In less than 14 hours, all of my kids will be out for Summer Break. (Pause...blank stare...no words...) No, just kidding. But I have noticed the conversations between moms right now can go anywhere from, "Yeah Summer! I cannot WAIT for pj days, no schedule, pool time, beach trips..."to "Oh no! I am scared to death! Its going to be ALL ME 24/7!" I have to say honestly, I am right in the middle of excited and scared at the moment.
I am very excited for the kids. They have been working hard and playing hard at the same time lately. They are worn out. I can see it in their eyes. They really do need a break. They need to sleep a little later, relax a little more, and play on their own terms for a while. But, this summer is presenting another challenge for our whole family. We are moving. Go ahead, cry for me.
What I really am is overwhelmed. I imagine what those two days that the movers will be transporting our things will be like everyday. Where will we sleep? What will I unpack first? When can I realistically get things back to normal? Maybe you cannot understand, but I REALLY want this to go smoothly. I want the kids to have a great experience and love their new home quickly. They have all been very involved in the building process and are super excited about being closer to lots of their friends and school. They picked out their room colors and decor. (Bright aqua, pink, green and brown for E...Go Dawgs for G-UGA quilt, and Purple with white polka dots for C) They all look great.
So, it is not the house I am worried about...it is me. Can I stay calm and not freak out on everyone because I cannot be at two houses at once...cleaning for the buyers and making sure furniture gets where it is supposed to be in the new house? I also have this weird thing where I don't like to go back into my old house after all of my stuff is gone because it makes me too sad. Even when I am happy to move, it is hard to leave. So, it would be easy to say get the furniture placed and then go back and clean, but that sounds like torture to me.
Did I mention that M has a 2 three-day golf tournaments, we are going to the beach for a week, E has a B-day and a party, I have a b-day, we are giving my brother-in-law a 40th b-day party, VBS, and Father's day all happen before we move in exactly 4 weeks? And the day after we move, M and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! Anybody else need us to do anything? If you see me before June 25th and I seem to be staring into space...check my pulse and check on my kids...there is a good chance I have lost my mind.
In all seriousness...these are true raw feelings, but I know we will all be fine and it will go smoothly. My prayers are for quiet time during the chaos, laughter, love and faith through it all. Everything we will be doing in June is a BLESSING in my life and I thank God for all of it!!! I just ask for a few prayers for us this month, we need all the help we can get!
Happy Summer!!!!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Back in the saddle again...
It has been too long. Many things have happened since my last blog. The first thing is my computer crashed. I am sure it had a little something to do with the bobby pin that was closed up in the disc drive and the dirty fingers that bang on it almost daily. (C thinks that the man that fixed it must have gotten a stick from outside and fished the bobby pin out! I won't let her know just yet that $360 has been deducted from her college fund.) Whatever the problem was, it was a big one because now I have a completely new "operating system" (I think it is called) and some other new parts. It is definitely improved, but I lost a bunch of stuff. My Favorites, some pictures, whatever is needed to get pictures off my cameras, etc. The software that I need to reinstall for the camera is packed in a box, so I will have it in about a month. (Which means it will be 2 months before I actually do it.) But...Get excited...when I do, I will go back and add some pictures of my precious monkeys to go along with their posts.
Something else that happened that I could not WAIT to blog about was my girls' dance recital. This was C's very first recital and E's 5th. I haven't really gotten into their personalities too much yet, but here is a glimpse. E and C are 4 years apart. When E was born, I was almost 24 years old and had NO CLUE what I was doing. I have to say that I was more prepared than many others because I practically helped raise my little sister and brother. I am 9 years older than my sister and 11 years older than my little brother. I babysat A LOT. I was also an Early Childhood Education major at UGA, and a teacher for a few years before having children. All this adds up to a girl who couldn't wait to get married and have children. Children have always been my passion.
