This year has been one crazy ride! We have made more memories and done more as a family than I ever thought possible.
In February Pig Pen turned 3. Being 3 is a lot harder than being 2 and she has had some growing pains this year that I am not sure any of us were ready for. She is the funniest child you have ever met who is obsessed with animals, her tricycle (she rides it in the house), and getting her way. In early September her sister gave her a hair cut so she went from having beautiful long blond hair to short short light brown hair over night. That change is the hardest for me because I still can't believe her hair is so short. She isn't as far along academically as Peppermint Patty was when she was this age, but I know Pig Pen is smart and will get it in her own time. She is stubborn like her mama (who would have thought) and she doesn't like to be pushed to do anything she doesn't want to do. I am excited to see where God takes her over the next few years and how her personality continues to develop. She truly is a special little girl and I am so proud that she is mine.
On March 7th Peppermint Patty turned 5. The baby that took 9 months and 14.5 hours of labor with 3.5 hours of pushing before she would come out turned 5. The baby that I still don't know where all the time went turned 5. I am still not sure I am over her turning 5 and she will be 6 right around the corner. She loves fishing, riding on the tube, swimming in the pool, getting tickled, and playing with Nylah the dog. She is still timid when she is in big crowds or around people she doesn't know but that doesn't slow her down for long. She is funny, smart, quiet, bossy, and a good friend. She has grown up so fast and I can't believe I have a kindergartner! She is a girly girl who Big Grasshopper is already trying to figure out how we are going to pay for her expensive clothes and hair some day! LOL! She is one of a kind and I am so glad that God has put her in our family.
The weekend in between the girls two birthdays we had a joint birthday party on the Tumble Bus. That is one pretty cool ride that I would definitely recommend for small parties. Everyone had a great time and the girls enjoyed having their friends at our house.
In April Big Grasshopper turned 36 and I turned 32. We are old. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. I don't even think I should have mentioned it here, but it is definitely a milestone that must happen in order to keep the dash going. Getting older is one of those strange things in life. I look back at when I was the girls age and think I thought my parents were so old at the age I am now....and guess what....I think I was right.....they were old and now I am kinda feeling old. 32 is not THAT close to 40 but it is way farther away from 22-23 than I feel possible. I am hoping the closer I get to 40 the less old I will feel....maybe?
The Summer....aaaaahhhhh.....the summer that was 2010....filled with camping, boating, swimming, tubing, hanging out with friends, fishing, more camping, more swimming, more hanging out with friends, more enjoying 100 degree heat, eating, drinking, camp fires, and more hanging out with friends. What an amazing summer!! I am really not sure summer 2010 will never be beaten in my mind. Peppermint learned to swim without her life vest or floaties in the pool. She still has to always wear her life vest in the lake, but she is so proud of her swimming abilities in the pool. We camped out so much that I think we were camping more on the weekends than we were home. The girls and Big Grasshopper really love fishing and I have bragging rights that I am the only one that caught my limit when we went Stripper fishing while BG's sister and her boyfriend visited for a few days. We enjoyed the boat more than any people ought to....but my mind still goes back to those days of rafting and having fun as a family on these cold winter days. It truly was a magical summer that will not soon be forgotten.
August 19th. The day I have been dreading since March 7, 2005. The day that Peppermint Patty started to school. I cried most of the summer when I thought about PP going to school. She didn't get into the school near our house due to over crowding so we have to drive her across town to the overflow school. I may not like the drive but I like the school and her teacher is absolutely amazing!! I can't say enough about the experience PP is having this year. She is learning so much and has come so far. I can't believe by the end of the year she will be reading and writing in complete sentences with some accuracy. I am almost in tears just thinking about my baby who isn't a baby anymore going to kindergarten but she loves it and loves her teachers so I am so proud of her. (Thank you Peppermint's teacher....you know who you are and you know I LOVE YOU!!!)
