We picked up the kids on Friday, December 19th, dropped their dad off at the bus station and headed for Nebraska. What a great Christmas the kids had, thanks to so many of you. It was a much easier trip this year, as the kids are a year older, more mature and more calm. Click here to see pictures!
Mr. Thornton was able to get some rest and relaxation while he visited family in New Orleans and fished to his heart's content. His peaceful time was disrupted the day after Christmas when his nephew was killed in a robbery attempt as he walked the few blocks to the neighborhood store. What a sad saga real life in New Orleans continues to be for so many.
Mr. Thornton arrived home on New Year's Day. We took the kids home, as they were anxious to see their dad and he was anxious to see them.
Over the next few months we will be busy helping the girls study for their TAKS tests (Texas achievement tests). They both lag a little behind in Math, but their reading skills have improved, which is helpful to their Math word problems. They keep their good attitudes about school, for which we are thankful.
Charlie is reading above his 1st grade level, so our challenge is to keep him challenged. Over the holidays we discovered that he loves puzzles and will work for hours on Lego projects or transforming his Transformers. We have learned that his ADHD allows him to concentrate for long periods of time on these things, so we will find more projects like this for him.
The used LeapPad that I found for him proved a big hit! (picture at right).
Chip follows Charlie everywhere, wanting to do what Charlie is doing. He is growing fast and is beginning to wear clothes that Charlie wore when they first came to Texas.
Tomorrow we will be meeting with a lawyer to finalize a will for Mr. Thornton. He is requesting that Randy and I become legal guardians of the kids if anything should happen to him. We all feel a sense of relief that this will finally be in writing. Thank you Jim and Janet for helping us get this accomplished!
Marquel has expressed an interest in seeing her mom again, even though none of the kids have any desire to live with her. We will always keep in mind that they do have a mother, and no one will ever take that away from them. Some day they will have the maturity to understand why she is not able to care for them.
We thank all of you for your love, encouragement and support over the past year.
Stephanie, Randy, Turk and "our kids"
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