March for Women?

I currently have multiple tabs open on my computer, all articles on this weekend's March for Women. I've spent a fair amount of time this weekend thinking through my opinions on the matter. Curtis and I actually started dialogue about a similar topic on Thursday as we drove to Houston.
And after days of thinking, researching, reading and praying, I'm still at a loss. How, at this point in time, am I supposed to teach my daughter to be feminine yet strong? How should I encourage her that biblical marriage is a good and right thing when society is screaming at her to be equal and not submissive to her husband? How do I teach her that a gentle and quiet spirit is of great worth when she's being told to make her voice heard? How to I help her grow into a woman who thinks for herself yet is gracious and listens to others around her even when others have differing opinions? More than anything, my heart is burdened for the loss of the sanctity of life. After all my reading, I feel like that's the main issue dividing women in our nation. Once again, it comes down to the abortion issue. So while there are a lot of things that I'm unsure about, here's what I plan to teach my daughter: YOU are equal to a man. But you are created with different strengths. Don't let a battle for equality overshadow your uniqueness and strengths as a woman. EVERY life is precious. Just because you are a woman, you do not have the right to end a pregnancy. That is ending the life of another human. YOU have a say over your body. You should be treated with great respect. But you are not entitled to receive medical services just because you have a uterus. Elizabeth, being a woman right now is hard and challenging. But know that you are surrounded by people who love you and who will help you as you navigate all this. Work hard towards your goals and dreams. Grow in grace and wisdom.

What I learned being a sports mom for 18 months straight

 It all started like a normal spring. But what started as a normal quickly grew into a whirlwind of sports craziness.

In March of 2015, all three boys played baseball. Timothy played tee ball and the big boys played kid pitch. Curtis was the assistant coach for both teams. Overall, it was a great season! But with three players on two different teams, it was for sure crazy!

During baseball season, in mid April, all four kids started summer league swimming. We were blessed in that there was a homeschool practice, allowing us to have less conflicts with our busy baseball schedule.

In June, during the height of busyness with swimming, Elizabeth started playing volleyball for a homeschool team.

The three big kids had an amazing swim season and went on to swim in the State Games of Texas, which was held in early August.

By the time swim season wrapped up, volleyball season was full steam ahead. Through the organization that did volleyball, we found out about basketball. Micah and Benjamin started going to skills clinics, decided to join the team, and began twice a week practices in October.

In September, Timothy began playing flag football.

Volleyball season came to an end and Elizabeth decided to also play basketball. Two weeks after her last volleyball game, she played in her first basketball game.

Never before had we played a winter sport like basketball. But we were loving the organization, the teams, the families and the coaches. The homeschool state tournament was at the end of February, and baseball started again the next week.

Then, we basically had a repeat, where swimming started during baseball season, and swimming went so well that we swim even after the regular season.

By July I was in full on meltdown mode. While the three big kids were at camp, I cancelled a trip to see my family in Oklahoma and took a much needed mental break.

Since mid July, we haven't done any sports, aside from the occasional basketball skills clinic. As I'm gearing up for Micah and Benjamin starting basketball and Elizabeth joining a club swim team, here's what I've learned.

• Just because there are 24 hours in a day doesn't mean I need to fill every waking hour.
• Saying no to something good is hard.
• Sometimes when you say no to a good thing it opens up the opportunity for a GREAT thing.
• Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.
• It's okay if Timothy doesn't play a sport this fall. He's okay with it, why am I struggling?!
• When you are doing sports non stop, something else in life suffers. It might be homeschooling. It might be the house. It might be your marriage. All the above were effected by the amount of sports we participated in.
• I need to take time for me. Time to exercise, to eat well, to rest. 
• It's easy to gain weight when your main focus is getting the kids from one event to another, homeschooling and church.
• Kids will watch and see where your priorities are. Make sure your priorities are the good things.
• I do my best when I'm busy. But I also need an occasional recharge. 
• Homeschooling CAN be done in the car! But it does take a lot of planning.
• Audibles, through Amazon, is a life saver, as are books on CD from the library.

