Sometimes in my mind she should still be twelve, playing with Barbies and American Girl dolls. We should have years of homeschooling ahead of us. But twelve is years ago, and this week was Hannah's last first day of school at home. And if I think too much about all the lasts we will experience this year, I may become blinded by nostalgia and not fully savor the everyday joys.
This will be our last year to fully control our schedule. Even if she attends the local university and lives at home, we won't be able to take a week off of school to go to Disney World. I can so easily so entangle myself in the daily chaos of our life, that I don't savor the small things that are so important.
I want to document those small things this year. Before, I always felt that our little life was nothing special. And it may be that way to other people. But it is special to us, which is what matters.
Right now, Hannah is attending a pro football game with her dad. They'll stay the night and make a day of the Big City tomorrow. Rebecca is giving her younger sisters dramatic makeovers. A comfortable quiet permeates our home. Yes, this will be a year of lasts, but, for right now, I am at peace with it.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Saturday, March 1, 2014
February Reflections
Even though February is such a short month, I learned many things.
1. Rebecca's 4 1/2 month old kitten can (and did) go into heat! The poor thing was pitiful, meowing and rolling around. Fortunately, she never was very loud, and it only lasted three days! The vet wants us to wait a few weeks after the rabies shot she got this week before we spay her, so we will have that done as soon as we can.
2. Some things are worth missing the Super Bowl. Hannah had ballet intensive auditions several hours away on Superbowl Sunday. This is the school she most wants to attend, and she was accepted into the program.
3. The Frozen Sing-Along was awesome! I loved the movie just as much the second time around. And since we've been listening to the CD in the car, we knew the songs really well.
4. Our DMV will only conduct road tests for drivers' licenses by appointment. The downside of this is that getting hold of someone to make the appointment took an hour of calling. (I can't believe that I kept getting a busy signal. It felt like 1987!) The upside is that we didn't have to wait for hours for Hannah to take the test, which she passed.
5. I was not as nervous having a newly-licensed driver as I thought I would be. (But I did use the Find Friends app to check on her when ballet ran late. That really gave me peace of mind.)
6. We can survive a house full of boys! We hosted 9th and 10th grade boys for D-Now. They were good kids, and Paul really enjoyed having some guys around. But I was glad to have my girls home when the weekend was over.
7. I clean the house best when I have external motivation. The week before D-Now, I was more motivated to clean than normal, even though high school boys probably wouldn't notice or care. I guess that means we should have people over more often.
8. Being fussed at for something I thought I was doing well is disheartening! I had a terrible visit with a new doctor (who I don't think I'll be seeing again) this week. She has some rather out-of-the-mainstream views that she is adamant about. I'm still processing this, but plan to post about it soon. The visit really opened my eyes to how non-Christians may feel when well-meaning Christians confront them.
I'm looking forward to the things I'll learn in March. And to the warmer weather!
1. Rebecca's 4 1/2 month old kitten can (and did) go into heat! The poor thing was pitiful, meowing and rolling around. Fortunately, she never was very loud, and it only lasted three days! The vet wants us to wait a few weeks after the rabies shot she got this week before we spay her, so we will have that done as soon as we can.
2. Some things are worth missing the Super Bowl. Hannah had ballet intensive auditions several hours away on Superbowl Sunday. This is the school she most wants to attend, and she was accepted into the program.
3. The Frozen Sing-Along was awesome! I loved the movie just as much the second time around. And since we've been listening to the CD in the car, we knew the songs really well.
4. Our DMV will only conduct road tests for drivers' licenses by appointment. The downside of this is that getting hold of someone to make the appointment took an hour of calling. (I can't believe that I kept getting a busy signal. It felt like 1987!) The upside is that we didn't have to wait for hours for Hannah to take the test, which she passed.
5. I was not as nervous having a newly-licensed driver as I thought I would be. (But I did use the Find Friends app to check on her when ballet ran late. That really gave me peace of mind.)
6. We can survive a house full of boys! We hosted 9th and 10th grade boys for D-Now. They were good kids, and Paul really enjoyed having some guys around. But I was glad to have my girls home when the weekend was over.
7. I clean the house best when I have external motivation. The week before D-Now, I was more motivated to clean than normal, even though high school boys probably wouldn't notice or care. I guess that means we should have people over more often.
8. Being fussed at for something I thought I was doing well is disheartening! I had a terrible visit with a new doctor (who I don't think I'll be seeing again) this week. She has some rather out-of-the-mainstream views that she is adamant about. I'm still processing this, but plan to post about it soon. The visit really opened my eyes to how non-Christians may feel when well-meaning Christians confront them.
I'm looking forward to the things I'll learn in March. And to the warmer weather!
