Bittersweet School Days

Everyone ready to see Luke off on his BIG first day of FIRST grade.

A bouquet of flowers for the teacher.

The light just isn't right...

could you guys turn the other way?

YIKES!

Swallowed up by the big yellow monster. (though I might add...this is the WRONG bus!) Let your light shine buddy...let your light shine.

Luke is actually in his third week of school. I have just been having a hard time adjusting to life with Howard and Luke back in school, I think we have a schedule down now and life is feeling a bit more normal.

Luke is LOVING first grade. He has the very same teacher that Howard and I both had and we are beyond thankful for the little school in our community. It feels like a family and if not for that school, I am quite certain I would have kept Luke home and homeschooled him. I know however that at this school he is loved, cared for and is learning. He adores his teacher and is quite excited about all that first grade entails. He has been trusted with the responsibility of "bathroom monitor" and we have been told he makes good choices, is quiet and is a WONDERFUL reader. :)

I feel a little like life is moving in FAST forward. My once five pound preemie is now in first grade and my four year old is seriously four going on forty, and my baby girl is walking, talking and growing by leaps and bounds. Where does the time go? I swear, I blinked and this is where we were. I am scared to blink again.

The Lord has been really working on me lately on being more intentional with my time with Him and more intentional with my time with my kids. We spent a good portion of the summer cleaning out and purging our home. We have gotten rid of all baby and maternity stuff and seriously, I thought I was going to have to be committed. I am a lady who LOVES pregnancy and newborns and all that entails (in case the having five babies in six years didn't clue you in). I'd love to continue growing our family, but as of now, the Lord doesn't seem to be steering us in that direction. Pregnancy at this point could be dangerous for me, and as a kid who lost her mom at a young age, I am not willing to do that to my kids knowingly. I feel God has really been walking me along this road, showing me that I need to be wise and also reminding me that there is more than one way to grow a family.

We came to the conclusion that IF God chooses to grow our family through foster care (which is an avenue we intend to explore) then He will surely provide whatever "stuff" we need at that time. So we decided to let go and bless others with all of our baby stuff. It has been so hard, yet so freeing. All of that boy stuff that I had hoped that Isaac and Asher had used too was even harder. (But I found exceptionally good homes for those things) :)

As I move into this next phase of life I am a little sad to be leaving the newborn stage behind but am so excited for what is ahead. Watching my kids grow and learn has been just amazing and the more intentional I am with them the more exciting things I see.