Lucy's First Day of Preschool

Well it's here...a new school year. As much as I'd love for summer to last forever, the start of the school year brought cooler breezes and the promise of a changing season. I'm excited for Lucy to be in the afternoon class this year because it means that we still have the morning to play. This morning we did lots of projects to keep her excitement at bay. We colored on large cardboard and made a giant "toodles" (a character from Mickey Mouse). She also created her own American Flag and used craft sticks for a giant pole. Murray thought it was a pretty great flag and wanted one of his own...so Lucy helped create one for him. When he saw the finished project he said "beautiful". They marched around with their flags for a good 20 minutes.

Above are the pictures of Lucy and Murray with their flags....below are some of Lucy on the porch ready for school. I can't believe she's 4 and headed off to school.

Lucy was all about posing for pictures this year. 3rd year of using the

apple backpack and it's holding up great!

Lucy really wanted Murray to come up and say goodbye to her...he really wanted to go with her to preschool...and apparantly didn't want to stop to pose for pictures.

Lucy was a pro at school. While they asked us to stay with them for the first day...she really didn't need me. She was excited to check out the dress ups, although strangely she didn't want to try any on. We spent lots of time reading, building with the giant waffle blocks and playing playdough. She sat great at circle time (which was mostly information for the parents) and then sang 2 songs with much gusto. Made me glad we decided to stick with the same teacher from last year so songs and routines would be familiar. I'm excited to see what the year will bring as we make decisions about kindergarten.

Skip to My Boots

It's a quiet night...the kids are in bed and Nick is at work doing some counseling. So, I thought I'd give it a go to put some pictures in a blog. Nick came home from work tonight and asked the kids if they wanted to go on a puddle hunt. Of course they eagerly agreed. So after finding rain boots and getting all set we headed outside. Lucy marched down the sidewalk singing "Skip, skip, skip to my boots" she thought this was quite entertaining.

The above pictures are of them hunting puddles. Below I'll post a few of them enjoying the puddle jumping.

I know I have more pictures of Murray, but for the first few pictures the camera was out of focus...and let's face it, Murray's a boy so he just enjoyed it a bit longer than Lucy did...once Lucy had water in her boots she was more concerned with that. Murray jumped until his diaper was saggy and his pants were falling down they were so wet! All in all it was a fun pre-dinner activity.

(and I posted pics in a blog for the first time!)

Thankful Thursdays

In an effort to continue blogging I'm going to strive to write about something I'm thankful for each Thursday. As I sat through a huge rainstorm and pondered what I was thankful for I ended on this...having the ability to stay home full time with my kids.

I tried the part time work thing last school year and it wasn't for me. I am so incredibly thankful that Nick and I were blessed with being poor the first few years of our marriage which taught us how to live on next to nothing. God is good and HE has provided for us in ways we would have never imagined. After deciding to stay home again this year I will now have a full house on Tuesdays and Thursdays watching kids of 2 different friends. What a blessing! I love a full house and the joy of being able to be the one near my children is truly a gift. I realize I will never get these days back and I love being the one to answer all of Lucy's random questions. Just today she asked "why does God want fire to come to a house?" what a perfect opportunity to talk about our fallen world and God's ability to bring us back from something that hurts us or makes us sad, we also talked about God providing. So glad I was around to answer that one. So today I am thankful for my home and the ability to serve my family in it. I'm thankful for being able to answer Lucy's questions and hear all the giggles and let's be honest, the whining. What an awesome career choice I've been allowed to make to stay home and be a mother and a wife.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV)

This past week this verse has been on my mind. A friend of ours from college lost her spouse unexpectedly leaving her with twin 2 year old girls to care for and a void in her life that I can't even begin to imagine. Needless to say I have found myself in the midst of my daily life with a prayer on my lips and in my mind. Prayers for her peace and comfort, prayers that the girls will grow up and know that they were loved by their dad. Prayers that this family will find strength in God to continue on.

I've pondered this verse at various points in my life. When I was younger I remember thinking...what a ridiculous thought, no one can pray continually...without ceasing, it's impossible. When I was in college I remember meditating on this verse and striving to do just what it said. Praying as I walked between classes and praying at every moment of decision, trial or triumph...I had a lot more free thoughts in college. This tragedy has brought me back to this verse, brought me back to the realization that while most days at most moments my thoughts are not my own...they should be. While I give so much of myself as a mother, my thoughts are one thing I can take back as my own. Yes, I do still need to think about the laundry, where my children are, what day it is, what's on the calendar...but while making lunch or changing a diaper I can be praying. So that's what I have been doing. I've found myself praying more this past week...yes, praying for my friend and her family, but also for my own. Praying for my children as they assert their independence or obey what they're asked. Praying for my wonderful husband and our still young marriage

While my heart has ached this past week for my friend and her family, I have found renewed joy in praying without ceasing. It's amazing the peace God offers...if only we ask...if only we listen. I challenge you to begin your prayer...and then continue without ceasing.

Knock, Knock...

Lucy and Murray have been telling each other Knock Knock jokes lately. I've decided this is one of the best parts of having more than 1 kid. First of all, they're hilarious and it's so entertaining and heart warming to listen to them interact, second of all...I don't have to tirelessly say "who's there" and pretend to laugh at the end of the joke. It is honestly much funnier and much more amusing to listen to them tell jokes to each other and laugh than the jokes themselves. The jokes usually revolve around a banana, an orange, a donkey kick, or a doctor. I'm not quite sure how these favorites were chosen but they've stuck. Occasionally another item in sight or a strange mix of words will work their way in, but usually the joke goes something like this:

Knock, Knock.