Sometime between September and the end of October we lost our camera....with A LOT of pictures on it. Still hoping to find it and this is the one low point of the year that I can think about. If you want to get us a gift...now you know what to bring us. :)
Between August and now is just a blur of driving everyone to everything every where. My car is always completely trashed out and always smells of milk, fast food, or some chap stick that Pig Pen thinks she needs to coat her lips in. BG and I are trying to keep up as best we can with all the demands of having 2 crazy girls and a life that seems to be getting faster. Don't get me wrong...it is crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way!
I am not sure what 2011 is going to bring. I am having an itch for something but not sure what. I am going to be putting out fleeces and letting God lead me through this instead of me leading God....well....I am going to try anyways....Whatever happens I know this.....Geoff and I love each other, love the girls, and the girls love us. Nothing is better than that and I am so proud of the family we have built. Ups, downs, whatever happens, we have each other in 2011.......Happy 2010....Hopeful for 2011.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Just Be Human
Doctor's and Teachers are very much alike. Both have degrees, are professional, and deal with the public in both the best and worst circumstances. Both work hard everyday to make sure who they see is taken care of and should go beyond the call of duty when necessary to see that who they are taking care of is taken care of and they are the best "OK" they can be. Both also deal with more paperwork and bureaucracy than should be necessary and if given the chance to hold a bonfire and burn all the paperwork, most would not hesitate to bring the paperwork and lighter fluid and do a dance as it burns. I think for the most part both teachers and doctors go into their profession with a whole hearted thought they can make a difference and then find out that medicine is not like what we see on Grey's anatomy and teaching is not what is depicted in after school specials.
As a teacher on sabbatical I know first hand the carnage of teaching. (As I am not a doctor I won't say it is hard but watching from a far I am pretty sure that it is difficult.) It is hard. It is difficult. There are long hours. There are tears. There is heart ache. There is a lot of sacrifice of one's self. However....this is only if you are good....no great....the greatest....you are human. You care. You love. You laugh. You dance. You sing. You put yourself out there. You are yourself. You make mistakes. You are kind. You speak from the heart. You look people in the eye and are honest. You take time to explain what is happening with the other humans that you are dealing with. You treat others the way you would want to be treated; the way you want your kids, wife, husband, mother, father, etc. to be treated.
I think this is what a lot of doctors and teachers have forgotten. We have forgotten that we deal with humans and to deal with other humans we have to also be....drum roll please.....human!!! Since when did it get so hard to take a few extra minutes to feel for others? Since when did it get so hard to try to understand someone's plight?
I have struggled for the last 10-12 days being sick. I am not expecting miracles when I go to the doctor. I am not even expecting them to make me be better in one day. What I do expect is what is expected of me as a teacher when their child is in my classroom - I want a human. I want someone that is kind, considerate, compassionate, understanding, and takes an extra 30 seconds to be friendly and helpful even if there isn't much they can do. I also want them to look me in the eye and try to help me the best way they know how. Is this too much to ask? Maybe....but if I have to be a "human" when I am teaching their child, than I expect that of my doctor when they are doctoring.
Human...nothing more....nothing less...Human. Just Human.
As a teacher on sabbatical I know first hand the carnage of teaching. (As I am not a doctor I won't say it is hard but watching from a far I am pretty sure that it is difficult.) It is hard. It is difficult. There are long hours. There are tears. There is heart ache. There is a lot of sacrifice of one's self. However....this is only if you are good....no great....the greatest....you are human. You care. You love. You laugh. You dance. You sing. You put yourself out there. You are yourself. You make mistakes. You are kind. You speak from the heart. You look people in the eye and are honest. You take time to explain what is happening with the other humans that you are dealing with. You treat others the way you would want to be treated; the way you want your kids, wife, husband, mother, father, etc. to be treated.
I think this is what a lot of doctors and teachers have forgotten. We have forgotten that we deal with humans and to deal with other humans we have to also be....drum roll please.....human!!! Since when did it get so hard to take a few extra minutes to feel for others? Since when did it get so hard to try to understand someone's plight?
