Let me pass along a blessing to you on this chilly May morning:
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Sunday Morning Blessing
My girls are giggling in the bathroom, my son is calling to me from the crib, and my husband is preparing for Sunday services. Needless to say, I am blessed.
Let me pass along a blessing to you on this chilly May morning:
Let me pass along a blessing to you on this chilly May morning:
Friday, April 19, 2013
A Healthier Me
I saw an email on Wednesday that should have sent my heart racing: Harris Teeter has Coke Products Buy 2 Get 3 Free. There was a time that such an announcement would have sent me into a frenzy. I would have driven to every Harris Teeter in search of my beverage of choice: Fanta Zero.
Oh, how I love Fanta Zero. Caffeine-free, calorie-free, and full of orange soda goodness, it is my drink of choice. In fact, you would rarely ever seem me without one of those cool, silver cans in my hand.
But not anymore.
Ever since I started wrapping, I've had to drink half my body weight in ounces of water a day. That's a LOT of water! I'm not only drinking water when I'm thirsty; every time I see my huge water bottle, I'm reminded to take a swig. I'm not sure that I've even hit my goal in ounces of water a day, but I am drinking it like crazy.
You're not allowed to drink diet soda for 72 hours after wrapping, and I initially thought that I'd be counting down the seconds until I can pop the tab of one of my cans of orange yumminess. I had a headache (odd, since there's no caffeine in Fanta Zero) for two full days. I couldn't wait to drink one of my precious drinks.
But a funny thing happened. By Day 3, I didn't really want one. In the past 2 weeks, I can count on one hand the number of times I've had one, and I'd still have fingers left.
I'm sure some of the executives over at Coca-Cola are worried that I've passed on to the glory of Heaven, since their profits must surely be suffering.
It's a new day, and a healthier me!
https://www.facebook.com/itworkslorie
Oh, how I love Fanta Zero. Caffeine-free, calorie-free, and full of orange soda goodness, it is my drink of choice. In fact, you would rarely ever seem me without one of those cool, silver cans in my hand.
But not anymore.
Ever since I started wrapping, I've had to drink half my body weight in ounces of water a day. That's a LOT of water! I'm not only drinking water when I'm thirsty; every time I see my huge water bottle, I'm reminded to take a swig. I'm not sure that I've even hit my goal in ounces of water a day, but I am drinking it like crazy.
You're not allowed to drink diet soda for 72 hours after wrapping, and I initially thought that I'd be counting down the seconds until I can pop the tab of one of my cans of orange yumminess. I had a headache (odd, since there's no caffeine in Fanta Zero) for two full days. I couldn't wait to drink one of my precious drinks.
But a funny thing happened. By Day 3, I didn't really want one. In the past 2 weeks, I can count on one hand the number of times I've had one, and I'd still have fingers left.
I'm sure some of the executives over at Coca-Cola are worried that I've passed on to the glory of Heaven, since their profits must surely be suffering.
It's a new day, and a healthier me!
https://www.facebook.com/itworkslorie
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Girls' Day
I took the girls out for a girls' day last week during Spring Break.
What prompted this day? I was over at Mom's, and we were looking down.
I saw that Emily's shoes were torn apart. (What do they DO in PE at
school????) I knew that she had to have a pair of shoes, so I decided
to make a fun day of it.
First, I was secretive. "Girls, go get dressed. We're going somewhere." Now, I knew that the first word out of each of their mouths would be "Where?", and I wasn't disappointed.
Somewhere special, just us girls," I said. As I knew it would, this elicited giggles and whispers as they dressed and tried to guess where I was taking them. I love surprising them when we go places. It makes the every day more fun!
We got in the car, and headed towards Concord Mills. I took them to lunch first. They love to go to Cheddar's. Cheddar's has a great big fish tank. That's all it takes. So, we pulled into the parking lot to the girls' cheering. We had a delightful lunch, and talked about all sorts of things. Here's a picture from the table:
First, I was secretive. "Girls, go get dressed. We're going somewhere." Now, I knew that the first word out of each of their mouths would be "Where?", and I wasn't disappointed.
