My Tender-hearted Boy

Tyler, my oldest baby boy, has such a tender heart and compassion for other people. An example of this occurred this past weekend.

For some background information, we received his yearbook from last year in the mail (since we have relocated). As he spent some time looking through it, he was really missing his old school and the friends he had for the past 3 years of his life. He likes his new school and is making some really good friends. But as he was sad about missing his old friends he said, "I've known them longer."

He was "Star of the Week" in his class this past week, which means that he gets to share things about himself each day of that week. One of these days he took his yearbook to show his new class and new friends. He still referred to the old school as "his school" and said "we" do this and that. As his mama, his sadness hurt my heart too. Jeremy suggested we call one of his friends and have them come over to play and spend the night. So, I got right on it and contacted a friend to come for a night over the weekend. This made him very happy. They had lots of fun. This friend plays really well with Tucker too, so it was good all around.

I also realize that my baby is growing up. His friend had a loose tooth that came out while he was here that first day. They ran in to let me know. We placed the tooth in a bag so it wouldn't get lost. Talk of the tooth fairy began. Then my Tyler whispered to me that he "knows" the tooth fairy is me. Well, what's next? We whispered back and forth a little. He's a smart kid and figured out on his own how it works. I wasn't going to try to convince him otherwise. I just settled for "Just don't tell Tucker!" He smiled and said "Okay."

Later that night, as the boys were all getting ready for bed, Tyler came and whispered to me that his friend was going to put his tooth under his pillow that night for the tooth fairy. "I wanted to tell you so he wouldn't be disappointed," Tyler said. Sweet boy! I'm kind of glad he figured it out so he could tell me what was happening. I wouldn't want him to be disappointed either. I checked with his dad to see what the going rate was around their house and the tooth fairy showed up that night, thanks to a sweet, smart boy who cares about how other people feel. I sure love him and am proud of him.

Coming to Peace

God's really working on my heart. My emotions are all over the place. There are a few verses that have been hitting me in the face from all directions in the past few weeks. I've come across them in my quiet times, devotions I get through email, an ebook I'm reading, and in the Karen Kingsbury books that I've been losing myself in. (On a side note...she's become my favorite author over this past year or so since I started reading her books. Probably more on that later.)


The verses are these:


Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."


Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works together for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose."



Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"


There are some things going on in my life that a few know about and most others do not. We are supposed to be moving to Tokyo, Japan and then Singapore for the next 3 or so years. We are not exactly sure of when we will be leaving, but it will likely be between January and March of this coming year. People, that's just a few months from now that we will be moving to another country!


Anxiety and excitement are both involved in the emotional roller coaster I'm on about this season in our lives. Since it is a temporary assignment for Jeremy's job, we are on Exxon's schedule, which is not anything like my schedule! So, for now, since there's not much I can do to prepare for this move, I am asking God to prepare my heart - and He is! And He is more in control of what's going on than Exxon is! (Thankfully!)


I tend to fret over things when they are out of my control and I want them to be IN my control. There are so many details that will have to be worked out before we leave the country for a few years, but there's very little I can do at this point, particularly since we don't know exactly when we will be leaving. This is a hard thing for this OCD planner. So, I'm sincerely giving it to God, and He's really blessing me already with a peace that I could not have imagined that I'd have in this situation.


I'm clinging to the verses He's showing me. I'm thinking more on things that are excellent and praiseworthy rather than fretting over things that stress me. I'm confident that He has a plan for me and my family in this season of our lives and that it will be for our good. I'm thankful that He's showing me these things now, and that He keeps showing them to me to remind me that He is in control. I'm excited about what He's going to do in our lives while we live in another country (or two!). And I'm completely trusting in Him, because if I don't, I don't think I could handle it! :)

Praying for my Husband

As promised...more blog posts! I just have a lot more quiet time to think these days. I am spending actual quiet time, uninterrupted, as long as I want, with the Lord each morning. This has not happened like this in quite some time. I have to admit, it is so good, and just what I need, especially at this juncture in my life.