But, when E was born, I somewhat "freaked out" a little. I battled "Baby Blues" and breastfeeding difficulties. These were God's way of pointing out to me that no matter how much "training" I had...He was in charge. It took a while for me to get that, but now I am much more relaxed about behaviors, habits, schedules, etc. All that being said, our first born is an amazing girl. She is smart, beautiful, and well-mannered. She loves the Lord and finds joy in doing the right thing. E is just a good person...despite my failures along the way. This is how I know that God blesses those who praise his name. He gives you a daily reminder of His grace and mercy in the form of a child. Now E certainly messes up sometimes (usually in the form of disrespect toward me or her siblings), but everyone has to break down sometime and as long as she saves it for us, I am OK with it and actually love her for it.
What does this have to do with the recital? This was the first year that I watched E dance and saw that joy played out on stage. She has never wanted the "spotlight" before and it has been hard as her mom to see all of her talent, intelligence, and contagious smile saved for her family and close friends. But this year, as an almost 8 year old, she not only danced beautifully but she also had a ton of fun doing it. She would cut her eyes and her best friends CC, AS, and AKR, and giggle while dancing. That is what life is all about...doing what you've got to do...with a smile. I cried like a baby watching her at the rehearsal and then the grandparents got to see that at the performance. I loved sharing E with everyone there. I felt like so many people got to see what w joyful girl she really is. I am very proud of her.
Now C is a completely different child. She came into this world with a voice...a loud one. By the time C was born, I was much more relaxed. And that in itself was a blessing. I had to be with her. She was absolutely gorgeous when she was born and still is. She was the one who finally had her father's dimples. (You know, the ones that caught my eye the first time I saw him.) She also had the really blond hair, bright blue eyes, and very kissable lips. These physical qualities just fit her. This past year and a half have been, at times, trying with C. Friends and family have seen me break down trying to deal with her sometimes. She is very headstrong, confident, and well...princess-like. She loves make-up and jewelry and anything else "pretty." But, she is also funny, sweet, and very shy (kinda sound oxymoronic until you meet her).
So, when the dance recital came around, I just KNEW she wouldn't do it. After all, this was the girl who held up the line at the Pow Wow at school because she did not want to march out in a grocery bag Native American painted vest. Literally, she stopped in her tracks. I was around the corner waiting with the video camera and when the line stopped coming, I knew it was her holding everyone up. It is really funny...now. We have learned to accept this behavior and pray she grows out of it.
C looked beautiful in her first costume and of course, she loved it. Big puffy Tu-Tu, make-up on, hair sprayed in a bun, flowers in her hair. Gorgeous. I knew I wouldn't see her on stage in it, so I soaked it up while she stood in front of me at home. We planned for one of her BFF's mom to take her backstage, because I didn't want her to attach to me and not let go right before. We call the mom "Mother Goose" because all the kids love her! Anyway, she went back with no problem, and the music started. Edelweiss. Are you kidding? I had actually seen the dance at ballet once before, but when the music started, so did the tears. Each ballerina tip-toed out with hands above their heads in perfect ballerina form -one by one. It was precious. I was envisioning another Pow Wow situation, when you won't believe it. She came out on stage with those little fingers and toes exactly where they were supposed to be! I was kneeling in the aisle crying my eyes out taking pictures and thanking God for this confusing child that He has blessed me with as another reminder that He is sovereign. I was so proud that C did that. Not that she performed or conformed, but that she did just like her sister and branched out of her comfort zone and had fun doing it. And do you know what? She was SO proud of herself! (She actually asked if she could have a present for doing such a good job-isn't that just like a princess!)
That is a small glimpse of my girls. I love both of them so much and look forward to everyday with them. They are such a blessing in our lives and in G's! They love him so much too and I enjoy watching their relationship grow all the time.
Something else that happened that I could not WAIT to blog about was my girls' dance recital. This was C's very first recital and E's 5th. I haven't really gotten into their personalities too much yet, but here is a glimpse. E and C are 4 years apart. When E was born, I was almost 24 years old and had NO CLUE what I was doing. I have to say that I was more prepared than many others because I practically helped raise my little sister and brother. I am 9 years older than my sister and 11 years older than my little brother. I babysat A LOT. I was also an Early Childhood Education major at UGA, and a teacher for a few years before having children. All this adds up to a girl who couldn't wait to get married and have children. Children have always been my passion.
