The difference a year makes

I'm not going to attempt to catch up on everything, but before we celebrate E's bday tomorrow, I wanted write a little about my firstborn, who turned seven last week. It's amazing what God can do in a year. Last summer was rough for Sam. His dad was deployed, and he seemed to have a hard time with anything new. I mentioned it briefly here and here. Soccer, day camp, school, sunday school, being in a wedding, playdates with friends--ALL of these were a stuggle for him. Even the thought of them brought tears. I learned that Jess and I needed to be patient with him, but at the same time, I worried: What does this struggle mean for an army brat? If new people/places/things are so difficult for him, how will he handle the many transitions and hardships he will face in our military family? For this reason, Sam was my main concern as we moved to Kansas, AND my biggest reason to homeschool.

You might not even believe that last paragraph if you saw him today. He has adjusted so well to a new place. He has been enthusiastic about making friends, meeting people, and trying new activities. Once a worrier, now he trusts. He walks into a new classroom at Sunday School, and even the chaos of a new Vacation Bible School with a smile on his face. I can't explain it. Yes, his dad was deployed last year, but that timidity characterized Sam for several years, not just last summer. This is more. This is answered prayer.

Here is Sam at the VBS program at Main Post Chapel. He LOVED it.

He requested a carrot cake: If you had been with me on our trips back from getting our "farm box" you'd understand-the boy would sit in the backseat and eat all the carrots from the box before we got home.

Dad and I are so proud of you, Sam, and love you very much!

Her last day as four.. .

Ella Rose turns five tomorrow!!! As I look back to last year, a lot is still the same with Ella. She acts like a little mommy, or at least a teenager much of the time, but can still throw a tantrum that will rival any toddler's. Tonight, as I folded clothes, Ella decided to help the littles with their bath. After a few minutes of chuckling to myself, I decided to get the camera so you could see the little mommy in action. Sorry for the twisted angle--I forgot not to hold it that way.

A sign of the end?

I'm afraid it could be. There are moms out there who have lots of kids and homeschool and sew AND manage to update a blog, but I might not be one of them. I am going to try harder, but I figured I better just acknowledge the fact that I am no longer a faithful blogger. (I think I recently read that on a friend's blog, too. Glad to know I'm in good blog-slacking company).

A while ago I promised you pictures. Well, I havent' been a faithful photographer lately either, so I dug these out of the month of May.

It always helps to color coordinate when you serve your baby messy foods.

We always did call them Sam-n-ella. . .

Just one more horrible thing to tell you, and then, if you are still here tomorrow, I promise I'll add some nice pictures of my bedroom decorating project or maybe even a cute baby/toddler. The doctor called yesterday and told me that Ella Rose's tests showed she had Salmonella poisoning last week!!! Good news: we're not all waiting to catch a nasty virus. Bad news: Where on earth did she get it and is it still in my fridge?!?!!?

A big stinkin pile of. .. .

You know.

It's been a little rough around here lately=no blogging. Josiah is the most difficult so far to potty train, but he's starting to get the hang of it. Poor Ella Rose has been very sick to her stomach since Sunday morning. I am changing my name to the Pooper Scooper. Still, things are starting to improve. How do I know? She's feeling well enough to be very dramatic about her pain and frustration, instead of just moaning and sleeping like she did a few days ago. I will return, but in the meantime, you can pray that no one else gets sick and that Ella recovers and sleeps well tonight!

transparancy

Blogger is not letting me post pictures. I've tried for two days. I still haven't come to the point where I'll cuss on this blog, but I thought about it.

What I really wanted to tell you is that I miss my friends. I don't want to have a whiny blog, but, just in case you wondered. . . since I never call and rarely email. I don't call because I still think i shouldn't call long distance just to tell you that Pioneer Woman's Cauliflower soup is really yummy, or Josiah pooped in his underwear twice today, or I bought bedside tables for $10 a piece! And so tonight, after the chapel picnic, I just don't feel like filling you in on all the details, I just want to tell you that Midwestern potlucks aren't quite as good as southern ones. For the record, I DID have pictures of the picnic, but stupid blogger won't let me upload them. There, I'm getting closer to cussing. I better sign off.

As I walked home tonight, tired of meeting new faces and trying to put names with the faces I met yesterday or the day before, I was thinking the words of this Sara Groves song:

don’t want to leave here I don’t want to stay

It feels like pinching to me either way

The places I long for the most Are the places where I’ve been

They are calling after me like a long lost friend

It’s not about losing faith It’s not about trust

It’s all about comfortable When you move so much

The place I was wasn’t perfect But I had found a way to live

It wasn’t milk or honey But then neither is this

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt Leaving out what it lacked

The future seems so hard And I want to go back

But the places that used to fit me Cannot hold the things I"ve learned

And those roads closed off to me While my back was turned

The past is so tangible I know it by heart

Familiar things are never easy to discard

I was dying for some freedom But now I hesitate to go

Caught between the promise And the things I know

So there you have it. This is a great place to live, and we're thankful to be here, but sometimes I want to be back in the familiar, and back among friends.

Catching up

I'm sorry I haven't been good at posting lately. We are happy and busy. And we are forgetful to bring the camera places. And we are tired enough to use the "royal we" in sentences. And close enough to homeschooling to look up, again, the word for the use of the royal we. It's nosism, in case you forgot. Anyway, besides some fun times in Nashville and Marissa, which I'll have to post about later, here is our week in pictures:

Some Lindquists and Grandma Curry visited overnight on their way back from camp!

a little more decorating. Yes, that's a real, fake nest and eggs framed by a cheap glass-less frame. I'm looking for cheap and quick things for the walls.

Again yes, it really is a 4foot by 8 foot blackboard in my dining room. My wonderful husband made it for me to fill the almost empty room!

one more cheap decoration--framed fabric in my sewing room.

other things we've been doing:

talking with neighbors about leading a bible study.

getting ready for VBS

bowling and mini golf

enjoying the remarkable weather

shopping at the new Mega Marshalls

celebrating our anniversary

back to cloth diaper laundry after our break during the move

taking a nap with my tiny niece

fishing on the harpeth

and potty training. much more on that later.