Perfect Timing

This thing has been running through my mind, over and over... I'm really awed by it and last night, instead of talking to the kids about the real meaning of Christmas and Jesus being born as a little helpless baby and isn't it nice that we're celebrating His birthday, I went off on a different tangent.

Time, patience, waiting for the exact right moment.

Here's the thing. Adam and Eve sinned pretty much right way, they didn't wait too long to get the first sin out of the way. God created a beautiful garden, perfect for them to live in, and they didn't take very long to go out and ruin it. Ok, they were like kids in their innocence and we know how kids are, they don't believe their parents when they say "you're going to get hurt..." I'm not trying to make light of it, but it seems to me that's pretty much what happened. So, they sin. God has a plan to fix all that, to undo it, but does he send Jesus the next day? No.

God waited. He had the plan from the very beginning but He waited. Through thousands of years of people faithfully following him and even more people defiantly turning away from Him, ignoring Him, on and on. Thousands of years.

From Matthew 1:
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...
   Abraham was the father of Isaac...
   Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David,
   fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon,
   and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

That's 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus. Plus all the years before that. That's a lot of waiting for the right time. And THEN, did Jesus come as a man, ready to preach and then give Himself up for us? No. There were the nine months of waiting for that baby to be born, the 30 or so years waiting for Him to grow up...

As a mother, I know the torment and joy of waiting to conceive a child. The torment and joy of those nine months while I can't think of anything else but seeing that precious face and holding that beautiful baby in my arms. And yet I waited, there was no other option but to wait for God's timing, His perfect timing to bring forth those beautiful lives into this world.

God waited centuries and months and days for the right time to bring Jesus to us, and then for Jesus to grow into adulthood and lead the world into knowing the Lord. What an incredible story. What an incredible example to us. If He could wait to choose the exact right moment in history to bring Jesus to the world, can we learn to trust His timing? Can we learn that even when everything seems lost, or the daily grind seems so mundane, that God really does have perfect timing? That He really does have a plan that's a million times better than anything we ourselves could think of?

I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and he heard my cry.
~ Psalm 40:1

Cinnamon

As you know, this friend joined our family years ago, when Archer was just one and still too small to ride. Beautiful Cinnamon was carefully crafted by Grandpa Craig and has a source of great joy for many children through the years.

Cinnamon has suffered great injustices, but continued to serve us faithfully. There are the dents in the walls where the kids rocked too close. There are the missing parts (saddle blanket? where?) and moments of coloring (is that crayon or marker?) on his pretty white nose. The worst was the haircut. I walked into Archer's room one day to find that Cinnamon's mane and tail had been completely sheared off at the hands of a young boy who said, "But his hair was in his eyes! He needed a haircut!" There were pictures shared with Grandpa. To spare Cinnamon further humiliation, we won't share those here.

But Cinnamon has always been a faithful friend, quietly enduring all abuse, trick riding, tipping over and climbing upon. Cinnamon has strongly stood up to the increasing size of the kids on his back, and never with a single complaint.

He has now been adopted by a new Mom, a Mom who calls him Rosie. She will teach him to cook (in case you couldn't tell, he's wearing an apron and chef's hat here), and tell him all about the latest fashions, probably share with him her secret Christmas plans and wishes. And in return, he'll keep her company at night when she's all alone in that dark bedroom, he'll wait for her to return home from school for more cooking lessons, and he'll faithfully stand by her side as he has done for Archer for so many years.

Mr...

Mr. Expression. Mr. Attitude. Mr. DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!

Mr. E.
Elijah Graham is getting a little bossy, and a LOT of fun. He's talking more very second, the funny thing is that I would expect him to have names for his brother and sister but nothing yet. (Although, Archer would say, he just screams and hits you to say your name.)

Trying to decipher what he's telling us is getting easier as he gets better at expressing himself, but also harder as he tries more and more words.

But. This actually means bus.
Hot. This means hot. Sometimes hat.
Baba. Interchangeable for all grandparents.
Wet. Interchangeable for wet but also water.
Diaper
Boat. Meaning broke.
Mot. Mess - and he's not afraid to point out EVERY mess he makes.
Hide. Yes, he bosses me around and tells me to hide. The we run around the house and scream when we catch each other. Oh the fun we have when the rest of the family is away!
E. Eat.
Ooo. Food.
Every kid's favorite word - NO!
Dote. Coke, or diet coke, whatever's around. Also can mean coat, depending on the context.
Maymay. Excuse me!
Beep beep. Get out of the way!
M-A. Lemonade, juice or water.

