1 week down, only 35 more to go!!!!!

Yes!  We made it through the first week of school!

Exhausted!

But we made it!  

YAY!!!

Dakota is enjoying his advanced classes, except homework has already hit!  It is good for him and I KNOW he will learn a ton this year!  Really impressed with the 6th grade team that he is on, he is a Cheetah.  He's not so sure about this dressing down thing for PE, though.  But he likes it that he wears deodorant now!  I guess I can remember back to when I wanted to do that too!  

Kye did better than I thought he would!  He was way excited and that continued throughout the week.  He has been super tired, but still getting up and ready in the morning!  He doesn't tell me much about his days, but he was really jazzed about computer class the other day!  At rest time all week, but Friday, he slept.  He really seems to like it and I'm praying that that will continue.

Friday I actually subbed in his classroom.  It was neat to see what he does at school all day long.  He interacts well with the kids and he was surprisingly obedient to me, so I'm hoping he is that way with Mrs. B.  The Lord will again be teaching me about trusting in Him and only Him, while my boys are away from me.  I can't think about it too much, I have to lay it down, pray and trust believing in faith that Jesus will be with them this year and that they will be ok.

So we are recouping from our week this weekend.  Trying to sleep in this morning and hope so tomorrow.  Of course today when we could sleep in, the boys were up early!  Murphy's law!

I hope y'all have a blessed weekend!

First Day of Kindergarten and 6th Grade!!!!

Today was the day!!!

Kye had been counting down the days and actually woke up just fine this morning.

Dakota had been counting down the days left of "freedom." :)

We rolled out about 7:30 to drop Kye first, but of course we had to take the yearly pictures!!!




These are the classic pictures we take every year. By the front door and then in their seatbelts.

Kye walking into Forest Ridge

Kru comes along too, Dakota waited in the car!

Getting a nametag from Mrs. Birkenhoff

Putting away his backpack

Kye settled right in. Kissing and hugging us good-bye, he sat down at a table with animals to sort and didn't even blink! I'm thankful, because if he had had a tough time, I know I would have been a mess. The Lord is good and he was fine and so was I!!!

And then we took Dakota to Cypress Grove. This was old hat as this was the same school he went to last year. He was a tiny bit nervous, but you couldn't really tell. We began the day with worship and prayer and I KNOW that helped me and I think it did for him as well.

I thought of them often throughout the day, but had an inner peace about everything! God is good, because that for sure was the Lord!!! I wondered what they were doing when, how they were doing, did Kye remember his lunch pin #, is he listening, obeying, paying attention, did Dakota remember which classroom to go to next, etc... I wondered, not worried!

As 3:00 approached, I loaded up Kru and a few guests I had with me (Nichole and Ari, who I was watching for the day) and we headed back up to Kye's school. After 1 HOUR and 15 minutes in the carpool lane! No I'm NOT kidding!!!! Kye was in sight and ready to get in the van!
And then we went and got Dakota!! They were tuckered for sure! In fact, Kye said that he fell asleep during rest time on his towel at school and when we got home, he went straight up to his bed to rest. He didn't sleep, but definitely zoned out for awhile! By Friday he is going to be exhausted!!!!

The school year has begun and it's hard to believe! I am looking forward to all this year will bring and wonder how God will grow all of us this year. My prayer is that these little men would come to know Him more than they do right now, and fall more in love with Jesus everyday. That they would make friends and shine a light in their schools, to children and teachers alike, and know that knowing and loving Jesus is more important than school, grades, tests, making friends, sports, recess, pe, drama or art!

So 1 down..... how many to go!!???!! :o)

Change is a Comin'

Today is the last day of our summer "freedom." It makes me a little sad, actually, my feelings are all over the place today..... ready for the boys to get back into a routine and structure, but yet enjoying the laid back schedule of summer; loving to hear all 3 of their voices together, but yet ready for them to not fight everyday! Bittersweet!

All of this is soon to change on Monday. Kindergarten!!!!

Last night we went to Kye's new school, Forest Ridge, to meet his teacher. We dropped off his supplies, looked at his room and saw where he would have PE, Art, Music, lunch and recess. He wasn't super excited, but wasn't nervous either. He just was, if that makes sense.

Kye has gone to pre-school and even went to half/day Kindergarten last year, but all of that has been at small private schools and I guess I haven't considered it "real."

This is REAL!

This is BIG!!! Over 800 kids go to this school!

But, this is what has been decided and I have to tell you I DO have God's peace in all of this! Even Darrin said last night after meeting the teacher that he feels a lot more comfortable with it!

As we were considering other options for Kye, I have been reminded that God loves Kye way more than I do and God understands and knows Kye better than I do too!!!

