Wednesday, February 1, 2012
And Post-Hike Marshmallow Roast Pics
Oh my goodness, how I love my little ones. So many great pictures to choose from. The geese and the mutts are okay, but the kids ... the kids are so awesome!!
Be Still, My Soul
Be Still, My Soul
1. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
2. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
3. Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Text: Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697; trans. by Jane Borthwick, 1813–1897
There's a great version of this on YouTube. The 2nd verse is a little different, and I prefer the verse above. But this is still a beautiful rendition by Libera, the boys choir from the UK.
This is one of the songs that, on a dark night, I found myself humming, not knowing the words. After I'd hummed it repeatedly for about an hour, it occurred to me to find my hymnbook and look up the lyrics. It really spoke to me about how my depression was my personal "cross of grief or pain," about how the Lord was my best and heavenly friend, and how the way out was through Christ--the thorny way just like the thorns He wore upon His head as He worked out the Atonement. It was the first time I understood that Christ's Atonement isn't just the cure for our sins but for all of the things that ail us.
The second verse was personal for me as well, since I was going through an intense period of asking Why? Why did my own brain and body betray me? Why was this my challenge in life? Why couldn't I just be happy like everybody else? The funny thing about my depression was that I knew I "should" be happy with my life, but I couldn't make myself do it. This verse taught me to trust that God has a plan for me, even though I don't know what it is, and someday "All now mysterious shall be bright at last." Sometimes trusting in God's plan means not getting hung up on the whys, and for me, this was one of those times. I don't ask why very often anymore. It just is. It's part of Heavenly Father's plan, and I trust that He is smarter than I.
The third verse seals that assurance for me. "When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,/Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored." Often with depression, it feels like disappointment, grief, fear, sorrow are larger than life, impossibly difficult to deal with, and happier emotions are dim and hard to imagine, let alone experience. I love that phrase--"love's purest joys restored"--I'm banking on that. I know that already many of my joys have been restored to me, but in the dark moments, this is a promise for the future that I hold onto.
Each person's cross is different. And sometimes the cross we have to bear at one time in our life is different than our cross at another time in life. What I know is that this hymn at one time taught me to hope, and it taught me that Heavenly Father sent His love to me when I needed it most. When I need to take a deep breath, and find that still, quiet place in my heart, this is my go-to song. Hope it brings you some peace, too.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
On Pedophiles and Prayer
We have recently fielded several questions from people here and in Oklahoma about certain events that occurred right after we moved to Georgia. I have previously debated the wisdom of posting this story. However, it is a record of our family history, and more importantly, a record of Heavenly Father's watch care for us, and how He answers our prayers in the way that is best for us.
When we moved into our new ward (congregation) at church, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that another family from Oklahoma had moved in just a few weeks before. They were getting baptized our first Sunday in town. After years of living in a ward where college families moved in and out pretty regularly, we had learned that the quickest way to get involved in your new church family is to ... well, get involved. So we attended this family's baptisms. We discovered they were from Edmond, about 45 minutes to an hour from Norman. Although, we didn't know this family in OK, it was nice just knowing someone around who would know what the Warren Theater is, what "Don't Edmond my Norman" means, and that when the tornado sirens go off, you are, of course, supposed to run outside and check the sky.
As if those coincidences weren't enough, this family was renting the house next door to the house we were trying to buy. They had as many kids as we did, and their two daughters were the exact ages of our older girls. We really looked forward to getting to know them. They seemed like good solid people. The kids were kind and polite. After coming over to help us move into our apartment, they came back to bring me cake and ice cream for my birthday after a long, physically straining, tearful day. Their kindness made me cry more.
A few weeks went by, and then the sky crashed a little bit.
The father had been arrested and taken into custody here as a fugitive ... from Oklahoma, where he had run from his trial for the molestation of some girls, including his two daughters. In his absence, the jury had convicted him on maybe 12 counts of molestation and sentenced him to something like 186 years in prison.
Along with the rest of our new ward, we found the news stunning, shocking. We were disbelieving and felt betrayed. And then: how did we not detect this crazy perv amidst us? And how was he living with his wife, the mother of the children he had apparently abused, and those very children!? Oh my heavens, we'd had the man in our house, talked to him at Wal-Mart, encouraged our children to befriend his children!!
