November 10.
That was the last time I blogged. And to be honest it probably wasn't even that day I blogged. I probably blogged sometime in December and back posted it to November because I am so utterly behind in this record keeping project of mine.
Being utterly behind hasn't changed. In fact it's only become worse. And yet I still believe with every part of me that this blog is important for recording the events and happenings in my family. It is an important creative outlet for me. It is an important way for me to stay in touch with family and friends...or rather to help family and friends living far away to stay connected with us and the lives of my children. I still love blogging. And so rather then feeling like I can't blog until I'm caught up, I'm going to continue to stay current, blog in the present and back post events as time in my life permits.
I am in a crazy stage of life. When my children were the ages of two, one, and a newborn I didn't think my life could become any busier. I didn't think I could be more tired at the time of their bedtime. I was wrong. I often feel like I am merely treading water. Instead of being busy within the walls of my home, now I am busy with things that take me away from home which in turn make the hours inside my home all the more busy. The school hours of the day are filled with a half day kindergartner that really wants to be at school all day long and needs help staying engaged and busy and a two year old that gets into everything and anything. And between those two I can barely squeeze in keeping our home in order. Bedtime is only later for everyone then it was when they were two years old and that only means more hours for me of being "on." Sometimes I miss the days when I could fix their problems and cause their heartaches to heal with a simple kiss and a band aid. But as much as I miss my "little girls" I wouldn't trade it for who they are now. This growing and aging family of mine creates more joy, laughter, happiness and fun in my life then I could have ever imagined at the ages of two, one and a newborn. I am in love with who my children are, who they are becoming and the talents and abilities they are developing. My calendar is full of various activities in various colors. (Everyone has to have their own color so I can keep track of who is doing what on which days.) I love this wonderful part of the country that we live in and the all that it has to offer. The down side is that living in this part of the country also means that there is TONS of traffic and lots of time spent in the car in the effort to help those children of mine develop their talents and abilities. Sometimes it feels like madness. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Life is good and life is full.
Bret and I often talk and reflect on what each of our children are involved in. I don't want life to become so scheduled that they lose an important and valuable part of childhood, just being kids. But we also want to help them and provide opportunities for them to develop their talents. We want to provide opportunities that will challenge them, make them grow, help them develop their confidence, and have experiences that provide a source of joy. And when you have a big family, trying to do that for every child can become a little difficult.
For the sake of personal record keeping, I want to record just exactly what our extracurricular activities at the moment consist of.
Abby is on a travel volleyball club team. This means she has three practices a week that are each 2 1/2 hours long. Wouldn't be as big of a deal if her practices were not a half hour away starting right when rush hour begins. Taking her there and making it back home is not a lovely process. Luckily I've got a carpool worked out that helps. It also means that she has two tournaments a month that are anywhere between one and three days long. And when I say "days long" I mean from 8:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night and then factor in the travel time to wherever it is we might be playing. Abby is also playing the piano and has a lesson twice a month. She is in our Young Women's program at church and so has an activity every Wednesday night, youth discussions every month, and other activities thrown into the mix. It's so good for her and she loves everything about young women's.
McKenna is currently playing basketball, which is really no big deal because it involves one weekday practice close to home and one Saturday game. However, her soccer team continues to practice two times a week and will soon pick back up to three. These practices are an hour and a half long and are about 30 minutes away. There is no carpool option for her because the team we have her practicing with is not close to where we live. Bret usually takes her to these and works in the car while he waits for her. It does mean that the two of them are gone for 2 1/2 hours three nights a week. Even though it is far away, we love the team she practices with currently because she is getting amazing skill development and the coach is supportive of our faith; allowing her to practice with them even though she doesn't participate in the Sunday games. She is also in Activity Days at church that meets twice a month, a monthly book group with girls her age, and Cotillion classes that we signed her up for hoping it would help build a friendship with another girl that was going.
Zachary is playing basketball, one weekday practice and one Saturday game. He also does scouts at church and takes piano lessons. He is my child that I would LOVE to add things to his schedule in order to get him off the couch and away from his reading. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that he reads, but there does needs to be balance in all things. If there is every a punishment that needs to be extended to him, taking away his reading is always what we go and what has the best success. I shake my head when I think about taking away reading as form of a punishment for a child. Talk about parenting to the individual child!
Gavin currently is not doing anything but will play soccer again this spring. He is just a ball of energy that needs some form of physical outlet every day. Whether we make him run up and down the stairs each day or around the culd-e-sac, he needs some way to channel that energy and move his body.
Yes, life is good. Life is full.
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