Firsts...

It is amazing to me that I, at age (almost 41) am continuing to experience firsts. First time (and LAST time) being pregnant over 40. First time sending a little boy to preschool, albeit only one day a week. First time actually forgetting to get Truett to baseball practice (must be that over 40 thing). First time going through the "busy season" of work working for someone else, and terribly missing those that got us through it in previous years.

This has been one of the hardest years of our lives. So many changes with life, job, and church. There have been many days I have wondered why on earth God would give us a new life to look after when our "normal" life has been turned upside down! I remember, however, that all babies are blessings. And so much joy comes from them. Not to mention the lack of focusing on oneself when there is one so completely dependent on you. I am confident that THIS is why we have a new little boy arriving in 100 days or less! Such precious gifts that we are so unworthy to receive.

As for us...
Mary just won 2 silver medals at the Special Olympics State Aquatics meet. She is also on the Equestrian Drill Team at her therapeutic riding school and continues to take ballet, including Light of Joy Ballet Company.

Bradlee returned to art classes this fall as that is her declared "major area of interest" for high school and she is truly amazing in this area. I am so thankful for her gift that I know she will always be able to use. She continues to take piano and is making great strides in adding to her basic playing ability. She is still taking ballet and is also in the Company. Much talk about going on pointe at the beginning of the year..so we hold our breath on that one.

Whitney is still my dreamer. She reminds me of the line from the movie Say Anything when Lloyd Dobler is asked what he wants to do with his life and he replies "I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that." That is so Whitney. She is going to do great things. I just know it. As for activities, she gave up piano as in her logic "The only reason I continue to take piano is because I know I will regret it later if I quit." So she is applying her piano knowledge to voice lessons and loves it. She also takes ballet and is only 1 level below Bradlee. She's in Company and is extremely hard on herself but is doing so well. It's hard having a sister 13 months older and wanting to do all that she does and not being able to see what she will be like in one year. She thinks much and works hard. She is definitely my "go to" gal around here when something needs to be done well.

Truett is growing up. I am proud and sad all at the same time. He is an aggravating (to his sisters, anyway) 10 year old in every sense, but to me, he's a precious young man who is kind to his peers and well liked by everyone. His baseball playing abilities, developed only with hard work, some natural talent, and very little help from his sports challenged parents, have come a long way. Even as a 1st year major (moved into 11-12 division) and one of only 3 first years on the team, he is the starting short stop, has sat out only 1 inning all year, and has made a great impression on yet another set of coaches. 3 different head coaches at his ballpark have told me that they hoped to get Truett on their team in the Spring. This amazes me because Truett is not an A-list player (although, he's getting so much better that I think I'm going to have to drop that line). What he lacks in ability, though, he makes up for in heart. He loves the game. Loves his coaches. Listens well. Works hard. Is kind. That means so much to me as I know that those qualities will take him farther than any great playing ability. He also plays piano...ALL THE TIME. I am thankful for his enjoyment, but sometimes it does make me crazy, especially if he REALLY loves the song. Then we get to hear it....EXTRA.

Emmett started preschool one day a week. He loves it. He's so smart that I'm not sure they're teaching him anything he doesn't already know, but he is learning how to follow instructions and work in a more disciplined environment. He can't wait to go and is disappointed to come home. I just miss him so much when he's not here. Whatever will I do when the girls leave for college?

Wyatt is talking more. He still has lots of times when he carries on a conversation with you and you have no idea what he is saying, but he's getting there. He's in a big boy bed now but ignores me when I talk about the new baby. He's been more attached to me than any of our other kids so January should bring some interesting changes for him. He is the only one of my children that actually goes "sour" if he doesn't have some time with me alone each day. Like he missed a vitamin or something. We accommodate this, but it is going to be more of a challenge when his little brother arrives in a few months. Still, how sweet to have someone love you so much that they just can't be without you.

As for our nameless baby boy...he is growing and active. Doctor says I am very healthy and do better being pregnant than most 20 somethings he sees every day. I stay away between appointments as much as possible and hope to keep my distance from there another 2 months.

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, REJOICE! Even when in the car, even when Monday rolls around and I have preschool, art, ballet (3 times over) and baseball, even when work is complete stress. REJOICE. I am thankful for the days the Lord has made for me and my family. I am thankful for my children who are such great people and wonderful to be around. And I am thankful for a husband who loves me and them, and works so hard to provide for us.

