School is Now in Session!

Ugh!  I am not a fan of school!

I'll start by saying we live in a great school district; it's safe, fun, and high ranking statistically.  We've lived in places where the private schools couldn't hold a candle to what our public schools do.  They put a lot of emphasis on morals, integrity, and honesty, along with academics.  It's not a complete love fest though because this insatiable desire to be the best, at everything, sometimes transforms students from kids to statistics (but I think all schools do that now).  All in all, this is one of the better schools.

Just because it's a good school doesn't mean I LOVE having my baby gone away from me for 7 hours a day.  It's nice that I don't obsessively worry about her safety, and it's great to know that she's going to be well educated, but it's excruciating seeing her leave in the morning and knowing she won't be back for hours! 

I heard someone say today that their child "never flinched at the newness school brings" and what a blessing it is that children are so adaptive, I wish I felt the same way.  I go kicking and screaming into every new experience!

This year is a little scary because there has been a lot of redistricing so Hadley is in a class full of strangers!  Seriously, we went through the list and there were only 3-4 kids we knew!  On top of that, last year was our first experience with full time school so we didn't really know what to expect, this year I know how bad it sucks to have my baby gone.  Last but certainly not least, I heard some less than flattering rumors about Hadley's new teacher.

Side note, I typically choose not to put too much stock into negative opinions because there can be a myriad of different reasons for someone to have a bad year.  I can think of a few of my teachers that there were negative opinions about, but I loved them!  Also, sometimes people just have crappy experiences, maybe it was the teachers fault, maybe it was the students fault, or maybe no one or even everyone is to blame.  I am a firm believer on clean slates!

Clean slates or not, my anxiety has little or nothing to do with the teacher!  God can handle the teacher!  My heart just hurts because I miss my baby so much.  God and I are working through that!

My prayer is that Hadley has a great year!  I pray that this is the year she makes the best friend that she craves so much.  I pray that she gains her footing this year and comes into her own, I pray that she does this before the "mean girl" grade comes about.  I pray that she settles in and realizes what a gift from God she truly is!  I also pray for her teacher to let this be the year she proves the naysayers wrong!  I pray that God makes magic happen in the second grade! 

Y'all pray too! 

To quote the Veggie Tales "God is bigger than the boogie man" so I know he's bigger than anything 2nd grade can throw at us!

So, I said a Prayer...

I heard a man on KLOVE today, he was the author of the book, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven. He said his son told him he is in constant prayer. He told his son "I know, but next time you pray..." and his son replied "Through the Holy Spirit my brain is always in conversation with God. My mouth is what I use to talk to people with." WOW! What an amazing thought! Really, can you imagine? I would love to say this is true about me, I mean I do pray a lot, but I'm not in constant prayer.

One thing I pray about often is my daughters. I pray for the lives they live, I pray for the challenges they will meet, I pray for their friends, I pray while they're at school, I pray for the men they will one day marry and the children they will one day have, and I pray that I absorb every moment of their childhood. Each time my girls do something cute or sweet or wonderful, I whisper a quick prayer "please, God help me remember this all of my life and let this be my comfort when they don't need me anymore."

Yesterday as Lydia and I stood outside waiting for Hadley to come home on the bus Lydia's anticipation kept growing and growing until it was near eruption. By the time Hadley got off the bus Lydia was giddy! She looked up at me with those big blue eyes and that mussed up strawberry blond hair and said "can I get her?" I nodded and she launched out of the yard towards Hadley, screaming every step "Hat-we! Hat-we! Hat-we!" Her voice was so shrill and excited and she nearly tackled Hadley when the met on the sidewalk! Hadley promptly hugged her back and picked her up, then they raced home. It was one of those moments that warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes, and I whispered a prayer.

Tonight I had another one of those moments of sweet simplicity that I beg God to help me always remember. It was so simple, Hadley was walking across the family room with her messy hair (she fixed her own hair this morning because I am sick and Keith is not a stylist!) half of her hair is in a pony tail and half is knotted around the pony tail holder. Of course, she had macaroni and cheese on her, because she ALWAYS spills her food (always!) and she walked across the room, paused the TV and went to blow her nose. I don't know what it was about that moment, but I realized how much she's growing up and how fast. When did she get so tall? When did her hair grow so long? When did she learn to use the remote...? So, I said a prayer.

Having these two amazing daughters has definitely increased my prayer life, and I can continue to strive towards constant prayer.





This is Hadley 2 days after she was born!




And, here's Lydia when she was a day old!