Parent/Teacher Conferences

Last night I met with Sarah and Joshua's teachers for the annual fall conferences. I'll be honest, I was worried about them. Joshua and Sarah both haven't had the best 6 weeks, well at least I thought that.
I worry about Sarah the most, she is like a volcano waiting to explode some days and I don't want that to happen at school. Sarah's teacher told me, she is a little above average for her age, and is right where she should be (I was a little worried) and that she sometimes has her days. My response to that was "Sometimes?" (not always) Her teacher told me to continue to read to her and have her read to me and work on her math skills.
Joshua is such a different child. His teachers told me he was a fantastic student and  gave me his report card and he had honor roll! 3 A's and 3 B's. He was most excited about the A in Math (he is in 5th grade math and it's hard). He had a rough day, you can read about that in an earlier post, a few weeks ago and his teachers were hoping it was something that would pass. One of the teachers also said that he didn't have a lot in common with the other 4th grade boys, which was a good thing, he is much more mature. Well that's good and bad. It's great that he is such a good kid, but because if his maturity level he might not have that many friends. I guess I got great reports from his teachers and I should be happy, but I can't help feeling a little sad for him.

Being 9 is Hard!

"Today was thew WORST day of my life!" This is what I heard yesterday when Joshua got off of the bus! Evidently he had told on one of the boys in his class, that boy then told all the other boys not to be friends with Joshua. It was a rough day!

Then comes homework! The dreaded nightly episode. And of course it is all harder than it's ever been. Joshua is a smart kid. He is taking 5th grade math, and excels in English and Social Studies. But I guess because he is taking the 5th grade math is is just hard. Last night during our struggle he looked at me and asked me why I had kids if I knew they would have to take such hard classes. And I realize he is doing stuff that I did in middle school, and I shouldn't be upset with him. I just wish it was a little easier for him

Ready For Fall

Officially we have 4 more days until the start of fall, but when are the temps going to go down? I can't wait for leaves to fall and the crisp air and the pumpkins and apples and Halloween and Thanksgiving. I'm super excited for the new Halloween store at Candler's Station. They opened this week and I think we are going over tomorrow after Sarah's soccer game. Now don't get me wrong, I love Summer, Spring and Winter, but at the end of each season I am ready for the next one. Each season has something special about it. But Fall is one of my favorites. I'm ready for the fun!

A True Blessing

As many of you know when Chad lost his job last fall, he also lost his insurance. For 9 months now we have had to pay full price for my insulin and pump supplies. That runs us around $550/month. Last year at this time it was costing us around $75. Now to some of you, that might not seem like a big deal (my rich friends) but to us it's huge. In June we discovered Lilly Cares, which is a part of the company who makes the insulin I use. They offer free and reduced price medications to patients without insurance. It has been a long few months waiting for the response. I found out today that I will be getting my insulin for free. They will ship it directly to my doctor's office each month. What a blessing. This will save our family around $6,000 a year.

Sleeping Late!

Such a wonderful thought! One that doesn't actually happen very often. The school bus picks my kids up at 7:55 every morning. This morning when the alarm went off we decided that I could just take the kids to school and sleep a little late. Get this, we slept until after the school bus picks them up, we got up, got ready and got to the school before their bus did. Amazing, we just might make this an every day thing. I am feeling so good cause I got to sleep an hour longer. Now you might say, what about the weekend? Like many children, my kids believe that if they don't have to go to school they should get up at the crack of dawn. So, sleeping late on the weekends is out of the question. I am going to enjoy my day!

My Bolgging Deleima

As I am reading my friends blogs and other people I have never met's blogs, I have come to realize that I'm not very good t it. I really enjoy doing it, it's almost like a diary, that I can share so I am not going to stop. Some blogs I read are poetic, beautiful, thought provoking, informative and just good reads. Mine on the other hand seems jumbled and chaotic. (probably why not that many people read it) I would love to be able to write wonderful and beautiful blogs, but that just doesn't seem possible. So please be patient with me as I attempt to share my feelings and goings on! And thanks for taking the time to read!

