Monday, August 29, 2011

Back to School 2011

It has been a huge week!


The big girls went back to school last Tuesday :)  Sofia is a 2nd grader!  AND Isobel is in kindergarten!  They have both transitioned fabulously into their new classrooms.  Earning many "keys" for great behavior at school, we are so proud.

Now if behavior at home would follow suit this mommy would be thrilled.  Any transition always causes some challenges in discipline...but, man!!!  We'll get back on track and trying to stay patient while holding on as tight as possible to consistency.

Summer and freedom and endless hours of play are such a blessing and joy of childhood.  But the routine has come back easily.  And everyone seems grateful to be back in a structured routine :)



A few weeks ago I started a new meet-up group for moms and their kids in the area, and we had our first play-date last week.  Everyone seemed to have a great time.  The kids played well together.   And it was great to meet some new people and carry on an adult conversation right in the middle of the day :)

We have also experienced our second earthquake and watched a hurricane affect our family.  The earthquake, for us, was fairly uneventful.  I thought a giant fighter jet had flown over until I checked facebook and family started calling.  The epicenter was less than 60 miles away and it ranked a 5.9 on the scale.  The house shook and it was loud, but since it didn't dawn on me that it was the earth itself moving it was not terribly scary.  There have been a few after shocks, we've only felt one.  So all in all...we live in Virginia!...2 earthquakes in less than 3 years is beyond quota!!!!

Hurricane Irene was the story of the weekend.  Threatening to cause historic damage in a path that has not occurred in recorded weather history.  Mark's parents and their 4 legged children and his sister and children came here for the weekend.  It was great having them and we got to celebrate Mom D's birthday with her.  It would have been nicer to have everyone without the threatening hurricane hanging heavily on everyone's mind.  But thankfully by the grace of God, the storm did weaken.

Since Finn is climbing me and furniture in an effort to see out the window and count cars and horses...I'll be back with more sometime :)




Thursday, August 18, 2011

A huge day...

I still have not decided how I can possibly tackle the posting of our entire summer into this space.  This falls into the category of way too daunting to think about! 

But today that is completely on hold and is filled instead with great hope and change and love!  I find myself pacing and waiting and stalking facebook and refreshing my email every 30 seconds and holding the phone with thumb ready to answer.  You see the hubby was in a very important meeting this morning and news has come in that it went great :)  (Details will come soon we hope!)  AND my baby sister is having her 4th baby girl!!!  No word yet but she should be being sewn back up and heading to recovery shortly, with baby safely in the nursery with her daddy.  I'm not often on this side of labor and delivery and well I'm not very good at it. 

So I find myself here, typing nothingness but hoping for the greatest news and this day being remembered as one of the greatest, most life changing days EVER! 

I find it amazing that everyday people are experiencing life changing and really history changing events in their lives and rarely does humankind pause and take notice.  A small baby is joining our family.  Everyone is forever changed.  She will make history.  Her sisters will forever have another best friend.  Her parents will have another gift to nurture and watch grow.  And whether our great-grandchildren learn about her in history class or through family stories, she will change this world!  Each one of us has and will change the history of our world.  What an awesome responsibility!

Our house has been focusing A LOT recently on this ability to be movers in this world.  To be examples in both big and small ways.  To use our talents and make our world and the greater world better.  To accept the Lord's Will and trust Him enough to accept it and live it.  To those who are given much, much is expected!

We have been given the gift of 5!  To witness to the world through our family that the Lord is great and through Him everything is possible and nothing is beyond Him.  We have been given the gift of higher education and intelligence and a desire to serve and in His Will we are lead to great tasks and greater good.

May the Lord give us the strength to witness and exist in His Will.

P.S.  Baby Molly has arrived and all are doing well :)






Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Summer is nearly gone...

How is it already 8/10?  How have I not managed to sit down and write here in over a month? 

There is a lot to catch up on and it'll take several postings.  I'd be tempted to say our summer was boring.  The day in and day out of nothing much on the calendar can get really monotonous with five little ones who want to stay home in their PJ's, and yes there were many days we did just that.  But we also have traveled, participated and vacation bible school, took swim lessons, and played.  It has been a HOT summer in the mountains.  This leaves us inside on most days and this mommy plagued with cabin fever.  The kids have seemed quite happy to play and run and wreak havoc in the house.  But I think we are all ready to resume the structure of the school year.

Since there is a certain 6 year old breathing down my neck to have her afternoon computer time...here are a few pics and I'll go back to....