My post from yesterday was actually written on Saturday and scheduled to post on Sunday. I had ended my last entry by saying that I was thankful for healthy and happy boys. As it turns out, they aren’t quite as healthy as I thought. Sunday turned into a sick day at our house. Jeremy called me saying that the new meds he had started taking for his heart were making him dizzy and he needed to come home. It was great to get a call saying that he was dizzy and driving. Awesome. I spent the next 15 minutes wondering if he was going to end up in a ditch on the side of the road… Owen woke up sounding hoarse. Graham woke up with snot and developed a random rash that came and went quickly (thankfully). Jeremy spent the whole day laying down and the boys just kind of play around him and enjoyed his presence. Not the Sunday I had planned.
The last week has been full of lots of things that wouldn’t headline their own blog post, but have definitely kept me busy. We’ve had a couple of cooler days. I have been able to bake (which is just as good as therapy). I’ve been loving doing laundry during the day and not worrying about how hot it is to run the dishwasher. I’ve been in party planning mode of the boys birthday parties. I ordered their supplies online yesterday and I have their birthday invites ready to throw in the mail next week.
I’ve also been planning for the fall with my Wednesday night class at church. Today I purchased the supplies for my bulletin board. I also ordered new curriculum and crafts. I am now set for the new school year. I have two weeks left with my current class, but those two weeks will be spent visiting our youth ministry and preparing for them the transition. Last Wednesday, we did ice cream sundaes and took down all the artwork that decorated our room throughout the year. We passed around pieces of paper and signed them like yearbooks. I love getting one last chance to tell them how much they matter to me and Jesus. I almost cry every year as I tell them how I loved teaching them and that our friendship doesn’t end when they leave the classroom. These girls mean so much me. Most of them have been regulars for the last two years. We’ve gotten close. Every year it’s hard to see another class move up. But the size of the classroom I teach in won’t let me keep all of my students forever (I’d be tempted to if I could).
In the midst of home showings, getting an offer on the house and major illnesses, I threw an Usborne book party last week. It was a major success! I got WAY more hostess rewards than I had expected. I got the boys books for their birthdays, books for Christmas, book just for fun. The topics range from dinosaurs to bugs to space to trains to machines. I got Christmas stories, a phonics reader set and wipe clean learning books for preschool. I am so excited to add these books to our home library. They are a great quality and educational. Such a blessing. Since Usborne has had a boom in popularity recently, it takes a while for their books to ship. Being patient is hard!!! I can’t wait for the amazing box to arrive!
A lot of my life is out of my control (okay, almost all of it). There are a lot of things that weigh on me and worry me. I have to keep reminding myself that worry doesn’t change anything. I find myself clinging to the goodness in ordinary moments. Folding laundry, using the oven, baking, watching my kiddos play, making snacks, making meals. These things keep me grounded. They keep me centered on reality. I often feel like my life should be a fairy tale. When I tell my story, it should be nothing short of perfection, as if angels sing in hallowed voices in the background. But life is not a fairy tale. We’ve certainly had our share of concerns and discouragements and uncertainties. I like security and in a lot of ways, my security has been shaken over the last year. While I might not be sure of a lot of things, I am sure of Jesus and I am sure of the blessings in this moment. My current blessing is that Owen has stopped screaming. He gets real dramatic at bedtime. The toddler phase of one more drink, one more hug, where is my toy, turn my heater on, I have to go pee… It’s real folks. And Owen screams about it every night for about 20-30 minutes. Jeremy has evening commitments all this week which means I have a week of bedtimes all by myself. It’s hard. But now both my boys are sleeping and since my hubby is away, I am having some personal time to blog. When I’m done here, I will hop on to Shutterfly.com and put on my family historian hat. I’ve been working on the boys’ photo books for this last year. I find that if I work on them slowly a month or two at a time, the project isn’t a big deal. These are good moments. Looking through happy pictures of my kids is a wonderful thing when I am feeling tired and worn out and cranky (because I was up three times with Graham and once with Owen last night). Oh sleep… I miss you!
The end of the summer is a hard time to catch everyone. Missing a few of our regulars (and April). Wrapping up another awesome year with the 5th/6th grade girls at church.
What a joy it was to use the oven to make frozen pizza! Family dinner time is a blessing especially with piles of trains on the table and trucks on the floor!
Homemade banana bread! Yum!
Graham really liked my banana bread
Owen was not so into it…
Amy Scott's Thoughts 