I have struggled for the last 10-12 days being sick. I am not expecting miracles when I go to the doctor. I am not even expecting them to make me be better in one day. What I do expect is what is expected of me as a teacher when their child is in my classroom - I want a human. I want someone that is kind, considerate, compassionate, understanding, and takes an extra 30 seconds to be friendly and helpful even if there isn't much they can do. I also want them to look me in the eye and try to help me the best way they know how. Is this too much to ask? Maybe....but if I have to be a "human" when I am teaching their child, than I expect that of my doctor when they are doctoring.
Human...nothing more....nothing less...Human. Just Human.
Friday, November 19, 2010
For My Mom
For the past several days I have been thankful for something different. My family, the girl's teacher's and the simple things in life. But today, today I am thankful for my mom. My mother. My mommy. My mama.
When I was 2 we were in a terrible car wreck. I wasn't sitting my car seat that day (this fact actually saved my life). Instead, my mom put me beside her on the big wide console of our 1970's car. When my mom lost control of the car and we started flipping over and over (5 times in total), she wrapped her arms around me. She protected me in spite of her own safety. When the car came to a stop, the paramedics were called, and we were rescued my mom was found to have crushed both arms and broken ribs to save my life. I broke my left arm and have scar on my face that is still my reminder of what my mom did for me. While laying in the glass of that broken, flipped, mangled car, I would scream "mama, mama." Every time I would yell for her she would become conscious enough to tell me she was there and it was OK. Eventually it was really OK.
She has always told me that it is OK and if it isn't, she has always tried to make it OK. We haven't always seen eye to eye. My mom is a lady in every sense of the word. She has manors. She knows how to cross her legs. She knows how to be quiet when she should be. She knows how to walk in heals without looking like a fool. At one time when she was in the business world, when she spoke, people listened. When she walked, people watched who she was going to fire. She was and still is commanding. She also plays the piano and organ like nobodies business. She is Mrs. Clean. She is a Proverbs 31 woman.
She deserved a daughter who was much like her. Gentil, manored, lady like. She got me. I say that to say I am sorry I am not more like her. I wish I was quiet with less of an opinion. I wish I knew how to always act correctly in all situations that I am thrown in to. I wish I had the desire to sweep and mop on a daily basis. I wish I were a little more like my mom....but I am not....I am me, and she has always been OK with that. She hasn't always understood everything I have done or said. She hasn't always been the proudest when I have stuck my foot, elbow, and half left arm in my mouth but she has always tried to be there no matter what. She sometimes still frowns on some of my craziness but she loves me no matter what. She always says I Am OK. It is OK to be who I am.
I am proud to be her daughter. I may not be the daughter that she deserved, but I am proud that I am the daughter that she raised. She raised me to be independent, self sufficient, strong willed, unwilling to settle, loud and proud of who I am. There has never been a day that I haven't known she was proud of me. There has never been a day that I haven't known how much she loves me.
Thank you mommy for loving me. Thank you mommy for always standing behind me and being proud of me for who I am. I love you more than you know I am proud to be your daughter. You may not have gotten the daughter that you deserved but I thank you for always loving me anyways. You are the best mama I could ever ask for. I LOVE YOU!!!!!
When I was 2 we were in a terrible car wreck. I wasn't sitting my car seat that day (this fact actually saved my life). Instead, my mom put me beside her on the big wide console of our 1970's car. When my mom lost control of the car and we started flipping over and over (5 times in total), she wrapped her arms around me. She protected me in spite of her own safety. When the car came to a stop, the paramedics were called, and we were rescued my mom was found to have crushed both arms and broken ribs to save my life. I broke my left arm and have scar on my face that is still my reminder of what my mom did for me. While laying in the glass of that broken, flipped, mangled car, I would scream "mama, mama." Every time I would yell for her she would become conscious enough to tell me she was there and it was OK. Eventually it was really OK.
She has always told me that it is OK and if it isn't, she has always tried to make it OK. We haven't always seen eye to eye. My mom is a lady in every sense of the word. She has manors. She knows how to cross her legs. She knows how to be quiet when she should be. She knows how to walk in heals without looking like a fool. At one time when she was in the business world, when she spoke, people listened. When she walked, people watched who she was going to fire. She was and still is commanding. She also plays the piano and organ like nobodies business. She is Mrs. Clean. She is a Proverbs 31 woman.