Somewhere special, just us girls," I said. As I knew it would, this elicited giggles and whispers as they dressed and tried to guess where I was taking them. I love surprising them when we go places. It makes the every day more fun!
We got in the car, and headed towards Concord Mills. I took them to lunch first. They love to go to Cheddar's. Cheddar's has a great big fish tank. That's all it takes. So, we pulled into the parking lot to the girls' cheering. We had a delightful lunch, and talked about all sorts of things. Here's a picture from the table:
Then, it was off to the mall. I decided that I would let them choose the shoes that they wanted, as long as they fit into certain criteria (school requirements, price, and no lights!). 6 shoe stores later, the girls finally decided. On the same pair of shoes. For those of you who have 2 kids of the same gender, you know how fun it is to try to keep up with which shoes are whose. It's just not fun. But... I had decided that they could choose the shoes they wanted, so I followed through with it.
I had promised them a carousel ride (their favorite part of going to Concord Mills) but the lady had apparently gone on break and wouldn't be back for 30 minutes. The girls were so sad! I took them to Sonic and told them that they could order any drink they wanted. They both ordered Strawberry Sprites, which they claimed were fabulous.
Buying shoes (unless you're a woman) just isn't fun. I'm tickled that I was able to turn a mundane errand into a fun afternoon.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Shot Day 2
Bethany has her appointment in the morning for her physical and her shots. Ken and I were trying to decide whether it would be better to tell her ahead of time, to give her time to mentally prepare for it, or to wait until the appointment so she wouldn't have to stress about it.
After going back and forth, we finally decided to tell her this afternoon. Ken was careful to explain that these were good for her, and that they would help her to stay healthy. He said, "So that you can stay healthy, you're going to get some shots tomorrow." Bethany's reaction? "Oh, no, I'm not."
Yikes.
For those of you who know Bethany, you know that while Bethany is happy about 95% of the time, that other 5% of the time, she is a stubborn, willful, hard-headed child. It's not pretty when she has one of her "moments". The best thing you can do is look her in the eye, and tell her how it is. So I did.
I held her hands, and said, "Bethany, I'm not going to lie to you. Shots stink. Everyone hates shots. But you have to have them, and you are going to get them. I will be there with you, and we will count together. When we get to 6 (she's 6 years old), it will be over. Then, we'll go get a treat together." She looked at me and thought about it. She thought hard. Then, she said, "Okay, Mommy, but we're counting fast."
I'll take that.
After going back and forth, we finally decided to tell her this afternoon. Ken was careful to explain that these were good for her, and that they would help her to stay healthy. He said, "So that you can stay healthy, you're going to get some shots tomorrow." Bethany's reaction? "Oh, no, I'm not."
Yikes.
For those of you who know Bethany, you know that while Bethany is happy about 95% of the time, that other 5% of the time, she is a stubborn, willful, hard-headed child. It's not pretty when she has one of her "moments". The best thing you can do is look her in the eye, and tell her how it is. So I did.
I held her hands, and said, "Bethany, I'm not going to lie to you. Shots stink. Everyone hates shots. But you have to have them, and you are going to get them. I will be there with you, and we will count together. When we get to 6 (she's 6 years old), it will be over. Then, we'll go get a treat together." She looked at me and thought about it. She thought hard. Then, she said, "Okay, Mommy, but we're counting fast."
I'll take that.
Not Taking Too Much Credit
I was challenged yesterday by a post I saw on Facebook by Lysa TerKeurst. She said,
"If you had an unglued mama moment today, let me encourage you with 3 simple mothering perspectives you must hang on to:
1. Don’t take too much credit for their good.
2. Don’t take too much credit for their bad.
3. Don’t try to raise a good child. Raise a God-following adult."
Wow. I am in my 8th year of parenting, and this is a new revelation to me. I can't tell you how many times I've taken delight when someone comments that my children are well-behaved, or cringed in embarrassment when they've been, shall we say, less than perfect.
