Teacher Conference

Thursday was Parent/Teacher Conference Day at Fletcher's school.  We met with Mrs. R and she had great things to say about Fletcher.  She said he is doing very well and is a leader in his class.  He gets a little excited sometimes and talks out of turn or interrupts his teacher, but it is never out of disrespect.  He is learning.  She also said he is a gentleman to the girls in the class too which the girls love.  We got to see some of his work.  They keep a Bible journal and a nature journal.  I wish I could have borrowed it to scan some pictures to put on the blog.  His picture of Joseph in the pit and Moses and the burning bush were especially cute.  He even had the conversation bubble coming out of the burning bush saying "I AM GOD."  She also showed us some of his sentences he made up.  One in particular said, "I am a hunter of deer."  Wonder where he got that from. 

Fletcher read a note that someone had wrote to me and it was in cursive.  I showed him how to make some cursive letters which made me wonder if he would eventually learn cursive too.  I have found out that some schools show it around 3rd grade, but never require the kids to use it after that.  So I asked the teacher specifically about cursive writing in later grades and typing.  She said they teach it in 3rd, practice in 4th and use it extensively in 5th and 6th.  In 7th grade they start using computers to type papers.  But because of our shorter school day, they don't teach formal keyboarding skills.  Well, I vividly remember Mrs. Broussard teaching Typing I to me in high school.  It was a tough class, but I am so glad I took it.  I can sit down in our dark office and type without the light on once I know my hands are on the home keys.  Now there are lots of typing tutorials online like Mavis Beacon and some others. I'll do some research and find a good for Fletcher to learn when the time comes. 

I know I sound like a broken record, but I am so thankful for his school and his teacher and his classmates.  They are unapologetically Christ focused in all they say and do and it shows.  Fletcher has told me numerous times that he loves his school (but he wishes he could ride a bus).  In a world where education choices can get overwhelming, I am so glad this is such a good fit for our family.  I am thankful God provides the money in the budget for us to send him to this school and I don't take that for granted.  Of course, we don't know what the future holds (but we know who is in control of it), but I hope we are at this school for a very long time. 

This May Be The Year

Christmas is less than two months away.  Fletcher attends a Christian school and there are some families who choose not to do Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy.  From what I understand, reasons vary but one of the main one is that they don't want to lie to their children and later have their children think that their parents lie to them and that Jesus could be a made up character too.  I get that to a degree.  And I respect the fact that families make their own choices about all types of things and that's ok. 

We've always done Santa and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny (but Fletcher says the EB is a guy in a costume).  Both Kevin and I grew up with those traditions.  I don't remember exactly when I found out they weren't real, but it didn't destroy my trust in my parents or wreck my faith in God.  Since I have two older brothers and one older sister, I'm actually impressed I believed as long as I did.  They did a good job keeping the magic alive when they could have told me many years earlier. 

In our home the emphasis at Christmas is Jesus and his birthday.  We have our Jesse Tree and spend a large portion of our time talking about the true meaning of Christmas.  There are a few gifts from Santa on Christmas morning and other gifts from mom and dad and family.  We may go to the mall to see Santa, but it isn't a big deal if we don't.  We don't say that Santa can see everything (only God can do that).  When Fletcher has asked a question about Santa or the EB or TF, we always ask him "What do you think?"  He comes up with an answer and we move on.  Of course, now he is bringing logic into it.  I mentioned his jet pack request in an earlier post.  He thinks that the cost of something doesn't matter because Santa and the elves make it for free.  I'm guessing that there will be more questions this year. 

There are at least two kids in his class whose families definitely don't do Santa.  And like I said earlier, that's fine. But here's where it gets tricky -- at least one of the kids has taken it upon him/herself to tell the other kids that Santa isn't real.  I think the child's parents have asked him/her not to do it, but the proclamations continue and I think they might get more intense as Christmas gets closer.  Some parents probably aren't ready for the "magic" to be over just yet.  I'm not either.  But just in case, Kevin and I need to have a conversation about how we will handle it when the time comes. 

Oh the joys of parenting!

Frustrated

This weekend near our home a 41 year old father of three was killed in a head on collision with a drunk driver.  The victim was returning from helping at church hayride. 

The drunk driver had been pulled over by police, then sped away when the officers approached the car.  The crash occurred moments later when the drunk driver crossed the center line hitting the victim head on and killing him instantly. 

Residents nearby heard the crash and came out to help.  The drunk driver kept saying, "Get me out of here. I didn't do it" while his female companion was still holding her beer. 

