Blessings.......

With twins on the way we know that moving into a bigger house is somewhere in the near future. We've started looking just a little to see what's on the market and how likely we are to find something that will fill our needs......and some of our wants at the same time. If something perfect came up we might make a move but we're not in any hurry. First we looked at a house that was in the right area but the yard was really small. It was in a cul-de-sac which was slightly redeeming but the floor plan didn't work and it needed some TLC. Then we looked at a beautiful house with a little better yard and floor plan but it wasn't in the right school district. Lastly we looked at a house on 2 acres with a beautiful yard and a house with an awful floor plan that smelled like.....pets. 

When we got home we discussed the good and the bad for each property and we were certain none of those were right for our family. It got me thinking about where we lived growing up, where we live now, and where we really want to live.......

Every reader knows that Matt and I grew up in places where as small children there was plenty to do outside......we even have scars to prove it. Like the one on my ribs......I was riding my bike on the blacktop at my grandparents house and when I hit the sand at the end it didn't go well for me. I was riding in their very long driveway (you might call it a family parking lot)-there was no traffic to be concerned about. The lack of outdoor space for Gage to play has been one of our biggest challenges here.....I can't just send Gage outside to ride his bike or scooter-we don't even have sidewalks in our neighborhood. There's too much traffic coming around corners and out of tiny driveways. 

It got me considering two things: 

1. I am so grateful for our back neighbors. Without siblings that he can play with, there is only so much Gage can do inside without being glued to the television (he gets two 1/2 hour shows a day-one before school and one after-that's our limit). I can take the kids to the park or the country club but we have to work around school, Gracie's naps, time to prepare meals/clean house and with twins on the way that will only be more limiting. I thank God for the back neighbors. They have three kids and two are within a year of Gage's age. They don't have cable and they have a trampoline in the backyard! They are always happy to have Gage over, send one of theirs over here, pick up from school, or just visit, and it's such a blessing. 

2. I finally get it. I used to hear parents talking about ALL the activities their kids are involved in-fall soccer, fall ball, winter soccer, basketball, gymnastics, karate, t-ball, and how their busy every night of the week. I would think......why? Your kid is six-why do they need all those activities? Now I kinda get it........I can't send Gage outside to play so if I want him to be active-he's got to be in some type of organized activity. Now I know that as long as we stay in Fresno-this is a part of life I'll have to just join in on. 

In other news, here's what we've been up to.......

A field trip to the pumpkin patch......

 This little blondie is our back neighbor, Ella

 A family trip to pick up pumpkins......

 Nerd day at school..........

And one of the most precious things I've ever seen......

Until next time.....

Love

 

 

It's our anniversary.....

Today Matt and I celebrate our two year anniversary.......three kids in just two years.......technically two of them aren't here yet, but it still feels like we've set a record!

Matt and I met in January 2009. Look at us.......January 2009

I knew Matt very casually before we started dating, enough to say hello in passing at the gym but not really enough to stop and have a conversation. One good thing was that he already knew I was a single mom so we didn't have to have that conversation.

Look how little Gage was......February 2009

Matt would bring over wine and a movie after Gage went to bed. We would talk for a while and then I would fall asleep an hour into the movie because ever since becoming a mother-that's what I do. He came over on evenings I didn't have Gage and made dinner with (or for) Kelsi and me. He reminded me of home. That's always been the best way for me to describe the way I feel with him- I feel the comfort of home. I've always thought much of that comes from the fact that Matt and I are both small town kids. Even though we don't live in a small town now, and may never again, I think our hearts will always be there.

The first time Matt took me home to meet his family was at the end of March-the weekend before Tom and Kristi got married. It was like walking back in time.....here's what I remember....

The trip through the canyon had made me feel carsick so Dale fixed me some cottage cheese and peaches. At the time I hated cottage cheese but I didn't say a word and ate it anyway because my mama taught me right. It was actually really good and I've been eating it ever since. Dale's Wranglers were sagging just a little of the back of his behind-and he reminded me (and still does) a great deal of my grandpa Don. The silverware was the same that my mother had when we were growing up. I had no cell phone service. Debi hand-washed all her dishes. There was sun tea brewing on a table in the back yard. Sun tea......took me back to 1986 in the house on Valeria. We went to church and there were probably 40 people in attendance....just like the Church of Christ I grew up in. I remember thinking......."No wonder he reminds me of home".

At Tom and Kristi's wedding.....April 2009

When I met Matt he was living in an apartment with Christian and had really nothing and no one to consider other than himself and little responsibility. Just three years later he has a stay-at-home wife and four kids to support.........along with another home and suburban to purchase in the near future! He has certainly taken it in stride......hasn't even flinched. The Lord has brought much change into our lives in just two years but we are so grateful for how easy it has been.

Our wedding day, October 16, 2010

There are plenty of things to love about Matt.......anyone that knows him knows that he's just a generally good guy. Some things I love the most are that Matt has never raised his voice at me.....even when I've lost the car keys for the seventy millionth time-he only shakes his head in frustration. He compliments my cooking and says thank you for every meal....even when it's just left overs-and has taught Gage to do the same. He is grateful, always counting our blessings instead of longing for more. He's a little old fashioned......like in his desire to stick with traditional anniversary gifts......

For the second anniversary the traditional gift is cotton-here was his gift to me......

Not really......but that was his attempt at sticking with the traditional cotton. He gave me two diamond bands to wear along with my ring or alone for when I go to the gym. It was perfect.

