Back to school

I am petrified.  No, that is probably a bad word to use in this context.   I have a memory of something being petrified...we were walking along a beach (me, my dad, and perhaps my brother) I don't recall which beach or what state- but we came upon a large tree that had washed up to the shore.  It was beautiful and grotesque- out of place, but not...I loved it.  My dad explained to me that it had been petrified.  I was young, probably 8 or 9.  I thought- was it scared?  Scared was the only word I could tie to "petrified"  trees can't be scared...I was a little confused. 

I am a dork.  I love to listen to WFYI's "A Way With Words"  it comes on Saturday afternoons right after "Car Talk"  Now I've revealed how much of a dork I really am.  In the above mentioned radio show, people call in about grammar questions, dialect questions, word meaning questions, etc...and the hosts graciously do their best to answer these questions.  Where am I going with this?  Oh yes- petrified.  What it really means.

transitive verb

1

: to convert (organic matter) into stone or a substance of stony hardness by the infiltration of water and the deposition of dissolved mineral matter

2

: to make rigid or inert like stone:

a : to make lifeless or inactive : deaden <slogans are apt to petrify a man's thinking — Saturday Review>

b : to confound with fear, amazement, or awe <a novel about an airline pilot that will petrify you

Thus, in reality I've probably never been petrified.  But, it's a fun word, right? 

Anyway...

I've decided I'm going to go back to school to pursue the Nursing degree that I began what seems like eons ago.  (really just over 13 years, but that's a long time)  And I'm a little overwhelmed.  Not petrified.  I am certainly not deadened by the thought- in fact, very much alive.  I have been thinking about this for YEARS, but the time has never seemed right.  Why now? I don't know...it just seems right.  I know- I have 5 kids.  I have a husband who puts in long hours.  I drive my kids to/from school which eats up almost 2 hours of my day. I like to keep a clean, orderly home, I like to make meals from scratch, I keep on top of my laundry, my kids are involved in activities, I spend time playing games with my kids, doing homework, etc... We are involved in church, I have a 2 year old...(and he is a handful!)  

I quit school when I was pregnant with Elijah.  Josh and I got married young.  I was only 19. We were both full time college students working full time- life was good. I was making good grades, as was he.  We were both working 2nd shift and ate lots of Hot Pockets,.  Then I got pregnant- we both felt incredibly blessed and happy.  But I was so sick.  Working was difficult- school was even more difficult.  So in the middle of the spring semester I had to call it quits.  I just couldn't do it.  I always held the thought that I would go back.  But I had my baby, life took over... and you know...I had a lot more babies.  

I've wanted to be a nurse for a long time.  I ALWAYS wanted to be a mommy.  I knew from the beginning  of my pregnancy that I wanted to stay home with my baby as much as possible.  Josh was 100% okay with this, and did all he could to enable me to do that.  He has always appreciated the long hours I put into our family.  He still does. 

But I've come to a point in life where I feel like I have a "little" extra time.  Come on...I only have 1 kid at home with me :)  I've got all the time in the world!  I have people who will support me in this- so now is the time.  Right now, I'm only going to go part time.  There will come a time I will have to be full time, but by that time, Jeremiah will be in school full time.  I will start school in January, and your prayers will be much appreciated.  2 of my classes are online (hopefully I can do a lot on line.)  My dad and Julie (stepmom, for those of you who don't know) have graciously decided to watch Jeremiah 2 days per week for a few hours so I can do this!  It just so happens that one of the classes I need this semester starts at 8am- which is 10 minutes after I have to drop the kids off at school.  But no worries, because class meets less than 2 minutes from the kids school and about 5 minutes from my dad & Julies house, so it seems to be working out perfectly! 

I am very thankful to my husband who has encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and my family who are willing to make a few sacrifices to help me along this journey.  I think it will take me about 4 years to get a 2 year degree- but I have to move like a snail, because I DO have 5 kids!  Perhaps I will eventually get my bachelor's- I don't know what I will do.  But for now, I'm going- and I won't be petrified. 

