New School Year!

Monday was a big day for us, and one I had been praying about for awhile...our first day of a new school year. As I've been preparing for the last month or so, I've had this idea of exactly the way it would be. Our new curriculum for each of the boys would to be perfectly planned out and ready to go in color coded binders, with daily, thought out activities for Ella. Yearly goals for our family and each child would be planned, prayed over, discussed, and recorded. All our co-op activities, field trips, & park days would be planned out for the year & placed in my calendar with a detailed list of supplies needed. Chores would be revisited and updated, printed out on a fun chart with pictures for the "non-readers", and meals planned a month in advance with grocery lists would be ready to go. Ella would be potty trained and moved into her new "big girl" room with the nursery ready to welcome our newest addition (who would have a name by now). Oh, and Christmas gifts for all would be bought and wrapped....and being 8 months pregnant would never have felt so wonderful!

Then I woke up...
...Monday morning...at 4:30. I was in desperate need of a perspective overhaul, which was impressed very clearly onto my heart Sunday morning through Pastor Steven's message, and confirmed early Monday morning as I sat with Bible, notes, and coffee in hand. (Oh and I was also going to be "caffeine free" by now too - Ha!) Pastor titled his message "Your excuses are stupid". (I love the way he gets right to the point.) He preached out of Luke 14 when Jesus told the parable of the great banquet. The entire message is worth listening to and I promise it will change you. But what changed me was the reminder that even "good" things can take the place of God in my life if I'm not careful. In the parable, there are three men who give excuses for why they cannot come to the master's feast. Each of them had different excuses that dealt with either possessions, responsibilities, or relationships. What really spoke to me was the fact that these weren't necessarily "bad" things. Everything that is good in our lives is a result of His blessing & grace. We are given responsibilities and callings on our life, whether it be in our family, in our career, our community, our schools, or in our homeschool. Our relationships: marriages, children, family, friends, coworkers, can all be blessings..."good" things. But we cannot let these "good" things become "God" things. Beyond anything else, our relationship with the Lord must be be our passion...our 1st priority...our greatest desire. I was definitely losing sight of that in my preparation for the new school year, which was leading only to feelings of inadequacy, failure, and frustration.

So I made a plan...to stop making plans. Not like I was before anyway. My new goal is to "not conform any longer to the pattern of this world..." (or to the picture in my mind of what my family, house, school, or daily schedule "should" look like). But to "be transformed (daily) by the renewing of my mind...so that I may know what God's good, pleasing, and perfect will is" for my family..for each day...and each moment. (Romans 12:2). I want to be more concerned with the condition of my heart and the hearts of my husband and kids, and less concerned with the condition of my to-do list. I want to be a good steward of all He has given me, yet at the same time leave room for him to work in and through our lives. Because whatever I have "planned" will never be as good as what He has planned for me.

So I closed my planner and we spent the rest of Monday morning at the kitchen table. Donnie joined us for waffles and prayed over each of us and our school year before he left for work. Then the kids were given all their new school supplies (and a few surprises) and we spent some time decorating their new school binders. Joshua drew a picture of a knight and decorated his notebook with stickers of castles, dragons, and swords. One of the verses that guides our family & homeschool is Prov 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" So, I thought it was interesting that Joshua had written "charge to training" on the front of his binder. When I asked him about it he said that the knight he drew was in "training". Perfect.

Our oldest also has some difficulty standing by while his little brother attempts anything on his own. So it wasn't long before he stepped in to "help" Caleb with his art work.
Ella worked on her own project for awhile. But soon got distracted by the new lunch boxes and thermoses I had bought them. She was especially interested in her brothers'...of course.And just as she was testing her hypothesis that OJ tastes much better in a Buzz Lightyear thermos compared to Star Wars...she was caught.And so went the rest of the day/week. Not perfect...but exactly what it was supposed to be.

My treasures, my blessings, my responsibilities, my calling....

...still in their jammies and a bit disheveled (with the exception of our sexy school principal of course).


Not picture perfect... but exactly as it should be. Clay in the potter's hand, waiting to be made into instruments for noble purposes, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2Tim 2: 21. I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for our year!

Best Group Ever

They definitely lived up to their name last night! Our small group from church surprised us with a baby shower; complete with delicious food (as always), fun games, and beautiful gifts for baby girl. Surprisingly (after having three), I had never played the "guess what baby food is in the jar" or "guess what kind of candy bar is melted in the diaper" game. We are the only ones in our group with kids, so it was hilarious watching them all gag as they smelled the baby food and peered into the diapers.

Compare for yourself: Parents of three (soon to be four)...Haven't yet experienced the joys of parenthood...

I cannot WAIT to make this one change a diaper!...

We are so unbelievably blessed to have such a wonderful group of people in our life. So thank you guys! For honoring us and investing your time, your love, your friendship, and your prayers in the life of our family...we love you!