Sissy: Are we late?

Me: No. We're early.

Sissy: What's that mean?!

First Day of Preschool

Taking Sissy to her first day of preschool was a breeze. At least compared to taking Precious to kindergarten. She was excited to get to go to Precious's old classroom. It's funny how different the girls are. When Precious is at school, I worry that she won't speak up when she needs to and that she'll get lost in the rest of the class. With Sissy, I worry that she'll talk too much and get too rowdy with her friends. Sending either one of them to school isn't easy, but I know she'll be in good hands at First Baptist Preschool.

Dear Lord, Be with Sissy as she starts preschool. Help her to learn new things, listen to her teachers, and make new friends. Guide and protect her in every situation. Give her strength, courage, and wisdom as she goes through her day without me. I know that you'll be with her Lord, but remind her of that throughout the day. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Newest Realization

The story starts with my sister and I's plan to meet at the Sedgwick County Zoo Saturday with our four kids. As I pulled up to the zoo that day, everything was blocked off. I found out from a volunteer that today was one of very few days the zoo closes. They were very nice and gave the kids free popcorn and free tickets to get into the zoo some other time. But now, I had to figure out something to do with my two kids and my sister and her kids. We went to the park, ate at Olive Garden, and walked around the shops. After spending the entire morning telling Precious to listen and stop giving me an attitude, I realized something. I will not get to truly enjoy my kids company again until they're 25 years old!! Okay, I'm only half kidding. For the first few years of your kid's life, you make excuses for them. They're still learning. They're not old enough to know better yet. Well, my kids are past that stage. They SHOULD know better. If anyone has any advice on how to deal with a 6 year old with an attitude, I'm all ears!! Here was my attempt. I explained to Precious how when you're little the rules are there to keep you safe. ex. You don't touch a hot stove because it could burn you. I continued to tell her that the rules are for a different reason now. They exist to help her grow into the person God wants her to be. ex. Treat others with respect. This is actually working. All night last night and all day today, she has not whined, complained, or disrespected me! Okay, it might have something to do with Daddy threatening her with hiney spankings too, but I think I'll take the credit on this one. In the mean time, I'll keep looking forward to their 25th birthdays.

Great Girl Friends And Sisters in Christ

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank God for blessing me with such wonderful friends. When we lived in Hutch, I refused to make friends because I knew we would be leaving in a few years. It was hard enough for me to leave all of the friends that I had made in Pratt. So I spent the first years of both my kids' lives with only my husband to help me through it. Other's helped too, but we were pretty much alone in our everyday lives. When we got to Hutch Precious was 1 week old and of course Sissy was yet to be conceived. When we left Hutch, Precious was 3 and Sissy was 1 1/2. Let's just say those were some difficult times. Thank you hubby for being so wonderful and understanding during that time in our lives. Since we've moved to Augusta, I have been welcomed with open arms from almost everyone I've come into contact with. God lead us to an awesome church family. And I have made the best friends through MOPS, Bible study, and other activities. Friends that will tell you what God's saying to you even if you don't want to hear it. Friends that are there for you at all times. Friends that will sit in a booth of a restaurant with you and go through Romans 4 verse by verse so that you clearly understand it. These are the kind of friends that if you are lucky enough to come across in your lifetime, you want to grab on with all your might and never let go. Believe me I'm not letting go. I love all of you!

Lord, I'm amazed sometimes that you know exactly what I need at exactly the right time. I praise you for being so wise and sovereign. Thank you for connecting me with such wonderful, Christian friends that can help me grow in my faith. Help me to always cherish these friends and to help them in the same ways that they've helped me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Proverbs 27:9