But along with feeling sideswiped by the news, Bob and I felt an immense sense of relief and a sure knowledge that Heavenly Father was looking out for our family. We had been trying to get that house--which would ultimately be next door to this family--since our initial visit here in June. We had an offer in on it, and were hoping to be able to close on it as soon as possible so we wouldn't have to find a temporary living situation. We actually tried to rent the house, but no matter what our real estate agent tried and no matter how fervent our prayers, no dice. We ended up having to rent this apartment, which cost us a significant chunk of money, and will force us to move our belongings a second time, AND I have to walk our ridiculous dogs every freakin' day.
But you know what? Heavenly Father listened to our prayers to get that house when we wanted it, and He said no, repeatedly and firmly. Instead, He listened to our many prayers over the years to keep our children safe and to preserve them from danger. Had we moved in next door to this family, our children would have played with their children, we would have developed a relationship of neighborly "trust," never knowing what really lurked there.
Many people here are curious as to whether we knew this family when we were in Oklahoma. I think it's a valid concern ... I would want to know that, because I'd be wondering if we had kept such sickening and important information from the ward that had so lovingly and unquestioningly taken us all in. The answer is: no, we didn't know. We don't watch the local news very often, and weren't taking the paper as we got ready to move. This family lived in Edmond, on the other side of OKC. Oklahoma looks like a little nothing state in the middle of nowheresville, but there are a lot of people between Norman and Edmond. It later emerged that this family weren't really new converts to our church, but had actually been members back in Oklahoma for a long time. That's two stakes (groups of 8-11 LDS congregations, about 2000 members in each stake) away from our stake in Norman, which stretched south, not north. We were as blindsided as everyone else here.
And for the people curious back home, this man is in custody again, and his family has moved away and we have not seen them since. No dangers of living next door to that pedophile. Although my heart still breaks for those kids.
That's a lot of really weird coincidences. I don't believe in coincidences; I believe things happen for a reason. I don't know why things happened the way they did in this case, and I probably don't want to know. I hope our presence here made that guy really, really nervous; I hope that somehow it made his stay in Georgia--with those kids--shorter than it otherwise would have been. And I do know that it has reminded US to be more cautious in our friendships and with our children.
I count my blessings every day, every single day we are in this crazy, yard-less, half-basement apartment with 6 kids and 2 dogs. I count my blessings every single day that goes by that I don't own a home again. Do I want out of this apartment? Do I want to spread out and own my own home again? Heck yeah!! But I don't have those things because my Father in Heaven kept us safe in spite of ourselves. I'll take that any and every day of the week if it means He put my children's safety before my uninformed desires. When we prayed to Him with meekness, and included a sincere "not my will, but thine be done," He listened and prioritized our needs and desires.
I don't know why not all prayers end up like ours did. My heart aches for those children, for surely they prayed for relief when they were at the mercy of someone else's agency. All I know to do now is to include them in my prayers. After all, they work, right? Please include them in your prayers as well.
When we moved into our new ward (congregation) at church, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that another family from Oklahoma had moved in just a few weeks before. They were getting baptized our first Sunday in town. After years of living in a ward where college families moved in and out pretty regularly, we had learned that the quickest way to get involved in your new church family is to ... well, get involved. So we attended this family's baptisms. We discovered they were from Edmond, about 45 minutes to an hour from Norman. Although, we didn't know this family in OK, it was nice just knowing someone around who would know what the Warren Theater is, what "Don't Edmond my Norman" means, and that when the tornado sirens go off, you are, of course, supposed to run outside and check the sky.
As if those coincidences weren't enough, this family was renting the house next door to the house we were trying to buy. They had as many kids as we did, and their two daughters were the exact ages of our older girls. We really looked forward to getting to know them. They seemed like good solid people. The kids were kind and polite. After coming over to help us move into our apartment, they came back to bring me cake and ice cream for my birthday after a long, physically straining, tearful day. Their kindness made me cry more.
A few weeks went by, and then the sky crashed a little bit.
The father had been arrested and taken into custody here as a fugitive ... from Oklahoma, where he had run from his trial for the molestation of some girls, including his two daughters. In his absence, the jury had convicted him on maybe 12 counts of molestation and sentenced him to something like 186 years in prison.
Along with the rest of our new ward, we found the news stunning, shocking. We were disbelieving and felt betrayed. And then: how did we not detect this crazy perv amidst us? And how was he living with his wife, the mother of the children he had apparently abused, and those very children!? Oh my heavens, we'd had the man in our house, talked to him at Wal-Mart, encouraged our children to befriend his children!!
