Friday, October 31, 2008
The Best Day To Go To The Pumpkin Patch...........
is the day before Halloween.
There may not be many pumpkins left,
but there is no one else around.
The rides are still $2.00 each......
but you can go on them more than once.
Racing down the hill together.
She didn't care one bit that she was the only person on this ride.
Garrett and Samantha braved the haunted house and then called for their Dad the whole time while they were inside. He finally went in and rescued them, meaning, he went first and they followed behind. The liked this much better.
Paige didn't want to go home, there were no lines, why should she go home (please excuse the messy hair and dirty clothes, we went right from picking her up at school)?
The poor child had been asking every day in the month of October to go to the pumpkin patch. We barely made it, but we got it done, and it was so nice to be all alone.
Can't wait for tonight. We are doing trunk n' treat at church. We're off to carve pumpkins now, and maybe bake some pumpkin seeds. Be back with more pictures tomorrow.
There may not be many pumpkins left,
but there is no one else around.
The rides are still $2.00 each......
but you can go on them more than once.
Racing down the hill together.
She didn't care one bit that she was the only person on this ride.
Garrett and Samantha braved the haunted house and then called for their Dad the whole time while they were inside. He finally went in and rescued them, meaning, he went first and they followed behind. The liked this much better.
Paige didn't want to go home, there were no lines, why should she go home (please excuse the messy hair and dirty clothes, we went right from picking her up at school)?
The poor child had been asking every day in the month of October to go to the pumpkin patch. We barely made it, but we got it done, and it was so nice to be all alone.
Can't wait for tonight. We are doing trunk n' treat at church. We're off to carve pumpkins now, and maybe bake some pumpkin seeds. Be back with more pictures tomorrow.
Labels: holidays
Thursday, October 30, 2008
No Fall For Us
The weather has been in the mid 90's for the past two weeks.
Every night when I go to put the kids in bed the thermostat upstairs say it is 90 something upstairs.
I turn on the air conditioning to cool it down.
Then I get mad.
Why are we having to pay for AIR CONDITIONING at the end of October?
Please, Fall, show your face.
**********************************************************************************
I had Paige's conference with her teacher yesterday. She is doing really well in school. She knows all her letters, colors, shapes, can count to 30, understands concepts like big/tall, can write her name and knows the first row of sight words on her list.
Overall, great.
We do have a problem though. You see, she is bored.
The teacher told me that Paige will actually say "borrrringggg" (add dramatic effect) to her as she is trying to teach a concept. I was appalled. How rude is that? Mrs. S said she actually found it amusing and Paige has only verbalized it a couple of times, though, she feels she may be bored a lot of the time.
This is the problem; She is in the special education Kindergarten program due to her verbal language skills. She is way behind in this skill and the general ed class would not be good for her, she could never keep up in this area. However, in all other area's she is either right on target for her age group or very close. I want to give credit to the power of prayer for this one. I have cried out to God in worry over this child but have seen his hand in this remarkable change. To think a year ago she barely said more than a two word sentence (if we were lucky) wasn't potty trained, and acted more like a two year old than a four year old, you may remember the day when the neurologist told us he felt she was autistic (what a load of hogwash), the transformation truly is miraculous. Thank you God.
Mrs. S explained to me something I already knew. The other 11 children in her class are way behind her in most of these area of learning. They have some more severe problems. On the plus side she is in a small class of 12 with a teacher and two aides and is getting lots of individual attention. Mrs. S told me they can tell I work with her at home also and this is really helping.
So, this is my question for all of you home schoolers out there. Do any of you have special needs kids that you school at home? Do you still get services from your public school? How is that working for you?
Today Garrett and Samantha were making airplanes out of cardboard for an experiment they were doing on flight. Paige wanted to join in so we let her make one to. Just about the time we were going to test our planes it was time for her to go to school and she started to cry. She wanted to stay home with us and test the airplanes. She usually joins us for school in the morning and I am seeing more and more her ability to learn. However, I know she still needs the speech and language help from professionals.
I do know that you can home school and you still have the right to bring your child in for the special ed portion of their needs. I know that HSLDA would help me with this also if I had any problems with the school district. Paige's teacher is supportive of me home schooling (isn't that interesting?) and was peppering me with questions about the laws in our state as she would love to home school her kids if she didn't have to work. She also implied that Paige could still get services as a home schooler. I know this is something the school district really does not want parents to understand, they are not fond of this rule.
Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble. I'm just looking for some guidance from any of you that have been there/done that. I'm not planning on moving her back home this year, but I would consider the change for next school year. I can't wait to hear if any of you have experienced a similar situation.
Every night when I go to put the kids in bed the thermostat upstairs say it is 90 something upstairs.
I turn on the air conditioning to cool it down.
Then I get mad.
Why are we having to pay for AIR CONDITIONING at the end of October?
Please, Fall, show your face.
**********************************************************************************
I had Paige's conference with her teacher yesterday. She is doing really well in school. She knows all her letters, colors, shapes, can count to 30, understands concepts like big/tall, can write her name and knows the first row of sight words on her list.
Overall, great.
We do have a problem though. You see, she is bored.
The teacher told me that Paige will actually say "borrrringggg" (add dramatic effect) to her as she is trying to teach a concept. I was appalled. How rude is that? Mrs. S said she actually found it amusing and Paige has only verbalized it a couple of times, though, she feels she may be bored a lot of the time.
This is the problem; She is in the special education Kindergarten program due to her verbal language skills. She is way behind in this skill and the general ed class would not be good for her, she could never keep up in this area. However, in all other area's she is either right on target for her age group or very close. I want to give credit to the power of prayer for this one. I have cried out to God in worry over this child but have seen his hand in this remarkable change. To think a year ago she barely said more than a two word sentence (if we were lucky) wasn't potty trained, and acted more like a two year old than a four year old, you may remember the day when the neurologist told us he felt she was autistic (what a load of hogwash), the transformation truly is miraculous. Thank you God.
Mrs. S explained to me something I already knew. The other 11 children in her class are way behind her in most of these area of learning. They have some more severe problems. On the plus side she is in a small class of 12 with a teacher and two aides and is getting lots of individual attention. Mrs. S told me they can tell I work with her at home also and this is really helping.
So, this is my question for all of you home schoolers out there. Do any of you have special needs kids that you school at home? Do you still get services from your public school? How is that working for you?
Today Garrett and Samantha were making airplanes out of cardboard for an experiment they were doing on flight. Paige wanted to join in so we let her make one to. Just about the time we were going to test our planes it was time for her to go to school and she started to cry. She wanted to stay home with us and test the airplanes. She usually joins us for school in the morning and I am seeing more and more her ability to learn. However, I know she still needs the speech and language help from professionals.
I do know that you can home school and you still have the right to bring your child in for the special ed portion of their needs. I know that HSLDA would help me with this also if I had any problems with the school district. Paige's teacher is supportive of me home schooling (isn't that interesting?) and was peppering me with questions about the laws in our state as she would love to home school her kids if she didn't have to work. She also implied that Paige could still get services as a home schooler. I know this is something the school district really does not want parents to understand, they are not fond of this rule.
Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble. I'm just looking for some guidance from any of you that have been there/done that. I'm not planning on moving her back home this year, but I would consider the change for next school year. I can't wait to hear if any of you have experienced a similar situation.
Labels: Developmental Delays, Home Schooling
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Settling In
I told you that Dave took Zach and Garrett with him to Arizona this past weekend. Zach had a baseball tournament that started Friday morning. Tyler didn't want to go this time so he stayed home with Samantha, Paige and I.
I had big plans.
I wanted to get some school work organized for the kids. Because I decided to homeschool a few weeks before the school year started I never had any time to plan and organize before we started. I have been flying by the seat of my pants, which has worked out OK, I much prefer to be a little more on top of things.
Well, Friday night I got sick. I mean REALLY sick. Sick to the point I thought I might be having gallbladder or appendix problems. I called one of my girlfriends to see what she thought might be going on and for moral support since I was the only adult around. By Sunday night I was feeling a little better and figured I had just had a bad case of the stomach flu. I also think my stomach was really over reacting because I took two different kinds of medicine for my symptoms, I hardly ever even take an aspirin, and it was to much for my system. I'm still not 100% but feeling much better. My nose is still stuffy and my ears are all clogged up. I feel like my balance is really off still due to the ear issues. Overall though, much better.
However, my plans of getting organized for school were gone. Oh well.
Monday we did a little school and the kids helped me dig out of the mess made over the weekend while I was down and out. On Tuesday we really needed to do lots of school to catch up, however, we had joined this new mother's book club and the first meeting was that day. It was at the house of the very experienced home schooler who runs our group. I really wanted to go. The kids really wanted to go. We went.
The mom's are all reading Season's of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson. I had already read Sally's other book Educating The Whole Hearted Child and really enjoyed it. I recommend this book to any new (or old) homeschooling mom. It really encouraged me and brought me to a whole new perspective on our homeschooling journey.
We had three hours of wonderful sharing and encouragement while our kids ran around this families large property and played all kinds of games together. The wisdom and idea's I got from these more experienced ladies was fantastic. I left there so excited to have met these wonderful women, I can't wait for next months meeting!
Samantha, Garrett and Paige all had a great time also. They all seemed to make friends easily and really didn't want to leave when it was over.
Samantha said this on the way home in the car. "Mom", she said, "This was one of the best days ever".
Which, of course, made this mom really happy. I wasn't at all sure how long it would take them to adjust to there new life as homeschoolers, or if they ever would at all. However, they haven't complained in weeks, other than when they didn't want to do an assignment I had given them. No asking when they can go back to there "real school". What an Awesome answer to prayer!
I had big plans.
I wanted to get some school work organized for the kids. Because I decided to homeschool a few weeks before the school year started I never had any time to plan and organize before we started. I have been flying by the seat of my pants, which has worked out OK, I much prefer to be a little more on top of things.
Well, Friday night I got sick. I mean REALLY sick. Sick to the point I thought I might be having gallbladder or appendix problems. I called one of my girlfriends to see what she thought might be going on and for moral support since I was the only adult around. By Sunday night I was feeling a little better and figured I had just had a bad case of the stomach flu. I also think my stomach was really over reacting because I took two different kinds of medicine for my symptoms, I hardly ever even take an aspirin, and it was to much for my system. I'm still not 100% but feeling much better. My nose is still stuffy and my ears are all clogged up. I feel like my balance is really off still due to the ear issues. Overall though, much better.
However, my plans of getting organized for school were gone. Oh well.
Monday we did a little school and the kids helped me dig out of the mess made over the weekend while I was down and out. On Tuesday we really needed to do lots of school to catch up, however, we had joined this new mother's book club and the first meeting was that day. It was at the house of the very experienced home schooler who runs our group. I really wanted to go. The kids really wanted to go. We went.
The mom's are all reading Season's of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson. I had already read Sally's other book Educating The Whole Hearted Child and really enjoyed it. I recommend this book to any new (or old) homeschooling mom. It really encouraged me and brought me to a whole new perspective on our homeschooling journey.
We had three hours of wonderful sharing and encouragement while our kids ran around this families large property and played all kinds of games together. The wisdom and idea's I got from these more experienced ladies was fantastic. I left there so excited to have met these wonderful women, I can't wait for next months meeting!
Samantha, Garrett and Paige all had a great time also. They all seemed to make friends easily and really didn't want to leave when it was over.
Samantha said this on the way home in the car. "Mom", she said, "This was one of the best days ever".
Which, of course, made this mom really happy. I wasn't at all sure how long it would take them to adjust to there new life as homeschoolers, or if they ever would at all. However, they haven't complained in weeks, other than when they didn't want to do an assignment I had given them. No asking when they can go back to there "real school". What an Awesome answer to prayer!
Labels: baseball, Home Schooling
Friday, October 24, 2008
My Favorite 15 Year Old
Yesterday, I was busy getting ready to send hubby and oldest and youngest son off for a three day weekend. More on that in a later post.
Anyway, my allergies have been acting up big time with the Santa Ana winds we have here in California. My head was feeling like it was going to explode from the sinus pressure.
The house was a wreck and the kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off in it.
After I got the boys out the door Samantha reminds me she needs shoes for her costume she is wearing tonight to a youth group costume party. She also needs a slip and Paige needed some shoes also.
So, even though all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed we left on what turned into a three hour shopping trip, because you know, it takes a long time to find the perfect pair of shoes.
We arrive back home and I am dreading walking in the front door knowing what is awaiting me on the other side. However, upon entering I smell the sweet scent of some sort of cleaner. I walk to the back of the house and find that my kitchen is clean. The counters have been wiped down and the dishwasher loaded.
Tyler had cleaned the kitchen while we were gone.
Now, if you knew Tyler, you would understand why this just melted my heart. He hates cleaning the kitchen. A pea left on a plate will send him into the dry heaves. This kid has the weakest stomach I have ever seen.
He is a great bathroom cleaner, vacuumer, duster, trash taker outer, etc.. But the kitchen, he begs to not have to do that. He has also been known to pay a sibling to do his kitchen duty. Since I know he hates it so much I usually don't assign him that task unless I am desperate.
The funny thing is I almost asked him to clean the kitchen before I left but honestly did not have the energy to deal with the arguing that I knew would ensue with such a request. To say I was shocked to find the kitchen clean would be the greatest understatement of the decade.
I immediately ran to him and thanked him with a big hug and kiss. To which he replied "Mom, its no big deal, I knew you weren't feeling well so I took care of it, I was bored anyway".
Translation: I love you, but I'm way to cool to admit that!
Just when I think my teenagers might send me over the edge with their hormone induced mood swings, they do something so sweet it melts my heart and reminds me there are little boys inside those big bodies learning to be loving, caring and kind young men.
I think his future wife will be a very lucky young lady.
Anyway, my allergies have been acting up big time with the Santa Ana winds we have here in California. My head was feeling like it was going to explode from the sinus pressure.
