thirteen

Top 13 Reasons I Love Parenting this 13-year-old Boy

1.  I had no idea what being a mom would be like until you were born thirteen years ago today.
2. You are so different from me and you challenge me to think about things in a different way.
3. You love Jesus and it shows.
4. You are enthusiastic about food which makes it more rewarding to cook.
5. You are a real help around the house and I appreciate your expertise in vacuuming, trash removal, and killing bugs.
6. You are funny.  Not always as funny as you think you are, but you are truly funny.
7. You are great with kids.  Seeing you work with the kids at Thursday morning playschool was a joy.
8. You are a hard worker.  I am really proud of the help you've given others in special projects and for the help you've been with the yard work this year.
9. You are a great conversationalist.  You are so much like your dad in the interest you take in other people.
10. It delights me more than you will ever know to see you read your Bible faithfully.  I was so proud of you on Sunday when you were baptized and thankful for what God is doing in your life.
11. You like ice cream, probably as much as I do.
12. You are eager to try new things like the firearm safety course, fishing, football.
13. You bring a lot of laughter and joy to our home.

People have warned us about having a house full of teenagers.  You are our first and I can honestly say that I look forward to your teen years with delight and excitement.  If they are anything like the past thirteen years, we will continue to be blessed by having you in our family.

Happy Birthday Dear Noah!

The Second Annual Post

Blogging isn't my strength. I had some issues earlier this year with some spam commenting and I considered moving to a different blog site to start up with a fresh blog. After coming to the conclusion that it would likely be more trouble than it's worth, I've decided to continue on with my weak little site right here. I'm not sure that I've been consistent enough to know what I want this whole blogging thing to accomplish. Is it an online journal? A blog about scrapbooking? A parenting site? A Bible teacher blog? The reality is I don't really know and, for now, I'm totally okay with that.

Am I concerned with response and comments and all that stuff? Nah, I'm really not. This is really just an outlet and an experiment in writing. I'm enjoying photography and crafting and parenting and learning and reading and all that good stuff. This is just going to be a hodge-podge blog.

So thrilled to be on summer vacation from teaching music lessons and homeschooling. I've had ups and downs this year but mostly I just really like my life. We just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. I'll be the mother of a teenager in just a few short days. I am working hard at focusing my energies at home instead of looking for more things to keep me busy. I want to freeze my children at this exact stage of parenting. I really like my life.

Happy New Year 2010!!!

I am finding that the years come and go much faster than they used to. Growing up, I was often the youngest. I started school when I was just 4.5 years of age so was usually the youngest in my class. I was engaged shortly before my 22nd birthday and married four months later, much earlier in life than I had thought. DH and I were the first of our circle to begin our family and I found myself with four children before I turned 30. I now realize that, not only does time fly, but time is, indeed, the great equalizer.

You and I have the same months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds before us in this new year of 2010. I have been contemplating, but not "resolving", to spend this year well. What does that look like? What changes need to be made? What relationships need more/less time and priority? How will our family be enriched/endure suffering in this year before us?

I am confident in the Sovereign God who holds all these things in His hand and in the reality that He has a plan for me in 2010. I've ramped up my Scripture reading over the past couple of weeks and hope to read through the Bible by the summer. I determine to spend time seeking Him, in prayer, in worship, in His word. I pray that I will be obedient to what He asks of me and quick to repent when I fall short of the mark.

You see, 2009 was less than stellar. It was a plodding through kind of year with twists and turns that I had not anticipated in any way, shape, or form. It held moments of significant pain as well as moments of recognizing the Giver. My marriage is stronger than ever. My children continue to amaze and challenge me. True friends showed their faces as I walked through some dark times. I saw weaknesses in my life that I hadn't seen before, at least not as clearly as I do now.

Lord, help me to to recognize the difference between the urgent and the truly important in this year ahead.

Blessings on you as you start a new year with purpose, determination, and a teachable heart.