Three kids who don't get to have a dad anymore all because of one 29 year old man's dumb decision.

But here's the part that infuriates me:  the drunk driver had 6 previous DWI convictions.  Six.  How is he still on the road?  How does he still have a choice?  How do you explain our "fair" justice system to three kids who no longer have a father? 

I didn't know the family personally, but I grieve for them and this senseless tragedy they have to endure.  All because one man made one decision that forever changed a family. 

Please don't ever drink and drive and don't get in a car with anyone who has been drinking. 

Balcony People

The theme of our women's retreat was encouragement.  Years ago when I was still single and living in Houston, my roommate gave me a little book called Balcony People by Joyce Landorf Heatherley.  She references Hebrews 12:1-2.

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

 let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

She called that "great cloud of witnesses" our balcony people.  Those who are in our past or present who cheer us on in our Christian walk.  Somewhere along the way, we've decided that we are supposed to be Lone Ranger Christians just doing this all alone.  Or we think that we will be fine with "just me and Jesus."  But if you read the New Testament, that's not how God designed it at all.  Over thirty times we read "one another" verses:  serve one another, love one another, encourage one another, bear with one another.  As a body of believers, we are called to help one another and encourage one another because following Christ is hard.  It was never meant to be easy.  But it is much more bearable when others are cheering us on. 

At the retreat we talked about balcony people from the Bible like Jonathan who helped David "find strength in God" (1 Samuel 23:16) and Paul who encouraged Timothy.  We also talked about balcony people in our own lives - parents, friends, siblings and others who lean way over the railing and tell us "you can do this", "this life is not all there is", "I am here for you."  They don't try to take us out of the race or run the race for us, although that would probably seem easier and less painful.  Rather, they come alongside and remind us of God's promises.  We have different balcony people at various times in our life.  Some are always on the front row, while others sit quietly in the shadows but we still know they are there.  We also talked about "not throwing anybody off our balcony."  In other words, when someone offers to help us, we need to let them.  Too often we are too proud to admit we need help and we deny others the blessing of using their gifts to help us in our deepest time of need.  Or we think that others are busy enough as it is without adding something else (helping me) to their plate.

I closed my session by reminding them that their ultimate balcony person was God himself.  He is for us and nothing can separate us from His love.  I used the story of Derek Redmond's 400 meter semifinal race in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics to illustrate.  Redmond was a 26 year old British athlete favored to win this race.  This was his dream.  But in the back stretch, the unthinkable happened.  He tore his hamstring.  In that moment, he knew his Olympic dream was shattered, but he decided to finish the race even though he was in so much pain. 

The middle aged man who came down out of the crowd pushing his way past Olympic security was Derek's father.  Your heavenly Father is in your balcony and just when you think you are too weak or too tired or too messed up to go on, He steps out of that balcony and picks you up and helps you finish the race.  I guarantee you no one remembers who won the race that day, but everyone in that crowd of 65,000 people remembers what that father did to help his child. 

So who is in your balcony? 

I'm Back!

This past weekend I was asked to speak at our church's womens retreat.  Last week I spent a large majority of my time planning and preparing.  It's been almost 4 years since I've done any speaking like that.  I used to do it quite a bit when we lived in Florida and were involved in college ministry.  That's why my blog posts were a bit sporadic last week.  I think it went well and I may even post a brief synopsis sometime later this week. 

Kevin did great with the boys.  Fletcher had his flag football game Saturday morning.  Then Kevin had a venison party at lunch on Saturday since he knows I don't like venison.  It's not so much the taste for me as it is the mental image of me eating Bambi.  I know, it's crazy because I have no problems eating beef, poultry or pork.  Three dads and seven kids enjoyed venison burgers and steaks.  And (here's the impressive part) when I got home the kitchen was clean and all of the toys were put back in the right place.  Kevin said the house did look like it had been ransacked before the clean up process began.  But in typical dad fashion, they made a collective decision to just wait and clean up at the end.  The kids had fun playing with each other because toys are much more fun when they are at someone else's house, right? 

So there you have it.  I'm not dead; we didn't get struck by lightning again; I'm not changing my blog format to three day a week posts.  I just had too much on my brain. 

Ummm....No

During Bible time last night we read the story in Luke 7 of the woman who came to Jesus and wet his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, then kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.

After we read, Kevin asks the questions in the devotional book that pertain to the story.  Usually Fletcher answers the questions before we pray, but last night during the question time.....