But along with feeling sideswiped by the news, Bob and I felt an immense sense of relief and a sure knowledge that Heavenly Father was looking out for our family. We had been trying to get that house--which would ultimately be next door to this family--since our initial visit here in June. We had an offer in on it, and were hoping to be able to close on it as soon as possible so we wouldn't have to find a temporary living situation. We actually tried to rent the house, but no matter what our real estate agent tried and no matter how fervent our prayers, no dice. We ended up having to rent this apartment, which cost us a significant chunk of money, and will force us to move our belongings a second time, AND I have to walk our ridiculous dogs every freakin' day.
But you know what? Heavenly Father listened to our prayers to get that house when we wanted it, and He said no, repeatedly and firmly. Instead, He listened to our many prayers over the years to keep our children safe and to preserve them from danger. Had we moved in next door to this family, our children would have played with their children, we would have developed a relationship of neighborly "trust," never knowing what really lurked there.
Many people here are curious as to whether we knew this family when we were in Oklahoma. I think it's a valid concern ... I would want to know that, because I'd be wondering if we had kept such sickening and important information from the ward that had so lovingly and unquestioningly taken us all in. The answer is: no, we didn't know. We don't watch the local news very often, and weren't taking the paper as we got ready to move. This family lived in Edmond, on the other side of OKC. Oklahoma looks like a little nothing state in the middle of nowheresville, but there are a lot of people between Norman and Edmond. It later emerged that this family weren't really new converts to our church, but had actually been members back in Oklahoma for a long time. That's two stakes (groups of 8-11 LDS congregations, about 2000 members in each stake) away from our stake in Norman, which stretched south, not north. We were as blindsided as everyone else here.
And for the people curious back home, this man is in custody again, and his family has moved away and we have not seen them since. No dangers of living next door to that pedophile. Although my heart still breaks for those kids.
That's a lot of really weird coincidences. I don't believe in coincidences; I believe things happen for a reason. I don't know why things happened the way they did in this case, and I probably don't want to know. I hope our presence here made that guy really, really nervous; I hope that somehow it made his stay in Georgia--with those kids--shorter than it otherwise would have been. And I do know that it has reminded US to be more cautious in our friendships and with our children.
I count my blessings every day, every single day we are in this crazy, yard-less, half-basement apartment with 6 kids and 2 dogs. I count my blessings every single day that goes by that I don't own a home again. Do I want out of this apartment? Do I want to spread out and own my own home again? Heck yeah!! But I don't have those things because my Father in Heaven kept us safe in spite of ourselves. I'll take that any and every day of the week if it means He put my children's safety before my uninformed desires. When we prayed to Him with meekness, and included a sincere "not my will, but thine be done," He listened and prioritized our needs and desires.
I don't know why not all prayers end up like ours did. My heart aches for those children, for surely they prayed for relief when they were at the mercy of someone else's agency. All I know to do now is to include them in my prayers. After all, they work, right? Please include them in your prayers as well.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Things Are Gonna Get Better
Living with bouts of depression isn't always easy. I think that's pretty self-explanatory.
BUT the good news is: now that I know what I'm dealing with and that I have a treatment plan, it's a lot easier to cope with the bad days. Sometimes I can even predict and plan for and minimize a bad day, which is useful to say the least. Sometimes I forget that I know a bad day is coming. Those are the worst days for me anymore. But they are still better than before we knew what was going on, because I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that this is a passing moment. I just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Even more good news is that my Father in Heaven is looking out for me, even when I'm not looking out for myself. A lot of time He communicates His love for me and His reassurances through music. It could be church music, it could be something on the radio, it's even been listening to one of my girls sing to herself before, or reading the lyrics to a song in the hymnbook or on the web. Occasionally, when I'm feeling down, I get a prompting to listen to a song that helps, or I realize I'm humming a hymn and when I think about the words, they are exactly what I need to hear.
Three days ago, Caleb put a David Archuleta CD on in my truck. I was a bit exasperated because he's really obsessed with this CD right now, and between that and Sariah's Beauty and the Beast craving, I haven't really been listening to everything I want to while I'm out taxiing about. Plus, Lizzi's addicted to one song on the David Archuleta CD, so we listen to it a lot (it's a fun song, which is why I tolerate the repeats, lol!).
This morning, I found myself really grateful that Caleb put this CD in. After a sick day yesterday (because I drank orange juice with acid in it, even though I totally know better) and a really rough emotional morning running circles in my own head, this song was just starting when I turned the truck on. I don't know how many times I've listened to it before, but today...today it was for me, and that makes all the difference. I will remember it every time I hear the song now, and the darkness that is my depression takes one more permanent step backwards. Slowly but surely, right?
