Thank you, my God, for this life so full of love and abundance. May we live each day of 2010 not for our own selfish purposes, but for Your glory.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Possum update
Or is it opossum? I think "opossum" is actually more correct, but both versions are in the dictionary, and I pronounce it without the "u" at the beginning, so ANYWAY...
We're up to four now, well five if you count "Polly". Two now live down by the river, two now live somewhere near Vesta where my dad relocated them, and Polly lives in the house--mostly on Tori's bed. As it turns out, possums are pretty low-maintenance pets.
The trap is set and ready...how many possums could possibly be under there???
We're up to four now, well five if you count "Polly". Two now live down by the river, two now live somewhere near Vesta where my dad relocated them, and Polly lives in the house--mostly on Tori's bed. As it turns out, possums are pretty low-maintenance pets.
The trap is set and ready...how many possums could possibly be under there???
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
My Tori
Well, actually she's Garon's, too, and her grandparents' and the rest of her extended family's, but ANYWAY, here's her story (briefly) starting at birth...
<1--Extremely difficult, easily set-off, rigid, mostly inconsolable infant. Extreme sensitivity of personal space. (This is still true.)
1-2 years--Normal developmental milestones met, but some "quirky". For example, didn't refer to self as "I" until 3. She always referred to herself in the third person and echoed to communicate. Many, many tantrums. We "walked on eggshells" a lot, not knowing what would set her off. I was very protective--probably because I knew her triggers and others didn't know not to treat her as they would other babies.
2 1/2-3 years--First evals done at Schmeiding. The doctor there attributed her behaviors to my over-protectiveness. Basically, it was my fault.
2 1/2-3 years--Sis-in-law got us into Kistler for further evals. "Sensory Integration Dysfunction" was the new direction. Tori began speech and OT twice a week.
3-4 years--Tori began pre-school. Speech and OT services were now given through the area's educational coop.
5 years--Divine intervention. Through a chance meeting, I found an educational examiner who lives only 5 minutes from my "in-the-boonies" home. She did an array of evals that finally gave us a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. Finally, a more solid direction to guide us in seeking resources, though this is only an "educational" diagnosis.
5-7 years--K-2 in public school. Tantrums, fights, inappropriate reactivity, impulsivity, difficulty focusing, basically a hard road. Maybe actually for me more than her though, since I'm the mom watching it every day (and I work there, so I get an insiders' look, too).
7 years--YESTERDAY--Medical team all-day evals at Dennis Developmental in Little Rock. Overall results:
<1--Extremely difficult, easily set-off, rigid, mostly inconsolable infant. Extreme sensitivity of personal space. (This is still true.)
1-2 years--Normal developmental milestones met, but some "quirky". For example, didn't refer to self as "I" until 3. She always referred to herself in the third person and echoed to communicate. Many, many tantrums. We "walked on eggshells" a lot, not knowing what would set her off. I was very protective--probably because I knew her triggers and others didn't know not to treat her as they would other babies.
2 1/2-3 years--First evals done at Schmeiding. The doctor there attributed her behaviors to my over-protectiveness. Basically, it was my fault.
2 1/2-3 years--Sis-in-law got us into Kistler for further evals. "Sensory Integration Dysfunction" was the new direction. Tori began speech and OT twice a week.
3-4 years--Tori began pre-school. Speech and OT services were now given through the area's educational coop.
5 years--Divine intervention. Through a chance meeting, I found an educational examiner who lives only 5 minutes from my "in-the-boonies" home. She did an array of evals that finally gave us a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. Finally, a more solid direction to guide us in seeking resources, though this is only an "educational" diagnosis.
5-7 years--K-2 in public school. Tantrums, fights, inappropriate reactivity, impulsivity, difficulty focusing, basically a hard road. Maybe actually for me more than her though, since I'm the mom watching it every day (and I work there, so I get an insiders' look, too).
7 years--YESTERDAY--Medical team all-day evals at Dennis Developmental in Little Rock. Overall results:
- She's definitely on the autism spectrum. Asperger's isn't a perfect fit, but autism presents differently in girls, and it's the closest label. So, Asperger's it is...
- We now have a permanent connection to Little Rock's resources including a new doc in Alma who will do yearly update appointments with us.
- Tori will start meds soon to help with her concentration.
