11

In the busyness that is my life (and probably your life), I somehow missed blogging my boy's 11th birthday. It has been almost two weeks since his big day, but it is never too late to write about one of my kids. I could go on and on. Of course, if you read this blog often, you know that!

As is the case every single year, Lukas has grown so much in the past year. I thought about leaving out that sentence because every mom says it making it one of the greatest cliches of parentdom, but it's still truth. Cliches have their purpose. 

In the past year, we have watched Lukas move from little boy to pre-teen with grace. He does things that make me shake my head, things that people don't tell you kids do because Americans are so focused on all the negatives of child rearing, things like cleaning the living room with out being asked, washing the dishes for his sister, and getting everything ready for me when we're trying to get out the door on time. This is a drastic change from the little boy he was just a year ago. I see maturity in him that I know I did not possess at the age of 11. Oh the stories I could tell you about me when I was 11! 

Lukas is a lot like me, but not like the 11 year old me. He is focused on details. He is bright, mature, and creative. He likes to sing, and I am so impressed with how well he is teaching himself to sing harmony parts with  no guidance from us whatsoever. I had to work hard to learn to sing harmony, and it never came naturally for me. He is so talented, and he barely knows it.

He's a lot like his daddy too. He loves to make people laugh. He likes manly things like fast cars and monster trucks. Performing on stage brings him to life. Put him in charge of a task, and he owns the room! He loves to help people just like his dad. He willingly tries to fill in for his dad when he's working, though that is certainly not expected of him at age 11. It is admirable, is it not?

Most importantly, I am watching Lukas mature into a believer who is starting to truly grasp the truths of his faith. He is a giver of grace, joy radiates from him, he is gentle with younger children, he is loving and kind. He is learning to apply scripture to his everyday life in ways that astound me. I can't wait to see what God has in store for this child!

Watching these characteristics grow in my boy's life this past year has been incredible. Really. Eric and I have talked about it so many times. There is no part of his growing years that I have not enjoyed. Sure, we all have bumps in the road, but I genuinely like this child. If he wasn't mine, I would still want to hang out with him. He pretty much rocks. I'm so glad that we got to celebrate his birthday with family and friends and that he was so gracious that day and so very happy and thankful. May year 12 find him growing and becoming even more of the young man God desires for him to be!

Good Morning Messages

Good Monday morning, world. I took my husband to work an hour ago and found myself in awe of the early morning sunshine, the dew shimmering on the grass, the rays of sunshine beaming through the hazy fog rising off the field across the street. God gives us beauty in the morning. 

I wouldn't call myself a morning person by any stretch, but I am grateful that even this night owl gets to enjoy the morning hours in all their glory. God knew what He was doing in creating mornings this way. He knew we would need a reminder of His glory to get us going each day. It is as if I look out my window each morning and I hear Him saying,

"Good morning, my love. I have made this day just for you. Be careful with it. Enjoy it. Rejoice in this day!"

On a recent morning as I came down my once striking, but now worn and creaky, Victorian staircase feeling like my world had been rocked beyond repair, I stopped on the landing and looked out the window that rests above the window bench, and I heard God's voice. 

"The morning sun is beautiful, isn't it, daughter? Remember, the sun always rises and sets. Life goes on."

It reminded me of my dear college professor, Dr. Brown, who directed the wind ensemble and traveled all over the country with us teaching us so much more than music. When you're traveling on a tour bus with 60 collegiate musicians, you are bound to hit a few bumps in the road. 

"This too shall pass," he would say. Yes, Dr. Brown, this too shall pass.

It is so simple when you think about it, the rising and setting of the sun. We can trust that it is going to happen because we have seen it happen every single day of our lives. This is God's design, and in trusting and believing in this simple routine of creation, we learn that God is a trustworthy God, and we are daily reminded of His love for us. 

He takes it a step further. The sun doesn't merely rise every morning. With it's burst of light on the horizon comes the beauty of the morning, the completely unnecessary beauty of the morning. We need the light of the sun, but God chose to give us beauty with it. 

Because He loves us.

The sparkling dew on the spider's web.

The call of the mourning dove through the early morning fog.

The soft pink on the horizon as the sun peaks through the clouds.

The cool, damp air that caresses your skin.

Morning, dear loved one of the Most High, was made for us; morning beauty was made to bring glory to Him, and it does it perfectly, doesn't it? Listen to His morning message. No matter what you're going through, remember, the sun will still rise tomorrow, and life will continue. Embrace the morning. Embrace the Creator of the morning.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118: 24

First Day Lessons

The first day of school. It's always so much fun. I look forward to much in the same way I did as a girl, with anticipation and excitement bubbling over. I try too hard to make the day perfect. I stay up too late the night before. The children plan perfect first day of school outfits because they know I'm going to take too many photos to commemorate the day as if it is a once in a lifetime experience that should be cataloged into the archives of our hearts, never to be forgotten, every detail dually noted.

My kids look forward to the first day of school most likely because I have modeled my fervor for this day since Lukas first stepped into our school room when he was a week shy of his 5th birthday. Kindergarten was a blast. I learned to feel successful that year. I could teach a child to read! Outstanding! I then decided that if I could do this homeschooling thing, anyone could do it!

I've learned various lessons throughout our 6 years of homeschooling. In regard to the beginning of the school year, I have learned some specific lessons. First, never start school the day after Labor Day unless you have nothing planned on Labor Day, or unless you are super prepared and don't procrastinate or obsess over starting the school year perfectly with every I dotted and every T crossed. Uh-hem. So, basically, never start school the day after Labor Day if you are me, or if you are LIKE me.

Second, take your time. Don't try to re-invent the wheel on day one, or week one, or week two. Ease into the school year. Start with a few subjects, and plan something fun for the first day. Making our first day a positive experience helps our family to set the tone for the school year. 

Third, adjust the schedule and be flexible. If your child takes 30 minutes to copy a Bible verse and 30 minutes to do a math review page, and you are faced with only enough remaining time to either complete your history lesson or do a craft, choose the craft. It's the first day of school! History can wait one more day.

With those things in mind, we had a great day. My kids tend to be a little slow at tasks on the first day until they get into the swing of things. I know this, so I plan for it. This year, we began our school year with Bible, history, math, copywork, penmanship, read-aloud, reading, and a craft. The scenario above came into play when I nixed the history lesson in favor of the craft. Technically, our read-aloud is historical fiction that I chose to coordinate with our history study, so we didn't skip it completely.

The lesson I learned on this first day of school? If I don't have every I dotted and every T crossed, as I previously mentioned, I will be okay. In fact, I am okay. I do not have the first 3 weeks of school planned perfectly. In fact, I have only 3 days of school planned, and they are not planned perfectly. Who knew I could be okay with this?  Not me!

Our first day was a success! We'll keep adding other subjects into our schedule over the next couple weeks until we're studying everything that we have planned for this year. It should be a fun school year. I know I am looking forward to it. The orderliness is appealing to me right now. Life is busy and chaotic, but the school day is purposeful and well-planned. That's another lesson well learned over the years, but it has little to do with the first day of school, which is the purpose of this post. So, to end this post, here a few pics from our first day. I hope that your day was as successful as ours was!

 Lukas is in 6th Grade this year.

 Ava is in 3rd grade this year.