After looking at that second picture longer I'm thinking that my mom has a picture of me with that same look on my face. I'll have to raid her albums this weekend to find out.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Busy Melanie!
Melanie has been busy crawling around and exploring the house. While I was making dinner yesterday she ventured into the dining area. Don't worry the shredder is off and unplugged. Thankfully she didn't start taking out all the shredded paper. :) The last picture is her latest discovery--behind the couch! Monday night was the first time she ventured back there, but was crying when she did it. Yesterday she crawled back there on purpose. She crawled most of the length of the couch and managed to turn around and attempt to crawl out. She only got frustrated when her arm got caught on the lamp cord. Silly girl!! I wonder what adventures await her today. :)
After looking at that second picture longer I'm thinking that my mom has a picture of me with that same look on my face. I'll have to raid her albums this weekend to find out.
After looking at that second picture longer I'm thinking that my mom has a picture of me with that same look on my face. I'll have to raid her albums this weekend to find out.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Update!
I need to give an update on some things that have taken place here in the past few days. I had written about the girls schooling. I am pleased to say that I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies and home economics this coming school year at Life Way Christian school in Centerton, AR. It changed from a part time opportunity to full time with adding home ec. I am excited about this new challenge and believe that it is God's will. We had been praying that if He wanted us to go down this path, then the doors would be opened. We definitely wanted it to be something God allowed to happen, and not something we made happen on our own accord. So Praise to God Almighty! We are also excited about this for the girls as well. They are the primary reason for my even exploring the option.
Another praise is due regarding Andy and his work situation. His boss is leaving Simmons to work for the Walton Foundation. It's an excellent opportunity for him, but he will be missed greatly. So, Andy interviewed for his boss' position last Wednesday morning. Last Friday morning he received the promotion!!! There are always new challenges that go along with a new position. Andy will be managing a team of people again like he did at Wal-Mart, but in a less stressful environment. We would still appreciate your prayers as he makes the transition. Plus, he'll still be fulfilling his other duties until they find someone to fill his position.
It always amazes me how God proves Himself faithful when we leave things up to Him. :) He knows our situations and our needs better than we do ourselves.
We are still waiting to start the addition on the house. I still need to get things packed up. We recently purchased a storage building to house the stuff that's in the garage along with whatever else we decide to put in there. Everything else will get put in the two bedrooms since no contruction will be done on that end of the house. We are just praying that things will go as smoothly as possible. (Ryan, it's too bad you can't take some time off and fly to AR to help Andy.)
I think that's about it here. Anne is on a Terrific Tuesday trip with a group from church. So Naomi and I made chocolate chip cookies this morning. We'll take them to Andy at work in a little bit. Melanie is just busying herself with crawling around and trying to pull herself up. I forget how much fun babies can be sometimes. It's cute to watch her try to figure out how to clap.
Have a blessed day!
Another praise is due regarding Andy and his work situation. His boss is leaving Simmons to work for the Walton Foundation. It's an excellent opportunity for him, but he will be missed greatly. So, Andy interviewed for his boss' position last Wednesday morning. Last Friday morning he received the promotion!!! There are always new challenges that go along with a new position. Andy will be managing a team of people again like he did at Wal-Mart, but in a less stressful environment. We would still appreciate your prayers as he makes the transition. Plus, he'll still be fulfilling his other duties until they find someone to fill his position.
It always amazes me how God proves Himself faithful when we leave things up to Him. :) He knows our situations and our needs better than we do ourselves.
We are still waiting to start the addition on the house. I still need to get things packed up. We recently purchased a storage building to house the stuff that's in the garage along with whatever else we decide to put in there. Everything else will get put in the two bedrooms since no contruction will be done on that end of the house. We are just praying that things will go as smoothly as possible. (Ryan, it's too bad you can't take some time off and fly to AR to help Andy.)
I think that's about it here. Anne is on a Terrific Tuesday trip with a group from church. So Naomi and I made chocolate chip cookies this morning. We'll take them to Andy at work in a little bit. Melanie is just busying herself with crawling around and trying to pull herself up. I forget how much fun babies can be sometimes. It's cute to watch her try to figure out how to clap.
Have a blessed day!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Melanie is Crawling!
Melanie is mobile!! I'm loving it!! She's really starting to explore, and it's a lot of fun to watch. I have to keep her out of the kitchen, and the girls usually keep their bedroom door closed. It's almost hard to believe she'll be 8 months old on the 27th!
In this video she's crawling from the living room to the kitchen. Please pardon any mess on the floor and the nasty broom by the trash can.
In this video she's crawling from the living room to the kitchen. Please pardon any mess on the floor and the nasty broom by the trash can.
Inspired!
I finally figured out how to add a weight loss tracker to my blog!!! YEAH ME!! My inspiration comes from Emily, my best friend from college. She has one on her blog so I checked out the website. After a few tries I finally figured out how to add it to my blog!! I'm not as computer savy as I would like to think. :) Anyway, I think this will be a great visual for me and help me keep trying to get the weight off!!
