Summer

Well, Summer is here and it is time to regroup. We have already been out of town for a week while Dave was preaching a camp in Brownwood. We went to my parent's house for a few days, and then to my sweet friend Christy's for the next few. We had such fun and everything went well. Caroline even continued to sleep thru the night while we were not at our own home. Fabulous! Now we are home and things must settle into some kind of normal for us. I have decided to put us on a schedule so that we can actually accomplish a few things this summer. We will have times for Bible study, reading, resting, outside play, and even some studies. We will have certain times for meals and snacks so that I can stop the endless "Can I have a snack?" questions. And we will have time for free time- that will include scrapbooking and organizing projects for me as well. And of course, we need exercise time. So, all these plans- pray for me that I will be diligent to stick with the schedule and also have time for bonding with my kids and caring for an infant.

For those of you who don't know, I am attempting this in an effort to see how I might be at homeschooling. Dave and I are prayerfully considering homeschooling our kids this next year, and I need to check my confidence. I am a very disorganized person although my every wish is to be organized. And I am very much a procrastinator. So, this summer is my trial run, so to speak. As we continue to pray for God's will for us in this area, I will continue to be moldable in hopes that I will be ready for whatever He has in store.

My First Grader

Well, my Kindergartener is now officially a First Grader. Last week was Charlie's Kindergarten graduation. It was so cute! They did pledges and sang songs. So I have to post a few pics.

Here is how he looked when he first got to his place. He was so excited he could barely stand still. And just that morning he was all but crying that he didn't want to go because the songs were too long. As you can see, it didn't bother him at all once he got there.

This is Charlie and one of his best friends, Reagan, doing the motions to one of the songs. It was the cutest song called "Tooty-Ta." Too hard to explain, but it was the best part of the program. And just last week, Reagan and his mom were at our house and the two of them said, "You're my best buddy."
Here he is shaking the pricipal's hand and getting his diploma. What a proud Mama I am.This is Charlie with his teachers. On the right is Mrs. Quist, or as the kids call her, Mrs. Q. She had to leave the year early because she had a baby at 27 weeks. His name is Isaac and he is still in the hospital in Ft. Worth. He is doing well getting stronger every day. On the left is Mrs. Nobile. She was a Kindergarten Aide and stepped in to take over for Mrs. Q. She did a great job and the kids loved both teachers.

And so my son is a First Grader. When he got in the car after school today he said, "I'm a First Grader. Mrs. Nobile said when we walk out that door we are First Graders. So I'm a First Grader." My how time flies. I can't believe that it was just 6 short years ago that he was a chubby little baby and I felt I had a whole 5 years left before we have to get caught up in school. And here we are. And time goes on...

My Pre-K Girl

Well, my Preschooler is now a Pre-Kindergartener! I can't believe it! She has officially "graduated" Preschool. We had such a wonderful program which included a piano and dance recital.
This is Mrs. Mona, her piano teacher. Madeline is still in her ballet costume- too cute!!

This is Madeline getting her trophies and certificate. Each child got a trophy for their activities so Madeline got a piano trophy, dance trophy, and then each child got a "Jesus Loves Me" trophy of praying hands. Then each child gets an award for a certain attribute and Madeline got the award for "Most Compassionate."

So this is her second dance- the jazz dance. I got this idea from high school- thanks Wranglerettes!! This is a dance to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." I had them dress in their pajammas for a pajamma party. I told them to pile their hair on top of their heads so that it would swing around. Some, like Madeline even wore hair pieces. They also danced with their pillows as Caroline helps demonstrate in the next pic.

Dancer and Future Dancer. Of course, Madeline had to have the Princess pillow case. And so my Preschooler is now in Pre-Kindergarten. Getting older and bigger everyday. I've always thought of her as my baby and now there is Caroline getting ready to follow in her big sister's footsteps. I am so blessed to have two beautiful princesses and a big brother to take care of them. God is good.

Mother's Day

I know it's late, but the other day I was looking through pictures on my computer and came across this one from Mother's Day last year. So I thought I would do a post on Mother's Day. This Mother's Day was a difficult one. Not only for me, but for the other people in our church who were close to Debbie. Not only were we sad that she wasn't with us, but we were sad because she wasn't with her kids, Chris and Ashley. There were a few tears at church and throughout the day. I really thought of Debbie as my mom in Nocona. I could tell her anything and I knew she would understand. And she always wanted to know what was going on in our lives. I so greatly miss being able to pick up the phone and tell her about my day and what is happening with my kids. Especially with Caroline. Charlie and Madeline have memories for now, but Caroline will never know Debbie's sweet presence in her life. As I promised Debbie the day before she died, I will always tell my kids about her and how much she loved us.

