The First of the Season

One of the benefits of living in the South is that we get the first fruits of the season. These beautiful strawberries are a lively punch of rich red on a blustery day.

Mine

Tom Becker

When I first married into S's family, I was introduced (by proxy) to a gentleman named Tom Becker. I have grown to love Tom Becker as he tends to show up at Christmas and birthdays bearing lovely gifts. He's a bit like Santa and the Tooth Fairy in that he makes his presence known by leaving the gifts for you without being seen. He's quite sneaky that way.

Well, Tom made an appearance at our house on Wednesday evening by way of Gran and Granddad. Apparently Tom found a wonderful gift for K while he was out shopping and just had to give it to her even though it wasn't her birthday or Christmas. Here's what Tom Becker brought:

See? Doesn't he bring good gifts? Now Tom didn't want to leave out L or H and he brought them cute t-shirts from a local restaurant, complete with a picture of a volleyball-playing toucan. Of course, L would have preferred the bike but Tom hasn't found one that suits her just yet.

Taking Chance

I saw this movie on Saturday and it was truly wonderful. Here's the story upon which this movie is based. I realize it's only on HBO for now so some of you may not get to see it but I know it'll be on DVD and then you must see it. Oh, and make sure you have a large box of Kleenex available. It even made S get misty.

Hair Disaster Pictures

I wish I had a picture of the room post-shearing but I don't. The hairdos will have to suffice.

L before:

L after:
H before:

H after:

Home

We got home from our little trip on Friday evening, exhausted and ready for bed even though it was only 6:30. I was so happy to see the kids in spite of the aforementioned exhaustion. Our trip was interesting and informative. I took the opportunity to drive around some neighborhoods and we looked at a few houses although I didn't see anything I just had to have.

In fact, this trip brought up a lot of emotions that have been boiling under the surface for quite awhile. There is some excitement about moving to a new city and discovering new things. I remember how thrilling it was to move to DC, to be the new girl, to meet new people and make new friends. It was invigorating and refreshing.

Now that I'm settled with a husband, three children, and a house to call my own, I don't want to move. I told S that I'd be happier about it if we were moving to a city where I really wanted to live. The move is going to be difficult no matter what but I could look forward to it if I really wanted to live in this city. But I don't. I have zero desire to live there, to raise my family there, to put down roots there.

We did get to go to a really nice Spanish restaurant that was so good I needed a wheelbarrow to carry me out at the end of the dinner. We went with S's new boss and his wife and they are truly lovely people and I think S will be happy working for him. I'm trying to find positives in this situation, knowing that God has a perfect plan for our family.

Out of Town

I'm on a very unexpected trip to the city where S got his new job. They needed him here for a few days and I, at the very last minute, decided to come with him. I'm checking out houses, schools, and taking the time to relax and read.

I have pictures of the hair fiasco and L's hair turned out really cute. Even though we were trying to grow it out, the style fits her. H's hair is, well, buzzed and he looks so different but still has all his H personality. I will post them when I get home.

Have a blessed week!

In Everyone's Life a Little Hair Must Fall

Tonight I was blessed with the opportunity to get out of the house for a couple of hours. A friend had invited me to a Tastefully Simple party and since I'd been cooped up with the kids for two weeks straight (S was away on business), I jumped at the chance to just be with other ladies.

My evening was wonderful and I planned to be home after the kids were in bed. However, when I pulled in the driveway, the light in the girls' room was still on. Not good. I walked in the door and was greeted by S with a look of utter frustration on his face. The girls got in a lot of trouble with, you guessed it, a pair of scissors.

He told me they had damaged a pop-up tent and K cut L's baby doll (which can easily be fixed. We'll just call it a small operation). I walked in the girls' room to check out the damage and was confronted with floor full of bits of cut up paper. I made the girls pick up all the little pieces and as I was folding a blanket that was in a pile on the floor, I saw what I had feared most: a chunk of L's hair. Let's just say that we're going to be taking a little trip to the hair salon tomorrow so that we can even things out a bit. And H will be getting in on the haircut action as K and L, apparently, bestowed on him the gift of the silver shears.

Pictures to follow for sure...

The Funny Never Stops

Since the kids are out of school tomorrow, Nana, who is visiting for the weekend, took the girls to see a movie tonight. On the way home from the movie, Nana asked the girls if they knew where the new Starbucks was. K replied, "Focus, Nana. You need to focus on the road, not on Starbucks."

