First Day of School 2010

We embarked on our new homeschool journey last Wednesday, August 18th. It felt so different....no matching uniforms, no lunches to pack (PTL!!), no walking into school, no hugs goodbye. But different, thankfully, is not always bad!

We had a great day! I ended thinking, "I know that every day will not be so sunny, but this was truly an awesome day." As with anything new, I had been suffering from self-doubt...what If I can't do this...what if they hate it...what if I hate it. So, it was with sweet relief that we finished the school day looked at each other and said, "That wasn't bad!" ;)

A few snapshots from our first day of school at home.

Our whiteboard (it is now hanging on the wall with cute border around the edges) AND some cute kiddos!

Anna's clothes laid out the night before with a note that says, "Craftroom is sometimes cold." This was her way of explaining why she had chosen a jogging suit when it is 105 outside!

Waking up with a smile!

Waiting on breakfast

Hugs for Daddy. He actually stayed and had breakfast with us. I just couldn't resist this pic...does anything like this happen at your house??

At our desk, waiting for the "teacher"

Yes, we have a calendar. Anna and I are all about the cute stuff!




"Mom, we actually have to do work?!?"



Computer time

Loving the ability to sit on the couch and read "during" school!

We had our third day of school today, and all is still well! Anna and I were up until after midnight last night dealing with low blood sugar...it was so nice to be able to let her sleep in this morning. Even thought it threw our schedule (and my Type A personality!) a little out of whack, it was a blessing and a good reminder to be thankful for the flexibility that homeschooling allows our family.

Diabetic Darlings (....and some dudes)

Imagine spending 3 days with 3 girls just your age who also have diabetes...with your families....at an awesome ranch...in a cool log home...with lots of fun activities.

Introducing the 1st annual Diabetic Darlings camp! See these sweet girls below...4 of them have Type 1 Diabetes.




How this all got started....My friend, Amy (see below), is mom to two sweet girls. Her 10 year old is a Type 1 Diabetic. Amy happens to have a lovely log home at a very cool ranch just west of Fort Worth. She and her husband (also a Type 1 Diabetic) came up with this great idea to bring 3 families together for a long weekend at their ranch and create a "camp" for the girls. Between the 3 families we have 8 kids (4 with Type 1 diabetes)...ranging in age from 6 to 13.




None of us were brave enough to send our girls off for an overnight diabetic camp (neither did the girls want to go)....so, we decided to make our own. We made t-shirts and custom water bottles, came up with crafts, put together journal topics for the girls, special treats and a daily schedule of activities. The girls shared a bunk room...just like camp (so cool!)...and spent lots of time talking, laughing and making up silly skits for us to watch. They tested blood sugar, counted carbs, treated lows and got mad at highs....all together. They (and we) learned from one another how we can handles things differently to better manage diabetes and all the emotions that come from being (and raising) pre-teen girls with type 1 diabetes.

It was an awesome weekend! And we are already excited about and planning for next year.

A few snapshots of our time together...

The Mamas

All of the kiddos



The Baby Brothers (ok...they're not really babies)



Journal time (check out that view!)





Can you tell what they are spelling?

Please join us in praying for a C-U-R-E for these precious girls and all of the other children just like them.

A HUGE thank you to our precious friends for their willingness to open up their lives and homes to bless our family!!

Change

Change...defined.

To make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of something different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.

About 3 months ago Chris and I stayed up into the wee hours discussing our lives and the life of our family. What did we want our lives to be about? What were the things that were most important to us? What could we/should we change to align our lives with our priorities for our home and family? What did God want for us? What was His will for us individually, for our children and for our family as a whole? When we look back in 20/30/40 years what will we think? Will we have wished that we did things differently?

And, thus began our journey of change. And when I say journey I mean it...we are nowhere near the end result of what God has for us...but I believe that we are on the path that He intends for this time in our lives.

While little changes are easier to swallow and execute...big changes can be a bit challenging. And we are currently in the midst of some big changes...

Our house is on the market....and has been for almost a month. It has been cleaned more in the last 4 weeks, than it has in the last 4 months! Please pray with us that it well sell at the right time.

And big change number 2....we are homeschooling! Now....let me serve up a word of caution to you. I ALWAYS said that I would NEVER homeschool. So be careful what you say!! This choice is offering our family the opportunity to change our focus just a bit. I am NOT saying that this is what everyone should do. It is just right for us...right now. That might change in a few years (days, weeks???) but for now we are at total peace that we have made the right decision in this area.

Today the decision to homeschool felt more real than ever. For the past 6 years, this is the day that we donned new uniforms, woke up early for the first time in weeks, had a yummy breakfast, trekked to school with Daddy (and camera) in tow and started a new year of school. We hugged Nan on our way in and greeted all of our friends (and cousins), unloaded our supplies and began "learning." It is hard to not be doing those things today, but I know that when God says no to something it is because He wants to say yes to something better.

