A good ride home

Love is Saying Yes to Belonging

-David Steindl Rast

 I am so happy we belong to Goshen Elementary. I continually fall in love with this school.  It is a place where great things happen...where children learn in their own unique way...and although it is a public school where religion is only discussed during the Holidays when every holiday is discussed...the school goes about every lesson with kindness and goodness etched in the learning.  When you doubt that there is good in the world...and are uncertain about our future go spend some time in a class at Goshen Elementary....and listen to these wise, sweet, learners of the world. Listen to their hearts and smile inside. I am lucky enough to be the room mom for both Riggs' and Rollins' class...and it is a lot of work, don't get me wrong, but I get back ten-fold what I give. When I walk in the room they gather like baby ducky around me...for hellos and heartfelt hugs. And Riggs and Rollins sit back and watch with sweet smiles of pride that say...that's my moma....and then they say hello as the baby ducks scatter...and I can not tell you how good this feels. I get this every time I walk in the room. Every time. Today I hosted their winter parties and for their community service project both classes made fleece pillows and at the conclusion both classes voted on where the pillows wold be donated. The discussion was remarkable...each child thinking with their heart...and expressing why they thought these pillows would make someone happy.  Ironically, both classes without knowing it, both choose to donate the pillows to Kosair Children's hospital. Children helping children...precious.




 I feel so blessed to be able to send my kids to this amazing place where love truly is in every lesson it can be...where they teach kindness and the responsibility we have as residents of this Earth to help and give when we can with our time and our talents. Complete with snowball fights, crafts, community service projects and a video of their year so far...the winter parties in both classes were fun!  Riggs' had his party at the end of the day so I just took the boys home as car riders. When they climbed in the truck Riggs said..that was so fun, Momma.....and then Rollins said.....you are the best mom ever...you give the best parties......and there you have it...that is why I do it...why I spend hours taking pictures and making videos...choosing fun crafts...and service projects...why I stay up all night wrapping party favors....I do it because it means something to them...and they are thankful and proud of me. I do it because I love them more than life...and life is short folks. They won't spend forever thinking it is amazing that their friends and classmates love me...they won't always be impressed with a snowball hacky sack tied on to a white board as a party favor.....they won't always so easily express their love and appreciation for me...but today they do...and today I rode home with a smile on my face and so much love in my heart while they played games in the back seat.

Jack- Jack and Joyful Giggles!

I just want to remember this...the joyful giggles as our puppy chases the boys through the yard! Thanks Jack-Jack!

passing by......

How many times have I said it....it's the little things...the small moments...that all come together to make up your life...so take them in...appreciate them for what they are...don't pass them by...but sometimes passing by is a good thing.

 So I am passing by in the hall way...moving from point A to point B...this time from laundry room to my room with a pile of clean clothes that smell so good but I resent them as they make my mountain of clean clothes to put away in my room even bigger. I am thinking I should pull an all nighter and get these clean clothes put away when I pass by the kids' bathroom... and out of the corner of my eye I see something....something special.....and then step back to look again. I see Jeremy and Lila in there...Lila standing on the potty..... all smiles.... as Jeremy  carefully dries her beautiful blond hair. I pause and watch.... and luckily my camera was on the table right outside the door. I have given 98% of the baths  to the our children...applied 99.2% of the lotion.....gotten their pajamas out 100% of the time, but I will admit that unless the next day was picture day or Easter Sunday I rarely blow dry their hair. After completing the bathing process four times every day...that seems to me an optional task. But there Jeremy was drying Lila's hair..... just because and she was soaking this one on one time up with her daddy. She was enjoying this small moment with her whole heart....and look at that smile...a smile he couldn't even see .....but I did...cause I was just passing by.

 

"the brothers"

I am making supper this afternoon and I can hear the dribbling of the basketball as I cook. When I go over to the window this is what I see......the brothers.

 Sarah Kate started referring to the boys as a collective unit when she was little...and now Lila...and even I call them the brothers.  And they are brothers...truly. These two boys support and care about each other very much...and they spend so much time together...because they want to. They are never alone...or without something amazing to do...because they have each other....and I love this so very much.  Although they are very different from each other in so many ways and go off with different friends to do this or do that...they are always happy to come back home and be together again. I am so happy they have each other. They are the most amazing boys I know...and I love hearing that basketball dribble knowing they are outside together making memories together..just the two of them...the brothers.

What the littles want in 2011.....

Over lunch yesterday the kids and I had a meeting.....a meeting about what the new year would have in store for them. We decided that everyone would pick something they wanted to work on....and something fun they just wanted to do in 2011. Some of their goals are easy...some of them they are going to have to work hard to accomplish, but they are their goals and that is what I love the most about them.  The fun things...with a little planning...can all be done too so I will work to make those little dreams come true!

