Halloween Fun

Last night Emma Leigh was a "Dalamatian" for Halloween. She corrected me several times. She had to put that extra syllable in there!

We had a lot of fun at the First Baptist Fall Festival. Em got to play games and win all kinds of candy! She also played in the inflatables for a long time. She surprised me at how well she was able to climb up the big slide! Bryan and I manned the train station for a while, so Em got to ride the train for thirty minutes! The first time she rode it, she stood up about half-way around and began waving like she was in a parade!

I have to say a HUGE thanks to my new friend Juli! When I jokingly asked if she'd like to work on Em's costume, she said, "Sure. Come on over!" So at 7:00 Thursday night, as I cut more spots, Master Seamstress Juli used her sewing machine to attach all the spots! Had I continued doing it by hand--as I did most of the pants--I would have been up all night! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU, JULI!

Our Day with Friends

We spent the afternoon with some of my friends and their families. Bonnie and I went to Kindergarten together, and we became friends with Melissa and Sandra in fifth grade. We stayed close all through high school, and now our kids are getting the opportunity to play together.

Bonnie and Isaac have three girls--Anna, Kate, and Sara--who are just as beautiful as their mom. Melissa and Patrick have two little ones--Nicholas and Rowan--who have the most gorgeous blue eyes you've ever seen. Sandra and Jeff also have two--Abby and Max--who are precious little ones with beautiful smiles!

We went to the 7 Acre Wood here in Conroe. It is so much fun there! The kids got to pet the animals, swing, slide, play in the sand, sail down the zip line, and pose for pictures in the pumpkin patch! And today they were having a Fall Fun Day with games and hay rides. That was an added bonus!

We had a great time, and I'm so thankful for friends!

Home

We've all heard it said that "home is where the heart is." I would like to officially change the old saying to "home is where the heart is loved." I've had a really rough week this week, and it's made me question who I am and what I am. I'm really evaluating things in my life.

Last night I had this amazing moment with my wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. We were eating a late dinner out, and Em asked her Daddy where his girls were. We were both a little confused about who she meant, and then my sweet husband said, "They're right here--Mommy and you." That may not seem like a big deal to some, but coming from my strong, silent-type husband, it meant the world! And then the look that my precious Em gave her Daddy was priceless.

At that moment I felt so loved. I felt appreciated. I felt the unconditional love of my husband and daughter. And I needed that! Thank you Lord for the precious family you have blessed me with.

Tagged

O.K. so Juli tagged me! And in the process she gave me a really awesome compliment. Thanks, Juli, I needed that this week!

So here's what I'm supposed to do...

1. Open my pictures folder.
2. Go to the sixth folder.
3. Open the sixth picture.
4. Import into my blog and tell the story.

The problem is, our computer crashed two weeks ago, and I have no picture file! I upload to Snapfish, so I'm going to do this from there!

Here's the picture...

We were at a back-to-school event for our church. We were at the home of one of our deacon's and his wife. They happen to live across the road from my parents, and I was best friends with their daughter from birth until high school. There were water slides, swimming pools, and lots of other kids. Em decided to play in the dirt, and the next thing I knew she was pouring water from buckets into the sand to make mud pies! As I sat and watched her, I realized that I too had made mud pies in the exact same spot as a child.

I love that Em likes to get dirty! She doesn't care if her clothes are wet or if her fingernails have dirt under them. She's not afraid to touch an wiggly earthworm, and she LOVES frogs, lizards, and geckos! She catches lizards and wants to keep them for pets. Last Sunday night after church, she found a toad in the grass. We both held it and squealed as it peed on us! Then when it was time to go, she cried--from a broken heart--that we couldn't take it home with us! She kept saying, "Froggy! My froggy!" I LOVE THAT!!!

Thanks for tagging me Juli! Let's see...I think I'll tag Natalie and Nichole.

Ahhhh! It's Fall!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! The cooler weather, the drier air, the smell of leaves burning, the glow of orange pumpkins, the new wreath on my door--these all get me in the mood for Fall! And despite the fact that the leaves on most of our trees here in Texas don't change beautiful shades red, orange, yellow, and brown, we get to experience the colors in Fall decorations. I decorated the front porch with a big basket, pumpkins, leaf garlands, and our smiling jack-o-lanterns today. I also put out my Fall candles and decorations inside the house today.

