Wrapping up summer

 Working on the patio area. 

Birthday party for a friend at the Winner's Circle. 

Puppet show at the library summer reading program.

Star Wars characters (at the Catoosa Co. Library in June)

Where did the summer go?

We have been wrapping up the summer by finishing up projects, hanging out with friends, swimming, spending lots of time at the library, volunteering at Kids 4 Christ, staying up late to play games and eat popcorn.

It has been quiet here on the blog for reasons that are too complicated and confidential to go in to. I may try to draft a post about it later, but right now I am emotionally and physically exhausted. 

August is in full swing. Aaron goes back to work tomorrow. VBS is this week. My parents arrive next week for a 2 week visit. Nathaniel has a birthday coming up. Jeremiah will start his science class. Soccer season will begin. 

It has been a good summer. Now I am ready for some routine and structure again. 

New School Room

One of the things about schooling at home is that there isn't a real "first day of school." Last year we kept on Aaron's school schedule and officially started school on the day he went back to work. But, we got done early and were winding our work down already in March and were pretty much completely done by April. So we have had a lot of time off. It just felt right to ease back in to doing some school work this week, and since we set our own schedule, we did. We are not starting with anything to heavy or time consuming. Just some simple handwriting and math practice done in less than an hour this morning. 

A few weeks ago Aaron and I went to Ikea and purchased the furniture for our re-modeled room. Nothing fancy, just the basic cube shelving with a desk that accommodates both boys. I am actually glad that we waited until we were finished with our first full year of using this curriculum so that I could see how best we would use the space and what kind of furniture would really serve us well. 

 (this picture is dark, but you get the idea)

 Our read-alouds for the year. All nicely waiting in their own little cubby. 

Books with orange stickers are for this year. Books with red stickers are from last year. The color system makes it so easy for the boys to easily use the books and return them where they belong. 

 The cubby with my instructors guides and manuals for the year. 

A cozy reading area was a must since so much of our curriculum includes reading. 

And we LOVE reading! 

Silly faces prove that the new room is a hit!

I am really happy how everything came together. This room is probably the most used room in the house now. 

Camp week 2012

Last week was camp week. Aaron gone to Goldrush with the youth group from our church and Jeremiah scheduled for day camp at Camp New Dawn. He has been looking forward to camp all year. The weekend before camp was to start he was sick and had a fever. He had to miss the first day of camp, but thankfully he got better quickly and was able to join in the rest of the week. Nathaniel was sick all week so I was at home with him trying to help him rest (during a week with the most rain we have had since April). There was a lot going on. But it was a good week. It is nice to watch Jeremiah enjoy his time at day camp. He made friends and passed the swimming test (!) and generally wore himself out each day. This year his award was for his "high voltage personality." It seems he was pretty energetic.

Goldrush/sports camp week - not what we expected

I was actually looking forward to this week. Aaron was scheduled to chaperon the annual youth group trip to Goldrush and Jeremiah was scheduled to be at sports camp during the day. That left just me and Nathaniel to hang out. I was planning on lots of meals eaten out (because I don't really enjoy cooking and cleaning up). I was planning on the boys being so tired out from their days of fun that I could easily put them to bed and enjoy quiet evening hours by myself. But on Saturday night Jeremiah got a fever and yesterday it hovered around 102. So this morning he is not going to camp. His fever is down and he seems more himself.  Hopefully one more day of rest and he can start tomorrow.

Last night I was starting to get very disappointed, thinking about the possibility of both boys being home all day, all week while Aaron was gone. I was getting ready to pitch an all-out pity party. Obviously I don't want my son to feel bad, but part of my prayer last night for his healing was selfish because my week will be easier if he can go to camp. 

Last night in his fevered state Jeremiah was disappointed that he wouldn't be going to camp in the morning but he was resigned. He groaned and said, "I wish this had happened sometime in the future, not today." I sat by his bed putting a cool cloth on his head and rubbing his back. I told him I was proud of him for being so mature. I told him about some of my childhood disappointments. We prayed together asking God to encourage and heal him. 

We are going to take one day at a time this week. We will lay low here at home today and if his fever stays down then he can go to camp tomorrow. If not, well, then we make another game plan. And this is where the rubber meets the road in the applying what I believe about God and who He is to the daily work of parenting. I can grump my way through the changed expectations of the week or I can embrace that this right now is what God has ordained and He will give me joy. 

