Fourteen and Driving

My girl is now 14.

My girl got a dwarf gerbil.

My girl earned her learner's permit.

My girl.
Is changing into a young woman.
Right.
Before.
My eyes.

My girl.
I love her.

(But I'm leaving most of the driver's training to her dad.
My heart is not ready for her to be this old.)

8th

Today was Brookie's turn.
First day of school for my girl.

Her outfit came in the mail yesterday afternoon.
Whew.

Like my boys,
she, too, insists on growing.

After we took the little boys to school yesterday,
she asked what we would be doing.
Ryan and I told her we were planning to do a little painting.

Her reply:
This is the worst last day of summer ever!

After we picked Jobie up and took them out to eat,
we ran a little errand.
We took Brookie to get her first phone.

Later on facebook she wrote:
Best last day of summer ever!
Finally got my first phone!

Funny how her tune changed.

She's so excited.
Even though her phone has no data plan.
But she does have unlimited texting.
Only because it comes with our plan.
That and the fact that I couldn't live without it.
Ha!

This morning before school.
I thought to myself.
I'm going to be ok today.

(Oh, Jobie.
Must you always?)

I gave Jobie a hug at his classroom door.
And watched from the hall for a bit.
He kept looking back at me.
So finally I waved.
He waved back.
I was still doing great.

Then...
He put his head down on his desk.
And cried.

Was not expecting that.

The teachers were busy with other students.
So, against my better judgement, I went to him.
He immediately hugged me and said:
Mommy, I want to stay with you!

I told him (thru my own tears):
Baby, you can't.
You have to stay at school.
And mommy has to leave.

At this point his teacher came over.
I sat him back in his seat.
Gave him one last hug and kiss.
Patted his teacher on the shoulder.
Walked out of the classroom.
And cried the whole way home.
And maybe for an hour or so after.

Not fun.
But tomorrow will be better.
We have our plan down.
Wish I would have had a plan for today.

Tomorrow we will be all smiles.

Older Ones

Going thru what seemed like thousands of pictures.
For Mom and Dad's anniversary.
Was exhausting fun.

I found so many great pictures.
That brought back great memories.
Here's just a few.
I promise.

Jakie waited until he was nearly 15 months old to walk.
But one day he just decided to go.
He picked up his little dog Tracker.
And took off.He was so proud of himself.
From that time on
Tracker always had to go to bed with him.
When Jakie is really laughing,
he still looks just like this.
He was also the roundest of my babies.
So squeezable!

Brookie's first trip to American Girl in Chicago.This is just one of the sweetest pictures of her.
Her hair.
Her little arms.
That already look like they have tiny little muscles.
She's a wiry thing.
So cute!

And one of my favorites of the two of them.They always got along so well.
The past few years,
there has been a little more fighting.
But recently,
it seems they are getting along better again.

Once I got into high school,
my brother and I hardly ever fought.
Probably because I was so mature.
Ha!
Seroiusly, we were really good friends.

So I'm hoping that is how Brookie and Jakie
soon see each other.

This is my brother and I.
On vacation.
Our best family vacation.
The summer before my senior year.
He was going to be a sophmore.My mom says it's one of her favorite pictures of us.

There you have it.
A teeny trip down memory lane.
Thanks for indulging me.

Time Flies

How does it happen?

In the blink of an eye.
Your baby girl is 13.And you have a teenager.And you think,
there is no way I'm old enough
to have a teenager.
Yet, somehow, you are.
And, somehow, you do.And that teenager suddenly seems so grown up.

Until she invites 13 friends over for a sleepover.And they watch...
A Barbie movie.
Really.
Barbie Charm School.
Or something like that.
(Her dad always threatens to send her to charm school.
Hope she took notes.)
And they stay up giggling.
All night.And so begins a new chapter.
A chapter I am so excited about.
To see her love for Jesus grow.
To see the heights that she soars to.
To see how much I can embarrass her.

Fun times ahead.
I'm going to enjoy the ride.

Happy 13th (on Dec 28) to my one and only girl.

Wings Soccer

We took Brookie to a Wings soccer game this weekend.
She was super excited to go.
I was too.

When I was her age.
We went to at least a couple games a year.
Always fun.
Especially when I went with my best friend.
We would argue over who was the cutest best player.
(It was Chico, right Sarah?)