The house was a wreck and the kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off in it.
After I got the boys out the door Samantha reminds me she needs shoes for her costume she is wearing tonight to a youth group costume party. She also needs a slip and Paige needed some shoes also.
So, even though all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed we left on what turned into a three hour shopping trip, because you know, it takes a long time to find the perfect pair of shoes.
We arrive back home and I am dreading walking in the front door knowing what is awaiting me on the other side. However, upon entering I smell the sweet scent of some sort of cleaner. I walk to the back of the house and find that my kitchen is clean. The counters have been wiped down and the dishwasher loaded.
Tyler had cleaned the kitchen while we were gone.
Now, if you knew Tyler, you would understand why this just melted my heart. He hates cleaning the kitchen. A pea left on a plate will send him into the dry heaves. This kid has the weakest stomach I have ever seen.
He is a great bathroom cleaner, vacuumer, duster, trash taker outer, etc.. But the kitchen, he begs to not have to do that. He has also been known to pay a sibling to do his kitchen duty. Since I know he hates it so much I usually don't assign him that task unless I am desperate.
The funny thing is I almost asked him to clean the kitchen before I left but honestly did not have the energy to deal with the arguing that I knew would ensue with such a request. To say I was shocked to find the kitchen clean would be the greatest understatement of the decade.
I immediately ran to him and thanked him with a big hug and kiss. To which he replied "Mom, its no big deal, I knew you weren't feeling well so I took care of it, I was bored anyway".
Translation: I love you, but I'm way to cool to admit that!
Just when I think my teenagers might send me over the edge with their hormone induced mood swings, they do something so sweet it melts my heart and reminds me there are little boys inside those big bodies learning to be loving, caring and kind young men.
I think his future wife will be a very lucky young lady.
Labels: teenagers
Thursday, October 23, 2008
To Much Love.....
Won't someone please help me?
This little girl thinks she is my mommy and insists I stay in this baby bed all day long with blankets wrapped over me. Help!!
YooHoo, won't you please break me out of here?
This is my evil captor.....I hear she can be nice at times.
Her mommy wouldn't let her bring these things home from the fair. I guess they were to big for this bed. I really wish she had let her bring them home, it would have made my life so much easier.
Sydney never has to be the baby. That really isn't fair!
I like to play with Mr. Fluffy Bottom much better than with Paige.
Although, for some reason, he never seems as excited to see me as I am to see him.
Go figure.
This little girl thinks she is my mommy and insists I stay in this baby bed all day long with blankets wrapped over me. Help!!
YooHoo, won't you please break me out of here?
This is my evil captor.....I hear she can be nice at times.
Her mommy wouldn't let her bring these things home from the fair. I guess they were to big for this bed. I really wish she had let her bring them home, it would have made my life so much easier.
Sydney never has to be the baby. That really isn't fair!
I like to play with Mr. Fluffy Bottom much better than with Paige.
Although, for some reason, he never seems as excited to see me as I am to see him.
Go figure.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Pioneer Days
We went on our first official field trip with our homeschool group last week. We went to Riley Farms to learn about how things were done back in the "olden days".
We learned to write with a Quill.
We learned to write with a Quill.
Working hard on getting it right.
Wow, this is harder than it looks!
Samantha made a new friend and they had fun sitting together during all of the classes.
The teacher and his students.
We learned how to make butter and we are all very thankful for the little cubes we pick up at the corner market. That is a lot of work! We also made candles and fresh apple cider. The bees were buzzing all over the machine you use to squish the apples to make the cider. I thought for sure my bee phobic kids would never go near that thing, however, they proved me wrong. Samantha was even the helper (with her new friend) who go to put all the apples into the machine.
One of the highlights of the day was the yummy carmel apple we were all given. Oh my goodness that thing was heavenly. The kids bought there Dad a 5 pound apple pie (it is his favorite) and it was so good I think he only got one piece. I'm going to have to go back sometime in the next few weeks to buy another one.
It was nice for the kids to make some more new friends. The kids and I were a little nervous about going because we didn't know anyone. I think the hardest part of this new journey of homeschooling has been all the "new" and "unknown" things. Now that we have met some people in our local group through the park days and this field trip I think we are all feeling much more comfortable. We have found everyone to be so nice and welcoming, this has really helped the kids settle in and not feel as anxious about all the changes they have been experiencing.
Just another example of God's provisions for our lives. He told me not to fret, that he had it all under control. Now I just wish he would send an Angel over this evening to take care of all those dishes in my sink. Well, maybe, I just better go do them myself, and be thankful I don't live during the pioneer days. I'm going to kiss my dishwasher tonight before I go to bed, hope hubby won't get jealous.
Labels: Home Schooling
Monday, October 20, 2008
Honey For My Heart
Today I have no errands to run, nothing that needs my attention outside of our home. I am staying in my pj's all day and puttering around the house. This is my most favorite thing to do.
I have so many little projects that I just can't seem to get to, and today I am determined to finish some of them.
I had a dream last night that we got a call from our adoption agency saying they had two children for us. I woke up in a panic. My house is sooo not ready for little ones. We seriously have to baby proof again.
Today we were doing our science lessons and learning about air pressure and why birds can fly. We did a really fun experiment and I was explaining why it worked and what it meant. Samantha looks at me and says, "Mom, that was a really fun lesson but it is hard to take you seriously, like you are a REAL teacher when you are standing their in your pajama's".
Oh well, you just can't please everyone.
I, on the other hand, thought it was a fabulous day all around.
Hope yours was good to!
I have so many little projects that I just can't seem to get to, and today I am determined to finish some of them.
I had a dream last night that we got a call from our adoption agency saying they had two children for us. I woke up in a panic. My house is sooo not ready for little ones. We seriously have to baby proof again.
Today we were doing our science lessons and learning about air pressure and why birds can fly. We did a really fun experiment and I was explaining why it worked and what it meant. Samantha looks at me and says, "Mom, that was a really fun lesson but it is hard to take you seriously, like you are a REAL teacher when you are standing their in your pajama's".
Oh well, you just can't please everyone.
I, on the other hand, thought it was a fabulous day all around.
Hope yours was good to!
Labels: Adoption, Home Schooling, Mom Stuff
Saturday, October 18, 2008
17 Years Ago Today
I became a mother for the first time.
I will never forget the overwhelming love I felt for this long prayed for child.
We had just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary a few months before. I never dreamed when we got married that it would take six years to have our first child. I was ready to be a mom the next day. However, that did not happen.
Looking back I can see God's hand in this timing just as I can see his Hand in so many other circumstances in our lives together. If our first child had been born any sooner I would have had to work and been unable to be the stay at home mom I longed to be. I would have HATED THAT. God's plans are always so much better than mine.
In many ways, from the outside looking in, it looked like the worst possible moment for us to be starting our family.
Dave's job in Boulder, Colorado was ending in a month (he had a 3 year apprenticeship at the University), I had been laid off from my job at the hospital, we needed to sell our house but the economic climate on that day was much like today's, depressed and people were weary. Our house had been on the market for 3 months without a bite. My husband had a PH.D in physics and had recently decided the world of academics was not for him. He was looking for a job in aerospace but there were hiring freezes on all over the place. He had many people wanting to hire him, but there hands were tied until the hiring freezes were lifted.
