Family Night

I have very fond memories of Friday nights from my childhood. My family (for many, many years) had a weekly "family night". We all stayed home and ate pizza, watched movies or played card/board games together. At one point in time, we spent Friday nights eating popcorn and listening to my dad read aloud the Little House on the Prairie book series. These were such fun evenings. Unfortunately, they grew less and less frequent as we got older and wanted to spend the weekend nights out with friends.

Ken and I have started the "Friday Night Family Night" tradition with our own little munchkins. Usually we just head over to the library on Friday afternoon and pick out a movie and then have a "picnic" while we watch movies and eat pizza. Occasionally, we try to mix it up a little and go somewhere for family night. During the warm summer months, we rode our bikes to our downtown and walked around window shopping and eating ice cream. Now that it is colder, we are having to mix it up a little. Recently we played putt putt and got hot chocolate together. On a side note, Harry always gets a least one "hole in one" every time we play. Seriously.

Our family time feels rare, with Ken traveling a lot for work. These times together are precious. I hate to think that one day our kids might be too cool to hang out with us. Maybe then we'll become those annoying parents who chaperone every event their kids go to. :) In all seriousness, we hope these Friday nights are helping to build the foundation for communication and mutually satisfying relationships with our children. That's is our prayer.

Voting Day

Hannah's school was out today for voting day, and as Harry's school was still meeting, we had the whole morning to ourselves. We decided to go to Bob Evans to get her free birthday meal (yes, I know we're about 4 months late on that). Hannah was so cute. Right before we went into the restaurant, she asked if we could pretend it was her birthday while we ate. I said, "Sure!", since we were technically celebrating her birthday. She got so tickled when the waiter brought her free pumpkin bread (for her birthday), and everyone kept wishing her a happy birthday and asking how old she was. It was fun to watch her. We had a great time together, talking about school and dolls, and the upcoming holidays.

It was so nice to take a breather and look across the table and remember what is really important. My daughter has truly been one of God's greatest blessings to me. She is tangible evidence that God is a loving Father who gives the greatest, most needful gifts.

Halloween Extravaganza!!!

We celebrated Halloween at our house for 6 days!

On Tuesday night, we held our first annual pumpkin carving contest--boys vs. girls. Ken and Harry created Pierre, a fierce pumpkin who's main purpose in his short life was to scare away naughty squirrels. Hannah and I carved Violet, a fancy young she-pumpkin who sported a saucy birthmark on her cheek and purple accessories.

On Thursday, Harry dressed up as Darth Vader for his school's annual Halloween parade. He wouldn't stop long enough in the procession for me to get a good picture. That night, we headed over to our friend's neighborhood to trick or treat with her family and several of our friends. Hannah was Ariel--complete with bright red wig.

Hannah's school parade and party were on Friday. Her class paraded around the school and the adjoining neighborhood. Then we had a party in her room with games, snacks and plenty of dancing! She also recited a Halloween poem with a few of her classmates. It was so fun seeing her in her element with her friends. She has such a fun and wonderful teacher and lots of sweet kids in her room.

On Saturday we went to a neighborhood Halloween party. We've been in our house for 3 1/2 years, and that was the first time we met several of our neighbors. Only problem with meeting people at a costume party--it's a little harder to recognize them later on. I'm pretty bad with names anyways, so I guess it doesn't matter that much!

By the way, Harry did have the coolest Darth Vader mask, but it didn't make it into any of the pictures. I think it was not all that comfortable to wear. You'll just have to see him in person sometime to get the full effect of Lord Vader.

Missing Something?

Someone lost her first tooth! She put it under her pillow last night, and found that the tooth fairy left her some coins for her savings fund (she is saving up for an American Girl doll). Looks like it will be a lucrative month for Hannah when it comes to teeth--she has two more loose teeth that are ready to fall out!

ABC's and Compassion 101

Harry has finished his second week of pre-K and is really enjoying it. I was a little nervous about putting him in for 4 mornings a week. I got some kick back from him last year for his two mornings a week of school, so I was afraid that would happen again (times 2). SO FAR, I have only had to encourage him to have a good attitude one morning these last two weeks. He seems to really be blossoming under the higher expectations and learning load of this pre-K program. His classroom is really focused on kindergarten readiness (Ohio has a long list of things kids are encouraged to know before entering kindergarten), so they do a fair amount of school work each day. His writing has greatly improved--I can almost read his name! Each week they focus on a letter and he comes home every day full of new information.