 

 

A poem by Abigail for Elijah

Elijah

A wonderful big brother,

Who gives everyone his care

A fabulous big brother

Who always shares

He is growing up

Already is thirteen

But no matter what happens

He'll mean a lot to me

He shows his patience and his kindness

By playing games with me

He is a wonderful big brother

As you can plainly see

For Elijah

Elijah turned 13 on Saturday.  I can't believe I am the mother of a teenager!  For his birthday, Josh had a nice idea to have some special people in his life write something for him about how we see his character traits developing, and how these traits will be helpful as he moves into adulthood.  I wrote something, as well as Josh, my dad, Julie (Nana) aunt Lisa, and Abigail.  I plan to share these things on my blog- today I will share what I wrote.  It's a little lengthy, but hey, I'm his mommy and he's my first born son!  I plan to share these things over the course of a few posts.  

My sweet Elijah- 13 years old.  I just can’t believe it;  where did the time go?  I remember when I found out I was going to have my first baby.  I was overjoyed!  I was so excited to become a mommy, although I had no idea what exactly that would involve.

You were a little late in arriving.  Due on Labor Day, you decided not to join us until September 15^th.   Words can not describe the love I felt for you when I first held you in my arms.  You were such a precious baby, and I loved you so much. 

We brought you home from the hospital and sat you down in the middle of your bedroom.   We weren’t sure what to do next!  So, I picked you up and sat in the rocking chair with you, sang you little songs, read you books, and fed you.  That’s pretty much what we did for the first 6 months of your life. 

Dad worked from 3-11 when you were little, so we spent a lot of evenings alone together.  I’d put on one of my favorite CD’s and hold you.  We’d dance around the house together and I’d sing.  You loved it- you used to giggle so much. 

It was quite obvious that you were an intelligent young man.  Even as a small baby we could see it.  You had a very large vocabulary before you were even one.  By the time you were 2, you were able to write your own name!  I thought it was perfectly normal, until the neighbor came out and saw you scratching out the letters E L I in sidewalk chalk.  She exclaimed, but he’s only 2!

When you were in the pre -school years (before Abigail was born) we played a lot of games together.  But your favorite game was the guessing game.  I would draw a picture and you would guess what it was, then I would write the word out for you.  I learned this game from grandpa.  This is probably why you are such a good speller now- language just came so easily to you.

You have developed into such a wonderful young man.  I could make a list of all of the wonderful things you’ve done, and the ways in which I’ve been blessed by you, but I can’t because I think the list would be too long and nobody else would have a chance to talk.  So I’ll just highlight a few points.

I remember when Abigail was born.  You were so excited to have a baby sister.  You loved her so much, and were so gentle with her.  You always shared all of your toys with her and tried to include her in your play- even though she was so much younger than you.  You loved to build things with blocks.  You tried really hard to let Abigail be a part of it¸ but she had a bad habit of knocking your towers down.  You tried not to get angry and you’d  instruct her in the correct way of building things.  This is a character trait in you that I continue to see.  You enjoy teaching people new things, and you get excited about learning and helping others learn. 

Another thing that sticks out in my mind is when Isaac joined our family.  Again, you were very happy to have another sibling, this time a baby brother.  I remember a time you read him a story.  He loved animals, so you chose a book with a lot of animals in it.  You were describing the animals to him, and telling him all about your favorite animal, the Elephant.   I remember this because I was in the middle of cooking dinner and Isaac was being a little fussy.  He needed someone to entertain him while I finished making dinner.  You didn’t complain a bit that I asked you to help me- you were happy to help.  You are a helpful young man, and always willing to help me do things, especially when you see I have a real need.  This is something I really appreciate about you.  I know you will continue to be helpful.

Something that continuously sticks out in my mind is your compassion for people.  You once wrote an essay in 2^nd grade about how you thought abortion should be illegal, and when you grew up you were going to be like Abraham Lincoln, but instead of abolishing slavery, you were going to abolish abortion.  Although you didn’t know the specifics of the subject matter, you were smart enough to know that abortion hurt babies, and you didn’t like that.

I also see your compassion in the ways you treat your siblings, (especially Christian and Jeremiah) when they get hurt or they are sad.  You’re not afraid to give them a hug when they need one.  That is a really good quality.  Everyone needs compassion.

