I've finally made it back here. I'm going to try to get back into the habit of posting here on my blog. I'll post an update on how everyone is doing and then I'll move forward from here.
In June 09 Tyreque graduated from high school! We are SO SO SO proud of him! He's overcome so much in his life and it was an awesome accomplishment for him!
Right after graduation Rod, the six youngest kids and I piled into the van and headed off towards Washington for our big move. The Navy had decided after 12 years to move us in a new direction. We've now been in Washington 9 months and are loving it!
Cavelle is 2.5 years old and is growing so fast! Last time we measured him he was 42 inches tall and weighed 32 pounds! He's such a happy boy most of the time and so very smart! He's got an incredible vocabulary and can't wait to start preschool in the fall. He gets upset when he can't stay at preschool with Taniyah on school days.
Taniyah is 5 now and in Headstart. She's got quite the personality. She chatters all the time and is a leader in her class. She knows how things should be done and gets upset when others don't do them. She loves all things girly, the neighbors dog and church. She played soccer last summer and can't wait for the new season to roll around so she can play again
Makkiah is 9 now. He's been through a LOT in the last year. He's been on a special formula for a year now. He had major surgery in October. I'll do a post to explain what's been going on with him as it will be long. He's gained almost 2o pounds this year and grown 2.5 inches! He's in 3rd grade and has an awesome year in school this year. He scored in the top 3% of the district on their standardized tests for his age. He played soccer and basketball this year and is currently playing baseball for the first time.
Jaleel is 12 and in 6th grade. He's excited for the school year to be over so he can go to middle school. He's such a sweetheart and has a very caring spirit. This year he's played football and basketball. He's currently playing baseball for the first time. He's also learned to ride the unicycle this year and surprised the instructor with how quickly he picked it up. He's so proud to be riding the 6 foot "giraffe" and is practicing juggling while riding.
Destini is 12 and in 7th grade. She's making great progress in school and has made many friends. So far this year she's been in a play and played basketball. Her basketball skills improved greatly this season and she was awarded "Most improved player" by her team. She'll start track next week and is looking forward to it.
Brayana is 13 and in 8th grade. She's also the oldest at home now. This year she's played football, soccer, basketball and will start track next week. Her basketball coach said she's the most athletic 8th grader she's ever coached and looks forward to having her play next year. She's also in honors classes and doing well.
Raquel is 16 and a Junior this year! It's hard to believe that it's been 3 years since she entered our life! She chose to stay in San Diego when we made our move to Washington but we love her and claim her as one of our own! We will always be Mom and Dad to her and we are so glad that she claims us also! She's doing great in school, playing baseball, staying active in her school and even finds time to call us and chat. She came to visit us over Christmas vacation this year and hope to have her back this summer.
Ladaria is 18 and a Senior this year. She decided to stay in San Diego with family to finish out her Senior year. She's taking AP classes and has maintained an awesome GPA. She's done basketball and track this year. She's applied to and been accepted by several colleges. We are so proud of her! She also came to visit us during Christmas and we had a great time.
Tyreque is 19 now and graduated from high school last year. He's turning out the be an incerible young man and we are so glad to have had the opportunity to play a role in it. He's currently working at In & Out and joined a band Lindburgh Skies. They've been on the radio a few times and done several shows! He's also an incredibly talented artist and is considering becoming a tattoo artist. Whatever he chooses to do I know he will be great at it. He also came to visit at Christmas and it was so nice to have all my kids home again even if it was for a short time.