Summer Fun

The highlights of summer thus far…in bullet form!

·       Vacation Bible School!  So fun and the kids are still singing the songs!

·       Basketball camp…I had a blast helping, Jadon had a few fun moments but mostly liked the treats served at the end of camp (good thing Grandpa is a good coach – I think a few skills took)

·       The end of tee-ball.  This was actually quite sad.  Jadon had such a cute little team and they were quite good by the end of the season!  By good I mean all of the kids knew to run to first base and not third base after they hit the ball and they actually sent some runners back to the bench after forcing/tagging them out!

·       A week at grandpa and grandma’s – fun memories!

·       Lots of smores (enough said)

·       Pool, library, parks, bug bites, farmstead, more bug bites, sleeping in, movie watching, sidewalk chalk, more bug bites, etc.

Ahhh, isn’t summer grand?!?  So much fun to be had.

Summer!

I do declare that summer has approached rather rapidly!  We’ve had a very busy spring – a 6^th birthday, a 4^th birthday, the end of the school year, the start of tee ball, a for sale sign in our front yard, a new found skill called WALKING!  The list goes on and on.  Whew.  It’s been fun.

I was sad to say goodbye to kindergarten (much more so than Jadon!), but I am also thrilled to be saying hello to summer.  During my 8 years in the corporate world, I always felt very antsy during summertime.  It was hard to work during the summer months (especially when you are married to a teacher!).  When kids entered the picture, summers meant a time of fun and relaxation with Dad.  I always felt so excited for my kids to be home for the summer but also terribly jealous of the fun they were having while I was at work.  I don’t take one minute of this summer for granted!  I get to be home doing the fun things that were such fond memories of my own childhood.  Having two parents in the world of education made for very enjoyable and memorable summers in my youth.  The pace of life was slower.  Time was spent at the pool, the ball fields, basketball camps, reading, spending the day with friends, watching Nick at Night, etc.  I look forward to similar memories this summer with my own kids. 

Why is it that summer memories mostly involve food?!?  Smores, root beer floats, slushies, ice cream, watermelon, corn on the cob, burgers…now I’m hungry.

Miss Independent

Independence.  Feels good, doesn’t it?  I am in control of my destiny.  I am the captain of my own ship.  I am queen of my island.  That’s right, I’ve got it all figured out. 

This thought process is pretty accurate, right?  Not only does the American culture breed a craving for comfort, but also for independence.  I think we often think of independence as synonyms for success, “making it,” dominance, power, etc.

My sense of independence was really broken this week and I am thanking God for that.  We were never intended to live a life of independence.  As my pastor often says, God has called us to live a life of interdependence.  The perfect model of this is the interdependence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

On Tuesday evening I fell on my tailbone extremely hard.  I was bed ridden for the next day as I could not get up without fainting.  I was so out of control of my body.  I had no sense of independence whatsoever.  I needed assistance with everything.  I had to reach out and ask for help from friends so my husband could return to work.  I had to receive this help and love despite the fact that it was uncomfortable because my sense of independence was being shattered.  My pride was being crumpled like a piece of useless paper.

The breaking process is never fun, but there is always beauty on the other end.  This beauty has a name.  His name is Jesus.  In the process of asking for help, I went deeper in learning how to receive love.  I went deeper in learning how to receive healing.  I went deeper in friendships.  I went deeper in my respect for my husband who continues to lay down his life for me in good times and bad.  I went deeper in my appreciation for the power of prayer.  I went deeper in my love for my parents who still showed concern for me as if I was 4 years old again and had just fallen off my bike. 

Interdependence is a very joyful, peaceful way to live.  I would crush my tailbone all over again to go deeper in this lesson.  I don’t want to pretend any longer that I am queen of my own island.  My life already has a royal master who sympathizes more with my pain and suffering than I will ever comprehend.

Growing Too Fast

My oldest little person turned 6 last week.  That fact alone really seems impossible.  A few days before his birthday, his belief in Santa, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and all other magical creatures that mysteriously visit you while you sleep (the concept is really quite creepy) came to an end.  I was really quite sad about this.  My husband and I have always said that believing in such “people” will be something fun for our kids, but we won’t go out of our way to convince them that they are real.  So the time came when Jadon was asking questions and starting to think about these scenarios with too much logic.  How does a bunny leave candy for children without any arms to hold said candy?!?  His questions were too demanding to brush them aside.  The truth had to come out.  He just smiled as the truth was revealed as if he had figured it out years ago.