It's so easy to feel judged by my children's behavior as a parent, as a Christian, and as a pastor's wife. I feel like my children must be "good" for people to have a favorable opinion of me. This post, as brief as it was, has taught me so much.
First, that my children aren't really mine, and I need to raise them to my Father's standards, not mine, or anyone else's for that matter. God's standard is the goal, and anything less is failing my children.
Second, my children are human, just like I'm human. They have good days and they have bad days. I need to extend to them the grace that my Father extends to me.
Third, I need to stop worrying what other people think. It's just no way to live. I need to worry about what God thinks. He is my Creator, my Father, and my Savior. Being pleasing to Him is all I need.
Please pray for me as I try to be the parent that God wants me to be to His children.
"If you had an unglued mama moment today, let me encourage you with 3 simple mothering perspectives you must hang on to:
1. Don’t take too much credit for their good.
2. Don’t take too much credit for their bad.
3. Don’t try to raise a good child. Raise a God-following adult."
Wow. I am in my 8th year of parenting, and this is a new revelation to me. I can't tell you how many times I've taken delight when someone comments that my children are well-behaved, or cringed in embarrassment when they've been, shall we say, less than perfect.
It's so easy to feel judged by my children's behavior as a parent, as a Christian, and as a pastor's wife. I feel like my children must be "good" for people to have a favorable opinion of me. This post, as brief as it was, has taught me so much.
First, that my children aren't really mine, and I need to raise them to my Father's standards, not mine, or anyone else's for that matter. God's standard is the goal, and anything less is failing my children.
Second, my children are human, just like I'm human. They have good days and they have bad days. I need to extend to them the grace that my Father extends to me.
Third, I need to stop worrying what other people think. It's just no way to live. I need to worry about what God thinks. He is my Creator, my Father, and my Savior. Being pleasing to Him is all I need.
Please pray for me as I try to be the parent that God wants me to be to His children.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Be Still
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
I was looking for this verse this morning. I like to copy and paste straight from Scripture instead of relying on my ever-decreasing memory to write scripture down. I was a little surprised at how many times the word "quiet" appears in scripture. God tells us to be physically quiet, to be spiritually quiet, and to be actively quiet (listening to teaching).
I don't know why, but whenever I think about biblical times, I think that they couldn't possibly be as busy as we are. After all, our lives are in hyper-drive, and we are in constant movement. We have smart phones and iPads and Bluetooth and Internet. We call, we text, we tweet, we IM, etc, etc, etc. We drive cars at break-neck speed. We fly in planes. We're even starting to fly in space shuttles. We are busy people.
I have to think, though, that people in biblical times were busy, too. Of course, it was a different busy, but they were busy nonetheless. Why else would God so many times tell us to be still? Being busy is, I think, a human characteristic. We feel fulfilled, we feel successful, when we're busy.
God tells us in this scripture to "Be still, and know that I am God." What does that mean? I'm no theologian, but I think God is telling us to settle our lives, our hearts, and our minds. Sit back and remember that in our busyness, God is. He is, was, and is yet to come. He is Author and Creator of all. Rejoice that He is in control! Find peace that He is watching over you. Exalt His name, and be thankful.
So I'm doing that this morning. I am rejoicing! I am exalting His name. Praise the Lord, for He is Good.
I was looking for this verse this morning. I like to copy and paste straight from Scripture instead of relying on my ever-decreasing memory to write scripture down. I was a little surprised at how many times the word "quiet" appears in scripture. God tells us to be physically quiet, to be spiritually quiet, and to be actively quiet (listening to teaching).
I don't know why, but whenever I think about biblical times, I think that they couldn't possibly be as busy as we are. After all, our lives are in hyper-drive, and we are in constant movement. We have smart phones and iPads and Bluetooth and Internet. We call, we text, we tweet, we IM, etc, etc, etc. We drive cars at break-neck speed. We fly in planes. We're even starting to fly in space shuttles. We are busy people.