It's RELAY Time!

Well, not quite! But I did have my first committee meeting tonight. I love my Relay friends. I also love Relay for Life and what they do. As many of you know my father and grandmother both passed away because of cancer. CANCER SUCKS! I want to find a cure and will do what ever it takes! I look forward to the walk, not only that night but the walk that we as a committee have ahead of us as we plan the 2011 Relay. We have a great chairperson and co-chairperson, who are great leaders and inspirations to all the committee. CELEBRATE! REMEMBER! FIGHT BACK!

6 Years Ago

Six years ago, seems like a lifetime ago, I held his hand and watched him slip away! September 1, 2004 was the hardest day of my life so far, it was the day my dad passed away. My dad was a constant in my life, he didn't live with us because my mom and dad separated when I was 2. I loved my dad and he was an inspiration to me and still is today! He suffered for so long with numerous illnesses and diseases. He had heart attacks, diabetes, lung cancer. It was the cancer that finally took him. He meant so much to me, still does.
I hate that he has missed so much over the last 6 years. I know he would have loved his grand children so much. I look at Joshua and see my dad every once in a while, Joshua actually remembers him. Sarah was just 4 months old when he died, she has no memory of him at all. I do have a couple of pictures of him holding her. I treasure those. I wish Dad had meet Chad and Sam. Sam's middle name is David just like my dad's middle name. Sam has a birthmark on the back of his head, I like to think of it as a Kiss from my dad and grandma. (I know that sounds silly, but it helps ease the pain)
I went to the cemetery today, just being there broke my heart. I sat and cried for a while and Sam played. He came over and gave me a hug. I know Dad would hate that I have been crying about him today and he would want me to get on with my life. I want to make him proud. I love you, Daddy!

(The above picture is of me and my dad ~ 1978)

What am I thinking?

Well I have decided that I want to loose some weight. I'm fat! I know, it's not a secret. I am not trying to loose the weight for my appearance, I have been worried about my heart. I have relatives that have had heart attacks (including my dad), and I have no desire to go through that. As I get older I worry that something will happen. So this morning I put Sam in the stroller and took a walk around the block. I did it, it was hard but I am determined to get healthier. It was just a short walk and I will make it longer as I feel I can. I want to be around for a long time, and I want to do whatever I can. Sam loved the walk and cried when I got back to the house and we had to go inside. Wish me luck!

Being a parent isn't always Easy

Who am I kidding, is it ever easy? I went to pick up Joshua from camp yesterday. I was so happy to see him. I asked all the typical questions: "How was camp?" "Did you have fun?" etc. I got answers although not extensive answers. I just passed it off as him being tired. The ride home was rough, Sarah and Joshua fought the entire way home. I had to pull over twice to move them and threaten them. The afternoon was hard with more arguing, I decided to take them to the spray ground to let them get rid of some of their energy. All 3 kids had a great time. Last night we went to the mall and dealt with more jealousy between our two oldest. They went to bed and I thought everything would be better after a good night's sleep! Boy, was I wrong! This morning we got up and headed out to yard sales, one of our Saturday morning traditions. After we laid Sam down for his nap, I took Sarah to a movie and Chad took Joshua to one (my mom was at home with Sam), thinking that it would be good for the kids. When we got home the fighting began again! We sent Joshua to his bed and let him cry it out. About 15 mins later I asked Joshua to come talk to me. He then explained he didn't have a good time at camp. Evidently one of his roommates told him he would be his friend if he could beat Joshua up. HE said he was scared every day! I'm so happy that I didn't know when I picked him up, I probably would have said some things unbecoming to a mother of 3. I loved Craig Springs so much growing up and hope that this doesn't ruin him of going back to camp. I have cried and prayed about it, hopefully God will help Joshua and me.

