Today our Brianna went off to work at Downing Fruit Farm. We are so proud of her. I have heard her talk to Mr. Downing and she is so professional and grown up in the way she handles herself. This is her first real job. She will be working in the sales room, answering the sales phone, helping customers and grading fruit as it comes in. I assume she will also be picking when they need extra help with that too.
She has worked with Chris for the past few years whenever he needed her but this is so different. Daddy is just Daddy and this more responsibility that Daddy can't save if a mistake is made. My heart fluttered a little as she shut the door to the car and I heard her tell the farm manager "I am supposed to start work today, my name is Brianna". I cried all the way home.
I am so aware that she only has two more years at home before she is off to college and begins her own life apart from us. I was so excited for her to get a job because well lets face it teenagers...especially older ones can be a challenge. I thought perhaps a new job would ease some the challenge as she has something new to focus on. I praise the Lord for giving us such a wonderful daughter and pray she go to the Him for guidance in the choices she makes.
Way to go Brianna on your first job!! We are so proud of our girl!!!
Love,
Your Mamma
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Family Update
Ok so I guess it has been a year since I blogged. I will update the major happenings so my children will have a diary accountance of this crazy year then hopefully I will post more this summer. Each of our children are growing at what feels like lightning speed. All three so different and all three so similar.
Bri has worked hard her sophmore year of high school. She applied to Miami Valley Career and Technology Center just before Christmas. She applied to their Ag program for her junior year hoping to be accepted into their Vet program for her senior year. This is a great school for kids who are really interested in learning in a specific field. This program has a major science emphasis which has been her life long interest. I remember at first homeschooling her heading to the library each week to pursue more books on whatever we were learning in science because I knew the school books just wouldn't be enough, she always had so many questions and needed so much more information and was always so facsinated by animal science. I remember taking her to the Aquarium in Newport in first grade and looking at the sharks. She said "wow take at look at the dorsal fins on that shark". God must have bent her toward animals cause I have many other stories similar to that one. She has been active in a dog 4-H club this year and likes it very much. Only two more years til she will make her own way in this world.
Joseph has grown leaps and bounds this year. He really enjoyed second grade. He too has a great interest in science. He seems to be more interested in the earth and mechanical science side of things. He did a very interesting report on Neil Armstrong this year. I am not sure I have ever seen him so excited about school before. He dressed up like Armstrong on the day of his presentation and looked just like a little astronaut. Funny he is always saying he will be a mechanic someday and with all his interest in flight I said to him "Joe.. maybe you will be a mechanic for airlines" he said "or maybe I will be the first man to walk on Mars". Way to go Jose, set your sights high so others can see how Great God is to work such things in our lives. I remember my friend Melissa who is an experienced mother of boys saying that boys hit an age and then they just want to be with Daddy. This was that year with Joseph. He has become quite the man's man. He loves to work outside with his hands and loves to do anything along side his Dad.
Natalie is still our little princess. She graduated from kindergarten this year and loves being considered and official "big kid" now. She did so very well and seemed to excel at anything she did in school. She loves to read and is a very good reader for her age. Natalie is my little home maker. She loves to do anything in the home. She is a big helper with clean-up and really enjoys baking and cooking. This summer we are going to work on some sewing projects. She loves to pretend to be a mommy but if you ask her how many children she has and what their names are she will surprise you. She is not like many little girls who maybe have a baby doll or two she will tell you "well I have eight kids, my oldest is in college for a nurse and this is the baby". She will then proceed to rattle off all eight of their pretend names and seems to know the personality of each make believe child. I pretended as the Grandma to take all eight make believe grandkids to get ice-cream and she said to me "what did you feed the baby?" I said that I had given her a little vanilla ice-cream in a cup and she said "that's good mom that's just what I would do". I thought it was funny.
