are no words to describe how much I loved this dog. He was my baby before I had children. He was my friend when I went through hard times in college and always just seemed to sense if I was sad. I spent countless days taking walks, jogs, playing frisbee - back in the day he pretty impressive with the frisbee, or just hanging out with him. He was my helper when Allee was a baby - always patiently letting her pull his fur in efforts to stand up and giving her plenty of doggy kisses. He alerted us to a peeping tom at my neighbor's house. He went on tons of tubing trips and camping trips to garner - even wearing sunglasses occasionally. He loved the river and would swim for hours. He was a bit of an escape artist and went on many 'runs' around the neighborhood but incredibly nice people always returned him unharmed. He was so calm and loving and loyal and has been part of our family for so long. I don't think I will ever have a dog like Bailey again and while I am so thankful for the countless joys and memories that he brought, we are feeling his loss deeply.

Horse Show

We are proud of our horse riding girls!!

Allee competed in her first all-around (meaning she did most all events) show this Saturday and Anastasiya competed in one novice class (see the other blog for more on her show). They both did incredibly well!!!

I was blown away by how much Allee has grown and matured in the past two years. Two years ago she was doing her first novice classes at this show and seemed so small and uncertain. This year she went in there and confidently rode her very best in over 10 classes. She rode all day and did a great job of staying focused and not giving up. She placed 3rd out of 12 in showmanship, 2nd out of 10 in two English pleasure classes, and continued to place in every other class as well. She did pattern classes, western pleasure, western discipline, halter, and I think some others too. About six months ago, my mom and sister found a great deal on this horse up in Minnesota. He sounded perfect for Allee to really start showing on. Her little pony just wasn't ready for showing.

But when Rue first arrived it was very intimidating for Allee. She was going from a little pony whom she could easily direct to a large horse who understood far more of the subtleties of riding. Rue is 15 years old and has lots of training and experience. But Allee had to learn how to communicate to him what he already knew. And that she has. She one day turned around from feeling discouraged and not trying, to giving it her all to learn to ride this new horse well. And she is certainly accomplishing that goal. They are quite the team now. They looked so great out there, and she rode Rue against other riders far more experienced and older and still managed to place high in every event!

This was one proud mom as I watched my little girl control that big horse with confidence and skill and remembering how far she has come through hard work and effort even when it was tough.

Way to go sweet girl!!

It was a fun fifteen hour show with my girls, my sis (aka horse trainer), and my mom as well as Zach and the boys popping in and out. You know boys of any age can't sit still too long - especially when Aggie football games are waiting to be listened to.

We are ever so grateful that we are able to ride and show like. What a blessing.

Future Electrical Engineer

Benjamin was given my parents' old fax/copier machine. He methodically took it apart and quickly pointed out that one wire had become disconnected and that that was the problem. He also showed us that the ink was all out of the cartridge and that was the other reason that it didn't work. Unfortunately he hasn't quite mastered the art of putting it back together :)

Can he get any cuter? I know I am biased but I seriously love this child. What a joy he is!!

Could I freeze him right now because I don't think he can get any cuter...

Rosemary Beach 2009

A serious game of chess...

Can he be any more precious?

How cute are these bobsey twins?!?

Here are the lovely pictures of our time in Rosemary Beach. It was an absolutely fabulous time. The pictures are worth a thousand words and my sister is an exceptionally talented photographer. If you are in Texas and need photos she is your girl. Visit her website www.ashgenephotography.com