I'm very, very thankful for the opportunities that my kids have had over the past 18 months. They have learned more than just sports. I am thankful for the coaches that poured into their lives, motivating and encouraging them. I truly believe my kids have stronger character because of sports. Our family will continue to participate in various sporting activities. I'm very excited to see them continue to grow as athletes and individuals. And I'm hopeful that I can take the lessons the I've learned and become an better sports mom.

2016-2017 school year

Name: Elizabeth Krajca
Age: 12
Favorite Color: pink 
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: oatmeal
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: snacky food (like crackers and cheese)
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: pizza, chicken
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: Bluebell icecream
Favorite movie: Harry Potter
Favorite TV show: Liv and Maddie
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: 7 Tales of Trinket, Beware Princess Elizabeth, Crispin, Mysterious Benedict Society, Emily Windsnap
Favorite thing to wear: cute clothes
Favorite sport: swimming
Favorite shoes: purple running shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: my family and friends
sad: when people die
laugh: being tickled
cry: when I get hurt, when I'm scared
excited: Christmas

Month of LOVE Day 11

I've loved traveling with this sweet girl!

We are currently in Atlanta, visiting my sister and her family and celebrating the arrival of my new niece four weeks ago.

It's always fun to spend one on one time with the kids. But this is different. This time it's just me and Elizabeth, buying coffee and candy in the airport, flying across the country and loving on a baby. Though it's not as if we're simply hanging out together, we are really enjoying loving on my sister and her family together. I truly feel like you grow closer together when in service together.

We arrived in Atlanta last night, and fly home on Sunday. 3 more days of loving and serving and fun with this sweet girl!

Elizabeth, 6th grade

Name: Elizabeth
Age: 11
Favorite Color: pink
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: french toast casserole
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: crackers and cheese with fruit
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: hamburgers
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: ice cream and warm brownies
Favorite movie: Harry Potter Movies
Favorite TV show: Liv and Maddie
Favorite place to go: Six Flags
Favorite book: The Seven Tales of Trinket
Favorite thing to wear: cute clothes
Favorite sport: swimming and volleyball
Favorite shoes: high heels

Things that make me.....
happy:surprises, my birthday, family time at Christmas
sad: when I get hurt, when something special gets broken
laugh: funny movies, jokes 
cry: when I get hurt, sad parts of movies, sad things
excited: the 1st day of school, parties, family movie night

First Day of 5th Grade

Name: Elizabeth
Age: 10
Favorite Color: pink
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: blueberry bagels with strawberry cream cheese
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: pizza
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: Sloppy Joe
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: icecream and warm brownies
Favorite movie: American Girl Movies
Favorite TV show: Lab Rats, Dog with a Blog, Jesse
Favorite place to go: Florida and Kansas
Favorite book: American Girl books
Favorite thing to wear: dresses, skirts and cute shirts
Favorite sport: volleyball
Favorite shoes: sparkley flats, high heels and cute sporty shoes

Things that make me.....
happy: my birthday and holidays
sad: sinning
laugh: Hannah Hayley and funny jokes
cry: when I get hurt or when someone dies
excited: surprises

Summer Lovin' : Swim Team

This summer, the one thing that consumed more hours than anything else was swim team.  Elizabeth, Micah and Benjamin swam on the Bryan Barracuda swim team for the second summer.  We loved every minute of it!

Elizabeth aged up into the 9 and 10 division.  We knew this would be a big jump for her.  Last summer, she had been at the top of her division, bringing home ribbons and medals after every meet.  This year, though her times improved quite impressively from last year, she wasn't bringing home the ribbons and the medals.  She wasn't put on the "A" relay.  It was hard for her!  She is, by nature, very competitive.  This summer, she was able to learn the value of competing with herself and for the team, not necessarily for the awards.  We watcher her set her eyes on a goal and work her hind end off till she achieved her goal.  She also learned that she and Micah can push each other to be each others biggest competition.  But then they also have to be each others biggest supporters.  We were do proud of her when she qualified to swim at Invitationals, in every stroke.  She had to work hard to make it, but she did it!  She also learned how to swim the 100 IM, and swam it beautifully at Regionals.  