She deserved a daughter who was much like her. Gentil, manored, lady like. She got me. I say that to say I am sorry I am not more like her. I wish I was quiet with less of an opinion. I wish I knew how to always act correctly in all situations that I am thrown in to. I wish I had the desire to sweep and mop on a daily basis. I wish I were a little more like my mom....but I am not....I am me, and she has always been OK with that. She hasn't always understood everything I have done or said. She hasn't always been the proudest when I have stuck my foot, elbow, and half left arm in my mouth but she has always tried to be there no matter what. She sometimes still frowns on some of my craziness but she loves me no matter what. She always says I Am OK. It is OK to be who I am.
I am proud to be her daughter. I may not be the daughter that she deserved, but I am proud that I am the daughter that she raised. She raised me to be independent, self sufficient, strong willed, unwilling to settle, loud and proud of who I am. There has never been a day that I haven't known she was proud of me. There has never been a day that I haven't known how much she loves me.
Thank you mommy for loving me. Thank you mommy for always standing behind me and being proud of me for who I am. I love you more than you know I am proud to be your daughter. You may not have gotten the daughter that you deserved but I thank you for always loving me anyways. You are the best mama I could ever ask for. I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Home
I am Sooner born and Sooner bred. A part of my heart will always belong to Oklahoma, but something is changing and has been stirring from within me for awhile now. I am becoming an Arkansan. I have been here over 10 years. I moved to NW Arkansas on a hot August day in 2000. I didn't ever think I would officially call NW Arkansas home. I think I thought I would eventually return to Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweeping down the plain) fall in love with a Sooner man (a Cowboy would never do) and settle down on the plains. What actually happened was I fell in love with a California nerdy computer guy who could really care less about football, and the rest as they say, is history.
So why do I think I am becoming a NW Arkansan? Good question. I love this little part of the world. I love the trees. I love the lake. I love Walmart (even though I curse it daily). I love the atmosphere. I love the lifestyle of the area. I love the people. I even like the Hogs (gasp...I know)....
Also, when I am driving north on 540 from Fort Smith to Fayetteville I get goose bumps every time I come over the hill and see Fayetteville in the valley and the U of A on top of the hill. It is beautiful! It is amazing! It is home!
Now I know I don't live in Fayetteville (30 minutes away actually) but when I see the U of A on the hill I always know I am home. NW Arkansas is my home. NW Arkansas is home....and I couldn't be happier.
So, this Sooner Girl that was Sooner born and bred...is home...with her California boy....in NW Arkansas.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Blessed
I started on a journey 3 weeks ago that I didn't and still don't know where I am going and where God is taking me. She Lives Out Loud has been a time on Tuesday nights that has been a saving grace, time of reflection, and a time to renew. It is amazing how much God loves this girl that can't seem to keep it together, that runs the other way when things get hard, who asks more from him than I could ever repay, and who on a daily basis finds little time, if any, to fit Him in. In spite of that, he has still blessed me beyond measure.
I think the most amazing thing about my God story and my life journey are the people that He has put into my life. For most of my life there has always been someone there to stand in the gaps. Women and men that have served as a parents, mentors, friends, protectors, confidants, teachers, and much more. No matter where I have turned or which path I have taken, there has always been someone there to help, fix, listen, and take care of me. I truly believe these people are from God.
My life story is nothing more than a turbulent first few years, middle is filled with love, hope, and being spoiled, and the end as of now is more being spoiled and being blessed beyond my wildest dreams. In my story, however, are God's finger prints everywhere, in the form of love from others. People that simply have blessed me because they love me where am in life. They don't care who I am, where I am from, or how crazy I am in all my glory. People love me for me, no matter the me that I am at the time.