Things looked bleak.
New baby, no job, no money, can't sell our house. What could we do?
As I entered my last month of pregnancy I should have been full of anxiety about the future. However, this time of my life is very precious to me because isn't it through adversity that our relationship with God seems to grow the most? Yes, I was anxious and a little scared, but I really felt God holding me through this experience and reassuring me that everything would work out. Others commented on our strength during this time and how we seemed so calm about the future even with such uncertainty swirling around us. It was a very special time.
The decision was made, with much prayer involved, that we would move back to California at the end of October and stay with my parents until Dave could find work. My parents, as always, were more than willing to help us. I'm sure the fact that I would be bringing a wee one with me while we stayed did not add to their excitement about our arrival at all.
So, after a VERY LONG day of labor seventeen years ago today I gave birth to our first precious son. From the very beginning to this day he has been a complete joy to parent. I cannot imagine our lives without him.
A few hours after he was born I lay nursing him contentedly. Until it started to hurt. I couldn't figure out how to unlatch him from my brea*st. The phone started ringing. I tried to grab for it. Ouch! How do I get this kid to let go, I thought? Just then the nurse came in, grabbed the phone, and showed me how to put my finger in his little mouth to release the suction. She was probably thinking, "That poor kid, this woman has no idea what she is doing".
After she left I picked up the receiver she had laid next to my bed. Our realtor was on the other end of the phone. She had sold our house, and they wanted a quick escrow!
The next day Dave went to the airport in Denver to pick up my mom who was flying in to help me pack up the house and move. We had ten days to get it all done and be out of the house.
Our wonderful friends Brad and Kathy (Brad is our friend and also the minister who married us, our 12 year old daughters are now best friends) called from California to tell us Brad was flying in to help and was going to stay with Dave to drive all of our belongings (and our two dogs) cross country to our new home in California.
We never asked. Everyone should be blessed with true friends like this.
God's blessings continued a few days later when I was again nursing our son and the phone rang. Thankfully, this time, I had become a more experienced mom and could actually nurse and talk on the phone at the same time. The voice on the other end asked for Dave, he wanted to offer him a job. Dave had been talking to this man and this company for six long months. It was a job he really wanted and they really wanted him. Somehow they had found a way around the hiring freeze and they were offering him a great job, with good benefits and he could start right away. As an added bonus, the job was in California, the very place we had felt God telling us to go back to a few weeks before.
In four days we had been blessed with a son, our home had sold, our friends and parents had rallied around us to help, and a job had been provided for our family.
I said goodbye to all the wonderful friends we had made while in Colorado and boarded a plane with my mom and ten day old son heading back to my roots and family in California.
When Dave reported to his new job a week later he had to first go to the companies nurse for a physical. She told him that his was the first new hire physical she had done in FOUR YEARS and she had no idea how he had actually managed to get hired. It would be another year before the hiring freeze was actually lifted.
The nurse may not know how this could of all happened, but we do. God told me he had everything under control and to trust him. For the first time in my life I actually did that and watched him put the pieces of our lives together the way he wanted them to be. God wasn't going to let a little thing like a hiring freeze get in the way of his Will for our lives. What an awesome God we serve.
My husband still works at that job seventeen years later. Our son is almost a man. Those first weeks as a new mother were stressful and tiring and maybe not actually the way I would have planned them, but they are some of the best memories of my life. I would not change them for anything.
p.s. I'm sorry you had to get up early on your birthday to go and take the PSAT. I will make you your special breakfast tomorrow, I promise.
I will never forget the overwhelming love I felt for this long prayed for child.
We had just celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary a few months before. I never dreamed when we got married that it would take six years to have our first child. I was ready to be a mom the next day. However, that did not happen.
Looking back I can see God's hand in this timing just as I can see his Hand in so many other circumstances in our lives together. If our first child had been born any sooner I would have had to work and been unable to be the stay at home mom I longed to be. I would have HATED THAT. God's plans are always so much better than mine.
In many ways, from the outside looking in, it looked like the worst possible moment for us to be starting our family.
Dave's job in Boulder, Colorado was ending in a month (he had a 3 year apprenticeship at the University), I had been laid off from my job at the hospital, we needed to sell our house but the economic climate on that day was much like today's, depressed and people were weary. Our house had been on the market for 3 months without a bite. My husband had a PH.D in physics and had recently decided the world of academics was not for him. He was looking for a job in aerospace but there were hiring freezes on all over the place. He had many people wanting to hire him, but there hands were tied until the hiring freezes were lifted.
Things looked bleak.
New baby, no job, no money, can't sell our house. What could we do?
As I entered my last month of pregnancy I should have been full of anxiety about the future. However, this time of my life is very precious to me because isn't it through adversity that our relationship with God seems to grow the most? Yes, I was anxious and a little scared, but I really felt God holding me through this experience and reassuring me that everything would work out. Others commented on our strength during this time and how we seemed so calm about the future even with such uncertainty swirling around us. It was a very special time.
The decision was made, with much prayer involved, that we would move back to California at the end of October and stay with my parents until Dave could find work. My parents, as always, were more than willing to help us. I'm sure the fact that I would be bringing a wee one with me while we stayed did not add to their excitement about our arrival at all.
So, after a VERY LONG day of labor seventeen years ago today I gave birth to our first precious son. From the very beginning to this day he has been a complete joy to parent. I cannot imagine our lives without him.
A few hours after he was born I lay nursing him contentedly. Until it started to hurt. I couldn't figure out how to unlatch him from my brea*st. The phone started ringing. I tried to grab for it. Ouch! How do I get this kid to let go, I thought? Just then the nurse came in, grabbed the phone, and showed me how to put my finger in his little mouth to release the suction. She was probably thinking, "That poor kid, this woman has no idea what she is doing".
After she left I picked up the receiver she had laid next to my bed. Our realtor was on the other end of the phone. She had sold our house, and they wanted a quick escrow!
The next day Dave went to the airport in Denver to pick up my mom who was flying in to help me pack up the house and move. We had ten days to get it all done and be out of the house.
Our wonderful friends Brad and Kathy (Brad is our friend and also the minister who married us, our 12 year old daughters are now best friends) called from California to tell us Brad was flying in to help and was going to stay with Dave to drive all of our belongings (and our two dogs) cross country to our new home in California.
We never asked. Everyone should be blessed with true friends like this.
God's blessings continued a few days later when I was again nursing our son and the phone rang. Thankfully, this time, I had become a more experienced mom and could actually nurse and talk on the phone at the same time. The voice on the other end asked for Dave, he wanted to offer him a job. Dave had been talking to this man and this company for six long months. It was a job he really wanted and they really wanted him. Somehow they had found a way around the hiring freeze and they were offering him a great job, with good benefits and he could start right away. As an added bonus, the job was in California, the very place we had felt God telling us to go back to a few weeks before.
