Little Miss K is Seven Years old!

Celebrating Seven years with my youngest daughter! 

She had a good birthday, had a better week in school… looking forward to seeing her grow & blossom…

Striving to keep a positive attitude…

she loves her new scooter…

loves first grade & her teacher…

she seems to have settled down into her routine & the school is working with her behavior issues very nicely.

I am trying to not push her limits & over stimulate her, by taking her to ball games and setting her up to fail…

This week was better…

I am hopeful.

Here’s praying for a good year with lots of health & healing…

Pam

39

I’ll have to change my profile next year to 40 something… crazy how time flies… I turn 39 today… I don’t feel 39, whatever 39 feels like… sounds old…  I hear you are only as old as you feel… so I don’t feel old, so… ya…

I  took a group of 14 year old girls to the drive-in movies last night!  (see I am young!!)    This is our second time this summer to go to a drive-in.  It’s different, its fun, its like going back in time… I enjoyed it…

We don’t have a drive-in movie place close here anymore… pretty glad about that… I wouldn’t really want my teenagers hanging out there like we did when we were in high school.  Can’t say drive-in’s had that same feeling to me when I was young… in fact, I just noticed something… did you know, they play movies at the drive in!

Today I will spend the day driving my kids around… I do love doing that if I am really honest… Good thing, since we live 15 minutes from anywhere.  Summer school, football camp, allergy appointments… Lunch with my mom & sisters will be tucked in there…

Getting really close to finishing the editing the third wedding I shot this summer… I love it, the editing can get grueling… but it’s worth it!  I have another wedding in August & then no more weddings booked… it’s a little scary… hoping for some more weddings this fall.

Senior sessions are filling up though, I do enjoy those too… hoping I don’t get too old to relate to these kids.

If you talked to my seventeen year old you would be pretty sure I was the most ancient, old-fashioned, unreasonable, horrible mom in the world… he is definitely doing nothing for my business with his friends… big picture, he’s a mess, needs to find some healing… & he’s seventeen, trying to grow up in a house without a dad & pushing me away like I am his worst nightmare… not the highlight of my life right now.

It’s very hard to continue to show love & support when kids act like he is acting.  Unfortunately, I have first hand experience with being a teen that acted much that way, so I do get it… & unfortunately, that brings fears up in my heart… But, I have a great example in my parents & how they handled me when I was going through a tough stage… they are so amazing.

So, spending lots of time working on football club stuff, part of the group that is in charge, designing tickets, updating names & addresses, updating newsletters, organizing the ticket sales, designing a t-shirt.  I enjoy it a lot… looking forward to football season. Two-a-days start next week.  I’ll have 2 boys playing.

Lucas’ first year playing.  He was excited when he went to camp this week and they put him in into James’ position he played… it will be fun to see him play for the 7th grade team.

I’ve rambled on long enough I guess… yes, it’s my birthday… life is pretty good & normal… whatever that is when you have 6 children & own your own business… & I do love it, exhausting as it is!

Pam

A Baptism & a Mohawk…

I love my boys dearly…

There are moments where I couldn’t be more proud of the choices they are making & moments when I just want to go hide under a rock…

Had both of those this past week…

A few weeks ago, James called me & told me that he felt like he was ready & it was time for him to be baptized.  He said he wanted Grandpa to baptize him on his 20th birthday in the lake while we were on vacation.

For our family, that’s not exactly the way we normally have our baptisms.  We normally have them in a church… and in our church it has the dual meaning of becoming a member of our church at the same time you are baptized.

So, there were a few “in the box” thoughts that had to be swept away by a few of us.

One thing none of us really knew was what was happening in James life that was bringing him to this place?  Since he isn’t living at home this summer & contact had only been a few phone calls over the past month, it sure had my curiosity peaked as to what God was doing in James.

My dad traveled to BC to meet with James the week before vacation to find out what was happening in his life & hear his testimony.

Dad came back very excited about what God was doing in James’ heart, but didn’t share much, because he wanted James to be able to share it with us himself.

So, on Sunday night, after the littlest kids were put to bed.  James shared his story of what God had been up to the past few years with our family (my 3 sisters, their husbands, grandpa & grandma, & the older kids).  Some of the things were quite surprising to me… anger towards his dad & God being on the top of the surprise list.  He always appeared to have much more of ahold on his feelings than he expressed he did.