One thing that really encourages my heart is seeing him grow in empathy and compassion for others. I've seen him try to reach out to others that feel shy or lonely--one boy in particular in his classroom. Along those lines, I've also seen him show empathy and kindness to Hannah when she has come home after a rough day at school. She has a couple of mean girls in her classroom and she has a tendency to be sensitive to the way they treat her--the apple didn't fall far from the tree with this girl! :) I pointed out to Harry that she was having a little bit of a hard time at school and his immediate reaction was to run to her and say, "Hannah, I'm sad that you are sad and I want to give you hugs and kisses. Will you come and play with me?". He's not subtle, but he sure is sweet.

It is these little glimpses that help settle my heart in the path that we are following. I had a hard time in junior high with my first experience of public school. I felt like the odd man out a lot and experienced a fair amount of teasing (although I think almost everyone does in middle school). Hannah had a hard week at school last week. There is one girl (we'll call her "F") who is "popular" and the ring leader of the "mean girls" and she is choosing to be unkind to my little Hannah. This is so hard to navigate through--hard for me to guide Hannah in kindness when I just want to go to school and kick some first grader butt. Last week I was ready to pull her out and start homeschooling. I had to keep reminding myself that we PRAYED about this for FOREVER and this is where we feel like God has led us to be. There will be sacrifices as we walk in obedience. I have to fight against my mama bear mentality and realize that my responsibility is to teach her how to deal with unkindness, not protect her from ever experiencing it. We talked a lot about persisting in love towards "F" while also seeking out other friends who might need some kindness themselves.

I saw two things happen in Hannah's and my heart this week. First, I saw God soften my heart towards "F". I volunteered in Hannah's room (which I will start doing on a regular basis) and saw some things that made my heart move towards compassion. "F" is from a lower income family and has some insecurities herself--she seemed to really need attention from all of the adults in the room, almost seemed to crave it, which makes me wonder how much she gets at home. The second movement towards compassion that I saw was in Hannah, and it looked very different from what I thought it would look like. Hannah was finally included in "F"'s "group", but noticed that she then turned on another child, calling her "stupid" and telling her that she was not aloud to play with them. Hannah, who is my timid child, stood up for this other girl, telling "F" that it was wrong of her to speak in this way. Hannah then left the group (that she has been wanting to be a part of since the beginning of school) and asked the ousted little girl to play with her. All of this growth would not have happened if I had intervened and separated them, like I was tempted to do. Hannah now sees for herself that this is a group that she does not want to be a part of and these are not girls she wants to emulate.

God's way is always the best way. I'm going to have to come back and read this post the next time I need to attend Compassion 101. I can trust the Teacher to always know what is best and to guide and direct us on the path that He has laid out for us to walk. It will not always be an easy road to follow, but it is guaranteed to make us more like Christ--which is the definition of true happiness.

Send me over a piece of that corn...

New year, fresh starts

Hannah had "bear week" for the first week of school. She brought a bear she has had since she was a baby and dressed it in an outfit that she wore when she was about 4 months old.

This dude is even creepier in person! Harry really wanted his picture taken with him, but Hannah wasn't too sure. Harry kept saying, "I've seen you on my tv!"

I don't know why, but I always feel more geared up to overhaul our lives in the Fall than I do in January, when the rest of the world is making their resolutions. Looking back over last school year, there were several things I wanted to change. I want to plan ahead more, use my time more wisely, and spend more quality time with my kids.

One thing Hannah and I have been practicing is organizing our time better. Last year our mornings were all in a rush, and usually resulted in crying on both sides! :) One thing I learned about her: she likes to take her time and feels most confident when she is doing things on her own, at her own pace. Last year, I forced her to do things on my schedule, at my pace. I'm not saying that this is all bad--I do believe that children should fit into the life and rhythm of the family, as set out by the parents. However, I also believe in "remembering their frame", and working with them in the way that God has made them. So...Hannah packs her own lunch the night before and lays out her clothes. This way, as soon as she wakes up, she gets herself dressed. After breakfast all she then needs to do is brush her teeth and hair and grab her backpack (which I check every day for homework/notes as soon as she gets home from school). I know this sounds like something I should have figured out pretty quickly last year, but I'm a slow learner. Needless to say, with this new routine our mornings have been peaceful and enjoyable! Harry starts pre-K next week, so I'm hoping to get him on the same schedule as well.

Last week went very well. Hannah really likes her new teacher. She is extremely sweet and patient with the kids--a perfect match for my tender hearted girl! At home, I've been enjoying my one on one time with Harry. It further seals in my heart and mind how much I want to use his preschool time to get my work done, so I can be free to just enjoy him when he gets home. He is one who really blossoms with one on one attention. I've been brainstorming on some fun things we could do together this year. I know my days with him are numbered and I want to use them well.

We ended last week with a trip to our downtown area for one of our monthly "festivals". One thing I love about being in the public school system is the feeling of connection with our community. It's fun to sense that we really are a part of this town, and that we truly care for its people. I am praying that God will work through us to grow His Kingdom in our little corner of His world.