Another Thanksgiving

Well, another Thanksgiving is over and I am so blessed and thankful for so much; friends, family, health, God's direction and the plentiful food we ate yesterday and everyday just to name a few. We spent this Thanksgiving with Chelsea, Quentin (Chelsea's boyfriend) and Danielle and had a wonderful time giving thanks, stuffing our faces, reminiscing and playing a little Nintendo. I wish everyday could be like Thanksgiving - just hanging out with family, eating, sleeping and not worrying about much at all. However, all great things must come to an end...so back to life today; which included my husband going up to Ft. Collins for an appointment this morning. He will be back in time to visit with his sister, who is on her way to our house, and than over to the Anderson's for another great time of fellowship and food tonight. I am packing up my kitchen and books with my friend, Majeel, who has turned up to help me and I am more than thankful for that also. I have to say that the packing is coming along nicely, or so I think; now watch, come next Monday the 8th I'll be stressing out because I still have a lot more to do than I thought I would, HA! HA! Samuel and Isaac are going through their stuffed animals and toys today to get rid of the ones they really don't play with anymore and then their rooms will be almost done. Now for the closets .............~

Good Balance

God made us all very different and unique from each other; I've always known that, but it's funny watching my husband and I pack, clean and deal with this move differently. Looking at the house as a whole is so totally overwhelming to me...so I started taking pictures down and packing one room at a time. My husband has spent the majority of his time down in the basement and the crawl space bringing everything up; which I am glad of because I don't want to pack that space - it's crammed full of junk! However, yesterday my awesome husband told me I was crazy for already taking pictures down; talk about burst my bubble. Actually I was more peeved that he would say something like that instead of "it's looking good; we're making progress". I could see his point, but I told him, "I feel like I'm making more progress and it keeps me motivated to keep going if the walls are clear." I know that doesn't really make sense, but God has made us different. I have a ton of questions and annoy the living daylights out of my husband everyday just by the sheer fact that I make him assure me at least three times a day that we will be okay and this is the right thing to do even though I myself know without a shadow of a doubt this is what we are supposed to do; I can't deny the peace I have. It's a good thing God didn't pair me up with someone just like me; I need the good balance of my husband. ~

Purging Junk

It amazes me how much junk I have; all that I once thought was so important, but now that I am trying to pack, I am finding more and more stuff that I need to get rid of. Let's be honest, if you haven't used it in over a year, it's a knick knack you can't really remember who you got it from, or you don't even like and if it's something that's broken than you probably could and should let go of it. I will probably have just as much bags and boxes that need to go to the trash, or Good Will as I will going into the U-Haul; well maybe not as many, but dang near close. Not to mention that I have baby toys, books and other items that I need to let go of; my boys are 6 and 4 and I don't foresee daycare in my future again. Cody is a chaperon on Sam's field trip to The Aquarium today and I just talked to him and he said they are having a blast. I am so fortunate to have a husband who is so involved in my kids' lives and loves being a part of their education. I have been semi packing (mostly in my brain) and I'm giving the bathrooms and kitchen floor one more good scrub down before we go. I only have to have the house "broom cleaned" according to the realtor...so that's nice, but I think I should do the best I can before we head up the hill. Now to find some more boxes. ~

Moving Back

When change comes into our lives and into our families lives, we can get a little panicky; what am I talking about - most of the time I break out in a cold sweat. I LOATH CHANGE! I CAN'T STAND IT! I WANT EVERYTHING TO JUST STAY THE SAME! However, change is coming, change is inevitable and I once heard that if you are not experiencing some kind of change at all times than you are stagnant and can't grow. I believe that....but I still don't like it. Our change is now. After being down in the Broomfield area for a little over seven years we are moving back to the mountains where we were raised and where our families are. When my husband started talking about the possibility of doing this last year I was completely against it with every fiber of my being; the thought actually made my stomach turn and me thinking, "I'm going to be sick!" The funny thing about change is even our emotions can turn from "sick" to "exciting" when given to God. I have been praying since February that if a change was coming for our family that he would start preparing me. He knows He made me the way He did and He heard my prayer and answered it; almost 365 days later to the exact time (last fall was our first thought of moving back). I am thrilled to be going home and have complete peace about it. I can't deny that. I even sat in a chair and tried to worry about this decision and could not; all the pieces have been taken care of. Another lesson for me: Ask and you will not only receive, but you will see how the mighty hands of God have prepared the way for you if you are patient in the waiting of His timing. I don't imagine that everything will be easy up in the mountains; we are still imperfect human beings, but I know a God who hears my cries no matter where I am and answers them FAITHFULLY; maybe not the way we always want, but He does answer. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11 - 13 is one of my favorite passages of scripture for a reason and I can gladly say AMEN to it! ~