Little Daddy

Elijah has started taking care of the new baby in the family. He started by putting her down for a nap. In the cupboard in the bathroom. On top of the supply of diapers and wipes. Hey, its warm and dark, perfect place, right? I gave him an empty box for more suitable sleeping accommodations and he promptly moved Baby to the new spot, and pushed the box all around the house, never leaving it behind. "Baby! Nap!" he kept telling me. When he'd leave her for awhile, he'd suddenly announce "Baby!" and go find her. She'd woken up. He fed her cereal for breakfast.

I told E that he would be a great daddy, he's getting in lots of practice now. "Did I play with dolls when I was E's age?" Archer asked. No... No dolls in the house when you were little. Archer's face fell. "Then I won't be a good dad." I told him he gets to practice on the real thing, two younger siblings. Poor Elijah only has dolls to practice on. Archer got a kick out of that and went off to school happy.

Baby wears two hats to make sure she's extra warm. She gets covered with a blanket during nap time, and gets to try on snow pants when the other kids are trying on theirs. Hers are pink. It will be awhile before she grows into Shelly's old snow pants. Yesterday she took a nap with E. Today she's in a heap in the corner. Forgotten for now, but not for long. I'm sure her little daddy will discover her again soon, and make sure she's warm and comfy once again!

Pie!

In celebration of the snow

And anticipation of Christmas vacation

And because this is our fifth day in a row of ham and turkey sandwiches and I'm tired of leftovers

It's pie night. All we can eat pie. Nothing else but pie. And egg nog and coke to wash it down.

And all E will say is "pie." Pie? Pie pie pie! PIE!
And now it's all gone. 

So tomorrow back to ham and turkey sandwiches.

(Dear Children, Someday when you read this just think - I didn't always make you eat your veggies. We ate fun stuff sometimes!)

Fox Hunt

We were all sitting around, relaxing on a weekend afternoon when suddenly, what was that flash by the door? Is it a cat? Too big... wait... FOX! We saw a fox on our deck, right up next to the back door. I think it was looking for the bacon that we had for breakfast, he wanted his share. I was surprised to see him so close to our house and out in the middle of the day. Of course, the kids were surprised too and went running and shouting to the door to get a closer look. Which sent the fox running away.

They grabbed their shoes and coats and went running out the door after it. A real fox hunt! Archer took his phone so he could get pictures if they spotted it again, and he spent a couple of hours wandering around the field looking for tracks. The fox was not seen again, but the kids had a good time out there on the hunt. And I was the silly one who thought my kids couldn't have great adventures outside because we live in the suburbs... I'm so glad I was wrong!

As the fox hunt wound down, they started collecting ears of corn off some stalks that a neighbor had put out, they're planning on taking them to Grandma and Grandpa's for the squirrels.

Elijah couldn't be left behind, and when I glanced outside I realized he'd escaped the house with no coat and NO SHOES! Fearless little E traipsing around the tall grass with the fearless leaders, thankfully it wasn't too cold out. Or too muddy!

Eventually we did get a coat and shoes on E and the boys spent some time together exploring, all in all, it was a good afternoon.

Puppy!!

We have a puppy that comes to visit sometimes. And sometimes he brings a friend or two. They're very good puppies because they know the rule - only nice puppies are allowed in the house. Any puppy that's too noisy, or growling, or playing too rough has to go outside, and they REALLY don't want to go outside. A typical conversation in our home goes something like this...
  "Aww you're such a good puppy! I love you puppy!   Archer, work on your homework, please. Shelly, go clean up your room. No licking the walls puppy!"

My friendly little puppy follows me around as I work in the kitchen, then the bedroom, he tries to entice Archer and Shelly to play but sometimes... Well, "I don't want to play puppy right now E." He steadfastly continues on, no care for sore knees or crumbs from the floor sticking to his hands. He loves the little pats and cuddles he gets from me, so the game goes on.

Turkeys

True to her character, Shelly made a love note for Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

Last night we had a spur of the moment craft inspiration and made little turkeys for our families.

Archer was a bit embarrassed that his turkey lost its beak right before our photo shoot, but the beak was restored afterwards.

 

E had a little help from Mom with his, he was so proud of his finished bird!

