The Powers That Be

As the kids and I were driving away from a friends house, Mae's friend could be seen wildly waving and saying goodbye. At that, Mae said "She's crazy, it's her superpower".

Ha! So, Mae, what is your superpower?

Mae: I'm the same as my friend, I'm crazy!

Caleb: My superpower is smartness!

Me: What is Daddy's superpower? And what about me, what am I?

Caleb: Daddy is nice and yours is cooking!

I'm so glad that my kids can look past my faults and see a strength in my weakness. Makes me think that maybe my superpower is really distortion. :)

Swim Lessons

Yesterday was the last day of swim lessons for Caleb and Isabel. For this summer anyway. I like getting them in there and ready for the swimming season right from the start. Anyway, Isabel did great. It was my hope that she would learn how to swim better and get stronger. I'd like her to be completely done with swim aids before the end of summer. And I think she will certainly get there!

Isabel was telling me about the things she learned in swim lessons. She said to me "I learned how to do the back scrub and the tummy scrub". Well, um, ok I guess. As long as she can swim and be safe I suppose that's all that matters. Right?

**update** she is now saying 'back scrope', she is no longer doing any 'scrubbing' in the pool. Just goes to show how quickly she changes!

The Dark Side of White

White kitchen cabinets, while nice, are rarely completely white.

This is a problem I have found since living in my white-cabineted kitchen for the past 8 months. Think of it this way.....the golden gate bridge gets painted once a year. They start at one end and work their way down to the other. By the time they reach the other side, it's time to repaint where they started.

The same can be said about keeping white kitchen cabinets clean.

For My Dad

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for your leadership in our family. For your encouragement along the way. And for your sense of humor.

I love you!

Summer - Day One

Yesterday was the kids last day of school. Which made me the proud parent of a 2nd and 4th grader (seriously?? are they really old enough to be in those grades?? I think I'll hold them back, just this once).

So today is the first day of summer vacation. The first day (for me) to not wake up to an alarm clock. Bliss.......until the sounds of rambunctious kids jolt me from my slumber.

On second thought.....maybe year around school is something I should look into. Or, maybe boarding school. Do they have summer boarding schools?

Words To Live By - part 2

Don't doubt your mother.......

I would not describe myself as being an outgoing or extroverted person. I had heard or read somewhere that an extrovert is someone who is energized from being with people. I am definitely not that kind of person, I value my solitude. This is not to say that I don't enjoy being around others, on the contrary. However, stepping outside my comfort zone to talk with people I do not know is not something that comes easily to me, and in most cases, I avoid. So when my mother suggested that I might make a new friend at an open house we hosted recently, which consisted of only Ryan's co-workers (ie. people I don't know!), I doubted her to the 'enth degree.

Who am I to disagree with my mother? And yet, I did. I prepared for the gathering of strangers in my home and steeled myself for an afternoon of awkward and or short conversations. However, when it was all done with and the last guest had said goodbye and driven away, I found myself with a possible new friend.

Strangely enough, I had a couple nice conversations with one of the wives at our gathering. I'm sure it helps that she is a more outgoing person than I. Turns out that her two kids are the same age as mine (well, Mae and Caleb) and they lives just minutes away.

It's been two weeks since our open house and I have followed up with an email containing hellos and a recipe (gotta start a friendship off on the right foot!), and we've also talked on the phone, set up a play date for next week and our girls are signed up for at least one summer activity together.

Yep. Mom was right. I think I have a new friend.

**Mom, I'm sorry I doubted you. I promise I'll never do that again! :)

Words To Live By - part 1

Never say 'never'. And, don't doubt your mother.

Both of these are things that I have done. And I think God laughed. Then things happened.

Never say never.......

I used to hear other moms talk about homeschooling their children and inevitably I'd say or think something like 'that's great for you, but I will never homeschool my kids'. I kind of like taking my kids to school and dropping them off. It's fun to help out in the classroom, and it's also fun to be at home and get things done with a little less distraction and whine. However, I said I'd 'never' homeschool my kids. I also said that it would take the Lord moving in my life to make it happen. Well, hear me now when I say the Lord has moved me! Beginning this fall I will be homeschooling Isabel.