- We will continue lots and lots of social stories, "coaching" her through day-to-day activities, and start focusing a lot on "Theory of Mind" to help her learn to empathize and cope socially.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Got 'cha
As it turns out, fuming the possums out did not work. So, plan B...Garon bought a trap. And, as you can see, it was very effective. We set it with some Thanksgiving dinner leftovers, so at least the poor thing got a good last meal at the Kerns house....
...before we drove it to its new home 5 miles away near the Arkansas River.
Bye, bye, stinky possum!
...before we drove it to its new home 5 miles away near the Arkansas River.
Bye, bye, stinky possum!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Random
According to my husband, I need a secretary. My mind is so constantly scattered in so many directions that I rarely know exactly what I'm doing or where I've been. It seriously takes focused effort on my part to replay the events of one day, let alone a week, or heaven forbid longer than that. SO, this post is random like my mind at the moment...
First, Baby Stellan from the "My Charming Kids" blog had surgery today. Stellan just turned one year old and today underwent his second heart surgery. He has been hanging in there by God's amazing grace for the past several months as doctors have waited for his little body to be big enough to tolerate the needed surgery. Well, he had it today, and it was overwhelmingly successful. It's a very long story, but "McMama's" link is on my site if you're interested in more details. The most amazing part to me is the connection of people that the life of this sweet baby has brought together through the wise voice God has given to his mama. As long as she keeps blogging, I'll continue to check in and love her family.
Next, with Stellan on my mind, I began thinking today about God and miracles and angels and such, and remembered a poignant moment in my life when I witnessed the supernatural--feeling God's presence is familiar, but seeing it is something else...my sister and I were swimming with our kids at one of my friend's house. We three moms were chatting as our kids played. Our three chairs were facing the pool where our three girls were in and my sister's son was out. He was 3 at the time, and as we chatted he leaned in for a toy that was just out of reach. All three of us moms turned at once in that surreal moment to see my 6-year-old daughter lifting her 3-year-old cousin out of the deep end. She hadn't had swim lessons. She was not strong enough to lift him. But she did--effortlessly--and we saw her. We asked her what happened, and she said "I saved Eli". Just like that. No big deal. But truly, we saw the Big Deal, and it is still absolutely incomprehensible.
And on to the next totally unrelated thing--possums. We have a possum family that has been living under our house for the past probably 6 months. I am a devout lover of animals, so any kind of inhumane eviction has been out of the question. The grandest effort we (I) have made until tonight was the purchase of a can of stinky granules that were supposedly made with the scent of their predators' urine. Well, I crawled under the house, spread the granules, and the possums didn't blink. (I need to also mention here that our 3 cats peacefully co-exist with the possums. They can often be found chilling on the porch with them after dark.) ANYWAY, tonight Garon purposefully, stealthily approached me as he gestured for me to follow. Hmmm...at this point I'm thinking there's something naturey and pretty that he wants to show me. He led me into our bedroom where he pointed to the vent. Then he mouthed, "The possum's in there." So...I opened it, and there's the possum looking up at us. Weird. So, Garon got the bleach and dumped it down all of the vent ducts to fume it out. We then shut all vents to make sure it stayed extra fumey down there...and then, they RAN AWAY!!! Yay! We have now blocked all known entrances under our house, so maybe our unwanted guests won't be staying for the holidays.
And next, speaking of houses, we're scouting out the Smiths' 60 acres for a place to re-plant ourselves. We have outgrown this house, and it's definitely time for a new direction. We hope to rent this house after we move, but we'll see. ALL details are still in the air. We'll probably do something by spring, so my mind is definitely preoccupied occasionally with the details...
And finally, after three weeks of sickness and fever in our house, Adrion is better (knock on wood) and Tori has a diagnosis for her relentless fever--pneumonia. I am so glad for that diagnosis and so, so thankful for our wonderfully thorough and kind pediatrician, Dr. Beene. She is amazing.
One last happy thought--the 21st is my and G's 11th anniversary. That's so unreal to me. When we married, nothing in my life made sense except for him. He is the one piece that has always been solid. Now, we're almost to a place where we can be still and enjoy with the rest of our life falling in place around us. I'm so thankful and so ready for that. I love you, my G.
And that concludes my commercial message of random thoughts...now on to some paper-grading.