Today I began reading Tracie Miles' 14 Days to a Healthier Marriage. She is an author and speaker for the Proverbs 31 ministries. I have their "Encouragement for Today" devotions emailed to me. I really enjoy them. They spur me on to my quiet time every morning, and I really look forward to reading them.

I just started it this morning, so I read through the intro and day 1, which is praying for your husband. She says she realized she had been praying to God about her husband and not for her husband. Now, I have always prayed for my husband. And I honestly don't have many complaints about him to pray for God to "fix," as she references to. But this encouraged me to begin praying more intently for him, and to be very specific about it. She said that Stormie Omartian's The Power of a Praying Wife is what inspired this in her. And in this book, there are chapters with specific aspects of your husband's life to pray for. So, this is where I am going to start.

No matter what state your marriage is in - wonderful and happy, stable but not amazing, or really shaky - praying for your husband is an amazing thing to do. It will benefit him and you. I believe that I will also begin seeing things that I can do to make our marriage even better. I am looking forward to what God is going to do in our lives and in our marriage.

Moms Need Other Moms

As I'm cleaning the bathrooms this morning in a quiet house, my mind wanders. I mean, I'm not going to focus too much on the toilet. I had a fun girls night out last night with some very sweet ladies, 2 of whom are moms themselves and one will be in about 9 months! :) Our husbands all work together and will soon begin what they call "turnaround" at work. To us wives, this means our husbands will be working 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week for about 2 months straight. We decided we should be proactive in having a girls night out together before we all struggle through the time of missing our husbands. We are also planning to have another one when it's all over. ;)

I've just been thinking about how much these friendships and so many others I have mean to me. Moms really need other moms. It just helps us to keep our sanity. Although each of our children are different, we all struggle with so many of the same struggles and experience a lot of the same joys. It is so good to share this with others who understand.

I rely a lot on my older sisters, who are amazing, godly examples of wives and mothers for me. They are the ones I pretty much always go to for advice on just about anything - parenting, marriage, prayer requests. I am so thankful to God for the family that I have.

And then there are so many friends that I talk to in various ways (or they talk to me) - girls night out, Facebook, blogs. As I talk, listen, and read, I realize how critical it is for us to have this connection. As we talk about any struggles or frustrations we have (not just complaining all the time), we can almost ALWAYS find that we are not the only ones who have these thoughts or feelings. We are not alone. And it is always easier to face something and conquer it when someone else is with you. And it really just makes me feel better to know that I am not alone.

On the other side, I read Facebook posts or blogs about friends' joys and encouragement in being a mother and a wife. Even though most of them do not know their impact, these things really encourage me as a wife and mother to be the best I can be to my husband and children. A lot of them challenge me in many ways.

I just want to encourage all moms to keep communicating with each other. Share all the good and the bad. We all benefit from it one way or another. We help each other to become better moms.

Thank you to all the other moms in my life, including my own, who was and is a good example to me. I realize more things as I grow older that my Mama did and does well as a mother, particularly being a prayer warrior. It's good to know that people who love you are faithful to pray for you.

It's Just Me Now

Well, it's the 3rd full day of being alone in my house all day while the boys are at school. It hasn't been 2 days in a row yet since Tucker had a staggered start to kindergarten, and then the weekend. But this will be the first full week of our new routine.

It's just weird to me to have this much time alone. Mind you, I have a long list of things I can do, and some of it will get done. :) But, this is a whole new world to me. It hasn't been this way for the past 8 years! I've had a least one child with me almost all of the time. I got a little taste last school year when Tucker was in pre-k, but that was only 6 hours a week! That's barely enough time to clean house, go grocery shopping, or occasionally something fun like a pedicure or shopping.

Now I'm entering this phase of life wondering how to act. I guess I'll figure it out - eventually. In the meantime, there may be more frequent blog posts.

First Day of Kindergarten

Boys getting off the bus after Tucker's 1st day of kindergarten (and Tyler's 4th day of 3rd grade)

Tucker's first day of kindergarten is over. He (and I) survived. I only teared up a few times during the day, which is a lot better than I expected. He did great going in, so I was anxious to hear how the day went.

Unfortunately, his teacher was not able to be at school this first week. Her husband had heart surgery and still needed her help at home. So, understandably, she stayed home with him for a few more days. I believe she is going to be a great teacher for Tucker, and that he will love her and the class. But, her absence made his first day not the best it could have been.

