Fall 2013-dark leaves

Friday, April 30, 2010

The Latest

They sent Daddy home today. Yes, that's 4 days after his quadruple bypass. I'm honestly shocked. Not sure how to process this one yet. At least he's going home to a quiet house with an attentive wife.

We had Patrick's testing Wed., and it went well. We will finish up May 13. Receiving services mght be tricky because he has one area with big red flags, but he's great in all the others. But that one area--word retrieval--shows up in lots of pragmatic areas and definitely needs attention before he gets frustrated.

Bootcamp starts Monday again. It has been nice to sleep in this week, although I used two of my mornings to meet friends.

This is the first weekend in 4 weeks that we've not had family in town. It's kind of strange to not have something to do. Ironically, we've been cleaning today and the house looks better right now than it has over the past month.

And now I'm going to put the little ones down for naps and the big girls and I will play Apples to Apples Jr. and read Little House while the storms roll in. Tonight's dinner will be frozen pizza on the couches in front of a movie. Now this is the way it's supposed to be! What sweet grace!!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Emotional Day

It was a successful surgery today for Daddy. Only 4 bypasses. Anna and Stephen were there with Mom. Now for the hard part--recovery from open-heart surgery.

Also, I stirred the pot of my past with my counselor this morning, and it haunted me all day. I am thankful that there is full restoration of my brokenness in Christ. Praying now that I will focus on His goodness that He redeemed me from the deep pit of my sins vs. on what my reality was in the pit. I cannot know the joy of my salvation if I don't recognize my great need for a Savior. And I was a desperate girl. And He saved me...redeemed me...gave me new life. Joy! Joy! Joy!

Oh, that my children can learn from others and not have to experience for themselves such personal tragedies in order to appreciate their own desparate need for God!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Selfish or not?

My father is having open-heart surgery Monday. I want to be there but can't. My mind is swarming with what it would take to get to Mobile--take the kids or not? fly or drive? cancel an appointment we've been waiting for since January?

Anna's on her way now. Mom said last night that it's always been this way for her--having to do things alone. She's never lived near family. But A will be there this time.

It's never convenient to stop your life. It's certainly not convenient for Daddy right now. But how do you know it's just too much to "fenagle" to make something happen vs. I'm being selfish to not make it happen?

So I'm not going for now. But I want to. But I'm not.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Can't You Tell?

I'm so procrastinating. Since I'm determined to not eat through my anxiety this time, I'm hanging out on the computer WAY too much. Numbing myself to the hatred I feel toward the mounds of laundry that await me. Zoning out instead of diving into the Word. Scanning the internet for anything worth reading that doesn't take too much thought (not much) instead of playing a game with my kids.

So I'm blogging again for the 2nd (or 3rd?) time today.

B is heading home soon. I could really straighten up the living/dining room for a good surprise when he got home. That would make him happy, so I think I'll do it. I may even straighten our bedroom too...

Perspective

A friend from college who is a year older than me has cancer and probably 2 quality years left. And 3 and 5yo daughters.

I just found out another friend has had to learn how to manage ADHD and OCD so as to function competently within family and life.

Then a girl from school just miscarried her 2nd baby within months of each other.

And I thought I had struggles. It's all in perspective, isn't it?

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Anxiety

Anxiety is cruising around here again. There's a lot going on; lots of decisions to be made.

I found out there's now a waiting list for 2nd grade at the school where there is a spot for Sarah Frances but not for Catherine. But no word on financial aid from the school. So maybe we keep the spot and assume God will provide for us to pay what they ask. And create a situation where I'm driving twice a day (at the worst) while still having to teach at home. Sarah Frances will have homework, so I'll be helping her at night too. Or agree that it's easier (and cheaper) to simplify and keep them both home again.