First, Baby Stellan from the "My Charming Kids" blog had surgery today. Stellan just turned one year old and today underwent his second heart surgery. He has been hanging in there by God's amazing grace for the past several months as doctors have waited for his little body to be big enough to tolerate the needed surgery. Well, he had it today, and it was overwhelmingly successful. It's a very long story, but "McMama's" link is on my site if you're interested in more details. The most amazing part to me is the connection of people that the life of this sweet baby has brought together through the wise voice God has given to his mama. As long as she keeps blogging, I'll continue to check in and love her family.
Next, with Stellan on my mind, I began thinking today about God and miracles and angels and such, and remembered a poignant moment in my life when I witnessed the supernatural--feeling God's presence is familiar, but seeing it is something else...my sister and I were swimming with our kids at one of my friend's house. We three moms were chatting as our kids played. Our three chairs were facing the pool where our three girls were in and my sister's son was out. He was 3 at the time, and as we chatted he leaned in for a toy that was just out of reach. All three of us moms turned at once in that surreal moment to see my 6-year-old daughter lifting her 3-year-old cousin out of the deep end. She hadn't had swim lessons. She was not strong enough to lift him. But she did--effortlessly--and we saw her. We asked her what happened, and she said "I saved Eli". Just like that. No big deal. But truly, we saw the Big Deal, and it is still absolutely incomprehensible.
And on to the next totally unrelated thing--possums. We have a possum family that has been living under our house for the past probably 6 months. I am a devout lover of animals, so any kind of inhumane eviction has been out of the question. The grandest effort we (I) have made until tonight was the purchase of a can of stinky granules that were supposedly made with the scent of their predators' urine. Well, I crawled under the house, spread the granules, and the possums didn't blink. (I need to also mention here that our 3 cats peacefully co-exist with the possums. They can often be found chilling on the porch with them after dark.) ANYWAY, tonight Garon purposefully, stealthily approached me as he gestured for me to follow. Hmmm...at this point I'm thinking there's something naturey and pretty that he wants to show me. He led me into our bedroom where he pointed to the vent. Then he mouthed, "The possum's in there." So...I opened it, and there's the possum looking up at us. Weird. So, Garon got the bleach and dumped it down all of the vent ducts to fume it out. We then shut all vents to make sure it stayed extra fumey down there...and then, they RAN AWAY!!! Yay! We have now blocked all known entrances under our house, so maybe our unwanted guests won't be staying for the holidays.
And next, speaking of houses, we're scouting out the Smiths' 60 acres for a place to re-plant ourselves. We have outgrown this house, and it's definitely time for a new direction. We hope to rent this house after we move, but we'll see. ALL details are still in the air. We'll probably do something by spring, so my mind is definitely preoccupied occasionally with the details...
And finally, after three weeks of sickness and fever in our house, Adrion is better (knock on wood) and Tori has a diagnosis for her relentless fever--pneumonia. I am so glad for that diagnosis and so, so thankful for our wonderfully thorough and kind pediatrician, Dr. Beene. She is amazing.
One last happy thought--the 21st is my and G's 11th anniversary. That's so unreal to me. When we married, nothing in my life made sense except for him. He is the one piece that has always been solid. Now, we're almost to a place where we can be still and enjoy with the rest of our life falling in place around us. I'm so thankful and so ready for that. I love you, my G.
And that concludes my commercial message of random thoughts...now on to some paper-grading.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
We're off to see the wizard...
Dorothy and Scarecrow...
with Glenda the Good Witch and Tinman...
and Tinkerbell and Bumblebee.
Halloween 2009
with Glenda the Good Witch and Tinman...
and Tinkerbell and Bumblebee.
Halloween 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A few of my favorite things...
(A Kerns family sing-along to the tune from Sound of Music)
Smiling Tori
and my big boy "Bubbers",
Kisses for Daddy,
and more for the mommy,
Adrion showing his sweet pearly whites,
Garon exploring beneath autumn light...
Do doo doot, do doo doot...
Okay. The end. :)
Oh wait, one more just cuz they're so cute...
Smiling Tori
and my big boy "Bubbers",
Kisses for Daddy,
and more for the mommy,
Adrion showing his sweet pearly whites,
Garon exploring beneath autumn light...
Do doo doot, do doo doot...
Okay. The end. :)
Oh wait, one more just cuz they're so cute...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tori's 1st Riding Lesson
Tori started riding lessons today, and there are no words to express how EXCITED she was! Her teacher said that she had a natural sit, and she was able to lead the horse a little. Go Tori! Here is a camera phone pic of her first ever real horse experience. Maybe one of these days we'll have a little barrel racer.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Spinning
That's what we've been doing...spinning our wheels. I know that the time we spend at work, driving, getting ready, cleaning, paying bills, maintaining, is purposeful, but it also feels like a rat race a lot of the time. This world we try to exist in (sometimes hanging on by our toenails) with its ever-escalating technological, economic, career-driven, mentally/spiritually deprived demands is exhausting. My sentiment of late is "I don't like being a grown-up".
