Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year's Eve


These young ones melt my heart. We are so blessed to know the Scalia Family. I can't wait to celebrate many more years together!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Being silly...



No matter the mood I am in, little g can brighten my day. He is creative, mischievous, and oh so cute. I love seeing his imagination at work, and I love that he can turn anything into a fun game.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Grayson, The Hulk

Even The Hulk needs his sleep.

Friday, December 14, 2012

My heart aches...

My heart aches, and I choose to steal words from my friend, Catie Kastan.

"I believe with everything in me that Love wins. But the fight is very, very ugly. I send wordless prayers (because, tonight, I don't have the words...) for CT and all those who grieve. Also, I pray for schools of all nations; schools should be places of dreams realized and nothing less."

Learning to Spell


Griffin is a perfectionist when it comes to school. He longs to get every. single. spelling. word. correctly. Even the challenge words. So here he is, practicing away on a Friday night :)

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Blessed 12-13-12

  1. My new purse :)
  2. Received official word from Gallup...I can use some of their questions in my dissertation survey!!! YAHOO :)
  3. Grayson ate multiple servings of multiple items at day care.
  4. I ate the most delicious cookie at lunch. 
  5. A parent thanked me for working so hard with her son.
  6. I got to witness crazy shake his booty. Cutest thing ever!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Two Thumbs Up!


10,000 Reasons

As I reflect on the here and now (from yesterday's post), I am reminded of one of my favorite songs: 10,000 Reasons. Each and every time this song is sung at church, my heart fills with joy. I read on a blog (surprise surprise) the other day that a way to focus on the true meaning of Christmas is to write down things we can praise God for each day leading up to Christmas. Take your mind off of parties, crafts, gifts, traveling, and focus on what God has blessed you with. I plan to take two minutes every day (setting a timer my friends) to make a quick list of how I was blessed that day.

Reasons to worship on 12-12-12
  1. Griffin and Grayson have fantastic swim instructors. They both love going to swimming lessons.
  2. My students made me laugh.
  3. I was able to "escape" life for a bit and read.
  4. I have a treadmill that allows me to run in the middle of the night.
  5. I was thanked for doing a something I have been doing for a while now. It feels good to be acknowledged.
  6. Griffin LOVES school and is so enthusiastic about learning.
  7. We have a day care that is so perfect.
  8. I have the help of two paraprofessionals who are fantastic

Words to Remember: Courtesy of 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Blessed

A few days ago, my friend Krissy posted a blog entry on FB written by Steven Furtick titled "How to Trust God in the Good Times."  It is pasted below...(original link: http://www.stevenfurtick.com/spiritual-growth/how-to-trust-god-in-the-good-times/)

Most of us have heard countless sermons based on the premise that we need to trust in the character of God when we’re going through trials. 

But we also need a basic and innate confidence in God’s character in our times of blessing.

If you’re suspicious of God’s intentions in your life, not only will you struggle to trust Him in the hard times, you’ll find it nearly impossible to enjoy the good times.

When you operate out of a basic framework of spiritual suspicion, when God blesses you financially, you’ll receive it with a heavy dose of guilt, rather than responding with gratitude and generosity.
Suspicion assumes that even if all your kids are healthy and doing well in school, sickness and struggle are lurking just around the corner. You’ll squander your entire season of peace and favor worrying about the stormy weather that you’re sure to encounter soon.

In other words, being suspicious of God means believing that His blessings are too good to be true. And they’re on the verge of slipping away any moment.

The truth is, God’s blessings are too good to be true. That’s what grace is all about. You didn’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. But He gave it. So enjoy it. And give all the praise to Jesus in the process.

Stop squandering your season of blessing by living in a state of suspicion.

Enjoy the favor of God in all its fullness-and trust in the Lord with all your heart. Not just in the bad times. But in the good times, too.


This hit home with me. I can't tell you how many times I have said, "I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop." I am afraid to praise God for fear that it will be taken away; I can't believe how blessed we are at times, so I think something bad is bound to happen soon. As I enter the final weeks of the Christmas season, my goal is to take time each and every day to remember that while "bad" things might come my way, they aren't going to happen because something is too good to be true. I serve a Father who answers prayers and blesses me in ways I never thought possible. I need to respond to these blessings with gratitude and praise; I can't waste my time worrying when they will be taken away. I praise Him here and now. 

Monday, December 10, 2012

He's only six...

Griffin is a smart little man. He is kind. He is generous. He brings so much joy to our family. All of this, and he is only six.

Sometimes I forgot how young he is. He can spell words like property and evidence. He understands the meaning of Christmas. He is thoughtful and a fantastic big brother. He can run a 5K and swim 25 yards. He remembers the names of his medicines when I forget them. I need reminding that he is only six.

Tonight, Griffin woke up crying. He had been coughing all day, and he woke up after sleeping for a few hours with a splitting headache. It was during his sobs that I remembered he is only six. As I stroked his back and brushed tears away from his face, I was reminded that he is only six.

Six doesn't last forever.

Today, I cherish that he is only six. I cherish that despite his big vocabulary and heart, he still needs his mom. Because needing me won't last forever.

He is only six.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Congrats, Griffin!

Griffin loves school, but he loves doing well in school even more. He started spelling tests this year, and he gets two challenge words at the end of every list. Of course he HAS to learn those too :) He came home today pretty proud of himself.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Just a little accident..



We had to take Grayson into the doctor today; he was horsing around on the couch and fell into the filing cabinet. He got away with just dermaglue, but you could tell it was painful. Thankfully he seemed to forget about the whole thing by the end of the evening.