thankful thursday :: football

So our big guy is playing football this year. And LOVING it. He had his first game this week {they won 24-14} and he has another on this afternoon. I am thankful that he is having such a great time and that {so far} he is injury-free. Needless to say, he's taken a few hits, been stepped on and generally been knocked around a little . . . but nothing an Advil and a good nights sleep won't take care of. I'm looking forward to seeing him play again today. Here are a few of the 100+ pictures I took at Tuesday's game {he is blue #43 in case you can't tell which one is him under all that gear!}::

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1602. cool mornings :: fall in the air
1603. the hoot of an owl
1604. a quiet house and a good book
1605. soft snores coming from the bedrooms :: my 7 loves all still asleep
1606. time to think and give thanks
1607. leaves against the first light of morning
1608. snuggling with my big boy on the couch :: that he still wants to snuggle is truly grace!
1609. handsome blue eyes framed by black plastic :: and knowing that he can see clearly now::1610. tall sunflowers::1611. fabulous, caring, knowledgeable teachers for our kiddos
1612. a great first week of school
1613. one last swim in the outdoor pool
1614. amazingly glorious weather
1615. a fun date with my mom (& Sara)
1616. Tea Garden :: yum!
1617. crafting
1618. witnessing the exchange of vows :: two becoming one
1619. listening to my husband preach
1620. a new favorite -- so very, very true. give it a listen (or two or three or four)::
1621. "Behold the man upon the cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom"
How anyone can sing those words without the tears streaming down their cheeks truly baffles me completely. I was a mess :: always am!
1622. a good workout with a friend (everything is better with a friend)
1623. fun morning and good coffee with friends, discussing how everyone's first week went
1624. 11 months of Sara::1625. more cleaning, organizing and purging
1626. catching up with a favorite friend through an open minivan window :: ah, this life of mine!


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

soccer

Today we had our first games of the fall soccer season. I signed Rebekah, Lydia and Joe all up and got a message back that the 3/4 girls teams were all full and there wasn't a spot for Lydia . . . shoot! But then I found out that Rebekah's 5/6 team didn't have enough players, so I asked really nicely if they would take Lydia even though she wasn't technically old enough {plus, that would save me running people to practices and game for 3 separate soccer teams}. Rebekah's coach said it was ok with him, but he'd have to get it ok'd by the park and rec people. They agreed too, so I was happy {although Rebekah was a little miffed the she had to have her too-little sister on her team -- but when I explained that if there happened to be 3 soccer games that overlapped on a certain Saturday morning then it would be possible that neither of her parents could be at her game, but if she and Lydia were on the same team, they were pretty much guaranteed at least one parent}. So Joe is on a co-ed 1/2 team and Rebekah and Lydia are both on an all-girl 5/6 team.

Here are some shots from our really hot, no-win morning at soccer::

sisters::

a extra-cute spectator::

um, you can see better if you actually face the game::

game 2 {did I mention it was at a totally different park? and started before the first one was done? convenient, huh?}::

run buddy::

out-standing in the field::

eleven

It's hard to believe that a month from today we'll be celebrating a first birthday. Slow it down! . . . unfortunately I've been around the block enough to know that's not going to happen. Anyway, here's our cute, speedy, happy, sweet eleven-month-old "baby" girl::

flashback friday

A couple other first day of school pics::

First day 2007 {Jacob 3rd grade, Rebekah 1st grade}::

Lydia, kindergarten::

First day 2009 {Jacob 5th grade, Rebekah 3rd grade, Lydia 2nd grade}::

thankful thursday :: school

I'll start off with a picture of Sara. Just because I think she's cute. She's not going to school this year though. {Do you see that little tooth about to pop through on the top? It's given us a LOT of trouble, but hopefully that will ease up really soon!}::

Well, another school year is underway. We've got a 7th grader {first year in middle school}, a 5th grader, a 4th grader, a 1st grader, a preschooler and a baby. The school year is off to a fabulous start for all our kids. Jacob is THRILLED with middle school. He has some great teachers and is completely loving football {even being tackled and stepped on and working hard}. I don't think I remember ever seeing him quite so happy. He's nearly giddy. I guess middle school suits him. Rebekah's teacher has a daughter named Rebekah -- spelled the same way even. It's always nice to have a little extra connection. Lydia's teacher's grandma was named Lydia and she told Lydia that if she'd had a girl {she has 2 boys} she would have named her Lydia. Tonight at dinner we were doing "high & low" where we talk about our highs and lows for the day and, when it was Lydia's turn she announced :: "My high was my whole day and my other high was I don't have a low!" Gotta love that! Joe's teacher taught 1st grade to both Rebekah and Lydia is a just wonderful. Anna is so excited to finally have her turn to be in preschool.