In four days we had been blessed with a son, our home had sold, our friends and parents had rallied around us to help, and a job had been provided for our family.
I said goodbye to all the wonderful friends we had made while in Colorado and boarded a plane with my mom and ten day old son heading back to my roots and family in California.
When Dave reported to his new job a week later he had to first go to the companies nurse for a physical. She told him that his was the first new hire physical she had done in FOUR YEARS and she had no idea how he had actually managed to get hired. It would be another year before the hiring freeze was actually lifted.
The nurse may not know how this could of all happened, but we do. God told me he had everything under control and to trust him. For the first time in my life I actually did that and watched him put the pieces of our lives together the way he wanted them to be. God wasn't going to let a little thing like a hiring freeze get in the way of his Will for our lives. What an awesome God we serve.
My husband still works at that job seventeen years later. Our son is almost a man. Those first weeks as a new mother were stressful and tiring and maybe not actually the way I would have planned them, but they are some of the best memories of my life. I would not change them for anything.
Happy Birthday son. I love you more than words can possibly
describe. I am so proud of your strong work ethic and the way you are not
afraid to go after what you really want. Remember to trust God
and seek HIS will for your life, he will not let you down. Your
father and I can't wait to see what your future holds, though we know there
will be sorrow along with joy. I thank God everyday for the privilege of being
your mother. Have a happy, happy, day son.
p.s. I'm sorry you had to get up early on your birthday to go and take the PSAT. I will make you your special breakfast tomorrow, I promise.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Fast Is Over
Twenty Days. 20 Days.
That is how long we lasted.
The stomach flu moved through our house this week and I had a few "female" issues and didn't get to the market.
Last night I waved the white flag and sent Zach down the street to buy some burgers.
The kids were thrilled.
We saved over $300.00 not eating out for 20 days.
We are not planning on going back to our old ways. The kids said they thought we should go for another 20 and I agreed.
Now if this darn stomach bug would leave my system I might actually feel like cooking.
That is how long we lasted.
The stomach flu moved through our house this week and I had a few "female" issues and didn't get to the market.
Last night I waved the white flag and sent Zach down the street to buy some burgers.
The kids were thrilled.
We saved over $300.00 not eating out for 20 days.
We are not planning on going back to our old ways. The kids said they thought we should go for another 20 and I agreed.
Now if this darn stomach bug would leave my system I might actually feel like cooking.
Labels: Mom Stuff
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A Hostile Take Over
We have been studying about U.S. government and the election process for the last two weeks trying to gear up for the upcoming elections.
Today we discussed the two party system and how that worked. We read a little about the process of getting elected president and how the way candidates campaign has changed over the years.
For fun I had them write a one paragraph speech about what they would change if they were elected president of our home. Let me tell you, they were ALL OVER that assignment.
I am going to share Samantha's speech with you but before I do I need to explain one thing. Tyler (15) has had wrestling try outs every day this week at 6:00 a.m before school. That means he is getting up at 5:00 a.m. to be treated like a dog and forced to run and exercise until he feels like he may die. Zachary (16) is having the same thing happen after school as they are doing conditioning for baseball right now.
Needless to say they are both tired, grumpy, sore, and hungry when they get home. Not the best combination for one teenager. When you have two of them, you can imagine that my afternoons have been a little challenging.
With that explanation, here is what Samantha wrote;
Today we discussed the two party system and how that worked. We read a little about the process of getting elected president and how the way candidates campaign has changed over the years.
For fun I had them write a one paragraph speech about what they would change if they were elected president of our home. Let me tell you, they were ALL OVER that assignment.
I am going to share Samantha's speech with you but before I do I need to explain one thing. Tyler (15) has had wrestling try outs every day this week at 6:00 a.m before school. That means he is getting up at 5:00 a.m. to be treated like a dog and forced to run and exercise until he feels like he may die. Zachary (16) is having the same thing happen after school as they are doing conditioning for baseball right now.
Needless to say they are both tired, grumpy, sore, and hungry when they get home. Not the best combination for one teenager. When you have two of them, you can imagine that my afternoons have been a little challenging.
With that explanation, here is what Samantha wrote;
If I were to be elected President of this home I would change many things. My
first action would be to secure the premises. I would deport the local
terrorists, Tyler and Zachary, under the charges of physical and verbal abuse.
My next action would be to finish the remodeling of mine and my parents
"offices". Next, I would make a new list of laws and change Jo Jo into our
nations mascot. After that I would improve every citizens wardrobe. When all
that was done I would
put new grass in the back yard with a dirt area for Jo
Jo and Sydney to go "Potty". I would also invest in new furniture for our living
room and a new flat screen TV for the new and improved family room for all the
citizens to enjoy. These are only a few of the things I would do.
Garrett's essay was similar, however, he only sent them both off to the Army. Not to exile forever.
Anyone want to come over for a visit this afternoon? It really is all kinds of fun.
Labels: Home Schooling, Mom Stuff, sports
Monday, October 13, 2008
I Am Officially Pregnant!!!!
This afternoon I got on the computer and found a wonderful email from our social worker Erin saying that our Dossier had come back form Washington D.C. and that we were now officially a waiting family.
I had to read through it twice to make sure I had read it correctly. You see, we have been the family that nothing has ever gone through correctly for on the first try. Could this possibly be correct? They didn't need some other identifiable bit of paperwork from us? I almost felt let down.
NOT!!!!
I'm so excited to be officially expecting again! I'm off to have a big bowl of ice cream with lots of chocolate syrup and whip cream to celebrate!!!
I had to read through it twice to make sure I had read it correctly. You see, we have been the family that nothing has ever gone through correctly for on the first try. Could this possibly be correct? They didn't need some other identifiable bit of paperwork from us? I almost felt let down.
NOT!!!!
I'm so excited to be officially expecting again! I'm off to have a big bowl of ice cream with lots of chocolate syrup and whip cream to celebrate!!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
3.9 pounds
That is how much out little dog Jo Jo now weighs. I had to take her to the vet on Friday for some shots and he was thrilled to see that she actually had a little belly. The last time she was at the doctor she was only 9 oz's. Not even a pound.She is five months old now and still not potty trained.
Did any of you ever have a newborn baby come home from the hospital with his/her daytime and nighttime turned around?
That is what I feel like with this dog. Except it is her pooping schedule that is backward.
She will go to the bathroom five or six times at night and not go at all during the daylight hours. We take her outside all day long and she does pee out there but seems to save the poop part for night time.
We leave her gated in our family room at night and put papers down for her to go on. She will go to the bathroom the first or second time on the papers but then she feels like they are dirty and she goes and finds another spot. Like the bricks on the fireplace or in the corner all over my nice white crown molding.
Part of me knows this is a problem we have created. When she was sick for those first few months I was more concerned with keeping her alive and less with making sure she learned where to go to the potty.
We can't leave her outside unattended because a hawk or coyote will grab her. I already told you about listening to the cat next door getting eaten by a coyote. I have no desire to repeat that experience.