This past week a first-grade teacher at a nearby school left her 16-month-old baby in her car all day long. The car was parked at the school, and no one saw. My baby is 18 months old, and this incident absolutely tore me up. I'm that busy. My mind is scattered in that many directions. I have had to turn around in our school parking lot because I have forgotten to drop off my baby. It could have been me. It could have been anyone trying to super-function in this ridiculous fast-paced world that we've created for ourselves. Why?
I don't know. Disheartening? Yes.
But then again, I do know. Even though this world may be ridiculous, so are my blessings. With the utmost humility, I am so grateful for what God has given. The beauty in the faces of my children, in the love of my husband, in the warmth of our home, is indescribable. Truly. I am blessed to spend every work day in the same building with my daughter. My son is a stone's throw away in a facility where he is loved and nurtured by people who love God. My husband is a devoted provider and leader.
So, even though it's hard, I'm thankful for the enormous growth that comes from living in faith that God will take care of us. We are so small and know so little. Everyone has their own story with God, and He uses our circumstances to shape and build us. I am so, so grateful, and I try every day to give my life to God--to be his arms and legs and voice. Casting Crowns has a song with lyrics to the effect of "If we're the body, then why aren't His arms reaching, his voice calling..." Anyway, THAT's why.
Thank you, God, for the difficulties of life. Please help me to be still in the chaos and know that you are God.
This past week a first-grade teacher at a nearby school left her 16-month-old baby in her car all day long. The car was parked at the school, and no one saw. My baby is 18 months old, and this incident absolutely tore me up. I'm that busy. My mind is scattered in that many directions. I have had to turn around in our school parking lot because I have forgotten to drop off my baby. It could have been me. It could have been anyone trying to super-function in this ridiculous fast-paced world that we've created for ourselves. Why?
I don't know. Disheartening? Yes.
But then again, I do know. Even though this world may be ridiculous, so are my blessings. With the utmost humility, I am so grateful for what God has given. The beauty in the faces of my children, in the love of my husband, in the warmth of our home, is indescribable. Truly. I am blessed to spend every work day in the same building with my daughter. My son is a stone's throw away in a facility where he is loved and nurtured by people who love God. My husband is a devoted provider and leader.
So, even though it's hard, I'm thankful for the enormous growth that comes from living in faith that God will take care of us. We are so small and know so little. Everyone has their own story with God, and He uses our circumstances to shape and build us. I am so, so grateful, and I try every day to give my life to God--to be his arms and legs and voice. Casting Crowns has a song with lyrics to the effect of "If we're the body, then why aren't His arms reaching, his voice calling..." Anyway, THAT's why.
Thank you, God, for the difficulties of life. Please help me to be still in the chaos and know that you are God.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Kerns Khaos
It's seriously a thrill a minute in our household lately...some cases in point:
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009:
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009:
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009:
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009:
Two Tuesdays ago:
Totally true conversation:
Janelle: Waking, well-rested, noting the sun coming in the windows; looking at the clock; abruptly snapping out of her happy little moment; yelling "GARON, IT'S 7:15!"
Garon: Jumping up; spastically looking in circles, "What happens at 7:15?"
Janelle: "Isn't this Tuesday?"
Garon: "Tuesday? What? What's going on?"
Janelle: "It is Tuesday, isn't it?"
Garon: "I'm so confused."
Janelle: No comment. Equally confused.
Garon: "*#@#@!"
Random day about a week ago:
New tire, $160. After hours pro-med appt. for the baby with a diagnosis of "It's a virus. Treat symptomatically and come back if anything changes", $92.
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009:
Spur-of-the-moment family fun trip into Ozark National Forest turns not-so-fun with loud, demanding daughter; fussy, tired baby; moody, angry, bug-eaten daddy; and trying-to-stay-composed mommy, who obtain 5-inch spike in new $160 tire while on dirt road on top of a mountain and have to boogie home before tire goes flat because they don't want to have to change to the spare and no tire shops are open on Sunday...