I have really struggled with my weight the most after giving birth to our girls. I became a member of Weight Watchers after having Naomi, and I lost a lot of weight!! Unfortunately I quit before I reached my goal because we got busy, and I was missing meetings. After having Melanie I knew I needed to go back to Weight Watchers if I was going to get rid of the weight again. I struggled with the decision for a while. I figured if we were going to have a fourth child why bother losing the weight. I was only going to put it back on, and then have to start all over again. Then Andy helped point out that if we do end up having a fourth it would be better for me to lose some weight so that I would be healthier for the pregnancy. Point taken. Plus, it's no fun to try on maternity clothes only to find out that they don't carry them in plus sizes except online! Ugh! Let me just interject that I AM NOT PREGNANT. This was just part of the thought process.
So now I'm in WW. I still struggle with making the right eating choices. I've decided to abstain from ice cream until the end of June--baby steps. Staying home makes it harder because food is such easy access. Thankfully I don't keep a lot of junk food in the house, but if I make cookies it's all over. I have a really hard time with self-control.
As far as exercise goes...I would love to walk in the early morning, but when Melanie wakes up at 0'dark thirty it's hard to want to get out of bed to go walking an hour later. I know it's all about discipline--something I desperately need to work on. I do like to walk in the evenings when it's a little cooler. Most times the girls will go with me either on their bikes, or Anne likes to "roll" on her heelys. So, I'm getting some exercise in.
Okay, that was a long post just to really say that I was excited about figuring out how to add the weight loss tracker. :) Have a blessed day!
I have really struggled with my weight the most after giving birth to our girls. I became a member of Weight Watchers after having Naomi, and I lost a lot of weight!! Unfortunately I quit before I reached my goal because we got busy, and I was missing meetings. After having Melanie I knew I needed to go back to Weight Watchers if I was going to get rid of the weight again. I struggled with the decision for a while. I figured if we were going to have a fourth child why bother losing the weight. I was only going to put it back on, and then have to start all over again. Then Andy helped point out that if we do end up having a fourth it would be better for me to lose some weight so that I would be healthier for the pregnancy. Point taken. Plus, it's no fun to try on maternity clothes only to find out that they don't carry them in plus sizes except online! Ugh! Let me just interject that I AM NOT PREGNANT. This was just part of the thought process.
So now I'm in WW. I still struggle with making the right eating choices. I've decided to abstain from ice cream until the end of June--baby steps. Staying home makes it harder because food is such easy access. Thankfully I don't keep a lot of junk food in the house, but if I make cookies it's all over. I have a really hard time with self-control.
As far as exercise goes...I would love to walk in the early morning, but when Melanie wakes up at 0'dark thirty it's hard to want to get out of bed to go walking an hour later. I know it's all about discipline--something I desperately need to work on. I do like to walk in the evenings when it's a little cooler. Most times the girls will go with me either on their bikes, or Anne likes to "roll" on her heelys. So, I'm getting some exercise in.
Okay, that was a long post just to really say that I was excited about figuring out how to add the weight loss tracker. :) Have a blessed day!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I'm So Excited!!!
Some of you might be surprised to hear about this, but I just can't help it. NO, I'M NOT PREGNANT!!!! Just wanted to clear that up first. There is an issue that I've been praying about, and it looks like God is beginning to show me the path He would have me to take. As you know I home schooled the girls this past year. It was a good experience, and I believe we all learned quite a bit through it all. You also know that I used to teach in the public school system prior to this year. I was a middle school math teacher so please do not critique my grammer. :) Andy and I have been praying about the girls' education. Do we continue to home school? Should we seek out private Christian schools? Our desire is for them to receive a Christ-centered education first and foremost. We knew the public school system was not going to do that. So, I resigned from teaching public school to teach the girls at home.
Well, while I have enjoyed teaching the girls I have also missed teaching in a regular setting as well. I definitely DON'T MISS the stress that goes along with it. Most of the stress came from making sure enough material was covered so the students would be ready for the tests the state mandated. Then there's the stress of waiting to see how your students did. Did they improve from last year's results? What's the percentage of students that are advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic? And on and on and on!! I have missed making a positive difference in the lives of those students, seeing the light bulb come on over their heads when they finally get it, and having interaction with more than 4 people. :) I have a sanguine personality so that last one is pretty important. Please don't misunderstand what I'm sharing. I love my girls to pieces and have enjoyed investing so much of myself into them. But staying at home for me, as much as I would like to think that I can be Mrs. Suzy Homemaker and Mom of the Century, is not the easiest thing for me to do. I'm probably being more transparent than some of you want to read. :)
Anyway, this past year I wasn't completely happy with the curriculum I was using so I began researching other options once again. Teaching the girls this past year has given me good insight into how they learn. While looking at other curriculum I became curious about Christian private school options as well. My sister, Kari, is a member at FBC in Centerton, AR, and they have Lifeway Christian School. I had heard excellent things about it so I checked out their website. After finding out what their tuition was I knew the only way that school would be an option is if I taught there. Well, you can imagine my conflicting thoughts. If I felt called to home school, then why am I entertaining this idea? What is God's will concerning this for our family? Am I just being selfish and wanting out of the house? And on and on. So, finally I prayed and told God that if this was His will then He would have to make it happen. So, I went ahead and filled out an application, updated my resume, and turned it in to their office. I didn't hear from them for a couple of weeks so I called their office, but only to leave a message. Still I didn't hear back from them so I called again a few weeks later. Andy's suggestion was to just go up there, but I didn't want to arrange a sitter, drive to Centerton, and then not be able to talk to anyone. Plus, I was letting God take control right? :)
So, after not hearing anything from the school I decided that maybe this wasn't what God wanted. I started making decisions regarding the girls' curriculum for the next school year. Through all of this I was really at peace. I knew that God would provide for our family and give me what I need to continue to stay at home with the girls. I kept reminding myself that I was letting God have control of this one. Well, much to my surprise the Headmaster at Lifeway Christian School, Dr. Sneider, called me this past Tuesday. They have a middle school Social Studies position available. It will be a part time position this year, but become a full time position the following year. I have an interview with Dr. Sneider on June 18th at 10am. There are still some issues that have to be prayed through, but I'm just excited that I heard from them. I would have been happy to hear back from them even if it was that they weren't interested. I just wanted to hear SOMETHING. :)
I know this has probably been one of the longest posts I have typed, and I'm sorry if it hasn't all flowed very well. This has been on my heart, mind, and prayers for a few months now. I'm in awe of how God works when we let Him. Even if the interview reveals that this isn't the best option for our family, at least I was given the opportunity. So, if we are ever in your thoughts over the next few days we would appreciate your prayers regarding this opportunity. Our only desire is to be in God's will. He knows what is best for us!!
