Out with the old – In with the new

The last several months have been interesting, I love what God is doing in our lives. We have our focus back on what matters, God and family (good friends=family too). We’ve gone through many changes that have affected us all in different ways; with Jeff in his new job and working from home in the evenings and some weekends to my situation at work + my new job, to letting go of friendships that were toxic, to all the kids being in different schools and last but most important, finding a new home church. There has been a lot going on! The kids have had to adjust to Daddy not being as available in the evenings and me being more available (I’m refusing to work nights/weekends again – let’s see how long it lasts this time around), the loss of friends, leaving our most recent home church where they had met many new friends to finding a new home church where we will feel welcome and right at home again. Taryn is struggling with the loss of friends more than the others. She is too young to understand and I haven’t found a logically explanation for her (almost 4 year old) brain. She talks about a certain someone all the time and although it’s very cute that she remembers him and wants to call him to come over and play, it always ends in her crying. She has such a caring heart and simply wants to know why. The last blog, you got to see a video of Taryn that I recorded right after she’d cut her hair, well she hasn’t cut her hair again but she has cut her clothes. I don’t know what she was thinking but I picked her up from daycare one day last week and her skirt was cut in several areas. She said she wanted it to “wiggle”…. Here is a sweet video of her singing a cute little song she learned at school.
Jayden hasn’t had another melt down about Kiarra not being in the same school with him. We struggled a few weeks (before school started) with him crying every time we mentioned school. He is still bored in school; it’s not challenging enough for him so he is often the teachers pet. He finishes his work a lot faster than the others in his class so the teacher puts him to work. I received a call from his teacher the other day that made me smile ear to ear. She was raving about how awesome he is and how he is such a great helper. I love those calls and was (and am) so proud of him!
Kiarra has adjusted to Jr. High very well however she had a taste of mean girls this past week. I’ve been warning her about how mean girls can be, especially in Jr. High, so she was a little prepared but really, how can you totally prepare them for something like this? I’m looking for a book or two for her to read (or for us to read together) to help her understand and/or learn to cope with it (please inform me if you know of one). You know how it goes, one minute they are friends, the next they are not and by the next day they are again. She is frustrated that these girls are not true friends. My advice to her was to stay true to yourself and do things from your heart and with good intentions and true friends will stick by just like they’ve stuck by me. Kiarra LOVES playing volleyball, in enjoying being part of the pep squad and of course she still loves to sew. Those three things along with our crazy family time keep her busy and focused. I’ve explained to her that her friends will change 100 times before she is an adult so let go of the bad ones and move on with the positive ones. I’ve come to the conclusion that if someone seriously wants to be part of your life, they will seriously make an effort to be in it…If not, then you have your answer…
I’ve finally transitioned all my duties from my old position to my co-worker and can now focus on my new stuff. This year has been a roller coaster at the office and I’m ready for some normalcy again. I’d much rather be working 80 hours a week than deal with the weirdities that have been going on, may sound crazy but it's true. My health is in much better shape and I’m feeling good enough again to start working out. I can’t wait to get out there and run and work out with Kiarra. I’ve been pain free for almost a month, thank GOD. Bring on the workouts!!!

Back to School part 2

I can honestly say that I’m not a fan of the kids being in school. The schedules, the lunches, the HOMEWORK etc, it’s just a lot to deal with. I know this is what they need to start their education and all but seriously, lay off the homework teachers! I love that they all love school and I am grateful they attend great schools so I don’t want to sound ungrateful, it’s just all a bit overwhelming. I now have workbooks for Taryn so she can do “homework” while the kids are doing it. It’s just something simple to keep her busy and it keeps her from asking me a million questions when I’m trying to answer their million questions while cooking dinner.
We went to New Orleans for Labor Day and had a great time visiting my in-laws. We didn’t venture out of the house much do to some other activities going on in the city but it was nice to chillax and hang out. I love to see my kids with their Grandparents. It doesn’t matter if we’ve been away from them for 2 weeks, 2 months or 6 months, they pick up right where they left off and carry on with discussions, jokes and laughter.

While in New Orleans we had the opportunity to visit our friends John and Penny and their precious kids. We visited their church and, as always, were welcomed with open arms. Our kids enjoyed going to Journeytown to learn and meet new friends and we were able to enjoy the music (which was fabulous) and listen to a great sermon. I am so thankful to John and Penny for our friendship, for their mentorship and ultimately for them believing in us. Thanks Franklins!
Well our trip ended all too soon and Monday morning we had to hit the road and head back home.
Jeff was moved to manage another group. He was a bit disappointed at first because he really liked his crew and was forming a bond with them. He’s closer to home now and knows he will bond with the new guys just as well. He also had to come off home dispatch (drove company vehicle to and from work) which stinks but if that’s as bad as it gets then all is good!I had an Upper GI Endoscopy last week and the gastroenterologist found and removed several polyps. The pain I had is now gone and I can finally eat a meal without doubling over in pain. Thank GOD! I’m almost back to 100%.
Many of you have been asking me to post videos of Taryn. Well, over the weekend our little sweetheart decided she wanted to CUT her hair. She is now our little peacock! The first video is of her crying, this was shot right after I realized she'd cut her hair. She cried and cried and apologized a thousand times. The others are just some cute videos from the past week. Enjoy!