The Plan~

Thanksgiving was fantastic as we headed out to my roots for 3 days with the kids.  The kids loved the farm, and my mom, as always, fed us until we were stuffed to the gills!  I am thankful for the quiet and the down time the break has given me.

Tomorrow starts Advent, and thus, our Bible in 365 Days Challenge.  Alex and I have both taken the challenge.  I'm not going to lie, I'm dreading this.  I think it will be sad, and I hate that it is "assigned."  I don't do well with assigned readings, but I'm hoping this will be so life changing that I will have no problem reading it nightly;-)

I'm posting our plan so that you can join me if you'd like.  It will be fun;-)

Day 1: Psalms 148, Genesis 1-2, Ephesians 1
Day 2: Genesis 3-4, Ephesians 2
Day 3: Genesis 5-6, Psalms 12, Ephesians 3
Day 4: Genesis 7-8, Ephesians 4
Day 5: Psalms 8, Genesis 9-10, Ephesians 5
Day 6: Genesis 11-13,  Ephesians 6
Day 7: Psalms 47, Genesis 14-15, Matthew 1
Day 8: Genesis 16-18, Matthew 2
Day 9: Psalms 11, Genesis 19-20, Matthew 3
Day 10: Genesis 21-23, Matthew 4
Day 11: Genesis 24, Matthew 5
Day 12: Genesis 25, Matthew 6, Psalms 127
Day 13: Genesis 26-27, Matthew 7
Day 14: Genesis 28-29, Matthew 8
Day 15: Genesis 30, Matthew 9
Day 16: Genesis 31, Matthew 10
Day 17: Genesis 32-33, Matthew 11, Psalms 131
Day 18: Genesis 34, Matthew 12, Psalms 64
Day 19: Genesis 35, Matthew 13
Day 20: Genesis 36, Matthew 14
Day 21: Genesis 37-38, Matthew 15
Day 22: Genesis 39-40, Matthew 16
Day 23: Genesis 41, Psalms 40, Matthew 17
Day 24: Genesis 42, Matthew 18
Day 25: Genesis 43-44, Matthew 19
Day 26: Genesis 45-46, Matthew 20
Day 27: Genesis 47, Matthew 21
Day 28: Genesis 48-49, Matthew 22
Day 29: Genesis 50, Exodus 1, Matthew 23
Day 30: Exodus 2-3; Matthew 24
Day 31: Exodus 4, Matthew 25

I'll check back with a followup on how it is going as well as the next month of reading.  That's the plan at least;-)

The Bible in 365 Days~

Our church, SWUMC, has placed a new challenge.  The task is to read the Bible in 365 days-seems lofty, huh?

I grew up a devout Catholic who attended Church every Sunday and prayed the rosary on many occasions, but a Bible reader, I was not.  It was simply never a major component of our religion or our daily life through my beginnings.

Now, at the age of 31 and a Methodist, I am still not a regular Bible reader.  I will pick it up off and on and skim through the parts I know about, but I know there is a great deal of this story that I have no clue about!  I blame time for part of the problem for why I don't read the Bible, but I also blame the story itself.  You see, I really prefer to surround myself with stories of inspiration and happy endings.  I have a feeling over the next 365 days, I am going to read more than one story that does not leave me feeling good about it.   But I may be wrong.  I hope I am surprised;-)

Pastor Maria has created a guide, and it seems manageable, so I'm excited to see what I have been missing out on. Alex signed up too, so I'm hoping the accountability between the two of us will really help us both, and I will be able to say, "I've read the Bible!"

The Getaway~

Life has been hectic, hurried, busy, crazy, exhausting. The list could go on.  We survived the first quarter of school, volleyball, and parent-teacher conferences.  Can I get an "Amen" to this one.

There has been little done to rest the mind and enjoy the family, so we decided to get the heck out of Topeka, and head to the world of somewhere else with no house to clean;-)  Little did we know when we planned this trip, I would have no voice and feel like crud, but we had already planned it, so we went.

We drove up on Friday morning.  Alex was on the phone off and on taking care of some earth shattering matter at work, and I was leaned over in the seat thinking I was drunk for a great deal of the trip. It wasn't until we were almost there that I realized I had clearly over medicated myself or mixed things that didn't play nice with each other which had left me really not remembering the trip up there.  I was at least coherent at this point, so let the vacation begin.

We took the kids to Coco Key which is a large waterpark.  I had literally lost most of my voice, so I wasn't much of a conversationalist with anyone, but the kids adored it.  I thought it was chilly outside of the water, but as long as you stayed in the water, it was good.  I even braved a waterslide, but there will be no pictures on here to document that.  I really hate adventure....

Then we headed to the fantastic zoo in Omaha.  It is amazing, and the kids enjoyed all 6 hours of it.  We walked, rode the Sky Safari, and just enjoyed the fall weather.

The weekend was restful and just what the heart needed after a busy quarter.  Here's to a refreshed spirit!