I have to think, though, that people in biblical times were busy, too. Of course, it was a different busy, but they were busy nonetheless. Why else would God so many times tell us to be still? Being busy is, I think, a human characteristic. We feel fulfilled, we feel successful, when we're busy.
God tells us in this scripture to "Be still, and know that I am God." What does that mean? I'm no theologian, but I think God is telling us to settle our lives, our hearts, and our minds. Sit back and remember that in our busyness, God is. He is, was, and is yet to come. He is Author and Creator of all. Rejoice that He is in control! Find peace that He is watching over you. Exalt His name, and be thankful.
So I'm doing that this morning. I am rejoicing! I am exalting His name. Praise the Lord, for He is Good.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Shots!
Is there a word that strikes more fear in the hearts of children (and their parents!) than "shot"? Graham had his 18-month checkup this morning, and he had to have two shots. I knew it was coming, and I was ready. Before getting out of the car, I gave him a dose of Tylenol. I let him walk himself from the lobby to the examination room. I think this was the point in which he became suspicious.
All throughout his exam, he kept saying, "Mommy". He knew- I know that he knew! I was upbeat, trying hard to make him laugh while his height and weight were checked. I let him play with my phone. I tickled him. I sang "If you're happy and you know it...". Then, it came time for the shots. I told him, "Graham, you may cry. Mommy is definitely going to cry. Let's just get through this quickly, okay?" He looked at me blankly. Not for long, though.
I asked his nurse (who is a wonderful nurse!) to give him the more painful one first. The MMR shot went in, and I watched my sweet boy's face change from complacent to pain-filled to betrayed. He looked at his sweet nurse as if she were the enemy, which I guess, to him, she was.
The thing is, he only cried for about 10 seconds! I was so proud of him. I couldn't believe how quickly he got over it (especially because that darned MMR shot HURTS!!).
While I was there, I picked up Bethany's immunization records for school. Upon inspection, I realized that she is 2 shots short of being current. I made that appointment today.
In two weeks, I have a feeling that I will be making another post about a very different shot day. My Bethany is stubborn. Stubborn. And she's already let me know that she doesn't want any shots. Oh, boy.
All throughout his exam, he kept saying, "Mommy". He knew- I know that he knew! I was upbeat, trying hard to make him laugh while his height and weight were checked. I let him play with my phone. I tickled him. I sang "If you're happy and you know it...". Then, it came time for the shots. I told him, "Graham, you may cry. Mommy is definitely going to cry. Let's just get through this quickly, okay?" He looked at me blankly. Not for long, though.
I asked his nurse (who is a wonderful nurse!) to give him the more painful one first. The MMR shot went in, and I watched my sweet boy's face change from complacent to pain-filled to betrayed. He looked at his sweet nurse as if she were the enemy, which I guess, to him, she was.
The thing is, he only cried for about 10 seconds! I was so proud of him. I couldn't believe how quickly he got over it (especially because that darned MMR shot HURTS!!).
While I was there, I picked up Bethany's immunization records for school. Upon inspection, I realized that she is 2 shots short of being current. I made that appointment today.
In two weeks, I have a feeling that I will be making another post about a very different shot day. My Bethany is stubborn. Stubborn. And she's already let me know that she doesn't want any shots. Oh, boy.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Jeremiah 29:11- What protection!
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -
Jeremiah 29:11
This is one of my very favorite verses of scripture. It is the promise of a Father to His children. It is comfort, protection, and peace wrapped up in a statement of ownership. He knows all. He created you. He knows every step you will take before you take it. He has a plan for your life. He gives you hope and a future.
This verse has always given me such peace. When I don't know what to do, or when I don't know how a particularly bad situation is going to end up, I think on this verse. I pray through this verse. Every time, I am comforted. God loves me. No matter what, God loves me. He is in control, and He is holding me close.
