Update from the First Week of School!

     Well, here I am again--a month between posts!  In all fairness to myself, though, this past month has been insanely busy.  Even more insane than usual...which is saying a lot!  But, I had a few spare minutes after house cleaning and before I start supper, so I thought I'd better take advantage of them!  I hope I get done in time...

     The biggest happening around here has of course been the start of the school year.  All the boys are in school this year, (this is what happens when Mommy and Daddy teach there!) so we are all busy with school and new schedules.  So far, it seems to be working out pretty well.  (She said optimistically the fourth day of school into the year...)  I guess we will see how things keep progressing.

     The week before school started, Mommy, Daddy, and Middle Biscuit were all very ill with a stomach bug.  I can't complain too much, because I can count on one hand the number of illnesses of that type we have had in our family.  But all I will say is that I have literally never been so sick in my life.  Maybe it was being pregnant and being sick at the same time (also a very rare thing for me) but I have never been so glad to be well before!  Thankfully, we were all mostly better for the first day of school.

    School is much more interesting this year.  We have doubled enrollment again this year, and are now up to twenty students.  So, because of the way our school is set up, and how our curriculum works, it is similar to a home-school setting.  So, Hubby and I, and Mrs. H (the kindergarten teacher), and Mrs. F (our new helper this year) are pretty busy all day.  Listening to reading, helping with Math, challenging students to retain information, and most of all, instilling Godly character are the things we strive for every day.  We have students from very different backgrounds, some with special learning challenges, and it is our job to train them up in the way they should go.  Such an awesome responsibility!  Sometimes, I have to take a step back and say "Lord, you know I can't do this on my own..."  There is a different level of pressure than home-schooling, I feel, because you home-school your own kids.  They are already your responsibility.  But parents have entrusted their kids to us for a large portion of their day--you don't want to "mess up" someone else's kids!  :)  But God has truly blessed and given strength beyond measure for this undertaking.

     Two of the boys were excited to start school this year.  First-Born didn't want to have to do his school work--doing nothing all summer was much more fun apparently!  But they were all up and ready to go for the first day...after some cajoling by Mommy!  I think I even got smiles from everyone in the "first day of school" picture!

      Of course, the most excited one this year is Stitch!  He is finally big enough to go to "real" school.  He very seriously told me that he needed a backpack, lunchbox, and a "big blue box" (pencil box) like his brothers had.  Also, two pencils, markers, and new crayons.  Oh, and his own scissors and glue stick.  He was very excited to take his picture all by himself...he actually pushed his brother out of the picture because it was his turn! 

      Baby L. seems to be handling all the changes well also.  Mommy is finally feeling a little better, or maybe I'm just so busy I don't have time to notice it anymore!  We should be finding out what we're "getting" at our next appointment, which is in a couple of weeks.  I don't have any "leanings" one way or the other right now...people keep asking me if I want a girl this time.  I'm not sure if I would even know what to do with a girl at this point!  :)  The boys all want another boy---I guess they think "Why mess with a good thing?"   Stay tuned for the big reveal in a few weeks!

     I thought I would end this post with a funny Stitch story that happened this past week.  We were eating supper and I had told the boys to eat with less talking because it was Wednesday, and we had to get ready for church.  Well, it was quiet around the table (a rare occurrence!) and all of a sudden Stitch gasps and says, very excitedly, "Mommy! Do you know what my brain is doing?!"  Of course I had to say no--that is such a loaded question from a three year old!  He then replied, "It's singing "Trust & Obey" all by itself inside my brain--right here!"--pointing to his forehead.  Then he said "See?" and stares me dead in the eye--like I could hear inside his head!  Well, I didn't want to hurt his feelings by laughing, so after much inward struggle, I was able to reply that it was great that his brain was singing such a good song, and God likes to hear him singing all the time!  He is at the age of discovery--and it sometimes his discoveries are hilarious!  Definitely a "Lego moment!"  :) 

Bumps and Blessings!

     Well, it has been exactly one month since my last post...so sorry Faithful Readers!  I promise, I had the loftiest of intentions to blog more faithfully during the summer months!  I compose blogs in my head, and never seem to be able to get to the computer to send them along!  *Sigh*

     The theme that's been running through my head lately has been "bumps & blessings."  (Hence the title!)  By now, if you have read this blog for very long, you know that I like boring.  Lately, however, life around here has been anything but boring!  In fact, it has been very "bumpy."  I seem to be hitting all the potholes in the road of life!  As soon as I bounce out of one, it seems like I'm heading down into another. And it seemed like I was hitting them in all the different areas of life--marriage, kids, health, church, work....

     I want to be real on this blog.  I don't want to "roll around" in my problems, but I don't want you to think as you read this blog "She has it all together...nothing ever seems to happen to her like what happens in my life..."  Because that's definitely not true!    As humans, and therefore sinful creatures, we all have our share of trials and temptations that we face.  The hard part is learning how to handle them properly, according to Scripture.