In case you are interested, here are the lyrics:
Yeah, Yeah,
BUT the good news is: now that I know what I'm dealing with and that I have a treatment plan, it's a lot easier to cope with the bad days. Sometimes I can even predict and plan for and minimize a bad day, which is useful to say the least. Sometimes I forget that I know a bad day is coming. Those are the worst days for me anymore. But they are still better than before we knew what was going on, because I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that this is a passing moment. I just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Even more good news is that my Father in Heaven is looking out for me, even when I'm not looking out for myself. A lot of time He communicates His love for me and His reassurances through music. It could be church music, it could be something on the radio, it's even been listening to one of my girls sing to herself before, or reading the lyrics to a song in the hymnbook or on the web. Occasionally, when I'm feeling down, I get a prompting to listen to a song that helps, or I realize I'm humming a hymn and when I think about the words, they are exactly what I need to hear.
Three days ago, Caleb put a David Archuleta CD on in my truck. I was a bit exasperated because he's really obsessed with this CD right now, and between that and Sariah's Beauty and the Beast craving, I haven't really been listening to everything I want to while I'm out taxiing about. Plus, Lizzi's addicted to one song on the David Archuleta CD, so we listen to it a lot (it's a fun song, which is why I tolerate the repeats, lol!).
This morning, I found myself really grateful that Caleb put this CD in. After a sick day yesterday (because I drank orange juice with acid in it, even though I totally know better) and a really rough emotional morning running circles in my own head, this song was just starting when I turned the truck on. I don't know how many times I've listened to it before, but today...today it was for me, and that makes all the difference. I will remember it every time I hear the song now, and the darkness that is my depression takes one more permanent step backwards. Slowly but surely, right?
In case you are interested, here are the lyrics:
Yeah, Yeah,
Mmmmm
Everybody’s got a time in their life
When everything hurts and nothing’s right
But you gotta walk on
Yeah, you gotta walk on
When everything hurts and nothing’s right
But you gotta walk on
Yeah, you gotta walk on
Everybody’s got a piece of their heart
That’s been stepped on and torn apart
But you gotta be strong
Yeah, you gotta walk on
That’s been stepped on and torn apart
But you gotta be strong
Yeah, you gotta walk on
‘Cause I know it’s hard to have the strength
And sometimes you can’t get through the day
But things just float on by like a river in the night
And sometimes you can’t get through the day
But things just float on by like a river in the night
But I know things are gonna get better
And I know things are gonna be fine
And I know life is gonna get better
Standing here together
Yeah, we’re gonna be fine
And I know things are gonna be fine
And I know life is gonna get better
Standing here together
Yeah, we’re gonna be fine
Everybody’s got that one regret
No matter how they try, they can’t forget
But you gotta move on
Yeah, you gotta move on
Everybody’s got someone they’ve lost
And they can’t believe they’re really gone
But you gotta live on
Yeah, you gotta live on
No matter how they try, they can’t forget
But you gotta move on
Yeah, you gotta move on
Everybody’s got someone they’ve lost
And they can’t believe they’re really gone
But you gotta live on
Yeah, you gotta live on
‘Cause I know it’s hard to have the strength
And sometimes all you feel is pain
But time keeps floating by on that river in the night
And sometimes all you feel is pain
But time keeps floating by on that river in the night
But I know things are gonna get better
I know things are gonna be fine
And I know life is gonna get better
Standing here together
Yeah, we’re gonna be fine
I know things are gonna be fine
And I know life is gonna get better
Standing here together
Yeah, we’re gonna be fine
And I’ve been shown hope
I see it in your eyes
So take me and touch me
‘Cause with a little bit of love
We can win the fight
With a little bit of love
We can see the light
With a little bit of love
It’ll be all right
I see it in your eyes
So take me and touch me
‘Cause with a little bit of love
We can win the fight
With a little bit of love
We can see the light
With a little bit of love
It’ll be all right
I know things are gonna get better
And I know things are gonna be fine
And I know life is gonna get better
Standing here together
Yeah, we’re gonna be fine
And I know things are gonna be fine
And I know life is gonna get better
Standing here together
Yeah, we’re gonna be fine
Walk, walk, walk on by
Keep, keep, keep walking on
Keep, keep, keep walking on
Keep, keep, keep walking on
Keep, keep, keep walking on
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Rex &the Pinewood Derby
Rex's big win for the night was in sportsmanship. He didn't cry, just kept smiling and having fun. Even after his car repeatedly finished last in nearly every heat. Because someone put the weights on the front end instead of the back end. Oops. We should have started running it down the track backwards.