He was nice enough to still let me take his "first day of school" picture. Big kid that he is::

We are so thankful for the great schools our kids go to. For the wonderful teachers who care about them and teach them so many things. For the fabulous friends they have at school. I don't claim that public school is the best option for every kid, but it sure is right for ours . . . for this time.

I think that homeschooling is wonderful too. I know some homeschooling families that I respect deeply, but just as public school {or private} isn't the right choice for every family, homeschooling isn't the right choice for everyone either. I homeschooled Jacob when he was a kindergartener. I would never say that homeschooling is a bad choice. It's not! But for us, for that time, it was not the right decision. I think our decision to homeschool -- at least on my part -- was based on a lack of faith. I was worried about Jacob's health issues and how they could be handled "without me". With his multiple life-threatening food allergies I didn't think he could be safe at school :: cafeterias filled with kids drinking {and spilling} milk, kindergarteners with leftover butter on their fingers from their toast touching him or things that he would later touch, birthday treats, etc. I was nervous. I needed to be in more control than having him at school would give me. Basically, I didn't trust that the Lord could take care of him without me there. {which, clearly, is not true!} It was a tough year. He wasn't happy. I wasn't happy {plus, did I mention I was also pregnant. Yup, I was}. The littler kids had to deal with their unhappy mother and big brother. We decided that we'd try something different for 1st grade. We looked at a couple different schools and decided on Falcon -- our local, neighborhood public school and have been very happy with that decision.

The elementary school crew::

Walking to school with the Schmidt girls::

As parents, we don't just automatically assume that things will continue as they have been from year to year. Each year we consider each kiddo and how they're doing at school and if the current choice is still the right one for them. If I have any question about whether or not it is the right choice, I talk to that kiddo about it and pray about what the right situation is for them. So far the kids agree with us that our public schools are where they want to be. Will public school cause them harm somehow? Yup, I'm sure it will. Bullies, challenges, being given information contrary to what they know to be truth, chipped elbows from falling off the monkey bars. Life hurts :: but we believe that, for our kiddos, the good that comes out of the experience far outweighs the bad. Plus, that is the real world. There are mean people and people who believe differently than you. Life is hard. That is something you can't get around and a reality that, although I don't like it, is just that -- reality!

So, I am thankful for our schools and our teachers. And I'm so thankful that we are off to a good start this year.

Walking to preschool {how cute are they?} ::

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1590. girls high in trees picking apples
1591. grace! {because all is grace, you know}
1592. backyard fires
1593. boys in full football gear -- unrecognizable to their own mothers. how can that be?
1594. delicious fried food on a stick -- a fun family day at the state fair!
1595. an outdoor movies with friends . . . and treats
1596. a home for our family . . . grace again!
1597. "kids eat free" day at IKEA :: feeding our whole family until we were full for $6.16. amazing!
1598. spending hours at the park on a glorious night
1599. remembering my Papa on what would have been his 100th birthday {he died in 2007} he was a great man. here i am with him and my grandma when I was about 2::
1600. Oh how marvelous! Oh how wonderful! And my song shall ever be. Oh how marvelous, oh how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.
1601. purging, organizing and cleaning


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

yikes!

These last couple weeks of summer have been packed with stuff. Meeting teachers, starting practices, celebrating birthdays, going to the fair, volunteering as a family . . . I can't believe it is already September. That summer sure flew by.

Sorry if you missed me yesterday, I meant to be either thankful for thrifty or something, but then I fell asleep on the couch and resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen. Flashback Friday might not happen either, but here's a little preview of a few things we've been doing lately {in no particular order} ::










Enjoy your extra-long weekend!