 

And last but not least...

Thanksgiving just would not be the same without the Pilgrim Bonnet from kindergarten!

 

 

I am so thankful for God's grace in our lives, for blessings beyond measure, too many to count or name. I'm thankful for these three beautiful children He's given to our family, and to our families that constantly support David and I in our mission to raise up these kids to be responsible, caring people that love the Lord. I'm so infinitely grateful for a husband who loves us so very much.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

I'm Glad I've Learned to Laugh

When it comes to days like this, its sure good to laugh and not get too stressed out about it. Because if I took this life too seriously, I just might be completely crazy by now...

I wrote this email to Denise yesterday morning, hoping to give her a little laughter too, here it is!

The kids have to leave the house at 8:45 to catch the bus to school. Today I woke up at 9:00. (This is right up there on my list of "Top BAD MOM Moments.") I went out to the living room and told them to get dressed. When they stopped to chat with me and take their time getting to their rooms to change, I told them they should probably focus on getting dressed because school had already started. I've never seen two kids get dressed, get their shoes and coats on and get out the door as fast as they did! Of course, the entire 4 minutes that it took them to get dressed, Archer was wailing because he hates being late. BUT, here's the funny part.

Elijah was walking funny and I realized he HAD to have a diaper change RIGHT NOW. Usually takes less than a minute but this one was BAD. He laid down on the floor in the bathroom and when I grabbed the ends of his pants legs to pull off his pants, I also grabbed a handful of POOP! Gross! It was a thick layer all the way from his diaper DOWN HIS LEG!! This was too much of a mess for floppy little wipes, I had to put him in the tub and clean him up. All the while Archer is wailing. My hand is covered in poop. And at some point Shelly starts wailing too because "I DIDN'T EAT BREAKFAST!!" Got the boy cleaned up and just barely dressed. Grabbed a package of Ritz crackers, jumped in the car and then had a moment with the kids.

"Listen, I know you're upset. But I can't let you go to school when you're hysterical. You have 2 minutes to calm down." Sped out of the driveway, raced to school, and dropped them off. Somehow, I think they were only 10 minutes late, after all of that. And I saw some moms talking outside and really wanted to catch up with them, but did I mention, my hair was sticking up all over the place? And I was still wearing my pajamas, the ones with the light blue cloud print... And E had no socks or shoes, not to mention neither of us had coats. Well, that was our morning!

Guess Who

Just Turned Two??

This little guy has certainly changed our family and brought us many many smiles and laughs through the last two years.

Have I ever mentioned that I truly believe he is the SMARTEST two year old on the PLANET?? Today he said "paper." Seriously, isn't he so smart? I love how he shouts "BUS!!!" every time a bus passes through our neighborhood, except he doesn't put an "s" on the end of the word, he puts a "t." He says "BUT" and Archer and Shelly really get a kick out of it. He can say plane, more, eat and most importantly MINE! He recites the Declaration of Independence (just kidding) and follows around the older kids. Ocasionally (a LOT) he bosses them around, steals their toys, throws things at their faces and screams for no aparant reason. But he's so cute that none of us can ever get annoyed for even a second (well... maybe just one second).

This morning I caught Archer teaching E his colors. "This is orange. Which one is the orange one? Good job!" Tonight Archer was being a bad influence and making noises with his hand in his armpit. This morning Shelly told E to be nice, in her best grown-up mom voice. And tonight she wrapped his birthday presents and made him a birthday card. She also helped him unwrap his presents, whether or not he wanted the help.

Those two kids have learned so much and grown so much by learning to get along with the littlest member of our family. These two parents have learned so much too. I have to admit, I thought two kids had gotten us well on our way of learning how to be parents. But the third one brings challenges and blessings and love all his own. And we're so very thankful for God's blessing on our family, and for Elijah Graham's place in our family.

Oh Blessings!

Tonight I experienced something truly amazing, and I was so blessed to experience it with family and friends by my side.

Tonight we went to the airport and waited for endless hours until finally, after fidgeting and telling the kids the rules and snack runs and restroom runs and trying to count heads to make sure everyone was still all there...

Finally...

The flags rounded the corner. The crowd rose to their feet. Cheers rose. Chanting, "U.S.A.!" filled the air.

The color guard neared and applause filled our ears. Mobs of people, so divided everywhere else in our lives, so different, strangers, we all lined the way with our flags and signs.

