Fading Summer Haze

As summer's glory is fading more and more each day (school schedule! early to bed!) I'm looking back with fond memories already.

Fordy getting comfy by the pool at the Country Club (thanks, Danielle for the invite) while devouring hot dogs and taking in the chlorine filled haze.

Sunsets like this....

While making first-time-ever-in-this-house s'mores...

And waiting for the perfect marshmallow to cook...

Worth the wait....

Crafts outside....

Our favorite tire swing....(how many kids can we fit on there?)

And playing in the freshly-delivered mulch....

It was a lovely summer.

And we were so thankful that we turned on the A/C a handful of times because of the positioning of our home. Lots of shade. So thankful. Cause it gets dang hot here. Truly. Now if I can just stay warm through the winter! 

1276. warm evenings and cool nights

1277. new mercies

1278. filtered water anytime

1279. learning to say no

First Time Ever, Soccer!

Soccer.

When we heard that a few of her preschool friends were signing up, we asked her if she wanted to do it. The World Cup frenzy was soon going on and although we didn't watch tons of it, we thought she knew (after practicing a few times) what she was in for.

But the first practice, a week before school started, was a little overwhelming.

She cried almost the entire first practice. 

And I was so surprised. 

This from the girl who jumped on a  waterski a summer ago and blew my mind with her courage and bravery. But somehow, this was a lot to take in.

So we did lots of hugging and shoving her back out there, hugging and wondering why it was so hard, and finally, the practice ended. Whew.

The coach was so wonderful with her. Taking her hand from time to time and doing drills "with" her and encouraging her along. I was so thankful for him. I've come to find out that Coach Chris is a single dad who's daughter is on our team. He gets 5 year old girls. Whew again. Prayer answered.

So, by the second practice, it was much less weepiness and much more "Okay, mom, I'll go but I'll miss you" -- and soon enough she was doing "butt kickers" to warm up (it was a form of bribery to say, "let's not be late! you don't wanna miss saying butt for the butt kickers!")

And she stood on a cone alone by practice number three.

And she ran and didn't prance like a pony.

And actually started to keep up.

And dribble.

And chat post-practice with pals.

And have to tell little brother that it wasn't yet his turn (next year!) "but look at my cool socks."

The first game was a bit tough at first. Daddy was out of town and this was the overall attitude that surfaced. It was based in fear again -- of the unknown of how it would all go. But God had it so that we had the game on the exact same part of the massive field where she practiced and her coach was the referee and all felt fairly normal. And there was no complaining about the uniform. Can you believe? Another answered prayer.

Soon it was pre-game huddle time.

And some grass picking for our sweet number 7.

I was expecting to have to have her sit with her team if she refused to play,

preparing myself for crying and not being "allowed to sit with us" since she committed to be a part of this adorable team.

But she played. The whole time.

And had an amazing throw in (her speciality seeing that she still runs away from the ball during the game - I'm afraid my offensive genes have mutated)...

And before I knew it, it was "2,4,6,8..." (how are they still doing the same cheer from 35 years ago?)

and the game was over.

Introducing....The Shakers! (smiling girl third from right)

And the best part of the game?

Nope, not the 5 to 2 win.

The snack pack she got afterward. Gummies, a Capri-Sun and cheddar bunnies.

Oh me. Oh my.

Next up : encouraging the eye of the tiger and kicking the ball into mommy's shins to build up some aggressive soccer skills. We'll keep you posted.

But for now : success = no tears. 

And that makes mama happy.

1272. grandma and papa coming to the game

1273. cheering and the soccer culture

1274. watching her grow

1275. getting a view into how to respond differently

A Birthday Build A Bear Workshop Trip

To reverse just a little, right before Abby's birthday, she got her present from Grandma and Papa. "Let's go before your actual birthday, huh, Abs?" Grandma said.   I doubt she had ever heard anything more exciting. A gift before her birthday? Craziness. Knowing she would get to go to Build A Bear Workshop? Insanity.

If you knew the Frozen mania in her life back in May, you'd have found it hard to believe that she talked about this every single day to the tune of 10x as much as her anticipated Frozen party. She'd built if up just a tiny bit in her mind, huh?

First things first -- she picked out her "bear" which was actually a My Little Pony creature (those things are crazy!) and Ford picked out a bunny which he promptly named Thumpy Tumpy. Go figure. Here they are picking out what would go into the heart of their animal. Kindness, happiness, joy, athleticism, love for reading etc. Pretty cute.

And then over to the "fill 'er up" station where they put their foot on the pedal that literally pushes the fluffy insides into the animal. Very fun. And powerful.

Next up - "washing" your animal with cyber soap and "popping" the bubbles on the screen with the ducks. Fordy loved this.

Fordy and Papa -- the finished Thumpy Tumpy (which also smelled like Bubble Gum, for $5!)

And not to be outdone, Rainbow Dash, also smelling of Bubble Gum.

The final dressing room shot -- Ford got a t-shirt to make his bunny a little more manly and give it super hero status and Abby's was expensive enough naked, thank you very much.

Couldn't get out of the store without some Thumpy Tumpy love.

The birthday girl was beyond happy. 

And that was that. 

No more hounding and asking for everything she saw at the mall.

Contentment. Can you imagine?