Matt brings out the best in me as both a spouse and a mother. Every day he makes me want to be better.....for our God, for him, for myself, and for our family.

Happy Anniversary Matthew-I promise to put you before all things, second only to Christ. I promise to challenge and take risks with you. I promise to maintain a sense of humor and be your best friend. I will respect, encourage, and cherish you. I will not leave you or turn back from following you; where you go, I will go, and where you live, I will live. Your family will be my family, and your God, my God. I will be faithfully yours all the days of my life.

Love

Teaching......

Every weekday I read this wonderful blog http://www.lifewithgreyson.blogspot.com/. Her post "Teach" spoke to me in so many ways. 

As much as I LOVE the blessing of being home with my children and I would never choose to return to work right now-I miss teaching. There are always reminders-I hear from former students, I run into past colleagues, I bump into my last superintendent (who asks how soon I can come back)........or I read a blog like Chrissy's. 

Chrissy shared that she only loves teaching her son (not other peoples bitties), and I laughed. When I volunteer in Gage's class I can't wait until it's time to go home. I don't like teaching other peoples bitties either......only the "big kids" as Gage calls them. 

She wrote of teachers, "They love our children! Yes- They said LOVE!" and it's true. I loved my kids.....even the ones I really didn't like. I worried about them at night and on the weekends, longed for them to make good choices, gave them my best advice, and hoped the best for their futures. 

One thing Chrissy wrote really spoke to me. Between my teaching positions, when Gage was two, I went back part-time as a sub. I only took jobs that were at high schools in Clovis Unified because I really only like the big kids and I would be close to home if Gage needed anything. I also subbed a little at Hoover High because I wanted to visit with my former colleagues. During that time I took a long-term sub position at Clovis North High School. For anyone who doesn't know this would be the "best of the best"......the elite, the privileged, and the best of Clovis Unified. At least that's the way it seemed coming from Hoover High. Friends would say, "Isn't it nice to teach there?", "That must be a great change from Hoover", or "Wouldn't it be great if you got hired there next year?" 

I have to admit, there were a few upsides-the school was clean, the bathrooms and backpacks were both well-stocked, and it was a gorgeous campus. Aside from those-I HATED that job. It was BORING.....and I knew if I were ever to take a position there-I might never be a difference-maker again. Those were the best words I could come up with to describe why I didn't like that job and why I would take a position there ONLY because my own children will likely attend. So I loved to read in Chrissy's post, "I have learned through my life with Grey that teaching a child that is smart attentive and engaged feeds the ego...and teaching a kid like Grey- hard to keep focused, slower to learn-but still tries--(and sometimes makes you want to bang your head against a wall)---feeds the soul... It takes more patience and confidence than these words can convey... But it is so so worth it."

I don't need to feed my ego-just my soul. Thank you, Chrissy, for the beautiful words today and every weekday.

Gracie's up-

Love

I've tried so hard.....

Not to talk politics on any form of social media.......but this morning I was pushed over the edge. I'm not writing this because I enjoy debate-I don't. Healthy debates or otherwise-my personality just doesn't happily go there. I just want to share this story and perspective with my children.

I maintain contact with many of my former students on Facebook. I love to see them grow, but through this time leading up to the election I have really seen the growing sense of entitlement among young Americans. I saw a post on Facebook from a young man supporting Obama because of his policies on student aid and loans for college students. Being pushed over the edge had nothing to do with which candidate he supports-simply his sense of entitlement.

From reading the previous posts I knew he was referencing the fact that he was having trouble paying back his student loans and wanted to maintain a reduced rate on them. Having a little background knowledge, I know he probably could have avoided taking out so much in loans had he been willing to make a few sacrifices. He wrote, "It's actually one of our fundamental rights, the pursuit of happiness. Those rights don't apply to the poor? So many great Americans have made vast contributions to this country because they had the ability to go to college, despite the fact that their parents couldn't afford it. So....do you think the poor or even middle class Americans that can't afford to pay for their children's college education shouldn't have something available to them to pursue their right to the American dream?"

Poor and middle class Americans DO have the opportunity to pursue a college education-and that will be available no matter who is elected-it just may not be free. My family fell into the category he writes of-middle class but couldn't afford to pay for my college education. I did not qualify for financial aid. I worked hard in high school to be involved in activities and sports while maintaining the status of honor roll so I could earn scholarships. I worked 15-20 hours per week during high school and saved every dollar I could. Because I had to pay for college myself, I attended the nearest community college and lived with my parents. I followed that up by attending my local university so I could continue to live at home. Throughout college I worked a FULL TIME job while being a FULL TIME student. I made those choices so that I could finish school without student loans. I DID pursue the American dream-by my own sacrifices. The fact that I wasn't eligible for financial aid didn't keep me from pursuing that dream. 

No one OWED me a free education, or a reduced cost for my education, or student loans at a minimal interest rate. My education was something I had to earn by making sacrifices along the way. It wasn't my dream experience-I don't look back at those years and think about how much fun I had in college. But no one owed me a good time either-and I can proudly say that I am a college graduate; I pursued and fulfilled my dream of being a teacher by my own hard work. Too many young Americans feel entitled to go to college wherever their heart desires......to live on their own.......to "focus on school" by not working or working minimal hours while in college, and just take out student loans to make it happen. Then, like the guy who wrote the above post, complain about the difficulty of having to pay those loans back.  

The sense of entitlement among young Americans is disgusting. The American dream has never been to get something for nothing......or take the easy way.......