THE END OF AN ERA: KINDERGARTEN DRAWS EVER NEARER

You may or may not be able to derive from the title of this post the drama that I feel about the dawning of kindergarten that will occur this year.  I feel dramatic on the inside about it.  For as expressive as I am, I am not actually that dramatic.  I have a mostly even keeled demeanor, but thinking about kindergarten brings out all of the things that I don't like.

I don't like being the new person in a situation that does not know and understand everything.

I don't like having a schedule dictated to me by someone else.

I don't like the idea of not seeing Lily during much of the day, five days a week.

The reality is that I am nearing the end of an era - the era of having all of my children at home with me.  Of being the master of my family's schedule.  Of uninterrupted afternoon naps for the children that do choose to nap.  Of not having homework or PTA pressure or a school schedule.  Have you picked up that I am really not looking forward to the school schedule?

You may recall that I started bemoaning kindergarten at the beginning of this school year.  I largely freak out about major change before it happens, so that is playing out in full effect right now.  Yesterday, I drove just Lily to her school to register her.



I called before I went to make sure I had all the necessary paperwork and was heading to the right place.  I know it was on the website, but I just didn't want to screw it up somehow.  It was the first time that Lily has been to the school up close, though we drive past it all the time.  She was so excited about the two playgrounds.  I mean, that is the only comment she has really had on the school since we left it.

I filled out the paperwork while sitting in the rather cramped teacher's lounge that had bagels and cream cheese that Lily mistook for ice cream.  Sweet people came in and out and spoke to us and welcomed Lily to the school.  I wished she would look them in the eye, and I hope that someday she will.  Maybe she will learn that skill in kindergarten.

After writing our address what felt like 400 times and spilling all the deets on our living situation, the first language spoken in our home and all of Lily's various info that she has acquired in her long five years, I was ready to turn in the paperwork to the registrar.  She was so very kind and told me that we had successfully registered.  She started filling me in on likely dates for school starting and kindergarten get togethers that happen the weekend before it starts to familiarize them with the people.

My heart started racing a bit, and it took everything in me to not let the tears come to the surface of my eyes and spill out right there.  I am sure she thought I was a bit of a nutter with my shiny eyes and nodding head, trying for my voice not to crack.  Pull it together, Spenst, this is just kindergarten.  We can do this.

Because of the snow flurries, the school was ordering early dismissal while we were there, and chaos was starting to show itself.  I thought - next year, I will need to rush to the school if this happens.  So it was over, and Lily and I basically ran to the car to escape from the cold.  When I asked if she would take a picture in front of the school, this is the face she made.

Starting next school year, my entire world will change.  I will be adding a whole new community of people to get to know, which is daunting in and of itself.  As my friends and I have discussed it, we decided that living between the two worlds is one of the harder balancing acts.  I will still have three children at home while sweet Lily is at school.  I will have to make both things work, and I am sure that the juggling act will leave me spinning for a while and certainly take some getting used to.

But - I know this is what God has for our family, and that makes it right for us.  I am looking forward to watching Lily flourish next year, as I know she will.  It will broaden our world and bring more people into it, and for that, I am grateful - though a bit nervous.  It's just hard to know how to be known in a whole new context, though I'm sure we'll get the hang of it.

Bella will miss Lily so very much, and right now, she really doesn't seem to get it.  We will all have a lot of adjustments, but we will make it through, and I hope be better for it all.  It's the end of an era, but I think the new era will hold its own charms, pleasures and struggles.  It will be good.

THIS & THAT

I'm sure by now all of you have seen Geico's camel Hump Day commercial.  It never fails to make me laugh - seriously.  And then I am reminded of being in college and having one of the women who helped clean our dorm write on the dry erase marker boards on each of our doors - "Happy Hump Day."  She took the time to do this every week and would draw a little hump.  At the time I thought it was a bit strange, but looking back I think - She took time to be extra kind to us.  Just because.  What a gift.

All of that to say, Happy Hump Day - we're half way through the week!

I wrote a guest post for sweet Kelcie at This Beautiful Inheritance.  I gave it the cheery title of "Dead Dreams," so if you're interested, you should definitely check it out.  I was a little intimidated to be writing a post for someone else's blog, but it turned out to be fun.  Thanks for the chance, Kelcie!