     So, as I was saying, life has been bumpy of late.  And I was getting discouraged.  I mean, don't-want-to get-out-of-bed, what-is-the-point-of-trying-anymore discouraged.  Then I realized something.  A simple, straightforward, should-have-already-known-this something.  (Side note: you know how we get tired of saying the same thing over and over to our kids?  Do you ever think about God sitting back and saying, "Now, how many times have I tried to tell you that?"  Thankful for a Perfect, Wise, and most of all Patient Heavenly Father!)  God sends the bumps in our life so we are forced to seek out the blessings. 

     It's so easy to forget God's continual blessings during the boring times.  Bumpy times narrow our focus, forcing us to concentrate on remembering God's blessings--most of the time just so we can go on living!  And as I went through these bumpy times, I was forgetting to do that.  So I was getting more and more discouraged, wrapped up in my issues.  Then I was thinking one day about something that has happened in my family's life recently that has been an answer to a prayer of ours for a very long time.  Then I started thinking about other things that have been happening in our ministry here.  I realized then that Satan wants me to focus on the bumps.  If he can get our focus on ourselves, and our problems, then he knows the battle is half won in our life.  Discouragement is one of his biggest weapons.  Because discouraged people are halfway to being quitters.  And Christians who quit won't do anything to further God's kingdom.  Which is exactly Satan's plan.

     I started listing things mentally that have been happening that have been furthering God's kingdom.  Families in our church who have committed to live their lives for the Lord.  Kids in whose life I have had a small part coming to the Lord for salvation.  The exponential growth of our school this summer.  And I realized...this is why we have bumps--so we can remember the blessings.

     So, if your just coming out of a bumpy time yourself, or may be heading into one, I want to encourage you.  Look for the blessings.  Don't let Satan get a foothold of discouragement in your life.  Give your disheartening moments to the Father.  And soon you'll look back and see what God has accomplished during your bumpy time.  Then you'll be able to give Him the glory!

    Oh, and sometimes, the bumps can be blessings themselves...in fact, we have a "bump" that is growing into a "blessing", and should be here in about six months!  (Is that too vague?)  :)

Summer Slow-Down. . .Yeah, Right!

     I had the highest of hopes for a more regular posting schedule for my poor, neglected blog this summer.  But then reality intervened, and well, let's just say lately we're lucky to get meals around here!  I realized that the busy-ness was getting a little out of hand one morning, about a week ago, as Hubby and I were sitting at the kitchen table after breakfast.  We were both filling out our respective to-do lists for that day and the rest of the week.  We both had lots to do, and not much time to do it in!  But we survived that week, and we're almost done with this one as well!  I'm glad to say that later on that evening, when that day's work was done, we promised ourselves that we would take some time for a "vacation" in a couple of weeks.  You don't know how often that thought has kept my sanity for the last few days!

     We've had a couple of big happenings around here since my last post.  Probably the most exciting thing was the fact that First-Born decided to get baptized!  He was saved about two years ago in our tent revival. (You can read about that here.)  He knew in theory that he should be baptized, but as he put it, "I'm just not brave enough."  Well, he finally found the courage, and two Sundays ago was baptized by his Pa. 

     I found this great pic from Middle Biscuit's birthday celebration.  I just had to stick it in here...

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like six candles on an ice-cream cone!  

   
     We've also had a new addition to the family.  Some of you may know about our new kitten.  He is quickly becoming "one of the guys."  He's pretty feisty, which is a must around here, and all the boys love playing with him.  He was named "Chip" for the spots on his belly (they looked like chocolate chips), but we quickly realized that name was a little too "cutesy" for this particular tough guy!  So, the boys amended his name, and now he is known as "Chip Norris--the toughest cat in the world!"  He and Stitch are especially good buddies, and spend lots of time chasing each other around! 

Gotcha! :)

     Even though we've been busy, we have found time to do a couple of fun things.  Family zoo trips, picking the garden (well, the boys think it's fun!), celebrating Father's Day, picking blueberries, and making some cakes have all been little ways to have fun as a family! 

*First-Born working diligently on icing his cake...he wanted it to be just right!  (You should have seen them after they ate that cake...they looked like mini-vampires with all the red around their mouth!)



     *Middle Biscuit and Stitch worked together to ice their cake.  Well, Middle Biscuit worked to ice the cake.  Stitch realized that the knife was an excellent icing-eating tool! 




    This week we are in the middle of Cub Scout day camp.  Let's just say that it has been an adventure.  But then again, I guess anything that involves large numbers of boys under eleven is an adventure, right?  Tomorrow is the last day, and I'm not even going to pretend to be sad that it's over!  It's a good thing that we only have it one time a year!  Lol...

     I'm glad I've had the chance to catch you up with our crazy life!  I hope your summer is going well...and it's not too crazy!  :)