Well, as I sit here blogging this, I can hardly believe that another year has flown by. I can't even really believe that we are almost in 2009. I am starting to curse all the "grown ups" that used to tell me time goes by so much quicker when you get older, because it is really true.
This past year has been a VERY busy, but great year. I'll start with the kids:
Brendan, who is now 6 going on 7 in May, is in the first grade. He had a WONDERFUL year in kindergarden last year and was blessed with the most perfect teachers and classmates. This year, well, it's been more of a challenge on me, I guess, than him. He started off in the BEST class, great friends and legendary teacher. Then, because his grade is such a large one, they took him out of his class (3 weeks into the year!) and placed him with a brand new teacher and all new classmates. They selected kids from every class and made a hodge podge class. It was very traumatic, he cried, I cried, his other classmates cried. Whatever. The teacher he has now is super and I really like her. She loves the kids and is doing a great job. It took about two months for the adjustment to settle. But now he is doing fine. He has made all new friends, is reading everything he can, spelling and writing everything he can, and is growing like a weed! One month into school when it started to get colder, Gary and I realized that the poor child had not a single pair of pants that fit him (they all looked like capri pants, which I hear from the kids isn't very cool for little boys!). He still has more energy than the sun, which has its challenges, but he continues to amaze Gary and I with his natural generous spirit and tender heart. He is always thinking of his sister and brother and friends. I am so proud of the way he is growing up and get more and more excited to see the young man he will turn into. The world is truly his oyster!
Cecelia, who is 5 going on (16!!) 6 October 1, is also in school. She is in a 4k class with 19 other students. She has about 3 best friends that her world revolves around. One in particular, Lana, with Abigail and Lillian following a close 2nd. She is scary smart (at least to me and Gary). She is starting to read and write about as well as her brother. She picks up on everything. She has a natural ability with languages, which cracks me and Gary up. When Cecelia was in her 3 year old class she got a language CD from Chik-filet. It was a CD of the Russian language. Well, one night she decided that was what she wanted to listen to while she fell asleep. A night or two later, as I was tucking her in, she asked me to press play on her Russian CD. She then tells me in a whispering voice, "Mommy, tomorrow when Miss Melissa (her teacher) asks me a question, I am going to answer 'duh'." Then she giggled. "She won't know what I mean and the kids in my class will laugh!" More giggling. "Because 'duh' means 'yes' but she won't know." I got wide eyed, laughed a nervous laugh, kissed her and walked out of her room projecting ourselves into the future wondering how, if at 4, she understood the double meaning, what she would be like at 16 with that kind of mind. Her mind is way deeper than most 5 year olds I know. The things that worry her and get to her are things that I KNOW I never worried about, and really still don't. She is a mommy's girl to the nth degree and is going to tower over me when she gets older. She is already in a size 7/8 for little girls and she isn't even 6! She is at least an inch taller than anyone in her class, sometimes a whole head taller. If she was more outgoing and comfortable with strangers, I would sign her up for modeling in a second!! She would bankroll our lives. But thankfully, she is my shy, homebody. (She declared she is never moving out, never getting married, never having kids, and never growing old. She also cried when Brendan said he was going to get married to someone some day because he wouldn't be living with us any more! And yes, Brendan has picked out his bride, a fellow class mate that he has known his whole life so far. He declared "she's a good woman!" She will remain anonymous for now, but her parents are aware. Needless to say, we approve of his choice.)
Ok, Teddy. Gosh to put that boy into words is tough. He is like sunshine. He is so stinkin' cute and fun. He laughs all the time, always has a smile on his face, hugs about everyone he meets, and still isn't potty trained! (his one downfall so far!) He is 2 1/2 and will turn 3 this March. He is in school 3 days a week, knows all of his numbers, letters, most colors, LOVES to sing and dance, loves to rough house with his siblings and daddy, and loves to snuggle and cuddle with me, his "mama". I am not a southerner, so his calling me mama has been an adjustment. But somehow his saying mama melts my heart. I call him my little bug-a-boo Teddy, and he calls me bug-a-boo mama. He appears to be very athletic and is obsessed with cars. If you have ever read the book, "Me talk pretty one day" by David Sedaris, the best way to describe him in our family is he is "the rooster!" And my heart will always soften when he walks in a room, no matter how crazy he is. There is just something about that kid that makes me smile every time I think of him. Not to say that the other two don't, but for now, Teddy is just that kid. Some day the other two will pick up on it and use that knowledge to their advantage, asking Teddy to ask me for favors that they know I would so no to them about, but yes to Teddy. It will even out in the end.
Hmm... Gary's next I guess. Busy, that about sums up his year. The church has been plugging along and for being a start up, is doing amazing well. We've had some rough patches, as does any church, but I think we are on some pretty solid ground right now. Gary has been stretching his wings a little and has been invited to do some consulting. We'll see how that goes, especially with the economy being in the state that it's in, churches don't really have a ton of extra cash lying around. I am excited to see where that takes him though. He has so much knowledge and experience stored up that he would be a tremendous asset and help to anyone that needed it. He continues to build on what he does best here, creating relationships with kids and modeling the love of Christ through consistency and an unwavering committment to love them where they are in their walks and life. He has been pulled in a lot of different directions, doing just about everything else other than youth ministry, with the church. He continues to amaze me with the way he handles it all.
As for me, I was working at the church with him for this past year, as the Children's Minister. It was so nice to be able to have that time with Gary during the day. My respect, love and amazement of him only grew deeper watching him in action. Although I will say because he and I know each other too well, some of our behavior/comments during staff meetings weren't always the most professional. But it kept things light. I know they miss my inappropriateness! I quit this job after having done it for really about 2 years, and spending every Sunday from 8:30am to noon with the kids at the church. It was getting to be a bit much on us all. It really struck me when one Saturday night Teddy started throwing up and we weren't able to get a babysitter, so I had to take the poor guy to church anyway. I LOVED being around all those kids and doing what I did, but doing that job, along with my job at Friendship Place, 3 kids, a cat, a house and a husband, it got to be too much. I never had any down time, never had time to be just with the kids, and was always knowing that nothing was being done well because I had so many plates spinning. So, as of December 1, I have had just one 'paying' job, Friendship Place. I have been toying with the idea of starting my own business this coming year. I have talked to a bunch of people and my idea has gotten GREAT feedback. Now it's just a matter of getting the funding, figuring out the logistics of how I could get it done, and then do it. I guess 2009 will see if that can take off. Who knows. Keep that in your prayers, it could really mean great things for this area.
We continue to miss family and friends that live so far away. We toyed with moving closer to them, but the cards just didn't play out that way. So far, God is having us stay put, which neither of us is too broken up over. It does get harder not being able to have our families be a part of our lives on a more regular basis, especially with the kids growing up. We would love to have that, but we are so blessed with what we have and the friends and pseudo family we have created here, that we would be unbelievable selfish to complain. 2008 has been a wonderful year. I watched one of my best and oldest friends get married and was reuinted with all of my childhood friends. They continue to be one of the things I am most thankful for. I got to see my parents MULTIPLE times this year, which hasn't happened since I moved out, that was one of the greatest things for me about this year. We had Gary's parents here for Christmas, family during a holiday...HUGE blessing and rarity. I have three healthy, beautiful kids, an amazing, loving, hilarious, husband, and I couldn't feel more blessed with that.
I am going to try and make 2009 the year of just being thankful for all the little things God has given me, being content in any and all situations, and sharing that love with my family that He has for me.
I hope everyone has a blessed 2009, you will all be in my thoughts and prayers through out the year. XOXO-
Julie
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