Lesson Learned

Morality, integrity, honesty and character have been on my mind since my son got suspended from school last Monday. The story goes that Samuel went with another boy to the microwave during lunch to try and cook a Cheeto. The hard part for me was when asked, "Why did you do that?" They replied, "We don't know." So on the way to the Dean's office they were told that didn't they know the "school could catch on fire". Of course they didn't, do you really think a 6 year old can rationalize that a Cheeto could do so much damage? Furthermore, I'm not sure that could really happen; I mean I know I've burned myself up some pretty "blackened" popcorn and the microwave, let alone the house, did not catch fire (thanks for that insight, sis). Anyway, so when the Dean of Students asked the two boys what they thought would happen, their response was, "The school could have caught on fire," and because of their "understanding" of the possible consequences, they were suspended for a day. I did not believe at all that my son knew what could have happened, but that the school catching on fire was only a thought after an adult put it there. It's amazing how much influence we have; anyway, so I expressed my concern to the school and I told them that I thought the suspension was a little hard. Here is the part I am particularly proud about: the next day the Dean of Students met with Cody and I and completely apologized! She said that "After you had voiced your concern, I went and talked to the teacher who caught them and she did in fact tell them the school could have caught on fire on the way to the office and so, therefore, I do believe that's why the boys answered the way they did. The suspension will be wiped off his record and I am deeply sorry I did not consult the teacher before handing out my harsh consequence. He will only have a red card in his record." Samuel was completely vindicated! Not that I don't think he should have got into some sort of trouble, after all, a Cheeto doesn't need cooked and it was wrong, but not a suspension. The fact that my son told me that, "I thought it might be wrong," THAT'S THE POINT I WANTED HIM TO LEARN. If you think it's wrong, that's probably that small voice called the holy spirit telling you not to follow and that's the important lesson here. I want my son to know he needed to stop if he thought it was wrong, that it's okay to say no and you DO NOT HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER! That's the lesson I want my son to walk away with; an easier lesson to learn at 6 than at 15 and that's what we should all want our kids to learn. Furthermore, I am proud to be part of The Academy of Charter Schools in Westminster, Colorado! They teach integrity, character and honesty just to name a few and the fact is I know a lot of administrators and teachers that would have said, "To bad. That's the punishment I dealt and I can't take it back. What would that say? So deal with it." But instead we have administrators and teachers in this school who took the high road and admitted that they were wrong and not only apologized to me, but also my son by vindicating him. That took a lot of guts, but guts that will only enhance and bless that school; thank you for not only teaching integrity, but also showing integrity. Good job and may God bless you! ~

Fifteen Monkeys

Your life can feel like such a whirlwind sometimes; dishes need done, laundry needs folded, toilets need cleaned and my dining room needs a visit from the Pledge rag terribly, but I just can't seem to find the time lately. It's amazing to me how preoccupied we can get by the simple, yet very complex act of raising little ones. Sometimes I feel like there are 15 monkeys fighting over one banana in my head and I can't keep track of any one of them! Once I heard that as the kids get older you will find more time; which is so NOT the case for me as I've just filled up that time with other stuff. Enough about that...my husband is on his way home from the mountains and I am trying to decide what I'm going to feed my children for dinner. Mac & Cheese seems to be the favorite choice, but how much of that should our children really eat? HA! HA! Samuel is busy playing with his glow stick lantern he brought home from our Family Fun Night at church last night. Those sticks no longer stayed lit up after last night, but my son is still playing with them making all kids of different stick figures with them. Isaac is upstairs in his room after being sent there for tearing one of his brothers creations apart; what else is new. Now I hear him either throwing toys around, or throwing himself around, in either case I guess I should go pay him a visit. ~