AND it didn't attach all of the pics
Here is a pic of Caleb's car~~the blue and black one to the left.
Caleb & the Pinewood Derby
It was Pinewood Derby excitement for us this week. A brief synopsis: Mom bought the cars. They sat for awhile while we figured out how on earth we would cut them with no power tools. Mom bought a saw...let me rephrase, a manly power tool. Dad was very happy. Dad and Caleb and Rex cut and sanded and painted and waxed and pounded and glued. Caleb raced. Caleb won a lot of races. Caleb's little blue and black car took 1st place for the Weebelos. Not bad for a boy with 2 parents who aren't all that crafty, armed wth gorilla glue, craft paint and some mending plates.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Dark Side Reporting In
Ok. I admit it. We have resorted to questionable parenting practices.
I've always wanted my kids to be big readers, like I am. That hasn't been a problem with the girls. And in fact, now that I think about it, Lizzi is my Biggest Reader Ever, but she sure didn't have a lot of interest in books for awhile there. Anyhow, my boys not so much, which I hear is common with children of the male persuasion.
To be fair, Rex goes in phases of reading. For awhile there, you couldn't get him to put the books down. At bedtime, anyway. I think he discovered my weakness for readers and try to use that advantageously. Then, he just quit reading.
But since we moved to Georgia, the kids now use the Accelerated Reader program. They take tests over books they've read, and get points based on how well they do on the tests. During the fall, Rex went to town on this. He was on track to beat the school's all-time record for AR points.
And then about Thanksgiving or so, he slowed down to a barely moving trickle. It took us a little while, but we eventually figured out that this coincided with when Caleb overtook Rex in points. Aha!
But the thing was, I was really proud of Rex and I wanted him to beat the school record, and there was a tiny part of me that was really annoyed that Caleb might realize Rex's reading goal instead of Rex. I try not to play favorites with our kids (blah, blah, blah), but this was Rex's thing, and I didn't want Caleb to outshine him solely for the purpose of outshining him (which is why I think Caleb was suddenly reading like he'd been born to it).
So, I decided to quietly bribe Rex (yes, I'm a bad, bad, bad parent). I told him ... gulp! ... that I would pay him $1 for every AR test he took, passed, and brought home the results paper to me. Well, this was motivating, right? He was suddenly reading again. Yeehaw!
But of course, word got out. In all of 30 seconds, I think.
Some of the other children flipped. For example, take whom we will call Child L. "That's not fair!" (Surprise, surprise, surprise, coming from Child L.) "You never paid me to read! You've never bribed me before!" What the what?!?!?! My response was simple (if revealing about how long ago I may have switched to the Dark Side of Parenting): "Are you kidding me? How bout the 100 plus bucks you 'earned' for wearing your retainer??" At the time, of course, $100+ was small change compared with how much we'd already paid the orthodontist.
And word got out some more, like in the next 30 seconds after that.
Suddenly, Caleb wanted to be paid for reading, too. It's all about fair and equal, right? How could I tell him no, when he and Rex have been working together (for like the first time in ... well, ever) to earn enough money to buy a Play Station 3, or some such electronicnightmare gaming system? Bob and I had already agreed to encourage them in this joint endeavor since the togetherness of it is nothing short of miraculous. (I will try to remember how miraculous it is when they get in the first fight over the fruits of their labor.) But back to the whole reading scenario....
So, now I have one kid's teacher who's like, "Whatever it takes, I guess." And the other teacher who cringed when he heard about it. Awesome, eh? In my pre-parenting days, I would have cringed, too. Trust me, I can spout all the reasons why you shouldn't pay your children to do anything, and especially not something that is essentially a hobby, like reading for pleasure. And yet, now that I havepre-adolescent and adolescent children. ... scratch that ... now that I've had the pleasure of raising toddlers, I totally get the bribery thing. Ok. I might have understood even in the first 6 months of motherhood, when we would desperately stuff Hannah's thumb in her mouth just so we could glean a little bit of sleep from the night. Bribery, right?
So there you have it. A dark parenting confession: I bribe my children to read.
Do I regret it yet? No.
But boy am I glad I only promised a buck a book, because I considered a buck for each AR point. That would have been ouchie.
