Dear Children, school's OUT for summer!!! It's all good until I have to start entertaining you. Dear Busy, there have been SO many concerts, award ceremonies, shows, field trips, parties, celebrations, class snacks, ect. It will be a relief to take a break for a bit. Hopefully....I didn't think I was going to survive when I got a ginormous headache and had 3 programs to attend in one day. Dear Pointless, someone explain to me the point of all the kids having to go to school for 2 hrs on the last day? Dumb. I don't want to get up early for that. Of course the kids want to go to see their friends. Dear Hazel, you were so cute at your Kindergarten graduation. I am in denial a bit that you are going to be in 1st grade. My BAABYYY!! Dear Hailey, it was fun to go and watch what you have learned in cheer this year. You did great! Dear Avary, I loved watching your gymnastics class today. You won 2nd place and it's your first year of gymnastics. I can't wait to see what you are capable of! I guess all the times wee have gotten kicked from you practicing in the living room are paying off. Dear Kade, somehow you think that because school is out you will never see your friends again. They live 2 blocks away and you play with them every day so.... Dear Unnamed Child, you seem to break important rules right before there is something fun planned. Not in a small way, in a Big way! I hate having to allow/enforce the natural consequences and make you miss out on fun things. If you were going to break the rules why wouldn't you wait until after you got to do the big fun thing? Don't do that, I'm just saying....think it through!...How about think it all the way through and just don't break the rules at all and then we all have fun. Dear Awesome, I am so proud of my kids. They have all had to overcome really hard things this year. Each one has their own trials and they are all different. With some I didn't even care about grades, because at the time there was much bigger issues to face. They have pretty poor grades at the moment, BUT they have overcome way bigger, much harder, more important obstacles this year and I am so proud of them. Others also were dealing with bigger things, but managed to also end the year with all A's and B's when last quarter they were D's. Again I am so proud of them. My children haven't and don't have an easy or sheltered life so far and have had to deal with hardships that most adults never have to face. They make me wacko sometimes, but I am incredibly proud of my children. They try, they forgive, they love, they learn, they progress, they are so much more than you see. I am incredibly blessed to be their Mom. I am excited to watch them grow into the people they are meant to be. Dear Summer, here we go. The calendar has way too many days filled. I am hoping that it will feel more relaxed than it looks. I am hoping that somehow I will have more time to get my To Do list shortened, that the house will be clean, the kids will do their chores, and play and laugh. I imagine them reading and getting along hahaha. I'd settle for a clean house. Dear Moriah, I am so incredibly proud of you! Graduating high school and I'm missing it! I love you pretty girl! Proud Auntie. Dear Will, please know that -I am proud of you- I see your hard work. I see your sacrifice. I see you humble yourself. I see your kindness. I see you evolve and progress. I am blessed to have you by my side. We've been through a lot already, but it reassures me that we can make it through anything, together. I'm pretty sure you NEVER thought you would be living in a house with seven children. Coming home to a mess, your stapler and tape ALWAYS disappearing, having to step over bikes and sidewalk chalk and shoes, and then attacked with children, questions, hugs and kisses the moment you walk in the door. As we face the bigger trials that the Lord is giving us, I will be right there with you. And proudly wear the shirt that says "I'm with Icky" wink. wink. If that's what it takes. I love that we can laugh together even when we are faced with really hard things. Well...just make sure we are both laughing. When roaches are involved you are treading on very thin ground my love. very. thin. you are still learning. You think it's funny when I think it's horrific. I hope we are both spared from you having to learn this the hard way:) We are so very lucky. Dear Self, life can so very hard. But I am so very blessed. Just when I come to accept some things that I don't understand and wouldn't choose and hand it to the Lord and just decide to keep walking in faith even though I can't see, the Lord answers prayers, changes hearts that I didn't ever think would change and blesses me so much more than I deserve. He gives me peace in times of heartache. He gives me trials that humble me. He gives me strength when I just want to give up. He gives me forgiveness and the desire to want to forgive. He gives me the trials that I need to want to become better. And quickly reminds my heart when I complain that I am so blessed. Some days I just completely fail. How grateful I am to be able to start over each day.