Then suddenly the Wings were no more.
Sad day.

But.
They have returned.

The game was so much fun.
Even though we lost.
Boo.

So adorable when she stuffs her face.Retro Wings shirt.That was mine.
How it stayed that white, I have no idea.
Either my mom was amazing at getting stains out.
Or I was the perfect child.

Pretty sure it was the latter.

Monday, Monday

Mondays are different.
I never seem to get much accomplished before lunch.
The house is quiet.
Well, for one more week anyway.
Then, SUMMER BREAK!
(Not sure if I'm excited or not.)
I just find it hard to get back into my routine on Mondays.

Busy weekend.
As always.
Soccer game.
Church.
Ryan's family over.
Band concert.
I took no pictures.
Of anything.

Parenting stinks sometimes.
Just getting that out there.
Brookie and I had a talk last night.
She's almost a teenager.
Fun times ahead.

It's getting to that point
where her friends can
do more/different things than she can.
We're much more conservative than most of her friends' families.

We're trying to raise her according to God's Word.
We want her friends.
And her friends' parents.
To see a difference in us.
We want to please the Lord.
We want her to be a godly young woman.

It's hard.

Hard for her.
She doesn't get some of our rules right now.
I told her she may not understand.
Until she has a daughter of her own.
It's not cool to be different in junior high.
(And I don't expect high school to be any easier.)
But she is different.
Our family is different.
(No comments from any of you on that one, thank you!
Ha!)

Hard for me.
I want my daughter to like me.
(That sounds silly and immature.
But it's true.)
But more importantly, I want her to love Jesus.
So sometimes she doesn't like me so much.
Because she doesn't get what I'm doing or saying.
It's hard to trust her to the Lord.
(I have control issues.)
It's hard to see her struggling.

I'm realizing even more I need to pray...hard.
So the harder it gets.
The harder I will pray.

Just some of my thougths.
Not put together well.
But I needed to write them out, I guess.

Ok.
Moving on to happier things.

How about a few pictures of Ezra?
Who's biggest worry is:
When can I have Lawson or Annie over again?

I went on a zoo field trip with Ezzie a couple weeks ago.
His two best friends were in our group.
They are hilarious together.Sleeping in the gorilla nest.
Although I think Lawson is playing dead.
His little tongue is hanging out.Love this one.Kindergarten recognition was last week.
They sang a bunch of songs.
And Ezzie's class did a retelling of
The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
It was super cute.I'm so proud of my little man.His teacher is a doll.
There's really no other word for her.
She is a bundle of energy.
And perfect for Ezzie.Lawson's momma, Amy, helped us out the night of recognition.
When I dropped him off at her house,
I told her how stressed out I was.
(Lara had something going on too.
I was worried about making it to recognition on time.)
About 15 minutes later I got this text:
So would it stress you out even more
to know that Ezra's flip-flop is on our roof?
Nice!
Yes, he wore flip-flops.
And a tie.
It all balances out.

Amy did manage to get Ezzie all put together.
Oh, and her hubby might have helped a little too.
Gotta give credit.
Then she took some really great pictures of the two boys.
Go check them out.
Two sweet, fun boys.

Ezzie and Annie.
They have tons of fun together also.
Brookelynn and Jake think it's funny.
That one of Ezra's best friends is a girl.
I think it's adorable.And the flip-flops?
Might not have been such a wise choice.
When Ezzie's class was in line.
Waiting to come in to the gym.
A little girl with her little heels.
Stepped on my little boy's little toe.

Ezzie told me on the way home:
Mommy, I'm never wearing flip-flops to recognition again.
Ok.
I can agree to that.

Hope you get lots accomplished on your Monday.
It took me so long to do this post,
that Jobie fell asleep beside me.
Must have been a rough weekend for him too!

More Advice for My Daughter

1. Don't fall into the tin basket
that you and your brothers use as a goal.
You will get stuck.
Your mom will take pictures to document this amazing feat.
And then post it on her blog.
All in a successful attempt to embarrass you.
(Yes, I am positive it will be successful)2. What not to call your mom.
Again.
Clearly, the first time I gave you this advice
you didn't get it.
Last night you said to me:
What's up, Dawg.

On second thought,
maybe I am getting somewhere.
After your comment I gave you "the mom" look.
And you said:
I mean Mommalicious.Much better.
Thank you.