The flags passed and the first Hero appeared. And then another. Another. They kept coming.

For over an hour, we stood, we cheered, we shouted "Thank you!" and "God Bless You!" over and over. We reached out our hands to shake the hands of the men and women who fought for our freedom.

 

 

Each time one of these veterans came close enough to us we reached out. They saw the kids lining the path and slowed down to grasp each little hand. Occasionally they took mine. I looked into their eyes, I was so filled with thanks for their service, for what they had done for us, their country. They left their own families. They risked death. They saw friends dying around them. They pushed on. They came home, and now today I held these people's hands, and looked into their eyes, and cried as I thanked them.

After the veterans passed, we had the honor of also welcoming those currently serving. And when the parade slowed down and these men and women stood in front of me, I thanked them again, I told them how proud we are, how much we appreciate what they're doing, and I wondered what's ahead for them.

I don't know what's ahead for them, perhaps they'll travel to some unknown place and spend day after day in harm's way. Perhaps they'll end up sitting behind a desk somewhere. Maybe they'll love their assignment or maybe hate every day of it. But this I do know. Each of these people signed up for an adventure that I was never willing to consider. Each one of them was willing to put their own plans aside and serve our nation. And for that they deserve our thanks. I thank the Lord for them, those service men and women. And I prayed over and over tonight that each of those that passed us would know how much we appreciate what they're doing for us, and that they would find confidence in Jesus tonight to take them forward, wherever their paths may lead. What a great nation this is that we call home, and what great people we can thank for the privilege of living here.

Unexpected

Today I found something unexpected in the middle of October, a new little flower was blooming in our garden. Slowed down, glanced down, a bit of color...

Today when the kids got home from school we packed up snacks and a water bottle and I sent them back out the door.  They didn't expect me to tell them... Go play, go ride your bikes around the neighborhood and don't come back until the streetlights come on. Then we'll have movie night. It was refreshing change from the rest of this week. Full of homework and orders to do chores, go take a shower read a book go to bed. Tonight finally the weekend.

Strings

Have you heard of this? Tying strings of fellowship?

 

Last night Shelly and I were talking before bedtime and she started telling me about how she had missed me the night before. She had gone to Grandma Sue's for a sleepover with her cousins, they had a girls' night together and had lots of fun. But she missed us. She's always done this, found some sadness in the fun because she misses someone who wasn't able to be there with her. I love that she wants to be with us and misses us, but I don't want it overshadowing her fun, and so we talked about it.

Shelly, did you know that there's an invisible string that goes from your heart to my heart? I told her that when she goes away, the string starts to strech, but its strong. When she goes away for awhile, or a far distance, that string streches, but its strong, and we're still connected. She really liked this analogy, and we started pulling on the strings on the sweatshirt I was wearing. I leaned back, she held on and we watched those strings streeeecccchhhhh, but she held on tight.

We talked about how the string streches, but that's ok, because we always come back together again. And then I asked her, don't you want those strings between you and Grandma to get stronger? And what about your cousins? When you spend time together, you make those strings stronger... She was smiling thinking about all the strings between her and everyone she loves, she started listing people and I can imagine she was thinking about all that string between her and everyone else. Can't you picture the big web of strings between each of us, from me to my husband and kids, from them to each other and to me, from each of us to all of those in our lives that we love?

At some point, Archer came into the room and sat with us while we described all of those strings, and the analogy started to shift a little. We talked about things getting tangled up and messy between each other. What do you do when things get tangled? Knotted? Its an analogy that works so well. One that I need to remember more often. Take the time to tie new strings between myself and those I love. Spend time together doing fun things, talking, building that relationship. Take the time to untangle them when things get complicated. And protect them, don't ever, ever let anything come to cut the strings that connect us to each other.

Confidence

I've been thinking about this lately, self confidence. Of course I want my kids to be confident, be willing to go out into the world and talk to new friends, try new things, work hard and do their best. And be confident that they'll be ok, no matter how well (or not well) they do. But the whole thing is too tied up in something. Self.

Do you think our culture, our entire world, is too tied up in SELF? Perhaps? Probably. Definitely. Self. Take care of yourSELF. Look out for yourSELF. And of course, be confident in YOURSELF.

What about God? What about confidence in Christ, the one who saved us from ourselves?

