Friday, October 29, 2010

Seth Goes to School

Taylorsville High School has a preschool program where the students learn about child development and teaching young children.  Historically, this is my favorite kind of preschool for my children.  Not too serious, just some structure and some fun.  Seth started preschool this week.  I am not emotional about my youngest going to school unless you count the dawning realization that I could potentially have two hours to myself a couple times a week and that makes me ecstatic.  :) (I say potentially, because Ethan was a preschool dropout. So you never know.)
Seth's First Day of Preschool

Seth and his buddy Michael.  The second day of preschool was a Halloween party.  The kids were able to wear their costumes and parade around the school for teachers and high school kids to appreciate their cuteness.  They also did a bit of trick or treating.  Please take a moment with me to appreciate Seth's costume for what it really is: A too-small T-shirt with the batman logo combined with a cape from the dress up box and Seth is convinced he is Batman.  He zooms around in the cape and convinces most on-lookers, I am sure.  To me, I love how a suggestion of a costume transforms a child in their own mind, becoming their reality for a moment.  Childhood is precious. What I am learning over time is that we are all still in there, the little child in our heart still loves a good Batman shirt once in awhile, can still appreciate the whoosh of the chocolate as it cascades from the trick or treat bag onto the floor.  I'm grateful for my children who allow me to still enjoy Halloween.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Field Trip to the Zoo

Ethan's class went to visit the zoo this week and I was a chaperone.  We had a good time. Here are a few photos.
This is my personal favorite.  Ethan is generally a head taller than all of his classmates.  Grow, big guy!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Mother Daughter

Miriam and I went to the Mother Daughter party for her activity day girls.  It was a fiesta, and so fun with wonderful food!  Here are some pictures:
 Conga Line

Friends

A Pinata (the girls decorated this cute box)

So fun to be together!  Love you, Miriam!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Employment Update

Nathan is still looking for a job.  We have several, actually, but none of them come with a salary. :) We want the kind that does.  And benefits too.  Things are looking hopeful, there has been more interest in him lately, and some big construction projects have been awarded in our area, so we'll see.  I hope it comes soon, as we are weary of the situation and battle the depression demons and insecurity more than anything.  In all of this, we still have been greatly blessed.  This round of unemployment has taught us a lot about being on the receiving end of charity.  We have found so many loving people around us and we have been humbled at their goodness. We are thankful for prayers in our behalf, money left at our home and food from friends.  We are grateful for the things that we need appearing at yard sales or in bags of hand me down clothes.  I am glad for visits at just the right times or phone calls to listen and support us.  We feel eternally blessed by our families and friends.

Nathan is plowing through his master's program too.  That has been a stretch to go back to school, and I think he is brave.  He is also very excited about all of the things he is learning.  We hope it will be an investment in the future.

I am pooped.  I feel most days like the coyote on the roadrunner show as he falls off cliffs trailing little puffs of smoke or gets flattened by stray steam rollers.  The stress has affected my sleep, my waistline, my house, my interactions with the children and my marriage.  I wish it all over with.  But I know that all change, even good change, comes with stress.  There are debts to pay this time and the process of digging out of this mess will be long, no matter what.  We are changed by it all. I hope we will do good things with the change in perspective--that it makes us more loving and charitable too. There are direct debts of gratitude that I'm not sure we will ever be able to pay, but maybe sometime we can help someone else.