I know that Kye is in God's hand and that He will be watching over Kye this year and his entire life!

I'm not tellin' ya that Monday won't be hard on this Mommy, but I know my God is faithful and I am trusting Him!!!

Don't know about you, but I don't like change! I'm thankful that Dakota is going to be at the same school so we aren't having to learn the ropes at another new school plant, that will be next year for 7th grade!

So for those of you who are experiencing change of your own....

God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow!
God is good!
God is faithful!
And God is love!

May this new school year be filled with His peace, His love and in His will!!!

Kru woke up this morning, comes into me as I'm sorting laundry and says," Look, I have a unicorn on my head!"

And then on a side note of nothing related, we went to the library today to turn in our summer reading cards, and Darrin got HIS FIRST EVER library card!!!!

Yes, you heard me correctly! 4 days shy of his 37th birthday, my husband got his FIRST library card in his entire life!

That blows me away! Whatever!!! :)

Ode to Our Whitney

Our Whitney is leaving tomorrow,
and we are filled with sorrow.

No really, we are so happy for her
even though we will be missing her for sure!

She is so precious and we love her so much,
if you don't know her, you are missing out a bunch!

Darrin, Dakota, Kye, Kru and Kari
want to say have a great time in Maui.

Our lives will be a little be emptier
and we will be lonelier.

But we know that you are following the Lord,
so have fun learning to board.

The kids there will be blessed by you
and in all that you will do.

Here are a few of pictures of our times spent together
you will be in our hearts forever.

WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!!

KidShine!!!

During the Summer at church, we don't do Awana. We still have Bible Study and kid stuff at church and it's called Kid Shine. At the end of the Summer, the kids have a worship service singing the songs they have learned and serving in the other areas of worship.

I was again blessed by seeing and hearing children worshiping God and praising His name. I was also convicted that I need to be leading my little men better in the Word and training them in the Way that God would have me and not the way I have been.

Here is a video that they showed during the service!


Here are a few shots of our night and I am trying to figure out how to get a video up, but my camera is not working with me!!!

Kids' Chat

Isn't Kru such a cutie!?!

Listening to "Stuporman" & Ms. Melodi tell the story for Kids' Chat

Dakota helped with parking!

Looking like a pro!

Kye helped with offering, but he likes to call it
"passing the plate."

Nice Job Buddy!

Worship Time
I truly believe that there isn't anything as powerful as children singing for Jesus!
Most everyone knows this about me, but I LOVE and am passionate about children and children worshiping their Lord. I believe that it touches the Lord differently than adult worship, for I believethat their innocent, child-like faith, whole hearted worship beseeches the Lord in ways that we as adults have yet to learn or remember!
I was blessed and moved deeply!

Tyler, Dakota and Jenarious worship. I didn't get a picture of it, but when a 10and an almost 12 year old are worshiping God with eyes closed and expressions of worship on their face, I can't praise Jesus' name enough!

Kye loves to worship and sing for Jesus!!! He was so into it not as a performance kind of way, but he put his whole self into worship that night and I LOVED it! I am so thrilled that he loves Jesus like this that he isn't afraid to care about what others will think of him if he raises his hands or closes his eyes or sings super loud for Jesus!!! Thank You Jesus for this little man!

Two of my most favorite people!
Mary & Crystal!!!

Ariana, Kru & Anaka!
Love these precious, beautiful little girls!!!

Living Hope's Summer Olympics

Today, many of us from Living Hope, had Thomas Pool all to ourselves for almost 2 hours!

It was great! So many kids and lovely women that I have enjoyed so much this summer. Women I already knew, some I didn't know at all and others I now know! I love summer!

So, with the Olympics inspiring, our kids had our own mini-Olympics (water only) today!

Here's our diving competition!!!

Megan

Kru

Kye

Jalie

Sydni gets set!

Connor

Breaktime & Spectators!!!

Races!!!
Anson, Dakota, Connor and Tyler

Our Kind of Water Polo!

What a great day! I'm hoping it wasn't the last day of fun at the pool with friends!

The Bink is Gone!

Yes, it was a sad day... the last bink is gone.

Kru threw away the blue bink last night.

It wasn't tragic until bed time and then again this morning!

Well, not tragic, but definitely sad!!

This morning when he was not really awake, but whiny and sad, I asked him why he was sad.

"I don't know," he moaned.

I told him that he missed his binky and he agreed.

He made it through the night pretty well, but around nap time and then again bed time, he was missing it again.

Am I tempted to go and buy some more?

Absolutely not!!! :)

Been there and done that (Dakota) and I'm not going there again!!

Live and Learn!

And it is time for the bink to be gone!!

He'll be ok, just sad for a couple of days! ;)