In October of 2010 my Dad had a stroke. It was a terribly hard time for all of us. My schedule with school was already a bit difficult on the kids then adding the stress of Dad being in the hospital and then the stress of renovating a room and bathroom so we could take care of him, then the stress of taking care of him really pushed our family to the limits of which I hope to never go again. I spent months without giving my family the attention they needed. Chris spent months on his own trying to make sure our business didn't drown and trying to pick up and fill in where the children needed. We are a stronger family in some ways and weaker in others. Either way we are on the road of repair. Dad is home now and I have great hope that he will make it through. He continues to make life choices for himself that do not produce the best of results so I continue to pray he go to Jesus to work it out.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Chris is giving me the summer to get our home back in shape which includes the children. We see lots of pool days and summer fun in our future. I am helping get the office back to sanity and the house organized while playing with the kids and filling up days with fun. We hired a lady to help Chris over the winter and she is working out well so he doesn't need me to help with the cleaning as much. Bri gets some hours in too to help build her savings account until she starts her new job at Downing Fruit Farm this summer.
I am enjoying doing what I do best which being the best Mom I can be. I register for my Fall nursing classes next week and if all goes well looks like I will be able to be home before the kids get home from school three days and will be home before supper the other two. Yay.
Off to the pool we go, today is the first day it is open so we don't want to miss it!!
Bri has worked hard her sophmore year of high school. She applied to Miami Valley Career and Technology Center just before Christmas. She applied to their Ag program for her junior year hoping to be accepted into their Vet program for her senior year. This is a great school for kids who are really interested in learning in a specific field. This program has a major science emphasis which has been her life long interest. I remember at first homeschooling her heading to the library each week to pursue more books on whatever we were learning in science because I knew the school books just wouldn't be enough, she always had so many questions and needed so much more information and was always so facsinated by animal science. I remember taking her to the Aquarium in Newport in first grade and looking at the sharks. She said "wow take at look at the dorsal fins on that shark". God must have bent her toward animals cause I have many other stories similar to that one. She has been active in a dog 4-H club this year and likes it very much. Only two more years til she will make her own way in this world.
Joseph has grown leaps and bounds this year. He really enjoyed second grade. He too has a great interest in science. He seems to be more interested in the earth and mechanical science side of things. He did a very interesting report on Neil Armstrong this year. I am not sure I have ever seen him so excited about school before. He dressed up like Armstrong on the day of his presentation and looked just like a little astronaut. Funny he is always saying he will be a mechanic someday and with all his interest in flight I said to him "Joe.. maybe you will be a mechanic for airlines" he said "or maybe I will be the first man to walk on Mars". Way to go Jose, set your sights high so others can see how Great God is to work such things in our lives. I remember my friend Melissa who is an experienced mother of boys saying that boys hit an age and then they just want to be with Daddy. This was that year with Joseph. He has become quite the man's man. He loves to work outside with his hands and loves to do anything along side his Dad.
Natalie is still our little princess. She graduated from kindergarten this year and loves being considered and official "big kid" now. She did so very well and seemed to excel at anything she did in school. She loves to read and is a very good reader for her age. Natalie is my little home maker. She loves to do anything in the home. She is a big helper with clean-up and really enjoys baking and cooking. This summer we are going to work on some sewing projects. She loves to pretend to be a mommy but if you ask her how many children she has and what their names are she will surprise you. She is not like many little girls who maybe have a baby doll or two she will tell you "well I have eight kids, my oldest is in college for a nurse and this is the baby". She will then proceed to rattle off all eight of their pretend names and seems to know the personality of each make believe child. I pretended as the Grandma to take all eight make believe grandkids to get ice-cream and she said to me "what did you feed the baby?" I said that I had given her a little vanilla ice-cream in a cup and she said "that's good mom that's just what I would do". I thought it was funny.
In October of 2010 my Dad had a stroke. It was a terribly hard time for all of us. My schedule with school was already a bit difficult on the kids then adding the stress of Dad being in the hospital and then the stress of renovating a room and bathroom so we could take care of him, then the stress of taking care of him really pushed our family to the limits of which I hope to never go again. I spent months without giving my family the attention they needed. Chris spent months on his own trying to make sure our business didn't drown and trying to pick up and fill in where the children needed. We are a stronger family in some ways and weaker in others. Either way we are on the road of repair. Dad is home now and I have great hope that he will make it through. He continues to make life choices for himself that do not produce the best of results so I continue to pray he go to Jesus to work it out.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Chris is giving me the summer to get our home back in shape which includes the children. We see lots of pool days and summer fun in our future. I am helping get the office back to sanity and the house organized while playing with the kids and filling up days with fun. We hired a lady to help Chris over the winter and she is working out well so he doesn't need me to help with the cleaning as much. Bri gets some hours in too to help build her savings account until she starts her new job at Downing Fruit Farm this summer.