How God worked out for James to be at Bethel College & what a blessing that has been… its mind blowing.

The girl that James is dating, Brookelyn (Brooke), was there too.  She is a gem of a girl.  It was really nice to have her there for the first part of the week & get to know her better.  If she is the one that James marries one day, I will be very pleased with that! 

Then on Tuesday, his 20th birthday, James was baptized in the lake by his grandpa with all of us watching on the sides… it was an incredibly emotional, special, amazing experience for me as a mom…

James went back to BC for the rest of the summer, he is working at another camp this week & I am excited to see what God does next!!

(oh, & he decided not to get another tattoo!  THANKS TO BROOKE!!)

And… he shaved his brother’s head into a mohawk the next day…

This one looked cute with it…

This one, not so much…

uhg…

I admit, I was incredibly mad when he did it to Zach.

It was right before the baptism & I could so see satan’s attempt to steal away my joy… ugh… so mad…

I still think he looks really dumb with it, but he’s 17 & one day he will grow up, have children (and probably no hair at all!)  and I will bring out these photos & we will all have a really good laugh!! 

Uhg.

Pam

Leah’s Birthday Party

Friday night brought a house full of eighth graders over to our house to celebrate Leah turning 14! 

It went really well!!

Thanks to my mom for lots of cleaning & babysitting the other kids… my sister and Brother in law & Shania’s parents (it was a double party) for coming to help me chaperone!

They were good kids!

Pam

19

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James celebrated his 19th birthday while we were on vacation last week.

We upheld the flag cake tradition.

It was his first “paid” vacation!  His third summer working for the landscaping company & benefits are nice! (working out in the 100 degree humidity today is not one of them!!)

Move in day at college is August 21.

He and his long time girlfriend decided to be “best friends” rather than boyfriend/girlfriend.

He’s very ready to embrace college life.

I still have issues with this whole “growing up and going away to college” idea to work through.

Happy 19th James!!

Pam

YOUR Gonna Miss This… Moment 65

Welcome to another week of capturing moments that one day we know we will miss!  Have you played along?  MckMama unknowingly did this week!  I invited her to come over and link up!  We will see!  How this carnival would grow if she promoted this & joined in! 

I was reminded when I read MckMama’s “I’m Gonna Miss This” post, just why I began this carnival.  And I realized that lately I’ve lost focus of that meaning. 

It’s not so much about having something profoundly entertaining or insightful to share.  It is about taking the time each week to pause.  Focus.  And realize that while life seems to be going at the speed of light, if we are not intentional we will be there in body but miss it.

So… what do I have this week to share?  I spent almost 2 hours talking yesterday to my counselor friend.  Our time was over and we  hadn’t even prayed like we usually do.  Each one of my kids (some more than others) has a list of concerns currently.  Each one is enough load in itself, added together.  Overwhelming.  I need to pray.  I need to stay focused on WHERE my help comes from.  I DO NOT possess the strength, mental energy, wisdom to deal with any of this.  I need God’s help so badly.  I am so glad He gives it.

Another thing that MckMama has began doing is “stream of consciousness” posts… I find that amusing, as I realize I do those quite often!  Just pouring it all out as the thoughts come rather than spending lots of time trying to “say the right thing”

I hope you join me this week… spend some time thinking about what you have going on that you need to pause and treasure for a moment… you will be glad you did.

This week… I watched James win a really, really close race… a race that was against  Ben, an old friend of his, who used to go to our school, and who is an amazing swimmer.  James began his leg of the 400 yard (the last leg) with almost a whole length of the pool lead.  The last swimmer for their team was Ben.  I knew James was going to need all the lead he could get.  Ben is way amazing.

Here is my photo finish… James is in the back lane and Ben is in the front lane…

    

My heart was racing and my throat was sore from yelling!  It was so awesome that he held Ben off & won!  It was really looking like it wasn’t going to happen.  James said he was saving some energy for that last length, and it turned out to be enough! 

Yeah!!!

Leah turned 13 last Sunday!  We went out to eat with my parents & Tried to get some pictures with my old camera…

The “good side” of the table…

  The “other side” of the table… It’s so easy to spend my time hyper-focused on their behavior rather than just enjoying it.  Can’t say that I’ve done a real good job at that lately.  Something I am going to try to relax about.

Needing to refocus. 

Needing to pause.

Needing to treasure this time.

Won’t you join me?  Add this code to your post for a quick link back to my blog!