I hope that you all find reasons to rejoice each day. Our purpose is truly to show that joy to a lost world and clearly point them in the direction of Christ. I pray for boldness to show the joy that exists in our home truly comes from Christ, and that all other paths are just leading nowhere. I'm rejoicing that mine leads somewhere...heavenward.

We are pregnant!

Much to our shock and surprise, we are expecting a new little one in January. While it was not in our plans, it must have been in God's because here we are. All babies are blessings and this one is no exception. While we spent quite a few weeks ignoring our latest news, we are now excited about the coming days.

Counting down...

Summertime!

...and the living is easy...

Okay, not really. Life with six children can be fun, busy, silly, exciting, tiring...but not REALLY easy. And with homeschooled children, summer vacation never really seems to be here. 3 of my 4 children have yet to finish their curriculum and therefore, their teacher, ME, does not get to quit, either! That being said, we have much to be thankful for with summer here.

Ballet recital was beautiful, the girls developed so much this year, and the year is over just in time...to start summer workshop.

Baseball season was a blast. Truett had a great coach he adores and learned so much. We finished 2nd at our park and 3rd in the city and spring season is over just in time...for All Stars, which Truett made for the very first time!

And soon, school will be over. (It WILL be over, right kids???)

Bradlee and Whitney have the wonderful opportunity through our church to go to Child Evangelism Fellowship training camp. They are off staying at Clearwater Christian College, studying hard, preparing well, and hopefully, having a great time. This will hopefully equip them to lead Back Yard Bible clubs with confidence!

Truett's All Star career has been frustrating to say the least. While I consider him to be in the top half of his team ability-wise (and am quite confident in my assessment) because his new coach hasn't ever had him on a team, he has been sitting the bench. A LOT. It is terribly unfair and quite sad. We played 2 games Saturday, nearly 11 innings, IN THE RAIN, and Truett played 1 1/2 innings. Now, I try really hard to be a team player. I really WANT to be happy "just for being nominated." That being said, with finances the way they are, I am not really willing to sacrifice our only vacation for our entire family this year for Truett to go to the state tournament if he is going to sit on the bench. He's such a good little player, with so much heart, and love for the game. I only wish others could see what I see and what every coach he's ever had in regular season has seen. It's a treasure, and his current coach is just missing it. I can say that because no one is harder on my kid than me. And he truly deserves to be playing. (Stepping off of the soap box, now.)

I hope that all of those I love are truly enjoying their summers! We have had the joy of celebrating my Dad's 70th birthday which was great fun. I hope that soon we will get some beach time. For now, we are home, waiting for our pool to be resurfaced and "like new", trying to get our house ready to sell, and building a new client base for the ever changing fundraising business. All blessings!

May your summer be filled with many blessings, unexpected and expected, also!!

In just a minute...

You can heat up dinner in the microwave.
You can sweep the floor or scrub a toilet.
You can change over a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer.
You can check out what your friends are doing via Facebook or Twitter.
You can send an email to a friend.
You can give a hug, a kiss or a smile.

And in just a minute, your life can be changed forever. A week ago today, my little boy almost drowned. Some mornings this week I woke up thinking what if he really died and I've just lived this week in a dream? EVERY day I imagine him in the water. And every day I'm thankful that we don't have to live through the dying. God gave Wyatt back to us. 6 swimmers within 15 feet, and no one saw him fall in. How does that happen? By not being vigilant in our stewardship of our children. Not that accidents don't happen. Obviously, they do. If we are being good stewards of the children that God has given us, however, there will be lots less opportunities for sorrow.

In a minute...a 3 year old can save his brother's life.
In a minute...a dad can instinctively know how to get the water dispelled.
In a minute...waiting arms beg to hold their baby brother to be reassured that all is well.
In a minute...we can praise God for miracles.
In a minute...
God reminded me "Never think for a MINUTE that I am not watching over you. Never think for a MINUTE that you are alone. I am here. I was with your little boy. He rested in my arms through it all. It was MY choice to give him back to you. Please cherish him until the time that I choose to take him to be with me again."

It probably took about a minute to read this. I pray that it was not a minute wasted, but rather one to remind you to love your little ones, big ones, and all those around you, and remember that it is God who has numbered our days. Let's not waste any of them.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Spring Is On The Way!

Spring is on the way...and how do I know this? Because BASEBALL SEASON has begun! Truett had his first game tonight...was the first batter...and scored the first run of the 2009 Carrigan Royals season. It was so exciting!