I am enjoying doing what I do best which being the best Mom I can be. I register for my Fall nursing classes next week and if all goes well looks like I will be able to be home before the kids get home from school three days and will be home before supper the other two. Yay.
Off to the pool we go, today is the first day it is open so we don't want to miss it!!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
It is in the wee hours of the morn 5:47a.m. to be exact. What is it you might ask has me up so early talking to the Lord.....boys. I am going to share this partly because someday you will be going through this and sharing between Moms for me anyway helps soften situations that can be somewhat hard and also partly because if I can put it down in writing maybe I'll handle this better.
Brianna has a prospective boyfriend. Up until now I have come to the Lord over this issue oh about a hundred and one times. Mostly I say Lord please protect her heart, Lord please keep her from boys with bad intentions and a dozen other things I hash out with Him everytime I hear a new name being shared. Oh Lord when the time comes please bring her a Godly man, someone who knows you and Loves you and will love and respect her and lead their family in your sight. We are firm in letting her know that any boy that is interested in spending time with our family and her will need to meet with Daddy answering some questions and Daddy will be sharing his expectations. This by far has sent any boy within a mile of her heading for the hills. "uh, I have to meet your Dad...well forget it then". Yay I say, another one bites the dust. I say to her "any boy worth his salt and has good intentions will want to meet your Dad and be happy to share his intentions. So what does my heart do when she meets someone who meets those standards. I'll be honest here secretly I kind of hoped it would be at least college years before we met this. I give our Bri credit...she has qualities of goodness she in her own mind has somewhat constructed and nobody until now has come close to what she thinks would be a respectable fellow. It has been revealed to me that God has this and He is with her in this area but a good part of me just wants to throw my arms around her and say forget it she's mine Lord and I'll take it from here.
Ok...so she met this boy Michael at vacation bible school. He volunteered to help with the pre-school VBS as did Bri. They have been talking ever since. He aspires to be a Pastor. He can quote scripture. He goes to a different school than Bri which is comforting to me. He wants to meet her Dad and wants her to meet his family. He sounds so great that he scares me to death. I find myself telling Chris privately "get rid of this kid, he is trouble." Of course he's all for that, in his mind Bri is still 4 and should have piggy tails in her hair running around telling everyone her Daddy can fix anything and he is so great. Ok...so I want God to bring her a Godly man someday so when there is a prospective Godly boy in the ring I want him to go away. Do you understand me? I have to grow up here and be what I need to be which is as protective as a mama bear can be but let go a little so that Bri will let me lead her. I know that if I hold on tooooo tight she will buck me harder than if I am gentle and let go of the reins just a little. Over and over in this teenager stuff I am aware of that. You find new ways to guide them while they feel they are in control, this is hard for this mom who has a more do what I say and don't ask questions kind of style.
I'm thankful for the qualities she finds fitting in a boy. I'm thankful that she talks to me, really talks to me. I'm thankful that she recognizes this is uncharted water and looks to us for direction. She says "let me know what the rules are Mom and what you expect because I don't want to do the wrong thing here. I really like this boy". I can't help my mind from going to "ok the rules are missy you have to stay with us in an amish existence until you are 30 then we'll see". Ugh. I will get to a better place and be what I need to be but let's face it being the parents of a child that will be stepping out into the world making her own way in just three short years just is not easy. I long for those toddler days when a kiss on the forehead made it all better.
Sorry if I babbled.
Hope you have a great day!!!