So, all you dog experts out there. What advice do you have for this failure of a pet owner? Did any of you have this problem with one of your animals?
We all love this little dog to pieces, if she would just get her #@*# together she would be the perfect little addition to our family.
Labels: Pets
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Day 16
Today is the 16th day of our no eating out experiment. I really can't believe we have actually made it more than two whole weeks! Wohooo for us!!
Yesterday afternoon I was running errands with Garrett and Samantha when I get a call from Zach asking if he can have friends over to watch the Red Sox game. The game started at 5:30 so I knew that meant I would be feeding all these hungry high schooler's dinner.
I had to run into Sam's club to buy a few things that I only purchase there because they are so much cheaper (ketchup, Bisquick, eggs and Prego Pasta Sauce) and my mind went into over drive as to what I could feed the family and our guests for dinner without spending a fortune.
So, in the closest I have come to breaking our no eating out rule this month I purchased a couple of there jumbo sized pizza's. At $7.99 a piece you really can't beat that, there are 10 piece's in each pizza. I had a bunch of hot dogs at home so we also had chili dogs. Chili dogs and pizza, a teenager's dream dinner.
I became super mom when I made brownies (did you know Walmart has Betty Crocker brownie mix for .99 each?) and we had hot fudge brownie sundaes for dessert. At this point they all though that "I totally rocked" (this is a direct quote from one said teenager).
It was a really fun night and I was so happy that I was able to feed everyone without breaking the bank.
I'm really enjoying this little experiment and I'm thinking we may never go back to our old ways.
I may be investing in a case of paper plates though. I am getting REALLY TIRED of doing all those dishes.
Yesterday afternoon I was running errands with Garrett and Samantha when I get a call from Zach asking if he can have friends over to watch the Red Sox game. The game started at 5:30 so I knew that meant I would be feeding all these hungry high schooler's dinner.
I had to run into Sam's club to buy a few things that I only purchase there because they are so much cheaper (ketchup, Bisquick, eggs and Prego Pasta Sauce) and my mind went into over drive as to what I could feed the family and our guests for dinner without spending a fortune.
So, in the closest I have come to breaking our no eating out rule this month I purchased a couple of there jumbo sized pizza's. At $7.99 a piece you really can't beat that, there are 10 piece's in each pizza. I had a bunch of hot dogs at home so we also had chili dogs. Chili dogs and pizza, a teenager's dream dinner.
I became super mom when I made brownies (did you know Walmart has Betty Crocker brownie mix for .99 each?) and we had hot fudge brownie sundaes for dessert. At this point they all though that "I totally rocked" (this is a direct quote from one said teenager).
It was a really fun night and I was so happy that I was able to feed everyone without breaking the bank.
I'm really enjoying this little experiment and I'm thinking we may never go back to our old ways.
I may be investing in a case of paper plates though. I am getting REALLY TIRED of doing all those dishes.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Time Well Spent
Everyday I have to leave my house at around 2:00 p.m. to pick up Paige at school. Her school does not get out until 2:45 but I have to get there early to get a parking spot so I can walk up to get her. There is a very small parking lot and if you don't get there early you will have to wait 30 minutes in line to pick up your child. Paige's teacher brings the children out about 10 minutes early so we won't have to deal with the mad rush of kids streaming out of all the classrooms over our kindergartner's.Every day when I have to do this I wish I was homeschooling her with the other kids. However, right now I really feel like the best place for her is this little classroom a few hours a day where she gets speech and occupational therapy.
Anyway, I try to use this time wisely while I am waiting. Sometimes I do my devotion for the day other times I plan curriculum for the kids at home.
I was feeling all proud of myself for being so productive during this time. Until today. When the woman next to me did something totally amazing, something I would have never thought of.
She pulled up next to me and parked. I noticed that she immediately began folding laundry from a basket on her passenger seat. When she was done she went to the truck of her Suburban and grabbed out another basket of laundry. I watched her fold FIVE loads of laundry. I was thinking about all the clean loads of laundry I had at home that still needed to be folded.
My curiosity got the better of me so I rolled down my window and asked her about her system. She was very nice and told me that twice a week she brings all the clean laundry with her in her trunk and folds it while she waits for the kids to get out of school. She has four children and folds each child's items into there own basket. When they get home the kids unload there basket from the car and carry it to there room.
Wow, now I call that a very organized super efficient mom.
Labels: Mom Stuff
Sunday, October 05, 2008
No More Fast Food
I have been tracking our finances more thoroughly lately and was appalled to realize how much money we spent eating out each month. With air fares going through the roof (they have close to doubled for a flight to Ethiopia) we need to be socking away as much money as possible right now. Add to that the fact that the holidays are coming, and I was sent into a little panic a few weeks ago about the state of our financial affairs.
I will be honest here. This adoption is completely a faith based operation. We had part of the money in our bank account when we started the process and now we are pretty tapped out. We have spent about $9,000.00 so far and we have at least that much still to go. When we receive our referral we will have to pay $5,600.00 for the fees associated with that and then travel to pick up our kiddo. Obviously we will need to fly and pay for lodging and food. So, that basically leaves us broke.
I am comforted in knowing that we will get a lot of that money back when we file our taxes as the government gives adoptive families a $10,600 tax credit. Many employers also offer benefits for adoption. We are blessed that hubby's work will give us $4,000.00 per child after the adoption is complete.
So, I guess this is one of the biggest quandary's of adoptive parents. How to pay for your adoption? As you can see a large part of costs are reimbursed to the families, however, you have to pay for them out of pocket first.
After I kept a little better track of our money for a few weeks I decided that the amount of money we spent going out to eat was RIDICULOUS. Part of the reason for this is sports. When we get busy running the kids around from this game to that one there is no time to stay home and cook so we eat out. We just don't go through the drive thru. Oh no, we go to a sit down meal. This had to stop.
So, hubby and I discussed it and we decided to try and not eat out AT ALL for 30 days and see how much money we could save. We started this little experiment a week ago Friday which was September 26th. We have made it 9 whole days without eating out. A remarkable feet for our family.
This change has not come without some bumps in the road. Tonight Zach had a game at 6:00 p.m. about 30 minutes away and we were all going to go. However, I had made a big lunch around 1:30 after church but hadn't planned anything for dinner. I would have needed to make a picnic dinner to take with us as we had to leave by 4:30. I hadn't planned ahead well enough and decided to stay home instead as we would have had no choice but to feed the kids at the drive thru. I felt badly because I had missed Zach's last two games but he said he understood and was fine with us not going. He and his Dad probably are enjoying the time alone together.
Anyway, I learned a lesson about planning ahead and the kids aren't complaining about not eating out. I have noticed them becoming more involved in meal preparation in the last week and tonight we all cooked together. It was very fun.
There is a plate in the oven with meatloaf, mashed potato's, corn bread and salad for hubby and Zach when they come home. I had to remind them before they left that "No, you can not hit a drive thru after the game even though it will be 9:00 p.m when the game ends". I suggested they pack a snack to tide them over until they got home.
Zach rolled his eyes at me. I am sure he is missing the days of the unlimited ATM card access.