 Last year wasn't Micah's year in the pool.  He brought home a handful of ribbons through the year, never won a medal, didn't qualify for Invitationals, and was never but on "A" relay.  He, like his sister, is by nature competitive, but we really didn't see his intense competitive nature till this spring in baseball.  Suddenly, something clicked for Micah and he turned into quite the swimmer!  We were all shocked when in the first meet of the season, he won 1st place in the breast stroke.  The little boy who rarely placed last year was placing in everything he swam!  It was exciting and encouraging, but also a challenging life lesson.  This summer, Micah learned how to be a gracious winner, how to encourage those who aren't as successful and how to not be an annoying competitor, but rather a motivating one.  At Invitationals, he DQed in his best race.  It was a huge disappointment, since he would have placed.  But again, he learned a valuable lesson, how to press on from that kind of discouraging swim, and not let it effect his attitude.  I'm pretty sure all these life lessons aren't fully in effect and we'll have to continue encouraging him.  But I look forward to seeing how he continues to mature as a young man.

 

Benjamin also aged up this year, swimming with 7 and 8 year olds.  He has a terrible swim birthday, and was the youngest 7/8 year old on the team.  Luckily for Benjamin, he has enough confidence to make up for his bad swim birthday.  He hit the pool this summer with determination and with a competitive drive.  We were pleasantly surprised when he qualified to swim every stroke at Invitationals.  Though he didn't always have a sweet, trainable attitude, he did exactly what his coaches asked of him.  And when he saw improvements in his time, he learned that pushing yourself hard is worth it.  At the end of the regular season, Benjamin was given the  Most Dedicated Barracuda award.  Benjamin finished the swim season knowing that not only is he a good swimmer, but that he can become and awesome swimmer when he listens to those around him.  By the end of the season, Benjamin, the youngest in his age division, was swimming on the "A" relay. 

After the regular season was over, we swam at Invitationals.  Each of the kids placed in at least one race (Benjamin placed in two of his races!).  With how well they were continuing to swim, we decided to not end our season, and started training for TAAF (TX Amateur Athletic Federation).  Because of their ages, and the large number of swimmers, they had to swim in a Regional Meet and the top three swimmers from each race would advance to state.  Micah and Benjamin each swam in three races and qualified for state in all three races!!  Elizabeth was amazing at Regionals.  I've never seen her swim so well!  Unfortunatly, though she swam to Personal Bests, she didn't place in the top three.  Despite that, we couldn't be more proud of any of our swimmers!!  They all worked very hard and had a great season!

Micah and Benjamin swam very well at state!  Neither of them placed, but both swam well and we were thrilled that they made it as far as they did.

I am definitely becoming a sports mom, who sees a high value and life lessons in having your children compete in sports.  I love that they win and can learn how to do that in a gracious way.  I love when they lose and learn how to move past that.  I love when the have good practices and see how strong God's made them.  I love when the have bad practices and need me to encourage them.  I love seeing their eyes light up when they achieve a personal goal.  I love when they still need me to hug them after a bad swim.  I genuinely look forward to seeing how God uses sports in my children's lives.  

We can't wait till next year when all four of the kiddos will be swimming for the Barracudas!

8 years

8 years ago, I started this blog.

My, how much has changed since then.

Our family looked something like this 8 years ago...

And now we look something like this...

While doing lawn work earlier this week, I caught myself think back to how different life looks these days.  I don't have a baby in the house.  I'm not tied to the house with nap schedules and nursing schedules.  I can say "get in the van!" and know that they all will and more than likely, they'll all have shoes on.  We don't have potty accidents.  I don't feel like I'm as anxious of a mommy as I used to be.  I get to have interesting and entertaining conversations with my children.