I’m not sure why this is so sad to me?!?  I guess it’s because it’s just one more sign that he’s growing too fast.  I think believing in fantasy and having a wild imagination are such magical parts of childhood.  On the bright side, I guess he now knows that all of these gift givers do not have endless pocketbooks!    

Crazy Times

In a little over a week’s time we will have a “for sale” sign in our front yard.  Preparing to sell a house is a lot like preparing for a wedding (if you’ve done neither, I have a few points of advice:  #1.  Elope and #2. Live with your parents until you can afford your dream home…..ha!).  Like planning for a wedding, there are so many minor details that you come to a point where you throw your hands in the air and say what is done is done, what is undone will remain undone.  We are to that point.  We have been working really hard the last two months to prepare our home for a potential buyer.  We’ve replaced bathroom floors, painted, stained the deck, fixed doors, painted some more, seeded the lawn, etc.  And by “we,” I clearly mean my husband.  But we are one now, so his labor is my labor - BUT my labor pains will never be his. J  My husband has conquered this intense labor with perseverance and grace.  Hopefully all of his hard work will be a blessing to the next home owners.

I haven’t had time to really think about all of the realities of actually selling our home.  Anyone that has tried to sell a home in the last 5-7 years knows how scary it is from a financial perspective.  It is a really tough market out there, but we feel strongly that God is calling us to another community so we know He’ll work out the details.  I’ve had glimmers of sadness here and there at the thought of leaving our first home, but I’m sure the fullness of that will hit me when it actually sells.  So if you think of us over the next few weeks, we would love your prayers as we take a step of faith and follow God’s lead.  Let the “fun” begin.

Faithful

I am reading the book of Matthew right now and I always find the stories of Jesus miraculously feeding thousands of people so fascinating.  First of all, it is just an amazing miracle that shows the depth of his compassion to feed a famished crowd that has taxed him in every way.  Chapter 14 details the miracle of feeding 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish.  Skip ahead one chapter and Jesus is once again surrounded by thousands of people who are in desperate need of nourishment.  The disciples ask Jesus where they will get enough food to feed everyone in such a desolate land.  What?!?  Weren’t you just with Him when he fed 5000 people (not counting women and children)?!?  And now you ask how He is going to feed this many people.  Oh ye of little faith.

This lack of faith is so obvious when you read these stories back to back in the bible.  But how often do I ask the same silly questions??  Whether it is finances, time, agendas, everyday details that stress me out, etc., I hear Him lovingly saying “Haven’t I come through on this time and time again?  Don’t you have faith enough to know that I will come through again?”  He is so faithful.     

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

I tend to get on “kicks.”  Here are my latest favorites.  I’m bound to get some sort of free product with this plethora of free marketing exposure J

I gave up pop last summer so I’ve found a few alternatives when I crave a yummy drink.  This still has too much sugar, but the rest of the ingredients are pretty good!  It is delicious, especially on a cold, winter day!

My hubby’s uncle gave us a bread maker last summer and I am slightly obsessed!  Is there anything better than a hot loaf of fresh bread?  If you answered, yes then you’ve never had a hot loaf of fresh bread.  Or you are crazy.

The best salad spinner ever!  This is the Sharper Image brand (found it at Bed, Bath and Beyond).  No more soggy lettuce.  It also keeps my lettuce nice and crisp for several days in the fridge.  Mmmmm, love me a good salad!

This bag of goodness is kind of the latest trend on all of the healthy eating blogs, but I don’t care if it is trendy.  It is very yummy and so good for you.  It is a grain and cooks similar to instant rice.  We use it for stir fry, taco bowls, with pesto, in risotto, etc.  Very yummy!

This popcorn is amazing!  I’m not a huge popcorn lover, but the hint of lime and salt is so, so good. 

These books are absolutely adorable.  My mom introduced us to these books last year when she came to visit after Kya was born.  My kids love them!  The stories and pictures are precious.

Finally, this is my FAVORITE one year old J