Growing up, I hated baseball. Didn't just dislike, or kind of not be interested in, but really, hated baseball! My brother played everything from little league through High School. I didn't have any Spring activities, so being only 14 months younger than my brother and therefore obviously not old enough to stay at home alone, I was needed to cheer on my brother in every game (READ IN, I was drug there). Couple that with church softball leagues and I felt I spent half my life at the ballpark. Considering I was (and still am) extremely sports challenged, you just might as well have beat me with a stick. I played in the dirt, read a book (this was well before Gameboys), climbed up and down the bleachers and whined for french fries. To top it all off, my mom was generally the "TEAM MOM" so she was the number one fan, in charge of everything and officially the person to yell at my brother to "Get the lead out of your britches, honey!" For me, it was misery. At home, my lack of affinity for baseball didn't improve as our television seemed to only have one channel...TBS. That's right...Braves baseball took up permanent residence in our home, and as far as I know, still does at my parent's house. Seriously, I don't watch baseball at all until the playoffs even now, so to start watching it in pre-season all the way through the World Series is just insane! Truly, baseball didn't have any redeeming factors until high school when I was able to date my brother's teammates...but that's another story.

So my relationship with baseball was rocky until...I had a little boy of my own. A little boy who at 5 played T-ball and at 6 hit one all the way to the fence. A little boy who started at Carrigan's Rookie league in February of 2006 and whose heart for the game has made me proud ever since. Truett's not an all-star. He's usually in the bottom half of his team. He comes from a sports-challenged family and sometimes, it shows! What Truett has, though, is heart. He's the first one out when the inning begins, the first one to the dugout when it's over. He listens to his coaches, is polite and respectful, and well liked by his teammates. Every coach he's ever had has wanted him back. Truett has played on two city championship teams and won some heart-attack games. Through watching him, I finally understood the plaque that my mother had in her bedroom for many years that said "When ball season is over, I'm going to have a nervous breakdown." Now my "little" boy is 10. He's in his second year of minors, and things are really coming together. Tonight, he got a hit and a walk and scored 2 runs. His team won 13-7. Always, though, he comes away thankful he got to play. And I'm thankful that I get to watch. How different life is as a mother! I can hardly wait until Emmett and Wyatt begin little league...in 2012 and 2014. BATTER UP!

Babies Are Blessings!

Okay, now that I said that and scared my parents out of their minds...no it isn't me. But all babies truly are blessings, and my precious friend Angela delivered her sixth such blessing yesterday. Now, when a woman is expecting, she has all kinds of plans. A plan A, B, C, & D for what will happen when labor begins. My labors have been somewhat unpredictable...but all but one have "felt" like I was in control. I say that because, obviously, God is in control. Sometimes He just humors us by allowing us to think that we have some say. Yesterday when Angela woke up, I'm sure she had no idea that at 7:15 last night her little one would be born via emergency c-section and ultimately taken to the NICU in a nearby city. It was not her plan A, B, C, or D. See, our plans do not supercede those of our Father. Even when we do not understand, even when our heart hurts, even when things are upside down, He only wants us to trust Him. That may require some stretching on our part, but He is there, waiting for us to trust. Know that His plans for us are sure. They are good. And for those that love Him, everything happen to point us to Him.

We are so thankful for this new baby that we get to enjoy and invest in. My prayers are not only for her immediate safety, but for her future, that she may come to know Christ personally and be able to share Him with others.

Babies are blessings! Welcome to our world, Laurel! We are thankful that you are rapidly improving and will be home soon with your family.

Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Get your act together, It's FEBRUARY already!!!

Oh my...it seems time just flies by. I can't believe that it is February when just "yesterday" I was making Christmas photos. In the past several weeks, our septic tank has backed up (oh crap!), our frig and freezer have gone on the fritz (they're in a union, you know), the hot water heater quit...heating, and we sprung a delightful leak in our foundation in the bedroom. The frig and freezer are repaired, we're limping the septic tank along, two new heating elements in the hot water tank make for nice hot showers, and now the leak is fixed, albeit there is still no carpet in my bedroom. Life just rolls, doesn't it? God is in control even of this. As I dealt with the many challenges that arose during the week of preparation for Mary's Sweet Sixteen party, I had to just laugh at each of them. "Can it get worse?" I continued to think, always to be corrected, by YES! It could get worse. So, I chose to handle all the little bumps in my plans with as much grace as I could muster. (Yes, I did cry when there was a great possibility that the leak was under our hardwood floor; but I got past that, too.) I tend to let the little things get to me. A crabby person a Wal-Mart (and there's always at least one!), a bad driver pulling out at an in opportune time, an unknown charge on my credit card bill...all these things I could really let eat me up (and sometimes do). BUT! That's not what God wants us to do. He wants us to take it all in stride, knowing that His hand is on even this. He's been with me as I've gone through my pregnancies (including 2 losses); He's been with me as I've watched my precious sister struggle with a chronically ill child, He's been with us as we've closed our business and had to say good-bye to wonderful people whom I love dearly and have sacrificed greatly to try to keep things going. EMMANUEL. God with us. Always.

