Where did September Go?

September marked some pretty significant changes in our household. Wanna hear about them?

Jackson entered Kindergarten. Day one report: "It was good" (said with a smile). Day two report: "It was GREAT!" He has come home with new tricks up his sleeve, like when he wants to say something, his arm shoots straight up in the air and he WAITS for me to call on him. I like this trick.

I should mention that Davis has made the transition to second grade quite well. He has the same teacher as last year, and most of his classmates are the same.

Soccer-soccer-soccer. Unlike baseball, the season of soccer is actually rather manageable. Games only last an hour, and practices are not nearly so frequent and intense. Actually, we are hosting Davis' soccer practices in our backyard. That has been fun. But really, the best part is watching the boys play their hearts out. Jackson runs circles around his team mates. They have put him on "goalie" to prevent him from scoring every 90 seconds. (They had him just passing a lot, which he was more than willing to do, but after he passed it to a team mate, they would promptly lose it so Jackson would go get it again and the series of events would repeat themselves. Eventually he gives up and just goes ahead and scores. Pretty funny. Davis is learning a new level of competition this year and it is called "having a goalie." "It's hard to score when there is a goalie!!" says he. He's doing well, none-the-less.

Working less. I have transitioned some of my duties at work over to my trusty (and amazing) assistant at work. As a result I have less on my plate and can work fewer hours per week. (I have been working 20 hours for about 18 months, and the goal now is for me to work 10 hours a week instead.) It has been very clear that this change is long overdue. We added a kid 10 months ago, which increased the demands on my day but did not adjust my life. I have had too much on my plate for too many months and to be really honest, I let the eternal things drop. It is time for a change!

Public School, Year 4

School starts Tuesday. My babies are in 2nd grade and Kindergarten. We went to school yesterday to drop off the school supplies they asked each student to buy. My two grade-schoolers left with excitement coursing through their veins. They can't wait for what lies ahead.

As a Lord-loving mother, I share in their excitement. I can relax any teacher-trepidations I might have had this year because both my kids have teachers we have had in the past. They are both women who pass the "sniff test" with flying colors. My second grader has developed a track record of (somehow) picking out the kids that are fellow believers and befriending them - though he rarely knows what they believe. It occurs to me that I need to give glory to the Lord for this one! My kindergartner has yet no track record for the kind of friends he makes (all his friendships thus far have been through church and via my friendships with other mothers). I do know one thing about him, though, and it is this: he follows the crowd.

Here enters trepidation.

I praise the Lord that on Day One of school for him, I know his propensities and weaknesses. I know what to keep an eye on, and I can anticipate the kinds of conversations we will have. I will need to use words such as "leader" to describe him to himself and talk about standing strong in the face of temptation. They will be good mother-son conversations. I pray they would be filled with grace, compassion and hope.