Thirty-seven

Today is my thirty-seventh birthday. I thought I would share 37 things that I am thankful for and update you on our lives along the way. This last year has been one of, if not the most challenging years of my life. From the death of my best friend, job uncertainty for Tim, and the general toughness of raising four kids.

Here we go:

1. I am thankful for God. I definitely would not be standing today if God was not my strength. He is my provider, my comforter, my healer, me helper, my rock, my hope and so much more. I am thankful that He chose me as his child. He has proven himself faithful over and over again. His mercies are new every morning.

2. I am thankful for Tim. I love doing life with Tim. We have four beautiful, talented children. He sacrifices daily to make sure that we have a good life. His faithfulness to God is unwavering. Tim cares deeply for people and the students at Texas Tech.

3. I am thankful for Zach. Zach is my firstborn. He is shy and sensitive.  He is kind and loving. I love his heart. He feels deeply and is a good friend. He likes to play baseball but is better at soccer. His piano teacher also says he is a talented piano player. I like that he isn't needy but is still willing to give me special hugs. He asks on a weekly basis if he can sleep either in my bed or on the floor next to me. He has a special bond with Calyn but is also very caring towards Grant.

4. I am thankful for Calyn. Calyn is my special girl. She loves to read and play sports. She loves Jesus. She is quick to catch on to new concepts but sometimes lacks common sense. Currently, her top tooth is loose and she messes with it constantly. Calyn likes to help me with chores. She talks all the time.

5. I am thankful for Abby. Abby is our happy child. She is almost always in a good mood and laughing. Abby loves to have fun. She is definitely the middle child-not old enough to be big but also not the baby. Abby is the only one of our kids who is attached to a blanket and like to suck her thumb. Abby is intelligent and likes to make sure that rules get followed.

6. I am thankful for Grant. Grant brings a lot of joy to our family. He is a happy boy but also has a mean streak. Everyone thinks that he is so sweet. He loves, loves, loves to get his hair cut. He also likes to eat snack food instead of a proper lunch or dinner. He stays up til at least 11pm and has his daddy wrapped around his finger. Grant is a daddy's boy and often prefers Tim over me.

7. I am thankful for my Dad and Lou.  They treat my kids great and also help me in so many ways. It is great to see my dad so happy. I like that we go to their house every year for Thanksgiving. It is a fun tradition. I just hope that my brother and Lou's daughters can join us next year.

8. I am thankful for Tim's parents- John and Terry. John is such a friendly, outgoing fellow. Terry has such a great love for my children. They visit us several times each year and blend so nicely into our family.

9. I am thankful for both Williams' families. Tara and Melissa are two of my closest friends and I would be lost without them. Both families are experiencing rough times, but I know that God will prove himself mighty.

10. I am thankful for my friend Laura and her two daughters. We go to gymnastics together every week and then have lunch at Chick-fil-a. I can always call Laura when I am in a bind and she will help me.

11. I am thankful for a new mom friend. Sjanna and Sydni have become very close friends. I love that we have friends to hang out with. We go out for ice cream, play basketball, go to dance recitals, and just have fun together. Even Abby and Grant love Sjanna and Syd. In fact, I think Abby would move in with them if she was given the opportunity.

12. I am thankful for Leah and her family. Even though they moved away, they still come visit us. We miss them a lot. Leah loves Jesus and makes honoring her husband a priority. I often learn a lot from her.

 

13. I am thankful for my running partner. God has blessed me again by allowing Jennifer and her family to move back to Lubbock. Jenn and I rum most Saturdays and chat throughout our runs. We challenge each other to be honoring of our friends and to be more like Christ.

14. I am thankful for running. So thankful, in fact, that I have planned to run a half marathon with my big brother at the end of January. Yikes!

15. I am thankful for Janis Buschman. Tim and I help Janis and Job out with the graduate class at church. I love getting to spend time with Janis as she imparts godly wisdom in such a loving way. I have also gotten to know one of Janis' daughters better over the last year. Grant and her daughter are about the same age and we love seeing them at church.

16. I am thankful that this sweet lady is cancer-free! The kids and I had the privilege of taking Rita to weekly radiation treatments during the month of October. She was such a trooper and is healthy. We want her around for a very long time

17. I am thankful for weight loss. Over the past month, I have lost 17 pounds. I am not exactly where I want to be, but I am a lot closer.

18. I am thankful for Bible Study. I attend the weekly women's Bible study at our church. Over the years, I have learned so much and developed many new friendships. I am thankful for our church and the women in our church that know and teach the truth.

