Charlotte's Web

So I started a drama club for my middle schoolers this year...for the first semester of school, we met once a week with a goal of performing before Christmas. Well, we soon found that once a week was not enough, we should have started with a shorter play, and we'd have to postpone.

We are now scheduled to perform in about 3 weeks. I am still doubtful that we'll be totally ready, but we're performing no matter what this time! This experience has definitely been a learning one. I hope the Music and Art teachers will be involved next year, too...(I am so thankful for Christie and all of her help this year though! I should also mention that Mr. Core was going to help, too, and I'm very sad that he's gone. He is very missed...He had such an active ministry with so many children...)

Anyway, I digress! So Charlotte's Web is back on! Get ready, because stars are about to be born!

Here comes Cupid!

Tori's Valentine box: Can you guess? A pony!

Adrion Michael

2 weeks old...






















1 year old! Happy Birthday, my sweet baby boy!

Why Am I Awake??

My usual bedtime never tends to go past 9ish, but here I am--awake! Okay...so it's only 9:42, but still, I should be crashed out by now. But here I am blogging without really a direction...

I thought I'd be blogging this weekend about Tori's first lost tooth--It's definitely wiggly, but not quite out yet. Maybe at school tomorrow...I always got money from the tooth fairy, but Tori is convinced that the tooth fairy will leave her a surprise. I asked G what he thought, and he said in his very practical way that it'd just depend on what's available. And yes, that makes sense because teeth are unpredictable and a midnight run to Walmart is not exactly ideal for us out here in the boonies. But I think it would be fun for Tori to get a fun "surprise" for her first lost tooth. I'll have to send G to get something special tomorrow so we'll be ready...Is it weird to keep the teeth? Is that kind of like keeping the belly button cord stump? I'm gonna go for weird and keep them...

Another random thing on my mind tonight is birthday parties. Adrion turns 1 on the 9th, and we're having a small family party at Steffey's Pizza in Lavaca. I'm looking forward to seeing him dig in to that first piece of cake! Then Tori's birthday is in April. She'll be 7 this year, and until now I've always done the family party for her, too. But this year I think I'm going for a kid party. I'm also considering having a little sleepover for her afterward. I'll have to send the boys to Spiro or something that night...

And a final thought--Thursday we're taking our 5th graders to Little Rock to tour the capitol building, watch legislation in action, and play at the Museum of Discovery. It will be a long day, but we've got a great group of kids this year, so I'm looking forward to it! Well, I suppose I'll go do some reading now until this second wind goes away. Night night!

Walking, Potter, 10 Things

I have three topics on my mind, and they don't go together at all, but I'm going to squeeze them into one blog--

1. Adrion is walking. He started about a week ago. Though he still lacks confidence to take off, he is getting better and better, and he loves walking back and forth between Garon and me. Tori likes to play, too, and she loves it when Adrion chooses HER! :)

2. I just finished the Harry Potter series, and I must say it is amazing. I'm still trying to digest all of the minute details dropped throughout the 7 books that created its very complicated, connected, and complete ending. It's mystery, kju07nyhio (that was Adrion), fantasy, action, drama, and comedy all laced together through intricate relationships between characters. There is no "fluff". Every plot line, detail, character, object, and setting is a piece of the puzzle that is revealed at the end...Really--it's that good!

3. 10 "Real" Things: On Casey's blog, she took the 10-Real-Things-Challenge, and I am inspired to try it, too. It's about sharing not-commonly-known facts about yourself...so here's me:

1-I married the first boy I kissed. No one was good enough until I met him. :)
2-I can eat a box of Big Cheez-its with a can of squeeze cheese in one sitting.
3-I want to live in the mountains with a view.
4-I am a product of a family with eccentric spiritual history/beliefs, so even though I'm a born-again Christian, I disagree with some "Christian" perspectives.
5-It's hard for me to make and keep friends. I tend to push people away and prefer solitude even though I try not to be that way.
6-I struggle with depression. It's genetic--there's no way around that. I'm fine though with some drugs in my system (legal ones), and I hope my kids never feel that darkness.
7-I want to speak Spanish fluently and live in Latin or South America for a period of time.
8-I do not like cell phones. I don't want to always be available and connected. That attitude is probably why my phone is lost right now.
9-I collect elephants because I've had a fascination with Africa for as long as I can remember. My elephants are a symbol of that. When the kids are old enough, I want to go on a safari to experience that wonder.
10-I love being a mommy. My children (okay, even more so my husband) keep/keeps me grounded and out of the clouds.

Okay, your turn! If you read this, it's your turn to take the challenge! If you don't blog, do it in email and don't forget to send one to me! :)

Hobbies

Tori's favorite thing in the whole wide world--PONIES! "Twinkle Twirl" is dancing here for her audience...


















And here's a bigger view with "Butterscotch" watching. The plastic drawers in the corner are only for ponies, and they are FULL! I don't know what we'll do when she grows out of her ponies! I think we'll have to keep them forever!
























And finally, here's Garon with Fred, Travis, and Derek playing in the forest with their air-assault rifles. Garon's other major hobbies include playing WoW (World of Warcraft) online, and he's just taken back up with guitar after several years not playing. I love that!

A Testimony

I'm staying put...this year has been a struggle for me for several reasons, but after much soul-searching and pleading with God, the dust has finally settled. My greatest obstacle has been my doubt over the best place for Tori. To say her year started out rocky is an understatement. Then, when I sought to send her to a school where I felt she would be much better served in her needs, doors were closed in my face time and time again. I was angry and frustrated. I was also struggling to maintain my professional friendships while being furious with the situations Tori was having to negotiate.

So I've been praying hard--where, God, do you want me (because wherever I go, Tori goes); what is my purpose for You; help me; light my way--and then God was quiet. I felt so lost. Then more prayer--please, God, help me make the right choices for my Tori's future. Still nothing. I kept trying to be still. "Be still and know that I am God." Things did slowly begin to change. Tori's year was easing up...but I didn't notice. I was still screaming my prayers into the heavens begging for answers that I was trying to orchestrate myself despite my "stillness".

Then, last weekend our church had a women's retreat. With all of the unrest in the other parts of my life, I've spent this year being dissatisfied at church, too. So, I wasn't super excited, but I prayed for an open mind and an open heart. At the retreat, during one of the quiet moments when our pastor's wife asked us to sit silently and let God move, I prayed once more--please, God, show me Your will. I stopped my screaming and listened. Then, so quietly, I felt His still, quiet voice telling me, "I led you to County Line". Twice, to be exact. I am a doubting Thomas, and though God led me there in the first place, I thought it wasn't good enough, and I left. That's a whole other story and testimony, but ultimately, God sent me back.

And, I have to backtrack a bit and share that the teacher who works across the hall from me started coming to our church a few months ago. She and her husband are people rooted deeply in the spirit of God, and they were led to our church through our pastor and his wife who are good friends and who they met at their previous church...

So, back to the retreat--after that still, quiet moment where God's silence was finally broken for me, we began praying aloud. My co-worker broke in and prayed a prayer in gratitude for me and our ministry there at County Line together. God had given me my direction. I realized, too, that until that moment, God had been waiting for me to be quiet so he could speak. Even though I thought I was listening, I had been raging for months. I have also learned several times now in my life, that God's messages sometimes take time--that's not a lesson I've well-learned, but I'm working on it.

I am so thankful for my God and His direction for my life. My life is His, and where He leads I will follow. County Line is such a sweet, nurturing little school, and I am blessed to work there. Likewise, Tori is loved and adored there, and whatever is lacking in resources for her is made up in the teachers' efforts to provide anything she needs. I'm thankful for stillness in my heart.

We are staying put, and whatever choices follow from here will be about putting down roots. I love you, my God, and thank you for your Life in my heart.