So here is a picture of my Mother's Day this year. My first with three kids. I am so blessed as a Mom that God has entrusted me with three wonderful angels to take care of, to teach, to watch grow, and to travel this journey of life with. They are each special in their own ways and I am filled with love for them. What a joy to see Charlie acting silly, Madeline twirling, and Caroline grinning. I am learning daily about what it means to be a mother and I am so proud to be learning with them. I fall in love with them over and over again as they reach each stage of their lives. My prayer for them is that they come to know Christ as I do, and that through Him they are able to find the things in life that bring them joy. That they will grow and mature in their faith in Him, and share that faith with others. I pray that they will be safe and healthy, and also that they will always feel loved. But for now, I will settle for loving them as much as I can and try daily to give them over to the Lord to do what He wills.

Now for my Mom. This picture was taken last year at the Women of Faith Conference in Dallas. (Mom, we don't take enough pictures together!) What an inspiration my mom has been to me!! We have always been best friends. When I was growing up, my friends were often envious of me because I had such a great relationship with my mother. And I was always very proud of that. I could tell her anything at all and she didn't judge me. She supported me in everything I did and took me to countless gymnastics, cheerleading, and drill team practices, meets and games. She tolerated my constant fighting with my brother. She did everything she possibly could to help me with my anxiety and panic disorder. She sat up with me nights and tolerated my constant stomach-aches and fears. She has helped me through school, getting married and moving away to Florida. She was the reason I wanted to move back to Texas when I got pregnant with my first child. She was there for his birth and has seen me through two more after. She helped me through depression after my second chile and stayed with me as I was so sick with my last pregnancy. She continues to be a major presence in the lives of my kids as well as my brother's. Mom has beaten breast cancer and seen my dad through major heart surgery. She has endured the death of her father. And she has done all of these things with a grace that can only come from God and that I hope to have in my own life. I have learned more from her than any teacher or school could ever teach. She is my confidante and my friend. She is my safe place and my hero. I am proud to call her my mother. Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Cinderella

Yesterday afternoon Steven Curtis Chapman's 5-year-old adopted daughter was killed tragically in the driveway of their home. His current radio hit "Cinderella" was written about his daughters and enjoying every mintute together because time goes by so quickly. Above is the video with his explanation. It is so worth watching. What an amazing lesson to be learned.

Two Months Young!

Caroline is two months old and I feel like time is flying by. Where is my newborn? She is now a sweet, pudgy, smiley, cooey, infant. I can no longer call her a newborn. She has outgrown newborn diapers (and almost ones), newborn clothes, no longer do I have to watch her head so much, she sleeps all night (yeah!), and she is able to focus on us and respond to us. I am happy about all these things, but not that they happened so quickly. When I was in Jr. High and High school, I always wanted time to fly by so I could be older and do more things and be more independent- drive, date, etc. But never in my life have I ever wanted time to stop so badly than when I have my babies. In one short year, their bodies grow and change so much that I can hardly catch it all. And while I still love each phase they go through as kids, there is something about a baby that resonates innocence and love and beauty. And the way they smell should be bottled and sold. I don't know how many times a week I hear, "She's getting so big!" or "I can't believe how much she's changed!" I wish someone would say, "She still looks like a newborn!" Oh, well. Time goes on...

Switched at Birth?

I can't help but wonder sometimes who this baby belongs to. If she didn't look so much like her brother, I might think she had been switched at birth. She is so easy! Compared to her brother and sister, she is a breeze! She is not fussy at all unless she is hungry or needs to be picked up. She will lie on her back on the floor for quite a while and be happy just looking around. Charlie and Madeline never did that for more than a couple minutes. She is happy in the car as long as it is moving. Charlie was, but Madeline wasn't as much. And she will stay in her swing and bouncy seat for much longer periods of time than the other two. In fact, they didn't like to swing at all.

And she SLEEPS!!!! I cannot believe this is actually my child! Charlie and Madeline went only every two or three hours for the whole first year and beyond. I NEVER got a good night's sleep and even now Madeline is in our bed every night. But Caroline sleeps 5-10 hours EVERY NIGHT!! And her average is 7 HOURS! As long as I swaddle her, she stays asleep in her own crib all night and has since about 5-6 weeks. The new swaddle blankets are a gift from God. They didn't have those when I had my other two. And here's the kicker- I have even put her down AWAKE and she puts herself to sleep! Unfathomable in my world! And Caroline is in her own bed until she wakes up to feed and then she comes into mine. With the other two, I slept with them all night because they nursed so much. And while I am a total believer in co-sleeping, I must admit that I am more rested with Caroline than I ever was with Charlie and Madeline and that is kinda nice.

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