Love, Chelle
Brianna has a prospective boyfriend. Up until now I have come to the Lord over this issue oh about a hundred and one times. Mostly I say Lord please protect her heart, Lord please keep her from boys with bad intentions and a dozen other things I hash out with Him everytime I hear a new name being shared. Oh Lord when the time comes please bring her a Godly man, someone who knows you and Loves you and will love and respect her and lead their family in your sight. We are firm in letting her know that any boy that is interested in spending time with our family and her will need to meet with Daddy answering some questions and Daddy will be sharing his expectations. This by far has sent any boy within a mile of her heading for the hills. "uh, I have to meet your Dad...well forget it then". Yay I say, another one bites the dust. I say to her "any boy worth his salt and has good intentions will want to meet your Dad and be happy to share his intentions. So what does my heart do when she meets someone who meets those standards. I'll be honest here secretly I kind of hoped it would be at least college years before we met this. I give our Bri credit...she has qualities of goodness she in her own mind has somewhat constructed and nobody until now has come close to what she thinks would be a respectable fellow. It has been revealed to me that God has this and He is with her in this area but a good part of me just wants to throw my arms around her and say forget it she's mine Lord and I'll take it from here.
Ok...so she met this boy Michael at vacation bible school. He volunteered to help with the pre-school VBS as did Bri. They have been talking ever since. He aspires to be a Pastor. He can quote scripture. He goes to a different school than Bri which is comforting to me. He wants to meet her Dad and wants her to meet his family. He sounds so great that he scares me to death. I find myself telling Chris privately "get rid of this kid, he is trouble." Of course he's all for that, in his mind Bri is still 4 and should have piggy tails in her hair running around telling everyone her Daddy can fix anything and he is so great. Ok...so I want God to bring her a Godly man someday so when there is a prospective Godly boy in the ring I want him to go away. Do you understand me? I have to grow up here and be what I need to be which is as protective as a mama bear can be but let go a little so that Bri will let me lead her. I know that if I hold on tooooo tight she will buck me harder than if I am gentle and let go of the reins just a little. Over and over in this teenager stuff I am aware of that. You find new ways to guide them while they feel they are in control, this is hard for this mom who has a more do what I say and don't ask questions kind of style.
I'm thankful for the qualities she finds fitting in a boy. I'm thankful that she talks to me, really talks to me. I'm thankful that she recognizes this is uncharted water and looks to us for direction. She says "let me know what the rules are Mom and what you expect because I don't want to do the wrong thing here. I really like this boy". I can't help my mind from going to "ok the rules are missy you have to stay with us in an amish existence until you are 30 then we'll see". Ugh. I will get to a better place and be what I need to be but let's face it being the parents of a child that will be stepping out into the world making her own way in just three short years just is not easy. I long for those toddler days when a kiss on the forehead made it all better.
Sorry if I babbled.
Hope you have a great day!!!
Love, Chelle
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Special Day.
Today God's one and only Son became the Savior to my one and only son Joseph.
This day Thursday June 24th 2010 Joseph Beck accepted the salvation of Jesus Christ.
God gives us precious moments with our children. Sitting on my bed listening to my son ask Jesus to come inside of him and help him to always be good and keep him from bad so that he could live forever with God is by far one of the most precious.
Love to all.
Chelle
This day Thursday June 24th 2010 Joseph Beck accepted the salvation of Jesus Christ.
God gives us precious moments with our children. Sitting on my bed listening to my son ask Jesus to come inside of him and help him to always be good and keep him from bad so that he could live forever with God is by far one of the most precious.
Love to all.
Chelle
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Fun Summer Evening
AAAhhh Summer!!!!
I love it!!! The kids are out of school and enjoying freedom. I am enjoying them.
Today Chris bought them a trampoline. Our kids have never had one of their own, only borrowed time playing on the one our dear friends the Browns own. I noticed how much they enjoyed bouncing to the sky this past time we visited so I vowed to make sure we got them one for the summer. Today was that day. They cheered and clapped as Daddy built it up. After that the fun began.
All of the kids had their rounds of jumps. It wasn't long before the kid in my sweet husband was calling and he went running to get on. Jose yells "oh no here comes big "C"...look out" seconds later was my husband jumping to the sky. The kids thought it was hilarious. I told him he was crazy but soon I too found myself wanting to jump. I wasn't sure those springs would hold this big mama but Big "C" assured me he attached 72 springs and it was all good so in I went. We laughed and
jumped and played ring around the rosey and then jumped to fall down. It did my heart such good to play like that and enjoy my children.
