We got through birthday season. Chloe turned 8, Brice is now 6, Halie 5, and Jasmine 4. All are happy to be another year older, but it has completely messed up my answer for when people ask how old my kids are. I was used to saying, "one 7, two 5s, a 4 and two 3s". Now I always have to stop and think. One of the many joys of having a big family!
I am thrilled to say that Chloe truly developed a love for reading at the end of last school year. We will now find her staying up late in bed reading, and we couldn't be happier. In kindergarten and first grade, Chloe struggled with reading and didn't show any interest. As teacher parents who both love reading, this concerned us. You'd think we would have learned by now, Chloe does things in her own time. That is just the way God made her. I need to chill out and let Him reveal all there is to Chloe rather than trying to fit her into whatever mold I have in mind. Poor first child.
Carter continues to impress us with his sense of humor and his spunky attitude. I called him a "smart-aleck" (sp?) the other day and he asked what that meant. I told him that sometimes his sarcasm is funny and other times it can be disrespectful. Now, whenever I call him that, he'll ask, "Do you mean the good kind or the bad kind?" He is quite a character.
Brice is truly beginning to come out of his shell. In the past few months, I have heard so many people say, "I have never seen Brice act like that!" Our boy who is typically so quiet and passive is finding his voice. Out of nowhere, he will yell "No" about things he doesn't want to do, or he will disobey blatantly. For most kids this is not exactly desirable behavior, but for him, it's a sign of progress. Heaven help his 1st grade teacher!
Halie's biggest accomplishments this summer have definately been in swimming lessons. She was the first to move up a level, and she is doing just great! Her goal for a while has been to grow her hair as long as Rapunzel's, but today, Jasmine came home with an adorable haircut, so now Halie says we can get her hair cut as well. Halie has joined Chloe and Carter in riding her bike with no training wheels. She pedals that little bike so fast, I can hardly watch. She's good at jumping off before a crash though, and she's good about wearing her helmet.
As I mentioned, Jasmine got a new haircut. Wren says that they are the same now...the same for polar opposites, I suppose. One is blonde, the other the darkest brown. One is sensitive, one is tough as nails. One is cautious, one is fearless. Hair styles though, yes, they are about the same. In our frustration, Dave and I often discuss what we, as parents, can be doing to help Jasmine. We feel like we have tried every parenting/teaching strategy to no avail. I have decided though, that Jasmine is good for my prayer life. I am constantly saying, "God, I can not do this alone. I need you to guide me." After a minor fire incident with Jasmine and the microwave oven (and a bill for $450), we decided that we needed more help than a new parenting book could offer. We were put in contact with an extremely helpful group of people in town and were able to get a rush on a psychiatric evaluation. No major changes have been made, but just having a group of people working with us has given us so much hope. Today we received a diagnosis of ADHD for Jasmine. In my very unknowledgable and unprofessional opinion, I don't think that is the full extent of her issues, but that is a starting point.
Dave and I have each read more books just for fun this summer than we have probably read in the past 8 years. Our TV has hardly been turned on in the evenings, and we are really enjoying it. I have been reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and "Crave" by Chris Tomlinson. Both have really challenged me in my faith and have made me think hard about what being a Christian means in day to day life.
Dave read both of these books and is now reading all of the Rebecca Caudill Award winning books and will have so many great recommendations for his students this year. More than the content of the books themselves, it just feels good to take time for ourselves...to use our brains for something that has nothing to do with the kids.
Another huge accomplishment for us as a family has been paying off our debt. Last October we began a "Total Money Makeover" as Dave Ramsey calls it. We completely changed our spending habits and began paying off over $40,000 in debt. At this point, all we have left is my student loan from college ($8,000) and the mortgage. The plan was to have the student loan gone by July, but as Murphy's law would have it, all of that money has gone into new tires needed for the van, dental work for me, a new microwave, and fixing the air conditioner for our house. It's always something! Last week, we did meet with a financial advisor though about retirement planning and saving for the kids' college. I NEVER in a million years thought I would be in a place to consider these things. I don't take it for granted for a minute. Incredible blessings.
This fall I am looking into getting a job at Old Navy, a clothing store. This fact has worried more than a few people. They seem to think that my getting a second job is a sign that we are hurting financially. The fact is, we buy 99.9% of our family's clothing from Old Navy, and I spend 99.9% of my time with kids. If I could get a job a few hours per week, I would not only get a discount on all of our clothing purchases, but I would also get a few hours away from the house each week. The paycheck would just go back into buying clothes. But as we prepare for back to school shopping, the savings for clothing 6 kids will add up! We'll see what happens. I filled out an application on-line and I tried to call a few days later. They said that they would call me if my application met their criteria. Would it really be possible for me NOT to get a job at Old Navy?!?!
