School Days, School Days

This past week has been busy. No lie y'all. Kindergarten is not for the faint of heart, and my child is plumb wore out.

Last Friday night we "met" the teacher. That's kind of a joke since my sister-in-law is his teacher. And yes I failed, somehow, to get her in any of these pictures. And as far as getting Andrew to take a picture without making a silly face well, you'll see.

Andrew and Saylor have been together since they were itty-bitties, and now they get to go to kinder together. They are definitely best buds.

When we got home the "back to school fairy" had left Andrew some new Berenstain Bears books. He absolutely loves them. His father absolutely hates them because as far as picture books go they're on the longish side. Sorry hon' but Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon just aren't cutting it anymore.

Monday morning was the first day of school, and it started bright and early.

Looking handsome in his uniform.

Three of his cousins go to the same school as he does, and his Aunt Crystal is his teacher so he has plenty of watchful eyes looking out for him each and everyday. (Yes his face is glowing. He's just that angelic. . . bahahahaha!)

On Thursday, I was in charge of the "Red Day" snack and decorations. I did apples, strawberries, twizzlers, and red juice boxes. Funny thing was most of the kids didn't touch the twizzlers but asked for seconds on the fruit. I couldn't find a centerpiece that didn't say "Happy Birthday" so the bowl of fruit became the centerpiece.

Finally, I would like to entitle the following pictures "Pictures My Husband Takes When I'm Not Looking". There are actually almost a hundred on his camera. I'm only including two. Most (all) are far from flattering. But why, for the love of all that's good and holy (and also for the eyesight of America), would he take a picture of my chubby behind? (And why, you ask, are you posting it? . . . Because I want to give you a good laugh. Also, I'm thinking I'd better cut back on the donuts.)

Why? Why? Why?

That's all . . . have a great long weekend everyone!

Don't Blink

Tomorrow is Andrew's first day of kindergarten. Let me say that again. Kindergarten!!!

I'm thrilled. There is no privilege greater than watching your child grow up. But y'all . . . there's this other part of me. This part of me that wants to hold my baby and rock him to sleep one more time. This part of me that wonders how (almost) six years can pass so fast.

We've all heard, "The days are long, but the years are short."

I thought the sleepless nights would never end . . . they did.

I thought he would never feed himself . . . he does.

Dress himself? That to.

Play alone? Most definitely.

He walks.

He runs.

He never stops talking.

He sings.

He dances.

He laughs.

He holds my hand and gives me hugs and brings more joy than I ever thought imaginable.

Some days are oh so very long.

But those years? Those years they fly by.

Prayers Requested

Our home study should have been approved and sent to USCIS last week. It wasn't. We still don't have it. The reviewer at our adoption agency (I believe she's either new or extremely overwhelmed with home studies . . . take your pick) took about four days longer than she said she would to get back to us. Then, and only after prompting from our home study agency, she said she needed clarification on some things.

First, these are things that have been in our home study for the past two years. And they're pretty clear. They've never been a problem, but I'm assuming she just didn't understand them. Patrick is self employed. We own rental properties. In total we own five rental properties. Our incomes, expenses, assets, and liabilities can be long and in all fairness confusing. I get that. What I don't get is not getting your work done in the time period you say you will and letting us know you need clarification in a timely manner.

Second, we had to buy a carbon monoxide detector. We've never had to have one before. It makes zero sense. We have absolutely no gas hook ups in our house. Everything is electric. Our heater is not in our house. The only way we're getting carbon monoxide poisoning is if we close the garage and start our cars. Y'all if we're that ignorant then a carbon monoxide detector isn't going to be much help. But since I quickly realized that trying to explain this was futile, I ran to the store at 4:00 Thursday afternoon and bought the stinkin' carbon monoxide detector. Had I known that we would have to have one, I would've bought it sooner.

All that to say, I'm trying extremely hard not to get frustrated or panicky. Our home study agency made the necessary changes and sent it back to our adoption agency yesterday. The reviewer said there would be a same day turn around because we're in a time crunch, but since I heard nothing yesterday, I'm thinking that may not have happened. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

The FBI fingerprints along with our moving in June both served to put a kink in things and slow things down, but there is really no reason why this should still be going on. Please pray that we get our home study approved and sent to us on Monday. That should put us within a (somewhat) reasonable (not ideal but reasonable) time frame for getting everything in to USCIS. And also pray for me to have peace and patience and to exhibit grace under pressure. As you can probably tell from what I've written above, I sometimes struggle with that.