And while a lot of these changes are good, there are some that aren't necessarily bad, but are challenging in their own way.  My kids have opinions that they readily share with me.  I'm responsible for the three older children's education.  The hurts and sadness and fears that big kids face are real, not as imagined as the fears of my toddlers.

I'm so in love with this stage of motherhood!!  I love seeing the people God is growing my toddlers and babies up to be.  I love that even though they're becoming their own little people, they're still my kids.  They still need me, want me around, sign "I love you!" from the outfield, get a little teary when I won't be around.  I really do feel like I might be in one of the best stages of parenting.

And when the days are long because I don't have a napper and my kids don't go to bed till almost 9, I will remind myself of that.  Because I know it's only by God's grace that we've made it this far!

Today, Motherhood means...

...sending your children to take a FAST shower because we do NOT submerge our heads in the toilet, even if you're wear goggles.

...realizing it's after 2pm and rather than making yourself lunch, you load everyone up to go get yourself (and ONLY yourself) a Sonic drink.

... assuring the Sonic carhop that the screaming children in the back of the van are fine, they're just mad about not getting a drink.

... calling your husband before 9am to ask where the spanking spoon is.

... reminding your children that they were made to work, not just have fun.

... finishing the laundry only to have your children dirty the towels.

... eating Cheetos and muffins for lunch at 3pm with a Rt 44 Diet Coke!

... getting creative withe the consequences, even if that make me "the worse mommy ever".

... not being bothered by the aforementioned statement.

... not crawling up the walls when your 4 year old starts whining.  Again.

... reminding your student that "liters" is not pronounces like "litters" which is hilarious when said student is freaking out because "the book never ever mentions litters!!!!!"

... calling Daddy to spend lunch hour as back up disciplinarian because you've done all you can do and still have the afternoon to contend with.

... counting the hours when you can go to Piyo and enjoy some "me time".

... reminding yourself that this too shall pass and praying that the rest of the week will be easier.

My first half marathon: Race weekend

I can't just blog about race day.  I really need to back up and recap the entire weekend.

Thanks to my amazing parents, Curtis and I were able to spend several days in Kansas City.  It was the first time we've been able to get away, just the two of us, since we became parents.  It was incredible!  We drove back to Wichita Thursday evening.  Friday morning we headed back home, knowing we were heading straight into bad weather in Oklahoma City all the way till south of Ft Worth.  However, we knew that if we didn't leave on Friday, we wouldn't be able to get home till Monday, meaning the kids would miss their Kids Marathon (a 1.2 mile run for kids put on by the same awesome people hosting the half Curtis and I ran) and we would miss our half marathon.

(Curtis and I, heading to Kansas City! Can you tell we were a little excited?!)

(Early anniversary celebration at Melting Pot)

We drove back to Wichita Thursday evening.  Friday morning we headed back home, knowing we were heading straight into bad weather in Oklahoma City all the way till south of Ft Worth.  However, we knew that if we didn't leave on Friday, we wouldn't be able to get home till Monday, meaning the kids would miss their Kids Marathon (a 1.2 mile run for kids put on by the same awesome people hosting the half Curtis and I ran) and we would miss our half marathon.

The drive was SO long! We were in the car for 18 hours.  The kids were incredibly well behaved and God was very gracious.  We narrowly avoided having to spend the night in our on I-35.  We knew we had dozens of friends and family praying for us and the protection of our Heavenly Father.  We made it home without incident at about 3am.  Curtis and I got about 3 hours of sleep before getting up to get the kids ready to run.

 Though the weather in College Station was dry, it was still VERY chilly.  We bundled up our kiddos, loaded them back into the van, and headed to the starting line!