Which brings me to Classical Conversations, a co-op for homeschoolers preK-highschool. There is one within walking distance from our house, and it's been in the back of my head that that's what we'd do next year if we homeshool both girls again. Come to find out that location is full. There is a possibility they will open up another class, but I'll have to be the tutor for it, which means being prepared to teach once a week. Otherwise, we'll join the new one in South City, about 15 min. away. If we keep both girls home.

Bootcamp is wrapping up its first Camp. It has been SOOOOO fun. And now the anxiety begins of if people will come to Camp 2. I'm struggling at times to rest in God's provision of Campers. The right people will be there. I'm thankful I DON'T struggle that the point of Camp is relationships really more than income.

Patrick had an ENT consult yesterday and surgery is scheduled for tubes in and adenoids out on Monday, May 24. He has some hearing loss in his left ear due to fluid, and we're trying to give him every opportunity to succeed in school. Next week is our eval with Special School District for possible Speech and Language, and Occupational Therapy services. They did the in-class eval last week, and the lady was able to observe how services will help him. We'll know more next week.

At the same time all this is going on, Brian is working hard at school. His 3rd Greek exam is this Friday, and I was surprised at how outwardly stressed he got last exam. I'm praying it won't be so rough this time around. Then there's the 10-page thesis due next week that he hasn't started because he's been focused on Greek.

Oh, what a balancing act! I stress when I don't keep us scheduled because there are necessary things that don't get done. Then I stress when I try to keep us on a schedule because I'm always worried about getting behind.

One day--in heaven--there will be no time. Only eternity. And no new things to learn. We will have complete knowledge, wisdom, and be entirely sanctified. Until then, this is not the way it's supposed to be. :)

Monday, April 19, 2010

Facebook

Ever looked at your FB page from the eyes of a stranger? Talk about putting your best face forward. Or is it foot? I'm not good at knowing the right words for "sayings".

Anyway...a friend I haven't seen in probably 16 or more years found me recently on FB. I was looking through her pages and didn't see any pics of her parents or sister. So I went to my FB photos and realized she wouldn't see any pics of mine either. THEN I realized I don't think I have a picture of me and my siblings, and I certainly don't have pics of my kids at my grandparents' homes. (They all still live in the homes where I grew up visiting as a child.)

So the idea of a trip was born that morning at 3:30am through the tears streaming down my face at the joy of still having all 4 grandparents and the sadness that it's been too long since we've been to see them. I told Brian I wanted to take the kids on a spring break trip. Then I backed out. Then it was on again.

We--me alone with the kids--drove almost 1700 miles over 7 days and 6 nights. We stayed with John and Emily in Shreveport for 2 nights and Anna and Stephen in Lufkin, TX, for 2. Dad met us at Grandma and Granfus Pruitt's in Crowley, LA, the next night, where I also spent time with my cousin Christopher as well as Aunt Sandra, Uncle Banks, and their daughter Alicia. The last night was spent in Baton Rouge with Grammy and PawPaw Glass. There are only 3 people in my entire extended family I didn't see on this trip--my Uncle John and his son Sam, and Chris's brother Charles.

It was an important trip for many reasons, and a trip I'll always remember. I mean I used to do "crazy" things like take road trips for fun more-or-less on the spur of the moment...but that was college. I did this ALL BY MYSELF with 4 kids, ages 2-7. So it was also a personal accomplishment; I've still got it in me to have fun--and fun with my kids in a not-so-mom kind of way.

More stories later, along with pictures.

And thanks to Miah. You started it all. :)

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Midwest Soda

This morning my parents were getting their cokes together for their drive home, and Sarah Frances said, "I LOVE soda!" Soda?? My child called coke "soda"!

And the other day in line at WalMart, I glanced across the magazine covers and Midwest Living caught my eye. Upon further inspection, I could not find Southern Living. Sadness.

There should always be Southern Living on the check-out shelves. And when you offer a drink to a guest, it should always be right to say, "So what kind of coke would you like? We have Regular, Diet, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Rootbeer, and Orange."