Tuesday, May 25, 2010

May 25th 2010

Today is my best friend's birthday. Its also her husband's birthday, and while that's very cool, it is not the point of this blog. :) As of this year, we've been friends for almost 2/3 of our lives. I knew her in grammar school but we got much closer in high school... We were cheerleaders together. We were in the same classes. We had the same friends. We fell in love together. We got hurt together. We went to dances and prom together. Wherever you found one, you found the other. The letter we wrote in each other's yearbook was pages long.. :) After high school, I moved away for college but we kept our friendship together. When I moved home, we reconnected and caught up. There have been times that we've drifted apart and times where we were inseperable. Regardless of where life has taken us, there is always a special place in my heart that can only be filled by my best friend. She's seen me at my very worst and has been there to celebrate with me in my days of joy. She was the maid of honor in my wedding and was absolutely crucial to making that day as special as it was. She knows all my stories and has been with me through it all. She was there for the birth of my children. My kids call her Auntie.
Over the years, we've had our ups and downs, like any relationship... But unlike any normal friendship, ours has stood the test of time. Today my best friend turns 30 and I wish I could be there to share it with her. I hope she knows that I am there in spirit and that I'm praying nothing but blessings for her and her family. I pray that God brings her joy and comforts her in her pain. I pray that He teaches her with lessons that are tender and soft. I pray that her husband and children will remember to appreciate the wonderful wife and mother they are blessed with. And mostly, I pray for the day that I can, once again, have her as close to me in person as she is my heart. I miss you and I love you Moron! Have a very, very happy birthday!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Prayer Note

I just read the obituary of a woman killed in a domestic violence incident. She is someone I've had contact with through work... So sad. Praying for her family.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Chloe and Nathan

Well, giving Chloe a break the other day didn't work. She is still crying in the mornings and saying that she doesn't want to go to school. Today was really bad. She cried, she cried and she cried. She even cried when I was trying to drop her off at school. She seemed to have it together until I kissed her and told her that if she ever needed me, she could call me and I would come immediately. She lost it and broke down again. So, I don't know what's going on... I pulled her back in the car and drove to a parking spot and shot up a quick prayer...
And then, blessedly, Chloe's teacher walked by. I grabbed her and told her a little of whats been going on and that I've been asking Chloe if everything is ok in her classroom... Her teacher asked her if she likes where she sits, if she's sad about something or upset... And Chloe just cried again and said she just feels like staying home. Her teacher's name is Ms. Eaton. Ms Eaton suggested that she could help Chloe find some more fun things to do - maybe reading books that she's interested in or working on special projects... And Ms. Eaton said she would try to work with Chloe to make school more enjoyable. The thing is, I know Chloe enjoys school. I know she does. I honestly think the real problem is that she's just burned out. She's done and ready to have an extended break.
When I get home today, I'm going to make a countdown calendar to help her see the light at the end of the tunnel because they really only have a few days left of school. Their last day is June 10th (I think) and so that means she's only got like 12 days of school left. (Wow, even I didn't realize it was that soon!!!!) Anyway, I'm hoping that seeing how little time she has left will encourage her to make it through her last couple of days.
Nathan's teacher set a goal at the beginning of the school year for each student to complete 25 book reports. I was working pretty regularly with him in the beginning and then slacked off... And now he's only completed 6. So for the past couple of weeks we've been working on it and he's completed an additional 5 (with the exception of the definition portion which I have to help him with on Friday.) With the definitions completed, these 5 will put him up to 11 total.
I was really hoping we could make the goal but with only 12 days left, I don't think we'll make it. I am going to at least try to get him to 15. That's our new goal. And I'm trying to think of a reward for him if he reaches it... Maybe we can get one or two of his friends to spend the night... That would be fun! I could let Nathan pick a movie to rent, pop some popcorn and let him and his friends camp out in the living room. I think that sounds good! Its a plan! :)

Sunday, May 16, 2010

New Summer 'Do


My husband has had gray hair for quite awhile now and I adore it! I think its sooo cute and Lowell doesn't seem to mind it either. However, today the discovery of my own silvery strands did not encourage the same joyful smiles.. I have gray hair!!! Holy cow. My thirteth birthday is next January and I've come to understand that I'm not all that young anymore, but gray hair?!?! Well, at least I got a new summer haircut that makes me feel a little better about myself... Grey hair???!! Good-ness...

