Brandons first game!

ADOPTION DAY:)

Announcing our newest blessings to the family:

Vanessa Ruth-Marie Lassiter & Jack Wesley-Otto Lassiter

Happy Birthday Vanessa!!

Vanessa had her party @ the Nashville Zoo!! The girls had a lot of fun!! They rode the carousel, saw several animals, listened to a 'keeper talk' @ the Meerkats exhibit, played in the massive playground, and they even saw an ultrasound of a Giant Anteater:) The ride home was just as fun as the zoo with lots of giggles, glow sticks, and Pop Rocks!

Lorikeets

Another fun day @ the Nashville Zoo! We brought a friend along this time (Sharon). All of the children had a great time feeding the Lorikeets a cup of nectar :)

POO POO!!!

Marcy was innocently picking flowers for a picnic when she realized she had been "poo pooed on by a bird" (her words), you must say bird w/o the "r" to get the full effect. When I asked why the bird poo pooed on her, after much thought she finally said, "I think its cuz um... I think it's cuz... I'm pretty!"

YUMMMMMMMMM!

The children took Jim to Red Robin for lunch on Fathers Day.

We all had lots of fun, Jim ate the Monster Burger, Samantha had the Burnin Love Burger, the rest of us played it safe with just a "normal" burger. I'm not sure why I didn't get the older boys in the pic, but I did take a pic of the tip Justin left the waiter (great service!).

Music...

I recently discovered that I love Cello music. Music has a profound effect on me. It is like therapy for my soul. To take a moment in a busy day close my eyes and just listen to something beautifully played, its better than a much needed nap! There is an artist I have found that I absolutely love, Steven Sharp Nelson. Check out his sight @ http://www.stevensharpnelson.com/ . I have put some of his songs on our play list.

Summer fun @ the Library

Yes. That is a snake, a Boa named Simone to be specific. We went to an educational program @ the local library put on by the National History Educational Company www.nhecm.com . Very good presentation! We also saw a Nine Banded Armadillo, Norwegian Rats, and a "cute" Vietnamese Pig named Jasmine. The children and myself learned lots of new things about these invasive animals. Can you name the only two places where there are humans and not rats?

Zach bounces back!

Here is Zach and Jim working on a truck Tuesday evening. Zach was able to keep his fever down most of the day with the help of some Tylenol. He still felt pretty weak for most of the day. But when daddy got home... he was close to his side. It's been that way since he was told that he and Vanessa were definitely going to be adopted. The next pic shows his excitement when Jim said "wanna take it for a ride?" Could his smile be any bigger?

Zachary @ the Hematologist...

Doesn't he look pitiful? This was Zach on Monday. He had another Hemalytic(Sp?) episode, the second one in two months. The roughest part for him was probably the fever, spiking around 103.6. The belly pain near his already enlarged spleen was worrisome to me. He was asleep more than he was awake the whole day. He was so sick he even turned down food! I offered any restaurant on the way home from the hospital but his response, while leaning over for a mothers affection, "I just want to go home!" Home, he wanted to go home. That little phrase melted my heart to tears. After three and a half years, court, DCS, and seemingly endless drama... it's little moments like these that remind me of why we're doing what we're doing!

Marcy's Kindergarten Graduation

This was a snapshot taken at Marcy's kindergarten graduation on May 19. The photo (and the pink beads!) definitely captures her personality!

The Kids At Mansker's

Sam (me lol) took the kids out to Mansker's Tuesday to get them out of the house for some fun. All the kids came and dressed out (except Justin, he didn't dress out) and had a wonderful time!
Cherry picking...
Brandon playing with a top in the blockhouse.

Zach and Nessa playing draughts James watching...hanging out...

Lunch! watermelon and strawberries and cherries. (until we left and then they had PBJ sandwiches lol)

As you can see we really did have a wonderful time.

Homeschool Banquet

The homeschooler's first official banquet went really well! Everyone looked really nice, had a great time, and the food was AWESOME!
Justin took his girlfriend, Kay. He was also part of the special music for the evening.


Note: Dusty took the pics of the night and the camera was low on batteries so we don't have one of him (who looked VERY sharp that night) or a group pic. So we'll edit this post as more pics become available.

Mother Daughter Banquet

Mom and Marcy

Sam and Nessa
Do I really need to say anything?
Marcy.....

A Rare Moment...

Science Museum

We got a family membership to the

Adventure Science Museum!

Through the Bubble at the top of the tower.

Future brain surgeons....Zach, James, and Marcy

Instead of "whack a mole" it was "whack the good-for-you food" Not sure what this was but Marcy thought it was cool!