Soccer, A-1 & lip gloss

I won't take it for granted
I won't waste another second
All I want is to give You
A life well lived to say, “Thank You”~~Jason Gray "Good to be Alive"

The oldest isn't playing soccer this season. He's played every season since age four. That's approximately 150+ games that's he's gotten up for, most on a Saturday. 

The middle took a year off of gymnastics, and is now ready to start again.  Her soccer career began and ended with two days of soccer camp a few summers ago.

The youngest is starting her third year of playing soccer.  She loves it.  LOVES it.  This season, she had to leave her team of two years for another team (her own age group, as the former team was all Sarah's age).  It's a new adventure that is taking some adjustment.  Her first tournament was this last weekend, a pre-season gig that her team went into with just a few practices.   The tournament, as well as discovering "Al's sauce" (A-1) made it a banner weekend.

Normally, I'm a very quiet person.  So if you hear about some crazy soccer mom making eye contact and yelling "quit shoving my daughter" to an opposing 10 year old while play was going on on the soccer field, it wasn't might have been me.  All of the sudden I felt like I was a mother bear and not really myself.  Chad looked at me like I was crazy.  Now, the shoving play was way down the field when the comment was yelled, but let's say I tried very hard to remain quiet the remainder of the game.

Onto something else.   Tonight was "meet the teacher."  Three kids.  Two extremely excited kids who DRESSED for the occasion, including hair and lip gloss.  (guess who)  The other was ready to find his locker, drop off his supplies, and exit at the nearest exit sign.  BLESSED.  Amazing teachers and school personnel, friends...I cannot explain how blessed we are by our kids' schools.

What gets me is that these kids are getting so big so fast.  Every parent knows.  Every parent will talk about kids outgrowing clothes and shoes.  (speaking of shoes....when the boy's shoe size is greater than his age by +2...)  Both of the girls' teachers have kids going off to their first years of college.  It just ALL goes by TOO quickly!  This time we have to shape these kids' hearts and minds....what a blessed opportunity and amazing responsibility given to us as parents and teachers and mentors.

One thing that God has been teaching me through all of Chad's health issues, is to be thankful for each day and each moment.

Sappy, corny.   Confessions of a mom who is confessing embarrassing soccer mom stories and acknowledging her kids are growing up....very quickly.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some chocolate.

Steady my heart

Change. **shudder**  Some people don't even like the loose change they have in their pocket or that collects on their bathroom counters.  Maybe that's just at my house.

In the New Year's letter that our family sent out this last holiday season (I couldn't get it together for a Christmas letter), I mentioned that our word for last year was "change."  That I'm pretty hesitant to change things, but if we didn't embrace it last year, it was going to knock us down on the way through.

Much of this change is natural: growing older, kids getting taller (Seth is almost the same height as his dad!), the cotton now forming huge heads of white fluff where dark green leaves and blossoms used to be.  Even though it may be natural, this gal still has a hard time with change.

Such as...
My baby is eight as of July 30th.  And going into 3rd grade!

The baseball trade deadline for the MLB...always bothers me.

We went on a glorious family vacation and had loads of fun in Southern California, which left the man of the house tired  spent  exhausted. 
Here's my fave travel pic of my kids...who, to my amazement,were not left exhausted:

Before our trip, we said goodbye to some precious, precious friends.  TWO families, one who moved across the state, the other who moved across the country. The kids at my house, as well as their momma, are still a little in disbelief and pretty sad about it.

And now, another job adventure.  One great thing about being a nurse, as I'm just finding this to be reality in the last few years, is that it is a very diverse job.  Starting next week I will be a school nurse at a local middle school.  Yes, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders...hundreds of them.  My principal at the school knew me as a 6th grade student.  My aunt teaches at the school, and I know a few more of the teachers there as well.  Excited, nervous....more change!

Gotta embrace it, that's what I keep saying to myself.  Seems like every month we are adapting to a "new normal" with Chad's health.  Even if the "new normal" isn't what we want, even if these changes are occurring, there is unfortunately little we can do to stop them or slow it down. 

God's got His hand in all of this!  From the seemingly insignificant (MLB trade deadline) to the things that are of utmost importance, He's got us.  He has us firmly in His grip.  Change will come, but He won't let go.  After all, the change in my heart that happened so many years ago is what's getting me through this!

"I'm not gonna worry
I know that You've got me
Right inside the palm of Your hand
Each and every moment
What's good and what gets broken
Happens just the way You plan"
~Steady My Heart~~Kari Jobe