He did not like the substitute. I'm not sure what the deal was, but he made sure I knew he didn't like her. Apparently she wasn't very nice or very fun, and I think they had to do a lot of worksheets and stuff that perhaps they wouldn't have had to do had his teacher been there.

Yesterday was just the kindergarten boys' day to go. Today, just the girls will go. Friday, all of them will go. Then Monday, the teacher will be back and things will be better. I just hope they have a different sub tomorrow so Tucker has a better second day.

He said he liked the boys in his class...well, at least some of them. :) And the classroom was good. So, I'm confident his kindergarten year will be a good one. We've just got to get his teacher back!

My Happy Fishermen

Of all my boys, my husband is the one who loves having the pond behind our house the most. After a long day at work, he loves to unwind by fishing. Sometimes the boys want to go out there with him, but sometimes they don't.

Last night after dinner, all four of us went out there. Jeremy and Tyler started fishing. Tucker did a little, but his attention span seems to be pretty short, especially when he's not getting any bites. Tyler caught a couple, but Jeremy seemed to have the bait they wanted last night.

He was super excited about his big catch last night. He hadn't seen one this big in the pond before, and was glad I had my phone with me to take pictures. He said it was probably about a 5 lb. bass. I was about to take a turn fishing. He cast it, hooked it, then handed it to me to reel in. Then he realized how big it was (and how much I was struggling) and said "Can I have it back?" in a very sweet way but with child-like excitement. Of course, I gave it back. :)

Here is the documentation of the evening's catch:

Tyler's first catch of the night

One of Jeremy's catches

The big one! And a big smile to match!

Tyler's trying to take credit (behind Jeremy's back)!

Showing the size of it's mouth

See how big it is compared to the size of the boys

A happy fisherman

First Day of School

Good grief. My baby started kindergarten today.

I just about don't know what to say about this. As I was walking him to his classroom, he was kind of talking to himself, or maybe to me. But he sounded like me talking to myself. I heard, "My first day of school! I'm excited...no, I'm not. I'm nervous...no, I'm not." He's just trying to figure this all out. He went to pre-k last year for 2 mornings a week, for a total of 6 hours a week. Now, he'll in going to kindergarten 5 days a week for 7 hours a day. That's quite an adjustment!

He is a young kindergartener. He is still 4, but will be 5 on Sept. 8. The cut-off date here in LA is Sept. 30. But he's such a smart little boy! He has been reading quite well for a while now. I know he will adjust and will love kindergarten. After all, kindergarten is the most fun grade! :) And he has a very sweet teacher, Mrs. James, who I've heard is great. I also met the teacher across the hall from his classroom this morning. She lives right across the pond from us, and was also super sweet and reassuring, telling me to let her know if we needed anything, and that she'd send her number home with Tucker for me. :) I like having people watching out for my babies when I can't.

Today is really Tyler's 4th day of school, but I took the pictures this morning like it was the first day for both of them. I forgot the first day for Tyler until we got to school, and then he didn't want me to take any pictures. :) He is in 3rd grade with Mrs. Leake, whom I've heard is awesome, and she really seemed great when I met her too. He's adjusting very well, other than saying that it feels like he is at school "all day, for like 10 or 11 hours!"

They are both riding the bus. Even though they are technically at different schools, they ride the same bus, and they're both excited about it. Their bus is air-conditioned, which is nice, but they aren't even on it too terribly long, especially considering how long it would take me to get them to and from school. It's well worth it, and they will be together.

I can't wait to see them this afternoon when they get off the bus! I hope Tucker will tell me about his day. I imagine he will tell Tyler all about it on their ride home, but hopefully I'll get to hear some of it too. I haven't fallen apart today like I thought I would, which is good. I'll have to adjust being at home alone all day!

Here are pictures of my boys:



Tucker on his first day of kindergarten! How precious is he in his uniform?!


Tyler in 3rd grade! So big and so sweet!


Tucker waiting in the hallway before going into his classroom


Tucker waiting on the mat, ready to start kindergarten!