Back in March when Caleb was in soccer, I met a mom who home schools her children through a local charter school. We talked a little about it and how the school works. This school is a bit different in that it offers part homeschool and part classroom time at the school. The next day I was thinking about Isabel and how she's just not quite at the same level that Mae and Caleb were upon entering kindergarten. Some of it I feel is my fault since she is the third child and has not gotten the attention with reading books and writing as Mae and Caleb received from me. As I was thinking about Isabel's development, I thought that maybe doing the partial homeschool thing would help her get more attention and help as she begins her elementary career. The thought of homeschool her in this way was not overwhelming to me and I actually thought that it would be possible for me to do it.

And so began the moving of the Lord in my heart on behalf of my little girl. As of this coming fall Isabel will begin kindergarten and I, in part, will be her teacher. Amazingly enough, I am excited about it. Now I know that there will be times and days that we will struggle or have a difficult time, and a part of me is still freaking out that I'm actually doing this. But this was not my plan, this came from the Lord, He has brought me to this point, so I know that Isabel and I are not alone as we begin this homeschooling journey together. Who knew that something as huge as this would happen in my life? I certainly didn't, for I thought it would never happen!

Changing Things Up

Our church offers a Saturday night service, and lately we have attended that service in lieu of Sunday morning. And I gotta say that I am loving it. It has taken me some getting used to, but so far it's pretty great.

I have always gone to church on Sunday morning. It's been a way of life since, well, since I was a wee babe (now I'm just a big, grown up babe) :) But now this Saturday night service has changed my life! I now get not one, but two weekend mornings to sleep in! No more rushing around on Sunday mornings to get all the people in our household ready for church and out the door in time. Instead, we have two leisurely mornings around the house. And it is soooo nice.

So, we went to church last night. Then I stayed up to watch a movie. And now we are talking about what to do with our day. I think we are going to the park and then get some ice cream.

Yep, this Saturday night church stuff is pretty great!

Snapshot of Daily Life

I took the kids to the library today to sign up for their summer reading program. While we were there, the kids picked up a few books to get started.

I sure hope Isabel can curb her enthusiasm. She's a little out of control!

I'm Telling Myself Not To Cry

Tomorrow puts me fully into a new stage of life - being a mom of school-age kids. For tomorrow is Isabel's last day of preschool. The last day, as in no more, that's it!, done, finito!, and the one that sticks in my mind, forever.

No more will I have a toddler in my home. No more taking a small child to the fun-filled hours of preschool. As of tomorrow at 3:30 pacific time, my last child will be moving on to greater things. Elementary school.

I'm not ready and I'm steeling myself for what is surely to overtake me as I take Isabel into her last day of preschool. Tears. As my baby moves from one stage of life to another. And takes me with her.

Open Season

It's ice cream makin' time!!!!

Tonight we're going to a potluck and I signed myself up for desert. And because it's getting warm and the official Summer season is almost upon us, I have decided that I need to bring home made ice cream to this event.

And the flavor shall be (insert drum roll please).............banana cream pie!

Never made it before, but I have a feeling that my guinea pigs, ahem, friends won't mind being the first to try it. I foresee no complaints.

But I'll keep you posted.

New Motivation

The girls are super-excited about their newly arranged room. They're so excited, in fact, they even made their beds this morning! And I didn't ask them too.

Turns out I love the new arrangement also. I hope their excitement never wears off!

More Trash?

I got the girls a new/larger dresser to share. They both had their own, until now, but Mae's dresser has been too small for her for quite some time. Anyway, since I'll be moving the new dresser into their room after I've freshened it up with a coat of paint, Mae has decided that she'd like to rearrange the room (she must get that from me, I've always liked moving my furniture around!).

So, this is a good time to clean up the room and go through the unwanted stuff. I gave the girls a trash bag to use as they make their way around the room and into crevices not seen in many months.

