Some Recent Ramblings... :)

*The boys were in school...and Mommy & Rina had an afternoon of lunch & shopping. When we pulled into the garage............. Rina: "Mommy, are the boys coming home soon?" Me: "In a little while." Rina: "How about tomorrow?!" LOL!!!!

*Thank you, Ava, for interpreting Rina's mysterious song from preschool: "If you jeep my connection..." is really, "If you keep My commandments..." LOL!!!

*In an attempt to be an informed parent, I asked Mark, "do kids at school swear a lot?" Mark said, "Not in my class. But there are a couple punks out at recess that do." He then told me about a time when he had asked a kid, "Why do you swear all the time? What's the point?" And the kid told him, "It helps me speak more freely." To which Mark replied, "I'm speaking just fine...and I haven't said a single swear!" Hahaha!!! I just about spit out my water laughing when he told me this! What a great answer, from a kid who is choosing to keep his words clean. I'm so proud of him!

*Reese cracks us up with his new interpretation of Mark's cell phone...he mimics the lady's voice for vocal commands. I need to post a video of him doing it, because it's hysterical. "Say a command...."

Swift Kick

God gave me a swift kick in the pants today. It was more of a revelation. As my thoughts went through a certain recent situation, He revealed to me my rotten attitude. And I found myself having to repent. Thank you, Lord, for loving me enough to discipline me. Even when it is super uncomfortable! Help me to get over myself...this year I want people to see less of me and more of Him when they interact w/ me. It starts with weeding out rotten attitudes like this, I guess. Ouch!

In life, it seems like when I take 1 step forward.....I get shoved 2 steps back. Lord, please help me to persevere when life gets painful!

Life's Lessons

I'm so behind on my updates. And there is so much to tell! So, I've decided to start with the most recent and move backward. :)

Poor Mark had a tough day yesterday. He came home from play practice very discouraged. He said that the cast had practiced the song where he is the featured soloist. And he had trouble hitting any notes. The song sounded sloppy, and he was corrected frequently by his director. Then, some of the other kids made comments to him like, "Why did you sing so bad?" and "Why were you so off key?" Mark described it to me as, "they were making fun of me." But I understand it to be 'kids being kids.' They speak before thinking about how their comments may hurt someone else. I told him that, and I tried to encourage him to put this day behind him and just focus on practicing his song more intensely. That seemed to help.

Then, just before bed, he seemed discouraged yet again. As I tucked the boys into bed, I asked Mark what was wrong? After a little bit of prodding, he finally opened up to me and told me that it's been hard adjusting to public school. I asked him specifically how? He said he has made plenty of friends, but it's embarassing when kids leave him out of certain joking or conversation because "he's a Christian and won't understand what they are talking about." He feels like he is treated like a baby, just because he is a Christian and has come from Christian school. I encouraged him that he has obviously done a great job at taking a stand on issues. And the fact that they know his morals is a great sign that he is living how he should. I reminded him that we are to be set apart. We are 'aliens' in this world. I explained that all these different interactions are teaching him how to live as a Christian in a worldly environment.

He said, he would rather just go back to Christian school. But after I explained that Christian school is just a 'safe zone' and he needs to learn how to survive in the real world, he really understood why it's important for him to be among non-believers. I used the butterfly as an example. When the caterpillar enters the cacoon, it is in a safe zone. But it cannot stay there forever. In order to fulfill it's destiny, it has to push its way out into the real world. It's a painful process. But without the struggle of pushing its way out of the cacoon walls, the wings would not gain enough strength to fly! It's the same way in life. We HAVE to go through hard, uncomfortable situations in order to learn and grow and be strong enough to be who God wants us to be in life. Even in this situation, feeling persecuted by kids who don't understand his faith, Mark is learning how to stand strong. I reminded him to pray for wisdom right in the midst of those circumstances.

Then I shared a few instances where I struggled in my younger years. And it wasn't til years later that I realized, "Wow, Lord, you really used that to teach me and strengthen me...and you never left my side!" Lastly, I told him that I now live my life remembering those tough times. And I stand firmly knowing that the same God I saw at work in previous situations is the very same God that will help me through tomorrow.

I love how he totally understood and accepted what I was saying. I can't believe my little boy is now facing life on his own! He's having to learn for himself how to rely on God for wisdom. And he's having to stretch his wings little by little. God, please continue to give us wisdom as we lead and shape our kids!!! Amen!

This Week In News...

Mark auditioned for community theater. It was his first time doing a singing audition at this level. And he actually landed a main role! (Lucky little booger!) He will be playing the part of Schroeder in the musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." Mom and Dad are beaming w/ pride!!!

Reese has had a rough week. I even got a call from the teacher, saying he had a lot of trouble focusing this week. He ended up coming down with a fever Saturday night. Well, that explains that! Poor kid has been fighting something. :( I've been enjoying all the snuggle time I can get with him while he feels under the weather. I've always said, he is my sweetest child. And moments like these snuggle times remind me what a sweet boy he really is. I want to protect him always!

Rina enjoyed her very first sleepover Wednesday night! Her best gal pals, Ava & Alia, invited her over for the night. Never did I think I would let my daughter start sleepovers at such a young age. I mean, 4 years old?!?! But, they are like family to us. So, I was happy to let her go. And Miss Independent had a blast away from home. :) They made pizzas & brownies, watched movies, and did french braids & cheek glitter. So fun! Can't wait to post pics!

This past month...

Reese lost his two front teeth. Mark lost a side molar. Rina lost her earring.

Lacey ran away twice....and luckily came back home....with her tail between her legs. (Little stinker!) Ryan has been working a flex schedule, so we get Mondays off together. I've thoroughly enjoyed our Monday mornings together! While the kids are at school, we've been going out to breakfast or doing shopping. It's like a date every week!

Mark has adjusted to public school. He's made lots of friends. And recently he's become obsessed with learning card tricks. He carries a deck of cards in his pocket wherever he goes, ready to baffle his friends and family. Such a cutie!

Reese, we've been told, has the best handwriting in his class! And he only had one word misspelled on his first spelling test. He spelled "We" like "Wi"

Marina absolutely loves preschool. She went on her first field trip to a fire station. She is having a blast being such a big girl!

And I'm loving the job. So busy. So hectic. But also so fun! It gives me a fresh feeling of accomplishment. I like that. :) And I've made some dear new friends. Being a full-time Mommy was very fulfilling. But being a working Mommy is an all new kind of fulfilling.

I LoVe this quote!

...just read this today on a friend's webpage:

"Behind every successful woman,
there is a pile of dirty laundry!"

...do you agree???