Thank you, God, for this promise of comfort and of love. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for giving me a hope and a future.
This is one of my very favorite verses of scripture. It is the promise of a Father to His children. It is comfort, protection, and peace wrapped up in a statement of ownership. He knows all. He created you. He knows every step you will take before you take it. He has a plan for your life. He gives you hope and a future.
This verse has always given me such peace. When I don't know what to do, or when I don't know how a particularly bad situation is going to end up, I think on this verse. I pray through this verse. Every time, I am comforted. God loves me. No matter what, God loves me. He is in control, and He is holding me close.
Thank you, God, for this promise of comfort and of love. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for giving me a hope and a future.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Grahamisms
Grahamism- (n) Something cute that Graham does that makes me giggle.
1. When he's ready to take a bite, he shouts, "MMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmm".
2. Graham can't stand to have anything on the tabletops. If there's something there, he grabs it, carries it over to his pack 'n play, and tosses it in.
3. Graham loves to talk on the phone. He will hunt down the house phone, bring it to me, and start talking into it.
4. He thinks every burp or fluffy is hilarious and laughs. If you say, "Graham!" in a scolding manner, he throws his head back and guffaws.
5. If he hears applause on television, he claps along with it and says, "Aaaaayyy". (His version of "yay")
6. Graham loves Family Feud. If he hears it on tv, he runs into the room, sits down, and watches it.
7. If you see Graham doing something he's not supposed to be doing, and you say, "Graham, no!", he drops whatever he's doing and either crawls or runs away very quickly. Then, he nonchalantly comes back into the room.
8. This isn't a Grahamism, but a SMH- Graham head butts EVERYTHING. I think he's part goat. If he hits his head accidentally, he knocks his head into whatever he hit before, but this time on purpose. It's as if he's telling the object that it won't get the best of him. Hrmph.
1. When he's ready to take a bite, he shouts, "MMMmmmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmm".
2. Graham can't stand to have anything on the tabletops. If there's something there, he grabs it, carries it over to his pack 'n play, and tosses it in.
3. Graham loves to talk on the phone. He will hunt down the house phone, bring it to me, and start talking into it.
4. He thinks every burp or fluffy is hilarious and laughs. If you say, "Graham!" in a scolding manner, he throws his head back and guffaws.
5. If he hears applause on television, he claps along with it and says, "Aaaaayyy". (His version of "yay")
6. Graham loves Family Feud. If he hears it on tv, he runs into the room, sits down, and watches it.
7. If you see Graham doing something he's not supposed to be doing, and you say, "Graham, no!", he drops whatever he's doing and either crawls or runs away very quickly. Then, he nonchalantly comes back into the room.
8. This isn't a Grahamism, but a SMH- Graham head butts EVERYTHING. I think he's part goat. If he hits his head accidentally, he knocks his head into whatever he hit before, but this time on purpose. It's as if he's telling the object that it won't get the best of him. Hrmph.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Back from Oblivion (Again)
Back from oblivion (again)! It's been 4 years since I've posted a blog. My kids are getting bigger, the family's getting busier, and I thought it would be a great idea to start back on this, if only to record the happenings of our family for future nostalgia. So, on this day in March, here's where we stand:
Ken: Ken is the Associate Pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church. We've been here since September 2008, and it's been a blessing to us. He's just finished up his 3rd Disciple Now weekend, where one teen girl came to know Christ (HALLELUJAH!) and everyone had a great time. His theme was "Encounter" and he spoke of how an encounter with Jesus Christ leads to great change in a person's life. The messages spoke to me, and I know they spoke to everyone who heard. He came home Sunday night exhausted, but charged with passion from the Lord for the next Disciple Now theme. He created the logo (something he always does first) and the Lord gave him direction on three of the four sermons. He created the outlines for all 3 sermons right then! I had to smile. That's my Ken.
