Sweet 16

At times I feel like I've known you a very short period and other times long ones.
You have changed quite a bit in the past 4+ years.

Gone are the days when we would sit down and talk about our dream homes and the awesome slide that would come down the center with a fridge full of ice cream and white chocolate.
Gone are the days when the pool was the most funnest thing ever.
Gone are the days when you were shorter than me. :)

Now we're talking real life stuff. Feelings and thoughts and dreams...
16 holds a sort of higher esteem than other teenage ages. I'm not sure why that is... maybe it's the middle of your teens... whatever the reason it's a right of passage of sorts.

Your heart and soul have grown a lot in the past year. You teeter totter between a grown up heart and a teenage one. It's such a privilege to be part of this growth.

Currently you...

1. love volleyball.
2. like to read and prefer books where the end is completely unpredictable (in other words, love stories aren't your fav!).
3. are super perceptive.
4. are the best big sister ever.
5. like leggings and tshirts.
6. avoid jeans.
7. love baseball (the Royals, really!).
8. want to be a pediatrician.
9. have many interests in the volunteer world.
10. love white chocolate.
11. serve in the Yellow Room at church.
12. have a slight obsession with Pinterest. :)
13. love Jesus with all your heart.
14. couldn't care less what kind of car you get, you just want one!
15. love Starbucks (but what teen girl doesn't?!)
16. are one of the most ridiculously awesome people in my life and I can't imagine my world without you in it.

I love you, sweet girl! Happy, happy, happy sweet 16!
Renee

Forgiveness, honesty, and integrity

Is it just me or is our world becoming a world without accountability.
Where is our integrity?

We do not allow excuses in our home.
Own it. We all do it. When one person in our family messes up, the entire family feels it. It happens. I get it. But own it.

When you don't own it. It's bad. It's really, really bad. That's when things start crumbling and you're stuck under a big pile of poop and you can't get out and get healing because no one wants near a pile of poop.

Does it suck to take responsibility for the mess-ups?

Heck ya!

 

Does it suck to have someone in your life who refuses to take responsibility for their actions?

Heck, heck, ya!

 

 

So we expect truth and in turn you (me, them) receive forgiveness and grace. Immediatly. Always.

 

Let me tell you, we are a family of forgiveness and grace and that, is a very good thing. Because we screw up, a lot.

 

Blaming others for your choices is a sign of immaturity and I'm not raising kids - I'm raising grownups. And B and I are on a journey to continue to mature and grow. Our goal is to be much more like Jesus and much less like us.

 

If everyone was a bit more transparent, a bit more forgiving, a bit more honest, and had a bit more integrity, wouldn't this world look a whole lot different?



Great Big Beautiful Blend of Love

When we first divorced we said it would be like this... but it wasn't.
When we first divorced it was chaotic and filled with drama and lots of unnecessary ridiculousness.

After 4 years, we have worked through our own personal selfish junk and have been able to find peace, both individually and as their parents. That is pretty awesome.

So for our Monkey's 8th birthday we all headed to the movies. All of us. Mom, Dad, stepdad, girlfriend, brother, sister, and the Monkey. That's pretty great, huh?

And it was FUN.
And we weren't faking it.
And we want to do it again.

I've said it before and I will continue to say it.

WE get to decide what their normal is.

After many years, we are able to make their normal, a great big beautiful blend of love.

An 8 Year Old Monkey

8 years of loving on one very sweet little curly blond haired boy.
8 years today.

I can't yet grasp the leaps and bounds you seem to make every single year.
Not only do you grow physically, but your spiritual and personal growth are astounding.
Astounding. I know, right. Big word. Big truth.

You get so very excited about everything.
You love a good party.
You are a tree climber.
You love to hammer things into wood (or whatever I'll allow!)
You love the Ninja Turtles and all things superhero.
You don't care very much about pleasing the crowd.
You are shy in public and not at all at home.
You love to learn.. currently your favorites are Junie B. Jones, Flat Stanley, and Encyclopedia Brown.
You talk about baptism and what it means to you.
You talk about the world around you and the unfair state of it...
You love to argue your points.
You have an amazing memory.
You love snuggling.
You are a homebody.
You love to play baseball and skateboarding.
You love to draw books and make up stories.

Our family jokes that we have a very strong umbilical cord keeping us together, you and I. When I am there, so are you. I know it won't last long, but I'm going to relish it while I can.

I love you, Monkey.
Happy 8th birthday!
Momma
xoxo

Soaring Souls

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up and I've started a list of questions to ask... And they aren't the typical ones. 

I've been thinking about these little people God has entrusted to me and I am thinking about their growth, their maturity and their place in this world. 

Maybe I'm wrong but I am far less concerned about their grades and their placement in the State assessments and far more concerned about their heart and their soul's place in this world. 

Are my children kind?

Do they look out for their friends?

Do they show respect to all those around them? 

Do they participate and encourage others to do the same?

Are they a team player?

Do they work hard (regardless of grades)?

Yes. Grades are important. 

Yes. I want and expect them to be challenged. 

But where grades are temporal, their souls are eternal. 

In their school world, are their souls soaring as an example of Christ in them or does if flounder with a failing grade?

From what I see... They are passing. 

The Calendar

I wonder when the calendar will look differently.
Looking at it now, it's a little hard to figure out what color the background is as the ink from the pen fills the tiny squares with plans. Practices, games, church events, family stuff... it's full.

I keep them all, you know... the calendars from years gone. I keep them as a reminder that like the weather, our family's seasons change too.

We are drivers, and counselors, and disciplinarians, and encouragers, and holders of secrets, and wipers of tears, and comedians, and memory makers.

Our calendar reflects our family's walk through this world, the good and the bad.

I've gone back and forth about getting one big dry-erase wall calendar but I can't bear the thought of losing our history with one quick swipe of the board.

Instead our season of life is pinned up to our refrigerator as a reminder of our plans... but more importantly, it reminds us of our blessings.