Monday, Sept. 7, 2009:
Family is very proud of a day spent cleaning, organizing, mowing, carefully placing all bags for next day by door, and then...
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2009:
Mrs. Kerns arrives at school without any of her materials, lesson plans, or curriculum books necessary for a non-khaotic day.
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009:
Getting ready for work/school. Mrs. Kerns going to VB to observe a classroom. Must leave earlier than usual to get kids to BadDad for ride to school then meet teacher friend. Tori is underfoot. Baby is clinging to mommy. Mommy is stressed. Daddy is reacting to Mommy's stress in his helpfully explosive way. Everyone makes it into cars 10-or-so minutes late. Kids are dropped off. Mrs. Kerns heads out for VB. Mr. Kerns is standing in the yard doing a 2-arm wave. His truck is dead. Tone for day is set, and it doesn't improve much...
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009:
A monsoon straight from SE Asia arrives in Arkansas just in time for family to head out the door. Despite heroic attempts with umbrella, and after fording previously unseen rivers in yard and workplaces, family members arrive at destinations ridiculously soggy and dripping.
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009:
Not there yet, but looking forward to a fresh start! As Scarlett O'Hara says, "For tomorrow is another day!"
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Hooky...
Some days you just have to take a moment, breathe a little, and play hooky. So on this Sunday I am praising God for the beauty in my life as I crank MJ through the house, try to put my house back in order, and love on my babies and my hubby. Thank you, God, for a beautiful day...
Friday, August 7, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Kind of Random...
Good grief, it's been a busy couple of weeks. It's hard to say exactly how all of the time was spent, but somehow it's gone...I do know that I spent the majority of last week in Searcy at a workshop...that's a post in itself--the appropriate genre for that post would be something like "Horrific Comedies" with a similar title...well, okay. I'm just going to go there...briefly...
1. Put together three less-than-enthusiastic-about-a-three-night-workshop teachers together.
2. Allow said teachers to arrive at pre-arranged hotel at 11ish at night.
3. Allow 2 of said teachers to discover wads of hair in beds, mildew on shower curtain, and smell of urine in room.
4. Let front desk close at 11:00 p.m. giving teachers no way to escape. (Let teachers remedy hotel situation by finding different hotel for nights 2 and 3--THANK YOU!)
5. Let it rain--no, drizzle--for two days straight accompanied by mid-70's in JULY.
6. Let all facilities in Searcy then have thermostats set at 60F leading to....
7. one teacher visiting the ER with a middle ear infection on night 3.
8. Let one teacher find a fingernail in her catered dessert.
9. and finally, though I'm sure I've blocked out many other more traumatizing events from the experience, let the workshop format be completely organized lecture-style allowing said teachers to sit from 8-3:30 each day in an auditorium seat with NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALLOWED.
...or not so briefly, but I'm over it. Really. I did come away with a lot of very good information, and I'll get 6 hours of grad credit once I've completed the series in 2 years, so that's cool. Just all of those factors thrown together were a little hard to bear for we three homebodies who were all heartsick for our families. I know. Wimpy. But we made it.
Oh yeah...then I got home for the sequel...drum roll, please...it's a horrible stomach virus for all spanning from Friday night to Monday afternoon! Let me just say that these were fun times.
ANYWAY, after all of that rigamarole, I spent the day today reading a book between doing mommy sorts of things, and I really needed that mental escape. The book was mediocre, but did satisfy my craving for the moment (yes, I crave books like food--yummy). THEN, my super-duper most amazing selfless sister in the world (even if she's my only super-duper most amazing selfless sister in the world) called me after a full day of work and offered to help me work on my classroom!! So heck yeah, we made a BIG dent! Still no pics, but there will be...
Hmmm...this post turned out rather rantish, but I guess that's okay since I didn't have any particular direction in mind anyway...to end, here are a couple new pics of my beee-uuu-tee-ful babies...(before I left for Searcy we managed a day-trip to take Tori--Adrion, too, though he won't remember--to see a cave since she's been begging...)
Have I ever mentioned Tori's obsession with ponies??
Lookin' like a big boy
20 stories underground
Examining rocks
The bravest of us all swimming in icy cave water--and loving it! Silly girl.
1. Put together three less-than-enthusiastic-about-a-three-night-workshop teachers together.
2. Allow said teachers to arrive at pre-arranged hotel at 11ish at night.
3. Allow 2 of said teachers to discover wads of hair in beds, mildew on shower curtain, and smell of urine in room.
4. Let front desk close at 11:00 p.m. giving teachers no way to escape. (Let teachers remedy hotel situation by finding different hotel for nights 2 and 3--THANK YOU!)
