Go, go, go

Some days I wonder if life ever slows down. You ever have those days? I mean, I can go for a week or two thinking things are going pretty smooth and nicely paced. Then there will be that week or two of craziness that makes me forget the slower weeks. This week was technically not that busy compared to last week or the next. But the random things that popped up made it feel more so. Next week I babysit quite a bit. So it'll be busy but it'll be at the house at least. I was having more vertigo issues but I started doing my home exercises again and by God's grace, they've been pretty controlled.

James' new job has been going great and he loves it so far - a great blessing! My brother has gotten fairly adjusted to living here I think. And I always love having some extra adult conversation when he's home and my husband is still at work.

Last week, James and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. That was very nice. At dinner, he read to me some journals he'd written during our off and on again dating journey. Sweet thoughts on this side of the marriage covenant.

Last night, my mom and I took Hannah and a friend to Disney on Ice. We won tickets from a local organization. It was so much fun. I think my favorite part was a comment made by Hannah. Tinkerbell drank poisoned milk to save Peter Pan. The only way she could be saved was if the audience clapped to show we "believed in make believe." After doing so, and Tinkerbell coming to her normal self, Hannah looked up at me with the widest eyes. She said, "It WORKED Mom!" My mom and I laughed so hard we were crying. It was so sweet to see her face light up the entire performance.

Homeschooling is going great. Hannah loves most of it. She requests her school time each day. She likes to work on writing her letters but gets very easily frustrated if she can't do something well. So I occasionally have to tell her we'll just work on something else for now. There's no need to rush. She's just barely over 4.

Until next time...
Take care,
Terra

Change As a Good Thing

We've been back from vacation for three weeks now. Kind of hard to believe it's already been that long! There's always that time of catching up but then things settle down again. A few big things have been happening around here though.

The biggest is that James will soon be starting a new job! Though we're grateful for the four and one half years he's been employed at Meijer, we've been longing to see him back in full-time ministry. Starting September 6th, he'll be a full time chaplain with a healthcare/hospice company called Amedisys. He'll continue to do his part-time chaplaincy work for Marketplace Ministries as well. We're very excited about this change and look forward the transition.

Secondly, my brother moved in with us. After a great deal of various hardships, he needed help getting back on his feet. He moved in with us just two weeks ago. By God's grace, he's already accepted a part-time job and is looking for that to turn full-time, or to add an additional part-time job. It's been great to have him with us as we've never been able to spend a good deal of time together. When I left town for college, he was just in middle school. Since we've been adults, our lives have taken us very different paths and we didn't see each other much. So it's been some much needed time together. The kids are having a blast getting to know "Uncle Jimmy" better.

After labor day, I'll begin homeschooling Hannah more officially. We did a few random things here and there last year but we'll get back into our actual curriculum and scheduled fun and learning. Benjamin will be able to learn as we go with things like colors and a few letters. Sophia is getting big very fast! She just turned six months old. She's kind of sitting now (with support) and turned into a little roller! She's very vocal and has begun the drool fest. She's been pretty irritable these last few days so I'm wondering if she's beginning the joys of teething.

I've been super busy with a fall kick-off for my hair bow business. I unveiled a new product every day for one week and then held a giveaway. That kept me pretty busy both in creating and staying active on my Facebook page.

So it's been a fun type of busy around here. I don't mind that at all!

Until next time...
Take care,
Terra

Vacation and Disney

This is probably the longest I've ever gone without posting on our blog in the 4 years I've kept it! Hopefully the sabbatical will not continue. :)

We just returned from a nice vacation in Florida. We visited James' family near Destin and with the blessing of his parents, even hit up Disney with everyone. His sister and her family flew in from Hawaii and it was a great time. At Disney, we checked out Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. We stayed in a super nice 4 bedroom town home in Orlando that had incredibly reasonable rates. The kids were spread throughout the rooms so it wasn't too overwhelming for anyone. The first 3-4 days we were there, it rained and rained. The 10 day forecast called for scattered and isolated thunderstorms EVERY day. But by God's grace, it stopped and we enjoyed beautiful (though super hot) weather most of the rest of the trip! I've posted tons of pictures online so check them out if you're interested here and here.

Vertigo has been clear. I was officially released from care again unless I have another relapse. That's a blessing! I'm currently undergoing physical therapy for some long standing back/shoulder/neck issues. I've got a great deal of exercises to do from home to help with that. I was doing them very consistently until we went to Disney, then all was lost. Started up again today. After carrying kids around constantly those few days, I feel I may have undone most of what I've accomplished progress-wise. We'll see. Back to work!

It's funny that summer always seems like it'll be the laid-back time of year. Then it comes and goes just as crazy as the rest of the year! I can't believe it's almost August. By the end of the month or early September, I'll begin homeschooling again. Fun times!

Until next time...

Take Care,
Terra