Emily: Emily is in 2nd grade at Union Academy, and she is 7 1/2 years old. She loves school very much, and can't wait to get there every day. She recently won the Character Award for her class for Encouragement. It amazes and delights me to see her with such incredible compassion and love for everyone around her. She has her moments (doesn't everyone?), but she's an amazing kid. She accepted Christ about 6 months ago, and she loves to call me her "Sister". Emily is in her 5th year of ballet. She's also taking modern for the first time this year. She loves to dance, and I get so tickled when she breaks into dancing at random moments. She just has times when the music fills her up so much that she has to dance it. Love that girl!
Bethany: Bethany just turned 6 years old and I am homeschooling her for Kindergarten. She is 2nd on the wait list for 1st grade at Union Academy, and we're saying some hard prayers that two families are relocated (good situations, of course!) before the start of the school year. Homeschooling is challenging, but she is doing great. I supplement her work with www.abcmouse.com, which she loves. Once, a lady asked her where she went to school, and she said, "abc.mouse.com, an online learning academy". HA! The things that come out of that child's mouth! She is so funny. Bethany is taking her 3rd year of ballet. Tonight, the parents got to go into her class to watch their routine with costumes on. The song was from one of the Tinker Bell movies, and Bethany sang the song while she danced. I'm pretty sure that she's not supposed to do that, but it was funny nonetheless.
Graham: Graham is a funny almost-18-month-old boy who is so stinkin' adorable! Man, that kid knows how to wrap Mommy around his little finger. He freely gives hugs, kisses, and cuddles to everyone. He started walking about a month ago. Yep, just a month ago. For months, he would take a skittish step every once in awhile, but only between two people. I knew I had to get him some new shoes, so we headed to the mall. I put this pair of shoes on him (Stride Rites!), and it was like someone whispered, "Now, Graham! Go!" in his ear, because he took off like a shot. Now, he's everywhere, and everywhere fast. He thinks he's as big as the girls, and he gets very frustrated that he can't do everything that they can.
Me: I'm hanging in there. It's hard watching the kids grow up so quickly. In an effort to be "hands on" with Emily's school (especially since she's transitioning from homeschool to UA) I signed up to be a Room Parent. Thankfully, there are two other RPs in Emily's class. I've enjoyed doing that. It puts me in the classroom a bit, and emailing parents a lot. I've enjoyed getting to know Emily's teachers, and I hope that I can be RP next year, too. I have taken the world's longest maternity leave from my parent's company. I really need to get back to that. They may fill my position soon. I do some freelance writing from time to time.
So, here are some recent pictures of the kids:
Emily, Bethany, and I enjoy a "coffee" break from Christmas shopping. They had hot cocoa.
This was our Christmas card. It took over 500 pictures to get this shot. I'm amazed they had smiles left in them at that point!
This was the official Santa picture. Please notice that Bethany is smiling. This is the first time she's willingly visited Santa. She announced, "Now that I'm five, I can sit on Santa's lap without crying." Well, thank goodness! Notice that Graham isn't exactly happy. Next year's picture should be interesting.
Emily and Bethany were in the Union County Youth Ballet's performance of "The Nutcracker". Bethany was a Cherub and Emily was a Little Mouse. This was Bethany's 1st and Emily's 2nd Nutcracker performance. Oh, the pride of a Mama! They did a great job.
The girls were so good while I was running about 5 million errands that I let them stop for a doughnut break. I am very proud (and shocked) to announce that the red light was on, and I did NOT indulge in a doughnut. ( This is a monumental event, because KK doughnuts are almost impossible to resist. I can't say that I could do it again.)
Oh, my Bethany! This child is so funny. My Grandma gave her a toy laptop several years back for Christmas. Bethany set herself up a little workstation. How creative is she!?!?! She used a Pampers box and her (emptied) shoe bin to get the laptop to just the right height. I point out here that she is working in her pajamas. Smart girl.
Graham's first ride on a carousel! He loved it. The hand you see on the right side of the picture is Uncle B's. He followed Graham around the carousel to make sure he didn't fall. Good job, Uncle B!