A Humbling Week~

It seems like mere survival of a week is success at this point in the school year.  I love what I do, but it is just exhausting to keep up this schedule.  

With that said, we sang this song today in church, 10,000 Reasons. I've heard it before, I know I have, but there was just no stopping the tears from flowing during service.  This week we learned a friend had discovered a serious medical issue.  It is so hard to understand why we must go through such trials in this world.  I feel helpless and like I have no idea what to do to make her world easier.

The truth is, there are no answers.  There is no reason, nothing she did to deserve this, and really just no answers to arrive at.  That is really hard for a fixer like myself, and I don't like it.  This is not in my control, though, and I feel like all I really have is prayer right now.  So that's what I'm going to do.

So in the hustle and bustle of your week this week, take a minute to be thankful for all you have been given.  At the top of my list this week is my health and my family's health.  Seems so simple, but it could be so different. 

The First of the Next 13 Years!

It happened.  Rowan started Kindergarten.  People always say how quickly time passes, but I never have been one to see it.  Oh, how true it is!

I can't believe it has been 5 and a half years since we brought that little guy home from the hospital.  He was so needy, wouldn't eat, and caused me a few tears in those first few weeks.  We survived, though, and I wouldn't ever guess time would pass so quickly.

Rowan Blane Just Days Old

We celebrated a few birthday parties along the way.  We've done frogs, pirates, trains, and superhero parties as his interests have evolved and Dad's baking skills for that matter;-)

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday-(I'm not sure why we didn't frost the whole cake-weird)

5th Birthday

We've done  t-ball and soccer to develop those social skills and maybe foster a wee bit of athleticism;-)

We've been to preschool to build those foundational skills and learn how to be a friend!

And somewhere along the way, 5 and a half years passed, and I sent my little boy off to the big world of school!  He has the sweetest teacher, and he is rocking this school thing.  Alex drops him off at the community center in the a.m. since I have to be to work so early, and they walk him over to school at 8:15.  He is going back to the community center in the evening until I'm done coaching volleyball, and I get him picked up about 5:00.  He is exhausted by then, and I can tell he has worked hard all day!

The Duo

Rowan's First Day of School and My 10th Year of 7th Grade

We are finding our groove, and Rowan is proud to get to go to "big" school now! Now if he could just ride a school bus, his world would be complete!    

Summer Update Finale

It's over...officially.  I feel great about our summer to-do list, and I feel like we bopped along pretty well.  I'm hopeful this will be a summer tradition as our children get older.  They loved talking about the list and what we could accomplish each day, and it made me mix up our schedule!  I highly recommend an activities list for any long break.  It definitely held me accountable, and it was fun! 

1.  Go to the North Pool
2. Summer Reading Program for All-Done and prizes collected from library!
3. Swimming Lessons-
4. T-Ball for Rowan-
5. Firepit-
6. Snow Cones
7. Happy Hour at Dairy Queen
8. Cupcake Trip 
9. Go Fishing-
10. Chuck-E-Cheese 
11. Vacation Bible School-
12. Discovery Center Camp for Rowan-LOVED this!  If you don't know about our Discovery Center here in Topeka, you need to check it out.  It is amazing and a great community resource for children! 
13. Bike Ride at Lake Shawnee
14. Feed the Geese:-o (Insert horrified look here-I hate geese)
15. SpRiNkLeR!
16. Bake Cookies-
17. Discovery Center-
18. Bowling
19. Paint Therapy Uncorked
20. Movie Theater-
21. Make Homeade Ice Cream- My friend Lindsey loaned me her Cuisinart ice cream maker last week.  I made butterfinger vanilla ice cream.  It was amazing!!  If you are looking for Christmas ideas, I'm putting that baby on my list!  It was awesome!  Now I must have one;-)
22. Picnic at Park
23. Paint own rock
24. Donut Shop
25. Go to Branson
26. Video Games with Dad

The Beginning~

Well, summer has come and gone, and tomorrow marks the beginning of Rowan's formal educational experience. My heart is a bit sad that this formally marks the end of his preschool world, but I feel blessed that he has the ability to learn and is oh so ready to go to school;-)  We unpacked his backpack tonight, and his teacher was darling.  I could tell she is a lover, and there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing that. 

 We've been back in the swing on things for a week, and I am excited to get back to a schedule.  Summer was easy and laid back, but the kids were starting to get antsy as was I.  Isla will continue at the same center she has been at, and Rowan will bookend his school day at a local community center while I coach volleyball.  The plans are all made, and tomorrow we will start to live out this new pace of life one day at a time.

I have been busy in my own classroom getting it ready for our new bunch.  Tonight is kind of a rainbows and roses night as I know very little about our caseload.  There is a bit of peace in naivity tonight, and I kind of like it;-)

My room~

Home Away From Home~

Our Flock Rocks~

The alarm is set for 5:30, and I'm ready to start back at the beginning~