What Not to Call Your Mom

A little advice for my daughter.1. Girlfriend.
As in:
You know that's right, girlfriend!

Right now, I am your mom.
Someday I hope to be your momfriend.
That's the name I just made up for my mom.
She's pretty much my best friend.
But she's still my mom.
She's always the one I call when I'm sick.
I don't need to let all my other friends know when I'm barfing.
But my mom needs to know.
She's my momfriend.2. Dude
First of all, I usually associate dude with a guy.
Second of all, according to you kids,
the official definition of dude is:
an infected hair on an elephant's rear.
Since I am neither of these two,
I would prefer not to be called by that name.3. Mom Dog.
You tried this one on me just the other day.
I believe my response was:
Excuse me?
To which you just laughed.

You are not Randy Jackson.
And I am most definitely not a contestant on American Idol.

Keep trying, sweetie.
You'll eventually hit one I like.
Here's a couple suggestions:
Mombeautiful.
Mommaliscious.
Just thinking off the top of my head here...

Twelve

It's hard to believe that 12 years ago today
I was experiencing my first day as a mother.
My first day with my daughter.

My first time.
To see her adorable face.
To hear her tiny cry.
To touch her little hands and feet.
To hold her.
To kiss her.
To snuggle my nose against hers.

We did not know if we were having a boy or a girl.
But I REALLY wanted a girl.
REALLY, REALLY wanted a girl.

She made us wait 8 days past her due date.

She was worth the wait.She's never been girly.
And, even though she still prefers
hoodies, tees and "sports" pants or shorts,
she's a beauty.Now I've been a mother for many days.
I don't know if I'm any better now than I was then.
I still have so much to learn.
But one thing I'm sure of:
I REALLY love this girl.
REALLY, REALLY love her.Happy birthday, Brookie!
My prayer for you,
as the days and years inevitably pass,
is that you remain even more beautiful on the inside
than you are on the outside.

Not Sure...

I'm ready for this.Brookelynn has been begging lately.
Begging to drive.
Not sure where it came from.
She's not even 12 yet.We were out in the country this weekend.
Ryan stopped.
Asked Brookie if she wanted to drive.
Kicked me out of the passenger's seat.
And away we went.

Lara was really not sure.
This is how she looked.
The whole 3 minutes Brookie drove.Brookie didn't quite make the turn into her uncle's drive.
Had to back up.
She learned it's harder to get it into gear than she thought.
She'll really have a shock when she learns manual.She didn't do too bad on the turn.
Although, at one point,
I did think we might end up in the pig pen.But we arrived.
Safely.
And with our sanity intact.She actually did pretty good.
The first time I drove with my dad did not go well.
At all.
It ended with me in tears.
My dad very angry.
And this statement:
I am NEVER driving with you again.
From me.
Although my dad was probably thinking it.

And I haven't.
I have not been in the driver's seat with my dad in a car since.

He just better hope I change my mind.
Someday he's going to need me.
To drive him to a doctor's appointment.
For the enema he's in desperate need of.
He'll be begging me then.

Not sure...
I'm ready for that either.

Growing Up Is Hard...

On Mom.
You might have heard/felt my inward gasp last night.
Around 9:00 or so.

Brookie plays soccer.
Wears a lot of long socks.
Legs not visible a lot.
Except at school.
Everyday.
Forgot about that.
Any idea where this is going?By the way.
Her team won the soccer tourney in KC.Back on topic.
Long socks.
Legs.
Growing up.
Hair.
I've probably said enough.Last night after her shower.
Passing each other in the basement.
Outside of her room.

Brookie:
I used your razor in the shower.
Me (stopping in my tracks):
On your legs? (duh)

I just couldn't help it.
It completely took me by surprise.
We haven't even discussed shaving.

True.
She's had more hair on her legs than me.
Since she was 5.
Really.
I just don't have much.
I go for days.
Sometimes weeks (in the winter).
Without shaving.
Some All of you didn't want to know that.

Brookie:
Yes.
Me:
Ok. I guess I need to buy you some razors, huh?
Brookie:
Yes.
Me:
Okaaaaaay.
Brookie:
No, no, no. You don't have to.
Me:
Yes, yes, yes. I will.