You’re also a very passionate person, meaning, you are very outspoken about certain issues- especially when you feel like a person has been wronged.  I see this as a quality that is good, but needs a little fine tuning.  It’s good to stand up for your rights and the rights of others. 

You’re a great public speaker.  Anyone who has ever heard one of your speeches, or seen you give a demonstration can attest to that.  You are clear, concise, and not afraid to be in front of a crowd.  You demonstrate a lot of confidence in this area.  This is a great quality to have, and one that you will use throughout your life

You are a teenager now, and before  I know it, you will be an adult making all sorts of adult decisions.  You are going to do well in life because of the character traits that you are developing.  Most importantly, you understand that the only way to live a good life is to have a solid rock to stand on, and that rock is Jesus Christ.  You understand the value of the Bible.  You are kind, compassionate, intelligent, considerate, helpful, creative, and so much more.  I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for you- I know it will be good.  

just some stuff

The pictures you see will be out of order.  I'm not in the mood for trying to move them around, so oh well...I'm sure my huge fan base (ha ha)  won't care if they are out of order anyway :)  Busy busy around here, as usual.  I had a wonderful post brewing in my mind about some deep stuff, but I have a headache and my tailbone hurts like crazy, so I'll save it for another day.  For those of you who may not know this I fell about 2 weeks ago on my tailbone.  I think I may have done something terrible to it, but I didn't go to the doctor because there is nothing they can do anyway.  So- it was finally starting to feel a little better when last night I was trying to relax outside.  A swarm of mosquito's came to attack me and suck my blood, or possible give me West Nile.  So I sprung from my seat to run in the house.  At that point I managed to trip over BOTH the scooter AND the skateboard, thus falling on my already fragile tailbone.  OUCH.  And I mean OUCH!!

Life has been crazy busy, as usual.  The kids are all enjoying school.  Christian is beginning to like it a lot.  (major answer to prayer!)  I do a lot of driving, but it's worth it.  Since Elijah is in the play, he often has to practice after school until 5pm.  There is no way I am picking Abigail, Isaac, and Christian up at 3:15, driving  home, (it's almost a 30 min drive one way) then turning around to pick Elijah up.  So, we have been spending a lot of time at the Washington Township (Avon) Park.  I don't know what we're going to do if it ever rains, or when the weather gets cold... guess that's when I'll start calling my dad more :)  He brings Elijah home for me sometimes, which is very nice.

We had a nice Labor Day weekend.  I think there should be a 3 day weekend at least twice a month.  I don't think Josh gets enough time off work.  Americans are worked to death!  Other countries get much more vacation time, and they have found in numerous studies that people who get more time off work are much more productive!  

Josh decided to build a birdhouse with the kids (mostly Elijah because table saws and 2 year olds don't mesh)  The kids want to build a bunch of them and try to sell them...any takers?  $15.00 each.  So far they've only completed one birdhouse.  They want to take it around in the wagon door to door and try to sell it to our neighbors.  We'll see how that goes.

Here it is before paint.  It can house just about any bird that enjoys living in a birdhouse. It even has a nifty place on the side that you can open to clean the birdhouse out.  



Working on the birdhouse.  Good thing they have their safety goggles on!  That's one thing Josh learned from Norm Abrams.


We planned to have a cookout.  Josh made grilled pork tenderloin and it was delicious!  We couldn't eat outside, but they still cooked it outside.



Since there was no thunder or lightning, I allowed the kids to play in the rain.  They had fun!  They love any opportunity to take their shirts off.  (not Abigail of course!)



Random picture of the park we go to about 3 days per week while we wait for Elijah.  The kids might be getting a little tired of it, but I tell them if we don't go to the park we'll be sitting in the hot car at the school waiting.  They prefer the park.



Josh helping Abigail touch up the birdhouse.


Jeremiah reading a book all by himself.  "I read it myself mommy!"  He has it memorized, so it's almost like he's reading.  He is precious.


Christian with yet another Lego set.  This boy LOVES Legos!  (just like all of his brothers)



Have a wonderful weekend!