Luke:  Hey Mommy, kiss my feet.
Mom:  Um...no.  Listen to Daddy.
Luke:  Mom, kiss my feet (trying to pick his foot up high enough to reach my face)
Mom:  No, Luke, I am not going to kiss your feet.
Luke:  Kiss dem.  Kiss dem.  (still trying to put his feet in my face)
Mom:  (realizing this isn't going well).  Luke, it's time to do the memory verse.
Luke:  Here, kiss Rocky's feet (shoving Rocky in my face).
Mom: Ok, it's time to pray.  No more feet. 

I guess I should be glad he is listening to the Bible story and picking out details.

#4

I still can't believe how grown up he looks in the top picture.  He has now lost 8 of his teeth (4 on top and 4 on bottom).  This childhood thing is going by way too fast!  I'm hoping to get some video footage of one of his football games (I keep forgetting to bring my camera).  They have definitely improved throughout the season.  Who dat?!

Name Dropping

Our pastor teaches a class called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby on Sunday nights.  We've been taking the class this fall.  Sunday night he mentioned to us that he wouldn't be there next Sunday because he would be out of town in Savannah at his 45th High School Reunion. 

It just so happens that a lady named Paula Deen was in his graduating class and has invited the class of  '55 to her house for the reunion.  How cool is that?  I asked if she would be cooking for all of them.  (The class had about 360 graduates and about 140 are planning to attend).  Pastor Bill said he wasn't sure, but he was definitely bringing extra blood pressure medicine since he knew the food would be amazing.  They are also going to eat at Lady & Sons (her restaurant) and Uncle Bubba's (her brother's restaurant).   Now you know that is going to be some great food! 

Paula's (maiden name Hiers) story is very interesting.  She was living in Savannah with her two sons and was recently divorced with only $200 to her name. She struggled with agoraphobia (fear of being out in public places), but was a great Southern cook so she would cook lunches at her home then have her sons deliver them to businesses in the neighborhood.  She outgrew her home business and started working at a hotel restaurant before opening her now famous Lady and Sons Restaurant in Savannah.  Then came the cookbooks and television appearances and tv shows.  I'd say she overcame her agoraphobia. 

Kevin asked Pastor Bill to find out what grade she made in Home Ec in high school. 

Boys 'N Da Hood

We have a total of 11 boys who live on our street.  They range in age from Luke who is the youngest at 3 yrs old to the oldest being a senior in high school.  Almost every afternoon after school and in the evenings many of them (except for the senior) can be found playing outside up and down the street.  For my child who thrives on social interaction, Fletcher LOVES playing with all of them.  Considering the fact that there are several ages represented, they actually do a pretty good job of including everyone as they play.  Disagreements are resolved quickly without parental intervention.  Who has time to fight when there's only so much time to play before being called in for dinner?  Sometimes the games include hide and seek or some manner of riding down the street toward the cul de sac at breakneck speeds on bikes, wagons, scooters and other kid "vehicles."  Our street is at the perfect angle for this kind of ride - not too fast, but fast enough to make mom a little nervous!  They make up games with balls and chalk, but they still take time to play with Luke in his sandbox.  I'm writing this Thursday night and the boys just came in with Kevin.  It is completely dark outside.  They played until they just couldn't see anymore.

That's what childhood memories are made of.

We'll See

Luke had picture day at school yesterday and Fletcher has his pictures today.  I'm hoping they turn out a little better than these or these.

Kevin decided we should let their hair grow out so I'm sure they will both look like rock stars in their pictures.

I asked Luke if he smiled for the photographer and he quickly said "no."

The Best Time To Buy

I ran across this blog post and thought it was interesting. 

The Best Time To Buy Everything

Some of them I understand like buying baking supplies in November because they are on sale for the holidays.  But I wish she had reasons for some of the other ones like why October is a good time to buy a computer.  Anyway, I plan to refer back to this post the next time we have a big ticket purchase.   

Done!

It may not seem like a big deal, but it was a HUGE accomplishment for me. 

Bottom shelf (left to right): pens, pencils, scissors, erasers, piggy bank, box of crayons, box of markers.
Next shelf:  Cuisenaire Rods, Alphabet stamp set and ink, trays with coloring books, drawing books, colored paper, construction paper, writing paper, stickers
Upper shelf:  foam sheets, envelopes and cards, mini drawers with glue, Christmas stamps, odds and ends like shells, buttons, beads, googly eyes, green bin of yarn, string, acrylic paints, Christmas stickers, blue bin of paint & miscellaneous stuff, cookie cutter letters and numbers

Fletcher is not allowed to touch anything in there until the year 2023. 