FREE!

I love anything for FREE! (well almost) I love for my kids to have a good time but I hate spending money on stuff! So far we have done pretty well this week:
Monday we went to the Family Fun day at the stadium, then to the game. The Family fun thing was FREE! Did you hear that FREE! They had a place to get your picture on a baseball card and on the cover of Sports Illustrated Kids, Bounce houses, tattoos, baseball card trading, and even a traveling museum of baseball stuff (I loved that part) And did I tell you, it was all FREE! OK, I guess you can tell that I love FREE stuff! Tuesday we headed over to the Regal for their FREE movie, we saw Alvin and the Chipmunks. We we got there in the cup holders were free coupons for kids meals at Chick Fil-a. So we had lunch at the Chick Fil-a at the mall. Today we decided to try out the new Spray Ground at Riverside Park. We waited for a while for the guy to get it turned on, but had a great time playing in it. Well Sam was a little scared, he gets a little nervous around water splashing. But in the end he had fun. Oh, did I tell you it was FREE! Now what can we do tomorrow that is FREE?

Craig Springs Drop Off

Today, I dropped off my oldest at camp. He will be there until Friday morning. I know this is the 3rd year I have done it but it always makes me a little sad. He will have so much fun and I'm kinda jealous. While we were dropping him off I realized that 23 summers ago I went to Craig Springs for the first time. I was older than Joshua is now and he has been going to Craig since he was 3 years old. I am so happy he loves it as much as I do. He was so excited I thought he would squirm out of his seat in the car on the way up. I pray he will get closer to God and learn a lot throughout the week.

Sending Joshua Off to Camp

Well tomorrow I am taking Joshua up to Craig Springs for a week of New Covenant camp. This is his 3rd year and he is so excited. It is such a mixed bag of emotions. I'm so happy because he is falling in love with one of the most beautiful places in the world, I'm proud because he is fine to go by himself, he misses us a little but doesn't let it get to him. I'm sad because he will be gone for a week and I will miss him a whole bunch. One thing I love about getting him ready this year is that he has grown up a lot since last year. Last year he didn't mind taking his spider man sheets and hot wheels tooth brush. This year he said "No, mom. I'm too old for that." So we went out and bought a bottle of Gillette body wash, a grown up tooth brush and are packing blue sheets and a baseball team's beach towel. I guess it's time for him to pass some of those childish thing on to his baby bother, some I will save to always remember his childhood. I am reminded of the children's book by Karen Kingsbury http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQeDfcvTRnA Where she talks about all the lasts that your children. We always remember the firsts but do we remember the lasts. So tomorrow when I leave Craig Springs, I will leave with a tear in my eye, not only because I'm leaving my son for a week but also because I know he is growing up.

My kids are driving me crazy! - And so is everyone else!

Maybe it's just me! But everyone I come in contact with is making my skin crawl. I don't know why, but it's true. I would love for people to understand that I am a 32 year old grown up! I don't need people telling me what to do or how to do it. Now I know that I am not perfect and don't know everything but don't think I am stupid because I don't do it the way you want me to. The kids are fighting like there is no tomorrow about everything even Sam is attempting to do it, he sees his brother and sister doing it so he thinks that is the way he is supposed to do it! Sometimes I just want to cry!

OK! So I have let it sit for a week and a half and I have controlled my anger a bit! But it has been hard to keep my mouth shut. So here goes!
Sam's birthday was last week. He turned 2! And I know that some people don't think it's a big deal, but I think ALL birthdays are special. We planned his party for a Sunday afternoon at my mother in law's house (she has a pool). Now here comes the part where I get mad. I have 3 sisters and Chad has 2 brothers, do you think they showed up or even called to wish him a Happy Birthday (well, Cissy did) I know that they must have had pressing engagements that could not have been avoided. (They better have) I know I shouldn't have been hurt by and Sam probably won't remember it but, I make sure I am at every birthday party that I'm invited to. And I know that you can't tell how angry I was (am) by what I am writing, but I thought I would cry that night, in fact I probably shed a few tears. Treat others as you would like to be treated, well do they want me to skip their kids' birthday parties, etc? Well, I'm not like that, if I'm invited then I will be there unless there is something that can't be avoided (like a death, sick child etc)
We had a great time and I loved celebrating my son's 2nd birthday! Even though some very important people were absent!