We have had a quiet morning. We waved Aaron off a few minutes ago and are about to enjoy lunch and then hopefully some naps. We are going to watch some movies this afternoon. We will probably finish our current read-aloud. With God's help and grace I intend to embrace with joy whatever circumstance unfolds this week. 

Let the official wait begin

The lady who did our home study turned it in to our DFCS office in April. Since then it has been sitting on a case worker's desk waiting to be reviewed and approved. I am a former DFCS caseworker so I tried really hard to be patient and not make annoying phone calls. But I will admit, I was getting a tad frustrated. 

Then yesterday, in the midst of our normal daily doings, the phone rang and Aaron was told that our home study was approved and we are officially open as a foster-to-adopt home, ages 0-6 years, up to two children, boy or girl, no racial preference. 

So now we wait some more...

When Jeremiah said something about us "buying" our new child we talked through the expected process in as much detail as we could. It is a balancing act trying to give them information about abuse and neglect to help them understand the situation but in an age appropriate way. Jeremiah showed some amazing insight and selflessness when he out of the blue said, "It might be a good idea to put away all our toy guns and swords until they get used to how we play in this house and know that we don't want to hurt them. Because sometimes we do play kind of rough." 

We explained that we could be waiting for a while before a child is matched to us. Both boys were insistent that it happen soon. "I hope it is tomorrow mama!" Nathaniel exclaimed. 

There was animated conversation about where the child will sit at the dinner table, and where they will sleep, and making sure that we know when their birthday is so that we can give them a big party, and if it is a girl then hopefully she will like robots because we have lots of boys toys and no girl toys, and making sure we ask what their name is. 

We talked a bit about how it will take time for us all to adjust. How it may seem strange at first, and we will need get to know the child and for them to get to know us. We talked about how we may need to step back from outside activities for a few weeks in order for us to connect and for the child to see us as their family. 

Then I suggested that we pray together. And Jeremiah insisted that we kneel to pray because it shows respect. So we did. We knelt and held hands and asked God to help us wait, and to protect our child, and to give us what we need. And my heart cracked a bit when Nathaniel lisped, "Thank you for our child. Help them come here quickly so we can find out what kind of cake they like." 

After we prayed we got up and went about our evening routine. Except in the back of my mind is the knowledge that any day we could get a phone call that will change everything. 

Pray for us please? We know that God is in complete control. He knew about all of our children before He created the world. There is peace in that knowledge. Yet there are days for me when the waiting is hard. And of course there are moments of fear that we will not be up to this task. All we can do is take each day as it comes. 

Pops by the River - 4th of July

We don't usually make big plans for the 4th of July. It kind of sneaks up on us smack-dab in the middle of summer and we usually take the opportunity to lay low and chill out. But yesterday we were feeling the itch to get out and do something and it turned out it was the night of Pops By The River, an outdoor concert by the Chattanooga Symphony with fireworks afterward. So we headed out and enjoyed a beautiful evening in this pleasant little city. 

We arrived early to set up our spot. Then we ate a delicious dinner at Taco Mamacitas, followed of course by ice cream at Clumpies. The boys rode the carousel and played in the fountains. Then we sat in the cooling dusk listening to good music, eating watermelon, feeling the breeze from the river. Fire works exploded in the night and the boys were awed. 

There are so many memories in this place. I held Aaron's hand and watched our boys turn cartwheels in the grass, the lights of the bridge that was the scene of our first date and engagement shining behind them. 

Swimming Lessons

At the end of last summer Jeremiah had started dog paddling without his life vest on. Nathaniel was fearless in the water, which was actually a matter of concern because he seriously thought he could swim even though he sank like a rock. So this summer I really wanted for the boys to start swimming. I wanted them to at least be able to keep their heads above water should they fall into a pool or something.

A colleague of Aaron's used to be a swim instructor and he agreed to teach a swim class with 3 of our friends. It was a cold week, but the kids did great. Jeremiah is confident in the water now, as long as he has his goggles on. He went from trying desperately to keep his head above water while swimming to swimming under water. Nathaniel can swim under water, and can keep himself up a little bit with his head above water.

I am so glad that we did the swim lessons early in the summer so they now have all summer to practice!

A busy weekend

Father's Day 

Goo Goo Dolls concert at Riverbend

Baby shower decorations

Yikes! Taking a deep breath this Monday as we try to recover from a weekend full of festivities. It was a weekend full of exciting events (seeing Jeremiah's favorite band the Goo Goo Dolls live), parties (a baby shower at our house, a big birthday party complete with swimming and creek splashing for the boys), and family (Father's Day lunch and playing with cousins).