Bevell Family Vacation

A couple of weeks ago, my family all met in Gatlinburg for a few days. Obviously this had to be planned out well in advance for all 21 of us to be able to be there at the same time. These times together are rare and precious. We have always been a close family and love being together.

Most of us (the Bullocks, the Crafts, the Partridges, and my mom) met up in Jackson, MS, and made the 10 hour drive up there in caravan. (The Crafts had flown into MS from Seattle earlier that week to visit other family.) That made the long drive much easier for the kids since they got to ride together, which made it easier for the grown-ups not having to listen to "when are we gonna be there?!" The Albrittons made their 10 hour drive in from VA, and my dad and his wife made their drive from AR through Nashville to pick up my brother.

It was a wonderful time in the Smokey Mountains with the people that I love most in this world. All of our kids (the 9 grandchildren) love getting being together too. We were there for 4 nights, but decided that wasn't long enough to fit in all of the desserts we wanted to make and eat, even with more than one dessert a couple of nights! After all, chocolate is the tie that binds the Bevell family together.

We went swimming one day. With all 21 of us there, we pretty much took over the pool, but also managed to entertain the few others that were there. We went hiking one day, which is apparently where I took pretty much all of my pictures. We had a 700-balloon water balloon fight, which went very quickly. We built a fire and made s'mores, which my kids like to make, but not eat, so I was eating more than my share! We had a birthday party for the four July birthdays. And we just spent time together, enjoying being together.

I love my family - all of them. And I cherish the times when we are all together, no matter how exhausted I am when it's all over.

Tyler, my 3rd grader

So, Tyler's already a 3rd grader! How does the time go by so fast? Each year I compare his school picture to the previous years, and it just amazes me to see the changes. He's growing up so much!

We haven't received his teacher assignment yet, but he's not worried about starting at a new school this year, which is a relief. He loved Spanish Lake and had good friends there. But I am thankful for his confidence to go into a new place. He actually said "School's really not that bad. I'm kind of ready for it."

He is also helping to encourage Tucker about his first year of school. Kindergarten is the "fun year." :) They both want to ride the bus, so we're going to try that. Even though they will be at different schools (Bains Elementary & Bains Lower Elementary), they get to ride the same bus since the schools are right next door to each other and not that large. I've heard their bus driver is the best too! She knows and loves each of the students and takes care of them and checks on them. So that puts my mind at ease a little.

At the end of last year, I asked that Tyler be tested for gifted. They managed to squeeze in the testing, and he did awesome! So, once they get his IEP done in the next couple of weeks, he will get to be in a gifted class each afternoon for a little while, and he's really looking forward to it. We are certainly proud of him. I'm proud of his confidence in it all, as well as his determination.

I pray that he will have a wonderful 3rd grade experience, make great new friends, and love his new school. And once again...that I will make it at home alone without my two boys. :) It's going to be so quiet with just me and the dog, since he just sleeps all day!

Tucker to Kindergarten?

Well, I received Tucker's teacher assignment in the mail today for kindergarten! How can this be possible? I know all mothers think this when the time comes for each of their children to start school. The time just goes too quickly. They seem too little to be ready for all of this. But, I'm confident that he is ready, so off he will go.

Since we moved, both boys will be starting at new schools this year. Tyler seems confident and excited, which I am thankful for. But Tucker has been saying he doesn't want to go, which hasn't made me feel good about sending him. But after getting the teacher assignment, I went to the school's website, where each teacher has her own website where we can see her and read about her and see pictures of her classroom. I showed these to Tucker, and when we finished, he ran off saying, "I love my school already!" This makes my heart glad!

He also has to go before school starts to do a screening. They do this for all of the children, not just the new ones. I have no doubt in his abilities, but I'm praying now for his shyness (is that a real word?). Hopefully I can be out of the room so he will not cling to me, but be able to show and tell her what he knows. I mean, he's been reading, quite easily, for a while now. (Not to brag or anything :), but he amazes me with the ease in which he reads so much.) And he loves math too, and does that easily. And I doubt that she'll even try to ask him questions like that before entering kindergarten. He's got the basic kindergarten skills down pat.