5. Let it rain--no, drizzle--for two days straight accompanied by mid-70's in JULY.
6. Let all facilities in Searcy then have thermostats set at 60F leading to....
7. one teacher visiting the ER with a middle ear infection on night 3.
8. Let one teacher find a fingernail in her catered dessert.
9. and finally, though I'm sure I've blocked out many other more traumatizing events from the experience, let the workshop format be completely organized lecture-style allowing said teachers to sit from 8-3:30 each day in an auditorium seat with NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALLOWED.
...or not so briefly, but I'm over it. Really. I did come away with a lot of very good information, and I'll get 6 hours of grad credit once I've completed the series in 2 years, so that's cool. Just all of those factors thrown together were a little hard to bear for we three homebodies who were all heartsick for our families. I know. Wimpy. But we made it.
Oh yeah...then I got home for the sequel...drum roll, please...it's a horrible stomach virus for all spanning from Friday night to Monday afternoon! Let me just say that these were fun times.
ANYWAY, after all of that rigamarole, I spent the day today reading a book between doing mommy sorts of things, and I really needed that mental escape. The book was mediocre, but did satisfy my craving for the moment (yes, I crave books like food--yummy). THEN, my super-duper most amazing selfless sister in the world (even if she's my only super-duper most amazing selfless sister in the world) called me after a full day of work and offered to help me work on my classroom!! So heck yeah, we made a BIG dent! Still no pics, but there will be...
Hmmm...this post turned out rather rantish, but I guess that's okay since I didn't have any particular direction in mind anyway...to end, here are a couple new pics of my beee-uuu-tee-ful babies...(before I left for Searcy we managed a day-trip to take Tori--Adrion, too, though he won't remember--to see a cave since she's been begging...)
Have I ever mentioned Tori's obsession with ponies??
Lookin' like a big boy
20 stories underground
Examining rocks
The bravest of us all swimming in icy cave water--and loving it! Silly girl.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Crossroads
Whew! This week has been crrrazy. I haven't totally digested it yet, actually. But, in a nutshell--
Hmmm...I'll be thinking more on this, and I can't wait for church tomorrow. Our God is an awesome God!
- I got an email last Friday that led to a "meeting" Monday at another school.
- The "meeting" (I'm quotationing it because it wasn't supposedly a formal interview) led to an interview on Tuesday.
- The interview on Tuesday (which I started crying in the middle of) led to a second interview on Tuesday (during which I continued to cry, and cry, and cry...seriously, it was ridiculous, but that's a long story...).
- The second interview led to a job offer.
- The job offer led to my having to call my current principal and superintendent to discuss said job offer.
- Discussion led to a shared conclusion that leaving my current spot would be BAD (semi-long story).
- That conclusion led to my declining the spot on Wednesday and digging back into my other new position at CL.
- My other new position (which I am very excited about, woohoo!) led to my moving about 20 loads of stuff from my old classroom to my new classroom today/night...I'm zonked! (And still not finished...)
- Then, once everything's finally relocated, that will lead to some MAJOR organizing. I'll take a picture of my "project" tomorrow and post it.
Hmmm...I'll be thinking more on this, and I can't wait for church tomorrow. Our God is an awesome God!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Psalm 23:1
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..."
--giving us unencumbered freedom to obey. (Ed Saucier, pastor)
--giving us unencumbered freedom to obey. (Ed Saucier, pastor)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Ahhhh! Ponies!!!
I just need a moment to vent. I am going to go pony psycho...
Me-Tori, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Tori-A pony.
Me-Tori, what book do you want to read?
Tori-Let's read a book with no words with these characters. (AKA tell a story about the three ponies she has in her arms).
Me-Tori, what reward do you want for finishing the next part of your workbook?
Tori-So soft crawling Pinkie Pie.
Me-Tori, what movie do you want to watch?
Tori-Horseland. (An animated pony series she discovered on Netflix online).
Me-"Old McDonald had a farm...and on this farm he had a..."
Tori-PONY! With a nayhayhayhay here and a nayhayhay there...
Me-Tori, blah blah blah blah...
Tori-Ponies!
Me-Tori, blee blah blah blee blah....
Tori-Ponies!