My baby turns 2

Samuel David Boswell is 2 years old as of 12:11 a.m. this morning! Wow! Sometimes it seems he has always been apart of our lives and then sometimes it seems as if it was just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. He brings so much joy into our lives everyday! Now, don't misunderstand me: He is a handful and a half. He is always getting into something. Chad comes home often and asks me "What did you do today?" And many times I just want to scream. He doesn't understand that every time I turn around Sam is into something else. The other day he attempted to hang from the curtains by his teeth, he succeeded in ripping the curtain. Gotta love him! I thank God every day for Sam!

Heaven or Hell?

Well yesterday I experienced something I can honestly say I have never experienced before. My cousins' father passed away. Now, I have been around many people who have died and that is not my new experience. What was so different was that he didn't believe in God, Heaven, the devil or Hell. I have been struggling with it because it scares me. Everyone that I have know that has passed away has been a believer. I know what the Bible says and I believe it. But the thought of someone that I have meet (didn't know him) spending eternity in Hell really bothers me. No matter how hard my cousins tried to get him to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior, he refused. He continued to say there was no such thing. I am praying for my cousins because they are hurting so bad, not only because they have lost their father but because they know they will never see him again. I lost my father almost 6 years ago and it hurts so bad to miss him, but I know I will see him when the Lord calls me home. To know that you will never again see your father must hurt so bad. I pray for my cousins and hope they are able to find peace.

1st day of Day Camp

So, yesterday was the first day of day camp. (an all day VBS type camp held at our church's youth camp in Concord) I sent Joshua and Sarah and they were both excited. Joshua made a new friend, Will. It's weird how I went to Day Camp with his friends mom. They seemed to have a great day even though it rained. Sarah passed her swim test. She was the only one in her class to pass it! I am so proud of her, swimming at Grandma and Grandpa G's really has paid off! She was so excited to show me her wrist band (they have to wear them so that the lifeguards know they passed the test! Can't wait to see what else they get into!

Tounges A Wagging

So yesterday, Chad and I visited a different church. We enjoyed the experience and do not regret going. But that does NOT mean that we are leaving Fairview Christian. As I arrived to drop off my kids this morning I had 6 different people ask me if we were leaving the church. We almost never miss church. Over the past 2 years we have missed maybe 4 Sundays and one of those was the day after Sam was born. Maybe next time you miss a Sunday to go on vacation or just didn't want to come I will assume that you have left the church and start rumors about that. No I won't, because I will get the correct information first! So many people talk with out getting the correct information, I don't care who you hear it from, if it's not from my mouth don't believe it!

Well I am Back!

Yes I know, I haven't blogged since February! So much has happened, I don't really know where to start. So here is a quick run down. Sarah turned 6 on April 3, Joshua turned 9 on April 23rd and Easter was a blast. Sam was scared of the Easter Bunny, and everything else that is dressed up. Baseball started up again and we won 10 anytime tickets to the Hillcats. Relay happened in June and was awesome. I never realized how exhausting being on the committee could be, but I don't regret any of it. It was an awesome event and I am very proud of all of the Lynchburg Teams who raised so much money. I want a cure and I want it soon! Joshua and Sarah both finished off the school year with honor roll and Joshua rocked his SOL's passing all of them and getting a 600 (perfect) on one of them. Sarah went to Girl Scout Camp and fell in love with it, just like I did as a child!
Chad and I are doing great. I am so blessed to have found such an amazing man who cares for and loves me as much as he does. I know I drive him crazy sometimes but he sticks by me and encourages me everyday.
I am continually working on my relationship with God. The devil is trying to get me and has jumped practically in my face, has used people that I respected and loved and has not gotten me yet! PRAISE GOD! God is Good! I looked forward to these next few months as God shows me where He wants me to be and what He wants me to do. Hopefully I will get the message! Only by His Grace!