Amazing people like Geoff, my Mom, Dad, Aunt Helen, Uncle Blaine, Alex, Aaron, Aunt Patsy, Uncle Henry, Erin, Erin, Aaron, Granny Reichert, Papa Reichert, Grandma Irene, Papa B, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Francis, Jimmy and Sandy Schimmel, Neely Schimmel, Dane Schimmel, Grandpa Schimmel, Grandma Schimmel, the House family, Elaine -Natalie-Ryan Bates, Darlene Taylor, the Jordan family, Lisa Willis, Christy Lynch-Burcham and her wonderful mom, Lookeba MBC, Hinton MBC, Oakdale MBC, Bethel Baptist Church, Cedar Hills Youth Camp, Mrs. Tucker, Mrs. Summers, Mrs. McGregor, Pete and Sharleen Rathmell, LaDonna Ball, Grace Point Church, my workout group, Waltina Hannah, and so many others that I could fill up pages and pages and pages of names, but I won't. I won't because some of them don't have names, some of them don't even have faces, and some of them I have long since forgotten - but God hasn't. All of these people are God's fingerprints. God's way of showing himself to me on earth. Sure I have had "God moments" where I knew only because of him am I still here, but it is the moments that aren't as significant that take my breath away.
Thank you to all of you that have taken my breath away and continue to take my breath away on a daily basis. God's love that has been shown through you is nothing less than a Heavenly treasure here on earth. I truly don't deserve God's love but He gives it freely because he loves me in ways I cannot yet comprehend. I stand on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 on a daily basis and truly believe that "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." I also believe that everyone has a purpose in those seasons. I may not always understand why people come in or go out of my life but I know that God knows. Every single person's fingerprint on my life is amazing, cherished, and blessed.
My prayer for each of you is simple. Dear Lord, please bless all those who have blessed me until their cup runs over. Thank you for always filling the gaps and for leaving your fingerprints of love all over my life. Amen.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I think the most amazing thing about my God story and my life journey are the people that He has put into my life. For most of my life there has always been someone there to stand in the gaps. Women and men that have served as a parents, mentors, friends, protectors, confidants, teachers, and much more. No matter where I have turned or which path I have taken, there has always been someone there to help, fix, listen, and take care of me. I truly believe these people are from God.
My life story is nothing more than a turbulent first few years, middle is filled with love, hope, and being spoiled, and the end as of now is more being spoiled and being blessed beyond my wildest dreams. In my story, however, are God's finger prints everywhere, in the form of love from others. People that simply have blessed me because they love me where am in life. They don't care who I am, where I am from, or how crazy I am in all my glory. People love me for me, no matter the me that I am at the time.
Amazing people like Geoff, my Mom, Dad, Aunt Helen, Uncle Blaine, Alex, Aaron, Aunt Patsy, Uncle Henry, Erin, Erin, Aaron, Granny Reichert, Papa Reichert, Grandma Irene, Papa B, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Francis, Jimmy and Sandy Schimmel, Neely Schimmel, Dane Schimmel, Grandpa Schimmel, Grandma Schimmel, the House family, Elaine -Natalie-Ryan Bates, Darlene Taylor, the Jordan family, Lisa Willis, Christy Lynch-Burcham and her wonderful mom, Lookeba MBC, Hinton MBC, Oakdale MBC, Bethel Baptist Church, Cedar Hills Youth Camp, Mrs. Tucker, Mrs. Summers, Mrs. McGregor, Pete and Sharleen Rathmell, LaDonna Ball, Grace Point Church, my workout group, Waltina Hannah, and so many others that I could fill up pages and pages and pages of names, but I won't. I won't because some of them don't have names, some of them don't even have faces, and some of them I have long since forgotten - but God hasn't. All of these people are God's fingerprints. God's way of showing himself to me on earth. Sure I have had "God moments" where I knew only because of him am I still here, but it is the moments that aren't as significant that take my breath away.
Thank you to all of you that have taken my breath away and continue to take my breath away on a daily basis. God's love that has been shown through you is nothing less than a Heavenly treasure here on earth. I truly don't deserve God's love but He gives it freely because he loves me in ways I cannot yet comprehend. I stand on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 on a daily basis and truly believe that "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." I also believe that everyone has a purpose in those seasons. I may not always understand why people come in or go out of my life but I know that God knows. Every single person's fingerprint on my life is amazing, cherished, and blessed.