We sent him to pre-k last year for 2 mornings a week, and he ended up LOVING it! I sure hope that he gets - and stays - as excited about kindergarten. I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle being at home alone all these days! (You can start praying for me now.) :)

Well, both boys want to ride the bus this year. I've said that I'll let them try, especially since they can ride the same bus. We will see how long it lasts. Who knows? It may work out well for us all, even though I've always been the overprotective parent who didn't want my baby on a bus out of my control. I'm pretty sure I get that honestly from my father.

So, Tucker will begin "real school" in 2 weeks. I pray that he will thrive and love it all and make new friends. (And that I will not go into a depression being at home alone.) :)

Our New Home

Well, my last post...several months ago...was about our upcoming move to our new home in St. Francisville, LA. Well, we've been here for almost 2 months now, and I'm finally getting around to posting a blog about it. I already shared how I felt about it. Quite frankly, I feel like it's my dream home. It's got everything we need...plenty of space inside and out with 4 bedrooms, 2 acres, a pond, and a pool.

Needless to say, we are enjoying it. So, here are some pictures of the outside of it.

Update

It has been so long since I posted anything here on my blog! I'm not sure why I got out of the habit of it, but I wanted to post an update on what's happening with us.

The biggest thing is that we are buying a new house! We are so excited about this! The home we are in now was our first home, and we've been here for 9 1/2 years! Both of our children were born while living in this house, so it's all they know. But we are all ready for the new place.

Our new home is almost an hour away from where we are now, but will be a much better commute for Jeremy to work, which will enable him to be home more. We are all happy about that. The house is bigger than where we are now (by about 1000 sq ft), on almost 2 acres, with a pond at the back for fishing, and a pool in the backyard! The first time went to look at the house, we knew it was exactly what we wanted.

The boys are excited about getting their own rooms, as they now share a bedroom and have a separate playroom. Tyler is especially ready for this as he is valuing more his "quiet time," as they call it when they want to be alone for a while. Their rooms will be joined by their "Jack and Jill" bathroom, so they'll still be close. After all, they still really are such good friends! I am so excited about all of it!

There will be a transition for everyone as the boys will be going to a new school. Tucker will be starting kindergarten (really?!) in the fall, and Tyler will begin 3rd grade. We love the school Tyler is in now and will really miss it, but I've heard nothing but good things about the schools there, all the way up to the high school! I plan to be very involved there, just as I have been here. I love it, and I feel like it benefits my kids too. And Tyler has seemed to like my being around - so far. :)

We will miss our church here, but pray that we will find a new church home that we can get plugged into soon. Fellowship Church in Prairieville has been an awesome church home that we have loved being a part of. We will also miss "face time" with friends that live out here, but plan to minimize that. :) We also have friends that live close to where we are moving, so we will get to see more of them.

Tyler has had a great year of 2nd grade, making honor roll with all A's each 9 weeks. He enjoys school and loves to read. He enjoys math too, but also likes to share the new things he learns in science.

Tucker has been in preschool 2 mornings a week this year. He absolutely loves it! His face lights up when he's asked about it. This is such a blessing. We have both benefited from these 6 hours a week. It's not much, but it's made a difference in his life, and mine. :) I really believe this will help his transition to kindergarten this fall. He has so much personality and is so smart, but he was just afraid to let anyone see it. He has really begun to come out of his shell this year, and it's so fun!

Jeremy has been working hard, as well as having to travel a good bit. He is responsible for planning a "turn-around" at work. To those not familiar with the world of oil companies and plants, this translates to "we won't see him much for a couple of months." These don't happen too often - I think this one is a once every 10 years kind of thing. It is a big deal and involves a lot of preparation, including travel to inspect things being made for them. He has a lot of responsibility in this, which is a good thing in his career.

I REALLY appreciate how hard he works, how well he does his job, and the respect he has earned in the 11 years (this June) that he has worked here. He has made it possible for me to be the stay-at-home mom that I always dreamed of being, and I am SO VERY THANKFUL for that! God has blessed us more than we could have asked for!

Well, Tucker wants me to come work a puzzle with him, so off I go to enjoy being a stay-at-home mom! :)