And I just want to note that I have thrown away one very-full trash bag and they are not done!

Did we not just move and go through this process seven months ago? What's up with all the garbage???

I Wanna Rock Too!

Mae earns money for doing certain chores around the house. Right now she's saving up for a pair of legging shorts, which will only take her a few unloads of the dishwasher (according to Target's pricing). This evening I happen to have a dishwasher in need of an unloading, so I turned to my in-need nine year old to help me out. Afterwards, I thanked her, and this was the conversation;

Me: Thank you Mae!

Mae: You're welcome (inwardly thinking 'where's my money?!')

Me: You totally rock!

Mae: I know.

Isabel: I wanna rock like Mae too!

Isabel doesn't like to be left out. She has always wanted to be just like her big sister and brother. Good thing is....she does, she totally rocks! Even if she doesn't unload the dishwasher.

500 - Triple Chocolate Cookies

Yesterday I made my first recipe from my new 500 Cookies recipe book. I chose the triple chocolate cookies for the maiden baking expedition. They did not disappoint (but really, I'm not too surprised).

The triple chocolate cookie is not a super-sweet cookie, as one might think with there being chocolate in there three ways. But a cookie doesn't always need to be sweet to be enjoyed and called delicious.

The only thing to do now is to pick the next recipe. Hmmm.....shall it be the peanut butter cookie? Or the variation thereof, the peanut butter chocolate? Decisions. Decisions.

Something New!

Recently, I was at the bookstore and came across a recipe book that I felt I 'had to have'. But it cost more than I was willing to spend. That always happens to me. So I turned to my ever-helpful Amazon. And was not dissappointed. So I ordered the lovely book. Then waited for the mail man to hurry up and bring it already!

It came yesterday!

I flipped through the pages and found many a delightful cookie. I am perusing it again this morning, for Mae needs to take a treat to an event tonight. My only problem, I think, will be choosing just one to try. I'm giddy with anticipation!

Casts And Socks

The funny thing that happens when a child has a cast on their foot is that it cuts down on the laundry of socks. By about half.

But then it gets weird, or maybe annoying.......do I take the clean/laundered unpaired socks and just throw them in the drawer? Or do I take the time to match them up only to have them taken apart again so one of them can be worn?

Nine

Happy birthday Mae!!!

Wow. Nine years goes by fast. Never thought I'd say that! One day I'm large with child and making my way to the hospital, and the next I'm blowing up birthday balloons for a nine year old.

Another strange thought is that in 365 days, we'll be celebrating the big 1-0. Which also means that this is the last year of being a single digit. But I'll hold onto nine as long as I can, for it will slip through my fingers just as quickly as the past eight years have.

This Time He Choose Camo

I have a son. He's seven. And is now breaking in cast number two. This makes me wonder how many he'll have in his lifetime.



It happened Saturday night, at church. Caleb says he was running and twisted his ankle. He got a good-sized goose egg of swelling on the injured ankle and had to hobble around a lot. I figured it was just a sprain and put ice on it, but I had no plans (or desire) to take him to the doctor. Ryan insisted I take him in anyway. He said that a break could still be there even if it appears to get better. So, being the ever-dutiful wife, I took Caleb to the doctor yesterday. Sure enough, there is a teensy little break. And that calls for a cast for about 3 weeks.

The moral of this story?

*don't run in church

and.....

*listen to your husband (even when you don't want to)

Can I Get An Amen!

I woke up feeling oh so much better this morning. *whew* The flu is no fun, but it does make me appreciate how great feeling normal really is! It makes me appreciate other things too.....things like good friends willing to help out. Friends who take my kids to and from school. And entertain and feed my youngest so I can rest. Lovely ladies that come and bring me get-well food and drive from far away places to provide dinner for the healthy (and hungry!) people in the house. And for all the others that I may not have known about that prayed for me.

God is good. Even when I feel like crap. Because even though I prayed for immediate grace, He gave me love and provided for me and my family.

So yes, God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

Amen!