My prayer for each of you is simple. Dear Lord, please bless all those who have blessed me until their cup runs over. Thank you for always filling the gaps and for leaving your fingerprints of love all over my life. Amen.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Big Girl...Stick With Your Dancing Doctor Idea
Big Girl and Little Lady decided to play barber shop yesterday....Little Lady's hair lost.
Yesterday afternoon started off like any other. I picked Big Girl up from school, came home, did snack, watched 30 minutes of TV, and then told them they had to go play for a little bit while I tried to pick up (ha!). I went to check on them a couple of times and they were playing really well...or so I thought. After I had checked on them, I came in, sat down for a minute and flipped on the TV for some reason. A few minutes later Little Lady comes out and says "Emma has scissors." OK. Wait. What? Wait. What has happened to your hair? What the? BIG GIRL!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?! GET IN TIME OUT RIGHT NOW!!!! WHAT THE? WHAT THE? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY DID YOU DO THIS? Big Girl simply says "Sisters hair was too long. She needed a hair cut." At this point I am crying historically (yes...historically) and trying to figure out the what, why, and where this hair cutting has happened.
I call Big Grasshopper and leave the following message crying....bawling......OK....snot coming out my nose, tears dripping on my clothes crying.....BIG GIRL JUST CUT LITTLE LADIES HAIR!!!!! CRYING...and I hang up. I bet that is a great message.....yup....classic Kristin message.
I then call my WONDERFUL hair goddess person and beg her to help me. She takes me in laughing and fixes Madison's hair.
I know most kids do this and it is a right of passage, but to say that we have talked about not cutting hair is an under statement. Every time we have out scissors (which will be never, ever, not until they are 35 will they get to use another pair of scissors in this house) I talk to them about only cutting paper, and only cutting things we need to cut. We never, ever, under any circumstance think we need to cut clothing, Barbie hair, or someone's hair, including our own. (Think all my talking has really paid off...don't ya think?)
My verdict at the end of the day is Big Girl should stick to her dancing doctor idea of what she wants to be....and it is just hair....it grows back....right?
Yesterday afternoon started off like any other. I picked Big Girl up from school, came home, did snack, watched 30 minutes of TV, and then told them they had to go play for a little bit while I tried to pick up (ha!). I went to check on them a couple of times and they were playing really well...or so I thought. After I had checked on them, I came in, sat down for a minute and flipped on the TV for some reason. A few minutes later Little Lady comes out and says "Emma has scissors." OK. Wait. What? Wait. What has happened to your hair? What the? BIG GIRL!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?! GET IN TIME OUT RIGHT NOW!!!! WHAT THE? WHAT THE? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY DID YOU DO THIS? Big Girl simply says "Sisters hair was too long. She needed a hair cut." At this point I am crying historically (yes...historically) and trying to figure out the what, why, and where this hair cutting has happened.
I call Big Grasshopper and leave the following message crying....bawling......OK....snot coming out my nose, tears dripping on my clothes crying.....BIG GIRL JUST CUT LITTLE LADIES HAIR!!!!! CRYING...and I hang up. I bet that is a great message.....yup....classic Kristin message.
I then call my WONDERFUL hair goddess person and beg her to help me. She takes me in laughing and fixes Madison's hair.
I know most kids do this and it is a right of passage, but to say that we have talked about not cutting hair is an under statement. Every time we have out scissors (which will be never, ever, not until they are 35 will they get to use another pair of scissors in this house) I talk to them about only cutting paper, and only cutting things we need to cut. We never, ever, under any circumstance think we need to cut clothing, Barbie hair, or someone's hair, including our own. (Think all my talking has really paid off...don't ya think?)
My verdict at the end of the day is Big Girl should stick to her dancing doctor idea of what she wants to be....and it is just hair....it grows back....right?
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