The end of the school year
final day of kindergarden
first day of kindergarden
This week was the end of many things for us. Elijah’s school year ended with a trip to the zoo and an afternoon at the park with his classmates. I was glad that I was able to go and be apart of it. Lily was there as well and did awsomely well. Ryan and I laugh at the fact that sometimes we have to remind ourselves that she is there because she is so low maintenance. Elijah suprised me by crying when I got ready to leave. This is very unlike him, he is usually very independent. It was nice to know that he wanted me there. There comes a point with boys and moms that you are not sure if they need you anymore. On Thursday, Elijah’s school had a graduation for the kindergarden class. It was fun to get dressed up and see the still innocent kids receive their diplomas and recite the Lord’s Prayer. Of course it was a tear jerker. All the grandmas and dad were there to help us celebrate. Elijah had on his white button up and his khaki pants and tie, he looked so handsome and I felt like I could see him at his high school graduation not looking much different. He said that when he grows up he wants to be a basketball player, and boy did he look the part, self assured and confident.
Josiah's teacher Mrs. Hellinga
Josiah’s school year also ended at preschool. He had a great year and really learned a lot academically and socially this year. We had such a great class of parents and kids and his teacher was one of the best we’ve had so far. His school had a picnic at the park the next day. There were a lot of buses which is never a good thing, but I was proud of myself for not freaking out too bad. It’s a little scary to try to keep an eye on your kid, in a sea of kids, but I think I have gotten better at it, or maybe I am just not as worried as I used to be.
This was also my first week of no work, but I found I still had lots to do. I wasn’t worried about that I guess, I was just wondering what I was going to do with the kids all summer. I couldn’t believe it but somehow I got all three kids to take a nap at the same time, it had to have been grace! It’s nice to have a few less responsibilities for awhile. Actually, I think I can finally say that my kids are becoming my favorite responsibility. There are times when I beat myself up for not being the perfect parent and I think to myself ” I can’t do this!” I’ve realized this dialogue and my new motto is “I can do this”! God has totally given me everything I need to take care of these specific little people that he has given us. Sometimes you just have to shake off the dust and keep moving.
Raising fish from the dead
I was very motivated today. I cleaned out a lot of cabinets, I mean a lot! The kids played and wandered without much attention from me. Some days are just like that when you want to get something done. It was a great day for it because it rained practically all day. Tomorrow is my final day of cleaning houses. I look forward to having more time to keep up with things around here. We had accumulated so much stuff because I don’t always have time to go through it and with 5 people, it is constant. I am so thankful for a husband who is willing to carry the financial burden of our home. There aren’t many men out there who are willing to do without and to work hard. We both believe that things will flow a little better with me being at home. By the way, our fish was not looking so good yesterday, so Josiah and I cleaned out the fish bowl and then he suggested that we pray for the fish. We did and to our amazement, he is looking much better. He may even make it. The Lord did give us authority over the earth. Since that is a little large to begin with, a sick little fish, we thought, was a good place to start.
tea parties and softballs
It was a long, busy, wonderful day. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get everything done that needed to be done, but it all worked out. Today, was the mother’s day tea party at Josiah’s preschool. I started tearing up as soon as I walked in the door. They had set the table with plates, napkins, and silverware. The cups were filled with fruit punch and we were each given an iced cookie. Josiah kept saying thank you for coming mom and he was very cuddly and seemed to enjoy having me to himself. He gave me a present that he had made in class, which was a coffee mug with his hand print on it and a poem, also with his hand print. I really enjoyed having that special time with him today.
I also got to go to Elijah’s school ( doesn’t it seem like everything falls on the same day) and do art outreach. We talked about Remmington and looked at his paintings of the wild west. I had the kids make leather headresses with feathers and beads. It was really fun, but I spent a little too much money on the supplies. Tonight we had our first church softball game. We played really well, but in the end we lost. I’m sorry, but it sucks to lose. Yes, it was fun, but it would have been more fun to win! It also hailed for awhile and we had to take a break. The kids did really well and ran around without much supervision, to their delight. There was a moment during the game when I looked around at my team and thought, I love these people and I love that we are a team, in every sense of the word. It sure is a lot easier to go through the ups and downs of life with people who love and support you and vice versa. All in all it was a great day. Oh and by the way, only 1 more week of work!
