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! :)

TYLER'S writing

Tyler has been begging me for a blog of his own, or a Facebook page. Since he's only 7, he's not getting his own Facebook page. If he starts to write a lot, I may create a blog for him. But for now, I decided I'd let him write something to post on my blog. This is what he decided to write first.


I like video games. I have a PS3,DS,and a wii.I have the most DS games.I have 18 wii games and 7 PS3 games and 61 DS games.Sometimes my dad helps me through a level.One time I had to fight a snake and a allagator and my dad helped me beat it all!

Letting Go

I just put my 7 year old on the bus to school. I came back inside to read my devotion as my 3 year old watches TV. The devotion is about how we pray, particularly for our children.

This is the first year I have "let" my child ride the bus to school. As a kindergartener, I felt he was just too little, and that just carried over into first grade. He has always wanted to ride the bus to school. I just wouldn't ever let him. Honestly, I was worried that his safety was out of my control. It also adds a bit of time to his school day, which doesn't seem to be bothering him so far this year. We are on day 4 now.

My fears and worries about putting him on the bus were not eased on the very first morning of school when the bus never showed up on our street! Apparently our bus driver didn't know she had our road to pick up. Well, I load up Tyler, and Tucker (no shoes) and our neighbor and drive them to school. No, I didn't just drop the kids off. I parked and went in. I talked to the assistant principal who is in charge of the busses. Several other parents and friends were still at the school helping kids find their classrooms, so I talked to them as well. And of course the principal was out and I talked to him. All of this was done as I looked like I had just rolled out of bed. My hair was all twisted up and pulled back. I didn't have any makeup on. I had a tank top and some knit FSU shorts on. I wasn't looking my best for the first day of school. After all, I wasn't planning on going to school yet. But I had to make sure this bus issue wasn't going to be an issue. I also had to be sure Tyler got his "tag" so they knew which bus he should get on to get home after school.

I don't think the bus issue is completely resolved yet. But I've talked to who I need to talk to to get it right. He's being the first on in the mornings and last off in the afternoons. This is not how it's supposed to work. But I've been told it will be resolved. None of this is bothering Tyler yet, and I don't think he even knows I've been talking to anyone about it to fix it. But I'd rather not have him adding an hour to an hour and a half to his school day for no reason, especially in the south Louisiana heat!

Okay, now that my rant is over...on to what this post should be about...letting go! :) You see, this is a very difficult thing for me. I tend to hover over my children to make sure they are happy and cared for and have everything they could possibly need. Putting Tyler on the bus to school is a step for me in letting go. I'm losing a little bit of control. But, this is a good thing. Tyler needs to learn more independence, and I feel confident that he is up to the task.

As I prayed for him this morning, I prayed for his safety and other things. But I seemed to get kind of stuck as I was asking God to help me let go of him and put him into HIS hands. I know I mean this, and I want this, but apparently, it's going to be hard to relinquish control.

Now I know he is just 7 years old, and I still have a good deal of control over what happens in his life, but there are some areas where I need to back off. I am very involved in the school and things that go on there and in his classroom so I can be a part of his life even when he is at school. I remember Jeremy saying to Tyler one day as we were getting ready for a field trip that Tyler couldn't get away without Mama. So far, I don't think this bothers him. In fact, he at least acts like he enjoys it, especially when Tucker gets to come along. They are best friends. It is part of the advantage of my being a stay-at-home mom. I can get involved.

But as I was praying, I really felt like God was telling me that although I was praying this - to put Tyler is HIS hands - I wasn't really doing it. I'm thinking about whether I'm really willing to let go of him and let God have him. Hannah did this with Samuel at a VERY early age. I cannot imagine what all she went through to do this. She seemed willing and happy to do it, as she promised. But I think of all the things she "missed out on" as he was growing up. Yes, she saw him, visited him and talked to him, I believe. But she was not the one in control of his life. This would be hard.

This is another journey for me as a mother. I feel like when I post things about motherhood that I'm dealing with, as in my "Why do I yell?" post, I get advice and support from others who deal with the same things. And it really helps. So, if there are others who read this and have something you'd like to share on this topic, please do! It may help me, you, or others!

Why Do I Yell?

It's confession time. And I'm writing this down for public knowledge to make myself more accountable. My devotion this morning from Proverbs 31 Ministries was about taming your tongue and the power such a small thing has. In case you haven't noticed yet, these devotions spur a lot of thought and insight in my life. I love reading them, even when they convict me.

I think I'm figuring something out. The only people I ever yell at are my kids. Now, WHY in the world would I choose to only yell at the little ones that I love more than anything in the world and who are so vulnerable to what I say and do to them?

I have always been a "peacemaker" in my family. I am the middle child of 5 kids. I always held my feelings in, and still do a lot, and just didn't really say much. I was very quiet. Now that I am a wife and mother and have my own home, I have opened up a lot. My dear husband has drawn me out of my shell a good bit.

But I find myself yelling at my children. I get so frustrated when they disobey, when they are fighting, or when they are just not listening to me, and I yell at them. Now, everyone knows that yelling at kids really isn't effective. It more or less just scares them for a minute, long enough for you to get a word in. But it is NOT effective parenting or disciplining. In fact, at times they think it's funny and laugh when I get so wound up that I yell. So, why do I do it?

I mean, I don't even ever yell at Jeremy when I get mad. With him, as with everyone else, I shut down, at least at first. If I begin to speak, I get upset and tears tend to fill my eyes. And we all know guys hate it when girls "bring on the waterworks." And I never mean to cry, it's just what happens.

But I've decided that the reason I feel more free to yell at my kids is because I do not have the fear that they will love me any less. I am their Mama. And when we are the only ones at home, there is no one there to judge how I am acting. All the years of pent up emotions that I didn't let out are now coming out very loudly toward my children. I know I must stop this. Even just yelling to tell them something because I don't feel like getting off the couch and walking to the room where they are needs to stop. It's a really bad habit that I do NOT like in myself.

So, beginning today, I am starting the healing process of this habit. When I find myself yelling, or about to yell, for whatever reason, I am going to tighten my lips, and pause. I know this will not be easy. And there will be many times that I fail. But I'm viewing this as a process that will get better over time, if I try.

One other note...I WILL yell if my child is in danger and it is necessary to get their attention. :) But, I'm hoping and praying that all other yelling will cease. I'd appreciate any prayers for me in this.

This is the prayer from the devotion by Luann Prater of the Proverbs 31 Ministries this morning:
Dear Lord, Thank you for reminding us that a tongue can rip a heart apart, or seal it back together. Teach us to pause long enough to give your Spirit time to work in and through us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Also, a friend just showed me a book called "Scream Free Parenting" that sounds like a perfect book for this situation. Here is a YouTube link for an ad for the book.