This week we are wrapping up swimming lessons. I am so proud that both boys are swimming independently now! We are also working on more projects around the house and hoping to do our annual blueberry picking. Fun summer times!

New Project

The room on the back of our house gets used a lot. It is always an unorganized mess of all kinds of randomness. One of the projects on our summer list is to paint, deep clean, and organize this room. The plan is for this room to not only be our play room but also our main school room. We already have the furniture picked out for it, but it doesn't make sense to go get the furniture until the painting and cleaning is done. We have lived in this house for 3 years and this room gets a lot of traffic and not a lot of cleaning (since it is out of sight it is easy to let it go). So let's just say that new paint and some deep cleaning were much needed. 

Instead of going and getting a new color I decided to save a buck and go with left over paint from our rental property. It's not a color I would normally pick out, Parisian Taupe by Behr, which to me just means "boring tan." But it is a neutral color, I had a whole gallon of it, and it is the kind that already has the primer in it (love that!) so I decided to just go with it. I've decided I like it in this room because there are so many windows and so much sun that the tan doesn't get too dark. It also helps that there is really only one large wall to cover, all the other walls are broken up with windows, closet doors, or a pass through window. 

I spent the day painting while the boys entertained themselves for the most part. Jeremiah did want to help paint a little bit and did a great job. It feels good to have the first part of this project done! I always put off painting because it seems like such a hassle, but then when it is done I love how fresh and clean a room feels and I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. Now we just need to do the deep cleaning and go get the furniture! Did I mention that we have swim lessons this week, are taking the kids to a Goo Goo Dolls concert on Friday night, and I am hosting a baby shower at our house on Saturday? I will probably get the cleaning done, but the furniture may have to wait. 

God's love made visible through a bike

Saturday was a gorgeous day! After the ball game, pizza party and a short rest we decided to make the most of the cooler temperatures and head to the Chickamauga National Battlefield and let the boys ride their bikes. 

Jeremiah has gotten a new-to-him bike. It's a cool story really. The kind that is easy to chalk up to coincidence but when you stop and take a minute you realize that God's extravagant, generous love is made visible even in bicycles. Jeremiah has needed a new bike for a while. He loves riding and his knees were knocking his chin on his other bike. We just didn't have it in the budget to go and buy him a new bike. So we were asking him to be patient while we looked at yard sales and tried to find a bike for him at a price we could afford. He was being patient, but it was the topic of much conversation. We even stopped and looked at a bike that he really liked, but it was used and they were still asking a lot of money and so we asked him to wait a little more. Last week Aaron found a bike on Craigslist. The man was willing to sell it for $10 so Aaron and the boys headed up there. As they were leaving with the bike the man ran out of his house and gave Aaron the money back. He wanted to give Jeremiah the bike. I am amazed how God used this situation to show Jeremiah how much He loves him! And maybe Jeremiah even learned a lesson about waiting and honoring God with your money. 

So I watched Jeremiah take off on his new bike. Peddling hard down quiet roads. Flitting through shadow and light. I know I could feel God's smile. 

Last Baseball Game

 On deck.

Getting in batting position. 

He took this part very seriously. He was methodical, precise and completely serious. 

It was like he had a checklist in his head that he completed every time. 

In this at bat he had a really good hit that got a runner home and tied the game. 

The boy at 2nd got the 3rd out though out so Jeremiah didn't get to run bases, which is his favorite thing.

In the dugout. Aaron was a helper in the dugout. 

Trying to keep thirteen 7 year olds paying attention when they are waiting for their turn to bat is quite the task.  

 The final at bat of the game and season. Jeremiah is up, 2 outs, a few kids on base, our team down 14 to 6. Jeremiah got a good hit, but was thrown out at first. That ended the season. 

 Last coach pep talk. 

With coach Bradford at the pizza party. 

Nathaniel and I sitting in the bleachers.

Well, our first baseball season is over. It was a gorgeous spring-like day with cool temps and a nice breeze. A perfect day to spend at the ball field. Jeremiah had a fun season, but I must say that I much prefer soccer. However, he had terrific coaches who focused on having fun, learning, and being good sportsmen not just on winning. The highlight of any sports season is the pizza party and trophy which now sits in its own place of honor next to the soccer trophies. Now we can take a deep breath and dive in to summer.