J. A.

This morning, Sam got really quiet. I went looking for him and as I walked towards the back porch, this is what I found:

vv .v';v;,b h, hl,y h hhh,,h,h,h,h,,,,,bm,bmh
Should I be worried that Sam likes to drink alone? I spoke with him about it and he explained that he did NOT have a problem. (Denial!) He said he could quit anytime and just drink milk. . , , , , v c,m .//.v; v ...,,, ,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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,v;v;lvf ,mk vckmvckmvvkvvkvvmvvkvkvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvkckfl ;l;gmk ggg b rfokffgkb'
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My son. The Juiceaholic. What's a mother to do?

By the way, I walked away from my computer for a moment while typing this and Sam jumped in to add his side of the story which makes this his first blog!



(Sorry if this was difficult to read. I wanted to honor Sam's message so I left it exactly as he typed it.)

Sweet Sounds

Sam fell in love with the sound of the marimba before he was born. He loves to listen to Scott practice. He's been picking up mallets and playing since he could stand on a chair and reach the bars. He's actually pretty good at playing with 4 mallets! See how much he loves marimba:



Here is video from right after Scott taught Sam how to play loud and soft. It's obvious which Sam prefers:



Now, Sam spends time practicing what Daddy is teaching him. Listen as he goes into Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star:



So, now, Sam thinks he's pretty hot stuff. He has started composing his own music. He describes this unnamed piece as "Japanese minimalist."



God has truly blessed us with a child who loves our passions: music and reading. :)

Sam's Skills

At 23 months, Sam has some skills! He walks around singing his ABCs and counting. He recognizes more and more letters everyday. He can find letters in really obscure places-like the underside of a table! I love when he starts naming letters he sees.

Here are the videos to prove that I'm not making it up:

Sam can usually count to 10. Sometimes he decides he only wants to count to 9, though!



The day I shot this ABC video, Sam was getting stuck on "ABC...sing with me" so I had to prompt him to get the song going. But he usually starts with no help.

Here I go again...

Just when I thought all was settled, I got a call for another interview. Of course I'll go. I won't be responsible for closing doors that have been opened for me. And actually, I would really like to get this job. Everything is just changing too much in my district. If I'm going to face changes, I might as well face them while I teach Reading Recovery and make a little more money. I still want to get another degree and prepare for the future. I'm working on that plan but it may take a while. Anyway, please say a prayer for me about this new job possibility. I'm trying to believe that God wouldn't continue to be so persistent if he wasn't trying to show me the way. So, here I go again...

Spring is springing!

Spring is my most favorite time of the year! I love the sense of everything waking up from a long nap and seeming new and refreshed.

Sam is enjoying Spring, too. He enjoys smelling flowers, discovering baby leaves and just getting to spend so much time outside. He has loved being outside since he came home from the hospital. There were times when he was really little that the only way to get him to stop crying was to walk outside. He didn't care if it was 200 degrees outside and you were sweating to death, he just loved being there.

Yesterday, we were in the yard soaking up Spring and I couldn't resist grabbing the camera. I used to love Spring for the daffodils, robins and dogwoods. But now I love spring for the look it puts on Sam's face.

I found the open window!

It has been a very long, sick week around this house! The flu could not have hit me at a worse time. I am so busy with school work right now. I have thanked God many times this week that Scott was on Spring break. Sam's babysitter had the flu, too, and Sam had to stay home. But, we all survived and now it's time for me to get back to work! Sam did get sick, but he had a virus that just gave him a high fever all day and he seems to be fine now. I am just praying to God everyday that Scott doesn't get sick. I'm not sure how I'll finish the work I need to do by the looming deadline and take care of Scott and Sam.

For Stef: Thank you for your words a few weeks ago. You have truly set my life on a course I didn't see coming but I am most accepting of now. Thank you for showing me how God was working in my life when I couldn't see it.

