Staying Steady

It has been a little while since my last post, but we are continuing to stay steady in our daily tasks. Jonathan went out of town on a staff ride (kind of like an adult field trip) with the Chaplains at the schoolhouse to Charleston on Monday morning, spent the night and then came back on Tuesday around dinner time. That very Monday morning, we had scheduled dental appointments for four of the children for cleanings. So, it was up to me to get them all up, dressed, fed, and out the door and to the dentist's office by 8:00. I must admit, things went really, really well. Joel, who is usually a little scared about things like that, hopped right up in the chair and let them clean his teeth. I could tell he was uncomfortable with these strangers because he refused to laugh or even smile no matter how hard they tried. But, he was obedient and that was more important than his facial expressions. Julia and I sat in the room watching them. There were six chairs in the room for cleaning and my children took up four of them. And when Julia begins to go, there will only be one chair in the room vacant! The children are continuing to progress in school. Josiah has done really well with the second grade curriculum. Joanna is doing well with her reading. And Joy is showing great progress with all her subjects, even math, though at one time she vowed to dislike it forever! We were working on geometry terms today...and she got it...much better than I did when I was her age, that's for sure! We are continuing to prepare for our upcoming move. The dejunking process in well underway, but has quite a bit to go. In one respect it seems we have plenty of time, but in reality, I know these 2 and a half months will fly by! We are getting more and more excited about the move...and the closer we get, the more we desire to get settled once again. Jonathan graduates from the Advanced Chaplain's Course on June 4th. He is looking forward to that. This has been a challenging assignment, just in the volume of work and time it has taken. So, it will be nice for him to have this phase of his career behind him. But, no matter how challenging it gets, I can always take it easier when I remind myself that at least, for now, he is home with us. And seeing him some is certainly better than not seeing him at all. Well, I am going to close for now. Hope you all enjoy pictures of the family. The one today is of Josiah. He is famous for making his faces and being a knight, or frontiersman, or British soldier, or American soldier, or cowboy, etc. He takes on the characteristics of whatever time period we are studying in history. Right now, it is the Medieval, Reformation, Renaissance period. So, he is our young squire waiting to be knighted! May Christ shed His love abroad in your hearts our dear friends and family!

The Joy of Family

Today has been a special day. Not that we have done anything out of the ordinary, but just because God has given me a special lens to see with today. Some days are so busy with all the tasks of life, that it is hard to appreciate those things most precious to us. I admit that there are days where I am running here and there, trying to check off all the things on my to-do list, without really stopping to enjoy those closest to me. But, today was different. Today I had a really good day...not because anything special happened, but because I was able to look at the "ordinary" things of my day and realize how special they truly are. Today I really looked at my children and thanked God for them. I took time to enjoy their smiles, laughs and hugs. I had a great time teaching Joanna to read, Josiah and Joy new math concepts, and I just relished in the fact that they clung to every word of a historical novel I am reading aloud to them. (The Red Keep by French) We took a walk...all five of them (which is a feat in itself) to the commissary to pick up two items. They had a great time walking in a line behind me like little ducklings after their Mama Duck. We got some stares from the passing cars, but we loved it. I hope people look at us and say...wow, it sure does look like a lot of fun to have a big family. You know what? It really is. There are more laughs, more playmates, more hugs, and more children to bring up for Christ. What an awesome thing! Today was a great day. And I think the children felt it too. Joy hugged me and said, "Mom, this has been a great day. Thanks for everything." When I was doing school with Josiah, I put my arm around him. He said, "Mom, I wish you were younger." I started tickling him and laughing saying, "Are you saying your Mom is old?" He said, "No, I just wish you were younger so you could stay with me longer." How sweet is that? Joanna and Joel both told me at different times that they loved me. And Julia periodically ran up to me and just gave me hugs. Today was absolutely priceless. And I thank my God in heaven for allowing me to live it to the fullest. When you pray, ask God to give you a special lens to look through. It may not change your circumstances, but I guarantee it will change your outlook! Have a God blessed day!