Hi. I'm new here.

It has been 3 months since I blogged. I got bogged down with having so many pictures and events to blog about and no time to do it, so I gave up for a little while. Facebook is so much quicker, but I miss being able to expand on thoughts and all our goings-on.

My school year is coming to an end. I have one more week. I LOVE these kids. Even more, I love their parents. I have never had a class that I loved the parents this much. I am going to miss all of them so much. However, I let them know at work that I am not coming back next year. I am not sure what I am going to do. I have the luxury of not HAVING to work, so I can take the time to figure some things out. But, I love to work. I am just not sure what I am supposed to be doing. There are so many things I love to do. My embroidery of course, but I feel very isolated doing that. It was great when my babies were home all day anyway, but they are gone 40 hours a week. I love teaching, but my preschool doesn't pay much, not enough to make it worth being away from home so much. I feel like so much goes undone at home when I am working like that. I LOVE teaching so much, but I worry about what kind of wife and mom I would be if I went back 5 days a week. Those are just two of my options. I will discuss more later.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. Brent and the kids gave me a jewelry armoire thing that hangs on the wall and Brent cooked me French toast. We ate Japanese after church and then I took a long nap. We met Kathy and the kids tonight for supper at TCBY! Kathy gave Alex ice cream for the first time and I got some good shots, but I am going to stop while I am ahead and not post any pictures this time.

I hope that I can get back to blogging with some regularity!

Tears for my Snack Shack

I have held back tears all day yesterday and today as I think about news we got yesterday. The camp that Sycamore View has used for many, many years has to close. They just decided on Friday (It is a 4H camp that has let us use it all these years while they take the week of for July 4th.) and it was announced to the youth group and parents yesterday. None of the elementary know yet, and we have yet to tell Tyler and Emily. I just cannot bear to tell them.

Buford Ellington 4H camp is an old Army barracks, basically a neighborhood that we are all a family at for a week every summer. Kids can ride their bikes and roam free like they should be able to at home but are not able to. I have gone every summer since we got married except for the summer that Emily was born. I was 7 months pregnant one summer with Tyler, but I felt that 8 months was pushing it, especially with a 2 year old in tow! My babies have been raised as camp kids. Our whole summer revolves around this week of camp. We were running errands today and Emily talked about camp for probably 20 minutes. It is just a part of life that we LOVE. How can I tell them that it is all going to change???

I know we will be fine. We are scrambling to find a place to have camp this summer. Most camps stay booked up years in advance and it is so hard to find a place for 300. We are looking and begging God to show us a place. I know it will be a huge adjustment, and there will be lots of blessings, but right now I am just sad. I will miss the bike riding, the benches and trees by the directors' cabin, the snack shack, pool time, Jason that works at the camp, all the sweet kitchen ladies, Walmart runs, loading and unloading air conditioners, Ga-ga, and so many more memories. Please pray that we find something soon. I would really like to have some good news to tell the kids when we tell them the bad news.

Happy Birthday, Brent!

My Valentine Brent is 34 today. For a whole week, he is older than me and I milk that for the full 7 days.

I often tell my friends that I won the husband lottery. Brent is such a good man. He is so generous to me and other people materially. He would give someone the shirt of his back. He is the best dad and always puts the 3 of us before himself. He is such a godly man and a spiritual leader for so many. He is my best friend and we truly do have the best time together, no matter what we are doing. He is such a hard worker and encourages me in ALL my projects and very rarely complains about how much I do. Plus, he does all of his own ironing. I tell you, I won the husband lottery.

Happy Birthday, Brent!

WEDDING PICTURES!!!

Becky's wedding pictures are ready! To view then, go to rhondagrayphotography.com. They are great!

The best day ever

On the way to school, Tyler pronounced today THE BEST DAY EVER. We got snow, plus a new president! How much better can it get???

We woke up to unexpected snow, which thrilled the kids. School was not canceled. Here is a picture showing how they felt about that call.


Stephanie and I drug in a TV for our kids to watch the inauguration this morning. Many of the children wondered if the new president would come to our school. My dad is in Washington for the inauguration, but I never saw him in the crowds. I was so proud that he was there that I pretended that I saw him anyway! Aretha Franklin's hat got much approval from the preschool age group, that's for sure!!!

I have had many inquiries about why I have not been blogging. Two words...CHRISTMAS and WEDDING. Christmas break did not turn out to be quite the break I needed it to be!!! Becky's wedding is in 2 days...2 DAYS! I am ready for it to be over so I can sleep at night! It is so exciting, but so nerve-wracking! So, I promise that after a good long nap on Sunday, I will blog. It might not be much, but I will get back in the swing of things! Wish us luck on wedding day!

My Son

This is my 8 year old son, Tyler. As I have said on many occasions, he is my soul walking around outside my body. We are two peas in a pod, I am afraid. I passed down many terrible traits to him, both personality-wise and physically. He has my bony legs and feet, my teeth, a constant tummy-ache, the need to save and collect everything, my fine art of being sloppy, my moodiness, and my reading obsession. I tried, but he got all these things from me anyway. We get each other, though. Being empathetic towards his flaws does not make it any easier, though.

I am afraid we won't make it to his 9th birthday. One of us isn't going to make it, anyway.

Tyler was the best baby, toddler, and small child. So obedient, polite, and a joy to be around. I could take him anywhere and people would always comment on what a precious child he was. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but I hoped, deep down inside, that I was wrong.

Now he is 8. And potty humor reigns supreme. He loves Power Rangers and Pokemon cards. He lives to harass his little sister. He pushes, screams, and scares her on an hourly basis. Let's not even discuss behavior in the car. I'd rather take a bobcat on a road trip. His room is ALWAYS a pigsty. He drips toothpaste from one end of the bathroom to the other. He pops the knees out of new jeans within a month of getting them. And, he will wear the same socks for days on end if no one intervenes.

I. HAVE. A. SON.

And he is a doozie. I get so frustrated with him, and just when I am at my breaking point, I will hear him whisper, "Hey Em. Will you sleep with me tonight?" Or, "I'll play Polly Pockets with you if you want." Maybe he'll be human afterall.

In the car this week, he asked me what it meant to be mature. I thought about it a while and felt it was easier to explain what it meant to be immature. We talked about different examples of maturity versus immaturity, and he sat back and took that all in. Then he said, "So basically, I am mature at school and church, but immature at home and in the car." Yes, Tyler, that is exactly right. Anywhere you are with your mother, you are immature. I guess I'd rather have him be mature for other people than me...

But, at the end of the day, he is my precious boy and I love him beyond words. So concerned about his friends' feelings and looks out for kids that need extra help. So deep in his faith at such a young age. So crazy about his family.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go wade through piles of webkinz and legos and Magic Tree House books to get to his dirty clothes.