All in all, I lead a wonderful, privileged life. Not in material things, although there is plenty of that, too, but the privilege of having Jesus Christ as my Savior. The privilege of being born in this free nation. The privilege of health and a marriage that is approaching 18 years. The privilege of knowing some of the most amazing people that God has placed on this earth.

I am privileged, so I will NOT let the little things get me down. And I will do my best to not let the time be taken for granted. I will cherish the little ones in my home and appreciate the teenagers. I've only got 11 months of 2009 left! So I'd better get my act together!

Mary is 16!

It is hard to believe that 16 years and 5 hours ago, Mary entered this world as a tiny 5 lb baby. A much wanted little one...she made me what I wanted to be all my life...a Mom. We didn't know what the future held for her, we didn't know about her brain problems, we didn't know about her difficulties to learn and understand. What we knew was that God had blessed us with the most precious little one, and that she was here safely! Our hearts were full of hope and wonder at her every movement. 16 years later, our hearts are still full of hope for this young lady. Sure, our dreams for her have adjusted with her discovered challenges, but we still know that her future rests in God's hands, and that no amount of labels you can stick on her will truly determine what she will be able to accomplish. Only God knows that. Our job, as parents, is to equip her to reach whatever potential she has. And I pray the ceiling continues to rise. I pray that she will learn to drive (someday...NOT NOW!). I pray that she will have a job. Most of all, I pray that she will be a wife, and that great dream that she made come true for me 16 years ago...a mother. I know without a doubt that she will be a great wife to the man that God has in mind for her. I pray that he is praying for her even now. She has so much to give, and no one should look at her as being less than a person simply because she has a mental handicap. What they should see is a beautiful young woman with a heart, that in its simplicity, loves everyone. Such blessings we have in the midst of those labeled less than "perfect." Remember that NONE of us are perfect...it is just that our handicap may be different than Mary's. It may be a sour outlook, a bad temper, a lack of compassion, an inability to see that there is good in all people. Whatever your handicap, God loves you in spite of it. And I love Mary, in spite of hers. Thank you God, for giving me this most precious gift 16 years ago. I look forward to experiencing the moments of her future as well. Happy Birthday, Mary! I love you!

2009

I can't believe the first month of 2009 is almost OVER, and I've missed it! Life at the Roberts house has been, to put it mildly, CRAZY. Did you ever feel like there MIGHT be a light at the end of the tunnel, IF you could ever get close enough to the end to see it? That's where we are. We are packing up our old office building, which is so much work in and of itself, but work that is sad, feels so much heavier. We've used every weekend since Christmas to pack up stuff, throw away stuff, and move stuff to a small storage location. If we had the energy, we could be excited about the positive changes, but the sadness of closing our "old" business and saying good bye to precious friends greatly overshadows the new opportunities. It's tiring! A New Year, indeed. Bring it on!

In the midst of all of this, we are planning for a momentous occasion. Our oldest child is turning sweet sixteen next Friday. Wow. How on earth can I be old enough to have a sixteen year old? It simply cannot be! Still, the house is being decked out in pinks and sparkles, ready for the blow out next weekend. I will reflect more on the past 16 years in another post, for now, I just marvel that it is here!

We are about to embark on another Disney adventure...my sister and her family will arrive tomorrow morning, and I will be "Tour Guide Paige" for the next couple of days. Since our Disney passes expired, much to my children's disappointment, I cannot afford to take them, but truly wanted to enjoy this time with my sister, nieces, and nephew. (My brother in law falls in there somewhere, too.) I would take every friend/family through Disney if I could, wishing that everyone would enjoy it in the way, and as much, as I do. So, in the haste of travel preparations, I now need to log off to prepare for the next few MAGICAL days.

As for my other comments to start off this new year, I continue to trust that God is in control of all of this, and He will provide for our family as well as for those that we love. This new year can bring great hope, not in our governmental leadership, but rather in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who remains constant and true.

God bless you all...HAPPY HAPPY JOYOUS NEW YEAR!!