gettin' ready

Well, it's fall again...I remember a line from the movie You've Got Mail where Meg Ryan says that that she is thinking about bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils. That is on my mind, too. The girls start next week and Caleb and I start the week after.

I am looking foward to the classes I'll teach and the one's I'll take. It will be a busy year so I don't know how much I'll be here. I'll try to at least check in so you know I'm alive.

Have a Happy Fall!

Our "Shabin"

I debated blogging about this but in the end I think it will be fun to share our adventures. We bought a cabin up north. It is rather small so I call it a shabin - part cabin, part shack. I think the man who built it took the design for a storage shed and just added insulation to the inside and called it good. So, it's not much to look at but it works for us. The part I really like is that it has power so I cooked on the stove and stored our water in the refriderator. We made a fire and burned our paper trash, walked in the woods and were eaten alive by the mosquitoes. Our dog, Sydney loved her time there to wander and be outside as much as she wanted.

Something I forgot!

I don't think I mentioned a week or so ago that our oldest Abby, turned 8 this year. I feel like I blinked and she is huge! I am always saying to her that she is so big. I hope she doesn't get a complex! I just mean in comparison to what she used to be!! I can still remember when she was in my arms, looking up at me with those huge brown eyes! Those eyes are still huge and now she is almost as tall as me!!

She is an amazing little girl. There was a time when she pined for a certain girl's friendship. This girl wasn't interested in Abby anymore and it was so hard to watch! I prayed that she would learn how that felt and befriend other's in the same position. She has!! I am so proud of the kind, compassionate little girl she is! We do have our moments, make no mistake! We are working on her showing that kindness to her brother and sister at home.

Just some thoughts on my little girl!

I think I am crazy

A few weeks ago I made a phone call that has altered the direction of my upcoming year. I called Caleb's preschool teacher to ask about being a teacher's aide while he is in school, you know, to make a little extra money. Well, she said that the teacher position was open and was I interested. I said yes, I guess I am. Well, I am now one of two new teachers at the preschool. We are both scrambling to plan lessons and think through our ideas. Caleb is excited and so am I.

On Caleb's first day (I teach the end of the first week of school), I also start the 2nd half of my master's degree program. I'll be knee-deep in preschool prep while I am thinking about a thesis statement!! My brain is tired right now, trying to get my mind around all the prep there is to do. I feel like if I can keep a day-to-day mentality, it will be a good year. A lot, but good.

A big week!

Some fun in Colorado. We say goodbye to the cast this week!

I am reminded why I love winter when it gets this hot. It is almost unbearable to be outside this week and the kids have been in our non-airconditioned church all week. I had just dropped off the kids and was chatting with a Chinese friend who said that "this" is nothing! She said that she sent 8 years in a place that for 5 months a year it was 100 degrees with enormous humidity and only a small box fan. I immediately thought about perspective, how it changes everything. It is still hot but I remember there are places with no nice aircondionded grocery stores.

We are in the season of Vacation Bible Schools. We have two this week, one next and then one the next. There is one at our church and then the others are at other churches. I always feel a little like a mooch going to all these other one's. Then I am reminded that our kids need Bible teaching , too.

The title of the post speaks to this week being big so here's the reason...Hannah gets her cast off in two days and Abby turns 8 a week from tomorrow. I am really glad that Hannah will have her cast off because Abby wants to go to the beach for her party. If you think about us, though, Thursday morning will be a bit intense for her. She did not do well with the last appointment and they didn't use a saw that time.

A Great Book

I had the chance to read one of those perspective-changing books recently. It's called The Shack and while it has gotten mixed reviews I'd reccommend it! It is sort of a Pilgrims Progress for a modern age. A fictional story that has deep meaning in how we relate to God and how He relates to us. I won't give away the key events of the book but It really healed some hurt places in my heart as well as opened my view of God in (I think) a biblical way. If any of you read it let me know!

The battle continues here at home to unpack, straighten, put away all the "stuff" we have. Way too much, I say, but it is hard finding time to complete the task of sorting, putting the unwanted items in some thing, hauling it downstairs and all the way to the car. Sounds easy but for me it is soooo hard!!

Where I left off

I think I blogged while in the Rockies so I thought I'd update all you avid readers (all two of you!) what else happened. While staying in Estes we got to see some good friends who we had gone to church with here at home. I was so spoiled by the really tasty home cooked meal and the salad was amazing. I think it had been a week without any real vegetables - isn't that terrible?! Anyway, after catching up and eating, she showered me with food to take with me. Thanks ML!

We hiked one day, then the rest of the gang went whitewater rafting while I stayed back with the gimp (Hannah - broken arm) and the youngin' (Caleb - too young to go) another day. I wanted to enjoy the day but it did get a little long...but I made a fire all by myself! I'll back up a bit...Hannah's day started out rotten. She woke up early with a bad headache and then puked. Thankfully they both went back to sleep until 8:30 or so. The last day there we took a drive up the mountain to about 14,000 (give or take a few) to watch the elk and take in the view. Another event happened when we all got out at a touristy spot. Caleb tripped over Aunt DeDe's foot and fell. When he went to cry out he couldn't catch his breath so he just went limp in my arms. I paniced and started asking for help. It was really quick by the time we laid him down and he started breathing deeply again but I'll never forget the look on his face. I absolutely hate that feeling! Watching someone you love more than yourself struggle to breathe! I have felt it before.
He was pretty exhausted the rest of the day but our time in Colorado was uneventful after that.

We headed east toward Kansas. It felt so good to just go in that direction because it meant we were headed toward home. We stopped at some friends of Justin's who have become friends of mine, too. They have four kids and a great house and yard. The kids LOVED playing there. We enjoyed some home cooked food and good conversation.

My one complaint on the trip was the toilet issue. We stayed at least a block away from most of the toilets where ever we went. I am trying to drink more water these days but that is difficult if I need to walk so far. In Estes Park the block was up a steep hill so I was literally panting when I got back each time. So, moral of this pathetic tale: look into portable toilet options.

We finally made it home to two happy pets. The kids were so excited to see the dog and cat again. At one point in the trip Caleb said "I don't know what Toby looks like!"

Now I get the happy job of sorting all the clothes and doing the laundry that didn't get done before we left. I do love these trips we take but boy is it nice getting home again.