At dusk the fire flys were out. We looked out into the corn field and saw thousands of them, it was soooo beautiful. Joseph said it looked like a hundred stars jumping out of the corn.
I praise you Lord for the family you hath gifted me and consider it as close to heaven on Earth these nights like this.
Hope your summer is as sweet!
Love, Chelle
I love it!!! The kids are out of school and enjoying freedom. I am enjoying them.
Today Chris bought them a trampoline. Our kids have never had one of their own, only borrowed time playing on the one our dear friends the Browns own. I noticed how much they enjoyed bouncing to the sky this past time we visited so I vowed to make sure we got them one for the summer. Today was that day. They cheered and clapped as Daddy built it up. After that the fun began.
All of the kids had their rounds of jumps. It wasn't long before the kid in my sweet husband was calling and he went running to get on. Jose yells "oh no here comes big "C"...look out" seconds later was my husband jumping to the sky. The kids thought it was hilarious. I told him he was crazy but soon I too found myself wanting to jump. I wasn't sure those springs would hold this big mama but Big "C" assured me he attached 72 springs and it was all good so in I went. We laughed and
jumped and played ring around the rosey and then jumped to fall down. It did my heart such good to play like that and enjoy my children.
At dusk the fire flys were out. We looked out into the corn field and saw thousands of them, it was soooo beautiful. Joseph said it looked like a hundred stars jumping out of the corn.
I praise you Lord for the family you hath gifted me and consider it as close to heaven on Earth these nights like this.
Hope your summer is as sweet!
Love, Chelle
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mother's Day After-Glow
I hope all of you Mom's had the best day yesterday. It is one day a year that we get to be well... kind of selfish and try not to feel guilty and just enjoy it. Mother's Day has always meant a lot to me, a time to enjoy my mom, enjoy my children, reflect as a mother of where I've been and how I intend to move forward. This year was a bit different than in the past but I think perhaps the most special Mother's Day I've ever enjoyed with my children. Traditionally we have always gone to my Mom's house on Mother's day. We make a big to do with a homemade supper for her that my sister's and I share in labor, we bring gifts and sit on her patio all day and laugh and carry on while our children play with their cousins. A lovely day for all. Last year things changed a bit with Mom's new husband. We went to her new house with him in Springfield on a Friday night so that she could go with him to Indiana on Mother's Day to visit his mom. This year I was pretty sure that Mother's day with her would not happen at all so I prepared myself to enjoy the day with my children. As we grow things change and I had decided to embrace this change with anticipating spending a special day with just the children and it was sheer joy.
The day went like this. Each child went about bringing me their extra special treasures they had made for me one by one. Bri bought some flowers for us to plant together, Joseph made me the most beautiful hardback book...an adventure he had written about a boy and his mom in a big red bus-he had illustrated it too with the most creative pictures, Natalie had put her handprints on a little towel with her name painted beside her hands. Each one so different and each one so special. Then we went off to church and I enjoyed the Mother's day sermon with Chris' arm around me the whole service. After church the kids and I had some lunch and Chris went off to his Mom's to honor her. After lunch the kids and I headed to Richmond to see the movie Tooth Fairy which was delightful. During the car ride about 25 min. each way Bri read to us from a book about an Amish family she's been enjoying. I so loved hearing her read out loud, with each word I reflected of how grown up she is and how she has grown to be such a sweet person and I wondered how she will be as a mother some day. That evening I made a nice supper for us all. After kissing them goodnight and tucking them in tears welled in my eyes as I turned out the lights listening to Joe and Natty talking to one another saying "this was the best day in my whole life...we got to spend the whole day with just Mom"!
The melody to that song Amy Grant sings "Better than a Hallelujah Sometimes" played in my head much of the day and I thought I know what she means. Lately I cry out to Him so often, life can be hard. I think He must get tired of me asking Him to help me out. But then I think about my own children and how I never really get tired or worn of them needing me. I love them, I so want them to need me and I so need them. I thank God he entrusted them to me and with each caring look and each sweet word spoken that day I felt such a love from my babies and my heart was so full of joy I thought I might just bust wide open. With each tough discussion and each prayer for wisdom I think "Better than a hallelujah sometimes."
How blessed am I to have such a life as this and be loved so much by so many.