But, when E was born, I somewhat "freaked out" a little. I battled "Baby Blues" and breastfeeding difficulties. These were God's way of pointing out to me that no matter how much "training" I had...He was in charge. It took a while for me to get that, but now I am much more relaxed about behaviors, habits, schedules, etc. All that being said, our first born is an amazing girl. She is smart, beautiful, and well-mannered. She loves the Lord and finds joy in doing the right thing. E is just a good person...despite my failures along the way. This is how I know that God blesses those who praise his name. He gives you a daily reminder of His grace and mercy in the form of a child. Now E certainly messes up sometimes (usually in the form of disrespect toward me or her siblings), but everyone has to break down sometime and as long as she saves it for us, I am OK with it and actually love her for it.
What does this have to do with the recital? This was the first year that I watched E dance and saw that joy played out on stage. She has never wanted the "spotlight" before and it has been hard as her mom to see all of her talent, intelligence, and contagious smile saved for her family and close friends. But this year, as an almost 8 year old, she not only danced beautifully but she also had a ton of fun doing it. She would cut her eyes and her best friends CC, AS, and AKR, and giggle while dancing. That is what life is all about...doing what you've got to do...with a smile. I cried like a baby watching her at the rehearsal and then the grandparents got to see that at the performance. I loved sharing E with everyone there. I felt like so many people got to see what w joyful girl she really is. I am very proud of her.
Now C is a completely different child. She came into this world with a voice...a loud one. By the time C was born, I was much more relaxed. And that in itself was a blessing. I had to be with her. She was absolutely gorgeous when she was born and still is. She was the one who finally had her father's dimples. (You know, the ones that caught my eye the first time I saw him.) She also had the really blond hair, bright blue eyes, and very kissable lips. These physical qualities just fit her. This past year and a half have been, at times, trying with C. Friends and family have seen me break down trying to deal with her sometimes. She is very headstrong, confident, and well...princess-like. She loves make-up and jewelry and anything else "pretty." But, she is also funny, sweet, and very shy (kinda sound oxymoronic until you meet her).
So, when the dance recital came around, I just KNEW she wouldn't do it. After all, this was the girl who held up the line at the Pow Wow at school because she did not want to march out in a grocery bag Native American painted vest. Literally, she stopped in her tracks. I was around the corner waiting with the video camera and when the line stopped coming, I knew it was her holding everyone up. It is really funny...now. We have learned to accept this behavior and pray she grows out of it.
C looked beautiful in her first costume and of course, she loved it. Big puffy Tu-Tu, make-up on, hair sprayed in a bun, flowers in her hair. Gorgeous. I knew I wouldn't see her on stage in it, so I soaked it up while she stood in front of me at home. We planned for one of her BFF's mom to take her backstage, because I didn't want her to attach to me and not let go right before. We call the mom "Mother Goose" because all the kids love her! Anyway, she went back with no problem, and the music started. Edelweiss. Are you kidding? I had actually seen the dance at ballet once before, but when the music started, so did the tears. Each ballerina tip-toed out with hands above their heads in perfect ballerina form -one by one. It was precious. I was envisioning another Pow Wow situation, when you won't believe it. She came out on stage with those little fingers and toes exactly where they were supposed to be! I was kneeling in the aisle crying my eyes out taking pictures and thanking God for this confusing child that He has blessed me with as another reminder that He is sovereign. I was so proud that C did that. Not that she performed or conformed, but that she did just like her sister and branched out of her comfort zone and had fun doing it. And do you know what? She was SO proud of herself! (She actually asked if she could have a present for doing such a good job-isn't that just like a princess!)
That is a small glimpse of my girls. I love both of them so much and look forward to everyday with them. They are such a blessing in our lives and in G's! They love him so much too and I enjoy watching their relationship grow all the time.
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