~Loopy Lorraine~

Six Years Old....

March 14, 2010.... 

 
Generous Encouraging Nurturer Eccentric Vibrant Intelligent Enchanting Vocal Extraordinary  

My little girl, my Darling Genevieve.

 Six years old....can you believe it!!? 

 

Just not feelin it....

The urge to blog or even look at a computer, that is.

Reality:: the never-ending happenings around us currently have me fully captivated.

Captivated so, that I am feeling a bit stingy with my sharing. :)

So here's the bare-bones outline of what I might feel like talking about later::

Genna-Clair turned 6 yesterday.....SIX YEARS OLD!!! That's big stuff!! Complete with a party at the skating rink with most of her friends and Barbie's and fingernail polish and makeup and clothes and SHOES and a real clock and some cool stuff for her room, and a monogrammed backpack, and...and.....she's just so very grown up. She is such a sweet, beautiful girl. Oh and that dress she wore to her party.....

After the party, we went out to the lake to hang out with our small group (from church). She LOVED that, too!!! (Gen felt like the campfire and cookout was just for her birthday!!) Sweet times.  

We have a doggy now (maybe permanent, maybe temporary) named Seven....she's a chorkie (chihuahua/yorkshire terrier mix). 

I am sick of soccer tournaments. They're fun once in a while, but every weekend is wearing this Momma out!

Cheez-its are as addictive as popcorn. 

Potty training really isn't as hard as I've been told. Frustrating sometimes....but no, not too hard. 

Cheez-its make your breath taste like dirty socks.

Peel-off fingernail polish is the bomb-diggity....six year old style. heh.

Campfires + guitars + marshmallows & chocololate on cloudy, cool nights hanging out with some great new friends=awesome. 

My little sisters and their first "real" boyfriends....oh my. Such sweet boys!! Really, what boy that you know asks his parents first if he can even TALK to a girl, then has the guts (and respect) to ask the girl's daddy for permission to date his daughter. Top it off with getting younger siblings to tag along in situations where they might be alone, to keep them accountable.(??!!??!!!) Wow. I'm just amazed that BOTH of my sisters should be so lucky. I guess all of this big sisters' prayers were heard. haha...I'm not done yet!!

Babysitting to get out of working on the weekends would pay off if I didn't have to work on the weekends. ha.

I'm in a weird time warp where weeks feel like days, and the days fly by way too fast. (make sense?)

I have been avoiding my computer like the plague with hopes of finally completing all the laundry and having a sink with no dishes to wash or rinse for more than an hour.

Sleep. I need sleep. Yawn.....................

Oh how time flies....

Busyness...isn't that what it's called? The rush of day-to-day...the things we MUST do, that left undone, make us feel so completely unsuccessful, lazy, irresponsible, flaky, whatever that negative word that comes to mind is....

Funny how in this fast-paced world full of busyness, we rarely find the time to just *be still*

Soak up a few moments of sunshine, listening to flying things in the morning...

Listen to the rain...take time to count the seconds between the flash of lightning and the crack of thunder...

Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and think about.....nothing. 

You know??         

I've forced myself to give up laziness for a period of time, hoping I will pick up a good habit...in this same time, I've found myself savoring those few still moments. Really noticing the stillness, the silence, rare as it may be....holding on to those few seconds and remembering to be still and listen. 

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This Sunday marks two very important celebrations::

First, it is my first baby girl, Genna-Clair's SIXTH birthday!!! I can hardly believe it!! Children grow far too quickly. I have been remembering her as an infant, toddler, etc. as I watch her read and write and play with her friends the last few weeks. I have noticed that I take this memory inventory of sorts with each big anniversary or birthday's planning. Sort of the way you might flip through photos in a scrapbook...I try to recall all the special moments we have shared. Genna-Clair is the same today as she has always been:: independent, beautiful, sassy, intelligent, loving and full of energy!! I'm so thankful I get to be this little girl's Momma.

The second big day is the two-year anniversary of "officially" homeschooling my children. I was thinking today, of how thankful I am to my friend, Casey, for taking Trip to and from public school for me while I was so very pregnant with my Ella; and even after she was born, Casey helped me out tremendously. Thinking of all the support I had then, and how much more I've found now .Also, my dear friend Jeana helped so very much in the first years of homeschool. I'm thankful for having her as my mentor and friend and for the time we shared at her dining room table teaching our children...well, mostly her teaching and me learning how to successfully homeschool. Of how I love a way to connect with other homeschool families in our area....of how far we've come as a family...learning together and learning how each of my children learn best. It's such a gift to have this time with them. 