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
~Philippians 4:12-13

I let myself down way too often to have much confidence in my very own self and my ability to do anything. Christ is really the one I should be relying upon. Through Him, I can do all things. Through Him, my children should be learning to do all things. And in Him, they should be living each and every day. When they're challenged, I want them to say, "The Lord brought me to this situation, He will bring me through it." Or "I got myself into this mess, but the Lord will lead me out." I know from my own experience that I get myself into too many messes that I can't necessarily solve on my own. And so I lean on Jesus. And I want them to know that too. Confidence in Him. Not in themselves.

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
~Joshua 1:9

The Love Notes Continue...

These affirmations from one to the other, I hope they continue for a long long time.

 

Archer slipped this napkin into Shelly's lunch box this morning.

Their friendship is blossoming before my eyes. I love how they laugh together, make up games with each other and constantly stick together as they ride their bikes around the neighborhood or roam around the yard looking for their next adventure. Its truly a beautiful thing to see growing, right before my eyes.

Picture Perfect

I used to have this vague picture in my mind of what my home would look like when I grew up. Clean floors, for one. Walls without scrapes and dents and broken corners. Those things weren't in my picture. My picture looked something like the inside of a magazine.

White everything? Not in MY house, not now with kiddies around!

It's taken me awhile, but I've come around. I've grown up. Opened my eyes a little more to the pictures around me, in real life. Not in a magazine.

Before kids, we NEVER had anything on our fridge. Pictures belong in frames. Mail put away somewhere. Nothing stuck to the fridge with magnets.

Before kids, we didn't have gouges in our walls.

We didn't have love notes everywhere we turned.

We didn't have new drawings of hearts and stick people families every single day.

And now, we're daily presented with little love notes from our kids to us. I find them from one kid to another. Stuffed in corners of the furniture, stuck to any wall that will accept masking tape, attached to any surface within reach. Drawings big and small placed in front of me on my desk as I try to get a little more office work accomplished but am derailed by red-crayon-drawings of balloons and hearts.

My idea of a picture-perfect home has changed a bit. The fine art on the walls is no longer something I'd find in a store or a magazine. Its already here, in every room of our home, carefully and lovingly created. And without ever planning the design, our home has ended up picture perfect after all.

So Predictable, Soooo Good

Just now, a second ago, I had a moment where I was soooo glad that we are where we are right now, right in this moment. Predictable. Schedule. I know what to expect and what's coming next. I know some people would say that maybe this isn't a great place, maybe I need to stretch out and let things be unpredictable, get involved with something that requires more faith. But here it is - I need this right now, right this second. And today, God gave it to me, to us. Shelly had gymnastics this morning (right on schedule), Grandma Sue called us to discuss making salsa and we invited her over for dinner. It was unexpected, but not a big thing, not a bad surprise. It was nice to have her over. And tonight, after the kids went to bed within an hour of the "scheduled bed time," it felt perfect and I felt at peace. Tomorrow I'll argue with them over whether they REALLY have to take showers. The day after that we'll start the week again and we'll have all the predictable daily life trials of getting to school on time, doing homework, and everything else. But tonight, predictable, scheduled, expected, feels so good. SOOOO good. I can expect the kids to sleep through the night, I can expect them to feed themselves breakfast in the morning (or help each other get something to eat), and there's just a little less pressure to always be on-call, go go going. I'm so relieved to be where we are right now. And yes, some people would say that I'm leaning too much on my own schedule and not enough on faith, but I know the truth, and that's this - our little schedule is one of the tools God has given me to get through those other things, like the homework battles and the never ending work and all the other stresses that come our way each day. I lean on our schedule, on our predictability, and faithfully count on God to use that schedule, that predictability, to keep us moving forward. Thank you Lord, for redeeming the time, for showing us how to spend our time and giving us time to rest when we need it most.

My Superpower

Today I discovered my superpower. Or one of them, anyway. Prioitize.

Shelly was not feeling well, I picked her up from school and she spend the afternoon in my bed watching cartoons and defending herself from E climbing all over her. She asked constantly, "When will Archer be home? Its no fun being sick." She need her playmate. Finally he came home. But stayed outside. And when I told her she wasn't allowed to play outside, because she was sick, she cried long and loud. I powered through. Don't give in on this one, she's sick. Make her stay inside. She thought she was feeling better. But then she couldn't eat supper.