As always, thank you for all your prayers!

The Past Week

It feels like a hundred years since I last blogged. We've been busy but not so busy I can't blog. I just haven't felt like it and when I don't feel like it, I don't blog. Simple enough.

Last week I decorated for fall. Yep, in 95+ degree temps (which is actually relatively mild for this time of the year), in the middle of August, I busted out the fall decor because that's how I roll. (Below you will find washed out pictures taken with my iPhone.)

But I didn't have a wreath for my front door, and I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on one. Go figure. So I channeled my inner crafty side . . . I had to dig deep because I buried her long ago . . . and made this. Like I said, I dug deep. It may not be the most beautiful thing that has ever graced the face of the planet, but it will work. 

I also worked on Andrew's scrapbook for the last year. I hate, I mean passionately hate, scrapbooking, but I do it because I enjoy looking back at his pictures and projects. I'm not finished but hopefully soon.

A friend of mine, who has recently started her own photography business, took a back to school pic of Andrew for a back to school special she's currently running. If you live in the Lockhart area you should really check out Rancho Estrella Photography (yep, that was a shameless plug). I love how Andrew said he wants to be a spy when he grows up . . . unless he really ends up being one . . . a mother cannot endorse that.

Saturday, Patrick and I went to a wedding for one of former youth group members. Then because Andrew was with my sister, we headed to Austin to eat and enjoy a last date before school and soccer and our scheduled life gets into full swing.

Patrick always does weird things with his eyes in pictures. I've reached the point where I just use them anyway. I mean as long as I look okay . . . that was a joke. :)

And that's what's been happening in our lives. Now I have laundry to do, a vacuum cleaner hose to replace, and an I800A Supplement 3 form to fill out. All in a normal day's work. Have a great Tuesday everyone.

I'm Over It . . .

summer that is!

If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know that fall and spring are my two favorite seasons. This past spring was absolutely glorious. It's not all that uncommon for our short winters to jump right into our ridiculously long summers, but this year we had what I would call a real spring. And I loved it. I may have even said that it was my favorite season, but I know that as soon as fall rolls around, I'll say the same thing about it being my favorite. I'm fickle that way.

What I don't like are extreme temperatures. Thankfully, we don't get a plethora of extremely cold weather. Although, I tend to think that anything below 70 degrees is crossing the line into harsh winter weather, and January and February can be pretty miserable. But overall our winters are short lived. But our summers!!! They never seem to end, and this one has been relatively mild. Still we've hit the hundred degree mark more times than I'd like, and like I said earlier, "I'm over it"!

It's not just the heat. Although, it does wear on you. It's the lack of routine and structure. It's how the days run into nights and back to days, and there's no set schedule. Admittedly, this is mostly my fault. I started out the summer with lofty goals of reading and math practice everyday and a set schedule for each day, but then we moved and went to the beach and in between we had outings here and there. As a result summer has kind of turned into a free for all, but y'all, I like schedules and routines and structure.

Then there's the fact that Andrew and I have been together a lot this summer, and I'll be the first to say we need a break from each other! Now, before you bring out the clubs and commence to beating, I love my son. And I love the time we spend together. But this is the first summer in a few that he's not gone to school part time (which only helped to further kill our routine), and he misses his friends. And I miss his friends. The other day he said, "Mom I need to tell you something." So I told him to go ahead, and here's what he had to say, "I miss my friends, and I'm home by myself, and I'm bored and stuff." Pretty much sums it up. Don't you think?

With Andrew starting kindergarten in just under two weeks, we've started easing into an earlier bedtime, and trying to get into more of a routine. I'm trying to prepare him for early mornings and getting going quickly. He likes to take his time in the mornings. Plus, up until he finished school in May, he took a nap pretty much everyday, and while he hasn't taken any this summer, I know that once school starts, he'll be exhausted.

But we're ready. We're ready for the busy-ness and routine and schedules, and there are some other changes happening this fall, which are really good (and I'll tell you about soon . . . I promise).

So here's to summer. It's been fun, but I'm ready for it to be over.

Anyone with me on this?!

When That Which is Perfect Has Come . . .

"Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven"

I've always hated that saying. I could tell you it's because it doesn't fully capture the fullness of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It's true. "Just forgiven"? I think we're a whole lot more than "just forgiven". I could say it gives people a license to walk around sinning and treating others badly. I mean if we're not "perfect" it could easily be used as an excuse. But while I know there are some Christians that do act badly, I don't think most are trying to act imperfect because they can. 

To be totally honest, neither of those are the real reasons I have always hated the saying. 

The real reason is I. Want. To. Be. Perfect. 

And I've tried really hard all my life to be. I worry about messing up. About making a mistake as a parent, or as a wife, or as a teacher, or a friend, or a daughter, or . . . you get the gist. Dangit! I just want to be perfect.

But I'm not. 

And it's so easy for me to feel guilty about it. I start playing the comparison game. If I could just . . . I should have done this instead . . . Why can't I be like . . . 

I'm sure some of you can relate.

The problem with striving for perfection is from time to time, when you're actually doing really good, when you haven't had a fight with your spouse for a few days, when you haven't yelled at your kid for a week or two, when your house looks perfect, and you've had your 30 minutes of standard quiet time, you kind start to think you are perfect. You've got it all together. You're doing good. You've got it under control. It's a problem of substituting self reliance for God reliance.

And then wham!

You get frustrated, mad, impatient, fill in the blank with whatever it is that happens to you, and suddenly you're keenly aware of how absolutely imperfect you really are.

And you feel like a failure. 

But that's never how God intended us to live. Rather than focusing on being perfect to please Him, what would it be like if I focused on His perfection? Rather than feeling like the scum of the earth when I mess up, wouldn't I be better off to seek His grace and forgiveness while moving forward?

I'm not justifying sin. There's always a fear of that in the Christian community. Instead I'm saying that we become what we focus on the most. If we focus on our anger, impatience, frustrations, and failures we only become more angry, frustrated, impatient. If we focus on a loving, gracious, Heavenly Father who leads us in all truth through the Holy Spirit. Who guides us to do right because He loves us, then it stands to reason that we will become more like Him with each passing moment.

Romans 2:4 (NKJV)

 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 

John 16:13-15 (NKJV)

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (NKJV)

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The Latest and Greatest In My Kindle

I love to read. I should probably say I love to read good, well written books. I know that seems like a given, but what I've found since buying a Kindle and realizing there are literally thousands upon thousands of options for fiction out there is that there are some extremely badly written books available for the masses. For example, in one historical western novel I was recently reading one of the characters said, "More power to ya'" and my personal favorite, "Git 'er done". That, my friends, is not good writing.

Rather than review and critique all of the books I've read in the fifteen months or so . . . which is way too many to cover and no one cares about the bad ones . . . I decided to highlight the ones I really enjoyed.

Dystopian (Youth) Fiction

I blame Hunger Games for getting me hooked on youth fiction. In particular, youth fiction of the dystopian variety. Because of this addiction, I read a number of dystopian fiction novels in the last year. If you like this type of book then I encourage you to check them out. The first book of each one links to either the author's page or Amazon. If you hate this category of fiction, I apologize profusely.

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Infraction and The Burn by Annie Oldham

Matched, Crossed, and Reached by Ally Condie
(As a side note, you cannot click to look inside. If you click on the book it will take you to Amazon where you can purchase it).

 Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

Suspense and Mystery (moving on from dystopian fiction . . . yay!)

Mortal  . . . the second book in The Book of Mortals Series by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (as a side note the third book, Sovereign, has also come out, but these books, while extremely good, take a lot of concentration and time to read) (And yes some people consider these a bit dystopian . . .)

Intervention and Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock (there is also a third book, Downfall)

The Michelli Family Series: Secrets, Unforgotten, and Echoes by Kristen Heitzmann

The Last Jihad Series: The Last Jihad and The Last Days (I've yet to read the final installment The Ezekiel Option) by Joel C. Rosenberg

Historical Fiction

Whistling Past the Graveyard  by Susan Crandall

Diamond of the Rockies: The Rose Legacy, Sweet Boundless, and The Tender Vine by Kristen Heitzmann

Biblical Fiction

Chronicles of the Kings: Gods and Kings and Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin (there are three more books in this series that I've yet to read)

That just about covers it for the books I really enjoyed reading over the past twelve to fifteen months. As you can see I sometimes stop in the middle of a series. I'll often go back and finish it later. Although, sometimes I forget (obviously). Needless to say, I have a lot of finishing up to do. 

Hopefully, you'll find something here that interests you.

Happy reading!