When both Mommy and Daddy are training for a half marathon, the kids are keenly aware of it.  Long runs cut into family time. Mommy and Daddy (mostly mommy in this case!) might be tired, sore and kinda cranky some days.  The entire family schedule is different so that runs can be worked in.  And though Curtis and I tried to include the kids as much as possible, it was still taxing on the kids at times.  Having a race that all four kids could participate in was such a treat for them!  It was all about them, their accomplishments, them having fun!  What a great idea by the directors of the marathon and a great way to celebrate them when so much focus had been on our training.

I was highly impressed by the kids and how they ran!  All four of them ran the entire race with no walking breaks.  They got out there and ran hard, even though they were all quite cold.

Don't they look cute in their running gear?!  My awesome mom made the experience about the kids by taking them all to Target and letting them pick out new running clothes!  They had so much fun and it really built the excitement of race day. Also, notice their warm, blue gloves?  While stuck in traffic on our drive home, I realized that none of the kids had little inexpensive gloves they could wear.  Hayley to the rescue!  She went out and bought gloves for all the kids and put them in our mailbox so they were ready for us!

After the kids ran, they were each given a medal!

I think this race gave my kids the running bug!  Since then, we've gone on several family runs.  All three big kids have races on the calendar for this spring and are excited for their next running adventure!

After the race, we dashed to the studio for Nutcracker rehersal.  Curtis and I also went to the race expo.  I had lunch with my running group.  Then that evening, we watched Elizabeth perform at Christmas at the Creek.  

The two days leading up to my first half marathon were not even close to what I was anticipating.  It was a long, cold, exhausting couple of days.  But they were also days filled with God's goodness, protection, mercy and fun family memories were made.  

Only Daughter

When Curtis and I were pregnant with Elizabeth, we chose to not find out if we were having a boy or a girl.  Since I had come from a family or all girls and Curtis only had a brother, I assumed that we would have all of the same gender, or at least most of the same gender.  When Elizabeth was born I truly thought we would be a girl dominate family.

Boy was I wrong!

And while I am loving my roll as a mom to a brood of boys, learning about sports, feeding them non stop, dealing their odd smells and destructive ways, I am so incredibly thankful for my one daughter.  I love how girly she is!  She's my mini me.  We look a like, we act a like, we enjoy similar things.  Elizabeth is truly a delight!

One of my favorite things in having a daughter has been her love of dancing.  She started dance class at the tender age of two.  We've been through a multitude of recitals, dance pictures, tights, shoes of all sorts and costumes.  To my extreme delight, for the past two years, Elizabeth has danced in The Nutcracker Ballet. I love watching her perform, seeing the light in her eyes as she dances.

Despite her love of dancing, this past fall she stopped enjoying ballet.  Though I don't ever want to be the mom to force my children to do something they don't enjoy, we won't let our children quit if they've made a commitment.  She still wanted to be in the Nutcracker, which required her taking a ballet class. She just wasn't enjoying her ballet class.  So once the Nutcracker was over, we let her quit ballet.  This semester, for the first time since she was two, Elizabeth isn't dancing.

And though I'm bummed my only daughter isn't dancing, I am so excited to watch her focus on a new endeavor..... running!

In two weeks, Elizabeth and I, along with some friends, will be participating in a Graffiti Run.  That will be the first of three 5Ks that Elizabeth and I will be doing together.  She's also planning on participating in a mud run with her brothers.

God truly blessed me with my daughter.  He also blessed her with abilities in several areas.  I'm so thankful that I get to spend more time with her, watching as she continues to discover and grow in her areas of passion and joy!  What a delight Elizabeth is to Curtis and I, in whatever activities she pursues!