Brianna, Joseph and Natalie....you are the most special, unique, loving, caring, wonderful children and I thank God each day for allowing me the pleasure of being your mama. I consider it an honor this most special and absolutely most important job God gave me. I love each of you so deeply with all my heart. Thank you for such a lovely day, I shall cherish it always.
The day went like this. Each child went about bringing me their extra special treasures they had made for me one by one. Bri bought some flowers for us to plant together, Joseph made me the most beautiful hardback book...an adventure he had written about a boy and his mom in a big red bus-he had illustrated it too with the most creative pictures, Natalie had put her handprints on a little towel with her name painted beside her hands. Each one so different and each one so special. Then we went off to church and I enjoyed the Mother's day sermon with Chris' arm around me the whole service. After church the kids and I had some lunch and Chris went off to his Mom's to honor her. After lunch the kids and I headed to Richmond to see the movie Tooth Fairy which was delightful. During the car ride about 25 min. each way Bri read to us from a book about an Amish family she's been enjoying. I so loved hearing her read out loud, with each word I reflected of how grown up she is and how she has grown to be such a sweet person and I wondered how she will be as a mother some day. That evening I made a nice supper for us all. After kissing them goodnight and tucking them in tears welled in my eyes as I turned out the lights listening to Joe and Natty talking to one another saying "this was the best day in my whole life...we got to spend the whole day with just Mom"!
The melody to that song Amy Grant sings "Better than a Hallelujah Sometimes" played in my head much of the day and I thought I know what she means. Lately I cry out to Him so often, life can be hard. I think He must get tired of me asking Him to help me out. But then I think about my own children and how I never really get tired or worn of them needing me. I love them, I so want them to need me and I so need them. I thank God he entrusted them to me and with each caring look and each sweet word spoken that day I felt such a love from my babies and my heart was so full of joy I thought I might just bust wide open. With each tough discussion and each prayer for wisdom I think "Better than a hallelujah sometimes."
How blessed am I to have such a life as this and be loved so much by so many.
Brianna, Joseph and Natalie....you are the most special, unique, loving, caring, wonderful children and I thank God each day for allowing me the pleasure of being your mama. I consider it an honor this most special and absolutely most important job God gave me. I love each of you so deeply with all my heart. Thank you for such a lovely day, I shall cherish it always.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Family Update.
Here I am posting on my in-between semester break. I don't have a lot of free time so when I do have it time is spent playing catch up and spending as much time with the kids and Chris as possible. I have enjoyed this last week so much. I've cleaned my house, caught up laundry, caught up business paperwork and worked cleaning houses. This is a never ending process as in all households but for at least this week I feel victorious in being ahead of it rather than behind.
School is somewhat winding down for the kids so evenings aren't so loaded with homework. Last night we rented a movie. Monday night I taught Natty how to sew by hand. She is currently working on sewing a blanket for Barbie's bed in her Barbie Dream house, pink of course. Tonight we will finish cleaning out old toys to take
some to a little boy who doesn't have any toys and some to Goodwill. The next few nights we will be planting our garden and flowers boxes, mowing and cleaning things up outside.
So proud of Bri. Her choir had concert a last week. The girls had all decided to wear formal dresses. These girls came walking out with dresses that in my opinion were an embarrassment. The low cuts and ridiculously short lengths were not so appropriate and many parents looked surprised. There stood our Bri in a nice tea length dress respectable enough for church. One mother came over and whispered in my ear "please tell your daughter she looks beautiful and tell her thank you for being so respectful". I know it was not easy for Bri to stand there next to all those girls feeling out of place as she often does but she stole the show in my opinion and didn't even know it. I was quick to pass along the compliment that was given. She had a teacher that was extremely kind to her on the trip she took to Chicago with her class. I passed an extra thank you to this teacher after the choir show, she said, "we love that little Brianna, she has such a value system in her that we don't often see..tell her to keep up the good work". I just had to toot my proud mama horn for my girl. Bri continues to dream of going to college to become a Vet. I am working on a visit to UK vet school this summer. This seems to be the school she talks about the most. They are supposed to have a good program specializing in equine healthcare. I am hoping to set up a tour of the campus and then I'd like to take her to the Kentucky horse park as a surprise. Hope it all works out.
