Autumn

Mist dancing on the water
Fog clinging to the hills
Dew sparkling on the grass
Chill hovering in the air
Jacket cozy on my shoulders
Autumn settling in

An Interesting Question

"Mom, what is your favorite day of the week?" My boy came in this morning asking that question.

It has given me pause. In years past I could answer that question quickly.

I really did want to answer him, but I couldn't.

Then I listened to my thoughts and realized that I am maturing. (My children would say, "Getting old, Mom!", but surely it is maturity since wisdom is there.)

I wanted to answer him with, "Everyday that I get to be with you is my favorite. Everyday we get to go a do things together or learn together is my favorite. Everyday I get a chance to worship is my favorite. Everyday I get to serve my family is my favorite."

He didn't want that kind of answer....I know.

Tuesday and Saturday are his favorite. Tuesday's are busy, but full of fun and friends. Saturday is his favorite because he gets to sleep late and spend time with Grandma and PaPa.

I tell him regularly that he is my favorite boy in the whole world (an advantage of having just one son) and everyday with him is my favorite.

We Have a New Hobby

Since I really needed one more thing to do in my spare time....

My husband had told me about geocaching several years ago. He found one geocache. But, since I don't have a GPS (and he doesn't always share) I hadn't thought much about.

Last week, My Girl read a library book in which the Boxcar Children go geocaching. She asked if it were a real pastime and Dad immediately showed her the geocaching.com website. She was hooked. Especially when they found that a cache is hidden within 300 yards of our house!


She and I went out the following day to find it. That was our first. We immediately set up an account and now we have 4 logged.

If you can't tell, The Boy isn't very excited about our geocaching adventures, but he will have to put up with us since he goes where we go, mostly.


Basically, a geocache is a can, box or bottle that someone has hidden in a secret location and recorded the GPS coordinates for finding it. On the website, it tells the coordinates and a semi-description of the item. All of this will get you to the general area to find the cache. You still have to locate the item. Since the ones we have found are wrapped in camo, they can be a bit tricky. Inside the cache is a log book and a few little goodies, marbles, cheap jewelry, pretty rocks, etc. You sign the log book, take a trinket and leave a trinket and then put the cache back where you found it so someone else can find it.

When we get home, we log our find on the website. It puts a smiley face on the ones we have found and we can go see what else is available in our area. We have found out that there are more than 100 geocaches within a 25 miles radius of our house! Who knew?

It doesn't cost anything, but it sure is a lot of fun. Treasure hunting at its cheapest.

Milestones

(turning 10, with his sister) (this year) -->

Today is a new day in our house. Our oldest turns 13!

We have been teaching and training for the past 2 years that we do not have to be conformed to this world, nor the ideas and mindsets of this world. We do not have to worry about the teenage years because we are not training a teenager. We are training a young man (and young woman).

At this point of the day, 13 years ago, I was still blissfully ignorant of the adventure that awaited us. It wasn't until 5 that evening that we began to get a taste. Thankfully, the excitement level has been lower in the past 9 years, but we are still ever watchful.

This boy has grown quite a bit since that late night, 13 years ago. He has gone from 12 1/2 inches to 63 3/4 inches. And now he is a whopping 119 pounds, up from that original 1 pound 11 ounces. Wow! Isn't that a great God!


His baby pictures aren't very similar to other babies. His head is on the left, in case you aren't sure.
This is a picture of my mom with my boy before I was released from my hospital. They had him covered in Saran Wrap just to keep him warmer. (Now his head is on the right. Taken from the other side of the bed)
Then we have our first family picture that we were able to put in our Christmas letters that year. Our boy had been home from the hospital only a couple of days when this was taken. He came home 10 days before Christmas.

The years have been fun, amazing, scary, maddening, thrilling and eventful. I wonder what the future will hold. Thankfully I know the One who holds it and I don't have to worry.

I Made a New Friend

When I was out walking yesterday, I took some time to check the flowers. I had noticed them last week, but didn't pay much attention. Isn't that sad?

Yesterday, as I walked past, I reached down and plucked one. As I walked I became quite fascinated at the way this flower was created.


There are really only 3 to 5 tiny flowers. The rest is all bi-colored leaves. You cannot tell, in this picture, that they grow up to 2 feet tall! The leaves that grow up the stem are small roundish leaves.

My new friend is named Snow-on-the-Mountain. Isn't she lovely? I never expected to find a new flower friend in the hot part of August. The books say she will be around through October.

This little friend looks so different on each stalk. I was amazed when I started realizing that they all had the same genes.

It is just like the body of Christ. We all have the same "genes", but we don't all look alike. Some of these flowers are tall, and some are short. Some have many branches off the main stalk and some have no branches at all. Some grow on the side of the road and some in the cattle pasture with the decaying thistles.

My new friend is a treasure to my heart.

Bittersweet

Well, I have officially been challenged. My girl has been asking for a blog of her own. Dad and I have given in. We will be monitoring it closely. But, while she is excited about blogging, she is also challenging me to blog more often. I think about blog topics while I walk in the mornings. I have had some really good ones! However, by the time I get home, cool down, and deal with the next items on the agenda for the morning, I no longer have time to blog.

Sweet little bit says, "Why don't you find another time?"
*giggle* Were is so easy!!
Then we came up with the idea of blogging (occasionally) during those few precious moments between lunch and returning to work. Let's see if that helps.

****
Last week was my bittersweet week of the year. It was the week before public school started in our area. I still wax nostalgic.

Then I realized that it is those fond memories of growing up, buying school supplies, smelling a clean school, seeing the new books, and meeting new friends (since I attended so many different schools growing up). *sigh* It was almost as much fun as Christmas, in many ways.

Then I realized that I actually had 13 years in schools before high school graduation, 4 years of college, and then 12 years of teachings. Wow! 29 new school years. No wonder I wax nostalgic!

However, I come home to my two monkeys and I get to grin. That nostalgia still hasn't worn off. I have two precious children to love and nurture for only a few more years. And I get to keep them!

I don't really know how many years of homeschooling to count. I was so overtly proactive in my boy's development during his first 2 1/2 years since he was a micro-premie that is hard not to count that time. And I also was overtly proactive when it came to "preschool".

The excitement of a new school year for those first 29 years would end up running thin after 2 - 3 weeks. Now, with homeschooling, it isn't exciting everyday, but it is pleasurable the majority of the time. Yes, there are days that I have to FORCE us to get our work done, but with such interesting company it quickly returns to the pleasurable side.

I am so happy and blessed to have this job. I wouldn't trade this for anything I can possibly think of. I am just so blessed.

Misnomer

Stay-at-home-Mom!

Ah! That sounds so delicious!!
I know that everyone already knows that is a misnomer. There is no such thing as a stay-at-home-mom in our western society. I'm not even sure how women have time to work!

At times, I even think that it is always my own fault or my own choice that I am too busy. I do know that is true, sometimes. However, today and in the past week, that just isn't the case.

I could not simply say, "No, my girl is not going to orchestra camp (last week) because we will be too busy." I also could not say, "No, I will not come and help with my niece's wedding dress (like I really did anything big)." And I cannot, today, say, "No, I will not attend this meeting for one of the best organization to which I belong." I also cannot say, "No, we will not go spend time with a good friend that we haven't seen in the past 3 weeks."

"No" is not always a choice.

Now, next week, "No" may be a very real option. But for today, we will push through some schoolwork and then rush off to the next important thing.

Note to self: Take the time to hug those kiddos and give them smiles as we rush on to the next thing.