First day of 4th Grade

Name: Elizabeth
Age: 9
Favorite Color: pink
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: cinnamon roll cake
Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Spaghetti Os
Favorite thing to eat for dinner: pizza
Favorite thing to eat for dessert: everything sugary
Favorite movie: Scary movies
Favorite TV show: Dog with a Blog, Shake it Up, Good Luck Charlie
Favorite place to go: Six Flags and Chuck E Cheese and bowling
Favorite book: Little House books
Favorite thing to wear: dresses
Favorite sport: swimming
Favorite shoes: high heels

Things that make me.....
happy: my family
sad: getting hurt
laugh: telling jokes, being tickled and playing pranks
cry: when people in my family die
excited: presents, going to Grandma and Grand Daddy's, surprises.

When he grows up

Just recently, I had a conversation with my Dad about what I imagined each of my children doing when they because adults.  Obviously, I hope they love the Lord with a passion and strive every day to follow Him.  I hope they marry, finding a partner to work with, love, and follow Christ with.  I hope the know the rich blessing of children.  But more specifically, at this stage in life, what do I imagine my children doing when they grow up?

I think Elizabeth will be in front of people!  Maybe dancing, singing or swimming.  Or maybe, in front of the classroom.  Her personality is big and contagious!  She had the ability to have a group of people wrapped around her finger.  I can see her entertaining or training people with these talents.

For awhile now, Micah has been talking about being a police man.  With his tender heart and caring spirit, I can see him in a profession that allows him to care for and shepherd people.  Policeman, Fireman, Pastor, Counselor, Vet, Nurse.  Whatever he chooses, I know Micah will do it with the gentle passion he has shown us already.  He's also very athletic, and though I don't see him making that his profession, I can see him being involved in athletics for his hobby.

Benjamin, with his smile that lights of a room!  I always imagined he would be our outspoken politician, or comedian, or TV personality.  But even stronger than his personality is his mind.  He is so bright, so intelligent!  I imagine he will be an engineer, architect, or surgeon.  He has a sharp mind, the ability to pick things up quickly and incredible find motor skills. 

And then there's Timothy.  At the time, I wasn't sure what I thought Timothy would be.  However, in the past few weeks his imagination has grown!  Curtis and I are always being asked to help defeat the bad guys, pretend that the piece of race track is a sword, or die on the spot because we've been killed.  In Timothy's world, nothing is as it seems.  I think Timothy will be our writer, our inventor, our creator or maybe even a teacher.  He'll be the one to bring life and joy into other people's worlds.

What an adventure parenting is!  And what a delight to see my children grown and change and become amazing individulas, right before my eyes.

Swim, little fish.

This summer, Elizabeth, Micah and Benjamin joined swim team.  From the end of April till the end of June, the kids had practice every day (sometimes twice a day!) and meets on the weekends.  Though at first the schedule was overwhelming, since we were still doing baseball, I am so thankful that we had this experience! 

 

While we've always known our children are athletic, it was fun to watch them excel at another spot.  Elizabeth in particular was a natural!!  She raked in ribbons and medals through the season!  She even medaled at invitationals, a meet swimmers must qualify for based on their times!

 

Benjamin also had a great season, brought home many ribbons and a medal.  He qualified for invitationals and placed in his two events.  We were also very impressed by his competitive, yet encouraging spirit.

 

Micah had a good season, though not as great as his siblings.  Curtis and I had several conversations, worried that Micah would become discouraged by the lack of ribbons.  He didn't qualify for invitiationals, but went and cheered on his brother and sister with a kind and gentle spirit.  It was hard for me as a parent to see him try so hard, yet not get the prizes that his siblings were bringing home.  More than anything, we wanted Micah to know that we wanted him to do his best!  Not only did we see that he was doing his best, but so did his coaches!  At the end of the year, he received the award for Most Improved Barracuda!!!  It lifted his spirits and encouraged my mommy heart.

Timothy, not one to miss out on the action, took swim lessons for two weeks.  He now tells people when he grows up, he wants to be a Barracuda!

 

I'm very proud of every one of my little fish!!  We're already looking forward to next summer when we join the Bryan Barracudas again!

 

Month of Thankfulness... Day 26

I'm thankful for Elizabeth/Missy/Sissy/Liz.