For the rest of you, I have finally found peace in all the turmoil and sadness in my career (not to sound so dramatic, but it has been a dramatic year for my friends and I). A few weeks ago, I interviewed for a job in another district teaching Reading Recovery. I was excited about the opportunity to teach RR again, but very sad about the changes in my district and my school and having to leave all that I knew. (I wrote about the interview March 3) Anyway, the impact of the possibilities that were at hand were not soothing my soul. However, everything changed the day after the interview when I talked to Stef. She helped me see that perhaps God had brought me to this place so that I would look beyond RR and consider other possibilities. I had never done that before because teaching RR was all I had wanted to do since I student taught in college. I've worked all these years to get to exactly where I was and I was very happy. However, is this how I want to spend the rest of my entire career? Probably not. I had just never looked beyond RR. Stef helped me see that perhaps it was time I moved on so that I could make a difference in the lives of even more children. The next morning, with a new sense of purpose and peace lifting my wings, I talked to a few colleagues and my principal about what else was out there for me. I decided to stay at my school for now so that I could pursue another master's degree in curriculum and instruction. This will lead to even more opportunities down the road and staying where I am will help make the process a little easier.

All of this happened really fast after my interview but I cannot describe the peace that has settled in my heart. I literally think I heard the angels playing their trumpets at some point and everything just seemed to make sense.

By the way, as great as I thought my interview went, I never did get a call. I found out yesterday that a friend of mine was hired and I can't be happier for her. I enjoyed the ladies I met and I know that they will love working with my friend.

Perhaps I shouldn't have cried DURING the interview...oh, but things might be so different now!

Thanks, Sam!

Sam says "peas" and "'scooz me" but that's about all the manners we've gotten from him. We do say "Thank you" to him often and try to get him to repeat it when appropriate. But, no luck!

And suddenly, yesterday, I handed Sam a toy and I could have sworn he said "Thanks!" Then, all weekend long, he has been saying "Thanks, Sam. You're welcome." Just like that, as if it is one word. It is precious! And he actually uses it appropriately and often. I'm not really sure where he's picked it up, though!

He's Mine!

We've known for a while that Sam definitely belongs to Scott. (Their baby pictures look exactly alike.) But I'm always looking for confirmation that he's mine, too! Finally, I have my proof and I'll stop worrying about a lab mix-up.

My child likes to keep his hands clean while he eats and reaches for the napkin often.

THAT comes from me!

:)

Complain, Complain, Complain...

Yeah! Sam can finally complain! Isn't that the dumbest thing to be excited about? But it is so hard to help him feel better when I don't know where he hurts. Scott and I have said so many times "I can't wait until you can tell me what's wrong." Well, now he can and it is as wonderful as we expected it to be!

His first complaint came Monday morning. Sammy was in his crib fussing a little but not crying. When I went to get him out, the first thing he said was "nose" and I knew exactly what he was trying to tell me. His nose was really stuffy and he couldn't breathe. Today, he told me repeatedly that his bottom hurt and he did have a bad rash. Poor thing! But what a relief that he can actually tell us what he needs!

Now if I can just get him to answer yes when I ask him a question...


(BTW, this post was for Allison whom, I think, was teasing me!)

Winds (and Leaves) of Change

Well, it's over. The big interview has come and gone. It was actually the easiest, strongest interview I've ever had. More like a conversation, really, with a great group of ladies.

And then I cried all the way back to my school. The thought of leaving my school, my team, my colleagues, my kids and my friends is gut-wrenching!!! I haven't been offered the job, but even the thought of the changes coming next year, whether I stay or go, is painful.

For my Reading Recovery friends who are facing the same decisions I'm facing, against our will, I am told that this too shall pass. I am told that change is really a good thing even though it sometimes hurts. I am told that when doors close, windows open. These things I am told and on a deep level, I believe them. But in the midst of it all, it is very hard to see that the world will be right again.

So, I lean on my two mottoes and I pass them onto my friends because together, and only together, we will get through this:

God will not give us more than we can handle.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.


Thanks for letting me pout! I think this will be a very long week...


And since I created this blog for the sole purpose of bragging about my family (and because I need a smile), here are my "pictures of the day". These were taken in November and are some of my all time favorites.

Past and Future

I was looking through some pictures and videos this evening, just remembering...ah...and I found this cute video of Sam made one year ago. One day he discovered the bell that Putter rings when she wants to go outside and I caught him trying to escape.



I can't believe how little he looks! I sure don't remember ever in his whole life thinking he was little! I wonder if I'll look back a year from now and think "oh, how little he was..." Nah, I doubt it!

Tomorrow (Monday) is a big day for me. I have a job interview in another district! This will be the first time I've ever had an interview that I really didn't need to get. So there's not that usual sense of urgency and nervousness. At the same time, I'm really, really excited about the job. It's for a Reading Recovery position. Yeah!!! You know that's where my heart is! I'll keep you posted...