 |
| |
|
|
|
I saw this on another blog and thought it was very good:
It is easier to build a child then to repair an adult.
Help me praise more than criticize, encourage more than nag,
Discipline first, not rush to punish, and model good behavior
rather than simply demand it.
Help me break the habit of automatically saying “No”,
when I could just as easily say “Yes,” and to remember a hug
given before it’s asked for is ten times more valuable!
Help me ask myself, “Will this matter in 20 years?”
Then enable me to let go of those things that won’t, so I can
Have the energy for those that will.
Help me earn their respect as I lead a life consistent
with the principles I value. Lord, give me the courage to teach
them right from wrong and help them discover their
own special destinies.
Help me to freely join in their silliness, share in their
laughter, delight in their joys and keep their confidences.
Remind me daily to draw upon your strength to heal their
wounds and comfort their sorrows.
Most of all, Lord, help me really listen for the hidden
thoughts and needs that often lie behind their requests and
give me the key to their heart that it may be
opened wide to all life’s wonders and possibilities.
Hopefully, my next post will include pictures of our recent trip to Kentucky and Indiana. |
|
| | hide comments | | |
don't want you or your visitors to see ads? join gold!
|
|
|
The kids and I are in Lexington. Emily is participating in Camp Hooray this week - my mom is having a camp at her house for her grandkids that are potty-trained, so she has three kids in her camp this year. While Emily is in camp, Drew, Katelyn and I are currently staying with my brother, Neal, and his family. Tomorrow we are heading to Indiana to visit my other brother, Wayne, and his family. They have lived in Indiana for at least two years now, and I have never been to their home, so I figured it was a good time to go visit. We are staying until Thursday and then heading back to Lexington. Mike will join us at the end of the week. I'm enjoying spending time with my family. I'm also enjoying not having to keep a house clean.
Our house has had about 14 showings in the 4-5 weeks it has been on the market. Other than someone who complained of a strong(spice?) scent in our house - I think it was toilet bowl cleaner!- all the comments have been positive regarding the condition of the home. The two main complaints have been the size of the backyard and the fact that we only have 1.5 baths instead of 2 full baths. I believe if we had 2 full baths, our houe would have sold already. We have found a house that is just right for us, so we are just waiting for someone to think our house is the right one for them.
In the meantime, I am dubbing this "the summer I had a clean house". I do like having a clean house, but it seems like I am always doing housework and not able to spend much time with the kids. I need to come up with a better system of keeping the house clean that will allow me more free time with the kids. At least I am getting a break this week. |
|
| | hide comments | | |
|
|
|
The day after we put our house on the market, we left for our vacation to Idaho to visit my grandma. We hadn't been to see her for four years, but I can't say I was excited about taking the trip. I didn't think it would be much fun travelling with the kids, but they did very well with the long trip. Mike had assured me all along that it wouldn't be as bad as I expected, and he turned out to be right. We had a very nice time, and I am so happy that Mike planned the trip for us. Thank you!
Mike has posted the details about the trip and a slideshow. Here's a few more pictures from the trip:
Swinging - one of Emily's favorite things to do outside.
Spiderweb at the Pocatello Zoo. I think this was the kids favorite part of the zoo.
Scenery at the Pocatello Zoo - one of my favorite things about the zoo.
Looking at the falls on the Snake River.
Preparing bouquets - on Memorial Day, we went to three cemeteries and put flowers on family graves.
Scenery at Craters of the Moon
In the "cave" area of Craters of the Moon - the caves are actually lava tubes.
Walking back from the cave area - Emily and her cousin, Dylan, are holding hands.
 |
|
| | hide comments | | |
|
|
|
We have decided to put our house on the market. We are staying in the Raleigh area, just felt that it was time to upgrade to a larger house. Our realtor says the market is perfect for us. There are not a lot of starter homes available so she anticipates our house selling fairly quickly. There are also not a lot of buyers for the size of house we are looking at, so we should have a lot of options. Mike has been looking on the internet and has found quite a few homes we like just one town over (and still in the same county).
Our goal is to put it on the market on May 19, which means I have two weeks to get it ready. I'm finding it very difficult to de-clutter the house and still take care of my family. A couple of people have offered to come stay with the kids while I work on the house. Hopefully I can get a lot done while they are here. Prayers are appreciated - I'm getting a little stressed about everything I need to do! |
|
| | hide comments | | |
|
|
|
Mike's office achieved a high level of sales last year, so the owners treated the employees and their families to a weekend in Williamsburg. Mike's parents enjoy vacationing in Williamsburg, so they went as well and stayed in their condo. They joined us on Saturday for sight-seeing. If Mike and I had gone by ourselves, we would have gone to Colonial Williamsburg, but I didn't think the kids would enjoy that. So we went to the Virginia Living Museum, which is home to several native animals of Virginia (all of whom have been injured and would not survive in the wild), reptiles, and lots of fish. Emily and Drew really enjoyed seeing the otter swim, and Emily said she would like to be an otter.
Drew enjoyed running on the boardwalk, climbing on the benches, and splashing in the puddles (fortunately they were very small puddles).
While we were outside looking at the animals, I think Emily was most interested in the bugs. She showed me an ant in her hand that looked like it was trying to bite her. She said I hurt her when I flicked it out of her hand, so I think it might have been successful before I could get to it. She also held several caterpillars and wanted her picture taken with one - it's on the wood post next to her.
The kids enjoyed watching the fish, and Drew really liked watching the turtles.
Inside the museum was a large, hollow turtle that the kids climbed on and got in. Here is Emily the Turtle:
And here is Grandpa Turtle:
(The turtle was not big enough for him to have only his head sticking out.)
As we were getting ready to leave, we discovered a kids' play area, so we let the kids play there for a little bit. Here's a picture of Drew wearing a chipmunk vest:
I really enjoyed the museum. One thing I learned is that male deer shed their antlers every year, and the size of the antlers reflect the diet of the deer, and not his age.
And finally, a picture of the five of us outside the museum.
 |
|
| | hide comments | | |
|
|