I'm thankful that I was able to witness her testimony, as she recited her life verse.  Despite the crappy road she's been on this year, she stood and said, 

"Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him    and show him my salvation.”  Psalm 91:14-16

 

I'm thankful she still has childlike faith.

I'm thankful that even though I've seen her question God's plan for her, she still trusts him.  She told me a few weeks ago, as we were discussing being angry with God, "It's not so bad when you remember that God does everything for a reason."

I'm thankful that though her life story has changed in a horrible way, she is not defined by the events of the past.

 

I'm thankful for the way she sings at the top of her lungs in worship.

 

I'm thankful for how her relationship with her brothers has grown stronger.

 

I'm thankful that she is still comfortable around her Daddy.

 

I'm thankful for the opportunity to see God at work in her life.

 

I'm thankful for her personality... even when it's driving me crazy!

 

Just like I said yesterday, this has been a hard year for all of us.  This year has changed Elizabeth's life.  I've had to watch her grow up in ways that I hate, in ways that an right year old shouldn't have to grow up.  She's seen a dark, sinful, horrible side to this life.  But she's made a profession of faith, declaring that this is not her home, and that she has an eternal hope in Christ.

 

Though I can't yet say I'm thankful for the events that put her on this road, I am thankful for God's presence with her during her times of trouble.  I'm thankful for the way He is continuing to work in her, carrying out her sanctification.  

 

And I'm so thankful that one day, He will wipe away our tears and our faith becomes sight.

Month of Thankfulness... Day 16

I'm thankful for a child's amusing perspective on my life.

Today, Elizabeth and I were working in the kitchen together.  She was enjoying wiping down the stove, and said, "I hope when I grow up I can be a maid or a nanny!"  "Or maybe, " I told her, "you could just be a mommy."

She snickered.

And then informed me, "Yeah, but you don't get paid for that and it's harder!"

No joke!

Month of Thankfulness... Day 8

I'm thankful for our beautiful new home.

I'm thankful to be away from the horrible neighbor who hurt my child.

I'm thankful to feel safe in my neighborhood again.

I'm thankful for the new memories we've already made in this new house.

I'm thankful for how this house has quickly turned into a home.

Month of Thankfulness... Day 4

This semester, Curtis and I have been doing some hard work alongside of our children, in a battle for their hearts and attitudes.  As any parent can relate, this has not been an easy or fun battle.  Some days I see huge progress, and other times I'm left in tears and in prayer, knowing I can't do any more in my own strength.

And in the midst of the battle, I'm thankful for laughter and teachable moments.

One such moment arrived on a Monday morning.  Elizabeth was struggling to be obedient to me as we started homeschooling.  Since she and Micah have made professions of faith this year, I've been trying to remind them of the power of the Holy Spirit as they fight against sin.  I had a long conversation with Elizabeth about how she was struggling against the old, sinful man, and the new man, seeking to glorify God.  I also talked with Micah and Benjamin about the stuggle Elizabeth was having, encouraging them to show grace to their sister in her time of need.

We made it through the morning, and Curtis came home for lunch to serve as back up.  Benjamin sat next to him and said, "Daddy, Eizabeth is having a hard day.  See, she has a war inside of her.  A war between the Holy Spirit and an old man."

While Benjamin clearly didn't fully understand the point I was making, I was thankful for that teachable moment.  And a time to laugh!

Month of Thankfulness Day 28

I'm thankful I have these pictures to give Elizabeth on her wedding day.

Month of Thankfulness Day 5

I'm thankful that God gave me a daughter. I'm thankful to have someone to dress up in sweet clothes, make bows for, take to dance lessons, paint finger and toe nails, and someone to do girly things with. 7 years ago, this sweet girl made me a mommy. And though there are unique challenges to raising a little girl who is just like you, I'm thankful for the opportunity. I'm thankful for the sweetness, the joy, the innocence, and the girly-ness that she brings into my life.