How to Raise Gving Children

Well! I honestly have no idea! Our minister's message on Sunday was about how a child doesn't like to give up any of their toys or clothes and eventually how that mindset stays with us as we grow up. And I know this happens to many people. Some kids are just not giving. I don't think it comes down to anything parents do, well it might, I just didn't do anything. I have 3 very wonderful children. Joshua and Sarah are very empathic. (Sam is too young). From the time Joshua was around 2 he has shared. Which is a pretty amazing thing for a toddler. He gives randomly at with out being asked to. Just like last year when instead of asking for gifts for his birthday, he wanted to have people donate to his Relay For Life goal. Don't mean to brag on him. It took a little longer for the empathy thing to hit home with Sarah, but when it hit , IT HIT. Just the other week during the Haiti telethon, Sarah was so moved that she went to her room and started putting a lot of her stuff in bags for us to send to the little girls that lived in Haiti. Both joshua and Sarah continue to do things for others. They hold doors for people, they give what they have to help others, what more could a mother ask for. I pray that as Sam grows up he learns from his big brother and big sister.

A new post FINALLY!!

Oh My Gosh! I haven't blogged since November! Well, what a roller coaster ride these last few months have been. Some of the good things I will include and try to leave out the bad.

* Chad got a job! He started at Stay In Touch, INC in mid January. He is the web designer for the company. Over the past 2 weeks he has gotten 2 more part time jobs. So right now he actually has 4 jobs! He has been such a great provider and continues to be. It was a hard time but we continued to trust the Lord and He saw us through!

* Thanksgiving and Christmas were great. We helped at the church to feed many people less fortunate than us on Thanksgiving. I think the kids really enjoy helping others. By seeing them show their ability to give and share just makes me feel great. Christmas is always great. Busy but great. Christmas Eve was spent with Chad's father and his wife Rosie (PawPaw and MeMaw) followed by Christmas Eve Candle Light service at 11 pm at church. The crowd was small but it was such a meaningful service! Cissy's boyfriend came in so Christmas Eve he helped out with putting the presents under the tree. Of course while we were clearing under the tree to have enough room for Santa's presents, the tree stand broke and fell on top of me. It was quite memorable. Christmas morning was chaotic. Chad's mom and stepdad (Grandma and Grandpa G) joined us for Santa time. So all together we has 10 people in the living room opening presents. After that we went to Chad's Granny's house for Christmas Breakfast and more presents. Came back home and had lunch. Ryan picked up Joshua and Sarah and we laid Sam down for a nap and we took a nap as well. We went to my cousin Stacy's house for dinner. We sure did eat a lot.

*2010 started off great! And so far has continued to be. A lot has gone on in the world and community and we have prayed so much for lost lives and hurting people. The earthquake in Haiti had a tremendous effect on the entire family. Joshua and Sarah have been collecting money at their school and Sarah wept many times when she saw the devastation. When less than a week later the shootings in Appomattox happened, it hit home to so many. We have close friends who live in Appomattox very close to where all this was happening. This scared little Sarah, when she found out it was very close to where Sarah Jones lives she broke down, worried for her friends and scared for her own life. (we were never in danger) We continue to pray for all the families who have been affected.

* The SNOW! well it was beautiful but Enough Already! The kids enjoyed the snow and Sarah got her picture on WSET with her Relay For Life Snowman we built. They missed almost 2 weeks from school and they were happy to get back to their friends and their routine.

Well now that I've gotten you caught up I can stop. I plan on being back again soon.