So, instead of getting in bed early last night so that we could be ready for school...at 9:30 p.m. Alex and Daddy were having a Lego Hero battle, Anna was watching Design Star with Nan (a weekly ritual) and I was taking a hot bath. Instead of getting up early to get everyone ready for school, I woke up early and spent time visiting with Chris and took a long walk. We had a nice leisurely breakfast and now my kids are playing (we'll officially start school at home on Wednesday). Alex is building things and Anna is dressed up like a pioneer while she watches a movie from that same era.

I don't expect this CHANGE to be easy and without bumps on the road, but I know that He is there to help us on the way. A couple of verses that He gave me this morning...

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom..." Colossians 3:16

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6

Praying for God's grace and wisdom as I embark on this new adventure.

Nana's New House

Just four days after returning from our impromptu trip to Palo Duro Canyon, Nan, the kids and I left on a "planned" trip to visit Nana and see her new home.

Now, I must admit...I had struggled with this just a tad. Leaving the home that she had lived in for most of my childhood to move to a smaller duplex in the same town...still very far away from all of her family. I just didn't get it...why not just stay in the house if you are not going to move closer to us?? Really...honestly....if everyone would just let me handle all of their life plans, logistics, etc...it would all work out perfectly! ;) I'm really good at figuring out what other people need to do...not so good with figuring out what I need to do!!

I was very pleasantly surprised at how wonderful her new home was! It is laid out very well and is just plain cozy....one thing that I was sure was going to be missing from her old house. It's in a great location...across the street from the hospital, you can even watch CareFlite land right outside her front door (a big bonus for the kids). It has a really cool clubhouse, with an indoor shuffleboard court thingy. And lots of sweet ladies just her age were moving in to the adjacent homes while we were there. She can walk to the dentist, the doctor and to the nursing home to visit her friends. And she can still drive anywhere around town...as long as she only makes right turns :)!!

We had a great long weekend...spent eating lots of Dairy Queen, playing games, reading books and enjoying some unseasonably cool weather. It was also a reunion weekend for my mom and it was fun to meet some of her friends from high school. Anna and Nana spent time playing make-believe...like they were neighbors coming to visit one another :). The only thing that would be better is if Andrews was about 15 minutes from Fort worth!!!

I didn't take many pictures...but here are some moments that I did capture.

I am continually blessed and amazed at the relationship that my children have with Nana, their great Grandmother. I did not get to experience anything like it, and they are so incredibly blessed by their time with her and the love that she has for them. I can only hope and pray that I will be in a position to do the same when I am 84.

Spontaneity

We have had a jam-packed few weeks of fun! I am going to do my best to start at the beginning and do everything justice...as we have had some very blog-worthy moments.

As much as I love to plan and anticipate things, I also LOVE a nice dose of spontaneity thrown in. The following events definitely fall into that category.

Rewind three and a half weeks...to July 16th, my father-in-law's birthday. We were sitting at home minding our own business on a quiet Wednesday night. I had just mentioned to the kids that we needed to call Papa to tell him "Happy Birthday", when the phone rang....it was Papa. (Don't you just hate it when a family member calls you on their birthday before you get a chance to call them!) Chris answered the phone and within minutes was calling me into the office...saying "you better listen in, it sounds like dad has cooked up one of his plans."

His plan went a little something like this....He had decided what he wanted for his birthday. He wanted for the 6 of us to take a little road trip together...up to Palo Duro Canyon. Sounded fun enough, I was thinking...especially about October when the weather would be perfect for hiking! As any of you who know Keith know...there is almost always a catch to his schemes and we were about to find out what the catch was with this great plan. "But," he said. "We've looked at the calendar and the only weekend that will work is this weekend." As in two days from now...as in less than 48 hours from his initial phone call. I could tell that Chris was immediately "out" on this idea. He had been having a busy, stressful week at work. We were in the middle of putting our house on the market and trying to plan a garage sale for that weekend. I coaxed him into at least telling his Dad that we would think about it and then we hung up.

As serious and intense as Chris can be, he is almost always game for a little fun. It just takes a little coaxing from me. So, with not much arm twisting, we called his Dad back and told him we were "in"!

What followed was a very, fun weekend of driving, eating, hiking, show-watching, reminiscing and all-together family fun! Here are some snapshots from our impromptu, spontaneous trek to the panhandle...

Things I caught on camera....Hiking into the caves at Palo Duro Canyon, The Rock'n'Roll Soda Fountain in downtown Canyon (wish I was going there for lunch today!), the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, riding in the car.

Things I didn't catch on camera....going to see the Texas musical at the outdoor amphitheater in Palo Duro Canyon, our cool 1980's-era hotel complete with a Holidome :) and a questionable indoor swimming pool (swimming in particles of nastiness, anyone?), drive-bys of the home that Chris and his family lived in for a couple of years when he as a kid and also of the church they helped plant in Amarillo, lots of yummy eating and endless laughter and good times!

This summer has been a blast...more trip recaps to come. But, first, let me say that I am abundantly blessed. Without Jesus, we have nothing. Because of Him, we have everything we need.

Have a great day!!