Growing Children

Today I walked down the hall and looked into both of the kids bedrooms... And I saw the mess and the toys and the blanket and the books... The same mess that is there everyday that I have to remind them over and over and over and over again to clean up... But today, I wasn't irritated. I actually smiled. I saw Nathan's flip flops and was shocked to realize that they are big enough for me to wear. I heard the "Jesus music" coming from the CD player in the girls' room... The music that they choose to listen to. I saw the toys that they each love and snuggle with to help them sleep: Pooh Bear, Eaglie, Black Horse, Jingle Cat... And instead of being frustrated that we'll have to go through the clean up routine yet again, I was reminded about the precious-ness of my children and how quickly they are growing up. I'm listening to the girls laugh right now.. Earlier this morning, they were fighting like cats and dogs, but now, they're the best of friends. They are both having Skittles right now....
J: "Chloe, don't eat one of my pinks."
C: "Why?"
J: "Because they're gross!!"
C: "Oh, can I try one?"
J: "Yeah, here, you gotta try it. Its gross!"

Nathan has been asking me to read him Bible stories... A couple nights ago we talked about Jonah and then we read the story from the Bible. Today we read in Matthew about Jesus healing a paralyzed man and when Jesus claimed in front of the religious leaders that He was God. I love seeing my children grow, their interests are changing, their feet are growing... But their love of God and their interest in Him is growing too... I love feeding their souls and seeing them grow spiritually. What blessings!!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Soooo Blessed

Again I am reminded about just how blessed I am by my husband and my kids... Last night Chloe threw up before she fell asleep... she made it to the bathroom but she was just feeling yucky all evening. Jillie threw up in the middle of the night, twice. She came and woke me up and I cleaned everything up and changed the bedding and got her situated on the couch with a trash can. Then I fell asleep again for a little while. In the morning, she came to me and said, "Thanks Mom for all you did for me last night." How completely precious!!!
Chloe, this morning, had a little break down. She was crying and upset and really didn't know why. She didn't want to go to school... This is not the first time she's mentioned that she didn't want to go to school and I've asked her about how things at school are.. Does she have friends? (Of course) Is she struggling with her school work? (Of course not) Does she like her teacher? (very much) Is there someone who isn't being nice to her? (No..) She couldn't articulate why, but she just didn't want to go to school. The last couple of times she's mentioned it, I've kind of passed it off and said that 'school is important and so you need to go'... This morning, I laid with her on the bed and let her cry and tried to get an idea of what is going on with her. We finally established that she just doesn't know why, but she wants a break. So, I gave her a break. She stayed home today. This afternoon, Jillie fell asleep on the couch and awoke with a fever of 102 and she was crying because of a headache. I ran to the store to get some meds and when I came home, Chloe was sitting by her on the couch, rubbing her head and reading her a book to help her feel better. Such a sweetheart!!!
And my husband... Well, I am so spoiled!!! :) Today involved chocolate, a solar powered key-chain that flashes "I (heart) You" over and over again, a massage and a nap... What on earth could be better than that!??!!? Thank you, Lord for my wonderful family. And thank you for not letting me take them for granted! :)

Saturday, May 8, 2010

8 Years Old


I can't believe that I have an 8 year old... It doesn't seem possible that it was almost 9 years ago that I took Lowell a home pregnancy test in a plastic lunch box... I remember that day very well... I kept saying, "oh, my gosh" all the way down the hill. I was in shock and completely unprepared. And a little excited. :) Today, almost 9 years later, I can't imagine my life without my little DoodleBug. I love that gigantic boy so much. I love his gangly-ness, his grumpy-ness, his intelligence, his sweet heart, his honesty and his laugh... And so much more. And, while I'm not looking forward to him being 16 and starting to drive, I can't wait to see what the next 8 years of his life hold... And I feel so lucky to be able to share his life with him! :)

We had a small party with our family and the neighbors. I got a Star Wars cake at Walmart and Nathan's present was a Star Wars Wii game along with a couple big stuffed dinosaurs. He also got a T shirt and swim trunks from Mamoo and a car building set from Leeda. He's a very happy boy! A very happy 8 year old boy! :)

Fun At the Park







Many afternoons I come home and throw the kids in the car and take off to the park. They love spending time on the swings, the slides and recently, with kites. While I have sooo much that I could be doing at home, I am really proud of myself for letting go of my guilt, and just letting the kids have fun. Its been good for all of us.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Family Time

Tonight and last night, we had family time playing Uno Attack. It happened kind of accidentally last night but tonight the kids were asking for another time with the uno machine. We really had a lot of fun even though Nathan was a little bit of a sore loser. :) And Chloe was very confident - she got a lot of cards and said, "Don't worry Nathan, I know how to get rid of cards. I'm good at it!" Jillian was a little more concerned with laying upside down on the couch and sitting on the table than she was about winning, but she really caught onto the rules and played really well. I'm so blessed to have my little babies!! I just love them so much!
Tomorrow is baptism weekend at church. I talked to the kids about baptism - what the Bible says and what they could expect. And then I told them what needed to be done before baptism and what would happen afterwards... And then I told them that if they wanted to, they could take part in the baptism. I told them to think about it, to pray about it and to ask any questions they might have... They have all decided to participate and I'm excited! :)