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Then, in thinking of how time flies, I think of how quickly the seasons change....

The struggles and lessons that come and go with them.

The people and dreams that visit from time to time, but often only for a season.

Which brings me back to being still, and seeing what, exactly, I am to learn from this season....this small amount of time. Reflecting on how we've all grown and the things we may have learned from everyday life; looking for the areas that need pruning and the areas that need encouragement to mature. 

Spring means big changes, big reflections, some purging, some being still, and a whole lot of growing. 

What does this season, and time, mean to you? What will you do with it? 

Thank you, Ju-Ju!!!

Work has started back, for us.... and one of my very best friends came to the house to take care of the kids while we were at a tournament. She left some sweet pictures on my computer....I'm so glad they were having such a good time!! Thank you so much, Julie!! 

 





 

soo....I didn't share the other pics. :)
They didn't turn out as well as I hoped.
Here's one I took Monday...that I really like.

Those little white specks are snowflakes!!! They were tiny, but it seemed like a LOT. 

Today has been full of re-arranging, AGAIN.
I'm loving the way our house is looking.
:D

big ones, small ones, some the size of your head...

The kids were so cute, playing in the snow...I wish I'd set my camera to capture more shots at a time, so I could put together a stop action film on the building of a snowman...It woulda been sweet!

 
  

::snow angel::



 

::Ella can make a big one!::
 

::our snowman in progress...::

 

::Hit by a snowball... :) ::

 

::What realistic arms you have, Mr. Snowman....::
 

::Snowball Tree!!!::

::Trip had the most fun throwing snowballs. :) He's got quite an arm!::

Enjoy! See you tomorrow, with a few of our snow pics from yesterday...

Trip was singing, "I've got a lovely bunch of snow balls....." 

  

Snow days...

We don't usually have this many days of snow in a year...

We don't normally get snow until late February or early March, if at all...

I forget to capture the moments in photos, when the snow does arrive... it's all too exciting!

This time, I got it....

I    

  

 These were taken last Tuesday, after our surprise snow.

I'll share more snow pictures tomorrow. There are just too many good ones for one post. :) 

I know many of our family and friends North of us are about sick of all the white stuff. 

We're really trying to savor it...hot cocoa, anyone?? *smiles* 

Birthday Blessings...

I feel so honored to share such a  very special day with my Great-Grandmother, Genevieve...(2/11/17-3/23/07) AND my Great-Grandmother, Maw Maw Elsie went home to Heaven on 2/11/2005. It's too funny to me, that on my birthday, I have the honor of sharing the celebration of two of my Great-Grandmothers. I feel so richly blessed to have known ALL of my Great-Grandmothers so long and so well; including my Nanny Joy and Great-Grandma Margaret.  I try every day to teach my children about their Great-Great-Grandmothers and to emulate the love they shared. I am thankful to have such amazing examples in my life:: strong, loving, Christian women. What a gift their lives have been!! Also, on my birthday, I remember our angel  baby miscarried at 10 weeks, in 2003. I know I'll be with them all, celebrating, someday!

  I once thought my birthdays had been so terrible the last several years. Tonight, upon reflection, I can see that every birthday has been teaching me the celebration of life. Not to be so focused on myself. To have gratitude and compassion. I still say your birthday is the one day you can act like a kid and not feel guilty....but what a gift, to look back over the years, and see what I've learned from that one day.

 My friends had a skating party for me, this year. I feel so special and so loved that someone cares enough about me to plan such an event....and that so many people came!! My new friend, Jennifer, planned the whole thing. God has been doing big work around here, surrounding me with wonderful friends. I am overwhelmed with His presence, every day, in my life. The peace and joy that I feel astounds me. I feel very, very blessed, and thankful. :)

What do you wanna do with your life??

In the words of Twisted Sister, and my two-year old::

"I wanna ROCK!!"

 

Skating is fun, too. :) 

For my twenty-seventh birthday, that's what I get to do!! I'm so excited!! 

My birthday rule:: Be a kid, no matter how old you get. That's your one day to be the biggest dork ever, and who cares?? It's your birthday!! :) 

Sharing the love:: Please visit http://www.pooponpeeps.com/index.php/2010/02/send-some-love-its-free/
Read the story, follow over to the other blog listed there, and send your love. Then, if you feel compelled to, share the link in your blog as well!

I just thought, "What would I hope others would do?" So...if you don't mind helping this family out with some words of kindness, prayers, etc., I know it will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!