I've always wanted my kids to be big readers, like I am. That hasn't been a problem with the girls. And in fact, now that I think about it, Lizzi is my Biggest Reader Ever, but she sure didn't have a lot of interest in books for awhile there. Anyhow, my boys not so much, which I hear is common with children of the male persuasion.
To be fair, Rex goes in phases of reading. For awhile there, you couldn't get him to put the books down. At bedtime, anyway. I think he discovered my weakness for readers and try to use that advantageously. Then, he just quit reading.
But since we moved to Georgia, the kids now use the Accelerated Reader program. They take tests over books they've read, and get points based on how well they do on the tests. During the fall, Rex went to town on this. He was on track to beat the school's all-time record for AR points.
And then about Thanksgiving or so, he slowed down to a barely moving trickle. It took us a little while, but we eventually figured out that this coincided with when Caleb overtook Rex in points. Aha!
But the thing was, I was really proud of Rex and I wanted him to beat the school record, and there was a tiny part of me that was really annoyed that Caleb might realize Rex's reading goal instead of Rex. I try not to play favorites with our kids (blah, blah, blah), but this was Rex's thing, and I didn't want Caleb to outshine him solely for the purpose of outshining him (which is why I think Caleb was suddenly reading like he'd been born to it).
So, I decided to quietly bribe Rex (yes, I'm a bad, bad, bad parent). I told him ... gulp! ... that I would pay him $1 for every AR test he took, passed, and brought home the results paper to me. Well, this was motivating, right? He was suddenly reading again. Yeehaw!
But of course, word got out. In all of 30 seconds, I think.
Some of the other children flipped. For example, take whom we will call Child L. "That's not fair!" (Surprise, surprise, surprise, coming from Child L.) "You never paid me to read! You've never bribed me before!" What the what?!?!?! My response was simple (if revealing about how long ago I may have switched to the Dark Side of Parenting): "Are you kidding me? How bout the 100 plus bucks you 'earned' for wearing your retainer??" At the time, of course, $100+ was small change compared with how much we'd already paid the orthodontist.
And word got out some more, like in the next 30 seconds after that.
Suddenly, Caleb wanted to be paid for reading, too. It's all about fair and equal, right? How could I tell him no, when he and Rex have been working together (for like the first time in ... well, ever) to earn enough money to buy a Play Station 3, or some such electronic
So, now I have one kid's teacher who's like, "Whatever it takes, I guess." And the other teacher who cringed when he heard about it. Awesome, eh? In my pre-parenting days, I would have cringed, too. Trust me, I can spout all the reasons why you shouldn't pay your children to do anything, and especially not something that is essentially a hobby, like reading for pleasure. And yet, now that I have
So there you have it. A dark parenting confession: I bribe my children to read.
Do I regret it yet? No.
But boy am I glad I only promised a buck a book, because I considered a buck for each AR point. That would have been ouchie.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Three Things about Georgia
Three things about Georgia that my children find very disturbing. I will note that they came up with these all on their own. They independently made these observations and brought them to me.
- Construction signs may or may not be weighted down with sandbags. Usually not. What are they going to do when the signs blow away? the children ask. But the thing is: they don't blow away very often because the wind doesn't blow very often. (Have I mentioned that my phone app sends me weather advisories when the wind will be gusting anywhere above about 5 MPH?) We did see a sign blow over onto the ground once a few weeks ago. But that was it. In Oklahoma we would have had the excitement of seeing something get dented disastrously, I think.
- Traffic lights are not on poles; they are on cables. That is so dangerous! the children say. Think of the damage they could do if the wind blows hard! they say. Again, we're back to the wind, which never blows like it does in Oklahoma--for which my hair and my winter nerve endings are grateful.
- And in the middle of December and January, many of the grasses are still green here. What the what? the children say. It's green in the middle of winter here. Guess they are used to everything, even a few of the evergreens, being dead brown from December through February. And July through September, too.
And so we will continue to deal with our children's great anxieties about moving.... ;)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy Birthday, Rex!
On this important day 9 years ago, our son Rex was born. These 9 years have been quite a journey, and I expect more adventures in the future (both near and far).
2003
Fall 2003
Spring 2007
Summer 2008
Birthday 2012
Rex's smile, vivacity, perseverance, and incredibly strong spirit have shaped me and our family. I count my blessings daily for having this amazing young man in my life. Our personalities don't always mix and/or mesh, but how can you resist that grin and that love for life!? He's growing up on me, and it makes me sad, but I am so looking forward to seeing what Heavenly Father's got in store for this son of His.
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