A side note: we have recently been approved and signed papers for a construction loan. We are adding on to our house, and it will double the square footage. We are extremely excited about this as well, but there will be much going on at our place this summer. So praying for that to go as smoothly as possible will be much appreciated as well. I'm sure the blog will be full of those updates as the summer goes on. Thanks!
Well, while I have enjoyed teaching the girls I have also missed teaching in a regular setting as well. I definitely DON'T MISS the stress that goes along with it. Most of the stress came from making sure enough material was covered so the students would be ready for the tests the state mandated. Then there's the stress of waiting to see how your students did. Did they improve from last year's results? What's the percentage of students that are advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic? And on and on and on!! I have missed making a positive difference in the lives of those students, seeing the light bulb come on over their heads when they finally get it, and having interaction with more than 4 people. :) I have a sanguine personality so that last one is pretty important. Please don't misunderstand what I'm sharing. I love my girls to pieces and have enjoyed investing so much of myself into them. But staying at home for me, as much as I would like to think that I can be Mrs. Suzy Homemaker and Mom of the Century, is not the easiest thing for me to do. I'm probably being more transparent than some of you want to read. :)
Anyway, this past year I wasn't completely happy with the curriculum I was using so I began researching other options once again. Teaching the girls this past year has given me good insight into how they learn. While looking at other curriculum I became curious about Christian private school options as well. My sister, Kari, is a member at FBC in Centerton, AR, and they have Lifeway Christian School. I had heard excellent things about it so I checked out their website. After finding out what their tuition was I knew the only way that school would be an option is if I taught there. Well, you can imagine my conflicting thoughts. If I felt called to home school, then why am I entertaining this idea? What is God's will concerning this for our family? Am I just being selfish and wanting out of the house? And on and on. So, finally I prayed and told God that if this was His will then He would have to make it happen. So, I went ahead and filled out an application, updated my resume, and turned it in to their office. I didn't hear from them for a couple of weeks so I called their office, but only to leave a message. Still I didn't hear back from them so I called again a few weeks later. Andy's suggestion was to just go up there, but I didn't want to arrange a sitter, drive to Centerton, and then not be able to talk to anyone. Plus, I was letting God take control right? :)
So, after not hearing anything from the school I decided that maybe this wasn't what God wanted. I started making decisions regarding the girls' curriculum for the next school year. Through all of this I was really at peace. I knew that God would provide for our family and give me what I need to continue to stay at home with the girls. I kept reminding myself that I was letting God have control of this one. Well, much to my surprise the Headmaster at Lifeway Christian School, Dr. Sneider, called me this past Tuesday. They have a middle school Social Studies position available. It will be a part time position this year, but become a full time position the following year. I have an interview with Dr. Sneider on June 18th at 10am. There are still some issues that have to be prayed through, but I'm just excited that I heard from them. I would have been happy to hear back from them even if it was that they weren't interested. I just wanted to hear SOMETHING. :)
I know this has probably been one of the longest posts I have typed, and I'm sorry if it hasn't all flowed very well. This has been on my heart, mind, and prayers for a few months now. I'm in awe of how God works when we let Him. Even if the interview reveals that this isn't the best option for our family, at least I was given the opportunity. So, if we are ever in your thoughts over the next few days we would appreciate your prayers regarding this opportunity. Our only desire is to be in God's will. He knows what is best for us!!
A side note: we have recently been approved and signed papers for a construction loan. We are adding on to our house, and it will double the square footage. We are extremely excited about this as well, but there will be much going on at our place this summer. So praying for that to go as smoothly as possible will be much appreciated as well. I'm sure the blog will be full of those updates as the summer goes on. Thanks!
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