Seriously, she's been stuck on ponies for about three years now. I don't know how much more I can stand before I break into a psychotic episode! Heh heh....my little pony, my little pony...la la la la la la la...
Me-Tori, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Tori-A pony.
Me-Tori, what book do you want to read?
Tori-Let's read a book with no words with these characters. (AKA tell a story about the three ponies she has in her arms).
Me-Tori, what reward do you want for finishing the next part of your workbook?
Tori-So soft crawling Pinkie Pie.
Me-Tori, what movie do you want to watch?
Tori-Horseland. (An animated pony series she discovered on Netflix online).
Me-"Old McDonald had a farm...and on this farm he had a..."
Tori-PONY! With a nayhayhayhay here and a nayhayhay there...
Me-Tori, blah blah blah blah...
Tori-Ponies!
Me-Tori, blee blah blah blee blah....
Tori-Ponies!
Seriously, she's been stuck on ponies for about three years now. I don't know how much more I can stand before I break into a psychotic episode! Heh heh....my little pony, my little pony...la la la la la la la...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
It's a....kitty!
Our newest family member, Tillatoo...
who is joining our other two feline friends... Gabby,
and Black Cat.
I love kitty cats!
who is joining our other two feline friends... Gabby,
and Black Cat.
I love kitty cats!
Monday, June 22, 2009
God is...
Our church-to-be is doing a series on "God is..." right now. During the sermon this morning, I got the desire to spend a few minutes filling in that blank for myself. So I did, and following begins my list. Though I know God's Word says these things much more poetically, I don't know exactly where examples of my "God is's" are found in scripture, so I'm just listing them in a testimonial sort of way. Here we go...
God is mysterious. Try stargazing on a clear night and try to make sense of what you see.
God is nurturing. No matter what junk humanity heaves, there is always a safe, quiet place to rest in the peace of His presence.
God is persistent. Once He’s got you, there’s no ignoring Him. Go ahead. Try the wrong path and see what happens. Been there, done that.
God is forgiving. Okay, wrong choice? Give it up. Wholeheartedly (seriously, no holdouts) give it back to God. He’ll fix it.
God is passionate. Oh my gosh. Those first feelings of falling in love…the intoxicating, all-consuming blood lust. A sweet gift of heaven, and so incredibly beautiful when respected as that.
God is generous. How with my itty bitty human self can I ever thank God for sharing a tiny piece of His love for us by giving me two children. My greatest pain, love, understanding, hope, patience, and peace have come from being a parent.
God is all-knowing. I’m so thankful that when I can’t figure it out, it’s okay. I can rest easy because God knows. I am small. He is BIG.
God is forever. He has watched my great-great-great-great-great grandparents lead basically the same life that I’m attempting to lead, and He’s still going. I’ll die. My kids will live their lives (probably again very similar) and die. And He will still be here. God is bigger than death. Seriously. He’s got this.
God is exponential. The more I study His word, the more I understand, the more I love, the more I worship, the more I give…
God is beautiful. I see Him in every piece of nature. I feel Him in the goose bumps I get from worship. I hear Him in the silence. I taste Him in cheese and chocolate. I smell Him in the ripe dirt after a spring rain. I sense Him every time I sit still enough to try.
God is demanding. I am redeemed by the blood of Christ, and that is not a free gift. I am responsible every second of every day to share the light and love that was given to me. (PMS is not an excuse.)
God is alive. He is, therefore I am. (DesCartes almost had it right—he just didn’t account for God letting him think.)
God is loved. By me. To be continued... (but probably not on the blog). ;)
Friday, June 12, 2009
Cousins
Growing up, my sister and I had no cousins. Seriously. None. Of my mom's 3 brothers and sister and my dad's brother and sister, my parents were the only ones to procreate. Candace and I were always the ONLY kids at all family events. Weird, I know.
Well now that we're grown, we finally have cousins! My mom's sister is 16 years younger, and she and her husband now have 4 kiddos. Yay for us! Though they live all the way over in Arizona, we do get to see them now and then. Last week was one of those precious moments.
Here are my sweet cousins with my and Candace's children lined up from oldest to youngest...love you guys!!!!
Well now that we're grown, we finally have cousins! My mom's sister is 16 years younger, and she and her husband now have 4 kiddos. Yay for us! Though they live all the way over in Arizona, we do get to see them now and then. Last week was one of those precious moments.
Here are my sweet cousins with my and Candace's children lined up from oldest to youngest...love you guys!!!!
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