I surprised Emily one morning with breakfast out before school. She looks so grown up here! Sweet, sweet girl.
Emily being baptized by her Dad. This was a special day, and my heart was full.
This is Graham this past Disciple Now weekend, playing with a basketball. He didn't understand why he couldn't play with the big guys.
Okay, that's it for now. Hopefully, I can get on here a little more frequently. I think it would be nice to have a documentation of the kids' lives, and I can pretty much guarantee that scrapbooking is not going to happen.
Ken: Ken is the Associate Pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church. We've been here since September 2008, and it's been a blessing to us. He's just finished up his 3rd Disciple Now weekend, where one teen girl came to know Christ (HALLELUJAH!) and everyone had a great time. His theme was "Encounter" and he spoke of how an encounter with Jesus Christ leads to great change in a person's life. The messages spoke to me, and I know they spoke to everyone who heard. He came home Sunday night exhausted, but charged with passion from the Lord for the next Disciple Now theme. He created the logo (something he always does first) and the Lord gave him direction on three of the four sermons. He created the outlines for all 3 sermons right then! I had to smile. That's my Ken.
Emily: Emily is in 2nd grade at Union Academy, and she is 7 1/2 years old. She loves school very much, and can't wait to get there every day. She recently won the Character Award for her class for Encouragement. It amazes and delights me to see her with such incredible compassion and love for everyone around her. She has her moments (doesn't everyone?), but she's an amazing kid. She accepted Christ about 6 months ago, and she loves to call me her "Sister". Emily is in her 5th year of ballet. She's also taking modern for the first time this year. She loves to dance, and I get so tickled when she breaks into dancing at random moments. She just has times when the music fills her up so much that she has to dance it. Love that girl!
Bethany: Bethany just turned 6 years old and I am homeschooling her for Kindergarten. She is 2nd on the wait list for 1st grade at Union Academy, and we're saying some hard prayers that two families are relocated (good situations, of course!) before the start of the school year. Homeschooling is challenging, but she is doing great. I supplement her work with www.abcmouse.com, which she loves. Once, a lady asked her where she went to school, and she said, "abc.mouse.com, an online learning academy". HA! The things that come out of that child's mouth! She is so funny. Bethany is taking her 3rd year of ballet. Tonight, the parents got to go into her class to watch their routine with costumes on. The song was from one of the Tinker Bell movies, and Bethany sang the song while she danced. I'm pretty sure that she's not supposed to do that, but it was funny nonetheless.
Graham: Graham is a funny almost-18-month-old boy who is so stinkin' adorable! Man, that kid knows how to wrap Mommy around his little finger. He freely gives hugs, kisses, and cuddles to everyone. He started walking about a month ago. Yep, just a month ago. For months, he would take a skittish step every once in awhile, but only between two people. I knew I had to get him some new shoes, so we headed to the mall. I put this pair of shoes on him (Stride Rites!), and it was like someone whispered, "Now, Graham! Go!" in his ear, because he took off like a shot. Now, he's everywhere, and everywhere fast. He thinks he's as big as the girls, and he gets very frustrated that he can't do everything that they can.
Me: I'm hanging in there. It's hard watching the kids grow up so quickly. In an effort to be "hands on" with Emily's school (especially since she's transitioning from homeschool to UA) I signed up to be a Room Parent. Thankfully, there are two other RPs in Emily's class. I've enjoyed doing that. It puts me in the classroom a bit, and emailing parents a lot. I've enjoyed getting to know Emily's teachers, and I hope that I can be RP next year, too. I have taken the world's longest maternity leave from my parent's company. I really need to get back to that. They may fill my position soon. I do some freelance writing from time to time.
So, here are some recent pictures of the kids:
Okay, that's it for now. Hopefully, I can get on here a little more frequently. I think it would be nice to have a documentation of the kids' lives, and I can pretty much guarantee that scrapbooking is not going to happen.
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