I'll report back at the end of the 30 days and let you know how much money I was able to save. I'm really excited to find out what the final number will be.
I will be honest here. This adoption is completely a faith based operation. We had part of the money in our bank account when we started the process and now we are pretty tapped out. We have spent about $9,000.00 so far and we have at least that much still to go. When we receive our referral we will have to pay $5,600.00 for the fees associated with that and then travel to pick up our kiddo. Obviously we will need to fly and pay for lodging and food. So, that basically leaves us broke.
I am comforted in knowing that we will get a lot of that money back when we file our taxes as the government gives adoptive families a $10,600 tax credit. Many employers also offer benefits for adoption. We are blessed that hubby's work will give us $4,000.00 per child after the adoption is complete.
So, I guess this is one of the biggest quandary's of adoptive parents. How to pay for your adoption? As you can see a large part of costs are reimbursed to the families, however, you have to pay for them out of pocket first.
After I kept a little better track of our money for a few weeks I decided that the amount of money we spent going out to eat was RIDICULOUS. Part of the reason for this is sports. When we get busy running the kids around from this game to that one there is no time to stay home and cook so we eat out. We just don't go through the drive thru. Oh no, we go to a sit down meal. This had to stop.
So, hubby and I discussed it and we decided to try and not eat out AT ALL for 30 days and see how much money we could save. We started this little experiment a week ago Friday which was September 26th. We have made it 9 whole days without eating out. A remarkable feet for our family.
This change has not come without some bumps in the road. Tonight Zach had a game at 6:00 p.m. about 30 minutes away and we were all going to go. However, I had made a big lunch around 1:30 after church but hadn't planned anything for dinner. I would have needed to make a picnic dinner to take with us as we had to leave by 4:30. I hadn't planned ahead well enough and decided to stay home instead as we would have had no choice but to feed the kids at the drive thru. I felt badly because I had missed Zach's last two games but he said he understood and was fine with us not going. He and his Dad probably are enjoying the time alone together.
Anyway, I learned a lesson about planning ahead and the kids aren't complaining about not eating out. I have noticed them becoming more involved in meal preparation in the last week and tonight we all cooked together. It was very fun.
There is a plate in the oven with meatloaf, mashed potato's, corn bread and salad for hubby and Zach when they come home. I had to remind them before they left that "No, you can not hit a drive thru after the game even though it will be 9:00 p.m when the game ends". I suggested they pack a snack to tide them over until they got home.
Zach rolled his eyes at me. I am sure he is missing the days of the unlimited ATM card access.
I'll report back at the end of the 30 days and let you know how much money I was able to save. I'm really excited to find out what the final number will be.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Happy, Happy Days!
Our Dossier is finally complete. Our agency received the paperwork back from the Secretary of State late last week and that officially ended our paper chase for this adoption.
Can I hear an Amen!!! If I had to look at those papers one more day I was going to scream! Have I mentioned before how much I hate to do paperwork? Oh yeah, I forget, like a million times. Sorry.
So, the process we started 13 months ago and thought would take a maximum of six months took a bit longer. I have to believe there was a reason for that. That the child(ren) who are to be a part of our family weren't ready for us yet. God is teaching me patience, greater Faith, and a willingness to trust in him completely through this process.
What a Blessing!
Now the waiting begins. I have been praying for a referral by Christmas but the official wait time with our agency right now is 6 - 10 months for an infant. We are requesting a little girl 0-4years or girl/boy siblings 0-4 years. I have no idea if that means we will get a referral before someone asking for an infant only. Only time will tell.
So, thanks for going on this crazy wonderful journey with us. When you hear that loud screaming coming through your front windows you will know we received our referral. I am sure the scream of excitement I let out will be heard from California to Florida.
Can I hear an Amen!!! If I had to look at those papers one more day I was going to scream! Have I mentioned before how much I hate to do paperwork? Oh yeah, I forget, like a million times. Sorry.
So, the process we started 13 months ago and thought would take a maximum of six months took a bit longer. I have to believe there was a reason for that. That the child(ren) who are to be a part of our family weren't ready for us yet. God is teaching me patience, greater Faith, and a willingness to trust in him completely through this process.
What a Blessing!
Now the waiting begins. I have been praying for a referral by Christmas but the official wait time with our agency right now is 6 - 10 months for an infant. We are requesting a little girl 0-4years or girl/boy siblings 0-4 years. I have no idea if that means we will get a referral before someone asking for an infant only. Only time will tell.
So, thanks for going on this crazy wonderful journey with us. When you hear that loud screaming coming through your front windows you will know we received our referral. I am sure the scream of excitement I let out will be heard from California to Florida.
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and
faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to
keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Labels: Adoption
Friday, October 03, 2008
Answered Prayer
Today we went to our first homeschool activity where the kids could meet other children who are homeschooled. It was a park day and I was a little nervous about going because we didn't know anyone.
I was sure that Garrett (10) would make friends easily and he would have a great time. However, I was a little concerned that there wouldn't be anyone there for Samantha (12) to hang out with.
Samantha was really anxious to connect with some other girls her age, and I was worried that there would be mostly younger kids at the park. Though she would be happy to play with the younger kids for a while I knew she was yearning to connect with a friend her own age that was also homeschooled.
I took my concerns to our Heavenly Father asking him to provide Samantha with a special friend that could help her through this transition from "regular" school to homeschooling. My heart had been heavy about this for a few weeks and I kept asking God for his guidance in this area.
Garrett threw on some old grubby clothes while Samantha and I stood in our closets trying to figure out what to wear. Why were we both so worried about what we wore to a park day? Who was I trying to impress?
I finally settled on some denim carpi's and a t-shirt and Samantha threw on a cute short outfit (it was still hot today but tomorrow it is suppose to cool down, yeahhh!). On our way out the door she grabbed her dog, just in case there was no one at the park for her to talk to.
We got to the park and Garrett ran off to go and make some friends. Samantha and I looked at each other like "are you ready for this"? I really have no idea why we were so nervous.
We walked up to the mom's sitting at the picnic tables and introduced ourselves. We were greeted warmly and I sat down to visit. Samantha took off to walk JoJo as she didn't see anyone her own age around.
As she walked away a mom sitting on the end of the picnic table looked up excitedly and said to Samantha "Wait, don't leave, my daughter wants to meet you". Her daughter jumps up and both of there faces lite up at the realization that there is actually someone at the park who is a female older than ten years of age.
The girls walk off together and I did not see them again, except for brief water breaks, for the next 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Samantha was so excited to have met a new friend. It turns out that this new friend had attended one of the same schools Sam went to until the 5th grade so they had some mutual friends in common. They exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and promised to meet each other the next Friday at Park Day.
The other girls mother told me she was thrilled we had come as she had been praying for her daughter to connect with a nice girl her own age. She told me that girls Samantha's age rarely come to the park days and her daughter had been praying for a new friend to show up at a Park Day afternoon.
As we left the park the kids excitedly told me all about there new friends. Garrett told me he met ten great new friends and he had a blast, Paige had also had loads of fun.