We are working with Joe and his interest or should I say lack of interest in reading. We have developed an incentive program for him. Each book he reads he gets a coin...after 20 coins he gets to pick the family fun time of his choice. Saturday we are going bowling as a reward. I have to keep changing things up in this area for him as this tends to be his challenge but his reading has improved greatly and we look forward to the family fun we get out of it.
Chris and I got to go out on another good date last Fri. Two weekends in a row. This time we went to Tipp City and had supper in their historic district then shopped the antique shops. Later we went to Kohl's to get him some new shirts then to Coldstone Creamery for some desert. It was so nice to be alone with him, I miss him when we are so busy.
I have started planning for summer. VBS-plans Adventure on the High Seas, I get to do the bible point again with the help of Bri and my nieces. We will go on a family camp-out in the Big Red Bus at the end of July. After my summer school semester ends in the middle of July I plan to take the kids on weekly Friday adventures hoping for a trip to the Airforce museum, Conner Prairie, Indianapolis Children's Museum, Dayton Parks, maybe the Boonshoft Museum. Not sure if it will all happen but I want to squeeze all the fun I can into those six weeks with lots of park and pool days too. Joe and Natty are going to take swimming lessons and Bri will be barrel racing horses this summer. Can't wait.
School is somewhat winding down for the kids so evenings aren't so loaded with homework. Last night we rented a movie. Monday night I taught Natty how to sew by hand. She is currently working on sewing a blanket for Barbie's bed in her Barbie Dream house, pink of course. Tonight we will finish cleaning out old toys to take
some to a little boy who doesn't have any toys and some to Goodwill. The next few nights we will be planting our garden and flowers boxes, mowing and cleaning things up outside.
So proud of Bri. Her choir had concert a last week. The girls had all decided to wear formal dresses. These girls came walking out with dresses that in my opinion were an embarrassment. The low cuts and ridiculously short lengths were not so appropriate and many parents looked surprised. There stood our Bri in a nice tea length dress respectable enough for church. One mother came over and whispered in my ear "please tell your daughter she looks beautiful and tell her thank you for being so respectful". I know it was not easy for Bri to stand there next to all those girls feeling out of place as she often does but she stole the show in my opinion and didn't even know it. I was quick to pass along the compliment that was given. She had a teacher that was extremely kind to her on the trip she took to Chicago with her class. I passed an extra thank you to this teacher after the choir show, she said, "we love that little Brianna, she has such a value system in her that we don't often see..tell her to keep up the good work". I just had to toot my proud mama horn for my girl. Bri continues to dream of going to college to become a Vet. I am working on a visit to UK vet school this summer. This seems to be the school she talks about the most. They are supposed to have a good program specializing in equine healthcare. I am hoping to set up a tour of the campus and then I'd like to take her to the Kentucky horse park as a surprise. Hope it all works out.
We are working with Joe and his interest or should I say lack of interest in reading. We have developed an incentive program for him. Each book he reads he gets a coin...after 20 coins he gets to pick the family fun time of his choice. Saturday we are going bowling as a reward. I have to keep changing things up in this area for him as this tends to be his challenge but his reading has improved greatly and we look forward to the family fun we get out of it.
Chris and I got to go out on another good date last Fri. Two weekends in a row. This time we went to Tipp City and had supper in their historic district then shopped the antique shops. Later we went to Kohl's to get him some new shirts then to Coldstone Creamery for some desert. It was so nice to be alone with him, I miss him when we are so busy.
I have started planning for summer. VBS-plans Adventure on the High Seas, I get to do the bible point again with the help of Bri and my nieces. We will go on a family camp-out in the Big Red Bus at the end of July. After my summer school semester ends in the middle of July I plan to take the kids on weekly Friday adventures hoping for a trip to the Airforce museum, Conner Prairie, Indianapolis Children's Museum, Dayton Parks, maybe the Boonshoft Museum. Not sure if it will all happen but I want to squeeze all the fun I can into those six weeks with lots of park and pool days too. Joe and Natty are going to take swimming lessons and Bri will be barrel racing horses this summer. Can't wait.
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