Riggs

Riggs wants to get his time for doing a mile in the 5's...even if it is 5:59 and go to Incredible Daves

Rollins

Rollins wants to work on multiplication and go to the Kentucky Reptile Museum...he has always been interested in snakes!



Sarah Kate

SK wants to learn to swim without help from any grown ups or swimmies and go see a play

Lila

 Lila wants to be potty trained (again!) and take Jack on a walk or as he refers to it as "hold he's rope" It was a warm day today so just went ahead and took this one off the list! Could Jack and Lila be any cuter together?

Even littles feel the longing to be better in the new year......So here's to the New Year for the kids too!

Breaking away 2011

With a new year brings the longing to be something new...try something new....I think we all feel that tug. I have never been one for new years resolutions...they have been more a topic of conversation on New Years Eve...something hopeful to chat about with friends. This year I am going to take them to heart...like I do most things in my life. I will etch them in my life and live them....truly I am.  This year...in 2011 I want to Break Away!

I have a friend right now fighting for her life...fighting for her place on this Earth with her family...giving it all to be here...and the time I spend thinking about her seems endless. I have another friend who seems so lost...and so gone...like she is fighting to be anywhere but here...so far away from here...from me...and the time I spend thinking about her seems endless as well. My heart is tender...it always has been...and I have to be more aware of this as life swirls around me. I have to be the friend, I will say the prayers, I will be there to help in any way to anyone, but I have to lighten the load on my heart and try to break away a little from the saddness that makes me sick...I just have to. I can't cary it all inside me...all the hurt and all the sadness...all the time...it is making me physically sick. I didn't choose to have this heart...and I certainly didn't choose to have this body that responds to saddness and stress by shutting down. It makes me so disheartened than when I am sad or mad that my throat closes down with a road block of painful tightness...and I can't eat even if I wanted to. I have to learn to lift it up....and let it go more...to break away a little. I have learned that sometimes you have to be patient while things work out...you have to have someones back while look at their back...but that can be done.

Which leads me to the second resolution which is to  break away to take better care of myself physically as well. I will drink more water, I will drink more milk...I will exercise regularly...and go to the doctor...all the doctors I have neglected to go to for so long. It's so hard to fit in just the kids appointments but I am going to make this happen. I will break away to go to the doctor and to exercise. I have this body which probably needs more help, more love, than the average one...and yet I neglect it terribly...so busy caring for those around me and I have to do better. I will do better in 2011.

Riggs inspires me to exercise

I have really done well with breaking away to spend time with the people I love this past year. We saw Jason and Tonya and Syd more this past year than ever....I continued to host my biannual parties for my girlfriends...we did more things with the Timmerings, I have never seen mom more and I love that...but I want to do even better...even more. I want to break away to spend even more time with the people I love...I would love to spend more on on one time with my precious children...or even two on one would be nice sometimes. I would love to spend more time with Jeremy...we never do date nights....we save our money and our babysitting favors for when we need them, but sometimes you just have to break away...and we are going to try to go out 6 times this year and try a new restaurant. I know 6 times doesn't sound like a lot but compared to never it is..it's a start.  And my friends...the ones who truly love me...I want to spend time with them too...girlfriends fill your soul in a way no one else can...they get it and sometimes you need someone to just get you. Time with the people you love....creating memories with the people you love is healing and happy and I want more, more, more of this in 2011!

So Breaking away is my theme for 2011...I will break away from the sadness I carry in my heart more....I will break away to go to the doctor and exercise....I will break away to spend even more time with the people I love more than life.

I will do this to make me better...more whole...more healthy. I love my life and I want to be around a long time to live it, God willing.So here's to breaking away in 2011! Wish me luck!

"Breakaway"

Grew up in a small town

And when the rain would fall down

I'd just stare out my window

Dreaming of what could be

And if I'd end up happy

I would pray (I would pray)

Trying hard to reach out

But when I tried to speak out

Felt like no one could hear me

Wanted to belong here

But something felt so wrong here

So I prayed I could break away

[Chorus:]

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly

I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky

And I'll make a wish

Take a chance

Make a change

And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun

But I won't forget all the ones that I love

I'll take a risk

Take a chance

Make a change

And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze

Sleep under a palm tree

Feel the rush of the ocean

Get onboard a fast train

Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)

And breakaway

[Chorus]

Buildings with a hundred floors

Swinging around revolving doors

Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but

Gotta keep moving on, moving on

Fly away, breakaway

I'll spread my wings

And I'll learn how to fly

Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye

I gotta take a risk

Take a chance

Make a change

And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun

But I won't forget the place I come from

I gotta take a risk

Take a chance

Make a change

And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway

Brad's Birthday New Years Day Brunch!

We went to Toast to celebrate Brad's Birthday and ring in the New Year this morning!
It was so yummy and so fun!