This mama is feeling so much better tonight. I met some nice ladies, my kids had a great time, and my prayers were answered for my sweet daughter as well as for this other sweet girl.
Life doesn't get much better than that.
However, I may have to pray for hubbies Angels tonight. They lost again to those dreaded Red Sox even with our living room full of screaming fans for them tonight. Poor hubby.
At least his kiddos all had a great day, and this mom is going to bed with a big smile on her face!
Thank You Lord for your many Blessings!!!!!
I was sure that Garrett (10) would make friends easily and he would have a great time. However, I was a little concerned that there wouldn't be anyone there for Samantha (12) to hang out with.
Samantha was really anxious to connect with some other girls her age, and I was worried that there would be mostly younger kids at the park. Though she would be happy to play with the younger kids for a while I knew she was yearning to connect with a friend her own age that was also homeschooled.
I took my concerns to our Heavenly Father asking him to provide Samantha with a special friend that could help her through this transition from "regular" school to homeschooling. My heart had been heavy about this for a few weeks and I kept asking God for his guidance in this area.
Garrett threw on some old grubby clothes while Samantha and I stood in our closets trying to figure out what to wear. Why were we both so worried about what we wore to a park day? Who was I trying to impress?
I finally settled on some denim carpi's and a t-shirt and Samantha threw on a cute short outfit (it was still hot today but tomorrow it is suppose to cool down, yeahhh!). On our way out the door she grabbed her dog, just in case there was no one at the park for her to talk to.
We got to the park and Garrett ran off to go and make some friends. Samantha and I looked at each other like "are you ready for this"? I really have no idea why we were so nervous.
We walked up to the mom's sitting at the picnic tables and introduced ourselves. We were greeted warmly and I sat down to visit. Samantha took off to walk JoJo as she didn't see anyone her own age around.
As she walked away a mom sitting on the end of the picnic table looked up excitedly and said to Samantha "Wait, don't leave, my daughter wants to meet you". Her daughter jumps up and both of there faces lite up at the realization that there is actually someone at the park who is a female older than ten years of age.
The girls walk off together and I did not see them again, except for brief water breaks, for the next 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Samantha was so excited to have met a new friend. It turns out that this new friend had attended one of the same schools Sam went to until the 5th grade so they had some mutual friends in common. They exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and promised to meet each other the next Friday at Park Day.
The other girls mother told me she was thrilled we had come as she had been praying for her daughter to connect with a nice girl her own age. She told me that girls Samantha's age rarely come to the park days and her daughter had been praying for a new friend to show up at a Park Day afternoon.
As we left the park the kids excitedly told me all about there new friends. Garrett told me he met ten great new friends and he had a blast, Paige had also had loads of fun.
This mama is feeling so much better tonight. I met some nice ladies, my kids had a great time, and my prayers were answered for my sweet daughter as well as for this other sweet girl.
Life doesn't get much better than that.
However, I may have to pray for hubbies Angels tonight. They lost again to those dreaded Red Sox even with our living room full of screaming fans for them tonight. Poor hubby.
At least his kiddos all had a great day, and this mom is going to bed with a big smile on her face!
Thank You Lord for your many Blessings!!!!!
Labels: Home Schooling
Thursday, October 02, 2008
A Storms A Brewin
I have talked before about my families obsession with baseball. My 16 year old son, Zach, is a DIE HARD Red Sox fan. His Dad is a DIE HARD Angel's fan.
If you know anything about baseball you know that right now those two times are battling it out in the five game American League Division Series. The first game was last night and the two sides sat on different coaches and rooted on their team. Garrett, 10, the Yankee fan (how could that be?) decided it would be a good time to root against his Dad and side with his brother.
This was not a good idea. The Dad did not like this.
It was a good game but unfortunately our Angels lost to the Evil (much beloved by my child) Red Sox. My husband was really annoyed. He wasn't happy. You getting the picture???
Well, I nicely told said 10 year old today that if he would like to continue living under this cushy roof he calls home he might want to consider rooting for the home team. Otherwise something bad may befall him while he sleeps.
OK, I exaggerate. However, this would make my hubby so happy and maybe not so grumpy if his team loses.
They play tomorrow night. Friends are coming over to witness the carnage. I'm praying for a big Angel victory.
I would much rather live with an upset teenager than an upset hubby. Sorry kid, you're on your own.
So, whats a woman to do when all the men in her life are feuding?
Why she eats lots of chocolate. I made this cake today and let me tell you it is some yummy chocolate goodness and really easy to make. Go ahead, click on over, I promise you your mouth will water. Better yet, make one for yourself. I bet you have everything in your cupboard to make it and your family will have big smiles on their faces after the first bite.
Go Angels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you know anything about baseball you know that right now those two times are battling it out in the five game American League Division Series. The first game was last night and the two sides sat on different coaches and rooted on their team. Garrett, 10, the Yankee fan (how could that be?) decided it would be a good time to root against his Dad and side with his brother.
This was not a good idea. The Dad did not like this.
It was a good game but unfortunately our Angels lost to the Evil (much beloved by my child) Red Sox. My husband was really annoyed. He wasn't happy. You getting the picture???
Well, I nicely told said 10 year old today that if he would like to continue living under this cushy roof he calls home he might want to consider rooting for the home team. Otherwise something bad may befall him while he sleeps.
OK, I exaggerate. However, this would make my hubby so happy and maybe not so grumpy if his team loses.
They play tomorrow night. Friends are coming over to witness the carnage. I'm praying for a big Angel victory.
I would much rather live with an upset teenager than an upset hubby. Sorry kid, you're on your own.
So, whats a woman to do when all the men in her life are feuding?
Why she eats lots of chocolate. I made this cake today and let me tell you it is some yummy chocolate goodness and really easy to make. Go ahead, click on over, I promise you your mouth will water. Better yet, make one for yourself. I bet you have everything in your cupboard to make it and your family will have big smiles on their faces after the first bite.
Go Angels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Labels: baseball
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Autumn In July?
Last week the weather turned cool and it felt so good to snuggle under the blankets in the morning. I was so happy. This is my favorite time of the year and I couldn't wait for the first day of October today so I could drag out my Autumn boxes and decorate the house for the season.
However, my plans were foiled.
All week it has been in the 90's and the weather actually had the nerve to hit a whooping 100 degrees today.
Doesn't exactly make me want to drag out the pumpkins and scarecrows.
The kids are enjoying these last few days (I hope) of warm days and jumping in the pool to play together.
I, however, am dreaming of cuddling under warm blankets with a fire in the evening. Anyone have some cooler weather than can send west to make me happy?
However, my plans were foiled.
All week it has been in the 90's and the weather actually had the nerve to hit a whooping 100 degrees today.
Doesn't exactly make me want to drag out the pumpkins and scarecrows.
The kids are enjoying these last few days (I hope) of warm days and jumping in the pool to play together.
I, however, am dreaming of cuddling under warm blankets with a fire in the evening. Anyone have some cooler weather than can send west to make me happy?
Labels: Mom Stuff
