Back to School!

In the last two weeks, Little Miss and Little Man have both started school (not on the same day, mind you. That meant double the first-day-of-school traditions like special breakfast (pancakes for both), pictures with backpacks, walking them to class, long good-byes, etc. I'll be glad when they're both at the same school next year! :)

 Little Miss and her breakfast-of-choice: German pancakes

Ready for 2nd grade!

 

 Little Man with his special breakfast: "fluffy" pancakes

Lookout preschool...here I come!

 

No photo session is complete without an action shot of Little Man!

 

 Double trouble!

Summertime Fun, Part 3: Camp!

This was the first year Little Miss was old enough to go to church camp....overnight, sleep-away-from-home-for-2-nights church camp. I have attended many church camps in my lifetime in various roles: camper, counselor, kitchen staff, ministry group, etc. I'm just as comfortable in a camp dorm as the staff housing or the kitchen.

It's a different story altogether when you're preparing to put your firstborn on a bus full of children and send her two hours away for three days. It's an even bigger deal to do it when she's never slept away from home.

So, we arranged for friends to watch Little Man while Hubby was at work for a few days and Little Miss and I headed off to camp.

Getting ready to load up!

I'm not sure who was more nervous. While this was her first camp experience ever,  it was my first experience in more than 10 years! To be honest, I wasn't sure my body would ever forgive me.

I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about. If you've ever been to camp (and loved it...which I did!), it doesn't take long to fall in love with it all over again. I think Little Miss has fallen in love with it as well. From the cafeteria chants to the chapel services and even the Mud Games...she seemed to love it all. I think I see a new tradition in our future. (I reserve the right to feel differently in another 10 years!)

The Green Team...Go Ireland!

A very tired camper...glad to be home!

 

40-B4-40: The Haircut

Well summer is quickly slipping by, and I have not kept up my end of the deal on the 40-B4-40 posts. And yes, I realized that in one short month, I will cross that line into the next decade, so in honor of such a moment (and to take my mind off that fact), here is another installment of 40-B4-40:
At the beginning of the summer, I got my hair cut. Not just a trim, but a hair cut…like 3-4 inches cut off! What started out as “let’s take it to the top of my shoulders,” ended with me leaving the salon in a slight state of panic.

I have very thick, curly hair, so I did plan to cut it shorter for the summer, just not quite as short as it ended up. It didn’t look bad; however, the shock of it all took me back several years to the last schockingly-short haircut experience I had. If you’ve had one, you know that dreadful feeling that sticks with you for life.

In my first experience (in my late 20s), I was standing in front of the mirror simply staring at the horror that used to be my hair when my roommate walked in, immediately donned a horrified look, and sincerely asked, “What happened?!” (Not a comforting thing to hear when you’re already in a fragile state of mind.) I knew it was “just hair” and yes, it did grow back. But if you’ve ever had a “sketchy” hair cut, you know the panic…the overwhelming, dreadful feeling of I’m going to look like this until it does grow back, and there’s nothing I can do about it!

I felt that same feeling of dread overtake me as I smiled weakly at the stylist, gathered my children and headed out the door. Like I said, it didn’t look bad, but I was swimming in my own thoughts, unable to see myself (or my hair) objectively. Do I like it this short? Is it really cute? Or just weird? Can I pull off hair this short? Or do I just look like a giant Q-Tip (remember…thick, curly hair!)
I decided to consult a trust friend (who had been the roommate in the previous scenario, so I knew she would be brutally honest!) She assured me it was, indeed, ”a cute and fun summer cut” and that it was just the shock that I needed to get over. By that evening, I was excited about it and looking forward to showing off my new summer ’do.

(The picture I texted my friend...can you tell from my
worried smile I was trying to be OK with it? )

While we were out that evening we saw some friends, and would you believe…NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT MY HAIR?!?!? I mean, honestly, how could they not have noticed?! It was soooo short!!

I started thinking…what if it’s so bad they don’t know what to say?! (I now realize how ridiculous that thought is, but when you’re in the middle of a style panic, you have these irrational thoughts.)

Later, I ran into a good friend who I realized had been crying. She smiled at me weakly and said, "I like your hair." Well, score one for my hair cut, I guess. But I couldn't fully enjoy the victory of my style makeover, because I knew why my friend had been crying, and it had nothing to do with haircuts or style.

I knew she and her family were in the midst of a terrible trial...one I wouldn't wish on anyone. I didn't know the details of her tears that evening, but I knew they were related to what she was going through. Only then, did I stop to consider other friends I had seen or spoken to recently: one was still looking for a job, one had lost a 9-month-old to a rare illness, one had been trying to sell a home for almost a year, one was facing surgery in just a few weeks, one whose sister is battling brain cancer, one was in the middle of an unthinkable legal battle with family members, and the list went on.

I had been so consumed with my silly little hair-do, that I hadn’t truly stopped to think about the needs of those around me. Before you think me completely heartless, I have spent many hours talking with, listening to, and praying for these same friends and their situations. But today it had been all about me. My hair and my situation had literally consumed my thoughts and energy.

It reminded me of how my children can sometimes be so completely consumed with their own problems they become oblivious to anything going on around them. How many times have I been doing something (making dinner, doing laundry, etc.) only to have them come to me with a fresh list of demands, “Mom, I need you to…” “Where is my…” “Can you…” “He won’t let me…”

We tolerate, even expect, such selfishness from children, because self-absorption is a sign of immaturity. Children have to be taught to become aware of and compassionate toward those around them. It’s not often a trait they find on their own (although we’re so thankful when they do!).