19. I am thankful for OLBC-old lady birthday club. Ladies, you know who you are and I am thankful for each and every one of you. We should have started this years ago as it has rapidly become one of my favorite things.

20. I am thankful for Cora and her momma, Carrie. Through Brie I had the privilege to meet Carrie. My crazy friend, Melissa and I recently made a whirlwind trip to meet Miss Cora. She was precious, but more precious was bringing a little piece of Brie to her best friend Carrie.

21. I am thankful for new babies. Two of my cousins adopted baby boys this year. I am thankful that they opened their hearts and homes to two boys that needed to be loved. God is good.

22. I am thankful for PDO. Grant and Abby attend Parent's Day Out for 5.5 hours a week. I get a little alone time while they get to play with their friends. They both have great teachers that really love on them.

23. I am thankful for Zach and Calyn's school. They have learned so much and have made so many friends. Their school and teachers are amazing. We are so blessed to have a good public school. They recently took a field trip to the local corn maize. It was such a fun day.

24. I am thankful to be able to do volunteer work. I help out quiet a bit at Zach and Calyn's school. I am the Box Top coordinator for their school and was proud when their class collected over 1000 Box Tops. They won the Fall competition and as their prize they got to decorate gingerbread houses at their Christmas party.

25. I am thankful for my volunteers. Please don't anybody tell my children that raking leaves is not fun. They actually fight over the rakes. They make doing a mundane task so much more fun.

26. I am thankful for Parkridge Pregnancy Center. Tim and I both support the work that they do (Tim in an official capacity). They teach young pregnant girls about their developing babies and how God can change their lives. They are amazing.

27. I am thankful for basketball. Both Calyn and Zach enjoy playing basketball. This Spring I get to help coach Calyn's team.

28.I am thankful for volleyball. I play on a women's team and while we are not terribly talented, we have a lot of fun.

29. I am thankful for Eric. Eric impresses me more and more each day. He has grown in his role as a father so much this past year. I am incredibly proud of him. He could have given up, but he chose to fight for his family. I pray that he continues to teach his children about Jesus and about Brie.

30. I am thankful for the Carol of Lights. In years past, Brie often brought the girls to this annual event. This year, Eric brought them. I was very happy to have them with us. 

31. I am thankful for hot chocolate. We had hot chocolate after seeing the lights and it hit the spot.

32. I am thankful for Eleri. Eleri now has such a special place in my heart. She has grown into such a fun, little girl. No more baby. She recently told me about her Tinkerbell wings that she is going to wear so that she can fly to visit her mom.

33. I am thankful that we got to take Mali to see the Nutcracker. Zach, Calyn, and I went to Amarillo to take Mali. It was my chance to fill Brie's shoes for a few hours. I was honored to have that privilege. The dancing and the costumes were amazing. Mali was enthralled. I quickly saw why Brie insisted on taking Mali each year.

34. I am thankful for Christmas vacation. It has been nice to spend extra time with Tim, Zach, and Calyn. We have done many special projects and attended some fun events. Sleeping in a little is also a bonus.

35. I am thankful that my mom started the tradition of filling stockings for my kids. We do not celebrate Christmas in the traditional manner, but we do continue to fill the kids' stockings. I really enjoyed buying special presents to put in their stockings (Tim also gets a stocking).

36. I am thankful for Curren. He recently turned one. He is a miracle. He is a champion. He is happy and healthy. When he smiles at me, my heart skips a beat. I miss my friend for a second and then I am able to smile back at this precious miracle. I thank God that he chose to spare Curren's life. A recent update was added to his site. You can read it at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/currangomez

37. Lastly, I am thankful for simple things like not having to do laundry on my birthday.

Beth Moore

I've had several people ask me how the Beth Moore conference was. I am currently buried in work for my part-time job, but my pal Melissa gave a good summary here. Janis so sweetly gave me my ticket for my birthday last year and allowed me to spend the day with her and her girls. I so love each of the Buschman women and am constantly amazed at how different their personalities are from each other. They all, however, share a passionate love for Jesus. It was an excellent day (although I missed two soccer games). Check out Melissa's blog entry and watch the video if you want to see me.

Also, I was allowed to be an encourager to women as they came forward and asked for prayer. I did not realize the magnitude of the task I was given. As I looked into the crowd, so many women were crying. Women approached us that were hurting and so broken. I am thankful that God allowed me to minister to them by encouraging them and praying with them. I am forever changed and humbled by this experience.

First Day: Take 2

Abby and Grant are going to PDO one day a week again this year.