Four years ago at this time we were anxiously awaiting the birth of our baby. We had met her birthparents on September 21st and then we'd met again to discuss what we'd name her. We had planned to meet once more for dinner, but Emma Leigh was ready to come into the world! We spent two wonderful days at the hospital with her birthfamily before she was born and then three days after she was born. It was a time filled with emotions--ups, downs, higher ups, and lower downs! But we wouldn't trade that time for anything!

I think that God gives us Fall to prepare us for the dreary Winter that is to follow in the same way that He gave us such special days at the hospital before the day that was so difficult--the day we brought Emma Leigh home. As we read her life book last night I was reminded of the raw emotion we felt that day. We were elated to be bringing her home, but her birthmom and birthgrandmother were hurting so deeply. We had celebrated Em's life and the joining of our families for four days, and then WHAM! Reality hit us! I grieved so much for Em's birthmom that morning. But then, just like God sends Spring after Winter, He gave me peace that day. I experienced love in ways that I never would have imagined--for Emma Leigh and for her birthmom.

So Fall reminds me of a time in our lives that was filled with absolute joy yet stinging pain; resounding jubilation yet throbbing heartache; and love beyond description. Beyond the colors, decorations, and smells this is what makes it my favorite time of year. Lord, help me never to forget the feelings from that day!

Hurricane Ike

WHEW! We made it through the storm! Our power was just restored one hour ago. We were 10 hours short of being without it for 7 full days. We came away with very little damage at all. We had a large limb go through the roof of our storage shed, and our ONE big tree in the back yard lost half of its top. Other than many, many, many limbs and pine cones, we had very little to clean up. God has been SO gracious by giving us this cool, dry weather!

With the power out and the days so cool, we've spent a lot of time outside this week. On Tuesday--I think--I took Emma Leigh for a wagon ride through the neighborhood. I looked at our neighbor's homes and yards and thought, "What a mission field this is!" I stopped and talked to neighbors I have never met, and because of the circumstances, I caught glimpses into their lives that I may otherwise never have. In many ways Ike was a blessing around here. God has provided opportunities for us to serve and even pray with some of our neighbors.

I think about the verse that says God works all things for His good! Thank you Lord for your goodness!

Missing My Girls

I haven't posted for a few weeks, so I thought I'd take a moment to write down some of my thoughts...

School is back in full-swing, and it's different for me this year. Last year I taught 4th grade all subjects, and I had three students! Yes, three! And they were all girls! I started the year with five, but after Christmas two of them left to go to public schools. I was devastated that they did, but God was working in such a way that I couldn't understand. It was the best thing for the three girls that I shared the rest of the year with. It was my second year to teach these girls, and they were the most precious things! Someone recently said that we seemed to have mother-daughter relationships. I would never think of comparing myself to their moms because they have wonderful mothers, but I did have a bond with them!

This year I am teaching Math, Science, and Social Studies to fourth grade, and then I spend the afternoon teaching Math to third grade. The first two weeks of school this year were the usual getting into the routine and getting to know my students. This week was supposed to be a "normal" week, and my lessons were supposed to go beautifully. Monday I was tired and grouchy, and Tuesday I just felt out of sorts. Wednesday I realized why. I miss "my" girls!

We knew each other inside and out. I could tell if they understood a concept just by looking at them. We laughed together a lot, and we even cried together a few times. We shared moments that I'll never forget including my being able to be a part of the salvation experience of one of them. We prayed together daily, and we shared our hurts and fears. We truly loved each other!

Since our school only goes to the fourth grade, they all had to find new schools this year. Two of them are at private schools this year, and one has entered a local public school. I wish so badly that they could have gone to the same school this year, but God is in control of that too! Each one is where He wants them to be.

I think it's amazing how God shows us things! I was in the middle of teaching Wednesday when I realized how much I miss these girls! And it's not just them but their families too! And I feel relieved to know this was the root of the feelings I had! God does that. He allows us to go through things and feel certain emotions to reveal things to us.

Although I feel sad that I no longer have these girls in my class every day, I now have a new group of students. I saw the girls grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually during the two years they were in my class. Now I have the opportunity to see the 17 students in my two classes grow in the same way. I pray that I am able to make a difference in their lives and that the influence I have over them will forever be a reminder of the love that Jesus has for them.