I’m sorry to say it’s a sign of immaturity in myself as well. When will I learn it’s not really about me anyway? God is teaching me (through His Word and through others) to look beyond myself, my needs, my daily “emergencies,” and focus on the needs of others. When I can do that, He can use me to demonstrate His love to those who are hurting.

This thing called life is about more than my wants, my insecurities, and my to-do list. I won’t truly realize the joy in finding His grace until I learn to look outside myself and truly see those around me. What are their needs? What can I do for them?

That’s what makes this thing called life worth it. That’s what His grace in action looks like.
Maybe one of these days I’ll finally get over myself (and my hair) and remember that!

Summertime Fun, Part 2: Beach Vacation

Two weeks ago, we loaded up the minivan and headed out for a 2-day, one-way road trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. (One of the drawbacks of living in the middle of the continental U.S. is that it takes a long time to travel to the ocean...any ocean!) Fortunately, my family lives at the midway point, and since we were vacationing with them as well, we broke the trip up over a couple days. The downside was that once all the fun was over, we still had the 2-day drive home. But we made it, and it was worth every minute of the journey! As promised, here are some pictures:

Of course, the top priority was to swim in the ocean! (Little Miss had been

to the ocean a couple of times, but Little Man had only been once,

and he was too young to remember it!)

They took to beach life like fish to water (pun intended :))

Little Man and Zoe playing in the ocean with Nanee.

What's the point of going to the beach if you don't build a few sand castles?!

We got to see family we hadn't seen in awhile...like Zoe (above left), and we met

Baby Ezra for the first time (with Little Miss above)

Our resort had a putt-putt course, and the "big" kids got to go with

Nanee and PaPa one evening.

Little Man got a hole-in-one (actually, he got two of them!)

Zoe "walked" down to the playground to play  (video to follow in a later post).

The tunnel slide was his favorite.

Zoe with Mama and Aunt Nanc

Another highlight was visiting Ripley's Aquarium.

The kids were fascinated by all the underwater creatures.

They even got to pet horseshoe crabs!

Little Man especially loved the rays.

Overall, I'd say it was well worth the 2-day drive!

Summertime Fun, Part 1

We are in full-blown summer fun here...hence the lack of posts lately. Who has time to sit down at a computer when there is swimming to be done, parks to visit, playdates to be had, and road trips to be taken? (Well, that and the fact that we just returned from a 10-day road trip, but more on that in a later post.)

Here is a quick peek at what we've been up to so far in the first few weeks of summer:

 Both kids took swimming lessons. Little Man was not so fond of putting his

head entirely under water, while Little Miss might as well be called "little fish!"

We had a play date at a fun, farm park in the area. There was an awesome playground...

BIG farm equipment to drive...

little farm equipment to drive...

and real, live animals to feed!

(Don't let the jackets fool you...this was actually just a few weeks ago!)

 We've visited a local theme park a few times now (so thankful for season passes!)

 We picked blueberries...yummy!

And Little Miss finished her first year of piano lessons with a private recital in our living room.

(One of the perks of having your mom teach you piano...or maybe one of the drawbacks,

depends on how you look at it.)

What kind of fun have you been having so far this summer?

Kick Off to Summer

Little Miss finished school last week, and we celebrated all weekend long with some early summertime fun. Friday night we visited a favorite park of ours for a picnic dinner and some fun playtime.

This park has a huge butterfly garden (which wasn't open when we were there),

and this awesome playground.

Little Miss loved the butterfly.

Little Man loved the caterpillar slide.

Saturday night, Hubby's employer provided tickets to a

local Minor league baseball game.

It was Little Man's first "live" baseball game. He was fascinated by every play

and loved every minute of it. I believe we have a baseball fan
on our hands...Go Cards!

 Little Miss was all about the food...a girl after my own heart!

Finally, we officially wrapped up the school year with an end-of-school party
at Little Man's preschool on Tuesday. Little Miss got to be his special guest.

Summer vacation is in full swing here. Let the fun begin. What summertime fun do you have planned? 

Mother's Day Top 10 List

Top 10 Clues that You are a Mom:

{source}

10. You can't remember the last time you weren't exhausted.

9. A typical meal consists of random ingredients while making dinner, your kids
leftovers, or anything you can grab quickly out of the pantry before the little
footsteps you hear reach the kitchen.

{source}

8. In spite of #9, you cannot for the life of you shed those last 15 pounds!

7. You have convinced yourself (on more than one occasion) that Golden Grahams
are a perfectly nutritious and satisfying dinner for your family.

6. Fifteen minutes alone in the bathroom is like a slice of heaven.

5. You have ever
threatened prayed, with a sincere heart and clenched teeth, "Lord, please help Little Johnny's tummy, leg, nose, eyes, teeth and everything else feel better. Help him stop moving and talking and go to sleep so he DOES NOT GET IN TROUBLE!!!"

4. You find yourself saying things your own mother said...
and they're starting to make sense.

3. You have ever realized, when tucking your children into bed, that you
did not brush your teeth (shower/eat/insert other vital activity here) today.

2. You have ever realized, while tucking your children into bed,
that you did not feed them dinner!

1. Despite all the exhaustion, stress, and frustration you feel on a daily basis,
the extra work, and unwanted pounds, you are proud to be called "Mom"
and are thankful for the little ones who do so.

We may not be the June Cleavers or even the Carol Bradys of our day, but we love our family, work hard to do what's best for them, and give it our all...even on 3 hours of sleep and 6 cups of coffee! So, here's a shout-out to all my fellow worn-out Mommies!

Happy Mother's Day!

"So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith" (Galatians 6:9, The Message)