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana Who?

Banana Doctor....hilarious laughter ensues....

Or another favorite:

Knock, Knock.

Who's there?

Orange?

Knock, Knock.

Who's there?

Banana.

Banana who?

Aren't you glad I didn't say orange?

I told them the banana joke..."orange you glad I didn't say banana?" and they thought it was funny...but obviously adapted it to a MUCH funnier version.

My favorite joke encounter was a few days ago as they told jokes back and forth. Murray usually repeats whatever joke Lucy just said, occasionally with a slight variation. Lucy has announced on more than one occasion that she is great at telling knock knock jokes and she is going to be a joke teller when she grows up. So, as they're telling jokes back and forth I hear Lucy say to Murray, "You're a great joke teller Murray. You're so funny, maybe even funnier than me." What a joy to hear my daughter compliment her brother that way!

So, if you come to visit anytime soon...be prepared to say "who's there"!

Pop Pop Visits Us!

My dad came to visit us this past week. Nick was supposed to be out of town, but his retreat was cancelled. Pop Pop (that's what the kids call him) came anyway and I was glad for the help and they (Lucy and Murray) were thrilled with the extra attention. It's always an event to have out of town visitors and we love it! We love all of our friends in town, but having out of town family come to town is such a special treat. We enjoyed some mundane tasks around the house and took Pop Pop to experience a few unique to our area adventures.

One of my favorite things about my dad is how silly he can be. He is not afraid to talk in a British accent while having a tea party or sing and tell silly stories. Lucy eagerly anticipates more stories from Pop Pop. He really should write some down and become a children's author...at least for my kids. They love the adventures of Fred Napp and all of his friends who are an intricate part of history. Fred Napp is most famous for his discovery that everyone is happy if they lay down for an hour or so in the middle of the day...we pay homage to Fred Napp each day in our house as we take our nap. He also was a co-author of the constitution (his name is missing b/c he was taking a nap, but that's why there's a large space on the bottom...and he invented ice cream). I could go on and on...but those are a few favorites around our house. He has friends that visit, a few that are naughty but most that are nice. The kids love hearing stories from Pop Pop (made up or read aloud).

My dad is also great at cleaning cars. We had an unidentifiable oder in the car so Pop Pop, the kids and I cleaned the car for over an hour until we found the source of the oder...but we still couldn't identify the decomposing food tucked neatly under the padding in Murray's carseat. I don't ask questions...just take care of business as needed. Thanks to Pop Pop's help the car is clean...he thought this was a must if we were going to be using the car to go on any adventures while he was there...it smelled pretty bad!

A few of the adventures we went on were to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village (separate days for each...we're not that crazy)! I'm not sure if Pop Pop enjoyed the exhibits at the museum or watching the kids discover the exhibits more...either way they were both successful days and the kids have great memories with their Pop Pop.

The trip was dabbled with lots of hugs, eating and bike rides on my new bike. These are also a few of Pop Pop's favorite things. I'm not sure a visit would be complete without them...can't imagine enjoying a visit with Pop Pop without love, food, or bike rides!

I'll try to post some pictures later!

Might as Well Start Somewhere

I've been thinking about starting a blog for over a year now, and I figure I might as well start somewhere. So, this is where I'll start. I picked the name "Season of Soggy Cereal" because it's an expression I've used for the last 4 years of being a mom. I've noticed that anytime I pour myself a bowl of cereal for breakfast, no matter how long I wait to pour the milk on it as soon as I do something happens that needs immediate attention and I come back to a soggy bowl of cereal. Well, that's life and I enjoy being a mom and all the "emergencies" and excitement that call me away from what I'm presently doing. So, in 4 years I've learned to eat fast or get myself a breakfast that doesn't get soggy. (or just wait until naptime to eat...which does happen occasionally!).

It's a Saturday afternoon and the house is amazingly quiet except for the sounds of Lucy playing in her room (quietly). It's the first time all 4 of us have been home with nothing on the agenda for quite some time and man has it been quite a week! A few highlights of this week have been:

• Nick had strep throat. My dear husband ended up with strep throat the week between a trip to New Orleans with 22 high schoolers and the start of Jr. High VBS with over 75 kids a day...this was his first time getting it that he can remember...and not a very fun experience for any of us!
• Murray started potty training (again)! We decided that since just he and I would be home in the mornings it was a perfect opportunity to potty train. He's enjoyed it and been fairly successful...but at 25 months he's not quite ready to be independent yet...so we'll keep at it. (I'm sure I could do a whole post on the adventures of potty training...maybe I will!)
• Lucy got the stomach flu for the first time! I know...what a week! I can't believe that Lucy threw up 3 times, but our little girl was a trooper and amazingly Nick was fast and effective at cleaning up bedding/floors while I tended to a sick girl.
• I survived! Overall it was one of those weeks where you depend on God to keep you going and marvel at the small successes and laugh at the joy your children bring you. I was impressed at Nick's willingness to come home after a long day and give me an hour away so I could continue to serve our family happily and without resentment! What a blessing a good husband can be!

So, that's our past week in a bullet pointed synopsis...guess I'll write more later!