 New back pack for Grant:

Grant is not so much into the love. Just goes to show how different these two are than the twins. Abby will come up to Grant to kiss him or love on him and he will punch her in the face.

I hope they have a great year and enjoy their time at the same "school."

Scriptures for school

In the never-ending quest to teach my children scripture, I decided to choose verses for them for this school year. I wanted to select a verse that would be specific for each of them.

For Zach, I chose Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Zach is usually good at things that he tries. However, when things are difficult for him, he experiences anxiety or does not want to participate at all. I want him to remember to ask the ultimate giver of strength and talent when he needs confidence.

For Calyn, I chose I Corinthians 10:31- Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Calyn too has success in most things she attempts. I want her to know who created her and gifted her with her talents. I also want her to remember to use her talents to please God and to bring him glory.

I wrote the scriptures on the binders that they carry to school each day. I'm sorry the picture is not great.

1st grade for Z and C

Today was the first day of first grade for Zach and Calyn. Zach was not too excited to go, but Calyn was very excited. They are in the same class again this year. The class is 2/3 boys. They have a few friends from their class last year. Their best friend, Sydni, is in the class next door. I think it is going to be a great year for both of them.

Only binders allowed in first grade (no backpacks):

new kicks:

I love how they still hold hands:

Recognize this guy?

When Zach played catcher last spring, his job consisted of standing next to the adult catcher in hopes of catching a foul tip. Fall ball has changed everything. His team moved to a new league to get some experience with machine pitch baseball. Now Zach has to wear full protective gear and catch fast moving balls. He has done such a great job and is getting more and more involved in the action on the field. His team has had a rough go of it as many of the teams are older. But true to the past, fall ball has been a chance for them to grow and develop as baseball players.

Join the club

Zach lost his first tooth tonight. He was pretty excited to finally lose a tooth.

 Calyn lost her third tooth yesterday.

They are both getting so big. They start first grade two weeks from tomorrow!

God's Promises

In the last two weeks, we have driven to Colorado and back (via Los Angeles, California). One night we were fortunate to see several rainbows. Calyn excitedly exclaimed, "God sure is making a lot of promises." While she did not quite have the correct understanding of the rainbow, I loved that she connected the rainbow to God and his promises. Her statement got me to thinking of all of the promises that God makes to his children. I am thankful that He is God and that even when we do not see the big picture, we can rest in Him, his love, his goodness, and his promises.

A 1st for our first and a 2nd for our second

Zach hit his first home run tonight. It was also a grand slam. He was one excited little boy. His batting has steadily been improving all season, and he hit well all night tonight. For his last at bat, he knocked it to the fence for a home run and ended the game.

AND

Calyn lost her second tooth. As you might remember, the dentist pulled her first tooth. She let me pull this one. She was also quite proud of herself and of her momma.

It has been a busy and exciting first week of summer.

First and Last

First day of Kindergarten:

 Last day of Kindergarten:

 Good friends:

Great teacher:

Kindergarten graduate Calyn:

Kindergarten graduate Zach:

Mrs. Daniel's Kindergarten class: 

 2nd place Kindergarten AR reader:

 1st place Kindergarten AR reader:

 Top 3 Kindergarten AR readers:

Zach and Calyn had a wonderful year. They learned so much. They learned to read. They learned about presidents, Texas, dinosaurs, sharks, plants, and teeth. Zach and Calyn learned to be a good friend and how to respect other peoples' personal space. They celebrated Fall, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Spring, and the last days of school. Their class won the Spring Box Top collection competition and received sno cones from Bahama Bucks.
Their teacher was so good. She taught them a lot. I was impressed with the way she treated her students, especially compared to what I saw from other teachers. Zach and Calyn wanted to attend school everyday and passed on every chance to go home early. I think that says a lot about their overall experience. They chose to stay at school even when other students were going home early.
Zach and Calyn also received a special award for PE. The PE teacher chose them as the best athletes in their class. They both also were recognized as top AR readers. Calyn took first overall for Kindergarten. Zach took second. This was the first year they even recognized Kindergarten AR readers. I personally think it was because they had earned so many points. Both Tim and I read a lot. I am thankful that my kids enjoy reading and learning.
I am thankful that Zach and Calyn had such a good first school experience. Tim took them to school alot, but I also took them many times. We made it a point to pray for them before they exited the car. I often prayed about how thankful I was for their school, teacher, friends and just the opportunity to go to school. I knew they did not realize how fortunate they were to go to a good school, but I wanted God to know that I was thankful. I also wanted for them to see me thanking God for these things.
We are looking forward to summer. We have a lot of fun things planned. We will also slow down and enjoy our time together.