Weekend Recap

Grandma and Papa Charlie came for a visit this weekend.  We packed so much into one weekend and had lots of fun - eating out, Fletcher's football game, a visit to the park, a mid afternoon ice cream treat, yummy gumbo cooked by Kevin, church together on Sunday, lots of reading our new library books and just playing. 

The boys couldn't stop smiling!



Lunch Date

Fletcher didn't have school today. The teachers were at a conference in Atlanta. But Luke had preschool today. So Fletcher and I had a little lunch date. It has been awhile since just the two of us have been out together. I need to make it a point to do it more often.

He chose Moe's as our restaurant. He wanted both of us to sit on the same side of the booth. Smile! Then he wanted to know about when Kevin and I dated. I had fun telling him all about it. How we met, where me met, what I thought of Kevin, where we went on our first date, how he treated me. He really liked it when I told him that our first date was to the 20th anniversary re-release of Star Wars.

But I did run into a few unexpected questions that I was unprepared to answer. Like when we were talking and I said I really thought Kevin was cute and I hoped he would call me and ask me on a date. Then we talked more and Fletcher said that maybe someday a girl would call him. I quickly said that was a bad idea, but couldn't exactly explain why in a way that he would understand (without using words like forward, agressive, throwing herself at you, etc).

Thankfully, I have a few years to figure this one out.

Purple Nurple

And so it begins....

Kevin was putting Fletcher to bed recently when this conversation occurred (I wasn't there):

Fletcher: Dad, do you know what a wedgie is?
Kevin: Yep, I know what a wedgie is. (wondering where this conversation is headed)
Fletcher: Do you know what a purple nurple is?
Kevin: No, I don't believe so (really wondering where this conversation is headed but with a good guess of what a "purple nurple" might be)
Fletcher: Do you know what a wrench is?
Kevin: Like something in my toolbox?
Fletcher: No, it's when someone does this (he grabs the back of his neck)
Kevin: Oh....
Fletcher: Do you know what a credit card is?
Kevin: Like in my wallet?
Fletcher: No, it's when someone kicks you like this (with his hand motioning toward his crack)
Kevin: (Oh, please let this conversation end quickly) Oh.... what was that purple thing?
Fletcher: The purple nurple. That's when they go like this (He proceeds to twist his fist over his chest).
Kevin: Ooooooh (trying not to make a big deal). Where did you hear about that?
Fletcher: From _________ at school.
Kevin: Well, you know we don't do that to anyone, right?
Fletcher: Yes sir. Good night.

Anybody have any idea what a "purple nurple" is? :)

When we were kids, I think it was called something else entirely.

*sigh*

Remember how I said I was excited about school and preschool starting because I had a long To Do list of projects that I had been putting off all summer? I couldn't wait to get started.

Well, I am ashamed to admit that today is October 6. School has been going on for a month and a half and our art/school supply cabinet still looks like this.

Stickers, glue, coloring books, piggy banks, scissors, stamps, markes, pencil colors, tape, beads, shells, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, paint, lined paper, colored paper, cards, foam sheets, hole punch, envelopes, notecards, and pipecleaners. There's not even room for the Play Doh.

The really pathetic thing is that I bought some organizer bins, trays, and containers several weeks ago and they are still sitting on the counter in the Office Max bag mocking me. I just move them around when the cleaning people come. I'm hoping that by posting the pictures of the inside of the cabinet I will be embarrassed and motivated enough to get it organized. So stay tuned to see if that really happens.

On a positive note, I did make this fall wreath for our front door. The whole thing only cost $20 for supplies. I even made the bow. But don't look too closely at it since it is held together by twist ties. This should count for something. Yes?

Memories

This post from Jon at Stuff Christians Like brought back some serious memories from youth group days, college days and even college ministry days.

Fee Fi Fo Fum!

Someone was in a mood recently at our house and chose to wreak havoc on his brother and their toys by stomping them Godzilla style. This "interview" was my feeble attempt at distracting him.

(He woke up with his hair like that and I could not get it to lay down the entire day no matter what I tried)

He cracks me up.

Time Line

Fletcher is studying history in first grade. Most recently they've been studying Vikings and Christopher Columbus. His teacher talked about timelines and what that means in history. She had each child make a timeline of his/her own with 3 to 5 significant events then share it with the class. Many of his classmates did not know that he is adopted so they were able to hear what "Adoption Day" was all about.

Here is Fletcher's timeline:

(He included the smiley face because his teacher puts a smiley face on his papers when he has done a good job.)