Today I have been awed as I have driven around town.  The sun has been playing peek-a-boo, and every time it appears from behind the clouds, it seems that the trees are covered in diamonds.  They are sparkling, and it is gorgeous.

The creativity of God is declared by nature so fully.  I am amazed with the diversity of beauty that the four seasons bring, and I love seeing something unusual that transforms the ordinary to something extraordinarily lovely.  I also love that we have not lost power through this storm cycle, and I am so grateful.

In other news, this week I am covered up in Valentine's cookies, but they are coming along really well!  I just love Valentine's Day.  I can't help it.



I'm off to cover all those bare cookies with sugary, almond flavored goodness.  Yum.

MAKING OUR VALENTINE'S MANTEL

I love the pinks and reds and hearts that Valentine's Day brings along with it, and I wanted to do something simple to put on our mantel for the occasion.  We need some brightness up in here with all the gloomy weather we've been getting.



We picked out cheap-o wooden letters at Hobby Lobby, and I let the girls paint them.  I figured that since I wasn't going for perfection anyway, it would be a great activity for them.

This went pretty well, though Bella finished much more quickly than Lily who was much more precise.  William did manage to pull the paint off of the table, and I had to remind him that there is no need to cry over spilt paint.  (Unless it's a whole can of latex spilt onto carpet - then you get a free cry card.)

I love the way it came out.  I strung doilies onto baker's twine to hang underneath the letters and collected branches from our back yard to go behind the letters.  I jimmy-rigged the letters to stay up by taping cardboard onto the back of them as little stands.  They haven't fallen over since I got it right, so that seems like a good sign.

In other Valentine's decorating news, I added mail boxes for William and Violet - though the pictures don't indicate that I haven't yet glued them to the candlesticks, so please don't mess with them.  Stop messing!  (Here's last year's post about the mailboxes that includes a link to a tutorial on them.)



Lily made the most precious love note for John while he was gone this weekend.



We've also been enjoying learning about a new attribute of love each day with our Valentine's Advent thingie. I don't know what else to call it since it's not a calendar.  Anyway, we do it at breakfast each morning, and the girls have really paid close attention each day.

Though our Bible study was canceled today, I am actually enjoying the slow pace and the beautiful view of frozen trees.  I have, however, banned the Frozen soundtrack from being played anymore today.



If you are iced or snowed in - I hope you are staying warm and cozy.  If you aren't, well - that must be nice.  Enjoy the pleasantness of being able to move about your normal life while I am enjoying the pause in mine.  Happy Tuesday!

WEEKEND OF COMMUNITY

Every year around this time, the guys in our community group go on a man trip.  They stay in a cabin and do manly things.  This year they chose to canoe the Buffalo river.  We ladies were a bit on the skeptical side of this plan since it is February.  And cold.  And it was supposed to rain.  But, our manly men were not deterred and ended up having a great time on the river.

I'm so glad that John has fantastic friends who love the Lord and are able to encourage one another, and they had a great time.

Meanwhile, us girls all held down the forts in our respective homes, but a couple of years ago, we wised up and learned to plan lots of stuff together while the guys are gone.  It certainly makes everything go more quickly and is much more fun when you are doing it together.  So, Friday night, we had a pizza dinner at Courtney's with all the kids.

It was chaotic, but actually not too bad, considering the number of children.  And no one was sick, which seemed a February miracle.  On Saturday night, we all got sitters and went out for dinner at one place and then dessert at another.  And it was wonderful - truly.  We could all talk and talk and talk and talk just about forever.  There are so many interesting subjects ranging from the shallow to the very deep to discuss.  Especially when there are no shorties there to interrupt us.

Living life up close with people is one of the greatest gifts in our life.  So, when I got home and my power went out inexplicably about 15 minutes after I walked in, I had a bunch of willing commiserators to text with who had funny quips and offers to come to their houses if our power stayed off.  Thankfully it came back on within about two hours, and the kids slept through the whole thing.  And John came home at lunch time today, and all was well with the world.  Well - at least - all was normal in our household where someone is usually dancing or crying or laughing or needing to eat or wanting to be tickled or needing to be wiped or wanting us to fix something.  Our hands our full, but our hearts are fuller.