Somewhere in the middle of all that,
I felt her legs.
They were really smooth.

I went upstairs.
Told Ryan.
His response:
WHAT?

I really was much calmer than him.
(At the time)
Told him it was ok.
She's right.
It probably was time.

Today.
I've had time to think about it.
Just another step.
That scares me.
I'd rather she stay little.
Sometimes.
But I also love the young lady she is becoming.
And the talks we have.

My girl.She's a beauty.
With smooth legs.

Odd Occurances

There's been odd things happening here lately.
Not odd, odd really.
Just odd.
Unusual.

Jobie has had a fever for 3 days now.
Complaining of his tummy hurting.
In summer.
I thought we weren't supposed to get sick in summer.

I have a cold.
In summer.
No runny nose.
No stuffiness.
Just a cough.
A nasty cough.
The kind that makes everyone around holler "shut UP!"
We're loving like that.

My glass 9x13 pan shattered on me yesterday.
I barely bumped it.
My other two 9x13s are metal.
I don't use the glass one as much.
But for some reason there are certain things I like to make in it.
Have to get a new one.

Our chest freezer went out Wednesday.
It was full.
Full, full.
Fortunately, I discovered it before the meat had thawed.
It was my grandma's.
It was old.
It was gold.
With a faux wood top.
I'm a little sad about it.
I remember that freezer in my grandma's dining room.
Dining room.
We're fancy like that.
Ryan was able to come home a little early.
We ran to Sears before they closed.
And bought a new freezer.
That's money I would have much rather spent elsewhere.

My parents are on vacation.
A few weeks back my dad found a horny toad.
He caught it.
Brought it home.
Bought an aquarium for it.
All because he knew some of the grandkids had never seen one.
He's cool like that.
Brookie named him Steve.
No idea why.
She seemed to take a liking to him.
So my dad asked her to take care of Steve while they were gone.
He brought Steve over.
Gave her money to buy crickets for him.
Ummm.
Steve died.
Tuesday we came home with fresh crickets for him.
He was stiff.
And now we are wondering if Steve is a Stevette.
It looks like Steve died trying to lay eggs.
There's something odd happening "down there".
Brookelynn put Steve in a baggie.
In my freezer.
In the kitchen.
Now every time I open the freezer.
There's Steve.
Neck stretched out.
Mouth hanging open.
Staring at me.
Nice.
She wants Grandpa to perform a funeral.
Won't that be fun?
Her new nickname is Steve Killer.
We're forgiving like that.

Tip of the Day

Before you mow your lawn,
make sure your ipod is charged.
If it's not,
you might use your pre-teen daughter's instead.
You will hear pre-teen songs.
You will not want to listen to these pre-teen songs.
But you cant stop mowing every 5 seconds to change the song.
(She has A LOT of songs on there I didn't know.
Daddy is in charge of ipod music.
And is very picky, I might add.)
So you listen to the pre-teen music.
Then you might even start to sing.
A little.
Then you might start to get a little spring in your step.
Then you might look around.
To make sure the neighbors aren't watching.

Then you might hear the songs in your head.
For the rest of the day.
And then some.

Baby, baby, baby ohh.
Like baby, baby, baby no.

Thank you, Justin Bieber.
You were very helpful.
But I think I prefer a little Jack Johnson.
Or Bon Jovi.
(Especially when I'm in the part of the yard
that I affectionately call "the wasteland".)
Or 90's Power Ballads.
Or praise music.
Or Ronnie Milsap.
Or Brad Paisley.
Or nearly anything else, really.
Just trying to be honest here.
But it was fun.
While it lasted.

Fingerprint Friday

It's good and bad.
Brookie is growing up.
She's more and more becoming a young lady.
Rather than a little girl.

She is kind.
Intelligent.
Athletic.
Grateful.
Sensitive.
Artistic.
Beautiful.A part of me will miss the little girl in her.
But I'm excited to see what the future holds for her.

God's fingerprints are all over this girl.

As she enters middle school next school year,
this is the verse I will be praying for her.
It's the perfect combination of
praying that she will grow closer to Jesus,
while giving God the praise for her life
and who she will become as she follows Him.

I Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever!

Each week Beki at therustedchain hosts Fingerprint Friday and uses a song by Steven Curtis Chapman as a springboard. Join in. It's a great way to be reminded of God's presence.