(Her project turned out great by the way)

This Shouldn't be Stressful for Me

K has her very first school project that is due Friday. It's about the presidents K drew Calvin Coolidge and Harry S. Truman.

Now this project is very easy and completely geared to a first grader's developmental level. But at the bottom of the instruction sheet it says to be creative. How creative are we supposed to be? We're supposed to have a picture of the guy so does it have to be in color or can it be in black and white because my printer only prints black and white and we have a president from the 20's and the 40's and color pictures weren't just real popular back then. Do we need to decorate the paper with the president's favorite things? Should we have flag stickers and red, white, and blue decorations all around it? Ooh, what about glitter?

I just have to keep reminding myself that this isn't my project but K's. I want her to do well on her own, not be one of those moms who does projects "with" their children.

Speaking of K, I forgot to mention that she got student of the month for the first grade. Every other month, one student is selected from each grade based on their example of a specific virtue. January's virtue was kindness. She didn't know she was getting the award and was very surprised when her teacher called her name in front of the whole elementary school at chapel on Thursday. I was very proud of her and held back tears while her teacher told how K shows kindness in the classroom and everyday life.

What got me was what the teacher said about her. When it was time to choose student of the month, Mrs. E had a hard time choosing between 3 students. So she asked a colleague to weigh in. The colleague said of the three, she thought K was the best example of kindness in the classroom. So not only did her teacher recognize it but other faculty members notice it, too.

This Mama is PROUD!

(Still) Laughing

The conversations I have with L just crack me up. She just has a way of phrasing things that are humorous. Here's the conversation we had last night at the dinner table:

L: Hey! There's Cinderella on my cup and she's wearing the same dress as me! (She had on her blue Cinderella princess dress)
Me: Yeah, you both look so pretty.
L: But hers is a little different right here (pointing to the chest region). Mommy? When am I going to get bras?
Me: (After pausing a moment to collect myself) What?
L: When am I going to get bras?
Me: Do you mean breasts?
L: Yeah.
Me: Um, probably not until you're 12 or 13.
L: Like when I'm in class and have earrings? Yay!

A Conversation

...that went something like this:

L: Mommy, can we get (insert strange movie title that Mama doesn't know here)? I saw it at school.
K: What's it about?
L: I don't know, I haven't seen it. But it's short.
K: How do you know it's short?
L: 'Cause I'm FOUR!
K: But how do you know it's short if you haven't seen it?
L: 'Cause I'm smart. I have Smarties in my tummy!

It Was Bound to Happen

While S and I have been dealing with the whole work situation, we've done our best to keep everything normal for the kids. We didn't quit any activities or move them from their school. Basically everything has been the same except for no job (until last Thursday).

A few weeks ago we had our first open house. We were running around like mad trying to get the house perfect for those who would be looking at it. We asked the girls to help by sweeping out their playhouse in the back yard. Well, K lost it. She is usually my most compliant child and she just lost it, throwing a full-on tantrum at 6 years old. This isn't normal. I sent her to her room for a time out to let her calm down. When I checked on her, she said she didn't want to leave her house or move or go to a new school or leave her friends. S and I prayed with her, for peace and for comfort. There is nothing like seeing your child in pain. Her fears were from the heart.

Last night, as I'm tucking the girls into bed, L lost it. She said the exact same things K had said just a few weeks earlier. This made me cry and the three of us girls sat on L's bed and prayed, again, for peace and comfort. We prayed that we'd make new friends and find a good school. K's prayer was so sweet for her sister and that made me even more teary.

While this situation has been difficult for S and I, we tend to forget that it's not easy for the kids either. We've not changed much in our way of life but they know that they are going to be leaving all they've ever known.

The truth is that I don't want to leave. I've made some wonderful, life-long friends here and hate to leave them behind. It's true that this is a new adventure, I'll get a new house, new church, new friends, be the new girl in town. And part of me wonders why God chose right now to move us away from everything. I didn't want to move to this town 6 years ago and now I don't want to leave.

I pray daily for our situation, especially for my children, that they will handle this with the grace that God provides. He is our ultimate comfort and anchor.

Happy Anniversary

Ten things I love about S


1. He has more patience than I do.
2. He plays with his children.
3. He loves his children.
4. He loves his mother.
5. When he's passionate about something, he puts his whole heart into it.
6. He puts up with everything I hand him.
7. He makes me laugh on a daily basis.
8. He always puts his family first.
9. He cooks dinner when I don't feel like it (and even sometimes when I do).
10. He encourages me and tells me he loves me every day.


Happy Anniversary, Honey!


(There are more but this post could go on forever)