We retreated to my room again and as Archer worked on his homework she again tried to rest while the toddler climbed all over her. Suddenly she started crying, writhing in pain, and I didn't know if he'd attacked her or what. Except... She sat up and projectile vomited ALL OVER MY BED. And her brother. More crying and yelling ensued, and I kicked into my super power mode. Prioritize.

"Get him off the bed!" I told Arch, pointing at E, I picked up Shell and rushed her to the bathroom and sat her down next to the toilet. I ran back to my bed, hoping to clear it off before anything sank in too deep. E still crying, now wandering around saying his version of "towel." (Sounds a lot like "owl" actually.) Shelly crying over the toilet. Archer searching out a towel for his little brother and me rolling up sheets, blankets, unfolded-previously-clean laundry into a big bundle to deal with later. Throwing pillows to the side to try to spare more damage. And now back to the bathroom. Put Shelly's hair up so its not hanging into the toilet. Find some more towels. Strip her down and stick her in the tub for a bath.

And finally, after it had all settled down again, I realized what I had done. It didn't overwhelm me or surprise me, what had happened. It wasn't unexpected and although it was messy, it didn't bother me TOO much. (I did have a gag reflex at one point, can't deny that, the mess just about sent me over the top.) But, in a past life, its something that would have sent me into a spiral of "what next?" and "who can fix this?" That past life of no kids and not knowing ANYTHING. Prioritize. I don't want the puke to soak into my mattress. The toddler was a little messy, but the big brother can help him. And Shelly was crying but not puking anymore.

I seriously felt like a super hero for not having a meltdown. And THAT'S what motherhood has done to me. And THAT'S what God has done in my life. When I pray, He answers. The dumbest little things - "Lord, there's not enough time in the day." And then He answers, things get done, there wasn't as much work as I had thought. Or the mess wasn't quite as messy and I had expected. And He's been teaching me to let go of my "schedule" and let life happen. Archer went to bed almost two hours behind schedule tonight. And it didn't really bother me. Its something I would have been so anxious about in the past. But I'm working though that. GOD is working me through that. There are so many ways He can make things better for us, if we just listen. Big things, little things, just slow down and hear. And that's the REAL superpower. God.

(I prayed at supper tonight, "Help us get our work and chores done that need to be done tonight. Help us know what to do next." Not kidding. An hour later He showed up with a little challenge for us all!)

Five Minute Friday: Focus

"FOCUS!" I'm always telling the kids. And yet, its something I can almost NEVER do. Always there's someone tugging at me for attention, food, help with whatever, hugs and kisses and more attention. Almost always it seems like I'm trying to shut out the noise. Why did God design us to be able to close our eyes and shut out the light, but not be able to close our ears and shut out the sounds?

I lost my cell phone and found it where I had left it, plugged in to re-charge. I'm always loosing my shoes. I lost my expectation for a spotless house long ago, and instead just plead with the kids, "Focus!" and do what I told you to do! Daily, now, Archer attempts to focus on homework with a little brother climbing on him and a little sister who never stops singing. Daily. We try to focus on what's supposed to be done, but there are SO MANY distractions. Each other. Toys. Work emails that never cease flowing into my in-box, and can't be answered until after the kids are in bed.

Stealing this five minutes to write this seems almost like a miracle. That I had five minutes to focus on one thing. Always, though, underneath everything else, there is just one focus. Raise up these kids to love Jesus. Keep the household going and raise up these kids to love and care about each other, and others. And if we can just remember that part, everything else should fall into place.

Linking up with Five Minute Fridays

So Far So Good

Our biggest problem so far has been getting the kids to bed on time. And that's nothing serious, just a new routine.

 

Yesterday, when she got off the bus, Shelly ran ahead of me, leaping like a gazelle and excitedly telling me on and on about her day. Now that she and Archer and in the same school its like they're in the same club. "Did you see when... Do you know... Remember how..." Its great to hear them sharing those experiences together, and filling me in a little when they remember that I have no idea what they're talking about.

Archer starting 3rd grade, Shelly starting kindergarten, and E along for the ride

Shelly's first day of 4K

Archer in 2nd grade

Archer going into 1st grade, Shelly not quite old enough for school yet!

Archer beginning kindergarten, Shelly ready to follow wherever he goes

Arch ready for 4K

I sometimes forget how young they are. Shelly talks like she's ten years older than she really is. Archer's always ready to strike out on his own, forging a new trail. And here they go again, forging into a new school year, no looking back.