6 Year Old Cutie

This girl cracks us up!  She is adorable, funny, says the cutest things (lately it's "as well" at the end of many comments).  Her proper English is really cool!  

Her reading is AMAZING!  She is now on level H, which is beyond where she needs to be by the end of the school year.  Only 5 (out of 19) in her class (including her) are at this point.  The newest part is Accelerated Reading (AR) points.  It helps them develop reading comprehension - she reads a book (not a simple book either) to us and then the next day takes a test on the computer - it asks questions about the story with multiple choice responses.  So far she is 100% all the way!!  

Daddy & Abby

6 year old Cutie

Josh's Bethel Trip

Mid February Josh was able to volunteer one week at the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses.  There is always remodeling and new building going on in Brooklyn as well as upstate New York.  He was able to score a reasonable flight $146 round-trip into JFK.  It was a treat for him to hear he would be working in Brooklyn, as his cousin Erik and his wife Pas are located there.  Erik called him a couple weeks before his scheduled arrival to say he was excited to see his name listed on his crew for the week!  COOL! 

He stayed in Building 119, ate meals in Towers Building, worked in Building 124 and went to the meeting in 107.  Everything is taken care of - all his meals are provided, cleaning & laundry.  He loved all the association with the brothers and sisters - meeting ones from all over the country.  Erik & Pas took him to a Thai restaurant and had him over to their place as well.  We Skyped that evening.       

It was a sacrifice since Josh is self-employed......not working = no income for the week.  Jehovah has blessed his efforts though and we were grateful for Josh to have the privilege of being invited for the week and experience being surrounded by brothers and sisters for a whole week.  It benefited all of us!  We missed him a lot (even tears on the part of Sophia as we left him at the airport), but before you knew it, it was time to pick him back up.  All back together again!!!!!  

Room at 124

Josh out walking the streets

Read Watchtower & Awake

View of new building where the twin towers use to be

Towers lobby

90 Sands

Supply Room @ 124

View of Manhattan from 124

This hallway was completed with one long piece
6 x 298 ft......wow!!!

Manhattan

More scenery pictures

Taken from 124 looking at Twin Towers site

We had to put carpet base on in that hallway

Putting glue on top of existing carpet - don't see this often

A face to the trowel - Gary from New Mexico

Roommate for the week - another Josh from PA

The Crew

Pas & Erik - Josh's cousin - Bethelites
for over 20 years

View of the Brooklyn Bridge

Watchtower Building

Coming up with a game plan

NYC

Cousins
Showing Erik the ropes in carpet

Hard at work

Geoffrey & Amanda from Ohio

Monique & Loren from Houston, TX

Auditorium at 107

Courtyard at 107

Roof patio at Towers Building

View of Manhattan

Same thing - different angle

One of the Towers Dining Rooms

Sunny Sunday

Today was a beautiful day - perfect for us to work outside!  I even got some sun and a little sunburn on my back - first of the season!!  

We found out from our neighbor that the backyard grass hadn't been cut since early last summer.  We kinda figured that since it was sooo long!  So, we rolled out the lawnmower.  Sophia was very excited to participate.  It was so thick and long that it took a long time to get through the yard.  But we did and it looks great!  Check that off the list.

After working in the yard, I relaxed a bit on the deck and soaked up some Vitamin D......ahhhhh!  Felt so good!  It was a great day and we all feel refreshed from the fresh air and hard work.

Finding lady bugs

Sophia cutting the grass for the first time at our new house

Abby kept herself busy playing dolls in the garage

Next up - washing Daddy's van

Picnic with the baby dolls

Reminds me of me!!!

Finished product of working outside today!
Freshly cut lawn

Grass cutting completed by Sophia & Mommy 

Sophia's Room

Ready to see the cutest room??!!  

Quite the transformation.  Check out the before (previous owner's) and the after (Sophia's room).

Sophia & Abby each could pick one color they wanted painted on one wall.  Sophia picked Martian Green - odd name, but turned out beautiful!  The white bedroom furniture pops on the bright colored wall.  She loves it!!!!  It is a grown up girl's room.  Pre-teen in fact!  I think it turned out great.  Her own space.

BEFORE us......M.E.S.S.Y.

BEFORE us

AFTER......ahhhhhhh

Flower stickers from Ikea (thanks to Grandma & Pops)
Sophia will be choosing prints to have placed in the frames

Shelves from Ikea too!  Actually pretty much her whole room is
from Ikea (all bedroom furniture too)

Very large chest of drawers!

Sophia picked green knobs to accent her dresser