Starting the New Year (2012)

Wow! The start of a new year and I have not posted anything in so long. I have a lot to catch up on, so this will be choppy and definitely out of sequence, but here nevertheless.

I got a job! Yay! I am the lunchtime recess lady at the kid's school. And I love it! The interesting thing? I think it is making me a better mom. I cannot yell at these kids (unless they are really doing something wrong), so I have to be patient and ingenious when I deal with them. I like the stretching it is making me do - because then I can take that home and use it with my own kiddos. Love, love, love being at the school.

Because of this, Grant gets to spend extra special time with Grandpa, at what is referred to as "Grandpa School". It is awesome because they both love being together and Grandpa has really been teaching Grant things. Recently Grant learned to put his shoes on and to get on the toilet by himself to poop. Previously he learned to spell "boy" and "Grant". Grandpa is really doing a great job and I can't ever tell him enough how much I love him and appreciate all he is doing for me!!! I could never pay him enough for what he is doing, but I do try to spend some (emphasis on some) time in his barn. Grant is spunky, for sure. He is so stinking cute and then so stinking naughty all wrapped up in one amazing little dude. He thinks he is 9 - sometimes he does lower his age to 5 - but he is only 3 1/2!!! He loves his older brother and wants to do EVERYTHING Jacob does!!! Grant is going to school in the fall and is already excited. It is awesome how God lined that up too. Grant will go to school 2 days a week, and the other 3 will be with Grandpa. He ended up with the same preschool teacher that all the other kids had - wow - even though she closed her doors and works somewhere else now. But I had a one hour gap of time when preschool got out, but when I was still at work. I found an awesome lady, who lives exactly between Grant's school and my school, who will walk to school and pick Grant up, give him lunch and only charge me $3 per hour! Amazing - thank you LORD! We went there yesterday so Grant could meet her and the other kids, and I am so excited about it. Better yet, so is Grant! He loved telling my kids about where he was going when he finally gets to go to school.

Grace is playing Mrs. King in her class's presentation of MLK's "I Have a Dream". She has quite a large speaking role and has already memorized it. I love that she does it with inflection in her voice, too. She really is very talented. On a different note, she is having friend issues. She has a friend that has been leaving her out quite a bit lately. This is really bothering her (as if it wouldn't, right?) and I wish I could really do something. Instead, we have had some nice talks about the fact that God is the only One who will never let us down. People are human. They are sinners in need of God's saving grace. None of is is perfect and we can't be. As such, we are all destined to let others down from time to time. However, God will NEVER do that. I love how in tune with the LORD Grace is. She knows His love for her and I am so thankful for that. I pray that this type of situation will not happen very often, but as they do, my prayer is that it will make her faith stronger, her love deeper and her own compassion for others unstoppable. Grace is an amazing girl, with a heart so big. I am very blessed to be her momma. What a gift! Oh yeah, another note on my Gracie-girl......she is becoming a woman (much too soon if you ask Greg or me). We are starting to develop boobies. I know this will be embarrassing, but I have to keep the record of such developments. Sorry, sweetie.

Jadyn is working hard at becoming a reader and a writer. She is doing well, but really needs to slow it down and take her time. She is very much a social butterfly at school and would, most likely, rather talk and play than read or write. Every morning she runs downstairs, grabs a blanket and sits in front of the heater and snuggles. Then she gets up, comes over to me and asks me to hold her on the chair. I love to snuggle with my kids. I love even more that they want me to snuggle them. While I was at school yesterday, I had one of the 3 male teachers come up to me and tell me he was just tackled by a kindergarten girl. Knowing, of course, who he was speaking of I asked, "Was she strong?" He responded, "Oh yeah." That's my Jadyn girl.

Jacob is playing travel basketball and doing a great job. His coach and I do not get along - he hates me and I don't think he is very good or fair. But, nevertheless, Jacob is an awesome player. He is tall and strong and can shoot great from outside and can rip down rebounds - he fights for them. I have also recently learned that he is the kid in high demand on the kickball field at recess because he has the best kick. Pretty cool, huh? He is really good at math and spelling, but really does not like to read. I keep praying that something will click - that he will find a type of book that he REALLY wants to read and can't put down. It will happen, I know it will. Jacob is also very into football. It is neat, though, to watch and listen to him and Greg talk football. It amazes me that they can both keep names, teams, positions, and stats in their heads, but then have such a hard time remembering things that really matter. Guys are so weird. Jacob likes a lot of football dudes, but I am really glad to see him interested in Tim Tebow. I am even more interested in listening to Greg talk to him about being a real leader and standing up for what you believe in, even if the world doesn't like what you are saying. This is the REAL stuff.

I feel so busy these days. I am sure it is because my day is broken up with work. But I love it!!! There is hardly time before work to do anything and and hardly time after work and before I pick the kids up. Sometimes I wonder if I am just making excuses though. Oh, I have so much to do, I just can't do anything. That is a lie. Before CHRISTmas, I was working out everyday. I was doing the 30-day shred. I felt great. Since the new year, I have not been doing much of anything, especially since I was sick with the stomach flu, then an upper respiratory thing that still has me down a bit. But I NEED to get back to it. I need the energy back.

A week or so ago, I had the stomach flu. I have not been that sick is a very long time. It was not funny, but Greg made me laugh. He taped signs to the bedroom door that said, "Stop! Don't Come In! Mom SICK! Call her if you need her." I had to talk to my kiddos on the phone! And every time he came in, he sprayed a 1/2 of a can of Lysol on everything. Needless to say, no one else got sick. Praise the LORD!!! And thank you Greg. I would not have wanted anyone else in my family to have gotten that - it was awful. I actually pulled muscles in my neck from dry heaving so much. Oh....yuk!

We are in the process of looking for a house, kind of. We feel that it is time. We have started the financing process and are waiting for approval. Then, we will start to look for a new home. I am ready to have my own place. Greg is ready to spend less money and have the tax write-off. But, it sure feels like it is time. We are praying for God's will in this whole process. We are trusting the He will lead us to where we are supposed to be. Clearly, we have our thoughts on where and what. But, we plan our course, but HE determines our steps. We will trust Him alone and He will lead us to where we are supposed to be. Praise God! He has so provided for us all along, there is no reason to even have a shred of doubt now.

I guess for now, that will sum it up. But I am going to make a better effort of doing just a quick daily update. I recently found an old journal (hand written) that I kept when Jacob and Grace were 4 and 3, and Jadyn was just a baby. I was reading it to the kids and they just laughed and laughed at how silly they were. They love to hear stories about themselves, so I am going to try and keep this updated. Until later.....