Hello Spring!

My sweet Ali Grace made the Honor Roll this 9 weeks at Edmund Burke Academy. I'm very proud of her. I don't think Ali would mind me telling you all that she has ADD. Because she wasn't hyper and didn't bounce off the walls, it was very hard to diagnose. All I knew was that it took her hours to do what others could do in minutes. I detest homework- that's a known fact, but truly, she should have been able to do a few math problems each night without tears. Her 4th grade teachers really mistook excessive homework for rigor (a common problem amongst teachers I believe) and the homework was outrageous. That compounded with her ADD made for complete misery so she started Concerta. It was a miracle drug for her. After a year or so it started to bother her that she had no appetite at lunch. As you can see, she's thin as a rail and I felt like she was old enough to decide for herself whether to take the meds or deal with the ADD. She wanted to try to go without it. She has done so well! She has to work a little harder than others and mindless homework is painful for her, but she pushes through it. Most of her homework assignments this year have been reasonable and that helps too.

We had a great time this weekend. The weather was gorgeous! The best thing was Aunt Jess, Gran, Emma and Sarah visiting! Jess came down for a job interview and we rode over to Harlem to see their new house! Getting a new house is so exciting! Isn't it gorgeous?

I can't even describe how happy "The Elder Bennetts" are to have "The Younger Bennetts" living so close by. Addie, Ali, Emma and Sarah are just inseperable when they are together and I am thrilled that they are going to put in many many cousin hours over the next few years!

After touring the new house, we went into Augusta to get Ali Grace yet another dress for Social. Hopefully this will be it for awhile! She really needed some new church dresses anyhow. Gran hung right in there with the four horsemen (chaos, bedlam, madness, and mayhem). 

Pete bought us a whole flat of FLORIDA strawberries. Oh so much better than the California ones! The Bennett girls plus Rubi enoyed sugary strawberries on the porch. Oh how I love little berry stained faces!

The girls nagged and nagged until finally Jess and I relented and let them get in the pool. It was 78 degrees outside but the water was cooooooooooooold! I was admonished by a friend about sore throats and earaches. Hogwash! That was my reply. Heck my kids are hardly ever sick. We haven't had a sore throat in years and the only ear infections we ever get occur in late

July due to being underwater 90% of the summer!  I attribute their good health to playing in the dirt and polar bear plunges!

I wish I'd gotten a shot of Sarah Rose. She was the first one in. She is SO SO precous! Her little teeth were chattering when she got out but she said "Aunt Carmen did you see me? I kicked that water's butt!"  It cracked me up!!

One of best reminders of spring I noticed this weekend! My orchids are blooming! Ignore the dirty window.  : )

This is the part of the blog where I'm going to resist ranting excessively about my piece of junk dishwasher that just died. It's 5 years old and cost a fortune. Pete had already replaced the motor in it once. One of those fancy shmancy models. LG. Don't buy one. That's it.

Enjoy your week everyone.

Oh- one last picture of Ali Grace tonight before Social at the Augusta Country Club. Just growing up too fast. Way. Too. Fast.