1267. pre-birthday fun being so fun

1268. that breeze through the right window at night

1269. not running the air during warm days

1270. trying new clothes without crying

1271. seeing her through new eyes

\

Preschool Lemonade Social

And then it was Ford's turn.

His sweet preschool teacher who I've mentioned is just amazing, sets up a Lemonade Social for the kids to meet their new classmates and settle in before the first day of school. 

He was asking me every day when he would get to go to school and play on the pirate ship.

Walking the plank, usually reserved for week 2 of school after it's been mastered, was the first thing he ran to. He's been watching the big kids do it for a year. 

In true Ms. Amy style, the kids got to paint different pieces of metal and wood which will eventually be put together to make a music wall. How cool is that?

This guy was all smiles and made a few new friends in the 30 minutes we were there. 

Including this fun skeleton which resides all year long...

I swear he could go 5 days a week. 

But we're sticking with 2... 

And when Ms. Amy read a book to them I looked over and Ford was right at home.

The shoes were off.

And he was as comfy as can be.

Maybe more than he should be. 

I had the kids fill out forms on their first day of school and I can't wait to see what the one at the end of the year says. My favorite line? "What do you really not like? Spankings." Amen.

1263. ready for preschool

1264. staying seated during breakfast

1265. chore chart re-do

1266. laughing wildly in the car with the kids

Kindergarten, Here She Comes!

After orientation, she had some confidence and she seemed ready for her first day. Snack pack was packed, pencil case was full of goodies and she knew she would see her cousin.

She had a few moments of hesitation before we left ....

I'm not exactly sure what Ford is doing here with that face…but I'll let the modeling agencies know he's  calling off the search for an agent.

Right about now Grant started cracking jokes about dogs eating homework...

...but once we got there, her nerves kicked in again. 

We got a few pics outside ....

and then it was time for her to get in line amid the slew of boys (a 3:1 ratio!) and wait to be called in. As the wait went on and on her thoughts got the best of her, her fears of starting something new with all new people... "where's Abram, mom?" she asked. She quietly waved to us, tears forming. Turned away and tried to smile. Daddy cracked a joke, she looked away. And finally, they were called in. Head high, bravery propelling her through those doors, tears blurring her eyes. I wouldn't let myself feel anything because she was feeling enough for all of us.

So, Ford and I ran errands and did life and went to the park. And I prayed. Nothing like real life to bring you to your knees when it's 88 outside, sunny and the first day of Kindy. Without her that day, I felt like I was missing something. It has been months since Ford and I had hours alone. Despite the bickering and summer slow down, life with us all together all day long was lovely. But I did enjoy Costco with only one monkey to focus on. And I did enjoy picking her up at 3pm while Ford napped at home to get some alone time with her after her big day.  "I really liked it, mom" she whispered. Can I bring gummies tomorrow during snack time?"

And voila. I was praying for a smooth transition and here she is, concerned about gummies.  (sigh of relief.)

I exhaled at the end of the day and realized, for the first time in 5 years, "Oh dear. We do this 5 days in a row." So, here we go. Wish us godspeed!

1258. realizing that we never "get there" - there will be something new to pray about tomorrow
1259. an opportunity to pray
1260. closing the double doors at nap time
1261. a husband who makes us all laugh
1262. a phone call from grandmama

Kindergarten, Here She Comes?

A few days ago was our Kindergarten orientation. She cried and fretted and worried. "I'm nervous, mom. And mostly, I'm going to miss you." I heard this nine times a day. I tried to stay positive. I responded with "Me too! I always miss you when I'm not with you." I reminded her that God was always with her. I reminded her that we were in each others hearts all day long.

God help me. I prayed this time after time.  Please, help me.  Help me make this a learning experience.

I used to roll my eyes at people who cried after dropping their kids off at Kindergarten. Cold hearted, right? And then I had a baby girl and my heart was ripped out of my body. And now i get it. 

So, I actually prayed. But I'm realizing that the praying ended up being more for me than for her. Time and again I can't see past my circumstances. I am afraid that current feelings will be "forever feelings." Such little faith. Such silly fears. For as I've said time and again this week, He did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self control. Amen.

When the kids were called up to get in line and go see their classroom for 10 minutes without the parents, her little shoulders heaved and I saw her walking to get in line, trying to hide her tears. Trying to be brave. Trying to keep it together. 

And while she was gone, I knew she'd be okay.  I knew she'd been through worse. I knew she'd disappeared behind an O.R. door before and had miraculously made it through.

And afterward, I actually heard in my ear, "Mom," barely a whisper, "it was good. It was awesome."

For that? Frozen yogurt to celebrate.

She and Abram post orientation...

1254.  clothes not being an issue

1255. socks with no tears

1256. bravery and more bravery

1257. living 3 minutes from school

Summer On The Horizon

As the weather heated up. we were so happy to get outside. 

We took every chance we could get.

Who says you can't paint and draw outside while donning your bathing suits?

I think they were ready to swim even though it wasn't quite warm enough in May.

So since it wasn't warm enough, we had shaving cream wars.

And we played at the park...

And pretended to be Spidey...

And soon enough, the first swim happened.

And there was happiness.

And frog jumping into the pool...

And having friends over to dip in the shallow end.

And summer was looking bright.

Next up : swim lessons.

1250. closing the doors during nap time

1251. using the living room

1252. a cousin afternoon

1253. shorts that don't hurt